WOW - Thank you guys so much for all your great reviews

WOW - Thank you guys so much for all your great reviews. I am overwhelmed with your kindness and appreciate the time each and every one of you took out to send them my way. I really hope your generosity continues. This next chapter went on and on, so I hope you don't get bored with its length!

4EverKandy - I only wish that Josh filled that Season 3 void because it would have been so much better!

KandyLove – Glad you saw the humor in the last chapter

KrabbyPatty - As you know, I am always concerned about the rating of my stories, so I have been taking it easy on the smut. I can only hope that people find my writing sexy without it. I love how you saw it that way. Brilliant? I highly doubt that.

Viper209n - Anytime one of these chapters spurs people on to re-watch the episode, it makes me feel so good! Thanks for that!

Jennyloveskandy - I'm glad you understand where I was coming from with this from our PMs.

Panzie - Like I said in my PM, I am so sorry that I killed Emily. I apologize again.

OCKandy - I was hoping people would like the Seven Times reference

Cohenwannabe - Glad you liked that Sandy finally found out Kirsten's true early on feelings

Tiffany - I love the playful Kandy banter too. There was so much of it in Season One. I was trying to recapture that.

Chicaanglaise - I love the Berkeley days too. I'm glad that you liked Sandy's feeling toward Seth going to Berkeley. Sandy not only annoyed me in Season Three, but he consistently upset me as well. I think if Kirsten knew about the Julie/Trey/Ryan incident, they would never have stayed friends. I felt bad for Paul too. Thanks for the long review!

robbie-kikka - I hope I didn't make you wait too long

kikinjuju - I am glad you liked Sandy's dispensed advice about Julie

Bluetoffee - I wish Sandy did a lot of things during the series that would have been better for the show.

Here we go again...

It felt good to watch his wife have a purpose to her day. She was dressed and already working from home when he returned from surfing. He loved this side of his wife. It was safe and comfortable and mostly she seemed happier. An old statement came to his mind. A happy wife equals a happy life. That silly little rhyme spoke volumes. Kirsten seemed truly happy to embark on a new endeavor. He didn't think Julie was the best fit for a partner, but he wasn't going to question it. He loved her too much.

Of course, it wouldn't be long for Julie to say or do something completely off the wall that would make Kirsten formulate her own thoughts. He walked in right as Julie mentioned a business idea involving a stripper doing laundry. He couldn't help but make a joke about it.

He couldn't stick around though. Matt had managed to set up a big meeting with some potential investors. He excused himself, but not before grabbing a bagel and of course a kiss from his wife.

He held his bagel with one hand and his briefcase with another as he leaned in to lightly peck her lips. She tipped her face toward his and closed her eyes and she felt his moistness against her lips. She knew Julie was sitting right next to her, but she couldn't help but want more from him. Maybe it was the fact that it was at that moment she couldn't have him. Maybe it was that he was now the busy one running out of the house in the morning. She didn't know, but when she felt him pull away, she kept her face tilted toward his.

Sandy sensed something from Kirsten, but he really did have to go. When he pulled back from her lips, he gave her a sympathetic look. He could tell she wanted to share a moment of intimacy whether it be a small hug or something more. He felt bad leaving, but he decided not to dwell on it. Their relationship was at it's best when they were both busy and yearning for one another.

After a few hours of figuring out that party planning would be a good business adventure for them, Julie finally left and Kirsten's mind drifted to this morning. She decided to give Sandy a call and see if she could convince him to come home early to her. She knew this was unlikely, but she would give it her best shot.

She heard it ring once and waited for him to pick up. Another ring and still nothing. She was growing impatient. Then she heard a weird tone blare through, indicating that the call was going to voicemail. She was about to hang up when she heard a woman's voice.

"Sandy Cohen's office, this is Karlie speaking. How can I help you?"

Kirsten was suddenly rendered speechless. Since when did Sandy have someone answering his calls? Why didn't he tell her? Was he trying to hide it from her?

"Hello?" That voice broke her from her thoughts and finally she found her voice.

"Yes, I would like to speak to Sandy please." She said in a very vague manner.

"May I ask who's calling?"

