Beg for It

  “You don’t want to stay there. The hot water is for shit and the heating isn’t much better.” Reese twisted in the seat to check for the waitress. When she came over, he asked, “Hi. Is Gretchen working today?”

  “No, she’s off. What can I get you?”

  “Will she be in tomorrow?” Reese asked.

  Looking faintly annoyed, the waitress shrugged, then looked a little wary. “I’m not sure…are you a friend of hers?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Tony put in quickly. “I’ll just text her.”

  While they waited for their food, Reese pulled out his phone to check for a message from Corinne, but there was nothing. Disappointed, he put the phone on the table, ready in case she answered. Tony gave the phone a significant look.

  “You waiting for something important?”

  Reese gave his assistant a bland smile but didn’t answer. Tony snorted laughter and shook his head. He pulled his own phone from his pocket and held it up, then set it on the table.

  “Me too,” he said.

  An hour later, they’d finished their lunch and discussed all the new information Tony had gathered about the new possible markets. They’d gone over Reese’s calendar and planned his travel—if there was a single thing that made Tony worth every penny Reese paid him, it was the man’s ability to organize Reese’s schedule. Just as Tony was ordering a slice of lemon meringue pie, so he could eat his feelings, as he said, Reese’s phone buzzed with a text from Corinne.

  Picture of your lunch.

  It took him two seconds to snap a photo of the plate, empty but for a few tots he couldn’t bring himself to finish. He sent it back to her without an accompanying message. He looked up to see Tony looking at him with a small, quirking smile. “What?”

  “You Instaflixing your lunches now, or what? You’re not into that sort of thing.”

  Reese shrugged. “How do you know what I’m into?”

  “Umm, well, I’ve been setting up your email accounts for you for the past three years, so I’m pretty sure I have a handle on what sort of social media presence you’ve maintained. In other words, zilch.”

  “I know way too much about how those sites operate. I bought and sold more than one, remember? I’m a private guy.” Reese’s phone buzzed again.

  Good boy.

  Shit, now he had to shift in the diner booth to keep his cock from rising, and she’d know that too. When he looked up to see Tony staring, looking stunned, Reese had to fight to keep himself from covering his phone screen with his hand. His fingers twitched.

  Tony’s smile spread slowly as he leaned back in the booth. “Wow.”

  “What?” Reese said, annoyed. Not embarrassed, not exactly, because Tony had seen more than his share of Reese’s life.

  “How long has this been going on?” Tony said in a deadpan and perfect imitation of Reese.

  “Almost twenty years.”

  Tony paused with a fork of pie halfway to his mouth. “Wha?”

  Reese grinned.

  Another text buzzed in. Show me your face.

  Shit, now she wanted a selfie? Without a word, Reese handed his phone to Tony, who looked at the message and laughed, then held up the phone to snap a picture for him. Reese took the phone back.

  “You look mad,” Tony said.

  “She won’t care about how I look. It’s about giving her what she asked for.” Reese sent the photo to her and put the phone back down.

  “It’s like that, huh?”

  “Yes,” Reese said. “It’s like that.”

  Tony sat back in the booth and licked the tines of his fork. “She makes you feel like you’d do anything for her.”

  “Yep.”

  “I hear that.” Tony shook his head and looked at his own phone with an exaggerated sigh. “Should I text her again?”

  “How much do you want to see her?”

  “A lot,” Tony said. “But I don’t want to be a creep about it.”

  The two of them sat in silent contemplation of this for a moment or so. Tony finished his pie. Then he ate the rest of Reese’s tots.

  Finally, unable to stand watching the misery, Reese pushed Tony’s phone toward him. “Text her, man. You want to. Not a picture of your junk, though.”

  “That was once,” Tony protested, already picking up the phone to type a message. “And I told you, she did it first!”

  He put the phone back on the table. They both stared at it. When it buzzed with a reply, Tony scooped it up with a grin as Reese pulled out a few bills and tossed them on the table.

