21
A s soon as she closed the door behind Detective Martin, Emily darted up the stairs to change out of her sweats. There was someone she needed to see, and it couldn’t wait. Minutes later, she descended the back stairs, finding Agnes doing the lunch dishes in the kitchen.
“I’m going out. I won’t be long. Keep an eye on Ava,” Emily instructed.
Looking up from the sink, Agnes replied dutifully, “Yes, Mrs. Anderson.”
She rushed out of the house, jumped into her Mercedes, and sped off. As she drove, Emily considered calling ahead to see if he was home but then remembered she still didn’t have her phone. This gave her yet another reason to go see Roman.
She knocked on his door and waited for an answer. When she received no response, she knocked again. Just as disappointment began to settle in and she turned to descend the steps, the door creaked open and Roman’s voice called out, “Emily?”
She turned to face him, a smile spreading across her face. “I was just about to leave.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked, clearly surprised to see her. Then it dawned on him. “You probably want your phone. I’ll get it.” He turned and walked back into the house. A minute later, he returned with her phone in hand.
As she accepted the phone from his hand, she said, “Thank you. Can I come in for a minute? I was hoping we could talk.”
“Sure,” Roman replied with a thin smile. “How’s Ava?”
Emily stepped inside, “She’s good. Happy to be home.”
“That’s good. I’m having a beer. Do you want one?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Emily followed Roman into the kitchen, where he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He popped the cap off using a bottle opener and skillfully tossed it into the trash can across the room. Leaning against the counter, he took a swig from his beer and asked, “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. Still trying to process all of this,” she sighed. “I owe you an apology. Detective Martin reviewed the tapes, and it turns out the bartender laced my drink.”
Roman raised a curious eyebrow. “Does he know why?”
“Detective Martin suspects that Maggie is somehow involved, but I’m completely baffled. Gabriel adamantly denies having an affair with her, claiming instead that he lent his credit card to his ex-wife, Olivia. Those charges were hers,” she explained.
Roman winced. “I need to show you something,” he said before leaving the room. When he returned, he was holding some photographs. Handing them to Emily, he said, “These were taken two days ago.”
Emily stared at the picture in her hand and felt a wave of foolishness wash over her. The photo showed Gabriel and a woman standing closely together outside an apartment. The woman was dressed in a robe, while Gabriel ran his hand through her hairwith an affectionate smile. Quickly, she flipped to the second picture and felt her face drain of color. It captured Gabriel kissing the woman.
She scrolled through the remaining photos, each making her feel more nauseous. “That’s not Maggie,” she muttered.
“It’s not?” Roman said in shock.
“Nope!” she said, shoving the pictures back at Roman, her hurt quickly morphing into anger.
“I found out what happened to the money, by the way,” Emily said, her voice tinged with resignation.
Roman remained silent, allowing her to continue.
“The practice was sued because of Gabriel’s sexual misconduct,” Emily said, her voice cracking with emotion. “He had to settle to avoid losing his job and possibly his medical license. I feel like such a fool.” Tears welled in her eyes as she continued, “How could I not have known what was going on?”
Roman took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not your fault, Em. There was no way you could have known,” he reassured her gently.
“What am I going to do now?” she cried.
Emily rested her head on his chest, drawing comfort from the steady beat of his heart.
“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured.
After a moment, she lifted her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
She closed her eyes, and Roman wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his comforting embrace. Slowly, she lifted her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have believed you.”
“I would never hurt you, Em,” he whispered, his eyes flickering to her lips. The beating of his heart sped up as he lowered his head, gently pressing his lips to her.
The kiss turned passionate instantly, an urgent need igniting deep within both of them. Roman lifted her by the waist and set her on the kitchen counter. His body urged her legs apart as he positioned himself against her, he slipped his tongue into her eager mouth.
She ran her hand through his hair, eliciting a soft moan, while his hands roamed, exploring every inch of her body.
Roman slid his hand slowly and gently into her pants and under her panties, causing Emily to gasp softly. He slipped two fingers inside her, her wetness making it easy to slide them in and out. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and rode his fingers harder. Pulling away from his kiss, she dropped her head back, her eyes still closed, and started releasing soft moans in sync with the rhythm of her strides.
