Page 6 of Mr. Strategic

It was a naked, bald-faced lie, and surely they would see right through it.

My mind flashed back to our wedding vows.

His promise to love and cherish me

To always be faithful

Absolutely no talk of open marriage had ever passed Michael’s lips.

Dr. Ben-David looked skeptical, flicking his eyes back and forth between us.

After all, he wouldn’t want to cause friction with the hospital’s most talented surgeon. And he must love his wife. Hewantedto believe.

“Wehavediscussed the idea,” Alix said quickly.

“Not agreed,” he snapped.

Michael said nothing, just leaned against the door, his hands in his pockets.

Because Michael was fucking smart. All he had to do was stand his ground and his confidence would win them over.

It always did.

But surely even if Reuben accepted this to save face . . . everyone else would know it was a lie.

Alix would know for sure. That I was not the cool kind of person who would do that.

But Reuben seemed to be nodding his head.

He was skeptical but he would buy what Dr. Michael Carrington said.

Everyone always did. That was the kind of man my husband was. Calm, charismatic, assured. He spoke and people listened.

An unaccustomed anger flared through my little mouse-like self.

It was now or never. Otherwise, I could feel myself sinking, falling into his lies, too.

I cleared my throat.

“We do have an open relationship,” I said. “Michael and I swap partners a lot. He intended for Reuben and I to have sex too.”

Chapter Three

Reuben and Alix stared at me, and my face flamed in embarrassment, but I plunged on.

“That’s how Michael and I usually do it,” I said. “When we—we swap partners in our open marriage.”

For a moment no one said anything.

I wasn’t looking at Michael, but I could feel the moment he turned to look at me, felt it like an icy blast down my cheek.

Oh no, what if Reuben just laughed? What if he didn’t think I was attractive?

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Michael said, and I felt his long fingers slide down to my lower back and pull, slow but domineering, on my belt. “That’s not how we do it.”

Was it ridiculous? WasIridiculous? A woman no man would ever want? Not even my husband?

But then Reuben nodded, slowly at first, and then with a spark of more warmth in his eyes.