by J. P. Comeau
14
Jorge
I didn’t know what time we had fallen asleep after making love, but it must have been within minutes. Even though I was in excellent physical shape, Ginger and I had practically ravished each other the second we had gotten in the door. It took all of my willpower not to bury myself deep inside of her right there in her hallway. Between telling Ria off and seeing her wear the fake engagement ring, I knew that Ginger and I would become inseparable.
That was the longest I’d ever had sex with someone, and it was also the most fulfilling. The way Ginger’s body perfectly melded with mine was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and I was starting to appreciate her more than before. Not that sex with her had never been spectacular, though.
While pumping away for nearly an hour, not once breaking our connection, it finally felt as though my life were complete. And as I rolled over the next morning and saw Ginger laying next to me, with our hands intertwined, I knew there was no other place I’d rather be.
As I lay in bed while watching her sleep for several minutes, I breathed a sigh of relief that Ria was finally out of our lives. Of course, I’d still have to deal with the business part of her leaving the company. That would be addressed in the next several weeks. But after seeing the look on her face as she left the restaurant, it couldn’t have been clearer that I’d gotten through to her.
Then again, Ria had always been one to play mind games. There was a chance that her walking out in such a dramatic way was all for show, and she’d find some way to sneak back into my life. It was highly unlikely, though. In all of the years that she and I had known each other, I’d never seen her look as upset as she did when she saw the tennis bracelet.
My biggest concern had been for Ginger. It was one thing for me to deal with Ria, but Ginger shouldn’t have to put up with anything that evil woman had done. She was far too sweet and innocent. Now that Ria was out of the picture, my future with Ginger had a green light. But I also knew that I couldn’t keep putting Ginger through so much crap just so we could be rid of Ria and be together.
Ginger had done a beautiful job of decorating her condo. That was my first thought as I made my way into her bathroom and found a spare toothbrush underneath the sink. Our tastes in decor were almost identical—clean, modern lines with colorful accents. I often found contemporary to be too harsh too. Almost industrial-like. My next idea was that when we moved in together, we probably wouldn’t bicker over how to design each room.
Move-in with Ginger? We just started dating!
I splashed some cold water onto my face, realizing that I was getting ahead of myself. I had never been in a serious, long-term relationship before, and there I was thinking about us moving in together. It was impossible not to at least consider it, though, after being wrapped up in each other’s arms all night long.
As I washed up that morning, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d suddenly become a man. Sure, I was a successful diamond broker worth billions, but all that meant was that I had money. Until I’d reunited with Ginger after spending a year apart, I had thought that was enough, especially since I could have my choice of just about any woman I wanted. But after making love to Ginger the night before, I had started to appreciate our emotional connection.
I had to start my day in a few minutes, and Ginger would be getting up soon. So, I brewed a full pot of coffee for both of us. The freshly ground Colombian beans made the entire condo smell delightful. And when it finished brewing, I decided to watch Ginger sleeping while enjoying a cup from the doorway.
She looked so peaceful curled up in bed, with her hair spread all over the pillows. Ginger was on her back with her arms outstretched, which meant she had probably moved once I had gotten out of bed. I could have stood there all morning and watched her sleep, her soft, delicate bosom moving up and down with every breath. One look at my watch, though, and I knew that I needed to leave. I still couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something even more beautiful about her that morning.
I wrote a quick note to Ginger, explaining why I had to go, and when I went to put it on the nightstand, she’d since rolled onto her stomach. I chuckled while putting it next to her alarm clock, and that’s when it hit me: she had never removed the engagement ring.
Images of us making love the night before flooded my mind, and I remembered continually rubbing my fingers over that ring as we rolled around on her bed. If I’d asked any other woman to be my fake fiancée, I’d have slipped the diamond off her finger the second we had left the restaurant, knowing its value. But that never even occurred to me with Ginger.
I started to lean forward, realizing that the ring would have to come off eventually. After all, we weren’t actually engaged. But the closer my hands got to the ring, the more hesitant I became.
So, I kissed her on the forehead and went back to my penthouse.
What would she think if she woke up and the ring was gone?
I booted up my laptop as soon as I got back home. On some level, I started to feel guilty about not working from my office in downtown Miami. But I loved the peace and quiet that came with working from home. Plus, it meant that nobody could hear me scream obscenities upon seeing all of my emails.
That morning, however, was pleasantly different. There were only five hundred emails as opposed to the usual thousand or so, and I enjoyed another cup of coffee while scanning them over.
Some of them needed my immediate attention, such as the ones from my secretary, but most of them could wait until later. I felt pretty good about the day ahead, especially since there were no emails from the De Veers Diamond Group. All I needed to do was plow through all of them, make a few phone calls, and relax with Ginger that evening.
And then I saw the email from Ria, and it had nothing to do with business.
Jorge,
I only left last night because I couldn’t believe you’d buy Ginger a diamond tennis bracelet to “prove” you’re engaged. Perhaps you’ve forgotten that I know everything there is to know about you. For starters, you are not the marrying type. Maybe you have butterflies in your stomach with Ginger like you did with me when we first met. But what you're feeling isn't love.
