SAPPHIRE
Ichecked my watch again before I returned my gaze to the restaurant door. He was already ten minutes late for our lunch ‘date’. This was not how I had envisioned spending my Sunday afternoon, but I was a great believer in moving swiftly. Time was of the essence. The sooner we got Randy dealt with, the sooner Zade and I would be able to forget him.
I hid a small smile as I remembered how Zade played with my clit while I was on the phone with Randy making plans to meet him. By the time I got off the phone, Zade was like a demon. He made me cliZade twice and even then he was not satisfied. This was the first time I had gone out since I had gone to Zade’s apartment a few nights ago. I’d had just enough time to stop at my apartment to change clothes before coming to meet Randy.
Impatiently, I checked my watch once more. The bastard was fifteen minutes late.
I looked up at the door and breathed with relief to see his ridiculous blond head. He was flirting with the hostess. My stomach rolled at his audacity. Now that I was seeing Randy for who he truly was, I knew I had dodged a bullet all those years ago when I had felt no chemistry with him. Thank God, there had been no crackling of electricity the way it was with Zade.
Taking a sip from my glass of water, I watched the hostess blush and giggle at whatever Randy, the womanizer, whispered to her. I saw his hand meet hers – probably passing her his card. He threw a parting grin over his shoulder as he made his way towards me. If she knew what was good for her, she would rip that card to pieces and head for the hills. I had never felt so happy to deceive someone in my life. I plastered a big, happy smile on my face as he approached.
“Sapphire! It feels as though it has been ages, but I guess we’ve both been busy.”
I offered my cheek for the kiss he bestowed, and resisted the urge to wipe my face when he was done even though the revulsion was even stronger now that I knew the truth.
“I have to say, I was ridiculously elated to get your call.” His eyes never left me as he slid into the seat opposite me and picked up the menu. “For a minute there, I thought you’d gone over to the dark side.”
A waiter came by. “We’ll have two dry Martinis,” Randy ordered without looking at him.
The man went away and I pressed my lips together as if I was hiding great pain. “Yes, I allowed Zade to seduce me all over again. It was a great mistake, but I’m finally, finally over him. I can’t believe how deluded and blind I’ve been about him. I feel sad to think I’ve wasted all these years mourning for the loss of him.”
Randy stared at me with a mixture of curiosity and glee, then as if realizing that was not the appropriate reaction, he schooled his features and reached out his hand to gently pat mine. “The important thing is you’ve finally realized what a snake he is.”
I sniffed and nodded. “I truly have. You know, I truly believed he was one of the good guys. Hell, I was going to marry him, but now I know he’s just a narcissistic, self-absorbed prick who doesn’t give a shit about anyone else but himself. Once he knew I didn’t want to be with him he refused to honor his word and fund our lab project. Because of his selfish actions the whole project is now in the lurch. I feel as if I hate him. How could I have thought even for a second he still cared for me? Clearly, all he cares about now is taking revenge on you.”
Randy’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. “Taking revenge on me?”
“Yes, taking revenge on you,” I repeated, injecting what I thought was the right amount of vindictive anger. “It’s all he can talk about. I mean, he’s obsessed with you. It’s actually ugly to watch. To be honest I think he’s planning something, some trap either for you or your business.”
“Really?” His voice was soft, but there was now a hard glint in his eyes.
I nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”
He leaned back in his chair. There was a strange expression on his face, the first sign of suspicion and doubt. His fingers played with the knife as he spoke. “This is a dramatic change of heart for you. What happened to cause this 180 degree turn?”
Let the real acting begin. I looked down as if I was ashamed, then up again so I could see his expression.
“It’s a bit humiliating, but you’re an old friend so I’ll tell you. He’s been secretly having sex with strangers he meets online. More fool me to expect a leopard to change its spots, huh?”