Chapter Five

Lydia had become good friends with Mia Gentry through their mutual friend and colleague, Crystal. So when Mia had called her at the office and invited her to lunch, Lydia had gratefully accepted. With Crystal away on her honeymoon, Lydia was in desperate need of some girl time. Plus, she was dying to talk to someone about her situation with Jake. The hours they had spent together yesterday, first at the aquarium, and then at dinner, had been one of the best days she’d had in a long time. Being with Jake and Casey had been so easy and natural. When they’d gotten back to his home after dropping Casey off, he’d poured her a glass of wine and he’d had a beer while they talked about their jobs and families.

Of course, it only made sense that she know his background if she was to convince Chris that they had a real marriage. He had assured her that Chris herself didn’t know much more about him than a stranger off the street would know. Jake’s parents came to see Casey often, but Chris had never visited with them nor had she expressed any interest in doing so. He said that she simply used them as another backup babysitter in the event he was out of town and her parents were unavailable.

Lydia could hardly believe it when Jake had mentioned that it was almost midnight. They’d been sitting and chatting for hours by that point. They’d walked down the hallway together and again he’d had what appeared to be a bashful moment when he stood uncertainly at her door before leaning forward to drop a kiss onto her cheek. “Thanks for today—for everything.” She’d stood there fighting the urge to follow him as he headed in the direction of his own room. Sexy Jake’s powerful presence was a heady thing to be around, and sweet Jake was melting her inhibitions and her underwear at an alarmingly fast pace. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be sneaking into his bed before their first week of marriage was over.

“You look like a woman who’s got it bad, sugar,” remarked an amused voice. Lydia’s eyes flew to the open doorway, where Mia now reclined against the frame. “Don’t bother to tell me you’re over there pondering a work problem because I won’t believe it.”

“You had it right the first time,” Lydia admitted wryly. Why deny it since she planned on asking her friend for advice during lunch anyway? She got to her feet and pulled her purse from the side drawer of her desk. “Want to walk around the corner to the sandwich shop?” she asked as she moved toward Mia.

“Sounds good to me. I could totally murder a turkey sandwich right now,” Mia joked as they rode the elevator down to the lobby. Mia chatted about the latest security system installation she was working on for Danvers while they ordered their food and found a quiet table in the corner.

Despite her earlier statement about being hungry, Mia pushed her sandwich aside after a few bites and asked, “What’s going on with Jake? I called you a couple of times over the weekend to check in but kept getting your voice mail.”

Lydia dropped her face in her hands and mumbled, “The quick answer is that I’m hopelessly infatuated with him.”

“Mmmhmm.” Mia smacked her lips. “He’s totally fuckable. I’d be more concerned if you didn’t feel the way you do.”

“I was attracted to him from the start, but now I feel as if I’m just a step away from attacking him,” Lydia admitted.

Shrugging her shoulders, Mia asked, “So what’s the problem? You’re both adults. Make a nookie date and get to it. Hell, you can even have dinner first if you want to keep things civilized.”

“I’m living with him,” Lydia blurted out. “I agreed to help him with some issues he’s having with his daughter’s mother.”

The bite of food Mia had taken appeared to lodge in her throat as she made a choking sound. Lydia leaned over to thump her on the back until she waved her away. “Jake has a kid? And baby mama drama? Holeee shit! Why am I just now hearing about this? Did you know?” she asked incredulously.

Shaking her head, Lydia said, “Nope, sure didn’t. When I left with him after Crystal’s wedding, we went to his house to have a chance to talk and he told me everything. He offered to give me an annulment; actually, he wanted to arrange it. Then—”

“Wait.” Mia held her hand up. “I thought you guys did the dirty in Vegas. Was he going to lie to avoid going through a divorce?”

Trying to keep any trace of disappointment from her voice, Lydia said, “No, apparently we never had, er . . . intercourse. Which makes sense considering I can remember us fooling around, but it’s been driving me crazy that I couldn’t recall the main event. He said even intoxicated, he wouldn’t let that happen without me being completely sober.”

“But it was okay to marry you while you were tipsy?” Mia said dryly.

Lydia felt strangely defensive of her husband, the man she barely knew. “It might not have been the best idea, but we were both in a dismal place that night. I was missing Brett, and what might have been if he hadn’t gotten sick. Jake and his ex are pretty close to battling for custody of their daughter. She’s saying she’ll drop her part if he’ll either marry her or pay her more support. And he’s determined to get joint custody. He’s afraid that his daughter is going to get dragged through a custody case and he doesn’t want that to happen to her. He thought if he were married, Chris might back off her demands and the court would look favorably on him if he presented a more settled image, and I just wanted to know what it would feel like to say, ‘I do.’” Rubbing at the slight ache in her temples, Lydia admitted, “As insane as it may sound, I was upset when I found out that we hadn’t had sex that night and our marriage could be ended so easily. I mean, it’s not like I’m in love with him, but he makes me feel desired again. I’ve been like a robot since Brett died.” Pausing, she looked around to make sure no one was listening before continuing, “I haven’t . . . you know, wanted anyone sexually in years. But from the moment I met Jake, it’s as if my body is some kind of computer that’s abruptly come back online.”

