AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t let her work too late, son.”
“I won’t.”
After he leaves, I walk down the hallway into my office. I pass Adeline’s on the way. Her door is closed, and I contemplate knocking on it. I promised her we’d go over our schedules tonight, but I don’t want to interrupt her work. Deciding we can do that later, I head into my office and make a start on what I have to get through tonight.
Two hours pass in a blur. I look at my watch just after 11:30 p.m. and remember my promise to Adeline. I’ve got probably another half hour of work to complete, but I can finish that later. I push my chair back and go in search of her.
I find her sitting in bed doing a crossword.
I’ve noticed she always carries a small crossword book and tends to pull it out when she’s stressed or worried.
Resting my shoulder against the doorjamb, I cross my arms and watch her.
A couple of minutes pass before she says, “Are you going to stand there all night?” She does this without looking up from her crossword.
I remain where I am. “What’s going on?”
This gets her attention. She studies me with a frown. “What do you mean?”
I push off from the doorjamb and walk into the bedroom. “Is Sabrina okay? You seemed off when she texted.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Bill mentioned that he thought you weren’t yourself either.”
“Well, considering we’d just had sex, and considering I’d reached the end of my ability to put up with your asshole ways, I’d say I had good reason not to be myself.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “That all may be the case, but you’re deflecting. Can I help you with Sabrina?”
She stares at me like I’ve just asked her a question she has no idea how to answer. Her chest rises and falls faster than a moment ago. And her eyes flicker with confusion. Finally, she snaps her crossword book closed and says, “What you can help me with is our schedules. You promised to go over them tonight.”
I nod. “I did.”
“Right,” she says, all business.
When she makes a move to leave the bed, I say, “Where are you going?”
“Do you want to do this in your office?”
“No. We can do it here and then you can go to sleep.”
This appears to fluster her. “I’d rather do it in your office. Or mine.”
I don’t move. “Why?”
She stands across the bed from me, her face flushed, and shoots me a pointed look. “Because I don’t want to do anything in this bed with you.”
Fuck, I like her like this.
“I’m simply going through my calendar with you. Nothing more.”
She gives me more of that bewildered state that’s testing my resolve not to touch her again. “For the record, we are never having sex again.”
I should agree with her.
Put her mind at ease.
Make it clear I’m fully on board with this.
