THE AFFAIR Read Online Free Page B

sheets.
    “Is she okay?”
    “She’s been better.”
    The concern in Larry’s voice was not making me feel the guilt I should be having right about now. I was only glad that there was no Peaches. No one to bring into my lie. No one that Larry would ever see, or talk to, to either confirm or deny my tale.
    “Did you eat?” I didn’t know what else to say to him.
    “No. I was waiting for you. I didn’t see anything on the stove.”
    I felt a flush of anger. Couldn’t he do anything without me there? “Why don’t you make yourself a sandwich?”
    “What do we have?”
    “There’s ham and turkey in the fridge.”
    “Do we have any soda?”
    “Yes.”
    “What kind?”
    I had gone past annoyed at this point, but as I watched Chance dressing, I subdued my tone. “Larry, why don’t you check?”
    “I could just wait for you to come home.”
    “I may not be home for hours.”
    “I’ll wait.”
    “Are you waiting for me to make you a sandwich?”
    “Well, I like the way you do it. Plus, I was thinking maybe we could have some desert. You know the kind I mean.”
    He laughed then and I lost the last vestige of control. I was in a hotel room liberating my spirit with a stranger. I didn’t want to consider having mundane chores waiting for me at home.
    “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
    I glanced at Chance underneath my lashes. He was pretending not to hear my conversation. I said a hurried goodbye to my husband and hung up the phone.
    “I think you might want to take a shower.”
    Chance’s gaze found mine. I didn’t know what to say, how to answer him. I’d completely forgotten that I undoubtedly smelled of sex.
    I started for the shower, then paused. “Chance, is this the first time you’ve made love to a woman of color?”
    “A woman of color? What in the world does that mean? Like I said, I’ve made love to you a million times before, in many skins. Surely you’re aware that in each incarnation it’s our soul that returns. Our bodies are merely vessels for our souls.”
    “So your answer would be yes?”
    Chance laughed. “My answer would be yes. I have loved you in all your glorious skins and I have loved you in every corner of the globe.”
    “Were we ever in India?” I don’t know why I asked but the words just slipped out.
    “Yes, we lived several incarnations in India. Our bodies never bothered either of us before. Does the difference in the color of our skin bother you in this incarnation?”
    A flash of my dark-haired husband came to me and the poverty of India. Could it have been that country I’d seen in my many dreams? “No, Chance, it doesn’t bother me.” He was eyeing me strangely.
    “You’d better go ahead and take your shower. I’ll dry your clothes with the blow dryer,” he offered.
    Half of me wanted him in there with me. The other half wondered if he would toss the dryer into the shower and kill me in that fashion.
    He laughed aloud. “Michelle, I’m not an ax murderer and I’ve never done anything like this before. I promise, I’m not going to do anything to you.”
    I didn’t want to take my clothes off for two reasons. I wanted Chance again and I was afraid of my feelings. Never in my entire life had lust ruled. I had never really known lust until now. God , I prayed, h elp me please. Something is happening and I can’t control it.
    I didn’t look at Chance, but went instead to the bathroom, removed my clothing and called out to him to come and dry them. The sound of the dryer made me pause and for a moment I peered over the shower curtain at this man, Chance, drying my clothes.
    I watched as he held my blouse in his hand, running the hair dryer along the creases of the soft material. He was using his fingers to push away the wrinkles. I smiled to myself at his actions.
    He held my blouse to his cheek and I saw him close his eyes for a moment. He had a dreamy look as though he was reliving a very pleasant memory. When he reached for my pants, I closed