Free Winning Appeal by N.M. Silber Page A

together,” Lily answered. “Just at the same time.”
    “Why?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
    “We didn’t plan it,” I said through gritted teeth.
    “And who is Bruce together with?” Gab asked, looking confused. Just then Braden came back out of his office.
    “Okay, well, see you guys Sunday,” he said as he headed for the door. “Come on baby, that salmon won’t wait all night.”
    “Have fun,” she said following her husband out.
    “If anyone ever asks, and by anyone, I mean Braden…” Mark said when the door had closed behind them.
    “As far as I know, you were dropping something off,” Adam said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to get the missus home so that we can finish dropping something off.”
    “Have a good night,” Lily said. We waved and Beth wished her a good night too. As soon as they were gone she turned to me.
    “You have no idea how much that turned me on.”
    “Me too,” I said, grinning like a fool I’m sure.
    “Not just what we did, but the fact that we did it here. I’ve never done that before. I mean, well, I’ve done that before, but only in a bedroom.”
    “Never anywhere else?” Wow.
    “Never. Not in an office, not in a car… not in a club, not in a bar.” She smiled at me and I wanted carry her off to do her on the conference room table. I don’t think Bruce would have appreciated it though.
    “The door was locked, you know. Nobody would have walked in. I just didn’t want it to be quite so obvious what we were doing.”
    “I know. It’s not the danger of getting caught that excites me. It’s just doing it somewhere different. I’ve always been so careful. I’m not even sure it was necessary, though. It’s not like paparazzi follow me around.”
    “Well, I would love to explore this with you further, but we have to be exceptionally well behaved together. There’s a lot at stake here.”
    “Mark, I know you want to be very good with me, and I’m fine with that. But I also want to be a little bad with you. Maybe we could compromise and just be careful.”
    “What are you suggesting exactly?” And why was I simultaneously so worried and so turned on?
    “The fundraisers have themes. Maybe we could play a little, sneak off for a sexy tryst?”
    “At the fundraisers ? Where the paparazzi actually are ? That was one of the two places I promised Braden we would never be intimate. The other one was the office. I’m obviously doing a great job so far.”
    “You discussed where we would be intimate with Braden?” Uh oh. She didn’t sound happy. I knew there were rules!
    “I wanted him to give me his blessing. He’s one of my best friends and you’re his sister. He said he was happy for us, but he asked that we please don’t mess around at the office or when we’re representing The Justice Project.”
    “Well, your intentions were good,” she said. She no longer sounded annoyed and I relaxed again. “Just for the record, though, I don’t consult with my brother about my sex life.”
    “I’m glad, believe me. Still, he has a point when it comes to not letting it interfere with work. I was thinking that we should also limit sex to weekends, just for now. I don’t concentrate very well when I’m exhausted, and until I get used to being with you, I have a feeling I’m going to be keeping us busy at night.”
    “That’s good,” she said breathily, looking a little dazed. I smiled and she seemed to give herself a mental shake. “I mean that’s fair. Okay, only on weekends for now, not in the office, or at fundraisers, but maybe we can have a sexy tryst somewhere else?”
    “I’m sure I could come up with something,” I said and she smiled a distinctly happy smile.
     

Chapter Nine
    Beth
    The fundraiser the following evening was being held at the Gerard estate. Like my own family, the Gerard family had established a private charitable foundation that supported various worthy causes and community-based projects.
    Mark and I