firm breasts accentuated in that shirt that perfectly matched her eyes. She was relaxed and beautiful and his fingers itched to touch her. He gripped the wine glass tightly.
“So. What are you doing up this way?” she asked him.
“I just thought I’d check in on you. I haven’t seen you much lately.”
“Well, you and Julie have been crazy-busy getting everything ready for the new cabins. I’ve barely seen her, either, these past five days.”
Rob nodded. The truth was that he’d been avoiding her since that day in his office, when she’d sat there in that clinging red blouse and blown a hole in his chest at her decision to leave in a month. He had always known the day would come when she would go, and he thought he was ready for that, he thought he even wanted that for her. But in his office, as he sat there and realized he had a month left with her, he felt a massive wave of anger and selfishness just wash over him. He wanted her to be here, with him. He wanted her to stay.
Rob Cathay worked hard to not be a selfish person. He was a guy who had always respected everyone – at least, until they gave him reason not to – and he believed that nobody had any right to keep anyone from what made them happy. That was why, when Karen got that incredible job offer at HSBC in Hong Kong, he had encouraged her to take it and he had agreed to postpone their wedding for a year. Of course, he hadn’t counted on her staying for longer than the original six-month contract. He also hadn’t counted on her breaking off the engagement after meeting someone else.
It had hurt him, of course. But he still thought Karen going was the right thing: if she hadn’t been able to stay faithful and committed for just six months apart, what were the chances that she’d have been able to stay in the marriage long-term?
No, standing in other people’s ways had never been Rob’s style, and he played by the rules in every other way, too. He drove the speed limit and he ate his vegetables and he watched his weight. He took pride in his work and treated his co-workers with respect. He listened more than he talked, and he could be trusted with a secret.
Tammy, though. Tammy was a whole different story, he discovered that day in his office. He wanted to stand in her way, he wanted to make it hard for her to leave. Right this second, all he wanted to do was peel that tight purple t-shirt off her body and flick his tongue over her pert little breasts. He wanted to go down on her until she came under his mouth, hot and sweaty and shaking. He wanted what he wanted – what was good for him .
So, that’s what held him back, held him in check: the knowledge that if he did what he wanted, he’d hurt her, scare her. And that was about the last thing he really wanted, after it all.
Rob wanted to be gloriously, fully, unapologetically selfish, but in the end, he just couldn’t do it to her. Frustrated, burning up with lust for her, he avoided Tammy and never touched her anymore, not even a quick hug. Their daily lunches had dropped off completely, and she had taken to spending time down at the stables with Phil, Jake and Mattie.
It was totally irrational, he knew, but whenever he saw Tammy sitting and talking to Phil, or giving Jake a hug and smiling warmly at him, Rob boiled with jealousy. He had never been this jealous before, and he could taste the corrosive, bubbling emotion in his mouth when he watched Tammy with other men. It tasted terrible.
He came to see Tammy today to try to make some peace with his pettiness and jealousy. He wanted to be able to talk to her, and after everything they had been through together over the past few weeks, it was the least he could do. He was sure that she was confused by his pulling back so completely after seeing her so broken and vulnerable. He simply wasn’t being fair.
“Well, yeah,” Rob said. “We have been busy with the new cabins, but it’s slowing down a bit now. I thought I’d catch up
“So. What are you doing up this way?” she asked him.
“I just thought I’d check in on you. I haven’t seen you much lately.”
“Well, you and Julie have been crazy-busy getting everything ready for the new cabins. I’ve barely seen her, either, these past five days.”
Rob nodded. The truth was that he’d been avoiding her since that day in his office, when she’d sat there in that clinging red blouse and blown a hole in his chest at her decision to leave in a month. He had always known the day would come when she would go, and he thought he was ready for that, he thought he even wanted that for her. But in his office, as he sat there and realized he had a month left with her, he felt a massive wave of anger and selfishness just wash over him. He wanted her to be here, with him. He wanted her to stay.
Rob Cathay worked hard to not be a selfish person. He was a guy who had always respected everyone – at least, until they gave him reason not to – and he believed that nobody had any right to keep anyone from what made them happy. That was why, when Karen got that incredible job offer at HSBC in Hong Kong, he had encouraged her to take it and he had agreed to postpone their wedding for a year. Of course, he hadn’t counted on her staying for longer than the original six-month contract. He also hadn’t counted on her breaking off the engagement after meeting someone else.
It had hurt him, of course. But he still thought Karen going was the right thing: if she hadn’t been able to stay faithful and committed for just six months apart, what were the chances that she’d have been able to stay in the marriage long-term?
No, standing in other people’s ways had never been Rob’s style, and he played by the rules in every other way, too. He drove the speed limit and he ate his vegetables and he watched his weight. He took pride in his work and treated his co-workers with respect. He listened more than he talked, and he could be trusted with a secret.
Tammy, though. Tammy was a whole different story, he discovered that day in his office. He wanted to stand in her way, he wanted to make it hard for her to leave. Right this second, all he wanted to do was peel that tight purple t-shirt off her body and flick his tongue over her pert little breasts. He wanted to go down on her until she came under his mouth, hot and sweaty and shaking. He wanted what he wanted – what was good for him .
So, that’s what held him back, held him in check: the knowledge that if he did what he wanted, he’d hurt her, scare her. And that was about the last thing he really wanted, after it all.
Rob wanted to be gloriously, fully, unapologetically selfish, but in the end, he just couldn’t do it to her. Frustrated, burning up with lust for her, he avoided Tammy and never touched her anymore, not even a quick hug. Their daily lunches had dropped off completely, and she had taken to spending time down at the stables with Phil, Jake and Mattie.
It was totally irrational, he knew, but whenever he saw Tammy sitting and talking to Phil, or giving Jake a hug and smiling warmly at him, Rob boiled with jealousy. He had never been this jealous before, and he could taste the corrosive, bubbling emotion in his mouth when he watched Tammy with other men. It tasted terrible.
He came to see Tammy today to try to make some peace with his pettiness and jealousy. He wanted to be able to talk to her, and after everything they had been through together over the past few weeks, it was the least he could do. He was sure that she was confused by his pulling back so completely after seeing her so broken and vulnerable. He simply wasn’t being fair.
“Well, yeah,” Rob said. “We have been busy with the new cabins, but it’s slowing down a bit now. I thought I’d catch up
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