Harriet’s next words came out in a rush, as if she’d been holding them back. “This is TMI but it’s just... I know what I want. In the bedroom, I mean. But Zach, he... he couldn’t handle it. Said I was too demanding, too controlling. That I emasculated him.”
His breath hitched. He was going to black out. Images flashed through his mind—Harriet, confident and commanding, taking charge. His body responded instantly to the thought. If his dick got any harder he was going to burst through his jeans.
“There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you want,” he managed, his voice husky. “Or with taking control.”
A soft, surprised intake of breath from the other side of the door. “You... you think so?”
He closed his eyes, fighting for control. “It’s hot as hell, actually.”
The words hung in the air between them, charged with new meaning. Gale’s heart raced. Had he said too much? Not enough?
“I wish...” Harriet trailed off, then let out a frustrated sigh. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”
He leaned his forehead against the door, wishing he could seeher face, read her expressions. “Whatever you want, it’s not going to be stupid.”
Another long pause. When Harriet spoke again, her voice was steadier, but tinged with something Gale couldn’t quite place. Determination? Longing?
“I wish I had more data points, you know? To prove Zach wrong. To prove to myself that I’m not... too much. That there are guys out there who’d appreciate me.”
His heart thundered. Was she suggesting what he thought she was? No, surely not.
“Any guy would be lucky to let you take control.”
The air between them crackled with unspoken tension. Gale held his breath, waiting for Harriet’s response, terrified and thrilled by what it might be.
But then reality came crashing back. This was Harriet. The woman he’d pined for silently for years. The same woman who had just tried to set him up with pop royalty.
Confusion warred with desire. Was Harriet coming on to him? Or was this just the vulnerability of a birthday, of turning thirty?
“I...” Harriet’s voice was soft, uncertain. “I-I shouldn’t be dumping all my baggage on you.”
Gale’s heart sank. Of course. This wasn’t about him. It was just Harriet, vulnerable and looking for a friend to confide in.
“Hey, no,” he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “That’s what friends are for, right? And it’s your birthday too. If you can’t dump baggage on your birthday to a friend, when can you do it?”
A soft laugh from the other side of the door, but it sounded forced. “Right. Friends. Thanks. You’re a good one, you know that?”
He closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to tell her exactly how he felt. How he’d always felt. Instead, he forced a lightness into histone. “I try. Now, birthday girl, how about you get dressed and we enjoy that cake.”
As he heard Harriet move away from the door, Gale let out a long breath.
Friends. That’s what they were.
That’s all they should ever be.
Harriet changed into a long silk bathrobe and tied her hair up into a damp bun. Her small condo kitchen seemed to shrink as they entered it, the space between them charged with an energy neither had anticipated. Gale set the cake on the counter, acutely aware of Harriet’s presence beside him.
“It looks incredible,” Harriet murmured, leaning in to inspect his creation. Her shoulder pressed lightly against his, the contact brief but electric. He inhaled sharply, catching the faint scent of her jasmine perfume.
“Want a taste?” he asked, his voice huskier than he’d intended. Harriet nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.
As Gale reached for a knife, Harriet moved to grab plates from a nearby cupboard. She stretched up, her body grazing his back as she reached for the higher shelf. The touch, though fleeting, left Gale’s skin tingling.
They settled at the small kitchen table, their knees almost touching beneath it. Gale watched, transfixed, as Harriet took her first bite. She closed her eyes in bliss, a soft moan of appreciation escaping her.
“Oh god.” She sighed. “This is perfection.”
Gale couldn’t tear his gaze away as she slowly licked a stray crumb from her lower lip.
