AN: Thank you again to all of my wonderful reviewers! Reading all your notes is definitely an inspiration to keep on writing. I've drafted an outline for the rest of my chapters, but please let me know if there is anything special you would like to see! The next couple of chapters will be all about the rest of the summer, which won't be without a few bumps in the road, but will start with Liza FINALLY getting divorced from David. And will end with a very M rated Charlize scene 😉
"Liza! Coffee!" It was Monday morning, and Liza was back in the office. Diana's voice acted like an electric shock to her system, jolting her up out of her chair and across the room to the coffee station. She smiled sheepishly as she caught sight of Kelsey making herself a cup of tea and smirking.
"You know, one of these days you're actually going to have to find someone to replace you as her assistant."
"Trust me, I've been trying. She's interviewed 3 and two of them ran out of the room crying." Liza pressed a coffee pod into the Keurig as the machine hissed and started to stream dark roast into a waiting coffee mug. "I think I may have to work for her forever."
Kelsey sipped her cup, grinning. "It's too bad you don't have an in with her boss. Oh, wait…." She laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Haha. You're hilarious." Rolling her eyes in return, she elbowed Kelsey playfully before picking up the steaming cup of coffee and carrying it in to Diana, setting it on the desk next to her.
"Have you sent out all of the evites for my game night on Friday?" Diana asked, not bothering to drag her eyes away from whatever she was reading on the screen.
"Sent them out Friday afternoon. Also, I wanted to let you know that I need to leave early today. I have a meeting this afternoon."
"Job interview?" Diana asked sarcastically, smiling slightly.
"No! Of course not!" Liza exclaimed, before realizing that Diana was joking. "I have a meeting with my divorce lawyer and my husband to finalize our divorce."
Diana leaned back in her chair and took a sip of coffee. "I didn't realize that you were still married? Living in sin, aren't we?"
"I was supposed to go and sign them the day I, erm, had my accident." Liza answered, referencing the bicycle accident that she had been in because of Diana, wiping the smile off of Diana's face.
"Ahh, well I guess I have to give you the time off, then, don't I? Have Becky cover the phones for you."
"Thank you, Diana." She paused in the doorway, turning to look back into the office. "And thank you for everything. I couldn't have gotten through the last few weeks without you. I'd probably still be miserable and avoiding Charles if it weren't for you." Diana was touched and smiled and nodded as Liza returned to her seat.
A few hours later Liza gathered her things, stopping by Charles's office on her way out. She leaned into the doorway, watching him reading intently over something on his computer, chewing on a pen.
"Hey." She said softly, trying not to startle him. He looked up and smiled brightly at her, standing to walk around the edge of his desk.
"Hi. You headed out? Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" She loved that he was willing to drive her out to New Jersey to sit in a car for an hour while she met with David and the mediator.
"It's okay. I need to do this on my own. I wanted to leave early and avoid rush hour traffic, anyways. I'll come over when I'm done." She leaned up to kiss him, instantaneously melting into him as his hand slid around her waist. He was wearing a gorgeous gray suit and black tie and smelled like coffee, and Liza could have stood there kissing him for hours. She sighed, pulling back and pecking him on the cheek.
"I'll come over after I'm done. I'm not sure when I'll be back, so don't hold dinner for me."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too." The words came easy to both of them now, rolling off the tip of the tongue at the end of every phone call and kiss goodbye.
When Liza walked into the mediator's office an hour and half later, she found David already sitting at the conference table. He bounced up out of his chair, the same stupid grin on his face that he wore ever since she made the mistake of sleeping with him last year. Sighing, Liza slid her purse off of her shoulder and sat down, tossing her hair over her shoulder as the mediator came over with a sheath of paperwork in hand.
"Good Afternoon, how's everyone doing today?" He said jovially, rolling up his sleeves and sitting down.
"Excellent." Liza said quickly, cutting off David as she saw him open his mouth to speak. "Do you know how long this will take? I'd like to get back to the city before rush hour."
"Not too long. I just need the two of you to verify everything in the paperwork is still accurate. You haven't planned on changing any of the details regarding splitting up the assets?"
"No. Everything is the same."
"Well, I mean, shouldn't we talk about what happened, Liza?" David spoke up, leaning over the table towards her, reaching out to try to grab her hand. "We slept together." He added, speaking to the mediator. Liza pulled her hand away, picking up the pen in front of her.
"It didn't mean anything, David. We were drunk. And it was over six months ago."
