Chapter 12
As soon as Gail found out about Kelly’s date, she insisted they go shopping for a dress to knock Craig’s eyes out. And of course, to hear the deets on their first official date. The minute Gail picked Kelly up, she started probing.
“I must say, all the signs were there. Craig had the hots for you that night at the bar.”
“You were seeing things.”
“Nope. Craig was holding back because he and Dennis are friends.”
“Holding back?”
“There was enough electricity sparking between you two it’s a wonder the power didn’t go out.”
“Exaggerate much?”
“What does Dennis think about you and Craig?”
“Like you said. They’re friends. Dennis vouched for him.”
“Vouch—” Gail choked on the latte she’d just taken a sip of. “Dammit. Hand me a napkin.” She placed the container in the car holder and blotted her mouth with the paper napkin. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Why would I kid?” Kelly helped to clean up the coffee that had spilled on Gail’s lap.
“You and Dennis. You really are just friends?”
“You too?” She crumpled the napkin in her hand. “What is it with you guys? Dennis and I have been friends for years. You know that.”
“Yeah, but . . .”
“What?” Her temper was mounting. Couldn’t a girl have a guy friend without sleeping with him?
“Everyone kind of wondered if maybe there was, you know, more.”
“I see him maybe five times a year. I live in Virginia, in case you’ve forgotten. Long distance relationships don’t work.”
“If you think that, why are you dating Craig?” Gail switched gears faster than Kelly could keep up. She was tired of having to explain her actions.
“Can’t a girl date a hot guy? It’s not like we’re getting married.”
“Speaking of which, I don’t even know where to start. Last I heard, you were getting married to Richard.”
“Rich—Oh, you mean Robert. Who told you that?”
“Dennis may have mentioned it.” Since when had Dennis and Gail gotten so chummy?
“And you still thought we were an item?” Kelly glared at Gail. She took her focus off the road long enough to glance back. “Let me set you straight. Robert is history. Dennis and I are only friends. He’s my best friend. I came here because I found out Robert was already married.”
“Married!” The car swerved as Gail jerked the wheel.
“For God’s sake, watch where you’re going. I’d like to get to the store in one piece.”
Gail quickly recovered. “Your ex is a slime ball.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” Kelly tried calming her nerves, as well as her temper. No sense getting mad at Gail. She slumped in her seat and stared out the side window. A fool. A blind fool, and an idiot to boot. How could she have let herself be duped to the point she’d considered marrying a cheater?
“Did you really love this guy, Robert?”
“No.”
“Then, why were you going to marry him?”
“It was stupid, I guess. I thought it was the plan, you know?”
“The plan?”
“Have a good job, which I do. Find a good man who could support a wife and children.”
“He already had a wife.”
Yeah. She found out the hard way. “I have no idea how he kept that little fact hidden for so long.”
“There had to be signs.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Kelly waved her hand. “It’s history. I am so over it.”
“Don’t you worry, honey. You’ve got Craig now. You just focus on him.”
There were moments when she couldn’t think about anything else. One date with the guy and she was ready to jump head first into a relationship again. She’d keep that little tidbit to herself.
“Gail, how long have you known Craig?”
“Almost as long as I’ve known you. That is, I don’t really know him. Only that he’s a good friend of Dennis’s, and Pete likes him. They talk business sometimes. He must have money. He has a home in San Francisco and one in South Carolina. He visits Dennis about as often as you do.”
“What do you think of him?”
“That he’s one hot tamale.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “If I wasn’t into Pete, let me tell you, I’d give you a run for your money.”
“Back off,” Kelly said with grit, surprised at how much she meant it.
Gail laughed. “So, you’ve staked your claim? By the way, you haven’t given me details about last night.”
“There are no details to give--not the ones you want anyway. He took me to dinner and took me home.”
“Go on.”
“That’s it.”
“Uh-huh. Share, girlfriend. What happened after you got home? Did he have soft lights, soft music, and a bottle of wine?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t go to his place.”
“What?!” The car swerved again.
Kelly’s heart jumped to her throat. “I swear, Gail. I’m not riding with you any more if you can’t control your driving.”
“We’re here. I just pulled over to the curb.”
Kelly glanced out the passenger window, seeing a row of stores to the right. “Oh.”
“When you said home, I thought you meant the penthouse at his hotel,” Gail probed.
“He took me back to Dennis’s apartment.”
With one manicured fingernail, Gail towed her expensive sunglasses to the end of her nose. “What for?”
“Because,” Kelly drew out her words, “that’s where I’ve been staying?”
Exasperation filled Gail’s face as she shoved her glasses back in place. “You have got to get with the program,” she said testily, then grabbed her keys and her purse. “You need a sexy dress. We’ll visit TBdress, Hayden Olivia, and Charlotte Russe. If we can’t find anything there, I know this adorable boutique that specializes in sexy.
