At my wife’s company picnic, her boss raised his beer and laughed, “Honestly, your husband is holding you back.” My wife covered her mouth and laughed. “See? I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
At my wife’s company picnic, her boss raised his beer and laughed, “Honestly, your husband is holding you back.” My wife covered her mouth and laughed. “See? I’m not the only one who thinks so.” Her gorgeous coworker walked over, took my hand, and asked, “Perfect. So, will you go out with me tonight?” I replied, “I’d be delighted.” My wife immediately jumped to her feet. Lauren stared at Claire’s hand in mine, then at my face. The laughter had vanished from her eyes, replaced by something too sharp to be ordinary jealousy. “Claire,” she said. “Let go of him.” Claire did not. She stood beside me with the calm expression of someone who had already decided how far she was willing to go. “Why?” Claire asked. “You were laughing when Richard insulted him.” Richard Mercer lowered his beer and leaned back in his folding chair. He was a broad-shouldered man in his late forties who wore expensive watches to casual events and treated every room as though it belonged to him. “It was a joke,”...