Utterly and completely sated. Somewhere in all that glorious clenching and straining, Thomas succumbed. He bent forward, forehead resting at the back of her neck, hands still clutching her hips.
Every so often, he would hum out a content, replete sound. It took a while before either of them was ready to move. They retreated to their bedroom, where she slept so hard that she only murmured a sleepy goodbye when Thomas kissed her shoulder before leaving for work.
IX
Amanda drove to Fantasy Heights an hour later. Jennifer’s portfolio sat beside her on the passenger seat. She would be a fool not to express interest. Of course, when Fiona had said the company was in need of a villain, her choice of words had been apt. Whoever went in there to excise what ailed that company would have to swing a mean axe.
Josh, she suspected, might actually be relieved if she took a different job. She would have to ask him. As for Thomas, there was no telling how he might react if Jennifer made her an offer. The company was headquartered less than half an hour way. It wasn’t as if she’d have to move, but it would change things if she no longer worked at the resort.
Her thoughts veered toward Wade, wondering if he’d mentioned Jennifer and Fiona’s visit to Thomas. Once things calmed down over Jerod’s bad habit of passing notes in class, she supposed Thomas would let her know.
Still, something nagged at her while she made her way from the parking lot to the business office. Something about Wade, and how he was making a choice to include Thomas in his personal life. And that led naturally to how things had been in the beginning between her and Thomas, and how he’d been so tetchy about the line between his personal and professional life. The line had been breached that night in the Hall, when she’d found out he was FBI. They had blurred that line more and more ever since.
Josh’s attitude about the office manager job pursued her behind the desk. She thought about what he’d said, about how he’d wanted her to take the job because she liked it, not because she felt obligated.
“God,” she grumbled. She sat down and let the future extend before her. She could see it all now: once Steph returned, they would gift her another boring job to keep her semi-satisfied. Things would continue to get more and more tense with Josh because he felt guilty knowing she felt obligated to help out the company. Thomas would continue to stand back and pretend not to have an opinion. Heaven forbid he step on what he felt was Josh’s territory.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Personal and professional. Maybe the time had come to just quit Fantasy Heights altogether, because if it came down to a choice between keeping her professional obligations to Josh and Thomas or her personal ones, she would always choose personal. And that choice might come upon them quite soon if Josh continued to withdraw the way he’d been doing lately.
Feeling scrambled with a side of uneasy, she hit the coffee harder than usual. She left Fiona a message to call when she got a chance, but then successfully managed to lose herself in a neck-deep pile of submitted departmental budgets.
No one reminded her of the troubles until Thomas sent a text. No trace of Jerod. Still no trace of Yvette, though they suspected she was in the area. He promised to let her know if there were any developments, and she was to call him immediately should she have any further thoughts about walls or fingers.
She smiled at his message, feeling a hundred times better. She debated calling just to stir him up, but with a performance looming, she would have to buckle down if she wanted her desk cleared.
Wardrobe was a much different place that evening. Far fewer bodies milling around. The department was practically deserted by the time Amanda made it through Kara’s domain. Tonight’s ‘costume’ was a black halter dress with a draped neckline. It swooped so low, one incautious move and
Every so often, he would hum out a content, replete sound. It took a while before either of them was ready to move. They retreated to their bedroom, where she slept so hard that she only murmured a sleepy goodbye when Thomas kissed her shoulder before leaving for work.
IX
Amanda drove to Fantasy Heights an hour later. Jennifer’s portfolio sat beside her on the passenger seat. She would be a fool not to express interest. Of course, when Fiona had said the company was in need of a villain, her choice of words had been apt. Whoever went in there to excise what ailed that company would have to swing a mean axe.
Josh, she suspected, might actually be relieved if she took a different job. She would have to ask him. As for Thomas, there was no telling how he might react if Jennifer made her an offer. The company was headquartered less than half an hour way. It wasn’t as if she’d have to move, but it would change things if she no longer worked at the resort.
Her thoughts veered toward Wade, wondering if he’d mentioned Jennifer and Fiona’s visit to Thomas. Once things calmed down over Jerod’s bad habit of passing notes in class, she supposed Thomas would let her know.
Still, something nagged at her while she made her way from the parking lot to the business office. Something about Wade, and how he was making a choice to include Thomas in his personal life. And that led naturally to how things had been in the beginning between her and Thomas, and how he’d been so tetchy about the line between his personal and professional life. The line had been breached that night in the Hall, when she’d found out he was FBI. They had blurred that line more and more ever since.
Josh’s attitude about the office manager job pursued her behind the desk. She thought about what he’d said, about how he’d wanted her to take the job because she liked it, not because she felt obligated.
“God,” she grumbled. She sat down and let the future extend before her. She could see it all now: once Steph returned, they would gift her another boring job to keep her semi-satisfied. Things would continue to get more and more tense with Josh because he felt guilty knowing she felt obligated to help out the company. Thomas would continue to stand back and pretend not to have an opinion. Heaven forbid he step on what he felt was Josh’s territory.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Personal and professional. Maybe the time had come to just quit Fantasy Heights altogether, because if it came down to a choice between keeping her professional obligations to Josh and Thomas or her personal ones, she would always choose personal. And that choice might come upon them quite soon if Josh continued to withdraw the way he’d been doing lately.
Feeling scrambled with a side of uneasy, she hit the coffee harder than usual. She left Fiona a message to call when she got a chance, but then successfully managed to lose herself in a neck-deep pile of submitted departmental budgets.
No one reminded her of the troubles until Thomas sent a text. No trace of Jerod. Still no trace of Yvette, though they suspected she was in the area. He promised to let her know if there were any developments, and she was to call him immediately should she have any further thoughts about walls or fingers.
She smiled at his message, feeling a hundred times better. She debated calling just to stir him up, but with a performance looming, she would have to buckle down if she wanted her desk cleared.
Wardrobe was a much different place that evening. Far fewer bodies milling around. The department was practically deserted by the time Amanda made it through Kara’s domain. Tonight’s ‘costume’ was a black halter dress with a draped neckline. It swooped so low, one incautious move and
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