[Insider] Window to Temptation Ch. 06 (Patreon)

Hey friends! Looks like you get a two-fer this week! Hannah and I have wrapped up the next chapter of Window are are excited to share it. This chapter is going to propel us into Act 2 and start to bring some of the seeds we've been planting to maturation. We are super excited to hear what you think about it.

I'm going to spend the rest of this week trying to get the Supporter version of EP finalized (shooting for Friday) and then jump into the next chapter of The Therapist. Depending on where we are in the month, I may carve out some time after that for another short (any suggestions on what that should be?)

As always, this is a first draft. While we spent some time on edits, I suspect there are still plenty of mistakes that need to be cleaned up.

Enjoy!

Cory released a shaky breath as she stood in front of what was labeled as the meditation room. The receptionist downstairs had pointed her here and said Lawrence would be down in a moment. Her foot tapped against the polished marble. The cream-colored linen wrap bounced across her calf. She'd ordered it express last week from Etsy. The advertisement said it was handmade, and Cory was determined to look as authentic as possible.

She'd spent the better part of the morning standing in front of her hotel mirror, making sure she looked the part. She'd pair it with a hemp cord necklace that held a piece of raw amber. Morgan had bought it for her during their girls' trip to Sedona years ago. Silver rings sat on three of her fingers that paired with a stack of thin bone bracelets that clicked against each other every time she touched the wooden hoop earrings she was wearing.

"Miss Ellison."

Cory jumped. She turned to see Lawrence strolling toward her from the elevator. He was shorter than she'd imagined, but he carried himself with the confidence of a man twice his height. He wore a pair of dark slacks and a white button-up that had the first two buttons undone. Cory could see the definition of his chest. He was certainly a man who took care of himself. The hint of a tattoo peeked out from under the shirt as he neared and Cory couldn't help but wonder what the rest of it looked like.

"Namaste, Mr. Walker," she said, dipping her head. "It's wonderful to be holding space with you in person."

He cocked his eyebrow as he stood in front of her, arms crossed. When she lifted her head he offered his hand.

"It's Lawrence, please."

His handshake was firm, his hands callused like he worked outdoors instead of the top floor of a giant corporation.

"Cory."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. There was a business matter that needed my full attention."

The way he said it, with his gaze locked onto Cory and his hand still holding hers, sent a rush through her body that made her pull her hand away.

"Oh, it's um, it's fine. I was just admiring the space." Her eyes drifted to the poster next to the door that read BREATHE. ALIGN. EXPAND.

"Just following your advice, Cory." His smile deepened and his gaze seemed to slide across her body. "You certainly are full of them."

He stepped forward, crowding her space. Cory's heart stopped as he leaned forward. She wasn't sure what his intention was and why she seemed unable to move. Their eyes never broke contact. Cory heard a soft click from behind her and her face drained of color as she realized he was simply unlocking the door behind her.

"The room's all yours. The others will filter in over the next ten minutes. I told them you were starting at the top of the hour. I expect punctuality."

"Right of course. I..." She cleared her throat, breaking eye contact. "Gratitude. The energy will be right where it needs to be."

He nodded, a hint of a smile on his face as he studied her. Then he walked away.

Cory exhaled as he walked away. "Get your shit together," she whispered to herself as she walked into the meditation room.

The space was larger than she'd expected. By her estimate it could hold about 30 people comfortably. The lights were dimmed, giving a relaxed feel to the space and on the far wall sat a media player she could plug into for music. She'd requested several incense holders in her correspondence with Lawrence, but he insisted it was against fire code and the building manager wouldn't allow it. Instead, she pulled out several travel sticks from her bag and placed them around the room until the smell of amber was everywhere.

She checked her phone out of habit as she finished setting up. Hunter had sent her a good luck text. Even Morgan had messaged her saying "you've got this, girl."

Just as Lawrence had predicted, everyone began filing in a few minutes before the top of the hour. Cory counted twelve men and six women in total. The executive team and their direct reports. Lawrence had said depending on how this smaller group went there would be opportunity for sessions with the larger staff. Cory envisioned a room three times the size of this one able to hold hundreds of people as she stood in front of them telling them to breathe deeply and visualize success. She wasn't sure she could do it.

The second the clock ticked over to ten, Lawrence stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and nodding to Cory. She stepped to the front of the room and smiled.

"Thank you all for being open to this today. What we're going to do is, ok, we're going to do three modules. Breath. Energy mapping. And a short integration. I want you to like, allow yourself to arrive. Wherever you were before you walked in, leave it out there."

A few people nodded. Others looked at each other with confused faces. Cory tried to block it all out.

She walked them through diaphragmatic breathing first. She focused on the discovery of the breath and the feeling of relaxation more than the science behind it. "Now, feel the breath travel from the root of your spine. Let it pool in your chest." She motioned with her hands. Most people had their eyes closed. Lawrence did not, he was staring daggers through her. "Our bodies are systems, right? Sometimes those systems need to be guided. Reminded how to flow."

She closed her own eyes, trying to ignore Lawrence's gaze.

