Chapter 60 Your name is Shooo?
I nearly crack into pieces on the spot.
Natte’s eyes flicker in my direction again, and he smirks. “Thanks.” To Terry.
“Natte, are we getting a drink?” Redhead pulls on his arm. Her voice is sweet, laced with a thick Spanish accent, and she pronounces Natte Zzhatte, rolling his name around her tongue.
It sounds as sexy as she looks. I hate her.
I look at Natte and he seems to be enjoying all this.
Fine, he wants to play games, well I’m up for that.
“Yeah, in a minute,” Natte answers her, sounding irritated.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your new friend, Natte?” Steve asks.
I don’t think I want to know her name. It somehow makes her even more real if she has a name.
Natte glances back at redhead. “Um … yeah, this is … um.”
She rolls her eyes at him. “I’m Vanesa.” She presses her small hand to her large chest.
So not only is she beautiful, she has a beautiful name. Which Natte either couldn’t remember or hadn’t even bothered to find out. What a pity, though Vanesa isn't troubled with any of that.
I don’t even know if that should make me feel better, laugh, cry or not.
“Zzhuhnesa,” I hear myself saying in a really bad Spanish accent.
Oh God.
“It’s a really pretty name,” I somehow recover. And I don’t know if it’s the booze or a mild hysteria setting in, but I say in bad Spanish again, “Zzhatte and Zzhuhnesa. Has quiet a ring to it. Don’t you agree?” I stare at Natte.
He shifts on his feet, looking at me like I’ve just grown another head.
Natte laughs, getting his cool composure back. “What have you been drinking, Shia?”
“Oh, just a few margaritas.” I stare at him steady, shrugging, forcing the best smile I can muster up. “I’m just feeling happy. Looking on the brightside, you know. Will and Terry are here, it’s all good, I’m happy, happy, happy!”
His eyes harden, burning into mine. “So what did you think of the dinner and karaoke, Shia?”
What are you up to, Natte? I harden my eyes to him but he doesn’t seem to care. He sang that hurtful song at the karaoke. I felt like I was sitting on thorns only for him to show up and ask what I think. Bravo, bravo Natte.
How can this be the same man who made love to me all through the night, told me how much he missed me for the years we’d been apart, the man who pleaded with me to never leave him?
“Shooo?” Vanesa looks at me puzzled, with bitch in her eyes. “Your name is shooo?”
I’ve never wanted to slap someone as much as I do her now.
“Shiva,” I explain. “My friends call me Shiv for short.” I emphasize the v.
“Ahh, I zee.” She runs her fingernails through her hair, seemingly bored now.
Obviously she has the attention span of Natte.
I pick my margarita up and take a mouthful for courage.
“And to answer your question, Natte,” I start to speak in my Spanish accent, because I know how much it affects him, and I want to be a bitch too. Doesn’t he love bitches?
Natte’s eyes widen and fire lights in them, and I know I’m playing a dangerous game. I dare not even look at Terry.
I look at him and mumble, only my mouth moving slowly, “ Vete a joder y vete al infierno.” That easily translates; Go fuck yourself and go to hell.
His flaming eyes don’t soften. I see him shift uncomfortably in his pants.
He’s squirming. Oh my goodness, he's getting a hardon just by my Spanish nonsense.
Good. Good job Shiva, you can do a good job getting your old man on his knees.
Smart, Shiv, real smart.
“The dinner was great, I had a good time thanks to my new boss Natte Johnson.”
“Glad you think so. Do you think you can now write a good interview for your boss as a freelancer?” he asks.
Work. He really wants to talk work with me. Fine.
He's pretty hard but he doesn't seem to care as long as he keeps on bagging me like this, it seems like he's enjoying my drunkenness and nonsense.
Yes boss, ‘I’m having an affair with you’ will be part of the interview, just don’t worry, which you are now clearly past, as you have a shiny new Colombian toy to play with.
I bite my lip until it hurts.
Tim comes swaggering over, a couple of girls in tow. He calls over for Natte, and Natte looks at me before he answers.
“Yeah, I’m coming now,” Natte answers him, without moving his eyes from mine.
Natte casts his eyes around the table, landing back on me lastly, and says, “Have a good night.”
Then he’s walking away, over to the bar, with his long legged French redheaded beauty, Vanesa.
I’ve been watching Natte since he walked away from me thirty minutes ago.
I’m aware of every single move he makes, my eyes tracking him around the room, watching him greet people who are clearly here just to see him, as I force an interest in what Will has to say.
Jealousy and anger are in my driving seat.
Natte hasn’t looked in my direction once in all that time. And now he’s seated at his table in the smoking area of this place, with Tim and Sam, and a group of bitches hanging around them, and of course the leggy Vanesa.
I had thought at one point, while he was walking in the room, he’d pinned her off, as she was nowhere to be seen, but the second he sat down, she was there again. And my temporary sense of relief was gone.
Natte pulls his lighter from his pocket, sparking it. He holds it up to her cigarette.
She puts her hand on his wrist, touching his friendship bracelet, my bracelet, holding his hand in place and bats her eyelashes seductively at him as she puffs her cigarette lit.
I’m angry that he let her touch my bracelet. I know that sounds stupid, but I’m not exactly feeling rational right now.
She’s the kind of sexy that I could only dream to be.
She is beautiful and I feel suitably inadequate. She is Natte’s type for sure. His equal.
I really don’t know what it is he sees in me. Or maybe I’m just a conquest like I said to Terry, because of our history and the unobtainable, because of Pine.
Or maybe not so much now as the case may be.
As I’m staring, I see Natte’s eyes flicker past Vanesa and straight in my direction. I quickly look away, staring down at my drink.
I can’t do this. I need a breather.
I grab my bag and as I’m walking past, Will catches my hand.
“Are you okay, darling?” he asks in a quiet voice, looking up at me.
“I’m fine,” I smile.
He’s noticed. I really am not being fair to him and Terry at all. They came all this way to see me and I’m just visually chasing Natte around this room. I've even made the boundary between Terry and Will grow bigger. Terry is busy flirting with Dennis, while my good gay friend Steve isn't leaving Will alone.