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“It’s not the same.”

  “No, children are constant…” I grinned, “But seriously, the real reason that we don’t…more often, is just, when we get home, we are just so tired that it’s not even worth the effort.”

  At this, Riley’s face scrunched up as though she didn’t understand my logic.

  Feeling the need to defend myself, I insisted, “I love him. I’m attracted to him, but one of us is almost always working late and we’re exhausted. There is no passion if one of us falls asleep half way through. Then, we’re both angry in the morning,” I narrowed my eyes, “Trust me, we’ve tried.”

  “Well, if you’re falling asleep, you must need a little extra spark…” She replied before I cut her off.

  “It’s not that there’s no spark. We have plenty of spark…It’s just that our bodies get to a point where they aren’t physically capable of doing what we are asking of them anymore. At least we do it at home, and not in our office,” I giggled, but I knew right away that Riley wasn’t convinced.

  “You know, that’s your problem right there. You always let work get in the way of your relationship. You need to switch it up a little.”

  “Yes, but I’m tired when I get home. I can’t work all day and then come home and put on a show, wasting more time we could be sleeping.”

  “Oh, my God! Do you want my advice or not?” She demanded, narrowing her eyes.

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked, a little taken aback.

  “Girl, I have children biting and tugging on my tits all day. I’m tired at night too but having sex is a way for my man to take care of me. Besides, I don’t mind when he bites and tugs,” she responded with a salacious grin.

  I rolled my eyes, “TMI…”

  “You need a wakeup call if you’re going to get that baby maker working right. Maybe you need a little more bites and tugs in your life,” she retorted.

  “Uh…” I replied, trying to think of a way to get out of this conversation. Thankfully, before I had to think of anything else to say, my phone rang.

  “Oh shit,” I said aloud, trying to sound like I wasn’t thanking God I was able to escape this situation.

  As I answered the phone and turned my back to Riley, I heard her sigh and I could almost feel her rolling her eyes at me, but I didn’t care. I didn’t need this.

  I was too busy with my life. I couldn’t play happy homemaker in addition to all the other crap I had to get done in a day.

  After all, it wasn’t just me that liked the money I was bringing in. I was currently on a fast track that, given a couple years, I would be well on my way to making far more than my husband.

  It wasn’t that I thought this was important, exactly. It was more a principal of the situation I found myself in.

  I was doing well in my job and that was my passion. While I wanted to have a family with Collin, I wasn’t ready to give up the career I had worked my entire life to achieve. I thought that perhaps, that was weighing on him.

  However, not being able to think about all of that right now, I waved goodbye to Riley and walked out the door to talk to the person who had called; successfully severing myself from the all-around uncomfortable situation.

  Chapter 14: Collin

  I was finally done with another long day in the office. I was exhausted upon finally reaching my door, but I was also extremely content to be home.

  There was something about my own space that was refreshing to me, every time I entered it.

  I glanced around, though I didn’t expect to see Flora. I was certain that she would be in bed by now, since it was so late.

  I stumbled to the kitchen, making far too much noise, specifically because I wasn’t meaning to and managed to heat up the leftovers that were in the refrigerator.

  After shoveling the food in my mouth, trying not to waste anymore time between myself and sleep, I went up to bed.

  On the way, I wondered why I did this, which was a common occurrence lately. I never liked the rat race that my job always seemed to trap me in. Over ten years of going to bed and waking up to do the exact same thing, every day, only to do nearly the exact two things over again was maddening.

  However, I couldn’t say that I didn’t like my job. I liked what I did. I found business interesting, but I hated the parameters that came with the position.

  I knew that if I could have a little more personal time, life would be great!

  After all, I loved my wife and the life we were trying to build. The only issue I had was the need for some time to think. Having time to myself would greatly help my progress and health; plus, it would be fun to be able to enjoy the time I had with Flora before we were too old to do the things we always said we wanted to do together.

  Yet, as I concluded every time I had these thoughts, it didn’t matter much, because I had a good job that I didn’t intend to leave. We were both happy in our careers, we were just going through a little bit of a rough patch. We would get through it. I knew that we would. If we were able to survive for ten years, with all the pressures that surround us, between work and family, I was confident that we would find a way to work through this, whatever this was, as well.

  Upon walking into the bedroom, I had to look twice. Not only was Flora awake, but she was lying across our bed, in a suggestive pose, wearing only sensual, revealing lingerie.

  “Hey, Sexy,” Flora hissed, as she slid herself gracefully off the bed and sauntered over to me.

  Immediately, I felt my manhood beckoning, even before I was certain of exactly what was going on.

  I felt Flora’s hands on me, pressing with a firm, but enticing grip.

  Backing me up, Flora shoved me onto the bed, in a sitting position and pressed my head into her cleavage.

  I growled, feeling the intensity of my arousal, while my tongue played with her breasts.

  After a moment, I felt her hand under my chin, pulling me up, so that she could press her mouth firmly against mine, thrusting her tongue deep inside my mouth, while she straddled me.

