CHAPTER TEN:

Could fate be any more cruel? Could her life be any more miserable? Could she be surrounded by bastards through and through any more than she currently was? What the fuck was wrong with him?

“You bastard.”

A sly grin. “I just invited him over. What is the big deal? We aren’t doing anything wrong. And besides, don’t you want to know about the blonde with him?”

“I don’t care.”

“Her name is Julia, I think. She works as an editor in the same office building your husband works in. Interesting coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”

She downed another drink quickly. The buzz was getting stronger. “I don’t give a fuck, Vicious. If you are trying to make me jealous, then it’s not working.”

“You trust him that much, don’t you?”

“I told you a thousand times over…I love him.”

She missed the icy glare that was thrown at her. She would have been surprised. If looks could kill, she would be history in seconds. Her eyes, instead, roamed over the approaching couple. She reached, absentmindedly, for another glass of wine. She had to admit albeit reluctantly, that the Julia woman looked good next to the lanky persona that was her Spike. She dressed expensively and looked expensive.

~ Cheap bitch. ~

Her hands tightened on her glass as she noticed Julia place lean and well-manicured fingers upon the dark suit…on her Spike. The wine was beginning to taste like acid. She could feel the slow burn churn at the back of her throat. Green eyes narrowing with growing irritation, she noticed that he had not shrugged it off. She growled. A low rumbling sound that her companion heard and smirked at inwardly.

~ That’s it, my Faye. Let him feel the wrath that is your vengeance. ~

~&~&~&~&~

No way. No fucking way.

Those purple locks were hard not to miss. Those green eyes that belonged to his Faye. His Faye, who happened to be sitting in a crowded restaurant on a Monday afternoon with someone….that wasn’t him. All sounds and activity around him dissolved into nothing as brownish red and blazing green clashed in a silent duel.

Someone had a lot of explaining to do.

“Ah, Mr. Spiegel. So glad you accepted my request. Please make yourself comfortable.”

Oh, ever the gracious host, with a smile that could charm the pants off a baby and a heart as cold and as calculating as ever.

He managed to rip his eyes away from his mate’s to stare with frank curiosity at the man that had managed to capture her attention. And not taking his eyes off the cold gray ones, he drawled lazily to his silent wife.

“Let me guess, he would be the salesperson, right, Faye?”

“Spike…”

“Interesting. So what do you sell? Insurance? Marriages? Divorces? Cause if you do, then I am willing to buy one very large divorce settlement in a few minutes.”

“Spike, sit down and stop being such an asshole.” Faye snapped angrily.

He could swear that Vicious was laughing at him and he felt his hands clench into tight fists.

“I believe your wife is correct, Mr. Spiegel. Perhaps we can sit down and discuss this further…”

“Viscous-sama, I am in total and complete awe of your business endeavors. My name is Julia and I work as a…”

“I know who you are. You are one of those people that keep disturbing me for a life story, right?”

A careless wave of dismissal and a gentle urge into assigned seats, sent four adults into stony silence.

Vicious still sat across from Faye, while Julia and Spike sat at opposite ends. All except Spike, picked up their drinks and took tentative sips. The silence was becoming deafening. Faye wanted to scream.

“So…what brings you into town, Vicious?” Julia asked. The tension between the couple next to her, was making her quite uncomfortable.

~ So, this was Spike’s woman. ~

She was beautiful in a wild sort of way, but Julia felt the green-haired man could have chosen better.

“Business.” Came the curt reply from Vicious.

“Business that involves seeing married women?”

“Mr. Spiegel, I would like to know what you are trying to insinuate?”

“I am trying to insinuate that you are having lunch with my wife. Which part of that doesn’t quite sink into your head?”

“You should talk, Spike!” Faye whispered harshly. “You have her with you!”

Spike who had kept his eyes trained on his foe, turned his head around sharply to glare at the woman next to him. “For your information, she is my editor. This is a working lunch arrangement!”

Julia tried to cut in. “Umm…”

“Oh, is that so? Well, Spike! This also happens to be a working lunch arrangement! I am eating out with my boss!”

“Your boss? You never said he was your boss! You said you were babysitting…”

“Well, duh…the baby has to have a father, right?!”

“That was not part of the deal. You never mentioned that he was going to be around and besides, you should have told me!”

“Well, you didn’t tell me about…this!” She finished irately, as she waved her hand towards the blonde-haired woman, which in turn knocked down her glass of wine, which in turn spilled all over the expensive looking suit.

A sharp gasp froze the two in their tirade. The blonde-haired woman looked red-faced as Vicious (the ever gracious host) reached for a napkin to wipe up the mess.

“I am so sorry about this, Julia.” He crooned softly. “I didn’t realize I would be inviting over a bunch of children to lunch today.”

Husband and wife blinked at each other in disbelief. “Who are you calling a child?”

