Typically, after an overseas trip, I like to go home and relax. But after talking to Sam a couple of days ago and then getting a call from Human Resources regarding the pesky woman that I should have found a reason to fire a long time ago, I know I won’t rest until I settle the matter myself.

So many thoughts flitted through my mind when I heard what was going on, but I immediately worried about Laura’s reaction. Sam didn’t mention her at all, and I don’t know if that was to protect me from her negative reaction or if she doesn’t know what’s going on. I hope she doesn’t know anything. After what happened with Becca, I don’t expect her to trust me on this one.

Striding from the elevator to the Human Resources office, I’m surprised to see Laura. Sam said she was putting in a few hours at the office, but I’m not prepared to see her.

“Laura!” I change direction and walk toward her. “What are you doing down here?”

Laura opens her mouth to respond, but her eyes narrow into slits, and my heart sinks. She’s heard, and she doesn’t believe I’m innocent. I don’t have any fight left in me to defend myself right now. I wait for her to accuse me, but she walks right past me.

Well, that’s another option, I think to myself.

“We need to talk,” she says behind me.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” I say as I turn to face her. But she’s not talking to me.

It’s Sandy. She’s standing in the lobby like a deer in the headlights. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be talking to me,” she says nervously.

“Oh? You have no problem accusing my husband of assaulting you, but you can’t have a conversation with me about it?”

I’ve seen Laura like this before—the night that we met. This could turn ugly fast. “Laura.” I start to move toward them, but she stops me in mid-step by putting her hand up without looking back.

“Don’t come any closer, or she’ll try to accuse you of doing something else to her.”

Sandy gets a breath of confidence and sticks her nose in the air. “I know what happened, and he can deny it all he wants. We’ll let Human Resources figure it out from there. It won’t be pretty once the media finds out about him and ruins his image.” She flashes me a smug smile.

Laura’s voice drops lower still. “Are you threatening him now?”

“I don’t know why you’re defending him. I know about your little marriage agreement,” Sandy scoffs. “He’s going to dump you in a couple months, so why bother with this charade?”

“You don’t know anything.” Laura’s voice is even. “And just so you know, that day you were talking about, that room in question? It has cameras that can be rewound. Were you aware of that? You must have been, or you wouldn’t have accused him. Tell me the date, and we can have a look.”

I’m confused. I don’t have any cameras in any of the offices but now doesn’t seem like an appropriate time to point out the flaw in her statement.

Sandy pales and takes a step back. I’m not sure if this is because of Laura’s revelation, or because Laura has somehow managed to inch closer, her face is inches from Sandy’s. She opens her mouth to reply but clamps it back shut. Turning on her heel, she goes out the revolving door the same way she arrived.

Triumphant, Laura turns around to face me. “I hope that settles that.” She looks hesitantly at the door to the HR office. “You don’t think that I caused more problems, do you?”

“Wouldn’t have mattered if you did,” I say quietly. “Thank you.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Laura walks back toward me, and I itch to pull her into my arms. I notice a crowd has gathered around us, and I need to have her alone.

Without responding, I take her by the elbow and lead her firmly to the stairwell. Laura doesn’t say anything, but I know she understands that we need privacy more than anything right now. There is too much between us, and there is not enough conversation about what happened before with Becca, or now and all the moments in between.

We gain access to a floor that’s less busy and catch the elevator the rest of the way. I drop my hand from her arm when I feel her muscles tense. I’ve maintained a tight grip on it most of the way up and forgot to let go even after she matched my pace.

“Are you mad?” Laura asks me. She presses closer to me just when the doors open up a floor below ours.

Sam is getting on the elevator and looks at us, startled. He looks like he wants to say something. So I silence him with a glare. I don’t need an interrogation from him right now. “Well, you two look pretty cozy.” He does nothing to hide the smirk on his face.

“You always take the elevator to go up one floor?” I ask as the doors open again to our floor.

