Chapter 5
Vanessa
“Deep breath, in through your nose and out of your mouth.” The yogi’s soothing voice along with the instrumental harp music grated on my nerves. The girls and I met every Saturday for yoga, and it had yet to relax me.
“Breathe in… hold… exhale. Move into your Downward Dog position.”
Breathe, my ass. I was not cut out for this shit and only tolerated it once a week to spend quality time with my friends. Ironically, it was Brae’s idea to take the early Saturday class, and then have breakfast at our favorite uptown bistro ala Sex and the City, one of her favorite shows.
But, the witch had been MIA, more times than not, since the day she set eyes on that Swede. Mr. Wrong-turned-Right barely let her out of his grip, especially on the weekends.
“Speaking of downward dog,” Cassie leaned over and whispered, “how was your date last night?”
“Slowly rise… long spine… breathe in… hold… release.” A long exaggerated sigh echoed through the room, and she continued with, “And position, Warrior One.”
We followed her command and stood like statues on our rubber mats. “Ugh,” I whispered back. “When the dickweed pulled out a condom from his pocket, he sent his wedding band twirling through the air and we watched it land with a clink at my feet.”
“No fucking way!” Cassie exclaimed.
“Shh!” Desiree said just as the sound of a gong silenced us, with every head in the room turning to glare. That gong was a rare proverbial slap on the wrist, but somehow we managed to have it hit every week with our antics. It was a miracle we hadn’t been kicked out of this stupid-ass class.
Undeterred, the breathy voice once again came over the speakers. “Slowly rise… long spine… breathe in… hold… release… and Warrior Two.”
Once her commands resumed, and we were again being ignored, Desiree looked past Cassie and threw me the evil eye. She was a goody two-shoes, but we still loved her. Cassie came to my defense and whispered, “He was married.”
“What a dick!” Suddenly, Miss Goody Two-Shoes fell out of Warrior Two pose and landed on her ass, earning us another gong, and all eyes on Desiree’s beet red face.
“Ugh, this fucking class,” I whispered. “Yogi Wan Kenobi doesn’t even use the gong in the right way. It’s supposed to transport us to peaceful bliss. It just pisses me off.”
“Shh!” the group of college co-eds in front of us quipped.
“Oh, fuck you!” I rolled up my mat, bowed to the class, and exclaimed, “Namaste,” before walking out of the room. The bitch at the front desk watched me condescendingly as I grabbed my jacket off the hook, put on my sneakers, and took the walk of shame out the door.
They left me sitting outside the studio on the sidewalk for twenty fucking minutes. When they finally emerged, each holding a piece of paper, they had the nerve to be pissed at me.
I looked at the papers they held and said, “Did you get A’s for being the teacher’s pets, you kiss asses? What the friggin’ hell? My grand exit would have been more poignant if my two supposed best friends followed me out!”
“Oh, no worries,” Cassie said with a tsk. “We’re not allowed back in. Good job, V. This is the second one in six months. You’re making it so we’ll have to travel to Brooklyn for yoga. Brae is going to be pissed.”
“Fuck Brae. This is all her fault. And if I come near that Yogi Wan bitch again, I’m shoving her gong right up her tight ass.” A few passersby shook their heads at my crass comment. “What is with people today? Are we not in New York?” I asked louder than I needed to. “Not sure if my need to punch Yogi Wan in the face or all that heavy breathing is what made me light-headed. Time for food.” I stalked down the street, hearing their rubber sneakers pattering behind me.
The aroma of baked goods and coffee lifted my mood a tad. Just as we sat down at the four-top and picked up the menus, a perky waitress approached us. “Hi, my name is Raine and I’ll be your server today. Would you like some green tea or coffee?”
“We’ll all have coffee,” I said grumpily.
Raine’s ponytail bobbed. “We have two specials this morning, an egg-white, spinach and kale omelet or…” She paused to scrunch her nose. “The chef’s special, a three egg, cheddar, bacon, and sausage frittata served with home fries and…”
My hand shot in the air. “I’ll have that.”
