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“And the aquarium?”
“Bought it as well.” He was eager to show this one off since he had truly bought this one, having generously decided that he would not cheat Mairi twice for the same deal – something he normally did for most other customers.
Waving at her to check out another crate, he took off the old tarpaulin cover and presented his purchase with flourish. “It is beautiful, ne?”
Mairi’s jaw dropped.
There was no denying that the aquarium was indeed brand new, with not even the tiniest scratch marring its glass walls. But the top two inches of the walls were also painted with pink...breasts and blue...nipples? She rubbed her eyes before taking a closer look at it, hoping she just hadn’t seen it right. Maybe they were like pink cupcakes with blue icing——
Her heart sank.
Nope. They were what they were, giving new meaning to “aquarium porn”. Where in heavens had he bought this?
“It is nice, isn’t it?” he boasted. Phil was extremely proud of the deal he had made. It was just his luck to bump into Lazaro, who owned the stripper club a few blocks away from his home. Lazaro had been telling him about the aquarium he had custom-designed for customers to pay to peek into live boobs – it had been a very strange story, the mechanics of which were lost on Phil. But none of it mattered anyway. All he had heard was that the aquarium was new and unlikely to be used because none of Lazaro’s girls had wanted to be a part of it.
“How much are you selling it for?” he had asked.
“I’m throwing it away. I don’t want my wife to know that I spent a hundred dollars on it for nothing!”
The memory had Phil smiling fondly. All in all, a good day’s work.
He looked at Mairi expectantly. “You like it?”
“Umm, yes.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him she hated it. Maybe, maybe she could get rid of it somehow.
“Good. I knew you would. Maybe you can give me a tip,” he added.
Mairi had a silly urge to laugh. Old Phil would probably be shocked if he found out that the $256 in her pocket was all the money she had in the world. She would never touch her savings account – if she withdrew from it, her aunts would find out and start asking questions. It was better that they kept on thinking she was having a fabulous time working as an English interpreter.
“I’ll give you a tip,” she promised.
By the time she had loaded the crates in Damen’s car – a top-of-the-line Benz that she had deliberately chosen because it was the least expensive model and least likely to draw attention – she was down to $63 dollars.
Just enough to buy a bouquet of roses and a greeting card, Mairi thought in satisfaction as she leaned back against the seat.
Giddy at the thought of what Damen would think of having his own fish spa at home – something she proudly considered a unique gift that no other former girlfriend of his would have thought of giving him – Mairi took her phone out and called Damen at his office.
“Leventis.” His voice was clipped.
Her smile faltered on her lips. “Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Damen slowly leaned back in his seat. “No. Of course not.”
It was impossible to read his mood when he spoke like that. She said hesitantly, “You’re sure?”
Her uncertainty got to him and he said in a gentler tone, “I will always be free to talk to you.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She let out a nervous giggle. God, she was giggling too much these days, it was getting humiliating.
“What do you want to talk about then?”
“Umm...I’m wondering if you could come home early tomorrow – like seven-ish in the evening?” Knowing he was likely to ask why, she hurriedly told him, “I just want to have dinner with you...if you have time.”
“Then I will come home at exactly seven.” He paused. And then Damen heard himself lying, “I might not be able to come home tonight though.”
Her heart stopped beating at his words. This was his first time not to come home to her. Could it have something to do with his meeting with Alina Kokinos? She wished she had the courage to ask it, but she was scared of looking like a jealous, nagging insecure girlfriend.
Swallowing convulsively, she said, “I’ll miss you.”
“I will miss you, too.”
Unbidden, their early morning conversation returned to her. It had sounded exactly like this, like she was saying the words with desperation and he was returning the words mechanically.
They spoke for a few more moments, but the earlier intimacy, brief as it was, had been dispelled and they were both stiff with each other by the time Damen excused himself to talk with another investor.
