Love to Hate Her

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter
Three

Chapter Four

Love to Hate Her

Chapter One

God, she’s beautiful
, he
thought.  Andrew glanced over at his fiancé.  She was doing her nails
in his car.  Again.  The fumes were nauseating, and he really hated
when she did that.  But, he loved to make her happy, and he knew what he
was about to tell her would not. 
It can wait
, he told himself for
the thousandth time that day. 

Nicole stretched her arm out to the
dashboard, turned it sideways, and admired her hand.  Tangerine
Crush.  The color would be perfect with a tan.  Although, she
thought, she always looked good anyway.  They were leaving in five days,
and she’d never been out of the states: To say she was excited was an under
statement. 

She opened the window just a crack
to let out the fumes, and a strand of auburn whipped up and out as the rest of
her hair cascaded in lazy curls over her shoulders.  Nicole’s hair had
been pinned up and under a wide-brimmed hat all day.  When they were
leaving the party she’d let it down, and Andrew stopped dead in his
tracks.  Gorgeous.

She pursed her lips and blew on her
wet nails, taunting him through the corner of her eye, and anticipation tingled
up his spine.  He loved her.  How couldn’t he? 
God she’s
beautiful
, he thought again.  She was perfect.

God he makes me sick
. 
Nicole flashed Andrew a smile from the passenger’s seat as the thought ran
rampant through her head. 
But – it’s worth it
. The Rock on her
finger glistened in the afternoon sun and she caressed it lovingly between
coats. 
Well worth it.
 She reached over and slid her hand
slowly up his thigh and gave him a wink.  He accelerated. 

           
Andrew and Nicole had spent the weekend at a family party in Connecticut,
and were now driving down I-95 on the way home to Philadelphia.  It was his family’s
party, so it was a little stuffy for her taste.

Her family?  They would have been
in shorts, drinking beer, eating barbeque chicken with their fingers and
swearing at each other all day.  Andrew’s family ate tiny bites of food
off small plates with smaller forks, and all kissed each other twice: 
Once on each cheek.  Not Nicole’s cup of tea, but she put up with it.

The kicker, for her, was the way
these people dressed.  Nothing was normal, she mused.  All prim and
proper, every function needed a particular outfit.  There were gowns for
the opera, flowing dresses and hats for polo matches, short, uncomfortable, hot
in the sun linen dresses for backyard reunions.  And so many polka
dots!  What was it with rich people and polka dots?

Another keen observation:  No
shriveled up old ladies in
this
family.  Rather, chic, face-lifted
proper matrons with perfect make-up and perfect teeth.  Crazy. 

“How are the wedding plans, my
dear?”  Andrew’s Aunt Meara had cornered her that day, with her 80 year
old skin so shiny and white, stretched across her face like moleskin on a fat
lady’s ass.  She placed her gloved hand lightly on Nicole’s
shoulder.  Nicole held her giggle from her own thoughts, held Aunt Meara’s
other hand in both her own, and kissed her, once on each cheek.  She
learned quick.

“Lovely,” she answered.  “Even
with a wedding planner, there’s so much to do!  So much more than I
thought.” 

“I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful
job, Nicole.  You’re such a fine, young lady.” 

“Oh, thank you, Aunt Meara.” 
Nicole smiled a cordial smile, and thought
If the old bat only knew… 
Then
she giggled again in her head.

Before she met him, Nicole was a
t-shirt and jeans kind of girl.  But for each of these functions, Drew
took her shopping.  This was good.  Now, she had a closet full of
clothes that cost more than her mother’s home. 

Nicole, or Nikki, for short, was a
bank teller.  She hated her job, but had met Andrew there, and he was her
ticket out.  She knew from his deposit that he had money.  She
learned later that he
came from
money.  A lot of it.  She knew
then, she would have him.  She was right.  And, of course, it didn’t
hurt that he was handsome, and built.  The only problem was, he bored her
to tears.

He glanced over at her again. 
They were more than half way home now and he knew he had to break the news, but
he didn’t know how.  
She works so hard
, he thought. 
She
deserves a vacation.
 

Andrew admired Nicole’s desire to
work.  She’d insisted that until they got married she’d continue to work
and pay her own way.  She had everything he’d always wanted in a
woman—beauty, ambition, brains, sensitivity, understanding—he lost himself in
her list of attributes.  Nevertheless, he had a multi-million dollar deal
going and he just couldn’t get away.

“About vacation, Nicole,” he
started—

“I know!  I can’t wait!” 
She beamed at him with her flawless smile and it broke his heart to continue.

“I know you’ve been looking forward
to it for awhile now, honey, but I’m afraid I have a big deal going through
next week and I can’t go.  The buyers are insisting I’m there.  My
hands are tied.”

Her face dropped.  Her first
impulse was to fly into a rage, but Nikki knew Andrew would not have
that.  After all, it had taken her months to transform herself into his
ideal woman.  She had been choking down the symphony, museums, food she
could not begin to pronounce, cultural events and fine wine… She couldn’t blow
it now.  She’d have to “understand.” 
What a schmuck
, she
thought bitterly.

Nicole composed herself and smiled
sweetly. 

