Page 119 of Getting Down to Business

“We’re going out tonight. It’s going to be fun.”

“Oh-kay.” Before Mia could ask questions or bow out of their plans, Alyssa turned and went up to work.

They would go to a club. It would be fun. Just like it used to be.

* * * *

Gray called Alyssa in her office on Friday afternoon. He still didn’t feel comfortable facing her. He feared she would see what he’d done written on his face.

“Alyssa Sinclair.” Her name, spoken in her professional tone, sent a shiver of pleasure through him.

“I feel like I should be charged by the minute to hear you say your name like that,” he joked. She didn’t joke back.

“Did you need something?” Yes. He did. He needed things to go back to how they’d been. Except he didn’t want that either.

“I just wondered if you wanted to get a drink tonight after work. I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to you much lately.” Mostly because he’d been avoiding her as much as possible.

“I can’t. I have plans.” She didn’t elaborate on those plans, and he didn’t ask for details.

She’d said they were just supposed to be roommates. He was trying to go along with her request. But roommates could hang out on Friday nights. It wasn’t unheard of.

“Okay. Well, maybe I’ll see you around later.”

“Maybe. I have to go now. I have a meeting.”

He wasn’t sure if she really had a meeting, but he said good-bye and hung up.

They were drifting apart and he didn’t know which way to move. No matter what he did, he was doomed.

He’d been quiet since coming home from the prison. He still hadn’t figured out how to get her to open up and give him a chance.

He’d been desperate for some way to help her. If he could help her heal, maybe they would have a chance to be happy together. But now there was this thing between them.

By three in the morning, he knew she wasn’t coming home.

He fell asleep on the sofa, so she woke him when she came in at ten the next morning.

He looked her over, seeing the dressy outfit and the messy hair.

“You stayed the night with someone?” Even as he said it, he knew he had no right to ask or be upset. Not having the right didn’t make him any less upset though.

“Yes.”

“Come on, Liss. This is stupid. We had a good thing going. I can satisfy you as well as anyone else. Why would you go out with a stranger?” This was a valid point. Not the reason he was upset, but still valid.

She rolled her eyes trying to play it off, but he thought his head might explode. Another guy had touched her?

Without a word, she walked down the hall to her room. He followed.

“I don’t understand. You could have just told me you wanted sex. I was right here. I’m safe.”

“Where do you get off judging me when you were doing the same thing on Wednesday?”

“I wasn’t doing the same thing at all. I was—” He couldn’t finish the sentence. Not yet. “I wasn’t with anyone.”

“Whatever. That’s the whole point of you and me. No expectations, right?” She patted his shoulder as she passed him to go into the bathroom. He heard the shower turn on as he paced in the hall.

He needed to calm down before he said something that made things worse. The more he paced, the more he realized he didn’t care if he pissed her off. She’s said no games and he was going to hold her to it.