The Original Sinners: The Red Years. Tiffany Reisz

knew her books and because of that she sometimes felt he might know her better than anyone. His body was long and lean and his lower back had the most exquisite arch and his fingers and hands were strong and it wouldn’t be long before they were on her and in her and he was inside her completely with nothing—not the book, not his wife, not his fears and his secrets—between them. What would it be like to look up into those ice-blue eyes and see them on fire?

      Nora came hard on her hand and wiped her fingers on his pillowcase. She looked at the clock and saw it was still early. Zach wouldn’t be home for hours. She slipped her hands between her legs again. Time for at least one more.

      Or maybe two.

      * * *

      Long after seven had passed, Zach trudged his way home, exhausted from a day at work. He’d felt miserable ever since Grace called. He’d snapped at Mary for no reason and hung up on J.P. in the middle of a call. He’d apologized to both of them and then wished he hadn’t. They were so damn sympathetic he felt he was wearing a scarlet D for dumped. As soon as he turned the key in his lock and opened his door, Zach perked up a bit. He inhaled Nora’s perfume, that unmistakable scent of hothouse flowers, and knew she’d been here.

      “Nora?” he called out as he dropped his messenger bag by the door and shrugged off his coat. He saw nothing had been moved or altered. His books were all in place, his furniture, his glasses. Curious, Zach moved toward the bedroom and saw his normally closed door standing ajar. He peered around the door half expecting, half hoping to find Nora lying on his bed. But the room sat empty. Still it was clear she’d been in his bedroom. The bed was unmade, the covers pulled back and the imprint of her body still on the sheets. Zach started to inspect the bed, looking for any note she might have left. The moment his hands touched the sheets the phone rang. This time Zach knew it was Nora.

      “Somebody’s been sleeping in my bed,” he said as he answered.

      “And it was just right. How are you today, Zach?”

      “Exhausted. But the excitement of thinking my flat had been broken into did wake me up a bit. You know, if someone caught you in the act, you might have been arrested.”

      “Wouldn’t be the first time. Hope you don’t mind but I masturbated in your bed.”

      Zach coughed in response.

      “Did you?”

      “Three times. I only planned on the one but your sheets smelled so good, just like you. And I couldn’t help but notice that you had my dirty little book by your bed. Can’t imagine why my book gets such a place of honor…can you?”

      “I often read in bed.”

      “Don’t be coy, darling. We both know you’ve masturbated to my scenes. Haven’t you?”

      Zach considered lying or not answering at all. But what was the point of either? Nora would know. “Yes,” he admitted. “Once.”

      “I’m flattered. Can’t blame you, though. I’m pretty good on the page. Tell me something,” she said, her voice turning to warm honey. “What’s your favorite position?”

      “I usually play winger.”

      “Zach, I adore you, but you can’t make soccer jokes during phone sex. It just isn’t done.”

      “We’re having phone sex, are we?”

      “Yes, we are. We’ve both worked too hard this week. Playtime. This is an easy game.”

      “No chance I could talk you into a hand or two of whist, could I?”

      “Not a chance. I left you a present in your nightstand.”

      Warily, Zach opened the drawer in his night table. Nora had left him a tube of lubricant. Why were people always giving him lube?

      “How kind,” he said with a clenched jaw.

      “Comfortable? I suggest lying back on your pillows. I wonder if you can guess which pillow I put under my hips when I masturbated.”

      Zach’s heart fluttered at her brash words. He and Grace had been married two years before he could even talk her into performing in front of him. He would have given his right hand to have watched Nora in his bed. Well, maybe his left hand.

      Zach ran his subtly trembling hands over his pillows. He flipped one over and saw a small watermark on one that hadn’t been there that morning. Grateful Nora wasn’t there to see him, he lifted the pillow to his face and inhaled. A thousand sensory memories returned with that one breath. The scent was the unmistakable mark of a woman’s arousal, utterly potent and completely erotic.

      “My God,” he said and heard Nora giggling at the end of the line.

      “Thank you. Comfortable yet?”

      Zach kicked off his shoes and propped himself on his pillows as Nora had suggested. “Physically I’m comfortable. In other respects, however…no. Not even remotely.”

      He expected a laugh but none came.

      “Zach,” Nora began and her voice sounded oddly solemn. “Listen to me. You don’t have to be uncomfortable. It’s just me. There’s nothing that you can say or do that will shock me. You’ve been inside me, in case you’ve forgotten. We’re both grown-ups who are very attracted to each other. You are an insanely gorgeous, incredibly intelligent man and you have no reason to be embarrassed by this.”

      “Just a bit out of practice,” Zach confessed.

      “Practice makes perfect. I’ll go easy on you this time. Asking again, what’s your favorite position?”

      “This is the easy version?”

      “This is kindergarten, Zach. Now answer me and be honest.”

      Zach exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. Better to just get it out.

      “I prefer from behind positions.”

      “Doggie style?”

      “Sometimes. My favorite, though, is when she’s on her stomach and her leg is sort of pulled up.”

      “Why do you like it? And don’t skimp on the details.”

      “It’s…” Zach searched for the right word. “It’s intimate without being sentimental. I suppose that sounds like a load of rubbish to you.”

      “No, it makes perfect sense. Missionary position is as vanilla as it gets. But from behind positions are fantastic. Some of my favorites, too. When was the first time you tried it?”

      “I was seventeen, I think. I was seeing a university student a few years older than me.”

      “Such a lady-killer. And she was more experienced than you?”

      “Vastly. I’d had more than a few wild nights but nothing had prepared me for her. Second time we were together she rolled onto her stomach and made her will known.”

      “I like this girl.”

      “She was a beautiful half-crazy bint named Raine of all things, but I don’t regret the lessons.”

      “Raine is making me wet. What do you remember from the first time, Zach?”

      “Ah…” Zach closed his eyes and summoned the memory. It had been years since he’d even thought about her. “I remember having to move her hair off her neck. She had gorgeous dark hair like yours. And I’ll never forget taking a fistful of it and pushing it out of the way so I could kiss her back and shoulders.”

      “Did you bite her?”

      “Constantly,” Zach confessed. “And I remember bracing myself with my arms over her. My hands were on either side of her and she reached her hand out and wrapped her fingers around mine. I think that’s when it became my favorite.” He closed his eyes and remembered how often he’d taken Grace like that. She did the same thing,