CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CLARISSA
Tabitha dragged me along. As always, she was full of bounce. After I’d dangled my Victoria’s Secret card in front of her, Tabitha screeched, “Let’s go there right now.”
She sniffed the air as we entered the lingerie haven. “Smell that, Clary. Pure sex.”
I laughed. “Do you ever think of anything else, Tabs?”
“Yeah, of course, like your wedding.”
“Hmm… about that.”
She stopped walking. “What?”
“Aidan wants a smallish affair.”
“Smallish? In what sense?”
“Just the inner sanctum. You know, about twenty guests or so.”
“And that’s all?”
I nodded.
“Then you don’t need me for anything,” she said in a flat tone.
“I need you to be there. I’d love for you to hang out with me while I’m getting ready.”
Her lips formed a tight smile. “I can do that, easy enough.” She looked up at me with a guilty smile. “Can we at least have a wild girls’ night?”
“As long as it doesn’t involve a male stripper or some leather-panted dude named Fabio.”
She laughed. “I’m a bit more imaginative than that. What about a burlesque show, or one of those…”
“What?”
“I’ve heard about these S and M dungeons.”
“Tabi, are you kidding me? After everything that’s happened?”
She tilted her head. “I hated being beaten. But when it was just a little whipping here and there, that was really sexy as hell, to be honest.”
Oh no. Was Tabitha getting restless again? “Tabs, let me ask you something.”
“What’s that?” She flicked through a rack of bras.
“Are you getting bored with Grant?”
She looked up. Her face scrunched. “Are you kidding? He’s hot and yummy. No way. There’s something about an older, experienced man that just makes me sizzle.” She held up a green bra. “What do you think of this color?”
“Love it. Goes perfectly with your eyes. Pop it in.” I pointed to the cart.
“I will have to try it first. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Sweetie, I’ve got an open account here. I haven’t been here for months. So let’s go to town. Aidan made me promise I would.”
She coughed out a laugh. “I bet he did. Tell me, is he still destroying your panties?”
“When I wear them.” A little curl formed on my lips.
She put her arm around my shoulders. “Ah… that’s my friend. You’re learning fast. Wear sexy, barely-there panties when out, and at home wear none. It’s a trusty method.”
I got goose-fleshed as I recalled Aidan’s ravaging tongue the previous night while we sat on the sofa watching a movie. My sex pulsed. It was only a few hours ago he took me in the shower, all hard and hungry. Something I’d discovered about my ardent lover was that in the mornings, he was at his most savage best, while in the evenings he was tender and deliciously slow—passionate tongue kisses that trailed over my prickly skin, leaving me deliriously high after multiple mind-altering orgasms. That was, unless we hadn’t seen one another for a day or so. Then it would be a clothes-ripping session of feverish sex.
Tabitha dangled a white lace bustier with little red floral buttons. “Hey, this is sweet and has a vintage feel. Just up your alley.”
“That’s really cute.” As usual, I let Tabitha make the choices. She knew me well. I was just happy to amble along with my head in the clouds, indulging in a swelling ache as I contemplated Aidan’s lusty gaze when I modelled the scanty underwear.
She held up a red lace teddy with lace-up front against me. “What about that?”
That would be a good one for when we got all hot and steamy on Skype. I wiped my brow. Mm… who would have thought a walk through a sexy lingerie shop could be so arousing?
Tabitha stopped at a pink bra-and-panty set and cooed.
“Pop it in, Tabs. It’s yours.”
We left with an armful of shopping bags. Skipping along, Tabitha said, “That was so much fun. Thanks, Clary. I hope Aidan won’t mind. It was a huge spend.”
“He won’t. He doesn’t care about money.”
She pulled her head back. “Really?” She smiled. “Is this real? Are we really this happy? And in love?”
I giggled. “I keep asking myself that all the time.”
“The house is beautiful, Clary. You liked it, didn’t you?”
“I sure did.”
“I’ve never lived in anything like it. I’ve been always holed up in apartments. As you know.” Her voice cracked.
I stopped walking and looked at her. “We’ve both got guardian angels out there, I’d say.”
She hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re here, Clary. I don’t know what I would do without my little sister.”
My eyebrows squeezed tight. “Little? We’re the same age.”
She pulled my hair playfully and giggled. “Let’s go back to my lovely new house. I’ll make us a martini.”
“A martini?”
“Why not? James is driving.”
“Let’s,” I said, taking her arm. “Which reminds me, do you want to come to New York with me?”
Tabitha screamed so loudly, everyone on the pavement stopped. “When?”
“Next week. Aidan asked if I wanted to go. He’ll be dealing with business. He suggested I take you along so we can shop and share the experience.”
“He suggested that?”
I nodded.
“Oh my God. That’s so kind of him, and seriously cool. I hope Grant can live without me. For how long?”
“A couple of days,” I said.
“Yay!” Tabitha put her arm around me.
James was there, waiting patiently for us. He opened the car door on our approach, and I noticed Tabitha casting him a flirtatious smile.
“Thanks, James,” I said, sliding onto the front seat. I refused to sit in the back. It was hard enough getting used to being driven around. But Aidan had been adamant. He went on about it repeatedly, so I relented and accepted my lot. It was a small price to pay for safety. And it meant I could go to Tabitha’s new home and have a martini.