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“Makes sense that they want their work to be the thing everyone talks about,” Riley says. “It’s not like they’re celebrities themselves.”
“Not in the normal way, but they are in the business world,” I say. “They’re accomplishing incredible things and everyone wants to know how they’re doing it. You know, the story behind the story. That’s where it gets to be really tricky. My editor wants me to reveal everything I possibly can about them. Every other journalist who’s written about them has only gotten the same kind of info out of them. The stories that do get published are all pretty similar. I was assigned this feature over the more experienced writers because Zan saw that I had a personal connection to Asher. I mean, we’re neighbors. I didn’t know anything would ever happen between us.”
“You can’t really write objectively about guys you’re sleeping with,” Riley muses. “No matter how new that situation is, it’s a conflict of interest. Right?”
“Exactly. My objectivity would be called into serious question if it ever came out that we’re all together. I also feel bad now that I know how much they need their privacy. I don’t want to go shine a spotlight on them, especially now that we’re in an unconventional relationship. That’s the only thing that anyone would pay attention to. It could turn into a scandal.”
“So why not just talk to them and ask them how much personal info they’d be okay with you adding into the story? That way you can satisfy your boss, get a great article and some good publicity for them out of it. Obviously leave out your relationship with them. I mean it’s not a brilliant solution, but it could work.”
I squirm uncomfortably against the hard plastic chair. “That’s the other problem I’ve got. None of them actually know that I’m writing a feature on them for a major publication.”
Riley blinks. “El, what are you talking about? You didn’t tell them? Are you serious?”
“I meant to.” I dig my fingernails into my palm. It sounds a lot worse when I hear it out loud. “There was never a good time to bring it up once I got involved with Asher, and then Logan. Everything sort of snowballed from there. Their third business partner, Julian, talked at length about their work and their company with me when I met him. I decided to run with that and change the focus as much as I could to being more in-depth on their company than all of them. After that I didn’t think I really needed to let them know.”
Riley’s eyes narrow. “Did you tell him that you were writing a feature on their company?”
“No,” I admit. “I never mentioned it to Julian either.”
“Oh, Elena. How could you? I’d think that you should tell anyone that they’re being interviewed, but especially men who value their privacy as much as they do.”
“I know. I’ve been feeling awful about it.” I swallow hard. “And it gets worse.”
Riley gapes at me. “Seriously? How?”
“I’ve been writing about our relationship in my blog.” I can’t meet my friend’s eyes. “That’s how I’ve gotten so much attention, because it’s so different. That’s how I’ve been getting so many likes and views and you know that leads to income. Everyone wants to read about my adventures with two guys at once.”
“What were you thinking?” Riley gasps.
I bristle a little. “I make sure it’s completely anonymous. I haven’t ever included their real names. Not once. I proof really well to make sure I’ve changed all of them before I publish. I make a point of being super careful and I double-check every time. Nothing’s leaked out. I’ve never mentioned their company by name either. No one could figure out who they are.”
“If they’re so concerned about their privacy, you can’t possibly think they’d be okay with that, can you?”
“No one will ever know it’s them.” I’m aware I’m starting to sound a little defensive. “I don’t use my real name either.”
“Didn’t you use your real name on your blog when you first started up?” Riley asks.
“Yes, but then I scrapped it and started over from scratch with a new name and everything. There’s no way anyone could connect anything I’ve written to any of us in real life.”
“I don’t know.” Riley’s unconvinced. “It seems like a risky thing to do. Especially when there’s so much at stake. Have you talk to your editor about everything?”
“Not at all.” I try to imagine the look on Zan’s face if I did. Guaranteed I’d be let go so fast. “She’d flip and pull me off thefeature in no time. It’s my very first story and I can’t take any chances. It’ll be fine. I’m not hurting anyone. Nothing bad will happen to the guys or their company.”
Riley’s not convinced. She’s giving me that look she gets when she knows that what I’m saying is kind of a load of crap. I don’t blame her. The more I talk about it, the less certain I’m getting about what I’m doing.
“I get wanting to break into the industry, I really do,” Riley says. “You could still end up hurting these guys and their future.”
“That’s the very last thing I want to do,” I insist. “I care about them, a lot. Their work’s so important. I’d never do anything to damage it. I know I should have admitted that I wanted to interview them formally. I know that, but it’s too late now. What would I even say? As far as they know I’m a writer, not a journalist. I think that if I keep my story focused on mostly on the science side and write a few innocuous, generic things about their personal lives, it’ll be okay. It might not be exactly what Zan wants but I can cross that bridge when I come to it. I can pump some things up, maybe embellish things to make them more interesting. Inflate some small things into something bigger if I have to.”
Riley’s jaw drops.“Elena, that’s so unethical and it’s so unlike you. I can’t believe you’d even think of doing something like that.”
I sip at my water miserably. “I’m not really going to do it. I’m just trying to think of what I could do if my boss wants more than I end up giving her.”
“I get that, but is it really worth it? Are you going to be able to write the best story this way? If you can’t, then what’s the point? I just don’t think this is the best way to break into your field.”
“Neither do I. If I’d known what was going to happen with Asher and Logan, I would’ve tried to do this all completely differently.”
“You always told me that the reason you wanted to get into investigative journalism in the first place was to tell the truth, and inform people of important matters that need to be talked about and brought to light. Now it’s like you’re going to do the opposite of that.” Riley leans forward, clasping her hands together. “Why are you letting your ethics slide now, El?”
