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  She was hanging up the phone when I walked in, so maybe Claire summoned her back. That might make her act weird. We’ve made an awkward position more awkward by hooking up, but as far as I’m concerned, what happened here is bigger than this pair of fucked up clients.

  I hope Audrey thinks so, too.

  8

  Five days post-Audrey, and I’m jonesing for her. I called once and texted twice, with literally no response except a winky emoticon and a “me too” when I messaged about how much I enjoyed our lake house tryst. I chalk it up to the pace of her new agency, maybe. I’d rather think that than that she regrets sleeping with me.

  I pull into the parking garage at the penthouse late Friday evening. I’ve got a couple buyers ready to look at the lake house this weekend, and I’m hoping she’ll be game for a replay, whether she’s got someone or not. The penthouse is under contract already, but none of my clients went for the lake property. I’ve got to pick up some inspection documents from Derek for the buyer and feel pretty confident he’ll okay another overnight stay.

  When I step out of the elevator, a woman is once again standing in front of the window, but this time I recognize Audrey’s body in a blink. Every curve is burned into my memory and keeps me awake at night.

  I say her name, and she turns. She doesn’t look surprised, but I’m not sure what to make of her expression. Surprise, happiness, and doubt seem to play across her features. Not the sexy reunion I’ve hoped for.

  Like the last time we met here, screaming from the back of the apartment erupts, making conversation impossible. The housekeeper announces that we’re waiting, and their angry chatter fills the hall and spills into the living room. Derek walks over.

  “Congratulations on selling the penthouse so quickly, Caleb.” He hands over the documents I requested.

  “And congratulations on selling the much more lucrative lake property, Audrey,” Claire seethes as she hands over a similar folder. “Looks like we know who hired the better agent.”

  “For god’s sake, Claire, shut the hell up,” Derek snarls. “Even a broken clock is right twice a day. And in case you’re too dumb to get it, you’re the broken piece of junk in this analogy.”

  “Fuck you, Derek. You’re about half as smart as you think you are and even less of a man.”

  “Aren’t you embarrassed to be such a raging bitch in front of other people?”

  “Aren’t you embarrassed to be such a limp dick in private?”

  With that gem, what little civility remained breaks down. They’re still screaming how glad they are to be moving on with their lives separately, they don’t notice when Audrey and I leave.

  The mood in the elevator is tense.

  “Oh, congratulations on the lake house,” I say. And I mean it.

  “You too. The penthouse was a harder sell without that lake view. Great job.”

  In the strained silence that follows, I wonder if I’m more disappointed that I missed the lake house commission or that I don’t get another weekend there with Audrey. It’s a close call. We walk together toward guest parking, but I stop her at my car with a hand on her arm. No room for pride, I decide. If there’s some other misunderstanding between us, I want to know.

  “Hey. I uh, I hoped I’d hear from you this week.”

  “I know. I wanted to call, but…” She fiddles with her purse. “The lake house sold on Monday. It was the widow, Mrs. Hartwell. After what happened at Christmas, I just … I wasn’t sure how you’d react. And I didn’t want to find out until I made some decisions.”

  My heart thuds slowly. Is this the part where she tells me to fuck off?

  “I decided that regardless of how you felt, I want to offer you part of the commission. She asked about you, and never figured out that we weren’t working together. I can’t say that I did much to clear it up. So I think I owe you some part of it, because I don’t know if I’d have made the sale without your numbers.”

  “No. I don’t want your commission.”

  “Come on, Caleb. You earned it. And I really did like working together again. I missed your friendship. I missed you.”

  “No,” I insist. “I’m not interested in reestablishing our friendship, Audrey.”

  While I pause to get up the courage to float the crazy idea I’ve been turning over, her face freezes in shock. Tears well in her eyes, and she shakes her head. Shit. I grab her hands.

  “Audrey, no. I mean, I don’t want to be just friends. Will you be my business partner, too? I was thinking all week about how well we work together. You noticed it too—we’re a great team. What if we take these fat commissions and start our own agency?”

