“Mr. Hatfield,” I call the union’s representative, and he turns back to me. Wiping his finger on the napkin, he grabs his glass and takes a sip out of the expensive Pinot Noir the city’s taxpayers are paying. “Look, your concerns are valid, of course, but the legislative changes are --”
“ANOTHER!” One of the young guys bellows, waving an empty bottle of wine at the bartender.
“Jesus, this is unacceptable,” Hatfield shakes his head, looking back at the noisy table. “There’s no way we’ll conduct any business with conditions like these. I can’t believe that a place such as this allows for a crowd like that. That’s the problem with this city, Mayor,” he turns his small eyes to the Mayor, lowering his voice. “Money buys everything, and those on the losing end are left to fend for themselves.”
“Mr. Hatfield,” I start again, trying to divert his focus from the Mayor. He always hated it that the Mayor came from money, and that he had to fight tooth and nail just to become a union representative. And these assholes at the far end of the room are reminding him of all that. “Please, I beg of you that --”
“YOU’RE CRAZY; NO WAY SHE FELL FOR THAT AFRICA DONATION STORY!” Another loud voice says, and the whole table of assholes erupts in laughter. What the hell, do they have to be so loud? Is just a little bit of respect too much to ask?
“You’re insane, Cody!” I hear another voice, this time quieter, but still loud enough for me to hear. My heart feels like it has stopped; is Cody one of the guys at the end of the dining room? I look over Hatfield’s shoulders, and the guy that has his back turned to me seems oddly familiar… And then, when he turns to speak to the waiter, my heart falls at my feet: it really is Cody.
Oh, Christ.
And then everything takes a turn for the worse: Cody sees me, and his face brightens up at once. With a gigantic smile on his face, he gets up from his chair and walks across the dining room with that confident gait of his.
Oh, no, please; just turn around and go back to your seat, Cody.
“What a coincidence, ‘sis,” he says in a loud voice, standing just behind Hatfield. Everyone at the table is looking at me, and the Mayor has a frown on his face. Oh, Cody, I could kill you right now.
“You know this guy?” the Mayor whispers to me, and the tone in his voice doesn’t leave any room as to what he’s truly saying: fix this, Kimberly.
“Of course not!” I find myself saying, and Cody’s smile vanishes from his lips in a heartbeat. There’s confusion in his eyes, but now I can’t stop. There’s a lot at stake here. “Gentleman,” I proclaim, standing up and trying to ignore Cody as I look at Hatfield. “The mayor will pick up the tab, of course, but I think it’s time we change venues. If everyone agrees, we can just leave and keep discussing the new legislation away from… Certain peo
ple.”
Oh, I’m so sorry, Cody.
Everyone at my table just starts nodding and whispering their consent. As they start standing up and grabbing their jackets, my eyes meet Cody. He looks hurt, and my heart tightens up so much inside my chest that I can’t even feel it pulse.
“I’m sorry,” he says out loud. “I thought you were someone else. I’m sorry we’ve disturbed your dinner, gentlemen. As an apology, I’ll be the one picking up the tab.”
With that, he turns on his heels without even glancing at me and goes back to his table. I remain standing up, frozen in place as I watch him grab his jacket and leave the restaurant, leaving all his friends looking at one another with a confused look on their faces.
Oh, crap.
84
Cody
I’m quiet as I walk through Kim’s apartment.
She gave me the key, but I never used it till now.
She’s not in her living room or any of the guest rooms. I don’t see her in the kitchen or the bedroom.
But I hear the water running.
Fuck, I should probably just do what I came to do—pack up my shit and get the fuck out of here. But I don’t know why I step inside the bathroom, Kim's perfectly shaped silhouette drawing my eyes from behind the paneled glass of the shower stall. Fuck, she's hot; no matter how many fucking times I see her naked body, it's almost always like the first time. Although now, of course, I already know what her body tastes like, and let me tell you, she tastes fucking great.
I know what you're fucking thinking—she's my stepsister, yeah.
She fucking just disavowed me in front of all my fucking friends. Everyone around her.
Then what the fuck am I doing here?
See, the old me would've been upset that despite the fact that I was a drunken fool, she did that to me.
But the new me has one question.