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And he doesn’t want to lose her. Aw. Cry me a river. It’s just a matter of time before he loses her entirely.
It’s not easy to hold back. I want to move the chess pieces much faster so that I can take the queen. And keep her. But I’d prefer she picked me instead.
That slap she delivered across my face sealed her fate. It would’ve sealed it either way. It was dangerous, but I know by my reaction that I won’t ever be done playing this game. Because the idea of inflicting retaliation on her for causing me the sting of pain is unfathomable to me.
No way will I lose focus on this goal. This woman takes feeling alive up a notch.
When I drag myself to my home office at 8:30 in the morning after very little sleep, the first thing I do is go to that old blog I wrote all those sexual fantasies on and click ‘forgot password’ so I can reset the password and login for the first time in over a year and a half. I drum my fingers impatiently, waiting for the reset link to come to my email, then promptly login and delete the entire thing with aggression.
Gone. Just like that. He loses that ammo against me.
Adam phones me at 9:30, but I don’t pick up. I just can’t face a conversation with him right now.
A few minutes later, I get a text message.
Adam: Good morning! Having a really great trip. Can’t wait to update you. I’ll be home around 6. Maybe order something in for us? Could go for Italian if that sounds good. There’s a delivery coming for me this morning, too. Can you just leave it in my office? Please don’t open it. See you tonight.
I never open his mail, so that’s not going to be difficult.
I’m feeling sour, too, because it’s not the first time I’ve given myself the time to wonder if what Derek said is true – that Adam held back forty thousand dollars when we bought this place. He put in the same amount of money as I did into the house, thirty thousand each, telling me his parents lent him almost half of it to make sure he could match what I was putting in. I covered the closing costs when he ran short and didn’t ask for them back. How does his account currently have three times the amount as mine?
Adam has always been frugal. But if what Derek says is true, it makes me wonder if there are other things he’s held back or lied about.
I know Derek’s been up to no good since the beginning, so I shouldn’t put any stock into what he’s said to me, but if it’s true, it definitely leaves me feeling less than settled with where things are at between Adam and me.
My phone rings again and it’s my manager, Frank, calling to tell me he got a message that I got summoned to a meeting with Derek Steele. My boss is a little off with me because he didn’t know about it. And I’m not too happy as it’s obvious Derek called my boss on purpose, letting me know he absolutely expects me to show up today.
When I indicate to Frank that I was just about to call to let him know, his tone changes to excitement.
He’s excited. Not only did Derek Steele of the very wealthy Steele family buy Cavalier and call Frank himself instead of having one of his minions call to say how happy he is with our company, he’s excited about hints dropped that mean there could be a lot more opportunities coming our way. The fact that Derek called my boss is another illustration of him obliterating boundaries, infiltrating multiple areas of my life.
My boss is panicky, asks if I’m prepared for this meeting. Tells me that if we do well for a Steele subsidiary it’d be good for business and that if we don’t, it could be worse than just losing the Cavalier account. He eludes to the family being powerful with friends in high and low places, then laughs for a moment before he tells me to forget he said that last part, then he blathers on rattling off a list of businesses owned by Steele Financial, Derek’s father’s company, peppering his monologue with questions about my interaction with Derek. Three times he says he’d have preferred to head this meeting but that he trusts me. The way he says it multiple times leaves me feeling like I need to prove myself all over again with him – like he isn’t already happy with my work.
Yes, I am sour after what Derek has put me through this week so far, so I do my best to improve my tone and sound excited and agreeable. I fly by the seat of my pants telling Frank I’ll be spending the morning preparing for the meeting even though Mr. Steele said it would just be a casual meet and greet for lunch and a quick chat. I assure Frank I’ll be on the ball and make a good impression.
My boss says he’ll keep his phone with him from one o’clock until three o’clock, even taking it to the bathroom, in case I need him. Frank insists I should promise absolutely anything Mr. Steele wants and that he’ll help me deliver no matter how big the ask is. By the time the call ends, I’ve had it with the whole thing and want to climb under my covers and hide from the world.
In order to get him off the phone, I remind him that when Mr. Steele bought the company, he insisted I get a bonus for my hard work and that my work on their campaigns has them exceedingly happy with me. I assure Frank that I’ll call him the minute the meeting is over.
Frank is usually so easy-going and relaxed. But I’m typically much more upbeat and positive when I talk to him, so I guess it’s not hard to fathom why he was standoffish with me.
When I get off the phone, I stare at my banking app on my phone screen. Chewing my lip, I touch the icon. I’ve been avoiding this, but it’s time to login and look.
And yep, there’s six figures in there. Free and clear. No holds, but clearly there are strings. Strings I wish I could find scissors to snip.
Feeling a little nauseous about the fact that my bank account has never seen that amount, I quickly log out and put the phone down.
I get a text message from Chloe at 12:57 pm.
Chloe: I’m parked outside your club for our meeting. It looks closed. Am I at the wrong location? I’m at Downtown. Should I be at The Fifth?
I phone her.
“Hello?” she answers, her voice hesitant.
“I’m here. I’m unlocking the door. Come in,” I tell her while on the move.
“Okay, bye,” she mutters and ends the call as I reach the door, seeing her approach while sticking her phone into her pocket. She’s wearing a black business suit, her hair up, and she’s carrying a leather portfolio.