“Texas toast,” she finished her spiel.
“Even better,” I quipped. “Toss in a blueberry muffin while you’re at it. I’ll have that as my appetizer.” The girls placed their orders, choosing the healthy special, and Raine scurried off into the kitchen like a tiny mouse. “That special will taste like ass. What exactly is kale? Brae’s not here to police our meals and you order egg whites with kale?”
“Some of us need to watch what we eat, Miss Perfect Metabolism.”
“Sex… it works wonders for your core muscles. Fuck yoga. My plan is better, more fun, and I get to scream as much as I want.”
“Oh, Vanessa,” Des said in her loving way.
Coffee arrived, and after adding a healthy dose of cream and two packets of sugar, a few sips later and I felt back to my fun-loving self.
“Okay, so finish telling us what happened after you found out he was married,” Cassie said before sipping her black coffee, which was vile in my opinion.
“I fucked him.”
“You did not!”
“Of course not! Jeez, what do you take me for? I kicked his ass out.” I should have been pissed at the relief written on their faces. “What did you guys do last night?” I asked, bringing my mug to my lips.
“We went to Dispatch and hung out with Kyle and Luca.” The sip of coffee sitting in my mouth came shooting out at Cassie in a violent way. A spray of brown dots now decorated her brand new white zip-up hoodie.
“I’m so sorry, Cass.”
“What the hell, V! What is wrong with you?”
“That damn class makes me a nervous wreck,” I lied. Just hearing they spent time with them caught me off guard. “So, how are the guys?” I went for nonchalant, but failed miserably.
Des smirked with a nod. She was so on to me. “In case you’re wondering, your name did come up.” My eyebrows arched. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything bad. We came to the conclusion that you and Kyle are one and the same.”
Still not satisfied, I continued to look at my friends for clarity. Cassie interjected, “We found out you both aren’t into commitments when he told us what he did for a living.”
“Oh, that he makes perfume?” Now they were the ones with their eyebrows arched. “What? He told me at the wedding when he sniffed me.”
“He sniffed you?” Des asked. “Where?”
“My neck, the first time. Where did you think he sniffed me?”
Des rolled her eyes. “I meant where on the farm.”
“Oh, on our way out of the ceremony. Then again later in the barn, while his pelvis was between my legs.” The group of older women looked my way. What the fuck was with everyone today? “When we were walking down the aisle. He knew I was wearing Miss Dior and proceeded to tell me it was all wrong for me.”
“Any… way…” Cassie once again popped in to explain. “We said his girlfriends must love that, and he said he doesn’t do girlfriends.” She waved her hand toward me. “Hence, your name came up.”
Knowing he felt the same way about relationships as I did, in addition to his sexual skills, only spurred my desire to see him again. Why couldn’t we casually hook up when we wanted to? The thought of another train wreck of a date like last night didn’t appeal to me in the least.
During the wedding weekend, things were effortless with Kyle and me. No tense moments, no awkward pauses in conversation, and no cringing sexual encounters. I allowed the memories of each time to play in my mind, drowning out Des and Cass’s conversation. When Cassie said, “So, they’ll be joining us tonight at Brae and Jude’s place,” a new visual popped into my thoughts of Kyle and me sneaking away to have sex somewhere in Jude’s posh building.
And just like that, Cassie’s tidbit and the delivery of my cheddar, bacon, and sausage frittata erased the foul mood Yogi Wan put me in.
Kyle
For Christ’s sake, it was fucking freezing. I lifted the collar of my jacket to protect me from the punishing wind. Damn. I loved New York, but I hated the way the seasons crashed into each other instead of easing in with mercy. Just a few weeks ago, we were enjoying Indian Summer temperatures that afforded shorts and T-shirts.
I turned the corner, my eyes noticing the tall Italian approaching from the opposite corner. “Good timing,” I said when we met in front of Jude’s building. Lifting my chin toward the paper sack he carried, I asked, “What did you get?”
