She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 131

(Natasha)

I make it to the office at seven twenty-three.

Priya is not in yet.

The lights on our floor come up automatically as I walk through, which is a small mercy, because if anyone had said good morning to me I might have started crying in reception.

I sit at my desk.

I don’t touch the laptop.

I don’t look at my phone.

I sit with my hands flat on the wood and I breathe through my nose and I count to thirty.

The seven-thirty meeting is internal.

Mason and the senior associates, walking through the latest rush motion from Bauer's people.

I can do it.

I’ve done more on less sleep, on worse mornings, in worse states.

Somehow I can’t fully convince myself of that.

I feel like I broke something. Some important part of who I am.

There’s a black square in the middle of last night where a memory should be.

Around the edges of the square there are pieces.

A moment when he said get a room here and I agreed, because at the time it had sounded like the smartest thing anyone had said to me all year.

After that, nothing.

Then waking up.

Then the room.

I press the heels of my hands hard against my eyes and breathe.

Mason taps on my open door at seven twenty-nine.

"You're early."

"I'm always early."

"You're never this early."

I look up at him and I can see him reading too much in my expression immediately.

He’s known me too long.

"You look like hell. What happened?"

"Thank you, Mason. Exactly what every woman wants to hear."

"Don’t deflect. Are you alright?"

"Food poisoning. I had some bad shrimp fried rice last night. I'll live."

The lie is so flimsy I’m almost embarrassed by it.

Not to mention feeling horrible for lying to my best friend.

But I’m never telling anyone what happened last night. Almost happened?

God, why can’t I remember? I don’t feel like I...did that.

Mason looks at me for a long moment.

Then he nods without a word, which is worse than if he had pushed, and steps back from the doorway.

"Conference room when you're ready."

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