"In for four. Hold for four. Out for six. When you exhale, picture it as something you're releasing into the room. The anxiety of deadlines, the stress at home."

She inhaled with them while counting silently. When she opened her eyes to check their progress, she noticed a shift. Participation always improved once the group realized her gaze was on them.

Lawrence didn't seem to mind. He was still looking at her, or more specifically, the tree of life tattoo that was sticking out of the top of the dress. She bit the inside of her cheek. He knew he'd been caught, yet he wasn't looking away, wasn't trying to hide it at all. Hunter's words rattled in her head.

He looked like he wanted to devour her.

That sentence had been living in her head for weeks and it surfaced now. The worst part was that she was also remembering the way Hunter reacted when he told her, the way her body reacted. The hemp cord at her throat felt suddenly too tight, and she shifted her stance.

The slight movement seemed to trigger Lawrence. His eyes moved up, finding hers. Letting her know that he knew exactly what was going on inside her head, and it had nothing to do with breathing exercises and meditation.

"And release," she heard herself say. Her voice sounded like someone on a speakerphone in another room. "For a count of six."

She exhaled with them.

She got through energy mapping on autopilot. She didn't remember any of it afterward. The framework she'd made up out of thin air walked out of her mouth without her. Someone asked a question about measurable outcomes and she answered it. But her mind was clearly somewhere else.

At ten thirty she brought them back to their breath, thanked them, and told them Nexus was going to be a different company if they continued these mindful exercises in their normal activities. They filed out the way they'd filed in. Most of them didn't look at her on the way to the door.

Lawrence waited until the last person was out the door and then approached her.

"That was well done."

"I'm thankful our energies were—"

"Speaking of energies. I'd love to see how our energies align in another session." His jaw was set, reading Cory's reaction.

"Oh, um... For sure. Let me check my schedule. Maybe sometime next week I—"

"I meant tonight. In my office."

"Lawrence, I—"

"I think you were right. My energy has been all over the place." He was closer than he'd been a moment ago. She wasn't sure when he'd moved. "I think you have exactly what I need to... align it."

Cory wasn't sure she was hearing him right. She couldn't have been. "I'm um, flattered Lawrence, really. But I'm married and—"

"I'll be here until eight. I'll let security know you might come by."

He was already turning to leave. "Great session by the way. You certainly have a presence about you."

She stood alone in the room. The playlist had ended, and all Cory could hear was the beating of her heart. She didn't know if she should be offended or flattered. Why did people like Lawrence fucking Walker always just assume they could have anything they wanted? And why did her body tingle at the thought of him wanting her?

After her encounter with Lawrence, calm wasn't coming. She tried anyway. Yoga on the hotel carpet, cycling through every position she knew. The aromatherapy oils she kept in her travel kit. The binaural she played for clients labeled "anxiety regulation". None of it seemed to work. Her brain was still in that meditation room, with Lawrence's eyes on her tree of life, with his intensity and cockiness that made her skin boil.

She finally laced up her shoes and ran.

The route was nothing special. Six miles around the lake near the hotel, Title Fight's "Shed" on repeat in her ears. By the third play through, her legs were screaming and her shirt was soaked. She slowed to a walk a block from the hotel, hands on her hips, sucking air, her brain refusing to shut off.

She let herself into the room and dropped her keycard on the dresser.

"God I wish I was home."

She showered with the water as hot as she could stand it. She tried to convince herself there was another explanation to what Lawrence had meant. When she came up with nothing she decided to focus on the solution. Obviously, she couldn't go, but he was a client and she didn't want to offend him either. What if she went just to shut him down face to face? Would that make it better, or worse?

She wrapped herself in the hotel robe and sat on the edge of the bed. She needed someone to talk to about this, and Morgan still felt like the safest. She picked up on the third ring.

"Heya! How goes it love?"

"Good!" Cory exhaled. She was worried Morgan wouldn't pick up. "It's really, really "good" to hear your voice."

"You too!" Morgan sounded out of breath, a small sigh escaping her lips before Cory spoke.

"Sooooo Cleveland sucks. Like total ass."

"I know right? Ugh. It never changes. Everyone acts like it's something special and it's not. At all."

"Right? I dunno. Once you've been to a real city, it changes things. But yeah... it's fine. I mean weather-wise."

Cory already felt awkward, having spoken about the weather, some indicator of the death of interest and youth. She chuckled. "So yeah. Anyways, my meeting with Lawrence. It went well but it was so obvious he was coming onto me. Even invited me back for a private session at his office."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. On Morgan's end, something shifted. It sounded like a fabric, or a hand covering the phone, and a low voice murmured just beneath the threshold of clarity. It sounded too deep to be Zach's.

Cory's nails dug into her palm as she used every meditative technique she could not to lash out at Morgan right now. She was with Luther again. Cory could feel it in her bones. Why wouldn't she just come clean about it?

Morgan cleared her throat, her voice sounded drained of its jubilance from before. "Sorry sorry, just had to take care of something."

"It's all good. Anyways! Lawrence. So after the meeting he started doing like the whole 'oh I'd like to meet privately' same schtick that all these guys do."

