Page 58 of C*cky Best Friend

Like a zombie, I turn left. Lexi stays by my side as we head for the elevator. She glances back at Asher calling my name.

After a moment of shock, he runs after us. “Sam, please, let me explain.”

“I think she gets the gist, thanks.”

I raise my hand to tell Lexi I’ve got this. “Give us a second.”

She is also dumbfounded by what we never saw coming. Her eyes have no shine as she nods and backs away.

Asher takes my arm and guides me toward the wall for what little privacy there is. There’s a framed photograph of Piedmont Park eye level behind him, and I’m staring at it as he says, “We need you to keep this a secret.”

“Why?”

“Come on!”

I meet his eyes to ask, “Did you drop Marion on purpose so that I would get the part?”

He spontaneously gags, horrified. “No! How could you ever think that?”

“I didn’t. Other people do.” In a fog I turn away.

He gently takes my hand to regain my attention. “Samantha, we’re in love. I’m sorry, but I had to use you to hide it.”

I yank my hand free. “I don’t understand! You asked me to come back to the hotel with you on opening night!”

“I knew you’d turn me down.” He holds my look. “You’re the good girl, Sam. You wouldn’t have come back here with me. It was the perfect cover.”

“Oh my God,” I moan, horrified as all the times he acted like he liked me, play back in my mind. “Why do you have to hide it?! Are you ashamed?”

His beautiful eyelashes flutter closed. “He’s married. Please don’t ruin this for me.”

The breath I take jails my heart in a vice. “What you do is none of my business. But his wife should know.”

“I told him that. Don’t you think I told him?” Asher looks toward the room but the door is closed now. “He’s probably freaking out right now. And I’m going to have to start back at square one.”

Lexi rescues me by dryly saying, “Well that’s too bad for you, isn’t it?” She takes my arm since I’m a shell with no idea how to function. “Come on Samantha, you’ve done enough for this jerk. Let’s go.”

Asher watches us, then starts for his room as she pushes the elevator call button. I’m staring at my warped reflection in the etched steel as she raises her voice to tell him, “You are gorgeous, you dumb shit. There are a lot of men out there who would have you. Don’t know if you know it or not, but newsflash, infidelity is wrong.”

Asher doesn’t respond to her soapbox rant. Instead, he calmly says, “I didn’t drop Marion on purpose.”

I meet his eyes before the elevator opens to take me home.