Page 66 of Not the Plan

“If you’re gonna get angry, can you just go ahead and do it? Let’s have the blow up, get it over with, and I can do what you want to fix it.”

She shook her head, blinking.

“What?” she asked.

“Will you just get angry, so I can fix it?”

“Why should I be angry?”

“So you just don’t care?” His tone had been much sharper than he’d intended, and he immediately regretted it. Along withthe fact that the elevator was slowing down. Isadora’s lips were still parted in confusion when they came to a stop. Then she sucked in a breath and that professional mask appeared as she stepped as far away from him as possible before the doors opened. He was almost hurt until he remembered who they both worked for. He locked his attention on the opening doors.

Two women got on. People he didn’t know. They both smiled at Isadora and continued their conversation. He stared at the doors to avoid glaring at the women for the interruption. They got off two floors later.

“This isn’t the wisest place for this conversation,” Isadora said as the doors came together again. She touched the button for the first floor, and just as the doors were almost closed, a suit-jacketed arm poked through.

“Hey there, good-looking,” the blond-haired, linebacker guy crammed into his suit said to Isadora before he noticed Karim in the back corner and turned red. “Um, hello.” He pressed the button for the second floor.

Karim nodded. The closing doors deserved his attention. Or the files tucked against his side. Or his watch or his cell. His attention should have been anywhere but where it got stuck, on Isadora and this guy, making small talk. Flirty small talk.Who is this guy?Karim’s skin was prickling all over. Was he jealous? Embarrassingly, yes.What the hell is wrong with me? I’m losing my mind.His torture continued for the short ride that lasted three days. When the guy left, Karim took a breath to speak, but Isadora raised her hand and shook her head.

“Follow me once we get out,” she said. “But not too closely, please.”

He nodded and obeyed, letting her get well ahead of him as she left the legislative office building, got into the main capitol building, and ducked through a doorway in the rotunda. She went down a flight of stairs into a basement and stopped, waiting for him in front of a door marked B23, her arms crossed.

“So, let me see if I’ve got this straight,” she asked. He searched her tone but only came up with confusion, not anger. “If I care,I’ll get angry with you and punish you? Or demand that you do ‘X’ to make me happy with you again?”

He wasn’t in love with the exact phrasing, but she had the idea.

“Yeah,” he said, arms also crossed, crushing his files against his chest.

“Okay. So, if I’m not angry with you, that means I don’t care at all?”

He really didn’t need the heat burning his cheeks and neck. The toes of his shoes were suddenly very interesting, but he forced himself to look her in the eye.

“Uh…yeah,” he said.

“Okay. Where’s the benefit of the doubt option?”

He was too confused to speak.

“You were with Julian, right?”

He nodded.

“When Julian goes out, he wants people to envy him, he wants to look important. So he surrounds himself with women and followers and noise.”

Karim nodded again.

“You’re the new guy, gotta go along to get along.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve known Julian long enough to recognize his game. And that’s all it is, a game. I know you have to play in order to keep him happy with you. I also know the rules and the habitual playing field: RJ and I only went to Gordito’s because we thought most of the members would have already left for the weekend. I can admit, I wasn’t thrilled by what I saw. But we were in public, and I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

She got closer, and that electric pull sparked between them. There was no anger at all.

“Your messages and the wine told me all I needed to know.” He had to suppress a wriggle.Does she know it makes my skin tingle when she warms her voice like that? But…

“Why did you send the wine back?” he asked.

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