Chapter 48

Phil ended the call and was ready to race into the house to talk to his mother. When he turned around he saw Hailey sitting in a deck chair staring forlornly into a backpack, tears streaming down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away when she saw Phil on his way over.

“Did you figure something out?” she asked. She tried to feign a bright voice and a smile but Phil could tell they were forced.

“Maybe,” he said, sitting down opposite her.

“Tell me about it!” she said. She could see the hope in his eyes and it brought a little into her heart, too.

“It can wait,” Phil said.

“What’s up?” Hailey steeled herself and pulled out a transparent white baby doll nightgown and a pair of see-through panties.

“These are Tiffany’s,” she said with a sniff. The second bag revealed a dark green silk strapless gown with lace on the bottom.

“This is Molly’s. There were no panties with it.” Phil only nodded but Hailey wasn’t finished. She reached into the third bag and pulled out a T-shirt that Phil recognized as one of his. Hailey added a pair of conservative panties on top of it.

“This is what I brought to sleep in,” she said. She held the bag open so he could see inside. He didn’t bother to look.

“I believed it when you said you didn’t intend to go on a date,” Phil said.

“It also appears you went on one whether you knew it or not.”

“I just want to fucking kill them!” Hailey said.

“Why would they do this to me? Why would they do it to you? They’re supposed to be our friends.”

“I told you before,” Phil said.

“They’re your friends. I was a means to an end.”

“They missed you, too,” Hailey said.

“I know they did.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Phil said with disgust.

“Look, they got a cool place to hang out off campus at school and full-time access to a car. When they lost it, they missed it – not me, the things I offered. It was the same here. Katelyn and Tiffany got their summer jobs from people they met through me. I’m not saying they’re not qualified, but just that they wouldn’t have been considered if it wasn’t for my family’s connection. Molly got her job partially on talent but also because my father or mother put in a word. It was probably Dad because the CEO of his company has a wife on the board of the Civic Orchestra.”

“It was,” Hailey agreed.

“So they got cool jobs and a kicking place to live,” Phil said.

“That’s what they missed. It had nothing to do with boring old Phil Warner. It was the places I could take them and the things I could show them.”

“But why would they fuck it up like this?” Hailey asked.

“They had to know you’d be pissed.”

“I can think of two reasons off the top of my head,” Phil said with a shrug.

“They did it before and got away with it; and they truly believe I’m screwing around on you so they thought they’d already lost it. It might be just the fact they thought I was screwing around so you deserved it too. Maybe bringing you over was what they had to pay to get an invite. I truly don’t know what they think. I mean, what the fuck is up with Katelyn? She seemed like she was halfway normal. Who the fuck is that guy? He’s older than my dad.”

“It’s her boss,” Hailey confided.

“Oh, Christ,” Phil muttered.

“And I was going to call Terrence when he gets back next weekend to see if he wanted to come down. But if she’s stupid enough to get mixed up with a married man who is also her boss, well, I’m not going to subject a real friend to that.”

“Why are you so sure he’s married?” Hailey asked.

“He had a band where he took off his wedding ring,” Phil answered.

“So?” Hailey asked.

“You mean like a tan line, right?”

“I mean an indentation on his finger,” Phil said.

“It looked like he’d taken it off 20 minutes earlier. Tell me, has she ever been to his house?”

“Well, no,” Hailey said.

“I don’t think so.”

“He probably said he doesn’t want the neighbors to talk or his kids are home or some stupid shit like that,” Phil said angrily. Hailey nodded.

“It’s bullshit, Hailey,” Phil said.

“What’s his last name?”

“Carter,” Hailey answered. Phil got up and went inside. He was dialing his mother’s phone when he came out.

“Hi, Annette,” he said.

“This is Philip Warner, Beth’s son. I’m not sure if you remember me.” Hailey watched Phil blush.

“Uh, thank you,” he answered.

“The reason I called is this: Do you know Josh Carter? He works for Joe. Yeah, that’s him. Is he married?” He listened for a moment.

“Well, the reason I wondered is because he is at my apartment fucking an 18-year-old college student who works for him,” Phil said.

“I thought maybe his boss would like to know that.” Hailey saw Phil’s hand shaking as he listened.

“You might have considered firing him after the first time, Joe,” Phil said.

“When are you fucking politicians going to learn that people don’t change? Yes, Katelyn was who I was talking about. Do you think I just let random people show up at my apartment for sex?” Phil’s eyes narrowed as he listened.

“Don’t give me that bullshit!” he said angrily.

“You most certainly do deserve it. You kept a man on your staff with a history of predatory behavior. Call it what you want; it still plays the same fucking way in the media. And Monday morning, Joe, that’s exactly how it’s going to play if he is still employed. In fact, Joe, if you don’t call him and get him out of my apartment before I get there, you’re going to have to explain why a member of your staff was found bloody and naked on a street corner. You have about 20 minutes so you better start dialing.” He closed the phone and contemplated hurling it against the wall. Then he remembered who it belonged to and put it in his pocket again. It rang almost instantly and he pulled it back out.

“You’re calling the wrong person, Joe,” Phil answered.

“My mother can’t bail you out of your stupidity on this. You’re dealing with me and I don’t give a fuck about you one way or the other. Do as I told you or get ready for damage control on Monday.” Hailey was looking at him wide-eyed. She had seen his temper before but it had never been sustained like it had been that day. It also hadn’t been as widespread before.