Another weighted pause. "So are you going to go?"

Cory could feel the knot at the back of her neck tighten. "What? No. No way."

Morgan giggled. "Oh lighten up. You're acting like I asked if you were going to fuck the guy."

Cory gasped.

"Wait, are you?" Morgan suddenly sounded a lot closer to the phone.

"Of course not! I'm not even going over there. I just wanted to vent, I mean, the audacity, right?"

"Cory Marie Novak. I know that voice. You're totally thinking about fucking him. You little slut." Morgan laughed in a way Cory hadn't heard in ages. It was actually refreshing, except for the fact that she was talking about Cory cheating.

"I absolutely am not." She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed, and there was color in her cheeks. "I mean like, I'm not actually thinking about doing it. But you know, sure, I've thought about the idea of it I guess."

"It's not like this mortal sin everyone talks about, you know. Like, you've spent your whole life buttoned up. Sometimes you just need to let yourself..." She trailed off, searching for the word. "Breathe."

"I guess, but—"

"I'm just saying." Morgan's tone had shifted, the playfulness retreating. "You and Hunter are great. But like, when was the last time you did something just because you wanted to? Not because it was responsible or good or whatever. Just because it felt right?"

Cory stared at the ceiling. The answer came to her immediately and she hated herself for it. Standing at the window, topless, waving at Luther while Hunter slept. Her stomach lurched.

"I do plenty for myself. I took this trip didn't I?"

"Oh my God, wait. Tell me all about him. Is he hot? Fuck, please tell me he's hot." Morgan's voice was suddenly lighter.

"He's... I mean..." Cory rolled her eyes and walked out of the bathroom, flopping down on the bed, just happy to have some girl talk again with her best friend. "Ok, so like he has this cockiness about him. That makes me want to just slap him. But like, there's this intensity to it that..."

"Makes you want to rip off his clothes and give him the ride of his life?"

Cory couldn't hold her laughter back any longer. She laughed until her stomach hurt, rolling into the bed to contain it. Morgan was laughing right along with her and for a second it felt like old times.

Once Cory got her laughter under control, she wiped her eyes and sighed. "Fuck, I needed that." She let out another breath. "But you know I could never do that to Hunter. It's not right, and besides, I'm probably reading more into the Lawrence thing than is actually there."

"Don't sell yourself short, babes. You're a smoke show. As for Hunter..." There was a silence on the other end and Cory heard some shuffling around.

"As for Hunter, what?"

"Sorry." It sounded like Morgan was shifting the phone. "So like. You know Zach and I were going through a rough patch and I started reading that book Luther gave me."

Cory shifted on the bed. It wasn't the book she was worried about. The book was the least of it.

"Anyway, one thing it helped me realize was like, I forgot who I was when I was with Zach."

"What does that mean?"

"Sorry, I'm not explaining it well. I just mean, Zach and I are better now and like I know you and Hunter are solid. Like super solid, but sometimes we forget who we are and what we like. We start to become a version of ourselves that like only remembers what our spouse likes about us and we forget about all those other things."

The air conditioner kicked on in the room and Cory jumped. She opened her mouth to tell Morgan her and Hunter weren't like them. They didn't need to be fixed, but she reconsidered it. She wasn't wrong that she'd started gravitating more toward the things Hunter enjoyed, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy them too. Besides, was it so bad to evolve as a person? Did she even want to remember who she was before she met Hunter?

"Cor, you there?"

"Yeah, yeah sorry. Just you know, thinking."

"I hope I didn't overstep. You know you and Hunter mean the world to me."

Cory smiled. "No you didn't. I mean I don't know what to say, but like, I'm glad to hear you and Zach are ok now."

"Oh we are better than ok. When you get back remind me to tell you about the morning we had."

Cory's phone beeped and she looked at the screen to see that Hunter was calling.

"Oh hey, that's Hunter. I should probably take it."

"Of course. Let's catch up when you're back in town. You can tell me all about this Lawrence guy."

"Oh my God, shut up."

"Bye babe. Love you."

"Love you." Cory switched over to Hunter's call.

"Heya babe."

"Hey." Hunter's voice was warm. "How's the hotel? Did you eat?"

"I'm fine, yeah." She lay back on the bed, the comforter cool through the thin linen. "What are you up to?"

"Oh you know, about to start another watch of 'Kicked in the Balls Compilation Volume 1' while I'm on my lunch break."

Cory covered her mouth. "Oh my god you're such an ass."

"Yeah yeah. You love it. So, what are you up to now? Don't tell me you're going to spend the rest of the day locked up in your hotel room."

"Actually, I just got off the phone with Morgan."

"Yeah?" He sounded genuinely pleased. "How was that?"

"Good. Like, really good." She closed her eyes, waiting for Hunter to push her on what she meant by that.

"And the demonstration?" His voice cracked. "How'd it go with Lawrence?"

"The class was good. People really seemed to respond to the energy mapping."

"And Lawrence? How was his energy?" Hunter's tone shifted to something a little more flirty. Cory recognized it immediately. "Do you think he was still thinking about that stripper?"

