They stepped into the room, Abby in her white cotton dress that flattered her curves. She was spotting a red lipstick and had her hair up in a messy bun. Mason stood next to her in a black tuxedo. Wreaths and ribbons hang in every corner as soft, soothing music played. The sweet aroma of buffet wafted across the room. Mason spotted several familiar faces including that of James and Emma.
He turned to his wife as his gazed roamed lazily over her exposed breast and moved up to her mouth. She was magnificent- probably the most beautiful woman in the room. Memories of her smooth skin against his and the tangled sheets this morning flooded his mind. He felt the hardening of his groin and quickly squashed those thoughts. Today was an important day, and the thought of embarrassing himself in front of all these people was unfathomable. But damn, he wanted her under him, on top of him, in all angles.
“Are you okay Mason? You look flushed.”
Abby’s soft voice interrupted his perverse thoughts.
“I am okay.” He replied giving her a light kiss on the lips.
He held out his hand to her and together, they walked towards a grey-haired man in his sixties. Mason lightly touched his shoulder forcing the other man to turn.
“Hey, Mason. Glad you made it.” Turning to Abby, the man gave his most charming smile.
“Abby, beautiful as usual.”
“Thank you, Lance.”
Lance was Mason’s boss. Standing near them was a blonde woman who had the legs of a goddess. She had her back to them and seemed to be in a heated discussion with Joel. There was something familiar about her silhouette and those legs. Before he could disfigure who she was, he felt James hand on his shoulder. The other man was in the company of his wife who wore a golden fitting gown.
“Hi man,” Mason said giving him a light hug.
He turned to Emma and pecked her cheek.
“You look lovely Emma.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
He noticed that her demeanor towards him seemed slightly guarded. Maybe she is having a bad day. He thought as he watched her move towards Abby, who was laughing at something Lance said. He had always loved her laughter- it was vibrant, husky and infectious. Mason found himself smiling as he gawked at her.
“How is the wife front coming along?” James inquired.
“Good. We are not in our perfect place, but I think we are okay.”
Sipping the glass of wine James handed him, Mason observed the blonde who had yet to turn towards their direction. Something about her was unsettling.
“James, do you see the blonde talking to Joel?”
“Yes. What about her?”
“She seems a bit familiar.”
“No. I can’t say she seems familiar to me.”
“Are you guys talking about our new legal advisor?” Lance asked interrupting them.
The thought of their boss eavesdropping on their conversation was a bit disconcerting. Something in Mason’s face must have revealed his thoughts.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping.”
“Yeah. Mason thinks she looks familiar.” James was quick to answer.
Mason wanted to hit his friend on the back of his friend. But the telling smile James was throwing his way was an indication that he was trying to get a reaction out of him.
“I doubt you know her. She’s only been in Tacoma for three months… As a matter of fact, let me introduce her.”
Mr. Lance motioned for Joel who was facing their direction. As she turned, Mason saw a partial profile and felt dread and familiarity crawl their way into his body. He heard James inhale sharply as she fully turned towards them. His first impulse was to run as cowardly as that might seem. The thought of having his one-night stand and his wife in the same space was terrifying. He knew the moment she recognized him. Her eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed. However, she quickly masked her surprise. Mason threw a glance at James whose expression still looked mortified.
“Olivia Addington, I want you to meet my top investment analyst… Olivia, this is Mason and James. She will be replacing Joel.”
Mason recovered from the shock and extended his hand.
“Ooh. Here come their wives.” Lance continued.
At the mention of wives, Mason noticed the slight glance at his ring finger that Olivia cast his way. His golden ring was in place unlike the night he had met her. Her face betrayed nothing.
“Ladies, I would like you to meet Olivia. He will be replacing Joel.’
Olivia turned a charming smile to the two women. She was as beautiful as the night he had met her, more so today. But her beauty faded in the presence of his wife. But to be fair, not many women could rival Abby’s exotic beauty.
“Nice to meet you, ladies,” Olivia spoke out for the first time.
Hearing her voice starred up memories. He could almost hear her whispering in his ears and calling out his name. Fuck, he thought he had buried these memories. Apparently, his groin had a mind of its own. His heart gave a dull thud. He would never have thought that his one night-stand mistake would collide with his life. He looked at Abby’s sweet smile and felt all the more guilty. He wanted to excuse himself but knew it would be rude. Plowing his fingers through his hair, he smiled at something Lance said. He wanted to bury himself inside Abby and forget. But he was made of sterner stuff and he would persevere.
“What is wrong with Mason,” Emma asked Abby as the two women walked to the sidebar.
Abby had been wondering the same. Throughout their interaction with Olivia, Mason seemed rather rude and edgy. She had never seen him take an instant dislike to someone.
“I don’t know.”
“Enough thinking and talking about Mason. Today is our night.” Emma said handing Abby a glass of margarita.
