The Affair

Chapter 21.2

Thursday, July 21, 2022, 12:12pm

The following day, William surprises Fallon by calling her into his office for lunch. Usually, this would excite her, but today the gesture feels more like an order rather than a treat. She obeys, nonetheless.

Behind his desk, she sits by his side, staring at the mound of crab fried rice. The aroma entices her as it would any other day, but hunger isn't her issue. She looks over to William, watching him as he continues to scroll through emails, pausing occasionally to take fast bites of his red curry dish.

"I want you so bad, Mr. Reiner..." she thinks, as if repeating it would change the inevitable. "But you don't want me..."

Suddenly, he slaps the edge of his desk before leaning in his chair.

"Good lord, what were these guys thinking?" he blurts out in mock amusement, "Fallon, do you remember that case I emailed you about? Prior counsel really dragged their feet on this one..." The tight grin on his face turns smug as he flares three fingers. "Three requests for continuation—THREE! No wonder Spencer was ready to move on."

Fallon says nothing, and his voice gets left on its own. His brow tightens as he turns her way. Seeing her lazy posture annoys him, figuring she is in a bratty mood.

"Hon? Something wrong?" he asks, now noticing her rice untouched. "Did you want something different?"

"I'm sorry, sir... I'm just not hungry," she replies meekly.

He sighs, having no interest in digging deeper. She is a good girl, he reminds himself—obedient and loyal, like a well-trained dog. But like a dog, she needed attention. Just too much of it.

"Well, if you're not going to eat then why don't you go back to your desk and get started on that list I sent you yesterday," he presses, pausing to dab his lips with his napkin. "And have Amy double-check your work before you send it to me. I've been noticing too many careless errors in your work, Fallon... I won't have any slipping through..."

His criticism lands with an abrasive edge, like a harsh slap from a calloused hand. She winces as her breath trembles. Her lip puckers slightly as she frowns, his disapproval of her work a voice in her head repeating the same word—useless.

"Oh-kay, s-sir..." she whimpers.

"Fallon, what's wrong with you? Is the workload too much? Do I need to bring in another assistant to help you with some of your filings?"

"No! That's not it," she returns, a hint of anger slipping out.

"Then talk to me! What's going on?" he asks, softening his voice.

Her gaze retreats against his, choosing instead to stare at her fingers at her lap. This is it, she thinks—the moment for her to let him go as Amy suggested. She takes in a steady breath, letting it out and expelling nervous energy with it.

"Mr. Reiner... I've been thinking that—you know—now that the McCallen Offshore work has come in, you'll be so busy. And of course you'll be even busier with, um, y-your wife and little girl," she stammers, losing conviction with each fumbling word, "Maybe we should, uh... Maybe we should end things? You know, between us?"

The words trigger something in his expression. His brow falls, tensing the skin around it as his eyes scan her little movements.

"Um, what? Where is this coming from?" he asks.

"Well, I kinda thought that maybe I'd give having a real boyfriend a try... Like Dylan. And I know I could never be your number one, so uh, I figured that maybe I should stop bothering you so much, you know? And it'd be best if I just... moved on?"