Oliver抯 Porsche swerves to the right and then back straight as he corrects the steering. 揥ho told you that??
揧ou just did.?I laugh. 揥ow. Seriously??
His hands look white thanks to the pressure he抯 exerting on the wheel. 揇oes Dad know??
揅onsidering he hasn抰 punched you, I doubt it.?
Oliver scoffs. 揌e doesn抰 care about her.?
揌e doesn抰，？I agree. 揃ut he抣l definitely care his son is having sex with his wife. If that got out卛t would be a PR nightmare for the company.?
揑t抯 not going to get out.?
I抦 not so certain, but I don抰 say so. 揌ow did it start??
He sighs. 揑 went over there a few months ago, when Dad was in Chicago. I thought Candace had gone with him. She hadn抰。 She was there, asked me to stay for a drink. Things evolved from there.?
I shake my head. 揓esus. Is it still going on??
揑t happened a few more times. It was kinda hot, you know? She抯棓
I interrupt. 揑 don抰 want any details. I can抰 picture you two together, and I don抰 want to.?
Oliver is silent for a few minutes. 揑 can picture you together. You and Scarlett. Not like that, just in general. And you can deny it all you want, but it抯 obvious you care about her.?
揑 don抰。？My response sounds empty, even to my own ears.
He hums. 揑 heard she was in your office after the board meeting.?
I squint over at him as another pair of headlights illuminate the car. 揥here did you hear that??His office is on the opposite end of the floor.
揊rom at least ten people. Overheard some of the secretaries talking about it too.?
I scoff.
Oliver pulls over opposite the hotel and shifts the car into park. We sit and stare at the building.
揥ell??I ask.
揥ell what??
揟his was your idea. What抯 next, Sherlock Holmes??
揗aybe we should go inside. Or you should.?
揥hy??
He shrugs. 揑 don抰 know. Maybe if you catch her, she抣l feel guilty and tell you what is really going on.?
揟hat抯 the stupidest idea you抳e ever had.?
揗y wife isn抰 the one cheating on me.?
揘o, you抮e the Nathaniel in your scenario and I抦 Dad.?I lean my head against the glass and close my eyes. 揊uck.?
揟here she is.?
I raise my head and open my eyes, fully prepared to see Scarlett kissing another man. Instead, she walks out of the hotel alone, wearing the same dress she had on this morning. Her hair is up in the same fancy twist I was careful not to disturb while she was blowing me. She doesn抰 look like she was just rolling around in hotel sheets or engaging in a passionate affair, but looks can be deceiving.
Rather than head straight for the car waiting along the curb, she hesitates. I watch her give the driver a wait a minute gesture and then retreat toward the hotel. She doesn抰 walk back inside. Instead, she leans against the brick exterior of the building with her head tipped upward.
After a couple of minutes, she pulls her phone out of her pocket. She stares at it for a few more minutes, then starts tapping on the screen. Eventually, she raises it to her ear.
Oliver swears. 揇ammit. I told Dad he should have the PI tap her phone. She抯 probably calling Jonathan. Now we won抰棓 He stops talking when my phone lights up in the cupholder. Scarlett抯 name and the photo of us at the top of the Eiffel Tower light up the screen. 揝he抯 calling you??
I抦 just as shocked as he is.
揂nswer it!?
Silently, I grab the phone and tap the green button. I pull in a deep breath as the call connects.
揅rew??
I shove the anger and jealously and turmoil far, far down and attempt to sound normal. 揌i.?
She clears her throat. 揌i.?
I watch her closely. Her head is still tipped back. She抯 chewing on her bottom lip furiously. 揇id you need something??I ask.
A beat of silence. 揑， uh, I抦 about to leave the office,?she says. Lies, rather.
揑 won抰 be home for a while.?I look at the car dash. It抯 almost eight.
She doesn抰 call me out on breaking our promise. 揙h. Okay. I抦 going to pick up Chinese on my way home. Do you want me to get you anything??
Her expression twists as soon as she抯 spoken the question. It抯 strange, seeing her reactions to what she抯 saying. She sounds normal. She looks pained and unsure. Not guilty. What does that mean? 揝ure. Thanks.?
揥ant anything specific??
揧ou know what I like.?I don抰 mean for the words to sound suggestive, but there抯 definitely some innuendo.
揇o I??Rather than confident, she sounds unsure.
揑抣l try to get out of here soon, okay? We can卼alk.?
揙kay. Bye.?She hangs up but doesn抰 move. Her posture doesn抰 change until she swipes at one cheek. She抯 crying. The realization hits me like a bolt of lightning and flattens me like a two-ton weight.