The Love Of Money - S01 E272

Story 4 hours ago

The Love Of Money - S01 E272

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 272

The server chose that moment to interrupt us by asking if we were ready to order. Carla told me to order for her, so I ordered two of the vegan steaks, so I could see how good they tasted compared to regular steaks.

"So," I said, "you're looking to get out of a marriage with Hiro, and the only way you think you can get out of it is to align yourself with me."

She watched the waiter walk away, then looked back at me and nodded. "Yep! It was time to trade up anyway, and this was too good an opportunity to pass up."

"Trade up?" I said. "This is a date, but I'm not interested in dating you, Carla."

"Don't say that till you've had a chance to try me out," she said.

"That's all you're asking for?"

"Well, a job, too."

"If you're just looking for another rich boy toy, why do you—"

"I'm not just looking for another rich boy toy, Marcus," she said. "I'm looking for you. You could have anyone."

"So, why would I want you?" I said. "You come with a lot of baggage."

"Because," she said, leaning forward to display a tantalizing amount of cleavage. "I'm the best sex you'll ever have."

She gave me a smile that dared me to contradict her and said, "Besides, I can prove useful in other ways."

"What other ways?"

"Well, first of all, I got you VistaVision. It only cost you a relationship with Hiro. Now, he's going to come after you hard."

"You mean, kill me?"

"Maybe," she said. "But more than likely, he'll try to come after you through business. Or maybe smear you publically."

"And you can help me with that?"

"The best defense is a good offense. I can tell you where he's most vulnerable. I wasn't just sitting in those board and dinner meetings for nothing. I learned a thing or two!"

"Like what?" I asked.

"Give me a job, and I'll show you."

"I don't want to go to war with Hiro,” I said.

The waiter returned with our appetizer—gazpacho. I met his eyes just long enough to notice a look of unease as he glanced at me, but he looked away before I had a chance to do much more. It had clearly been a look I shouldn’t see on the face of a waiter staring at a high-paying client.

“Do I have something on my face?” I asked. “Everyone keeps staring at me like I do.” I took one sip and set it aside; soup should never be cold.

Carla gave me a smile that suggested she felt sorry for me as she said, “This is the table Hiro usually reserves when we eat here.”

I could feel the blood draining from my face. “What?”

“Hiro’s gonna know about tonight,” Carla said, “But it sure as hell isn’t going to be from me.”

“Fucking Christ.” I glanced around and saw a couple of the waiters whispering to each other in low voices. As soon as I glanced in their direction, I caught one of them looking away from me. “You set me up?” I asked, glaring at Carla again. Here, I thought I was throwing her a bone by keeping my word and giving her a simple date, but she’d gone and made it a way to engender even more hatred in Hiro toward me.

“I didn’t set you up for anything,” Carla said, placing a hand on her chest as if she were shocked I’d accuse her of such a thing. “It’s not like it’d piss my ex-husband off any more than he already was.”

This was Helen all over again, but ten times worse. Carla was manipulating me to the extreme, and if there was something that was fast approaching a pet peeve of mine, it was people trying to manipulate me. Especially women like Carla who smirked the whole time.

“I don’t care how mad he is,” I retorted, “I’m pretty sure this would make him even angrier than he already is.”

Glancing over at Chloe, I said, “Call John. Get the car. We’re leaving.”

“What?” Carla said as the mirth slid from her face. “What about our date?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, standing up. “You think you can just manipulate me into helping you out?”

“It doesn’t matter if you leave now!” Carla said. “It didn’t matter if you came here or not! He has it in for you already!”

“That’s not the point,” I said and turned to look at Chloe again.

She reached out and grabbed my wrist. “Wait! Please!”

I looked down at her hand and then looked up into her eyes, seeing panic for the first time since I met her. “Carla, I have a funeral to go to tomorrow. I’m not in the mood.”

“He’s gonna kill me!”

“You should’ve thought about that before voting for Chandler and inviting me to dinner.”

“He’s going to come for you next!”

“He can try,” I said. “I have no problem staying in my apartment. You’ve seen how cool it is, and if he comes after me through business, I’ll just sell everything off, throw all my money in a bunch of high-yield savings accounts, and live like a king anyway.”

I yanked at my wrist, slipping free from her grip as I turned and stalked away from the table…

And then I heard her sob.

Fuck.

If I was being honest, the last thing I wanted to do was hole up in my apartment for the rest of my life. I’d just found out about the house in the Catskills. I was about to hire a PR person. I was training to be healthier. Despite the trip to Nevada taking a turn for the worst, the initial trip had been fun, and I wanted to try it again somewhere different. I wanted to visit Atlantic City. I wanted to go see exotic destinations… I wanted to lie on an island in the Caribbean and make love to the women in my life.