Breathless

He paced the floor in front of her, back and forth, back and forth, his heels pounding the wood as the light bounced off the black leather of his shoes and landed in her eyes. He wanted to rant and rave at her, yell at her all night until she got it. But that wouldn’t work with this woman. She was stubborn, she was headstrong, and she wasn’t intimidated by a man. Even if the man were her boss, even if that man were one of the richest men in America. Even now she sat composed- legs crossed, comfortable. Her skin glowed, her hair shone, her tailored dress catered to every curve life had thrown at her. She was beautiful in a way that left him breathless. Her hands resting in her lap, her eyes shifted only to watch him pace. She said nothing. She was unapologetic, and that made him angrier.
“You don’t have anything to say?”
“No.”
“Not even an apology?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I’m not sorry. She needed to hear the truth. I told her. What is there for me to be sorry about?”
He stopped and turned to face her. Where had she come from? She looked like an angel but worked like the devil. For all his moral grand standing, he knew she was right. But he couldn’t let her know that.
“You realize this is a business?”
“I do.”
“We’re here to make money preferably without destroying lives in the process.”
“I don’t think this will cost us anything. And if you know anything about me, you know I always turn a profit."
This woman, he thought. She knew exactly what to say. He stared at her, and a smirk crossed her face. Turning his back, he dismissed her.
“I’ll have to think about your future with this company. We’ll discuss this further tomorrow.”
She stood up to exit, but paused with her hand on the doorknob.
“Your mother may run this company but she doesn’t run my relationship. If I want a moment alone with my husband, I’m going to take it. And I don’t need her permission to do so. I truly hope we can work this out. But if not, you know where to find me.”
She opened the door to leave and walked into the deserted hallway. From here she could see that the sun had set leaving nothing but the moon and the occasional desk lamp to light the corridor. Before the door could close completely, she heard his voice whisper her name softly. She turned to look at him. And even after fifteen years of marriage, his face took her breath away.