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"It’s JJ, isn’t it?"
I lower my chin to my chest.
"The first time I went to meet Sinclair, I was pitching the services of my agency to his company. Turned out I liked him, and not at the opposite side of the table. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say, I kicked his legs out from under him during our first meeting."
"What?" I choke on the next sip of my drink.
Summer leans over and slaps my back. "Let me back up. That meeting wasn’t actually the first time I met him. And the first time didn’t exactly go well. Imagine my surprise when I turned up at the presentation to find he was the man I needed to convince to hire my company. And I needed that contract."
"Did you get it?"
"And the man." Her lips kick up. "After, uh, some manipulating on his side, and a whole lot of resistance on my side."
"At least he wasn’t your boss," I murmur.
"In a way he was. JJ’s the CEO of the company. So what? Is there a clause against dating in your contract?"
"Don’t think so, but it doesn’t feel right." I wriggle around, trying to get more comfortable.
"Is he abusing his power by sleeping with you? Is that what you’re worried about?"
"I would be, except that’s not the only complication."
"Oh?" Summer’s eyes gleam. "There’s more?"
I lower my chin to my chest.Do I dare say it? I have to say it.Best to get it off my chest, and to someone who doesn’t know me that well. From what I know of Summer, she’s chill, so I don’t think she’s going to get all riled up or judge me. As for my family? They’re not the kind to pass judgment, but they’ve met Isaac. How am I supposed to tell them I’m sleeping with his father? I’m going to have to tell them the status of our relationship at some point. Just not yet.
"There’s more." I square my shoulders, then meet her eyes. "I was his son’s girlfriend before I slept with him."
43
Lena
Her gaze widens. "So, you and JJ’s son—?"
"Isaac." I nod.
"And now, you and JJ?"
I squeeze the bridge of my nose. "I’m a slut; I know."
"Hey, stop." She reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. "Firstly, I’m really glad you reached out to me. I know we’ve only just met, so I’m honored you trust me enough to confide in me. Secondly, no judgment. You haven’t met some of my other friends but we’ve all been through our own journeys to create the life of our dreams, and it hasn’t been easy. We were lucky we were able to support each other, and I’d be privileged if you’d let me do the same for you."
Tears prick the back of my eyes. Guess I miss my family more than I realized. Except, even if they were in the same city as me, I’m not sure this is a situation I’d be able to share with them. Of course, if Ben were alive, I’d tell him, but I did cheat on him, too, in a sense, didn’t I? A band squeezes around my chest. Shit, I am a liar and a tramp. I lower my chin to my chest.
"Lena, hey, please don’t judge yourself so harshly."
"You don’t know what I’m thinking."
"Oh, I think I have a good idea. We women are so tough on ourselves. We never give ourselves a break, do we?"
"Somehow I don’t think I deserve it."
"Let me be the judge of that, hmm?" She inches my margarita forward. "Take a sip now, will you?"
"You make it seem almost medicinal." I sniff.
"Oh, it is, I promise." She raises her glass and clinks it with mine. "Bottoms up, then tell me what’s on your mind."
