Green Card

by Elizabeth Adams

  “What is it?”

  “A collection of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poems.”

  She didn’t read him the inscription, which read, May your own heart always be this true, and may your Mr. Browning not disappoint. She closed the book and set it aside.

  Looking around, she saw the only ones left were the ones they’d gotten each other. She handed Will a bright red package and sat back to watch him open it.

  He smiled at her and began removing the paper. When he saw what was inside, he stopped and his mouth opened slightly.

  “What?” he breathed out, obviously surprised.

  “It’s a camera!” Liz said excitedly. “You seemed so good at taking pictures last spring and I looked around and you don’t have one besides the one on your phone and an old film camera. I thought maybe it was an old hobby, or that maybe it could be a new one.”

  He looked at the box, pulling open the seams and removing the camera. He turned it around gently, looking at all the sides of it while Liz spoke. He’d never suspected she’d get him something like this. He was expecting something simple, tasteful, and expensive. A watch, cuff links, maybe a new wallet. But this was so… personal. And so unexpected.

  “Wow. Thank you, Liz, it’s a lovely gift.” He kissed her cheek and smiled. “Now it’s your turn.”

  He handed her a small envelope with her name on it. Liz took it expectantly and ripped it open. There was a card inside that she read aloud.

  Liz,

  This is almost as much a gift for me as for you since I am sure I will benefit from it greatly. Have a great time.

  Will

  P.S. There’s a less selfish gift for you, too.

  Curious, she opened the silvery certificate inside the card. “Cooking classes! Six weeks of desserts!” she exclaimed.

  “You said you’d been wanting to make tiramisu yourself but had never learned. I thought you could try this. If you don’t want to do desserts, you can change it for something else. They had one for Thai cooking, too.”

  “Thank you, Will!” She threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted to do a class but I never had the time. This will be so much fun!” She looked at the certificate again. “And it’s for two people!”

  “I thought you might like to take Jen. Or maybe Sheila or someone else.”

  “Would you want to go with me?” she asked.

  “Uh, I don’t know. I don’t really know anything about cooking.”

  “That’s why there are classes, silly!” She smacked his arm playfully. “Now where’s this other gift you mentioned?”

  “Nah, ah! You’ll have to wait for Christmas for that one.”

  She pouted.

  “You have to have something to open in front of my family.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Okay. Does that mean you want to wait till Christmas for your other present, too?”

  “Other present?” He looked under the tree and around the room until Liz began tracing a single finger up his arm and across his chest.

  “Yes. It’s black and silky. And backless. And very low cut,” she whispered.

  Will had gone completely still. “Totally backless?”

  “Mhm,” she purred. “With a very high slit.”

  In one swift motion, he stood and pulled Liz up with him. She yelped in surprise and then laughed as he practically dragged her to the bedroom.

  ***

  “I’m almost sad to go back,” Will said as he closed the trunk on the last of their bags Sunday afternoon.

  “Me, too. Who knew Vermont was such a sexy place?” she teased.

  He pulled her in for one last kiss before closing the door and looking back at the cabin with fondness. “I’m going to miss this,” he mumbled.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing. You ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s hit the road.”

  29

  ADdicted

  December 22

  8 Months Married

  “What are you doing?” Harper said as soon as Liz answered the phone.

  “Last minute shopping.”

  “When will you be finished?” He leaned back in his chair, tapping the side of his desk with his pen.

  “A few hours. I still have to find something for your cousin Teddy and I promised Caroline I would pick up some things for her at a baby boutique in the West Village.”

  Will frowned as she was speaking. “Any chance you want to take a lunch break? I can get takeaway from that salad place you love.”

  Her voice sounded coy. “I could be talked into it.”

  Will growled quietly. “Be here in an hour.”

  “Bye Will,” Liz said amusedly.

  *

  “Hello, Evelyn. How are you? Ready for Christmas?” Liz asked as she popped into Will’s office.

  “Almost. How about you?”

  “A few more gifts to go, but I think I’ll be ready to leave tomorrow.”

  Before Evelyn could respond, William popped his head out of his office and said, “Has our lunch arrived?”

  “Just now, Mr. Harper.” Evelyn walked toward his office with a large white bag but he stopped her from entering.

  “I’ll take that, Evelyn. Go ahead and take your lunch break.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He held the door open for Liz and she gave him a look as she entered in front of him. “You’re being very—” Her words were cut off by Will’s lips as he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. “— abrupt,” she finished as he released her.

  “Hello, Liz,” he said.

  “Hello.”

  “Hungry?”

  She nodded and he quickly laid the food on the table. “Is this the Asian chicken salad?” she asked as she opened her box.

  “Yes.”

  “You want to know something strange?”

  “Sure,” he said as he unpacked his sandwich and drink.

  “None of my other boyfriends ever got my food preferences right. I mean, occasionally they would get the right thing and a few times I could tell they were trying, but it was always like, ‘I know you like pistachios so here’s pistachio ice cream’. As if those were the same thing.” She shook her head and took a bite.