"I think that, if you wish to speak about this, you do it outside of this office. I'm not a therapist, David. I'm here to facilitate the divorce." Liza felt a rush of gratitude towards the mediator and smiled kindly at him as he handed them each a packet of paperwork. "I've indicated where your signatures are needed. Read through them, sign, and I'll notarize and file them." A silence fell over the office for the next few minutes as Liza and David scanned the paperwork. He kept tapping the table with his pen and jiggling his foot. Liza wanted to kick him but resisted the urge. Everything looked good, and she flipped to the signature pages, signing and dating where indicated. She watched as David sighed, signing his name and reluctantly exchanging copies with Liza.
"That'll do. Thanks for coming in. I'll file these this afternoon if I can get to the courthouse in time, and you'll get a copy in the mail within a week." He reached out and shook their hands before heading back into his private office. Liza smiled tightly at David and turned to walk out, grimacing as she heard him jog down the hallway to catch up with her.
"End of an era, huh?" He said, nudging her in the shoulder.
"It ended a long time ago, David. About when you started schtupping that blackjack dealer. And your secretary." Liza pushed open the door onto the sidewalk, stopping to turn and look at David.
"I'm sorry, Liza. Haven't I said that enough?"
"You have, David. I'm just over it. I'll see you around." She turned to walk away, and he followed her.
"Caitlin tells me you broke up with Josh."
"Yes, I did."
"And that you're seeing someone else."
"I am." She pulled her keys out as she neared the 2-hour parking lot where she had parked her car, jangling them a little impatiently.
"She said that he's a nice guy. She's met him, then?"
"Yes, she has. Her roommate is the daughter of one of his best friends. She's had dinner with him a few times, and we spent the holiday weekend with him and his daughters."
"Oh. So, he's, uh, our age, is he?"
"Yes, he is." She squared her shoulders, turning to look at David. "Do you really want to know about him?"
"Yeah, I do. If he's spending time with our daughter, I think I deserve to."
"Fine. His name is Charles. Charles Brooks. He's 45 years old, separated from his wife, has two daughters that are 7 and 9. He runs a publishing company. You can Google him if you want to know more, even though it's really none of your business, David." She added the last bit a little sarcastically, "He's a great guy, David. I'm happy and I am in love with him. Very much. Goodbye." She crossed the parking lot, not looking back as she got in her car and put the key in the ignition. Liza laid her head back against the headrest, letting out a heavy sigh. Freedom, finally. She smiled, turned up the radio, and pulled out into traffic, free of that last bit of weight on her shoulders. Finally free.
She pulled up outside the brownstone just after 7 P.M., after what felt like hours later after crawling through rush hour traffic. She rarely ever drove anymore and forgot how much she hated the commute from Jersey into the city. As she unbuckled her seatbelt, her phone dinged with a new email. It was from the mediator.
Docs filed at 4:45 P.M. It's official. Congratulations, Ms. Miller – you are officially divorced. He had attached a scan of the cover page with the date and time stamp. She couldn't help but grin. Taking a screenshot, she sent a text to Maggie. It's official. I'm freeeeee!
Her phone vibrated a second later. Congratulations! Are we celebrating tonight?
Tomorrow night? Just you and me. My celebratory plans tonight involve some expensive scotch and a very handsome CEO that I'm kind of crazy about
Tomorrow sounds great. Have lots of dirty sexy fun. :p
A stupid grin filled Liza's face as she read Maggie's text. That was indeed the plan, she thought, as she climbed out of the car, locking it and tossing her keys in her purse. She climbed the steps, opening the door without knocking for the first time. It felt weird, but good. Setting her purse down, she listened to see if she could hear anything. It sounded like the girls were upstairs in one of the playrooms. She peered into the rooms on the first floor, but Charles was nowhere to be found. Climbing the stairs, she made her way to the second floor. She peered into Nicole's playroom, where the girls were playing Chutes and Ladders on the floor.
"Hi girls" She leaned into the doorway. "Do you know where your Daddy is?"
"Hi Liza!" Bianca got up and ran over to hug her while Nicole pondered her next move. "He said he was going to exercise." Bianca pointed upwards to the third floor. Charles had converted one of the empty rooms on the barely used third floor into a gym.