Kirsten would have normally just said her name, but a wave a jealousy came over her. "This is his wife, Kirsten." She couldn't believe she just said that, but she didn't care. She needed to make sure whoever was working with her husband knew she existed.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Cohen. I will put you right through."

Kirsten felt better with that response and now felt foolish. She then heard her husband's voice and wanted answers. She just couldn't help it.

"Hey baby!" Sandy exclaimed, not realizing what was going on in his wife's head.

"You are lucky I am not a jealous woman." She teased.

Sandy tried to figure out where she was going with this one. "Okay, I'll bite."

"You never told me you hired yourself a secretary."

"Well good thing you are not a jealous woman then."

Kirsten suddenly became nervous at his statement although deep down she knew he was kidding. "Why? Should I be jealous? How old is she?"

"Baby, relax. She works for both Matt and myself to answer calls. That is all. I didn't tell you because she just started yesterday and it slipped my mind."

"And?"

"She is not what you think. She is twenty-eight, happily married and the mother of two. Please don't make a big deal about this. If you want to ease your mind, come by the office sometime and I will introduce you two." Sandy felt like he was walking on eggshells here. He remembered how upset Kirsten got over his working relationship with Rachel two years ago.

"Do you know what would ease my mind? If you came home early tonight so we can have dinner together."

"I was actually planning on it, but Matt and I have a lot of work to do tonight. I was going to bring him by tonight. Is that okay?" He knew that is not what she had in mind, but hoped she would be okay with it.

"I'll take what I can get."

"I love you, you know that?"

"You better!" She joked back. I'll see you tonight."

Kirsten was home when Sandy and Matt made their way through the front door. Introductions were made and after giving Sandy a quick peck on the lips, Kirsten couldn't take her eyes off of Matt. He was nothing like what she expected and Sandy was quick to notice.

They settled themselves in the den while Kirsten thought about what to order in. It felt good not to cook for a change. She liked settling back into their old ways.

"What about Thai for dinner?"

"Sounds great! Happy days are here again." She smiled at his antics, loving that she was just thinking the same thing as he was.

Sandy kept his eyes on Kirsten a second too long and Matt was quick to notice.

"You two are so perfect together. Its almost painful to be around." Matt was referring to his own pain, but Sandy knew nothing of it at the moment.

"Well we've been working on it for about twenty five years. You're bound to get it right eventually." Sandy knew in his heart it was never always as perfect as it seemed to Matt at that moment. They definitely had their fair share of trials and tribulations. He didn't want to dwell on them anymore. He felt like that was all he did last year. "What about you? There's a girlfriend in Chicago?"

"Yeah, yeah she's a great girl." Matt tried to cover what was really going on, not wanting to get into it with Sandy.

"I look forward to meeting her."

Ryan and Seth came in to help distract Matt from his deep thoughts. Introductions were once again made and Sandy couldn't help but excuse himself to spend a few moments with his wife in the kitchen. She was just hanging up the phone when he snuck up behind her and circled her waist with one arm while the other swooped her hair away from her neck. "I missed you today!"

Kirsten smiled when she felt her husband's warm lips on the back of her neck. She closed her eyes, grateful that the boys could not see them. "I'm sure you did." She said sarcastically, a smile playing on her lips. She only could hope he didn't miss her because he was constantly being turned on by his new secretary all day long.

"I did. And for the record it was you I missed."

She spun around to face him and moved his hands to the marble countertop, trapping her between his arms. "Good." She said leaning in and kissing his lips briefly, too aware that the boys and their dinner guest were right in the next room.

"I sensed something from you this morning." He said, leaning in closer, now whispering as he lingered close to her lips. "Julie would have understood if you had to excuse yourself for a few minutes." He pressed his lips against hers, wanting to deepen the kiss, but liked playing this teasing game as well.

She could play with the best of them. "A few minutes? Now that doesn't seem worth being rude to my friend."

He genuinely laughed at her teasing, throwing his head back a little. When his eyes caught hers again, he turned serious. "It's not my fault you are so damn sexy!" He pushed his body against hers, letting her feel the beginning stirrings in his pants. "It's really not nice to insult me very shortly after the way I saw you look at my business associate the way you did." He had to call her out on her lingering eyes from before.

She pulled her head away from his to get a better look at his face. "And what way was that?" She asked, appalled.

