By the time I told Jason to step on it, she was gone. Gone without a trace. Damn it.
“Forget about her, Nathan,” Jason, my driver spoke. “Obviously, she’s crazy. Look what she did to that car.”
“I like crazy.” I smiled.
As soon as I got home, I poured myself a drink and took a seat on the patio. I couldn’t get her out of my head. First she said no to me and then she went and trashed somebody’s poor car. Must have been a boyfriend or something. From what I saw, she had the look of revenge. I did catch her glancing over at a blackjack table while I was trying to convince her to let me buy her a drink. And why the wig? She was obviously trying to hide herself. She was someone I needed to quickly put to rest. I’d never know who she was or where she came from. Easier said than done. Her face, her eyes, and the word no would be with me for a long time.
Chapter 3
Fiona
The alarm went off sharply at five-thirty a.m. Shutting it off, I looked at my phone to see if I had any messages from John. I didn’t. I expected he would have called me last night when he found his precious baby had been destroyed. But I was sure he was being consoled all night by the redhead. Stumbling out of bed, I popped a k-cup in the Keurig and watched as it streamed into the cup. The thought had crossed my mind that John was going to have to come up with a pretty hefty lie to cover his tracks from last night.
As I stepped out of the shower, there was a knock at my door. A smile crossed my face because I knew it was John.
“John. What are you doing here? You said you couldn’t stop by this morning,”
“You’re never going to fucking believe what happened last night.” He came darting in.
“What?”
“Someone vandalized my car,” he spoke in anger and I could see the vein throbbing in his neck.
“What?!” I exclaimed. “At the office?”
“Umm. Yeah. At the office.”
“Oh my God. How bad is it?”
“Really bad, Fiona. They cut all my tires. Smashed the windshield, back window, headlights, tore up my leather seats, and scratched the paint with something really sharp. Right down to the metal. FUCK!” he yelled.
“Why didn’t you call me last night?”
He paced around my condo, back and forth with his hands tightly tucked into his pant pockets.
“Because it was too late and there wasn’t anything you could do. Who the fuck would do this?”
“Well, if it happened at the office, there are security cameras. Can’t you check them?”
A few moments of silence filled the room.
“Apparently, the cameras weren’t working.” He sighed.
“Did you call the police?”
“I sure did. But without any witnesses or security footage, there isn’t anything they can do. You know how much that car meant to me.”
Walking over to where he was standing, I shuddered as I wrapped my arms around him.
“I’m sorry, John. I know how hard this must be for you.” I buried my face in his neck as a small smile crossed my lips. “I just can’t believe it happened at your office. Were any other cars vandalized?”
He broke our embrace and continued to pace around the room.
“No. Only mine. The weird thing is nothing was stolen out of the car. It’s like whoever did it, did it for the thrill of it or something.”
“Hmm. That’s strange.” I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip from it. “Did you piss someone off?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Listen, I need to get ready for work now.” I walked over and ran my finger down his shirt. “Are you going to take me out tonight to make up for last night?”
“I have a meeting tonight with a potential client.”
“How about after?”
“I don’t know how long it’s going to run. We’ll do something tomorrow night. Okay?” He brushed his lips against mine.
I pulled away.
“Sure. Unless another meeting comes up.” I walked away.
“Fiona.” John came after me. “I love you, baby. I love you so much and I don’t need you being mad at me. It’s been a shitty night and today isn’t going to be any better.” He lightly grabbed my arm.
I turned and stared into his lying eyes, not speaking a word.
“You know how much I love being with you and it kills me that I always have to work late. I promise to make it up to you. Trust me.”
Trust him? I silently laughed to myself. Trusting him or any man wasn’t in me.
“I do trust you.” I gently smiled.
“There’s my baby’s smile.” His thumb touched my lips. “Have a good day at work. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded.
As soon as he left, I grabbed a pillow from the couch and placed it over my face, screaming into it as loud as I could. How could he lie to my face like that? He had no soul and I wasn’t standing for it any longer.
****
Walking through the doors of Steiner and Richards Marketing firm, I took the elevator up to my office where I found Lydia sitting in the seat across from my desk.
“Good morning.” I smiled as I handed her a cup of coffee I picked up from Starbucks.
“Morning. Did you hear from him?”
“Yep. He came crying to me this morning about his precious car. Even told me that it happened at the office and the security cameras weren’t working.”
“Asshole.” She grinned.
“Then he went on to say how he couldn’t take me out tonight, but he promises tomorrow night and to trust him.”
“Ugh. Total douchebag. What are you going to do?”
“Break up with him.”
“I would hope so. When?”
“Today.”
“How?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet. But I will.” I winked.
“Hey, Fiona, I need to see you in my office,” my boss, Kevin, spoke.
“I’ll be right there, Kevin.” I smiled.
