Scarlett's Choice

Chapter XIII

NYA

She took out a cigarette from her purse. Sitting in her car she smoked that cigarette, hoping it would give her some confidence to ascend the steps of his apartment.  It had been three days since she had faced the facts of David’s extra-marital affairs. Everything was basically the same; he still left early and came home late. She had not been able to sum up the courage to confront him mostly due to her guilty conscience. She had not heard from Nick since his meeting with A ’Marie, for some reason he hadn’t been answering her calls. She parked outside his apartment, afraid to go up, afraid to end it.  After about 10 minutes she finally exited her car and made her way up to his apartment. She knocked but no answer. She then decided to use the spare key he kept underneath the welcome mat. The sounds of moaning greeted her as she entered.
“Nick!” she said furiously. Nick quickly jumped up. The smirk on his face, evident of his lack of remorse. The woman got up, naked and stood behind him wrapping her arms around his waist. Kissing him lightly on the shoulder.
“Oh it’s you” he finally said, laughing.
“Is that all you have to say?” her voice breaking, tears streaming down her face. Nick then turned to the woman, kissed he roughly on the lips and said, “Get outta here. I’ll call you later” She quickly got dressed as she walked over to the small table beside the bed nick rushed over and grabbed her arm, pushing her away. “That’s all I got left.”
“Just one more draw baby” she walked up to him trying to caress him. He stepped back, “get outta here.”  She looked at Nya, the drugs evident in her eyes. She picked up her stilettoes and walked barefoot out the door. Nick burst out laughing.
“Nya Woods. The great! What can I do for you?”
“You’re high”
“If I remember correctly there was a time when you use to do a line of coke with me. We would drink, fuck and then do it all over again.”
“Is this why you haven’t been answering my calls? For some cheap prostitute that you bought with my money!!” Her sadness quickly changed to anger.
“Your money. Your money! Your fucking money!!” he threw the empty bottle of vodka against the wall. “You wanna know why I haven’t been answering your calls.” He slowly walked over to her, stroking her face gently. “Because I have given you everything you wanted and you couldn’t do one thing for me.”
‘What the hell are you talking about?” Nya walked passed him and sat at a small table in the kitchen, searching her purse for another cigarette.
“What am I talking about? I’m talking about A ’Marie Collins!!”
“You need to calm down”
“Fine!” he pulled out a chair and sat in front of her. “I went to the little meeting you set up and you know what that bitch told me? She told me my work wasn’t what they were looking for. It was too urban.”
‘Oh honey” she reached out to touch his hand. The look on his face made her stop midway. “I’m sorry that happened to you but”
He stopped her midsentence and said “you’re not sorry. You’re just like her. You don’t see my vision; I don’t fit in your elite lifestyle. Why? Cause I didn’t walk in there in a $3000 suit, kissing her ass!” He jumped out of his chair as if suddenly remembering to do something. He took out a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard and poured himself a drink.
“I know you’re upset and hurt but it’s unfair to blame me or A ’Marie. You didn’t get this one but there’ll be other opportunities.”
“Unfair? You know what’s unfair, working so hard just so some prissy bitch can come tell me my work isn’t good enough. You know what’s unfair? Putting up with your ass just so you could turn around and do nothing for me!! Now that’s what I call unfair!”
“Put up with me?” the words hit her as hard as a freight train. She couldn’t help but to chuckle, the irony in it all. “So you were just using me?”
“Don’t act like you weren’t using me too. What? You thought we were gonna get married after you divorce your hot shot lawyer husband and live happily ever after. No. you came to me to give you everything he wasn’t, to add some light to your rich, preppy life.”
“And to think I was worried about breaking up with you, hurting your feelings.” She took up her purse and headed for the door. He ran in front of her, blocking her from leaving.
“Now why you leaving already? Did I hurt your feelings” said Nick smugly.
“Get outta my way! “He pushed her causing her to fall to the floor. She looked up at him.
“You know what I hate about you?” he bent down and whispered in her ear, “your condescending attitude.” He got up and started pacing. Nya picked up her purse and got up, brushing off her leather skirt. Sadness and fear evident in her eyes.
“You always looked down on me. Throwing your money around at me. Now you thought you were just gonna come up here and break up with me, leave me, throw me away like I was nothing!”
“If you let me explain...”
“No. shut up! One thing. I asked you for one thing and you couldn’t even do that for me!”
“I tried! Ok I tried! It’s not my fault A ‘Marie didn’t like your work”
“No so I guess it’s my fault. You probably badmouthed me to her before I got there. Why should she hire the poor little waiter, right?”
“You’re being paranoid” She walked over to the door, but he was quicker than her.
“Move!”
“This isn’t over. You’re not going to just walk off and go back to your little rich life while I stay here working for crumbs.”
“I thought it was clear you were fired.”
“Well someone’s getting feisty.”
“So what do you want? Money. I don’t have any” she fought to get pass him but she was unsuccessful.
“Oh but you do. I want $100,000 or I send your husband and all your clients our sex tape.”
“You’re bluffing. There’s no tape.”
“Oh isn’t there. I believe it was during that time when you were more fun. We were drunk, high and you would do just about anything I told you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well you’re just going to have to take my word for it but I highly doubt you can afford to not believe me. As for your client list, well that was easy to get.”
She didn’t say anything. He moved out of her way allowing her to leave. As she hurried down the hallway he yelled, “one week Nya. That’s all you have to keep your perfect life.”
Nya ran down the hallway, pass the elevator and down the staircase, straight to her car. She drove off as fast as she could as if someone was chasing her. She drove to David’s office, not sure where else to go.  Sitting in her car in that parking lot, she cried profusely. She dried her tears and reapplied her makeup. Still deciding whether to go up or not, the tears came streaming down her face again. The predicament in which she found herself was escalating to a place where it felt as if she no longer had any control.  It was in that moment she decided she wasn’t going to give in to Nick’s request and she wanted hard evidence before she confronted David; so she decided to hire a P.I but decided not to tell Scarlett that way she wouldn’t feel excluded. She googled private investigators in her area and picked one that wasn’t too far from her office. She pulled out of David’s office building and headed there.
It was as if this entire experience was surreal. As she sat in that small, decrepit office she wondered to herself how her life got here. The office smelt like cigars and stale Chinese food. It had no sense of style or colour. It consisted of just a plain desk in the centre, a small filing cabinet and two wooden patio chairs for clients. A short, fat bald headed man in a colourful, tropical shirt as if he was on vacation in Jamaica walked in.
“Hey ya. I’m Theo Smith. He pushed an old wooden name board to the front of his desk as he sat.
“Theo Smith. Is that your real name?” asked Nya, the scepticism obvious on her face. He released a loud, robust laugh. Ignoring her question he asked, “How can I help ya doll?”
“I think my husband is having an affair” she choked up saying it.
“Don’t worry doll you’re not the first wife to sit across from me.”
“My name is Nya not doll.”
Ignoring her once again he pushed a notepad and paper across the table to her. “Write down his info. His name, work address. My fee is $500 a day including expenses. Any additional expenses I’ll let you know.”
“How long is….i mean how long does it usually take?”
“Well if he’s sloppy about it maybe 2/3 days. If not could take up to a week maybe more.”
“Don’t you need my contact info?”
“Don’t worry doll. When I need to get in touch with you I will.”
Nya took out her cheque book and Theo quickly said, “Cash only” pointing to a sign on the wall.
“I don’t have that much cash on me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be in touch.”
Nya got up to leave when he said, “Mrs Woods. I assume you haven’t told the mister of your suspicions.”
“No I haven’t.”
“Good. Should make it a little easier.”