  My heart pounded as my breath heightened. My hands scoured her body, trying to find the spots that I knew she enjoyed.

  I pulled her bra straps down as my hands crested her shoulder blades, before slipping down, to the small of her back.

  On the way back up, my fingers unlatched the bra, revealing her to me. She was as beautiful as ever, with curves in all the right places and skin that was soft and welcoming.

  I felt her push me away, though, before she shoved me, directing me to lie flat against the comforter, with my legs hanging off the side of the bed.

  As soon as my back hit the bed, Flora was on top of me, her breasts dangling invitingly over my chest.

  I moved up to kiss her, but she shoved me back, as a playfully cruel sneer coiled on up the corners of her mouth.

  Slowly, she removed my shirt, throwing it to the other side of the room, before slowly, tantalizingly unbuttoning my pants.

  Once she had slid my pants down, off my legs, she threw the remainder of my clothing aside as well, climbing back on top of me and easily gliding her womanliness against my throbbing member.

  The feeling caused me to quake with anticipation. I grabbed her pelvis and tried to direct it, while my fingers slid down, grasping the lace of the underwear and trying to ease it off her.

  However, she stopped my hand again, returning another playfully cruel expression.

  “You are mine,” she hissed, thrusting herself against me again. From the pressure she was applying to my midsection, I could feel the amount of moisture that was being expelled, assuring me that she was certainly aroused.

  So, I took control, unable to continue the game we were playing, both for sake of being aroused and short on time.

  “No, Flora,” I hissed, gazing deeply into her eyes, “You’re mine!”

  She playfully screamed as I growled, thrusting myself up, so that my body surrounded her.

  When we landed back on the bed, I was over top of her and my hands were strategi
cally tearing her lacy underwear off her perfect bodice.

  Being overcome with excitement, I parted her legs and eased my way through.

  With a cheeky grin and a teasing expression, I started to ease my hand up her body, before going back down and rising up, against her nakedness.

  Flora moaned, her pelvis reacting to my movements.

  Once I felt myself become ready, I replaced my hand with my manhood, pressing against her clitoris in a manner that caused her to scream aloud.

  Her body begged me to enter, but feeling as though payback was warranted, I ignored her moans and signals of excitement and readiness for a few more thrusts, before I embedded myself deep within her warm, moist, feminine cavern.

  “Oh…” Flora groaned as her body consumed me.

  I grinned as I moved, easily, in and out of her. With each thrust, our rhythm got faster, until the two of us were holding on to one another desperately, as our bodies skyrocketed toward a mutual climax.

  Chapter 15: Flora

  Afterward, I laid in bed, wrapped in Collin’s arms, feeling even worse than I had initially. I was even more confused than I was previously. While I had enjoyed myself and was happy to at least have had time with my husband, I found that I was far from satisfied. This realization made me feel awful.

  However, I couldn’t exactly blame anything other than the fact that we’ve had the same sexual routine for the last ten years. I could practically run a play-by-play in my head of everything that was about to happen.

  I used to enjoy it, because I knew it worked, but with age, it wasn’t working anymore, and I was becoming frustrated.

  When Collin and I had first gotten together, every time was wonderful. It made me feel alive and it helped me to be more confident. Simply knowing that he wanted me was a turn-on.

  Plus, since I was only ever with Collin, it took me a little while for me to realize that other people approached sex differently. For the longest time, I thought there was only the standard positions, with the standard dominances.

  Yet, once I learned there was more than what we were doing in our bed, I wanted to try something new. It wasn’t that Collin was against it. Whenever we had tried, he would do his best. However, between me having no idea how to show him what to do, or direct him, and him knowing what usually worked, we almost always defaulted back to Collin taking control.

  At work, I’m a badass, so why can’t I take control in the bedroom? I wondered but decided that instead of thinking about this any longer, I should probably just go to sleep.

  The next morning, though, despite my conscious effort not to, I still woke up late, having spent the majority of the night before overanalyzing everything that had gone wrong with the previous night.

  Almost as soon as I moved, I felt Collin next to me, pulling me back into the bed.

  “Good morning, beautiful…” he whispered in my ear. This was something I realized I should’ve enjoyed, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel anything but despondence.

  “Good morning, baby,” I answered as Collin nuzzled his nose close to my neck, “That was fun last night…” I felt his lips grin as they pressed against my skin. “How about, we do it again soon. Maybe, tonight?”

  Of course, I wanted him. In fact, I wanted him worse than anything, but I wanted to be satisfied Between the fact that I was still sour about the night before getting messed up and that I felt guilty for feeling this way, I really didn’t feel like going through all that again.

  “Well, sweetie, I’m late…and I’ve got a big day ahead of me, I’ll probably be tired when I get home.”

  “Come on!” He urged, sounding incredibly disappointed. “Last night wasn’t all that bad, was it?”

  I turned around in his arms, grinning at him, “I love you, Collin…”

  “That’s not answering my question,” he replied as he pulled back, now seeming genuinely hurt by my inability to positively agree to having relations tonight.

