Page 48 of Best Served Hot
‘Shit, shit, shit,’ Alex muttered. She looked at Nicole. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘I don’t know what wecando,’ Nicole said. ‘I mean, I can’t chase after her and throw her in the trunk of my car, can I?’
‘Can’t you?’ Alex said. ‘Because this is going to screw everything.’
‘But it was over anyway. Wasn’t it?’ Nicole asked. ‘I’m not thrilled about this, but I think we have to let it be.’
‘But now he can point to this in the divorce and say you werebothat it. Two cheaters cheating on one another. He’ll skate out on everything. I know he will.’
Nicole shrugged, but truth be told, she was angry. Because she’d been happy for a moment, and now, it was gone. Bloody Lena.
Actually, Nicole wasn’t sure if she should pity her. Ethan was shagging her. And manipulating her.
No, Nicole wasdefinitelyangry. She’d been kissing Alex, and Lena had spoiled the moment. She wanted it back. She wanted more of it. A lot more.
‘So it’s true!’ said a voice. It was more masculine voice than Lena’s. They turned. This time, it was Ethan.
‘Fucking hell! Lena only just left!’ Nicole said, shocked.
‘She texted me. Thank God I was on the studio floor, so I could catch you in flagrante!’
Nicole took a deep breath. This had been coming for a while but arrived a little early. A confrontation. The truth. ‘Ethan…’
‘Did you think I wouldn’t find out?’ he asked.
That cued Nicole up nicely for a banging reveal. ‘Who exactly are you talking to here? Your wife or your girlfriend?’ she asked, a little smugness creeping in.
Ethan’s rage shrivelled up sharply. ‘What?’
‘Ex, thank you very much,’ Alex interrupted, offended.
‘Ex, sorry,’ Nicole said ruefully.
‘What, what, what…’ Ethan repeated, like a busted robot.
‘Iknow, Ethan. I know about all of it,’ Nicole told him.
Ethan was popeyed. ‘What did she say? Because we can go and talk to HR right now, and they’ll explain the problems I’ve been having. I didn’t want to throw Alex under the bus, but I had to fire her!’ He stopped and shook himself. ‘Wait a second, no, you’re the… It’s you! Why am I trying to account formyself? You got caught.’
‘No,yougot caught. I’ve known for a while, ever since that day I was supposed to go and see my brother. My car broke down, as you know. What you don’t know is that I made it home. I was right outside, and I spotted you and Alex in my own home.’
Nicole had been a different woman then. A woman unhappy in her marriage and utterly in denial about it. But now here she was with the ‘mistress,’ and she only wanted her. Life was a funny old thing.
Ethan was a little behind on all the developments, though. He was still scrabbling through information, trying to see a way he could still come up smelling of roses. ‘You’re the… you’re red-handed here! This is ridiculous.’
Nicole agreed with him on that. ‘Yes, thisisridiculous. So stop playing the victim. I KNOW, Ethan.’
Alex nodded, happily chipping in. ‘Yeah, and by the way? I would never have taken your money. Funny to watch you scrabbling for it, though.’
Ethan’s nostrils flared. ‘You manipulative, miserable,cheap—’
‘Before you finish that nasty little sentence, this was my idea,’ Nicole broke in, taking a step toward him, wanting to protect Alex.
He looked back and forth between them, utterly confused. ‘So, this was some kind of game? From the start?’
‘Yes, genius,’ Nicole said, relieved. At least she didn’t have to play nice with him anymore.
‘For what purpose?’
