Sketch Read Online Free Page B

“Those papers aren’t final yet,” she tells Janelle.
    Janelle’s eyes move down to her left hand. “It’s funny though, he’s the only one wearing a wedding ring.”
    I hadn’t noticed that before, and now I want to kill this bitch for pointing it out. I ignore it and step out from behind the counter, catching Nina’s eye. “C’mon, let’s go in the back.”
    “I thought I wasn’t allowed back there,” she taunts.
    My patience is thin. I turn to her and point my finger. “Get your ass back there right now. I’m not doing this out here in front of my clients and my employees.”
    She must realize by the tone of my voice that I’ve had enough, and I truly have. I’m fucking sick of wondering if it’s my worth that caused her to leave or if it was her selfishness. I need that answer today. I need to know if moving on is my next step, but I refuse to move on until I know exactly what happened.
    Not saying a word, she brushes past me. Our hands touch, and I feel it, the electricity that’s always been there between the two of us. I don’t have to ask her if she feels it too, because her breath catches and her eyes widen.
    “I don’t have any more appointments for the day, and don’t ask me if I want to do any walk-ins. I have no idea how long this is going to take,” I tell Jackie. “What I don’t want is to be interrupted.”
    If I’m going to do this, I know it has to be on my turf. I can’t do this in my home where I have happy memories of the two of us. I need it to be the place where I feel most comfortable. For once, this is about me, and only about me.
    I wait longer than I should to go back to the office. I like letting her stew, I like letting her get pissed. A pissed Nina is a beautiful Nina, but she also gets this smart-ass mouth that makes you either want to smack it or shove your cock into it. I’ve been known to shove my cock into it more than once.
    Finally I decide she’s waited long enough and make my way towards my office. As soon as I open the door, I know this is either going to be the end of us or it’s going to be the way we find our way back to middle ground. To be honest, I’m not sure which I want.
    I love my wife, and I was happy in our marriage, but I’m not putting myself out there again. If she wants it to work, she’s going to have to tell me; I’m no longer making assumptions. I want answers, and I want them six months ago.
    I shut the door quietly and walk over to my desk, putting the piece of furniture in between us. Sitting down in my chair, I prepare myself for battle.
    “What is it you want?” I ask her, my voice level.
    “You are such a piece of shit, Sketch,” she fumes. “How could you do that to me out there?”
    The hurt is back, the anger is back. “You first. How the fuck could you leave me?”
    And right then, I know this is going to be hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it’s like a bandage covering a wound. I have to rip it off and let the healing begin.

Chapter Seven
    SKETCH
    “Y ou’re seriously asking me that question?” Nina is kicking that foot again.
    Do I need to write it on my forehead for her to realize that I want answers? “Yes, I am.”
    “You really thought there was nothing wrong with our lives, Sketch? You can sit there and tell me that?”
    I can tell by looking at her face that she, like me, believes her perception of what has gone on between us. “All I know is I worked my ass off, gave you what you wanted, and here I am now, just trying to make it through the day.”
    She licks her lips and takes a deep breath. I can see she’s grappling with something—what, I don’t know. The old me would have reached out, taken her hand, and tried to coax it from her. I would have told her that, no matter what, I love her, and we would make it work, but I’m different now. I no longer feel that way towards her. Those feelings have been replaced with anger, fear, and confusion. I can’t be the man I once