Page 27 of Temptation

“So, both.” Tenn folded his arms across his chest and let out a sigh of exasperation. “You didn't text to tell me you were cooking supper, and seeing how you haven't cooked a supper in almost a year or even walked in through the door before nine on a Monday night for the last four months, I'm not sure why you thought I would just assume you were.”

Viki folded her arms and glared at him, apparently determined to keep him as the bad guy. “Where were you?”

“I was with Quinn and Quill. We worked on our project, I helped Quill change over some tires on his girlfriend's car, and then Quill and I moved Quinn's old bed out and put the new one in for her.” He chuckled. “You should have been there last night, Quinn and I walked in, and Joel was in the bedroom blasting porn. The poor woman was trying to sell that she was enjoying it, but I don't think the other person knew what they were doing.” Viki's face went bright red. “And funnily enough, Joel fell down some stairs yesterday too, which messed up his back. That's why Quinn asked me and Quill to help her move stuff.”

Tenn watched as Viki jumped up and began cleaning up her mess. “I don't think you should talk down about Joel. Maybe he needs porn because his wife doesn't keep him satisfied.”

“I wasn't talking down about Joel. God knows my porn quota has gone up.” He shrugged and smirked as her back stiffened. She walked into that one. “I was saying the actress was terrible at faking it.” He noticed her hand tightening on the knife she held before she threw it in the sink and continued cleaning up. “Anyway, Quinn has booked a few lanes at Lucky Strike Fenway Wednesday night and invited us. I'm going, and it's up to you if you want to join us.”

“Why would she invite us?” Viki snorted as she dumped the remains of the supper in the garbage disposal. Tenn frowned at the food wastage but held his tongue. “She barely knows us.”

“Because her brother is one of my closest friends, she and I have a lot in common and like spending time with each other, and she wants to make sure you feel included,” Tenn explained patiently.

“Is Joel going?” Her voice was almost too casual as she finished loading the dishwasher, but Tenn noted her sudden interest.

“No idea. She was going to let him know about it when he got home.” Tenn shrugged as he left to get ready for bed. “I'll be leaving at five-thirty Wednesday, but we should take separate cars.”

“Why?” Viki chased him up the stairs to the bedroom, leaving the mess half-cleaned up.

“Because I want to enjoy myself, and I don't want to have to leave because you want to.” Tenn opened the door to the bedroom and stopped in his tracks. He’d spent an hour before leaving for work cleaning instead of working out while she snored in bed, and the place was a mess again. “What the fuck, Viki? This room was clean when I left this morning!”

“I slept in and was in a rush.” She slipped around him and started getting ready for bed, not even bothering to clean things up, stepping over the small piles of clothes thrown around the room. Tenn watched her for a minute, then turned and went back to the kitchen. He grabbed some garbage bags from under the sink, brought them back to the room, and began picking things up and tossing them into the bags. He was done with her and her bullshit. “What are you doing?” She yelped as she came out of the bathroom and saw him.

“Since you have such little regard for your things -” He pulled open one of her drawers and emptied it into the bag. “- And my space and comfort, I'm helping you move to the spare room.” He filled the bag, tossed it across the hall through the open door of the spare room, and started the process over again.

“Tenn!” Viki grabbed his arm as he pulled out another drawer and saw it was full of lingerie, something she never wore for him. He didn't hesitate; he just shrugged her off and filled the bag. “Stop! You're being ridiculous! I'm not moving to the spare room!”

“It's either the spare room or a hotel room.” He bit out. “I'm sick of stepping over your dirty clothes when the hamper is right fucking there. It took me an hour to clean up this morning.” He looked up. Standing in the middle of the room, she looked like she might cry. “Did you make an appointment with a marriage counsellor?”

“No! I want to work on our marriage! That's why I made supper.” Her lower lip trembled, and he almost felt bad as her light blue eyes filled with tears.

“You might want to consider that it's too late.” He tossed the bag he held across the hall, grabbed another one, and headed to her closet.

“Why even ask if I want to go bowling if you won't meet me halfway?”

“Asking you to go is me meeting you halfway.” Tenn gave up on the bags and started grabbing her clothes out of the closet and carrying them across the hall to toss on the bed. “Just because you're making a tiny bit of effort right now doesn't mean the last four months, never mind the last two years, have been erased.”

“Are you sleeping with her?” Viki's voice was high-pitched and strained. He stopped and looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face, but he saw she had her phone in her hand, and from the looks of it, she was recording the conversation.

“No. I'm not.” He pointed at the phone in her hand. “Massachusetts is a two-party consent state, and you, Darling, most definitely do not have my permission to record me.” Viki's cheeks reddened, and she hastily shoved her phone into her pocket.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” She muttered.

“Yeah, you do; you just tried to get me to admit to an affair while recording me, so I'll be even clearer: I'm not sleeping with Quinn Turner. I've hugged her platonically a few times. We have a lot in common, and I enjoy her company. She is married, so am I, and regardless of how unhappy I am, how emotionally and sexually unfulfilled and neglected I feel, I would never step outside my marriage.” He grabbed another bag, held it open at the end of her makeup table, and pushed everything off the top and into the bag. He picked the table up, moved it across the hall, returned to the ensuite, and began throwing her toiletries in the bag.

“If you break anything, you're replacing it.” She snapped as she followed him, the tears gone and replaced by red cheeks and narrowed eyes.

“Considering I paid for it all the first time, I don't think I will.” Tenn moved past her, grabbed the chair to the makeup table in one hand, and brought it and the bag to the spare room. “It's late.” He announced as he walked back into the master and pointed out the door. “Good night.”

“Tenn, we can talk this out.” She moved close to him and put her hand on his chest. “Let me help you relax, and then we can talk about everything.” Her hand moved to his belt, and he quickly stopped her, putting his hands on her shoulders and backing her up. She looked up at him from under her lashes and bit her lip as he smiled down at her until he backed her out of the room and into the hallway.

“We will talk about it. With a counsellor. Good night.” He stepped back and closed the door in her face.

“Prick!” She yelled, hitting the door with her fist. He listened as she stormed into the other room and slammed the door.

Tenn grabbed his tablet from his bedside table drawer and opened his banking app. He removed her permission from his accounts and credit cards and texted his boss, explaining that he needed a few days to handle some things. His boss responded immediately, telling him not to worry about it and to let him know which meetings he couldn't reschedule so he could find someone else to fill in. Finally, he texted Quinn.

Heads up that Viki tried to record me admitting to an affair. I think they're going on the defensive.

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