Chapter 35
Ava
My nerves are shot, and have been since I woke up. Today is the day I finally get answers and clear my conscience, no matter what it takes. Petra has been acting so strange, and while some of it makes sense, considering she stole from the man I now love, it doesn’t explain all her behavior.
From my point of view, there’s no way Logan could know what she’s done, so her running away every time she sees him is more than awkward. Petra’s always stressed the importance of ‘acting like you’re supposed to be there,’ whether we’re walking along a red carpet she snuck us onto, or cruising backstage at a concert without passes.
She’s done anything but act casual around Logan, and considering her theft, it’s not how I would expect her to behave.
I’ve just gotten dressed when I hear my phone buzzing, and my heart skips when I see it’s Logan calling.
“Well, hello there,” I smile, happy to hear from him.
“Sorry, baby. I got your message,” he answers, his voice dry and deep.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just woke up. Didn’t even realize I fell asleep,” he says.
“Well, you’ve been expending a lot of energy lately.”
“It’s worth exhaustion, trust me,” he says bluntly and my stomach muscles tense hearing him speak about our unbelievable sex life.
“I missed you,” I confess.
“I know, I’m sorry. Next time, call the office.”
“You were there late?”
“I’m still here.”
“Logan, you’re working too hard.”
“No such thing,” he assures me, and I hear him stand up.
“Okay, I know you have to get up and get going, you don’t have to appease me,” I try to rush off the phone before he needs to go.
“Stop, Ava. What are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to go meet Petra. I’m nervous,” I admit, knowing I can’t share the entire reason why.
“I thought she was your friend?”
“Yeah, so did I. There’s just been a lot of strange things happening and I need to know what’s going on. I suck with confrontation, so I’ve just let it fester, but today it’s ending,” I say confidently, trying to psych myself up.
“Well, don’t let her get you rattled.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I’m forced to have uncomfortable conversations, I take a deep breath, and expect the other person to just go completely left. You never know how people are going to react, so just be prepared for anything,” he explains and I nod my head, wondering if he can possibly know how fitting his advice is for my situation.
“Okay, don’t get rattled,” I repeat.
“It’ll be fine, Ava,” he laughs softly like I’m overthinking it.
“Yeah, it probably will. I’m going to head there now, so I’ll call you later.”
“Call me as soon as you finish,” he says sternly.
“Why?”
“Because you’re stressed, baby. I need to know you’re okay once it’s over.”
“You’re at work, so don’t worry about saying it back, but I love you, Logan,” I say softly as I settle into my driver’s seat.
“I love you, Ava,” he responds, shocking me, because I can hear voices in the background.
My drive to the restaurant is short, because I’ve picked our favorite Mexican place right on Wilshire Boulevard. After finding a parking space, I’m a little late, but I still don’t see Petra, so I get a table, ordering two margaritas, while eyeing the door with my heart beating through my chest.
“Don’t let her rattle you,” I repeat quietly to myself over and over until I see Petra walk through the door, looking like her normal carefree self.
Waving my hand, I call her over to my table and she plops down, taking a deep sigh before wiping her forehead with one of the napkins from the table.
“Sorry I’m late, I had to park on Fairfax.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m just glad you could make it. I ordered us margaritas,” I smile, trying to look and sound as casual as possible.
“Cool. So look, what did Logan ask you about me?” she leans across the table, looking anxious and desperate.
My nerves shoot through the roof, and I can feel sweat pooling on my back. So much for staying cool and not getting rattled, because she came in with a blow I was not expecting. Of all the possible scenarios I rehearsed, none included her bringing up Logan first, and now I feel pushed on my heels as I struggle to gather my composure.
“What do you mean? Why would Logan ask me about you?” I try to flip the question, but she doesn’t budge.
“Okay, so he didn’t ask. He just looks at me weird whenever you bring him around.”
“He looks weird? Petra, you literally ran out of the room the two times you saw him.” I rationalize his behavior as opposed to hers, because he did act a bit peculiar the first time he saw her at the office.
“What’s holding you up on cashing the check, Ava?” she asks dryly, completely ignoring my point.
“I haven’t invoiced him for anything and I don’t plan to. What work I did for him isn’t going on the books, so don’t worry about that,” I clear that up, not wanting to hear her gripe about billing Logan ever again.
“He wrote you a check for two years of our revenues. Are you seriously not going to cash it?” she says.
