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“Have you tried to do something nice for him? Maybe set the mood a little so he’ll be in the mood for sex?”

“No,” she answers, and I nod even though she can’t see me.

“Have you tried to get him to open up at all about what’s going on?”

“Yes, once. But he wouldn’t talk to me at all,” she says, sounding distraught and I feel for her.

“Okay, we’ve got a couple of scenarios here. Either, one, he’s cheating on you, or he really is working a lot and he’s stressed out. Have you guys had infidelity issues in the past?”

“We’ve been together since college, and he did cheat on me once when we were still in school but we’ve been solid ever since then.”

“Here’s what I think you should do. While he’s at work, go get your hair done, your nails done, get a wax. Then come home, get all dressed up and cook him a nice meal. After that, just jump his bones. As I mentioned earlier, Karen, guys are kind of stupid sometimes, and you need to take the reins.”

“What if he’s still not interested?” she asks, her voice so timid that it breaks my heart. Her fear for her marriage is coming through her voice loud and clear.

“If he doesn’t want to have sex with you after all that, you turn into the FBI, Karen. You search his car, his email, his phone - everywhere. You figure out what the hell is going on with that man, and if you find out he is cheating, leave his ass. Life’s too short.”

“I take it you believe once a cheater, always a cheater, eh?” Sam asks, looking uncomfortable, and I’m willing to bet a million dollars that he cheated on a girl at some point in his life.

“No, not always. If it’s a one-time mistake and the guy goes to his girl and confesses then no, I don’t think he would do it again but when you’ve got someone that’s carrying on a relationship with a whole other person, you’ve got to think about cutting your losses.”

“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?” Sam asks, and I look over at him with a raised brow.

“Why? He made vows to this woman, and if he broke them, why the hell should she just bend over and take it? Why should she devalue herself to accommodate whatever is wrong with his tiny ego? If he’s cheating, and that’s still a big if, he knew the consequences. He knew when he started this that it could end his marriage. Or he thought she’d never leave which is honestly, worse.”

“Thank you, Ali,” Karen says, cutting through our argument, and I turn my attention back to her.

“Sorry we got a little carried away there, Karen.”

“No, thank you. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I’m going to try your advice and seduce my husband.”

I laugh. “Good. I’d love to hear how it all turns out, okay? You can find my email address on the blog.”

“Absolutely. Thank you so much.”

“Thanks for calling in, Karen. We’ll take a quick break and be back to answer more questions,” Sam says before tossing his headphones off. The awkwardness descends on us, and I slip mine off, looking over at him.

“Sorry about that. It’s kind of a hot button issue for me.”

He’s quiet for a second before shaking his head. “No, it’s okay. It’s obviously something that bothers me, too. Just for a completely different reason but I can’t say that you were wrong in anything you said.”

“Well, thank you for that.”

He nods, and my phone buzzes on the desk next to me. I grab it, a smile pulling at my lips as soon as I look at the screen.

Storm:

I want to see you tonight.

I set my phone down, ready to get this all over with so I can rush back home and see him. If we keep going the way we’re going, I’m going to fall for him. It’s inevitable.

Chapter Thirteen

Alison

Glancing in the mirror one last time, I run my fingers through my hair and wipe under my eye to brush off any excess powder before grabbing my bag and turning toward the door. I pull it open and stop short when I almost crash into Storm, standing on the other side. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen him, and I missed him. I’m sure that it sounds stupid since I literally just met him but I missed not seeing him. Texting him just wasn’t cutting it for me.

“Hi,” I say, taking my time looking over him. I like him, and I don’t care about hiding it anymore. I don’t care about what I should or shouldn’t say. Not like it matters. I’m probably shit at keeping the fact that he gets to me a secret.