by Heather Wood
After an awkward silence, Stacey offered. “It’s like an alpha male thing. They both have that kind of personality and there can only be one alpha around at a time.”
Alice turned to Julia. “I thought you had a thing for Eli, it sounds like you hate him.”
Julia tossed back her curls. “Why would you think I like Eli?”
“Peter mentioned it,” Alice blurted. Julia snorted a laugh and gave a sideways look to Stacey. Before anyone could reply, Peter returned with their drinks. Alice took it quickly and fought the urge to finish it in one sip. What the hell wasn’t she getting? If Peter was sleeping with Julia, she swore she’d kill them both. After a few sips of their drinks, their table was ready. The group was seated at a Hibachi table in a private room of the restaurant.
Even after eating all of the delicious Japanese food, Alice still felt miserable. She sat at the table alone as Peter networked from person to person. He had barely said two words to her the entire meal. She had drowned her sorrows and now felt more than tipsy. She hoped he stayed sober enough to drive them home. Gazing around the room to locate Peter, she became annoyed when she didn’t spot him. She was ready to go and hoped he wasn’t at the bar getting wasted. Before she could head off to look for him, she felt a clammy hand on her arm.
“Hey, where have you been stranger?” Eli said leaning into her.
“Right here, bored out of my mind. I want to go, but I can’t find Peter.”
“Well, how about you pretend I’m your boyfriend instead,” he said and slid his hand around her back.
She squirmed out of his embrace. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”
He shot her an annoyed look. “What? I’m not good enough for you?”
“Look Eli, we’ve all had a ton to drink. Peter is super overprotective and will flip if he sees you hitting on me.” She tried to let him down easy, but by his irritated expression, it didn’t look like she succeeded.
“Really Alice? Because I don’t see Peter or Julia anywhere. He’s having his fun, why don’t you have yours?”
She jumped off from her chair and gave him an alarmed look. “What are you talking about?”
“Alice, I just met you, but you can’t be that dense. Peter and Julia have been sleeping together. Why do you think she hates you so much? You’re the girlfriend while she’s only the side action.”
“You’re lying, you don’t know anything about me or Peter,” she whispered furiously. She grabbed her purse and headed away from the table.
Chapter Twenty One
Not even bothering to look for Peter, she headed to the front of the building. She took a few calming breaths and let her body relax against the wall. She closed her eyes and tried to keep the tears from coming. She heard footsteps come near.
“Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?” The restaurant’s valet was giving her a concerned look.
“No, thank you. I’m fine, just needed some fresh air,” she explained and gave him a reassuring smile.
He looked relieved and continued, “Do you need your car?”
“No, my boyfriend drove and I don’t think it would be a good idea to steal his car. Although slashing his tires doesn’t sound like the worst idea in the world. Maybe I’ll call a cab…” she mused.
“I have a few numbers for a taxi service if you wanted me to call one,” he offered. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but probably knew she should make herself scarce to avoid a confrontation with Peter. She noticed the banquet hall across the street was busy with a line of cars parked out front. A couple of taxis were parked towards the rear and she wondered if they were free to take her home.
“What’s going on across the street?” she asked the valet. “A wedding?”
“No, it’s a murder mystery dinner theater. They had a few shows and I’m pretty sure this one was sold out.”
Alice realized this was the show Jennifer had probably told her about weeks ago. She only talked to Jennifer over text the past couple of weeks, so she didn’t know the exact date, but was pretty certain she had mentioned it was on a Saturday. Without thinking, she crossed the street and headed into the banquet hall. The waiting area was pretty empty once she entered. The show must have been in full swing she figured by the noise level coming from the main hall. She noticed an open door by the left of the room and made her way over.
Since it was crowded, Alice couldn’t locate them at first. Just as she was about to give up and head back to the restaurant, she spotted Ryan. They sat about three tables away from where she was standing and was seated towards the center of the room. Jennifer sat between Ryan and Logan and they seemed to be having a good time. Watching them laugh, Alice felt a strong longing to rush over there and be part of their group once again. Everything had been so easy when she’d been with Ryan. No horrid colleagues and psycho girls chasing him.
She watched them for awhile without paying much attention to the show. All of the sudden the lights of the ballroom went out. A terrifying scream ripped through the room. A minute later, the lights came back on. She looked over at Ryan’s table and saw Bethany’s figure sprawled over the top of the table. A knife stuck out of her back and blood was spread over the back of her dress. Her breasts were splayed across the tablecloth and her mouth affixed in a silent scream. Jennifer was snickering and rolling her eyes. Ryan shot her a mock angry look, but even from the door Alice could see his smirk. The lights went off again. When the lights came back on, Bethany was gone from the table. The trio was whispering to one another and practically bowled over with laughter. Alice felt like she was intruding and turned to leave. Of course, this was the moment Ryan looked up and caught her eye.
