Swimming around the bed, I felt around for Tyler. My hands grazed nothing but sheets and pillows. With one eye cracked open, I confirmed what I already knew: Tyler was not in the room.
I reached over the nightstand, checking the time on my phone. It was nearly three in the morning. Sighing, I fumbled through the darkness for my clothes and found Tyler’s T-shirt on the floor. Slipping it on, I padded over to the stairway, listening intently for any sounds that would reveal his whereabouts.
The whirring of a machine and the drumming of footsteps reverberated from the main floor. I cautiously approached the gym, a sense of dread settling over me. Aside from the treadmill running, it was too quiet. No music was blasting. No sports or news were playing in the background.
I poked my head through the doorway and spotted Tyler, his legs a blur as he ran on the treadmill with sweat dripping down his back. He seemed almost weightless, merely floating above the machine. I knocked on the door, and he gradually slowed his pace to a brisk walk, his breaths labored as he looked over at me.
“What are you doing up?” he asked.
“I should ask you the same question.”
He shrugged, returning his gaze to the pitch black windows. “Can’t sleep.”
I observed him for a moment as he appeared lost in his thoughts. Stepping closer, I positioned myself on the side of the treadmill, holding onto the handrail for support. “What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“What else?” he said dryly, his face stone cold. This unnervingly calm demeanor only meant that he was exerting immense effort to maintain his composure.
Not wanting to tip him over the edge, I simply nodded in understanding and stepped off the treadmill. Before reaching the doorway, I glanced back, seeing he was watching me through the dark window’s reflection.
“If it helps at all,” I said hesitantly, “I always find it better to talk out loud than to have arguments in my head.”
His brows furrowed. “That’s interesting, because you never talk out loud to me.”
“I didn’t say it had to be with anyone specifically.”
“But it would help, wouldn’t it?”
I turned my gaze to the hall. “It depends on who you talk to.”
Leaving the gym, I trudged my way back upstairs and collapsed into the bed sheets, rolling myself up into a burrito.
A short moment later, the bedroom door opened, and the lights flicked on. I felt the bed shift as Tyler climbed on top of me “Where are you?” he said, unraveling my bundled-up form.
I didn’t respond. He continued digging through the sheets, shifting and tugging until he found my legs. I was yanked out, nearly falling off the edge of the bed before he caught me and had me hanging upside down.
“Tyler!” I yelped as the T-shirt I was wearing drooped down my face, exposing my naked body. “Put me—! Oh God…”
He cupped his mouth over me, then sent his tongue swirling. “I think it’s time for some de-stressing,” he murmured against my wet center.
“I’m not stressed.”
“But I am,” he said, gently lowering my legs over the edge of the bed. He was then down on the ground, his mouth back at work.
“Oh God,” I sighed when I felt his tongue enter me. “Is this de-stressing you?”
“Unbelievably so. Relax, baby.”
With that, he inserted a finger and fluttered his tongue over the small bud of nerves. I submitted to the pleasure, and in a moment too soon, I was brought to a fist clenching, mind-numbing, screaming orgasm.
Tyler slowly made his way back up, leaving trails of kisses. While waiting for me to settle down, he suckled at my neck, but his kisses only spurred me back on. I lifted my arms and ran my fingers through his damp hair, lifting his face out from my neck. “Come to bed with me.”
“We’re already in bed.”
“You know what I mean.”
He held his gaze, as if internally debating. “I need to prepare for today.”
“You’re already prepared. You need to rest. If you can’t sleep, at least lie down with me.”
He resignedly sighed. “Okay. Let me shower first.”
“Actually, I have a better idea. Go get your phone.” I pushed him up, and he looked at me inquisitively. Ignoring his curiosity for now, I dismissed him with a wave of my hand and moved to his nightstand, picking out a condom.
As he went downstairs to retrieve his phone, I entered the master bath and turned on the faucet to the massive corner tub. There was no better way to relax than a nice, steaming bath. Setting the condom aside at the edge of the tub — in case it was needed later — I began rummaging through the cabinets for any bubble bath solutions.