I never told Petra about the offer Logan made when I was avoiding him after discovering his manipulation. She asked, but I was so mad I couldn’t answer, and then I left the next day and didn’t see her. From the time I got back from Fiji, things between us were so rocky, it just never came up.
I am also sure I never mentioned the check to her as I knew she would want to cash it immediately. Besides, things with Logan were at a much different place and the letter and the check were irrelevant.
“What is your problem with him?” I try to understand her change in attitude. Ever since I met her, she’s never behaved so foul or aggressively to anyone. She treats Logan like he’s done something personal to her, but from their interactions I can’t see them having any history.
“What’s my problem?” She laughs.
The waitress returns, placing our margaritas on the table, but I can’t even begin to consider drinking now. I need all my faculties to deal with Petra and her unbelievable behavior.
“Logan is a fucking prick,” she begins, sipping her margarita as my eyes widen with shock, my teeth clenching defensively as she insults the man I love.
“He comes from a disgusting family who will do anything for money. All he cares about is how much he’s worth, and he thinks everyone is for sale – including you!”
“Did you sleep with him?” The question falls from my lips before I can stop it, but she’s just so bitter and scorned it’s the only thing that makes sense.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Logan knows the type of women he can get, and I’m not one of them. He just uses people, taking what he wants before discarding them like trash. I bet he’s wining and dining you, flying you on corporate jets and the whole nine yards. He’ll have fun until he’s tired of you. Just remember that while it’s special to you, it’s not to him. You’ll never be more than a peasant to Logan, trust me on that,” she nods as if she’s just said something so profound that she expects me to double back in understanding.
“Petra, you don’t even know him,” I say as I shake my head in disbelief of her anger and behavior over a man she’s never even had a conversation with.
“What makes you think you know who I know and who I don’t? Listen, I’ve taken you under my wing, I’ve introduced you to the city, but you’re still green, baby girl. You’re getting used by one of the biggest users in LA. Logan is a playboy – known for being one. You think you’re the first girl he’s taken on a business trip so he can fuck you when he wants? You had a successful career and you were respected, but he comes along and asks to buy you. He asked to buy your time like you’re a prostitute so you can be on his beck and call for him whenever he wants to drop a load off inside you. He probably doesn’t even wrap it up when he fucks you, because he doesn’t give a fuck about anybody but himself.”
She looks away as if she’s completely disgusted with me, and I feel small. She’s made me feel very stupid, because she knows so much about me and has used that knowledge to prey on my insecurities.
This meeting was to confront her about a piece of jewelry she stole from the man I love, but now I can’t find the words to even defend myself against her rude comments. I’m frozen in discomfort and humiliation as I fight back my tears in silence, staring at this woman who is now a stranger.
“Ava, at some point you were going to have to grow up. I’ve taught you all I can and on this one you really jumped out there like you were smarter, like you knew more than me. I hate to break it to you, but you didn’t. You got played. Welcome to the big leagues. You’re not in Kansas anymore, sweetie.” She sips her drink until the straw loudly sucks up air as she sighs deeply, looking around the restaurant as if I’m not even there.
“I just don’t understand how you could talk to me like this. I thought we were like sisters,” my voice is weak and cracking as the tears prick my eyes. This isn’t what Logan coached me for, and I wish he was here now to help me be stronger, but he’s not, and from what Petra said, he won’t be around for long.
While I know my feelings for Logan are real, I can’t help but doubt his feelings after hearing so many truths in Petra’s argument.
Flying on his corporate jet wasn’t special to Logan, just like having people in the house he throws parties in. He didn’t take me to his regular home, and he did ask to buy my time like I was a hooker. I’d struggled with Logan’s deception in the beginning, but never considered him to be using me, now it seemed obvious he is not the man I romanticized him to be.
What struck me the deepest was her mention of unprotected sex. She knew I had never had sex without a condom, so her insult only made me believe it was something she had heard about Logan from someone else.
“Ava, it’s really nothing personal. I mean, am I upset that you chose to listen to a man you barely know over the person who took you in when you were a pale toothpick from the middle of nowhere? Sure, but that’s not the point,” she pauses as her phone rings.
“Yeah?” she answers in a hurry, glaring across the table at me so intensely, I look away.
“Are you fucking serious? What a bitch! Okay, here I come,” she ends the call quickly before jumping up from the table.
“I gotta go. Don’t tell your boyfriend about this,” she utters before rushing from the table. My tears begin to fall before she’s made it to the front door, my heart broken from her betrayal.