For the next twenty minutes, we talk about legal summaries.
And I keep thinking about that boutique owner and what she might've seen.
Chapter Eleven
Chance
We survive the weekend, both of us working our arses off because we have a lot of work to do and because it keeps us away from Raisa. Overworking ourselves also stops us from sneaking into the file room to have sex, or sneaking into the restroom to have sex, or--- Well, let's just say there are plenty of spots where we could enjoy each other.
But we don't. We behave like professionals.
It's bloody awful.
We survive Monday too, though barely.
Elena agrees to meet me in the hotel restaurant for dinner, claiming she won't get any food unless we eat first and go upstairs after. She might have a point. At lunch, I took her to a different boutique to buy a new dress for our date tonight. I hadn't known Raisa was friends with the owner of the boutique down the street from the hotel. But then, I hadn't been a part of Raisa's life for more than a year. Longer, really. We led separate lives even before the official separation.
I finish putting on my tie and head for the door while fantasizing about how delicious and entirely fuckable Elena will look in the emerald-green dress she'd let me buy for her. I got a glimpse of it when the clerk slipped the dress into a bag, but Elena had refused to let me watch her trying it on.
"You can't come into the fitting room with me," she'd said, smiling and shaking her head. "I have a feeling I won't get the dress on if you're there."
"Are you implying I'll strip it off you the second it touches your skin?"
"Not implying. Saying it." She tapped my chest with one finger. "You will strip me naked in five seconds, tops."
Since I couldn't deny I probably would---all right, definitely would---I had to give in and wander the aisles of women's clothing while I waited.
Now, hours after our shopping trip, I remember all the clothing items in that store and which ones would've looked best on Elena. Anything would look good on her. She has a beautiful body, yes, but also a heart-melting smile that makes her eyes sparkle. I'm hopelessly infatuated with her.
Thinking about seeing her, in a few minutes, I straighten my tie that doesn't need straightening and swing the door open.
Raisa is standing there, her hand raised to knock.
I stifle a curse.
She smiles, like we have a date and she's early. "Chance, darling, I was just coming to see you."
"You know I don't like it when you show up without calling first." I hadn't liked it during our separation, and that was part of the reason I'd taken a job in Chicago. I also don't like it when she calls me darling. "We're not married anymore. Call first next time. I have an appointment to keep."
She doesn't move. "Please, darling, let's talk this through."
"We have nothing to talk about." I push her hand away when she tries to touch my cheek. "We are divorced, Raisa, and I've moved on. You need to do the same."
"But I love you, Chance."
I sigh, my shoulders flagging, and rub my eyes. "It was a mistake to take this job with you. I thought I was helping, but I'm only making things worse. I'm sorry, but I think I should go home."
"No, please, stay."
I hear the elevator doors open and glance down the hall.
Elena steps out into the hallway. When she sees me and Raisa, her eyes widen.
She looks fantastic in that frock.
Before I realize her intention, Raisa throws her arms around my neck and kisses me.
Elena stumbles backward into the elevator, furiously punching a button so many times she might break it.