Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

Not to mention if Chris found out, or God forbid, Sabrina. The incident would give that bitch plenty of fodder to mock her misfortune for the next five years. She was miserable enough without giving Sabrina any more ammunition to make fun of her. It seemed ensuring Arielle’s continued misery was Sabrina’s sole reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Arielle chatted with Trent and John during the ride. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty over how she had treated Trent earlier in the day. She thought he was one of those glory-seeking jocks. Chris was one of those guys and he never let her forget how lucky she was to have him as her man. Sometimes Arielle suspected that Chris was actually the one with the self-esteem issues.

But Trent—he seemed different. He looked genuinely concerned for her. She even suspected he might have some interest in her. But after finding out that she had a boyfriend, he wasn’t coming on as strongly as before.

Still, he looked so happy when she told him she w

ould accept his invitation for ice cream. He knew an old-fashioned ice cream shop on Amsterdam that churned their own soft serve and made their own frozen yogurt. Trent invited her to go there tomorrow after work.

Trent dropped her off in front of her office building. John refused to move into the passenger seat and ordered his brother to continue to drive like a chauffeur, which annoyed the hell out of Trent. As the two bickered like an old married couple, Arielle said her goodbyes and went inside.

It was close to ten o’clock when she entered her office. She quickly changed her clothes and folded the dirty Santa costume; the rental place wouldn’t be happy when she returned it tomorrow. The costume was covered in black soot and smelled like smoke. There went her deposit.

After tidying her desk and checking her voicemail, she was ready to go home. Just because it was late didn’t mean the law firm was empty. A few people were still at the office; there was a night secretary and a couple of associates who were pulling an all-nighter. Arielle collected her folders to put on Sabrina’s desk while she wasn’t there to give her a hard time. Unlike the associates in the firm who worked nonstop, desperately scrambling to make partner, her boss rarely stayed past eight o’clock. Sabrina often bragged she had a life outside work, taking pleasure in the fact that Arielle had spent most her adult life in the office.

She walked past Sabrina’s secretary’s desk and pushed the door open. She was so lost in her thoughts that her brain didn’t immediately comprehend what was happening.

Sabrina was draped across her desk, legs splayed out, while Chris stood frozen with his pants down his ankles.

What?

Her first reaction was to wonder what Chris was doing in Sabrina’s office at all.

Then it hit her.

Sabrina was the woman he had been cheating with.

Chris withdrew from her boss and hurriedly pulled his pants up.

Sabrina just cursed.

And Arielle stood there like an idiot.

After the first wave of shock, all she could feel was numbness.

She should have seen this coming.

Chris cheating, of course. But not with Sabrina.

No. Not her.

Chris had more sense than that.

But why?

Why her?

And she caught them in flagrante delicto. She couldn’t un-see what she’d just seen. Not even if she scrubbed her eyes and brain with steel wool.

After the numbness dissipated, a fury engulfed her whole. This time, she wished a grand piano would fall on the two of them and squish them flat.

How could she do this to her? Well, this was Sabrina and she was a piece of shit to begin with. But Chris, how could he?

She and Chris had been together since… forever. Why couldn’t he muster a shred of decency and break their relationship off instead of going around her back and boning their boss?

Oh, Jesus Almighty, Arielle wanted to puke.

“I thought you’d gone home already, Arielle. Were you able to serve Frank Darbo?” Sabrina asked like nothing was going on. She made herself decent while sporting a vicious smirk. Like the bitch she was, she was proud of what she had done and now she was gauging Arielle’s reaction. Sabrina seemed to expect her to blow up. To curse.