I kicked off my shoes, dropped my bag on the floor, and faceplanted onto my secondhand couch. The cushions smelled faintly of the lavender fabric spray I used to mask the smell of whatever the previous owner had been doing on this couch that not even the best clean crew couldn’t take off. I didn’t want to know. Some mysteries were better left unsolved.
The signing was over. I survived. Damien was probably plotting my demise somewhere, but that was a problem for Future Riley. Present Riley was going to lie here and dissociate until her brain stopped replaying the sound of his hand hitting her face.
My phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. Then started buzzing continuously because my group chat had apparently decided now was the time for chaos.
I pulled it out and squinted at the screen.
TIPSY PAGES & MIDNIGHT KISSES (the inner circle)
Jade:RILEY HOW DID IT GO
Jade:We had to leave before the end!!
Jade:Margo had an emergency client call and dragged us all with her
Margo:“Emergency” is generous. Man wanted to know if he could hide his boat from his wife.
Sloane:Can he?
Margo:Legally? No. Creatively? Also no. He’s an idiot.
Sloane:What kind of boat?
Margo:Why does that matter?
Sloane:Just curious about the scope of his stupidity.
Margo:A yacht. He wanted to hide a yacht.
Sloane:From his WIFE?
Margo:In his brother’s name. Like she wouldn’t notice.
Sloane:Men are absolutely useless I swear to god
Jade:ANYWAY can we focus??? Riley how was the rest of the signing??
I stared at my phone. How did I even begin to explain what happened after they left? A six-foot-seven blonde stranger walked in and called me “mate” and I felt alotof things all over my body?
Just normal Tuesday things.
Riley:It was... a lot.
Sloane:Define “a lot.”
Riley:Damien was Damien. I handled it.
Margo:“Handled it” how?
I didn’t think all of them saw the scene so I explained it to them.
Riley:I may have provoked him into slapping me and then made my cheek redder so everyone would see.
Jade:RILEY. THAT’S WHY IT WAS RED?
Sloane:I’ll fucking murder him
Sloane:I have access to needles and ink. I can make it look like an accident.
