Happily Ever After_ - Benison Anne O'Reilly [75]
He winced and sighed deeply. ‘Bec, Bec, Bec…I wish you hadn’t reminded me. Rebecca is one of my sister’s friends. We got drunk a few months ago and slept together - actually we slept together a couple of times in the end. I thought we were just having fun but she had “boyfriend” ideas and got all clingy on me. I had to be a bit of a bastard in the end but it was never going to go anywhere. Sophie is very unimpressed with me…’
‘Men and their dicks.’
‘That about sums it up.’
‘I promise not to get clingy on you.’
‘No, this is completely different.’
I continued my interrogation. After all he knew all about the sorry state of my own affairs, even if he hadn’t strictly asked to hear.
‘Do you mind me asking you about Julie?’
‘I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get around to that.’
‘You don’t have to tell me.’
‘No, I don’t mind.’
‘Was she Australian?’
‘No, English. I met her over there.’
‘And what was she like?’
‘She actually looked a bit like you - well similar hair and eyes and about the same height. I got a bit of a surprise…’
‘Ah, so that’s the reason. You haven’t completely gotten over her, have you?’
‘No, that’s not it at all. You look a bit like her but you’re quite different in other ways. For a start you’re a much nicer person.’
I didn’t know if people who slept with other men behind their husband’s back quite qualified to be called nice, but I let the comment stand.
‘And you were planning to get married?’
‘I hadn’t asked her but was working up to it.’
‘So she didn’t know.’
‘No…but we’d talked about the possibility at other times.’
‘I don’t get you guys. If you knew you wanted to marry her why didn’t you just ask?’
‘I don’t know…I was thinking about maybe asking her at Christmas. In the end she saved me the trouble.’
‘So what happened? Do you mind me asking?’
‘I thought it was a mutual breakup but I’ve since found out she had someone else waiting in the wings. So you may not be the only victim of adultery in this bedroom.’
‘And who got custody of the seeing eye dog?’
‘What?…Oh, you’re very sweet but I’m not that good looking. Besides some women find other things more important, like money and power.’
‘Including your ex?’
‘Yeah. She got involved with her boss, who I’m pretty sure was still married at the time. She’s a lawyer. He was a partner at her firm - a total prick as far as I can tell too, but loaded. I hear along the grapevine they are getting hitched.’
‘Still, it seems unbelievable. You don’t think it was more complicated?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I don’t know…She didn’t just get sick of waiting for you? It’s just that in my experience relationship breakdowns are rarely as simple as they first appear.’
‘Hey, you’re not allowed to be objective. You’re meant to be on my side.’ He placed his hands on his hips and gave me a fake indignant look.
‘Sorry.’ I pretended to look remorseful.
‘The only criticism she ever levelled at me was that I was “too nice”. I never realised that was a negative quality. She said that I wasn’t ruthless and ambitious enough to ever be a success. The thing is I am ambitious - I just don’t think it’s necessary to step on other people to get ahead.’
‘Women can be incredibly stupid sometimes. I bet she’ll regret the decision in a few years.’
‘Who cares? That’s her problem.’
‘Anyway just think, when her new husband becomes unable to perform you can have the satisfaction of selling him some Erecta.’
‘Ha…that’s an image I like very much.’
‘So this is your revenge is it? You’re the boss sleeping with the married woman.’
‘God no, I’m not that sophisticated. It was more like, “me see woman - me want woman”.’
I smiled at my most unlikely looking caveman.
‘Anyway I don’t think of myself as your boss and I wish you wouldn’t.’
‘I think if you look at the management tree you’ll find I do answer to you.’
‘Hmm…I can think of a few ways I’d like you to answer to me but none of them involve the office. ’ He smiled suggestively before