by J. P. Comeau
“Is everything all right? I thought I was dreaming that you were yelling, but I guess it wasn’t a dream.”
I quietly set down the phone and poured her a cup of coffee. Ginger sat across from me, holding her head up with one hand. She was exhausted.
“Well, I’m sorry it woke you up, but I called Ria out on her lies. I told her that I know she’s stolen nearly a million dollars from the company.”
Ginger’s head shot up. “How did she take it?”
“Not well, but that’s to be expected. I’m sure Ria didn’t think I’d find out about the missing money, especially since we had a thing going on.”
Ginger nodded while sipping her coffee. “It’s good that you confronted her, Jorge. You don’t need someone like that working for you. Or, in your case, with you. She was your partner.”
My body tensed as I realized the predicament I had just gotten myself into. When Ria shows up and sees that I’m not getting married, it’ll be harder to get rid of her.
“I offered to buy her out of her partnership, but—”
“What? Why aren’t you letting your lawyers handle this? That’s what you pay them for!”
I leaned back in my chair while nodding. “Ria is very conniving, Ginger. The longer she’s in my life, the more she’ll make it a complete hell. If I gave this to my lawyers, we’d be tied up for months or years with a court case. This way, I can just get rid of her.”
Ginger seemed to understand my point but was apprehensive. “Yeah, but just be careful and document everything. I’m no lawyer, but…anyway, do what you gotta do.” After finishing her coffee, we kissed, and she went back home to get ready for work.
But before I started work myself, I picked my phone back up and called Chase.
“Dude, why are you up so early?”
“I told Ria that I know she’s been embezzling money, Chase, and it did not go well.” I overheard Margo ask who was on the phone before Chase’s feet made their way downstairs.
“Of course it didn’t because she’s crazy. So, what’s going to happen now?”
“Well, I offered to just pay her to leave the company because getting my lawyers involved would only drag this out. Plus, she has so many connections in the diamond industry that she could royally screw me over.”
I heard him pouring water into his coffee machine. “That’s a good point, although it’d be easier on you if the lawyers handled it.”
“Anyway, she started telling me that none of this would be an issue if we were married.”
“What the hell difference would that make?”
“Because we’d have joint bank accounts, and I could track the money myself.”
Chase let out a long whistle. “God, Jorge. You really dodged a bullet with this one.”
“Not exactly. Ria threatened to fly to Miami as soon as I called her out. I told her that I was in love with another woman and that I’d moved on.”
“Ha, way to lie. Like you could ever be in love with a woman.”
Don’t be so sure about that, Chase.
“When she didn’t believe me, I told her that I was engaged and getting married next week. But she didn’t believe it, and now she’s flying out here! What the hell am I going to do? I can’t exactly avoid this woman, either. She knows where I live and work.”
I listened to Chase pull out a chair and sit down. “Leave it to you to get wrapped up in something this insane, Jorge.”
“I’m serious! I’m freaking out right now! When Ria sees that I’m obviously not getting married, she’ll refuse my offer to buy her out of her partnership, and then I’ll be tied up with legal crap for who knows how long. Oh, God!”
“What?”
“The De Veers Diamond Group. She’s still in charge of negotiations with the unions and will use that as leverage against me. When she sees that I’m not engaged, the second I hire lawyers, she’ll be all over that and really screw me over! What am I going to do, Chase?”
“So, you’re saying that unless Ria actually sees you getting married, that she’ll find a way to basically force you into bankruptcy?”
Sweat was now forming on my forehead. “Yes. Please, Chase. You’re a smart man and one of my best friends. What do I do?”
“Two words, Jorge—fake bride.”
9
Ginger
Two Days Later
We had a staff meeting at work that day, and if I hadn’t set my alarm clock, I would have been late. Not that Guadalupe would have minded, of course. She would have suspected that it had something to do with Jorge and demanded to know all of the details, which would entail worrying my ass off about him sleeping with Ria again. As much as I tried focusing on what Guadalupe was talking about, my mind kept going back to Jorge’s phone conversation the previous day.
I was up all night, tossing and turning as I wondered how Jorge would ultimately end things with Ria. I kept picturing him picking her up at the airport, taking her back to his penthouse, and having sex with her.
But every time I woke up, I reminded myself of what I’d overheard Jorge telling Ria on the phone the day before: he was in love with someone else. Unless I had been dreaming that part.
Of course, you were because Jorge is a womanizer.
After Jorge and I had made love the other night, I passed out and dreamed about him. The two of us were having a picnic in a park, feeding each other strawberries while Chase and Margo were there with Joanna. We didn’t talk too much, and what few words we did say I couldn’t remember. But I did remember feeling as though I were in love with him.
I focused my attention back on Guadalupe, who discussed some new types of facials the spa would be offering. Not that any of it affected my job, since I did all of the accounting. But it was good to know for when I scheduled a treatment for myself.
