On opening the front door, Geoff was greeted with the sounds of Benjamin clementine and clinking dishes. The warm smell of curry filled his nostrils as he wandered into the dining room. The table was full and lively with Katrina, Jocelyne, Kim and Rie, four of Max's colleagues.
The ladies stopped their chatter as they noticed Geoff.
"Hi" they all offered in unison before returning to their conversation and chardonnay.
Geoff nodded a hello and headed into the kitchen to find his wife.
He saw Max scraping dishes and putting them into the dishwasher. A pulsing ache filled his chest as he flashed briefly to his afternoon tryst with Jess. Max turned from her task and startled at the sight of him.
"Jesus Geoff! You scared the shit out of me!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest in an attempt to force her heartbeat to normalize.
Geoff beamed, his nature as a class clown temporarily sated. He sidled up to her and enveloped her in his arms. She felt good, like home. He kissed her on the forehead as her breathing returned to normal.
"Aloo Gobi?" he asked, nodding towards the yellow curry dish on the counter.
Max smiled. "Yeah. I mean, I'm no pro, but it turned out really good. I didn't want to serve Kat and Rie salad again and with this even the meat eaters enjoyed it."
Geoff reached over and snatched a piece of cauliflower from the rich sauce and popped it in his mouth. The heat of the Tadka Masala and the cool creaminess of the coconut milk balanced each other perfectly and Geoff made a mental note to add this dish as a vegan option on his next menu.
"This is excellent," he said genuinely. "I'm impressed."
"Maybe I have a future as a sous chef at Conifer," she giggled as she got back to plate clearing.
The blood drained from Geoff's face. It was bad enough that Katrina had started dating Antonio the bartender.
The girls had come in for dinner last month and Antonio had instantly been smitten with the beautiful blonde vegan. The two had exchanged numbers and been dating ever since. Antonio was a cool guy and Geoff genuinely liked him. What he didn't like was his worlds overlapping like that. Not when he had secrets to keep.
Recovering, Geoff reached down and squeezed Max's ass through her tight pencil skirt.
"I'm gonna hit the shower. It was a hot one in the kitchen tonight."
He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips and turned to leave.
"Ladies," he nodded as he passed through the dining room again. "I will leave you to your evening."
The women returned the gesture.
***
Geoff stepped into the bathroom and stripped off his clothes, cranking the shower hotter than necessary. His reflection in the mirror stared back at him and aside from the strained look in his eyes, he looked cool and calm. His red hair and scruff standing out against his fair Irish skin.
Geoff scrubbed every inch of his body, making sure no trace of Jess was left behind. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to fuck her without a condom. He realized he had no idea if she was on birth control or not, or how many guys she was fucking. He had always been so careful to protect himself in the past. He'd lost control and he couldn't let that happen again. When he was done scrubbing, he was still the kind of filthy he couldn't scour off.
***
Max entered the bedroom an hour later, her eyes twinkling from the wine. She moved easily across the room her hips swaying. Geoff, from his vantage point on the bed, was instantly mesmerized. Her black pencil skirt and red blouse were showing off her body in a way that screamed sex.