Roman opened his eyes and watched her. His already erect penis started to throb. Reaching down, he deftly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants with one hand, his eyes locked on hers, while his other hand continued its tireless work.
A couple more strokes and she reached the brink of her climax, arching her back, she cried out in ecstasy as a wave of relief washed over her entire body. When she opened her eyes Roman was staring at her wide-eyed.
Realizing he had been watching her the entire time, she flushed with embarrassment and quickly covered her face with her hands. Gently, Roman removed her hands and said, “That was beautiful.”
Emily could only shake her head, still embarrassed.
Roman lifted her off the counter and carried her to the bedroom, kissing her all the while. He gently laid her on the bed and then stood before her, locking eyes with her as he pulled his t-shirt over his head, revealing his toned six-pack abs. Emily felt the stirrings of arousal once more.
She wiggled out of her pants and panties, then removed her shirt too. Roman stood naked before her and watched as she unfastened her bra and threw it to the floor. Taking in her body, he crawled to her and whispered, “You’re perfect.”
“Come here,” she said with a smile. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him and gently pulled him down toward her.
He kissed his way down her neck, stopping only when he found her supple breast. He grabbed it and took the fullness of it into his mouth. His tongue sensually circled the nipple and then nibbled on it before turning to the other one. After giving her other breast the same amount of attention, he reached across Emily, opened the nightstand drawer, and removed a condom from it. He ripped the package open with his mouth and slipped it over his pulsating phallus.
He slipped his tongue into her mouth at the same moment he slipped his member into her, causing her to suck in her breath as she took in the fullness of him.
Breaking away from the kiss, he asked, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, grabbed his buttocks, and forced him deeper inside her. A slow grin spread across her face, providing Roman with all the encouragement he needed. He planted one hand on each side of her, extended his arms, raised his upper body above her, and started to ride her in a rhythmic motion. She synchronized with his rhythm, and moments later, dug her nails into his buttocks as they climaxed together, both crying out in sheer pleasure.
Covered in sweat, Roman collapsed onto her and exhaled loudly. He gave her one last kiss before rolling off and removing the condom. “Don’t go anywhere,” he said, before heading to the bathroom to dispose of it.
He tossed the condom into the trash and decided to take a shower to wash away the sweat. When he returned to the bedroom, Emily was asleep. Smiling, he climbed into bed snuggled up beside her, and drifted off to sleep.
“What time is it?” Emily exclaimed, jolting Roman awake.
Roman sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I don’t know,” he replied groggily.
Emily jumped out of bed, frantically searching for her clothes in the dark bedroom.
Roman turned on the lamp and asked, “Where are you going?”
“I have to go home. It’s late.”
Roman got out of bed and pulled on his boxers. “Can’t you stay for dinner? I can make steaks.”
“No, I have to go. I told Agnes I wouldn’t be long,” she said, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. “Gabriel is probably home from work already.”
She quickly threw on her pants and pulled her shirt over her head. “Where are my shoes?” she asked, looking around the room.
“I think they might be in the hallway,” Roman said.
Emily rushed out of the room, searching for her shoes, and Roman followed her. “So, what now?”
Emily found her shoes in the hallway and then went to the living room to put them on. “What do you mean?” she asked as she sat on the couch and slipped on her shoes.
“What are you going to do about Gabriel?” Roman questioned.
Emily stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “I don’t know,” she admitted. She reached into her purse for her phone and frowned when she saw two missed calls from Gabriel.
Roman stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her arms, prompting her to look up from her phone. “You’re going to leave him, right?”
“I don’t know, probably,” Emily said, breaking away from him. “I have to go.”
Roman chased after her. “What do you mean, probably?”
Emily opened the door to leave, but Roman pushed it closed. “He doesn’t deserve you, Em,” he insisted.
“We have a child, Roman. It’s not that easy,” she replied.
Emily’s phone began to ring, and she answered it quickly. “I’m on my way,” she said, slipping out the door.
Roman stood and watched her go.