Page 19 of Best Served Hot
Ethan rubbed his temples. ‘I guess I can see how this could have…’
‘I’m shocked Viola didn’t contact you if she lost a director. Isn’t this the kind of thing you’d be in the loop for?’ Nicole asked him, and it was very hard not to start smirking.
He looked perturbed by that, embarrassed even. ‘I think it all happened quite quickly.’ He scratched his head, examining her. ‘And you never thought—’
‘I don’tknowanyone from your show, do I?’ Nicole said innocently. ‘I’ve never met anyone the entire time you’ve been on it. That’s always been our deal.’
He paused and licked his lips. ‘But you must have heard me mention Viola.’
Nicole shrugged. ‘I know three Violas personally.’ That was a wild lie, but Ethan seemed to buy it. ‘I just didn’t make the connection,’ she added apologetically, playing the ditz he thought she was.
‘So what do we do?’ Ethan asked. ‘I mean, I can call her now and sort this out?’
‘And what would you say?’ Nicole asked.
He paused. ‘Well, just that… there was a mistake.’
‘And?’
‘That you can’t do it.’
‘Because…’ Nicole said and let the sentence hang while she watched Ethan twist himself into knots.
This was the real start of things. The first little pinprick. She couldn’t have said for sure she was going to enjoy any of this before she’d truly begun it. Cruelty had never been her style. But would you look at that? Itwasfun.
Watching this pig turn himself on a spit of his own making was positively delicious. She nearly wanted to stop in the middle of it to text Alex. That was the only thing that would have put a cherry on it. If she could have seen this too. But she’d join in the fun soon enough.
‘I can just say… I mean, we don’t… That we’re really…’ he stuttered.
Nicole sighed as though this was really the most terrible thing, and she was as much in a pickle about it as he was. ‘Look, I don’t think I can drop out now. It would leave the show in the lurch, which I’m sureyoudon’t want. And my reputation might take a dent, too. And as a freelancer, you know as well as anyone, that’s all I have. I hate to say it, but I think we’re just gonna have to put a pause in our rule for this one,’ she said reasonably.
Ethan stared at her for a moment, and she could practically hear his brain screaming at him that there had to be something he could say to stop this. But he had nothing. She’d made sure he didn’t. She’d gone over every possible scenario, ready with a reply.
Sure, she didn’t know him as she’d thought. But that didn’t mean she didn’t know plenty about Ethan Pine. He couldn’t hide everything. His flaws were a petard, and he was hoisting himself upon them with delicious predictability.
‘OK, well, alright. I guess you’re right,’ Ethan relented miserably. ‘But, err, maybe we could…’ He stopped and swallowed.
‘What?’ she pressed. But she knew full well what he was going to propose.
‘Maybe we could just not mention it on set? You and me, I mean.’
‘You want me to pretend we’re not married?’ she said with a light, sad frown.
He looked horrified. ‘Oh no! I didn’t mean it like that! But it’s like we always say, you don’t want anyone to think I’ve helped you, do you?’
Nicole chewed the inside of her mouth. ‘That’s true. You’re a big name now. Not like little old me.’
‘I’m not telling you to lie. But maybe we just don’t mention it? For your sake? People might think I hired you because, well… I know you wouldn’t wantthat,’ he said thoughtfully, the absolute prince.
‘OK, maybe you’re right. Let’s just not mention it.’ Nicole smiled brightly. ‘Hey, maybe it’ll be fun. Maybe if people don’t know where married, I’ll get the real goss about you?’ she said like it was the most hilarious thing she’d ever imagined.
Ethan’s face froze in a terrible imitation of a smile as the dawning realisation swept over him. That if his colleagues didn’t know they were talking to his wife, they might say anything about him.Anything. People would not hold back. He’d leapt out of the frying pan and slap bang into the fire.
‘Ha, yeah. I’m sure they’ll tell you I’m a right tyrant,’ he managed to say, dry-mouthed. He put his hands in his pockets, gave her a small tight smile, and spun away from her, heading back into the house.
Nicole looked back down at her sudoku and put in another random number just in case he was watching. She breathed a heavy sigh of contentment. It was amazing how healing this was already. But she wasn’t done. He hadn’t sweat nearly enough for her satisfaction. She was going to fill a mason jar with the stuff before she was through.
Something occurred to Nicole then that she hadn’t realised before. She was out of love with him. She wasn’t sure at what point that had happened, but she was shocked at the speed of it.