He jumped up and nearly knocked his chair over. As he hurried to where she was standing, she walked away from the doorway and entered the waiting area. Although a part of her knew she should head back to the restaurant and look for Peter, the stronger part of her craved Ryan. She knew the alcohol was impairing her judgment, but decided to turn her brain off for a few minutes. He stood before her and she felt butterflies at how gorgeous he looked. Nothing weakened her knees more than Ryan in a suit. It would figure he’d get better looking each time she saw him after they broke up. Asshole. “Hey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m actually having dinner across the street. The valet let me know that this was going on and I remembered Jennifer mentioning how you guys were coming. Just though I pop over and say a quick hello.” She looked away and felt his eyes move over her body. She hoped he couldn’t notice her preening at his attention. After a minute, she gave an awkward cough. “So, anyway, who did it?”
“Who did what?”
“Who’s the murderer?”
“Oh,” he laughed. “Bethany didn’t tell me, said she didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“Well, I probably shouldn’t keep you and I should head back,” she said balefully. He raised an eyebrow at her tone. Even she knew it sounded obvious that this was the last thing she wanted to do. After a couple noisily walked past them, he pulled her towards a deserted hallway.
Reaching for her hair, he said, “Let me take a look at your head.”
She swatted his hands away. “Ryan, stop it. I don’t need a doctor right now, I need a…friend.”
“Trouble in paradise?” he remarked. Although his tone was light, she could tell he was serious by the intensity of his stare.
She sighed. “His work friends are horrible and they hate me. I just had to get out of there.”
“Alice, it’s not possible to hate you. I’m sure you’re just reading into things.”
“No, they hate me. The one girl is actually friends with Bethany. Julia, I’m not sure of her last name.”
He made a face. “Well, if she hates you, why would you care? She has the most braying personality I ever met. I was around her like five minutes and I left to meet Logan for a beer.”
She laughed. “You’re right-it just bothers me because Peter is so ins
istent that I become friends with them. Wanting to make a good impression and all that, I suppose.”
“Alice, you look so hot in that dress right now, I can’t imagine anyone not being impressed,” he breathed and moved closer to her.
“Oh yeah?” she met his eyes with a challenging look. It was almost a dare and she wondered if he would take it. He didn’t hesitate and she saw him move in for a kiss. She closed her eyes in expectation and opened them a few seconds later when she didn’t feel his lips on hers. “Damn,” he swore.
He was looking away from her towards the main lobby. Logan was peering around; a second later he spotted them and walked over. “Hey, Alice. Jen had me come out and check to make sure everything is alright.”
“Yes, I was having dinner across the way and was only stopping by for a sec to say hello. I better let you guys get back to the show, wouldn’t want you to miss the big reveal of the killer,” she said and heard her phone chime. Taking it out of her purse, she saw a text from Peter demanding to know where she was. “Looks like I better head back as well.”
“I’ll walk you out then,” Ryan insisted and turned to his brother, “I’ll be right back in.” Silently they walked to the front doors. “Alice, about you needing a friend…I don’t know if you meant it, but I’ll be there for you if you need me. My apartment number is 211 if you’re ever in the neighborhood and want to talk.”
“Thanks,” she said and then groaned when she noticed Peter across the street in front of the restaurant. Eli was with him and Peter looked angry enough that she was sure he would be hitting him any minute. Ryan followed her gaze and looked at her questionably. “Don’t ask. Let me get over there before he gets into a fight. Bye.” Turning away, she quickly crossed the street.
Chapter Twenty Two
The men didn’t notice her until she was standing in front of them. “What’s going on?” she asked with irritation. A part of her preferred to head in the opposite direction and let the men knock each other senseless
“Alice, thank God, I thought you left. Where were you? I’ve looked everywhere for you,” Peter turned to her.
“I needed some air,” she replied shortly. “Can we leave?”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Eli said he thought you took off,” he glared angrily while Eli simply shrugged. “He said you seemed upset and ran out of the restaurant.”
“I’m really not going to get into this right now. If you’re not ready to leave, I can take a taxi home and we’ll talk tomorrow.” Her happiness over seeing Ryan was fading fast and being replaced by her anger over the possibility that Peter was cheating on her.
“Alright, let’s go.” He turned to Eli and said dryly, “Send our regards.”
Ignoring Peter, Eli said to Alice, “It was a real pleasure to meet you.” Alice saw Peter’s jaw clenched and figured she better get him out of there before he splattered Eli’s blood all over the pavement. She dragged him to the valet and retrieved his car. He peeled off as soon as her door closed. She hoped he was sober enough to get her home without killing them. Her buzz was beginning to fade and weariness replaced it. She wondered if she even had the energy to fight with him. She knew she didn’t want him to sleep over and she was sure that would lead to an argument. The silence was stifling, but she didn’t want to break his concentration on the road. Less than five minutes, she breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled up in front of her apartment all in one piece. He turned off the car and sat facing forward.
“Peter, maybe we should just sleep apart tonight, give each other some space. I don’t want you to drive home drunk, so I won’t mind if you crash on the couch.”
He gave her a mirthless smile. “Why don’t you tell me what the fuck is going on first? I come back from the bathroom and all hell has broken loose.” She didn’t answer him and he suddenly slammed his palm into the dashboard. “Alice, I deserve an explanation!”
“I know about you and Julia. Eli told me you’ve been sleeping with her,” she said and looked away with disgust. The thought of the two of them together while she’d been sleeping with him too turned her stomach. She wondered if he was writing out checks to her as well.
