Page 9

Marcus

“This might seem unorthodox, but would you like to get coffee?”

“Oh wow.” The question caught Marcus off guard. He really hadn’t expected her to call at all. Never mind inviting him out. But hey, what’s the worst that could happen? His wife cheats on him more?

“Sorry, that’s really forward of me,” Erica said, a touch of nerves in her tone. “I just feel compelled to meet you.”

He knew what she meant. He felt the same compulsion to meet the other victim in this fucked up mess of his marriage.

“You know what, Erica? Coffee sounds perfect.”

Marcus chose a table right in the middle of the coffee shop, in full view of everyone and with a straight line towards the exit.

Trying not to focus too hard on the door, he looked around at the other patrons as they enjoyed their beverages.

He was incredibly nervous as he sat there, waiting for Erica.

Sure, she had sounded pleasant enough on the phone, but what if she’d had time to process and directed her anger towards him?

It didn’t help that he wasn’t sure who he was looking for.

Anyone who came through the door could have been her. The young woman with the mean face who’d ordered a coffee to go and topped it up with something from a silver canister. Or perhaps the older lady doused head to toe in expensive brands and dripping with jewellery that looked like it belonged in a children’s toy box.

However, when the bell tinkled signalling a new customer, Marcus somehow knew that the woman who walked in was Erica.

Her beauty stunned him and took his breath away. She looked around the cafe, her eyes taking in everything as she moved further into the room like liquid in motion.

Everything about her screamed elegance and grace. She held herself in such a way that no one could tell the turmoil he was sure was raging inside her.

And that was how he knew it was her he was waiting for.

Heartache attracts heartache.

Her eyes met his from across the room, her lips turning at the corners into a tentative smile. She walked towards him with confident steps.

“Marcus?”

“Yes,” he said, returning her smile. Standing, he pulled her chair out for her. “Please, take a seat. Can I get you a coffee?”

“A latte sounds great, thank you.”

He excused himself, heading to the counter. It was only as he waited for her order that he considered he shouldn’t have run off so quickly.

He stole a glance towards Erica, only to see her looking back at him. Offering a small wave, he turned back to the barista and made small talk.

No. No, this was good.

He needed this moment to get all his nerves out and make sure his first words to her were not incoherent babble.

Instead, the poor server who wore the name Clive proudly on his chest had to listen to his cheesy jokes and pitiful attempts at small talk.

Unfortunately, his time with Clive was all too short and as he paid for Erica’s drink, he knew he couldn’t put this off anymore.

“Here we go,” he said as he approached the table, placing the mug in front of her. He took his seat, taking a mouthful of his half-empty coffee .

“Thank you,” Erica said, as he got comfortable. “I feel it’s only appropriate to tell you something,”

“Oh, god. What now?”

She chuckled and shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. “No. Nothing like that, don’t worry. My sister, who falls asleep to true crime podcasts, I might add, demanded I give her your number.”

“In case I’m a serial killer?” He asked, his features relaxing into a smile. “How very smart of her. Older sister?”

“Younger. But much smarter than me.”

What a perfect icebreaker.

Marcus was completely at ease as Erica shrugged off her jacket, a sure sign that she had also deemed him safe.

“I think she’s probably desperate for you to kidnap me so she can show off how prepared she was.”

“Surely not?” Marcus laughed, watching as amusement flickered in Erica’s eyes, making them sparkle under the light above them.

“Maybe not quite that bad,” she admitted. “But she’s definitely waiting for a reason to use your number.”

“Well, I have no plans on giving her one,” he said, taking another drink.

Silence settled between them, forcing Marcus to remember why they were there.

“So,” he said, shifting in his seat.

“So,” Erica replied, sitting up straighter. “Have you confronted Sophie yet?”

Marcus shook his head.

He’d wanted to so many times, and when she’d brought home that fucking lingerie, he’d nearly broken.

How heartless did she have to be to bring sexy clothes to the home she shared with her husband, knowing she was going to wear them for another man?

And then to model them for him just to cover her tracks.

As if he’d go anywhere near her, knowing what she had been up to. But man, did it feel good to reject her after riling her up.

His joy was short-lived, however. The sound of her sobs carried down to where he sat at his desk and he’d felt like a prick .

He wished he could be as heartless as she was.

“I’m going to presume Alex doesn’t know either,” he said, refocusing on Erica. He didn’t need her to answer. He was sure Sophie would have something to say about Alex’s marriage imploding.

“No. And I don’t plan on saying anything for a while.”

He paused with his cup halfway to his lips, raising his eyebrow. “You don’t?”

“I don’t think so,” she said with a shrug. “Although it depends entirely on the outcome of this conversation.”

“You’ve piqued my interest,” he admitted, finally taking a drink. “So, what’s up?”

“I think we should have an affair.”

Whatever Marcus had been expecting, that wasn’t it. He spluttered on his drink, banging his fist against his chest to clear his throat.

Across from him, Erica hid a smile behind her hand, watching him as her eyes sparkled.

“Erica,” he said, clearing his throat again. “You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, but I don’t cheat. Even if they deserve it.”

Erica remained silent, her expression giving away nothing. After a moment, she dropped her hand, composing herself.

“Good. I’m not a cheat either.”

“So, then… what? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

She took a drink and Marcus followed suit, just for something to do with his hands. His head was spinning, and he needed to ground himself.

“Last night, I had dinner with my brother and his wife. Alex had invited them round because they’ve not long returned from their honeymoon, and we hadn’t seen them for a while.”

“Okay,” Marcus replied, trying to follow her train of thought.

