The Affair

Penthouse Adventure

They stood outside waiting for the valet service to bring his car around. John looked up at the clouds in the sky and said, “I think we’re in for some rain tonight.”

“I think you’re right. I just hope it waits until after I’m home.”

The minute John started driving the rain began. “So much for beating the rain. If you want Doc I can drop you off first.”

Even though she knew she should probably take him up on his offer she didn’t want to go home. The house was empty. They wouldn’t be long. Nothing would happen. She wouldn’t allow it. “No. I’ll go with you.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Neither one wanted to say anything that would upset the easiness between them. They simply enjoyed each other’s company. Talking wasn’t necessary.

Soon John pulled over and parked. “We’re here.”

As soon they got out of the car, the rain really started coming down. By the time they reached the building, they were soaked. The doorman let them in.

“We won’t stay long. I just have to take a quick look around.” They walked over to the elevator and got in. Before long they were both shivering from their wet clothes.

“I’m really sorry about this Doc. I thought we would be beat the rain.”

“I did too.” She continued, “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you want this building?”

“Actually all I’m really interested in is the penthouse on the top floor. It’s already furnished and it has a great view. However, right about now I’d take a roaring fire and a glass of brandy.”

“You always did like the fireplace lit. There were days when it wasn’t cold enough to light it but you did it anyway.”

“If I remember correctly you never complained once the fire was lit.”

There was an awkward moment of silence between them. Neither John nor Marlena had meant to talk about their past. The words just slipped out. Marlena tried to move the conversation along. “I didn’t know you were thinking about moving.”

Sensing her discomfort with the turn in the conversation he followed her lead. “Eventually Boaty and I will outgrow the loft and I’ll have to move. For the time being I’ll use it for business purposes. Instead of putting clients in a hotel they can stay here. It has all the comforts of home and when the time comes to move, I’ll already have a place to stay.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”

“I have.”

“Do you think it’s still raining?”

“We’ll soon find out.”

While riding in the elevator they couldn’t hear how hard it was raining. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Once they stepped into the hallway they heard the rain beating down on the rooftop.

“Wow it’s really coming down.” John unlocked the door and they walked in. He felt the side of the wall and flipped the light switch. The lights flickered for a second but stayed on.

“Doc let me see if I can find something to dry us off.” John walked around the first floor of the penthouse opening all doors that looked like a closet. Eventually he found a linen closet. He took out two towels. One for her and one for him. “Take your clothes off and put this on.”

“Excuse me.”

“I didn’t mean it to sound like that. Judging by the sound of the rain hitting the roof and the lightening flashes, we’re going to be here a while. Slip this towel on so your clothes can dry out. I promise I won’t look.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Do you want to catch pneumonia? If it will make you feel better, I’ll go in another room until our clothes are dry. It’s up to you.” John gave her the towel and turned to leave.

“John, wait. You don’t have to leave but I would appreciate if you didn’t turn around until I’m finished.”

“No problem.”

Marlena turned her back to him. He took off his jacket and tie; she unbuttoned her blouse. He unbuttoned his shirt; she slipped off her blouse and unhooked her brassiere. He unzipped his pants; she unzipped hers. All of this was done in silence. Both of them could feel the tension in the room. He slipped out of his pants; she slipped out of hers. He was standing in his boxers; she was completely naked. Her panties were in her purse. John wrapped his towel around his waist; she wrapped hers around her body. She turned around; he was still facing the other direction. Just the sight of him standing there in a towel made her want to touch him. Without realizing it, she raised her hand to touch the tattoo on his back. Just before she touched it, John stooped over and slipped out of his boxers. When he straightened up and turned around her hand fell on his chest. Both looked down at her hand. Slowly they raised their heads until their eyes were locked on one another. He couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t move. A clap of thunder brought them out of their trance.

She quickly removed her hand from his chest. “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.”

“I know Doc.”

Anxious to lighten the mood, John changed the subject. “I’ll light a fire in the fireplace so our clothes can dry faster. It looks like it’s a gas fireplace so it shouldn’t take any time to light it. Once it’s lit, I’ll go look at the rest of the penthouse.”

He knew if he stayed in the room any longer they would be tempting fate. Though the actual words weren’t spoken, a silent agreement had been made. John would stay upstairs and Marlena would remain downstairs. He walked over to the fireplace, turned the handle to release the gas and lit the match. Instantly they had a roaring fire. He turned and left Marlena standing in the middle of the room.

