Page 21 of Beguiled and Broken

I paced in circles around the carpet for the rest of the night until I was too exhausted to stand. The floor must have called my name because that’s where I woke up. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Thinking about how I was going to face Vinny made me sick to my stomach. To him, my eyes were closed. To him, he walked in on a moment he shouldn’t have, and left. I hoped he wouldn’t say anything or do anything, but who was I kidding. I figured I should just start packing my bags. I knew I was going to have to go upstairs eventually. It was Sunday, though. Maybe I could just hide in the basement all day. I had food and water. That’s what I planned to do. Write in my diary and hide until Monday.

Chapter 14

Vinny

I wasn’t sure what the fuck to do about what I walked in on with Catarina that night. I had pretty much been avoiding her since that happened. I made sure I was gone in the morning early enough that I wouldn’t see her. In the evening, I told Bianca I had to deal with shit at the restaurant. She was really starting to get pissed at me for missing so many dinners, so I had taken her and the kids out a few times without Catarina.

I was sitting at Leonardo’s, waiting on Cole and Carter to show up. I needed to tell them what the fuck was going on. I didn’t know what to do.

Carter. “Oookay. I love pizza as much as the next guy, but at eight o’clock in the morning, bro?”

I stood and grabbed his hand then pulled him in for a hug. “Don’t pretend like you’re not up early these days anyways. No hockey practice?”

He laughed. “Not today. One of the kids got hurt and it shook the other kids up a bit, so we gave them this weekend off. We still want them to be kids, ya know?”

I smiled. Carter was a good guy. “That’s good. Kid’s gonna be ok?

“Yeah, he’ll be fine, just a fractured arm. He’ll heal up quick.”

“Good. Do you know where Cole is?”

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon. My spidey senses are tingling right now. I feel like one of them chicks from Gossip Girl waiting on the cheese. XOXO.” He laughed, interlocking his fingers, and resting his chin on them, batting his eyelashes at me like a chick. “Know what I mean?”

If anyone could make me crack a smile on my worst day, it was Carter. Laughing, I managed, “No, I don’t Carter. I don’t know what the fuck you mean because thankfully, I’m not Lex’s TV hostage. Now, if you started talking about One Tree Hill, I’d get that, because I’m Bianca’s TV hostage and that’s her show.”

We laughed at the married life, then I rolled my eyes at him. “I wish it were that fucking simple, bro. You have no idea.” The front door chimed and in walked Cole. “Lock the door man.” I yelled to him.

Cole paused, made wide eyes at us, and turned and locked the door before heading back over to us. “I feel like we’re in the mafia having a secret meet up. What’s up Capo?”

Carter laughed hard. “Capo! That was good, bro. We’re gonna call you Capo, now.” Carter high fived Cole. I gave Cole a hug and said, “Very funny.”

“Seriously though, I need you assholes to be serious for five minutes because I’m barely treadin’ water over here.” I took a drink of water. I felt dehydrated and I was hot.

Carter looked at me, then at Cole and back to me again. “What’s goin’ on, man? You’re freaking me out.”

I spit it out fast. “I walked in on Catarina having sex the other night.”

Cole’s eyes looked like he saw a ghost. “The nanny!! Whoa, man! What the fuck were you doing in her room?”

“It’s not like that. It was one o’clock in the morning and I heard a noise. I was worried something was wrong, like someone might be breaking in through the sliding patio door.” I took another drink of water.

“When was this?” Carter asked.

“It was after yous left that night after dinner.” I cleared my throat. “I went downstairs and was just going to check and make sure everything was ok when I saw her on top of some guy.” I grabbed a napkin to wipe the sweat from my forehead. The further I got into this story the hotter I got. I felt sick. “When I realizedobviously,she was fine, I turned to leave...but then…” I drank more water. I felt like my throat was closing up.

Cole was on the edge of his seat. “Then what, bro? What the fuck happened?”

My head recoiled and I muttered, “Then she called out my name.” They both stared at me, mouths open like they wanted to say something but didn’t. “I fucking froze. I didn’t turn around. She was talking to the guy she was fucking. She called him Vinny and was begging him to fuck her and fill her…you guys…I bolted.”

Cole, looking at Carter, said, “I kneeew something wasn’t right with this chic. Yo, Lex called it.”

Carter squinted his eyes and said, “Hang on. How do we know the guy’s namewasn’tVinny.”

I looked at Carter with the‘are you serious’face, and asked, “How many fucking Vinny’s do you know in Lynn Falls, Illinois?” Cole busted out laughing while I went on, “And she just happens to be fucking him inmyhouse? Seriously?”

Carter took a drink of his soda and slouched back in his chair. Lacing his fingers together over his stomach, he laughed and said, “Point taken, and Lexdidcall it. She was so annoyed that night. She swore up and down the whole way home that something wasn’t right about that woman.”

Cole had a million questions. “So, what the fuck happened? Have you talked to her since then? What happens now?”

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