Damita shook her head in mock disgust.
Carmella began to pout. “That job is killing your spirit. You’re no fun anymore.”
“I’m sorry. I promise, as soon as work lets up, we’ll do something fun.”
“How fun?” Carmella asked.
“How does a week in Cabo sound?”
Carmella grinned and clapped her hands. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“So, now that Brazil is gone, what’s going on?”
“Well, I was at a club downtown last week and who should I see in a bright red dress with boobs and ass hanging out all over the place, but your colleague Tina.”
“Carmella, surely you didn’t talk me into rescheduling my conference call so you could talk gossip?”
“No, honey, this isn’t gossip. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“So, she’s grown. I’m too busy to worry about what Tina’s been up to.”
Carmella raised her eyebrows. “It’s not what she’s been up to. It’s who she’s been up to that concerns you.”
“Did you see her with Underhill? That’s old news.”
“No, it wasn’t Underhill she was with.”
“Are we going to keep playing Twenty Questions? Who was she with then?”
“It was your husband.”
Damita looked at Carmella with shock. “You must be mistaken.”
Carmella shook her head. “Nope, I saw the two of them as clear as day.”
“Maybe they bumped into one another. I’ve been so busy lately that quite frankly I’ve been happy that he’s staying out of my hair and doing his own thing.”
“That, he is. Trust me; they were clearly more than two people who bumped into one another.”
Damita waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll admit that I’m surprised, but to tell you the truth, I was biding my time until this deal was over and I was planning on leaving him anyway.”
“Really? It has been a long time. The last time we spoke it seemed like you guys were doing okay.”
“I thought we were, too, until I found out he was as controlling and manipulative as ever.”
“What happened?”
“Do you believe that fool was replacing my birth control pills?”
Carmella’s eyes widened. “Wow! Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, I am quite serious.”
“How did you find out?”
“I caught him in the act, but only after I got pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant!”
“Not anymore.”
“No way! You had an abortion?”
Damita shook her finger at Carmella, cautioning her. “Yes. And, don’t you dare mention any of this to my mother. Everybody is waiting for me to have a baby and I don’t even know if I ever want to have children. It’s way too much pressure.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t say a word. And, as far as waiting for you to get pregnant, that’s a huge personal decision that you have to make on your own. You won’t catch me interfering where I don’t belong.”
“Thank you. That’s nice to know.”
“What did Neal have to say about sabotaging your birth control?”
“I saw him doing it, but he doesn’t know I saw him. I didn’t say a thing. I backed out of the room and quickly made my appointment at the clinic to end what would have been a huge mistake. Do you believe I was actually considering going through with it for him? I have been such a fool. I don’t plan on continuing that trend.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Was he okay with you having an abortion?”
“He doesn’t know and I have no intention of telling him. He doesn’t deserve to know.”
Carmella pursed her lips and nodded her head in agreement. “That is so true.”
Damita looked at her watch. “I hate to cut this short, but I have to go.”
“I knew that was coming. Aren’t you even going to finish your martini?”
Damita quickly downed her drink. Damita was already on her feet and waving goodbye. “I’ll call you when things let up a bit.”
“Yeah, sure you will. I won’t hold my breath.”
“You know I love you,” Damita said.
“Yeah, yeah, so you say.”
Damita blew Carmella a kiss just before exiting the bar.
Damita returned to the office and worked until sometime around one a.m. When she got home, Neal was enraged and their bedroom appeared as though the place had been ransacked. There were papers thrown about and there was furniture turned over. On top of the coffee table in the living room was a huge quantity of what Damita assumed was cocaine.
Damita’s face was a mixture of anger and confusion. “Neal, what is going on in here? Anyone could look in the window and see that. Or, what if I had come home with someone?”