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Something about this felt very unprofessional, and there was no missing the innuendo in her tone. Or, at least, I thought that’s what I was hearing. It was entirely possible that it had been so long since I’d experienced any physical intimacy that I might have been making this up.
“Jackie?” I said, the question lingering in my voice.
She swallowed hard, and I was certain she was going to apologize for how forward she’d just been.
She wasn’t.
Instead, she returned, “It’s not any of my business, but I’ve noticed Kiera doesn’t call or come around like she used to. I guess it’s possible she’s just busy, but you’ve had an important day today. I would have thought she’d be here to celebrate it with you. Since she’s not, I can only assume things aren’t good.”
My jaw clenched painfully.
Jackie noticed.
Someone else noticed my wife wasn’t coming around and calling like she used to.
It didn’t happen all the time, and it hadn’t been as great as it used to be years ago, but up until the point that Kiera told me she wanted us to get a divorce, she still called the office on occasion. Generally, she’d call to ask if there was something special I wanted for dinner, or if a particular night worked better than another for us to get together with our friends, but Jackie never knew the extent of our conversations. All she knew was that my wife had been calling me before, and for the last three months, she hadn’t.
When I didn’t verbally respond, Jackie lamented, “I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped. I just… I want you to know that I appreciate how hard you’re working. You deserve to be happy about this. You should know that there’s someone who cares about the work you’re doing, and I just wanted you to know that I’m happy to celebrate with you inanyway that you’d like.”
I hadn’t been imagining it.
Jackie was offering something beyond our professional relationship.
With the way she was looking at me, I knew I could have it. It was right there, all mine for the taking.
Months.
God, it had been months since I’d had that connection with a woman. Months since I’d felt the warmth and softness of a woman’s naked body beneath mine.
No.
No, not a woman’s naked body.
Kiera’s.
Fuck, I hadn’t been able to touch my wife in months.
I missed it. I was dying for it.
Did she care?
It was doubtful. In fact, now that I was thinking about it, I had to wonder if Kiera was getting it somewhere else. Was that what had pushed her to this point? She’d always been physical with me. She’d celebrated with hugs, kisses, soft touches, and lovemaking.
Now, it was gone.
All of it.
And I had a woman standing in front of me who was willing to give me what I was no longer getting in my crumbling and fading marriage.
“I think—” I stopped to clear my throat. “I think we need to call it quits for today. Enough work has been done.”
Hope surged. “Really?”
“Yes. Yes, you should go back out to your desk, gather your things, and head home.”
She nodded. “Okay. Are you going to follow behind me, or did you want to drive there together?”
With my eyes pinned on hers, I did not hesitate. “I’ll be driving separately.”
