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WE RETURNED TO ALEX, Jonathan, and Tom, and then Alex and I wished the three board members a good evening and moved back into the crowd.
We passed a young couple Alex knew well. We were about to stop to say hello when they gave us the barest hint of a smile, and kept moving. Was it because of the fact that Wenn appeared to be in trouble, and had received its share of negative press over the past two days? Of course it was. And the idea that they’d snub Alex for it left me furious on his behalf.
“I shouldn’t say this, but I really dislike some of these people,” I said.
He reached for my hand, and held it in his own. “Don’t let it bother you—I’ve been here before, and I’ll be here again. My skin is thick. I know who my real friends are, Jennifer. Tank is one of them, and you happen to be my best friend. But those two? They aren’t among them.”
“Did you ditch my martini?”
“Watching you out there with Rowe was enough to make me finish it myself. What did you say to him?”
“Let’s step over here so we’re away from everyone, and I’ll tell you.”
We moved into the private alcove that housed Dufort’s personal elevator.
“I threatened him,” I said.
“With what?”
“He’s cheating on his wife.”
Even though we were partly concealed by the crowd, Alex knew better than to look at me in surprise. Instead, he kept his features neutral and his voice low when he spoke. “How do you know that?”
“This afternoon, I asked Tank to do some digging for me. Turns out he’s good friends with Rowe’s chief of security. Tank got him to talk, and that discussion was relayed to me. Here isn’t the place to go into the details—I’ll share them with you later, when we get home. All you need to know now is that I told Rowe that I’d expose him if he didn’t do two things.”
“Which are?”
“First, stop pressuring the board against you. That’s to end at once. Second, he’s to resign from the board in three months.”
“Why three months?”
“Because I don’t trust him. You’re going to watch him and see how he behaves. If he keeps harassing you, tell me, and we’ll discuss our options and decide together how best to go forward with my threat.”
“Does Tank have anything concrete against him?”
“You mean physical evidence?”
“I do.”
“He doesn’t. But I have the name of his mistress, I know that Rowe bought her an apartment, and I know which hotel they shack up in for their little trysts. Like the one they had today, while Rowe’s wife was getting ready for the party.” I looked at him. “And how do you think she’d respond to that?”
“I’m not sure. Initially, people like Meredith would go out of their way to keep something like that quiet. If she could help it, she would never invite shame onto the family name—she’d be crucified for that—and she wouldn’t allow herself to be publicly humiliated. And then there are their two children to consider, whom I know she loves. So, it gets complicated. Would she get rid of him? At first, I’m not so sure that she would. Would she make his life a living hell behind closed doors because of what he’s done? Absolutely. I know Meredith. You don’t cross her. But what you need to know about society, Jennifer, is that something like this would be kept under wraps. Divorce isn’t out of the question, but it would be the very last resort in an effort to keep up appearances. Appearances are everything in her set. Rowe knows that. He knows that, while she might throw him out of her bedroom, it’s unlikely that she’d throw him out of their house. That said, he also knows that if he didn’t fall in line and ditch his mistress for good, divorce might be the only option for Meredith because she’d want to act before any rumors started. It would be a PR move on her part. She’d want to distance herself from him. She’d want to look betrayed and behave like the victim she is. That way, she’d collect the sympathy she deserves. That’s when a divorce would be acceptable in this set. If he brought her to that point, she could destroy him.”
“How?”
“Financially. Politically. Socially.”
I knew from my research that Rowe was the former CEO of IndoTech Industries, a biotech firm with many popular drugs and patents. He’d been brought on to Wenn’s board because it was acknowledged that, with his experience, he could assist in moving Wenn Pharmaceutical forward.
“I did a search earlier, but couldn’t find any answers. Even though he isn’t CEO, is Rowe still invested in IndoTech?”
“That’s the thing—Rowe owns none of it. It’s Meredith and her family who own the corporation. Rowe was just the CEO, but that ended after six years. He’s still on the board, but she can have the board fire him whenever she wants. Since he knows that, I think we’ve got him there as well. That position is powerful—he’s not going to want to give it up. My feeling is that he'll back off and take your offer because he knows that if Meredith ever did find out about his affair, she’d have him investigated on her own. Eventually, she’d learn what you’ve already learned. That’s when things would become interesting. That’s when shit would get real for Rowe in all the wrong ways. So, thank you,” he said. “I think you might have stopped the beast.”
“We’ll see. I still don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I, but he’s no fool. He’ll cool off. And he’ll know that you and I have talked. In fact, he likely thinks that we already talked before we approached them. So that should make things nicely awkward between us going forward.” He kissed me on the lips. “Thank you, Jennifer. Thank you for always having my back.”
“You can have my back later, if you want it,” I said.
He discreetly reached around and grabbed my ass. “Like I don’t.”
“Mr. Wenn!”
“I might even bend you over my knee and slap that ass of yours.”
“But I’m in your employ!”
“And you’ve been doing a fine job lately, Mrs. Wenn, so don’t be surprised if I give you a substantial bonus.”
“You’re always so generous, Mr. Wenn. I’ve seen your bonuses. And they are indeed substantial.”
“You’re killing me.”
“And now I’m totally horny. How much longer do we need to stay here?”
“We need to say hello to Henri.”
“Agreed. Then we’re gonzo.” I winked at him. “And then I’m yours to rough up.”
“What is it with you lately?”
“I’m just drunk on love—and I’m especially delighted about my little smack down. I think I might have just had a major victory on that dance floor. And besides, I’ve been unreasonably horny lately.”
“Then we’ll attend to that.”
“Goodness.”
“Look,” Alex said. “There’s Henri now. See him. He’s just over there, talking with a few people. It looks like Countess Castellani and her blind husband, Count Luftwick, are among them. You met them a few months ago. I think the count really took to you.”
“Of course I remember them—I kind of loved him. He actually treated me like a person. And apparently, he’ll say just about anything, which I’m pretty sure you know I dig. But Castellani—she didn’t like me at all. Once again, it was because I’m not in the book. I’m not one of them. She’s another Tootie. She was horrible to me when we first met. Talk about condescending.”
“I remember. Who else is there? I can’t make out their faces.”
“Three vipers, all of whom have dismissed me ever since we were first engaged. Just like the countess, they’ve made it very clear that I’m not worthy of you, and that I have no business being with you. They’re a bunch of snobs.”
“Who are they?”
“Kitty Flem Dixie, the tobacco heiress; Lorvenia Billiups, the department store heiress; and Frieda Zulrika Teeple, the diamond heiress whose life looks a lot like coal right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“She had an affair last month with three black workers from one of her South African diamond mines. It caused a worldwide scandal. Apparently, the affair, or orgy as it were, took place in one of the mines while Frieda Zulrika Teeple’s workers cheered them on. Given that, I have to say that I’m surprised to see her here.”
“I didn’t know that you had an issue with the other three. What else have they said to you?”
“Too much to go into. They were dismissive and cruel, but in a sly way. Isn’t that how it works around here? Look, Alex, I also have thick skin, and I’m always up for taking on people like them.” I widened my eyes at him. “So, with that in mind, let’s go over and say hello.”
“You’re up to no good again. Let’s wait.”
I grabbed his hand. “Every time I’ve encountered any of them, with the exception of the count, they’ve treated me like I was shot out of the third world—and into theirs, with no invitation, other than a way out. When we were married, they were quoted in interviews, happily vilifying me as not quiet Wenn material. Do you remember that? No? Well, I do. Much of what they said wasn’t even true.”
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“Because I protected you from it.” I looked at them all. “I always knew that karma would run them over. I just didn’t know that one day I’d be driving the bus.”
