Tfi*£/(_e4 waited a long time in the stillness of Jodie’s living room. His posture on the sofa changed from sitting to sprawling. After an hour he swiveled around and lay down. Closed his eyes. Opened them again and struggled to stay awake. Closed them again. Kept them closed. Figured he’d catch ten minutes. Figured he’d hear the elevator. Or the door. But when it came to it, he heard neither. He woke up and found her bending over him, kissing his cheek.
“Hey, Reacher,” she said softly.
He pulled her to him and held her in a tight silent embrace. She hugged back, one-handed because she was still carrying her briefcase, but hard.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Later,” she whispered.
She dropped the briefcase and he pulled her down on top of him. She struggled out of her coat and let it fall. The silk lining whispered and sighed. She was in a wool dress with a zipper all the way down the back to the base of her spine. He unzipped it slowly and felt the warmth of her body underneath. She pushed up with her elbows sharp points in his stomach. Her hands scrabbled at his shirt. He pushed the dress off her shoulders. She pulled his shirt out of his waistband. Tore at his belt.
She stood up and her dress fell to the floor. She held out her hand and he took it and she led him to the bedroom. They stumbled out of their clothes as they walked. Made it to the bed. It was white and cool. Neon glow from the city outside lit it in random patterns.
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She pushed him down, with her hands on his shoulders. She was strong, like a gymnast. Urgent and energetic and lithe on top of him. He was lost. They finished filmed in sweat in a tangle of sheets. She was pressed against him. He could feel her heart hammering on his chest. Her hair was in his mouth. He was breathing hard. She was smiling. Her face was tucked into his shoulder and he could feel the smile against his skin. The shape of her mouth, the cool of her teeth. The impatient curve in the muscles of her cheek.
She was beautiful in a way he couldn’t describe. She was tall and lean and graceful, and blond and faintly tanned and she had spectacular hair and eyes. But she was more than that. She was shot through with energy and will and passion. Crackling with restless intelligence, like electricity. He traced his hand down the smooth curve of her back. She stretched her foot all the way down his leg and tried to lace her toes into his. The secret smile was still there, against his neck.
“Now you can ask me about my day,” she said.
Her words were muffled by his shoulder.
“How was your day?” he asked.
She put her hand flat on his chest and pushed herself up onto her elbow. Made a shape with her mouth and blew her hair off her face. Then the smile came back.
“It was great,” she said.
He smiled in turn.
“Great how?” he asked.
“Secretary gossip,” she said. “Mine talked to one from upstairs over lunch.”
“And?”
“There’s a partners’ meeting in a few days.”
“And?”
“The upstairs secretary had just typed the agenda. They’re going to make a partnership offer.”
He smiled. “Who to?”
She smiled back. “To one of the associates.”
“Which one?”
“Guess.”
He pretended to think about it. “They’d go for somebody special, right? The best they got? The smartest, hardest-working, most charming and all that?”
“That’s usually what they do.”
He nodded. “Congratulations, babe. You deserve it. You really do.”
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She smiled happily and threaded her arms around his neck. Pressed herself down in a full-body hug, head to toe.
“Partner,” she said. “What I always wanted.”
“You deserve it,” he said again. “You really do.”
“A partner at thirty,” she said. “Can you believe it?”
He stared up at the ceiling and smiled. “Yes, I can believe it. If you’d gone into politics, you’d be President by now.”
“I cant believe it,” she said. “I never can, when I get what I want.”