The Ride Home

The driver shut the passenger door and moved up the length of the car to the driver’s door. He gave a rueful shake of his head as he slid into the seat and fired up the engine. Shutting the door and hitting the locks, he belted and glanced in the rearview to his two passengers. She was huddled up at one side of the back, silent fury etched in her visage, her entire body tense as she glared at nothing out the tinted window. His boss looked exhausted as he grabbed a chilled water bottle from the hidden mini fridge and held it up to his forehead.

“Boss?” the driver queried. Sometimes on nights like these, where clearly they’d fought, he’d be instructed to go straight home. Other times, he’d be instructed to simply drive. He could take the limousine anywhere he chose, just so long as when the boss let him know, he’d get them back to the house in 20 minutes.

But the window separating him from them would always go up. The boss never let staff see him upset.

The back of the car was soundproof as well. Well, almost entirely. There were times when he knew they were screaming at each other. There were times when he knew she would be sobbing. There were times when he knew they were fucking too. Screaming angrily from the moment the window went up and then 5 minutes later, fucking with abandon.

It was always about passion with them. Love or hate, it didn’t matter. There was never any calm medium.

Tonight, however, seemed different.

Sonny looked up, weary and ready to close his eyes for the night. “Home, window up.”

The driver gave a short nod and pressed one of the many buttons at his disposal. The black window slid up, and he pulled from the parking garage onto the darkened streets of the city.

No fighting tonight. No fucking either. No crying.

He got the feeling that tonight; there would just be a sad truth between them. He got the feeling that tonight’s drive would be the quietest of them all.

Giving up did that to people. It made them curl up and go quiet.

*~*

“It’s pathetic, you know.”

She started it. Carly always started things up. Even if he was bursting to go first, she always managed to beat him to the first punch.

And no matter what, it always got his blood up.

She gave her head a shake. “I’m standing there, like a FOOL, watching that bitch walk out the one door to the balcony and then 20 seconds later, you go out the door for the same balcony. You don’t come back in. I watched for a good thirty seconds, but you stayed out there. With her.”

He sighed. “I don’t want to do this.”

She huffed out a sharp laugh, ignoring him. “Nobody is watching her or you. Nobody but ME.”

She turned to look at him, her aquamarine eyes fixed with ice. “The whole damned trial. I’m watching YOU. Who are you watching?” She paused, her brow furrowing with anger. “HER.”

He opened the bottled water and the safety plastic gave a hurried snap. He needed to hear it, something, anything, to focus him. “I won’t talk about this anymore. Let’s just go home.”

“Do you know how many times I waited for you to notice me at the trial? How I wanted for you to just turn around, give me a smile, and take my hand?”

Sonny turned his head, annoyed. “I did all of those things. Carly, I was and will always be glad you were there.”

Carly shook her head, angry at his protest. “You didn’t! Not until your fucking ATTORNEY told you to! To make you sympathetic to the jury! To remind them that you had a wife and a FAMILY!” Now tears were streaming down her face. Strangely, he felt no urge to wipe them away.

Sonny took in a shaky breath and took a swig of the cold water. It did little to give him relief.

“See, I don’t CARE that you hurt other people. I don’t CARE that you kill people who get in your way. I don’t give a SHIT that you profit off murder and racketeering and anything else to build and keep a hold of your empire.” Carly’s face had twisted into one of pure fury as she swiped her tears away. “I don’t even care if you fuck other women.” Sonny’s head snapped to face her, his own fury meeting hers. “I have NEVER cheated on you!” he hissed, knowing full well he was lying to her face. Fidelity was an area they never discussed. Both of them just did what they want, when they wanted. But they’d never thrown it in each other’s face before.

Carly’s expression became incredulous as she leaned towards him. “Do you really think cheating is just putting your dick in another woman? Why do you think I seduced Thane Bauer, a man I never met before tonight? Getting me off in a hallway? How else do I get your attention?”

Sonny closed his eyes, “Jesus,” he muttered. Carly certainly brought the vulgar when she wanted.

“Look at me.” Her command was quiet but firm. With another sigh, he acquiesced. “You want to know how you cheat on me? How you REALLY cheat on me?” Sonny’s entire body tensed, wanting to refute her accusation, but a moment later, the fight left him. He just couldn’t do this anymore.

