Page 75 of Infinite

“Nothing was ever said, but if you ask me, the majority of her family’s fortune was made through embezzlement.”

Becca tilts her head. “You think Priscilla is the key to all this?”

“In a way, but not directly,” I explain. “Pris is a lot things. But she’s not one to get mixed up in illegal activity.” I sigh. “But she is one to share what she knows. She knew a lot just from being around me, and while she’s not stupid, she can be manipulated under the right circumstances.”

“In bed?” Becca offers.

I shrug. “Most likely. She craves attention and everyone within the social circles she frequents knows it. It would take the right person, needing the right information, to play along with what she needed.”

“Someone who didn’t have much in the means of scruples?” Becca guesses.

“And someone who wouldn’t think twice about eliminating the competition,” I agree. “Pris and me had a long talk last night. We discussed some of the things she’s learned being around men in finance. Many of my competitors and people I’ve associated with through Wall Street were her lovers and frequented her bed.”

“That didn’t bother you?” Becca asks.

“Of course, it did. I hadn’t realized how much business I’d conducted around her.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Becca scans my face, trying to read me. “I meant her discussing men she’d slept with while she was with you.”

Becca still doesn’t get it or maybe can’t understand the relationship I had with Pris. “What happened between me and Pris isn’t something I’ll ever look back on fondly, Becks. At worst, it was toxic. At best, we met each other’s needs.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. I lift her chin when she bows her head. “It’s nothing I’m proud of. But the way you and me left things screwed me up.”

“I apologize,” she says.

“I’m not trying to blame you, Becks. I was a hot mess. Not just because of what kept happening between us, but everything that happened with my family. I didn’t want to care that deeply for anyone anymore. I distanced myself from Trin. For a time, I wouldn’t even talk to Mason or Sean. When Pris came along, I knew this wouldn’t be a woman to love. This would be a woman I could have, who’d have me, yet not in a way that mattered or could hurt me.”

Becks nods, residual tears leaving her eyes. What I tell her isn’t pretty and not something I’ll ever be able to atone for. It’s simply the truth and the ugly side of what I’ve done.

“Tell me more,” Becca says quietly.

“There’s much to tell,” I say. “With all the men Pris had, I never imagined she’d want me to propose.”

“Not about you and Priscilla,” she says. Her hands squeeze mine. This time, she’s the one reaching for me. “I don’t want to hear about what you did with other women, okay?”

“All right,” I say. “I’m just trying to be straight with you.”

I give her a second to settle before I continue. “There were two names that kept coming up. She slept with both men quite a few times. She didn’t know they knew each other, since they never seemed to attend the same events. When they did, they appeared to keep their distance. One night, when she was out with her friends, she saw them in a bar uptown, drinking like they were old friends. She left before they could see her. Mostly for her sake, not theirs.”

“She didn’t want to approach two men she was sleeping with,” Becca presumes.

“No,” I clarify. “She was trying to save face, so she could continue seeing them when she wanted to.”

“Who were they?”

“Walter Cooling and Aston Malroy. Ever heard of them?”

“No,” Becca says. “Should I have?”

“They’re big in finance, but nowhere close to where I am.”

“I see,” Becca says.

So did I, which is why I woke up Mason around two in the morning. “There’s more. Clark, my intern for the past year, was a young man Pris suggested I hire.”

Becca eyes widen. “Was she sleeping with him, too?”

“No.” I laugh, although I shouldn’t. Pris would have sex with anyone to get back at me, especially if she was mad enough. “Walt introduced him to Pris as his nephew. Made him up to be a good kid and a good resource for her in case I started seeing anyone else.”

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