He parked down the block so the neighbors wouldn’t see his car.  It wouldn’t be good for his wife to find out that he’d come home in the middle of a work day.  It was a long shot, of course; chances are that no one would mention it to her.  But if they did she’d ask him why, and eventually she’d catch him in a lie.  Best to just avoid the discussion altogether.

Ten minutes until she arrived.  That was just enough time to take a quick shower and shave away the stubble that had amassed on his cheeks.  Her thighs were sensitive, after all, and he tried his best to be mindful.  He had a brand new bottle of Skin Bracer he was looking forward to splashing on.  He knew the scent drove her wild.

Though he was looking forward to a warm shower, he wished they had time to shower together afterward, as he imagined they would both need to clean up before returning to work.  But even without the shower he would be cutting it close, and despite the longer-than-usual lunch break she enjoyed on Wednesdays, he knew she would be hard-pressed to get back to the office on time.

He looked forward to the day when they’d be able to get together in the evening, or perhaps on a Saturday.  He would pull out all the stops for her:  Rose petals on the bed, champagne and strawberries.  They could take their time, maybe even fall asleep in each other’s arms, and then shower.  That sounded blissful.

He walked upstairs, checking to make sure the ringer on his cell phone was at full volume.  He didn’t want to miss her call.  He probably should have just left the door unlocked; that way he wouldn’t have to rush through his shower, and she could walk right in, strip down, and join him.

He opened the bedroom door, and glanced inside.  Apparently he wasn’t the only one taking a midday break.  Hastily and noiselessly, he shut the bedroom door and hurried down the stairs, stabbing at the buttons on his phone as he went.  When she answered, he didn’t wait for her greeting before he spoke:

“How about your place?”