The Work Wife

by Allison B Hanson

  “We’re at work,” she reminded him, thinking this would be all that was necessary.

  As expected, he backed away. But instead of going to his desk, he closed the door.

  “We never close the door.” Her voice came out in a squeak as he flipped the lock.

  “I know.”

  She hadn’t noticed they even had a lock. He stepped closer and pushed her laptop to the far end of her desk. He couldn’t be planning to—

  He rolled her chair out far enough to pick her up and spin her around so she was sitting on the desk. He stepped between her legs and kissed her mouth, his tongue coaxing her lips to let him in. She did.

  “What happens if someone knocks?”

  “We never close the door,” he reiterated. “No one will knock.”

  “Oh, God,” she managed to say as he undid her pants. “We’re really doing this?”

  “Yes.” He had pulled her boots off and slid her pants and panties off in one motion. She reached for his pants, but instead he sat in the chair and pulled it closer, an evil grin on his face.

  He took a moment to adjust the chair so he was at the perfect height to press kisses up her thigh before moving to the place she was now desperate for him to touch.

  She may have moaned, she probably did. He didn’t stop.

  In her experience, men performed this function as part of a ritual. The obligatory three minutes of oral earned them a free pass to complete the rest of the act according to their preferences.

  But Wes obviously had a different goal in mind, and she was fast approaching that goal. She was on the edge. Of both her desk and climax. Fortunately Wes had a firm hold of her and she only fell over the latter.

  She was still enjoying the aftershocks when Wes slid inside her, finishing them off completely a few strokes later.

  “Wow.” She looked up at their ceiling while panting. “I should have tricked you into marrying me sooner.”

  “I spent the last five years patiently waiting for you to ask me,” he joked as he stood and helped her up. “Hold on. You have a sticky note in your hair.”

  He plucked it from her head and handed it over with a smile, and she felt something between them shift yet again. They were friends, they were lovers, but now something else lay unspoken between them.

  Something deeper.

  No sooner had they righted their clothes and opened the door than Cindy called to tell them they had a visitor.

  Chapter 21

  It was decided that Wes should go greet their visitor because she was probably there to see him. With a nervous smile he opened the glass door to see Holly McCafferty seated on the sofa where Jamie had touched his penis a month ago.

  Back then it was nothing more than something to joke about. Now the thought made him stir even though he’d just been with her a few moments ago.

  “Hi, Wes. I’m sorry to stop by unannounced. I was hoping to speak with you and your wife.”

  “Of course. It’s no problem at all. Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. When she declined he led her to the office he’d just had sex in.

  “Hi, Holly,” Jamie said with a smile as she stepped out from her desk. “How are you doing?”

  “I couldn’t be better.” She sat at the small table and Jamie sat next to her. Wes wheeled his chair over to join the ladies. “Thanks to your willingness to testify, Lance has agreed to my terms to avoid the disgrace of going to court. It will all be settled in a few months and I can move on. I wanted to thank you again for coming to me and telling me what you saw.”

  “It was not something I ever want to have to do, but I would if I was in the same position. The way I see it, it’s the worst thing someone can do to someone they are supposed to love.” Wes couldn’t help his vehemence on the topic.

  “And that’s why I’m here today. I want the two of you to work up some designs for the Atlantic Global headquarters. I’d like to work with someone with integrity and you’ve proven you have plenty of it.”

  Wes and Jamie looked at each other and then back at Holly.

  “I’m sorry. Lance said we wouldn’t have a shot at the job if I didn’t keep my mouth shut. We assumed we were out of the running.”

  Holly looked just as confused as they did. “He threatened to pass on your bid and you still came to tell me the truth?” Her eyes were wide.

  “We knew we wouldn’t be able to enjoy working on the project if we had gotten the job in that way,” Jamie said. “Wes and I discussed it and I have to say, it was difficult to let the opportunity go, but there was really no decision to be made. We had to tell you the truth.”

  “Well, now I get to tell you the truth.” She smiled at them. “Atlantic Global is my father’s company. Lance is only involved through marriage, and as part of the divorce settlement he will be leaving the company. So it’s my decision who we get to build our headquarters, and I’d like to see your designs.”

  The smile on Jamie’s face made him want to kiss her again, but he stayed in control while she jumped up to grab a tablet and started taking notes.

  Once Jamie and Wes had everything they needed to start working up a portfolio of design options, Jamie walked Holly down to Rob’s office so she could sign a preliminary contract.

  They’d actually pulled it off. Jamie’s crazy idea had worked. And they’d not only gotten the job they’d hoped for, they’d also found each other.

  * * * *

  Memories of what she and Wes had done in their office the day before teased her as Wes came over to her side of the office. Cindy wouldn’t be going to lunch for another hour. And they had a lot of work to do to get ready for the McCafferty proposal. But she was tempted to reach for him.

  He looked so good, leaning against her desk in his jeans and T-shirt. She wasn’t sure she would make it an hour.

