Raul
"Sir?"
I look up from the sales report I'd been studying to see Olivia standing uncertainly in front of the partially-opened door of my office.
"Yes?" I say, trying not to sound as annoyed as I am about the interruption. I'd forgotten to take my meds this morning so I've been struggling to return to whatever task I was doing after having to switch my attention to something urgent.
"Dinner?" she says.
"Excuse me?"
"It's eight o'clock." She smiles brightly, still looking fresh and perky even after a long day. "I thought maybe you'd like some dinner."
"Jesus." I wince. Usually, I never skip meals but I've been popping trail mix since 3 pm so I didn't notice it was dinner time. Thankfully, I'd already texted Kate to tell her to eat without me. "I'm sorry, Olivia, I lost track of time. Yes, please, get me..." It's only then that I notice the white paper bag in her hand. "Is that for me?"
She makes her way to my desk. "Ms. Berano gave me guidelines regarding your meals. Will a steak sandwich and a salad be okay?"
I nod, and she sets the bag down on my desk. "You can go home now, I can get someone else to clear this after I'm done."
"It's all right," she says as she arranges the sandwich and salad in front of me. "I don't mind staying on a bit longer. Drink?"
"Just water, thank you. And get yourself some dinner as well." I turn my attention back to the report, wondering if I should just put this off until tomorrow or if I should just take it home with me.
"Sir?"
"Call me Raul, please," I say, not looking up.
"All right." She clears her throat. "I thought I'd let you know that Mr. Jones and Ms. Pak decided to fly to DC after lunch tomorrow ahead of us."
"What?" It takes me a second to remember I have a trip to the Capitol tomorrow. Shit. I think I assumed Kate would have moved it to a different date because of the wedding. But I should have known better; my wife is nothing if not practical. I do remember Kate saying my two VPs might try to meet with some of their contacts before our meeting with Congresswoman Knox to discuss setting up a new factory in Raleigh. "That's fine." I frown and look back up at her. "Kate did brief you on what you need to do during this trip, right?"
"She did, yes. I'm..." Olivia clasps her hands in front of her. "I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."
I could sense she was a bit nervous. While she has been on Kate's staff for a couple of years now, Olivia didn't have much time to prepare for this job. I give her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you will."
"Thank you, Raul. That means so much to me."
There's a knock on the door and Marcus steps inside. "Sorry, am I interrupting?" he says, glancing at Olivia and then back at me.
"No, sir," Olivia says. She looks strangely flustered, as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't.
"That will be all, Olivia," I tell her.
She nods and leaves, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"I'll be flying to DC tomorrow," I say. "Have you had dinner?"
"Yes, I know. And no, I'll grab something on the way home." Marcus sits on a chair in front of my desk. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to go through the last sales reports before I leave for the day—"
"No, Raul," Marcus says, interrupting me. "Why are you here at eight pm at the office the day after your wedding?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, this doesn't look good. If you're trying to convince the board you're suddenly a family man, coming home late every night the week you get married isn't a good start."
"Oh." I run a hand over my face. "You could be right."
"This never occurred to you."
"No." I pick up my sandwich. I've already been distracted from work long enough, I might as well eat. "And I know Kate isn't expecting me to change my work schedule just because we're married."
"It's because she's still thinking like your assistant, not your wife." He glances at the door, then looks at me. "Your new assistant is quite attractive."
I pause just as I'm about to take a bite of my sandwich. "I hope you're not planning on asking her out."
"Would you have a problem with that?"
"HR would." I frown. "And personally, I wouldn't want to have to deal with any kind of drama if things go sideways with the two of you."
"I'm not interested in Olivia." He arches one eyebrow. "I'm just curious if you are."
"Of course I'm not interested. Jesus, Marcus, I just got married yesterday. How could you even ask me that."
"It's a marriage of convenience, Raul. Or are you telling me you're in love with your wife?"
"No, of course not. But even I'm not that kind of an asshole."
He raises both hands in a placating gesture. "All right, I believe you."