  I slid out of the bed, trying to get on with my day without anymore delays. However, he was quick to follow me.

  Before I could make it to the bathroom, Collin caught me and pulled me back into his arms. Pressed against his chest, the familiar feel of his still-warm skin was comforting to me. Although, I still didn’t feel the urge that I once would have. I didn’t want to be late and dissatisfied, regardless of how affectionate he was being.

  I grinned, feeling his lips grace the nape of my neck, however, with a soft giggle, trying to let him down easy, my shoulder rose up, blocking his lips. However, he either refused to get the hint, or thought I was playing hard to get, because instead of letting me go, he pulled me in tightly, playfully declining to let me go.

  “Come on,” Collin growled in my ear, with a low, seductive tone, “You’re already late.”

  Realizing the inadvertent truth in his words, I hastily slid out of his arms, flashing a grin back at him as I asserted my need to leave. I hoped that the expression wouldn’t make it so obvious that I was turning his attempt at a romance down, coldly.

  “I am so sorry, baby, but I really have to go.”

  Breaking completely free of him, I turned around quickly, kissed him on the cheek, and continued my rushed morning routine without hardly another word.

  Chapter 16: Collin

  While I got ready for work myself, I contemplated what had happened this morning. I was extremely satisfied from the night before, but it was obvious that Flora was not.

  I didn’t know what I could do to help her. This wasn’t the first time I had noticed it. Actually, I had become worried about this a while ago, but I didn’t have the time or the stamina to face it, so I continued to ignore the feeling. Being that we were both so busy, we didn’t have time to have a normal conversation, much less talk about something that I could be completely making up in my head.

  However, after last night, I could no longer ignore the feeling there was something definitely off. I had no idea what it was, or how I could fix it, but I knew that we couldn’t go on like this.

  Flora wasn’t happy, with some aspect of our life, or with me, and while that pained me to admit, I had to face it, or risk losing her forever.

  I knew how this worked. I had known plenty of guys who had fallen into this rut. They knew something was wrong and they would even talk about it sometimes, but they never had the balls to get to the bottom of it. So, by the time it came to a head, the relationship was too far gone to save.

  Sometimes, that was a good thing but, in my case, Flora was my whole world. She was the only person that truly understood me. I knew that I needed to do everything in my power to keep her happy.

  Therefore, after trying to figure out what to do, I decided I would go home early. I bought a bouquet of roses, and a bottle of Flora’s favorite wine, excited to have a romantic evening with my wife, something we hadn’t really done in a long time.

  Yet, to my disappointment, when I walked in the door, I found that she wasn’t home. This normally wouldn’t be strange, but today was the one day of the week where she was normally home early. I knew she had a long day, but even with her crazy days, she seemed to always get out earlier.

  When we first got married, this was the day that she would make a home cooked meal or try to plan something special. However, when couldn’t make it in time, too many times, I guessed she got discouraged, because she didn’t do anything like that anymore.

  I didn’t mind. I appreciated that she made dinner, and tried to do nice things for me, but I understood that it was frustrating, to always get shut down. So, I blamed the change in her actions on my inability to make it in the door on time.

  Although, it was still extremely weird that she wasn’t home.

  I texted her, asking where she was, and she told me she was running late. She explained, again that she had a hectic day today and there was nothing but problems. She said she didn’t know when she would be home, but she would try to get out as soon as she could.

  I knew that this shouldn’t h
ave bothered me, because, unfortunately, this was an all too often occurrence between the two of us. One or the other was always running late, but I guessed because I was so worked up about the conversation this morning, I couldn’t help but get angry.

  I hastily typed out, ‘It’s important. We need to talk,’ and sent it.

  A few seconds later, she responded, asking if she could call me.

  While I wasn’t opposed to phone conversations, this text made me feel even angrier. For some reason, I was extremely hurt, that this one time, she couldn’t make it home. I had tried my best to get home early, on her schedule and the best she could do was ask for a phone call.

  I knew what that meant; it was going to be a late night and I shouldn’t wait up. The only time we talked on the phone was when we felt like we needed to apologize vocally.

  I was sure of this for two reasons; The first, was that I had done it to her plenty of times and the second, was that I was sure Flora had about as much interest in talking about personal problems at work as I did.

  Neither of us wanted our work to even know we had a social life. Flora, especially, wasn’t about to call and have a heart to heart over the phone, while she was trying to sort out client documents. She needed a level head for that, and I knew she was one to try her best to separate work and home life as much as possible.

  Therefore, if she was asking me to call her, it was only because she was going to apologize for not being able to make it home. Any personal conversation would have to wait until she was on her limited personal time.

  ‘No,’ I texted back, ‘We need to have a conversation, like a real couple, Flora. I’m telling you, this is serious.’

  Before I even re-read it, I hit send, but felt slightly bad about it afterwards.

  However, now that it was out there, likely read, since she was supposedly waiting for my call, all I could do was wait for whatever she would say next.

  Although, to my dismay and further aggravation, Flora never did respond.

  Chapter 17: Flora