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“Go home, Tessa,” I order.
“Yes, sir,” she says and quickly grabs her bag and hurries out of the place like it’s on fire.
My hands are trembling, and it feels like a thousand frantic birds flapping in my chest. “I was forced into the betrothal, but I’m working on a plan to free myself of it. Natasha is Sergei’s lover, and I’veneverlaid a finger on her. Since the day we met, there’s been no one but you, Mads.” I take a step closer, encouraged that she seems to be listening. “That’s why I wanted you to move in with me, to sleep in my bed every night. I wanted you secure in the fact that you’re it for me.” I lower my eyes and nod. “Yes, it was wrong of me to keep that information from you, but I was terrified that if you knew, you’d have nothing to do with me.” I lift my eyes to hers, the expression is stern but at least she appears to be processing my words, weighing them carefully. “You can accuse me of lacking the courage to tell you, but you can’t accuse me of being unfaithful or two-timing you. There’s only you, Mads. My heart is yours.” Her jaw clenches and her warm hazel eyes go cold. Definitely not a good sign.
“Fine,” she says, the word laced with venom. “Give me a call once you’ve managed to break the engagement. Until then, stay the fuck away from me.” She goes for her bags.
But I lunge forward pulling the bag away. “Please don’t leave like this, Mads. Yell and scream at me, hit me if you want to, but don’t go like this. Please.”
Her face twists in derision. “You bought that cunt that house in the Hamptons, the one we stayed in where we first said we loved each other.You bought it for her!”
“No!” I nearly explode. “I bought that for you, it was to be a graduation or wedding gift. I don’t know how the hell she got wind of it. She must have just assumed it was for her.”
“She said I should stay here like all your other club pool girls,” she says bitterly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who are these fucking club pool girls.”
I feel the color drain from my face.
Mads snorts and shakes her head. “So that part is true.”
“No, I mean, that has nothing to do with us. Regardless, you’re the only person I’ve ever invited to come live here with me.”
“Who are the club pool girls?” she persists.
I take a deep breath, I don’t think that I can get much lower in her eyes. “My cousin Stieg owns an establishment in the red district. He recruits some of the dancers and waitresses to become part of the…group of women who volunteer to be…on call to meet certain needs of the bosses.”
A derisive laugh escapes her. “So, it’s your private brothel consisting of strippers and waitresses.” She closes her eyes. “That’s what Natasha is associating me with?” She shakes her head. “Fuck this.” She moves to get around me, but I block her path.
“She was just trying to needle you, get under your skin. She knows you’re a physician and have nothing to do with the club.”
“But you have something to do with it, don’t you? Do you still go there, to thatstripclub?”
“Stieg conducts business out of there so occasionally we…” I think better of it, “You know what, I’ll never step foot in there again for any reason. All right?”
Her face screws up. “No, not all right. What other nasty little surprises do you have in store for me? Maybe the next knock on the door will be one of those club girls with a baby in her arms claiming you’re the father? For that matter, do you have any kids you need to tell me about?”
I don’t care for her condescension, but under the circumstances, I hold my tongue and take my lumps. “There are none, I’ve always been very careful about that sort of thing.” I splay my hands out. “I only want to have children with the woman I love. I want them with you, Mads.”
“Jesus, Bash,” she shrieks and buries her face in her hands. Her shoulders tremble as she cries.
“Babe, I’m so sorry,” I say as I go to gather her in my arms.
She flings my hands away. “Stay away from me, Bash. I’m not okay with this.”
I lift my hands away but stay close. “I love you, Mads. Nothing has changed. I know you’re angry at me. But we both know we’re going to get passed this.”
She leans her head back staring at the ceiling. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. I know you love me and we’re not going to allow that fucking slag to wreck what we have. We win, not her.”
She shakes her head, but the slump of her shoulders and the softening of her brow tell me my words are doing their work.
“Look, I know you want nothing to do with me right now.” I gesture at the sofa. “I’ll sleep down here tonight, for as long as you need me to. You take the bed.”
She closes her eyes and sighs. “Bash.”
“I fucked up, I should’ve told you,” I rub my neck. “I know you won’t believe it, but I was going to tell you tonight.”
“At the museum,” she says quietly then cuts her eyes at me. “So, I couldn’t yell at you.”
