Page 163 of By A Thread

“I do not accept your resignation,” Dalessandra told him.

“You’re not fucking firing Ally,” he said.

“Of course not,” she agreed.

“Can either of you two see me? Am I invisible?” I yanked my hand free from his grip, but Dominic grabbed my thigh under the table and held me in place.

“First of all. How serious are you? Is this just sex, or is it more serious?”

“Once again, this is a conversation that should be had withmefirst, not your mother or ourboss.” I was screeching.

“We had the conversation. We’re together.”

“Darling, if you’re not willing to put up with a few bloviating windbags and their blind speculation, then I have to wonder just how serious you are about this relationship,” Dalessandra said.

“We’re serious enough. End of story,” he said calmly. “I’ll announce my resignation today.”

“No, you fucking won’t, you egotistical jackass,” I snapped.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Dalessandra insisted much more politely. “I suppose keeping this quiet is not an option?”

“There isn’t going to be a relationship to keep quiet about in a minute,” I said through clenched teeth.

It would be my shortest relationship on record.

“I’m not hiding this,” Dom said quietly. “I don’t think I could even if you asked me.”

Okay, coming from Dominic Russo,maybethat was kind of a swoony thing to say. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was real. These feelings felt real.

But still.

Dalessandra nodded. “Well, that settles that.”

I fought his hand off my thigh and stood. “Look, Russos. I am not a minion. I am a human person with feelings and opinions and decision-making capabilities.”

“Your decision-making capabilities have you living in a water-damaged icebox,” Dominic said.

Oh, if he wanted a fight, I was happy,thrilled,to wade in swinging. “Up until last night, your permanent stance was you didn’t want to have anything to do with me!”

“I am trying to save you both from another scandal,” he growled.

“I don’t need to be saved.” Dalessandra and I blinked at each other as the words came out of both our mouths in unison.

Dominic took a breath and let it out slowly. “I am offering a solution that puts all the problems to bed,” he argued.

Dalessandra spoke first. “That policy was designed to protect employees from predatory power plays and the workplace from disasters like your father left us with last year.” She shot me a look.

“What exactly do you suggest?” Dominic asked, annoyed.

“I suggest you disclose your relationship to human resources and the rest ofLabel’ssenior management, myself included. Let us worry about how to deal with it.”

“I willingly ignored the fraternization policy. How do you think they’re going to deal with it? It’s grounds for termination for both of us. And Ally can’t afford to lose this job. If I leave, no one has to know why.”

“Everyonewill know why,” I said, regaining my voice. “You think just because you didn’t confirm any rumors about Paul Russo that they just went away? This is the problem. Sweeping secrets under the rug doesn’t help anyone. The rumors are usually worse than the truth. People know about your father, and they’re going to find out about us.”

Dalessandra paled visibly.

“You think rumors are worse?” Dominic asked icily. “Are the rumors worse than my father locking an intern in a conference room and putting his hand up her skirt until she cried? She’s in therapy three years later because he thought he could take what he wanted. I read every affidavit, and believe me, the rumors don’t do the bastard justice.”