Page 29 of S.O.S. Perk

Sloane held her breath, but there was no hesitation on Perk’s part.

“No. Not even close. The longest relationship I had lasted no more than two months. I hope that helps with whatever you’re thinking. And just in the guise of fairness, what about you? Have you ever tied the knot in the past?”

Sloane felt like she’d been hit with a sledgehammer.

She hadn’t expected Perk to send the inquiry back to her.

Now she’d have to find a way to answer him.

CHAPTER NINE

Sloane had been silent for far too long. Perk wondered if he’d done something wrong. He’d only been being polite, sending Sloane’s question back to her. But clearly there was a problem.

“Listen. Sloane. You don’t have to answer anything. It was me who agreed to give you details about my life. I had no right to turn the tables, so ignore what I said and get back to questioning me.”

Perk held his breath, hoping he hadn’t inadvertently ruined things.

“No. If we’re going to be…friends, this has to be a two-way street,” Sloane finally heaved out. “It’s just that my past is going to be a lot sketchier than yours. My family is…difficult to explain.”

Perk snorted. “You may not think I understand that, Sloane, but things in my family aren’t exactly what I assume you’re imagining, either. I can guarantee they are not.”

She let out a clipped laugh. “Oh, are we going to compare childhoods and how they fucked us up as adults? Because I guarantee you, I’ll come out on top.”

“Why don’t you try me. But only if you really feel like sharing,” Perk quickly amended. This was all going to be done on her agenda.

“Okay then. I’ve been divorced,” Sloane started out, which because of her first question to him, Perk had already figured out.

“It wasn’t pretty. My self esteem took a huge hit because my ex had vowed to love, cherish, and accept me for me, but prettymuch as soon as the ring was on my finger, he was all over getting me to quit my job with the Bureau.”

“What the fuck, Sloane?”

Seriously? A guy who’d purported to love her hadn’t seen that Agent Vessers was a huge part of Sloane’s identity? “Why?”

“He said it wasn’t a job for a woman, and that I was going to ruin my life if I kept pretending to be something I wasn’t; that I had to stop being so…aggressive. But I think the real problem was that all his friends teased him that he was married to a dyke.”

“Then he wasn’t just a clueless asshole, Sloane,” Perk growled, “he also didn’t deserve you. I’ve known you for what? Like, three months? And I already know that you kick ass at your job, and it doesn’t compromise who you are in the least. I hope you set him straight, and were the one who walked out on that relationship.”

“Well… I did. But for a different digression.”

Sloane took a moment to regroup.

“After I refused to contemplate a career change, things cooled between us, and because I wouldn’t bend to his wishes, he found other women who he—righteously I might add— deemed ‘more feminine’. I actually caught him making out with his latest in our driveway one night when I came home from the job earlier than usual.” She made an exasperated noise. “Thank God I found them at it, because I know his next move would have been to fuck her in the bed we still shared. And that would have pissed me the hell off.”

Perk was furious on Sloane’s behalf. Being an agent was a tough line of work for anyone to be in. The FBI was constantly being shoveled crap by politicians and the media. Which meant that when theoneperson who was supposed to have your back treated you with disrespect, it was a huge middle finger on top of an already large pile of shit.

“Tell me where I can find the asshole, and I’ll make sure he knows how badly he fucked up,” Perk snapped.

Sloane laughed, which was not what he expected.

“Uh, that all happened seven years ago, Perk. Ancient history. I’ve moved on, and so has he. He married and divorced the driveway woman, and is now tied down to wife number three who seems to have read his number correctly. She got—I believe purposely—knocked up right away, and now they have three kids. If he walks out on her, he’s on the hook for a lot of child-support, so my guess is he’ll stick around and do his cheating a little more covertly from now on.”

“I don’t think he deserves anything that good, but—”

Sloane cut him off. “Oh, I’m sure he’s miserable. Since he’s always been a player, this has to put a crimp in his lifestyle. If only I’d known back then…” She caught herself. “My only excuse for falling for his charm was that I was young and flattered that someone as good looking as him would seek out plain-Jane me.”

Perk growled. He hated when Sloane made blanket statements like that, reinforcing her self-doubt.

“What is that supposed to mean, Sloane? I’ve told you before, you’re absolutely beautiful.”

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