  I pause to gauge her reaction. She’s surprised, that much is clear. “I don’t know…”

  “Think about it. Our strengths complement each other, and to be honest, maybe my sales are down because I don’t have the benefit of your advice. You don’t even like your new job. It wasn’t just sex that made this weekend amazing. It was us. Together.”

  “But Caleb, I told you. Working with you was a disaster by the end. Working with you at the office was confusing and distracting and—”

  “And that is irrelevant. Things are different now.”

  “Oh really? How so?”

  “You don’t think so? I mean, before, I’d never touched you like this.” I back her into my car and slide my hand up the outside of her thigh. “We distracted each other because we spent all our time wanting something we didn’t have. But now…” I brush a thumb over her breast. “Now that’s out of the way. There’s nothing confusing about the way I feel about you. And there’s no reason you need to run away from it if you want me, too.”

  Her arms circle my waist. “God, I didn’t even think about it that way. This weekend was the perfect test. I worked better with you, not worse.”

  “Exactly. This can work. It will work. Say yes.”

  “It’s kind of a big decision to make,” she hedges.

  “It’s simple. Do you want to work with me, yes or no,” I tease.

  She smiles, and my heart jumps. She’s almost at yes.

  “Audrey, we will never again be just friends. So can you be my partner, too? I don’t have any doubts about this. And I never will.” I hold her gaze seriously as her eyes dart back and forth, searching mine.

  Her eyes open wider, taking in the words I’m almost saying.

  “I … oh my god, I can’t believe this, but okay. I’m in!”

  With a whoop of joy, I open the car door and toss my documents inside. I free hers gently and drop them in.

  “Now, partner, would you care to seal the deal?” I hold her waist, pulling her hips against my budding hard on.

  “I’d offer a handshake, but I don’t think that quite does the trick, do you?” She sways against me, and my dick answers her the way it always does.

  “Not what I had in mind, no.” I scan the garage for movement and listen for the slightest sound. The place is deserted; people are probably in for the night or taking cabs so they can drink freely.

  We’re alone.

  She meets my kiss with open lips, tangling her tongue against mine. I crush her against me, and her embrace is no less fierce. I push her silky auburn hair aside and kiss her neck. Her nails dig into my skin, and her breath tickles my ear.

  “I need you, Caleb,” she whispers. “Fuck me.”

  And then I hoist her onto the trunk of my car. Our mouths meet frantically, and I paw at my belt. She somehow wiggles out of her panties, and I’m more thankful than ever for her soft, feminine dresses. I tug her to the edge, and she wraps her arms and legs around me, pressing her heels into my ass.

  When I rock into her, we both exhale. She’s as wet for me as I am hard for her. Perfect team. We make love, hard and fast, on the trunk of my car. Our bodies promise the things we’re not ready to say. She’s soaking wet. Her slick pussy feels so good around me. As I pump into her, turned on by her hot whispers, I notice the minute her orgasm starts to build. Her ba
ck arches slightly. Her thighs tense. Electricity seems to races through her. I brace my arms on the car, rest my forehead on her shoulder, plant my feet, and fuck her with everything I have, rolling my hips in deep strokes. She falls back on her elbows, lifting her hips, and I grab her ass to keep her in place. Almost immediately, she gasps my name and tightens around me as she comes apart. Sweat beads on my forehead and trickles down my temple. Her spasms blind me with pleasure, but it’s not until she says, “Come for me, Caleb,” that I find my own release.

  Panting, we come down from the pleasure high together. I help her off the car, and we rearrange our clothes as well as possible in between playful kisses.

  “Mmm, so we have a lot of work to do,” she says as I nuzzle her neck.

  “Already on the clock,” I tease. “You’re such a workaholic.”

  “Well I hear management really likes to stick it to the agents, so I don’t want to get caught with my pants down.” She gives me a goofy grin, and I laugh at the terrible puns.

