Present Day

John blinked his eyes open then smiled to see Anna, her head turned toward the door with her naked back facing him, still sleeping beside him. He adjusted himself in bed, reaching over a finger to trace along her spine. She shivered, practically purring when she turned her head over her shoulder to look at him.

"Are you planning on seducing me Mr. Bates?"

"I thought I already did that last night?"

"If you're looking for a Yelp review I was very satisfied and would give it five stars." She smiled at him, "Good morning."

"Good morning." John leaned over enough to give her a kiss. "I hope you slept well."

"Very well." Anna sighed, turning back toward the door but pulling his arm around her to interlace their fingers. "We need to discuss something, now that we're both rested."

"What?"

"The fact that I'm still a married woman, Mr. Bates."

"Maybe we can speak to one another about that." John kissed over her shoulders, smoothing his lips where she gasped. "After, I ravish you."

"Was this your plan to wake me up?"

"It was but now that we'll be talking about your husband I figured we should, instead, start with something pleasant to set a better mood."

"You're right," John gritted his teeth as she rubbed her ass over his erection. "I would so hate to spoil the mood."

"Thank you for understanding." He paused, lips working up her neck, "Shall I continue?"

"I'd be offended if you didn't."

John grinned, stroking his hand loose from her fingers to trail up her arm. "We wouldn't want that would we? To leave you unsatisfied after such a lovely evening."

When his hand reached her shoulder he trailed his fingers down her side to slip over her hip. His fingers massaged over her skin, kissing down her back in time with the motions of his hands to leave her sighing in pleasure. As John directed his lips back up to her neck he eased closer to her.

"You woke up in a good mood." Anna teased, rocking back toward him.

"I plan to leave you in a better one." John nipped at her ear, fingering over a breast before massaging it and pinching occasionally at the skin there to leave her moaning. "Are you ready for it?"

"Very."

John's fingers left her breast and worked between her legs, nudging them open with one of his, and ran a line down her with his middle finger. "I can tell."

"Don't tease." She keened, shifting on his fingers.

"I won't." He worked his finger inside, working back and forth with his other fingers sliding along the outside to trace her folds.

Her hand covered his wrist, guiding his motions, while her head turned to the side so she could kiss him. He used his other hand to hold her cheek, guiding his tongue to trace out her mouth. John pulled from her mouth a moment to ring her neck in kisses when he drove all three fingers inside her.

Anna shrieked, lungs panting with her fingers clutching his wrist to send her over the edge. His thumb stroked at her nerves, sending her hips rocking forward, and John slid his other arm under her. With the final drive of his fingers John caressed her breast.

Her exclamation of pleasure had John massaging over her body, easing the final shivers of her peak so her body could calm. John kissed at her neck, working up toward her ear as his fingers slipped out of her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like you haven't finished." Anna ran her hand from its place on her wrist up his arm. "Do you want to?"

"Please." John kissed her, groaning as her tongue delved into his mouth.

She used her grip near his elbow to pull him over her, guiding him to cover her body with his when she took her place on her stomach. John paused but Anna rubbed herself over him. "We've done it like this before."

"It's been awhile." John hesitated, holding himself over her. "I don't want to assume anything Anna."

"Then take my invitation." Anna turned over her shoulder to him, "We're together, John. Let's forget everything else for this moment and be free. Like we used to."

"We've never been free." John hesitated, "There's always been something between us an happiness."

"Then don't be one of those things right now." Anna kissed him, molding her lips to his until he wanted to continue but she pulled back, "Please?"

John adjusted himself, waiting for Anna's hips to rise, and thrust forward. Her head rested on the pillows and her arms shook slightly when she held herself up to meet his plunging drives. The sound of her whimpers had him working faster, driven almost mad by the feeling of her surrounding him, and he risked fingers around her hip to where they joined.

Her breath stopped in her lungs, voice lost in a moment of pleasure. John held still, his own nerves fraying, and waited until Anna drove herself back on him. He responded with steady thrusts until his fingers found her center again. She cried out, sobbing his name into the pillows, and John released.

Barely keeping himself upright, John slipped out of her and eased back. They rested on the bed, John on his back and Anna rolling toward him, trying to catch their breath. She gave a half-laugh and John angled his head to see her better.

"What?"

"I find, even after that, I couldn't find it in myself to want to talk about my husband." Anna sat up, "But we need to."

"And say what? That your husband's a conniving bastard?" John looked up at her, stroking over her hip. "The he doesn't deserve you?"

"Both of those things I guess but, more importantly," Anna took his hand, kissing over his knuckles. "That I'm still married."

"You're no more married now than you were last night or before now."

"True but," Anna pursed her lips, "I remember you and I having a conversation some years ago where you complained that you and I couldn't be together because you were still married."

"I was right then."

