Chapter 32

After helping Dorothea put the kids to bed, Brianna disappeared into her bedroom to transcribe Dorothea's latest recordings - and give Jon and Dot some privacy.

Later, she wandered downstairs to get something to drink and noticed the crackling and flickering light of a fire coming from the living room. It was March, but the nights were still cool so the fireplace got a lot of use. Drawn by the warmth, Brianna peeked in, not wanting to intrude if Jon and Dot were in there. But she didn't see anyone, so she entered and stepped close to the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames. 

The clink of glass had her turning to see Jon in the depths of the big armchair. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you in here. I didn't mean to intrude."

"You're not." Jon waved her to a chair and held up his wineglass. "Sit down and relax. Want a drink?"

"That would be nice. Thanks." She curled up in the chair on the other side of the fireplace and accepted the glass he offered her.

They sat in comfortable silence watching the fire for several minutes.

"That's a beautiful desk in my room. Thank you."

Jon shrugged. "It had to be uncomfortable trying to type sitting on the bed. I'd offer you my office, but I'd rather have you upstairs when Dot's resting in case she needs anything."

Brianna nodded.

They sat and sipped in silence.

This time it was Jon who broke it. "Tell me about yourself. Your family, your life." At her surprised look, he shrugged. "I want to talk about something....else. You know all about me, but we never talk about you."

Brianna debated where to start. She was surprised that she even wanted to. Normally it took a long time before she was comfortable enough with someone to talk about her personal life. She hadn't realized that Jon had gotten that far under her skin. She took a sip of her wine and a deep breath. "I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company until a heart attack forced him to retire last year. My mother was a stay at home mom. I have two brothers, both Vice-Presidents of major corporations, one in Boston, one in New York."

"So being a part of the business world comes naturally to you then. I'm surprised you didn't become an executive yourself." She was certainly smart enough.

"That's not an appropriate position for a female. The woman's role is to support the man, look after the house and the children - at least as far as my father's concerned." She shrugged as though it didn't matter. "Truth be told, I'm happy organizing things behind the scenes. I don't like being in the spotlight."

"Are you close to your family?" In all the time they'd spent together she'd never mentioned any of them.

"My mother yes, the rest...." She shrugged again. "Dad wasn't around much when we were growing up. He spent long hours at the office and travelled a lot. My brothers have followed in his footsteps. I only see them usually once a year at Christmas."

His brows rose. "Even the brother that lives in New York? You live in the same city and don't see each other?"

"He's......busy."

"And you're okay with that?" He was beginning to see why she insisted on including the kids activities in his schedule - and didn't question why he didn't cancel the tour to stay home with Dorothea.

Brianna shrugged yet again. "That's just the way it is. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't mean you have to like it."

"No, it doesn't." She sipped her wine.

Over the next couple weeks, by unspoken arrangement, after everyone was in bed they met in the living room for wine and conversation. They talked about places they'd visited, books they'd read, movies they'd seen.....got to know each other as individuals, not just boss and employee.

Dorothea watched the growing friendship with satisfaction. When they joked and laughed while doing the post dinner dishes, or teased each other while playing games with the kids, or even argued about music, it just confirmed in her mind that she'd made the right choice.

The sun was shining brightly through their bedroom window when Dorothea awoke. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into warm blue pools. She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "Morning."

"Morning Dotty." He leaned in to touch his lips to hers, deepening the kiss as she opened for him. As his passion heated and grew, he set his hands on her body and let them roam.

After a few minutes, Dorothea pulled back, regret stamped all over her face. "I'm sorry Johnny, I just....can't."

"Ssshhhh, Dotty, it's okay. I understand." He did, but that didn't ease the fire in his blood or the ache in his groin. While his compassion recognized her condition, his body still had needs.

Jon held her close for a few minutes, then rose from the bed and moved to stare out the window. His frustration was running high and he struggled not to lash out at her. It had been so damn long since they'd touched that way, and he was missing not only the physical satiation, but the emotional closeness that went with it.

Dorothea could see the muscle clench in his jaw. "I'm sorry."

He blew out a breath and shrugged. "It's not your fault. It's okay. I'll survive."

She studied him for a moment before daring to suggest a solution. "Honey.....I know you have needs that I can no longer take care of."

"I told you, it's okay, I'll survive."

