At No Time || Bruno Mars

46

A distinctive knock sounded against Peter's apartment door. Jewel barked from her crate and the woman he had taken home from the club the night before slipped her dress back onto her shoulders. From his place on the couch, he bid Christine entry.

Even though it was Saturday, she was dressed in a dark gray pantsuit as if on her way to work. She glanced at the woman who was hastily dressing, then to Peter, who gave her a slight nod and greeted, "Good morning."

"Of course it is," Christine simpered and shook her head.

The woman, Anna, Peter had remembered her name this time, gave Christine a quick smile before hurrying passed her and out the door, leaving behind a trailing aroma of sweat and perfume.

When they were alone, sans Jewel who sniffed at the bars of her tiny home to try and find a way out, Christine laughed, "And how many women is that this week?" She counted off on her burgundy tinged fingernails. "I'm going to guess eight."

Peter chuckled, feigning offense before defending himself, "Don't judge; it hasn't been that many. Besides you, she's been the only one."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, her and almost her friend, but she wasn't into threesomes."

Christine smirked, "That sounds more like you. But you know I'm only joking. As long as I don't leave here with an itch, that's your business."

"You know I don't mind sharing my sexual escapades with you."

"Please, spare me," she pleaded as she walked into his living room where it was clear what had gone down the night before. She sat on the couch adjacent to him, hopeful it had not been used during his coition, and smoothed out her bottoms with her palms.

"So," she breathed out and grinned. "What was so important that you had to call me over on this great morning? Other than the sex you owe me?"

Peter pulled on his T-shirt and without arrest, asked her outright, "Do you have any dirt on the Bennett-Price company or Robert in general?"

Christine's brows rose, slightly taken aback. His tone was not nearly as inspirited as it had been when he first brought up the subject of the enormous company. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, thinking back on Trystan's words and disposition, her mild opposition to working with the company having rung in his ears ever since he left Savannah to come back to Los Angeles. "I've just been hearing some things around."

"What kind of things?"

Peter gave her a look. "Aren't I supposed to be asking the questions?"

She held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I just wanna know your sources. Working in the line of business we're in, it's not abnormal to hear ill thing of others, but you know as well as I do that it matters where it comes from."

He could not fault her for that; it was true. Peter had nearly gotten himself in a scandal during his first year at SoulWork. A mole from a rival company had mixed his words during a conversation at a dinner party and had run back to the other business to spread lies. Before it could become saturated within the media, Luckily, Ron, who had years of practice filing out of the dangerous world of lies and hearsay, was able to disperse the falsities and keep Peter's name clear. It had been a lesson learned quick.

Everyone could not be trusted, but he had no reason to doubt Trystan. Though they had not spoken in years, it did not stop him from trusting her. She felt a way about Bennett-Price for a reason, and Peter believed she would never be the one to lead him astray.