The sound of Braxton’s alarm going off stirs me, but I am groggy as I open my eyes to see him turning his phone off to make the alarm stop and then turning to look at me. He smiles down at me, and a smile lights my face as well, but then I remember that there is a problem. I remember why I am there, but I also remember that Jeff is fighting back. My smile tightens, and I see the strain in his expression as well.“Good morning, Julia,” he says, trying to hide his true feelings.“Good morning,” I say, pushing up on my elbows so that I am almost even with him. He rolls onto his side and props himself up on his elbow, and I can tell that he has something he wants to say to me.I think he is finally going to tell me about the lawsuit. The night before, I had spent hours waiting for him to spill the information to me. But he had been trying to protect me and hadn’t said anything at all. Now, after a good night’s sleep, and maybe a few hours of contemplation as I had fallen asleep right awa
Leaving Julia at home is something I’m going to have to figure out how to do more effectively because walking away from her this morning was almost physically painful. I wish I would’ve talked to her about the situation with Jeff the night before. I should’ve known she was too smart not to have known something was going on.I sit behind my desk and flip through some papers, not really looking at any of them. I know I have to figure out a way to concentrate on my work because it has to get done whether or not I can focus on it. I spend an hour or so looking through the files I have to approve, seeing very little of what’s written on the papers. I sign off on a few things that I know my top staff members have already looked over so there’s a pretty good chance they are fine. I know that it isn’t okay for me not to do my work because I am distracted, but at the same time… I can’t control my thoughts today.My eyes are drawn through the window where I see that Jeff Thompson has his phone
My phone is lighting up like a Christmas tree. Not the new phone that Braxton gave me, but my old one. It’s Jeff. He’s called and texted more times than I can count, and I'm not sure what to do about it.It’s only been a few hours since Braxton left to go to work. I’m trying to paint, the picture on the canvas starting to take shape more than it had the day before. It’s clear now what direction the figures want me to go in, and I’m doing my best to be true to them, letting them speak to me with every stroke of my brush. The colors are bold--red, blue, purple, on a field of black and navy--and it’s quite clear that the two people who are filling up the center of the canvas are in love. They compel me to tell their story, to let the world know just how it feels to finally find one’s soulmate.But interruptions keep dragging my eyes away. I know i don’t have to have both of my phones in the room with me. In fact, it would probably make more sense for me to just throw my old phone out. I
It’s clear over dinner that Julia is distracted, though I can’t say why. I decide we should finish eating before I start asking questions. But I will ask her. After all, I spent so much of last night too worried to mention to her something she already knew all about, so it’s ridiculous for me to try not to discuss what’s going on with her. I need to know what’s bothering her, just as she wanted to know what was bothering me the night before.As soon as we finish our dinner, I say, “We should go spend some time in the hot tub.” My muscles ache from being so rigid all day at work, on edge, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Since I heard nothing from my lawyers today, it is unsettling to think I may spend the next several weeks or months just waiting for a phone call that might not come.“Okay,” Julia says. “That’s a good idea. I have something I’d like to talk to you about, and it will be less stressful if we can chat in the hot tub.” She smiles that beautiful smile of hers,
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