Page 62 of Purchase Power
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Noah was proud to find a perfectly acceptable balancing act in his new life. Work was always completed in a timely manner, of course, although sometimes he put off the finishing touches until the evening, when his libido was sated and he could renew his focus on Excel spreadsheets and colorful charts.Or so I think…Only took another hour of sitting at his desk to realize he was still thinking about Lucy.
Cutting himself off after an hour or two with her helped. After all, he wasn’t beholden to merely running his household and getting work done. When Noah wasn’t conducting meetings over Zoom or ducking into town to have lunch with the CEO of his family’s company, he was minding someone who had been a little unruly as of late.
“It must be the oncoming spring,” Stacey’s physician said when she stopped by for the monthly checkup. They sat in Noah’s office, the doctor’s bag by her feet and the wrinkles on her face convincing Mr. Gabriel that Stacey was in the right hands. “Wouldn’t be the first time she acted a bit foolish because of the changing air pressure. Stacey is very susceptible to these changes, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.” The doctor’s smug grin made Noah look away. “If you’d like, I could prescribe something to keep her calmer in the evenings.’
“I’m not going to sedate her,” Noah candidly said. “We haven’t had to do that in at least ten years, and I’m not looking to start again.” Stacey was only sedated when she became a danger to herself. Or to others.Like the time she lit an unchecked fire in the yard.The only reason it didn’t do more damage was because a landscaper had seen it happen the moment the fire was lit. Without his keen eyes, Noah may not have this office to occupy while he did his work. “I can’t believe you’re suggesting it.”
“It was only a thought, Mr. Gabriel.” Every month, she tested Noah’s patience, and every month, he rebuked her. “Now, there is the matter of Stacey’s immunity…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you been keeping up with global news, Mr. Gabriel? That virus making the rounds is especially dangerous to people who are immunocompromised. I don’t have to tell you that Stacey already catches every bug introduced to this house. Her CPTSD…”
“Which still isn’t something professionals such as yourself are sure exists, by the way.”
The doctor furrowed her brows at his indignation. “Will you tell me that you don’t think Stacey has suffered incredible trauma since her childhood?”
“Of course not. I’m offended you’ve even asked.”
“We know for a fact that those dealing with PTSD have lowered immune systems. It seeps deep into your body, Mr. Gabriel. The anxiety, the lack of sleep, the risk taking…”
“I get it. You’re worried that Stacey might get sick.” Noah sat back from his desk. “You also know that we take great precautions in this house. Every common room – and the bedrooms, I might add – are cleaned every day. You could eat off the counter in Stacey’s bathroom.”
“Should the virus come to New England…”
“Ifthat happens, we’ll be prepared. I run a tight ship here, doctor. There’s no reason to believe that if someone becomes sick, they’ll make it into my house.”
She pursed her lips. “It’s not that simple, Mr. Gabriel. The virus often presents as asymptomatic in the first week or two. Or until forever. There’s no saying that one of your employees will catch it and you will know until it is too late.
“Why are you telling me this?”
The doctor shook her head. “I worry about Stacey as much as you do. Let’s keep an eye on her. I’d like to see her again in two weeks.”
Noah wished he could say this was the most annoying part of his day. Far from it. After only a few more hours, he was fielding texts from David – far fromnot distracting.
“Did I tell you we finally kissed last weekend? I’m still thinking about it, man. We’ve kissed a few more times since then, too. You can totally tell Kelsey’s a virgin, but she’s got spirit. I also saw her tits last night. Hey, man, when I say we’re taking it slow, I mean it. I’m thinking for Valentine’s Day I’ll finally go for it. What do you think?”
“I think you sound like an idiot.”
“Sorry. We all can’t have Lucys.”
That was the truth. Merely bringing her up made Noah have to pay a visit to the woman currently lying on her stomach in bed, feet kicked up and laptop in front of her face. Her cheeks lit up when she saw Noah come through the door. Five minutes later, his cock was in her mouth and her moans were coaxing him to unload that stress in his life.
Too bad there was more stress waiting for him back in his office. Noah was barely cognizant enough to ask Candace for coffee and check his email when a call came through his personal line.
I swear, if this is David calling to talk about sex…Noah wished it were. After he saw the picture on his screen, he wasbeggingfor it to be David!
He held his phone up to his ear. “Hello, Mother.”
“Noah, my courteous boy.” Tonya’s sniff was as anticipated as the gravel in her voice. “You always make it sound like it’s some terrible thing that I’m taking an interest in you. Let me guess. I caught you late at work, again.”
“I was finishing up before dinner.”
“Dinner with Stacey, I presume.”
He gritted his teeth. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I have dinner with her? She lives under the same roof as me.”
