“It feels good to just relax a little,” I say. He hands me a beer and clinks my bottle.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” I say. “Seeing my ex-wife for one second of the day always kills me a little.” Whenever he mentions the ex-wife, I feel a tinge of jealousy. I know he doesn’t like her and they obviously have had a rough past, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s so connected to her in a multitude of ways. It just irks me to no end.

“Yeah, well, you’re here now. Hanson took Lisa to the park. You can unwind,” I say. I look at his muscles, pressing against his shirt and breathe heavily.

“You’re right,” he says, looking straight into my eyes. He doesn’t say another word, but I know what he’s thinking. He’s thinking worse things than I am and it paralyzes me.

I’m wet. Sitting here, in the place that I work, I’m wet, and he can sense it. My face instantly turns red. I stand up and walk over to a book that’s sitting on a shelf. “You like to read?” I ask him, trying to change the subject.

He stands up and moves toward me. My back is to him, as I pretend to read through the pages. It’s so quiet in here, now that all the tools are turned off and Hanson has gone home. The only sound that can be heard is his footsteps and my breathing.

He grabs the book and throws it on the ground, far away from us. “Michael…” I turn and he’s right in front of me. “I—” He puts his finger on my lips to keep me from talking. He shakes his head slowly and places his hands around my waist.

My heart is beating so quickly that I actually feel faint. I’ve been waiting for this ever since I saw him in the driveway, soaked in rain, but now that he’s touching me like this, I’m scared shitless. “We don’t need to talk anymore,” he says.

“Yeah…” I mutter. My eyes dart up towards his, but I get scared again. I quickly lower them to the floor, only to bring them back up. He doesn’t take his gaze off me at all.

I feel the gravitational pull coming. His head moves toward mine and I close my eyes, blocking out the rest of the world. When I feel his lips against mine, it’s everything and more. My legs grow weak. I fall against the table, spreading them open for him. He grabs the top button of my jeans and forces it through the loop.

“What’s happening?” I whisper.

“You know what’s happening,” he says. “You know that I’ve wanted you since I heard your timid voice on the phone. When you walked up that driveway, I knew I’d have to cross this line. I’m not the kind of guy who holds back.”

“But your ex,” I whisper. “Won’t she—”

“I said, I’m not holding back,” he says.

“Then don’t,” I say.

He kisses me again. This time, my lips open up for him and I feel his tongue slide against mine. He tastes good, like alcohol and sex. I smell his cologne and I am fucking dripping for him. He unzips my jeans and slowly slides them down my ankles. I reach out and touch him. He’s harder than I expected and completely ready for me.

His palm folds over me and squeezes lightly. He moves it up and down, and forcibly takes off his own jeans. “You want me, don’t you?” he asks.

I nod my head, slow and deliberate. My eyes say it now. I want him so fucking bad. “Yes, Daddy.” I smile.

He grabs my cheeks and presses down gently. He smiles, but it’s more ominous than anything, and shakes his head. “I want you so fucking bad. Right here. On this table,” he says.

He tears both our shirts off and wraps his right hand around my waist. His cock lays firmly against my pussy. This is it, I think to myself. This is the moment of pleasure I’ve been waiting for. Finally.

“Fuck me,” I whisper.

But outside, there are footsteps and they’re coming closer. “Shit,” he sighs, grabbing his things. “Come on. Hurry.”

“What the fuck, Michael?” I ask. But he quickly scoops everything up and runs inside, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him. “Don’t tell me that’s your ex-wife or something,” I say.

“It’s my ex-wife or something,” he says, pulling me into a one of the guest rooms. “Hurry and put on your clothes.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.” I sigh and put on my panties. I throw my shirt back on and shake my head. I’m pissed off, embarrassed, and slightly scared.

“Yeah, well, I’m supposed to be with the kid and this doesn’t look too good,” he says.

“Whatever. I’m just your employee. It’s fine,” I say.

“Well…” He sighs. “She doesn’t exactly know I hired you on.”

“What?” My eyes widen. “Are you kidding me? You didn’t tell your wife?”

“She’s not my wife,” he corrects me.

“Oh, I’m sorry. The woman who bore your child. Is that better?” I roll my eyes and put on my shoes.

“Michael?” Susan’s voice echoes through the halls downstairs.

“Come on,” he says. He opens the door slowly and walks to his office. “I’m up here, in the office!” he yells.

I cannot believe it. Of all the things, I can’t believe he’s hiding this from his ex-wife. The real question is why? Why is he so afraid of what she’ll do or say? Why can’t he just man up? So, I ask him, straight up. “Why?”

“She owns half of the business. She would have never agreed to hire you,” he says. “And I needed to hire you.”

My face turns warm and I have to admit, it feels good when he tells me that. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that this is all fucked up now.

Susan walks to the door and opens it. “There you are. Oh,” she stops herself and laughs a little. “And who is this?”

“Susan, welcome our new employee,” Michael says. “Emily Carter.”

“Hello,” I smile and extend a hand out. She doesn’t attempt to shake it. Instead, she stands above me, analyzing everything about me. “I didn’t know you hired someone. You said you were still going through the process,” she says.

“I was, but I decided ten minutes ago. Emily is incredibly qualified,” he says.

I nearly fall out of my chair. My eyes dart at him, feeling like there’s flames coming from my pupils. Highly qualified. Does that mean highly fuckable?

“So, what’s up? What do you need?” Michael asks Susan.

“I just came to say hi to Lisa. Where the hell is she?” she asks.

“Hanson has her,” he says. At least he’s not lying anymore.

“Hanson? Why in god’s name does Hanson have our daughter?” she asks. She leans over and touches the wall, as if she’s stunned or out of breath.

“He said he’d take her to the park. What the hell, Susan? She’s fine. Hanson is watching her,” he says. “Now come on, what is it that you want?”

“Nothing. I’ll leave. Clearly, you don’t want me here.” She glares at me. “Call me tonight. We need to talk about things.”

She walks downstairs, heels clicking each step, sending anxiety throughout my body. Finally, I hear the door close and I feel all the tension in my body release. “What the fuck?” I ask him. “That was…” I can’t even finish my sentence. That was more than a panic attack. That was painful.

“Yeah. Sorry. She’s a witch,” he says. “I was fine with getting a divorce. A little sad and shocked when it happened, but I got over it in a lot of ways, faster than I thought. When the proceedings happened and I realized she wanted to stay with the business, I was taken aback. Now, I have to deal with this shit on a weekly basis.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for you,” I say, sarcastically. “Look, I should go.”

“Don’t,” he says. “Stay.”

“I can’t. You’re right. You have a lot of responsibilities tied up in this thing. I’m just an employee. What business do I have prying into your personal life? I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early,” I say, grabbing my purse and starting to walk toward the hallway to the stairs.

He stumbles on some words, but ultimately doesn’t say a thing back to me. He lets me walk outside, onto the dusty streets. I get into my car and close my eyes, listening to the sounds of cars pass us by, streets ahead. I thought we could jump into this thing, have some fun, and take some risks. In the end, the danger was just too much, I guess. Worst part is, the crush I have for him is still front and center, in every cell of my body.

I can’t let go, but I must. I have to put this all aside. Sex, feelings, and all of the garbage that comes along with it is just not worth it. The pain and embarrassment is just too much.