I leaned down and whispered in Layton’s ear, “I’m fine. Just give me a few minutes.”

He gave me a weak smile and nodded.

When I walked into the restroom, I almost had a full-blown panic attack. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Melinda standing there.

“Whitley.”

The look in her eyes told me she knew why I was so upset.

“You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?” I asked.

She slowly looked away, and when she turned back, I saw tears rolling down her face.

“He totally swept me off my feet. Nick hadn’t told anyone at his job about me or that we were engaged until a few months ago when he brought me to an office retreat. I was out, walking alone, and I ran into Roger. He seemed upset, and I asked if he was okay. He told me he was upset because his girlfriend had run out on him with no good-bye or anything. I felt so bad for him, out alone in the woods, just walking. We talked for almost an hour. Before I knew it, I was up against a tree while he was fucking the shit out of me.”

My hand came up over my mouth. “Oh my God! What about Nick?”

She shook her head. “After it was over, I was sitting on the ground, crying. I mean, at the time, it was the hottest thing I’d ever done. I felt so alive, but as soon as he pulled out, he told me how I had been one of the best fucks he’d ever had…and then what I had just done hit me.”

Oh my God. This is not happening right now. I left this behind!

“I tried to tell Nick all weekend what had happened. Then, they announced that Roger was being promoted, of course, and Nick was devastated. I couldn’t tell him, Whitley! I couldn’t break his heart more. I’ve been trying ever since then to tell him.”

“Have you? I mean, have you been with him since that one time?”

Her head snapped up, and the tears came faster. “No! Oh my God, no! I ran into him once, and he tried like hell. I was walking down a hall, and he came up behind me, grabbed my arm, and took me into a meeting room. He pushed me down on a table and started putting his hand up my skirt and into my panties. I was so shocked at first that I didn’t know what to do. I told him to stop, and I said that what had happened before was a mistake. He laughed as he ripped off my panties and put them up to his nose. I wanted to throw up. He told me if I wanted Nick to keep his job, then I would do what he asked me to do.”

“Oh God.” I felt like I was going to be sick.

What kind of a monster was I with?

“I pushed him away from me and called him a prick. That’s when he…he…”

“He what, Melinda? What did he do?”

“He slapped me so hard across the face that I was stunned for a few seconds. He smiled and put my panties in his pocket, and he said he was keeping them as a souvenir. It turned my stomach, and I got so angry. I reached for my purse and pulled out a small hand revolver that my daddy makes me keep at the house. The only reason I had it in my purse was because I was taking it to my dad’s to trade out for a different pistol he wanted me to have at home. It wasn’t even loaded, but I pointed it at him and told him if he ever touched me again or ever threatened Nick’s job, I would kill him.”

“Jesus, Melinda.” I grabbed her shaking hands.

She let out a laugh. “I know! But it worked. He’s never even glanced my way since then, and Nick said he has been really nice at the office as well. Now, I’m thinking I should just forget the whole thing ever happened and not even tell Nick. What if I lose him over some stupid, impulsive mistake?”

I pulled her into my arms and held her while she cried.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the ladies’ room door. I heard Layton ask if everything was okay. I walked up to the door and opened it to see him standing there with such a worried look on his face.

“Yeah, baby, I’m so sorry. We will be right out.” I reached up and kissed him.

I walked back toward Melinda as she was trying to fix her makeup.

“You have to tell him, Melinda. You have to, or the guilt will eat you alive.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “I know I do. I was actually planning on telling him during this trip. I think tonight might be the night.”

I smiled before we both turned and made our way back out to the dinner. Before we made it around the corner, I took her by the arm.

“Melinda, Roger can never know you saw me tonight. Please, make sure you let Nick know not to say anything. Please.”

She smiled and nodded. We quickly exchanged numbers and made our way back to the table.

For the next hour, I watched as Melinda drank glass after glass of wine. My heart broke for her, but at the same time, I prayed she would remember to tell Nick what I asked of her.

I glanced down at my cell phone. It was almost midnight, and I was exhausted. Melinda was well on her way to being drunk as was Nick and a few other people.

Layton walked up to me and pulled me into his arms. “I’m ready to leave,” he whispered into my ear.

I smiled as I pushed myself into him. “Me, too.”

By the time we got up to the hotel room, I was feeling a bit more relaxed. The suite was beautiful, and when we’d first walked in, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Red roses were everywhere. Rose petals covered the bed, and a trail went into the bathroom. I smiled at the thought that Layton had done all of this for me. I removed Roger, Nick, and Melinda completely from my mind, and I appreciated the fact that Layton hadn’t asked me a single question about any of it.

I felt his hand on my back as he slowly unzipped my evening gown. He placed gentle kisses all across my back from one shoulder over to the other as I let out a small moan.

