It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m pottering around, unpacking. The new apartment looks amazing, and we have worked all weekend to pull it together.
The furniture is in place. We ended up bringing my couch, although it is way too small for this space. It will have to do until we get a new one. We left most of Nathan’s furniture in his apartment, bringing only his personal belongings and clothes.
Nathan has stopped unpacking to watch the game, and I’m sorting the linen closet. I’m almost done. I have to go back to my apartment through the week and pack the rest of the things up to go into storage. Either that or sell them. Nathan says to throw it all into storage and we will sort it out later. We are too busy at the moment.
I tend to agree-we are too busy-and there’s the small issue of me going away on a conference with Henry next week. Worst timing ever.
I haven’t told Nathan yet. I’ve been skirting around it because I know he’s going to hit the roof.
“Come and sit with me, babe!” he calls.
“I just want to get this finished!” I call back.
“I’ll help you tomorrow night. You haven’t stopped all day.”
“I know, but I have a busy week next week, remember?” I close my eyes. Now. Tell him now.
“Why, what’s going on?”
“We have that charity ball next weekend, and then I have my work conference in Dallas. I leave Sunday afternoon, remember?”
I open my eyes and continue to fold the towels. I see movement out of the corner of my eye.
“What did you say?” Nathan comes into the laundry room.
“I have a work conference next week.”
“With who?”
“Henry.”
He glares at me. “No.”
“Nathan.”
“I said fucking no. You’re not going anywhere with him.”
Eliza
I roll my eyes. “Nathan, I have to go; it’s a condition of the job.”
“You’re not going.”
“I agreed to this conference at my interview and I can’t get out of it. I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Was that before or after he told you he was attracted to you?”
I open my mouth to say something smart back, but no words come out.
How does he know that?
“I misunderstood him.” I fire back as I march up the hallway, and he storms after me.
“Well, Eliza?” he calls. “Which was it? Before or after he literally told you he wants to fuck you?”
“He did not say that.” I snap as I walk into the bathroom, and I turn the shower on with force. “You’re making shit up now. He does not want to fuck me. This is all in your head.” I take my clothes off and get under the hot water. “Get out, I want to shower in peace.”
“I’m not making shit up, and you know it.” He growls. “Over my dead fucking body will you be going to a conference alone with that fucker.”
I shake my head in disgust. “Tempting.”
“Tempting? What’s fucking tempting?”
“Knocking you out with a shovel. It’s a work conference, Nathan, in a professional environment. I don’t go to your work things.”
“What?” He yells in an outrage. “I don’t go to any conferences without you, and you know it.”
God, he doesn’t really. That was a bad example.
I put my head under the water, hoping it will block him out. I wash my hair as he paces back and forth in the bathroom, livid.
“I know how this goes. He takes you to dinner, gets you drunk, and the next thing you know, you wake up naked in his bed, full of remorse.”
I roll my eyes. “You make it sound like I don’t get hit on, ever. I get hit on every day by men, you know, Nathan? I can look after myself, and quite frankly, I’m fucking annoyed that you would even say that, let alone think it.”
“I’m not saying it about you,” he splutters, “I’m saying it about him.”
I turn my back to him, my anger rising by the second. “Well, don’t. I’m offended at the mention of it. This is my job, Nathan. Get out.”
“Resign. Come and work for me. It’s only a matter of time before you do, anyway.”
“No.” Here we go again. “I’m not working for you, I told you that. Besides, I like my job.”
He narrows his eyes. “You do, do you?”
My rubber band snaps, and I step out of the shower. Water sloshes everywhere. “Listen, asshole, around the time I had this interview and accepted this job and the conditions that I had to go to this conference, you were snorting cocaine from strippers’ stomachs and getting a head job by a girl called Stephanie.”
His face falls.
“So, don’t you dare,”-I poke him hard in the chest-“have the audacity to slut-shame me for going on a work conference. If you want to fight, Nathan, let’s fucking go! Because I sure as shit have more to be pissed about than you do.”