The way you two were fawning all over each other was over the top and dramatic. I’m sure everyone else at The Spicy Pineapple knew you were putting on a show for me. You might be able to spot a fake diamond, but you can’t pull off a fake engagement.
Oh, and that so-called ring you got her is hideous and obnoxious.
Anyway, don’t bother calling or emailing me all day because I’m up to my ears with work.
Sincerely,
Ria
I paced back and forth at my desk for several minutes, furious that she still didn’t get it. Before getting my lawyers involved, I decided to call her one last time.
“Didn’t I make it perfectly clear that I was swamped with work today, Jorge?”
“Bullshit. We both know that you’re sitting at home, waiting for this call because of the email you sent me. You got your wish, Ria! You met Ginger, saw the engagement ring, and even saw the tennis bracelet that I bought for her—which by the way, was a graduation present. Even you acknowledged that not once during our ‘relationship’ did I ever buy you jewelry. So please, for the love of God, Ria, why won’t you accept that we’re over?
She let out an obnoxious chuckle, and I could just envision her lipstick-stained teeth sneering into the phone. “There’s nothing to accept, Jorge. You and I are meant to be together. And the more you carry on with this charade, the more I’ll dig in my heels.”
“Are you actually telling me that you still don’t believe that I’m engaged?”
“Precisely, Jorge. Remember when I said that I’d wasted the best years of my life on you? I wasn’t kidding. So if you think that I’m going back into the dating scene after all of our time—”
“You were nothing but someone to have sex with, Ria! Do you understand that? And you weren’t even that good!” Cr
iticizing Ria’s sexual skills was about the worst thing I could have done.
“Screw you, Jorge! If I weren’t so good, you would have stopped having sex with me a long time ago! But you kept coming back for more!”
“You and I both know that’s not what happened, Ria. From day one, you were all over me, and if memory serves me correctly, I tried keeping you at bay.”
“Then how come you were always flirting with me, Jorge?”
“Please, Ria. You were the one always coming onto me. Any man with a functioning penis would have given in to you. It has nothing to do with your looks or how you perform in bed, either. But enough about this because I’m serious about dissolving our partnership. My offer still stands, Ria: five hundred million dollars, and I won’t get my lawyers involved.”
She laughed so hard into the phone that I could just picture her tilting back her head.
You crazy, maniacal, sadistic thief!
“Oh, Jorge. Something tells me that I have more money than you do. I just don’t feel the need to prove it to everyone that I meet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
“No, Ria! Don’t you dare hang up this phone! I want you to go on back to Antwerp; do you hear me? Go back to your friends and family and enjoy being retired for a while! Go back and forget about me.”
Her long nails started drumming against a hard surface, which was a sound that I was beginning to despise. “If you really wanted me out of your life, Jorge, then you wouldn’t be calling me. You wouldn’t have gone through all of this just to prove to me that you’re engaged. You would have gone straight to your lawyers because you’re not really concerned about me ruining your reputation in the diamond community…right?”
Ria hung up the phone, and I punched the “end call” button so hard on mine that it nearly cracked the screen. My mind was racing a mile a minute as I tried to figure out a plan. Ria had officially gone off of the deep end, that was for damn sure. Realizing that I’d need some outside help, I called Gavin, who was in town filming a movie.
“You have to stop with these early morning wake-up calls, man.”
“Ria’s bat-shit crazy, Gavin, and I’m really starting to freak out. I can’t believe that I ever got involved with her in the first place.”
The sound of him shuffling out of bed filled the phone, and I pictured him heading toward his coffee machine.
“If I had a dollar for every time I said ‘I told you so’ about Ria, I’d be up to my ears in singles. Anyway, what the hell did she do now?”
“She insisted on meeting my fiancée, but after meeting Ginger and me for drinks and seeing her engagement ring, Ria’s still not convinced!”
“Whoa, you’re engaged?”
My heart started beating even faster, but this time with excitement. I suddenly pictured Ginger walking down the aisle in a wedding gown, smiling at me while holding onto a bouquet.
Calm down, Jorge.
“No, of course not. We just started dating. But I had Ginger wear a ring for emphasis. Anyway, Ria’s refusing to leave the company! What do I do?”
“Well, that depends. What else did Ria say, man?”
“She said that I’m not the marrying type and that she refuses to go back into the dating pool after ‘wasting’ the best years of her life on me.”
Gavin sat in silence for a few minutes, which only added to my irritation. “So, Ria’s looking to become your wife?”
“Yep.”
“I might be drowsy as hell, Jorge, but it’s pretty obvious what you need to do: have an actual wedding ceremony.”
I nearly passed out in my home office. “What the hell are you talking about, Gavin?”
“Until Ria sees you and Ginger exchange vows, she’s not going to leave you alone.”
I slowly sat down in my seat, realizing that he was one hundred percent right. “Holy shit, Gavin. That makes total sense. Oh, God. This is a nightmare.”
“Tell Ginger to hold onto that engagement ring, and that it’s time to start looking for a wedding dress.”