"Hunter."

"You didn't give him the same lap dance you gave me did you?" He barked out a laugh.

"Oh my God, stop." She was almost smiling.

"What was he wearing? Did you pull his tie off and put it around your neck like they do in the movies?"

"Hunter, I swear to God."

"I'm just saying. I have a few minutes before I have to go back to work. You can tell me all about it." There was still a hint of teasing in his voice, but his breathing had gotten heavier.

Cory bit her lip. She needed to come clean about what really happened.

"Ok, seriously listen."

"Oh. Are you going to tell me he spanked you next?"

"Hunter, I'm serious. He... he propositioned me."

She heard him suck in a breath, the giggling stopped.

"What... what do you mean he propositioned you? What did he say?"

She tried to focus on his words to determine how angry he was.

"He said he'd be in his office until eight. That he'd let security know I might come by." She felt the words leaving her mouth and couldn't pull them back. "Of course I shot him down. I told him I was married. I told him how inappropriate it was. That I—"

"Cor."

"Yeah?" Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest. She'd said too much. Lawrence was both of their client and now she'd made it weird. She should have just kept her mouth shut and let Hunter continue with the fantasy talk.

"Do you want to go?"

She opened her eyes. The ceiling was white. The popcorn texture seemed to grow as blood rushed to her ears.

"No. Of course not. Why would you even—"

"Babe. It's okay if you wanted to go." His voice was soft. He was practically whispering. "I'd know. I mean, I trust you to know what you want."

The hemp cord was still around her throat from the session. She'd forgotten to take it off. It pressed against her collarbone every time she breathed and she couldn't decide if she wanted to rip it off or pull it tighter.

"Why are you saying this? Do you think I don't love you?"

"Of course not. I just mean like I'd understand if you wanted to..."

"You want to be swingers too is that what this is?" She sat up in the bed, her hand going to the cord. "Is there someone else? Is that why you said it? Fuck, Hunter just tell me, please. Is it Dafni?"

"I... what? Of course not." He released a frustrated breath. "Okay listen. I... I haven't been totally straight with you about Lawrence."

"Lawrence?" Electricity flowed through her body.

"Fuck, ok, so like the strip club thing. I told you I was into it because the dancer reminded me of you. And that was true. That part was true. But it's been more than that. When you danced for me in the bedroom and talking about Lawrence and... fuck babe. It was so hot. It's like ever since then I think about it, like, all the time. I'll be in the middle of a meeting and I'll think about you... and him. I'll be in the car and I'll think about it. I think about him looking at you and..." He laughed, it sounded more like nerves than humor. "I get so fucking hard, Cory. And then I get mad at myself for being hard. And then I think about it again, and it's the same thing. I don't know what's wrong with me. I really don't."

She closed her eyes harder. The amber smell from the meditation sticks was still on her skin. She could feel Lawrence's gaze from earlier. She knew exactly what Hunter was describing. She got that same rush earlier.

"Nothing's wrong with you," she said, breathlessly. "I just... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't flattered." Her voice was hoarse. "By Lawrence, I mean."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just... I want you to know how fucking beautiful you are."

She smiled, letting her hand finally release the cord and slide down her body.

"You said you talked to Morgan." His voice was different now. Quieter. "What did she say about it?"

"I..." Cory paused. She was unsure how much of her conversation with Morgan she should share, but she pushed it aside. After everything Hunter had just admitted to her, she couldn't possibly keep secrets now. "She told me I should do things for myself and focus on my own happiness" Before he could respond, she added: "She said she's started doing that and her and Zach are doing better. That sometimes you just need to..." She heard Morgan's voice. Breathe. "Let yourself breathe."

"Yeah." Hunter sounded relieved. "Zach and I are getting beers later. He's been texting me and said the same thing. That lately him and Morgan have been great."

The silence stretched and her mind began to slow down. She was no longer thinking about all the ways this could go wrong, or about how strained her relationship with Morgan was. She could hear him breathing on the other end. She wondered if he could hear her.

"Cory."

"Yeah."

"Are you going to go?"

She thought about Morgan's voice. How she finally sounded like her old self again, jubilant and free-spirited. You little slut. She thought about the window at her house and Luther's eyes staring back at her. About the strip tease for Hunter and the explosive sex that came after.

"Do... Do you want me to go?"

"If you went..." He was choosing each word. She could hear him choosing them. "We'd be okay. I wouldn't love you any less. I wouldn't think it gave me like a hall pass or anything."

She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste copper.

"If I went." Her hand was shaking as she held the phone. "What would you want to happen?"

His breathing changed. It had grown quicker, shallower.

"When you picture me going what do you see? Does he touch me?"

She heard him suck in air and she realized her free hand was sliding up her leg.

"Do I touch him?" She could feel the heat from between her legs as she listened to Hunter's gasps.

"Do I let him f—"

"I don't know, Cor." He practically screamed it. "I... I don't know how far it goes. It all happens so fast in my head. But I trust you. I trust you to stop things if it goes too far."

