"Damn!" Joanne huffed, dropping into the pillows with a soft thud. With one tan arm draped across her burning forehead, she used the other to draw deliciously rough patterns on Larry's chest.

"Don't curse in bed," Larry grumbled. It was more of a meek request than the demand he had been aiming for.

"It was a compliment," she shot him a sultry look before stretching to pluck a cigarette from the carton on his bedside table. Her still bare breasts brushed against his chest, and he smiled not only at the feeling, but the view. God, she was beautiful. The younger women she shot blazing brown -turned a jealous shade of green- eyes at, could never compare to his Joanne. He gave her bottom a squeeze through the sheet and she squeaked her approval before situating back onto her side of the bed. Why jealousy was even a thought in her pretty little head was beyond him. These lapses in confidence stopped bothering him years ago, though. The realization that watching him saunter through cohorts of young broads -as she called them- had Joanne pulling him to bed by his tie had set it at some point. No, he didn't mind her territorial nature in the slightest; reminders as to where his loyalties lie were more than welcome.

Joanne had nothing to worry about, though. Larry never took his mind or his eyes off of her. She was everything he could want- driven, beautiful, independent, strong-willed, and (no matter how hard she fought to hide it) a hopeless romantic.

The brunette took a long drag on her cigarette, let the smoke swirl within her, and expelled it back out with a contented sigh. What she told Robby was a convenient half-truth. Smoking was not the best; Smoking after hot, exhilarating sex...that was the best. She wouldn't dare mention anything sexual around Robby though. Talk of sex around him would only douse gasoline on the fire raging with her. There had always been a welcome dose of sexual tension between the two. It was fun to play around with. Passing flirtatious glances, making empty suggestions, sharing hardly innocent touches. The kiss at her party had sucked out all of the fun. Joanne had taken their little game too far, and now it took everything she had not to push him against the nearest wall and have her way with him.

"Jo, honey! This is a white comforter! You've gotta catch the ashes,"

She flinched and looked around, only half-roused from her heated thoughts. Turning to set her cigarette in the ashtray on her nightstand, she correcting her husband, "It's a duvet."

"Smart Ass!" he grumbled playfully, rolling over to lick and nip at her breasts.

"Don't curse in bed," Joanne mocked in a husky moan, holding his head firmly to her chest. Thank God he wanted to go again. She was going to need all the help she could get to take Robby off her mind.

"John is having an affair!" The little blonde wailed without preamble.

Joanne's head popped up, jaw slack. Expelling a deep breath, she cursed her own guilty conscious- John sounded too much like Joanne. The entire table went quiet, and a few strangers turned to see where the screaming confession had come from. Not one of the ten ladies seated could offer any comfort to their "friend", because they weren't friends at all. That word was only used to make their tasteful acquaintance sound more intimate -as it usually was with these sorts of women in this sort of a city.

Joanne toyed with the idea of popping off a signature snide comment. Something along the lines of "If Larry were having an affair, I'd drop his ass on the street, and enjoy the divorce settlement until husband number four came along!" She couldn't force the lie out though, not today. Losing him would never be that easy, and it was painfully obvious.

No matter how hard it was to admit, Larry was different. He was...perfect, if she were being completely honest- which was a rare delicacy. Larry had her figured out from day one. He knew when to shut up and submit, but also when to step in and override. Joanne loved him. This was the first marriage that she could remember being emotionally -rather than financially- invested in. There was an unbearably strong affection for him hiding somewhere deep within her. Larry was her everything and she had a sneaking suspicion that -whether it was said aloud or not- he knew just how adored he was. Dysfunctional though the manner of showing it was.

Some of that adoration had to be spurned on by his complete worship of her. Joanne caught him watching her constantly, his eyes filled with love and wonder. She couldn't be that fascinating, right? She was just a middle aged woman, nagging and bitching all day with the occasional sexy comment whispered in his ear. He still loved her though. And how was she repaying him? Kissing younger men and making love only to satisfy her appetite for another. She was still there though, thinking of nothing but him the whole time. Robby hadn't crept that far into her mind...yet.

"Well, that's shit news!" Joanne announced loudly, dropping her napkin onto the plate of picked-over salad. Lacing her long, tan fingers together, she looked around the table for back-up, squirming at the silence. "Well, I sure as hell hope that works out for yuh. If you all will excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

"Is Larry in?" Joanne barked. She made a point to lean far over the high desk, giving the young receptionist an eyeful of her ample cleavage. That should remind her whose sheets her boss rolled in every night.

"Yes, ma'am..." The girl answered meekly.

Giving an uninterested nod, she turned to for her husband's office. Throwing a smirk over her shoulder, she added, "And, don't call me ma'am! I'm not that old, sweetheart." Opening the door without a knock, she found Larry swiveled around backwards, a spiral cord disappearing behind the chair. Closing the door lightly, she threw her handbag into a leather chair and walked around to plop herself on the edge of his desk. With teasingly spread legs, Joanne wrapped her arms around the cool leather of his chair to rub her hands across his warm chest.

Larry swiveled around slowly to find his wife before him, legs spread, leaning back on her elbows. "Uh, Philip...I gotta run. Something important was just dropped on my desk. Yeah, I'll -uh- I'll call you back." He dropped the phone on the receiver, leaning back in his chair to appreciate the "important" thing on his desk.

Joanne broke the silence to ask with a smirk, "Well, here I am. Are you really going to turn down an offer like this?"

He chuckled at her forward nature, "Never." Larry scooted forward to drop slow kisses from her knee to her thigh, lingering between her hips with an open mouth, eyes locked on hers.

"What a tease!" Her tone was dramatically over-sexed as she slid seamlessly from the desk into his lap meeting his lips in a feverish kiss. He reached around her blindly to push hard against the desk, spinning the pair in a dizzying circle. Her loud, hearty laugh echoed through the room as Larry's demanding lips latched on to her neck.

The smell of him came before the sight. His strong, musky cologne was wafting from the doorway of her apartment. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Joanne announced her presence much louder than necessary, per the norm. "Robby! What are you doing here, kiddo?"

Robert smiled widely and stood up a bit straighter, "Well, it's only four and I remembered you saying Larry didn't come home for another hour or so. I thought I'd drop by and talk with you about some stuff."

"Damn." she muttered under her breath, hoping he didn't hear. He heard. "Well, come in!" she shrieked, pushing past him to unlock the door. "Can I make you a drink?"

"No, thanks. I'd like to be sober around you for once." He chuckled at his own joke.

Joanne couldn't find the humor. "You sure, babe?" Shit, she had to stop calling him by these pet names, "I can't drink alone!"

"Then don't. What is it about me that makes you drink?" Robert's tone was suddenly so serious.

Rolling her eyes, she said, " Just trying to keep up with you, kiddo." It was a better choice than the honest answer of 'Because every time I see you, I have to find a way to keep myself from pulling you on top of me.' Instead she shot him a wide smile and poured herself a large vodka stinger, "You sure?"

"Positive." He answered with a mischievously sensual look in his eyes.

Joanne took a large swig of her drink, stopping just short of draining the glass. "So what was it you wanted?"

"You." The delicate glass slipped from her grasp and shattered on the tile floor.

To all of you who read chapter one, I hope you stick with me a bit longer. I know this is slightly outrageous, but I have a plan. I promise you that much!