Nowforruin betas this. THANK you.
Still for Kisvakondok.
I don't own Twilight. Any similarities to actual persons or events, alive or dead, real or fictitious, are merely coincidental, and most likely the product of my feverish imagination.
12.
It didn't take me long to figure out what to do with the 411 I had on Riley, and I had no qualms about using it to my advantage–at least not at that point. Regrets only came later.
The first person I enlisted for help was Alice, thinking she'd be a good source of information to figure out the details I needed for the plan to work. Her information would be more reliable than anything a private detective would dig up, I reckoned. She ended up becoming my co-conspirator of sorts, which meant I owed her one more favor after all was said and done.
"Hey, Edward," she answered on first ring when I called her the next day.
"Hey. What are you up to tonight?" I always preferred a one-on-one conversation when possibly damaging information would be exchanged; plus, seeing the reaction to your proposition written on the face of the person sitting across from you generally helped you gage whether you were on the right track.
"I've to meet a client for dinner, but he has to catch his train up to Westchester early. I can meet for drinks around eleven," Alice answered without asking questions.
"Okay. Where?"
"There's a small bar on Grand Street, near my house. Give me a call when you're heading downtown." I hung up the phone and proceeded with my workday.
I didn't get much done that day. My mind kept on wandering in circles.
One thing I'd learned, when formulating any strategy, was that you needed to have answers to all central questions before implementing the first step. Predicting what would happen once the wheels were set in motion was key to your ultimate success.
I noticed pretty quickly that there were too many questions I didn't have a ready answer to.
I thought I knew something about Isabella Marie Swan after the long summer we'd spent together, the summer I'd tried in vain to woo her, and I did–at least to a certain degree. I knew she preferred The Beatles over the Stones, Biggie Smalls over Kanye, and the imaginary world of books over reality; she liked her sugar with coffee and cream, and extra sauce but never extra cheese; she'd hated high school, but had come to appreciate college; she never gossiped and lacked a competitive edge, for lack of a better term; she loved Casablanca and the Simpsons. But when I thought about it, it felt like I'd barely scratched the surface, and whatever I knew, provided me with no insight into her relationship with Riley.
There were the simple queries I thought I couldn't have come up with a response to, because even if I would've attempted to figure her out more, I was lacking the basic facts necessary to ask them. Did she know about Riley's indiscretions? Did she have a hunch, at least? For that, I would've had to known Riley or I would've had to ask her about him, which in turn would have required some form of admission on my part that I had a competitor … that failure was an option.
Either way, as a result of my ignorance, I was left with nothing more but conjecture when it came to her relationship.
Riley had been everything but inconspicuous, and I felt certain that he wasn't a novice at the game he was playing. My instincts told me she should at least suspect it.
In the end, even for the sort of simple estimates that hinged on how well I'd figured her out, like the question of whether she would stay with him if she knew, I fell short of explanations.
Would she accept a philandering boyfriend? Where there other factors that played a part in why she was with him? I had no clue.
It troubled me that I apparently knew so little and not only because the success or failure of my plan to get rid of Riley hinged on it. Ultimately, it meant that I hadn't spent as much time as I should've getting to know her.
By the time my driver took me downtown, I was antsy to get some answers from Alice.
"I need your help," was the first thing out of my mouth when I saw her sitting at a stainless steel bar, sipping her standard vodka soda. I noticed that she'd picked a place that had no other customers. It was only the bartender and her in a tiny space occupied by a bar with six stools, glass shelves lined with liquor and a karaoke station in the back.
"I figured as much." She smirked at me and lit a cigarette while the bartender locked the front door, flipped the sign from "open" to "closed" and disappeared through a whole in the floor to the basement. "I'm fine by the way."
"I'm sorry. How are you?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm okay."
"I ran into Riley."
"I see."
"Does she know?" I looked at her closely, watching her reaction.
"Let me see …" She bit her lip for a moment and narrowed her eyes, as if contemplating her answer further. "I gather you've discovered something about Riley that is not altogether pleasant and you're hoping it will help you somehow to get Bella, correct?"
I nodded.
"Since Riley is not short of shortcomings–no pun intended–I'd have to go out on limb here and say, maybe?"
I sat down next to her. The fact that Alice wasn't able to guess what I was talking about showed me something. Maybe Riley was more careful than I'd given him previously credit for. "Okay. I see. You have no idea what I'm talking about?"
