Текст книги "What Caroline Wants"
Автор книги: Amanda Abbott
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
8
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Caroline’s phone rang. It was in her purse, which was on the passenger seat beside her. She’d been thinking of other things while she drove home, so the sound had surprised her. She knew it was Jace without even looking at it. He didn’t have his own special ring tone because so very few people called her cell. But she had no doubt it was him.
She eased the car over, parking along a curb on a residential street half a mile from their house. She never used her cell phone in the car unless it was an emergency, but she didn’t want to wait until she got home to speak to him.
She shut off the engine and plucked out her phone, dialing her husband back.
“It’s all set,” he said without any preamble. She heard the excitement in his voice.
“For when?” she asked, suddenly nervous. Her palms pricked with sweat¸ and she turned and peered over her shoulder to make sure no one outside was watching her.
“Friday night at Bella, eight o’clock.”
Caroline exhaled, internally chastising herself for being such a scaredy cat. Even if someone had been peering at her inside her car, they wouldn’t know her husband had just set up a meeting with another couple—a couple who routinely had sex with other people. “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, Jace? Maybe we just need to wait and talk about this some more? I don’t think—”
“Care, it’s only dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. And we’ve talked about nothing else for two solid weeks. We’re just going to get to know them. If it feels wrong, we’ll know. There’s no need to worry. Nothing’s going to happen at dinner. It will just be casual small talk.”
“I know you haven’t forgotten, but Worry is my middle name. That and Shame. I can’t believe we’re actually going through with this!” She’d begun to perspire everywhere. “My mother would disown me if she knew.” Out of habit, she covered the mouthpiece with one hand so no casual observer could read her lips.
“Your mother has nothing to do with our sex life. Thank God. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Jace”—Caroline nibbled the edge of a fingernail—“this really scares me. I feel like we’re jumping into the deep end of a really dark, murky pool. What if we don’t recover? This could be very bad.”
“Let me remind you again, it’s just dinner. But I get it, sweetheart. I know you have issues with it, but at the same time it also exhilarates you, which is why we agreed to give them a call and set something up. I promise you we’ll take this slow. There’s no need to extrapolate about what’s going to happen in the future. We’ll meet them, get to know who they are, and then figure out the next step—if there even is one. We might think they’re awful, or get a bad vibe, or whatever. Then we’ll move on. No harm, no foul. But at least we tried it.”
“You’re so calm about this, it’s kind of irritating.” She bit the edge of another nail.
Jace chuckled. “If both of us were freaking out, it wouldn’t do us any good. How about this? We’ll keep talking about it for the next two days. It’s Wednesday. If by Friday we feel like bailing, I’ll call and cancel. Sound okay?”
“Yes.”
“See you in a few hours. I won’t be late tonight. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
They hung up, but before Caroline could start the car, a text came through from Piper.
MICHAEL TOLD ME HE GAVE JACE PETE’S NUMBER! WHAT’S GOING ON WITH U? HAVE TO KNOW.
Caroline contemplated lying, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t like Piper and Michael wouldn’t find out. Caroline had seen Piper only one time since their sushi lunch a few weeks ago, but sex hadn’t come up—and Caroline had been relieved. Now it was time to face the frying pan.
WE’RE MEETING THEM FOR DINNER ON FRI. JUST DINNER!
Caroline hit send and leaned back against the headrest.
Three dots popped up, indicating Piper was typing.
DINNER IS GREAT! HAPPY FOR BOTH OF U. MUST MEET ON SAT. TO DISCUSS/DECOMPRESS! NOT TAKING NO FOR AN ANSWER.
Caroline made a snap decision.
HOW ABOUT YOU COME OVER AROUND 7 ON FRI? I MAY NEED A LITTLE COUNSELING B4 THE MEET.
Piper texted back.
I’LL BE THERE. WILL BRING VODKA.
Caroline answered.
MAKE IT TEQUILA.
Piper wasted no time replying.
THE LIMES AND SALT ARE ALREADY PACKED. SEE U THEN!
Caroline tossed her phone back into her purse and gripped the wheel hard. What in the world had happened to her life in such a short amount of time? A few weeks ago it had been totally normal—a little on the boring side—but healthy and happy. Now? A deep, dark ocean of panic roiled inside her chest, threatening to pull her under. Was she really willing to throw all that normal and happy away for one night of hot sex to fulfill a fantasy she’d never known she craved?
