Scandalous Affair

The Woman at Home

Chelsea stood expectantly amidst the opulence of their foyer when he opened the door. Beautiful as ever in a bright red spaghetti-strapped summer dress, she was as keenly aware, as Sofia had been, that his final decision was coming. She sauntered forward suggestively, heels clicking lightly on the dark marble floor as she reached up to embrace him. Then she caught a whiff of Sofia's rosy perfume. Her hands dropped, her face contorted disgustedly, "You were with her. I smell her all over you."

It wasn't at all uncommon for Chelsea to fly off the handle raging and screaming that he was cheating on her with "that woman." Nate half expected his long-time lover to slap him across the face, or throw something, like she had done in the past, but not tonight.

Tonight she was afraid he might really leave and never come back. Tonight was a night to convince him to stay. She was on her best behavior, this would be the performance of her life. Chelsea Brown refused to lose him to a snaggle toothed spoiled brat. One night in the bedroom was all she needed to convince Nate to come back. He always came back to her... until he got tired again. Their life together had been one half-hearted commitment from him after another and now he would either choose her or not. She could care less if he ever really committed to her and the psudo-family thing they had going on. It worked for her career, at least for now, but wasn't necessary. Their life looked good on the outside, the press loved fairly tale couples but fights, affairs and break-ups were just as good for her publicity.

Sofia was the problem, she ruined everything. She was nasty and trifling and the wrong kind of person to get associated with in the papers. Nate's affair with her did nothing for her career. Whenever he was caught with her, the press looked into Sofia, not her. She deserved the attention, not a foreign home-wrecker. What mattered to Chelsea, what she thought mattered to Nate, was looking good and keeping the fans entertained on screen and in her "private" life.

No, she really didn't care if Nate ever made it official; what she did care about was the fact that he could seriously consider Sofia. How could a life with that woman compete with her? She was Chelsea Brown, Oscar winning, People's Choice favorite, Chelsea Brown, the good-bad girl of Hollywood, grown-up to be the woman all others aspired to be. With her, the world was at his fingertips, Nate was lucky she put up with him. He had the hottest woman in America, as rated in the most recent Cosmo poll, hanging on his arm, and he was seriously considering leaving for a pathetic, dancing, puppet for her father? She knew the truth about Sofia, even more than Nate did. She had spent millions over the last few years investigating, researching and delving into the truth behind who Sofia actually was and the extent of her father's power. She decided it best if Nate didn't know the whole truth. If Sofia had chosen not to clue him in in greater detail, why should she? Chelsea was sure if he knew the woman he danced with, the woman he left his practice for, the woman he was possibly going to decide to leave her for was everything he imagined her to be and then some, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Chelsea had known since the very beginning of the "affair" that Nate refused to admit to, that Sofia wasn't just a skanky foreign girl, but that she was an heiress to an Argentinian billionaire. Who ever heard of an Argentinian billionaire anyway? Sofia was nothing more than an ugly, spoiled home-wrecker used to getting what she wanted but she would not have Nate. Sofia had the nerve once to stare Chelsea in the face and tell her she was nothing without the lights and make up. She promised her that one day Nate would leave her and their lifestyle and the child Chelsea tried to pass off as his and would want nothing to do with any of them. The presumption, the arrogance and certainty of her boldfaced profession enraged Chelsea. Nate was hers, she would do anything to keep him away from Sofia. But she knew what Sofia was capable of and couldn't do anything to stop her from perusing Nate. And she had been trying to get at him since they were kids. She was always there, in the shadows, in the backdrop of his life and Chelsea hated her for it. And yet Sofia didn't make a move, the fool. She believed Nate would actually choose her because he loved her more. If Sofia wasn't going to do anything more than pine for Nate and wait for him to make a decision once and for all, that was her problem. Chelsea was a woman of action. She would stop at nothing to convince Nate to stay with her. She took a deep breath and reigned in her hatred of the Argentinian.

"Come with me, baby. I had Nadine make your favorite dinner." She smiled sweetly at Nate flipping her long blonde locks to the side before leading him gently by his wrist. Nate told her earlier that day that he'd be making up his mind. If Chelsea was putting on a show for him, he was going to take complete advantage of it. Part of Chelsea's appeal was that, sometimes, she gave him whatever he wanted, however he wanted it. Even after all the years she could be seductive and alluring, and make him want her; but, she could be mean too, down right cruel and vicious. She was a shark and had no tolerance for weakness or a challenge to her dominance. She was dangerous and her bad side was a place Nate didn't like to be; no one did.