  “Have fun,” he said as he left. “Try not to break the Arts Hotel.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  It had been hectic after school, though when was it anything less? Not for the first time since her sister had shown up to crash in the guest room, Corinne found herself more than grateful for Caitlyn’s extra set of hands and wondered how on earth she’d been managing by herself for the past two years since the divorce. Her sister had even followed Corinne’s hastily scribbled instructions on how to put together the meatloaf and baked potatoes, since Tyler’s trumpet lesson was running late.

  They walked in the door to the smell of good food and soft laughter and conversation. Corinne caught the higher pitch of Peyton’s voice, and a lower, deeper rumble she immediately recognized. Reese was early. Or she was late. Either way, she bustled into the kitchen with her arms full of all the accoutrements of motherhood—trying to tell herself it didn’t matter if he saw her this way.

  She’d invited him here, after all. To meet her kids, to see her life, as brilliantly mundane as it was on a daily basis. She’d wanted to show him who she was now, in this life, even if the memory of who she’d been seemed ever so much sexier. Chin up, shoulders square, she thought. You own him—

  She stopped herself abruptly.

  She might’ve owned Reese Ebersole once upon a time, but she did not now. She remembered how it had been, though. At the sight of him leaning against the counter with a glass of red wine in his hand, one he was not drinking because he was holding it out to her as she entered the kitchen…at the sight of this man who’d left such a space, unfillable by anyone else, all Corinne could think about was owning him again.

  “Hey,” she said as he crossed to her. She offered her cheek for a kiss, aware that her kids were there with them, even if they didn’t seem to be paying much attention. She took the glass of wine and sipped. “Mmm. When did you get here?”

  “About ten minutes ago. Peyton was telling me about her school project.”

  Corinne hid her surprise. Of the two kids, Peyton was far more reticent than Tyler, who was already slinging off his coat and chattering at Caitlyn about the television program the two of them were currently binge watching. “She was?”

  Peyton looked up from her ever-present cell phone. “Yeah, Reese said he could get me some contacts for job shadowing. I need to do three different careers.”

  “I can take her to Philly with me one day, get her shadowing in the promotions department for this small kosher grocery store chain I own. If that’s okay with you,” he added, meeting Corinne’s gaze.

  “Isn’t seventh grade a little too early for job shadowing?” she asked Peyton, who rolled her eyes.

  “Mom, I’m in advanced careers class, remember?

  “Ah. Right. In that case, that sounds great. Hey, dinner smells awesome. Thanks, Caitlyn.” Corinne let herself relax against Reese for a moment as her sister pulled the pan of meatloaf from the oven with a flourish.

  Everything about this felt comfortable. Easy and natural, she thought as the kids finished setting the table with a minimum of arguing and Reese poured the adults all another glass of wine and the five of them settled around Corinne’s kitchen table to eat. She’d never seen Reese interacting with kids, and in their time together they’d both been so focused on themselves the subject of marriage and kids had never come up. He was good with them, though. Friendly without being overbearing or trying too hard. He
made them laugh. Caitlyn too.

  He fit in this family.

  When he caught her gaze across the table, both of them smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dinner finished and cleared, the kids had been supervised with evening chores and homework and then bed. Corinne had refused a third glass of wine with a laugh and taken Reese into the den to watch a movie while her sister courteously disappeared upstairs. Now Corinne sat with her feet on Reese’s lap while she scrolled through the Interflix list. His fingers curled around her instep, kneading away aches and pains she hadn’t noticed until he was making them better.

  “This,” she said quietly and let the remote settle into her lap. “This is so nice.”

  He turned his head to look at her. “Very domestic.”

  “It’s where most people end up,” she told him.

  Reese smiled a little, working his fingers up a bit higher on her calf, massaging tight muscles. “I never really thought I would, to be honest.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head. “No. I worked too hard. Didn’t ever put in the time with anyone, really.”