Mia propped her face in her hand and studied her. Finally, she asked, “So you’re going to pretend to be his wife to make him look like a better father? What if he doesn’t deserve it? He could be a horrible parent.”

“He’s an amazing dad,” Lydia piped up enthusiastically. “His daughter spent the day with us yesterday. We went to Ripley’s Aquarium and then to dinner. She is simply precious, and he hangs on her every word. Their bond was readily apparently whereas the one she has with her mother showed more signs of resignation than affection.”

“Whoa,” Mia croaked. “You’ve already met the ex as well? Yikes! How did that go? What’s she like?”

Lydia laughed at the rush of questions from her friend. Mia was nothing if not curious. “Well, she’s—different,” she said, trying to be diplomatic. “She wasn’t happy about me being at Jake’s house that morning and didn’t mind letting it be known. She basically called me a tramp and stomped off in a huff with Casey. But a few minutes later she was back needing Jake to babysit because she had plans.”

Wrinkling her nose, Mia deadpanned, “She sounds awesome. If she was calling you those kind of names so quickly, then she must still have some feelings for our Jake.”

Lydia took a drink of her tea before placing it down. “Oh, yeah, she does, but I’m not sure they have anything to do with loving him. According to him, she’d been putting on the pressure in the last year for him to marry her. Then when she never got anywhere with it, she thought attempting to take his daughter away would finally get him where she wanted him.”

Mia finished the bite of food that she’d just taken before asking, “If he was willing to marry a stranger, then why not the mother of his child?”

“That’s the same thing I asked him,” Lydia admitted. “It didn’t make sense to me. But he explained how toxic the environment was for Casey when he and Chris were together for any extended amount of time. And just from being in the same room with them for a few minutes, I can see that he’s right. Apparently, she was a one-night stand and they never had any type of relationship outside of that before she got pregnant. He believes she’s only interested in marrying him for the financial security. Outside of Casey, I don’t think they can stand each other.”

“Wow, that’s sad,” Mia sympathized. “It’s hard enough on kids when their parents divorce, but when there’s not a good relationship to begin with, that must be horrible for everyone involved. Has he told her about his new wife yet?” She looked Lydia up and down before adding, “I assume he hasn’t since I don’t see any scratches or loss of hair.”

Grimacing, Lydia said, “Nope, he didn’t want to tell her in front of Casey since she’s likely to freak out. He’s supposed to talk to her sometime this week, I believe.”

Mia leaned back in her chair and wiggled her eyebrows. “Now that we’ve got all the heavy stuff out of the way, let’s circle back to your desire to jump his bones.”

“Um . . . what about it?” Lydia asked haltingly. “We don’t really know each other. And he probably doesn’t think of me in that way. I’m helping him out of a situation and that’s it. He hasn’t made any moves toward me since we’ve gotten home.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Mia opened and closed her fingers to simulate someone’s mouth moving. “Everything doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes sex can just be about feeling good.” Laughing, she added, “Of course, in this instance, Jake married you before he slept with you, so you’ve already put the proverbial cart before the horse.”

Feeling embarrassed, Lydia admitted, “I’ve only ever been with one man, and we dated for quite a while before we slept together. I loved Brett so much. But . . . I feel something completely different when I’m with Jake.” Guiltily, she added, “I was never this sexually aware around Brett. But when Jake is near me, it’s almost as if I don’t recognize my own body or the intense that he brings out in me. I want him with a force that I’ve never even experienced—how can he have this kind of effect on me?”

Mia put a hand over hers as she said earnestly, “There is nothing to be ashamed of. The average person loves more than one person in their lifetime and your reactions to two different men will always be different because they aren’t the same person. I know it’s hard, but you’re single, Lydia. There’s nothing wrong with you desiring another man.” Quirking a brow, she added, “I was going to say every relationship doesn’t have to end in marriage, but that’s a moot point now.”

Lydia giggled, grateful for the comic relief before Mia continued. “Remember when we were talking to Crystal about how lustful she felt toward Mark and how she just needed to go for it?”

“I think it’s safe to say she took our advice and then some,” Lydia agreed.

Snapping her fingers, Mia said, “Exactly! And now you need to do the same. If you want Jake, then you go after him. And trust me, honey, I saw the way he looked at you at Crystal’s wedding. There is no way he’s opposed to heating up the sheets with you. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he wants you as much or more than you want him.”

