Текст книги "What Piper Needs"
Автор книги: Amanda Abbott
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
18
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As Piper’s sheath convulsed around his hard cock, he continued to fuck her like a man possessed. Covering her mouth as she screamed in pleasure had to be one of the sexiest things he’d ever done. He cried out as he came, continuing to pound into her, spilling himself. It was exhilarating.
Once they were done, they collapsed against each other, gasping for air like they’d run a race.
“Holy wow,” Piper murmured into his neck, her arms loosely strung around his shoulders. “That was the most animalistic we’ve ever fucked. If you hadn’t been covering my mouth, I’m pretty sure all of Madison would’ve heard me.”
It had been animalistic indeed. He gave her a kiss on the lips before he murmured, “It was totally mind-blowing. We haven’t had sex like that—”
“Since our first nights together when we couldn’t get enough sex or sleep,” Piper finished. She rested her forehead against his. “We should get back to our table.” She sighed. “I need to make a pit stop in the restroom first. I’m not eating my dinner without freshening up first.”
“Don’t worry about our table. They know we’ll be back in a minute.” He gave her another kiss and began to tug her dress down as he stepped back. “The waiter I got the key from wasn’t our waiter, but I paid him fifty bucks to tell our guy we had to run out to make an important phone call to your sick mother.”
Piper chuckled as she straightened herself and ran her fingers through her hair. “How did you find the waiter who gave you a key to these elevators that quickly? You were only gone for like three minutes.”
He shrugged, zipping his pants and tucking in his shirt. “There’s another door to the kitchens just before the restrooms, and I stood there until I saw a guy who best fit the bill.”
“What bill?”
“The player bill. The waiter who was most likely to bring his dates here after work and fuck them senseless. Once I spotted him, I motioned him over. All I had to do was give him the eye, and he whipped out his key. He told me where to go and that the key would be there.” Michael fished it out of his pocket and held it between his fingers.
“You have a keen eye, my friend,” Piper said. “Spotting a player in a room full of servers who all wear black and white uniforms takes talent. But it was totally worth it. It’s a good thing you were one, or you might’ve missed him.”
Michael took her hand and punched off the emergency button. A loud noise buzzed to signal that the elevator was operational again, then he pressed the “door open” button.
The elevator doors spread open immediately.
Right as a waitress walked by with a huge tray of food.
She startled when the doors opened, but recovered quickly. She gave them the barest of nods as she continued walking without glancing back.
“Well, it’s safe to say this isn’t the first time these elevators have been utilized for clandestine encounters,” Michael whispered as he led Piper out, returning the key to its place as they exited. They followed the waitress through the doors and into the main hallway by the bathrooms.
Michael dropped Piper off in front of the women’s room and continued on to their table. He was relieved to see their food hadn’t arrived yet. Their waiter was at another table, but as soon as he spotted Michael, he hurried over. “I hope everything is okay, sir,” he said. “Your starter dish should be out momentarily.”
Michael spotted no knowing look in his eye, no half smile, no chiding.
The guy had no idea what had just happened.
“Everything is fine, thank you. I’d like to order another bottle of champagne. We’ll try the 2010 this time, and I’ll double your tip if you bring out a crème brûlée in the next five minutes.”
“Right away,” he said.
The waiter hurried away right as Piper made her way back to the table. She looked amazing. Nothing out of place, or the least bit rumpled. The best part was her smile. It was radiant. Michael wanted to congratulate himself for satisfying her so well, but really, she was the one who had done the satisfying.
She took her seat across from him, flashing him another dazzling smile that went from her chin all the way to her eyes.
He plucked the bottle out of the bucket and refilled her glass, then his own, emptying it. She picked up her glass and took a sip without saying a word. After her drink, she licked her lips.
When she was done, she set her glass on the table and leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “That was nicely done, Mikey. I don’t think I’m going to come down from that high anytime soon. My entire body is one big throbbing heartbeat. I’m going to daydream about that for weeks, and each time I do, it’ll give me a wettie.”
He grinned. “I can see this building from my goddamn desk, and I can promise you that my dick will spring each time I look out my office window. We’re definitely coming back here. On our way out, I’m booking the next date they have available, and I don’t care if it’s six months out. I will count the days with relish.”
“Maybe I should make a paper chain, like I did for Christmas every year as a child. It can be our Elevator Sex Chain.”
“That’s a fucking fantastic idea.”
“You know what I really love?” she said.
