Page 12 of Start With A Slap

Horrified, she let go of her breast.

“Four fifteen!”Ivy ranted while blending a smoothie on Thursday morning. Jason was in a good mood today, even after she reminded him of the art gala. “Doesn’t he know that workdays go until five?”

“The world revolves around Sever Mark’s schedule,” Jason said, and took a quick sip of coffee from herI Put the Cute in Prosecutemug. “No room for negotiation.”

—Month from now, you’ll be waking up in my bed

That wasn’t on his non-negotiable schedule, right? It was just a fun little threat he’d penciled in on the spot.“No one is all-powerful,” she said, and imagined furtively opening Sever’s DayRunner and erasing it from his calendar. “He must bend for someone. His stockholders?”

“Last I knew, they got nothin’ to complain about,” Jason said, closing the refrigerator and taking a bite out of a bagel. “He might bend for a woman—for a little bit. ‘Til he gets tired of her.”

She took inexplicable umbrage to that—fleetingly, but still. So that was Sever’s definition of “affair”:Ruin your life for a ride on my cock until I get bored.

“What a complete piece of shit,” she said.

He chuckled and pointed at her with his bagel. “Told ya.”

“You did,” she said.I should have listened.“Should I cancel? I mean, I’m a woman, right?”

“Your gender identity is entirely up to you,” he deadpanned.

With a snort, she said, “Thank you for your support. I’m saying maybeIcan bend his schedule.”

“It’s your decision, babe. I’m just glad I don’t have to be there to hear more of his bullshit.”

“I’m not sureIcan hear more of it. Do you still have those noise-cancelling headphones? I just—I really want to see Mitchell’s lost work.” This was one hundred per cent true. “But if you’re not okay with it...”

“Don’t worry about me, darlin’. He’s a snake, but he’s got access to shit like this. Go ahead and take advantage while he’s got the wild hair up his ass to act like a dad.”

Out of all of her theories about why she’d become the object of Sever Mark’s desire, the one she wished for the most was that his pursuit was, on a subconscious level, an attempt to make amends with Jason. It was paradoxical, but it was possible. People did weird things when they didn’t want to have feelings.

She wrapped an arm around Jason and he took her in for a hug. Her cheek on his chest, she ventured, “Maybe there’s a still a little hope in the box?”

“Unlikely,” he said. “There are things he’s done that I wanna forget.”

Like what like what like what,the devil on her shoulder said while the angel said,My poor sweet baby.

He added, “And he’s sure as shit forgotten it.”

“And that’s the way you want it to stay,” she said.Buried.

She felt his nod on her head. “Sorry, babe. I know you hoped we could kiss and make up like normal folks, but it’s not like that with us.”

Did he have to use the phrasekiss and make up? Quickly, she deleted that dream-snapshot and faced the uncomfortable guilt she’d been working hard to suppress. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s notyourfault,” he said with a tut.

Yeah. If only that were true.

“There’s something I just... I wish I knew for sure.”

She frowned. “Knew what?”

“It’s kind of paranoid,” Jason said. “It’s just a hunch, and there’s nothing I can do about it, but I can’t—...” He stopped there.

She waited. The kitchen clock ticked.

“Never mind,” he said as he broke apart from her. “It’s stupid.”

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