Tyler returned with his phone and stood at the doorway, grinning at the sight of me searching his bathroom. “Are we taking a bath?”
“Yes, but I can’t find any bubbles.”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t have any.”
I shut the cabinet doors with a heavy thud. “How can you have such a magnificent bathtub and no bubbles?”
“Because I don’t take baths.”
“Then why?” I gestured to the huge tub.
He approached me and gently placed his hand on the back of my neck, tilting my face upward to meet his gaze. “So that I could enjoy it with you.”
“Or some other woman.”
“No,” he said firmly. “You. I bought this house for you, my future wife.”
I was stunned into silence. He casually proceeded to the shower and grabbed my bottle of body wash, squirting a ton in the tub before placing it back.
“That should do for now,” he said, then stripped off his shorts and boxers. Seeing how I had turned to stone, he came over and stood in front of me. “Lift your arms.”
I automatically followed his command, and he removed his T-shirt from my body. Seeming to understand what I had intended to do with his phone, he picked it up and began scrolling through his music library. Joe’s “Lean Into It” played through the house speakers a short moment later.
Stepping into the bathtub first, Tyler offered me his hands. I graciously accepted them, and he helped me in, easing us into the warm water; its soothing embrace released the tensions in our bodies.
I sat between his legs with his arms wrapped around me and his chin on my shoulder. With my eyes closed, I leaned on his chest, running my hands up and down his muscular arms.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said softly. “I’m glad you left Arizona and moved here. I’d still be alone otherwise.”
I tilted my face up to look at him. “Truthfully, we have Lauren to thank for that. I’d still be in Arizona if it wasn’t for her.”
“You’re right,” he said, smiling. Reaching out, he shut off the water. With it off, Joe’s “I Wanna Know” resonated clearer from the speakers.
“I will have to thank her,” Tyler continued. “She took a risk hiring you. If you hadn’t caught on and ended up performing terribly, she would have been responsible for hiring someone inadequate. Worse, if a project were to go under, she would be held accountable. She must really believe in you to have hired someone with no prior skill set.”
“I think she might feel like she owes me something, since I helped her so much during high school. She has done more than enough, though. She brought me back on my feet after…” I choked, catching myself. “Um, after college.”
“What happened after college?”
I paused, choosing my words carefully. “I just didn’t do too well.”
“Oh… Really?” he asked in disbelief. “How poor did you do?”
“Just not as well as I would have liked,” I answered weakly. I shifted in his hold, bracing myself for potential ridicule.
To my surprise, he laughed instead. “And what would that be? A 3.9 GPA?”
His humor in the matter had me frowning. He had a glorified misperception of me, and I suddenly felt burdened. Rotating within his embrace, I turned to face him.
“Remember when you assumed that I must have taken advantage of people like you for my own benefit? And now, you believe I am a perfectionist to the point of striving only for something greater than a 3.9 GPA. What caused this change?”
His eyes traveled across my face, obviously puzzled by my sudden indignant expression. “I got to know you,” he answered almost questionably. “You put forth incredible effort to learn and do things yourself. You have goals and you’re strategic about how to achieve them. People may have goals, but they don’t plan on how to get there. You do.”
“So…let’s say I’m lazy and don’t have goals or any desire to achieve anything. Would you think of me the way you did before? That I’m just here to use people?”
He narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “Why are you asking me this? Isn’t it a moot point? You’re clearly not lazy, you’re not unmotivated, and you’re not using people for your own benefit. Since you’re not any of those things, why should we even discuss what I would think?”
“Just hypothetically. I want to know if I was exactly who you initially thought I was, would you still want me?”
“If you were truly who I had judged you to be, we wouldn’t be sitting here because you’d be a different person. I had assumed you were using people, searching out rich men for your own selfish needs, and that you didn’t care for any responsibilities. Clearly, you’re not that person. So, I don’t even know why we’re having this discussion.”
