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              He covered her body with his own, bringing the sheets over them. “I love you, Sara.”

              She kissed his chapped lips and smiled. “I love you too, but where did those moves come from?”

              “I don’t know what came over me.” Yet another lie he told her. He was sick of lying to her. He needed to take some of the burden off his chest, but chose to go with the one that would cause the least amount of fighting. “There’s something I have to tell you, and I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”

              Sara rolled to her side, slipping out from under Evan. “Do you really need to tell me this now?”

              “I wanted to tell you before, but I didn’t know how.”

              “And having sex with me just magically made the words pop in your head? Well, doesn’t that make me feel special?”

              “I don’t mean it like that. This,” he swayed his finger back and forth indicating both of them, “made me realize what I would be leaving behind when I go out of town.”

              Sara sat upright in the bed. “You haven’t put out the new book yet. We still have months before you go on tour again.”

              “I’m not going on tour, not for a while. But part of the contract for the movie will require me to spend some time out in Hollywood.”

              “How much time?”

              “At least two months.”

              “Two months?”

              “They want me there to help them pick the actors. I have to be there for the read-throughs and make any corrections to the script before they start filming.” Sara flung the sheets at Evan, grabbed her clothes, and stormed out of the bedroom. Evan collapsed on the bed. Him leaving town for two months was a huge blunder on his part, one that he knew he would be paying for later.

Chapter 41-Sara

              Gone again. Evan was home for three months and then he left for Hollywood. Another sentence of two months, living at home in solitary confinement. Her only escape was work or the rare times Julie invited her out for bad behavior.

              The loneliness of the apartment crept in after a couple of weeks. She missed Evan, despite his habit of focusing solely on his writing. She was grateful for the money, it helped take care of the bills and got them nice things, but the one thing she wanted the most was Evan.

              To make matters worse, his schedule had him working crazy hours. There were times in the morning he would work, then off during the afternoon, but work again for most of the night. Other times he would be out on set all day. Part of Sara felt bad for Evan. He worked crazy hours all day just to help turn his book into a movie. But there was a feeling in her gut that told her something was off. Was he really working, or was he using it as an excuse to pal around with actors, actresses, and producers?

              Kat wouldn’t be able to help her. She wanted nothing to do with Audrey and kept her distance from her. The only way Kat would know anything is if Evan told her, and that wouldn’t be helpful if he was lying. If Sara expressed her feelings about it, Kat would tell her how much Evan loves her and cares about her.

              By the end of the third week, Sara had heard from Evan six times. With anger getting the better of her, she dialed Julie hoping she would be a voice of reason.

              “What’s up girl?” Julie answered.

              “You got a minute?”

              “I’ve got all the time in the world for you.”

              “Do you think Evan would cheat on me?”

              “Whoa, where did that come from?”

              “Something’s been off about him since New Year’s and he’s been almost non-existent since he went off to Hollywood.”

              “He’s probably working his ass off. I’m sure he’s got a lot to do to help get that movie going.”

              “I know, but what if he’s out with other girls, or ditching me to meet with other actors or producers?”

              “Then let him. If he’s getting friendly with actors and producers, then that means more opportunities could open up in the future, which means more money for you both.”

              “I don’t care about the money.”

              “Girl, you’re lucky I’m not there to slap you upside your head. How can you not care about the money?”

              “Because I’d rather have Evan around than him being on the road somewhere making us money.”

              “Damn you must really love him.”

              “I do,” Sara admitted.

              “Then show him. You know he’s busy and can’t come to you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go to him.”

              “You’re saying I should go to California.”

              “You’re off on weekends. Take a trip and surprise him.”

              Sara expected Julie to be the voice of reason; she just didn’t expect the suggestion of a surprise trip. She thought about the look on Evan’s face when he saw her, and happy she would be to be back in his arms. It was all she needed to convince herself to go.

              “Alright, let me go. I have to book my flight and pack.”

              “Somehow, I don’t think you’ll need to pack that much.”

              Sara hung up and thought about getting to the hotel while Evan was still working. She would need to find a way to get the front desk to give her a key or let her into the room.

