I’m out of my head. “Does Gates still work at the school?”
“Yes. But please don’t try to get me to report him. I just can’t do it, Reed. No one would ever believe me. You need to trust me on this. He’s a god at that school.” She breaks free from our embrace and wipes her eyes. “It’s okay. I’ve moved on. Honestly, getting this internship has worked wonders for me. Getting to work for CeeCee. A kickass woman. Knowing, for a fact, she offered me this internship based on my talent and nothing else... because she loved my writing, and my personality, not because she wanted to get into my pants. Having that kind of validation has meant everything to me and my confidence and helped me move on so much. But Mr. Gates is part of the reason why I’ve been so adamant about not wanting your artists to know about us while I’m working on the special issue. I just want everyone I’m interviewing to respect me. I don’t want them thinking I got assigned to the special issue, specifically, because you requested me for personal reasons.”
Oh, fuck.
I feel physically sick.
On the outside, I might be stroking Georgina’s back calmly, kissing her cheek, holding her close... but, on the inside, I’m freaking the fuck out.
Prior to this moment, I didn’t want Georgie to find out I’m the one who funded her grant and made it so that her internship is a paid one. But now, all I can think, on a running loop, is: Georgie can never, ever find out. Never, never, never.
“You knocked CeeCee out when she met you, baby,” I say soothingly. “When CeeCee and I first talked about the special issue, she specifically said she loved your writing samples. And she also said you’re the most charismatic and charming newbie she’s met in a long time. Maybe, ever.”
She squeezes me tight. So tight, in fact, I suddenly feel overcome with emotion.
“CeeCee really said all that about me, Reed? You swear?”
“She really did, baby. I swear. In those exact words.”
Holy fuck. I’ve never been more relieved to be able to honestly quote anybody’s exact words in my entire life.
“That’s so amazingly wonderful to know. Ever since Mr. Gates, I’ve been so paranoid and filled with self-doubt. Not only that, I’ve had such a hard time trusting anyone. The same way you’ve felt after Stephanie Moreland. I think Mr. Gates is part of the reason why I went so batshit psycho on my boyfriend, Shawn, when I discovered he’d cheated on me. Because I’d let down my guard with him and trusted him. And it’s so, so hard for me to do that.”
I pause. And disengage from our embrace. “Um. So... how ‘batshit psycho’ are we talking here?”
She smiles through her tears. “Pretty fucking psycho.”
I wait, but she says nothing further. All she does is giggle.
“You’re not planning to elaborate?” I say.
“Not really,” she says. And then she laughs again, still wiping tears.
I kiss her cheek. “Come on, Ricci. If I’ve invited a psycho into my home, I think I should know about it.”
She twists her mouth adorably. Takes my hand, and kisses the top of it. “Okay, Mr. Rivers. I’ll tell you this story, too. Why not? But let’s talk about this next thing in the pool. I’m suddenly feeling the urge to float.”
Chapter 19
Reed
Georgie, the most beautiful girl in the world, is naked and floating silently in my moonlit swimming pool, while I stand next to her, looking down on her. Feeling like I’m staring at an angel sent straight from heaven. A batshit psycho angel, apparently. She hasn’t told me the story yet. We had some champagne while sitting on the pool ledge together. And then peeled off our clothes. Made out a bit. And now, she’s floating and in some sort of meditation, while I stand next to her, lightly supporting her naked, horizontal frame, thinking two things on repeat. One, I’ll never let anybody hurt you again. And, two, I’ve never seen anything so fucking beautiful in my life.
Finally, Georgie opens her eyes and stands. Without saying a word, she wraps her arms and legs around my neck and torso, like a monkey clinging to a tree, and nuzzles her nose into mine. “I feel better now.”
“Good. That’s all I want for you. I want you to feel good and nothing else.”
“Thank you. I feel good when I’m with you.”
My heart skips a beat. “I feel good when I’m with you.”