The room had gone gold around the edges, the late afternoon sun cutting through the gap in the hotel curtains. She watched a strip of light move across the carpet. Her free hand rested on the edge of her panties. She didn't dare touch them, not wanting to admit to herself what she would find.

"Hunter."

"Yeah."

"Be honest with me. Are you hard right now?"

He didn't answer right away. She could hear him breathing.

"Yes."

She closed her eyes. The single word pulsed between her legs and made her nipples ache.

"Okay." Her voice was nothing. "I'll call you... after."

"Cor, wait. I just want to—"

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

She ended the call.

Buffalo Jack's was one of the only sports bars within a ten-minute radius from the neighborhood. Hunter had texted Zach while he was at work and Zach was more than happy to go somewhere that had a decent beer selection. Hunter had ordered two Miller Lites and the server had just set them down when Zach walked in the door.

"My man!" Zach smiled, pulling Hunter into a bro hug before sliding into the booth across from him. His shoes stuck to the ground as he slid in, but he barely noticed, already engulfed in the football game on screen.

"Thanks for coming out." Hunter slid the beer over to him and they clinked glasses.

"Are you kidding? I'm always down for a hang. You're the one that always bails on me."

"I don't bail on you." Hunter grinned. "It's just hard to leave Cory when she's... in a mood."

Zach barked out a laugh, nearly spitting his beer across the table. "You two are like fucking rabbits man. How have you not knocked her up?"

"The wonders of modern medicine."

The waitress appeared while they were both wiping beer from their mouths and laughing. She was cute. Mid-twenties, dark hair pulled back, Buffalo Jack's tank top tied at the waist. She flashed Zach a smile that was just flirty enough to be professional. "Can I get y'all anything other than the beer?"

"Well that depends. Are you going to join us for a shot?" Zach shot her a wink that made Hunter cringe.

"Sorry, love. My shift just started and management doesn't like us drinking on the clock." She gave him a once over. "Not even for the cute ones."

Zach shook his head. "There's just no freedom in the world anymore."

"Can we get a basket of fries and a double order of Garlic Parm wings for the table?" Hunter cut in, embarrassed for his friend.

"Comin' right up, sweetie." She collected their menus and disappeared.

"Can you go anywhere without flirting?" Hunter tried to sound harsh, but he was still laughing.

"I wasn't flirting. That's just how I talk."

Hunter shook his head. "It's no wonder you're in the dog house with Morgan. You should know by now you can't lay it on so thick."

"Pfft." Zach swatted at the air. "Morgan and I are fine. Ever since that dinner at your place she's been all over me."

"Huh."

"Yeah, man. I think she finally realized that night she was being a little crazy." The waitress walked by and Zach paused to check her out. "I think maybe Dafni had a talk with her or something. They've been hanging out a lot more and, well, let's just say it's working."

Hunter tried to put the pieces together. It certainly didn't sound like Zach was in on whatever was happening between Morgan and Luther. But if that were true then... was Morgan really cheating? And if so, should he tell Zach? He wanted to, he knew that not telling him would make him a shitty friend. But telling him could ruin Cory's friendship with Morgan, and he didn't want that either.

The waitress dropped off the fries and wings. Zach reached for the basket before it hit the table, grabbing three at once.

"So, I mean it. I don't know what Dafni said to her but it's been a total one-eighty."

"Yeah?" Hunter's beer was sweating in his hand. He hadn't taken a drink in a while. He was still trying to process that Zach really wasn't in on it.

"Dude. The other day she woke me up. Like, woke me up woke me up." Zach winked, grinning around a mouthful of fries. "Haven't had morning sex in I don't know how long. Maybe our honeymoon."

Hunter forced a laugh. The bar felt like it was spinning. Blackness began to tint the edge of his vision.

"And last night too. Didn't even fight about the laundry first. Just came to bed and... yeah." Zach popped a wing in his mouth, chewing as he talked. "What about you guys? How's Cor doing with the Cleveland thing? I know she was stressing about it."

Hunter heard the words like they were being spoken into a tunnel. Cleveland. His hand tightened around the glass. He'd told her to go. He'd admitted the arousal, told her to stop herself when she felt like she'd proven what she needed. But what did that even mean? Had he given her his blessing to fuck Lawrence?

"Dude?"

"Sorry. She's uh. She's fine. Nervous but that's Cory."

"She's a badass. Morgan keeps saying she wishes she had that kind of drive, like that thing where you just—"

Zach kept going. Hunter couldn't hear him. The words were happening somewhere on the other side of the booth. He kept hearing her voice on the other end of the phone. Did she sound relieved when he said yes? Hurt? He suddenly couldn't remember and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and the panic vanished as he ripped it from his pants. Except, it hadn't. He'd imagined it.

He pulled it out anyway and held it to his ear. "Hey, babe." He made his face smile. "Yeah, yeah I'm with Zach. Everything okay?"

Zach was already nodding, already mouthing go, go, it's fine with a wing halfway to his mouth as he looked the the game above.

"Alright. Yeah, on my way." Hunter pocketed the phone and pulled out his wallet, dropping a fifty on the table before he was fully standing. "I gotta run, man. Sorry."

