Ian smiled wearily. “One can hope, mate. Thank you for picking me up so late tonight, though I should have arranged for a taxi once I knew the flight was going to be delayed.”

Simon shook his head. “It’s never a problem, sir, and no need to thank me. Just doing my job, Mr. Gregson. Have a good night’s sleep.”

“You, too, mate. See you in the morning.”

Ian disengaged the house alarm using an app on his smartphone before unlocking the front double doors. Both the exterior and interior lights of his Georgian style, red brick home were on a timer, largely for security purposes since he traveled so frequently. He left his suitcase and laptop bag in the spacious entryway for the moment as he made his way through the big house to the kitchen. He turned on the lights before grabbing a bottle of water from the cavernous Sub Zero refrigerator and drinking half of it down thirstily. He wasn’t the least bit hungry, given the lateness of the hour, and the fact that he’d eaten an expertly prepared meal during the flight home from Washington D.C. on the corporate jet.

One of the perks he enjoyed as the Regional Director was having a private plane at his disposal for the frequent business trips he made. Not having to wait in long security lines, or deal with checking baggage saved him precious hours. But unfortunately, private planes were still subject to all manner of weather related delays, just as commercial flights were, and the trip home from the East Coast had been delayed by nearly three hours.

He’d dozed a bit on the flight but was still exhausted by this time of the night, and he didn’t waste any more time before stripping down to his dark gray briefs and pulling back the covers of his custom made king sized bed. As he did so, however, he couldn’t help running a hand over one of the pillows, envisioning long, silky blonde curls spread out over the soft cotton sheets. He was bone tired, but not so completely exhausted that he couldn’t picture a naked, willing, and responsive Tessa waiting in the bed for him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, holding out her long, slender arms. “I hate being apart from you for even one night.”

“Darling.” He slid into bed beside her, pulling her lush, long-limbed body flush against his. “Not half as much as I hate being away from you. I think about you constantly, you know. No matter where I might be. Now, no more talking, hmm? You and I have a great deal of lost time to make up.”

“Mmm.” Her lips opened up eagerly to his devouring kiss, their arms and legs tangling together as they struggled to get even closer together.

His hands roved over her warm, naked flesh demandingly – cupping her opulent breasts, squeezing the firm cheeks of her ass, before his fingers slipped between her legs to where she was already wet and ready.

“So sweet,” he murmured against her ear as he teased the tiny nub of her clit. “And always so eager. You did miss me, didn’t you, love?”

Tessa gasped as his fingers slid deep inside her body, hooking over her pubic bone as he pressed against a particularly sensitive spot. “So much,” she breathed unsteadily. “Every minute of every day. Please, Ian. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

He swiftly peeled his briefs off, freeing his hugely swollen cock. There were already thick beads of pre-cum oozing out of the tip, and he shuddered as Tessa reached out a finger to swipe the fluid away and bring it to her lips.

“Umm. Delicious,” she purred, licking her fingertips seductively. “In fact, it’s so delicious I need another taste.”

Ian cursed softly as she took his throbbing cock between her soft, smooth hands and began to pump him with long, slow strokes.

“Ah, fuck,” he rasped as she knelt before him, bringing his penis to her lips and then taking as much of his long, thick length into her mouth as she could handle. He shoved his hands into her tumbled blonde curls, holding her head still as he fucked her hot, eager mouth with hard, fast thrusts. “Tessa – God, what you do to me, love. How much you make me feel. You’re going to make me come if you don’t stop, darling. You’re - “

Ian’s eyes flew open in alarm, suddenly aware of how close he was to climaxing. Looking down he realized it was his own hand stroking his cock instead of Tessa’s, and that once again he’d imagined her here in his bedroom, his bed. Groaning, he realized he was too far gone to stop what he was doing, his body far too needy for release. He barely made it to the shower, turning on the taps as he grabbed a towel and then stepped inside the huge stall. His hand resumed the almost frantic stroking motions as he leaned against the cool granite walls, his head thrown back and his eyes tightly shut.

Once again he imagined her here with him, the hot water sluicing over their wet, naked bodies. Except this time his cock was buried deep inside of her hot, creamy pussy, his hands cupping her buttocks as he lifted her up until those long, long legs were wrapped around his hips. They fucked frantically, wildly, like two animals in heat who simply couldn’t get enough of each other. He buried his face against her neck, biting down on the tender flesh hard enough to leave a mark, but her cries were muffled by the sound of the pounding water.

When he came seconds later, his legs shook with the force of his orgasm, and he had to slap a hand against the shower wall to hold himself up. It was only when he forced his eyes open long seconds later that Ian realized he was alone – in the shower, his room, his house. His life, he acknowledged bitterly. And destined to remain that way so long as his unhealthy obsession with the woman he could never have was allowed to continue.

“Oooh, those are just gorgeous, sweetie pie! Does Andre have a gay brother you can set me up with? Preferably one with the same taste in flowers.”

Gina smirked at Kevin’s half-serious inquiry. “Not a question I’m going to ask the guy I’ve only been dating for three weeks. Besides, you’ve got a gift of your own, honey. All of us do.”

“Tessa doesn’t,” piped up Shelby with her usual lack of candor. “She’s the only one without any flowers. Oops, sorry, Tessa. I didn’t mean to rub it in or anything.”

“It’s okay,” Tessa assured her feather-brained co-worker. “With Peter over in Sri Lanka I didn’t expect him to remember it was Valentine’s Day. I don’t think they have a 1-800-Flowers service over there.”

She didn’t add that even if Peter had been at home today the likelihood of him sending her flowers or doing anything remotely romantic was slim to none. Because their marriage wasn’t a traditional one, wasn’t a romantic or passionate one, the sorts of occasions that other couples celebrated generally went unnoticed by him. In the years since they’d been together, they had never done anything special for Valentine’s Day or their wedding anniversary. Birthdays were quiet affairs, commemorated with dinner out at a modestly priced restaurant and a simple gift of some sort. To the best of her knowledge he had never bought her flowers or anything else that could be thought of as romantic. Knowing Peter, he was far too wrapped up in the story he was covering to even realize today was Valentine’s Day.