The Arrangement Anthology 1(88)

Sean watches me. The corners of his mouth twitch, like he’s amused. “Do you always eat escargot with your salad fork?”

My brows crept up my face at some point, as I tried to figure out what to do with these things. I watch Henry, and pause. That’s when Sean speaks. It’s obvious that I’ve never had them.

I smile confidently and try to grab the little beast. “Yes, I find it’s easier to rip that sucker out of his shell. Plus salad is for pussies, so no harm using the fork now and letting the waiters carry it away. Am I right?” I pull the snail out of the shell as I’m speaking and pop it in my mouth like it’s a French fry, but the texture throws me off. I make a face and nearly choke.

Henry’s eyes are about to fall out of his head. He’s lifted his glass of wine to his lips and has a horrified look on his face, but Sean laughs. It kills me to hear that sound, but I know what I’m doing with him. I know how to make Sean loosen up and how to make him clam up. I need Sean to feel happy for a little bit, to make this deal with Henry, so I can get the hell away before my life gets any harder.

Dinner progresses and Henry finally relaxes again. He speaks to Sean about anything and everything. We’re nearly through with meal and no one has mentioned the contract yet, or the thingie that Sean is selling and that Henry wants to buy. The waiter sets down a hot drink in a tiny cup. I glance at the array of spoons that I have left on the table. Henry continues to speak about something that’s so dull that it should be called matte.

Sean taps the little spoon next to the place setting. I smile at him and use it to stir the little cream-colored B into the hot liquid. That’s when Sean’s mood shifts. Suddenly, he’s all business. “I know why you wanted to meet with me Henry, and I can tell you right now that there’s no way it’s going to happen.”

Henry’s face goes slack. “Surely you can’t mean that. We haven’t even discussed what Project 597 could do for us, for you. It’s not just the sale of the patent—it’s bigger than that.” Henry’s voice is too tense.

Sean doesn’t react well to tension. I sip my hot liquid, but it’s so sweet that my lips buckle. Sean’s eyes flick up in time to see my face. He forgets himself and smirks. “Not to your liking Ms. Stanz?”

“No, it’s fine. Perfect.” I return his smirk, but Sean just stares at me. Henry sees it, notices the intensity of his gaze, but says nothing.

“Tell me, Ms. Stanz, do you intend to take Henry’s name after the wedding?” The look on Sean’s face chokes me. It’s as if he reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around my neck. My heart stops. I fall on the floor and die. At least that’s what I hope for.

All night Sean’s acted like he wasn’t going to out me, like he wasn’t going to say it, but now I see it in his eyes. This is the segue—the flourish before the grand reveal. Sean knows that Henry hired me, that Henry intended to play him.

I feel my face flush. My eyes drop. My mouth gapes open, but I don’t breathe. I can’t. The air feels thick, and I know one little breath will make me choke. Placing my sweaty palms on the table, I stand up. “Please excuse me for a moment, gentlemen.”

I walk away without explanation.

I float across the floor of the dining room. The voices surrounding me flutter away so that I don’t hear anything but a dull buzz of noise. Too many thoughts rush through my mind and I find myself wanting to run. The muscles in my legs twitch, like I’m going to die if I don’t. Nerves won’t release their hold on me. I feel Gabe’s eyes on my back as I walk toward the ladies room, the only place that no one will follow. I need a plan. I need to fix this unfixable mess.

Maybe I should just crawl out the bathroom window. I touch my hand to my forehead and breathe in. Awh, superfuck. What do I do? I can’t stay here and wait for the other shoe to drop. I can’t sit there and watch. The magnitude of this is unimaginable. Everything hinges on tonight.

I can’t think.

I reach the ladies room and walk inside. There is no one else here. The room is dark and swankly decorated. It has a powder room feel with little Victorian looking tuffets to sit on and your apply make-up. I step around the fluffy seat and stand in front of the sink. Placing my hands on the cold granite counter, I look up into the mirror and shiver.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get out of this. Squeezing my eyes together hard, I blink. Why can’t I think? In the moments that really matter, my brain seems to vacate my body, and I’m stuck with this surreal feeling like life is moving in slow motion. I inhale, closing my eyes as I do it. I have to calm down. I have to get a grip on this, either that or run like hell.