She couldn’t believe how close she came to making love to John. If the thunder hadn’t happened, she knew they would be making love. They definitely couldn’t be in the same room together. At least not until their clothes were dry. Marlena picked up their clothes and laid them out to dry. Before she laid his shirt out, she brought it to her face to smell his cologne. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Before he could make it all the way up the stairs, the lights flickered and went out.

Marlena cried out, “John.”

“Hold on Doc, I’m coming.” John came back down the stairs to her.

“Please be careful.” Marlena stood completely still. The only light in the room was from the fireplace.

“Doc stay where you are. I’ll come to you.”

The lights suddenly came on. John rushed down the stairs and into Marlena’s arms. Both of them sighed in relief. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the dark; it was the fear of the unknown. This fear stemmed from her being trapped in the pit by herself until John came to rescue her. He knew this was the reason she called out to him. He was always there when she needed him. Slowly the realization that they were in each others arms and wrapped in towels came to them at the same time. Feelings of relief quickly became feelings of desire. Without any warning he leaned in and kissed her lips. It began with a light brush of her lips with his tongue. Just that small touch caused her to moan. The sound of her moan brought them back to reality. They backed away from each other.

Marlena realized how close she had come to giving in to John. “Maybe we ought to try to leave.”

“Doc, it’s raining harder. Our clothes are still wet and if the power goes out again, we could get stuck in the elevator. I’d rather stay here.”

”We could walk down.”

“We’re on the top floor. Do you really want to walk down all those flights? What happens if the power goes out while we’re walking down the stairwell? That could be dangerous. I think we should just stick it out here.”

“I know you’re right. It’s just…..”

There was no need to finish the sentence. They were in dangerous territory and they both knew it.

To ease the tension between them John changed the subject. “While we have lights I think I’ll look for a couple of flashlights or candles. Better safe than sorry.” He left her standing there while he went in search of a couple of flashlights.

When he returned, he had a flashlight, and a couple of candles. He handed her the flashlight and put the candles on the table.

She smiled and said, “Always the boy scout.”

“I aim to please”

Before she could stop herself, the words slipped out in a husky voice, “You always do.”

Again the lights went out. John picked up the flashlight and flipped the switch. He walked over to the window and looked outside. Everything was dark. It wasn’t just this building that didn’t have electricity; it was this part of town.

“Doc I hate to tell you this but it looks like this entire part of town is in a blackout. I don’t see any lights anywhere. We’re going to be here a while. These things usually last a couple of hours.”

“John I don’t think I can do this.” It wasn’t just the darkness; it was being alone with him wrapped in nothing but a towel. She was hoping they wouldn’t have to stay long and now it looked like they would be stuck here for a long time.

He knew it wasn’t the power outage; it was him. She was afraid of what could happen between them. “It will be ok Doc. I promise.” He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze, the same way he had done her leg in the restaurant. Everything would be fine.

Marlena felt reassured by his touch. The tension left her body. “Why don’t I go with you to look at the rooms upstairs? You may need my professional opinion.”

He smiled and said, “You mean your opinion as a psychiatrist?”

“No you big goof. I mean my professional opinion as a mother. I can tell you if this would be a good place for you and Boaty.”

All of the previous tension between them was gone. They were just two people stuck in a storm.

John lit the candles and gave her one. Slowly they began to make their way up the stairs. Once they reached the top, they took a tour of the second floor. There were four bedrooms – one master bedroom and three smaller ones. The master bedroom had its own private bath with a large glass shower and a Jacuzzi. There was also his and hers sinks.

Two of the smaller bedrooms shared bathroom. The third bedroom was off by itself. It could be used as a bedroom or converted into a small office. After a complete tour of the second floor they made their way back to the master bedroom.

“John it’s absolutely perfect. I think you and Boaty will be very happy here. Anyone would.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Well now that that’s settled, how about we try and get a little rest.”

She looked at him in surprise, “It’s a little early, don’t you think?”

“I know, but to be honest I’m starving and if I sleep I won’t think about how hungry I am. We left before I could eat.”

It wasn’t really a lie. He was hungry but that wasn’t his only reason for wanting to get a little sleep. The truth was he didn’t know how much longer he could keep his distance from her.

“Come to think about it, I’m starving. Maybe I can go downstairs and try to fix us something to eat.”

John started laughing and said, “Doc, there’s no electricity so you can’t cook. Second of all, thank god there’s no electricity so you can’t cook. Cooking was never your strong suit.”

She punched him in the arm. “I’m not that bad.”

“No comment.”

“Very funny.”

