I
A RIEL WAS DRESSED TO IMPRESS. She’d pulled out all the stops. She had on a brand new Chanel dress, the most expensive underwear she’d ever bought, she’d had her hair done, her makeup was perfect. She was leaving nothing to chance on this night. She was sitting at her vanity, painting her nails, when Becky came in with the phone.
“It’s dad.”
“Thanks, honey,” Ariel said and blew on her nails. She took the phone and then looked up at Becky who was still standing there.
“What is it, honey?”
“Are you going on a date with dad?”
“Oh, Becky,” Ariel said and held out her arms for Becky to hug her. She was careful not to let her nails touch Becky’s clothes. “We’re just going out for dinner. It’s for business. It’s not a date.”
“Oh,” Becky said, “I just thought.”
“I know, baby,” Ariel said, and squeezed her extra tight.
She put the phone to her ear. “Gabe?”
“Hey,” Gabe said, “I just wanted to run over the details one last time.”
“We’ve been over it,” Ariel said.
“I know. So basically, I want him to buy the painting from me.”
“Yes, basically,” Ariel said, “but he’s not going to give you any money. He’s got to be the one left holding the pot.”
“I don’t know about this,” Gabe went on. “I mean, how’s it going to work? I’m basically giving him the thing for free.”
“He’s got to think he’s getting one over on you, Gabe. It’s all got to come from him. He thinks he’s the one screwing you .”
“Then why does it feel like I’m the one getting screwed?” Gabe said.
“Listen, Gabe, do you trust me?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Ariel realized as she waited for him to respond that it was quite a loaded question she was asking. How much was he supposed to trust her? She was his ex-wife, he knew she’d been making love with Jake. What guarantee did he have that he wasn’t the one being ripped off in all of this? She was asking him to basically hand over a five million dollar canvas to her new lover.
“Yes,” Gabe said at last, “I trust you.”
Ariel sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said.
“I just hope you’re as smart as you think you are, Ariel.”
“Gabe, have you ever had a reason to question my intelligence?”
Gabe laughed.
A car pulled up Ariel’s driveway outside.
“Damn, they’re here, Gabe. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at the restaurant.”
“Don’t worry,” Ariel said. “Just go with the flow. Jake’s greedy. He’s going to fall for the whole thing.”
Ariel hung up the phone and checked her nails. They still looked fine. She hadn’t ruined them before they’d had time to dry. She got up and slipped into her shoes, the sexiest, highest heels she owned, and then went downstairs. She grabbed her coat and opened the door. Jake was already on the porch.
“Wow,” he said, looking her over from head to toe. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks,” Ariel said. She smiled. She hadn’t meant to but she couldn’t help herself. Despite everything she knew about Jake, she still had to admit he was very hot.
Jake opened the back door of his Mercedes and she got in. The white leather seats felt good against her skin. Zola leaned back from her seat in the front next to Jake.
“Hi, Ariel.”
Ariel touched her on the shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about a thing,” she said when Jake had closed the door, “I’ve got everything under control”. They watched him cross in front of the car. The headlights lit him up.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. He seemed so confident, so sure of himself. Ariel couldn’t wait to show him what it felt like to be under someone else’s power. He was a bully, plain and simple, and sooner or later all bullies had to learn the hard way that they couldn’t treat people the way he’d been treating Zola.
As the drove down the steep and winding hill
A RIEL WAS DRESSED TO IMPRESS. She’d pulled out all the stops. She had on a brand new Chanel dress, the most expensive underwear she’d ever bought, she’d had her hair done, her makeup was perfect. She was leaving nothing to chance on this night. She was sitting at her vanity, painting her nails, when Becky came in with the phone.
“It’s dad.”
“Thanks, honey,” Ariel said and blew on her nails. She took the phone and then looked up at Becky who was still standing there.
“What is it, honey?”
“Are you going on a date with dad?”
“Oh, Becky,” Ariel said and held out her arms for Becky to hug her. She was careful not to let her nails touch Becky’s clothes. “We’re just going out for dinner. It’s for business. It’s not a date.”
“Oh,” Becky said, “I just thought.”
“I know, baby,” Ariel said, and squeezed her extra tight.
She put the phone to her ear. “Gabe?”
“Hey,” Gabe said, “I just wanted to run over the details one last time.”
“We’ve been over it,” Ariel said.
“I know. So basically, I want him to buy the painting from me.”
“Yes, basically,” Ariel said, “but he’s not going to give you any money. He’s got to be the one left holding the pot.”
“I don’t know about this,” Gabe went on. “I mean, how’s it going to work? I’m basically giving him the thing for free.”
“He’s got to think he’s getting one over on you, Gabe. It’s all got to come from him. He thinks he’s the one screwing you .”
“Then why does it feel like I’m the one getting screwed?” Gabe said.
“Listen, Gabe, do you trust me?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Ariel realized as she waited for him to respond that it was quite a loaded question she was asking. How much was he supposed to trust her? She was his ex-wife, he knew she’d been making love with Jake. What guarantee did he have that he wasn’t the one being ripped off in all of this? She was asking him to basically hand over a five million dollar canvas to her new lover.
“Yes,” Gabe said at last, “I trust you.”
Ariel sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said.
“I just hope you’re as smart as you think you are, Ariel.”
“Gabe, have you ever had a reason to question my intelligence?”
Gabe laughed.
A car pulled up Ariel’s driveway outside.
“Damn, they’re here, Gabe. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at the restaurant.”
“Don’t worry,” Ariel said. “Just go with the flow. Jake’s greedy. He’s going to fall for the whole thing.”
Ariel hung up the phone and checked her nails. They still looked fine. She hadn’t ruined them before they’d had time to dry. She got up and slipped into her shoes, the sexiest, highest heels she owned, and then went downstairs. She grabbed her coat and opened the door. Jake was already on the porch.
“Wow,” he said, looking her over from head to toe. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks,” Ariel said. She smiled. She hadn’t meant to but she couldn’t help herself. Despite everything she knew about Jake, she still had to admit he was very hot.
Jake opened the back door of his Mercedes and she got in. The white leather seats felt good against her skin. Zola leaned back from her seat in the front next to Jake.
“Hi, Ariel.”
Ariel touched her on the shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about a thing,” she said when Jake had closed the door, “I’ve got everything under control”. They watched him cross in front of the car. The headlights lit him up.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. He seemed so confident, so sure of himself. Ariel couldn’t wait to show him what it felt like to be under someone else’s power. He was a bully, plain and simple, and sooner or later all bullies had to learn the hard way that they couldn’t treat people the way he’d been treating Zola.
As the drove down the steep and winding hill
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