  “I can’t wait to plan our future…business together. But it’s going to have to wait, as I have other pressing business.”

  “Is that so? What’s more pressing than business, Mr. Mercer?”

  “As it happens, I have meetings planned all weekend.” I flip through an imaginary planner. “First, I’m going to take you home and fuck you. Then, I’m going to cook you a late supper, eat your pussy, and fuck you. After a long, naked sleep and a pancake breakfast, I believe you’re scheduled to suck me and fuck me.”

  “Are you sure about that,” she protests, laughing so hard her eyes tear up.

  I hold up the imaginary planner. “Says so right here. I’m afraid we don’t have any choice. I hear management absolutely insists on weekend-long sex to celebrate new mergers and acquisitions.”

  “Would you say this is a merger or acquisition?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

  “Definitely a merger.” I nod seriously. “Equal partnership. Just between you and me, management is a bit of a ball-buster.” I wink.

  She heaves an exaggerated sigh. “Well, then, I suppose we have to give management what they want.”

  “Absolutely, boss lady. Can I drive you the meeting now?

  “You’re the boss.”

  Epilogue

  Audrey’s hand rests on my thigh as we drive out to a late afternoon meeting I’ve set up with a new client. Or so I told her. It’s almost unreal that we’ve been working together a full year now, but you know what they say about time and having fun. Working with Audrey made me love my job again, and she says it’s the same for her. The new agency is thriving with our combined skill sets. I like to say we’re like one big super-agent.

  My partner has been silent for most of the ride, most likely planning the staging for a property that will go on the market next week. She straightens in her seat and darts her eyes over the landscape.

  “Oh hey, I know this road. We’re meeting a new client, right? Is the lake house up for sale again, or is there another property nearby? You’d have mentioned it if Mrs. Hartwell called, right?”

  “I certainly would have.”

  “Then what’s up? If I remember the maps correctly, there are literally no other houses accessible from this road for at least another hour.”

  “Fine, I lied. No new client.”

  She eyes me, waiting for more information. I try not to grin. It’s easier than it would be if I weren’t the smallest bit nervous.

  “Seriously, Caleb. What’s going on? You’d better tell me right now, or I will inflict ungodly tortures on you.”

  “Promise?” I grin suggestively.

  “Okay, this is the lake house driveway, I’m one hundred percent sure now. Why are we going here, and why is it a secret, Caleb?”

  “Relax,” I say. “I just thought it would be nice to drop by.”

  “It’s a little far to drop by, but okay.”

  I run around the car to grab her hand as she steps out, old-school chivalry style. She laughs at these traditional gestures, hippie that she is, but I think she secretly loves it.

  “Have I mentioned how lovely you look today?” I ask. Her purple chiffon dress is cut low in front and clings to her curves over a darker satin layer. It drives me crazy every time she wears it, and she knows.

  “You might have mentioned it,” she says with a smile.

  We skirt the house, and I lead her instead down the gravel path toward the lake. The sun is low in the sky, almost touching the tops of the trees and casting brilliant reflections over the water. At the dock, a linen-covered wooden picnic table faces the lake. Mason jars of flowers and a pair of softly burning hurricane lamps flank either end of the table, giving away my pretense. Audrey laughs as I help her over the bench and scuttle off to the boathouse to retrieve the giant picnic basket waiting for me.

  “Oh, Caleb, this is so wonderful! Where is Mrs. Hartwell, though?”

  “As it happens, she’s out of town tonight.” I set the basket down and begin unloading a dozen small-bite dishes perfect for an evening picnic. “I asked her if she would mind us celebrating an anniversary of sorts tonight. It’s been exactly a year since our night together here, and I think it’s worth celebrating the start of something so great.”

  She smiles up at me, her face more breathtaking than this lake view people pay millions for. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  I pull out wine glasses and pour a lightly sweet Riesling, then join her on the seat. She pulls me in for a tender kiss, and only reminding myself what’s to come keeps me from laying her on the table and tasting her instead.

