control
Marcus said carefully, "and you both maintain professional standards at the office, there's no firm policy against it. People work with their partners successfully all the time."
"Okay," I said. "Because I'm claiming this. I'm claiming Eli. I'm claiming that we're together, and I'm not hiding it anymore."
Marcus smiled.
"About time," he said. "Everyone's known for weeks."
After we left Marcus's office, Eli pulled me into a conference room.
"Did you just publicly claim a relationship with me?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Was that wrong? Should I have asked permission first?"
"No," Eli said. "It was perfect. It was exactly what I needed you to do."