“She was trying to provoke a reaction. Out of you, funnily enough. And it seems to have worked.” I shook my head. “Listen, Aria, I never lied to you. Gina and I are working through certain things that pertain way more to my mother than either one of us. That is the only reason she is anywhere near me. I have no feelings for her and I am not sure I ever did, really. For all intents and purposes, she stopped being my wife a long time ago. That doesn’t stop her from showing her malicious ways; that is just in the woman’s nature. She somehow figured out that I was seeing somebody in the office and she walked in here this morning with the intention of scaring whoever it was away. You. And by reacting like this, you are letting her fucking win.”
“Oh really? Because I care so much about the games you play with your wife and whether or not you’re winning? Are you really trying to convince me that none of this is what it looks like? If so, just save us both the time and yourself the energy, boss man.”
“It’s not a game and she’s not my wife. I would never, ever want to hurt you.” I looked deep into her eyes, hoping she would sense that somewhere in my words was an ounce of honesty. With a much gentler voice, I added, “I really care about you. More than you realize, obviously.”
I regretted saying those words as soon as they left my mouth. Not because they weren’t true necessarily, but because she didn’t need to know that. Until this very moment, it was something I hadn’t even accepted myself, but now I knew it was true. Because the fact was, watching her look upset with puffy eyes and a little blush over her perfect little nose was making me feel way more uncomfortable than it should have.
Upon hearing those words, her face seemed to gain some color. Perhaps she hadn’t even entertained the idea that I actually cared about her…. I hadn’t entertained it myself, until now, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
The room was silent for a long time, as Aria seemed to be weighing my words in her mind.
“If you really mean that,” she eventually whispered. “I have a request; I would like to rearrange the terms of the contract.”
“What do you mean?” What could she possibly want to change? Sex was not a part of the contract as it is…
“You don’t get to control who I talk to. Given that you somehow happen to have a wife up your sleeve, I should at least have sovereignty over who I communicate with.”
“Sure,” I said very carefully. “As long as it’s not your ex.”
“That’s amusing, coming from a married man who has been seducing me. If you remember correctly, as a part of the contract, you’re not allowed to have sex with any other woman. Yet your wife–”
“We’re not having sex!” I exclaimed. Hadn’t she been listening to a word I was saying? “I told you, Gina and I haven’t really been married in a while. Whatever shenanigans she was pulling here before were an act. Part of some evil master plan she has to win me back. And by me, I mean my money.”
“So you’re telling me you’re married to that woman and you don’t even touch her? You don’t have any regards for my intelligence, do you?” She was starting to sound hurt again.
“On the contrary, Aria, you are one of the most intelligent women I have ever met. And I can say this with confidence because I have seen your work. Both as your boss and as someone who worked through your economics coursework with you, I know what your mind is capable of. I would never underestimate that.”
“Then stop lying to me! You want to have a wife and keep the contract? Fine! Let me have my freedom back. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
“I don’t trust that guy around you,” I said broodily. “He has hurt you before and he will hurt you again.”
“And what do you think you are doing?” she snapped loudly. She had clearly been holding it back so far and now the anger was flashing red hot on her face.
“I am not hurting you...at least, I had no intention of fucking doing so.” I tried to catch her eye but she was looking away from me.
“Well, it’s a little too late for that,” she said in a barely audible whisper, making the knot in my chest feel heavy.
“I am sorry. And I’m sorry to say that I am not going to be okay with you talking to that moron. It’s for your own good.”
“I know how to take care of myself. Been doing it for 20 years without you, thanks. And if you’re going to be sleeping with other women – and after seeing your wife, I don’t believe for a second that you’re not, no matter what you say – then I should have the right to at least decide who I keep company with.”
“For the last time, I am not fucking Gina. Or anybody else for that matter.”
“For the last time, I don’t believe you. And I have work to do,” she said, then without any warning, stormed out of my office, leaving me perplexed.
Chapter Three
Aria
These days, being inside an active classroom was the only respite my mind got. Tired of Zayden, the contract, and all the drama surrounding it, I had made a newfound resolution to concentrate on one thing: school. If I was constantly thinking about numbers and graphs and economics theories, there would be very little time to worry about much else. I had begun staying in the library late every night and avoiding catching Zayden’s eyes while at work.
As my mind began drifting off in my Public Finance class, I tried to bring myself back. Focus on school. That was my new motto. My Econ and Finance teacher, Mr. Weber, and I were on excellent terms; so far I had aced all his classes with top marks, so he often counted on me to have the right answer. It was an extremely comforting intellectual environment away from the royal mess that the rest of my life had become.
Class had just started, and after Mr. Weber finished taking the roll call, he made an announcement.
“Class, today I have a little bit of a surprise for you.” He flashed his white teeth, as though very pleased with himself. It made his old, wrinkly features light up a little bit. He didn’t laugh very often. “A surprise guest!”
Oh, that was interesting. Last year we had had a guest in his Intermediate Macroeconomics class and it had been incredible. He had brought in the Vice President of Finance of Dylan Motors – a multibillion-dollar corporation – and he had told us his amazing rags-to-riches story and taken the class by storm. Who could it be this time? There was a murmur of excitement through the whole class, and I couldn’t help but be overcome by enthusiasm myself.