I woke up the next morning alone in a cold bed, frowning at the alarm clock. I’d been perfectly willing to forgive and forget last night and get things back to normal between me and Nicholas.
However, he hadn’t come home until almost midnight.
He had some dinner meeting that went long, and I eventually went to bed by myself. I hazily remembered the bed dipping behind me at some point during the night, and Nicholas snuggling close, but I fell back into a deep sleep and didn’t wake up again until after he’d already left.
I was going to take matters into my own hands today.
And while I was at it, I was going to kill two birds with one stone.
Julia, the traitorous skank, was getting the boot, but not before she got to witness a show.
I got out of bed, took a long shower, and spent more time than usual beautifying myself. I lathered my skin with cream, dried my hair into soft waves and curls, and even put on a bit of makeup.
The masterpiece was the outfit I chose. Nicholas wasn’t going to know what hit him.
I pawed through my lingerie drawers, picking out the black corset, matching lace panties, and sheer black thigh highs. I’d been reluctant to buy them initially but was glad now that Courtney had convinced me they’d be useful one day. It took some major maneuvering to get the ribbons laced up correctly, but the effects were spectacular.
Especially in regards to my cleavage.
I chuckled to myself as I put on a simple black skirt and tight-fitting button-down blouse.
If I knew Nicholas at all-and I did-the blouse and skirt wouldn’t last long.
I finished with a pair of heels, adding at least three inches to my short stature. I was giddy with my plan, smiling and humming as I checked myself one last time in the mirror.
I couldn’t wait to have my Nicholas back. Though I missed the sex, I missed the intimacy even more. These two weeks had hurt me just as much as him.
So much so that I was starting to regret my actions.
I sighed and pushed those thoughts away, grabbing my purse before eagerly making my way downstairs, where I knew John would already be waiting. Laura shook her head, waving me off, knowing it would be futile to try and make me eat breakfast.
My phone rang on the way, and I was surprised to find Virgil calling on one of his days off from babysitting.
“Virgil?”
“I’ve got good news.” He sounded almost chipper. Very un-Virgil-like. “Well, disturbing news, but good for you.”
Huh? “Tell me.”
“We nailed Benson. Or, rather he nailed Rosemary first. But he’s singing like a bird now.”
“What do you mean he nailed Rosemary?”
He laughed and then cleared his throat. “I mean, Rosemary slept with him, trying to get information about you.”
Gross.
I couldn’t process being so desperate as to sleep with Benson and his sweaty, bald self. It just didn’t compute, and it very nearly destroyed my excitement to seduce my husband.
“What exactly did he tell her?”
“I don’t have all the details yet, but I’ll fill you in as soon as I do. I’m going to talk to Mr. Rowe as soon as he’s out of his meeting.”
Oh, hell no.
“I don’t think so. I’m on my way to his office now. Give me a couple of hours and then you can talk to him.”
He fell silent for a minute. “Why are you going down there? Is something wrong? You need to give the guy a break, Willow.”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’m going to take very good care of him. And unless you want me to give you all the gory details about exactly what I’m going to do to his entire body- over and over -I suggest you trust me right now.”
He groaned. “Dammit, Willow. Why do you have to tell me these things? I’m not one of your gossip girls, even if you seem to think so.”
I giggled to myself at his grumbling. “You were the one telling me to make nice with him.”
“Yeah, but I don’t need to hear the details. Just make sure you’re both dressed when I get there.”
My laughter was out loud at that one. “I make no promises. You better knock hard. We can be pretty loud and we may not hear you. See you later, Virgil.”
He garbled some response and I grinned as I hung up.
Soon enough we arrived, and I rushed inside and onto the elevator. Once I reached his floor, I strutted through the lobby, anticipating the attempts by Julia to stop me.
“Wait!” she squealed from her desk.
I just kept walking, holding my hand up as if to say shut the hell up. I heard her loud huff and rearranged my fingers to flip her the bird as I threw Nicholas’ office door open with my other hand.
He was sitting behind his desk, his mouth falling open as he watched me walk in and slam the door behind me. I threw my purse on the couch and leaned back against the door.
“Strip,” I said loudly. “Now.”
The room was completely still except for my racing heart. I stayed right where I was, wanting him to come to me.
“I really hope that’s your wife,” a voice interrupted over the speakerphone.
Shit!
My cheeks burst into flames as I realized Nicholas was talking to someone. So much for my master seduction plan.
“Yeah… uh, can I call you back?”
The guy chuckled. “Sure thing. We can finish this later.”
My husband’s expression turned from surprise to intrigue as he ended the call and stood up. I willed my blush to go away and tried to be sexy when he started walking toward me.
He wasn’t wearing a jacket, but his shirt still looked fresh and unwrinkled under his tie. It wasn’t going to stay that way for long if I had any hand in it.