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“Are you sure you didn’t read more into your meeting?” I stammer. “When did you even meet, actually? How did you get an appointment?”
“Oh that,” Ronald says airily. “Malcolm was so impressed with my work that he asked me to swing by his office,” he says glibly. “He and I click professionally and personally. In fact, we got to talking about more than just Ligne,” he adds with a sly look.
“Oh really?” I ask, still in disbelief. “What did you talk about then? Sports? The news? But I know you don’t keep up with any current events,” I say, perplexed.
Ronald merely lets out a high-pitched trill of laughter.
“Oh no, it turns out we have an even closer bond than that. Malcolm loves the sexy ladies he has working for him at Ligne, just like I do. We have the same taste, shall we say, and you should have seen his face when I showed him those naughty pics I snapped of you the other night. That man practically had a hard-on in his seat, but too bad for him, because you’re already with me,” he adds in a smug tone.
At that, I jump up from the hard plastic booth.
“What? You showed him my naked pictures?” I screech, uncaring of who overhears. My blood is boiling and I feel like the top of my head is about to pop off. “What the hell were you thinking, Ronald? Those were private, and you knew I wasn’t comfortable taking them in the first place! Why in the world would you think I’d be okay with you showing them to other people, and especially the CEO of our company! What the fuck?”
But Ronald isn’t even bothered by my tirade.
“Calm your tits,” he says with disgust. “It’s no big deal. Honestly, everyone takes naked selfies these days, ever since the Kim Kardashian debacle. Honestly, it would be weirder if I didn’t have naked pics of you on my phone, like I was kind of loser boyfriend or something. Besides, don’t you get it? Men share stuff like that. Everyone does it, and it’s how we bond. You should know that, Leslie. Geez, I thought you were smarter than this.”
I shove my pathetic salad across the table and the plastic bowl falls in his lap, scattering leaves all over Ronald’s narrow chest.
“No, men don’t go around sharing naked selfies of their girlfriends with just anyone on the street,” I grind out. “They don’t even show their best friends, you asshole.”
Ronald rolls his eyes.
“So what do you want me to do? Delete them from my phone? Tell Malcolm Neuwirth that they were actually your head photoshopped onto someone else’s body?”
“Yes, delete them from your phone!” I practically screech. “I have no idea what to do about Malcolm Neuwirth, but you know what? You’re a fucking pig, Ronald, and I hate you! We are so done!”
I don’t wait for a response. Instead, I grab my bag and run out of El Loco Taco, hailing the first cab I see to take me home. Tears blur my eyes and I have no idea if the cab is going East or West, but I don’t care. Humiliation burns in my chest and I shake my head angrily. How could I have been betrayed like that? How could Ronald have done that to me? Even worse, how do I go to work tomorrow knowing that our gorgeous, dashing CEO has seen me in the nude? My life feels like it’s over, and I have no idea what comes next.
4
Leslie
Our car pulls up in front of the Wilshire Hotel and Josie and I step out and grab our bags. My friend whistles as she stares at the hotel in admiration. “Wow. This place really lives up to the hype, doesn’t it?”
I look up at the enormous building, which is both solid and elegant at once.
“Yeah it does, doesn’t it?” I say softly. “I’m so glad to be going to this conference.”
After all, it’s been a week since I broke up with Ronald, and I’ve barely slept since. I know that getting rid of that scumbag was the right thing to do, but still, it hurts. The next few days at work were a blur, and I avoided Ronald at every possible turn. Fortunately, on Friday, his desk was empty and clean. I have no idea if he was fired or merely transferred to another department, but I don’t care. As long as I don’t have to deal with that jackass anymore, then I’m good with it.
But now, Josie and I are here for a conference along with a few of our other co-workers, and it’s nice to get away from Manhattan. The city was becoming too much for me and this respite in Atlantic City is much appreciated. I’m going to enjoy the trip by treating myself to spa appointments and deluxe restaurants, even if we’re here for work too.
