by Mima
Chase briefly considered not telling him. He didn’t want to talk about it but at the same time, knew Diego wouldn’t let it go until he found the answer. It would be better to tell him now than be mid-conversation when Jolene arrived. The last thing he wanted was her to know about his fling with Deborah the previous weekend.
“She wants me to go to the counselor with her,” Chase said as he rubbed a hand over his eyes and through his short hair. Diego had an amused look on his face as if waiting for him to continue. “Apparently she goes to a counselor about her sex addiction and in their session earlier this week, Deborah claims that I took advantage of her when I knew she had a problem.”
Diego let out a short laugh but appeared somewhat anxious as Chase continued to talk.
“So she wants me to go with her for her next session so we can discuss it.”
“Okay, so first, she thinks this sex addiction thing is real, then?” Diego asked as he leaned in, his eyebrows raised. “Cause me, I do not. I think she uses it as an excuse, just like those celebrities on TV who run off to clinics because they were caught and suddenly have a ‘problem’ so they don’t have to be accountable. This girl, she is the same.”
“She seems to think it’s real.”
“Do you want me to talk to her?” Diego leaned in even further, his eyes were fiery. “Because me, I will set her straight.”
Chase noted that his accent was creeping in so he knew Diego was upset.
“No, no I would rather she didn’t even know that we were talking about it,” Chase admitted dismissively. “Whatever, I guess I will go…”
“Okay, Chase, two things,” Diego started as he laid his hand on the table, his expensive watch caught the light and sparkled. “Do you think she is going to sue us for sexual harassment or something like that, should I get a lawyer?”
“No,” Chase shook his head, although he hadn’t considered it until that point. “I think she just has guilt over what she did and seeing me every day is a constant reminder. I don’t think she’s even thinking of sexual harassment.”
Diego thought for a moment. “You’re right, she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. You’re technically not her supervisor, you just fill in when we aren’t there and she instigated this fling, which I can verify and make sure some others do too,” He slowly nodded and shrugged it off. “Okay, so here is the second thing that I wanted to point out. Chase, why are you going to this appointment with her? Do you want to?”
“God no!”
“Then don’t go,” Diego said with a shrug and relaxed in the booth, turning more in Chase’s direction. “You owe her nothing.”
“But she asked….”
“So, I asked you to dinner with me and Jolene today but technically, you could’ve said no,” Diego reminded him. “But you’re here. Do you want to be here?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That is what I mean, you,” Diego pointed toward him and leaned in closer. “You have to start doing the things you want, not the things others ask you to do. You, amigo, are a follower, not a leader and that is fine in some situations but you can’t be a sheep your whole life. Sometimes, you have to be a wolf. Something you have to decide what you actually want, not just what others would like you to do.”
Chase opened his mouth to reply but wasn’t sure what to say. Diego was right, he often allowed others to make decisions for him.
“I just feel, I guess I just feel that sometimes it’s easier to go with the flow,” Chase admitted as his fingers started to nervously roll around the spoon on the table.
“Said every sheep ever,” Diego pointed out, his eyes narrowed in on Chase. “There are two kinds of people in this world; the sheep and the wolf. The sheep go along with what others want and never live the life they really want, they are compliant and in the end, miserable. Whereas, the wolf, he takes what he wants. He decides what is best for him.”
The waitress returned with their drink order and a smile on her face. As usual, Diego flirted but as soon as she left, he was back to business as usual.
“I don’t have to tell you, Chase, that I am a wolf,” He spoke smoothly before taking a drink of his cocktail while his eyes stared through Chase. “I’ve never been interested in following a flock of sheep and I can tell you one thing, you would be much happier if you didn’t either.”
“But maybe,” Chase spoke slowly. “That’s just me.”
“Are you happy?” Diego asked with raised eyebrows and before Chase could answer, he quickly continued. “Then, amigo, that is not you.”
It was just then that Jolene’s heels could be heard approaching the booth, her presence so powerful that it alerted the entire room, something she was oblivious to as she sat down at their table.
“There you are, always in the back of the room,” She commented as she sat her purse in the booth and slid in beside it. “Diego, would it kill you to not sit somewhere that isn’t hidden for a change, no?”
“I like it at the back,” Diego insisted and gestured toward the room. “You can watch the world from the back of the room, it’s a position of power.”
“See, I do not think,” Jolene commented as she grabbed Diego’s menu. “I see it as hiding.”
“You see it as you want to see it.”
“So did you order? What is going on here?” Jolene asked, her eyes momentarily looking up from the menu. “You both look seriously right now.”
“Serious,” Diego corrected her grammar and Jolene shot him a dirty look.
“We decided but did not order. We waited for you,” Diego insisted, his lips pouting briefly. “And then we were talking about how Chase is a follower, not a leader.”
“Oh, I do not think!” Jolene commented sharply and sat the menu down. “He does not do just because someone says.”
“Really?” Diego posed the question and Jolene gave a shy shrug.
“Well,” She made eye contact with Chase and gave him an apologetic smile, just as the waitress approached to take their order. After she left, Jolene continued.