Doubt began to fill her, to the point of overwhelming her. Her head spun, and she got lightheaded. She let go of the wheel and took quick short breaths to calm herself down. “You can always back out,” she murmured to herself. “It hasn’t happened yet. You can just say no.”
Yes, that was it.
She could just say no.
Ducking her head, she peered out the passenger window to see if any of her neighbors were strolling by. This street was a popular way to get to the lake. Even though it was silly, she felt dirty knowing she and Jace were going to have dinner with known swingers. “You are so incredibly Southern,” she said to herself out loud.
Even if people saw her parked here, they wouldn’t care. Most Midwesterners would assume you had a good reason for pulling over, like talking on the phone or addressing an envelope on the way to the post office. They wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that something nefarious was going on, like cheating on your husband.
But it wasn’t really cheating, if he was there.
Or was it?
“Argh!” She shook the wheel in vain, her body moving instead. “Good Lord, this is making me a crazy person who talks to herself in the car!”
She started the engine and edged away from the curb. She wasn’t going to solve anything sitting here. It was time to go home.
Where she could obsess in peace.
* * *
“You look bangin’,” Piper told her. “And I mean that in a totally innocent…okay, not-so-innocent kind of way. Honestly, you look amazing. The black sheath at the knee is perfect. It says classy and sophisticated, yet also adventurous. They’re going to love you guys. You need to relax. Here, take another shot.” Piper held a shot glass out to Caroline. “You look like you could use it.”
This was the fourth outfit Caroline had tried on for Piper.
Jace was done getting ready and patiently waiting for her to finish downstairs. He knew she needed this time with her best friend. She took the proffered shot glass from her and walked over to the vanity, where a saltshaker and a wedge of lime were laid out. “This is the last one, Piper. If I have another, I won’t be able to form a coherent sentence once I get there.”
“Incoherent works,” Piper chirped from her perch on the closed toilet seat, legs crossed. “It’s not like you’re going to debate world peace. You’re going to be chatting about light topics, just to get to know each other. Everyone wants this to be easy and fun. And I’m telling you, this will be a huge turn-on for Emma and Pete. They love meeting people for the first time. I think you’ll get a sexy vibe from them right away.”
Caroline licked the salt she’d sprinkled on the outside of her hand, downed the shot, then bit into the lime. She exhaled slowly and set the shot glass down on the counter.
“What kind of sexy vibe?” she asked, turning toward Piper. “Please don’t tell me they’re going to be obvious about it. If anyone realizes we’re out with them to interview them for sex, I’d die a million deaths. Do you think Bella is a bad choice? Too well-known? Maybe we should’ve gone to another city?” She wrung her hands.
Piper stood, putting her palms out in front of her. “Okay, I’m going to need you to step away from the freak-out. Bella is great. It’s local, but it’s huge and bustling with activity. No one—and I mean no one—is going to think you’re there for any kind of lewd activity. When I said sexy vibe, I didn’t mean they were going to manhandle each other at the table in front of you. I just meant you’re going to think they’re sexy together. They give off a very charming, raw appeal. Now take a deep breath. Jace is waiting. It’s seven forty-five, and you need to skedaddle.”
Caroline physically forced herself to calm down.
She was allowing herself to get too worked up. Piper was right. This was just dinner with another couple. Nothing was going to happen. No one was going to know. She and Jace had talked of nothing else for the last two and a half days. She knew all that, she just had to convince her brain to be on board.
There was a soft knock on the bathroom door. Jace edged it open with his hand. “You ready to go, Care?”
Caroline straightened and met her husband’s gaze. “I am. The alcohol is kicking in, and I feel a little…less insane.” She turned toward Piper. “Thank you so much for helping me get ready.” She gave her friend a quick embrace. “I couldn’t have done it without you. I’d be hunkered down in my PJs watching reruns of Lost if you weren’t here right now. Chickening out is my go-to in stressful times.”
Piper returned the hug. “Try not to worry so much, Caroline. This is going to be fantastic. And the best part? Nothing is going to happen tonight. Hopefully, you’ll come back from dinner with a definitive answer about whether you’re ready to jump into the wild world of group sex. And who knows? You might realize this is not what you want after all, and you’ll sleep like a baby tonight. But whatever you decide, I get a debriefing tomorrow! And I’m going to need you to remember all the little bits. Those are the best parts.” Piper giggled as she patted Caroline on the butt affectionately. “Go, have fun.”
