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she introduced him to Guido. She prayed Marc wouldn’t bring up seeing him at Delmonico’s.
    “Nice to meet you, Guido. Carmala speaks very highly of you.”
    Carmala appreciated Marc’s efforts to keep things on neutral ground.
    Guido reluctantly took his hand, as if he were touching a diseased person. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”
    “Have you decided yet to go with Synergy Plus?” Marc asked Carmala.
    “Unofficially, yes. I’m wrapping up my affairs, and I’ll let Banter know by the end of next week. I’ll start at Synergy Plus October thirty-first.”
    Marc smiled. “On Halloween. Maybe that will bring good luck. As I said before, you’re going to be a hit. If Tom gives you any trouble, let me know.” Marc winked at her.
    Carrmala shot Guido a look. Had he caught the wink? Sure did. He clenched his jaw as his face turned crimson red. He was pissed, all right.
    Marc straightened his shirt. “I’ll let you guys get to your lunch.” He kissed Carmala on the cheek again and shook Guido’s hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Guido. See you, guys.”
    Carmala braced herself for the inevitable tirade. Once Guido got in one of these moods, she couldn’t reason with him. It was best to keep silent. She scanned the menu quickly and picked her lunch: a turkey club. Guido ordered the same.
    “How could you humiliate me like that?” Guido whispered, after the waiter left, his voice angry. “While you two are chatting, I’m left to twiddle my thumbs. You know how supportive I am. Then Mr. Gallant walks in, and you forget all about me. I’m left to sit and wait for your attention. And why is it necessary for him to kiss you so much?”
    Carmala scanned the restaurant to see if anyone was watching, and attempted to remain calm. “I told you the guy is married with young children, for God’s sake. He is not interested in me on a personal basis.” The waiter approach with their meals, and she put her finger to her lips. “Shh.”
    The waiter placed their lunches in front of them and asked if they wanted anything else. Carmala shook her head.
    “Why do you have to chat with Marc so much?” Guido raised his voice.
    “I told you several times, we occasionally talk about mutual clients in the industry. It’s the way of doing business. There are clients, investments—”
    “Don’t you dare patronize me with your Wall Street talk,” Guido interrupted, more angry and loud.
    She didn’t respond, and they ate their lunches in stony silence. When they were finished, Carmala motioned to the waiter for the check. The mood for tonight was ruined. Guido wouldn’t let this go; it would go on all afternoon. “Guido, let’s go home and talk about this rationally.”
    “Rationally, there is no rational. That guy is trying to bang you, if he hasn’t already.”
    Carmaladug in her purse to find cash for the bill. She left more than necessary so they didn’t have to wait for change or a credit card to be processed.
    “In the four years that we’ve been together, there’s never been anyone besides you. You’re imagining things. Come on. We need to go.” Carmala walked out the restaurant door. She glanced back and noted Guido had followed on her heels.
    During their counseling sessions, he’d claimed his jealous tirades were because he cared about Carmala. Cared her ass! When they’d argue like this, she wanted to dump him. But she could never bring herself to do it.
    They rode the subway home in silence.
    Back at her apartment, Guido started up again, pouting like a little boy. “You know, Carmala, I have to put up with a lot of shit with you. Act proper, dress proper, smile and pretend everything is okay when it really isn’t.”
    “How can you say or believe these things?” She took a deep breath, counted down from ten to one. “I love you, don’t you know that?” She put her arms around him and kissed him. He tensed and pushed her away. The transformation from Jekyll to Hyde was now official.
    “I