The Fling

10

We took two Ubers back to the resort around one in the morning and said goodbye to the guys at the entrance. A security guard was monitoring the front desk, and the look on his face made me think that we weren't the first people to leave for a night of fun and un-detoxing. I walked with my besties to our wing, and thirty minutes later I put on some loungewear and crept back down the long hall to see Shawn. I had the key card, but I knocked softly instead of letting myself in.

He answered the door wearing only his boxers. "I wasn't sure if you'd come by, and once again I regretted not being able to text you."

Stepping in the room, I ignored his comment about the fact that we hadn't exchanged numbers. "I needed to wait a bit so that the girls didn't hear me sneak out."

"Makes sense. Can we talk a sec?"

"Of course." We each took a seat on the bed and I waited while he seemed to gather his thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

"I guess that depends on how you answer this question." He hesitated before continuing, "Are you married?"

"No," I said simply.

He let out a long sigh. "Your friends mentioned their husbands a few times and I've seen you play with your ring finger, so I wondered if you were, too. The fact that you obviously don't want them to know what we're doing made me even more suspicious. I'm not comfortable being part of a cheating situation, so that's why I asked."

"I was married, but I'm divorced. My husband cheated on me and married his girlfriend a few days ago, which is why Eloise and Mia brought me here and why I told you I'm broken. I'm sorry I didn't share this from the start, but it's been a painful process and it didn't feel relevant to what we're doing." I choked back a sob because it was still difficult and humiliating to admit how badly I'd been burned by Bert.

Shawn's brown eyes showed his empathy. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Abigail. That must have been terrible."

"It was, but I like to think I'm becoming a better me as a result." I got up and moved so that I was standing in front of him. "It's late. Let's go to bed."

Shawn was extra tender during sex, and it impressed me that he read my mood so accurately. Hours later, I woke up with my back against Shawn's chest, his strong arms wrapped securely around me. Staying over wasn't something I'd planned on, but I couldn't deny how wonderful it felt to greet the day this way. One of the things I'd been forced to adapt to after Bert left was sleeping in our bed by myself.

"Morning," he said with a raspy voice as he pulled me closer.

I rolled over to face him, smiling at his flushed cheeks and tousled curls. "Do you have an early class?"

He yawned, covering his mouth, probably to spare me from his morning breath. "Eight. It's primal kickboxing, which I've been looking forward to all week."

"I don't have that one at all. What makes it primal?"

"I dunno, but it sounds cool. Do you have anything?"

"The girls and I have a beauty treatment, but I can't remember which. Maybe a rejuvenating skin thing?" I replied.

"You're skin is perfect the way it is."

"Thanks. I take good care of it. My mom was serious about sunscreen, and I'm the same way. I also buy very good products." I then added, "But I haven't resorted to injections or plastic surgery yet."

"I should be better about the sun. Every time I hit the beach, I get a little burned."

I laughed, "You're a guy, so when you get wrinkles, people will say you look even more handsome. The same goes for gray hair. It's not fair that women get shamed for aging while men are applauded."

"It is not fair at all. I hate those stupid fucking double standards, too."

When he got angry, his brow furrowed in the sexiest way. I glanced over at the bedside clock. "We have twenty minutes. Can you be fast?"

He gave me his signature wicked grin. "I can do whatever you want for as long as you want, baby."

I ran a fingertip over the butterfly tattoo on his bicep. "We could kill two birds with one stone and take a shower together."

We got out of bed, and he grabbed a condom from his seemingly endless supply as we headed into the bathroom. The bright lights and reflective glare from the white tile made me self-conscious. Shawn had seen me naked multiple times, but it was always in the bedroom with the lights off and the curtains drawn. I was suddenly very exposed. To keep him from focusing on me, I lowered myself to my knees and took his semi-erect penis in my mouth, causing him to let out a loud groan.

He braced one hand against the wall and grabbed my hair with the other. As I was beginning to sense that he was near completion, he eased my head off him. "I want to come inside you. Stand up and turn around."

His demanding tone sent a jolt of electricity through my body. I did as he said and waited with eager anticipation as he put on the prophylactic. I placed my palms on the smooth cool tiles and arched my back slightly. Shawn held one of my hips with his large strong hand and used the other to guide himself inside me, causing me to gasp.

"Was that too rough?" he asked, pulling out slightly.

"No. I like it." This was an understatement.

Both of his hands steadied my body as he began moving in and out of my core. "I might be quick," he warned me. "Touch yourself."

I used two fingers to stroke my clit while he increased both the pace and the force. I knew I'd be feeling this for the rest of the day, which would be genuinely lovely. I began to whimper as my orgasm built, and right as I let go, he joined me, sounding out a loud groan from behind me. Shawn held me against him, peppering kisses on my wet shoulders as I waited for my my legs to stop shaking. Once I recovered, we shampooed each other's hair and got washed up.

"You're so goddamned amazing and beautiful; clearly your ex-husband is a complete idiot," he declared while we were rinsing off.

Thus far, I'd managed to share as little as possible about my personal life, but our time together was ending soon, so I opted for honesty. If he thought less of me, it didn't matter. "I lost a lot of weight after my divorce, and Bert was pretty blunt that my appearance pushed him away. Apparently 'for better or worse' doesn't include getting fat."

Shawn frowned. "Don't ever put yourself down that way. When you love someone, something like a change to your physical appearance shouldn't matter. It bothers me that you're essentially blaming yourself for his horrible behavior."

"I mostly blame him, but it's hard not to wonder if things would have turned out differently if I hadn't let myself go."

"I don't know this Bert asshole, but it sounds to me like things turned out for the best. You deserve so much more than someone who is that superficial and who cheats."

I looked down at my hands. "I guess you understand what my tattoo symbolizes now."

He ran a finger over it. "Is it your wedding date? That explains why you want it altered."

Nodding, I said, "And you can see the year, so you know I'm a lot older than you."

"So?" he shrugged. "I've never been one to give a shit about age."

I reached for a towel and wrapped it around myself. "My friends were encouraging me to hook up with you and said I shouldn't care about the age thing, either."

"I think it's time you came clean with them. The idea is already in their heads, so they aren't going to judge you."

I sighed. "You're right."