“Chase, I’m sorry but yes, he is right, sometimes you do tend to follow and not lead. You seem, I don’t know how you say, insecurity?”
Diego cringed as she spoke but didn’t bother to correct her this time.
“I find it easier to go along with what others think,” Chase admitted. “I’ve always been that way.”
“But why? I do not understand,” Jolene asked and the two Silvas watched him attentively.
“I guess,” Chase hesitated and thought about the question. “I don’t know, when I was a kid, my mother had a bad temper, so I went along with her so she wouldn’t lash out and now, I find it’s…I guess it’s just how I am with everyone.”
“Lash out?” Jolene asked as she flickered her eyelashes rapidly for a second. “I do not understand.”
“Oh, it means, to get angry and attack,” Chase spoke apologetically, knowing that slangs were never a good idea with Jolene. Beside her, Diego listened attentively.
“You mean, hit you?” Jolene asked in a lowered voice, her face crestfallen and Chase immediately felt like he shouldn’t have said anything.
“Yes,” Chase reluctantly answered.
“Come on, Jolene,” Diego jumped in. “Mom, she did not hit us sometimes when we were kids?”
“A little slap, maybe, but it was never anything bad,” Jolene commented and shrugged. “Was you, was yours bad, Chase?”
“It…I…”
“Wait,” Diego leaned in again. “Did your mother beat you? Like as in beat you with bruises? You don’t mean just a little slap, do you?”
Chase wasn’t sure what to say. No one had ever asked him that before; his teachers when he went to school with bruises, his relatives, friends, not even his ex-wife when he was blatantly suggesting it when discussing his estranged relationship with Louise Jacobs
. Now, as an adult, in a crowded restaurant in Toronto, he sat across from two people who’s eyes were full of concern and compassion; Chase felt himself grow weak as if he were suddenly a child again.
“Yes,” He heard himself answer in a hushed tone. “She beat me.”
The words were surprisingly freeing; even though his heart raced when he said them, it was easier than he expected to make this confession; a weight dropped from his heart. Diego’s expression was angry while Jolene’s eyes briefly watered in compassion.
“That is not right Chase,” She quickly blinked away her tears and made a face. “I cannot believe that in this country, Canada, it is so….how do you say? It is like supposed to be a top country that looks after it’s people and this, this happens here?”
“Jolene, that happens everywhere,” Diego spoke in a quiet voice. “It doesn’t matter where you live, people do these kinds of things.”
“I know, I don’t feel like it is right here, you know,” Jolene insisted. “I’m learning a lot about Canada, now that I am trying to be a citizen and they talk like it is the best country in the world and they look after their people but then, why, Diego, does a little boy get hurt by his own parents? That is not right!”
“Jolene, come on, even the most advanced countries in the world have problems,” Diego gently reminded her. “No country is perfect.”
“But Diego, we come from a violent country,” Jolene reminded him. “Look at Colombia’s history. The drugs, the violence, so many problems but yet our parents never hit us, they would not do such a thing. You know? It seems backward. It seems like we would be the ones who would live that way, not someone in Canada, a country that was safe, where the government looks after the people, a country so many admire. You know?”
“Jolene, it is what it is,” Diego shook his head. “Maybe they are idealists.”
“I do not understand.”
“In an ideal world, they want to be all these great things but it is like…I don’t know, me making a New Year’s Resolution to start running every day but then I get up the next morning and there’s a storm outside. Sometimes, there are things that make life challenging.”
Jolene appeared to accept his answer and turned back to Chase.
“I am sorry, I do not mean to say bad things about your country,” Jolene spoke gently. “I had higher expectations. You know? I thought this was a country where people could not get away with doing this.”
Chase wasn’t sure how to answer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“My lime tree, look at it,” Diego spoke lovingly from the other side of the room and Chase turned to see a ridiculously jubilant smile on his face as he gently touched the leaves. “It’s growing!”
“I see that,” Chase managed to suppress a grin and nodded. “Hope it endures the winter.”
“It will be fine, I’m doing some research,” Diego commented as he leaned in to sniff the plant.
Chase quickly turned away, wanting to laugh but managing to keep it together. It was so strange that someone like Diego would have such an affection for a lime tree of all things. He even had the cleaning lady trained on how to properly take care of it in the event that neither of them was around.
“I’m thinking of getting a second one if this one continues to do so well,” Diego added as Chase made his way into the kitchen to pour some coffee.
It was a bright Saturday morning, the long weekend in September and everything felt unusually relaxed. Although there were a few parties scheduled for that weekend, both in and out of Toronto, none of them required either Diego or Chase to do anything unless something came up at the last-minute. For that reason, both were on call but for the most part, these things tended to go pretty smoothly now that the party planning staff had found their groove.
The business had grown quickly over the few months they were in Toronto and already expanded to more private parties. Although Chase suggested that it might be better to be mainstream rather than specialized - which had a bit of a seedy nature - Diego and Jolene continued to insist that they had found their ideal market and were already looking at new ideas including one Chase had suggested to add Boudoir photography into the mix.
