Resist Me Not

48

The next day, I walked into the restaurant expecting Eric to already be there. He hadn't arrived yet, even though I left the office later than I planned. The hostess sat me at our usual window booth and handed me a menu. I sat facing the entrance so I would see Eric when he walked in, studying the menu while I waited.

I was starving as I had spent most of the morning setting up my brand new office on the Architect and Design level of the firm. It wasn't as big as any of the offices the Herman men had, but it was a perfect size for me. Plus, I had a lovely view from the wall of windows, three panes long to be exact.

Just as I was about to text Eric to find out where he was, I looked up and saw him walking in. He was dressed in a perfectly pressed gray suit, with a simple white collared shirt, and royal-blue tie. It was almost a weird feeling that I felt nothing at seeing him. I was so used to always looking at him with love or lust, that seeing him as just another person felt almost alien. But in a good way.

"Eric!" I waved him over.

"Hi," he greeted as he slid into the seat across from me. "Sorry for running late, I was stuck in a meeting that ran longer than planned." He picked up his menu and looked it over.

I looked back at mine too, even though I already knew what I wanted. "It's fine. I figured something came up."

The server came over a few minutes later and took our order. I watched him walk back to the bar to get our drinks. I ordinarily didn't like drinking during working hours, but I had a feeling I was going to need something stronger than soda to get through lunch with Eric.

"So, how's work?" He asked, unwrapping his utensils from the cloth napkin.

"Good. I just spent all morning setting up my new office."

He looked confused. "New office?"

I realized then that I didn't tell him about my job change. "Yeah, I was actually promoted to Director of Construction. Mr. Herman offered me the position yesterday."

Eric's jaw dropped. "Congratulations! I knew you said you were going to lead that project you mentioned yesterday. I didn't realize that included a legit promotion!"

The server returned with my white wine and Eric's ginger-ale. I waited for him to leave before taking my first sip. To be honest, it was more like a mini-gulp. Even that small taste of the liquid courage made me feel a little more relaxed.

"So," I took another quick swig of my wine. "Should we just get down to business about what you wanted to talk about?"

He nodded slowly. "I guess so. I don't even know where to start."

I huffed. "You and me both. I guess we need to establish what it means to be in an open relationship. I Googled to see if I could get a better understanding of it. However, everything I read was for couples who have been together, or married, for a long time and were just wanting to expand the sexual side of their relationship."

"Yeah. That sounds about right," he agreed. "What I was thinking was we'd only really be married on paper. You could still live in your apartment and do whatever you want with whoever you want, and I would do the same. Then we'd just kinda come together when we have events or family visiting."

I circled my fingers around the stem of my glass as I processed what he suggested. "Okay... Well, what happens when we find someone we actually want to marry?"

"I don't think that'll be an option. According to my mother, divorce looks bad for politics. If I want to show my supporters how dedicated I am to them, I have to show that I have a solid home foundation. If they see that I went from one marriage to another, they'll think it's a sign of someone unstable or someone who can't be trusted."