  “You didn’t ever even come close to getting married?” Corinne shifted so he could get to her other calf.

  “No.” He paused. “Are you sorry you did?”

  It was her turn to shake her head. “I have two amazing kids. So, no. I don’t regret it. I’m sorry about the way things turned out, if only because at the end it was ugly for a bit, and it never feels easy to hurt someone. But I’m not sorry I got married.”

  He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “What happened?”

  “Oh.” She laughed. “We fell out of love, I guess. And then he fell in love with someone else.”

  “He cheated on you?”

  “I never asked him, but yeah. I think so.” Corinne shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s happy with his new wife and the kids are okay, and I…well. Here I am with you.”

  Reese let his hand slide a little higher to caress her knee. “Do you ever think you’ll want to do it again?”

  “Get married?” Surprised, she blinked. “I don’t know. Do…you?”

  His answer was a smile. She poked her toes into his side, hard enough to make him wriggle away. He captured her foot and lifted it to his mouth to kiss.

  It was way too early to even think about such a thing. She moved to kiss him, though, then rested her head on his shoulder. His hand came up to pet her hair, slowly. She breathed in the good, clean scent of him.

  “This is so nice,” she whispered.

  His kiss pressed against her hair. “Yeah.”

  They sat that way for a few minutes in silence. Reese’s breathing slowed. Beneath her palm, his heartbeat did too. He was falling asleep.

  Also too early for him to be staying over. She rocked him gently until his eyes fluttered. “Wake up. You need to go.”

  He frowned, pulling her close to kiss her mouth. “Do I?”

  “Yes. But the kids are with their dad this weekend. You could take me out on the date you promised. And I can stay over at your place.” She nipped his bottom lip, making him groan, but pulled away before he could kiss her again. “Now, though, you need to go.”

  He yawned. “You sure? I could make it worth your while.”

  She poked his shoulder lightly. “You’re so much more argumentative than I remember.”

  “Sorry.” His grin said he was utterly unapologetic.

  She put a fingertip beneath his chin, tipping it up and watching his eyes half-close. “Just be aware. I’m keeping a list, and it’s not of rules.”

  “Uh-oh.” He nipped at her finger, but she pulled it away. “I think I remember that list. What’s on it?”

  “A list of things you’re going to need to be disciplined for,” she said, meaning to tease, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she meant it.

  Reese’s voice got husky. “Yes, Ma’am. I look forward to it.”

  “Kiss me again.” He did, slowly, sliding his fingers into the hair at the base of her skull and tugging gently. She broke the kiss sooner than she wanted to. It was going to be really hard to say goodnight.

  She made herself, though. She hadn’t set any hard or fast rules about dating postdivorce, but it didn’t feel right to have him sleeping there with the kids in the house, no matter how well they’d all gotten along. Not so soon. And if he slept here, she knew, they’d have sex, and having sex with her kids and sister in the house also felt inappropriate, especially the kind she wanted to have. The sort with a lot of loud noises.

  “The weekend,” she promised him with heat already curling in her belly at the thought of it. “We’ll have the whole time together.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Reese had texted her last night to pack a weekend bag, and now, as four thirty rolled around in the office, he showed up at her office door with his own bag in tow. “Ready?”

  “It’s not even five o’clock,” she told him.

  He laughed. “Who’s the boss here, me or you?”

  “I reserve the right not to answer that right now.” She typed a few more things into her open document and saved it, then glanced at him. “You’re serious, you’re ready to go now?”

  “Yeah, I let Sandy leave already. If we get on the road now, we might avoid the worst traffic on the Schuylkill.”

  “Is that even possible? That road is awful. I take it we’re going to Philadelphia?” Corinne shut her computer down and came around the desk.

  She looked fucking amazing in a navy blue skirt that showed off her sweet, tight ass and those legs…those legs. Reese gave himself a mental shake. “Yeah. If that’s okay with you?”

