A Game Of Hearts

Henley Sharpe groaned in anger as she flung her cellphone onto the bed. Anger erupted inside of her, making her breathe erratically. He wouldn't pick up the phone and now he'd switched it off.

She picked up the glass of unfinished bourbon, downed it in one gulp, dropped the glass harshly, breathed out heavily, and took a gaze at the peacock feather clock in her luxury bedroom. It was past 11 PM "way to go Daniel" she muttered to herself.

Daniel, her husband, had claimed to be having a board meeting. He owned one of the biggest construction companies in the state.

Henley was sitting on the window pane now, reminiscing about the first time they met, how his funny words had charmed her and how he'd fancied her sense of humor. Then she saw her younger self say 'I Do' and his deep blue eyes sparkle.

Over the few years, they'd maintained their love, deciding not to have children until they were settled enough to raise them but time had them revealing their demons to each other as it appeared that they had both changed. Henley didn't know whether to call it a bittersweet heartbreak or a climaxing scene from a nightmare turned movie while Daniel on the other hand, busied himself with work, basking in the thrills that came with being successful and the women that flocked around him.

Henley detested these women to a point, some came out like the predators they truly were while some hid behind the title of 'business associates' and it was all good until She later got to know how much Daniel enjoyed the attention he got from them how much he even loved them. Her whole world crumbled at that time and as she thought of it again now she heaved a sigh, this sigh came along with fresh tears and as she let them roll down, they felt hot on her cheeks.

She gazed at the clock again, there was still no sign of him or calls or anything, some part of her opted for some snacks or TV but her feet felt too heavy to move

"Hey Mama" his voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts making her get off reflexively as she turned around to look at him; she found a big smile plastered across his face but she merely scanned him over with contempt in her eyes. Her tongue became tied and she felt her temper rise

"Oh I know that look," he said dropping his suitcase and moving closer to her "sorry I'm late ba.."

"Where you have been Daniel," she asked cutting him off and slapping his hands off as he raised them to touch her, that left him stunned for a moment, then he breathed in and ran his hands through his jet-black hair

"The board had an after-party organized and I just had to be there"

"What happened to your phone"

"Ohh that" he winced "I switched it off in the middle of the meeting, the calls were distracting "

"You mean my calls right?"

" Not only yours" he answered with a quick smile

"What about after the meeting" silence followed making Henley narrow her eyes as he kept quiet and stared blankly at her "my calls distracted your fun at the party didn't it"

"Oh common, I'm sorry I left you worrying, you see I was engrossed in the talks and the noise, there were many people and the noise....."

"What is your problem, Daniel? " She cut in

"What! "

"I mean you're are starting to act weird"

"And what is that supposed to mean," He said scrunching up his face in annoyance

"I don't know..." She stuttered "I don't even know how to explain it"

"Of course, you do not" he snapped, "it's just another excuse to bother me"

"What!"

But he walked out on her, Henley felt her heart drop and sink in her stomach, her legs began to wobble and she crashed onto the bed. She sat and placed her elbows on her thighs, then she rested her hands on her head. As she tried to catch her breath, her mind wandered to the fragrance oozing from him, it wasn't his usual perfume, the type of perfume can only be used by women, that meant he'd been with a woman, they'd probably made out. She shook her head, trying to clear off the thought, then the door burst open She gazed up and saw Daniel he'd changed out of his work clothes and now had regular clothes on. Henley sat straight and opened her mouth to talk but she closed it as Daniel headed to the door

"Shouldn't we be discussing something" she asked

He turned around and cast her a queer glance

"Whatever is there to discuss, if it won't lead to another pointless argument can wait until I get back"

Those words slapped Henley hard on the face, making her open her mouth wide agape but the words to say in response wouldn't form, her mind couldn't even process what she'd heard at last, she forced her mouth shut and stared at him in awe

"And what is it you mean by pointless argument" she asked him

But he only walked out the door and slammed it behind him. It took Henley some minutes to process what had just happened so that when she scurried out of the room to find him he was already downstairs, about to get into his car

"Daniel !" She yelled as she hurriedly descended the stairs "Daniel please wait!" Tears had now laced her eyes, she felt as if a force was pulling her heart at the sides tearing it apart slowly, the piercing effect brought a tranquil pain, numbing her pulse, and she felt cold from the inside

"What is going on with you," she said as she finally approached him, grabbing his arm

"I'm in no mood to talk to you Henley"

"What have I done"

"You're exhausting me!"

