Page 31 of Tributary

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Diana

I SHOULD HAVE known this was too good to be true. Nobody invited me as a distinguished guest to this botany conference. And nobody upgraded my hotel room to a luxury suite…nobody but Asa Wexler. I groan as I drop my bag on the marble floor of the room, whose 30-foot tall windows overlook midtown Manhattan.

He must have been talking to my brothers. That’s the only explanation for this—I saw him cozying up to the entire town at the Equinox Festival. Of course, this is just another reminder that I’m not here as a rising star in my career. I’m not here to discuss an upcoming paper about vertical farming methods. I’m here as Asa Wexler’s fuck buddy, and a great big phony when it comes to the world of botanical research.

It seemed like a dream come true when the thick envelope showed up at my shop, with a VIP badge for the entire conference and tickets to every happy hour sponsored by scientists I admire.

I guess I thought my association with Moorely had perked up some ears, or maybe I thought Dr. Khalsa felt bad for dropping my contract. Either way, I crammed all my best skinny pants and smart, black blazers in a bag and headed to the Big Apple.

If he’d just booked me into a regular room I would probably have continued believing this little stunt, but now I just feel pissed off. I’m not quite sure what I expected, and knowing that he has the ability to affect me emotionally pisses me off even further.

I pull out my phone to call up Indigo. “Ugh! I’m dying, Diana.”

“What? What’s going on?”

“I just barfed for like two hours. And my boobs hurt so bad I can’t wear a shirt. I’m hiding from the guests just barfing…topless.”

“Well now I feel bad calling about my problem.”

“No. Do not do that. Give me your problem to distract me so I can tell you why you’re wrong.”

I tell her about the fancy hotel room, the VIP add-ons for the conference tickets. “I thought you said there was a problem. Hang on. Gotta barf.”

I sink onto the bed and wait for Indigo to come back on the line. The bedding is so soft. It feels like silk against my skin. I remember how nice the linens felt in Asa’s room in Pittsburgh when I let him tie me up.

Indigo’s voice interrupts my fantasy. “Ok. I’m back. I still think you’re making a mountain out of a marshmallow.”

“That’s not even a saying, Indigo.”

“He gave you that plant thing from Germany last time. The man finds gifts that really speak to you!”

“I would never have accepted this,” I start yelling. “I just…why can’t he just be in it for the sex?”

“Well how do you know he’s not? Is there not a bed in the fancy hotel? Have you two ever even done it IN an actual bed?”

“Of course we’ve done it in a bed.”

Indigo gasps. “You did? Damn, girl! You really like this guy.”

“I do not. I was angry that Hunter’s getting married and I…went back to his house with him after the festival.”

I hear her adjust something in the background. “Time out. Why are you angry about Huntigail? No, Sara’s right. I hear it now, that doesn’t work. But why were you angry about their engagement?”

“I love Abigail. I don’t know! Maybe I’m pissed that Hunter grew the fuck up? Like, he really seems to have made fundamental changes in his habits.”

“He totally is less rigid now. But, babe, why is that so upsetting?”

“I don’t know. It was a lot all at once. And anyway, later at the party Asa must have heard me telling my brother that I was bummed to miss Bot Con and now here I am, in the penthouse overlooking the High Line. Feeling like another idiot because I actually believed the botany community was reaching out to me.”

“They’re the idiots for not making you a VIP guest, Di.”

I groan. She’s always so dang positive about everything.

“Listen, friend. I’m going to go suck on a lemon and try to wear a tank top. I think you should order yourself some nice room service on Asa’s shiny dime and enjoy your fellow plant nerds.”

I consider not taking her advice, because I’m sure he fucking loves the idea of showering money on me, but then I realize I can eat steak in the bathtub and watch Gilmore Girls on the enormous television all at the same time. Indigo sends me a text for emphasis: Go talk to the plant people all about your plant machines. After the room service.

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