Page 117 of Surviving Lies

I was early for the meeting, so I decided to stop in my office. Pressing the button for the top floor, I leaned back against the wall for the ride up. The view of the city on the ride was a sight to see; a glass elevator was one of the modern enhancements of the Parker Building. As I stepped off onto the executive floor, my breath hitched a bit. I would have liked to get to my office unnoticed, but no such luck.

“Mr. Parker, how nice to see you,” Maryellen said. “I didn’t know you would be stopping by. I would have tidied things up for you. Your brother has kept me quite busy during your absence.” She stood from her desk in a form of greeting, her manicured brow rising with her comment about my brother.

“No worries, Maryellen, I’m sure everything is in fine order. I just need to pick up a file before my meeting on floor thirty. Good to see you.” I rushed into my office and shut the door, not wanting anyone else to know I was here. And, as expected, my office was in pristine condition. Not a thing out of place. The only thing she would have done if she knew I was coming was put some fresh flowers on the coffee table.

And then there was a small knock on the door. “Mr. Parker?” Maryellen asked, timidly. She peeked her head in and found me sitting in my desk chair, staring at nothing. “Do you want Chase to know you’re here, sir?”

“Not really. Why?” He was exactly who I didn’t want to know I was here. My brother would make a huge deal of me being in town. He would make me go out to some ridiculously notorious nightclub or something, and I had no interest.

“Well, he just arrived, sir,” she said. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t find out. He doesn’t come in here, so that’s not a problem. When is your meeting, sir?”

I looked at my watch and realized I didn’t have as much time as I thought. “I have to be downstairs in fifteen minutes. Shit.”

“Don’t worry, sir. I’ve got this,” Maryellen said as she closed the door with a quiet click.

I hated that she called me sir. I thought she was only about ten years older than me. We could be friends outside of the walls of this place. But in here, I was the end all, be all for someone like her. But damn, she was good at her job. I would do anything to keep her around.

And just like that, she buzzed me on my phone.

“Sir, Chase was sent to floor fifteen for an emergency. He should be there for the next twenty minutes.”

I jumped out of my seat and took off for the elevator, making sure to get to my floor unnoticed.

“Thanks, Maryellen!” I yelled as I passed her desk.

“For what, sir?” she answered discreetly with a wicked smile. She was worth her weight in gold, and I needed to make sure she got a raise.

Hopping out on the thirtieth floor, I made my way to Jared’s office, hoping I had arrived first. His secretary stopped me at the door.

“Mr. Parker, Jared is expecting you. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

“Don’t bother – I like surprising him,” I said as I continued to his office door. Jared and I were buddies in college, down at BRU. I brought him up here with me after we both graduated. It’d been helpful having him here as a cohort and a friend.

I just barged in.

“Hey, asshole, how are you?” I walked into his office like I owned the place.

Well, I did.

“Fuck you, Gage,” Jared replied. He was pouring himself a drink at his sideboard. “Want one?” He gestured to the bottle of Blanton’s in his hand.

“Yes, please.”

We both sat at the small conference table he had in his office. It was prepared with the files necessary for the meeting, all set out in front of us, pens ready. The empty third chair was waiting for our final guest to arrive.

And right on cue, the buzzer sounded.

“Mr. Foster, your expected guest has arrived.”

“Send her in,” Jared said.

I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for this to happen. For the past two years, it was all I wanted. It was all I could think about. It was all I needed. But when it came time to sign the deed, there was always some ambiguity.

It was the visit three weeks ago that made it seem like it was the wrong decision. But that was probably her intention.

We both stood as the door opened and she walked in. She went to Jared first and kissed him on the cheek; they’d known each other just as long as he and I had.

She didn’t come to me, only smiled across the table as she took her seat.

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