by Nikki Bloom
Gotta get that looked at, I thought absently even as I wondered who Nico was talking to. Morgan was still downstairs checking something with the SUV, so it couldn’t be him. I knew I should announce myself, but well, this was the first chance I’d had to eavesdrop on her.
Yeah, I know you never hear anything good about yourself when you eavesdrop, but I’m curious, what can I say?
“I expect it’s the absence of double Ds and presence of actual intelligence,” the other person –a man by his deep baritone– said.
Ouch.
“Thanks, Chaz.” Her voice was dry, and slightly amused.
“In any case, that is absolutely not the crux of the matter here. What do you plan to do about this?”
“Hey, I called you right? You’re supposed to tell me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my lawyer!”
My brow furrowed. Why was Nico calling her lawyer again?
“I’m a bartender who wrote your prenup for you because you’re too neurotic to walk into an actual lawyer’s office. That doesn’t mean I know what to do when a man offers you money to betray your husband!”
Excuse me! I stiffened up, pushing my head closer to the door.
“Yeah, well, it’s not like I can discuss this with anyone else, so suck it up.”
“I take it you don’t plan on telling Domenic about this?”
“I don’t know. This rich people shit is so confusing.”
“Hey, isn’t your brother like head of security or something? You should let him deal with this.”
“He’s also Dom’s friend and quasi lapdog. I don’t want to put him in a tough spot.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to decide.”
She gave a long sigh. “Why didn’t I just sit down and eat my food? Why did I suggest this stupid arrangement in the first place?”
“It’s not bad to want something for yourself sometimes, Nico.” His voice was very gentle.
There was a long silence in the room, as I listened keenly, wishing I could see her face. The elevator dinged and I knew Morgan was coming. It would be really awkward if he found me eavesdropping at my own door, so I pushed it open quickly.
“Honey, I’m home!” I called mockingly.
There was some rustling from the direction of the living room, and I took the two steps that brought me into view, a fake grin spread across my face. Nico looked up at me from where she was sitting next to a flamboyantly dressed gentleman who looked slightly familiar. To my condemning eyes, she looked guilty.
Quickly she got to her feet. “Dom, hey.” I wasn’t imagining it, her voice was definitely higher than usual and breathless too. “You remember Chaz, my lawyer.”
I stared at him with a raised eyebrow. He was sitting with his legs crossed, dressed in white shorts and a pink shirt. He wore blue plimsolls on his feet with no socks. His hair was done up in some upward swooping style and massively gelled. He had on one earring and thick black eyeliner that made his brown eyes pop. All that was missing to complete the picture was a rainbow flag wrapped around him like a sarong.
He was smiling at me as if we were old friends and for some reason, I wanted to make him stop.
“Have we met?”
His face definitely fell. “Yes, I came over to your place to discuss Nico’s contract.”
“Ah, yes,” I replied with disinterest before turning away to put my laptop down on the kitchen island. I walked past them to my room knowing I was being rude, but I couldn’t help it. It’s not true what they say about sticks and stones; words definitely hurt.
A lot.
I know because I’ve been fielding the pain of cruelly directed words all my life.
My mother was well versed with wielding them like a weapon. Her betrayal, I was used to –sort of– but I just never expected to deal with this from Nicolette. It felt like being stabbed through the heart – and I’ve actually been stabbed, so I know how it feels.
I slammed the bedroom door and flopped down on the bed, my head in my hands, breathing in and out and trying to make sense of things.
Someone offered Nico money to betray me? Who could it be?
My mind immediately went to Tank…but my former president didn’t throw around that kind of cash. The Lost Boys were not doing that well as far as my sources knew. That’s why Tank was so eager to get his claws back into me.
If not Tank, then who?
My mind was buzzing like a saw, unable to settle on any one thing. There was a tentative knock at the door.
“Dom?” Nico whispered, sounding very unsure. To me, it was more indication of guilt.
“What?”
“Is anything the matter?”
Suddenly I couldn’t be here anymore. I shot to my feet and walked past her without saying a word. Grabbing my coat, I walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind me. I heard her call my name, but I ignored her.
The advantage of having an apartment in the city was that there were plenty bars nearby. Still, I decided to head to the Red Lounge because I wanted to get blind drunk. Some habits die hard. I hesitated for a moment outside Morgan’s door, but then shook my head and kept going towards the elevator. If I went out with Morgan in the mood I was in, he’d want to know what was up. If I told him, he’d feel obliged to defend his sister.
I was not in the mood to hear any of that. I got into my car and drove.
Being a Monday night, the place was hardly packed. A few of the regular hardcore partiers and trust fund kids dotted the place. I chose a dark corner, ordered whisky by the bottle and proceeded to get myself good and drunk.
Even as I sipped my drink and watched the socialites do their thing on the dance floor, my mind was whirling, trying to figure out who Nico was betraying me with.
Why don’t you just ask her?
My mouth twisted at the thought. Why would she tell me the truth?
“Domenic!” I looked up with a frown, seeing one of the blonde socialites leaning over me. “Fancy seeing you here. What? Bored of marriage already?”
