Victor leaned back, still casual. "Now that we're done, how about a celebratory lunch?"
"I'm busy," Natalie replied curtly, already returning to her work.
"Dinner?"
"Even more busy."
"One dinner with another man—your husband won't mind, will he? He can't be that petty."
At Victor's comment, Natalie's thoughts immediately went to Justin, and without thinking, she muttered, "He's the epitome of pettiness and jealousy."
Victor chuckled. "Then my advice is to leave him and come to me. Men like him are walking red flags."
"I know," she said absentmindedly, "but I like the way he is." The words slipped out so naturally that Natalie didn't realize what she meant.
"Women can be truly brainless when it comes to men like that, and you're no exception."
"I never claimed otherwise."
"Yeah, if you had any brain, you wouldn't have fallen for that idiot Ivan Brown in the first place."
