He Wanted Open Marriage, I Chose His Boss

Chapter 3

I arrived at the café at 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.

Adrian walked in at exactly 3:00 p.m. He brought no flowers and no gift that felt overly intimate. He simply placed the proposal for the new restaurant's wine list at the edge of the table.

"Work and dating stay separate. We'll discuss this on Monday."

"Do you often ask your subordinates' wives out for coffee?"

"Only you."

Adrian held my gaze.

"If you're only doing this to make Logan jealous, I won't be part of it. And if you haven't decided whether you want to end your marriage, I won't push you." He set his coffee cup back on its saucer. "I'm asking because every time I've seen you over the past 3 years, I've felt this pull toward you. My eyes always seem to find you."

Once he had made his intentions clear, he fell silent and waited for me to decide.

"I can't help how I feel, but you're my subordinate's wife..."

I cut him off, "Why did you come?"

"Because I like you."

Adrian smiled, warmth filling his blue eyes.

"That's the best answer I've heard all day," I said.

Over the next hour, we drank wine and talked about the lives we actually wanted.

He still remembered the charity wine gala 3 years earlier.

There had been only three bottles left for the final round, and one of the main sponsor's bottles had a strong cork taint. I had quietly claimed the wine was at the wrong temperature and swapped it out, keeping the guests from drinking spoiled wine without embarrassing the sponsor in public.

"I remember thinking the way you handled that mess was more interesting than the wine list."

That night, everyone else had seen me only as Logan's wife.

Adrian had noticed what I could do.

I told him the full terms of the agreement and why I had signed it.

"So what do you think of the rules of an open marriage now?"

"The rules aren't the problem. The person who wrote them is."

"Do you love him?"

The question left me silent for a long minute.

'A marriage of 8 years isn't something I can just tear up like a sheet of paper. I loved the Logan who stayed beside me through the lean years. The man he's become seems to value only that I'm dependable and make a good wife.'

"I used to. Now I don't know."

Adrian nodded. "Then today is just coffee."

He didn't use my uncertainty as an excuse to get closer.

Before we left, he held the door open for me and asked whether I would attend the company gala the following week.

"Do you need me as a wine-list consultant?"

"No. I want you as my date."

"If Logan sees us, you're going to have trouble."

"For you, I'm willing to take that risk."

I took the invitation but didn't give him an answer right away.

Logan didn't come home until 11:00 p.m. The top button of his shirt was undone, and a small lipstick mark stained the side of his neck.

His steps slowed when he saw the heels beside me.

"You went out?"

"The agreement doesn't say I can't leave the house."

"With whom?"

"Does the agreement say I have to give you my date's name?"