"Good night, guys," Elizabeth acknowledged her detail as she shuffled into her house.
"Good night, Madam Secretary," Matt echoed. "Your mail is on the foyer table," he added.
"Thanks, Matt," she replied, wearily, as he pulled the door closed behind her. Elizabeth leaned against the door with a sigh, and dropped her briefcase and coat on the entryway floor where she stood. She glanced down, then pushed both items closer to the wall with her foot. She'd pick them up eventually.
Elizabeth paused briefly at the small table, shuffling through the pile of mail haphazardly, not caring much when an envelope or two wafted to the floor. Exhaustion clouded her brain. She perked up a bit when the stack of bills revealed a box, though, and read the return label.
Well, huh. Maybe she wasn't so tired, after all. Elizabeth smiled to herself, considering the new possibilities for the night, and picked up the box. "Anyone home? Henry?" she queried, projecting her voice to be heard throughout the house.
"In here," Henry called, his voice muffled.
Elizabeth followed the sound into the kitchen, where Henry sat at the table, grading papers. She paused a moment in the doorway, drinking in the sight of her husband in full professor mode. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, revealing his muscled forearms, a few buttons loosened at his chest, glasses perched on his nose. He'd obviously been dragging his fingers through his hair, as he did often when lost in thought. Damn, Elizabeth mused, a hint of arousal fluttering in her belly. While she watched, he scrubbed his hand over the 5 o'clock shadow on his face, and Elizabeth suddenly craved his mouth on her.
She sauntered to him, unhurriedly, ogling the view. Henry looked up when he heard heard her heels clicking on the tile floor. "Hey, babe," he offered, with a soft smile. He shoved back from the table and shifted his body toward her. Elizabeth set the package next to a stack of his papers as she leaned into him. She kissed his temple, then his lips, brushing her fingers lightly though his disheveled hair. His hand trailed down her forearm, squeezing gently.
"Oh, just what I needed." Elizabeth deliberately glanced away from him, at the drink next to his laptop. She reached for the glass, wet with condensation, and took a sip of his bourbon, nonchalantly.
"That's what you needed?" he questioned, eyebrows raised.
"Among other things," Elizabeth shrugged and grinned, swallowing more of the liquor.
"Mail came today." She patted the box, and slid it slightly in Henry's direction. He gave the package a brief glance, more focused on his wife, as he mentally calculated how many papers he actually needed to finish grading that night.
"You might be interested in this one," Elizabeth emphasized, tapping a corner with her finger.
Henry scrutinized the label more closely, peering through his glasses to read the words. "That's for you, babe," he pointed out.
"Yeah, kinda," Elizabeth confirmed. "But not just for me. Open it," she urged.
Curiosity aroused, Henry scanned her features. Even after all these years, Elizabeth had a killer poker face. Henry couldn't quite decipher her expression, but he sensed something brewing. Okay, he'd bite. He reached for the box, setting it in his lap, for lack of room on the table in front of him. His hands faltered a bit on the lid, after perusing the contents.
Henry studied Elizabeth again. "Well, the bottle is smaller this time," he ventured, still not quite sure how to gauge his wife. Elizabeth observed him, her gaze impassive. "And… strawberry," he continued.
"Yuuuppp." Elizabeth dragged out the word with a pop, her lips twitching, just barely noticeable.
Henry relaxed slightly at her reaction. They'd overcome her recent insecurity, and actually had been more adventurous as a result, but he still hadn't quite expected…. this. "So you remember this purchase, huh?" he chuckled.
Now Elizabeth couldn't keep the smirk off her face. "Oh, yeah," she nodded, enthusiastically. "It's on Amazon Subscribe and Save." Her blue eyes danced with glee.
"What?" Henry asked.
"You get a new order every month, automatically," Elizabeth explained. "No need for blind, midnight shopping."
"Really?" Her answer piqued his interest.
"And they have six flavors." Elizabeth peeked through her lashes at him, over the rim of the glass, arousal glimmering.
Henry leaned back, his hands loosely draped on the armrests of the chair, his eyes darkening with desire. He'd gladly follow Elizabeth's lead when his wife was in a playful mood. "You're my favorite flavor, but I do like strawberry."
"Mmmm, you do," Elizabeth replied, huskily. She finished his drink, setting the glass on the table with a decisive thump. She deliberately let her gaze rake Henry's body, making a show of licking her lips. Then Elizabeth looked down at her clothes, contemplating the logistics of her impromptu seduction. "So are the kids gone the rest of the night?" She wondered, tilting her head.
"Yeah."
At Henry's confirmation, she kicked off her heels, and reached back to unzip her skirt, letting the garment drop unheeded to the floor. Finesse be damned, Elizabeth concluded. I don't need to risk another trip to the emergency room.
Henry was suddenly distracted by a glimpse of the black lacy teddy she'd donned that morning, and Elizabeth took full advantage. Two birds, one stone, she laughed to herself. "Race ya to the bedroom," she challenged, and dashed up the stairs, giggling. She heard Henry's grunt of surprise, closely followed by the kitchen chair scraping against the floor, and a thud as the box landed on the floor.
As her feet hit the hallway to their bedroom, she yelled behind her, "don't forget the lube!"