Driving over the bridge, I observe the way the skyscrapers act like beacons as they light up the gray fog and rain that’s shrouding the city of Rayleigh. One of the first towers you see as you come off the overpass into the city is Vandellen Logistics. Handy for trying to get out of traffic every day.
Visiting Leo at work has never been something I enjoyed doing, nor is it something I do very often. The people, while nice enough, are a little stuffy and conversation always seems forced. As if they feel like they need to humor me because I’m Leo’s wife. Glancing at the time, I see that it’s almost nine thirty and keep driving into the city. Leo will still be in his meeting a while longer, so I park the car outside a French looking bakery and jump out quickly to get underneath the awning before I get soaked. A little bell sounds as I walk inside, smoothing my damp hair back from my face and tucking some behind my ear.
“Hello, what can I get for you?” a woman who looks to be in her fifties asks.
I give her a smile then browse the display of pastries in front of me. “I’ll grab two chocolate croissants, a latte, one sugar, and a black coffee. To go please.”
She busies herself with making the coffee then grabs the croissants and puts them in a paper bag before handing them over. I give her a twenty, telling her to keep the change. She beams at me, and I grab our drinks and food before running back out to the car. Once inside, I check my phone and decide to just head over there. The morning traffic makes the drive take fifteen minutes anyway. Walking would probably take five. I decide against using the employee parking lot and opt to park on the street when I see a free space instead. Getting out, I quickly shut the door before realizing I forgot our food and drinks. Shit. Opening it back up, I grab them then lock the car, running out of the rain and into the foyer of Vandellen Logistics. I’m a little cold and probably look like I took a dive into the ocean, but I hold my head up high and walk over to the reception desk.
“Dahlia.” Sarah looks up from her computer, her red lips pursed as she scrutinizes me over the rims of her black framed glasses. She lifts a hand and delicately pushes them up the bridge of her nose, sniffing then asking, “What can we do for you?”
I hold the snort in, just. She knows I’m here to see my husband. But I smile thinly and tell her anyway. “Just here to see Leo.” I hold up the tray with our two mugs and paper bag for emphasis. “Is he done with his meeting?”
She makes a show of checking her computer for a good minute before a frazzled looking young woman rounds the corner. “Oh, you’re Leo’s wife?” Her eyes bug out as she takes me in. “You’re so much prettier in person. Oh, um, instead of the pictures he has in his office,” she hurries to say.
My lips curve into a genuine smile as I take in her frizzy red hair, plump figure, and the freckles scattered over her nose. She seems sweet. “You’re Leo’s new secretary, right?” The one he hired at the start of the year, and I’ve yet to meet.
She nods frantically. “Yes. Yes, well, not that new now.” Rubbing her hands together she turns red in the face. “That’s me.” She pauses. “Oh, gosh. I’m sorry. My name is Bella.” She holds a hand out, and I shove my purse over my shoulder to shake it. “Nice to meet you, Bella. I’m Dahlia.”
“Oh, I know.” She snorts then startles. “Sorry. You’d like to see him, right? Of course.” She shakes her head. “Follow me.”
Sarah watches the whole thing with a bored expression on her sixty-year-old, Botox-infused face then returns to clicking away at her computer.
“Thanks,” I tell Bella as she leads me to the elevators and presses the button. The doors open, and we walk in as I ask, “How do you like working here?”
She hits the button to the top floor where Leo’s office is. The doors close and the elevator glides up. “It’s amazing. I love it,” She gushes theatrically, causing me to laugh.
“It’s okay. I won’t tell him. You can be honest.” I wink at her.
She chews her lip for a second. “No, seriously. He can be, um, moody sometimes. But he treats us well and puts up with my countless mistakes.” Her eyes widen. “Don’t remind him of them, please.”
Shaking my head, I give her a smile as we step out. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She directs me down the hall to the large wooden doors that lead into Leo’s office. “He just got out of a meeting five minutes ago, so he should be back by now.” She knocks, and his voice sounds on the other side, telling her to come in. Bella opens the door for me, and I walk in to find him leaning back in his chair, a pen in his mouth, and eyes that widen when they fall on me.
“Hey.” I smile, walking over to his large desk to put our drinks down.
“I’ll just, ah, leave you two to it then.” Bella waves awkwardly when I turn to say thank you, almost smacking into the door when she spins around.
Leo chuckles. “Thanks, Bella.”
She blushes and closes the door. I turn back to him. “She seems nice.”
He smirks. “She is. A bit of a mess at times, but she does well.”
I fidget with my hands, glancing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the sprawling city beyond. And on the other side of his office, windows with a perfect view of the ocean. Which is choppy and gray due to the weather.
“Lia.” His chair creaks. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you,” is all I say. Because it’s true.
He sighs, tossing his pen to the desk and pulling the tray toward him to grab his to-go cup. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I chew on my lip as I watch him take a sip and stare out the windows. Oh, fuck it. I came here to see him, so I’m not just going to stand here like an idiot and act as though he’s put me in the naughty corner. Moving around the desk, I move some papers out of the way, drop my purse, and take a seat on the desk, swinging my legs over and between his as he watches me with amused eyes.
