Page 44 of Checkmate
“I just told you, Alex.” She spoke slowly, as though he was having trouble understanding her. “Jesus, how much did you have to drink tonight?”
“Not enough, clearly,” he muttered as the cab finally pulled up in front of the house. He threw a wad of cash at the driver and ushered Erica out of the car.
“Alex! Will you calm down, please? You’re getting upset over nothing.”
“Nothing? Nothing?”
He slammed the car door shut and pulled her towards their front door. “I am not having this argument in the street for all our neighbours to witness.”
“I’m not even sure why we’re arguing,” she said, pulling herself from his grasp. “And I am more than capable of getting myself into the house, thank you.”
“Erica, so help me—”
“Are you okay there, love?”
Both Alex and Erica turned to look back at the cab driver, who had got out of the car and was looking threateningly at Alex.
“We’re fine,” Alex said.
“I was asking the lady, actually.”.
“I’m fine,” Erica said with a warm smile. “But thank you for checking. There should be more men like you.”
“And less like me?” Alex muttered. “Is that what you mean?”
“Jesus, you’re paranoid tonight.”
Taking the keys from him, Erica unlocked the door and kicked her shoes off. Alex followed behind her, flipping off the driver as he shut the door.
He took a deep and calming breath.
And then another.
She was right, of course. He was losing his shit for all the wrong reasons and derailing the conversation they needed to have.
He couldn’t even really explain why he was so angry. Why did the thought of Marcus and Erica getting along bother him so much?
Aside from the obvious, of course.
Perhaps it was the irony of it all that wasn’t sitting well with him. The sense he was being bitch slapped with karmic justice.
How many times had he got off on taking another man’s wife? And within one encounter, that same man now had Alex’s wife acting out of sorts.
“Erica, can we talk?”
“If you mean to actually talk, then yes. If you’re going to continue to lose your temper over nothing, then I’d prefer to go to bed.”
“I won’t lose my temper,” he said, not sure if he meant it or not. “I just want to explain myself.”
She nodded, leading him into the living room and pouring herself a drink. For perhaps the first time in their marriage, she hadn’t so much as offered him one. He stared at the drinks trolley in shock before forcing himself to step forward.
“So, you wanted to explain yourself?” Erica said, watching him serve himself. It felt like a deliberate move.
A power move, even.
“Yeah.” He knocked back a mouthful of scotch as he scrambled for something to say. “Look, you haven’t been yourself tonight.
“I’m going to stop you there, Alex,” she said, shaking her head. “You are responsible for your own actions, just as I’m responsible for mine, And I am not interested in an explanation that lays the blame at my feet.”
