I groaned snuggling deeper into the softness that surrounded me. I could feel the warmth of the sun's rays on my face, but my eyelids felt too heavy to open. I stretched, and rolled over slowly. What time was it? With that thought in mind, I sat up quickly, and looked around the room. Where was I? What happened last night? I placed my hand on my head which was currently throbbing. It wasn't anything that Tylenol couldn't solve, but damn it sucked. Having a hangover made me realize why I stopped getting drunk.
"I thought you would never wake up."
Arik was leaning in the doorway with a cup of coffee in his hand. I shivered and looked down, noticing that I was naked. That's when it all came rushing back to me. The club, the motorcycle, and our sex. "Damn it," I said, and jumped out of bed, searching for my phone and clothes.
"Oh, my God, what time is it? Where is my dress? Where are my shoes?" I held the sheet firmly against my body which didn't matter anyway because he had already seen me naked.
"It's twelve o clock. Your dress and shoes are downstairs. Your phone is in the kitchen and so is your purse."
"Thanks," I mumbled, walking past him.
I hadn't realized a one-night stand would be so awkward. I wanted to say something to him, but I didn't know what to say. It was a mistake, but how cliché was that? It seemed like that was the first thing that everyone said who had an affair. My dress was lying at the bottom of the stairs. I picked it up and put it on quickly along with my heels which were a few feet away. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed my phone. My screen lit up, and my heart stopped. I had ten missed calls, and five text messages asking me where I was from Liam.
"Damn," I whispered sending him a quick text. I grabbed my purse and turned to leave but Arik was standing in the way. "I have to go." I didn't want him to make this harder than what it was. It was a night that we both enjoyed, and now we needed to forget about it.
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
I rolled my eyes, why did he want to do this now? "Arik, I enjoyed myself, but I have to go. I don't want to talk about this ever again."
He smiled, "you can spare me the it was a mistake, and let's just forget about it talk. I don't want to ruin your marriage, so you can relax. My brother will never know this happened."
The thought of him telling his brother never crossed my mind. It would ruin the bond he had with him, and he didn't want that. I kept trying to wrap my head around how it even happened, but I couldn't come up with an answer. I was trying to blame it on the alcohol, but I knew deep down inside I wanted too. "It was no big deal, I had one too many martinis and wasn't thinking straight. Besides, I thought you were Liam the whole time." I was lying, Liam never crossed my mind and the alcohol only left me buzzed. Arik would never know that though, I wouldn't admit it.
He smirked, "I doubt that. The only name you screamed last night was mine."
"Yeah, to make you feel better. Thanks for hanging out with me though, I enjoyed the motorcycle ride."
He shrugged, "no problem, I'll drive you back to your car."
I kept saying I needed to leave, but I had forgotten that I left my car at the club. He grabbed his keys off the counter, and said let's go. I didn't want to ride with him, but I knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So, I followed him out to his garage.
I told Valerie I wouldn't make it into the office today. I told her I wasn't feeling well, but I lied. I didn't want to go to the office in the same clothes that I wore last night. I smelt like Arik, alcohol, and sex. I needed to go home, and take a bath before I saw my husband. Once I got home, I felt relieved. Arik and I didn't talk much when he drove me back to my car. I felt like I had been in the car with him for an eternity, but in reality it was only thirty minutes. As I stared out the window at the gloomy sky the only thing on my mind, was how I was going to cover this up and hide it from Liam. I knew I had committed the ultimate sin. I had welcomed a new type of pleasure, a pleasure I knew had no place in my marriage. After taking a hot shower, I laid in bed motionless. My heart was pounding as my mind raced even more. I thought about my husband working late while his brother pleasured me. I was wrong for succumbing to him, but at the same time I thought of the pleasure it brought me. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept getting these images of us together. I could still feel his hands on me, and the ache between my legs. He made sure I would remember him and his cock for a few days. I groaned and buried my face in the pillow.
"Stop thinking about his cock, Daniela." Why was that the only thing I kept focusing on? It was a one-night stand. I did it, it was fun, now move on. That's what I kept telling my brain, but it wasn't listening.
