Page 69 of Perfect Satisfaction

His forehead scrunches before he nods down at my dinner. “Is that just to get the medicine down?”

“This is dinner, Arek. I suck at cooking. No, I more than suck at it.” Holding up my index finger, I point out the slight scar. “Courtesy of a peanut butter sandwich.”

He snickers and it loosens his expression back to what it was prior to JB’s endearment. “You’ve got to be kidding?”

I shake my head. “Not even close. I was on FaceTime with Angie and, well, the knife slipped.”

His eyes light with humor and my heart thumps against my ribs because that humor reminds me that inside him is the man that used to tease me until I laughed. Then he’d kiss me until...Stop, Sula.Remember, cheating bastard roommate. “I have absolutely no trouble imagining this scenario.”

“Anyway, I apologize for being brusque, but as you likely overheard, work calls.” I try to step around him, but he boxes me in. “Arek, I have more calls to place tonight.”

“Answer me this, then I’ll let you go.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“Why are you working again for Joshua Basset? What is the pull between the two of you?”

Carefully, I set the yogurt on the counter so I don’t fling it. “Let me explain something in a way you’ll comprehend. I don’t just work for Joshua. Since I quit MSW, I freelance.”

“But I just heard—”

“The very reason the lawyers had you sign an NDA,” I interrupt him. “I could be coaching our government through the installation of software—another country’s, for that matter. I’m damn good at what I do and earn top dollar doing it.”

“I noticed.” His snide innuendo doesn’t slip past me.

“Are you accusing me of something?” My voice is lethal.

“There wasn’t much implication. It isn’t that hard to imagine how you crawled your way up the company that fast. Unless you actually were on your knees.” He shoots me a smile full of malice.

“Wow. Today was a banner day before you just accused me of being a whore. Get the hell out of my way.” I reach past him and yank open the silverware drawer. I hate I’m shaking due to my fury—at myself for thinking I could control my emotions around this man, at my father for doing this to me.

And at Arek for everything in between.

“If you’ll excuse me.” I refuse to meet his eyes. Instead, I turn away and scurry out of the kitchen.

“Ursula, wait.”

I don’t. I race back to my safe haven—my work.

“Please? I want to—”

I shut the door just before the first tear falls. Fortunately, I have a number of hours to work before I have to find sleep next to a man who thinks nothing of me.

But how hard can it be?

I used to live in the same house with a man who thought so much less than that of me.

My father treated me like I didn’t even exist most days.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

The loneliest place to be is inside your own head when your heart won’t stop beating.

—Moore You Want

I lie on the far side of the bed,clutching the edge of the mattress unable to sleep. My head is throbbing, the pain relief from the paracetamol long worn off.

I bite my lower lip to keep the whimpers inside so I don’t make a sound.