  Over dinner, we talk about the weekend that changed everything and the year between, laughing at our challenges and counting our successes. I almost forget the time, but as the sun slips further below the silhouette of the trees across the lake, I pull Audrey to her feet.

  “What’s dinner without a sunset flavored dessert?” I ask.

  “My favorite,” she says. Then she giggles. “Sunset flavored? A year ago you’d have called that new age nonsense.”

  “You’re probably right. But I’m not a man who can’t learn new tricks.” I bump one eyebrow up a couple times. “Have any other new tricks you’d like to try?”

  She wraps her arms around my waist. “Oh, now that you mention it, a college friend of mine is selling pot-infused lube. I may have a bottle of it on order…”

  “I can’t wait.” I chuckle and disentangle, not to be deterred from the dessert treat I’ve got planned.

  At the end of the dock, dessert and champagne are chilling on ice. I light citronella candles first, because I definitely don’t want any pests ruining what I’ve got planned for Audrey. She stretches her legs out to the side on the soft blanket spread out over the planks. I snag the dessert tray and sit behind her so she can lean into my chest. I select a ganache-filled truffle and feed it to her as we watch the play of color over the water. Her gentle moan of delight tests my restraint, and I begin to swell with desire. She pulls away, grabs the champagne flutes and the bottle, and scoots to face me as she untwists the wire over the cork. It pops open, and she pours the frothing liquid into glasses.

  “What should we toast?” She tosses her long hair over one shoulder. “Our partnership? Our sex-iversary?”

  “I hope instead we can toast our engagement.”

  Her lips part. I palm the little box and open it toward her to reveal a round diamond flanked by marquis-cut emeralds set along twining platinum vines. Her eyes meet mine.

  “I love you, Audrey,” I say simply. “I want to be your partner for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”

  She sets aside the champagne and pulls me forward into a kiss that tells me everything.

  “Yes,” she whispers against my lips.

  Our hands tremble as I slide the ring onto her finger.

  Her arms snake around my neck, and I cradle her head in my hand as we pull together. We begin tenderly, lips soft and tongues meeting gently. My fingers find the z
ipper of her dress and lower it, and then drift back up to unhook her bra.

  As she pushes the fabric off her shoulders, I break away and take off my shirt. I take a moment to appreciate her full breasts, nipples pebbling in the cooling breeze. This sexy, amazing woman is mine. It humbles me.

  “I don’t deserve you,” I murmur as I gaze at her. “You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I know. So big even this business can’t tame it. Thank you for giving us another chance.”

  Her hands skim over the hard muscles of my chest, and my palms graze her nipples. She leans into my touch with a sigh.

  “We all deserve love. And everything I give you, you return with interest. Even in my wildest fantasies, I never dreamed it all could be this good.”

  Our lips crash together, harder this time as urgency grows.

  After I shift to my knees, I gently lay her on the dock and help her shimmy out of the dress. I lie beside her and kiss her again as I luxuriate in the feel of her body close to mine. I touch her all over, skimming my hands over the curves I adore. Love shines in her eyes in the waning light. I drink it in, marveling at the depth of my love for her.

  I kiss her again then rest my hand over her mound. She sucks in against my mouth, stealing a little of my breath. When I dip under her panties and between her folds, I bring the wetness to my lips.

  “I’ll never get tired of this,” I say. “Every time I want you, every time I touch you, you are ready for me.”

  “I love you,” she whispers. “And I will always want you.”

  Moving over her, I slide her lacy panties over her hips and sink between her thighs. I lick several long strokes that slip between her folds and wet her clit. She gives a soft moan. I slip two fingers inside and flick my tongue over her nub. When I swirl my tongue in slow circles, her knees fall to the sides and she grips my head. I alternate pressure, flattening and pointing my tongue as it circles her clit. I kiss her pleasure center and suckle gently while my fingers press against the spot from inside. My tongue finds the sweet spot I know by heart now, and her moans get louder.

  “Let me hear you,” I urge. “There’s no one nearby.”