“I’ll certainly try,” Caroline said. “If my neuroses don’t get in the way, I just might have fun.”
“That’s the spirit!” Piper smiled.
“This is going to be a piece of cake,” Jace said from the doorway. “We’ll just treat them like new friends and nothing more.”
She and Piper followed Jace out of the bedroom.
Caroline stopped to pick up her shoes, a beautiful pair of black high heels with a tiny row of rhinestones across the toe. She’d done her hair in a conservative chignon, and had added a simple pair of pearl earrings. They all headed downstairs.
Piper made a beeline for the back door, waving. “Have fun, you two!” Then she was gone.
Caroline picked up her purse and walked to her waiting husband. “You look beautiful,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Are you ready for this?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
* * *
His wife was so nervous, he felt her vibrating. Jace was having second thoughts about going through with this as he held on to the crook of Caroline’s arm, steering her through the crowded restaurant as they followed the hostess to the table.
Even though they’d spent weeks debating if they should do it or not, now that it was here it felt surreal.
Thankfully, the Slaters appeared to be in the very back of the restaurant. Bella was upscale Italian, and the décor was big leather booths and lots of red.
“Here you are,” the hostess said, laying down two menus across from a beautiful couple who were seated in the booth opposite them. “Enjoy your meal.”
Pete was on the end and rose halfway out of his spot to shake hands. Jace reached over and took hold, while directing his wife to slide into their side of the booth. Pete’s grip was firm, but not overly so. “Jason Stratton,” Jace said. “Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Caroline.”
Caroline was pale, but she gave a nod and uttered a quiet, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you both.”
“This is my wife, Emma,” Pete said, smiling.
“It’s so lovely you could make it,” Emma said as Jace took his seat next to Caroline, resting his hand on her thigh to reassure her. “We were so happy to get the call. We’ve been friends with Michael and Piper for quite some time, and any friends of theirs are friends of ours.”
Emma was very poised, Jace noted as he organized himself in the booth. She had long, red hair and creamy skin. It looked as though she never went out into the sun. She wasn’t his type, but he could appreciate her classic beauty. Pete was medium height, blond, and obviously worked out. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. The guy looked like he’d be at home in the surf.
The Slaters already had drinks, so Jace raised his hand to get the waiter’s attention. His wife was going to need more alcohol to get through their meet and greet. The waiter rushed over. “What can I get you, sir?”
“One scotch, neat. And a gin and tonic.”
“Do you prefer any particular brand of alcohol?” the waiter asked.
“Macallan and Tanqueray, if you have them.”
“We do. Coming right up.” He turned and left.
“So, are you guys originally from this area?” Pete asked easily. “We’re both Midwesterners, but I’m originally from Illinois, and Emma is from Kansas.”
Jace let go of Caroline’s leg and draped his arm behind her and replied, “I grew up on a farm about an hour outside of Madison. After high school I went to play football at the University of Georgia, which is where I met my wife, who’s originally from South Carolina.”
“I played baseball for USC.” Pete smiled. “What position did you play?”
“Quarterback.”
“Impressive,” Pete said. “I played shortstop for the Trojans for three years, then a knee injury benched me indefinitely. It was a hard thing to give up.”
Jace nodded. “I know how that goes. I love the game of football, still do, but it took its toll. By senior year I had torn my meniscus in both knees, had several tendon issues in my right shoulder and my throwing elbow, and a herniated disc. It was time to hang up the cleats. It was bittersweet, but I was ready to get back to my roots here in the Midwest.”
Pete picked up his beer and leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table while he took a drink. He was very relaxed, and that put Jace more at ease. “That’s a tough break.” Pete set his glass down. “After baseball, I focused on getting my degree in advertising, and it was the best decision I ever made. I headed to Chicago after I graduated, and while I was there I met Emma.” He turned to his wife and smiled. “She was with a dance company at the time. We got married and moved here three years later.”
“Why’d you choose Madison over staying in Chicago?” Jace asked. “There’s lots more to do there.” He didn’t have to add “in the swinger world,” because that was a given.
“An ad agency in town recruited me, and Emma was able to secure a dance teacher position at a dance school right away. She’d been having a hard time finding one in Chicago. It made sense to us, and it’s worked out very well. We like the laid-back vibe of Madison, and it’s close enough to Chicago for us to visit whenever we’d like.”
