Page 12

Sophie

“Oh, man. I wish I could have been there.”

Sophie lingered in the doorway of her bedroom as she heard Marcus talking to someone. She glanced at her phone to check the time and frowned.

Who was he talking to at seven-thirty in the morning?

She padded down the corridor and poked her head around the corner, only to find Marcus staring right at her.

“Well, we can talk about it later today, yeah? I’ll have to go. Sophie’s awake.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, lingering in the corridor as he wrapped up his conversation.

Why did she feel so awkward in her own home?

“Okay, I’m looking forward to it,” Marcus said with a chuckle. Was he flirting ? “I’ll see you later, Erica.”

Erica?

“You don’t mean my boss’s wife, Erica?”

“I do,” Marcus said, pocketing his phone. “I’m meeting her later for lunch.”

“What the fuck? Why?”

“Oh, we had a lot of fun last night—”

“Fun that got me in trouble,” she reminded him.

Marcus shrugged and took a drink of his coffee. Sophie glanced around and frowned, noting the one cup. He hadn’t made her one?

Sure, when he was going through his weird week, he neglected her. But he hadn’t been taking care of himself either, so she didn’t think anything of it.

Why had he forgotten her?

“If Alex is so insecure he can’t handle his wife talking to another man, he should probably seek therapy. ”

“You monopolised her attention,” Sophie said, repeating Alex’s words.

She had never seen him angrier than he had been after his speech, and she was the one who bore the brunt of his anger.

“Why the fuck did you bring him, Sophie? He’s making us both look like fools.”

She felt her cheeks flame as she remembered Alex pulling her to one side, his grip tight on her arm as he scolded her.

“That’s what he told you, huh?” Marcus laughed. “Got you well trained, hasn’t he?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Monopolised is a big word for you, Soph.”

Her jaw dropped as her cheeks flamed once more, this time out of sheer embarrassment.

“Marcus! How dare you speak like that to me! Since when were you so mean?”

Seriously.

Marcus had only ever spoken beautiful words to her.

“That’s not mean, Sophie. I can be mean if you want me to.” He folded his arms over his chest and met her gaze. “I know.”

Sophie forced herself not to panic, pressing her nails into the palms of her hands. There was no telling what he knew, and she wouldn’t drop either herself or Alex in any kind of trouble.

“What do you know?”

She congratulated herself on keeping her voice steady, ignoring the pounding of her heart.

“I know about your little crush on Alex. Erica told me all about it.”

Sophie exhaled a heavy breath, the relief of his words forcing a giggle from her lips. “You’re upset at me for having a crush? Jesus, Marcus, I didn’t realise you were so pat—”

“I’m not upset at you for having a crush. And if I were, I’d be a hypocrite as I have, over the years, found other women attractive .

“What upsets me is the fact you allow your crush to sway who you are as a person and change your relationship with me. Your husband.”

“Our relationship hasn’t changed,” she muttered, knowing full well that was a lie.

“Okay, Sophie.” He stared at her for a moment before running his hand over his jaw and chuckling. “Okay. I need to go. I’ll be late for Erica.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re meeting her.”

“Oh. We’re discussing her becoming my business partner. And before you ask, it’s nothing to do with you.”

“I think the fuck not,” Sophie said with a gasp. “That has everything to do with me and I forbid it.”

Marcus paused and turned back to face her. She was concerned for a moment that he might lose his temper. Instead, he laughed in her face. Which was worse somehow.

“Oh, Sophie, you’re good for a laugh. You can’t forbid me to do anything, but that was cute.”

“Don’t patronise me!”

She took a step towards him, wagging her finger in his face. “You do not get to decide things like this without discussing it with me.”

“I’m sorry. Remind me when my business was your concern?”

“When you start hanging out with my boss’s wife! You could really fuck things up for me.”

“Except the two aren’t mutually exclusive. What happens at your workplace does not affect mine, so what’s the issue?”

“I just really do not want you doing this.”

Where the hell had they come up with this stupid idea?

“Well, that’s a real shame. Because it’s happening. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Grabbing his keys and wallet, Marcus left the house without so much as a backward glance.

“I thought you were meeting for lunch,” she muttered to herself. What kind of lunch required him to leave the house before nine in the morning? God, this was going to make things more complicated. She had to watch her behaviour and handle Marcus as well.

It wouldn’t have been a problem a couple of weeks ago. He would have done anything she asked of him. But there had been a shift and Marcus was no longer the man she married.

Did he know?

He’d mentioned the crush, but did he know there was more to it?

There were moments she thought he was fucking with her. Punishing her for an affair. But Marcus was not the type of person to sit on something like that. He couldn’t stand cheating and he certainly wouldn’t tolerate it from her.

Alex was so strict about keeping their affair a secret that there was no way she could have let it slip. She was positive that she had been as careful as she could and there was no chance in hell that Alex would have made a mistake.

Marcus’ ego was probably just bruised because she found another man attractive.

Only, it went so much deeper than that for her. Marcus finding out about the affair would be nothing more than an inconvenience to her. She had already checked out of this marriage.

