Page 27 of Caught By the Chief of Staff

“Tell me what has you spooked,” he pushes. “I need to know what happened.”

“Nothing happened,” I lie, even as my voice shakes and we both know it’s not true. “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

“I told you that I was done letting you run,” he growls in my ear. “Whatever shit you’ve spun up in your head, you better tell me now, and we can work through it, fuck it out, whatever you need to get the fuck over it.”

“Thank you for reminding me we’re better off apart,” I say tartly. Somehow, Rick always manages to bring out the worst in me. I know that’s not fair to put it all on him, but holy fuck, I need to get out of here, and he chooses now to fight this out? This is why we shouldn’t be together!

“We are not,” he growls, sending shivers up my spine. I knew better than to poke the bear, and I did it anyway. Some days, I wonder if I will ever learn.

“We are,” I reply. “Can you honestly think this is the way loving parents should treat each other? That we’re setting a good example for our daughter by engaging in this toxic of a relationship?” When he’s silent, I press on. “You can’t, can you? Because there is nothing healthy about this. I don’t want to be treated this way.”

“You didn’t seem to be complaining when I was dick-deep inside you Saturday night,” he growls.

“You’re good at it.” I shrug. “Can you blame me? But that doesn’t mean we should carry on the way we are.”

“So that’s it?” he snarls. “You’re scared, so you’re going to run again?”

“Yes,” I answer him, because this needs to be over sooner rather than later, so I can get to Rachel as soon as possible.

“You don’t need to run anymore,” he pleads, and I can’t bear to see the look in his eye while he lays himself emotionally bare at my feet. “I’ll protect you from whatever has you running scared. Even if it’s your own damn self.”

“We can’t keep doing this,” I tell him. “It will only hurt Rachel in the end.”

“Two parents who love each other and love her won’t ever hurt her. And you know it.”

“You don’t know that,” I snap. Fuck! Can’t he see I have to go? This is wasting time I don’t have.

“Cara—” Rick starts, but I don’t let him finish it.

“I have to go,” I tell him one more time as I push away, and this time, he lets me. Thank God.

“This isn’t over,” Rick warns me.

“Just stay away, Rick.”

I walk away from him, and as I move down the halls, I hear the spoken word “Never” bounce around me.

And oh if only that was how it could be. But girls like me don’t get the fairy-tale endings.