"But you don't have to suffer along with me."

Jon turned to stare at her. "What are you saying? You want me to cheat on you? Have an affair?"

"It's not cheating if I give my blessing and it's not an affair if it's with my full knowledge."

"And do you have some poor unsuspecting female picked out for me to use to take care of my needs?" His tone was scornful.

Dorothea grinned and watched him closely for his reaction. "Brianna."

To say he was stunned would be an understatement. "You're crazy."

"No I'm not, it makes perfect sense. You get along well, you like each other, she's attractive and she understands the situation. She's a friend who won't disrespect me. Plus she's close by all the time."

"Handy." He replied dryly and ignored his body's response to the idea. "Have you said anything about this to her?"

"Not yet, but I'm going to. It's the perfect solution."

"Don't bother. I won't do it and she'll never go for it."

"Why not?"

"Because, regardless of your 'blessing', it would feel like we were betraying you and neither one of us will do that."

Dorothea noted that he didn't say he wasn't attracted to Brianna, but decided not to push it. "Let's just say that you and I both know things can happen, and if it happens with Brianna I won't be upset."

Jon just grunted and headed for the bathroom and the shower.

Later that day while the little ones were napping and Jon was in his office, Dorothea and Brianna were sitting in the living room organizing the kids’ memory books.

"Tell me about your ex-husband." Dorothea invited.

Brianna's eyebrows rose and she shrugged. "Not much to tell. He's a corporate CEO in New York. He was my boss before I married him."

"What happened?"

"After we got married it was decided my place was at home, taking care of things there, entertaining his guests, and being on his arm when we went out. After a couple years I could sense that something was wrong and I started to suspect he was cheating on me. But when I confronted him, he denied it and swore I was the only woman he wanted and I let it go. But he got more and more secretive with unexplained absences. He got sloppy. One day I was cleaning his office, opened a drawer to put away some papers and found some photos of him and his new assistant."

Dorothea winced. "Let me guess....in some rather 'friendly' positions."

"Mmmmm. And some were minus clothing. I decided to do a little snooping on his computer and hacked his e-mail - it wasn't difficult, he used his birthday for his password. I found e-mails going back almost a year - starting shortly after she was hired. I had my bags packed by the time he got home. I showed him the evidence, gave him my attorney's card and left. One thing I can't tolerate or accept is cheating."

"You left? I would have kicked him out."

Brianna grimaced. "Pre-nup. The penthouse was his."

"Ah." Dorothea debated how to bring up the subject. "So.....you don't approve of bosses and their assistants having a personal relationship?"

"If one of them is married, the lines need to be respected."

"Even if the wife approves?"

Brianna stared at her friend for a long moment, suddenly realizing Dorothea wasn't talking about Alex anymore. "What are you trying to say Dot? I've never come even close to crossing the line with Jon. I wouldn't do that to you." Thinking about it didn't count.

"Oh, I know and I trust you." She hesitated. "My condition has reached the point where I no longer have the strength -or the interest - for sex anymore. But I recognize that Jon has needs and I don't want him to suffer because of me."

"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting....." Brianna's mind stuttered over the very idea. "You're crazy."

"No I'm not. It's the perfect solution. You get along well. You like each other. You understand him and how to deal with him. He had a vasectomy, so there's no worries about pregnancy. He's disease free. Most women consider him attractive."

Brianna snorted at the understatement - she'd seen first hand women of all ages throwing themselves at him and being emotionally overwhelmed at just the touch of his hand. "Still.....he's your husband! I don't fool around with married men!"

"All I'm saying is that with all the time you spend together, and the emotions surrounding my illness - along with the fact Jon has a very strong sex drive - if something were to happen between the two of you, I wouldn't be upset. I trust both of you not to disrespect me."

"And you don't think us sleeping together would be disrespecting you?" Brianna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"No. Not when I know it doesn't change anyone's feelings about each other." Dorothea reached over and squeezed Brianna's hand. "Really, I'm okay with it."

Brianna shook her head. "No way. I’m sorry Dot, but it’s not happening."

Dorothea didn't argue any further. She'd planted the seeds and was confident that with time and proximity - especially on the Japanese and European legs of the tour when home was far away - those seeds would take root and grow, nudging her nicely budding plan towards full bloom.