"Just as I am now when I say something you're not going to like."

John sat up, "What's that?"

"I'm going to go back home, alone. I'm going to call my solicitor. He's going to bring the papers I had him draft awhile back, update them, and leave them for Alex." Anna shifted, "Then I'll pack a bag and go stay in a hotel."

"You can't do that. He'll hunt you down."

"No, he'll have to understand that there's nothing he can do and this was a long time coming."

"What are you citing as your reasons for divorce?"

"Proof of adultery." Anna shrugged, "I've had it for a long time and wanted to use it for a long time but I've never had a reason to I guess."

"So you stayed with him?"

"Jack needed a sable home and that meant that I put on a show." Anna rolled her eyes, "Jack's smart though. He figured it out long before I ever told him."

"That his father's an ass?"

"That I stayed with his father for appearances sake."

"And now?"

"Now I have a reason to leave." Anna dipped her head down to kiss him. "I'm going to make a promise to you now that you made to me a long time ago."

Fifteen Years Ago

Anna woke up to find John gone. She turned in her bed, pushing her hair out of her face, blinking as she scanned her empty room. A noise from the other room alerted her and she pushed off her covers to grab her dressing gown.

She tied it around herself and smiled when she saw John banging around her flat. He almost dropped a pan when his elbow hit the handle off the stove. Anna covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh but the giggle that escaped gave her away. John turned, appearing sheepish.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I can't." John motioned to the pan. "It's just eggs."

"More than I normally do." Anna pointed to the draw by his hip. "The spatula is in there."

"Thanks." John grabbed it, banging his head on an open cupboard door. "Ow."

"Sorry," Anna laughed, reaching up to shut the door. "I forget sometimes how tall you are."

"Do you?" John leaned forward, using the counter to support himself, and kissed her.

"Most people taller than me take pleasure in lording it over me." Anna grinned, stealing another kiss before pushing him back. "You make it comforting."

"Glad I can do something for you."

Anna stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You do everything for me."

"Everything, except marrying you." John hung his head. "Anna, I-"

"No," Anna put her finger over his lips. "If you're about to apologize for last night you can stop that right there."

"But it's not right. To make you my mistress."

"First, you're assuming that you made this decision all on your own and that's a lie. Second, you think that we live in a world where that matters."

"It does matter."

"Not the same way it used to. We don't live in a world where people live in the same ten square kilometers from where they grew up so everyone knows that you're married. Now we just move wherever we want and no one knows. We don't even need to get married if it comes to that because we don't live in that world anymore."

John stopped, "Are you saying you don't want to marry me?"

"No, because number three," Anna stroked a finger down the side of his face. "I'm in love with you. I'd marry you right now if I could."

"And I'd marry you right now if I could."

"I know, and I love you for it."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still married."

"You were still married last night too." Anna smiled at him, "I want you to remember that I want to marry you with all of my heart. Since we can't yet we'll just have to wait for that day to come."

"When it comes," John took her left hand and kissed her ring finger. "I promise that I'll take you to the nearest registry office and marry you the moment that paper is in my hands."

"I count on it."

Present Day

"The moment those papers are in my hand, Mr. Bates," Anna kissed him, "I promise I'll take you to the nearest registry office and marry you."

John smiled, "I count on it."

"Good."

"Anna," John swallowed, "I wish I could've married you the moment I had the papers in my hand last time."

"I wish it too but that's in the past and we're in the present." Anna held his hand, "Take it for the gift it is."

"I will." John jumped at the sound of his alarm going off and Anna laughed with him. "I wasn't ready for it."

"I hate that sound. No matter how many songs I try I still hate it." Anna slid out of the bed, finding her knickers on the floor. "Never gets easier."

John grinned at the sight of her, walking around his room in the nude, and let out a chuckle of his own. Anna turned, frowning at him. "What?"

"Just…" He shrugged, "It seems so normal to have you walking around this room like you own it."

"No," Anna wagged her finger at him, "You're just happy that I'm walking around your room naked."

"I'll take both answers as correct."

"And there he is." Anna worked her bra back on.

"Who?"

"The schoolteacher. Don't you remember?"

"It was only two terms a lifetime ago so I guess I forgot."

Anna stopped, holding her dress in her hands. "Didn't you ever want to go back to teaching?"

"Sure, for awhile. But then life got in the way and now it's no longer who I am."

"I think you mean your revenge got in the way." Anna worked her dress back on, "But I can understand it in a theoretic sense."

"You disapprove?"

"I don't have enough personal experience to think about it one way or the other really. It's also not really my affair."

"Technically I am your affair." John got up, collecting his clothes as well, "If you want me to be."

"Mr. Bates," Anna reached up her hands to hold his cheeks, "I'd want nothing more, for the moment, than for you to kiss me."

"I'd be more than happy to."