“Do you want me to make love to you?”
Her hesitation didn’t fool me. It was all part of her game. I didn’t wait for her to answer. I slipped my arms around her and pulled her on top of me. We never made it inside the office. There would be plenty of time for that.
Besides, I was the Vice President of Operations. I could come by any time I wanted.
DIAMOND
“What am I supposed to do, mom?” I was near tears.
“Honey,” my mom sighed into the phone. “I think the best thing you can do is let Natasha figure this out on her own.”
“But what he said! It was so sleazy. I mean he’s got to have some kind of mental problem, don’t you think?”
“Oh, there is no doubt about it.”
“Then shouldn’t I tell Nat? What if he’s, you know, unstable?”
“What do you think will happen if you tell Natasha what he said? Do you think she’s going to believe you? Or do you think he’ll sweet talk her into believing him? I’ll bet that’s what he’s already done, too. A guy like him doesn’t just make an indecent proposal without having his alibi already in order. You said he’s rich?”
“Filthy. We’re talking in the billions.”
“I hate to say it honey but that kind of money changes people. She could be your best friend today and that man starts making it rain and it’ll be Diamond who Tomorrow.”
I laughed a little. Just a little. The sad thing was that I knew my mom was right. As much as I loved Nat and wanted to think she’d believe me over Joshua I knew I was up against a more experienced player than I could ever be. And he had no rules. And he had no conscience so I had no chance.
“So what do I do, mom?”
I tried to explain to my mom the situation as best I could while keeping a PG rating. I knew she was going to tell me to just keep it to myself, be supportive of Nat in her decision and stay the hell away from Prince Charming. But I couldn’t tell her the look that was in Joshua’s eyes, that grin that was like he just swallowed a dog dish full of shit. But it was the vibe. The unnerving assault that was so sudden I still hadn’t recovered from it.
I’m not going to be so dramatic as to say I felt violated but I will say I felt like I had a film of some unnamable filth all over me.
“If I were you I wouldn’t say anything right now. You’d be surprised how some of these kinds of sticky situations resolve themselves without your doing anything. Do you have any idea how many times your father suggested we go to his mother’s house when I didn’t want to. Instead of throwing a fit or trying to talk him out of it I would just not say anything. Then he’s start to talk about the long drive, the weather might be bad, he was tired after working all week. The next thing I’d know we were sipping coffee at the kitchen table while he talked to his mother on the phone. Everything worked out just fine because I didn’t make an issue of it.”
“But that didn’t happen every time.” I said, letting my pessimism show.
“No, Di, not every time. But when in doubt, keep your mouth shut.”
“Okay.” I said. I still felt funny. I couldn’t help but wonder if Joshua wanted me to tell Natasha what he said or if he wanted to see if I’d keep a secret. Either way I got the impression I was doing exactly what he expected. That made me angry.
“How did she meet this guy, anyway?” my mom asked.
“They met in a bar and…”
“Oh, well, there’s your problem right there. You know, my good friend Lerlean, she dead now, she married a man she met in a bar. And let me tell you that there was nothing good that came from that marriage. Doctor Keeley used to tell us girls when we were in nurses training that if you wanted to earn your place in heaven then by all means marry an alcoholic. That is exactly what Lerlean did.”
“I don’t know if he’s a boozer, mom. I mean, he ordered two bottles of champagne between three people that only came to a little over two three glasses each.”
“But do you know how much he had before he got there?”
I could tell by the way my mom was talking that she had made up her mind that Joshua Hewitt was a bonafide alcoholic. It was like wrestling a bone from a bulldog, now.
“No.” I answered her.
“No, you don’t.” she snapped.
“But he didn’t smell like booze.”
“Do you know how much vodka I used to drink in nurses training? Kay and I, you know my good friend Kay, well we used to go out all night on Friday, get back to the dorm Saturday morning and report for rounds at 6:30 a.m.”