Ashley turns to me. “How’ve you been, Arsen?” she asks me.
I give her my cockiest, smirkiest smile, trying to act cool.
“That good, huh?” Ashley asks sarcastically. Fuck, she’s here to bust my balls too, I guess.
But out of nowhere, she reaches over and takes my hand in hers. I look down to see this and when I look back at her, she’s smiling.
But it doesn’t last. She turns toward Luca Giannoni and Mozorov and begins to speak.
“Gentlemen, I know you’re wondering what I’m doing here in the first place,” she says and smiles at them. They can’t help but grin like dirty old men looking at her. “And the truth is I needed to tell you something that if I didn't would probably mean you would be buying this company without all the facts.”
Now both men are interested. They lean in.
“The fact of the matter is, that I started work at Simulated Pleasures about three months ago,” Ashley says. “I used to be a dancer at Scorcher's, but I wanted something where I didn’t have to take off my clothes. And before you say anything, yes I went to college. But I got a degree in Art History.”
“Ah, that makes a lot of sense,” Gerard says and Ashley gives him a look of annoyance at his subtle put down of her degree. I can’t help but crack a smile.
“At the same time, I met Arsen maybe a few days before I started working at the company,” she says.
Both men nod, waiting for her to continue.
“Here’s something you don’t know about the two of us,” Ashley says and leans in as if telling them a secret. “Arsen used to call in and talk to me on the pay-per-minute line.”
Mozorov doesn’t understand. “Why couldn't he just call you directly?” he asks.
Ashley shakes her head. “He didn't want me to know it was him,” she says. “And I didn’t. I knew him as King Henry. And he hid his identity from me.”
Mozorov looks at me. “Why would you do something like that?”
I shrug. “She didn't want to date a bad boy at the time and I wanted to fuck her,” I say, wondering if he’ll understand. “When at first she wouldn't give me the time of day, it’s the only thing I could think of to still talk to her. It just kind of took on a life of its own, I guess.
The Russian gangster stares at me for a second. Then he nods. “I guess kind of sweet, no?” he asks Ashley, turning to her.
“At first I was mad that he lied to me,” Ashley admits and then pauses to look at me. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realize it was just another side of him that I was falling in love with.”
Now it's my turn to fucking freeze. Is this really happening?
“And while it took me a while to make peace with it, gentlemen, the thing you have to understand is that the time Arsen spoke to me added to my totals. And so the program automatically sent me more people to talk to because it thought I was that good—able to keep people on the line for a long time. And I was so hot from talking to him, maybe I was actually able to keep people paying.”
“So…all the profitability that we see, is because of the two of you?” Luca Giannoni asks, starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Ashley nods and I jump in, ready to make the final sale.
“Maybe it’s not 100% me and Ash,” I say to Luca, “But the fact that I’m calling specifically for her and I don’t care how much it costs me is causing the computer to send more clients to her.”
“And I have so many regulars now, gentlemen, that if I were to leave the company, it would start being unprofitable fast,” Ashley interjects.
“That’s actually true,” I tell the two men. “After Ashley quit when she found out, the company began a stretch of negative revenue days that hasn’t picked up yet.
“And just to let you know, I’m not coming back if Arsen sells Simulated Pleasures to you,” Ashley finishes off. She turns to me and looks me in the eyes. “I think it should stay with him. Something that maybe we can build together.”
“So without this girl, we’d be buying a money-losing venture?” Mozorov asks Luca. His lawyer only nods.
Mozorov turns to me and looks me in the eyes. “Is there any way you can see yourself forgiving me for getting out of this deal, Mr. Hawke?”
And there you go. The tables have fucking turned.
I lean back, taking Ashley’s hand in mine. Her eyes are on me. They’re filled with love.
Gerard is looking at me as well. His eyes are filled with admiration.
Luca and Mozorov are looking at me, their eyes filled with hope. That I have mercy in my soul.
I look across the table.