This is one occasion I really should not have listened to Tai’s advice. If you can call him literally hauling me out of the party to find my boss and demand an explanation advice.

“I just wanted to share what happened with you. No way I’m going to confront him.” I squawked, amazed at how strong he is. I guess he does work out a lot so it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that he easily tugged me out through the throng of my co-workers, now dancing off-beat to the live band.

“Of course we’re going to confront him,” Tai insisted.

“We?”

“I’ll be right along. No man gets to treat women like that - isn’t that what you always say?”

“I know but,”

“But what?”

He’s right of course except in this case, I don’t want to be the one putting myself on the line. If Milo knows he hurt me, then he’ll think I have feelings for him and I don’t want him to know that.

“I’d really prefer to just get through the holidays then hand him my resignation in the New Year.”

“Not happening.” Tai waves that idea away with his free hand. I really regret spilling all the details. First he was agog at the spanking and the icicle, then outraged that Milo clearly trades in women like most of us exchange Christmas gifts. And I’m the one going back to CostCo while Tania is Neiman Marcus.

“Do you think they’ll get married?” I ask, wondering out loud.

“Not if Bridezilla wants to get through her day without the rotten egg brigade showing up. Which way is the boss’s office?”

We’re lost in the maze of snowy scenery and digitally falling flakes. Eventually I get my bearings, point the way and then make a break for it. Tai easily sprints after me and hauls my ass mercilessly back.

“If you quit then you can’t pay half the rent and I’ll be homeless,” He snips. Which I know is his way of saying he cares about my future.

“Please Tai, I really don’t know what to say to him. It’s so embarrassing.”

“You’re going to ask him for the truth,” he says. “Because I really don’t believe your boss is a douche. And my guydar is way more efficient than yours.”

He’s right about that. Every date he’s warned me off has turned out to be an ass in some way, or just not right for me. But that’s been all of them so far. So I’ve never actually heard him come out strong in support of any guy I’m seeing. Like he is now for Milo.

But now we’re in my boss’s office and even Tai is gob-smacked at the scene in front of us. And he won’t be able to convince me that this isn’t exactly what it looks like. My boss and his party planner about to fuck in his office. There’s a pain in my chest like a rock rolled down and got stuck. At least it’s replaced all the butterflies at the prospect of confronting Milo.

“Aura,” he says, equally shocked to see us standing in the open door.

He drops Tania like she’s a hot brick and the tramp makes zero effort to cover her massive tits. She just stands there looking as smug as if she’d just won a brand new car on a gameshow.

“Who are you?” Milo demands of Tai, when I hardly think this is the right time to making social introductions.

Anyway I can’t utter a word. I’m way more disappointed than I should be, the ache spreading through my chest and throughout my core. I guess I wanted my boss more than I was admitting.

“Tai Woodlust,” he answers. Then, oh god, he sticks out his hand and heads into the room to shake. What the hell is he doing? “Roommate extraordinaire.”

“You’re the roommate?” Milo says and a grin spreads up his wide lips and across his entire face.

“You were expecting Brad Pitt?” Tai quips.

“Someone like that, I guess,” Milo comes right back. “But I’m way more happy that it’s you.”

Milo’s eyes slide across to me and I instantly start to palpitate. We stand there gaping at each other and I can feel Tai dissecting the situation, his eyes tennis-balling back and forth between us, but I can’t unglue from looking at my boss. I feel as frozen as those stupid stalactites. It feels like an absolute ice age that we four stand there suspended in time, locked in place.

“Okay girlfriend time to go,” Tai announces, taking charge of the situation. Which is surprising as Milo never allows a man to become more alpha than he is.

I resign myself to my roomie being right. I’ve more than outstayed my welcome here. This is the most embarrassing scene I’ve ever played a role in. But instead of coming back to lead me out of my hardest humiliation, flashing vibrators have nothing on this, Tai grabs the front of Tania’s dress.

“Let’s put the girls to bed for the night,” he tells her, shoving the sides of her breasts into the fabric like he’s packing up fish at the market.

She’s so stunned at his take charge manner, she doesn’t clue in enough to resist him as he swiftly manhandles her toward the door.

“Scooch,” he flaps at me to get out of the way as they approach.

I leap to one side and am about to follow when Tai gives me a quick little shove in the small of my back and pulls the door shut on my boss’s office. I’m more solidly frozen than before. It would be ridiculously childish to open the door and run away but I feel anger rising up though my skittering heart rate. How could Milo treat me like that? Or the mother of his child?

“I like your roomie,” he says, softly, like he’s breaking the swathe of icy chill between us.

“Yeah he likes you too,” I say. “Fuck knows why.”

“He can probably read my angst right about now,” Milo grins, with a humble shrug. “I screwed up tonight, royally.”

“I’ll say,” I snap. “I guess your Baby Momma will forgive you. Or did you pay her off? I saw the check she was clutching and the ink was barely dry.”

“No I don’t pay off women any more,” He says.

“Good to know.”

“Aura, she isn’t having my baby,” Milo says.

He goes to his bar tray and pours a shot of something from a bottle I don’t recognize. Then another.

“But you did sleep with her?” I probe, knowing it’s not my right but I can’t resist.

“Once,” He says sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize on my account,” I snap.

“I wasn’t. I actually mean I’m sorry it happened.”

“That’s what all cheaters say - really they mean they’re sorry they got caught.”

“I never cheated on you Aura and I never will.”

God he’s so sincere I almost believe him. No wonder he quit coding for selling.

“Isn’t it her you cheated on actually?” I say, correcting him.

“No. We aren’t a thing.”

“But she’s having your baby.”

“No. She’s not.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“Yeah I can be 99.6% positive that the baby she’s having, if she’s even having one and not trying to milk me or manipulate me into marriage, is absolutely not mine.”

“How?” I snort.