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She stares at me.
“Why did you keep this a secret though? It’s not that big of a deal, and you’ve been lying to me for months. Did you think I wouldn’t understand your big fancy job? Or that I’m not good enough for you? Is that it?”
I take her hand in mind.
“No, you’re absolutely wrong. When we first met, I thought you might recognize me because a lot of people in Corinthian do. I’ve been in a lot of newspapers and magazines, and people like to bandy my name about.”
She looks at me with confusion.
“I’m into the arts and coffee, not the society set. You know that.”
I nod.
“Yes, and that’s what I adore about you, sweetheart. It felt really good to talk to someone who wasn’t interested in me because I have access to money, or jobs, or because I know the right people. You were talking to me because you wanted to, and had no ulterior motives. I found it fresh and very captivating.”
Pepper stares.
“But you know I would never do that. Ulterior motives? That’s not me at all.”
I nod.
“Of course I know. But I didn’t know then, and it made all the difference. When you’re a CEO, women throw themselves at you non-stop and it gets tiring. I hate the flirtatious banter, the subtle hints, and the not-so-subtle come-ons. But there was none of that with you, sweetheart. You were fresh, sweet, and utterly giving. After we talked for ten minutes, I knew you were different.”
Pepper shakes her head.
“I don’t know, Travis. I mean, I googled you and I couldn’t find you. How does that happen in this day and age? Everyone has an on-line presence even if it’s just their high school photo from twenty years ago.”
I nod.
“I know and it’s because Keystone hired a PR firm to purge all mention of me. It’s a recent thing. You see, I was being stalked by a particularly crazy woman who believed I was her boyfriend even though we never so much as went out on a date. So our PR firm began a campaign to purge my name from the internet. It was hard because I’m practically a public figure, but she was so insane that it was necessary just for safety’s sake. Now, I hear she’s in a mental institution, so the PR campaign has been stopped and you’ll probably see “Travis Masters” popping up again in the news. But for a while there, I was invisible on the web.”
She cringes.
“Can they really do that? Oh my god, it sounds like the CIA.”
I grow serious.
“Yes, if you have enough money, patience, and access to the right professionals, even your cyber-history can be cleaned. It’s expensive, but it can be done.”
She looks down at her hands.
“I had no idea.”
I shake my head, longing to help Pepper see.
“The world I live in? This is part of the reason why I didn’t want you to know who I was straightaway, sweetheart. It’s complicated and it’s not always pretty either. In fact, there are some very ugly parts and I wanted to shield you from that for as long as possible.”
Pepper looks up, her gaze still troubled.
“But did you think I couldn’t handle it? That I was some feebleminded nincompoop?”
I backpedal fast.
“No of course not. You are more than up for the challenge, sweetheart, but I didn’t want to throw you into the deep end with no warning. I wanted to … well, I wanted this ruse for me, mainly. I admit that. I wanted to be treated as a normal man for once, and so I pulled the wool over your eyes. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Pepper looks away while biting her lip, and suddenly my heart contracts. What if she doesn’t forgive me? What if I’ve already fucked up too much? Oh shit, oh shit. What do I do now?
I sigh, suddenly feeling very tired.
“I’m sorry, Peps. I know this should never have happened. I should have been upfront about who I was from the very beginning, and you finding out like this is less than ideal. I would do everything differently if I could.”
She’s silent for a moment, merely looking off into the distance.
“But this woman you mentioned,” she begins slowly. “The one who was imagining things. She’s in an institution now?”
I grimace.
“Yes, unfortunately. She somehow got fixated on me and believed that we were married, as crazy as that sounds. She thought we had an entire family together complete with three kids, when I’ve never seen her in my life. But that’s what happens when you get a bit of fame and money; the loonies start coming out of the woodwork and there’s nothing you can do. You can see why privacy and security are paramount, and I wanted to protect you.”
Pepper takes a deep, shuddering breath, but then she fixes me with a straight gaze.