"I saw your eyes giving him the once over. I know that is the Newpsie side of you coming out, but don't think I didn't notice."

She leaned in this time being the one to initiate the kiss. "There was nothing to notice." She kissed him a little harder this time, parting her lips slightly, but pulling away before her tongue came into play. "He was just not what I expected that's all."

"You had expectations?" Sandy said, pulling away from her slightly. He wasn't mad, but could control the physical distance he put in between them.

"No, not like that!" She exclaimed, pulling him by the shirt back closer to her. "It's just that he has an MBA at his age from Kellogg. That is a very impressive resume. I just assumed he would have been much more …" She struggled for the words to say, not wanting her husband to get the wrong idea. "Nerdy?" She said questioning herself a bit.

Sandy laughed again. "So you think he is non-nerdy?" He joked.

"Yeah. I guess." She could see Sandy's mind turning with thoughts of her being attracted to Matt, which couldn't be further from the truth. He was just a kid in her eyes. "It's a good thing huh? Since I am only attracted to nerds." She said before kissing him and seeking out his tongue with her own.

"Good thing!" Sandy was definitely feeling better.

Their passion had no time to grow although the potential was clearly there. It didn't take long before they heard the unfamiliar cough from Ryan followed by Seth's comments.

"Come on guys. Seriously, we have a guest here. Is this really necessary?"

By the time Sandy pulled away and spun around he realized that Matt was also in the kitchen. He smiled shyly before apologizing, trying to keep Kirsten's embarrassment at bay.

Dinner went well and Sandy appreciated Matt was so nice to his boys, especially Ryan. He seemed to know his place around Kirsten, respecting Sandy and the marriage he loved so much. Matt even went as far as offering Ryan an internship, which even Sandy didn't even think of.

The next day at The Newport Group, Sandy had to admit it was nice having Ryan around. He didn't get to spend much time with him, but he knew Matt was with him and he appreciated that. After he gave them a hefty assignment, they seemed to disappear for the rest of the night. This only served a greater purpose to excuse himself from the office and work from home.

During the same time, Kirsten and Julie were working as well. They were having their first meeting, but Kirsten could immediately tell that Julie was not interested in working. Kirsten was just about to question the idea of this so-called partnership when Julie miraculously surprised her. She landed them their first dinner party.

As evening finally approached, Sandy was thrilled Kirsten was already home. He could smell the delicious aroma from the kitchen, wondering why she decided to go back to cooking again.

"Hey." He said when he approached the kitchen. "What spurred this on?" He was referring to the food.

"I am proud to say that Julie and I got our first gig today. We are hosting a dinner tomorrow night."

"Congratulations." He placed his briefcase on the table and started pulling out papers. "Do you mind if I do some work here? I left early to spend some time with you, but still have some things to finish up."

"No, not at all. I am just glad you are home." Kirsten couldn't remember the last time the two of them were home together on a Friday night this early. She didn't even care that they were both working.

Seth interrupted her thoughts when he came into the kitchen, disclosing some sort of competition he and Summer were in over getting accepted to Brown. Once he left, Kirsten spoke her mind.

"Summer going to Brown?" Kirsten could help to keep the skepticism out of her voice. "I mean no offense."

"She did save Chrismukkah." Sandy defended.

"Very funny. She just doesn't seem like the Ivy League type, right?"

"I bet there were a lot of people that didn't think you were the Berkeley type either."

She thought about what he said, taken back a little bit, but knowing it was true. "I guess."

Sandy knew that last comment didn't come out the right way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"No, it's true. Even you had made an assumption of me before we actually met." When Sandy smirked, she continued. "Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not denying it, but I was a very guarded individual when I first met you."

"I know." She said knowing that he was talking about the hurt he felt with Rebecca.

"But my impression of you changed the minute we started walking toward that coffee shop.

"How do you mean?"

"It only took those five minutes for to realize there was so much more to you. You were so smart and driven. You were funny and sarcastic. There was so much more to you than what was on the surface. Not that I minded what my eyes saw on the surface, but it only took those five short minutes to realize everything else. Maybe Summer has much more depth to her."

Kirsten smiled, loving this man so much. "You're probably right." She never thought about comparing herself to Summer like that, but Sandy made a good point. She decided to inquire about her other son.

