Page 126 of Big Dick Energy

“It was a lie!” Sam's composure cracked, her voice rising. “That's what this was, Dallas. A PR strategy. A strategy to erase the rumors that you don’t date women over the age of 23, and it worked! It worked beautifully!”

“It stopped being a strategy months ago.”

“Oh, please.” She laughed, but it was sharp. Ugly. “You can't seriously expect me to believe you've fallen in love with her.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Sam stopped herself, visibly struggling to regain control. When she spoke again, her voice was lower. More calculated. “Look, I understand the appeal, but Dallas, you have to think about the long term here.”

“The long term.”

“Your career and your brand. Your entire future.” She stood, moving around the desk like she was about to deliver a pitch. “Marrying a plus-size woman was great for publicity. It appealed to a certain audience, generated sympathy, and humanized you. But now that the narrative has done its job, you need to let her go.”

“Let her go,” I repeated flatly.

“There's a lot of talk about her on the internet, Dallas. About you being with someone who looks like her and all of that affects you. It affects your career, your endorsements, your long-term earning potential.” Sam's expression hardened. “Not to mention…” She paused. “There’s no way she can keep up with you. It's my job to protect your career. That's what you pay me for, and right now, that means ending this marriage before it damages everything you’ve worked for.”

I stared at her.

This woman I'd trusted for years. Who'd guided me through press conferences and contract negotiations. Who I'd thought understood me, at least professionally.

“Did you call her fat?”

Sam blinked. “What?”

“When you were telling my wife all the reasons I couldn't possibly want to be married to her, did you use the word fat?”

“I may have mentioned that your physical preferences have historically trended toward…”

“You told her she wasn't my type because of her weight.”

“I told her the truth! Dallas, look at your dating history. Look at the women you've been photographed with. Models. Actresses. Women who fit a certain…”

“Women I didn't love.” The words came out hard. Final. “Women I dated because they were easy and I was too scared to want anything real.” I stepped closer, and Sam backed up against her desk. “Davina is the first woman who's ever made me want to be better. The first woman who's ever looked at me like I was more than a paycheck or a photo opportunity. The first woman I've ever wanted to build a life with.”

“Dallas…”

“You're fired.”

Sam's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. “You can't be serious.”

“I've never been more serious about anything in my life.” I pulled out my phone, already composing the text to my lawyer. “You'll receive formal notification within the hour. Any ongoing contracts will be handled by my legal team. Please remember the NDA you signed. Oh, and Sam?”

She stared at me, her face a mask of shock and fury.

“If you ever come near my wife again, if you ever say another word about her, to her, or to anyone else about her, I will make it my personal mission to ensure you never work in this industry again.” I smiled, and it wasn't pleasant before I turned and walked toward the door.

“You're making a mistake!” Sam's voice followed me, sharp with desperation. “Your agent, Chris, is working on a brand deal worth millions. Millions, Dallas! And they want the single, available version of you. Not the married-to-a-fat-girl version. You're throwing away your future for…”

I paused at the door, looking back at her over my shoulder.

“For the woman I love?” I finished for her. “Yeah. I would give it all up for her, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.”

The door closed behind me with a satisfying click.

The receptionist looked up as I passed, her professional smile faltering at whatever she saw in my expression. I didn't stop to explain. Didn't stop for anything.

I had a wife to get home to. A marriage to protect. A future to build with the only woman who'd ever made me want one.