Free Indulgent Pleasures by Karen Erickson

them since the start of his professional career, a career that had lasted over ten years. She could understand his reluctance to stop traveling with them.
    She wished she felt comfortable enough to ask him those questions.
    “Yo, Shaw, is that your fan mail?” Caleb stood at his desk, staring at her over the waist high partition that separated their cubicles.
    Stephanie glanced at her stack of mail and withheld the urge to roll her eyes. The guy was thirty going on twelve. “What do you care? Go read your own mail.”
    “Yeah well, that’s a problem since there’s so much of it.” He picked up a stack three times the size of hers and let it all fall on top of his desk. The envelopes scattered everywhere, sliding off the desk and onto the floor and he laughed. “You should see my inbox. The emails are out of control.”
    “All of it hate mail no doubt,” she muttered, turning her chair so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
    God, she couldn’t stand him. And his constant smugness and overall arrogance only made this column contest that much worse.
    She sighed. That’s exactly what Zoe had turned this in to. A freaking contest and though Stephanie loved a challenge, she hated that she was neck and neck with Caleb the jerk off.
    “Oh, I have a few fans. Guys who are glad I’m finally speaking the truth via a public forum.” Caleb gathered up all of his mail and stacked it back on top of his desk. “Your fluff is good, I’ll give you that Shaw, but you need to ratchet it up a couple of notches.”
    Show off. “Thanks for the advice Caleb but I think I have it under control.”
    “Whatever, I’m just trying to help you out.” His shrug and nonchalant manner did little to disguise his shit attitude.
    Her cell phone rang and she grabbed it out of her purse, glancing at the caller ID and her heart rate doubled.
    It was Justin. They’d traded cell numbers before he’d left with the Miners but he’d yet to call her.
    “Hello.” She hoped she didn’t sound like a breathless, mindless idiot.
    “Hey. How are you?” Justin’s deep voice sounded in her ear, low and intimate and arousal seeped through her.
    “I’m great. How are you? How’s Colorado?” She glanced up and caught Caleb watching her blatantly, listening to her phone conversation no doubt. She turned so her back faced him, rolling her chair closer to her desk so she was even farther away from Caleb.
    Last thing she needed was for him to figure out the identity of her secret lover.
    “It’s going good. We won last night so we ended the trip with a bang.” He paused and she waited, curiosity filling her.
    She could act as blasé as she wanted but secretly she couldn’t deny it was thrilling to have him calling. As if he wanted to see her more. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been pursued by a man. Yes, she dated, she’d had a few relationships in her life but nothing as exhilarating as what was happening between her and Justin.
    “I’m back in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon,” he finally said. “I was wondering if you wanted to get together.”
    “Um, okay, sure. That should work.” She winced. Playing it cool was so not her game.
    “Great. You want me to call you after I get in? It’ll be in the early afternoon.”
    “Okay.” Excitement bubbled up within her. Just moments ago she’d thought herself happy with the break from him and now she couldn’t wait to see him again.
    “Are you at work? Do you realize you’ve never told me what you do?” He sounded a little incredulous and she nibbled on her lower lip, wondering how exactly she could tell him.
    “Yes, I am at work actually. I, um, I’m a writer.”
    “Really?” His voice took a sharper turn and she swallowed hard, made a quick decision.
    “Yes, for a small home and lifestyle magazine. I write articles about designing the interior of your house on a budget, stuff like that.”
    “No kidding? I should have you check out my house. It’s practically