Page 27 of Forbidden Sins

“Bad day so far at work?”

“It’s fine,” he told her.

Alana clearly wasn’t convinced. “What’s going on? Did you get those annulment papers filed?”

“Yeah. But there’s more.” He took a deep breath and told Alana everything. What had transpired between him and Ellie the night before, and how he’d told her he wanted to keep sleeping with her, at least until their day in court.

Alana was quiet for a minute, and Gabe hated the way she watched him—so critical. “What? Why would you do that?”

“The sex is really good?” he answered, searching for a reason.

“You’ve had good sex, dude. And I’m sure you can find it again with someone who isn’t your boss’s daughter.”

“It’s not only that,” he told her. “Ellie is...” He tried to find the words. “Ellie is special.”

“Well, that’s nice for you. But you married your boss’s daughter when you were drunk. And we both know I hate to be the person to say it, but is she worth destroying your career and everything you’ve worked for? Because that’s what’s going to happen when Burnham finds out.”

That was why he’d gone to Alana. She was the voice of reason. He knew that Alana wasn’t just giving him a hard time. She was helping him talk through his problem. She was good at that. “I know, and I know if I make partner, I’ll be set for the rest of my career. But when I’m with Ellie, Jesus, I don’t know, it’s like I lose all control. I don’t care about anything but being with her again.” Alana smiled, and it annoyed him. He failed to see the humor in something that could seriously fuck up not only his career, but his life.

“What?”

She shrugged and sipped her wine. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen you in anything but complete control. You’re in quite a bind over this woman.”

He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but he couldn’t. Already he was seeing that he didn’t pull the strings when it came to Ellie. It scared him. “So, what do I do?”

Alana narrowed her eyes at him, as if considering her response. “Honestly? I think you might be going through a typical late quarter-life crisis. Seeing all your friends settled down and married off has got your own biological clock ticking. You should be careful. But just remember, Gabe, you’ve worked too damn hard to screw up your career. Don’t throw everything away because of a pretty face.”

He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” Had his desire to have what his friends had driven him to marry Ellie, and then ask her to stay in his bed until the annulment? And that was why he’d gone to Alana. He could count on her to give him a straight, practical answer that wasn’t governed by matters of the heart. “Thanks. I knew that’s what you would say.”

“And that’s why you came to me instead of one of the guys?”

He smiled. The rest of their friends seemed to have fallen in love with amazing women. Good for them. Any one of the guys would have probably advised him to stay married to the woman, to have babies and live happily ever after. He was grateful that Alana understood that not everything was about that dreaded four-letter word—love. “You know me too well.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

“Thanks, Lana. But there’s something else, though,” he started, not looking at her. There was one very big piece of information he’d left out.

Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Her father assigned me as her mentor.”

Alana blinked. “Christ, are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s messed up. Forget for a second that she’s Burnham’s daughter. Forget even that you married her. You’re responsible for this woman’s career, and you took her down to the playroom last night?”

Gabe had no excuse. “Yeah.”

“That’s not okay—”

“Everything between us has been consensual,” Gabe told her. He’d made sure of that.

“The problem is with the imbalance of power. She’s young, just out of school. You’re supposed to guide her. Help her. You can’t do that if you’re unzipping your pants.”

“I know,” Gabe admitted and put his head in his hands. “You’re right.”

“You have to quit being her mentor, or quit sleeping with her. Which is it going to be?”

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