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“You swore I would be able to continue working,” I remind him. “Or is that yet another broken promise?”
I hadn’t planned on bringing that up so bluntly, but here we are. Subtlety is for the birds.
“I made no promises last night. You made a request, and I chose to decline.”
I bristle at that, realizing he’s right. He never said he would spend the night with me. I just assumed he would, based on how well things went.
At least, I thought they went well.
“Okay, fine,” I snap. “But tell me this: how are you going to spin the woman out there and my newfound lack of a job?”
“There’s nothing to spin,” he says, his eyes sliding up and down my body. His pursed lips and the darkness in his eyes tell me that he doesn’t approve of my outfit. Or, on the contrary, maybe that he approves of ittoomuch. “Althea is taking over your position because you’ve been moved to another department.”
“Why?”
“Because you are now my wife,” he snarls impatiently. “My wife cannot be an assistant, even if it is to me. You need a position that appropriately denotes your status. Which is why I have promoted you to department head.”
“Department… head?” I repeat in shock.
“That’s right. You will oversee marketing from your own office down the hall. I already have a stack of résumés on your desk. You can look through them today and schedule interviews for the assistants who impress you the most.”
“You’re giving me a… a promotion?”
He sighs. “I detest repeating myself.”
“On what grounds?”
“Excuse me?”
“What have I done to deserve a promotion?”
I know I sound silly. I should be thrilled, shouldn’t I? Most people would be. But all I can see is those diamond earrings in the pretty velvet box.
Another empty gesture. Another pretty, sparkly thing to keep me busy. To make me forget how empty our marriage really is.
“You married me,” he says.
It’s the entirely wrong answer.
“And what a savvy career move that was,” I hiss sarcastically. I’m pouring steam out of my ears, straight venom in my voice.
“I wouldn’t have given you the promotion if I didn’t think you could do it,” he says through gritted teeth. “You were grossly overqualified for the position of my secretary in the first place.”
“That’s not what everyone will think when they find out!” I yell. “No one knows we’re married yet, do they? And when they find out—”
“Who the fuck cares what they think?” he demands, leaping to his feet to tower over me, all fire and brimstone. “No one is going to question me. No one would fucking dare.”
“No, but they might question me. I don’t want to feel like I’m working at a job I didn’t earn.”
“Then earn it,” he growls. “Do the job and do it well. That’ll stop any tongues wagging.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want the stupid promotion. I want the job that I was hired for.”
His eyes narrow. “You no longer have that job. Althea does.”
I walk around to his desk until I’m standing right in front of him. Even in heels, I’m no match for him, but it’s better than nothing. If not the height, I’m at least grateful for the feeling of having two weapons strapped to my feet if he really pisses me off.
“She’s had my job for days.Days.And you didn’t even bother to tell me.”
