Page 25 of His Revenge
The pretty French girl makes a sympathetic face.
“Yeah, that sounds bad.In France, we call bunionsoignon, which literally means onion.Yuck.”
“Yeah,” I agree.We’re about to chat some more, when suddenly my phone beeps.“Hold on,” I tell my friend.“I have to take this.”
Then, I move to a conference room and shut the door.Fortunately, no one’s having meetings this early in the morning, so I press play, and my mom’s face flashes on screen.
“Hey Joelle,” I say with a hesitant smile.Then, my smile freezes in place because is my mom in the tub?It looks like the middle-aged woman’s up to her neck in bubbles, with her blonde hair piled up on her head.Still, my mom looks beautiful, with unlined features and plump lips.I can see why men have always been attracted to Joelle like bees to honey.
“Hi honey-bun,” my mom purrs.“Excuse the location.I needed a good, hot soak because you know Brandon treats mesooowell.In fact, he’s here with me right now.”Quickly, she flashes the phone the other way, and to my horror, her boyfriend’s in the tub with her.Again, Brandon’s handsome like a movie star, but I don’t need to see this.Seriously, what parent calls their child while in the tub with their lover?Eeew.
“Mom, I’ll catch you later,” I say in a hurried voice.“I have work to do because you know I’m at Excel Development for the summer, and it’s really busy.I have a lot of assignments.Bye!”
But my mom holds up a hand to stop me.
“No, that’s what I wanted to ask you about,” she says in a singsong voice.“How’s your internship going?Have you seen Brad?”
That makes me pause.Does she know something?
“No, why?”I ask in a slow tone.“Brad’s the CEO of Excel, and you know this is a huge company.They employ thousands of workers, and I’m just an intern.I bet Brad doesn’t even know that I’m working here.”
Of course, this is a patent lie, but I can’t let on to my mom that I’m sleeping with her ex-husband at the moment.It would be too wrong, not to mention utterly raunchy.Joelle merely smiles again.
“No, I’m just asking,” she purrs.“It was nice of him to keep you on at the company even though he and I are in the middle of getting a divorce.We’re legally single, as you know, but the property division hasn’t been figured out yet.But we’ll get there.”
“But I thought you had a pre-nup,” I say in a wooden tone.
“Oh we do!”Joelle singsongs again, a sweet smile on her face.“But it was signed at the last minute before we got married in Vegas, so my attorney is arguing that it was executed under duress.You know that Brad scribbled it on a cocktail napkin, right?It’s nothing,” she laughs.“Just a scrap of paper with a wine stain on it.I’m not worried.”
“Okay, good to hear,” I say quickly.“But I have to go!”I add.“Work is calling.”
My mom completely ignores me.She winks at Brandon off-screen before flicking him slightly with bubbles.
“Besides, we have new information to share with the judge,” she purrs at her boyfriend.“Don’t we, big boy?We’re going to bring Brad to his knees.”
Oh my god, what could Joelle know?What new information could there be?Her young boyfriend chuckles off-screen in return, flicking bubbles back at my mother.
“Oh yes,” he rasps.“There’s some juicy shit out there that’s going to make the judge flip his shit.It’s so good, in fact, that I need another hit, Joelle.I’ll see you in the bedroom.”Then, the water sloshes crazily as Brandon hauls himself out of the tub, a long brown foot flashing on screen for a moment as he leaves.Joelle follows his movements with delight, her blue eyes flashing wickedly.
“My new boyfriend makes me so happy, and you know he’s an animal in bed,” my mom purrs once Brandon’s made his exit.“I swear, these young guys are a thousand times better than old dudes with erectile dysfunction and graying pubic hair.That shit is fucking gross.Plus, Brandon’s getting into modeling.He’s not going to be a dental hygienist forever.He’s going to take the fashion world by storm.”
I smile tightly.
“Great!I’m happy for him.But are you sure about the relationship, Mom?He’s half your age.He seems ...uh, well, like someone who likes topose.”
Oh my god, how do I tell her about the bisexual porn?We verified that it is Brandon in the clip, and Joelle has a right to know that her boytoy has a raunchy history before they get more serious.But my mom ignores the hint.
“Oh, I’m just having fun,” she says in a careless voice while flapping a hand at me.“Besides, I’m coming into some money soon, so everything will work out.”
“You mean, money from the divorce,” I say in a rigid tone.
“Yes, exactly!”Joelle chirps, her smile sly once more.“You’ll see,” she winks.“I’ll get that pre-nup struck down.”
Then, before I can reply, my mom logs off.I’m motionless in the conference room for a moment, the silence ringing in my ears.What in the world just happened?I had a call with my mother as she enjoyed a bubble bath with her boytoy in the tub, both of them naked as the day they were born.Not only that, but Joelle keeps intimating that she’s going to destroy Brad at their next court date.But how?Yet evenBradstated that they had some unfinished business together.But what could it be?
I return to my desk, and there’s a sense of foreboding in the air.It’s a heavy thickness that makes me swallow hard because I know my mom, and Joelle’s canny.She’s always been clever, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this time, there’s a touch of malice as well.I need to warn my boyfriend, and immediately tap a message to Brad on my phone.
We need to talk,I text.Asap.
