"No need. When I got your message that you'd be late, I went ahead and discussed everything with Eden. She can fill you in. I didn't have time to wait. I have back-to-back meetings scheduled to clear up your tarnished good-boy image. There are a couple companies scrambling to find another investor so they can push up the buybacks. But don't worry, it's nothing I can't fix. I've put out worse fires than these." And off she went with a pat on my arm.
Confused, I hurried down the hall to Eden's office and knocked on the door. I didn't give her a chance to invite me in before I opened the door and found her at her desk. Her hair was down in loose waves and her lips painted red, exactly the way I loved them. Damn, it was hard not to grab her and taste her.
I didn't think I'd be able to last five minutes with our new arrangement.
"Janette said she went over the PR strategy with you?" I sat in a chair across from her and tried my best to act as normal as I could manage. When I'd agreed to this, I hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
"Yeah. I was getting ready to type up the notes. I can email them to you when I'm done."
"You can't just tell me what was said?"
Keeping her eyes on her computer screen, she said, "I'm already typing them out. It's easier this way."
"Eden … look at me." When she didn't, I stood and leaned over with my palms flat on her desk, my face close to hers. "Look at me, please."
Finally, her eyes met mine, and I could vividly see the torment inside.
"Is this how it's going to be? You can't even have a conversation with me?"
"What did you expect, Dane? I came to work and was told by our receptionist that you would be late, and that I needed to cover for you until you returned. Since you're never late, I have to assume it was because you had to take care of Gabi. I told you how I would feel every time you had to run to her. Can you at least give me time to adjust to this? It won't happen overnight, but I can assure you, I'll adjust. Soon, I'll be the same assistant you've known me to be, but I need a little bit of time to get there."
"So you're mad at me?"
She sighed and shook her head. "No, Dane. I'm not mad at all. I completely understand the entire situation, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my feelings. I have emotions and feelings just like everyone else, and this is something that'll take time to get a grip on. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to tell you."
"I'm not the one who cheated on you. I'm not the one who got what I wanted and left. So why are you making me pay for their sins? I understand your trust issues and the reasons for being so guarded, but why am I the one being punished for your past boyfriend's mistakes?" My voice was low and guttural. No matter how hard I fought to reign in my anger, I failed miserably.
Her eyes brightened with ire just before she opened her mouth, catching me off guard. "You're absolutely right, Dane. You're a stand-up guy. You've never done a single thing to cause anyone to not trust you. I have no reason to question your faithfulness."
I recoiled like a snake in a defensive stance. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just because you never went after me while you were with Gabi doesn't mean you didn't still cheat on her. In fact, most people find emotional cheating to be worse than physical. You've already admitted that you fell for me before you left her, and we had a connection before you admitted it to yourself. That's considered cheating on an emotional level. Giving yourself to someone else outside of your committed relationship."
"Are you fucking kidding me right now? I was gone within hours of realizing I had feelings for you. Don't act like I committed some long-term adulterous affair behind closed doors. That's not what happened at all. Where is this coming from?"
"No, I'm not kidding." She stood and rounded her desk, meeting me on the other side. We stood toe to toe, her heels adding height to her short frame, but the anger residing in her made her seem as tall as me. "I'm not condemning you for it, if that's what you're thinking. But you can't act like I have no good reason to doubt you. Aside from my own fears and insecurities, you have a deep and tangled history with Gabi. It doesn't just unravel overnight. And if you were capable of developing feelings for me while being with her, then I can't help but worry you'll do it again-but this time, with her behind my back. This is exactly why I said I couldn't do a relationship with you right now. I can't handle you being the Good Samaritan to another woman. Don't diminish my feelings. They're valid and justified, and I'm entitled to them."