“Right, I’m not that person. You must remember that. You know the person that I am today. You love me for that.”
His brows knitted together in utter confusion. “Okay,” he chuckled. “Just how poorly did you do in college?”
“It was definitely not a 3.9 GPA.”
He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do too well in undergrad either. I had like 3.7.”
I could choke him. I clicked my tongue in mock reproach. “Slacker.”
He laughed and pulled me into his chest, shifting my legs to straddle his lap. “Enough talk about GPA, nerd.”
With that, he nuzzled into my neck and began sucking. I tilted my head upwards, allowing him room. His hand moved to the back of my neck, while the other traced the side of my waist and up to my breast. I sighed with pleasure, sliding myself over his engorgement.
“Mmm,” he hummed. “I always wanted to know how it feels to fuck under water.”
“It actually doesn’t feel as good as—” I stopped myself when he pulled away on an arched brow, daring me to speak further. “I mean, how would I know?”
He firmly gripped my buttocks. “That’s right. You’re about to experience something you’ve never experienced before.”
Without further delay, he reached for the condom, sheathing himself. It never felt so good to have been proven so wrong. Water splashed over the tub’s edge as the sultry lyrics of “Lay You Down” played through the echoes of our moans and desperate pleas of “keep going” and “don’t stop.”
* * *
I gazed down at the plate of eggs I just made, wrinkling my nose in distaste. I had decided to cook up something while waiting for Tyler to get dressed, but now I found myself unable to stomach it.
We only had about two hours of sleep before Tyler jumped out of bed. He spent the morning reviewing his slides, pausing only after I reminded him that we would miss the opportunity for a private run-through if people started arriving. With that very real possibility in mind, he rushed off upstairs and left me hanging restlessly in the kitchen.
Pushing the plate of eggs aside, I hopped off the bar stool and began pacing the room. If I couldn’t get food down my throat, then zero chance Tyler would be able to. I impatiently checked my watch again for what felt like the millionth time.
Ten minutes later, I heard Tyler making his way downstairs. I had our backpacks in my hand and my purse slung on my shoulder, all ready to go. I started towards the garage, but abruptly halted in my tracks when my eyes landed on him.
“Damn,” I heard myself say. I dropped the backpacks and sauntered over, running my hands over his pale blue button-down collar shirt, perfectly complemented by a slim-fit charcoal suit jacket and matching pants. His thick dark hair was textured and swept to the side, revealing more of his captivating golden-brown eyes. My fingers tugged at the waistband of his straight, form-fitting pants, pulling him closer. “Why didn’t you show up like this earlier?”
“Because then we’d miss the unveiling entirely,” he said, leaning down to peck my lips. Stepping back, his eyes slowly raked me. My unruly curls were now defined and separated into a half ponytail. Having been too anxious to steadily brush color on my face, my makeup was kept minimally, with just enough to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. As his eyes traveled downwards, his hand reached out, feeling over the burgundy sheath dress that followed the contour of my body.
He rested his hand over my ass. The heat from his fingertips was enough to weaken my knees. “You look nice,” he said, his voice low and husky.
“I can’t wait until this thing is over. I want you to fuck me. While dressed.”
He inhaled sharply. “Shit, Lana. There’s a time and place to talk dirty, and now is not the time.”
I grabbed his crotch, feeling his erection, and he cursed again. “I know I must wait until tonight, but if at any moment, you need de-stressing, just let me know.” I squeezed him gently once more. Then, dropping him, I bent over to retrieve our backpacks. He whacked my ass with a loud smack. “Ouch!” I exclaimed.
“A little preview of what to expect.”
I bit my bottom lip seductively. “Then, I hope you have a whip.”
His bemused expression fell away and his eyes widened. Chuckling, I handed him his backpack and made my way down the stairs first. He lingered behind me, condemning my obscenity under his breath while he readjusted himself.