"Is Ryan eating with us?"

"No he's working with Matt tonight. I think he's a good influence on Ryan. You know he's young, he didn't come from much and he's making something of himself. He's a good role model."

Sandy looked back at his forgotten work on the table. He just wanted to get it done and enjoy spending time with his wife they way he really wanted to. Kirsten started to clean up as she spoke, breaking Sandy's concentration again. "You know, your man crush is deepening!"

Sandy dropped his pen, looking up at her in shock. "My man crush?"

She laughed at the look on his face. "Yeah. You really like him and you talk about him constantly. Should I be worried?"

"You know how I feel about Ryan and myself being very similar?" He hoped she was going to understand where he was going with this. When she nodded, he continued. "Well, I feel like Matt is Ryan's Max." He paused waiting for this information to sink in. "Maybe Matt will be the one to give Ryan the big break that Max gave me. You know? Show him that life could actually be fair sometimes."

Kirsten knew Sandy's appreciation for Max Bloom went beyond anything he held for his own family. She knew that he was Sandy's mentor and holds a very huge candle for the man who he claims changed his life. Kirsten also knew that Rebecca was a part of that whole equation and often tried to look past that to fully understand Sandy's feelings.

She finally finished cleaning up and putting the final things into the fridge. She walked over to the table and squeezed her small waist in between the table and Sandy's lap. She placed her arms delicately around his neck as she spoke softly. "Sometimes I don't think you give yourself enough credit."

He dropped his pen, letting himself fully embrace her body. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you think that you have already done that? Taught Ryan that life is fair. Gave him a chance that probably no one else would? You are his Max, not Matt. Nothing you say will convince me otherwise."

Sandy was reminded for probably the zillionth time of why he married this woman. "Thank you."

She leaned in a pecked his lips. "Next you are going to tell me Matt has a relative that will play that part of Ryan's one great love."

"Kirsten..." He started hating that she was making that comparison. "...you are my one great love. You are the love of my life. I'm sorry if you don't feel that way, but it's the God's honest truth."

"I know. It's just nice to be reminded every now and then."

"Interested in me showing you?" He played.

"Maybe."

He kissed her passionately, moving his one hand to the back of her head and the other to the small of her back.

She pulled back, loving when he kissed her like that. "Definitely!" She changed her answer.

As good of a night they had, Kirsten was still disappointed that she woke up alone. Usually after a night of love making, Sandy would always stay with her in the morning. It was like an unwritten rule they had. She rolled over and saw that he left a note on his pillow. At least he was still thoughtful after all these years.

Kirsten -

You were incredible last night. It was tough for me to leave you in here all by yourself, but I had to get some work done. I am just downstairs. When you are ready, I will join you for breakfast. YOU are the love of my life. Don't ever forget that!

- Sandy

She loved how much he reassured her over all her insecurities. She laid there thinking of their night and the words they shared. She wished he would have spoken those words last year and that she would have believed them.

After their late breakfast, Sandy and Ryan set off to The Newport Group. Neither Kirsten nor Sandy heard Ryan come home last night, but they were well aware of why that might have been. They were almost too afraid to ask what time he strolled in. But the redness in his eyes and the constant yawning gave them a hint that it must have been pretty late.

Sandy tried to ask Ryan about it in the car on the way over. "So, you and Matt worked pretty late last night huh?"

Ryan knew less was more and didn't want to divulge too much information. He knew would not be thrilled with the idea of Matt taking his job to a strip club, let alone his son. He only hoped that Matt did his share of the work so Sandy wouldn't be disappointed. "Yeah."

"That's it? That's all I get?" Sandy tried pushing.

"Not much else to say."

When they went inside the building, Ryan knew that today was not going to be a good day. Where the hell was Matt? What exactly had he done last night? Once Matt did arrive, he was disheveled and looking as badly as Ryan did when he woke up. Ryan wouldn't have been surprised if Matt slept at the club.

Just as Ryan suspected, the meeting went terribly wrong and Sandy was extremely upset. When Matt stormed off apologizing, Ryan knew his time was up. He was going to have to explain what happened. He just wasn't prepared to do so.

"Would you like to tell me now what the hell happened last night?"

