“Since I’m now one of your bosses, I thought I’d stop by,” Dalton says. “Never thought you’d be working for me again, did you?”
“I never worked for you in the first place,” I say, swallowing.
He leans a shoulder against the only exit from the room unless I jump out a window. “That was quite a show your boy put on for the world this past week. You going to break his heart too?”
My thoughts get jumbled at the implication that I broke Dalton’s heart. It’s not true, but I don’t know how to clearly and concisely refute it—like my brain won’t work. The fight, flight, freeze mechanism is in full “deer in the headlights” mode.
“All those public displays were a bit juvenile, don’t you think? A bit forced. A more mature man who has a better sense of what’s appropriate and when is more your speed. Someone to help keep the Tucker name as one that’s worth something in this country. I’m actually really concerned about you. Such erratic behavior. You’ve been all over the place since we broke up.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and give my head a little shake. “Why are you here?”
“I told you.”
I stare at him, waiting. Being alone with him is like watching the cobra rise, the hood flare, and trying to hold still enough to avoid the strike.
“I’ve been thinking lately,” he says.
I don’t encourage him. I just wait. The strike will come.
“You know, it would be a real shame if someone hacked into my accounts. I’ve set up a lot of security on my devices since we were together. Now that I’m part of the government, that sort of thing matters—keeping private and public affairs locked down. But there were so many people who had to help me set up that security that it’s hard to know who saw what.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“Ididn’t. I’d never. That’s what I’m telling you.”
“You let people view…” I can’t bring myself to say the words, to admit any of it out loud.
“Of course I didn’tletanyone. Honestly, Sawyer, do you really think I’d just let someone look at our private collection? I’m simply telling you that I lost control over who was able to see what during my security orientation.”
“Ourcollection? You took those videos and pictures without my consent.”
“We were in a loving, mature relationship, Sawyer. You consented.”
“Being in a relationship doesn’t equal consent.”
“You knew what I was doing, and you never said no.”
“That’s not true. You had cameras set up—”
“You’re overreacting. They’re security cameras, and they happened to be there when you couldn’t wait to get somewhere more private.”
Hecouldn’t wait. It was always him, and he knew exactly where his cameras were. “Some of those photos you took while I was sleeping.”
“Once you started working out with the adventure race group, you looked amazing. Sue me for being a proud boyfriend.”
I can’t win with him. No matter what I say, he twists it, like he always used to. Twist and turn my words until I’m the irrational one, the immature one, incapable of reason. “Why are you here?” I grind out the words.
“Now that we’re working together, I thought it was important that you knew I didn’t have complete control over my content. That’s all. Just a heads-up.”
“You’re threatening to release those videos and photos?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He places his palm over his heart, and he draws back like I’ve hit him. “That would hurt you and be deeply embarrassing. The way you couldn’t wait, couldn’t get enough in those videos, I mean…”
In one of those videos he rips my dress, and I laugh. On the video Ilaugh, but I remember being uncomfortable. So afraid that if I did or said something, he’d only getmoreaggressive. That was always the hardest part with Dalton, the unpredictability whenever we were alone. In public, he was a dream, but alone, he could be a nightmare.
“We both know I’d never hurt you on purpose. I would never do that. But I can’t control what other people might do.”
It’s just one lie after another. Knowingly releasing the videos and photos without my consent is illegal in Bellerive. But if he’s “lost control of his content,” he’s already setting the groundwork to spin this lie in court.
