CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31

NEENA

Something had changed with William. I sensed it in our morning team meeting, the way his gaze stubbornly stayed at different points around the room but never in my direction. I saw it in his doodle along the edge of his notebook during my group visualization exercise. I felt it in the silence that followed my text messages, his chatty behavior suddenly reduced to a stony quiet.

I watched him warily and tried to understand the source of the chill. Was it Matt? Guilt over our kisses? Cat? I pulled up her social media profiles and scanned the posts, looking for a hint. Club events. Charity galas. Professional-quality photos of her morning coffee, their gardens in the back. A new pair of heels, the angle not-so-innocently including a glimpse of their walk-in closet, the racks of color-coordinated shoes lit and displayed like jewels on velvet shelves.

“I need to see you in the boardroom.” William spoke from my office doorway, his tone curt. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked down the hall, heading for the private conference room.

Closing the internet browser, I grabbed my phone and notebook and followed. I glanced both ways down the hall, making sure no one saw me, then went in.

“Close the door behind you.” He stood by the windows, his hands in his pockets.

I did, then moved hesitantly into the room, preparing for whatever he was upset about. My best defense, I decided, would be to blame everything on—

“Cat told me you’ve had an abortion. Is that true?” He turned to me, his gaze sharp, and I floundered, the accusation one that I hadn’t anticipated.

“Uh—yes.” Out of everything I had done, the procedure had barely registered in my history, and I tried to piece together what he must be thinking and how that nosy bitch had found out. “I—”

“I don’t care about the abortion. Do what you want with your body, but it does bring into very clear focus that you’re a disloyal wife. I don’t need to be romantically seduced, Neena. We’re two adults here. If you want me to have sex with you, just say so.”

I cleared my throat, trying to understand the stiff brace of his shoulders, the curtness in his words. He was an alpha male. He should want the chase, the game. I looked at the floor and tried to readjust my strategy. “I’m . . . not sure what to do. I’ve never felt—”

He moved closer until he was directly before me and forced my chin up, my eyes on his. “Cut the crap, Neena. I don’t buy your sweet-and-innocent routine. Either you want this or. You. Don’t. Which is it?”

“I want it,” I whispered.

“Fine.” He dropped his hand from my chin. “Skirt up. Panties down. And if you feel the need to scream, don’t.”