“Well, I had a bank account with money in it.One I opened,” she starts as my brows lift.
“And?”
Is that it?
That’s her deep, dark secret?
Jesus.
“And I sometimes,” she looks down in shame.“I would buy something expensive like a YSL purse, then return it and demand cash.”
My mouth drops open, and she immediately takes it the wrong idea.
“I know it was wrong!”Courtney cries.“Kylie gave me the idea, and I used the money to do an online course.That was all.I didn’t use it for anything—”
“Selfish?”I offer with a sour taste in my mouth.
“Yes,” her shame is front and center, and I want to shake her.
“Courtney.Fucking hell.Buying things for yourself isn’t selfish.It’s called self-care.Your husband, and you by default the moment you married him, are billionaires.”
“Adam didn’t see it like that,” she mutters.
“Adam can’t change the fucking law.And I’m going to make sure that you get every single dollar of that fifty percent.”
“Thank you.”She leans her hip against the counter.“So, you don’t think they could use that as, I dunno, illegal behavior?”
“You asked for cash in return for a return purchase.You didn’t steal them...did you?”I frown, checking.
“No!God, Zander.Stop looking for some criminal history in my life.I have never broken the law.”
“Ever?”
“No.Well, I shoplifted a sandwich once, but that was because I hadn’t eaten for three days and I was starving.”
A tightness in my chest begins as I see her in a new light.A small girl, seeking a life, hungry, wanting to learn and thrive.
I smile softly.“Think we can let that pass.So, you did the online course?”
She smiles, her eyes lighting up.“A certificate in marketing.I loved it.I created a business plan with ideas and was about to share it with Adam when...well, when I knew it would be...you know, impossible to explain...I just didn’t.”
The lie.
She still has one.
A secret she’s keeping from me and possibly from everyone.
I glance away, drawing a deep breath.I know she won’t tell me if I push, so I let it go even though the fact she won’t trust me continues to piss me off.
And it’s no longerjustabout the job.
“Okay,” I scrub a hand over my face.“It appears your husband is trying to play this out on the internet.Taking funds from the account isn’t breaking the law nor going to impact the division of assets.Try to relax for the rest of the night and not let this get to you.”
I take in her tight black skirt, untucked, pink semi-sheer blouse, and bare feet and remind myself who she is and the consequences of letting my mind wander.
Letting my hands wander.
Imagining it’s a normal evening between us.Me making dinner, her sipping a glass of wine.Her pussy throbbing, eager for me to lift her skirt and make her come.
