Chapter 6: Failed to "Do It"

James glanced at his wife, kind of unsure if he should say it. But he pulled himself together and finally spoke up, "Actually, I…"

"What is it, babe?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"You go take a shower first. I’ll tell you after," James said with a half-smile.

Elisha squinted at him suspiciously. He always loved teasing her like that. "Ugh, fine. I’ll be quick."

About fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom in her nightgown, towel-drying her damp hair. She shot him a smile when she saw he was still awake.

"I thought you’d be asleep by now."

"I was waiting on you," James replied, shutting his laptop and setting it aside on the bed.

"So, what were you about to say earlier?" Elisha asked, catching his reflection in the mirror while she went about her nightly skincare routine. Even though she was clearly worn out, she never skipped it.

James grinned and climbed off the bed, making his way toward her. He stood right behind her and gently started rubbing her back. "Elisha… can we?"

He didn’t know why, but every time he tried to ask her for some intimacy, he hesitated. Maybe it was the fear of rejection—like the last few times. That stung.

Elisha met his gaze in the mirror. Seeing the worry in his eyes made her chest ache. She felt horrible—like maybe she'd pushed him too far away lately.

"I know you’re tired, but—"

She didn’t let him finish. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I’m sorry, babe. I’ve been so distant… You must’ve felt really alone, huh?"

James blinked, stunned. He hadn’t expected that kind of warmth from her outta nowhere. "Elisha…"

"Tonight, I’m all yours," she whispered, cheeks turning bright red. "I’ll take care of you… all the way."

And that was it—James couldn’t hold back anymore. Just hearing her say that made his body respond like it had been waiting for this forever. He kissed her, deep and hungry, catching a hint of her minty toothpaste.

"Mmm… mmmph…" he murmured against her lips, guiding her back onto the bed without breaking the kiss. He gently pinned her down, not giving her a chance to escape.

"It’s okay, babe. We’ve got all night," she whispered, eyes fluttering closed while he trailed kisses down her neck, leaving warm little love marks behind—his way of saying she was his.

James didn’t care about anything else. The need inside him had been building up for too long. And now, with her finally saying yes, he was letting it all go.

"I’m sorry, babe, but you drive me crazy…"

"I get it. I missed your touch too," she breathed, her voice soft.

James gave her a crooked grin and leaned in to kiss her again, slower this time. His hands explored her curves, gently cupping her breasts, making her shiver under his touch.

His eyes locked on hers as he slowly slid her nightgown down. The sight of her still in that black bra sent a rush through him.

He reached for the clasp without hesitation—but just as he was about to undo it, Elisha’s phone rang. Loudly.

"Babe, it’s my phone."

James didn’t even flinch. He kept kissing her skin, pretending he didn’t hear it.

"Babe…"

"Forget it, Sha. It’ll stop ringing."

"But I think it’s my boss," she said, concern flickering in her eyes. James paused, his mood instantly dipping.

"I’ll just check real quick—might be important," she said softly.

James let out a frustrated sigh and climbed off of her, watching as she smoothed out her clothes and left him there, halfway between heaven and hell.

She might’ve not noticed, but his face was clearly annoyed. James wasn’t mad at her, not really—but the damn phone call felt like another moment stolen from them. One more reason why he felt like he’d lost her to her job.

"Shit," James muttered under his breath, glaring at his now-deflated mood. He watched her through the glass doors of the balcony as she talked.

"What the hell are they even talking about? Didn’t they spend the whole day at work together already? Why’s he calling her at this hour?"

His thoughts kept swirling, frustration building. It wasn’t just tonight. Her job had been pulling her away for months now. And her boss? Always in the damn picture.

Five minutes passed. He clenched his jaw.

Ten minutes. His face darkened.

Twenty. He gave up. He splashed water on his face and decided to head downstairs, whatever flame he had earlier was already gone.

*

He walked into the pantry, planning to make himself a cup of coffee, something to shake off the disappointment. But he stopped in his tracks when he saw Nancy.

The housemaid was still up, quietly cleaning and packing leftovers into containers.

"Nancy?"

She turned around, clearly startled. "Oh! 2. Mr.Brown… you haven’t gone to bed yet?"

Her voice was soft and polite—there was something calming about it.

"Shouldn’t I be asking you that?" James walked over, curious why she was still up past midnight. "It’s after eleven. Aren’t you exhausted? Don’t you have to be up early tomorrow?"

"I couldn’t sleep, sir. So I thought I’d clean up and toss out some expired seasonings while I’m at it," she explained. "Was I being too noisy?"

"No, not at all. I didn’t wake up because of you. I just… couldn’t sleep either."

Nancy nodded, understandingly, though she didn’t seem to know what else to say.

"I was about to make some coffee."

James’s deep baritone snapped Nancy out of her thoughts, and she turned to look at him.

"You want me to make the coffee, sir?" she asked softly.