Page 75 of Beauty At Stake
Star went still.
“When I asked him to remove the compulsion, he agreed.”
“He agreed?”
“Yes.”
“But I feel the same.”
“That's because he convinced me to change my mind.”
Star's voice went soft. And not in a good way, “You changed your mind?”
“I'm so sorry. He told me about the children, and I couldn't . . .” I bit my lip. “Fuck. He said they wouldn't be born if we didn't . . .”
“Get together?”
“I think it needs to be more than a sexual thing,” I muttered.
“Oh, I know exactly what it needs to be.”
“You're furious.”
“Wouldn't you be?”
“Oh, yeah. I'd be pissed.”
“You shouldn't have made that decision without me.”
“I know. I'm so sorry. I feel horrible about it. But he was talking about the kids and how his nudging was giving us an excuse to—”
“An excuse?!”
“Yes. An excuse to be together despite my husbands being against it. He said he could withdraw his influence, but we'd still feel this attraction. It wasn't his doing. Not entirely. He just amped it up a bit.”
“A bit?” Star cursed and spun away from me. “A bit?!” He spun back. “I can't think of anyone sexually but you! I try to fuck someone and your face fills my head! You have consumed my existence, Seren!”
“I didn't—”
“No, you didn't do this to me, but you could have stopped it.”
“Not entirely. That's what I'm trying to say.”
“Not entirely, but enough that I wouldn't be losing my mind over you. I could actually take another woman to bed. There would be a chance for me to move on!”
“Star.”
“No!” He pointed at me. “You have made yourself complicit in this. In my torture!”
“I'm so sorry, Star. It was the children. The thought—”
“Shut up!”
I shut up.
“How dare you use children against me? You know how badly I want a child. I know you know, Seren.”
“Yes. I know.”
