breathing evened out. Satisfied she was in a deep sleep, he slipped from the bed. First, he disposed of the condom and cleaned up in the bathroom, then dressed as quietly as possible before heading out of her apartment.
Making sure to leave her door unlocked so he could get back in, he hurried the few doors to his apartment and grabbed a small cloth bag from his nightstand drawer. After pouring the tiny items inside into his hand, he made his way back to her place in record time.
Once there, he undressed again in case she awoke. It would be easier to cover his actions that way. Sneaking around her apartment, he did what heâd originally come here to doâand felt like a complete piece of shit for it the whole time. When he was finished, he retrieved his iPhone from his jeans, went into the living room, and sent a text.
Everything is in place here.
From Simon, he received,
Weâre good on this end.
This sucks.
I know, bro. Hang tight.
Heâd try. For now, thatâs all he could do.
***
Anna awoke to a handsome face smiling into hers. Despite her grogginess, she couldnât help but smile back. âHey, there.â
âHey, gorgeous.â He kissed her nose. âDid you sleep well?â
âLike a baby,â she said. âNever better.â Her muscles were pleasantly sore in all the right places, too.
âWant to get cleaned up and go eat some breakfast?â
âIâm not sure I have time. I need to go in to the office and go over some paperwork, check on a few orders, andââ
âAnna,â he interrupted. His expression was amused. âItâs not even nine in the morning and youâre already wound tighter than a spring. You really have to learn to let go of that tension or youâre going to have real health problems later in life.â
âWhy thanks, doc,â she said dryly. âWhat cure do you suggest?â
âFood, for a start. Then weâre going to play hooky for the day.â
He sounded so sure of himself, she laughed. âOh, really? You think the boss will let you get away with that?â
That earned her a grin. âOh, I know she will. She likes me.â
âMaybe she does,â she teased. âSo, assuming you can charm your boss into playing hooky, how exactly do you plan to spend the day?â
Now he showed all the enthusiasm of a little kid. âI want you to show me New York City.â
âFor real?â
âYes! Why not? Iâve been here for months and I havenât taken in the city yet. Thereâs a certain pulse to the atmosphere, a cool vibe I want to be a part of. I want to take in the history and the excitement, but I guess I havenât because itâs more fun to do it with someone special.â
She thought for a minute, weighing the merits of taking a day off. Finally, she gave in. âHow can I say no to that? What do you want to see?â
âEverything. Come on, letâs go.â
After a fun shower that involved soap in interesting places, they got dressed and headed out. Their first stop was a small corner café that served an appetizing breakfast. They dug in to their food, and she marveled at the sheer amount the man could pack away. She could barely finish her eggs and bacon, but Gray ate that plus pancakes and enough syrup to put anyone into a sugar coma.
They chatted companionably, and she found herself drawn to him more and more. She learned that in addition to his parents being dead, he had no brothers or sisters. Although he hadnât cared much about his lack of siblings as a younger man, now he felt the loneliness of having no family. In that at least they had something in commonâwhen her mother passed, sheâd be alone, too.
When they were finished with breakfast, he paid the bill despite her protest, then took her by the hand. âCome on, letâs grab a cab to the ferry. I want to see the Statue of Liberty up