Page 45 of Stud

“One.”

“Oooh. Do tell.”

A lion’s yawn propelled through the line. “I need to sleep. Not sure if I’ll make it back Monday. Things aren’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped.” He was silent awhile. Long enough that I worried he’d fallen asleep. Then, “I’ll be back by Tuesday for sure. It sucks being away.”

There was tension in his voice, and my untrusting radar pinged. Owen was too good to be true, my intuition taunted. I shook off my paranoia. He was just tired and missing me. “At least Blue Bunny is rechargeable,” I whispered.

We breathed. We sighed.

“Goodnight, boyfriend.”

“Sleep well, girlfriend.”

Twelve

Seventeen letters for the part of a furnace where the burn occurs. Or getting locked in a room with the claustrophobic woman who drives you wild.

C O M B U S T I O N C H A M B E R

Owen

I spent the cab ride to Tessa’s law firm coaching myself. Don’t lose my temper. Speak calmly. Slap on some Southern charm. The fact that she’d cancelled yesterday’s meeting and rescheduled for today was irritating at first, but I was over it. I replayed the good times we’d shared. I tried to picture us eating Chinese food on the floor of our house the night we’d moved in. I replayed snippets of Tessa’s “soulmate speech” from our wedding, rehearsed though it had been. I remembered the early days when we’d go for evening walks, talking with ease.

We were together nine years, married for eight, but the last six had been a struggle. Like we’d agreed to refinish opposite ends of a wood table, only to realize we’d used different stains, separate visions guiding us.

It was time to strip our relationship down to its bones.

The elevator ride to her floor was more of me repeating my silent mantra. Offer her a smile. Remind her of our history. Wish her the best for her future. By the time my feet hit the firm’s marble floor, positivity seeped from my pores. I would get this done. Convince her to tie up our loose ends. We’d loved each other once. We gave it a shot. All that was left was to torch our losses and move on. Especially when I had Ainsley waiting for me back home.

Ainsley and her toys.

I’d never had phone sex before. Never stroked myself so roughly or come so hard. It had taken all my willpower not to book a flight back to San Francisco the next day. But being with Ainsley meant dealing with Tessa, once and for all. Then I’d be free, and I could finally tell Ainsley about this mess.

It was a gift, her trusting me enough to open up about her ex, but I’d shut down afterward, couldn’t confess that I was accused of the same sordid behavior. She worked for assholes who cheated on their wives. She’d been dealt the same harsh hand. If I didn’t get Tessa to retract her claims, I’d likely lose Ainsley before we had a proper start.

I took a deep breath. Then two more. I straightened my tie and cracked my neck.

Treat her as good as Nana.

The office was a study in sleek, shiny surfaces, slicker lawyers to match. Everyone marched with purpose—briefcases swinging, arms pumping at their sides. I fell into step.

Tessa’s office was at the far corner. Our meeting was scheduled for this afternoon at my lawyer’s firm, but I wanted to have a private talk first. She didn’t know I was here, and neither did my attorney. He’d have given me hell for facing her without him, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If Tessa and I could begin face-to-face, kind words offered, I was sure we could wipe our slate clean.

So focused on my end goal, I nearly smacked into my old friend. “Caroline, wow. It’s been ages.”

She stood, brown eyes wide, as though stunned to see me.

Of all Tessa’s coworkers, Caroline was the one I’d adored. We’d often have dinner with her and her husband. Unable to convince Tessa to have kids, I’d doted on Caroline’s two girls, even playing dress-up and letting them paint my nails. I’d coached the oldest in soccer, and had used Caroline as my wing-woman, bouncing plays off her on the sidelines.

Sad, the people I’d lost when Tessa and I fell apart.

“It’s great to see you.” I moved aside to let others pass. “How’s Sam? She coaching her team yet?”

Instead of replying, Caroline’s lips pinched tight. She was a head shorter than me, but her fierce glare had me stepping back. “Don’t insult me by asking about my daughter.” She inched closer and dropped her voice to a fiery hiss. “Do you know how hard it is for a woman to get ahead in this firm? How much we sacrifice? It only works if we have someone in our lives we can count on. It’s not easy for Richard, being with me. But we made a promise to each other, and we fight to make it work. What you did to Tessa is an insult to all women. An insult to our friendship. I suggest not showing your face here again.”

There was no waver in her accusation. No hint of disbelief that I’d cheated on my wife.

A slow boil started in my marrow, heat searing my neck and ears. I’d helped drive Caroline’s girls around when her mother had passed away. She and Richard had invited us to their country home every fall. How could she swallow Tessa’s lies? “I don’t know what she told you, but none of it’s true. Not a word of it.”