Marcus just wasn’t who she wanted anymore.

Gathering her work clothes from the laundry pile, she dressed in the living room, not having anyone she needed to hide from. She kicked her pyjamas across the room and left them as a treat for Marcus to find.

It wasn’t much, but it’d annoy him enough to make her happy.

Imagining him coming home from his stupid lunch to find her clothes on the floor, knowing it was one of their most common arguments, gave her the boost to rush out of the door and get to work.

Forced to take public transport, Sophie cursed herself for forgetting her headphones. Music would be a welcome distraction right now when every mile closer to the office left her with a feeling of dread .

Normally, she was excited to see Alex and partake in a little flirting. But already she knew that was not on the agenda for this morning.

She was sure Alex would have something to say about their spouse’s sudden friendship. True to form, he was waiting at her desk as she walked into the office a short while later, his face like thunder.

“I assume you’ve heard?” He asked as she approached him.

She nodded once. “Shall we head into your office?”

Leaving her belongings, Sophie followed Alex as he walked to his office in four long strides. The door closed behind her with a noticeable bang that made her jump, setting the tone for what she was sure was going to be one hell of a meeting.

“What the fuck , Sophie?”

“I know,” she breathed. “I know. He told me this morning.”

“What exactly did he tell you? Because out of nowhere, my wife is talking about helping another man out with his business. A man she barely fucking knows.”

“That’s…” She cleared her throat and hesitated. “Sorry, Alex. But according to what Marcus told me this morning, you got the diluted version.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Well. Marcus said they were going into business together .”

“What the fuck? ”

Sophie took an involuntary step back at the force of Alex’s anger, her hand moving behind her back to feel for the door handle. Staying silent to not rile him further, Sophie watched as he paced back and forth in front of his desk, considering her next move.

And then it occurred to her that this could work completely in her favour.

“I’m sorry she lied to you, Alex.”

He stopped his pacing, turning his head to meet her gaze. “She did lie, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, I think so. Unless Marcus was trying to get under my skin. ”

“Is that possible?” She opened her mouth to reply, only for him to cut her off. “Well, it must be, because how could she contribute to his stupid walking tour? She’s not using my money!”

“I’m not sure if he’s asking for a financial contribution,” Sophie said, relaxing her arms. She took a tentative step towards him. “I mean, what would her money really do, anyway?”

Alex searched her eyes, running his hand through his hair.

“Remind me again what he does? The long version this time.”

“He hosts walking tours around the city,” she said, as her lip curled. Marcus’ job was one of the biggest causes of embarrassment for her.

“Ghost tours, right?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed as she nodded. “Yes. As ridiculous as that is.”

“So, he just walks and talks?”

“Yes. At least I think so.” Sophie had only taken the tour once, back when Marcus first got the permits. The whole thing had bored her to tears and left her with blisters on her feet.

But a couple of American tourists had been on that first tour and lapped up every spooky tale Marcus had. They’d showered him with enough compliments that he continued with his plans rather than getting a proper job.

“What does Erica think she can help with? “Alex asked with a frown. “It sounds like a solo job.”

“It is.” Sophie shrugged before laughing harshly. “Maybe he thinks she can make it better. She can’t possibly make it worse.”

Alex wrinkled his nose and leaned back against his desk. “Whatever the reason, I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I,” she agreed. “I don’t like that he did this without consulting me.”

“More to the point, Sophie, they could start comparing notes. This isn’t about your ego. ”

Immediately chastised, Sophie dropped her gaze as she considered his words. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Marcus and Erica put the puzzle pieces together.

Although Alex was determined to believe their affair was only about sex, Sophie had thought back on some of his behaviour, and she was sure that she meant more to him than a hole to fuck.

She was positive that his reluctance to take their relationship to the next step was his reputation with his clients.

The London Group calling an emergency meeting had rattled him. Especially as he thought his relationship was solid. He’d neglected them a little as he fought for the Morgan company, and now he was terrified of losing them.

She understood why he kept her at arm’s length.

Sophie was a passionate woman. The minute Alex gave her the green light, she would throw herself into being the very best partner he could ask for.

Alex knew that.

He knew he couldn’t get her hopes up like that because Sophie would not contain herself. So he spun a lie to her, and himself, she suspected, that this was only about sex and if it ended tomorrow, he’d be fine.

It hurt sometimes, but she understood the way it needed to be.

“You’re right,” she whispered, as though his words had spooked her. “I didn’t even consider that.”

“How could you not?” Alex asked, clicking his tongue. “I told you, Sophie, you have to be vigilant. Any hint that either of them knows something and we’re over.”

“I understand,” she replied, crossing her fingers behind her back. She was barely listening at this point.

With those seeds of doubt planted, Erica and Marcus’ budding friendship was exactly what she needed to push Alex into her arms.

For a morning that had started so roughly, things sure had picked up, and the tides were finally turning in her favour.

It wouldn’t be long now. Erica would be a thing of the past, and Sophie would have her man.