At the entranceway to the garage, I slipped into a pair of black pumps. Tyler grabbed the keys and I noticed him pocketing my studio key again.
“You don’t need to keep taking that. We’re going back to your place tonight.”
“Our place,” he corrected me. “I take it just in case you want to head over there.”
“If we do, I have my key as well.”
He shrugged. “Better just to have it on hand.”
I realized then that he still viewed me as a flight risk. Seeing how it wasn’t the right moment to counter his perception, I proceeded out to the garage.
“Will I need to take my car today?” I asked.
“No, we’ll go home together tonight.” He opened his car door for me to enter. When he had settled into the driver’s seat, instead of fastening his seatbelt, he leaned over the center console and took hold of my hand, his expression solemn. “Lana, do you remember what you promised me last weekend?”
I inwardly cringed. I had purposely suppressed such thoughts, not wanting to feel any more anxious in the midst of Tyler’s presentation crisis. “Yes, I remember. And you must promise to remember me as the person I am today.”
He kissed my hand. “I promise. I’ll remember you as you are today.”
“But you know,” I said hesitantly, “it doesn’t have to be tonight. We have a lot going on today. Perhaps after we get home, you’d rather we wait until tomorrow, or whenever—”
“No. Tonight. I’d rather just have it out of mind. The anticipation is doing me more damage than good.”
I shifted away, feeling guilty. “I didn’t mean to cause you any more distress. I just wanted us to focus on the presentation first. If something were to happen to us, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
“I know. Which is why I appreciate your gesture nonetheless. I greatly look forward to tonight. The sooner you tell me everything, the sooner we can… fuck in our clothes, just as you wish,” he said teasingly.
I, however, found it difficult to find humor, knowing the gravity of the discussion we were about to have. “If we get there,” I muttered bitterly.
“Oh, we’ll get there,” he asserted.
When we arrived at the office, we were the first ones there, and we headed straight to the presentation room. Tyler ran through the presentation in front of me a few times before Prisha and the essential teams arrived. Despite having the content memorized, Tyler’s nerves were causing a mental block. Once the microphone was switched on and his voice resonated throughout the room, he stumbled over his words and fell behind on the timing of the slides.
I was sitting in my reserved spot in the back, occupying the same chair as the day before. My legs were jittering wildly like little jackhammers. Though the room was spacious, I felt suffocated and had already tied my well-groomed hair up in a bun. Soon, guests were filing in, putting an end to any further rehearsal. Tyler’s last run-through fell apart so drastically, it was incomprehensible.
Frustrated, Tyler stormed off the stage. I sprang out of my chair and chased after him, following him down the hall and into an empty conference room.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I lied while entering the room. He was pacing back and forth, his fingers gripping his hair.
“No, it’s not!” he snapped angrily.
“Tyler, listen to me.” I stood in front of him and placed my palms on either side of his face, making him look directly at me. “It’s just me out there. You’re not talking to anyone but me. This is just us doing our usual training. I’m right in front of you. Once you’re done, I’ll be there, within touching distance. Nothing is going to happen while you’re up there. I won’t go missing, and you don’t have to worry about messing up because no one is critiquing your performance. I mean, think of Elon Musk. He’s a terrible presenter! It’s about the product. Tell me about the product. That’s it!”
He closed his eyes and slowly inhaled. “Just you,” he muttered, and began repeating it like a mantra.
“That’s right, just me,” I whispered, hugging him tightly.
His heart was pounding against my ear. He was clinging onto me like he was barely hanging on by a thread. I ran my hands up and down his back, hoping it would offer him some level of comfort. As if he couldn’t hold me close enough, he shifted my purse aside. The movement reminded me that I had my phone and AirPods inside. Recalling how he had used music to calm me before, I reached into my bag.
“I think it’s time for some music.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head firmly. He leaned against the wall, tilting his head up to the ceiling and closing his eyes. “I need to think about what I’m going to say.”
