“Bullshit.”
It took me about fifteen minutes to review everything, and my blood was boiling by the time I was done. I sat back in the chair and glared at Ria.
“Why are you so angry, Jorge? I told you it was no big deal. I would never steal from you!”
“You’re really something else, aren’t you, Ria? Did you think I’d buy any of this crap? Everything you have listed here is a bogus expense!”
Ria let out a huff while looking away, pretending to admire my million-dollar artwork on the walls. “If you’re short on cash, Jorge, just tell me, and I’ll spot you some. There’s no reason for you to go through this just to get some money.”
I threw the papers in her direction, causing them to scatter all over my marble table. “You know damn well that I can spot a fake diamond from a mile away, Ria! What makes you think it’s not the same with these so-called legal documents?”
Ria stood up and made her way over to me, very slowly while sashaying her hips. “You know what you need, Jorge? You need to relax. And if memory serves me correctly, I know just what to do.”
I stood up as she was about to get onto her knees. “Stop it, Ria, right now! I mean it. It’s over between us! And I’m sorry if I’ve misled you, really I am.”
Ria’s hands turned into fists at her sides. “You son of a bitch, Jorge! Youhavebeen leading me on all of this time! If you didn’t like me so much, then why have we been sleeping together? Why did we have sex nearly every damn night while you were in Antwerp?”
“We haven’t been intimate in months, Ria.”
She started walking toward me. “That’s because of Ginger. You say she’s just a friend, but I know she’s the reason for all of this Jorge. I bet you wasted no time getting your dick wet with her too!”
I put up my hand to stop her from getting any closer. As much as I enjoyed venting my frustrations at her, we needed to keep it about business. “You need to calm down, Ria, because regardless of how we feel toward each other, the truth is that we’re still legally connected. Now sit back down at the table so we can get through everything, all right?”
Ria yanked out a chair and sat down, once again drumming her nails. “So, what now?”
“Once again, I’m offering you a large sum of money to buy out your partnership. Five-hundred million dollars. Considering that you embezzled nearly a million dollars, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal, Ria.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Oh, please. Do you really think I’d accept a measly half-billion dollars out of you, Jorge? You’re worth so much more than that, honey, and you know that I can ruin your career in an instant. I have more leverage in the diamond industry than you think, possibly even more than you.”
“Bullshit, Ria! What more do you want out of me? I can’t think of anyone else who would turn down all of this money, given that you could be jailed for theft! Which would you rather do? Spend your life behind bars, or walk away with a shitload of money? Your choice.”
All I could think about was Ginger, and how much better my life would be once I was with her and not Ria. Ginger didn’t care about this sort of stuff. Sure, she liked diamonds and probably the fact that I made a lot of money. But she wasn’t anywhere near as superficial as Ria, and she was beginning to bring out the best in me.
“The longer I’m in business with you, Jorge, the more money I make. So, long story short: I’m not going anywhere. And you know what I want out of you.”
I leaned back in my chair, pretending to play dumb. “Do tell, Ria.”
“I want marriage, Jorge. Let’s face it. I’m getting older by the day. Sure, you say that you’re in love with another woman, but you know how perfect we are together. And it’s not just the sex, Jorge. We’re in the same industry, for God's sake! That should be enough of a reason for you to marry me!”
I stood up and started pacing, right in front of the large window that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. “What will it take, Ria, for you to understand that I don’t want to marry you? Better yet, let me be abundantly clear. The only reason we ever slept together was that it was convenient for both of us, and we needed each other professionally.”
“Your mouth says you don’t want me, Jorge, but the one between your legs says otherwise.”
“It might have at one time, Ria, but that’s in the past.”
Tears formed in her eyes as she grabbed her purse and marched toward the front door, her heels clicking against the marble floor. But before she left, she whipped her head back around to look at me. “You haven’t seen the last of me, Jorge. And you can stop lying about being engaged because you know damn well that I’m the best you’ve ever had!”
11
Ginger
One Week Later
It was pretty crowded that night at the restaurant. Eva and I were sitting at the bar, each of us nursing a pina colada while discussing work gossip. She had overheard one of the new hairstylists confessing to an affair with her gardener, and her excuse was that her husband was sleeping with one of their neighbors. Usually, I’d be excited to hear all of the details, but the last thing I wanted to think about was sex.
All I could think about was Jorge getting back together with Ria.
Part of me regretted not going over to his penthouse that day when Ria was inside with him, but I didn’t know how I’d react. Legally he could do whatever he wanted, and if I showed up, I would have only made things worse. But that didn’t stop me from thinking about what could have happened, though. I pictured walking in on them having sex, screaming at them as they saw me, and then storming off. Really drive it home to Jorge that he’d screwed up and would never get me back.