Then he scowls. “You do realize your dress is soaking wet.”
I glance down at it, frowning. Shit, the white cotton is a little see-through, showing my stupidly chosen black lace bra beneath it. Flushing, I look back up at him and give him a small shrug. “I found a parking spot out front and got stuck getting our drinks out of the car.”
He leans forward in his chair and places his coffee cup down on the other side of his computer. His hand lifts to my hair, and he toys with a wet blond strand that was resting on my arm, studying it between his fingers. “You don’t usually like coming here, Lia. What’s up?”
It’s my turn to scowl. “It’s not that I don’t like it …” His quirked brow halts me. “Oh, fine. But I don’t care. I like you, so get used to it, Mr. Vandellen. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”
He gives me that crooked grin. “You like me, huh?” His eyes move to my chest, and my nipples harden behind the confines of my bra. “I more than like you,” I reply.
His eyes meet mine, and he leans forward farther, wrapping his arms behind me and bringing my ass to the edge of his desk. “I know,” he says with his face close to mine.
Tears prick my eyes as I stare into his. Emotion clogs my throat as I ask hoarsely, “Do you still like me?”
His whole face softens, and he rests his nose on mine. “I fucking love you. Only ever, always you.” His voice is rough, and my heart riots as though it’s trying to leave my chest to get to him. I dive forward into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck as he holds me tightly to him.
The phone on his desk rings, and he moves forward to pick it up. “No,” he answers whoever is on the other end of the line. “Hold all my calls until further notice.” He slams it back in its cradle.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of these wet clothes,” he murmurs, kissing my cheek gently.
Pulling my head back, I ask, “How?”
His hands reach up to frame my face as he brings my mouth to his. He kisses me softly, sweetly before responding with, “You’ll see. Up.” He smacks my ass as he helps me onto my feet. Grabbing our coffees, he passes me mine and my purse then directs me to the door with a hand on my lower back. We step into the elevator, and I’m still wondering where we’re going when he checks his phone. “As long as I’m back by one for a conference call that I can’t put off, we’re good.”
“Good? Where are we going?” I ask.
He grabs my hand when the doors open, and I follow as he walks out into the lobby. “Got some shit to do, back in a little while,” he tells Sarah and Bella. Sarah frowns at us while Bella waves with both hands, a huge smile on her face. I smile back, already deciding that I like her. Leo stops at my car, taking the keys from me and helping me in before rounding it to the other side. It’s then I realize that I forgot our croissants. Damn, I was looking forward to eating mine. Oh well, I guess he’ll have a snack for later.
He turns the ignition over after adjusting the seat then looks over his shoulder before pulling out onto the road and driving farther into the city. “Where’s Barney’s again?” He glances at me.
“Turn left up here then right. It’s in the shopping mall on the corner.” Hang on. “You’re taking me clothes shopping?” I ask with clear disbelief.
He grins, flicking the turn signal on. “Yep. You’re not walking around wet, and I’m not quite ready for you to go yet.” We turn into the underground parking lot, and I stare out the window, trying to hide the smile on my face.
He waits for someone to back out of a spot before taking it and turning the car off. Grabbing my hand, he helps me out of the car. “Leave your bag here,” he says, closing the door and locking it before linking his fingers through mine and walking toward the automatic doors of the shopping mall. I direct us to Barney’s, smiling brightly at the pretty brunette who greets us near a display rack. Her eyes rake up and down Leo’s body; he fills out a suit like it’s his job to model them. I don’t care, though, because he’s mine. Let her look all she wants. I grab a pair of skinny jeans and check the price, my eyes bugging out while Leo chuckles and takes them from me, draping them over his arm. “Just pick some stuff, Lia.”
“You can feed a village in Africa for a month with the amount of money some of these clothes cost,” I hiss at him. He only laughs. “Then it’s a good thing we already donate a big chunk of money to some of them each year.”
He’s right, but still. I snatch up a peach sweater dress and a pair of black leggings, taking them with me to the change rooms. The sales lady comes over to unlock it for us before returning to her task at the front of the store. Leo looks up at the ceiling for a beat then shocks me by coming in after me and locking the door behind him.
“Leo,” I whisper. “You can’t—” He shuts me up with his lips, tugging at my bottom lip with his teeth then pulling away to take my jacket off and lift my damp white dress from my body.
He hums, fiddling with the clasp of my bra. “This should really go too, but I don’t think I like the idea of you going anywhere braless,” he whispers huskily.
Then his fingers are tugging the cups down and he takes a seat on the bench behind him, pulling me between his legs to take a nipple into his mouth while his hands drift down my back to my ass. “Leo,” I pant, grabbing his head to pull him away, but instead, my fingers sink into his hair and I whimper quietly as his hand moves from my ass to skirt over my damp panties.
