Page 65 of Vicious Arrangement
He comes when I do, a violent, intense orgasm that rocks me, and he shudders.
After, I lay, breathing hard, and he rolls off, his breath uneven and rasping, too.
I turn to look at him, and his gaze is on me, soft and naked. Something makes me reach out, and start to speak. I’m not sure what I want to say, but all I get out is, “Noah…”
He shuts down and gets up. “I need to get ready for work.”
I suddenly feel naked, really naked, and I pull his covers up, my clothes scattered everywhere. He stalks to the bathroom.
“Noah?”
He stops.
“Don’t forget to be home in time for dinner tonight, since Asher, Josh and Katie are coming to dinner.”
He makes a sound I take as yes, and as soon as his door closes, I scramble for my clothes, hastily pulling them on and then I run to my room.
Angus sits by the open door to the terrace, and he does a little dance, so I clip on his leash, put on my sneakers, and we head out, grabbing my running bag with my phone and keys as I do.
I put on some high energy music and we pound the pavement, SoHo not really alive at this hour. It’s only just after six. But we run until we find a park where he can take care of business, and after cleaning up, we run the park a few times before heading back home on a brisk walk, taking the long way.
Noah’s left when we return, and I let Angus off his leash as we get inside. He bounds around, joyous in his sudden freedom and we head out to the wrap-around downstairs terrace and do some walking laps as he finds different things to investigate. Then we repeat upstairs. Finally I leave him to sun himself on his private terrace as I shower and dress for the day.
I’m not a great cook, but I do some things well. Luckily, having Josh over means I can make my one masterpiece and not get called out for serving it at a dinner party.
Spaghetti Bolognese, from scratch. I’m really good at that. I don’t have time anymore, usually to make it, but now that I’ve thought about it, I’m craving it. And best of all, it’s totally kid-friendly.
I send Asher a text while I make a shopping list.
Me:any food restrictions? Dislikes?
Asher:Brussels sprouts. But Josh eats anything.
I roll my eyes.Thx. Spaghetti Bolognese it is.
I smile and finish the list.
Grabbing my backpack and shopping bags, I collect Angus, and we head out again. He’s so excited for all the things that are going on today he thinks it’s Christmas.
Outside of Dean and Deluca, I tie him up, and then I set about shopping. It’s expensive, but for a one-stop shop in the neighborhood, it’s perfect.
I get everything I need, including bread and a box cake mix since I’m not trusting myself to cake from scratch.
When I get home, I set out everything, grouping the items, and then I start to make the sauce by sautéing carrots, celery, onion and garlic. I throw in a bay leaf for good measure. I prep the rest and feed Angus the pieces of meat I bought for him so he doesn’t feel left out.
It’s soothing, doing this. And the prep and cooking give me a little of the control I seem to have lost since marrying Noah.
When my phone vibrates right after I slide the cake into the oven, I frown at Katie’s text.
Ari, I’m sick. My throat’s sore, I’m sneezing. I feel like shit on all the levels For being sick, for not being able to come.
I call her.
“Hello?” she croaks.
“You’ve got a cold?”
“Yes. Paul at work was sick a few days ago and spread his germs. I’m home. I want to come, but I don’t to make you all sick.”
