Page 14 of All That She Needs

"Come to the gym with me."

"I have a fully functioning gym at home," I said, shrugging. "Which I barely use."

"You snob," he teased, clicking his tongue. "We have one right here in the office. I'm inviting you to use it."

"Really?" I blinked in surprise. This was the first time I'd heard about a gym in the office.

"And I've got one at home too," he added, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Come to think of it, maybe it's better if you use the one at my place. It's private, and you'd have me as your personal trainer." He flashed a playful grin.

"Or you could be my personal trainer at my home."

"Seriously?" He looked unconvinced. "Your husband would be okay with that?"

I paused, giving him a once-over. I couldn't imagine any husband being okay with his wife training privately with someone like Liam, though I wasn't sure anymore that Aiden would care. "Yeah, you're right," I admitted. "So, gym at home, gym at the office—no wonder you're so buff."

"It seems you've been noticing my body quite diligently." He wiggled his brows at me.

My face burned. "I do not!"

"You do." He nodded solemnly, though his lips twitched with amusement. "You noticed my arms. And I saw you checking my ass yesterday."

And I went red again. Hotly. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, trying to think of something to rebuke it, but I went blank. I decided to just confess. "What can I say? You have a nice ass."

He laughed at that. "Well, thank you. You have a nice ass too." He said with a playful tone. He confessed too easily, and I didn't know what to say to that. He looked so amused at my expression.

"Huh." I mumbled, feeling weird about the conversation. "Okay. Let's talk about something else." I suggested, before we talked about something more inappropriate. I was blushing too much already in front of him, which he seemed to enjoy too much.

He chuckled before he looked around my office. Then he made a face at me. "This place is so fancy. This isnotan office. It's too luxurious to be an office."

"What does your office look like?" I asked, curious. "Must be fun in there. You have a gym, after all."

"And a lounge with a giant TV where you can play video games." He added with pride. "Oh, and we also have massage chairs."

"Snob," I scoffed playfully. "When will you have time to work?"

Liam chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Maybe someday you can spend a day with me at my office and see for yourself," he suggested, leaning back in his chair. "You look like you are dying to see it."

"I am notthatcurious." I scowled.

"Yeah, you're not," He grinned, totally unconvinced.

Our conversation flowed easily, with playful jokes and light teasing, until he finally had to excuse himself for a meeting. Time had gotten away from us. I found myself enjoying his company. Our connection was pleasant and natural, and I wondered if he felt the same way. I really hope he did.

Why did it matter if he enjoyed it too?

I was still lost in my thoughts when the door to my office swung open, and Dennis strolled in. "Any leftovers?" he asked, making his way over to the chair that Liam had occupied earlier. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed an unused fork and dove into the casserole. As soon as he took a bite, his eyes closed in pure bliss. "Holy shit, this is amazing," he said, savoring the flavors. "He made all these by himself? A guy who looks like that, a billionaire, and he can cook too? That's impressive, don't you think?"

"Have you had lunch yet?" I asked him as he grabbed the tiramisu container and scooped a portion using the same fork after he licked it clean.

"I did. But it looked so nice. I was dying to try it." Then he yelled, "Oh. My. God. This is so good! He's a keeper, Ash. You're keeping him."

"Dennis..." I sighed. Dennis knew everything that I went through. He had been there when I was grappling with the pain of Aiden's infidelities—before everything went numb and I stopped crying every time I was alone. He knew something was wrong and was already worried. His concern hit the peak when Aiden forgot our anniversary and suddenly had to fly to another city—which he informed me through a text message, claiming itwas a work emergency. He didn't even call me until the next day, and only after Chloe reminded him.

Dennis found me sitting in my office, turning my chair around to face the glass window, and I sat there quietly for hours. He came to me already sobbing and gave me a hug so hard he almost suffocated me. Then, finally, Dennis confessed.

Dennis had agonized for weeks over how to reveal the truth to me. It turned out that Samuel, the man Dennis had dated on and off over the years, lived just across the hall from Vanessa's apartment. To my shock, Dennis had seen Aiden and his mistress together more than once. Aiden was so focused on her that he didn't notice Dennis, who had been my assistant for years, standing only a few feet behind him. Samuel, being the charming and genuinely attentive person that he was, had managed to get close to her. With his gentle persistence, he could coax out the full story from her. Samuel's kind nature and the need to unload the burden led her to confess everything.

Since then, Dennis has been relentless in trying to help me see my own strength. He urged me to confront Aiden, insisting that I deserved to stand up for myself and for my children. He loathed Aiden with passion and even persuaded me to kick him out of the house, believing it was the only way for me to reclaim my sense of self-worth and dignity. Dennis was determined to help me move forward, even if it meant making the hardest decisions of my life.

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