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He can hear Winnie giggling softly into the kitchen phone. “We definitely have to do it again,” she says seductively. He’s never heard her use that tone of voice before. “The next time you’re in town.
“It’s Tanner!” she shouts.
Oh.
He picks up the phone. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, man. How you feeling?”
“Rough.” (He wants to tell Tanner he got laid. Because he did. He did get laid. But he definitely wouldn’t tell Tanner about the girl’s vagina. It was enormous. And a little stinky.
He definitely can’t do that again.)
“I hear you, man,” Tanner says.
“Clay’s here,” James says. “Veronica kicked him out of the house.”
“She’ll be begging him to come back in about two hours.”
“She already has,” James says.
They laugh.
“You heading back to L.A.?” James asks.
“Tomorrow morning. I’ll see you next time I’m in town.”
James hangs up.
He checks his e-mails. The top one, sent at 5:03 P.M., says, “From Amber 69696969. Re: Alpha Males.”
This can’t be happening. Should he delete it or read it?
He’d better read it. Find out how bad the damage is.
Dear James,
It was great to meet you. It’s so hard to find decent guys. (Don’t worry about your wife. I told you, I’m not that kind of girl, and I NEVER go back on my promises. Unlike other people we know.) I really want to talk to you about this idea I have about alpha males. (I think there are alpha females, too, and I’m one of them.) This would be a terrific piece for the magazine. And, I think you should know this, I’m going to proceed with it. Let’s meet on Monday at six at the Café Grill. My friend Jerry is the bartender and he always gives me free drinks.
Big Kiss.
Oh fuck.
Should he respond? What if he does respond and his e-mail goes to the wrong address? What if, somehow, Winnie sees it? (Amber and Winnie work in the same office. E-mails are always getting passed around in offices.) What if he doesn’t respond? She might keep sending him e-mails. She might get mad. She might tell Winnie.
He has to be very, very careful here. He has to cover his tracks. (She’s crazy, this girl. She’s trying to steal his idea. And he’s going to have to let her.)
“Dear Amber,” he writes. (No, he can’t write “Dear Amber.” It sounds too intimate.) Amber:
It was nice to meet you today. However, I believe I led you astray. There is no such thing as an alpha male. At least not in human beings.
Good luck with your story on monkeys.
He hits the send button.
The phone rings. Again. “Jess!” Winnie says. “What a privilege.” (She’s such a suck-up, James thinks.) “It was an emergency situation, but I can promise you, it won’t happen again. . . . Oh yes. I love the project. . . . With the right management, it can be a huge success. . . . Thank you. Thank you so much, Jess. . . . My goodness. I promise you, I’ll be worth every penny.” She hangs up.
“James,” Winnie says.
