Chapter Twenty

VALERIAN CALLED FORa break in the conference room when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He missed his wife like crazy, but it was also for her safety that he insisted she fly back to New York the day after their wedding.

They had only been apart for ten days, but he could no longer remember what life was without her.

She was the first thing he thought about in the morning, the last thought he had before falling asleep. But when he told his wife this in one of their late-night FaceTime calls, her reaction had been unexpected, to say the least.

It's the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me—

When you say it like that, I'm thinking I should take it back.

But please don't be mad if I can't say the same thing?

I'm officially taking it back. Also, are you saying you're thinking of someone else before you think of me?

Yes?

What the hell, Poppy?

It's not what you think, I swear! It's just...the moment I wake up, I thank God for a good night's sleep. I thank Him for the chance to live another day...and for you. I can't thank Him enough for you, and it's the same thing before I go to bed.

Poppy wasn't the first girl he had dated who talked about God and faith. But his wife was definitely the first one to speak of God like He was a part of her everyday life. And then there were her daily texts of Bible verses, which even came with short funny reflections and always capped off by discussion questions like they were a two-member book club.

A wry smile tugged at his lips as he remembered this, and amusement still colored his voice as he answered her call.

"Good morning, wife."

"Good morning, husband." Her voice was a mixture of shyness and giddiness, and the sound still turned him on like no other. "You sound like you're in a really good mood."

"I'm always in a good mood when talking to you."

"Why do I feel like you"re secretly laughing at me again?"

"I'm not."

"You promised you'd never lie to me."

"And I'm not."

"Oh."

"Since I'm obviously laughing at you, not secretly."

****

HEATHER JOINED HERsister-in-law for lunch and tried not to wince at what she saw. "Being in love does not suit you at all, Poppy."

Unfortunately, the words only made the younger woman beam...and look even creepier in the process.

"At all. Like seriously, please stop smiling."

"I was just replaying certain memories in my mind," Poppy confessed. "Valerian called last night—"

"I'd be more surprised if he doesn't at this point." Honestly, Heather was still a little shocked at how much her brother had changed. He used to hate spending even a single minute talking to his ex-girlfriend on the phone. The new Valerian, however, had taken to calling his wife every few hours.

"And he was just so sweet—"

Heather was momentarily distracted when she saw Poppy's phone's screen light up with an incoming message.

Huh?

She closed her eyes, thinking she must've read it wrong.

"I can explain."

Heather's eyes flew open, and the guilty expression on Poppy's face said it all.

"Does Valerian know?"

"Not yet. But he will," Poppy promised.

"Is this the first time..."

Poppy shook her head, and Heather's unease grew. "You should really come clean about this soon. Valerian hates being lied to."

"I know. And I've always meant to tell him. I just need more time to plan things. But in the meantime..."

Heather could only sigh, knowing what was being asked of her. "I get it. And you have my word. I won't say anything about this to Valerian, but...I'm serious, Poppy. The sooner you tell him, the better."

****

HEATHER'S WORDS LOOMEDover Poppy's head like a stormy cloud as she headed back to the salon after lunch. This was the time she would've loved to bury herself in work, but business proved to be slower than usual, which then left Poppy alone with her thoughts.

Heather was usually the unflappable type, Poppy reflected uneasily while making herself coffee in the pantry. It was weird and extremely worrying to see the other woman acting the opposite.

All she had wanted was to help Valerian, and this was her only chance to do so. But maybe she should simply play it safe and call the whole thing off?

Giovanni suddenly showed up by the doorway as he poked his head in. "I've got a VIP waiting for you in Room 4. Don't keep him waiting."

Poppy hurriedly cleaned up before rushing out of the pantry. The availability of private suites was one of the things that made Salon Joyieux different from the competition, and Room 4, in particular, was the largest and most expensive suite they had to offer.

She quickly tied her apron strings around her body and pasted a smile on her face before knocking on the door. "Bonjour. I'm Poppy, and I'll be your stylist for today. May I come in?"

Her only answer was hearing the door unlock, and Poppy decided to take it as a yes.

She let herself in, and—aaah!

Poppy's gasp disappeared in her husband's kiss, and the next thing she knew, he had her back against the wall, and aaaaaah...

Was this why her subconscious mind had insisted on her wearing a dress to work instead of her usual shirt and jeans? Had it been connected to Valerian at some secret level, and this was its way of making sure her husband had the easiest time ripping her panties off, and—

AAAAH!

His tongue drove deep into her mouth the same time his oh-so-huge cock thrust just as deep into her pussy, whose swollen folds were already soaking wet with need.

He slammed into her again and again, and she could not get enough of it.

It didn't seem like there was any room for more pleasure in her body, but when she felt him suddenly squeezing her breast and pinching her nipple—

Her inner muscles involuntarily squeezed his cock, and this seemed to flip a switch in her husband out of nowhere.

She was suddenly on her feet, and she was also being flipped. The next thing she knew, Valerian already had her bent waist down, palms against the wall, and he was thrusting all the way home.

Poppy saw stars again, and it was only thanks to her husband timely covering her mouth with his hand that her scream didn't escape the walls of Room 4. He was pounding into her harder than ever, and as his hold on her mouth adjusted, she found herself desperately and hungrily sucking on his fingers.

A part of her couldn't believe she was having sex in her workplace.

But the larger part of her didn't care about rules.

All it cared about was for this to never ever end—

Yes, oh, yes!

But when it finally did, the orgasm that pulsed through her body was unlike any other, and the sheer force of it had her eyes rolling back.

Valerian bit her shoulder hard as he ejaculated his seed inside of her in a series of long, powerful bursts. Another shuddering round of pleasure took over her body, and by the time her husband carefully withdrew, she was completely spent.

Valerian scooped his wife in her arms when he saw her knees buckle, and her eyelids start to droop.

Rest, love, she thought she heard her husband murmur, but surely she was mistaken about this?

Valerian gently lowered Poppy into the salon chair. It was the fancy version thankfully, and as the back of the chair silently folded back with the push of a button. As he arranged Poppy's supine form, her phone fell out of her pocket, and his body turned cold when he saw the preview of an unread message.

Just remember not to tell Valerian at all costs. I know you hate lying to him, but this is for his sake. I'll see you night.