  “So I’m doing well on the food thing?”

  “Yes,” she said with a smile. “You’re doing very well.” She leaned across the table and kissed him lightly.

  William wolfed down his turkey on rye while Liz still had half her salad left. He stood and threw his trash away and quickly began undoing his tie. He walked over to the door and locked it, then began taking his shoes off.

  “What are you doing?” Liz asked.

  “I’m getting ready.”

  “For what?”

  “To have sex with my wife. Right there on that sofa.” He nodded toward the furniture.

  “You are? And does your wife have any say in this?” She took another bite and chewed while William put his socks inside his shoes and placed them under the front of the chair he had been sitting in.

  Abruptly, he turned her chair to face him and Liz leaned back and tried to catch the lettuce that went flying off her fork as he placed his hands on the armrests and leaned over her.

  “I’m sorry, wife. Would you prefer to have sex on the sofa or on the desk?”

  She raised a brow. He continued looking at her unflinchingly. A minute passed.

  “I think the sofa today. Maybe we can try the desk next time.”

  He smiled, straightened, and began unbuttoning his shirt. Liz ate another bite of salad and ignored the man stripping down two feet away from her.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Liz cried when she felt him attempting to remove her boots.

  “Helping you undress. The boots are all right, but the jeans would be hard to maneuver around.”

  She bit her cheek to keep from laughing. “Aren’t you being a little bossy, Mr. CEO?”

  “Just being helpful.” He placed her
boots next to his shoes and pulled her socks off.

  Liz rolled her eyes and took her last bite. “All right, I’m done.” She put her fork on the table and stood up to pull her sweater over her head. Will began unbuttoning her jeans and pulling her shirt out from the waistband. He groaned after she took it off to reveal a tank top under that.

  “Bloody hell, woman! How many shirts are you wearing?”

  “It’s cold outside!” She pulled the tank over her head and he pushed her into the seat so he could pull her jeans off, almost pulling Liz out of the chair in the process.

  Looking at her in nothing but her pink bra and green panties, he sighed. “That’s much better.”

  She smiled and held out a hand for him. He pulled her up and led her to the sofa.

  “Are you sure no one will come in?” she asked.

  “The door is locked, the phone is off, and Evelyn is gone to lunch. Nobody ever comes here without an appointment except for Jamison and he’s in Virginia with your sister.”

  “Very thorough, Mr. Harper. I’m starting to see why they made you CEO.”

  He pulled her down onto the leather next to him and leaned over her. “No more talking, Lizzy.”

  She nodded. “You got it.”

  **

  “How’s it going with loverboy? Break your vag yet?” Laura asked as they shopped in the Chelsea Market.

  Liz gave her a look. “Not yet. But he is pretty insatiable. He booty called me for lunch today.”

  “Can you booty call your own spouse?”

  “I don’t know.” Liz cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. “Either way, the man is a nymphomaniac. Every time I see him, we do it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “This is only our second day back and we’ve done it five times already. And something tells me we’ll be at it again tonight.”

  “Whoa. So what is that like? Are you sharing a room now? Do you just do it and go back to your bed like nothing happened? And more importantly, how is he?” Laura waggled her brows. “Do the goods match the bank account?”

  “Laura!” Liz smacked her arm.

  “Hey, I’m one of your oldest friends and everything you say is protected by client privilege. Who better to tell your dirty little secrets to?”

  Liz laughed and leaned forward to speak quietly “Okay, I’m sort of relieved because I’ve been dying to talk to someone about this! He’s kind of amazing.”

  “Really? Better than…?” she trailed off but Liz knew who she meant.

  “Apples and oranges,” Liz said with a shake of her head. “Will is like a locomotive. Once he’s headed in a direction, there’s no stopping him.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Laura asked hesitantly.

  “So far, it’s an incredibly hot thing, especially when the direction he has in mind is orgasm-town.”

  Laura sniggered. “So powerful like a locomotive, not clumsy?”

  “No, not really clumsy. I mean, he’s a large man and we’re still getting to know each other, so he occasionally pinches too hard or moves too fast, but overall, he’s pretty great.”

  “Hands?”

  “Large, strong, smooth. Apparently he used to play the piano,” Liz added in a low voice. Laura’s brows shot up. “I know. That’s what I thought, too. I feel like I should send his old teacher a fruit basket.”

  “Goods?”

  “Let’s just say that what they say about feet is entirely underrated.”

  “Really?”

  Liz nodded. “And he’s a turtleneck,” she whispered over the rack of handmade purses they were looking at.

  Laura gasped. “Really? I’ve never seen one up close. Is it as weird as they say? Does it look like an elephant’s trunk, or more like a Shar Pei puppy?”

  Liz laughed. “I’m not answering that! It’s completely normal and un-animal-like, just a bit… extra.”

  Laura was silent for a few minutes as she thought over this new development, then asked, “So do you do it in your bed or his?”

  “Gah, you don’t quit, do you?”

  “You said you wanted someone to talk to!”