The furrow in my brow deepened as I tried to figure out who she was. The way she was speaking to me was awfully familiar for someone whose face I didn’t recognize. “Who are you?”
She blanched, rearing backward with a pout. “Don’t you recognize me? Danna Powell. I even work with your wife. Don’t you know me?”
Danna… isn’t that the name of Nico’s nemesis?
“Oh, you do? I’ve never heard of you.” I said it just because I knew it would drive her crazy. Sue me, when I’m in pain, my mean streak comes out.
Her mouth twisted in annoyance, but she didn’t let it stop her from trying to push into the booth with me. I stared at her in disbelief as she shoved at me with her ass, trying to get me to move.
“I do not remember asking you to join me.”
“I just wanted to keep you company. You seem lonely.”
“If I wanted your company, I would have asked for it.”
Danna sighed, crossing over to the other side and sitting down. Damn she was persistent. I narrowed my eyes at her in the hopes that she would sense my hostility and leave. She just continued to sit there, waving a hand to call for a drink. I leaned forward. “Why do you have a hard-on for Nico anyway?”
Her eyes widened. “What makes you think that?”
“The fact that you’re always on her case.”
“So she told you that?” Danna seemed rather pleased about that.
“It’s come up. Pillow talk, you know how it is.” Now that did not seem to please her at all. I inclined my head to the side and smiled.
Her mouth twisted. “I can’t be blamed for Nicolette’s inadequacies.”
“Her inadequacies!” I was curiously offended on Nico’s behalf. “That’s not how I heard it.”
“She’s always felt jealous of me.”
I cackled. “Sure, Dan. Let’s go with that story.”
She drew herself up to full height, which wasn’t saying muc
h. “Well if you and she are so…copacetic, then why are you here alone?”
My mood definitely dropped at that because I suddenly remembered exactly why I wasn’t home enjoying wedded bliss. “None of your business.”
She snorted sardonically. “Is that the best you got?” She leaned forward, “You know, rumor has it that this is just a marriage of convenience. I mean if you want, you and me can…”
I blinked at her, wondering how stupid she thought I was. “No thanks. I think I’ll pass.”
“Are you sure? You don’t know what you’re missing. I know how gauche Nicolette is. She cannot possibly satisfy you.”
I barked a laugh, as I pointed at the bar. “Please leave.”
She blinked at me a few times, as if waiting for the punchline. When she saw that I was serious, her face flushed deep red and she pouted, shooting to her feet and stalking away like I’d insulted her mother. Rolling my eyes, I downed the last of the whisky in my glass and got to my feet. I didn’t bother paying the bill – they’d just add it to my tab and send me an invoice, so I could stalk out as dramatically as I wanted to.
Having Danna come on to me at least gave me some clarity about what I wanted versus what I didn’t want. Sulking in the club wasn’t going to get me what I wanted. I needed to go home and confront the problem.
I wasn’t really fit to drive and it was two blocks to my apartment, so I decided to walk. It didn’t take long, even with the weaving. I let myself into the house, only then thinking to check the time.
3 a.m.
Wow, I hadn’t really meant to stay out so late, especially considering that tomorrow –or later today– was a work day. A rustling sound from the living room had me turning my head. Nico was just getting to her feet, hands folded, her face a picture of pissed off wife.
“Where have you been?”
I shook my head with a laugh. “Nope, no, no way. We’re not doing this.”
She took a step towards me and I actually had to stop myself from taking a step back. She looked quite scary. “What aren’t we doing, Dom? Having an adult conversation about why you ran out of here like your hair was on fire and your tail was catching?”
That made me laugh, mostly because I was drunk. Which was a mistake because she thought I wasn’t taking her seriously. I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, how about we sit down and you rant and rave at me, so I can go to bed? I’m tired and I have work tomorrow.”
“You think I don’t?” Her voice was really loud. “I have my grant meeting tomorrow and instead of a relaxing evening, I have to sit here and worry about you!” She pointed viciously at me with her finger.
“I didn’t ask you to do that.”
She huffed, turning away while rolling her eyes. “Yeah, well, when you…” she cut herself off, swallowing. “Anyways, yeah I guess you’re right. You don’t owe me anything.” She began to stalk away towards the bedroom and I just let her go.
18
Nicolette
I don’t know why Domenic was behaving like such an asshole. Or maybe I’d forgotten what an asshole he really was. I don’t know. All I know is that it was hurtful as hell to have him dismiss me, disappear somewhere and come back drunk, and then tell me that he didn’t ask me to worry about him.
I guess I should have known better.
I lay down on the bed, wondering if he would come and join me. If he would apologize and maybe explain himself. I heard him moving around in the other room, but he didn’t come to me. I lay curled up miserably, my ears pricked to every footfall and shuffle. Eventually he settled down, and I heard him sigh. Closing my eyes, I determinedly tried to get to sleep. I still had my meeting in the morning, and I still had to bring my A-game. So this little spat would have to wait.
I couldn’t relax though. My head was churning with all sorts of things. On one hand, Chaz’s words echoed in my brain.
It’s not bad to want something for yourself sometimes, Nico.
