Yes, build up some confidence

Mike straightened as Maya stepped into the corridor.

He took in her appearance with a quick, assessing glance—the same simple jeans and top she had worn the day they were spotted in the supermarket, her ginger hair loosely brushed, the careful mask of composure she had painted over the lingering flush in her cheeks. He gave a small, approving nod.

“You look exactly right,” he said in a low voice. “Natural. Comfortable. Just like before.”

Maya stopped a few feet from him, still feeling the quiet, unfinished ache between her legs and the heavier weight of everything that had happened on the bed. Standing this close to him again made the memory of his hands sharper. She managed a small nod in return.

Mike stepped closer, not quite touching her yet, and spoke in the same calm, fatherly tone he had used all afternoon.

“Listen to me for a second before we go.”

He kept his voice quiet enough that it would not carry down the empty hallway.

“What we did today was necessary. You know that. You felt how far we went—how open you got, how natural the closeness became. That doesn’t disappear just because we had to stop. It’s still in you. When we walk into that meeting, you don’t have to force anything. Just let the practice do the work. Look at me the way you were looking at me on the bed. Stay close. Touch when it feels right. Don’t overthink it.”

His eyes held hers steadily.

“You’re not stiff. You’re not cold. You’re the woman who already knows what it’s like to be completely comfortable with me. That’s what they need to see. And if we land this… there will be more practice. As much as it takes to keep the chemistry real.”

The last words landed softly, but Maya felt them settle deep—feeding the restless need he had deliberately left unfinished, and quieting a fraction of the guilt by wrapping everything once more in the familiar cover of preparation.

Mike offered his arm in an easy, automatic gesture.

“We’ve got this, Maya. One hour of looking like we belong together, and the rest will follow. Ready?”

Maya slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. The solid warmth of his body against her side sent another quiet pulse through the lingering heat he had left behind. She drew a steadying breath and nodded.

“Ready.”

Mike gave her one last small, reassuring smile, then guided her toward the elevator. The corridor remained quiet around them as they walked—two people who looked, from the outside, like nothing more than an ordinary couple heading out for an afternoon appointment.