Shopping with Gail was like following a tornado’s path. She whipped through racks of clothing with fierce determination. Finally making her choices, Kelly tried the chosen few. She wasn’t sure what Gail had in mind, but she’d been unhappy, until they both found the little black skirt. The texture was more suede than leather, and the fabric stretched to hug her curvy bottom.
“That’s the one,” Gail said, as Kelly stepped from the dressing room.
Kelly stared in the mirror. It felt divine. It clung to her shape, yet hid the outline of her underwear.. “You don’t think it’s too tight?”
“It’s perfect. And so is the blouse.”
Turning, she glanced at the low back. Gail had insisted on red, but the deep blue reminded her of Craig’s eyes. A few whiffs of gold filigree gave a shimmering illusion, like light illuminating in them. A flush of heat zipped through her body. Craig had an alarming effect on her.
She made her purchase and stepped to the sidewalk with a smile on her face.
“Thinking about tonight?”
Kelly nodded. “I keep seeing his face, and the way he looks at me.”
“Wait till he gets a look at you in that little black skirt. I’m starved. Let’s eat. I know a great sub place two blocks from here.”
“You’ve dragged me all over the city, I guess two more blocks won’t hurt.” Gail had insisted on new heels with straps, since they looked sexy, and accessories, even though Kelly assured her she had everything.
“Then, I have a surprise for you. Actually, for Craig.”
“For Craig?”
“There’s this one little shop I’m dying to show you. It’s called Blush.”
“Blush?”
“Before you argue with me, you do want to look your best, don’t you? This boutique has sexy lingerie.”
“What makes you think I need sexy under things?”
“You’re kidding, right? All women secretly think about sex. He’s thinking about it. Hoping for it. Craig is one hot man. What woman wouldn’t try her luck with a man who looks like him? You wearing that skirt will give him the lets-get-naked, it’s-okay-with-me signal he’s dying for. The surprise will be what’s underneath.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Nope. I’m taking your advice.”
“What advice?”
Gail stopped walking. “About Pete. I’m not as available as I have been. The signs of strain are starting to show. With him, and with me. I didn’t know it would be this difficult. But once I made up my mind, I decided to go for broke.”
“Let’s talk inside. There’s Little Maria’s.”
They ordered food and drink, and as soon as the waiter left their booth, Kelly pounced. “Now, tell me about Pete and what’s going on.”
“I haven’t seen him but once since the night you were with us at the bar.”
“That’s only been a few days.”
Gail glanced down with a sheepish expression, clearly uncomfortable.
Kelly reached over and covered her hand. “Gail, I don’t judge. You can tell me anything.”
“Well, we’ve gotten in this, I guess you could say habit. We both like sex. Of course, I wouldn’t have anyone but him.”
“You’re in love with him,” Kelly said softly. Even if Gail hadn’t told her, it was pretty obvious.
“Yes. Have been for a long time. You pointed out that maybe I was making myself too available. I thought about it all night after we talked. I realized if I wanted him to take me seriously, if I wanted to know if he really was into me, I had to make him come to me.”
When she hesitated, Kelly gave her a slight nudge. “Go on.”
“Well, the next night he called and I didn’t answer. I let it go to voice mail. He called two more times. I sat on my fingers to keep from answering the phone. An hour later, he showed up at my door.”
The waiter brought their food, interrupting anything else she might have said.
“A meatball sub and a steak and cheese. Anything else I can get you ladies?”
“Looks good. Thank you,” Kelly replied. The smell of baked sauce and cheese had Kelly’s mouthwatering.
“I’m good. Thanks,” Gail said. “I haven’t had one of these in a while.”
“I’m blowing my carbs, but I don’t care. I worked up an appetite today.” Kelly took a huge bite and groaned in appreciation. “This is so good.”
Gail moaned and chuckled at the same time. It sounded like a strangled chicken. They laughed at each other.
Kelly swallowed, then took a drink of her diet coke. “Okay. Pete showed up at your place.”
“And got a big surprise. He plopped on the couch and asked what’s for dinner. I hid behind the kitchen counter. I knew if I got within touching distance, I’d never go through with my plan. My hands started shaking and I got mad at myself for being so stupid. I gripped the counter and told him I had planned a microwave meal for one.”
“Bet he loved that.” Kelly snickered, and took another bite of her sandwich.
“Get this. He put down the remote. Actually put it down. He turned around with the dumbest expression on his face. I wanted to laugh but I was too scared.”
“Scared? Has he ever given you reason to fear him?”
“No. Nothing like that. I just needed the courage to, you know, follow through. If I hadn’t been struggling so hard not to give in, I might have appreciated his stupefied expression. He had this look on his face like I was an alien or something.” She took a bite of her sub. Kelly waited for her to finish chewing.
“He stared at me. I couldn’t keep eye contact, so I opened the fridge to get him a beer. I realized what I was doing and slammed the door closed, then nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt his hands on my arms. He asked me what was wrong and I nearly melted. Standing firm was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I couldn’t look at him-I knew I’d crumble. So, I pushed him away. I told him I needed a night alone.”
