Chapter 19

Belle and Jeffrey made love. Their lovemaking was slow and passionate in ways and hard and lustful in other ways. It was perfect, she thought. Everything she wanted and needed. Finally they got out of bed and dressed. They realized that they needed sustenance because of their exertions. Belle quickly telephoned work stating that she was going to visit Jeffrey's work site for some last-minute double-checks. Jeffrey was fielding phone calls and all the while they were working together in the kitchen to make breakfast together.

When the doorbell rang and Jeffrey was still stuck on his cell phone. He turned to her and whispered. "Could you get that? Maggie won't be here until later and I can't get a word in edgewise here."

She smiled sweetly and replied, "Sure." Walking bare foot to the door she smoothed her pin-striped skirt and stopped in front of a hall mirror. After mussing with her hair and realizing that she had no makeup on and no panties on under the skirt she suddenly felt self-conscious about her appearance.

Again the doorbell rang and forced her to turn away from the mirror. When she opened it she was face to face with a shocked looking Olivia.

"So! It's your car I didn't recognize sitting out there. Isn't this sweet? You look like you just woke up."

"Olivia," Belle nearly snarled. Oh God, why was she here?

"Yes, Olivia. My dear girl, you look positively peaked. Without your makeup you certainly look older. And that outfit. It looks slept in." She looked at Belle with a sinister smile, a twinkle in her eye and a raised eyebrow. Oh how Belle wanted to just haul off and punch the pompous bitch in the face. Her hands were clenched in a fist and she was on a hair-trigger of doing just that.

"What do you want Olivia?" Belle asked through a clenched jaw.

"Why, I'm here to see Jeffrey, of course, silly woman. Jeffrey and I go way back. I don't know if I ever mentioned it to you but we've known each other since we were kids. We grew up in the same circle. You know, families with money do that. We used to play doctor, you know? Ah, those were fun times. I even allowed him to deflower me," then she whispered, "but don't tell my parents that, they still believe I'm a virgin." She laughed and then sighed in an obnoxious way. "Anyway, Jeffrey and I used to always talk about when we grew up and married. Yes, I know we will marry one day. That is after he gets women like you out of his system." Her look intensified after the glaring insult.

Olivia visibly jumped when they both heard Jeffrey's deep and stern voice ring out from behind Belle. "That's quite enough, Olivia."

She recomposed herself and smiled in a practiced beauty-queen fashion. It was fake, overly-done and painful looking on her exotic face. Olivia was caught baring her claws. "Jeffrey. Just the man I wanted to see. Could I steal you away for a moment? I have some personal things I wish to discuss with you."

"Olivia. We have no business dealings and no personal dealings either, for that matter. I really don't have time for you today."

Her smile dropped and her eyes grew dark. "Is that so?" she replied, hands on her hips in defiance. "Well, I'll have you know that you are making one of the biggest mistakes in your life. I'm worth far more than Miss Happy pants over there."

"From where I'm standing you look like a cheap whore. Belle is a hundred times the lady you will ever be."

Olivia gasped. It was apparent that she had never been talked to like that before. "How dare you! How dare you talk to me, Olivia Thompson, like that? Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Jeffrey Winslow. I believe we've met before. I believe I know your tricks and manipulations. I've told you a million times that I'm not interested in a relationship with you or a marriage with you. You can put your meat hooks away because I'm not yours for the taking. I'm not interested so you can move along. Do you forget what you've done to me in the past? Do you remember the shit you pulled when I was with Lydia?"

Olivia's cheeks blushed.

"Well I haven't. I only agreed to escort you to those parties because your father asked me to do him a favor. He didn't like the type of guys you chose as escorts on your own. I like your father. He's a good man so I did him the favor. Please send your father my best but tell him that I can no longer escort you to any function. He'll have to find another man to have you hang all over. Have a nice day, Olivia."

Belle was just standing there, listening. Jeffrey was cool and yet angry at the same time. He was powerful when he was like that. Like a coiled cobra; you never knew when it would strike, or if it would strike. After his parting words to Olivia, Jeffrey lightly pulled Belle back from the doorway by her arm and then closed the door in Olivia's face.

An enraged Olivia screamed from the other side of the door, "You'll regret treating me like this! You both will!"

They heard her door slam shut before her car sped off.

"You know she's going to tell David she found me here, don't you?"

"Go get as much of your stuff as you can now. Is he at work?"

She looked up at the wall clock. "He should be. But I left that damned suitcase on the bed. My phone had a message from him but I deleted it. I don't know what his reaction was or what he's doing. Do you think he could have stayed the whole night with that woman?"

"I don't know. But you need to get your stuff. I'll help you figure out what to do after that. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I know where all my important stuff is. You might slow me down. I can do it on my own."

She grabbed her keys and turned toward the door. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to him and into a deep embrace. With a kiss to her cheek he whispered, "I love you. Be careful."

"I will," she replied.

Never before had she driven quite so fast. She cursed every time she got held up at a traffic light. All she wanted to do was get her stuff and get out of that house. The time she wasn't cursing the lights she was cursing herself for not moving her belongings out the previous night. Why did she stall? Damn it!

When she tore into the driveway and opened the garage door, she breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the empty spot where David's car would have been. Instead of pulling into the garage she maneuvered her car facing out of the driveway with her back and trunk near the walk to the back door for ease of loading.

She went into the house and to the basement where she knew they had some empty boxes. After putting one together she ran through the first floor gathering all her personal items. Crystal wrapped in newspaper, picture frames, plates and other items she inherited when her parents died. She loaded them in the trunk and moved on to the next box, and then the next until her trunk was full. Thankfully she was done with what she owned on the first floor. It had turned out to be a great decision to live with all of David's furniture and leave hers stored in a facility nearby. They had planned to sell it, but it seems it will be needed now.

She ran upstairs and pulled out all the suitcases in the house and began to load. After a few moments she realized that the one she had loaded was no longer on the neatly-made bed. It seemed all her packed items were unpacked and the suitcase returned to the closet. That realization only fed her frenzy and she moved more stealthily. She was finishing up the last suitcase when she turned to see David in the doorway, watching her.

Startled she jumped back. "David!" was all she could utter.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yes." Her reply was cool and she kept packing, not looking at him.

"I noticed your car packed in the driveway. What are you doing?" His voice was unusually cool for the situation. David had a temper. When would it rear its ugly head?

"I saw you last night, with that woman. I've come to learn that you haven't been faithful."

"I've come to learn the same thing about you." Again he was cool but when she looked up she could see anger rising in his eyes. He just continued to watch her, as if studying her. "Aren't we a pair?" he attempted to say it with a laugh. "Perhaps we were meant to be together after all?"

"So you don't deny it?"

"No. Do you deny your own?"

"No. But I only just started after realizing you were playing around. I've learned you've been doing it all along. Why?"

"Oh so your cheating was justified then?" he asked venomously while walking a few steps toward her.

"No. I was wrong. But why were you doing it all along, David? Wasn't I enough for you?"

"Yes and no. Does it matter?"

"Probably not. I'm leaving regardless."

"You aren't leaving. I'm going to help you unload your car."

"You'll do no such thing. I'm leaving."