Chapter 7

Three weeks later…

Moira

A cold, rainy day.

An opportune meeting with a colleague I have to attend in downtown Atlanta, only four blocks from Cannon’s headquarters.

An equally opportune lunch hour freed up when my meeting got cut short because my colleague’s wife went into labor.

A quick stop into the restroom that sits just off the lobby of Cannon’s, and I am ready to surprise my husband.

I open the heavy, glass door with the word Cannon’s etched in big, bold letters, and the receptionist looks up.

“Hello, Mrs. Easton,” she says in a sweet, southern voice. “This is a nice surprise.”

“Hi Gloria,” I say with a smile, cinching the belt of my trench coat a little tighter around me. I’m feeling unbearably vulnerable since I stripped off my dress and shoved it in my purse while in the bathroom, intent on reveling in the look of surprise on Zach’s face when he offers to take my coat for me. “Just thought I’d see if my husband has time for a quick lunch.”

Or a quick something, I think to myself with an inner grin beaming.

My decision to try to seduce my husband at work wasn’t taken lightly. I have so much work to do when I get home that I feel like I’m drowning, and even as good as Josh the Intern is, I’m still feeling the pressure. I’m doubting myself and my abilities, thinking it would be a piece of cake to handle this position.

What I didn’t count on was an employer who says, “Yes, this is a part-time job,” and then crams sixty hours a week of work on me. If they hadn’t given me an intern, I would have had to quit within the first week, but I’m hoping things will start to settle down now that we are entering into the recruitment phase of the project.

So yeah… I should get my ass home and take advantage of the fact I have a sitter for the entire day. I should sit my ass down at my computer and review resumes while Josh sits at my kitchen table and works on obtaining government permits. That would be the responsible thing to do.

But still, I’m here and I am actually aching with the need to have a few spontaneous and uninhibited moments with Zach. We have seemingly set into a survival pattern now, both of us being driven by work and kid demands. I don’t think I really appreciated just how exhausting it all could be from Zach’s perspective until I went back into the workforce, and I fully understand now how life will just slip by.

I used to be so annoyed with Zach that he could just seem to forget about all the ways in which our marriage was hurting, convinced that work was more important than I was. What I’ve come to realize instead is that it’s very easy to let other things interfere, particularly when you find those other things to be a refreshing change of pace to your life.

Yes, work is stressful, and yes, it’s exhausting, but it’s also rewarding and makes my brain tingle to be able to use all of my education and knowledge again. And while my love and attraction for my husband hasn’t diminished one bit, I do see how the comfort of knowing he’ll always be there for me makes it so fucking easy to put my attention on other things.

Bottom line… I think we both take each other for granted. In one way, that’s horrid, but in another, it just shows how sturdy our relationship actually is… that we can devote time to other things, knowing that when all is said and done, we are still each other’s rocks.

But I am bound and determined that I can’t let this get away from us. I’ve got my mind absolutely set that we can still find little ways to connect with each other. I want to repetitively grab onto that deep-in-your-soul connection that seems to get pushed aside time and time again because of other demands. Now, while our time together is certainly limited because of our other obligations, our sex life hasn’t been dormant. It’s been quick and hurried at times, and it’s survived, but it’s also getting a little routine.

Today’s plan is to be anything but routine.

I walk past the main lobby desk and head down a hall toward Zach’s office. Directly ahead is Lila’s office, which sits beside Zach’s, and her head raises as I approach. She gives me a smile and curiously looks at me. When I reach the end of the hall, I cut a glance to the left and see Zach’s office door is closed. I step into Lila’s open doorway.

“He in with anyone?” I ask her.

She shakes her head as she stands from behind her desk and steps around it. “No, but he told me he wasn’t to be disturbed. Let me just let him know you’re here.”

I cut her off by holding up a hand. “No need, Lila. I’ll just pop in.”

“But—” she says, her eyes wide with surprise I’d step on her turf.

“But nothing,” I assure her with a pleasant, but firm, smile. “I’ll take any heat if he gets mad at you for letting me ‘disturb’ him.”

