ALICE Ch 180

It’s late when Erica arrives at the restaurant that Meri texted her, but the city’s not quieting down any. This is another somewhat shabby place that serves food, and tangy barbecue sauce is heavy on the air as Erica heads in. It’s crowded and she’s out of place; she put herself together a little for this meet, but Meri seems intent on avoiding being seen with Erica anywhere nice.

Meri’s not at the bar; Erica finds her in a booth, already eating with a tall glass of dark beer. Erica takes her seat. Meri glances up; she has sauce on her face.

“Don’t judge. It’s been a day,” she mutters. “You first.”

Erica expected this. She’s not going to win any power struggles with Meri. At least, not here and now. She places her iPad on the table as the waitress appears. Erica asks for a beer, then leans forward. Meri steadfastly keeps eating, lifting only her eyes.

“You know about Faye Darcy,” Erica says.

Meri glances at the photo of the little redhead. “Yeah.”

“The team denies it, but that appears to be an ongoing relationship,” Erica says diplomatically. She swipes, and there’s another photograph. “This woman. Do you know her?”

“No.”

“She works for Diorgasm. You have probably seen the adverts.”

Meri nods.

“We know that they have been intimate,” Erica says, keeping her voice low. “A photographer got a shot of them together on a yacht that made that very clear. It has not been released publicly. But…”

“I don’t care about her.”

Erica swipes again. “Glynda Darcy. There are rumors, but they are only rumors. It began with this, which became a meme.” It’s a photo of Alice at a press conference just before the start of the season, where she’s quite obviously ogling Glynda’s chest.

“I don’t blame her for looking. Those can’t be real.”

“They are,” Erica replies absently. She swipes again. “Do you know this woman?”

“Irina Orlova. I know about her. And I know about Alice and her. Who else?”

Erica frowns. “Recently?”

“Yes.”

Erica sighs. “Me.”

Meri stops eating and looks up. She takes a napkin and wipes her mouth, then takes a long drink of beer.

“I’m sorry?”

Erica shrugs. “Me. I spent a night with her. Weeks ago. That is all I was able to find.” She reads Meri’s face and narrows her eyes. “Who are you really asking about?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Meri scowls and sets her glass down, then digs back into her food. That only lasts a moment before she looks up again. Erica doesn’t shy away from the eye contact.

Meri lets out a sigh of sheer dejection, and Erica can’t help but feel sorry for her. This woman is struggling.

“Deal’s a deal,” Meri says, going back to her food. “You want to know why they’re lying about the car? I’ll tell you.”