Kelly let out the breath she’d held from the moment Gail said Pete had his hands on her. “That took guts.”
“I couldn’t say I needed space, ’cause you know that’s what people say when they break up. I wouldn’t dare go that far. He asked me if it was that time of the month, the lout. I got angry and accused him of labeling me. He was being a typical man, saying that’s when a woman is upset, or he thinks she’s unreasonable. The only way I could hold him off was to be angry. I acted mad and it worked. He backed off and left.”
“Whew. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
“I fell apart as soon as the door closed. I cried all night.”
“You didn’t send him packing. You just told him you wanted to be alone for one night. If you feel this guilty, he already has too much of a hold on your life.”
It was a while before Gail answered. “I did some thinking while I cried. I know I’m a mess. And I know I can’t give in. If I do, I’ll never know for sure if Pete loves me.”
“I’m sure he does. What happened after that?”
“The next day, he called several times. I let those go to voice mail, too. He didn’t come by that night. Then, yesterday, right after I got home from work, the doorbell rang. I was half dressed, so I grabbed a pair of jeans and jumped into them. By the time I got to the door, whoever had been there was gone. A huge bouquet of roses was lying on my doorstep.”
“Ah, Pete.”
“I suspect he delivered them. He was probably waiting out front before I got home.”
“Was there a note?”
“Yeah. Forgive me.”
“That’s it?”
Gail gave a short laugh. “I wanted to howl. Should I be glad I got his attention, or mad that he doesn’t have a clue?”
Kelly sat her drink back on the table. “You definitely got his attention.”
“But there’s nothing to forgive.”
“Did you thank him for the flowers or act like you didn’t know who sent them? That would have been a hoot.” Kelly laughed.
“I called him and acted like I was fishing, pretending I wasn’t sure. Giving him a hint that I thought the flowers might be from someone else. I asked him if he sent them.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah. He seemed a little irked, but didn’t say anything about it. I told him there was nothing to forgive. He asked me again what was wrong. I got mad and asked why something had to be wrong just because he didn’t get any.”
“You didn’t!”
“I did. I was scared to death he’d go to another girl. But, I can’t worry about that. If he did, he did. And I’ll know.” Gail’s eyes turned glassy, then she shook her head. “Anyway. Today I’m shopping and I haven’t—”
As if on cue, Gail’s phone rang. She quickly wiped her hands and grabbed her cell.
“It’s him,” she said, a bit nervous. She inhaled a deep breath. “I think I’ll answer.” She tapped the icon on her cell. “Hello.”
Kelly recognized Pete’s voice on the other end, but could not hear what he said.
“I’m shopping,” Gail said. “With Kelly.”
Pete’s voice again.
“Goodbye.”
“That was short and sweet.” Kelly muttered.
Gail dropped her phone back into her purse. “He told me to have a good time and to tell you hi.”
“All is well in your world?”
She shrugged. “Maybe there’s something to your advice.”
“I never meant to break up—”
“I know that.” Gail waived her hand, then tackled a meatball with her fork. “Like I said, I’ve done a lot of thinking and this is the best course. I’m already getting results. We’ll see what happens next.”
“Good luck. I hope it works out the way you want.”
“And I hope things with you and Craig work out the way you want.”
Packages slung over their arms, she and Gail headed back to her car. Kelly tossed her bags in the back seat, then opened the passenger door and climbed inside.
“That was a great sub.” She patted her full tummy.
“We’ve got one more stop,” Gail said as she cranked the engine.
“More shopping? I have an outfit.”
“Blush. I’m not missing a chance to play in there.”
Kelly chuckled. “Play?”
“Oh, yes. Just wait. You’ll see.”
Gail sped down the road and drove into a lot with several small shops. Blush. Big, bright, pink letters adorned the top of one building.
Seeing several sheer tops and barely-there panties featured in the display window, all Kelly could do was stare.
“What did I tell you?”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
Gail grabbed her arm and towed her into the cool, air-conditioned store. Frilly things and other unmentionables were exhibited everywhere.
Kelly didn’t know where to look first. Tasteful displays with partial bodied mannequins draped each table, some in glass and others on shiny wood. Gail wandered from counter to counter, Kelly trailed behind. She fingered an item of frilly lace, thinking of how it would feel against her skin.
“Ohhhh.” Gail dashed for the next table. Kelly looked up to find a black garter belt dangling from the tip of one finger. “You’ve got to have this.”
Kelly wondered how Craig would react if he saw her wearing a black lacy garter belt.
“Perfect with those.” Gail pointed to a mannequin wearing a pair of black fishnet nylons.
Together, they dug through several packages with different designs. Black with sparkles, sheer black with roses imbedded, diamond shaped designs. So many to choose from, until she found the perfect pair.