Temptation

Chapter Four

 Tom and Diane were under the covers, cuddling. Diane looked up at Tom and could sense something was bothering him.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Alice was hurt by what you said about her." Tom replied.

"What? I didn't say anything bad about her. And are you just going to skip over the fact that your 'assistant' was listening in on our private conversation?" Diane told him.

"You devalued her position as my office assistant when this task is helping her stay in college. And accusing me of giving her favors because she's my favorite? Yes, I admit, she is my favorite student. I care deeply about her and want her to succeed and have the best experience she can while in college and out in the real world. She is very much an assistant just like yours are." Tom explained angrily.

"Alright! God! What's your problem?" Diane exclaimed.

"I don't have the problem, Diane." He replied.

Diane scoffed as she pulled back from him and sat up on the bed, looking down at him as he laid on his back.

"What the fuck is up with you tonight? First, you accuse me of petty little things, you leave for several hours, come back and fuck me, and now you want to fight again. Is it something I'm saying? What?" Diane snapped at him.

"Do you really care about the work I do?" Tom asked.

"Yeah! I do." She replied.

"Do you? Just as much as I care about yours?" He seethed, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I'm not having this fight. We ended this fight, don't you remember?"

"Just because you end a fight, doesn't mean you can't have it again? Does my work upset you? Do you not care about how it makes me feel when you're never present at my shows?" Tom inquired.

"This fight is done, Tom. I told you." Diane rolled her eyes.

She got out of the bed, grabbed a blanket and walked towards the door.

"Diane, please!" Tom called out to her.

She put her hands on her hips as she turned around to face him. She cocked her head to the side and raised her brow waiting for him to speak.

"Come back to bed." He spoke softly.

"It hurts me when you accuse me of things like that. Haven't you ever thought about how that makes me feel?" Diane asked.

"Yes, I have. I care about how you feel, Diane. I...I love you." Tom hesitated.

Tom furrowed his brow when he hesitated. Not once had he ever done that before.

"Seems to me like you care more about your 'assistant' than you do me." Diane sighed.

"That's not true!" Tom exclaimed.

He got out of the bed and walked up to Diane, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her to him.

"I care about you more than anyone else in this world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You're the only woman for me." Tom told her.

Diane smiled and chuckled as Tom laid a kiss to her forehead.

"Let's go back to bed." He whispered.

The two got back under the covers and as Diane curled herself against him and drifted off to sleep, Tom lay awake staring at his ceiling. He couldn't believe he had come with the image of Alice in his mind. Something had been set off inside of him that night and in the blink of an eye, he found himself ordering another ticket to the cabaret show. He then set his phone down on his nightstand and exhaled sharply as images of Alice's performances kept flooding into his head. He couldn't believe that was where she was working. Now, he realized why she hadn't told him. Tom knew that if she told him the truth, he would be upset. As wonderful of a performer as she was, he knew she shouldn't be there. He had visions of seeing her on Broadway performing plays, not in some cabaret show.