Marissa walked into the Fusion offices with slight apprehension. Kendall looked surprised and delighted to see her until she heard the reason for her visit.
"You're here to see mom?" she said disapprovingly. "If I were you I'd be giving her a wide berth."
"It's important." said Marissa quickly. "And it's business… I need her help to save the Courtland and Chandler deal. And just maybe along the way she'll get to know me better and realise what a stupid accusation she has made."
"I won't hold my breath." said Kendall with a long suffering sigh. She patted Marissa's arm. "But I will wish you good luck!"
Marissa steeled herself to approach Erica's private office.
"Thanks…" she said to Kendall for her words of support, "I think?"
…
Erica had been talking to her assistant when Marissa entered her office.
She dismissed Malcolm and turned to Marissa, her face a mask of professionalism.
"You said you needed to talk to me?" Erica asked gesturing to the seat opposite her across the desk.
Marissa looked a little nervous as she sat down.
"I wanted to talk to you about Auben, the European business analyst you recommended. I can't get him to answer my calls. One of the problems, I think, is his secretary has very poor English and my French is even worse. There is only a short window to finalise this deal and… and I was hoping you would intercede on my behalf."
Erica checked the time.
"They're about six hours ahead. We might just catch him at the office before he goes home." she said, all business as she picked up the phone.
"Thank you." said Marissa with a grateful smile.
Erica nodded and when the phone was answered reeled off an inquiry in rapid French.
"Bonjour. Puis-je parler à Auden Pascal? Vous pouvez lui dire que c'est Erica Kane phoning d'Amérique. J'ai des affaires importantes à discuter…"
There was a long pause and then Erica reeled off more French.
"Salut, Auden. J'espère que tu faites bien. Ca va..?"
Marissa wasn't sure what was being said, but at least it sounded like Erica had got through to her man in Paris.
It was in that moment that Marissa's own cell rang. She gave Erica an apologetic grin and moved to the opposite corner of the office to answer the call.
It was from Bianca; who started the conversation with quick burst of Stevie Wonder's 'I just called to say I love you…'
"Someone's in a good mood." said Marissa with a discrete laugh.
"And you, my bathing beauty, are the reason." said Bianca. "How is your morning going?"
Marissa's cheeks pinked a little at the memory of last night, and she gave a nervous cough.
"It's good so far." Marissa said. She was very aware of Erica watching her as she spoke.
"As good as last night?" Bianca asked in a mischievous tone.
"Hmm… it would have to go a long way to get better than that." said Marissa grinning despite herself. Although it did feel a little awkward chatting up your girlfriend when her mother's suspicious eyes were boring into you from across the room.
"I am happy to accept that challenge." said Bianca, clearly in a very good mood.
"I'm sure you are…"
"Anything to get you naked!"
Marissa's attempt to disguise her burst of unexpected laugher at Bianca's shameless flirting with a cough was less than successful.
"As much as I fully support that suggestion." said Marissa, trying to make this sound like a business call for Erica's benefit. "And I wish I could help… I'm kind of in the middle of something at the moment…"
"Bad timing? Sorry. I was only wondering what you were doing for lunch as I have a two hour window this afternoon and I thought we could meet up?"
"At Krystal's?" Marissa suggested. She went there almost every lunchtime now; her mom was coming to expected it. "I could meet you for an hour but…"
"… new client this afternoon, I remember. So I'll see you at one?"
"See you at one."
…
Erica had been half listening to Marissa's conversation while she got Auden to agree to look at the Dutch company that had offered to sell up to Chandler. She wondered who Marissa had been talking with on the phone. She'd hoped it was Bianca; but if that was the case why was she acting so furtive about it?
…
Erica had arranged to meet Madison for lunch at conFusion. She wanted them to have a chance to properly compare notes about their suspicions about Scott and Marissa. On Erica's part it was more a gut feeling that Marissa was being unfaithful… because all Bianca's girlfriends were unfaithful. Madison's perspective was a little more compelling. She counted down her evidence; Scott's reluctance to talk about work; too many late nights; too many gushing conversations about how great Marissa is to work with and to talk to and now he said he had to go to a special meeting on a Saturday afternoon, only her wouldn't tell her what for.
"I wasn't sure I should tell you this." said Erica, "But Marissa was on the phone earlier arranging a lunch date at Krystal's. It was too flirty to be business and too furtive to be just a casual conversation... I want to believe it was Bianca she was talking to, but she was just acting so suspiciously."
"Did she know you were listening?" Madison asked.
"I don't know. She was flirting with someone, and clearly trying to hide it from me!"
"You mean she and Scott could be meeting up right now?" Madison asked in alarm. Would they be that blatant about it!
Erica checked her watch, it was a quarter past one.
"Well, there is one way to find out." she suggested, getting up from her chair and picking up her purse.
…
"I'm so sorry." said Bianca for the hundredth time.
"It's fine." said Marissa, "It's nice to see you, however briefly."
"Yeah but I arrange a date and then have to bail… I wish I didn't have to go but this VIP is arriving a week earlier than was written in the diary and we can't turn down the publicity."
"I understand." said Marissa.
"I had such plans." said Bianca morosely.
"If they are tied to your earlier phone conversation, then this might be for the best because I don't think I would have made it back to work if that were the case."
"Did I come on a bit strong?"
"It wasn't so much that..." said Marissa biting her lip, wearing an amused grin. "But you remember how I told you I was going to see your mother this morning about her business analyst friend…"
"You were with my mom?" said Bianca, her own cheeks turning pink. "I guess that was a little awkward?"
"Only a little." said Marissa with a laugh.
Bianca sighed again.
"I don't want to leave you." she groaned.
"…But you must." said Marissa.
"I must." echoed Bianca.
"Royalty awaits…"
"Yeah." said Bianca, still not getting up from her chair. "I just don't want to leave…"
"It's a Reggie weekend this weekend which means a lie in… you can make it up to me then." Marissa suggested.
"True." said Bianca.
She sighed.
"I really have to go."
"Then go, I understand. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay."
Just as Bianca finally got to her feet Scott walked through the door of Krystal's Bistro.
Marissa glanced at the clock on the wall; usually Scott dived in for his lunch-time coffee as regular as clockwork.
"You're a little late today." Marissa called as he headed past them to the counter.
Scott turned and gave Marissa and Bianca a smile, not having noticed them when he entered.
"Well I actually have a little more freedom today." he said. He still looked tired, but it was nice to see him smile. "With this being Adam's first day back at Chandler there is a board meeting booked for 2pm so I actually have a whole hour to enjoy my lunch break. I had hoped to go home and surprise Madison but she was out."
"Well, why don't you take my seat." suggested Bianca. "I have been forced to stand up my girlfriend and I'm sure she would enjoy the company."
Marissa nodded in agreement.
"I actually have some good news to share with you." she said.
Bianca gave Marissa with a loving kiss, before leaving the two friends discussing business. Marissa had a lot to tell Scott about the new progress made, with Erica's help, over the Courtland/Chandler deal.
…
Bianca's reluctant departure came just minutes before Erica and Madison arrived to peer through the windows of Krystal's Bistro. They're worst suspicions were confirmed when they were confronted by the sight of Marissa and Scott together, deep in conversation.
"I knew it" said Erica, filled a sense of triumph for being proved right. "I knew she was cheating!"
…