11. Saskia

Chapter 11

Saskia

The morning passes without further drama. After changing into cream cashmere loungewear, I curl up on the sofa and lose myself in a book I’ve been meaning to read for months. Casper appears now and then, with hot chocolate or warm cookies, and Henry tugs my feet into his lap for a foot rub. A girl could get used to this, each of them making it up to me in their own way.

The three of us revolve around each other like this is all perfectly normal. I make a simple country vegetable soup for lunch and serve it with warm bread and butter laced with salt crystals.

The boys behave impeccably while we eat, talking about work and their various mutual friends on the art scene whilst both keeping their hands to themselves. It’s strangely reminiscent of meals Casper and I have shared with Henry over the years, on his visits to London, or when we’ve spent a long weekend in New York.

Though Henry has always been my friend first, he and Casper have gotten on well over the years. This morning was the first glimpse of rivalry I’ve seen between them, but, thankfully, all seems to be forgotten now.

After lunch, Henry runs me a bath, and I enjoy a long soak in the tub. The bathroom was the first thing I upgraded when I bought the cottage, knowing how much I’d enjoy relaxing here after a busy week in the city.

It’s a small space, but my architect worked some magic to fit both a roll-top bath and a walk-in shower. The thin window allows little light in, but the brass wall-sconces give the room a luxurious feel, as do the expensive products I keep here year-round.

Downstairs, I find the boys watching a Christmas film. I snuggle into Henry’s lap and he covers me with one of the many throw blankets I keep scattered around the living room. In no time at all, I doze off, my exhausted body and overworked brain taking the rest I desperately crave, in the arms of the man I adore.

When I wake up alone, I find Henry has settled me against a pillow and covered me with a blanket. I stretch out, rolling my neck from side to side. The low winter sun gleams through the window, lights twinkle softly on the tree, and I hear Henry humming a Christmas song in the kitchen.

Winter nights in the cottage feel like being in a world of your own. It’s already fairly secluded, exactly what I wanted from a country getaway, but with the addition of snow, we’re truly blanketed from the outside world. I turned my phone off when Henry arrived, determined to fully disconnect from work, from life, and from the shadow of my separation.

Our lawyers have handled everything, and though there hasn’t been any drama along the way, knowing we still need to sign those final papers is a weight I can’t wait to lift. Of all the contracts and deals I’ve signed in my life, this will be the least enjoyable, but I assumed come January all would be done. Not that I’d be sharing a house with him again for Christmas.

“There’s my beautiful girl,” Henry says, appearing at my side with a glass of chilled Champagne. “You sleep well?”

“Very.” I smile and take a sip, enjoying the sensation as bubbles flood my tongue. He takes a seat by my feet, lifting them into his lap once more. The man can’t stop touching me, and I’m not complaining.

With no sign of Casper, I catch a hint of the time I thought we’d be spending alone together, and it’s everything I’ve dreamed of. Still, in a cottage of this size, he can’t be far, and I know I won’t have much time to talk to Henry before being interrupted.

“Are you OK?” I ask, reaching for his hand and curling both of mine around it. His other hand slips between my calves, thumb pressing into the tight muscles there.

“I’m wonderful, darling.”

“Are you really, though? This is…”

My eyes dart towards the stairs. Fucking crazy is what it is, and talking about it with Henry has me feeling shy, something I never felt with Casper.

“I don’t know what this is. Last night was fun, but it was a lot of pressure to put on you without us having a conversation first.”

“Last night,” he whispers, leaning closer to conspire with me. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes,” I sign, moaning softly when his fingers coast past my knee on their journey north. My breath quickens. “Very much.”

“What did you enjoy about it?”

I don’t even have to think of an answer. The two of them working me to orgasm scratched a deep itch I’d never have been able to reach alone. The release was phenomenal, and I slept better than I have in years. My body tingles at the memory of Henry's hands and Casper's words.

“You controlled my body, he controlled my mind. I didn’t have to do anything but enjoy it.”

His fingers tease the hem of my shorts, slipping up underneath and pinching the sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh. “You like giving up control?”

He pinches me higher, and all I can do is nod. I can’t speak, can’t look away, can’t do anything while his touch pulls me under his hypnotic spell.

“You’d do it again?”

“Yes,” I moan softly.

“And more?”

Casper bounds down the stairs before I can answer, with a large black box in his hands. “Look! I found our box of treasures.”