“And you believed him? Without even asking me?” He gave her a shocked look. His surprise at her accusation threw her off momentarily. He really seemed perplexed that she would think he’d been unfaithful.
“It just seemed to fit. A few things that Julia said made it seem like you were together. Plus, I was sitting at the table waiting for you and Eli pointed out how Julia was missing too,” she countered.
“And you thought what? In the five minutes I was gone, I was off somewhere having sex with Julia?” he asked her incredulously. When he put it that way, she did feel sort of foolish. She shrugged and he continued. “I went to the bathroom and saw Julia at the bar. We talked for probably about two minutes before I headed back to our table.”
“Well, why would Eli tell me you were sleeping with her?”
“They were obviously playing you. You know Julia’s been after me and she probably enlisted Eli’s help. I’ve seen them together at work a lot lately. I thought it meant they liked each other, but maybe they were making a plan to break us up.”
“It seems a little far fetched. Why would Eli help her? What would he gain from breaking us up?”
“Maybe she promised to fuck him or maybe he wanted you. Who knows?”
“Why would he want me? I never even met him before tonight,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “He probably saw your picture on my desk in my office. It’s the really nice one I took at the park last month.”
“Aww, you keep a picture of me at work? That’s actually really sweet.” She couldn’t help, but note the logic in his arguments. Why had she so easily believed some sleazy guy without talking to Peter first? “Sorry I jumped to conclusions. Your colleagues just bring out the worse in me.”
He got out of the car and walked over and opened the car door for her. “Eli’s an ass and Julia’s a whore. I don’t like them either, but unfortunately until I’m the boss of the firm I have to deal with them.”
“I understand. But would you mind if I skipped the next dinner? I really had a miserable time tonight.”
“Oh you mean Eli eye fucking you the whole time and Julia plotting ways to ruin you wasn’t fun?” he asked sarcastically.
She gave him a smile. “No, not exactly my idea of a good time.” He kissed her and she forced herself not to think about Ryan and their almost kiss. She was grateful Logan had arrived and prevented her from probably making a huge mistake.
Chapter Twenty Three
The weather turned cooler and Alice was surprised to realize that summer was coming to an end. Jennifer had invited her to another barbecue at Logan’s to celebrate Labor Day, but Alice had declined. Last time was a disaster and she knew she couldn’t go without upsetting Peter. They had been together for over five months and things seemed solid. However, they had the occasional fights and their sex life was erratic. Sometimes he was a gentle lover while other times he preferred things fast and furious. He was pretty much with her every night so she no longer doubted his fidelity. He had gone out for drinks with his coworkers a couple of times since their last dinner, but he didn’t mind when she begged off.
Ryan had texted her a few times after she saw him at the murder mystery dinner. She told him that although it was great to see him, she wasn’t sure if they could be friends. He said he understood, but to call him if she ever wanted to talk. The last text was over a month ago. She had met Jennifer a few times for coffee, so even though they weren’t speaking, she was able to keep track of him through her.
Her anxiety had been quelled through regular sessions of therapy and taking the Xanax every day. However, a few nights, she had felt really off. It was hard for her to concentrate and she became so exhausted that sleep felt like she was slipping into a coma. She would find it hard to wake up the next morning and feel disoriented for some time. It had only happened a
couple of times, so she hadn’t mentioned it to Dr. Crowley. She figured if it worsened, she would talk to her therapist about it.
One early evening, she was unloading groceries from her car. She had stopped by the food store on her way home from work and planned to make Peter lobster spaghetti for dinner. The dish took a long time to simmer and she was trying to rush. She didn’t even notice Julia on her steps until she made it to the door. Alice gave her a deep scowl. “What the hell are you doing at my house?”
She tried to push past her, but Julia blocked her path. “Alice, we need to talk.”
“What would we possibly have to say to each other? Peter’s not here and I really don’t feel comfortable being alone with a crazy person. I’ve watched enough Lifetime movies to know how it turns out.”
“You deserve to be mad, but this hasn’t been easy on me either. I’m in love with him, Alice.” Her dark eyes welled with tears.
“Good for you. I hate to break it to you, but Peter is repulsed by you. You know he has a girlfriend, stop throwing yourself at him. You’re only making yourself look foolish,” she spat at her.
“Peter’s been lying to you, Alice. He’s not the guy you think he is. He’s been leading us both on. He promises that he’s unhappy with you, but you’re fragile and he doesn’t know how to breakup with you without destroying you. He told me your…situation and it made me believe him for a long time. But I know now he’s full of shit and has no intention of giving either of us up. After how horrible I’ve been to you, I thought you deserved to know the truth.”
Alice sincerely doubted Julia sounded developed a conscious. She wondered what it would be like to shove her fist in her dirty little mouth. “My situation? What’s that mean?”
Julia had the grace to at least look uncomfortable. “He told me a lot about you. He says you had a miscarriage and Ryan dumped you right after. You were depressed for a long time and he thought he’d be the knight in shining armor and help you through your depression. But he finds being with you…difficult. He says you’re very frigid in bed and your behavior can be erratic.”