"Sandy..." Ryan was trying to buy some time and figure out a way to cover Matt's ass and not have Sandy mad at him as well.

"Save the excuses Ryan. I want you to tell me exactly what you two were up to last night. Why did you both look like shit this morning and the work assigned to you not get done?"

Ryan was startled a little bit by the anger and resentment in Sandy's voice and suddenly he was speechless.

Sandy's impatience got the best of him, not waiting for Ryan to start speaking. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap at you. This project was not your responsibility. My anger is not directed toward you. You are here to learn from Matt and the examples that he sets. I just need to know why he didn't get it done."

Without his knowledge, Sandy was making this more difficult in Ryan's eyes. He knew he had to divulge the truth. "Matt needed to take a field trip to clear his head before starting on the job."

"A field trip?"

"Yeah."

"I am going to need more than that." Sandy was getting frustrated again since Ryan was being so vague. That only led him to believe he wasn't going to be happy with what came out of Ryan's mouth next.

"He needed to meet with some friends..."

"Where?" Sandy wasn't going to let Ryan beat around the bush.

"Bare Elegance." Ryan practically whispered. Ryan hoped Sandy didn't know of the place.

Sandy slowly shut his eyes, realizing that maybe Matt wasn't the greatest role model. "Were you with him?"

Ryan suddenly became embarrassed. "Yes." He needed to better explain. "He met with this girl who was his friend..."

"His friend? Ryan, come on. I may be old, but I'm not stupid." Sandy couldn't believe this. "How long did you stay there?"

"Late. Pretty late."

"How late?"

"The majority of the night. I ended up leaving when he disappeared for a long period of time."

"What time did you get home?" Sandy was once again reminded that neither he nor Kirsten heard him come in. "It must have been late."

"Not late enough." Ryan murmured. He had heard certain noises coming from their bedroom that he didn't want to make Sandy aware of. When Ryan finally looked up at Sandy, there was a slight smirk on his face. Not that the anger dissipated, but Sandy knew why Ryan said what he said.

"Fair enough." Sandy joked, not wanting to discuss his sex life with Ryan.

"You're lucky it wasn't Seth!" Ryan tried to play off the real topic at hand.

"Ryan, I don't want you hanging out at strip clubs. Let's start there! You are far too young to be hanging out at places like that. I can understand that it must have been very tempting to be inside a strip club for the first time..."

"Sandy, it wasn't my first time." He figured he should probably make Sandy understand that this wasn't such a big deal for him. He had been around this sort of thing his whole life.

"Well I would like to think it was your first time since you have lived with us. Strip clubs are for bachelor parties, not for a typical Friday night. Do I need to explain that further?"

"No." Ryan knew what Sandy meant. He was trying to be cool with it but at the same time trying to teach him a lesson.

"Lap dances were not on the list of discussions I thought I would be having with you any time in the near future. Don't let me have to bring this up again. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"With that said, you are going to have to take me there."

"What?" Now Ryan was really confused. "Kirsten would..."

"Not for pleasure Ryan. I need to find Matt and find out what the hell happened today. I know his type and I'll bet he is there."

Ryan didn't want to do this, but knew he didn't have a choice. He didn't want to be in this type of situation with Sandy. "Fine."

"I have to call Kirsten first and..."

"You are going to tell Kristen?"

Sandy smirked, knowing Ryan was going to be very sensitive about that. "...and tell her that I am going to be late. As for Kirsten, you should know better than that to ask. Consider it your punishment. Speaking from experience, the strip club lecture is not a pleasant one."

Kirsten's day went just as well as Sandy's. All that cooking she did was such a waste. This asshole wanted to have dinner with Julie. How frustrating is that? And to make matters worse, Julie embraced the whole situation and stayed. Kirsten once again questioned her ability to take this job seriously.

The phone ringing broke her out of her thoughts. When he saw the caller ID that it was Sandy, she answered with a full sentence. "I really hope your meeting went better than my day."

"Sadly, no. I'm sorry to hear your day didn't go well."

"Not really. Please tell me you are on your way home."

"Again, I'm sorry. I have to take care of something first and then I will be home. Let's have a late dinner, okay?"

"You want to go out or stay in?"

"I want to get in my sweats and eat dinner in bed with you. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect."