“What?” He picked up his drink.
“That this wasn’t part of our top ten. It was completely spontaneous. We haven’t been that hot for each other in a very long time, and I think it was because it was unscripted.” Piper started to fidget, lifting her napkin and folding it in her lap for a second time.
Michael picked up on her tension and leaned forward. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t like the top ten we have going on?”
“No, I do like it,” she protested too quickly. “But…I’d have to say I like this better. It feels more, I don’t know, free-spirited? And my adrenaline was off the charts. My heart was pounding so much I thought it might burst right out of my chest. That’s what I love the most.”
Michael thought about it for a moment as he took another drink. His plans to take Piper to the Sexual Underground aside, he was inclined to agree with her. “I think you’re right. Maybe we’re trying a little too hard? Maybe less is more when it comes to this stuff?”
“Exactly!” Piper nearly shot out of her seat. “That’s what I’m thinking, too. I’m voting for spontaneous, adventurous sex from now on.”
Michael inclined his head. “Piper, have you been feeling like this for a while? Trying to think of a way to tell me you wanted to change things up?”
“Maybe.” She hesitated for a moment, then looked out the window. “Probably.”
“Why didn’t you just say you didn’t want to do the top ten anymore?” He was genuinely curious.
“Because I do want to do it.” She turned back to him. “I’m totally having fun. I am. But I’ve been a little worried that this might become our new norm—as in, our sex life will forever depend on us planning crazy, over-the-top events, and if we don’t, we won’t have great orgasms. But that rockin’ elevator sex just dispelled all that.” He frowned as she continued, “Honestly, Michael, it’s been so much fun rediscovering our sex life. It’s made me feel whole again in ways I had no idea I needed. But what we just did here, that—that’s our golden ticket. I want more of that in our lives.” Piper made a face. “Are you mad? You look mad. This is why I didn’t want to say anything! I didn’t want to ruin what we’ve got going on—or this beautiful date tonight. I really am happy, and if you want to continue doing a list, I’m down with that, too.”
Michael realized he was still frowning, so he made an effort to change his expression. His wife still looked worried. He put both his hands on the table and moved closer. “Do you really think I’m upset you brought this up? Or think I’m mad because the top ten is not your thing?”
“I’m not sure. Are you?”
“No! Of course not.” Now he was frustrated. “The reason I’m frowning is because I get the distinct feeling you feel like you can’t talk to me.” He suddenly realized something important. “Piper, how long have you not been sharing your feelings with me? Thinking I’d be upset or not on the same page as you?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “Hm.” She looked distractedly from the table. “Oh, look, our food is here!”
Michael glanced up to see their waiter scurrying over with the dessert he’d ordered on a covered oval platter. At the table, he moved things out of the way and set it down. Then he swept the top off with a flourish to reveal the dessert. “Here you go, sir. I hope this is okay. I’ll be right back with your new bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.”
“Thanks.” Michael couldn’t help grinning at Piper’s surprised expression. Once the waiter left, he said, “You know, sometimes I need a double dessert before my meal.”
Piper all but clapped. “This is perfect! I’m so happy.”
They each picked up a spoon.
He put a bite in his mouth and groaned. It was that good. He smiled at his wife over their dessert. “Piper, you’re not off the hook with this discussion,” he told her. “But we don’t have to keep talking about it tonight. I want to enjoy our night. But I promise you we’re going to come back to it very soon.”
19
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“Did you hear the news?” Tabitha stuck her head into Piper’s office. “About all the crazy sex stuff?”
“What crazy sex stuff?” Piper had been focused on a campaign all day and hadn’t left her desk even for lunch.
“The whole underwear thing, which turned into the huge sex-scandal thing, with the masked woman—that stuff. You’re never going to guess who it is!” Before Piper could play the guessing game, Tabitha blurted, “Rory from Web development! He’s apparently a pimp, and he had his girls coming up here to drop off money. They had access to the building and everything. To protect their identities, he made them wear masks! That’s so cool.”
“I’m not sure cool is the right word. Where did you hear this?” Piper stood. “I would think Larry would use discretion and call in certain folks to share the news with them first.”
Tabitha leaned her back against the doorway, crossing her arms. “Cat was out of the bag when the cops came by an hour ago asking about Rory. Apparently, Rory had no idea they were watching the offices these past few weeks. I mean, any shithead here could’ve figured that out! Gossip in this place is free for the taking. But it makes Rory hot in a weird way, don’t you think? A nerdy hipster who codes all day is actually an undercover pimp. It doesn’t get much edgier than that.”
