Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Sheila nursed her half glass of wine, sipping slowly, but somehow managed to keep Timothy company until he'd polished off the entire bottle of red.

A pleasant haze of tipsiness clouded her senses as Timothy lit a cigarette. The way he smoked—lazy, assured—cast him in an even more enigmatic and irresistible light, the pale smoke curling around his sharp features.

Sheila's heart fluttered uncontrollably. Tonight, she told herself, he would be hers.

Jessica, that mute girl—she'd managed to seduce Timothy in bed, hadn't she? Sheila refused to believe she could be any less alluring than Jessica.

After tonight, she'd make sure Timothy would never forget her.

Thinking back over the past few weeks, Sheila felt her cheeks flush. Night after night, she'd watched romantic movies, studying every move and trick, determined to be perfect when the time finally came.

She and Timothy were the same age-old enough to understand desire. Even when the longing gnawed at her, she'd always kept her distance, saving herself for the only man she truly loved.

But lately, her late-night lessons only fueled her hunger, leaving her restless and aching.

And now, the man she wanted was right in front of her.

The gnawing emptiness inside was nearly unbearable.

She wanted him-desperately.

She remembered the day he'd left Jessica with a split lip. He must be even more intense than those actors on screen.

Timothy smoked his cigarette down to the filter, but it did nothing to quell the restless heat that burned through his veins.

go home. He always felt his

now, and the pent-up frustration

stood, grabbing his suit jacket. His voice, low and roughened by alcohol, sounded even more magnetic. "I'm heading out.

he took a step,

you've had too much. You can't drive. Let me call a

drive. And he'd forgotten to ask

to call

eased Timothy onto the couch. "I'll make you some strong

"Thanks," he murmured.

the tea, Sheila made sure to add a generous amount of the special herbal mixture. She'd only slipped a tiny bit into the wine earlier Timothy was used to drinking at business functions, and she couldn't

knew red wine had a way of loosening inhibitions-a perfect

this slowly. I'll call the driver

suffer, too, when their

the strong tea, hoping it would help suppress the urge that threatened to

anything,

driver. Instead, she slipped away to take a shower. She'd once lived in The Gilded Whisper Estates, and

and

in the

changed into a silk camisole nightgown before

on the sofa, eyes closed, teetering between sleep

gently dabbed at the sweat on