Page 90 of Without Apology

He stopped sponging me, stood up, and began losing his clothes, one article at a time.

I wouldn’t have traded the impromptu strip show for anything. Most of the time, we were so frantic I didn’t take the time to soak in his beauty. ‘Beauty’ was not normally a word I associated with a man, but both his body and movements of grace were just that. Even more so now, when all of this felt different. Slower. More intense, as his eyes didn’t leave mine.

I swallowed hard when his boxers finally came off, revealing his impressive cock obviously ready to go. Scooting up further, I allowed enough room for him to step in behind me.

“Stand up for a moment, so you can sit between my legs.”

Once we were situated with him at my back and me securely in front of him between his muscular thighs, he resumed the washing. He used gentle motions with one hand while the other reached around and toyed with my breast.

“At the risk of bringing up work near the bedroom, can I ask if you’re happy you got the promotion?”

“Yes. And yes.” In this case, I found myself wanting to share my day with him.

“Everyone in the conference room was ecstatic to hear the news. You’re definitely beloved by your staff.”

“Ha. Not everyone. Jeff came to my office tonight and tried to get under my skin.”

I felt Simon tense behind me.

“What did he say?”

“He implied I shouldn’t take the job if I ever wanted to settle down. I made it clear to him that if anyone hopes I fail, that person can find themselves a new job. I will not tolerate disrespect or the undermining of my authority. His taunt did serve a good purpose, though.”

“What’s that?”

“It showed me how protective I am of my new title. I can fear what the increased responsibility will mean and fret about it. Or I can simply cross that bridge when I get to it. I may worry what this position will mean once I start a family and have to try to balance it all, but I could be years away from that situation.”

I noticed his strokes stopped. “You definitely want kids?”

I was unapologetic about my response, though I hoped he didn’t share Jeff’s view that I shouldn’t take the job because, God forbid, I might someday procreate. “Yes. At some point. Why? Are you rethinking me being the best candidate for CFO?”

“Of course not. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. You earned this position. Whether you want to be a mum or not has no bearing on how well you do your job. In fact, I’d argue that, being the type of person you are, motherhood would only give you more of a foundation in how you connect to people. The way you value the work/life balance will permeate the culture of the office. Assholes like Tom and Jeff can think what they want, but it’s an archaic, misogynistic view that women can’t hold positions once dominated by men. In fact, I’d argue their view makes the assumption that no man in the same job should put his family first. That because he’s a man, he wouldn’t want to have an active involvement and be an equal partner in the parenting of the children.”

“Wow. That’s unexpected.”

“I would champion the best candidate regardless of their sex. If anything, I only wish my mother had been strong enough to leave my father sooner. Maybe if she’d had some sort of equality or felt it was her right to stand up to a man, she would have.”

His utter conviction floored me. “I’m sorry for assuming any different. Your passion on the subject simply took me off guard.” In an effort to steer the conversation to calmer waters, and because I was curious, I had to ask, “How about you? Do you picture kids in your future?”

He didn’t answer at first. Instead, he moved his hands over my breasts and onto my stomach in sensual circles. “I used to say no. Absolutely not. Given the way I grew up, I’m not sure I’d be a great candidate for fatherhood.”

It hurt me to think he’d question his own abilities because of his father’s actions. “You would never do what your father did. Whether you choose to become a dad someday or not, I hope you believe that.”

There was a pang in my chest to think of him years from now with a little dark-haired, blue-eyed boy. I might have been careful not to entertain the thought of me having such a future with him, but envisioning him having it with someone else left me cold.

“I do, but hearing someone else also believes it helps.”

We were both silent, lost in our thoughts, with only the sound of his hands running down my front and the water lapping, until his voice broke in.

“I was thinking about taking time off next week. Everything should close by Friday with the purchase.”

“Oh. Did you not want to come to my sister’s house on Friday, then?” Maybe he was trying to leave early.

“Of course I do. This is coming out all wrong. What I meant to ask is if you wanted to take a holiday with me?”

I sighed. “You know I don’t fly.”

“I don’t remember mentioning a plane. In fact, we don’t have to leave here. Or we can drive somewhere. Take Cooper.”

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