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William stalked through. He scowled at the floor but didn’t say a word.
“You okay?” he finally asked, gruffer than usual. “From the lake.”
“I am.” Aside from the present hot flash thanks to his abdominal muscles currently on display.
He snagged his sandwich and leaned against the counter, his gaze focused on his bare feet. Five huge bites with very little chewing, and he finished. He tossed the plate in the sink, crossed his arms, and glared into space.
“Hey, if it costs money for the boat thing, I’ll pay for—” she started.
He pulled a small box from his pocket. She barely caught it when he tossed it to her. A gasp escaped her lips when she recognized the logo on the box as a prescription medication for erectile dysfunction.
“Why?” she asked.
“That’s my question.” His eyes were blank.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, breathier than she intended. Damn, but she already knew. Sarah. Rebecca. They got to him.
“Max caught me up at the lodge. Explained he’s a special kind of doctor. The kind that works with men who have particular issues.” He made air quotes at the last word as Rebecca had in therapy.
Lucy smacked a hand to her mouth.
“Seems his wife told him about our problems in the bedroom and asked him to help us out. Would you like to explain why you gave me syphilis?”
Uh-oh. Lucy took a deep breath and whispered through her fingers. “You weren’t supposed to know.”
“You give a guy an STD, he’s gonna find out.” His stony expression added to the shame piling up inside her.
She scooted backward, stopping when her legs hit the dining table. “Hang on. I didn’t give you anything.”
“Right,” he clipped. “You never told Sarah and our therapist that I can’t get it up?”
“Well, now, the thing is…” She swallowed the lump of regret forming in her throat and licked at her lips. “I did kind of do that. It’s not what you think, though.”
He rubbed a hand over his hair.
“Ten days.” That muscle directly under his jaw twitched. “In ten days, there will be an announcement about my takeover of Crestone. Ten days, and this will be regional news. My face, everywhere. Crestone is nearly a billion dollar company, so it could even be national news. The last thing I need is for some yahoo to want his shot at fifteen minutes and announce that I have venereal disease. Which. I. Do. Not. Have.”
“Max is a doctor. He can’t say anything.”
“Technically, he’s not my doctor. Nothing prevents him from blabbing.”
Oh.
First, holy mackerel had she screwed up in amazing proportions this time. Second, Crestone was worth that much? Wow.
She opened her mouth to speak but had no idea what to say so she closed it. Then she opened it again and closed it again. “I didn’t realize.”
He stared at her with raw intensity.
She glanced away. “I’ll talk to Sarah, and I’ll find Rebecca.”
“No. No, you won’t. You won’t talk to anyone about this. I’ll call my attorney and somehow explain to her why we may need to issue a statement regarding my sexual health. She’ll love that.”
If he clenched his teeth together any tighter, they’d probably shatter. He waved a hand. “Not that I have much pride left anyway. It’s like the reality show all over again. The media will twist this, spin it, and tear me apart.”
“I am so sorry.” Acid burned her stomach. “So sorry.”
He studied his feet, and his right hand moved to his neck, rubbing the indentation near his back.