Caroline moved beside him, straightening her posture. Jace knew she was trying to gear herself up to join the conversation. He slid his hand down and rubbed her lower back, hoping to give her some encouragement. After a second, she said, “So is that how you met Piper?” Caroline asked Pete, clasping and unclasping her hands in her lap. “You both work in advertising?”
“Actually,” Emma interjected, smiling brightly. “Our dance school is a client of Piper’s firm. It was one of those freebie parties they throw for the holidays. We saw them across the room, and they were so cute together—”
The waiter interrupted the conversation as he set the drinks down. Once he was done, he asked, “Are you guys all set to order?”
Jace and Caroline hadn’t even opened their menus yet.
“If it’s okay with you guys, we’ll order some starters for the table,” Pete said. “Emma and I come here all the time.”
“Sure,” Jace replied, knowing Caroline likely didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. He double-checked with her, and she nodded. “That sounds great.”
Pete took care of it, and once the waiter left, Emma leaned forward. “So what do you guys both do for a living?”
Caroline cleared her throat, but managed, “I run a stationery business out of our home, and Jason works with his father, buying and selling farm equipment.”
“Oh, a stationery business sounds so creative! How did you decide on that?” Emma asked, sounding genuinely interested.
Jace glanced over and saw his wife blush as she took a sip of her drink. She was always modest about her talent. The truth was, Caroline was an amazing artist. But this was a perfect topic to start her talking. “I have a degree in Fine Arts,” she answered, setting her glass down, “and, really, it just made the most sense. I’d always dreamed of going into business for myself ever since I was young. My goal in the beginning was to open a boutique here in town, focusing on upscale art décor, but I found I loved the designing aspect too much. I’ve been very lucky. The business has taken off, and now I spend half my time doing corporate stuff and half my time creating the art for the cards. It’s a great meld of both worlds.”
“Do you paint?” Pete asked.
“Yes,” Caroline replied. “I actually use a lot of mediums, but charcoal has been my go-to recently, along with oil pastels. They make up most of the design formats for the cards. It’s been really fun. My office doubles as an art studio. I sort of took over the den.” She beamed at Jace.
“Her art is ridiculously good,” Jace said, pride swelling. “She has most of her designs made into prints as well.”
“Can’t wait to see them. I love art in all its forms.” Emma smiled. “I guess that makes us quite a diverse bunch.” She laughed good-naturedly as she reached out and caressed her husband’s arm.
Caroline’s hand immediately found Jace’s thigh and squeezed.
He knew his wife was worried the Slaters were going to put on a show. Caroline wanted them to take it slow. But Jace had a different idea. He wanted it all on the table. Then they could figure out sooner, rather than later, if they wanted to stay and keep talking or not. So instead of continuing on the topic about jobs, he asked, “So how did you get in the business of having sex with strangers?”
9
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Caroline uttered a small gasp at her husband’s blatant question about sex, but to mask her surprise, she picked up her gin and tonic and took a long draw, trying not to cough as it rushed down her throat.
The Slaters were stunning.
Perfect in every way.
They could’ve been at home in Hollywood or quite possibly in a castle somewhere. They seemed very comfortable in their own skin, and that was the only thing currently making this dinner bearable.
Before the meet, Caroline and Jace had strategized about possible ways to steer the conversation if it got awkward. Asking them straight up about their sex life hadn’t been in any one of the plans. They’d both agreed to tread carefully, and questioning them about their sexual practices wasn’t under the radar.
It was the radar.
Pete chuckled, his arms crossed in front of him. “I suppose that’s why we’re here tonight, right? To talk about sex. Well, it’s both a complicated answer and a very simple one. The easy answer is, we both love sex. We always have. And we both share the same negative viewpoint about societal norms in the bedroom, and have since the day we met, but that’s a discussion for another night. The better answer is, we’re hooked on the exploration of sex and where it takes us. There’s a great high to be had when something is new and exciting. It’s extremely satisfying.” He leaned in. “If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t be here, believe me.”
Luckily, right at that moment, the waiter came to drop off their food.
He set down a beautifully arrayed plate of bruschetta, along with a variety of olives, meats, and cheeses, and something white spread on crackers with prosciutto on top, secured with a fancy toothpick.
Emma gestured at the prosciutto dish. “These are delicious,” she said. “That’s garlic ricotta on the crackers.”