Carly paused as if readying a final blow to throw at him.

“Tonight? Dara went home with Jerry Jacks.”

Sonny’s reaction was instantaneous. His face fell; a sharp breath came out in a pained gasp. The flashes came to mind almost immediately. Another man touching her, kissing her, licking her, whispering in her ear, pulling her close, feeling her skin, making her cry out his name. Her voice calling out Jerry’s name.

Carly’s eyes glittered with triumph, her lips turned up with grim satisfaction but she wasn’t finished yet. She pulled out her phone, scrolled quickly before putting it in front of his face.

The picture was a bit grainy, probably taken from a distance, but the amorous couple, seemingly twined tightly together as one was unmistakable. Dara and Jerry, up against a wall, her leg wrapped possessively around him, his hands clutching her waist as their mouths devoured each other in an intense embrace. A broken vase lay at their feet, as if their desire to be with each other was so overwhelming, they’d actually blazed a path of destruction along the way.

He gazed at the picture longer than he wanted, certainly longer than was necessary. Carly watched and waited as silent seconds ticked by. She was so ready for this farce of a marriage to be over.

Finally, his eyes rose up to meet hers again. What could he say? Was there anything to say anymore? Dara had changed things for both of them.

Again, she spoke first. “I don’t care about what you do to others. I care about what you do to me. I am your WIFE.” She pressed her hand against her chest for emphasis. “Your heart and soul should be MINE.” She wanted him to understand, her tone was tinged with the all familiar need that only Carly had. “I gave mine freely to you a long time ago. You have never given me yours.”

“I’m sorry.” He was.

Sonny, ever so gently, took her left hand and brought it to his lips. Carly’s expression froze, completely stunned by this tender gesture. Sonny grasped her wedding band and eased it off her ring finger. It didn’t catch or resist, but rather slid off smoothly. He curled his fingers around it and placed her hand on her lap.

“Give our boy a kiss for me. Tell him I’ll pick him up after school tomorrow. We’ll tell him together.” There was nothing more to say.

Truly.

She opened her mouth, as if ready to deliver another barb, but as if on cue, her door opened, the driver standing at attention. “We’re home,” he announced.

Carly gave Sonny a withering look and huffed out of the limousine. “Fuck off!” she snotted at the driver, her righteous hurt renewed. “Take that asshole with you.”

The driver leaned down to look at Sonny as Carly stalked off towards the front path to the mammoth home that Sonny was sure he’d be giving up in the divorce.

“Boss?”

Sonny leaned back in his seat and ran a harried hand through his jet black hair. “What’s the nearest best hotel?” He wanted a hot shower, a cold drink and to forget the entire world for a few hours.

“The Port Charles Hotel.”

Sonny grimaced. Back to Jax’s hotel? “No.”

“The Barrington then?”

Sonny waved his hand in the air. “Fine. Let’s go, book the best room on the way would you?”

“You got it boss.”

Within a few moments, the car was heading back down the long winding driveway, back out onto the road to take him back into the downtown core. Sonny sat in silence, glancing down at the shimmering ring on a band of gold that sat in the palm of his hand. Something that meant so much at one time now meant nothing more than something Carly would fight tooth and nail to get back in the settlement. He shoved it into his pocket as his own phone vibrated with a message. Pulling it out, he saw that he’d been booked into a penthouse suite, one of the two the Barrington hotel had.

“You want to stop anywhere else boss?” Sonny looked up, surprised that the window wasn’t up between them. He considered the question and its clear meaning. No doubt Carly would find a suitable bed partner tonight to tide her over until she lined up her next mark. He swallowed hard, knowing full well that right now, Dara had made the same choice with Jerry Jacks. Hell, even Jack’s brother would find another eager woman to enjoy the rest of his evening with. Why shouldn’t Sonny do the same?

“Yeah,” he said slowly as he considered his own options. “We have one more stop to make.” He knew exactly who he wanted tonight.

“Window up.”

S&C

Next
Return to Short Stories
Home

Email: butsiriusly@yahoo.com