“Um”—Piper cleared her throat as she came around her desk—“pimps are never hot. They’re misogynistic assholes who take advantage of women for money.”
Tabitha shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. These girls were likely turning tricks before Rory came around and will likely keep doing it. I’d like to believe he did it as a business venture and treated them well. He must’ve been making hundreds of thousands of dollars! The guy had like a hundred girls working for him.”
“A hundred?”
Tabitha shifted her position, unclasping her arms. “Well, probably more like fifty. Gossip is at an all-time high, so it’s not really that reliable. But still, that’s marketing genius, if you ask me.”
“What he’s done is going to land him behind bars. So that kind of negates the genius part right there.”
“Yeah, they’re all set to arrest him, so he definitely fucked up.”
“Did he come to work today?”
“Nope. He must’ve known something was going down, or maybe someone tipped him off,” she said. “It would’ve been epic to see him walked out in cuffs. Man, that crap would’ve gone viral in two seconds.”
“Well, thanks for letting me know, Tabitha,” Piper said as she came to a stop in front of the youngster. “I’m going to go talk to Larry about it now. I’m sure they’ll announce some kind of office meeting soon.”
“Or maybe they won’t.” She grinned. “Word on the floor is they just want this to go away. If our clients find out, it could hurt business in a big way.” She turned and strode out the door. “I hope that doesn’t happen, because this job is a sweet deal.”
Before Piper headed down to Larry’s office, she pulled out her phone to text Caroline.
DUDE, I KNOW IT’S ONLY MON., BUT I NEED AN STD HAPPY HOUR. U FREE?
She hit send, hoping Caroline was home.
Almost immediately, Caroline texted back.
I’D LOVE TO! WHERE DO YOU WANT TO MEET?
Piper thought about it for a second.
HOW ABOUT ELISE’S? THEY HAVE A GREAT 2FER HAPPY HOUR.
Caroline replied.
GREAT. WHAT TIME?
Piper typed.
6:30. I’LL INVITE EMMA & GILLIAN. OKAY WITH U?
Caroline hit her back.
FINE WITH ME.
Piper then texted both Emma and Gillian.
She waited a few minutes for their responses, thinking about the crazy news that nerdy Rory Nelson was the mastermind of a prostitute ring right under their noses. And how fucking lucky she was that she hadn’t been dragged into the mess by her night of hot office sex.
Gillian responded first.
HELL YEAHS. I’M FREE. SEE U THEN.
Followed by Emma.
WOULDN’T MISS IT!
It was all set, and Piper was relieved. She and Michael had finished a truly wonderful dinner at Le Repas on Friday night. Their meal had followed their desserts, along with another bottle of champagne.
They’d left feeling fantastic. In a cab.
Michael had awoken the next day and prodded Piper about finishing their discussion about the top ten, but Piper had avoided it. Instead, she’d derailed his inquires with kisses and a very thorough blow job, finished off in the car as to not break their no-coming rule in the house.
Now Piper needed some more STD advice before she had a full heart-to-heart with Michael. She knew she couldn’t avoid talking to her husband much longer. In fact, he’d told her in no uncertain terms that they were going to “solve the sex debate” once and for all. For some reason, she felt panicked every time she thought about talking to him. She was unreasonably fearful of ruining the good thing they had going by stopping the momentum. She knew it was crazy to feel like that, but something was definitely unresolved for her. She almost called Marianne to schedule an appointment this morning, but she decided to give the impromptu happy hour a shot first.
Piper texted Michael to let him know she wouldn’t be home right after work, and then headed to Larry’s office to get the scoop on Rory’s illicit sex ring.
* * *
Michael’s phone pinged with a text from Piper.
I’M MEETING THE GALS FOR HAPPY HOUR. B HOME LATER.
He couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Ever since their sexy elevator date—one of the best nights he’d ever had—he’d been trying to get his wife to open up about the issues that had surfaced during dinner. To no avail.
In the process, he’d realized some important things. His wife did not want to discuss this topic, and she was a master at deflecting. He’d never noticed before how good she was at it, since he’d always fallen for her charms immediately.
Michael wasn’t sure about how to proceed with her—if he should drop the topic or if he should force the issue.
He was feeling anxious about his planned trip to the Sexual Underground this coming weekend. He wanted it to be a surprise, but he didn’t want to get it wrong, especially when Piper didn’t want to do the top ten anymore.