Where he felt a little embarrassed about the kind of company he worked for, Diego and Jolene had no shame. They felt it was perfectly acceptable and didn’t understand what the big deal was about especially when the religious group started a petition against their business. The group claimed that they were just another example of a business ruining the moral fiber of the community and that they ‘encouraged’ promiscuous behavior. The Bible thumpers wanted the company to either plan parties that were ‘wholesome’ in nature or close their doors and move out of the city.
Of course, the petition made Jolene anxious; she feared it would have negative repercussions on the company while Diego remained unconcerned, insisting that it would only bring them free publicity. Meanwhile, to take some of the heat off the company, Sylvana set up the option for each customer to donate a few dollars to a pre-chosen charity. In the case of private parties, the client would pick the cause of their choice.
Things were rolling along and for the first time since arriving in Toronto, Chase was starting to feel at home. He was slowly learning the city, feeling comfortable in his new surroundings and getting into a routine. Work had its issues but overall, things were running smoothly and life had fallen into a predictable pattern as he grew to understand and like his coworkers, even Deborah, who was slowly starting to get over his refusal to join her for a counseling appointment.
“So what are your plans for the long weekend?” Diego asked as he joined Chase in the kitchen, grabbing his full coffee mug from the counter.
“Not much,” Chase admitted with a shrug. “I’m going to the gym this morning and that’s about it so far.”
“Hey we should go on a road trip,” Diego suggested, his eyes expanding in size as he pointed toward the window. “Beautiful, sunny day, we should take off.”
“I have a feeling that everyone else is thinking the same thing,” Chase suggested before taking a drink of his coffee. “Traffic will be a mess.”
“Oh yeah,” Diego said with a frown, almost as if he forgot that the rest of the world existed and might be thinking the same thing. “But later today, we could go. I mean, by then most people will be gone if they are going, right?”
Chase slowly nodded. He did have a point.
“Montreal? Maybe we crash one of our own parties to see that it’s going well?” Diego frowned again. “Nah, I don’t feel like thinking about work. Let’s just take off and see where we end up? It will be an adventure.”
“Yeah, maybe. I should stop by the mall too and get some gift cards for the kids,” Chase said with reluctance. “Audrey mentioned that they might need some extra stuff. I’m always sending money but maybe gift cards are more thoughtful. I’m never really sure what they need.”
“Communication, my friend, that’s the only way you’ll know,” Diego commented as he leaned against the counter and drank his coffee. Still wearing his t-shirt and oversized gym pants, he looked like a teenager and not a 40-year-old man. The only hint was the subtle traces of gray close to his ears and in his stubble; a rarity for a man who was always concerned about his grooming habits.
“We talk all the time,” Chase replied and pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge. “She never really tells me.”
“What about the kids?” Diego asked as he continued to drink his coffee, jumping up on the cupboard, his bare feet dangling in the air, as he watched Chase gather everything needed to make scrambled eggs. “Have you talked to them lately?”
“It’s hard,” Chase quietly commented. “They seem to be available less and less. If they are, it’s never all at once. For example, I Skyped them last night and the twins were home but Leland was apparently at mom’s for the weekend again.”
&nb
sp; “Three kids, all so young, you’re a machine,” Diego teased as he finished his coffee and slid back down to the floor and Chase laughed.
“Want an egg?” He offered.
“Nah, I’m going to take a shower,” Diego headed toward his room. “Give the road trip some thought and get back to me.”
“Will do.”
After having a quick breakfast, Chase was out the door and on the way to the gym when he got a text. It was from Deborah. She wanted him to go to her apartment.
Chase quickly dismissed the idea, telling her that he didn’t want to cause any friction at work and as long as this affair continued, that it might cause an awkward environment.
Then she sent him a suggestive picture that indicated her current state of arousal.
Come now. My door will be unlocked and I will be waiting.
Feeling his own desires creep in, Chase decided that a little detour mightn’t be such a bad idea. Of course, had he decided against it, apparently, it wouldn’t have mattered. Deborah continued to send him pictures of herself and one short video that was hard to ignore. By the time he arrived at her apartment, he wasn’t thinking about the discomfort between them at work or any ill effects from his decision, he reluctantly entered the apartment and she called out from the bedroom.
“Lock the door,” She spoke breathlessly. Following her orders, walking toward her room, he immediately saw her lying naked on the bed. He quickly undressed, his breath increasing as he watched her spread her legs in waiting. As usual, foreplay was almost non-existent, her demands aggressive, Chase followed her every instruction without saying a word.
Grabbing one of the condoms on her nightstand, he put it on and with no emotion, slid between her legs. Deborah gasped as he thrust into her, tightening her legs around him, she cried out in pleasure, her fingernails digging into his back as she continued to instruct him; Push harder. Touch here. Lick there. Finally, letting out a loud, extended moan before loosening her grip, he collapsed on her body.
It was hardly a romantic moment between the two of them, as she almost appeared disengaged immediately after their encounter. She didn’t even speak. Finally, he pulling out of her, removed the condom while her eyes studied him and she finally spoke.