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“What? When?”
“Today. My people have been watching his house to make sure he didn’t go anywhere, and they tailed him in his car, but he gave them the slip in traffic. Don’t worry. I won’t let him get near you.”
“How can you promise that?”
A smile forms on his face. “You’ve no idea what I can do if I put my mind to it.”
“What if he finds me?”
“If he ever comes within ten feet of you, I’ll kill him myself. Don’t worry about him. He will not hurt you. I promise you that.”
I want to believe him. I really do. “You don’t know him like I know him.”
“And he doesn’t know me. You are under my protection. You are about to become my wife. You think I’d let any harm come to you?”
“Still see people as business assets, don’t you?”
“You are more than a business asset. You are making my daughter happy. That makes me happy. I knew I was making the right decision when I offered you this job. All we have to do is stay the course, and everything will be fine. We get married. I persuade the commission that Alicia counts as my child toward this absurd rule, and then I take over. You get your boutique. I get my empire. Ernesto gets the scraps, and the magazine starts making money thanks to your ideas. You should be proud of yourself. You’re the glue holding all this together. That’s why you won’t run. You know all this in your heart.”
“And what’s in your heart, Hunter?”
He doesn’t say anything. He lights a cigar and takes a deep drag, breathing the smoke out slowly like a dragon warning off invaders. “You get some rest. It’s a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” He frowns at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I thought you could read minds. Can’t you guess?”
“You’re unhappy about something. I can tell that much. Is it the wedding? Don’t worry. I have arranged it so it can be annulled afterward. Toby already has the forms. Not even a speck on your permanent record. When you find the right husband, you won’t be marrying for the second time. This one won’t even count.”
“Funny, that’s what Ursula said about my virginity.”
“What is?”
“Well, she said because Oswald was such a shitty lover, he didn’t count. So I guess you were my first.”
“You’ve slept with no one else but him?”
“I hardly slept with him. Two thrusts and asleep kind of guy.”
“No wonder you were so happy on the plane. All I had to do was not be him.” He smiles at me. “You’ll never have assholes in your life again.”
“Except you.”
“I asked for that. But there’s something else. What aren’t you telling me?”
I shake my head. “Never mind.”
“No, what is it?”
I sigh, and then it all comes out at once. “You’re doing all these nice things for Alicia and me. You’re clearly affectionate and warm toward her.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. That’s my point. You love her. You’re capable of love but won’t allow yourself to show it. Like you think it’s a sign of weakness or something. There’s nothing wrong with having emotions, Hunter.”
“You were the one who told me to control my temper better.”
“That’s not the same thing. I’m trying to say that you act like I’m nothing but a business decision, but you do all these things that suggest otherwise. Would you tell me that you’re doing this because you want to help me and do something for someone else, not yourself? Tell me you want to help me because you like me.”
“Why does any of that shit matter?”