  “I’d like to take you away this weekend to celebrate. We’ll need to leave on Saturday at four.”

  She smiled at this offer until she noticed the way he didn’t make eye contact before he stepped away. Oh, no. He couldn’t possibly mean—

  “In the morning.”

  That’s what she’d feared he was going to say. “I have to get up earlier on a weekend than I do on a workday? Do you know how ridiculous that is? It’s barbaric.” Her voice came out as a whine, she couldn’t help it.

  “You can sleep on the way if you’d like, but I don’t think you will. It’s a pretty cool surprise.”

  “It had better be. You know how I feel about mornings.”

  “I do. It’s impossible for me to forget because you’ve reminded me eight hundred and forty-three times.”

  “Are you sure? It seems like more.”

  “I might not have counted the first sixty or so.” He winked before he bent down to kiss her. “Trust me, you’re going to think it is worth it.”

  * * * *

  On Saturday she got out of the cab and stared out at the ocean. It was still dark, but there was the slightest glow that revealed the expanse of the sea in front of her.

  “You rented a boat for the weekend?” she said, real excitement coloring her words.

  “Not exactly.” He pulled up the handle on the suitcase they were sharing and gestured toward the wooden walkway to her left. “Last one on the right.”

  She stopped at the last one on the right and then squinted up at him. He said he hadn’t rented the boat, which meant he must have borrowed it from a friend.

  She didn’t realize he had such a rich friend. Even with her lack of knowledge about boats, she knew this was a yacht. It looked like the kind used on movies, when the person in the movie was filthy rich.

  “Wow. This is so cool. Did you bring one of those white captain’s hats and the blue blazer?”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but no.”

  She looked him over with a grin. He hadn’t disap
pointed her. He was wearing loose jeans and a thick sweater. He looked sexy, while she was huddled up in her winter coat feeling like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

  “I’ll show you below. Wait until you see the stateroom.”

  He carried their bag down the tiny stairs, through the small galley kitchen and sitting area.

  He slid the door open and stepped inside. It wasn’t big, but it was fitted with everything one could need in a sleeping area. A small closet, nightstands, and mirrors. On the ceiling.

  “Ooh. Kinky.” She pointed up.

  “They were already there. I was going to take them down, but I thought I’d wait until I got the chance to try them out. Although I will confess, the last time I took it out, I scared the hell out of myself when I woke up and saw my reflection.”

  She laughed as his words fit together in her head.

  “Wait. This is your boat?” she nearly shouted in surprise.

  “Yeah.”

  “How can you afford a boat like this? You’d better not make that much more than me. We do basically the same job. That’s not fair.”

  “I’ve been with the company two years longer than you, so I should get a little more than you.”

  “Not enough to buy a yacht.”

  “No. I bought it with the money I inherited from my grandfather. And my roommate from college restores and sells boats, so I got a really good deal.”

  She nodded, calculating how many trips to Virginia she would have been able to pay for with the money he’d used for this boat. Good deal or not, it couldn’t have been cheap.

  Instead of thinking about it too much, she smiled and twined her fingers with his. She could tell he was proud of his vessel. He worked hard. He deserved it. And her dad was going to be fine. He’d gotten another glowing review from his oncologist that week. Wes had even checked with the nurse to make sure her father had the facts straight.

  “It’s a beautiful boat, Wes.”

  “Hey.” He bent down. “Why the sad eyes?” She couldn’t hide anything from him. “Are you thinking about your dad?”

  She nodded and leaned into him. It was impossible to pretend differently.

  “If you’re okay with this weekend trip, maybe we could take a week next month and take the boat down to Virginia. We could take your dad out fishing. What do you think?”

  Looking up at him, she didn’t just see the man she’d married, or the man she’d been having sex with. She saw Weston, her best friend. The man who genuinely cared about her. And her father.

  “That would be fantastic. Thank you.”

  “So long as you don’t get seasick. I thought this trip would be a good test.” He checked his large watch and stood up straighter. “We have to get going. We’re going to miss it.”

  “Miss what?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  * * * *

  He’d hoped to be out in open sea before the sun rose. He wanted to see her face the moment she met the new day. If he was being honest, he wanted to experience every new day with her. The last month since they’d come back from their trip was the happiest he’d ever been.

  Everything with Jamie felt easy and right. It was simple, like their friendship, but now with sex and a good deal more. The “more” was the part that had him stumped.

  A different person might have jumped to the conclusion it was love. But Wes didn’t want to confuse comfort and friendship for an emotion he’d yet to experience.

  This was one of his reasons for their trip. Not only would he have time with her alone to figure out how he felt, but they would be spending the weekend with two people he felt confident were actually in love.

  He slowed the boat and turned so they were in line with the pink horizon before dropping anchor and shutting everything down.

  It was a little gusty, and he knew his warm-blooded wife would be chilly.

