23750932750

In the morning, we had sex one more time, tenderly, slowly, my legs covered in tiny bruises from
his hands. He lifted them this way and that, his hip bones thrusting, but tenderly, moving so
beautifully, our bodies made for each other. Entwining his fingers with mine, he flipped me on top of
him as my head dropped back, and I rode him as carefully as I could, as his fingers traveled over my
breasts, down my stomach, his face marveling at the way the sun must have danced through my hair,
turning it a blazing golden red. I came like that, so easily, his ability to stroke me perfect—a miracle
for only knowing my body one night.
After that, there was no hesitation, no long discussion, no doubt, no fear.
The first call I made was to Elizabeth. I told her I was too sick to come into work, a lie that thrilled
her because she saw right through it: it meant my date had gone well.
“How well did it go?”
“I can’t talk right now.”
“Because he’s still there! Okay! That is so good!”
The second call was to Cassie, which went straight to voice-mail, and the next, to Matilda.
She now sat on the other side of her desk in the Coach House, where she had told us to meet her when
we dressed. Mark was in the seat next to mine, holding my hand tenderly between his.
I couldn’t believe, still, that this was happening.
“You both look like guilty dogs,” she said. “Why? And Mark? You’re leaving us too, then.”
I looked at his profile. My rock star, so bold on the stage, looked so sheepish in front of Matilda.
“I feel the same way as she does, ma’am. Lightning doesn’t always strike like this. I just want to be
with her,” he said, seeming as surprised to say the words as Matilda was not to hear them.
“Why wouldn’t you feel this way, my dear? You’re not a complete idiot. Maybe I’m even a little
envious. Because you’re right, what’s happened between you two doesn’t happen often. But it’s quite
special when it does.” She paused.
Not just special, I wanted to say—momentous, life-changing, mind-blowing. I had worried she’d
try to talk me out of this, that she’d caution me not to confuse great sex for true love. But we were
getting a ringing endorsement.
“This means finding your replacement, Mark, and looking for another S.E.C.R.E.T. candidate,
Dauphine, but that’s what we do. Now Mark, I’d like to have a quiet word with Dauphine. Why don’t
you wait for her in the courtyard? We won’t be a minute. And thank you for your service, however
brief. Clearly, you were … revelatory.”
“The pleasure was all mine, ma’am.”
He stretched to standing and looked at my face, his hand reaching for my chin.
“And Mark—” Matilda added, sweetly, as he got to the door. “Never call me ma’am again.”
He nodded, embarrassed, as our eyes followed him out the door. When we were alone, I turned to
her.
“I tried to reach Cassie, but her phone’s off,” I said.
“She’s at the hospital. Her colleague went into labor last night. I’ll tell her,” she said, placing a
hand over mine. “Listen, you should know the Committee voted yesterday to donate the money we
received from Castille Industries, all of it, to various causes that help women. Pierre won’t give us
the painting back, but we decided that we cannot operate an organization dedicated to liberating
women by taking money from a man dedicated to manipulating them.”
“But what about all the women you could help with his money?”