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“So you think we should let the press know it was you?”
“Of course, on the contrary, it makes him look more human. Being able to work side by side with his ex, letting her represent him, the press will eat it up.”
“You really are very good at your job, Liesel.”
“I try to be.”
Dan and Liesel continued to talk for a few more minutes. Keith did his best to make eye contact with Liesel to convey his gratitude and his sorrow, but she studiously avoided his gaze.
An hour later, they were finished up and heading out. Liesel got up to escort them to the door, and they briefly made eye contact. Liesel pretended not to notice as she made her way back to her desk.
“Dan, I need to stay behind for a bit to sort some things out with Liesel,”
Liesel’s eyes snapped up to meet his, and she regarded him coolly. “I don’t think there’s anything left to discuss Mr. Roger.”
“Yes, there is,” Keith insisted.
Dan gazed at Keith slowly then at Liesel. “alright, I’ll see you at dinner for the Pepsi ad meeting.”
“I’ll be there,” Keith said as Dan made his way out and shut the door behind him.
Liesel sat behind the desk, her cool blue eyes regarding him with as much indifference as she could muster, which wasn’t much. Keith could see that she was wound up by the erect way she sat, and by the way she crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s good to see you, Lis, really.”
She stared at him as if unable to comprehend what he saying. Finally, she blinked. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“ What is that supposed to mean?”
Liesel sighed, the tension suddenly draining from her body. “Look, I’m not going to fight you, Keith, but let’s cut the crap, okay? You didn’t want the whole world knowing that Keith Roger-NBA star and womanizer- had a German wife. I get it.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and anyway we’re not the same people anymore, so what does it matter?”
Liesel eyes flashed. “What does it matter? What does it matter?! Of course, Mr. Hotshot NBA doesn’t care anymore. Not now that you have the kind of lifestyle you always dreamed of, and you aren’t going to let anything get in the way of that.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Like hell it isn’t. ‘we were married once, and now we’re not,’” she quoted back at him, using air quotes to signify her rage and disgust.
“Look, Lis, calm down, there’s no need to be angry.”
“No? Maybe I should take a page out of your book and act like a douche bag.”
Keith strode to her desk and splayed his hands on her desk. “I messed up, okay? I know that, but don’t you think you’re overreacting?”
“Overreacting?” Liesel stood up so quickly, her chair nearly toppled backwards. “When my father got sick, and I had to go take care of him in Germany, you told me you’d wait for me, that we’d make it work. I did everything I could to get back to you as soon as I could, but you couldn’t wait to be rid of me, your charity case.”
Keith walked around the desk, so he was facing her. “You were not a charity case. Goddamn it, Lis! You know you weren’t. But you were gone for so long, and I wasn’t sure you’d ever come back, especially when your visa problem happened.”
“So you go and sleep with another woman? That was your solution. Goddamn you, you bastard, you nearly destroyed me.”
“And you think it didn’t destroy me? I spent months not knowing if you’d ever come back, hating that I couldn’t be there for you, and yes I know I hurt you when I slept with another woman, but I made a mistake. I was looking for comfort at the bottom of a glass, and I thought she could numb the pain, but I regretted it the second it happened.”
“It was too late by then,” Liesel tried to angrily shove past him, but he grabbed both her wrists and held them as she squirmed and struggled against him. “let go of me, let me go!”
Keith released her wrists, and as she stared up at him, her eyes filled with anguish and fury, she suddenly threw herself at him and began to kiss him.
Surprised, Keith stumbled back until he landed against the door with a thud. He reached behind his back and bolted the lock on the door before he hoisted Liesel up, so that she had her legs wrapped around his waist.