15
Ginger
I was a little sad not to see Jorge laying next to me in bed that morning, but his note on my dresser put a smile on my face. I was also thrilled that we’d finally gotten rid of Ria, once and for all. As I slipped into a peach-silk dress and studied myself in the mirror, my eyes immediately gravitated to the engagement ring. It would have been fun wearing it to work all day, but Guadalupe would demand to know all of the details. And I just wasn’t in the mood to explain the fake-fiancée storyline.
There’s no harm in wearing it while driving into work, though.
I decided to take the long way to the spa that day, intentionally resting my left hand on the edge of my window at every red light. Even though I never looked to see the people in the cars next to me, I caught several women in my peripheral vision eyeing my engagement ring.
Maybe I’ll wear it at work, after all.
By the time I slid into my chair and booted up my computer, though, the ring was tucked firmly away in my purse. If I weren’t afraid of Guadalupe popping her head into my office, I might have worked an hour or so with it on. But she loved to make her morning rounds to everyone in the spa, checking in to make sure we were all in a good mood. And if we weren’t, then she’d shove one of her miniature cakes into our mouths.
And just when I thought about wearing it for another few minutes, Guadalupe stuck her motherly head in to say hello.
“Good morning, darling! I hope you’re in a good mood today.”
“Of course I am, Guadalupe. Please don’t come in here with any of those cakes, though. My jeans are already feeling a little too tight lately!”
She chuckled while resting the platter of miniature cakes on an end table next to my door. “Okay, okay. But as soon as your jeans loosen up, you’re eating one of these. Are you busy right now, or do you have a few minutes?” Guadalupe had never been one to ask if any of us had a few minutes. She was practically our mother, and if she wanted to talk to you about something, then she did. So whatever she needed me for, it was clearly important.
I tensed up a little bit, even though I knew it probably wouldn’t be anything terrible. Everything had been going well at the spa, and to my knowledge, I hadn’t done anything wrong. Still, being called into your boss's office elicited a sense of worry.
“Sure, I have a few minutes. Is everything all right, or am I in trouble?”
She smiled while inviting me to follow her. Every employee we passed in the spa stared at me with fear in their eyes, clearly wondering why I was behind Guadalupe. I’d never seen her pull anyone into her office before. By the time I sat down in front of her desk, I was a ball of nerves.
Yuslan came in after us and patted me on the back. “Why do you look so worried, dear?”
I smiled at him while trying to calm myself down, which wasn’t working. “Oh, it’s nothing. I guess I’m just concerned that I did something wrong.”
Both of them chuckled, and Yuslan reassured me there was nothing to worry about. “Darling, we wouldn’t have promoted you if we didn’t think you’d be good. In fact, Guadalupe and I talked about you last night, and we’ve decided to give you a twenty-percent raise!”
I nearly fell out of my chair. “Wait. What? Are you serious? But I just started!”
Guadalupe reached across the desk and clutched both of my hands. “The woman before you was nice, but we were always coming across errors in her work. But with you, Ginger, it’s the complete opposite. Plus, we know how expensive living in a big city like Miami can be. And you’ve been with Lavender Dreams Spa longer than in your current position. Most of the clients recognize you, and you always go out of your way to make them feel at home.”
I started fanning my face as tears ran down my cheeks. “I just can’t thank you two enough! Twenty percent is so much, though! Are you sure?”
“We’re more than sure, Ginger. Oh, and you also get an extra two weeks of vacation per year
with this raise. That’s in addition to your current two weeks, making it a total of four weeks. You’ll also get a larger percentage in our profit sharing, paid holidays, and unlimited sick days.”
“I don’t even know what to say, you guys! This is so unexpected! I’m really getting four weeks of vacation?”
“Yes,” Guadalupe said with a smile, “which is perfect timing because now you can travel with your tall, dark, and handsome man! Just be sure to bring me back something from wherever you guys visit because, with him, I just know it’ll be someplace fabulous!”
I giggled as she clutched her hands to her heart. Yuslan chuckled while handing me an envelope, as he always found his wife to be quite funny. I opened it up to find a five-thousand-dollar bonus check.
“This is a little something extra to help with your student loans, dear.”
I was crying so hard that I knew I’d have to reapply my makeup, but it was all worth it. Guadalupe and Yuslan had just made it possible to pay off my student loans in almost half the time.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
All three of us hugged, and by the time I got back to my desk, I knew I would never leave the Lavender Dreams Spa. I immediately called Margo, who was at home, and by the sounds of it, nursing baby Joanna.
“Good morning, Ginger! How are things at the spa today?”
“Guadalupe and Yuslan just gave me a twenty-percent raise, plus a huge bonus check!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful, Ginger! We have to go out and celebrate tonight!”
As soon as she said the word “celebrate,” I immediately got excited about wearing the fake engagement ring.
“Yes! Oh God, this is going to be so much fun! How about The Spicy Pineapple?”
“That sounds great. I haven’t been there before, though. Have you?”
A smirk played across my face as I remembered seeing Ria storm out of there the night before. “Oh, yes. In fact, Jorge and I were there last night. I’ll tell you and Eva all about it over drinks.”