“I love you, Whitley,” he whispered.

“Oh God, Layton, I love you, too,” I practically purred as my desire for him grew stronger and stronger.

Once the zipper was completely down, I let go of the dress that I had been holding on to across my chest. When it pooled at my feet, I heard Layton suck in a breath of air.

I smiled, knowing that if he loved what he saw from behind, he would love the front even more. It just happened to be luck that I had a red lace strapless garter slip that I’d never even worn before. I hadn’t needed to wear thigh-high stockings since my dress went to the floor, but I had them on anyway. The matching red lace thong made me feel even sexier.

“Mother of God…Whitley. Turn around, baby.”

I glanced back over my shoulder at him, only to see his eyes moving up and down my body. I could feel the wetness between my legs soaking my thong, and I’d never been so turned-on in my life.

I slowly turned around and stood in front of him.

His eyes moved greedily over my body as he licked his lips. “You take my breath away, Whitley.”

I felt myself squeezing my legs together. If I didn’t know any better, I would say I was about to have an orgasm just from the way he was looking at me.

I was just about to say something when he dropped to his knees and started to unhook the garter. Picking up my leg, he kissed the inside of my thigh, and I felt my whole body quiver. As he slowly rolled the stocking down my leg, I could feel the heat from his hands on my skin.

Oh. God. I. Want. Him. I want to lose myself in him.

“Layton…” I moaned.

He repeated it all over again with my other leg, and I jumped when I felt his hands moving up my legs.

“I love what my touch does to your body, Whitley.” He looked up at me and smiled. “Do you want me, baby?”

I bit down on my lower lip until I realized how hard I was biting it. “Oh God, yes.”

“I want you so much, Whit. I can’t stand it. I want to be inside you so badly.”

“Yes. Now, Layton, please. I just want to lose myself in you now!”

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the bed, and Layton was entering my body. I couldn’t even remember him undressing.

He moved so slow and sweet as he made love to me. It was like he knew what I needed. He covered me with kisses and kept repeating how much he loved me and how he couldn’t believe this wasn’t a dream.

I was lost in his lovemaking. I was completely and utterly lost in the love he was spilling into my body.

I opened my eyes and looked around the room. My whole body felt so relaxed. I felt the weight of Layton’s arm around me with the heat of his body up against mine. I could feel his hard-on pressed up against my ass, and I smiled, wondering what it would be like to try something different.

Can I? How bad would it hurt? What would Layton think if I told him I wanted to try anal sex? Would he think any less of me?

I reached down and felt myself.

Shit! I’m soaking wet. What in the hell is wrong with me? Oh God…the vibrator.

I’d seen Layton set it down on the bedside table. I gently lifted his arm off of me as I reached for the black drawstring bag. I opened it up and saw the vibrator and the small bottle of lube that Courtney had put in there when she had first given it to me.

I bit down on my lip and looked over at Layton. I’d never in my life done anything like this. Just the thought of it though was turning me on even more.

I took both items out of the bag and gently moved next to Layton. He moaned just a little. I chewed on my bottom lip for a little bit more before I got up the nerve.

“Layton?” I whispered.

“Hmm…”

“Layton, I’d like to try something. If you’re up for it?”

He put his arm across my stomach and moaned again. “Anything you want, baby.”

“I’d, um…I’d like to use the vibrator to maybe…you know…try something different.”

He smiled but didn’t open his eyes. “Can I watch you use it? I’ve always wanted to watch a girl use a vibrator on herself.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I can do that for you, but I kind of want you to play with me, using the vibrator a little differently. I want you to play with it in my, um…you know…the back door.” I cringed and held my breath.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked at me. “What?” He sat up straight.

I buried my face under my arms. “Oh God! I can’t even believe I said that. Never mind! Just forget I said a thing.”

Layton gently pulled my arms down and looked into my eyes with the sexiest smile I’d ever seen.

“Whitley, that was one of the hottest things anyone has ever said to me.”

I shook my head as he put his hand on the side of my face. He slowly leaned down and bit on my lower lip. He moved his hand down my neck, over my breasts, and then between my legs. I opened my legs to him and moaned as he placed two fingers inside me.

He put his head down into my neck and moaned. “Ah…Jesus, Whitley, you’re so wet.”

“Layton…” I could hardly talk. I pushed my hips into his hand.

He looked up at me and then down at my lips. I licked them right before he slammed his lips onto mine. He kissed me so passionately that it almost seemed like he couldn’t get enough of me. He moved his fingers in and out of me faster, and I felt that familiar build-up as his thumb kept rubbing against my clit.

When he pulled his hand away, I wanted to cry out.