Chasing Heartbreak (Dark Love #6) - Kat T. Masen Page 0,43
he’ll lose everything, and my reputation will be ruined.”
My arms move on their own accord, crossing against my chest while my eyes narrow with a hard expression. Beneath the green silk blouse I’m wearing, my blood pressure soars, stirring up anger from behind the walls I’ve purposely built.
“I want to be clear in exactly why you came here,” I concede, trying to understand her proposition. “Dominic must remain married to you, but you don’t care that he sleeps with someone else?”
“Mi amore, us Italians believe that love can be expressed in many ways. My husband has needs, I have needs, and sometimes those needs are met by other people.”
The more she speaks, the more I’m convinced she’s setting me up. She stands, swinging her purse in her hands like she strolled into my office for a friendly chat. “It was nice to finally speak to you in person. Please have a think about what I’ve said. Have a good day, Kate.”
The second she leaves my office, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I refrain from calling Dominic, wondering how much he knows of her impending visit. If he knows, the asshole should’ve warned me.
I stand at the window and stare into the city.
My phone begins to ring with the name Noah flashing across the screen. I hit accept and place him on speaker.
“What’s with your timing?”
“Why? You naked in the shower?”
“Funny. I’m at work and…” I’m not sure why I hesitate. Every time the topic of Dominic comes up, Noah gets all territorial. “It’s been a long day.”
“Better a long day, then a long life.” He sighs.
“Oh, stop being dramatic,” I call him out. “And you rang because?”
“Can’t an old friend ring to make sure another friend is behaving?”
I purse my lips. “I’m always behaving. It’s Friday, what are your plans for tonight?”
The silence carries over the speaker. “I have to meet Morgan.”
“Oh…” I mouth, unsure why this tiny stab went straight to my heart causing me to stutter. “Is everything okay?”
“Who knows with her,” he grumbles with resentment. “One minute she’s civil, and the next we’re in a screaming match.”
I hold back my words, listening to him but unsure of what to say. Women are a peculiar species, many wear their heart on their sleeve. Morgan seems no different, and she does have a daughter with him who she loves.
“There’s one thing I’ve learned at the top, despite knowing that the other party can be irrational, you have the power to set the tone. You can control the people around you by being calm. Tonight might be good, or it might be bad.”
“Why are you so wise after a shitty day? What happened, anyway?”
I can’t tell him, the humiliation will leave me scarred. And why does he have to know? I haven’t spoken to Dominic since last week at the bar. For now, our communication is non-existent.
But then I remember Noah is only my friend, and perhaps, a male perspective wouldn’t be so bad.
“Noah,” I say his name with trepidation, trying to hold back, but something tells me to be honest. “Allegra was in my office minutes before you called.”
“You’re fucking with me? What the hell for?”
I draw in a breath, knowing this conversation could go two ways. “In a nutshell, she told me she knows about Dominic and me. Basically, she knows that Dominic has feelings, and she won’t stand in the way of us being together, but she needs to stay married to him.”
The more I speak, the more I sound like a complete fool. This entire situation is the complicated mess I’ve been trying to avoid.
“Back the hell up,” he berates with an angered tone. “She wants you to be his mistress or whatever the fuck you want to call it?”
“In layman’s terms, yes.”
“And so, he loves you? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“I never said love, Noah,” I correct him. “I said feelings, emotions.”
“Do you love him?”
I hesitate, but only just. “No.”
“You hesitated…”
“I hesitated because you caught me off-guard with your question.”
The toxic silence between us rears its ugly head. Why did I think this conversation would go well? The same argument could’ve been had with Charlie.
“Listen, I better go,” he mumbles. “I don’t blame him, Kate. Just so you know.”
The call ends abruptly, forcing me to stare at the screen. His final words leave a heavier note, but Noah has often expressed his emotions, and I never read any more into it.