Page 29 of The Merger
“Do you still need to talk to him before I can take you out?” he asked.
I opened my hands to indicate where we were. “We’re out together right now.”
“I want to take you on a real date, not a kitschy diner where we talk about my asshole brother for most of our lunch hour.”
“You don’t need to go crazy and try to impress me. I don’t need fancy restaurants and over-the-top gestures. I happen to like kitschy diners. You’re right though, next time let’s leave talk of Malcolm out of it.”
“When will this next time happen?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “I’ll text Malcolm and tell him we need to talk. I think we’ve put our lives on hold long enough.”
“How do you want to handle the rumors? I know what I want to do, but I’m willing to do whatever feels comfortable for you.” His dark eyes held mine, and I could see the understanding and even hope in their depths.
He was right. My choices were limited. I could either give up this opportunity and hide from the judging glances of others, or we could tell them we were married. Sure, they’d still look at me and think I got the job because of my connections, but that was better than them thinking I was sleeping my way to the top.
Why was I so hesitant to let people know? Digging deep within myself, I knew the answer. If people knew about us, it made it real. I had to accept we really were married, and I had to make a decision whether or not I wanted to stay married. But, I told him I’d give us a chance. A real chance and that meant I couldn’t treat Stryker like my dirty secret.
“We should release a statement and tell the office we’re married.”
He smiled. It was small, but the relief was clear in the curved tilt of his lips. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “How about we draft an email so the truth has a chance to spread before we get back.”
* * *
It was nearly the end of the day when I remembered to text Malcolm. I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t respond. He’d be at one of his clubs by five getting ready for the night. Each one had a manager, but he liked to rotate between them to keep his staff working hard. At least that’s what he claimed, but I think he just liked how they fawned over him.
“Any word from the asshole?” Stryker asked as he entered my office after everyone had left for the day.
Turning over my phone I checked to see if I’d missed any messages. There was one from Jana asking me how my day was going. Colter messaged me to ask me what his email password was. Evie sent a string of emojis I didn’t quite understand. Judging by the water droplets and eggplant she’d either had a great night with Beck or Jana let it slip about Stryker and she was asking for details. Not a single one was from Malcolm.
I shook my head. “Everyone else reached out to me, but not him.”
Quickly, I responded to each text. I reminded Colter about the sticky note I left under his keyboard. To Jana, I suggested we meet for lunch later in the week. And just to fuck with Evie, because I’m an amazing aunt, I sent her a random string of emojis back. Who knows what combining stars, a black heart, and a genie said to her.
“I want to take you to dinner. Are you still insisting you need to talk to him first? You’re giving him an awful lot of consideration in light of the fact that he sexually assaulted you a couple of days ago.”
I narrowed my eyes, ready to downplay the gravity of what Malcolm did, but Stryker glared at me keeping the words from spilling out.
“He kissed you without your permission and continued even when you were telling him to stop and trying to push him away. That’s sexual assault. I don’t give a shit that he wasn’t able to take it further. He would have, so don’t you dare make excuses for him.”
I licked my lips. “You’re right. I think I just want to be better than him. He cheats on his girlfriends, and apparently tries to force himself on his best friend.”
“He doesn’t deserve your friendship, he never did. You don’t owe him this courtesy. Not after what he did.”
Stryker’s gaze softened. “You’re loyal, but in this case, you’re too loyal.”
I looked away from him. He was right. The part of myself I was most proud of, my loyalty, Malcolm had turned into my weakness.
“I’d like to go home and change first, and you are not taking me to some stuffy restaurant. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to be ourselves. No trying to impress each other with grand gestures. We go forward as we want to continue.”
His smile turned wicked, and I was afraid I’d unwittingly set something in motion. His tongue stroked across his full lower lip, drawing my eyes. “Oh, Sunshine. I’m not sure you want to experience who I am completely.”
I shivered, but not out of fear. There was a secret, dark part of me that hoped he held my missing piece. The whispered part of my soul that craved a man’s dominance. It was at odds with the strong woman I’d always shown the world, but that strength had a price. A heaviness I’d longed to share with someone else.
Back at my apartment, I dug through my purse for my keys. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Why did I insist on carrying my entire life around everywhere I went? Finally, I located my keys beneath my make-up bag, my wallet, and my phone. Stryker took them out of my hands while I tried to shove everything back into my large bag.
Since I didn’t currently have a car, there were only a few keys on the ring. As I’d labeled them, it was pretty easy for him to separate my key from Colt and Jana’s, Evie and Beck’s, and my dad’s house keys.