Gemma stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her dark hair falling over her shoulders in loose waves as she readied herself for the night ahead.
She wore black lace panties and nothing else, partly to avoid getting makeup smudges on her dress, but also for the warm feeling it gave her wandering around half-naked in front of her husband.
She stroked her lashes with one final coat of mascara and stepped back to assess her efforts.
Zack chose that moment to appear in the open doorway. His hazel eyes met hers in the mirror then dropped to her bare breasts and lingered. "I need some help with my... tie," he said with a half-smile.
Gemma's attention drifted over his reflection, her pleasure growing as she took in the view.
They were heading out tonight to their friend Simon's thirtieth birthday party, a James Bond-themed event in a private room at a reception centre.
Her husband looked the part in his crisp, white shirt and black pants, his coffee-brown hair styled neatly against his head. The bowtie he needed her to fasten hung loosely around his neck.
Gemma set the mascara tube on the vanity and turned to face him, smiling. She reached up to catch the ends of his tie, rubbing her breasts against his shirt as she manipulated the ends into place. "You look so handsome," she said as she breathed in his subtle cologne.
Gemma had known Zack and Simon since the three of them were teenagers, her friendship with Zack developing into something more when she applied for a personal assistant position in the advertising firm where he worked.
Although they'd been married for five years now and intended to become parents at some point, it was just the two of them living in their apartment in Sydney.
He smiled. His hands smoothed down her spine, cupping her ass and pulling her close. "You're beautiful," he said, "but I hope you're planning on wearing something more than this to the party. You'll give the guest of honour a heart attack--not that he'd complain." Zack leaned in to kiss her temple and said in a low voice, "We both know how he feels about you."
Simon had never made a secret of his attraction to her. Over the years it had become so obvious that even their other friends were aware of his feelings.
Truth be told, she felt a physical pull toward him, too--not that she'd ever jeopardise what she had with Zack by acting on it; it was just that being near Simon encouraged a tingle between her thighs that made her all too aware of his proximity, a harmless buzz of attraction that she'd never allow to go anywhere.
With a head of dark hair, sharp blue eyes and a jaw forever covered in a couple of days' worth of stubble, Simon had a roguish look about him that caught the eye of many women. Despite all of the attention, no one had managed to snap him up yet, and his lengthy bachelor status eventually led to the nickname 'Single Simon'.
Gemma often wondered why he'd never become more involved with a woman, but then she'd remind herself it wasn't her problem. "It doesn't matter how Simon feels about me," she said. "I only care how you feel." She pressed a soft kiss on Zack's mouth then gave his tie a final tweak. "You really do look good. Pristine and polished. Makes me want to get you all mussed up."
"Mmm... later." Zack's hands slid upwards until his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts. His teeth clamped her lower lip and gave a gentle tug, then his tongue flicked over the spot he'd just seized.
Her eyes drifted closed and a sigh slipped from her. She loved what he did to her, how he could set every nerve on fire with his touch. "We still have time," she said, palming the front of his pants and rubbing his hardening cock. Her eyes opened, and she looked up at him. "I haven't put my lipstick on yet. Why don't I just unzip you and..."
His responding laugh turned into a groan when she squeezed him. "We both know I'll end up ruining your mascara." He clasped her chin in a firm grip, planting a kiss on her mouth that did nothing to cool the heat rising inside her.
"Later," he repeated, his voice noticeably huskier this time around.
~ * ~
Gemma lingered in the doorway of the reception centre, looking out into the night as the breeze lifted the hem of her strapless blue dress. She gave her friend Lydia a wave and watched her head off toward her car in the parking lot. The party had come to an end, and Lydia was the last of the guests to leave.
The night had gone exactly to plan. Simon entertained everyone with his usual playfulness, his speech earning cheers and laughter from the crowd. The aroma of the tempting food still hung in the air, and the four-piece band were in the process of packing up their equipment. A couple of waiters were making a final check of the room for empty glasses.
Gemma turned in search of Zack, finding him standing beside the bar along the far wall. She'd noticed him involved in what appeared to be some in-depth conversations with Simon throughout the night, but now he was alone. The bright lights from above barely touched him where he stood in the shadows.