I know my husband well. The type of way in which I will disturb him will not make him mad in the slightest. As long as I’m not barging in on a meeting, it’s all good.

“Well, okay,” she says with uncertainty and turns back toward her chair. Before she sits down, she remembers her manners and asks, “Would you like something to drink? I can get you some coffee or maybe some hot tea? It’s chilly out there today.”

“No thanks,” I tell her as I step backward into the hallway and give her a casual wave of my hand. “I’m good.”

I don’t spare Lila another glance. She’s not important, and I don’t mean that dismissively. She’s totally important to Zach and his work with the company, and I can see it on her face. She’s just very protective of her employer, and it’s probably because she sees more than most the stress of his work. I truly don’t think she’s got any other ulterior motive in trying to put me off the way Zach suspects, and I’m a pretty damn good judge of character about these things.

“Mrs. Easton,” Lila calls out, and I glance back over my shoulder.

She stares at me a moment, her face a mask of uncertainty, but then she gives me a conspiratorial dip of her head and a small smile. “I’m glad you stopped by. Zach works too hard sometimes.”

My return smile is warm and thankful. “I know, Lila. And thanks for looking out for our guy.”

“Your guy,” she corrects me with a chuckle. “But I’ve got his back here at the office.”

I nod, and then give her a stern look. “Oh, and it’s Moira, okay? You make me feel about a hundred years old with that Mrs. Easton crap.”

“Moira,” she says with a nod of her head. “Got it.”

I step out of her office and practically skip to Zach’s door. Deep breath, let it out, and I turn the knob.

His door opens quietly, and my heels whisper over the carpet as I step inside. Zach looks devastatingly handsome with his tie loosened, shirtsleeves rolled up, and his forehead supported in the palm of his hand while he bends over some documents on his desk. I shut the door, quietly turn the lock, and then I walk toward him while loosening my belt. I have no silly notions that I’m sneaking up on Zach. He may be in the corporate world now, but he’s a man who’s always on high alert and he knows someone just entered.

He just doesn’t know it’s me because without even looking from the papers before him, he says, “What’s up, Lila?”

“Hey stud,” I murmur as I undo the knot completely, and Zach’s head snaps up. His eyes immediately fill with warmth and affection as he recognizes it’s me in his office, and then they go therma-nuclear when I pull the coat open.

I had hoped to spring the lingerie on him in a slightly different way, but this works too as his eyes immediately drop to the sea-foam green lace demi bra and matching silk panties I’m wearing.

“Jesus, Moira… are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Zach mutters as he slumps backward in his chair, his eyes roaming all over me. “Get me to keel over so you can collect on the life insurance?”

I snort as I let the coat slip off my shoulders to the ground and round his desk. The muscles of his thighs are pressed tight against the dark gray of his wool dress slacks, and they bunch as he twists his hips to swivel his chair so that he’s facing me as I come around.

Never hesitating in my step, putting extra swing in my hips, I catwalk my way right up to him and climb onto his lap. Looping my arms around his neck, I lean in and give him a deep kiss. He responds with a groan and his hands to my hips so he can press me down onto his crotch. My husband lengthens… swells… becomes so hard against me—pressed right into my core.

I pull my lips from his, sit up a bit straighter, and drop my hands to his lap so I can work at his belt. “Want you to fuck me, baby,” I tell him in a husky voice.

“God, I wish all my work days were like this,” Zach says in a growl as his hands come to my breasts. The tips of his fingers scrape at the lace, and he pulls the cups down so he can latch his mouth onto a nipple.

And oh damn… that feels good.

My hips flex involuntarily to rub against him, and my hands go still against his belt as Zach overwhelms me with his teeth and tongue. He nips at me, then licks, and when he starts to pull away, my hands automatically clutch at him to hold him tight to my chest.

“You are the sexiest, hottest woman on the planet,” Zach murmurs as he turns to rub his cheek over my sternum. “How’d I get so lucky?”

How did I get so lucky?

Tears actually sting at my eyes for just a moment when I consider just how goddamned blessed I really am to have this man, then they’re dispelled when my mind fizzles into blissful nirvana as Zach’s fingers drop to the edge of my panties.