  Liz sighed and waited a moment, then said, “Well, when we first got back, he dragged me to his room and we used his bed. Afterward, he went to the bathroom to clean up and I said I wanted to use my own shower with my stuff. By the time I finished and came back to his room, he was fast asleep. I didn’t really know what to do and I didn’t want to get in his bed in case he didn’t want me there, so I just went back to my own bed.”

  “Were you okay with that?”

  “Yes and no. I prefer my room and I sleep better in there, but he is a great snuggler and it seems a little distant to sleep in separate beds after having sex with each other. I mean, it’s not like I’m sneaking back to my own apartment. I’m just going down the hall—seems a little pointless.”

  “What did he say in the morning?”

  “He found me making toast and we did it on the kitchen floor,” Liz said simply as she picked up a figurine and checked the price on the bottom.

  Laura choked on her latte. “You’re kidding?! Mr. buttoned-up three-piece-suit got frisky on the Italian marble?! I almost don’t believe you!”

  “Believe it. Lord knows I’ve got the ass marks to prove it. Anyway, we didn’t have time to talk about it before he left for work. That was yesterday.” They walked out of the tiny shop and further into the market.

  “Soooo?”

  “When he got home last night, I was reading in bed. He knocked on the door in his pajama pants and asked if I would mind if he shared my bed. It was all very Victorian, like it was 1850 and he was visiting me in my chambers.”

  Laura choked again. “Seriously, if you make me snort latte, I’ll never forgive you.” Liz patted her back. “So what did you say?”

  “Yes, of course. Afterward, I led him to my bathroom to clean up and when he came out I invited him to sleep all night with me.”

  “How did that go?”

  “I think okay. My bed is smaller than his and his feet were nearly dangling off, but it was warm. We ended up doing it again in the middle of the night.”

  “My God! You two are like rabbits! You know he’ll definitely want to sleep all night with you all the time now. Men love double-headers.”

  Liz frowned. “I hadn’t thought of it like that. I can’t keep this up indefinitely. I’m already starting to walk funny. Can you tell?” She walked ahead of Laura a few steps while her friend watcher her gait carefully.

  “No, you just look tired.”

  “Thanks,” she said wryly.

  Laura pointed to the bakery they were passing. “Okay, would you say it was like that breadstick, or more like a churro?”

  Liz laughed and playfully shoved her along. “That’s enough detail for you, nosy Parker. Come on, I have to buy a few more things for London.”

  “All right.” Laura sighed as she shoved past a woman in a purple parka. “Could there be any more people here?”

  “It’s three days till Christmas. What did you expect?”

  30

  Christmas in London

  December 24, Christmas Eve

  8 Months Married

  The overnight flight to London was uneventful, and Liz was only moderately stunned at the first-class accommodations on such a large plane. Their seats were relatively secluded and with the lights down, they felt like teenagers at the cinema and ended up making out for almost half the flight instead of sleeping. By the time they arrived at Harper’s townhouse, Liz was sleeping in the back seat and Will could barely keep his eyes open.

  William guided his groggy wife into the house and led her straight upstairs to his room.

  “Liz, we forgot to work out the rooms. Liz? Are you paying attention?”

  “Huh? Yeah, I hear you. No rooms. Got it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Not no rooms, but the housekeeper will notice if we stay in separate rooms. Can you just stay with me?”

  “
Sure. Whatever. Where’s the bed?”

  He showed her into the room, which was large and impressive and pristine, none of which Liz noticed. She climbed onto the bed and was fast asleep two minutes later. Deciding she had the right idea, he climbed up and joined her.

  *

  It was difficult to breathe and Liz’s ears rang incessantly. The more she tried to ignore it, the stronger it became. Afraid she was coming down with the flu, Liz cracked an eye open and realized that the weight she felt on her chest was Will’s head and his arms were wrapped around her torso tightly, hugging her as if she were a stuffed bear. The ringing was her cell phone on the nightstand. Stretching as best she could, she grabbed the phone and whispered a greeting.

  “Lizzy? Did I wake you? Oh, I’m so sorry!”

  “Caroline, no, don’t worry about it, it’s all right. I should probably be getting up anyway. What time is it?”

  “Oh, you poor dear, you must be so jetlagged. It’s nearly two o’clock.”

  “What? Two?” Liz called loudly. Will grumbled and huffed about going back to sleep. “What time are we supposed to be at your house?”

  “Dinner is at six, the close family is arriving a little early.”

  Caroline and Teddy were hosting the annual family Christmas Eve dinner that evening. Julia had tried to claim it, insisting that Caroline was overwhelmed with the baby, but Caroline had stood her ground and said that having a baby was all the more reason to host the party. That way, the baby could be present for the dinner, then be taken to bed without his parents having to go home. Julia was not pleased, but Caroline was thrilled to be hosting her first Christmas dinner. The family had always taken turns, and between Julia and Aunt Claudia and all the cousins, she had yet to have a turn in her four years of marriage.

  “Oh! I need to get up! I haven’t showered and I’m sure my dress needs to be ironed.”