The Divorcee Murder Club

Cuarenta Y Cinco ~ 45

              Despite being outside, where birds chirp in the trees and the leaves rustle in the breezy sunrise, there is silence as Augusta stares back at me, with smoke curling from her mouth. Never in a million years did I think someone like her would offer me money for sex.

Or that I would be considering it.

“Can… Can I have a second to digest this?” 

“Make it quick.” 

Heading back into the room, I pull out my phone and dial Jackson, but he doesn’t answer. So I call Angie, and after a few rings, her groggy voice is on the other side.

“Angie!” I blurt.

“It’s too fucking early. I just fell asleep after having nurses fuss with me all night!”

“I’m sorry. I know you need rest but I, uh… I’m at Augusta’s and—”

“Does she have news on Alma?” 

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And I need to do something first.”

“Like?”

“Well, for one, she wants me to spy on Jocelyn.”

“What. Why?”

“I’ll explain later, but she also wants me to, um…” I scratch my head and peek over my shoulder at Augusta, but her face is pointed toward the sky, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth from the sun.

And her robe is still open, with her nakedness still on display.

“She um…” I blow out a breath. “Wants me to go down on her.”

“What!”

“Yeah…”

“That’s not funny, Miguel. Don’t fuck with me. What does she really want?”

“I’m serious. She says she wants to have fun because sex is usually a business maneuver for her. Or some shit like that, so this is for her, blah, blah, blah.”

“And if you do this, she’ll tell you about Alma?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Then why are you wasting time talking to me? Go.”

“Angie, but—”

“But what!?”

“This doesn’t bother you?”

“Why the fuck would it bother me? Go! And you better lick her good until every last bit of information comes out.”

“Angie, but what if this isn’t the end of it? What if she keeps having me do things for her, and it becomes this never-ending quid pro quo,” I say, but her line is silent, and when I look at the screen, she’s no longer there. “Shit.”

Sliding the phone into my pocket, I stare at Augusta again and swallow hard. There is no going back once I place myself between her legs. Any glimmer of hope in having a relationship with Mindy, even as friends, will be obliterated. I won’t be able to look her in the eyes anymore. Hell, I don’t even recognize my reflection in the mirror across from me. Gone is the man who used to stare back at me before this all began. Life for that man was far more straightforward. Now I keep stepping in dog shit.

But I take a deep breath and walk onto the terrace into one more pile of figurative shit.

“Have you decided?” Augusta peeps at me.

“I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.” She beams.

“And you’ll give me the information on Alma right after?”