He typed back.
OKAY. I’LL SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT.
She answered.
ALSO, THE MASKED WOMAN WAS UNCOVERED. RORY, TECH GUY, U DON’T KNOW HIM, IS A PIMP! HEADING IN TO TALK TO LARRY NOW. WILL HAVE DEETS WHEN I GET HOME.
He replied.
A PIMP?? IS RORY THE ONE WITH THE RED HAIR?
She typed.
YEAH. HOW DID U KNOW?
He thought about it for a minute, trying to figure out why he remembered the skinny ginger guy with the glasses.
HE WAS AT ONE OF THE OFFICE PARTIES. HIS DATE WAS SMOKIN’. LOOKED LIKE A WEIRD MATCH. WE LAUGHED ABOUT IT.
She started typing instantly.
THAT’S RIGHT! TOTALLY FORGOT. NOW IT ALL FITS. WALKING INTO LARRY’S OFFICE NOW. MORE LATER. XO
Michael set his phone down. If Piper was going out with the girls, that meant Jace was likely going to be home alone, too. Jace had gone through a lot with his wife in the past few months. Michael was betting Jace could help him figure out what to do. He picked up his phone again, scrolled through his contacts, and texted Jace.
GIRLS ARE GOING OUT TONIGHT. YOU AROUND?
Jace didn’t get back to him right away. The guy was probably at work, actually working, like Michael was supposed to be doing.
Instead of not doing his job and dwelling on Piper and their sex life, he decided to go up to the library and go over some files with Brandi. He opened a desk drawer to stash his phone so he wouldn’t be tempted to use it.
Before he could close the drawer, a text came in from Jace.
GAME’S ON. I’LL SWING BY AROUND 6 WITH A 12 PACK.
Jace was referring to Monday night football. Something he rarely, if ever, missed. That sounded great to Michael. He’d forgotten the game was even on, but it would be fun to kick back with Jace.
I HAVE BEER. SEE YOU THEN.
Jace texted him back.
NOT MY BEER. NOT THE KIND THAT WINS GAMES.
Michael chuckled. Jace wasn’t usually picky about his beer, but when he watched one of his favorite teams play, he drank only a certain kind. The guy was superstitious like that. Michael replied.
DO YOU HAVE STOCK IN BUDWEISER? IF YOU DON’T, YOU SHOULD.
The bubble started as Jace typed.
HEY, MOCKING MY BREW WILL NOT GET YOU FREE USE OF MY TOOLS IN THE FUTURE. SEE YOU AT 6.
It was three fifteen.
Michael headed up to the library, thinking about Piper and a particular service elevator he couldn’t wait to get back into, readjusting his hard-on as he went.
20
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“Then Larry started to cry!” Piper exclaimed to the women seated around. “Seriously, he broke down right in front of me. It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. I took everything over from that point. The guy was behaving like the company already had one foot in the grave and clients were going to fire us left and right.”
“So what did you do?” Caroline asked. She was seated next to Gillian. The contrast between the two was like night and day. Caroline was soft and blonde, Gillian hard and dark. They’d met for the first time twenty minutes ago, and Piper had witnessed a genuine admiration form between them immediately. Mostly because Caroline had gone head-to-head with Gillian from the start, both of them bandying retorts back and forth. Piper could tell Caroline had been apprehensive about meeting Gillian, but that had faded as soon as Gillian had opened her mouth and asked Caroline what kind of a Stepford wife she was, to which Caroline had replied, “The kind that swallows.” Gillian had been duly impressed. And so had Piper.
“I called an all-company meeting, of course,” Piper told them. “I spelled out all the implications to all the employees if this information ever got out—including none of us having a job anymore. I played down Rory’s role as pimp extraordinaire and equated him to a hipster trying to fulfill a deluded fantasy. By the time the day ended, everything seemed pretty back to normal. Larry was so happy with me he told me he was giving me a bonus, which he deemed ‘a cool in the time of crisis’ bonus.” Piper took a sip of her martini. “I have no idea if he was serious, but I’ll take it. I still can’t believe our Web developer is a pimp. Well, former Web developer, because he is so fired. Do pimps do hard jail time?”
“Don’t look at me,” Gillian said, holding up her hands. “I have no idea. I don’t have regular dealings with prostitutes or pimps.”
“I think it’s a felony,” Emma said. “Each state is different, but I’d think if he was running something that big, and they could prove it, he’d do some time.”