He puts his hands on his hips and glares at me, knowing full well that he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
“Do not bring this up again,” I warn him. “I’m going to my work conference, and you are going to support me like a loving partner. Grow the fuck up.”
He storms from the bathroom.
My heart races as the adrenaline pumps through my body, and I get back under the water. Eventually, I calm down and smile proudly. I won that fight, fair and square.
Take that.
Nathan turns the page of his book, and I glance over at him as he sits on the lounge chair. He’s in his navy-blue, silk boxer shorts, and he has been reading for hours. “Are you not talking to me?” I ask.
“I’m talking to you.” He says as his eyes stay glued to his book.
“Doesn’t feel like it.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. Come over here and kiss me, perhaps?”
He turns the page again. “I’m not in the mood for kissing.”
I roll my eyes, there’s no way he read that page that quick, he’s sitting there sulking, that’s what he’s doing. “Okay, suit yourself.” I get up and walk into the bedroom to clean my teeth.
“What are you doing?” he calls.
“Going to bed.”
“You don’t say goodnight now?”
“I’m not in the mood to say goodnight!” I call, I smile to myself. If he wants childish, I’ll give him childish.
“Very funny.”
“I thought so.”
I brush my teeth, braid my hair, and I climb into bed. I’m not grovelling to him when he’s being an unreasonable dick. No way in hell.
I lie in bed for a while and eventually I hear the television turn off. He fusses around for a bit and brushes his teeth, and then he gets into bed. He turns his side lamp on.
“What are you doing?” I frown.
“I’m reading.”
“Why did you bother coming to bed if you want to read? Why didn’t you just stay out there and read?” I huff with my back to him.
“Because I wanted to be close to you, but of course, you are completely wrecking it, so stop talking.”
I smile against my pillow. “What does it feel like to be the world’s biggest baby?”
“I’m not a baby.” He snaps.
I roll over and look up at him. “I beg to differ.”
“I just know what these medical conferences are like, Eliza. They’re a free-for-all fuck fest.”
“Nathan, it’s me,” I say softly. “I don’t care who Henry sleeps with on his conference but it won’t be me because I’m in love with you.”
His eyes hold mine.
I rub my hand up his thigh. “You know I’m not like that. I’ve never cheated on anyone in my entire life.”
He exhales heavily. “I just….” His voice trails off.
“You just what?”
“I just know how beautiful you are.” He brushes the hair back from my forehead. “Any man would give his left nut to sleep with you.”
I smile softly.
“It’s true, Eliza.”
“Would you give your left nut to sleep with me?”
“Both nuts.” He turns the page of his book again. “I’m pretty sure you carry them around in your purse now, anyway.” He shakes his head. “I’m fucking doomed.”
I giggle and reach over to take his book off him and throw it onto the floor.
I sit up and pull my silk nightdress over my shoulders. Nathan’s eyes drop to my bare breasts. He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, distracted.
I’m not playing fair. I win all the fights when I get my boobs out. He’s got no defense.
He’s besotted with them now.
“So, here’s the thing,” I whisper as I bend and kiss his lower stomach. I trail my tongue over his hipbone and see his cock twitch in his boxer shorts. “You have me, naked and at your disposal.”
He smirks as he watches me.
“Are we really going to spend the week fighting about stupid Henry Morgan?”
I slide his boxers down and kiss his penis. He flexes it in approval and it bounces up.
“Or are we going to spend the week having fun?” I take his tip in my mouth and swirl my tongue around it as my eyes hold his. “Spend the week having fun.”
His hand cups my face, and he tenderly dusts his thumb over my bottom lip. I turn my head and take his thumb in my mouth. I give it a slow, seductive suck. He watches on as his eyes darken. He sits up suddenly, takes my nipple into his mouth and sucks it hard. Pleasure shoots through me in waves, and he flips me onto my back and lifts my legs over his shoulders, causing me to laugh out loud.
Yessss.
“I’ll take option two.” He growls.