“Belen, I told you I worked in tech.”
“At no time did you mention Virtual Labs. Do you remember them? Your company in San Jose.”
“I’m familiar.”
“Tell me, how exactly does one run a California corporation from Minnesota?”
Kris shoved his hands into his pockets. “How mad are you? Are you so mad that you’re not going to eat? Because I ordered Thai food from that place you like.”
I was starving and that Thai spot was cease fire worthy. “I’m going to eat but after I’m done I may not stay.” My anger was not going to stand in the way of spicy chicken curry.
“What about a kiss? Are you too mad for that?” He walked forward slowly, waiting for me to protest. But an objectionnever came and I allowed him to kiss me for far longer than I’d intended.Why am I this way?In the car I practiced my righteous indignation and prepared to chant liar, liar pants on fire and just minutes later I found myself pressed against the wall moaning into his mouth as he helped me shed my coat and scarf.
When I collected my senses, I asked again but my tone was less accusatory. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want that to be a factor when deciding whether or not to date me. It’s not a secret but it’s not something I openly share.”
“The articles claim you’re worth one hundred and ten million dollars.”
“Those things are never accurate.” He waved my words away.
“So you’re not worth millions?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“How much?”
“Does it matter?”
“Kris, I have seven thousand dollars in my savings account and I budget down to the penny.” I waited in silence for him to offer up the same transparency.
“I’m worth a little more than that.”
He was an open book about everything else but this. Values, beliefs, financials were all part of the getting to know you process. Hi my name is Kris, I’m from Canada. I have two younger siblings. And I have amassed a level of wealth most only dream about.
Kris clicked his tongue. “This doesn’t change anything. You know me.”
“I thought I did. You kind of downplayed your situation. You made it sound like you were selling shit on Esty.”
“No, you assumed that.”
“I didn’t assume a damn thing, you led me to believe you were small time. You have been on the cover ofWired Magazine,Tech Today, and you were featured inForbes.”
Kris lifted a sulky shoulder.
“Forbes!” I yelled, pulling the documented proof out of my overstuffed purse. I’d printed off pages and pages of articles about him. He was not small potatoes. He was a loaded baked potato with all the fixings. “I just thought we were building toward something.”
“We are.”
“Not with secrets between us. I knew you had money; I mean look at this place. But I thought we were talking about a few million dollars not hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“I don’t think it makes a difference.”
“Of course, you don’t because you’re rich. But you can have anything you want, go anywhere you want. While most people live with limits, your life is limitless. It absolutely matters.”
He blew a rush of air through his nose. Tugging the documents from my grasp, Kris tossed them aside before collecting my hands in his. “I’m more than my profession. And I’ve found real connections form when I don’t immediately mention my company. Virtual Labs is a big part of my life, of course I want to share that with you. I’ve just been burned in the past by people I trusted and who I thought actually liked me. But more times than I can count it ended with hands extended from individuals who believed I owed them something.
“I have no problem taking care of the people I love. It makes me happy. But I don’t want you to tolerate me because I have money. I don’t want you to force something that isn’t there because of the money. I need to know you genuinely fuck with me. If this is going to work between us, I have to be enough. Because you’re enough for me, color-coded monthly budget and all.”
