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I spend an embarrassingly long time on the toilet, peeing and expelling the lube.

Finally in the shower, enjoying hot water on my skin, I feel a swish of cold air as Joe joins me. There’s barely any room to move, but it feels pleasant. A bit domestic.

Joe doesn’t say anything, just washes me very thoroughly, spending a lot—a lot!—of time on my breasts and between my thighs. Then he turns me around and shampoos and even conditions my hair, then combs it out.

“You will completely spoil me. I will no longer want to wash my own hair,” I say.

“I love your hair,” he says as he combs it. “Maybe I should be the one always washing it for you.”

I turn around and wrap my hand around his forearm. “Is this just something you do? Something you did with your wife?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. I mean, obviously we did shower together sometimes, but the whole thing... It never felt like this. Not even when we were first starting out, although we were pretty young then. But no. None of it felt like this.” He cups my cheek. “I want to simultaneously cherish and adore you, but also go absolutely barbaric on your ass. You’ve given me a split personality.”

I smile. “Both cherishing and barbarity will be appreciated,” I say. “Let me do you next.”

I soap his back and legs, then arms and chest, and when I get to his dick he’s hard as a rock, so I stroke him with my hand for a while until he turns me around and fucks me from behind, just a few pumps, and then he comes again.

After that we agree we both need a break.

****

Joe and I’ve eaten some pancakes and we’re both finishing our coffee, when he goes to the window and pulls back the curtain.

“There’s a red truck in the parking lot,” he says. “Is that your ex?”

I join him at the window to check. “Yep, I guess he’s back. I’m not sure what he expects will happen.”

“I think I might have to go downstairs to talk to him,” he says.

I shake my head. “I should do it. Apparently, he doesn’t believe what I said last night, so it bears repeating.”

Concern is unmistakable in Joe’s eyes. “Do you want me with you?”

“I do. Maybe seeing you in yesterday’s clothes might do the trick,” I say. “Actually, you go first and tell him I’ll be down shortly.”

Joe drinks up his coffee and looks ready to do as I said, but then I stop him.

“Wait,” I say. “I have a better idea.” I go to my kitchen island and grab both of my phones.

“You have two phones?” Joe’s eyes widen. “Are you in organized crime or something?”

I laugh. “Or something. One is my Minnesota phone. The other is my Wisconsin one. I will slowly transition, but for now... I like to keep my past on my old phone.”

I pull up Jake’s contact, which I blocked months ago, and dial his number.

“Hello?” he answers right away.

“Hi, Jake,” I say. “By the way, you’re on speakerphone.”

Joe’s eyebrows shoot up.

“For your information, Joe’s here with me. As you can imagine, he spent the night. Joe, say something.”

“Hello, douchebag,” Joe says. “I see you are parked outside, even though Liz told you to get the hell out of here.”

There’s nothing from the other side for a moment, but then Jake responds. “I want to speak to Lizzie alone.”

“You had your conversation yesterday, Jake,” I respond. “I think there’s nothing else to say.”