Page 6 of A Man of Prestige

I finally pry my tired eyes away from the screen when it continually goes blurry on me. I need to sleep. I look at my sofa but decide I should head back home. I mark the samples under a test name that is exclusively for samples that I’m working on and then number them with a new sequence, so they don’t get mixed up.

I look around once more to make sure everything is in order before I head back out to my home. It’s not dark out, so instead of taking the metro today, I opt to walk the two miles to my home. I can’t help feeling like I’m being watched as I walk, but each time I turn to look, I don’t see anyone suspicious. I decide to stick with my car from here out. I curse myself for not clearing out my browser history, although I was only looking at articles through the library search portal, which shouldn’t denote any red flags…at least I hope not.

When I get home, I shower again and crawl into my bed. I’m too tired for food. As I lie there wondering what the samples will show, the burner phone Aiden gave me buzzes. I pull open my bedside drawer and look at it. A test message. I shouldn’t smile when I see what he’s named himself, but I do.

Gräfenberg Wannabe: Anything yet?

Always so impatient. Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was a famous doctor who is largely credited with discovering the female G-spot. Thus the “G” in its name. During our extremely brief courtship, we had an anatomy class together during our summer clinic. There was an assignment. That assignment led to us discovering this doctor, his work, and our lust for each other. Needless to say, Aiden earned the nickname that night for discoveries of my body.

I quickly straighten my lips. He’s not allowed to do that anymore. I go in the phone to change his name, but then another message pops up on my screen.

Gräfenberg Wannabe: Don’t put yourself in danger to expedite it. I just need to know as soon as you do.

I roll my eyes and put on my glasses.

Me: I am running the tests now. I should know by the morning.

Gräfenberg Wannabe: Excellent.

There’s a pause but I can see the three dots and then they disappear. Then they reappear.

Gräfenberg Wannabe: I really do appreciate this.

I toss the phone back in my nightstand, needing distance from him and our past. I grimace when I see where the phone has landed. I slowly pull out the drawer and push the offending item back farther, tucking it under a letter from my grandmother that I kept when she died a few years ago. I close the drawer, willing myself to forget what I saw. I won’t go back there.

As if my sister can read my mind, my personal cell buzzes with an incoming call.

“Hola, chica!” she says cheerfully. Elena is happiness personified. Seriously, she’s never been sad a day in her life. She always sees the glass half full.

“Hey, what’s up, mi amore,” I reply as I walk into my kitchen, deciding I need a glass of water before I pass out.

“Guess what?”

I roll my eyes as I reach for a glass. “What?”

“I got tickets to the concert!” she screams. I pull the phone away from my ear.

“That’s great.”

“Yeah. My friend was supposed to go, but her aunt died.”

“Uh, well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Not for me!” she squeals.

I put my phone on speaker as I get the water. “Lena, that’s really insensitive.”

“Whatever. I mean, yeah, it sucks, but still, it’s awesome. She said I don’t even have to pay her for them. You want to go?”

My sister has been trying to score tickets to this rock concert for three months now. I know it means a lot to her.

“Where’s it at?”

“That’s the best part. It’s in D.C.”

I groan. My sister is in New York City for grad school. If the concert was there, then I’d have a chance to bail, but now I have zero reasons not to go.

“Fine. Text me the deets.”

---