Page 128 of Once a Month

She kisses my neck and pulls me in tighter. A second later, she whispers her name into my ear.

“Take me upstairs?” I say.

She nods, and we walk hand in hand back inside and toward the elevators. When one arrives, we climb in with an older couple. I use my room key to get us to the higher floors and press the button.

“It’s not the penthouse. Don’t be disappointed,” I whisper to her.

“I’m not,” she replies, pulling me back against her. “That would be impossible tonight anyway.”

I smile at her.

“Newlyweds?” the woman standing with her husband on the other side of the elevator asks.

“Sorry?” she says.

“Are you newlyweds?” the woman asks.

“Oh, we–” she starts.

“Sure,” I say. “We’re here on our honeymoon.”

“That’s nice, dear,” the woman says. “Thirty years for us.” She points to the man next to her.

“Something for us to aspire to,” I say, smiling as I do.

The couple gets off on the ninth floor, and she turns to me.

“We’re married now?” she asks playfully.

“Why not? We’ll never see them again anyway,” I reply.

“Well, if this is our honeymoon, I plan to spend the entire thing in the bedroom,” she teases, leaning in and nibbling on my lower lip.

That just does things to me. When the elevator arrives, I pull us out of it because I want her hands on me.

“Let’s go,” I say.

When we’re finally in the room, I watch her as she takes it all in.

“Oh, wow,” she says.

She’s so cute. I smile as she looks around at the room.

“Is this okay?” I ask, knowing the answer already.

“Are you kidding? Can I move in?” she says, walking in past me to look around more. “Holy shit! The view,” she says, pointing out the sliding glass doors.

I laugh silently and walk behind her. I press against her, placing my hands on her chest from under her arms, resting them above her breasts. I place my chin on her shoulder and breathe in her scent.

“Do you want to watch it from the balcony?”

“This is good,” she says.

“There’s wine and beer or sparkling–”

“Babe, this is what I want.” She places her hands on top of mine. “Just this.”

“Okay,” I say, smiling.

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