Most of the work day goes by without a hitch. The boss doesn’t bother me at all today. I guess I really put him in his place yesterday, and now he’s probably scared to say anything to me. That’s fine. I do good work, and I know it. And I’m not going to have this job forever. I’m going to move on to bigger and better things. What I’d really like to do is open up my own company.

My thoughts keep drifting back to last night. It was completely incredible.

And it wasn’t just the sex.

And that’s really saying something, because the sex was insanely great.

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I had sex last. I’d almost forgotten what it was like. A woman shouldn’t have to go through that.

Have sex one time, get pregnant, and then go years without it. That’s insane, right?

But I wouldn’t give up James for anything. I’m glad it happened this way.

Maybe it was all sort of meant to be, in a way. Maybe I’m meant to reconnect with Noah now that we’re both older. Maybe there’s really something between us that could develop and turn into something great.

The only roadblock I can see right now is that I still haven’t told him about James.

Well, that, and the fact that Noah isn’t here permanently. I need to talk to him about that as soon as possible, and figure out what his long term plans are. As far as I understand, he doesn’t even have an apartment. He had something temporary before getting on this book tour. He’s headed out west after this, but he has at least a week or two here, as far as I know. It’s not totally clear. We haven’t talked about it much.

Maybe tonight’s the night to tell him about James, and to make more plans.

I’m a person who does better when things are concrete, already laid out.

My phone rings.

“Hey, Leah,” I say. “I’m at work now so I can’t talk that long.”

“Listen,” says Leah, in a hushed voice, sounding frantic. “Remember what I told you about Tammy?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I just saw her at the Onion…”

“The Onion? The coffee shop by the train station?”

“Yeah,” she says. “She didn’t see me… But I heard her telling the girl behind the counter who works there… the barista or whatever she’s called… that she was meeting Noah Strong. She was bragging, and saying that she was going to get him back, after all these years, because she was going to tell him some really big news.”

My heart leaps in my chest. I gulp. Suddenly, I feel sick.

I’ve somehow managed to push the worry about Tammy from my mind, even though she called Noah last night and it sounded like they were going to meet up. Noah didn’t sound enthusiastic about the meeting, and told me he probably wouldn’t meet her. I figured Tammy was just making empty threats, or that Noah wouldn’t bother to see her again.

But now, it’s time to meet my worst fears. Tammy’s going to tell him, and it’s going to be terrible. I simply can’t let Tammy tell him about James. I just can’t.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, and the horrible sick feeling all over my body, there’s something strange about what Leah’s telling me.

“Wait, Leah,” I say. “What were you doing at the Onion? I thought you swore never to go back to that place, after they charged you $8 for a coffee or something…”

I have a strong feeling there’s a good story behind this. I shouldn’t be wasting time asking about it. But apparently I’ll do anything to mentally avoid actually confronting what I need to do, which is rush to Noah and meet him before he can meet Tammy and learn the truth.

“I was… OK, I was hooking up with someone in the bathroom… The wall is thin and I could hear everything.”

I laugh.

“I know you like to distract yourself from big problems sometimes,” says Leah frantically. “But you need to go now. Right now. To the Onion. Leave work.”

“You’re right,” I say, suddenly hanging up the phone.

I grab my purse without switching off my computer.

Without saying a word to anyone, I rush out of the building. I get in my car, start the engine, and start speeding towards the Onion.

It’s not far away, but it’s a good ten minute drive through town to where the train station is.

I haven’t been to the Onion in years. It’s been there since I was a kid, but it’s changed names in as many years as it’s been in existence.

I try to work out what I’m going to say to Noah. How am I going to tell him? What kind of excuse am I going to give?

The truth is, I have absolutely no idea.

My mind just draws a complete blank.

OK, I’ll just have to figure that out once I get there.

But what if he’s already talking to Tammy? I’m sure it’s going to take her a little while to get to the point. After all, if I remember her well, she’s a huge chatterbox, never shutting up. She’s a huge gossip and loves to talk about herself as well.