After the meeting, I went back to my office and resumed work as usual. My fingers started hitting the keys a bit harder than necessary, and I realized that it was purely out of jealousy. I was jealous that Jorge had spoken with Ria the other morning, even though I—and probably all of the neighbors—could tell that he was ending things with her. Even when he said to me that it was over, while we drank our coffee, I could tell he was serious. He would do just about anything to altogether remove Ria from his life.
But he also seemed a bit distant, as though he were hiding something. Would Ria require one more romp in the sack before leaving the company?
Stop being so paranoid. You’re just two friends who sleep together.
Except I had never been that type of woman, nor did I think I had it in me to become one. How much longer could I keep having sex with Jorge without a firm commitment?
While I was typing away on my keyboard, Margo poked her head into my office.
“If you pound on those keys any harder, the paintings on the wall will fall off.”
I motioned for her to come inside my office and sit down. “What brings you in today?”
“I was in desperate need of a facial, and I just overheard Yuslan talking about their new ones. They sound even better than what I just had done. Why do you seem so tense, though?”
I powered off my monitor and shut the door. “All right, this has to stay between us. You know how Jorge has had an ongoing relationship with Ria?”
“Oh, yeah. Jorge was at our place when you called him the other night. Did you look into that whole embezzlement issue for him?”
“Yup.”
“Now I know why he called Chase so early yesterday morning. I meant to ask him about it before I left for my appointment, but he had a conference call.”
“Anyway, Ria has embezzled nearly a million dollars from Jorge’s business. He’s suspected it for quite some time, but because they were having sex didn’t push the issue.”
Margo’s mouth fell wide open as she gasped. “A million dollars? That’s insane! Granted, a million isn’t much money for Jorge, but that’s not exactly chump change. Thank God you caught it for him.”
“I was hoping he’d
get his lawyers involved, but apparently he just wants to buy her out of her partnership with him.”
Margo picked up on how tense I was, despite my best efforts to conceal it. “Well, I wouldn’t get too upset about it, Ginger. You did him a favor, and he’ll probably come to his senses and have his lawyers take care of it. I’m not sure why he wouldn’t automatically go that route.”
“Because he’s worried that it’ll take too long, and with all of her connections in the diamond business, she can really screw him over. I told him to just hand it over to his lawyers, but he just had to call Ria yesterday morning!”
Calm down, woman!
“Ginger, why are you getting so upset? She didn’t embezzle money from you.”
I nodded while staring at my desk, not wanting to admit my real reason for being so angry. “I just hate seeing my friends being taken advantage of like that.”
Margo folded her arms while leaning back in the chair. “Did you spend the night at Jorge’s the other night?”
I couldn’t bring myself to look into her eyes.
“I knew you two would get together again! So, that’s why you’re so upset. You’re worried about something happening between him and Ria.”
I finally looked up at her and nodded. “And why wouldn’t it, Margo? They had the same type of situation that we do: friends-with-benefits. And Jorge has never been in a serious, long-term relationship. I played right into his hands, didn’t I?”
Margo shook her head while leaning across the desk, her long, gold necklace hitting its surface. “Ginger, people change over time. I don’t think you should jump to any conclusions regarding Jorge and Ria, especially since he seems so into you.” She held up my wrist, pointing to the diamond tennis bracelet. “Do you think he would have gotten that for you if he didn’t have feelings?”
“Really, Margo? He’s a diamond broker. Of course, he’d get that for me regardless of his feelings. It’s an instant pass into my panties.” She let out a sigh while leaning back in her chair. “All of this is my fault too. I never should have slept with him, Margo. Look at this beautiful office that Guadalupe gave me! This is my dream job, and all I can think about is some woman in Belgium sleeping with Jorge.”
“Try not to think about it too much, Ginger. Something tells me that Jorge is going to change his ways because even Chase says that he seems to be maturing. Just give it some time. Maybe you should try working from home for a while too. I’m sure Guadalupe wouldn’t mind.”
“That would only put me closer to Jorge, and right now, I think I need some space. Although, he’s probably at the office today.”
Margo’s cell phone went off with a text message. “Oh, shoot. Chase has a conference call, and Joanna won’t stop crying. I gotta go. Call me later, all right?”
As soon as Margo left, I sent Guadalupe an email asking if I could work from home for the rest of the afternoon due to a headache. She replied within seconds, telling me to take the rest of the day off, and to just rest.
God, I love her.
It would do me well to relax on the couch, order some pizza, and clear my mind.
I pulled into my reserved parking spot back at home, eager to get out of work clothes and into some shorts. As soon as I shut the car door, I turned to look toward Jorge’s penthouse. It had become a habit of mine ever since he had returned to Miami.
He wasn’t home.
Phew.
And just as I was about to walk inside, I saw his convertible pull into the parking lot.
Jorge had a woman next to him.
I quickly ducked behind my car until only my eyes were peering over it. They got out and headed into his building, and my jaw dropped as soon as I saw the woman. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was drop-dead gorgeous, and I had no doubt that it was Ria.
Once they were inside, I ran into my condo, slammed the door shut, and immediately called Eva.
“Hey, did you leave work early? I stopped by your office with some pastries that Guadalupe made, but it was locked, and your car wasn’t in the parking lot.”