Despite John ruining my morning, I was happy because today was the day that the promotion to marketing manager was mine. I’d been working my ass off for the past five years, working my way up to this very position.
“Good luck. We’ll have to go and celebrate tonight.” Lydia smiled.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” I got up from my desk and headed into Kevin’s office.
Chapter 4
Fiona
“Have a seat, Fiona,” Kevin spoke as he leaned back in his chair. “I want to give you a heads up. Bryce is giving the promotion to Celia. I’m sorry.”
Did I just hear him correctly?
“What?” I cocked my head in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. It’s out of my hands. Trust me, I did everything I could.”
“I’m sorry?” I shook my head. “Celia? The woman who has less experience than me? The woman who screwed up so badly on the Nike account that I saved and kept them from going to another marketing firm?”
“I know this is hard. Again, I’m sorry.”
“I knew that little whore was sleeping with him.” I got up in a rage. “I bet his wife doesn’t know, does she?” I glared at Kevin.
“No.” He shook his head as he looked down. “Bryce is making the announcement this afternoon. I didn’t want you blindsided. The promotion should have been yours, Fiona, but it’s his company and I did my best.”
Rage consumed me. Even more rage than John’s other girlfriend. The funny part was that Celia was also a redhead. Screwed over twice by redheads. Nice. This wasn’t Kevin’s fault. I knew he had done everything he could and I deserved that promotion. The air in the room was thick and my breathing suddenly became restricted. The angrier I became, the harder it was to breathe.
“Calm down, Fiona.” He handed me a glass of vodka. “I know it isn’t fair.”
“I can’t work here anymore, Kevin. I’m done.”
“You don’t mean that. You’re one of the best accoun
t executives we have. Don’t do something stupid in the heat of the moment.”
“Heat of the moment? This is my future. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some whore walk around here gloating because she slept her way to the top. That was my promotion, Kevin.” I pointed my finger at him.
“I know.” He clasped my shoulders. “There will be other promotions. If you quit and go somewhere else, you’ll have to start all over and you’re too smart for that. Listen, just calm down, let it go, and keep working like you do. I promise in the end, it’ll pay off.”
“Fine.” I handed him the empty glass and walked back to my office, telling my secretary, Lynn, that under no circumstances was I to be bothered.
As I sat at my desk, the tears started to fall. Taking my hand and wiping them away, I thought about how much my life sucked. This wasn’t fair. The promotion, John, none of it. I’d been cheated on and lied to by a person who claimed to love me and I’d lost my future because of a man who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. The more I thought about it, the more the anger ripped through me. Fuck him!
I got up from my desk, flung my office door open, and took the elevator up to Bryce’s office.
“Is he in there?” I scowled at his secretary.
“Yes. But he’s—”
Hearing the word “yes” was all I needed as I opened his door and stepped inside, closing it behind me.
“I have to call you back, sweetheart. Someone just walked in. Fiona?” He set down his phone.
“That promotion was mine, Bryce!”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Fiona. Celia—”
“Celia sucks your dick and that’s the only reason she got the promotion over me!” I shouted.
“For god sakes, keep your voice down. What can I do? You want a raise? It’s yours.”
“I wanted that promotion.” I pointed at him.
“I’m sorry, Fiona. I really am.”
“My ass you are. I quit, Bryce.” I walked towards the door.
“If you walk out on me now, don’t think that I’ll be giving you any good recommendations for another job.”
Slowly turning around, my eyes burned into his. “I wonder what your wife will say when she finds out about Celia?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he growled.
“Oh, I would. Trust me. I like to call it my right as a woman to inform another that she’s being cheated on by her douchebag husband. It’s called girl code. So what were you saying again about recommendations?”
“I’ll make sure you get one of the best ones.”
“That’s what I thought you said.” I stormed out of his office.
****
As soon as I got home, I immediately changed into my pajamas, took a pint of ice cream from the freezer, grabbed a bottle of wine, and planted myself on the couch. Now that I’d gone and quit my job, it was time to take care of my relationship. Picking up my phone, I sent a text message to John.
“I don’t think we should see each other anymore, so I’m breaking up with you.”
I patiently waited for a response.
“What? Fiona, stop joking. I’m really busy today.”
“I’m not joking, John. I’m done with our relationship.”
“What the fuck! Why?”
If I told him I found out about his other girlfriend, he’d know I was the one who trashed his car.
“Because I realized that you don’t have time for me. I’m not a priority in your life.”
“Baby, I’ll come over after work and we’ll talk about this. Of course you are a priority.”
“No, John, I’m not. It’s over.”
“Is that how you really feel?”
“Yes. I have never felt so strong about anything in my life.”
“Fine. It’s over. Good riddance, Fiona.”
“Good riddance, John.”
Letting out a sigh, I set my phone down and took a large bite of ice cream.
Chapter 5
Nathan
“You were amazing.” Claudia smiled as she ran her finger down my chest.