"Everything good?"

"Yeah. She just um... left some presentation stuff at home. I'll text you."

He was through the door before Zach could respond. The parking lot air hit him and he was already scrolling, already pressing her name. He got in the car and closed the door. The phone rang.

It rang again.

It rang a fourth time and went to voicemail.

Hey, it's Cory. Leave a message or don't, whatever.

He hung up before the beep and sat in the driver's seat with both hands on the wheel. The engine wasn't on. He tried her again.

Voicemail.

Cory hadn't packed much. She never did. She liked the option of choosing something the morning of, letting the mood pick the dress instead of the other way around. She needed something with strength to it. Professional, but not buttoned up. A hint of skin. Nothing that screamed.

She settled on the wrap dress. A muted sage green with embroidered detail along the neckline. The hem fell just above her knee. The tie sat at her hip, loose enough to make her look more confident than she felt. She slipped on a pair of crochet platform sandals and stepped in front of the mirror.

There was nothing else to bring. No folders, documents, or USBs with stifling presentations, and banal graphics that said nothing to those who viewed them. Just her.

Visiting a professional, let alone a CEO of a storied and powerful company during after hours was something that she had never quite adjusted to. Like the world of business itself, much of it was posturing, and holding council or "auditions" in the space that all others work in was appealing to those with power. She was keenly aware that in this instance, and intentionally so, Lawrence held all the power. She was calm and focused, she could wield her own power, her own strength. For her, for Hunter.

His words still were deeply embedded in her head. I trust you to stop things if it goes too far. The understanding was tacit to both of them. It was equally as dangerous and to their own silent surprise, freeing.

Parking the rental car, she checked her appearance in her mirror one last time, lightly running her fingers through her hair before calming herself and heading towards the entrance. Security shifts at night were different for every company and building, Nexus made its practices and policies regarding defense very well known. A lone security guard stood in front, she was as intimidating as the building itself, wearing a full kit, plate harness, and an assault rifle on a three-point sling. Excessive, but appropriate given Nexus' standing in its corporate ecosystem, somewhat understandable. It still gave Cory pause as she approached the woman.

The guard's ID badge said "Ramos" on it, and nothing more except a barcode and the logo of the security agency, one that in the dark was difficult to see, yet looked familiar to Cory. "Hello. I'm here to see Lawrence."

Ramos shifted away from the door slightly. "Cory right?"

"Yes mam."

"Right this way." She swiped her keycard, the large reinforced glass double doors slowly opened, the chilling air of the office enveloping them both. Ramos led the way to an elevator, another keycard swipe, followed by a daunting silence as they stepped inside. The elevator began its slow ascent, Cory stealing a quick glance at Ramos, she was short, with black glossy hair in a high ponytail, bronze skin and vigilant dark eyes beset with a soft jaw and narrow chin with a slender nose. She couldn't discern her age. When the doors opened, Cory stepped out in relief, the elevator descending behind her.

The emptiness of the dark office floor along with its breadth was intimidating as it was alien. Backrooms appeared like tombs, the subtle floor lights illuminated hardly anything. Except Lawrence's office. She quickly made her way there.

When she entered Lawrence was sitting at his desk, deep in conversation on his phone, ignoring Cory's presence. She sat as he continued his conversation.

"I'm proud of you. No seriously I am. With that SAT score, the world is your oyster. Love you too. Bye."

Cory cleared her throat. "Didn't mean to intrude."

"Cory, I'm glad you could make it."

She'd noticed he lost the suit jacket. The white shirt he was wearing had a third button undone, the tattoo behind it looked to be some type of Celtic Cross. Cory swallowed. Had it gotten warmer all of a sudden?

"I only came because—"

"Sit." He gestured toward the leather chair in front of him.

She couldn't tell if it was a command or a question, but she found herself crossing the room without fully understanding. The carpet was so thick her sandals barely made a sound. She was close enough now that she could smell the cologne he was wearing. It had a hint of cinnamon to it. She hadn't smelled it earlier and the thought that he'd put it on specifically for her made her press her knees together as she took her seat.

"I have to tell you. I really enjoyed your session this morning."

"Thank you, I—"

"The breath work. The energy mapping. All of it." He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "My team's been talking about it all afternoon. You really do have a gift, Cory."

She felt her face warm. "I'm so glad it resonated. The work is really about meeting people where they are and—"

"In fact, I was just reading up on chakras and was hoping you could tell me about mine."

The room went still and she studied him for a moment. This wasn't what she'd expected. Not that she really knew what to expect, but the idea of Lawrence actually doing research on chakras made her suddenly feel foolish. Had she gotten the wrong idea? Was he actually buying into the idea of holistic meditation and not actually interested in her at all? The thought made her feel worse than she cared to admit.

"I... I can't be sure without—"

"Right. Of course. How foolish of me." He stood, smiling, his gaze never leaving Cory. "You need to actually see, don't you." His gaze went to her lips, or maybe she imagined it. "I read somewhere it helps to touch it."

She opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't necessary. She could get a perfectly good baseline with what she already knew. But he was already unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and her mouth refused to make words.

Cory's throat bobbed as he released one button after the next. She squirmed in her seat. A voice in the back of her head told her she should run, another voice, Morgan's voice, was asking her if he was hot. As the final button on his shirt fell open she couldn't help but think it was a resounding yes.

He was lean, in a different way than Hunter. Hunter was football lean. Lots of body mass that was firm to the touch. Lawrence was smaller in stature, and he had abs. Fucking abs! Her gaze drifted to his chest. The Celtic cross was bigger than she'd thought, the lines extending across his pectoral and curling toward his ribs. It was a beautiful piece.

She realized with great horror that she'd spent the last few seconds checking him out like he was a piece of meat, the exact same way she complained about in the hotel when she thought he was doing it to her. She didn't know what was worse. That she suddenly wasn't sure if he was trying to fuck her, or that he actually wanted his chakras read.

"Whenever you're ready." He broke her concentration. His smirk letting her know that he saw exactly what she'd been preoccupied with.

"I um..." She couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she nodded, standing on shaky legs as she reached across the desk. Her hand hovered an inch from his chest, giving the illusion that she was feeling the energy from him without actually touching his bare skin.

Lawrence however, had other ideas. He grabbed her wrist, pressing it into his sternum.

She hissed like it burned. The heat shooting through her entire body. She gave a half-hearted effort to pull free, but his grip was firm only adding to the sensation.

"Well. what is it?"

"I... your root chakra is..." She closed her eyes trying to focus. "It's um... dense. And your solar plexus are strong."

"What does that mean?" His voice was low. There was a gravel to it that she hadn't recognized before. She unconsciously slid her hand across his chest and heard him suck in air. The sound made her throat dry.

"It... it means you like to be in control."

His thumb stroked her wrist and her eyes snapped open. She needed a distraction, something that would slow down the heat consuming her.

"That... um... that's a beautiful piece, by the way." Her gaze locked on the cross.

He was still holding her wrist against his chest. "I got it after my divorce. I know, very cliché. But there's a Celtic prayer my grandmother used to say. Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me. She was from Galway." His eyes pierced hers and she realized this was far more intimate than the chakras reading. "I never thought I'd be the kind of man who got religious about anything. Then I got divorced and turned forty in the same year." His mouth twitched. "Apparently that's what does it."

"I'm sorry."

She'd lost track of her hand. It was still flat against him, her thumb moving in a small absent circle against the cross. His heart was steady under her palm. Hers was thudding in her ears. The room felt smaller.

"Yours." He nodded down at her. "The tree of life. I've been curious about it since I first saw it."

She felt the blood leave her face.

"I—it's um. It's really old for me. I got it when I was nineteen, after my dad died. The roots are supposed to represent—"

"I can't see it from here." He was looking at her sternum, at the embroidered neckline of the dress where the very top of the tree disappeared into fabric. "Just the top of it."

"Oh."

Before her mind could catch up, he was moving around the desk, his hand still holding her wrist. When he got closer, his free hand reached up to the neckline of her dress. He hooked his fingers under the embroidery and pulled it open just slightly. Just enough to see another inch of the trunk. His knuckles brushed her skin. The contact was like a livewire straight to her core.

"That's beautiful." He was looking at her chest, but the way he said it could have been about anything. "Really."

"Thank you."

"I still can't get a good look at the roots though."

She knew what he was about to say before he said it. She watched his eyes come up from her sternum to her face, and there was no pretending anymore. Whatever question she'd had about whether he was buying her grift was gone. It had probably been gone for ten minutes. She'd just been letting herself believe it because believing it was easier than the alternative.

"You're going to need to take that off, Cory."

She looked at him. She looked at his hand on her wrist, the other hand still hooked in the neckline of her dress. She thought about the door. She thought about Hunter on the phone two hours ago. If you went, we'd be okay.

She shifted in place, her bangles and bracelets clanked together, the only sound in the room aside from their breathing and the steadied hum of the silent office. Even her heart, which was beating against the surface of her chest, couldn't offer reprieve from the fixation on the man in front of her.

It wouldn't go further than this. That was the deal she made in her head, except she didn't quite finish making it before the next thought surfaced. This one in Morgan's voice calling her a slut.

Her hands shook as she reached up and undid the tie at her hip. Lawrence's fingers stayed on her, unhurried and she shrugged the fabric off until it landed at her feet.

"Good girl," he growled, taking a step back to take her in.

Cory chewed on her bottom lip, hating that she was being examined like a piece of livestock, while at the same time feeling her arousal slick against her thighs.

He took his time. His eyes went from her throat down the full length of the tree of life, the trunk rising between her breasts. He had a hungry look in his eye as Cory tried to keep herself from visibly shaking. If there was any doubt before that he wanted her, it was gone the moment she saw the way he looked at her.

"Even better than I imagined." His hand slid across her sternum and under the cup of her bra.

Cory's eyes fluttered shut as her nipple hardened against his palm.

"And so responsive. I bet you're absolutely soaked right now. Aren't you?"