Sam makes an exaggerated gesture to allow Laura to exit first before pulling me back for a close-up version of his self-satisfied look. “You two have got to stop cozying up like that if you’re going to end this thing.” He turns on his heel and leaves before I can react.

Laura has made it halfway down the hallway before she realizes I’m still by the elevators. “Hey, are you coming? We should talk.” Her silky shirt is clinging to her firm breasts. She has her hand right where her waist dips and before her body swells at her hips. It’s driving me crazy.

“My office,” I say, walking past her brusquely. After a moment’s hesitation, I hear the click of her heels. As soon as she gets inside, I close the door behind her. I’m so grateful Norma isn’t at her desk, I can’t handle any more questions.

Laura raises her eyebrows. “Well?”

I finally have the chance to talk to her, and I don’t know where to begin. I run my fingers through my hair and scratch my scalp vigorously while I walk toward the big window overlooking the street below. “We need to talk.”

“I agree.”

I look back at her and see that despite the firmness in her voice, her eyes reveal her vulnerable side.

“No, we can’t talk now.” Even when I have an opportunity to talk to her, I can’t form the words for everything I’m feeling. Everything feels like it’s hanging in a delicate balance now and I don’t want to tip the scales.

“If not now, when?” She throws her hands up in exasperation.

“Did you say all that down there because you believe I didn’t do it?”

“Of course, I don’t think you did it. She’s obviously lying.”

“How do you know? You didn’t believe me about Becca.”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“It just was. You were close with her before, and I saw you at that restaurant. It didn’t look as innocent as you said.”

“So why believe me in this situation?”

“After talking to Sam, I realize I probably overreacted.” She raises one shoulder in apology. “It’s hard for me to blindly trust anyone.”

“Isn’t that what trust is? Blind? If you had the proof, then you wouldn’t need the trust.”

She sighs. “Well, I had the trust today based off of whatever happened—or rather, didn’t happen with Rebecca.”

We don’t speak for a minute. Laura is leaning against the door, staring at the carpet. Her heels are doing amazing things for her legs, and I can’t stop thinking about what she’s wearing under her skirt. I cross the room to her, and she looks up in surprise. She steps to the side, thinking I’m leaving the office. I grab her around the waist and push her back against the door, pressing my body up against hers. Her lips part just before my mouth covers them.

“Are we done talking?” she breathes against my lips when we come up for air. Her hips are making small movements against mine.

“Looks like it.” I pick her up and put her on the edge of my desk. She reaches behind her and makes some room.

“Maybe we should go home.” She looks at the door with concern.

“Even if someone hears us, what are they going to do?” I tease her ear with my tongue and hear the sharp intake of her breath. Her hands clutch my biceps, and her legs open wider in a silent invitation. She loosens my tie and undoes some of my buttons, but I still her fingers.

“No time for that,” I rasp.

Nodding, she undoes my belt and pants and cradles my hardness in her hands. My hands have already slid under her skirt and up toward her center. As much as I love the feel of her hands stroking me, I can’t wait anymore. I move her hands away and scoot her to the edge of the desk. Peeling down the lacy panties, I stifle a groan when I feel how wet she is.

“Hurry.” Her hands are bracing themselves on my shoulders, and she wiggles herself closer to me. Dropping one hand down between us, she guides the tip of me to her entrance. It’s slick and moist.

I can’t hold back this time and let out a low growl.

“Shhh,” she cautions, looking at the door.

“Let’s see you be quiet,” I challenge her just as I plunge deep into her. Her squeak of surprise fills the room before she bites my shoulder. I feel a surge course through me as I pull out, only to thrust back in harder. The desk is sturdy wood, but I feel it shake under us. I vigorously thrust in and out of her. Her muscles clench around me, and she lets out a low moan. Her hands come down to my hips to hold me inside her when she feels my body tense. I release inside her, her inner muscles clenching and squeezing every last drop out of me.

When we finish, she drops her head to my shoulder, her body heaving. I struggle to catch my own breath. Her hair has come undone from the top bun she had, the strands clinging to her neck seductively. I brush them aside and plant a soft kiss on her neck before slipping out of her and rearranging our clothes.

