Todd’s eyes go wide with fury.
Andrew coughs out a short laugh.
Vaughn glares at me. “For fuck’s sake, Todd, just tell him.”
Whatever it is he has to tell me, Todd seems annoyed at Vaughn stealing some of his thunder.
Which means it’s bad.
“Perhaps you and the two other stooges can get to the point, some of us have work to do.”
That really sets him off.
“Your girlfriend is a stripper, you asshole.”
At first, I show no reaction at all. Only because the suggestion is absurd.
I think of Honey, sweet, charming, intelligent, too good to be true, Honey. Nothing against strippers but surely she could use those talents for something more.
“He doesn’t even know,” Vaughn crows.
“We found out this morning, based on her name and the fact that she mentioned being a performer,” Andrew says, studying me with disbelief. “She’s not a stripper but—”
“Close enough,” Todd says, giving him a quick glare. He turns back to me with a gloating look. “David was certainly surprised when I showed him the web page for the, ah, place she works at. I guess you could call it a strip club.”
I’ve had about enough now.
My hand lashes out and grabs Todd by his tie. I force him three steps back, him nearly tripping over his own feet as I crash him into the wall.
“Hey!” It comes out so high-pitched he sounds like a girl.
“Here’s the thing about boys named Giuseppe, Todd,” I say leaning in closer with a dangerous look on my face. “When you grow up in my part of New Jersey with a name like that, you learn early on how to fuck someone up so hard they learn to keep their damn mouth shut around you.”
“Dude, you’re strangling him!” Vaughn whines.
“Jesse!” Andrew hisses.
I ignore both of them.
“The only thing stopping me from putting my fist through your damn mouth is the fact that we’re at work. But you put her name in that mouth a yer’s again and you’ll get more than just this accent you hear from me, capisce?”
He’s so terrified I wouldn’t be surprised if he pissed himself. I’m guessing this is the first time he’s ever been treated like this in his entire privileged life.
I let go and he sinks against the wall, cowing away from me.
It’s only when I take a step back and adjust my suit that he regains his composure, nearly snarling at me.
“You are so dead, Giuseppe. When I tell David—”
“Tell him what? That I bullied you?” I taunt with a disgusted smirk.
“Y-yeah…I mean, you can’t just do that.”
I take a quick step forward and he jumps, crashing back into the wall.
“You ain’t gonna say a damn thing,” I growl. “Else I tell certain individuals about a late filing with the Abernathy trust.”
His face goes as white as his eyes, which are now wide with horror.
“How did you—I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And now I know it’s the truth. I say a secret thanks to Allison for her lack of discretion.
A smile curls my lips. “Sure, just like I don’t know what you’re talking about when you claim I roughed you up.”
I give Vaughn and Andrew cool, penetrating looks.
“Enjoy your Monday,” I say, then walk away, no longer interested in coffee.
It’s only when I’m back in my office that I feel my discomposure set in. I stare at the blank computer screen absorbing everything Todd said.
I wouldn’t put it past him to make up such a lie, but why something that outrageous?
How much do I really know about Honey Dewberry?
I sigh and log in to my computer. At the very least, I could just google her name, despite her warning me against it.
But how bad could it be?
I make a promise to myself, that I won’t use it to bias me against her show when I finally see it, which is what she was worried about in the first place.
Then, I do a search.
Her name is unusual enough that the results are few. The first one is for something called Gideon Theater. Her name is in bold, listed in the preview blurb.
So she works for an actual theater, not a strip club as Todd implied.
I relax a little bit.
Then, I open the link.
Chanteuse Femmes.
Underneath that heading for the name of the show is a carousel of images. I recognize a few of the faces from Honey’s party. The three women who were dressed so well. At the time, I couldn’t put my finger on why they seemed so particularly seductive.
Now, I know.
In the images, each of them is showing far more skin than at that party. In fact, the only thing keeping certain, far more scandalous parts of them hidden are strategically placed umbrellas, boas, scarves, and various other props.
No, not quite strippers.
Burlesque dancers.
And there’s Honey in all her pink glory. Except, she’s showing far more brown than pink in the image I see.
I fall back in my chair, perfectly stunned.
For some reason, it all makes so much sense now. That sense I had about her nightlife activity.
It wasn’t so far off the mark after all.
Before I can think on it or investigate further, my phone rings.
I snatch it up.
“Hello?” I answer, hearing the impatience in my voice.
“Good, you’re already in.”
I recognize congressman Bowen’s voice and internally sigh. This is the last thing I need right now. But I suck it up and shift gears in my head.
“How can I help you, Congressman?” I say more patiently.
“Have you seen the latest? Online they posted even more cartoons! At this point, Ideal Gentlemen is just being deliberately provocative. We need an injunction or something. This nonsense needs to stop!”
I rest my elbow on the desk and pinch the bridge of my nose underneath my glasses.
“Congressman Bowen, going for an injunction will only fan the flames. I guarantee you, they’ll use it as fodder to show how much they’ve riled you up.”
“I am riled up, dammit! Take care