              Sara quickly grabbed her tablet and booked the earliest flight from New York to California. She confirmed her flight, which would depart early Friday night.

              There was a desire to surprise Evan with more than just her appearance. She wanted to stimulate him to bring out the passionate side he showed her the last night they had sex. She had one goal in mind, and knew just how to do it.

              Racing to the bottom drawer, she pulled out pieces of lingerie and displayed them on the bed. There was a green one piece that Sara thought at one point would look hot on her, but later realized there was nothing sexy about it. The black see through teddy was definitely going in her bag. The red lacy bra, matching booty shorts, and black five-inch heels would cause Evan’s jaw to drop. She wanted to bring one more item, but none of the remaining lingerie would give her the desired result. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sara saw a beige trench coat hanging up in the closet.

              “I think the all-natural look should work perfectly.”

              She placed it in her suitcase, along with the other items she wanted. If it were only those, she would have made it through security with an oversized purse.

              “Maybe I should bring some regular clothes, just in case Evan wants to introduce me.”

              Sara arranged to leave work early on Friday. Once twelve-thirty hit, she grabbed her jacket and rushed out the door, leaving nothing but the proverbial dust behind. She called the cab to meet her at the apartment, and was there by the time she showed up.

              “You going to JFK,” the cabbie asked.

              Sara popped the trunk of her car and pulled her suitcase from it. “Yeah. I have a three o’clock flight I need to make.”

              The cabbie helped her load the suitcase into the back of his car and held the door open for her. “Hop in and don’t worry; I’ll get you there on time.”

              They sped off trying to get to the Belt Parkway before traffic brought them to an inevitable standstill. “Shit, I’m gonna miss my flight.”

              “I promised you I’d get you there on time, and I’m a man that keeps his word.” The sincerity behind the man’s green eyes made Sara feel a little more confident, at least until he started weaving in and out of the three lanes. He sped onto the off ramp and followed it he reached the terminal. “See, I told you I’d get you here on time.”

              Sweat dripped down Sara’s terrified face as she clung to the back seat. “I’m just glad we made it in one piece.” She scrambled out of the car and quickly pulled her suitcase from the trunk. She tipped the cabbie, but barely reached the minimum.

              Racing inside, Sara knew the line for the security checkpoint was going to be long. It took a half hour to get within sight of the machines, another twenty to get close enough to place her suitcase on the conveyer belt. The closer she got, the more nervous she became. Would they physically check her bag, or would it just need to go through the machine?
Thank god, I remembered to pack additional clothes. It would be utterly embarrassing to see the TSA agents look at the monitor and see only lingerie floating around in my carryon
. She looked up at the body scanners. She thanked god again for remembering to wear her work clothes to the airport instead of changing into something sexy for Evan to find.

              The fear of someone finding out what she had in her bag, or why she was flying out to California subsided the moment she boarded the plane for her six and a half hour flight. She tried to sleep most of the way there. Thoughts of knocking on Evan’s door, catching him just before he went to sleep filtered through her head.

              She wanted to show up at Evan’s room wearing nothing but a pair of stilettos and the trench coat. Once he opened the door, she would flash him little by little until he ripped the coat off her. That was fantasy Sara. The real version didn’t know if she would have the guts to go through with it.

              “Maybe a drink might help you calm your nerves,” the woman next to her said.

             
Shit, how did she know?
Sara opened her eyes and realized her hands were gripping the armrest tightly.
She must think I’m nervous about flying
. “You might be right.” Sara flagged down the flight attendant and asked for a beer. Like the woman said, it might help calm her nerves.

              By the time the plane landed, it was well into the night. Evan was sure to be in his room, possibly in bed by the time she made it to the hotel. She checked her phone to see if he called or texted her while she was on the plane.

              “That’s weird.” Her phone lit up the time and apps on her home screen, but there was nothing else; no missed calls and no new text messages. She walked up to the front desk. “Hi, my name is Sara Taylor. My husband is in town staying here on business and I’m trying to surprise him for the weekend. Is there any way you could help me.”