Once Sandy and Ryan pulled up, Sandy's level of annoyance skyrocketed. "I can't believe you were inside this place." He murmured.

"It's really not that bad." Ryan didn't want to have to explain that this place was not half as seedy as the places Trey took him in the past.

"Don't say things like that. It leads me to want to ask questions that I am not prepared to hear the answers to."

Once they were inside, Sandy completely lost his composure. He saw Matt at the bar and approached with one thing in mind. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm so sorry..." Mat tried to explain.

"That you weren't prepared for the meeting, I could maybe overlook. That you were here, that you brought Ryan here really tries my patience. I'd hear you out.."

"Thanks. It means a lot." Matt wanted to explain.

Sandy wasn't prepared to wait for an explanation. Nothing he was going to say would fix it. "But you lied to my face. You disrespected me and the company I'm trying build, the one that you said you wanted to build with me."

"It won't happen again." Matt defended.

"You're right! It won't happen again. I want you out of the office tomorrow. You're fired."

"Hey, come on." It was the first time Ryan spoke up.

"No, not another word out of you kid." Sandy spoke as he pointed his finger at Ryan. "Don't think you don't have anything to be sorry about."

Ryan had heard Sandy speak with anger in the past, but this was the first time it was directed at him. He thought they ironed everything out at the office, but now he knew otherwise. Hopefully, he would be able to further apologize.

Sandy was more than aggravated by the time he arrived home later that evening. Ryan dropped him off, wanting to go visit Marissa and also wanting to get away from Sandy a bit. If he learned anything from the past, it was that time passing helped others cool off.

The house was dark when he let himself in, but he could feel her presence, wandering off down the long hall. Was she really going to grant his wish of having dinner in their bedroom? When he opened the door, he saw Kirsten sitting at the table set for two by the window overlooking their backyard.

"Well this is a nice surprise." He said, startling her a bit.

She recovered and smiled. "It wasn't meant to be a surprise. I was just honoring a request."

"Wow." Sandy was speechless.

"Well I figured you had a bad day so it was the least I could do."

He made his way over to the table and immediately noticed all the effort she put into this dinner. Carrying everything from the kitchen, cooking all the food and even lighting candles. It was very sweet of her, but only one thing plagued his mind. He kissed her lips softly, savoring this moment. It was his way of saying thank you. "So what are you requesting in return since I know your day didn't go well?"

She gave him a seductive look before taking her hands and pulling his shirt out of his pants. "I think you are going to love my request."

"If it involves you removing my clothes, I am going to love it!" He said with a huge grin on his face.

"No, I was just starting the process." She said pointing over at the bed. She laid out a pair of his sweat pants and his favorite grey New York T shirt on the bed. "Go change and get more comfy. I already did." She pointed out, referring to the fact that she was already in her pajamas.

Sandy didn't have to be told twice as he grabbed the clothes and loosened his tie at the same time. "So what happened today? I take it your dinner didn't go well?"

"It didn't go at all." She started pouring lemon water into the glasses on the table and she continued. "Actually I shouldn't say that exactly. It turns out I cooked all that food for this guy to have Julie as a dinner guest. I wasn't go to suffer the indignity of serving them so I just left."

"And Julie stayed?" Sandy called from the closet.

"What do you think?" She said annoyed. "I guess I shouldn't care considering we still got paid, but I guess I expected her to leave with me. I think I have to learn not to set my expectations too high."

Sandy came out in his comfortable clothes, walking back over to the table. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration for what his wife dealt with today. "I'm sorry you did all that work for Julie."

"I'm over it now. What happened with you? What happened with your meeting?"

"Matt screwed up." It's as simple as that. "I am trying to figure out why he did what he did, but I keep coming up with blanks."

"Well help me understand and maybe I will be able to help you figure it out."

They both sat down to eat as Sandy thought about how much to divulge to Kirsten. "You are really going to be sorry you asked that!"

"What happened to your man crush? Has it faded already?" She tried to joke.

"I don't think you are going to find this a laughing matter." Sandy knew he had to spill the beans. "Matt was totally unprepared for the meeting because he took your son to a strip club all night."

Kirsten's head jerked up from her plate, surprised at the words that just came out of her husband's mouth. "What?"