Caroline snorted and immediately brought her hand up to cover her mouth, completely embarrassed. All eyes at the table landed on her, waiting to see what had made her giggle. “I’m so sorry,” she half-laughed, half-apologized. “My brain immediately went from garlic to…kissing…then wandered to other things. I apologize. I think I just need to have a bite or two of the food and lay off the drinks for a while.” The tequila shots had solidly kicked in—and with a gin and tonic on top of that, and no food since lunch—she was set to make a huge fool of herself.
At least she wasn’t an angry drunk.
She just tended to giggle a lot.
Emma laughed along with her. “I hear you. I always carry mints in my purse for that very reason. One, you never know when you’re going to get a kiss, and two, I always think I have garlic breath even if I haven’t eaten it for days.”
“That’s probably because your favorite food is garlic,” Pete joked. “Paired with just about anything.”
Caroline helped herself to some food and was completely relieved Emma and Pete were making it so easy on them. She began to relax by a few degrees. She glanced over at Jace, who kept sneaking her are-you-okay looks, and gave him a reassuring nod. He acknowledged her slightly as he reached for the food, letting her know he noted the improvement in her nerves.
Jace piled up his plate. “So, getting back to the earlier topic we were just discussing,” he interjected smoothly. “My wife and I are new to even thinking about this lifestyle. It’s been a bit of a stretch for us to make this date. In fact, it’s safe to say we’re both a little shocked that we’re sitting here right now.”
Her darling husband had brought it around to sex again!
Right as she was beginning to relax.
Now the Slaters knew they were freaked out. Caroline slid a foot over and kicked him in the leg. In response, he lowered his hand under the table and patted her thigh, letting her know he had it under control.
“That’s to be totally expected,” Pete started. “We didn’t just one day decide to live this lifestyle either. It was an evolution, as most things are. We’ve had our days where we’ve gone, ‘Can you believe this is happening?’ We’re normal people, same as you guys. We felt unease at our first meet, too.”
“But we have to warn you,” Emma added. “If you decide to meet other couples after this, just know there are a lot of crazies out there. Pete and I are extremely particular about who we let into our fold and how we approach this. We don’t do bargain-basement sex for the cheap thrills. We’re extremely invested in the people we choose. It has to mean something, or why else do it?”
Caroline leaned forward, a little alarmed. “Piper and Michael told us that no emotional ties are allowed. Isn’t that a steadfast rule?”
“Yes, that’s true up to a point,” Emma agreed. “But it’s a little more complicated than that. You aren’t allowed to fall for someone else, or come into this searching for an emotional connection with someone. There are plenty of couples who are unsatisfied in their own marriage and would love nothing more than to introduce their spouse to this lifestyle as a way to find someone else. None of that is allowed. We only pick happily married couples who have healthy relationships. And let me tell you, they aren’t easy to find.”
“That’s kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?” Jace countered. “Happily married couples in healthy relationships don’t usually search for this—because they’re happily married and content. That’s one of the reasons we’re having so much trouble wrapping our brains around the concept. If we are happy, then why are we here?”
“Honestly,” Pete said, “that’s the sole reason you’re here, in my opinion. You guys want something extra, something exciting in your life, but it’s a supplement to your relationship, not a defining piece. We all like sex. We’re animals. It gives us pleasure. You guys are smart enough to know the difference between pleasure and love. And I’m telling you”—he leaned over the bruschetta, and both Caroline and Jace automatically inclined their heads—“because of that, it’s mind-blowing sex. The kind you can’t get anywhere else. It’s like you’re breaking a rule, but you’re not. It’s very hot.”
“We also provide a completely safe, nurturing environment,” Emma said. “We try to cover all the bases to make it as good as it can be. If you choose to enter into this lifestyle with us, you’ll need to get checked out.” She whispered the last bit. “It’s a must.”
“As in medical tests?” Caroline asked, her voice barely audible. She tried not to sound too horrified. Going to her doctor and asking for a test for STDs would be unacceptable. She cringed just thinking about her ob-gyn knowing anything about her sex life.
“Yes, but we use this great anonymous clinic.” She smiled. “They don’t require background information, and you pay in cash. It mostly caters to college students, but we get checked there every time we meet someone new, and require it of everyone else. We don’t take risks and we don’t use condoms. You also have to be on some kind of birth control.”
Caroline’s hand shook as she reached for her gin and tonic. This conversation just became too real.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but as she raised her glass, she realized her drink was empty. Jace immediately put his hand up to signal the waiter. Thank goodness her husband was in tune with her. She refrained from slumping against his shoulder, but just barely.
