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Alessandra sounded defeated when she ended the call. “No, it’s fine Wyatt. No need to apologize. It’s just business, I get it. See you tonight. We’ll have an update by then.”
What the hell. The stakes were far higher than he’d thought. And she’d neglected to tell him that very important piece of information. If she didn’t hit the target, she’d lose her job and the career she’d worked so hard for. He walked into the living room.
She smiled. “Hey there, almost ready to go?”
“At some point were you going to tell me you were about to lose your job?” He kept his voice even and low. His tone had the right impact.
“It wasn’t important for you to know that,” she defended.
“You lied to me—it wasn’t just a normal end-of-year target. If you don’t hit your number, the casino will be sold, isn’t that right?”
“You were eavesdropping!”
“I was not. You were talking loud enough for me to hear. So apparently, you had plenty of motivation to keep me—how did you put it to Wyatt?—‘engaged’ this week. Your ‘responsibility?’ All that talk about ‘taking a risk’ by being with me, focusing less on your career? Bullshit. The only risk you were focused on was losing your job if you didn’t keep me ‘happy.’ I suppose you succeeded at that, didn’t you? Sure, you did. You kept me happy. Or should I say, you andyour pussykept me happy. Congrats.” Beau deliberately filled his voice with scorn.
She lowered her voice to match his. He could hear regret easing into her tone. “Beau, please believe me. How I feel when I’m with you, that’s real. It’s not made up. Yes, I needed you in the casino gambling to help get The Benson to the target, and I need to hit the target to keep my job. But that’s notwhyI spent all that time with you—that’s notwhyI slept with you. You must know that.”
Despite her words, he was certain her current regret was only the possibility of losing his gambling money today. It had nothing to do with him. “More bullshit. And not what you told Wyatt, by the way.”
“Be reasonable. Wyatt is my boss. I’m only going to share the business part of the equation with him. What would you expect me to say? ‘Oh, and by the way, I’ve slept with him and may be in love with him?’ Would anyone say that to their boss? No.”
“That’s rich, Alessandra. Now you’re going to throw in the word ‘love?’ You’ve never used it before. You didn’t use it last night. But today you’re that desperate to reel me in, are you? Need those last dollars of gambling money to save your job, do you?”
“Jesus, Beau. Not only is your thinking flawed, but now you’re just being an ass. After twenty years in the business, you think I’d sleep with a man to get him to gamble more money? You think I’m that type of person?”
“Apparently, you are,” Beau spat at her. “You said last night how committed you are to your career; how in the past it has stood in the way of other relationships becoming serious. Now I know why. It’s because you don’t let anyone in, you don’t trust anyone. So, no one can trust you. If you really wanted to let me in, you would have told me personally about your career predicament. You chose not to. Why, Alessandra? Maybe because what I’m saying rings true to you. Whatever emotions you think you might feel are the result of your desperation to save your job. Since you didn’t share that part with me, how could I think differently?”
“If that is what you really believe, then fine. You can’t trust me? What about me trusting you? At the first sign of a conflict, you want out. How can I be sure it wasn’t just a fling for you? Maybe this is your way to get out now and avoid a commitment?”
Beau could tell she was pissed, too. Good. “Great, then. We’re both on the same page. It won’t work between us. You can take the helicopter back to your job. I’ll order a limo and return that way. But don’t count on me to gamble today. You’ll have to find someone else toengagewith.”
Alessandra said nothing else. She only looked at him and left the room. He sat down and put his head into his hands. He heard her go upstairs to get her things, and he heard the door close as she went to the helipad.
When the clapping of the helicopter blades faded out, the enormity of his feelings punched him in the stomach. Part of him remained angry, but there was a small voice in his head that wondered if maybe he’d overreacted.
Too late though,he thought.She’s gone.
