***

Joy. Indecent bliss. Never have I ever felt so good in my life. I roll over the bed, only to crash-land on hard muscle.

I blink. “Mmm, I remember this room…”

Richard brushes a strand of hair off my face. “Hope this time you remember why you’re here.”

Oh, I so do. Flashes of last night make me blush.

“I see that you do.” Richard grabs my hand and kisses the tips of my fingers.

“I might need a little reminder.”

“Careful what you wish for…”

I giggle as Richard throws the blankets away and his lips start their magic again…

In a fog of passion and burning emotions, the rest of the day is spent in bed. We only leave to take Chevron for a very short walk. I can’t stop smiling and feeling all dreamy and happy and, well… sated.

Saturday night, we attempt to leave Richard’s apartment to get some dinner. But it’s a stupid mistake. We get seated and we order like two normal people would. But then we start this flirtatious eye game, which evolves in us casually touching each other’s arms or legs, until we’re kissing—ahem, making out in the restaurant like two teenagers. By the time the food arrives, Richard asks for everything to be boxed. He pays the bill and we’re back at his house and in bed less than an hour after we left.

***

Sunday evening is when the bubble of happiness bursts. The pin comes in the form of an ominous suggestion from Richard. It happens in the late afternoon while we’re drinking tea on the couch, my bare legs in his lap and Chevron lying quietly on the living room rug.

I’m admiring Richard’s naked chest—he’s wearing only sweatpants—when my fit watch sends me a pulsing notification I’ve been lying down for too long. A pretty common occurrence in the past two days. Out of habit, I check the time. Already so late. I wish I could stay in Richard’s apartment wearing only one of his T-shirts forever. But I can’t. I drop my empty mug on the coffee table and sigh. “Chevron,” I say, patting her head. “Time to go.”

“Already?” Richard protests. “It’s only five!”

“Yeah, but by the time we get to Manhattan it’ll be late, and tomorrow is going to be busy. If you haven’t noticed, we made quite a splash Friday.”

“Stay longer, I can give you a ride…”

As tempting as the offer is…

“We’ve been in bed for two days,” I say, blushing. “I could use the walk. And you’ll see us both tomorrow morning at the office, anyway.”

“Speaking of the office.” Richard’s expression switches from a relaxed smile to a slight frown. “It’d be better if we kept this quiet, at least for now.”

A chill runs down my spine. Sure, I’d had the same thought. Not wanting to have everyone else at work involved in my private life and gossiping seems like a good idea on the surface. But hearing Richard voice the same concern sets off a million alarm bells in my head. Why does he want to keep it quiet? To protect our privacy? To give us time to figure out our feelings before anyone else gets involved? Or would keeping the relationship hidden only make it easier to break off?