Page 19 of The Awful Truth

Pouting, Antonia said, “Come on, Ted. Let’s go skinny dipping like we used to when we were young!”

“What the hell was in those drinks?” Ted asked, taking her hand and pulling her off the bench.

“Alcohol,” she answered, leaning her hand on his chest. “You don’t want to swim with me? Remember what fun we used to have? Remember that night at the lake? God, we were wild back then.”

“We were reckless,” he said, leading her away from the table. He called over his shoulder, “Good night, everyone! Thank you for a lovely evening.”

She followed him up the stairs and down the hall to their suite. “I’m glad you know where we’re going because I have no idea which room is ours.”

“Um-hum.”

He opened the door and stepped aside to let her go first. “Come on, Tipsy. Let’s get you to bed.”

She walked into their room, then turned back to him and put her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them before dragging her hands down to his biceps. She moved her lips so they were hovering over his. “How about it, Dr. Dawson? Should we pretend we’re twenty-five?”

“No, we should not. You’re drunk, and quite frankly, I’m pretty pissed about how you conducted yourself.”

She narrowed her eyes a little, wracking her brain for what he was talking about, only to come up blank. “Help me out because I honestly don’t have the first clue what I did wrong.”

Before he could answer, she held up one finger to his lips. “Actually, don’t tell me. I’m in too good a mood to fight. Let’s just…do it. No talking. Just sex.” Pointing to the floor she added, “Right here. Let’s pretend we’re so wild for each other we can’t even be bothered to get to the bed.”

She pressed her hands against his chest and closed her eyes, waiting for him to kiss her. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and leaned toward him. “Heeelloooo?” She snort-laughed to herself, too drunk to care about how angry he looked.

Then the room started to spin and she gripped his shirt to steady herself. “You know what, Teddy? I may have had too much to drink.”

“You think?”

“Yes, I do.” Holding up one finger, she snorted again. “My professional medical opinion is that I’m totally wasted.”

She pushed off of him and staggered across the room. Flopping onto the bed, she said, “I’m just going to close my eyes for a bit. I’ll get ready for bed after I have a nice little nap.”

“In your dress?”

“S’very comfortable.” A moment later, her eyes were closed and she felt herself falling asleep. She heard him sigh, then felt him put the covers on her, and suddenly she was warm and loved and happy again. “I love you, Ted. With my whole heart.”

By the time he answered, his words were quiet, and she was only a very small bit conscious. “And I hate you with all of mine.”

11:01 P.M.

CHARLOTTE

“She’s going to be feeling rough tomorrow morning,” Miguel announced as soon as Antonia and Ted were out of earshot.

“Us too, I’m afraid,” Winslow said. He stared at Charlotte for a second. “So? Tell us the truth. Are they really happy or is it all a big act?”

Charlotte, who had been seething since Ted ordered her to ‘stop it’ (as if she were a child), snorted. “They can’t stand each other.”

Winslow nodded. “Thought so. What an awful existence. Being total frauds.”

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t say any of this. Not when they were about to negotiate their next contract. And yet, at this moment, she couldn’t have cared less. She didn’t just want to dump Ted. She wanted to quit her job. She should just get off this yacht, disappear into the streets of the city, and never go back to Seattle. “It is. They’re both miserable. Her more than him. He…manages to find ways to enjoy his life at least. But she’s just a total bitch all the time.”

“She certainly seems to like you,” Winslow answered.

Shaking her head, Charlotte said, “She doesn’t mean any of it. She’s just trying to make up for being a complete cow to me recently.”

“Ooh, do tell!” Miguel said, his eyes lighting up.

“It’s not much of a story. I messed something up and she wasn’t exactly nice about it. But honestly, it’s not my fault. I almost never get a day off. Of course I’m going to screw things up once in a while.”