“Thanks.” I climbed out of her bed and pulled on my pants.
“Where are you going?”
“We fucked and I’m done. I’m going home.”
“I thought you were staying the night!” she pouted.
“Listen, sweetheart, I know you’re new to this with me, but let’s get one thing straight. I don’t spend the night with the women I have sex with.” I buttoned up my shirt.
“Ever?”
“Never.” I smiled.
“So you used me?” she snapped.
“I wouldn’t say that. You wanted me to fuck you, so I did. And if we’re going to continue to do this, then you have to understand that I will never stay.”
“You’re just a real unromantic asshole.”
“Romance isn’t my thing, and as for being an asshole, I admit that I can be. So I’m not offended.”
“Get out, Nathan, and don’t call me.” She brought her knees up to her chest.
“Suit yourself, sweetheart. There are plenty of women out there who understand.” I headed towards the door. “One question before I leave. What gave you the impression that I was a romantic kind of guy?”
She stared at me for a moment. “I guess you never did.”
“Exactly.” I winked. “So shame on you for thinking that I was.”
Climbing into the limo, I sighed, and Jason looked at me through the rearview mirror.
“She wanted you to stay?” he asked.
“Yep. She told me not to call her.”
He laughed. “And another one bites the dust.”
“No big deal. She wasn’t that good anyway.”
“You are the true definition of a Casanova, my friend.”
****
Fiona
I hadn’t left my house in over two weeks and it was in shambles.
“You really need to get your life together. It’s been two weeks. Have you even started looking for a new job?” Lydia asked as she started to clean up the two weeks’ worth of mess.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I spoke with seriousness. “And I’m not sure how to.”
She set down the glasses and took a seat next to me.
“What?”
“I got a new job and it’s in New York. I start next week.”
“When did that happen?” she asked.
“Today. I did a skype interview with a marketing company a few days ago and yesterday, I had a second interview. Today, they called and said that my recommendation from Bryce was stellar and they were excited to have me on board.”
Lydia reached over and placed her hand on mine.
“I don’t want you to go. You’re my best friend. We’ve been together since freshman year of college.”
“I know, sweetie. But I feel like I need a new start. It’s a really good job and I’m not starting at the bottom.”
Suddenly, my phone rang.
“That’s weird. It’s my step-monster. Why the hell would she be calling? Hello,” I answered.
“Fiona.” She sniffled. “Your father passed away.”
I sat there in shock, unable to speak as my heart started pounding rapidly.
“Oh my God! How?” Tears formed in my eyes and my body began to shake.
“He had a massive heart attack. I’m at the hospital now.”
“I’m on my way.”
Setting my phone down, I looked at Lydia. “My father just died.”
****
After the funeral, I made a call to the company in New York to let them know that I wouldn’t be able to start for a couple of more weeks due to the death of my father. They were very understanding and told me to take as much time as I needed. As much as Rachel and I didn’t get along, I couldn’t just leave her to clean out my father’s things on her own.
“Robbie called and needs us to come into his office tomorrow. He said there’s something he needs to discuss about your father’s c
ompany,” she spoke.
“What about it?”
“I don’t know. Could you spend the night again? I really don’t want to be alone.” She began to cry.
“Yeah. I’ll stay. That way, we can go together tomorrow and then I’ll help you go through Dad’s things before I leave for New York.”
“Thank you, Fiona. Listen, I know we never got along, but your dad would want us to do this together.”
I sighed. “He would. I think I’m going to head up to bed. It’s been a long past couple of days and I’m exhausted.”
“Me too.” She blew her nose.
The truth was, Rachel and I didn’t get along because she was responsible for the breakup of my parents’ marriage. Which also led to the distance that had grown between me and my father. They met ten years ago when I was eighteen when they were involved in a little fender bender at a stop light. They exchanged numbers, settled with the insurance company, and shortly after, a relationship formed. My father told my mother about Rachel a month after they started dating. She had quickly become the most important thing in his life. He left my mother devastated, I went off to college, and he continued on as if he did nothing wrong. We barely spoke during my college years. The plan had always been since I was a little girl that I would go to college, get my MBA, and go to work for his company, Winslow Wines. But that changed when he married Rachel because I no longer wanted anything to do with him or his company. It wasn’t until two years ago that we started to reconnect when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she lost her battle to over a year ago. I never thought in a million years that I’d lose both my parents in such a short amount of time.
The next morning, Rachel and I headed to Robbie’s office at Winslow Wines. He was my mother’s brother, my uncle, and also the financial manager for the company ever since the doors first opened.
“Hi, Uncle Robbie.” I smiled as I gave him a hug.
“Hi, Fiona. Rachel. Please have a seat. You know, Devin, your father’s lawyer.”
“Hello, Devin.” I nodded.
“What’s this about?” Rachel asked.
Devin opened a large brown envelope and took out a stack of papers.