When I felt his body slide into bed beside me, my eyes opened enough to see the time on the alarm clock: 5:10am. Andy must have left work and drove swiftly to get home that soon, which meant he was beyond tired. I had been sleeping on my side, naked, waiting, so I backed my body up against him just to feel his warmth. I rolled toward him and rested my hand on his chest to feel his breath rise and fall. He took my hand in his, kissed it, and fell asleep.
There's this numb frustration you get when you want someone so badly but you love them enough to let them be when they are exhausted--and Andy had been overworked since before we got married. We were like rabbits the first few months, fucking when we woke up and often fucking when he got in late. I had gotten used to him sliding into bed naked, saddling up behind me, massaging my ass, reaching around to fondle my tits, and then sliding himself into me so smoothly. But those days had been over for some time.
That numb frustration kept me awake. "No, it won't always be like this." "Yes, he wants you, but he's tired." "No, this isn't going to end your marriage." "Yes, he still loves you even if you don't have sex everyday." And then I started thinking about the last time we had sex. I pulled my phone off the bedside table and checked the calendar. Two weeks? How was that even possible?
I worshipped this man. I loved the way he held my hand as he slept--still gripping it even though he was fast asleep. He never asked me for anything, and he was so grateful for everything I gave him. I wanted to give him the world.
Immediately after work the next day, I called Andy and told him that I had arranged for food to be delivered at 7pm from the Plaza Restaurant. It was crucial that he be able to meet the delivery person in the main lobby; he couldn't send someone else to pick up the delivery. He was so thrilled because I'd never ordered food to be delivered before. (For one, he always insisted on taking leftovers because delivery was inexpensive, and two, although I did a lot of sweet things for him, I'd never done anything so extravagant. We'd been a budget since we met, always forgoing dining out if we could eat cheaper at home. And it just defeated the purpose of Andy working late if we blew the money on frivolous things.)
On my way home I stopped by my friend Amy's house to borrow one of her work uniforms from the Plaza Restaurant's bar. I wanted to dress the part: a black skirt, a sleeveless tuxedo shirt, and a black bow tie. The waitresses at the Plaza were always so sexy.
Amy invited me in and insisted I try on the outfit so she could check me out. The tuxedo blouse was more of a sheer gauze, and I could see the black lacy swirls from my bra through it. I felt so attractive when I slid the short, tight black skirt up my hips. Amy pulled out three pairs of black high heels and I picked the pair with faux zippers up the heel.
At 6:45 I did swing by the Plaza Restaurant and pick up Chicken Marsala to go, so I wasn't completely lying. When I pulled into the parking garage of Andy's building, I texted Amy. From there, she used the Plaza service to contact Andy and let him know that his food delivery had arrived.
I entered the foyer of the building and waited. Afterhours, the doors were locked to the lobby. Inside, the lights were dimmed to half their normal brightness. My heart had been beating progressively harder all day. Now, in the stillness of the foyer, I prayed everything would go as planned. A million scenarios entered my mind--all of them ways things could go wrong--but I just hoped Andy would be receptive, that he'd have a little time to spare, that no one would catch me, that I didn't trip over my own feet, and most importantly that I'd be able to stop time for about fifteen minutes. Just fifteen minutes. That's all I asked . . . all I needed.
When Andy stepped off the elevator, his mind was somewhere else. He walked toward the foyer door with a look of stoicism, just putting one foot in front of the other on a mission to knock one more out. He opened the door, stood tall looking down at me, and forced a smile. He did not recognize me inside Amy's uniform at first. And then when he saw my face, he really saw me, and he slowed down. Time slowed down. Everything but my heartbeat slowed down. Our eye contact lasted a second and it lasted forever.
In an instant he put everything together and had to look away from me toward the space beyond my shoulder, surveying for witnesses. He held the door completely open and made way for me to enter. "Ma'am, will you follow me?" His voice was deep, slightly flippant, slightly giving away his cool.