But then the question remained, what did I want now? This grant had filled my thoughts, my plans, my everything for the last couple of years. It had been all I could think about. Now here I was, on the eve of make or break, and all I could think about was why Dom was behaving the way he was.
It was annoying on several levels. For one thing, I wasn’t about to be that girl who dropped everything in her life for a boy. For another, it was like that story of the scorpion and the frog where the latter convinces the former to take it across the river but then bites the frog halfway. And when the frog asks why, the scorpion says that it’s in their nature.
I know better than to be that frog. At least, I thought I did. It’s soul destroying to be confronted by your own hubris. I got up, deciding that I couldn’t be there anymore. I picked up my phone and called an Uber. I still had my apartment; I could go home, sleep there and get to work on time.
As I crossed the living room, my eyes flicked to the couch, where Dom was laid out. “Where are you going?” he rasped.
“Home,” I spat as I grabbed my coat and stalked out in an echo of his own actions earlier in the evening. I descended the stairs instead of taking the elevator, giving the Uber time to arrive. Thankfully at 3 a.m., it only took us ten minutes to get to Brooklyn.
I barreled into my apartment and slammed the door, then stopped short in surprise. My living room was massively depleted of furniture and I remembered that most of my stuff was now integrated with Dom’s. I crossed my fingers, hoping my bed was still there as I headed down the hall to my former room.
The bed was there, although stripped of any beddings. I just flopped down on it, still in my coat and my sweatpants, and closed my eyes. It was really a surprise when I actually fell asleep. I woke up the next day feeling sore, achy, and stupid.
“Why didn’t I take some clothes with me?” I groaned as I anticipated the embarrassment of heading back to Dom’s loft to get some clothes. “Ugh, why am I like this?” I covered my head with my hands and sighed. It was 6 a.m. in the morning. If I left now, I could probably make it in time for my 8 a.m. meeting.
The knock on my front door came as a surprise. I hadn’t told anyone I was here. Slowly, I got off the bed and shuffled to the door, hoping it was Chaz who had somehow divined my presence. “Who is it?” I called through it.
“Nico? Open the door.”
Of course it was Dom. I unlatched the door and opened it blinking at him in inquiry. “What do you want?”
He held up a bag. “I figured if you were going to work, you’d need clothes.”
I stared at the bag, torn between the thoughtful gesture and the implication that he was fine with me leaving. I reached for it. “Thanks.”
He pulled it away. “First, we talk.”
I couldn’t help sneering. “I thought you didn’t want to talk.”
“I was drunk. Stringing thoughts together was a chore. I’m sober now. Hungover, but sober. So let’s talk.”
I nodded, moving back to let him in. He walked into the apartment, looking around at all the empty spaces with a lifted eyebrow. “Do you even have a toothbrush here?” he asked.
“Shut up.” I hadn’t actually checked the bathroom yet, but my guess would be no.
He turned to me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable in your new home.”
There he went again, catching me off guard. I shook my head. “I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was pissed.”
“And you always leave when you’re pissed?”
“I tried talking and you weren’t having that.”
He held up his hands in supplication. “Fine. It was my bad.”
“What made you go off like that anyway? Did something happen? Did you not get the job?”
He looked away from me. “Yeah, something happened alright. Someone I thought I could trust betrayed me.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Who?”
Frankly it came as a surprise to me that he trusted anyone. He turned around to face me. “You.”
I blinked a
t him, unable to assimilate the words that were coming out of his mouth. “I beg your pardon?”
“You, Nico. You betrayed me. I heard you talking to Chaz.”
My mind was whirling as I remembered my frantic call to Chaz yesterday, begging him to pass by my new place on his way to work. He’d complained bitterly but still showed up. I just wanted a sounding board. Someone to bounce off the utterly ridiculous offer Roman Alexander had made me. It was so far out my comfort zone that I had no clue how to proceed.
Chaz came from money despite all his…flamboyance. I figured he’d know what to do.
Clearly Dom had misunderstood something we’d said.
Betrayed him?
He took a step closer to me. “Who’s paying you to betray me? Tell me now and maybe we can get through this.”
“Shit.”
He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. “Tell me.”
“I…” I realized I didn’t really have the words to explain what had happened.
He took another step closer. “Tell me.” His eyes were so dark and intent, I was both scared and turned on, as well as really annoyed with him for doubting me.
I cleared my throat. “Roman Alexander.”
He reared back, eyes widening. “Excuse me?”
“Yesterday at lunchtime, I was shopping, and he approached me.”
Dom dropped his head, shaking it slightly before looking back at me. “And what exactly did he want?”
“He wanted me to give an interview stating that our marriage is fake.”
Dom made a sound deep in his throat, before turning away. “And? Are you going to?”
The depth of outrage I felt at that question could not be expressed in words. I reached out with my clenched fist and pummeled his back. He jerked in surprise before turning around and trying to capture my fists.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
I was so mad at him I couldn’t speak. Instead I kicked him in the shins. Even as I did it, I realized that what I felt was a quandary yesterday not felt pretty much straight forward. Whether it was because we were married, or the sex, or just my own dumb feelings, I felt too much loyalty to Dom already to betray him.