I never expected our conversation to be so brief, but the moment Braxton’s lips are on mine, I no longer care about anything other than his touch. I thought for sure he’d want to talk more about the conversation that I had with Jeff earlier on the telephone. I can tell that it bothers Braxton that I spoke to him, but he doesn’t want to know anything more.Either that, or maybe he just can’t think about anything else since he’s kissing me like he hasn’t held me in his arms for ages.I’m not complaining, though. I move to him, straddling him beneath the warm water. I press myself to him as the kiss deepens. I can feel his hardness growing against me, and an ache forms within me as I long to have him inside of me.Braxton is taking his time, kissing a trail down my neck, leaving little bursts of electricity within me everywhere his mouth touches me. His hands slip up inside of my bikini top as he finds my nipples and gently tugs on them. I moan, my neck vibrating against his mouth as he
As soon as we get out of the hot tub, we don’t bother to put our wet bathing suits back on. It would be too difficult to get back into them, especially my bottoms, so we just wrap up in big, fluffy towels, and Braxton guides me over to a large chair where we can sit together, his arms around me, my legs over his. I gaze up at the stars, breathing in his scent. He smells so good, I can’t help but nuzzle my nose up to his face. The scent of deep woods and his natural musk make my skin light on fire again, my heartbeat racing.I don’t know how long I can sit her, wrapped up in his warm embrace, only towels between our naked bodies, and not feel a rush of longing again. I wonder if Braxton is having the same problem as his lips graze my temple. I lean into him, and his mouth rests on the top of my head for a long moment.I raise my hand to his neck, stroking him gently, before I move my lips to the spot near his Adam’s apple where I can feel his heartbeat. He murmurs, the vibrations from
The next morning, I can still smell Julia on my fingers, even though I’ve showered and washed my hands a few times. I hold the phone close to my nose as I speak to my lawyer, inhaling deeply because I can’t be upset at the news they’re telling me if I am dreaming of being with her.“It doesn’t look good,” the lawyer says. “They’re demanding a lot, and the fact that they have a signed contract that requests that Thompson allow you to sleep with his wife, well, that doesn’t look good either, Mr. Merriweather. I really do recommend we try to settle this out of court if we can. It simply won’t make a good headline for you, amongst other things.”I know how it sounds. “I got her permission as well, Shawna,” I say to my lawyer.“No, I know that, but the press isn’t going to run with that. They’re going to try to turn this into some sort of soap opera, some sort of scheme for a rich man to get control of a poor worker’s wife.”I realize immediately that what she’s saying is true. I don’t wan
Over dinner, I want to ask Braxton more than just how his day was. When I ask him that question, he says, it was fine and tells me a little bit about the accounts he’s working on. We both know that’s not what I’m asking about, but he hasn’t volunteered any information about Jeff and his lawsuit. That’s what I want to know about, and Braxton knows it.So… when the dessert is served, and we are almost done, I ask. “Have you heard anything from the lawyers yet?” That is pointed enough that he can’t just brush it away.He puts a bite of tiramisu in his mouth as I am asking, so I have to wait until he is done chewing for a response. Once he swallows, he wipes his mouth politely on a napkin and finally says, “My lawyers made his lawyers an offer today, but I haven’t heard anything back yet. I think it’s a strong offer, one he can’t easily turn down.” He gives me a reassuring smile and then takes another bite.I take a bite, too. The tiramisu is delicious. I wish I could just concentrate on
Braxton leads me to the bedroom. I am nervous, sort of like I was the first night we were together, but I trust him. I know, whatever it is he wants to do in here, I will enjoy it beyond anything I can comprehend.Once we are in the bedroom, Braxton lights some candles while I stand at the foot of the bed. His lips meet mine as he takes my clothing off, his hands roaming all around my body, lighting my skin on fire everywhere he touches me.“Lie down on the bed,” Braxton says softly.I raise an eyebrow, not sure what he wants me to do, but I crawl into the middle of the bed and lie on my back. Braxton opens his nightstand drawer and pulls out a black mask. He slips it on to cover my eyes and kisses me sweetly.The next thing I know, my hands and legs are restrained. I am a little nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before, but I trust Braxton completely.My arms are bound above my head, together, but my legs are spread wide. I have enough room to lift my legs if I want
Days go by without a response from Thompson’s attorneys. I wait impatiently, trying to absorb myself in my work during the day and with Julia at night. The nights pass more quickly as I relish every moment I have with her. The days are long, and I do not feel as focused as I used to. I know I am distracted.One day, after a particularly rough meeting with some of our clients, one where I have little to say and can hardly stay focused long enough to answer their questions, Luckily, I have some talented associates in the room with me who are able to cover for me. I think I hear one of them say that I’m feeling under the weather. The clients make sympathetic faces in my direction, but they might know already what’s going on. There have been rumors in the tabloids that I’m being sued for taking one of my employee's wives. None of them have been substantiated. Yet.Once the clients have left the room, Stringer lingers, sending everyone else out of the room. I know the look he has in his ey
My phone keeps ringing. It’s been ringing for the better part of a week now. I know it’s Jeff every time it goes off. I have it on vibrate, but it still makes me jump. I haven’t listened to any of the forty-five messages he’s left me, but I have read a few of his texts.He wants to know what I think he should do. I think that’s ironic. Maybe a little crazy. He wants my advice regarding the offer Braxton has made him. He hasn’t given me the details of the offer, and I haven’t asked Braxton about it because he hasn’t mentioned it to me himself. While I could lie to him and tell him that I’ve spoken to my mom, and she is the one that told me that he’d made Jeff an offer, I don’t want to lie to him. I wish he would just give me the details of what’s going on, but I guess he is back to not wanting to worry me. Something tells me that if I pressure him, he’ll tell me everything. I don’t want to have to do that.Part of me doesn’t want to know. I feel responsible for the entire situation. It
It seems like forever since I’ve made the offer to Jeff. Days pass, and he doesn’t respond. I do my best to work in my new office, but it’s still difficult to concentrate, even without being able to see him. I spend so much of my time thinking about Julia and wondering what Jeff is going to do.I have a file open on my computer, but I’m not really looking at it. I am just reviewing something one of my associates has already done. Probably for the best that I do that for now, until we get all of this sorted out. If I were to try and handle any accounts myself at the moment, there’d be no guarantee that the work would be up to par. It’s a shame, and difficult for me to admit, but it’s true.My phone rings just as I’m starting to respond to an email. I almost ignore it since I’ve finally started to get some work done, but when I glance down to see who is calling and see that it’s Shawna, my head lawyer, I pick it up right away. “This is Braxton,” I say.“Good afternoon, Mr. Merriweather,