AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why are you working?” He poured himself a drink and her a soda. “You're not supposed to be working yet.”
“Irene is playing, and it’s not like I’m out digging ditches. I'm only working on the computer. Plus, I’ve already napped twice, and I’ve been getting kind of bored just sitting around here.”
“You’ll be back to work soon enough. Enjoy the time you have with her.” He handed her the glass and his eyes softened as they fell on the baby.
“I do enjoy my time with her, but I’m capable of doing more than taking care of our daughter.”
“That’s not what I meant.” His jaw tightened. “Let’s not argue about work too.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Like I said, Mac’s doing great, but things are slipping.” The project timelines weren’t being updated and he was skipping some of the testing. It was tedious, but it needed to be done.
“Of course, they’re slipping. You’re not there, and I’m too tired to follow up on everything.”
“You don't have to get up with Irene anymore.” The baby had been sleeping longer during the day and in the evening. “I can do it.”
“Don't start with how you don't need me and—”
“That’s not what I meant. You're the one who said you're too tired to work.”
“That’s not what I said, but you're good at twisting what I say into what you want to hear.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t do any twisting.” They were no longer talking about work. “I begged you to let me go so I could think things through, but you refused.”
“There was nothing to think about,” he almost shouted.
“Maybe not for you, but there was for me. That’s what you just can’t understand.”
“Alison, please.” He sat next to her. “We can make this work. For you. For me. For Irene.”
“Ah, here’s the real Gus Barker. Shout, and if that doesn’t work, manipulate. Do anything you have to do in order to win. No one else matters. I’ll have to add using Irene to guilt me into doing what you want to my list for Harker’s Barker Meter.”
“And you said there was no malice behind that game. You’re as much of a liar as I am.” He held up a finger as if in thought. “Wait. I didn't lie. You just didn’t understand the contract.”
“You lied with everything you did. You made me think we were friends and—”
“Yeah, and I'm a fucking monster because—”
“You’ll get no argument from me about that.”
He stood and strode across the room. “This is our problem. You come up with your own conclusions without the facts, without listening to what I’m saying.”
“I’m not the one who doesn’t listen.”
“Prove it and listen to me now.”
“Fine. Go on. I’m listening.” She crossed her arms over her chest, bracing herself for his skilled lies.
“Yes, I said we weren’t friends, but I never said I didn't like talking to you. I never said I didn't enjoy your company. I didn’t consider us friends because I’ve never wanted to fuck a friend. From the day you shared that pizza with me I wanted to bend you over my desk and fuck your brains out. I’ve never been able to put you in the friend-zone since then, and”—his voice lowered to almost a whisper—“I don’t want to. You’re so much more to me than a friend.”
Alison was pretty sure she gulped, but she couldn’t let herself fall for this again. “Please. You weren't attracted to me. All you did was gripe at me. It seemed like everything I did was wrong.”
“Because I didn’t want to be attracted to you. We’d looked for months for someone with your skill set. I needed you for Angel Face.” He tossed back his drink. “It was bad business to want you, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop. I still can’t, but you don’t believe any of this. Do you?”
“Ah…I…” She had no idea what to say. She wanted to believe him, but he’d manipulated her from the beginning.
“I guess listening isn’t enough if you’ve already decided that every word out of my mouth is a lie.” He put his glass down and walked into the bedroom.
Alison's mind scrambled through her memories. Had she really misunderstood when he’d said that they’d never been friends? For her, never being friends had meant that he’d used her, but perhaps he’d meant that she’d been more to him than a friend—a friend who he’d wanted as a lover.
