“You rock. And you’ll have to excuse my oversight. I was in a hazy sexual state getting worked up for all our shenanigans.”

Michael’s head turned toward the door. “Wait, I think I heard the main door open.”

They waited.

A moment later, they heard the closing whoosh.

“They left!” Piper said. “That was a lucky break. Now it’s time for Operation Pantygate.”

6

__________________________

____________

Michael’s office phone rang. He had been expecting Piper’s call all morning. It was already eleven. His wife had been excited about Pantygate this morning, so excited they’d messed around a little, and she’d promised more to come tonight after the “scandal” was uncovered. It was hard not to be distracted, and the erection that followed every time the phone rang wasn’t helping.

“Hello, this is Michael Collins,” he said. “Oh, hi, Terry. Yep, we’re still on. This Thursday works fine. I’ll be there. Chinese food works. I told my wife it would be a late night. See you then.”

He hung up and tried to get back to work. He had a hundred things to get to today. Being out of town so long on a case had definite drawbacks. After a few minutes, he realized he was just too distracted, so he drew his cell out of his pocket. There was nothing from Piper, so he texted her.

HOW’S IT GOING? ALL QUIET ON THE PANTY FRONT?

There was no immediate response.

She must be in a meeting.

He tried to push her luscious tits, and the way they had rocked up and down on the conference room table, out of his mind and opened the file on his desk. But his brain kept going back to their fuck session last night.

It’d been perfect.

It had reminded him of their early years together, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t been that turned on in a very long time. He’d woken up this morning with a new promise to himself. He was going to do whatever it took to get the two of them back on track. He hated to admit it, but he felt he was to blame somehow for their current bump in the road.

Sharing their sex adventures with their neighbors, Jace and Caroline Stratton, had been a pivotal changing point. Michael had no way of knowing it at the time. But as he’d watched the Strattons dip a toe into a more adventurous sex life, and then venture back out, he realized he and Piper could alter their own course and choose to do things differently.

Nothing had to stay the same.

Thinking about changing things up made his chest tight, in a good way, because living his life without Piper was not an option. The first thing he’d done that morning was roll over and tell her he loved her.

She’d smiled and said it right back.

His phone rang again, jostling him out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but hope it was his wife. “Hello, this is Michael Collins. Oh, hi, Frank. Nope, this is a fine time to discuss the Brady trial. I have my notes right here.”

* * *

“That kind of thing won’t be tolerated here.” Piper’s boss droned on as she sneaked furtive glances around the room. “Using our workspace as anything more than a workplace is unacceptable. We will be looking into the matter further. That’s it. You’re all excused.”

The delicious irony was that they’d just had an “all-office emergency meeting” in the same conference room at the same table on which Michael had fucked her last night.

She’d been careful to make sure her face stayed impartial, leaning toward genuine surprise, followed by curiosity, as she gazed around at her coworkers.

“Jeez, you’d think someone committed a murder in here,” Tabitha, a recent twentysomething hire, leaned over and said in Piper’s ear. “Sex in the workplace is totally in right now. I’m surprised they don’t find underwear here on a daily basis.”

Piper arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean in right now? Has it ever really gone out of style?”

Tabitha shrugged as Piper stood, pushing in her chair. “Ten years ago, office sex wasn’t as big, I don’t think,” Tabitha said. “Too many people were starting to date online. They were leaving the office early for meet-ups in coffee shops or bars.” Tabitha moved toward the door and Piper followed. “Now, with Tinder, you can hook up with someone at a moment’s notice—someone who finds you by location, and probably works in the building next to yours. Coffee shop meet-ups are a thing of the past. Bending over your desk for a quickie with a tall, dark drink of water who works next door is the here and now.”

Piper was up on the latest trends. She had to be in her line of work. The ad agency thrived on what was hot in the marketplace, and Tinder was brilliant in her eyes. Piper totally would’ve used it as a booty call back in the day. Her sex life would’ve been much easier to navigate. She smiled thinking about it, a little wistful she’d missed it. “I hear you,” Piper said as they exited the boardroom and walked down the hallway. “So who do you think it was who snuck in here and did the nasty?”

They stopped in front of Piper’s office. Tabitha shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Did you see those undies? Had to be one of the interns. Or someone with a tween fantasy.”

“I totally agree,” Piper said sagely. “My guess was an intern, too.”

“It doesn’t really matter who it was, because last week it was probably someone different. Hey, what are you doing for lunch?” Tabitha asked. “Want to catch a salad downstairs before we get back to the grind?”

How did one catch a salad?

Piper liked Tabitha. She was blunt, funny, and didn’t seem to give a shit what other people thought. She was Piper’s kind of girl. Too bad they weren’t closer in age. But the gap was too apparent. Piper wasn’t ancient. She was thirty-one, but she wasn’t a Millennial either. “Sorry, not today. I’m surprising my husband at work with Thai food. He was out of town all last week, so I want to catch up with him.”

“Have fun with that,” Tabitha said as she began to walk away. “Maybe you two can have an office nooner.” She turned in a circle, waggling her eyebrows and pointing both index fingers at Piper. “I’ve seen your hunk of man. I’d be nooning him all day long if I were you.”

Piper snorted. “Please, if Larry was pissed about sex in the office, Michael’s conservative boss would blow a gasket. Plus, Michael would never risk it. See you later.”

Piper headed into her office, and then stopped short. She had a brilliant idea.

Thinking about it made her nipples tighten. She walked to the phone and dialed up their favorite Thai place downtown and put in her order. She hoped Michael wasn’t in a meeting. She couldn’t wait to share the Pantygate news.

And enact her new plan.

* * *

When Piper strode into Michael’s office with a bag of takeout food, Michael felt like a kid again. He’d been more anxious than he’d let himself realize when he hadn’t heard from Piper this morning.

“I brought us some eats,” she announced, smiling wide as she came in. “I wanted to surprise you. Are you free? If you’re not, no biggie. I’m so hungry, I could probably eat all of this myself anyway. Seriously, I’m famished.” She winked. “Burned off more than a few calories last night, because some guy I know is really into aerobic sex.”

Michael came around his desk and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m free, and I’d love to eat with you. Where do you want to go?”

“I was thinking we could stay here,” Piper answered slyly.

“Here? Okay.” When Piper came for lunch, they usually went for a walk outside. It was a gorgeous day, and there were a few small parks close to the building.

Piper edged his door closed with her hip, raising both her eyebrows. “Yes, in here,” she whispered. “I want to share my Pantygate story with you…and then give you a nice office-style dessert.”