Page 321 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

For a beat, he studies my face,

his chair swiveling lazy, side to side.

Then he tosses his pen onto his desk.

“Stop wastin’ my time.

“What’re you after?”

I square my shoulders and interlace my fingers, locking in the violent urge to wreck his afternoon instead. “Family of a client,” I begin, lying through my teeth, hiding the fact I met Maria a month ago,

only ‘cause I fucked her son.

“She has liver disease, and she's inactive on the transplant list. I need to speak to James, see if there’s anything I can do—programs, I don’t know.”

“Lemme stop you right there,” Raymond unclasps his hands, palms up with a grin, “the answer is obviously no.”

I clamp down on my teeth.

Fancy. Using my words from yesterday.

He’s expecting a bitter reaction,

so instead,

I turn my face into a dead-end street,

giving his arrogance nowhere to park.

“I thought we could be mature about yesterday.” It’s almost impossible, getting my heart to calm before it shakes me apart and gives me away. “It’s only a phone call,” I say through a sigh. “That’s all. I’ll handle the rest.”

His lips curve into a crazed smile.

“How bad you want it?” he asks,

tipping his head. “Scale of one to ten.”

“There’s a life on the line. Stop it.”

He sinks back into his chair, clicks his mouse. “Everything has a price, kiddo. Altering a transplant list?” He clicks his tongue. “That’s not a favor. That’s prison time, and crimes are expensive.”

“How much?” I bite out,

willing to hand over whatever it takes.

Raymond reclines with a chuckle, pressing his fingers under his jaw, looking at the ceiling, eyes glazed with the joy a cat feels right before it snaps the mouse’s neck. “Look—technically, you’re a billionaire on an allowance. I got a fiduciary duty to make sure you don’t light your future on fire. Facts: I sign off on that? Makes me look incompetent. So the answer’s no. You ain’t playin’ Santa, Baby. Not this year.”

But she doesn’t have another year.

“Jesus, Raymond.

“Just tell me what you want.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna have to chew on that one for a bit.”

I take him in,

his greedy eyes, his cruel coercion,