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She wanted to scream when she almost obeyed.
“Calm down.” He grabbed her arm, pulling her back to the couch.
“Calm down?” She jerked free from his grasp. “You manipulated me. Tricked me because you wanted someone to breed little Harkers.”
“How did I trick you? I spelled it all out. You signed the contract.”
“You tricked me before that. You made me stay here and work so much that I had no life. I practically lived here with no one for company but you. I’ve been brainwashed. You gave me the contract because I’d finally had enough and was going on a date.”
“That wasn’t the only reason. I was waiting for the right time.”
“You couldn’t risk me going on a date, meeting a real guy. You know, a guy who might actually like me.” She’d never been so furious and hurt in her life. She’d trusted him—as a lover and as a friend.
“No, I couldn’t. Do you know how long sperm can live inside a woman’s body?”
“Excuse me?” Her mouth dropped open. He did not just say that.
“Ten days and then I’d have to wait at least two months to make sure that any child you might have in your womb wouldn’t belong to this Randy guy.”
CHAPTER 15: Harker
“Don’t look at me like that.” He wasn’t going to feel guilty about this. Alison had known exactly what he’d wanted. Fuck, he’d put it all on paper for her.
“I don’t want to look at you at all.” She stood.
“Oh, no. You’re not running away mad. We’re going to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You tricked me. Manipulated me.”
“I didn’t do either of those things. I didn’t tie you up and force you to stay.” Although tying her to his bed had been a frequent fantasy of his.
“You threatened to fire me.”
“So? You would’ve found another job. You’re smart, talented, dedicated, personable. You could’ve worked anywhere but you wanted this job.”
Her face tightened and he could see her mind scrambling for an answer.
“So, tell me. How did I manipulate you?”
“Yes, I wanted to work here but not every minute of every day. You made me feel like I had to.”
“You did. If you’d put in a forty-hour work week, I would’ve fired you.”
“Why? Was that some kind of test because a mother needs to always be there? Let me tell you a secret. Work isn’t a child.”
“Stop being emotional.”
“Sorry. Being used does that to me.”
“I didn’t use you. I made you offers, and you accepted them. I offered you a job. You took it. I told you you’d be working long hours and you accepted that.”
“You never said anything about staying here all night. Working almost 24/7. Weekends. Holidays.”
“You could’ve declined.” He’d done nothing wrong. He’d paid her well, worked her hard and had chosen her to be the mother of his child. She should be thanking him, not berating him.
“I tried.”
“Not hard enough.”
