Page 26 of Heart of The Night

‘I promise,’ I said softly. Sauntering back to him, I ran my fingers across his bare chest, caressing the sparse strands. ‘You don’t just like reading books, do you?’ I asked, smiling up at him. ‘You’re a genuine bibliophile.’

‘Yes,’ he affirmed with a small chuckle.

‘What’s your favourite genre?’

He contemplated for a moment. ‘Historical fiction, I think. But I do enjoy a broad spectrum of literature.’

The latter was obvious. ‘And your favourite author?’

His face crinkled thoughtfully. ‘Impossible to pin down.’

Nodding, I let my gaze wander again, eventually settling on a unique and modern architectural feature below the television. It was an elongated, sleek structure, unlike any traditional hearth I had seen before.

The question slipped from my lips as I pointed toward it. ‘Is that a fireplace?’

‘Yes. It’s the main reason I want to have sex with you in this room. The glow of a fire on your bare skin…’ He shook his head, seemingly in awe of the mere thought. ‘I definitely need to see that.’

I chuckled at his relentless pursuit. ‘You’re insatiable.’

‘Only where you’re concerned, love.’ He gave me a mischievous grin before gesturing toward another door. ‘Shall we continue?’

I nodded.

Behind the door, a spacious bedroom awaited us, complete with a king-size bed, a sleek desk and a modern wardrobe.

‘This is the guest room,’ William said. ‘I’d like to fuck you here too,’ he went on, making me laugh again. Shutting the door, he gestured to another doorway lining the corridor. ‘That’s another bathroom,’ he informed, guiding me toward it, but halting when we reached yet another door. ‘And this – this is my study.’

Crossing the threshold, he forewent the ceiling lights, opting instead to ignite the warm glow of his desk lamp. I appreciated this decision, as the mellow illumination allowed the night sky of summer to slide freely into the room.

His study had an antiquated charm, laced with the scent of aged paper and bookish endeavours. Akin to his recreation room, bookshelves stood tall here, although their contents were strictly law related. The old-world desk chair was grand, swathed in weathered brown leather, while the desk itself was a dark wooden sculpture, its intricate engravings mirroring those on the chess table in his recreation room.

My gaze followed William as he approached a bookshelf, the lamp’s soft glow accentuating the contours of his beautiful form. In this intimate light, William, naked and unadorned, seemed both out of place and strikingly fitting, as if he were both a master of and an exception to the order around him.

‘There,’ he said, pulling the handbook from its resting place on the shelf. I assumed he would pass it to me, but instead, he sank into his age-old chair. Amused, I sauntered over, intending to hover at his side, but before I could, he swung his arm around my waist, reeling me into his lap. His lips traced a tender path on my bare shoulder blade, eliciting a warm smile. Encircled in his arms, I turned to nuzzle my nose against his.

‘Ready to delve into this?’ he asked as I leaned away.

‘Yes.’

The handbook sprung open in his hands, his finger nimbly navigating the table of contents before landing on the relevant page. He stretched the book open at the section titled ‘Personal Relationships at Work’, passing it to me as he stirred his desktop Mac to life.

I gulped as I started reading the text. Skimming past the policy’s scope and purpose, I headed toward the section outlining the employees’ responsibilities and the potential consequences of failing to execute them. I quickly felt reassured.

‘Hm.’

His lips found my shoulder again. ‘Told you, didn’t I?’

‘Dismissal is unlikely then, I suppose.’

‘It is.’ He pointed to the screen. ‘Here, have a look.’

Leaning closer, I saw that he had searched up Niemietz v Germany (1992) in the HUDOC database and opened the judgment. A smile of recognition surfaced on my lips; the memories were trickling back.

‘I think I remember this case.’

William’s smile mirrored mine. ‘Do you remember what it says, then?’

I fixed him with a narrow gaze, a challenge in my tone. ‘Something about our right to privacy even at work? It wasn’t about romantic relationships at work, though.’

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