"What!"

"You heard me clearly"

That made her stop and stare blankly at the man she called her husband; for some seconds there, he looked like a stranger or some sort of nightmare monster but she let go of his arm slowly

"We'll talk on the phone Henley" he said "I'm catching my night flight to California and I won't be back until next week. Have fun in the meantime and keep your mind out of trouble, One more thing, please keep your calls minimal"

After saying that he leaned in to kiss her but he stopped halfway and withdraw sharply. He then opened the backseat of the car and hopped in, the next moment, the car was pulling out of the driveway, then it was out of the compound.

Henley then let the tears fall, remembering the toast they once made to the good life, the memories came back in flashes, clouding her head, even as she began to drag her now heavy legs back to her suite.

The atmosphere in the luxury bedroom had suddenly become stale and it commingled with her muddled mind. The tears blurred her vision but she wiped her eyes with the back of her palm as she walked to the dresser and picked up her phone. She would call her now; his disgusting and ugly mistress, his shameless slut, Daniel reeked of her perfume, how dare her! ? She had managed to steal her number from Daniel's phone and now she would call her and threaten her, threaten her to stay away from her husband; her hands felt shaky but she tightened her grip on the phone and put it to her ears

"Hello" Shania's voice came from the other end of the line

"Hello you're speaking with Mrs. Sharpe"

"How may I help you, Madame," Shania said abruptly, to Henley's surprise "it's way past my working hours" Henley chuckled lightly at that those words "you sure are good at pretending Miss Shania, it seems you don't know who you're on the phone with"

"What! Miss what" Henley stopped short as confusion hit her "you're calling a wrong number Mrs. Sharpe" The lady on the phone said "this is Savannah Julio, the secretary of The New Children Charity Movement. I'm not Shania or whatever" the lady laughed and Henley gazed at the number she called, it was saved as Shania on Daniel's phone, he'd fooled her by using a decoy name, the name of someone she knew well

"I made a mistake, Mrs. Julio," she said, now feeling stupid "I'm sorry, very sorry"

"It's nothing Lady Henley, it happens sometimes. You should have a great time"

"And you too"

She shook her head as she tossed the phone on the bed Daniel was smarter than she thought but to think that he could be this conservative of his affair, Henley felt a fresh pang in her heart, things were starting to go out of control.

Her eyes felt dry and sore, it would hurt to keep crying so she heaved a deep sigh, bent down and opened one of the shelves in her wardrobe and brought out a pack of cigarettes. She then lit one and took her spot on the windowpane

"these bad habits do come in handy sometimes" she said to herself grinning, and she began to puff lightly on the cigarette.

As she did so, Her mind drifted to her younger years and her subconscious began to chastise her for ditching social associations but it wasn't all that her fault. She just had to do away with some characters as a married woman but She missed the old girls club now, the parties, the outings, the men, the noise, and the dangerous thrills that came along with the fun.

"Yes fun" she said aloud and crossed her legs. She would love some fun now a simple game maybe, and sweet Daniel will be the puppet. She was sick of being maltreated, sick of the emotional abuse, sick of being treated like an idiot!

"Daniel doesn't know me" she muttered "he doesn't know me at all"

She chuckled as she remembered the type of life she used to lead, she only repented of those ways because she wanted to start a new life but Daniel had resurrected The Old Henley. So, she might as well take her pound of flesh, but she won't be taking flesh only, she would be taking blood, bones and whatever else came with it"

There was always noise and excitement at the COLLISION COURSE. Things, people, and events did collide as the name of the club implied with the smell of smoke and alcohol hanging in the air. It was a place for drunkards, perverts, gangsters, and standby prostitutes. It was from this place that Ambrette made a living from working as a stripper at night.

Stripping isn't a decent job but Ambrette knew that decency could neither pay bills nor rent. But she begged Jen, the owner of the club to let her wear a mask while performing so that her identity would at least be hidden and Jen was kind enough to permit her. Consequently, she became the golden horse of the strip club as everyone wanted to see the mysterious "silhouette kitten" dance, her curvaceous body was also a plus and so she made Jen a lot of money.

It was ten o'clock now, the strip show would begin any moment but she wouldn't be performing with the others. She performed separately, for VIP