The bedroom window is open and a cool breeze blows through, tickling Archie’s chest and arms. In the heat of sex he hadn’t noticed it, but now he is cold. He pulls the sheets up to his waist. Gretchen is lying on her side next to him, but he doesn’t cover her. Her cheeks are still flushed and she doesn’t look chilly. Also, Archie likes to see her naked.

“What did you tell Henry?” she asks.

She has one arm supporting her head and the other draped along her side, her elbow resting in the deep dip of her waist, her forearm curved along her hips, her hand on her bare thigh. Her hair is tousled, and her skin glows with perspiration. He can look at her body all day long—the fullness of her breasts, her smooth thighs, every angle and curve.

“I might have mentioned that I had a counseling appointment,” Archie says. Gretchen’s relationship with the task force has made coming up with excuses easy. She had offered them her services free of charge. Archie had been one of the first to sign up for sessions. He told himself at the time that he was leading by example, but in retrospect his intentions might have been baser.

“Do you think you’ll ever tell him?” Gretchen asks.

She brings this up a lot. She seems to worry that Archie and Henry will go out for beers one day and Archie will spill his guts. She doesn’t understand Archie’s relationship with Henry at all. There is no way Archie will ever tell his partner anything about this. He has already let himself down. He doesn’t want to let Henry down, too. “God, no,” Archie says. “No offense.”

Gretchen looks skeptical. “Many men brag about their conquests.”

“I’m not proud of this,” Archie says. “It’s not something I would ever brag about. And believe me, Henry would not be impressed.”

He’s seen the way that Henry looks at Gretchen. He knows Henry doesn’t like her.

Gretchen sighs deeply, and looks away. The room is painted pale yellow and the light from the brass and crystal chandelier overhead gives everything a buttery glow. When she turns back to him, her eyes seem sad.

“I’m sorry I cause you so much pain,” she says.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Archie says. Just looking at her makes his heart rate increase. The attraction he feels toward her is unlike anything he has ever experienced before. He reaches for her hips and pulls her closer to him on the bed. “I have free will,” he says. “I’m the one who’s cheating. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“I think your wife might disagree,” Gretchen says.

“Probably,” Archie says. “But I’m the one she’d hate.”

“For a detective, you’re not very smart about women,” Gretchen says.