“I don’t get how they wore masks and weren’t stopped by security. They had to see them on the cameras,” Caroline said. “That seems odd.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Piper said. “It seems one of the security guys was in on it. I’m not sure which one, but that must’ve been why one of the cameras was out in the parking garage. I’m sure the girls came in that way. Because of that, we’re all getting these high-tech cards coded with our information, and they’re adding more cameras all over. I’m so glad I had my happy-fun-time before all this happened.” Piper waved the waitress over. When she arrived, Piper said, “We’d like to order some appetizers.” She gave the woman the order they’d decided on, and once she was gone, she addressed the group again. “Okay, other than to share my juicy work gossip, the other reason I wanted to meet is that I’m in need of some serious advice. I’ve talked to each of you, some of you multiple times, but I’m really struggling.”
“What’s going on?” Caroline asked.
“Michael and I had a very sweet night the other night, and I love what we’ve got going on, but I have a confession to make.” She glanced around the table, then down at her drink. “I’m totally scared that I’m going to have a relapse if I push the agenda I want too far.”
“A relapse in what manner?” Emma asked.
Piper shifted in her seat. “You all know to some extent what happened to me in the past. My breakdown happened a long time ago, but just to sum it up, I had a bit of a crisis when I had sex with Pete all those years ago. It sent me spiraling down into a deep, dark hole. Since then I haven’t really enjoyed sex as much as I used to. That’s not true—I have enjoyed it, but I’ve chosen, almost without realizing it, to be a passive participant, something Marianne always warned me I was doing, but I refused to listen. But, honestly, I was too scared to change anything after the breakdown, for fear I’d experience that same crushing feeling again. It really was horrible.” She glanced around the group. “It was out of my control completely, a visceral reaction I couldn’t stop. It felt like I couldn’t breathe for days. I don’t have to tell all of you that I value control in my life, so this really freaked me out. I didn’t think I’d recover. But”—she held up a finger—“lately all that has slipped away. I’m happy to tell you that when I’m with Michael, I finally feel normal again. I love the new path we’re on, but it’s still a little rocky. I think I’m holding back—no, I know I am. I don’t want to, but what it boils down to is, I’m still really scared, but this time I’m scared to ruin it.” She spread her arms open. “So there you have it.”
Gillian was the first to respond. “I get it, Piper. I really do. I’d be surprised if any of us were immune to that feeling with our own husbands. We’ve all chosen to live on the edge in terms of sex and pleasure. And that in and of itself makes us vulnerable to massive insecurities. I came into this lifestyle early—like teens early. I knew I liked it my way. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling withdrawn and unhappy on occasion, or overthinking what the world thinks of me. But it’s one of those things where after I accept I’m having an off day, I allow myself to forgive myself for being who I am. That way I’m able to keep those feelings at bay. You can, too.”
Caroline nodded along to what Gillian was saying. “You know my story all too well,” Caroline said. “Having just gone through it, it’s still very raw for me. That’s why Jace and I aren’t seeking out anything more than the two of us right now. I’ve come to accept who I am, slowly, and I feel much stronger for it. But I’m still taking those baby steps you drilled into my head. Without those, I’d be a mess. Every day is a new level of acceptance for me, and some days are harder than others. But, overall, like Gillian said, I finally feel like I have control over my emotions.”
Emma leaned over the table, lowering her voice since the waitress had just stopped at the next table. “Piper, you’re someone who loves being in control, and you’re so confident in all other aspects of your life. This is the only place you’ve stumbled. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get that control back. Like everyone here is saying, you really have to accept that what you did with my husband wasn’t a bad thing. If you can let it go, and embrace it as something good instead, maybe you’ll feel less…uncertain moving forward.”
Caroline set her drink down. “If you think back, can you identify exactly what you felt after you were with”—she cleared her throat—“Pete? I felt shame. Like I’d cheated on my husband by receiving pleasure from another man. I felt that I’d broken our marriage vows. The feeling in my chest was so tight, I couldn’t think straight—hell, I couldn’t even see straight. I still have a hard time remembering what happened exactly after the encounter. But you’re the one who helped me through it by challenging me to see that Jace and I didn’t share the same viewpoints on the matter. That was a huge deal for me. Jace was coming at it from a totally different place, and I had heaped all my insecurities on him, thinking he was internalizing it like I was. If you can identify the trigger, maybe you can get past it once and for all?”
Piper thought about it for a moment.
