Michael picked up on her tension and leaned forward. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t like the top ten we have going on?”
“No, I do like it,” she protested too quickly. “But…I’d have to say I like this better. It feels more, I don’t know, free-spirited? And my adrenaline was off the charts. My heart was pounding so much I thought it might burst right out of my chest. That’s what I love the most.”
Michael thought about it for a moment as he took another drink. His plans to take Piper to the Sexual Underground aside, he was inclined to agree with her. “I think you’re right. Maybe we’re trying a little too hard? Maybe less is more when it comes to this stuff?”
“Exactly!” Piper nearly shot out of her seat. “That’s what I’m thinking, too. I’m voting for spontaneous, adventurous sex from now on.”
Michael inclined his head. “Piper, have you been feeling like this for a while? Trying to think of a way to tell me you wanted to change things up?”
“Maybe.” She hesitated for a moment, then looked out the window. “Probably.”
“Why didn’t you just say you didn’t want to do the top ten anymore?” He was genuinely curious.
“Because I do want to do it.” She turned back to him. “I’m totally having fun. I am. But I’ve been a little worried that this might become our new norm—as in, our sex life will forever depend on us planning crazy, over-the-top events, and if we don’t, we won’t have great orgasms. But that rockin’ elevator sex just dispelled all that.” He frowned as she continued, “Honestly, Michael, it’s been so much fun rediscovering our sex life. It’s made me feel whole again in ways I had no idea I needed. But what we just did here, that—that’s our golden ticket. I want more of that in our lives.” Piper made a face. “Are you mad? You look mad. This is why I didn’t want to say anything! I didn’t want to ruin what we’ve got going on—or this beautiful date tonight. I really am happy, and if you want to continue doing a list, I’m down with that, too.”
Michael realized he was still frowning, so he made an effort to change his expression. His wife still looked worried. He put both his hands on the table and moved closer. “Do you really think I’m upset you brought this up? Or think I’m mad because the top ten is not your thing?”
“I’m not sure. Are you?”
“No! Of course not.” Now he was frustrated. “The reason I’m frowning is because I get the distinct feeling you feel like you can’t talk to me.” He suddenly realized something important. “Piper, how long have you not been sharing your feelings with me? Thinking I’d be upset or not on the same page as you?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “Hm.” She looked distractedly from the table. “Oh, look, our food is here!”
Michael glanced up to see their waiter scurrying over with the dessert he’d ordered on a covered oval platter. At the table, he moved things out of the way and set it down. Then he swept the top off with a flourish to reveal the dessert. “Here you go, sir. I hope this is okay. I’ll be right back with your new bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.”
“Thanks.” Michael couldn’t help grinning at Piper’s surprised expression. Once the waiter left, he said, “You know, sometimes I need a double dessert before my meal.”
Piper all but clapped. “This is perfect! I’m so happy.”
They each picked up a spoon.
He put a bite in his mouth and groaned. It was that good. He smiled at his wife over their dessert. “Piper, you’re not off the hook with this discussion,” he told her. “But we don’t have to keep talking about it tonight. I want to enjoy our night. But I promise you we’re going to come back to it very soon.”
19
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“Did you hear the news?” Tabitha stuck her head into Piper’s office. “About all the crazy sex stuff?”
“What crazy sex stuff?” Piper had been focused on a campaign all day and hadn’t left her desk even for lunch.
“The whole underwear thing, which turned into the huge sex-scandal thing, with the masked woman—that stuff. You’re never going to guess who it is!” Before Piper could play the guessing game, Tabitha blurted, “Rory from Web development! He’s apparently a pimp, and he had his girls coming up here to drop off money. They had access to the building and everything. To protect their identities, he made them wear masks! That’s so cool.”
“I’m not sure cool is the right word. Where did you hear this?” Piper stood. “I would think Larry would use discretion and call in certain folks to share the news with them first.”
Tabitha leaned her back against the doorway, crossing her arms. “Cat was out of the bag when the cops came by an hour ago asking about Rory. Apparently, Rory had no idea they were watching the offices these past few weeks. I mean, any shithead here could’ve figured that out! Gossip in this place is free for the taking. But it makes Rory hot in a weird way, don’t you think? A nerdy hipster who codes all day is actually an undercover pimp. It doesn’t get much edgier than that.”
“Um”—Piper cleared her throat as she came around her desk—“pimps are never hot. They’re misogynistic assholes who take advantage of women for money.”
Tabitha shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. These girls were likely turning tricks before Rory came around and will likely keep doing it. I’d like to believe he did it as a business venture and treated them well. He must’ve been making hundreds of thousands of dollars! The guy had like a hundred girls working for him.”
“A hundred?”
Tabitha shifted her position, unclasping her arms. “Well, probably more like fifty. Gossip is at an all-time high, so it’s not really that reliable. But still, that’s marketing genius, if you ask me.”
“What he’s done is going to land him behind bars. So that kind of negates the genius part right there.”
“Yeah, they’re all set to arrest him, so he definitely fucked up.”
“Did he come to work today?”
“Nope. He must’ve known something was going down, or maybe someone tipped him off,” she said. “It would’ve been epic to see him walked out in cuffs. Man, that crap would’ve gone viral in two seconds.”
“Well, thanks for letting me know, Tabitha,” Piper said as she came to a stop in front of the youngster. “I’m going to go talk to Larry about it now. I’m sure they’ll announce some kind of office meeting soon.”
“Or maybe they won’t.” She grinned. “Word on the floor is they just want this to go away. If our clients find out, it could hurt business in a big way.” She turned and strode out the door. “I hope that doesn’t happen, because this job is a sweet deal.”
Before Piper headed down to Larry’s office, she pulled out her phone to text Caroline.
DUDE, I KNOW IT’S ONLY MON., BUT I NEED AN STD HAPPY HOUR. U FREE?
She hit send, hoping Caroline was home.
Almost immediately, Caroline texted back.
I’D LOVE TO! WHERE DO YOU WANT TO MEET?
Piper thought about it for a second.
HOW ABOUT ELISE’S? THEY HAVE A GREAT 2FER HAPPY HOUR.
Caroline replied.
GREAT. WHAT TIME?
Piper typed.
6:30. I’LL INVITE EMMA & GILLIAN. OKAY WITH U?
Caroline hit her back.
FINE WITH ME.
Piper then texted both Emma and Gillian.
She waited a few minutes for their responses, thinking about the crazy news that nerdy Rory Nelson was the mastermind of a prostitute ring right under their noses. And how fucking lucky she was that she hadn’t been dragged into the mess by her night of hot office sex.