Page 16 of His Best Friend's Wife
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As I regained awareness,my head felt like it was going to bust open from the throbbing pain. One of my eyes was completely swollen shut and the other was just a slit, which gave me a narrow slice ofvision.
I remained immobile on the hard, cool tile of their kitchen floor trying to find my bearings and determine if I could stand. The first edges of darkness were creeping through the windows, casting long shadows across theroom.
After several deep breaths, I moved to sit up, taking it slow. The dizziness and overpowering nausea had me moving faster than I would have preferred. I made it to the kitchen sink before the violent vomiting began. The dry heaves continued for what seemed like a very long time as I leaned against the counter, too bereft and sore to standupright.
When the puking finally subsided, I splashed cool water on my face and cupped my hand to use the stream to rinse out my mouth. After patting myself dry, I stumbled out of the kitchen in search ofCassie.
I vaguely remembered Dirk telling me to be gone when "we" return, but I had still hoped that Cassie was here. A brief search of the house told me that I was there alone. Not wanting to stick around for round two with Dirk in my current state, I made my way to mycar.
Feeling both emotionally and physically horrific, I sat in the driver's seat for a long while, attempting to regroup. That last glimmer of hope deep within my heart refused to die, so I grabbed my phone and struggled to type a text message toCassie.
Is it true?I askedher.
She responded almost immediately.Yes.
I pounded the steering wheel with my fists until they were both bloody messes. Then I started up my car and drove, straining to see out of my one openeye.
I didn't worry about my job or my apartment. I left my crap behind and hit the road. My life was absolute shit, and I needed to get away from itall.
When my cellphone jingled, I shut it off. I couldn't stand to deal with either of the people who might try to contact me rightnow.
I drove all night and didn't stop until the choice was either quit driving or sink into the ocean. Parking my car at a primo spot overlooking the water, I leaned my seat back and fell into an exhaustedsleep.
When I finally awoke, the bright sunlight of midday was beaming in through the car's windows. The stifling air inside the vehicle caused me to emerge quickly from the enclosed space. An overwhelming scent of salty sea breeze and a faint fishy odor wafted over me as I made my way to thebeach.
The looks I received from passersby let me know that my face must look as battered as it felt. I found a waterside cafe and plopped down on a stool at the bar after using the facilities. Even though drinking myself into oblivion was tempting, I didn't think my stomach could handle alcohol right now. So, I gave my body what it needed...coffee and bacon. Loads of coffee andbacon.
I spent the day sitting at that bar, reliving my night with Cassie. The glorious memories of being intimate with her were now tainted knowing that Dirk had sent her there.Had she enjoyed it all? Or had it all been an elaborateruse?
The realization that they had been playing me like a fiddle made my stomach want to revolt anew. I refused to allow it,though.
Our night of passion had been by far the best sexual encounter of my life. To find out that Cassie had been there only at the request of her husband and had possibly faked enjoying herself was soulcrushing.
Was she that good of an actress?I had believed with every fiber of my being that she was having the same mind-melding reaction to our intense lovemaking that I was. If she was pretending, then she deserved an Oscar Academy Award.Was it possible to fake an orgasm––make that multiple orgasms––thatconvincingly?
If she was only there to do Dirk's bidding, then why put on the big show? Why not suffer through and move on, rather than make me believe it had been something special? What was the purpose of adding that extra layer of cruelhope?
It didn't add up. And no matter how many times I tried to convince myself otherwise, it just didn't seem like the sweet and wonderful Cassie that I knew and loved.How could she have donethis?
I didn't have as much trouble believing it of Dirk. The man had been my closest friend for many years, and I loved him like a brother. I also knew that one of his faults was being willing to do anything to get what he wanted. It wasn't difficult to believe that he would send Cassie to me. He would look at it as a means to an end. He gave up Cassie for one night and now he would get the child he wanted. In his mind, it was probably a simple transaction...loan out the wife, get ababy.
The fact that he shattered my heart with his plan was probably just a necessary cost of doing business in his mind. Once he decided he wanted something, Dirk let nothing stand in hisway.
My mind boggled at the realization that he had managed to get Cassie to go along with his plan, though. Cassie was the rational, kind, and thoughtful one.How had he convinced her that it would be okay to toy with my emotions this way? And why had she gone through withit?
Were they just horrible people? Is that what it boiled down to?They were the two individuals I was closest to on the entire planet. It gutted me that they would treat me thisway.
Dirk had been right about one thing...the best thing for me to do right now was to lie low and lick my wounds for a while. I needed space from both ofthem.
The waitress at the bar had seemed to sense that I needed space and left me alone, other than the continuous coffee cup refills. Once the last of the lunch crowd dispersed and I continued to sit there like a lost puppy, her need to reach out tookover.
"You look like you've been through hell." Her Southern drawl was very pronounced. It took the edge off her sharpwords.
I winced when I tried to speak. If I looked anything like I felt, it was a wonder she wasn't running from me, frightened of the bruised and battered monster that I had become. "Yeah," I finally managed, staring into the depths of my small white coffeemug.
Not seeming to take the hint of my one-word response, she stood in front of me, obviously wanting more of an explanation. I looked up at her then, really seeing her for the first time. She was pretty, even though she had applied her makeup with a heavy hand. Loads of strawberry blonde hair were piled up high on her head. She was holding the coffee pot aloft, ready to refill my cup the moment I took a sip. Her name tag proclaimed her name to beJamie.