  “The kids get off the bus at Douglas’s house on his weekends, and Caitlyn told me she had plans to visit some friends in Pittsburgh, so she’s already gone. I’m free to go wherever you might take me.”

  “Perfect.”

  He’d planned what he hoped was going to be the perfect weekend to…well, not to impress her, exactly. Not to show off. To treat her as the queen she was. That was all. The way he’d always wanted to, but had never been able.

  “You didn’t tell me what to pack, so I threw in a bunch of things. If I need something special, we can run back to my house—”

  “Whatever you need, we can buy.”

  She laughed, rolling her eyes a little bit, but looking pleased. “I see.”

  “Anyway, I hope maybe you’re mostly going to be naked…”

  Corinne clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Tsk, tsk.”

  “Is your list getting longer?”

  “Oh, yes. Much, much longer.”

  He grinned, then grabbed her bag to sling over his shoulder. “Oof. Wow. What’s in here?”

  “You know, the usual things a girl needs for a weekend away with her boy. Chips, dips, chains, whips.” She stopped at the look on his face and laughed. “I’m teasing you. Shoes. It’s mostly shoes.”

  He hefted the bag. “It’s two days, Corinne.”

  “I told you I overpacked!” She swatted him, and he snagged her wrist to dance her closer for a kiss, which she denied him by turning her head. “If you start that, we will never get on the road.”

  “Sandy’s gone,” he reminded her with a pointed look toward her desk.

  Corinne shook her head and pushed him away, turning him at the same time toward the door. She swatted him on the ass. “And I told you, no fucking in the office. Let’s go, c’mon. If we get stuck in traffic, I’m going to add that to the list and you will not be happy with what happens.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  In the parking lot, she stopped with a look of surprise at the sleek black Town Car and the uniformed driver waiting. “Reese?”

  “I hate driving in traffic,” he explained as the driver took the bags and settled them into the trunk. At her assessing look while they took their seats in the back, Reese paused. “What’s up?”

  Corinne glanced at the
driver, now behind the wheel. “I just didn’t think about us being chauffeured.”

  “Does it matter?” Reese buckled his belt.

  In reply, she leaned back into her seat with a shake of her head. “No. Not really. Just feels fancy.”

  “Nothing’s too fancy for you.”

  She gave him a familiar look. “Uh-huh.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” He took her hand, linking their fingers.

  “It’s just strange to me, that’s all.” She let her thumb rub the back of his hand.

  They did hit traffic, of course, but even in the standstill moments it wasn’t awful. The driver was capable enough to keep them moving the best he could. Reese’s conversation with Corinne was entertaining. She held Reese’s hand, tracing small circles on his palm with the tip of her finger and sending repetitive shivers of anticipation all through him.

  In front of his building, Reese helped her out of the car as the doorman came out to take the bags. He tipped the driver, and, excited about showing off his apartment, he put a hand on the small of her back to lead her inside. She sidestepped him though, turning.

  “Thank you…” She looked at the driver’s name tag. “Terrance. For driving us.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  In the elevator, she looked Reese over, and though he hadn’t said a word about how the driver had addressed her, she knew him well enough to guess. “Other people are going to call me ma’am, Reese. I’m a woman of a certain age, I don’t qualify for the title ‘miss’ anymore.”

  “I know.” Frowning, he pulled her into his arms. “I just don’t like it.”

  She tipped her face to his. “You didn’t say a word to him, that’s all.”

  “What was I supposed to say?” he asked, surprised.

  “He drove us for over an hour. You tipped him, but didn’t bother to even look at him. The same with the doorman. You let him take the bags away but didn’t even acknowledge him. I don’t know. It bothered me.”

  The doors opened onto the penthouse floor, a small lobby with the broad double doors to his apartment on one side. His was the only one on this floor. The doorman would deliver the bags to the service entrance off the kitchen. Reese had intended to wow Corinne with this first look at his home, but her words stopped him from making the grand entrance he’d planned.