“A few bottles of wine and Belvedere for Soren.” His eyes focused on the huge plastic bag I held. The iconic bright turquoise typeface, The Pleasure Chest, announced to every respectable hot-blooded New Yorker just what was inside. “You were serious.”
“Of course I was serious,” I quipped with an exaggerated eye-roll. “Picked a few things up for myself as well.” Side by side, we entered the building.
“I’m sure you did, you hornbag. Nothing says romance like a twelve inch dildo.” His voice echoed in the lobby, bouncing off every hard surface without apology. I followed him past the doorman who looked up with narrowed eyes. The man knew who we were, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was the word dildo or the sight of us that caused his disdain. We stepped into a waiting elevator when Luca said, “Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?”
“What’s so bad about getting newlyweds a few new sex toys? When did you become such a prude?”
His head twisted to mine, and he blinked a few times before sighing. “Not that, jackass. The fact we are sabotaging Jude’s return to New York.”
“He’ll get over it. You give him the Belvedere, I’ll give him the butt plug, and all will be forgiven. If not, it was all the girls’ idea.”
Cassie opened the door a few seconds after Luca’s hard knock. “Hey, come on in. They should be here any minute.”
“How did you guys get in?” Luca asked, always the practical one. It took us years to get the hardass doormen who worked this frou-frou building to finally trust us.
“Vanessa,” Cassie said, as if it was obvious.
From the foyer, I could see Desiree lighting candles around the living room and the back of Vanessa’s head. She sat on the couch looking down at her phone. Her thick chestnut hair hung in a straight and inviting ponytail. There was nothing hotter than wrapping a hand around a woman’s ponytail as you fucked her from behind.
As Luca and I dumped our jackets on one of the barstools, Cassie snatched them up and reported it was just us and not the lovebirds. At that announcement, Vanessa’s head twisted, her eyes immediately connecting with mine. A devious smile spread across her gorgeous face, and I responded with a wink.
Just as promised, the apartment was decorated with flowers, candles, and a huge Welcome Home banner that hung from corner to corner across the floor-to-ceiling windows. They had an assortment of appetizers on the granite island and champagne chilling with crystal flutes waiting patiently to be filled.
“This is impressive,” I said, giving props where props were due. Speaking of props, I reached into my plastic sack and pulled out a flogger, sticking it into the floral arrangement that sat on the coffee table.
“What the heck is that for?” Cassie asked, her tiny fists hitched to her narrow hips.
“It’s for hours of fun,” Vanessa answered for me. She leaned forward and ran her fingers across the smooth leather strips nestled between the pink roses. “This is a nice one, Kyle.”
“Thanks. I’m sure Jude won’t mind if we test it out.” Our eyes connected, held, and… something passed between us. Promise? Possibilities? Much more than a BDSM flogger could supply. Shit, I should have bought two.
Cassie quipped, “Oh my God, Kyle,” effectively killing our moment.
“Is that a yes, Cassie?”
“Definitely not.”
When my eyes cut back to Vanessa, the moment had passed. Back was the almost bored expression she perfected so well. Funny, I barely knew this woman, but I knew it was an act. The reason, because the look on her face just a few seconds ago was the same she had when I made her come in the barn… and in the laundry room.
Moving my attention back to Cassie, I took the opportunity to tease her, pulling the flogger from the vase and running the fronds through my fingers with a raised brow. One look at the toy in my hand, and she bolted behind Desiree for protection.
“Aww, come on, Cass. I’ll be gentle the first time.”
She emerged with her hands on her hips in a threatening way. “You’re such an ass, Kyle. Flirting will get you nowhere, especially while holding that thing.”
“First off, I’ve been called worse. Second, don’t knock it until you try it,” I quipped while wiggling my eyebrows. Vanessa’s groan and eye-roll caused me to laugh.
Cassie didn’t have time to respond. The door swung open, and two groping adults with frantic hands and connected mouths, clamored through completely oblivious to their audience.