"Yes, that would be an accurate assessment. I also have to warn you, I might not be that useful when it comes to Riley. I've already told her in no uncertain terms that I don't think too highly of him. On several occasions actually and she's still with him. I'm afraid her patience with me on that subject is wearing thin."
"I see. What do you know about him? And why do you dislike him? If you don't mind me asking …"
"Well, for starters, he dumped her several times over the past four years. He, of course, called it 'taking a break,' but I have my suspicions about that. I hate his guts, just for that reason alone. He's the only guy she's ever been with and personally, I don't think he's good enough for her. Let me restate that, I think he's bad for her. He knows how to play on all her insecurities.
"What I know about him? I already pretty much gave you what I know about his family. Riley and Bella's parents know each other, but I can't say I know more. I don't think they are close. Riley used to be different when they first started dating. Long hair, bongo playing, pot smoking … well," she rolled her eyes, "you get the picture. He went to Bard, what more can I say? Anyway, I could see why Bella liked him at first, though I thought from the get go he was a poser. The fact that he did a one-eighty turnaround becoming a suit-wearing snob with political aspirations and law school as the next course on the menu only confirms it." She sighed and blew the smoke from her cigarette out. I fingered one of her American Spirits out of the pack and lit it.
"To make sure he has all his ducks in a row, he's has been pressuring her to get engaged before he goes back to school next fall. Even she's hesitant about that one-"
"Wait! What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "She can't!" I coughed loudly, the smoked going down the wrong way. I started to panic, never a good move when strategizing.
"Well… what are you going to do about it?" She gave me an expectant glance.
"Does she know he cheats on her? You said you had your suspicions … does that mean she's fine with that?"
Alice stared at me for a second, disbelief and astonishment written on her face. "Are you certain?" She didn't seem to buy it, at least not immediately.
"Are you asking me whether I actually caught him in the act? No." I knew I was right, even if I hadn't bothered to stick around for the rest of the evening.
"No … I mean … I believe you. Yeah, I had the feeling when they were taking a break–or whatever that weasel called it–it was most likely so he could sleep around. But I didn't think he was actually doing it while he was with her, no! Particularly not now that he has all these plans which require him to keep a squeaky clean imagine."
"Would she believe you if you told her?"
"I don't know. The problem is, she'd confront him about it, and he'd most certainly deny it." She pursed her lips and looked at me. "If she were convinced that he is in fact sleeping around on her, I don't think she'd tolerate it and I think that would be the nail in the coffin for their relationship." A satisfied smile appeared on lips. "Would you tell her?"
"I think that might backfire. I'm not sure it's the right approach either way."
"I don't know … you want her to catch him in the act?" she guessed. I winced as she said it out loud, but that was exactly what I'd planned.
"Yes. If you are sure she'd be done with him afterward," I admitted.
"Yeah, I'm sure she would. I think there's a certain level of mistrust from her side already … doubts … the breakups. I mean, she's not stupid, just sometimes slightly blind to the obvious."
"Her parents don't have a dog in that fight, do they?"
She thought about her answer for a second. "They're supportive of the relationship … as far as I know, but I can't imagine her dad would tolerate that kind of behavior–particularly not in public. He'd possibly tell her herself to dump him if he caught wind of it. Not that I suggest we go there." Her smile broadened. "What can I do to help?"
"I don't know yet. For now, all I need is information. I'll let you know when I need your help for anything more."
"I can help you with Bella … but what about him? Don't you need to figure out where he is etcetera?"
"I'll see whether I can figure out the schedule of the Congressman he's working for. Can't be that hard? I'm sure there's another fundraising event on the schedule."
"If you need help with Riley, I might know someone who'd be able to."
"The less people know the better. I don't want her to find out I was behind it," I added quickly.
"I understand. Still … I suggest you give Jake, her cousin, a call. I'll give you his number. I don't know what exactly his beef is with Riley, but he knows him well and hates him with a passion. He'd be happy to help, and he's good at keeping his trap shut."
"Okay. I'll think about it."
We stayed in the bar until closing time, drinking and talking. She was curious to find out about my run in with Riley and what I'd gathered from my observation. Alice immediate support of my plan ensured that I never second-guessed it.
"Pick up the phone the next time she calls you," Alice said before she got out of the car in front of her building. "Just because she catches Riley with another woman in bed, that won't make her run straight into your arms. Bella is a private person. She'd probably be apprehensive to trust anyone afterwards. Talk to her before this goes down. Trust me."