"Thanks sweetie." She leaned down and kissed Bianca's head before she returned to her game. She climbed up the steps to the third floor. The steps alone were cardio enough for her. She slipped off her heels and padded down the wood floor to the converted gym, quietly pushing the door open slightly. Charles had his back to her, and had music playing on his phone a few feet away, so he didn't hear the door. Liza watched as he adjusted his grip on the metal pull up bars before lifting himself up over them and back down. He was wearing basketball shorts and sneakers but was shirtless. Liza couldn't help but lick her lips as she watched his muscles bulge and the sweat drip down his back. She didn't know many men his age that kept themselves in as good as shape as he did, and his efforts showed. Stepping into the room, she let out a wolf whistle, startling him.
Charles dropped off of the bars and turned, smiling as he saw Liza walk into the room.
"Hey, baby."
"Don't stop on my account." Liza licked her lips again and smiled as her eyes traveled up and down his body. Charles grinned back and instead of grabbing the towel to dry himself off, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Liza could feel the heat radiating off of him, and her hands traveled up his chest and into his damp hair.
"So," he whispered in a low voice, "Are you officially all mine?" Liza nodded, sliding her phone out of her pocket and showing him the email.
"All yours." She leaned up and kissed him again, a little feverishly. She felt his hands slide down her sides and grip her hips, pulling her flush against him as he deepened the kiss. She could have stayed like that forever, but her stomach chose that moment to rumble thunderously, indicating that she was hungry for something besides Charles. They both laughed, and Charles reluctantly pulled his mouth away from hers.
"There's a plate of food in the warmer in the kitchen. Why don't you go eat and I'll go take a shower? And hopefully my children are exhausted and want to go to bed early, because I want you all to myself tonight." He said the last part huskily as he bent down and kissed her neck just below her ear. He had come to realize that that spot was a sweet spot for her, and he loved seeing how she reacted when he kissed her there.
"I like that plan." Charles guided her out of the room and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked down the hallway and back downstairs. He kissed her again outside the door to the bathroom, chuckling as her stomach growled again.
A half an hour later, freshly showered, Charles padded down the hallway to Nicole's playroom, following the sounds of giggles. Pushing the door open, he saw a scene that made his heart swell: Liza sat on a plush bean bag chair, Bianca sitting on her lap, half asleep. Nicole was curled up next to her, and Liza had one arm around her, absentmindedly running her hand through Nicole's hair as she read from a book in her other hand. She didn't notice him push the door open, and so he stood for a moment in the doorway, watching her. She was still in her work clothes but had lost her shoes at some point, and her legs were crossed to keep Bianca from sliding off her lap. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he thought that he could easily spend the rest of his life marveling at her beauty, her kindness, her intelligence.
He crept into the room as she finished the last page of the story and put the book down, catching her eye as he crouched down next to her.
"Looks like someone got hit with the sleepy stick." He rubbed his hand over Nicole's back as she started to doze off, nuzzling her head into the crook of Liza's arm.
"Oh, I gave them each a Benadryl in their chocolate milk." Liza smiled, her eyes twinkling with humor. "It always worked for Caitlin."
"Ahh, that's the trick, is it? C'mon, let's get these two to bed." He lifted Nicole up out of the chair as Liza slid her arms around Bianca.
"You know, it's a lot easier to carry them when they're 3." Liza adjusted Bianca in her arms as they walked down the hall.
"No kidding. Hmmmph." Charles groaned quietly as he maneuvered Nicole so that he could pull back her comforter and tuck her in. Both girls had changed into their pajamas before they had settled in for storytime with Liza. She lowered Bianca into her bed, turning off the lights so only the salt lamp in the corner was lit, casting a pinkish glow across the room. Charles kissed both girls on their foreheads, pausing at the doorway to reach over and turn on the sound machine on the dresser by the door. "Just in case." He whispered to Liza, his eyes darkening with desire as he closed the door behind them.
Liza started to walk down the hall to the bedroom, but Charles paused. "Shit, I've got to lock up downstairs and turn off the lights. I'll be right back. Liza nodded and couldn't help but giggle when he stumbled over his feet on the steps in his rush to get downstairs. Shaking her head, she turned and walked down the hall to Charles's bedroom.
2 minutes later Charles pushed open the door to the bedroom, but it was dark spare for a bedside lamp, dimmed low and casting shadows across the room.
"Liza?" He called out quietly, stepping into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. The door to his en suite bathroom opened and Liza stepped out, knocking the wind out of him. She had shed her dress pants and top and stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a set of sexy white lace lingerie. Her hair spilled over her shoulders in loose waves, just the way he liked it, and it was his turn to lick his lips now.
