I wouldn't say that Eli forced me out of his room. He had Ronnie do it for him.

I swear, if they had an actual broom available to shoo me away with, then I think they would have used it. I could feel the bruise forming on my back from where the door literally hit me on the way out.

Still, this grievance was minor and very short-lived. The moment my car door closed behind me, my mood instantly shifted from mild annoyance to nervous excitement.

Mason. It was almost funny. Wasn't I worrying just yesterday about how soon would be too soon to message him again? Now, here I was, on my way to meet him for the second day in a row for yet another afternoon rendezvous. And in public this time. My body was practically buzzing with anticipation.

In a strange way, I almost felt grateful Phil had pulled that little stunt of his yesterday. Emphasis on almost.

After all, if he hadn't done something so unbelievably, line-crossingly horrific, then I wouldn't have been outraged enough to visit Eli the day after his chemo. If I hadn't visited Eli, then he and Ronnie would have never convinced me to message Mason today. And if I didn't message Mason, then I wouldn't be on my way to meet him right now. In fact, who knows when I would have finally worked up the nerve to message him again. If I didn't get into my own head first and cut things off before I even had the chance.

No, somehow, the stars had aligned in the strangest way to create this little series of events. Not that I was going to complain. Phil was shitty, but Mason wasn't. So, in a way, I suppose the universe had balanced itself.

My heartbeat picked up speed as the familiar silhouette of the park sign came into view. By the time I finally managed to park the car and step outside my head was so dizzy that I could barely think. I glanced around eagerly for any signs of Mason.

A few other cars dotted the parking lot here and there, but I couldn't say for sure if any were his or not. In fact, thinking back, I don't think I even knew what his car looked like.

I scanned the parking lot again, doing some quick recon. I recognized a couple of the cars that were there, but not in a way that worried me. I recognized them because they were the exact same junkers in the exact same parking spots as the last time I'd come here. And the layers upon layers of dirt, bird shit, and other random gunk made it pretty clear that they'd been there for a while.

The other car that was there was some kind of mid-range family car. A little nicer than I'd expect to see in this area, but I couldn't say with any certainty that it belonged to Mason.

This park wasn't too popular but people did drop by here from time to time. Sometimes families would come here so their kids could burn off energy before long trips out of town. Hikers would also occasionally park their cars here for the day while they went to some of the nearby trails. Not to mention people like me who would just drop by on occasion for some well-needed peace and quiet. So, it wasn't as if Mason was the only person who might have potentially parked their car here today.

However, the car itself was of little interest. I was more concerned by the fact that I didn't see Mason himself anywhere. Car or no car, shouldn't he have come out to meet me already if he was here?

I bit my lip as I glanced down at my phone. The drive from the facility was way longer than the drive from his place. He should have been here by now. I sent him the location, but did he get lost somehow?

I was debating whether or not I should call him when a sharp wolf whistle suddenly cut through the air. I rolled my eyes as I turned toward the sound, ready to tell whoever it was to kindly fuck off. Only to be met with Mason leaning against the side of my car.

He chuckled and held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, sorry! Jeez, if looks could kill."

My face immediately melted into a smile upon seeing him. "Sorry, but that is the standard reaction when some random creep whistles at you in public."

"Random creep? Ouch," he teased. "I thought we were friends."

"A friend would have let me know they were here already instead of making me wait around," I shot back at him.

He shrugged. "Okay, okay. Fair enough. But in my defense, I couldn't tell if it was you or not when you first pulled up. Your car isn't exactly one of a kind and I couldn't see who was driving from where I was. I thought it might be better to double-check first before announcing myself. Just in case."

I guess I could see where he was coming from. I was actively looking for him and I couldn't find him. I imagine him trying to stealthily see who I was probably wasn't that much easier.

"But, since it is you, and I don't see anyone else around..." he trailed off.

He stepped closer to me, a mischievous smile on his face. His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him as he pressed his lips against mine.

Instantly, he sent my heart racing and the sparks flying through my body. God, all he did was kiss me. Why did I feel so good?

Despite my determination to ignore my better judgment today, there were some aspects of it that I knew I needed to hang onto. For example, it probably wasn't the smartest idea to make out with a guy who wasn't my husband in the middle of a public parking lot.

I pressed my hands against his chest to push him away. It wasn't much force, barely even a nudge, but he got the idea. He pulled away, confused. My cheeks burned with shame and excitement as I avoided his eyes.

"Not here," I explained quietly.

He glanced around quickly. "Ah, right. Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

He let me go immediately, stepping a safe distance back. My body screamed at me in anger and betrayal. I tried to placate it with the knowledge that we only had to wait a little longer, but it didn't help much. The aching emptiness I felt inside grew stronger with every passing second. If I could have, I would have ripped off my panties and had him fuck me up against the car right then and there.