He took a step forward, crowding her space. She could feel his hardness pressed against her thigh as his hand left a trail of fire down her rib cage.

His words were a balm, an affirmation of need, a confirmation of want. She was desired, it was proof. She could leave, she had what she needed. Hunter had said as much, to leave when she felt "it". But Lawrence's fingers continued their descent, hungrily sliding down her abs. His thick finger pressed against the cotton of her panties and her knees nearly gave out.

"I fucking knew it." He released her wrist, pulling her into his chest as he claimed her mouth, his fingers pulling the cotton fabric of her panties to the side as his fingers greedily curled inside her.

Their tongues swept against each other, he tasted like coffee and scotch. A yelp escaped her and was smothered by another kiss as she moaned into his mouth. Her stomach trembled as his finger slid across her clit.

As the kiss grew in intensity, so did the wet sloshing sounds of her arousal. Her body burned with need and she stopped fighting herself on it. Hunter had said yes. Not in those words, but he'd said it. He'd been hard on the phone telling her it would be okay. There was no betrayal here because the betrayal had been pre-approved, the door had been opened from his side first, and whatever happened in this office she would tell him about and he would forgive her because there was nothing to forgive. Everyone she trusted had told her this was allowed.

Her hand moved to his zipper, tugging it down with urgency as she moaned into his mouth.

"Fuck, you're so tight." A second finger stretched her and she threw her head back, panting.

Her fingers wrapped around his shaft, stroking him and matching the rhythm of the fingers inside her.

"Uhhh. Fuck... Mmm—God." Her grip tightened around the hot steel in her hand.

He was devout in his need to make her cum. His fingers blurred, until they ceased, curled again, and pressed against her g-spot, her hand trembled and tightened against his girth as her eyes widened, her head pulled back as a long, loud moan escaped her, currents of electricity flourished inside her, coursing through her body, branches of desire glowing before settling to a subtle afterglow.

"Unnngghhhh." She spasmed around his digits, falling forward onto Lawrence's bare chest as her legs refused to work. He growled into her ear, easing his fingers from her tightness with a soft pop.

As the tingling fog began to clear in her brain, she realized that this had gone too far, every boundary she thought she wouldn't cross, she did. She couldn't resist it, the way he responded to her, the way he needed her, the way that even now his cock was twitching for his own release. All of it was from her, she smiled in appreciation, despite the terror that she felt.

He brought his fingers to his lips. "Mmm. Now. I think it's my turn."

He spun her around and folded her over a part of his desk that was empty, the cold wood made her shiver as her hard nipples pressed against it, the window that overlooked the city below presented their reflection, her fingers gripping the edge of the desk, as she felt the heat from his cock behind her. She shook her head and stepped to the side.

His eyebrow raised. "Don't worry. I'll pull out."

She shook her head. "No. No. I can't. This has gone too far."

He rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. We've only just begun."

"No, I mean it, this went way, way too far. I have to go." She quickly began gathering her clothes.

She expected him to be angry, to grab her and pin her over the desk. Even worse, she almost hoped he would. Her gaze drifted to his engorged manhood. Its veins pulsed, a bead of precum already dripping from the tip.

But Lawrence didn't move. He just watched her as she gathered her clothes.

"You know what's going to happen now."

She looked up at him as she adjusted her dress.

"You're going to go back to your hotel. You're going to call your husband. Maybe you tell him what happened, maybe you don't, but it doesn't matter either way." He made no effort to tuck himself back into his pants. "You're going to lie in that bed and you're going to think about me. About what you just did. About what you didn't do."

"Lawrence—"

"I'm not finished." He took a single step toward her. "You're going to fly home tomorrow and you're going to fuck your husband and pretend that it's enough."

Her gaze drifted to his cock and the fire that she thought she quenched moments ago suddenly reignited.

"And when you cum," he chuckled, "if you cum. You're going to think about what just happened and realize it's not enough."

She took a step backward toward the door. He was wrong. Not about going home to Hunter and fucking him silly. That part was absolutely true. But not the rest. Her sex life with Hunter was great, better than great. This was just something she... they needed. A shared fantasy that would never happen again and they could look back on and laugh.

"And the next time we see each other, Cory. The next time you walk into a room with me in it. You're going to come back here, and I'm going to bend you over this desk, and I'm going to fuck you."

"You're you're wrong." Her back pressed against the door. "This was a mistake. This won't happen again."

He didn't say anything else. He just held her gaze and let her hear the words she'd just said come back at her in the silence. This won't happen again. Her core was still pulsing from his fingers. Her thighs were sticky. The taste of him was still on her tongue from earlier.

"Okay," he said, finally. "We'll see."

She spun around and let herself out.

She didn't breathe again until she was back inside the elevator. She couldn't believe what just happened. Had she gone too far? The way her body was pulsing she wondered if she'd gone far enough, then immediately dismissed the thought. She fought the urge to pull out her phone and call Hunter. She'd wait until she was back in her hotel for that. She hoped he wouldn't be upset. She thought about what he'd told her. Would this actually arouse him? Would he be hard when she told him what she did?