And myself.But that was a given. Monica had been doing just that for most of her life – even if certain people thought her the most tired stereotype in the universe.
She didn’t mind. She was perfectly content with the woman she was.
Why wouldn’t she be?
Chapter 23
The Beginning
Monica kissed Abigail goodnight early the next week. Before departing her daughter’s room, Abigail asked if she could stay home the next day. When Monica asked why, all she got back was“School is boring right now.”
The child therapist she had been seeing twice a week suggested she might go through spells where she didn’t want to go to school, particularly if she was having issues with other students. Monica decided not to push it and told her daughter they would discuss it in the morning. Abigail fell asleep quickly, and that was that.
Something else to talk to Henry about.He was at a late-night dinner with several important contacts who kept the family business afloat. Considering recent events, he was laying the charm on thick with everyone he knew. After all, not a lot of people wanted to worry about what the Warrens were up to if they didn’t have to.
She locked down the wing to everyone but Henry, who messaged he would be home within half an hour. Monica asked if he was drunk or tipsy, and he claimed neither.Excellent.Monica had something cooking up in her head and was eager to get started.
Unlike their relaxing night a few months ago, she did not prep by bathing. Instead, she went straight to taking off her usual house robe and critically examining herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She was wearing nothing but a negligee beneath.One of Henry’s favorites.Yet whenever Monica slightly slouched while wearing it, her stomach pushed out and threatened the most unflattering look a woman could achieve in a simple nightgown.
“That’s all right…” She pulled it off and tossed it aside. “I know what to do.”
She didn’t often go for a fully erotic look, since Monica preferred “domestic elegance” to looking like the kind of woman her husband kept at home for his pleasure.I must at least have some other function, right?Henry always made a silly face when Monica expressed these thoughts, but it wasn’t about him, anyway, was it?
So when she pulled on a sheer red robe that left nothing to the imagination underneath, she knew she was on to something when she looked at herself in the mirror and thought,I’d be excited to come home to this.
She brushed out her hair and washed her hands before preparing her husband’s bourbon. The ambient candles were mostly for her, though. She liked the scent of almond and vanilla as it permeated her room and reminded her of her honeymoon.
When Henry finally walked into their apartment, she called him back into their room. He didn’t hesitate to meet her back there, his tie askew, jacket off, and mouth letting out a lowwhistle as he took in the sight of his wife offering herself up to him in the middle of the room.
“If I had known such a delicate beauty awaited me,” he teased, dropping his small bag onto the carpet, “I would have left earlier.”
His grin lightened the tired demeanor he had walked in with. Monica clutched her hands behind her back, jutting out her chest. Already, her nipples were hard beneath her sheer robe as she thought about what they might do that night.
“Did you have a good dinner, sir?”
He stood up straight, picking up his bag, and placing it on the chair where it belonged. After closing the bedroom door behind him, he noticed the bourbon waiting for him on a small table by the window. He didn’t ask if it was for him, but as Monica’s gaze followed him, he said, “I should take you next time. You’re so much more charming than me.” He sipped his drink. “You would have them all eating out of our hand by the end of the night.”
“Wouldn’t that make you jealous, sir?”
“Only if they flirted with you.”
Monica brushed her bangs out of her face when she turned around. “You must be tired. Allow me to lighten your spirits.”
He looked at her warily, as if this were a trap. “Aren’t you the tired one, Princess?”
“Trust me. Nothing would please me more tonight than ensuring a pleasant evening for you, sir.”
Henry put down his glass. “Abigail?”
“Already asleep.”
That made Henry look at his phone. “Jesus, I had no idea it was so late already.”
She slowly approached, shoulders shimmying and lips beckoning to his. “All the more reason for me to help you relax tonight, sir.” She picked up the glass and stole a sip for herself. Once it was on the table, she placed her hand behind herback again. “You do so much for this family. Let me show my appreciation.”
He cocked his head as he gazed down at her face. “I think you’re the one doing most of the work lately, Princess.”
Would you just go along with it, Hen?Her mouth twitched as she circled her arms around his waist and invited him to touch her. “Then allow me to feel this along with you, sir.”
