Page 46 of Best Served Hot
‘He’s been bluffing in every conversation I’ve had with him. I know what that looks like. This wasn’t that.’ Alex paused. ‘I think the problem is that we pushed him past the point of caring about the consequences. He wants to finish it, and he knows he has more power than me if he doesn’t care about what happens next to him. Because he’d survive it. And he’s figured out that I won’t. So he wins.’
Nicole took that in and stood breathing in and out for a moment, trying to collect herself. She thought it was going OK until she punched her hand through a large plastic lighting reflector that was propped up on a shelf nearby.
‘Nicole!’ Alex cried, shocked.
Nicole, nearly as surprised as Alex, extracted her hand carefully back through the plastic. Her knuckles had a couple of small cuts on them, but nothing life-threatening.
‘God almighty, let me get the first aid kit. There’s got to be one around her,’ Alex said, routing around the room, shoving crap aside.
‘I’m fine,’ Nicole told her. She was starting to feel rather embarrassed.
‘Ah!’ Alex cried, pulling out a green box with a cross on it. She found a stool, too. ‘Sit there.’
‘It’s not necessary,’ Nicole said, a hot blush spreading up her neck.
But Alex was already opening the kit, pulling out cleaning wipes and dressing. Nicole decided to let her do it. She sat down on the stool, and Alex took her hand. Nicole felt her heart start pumping rather hard at the contact.
Luckily, Alex didn’t seem to notice. She cleaned the wounds and placed a plaster on the area. ‘There,’ Alex said, satisfied.
‘This is terrible,’ Nicole groaned.
‘Do you need some ibuprofen? Alex asked.
‘Not my hand. That bastard!’ Nicole cried passionately.
‘Look, I know you’re angry with him, and this didn’t turn out the way you hoped, but—’
‘I’m not angry with him!’ Nicole blurted, standing up from the stool. ‘I’m angry with myself! I shouldn’t have done this!’
Alex was taken aback. ‘What are you talking about? This isn’t your fault.’
‘Of course it is! I was enraged and pulled you into this, and for what? I’ll just divorce the fucker.’ She gave Alex a strong look. ‘But not before you take that job.’
‘Not a chance,’ Alex exclaimed, outraged.
‘That’s the only way we make good out of this. You either take this job, or he ruins you. At least this way, there’s been a point,’ Nicole said, calming. This could still be fine.
‘But I don’t want him to win!’ Alex said, infuriated.
‘He hasn’t won.Youwon if you take the job,’ Nicole told her.
‘This isn’t about me. He’s treated you like shit, and he’s sitting up there so fuckingsmugright now because he thinks you don’t know what he’s been up to. He thinks he’s pulled the wool over your eyes. I don’t like him thinking that. Not for a minute,’ Alex said, growing ever more enraged.
Nicole was touched that Alex seemed to care more about her than herself right now. Nicole would have to force her to be selfish, if only for a minute. ‘He won’t feel that way for long. I can promise you that,’ Nicole said. ‘As soon as the dust is settled, I’ll tell him I’ve found out what he’s been up to. I won’t mention you, of course. And he’ll still go through a bad time with the divorce. I’ll take him for every bloody penny and give the lot to a women’s shelter.’
Alex was shocked. ‘You’re not even gonna keep his money? After all he put you through?’
‘The more I think about it, the more the thought of actually buying shit with money he made makes me feel kind of sick,’ Nicole explained. ‘I think I’d just like to get rid of anything he touched. Even the house. I’ll take my side of the equity and buy a flat with it. Everything else, anything he touched, I’ll give it away. If it can do some good for someone else, all the better.’
Alex looked at her for a long time, and Nicole saw warmth rise in her amber eyes. ‘I guess I should have known you’d do that.’
Nicole didn’t quite know what to do with that compliment, or its accompanying expression, so she switched tacks. ‘And as for him suffering, hehassweated these last few days. You’ll always have the memory of him running after that money.’
Alex stood chewing the inside of her mouth for a moment, seething again.
Nicole, frightened to death as she did it, put a hand on her wrist gently. ‘You got him. And now you’ve actually gottensomethingout of this. That’s enough for me. It’s more than enough.’
‘I wanted him to hurt the way he hurt you. And I feel like it didn’t happen,’ Alex said sadly.
