Authors: Astrid Lee Donovan
PART TWO
Amanda Blair-Hopkins had just experienced the best sex of her married life.
So why did she feel the overwhelming need to pop her hubby a good one—and not in a good way?
Now she realized that the past few days had been a physical and emotional whirlwind for both of them. First their plans for a romantic 10
th
anniversary date had been ruined when their daughter came down with the flu. Then her husband Greg had shocked her by suggesting that they find another way to spice up their marriage; specifically, that they welcome another couple into their bedroom.
Rejecting her offer that they try tango lessons instead, Greg encouraged a most unconventional double date with his co-worker Pia Samuelson and her husband Emmanuel. And after finally agreeing to the idea, she found that she truly enjoyed her time with the gorgeous, sensual Emmanuel; an artist with whom she’d shared a magical night. And while she truly looked forward to seeing him again, she also worried about the effect of their involvement on her relationship with her husband.
“And I take it he was concerned too, considering that he burst into my office this morning and seduced me on top of my desk,” she mused, adding as she now hopped off of said desk and reached for her clothes, “Aside from the splinters I’ve likely procured from the experience, and in some decidedly tender areas, I’d have to say it was an incredible experience.”
She’d hoped, in fact, that she and Greg would follow up their electrifying encounter with some kissing and cuddling; perhaps also with a declaration of love that would put an end to their extramarital shenanigans.
Yet in the immediate aftermath of their lovemaking session, Greg had met her first with silence—and then with the phrase that no woman wanted to hear, ever—especially not from her life mate, and the father of her two children.
“Babe. We have to talk.”
“So let’s talk then,” she told him now, staring at the man she knew so well; but, judging from his set lips and hooded expression, perhaps not as well as she thought.
Oh, she knew immediately the striking man with thick, shoulder length hair that shone deep ebony like the dark of night, framing a face that featured chiseled cheekbones, azure blue eyes, a cleft chin, and full, warm lips.
Somehow, though, he seemed oddly transformed; and, judging from the way that he averted his eyes to the desk beneath him, he seemed none too eager to share with her the reason for this change.
“Out with it, Greg,” she urged him, now standing stock still before him as she planted her hands on her buxom, fully made hips.
Greg sighed long and deep, reaching for his own clothes as he himself started to dress. Then, finally, he looked her straight in the eyes and said, “I’m so sorry, baby, but Pia and I have fallen in love.”
Amanda froze.
“What in the hell are you talking about, Greg?” she asked, tone low and cold. “Did you just tell the mother of your two children that you’re in love with some slutty swinger that you’ve only had sex with once?”
Greg started.
“She’s no slut,” he insisted with a frown, folding his arms before him. “She’s one of the most intelligent, sophisticated women I’ve ever met.”
Amanda rolled her eyes.
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry I just insulted my husband’s mistress—the woman who is about to play a vital role in destroying my family,” she snapped, adding as she cupped her cheeks in two sardonic hands, “Jesus, where are my manners? Of course, I suppose I can’t place all the blame on her emaciated shoulders—because, really, merchandise can’t be taken unless it’s on the shelf.” She paused here; adding as she pointed a stern finger in the direction of her slouching husband, “I was right, wasn’t I Greg? I suspected that you first suggested this swinging fiasco because you had the hots for a gal at work, and you wanted my official permission to cheat on me with her. But it’s even worse than I thought, as what you really wanted to do was drive me into Emmanuel’s arms, so that you would have a clear path to Pia.”
Greg shook his head.
“No, actually that wasn’t my plan at all—but it may indeed have been what I accomplished,” he revealed, adding as he made a broad gesture toward the dew glistened bouquet of scarlet roses square at the center of her desk, “I didn’t send you the bouquet that I had to keep dodging as I made love to you on your desk.”
Amanda shrugged.
“OK, so I do happen to have a strong romantic connection to the man that you gave me full permission to have sex with,” she admitted, adding with a pointed look in his direction, “I never had any intention, however, of deserting my family for him. How am I supposed to feel about this, Greg? And what am I supposed to tell our children?” she paused here, adding as a single tear creased her plump cheek, “And why did you just make love to me, leading me to think of the act as a new beginning—instead of an ending? A lame, downright repulsive ending? What, were you trying to compare my performance with hers, and maybe I didn’t measure up in the end?”
Greg shook his head.