With his imposing height and dark good looks, he made an appealing vision in his tuxedo. She paused for a moment to appreciate the view, reminded again of the moment they'd cut short back at home.
She smoothed her hands over her dress and made her way across the room, her heels clicking on the wood floor as she approached. "Everything's all wrapped up," she said with a smile. "I'm ready to go if you are."
Zack pulled her against his side and slipped his arm around her shoulder. "You've been busy."
"Yep--but it was fun." Simon had asked her to help organise the party, and although she'd been happy to step up and take care of the arrangements, her feet were aching and begging for release from her high-heeled prisons. "Where's Simon?" she asked, scanning the room.
"In the kitchen talking to the staff." Zack leaned in and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "You remember he booked a hotel suite tonight?"
Gemma nodded. Simon had continued the James Bond theme by booking an expensive suite at a luxury hotel; a limo waited outside the reception centre to take him there. At first, the idea had made her smile, but then she began to wonder why he'd want to spend that kind of money on something he didn't intend to share with anyone.
"We're invited there to have a few drinks," Zack said. "Interested?"
A sigh travelled through her; it suddenly made more sense. "I was really looking forward to going home," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She didn't want to turn this into an all-nighter.
His fingertips stroked her bare shoulder. "How about we give it an hour, and if we're too tired, we'll leave."
She turned to him and slid her hands inside the open jacket of his tuxedo. Her palms swept up and down his chest, her body pressing close to him. "Why don't you go without me?"
Gemma didn't want him to leave her alone tonight, but he wouldn't have the opportunity to spend time in an exclusive suite with his best friend again anytime soon.
"Why don't I convince you to come with me instead?" Zack's mouth descended, his lips touching hers and moving with relaxed ease. The thoroughness of his kiss and the subtle sweep of his tongue made her squirm in his arms.
Her fingers flexed against his ab muscles. Arousal warmed her insides, and by the time he'd finished with her, she wanted a whole lot more from him than just a kiss.
Her eyes opened, and she pulled back, breathless, to find Simon standing beside her with an amused look on his face. "Where's my kiss?" he asked. "Doesn't the birthday boy deserve one?"
Gemma laughed, noting the nervous edge to the sound. Admiring someone from a distance and kissing him were two very different things. She checked Zack's reaction, but he didn't appear upset about the suggestion.
Gemma didn't know what bothered her more--the fact that another man wanted to kiss her or that her husband didn't seem to mind.
"Well?" she asked Zack, unsure whether she wanted him to agree or disagree. "Should I give Simon a birthday kiss like the one you just gave me?"
Before he could answer, Simon reached out and hooked her elbow, easing her from Zack's arms and into his own.
She gasped as his hands sank into her hair and his mouth turned up at one corner. His eyes met hers briefly before he glanced over the top of her head. "Any objections?" he asked, appearing as if he already knew the answer.
She assumed Zack must have shaken his head because she heard no response from him. Simon leaned in close, his thumbs caressing her cheeks as his warm breath moved over her. She braced herself for the first touch of his lips, the urge to pull away and lean closer coming over her all at once.
"Do you want me to kiss you, Gem?" His voice had turned deep and husky, his body too close to hers, his hands touching her with a familiarity they never had before. His expression turned to one of intense desire.
She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, unable to bear witness to the longing in his gaze. It reminded her too much of her own.
Although her feelings for him didn't reach deep inside her the way they did with Zack, she'd been drawn to him sexually from the moment they met. Everything she'd experienced around him told her it was purely physical--or at least mostly physical.
She wasn't worried about falling for him or getting emotionally involved.
Still...
She opened her eyes as Zack moved in beside her and slid his palm up the length of her spine. Gemma picked up on the heat in his expression; it was the same look he got whenever they were intimate together. Her brows furrowed as thoughts continued to whirl through her mind.
Realisation finally swept over her, and her eyes widened. She gasped inwardly.
The idea of her with another man... it turned him on.
Gemma shifted her attention back to Simon. She nodded before she could change her mind, and he gave her the slightest of smiles, apparently pleased with her answer.
This all felt surreal. To desire another man privately while being in love with her husband was a fantasy, a series of thoughts she'd never allow to develop into feelings or actions. To play out those thoughts with the encouragement of her husband... it was too much for her to get her head around.
