Previously, on Happy Anniversary, Part 6...
Lauren didn't so much close the door as let it slam shut behind her in her wake. Jack Mitchell could tell just by the set of her shoulders that she was not happy at this moment. But that was okay, Jack thought, cause neither was he.
Jack glared at Tiffany, multiple expressions dueling for supremacy on his face.
"Sorry," she said carelessly. "I didn't mean to interrupt. What?" she said, noticing the look on his face, completely clueless about what she'd done.
Jack speared her with a glare, his voice vibrating with anger. "Do you have any idea what you just interrupted?"
Tiffany swallowed. "Look, I said I'm sorry-"
"You're goddamned right you are," Jack snarled. "You have no idea how long I've waited for Lauren to do exactly what she was about to do, when you came in and fucked it all up."
For the first time, a big bead of sweat broke out on her chocolate forehead and slowly rolled down, following the contour of her face. Wisely, she didn't say a thing this time.
"The best thing you can do to let me know how 'sorry' you are is to step up next time I have a 'work trip' to go on, because you know just as well as I do that half the time I don't need to be there in person. I could have done it just as well by teleconference, or sent someone in my place. And that someone will be you."
"Okay." She swallowed.
"Hell, I'll be lucky if I can save my marriage after this. Maybe once I get back from this work trip I can get her to do that dance."
"Oh, is that what she was going to do? Dance for you? Beyonce and everything?"
"Yes," he said bitterly. "Beyonce and everything."
For the third time, she swallowed. And she didn't bother saying how sorry she was this time.
"Now, from now on, you will stop at Terri's desk and ask first before you go barging into my office. Are we clear?"
"Yes," she said. "Quite clear."
"Good," he said, his voice quietly frosty, still vibrating with anger. "And speaking of work trips, I still have to go home and pack for this one. Which brings me to why you came in here in the first place?"
Tiffany smiled for the first time. "Well, I was going to wish you a safe trip. Although your wife had almost beat me to it..."
She wisely trailed off at the look on Jack's face.
"Do you have those documents I needed?"
"Yes. Right here." She handed him the file folder that was the reason for her visit.
"Thank you," he said, in a somewhat more civil tone. Then he rose from the couch and went to get his jacket from the closet behind his desk. He slipped it on, put the file folder in his briefcase and clicked the locks shut, then picked it up and headed for the door.
As he went to the door, he turned to face Tiffany. "Listen," he said. "I'm serious. From now on, don't come into my office without permission from Terri. Okay?"
"Okay." She nodded, thoroughly cowed. "I promise."
"Because I won't have anyone tripping me up like that again."
"It won't happen again," she promised, swallowing once more.
"Good," he said, in a thoroughly icy tone.
Tiffany didn't say a thing in reply.
Jack crossed the room and wrenched open the door. "Terri?"
"Yes, Mr. Mitchell?"
"I'm leaving for home to pack. I'll be going straight to the airport."
"Yes, Mr. Mitchell."
"If anyone calls, just let them know I'll be out of the office for a few days. If it's super important, if it can't wait, then give them my cell number and have them leave me a voice mail or a text message. I'll call them back when I get off the airplane."
"Yes, Mr. Mitchell."
"And from now on, nobody is to enter my office without stopping by your desk first. Okay? No matter who it is or what might be on their mind."
"Yes, Mr. Mitchell. You didn't get that dance?"
"No," he said, sounding glum but not as angry. "I didn't."
"I'll make sure people know to ask before they go in," Terri said softly, sounding like she sympathized with him.
"Thank you," Jack said, his tone sounding noticeably more civil. "I don't care if you have to make a sign to put on your desk. If it's important, have them make an appointment and come back then."
"Yes, Mr. Mitchell."
For the first time, Jack smiled, although it was strained. "Terri. It's Jack. Okay?"
Terri beamed. "Okay, Jack."
"Now, I have to be going. Like I said, I'm going home to pack. Once I get that done, I'm going straight to the airport."
"Yes, Jack." Terri smiled. "Have a good trip. Be careful."
"I'll certainly make sure of that."
And he went across the hall to the elevators. He jabbed the call button with his index finger, anger and frustration welling up inside him yet again.
When he got back from this trip, he was going to take a few well-earned vacation days-something he hadn't been able to do for a long time. The office could do without him for a few more days, just as if he was on another trip.
He had been feeling double layers of guilt for the last several weeks, ever since Lauren had surprised him with that black girl the night of their wedding anniversary. He knew he had disappointed his wife, even though she hadn't said so. He had tried so hard to last a little...bit...longer...
But the experience hadn't completely cured him of black women.
If that had been Lauren's goal, she would have been sorely disappointed if she had known what had been going on for the last several weeks.
If anything, the threesome they'd enjoyed together had given him a more intense yearning for black women and black pussy than if he'd never had any at all. It was as if, once he'd had some black pussy, he couldn't have just a little. Ever since that night, he'd been having an on-again, off-again affair with Raquel Williams, the hot ebony secretary for the PR guy. She was very sweet, sexy, and an attentive lover.
He hadn't had to ask her to dance for him. She'd done that quite early in their relationship.
But she wasn't his wife, although in public they acted like they were married. She was someone else's wife. Just as he was Lauren's husband. Not Raquel's.
And now, on top of everything else, he'd been having to go on all these business trips. So he also felt guilty about having neglected his wife, as well as his mistress. He would fix that, if nothing else, although he would have to take on one woman at a time. He wasn't sure if Lauren would be up for another threesome, although Raquel was open-minded as well as beautiful.
At least Lauren would be going to work while he was on vacation. As long as he was back home by the time she was home, it was all good.
Raquel had the guts to ask him several times what Lauren was like, adding that she'd been fantasizing about what it was like to have sex with a woman. Just the thought of having a threesome with his wife and his mistress was enough to make his cock strain the seams of his slacks. Then his brain would kick in - and he would lose that erection just as quickly, while trying to think of what sort of story he could tell Lauren that would save his cheating ass from divorce court.
But first, as he reminded himself, he had to get home and pack. One thing at a time, he told himself.
The elevator door opened up on the fourth floor. From there, he headed for the connecting passage to the parking garage.
* * * *
Jack was waiting for his flight to be called, when his cell phone chimed at him, indicating he had a new text message.
He glanced at his phone. The text was from Lauren.
"Have a safe flight. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Despite himself, he smiled. And, since he had a few minutes until his flight was called, he dialed his wife's number.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Lauren."
"Hi, Jack. Are you at the airport?"
"Yeah. I'm just waiting for my flight to be called. I went home to pack and then headed straight to the airport."
"Oh. Okay."
"Hey, listen. I'm sorry about what happened at my office. And I'm also bummed you didn't get to do that dance for me."
Lauren giggled. But then she said, "Who was that woman, Jack?"
"She was a colleague."
"A colleague? She seemed like a lot more than that."