“You know what you’re going to say. There is such a thing as over-rehearsing. It’s time to give your mind a break. Just a short break.”
“I’m going on in less than fifteen minutes!”
“Then perfect, you have a few minutes to spare.” I raised my arms up and inserted the buds into his ears. Seeing how he didn’t resist, I proceeded to select a playlist that I hadn’t dared listen to in a decade. It was once my favorite playlist, favorited by a boy who had a preference for mellow music. If there ever was a need to mellow out, it was now.
I pressed play, and Tyler seemed to recognize the song immediately. “Dashboard Confessional,” he muttered.
I nodded, pleasantly surprised that he was familiar with emo music. He took out a pod for me to listen along, but I flinched away. “No, it’s for you.”
He placed the ear piece back in. Every lyric and every chord to “Bend and Not Break” passed through my head as if the song was being played out loud. I continued holding him, rubbing soothing circles on his lower back while he listened to the song.
When the song came to an end, Tyler remained motionless, his head still tilted back against the wall. I let the playlist continue playing. After a couple more songs, he pulled out the ear pods and handed them to me.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice subdued.
I smiled. “What are girlfriends for?”
“I can think of several reasons, but one, I particularly love.” He leaned down and kissed me, our lips brushing softly together. Then, spinning us around, he pressed me against the wall, his kiss becoming more passionate. I wound my arms around his neck, holding him close.
A gentle knock came at the door. Tyler carried on, kissing me until the door opened, and Prisha could be heard clearing her throat. He slowly let go of my lips, dropping his forehead on top of mine.
“Tyler, it’s time,” Prisha said with not a hint of disdain. Her tone was sympathetic, nearing pity.
“Okay,” he sighed. He gave me one more affectionate kiss before he dropped his hands that were cupping my face.
“Just me,” I reminded him as he backed towards the door.
“Just you,” he affirmed, then turned and followed Prisha out to the hall.
Shaking off my own nerves, I trailed behind them. As they entered through the door leading to the stage, I veered to the other end of the hall and through the general entrance, close to my seat.
The room was filled now, with every seat taken. I was relieved to find my reserved seat still unclaimed, marked by the sign hanging on the backrest. Settling into my chair, I exchanged a greeting with my neighbor, who had his laptop open. His gaze shifted to my badge dangling from my neck.
“Oh, you work here,” he said.
“Yes,” I confirmed with a polite smile.
“Not joining the rest of your team up there?” He pointed to the section at the front where all the leads and high-level managers were sitting. Upper management was participating in the audience while the rest of the employees gathered in the lunchroom, watching the live stream — where I was supposed to be. Of course, I had special privilege for reasons unbeknownst to my colleagues. I suspected they would come up with various assumptions; I just hoped that none of them cared too much that their executive’s girlfriend managed to secure a seat among journalists, while the rest were forced to stay behind closed doors.
“Ah, no. I’m here for…support,” I answered vaguely.
The man nodded. Losing interest, he returned to his laptop. I peeked over at his screen. He appeared to be some type of blogger. I prayed he only had nice things to say.
I felt my bag vibrate, alerting a text. It was a message from Charles, telling me to look up to the front row. I stretched my neck, gazing over the sea of audience. He was sitting in the VIP section with other execs, including Jack. I frowned at the sight despite Charles waving cheerfully at me.
“What’s he doing here?” I murmured to myself.
“Who?” the blogger asked me.
“Oh, no one. Just surprised to see Jack sitting there.”
“Yeah, apparently the CTO is presenting instead. Odd, huh? I guess the employees didn’t get the memo?”
“Uh—yeah,” I weakly confirmed.
“Maybe it’s his face. Looks like he got beaten up pretty bad and didn’t want to be on camera. Do you know what happened there?”
“No,” I lied. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”
The lights dimmed around us and all went quiet. I nervously bit my thumb. I hadn’t considered the house lights going off. Tyler may not see me.
The screen lit up with Tyler’s name and title. A couple seconds later, he walked out on stage.