How am I going to interrupt them and get Noah out of there and away from her?

I’m so anxious about this whole thing that my mind simply draws another blank.

Well, I’ll just have to figure that out once I’m there.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I pull up in the parking lot.

To my horror, I recognize Noah’s rental car there, a big black SUV.

I look through the window, and he’s sitting with Tammy. Tammy looks a lot older, but still fit. She still has that classic cheerleader look she had in high school, with dyed blonde hair and a lot of makeup. She’s wearing a low cut blouse that exposes quite a bit of her large breasts.

She doesn’t see me. She’s too absorbed in staring at Noah.

Noah’s back is to me.

OK, I’ve got to at least try.

If I go in, and she’s already told Noah, I’m sure to know about it based on his expression.

Without a single plan in my head, I open the door and walk in.

“Oh, Noah!” I say, pretending as best as I can to be surprised.

Tammy gives me a nasty look, but I ignore her.

Noah smiles at me suggestively.

“Hi,” he says.

OK, she definitely hasn’t told him yet.

“I was just about to tell Noah something about you,” says Tammy.

“Oh!” I say, overenthusiastically. “Hi Tammy! How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in ages. Look, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Noah, I really need to speak to you outside about something.”

“We’re kind of busy here,” says Tammy, annoyed. “You’re really just kind of barging in here.”

“It’ll just take a minute,” I say, tugging on Noah’s arm to get him out of his seat.

“You’re being really rude!” says Tammy to me. “Noah, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Come on, Noah,” I say, not letting go of his arm.

Tammy gives me a look that could kill. “I was just about to tell Noah something very important.”

She’s about to say that Noah’s the father of my son!

I’ve got to think on my feet.

I do the unthinkable. As spuriously as I can in a public coffee shop, I slide my hand right down the front of Noah’s pants.

My hand is inside his underwear, and it’s not hard to find his cock. It starts growing immediately and in an instant, it’s massive and swollen in my hand. I squeeze hard.

Noah gives me a look of surprise and pleasure.

“You’re a wild woman,” he says, his voice getting low.

“Come on, Noah,” I say. “I have to tell you something.”

I’ve got Noah coming with me. His hand slips down to my ass and he grips me hard.

We’re halfway out the door when Tammy desperately calls out, “Noah, I was going to tell you that you’re…”

The obvious end of the sentence is “James’s father.”

But we’re out the door before she can say it. I shove the door closed behind us, and her words fall flat.

“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

It’s Noah’s turn to get naughty. He slips a hand down, under the elastic waistband of my panties, and I shudder with delight as his hand touches me. I’m already wet from feeling his cock in my hand.

We rush away from the coffee shop.

For a moment, I’m lost in the sexual delight of the whole experience… it’s all mixed with the suspense, the nervousness I felt over the situation…

But I do know I’ve got to get Noah away from Tammy. I’ve got to get us to a place she can’t find us. The way she is, she’s bound to rush out of the coffee shop and just shout the news at Noah. She’s that desperate to have him back.

I could see the hate for me clearly in her eyes. She thinks I’m stealing Noah from her.

Good thing Noah only has eyes for me.

We rush through the train station, through a tunnel that leads to the other side of the tracks. The tunnel is full of graffiti that’s been here since the 1970s. It gradually gets painted over by other graffiti.

Noah leads me by the hand through the tunnel and out to the other side of the tracks, away from the coffee shop.

“In here,” says Noah.

He leads me through some bushes, and I have a flashback to that night of the party all those years ago when Noah led me through the bushes.

There’s a little space, a little clearing, much like the last one.

“You know all the secret places around town, don’t you,” I say, giggling.

“I’m just happy I can finally put this one to good use,” says Noah.

We’re standing facing each other. He holds each of my hands in his. We’re close, but not completely touching. Except for his cock. The very end of his hard cock touches me through his pants.

“So what did you want to tell me?” says Noah.