tooth playlist, some ambient instrumental that made my nerves feel exposed. I sat in the back of

ked leather and some expensive, in

gne wore off and the cold shock of r

ered, curling my fingers around the coat sleeve

rove like he did everything els

he said. "You were branding yoursel

you thought, 'Hey, what a great tim

t amused. "You were

arm

"And the one person Daniel will never be abl

-detached, acidic-made

'd been chewing on since the f

id he

he silence stretched until I starte

ecause h

tion in the mirror. Hi

ued. "He doesn't value what he doesn't have

lin

. He didn't deserve you. But you handed him your loyalty withou

ink you're

now

beneath a downtown high-rise. I recognized it

ned in his seat to look at me fully

gins," he said. "Whe

d. "Watc

r. Publicly. Intimat

leeping together in this litt

waver. "Not unle

here was heat ri

"Come upstairs. Le

sidian chrome. Damien led me into his penthouse suite at the top of the

ford and didn't recognize. A fireplace glowed low beneath a mas

hile he poured two glasses

ke relationship," he sa

Define 'normal' for

about making Daniel jealous. It's about making him s

ght my a

ould get Cart

ight... narrative, we can force the board to audit everything Daniel touched. And if you're

me to wo

to run a div

ou're out of

ey-access. Resources. A stage. If we do this ri

k black desk and pu

ackwood Innovations tech branch-yours in name, mine in funding. We'll a

You want me

ell the

. "And what do y

seat on the board. And the satisfact

ed the

ion-very generous. Privacy prote

e that made

may either party develop romantic fe

is ridiculous. You ca

arts and flowers, Lena. This i

hen it

"Then we walk away. You get your life back.

tter, broken, bold

n someone's

said, "Fine. But I wan

an eyebrow

ing me beyond the scope of this agree

e tugged at

on

ended

gned my soul to the devi