"I know. I am usually such a good judge of character. Never in a million years would I think Matt would do something like that."

"Ryan was at a strip club?" Kirsten repeated in shock.

"Yeah and you are going to love this next part. Apparently it wasn't his first time."

Kirsten put her fork down, losing her appetite. "I know you say I am usually naive about these sort of things, but he is too young to be going to places like that, right?" She hoped he was going to agree with her.

"I already spoke to him about it. I am not necessarily sure I got through to him though. We have to realize that his brother probably dragged him to places far worse than Bare Elegance when he was younger."

"Bare Elegance?"

"Yeah, that was where they went. It really wasn't that bad, but the whole idea of him in a place like that bothers me."

Kirsten focused on the first part of that statement as Sandy finished the last bits of food on his plate. "How do you know it wasn't that bad? That bad compared to what?"

Sandy knew he was going to have to disclose this part as well. "I had Ryan take me back there so I could square off with Matt. He took off after the meeting and I know his type. I knew he would be there afterwards. Remember that guy Joey Dugan in college? He lived at Smiles, that strip club off campus. He used to eat lunch there twice a week?"

"I remember." Kirsten couldn't help but laugh at the memory of that guy.

"Matt now strikes me as that type. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"Maybe you are being too hard on him."

"Kirsten..." Sandy said appalled. "...He took Ryan to a strip club. I don't need him turning into Joey Dugan by the time he turns eighteen. We gave him a life away from all that crap. I don't want him to think places like that are okay to frequent."

Kirsten could tell that Sandy was upset and figured she would bring this up from a different angle. "Ryan couldn't have been too forth coming with this information."

Sandy placed his napkin on his plate, finished with dinner as Kirsten started eating again. "Not really. I think his biggest concern was if I was going to tell you."

"What did you say?"

Sandy laughed, knowing she was going to kill him for this one. "I told him your strip club lecture was not something to look forward to."

"Great. So now he knows you have been to these types of places in the past?" She didn't want Ryan to think that. She wanted him to assume that she and Sandy were against this sort of thing, even if it wasn't entirely true. Do as I say and not as I do was the message they were trying to get across.

"Don't worry." Sandy started laughing. "I didn't tell him you have been inside a strip club before."

"Sandy!" She exclaimed.

"What?" He feigned innocence.

"You know what! It was one time and only because I rather you go with me than without me. And it was ages ago." Kirsten placed her napkin on her plate as well, definitely done with dinner now. She couldn't keep the smirk off her face as well. She would never forget that night.

"That night will always be embedded into my mind. Your jealousy only served to increase your wildness in the sack if I remember correctly."

She got up from her seat and made her way over to their bed. "Well I had to make sure that I was worth more than those trashy little strippers."

He got up and followed her and kneeled in front of her on the bed. "Any night with you is more than worth it." He said, kissing her passionately.

She pulled him by the t-shirt toward her as she leaned back into the pillows, wanting him to crawl on top of her. "And how were the dancers tonight? Did you enjoy the view?" She said arching her hips so their groins collided.

"Not half as much as I enjoy your touch." He pressed his weight down, giving her the desired pressure she craved.

"Good! I don't want anyone else touching you."

"So you are not going to drag me to another swingers party duel?" Sandy couldn't help but mention that at this particular moment.

"Never!"

"Good because I don't want anyone else's hands on you!" As he started to undress her, he repeated his words from the previous night. "I love you and only you Kirsten."

Sandy woke up the next morning to an empty bed, which was a rarity in their bedroom. Kirsten was always the late sleeper and he was always the one up early and either out surfing or already dressed for work. He heard voices downstairs and knew Kirsten was spending time with the boys.

After taking a shower and getting dressed he headed down to the kitchen, watching his family interact from a distance. It was such a great sight to see considering they rarely did this anymore.

"Hey sleepyhead." Kirsten joked, when she noticed him in the doorway.

"Father." Seth acknowledged his presence as well. Ryan kept his head buried in his cereal, clearly still not comfortable about what happened over the past two days. Seth noticed and decided to get them both out of the kitchen. "Best of 3? Playstation finale?"

Once Ryan agreed, Kirsten and Sandy were left alone in the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting to wake up alone." Sandy said, making his way over to her.

