Page 49 of The Boss Upstairs
“It’s my pleasure.”
“But this is getting kind of silly, Weston,” I say. “I know it was in the agreement that you could get me gifts but—”
“They’re just flowers, Grasshopper.” He stands and walks toward me. My whole body turns on every time he’s within five feet of me. I love it, but I also kind of hate it. No man has ever had this effect on me. Not even Donovan.
He takes my hand. “They were offered in apology. I’m not quite sure what I’m apologizing for, but last time we played, I upset you.”
I shake my head. “No, you didn’t.”
His brows furrow. “Don’t lie to me. I study people, Gretchen, and I’m very good at reading them. I knew you wanted me the first time I looked into your eyes, and I also know I upset you. You need to tell me what the matter is because I don’t want any secrets between us.”
I blow out a breath. I’m clearly not getting out of this.
“You’ve disappointed me.”
“How so?” he asks with wide eyes.
“I didn’t realize you were the kind of man who could be unfaithful.”
He shakes his head. “How do you mean?”
“The woman you mentioned…” I clarify. “The one you’re trying not to think about. Is she the reason you divorced your wife?”
He hesitates a long beat before speaking, and I wonder if I’ve just hit the nail on the head.
“Kind of… she had a lot to do with our separation,” he confesses. “Quite a lot in fact.”
“Were you having an affair with her?” I ask, desperate to know.
“No,” he says. “Not really. Not in the traditional sense.”
What the hell does that mean?
He blows out a huge breath. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
I don’t hesitate to answer. “Positive.”
He pulls me to the sitting area in front of the cozy fireplace. We both settle on the loveseat.
He rubs at his pant leg, clearly not wanting to get into this. But he can’t back down now. There’s no way he’s not telling me everything.
“Bridget and I… my ex-wife,” he clarifies. “We… we were polyamorous.”
I cock a brow, confused. “What?”
“It wasn’t what you might think. We weren’t swingers, sleeping around. No, we found couples we enjoyed, and we participated in couple exchanges.”
I’m almost speechless, but not quite. I’m too curious to be speechless. “Couple swapping?”
He smiles. “Yes… You make it sound so tawdry.”
“Itistawdry.” I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing. “How many times? How many couples?”
“Three times,” he tells me. “The third time was not the charm, it was rather problematic.”
“I can imagine.”
He dips his head and stares at the area rug under our feet. “Mirella, the woman I mentioned… she and I fell in love,” he confesses. “Love was never meant to be part of the equation.”
