Read Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) for Free Online

conversation
before we start acting like sharks.” She leaned back in her chair,
her posture perfect.
    Was I being an ass? Or was she making me
an ass? “Very well.”
    “What do you do for fun?” she repeated.
    “Not much,” I said honestly. “When I’m not at
work, I’m usually with my wife. And if I’m not with her, I’m
usually with my friends. We drink, play ball, hit the gym together,
just normal and boring things.”
    “How did you meet your wife?”
    “In college.”
    “Wow.” Her eyes were wide. “So you’ve known
her a long time?”
    “About ten years.”
    “Impressive. That’s a long time to be with
the same person.” She kept her eyes glued to mine.
    “We were friends for that ten years. She and
I have only been lovers for about a year and a half.”
    “I see. What took you so long?”
    I shrugged. “I was an ass, to be honest.”
    She gave me a smile. “I can’t see you being
anything but sweet.”
    That made me uncomfortable “Are you
married?”
    “No.”
    “Boyfriend?”
    “No. I have a few casual lovers, but nothing
serious.”
    That was too much information. She could have
just left it at no. I didn’t have a response because I was too
awkward. Only my family could tell me something like that.
    The waiter broke the silence and took our
order. Thank god. After he took the menus, he walked
away.
    “Some of my lovers are married men.” She said
it plainly, like it was something she’d said a hundred times.
    Okay…
    She leaned over the table and placed her chin
on her hand, giving me a playful look. “And I’ve kept their
secrets. Their wives have no idea and everyone wins.”
    I slept with a lot of girls in my youth, but
never once did I sleep with a married woman. Actually, other than
my brother’s girlfriend, I hadn’t even slept with a girl who had a
boyfriend. Not my style. I thought it was immoral and wrong. I may
never have wanted to get married, but that didn’t mean I didn’t
respect the institution. The fact she was okay with that lifestyle
made me dislike her. But I wasn’t here to judge her on a personal
level. She had something I wanted for my company, and insulting her
would get me nowhere.
    When I didn’t say anything she pressed
forward. “I know we just met, but I can already tell I like you…”
She reached her hand out and placed it on mine. Suddenly, her words
made sense to me. She wanted to have an affair. I pulled my hand
away quickly. The first thing I wanted to do was call her a whore
then storm out, but I had to control myself. She was a very
important client. “I’m married—happily married.”
    She smirked. “Marriage is a despicable
practice. I can guarantee that people would never commit to another
person for the rest of their lives if it weren’t expected in our
society. The divorce rate has never been higher. It’s a waste of
time.”
    “You have the right to your own opinion, but
I respectfully disagree. I’ve never been happier in my life. I
never want another woman as long as I live. If soul mates exist,
she’s mine.”
    She gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s
obvious you’re a newlywed.”
    It was getting harder and harder not to snap.
She said she appreciated the fact that I didn’t harass her, but
yet, she was doing the exact same thing to me. “I’m not interested
in other women. Can we get down to business?”
    She sighed. “I suppose.”
    “I’ll meet your demand for full exclusivity.
I think your asking price is too high, but I’ll compromise.”
    “If you thought it was too high, you wouldn’t
agree at all.” A condescending smile was on her face. “But I’ve
changed my mind about it. Actually, my father has.”
    This was bullshit.
    “The same asking price, but we want a thirty
percent royalty on all your sales.”
    Thirty percent? You’ve got to be fucking
kidding. “With overhead, employees, and taxes, that would leave
me with two percent—that’s not a fair asking price.”
    She sat back in her