Jace ordered them two more drinks, and the Slaters ordered another round as well.
Caroline set her empty glass down and finally found her voice. “We totally understand your caution. Of course we’d…get checked out if we…or when we…decide to…” She stammered. She hoped like crazy she and Jace weren’t required to give them a yes or no by the end of the evening. That would be horrifying. This wasn’t like deciding to buy a pair of jeans or even to purchase a home. If she and Jace decided no, then she wanted to forget this meet ever happened.
Jace covered her hand with his, taking the baton for her. “We will follow all of your rules if we decide to give it a try,” he said. “And, I can promise you, we aren’t looking for an emotional connection with either one of you. You seem like very nice people, but we are happy. It’s definitely going to take us some time—for sure longer than this dinner—to figure out if the next move is right for us.”
Pete leaned over again. “I can tell you right now, this is the right move for you.”
* * *
When Emma mentioned medical tests, Jace thought Caroline was going to pass out or simply melt under the table. The conversation went from being a vague idea to something rooted in the real world very quickly. He had to find a way to slow down the conversation or he was going to have to escort his wife out of the restaurant before she collapsed.
But he was intrigued by Pete’s confidence.
The guy seemed unwavering and utterly sure about himself and his choices. The waiter set down a round of new drinks. After he left, Jace leaned over and said, “So why are you so sure this is the right move for us? Can you see into the future?” Jace smiled at the guy to show him he was comfortable with the conversation, but kept a no-nonsense look on his face.
“No, but I have a huge…use your imagination.” Pete chuckled as he picked up his drink. “And I know how to use it.” He took a sip of his beer. When Jace didn’t bite, Pete changed his tune. “Listen, I’m pretty sure I can sum you guys up. Tell me if I’m wrong. You’re college sweethearts. It was love at first sight. Your wife was timid about sex for years until you took the time to nurture that side of her.” He grinned at Caroline, but he wasn’t being offensive, so Jace let it go. “But now she loves sex—and that must mean you’re great in bed, so kudos to you.” He winked. “You guys have become increasingly more adventurous over the years, you enjoy taking risks, you’re competitive in a good way, and now you’re looking for something even more stimulating, so you dialed us up. Am I close?”
Jace couldn’t believe how close the guy actually was.
He glanced over at his wife. Caroline seemed a little stunned as well, but before Jace could answer, Emma said. “I know it looks like it, but Pete isn’t showing off. We’ve just been through this enough times with other couples to know pretty quickly. We can usually spot what makes another couple tick, why they’re here, and what you’re looking for, within the first fifteen minutes. You guys are so sweet, and so obviously in love. The way you take care of her”—she nodded toward Caroline—“is endearing. I don’t think you’ve missed one thing she’s needed all night. And we know this entire thing is for her.” She addressed Caroline directly. “And I totally get it. It started the same way for us, too, and I believe it was the same thing for the Collinses. Our men love us, but we crave something more, so it works. If it were the other way around, I’m not sure many women would want this for their men. You two are perfect for this. If you decide to move to the next level, I can promise you we’d have a lot of fun together. We’d take it very slow. I know it’s been a bit shocking to find yourself here in the first place.”
Caroline politely cleared her throat, going for her drink before she answered, and took a long swallow. His wife was heading for quite a hangover tomorrow. She kept the glass in her hand as she asked, “What do you mean by taking it very slow? How slow?”
Pete answered by sliding his arm around his wife’s shoulders, his hand teasing her shirt, one finger dipping under the flimsy material. Being very discreet, and his voice not above a whisper, Pete said, “We’re assuming you like to watch. So that’s where we’d start. We are very…expressive with each other, and we love sex. So the mood would be very enjoyable…but not something you had to participate in if you didn’t want to.” As he said it, a single finger floated farther under his wife’s blouse. Jace noticed for the first time that she wore a very loose, almost see-through, black gauzy shirt.
Jace held his breath. He knew Caroline didn’t want them to make a scene, so he glanced over at her, ready to intervene, but she was riveted to the scene in front of them. Jace took a casual look around the restaurant. Their waiter was nowhere in sight. The Slaters must have asked for this particular booth, because it was the most remote in the entire restaurant. It was in a far corner, and red cloth hung above them, draping perfectly to shield them from prying eyes.