“Open,” he says, dragging his teeth over the skin of my breast before moving to suck the other one into his mouth; his hot, swirling tongue has me swallowing a moan. But when my legs spread, allowing him to move my panties to the side, I let one slip.
“Shhh.” His finger pauses in spreading me open as his blue eyes flash mischievously at me. I nod, swallowing hard as he parts me. Removing his mouth from my breast, he watches me while his finger glides through my wetness, dipping into my entrance before dragging it back to my clit and softly circling. He repeats the motion, over and over. “Leo, you need to … You’ll make me …”
“Come,” he finishes firmly, inserting a finger and thrusting in and out while his thumb flicks my clit.
“Yes,” I breathe, my head rolling back and my eyes closing as I fall apart on his hand in the changing room of a mall. Holy shit. My eyes fly open. He removes his fingers, pulling me into his lap as my thighs continue to quiver. They clench together as I watch him move his finger to his mouth to suck the evidence of my orgasm from it. “You’re crazy,” I whisper, resting my head on his shoulder. He laughs quietly.
“Everything okay in there?” the saleslady asks.
“Fine. We’ll be out in a minute,” Leo answers, his firm voice not inviting any questions about why he’s in here with me.
I giggle into his neck when I hear her heels clipping on the floor as she walks away. Tilting my head, I skim my lips underneath his jaw, feeling his hardness twitch beneath me.
“I guess we’d better get you dressed.” He moves me off him, and we both stand. I watch lazily as he tugs my bra cups back up then grabs the sweater dress, ripping the tags off and pulling it down over my head. I push my arms through the sleeves.
“Huh, this is actually really nice.” I turn and look into the mirror. “Comfortable, even.”
He smirks down at the leggings he’s ripping the tags from. “Don’t look at the price then, beautiful.”
I frown, turning around as he gestures for me to step into the leggings and tugs them up to my hips. Smiling, he adjusts the hem of the sweater dress over my ass.
“Let’s have lunch before I have to go back.” He turns the lock and goes to walk out.
I pull my hair out of the neckline of the dress. “Oh, the jeans.”
Backing up, he grabs them as well as my damp dress and jacket before leading me out to the registers. The brunette raises a brow at us as Leo hands the clothes and tags over, looking like she’s about to say something before he hands her his Amex plus a hundred-dollar tip. That has her smiling, putting my damp clothes into a separate bag and even saying that she hopes to see us again. I bite my tongue, linking my arm through Leo’s as we walk out of the store and head toward the food court.
He doesn’t ask what I want—he never does—but he knows what I don’t like to eat. We end up getting wraps and sitting in the back of the food court, trying to avoid the noise. I rub my foot over his leg, raising his pants a little as I unwrap mine from the paper.
“So you’re not still mad?” I ask my bottle of water.
“Look at me, Lia.”
My eyes lift, and I study the hardness of his beautifully sculpted face, watching the way it softens while he looks at me.
“I’m fucking furious. But just give me time because I can understand why you did it. Doesn’t mean I like it or that I think it was fair to me.”
I nod. “It wasn’t. But a goodbye is just that … a goodbye.” I drop my wrap and grab his hand. “It needed to happen. Because I want you. I’ve only ever wanted you.”
He stares at our hands for a heartbeat. “Promise me.” He raises his eyes when I don’t answer him. “Promise me that you’d never even consider doing something like that again.”
“You know I won’t,” I whisper brokenly.
He nods. “Yeah. But I still want to hear it.” Tugging on my hand until my face meets his over the table, he whispers, “Promise me.”
“I promise.” My eyelids flutter as I stare into his eyes. “You and me, Leo. Just you and me.”
His breath leaves him on a ragged exhale, his shoulders slumping as his lips take mine in a sweet, short kiss before we finish our lunch.
The rain finally stops as we’re driving back through the city. We pull up just outside his building, and I jump out, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and dragging my nails along his neck. He growls deep in his throat, leaning down to suck my bottom lip into his mouth. My arms move from his neck, skating down his shoulders to dive underneath his suit jacket and smooth over the hard ridges of his abs to his chest. He groans, his tongue tangling with mine while my hands climb back up to his shoulders. Muscles twitch as I tuck my hands underneath the sleeves of his jacket and try to pull him further into my body. “Shit.” He pulls his mouth away. “Jesus Christ, you’ll make me come in my pants like I’m a damn teenager again.” He nuzzles his nose into my cheek.
“Crap, maybe we can—”
He cuts me off, kissing me firmly. “Don’t worry about me. Just be ready and waiting when those kids of ours go to bed tonight.” He kisses my forehead and steps back onto the sidewalk. I smile, trying to calm my racing heart as he points a finger at the car behind me, telling me without words that he’s not leaving until he watches me drive off.
Spinning around, I climb in, readjust my seat, and turn the car on. Looking out the window I find him with his hands in his pant pockets, his hair even messier than usual, and a small grin on his face. And with just that one tiny smile, I know. I know that whatever comes our way, we’ll be ready and willing to take it on.
Together.