“No baby, that’s not it at all,” he countered with a sigh. “I made love to you just now because I love you, and I always will. You’re my first love, Amanda, and the mother of my children. In some ways, though, it was a gesture of farewell.” He paused here, adding in a low, sad tone, “I’ve been in love with Pia since the day I met her—and if anything, our lovemaking session only confirmed what I already knew. I’m so sorry, Amanda.”
He cringed as, with a smooth flourish, Amanda turned for the door; holding it open as she waved him out of her life.
“You know where you can stick your gestures of farewell,” she snarled. “Get out of here. Now.”
Chapter Two
The moment he saw her, he knew he’d made the right choice.
Oh, his wife Amanda always had been cute enough, with her shoulder length chestnut hair, her wide, kind blue eyes and her curvy figure; although he had to admit that, following the birth of two children and due to the possession of an untamed sweet tooth, she was actually a bit too curvy for his taste—not to mention a bit too fair of skin, this owing to her steadfast refusal to visit tanning beds.
His perfect Pia, by contrast, boasted a slender frame, inhumanly long legs, silky reams of long, coal black hair and wide dark eyes; features accentuated still further by her bronzed features and full, moist, ruby red lips.
Adding an air of exotic mystery to the finance office in which both had worked as administrative assistants for the past year, Pia Samuelson drew the heed of every man in the room; but in Greg’s mind, she was all his. Or she would be soon, anyway.
“Pia.”
Approaching her desk with a broad smile, Greg leaned forward to take her hands in his as he invited her to join him for a cup of coffee in the break room; one that they would have barely 10 minutes to enjoy before they began their day’s work.
Work that would not earn or garner his focus until he had expressed his true feelings to his beloved; the woman whose arms he never wanted to leave.
Right now, though, he was content to pour just a little extra cream in her coffee as they situated themselves at a plain wood table in the center of their company’s break room.
“You look a little down in the mouth today, sweetheart,” he observed, taking note of the uncharacteristic frown that marred Pia’s otherwise immaculate features. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Pia shook her head.
“Nothing wrong, per se,” she replied, tone quiet and tentative. “It’s just that everything is about to change, Greg. Emmanuel and I had a long talk last night, and we have decided to separate.” She paused here, adding with a deep sigh, “Although we’ll always be the best of friends, we just don’t seem to be deeply in love anymore. Maybe we’ve played a little too hard, or maybe not hard enough. Either way, we’ve decided that the single life might be the best road for both of us.”
Her eyebrows shot up as her co-worker met this news with a most unusual reaction; one that consisted of a broad beam, a fist pump, and an exalted cheer of “Yessss!” that drew the attention of everyone in the break room; and, or so she feared, everyone within a five mile radius.
“Now Greg,” she demurred, gracing him with a side eyes glance that served to quiet his robust round of inappropriate declarations, “Don’t be too unhappy or openly empathetic over the news of my impending divorce. I don’t want to have to pull you in from the window ledge of our two story building.”
Greg sighed.
“Sorry, babe,” he repented, adding as he took her hands across the table. “But when I tell you the news I have for you, I’m sure you’ll understand the reason for my—um—perhaps misplaced enthusiasm. And maybe, or at least hopefully, you’ll share that enthusiasm.”
Pia shrugged.
“Well lay it on me,” she encouraged him, adding as she took a hearty sip of steaming hot coffee, “I could use some good news this morning.”
Greg beamed.
“I asked Amanda for a divorce this morning, and she—um—seemed amenable to the idea,” he revealed, adding as he squeezed Pia’s fingers between his own in a warm, loving clench, “Don’t you see how perfect this is, baby? Now we can be together—all the time and for the rest of time.”
He gaped seconds later as Pia doubled over across the table, spitting scalding hot coffee across their joined hands as she exclaimed, “You idiot!”
Breaking their clench, Greg suckled his burnt finger like a wounded baby as he asked his glowering lover, “Baby, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be ecstatic to hear the news!”
Pia shook her head.
“First of all, Greg, I’m not your baby. I spent the evening with you as a favor to you and Amanda, to help spice up your marriage—not to destroy it,” she informed him, adding with an emphatic finger pointed high in the air, “I will not see you break the heart of that fine woman over a misbegotten one night stand.”
Greg gasped.
“A misbegotten one night stand?” he asked her, tears now flowing free down the surface of his carved cheeks as he added, “I love you, Pia—and I thought you felt the same way about me.”
Pia rolled her eyes.
