Page 195 of By His Vow
Tatum’s mouth opens and closes, but no words spill free.
“She’s good people.”
“She kills people for money.”
“Bad people,” I correct. “Mostly men. She seduces them, makes them think they’re special, and then, well…ruins them, mostly.”
“And you’re going to try to convince me that you haven’t slept with a woman who seduces men for money?”
“I’m not trying to convince you of anything, Tatum.”
“So you have slept with her.”
“A long time ago, yes. Once. We’ve had a platonic friendship ever since.”
She shakes her head. “You’re so full of shit I’m amazed it isn’t spilling from your ears.”
“I’m not lying to you, baby.”
She hops up from the stool and angrily shoves it under the counter.
“Do you know what? I don’t give a shit. Do what you want, Kingston. That’s what our contract states, doesn’t it? You can go out there and get your rocks off with anyone you want while I’ve got to sit here playing the part of the good little wife. It’s only a year. I can cope.
“I don’t need your shit, your dick, or your fucking attitude problem. I’ve got everything I could need. My life was perfectly fine before you forced your way into it.”
She storms toward the stairs, a loud huff of irritation trailing behind her.
“You don’t have everything though, do you, Tatum? That’s why you agreed to this,” I helpfully point out.
“Get fucked, Kingston,” she hisses as she begins climbing.
“Don’t take too long. We have an appointment in forty-five minutes.”
“I have meetings all morning,” she calls back.
“No, you don’t. They have been rearranged to fit in the appointment we should have had last night.”
A cry of frustration floats down to me before the bedroom door slams hard enough to make the walls shake.
Well. That went well…
“Why are we here?” Tatum demands as Lewis pulls up in front of The Broadway.
“Come on,” I say, pushing the door open and then helping her out.
With our fingers entwined, we make our way to reception. There are more than a few interested sets of eyes that follow us as I lead her toward the elevator.
We step inside with a handful of others. which stops her from demanding answers to all the questions I see spinning around in her head.
If it weren’t for her stunt yesterday, she’d know exactly what was happening. But seeing as she fucked up our first meeting before dismissing me as if I’m nothing to her, keeping her in the dark for a little longer doesn’t bother me.
In only minutes we approach the room I have booked, and after knocking once, I push the door open and gesture for her to enter.
“Ah, Miss Warner, Mr. Callahan. It’s so wonderful to meet you,” a woman of a similar age to our mothers greets as she pushes to her feet and holds her hand out for us to shake. “I’m Mia Simmons, and I’m your wedding planner. I’m so excited to finalize the details and make your day everything you’ve been dreaming of.”
Tatum shoots me a death glare, but I don’t turn to look at her. Instead, I gesture for her to sit on the opposite couch to Mia before taking my place beside her.
“Would you like tea, dear?” Mia asks, lifting the teapot between us.