“Both of you!” Julia spat out coldly. “This is a two-thousand dollar suit and you…you ruined it, you…you selfish bitch!”

Were they beginning to draw attention to themselves? Oh, you bet they were. Curious glances traveled their way and none of them paid much attention. They had a problem to deal with at the moment.

Faye gripped the edge of her napkin. “What did you call me?!”

“I called you a bitch! So there! I don’t know what Spike saw in you, but you have got to be the most irritating and annoying…”

SLAP!!

By this time the gasp came from their ignored audience as the sound of flesh meeting flesh rang out loudly in the room.

And in a voice that was as calm as the sea, and as deadly as a viper’s, Faye Spiegel spat out coldly. “Nobody calls me a bitch. Especially not a two-timing bimbo like you!”

And rising to her feet, she picked up her coat and hat, slipping into them quickly before turning around to face her tormentor. “Thank you for the invite, Vicious. But I think I will stick to taking care of your child and that alone. Goodbye.”

Raising her chin high, she walked out of the room with a dignity she didn’t feel inside and stepped outside to the cold streets. She knew Spike would come after her and that was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.

She tapped her foot and waited impatiently for her car to arrive.

~&~&~&~&~

“Monsieur Vicious, is…is everything alright?”

Vicious threw a glare at the nervous looking maitre d’ in disgust. “We are in the middle of something, so could you come back later?!”

“Oui, oui. A thousand apologies, Monsieur.”

Sitting back down, he spared at glance at the still stunned blonde and then sent them to a bored looking Spike. A frown danced across his features.

“Will you not go after her?” He asked coldly.

“What’s it to you?”

The billionaire snorted. “Your wife is going through a lot at the moment and you cannot even go after her? I don’t believe this. I am willing to give her everything and you treat her like she is nothing.”

“You know nothing of my marriage.”

“She claims to love you, but I doubt she truly does.”

“…………”

“Faye and I used to date long before she met you. We were in love and I believe that deep down, she still harbors a place for me. You will do well to treat her with respect, Mr. Spiegel because if anyone hurts my Faye, that person hurts me.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were threatening me.”

A low growl and a show of pearly canines in a sinister grin. “Oh, you had better believe it…Spike.”

Brownish-red eyes narrowed. “You invited her here. You knew she was married. You invited me here. You knew this would happen. What were you planning to achieve here, Vicious? To prove your theory correct? That, perhaps, just perhaps, Faye really hates me?”

“You arrogant…”

“Faye loves me, Vicious. Something you can never hope to regain. Don’t let the frail act fool you, beneath all of that, is a woman with enough passion to blow your mind. That was why I married her and that is why she will remain with me for as long as I live.”

He rose to his feet abruptly and held out his hand to Julia. “You coming?”

She threw a cold stare at him. “No…I don’t think so. You go on ahead and meet your precious wife. I will just stay here and dry myself in white wine.”

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’m leaving.” He picked up his jacket and put it back on and giving a curt nod to his stoic audience, he made his way out to the streets.

His eyes took in the semi-busy sidewalk. There was no sign of his woman anywhere.

“Hey kid. Did you see any woman in a black coat and white striped wool hat out here?”

The valet nodded vigorously. “Sure did. She left just a few minutes ago. Gave me a pretty good tip too.”

He stuck his hands into his pockets and ignored the snow that began to fall softly again. He had missed her.

~ I miss you, Faye. ~

~&~&~&~&~

She stared blindly at the picture frame. Her hand went over the glass protection as it gently traced the smiling features of the happy couple. They had been so happy. So full of hopes and dreams and…

/ I am doing the right thing. It is for the best. /

She sighed and dropped the picture back on its position upon the mantelpiece and rubbed nervous hands against her thighs. She couldn’t lose her nerve now. She had to do this…for both of them.

Running into the closet, she pulled out a medium-sized travel bag and working quickly, she snatched down clothes and other things of importance. She worked methodically but fast, her mind already churning with the words she would have to write down.

Eyes danced from the clock to the work at hand. She didn’t want to be here when he came back. She couldn’t face him yet.

Snapping the locks closed, she went into his den and picked up a stray notepad and pen. She found her hands trembling as the words came out. The tears beginning to blur her vision. A stray drop fell upon the white sheet and she made no attempt to stop the others that followed. Finishing with a flourish, she didn’t bother rereading, as she tore it off to post up in the kitchen.

She walked around each room, memorizing each sight and sound and smell. Wiping away the tears that had begun to fall again, she made her way out of the apartment she had called home for two years. How long would she be gone? She didn’t know. Where would she go? She didn’t know either, but she was going to give them a time to be apart. A time to see if this was what she…they really wanted.

She started the car and made the turn out into the streets again. Down the winding road to nowhere. And all the way, the mantra kept ringing in her mind.

She was doing it for the best.

Wasn’t she?