With all of the money that I give you, can’t you do me this one favor?
“Rest assured, Barry, that I would never let that happen to you. The only place this is going to be seen is between Ria, Ginger, and myself. There’s no legal reason for Ria to take this to a courthouse to have it verified, either. Especially—”
I paused, realizing that I didn’t want Barry to know about the embezzlement. If he found out, then I’d have to move forward with charges, and Ria would ruin my reputation somehow.
“Especially what, Jorge?”
“Never mind, I was going off on a tangent. Anyway, as you can see, I’m in quite the bind right now.”
He obnoxiously exhaled, causing me to roll my eyes yet again. “I just don’t understand why you’re going to such great lengths to get rid of a woman, Jorge. I mean, I’ve dealt with difficult females over the years, but this is insane. What could she have possibly done that has you shaking in your shoes? You’ve never been that kind of a man.”
Oh, she only embezzled about a million bucks out of this company…That’s all.
“You know how women are, Barry. She’s one of those psychotic, clingy types who won’t leave you alone without solid proof that you’re not interested. Ria could physically see my erection go limp just by looking at her, and she’d still find a way to try to stay in my life.”
“Yep, I’ve been there, my friend. I made the mistake of having an affair, and my side piece wouldn’t leave me alone. She kept texting and calling me at all hours of the night, begging me to leave my family for her. Until she saw me out to dinner with my wife and kids one night. Once she noticed how happy I was, that was all it took for her to stop contacting me. Something clicked in her head. So believe me, I get it. And I’ve been faithful to my wife ever since.”
I instantly thought about all of the evenings I’d spent with Ginger, stealing kisses over dinner while gazing into each other’s eyes. Not once did I ever want to do that with Ria. “I only wish it were that easy with Ria. Ginger and I were all over each other at The Spicy Pineapple, and I thought she bought it after storming out of the place. But sure enough, I woke up to a nasty email from her the next morning. Anyway, I’ll make it up to you however you’d like, Barry.”
“Are you going to put on a wedding ceremony too? With pictures and all?”
My mind started racing as I thought about how that would even happen. We’d have to invite enough people to make it look real, but not so many that word got out it was all a hoax.
This is a nightmare.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, Barry. But I gave—”
Ria suddenly barged into my office, which I’d forgotten to lock, with tears in her eyes. I stood in front of my desk so she wouldn’t see that I had my speakerphone on. Whatever she had to say, I wanted my lawyer to hear. Screw worrying about my reputation being ruined by this woman. I needed her out of my life ASAP.
“You son of a bitch! Do you know how much time I wasted on you? Get your checkbook out, mister, because I want a lot more than your original offer! If you think that a measly half a billion dollars is enough to keep me from ruining your reputation, then you’ve got another think coming!”
I cleared my throat while adjusting my tie, but she spoke again before I could say anything.
“I saw Ginger at Seafood Divine with a wedding dress hanging in her car. How is it that I can give you the best damn sex of your life and that bitch gets a million-dollar engagement ring, a diamond tennis bracelet, and a six-figure dress that only someone with my body could pull off?” She pointed to her breast implants, which I found utterly repulsive, then continued ranting. “I just can’t believe that you wifed her up so fast! You two were speaking on the phone for a year, and then within a month of coming home, you’re engaged! Who does that sort of thing?”
I shrugged while smiling at her, realizing that the tables had finally turned. “What else can I say, Ria? When you know, you know.”
Before continuing her rant, she patted her hair while quickly checking herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. “And yes, I took just under a million dollars from this company, Jorge. Do you know why? Because I never got as much money as I deserved! You have always gotten the bigger checks, even though we did the same amount of work.” Ria rubbed her knees. “Although, I did a hell of a lot more physical work if you know what I mean.”
“Please don’t remind me.”
“Whatever, you jerk. You know that Ginger bitch will never be as good as me. Oh, and good luck with this stupid-ass company because you’re gonna need it once I’m gone. Do you realize how hard your job is about to become? You can’t just let anyone else slide into my position, Jorge. Oh, and your precious reputation in the diamond community is about to be ruined if you don’t double your original offer!”
I swallowed a huge lump in my throat as she got closer to my face. She came within a few inches, daring me to speak. But I knew better, and that pissed her off.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything, jerk-wad?”
My lawyer loudly cleared his throat after several minutes of silence. “This is Barry Livingston, Mr. Stein’s attorney. If I understood you correctly, ma’am, you just admitted to embezzlement. Is that correct?”
I slowly stepped aside, and Ria’s eyes landed on the red light on my speakerphone.
Ria kept looking between me and the speakerphone, trying to find the words to say. Her tongue repeatedly licked her lips, too, as though preparing for a speech. But there was nothing else she could say. She bolted out of my office, nearly hitting her head on the door on the way out.
“Did you catch all of that, Barry?”
He chuckled while typing away at his keyboard. “Oh, yeah. Plus, all of our calls are recorded. We’ll take care of everything. By the way, do you still need that marriage license?”
I leaned back in my chair, a huge smile forming on my face as I rested my feet on the desk. “Nope.”
