"Oh, my God, John! That was incredible!"
Samantha nearly added, "Why don't we do that more often?"
It would have been a typical comment from her: teasing, complimentary, a little self-deprecating, inclusive, with just a hint of accusation, all meant and delivered in good fun. But she also knew the reason they didn't do it more often, and she felt guilty. She could count on the fingers of one hand how many times John had turned her down for sex in their 14 years of marriage -- and 18 months of courtship prior to that. But kids and jobs and family and house and yard and friends and the rest of life conspired to distract and exhaust her, and so she only got laid once a week or so, usually when he started things.
John lay on his back, his right arm under Sam's neck, his hand softly stroking her shoulder and upper arm. She rolled into him, burrowing her face into the hollow between his shoulder and chest, encircling him in her arms, and pulling her knee up over his thigh. He felt her pussy against his leg, wet from her three climaxes and his two.
As usual, he stayed quiet.
He loved her deeply, and when they made love like they just did he was as happy as he could imagine being. He had arranged for their daughters to spend the night with their grandparents and made the reservations at El Toro, the best steakhouse within a hundred miles. It was also Sam's favorite restaurant. Then he'd done what he always did when they were alone: he stared at her, enthralled and enchanted, reveling in her undivided attention. And the more he stared at her, the hotter she got, until she was tugging him out to their car and then through the door of their home and into their bedroom, where she ravished him. And then was ravished by him. Twice.
He couldn't be objective when he studied her. Samantha was the most alluring person in the whole world. Beautiful for sure, at least to him. Dark hair that fell to her shoulders, big brown eyes that pulsed with energy, a wide mouth that exploded into smiles and laughs when she was happy. She was tall, nearly six feet, long, lean, lithe. She didn't have a lot in the way of curves, but her athleticism and physical grace was far more appealing to him than other women's fuller figures.
But he was just as taken with her intangibles. So generous with her time and money, she always saw the best in people. Sam was devoted to her family, especially their daughters, making time for them every day, investing fully in their activities from dance to soccer to piano to math club to Sunday school. She was optimistic, positive, energetic. She could be impatient at times, stubborn too, slow to give up her ideas even when someone gave a better one, and she did spread herself very thin, so she didn't always have something left for him at the end of the day. And almost never anything left for herself. And, truth be told, she was downright terrible at organizing things too, which is why John took charge of writing lists for the weekly shopping, scheduling the kids' chores and housecleaning, figuring out logistics for pick-ups and drop-offs. But, God, did he love her!
Sam randomly traced her index finger along his chest and down to his belly button and back up.
"I love you so much, John." He smiled and answered with a squeeze to her shoulder with his big hand. "What you do to me...."
He'd always been able to bring her to dizzying sexual heights. She wasn't a virgin when they met in college -- she'd had two short-term lovers and a one-night stand before John -- but when they slept together after their fifth date, she knew no one would ever be able to outdo him between the sheets (or on the kitchen table, or bent over the back of the sofa, or on the picnic blanket in the forest preserve). He was tall and skinny back then, with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes that gave away little, and lips that gave away even less. He was still economical with his words, but he'd filled out some so that in his late-thirties he was rangy but solid. His bigger shoulders and chest made him even more attractive. Sam could see the attention he got from women wherever he went, but she had no doubt in his fidelity. He would no more stray than she would. Sure, he could be stubborn, and if God made a man more inflexible in his views than John then He was just punishing some unlucky soul. But John cared, deeply, about people even though he rarely said it.
Sam loved resting her head on his strong chest; it rose and fell with his gentle breathing. He wasn't asleep, but he was content. She loved that she could bring him such joy. And she would do it again in the morning before they went to get the kids from her parents.
Why didn't they do this more often, indeed?
* * * * *
Anna's grin was slight, but Samantha saw it twitching at the corners of her mouth. The women, coworkers for eight years, best friends for seven, had offices next to each other, and they always met at the coffee machine for a few minutes before their day started. They were mildly competitive with each other, and Anna had beaten Sam into the bank by a couple minutes this morning. They'd say nothing about it, but they'd both keep score. By both women's ongoing count they were running about even, which is why they could be such good friends.
"How was your adults' night?" Anna asked while Sam filled her mug.
"Delightful. I do love what that man does to me!" Sam flashed her big smile. "Did Teddy tear off a piece this weekend?"
Anna laughed. "Sunday morning. Like clockwork. It even lasted a bit longer than usual -- thank God for babysitting grandparents!"
Sam nodded and smiled. "No kidding. Almost makes childhood worth it. So, are we ready for Day One of the new regime?"
"Think new boss will be the same as the old boss?"
"We'll know at 10:00."
The break room was crowded -- the bank didn't have meeting rooms big enough for the entire staff (less the two tellers who stayed at their posts), so they made due with the break room. The branch wasn't huge, but besides the six tellers, two part-time, it had three client service reps, an operations manager and part-time staffer, one IT person, an admin, three consumer bankers, and Samantha and Anna, who were both commercial bankers. Phil Johnson, the former branch manager, had just retired, and Robert White, the bank's regional manager, was there to introduce Phil's replacement.
"Thanks, everyone, for making the time to get together. I know you're all very busy, so we'll keep this pretty short. I'm thrilled to introduce you all to your new branch leader, Landry Beals. Landry has been up in Duluth for the past two years, turning that branch into one of our best performers. We won't talk about where he was for the four years before that, because he was with one of our competitors, but I speak for all of the bank's leadership team when I say we're very excited about his future with us, and we're expecting great things from him and from you!"
Everyone applauded politely, having heard some version of this same speech from various corporate leaders over the years. Landry shook Robert's hand and turned to his new team who were watching him with curious but neutral expressions.
"Thanks, Robert, I appreciate your faith in me but also in this team. I'm really looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you during the next few weeks as I come up to speed. I think we're in a great market for what we offer our clients on both the consumer and the business sides of the house, and I hope we can build the kind of team that will take full advantage of our opportunities. I've got some ideas I've picked up in my travels, and I want to hear your ideas too. I'll be scheduling some time with each of you over the next couple days. We'll have plenty of time to brainstorm, but in the meantime grab a donut or maple stick in the back there, and then let's get back to delivering our best for our clients!"
They applauded politely again. Robert and Landry positioned themselves next to the door to the break room so they could talk to each person as they left the room. Samantha and Anna hung back so Anna could snag an almond danish. Curious about their new boss, Samantha looked over at Landry.
He was a compact man, a couple inches shorter than Sam, and wiry. His blond hair was short and styled with a bit of gel, and he had a close-cropped mustache and beard. His suit fit very well and hung nicely on his frame. He didn't skimp on his clothes. His grey eyes were intent, focused on whoever he was speaking with, and his smile flashed easily and just as easily retreated. He was confident, certainly, but Sam felt like he also radiated energy, and he gave her the impression of a coiled spring. He seemed like a man of action, a man who got things done. That would be a refreshing change from Phil, who was a nice man, a description that pretty much covered all of his good qualities.
"I was afraid we'd get another Phil," Anna said quietly. "I'm glad I was wrong."
Sam nodded. "We might actually learn something from this one."
Anna laughed, and Sam chuckled too. And then it was their turn. Anna took the lead.