"It's not fun, huh?" She playfully teased.

"No, no it's not."

"My thoughts exactly every single time you surf in the morning." She poked his side, letting him know she was kidding.

Sandy watched as she walked away from him and shuffled some business papers around. "So I have to go into the office for a little bit today. I promise I won't be long."

"Okay." She looked into the living room and then back at Sandy. "Has Ryan said anything to you?"

"Not a thing." Sandy smiled, loving how uncomfortable he felt.

"Great." She said sarcastically, now knowing she was going to have to deal with it.

Once Sandy left, Kirsten started working on starting a budget excell for their new business. She spoke with Julie briefly, saying that she would be over later that evening. She was deep in thought when Ryan came in to refill his drink.

"Hey." She broke the silence.

"Hi. I was just getting a drink." Ryan's face became flushed, suddenly uncomfortable with being alone with Kirsten.

"Ryan..." She started.

"I know you know." He said with his head down.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not happy about it, but I am sure you already knew that."

"I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Matt."

"As much as I would like to believe that, I also know you are a teenage boy."

"I don't need to go to places like that." Ryan defended, trying not too say too much. He knew she didn't want to hear he had a healthy sex life with Marissa.

Kirsten knew what he meant. "I'm not stupid Ryan. I know you are sexually active. So was I at your age."

"Whoa..." He started to say.

She gave him a glaring look. "I would like to think you are much more responsible for your actions these days. And contrary to what you believe, I am not going to lecture you. I just want you to know that places like that are not where I hope you would frequent, even as you get older. Okay?"

"That's it?"

"That's it. I think I've scarred you enough!"

Ryan was glad that Kirsten was so easy on him and knew he needed to make sure things were okay with Sandy as well. He knew how mad Sandy was yesterday. "Where did Sandy go? I wanted to talk to him and make sure he is still not mad at me."

"I don't think he was ever really mad at you. Disappointed maybe, but more mad at Matt. He went to the office for a bit."

"Thanks Kirsten."

It wasn't much later when Julie let herself in to the Cohen household.

"Hey Julie. How was your date?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, it was awful. We totally didn't click, we had nothing to talk about, and his tongue was like sandpaper." Julie always revealed too much information.

Kirsten couldn't help but make a face at that comment. "Sorry to hear that!"

"I'm sorry. I should never have stayed. It was so unprofessional of me." She took a seat next to Kirsten on the couch. "And you made all that food for nothing."

Kirsten could see now that Julie thought it was wrong. "Well, it wasn't for nothing. We got paid. In a way, our first venture was a success." Kirsten spoke like a true businesswoman.

"Yeah I guess so. How weird is it that a guy would spend that much money just to have dinner with a woman?"

The wheels started turning in Kirsten's head. "Julie, I have an idea for a new business."

"Oh my god! High class call girl operation. I love it!"

Just when Kirsten thought Julie was taking this seriously. "No, a high end dating service."

"Oh, that could work too!"

"So, sandpaper huh?" Kirsten couldn't help but bring that back up.

"It was seriously awful. Sometimes I don't think you realize how lucky you are that you are married. As boring as that must be sometimes!"

"It's not as boring as you think." Kirsten smiled, thinking about the last two nights she spent with Sandy. She was lucky.

"Do tell." Julie said, hoping to swap stories.

"No way. Even though I would love to hear all about your tragic date, I'm not disclosing any information about my sex life." She laughed, knowing Julie would want very intimate detail.

After working for a bit and outlining their new business idea, Julie eventually left once Sandy came home. Kirsten's mind kept focusing back to how lucky she really was. She was married to a man who loved and respected her. She never had to worry about their chemistry or the bland sex life that often followed around married couples. She never had to worry about dating or facing evening like Julie just went thought.

She was very, very lucky.

She made her way to Sandy's office, watching him in deep concentration. "Hey." She whispered.

"Hey." He smiled dropping his pen. "Julie left?"

"Yeah." She walked over to him and kissed him on the lips.

"What was that for?" he couldn't help but be surprised.

"I love being married to you. I don't think I say that enough."

"I know." He said. "But I'll take those type of kisses anytime you want to send them my way.

"I love you Sandy."

"I love you too."

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