“Jorge is having sex with Ria right this very second, Eva!”
“What? Wait, let me shut my office door. Calm down and tell me everything, Ginger.”
I paced back and forth in my living room, trying to calm my nerves when all I wanted to do was bang on his door. “He just got out of his car with this tall woman who looked straight out of a fashion magazine, or one of those social media influencers, and both of them went into his penthouse! I knew he would sleep with her again, Eva!”
“Relax, Ginger. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for why she’s at his place.”
I sat down on my couch, unable to control my legs from shaking. “No, you don’t understand, Eva. Jorge suspected Ria of embezzling from him, so he asked me to look over his books. Which, of course, I did, because everyone just loves to use me!”
“Ginger—”
“And I told him she had stolen almost a million dollars! But did he go to his lawyers? Of course not! He’s planning on buying her out, but that conniving woman is having sex with him right now! I just know it, Eva! He can’t stay away from her!”
I broke down sobbing on my couch, with nothing but images of them having sex running through my mind.
“Ginger, as someone who has been cheated on very recently, I guarantee that’s not what’s happening. He’s probably just going over things with her in person.”
I dried my eyes with a tissue, which only caused my mascara to smudge all over my face. “If Jorge wanted to go over things with Ria in person, he would have gone to a coffeehouse, a restaurant, or his office in downtown Miami. He wouldn’t have brought Ria back to his penthouse in the middle of the afternoon when he knew that I’d be at work!”
All I could do was sob uncontrollably as Eva listened, not knowing what to say to calm me down. And how could I blame her? The only thing that could have calmed me down was a logical explanation for Ria being at Jorge’s penthouse.
“Ginger, I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
I looked in the mirror while drying my eyes, not even bothering to clean up the mascara that was all over the place. “You can thank your lucky stars that you’re single, Eva, because men are nothing but trouble!”
10
Jorge
Miami International Airport was packed as usual, which meant there was too much of a risk of me being seen with Ria. But what other choice did I have? Her plane was due any minute, and if I hadn’t agreed to pick her up, then I could only imagine what she would have done. Knowing her, she would have figured out that I’d been sleeping with Ginger and approached her at Lavender Dreams Spa.
I winced while thinking about what a scene that would have been. Ria was a ruthless woman without a soul, although she’d make one hell of a private investigator.
I paced back and forth in front of my convertible, impatiently waiting for her to show up. She’d demanded that we discuss everything at my place, and I would have refused if it’d been later on that evening when Ginger would be home from work. The last thing I wanted was for her to even get one look at Ria. The sooner Ria was out of my life, the sooner I could focus on my relationship with Ginger.
I glared at the hands ticking on my gold Rolex. “Come on, Ria. I don’t have all day.”
I knew that Chase was right about having to pull off a fake wedding too. If I couldn’t convince Ria that afternoon to accept my final offer, what other choice did I have? I’d have to introduce her to a woman, say she was my fiancée, and then hopefully she’d buy it. But knowing Ria, that wouldn’t be enough. She’d probably insist on attending the damn wedding.
I looked up as an Air Antwerp flight prepared to land, and suddenly I felt like puking. The mere thought of having to look at Ria’s face made me want to hurl all over the pavement.
She emerged shortly from the airport, dressed to impress in some designer leopard mini-skirt and a white halter top that barely contained her obnoxiously large, fake breas
ts. Her oversized sunglasses nearly touched the top of her crimson lips. Any other man would have instantly fawned over her, but I backed away from her outstretched arms.
“Just get in the car, Ria.”
She snapped her fingers at the poor airline attendant who was rolling around her luggage. I helped as he struggled to fit everything inside my trunk.
“Are you moving to Miami or something? What’s with all of the bags?”
Ria didn’t say a word as she insisted the airline associate open the door for her.
I held up my hand, gave him a one-hundred-dollar bill, and shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. Ria can open her own damn door.”
Her eyes were hidden behind her obnoxious glasses, but it was clear that I’d offended her.
God, that felt good.
The first several minutes of our car ride was spent in silence. If it had been the same situation several months before, the sexual tension would have been too much for us to handle. I would have pulled the car over somewhere and had my hands all over her. But instead of being aroused by Ria, I had the complete opposite of an erection—shrinkage.
“So, Jorge. What’s your fiancée’s name? Or should I assume it’s Ginger?”
“Don’t worry about that, Ria. Where are you staying while in town?”
Because it sure as hell ain’t with me.
“Where else would I stay, darling? At your penthouse, of course.”
I nearly slammed on the brakes on 42nd Avenue. “That’s not even an option, Ria. I don’t care if you sleep outside on the street, but there’s no way that you’re staying with me.”
“Relax,” she said as we got onto the highway. “I have my own place in Miami Beach now, remember?”
“Vaguely. But why don’t we kill some time, since it looks like traffic is pretty bad today? Explain the missing money, Ria.”
She let out a long sigh while pretending to enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean. “Oh, Jorge. I have all of the paperwork right here in my purse. Everything is accounted for, all right? Let’s have this discussion at your place.”