When I thought about how I would hide it from Liam, I didn't put in any effort. He worked so much, and now he was barely coming home so it would be easy to say that I fell asleep. deep down, it bothered me to lie to him because he was such a loving husband and he didn't deserve this. I kept trying to make excuses for my actions, but I still felt terrible. I did it because I was lonely. I did it because of the alcohol. I wanted to have fun. And it turned into that. It was a mistake. There was so many things I could say, but none of them justified my actions, and I knew that. I wanted to put my night with Arik in the back of my head. I would never think about it again, but that wasn't possible. Tonight, I would cook dinner for Liam, and try to reconnect.
I heard the front door open and close, and I smiled. Liam was just in time for dinner, and I decided to make his favorite. Cooking dinner, distracted me from the events that had taken place last night, and I was happy about that.
"It smells good in here." I heard him say from the living room.
I looked up as Liam walked into the kitchen. "I made your favorite, steak bites, garlic potatoes, and rolls."
He smiled, taking off his tie. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Nothing, I thought it would be nice to cook for you. For the last few weeks, I've been asking you to pick up take out. I don't bring food to your office when you work late. So, I wanted to do something nice for you."
He walked over to me and kissed me. For the first time, the kiss didn't give me sparks. All I felt was heart wrenching guilt. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, I tried to get lost in the kiss, but it wasn't working.
"I appreciate everything that you do, thank you."
"You're welcome, now I want you to eat while the food is hot."
He sat down, rubbed his hands together, and then grabbed his fork. I sat down next to him, and we started to eat. I didn't want dinner to be silent, because then my mind would wander back to sex with his brother. I needed to distract myself, so I asked him about the case he had been working on.
"The case is good; it's still keeping me busy. I can't figure out if this guy is guilty or not. I'm trying to prove that he is, but there's not enough evidence. I don't want to put an innocent man in jail, but I'm a prosecutor, so it's my job to find evidence, even if it doesn't add up. That's why I've been spending all these long nights in the office. I feel bad because I want to spend time with you."
"No, it's okay. I know you're busy."
He grabbed my hand, "if I was working too much would you tell me?"
I was confused by his sudden concern about working too much. He never cared about working all the time before, so why did he now? "You work a lot and it's been that way for a few years. I think I've just gotten used to it. It doesn't bother me."
"That's not what I mean, Daniela. I know that I work a lot, and that leaves you home alone a lot. I don't want you to resent me for not being here. That's why I'm asking if you would be honest with me about the way you feel. Have you started feeling that way already? Have you ever felt that way?"
"Yes, I would tell you. I felt that way after we bought the house, but I don't feel that way now." I was saying I would, but deep down I knew I wouldn't. This is what he did for a living, and even if I did say that he worked too much, it wouldn't change anything. He had a deadline to meet in the cases he was taking. I didn't want to make his job harder by complaining about him not being here as much, when I knew that work needed his attention more than I did.
He kissed my hand, and smiled. "Good, I don't want you to feel neglected."
Why was this happening right now? Why was he choosing to admit his neglect now? Seeing him like this only made me feel even worse. I felt like shit and I should. Instead of talking to him about the way that I felt, I let my feelings build up. I forced a smile, "do you like the food?" I wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. If I didn't, I swear I was going to throw up.
"Yeah, it's delicious. You did an amazing job. You never disappoint me in the kitchen."
"I'm glad you like it."
"I was worried about you last night. I didn't expect you to go to bed so early. I called you like ten times."
I almost choked on my steak when you mentioned last night. "I was tired," I said, grabbing my glass of water. "I had a long day at the office, and when I came home, the only thing I wanted to do was take a warm bubble bath and get in bed."
"I'm glad you got some rest. How is your holiday line coming?"
"It's coming, I still have a few more adjustments to make. I'm proud of the lingerie, and I know that women will love it too. It will be one of my best sellers this year."
He smirked, "you have to wear some of it for me. I'm interested to see how far you've come with your designs."
To see him take an interest in my lingerie was shocking. Whenever I talked about designs or something new that I wanted to do, he just brushed it off. I was starting to think he didn't take my career as seriously as he did his. I wasn't a top designer, but I was trying to become one. Getting a spot in Paris fashion week was a start for me and I was excited.
As we finished dinner we talked about the weather, when it would snow, and what we would do for Christmas.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter 🔥