A Charitable Scandal

The Silent Slap

The slap was coming with enough speed to make my cheek sting for the rest of the night. Instinct grabbed hold of me and I took one quick sidestep to my right. Her nails grazed my skin as she swung through the air. I reached up to check my cheek, but when my hand pulled away I found no blood on my fingertips. I then looked over to find Tamara stumbling into the captivated crowd since her momentum never connected with a proper opposing force to balance her dramatic swing. However, she pulled herself up and straightened out with an admirable amount of elegance.

"You are squirrelly, I'll give you that," she said with a devious smirk.

"Thanks?"

"Security," she said with a clear, authoritative voice. "Please escort Ms. Jeffries out of the building and see she doesn't come back in."

I looked over at a couple extra large goons heading our way and I was uncertain I'd be able to dodge them as well as I dodged the vindictive aide's strike.

"Tamara enough!"

The voice was stern and forceful. So much so, that even the guards paused and turned to see who called out from the crowd.

I, however, knew the voice well enough and was relieved to see Alec emerging from the mass of whispering guests.

"Back off," Alec said, turning his attention to the security crew. "These two are done now."

They looked at each other for a moment before deciding to heed his words and return to their stations.

"Alec, she is a danger to this event. I have every right to..."

"Right to what?" demanded Alec, his voice a booming powerhouse that even made me quake a little. "Assault someone? Doesn't matter the reason Tamara. This is never okay and I should have the police escort you out. Did you sink this low because you're that dedicated to the company or because you can't handle the obvious truth that's standing before you?"

He took a breath and a step forward, closing the gap between him and Tamara. I felt a little jealous of the intimacy, but one look at his hardened face and dark eyes cleared away any drop of envy I had. In fact, I almost pitied her in that moment.

Almost.

"It's done Tamara. You and I are done." His voice was a cold staccato just low enough for Tamara and I to hear. A crowd still hovered by us, but they wouldn't be able to catch his words over the general rumble of the delightfully oblivious members of the party. "It doesn't matter if I'm interested in someone or not, because no matter my situation, no matter my status, I do not want you. It's not happening Tamara."

That last part even caused me to cringe. There was no doubting Alec's intentions now. There was no questionable growl in his voice. No look of pained longing. No repressed passion lingering. A wall of sheer ice stood between him and Tamara and from the looks of it, Tamara had finally realized Alec really wasn't coming back.

"Alec," she said, her voice soft and pleading. "Just hold on a second. Let me explain."

"I do think an explanation is called for," he growled. "However, I think you've done enough to interrupt the party for one night. It's time we moved this conversation."

He started to head for the doors to the atrium and Tamara followed. I watched their backs, uncertain what to do, but it didn't take Alec long to notice I wasn't joining them.

"You too Lex."

They both turned to look at me and I saw just how much Tamara had changed in that minute. She was not the Amazon I knew her to be. She looked small next to Alec, even in her impressive heels.