* * *

Two days later, I know I’m completely in love with Laura. She’s all I can think about, and the thought of her leaving me physically hurts. I wake up early in the morning to watch her sleep. I memorize the lines of her body, the hollows and the dimples, the dips and the curves. We both know she has a few weeks left before she goes back for another trip to Milan. In that time, we’re supposed to be going through the paperwork to untangle ourselves from our current relationship. But I don’t want to untangle myself. I want to be completely immersed and forget where I end and where she begins.

I run my foot up her bare leg while I think about what to do next. Her slumbering form is curved into mine. Her nightie is hiked up on one side, revealing the sexy curve of her butt. Last night, she was the aggressor, and she found out how much of a willing victim I was.

Remembering how her body moved in rhythm over me makes me hard all over again. My arm is draped around her middle, and I curl it tighter to feel her against me. I bring my hand higher to her breasts, alternately cupping and kneading them. Once I start tweaking her nipples, her bottom presses back against me, and I thrust my hips deeper toward her.

“Mmmm,” she mumbles. “No time for that today. I have an appointment.”

“We have time,” I whisper. Rubbing against her more, I’m disappointed when she scoots away. I sit up slightly and prop my head up on one elbow.

She looks at the time on the clock and stretches leisurely. Her hair is tousled, and her cheeks are rosy. I trace the line down her spine and let my hand rest in the hollow of her back. She gives me a small smile before heading to the bathroom. “I look like a mess,” she laughs when she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

“You look like you’ve been loved,” I correct her. I wait for her reaction, but I’m disappointed when I hear the soft click of the bathroom door. I don’t think she heard me.

I look at the clock on the wall and sigh. I have to be up, too, but for once, I don’t have the motivation to get up and do anything. The thought of losing Laura consumes me, and I can’t bring myself to concentrate on anything else.

Walter. I have to talk to Walter. That’s the burst of energy I need, and I swing my legs over the side of the bed. If anything can be done, it’s going to be through him.

Getting ready in another bathroom, I leave Laura a quick note before I go. I hear the shower turn off, but as much as I want to see her in a towel, I have to focus on convincing her to stay with me.

I have never dropped into Walter’s office unannounced. But there is a first for everything. “Whoa, what brings you by? Did we have an appointment I’m not aware of?”

“We need to talk.” I sink into a seat on the couch he has pushed up against the wall. His walls are adorned with plaques, and his table is covered in papers. I’m aware that he’s a busy guy, but for as much as I’m paying him, he can afford to give me some marriage tips along with the legal advice.

“You got little over a month on your deadline, son. What’s the problem? You want out sooner?”

“No, I want in. All in.”

Walter sits up and folds his hands in front of him. “You what?” He turns his ear toward me as if he hasn’t heard me clearly.

“I want her. I love her, and I want to stay married.”

A slow smile spreads across his wrinkled face. “You got it bad, huh? She feel the same way?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I think so. I can’t be sure.”

“Well, you have to be sure about something like this.” Walter drags out his words. “You make this permanent, and she’s only halfway invested, and you’re in for a heap of trouble.”

“It’s not a business arrangement. Not anymore. It’s not an investment, it’s a marriage.”

“Well, that’s not what you said to me before, and that’s definitely not what you two signed off on.”

I grit my teeth. “I know.”

“So, what do you want me to do? I’m a lawyer, not a magician.”

“You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?”

“At my age, you have to get your kicks where you can.” Walter chuckles.

“So can you do some lawyer magic?”

I must look hopeless, because after studying my face, Walter nods. “I’ll see what I can do. You tell me exactly what you want, and I’ll work out the details and let you look it over. Next week okay?”

“No, I need it by this afternoon.”

“You’re out of your damn mind.”

“Today, please.”

“I’ll have to clear my whole schedule,” Walter grumbles.

“Give your smaller stuff to your junior partners.”