I nodded and smiled. I had no plan yet on how to deal with Bella. Part of me was still angry. Yes, I wanted her desperately, but I also badly wanted to show her how poorly she'd made her choices, though I knew little about them.
The next day, I called Jake despite the fact that I had some qualms about involving him. He wasn't surprised to receive a call from me, which made me think Alice had probably already given him a heads up. He invited me to come shoot hoops with him downtown that night.
By six, I went home, changed into some old workout clothes and jumped on the 6 train to meet Jake. Alice was right. He turned out to be the most useful source of information and without his help, my plan certainly wouldn't have run as smooth a course as it did.
We hung around the court for a while–not talking much, sweating and trying to outperform each other. In comparison to the other times when we'd fleetingly met, he seemed hostile.
"Alice said you needed my help with something," he started during a break.
"Yeah … maybe. I ran into Riley the other night."
He laughed.
"I'm assuming Alice has told you I'm not a fan."
"You could say that. How well do you know him?"
"I've known him since pre-school. We were never friends, but you can't get away spending as much time together as we did without at least figuring out the likes and dislikes of a person."
"How about his vices?" I prodded.
"You mean the fact that he can't keep his dick in his pants?" he asked with an edge to his voice.
I chuckled. He shrugged his shoulders. The expression of his face remained cool. He didn't seem to be amused.
"And for the record, I've told Bella about it. Unfortunately I had no direct evidence … just rumors. And he's nothin' if not a good liar. He denied everything and she believed him. But what's it to you? From what she tells me you guys no longer talk."
He gave me a stern glance. At the core, Jake always had her best interest at heart.
"It's complicated …"
"You know she ended up working for her dad because of your stupid chivalry?"
"Excuse me?" I couldn't see the connection.
"Admit it, you wrote that summary of the prospectus. All those neatly analyzed graphs … I can understand you wanted to help her, and I'm sure you weren't aware that the assignment was forwarded directly from her dad's desk … but fuck – did you have to add algorithms in there, predicting a return of investment?"
I remembered the prospectus, of course.
"I'm still not sure I understand. And why was he sending her stuff?"
"Her dad only sees what he wants to see. When my father told him Bella seemed to have a hard time figuring out working with plugged-in formulas in Excel and was lacking good analytical skills, he didn't believe him. They have their own little pissing contest going on … never mind that. So he sent a little assignment over and you executed it—apparently quite well."
"Why didn't she tell him she didn't do it?"
He exhaled loudly. "Somehow she was worried she'd get you into trouble for helping her. I told her fat chance because from what I'd heard you're their golden boy. They wouldn't touch you. She wasn't convinced. She was going to just admit she had help … but she can't lie and eventually Charlie would've gotten a name out of her." He paused and inspected me.
"She should have told him. I couldn't have cared less." I doubted anybody at the firm would've approached me about it. Maybe a smack on the hand for some internal ethics violation, but I even that seemed doubtful. There was too much other shit going on that nobody ever said boo about.
"Don't worry. That wasn't the only reason she finally took the job. It was simply one less excuse of why she wouldn't work for him."
"Money? I don't understand." Her decision still didn't make sense to me.
"You're not giving her enough credit. Look, man, I don't know you that well … but no offense, I think you got her wrong." He sat down on the bench on the side of the court, and I sat down next to him.
"Kate's dad had a heart attack, so whatever her parents' initially thought they could chip in to help, evaporated, and on Kate's salary she couldn't even pay her share for a studio in Brooklyn they'd found." He shook his head. "So Bella took the job with her dad when he basically told her he'd buy her an apartment if she did. It seemed like a good solution … but of course it didn't take into account what she wanted. Not that he cared."
I'd always wondered about her father, and quite frankly, why she was so reliant on his wealth; usually families with as much of it as hers had trust funds set up for their children. But money, along with any questions about her family, was just another topic I'd never dared to touch on.
"I had no idea," I finally said.
"Well, right. That would have actually involved asking questions, rather than checking out her ass." He huffed and got up from the bench.
I didn't attempt to argue with him.
"Never mind. I'll help you because she needs to see Riley for who he really is before it's too late."
"I see."
"So shoot. What do you have planned?" he demanded, standing across from me with his arms folded in front of his chest.
"When Riley does engage in his extra curricular activities, how likely is he to bring his conquests to his place?"