              “I could ring his room for you if you’d like.”

              “That’s not exactly how I wanted to surprise him. Do you think you could give me a key to his room or let me into it?”

              “I’m sorry ma’am, but that’s against policy.”

              “Could you at least give me his room number? I mean, I can prove I’m his wife.”

              The man at the desk shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. As I said, I would be happy to ring his room for you.”

              Sara dug into her purse and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill. She had never bribed someone before and hoped it was enough to convince the man to help her. She held up the fifty, catching the man’s attention. Sliding it across the counter, she kept it between her fingers so the cameras wouldn’t pick up on it.

              The man placed his hand on top of her and slid it back, taking the money with him. He slid it into his pocket and began typing. “Your husband is in room five forty-six.” He printed out a keycard for the room and handed it to Sara. “Hope you enjoy your stay.”

              “Do you happen to have a bathroom I could use?”

              The man smiled and pointed down the hall. “Go past the elevators and make a right. If you need the bar, I suggest you take a left. They should be open for another couple of hours.

              “Thanks.” Sara was tempted to hit the bar first, but to be honest, the two beers and shot she took on the plane had her slightly buzzed. She followed the path to the elevators.
This was it; now or never.
She took a deep breath and rounded the corner. Inside the bathroom, Sara opened her suitcase and removed the trench coat and stilettos. She had never done something like this for another guy. To be walking around nude, was the most vulnerable thing she could do. Taking another deep breath, Sara stripped off her work clothes and then her underwear. Placing the stilettos on her feet, Sara stood in the mirror gazing at herself. As nervous as she was, something about it felt empowering.

              The trench coat was the final touch she needed before heading to the fifth floor. Thankfully it was a little late, so no one was walking through the hotel. Those that were awake were down at the bar slinging back shots, toasting to the weekend.

              The elevator dinged when it reached its destination, allowing Sara to walk onto the grey carpet with swirls of maroon mixed in. She counted off the rooms until she found room five forty-six. Key in hand, she inserted it into the door and silently opened it.

              She could hear voices coming from the bedroom. Thinking it was just the T.V., Sara crept towards the sound. She hoped Evan fell asleep watching it. Thoughts of climbing on the bed and riding him until he woke surfaced. She let out a low sigh, but heard a loud moan from the next room.

              Hoping Evan was just watching a porno, she inched forward and opened the bedroom door just enough to see Evan naked. He was kneeling in the bed behind a woman. Sara’s hand clenched tightly on the door. She wanted to throw it open, and run into the room screaming and shouting. She wanted to grab anything she could find and throw it at him or beat Evan with it. She opened the door a little more and could see the woman he was with. Sara’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach when she saw Audrey’s reflection in the mirror.

              All the fire inside urging her to attack was extinguished the moment she saw them together. Her hand covered her mouth as bile found a home at the base of her throat. She couldn’t stand the sight of him, of either of them. She had to get out. She had to leave before they saw her.

              Bolting from the room, she rushed to the elevator without noticing the men piled inside. Their smiles and side glances made her feel cheap. Here she was trying to give her husband a sexy surprise, only to be left heartbroken in an elevator with a bunch of crude men gawking at her.

One of them took out a wad of money and said, “How much for us to see what’s underneath that coat baby?”

              As if her night wasn’t bad enough, the men were propositioning her as if she were a hooker that was there for their pleasure.

              “Fuck you, asshole.” Sara pushed her way through the opening elevator doors, wheeling her suitcase behind her. She could hear the men whistle and make more crude comments as she stormed out of the hotel.

              The man at the desk came around and yelled at the group to get lost. He helped her into the back office. “I’m guessing things didn’t go as planned.” Sara shook her head no. “Let me call you a cab. It’ll take you wherever you want to go.” He disappeared behind a wall. Sara could hear him on the phone with the cab company. He returned a minute later. “You can go into the office to change if you’d like. There are no cameras back there and I’m the only one manning the desk. The taxi will be here in fifteen minutes.”