AllFreeNovel
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“I think I hit it,” I tell her and she tilts her head to the side in question. “About three months ago.” I move back towards the table and take a seat, dragging it closer to her so I can grab her hand. “I know it’s not right of me to ask you for a chance, but I have to ask you. If I wasn’t married, would I have one? Or was that night just…was it just sex for you?”
At that moment, the door opens and a tall slender woman with shiny dark hair walks in. “Mr. Holt, how lovely for you to be joining us this evening. Have you had a chance to look at our wine or cocktail selections?” I notice immediately that she’s only acknowledged me. I’m also aware that her top button is undone and her chestnut hair flows around her shoulders when I know they are required to keep it up and out of their face. I assume this is all for my benefit then.
I flit my eyes towards Marissa and she meets my eyes with an amused expression.
“I’ll have a Macallan eighteen neat.” I reach for Marissa’s hand and drag my thumb across her knuckles before dragging them across my lips. “Babe?”
She looks at where our hands are joined and she meets my gaze as I continue kissing each of her knuckles before shooting her a wink. “Manhattan, please,” she says, her eyes still on mine. I don’t know how long we stare at each other when I hear the faint sound of the door closing. “Babe?” she asks and I see the playful glint in her eye that makes me think she liked the show I put on for the woman who may or may not be interested in me.
“I didn’t want her to think I was available.” My hand is still wrapped around hers and I hope she doesn’t make a move to pull out of my grasp.
“Well, you’re not available,” she says, looking disappointed.
“I am for you.”
“Not…exactly.” She sighs. “Fine, your wife doesn’t care. I do. I can’t share the man I’m seeing. I don’t work like that.”
“You would not be sharing me…I don’t…we don’t…”
“It’s so much more than just sex, Chris.” She stands up effectively removing her hand and I already miss the feeling of it wrapped in mine. “Don’t act like you don’t understand what I’m talking about.”
“I do. Marissa, sit down please.”
She crosses her arms and takes a step back. “This is not a good idea. Getting sucked into this with you.” She presses a finger to the corner of her eye and scrunches her nose and I hate that it looks like she’s about to cry. “I’m just going to get hurt.”
I’m out of my seat instantly and have her in my arms. “I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“You don’t have any plans to leave her. I don’t see how you could avoid hurting me because what happens? I just become your mistress…forever?” She scrunches her nose. “I don’t like that word.”
I rest a finger under her chin and tilt it up gently to look at me. “You’d be more than that. You’d be everything. I’d take care of you.”
She scoffs, pulling away and taking a step back. “I don’t need to be taken care of, Chris, and you say I’d be more…but until what? Someone better comes along?”
“Not possible.”
“What happens when I want to get married or have a baby?” She opens her hands when I don’t respond. “Right. No answer to that?” She shakes her head and lets her eyes flutter shut. “Yeah, it’s better that we just stop this now before either of us gets in too deep.”
“Too late,” I murmur.
“We had drunken sex once, three months ago. I think you will be fine getting over me.”
“That hasn’t worked out well so far.” Her brown eyes are shining with unshed tears but she blinks them away before any can fall. “Tell me you didn’t feel anything.”
“What?”
“You heard me. This is my second time asking. When we slept together, was it just sex for you?”
“It doesn’t matter, Chris.”
“The hell it doesn’t.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want or what I feel because you’re married! You are not an option for me!” Her voice rises slightly before she takes a deep breath and puts a hand over her eyes.
“What if I leave her?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them and she drops her hand and stares at me with wide nervous eyes.
“I…I don’t want you to leave her for me.”
“Who else would I be leaving her for?”
