Harry was quicker getting me alone than I thought he would. Rose had calmed me down and had reminded me that I knew all along it was a one off and had no real reason to be mad. She was right, of course, but I still didn’t want to speak to him. The sooner he left the sooner I could relax again.

I took some empty bottles to the recycling tub located down the dark, narrow pathway next to the house, and quietly congratulated myself for saving on doing a job the day after. I tread carefully to avoid tripping on the wonky paving stone that always got me even in full daylight and not with just a street lamp to help me see; I really needed to get that security light fixed.

Managing to make it to the bin safely I turned to go back to the party, the paving stone tilted beneath my left foot, but instead of falling onto my face I crashed hard into another person. The small yelp I gave was muffled by a kiss being pressed gently against my lips. I went to scream again, louder this time, but the figure leant forward and whispered in my ear.

“I’ve been thinking of you non-stop for weeks”.

Fear was replaced with anger. I pushed him away and hissed, “Liar!” Rose’s words of wisdom flew away and I was angry with Harry again, angry he hadn’t begged for more.

“I promise, Layla, I have.”

It was difficult to tell if he was being genuine or not. I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded like he meant it.

“Where’s Will?”, I asked, only imagining how this scene looked and the fallout it would cause if the wooden gate suddenly flew open and I was found in Harry’s arms.

“I left him talking with Liam. Why are you angry with me? I know we didn’t discuss it but I thought we both knew it was a one off.”

“A one off? Oh really? So why are you here, then? Why come to my home?” A shake in my voice betrayed that his presence was affecting me more than I’d let myself believe.

“I wanted to see you again.”

There was silence while I tried to figure out what that meant: another night in some hotel? To see me freak out amongst my guests for no apparent reason?

“Just to see you again, that’s all”, he repeated as if understanding my lack of reply. “I was going to try and persuade you to meet with me again, but I can see that you and Will are better now.” There was a sting in his words, a bitterness I’d never heard from him before.

“Do you prey on weak marriages? Is that your…thing?”

I was starting to feel like a gullible fool, falling for all his smooth talk so quickly once again.

“No. Just yours.”

His honesty was like a smack in the face, which was precisely what I wanted to do to him.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”, I huffed and tried to push past him but an arm shot out, blocking my path.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

From his behaviour I expected to smell alcohol on the breath that was so close to my face, but Harry was stone cold sober. My body was buzzing, feeling like I could sense every movement around me.

I tried once more to move past him, even grabbing the wrist that was pressed hard against the wall stopping me from going any further. I gave in with a sigh and turned my head to face Harry once more: I could just make out his face in the orange glow of the street light, eyes twinkling and lips slightly parted. Before I could stop myself, I was on tip toes and kissing him, a soft kiss that indicated I wanted more if he was willing to give it.

This was enough for Harry. Pulling me to him he pressed his lips harder against mine, tongue sliding deliciously slow into my mouth, running along my bottom lip in such a manner that my knees nearly gave way. Kissing him was a huge mistake but one I was happy to make.

Taking hold of his soft hips I pulled us against the wall, the cold brick rough and grating against my back. Standing once more on tip toes I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me, longing to feel him against my body again. I gasped as Harry put a hand between my thighs, fingers working their way under the fabric of my playsuit; he gave a quiet groan when he discovered I had no underwear on.

Sliding a finger up into me, his kiss silenced the whimper that involuntarily fell from my mouth. He chuckled deeply then slowly ran his wet finger up my slit until he reached my hub, swollen and desperate for his attention. Harry stopped kissing me to press his forehead against mine; in the dim light I could just make out his face. He was biting his bottom lip, his eyes wide as he watched my reaction to him circling and stroking my clit.

I was already so close to unravelling, my head pressed against the brick behind me with no regard for how my hair would look. Harry kissed me again to stop the moans I couldn’t stifle. I wanted to stop him, to tell him that we couldn’t do this when we could be found any second but I was at the mercy of his touch.

My knees nearly gave way completely as I came, my entire weight almost falling onto the hand that had undone me. We stayed where we were for a few moments, Harry pressing himself against my thigh so I could feel how hard he was as he whispered in my ear, “This is what you do to me, Mrs. French, I’ll be thinking of you when I’m home, alone, later.”

He kissed my neck and I nearly dropped to my knees so he wouldn’t have to use his imagination, but he pulled his hands from between my legs and stepped back so I could readjust myself.

“Does this mean I get to see you again?”

I leant against the wall and admired him as much as I could in the poor light. He was grinning, that much I could tell; he was proud of his performance and he wanted his golden sticker for good work. He was the most intriguing person I’d ever met – not that I’d never admit that to him, I preferred to have him think I considered him to be a temporary cure for the boredom of my marriage.

“So…?” He pressed again, sounding a little impatient.

“Maybe, we’ll see.”

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, before brushing past him and heading back to the party, hoping neither of us had been missed.

Notes