“Based on what evidence? The fact that we had good sex?” she scoffed, adding as she shook her head from side to side, “Emmanuel and I have good sex with a lot of people. And while we are attracted to them and we do care about them, we don’t fall in love—not even with each other, or so it would seem. The reason that we’re separating, as a matter of fact, is so I can pursue a single, unattached life. I don’t especially want to be in love with anyone right now,” she paused here, adding with a pointed look in Greg’s direction, “Especially not with a man who just might abandon me the moment that a prettier, shinier girl comes along. Really Greg, you’re a husband and father who already has a magnificent woman in your life. How could you be such a fool?”
Greg thought a moment, and then nodded.
“You’re absolutely right,” he assented with a sigh. “I almost threw away an amazing woman like Amanda for the sake of a fantasy—a dream that, so now I see, will never come true.” He paused here, adding with a slight smile, “I’m sure Amanda will understand. I’ll just apologize profusely, maybe buy her something nice—I’m sure she’ll take me back.”
He frowned as his lover met these words with a low, dry laugh.
“Not so fast, Romeo,” she scoffed, adding as she looked him straight in the eyes, “First of all, Amanda impresses me as being a strong, highly independent who takes guff from no one—you in particular. I’m thinking it won’t be so easy to buy her back with pricey baubles and weak explanations. Second of all, I hate to tell you this; but you just may have some competition for the heart—and, I must hasten to add—other body parts of your dear wife—and from a pretty daunting, even intimidating source.”
Greg froze.
“Are you talking about Emmanuel?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Pia rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m talking about Channing Tatum,” she deadpanned. “He did the sequel to Magic Mike just to get your wife’s attention.”
Greg bit his lip.
“Well she did go to see the first one the day it came out—only because it was an R rated movie, and she didn’t want to go into a theater overrun with crying babies and boisterous little kids,” he mused, adding as he stroked his sculpted chin in a show of keen contemplation, “Of course, that doesn’t explain why she went back to the same theater three times, throughout a two week time span.”
Pia had heard enough.
“How can a single human being be so totally clueless!” she exclaimed. “Of course I’m talking about Emmanuel!”
Greg shrugged.
“Well now I realize that he did send Amanda a bouquet of roses this morning,” he admitted, adding with a snort, “I just figured that was a standard ploy with him, though. I figured he probably made the same gesture for every woman who shared his bed. Plus I wasn’t really sure that Amanda would be his type. I mean, I love her and everything, but she’s not exactly supermodel material.”
Pia shook her head.
“Emmanuel likes all types of women. But he’s never sent flowers or gifts to any of our lovers, as far as I know,” she corrected him, adding in a lower, contemplative tone, “I know that man, and I know when he’s really drawn to a woman. I can tell by the way his eyes light up whenever he talks about her—and he’s been talking about her nonstop since the night we all spent together.”
Greg shook his head.
“Well he might be better looking than I am, and more talented,” he allowed through gritted teeth. “And OK, so maybe he’s more creative, as well, and more artistic—those artist types really annoy me, but chicks sure do dig them.” He paused here, casting a tentative gaze in Pia’s direction as he queried, “Do I at least get a point for being better in bed?”
Pia thought a moment, and then shook her head.
“Nope, sorry,” she informed him. “He gets the advantage in that court as well.”
Greg snapped his fingers.
“Damn!” he exclaimed, adding in a more hopeful tone, “One thing he doesn’t have, though, is a history with Amanda. He didn’t give her a ring, or children—I mean, that has to count for something, right?”
Pia shrugged.
“It didn’t count much with you, now did it?” she asked him, poising her chin on the base of her fist in a most reflective manner. “You were more than ready to throw her over, and for a woman you slept with once and barely know.”
Greg sighed.
“You’re not making this very easy on me, Pia,” he complained.
Pia shook her head.
“You’re not making this very easy on any of us,” she countered, adding as she made a broad gesture between them, “You came charging in here this morning, ready to destroy your marriage and mine, just so you could have what you wanted—or, more specifically, what you think you want.” She paused here, adding as she pinned him with an inquisitive look, “Do you know what you want, Gregory?”
Greg thought a moment, and then nodded.
“Well I think I have it figured out,” he allowed, tone quiet and reflective. “I want you, but I need Amanda. And I love you both.”
Pia shook her head.
“Do you think that will be good enough for Amanda?” she asked him.
Greg sighed.
“It’ll have to be,” he insisted, adding as he choked back a telltale sob, “because while my feelings for her may have changed over time, I know without a doubt that my children need her. My home needs her. And I need her.”