  “Come see,” he called to her where she was huddled in the protection of the bridge. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist to offer her whatever warmth she might feel through her thick parka. “You doing okay?”

  “Yes. It’s not so bad when I’m not in the wind.”

  “Here comes the sun to warm you up.” He couldn’t have timed it any better, because at that very moment a thin strip of bright light peaked the edge of the ocean and shot the water with purple and pink.

  “It’s so pretty. Do you have it trained or something?” she joked.

  “You know I don’t want you to be cold.” He kissed her neck, which was warm. A shiver pulled them apart for a moment.

  “I’ve heard the best way to warm someone up is bare skin to bare skin,” she hinted.

  Once he made sure everything was secured, he took her below.

  He thought seeing the sunrise was the best way to start the day, but he’d been wrong. Making love with Jamie as the ocean swayed them was even better.

  * * * *

  “How was your trip?” Zane asked as Wes helped Jamie onto the dock in Connecticut later that day. Wes was happy to see the smile on his friend’s face. Marriage certainly agreed with him.

  “Smooth. Perfect.”

  “Good. How’s the boat?”

  “Smooth. Perfect,” he repeated, then leaned in closer so only Zane could hear. “Thanks for leaving the mirrors in the stateroom.”

  Zane chuckled and nodded as Kenley walked out, holding a little boy.

  “Jamie, this is Zane, his wife, Kenley, and this must be Jasper.” Wes smiled as Kenley passed the baby off to Zane. Wes had never seen Zane so proud of anything. He owned a successful boat restoration business, but it was clear he would give it all up in a second for his family. “This is my wife, Jamie.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Jamie said as she reached out to touch the baby’s cheek. “He’s adorable.”

  “He’s crawling,” Kenley said with a sigh.

  “Heaven help us when he starts walking. I think I may have to build him a cage.” Zane was laughing, but Wes could tell it was a valid concern. No doubt, one every parent had.

  A quick flash of envy went through Wes. It wasn’t that he planned to have children. At least not at the moment. Not when his marriage may or may not be classified as real. But Zane had people in his life who would never leave him. He had security and happiness.

  Wes wanted that.

  Even when Wes had been part of a family, he’d never felt secure and loved the way Zane seemed to be now.

  Wes felt something squeeze his hand and looked down to find Jamie’s fingers linked through his. She was there.

  She smiled up at him, as if telling him she always would be.

  He might have believed in that silent promise, but he was keeping a rather large secret from her. And he didn’t know what would happen when she found out.

  He’d wanted to tell her since they got back from Jamaica, but couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk it.

  He realized now that he would never have this peace that Zane had until he shared his secrets. He squeezed Jamie’s hand a little tighter, hoping she’d still be there.

  * * * *

  Jamie enjoyed spending the weekend with Wes’s friends and their son. It was easy to see how happy they were. The way they looked at each other made it clear—even to a stranger—that they were in love.

  She looked over at Wes as he set their suitcase on the dock back in Boston and frowned. Something was wrong.

  He’d held her at night and smiled and kissed her, but he was tense. She’d seen it when they prepared for large bids, so she knew what it was.

  No matter how many times she asked what was wrong, he’d simply said he was fine and offered a tight, unconvincing smile as proof.

  “I had a great weekend,” she said as they slid into bed that night.

  “Me too. Now that we know you’re seaworthy, we
can plan a longer trip to see your dad.”

  “Yes. But before we plan anything else, there’s something I’d like.”

  He smiled and kissed her neck. “I’d like that too,” he said as his hand worked under her shirt.

  Now was not the time to let him distract her with sex. Though her body was already quite distracted. “I mean, I want to know what’s bothering you.”

  “Nothing is bothering me.”

  “Wes, who knows you better than anyone?” she asked.

  “You do.” He let out a sigh.

  “And when you tell me nothing is bothering you when I know something is bothering you—”

  “Yes. Okay. Something is bothering me. But I’m working it out. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”

  She swallowed, surprised her tactic had worked so well.

  “It’s not a bad thing, I’m just trying to figure out how to tell you. I need a little more time.”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “Okay? That’s it? You’re not going to hold me down and tickle me until I tell?”

  “Not yet. But I reserve the right to revisit that idea at a later date.”

  “Fair enough.” He kissed her hair. “Thank you.”

  * * * *

  Though Wes didn’t spill his big secret, he did seem more himself when they went to work the next day. They worked on the Atlantic Global design until it pleased both of them. It was great to see that their working dynamic had not been affected by their marriage.

  The doorbell rang later that evening while Weston was in the bedroom changing from his work clothes.

  Jamie opened the door to see a well-dressed older woman staring at her. While Jamie smiled in greeting, the other woman glared and pushed her way inside.

  “Can I help you?” Jamie said in surprise.

  “Is Weston Archer here?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you live with him?” The woman’s tone was sharp enough to cut.

  “Yes. I’m his wife.” This woman was much too old to also be Weston’s wife. Though she seemed to be personally affronted.