I told Gretchen I wasn’t coming back with her. She hailed me a cab, put me in, and shut the door before I even had a chance to say goodnight. She either didn’t want me thrashing next to her in bed or she believed I was making the right choice.
I only calmed once the driver pulled up to the place that was, for all intents and purposes, my new home. It was late—past one o’clock in the morning—so thankfully, my elevator ride went uninterrupted. My need for David grew quickly, and all I wanted was to feel him any way I could have him.
Using the keys he’d given me, I unlocked the door and eased it shut behind me. I took a step and removed my left shoe, then did the same with the right. I went directly to the bedroom, dropped both heels, and climbed over David as he slept on his side. I pulled down the comforter and touched his hot skin.
“David,” I whispered, running my hand over his chest and down his stomach. He sighed and jerked beneath me. My hand continued down, gliding under the elastic of his boxer briefs.
He groaned, and his eyes opened. “Hey,” he grated out. I wrapped my hand around him and quieted him with a kiss. Without disconnecting our mouths, I shifted to straddle him, and he flipped onto his back.
“You’re supposed to be at Gretchen’s,” he said. “I’m giving you your space. I need mine, too.”
I ran my palm along his shaft. “No.”
“No?”
All the turmoil of the last few days gathered in my chest, threatening to cave it in. “I don’t want to do this alone. Please, David. I need you to fuck it all out of me,” I whispered and deepened the kiss.
He didn’t ask what I meant. His big hands just went straight to my hips to squeeze me against him. I moaned at his hardness. I didn’t think I’d last two seconds. He hiked up my dress, pulled it over my head, and removed my bra. I straightened up, and his hands went straight to my breasts. I reached between us, shifted my thong, and sank onto him.
I was prepared to ride him in his half-asleep state, but suddenly he was wide awake, fucking all the hurt, guilt, and regret out of me like I’d asked, giving me the gift of temporary oblivion. I bounced forward with his furious upward thrusts, and his hands jumped to my waist, pushing me down to meet him faster. I came quicker than I ever had. He kept his pace until he was gushing into me, growling from his chest. His hold remained strong as his head dropped back to the pillow, and his hips slowed to a gradual stop.
When he finally let go, I collapsed next to him on the bed. He pulled my back close against his front.
“David—” I whispered.
“Sleep,” he grunted in my ear, and his breathing evened, so I did as he said, shut my eyes, and drifted, safe back in his embrace.
15
The perfect antidote to a mild hangover? A Chicago-style hot dog loaded with toppings. Serena and I each scarfed one during our lunch break, and mine tasted even more delicious because of my late night workout.
That morning, I’d woken up to an empty bed and a note on David’s pillow. He’d left early for a full day at work, but tonight, he was taking me out for dinner to talk. I was to be ready by seven so he could “pick me up” for our date at his apartment later, just like he’d promised.
As Serena and I walked off the elevator and intoChicago Metropolitan Magazine’s lobby, the receptionist brightened. “Someone got a delivery,” Jenny sang, holding out a long, rectangular, glossy-white box with a red ribbon fastened to the top.
Serena scurried over to investigate. “It’s for you, Olivia.”
Who’d sent it? A remorseful husband or a new lover? Both pairs of eyes watched me until Serena asked, “Well? It’s not going to open itself!”
I walked to Jenny’s desk, tugged one end of the ribbon, and lifted the lid to reveal twelve perfectly formed, long-stemmed roses. Thebestroses, I was sure, in the whole city of Chicago, because their sender wouldn’t accept otherwise.
“What’s the card say?” Jenny asked.
I picked up an envelope addressed me and read it aloud. “Looking forward to our date tonight.”
Love, David
“Wow.” Serena nudged me with her elbow. “I didn’t realize Bill was so romantic.”
I didn’t want to lie anymore. It was exhausting, and David had made it clear early on how much he hatedpretending. In that moment, my chest swelled with love for him, and I wanted the world to know it.
I shrugged and picked up the box. “They’re not from Bill,” I said, leaving the girls open-mouthed behind me.
In my office, I buried my nose in the bouquet, smiling as its perfume filled my nostrils.
Within seconds of putting down the box, Serena entered the room. “Thought you might need this,” she said, placing a vase full of water on my desk.
“Thanks,” I said and set to work filling it.
