“I’m trying to expand Wicked, and if Samson and I aren’t there together, shit just doesn’t get done.”
I wave my hand around the patio/pool area. “Isn’t this enough for you?”
“This is great, babe, but the price of all this shit isn’t going down, and I want enough so we don’t have to ever worry about money or anything else.”
“The price of things is always going up, but how much is enough?” I cuddle into him. “I’m happy with what we have right now.”
“I am too, but it can all vanish if you’re not paying attention. That’s why we have to expand the club. That’s why I have to work more hours. I don’t wanna ever have to worry about money.”
“Sometimes I think being with me and Portia isn’t enough for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re hardly ever home anymore, and when you are, we’re picking at each other. Like this morning.”
“That’s ‘cause we’re both so busy.”
I move off his lap. “I want to have a holiday party next week for our friends and neighbors, but it will be impossible if you’re working every night.”
“A holiday party?”
“You make it sound like I’ve proposed an execution.”
He rolls his eyes like my comparison is on point. “The holidays are one of the busiest times at Wicked.”
“I’d just like to have some fun. Wicked is a huge success, so I don’t understand why you’ve become so obsessed with wanting more.”
“Because I want everything to be right for us always.”
I clearly hear the edge in his voice, and I don’t want to ruin this euphoric feeling, so I yawn, then say, “Let’s go to bed and get some sleep. We’re both tired.”
He yawns, stands, and pulls me off the couch. “Best idea you’ve had tonight.”
I smirk. “Best idea?”
“Second best idea.”
We hit the stairs, and we are literally dragging. I can see the wheels of Nick’s brain working, and I’m hoping I madehim think about the time he spends at the club. My hope is, by the first of the new year, he will slow down and take more days off. Portia needs and wants to see more of him, and even though she brushed tonight off, I know it hurt her.
After we trudge up the stairs, exhaustion hits me hard. Between the somewhat tedious meeting with Graham Pierce, interviewing two new girls and then the regular work stuff, it was a long day with the only high points being Portia’s concert plus Nick’s exquisite body and what he did with it.
No matter where we are in our life, the sex is always amazing. During sex, we connect on an exquisite plateau, making us both realize how much we need each other. That kind of emotion can’t be faked, and it makes me realize how much we need each other and belong together.
After we got a good night’s sleep, I’ll broach my holiday party idea again, and I’m sure he’ll be on board. The Nick I remember loves to party. and now we have the funds to do it in style. What better way to meet our neighbors, be a part of our community, and maybe keep Nick home one night, than to have a blowout holiday party?
Izzy and I had done some research into caterers, and the ideas and themes are endless and fabulous. Now all I have to do is make Nick think it’s fabulous too.
Four Days Before Christmas
CHERYL
The next morning, after a very sound sleep, I make sure I’m in the kitchen before Nick. A half hour later, when he appears, I have the coffee brewed and welcome him with a piping-hot mug of his favorite beverage—black and strong, just the way he likes it.
He takes the mug and crinkles his brow. “You setting me up for something?”
“Because I hand you a cup of coffee?”
“Because, even though you get up before me, you never make coffee.”
