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I instantly felt the heat in my cheeks. “It was real,” I reply, not having a clue what else to say.
“Oh, you definitely got into it, but it started out as a panicked reaction to getting caught with my research paper,” he speculates smugly. “You were way too embarrassed when you saw me the next morning. It was a dead giveaway.”
Oh, fuck me. “You weren’t supposed to be so nice. I was hoping you were just like your dad.” I confess, turning my body toward him. “I was dead-set on taking you down.”
“Your boss has been trying to nail Dad for years,” he replies. “The only other person who has that much animosity towards him is your father.”
Holy shit, does he know everything? I literally feel my jaw drop. “Who have you been talking to?”
“Google knows everything. Ray Gray was a major slip up,” he mutters, giving me that cocky smirk. “Google told me that Rayfield Grayson Jr. is the head of marketing for Brown-Foreman, not Ray Gray.”
“You have been holding back all of this information while I sat here with you having a heart to heart conversation about Vanessa?” I cross my arms and feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He shrugs.
“So much for that.” I couldn’t be much more on edge than I am right now. “Am I still going to make it back to New York City?”
“Yeah, I don’t need a murder charge on top of anything else I might have done wrong.” He gives me a boyish look and slinks back in the chair. “How much trouble am I in?”
“Let’s just say the noose is around your neck, but it’s your choice whether or not to jump.” The intensity of his expression tells me that he doesn’t like the noose analogy. I probably wouldn’t like the idea of a noose around my neck either.
“So as long as I don’t buy or sell any more stock, I’ll be alright?” He perks up in his seat.
“That and as long as no one finds out about that so called research report that you delivered to Jürgen, everything else should eventually blow over,” I assure him. “Especially if I tell my superiors that I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”
There is a silent pause between us that hangs on for several seconds. “Is this where you blackmail me?” He narrows his eyes, hitting with a piercing stare.
I remain silent for a moment thinking of the best way to say what has been on my mind for as long as I can remember. I take a deep breath and I begin to share the feelings that I had been harboring for years.
“Your father completely destroyed the business that my family built for three generations. He was part of a friendly dinner conversation and then used the information that Dad shared with him to completely destroy us. Your grandfather didn’t even try to stop him. I think that’s what hurt the most.” I try to maintain my composure, but all of the hurt comes flooding back to the surface.
“I was maybe nine years old, so I don’t remember much about it.” Trey nervously runs his fingers through his hair. “I do remember Dad having a huge argument with Papa though. We didn’t see him nearly as often after that day.”
“Maybe he did try to stop him,” I offer, giving him a chance to preserve his memories of his Papa. “I do know, however, that our grandfathers went to the grave without ever speaking again.”
“There was no stopping Dad once he made up his mind to do something.” Trey looks down at the floor. “I’m honestly not all that sorry that someone took him out.”
“You know, I don’t think blackmail will be necessary.” I place my hand on his thigh to let him know that I don’t plan on taking out my frustrations on him.
“Would you two shut up!” Liv suddenly blurts out, flipping over in her seat. “You guys have been blabbing this whole flight! I’m trying to get some sleep!”
Trey’s eyes widen. “Sorry Liv, we thought you were out cold.”
I give Trey a wicked grin as I glide my fingertips along the inside seam of his jeans, before retracting my hand and reclining in the seat.
“Thanks, Mandy. That’s really a nice thing to do right before you go to asleep.” He whispers.
I snicker and close my eyes. I think I’ve got him exactly where I want him.
Trey
I wake with a start, due to one of my recurring dreams where I’m naked in public and trying to get back to the house before anyone sees me. According to Mom and her dream book, it means that I am feeling vulnerable. Mandy is sound asleep but her hand is firmly latched onto mine, so I turn my head just slightly. She has such a serene look on her face, almost angelic, her lips curled up just slightly.
