All too soon, the time had slipped away, and she had no choice but to make her way back to the kitchen. Before she did, she couldn’t help but glance over to where George’s office was, and with the angle of the sun, she couldn’t see if he was there watching her.

Spinning on her heel, she made her way back into the kitchen and got to work making him dinner. This time, it was chicken parmesan, which was one of her favorite ways to eat chicken. She left the music playing and lost herself in making the food. Anna-Beth didn’t make much, as she didn’t like bombarding her fridge with too many leftovers.

With dinner nearly cooked, she made her way toward George’s office, only to find him no longer there. She stepped out and called out his name. There was no response.

Anna-Beth frowned and made her way toward the gym. She hadn’t seen him work out before, but she didn’t think he’d go upstairs to his room.

The only other place he could be was in his pool, but she hadn’t caught him swimming in a few weeks.

George had a constant routine, and yet it was different at the same time. The one constant was the time he woke up, got to his office, had lunch, and then dinner. The changes occurred in between those constants.

Arriving at his gym, Anna-Beth had every intention of making him aware of her arrival, but one look at him working the weights and she found herself tongue-tied. He’d stripped out of the suit, and yes, she’d seen men partially naked before. She’d also seen some movies that showed men’s genitals.

Not that George was completely naked. He wore a pair of sweatpants, no shirt. But the suit was gone.

She also spotted several tattoos she hadn’t known he had. One was on his back, near his right shoulder. It was a symbol of a bird of some kind. There were also a few tattoos curving around his arms, going down but ending at the elbow. She had never known this about him. Her mouth had gone dry.

She felt an answering hum between her thighs. Pressing her thighs together, she watched him as he lifted the weights, looking completely in control.

He switched hands, lifting them up, and she saw his biceps, and all those other muscles seeming to contract.

Anna-Beth intended to step back, but instead she must have made a sound because George turned toward her.

“H-hey,” she said, her voice sounding way off even to her own ears.

“Hey,” he said.

“Uh, good moves,” she said.

“Yeah, I got into it years ago. It helps me blow off some steam.”

“Bad day at work?” Anna-Beth’s brain was not functioning. She was doing her best to pretend it was, but it was far from perfect.

“Nah, just … long.”

He put the weight down and grabbed a towel, wiping the perspiration off his face.

I would gladly lick you.

Anna-Beth pressed her lips together and forced a smile to her mouth. “Uh, dinner is ready.”

“What’s the matter?” George asked.

She didn’t know how he managed to close the distance between them, but he did so quickly. One moment, he was near his weights, and within a blink of an eye, he was right in front of her face. So close.

And he smelled amazing.

Even after working out.

Why did this have to be so hard?

“Uh, dinner is ready.”

“What’s the matter, Anna-Beth?” he asked.

Why did her name sound so good coming from his lips? She wanted to drown herself in the sound.

What?

None of this made any sense to her.

She took a step back and then another, all the while aware of the pleasure between her thighs, and the fact her nipples were hard as rock. Her needs were growing.

It was getting even more impossible to deny herself what she wanted, and she had to.

George was her boss.

This was a job.

She had to remember that.

Even though she was completely in love with him, and if she was honest, she wanted to be with him in every way.