Page 117 of Their Courtesan
“Dios mio,she is not pregnant, is she?”
“You would hate that, wouldn’t you?”
“Don’t scare me like that!”
“Fine thing it would be, though.” Finally, something for Miguel to revel in during this confrontation. “You working half your life to secure such a desirable marriage and then your wild older brother spreading his seed to every professional woman in the world. So many little bastard Bolivars. How many you think I have now?Cinco? Diez?”
“Please, don’t even joke about that!”
“Meanwhile, I know you’ve been trying to get knocked up since your honeymoon. How’s that going? I’m even assuming your husband gets it up for you. I saw him canoodling with that best man at your wedding.”
He had asked for it. Dolores marching over to slap him across the face, that is.
That stings.Miguel sucked in his cheeks and breath, but that was his only sign of distress. Dolores coddled her hand while tears of frustration boiled at the corners of her eyes. “Te odio,” she spat.Ouch.Miguel rarely heard that much vitriol, let alone from Dolores. “You have no idea what it’s like. You always get to do what you want. Fuck whomever you want. ‘Spread your seed’ from the Chinese backwoods to that other slut Rosa.” She must have enjoyed the frown sprouting on Miguel’s marred visage. “People still speculate that her oldest child is yours, you know.”
Miguel crumbled inside. “I know, thank you.” Rosa claimed that Salvador was the father, but the timeline felt off… unless she had the healthiest baby boy in the world a month early. “Are you done now?”
“We areneverdone. Let me tell you… whether you love the whore or not,cut her loose.We don’t need that trash anywhere near our good name. We have…Ihave worked too hard for this family… you may make us some money, but it’s me who brings in the people you make money off of!”
“Yes, with your feminine wiles and charms. So friendly. So gracious. My sweet, kind sister.”
“Fuck off to hell and die, Miguel.”
“Likewise, Lola.”
Sad thing? They probably didn’t even have the most toxic sibling relationship out of most people they knew.
“If not for me, or Mama and Papa… do it for Maria.” Dolores did not look at her brother, but she kept her voice even. “She’s like a puppy in a cage with mountain lions. If we stand any chance at setting her up with a suitable match, let alone one she’llaccept,we have to keep the name Bolivar clean. People like us are everywhere back home, and she is a woman. Men can pass her by and find someone else as wealthy and from a good background willing to marry them.”
“You treat yourself like cattle.”
“Because I am cattle! Don’t you see? You were born with everything you could possibly want to live the easiest life of us all. You were born first. You were born male. You were born in a time when arranged marriages were frowned upon and the expectation existed for you to fuck anything that moved. You can pay off whatever bastards you ejaculate into the world, but you can only be public one way. I came here to make sure you understood that. If you insist on falling in love with some little Cinderella… make sure she’s not a damned hooker. I don’t care how gold her heart is. The press won’t give a fuck.”
“Go home, Lola.”
Dolores grabbed her purse and gloves. She wasn’t halfway to the door before Miguel felt stupid enough to speak.
“It would really explode your ass to know that I love that woman you hate so much simply because of what she’s done for a living. I don’t say that lightly, but I’ve let you and the others speak for me when it came to Rosa. I will regret that for the rest of my life. I won’t make that mistake again. I’m sorry I haven’t been more understanding of your situation… but it would be nice if you understood mine as well.”
Dolores sniffed and put her hand on the doorknob.
“I lied about your husband and the best man. I’m sure you’ll have a baby soon.”
He hadn’t lied about the husband and the best man. Everyone loved to bar talk that Mr. Dolores Bolivar was a homosexual.When in Monaco…Miguel always figured it was part of the reason his frigid sister chose the man for her suitable match. Maybe not.
Dolores saw herself out without another word. Miguel tried to go back to work. Tried being the operative word.
