“Excellent.” Charles shook my hand as he guided me to the front door.
Juliet escorted Sabrina to the front door at the same time. They must have gotten together since Charles was busy with another meeting. The second Sabrina saw me, her eyes lit up like this was a turn of events that she wanted.
I shook hands with Charles then kissed his wife on the cheek. “Thank you for the scotch. It was very smooth.”
Sabrina said goodbye as well, and when she noticed me step out the door to leave without her, she said, “Maverick, would you be a gentleman and walk me to my car?”
The asshole inside me wanted to tell her to fuck off. It’s what I would have said to someone else. But that would be a poor way to start my new business relationship with Charles. “Of course.”
Sabrina finished saying goodbye then wrapped her coat around her body. She walked out with me, keeping so close to me we looked like lovers to anyone who noticed us. Charles had a place in the city, so we stepped out onto the sidewalk and headed to our cars a street over. It was quiet because it had rained just hours ago. The sidewalk and street were damp with the recent rainfall. It was actually slightly less chilly because of the blanket of clouds overhead.
Her heels tapped against the concrete as we walked together. She kept her jacket tight around her to cover the sleeveless dress she wore. “You two have fun?”
“Money is always fun.” I was in dark jeans with a leather jacket. House calls between men weren’t meant for suits. Neither one of us cared unless it was a formal dinner party.
“Juliet and I are planning a charity dinner in a couple of weeks. Just ironing out the details.”
“I’m sure it’ll be lovely.” We turned the corner and approached the line of cars at the curb. “Which is yours?”
“The white Maserati.”
I escorted her to the driver’s door, knowing Sabrina would try something since she’d asked me to walk her to her car. She didn’t care about her safety. She just wanted attention. She couldn’t have me anymore, so she wanted me more—even though I was married.
She turned around and leaned against the door, having no intention of getting inside. She smiled slightly, her dark lipstick outlining the prominent curve of her lips. “I have a place just down the street.”
“As do I.”
“Then which one is closer?”
I’d never cared about matrimony or fidelity. Lots of men I knew had affairs on a regular basis. I’d never had an opinion about it because it didn’t matter. I’d never wanted to get married because monogamy was too cruel for even a short period of time. Lying and sneaking around weren’t my game. But now…I felt completely different about it. If you were married, you made a promise to someone, and you shouldn’t break that promise. It disgusted me that Sabrina saw the wedding ring on my left hand but didn’t care. She saw my wife with her own eyes but still didn’t care. Losing her husband made her numb to everyone else’s pain. “Sabrina, I’m married.”
“So is everyone else.”
“I’m not like everyone else.” My wife was at home, clueless to the conversation I was having at that very moment. If she knew, she would be livid. But when I came home, she would continue to be angry with me and ignore me. I was committed to a woman who still couldn’t forgive me for what I’d done. I was so damn hard up from my celibacy, and she would never know if I fucked Sabrina at my apartment. But that was not the man I wanted to be. I wanted to go home to my wife and be with her…because she was the only woman I wanted anyway. “Goodnight, Sabrina.”
Her hand reached out and grabbed me by the arm. “If you’re playing hard to get, it’s working.”
I twisted out of her grasp and stared at her coldly. “Touch me again, and I’ll break your hand.”
When the game was over, her eyes started to smolder with offense. Her playfulness evaporated, and she was left with the cold sting of rejection. When she invited a married man to bed, not a single one said no…until now.
I walked off and left her behind.
“I’m cutting you off.” Kent grabbed my glass and pulled it away. “You’re gonna crash into a brick building if you keep this up.”
“I’m fine.” I drank like I had an indestructible liver. Booze never slowed me down, and even when I had too much to drink, I was in control of my faculties. Most of the time, people couldn’t even tell I’d been drinking.
“Trust me, you look like shit.” He kept the glass out of my reach. “I might have to call your wife to come get you.”