It was hard for her to recall that specific time in her life without feeling panic in her chest. She glanced around at her friends, all of them waiting for her to respond, and smiled. She felt safe here. “Honestly, I think right after it happened, I felt like I would never be enough for Michael. It’s so weird, because the overall experience was good.” She glanced at Emma. “Your husband is very sexy and knows how to give pleasure. Everyone had a good time. It didn’t really hit me until I couldn’t get up the next morning. Instead, I was assaulted by visions of Michael shaking his head at me and this deep feeling that I had failed.”
“But Michael was happy that night,” Emma said. “I remember it distinctly. But I also remember that you weren’t your usual spunky self when we were done. I told Pete after you left that I didn’t know if you’d be up for it again. Then we didn’t see you guys for about a year. But you did eventually come back, and you seemed happy. But the first thing you told us, unequivocally, was that you wouldn’t be having sex with anyone—including your husband—during our encounters. That was a change, but we rolled with it.”
Gillian drummed her fingers on the table. “I have a thought. Piper, your husband is really good-looking—like, ridiculously so. That man should at least get a bad haircut once in a while so we can all feel adequate in our own lives.”
Piper grinned. “Yeah, I know. He’s dreamy.”
“Your feelings of not being enough for him might stem from that. You’ve always gotten off on other women craving him, wanting him, and him getting off on them. But is that how you truly felt? Or is that what you thought you deserved?”
“Deserved? How you do mean?” Piper asked.
Gillian placed her elbow on the table. “You know me, I’m going to say whatever I want, so take it with a grain of salt. But when you first met Michael, did you think, ‘Hey, this is a great match for me. He’s totally my equal!’ Or did you think, ‘Wow, this guy is way too good-looking for me. I’d be lucky to land him, but even if I do, he’s never going to be into me’?”
Piper reflected for a moment. “You know, now that I think about it, the first two things that went through my head the first time I saw him were: ‘I want to fuck this guy so bad, and even if I get one night it will be enough,’ and ‘He will never be satisfied with only me.’ Michael was a player before I met him. But so was I. I never faulted him for that. It was just the way it was.”
Caroline slapped her palm on the table. “That’s it! You’ve subconsciously sabotaged your own feelings right from the get-go. For your entire marriage you’ve felt inadequate, thinking Michael would always desire other people! So you convinced yourself that you’re turned on by what you thought Michael wanted. But it’s not what he really wanted! Oh, this is so good. We’re finally getting to the gooey center.”
Gillian turned to Caroline. “The gooey center? What are they, a couple of lollipops?” Gillian couldn’t suppress her grin. “You’re like if Sesame Street started producing furry orgies.”
Caroline snorted. “Hey, it’s taken a lot of licking to finally get to this center, so they just might be lollipops. But that’s neither here nor there. What Piper needs to do now is figure out what she wants independently of what she thinks Michael wants, and then do it. If she can survive that without breaking down, and thinking she’s going to lose her husband, she’s on her way to being healed!” Caroline glanced excitedly at Piper. “I really think this is going to work!”
Piper started to laugh.
Caroline’s face was so sweet and earnest.
But Piper was laughing because the relief was overwhelming. Caroline was totally right. “When did you get so intuitive?” Piper asked her pal. “I think you’ve been holding out on me. I should’ve just confessed all my sins to you the day you moved in next door, and it would’ve saved me a lot of time and energy in the stress department.”
Caroline picked up her gin and tonic. “Oh, no, if you would’ve told me back then, I would’ve been totally aghast. Jace and I would’ve likely moved. I would’ve been too intimidated by you.” She took a sip and set her glass back down. “I wasn’t ready then, but I am now. The question is, what do you need in your life? What turns you on? No more taking a passive role, and no more worrying about your husband. He totally loves you. You’re his sun and moon! He’s not going to stray, and you’re not going to break up.”
Emma nodded. “Caroline is right. You’ve always been all about Michael’s pleasure. But like I told you at lunch a few weeks ago, Michael wasn’t into it like you thought. He just wanted you to be happy, so he was playing the role he thought you wanted him to play.”
“It sounds like you were both acting the parts,” Gillian added. “Both thinking if you didn’t give each other what the other wanted, you would drift apart or fall out of love. It’s kind of romantic in a weird way. These two beautiful souls who come together and try their best to make the other one happy, even though they’re both going against what they truly desire.”
Piper tried to speak, but there was a lump in her throat.
All the things they were saying rang true.