“We’re going to have to make this fast, and we’re going to have to be quiet,” he warns me.

As if I needed him to tell me that. I know full well how dangerous it is to do this in Zach’s office, but just the tiniest thought of getting caught makes it all the more exciting.

“Then let’s get to it, Mr. Easton,” I urge him as I bat his hands away so I can work at his belt again.

Just as I clear the leather from the buckle, the phone on Zach’s desk chimes loudly, goes silent for a moment, and then Lila’s voice comes over the speaker. My hands freeze, and we both tense as she says, “I am so sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Cannon called in and they’ve convened an emergency board meeting. He needs you to get to Conference Room Two, Mr. Easton.”

I can tell by Lila’s nervous tone that she’s a little shaken. Zach’s head drops back on his chair, and he sighs as I start to quietly buckle up his belt.

“Did he say what the problem was?” Zach asks in a tired voice as his eyes slide down to watch what I’m doing. He brings his hand over, lays it on top of mine, and gives me an apologetic squeeze. I can feel his hard-on start to deflate between us.

“Yes. He said that legal believes Mr. Lascola is in breach of his non-compete agreement, and they want to file an emergency injunction right now. It requires board vote, and they would like to get the documents filed and served before close of business today.”

“Christ,” Zach mutters as I scramble off his lap and hurry over to my purse to grab my dress. His eyes are pained and his shoulders slumped as he looks at me longingly while I slip it over my head. I give him a reassuring smile.

“Thanks, Lila,” Zach says as his hand comes out to hover over the phone. “Tell Randall I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” she says, and I know by the use of her professional address that this is serious business.

Zach’s finger presses down, and he disconnects. Straightening his tie, Zach apologetically looks at me. “I’m sorry, honey.”

I give him an admonishing look as I turn to help him roll down his shirtsleeves. He plucks his cuff links off the desk and hands them to me. I revel in this quiet intimacy, where I help my husband get all professional looking again. When I glance up at him, his eyes are warm but frustrated.

“It meant a lot you came over to see me,” he says quietly as I insert the last cuff link and twist the bar to secure it.

“Don’t worry,” I say with a chuckle. “We’ll try this again sometime.”

“How about we pick this back up tonight when I get home from work?” he suggests as my hands come to his shoulders.

I rise up on my tiptoes, and he bends down. Our kiss is light, short, and full of regret.

“Sounds like a plan,” I tell him. “Think you’ll make it for dinner?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says, and then pulls me in close with both of his palms to my ass. He squeezes me and leans down to give me a deeper, longer kiss. Reluctantly releasing me, he says, “And the kids are going to bed early tonight. I feel like playing for a long time with you, okay?”

Heat flashes through me at what that means and I just nod at him, unable to form the right words that would tell him exactly how much I would like that.

“I love you,” he says, giving me one last kiss and then turning to grab his suit jacket that’s draped over the back of his chair.

“I love you, too,” I tell him back, not in that automatic way you say to a spouse because it’s a routine habit, but with so much feeling that it almost hurts to release those words into the air.

Zach feels it. He tilts his head at me, his eyes tender. “You know our wedding anniversary isn’t too far away?”

“It’s right around the corner,” I say with a smile.

“We should do something special,” he suggests as he takes my hand and we walk to his office door. “Leave the day after Christmas—ditch the kids with Randall. Just you and me, baby.”

“Yeah, we should definitely do that,” I say with mounting excitement.

Just Zach and me together—absolute heaven—and we’d be able to reconnect in a way we so desperately need. We got married the day after Christmas almost eight years ago, and at first, it was the perfect time to celebrate our personal milestone together. But once the kids came along, Christmas was all about them. The last three years, Zach and I did no more than exchange a card with each other because we had been too wrapped up in the kids’ experience at this magical time of year.

“Let’s talk about it more tonight. Maybe figure a place we can go to get away from all this.”

“That, Mr. Easton,” I say with a slight kiss to his lips, “is the best thing I’ve heard you offer me in a very long time.”