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She only wished there were more days like this.

But her thoughts left fantasyland and returned to the moment at hand, as his moans and groans became contagious. Because she started moaning and groaning too.

But despite the sensations, he always found a way to hold back the tide as if he instinctively knew her body. He made sure she felt the full effects of his body before he let her have it all. But as soon as he let it all go, she was cumming. He always made certain she came first.

But just after she did, and like a sudden avalanche, he poured seemingly everything he had inside of himself into her. His moans were harder, more guttural, as he poured.

But the movements continued. Several minutes later, and at that same intense, beautiful, heightened level, he was still stroking her. As if he couldn’t give enough to her and she couldn’t get enough of him. Until there was nothing more to give or to get. Until there was nothing more.

He collapsed behind her. She could feel his entire body go limp. His breathing slowly began to ease from near-hyperventilation, and he eased out of her.

Immediately she felt alone again. Because she knew he would be leaving soon. She knew he would be on the road again to fix what ailed another one of his high-profile clients.

He got out of bed, went into their ensuite bathroom, and peed for what seemed like minutes on end. Then she heard him brushing and gargling and then hopping into the shower.

Once he was in the shower, she got up, went into the bathroom and peed, and then brushed and gargled too. But just as she was spitting out, he was opening the shower door and reaching out his hand. She knew what that meant as well. It was going to be a part two. Whenever he was with her in that way, he almost always had to have a part two.

In so many ways he was a very virile man. But it made her wonder how could a man who had to have sex as often as William did manage to go without it for days on end, sometimes weeks, whenever he was out of town and they weren’t together? When they were together, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. What happened when he had to have it while he was in New York or Canada or Europe??? It was a question she didn’t even want to think about. But she thought about it often.

She walked over, took his hand, and got into the shower with him. As soon as he closed the shower door, he was on her again.

He hurried her backwards until her back was against the shower wall. He placed both of his hands on the side of her face and began kissing her so passionately and so urgently that she knew she wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer.

Still kissing her, he lifted her and entered her again. And he was moving inside of her again. But this time it wasn’t sweet and slow and easy. He was going hard. He was banging her so vigorously that she wrapped her legs and her arms around him and couldn’t hold on a second longer. And neither could he. He let out an aah so loud and long that it sounded like a song beneath the waterfall. It was that intense.

When he finally couldn’t bang on her a second longer, and when he had let it out come out, he splayed both of his hands against the shower wall and held her small body up by the press of his big body alone. Since they returned from their monthlong honeymoon two months ago, he’d been out of town more times than he’d been in town. And was scheduled to go to New York later that day. Every time they were together he seemed starved for her. And she was starved for him. But she couldn’t stop wondering if this was sustainable.

Once they were able to finish showering, they began getting dressed for work. She worked for him: She was still a junior executive at SPR. Which was fine by her. To go from a struggling waitress in Bridell, Indiana to an executive of any kind in big Chicago was major to her.

But because of her low position on the eighteenth floor of the mammoth office building, and his position as founder and chairman of the board on the top floor, they rarely saw each other at work. And his work hours often stretched into late night, which meant they didn’t see much of each other at home either. And that was only when he was in town at all. It was all beginning to become too much.

That was why she brought it up as they dressed.

“What’s not sustainable?” he asked her. He was seated on the edge of the bed putting on his dress shirt.

“Our work-life balance,” she said as she sat on the side of the bed beside him putting on her blouse. “We don’t hardly see each other even when we’re at work.”

“I’ve always kept a hectic schedule. You know that.”

She knew it. That was why she hated complaining. “But you were single and keeping a hectic schedule. When is it going to change?”

William looked at her. “What do you mean?”

Joy felt as if she didn’t know how to verbalize it right. “I thought when we got married . . . I thought that maybe it’ll be different.”

William was about to put on his tie, but he stopped what he was doing and gave out a harsh exhale. “I tell you ladies what it’s going to be,” he said, “but you don’t believe me. You never believe me.” He looked at her. “I told you how it was going to be before we got married, Joynetta. Now you’re saying you thought it was going to be different?” There was incredulity in his voice.

“I don’t mean it like that.” She knew William used to tell all of his lovers that he would never commit to them, but he said they never believed him. “I don’t mean it the way it sounds.”

“Then what way do you mean?”

Joy was flustered. She couldn’t even say what she meant.

William saw how overwhelmed she was, and it did bother him. “Come here,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. She stood between his legs. “I know this is all new for you. But it’s new for me too, sweetheart.” Then he kissed her on the top of her head and pulled back. “We’ll work through it. Okay? But right now, I’ve got to get to Milan on a case, and then to New York on an even bigger case, and you’ve got to get to work.”

“That seems like a long time, William. When will you be back?”

William exhaled. “I can’t say for sure, but two to three weeks is my guesstimation.”