Page 90 of A Forgotten Promise

“Soon enough, you’ll have a job.”

“What job?”

“The one Nora offered you. Or something else. And who would take care of her when you move?”

My hand in his hair stops moving, the mention of the transiency of my stay here hanging heavily between us. It shouldn’t, but it does. Here I am feeling all clingy, and I hate it.

Corm sighs and runs his hand over his face, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t placate me. And I’m grateful. There may be no love lost between us, but at least we’re honest with each other.

My disillusion is only temporary anyway, post-multiple-orgasms-induced. I will snap out of it tomorrow.

“I’ll take the kitten with me.” I roll away from him, and he doesn’t follow.

The silence doesn’t get a chance to thicken because Corm’s phone pierces the air.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, and rushes to the bathroom where he left his clothes. “What?” he barks.

I roll my eyes, but there is a smile on my face. I kind of like that he is consistent in his assholeness. As I said, the hormones.

“I was busy.” He walks over and sits on the bed, his gaze scanning every inch of me.

I don’t know what the person on the other end of the line is saying, but despite his tensed jaw, his eyes are hungry and his cock twitches, already hardening.

“I don’t know, Betsy, I’ll think about it.”

I blow out air through pursed lips. Betsy Ham only means yet another public engagement.

“As I said, I’ll think about it.” He hangs up and pinches the bridge of his nose.

And I feel it in my bones that the fleeting peace between us has just reached its limit.

“You need to delete the post.” He walks to the bathroom like he’s just asked me to wear a different dress or something equally trivial.

I sprint out of the bed so quickly, I lose balance and fall to my knees.

“Jesus, Saar.” He rushes to me and lifts me up.

“Don’t touch me.” I jerk away from him.

He rolls his eyes and returns to the bathroom.

“I’m not deleting it.” I stand on the threshold, and he stops on the way to the shower. “Have you seen the comments? Many people related to my message. I gave them courage, or just encouragement. This is not about you and me anymore.”

He eats the space between us and backs me up to the door frame. “Isn’t it?” He breathes into my face, his nostrils flaring. “You’re in your new home, all fucking lonely? That’s your message? All the while you’re supposed to show the world I’m settling down.”

I push him away, but the man is a wall of muscles and doesn’t budge. “You care about the surface only. Media spin, your reputation. My post might have been sparked by my current situation, but it grew beyond that.”

Somehow, I slide under his arm and rush into the room, far away from him. “If I can inspire someone…” I try to control my volume—failing. “If I can speak up for people who feel isolated, trapped under the weight of expectations, or just sad, I will do it. I’m not deleting the post.”

“If you want to have a voice, stop being a chicken and take the job with Nora’s network.”

His words are like a slap. How dare he use my insecurity against me now?

I look around his room to wear something, but my dress is on the stairs. Shit, I don’t want to argue while naked.

I rush back to the bathroom while he follows me. I snatch his shirt from the heap on the floor. Sliding my arms into the sleeves, I wrap it around me.

He watches me, shocked. That’s a first.

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