Page 1 of What Broke First (The Cheating A$$hole #1)

Matt Taylor, forty and fraying at the edges, sat at his desk, the hum of the air conditioning filling the otherwise quiet office. It was after hours, and most of his colleagues had already gone home. He wasn’t working late for fun. He was chasing a partnership. The kind of brass ring that demanded sacrifice, sleepless nights, and an inbox that never stopped breeding.

The only other person still in the office was Lily Thompson, the twenty-seven-year-old assistant to one of his colleagues. Technically, she worked for Jim Holloway, a senior partner known for his sharp suits and sharper instincts. And Lily was stunning. Dangerous in the way only someone too young to care could be.

Lately, her eyes had been fixed on Matt like he was the next promotion she wanted to land. She claimed she was working late tonight to finish some reports.

Matt had been on edge for weeks. Every time Lily brushed past him, every lingering glance she gave stirred something within him that he had tried desperately to ignore. She was young, beautiful, and utterly confident. Tonight, though, felt different. There was a charged tension in the air, and Matt felt his resolve weakening.

He tried to stay focused. He typed harder than necessary, hoping the noise would drown out the pounding in his head. He thought about Sarah. About the kids. About what it meant to be forty and tempted by someone who wasn’t even alive when he first fell in love with his wife.

This is ridiculous, he told himself. She’s just a kid. You’re not some cliché. You have a good life. You don’t ruin that because you’re bored and tired and insecure.

But then there was Lily, hovering in his doorway.

Lily stepped into his office, her hips swaying slightly, her eyes holding a playful glint. “Matt,”

she said in a low, seductive tone.

“you’ve been working so hard. Don’t you think you deserve a little break?”

He looked up, meeting her gaze, he rolled his shoulders back.

“Lily, we’ve talked about this,”

he replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I’m married. We can’t...”

“You’re married,”

she echoed, stepping closer.

“But you’re not dead. And you wear your loneliness like a suit, Matt. And... it fits too well.”

He let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Don’t try to read me.”

“I don’t have to try. I watch you, Matt. You stay late. You work harder than anyone here. And you look so damn lonely while doing it.”

She moved even closer, her fingers trailing along the edge of his desk.

“No one has to know,”

she whispered, her lips so close to his ear that he could feel her breath on his skin.

“Just one time. It’ll be our little secret.”

Matt felt a rush of adrenaline mixed with desire coursing through him. He knew this was wrong. He knew he should push her away, but something about the way she looked at him, the way her hand brushed against his, made him hesitate.

You’re not this guy, he thought. You don’t cheat. You’re tired, not broken. You love your wife. This isn’t real. This is proximity. This is midlife nonsense.

But even as he thought it, his body betrayed him.

Lily didn’t wait for him to decide. She stepped around the desk slowly, deliberately, her fingers trailing across its edge like a challenge. Before he could stand or say another word, she was in front of him, slipping between the chair and desk like it was second nature. She leaned in, her hand sliding behind his neck.

Matt’s heart thudded in his chest. He could smell her perfume, something expensive and bold. He saw her eyes flicker to his lips. He should have moved. Should have told her to stop.

Instead, he stayed.

She pressed her lips against his in a sudden, fierce kiss. It was as if a dam broke within him. He groaned, his hands tangling in her hair, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, becoming urgent and wild, his need overtaking his sense of reason.

Before he knew it, she was pushing papers and files off his desk, climbing up onto it, pulling him with her. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt, her touch igniting his skin. He kissed her neck, her collarbone, moving lower, tasting the salt of her skin. She moaned, arching against him, her hands pulling at his belt, his pants.

The world outside the office ceased to exist.

It was just them, tangled together on his desk, the heat of their bodies merging into one.

Matt lost himself in her.

Her scent, her taste, the way she whispered his name like a prayer.

He pulled her blouse open, his hands greedy and uncertain.

Her skin was flushed, her breasts rising to meet his mouth.

She gasped, loud and unashamed, as he sucked her nipple, her body writhing beneath him.

His hand traveled down to her core.

She was already slick with need, and he didn’t hesitate.

He couldn’t.

He pushed into her, every inch making him feel less like a man and more like a mistake.

He exhaled sharply, eyes fluttering closed as her body pulled him in like she had been waiting for this collapse.

They moved together in a desperate, frenzied rhythm, the desk creaking beneath their weight. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper, and he growled, feeling her tighten like a fist around him. The intensity built, every thrust bringing them closer to the edge. He fucked her harder; each thrust a confession he couldn’t say out loud. A violent apology.

She was loud. Exaggerated. He didn’t care. He wanted to feel something. Anything. Her heels dug into his back. Her hair tangled in his fists. The desk rocked with every thrust. Somewhere in the chaos, he thought: This is the moment everything breaks.

When they finally reached their climax, it was explosive, leaving them both breathless and trembling. For a moment, they lay there, panting, bodies entwined, the reality of what they had done slowly sinking in.

Matt let out a soft groan, brushing her damp hair from her cheek. “Damn,”

he muttered, catching his breath.

“We didn’t use protection.”

Lily giggled, light and breathy against his skin.

“I’m on the pill, stud,”

she whispered, tracing lazy circles on his chest.

“Relax. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Matt closed his eyes, the afterglow already turning inward.

“Doesn’t make it less stupid.”

He pulled away first, his heart pounding.

“We can’t do this again,”

he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

Lily smiled, a knowing look in her eyes.

“We’ll see,”

she replied, hopping off the desk and straightening her skirt.

“But I have a feeling this is just the beginning.”

As she left the office, the smell of sex and stupidity lingering, Matt slumped back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. He knew he had crossed a line, but a part of him wondered if Lily might be right. Maybe this was just the beginning.

He had just cheated on his wife. Not with love.

Not even with lust.

With loneliness. With ego.