I re-wrap my sandwich and put it down on the paper plate. Leaning back in my seat, I eye him warily. "Is this how it's going to be from now on? You're going to police my sex life?"
"No, of course not." He shakes his head to emphasize his words. "But you just went from player to married man in a space of a few days, Raul. You can't blame me for worrying you'd have difficulty adjusting."
"I'll be fine. Stop fussing." I pick up my sandwich again. "You do remember the terms of the contract, right?" I take a bite of the sandwich, realizing only then how hungry I am.
"The contract that is in fact not legally binding in any way?"
I grin and swallow, then reach for my water. "It's morally binding, for what it's worth. And it states that Kate and I agree each of us is allowed one lover a year outside our marriage."
He crosses his arms over his chest. "Do you think she'll do it?"
"I assume so, else I wouldn't have gone through with this."
"You want your wife to sleep with other men?"
"Yes." I take another bite of my sandwich. It's only then that I'm reminded of that night I found Kate in his arms, ostensibly to keep her from slipping in the snow. I'd written that off as just one of those situations friends find themselves in. Should I have read more into it?
Marcus watches me chew, as though waiting for me to speak again. I take my time, hoping to annoy him a little. But he's patient, as though he has all the time in the world.
"As you said, it's a marriage of convenience," I say. "It wouldn't have been fair to either of us to expect the other to fulfill our emotional and physical needs. Besides, Kate helped draw up those terms."
My best friend scoffs. "That's when she thought you were marrying someone else."
"I know Kate. She believes in fairness more than anyone I know. She would never have signed off on those terms if she thought it would put my wife at a disadvantage, especially if it were another woman."
"You're right, of course." He grinned. "That does sound like Kate."
"We know what we're doing, Marcus. Stop worrying."
"As I am only one of two other people complicit in this scheme of yours, you'll forgive me if I feel a little responsibility if this goes sideways."
"What could possibly go wrong?" I roll my eyes. "Okay, a lot of things could go wrong. But so far everything is going great."
"I take it the honeymoon is going well?"
My grin is answer enough. At least I thought it would be. Did he really think my relationship with my arranged wife would remain chaste? But if I thought that would placate him, I was wrong.
"And tomorrow, you're going on a trip out of town with a beautiful woman," he says.
"Olivia?" I frown.
"Well, Binna Pak is quite attractive but she's not interested in men. Of course I meant Olivia."
"It's a work trip. Do you suggest I leave my assistant behind just because she's attractive?"
"No, of course not." Marcus gets up. "But be careful, okay?"
"What are you not telling me?"
He grins. "There are a good many things I don't tell you, Raul."
I watch him leave my office without another word.
Asshole.
***
Katelin
On my way to the hotel. Be there in 10 minutes.
Raul's text sent my heart racing. We didn't get to speak all day and I've been dreading questions I expect him to ask the moment he gets back.
To be honest, I didn't actually expect him to do the usual husband ritual of keeping me informed about missing dinner or if he was coming home late. So I didn't know what to make of his checking in with me twice today.
Neither do I know what to make of my sudden urge to run a brush through my hair and dab on some face powder. I had on a sweater and slacks, and I quashed the thought of changing into something prettier. Just because the previous night was date night, it doesn't mean it will be Champagne and roses every night.
I stare at my reflection in the full-length mirror in my bedroom. Maybe I should have gone out today, even just for a few hours. What would he think when he finds out I spent all day in the hotel just waiting for him to get home? How was I supposed to explain to him my fear of finding myself in the crosshairs of the paparazzi who have been following him for the past several years? Even walking through the lobby and having every member of the hotel staff greet me as "Mrs. Marin" was disconcerting.
None of that compared to my dread of talking about last night.
In hindsight, I know my lack of experience in bed should have been something we should have talked about earlier. Not that I had to explain my choices in that matter to him or anyone, but I could have at least let him know.
At the sound of the soft electronic beep of the door unlocking, I take a deep breath.
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