Abby smile yet feeling oddly distant. She cast a glance towards Mason who was still talking with James, Lance, and Olivia. She realized that both Mason and James seemed strangely subdued. Abby did not know the number of margarita glasses she took but soon, it started to warm her. Everything seemed to float by. Emma appeared drunker than she. Her actions were a bit animated and her words a bit slurred.
“I love you, Abby,” Emma said placing her hand on Abby’s shoulder.
“I love you too,” Abby replied tapping the other woman’s nose.
“Why do men get so much under our skin?” Abby asked.
“Is this about Mason again?”
The bartender filled another glass for Emma.
“Who cares about him? You are the strongest woman I know Abby. If Mason can’t see that, then that’s his loss. We are women. We are strong. You don’t need him to be happy.”
If she was sober, Abby might have laughed as Emma’s kumbaya moment. But her emotions were all over.
“Am I u..nl….ov..ab..le?” She hiccupped.
“Of course not… Your husband…” She paused a moment trying to recollect her thoughts.
“…Is an asshole.”
They both laughed.
“That’s enough ladies,” James said grabbing the glasses from both of them.
“Where is Mason?”
She saw no sign of him or Olivia. James avoided eye contact as he supported Emma who was now visibly staggering.
“I think he went to the men’s room.”
“I noticed you were absent for quite some time from the party,” Abby said as she hung her coat at the small shelf in the entrance.
“And I noticed that you and Emma drunk quite a lot.” He retorted back.
She moved past him keeping a small distance as if she couldn’t bear looking at him much less touch him, and she had every right to be disgusted with him. He was angry at himself and not her. He dragged his hands down his face as he followed her down the hall into the kitchen. His encounter with Olivia had not gone as planned. He had pulled her into the patio area, and as expected, she had been angry with him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you are married?” She asked looking visibly shaken.
“I am sorry. We were going through a difficult moment at the time.”
His reply was lame. Whether he was going through a hard time or not, the fact was that he was still married.
“I don’t sleep with married men.”
“I am sorry.”
They was a strained silence each not sure what to say.
“When you told me that you wanted to forget, what did you mean?”
She folded her arms as though protecting herself from him. Her eyes held his in a stubborn defiance, and for a moment, Mason thought she would not answer.
“I was engaged six months ago, but my fiancé broke it off after seven years of being together. It was the first time in six months that I let myself feel the touch of another man. I wanted to feel again.”
Her explanation further plummeted him in a chain of guilt. She held his gaze, her stare transforming form the guarded look she had earlier to one raw with emotions.
“I liked you. After that night, I was planning to look you up.” She said taking a step towards him.
“Why did you choose me?” Olivia asked, her fingers playing with the edges of his coat. He meant to pull away, but the thoughts of the other night kept him firmly rooted in place.
“I don’t know. I just noticed you.”
He senses coming back, and he took a step back.
“I am married, and I love my wife.”
“Did you think about her that night?”
He was ashamed to admit that thoughts of his wife had been so far from his mind. But he couldn’t tell her that.
“I hope we can maintain a professional relationship now that we will be working together.”
His statement must have cleared the haze, as she dropped her hand and took a step back.
“Of course.”
Everything seemed to have been going well; that is why it had been surprising when she had leaned over and kissed him. At first, he had been in shock and had returned her kiss, but he later pulled away.
“That cannot happen again.” That had been his parting shot.
“I am sorry babe,” Mason said as he pressed himself behind Abby’s back.
He trailed a few kisses down her neck and captured her breast over the fabric of the dress. She pulled herself away just for a moment surprised by his action. His eyes were oozing passion, and this prompted Abby to pull back in and his lips captured hers. The kiss was slow, their tongues colliding. He nuzzled her neck as his lips moved to her earlobes. Clasping his hands around her butt, he pulled her closer to him and felt her thigh press against his erection. He slowly unzipped her dress and watched as slide down her body. He released her breast from the clasp of the brassiere gently sucking her red nipples. She inhaled sharply and arched her body back from pleasure. He released her nipple and let her help him pull off his clothes. Abby pulled her lacy panties off and tossed them on the floor.
Mason marveled at the sight of her. She was beautiful with curves in all the right places. He carried her to the living room and placed her gently on the couch. He peered at her, and the passion in her eyes almost undid him. Mason slowly and carefully entered her filling her with his love. She surrendered herself to him as they chests pressed together. A small grin spread across Abby’s lips.
“What?” He asked as he rested his elbow on the seat. It took every self-restraint not to move inside her.
“This is the first time since losing the baby that we are having sex without a condom.”
Mason had completely forgotten about the condom. He realized he could feel her all around him which seemed more intimate. He wiggled a little causing her to giggle.
“I like it this way.” He said as he drove in harder.
His slow strokes changed to faster harder movements. Abby screamed his name over and over again until they both had their release.