“Seriously Doc, I think you need to try and get some rest. I don’t think the power is coming on anytime soon. We could be here until morning.”

“What are you going to do?”

“First I’m going to check on our clothes and after I come back I’m going to go in one of the other rooms. You can stay here in the master bedroom.” He turned around and walked out of the room.

Marlena was left standing alone in the bedroom holding her candle. She made her way to the bed and sat down.

A couple of minutes later she heard John coming up the stairs. The sight of him entering the room holding a candle, dressed in nothing but a towel took her breath away. She didn’t notice the shirt in his hand.

“Doc, the only thing that’s almost dry is my shirt. It’s better than a towel. Here, slip this on.” He put the shirt in her hand and turned his back to her. Marlena slipped the towel from her body and let it fall to the floor. John heard the towel fall and fought the urge to turn around.

“You can turn around now.” Deep in her heart, Marlena was a little disappointed he hadn’t turned around to see her. But she also knew, if he had, they would make love right now.

John turned and looked at Marlena. She had never looked so beautiful to him before. “My shirt looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

Marlena smiled and said, “I always loved wearing your clothes. I usually wore the tops and you had the bottoms.”

When they were married, Marlena would take a shower and instead of putting on her nightgown, she would take the top to his pajamas. She told him it made her feel closer to him on the nights he wasn’t home. And on the nights he was home, the top didn’t stay on her long. Both were remembering the many nights they spent together in each others arms.

With huskiness to his voice, John said, “I remember.”

Just the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

Not knowing what else to say, he turned to leave the room. “Well good night, Doc. I’ll be in the next room if you need anything.”

Marlena lay on the bed and closed her eyes. She needed to relax. She needed to forget that John was in the next room wrapped in nothing but a towel.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes. When he closed his eyes all he saw was Marlena wearing his shirt. Clearly he wasn’t going to get any sleep anytime soon. Maybe if he exercised a little he would tire himself out. He began to do pushups on the floor.

Marlena was having the same problem in her room. Every time she closed her eyes she saw John. It was no use. She couldn’t fall asleep. She sat on the edge of her bed. Just then she heard a sound coming from John’s room. Anxious to see if he was alright, Marlena walked over to his room and peeped in. Finally she saw him. He was on the floor exercising. She didn’t want to disturb him; but there was something about the way he moved his body. Even though it was exercise, it was also very erotic. Marlena began to fantasize about them being together. Instead of the floor, it was her underneath him. Instead of him going up and down, he was thrusting in and out of her. Her n*****s began to get hard, she licked her lips and she felt a wetness seeping out of her. Marlena was breathing just as hard as he was. She turned around and walked back to her room before he saw her, before she gave herself to him.

Unaware Marlena had been watching him, John was just as frustrated. Instead of tiring him out, the exercise was having the opposite effect. He began to go faster. John tried to clear his head but all he could see was Marlena underneath him. In fact, the faster he went the more aroused he became. By now he had a full erection. Finally he had to stop. He collapsed on the floor, breathing hard. His erection was throbbing.

Marlena knew she was playing with fire. She was having an internal battle with herself. A part of her wanted to stay true to Roman, but the other part, the part she couldn’t deny, knew she didn’t love Roman the way she loved him. She couldn’t help herself. It was becoming harder and harder to deny her feelings for John. She should have gone home when he offered, but she couldn’t bear to leave him. Her heart overruled her head. Her body wouldn’t let her leave. It wasn’t a choice. It was as natural as breathing. She wanted him.

Even though they were in separate rooms, John knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. It was in her voice; the way she looked at him; the way she talked about their past life together. He knew she was struggling with her feelings for him. As much as he wanted her, he wanted her to come to him without any doubts or reservations. Until she could look at him without the slightest doubt she belonged with him, he would keep his distance. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew he had to leave. If they made love before she was ready to give herself to him completely, she would be full of guilt. He couldn’t put her through that again.

She needed to stay far away from John until the fever that possessed her body ran its course. It was a good thing they were in separate rooms. She went into the bathroom and poured cold water on her face.

John lay still on the floor. He couldn’t move. He was exhausted from the pushups and from his battle with himself. He didn’t have the strength to get up and move to the bed. All of his energy was being used keeping himself away from her. If he moved, he would go to her. It was an exhausting battle and he was afraid he was losing. John closed his eyes.

Marlena went back into the bedroom and lay on the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Finally the fever began to pass. She felt herself drift off.

Eventually John was able to get up and move to the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to drift off.