"My guess would be very. It explains definitely why he still keeps the separate studio on the Upper East Side. It's a rat hole and he stays with his parents most of the time. He has an apartment at the bottom of their townhouse."
"Does Bella visit his bachelor pad?"
"Very rarely."
"So she wouldn't have a key?"
"As a matter of fact she does." He grinned. "They had a big argument about a week ago. Trust was apparently the subject. Long story short, to prove to her how committed he was, he gave her the key. He's working on convincing her to get engaged, even pulled out Grandma Lanier's ring for the occasion, but so far she hasn't agreed. Told him to keep the ring."
"Interesting."
"Good for you, I guess." I could tell he wasn't quite sure whether to like me or not. Apparently he was quite offended that I'd stopped talking to his cousin. "So … how are you going to convince the other girl to coordinate efforts? Do you know her?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"From what I observed, there is no 'one' other girl." He looked at me with a confused expression on his face. "Don't worry about it. She'll be a professional. Can you figure out what Riley's schedule will be like ... I don't know ... next week?"
A satisfied grin spread over his face when he realized what I was planning.
"I know he'll be at a party his college buddy is hosting next Thursday. I normally wouldn't go, but I'll make an exception. Forward me the contact info for the girl, and I'll point her in the right direction. Alice will make sure Bella has somewhere else to be."
"Next Thursday … okay. I guess it's on." I got up from the bench and we played a couple more games.
"And Edward," he called after me as I was about to leave.
"Yeah?" I turned around to look at him.
"I've heard rumors about you, too. You better not live up to your reputation."
I smirked.
"I mean it. I will fuck with you, if I hear so much as a whisper about it."
The rest was easy after that. After Jake had forwarded me the information for the party, I called up one of the hostess services Jasper and I had often used to entertain clients.
"Irena, how are you?" I asked politely when the Madam answered the phone.
"Same as always. For the night? Everything included?" she asked, getting right down to business.
"Yes. Can you arrange for car service?"
"Sure. How many and when? Tonight?"
"Next week and only one."
"Anything in particular?"
I contemplated briefly what would be up Riley's alley.
"Someone who can make halfway intelligent cocktail conversation. Eastern European would be fine, I suppose, but nobody with too heavy of an accent. I'd like to meet her for five minutes before, possibly tomorrow, if it can be arranged. She needs to be proficient at the art of seduction. I'll pay double for the right girl."
"Very well. Call me back tomorrow. I'll have a list of possible candidates ready. Introductions before hand will cost extra."
"Fine. What time?"
"Around noon."
By the end of the next day, I had it all figured out. I'd picked a tall blonde who didn't seem to mind the extra acting skills required for the job and was pleased when she found out Riley was barely twenty four years old and not entirely unattractive. Jake had agreed to meet her in front of the bar the party was held at exactly seven thirty the next week. Bella would be having dinner with Alice. Everything up to that point in the plan seemed easy. The next step, however, depended on the soft touch of the girl I'd hired. She'd have to snatch Riley's phone and send Bella a text message to meet him at his place. We had a backup plan, but that one was more suspicious. All in all, I was pretty certain it would work out.
The only think I hadn't figured out by the end of that weekend was how to talk to Bella. I held the phone in my hand a couple of times, nearly pressing the call button.
I was still unprepared on what to say to her when I got an unexpected call at my office the next Monday.
"Sir," Jessica chirped through the intercom. "You have a call on line one." She hung up immediately. Assuming it was someone important, I picked up the receiver.
"Edward? Please don't hang up on me!"
I hadn't noticed until that point how much I'd missed her voice.
Thank you for reading!
A/N – again of the unpretentious variety:
IcarusToSun wrote a review for the TwiFicDataBase about this story. THANK you. I put a link to it up on my profile. I totally owe you, girl!
DreamOfTheEndless posted a review at this site www(dot)avantgardeawards(dot)com – under story spotlight for June 9th– and a bunch of my readers actually wrote mini-reviews for that! Reading all this nice stuff about this story totally made me blush.
So, many thanks to Erikajo, Kisvakondok, cejsmom, BellaScotia, genevieve blanc, dreamzuvedward, arfalcon, IcarusToSun, Krazi4twiSaga, spanglemaker9!
The reviews were really much more eloquent and well written than my story. I will shut up now and try to crank out the next chapter.
Kisvakondok just finished school – I will start a campaign to convince her to write a new chapter for Mating in Captivity. If you haven't read her story, go check it out. It's under my favorites.