One of Us Is Dead(66)

“This was fun. Thanks for including me, Olivia,” Shannon said with a smile. She wouldn’t be thanking me if she knew the truth. Fun indeed.

“Anytime.” I smiled back. “So sorry your date didn’t show.”

“Yeah, that sucks. His loss,” Keisha piped in.

“Men are dicks,” Karen said.

“It wasn’t a total loss. Jenny met a guy.” I laughed.

“Actually, he was really nice. We exchanged numbers.” Jenny took a drink.

I gave her a puzzled look. Nice means zilch when it comes to dating. Has she learned nothing from being around us all these years? We don’t date nice. We date rich. But then again, Jenny wasn’t one of us.

“Good for you, girl.” Keisha high-fived Jenny.

“If you say so.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to go settle the bill. Anyone want anything else?” They all shook their heads and thanked me—as they should.

I walked over to the waitress who was chatting with her coworker instead of serving us. I had already decided I was going to dock her tip. I shouldn’t have had to come find her to settle my bill. I was the customer—the very wealthy customer—and therefore, I deserved impeccable service. I tossed my Black AmEx card on the counter. “Ring it up.”

“Do you want to know the total?” she asked meekly while her little coworker skedaddled off.

“Look at me. Do I look like someone that asks how much? No. Just run the card,” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and tapping my foot.

She swiped the card. Then she swiped it again and again.

“It says it’s declined.” She tilted her head.

“Bullshit. Run it again!”

She swiped the card again and again.

“Do you have another card?” she asked, handing the Black AmEx over.

I stamped my foot and took the card, shoving it back into my wallet. I handed her another one. She swiped and swiped.

“It’s also declined.”

“What the fuck?! That’s impossible! Run it again, you idiot!”

She swiped it once more, slowly, as if she were mocking me.

“Declined. How do you want to pay for this?” Her meek voice had become more assertive.

I grabbed the card from her and bolted for the door, not looking back as the waitress squawked, “Hey, you have to pay!”

The limo was parked outside waiting for us. I jumped in and before the driver could turn around and ask any questions, I told him to fucking drive. Without hesitation, he stepped on it.

Ten minutes later the driver pulled up in front of my house. I threw a twenty-dollar bill at him and ran inside. It didn’t have the same effect as my hundred-dollar bill. I groaned.

“Dean, where the fuck are you?” My voice echoed throughout the house. I ran frantically from the foyer to the living room to the kitchen, until I finally found him drinking scotch in his study without a care in the world. He sat up straight in his chair, startled to see me. “You’re home early, babe. Did you miss me?” He winked.

“Don’t get cute with me, Dean. Where the fuck is the money?” I threw my purse on the ground. A few single-dollar bills fell out of it.

“What are you talking about?” He set down his glass of scotch and furrowed his brow.

“Both my credit cards were declined tonight. Why?” I threw my hands on my hips. “You tell me right goddamn now.”

“Don’t worry about it, Olivia. I’ll take care of it.” Dean stood up and walked over to me. He put his hands around my waist and tried to pull me in for a hug, but I wasn’t having any of it. I pushed him back with all my might. He stumbled backward a few steps, bumping into the coffee table. I grabbed a glass mug from his desk and threw it at him as if I were pitching in the World Series. He narrowly ducked and it smashed into the bookshelf, shattering into pieces. His eyes widened as he looked at the damage and back at me.

“Are you fucking crazy?”

I flicked off my heels and grabbed one from the floor, throwing it at him in one clean swoop. He stepped aside, and it hit the bookshelf.

“Tell me what the hell is going on!” I picked up a pen cup from his desk and cocked it back, ready to heave it.

“Just hold on. Put that down and I’ll tell you.” He flinched as I simulated throwing it at him, but instead, I dropped it back on the desk, pens scattering everywhere.

“Money’s a little tight. We had a screwup with our last shipment. A rather big screwup, so I’m having to foot those losses until we can make it up,” he explained. He took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him, motioning for me to come sit. I hesitated but then walked to him. I took a deep breath as I sat down and turned to Dean, looking into his eyes.

“Listen, I’ve never cared what you did because the money was coming in. But now it’s not, so I want to know what it is you do, because you’re clearly not doing it well,” I said as calmly as I possibly could. It still came out with a tinge of frustration.

“It’s better that you don’t know, babe. You have no idea what you are talking about.” He put a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it.

“Oh, fuck off.” I pushed his hand away. “If you don’t tell me what you do, I’m leaving you, Dean.”

“Yeah right . . . and go do what? You aren’t worth anything and don’t know how to do anything. You may as well be a child who still needs—”