In three strides he had crossed over to her, reaching up to brace his hands on either side of her face as he kissed her softly at first, his lips barely touching hers. He moved one hand from her face to her hair, letting it run through the silky strands, releasing a wave of that scent of vanilla and coconut that he had come to realize originated from her favorite shampoo. Liza reached one hand up to toy with the buttons on his shirt as her other hand slid around his waist and rested on his back. She moaned quietly as he deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue over her lips and gaining entry to her mouth. His hands began to slide over her body, coming once again to rest on the curve of her hips. He pulled her forcefully to him so that they were hip to hip as he slid one hand around her back and underneath the white fabric.
They stepped towards the bed, not breaking their embrace, and stumbled backwards, falling onto the bed together in a tangle of limbs. Liza giggled as she gently rolled onto her back, her eyes meeting his. For a moment, they only looked at one another, letting their mutual desire take hold. Liza raised her arm, tracing Charles jawline, and his hand joined hers, moving her fingers to his lips in a kiss as his other hand touched her face. Her hands moved to his partially exposed chest as he gently lowered himself down to kiss her, and she pushed the shirt away from his body, letting it fall to the floor. He drew away from her reluctantly, standing to remove the rest of his clothing. Liza's eyes followed his every movement and slide herself further up onto the bed.
Charles stood for a moment, his eyes taking in the woman before him. Her skin was tanned from the time spent outside this past weekend, making the two items of clothing she was still wearing appear to glow against her skin. Her head rested against the pillow; her chestnut locks spread out against the pillow like a fan. He moved onto the bed, drawing her full length to him and she moved against him, a small sigh of pleasure escaping her lips as his swept down upon hers, his hands moving slowly down the length of her, gently gliding over her satin skin. He deftly reached underneath her, unhooking her bra and sliding it down her arms and onto the floor before reaching down to remove the last article of clothing that stood between them.
His lips traveled from hers to her neck, to her collarbone, to her breasts, and he felt his body stir as she gasped when he took one in his mouth. He pressed his body against her, letting her feel how ready he was for her. Her legs parted slightly, and she arched her hips up to him, and he adjusted himself so that he was hovering over her, one knee between hers. Another moan escaped her mouth, her body moving seductively underneath his. He moved into her slowly as her hands traced the heavy muscles of his back, arms and shoulders. Slowly he moved his hips against hers as she matched his pace, his body rising and falling against hers, rhythmically and slowly building a crescendo between the two. Liza felt herself go over the edge as they picked up the pace and dug her teeth into his shoulder as he pushed into her one more time before letting out a low moan and lowering himself to lay next to her. Liza clung to him, his arm sliding over her side and resting on her hip as they both basked in the aftermath of their union. She laid her head against his chest, listening to the rapid pounding of his heart against her ear. She felt so complete, so whole with Charles, and she knew in hear heart that this was where the search ended. She could love no other man.
Charles pulled the light sheets over their perspiring bodies and stroked her hair, cuddling her closer. He heard her sigh softly, felt her lips kiss his chest as her fingers moved down his body, teasing him. Her lips soon followed, moving down his chest and stomach, her long hair tickling his skin. Liza moved quickly, rising up to straddle him on the bed, the sheet falling back onto his legs. He moved his hands up to cup her face, bringing her face down to his, kissing her passionately. Simultaneously Liza rose her hips and lowered herself onto him, excruciatingly slowly, causing another low moan to escape his lips. She raised her hand to her mouth, shushing him, a slow, seductive smile crossing her face. His hands slid from her face to her hips as she slowly ground her hips against his, sighing and throwing her head back, eyes closed. Her hands roamed his chest and shoulders, nails gently scraping against his skin.
Gritting his teeth, Charles wrapped his hands around her waist and flipped her beneath him, setting a steady pace that would make this moment last. He felt her legs wrap around him tightly as she moaned underneath him. He captured her lips with his as he buried himself in her. She pulled her mouth away from his to moan out his name as she tightened around him, and he felt himself release with an intensity that left them both breathless. He kissed her and pulled her close, brushing her hair away from her face. Reaching down he pulled the sheets back up over them as she curled her body close to his, her eyes closing, a soft, satisfied smile on her lips. Charles smiled too, hugging her close and making a promise to himself that he would never, ever, let her go. She was what he needed in his life. She was the one.