“I know how much your father’s
business means to you, Drew.  I understand.”  She sat quiet and still
for a moment.  And then the wheels started to turn.  “The only
problem is, this is the only vacation I get, and I had to put in for it months
ago.  Now I’ll have nothing to do…”  She gave him a sideways glance
and put her best pout on.  She knew he’d take the bait.  She wondered
what she’d get out of it this time.

Drew was quiet for a moment. “Well,
why don’t you go without me?  We still have the tickets and you’ve never
been to the Caymans before.  You can just relax on the beach.  If I
can get through this thing quick enough, maybe I can meet you there.  The
only thing is, I can’t guarantee that.  I’m sorry, honey.  There’s
nothing I can do.” 

Nicole thought about it.  She
didn’t have a problem going anywhere without him, but she knew he could do
better. 

“You know I’m terrified of flying,
Drew.  I can’t do it without you.”

Andrew sat, silently wishing a
solution.  He found one, so he thought. 

“Alright then.  Why don’t you
go down south and see your cousin Samantha for a couple of weeks?  You
talk about her all the time.  She’ll be glad to see you and you’ll still
be on a vacation.  We’ll just switch your ticket over.  How does that
sound?”  Wow!  That was a pretty good one for a dumbass!  She
paused just long enough for him to notice.

“Drew, I just said I don’t want to
fly without you.  It’s a great idea, and I would love to see Samantha, but
I don’t think my car would make it.”  She looked up and shrugged her
shoulders, doe eyed.  That one always worked.  And, it was always
better when he thought he came up with the idea.

The next day there was a brand new
black Mercedes SL 550 Roadster sitting in Nikki’s driveway.

Chapter Two

“Sometimes you
outdo yourself, Nick.”  She spoke out loud as she admired herself in the
rearview mirror and fixed her lip gloss.  She started the car and cranked
The Doors on the radio.  “No more of that symphony horseshit.  These
two weeks are
mine
.”   She laughed out loud and wondered again
how she had been so lucky as to get out of spending two weeks alone with that
sap.  It would be bad enough after they were married.

She sped down
I-95, with the top down and her hair flying behind her.  Nikki was
breathtaking but she knew it and took full advantage of the fact.
 Always.  She winked at a truck driver, just to make his day, and
then laughed and took off.  

She couldn’t
wait to see Sammy.  They had grown up together, but hadn’t seen each other
since Nicole moved up to Philly three years ago.  God, going back to Florida was like a dream
come true!  Life was one big party when she lived there.  The first
thing she wanted was a shot and a beer, and last call at 5 A.M.

**********************

“You
bitch!”  Sam ran through the parking lot when she saw Nikki pulling
in.  “You bitch!  Where’d you get that car?”  Nicole’s cousin,
Samantha stood in front of Nicole’s new Mercedes with her jaw on the
ground. 

“Stop drooling,
girl.  Andrew bought it for me.” 

“

They laughed and
Nikki pulled her suitcase from the back seat.  She didn’t bring that much
to wear: Bathing suits, shorts, nothing stuffy.  No polo dresses here,
thank God.

The two grabbed
something to eat, Nikki settled in, and they started walking to the
beach.  Although they hung out all the time when Nicole lived close, since
she left they rarely spoke.  On the walk they started catching up on each
others lives.

“So, what about
this Andrew… What do you call him?  Drew? You always step in the
shit!” 

“Oh Sammy. You
would too, if you looked like me.”  Nicole pulled her pony high on her
head and gave her cousin a snooty little look.  Samantha had dirty blonde
hair, curls, and freckles.  Cute, but she was no beauty like Nicole. 
Sam sunk into her shoulders and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was then she
remembered
why
they lost touch.  But she knew it would be a long
two weeks ahead if she didn’t shrug it off, like she used to. 

Samantha went
on.  “Anyway, your mom told my mom he’s great.  Hot, well, handsome,
she said.  Down to earth, sensible, from a good family… worth millions…
what more can you ask for?  Except
that car
!  Bitch!” 
Samantha added the last ‘bitch’ for Nicole’s last comment about her.  She
sneered obnoxiously and shook her head at her cousin.  “Your mother sent a
picture—oh my God—a Greek God sitting on a BMW in the parking lot of the Hard
Rock Café in Maui…” she shook her head and
laughed.  “You are such a--”   Nicole cut her off.

“He’s a sap.”

“What?”

“A sap—a
schmuck—a nothing.  He bores me to death.  He makes me eat broccoli
and listen to Beethoven.  I haven’t had a beer, or french fries, for that
matter, in months.  I can’t sleep after nine on weekends because there’s
always
some outing or family function to go to.  He wouldn’t know the smell of
good dope if it bit him in the ass, and he loves the opera.  But,” she
added with a broad smile, “he buys me anything I want.”

Samantha looked
at Nikki and rolled her eyes.  “Ya know,” she said, “You make me
sick.  You’ve got this great looking guy, obviously in love and gushing
all over you.  He’s gorgeous, loaded—and you’re still not
satisfied!”  She laughed.  “But I can play that game if
you
want to.  Let me introduce you to my boyfriend’s friend, Craig.  We
can go out tonight.  You up for it?” 

****************

“How do I look?”  Nicole
asked, her green eyes sparkling.  Nikki was always up for a
compliment.   She had on a pair of jean short shorts and a
half-shirt, showing off her long, tan legs and taut belly.  No make-up,
loose curls falling down her back, she struck a pose as she walked out of Sam’s
bathroom.