met me there. You need to find a new place to pick up women." I feel sick to my stomach. I wish I hadn't stepped foot in that club.
"This is so fucked up," he says, his voice barely audible. "You've got it all wrong."
"Your girlfriend is my boss." I point out. "It's pretty simple."
"It's more complicated than that."
"I don't care what it is." I cross my arms over my chest. "All I care about is my job. I need to get out of this with my job." I had to. One lesson my past had taught me was that if you're the bearer of bad news, you always end up having to pay for it, in one way or another. If Cassandra found out from me that Nathan was a cheating son-of-a-bitch, she'd hate me as much as she'd hate him.
"What about us?" He grabs me by my shoulders, shaking me slightly.
I shove back away from him so harshly I almost lose my footing. He's so much more imposing when I'm not wearing heels. He's almost an entire foot taller than me. "Us?" I sneer." There is no us. I don't care about you. I care about my job. I need this job." I desperately need the job. Cassandra pays me so well that I can cover my expenses and save for culinary school.
"That was a waste of time." Cassandra's voice calls as she rounds the corner from the kitchen. "Jess, bring that box in here, now."
I move to pick up the heavy cardboard box I placed on the floor just a few minutes ago when we arrived. I squat down and pull it into my shaking arms. I have to calm down. I have to get through the next few hours. After tonight, I never have to see him again.
"What's this?" Nathan reaches to take it from me, scooping it into his left arm.
"We're cooking you dinner." The delight in her voice is grating on me. She's so happy. Why shouldn't she be? She met him at the same club as I did and she's his girlfriend. She has a key to his apartment and knows his birth date. She probably sleeps in his arms and hears stories about his day. She's oblivious to what he's doing at night. She has to be. There's no way she knows that he has a hotel suite that he uses just for sex.
"No. I don't want that," he says hoarsely. "You shouldn't have planned this."
"It's your birthday," she whines. "Your secretary said you'd be in court until six. It was supposed to be a surprise."
I feel his eyes bore into me but I don't shift my gaze from Cassandra's face. If I bolt right now and tell her I'm done, Rebecca will likely face the consequences of that too. My roommate needs her job as much as I need mine.
"Jessica." His voice is husky and strained. "I need a minute with Cassandra."
"For what?" She narrows her eyes at him. It's the same look she gives to Allie and Aaron when they're disobeying her.
"In the kitchen." He gestures over my head. "Now."
"No," she snaps. "Whatever you want to say, here is fine. Make it quick. Our guests are coming in a couple of hours and Jess needs to start cooking."
Shaking his head he starts down the hallway, the box still under his left arm. "You had no right coming here."
She pushes her hand into his chest stopping him in his tracks. "I have every right."
"We're on a break." There's a frustrated note in his tone. "We agreed to not see each other for a few weeks."
"It's your birthday, darling." The intimacy of her words jars me. I swallow hard to level my breathing.
"That doesn't make a difference," he says soberly. "We're not together right now."
"That's temporary." Her hands run up his chest. "Tonight is a new beginning for us."
I finally pull my eyes back to his face and he's staring directly at me. His right hand clenched into a fist by his side. "We should be having this discussion in private."
"What discussion?" She nuzzles her face into his neck. I know I should excuse myself and leave the room but I feel as though my feet are nailed to the floor. I can't move. I can only stand in stunned silence as I watch my boss fawn all over the man I've been fucking for the last few weeks.
"It's over." He pushes her away.
"What's over?" Her voice
"This is so fucked up," he says, his voice barely audible. "You've got it all wrong."
"Your girlfriend is my boss." I point out. "It's pretty simple."
"It's more complicated than that."
"I don't care what it is." I cross my arms over my chest. "All I care about is my job. I need to get out of this with my job." I had to. One lesson my past had taught me was that if you're the bearer of bad news, you always end up having to pay for it, in one way or another. If Cassandra found out from me that Nathan was a cheating son-of-a-bitch, she'd hate me as much as she'd hate him.
"What about us?" He grabs me by my shoulders, shaking me slightly.
I shove back away from him so harshly I almost lose my footing. He's so much more imposing when I'm not wearing heels. He's almost an entire foot taller than me. "Us?" I sneer." There is no us. I don't care about you. I care about my job. I need this job." I desperately need the job. Cassandra pays me so well that I can cover my expenses and save for culinary school.
"That was a waste of time." Cassandra's voice calls as she rounds the corner from the kitchen. "Jess, bring that box in here, now."
I move to pick up the heavy cardboard box I placed on the floor just a few minutes ago when we arrived. I squat down and pull it into my shaking arms. I have to calm down. I have to get through the next few hours. After tonight, I never have to see him again.
"What's this?" Nathan reaches to take it from me, scooping it into his left arm.
"We're cooking you dinner." The delight in her voice is grating on me. She's so happy. Why shouldn't she be? She met him at the same club as I did and she's his girlfriend. She has a key to his apartment and knows his birth date. She probably sleeps in his arms and hears stories about his day. She's oblivious to what he's doing at night. She has to be. There's no way she knows that he has a hotel suite that he uses just for sex.
"No. I don't want that," he says hoarsely. "You shouldn't have planned this."
"It's your birthday," she whines. "Your secretary said you'd be in court until six. It was supposed to be a surprise."
I feel his eyes bore into me but I don't shift my gaze from Cassandra's face. If I bolt right now and tell her I'm done, Rebecca will likely face the consequences of that too. My roommate needs her job as much as I need mine.
"Jessica." His voice is husky and strained. "I need a minute with Cassandra."
"For what?" She narrows her eyes at him. It's the same look she gives to Allie and Aaron when they're disobeying her.
"In the kitchen." He gestures over my head. "Now."
"No," she snaps. "Whatever you want to say, here is fine. Make it quick. Our guests are coming in a couple of hours and Jess needs to start cooking."
Shaking his head he starts down the hallway, the box still under his left arm. "You had no right coming here."
She pushes her hand into his chest stopping him in his tracks. "I have every right."
"We're on a break." There's a frustrated note in his tone. "We agreed to not see each other for a few weeks."
"It's your birthday, darling." The intimacy of her words jars me. I swallow hard to level my breathing.
"That doesn't make a difference," he says soberly. "We're not together right now."
"That's temporary." Her hands run up his chest. "Tonight is a new beginning for us."
I finally pull my eyes back to his face and he's staring directly at me. His right hand clenched into a fist by his side. "We should be having this discussion in private."
"What discussion?" She nuzzles her face into his neck. I know I should excuse myself and leave the room but I feel as though my feet are nailed to the floor. I can't move. I can only stand in stunned silence as I watch my boss fawn all over the man I've been fucking for the last few weeks.
"It's over." He pushes her away.
"What's over?" Her voice
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