“Call her,” Phil instructed. His tone of voice made it clear that it was an instruction and not a suggestion.

“Tell her what’s going on. He’s married with three children – one of them a year younger than us. He has twice been caught with his pants down with interns or other young subordinates.”

“Are you really going to drive in there?” Hailey asked.

“I don’t need to,” Phil said.

“Josh will be racing out of my building like his ass is on fire any second now. I’m interested in hearing what lie he tells her so wait a minute or two before you call.” He stood up abruptly and went inside. Hailey watched a very animated conversation transpire between him and his mother. After a few minutes, Beth closed her eyes and nodded. Phil returned a few minutes later.

“Call her now,” Phil said.

“Mother just confirmed that Joe Pepper made his call. He also is in danger of losing a very powerful ally – and he’s already made an enemy of someone who might be very powerful shortly.”

“You?” Hailey wondered.

“Me,” Phil said. His face was set in stone. If Beth had any worries about her son being tough enough for the rigors of big business, Hailey was pretty sure those could be put to rest. She was in the process of pulling her phone out when it rang.

“Katelyn,” she said.

“Want me to answer it?” Phil asked.

“No,” Hailey said.

“I want to ask her some questions, too.”

“What?” she asked in a harsh voice when she answered the call. As with Phil, Hailey listened for only a moment before interrupting.

“I know he went home,” Hailey declared.

“He went home to his wife and his three kids – including a 17-year-old daughter. Do you think you’re the first?” She stood and started pacing around the porch.

“Then he fucking lied to you about that, too!” she said.

“He is married. He is not separated and this is the third time he’s been caught with a subordinate. Oh, and it’s the last time, too. You will have a new boss on Monday – or your face will be splashed all over the tabloids. It depends on how much of a pussy Joe Pepper is.” Hailey gave a snort while she listened.

“Beth had nothing to do with it,” Hailey said.

“It was Phil who was looking out for you. Now what’s this bullshit of you not telling him where I was today?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she listened.

“Oh, so you knew it, too,” Hailey spat.

“Well I sure as hell didn’t. Don’t you ever make a decision like that for me! Do you understand me?”

“I don’t give a fuck what you thought!” Hailey said.

“It’s not your God-damned business.” She stopped talking again for a moment.

“You made it his business when you brought that asshole to his apartment!” Hailey yelled.

“If you want to bring home married men, have at it. But you will not live with me and you will not live in an apartment provided by my boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Hailey said after listening again briefly.

“Maybe you should – and you better make sure it’s big enough for your two buddies because I’m through with their bullshit too. Oh, and Katelyn, you might want to get started looking tonight. I have a feeling that when we all get there in the morning there is going to be hell to pay and you three are the ones who owe.” She took a deep breath after she ended the call.

“If I didn’t like your mother so much, I would leave those two little sluts with her and you and I would go home and sort her out,” Hailey said.

“She had the gall to tell me they set me up with that jerk because it was in my best interests. Fuck that. It was in their interests. And I think she lied about not knowing he was married. I think she was doing him to get better assignments. Christ, I can’t fucking believe I didn’t notice the wedding ring.”

“He probably took it off when he first went to the office,” Phil said.

“It might not have even been there by the time you saw him.”

“Maybe,” Hailey said,

“or maybe I just didn’t want to see it. I don’t know what’s happening to me, Phil. I get here and I start doing all this stupid shit. There is no reason I didn’t see today for what it was – well before I got there and it became obvious. There is no reason why I pouted and moped instead of talking to you about what was bothering me. My only defense is that I worried what I would hear and I knew I didn’t want to hear it.” She ran her hands down her face.

“I recognize that you’ve given me as much as the rest of them,” she said.

“I’m not talking about the apartment or a job. I’m talking about a new way to look at life. I still get an ego boost when a powerful man flirts with me. I still get an urge to go out and get drunk, to make every guy in the place want me – and then leave them wanting more when I leave. I don’t mean to be that way. I keep falling back on the same excuse: I’ve always been this way. I heard what you told Joe Pepper: People don’t change. I hope you’re wrong. I want to change. I want to be able to look in the mirror and not see the face I saw staring back at me a little while ago. That was the face of a spoiled child who threw a temper tantrum when you didn’t pay enough attention to me.

“It was the same face I saw a couple of months ago when I reverted to type. I like the face I see in the mirror almost every morning when I wake up beside you. Then I see a woman in love with a wonderful guy – a guy who treats her like gold and loves her in spite of how she acts sometime. I’m a fraud, Phil. I’m not the one who is going to take on the world. That’s you! You’re the guy that every guy wants to be – and every girl with any sense wants to be with. I know you don’t see it but others do. The guy you just got off the phone with, he sees it. You’re a leader who leads with compassion and concern.

“You’re not a taker but you don’t take crap from anybody either. Man, when you called out Joe Pepper, well, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve been around guys who own their own jet and they did nothing for me. I’ve spent an afternoon with a guy who owns 20 nightclubs nationwide. He offered me trips to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles with him. I just played it off like he was joking. I have everything I want but I can’t seem to stop doing stupid things. I want you to know something. I think it’s come down to my friends or you. I choose you. If your mother disowns you tomorrow, I will still choose you.