“He spent most of the evening complaining about a client at work and the trouble they were causing. On and on, he spoke about loyalty and trust and how important they were to a working relationship .

“And I sat there getting angrier and angrier because, of course, he didn’t honour me with trust and loyalty. His client deserved more respect than his wife, clearly.”

“I’m sorry, Erica,” he said as she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes. Despite her poise, he could tell how much this was killing her.

“It’s fine,” she muttered, clearing her throat. “It’s fine. Anyway, it occurred to me as I sat listening to his bullshit that leaving him wasn’t enough.

“I want to fucking destroy him.”

“And that’s where I come in, I presume?”

She met his gaze and blushed, adding a lovely colour to her cheeks. “Maybe I’m deluded, but I truly think Alex loves me. I don’t think he means for me to find out about his indiscretions.

Marcus couldn’t argue with her.

He’d read enough of Alex and Sophie’s messages to know that he wanted nothing more than sex. It was Sophie doing the chasing. Sophie doing the begging.

“If I went to him with the evidence, he’d do everything he could to win me back. He’d make it his entire focus, not allowing himself to admit the marriage was over.

“But if he thinks I’m having an affair, especially with the man he believes he’s screwing over, it’s going to fuck him up.”

“I think I understand,” Marcus said. It was a pity such tactics wouldn’t work on Sophie.

“Don’t you want to screw with Sophie’s head?” She asked, as though reading his mind.

“I’m not sure me having an affair would have any effect on her whatsoever,” he admitted. “However, fucking Alex over sounds pretty appealing right now. I won’t lie.”

Erica spread a slow and satisfied smile. “I think out of everyone in the world, Sophie would take issue with you having an affair with me. Married to the man she wants and stealing the man she’s married to from under her feet? Come on.”

She had a point.

How many times had Sophie ranted about Erica? Complained about some aspect of her appearance, or her presence at the office? Marcus didn’t pay attention. In his eyes, no one could compare to Sophie, and so he assumed that his wife was obsessing when she didn’t need to.

Having met Erica, he could see why Sophie felt threatened.

“You’re making this sound very tempting,” he said, chuckling. “But have you thought it through?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well. If we can convince them we’re having an affair, it’ll be hard to prove we weren’t. It could make a divorce settlement difficult down the line.”

Erica scrunched her nose, waving a dismissive hand. “I don’t want anything in the divorce.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Nothing? Not even—”

“Nothing,” she repeated. “I’m not a materialistic person, Marcus. There is nothing in that house that’s worth fighting for. Sometimes peace of mind is better than anything of monetary value.”

He finished his coffee and considered her words. He couldn’t blame her for wanting a clean break, but her plan of a fake affair seemed to contradict that.

Glancing down at his empty cup, he considered his next move.

“How about we take a quick pause,” Erica said, watching him with a small smile. “I’ll grab us fresh drinks and we can have a breather.”

“I don’t mind paying,” he said, moving to stand.

“Nu-uh,” she replied. “You got the last ones. Fair’s fair.”

Without waiting for a reply, she walked off, not giving him a chance to protest.

He looked over his shoulder at her, smirking as he checked out her ass without meaning to.

Quickly looking away, he silently berated himself. That was not helpful. Pretending to want this woman wouldn’t be an issue.

Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but as he glanced at his watch, it occurred to him that time had flown by in her presence.

She was nothing like what he was expecting .

In fact, he had pictured her to be a slightly older and more done-up Sophie with lip fillers and heavy contour.

But Erica was a different kind of beauty.

Already he knew this was a woman who would embrace the aging process and let her natural beauty shine through.

Sophie had been having Botox since she was eighteen, so fearful of looking her age.

Marcus had never minded.

Despite her numerous procedures, he could still recognise her as the woman he fell in love with. So far, everything had worked well to enhance a woman already blessed in the looks department.

But he suspected in ten years that all these procedures would age Sophie in a way she didn’t expect.

He used to feel sorry for her.

After hearing about her youth and the shit her mother had instilled in her, he recognised her insecurities despite the front she used.

Now, however, he couldn’t wait for reality to catch up with her.

“I didn’t know what you were drinking,” Erica said, interrupting his thoughts. “So I got you a latte and hoped for the best.”

“As long as it’s hot, I’m not too fussed,” he said as she took her seat once more. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” she said, winking at him. “Now where were we?”

“Divorces,” he muttered. “But I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” she said, gesturing for him to continue.

“Do you have a plan for this affair of ours, or is it just an idea right now?”

“I have a plan,” she confirmed. “With this client being so skittish, it presents the perfect opportunity for Alex to host a party to show how capable and in control he is.

“I’m going to make sure he insists everyone bring their partners to show a united front. With the entire company there for support.”

“Giving us a chance to meet for the first time,” Marcus said with a nod. “At least in their eyes. ”

“Exactly. We meet, we hit it off, and the rest is history,” Erica said. “And in the meantime, we hang out, get to know one another, and grieve our marriages with someone who understands.”

Out of everything she had said so far, it was that last line that sounded the most appealing to Marcus.

He needed someone who understood how anger turned to heartache with the drop of a hat, and how that heartache fuelled his anger.

He needed someone who would laugh at his self-deprecating jokes while knowing that came from a place of self-loathing torment.

Pulling the rug out from Alex’s feet, or exposing Sophie for the heartless bitch she was, paled at the thought of having a buddy to navigate all this with.

He met Erica’s gaze and nodded, clearing his throat.

“You know what? I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

“Let’s do it, Erica. I’d love to pretend we’re fucking.”