“The secret behind my success is that I handle all my own business. Can’t trust anyone these days.”

“Which is why I hired you in the first place,” I interrupt. “And it’s why I’m your top-paying client. So, please. Can you do it?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles. “Top-paying, but most impatient.”

“You got me there.” I grin. I get up and stick out my hand for him to shake, and he gives it a hard clasp before waving me out.

“If you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do.”

“I’ll tell Norma to expect you, and she’ll clear up my schedule for whenever you can make it.”

“Sure.” Walter waves me away again. “Shoo. I can’t work with you breathing down my neck. Besides, you have your own work cut out for you, convincing that girl to stay with your stubborn ass.”

I leave his office feeling lighter than I have in weeks. This is going to work. I know I can convince Laura—if not with my words, then maybe with my lips.

Once I’m in my office, I let Norma know Walter has top priority today before heading into the conference room for the morning meeting.

Sam tips his chin up at me, and I nod back. We haven’t been able to spend much time together, and I know it’s my fault. After returning from my trip, I’ve been pursuing Laura single-mindedly. Sam’s attempted to schedule some downtime with me, but I keep finding excuses not to join him. We see each other often enough in the office, but that’s different. I make a mental note to ask him to have lunch with me tomorrow since he has an appointment today. It’s time we had a talk—brother to brother.

After the meeting, the rest of the afternoon passes with surprising quickness. I feel productive, and I tackle things that I’ve been unable to address for the past week.

“Max?” Norma’s voice interrupts a phone call. “Walt’s here.”

“I’ll call you back.” I end the call abruptly and tell Norma to send him in.

“You might as well call in your girl,” Walter says, pushing a file toward me. “Just so you know, I worked through lunch, so this better be worth it.”

“I appreciate you, Walter.” I clap him on the back before thumbing through the file.

“Of course, you do,” he grumbles. His slight smile betrays his attitude.

“Norma, could you get my wife for me?”

“Sure,” Norma says.

A few minutes later, Laura walks in and stops when she sees Walter. “Oh.”

“Hey, have a seat.” I pull my chair out for her and offer it to her.

“That’s okay, I’ll sit here.” She smooths her skirt under her before sitting gingerly on the edge of a seat by Walter.

Walter gives me a doubtful look. He’s right. I’ve talked to Laura about this before, but only in vague terms. Now that I’m armed with the paperwork she’ll know I’m serious.

“Walter, could you give us a minute?”

“Of course.” He nods to Laura and gives her a pat on the back before closing the door behind himself.

Laura clears her throat. “Is this about wrapping things up? Are we doing this now? I thought we were going to wait a few weeks.”

“Remember when I asked you if you wanted to make this situation more permanent?”

“Yes, but—”

“I had Walter draw up the papers, and I want you to look them over. You and I make a great team. We belong together.”

After I thrust the papers into her lap, Laura doesn’t say anything. She looks through them, but given how fast she’s going through them, I don’t think she’s reading the words on the page.

“Max.” She looks up at me. There’s a distant look in her eyes that I can’t place. “I accepted that job in Milan.” She pauses and looks down at the papers again.

“I know, but it’s just temporary, right? We can figure something out.”

“No, it’s not temporary.” She doesn’t look up. Her fingers are clutching the stack of papers, crumpling one side of them.

“You accepted a permanent position? When were you going to tell me?” A mix of emotions run through me. More than anything, I feel betrayed. As many times as we slept together after I returned, she never shared anything with me except that she was going to go back for another opportunity. She never said it was permanent. I also feel stupid for not asking her more about it. If she accepted the permanent position, I know she doesn’t feel the same way about me that I feel about her.

“I didn’t think it mattered.” She raises the stack of papers in the air for emphasis. “After this was over, what difference would it have made to you?”

A sharp pain in my chest comes suddenly, and I want to be alone. Laura gets up as if sensing it, and she leaves the papers on my desk. Crossing to the door, she pauses without looking back. “I’m sorry.”

I’m staring out the window when I hear the door close behind her.