Page 85 of Games We Play
“The hell are you two doing here?” Who the fuck was that other woman standing beside Maxine?Who was I supposed to meet tonight… God, I don’t remember.Supposedly, it was the woman who would single-handedly give Sloan a financial leg-up when she finally left Giles & Sloan. That was the agreement she made with Erica Mann. “You got a problem with me?”
Maxine’s eyes widened as she contained a laugh. “Calm down, Crazy Pants. We were elsewhere when we heard on the grapevine that the Biggest Cunt in America was seen at La Lucia Lounge getting her drink on. We simply had to investigate.”
“Fuck you.”
“You’re not my type,” Erica said, keeping close to Sloan should she slump out of her seat again.Fancy seeing you do that, you tiny elf.Okay, so Erica was what… 5’7? But she was the most muscular one there.Is that what it’s like growing up a boy? You get to hit the gym more than anyone else?Yeah, yeah, Erica was female, but damn if she didn’t make living the man-life particularly attractive.Damn. Do I wanna be her, or do I wanna fuck her?Wouldn’t be a bad idea for a rebound. Too bad Erica had a girlfriend.
Both of these bitches had girlfriends! Seriously, how dare they?
“How about we get some food in you while we order drinks?” Maxine glanced at the menu. “I trust you can get Sloppy Jalopy there in one piece?”
Sloan couldn’t put up a fight as she was pulled off her stool and dragged to the small table in the far corner of the lounge. La Lucia was one of the most exclusive, upscale day-lounges in LA. What made Sloan think she would get any privacyhere?She sat in the chair farthest from the door, and pretended that Erica hadn’t forgotten to grab the gin off the bar. Water, huh? Fucking water!
Maxine brought drinks for herself and Erica, while Sloan received a bowl of nuts and a bag of gourmet popcorn. She was expected to eat it and start sobering up. Now.
“This isn’t where we’re having the meeting,” Sloan grunted when she was surrounded.
“Oh, this isn’t the formal meeting, dear.” Maxine knocked back her shot of whatever and promptly followed it with fresh, bottled water. Erica had yet to touch her drink. “This is us cleaning you up before you try to do any work. It’s what friends do, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“You’re not my friends.”
“We’re the closest thing to friends you have right now,” Erica snapped. “Which is rich for me to say, because you’re such a pain in our asses.”
Sloan didn’t deny it. “You’re right. I’m a bitch. I’ve made it my life’s mission to fuck everyone over. It’s the only way I know how to function.”
“Yes, yes, you’re the most alpha female in the room. The nastiest, most unpleasant…” Maxine fumbled for more colorful descriptions.
“Don’t forget I’m the sexiest, too.”
“Debatable.”
“Bah!” Sloan fisted the synthetic strands of her wig. “You guys suck as friends!”
“So what happened, exactly?” Maxine propped her chin up on her hand, her flawless makeup only slightly marred when she absentmindedly scratched at the corner of her eye. Who needed makeup, anyway? Sloan hadn’t worn a bit that day, and she felt great! “This can’t merely be about your divorce, unless the bastard has decided to take more than he’s due in a court of law.” She chuckled. “Is this about that woman you’ve been seen in the press with? I have to say, she’s really cute. What was her name again?” She looked to Erica. “Leah Vaughn?”
“Why are you looking at me?” Erica had no idea what to do with her purse. She looked like a woman who had never in her life contended with a bag half her size.She really is a newb at this, huh?That almost made Sloan feel better about her own predicament – at least she had always been herself, whether she believed somebody else’s false narrative of what that meant.Looking at you, loser husband of mine.God. That felt like a lifetime ago. The woman who happily, foolishly married Aaron Giles was long dead. Not even memories of the honeymoon across Asia and the Caribbean could soothe her heart.
At least she wasn’t fumbling with a bag that was probably full of useless crap somebody told Erica Mann she needed to cart around to assert her womanhood. AtleastSloan had that.
“I’m looking at you because you look a damn fool with that thing.” Maxine snatched the bag from Erica’s hands and shoved it beneath her chair. “You’re rich enough to afford pockets. Get some.”
Sloan may have been half-drunk, but she was clear-headed enough to recognize gal-pal camaraderie that never happened in the boardroom.How well do they know each other?Maxine was infamous for being a bitchy hardass – although not quite at Sloan’s cutthroat level – and Erica had gone through life posing as a man until a few months ago. There was no way they were friends before Christmas at the earliest. Was it really that easy for them to hit it off after Erica revealed her identity?
Well, shit. What did that say about Sloan, who couldn’t say she had a single friend?
These women called themselves her friends, but she assumed it was sarcasm. What if she were reading the signs wrong?
“So,” Maxine resumed, focusing her attention back on Sloan, “what happened with her?”
“With who?”
Maxine rolled her eyes. “You know who I’m talking about. The woman you were seeing. Don’t tell me she was a publicity stunt to piss off your husband.”
“No,but she totally did. So I got that going for me.” Sloan pinched the bridge of her nose. “He read me to filth, because one of our biggest investors is Harold Wright…”
Both Erica and Maxine cringed. Harold was one of the biggest names in national investments, but the only people who got along with him were his sons and the people who went to the same exact church as him.Same denomination doesn’t cut it. Has to be the same church.The man wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it the other day! Instead of being with her girlfriend, Sloan had to hear all about how they should join Harold’s church and be the next “star couple.” Aaron was so invested in Harold believing that they had a wholesome marriage that it was only natural for her to run out and fuck Leah as soon as possible.
“So, yeah. Harold saw the pictures, and that’s how everything came crashing down. He harassed Leah, and now she won’t talk to me.”