Still, I clung desperately to that last little strand of logic and reason that held me back from doing so. Giving into temptation didn't mean being stupid about it. There was a time and a place for this, and it wasn't in the middle of an open parking lot.

"It's fine," I reassured him. "It's not like anyone's here right now or anything. I'd just rather be safe than sorry, you know?"

"No, no. I get it. You're right. We should be," he agreed. "But, umm... I've never exactly been here before, so... do you know any 'safe' places around here?"

I could feel the warmth building between my legs at the question. "Umm, a few. I guess it just depends on how 'safe' you want them to be."

He chuckled lightly. "That's really more of a you question. Personally, I'd fuck you right here in the parking lot if I thought I could get away with it."

It was almost scary how he always knew exactly what to say to drive me crazy. I mean, wasn't I just thinking of the exact same thing not even two minutes ago? And, God, he made it sound so tempting.

"Well, umm, " I cleared my throat, trying to fight back my screaming body, "if we want something with a little more... privacy, then I think the bathrooms might be best. There are locks on the doors, so even if anybody came by, they wouldn't be able to catch us."

"Yeah, I guess that would be safest," he mumbled mostly to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, umm, is it safe in other ways too? I really don't want to be the first guy to actually catch herpes from a toilet seat."

A small laugh sputtered its way through my lips. I cleared my throat to choke it back. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about that. Outskirts or not, this is still technically a part of the city. They don't put too much money into it, but they at least try to make sure it's clean. The bathrooms are usually pretty good."

"Then, by all means."

He gestured grandly for me to lead the way. Again, another laugh snuck its way through my lips as I gave him a small nod and headed for the bathrooms.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Mason who made his way into my mind as we headed in that direction, but Phil.

Maybe a better woman than me would have felt some modicum of guilt over what I was about to do. A remorse for the betrayal of our unspoken agreement, if not for my actual marriage itself. But, for me, that bridge was already burned beyond repair. Charred to ashes, swept up, and dumped in the garbage along with that fucking condom he'd tampered with.

Now, I happily lorded over Phil and his ignorance. It almost seemed like karmic justice in a way. All those times he looked down on me for wanting to try something new or exciting in our bedroom. All the times he turned his nose up in disgust at any suggestion I dared to make that was spicier than vanilla. All the times he rejected literally anything that would bring me some kind of pleasure in our sex life, saying "his wife should never." And now, here I was, about to get railed in a public bathroom by the guy across the street.

A perverse sense of pleasure ran through me at the thought. Part of me almost wished that I could tell him, just for the satisfaction of watching his head explode as a result. But alas, it was doomed to remain a fantasy inside my head.

Not that I could complain. My reality with Mason was much more exciting than any fantasy I could ever have with Phil.

My heart thumped in my chest as his footsteps echoed behind me on the concrete of the bathroom. The row of stalls stood in front of us silently, doors open wide as if inviting us inside.

Mason's arm once again slid around my waist, pressing my back into his chest. I shivered as his hardness pressed against me through my clothes. His lips brushed against my neck, sending shockwaves down my spine. A feeling that only doubled as his tongue trailed along it slowly.

"Well?" He murmured huskily. "Lady's choice."

As always, a few small words from him were all it took to make me lose my senses. My body seemed to move on its own as it grabbed his hand and pulled him with me into the nearest stall. The second the door closed behind us I pushed him up against it and wrapped my arm around his neck, my lips eagerly seeking his.

I guess he wasn't expecting the sudden Jekyll-and-Hyde personality change because, almost immediately, his body stiffened under my touch. Not that it lasted long. As soon as his head finally registered what was going on, he immediately snapped into action.

The door thumped and rattled faintly as he reached back, fumbling around blindly for the lock. A second later, a resounding metal click echoed through the air. His arms wrapped around me tightly, pressing me so close to him that I couldn't even tell whose heartbeat I was feeling anymore. His or my own.

My hands somehow managed to slip their way between us as they moved down to unbutton his pants. But no sooner had I unzipped them than he grabbed my wrists and spun me to face the wall, pressing me up against it.

"Hope you don't mind," he murmured as his hands slid underneath my skirt, tugging at my panties, "but after last time, I figured you'd probably like this position the best."

Sparks traveled down my hips as his hands moved along them slowly, pulling my panties down with them. I was long past my breaking point by now. Angrily, impatiently, my body had stood there, waiting and waiting for him to fill the aching emptiness inside of me. And I wasn't going to make it wait one more second.

I grabbed the edge of my skirt and lifted it over my ass, making sure he got a good view of what he'd just uncovered. I turned my head to the side, giving him a sultry gaze. Although, I'm not sure if he actually noticed or not. He kept his eyes glued to my waist, his hands fumbling with something below his. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I watched.

I spread my legs and leaned forward slightly, arching my back. An open invitation. A small shiver of pleasure ran through my body as the coolness of the air brushed against the growing wetness between my legs. My voice was a breathy whisper as I spoke.

"Well? Why don't you prove it then?"