Read Online Capital Wives by Rochelle Alers - Free Book Online Page B

as if Jenah wanted to openly flaunt their affair.
    She wasn’t the first woman he’d slept with during his eight-year marriage, but she was the youngest and most difficult to control. Spencer realized he’d made a serious faux pas. He’d told his mistress he loved her in the throes of passion; the truth was he loved what Jenah was willing to do to please him.
    He spent the rest of evening avoiding eye contact with Jenah while interacting with those at his table. Sometime between when the monitors were darkened and instrumental music played while the evening’s raffle was announced, Jenah slipped out and didn’t return. He must have emitted an audible sigh, because Deanna turned to stare at him.
    â€œBored?”
    â€œA little.”
    Though only four years old, Oscar Night was quickly becoming one of Washington’s signature’s black-tie charity events. However, Spencer found it hard to distinguish one from the other, because they were supported by the same people.
    Deanna rested her hand on his thigh under the tablecloth. “I’m ready to leave whenever you are.”
    Spencer rose and pulled back Deanna’s chair as she stood up. “We’re going to call it a night.”
    Deanna hugged and kissed Marisol, waved to the others and walked with Spencer to retrieve their coats. She was still disturbed by his outburst, wondering if perhaps he was experiencing a meltdown because he’d been working too hard. What she didn’t want to acknowledge was that he could be undergoing a premature midlife crises.

Chapter Six
    S pencer was sitting up, his back supported by a pile of pillows, when Deanna walked into the bedroom and got into bed beside him. She was surprised to find that he’d waited up for her.
    The drive home from the museum had been spent in complete silence. Usually that was when she and Spencer talked—about anything. Even after he’d parked his car in the garage and they’d come into the house the silence had continued. Deanna knew instinctively that something was wrong, that their marriage was in trouble and if she and Spencer didn’t talk about it then they wouldn’t stay together long enough to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Reaching over, she flicked off the lamp on her side of the bed, plunging the bedroom in darkness.
    She adjusted the pillows under her shoulders and lay with her back to her husband. “Do you want to talk about it?” Her voice was low, coaxing.
    â€œThere’s nothing to talk about.”
    Deanna held her breath, counting slowly to ten. “Please don’t insult my intelligence, Spencer. I’ve lived with you long enough to know when something is bothering you. Maybe you don’t have to give me all the intimate details, but I’m not going to allow you to shut me out.”
    â€œIt’s work-related.”
    â€œIs it something you can talk about?” she asked.
    There came a pregnant silence before Spencer said, “I can’t talk about it without mentioning names, and that would breach client-attorney confidentiality.”
    â€œYou’re representing someone who works at your firm?”
    â€œYes. I didn’t want to accept his case, but I couldn’t in good conscience stand by and let him go to jail for something he didn’t do.”
    â€œAre you telling me the man is innocent?”
    â€œOf course he’s innocent, Dee. I’d never risk my reputation defending a guilty client.”
    â€œThat’s not true, Spencer. I remember you taking on the case of that woman who’d admitted to murdering her husband because he’d discovered she was sleeping with his chauffeur.”
    â€œI didn’t defend her personally. The firm did. And we normally don’t handle cases that involve murder, but we did because she was the granddaughter of a prominent judge and one of the partners owed him a favor.”
    â€œShe’d confessed to