“Really?” Lydia blinked, hardly able to believe Mia could have the right read on the situation. Was Jake feeling the same pull of physical attraction?

“Oh, yeah.” Mia nodded. “Now, I want you to go forth and seduce that man. And trust me, there won’t be any challenge there. He might feel like he can’t approach you because you’re doing him a favor by helping with his custody situation. But if you crook your finger and let him know that you’re ready and willing, he’ll come running.”

“I don’t know,” Lydia murmured uncertainly. “What if I do and he turns me down? I’d feel like a fool, and I’d have to face him every day after that.”

Shaking her head empathically, Mia said, “I’m telling you, he won’t. Outside of the fact that you’re a beautiful woman, you’re also flipping hot.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend.” Lydia felt sure that the other woman couldn’t have said it with any kind of sincerity.

Mia shrugged her shoulders as if she were talking about the weather. “Honey, look at yourself in the mirror. You have the kind of hourglass figure that every man fantasizes about. Big boobs, small waist, and a squeezable booty. Old Jake has probably damned near worn his hand out in the last twenty-four hours with you under the same roof!”

Lydia wanted to crawl under the table when she saw a group of men at a nearby table begin to snicker while darting glances their way. She had no doubt they’d heard some of the more embarrassing parts of their conversation. “Oh God, they’re listening to us,” she whispered to Mia as she nodded her head toward the other table.

Uncaring of the attention, Mia turned her head and faced the eavesdroppers without batting an eye. “Hey, dudes,” she called out. Instantly, they fixated on her as if waiting anxiously for her next words. Of course, the fact that Mia was gorgeous probably didn’t hurt any. “Since you guys are obviously catching some of our discussion, how about giving us your honest opinion.”

“Oh shit,” Lydia moaned in horror, terrified of what was going to come out of her friend’s mouth. There was no way it would be good.

One of the men, who’d apparently appointed himself the spokesperson for the group, leaned forward and smiled. “We’re always happy to assist pretty ladies. What can we help you with?”

Mia turned to Lydia and uttered under her breath, “Just remember, this is for your own good.” Clearing her throat, Mia moved her chair closer to the other table and lowered her voice. “Do you see my friend over there?” When they nodded, she asked, “How many of you would go out with her if given the chance?” As Lydia was in the process of wilting into her chair, she saw something mind-boggling. The hand of every guy at the table flew up as if shot from a cannon.

One even replied enthusiastically, “Any day, anywhere, sweetheart.”

Mia clapped her hands. “I have just one more question. What word would you use to describe her? And keep it fairly clean, boys.”

A chorus of voices rang out as Lydia heard, “Hot,” “sexy,” “stunning,” and “beautiful.” Her mind was officially blown, and she barely registered that Mia had resumed her seat and was looking at her expectedly.

Holding up a hand, the other woman said, “I know you may have the urge to punch me, but I wanted you to see yourself the way others see you. Those men look successful and they’re certainly handsome. I doubt they have a problem picking up women. But they were damn near falling out of their seats at a chance to sing your praises. Trust me, they might have tried to come up with something passably nice to say if they hadn’t found you attractive, but that didn’t happen. They were effusive in their praise, and they were more than interested in asking you out.”

When Lydia remained skeptical, Mia opened her hand and dropped a stack of cards on the table. Puzzled, Lydia asked, “What are those?”

Mia gave her a satisfied smirk. “The business card of every dude at the table. Some even wrote down all their numbers so you could reach them anywhere.”

Lydia’s jaw dropped in shock. She glanced at the nearby table, only to have one good-looking man with beautiful eyes wink at her. She knew she was blushing like an idiot, but strangely, it felt good to be admired. Had she been so tuned out that she hadn’t noticed male attention all of this time? She’d never looked at another man when she was with Brett, and after he died, she certainly had no interest in the opposite sex. She hadn’t realized that somehow she’d translated that lack of interest on her part into some sort of insecurity. She wasn’t interested in dating. Therefore, she wasn’t datable. Wow, when had it gotten to that point?

This crazy experiment of Mia’s had shown her exactly how twisted her self-perception had become. She wasn’t ready to admit that she was a raving beauty because she certainly didn’t feel that way. But like every woman out there, didn’t she have something that worked for her? A feature that men found attractive. Wasn’t it possible that Jake would desire her? And as Mia had pointed out, did she have anything to lose by letting him know that she certainly was drawn to him. “You’re getting it now, aren’t you?” Mia practically purred in satisfaction. “You have that look that says ‘I am woman, hear me roar.’”

“I don’t know about that,” Lydia giggled, “but I may possibly concede that I have more to offer than I originally thought.” Schooling her expression into a frown, she added, “Although I’m not condoning your methods, I am strangely happy with the results.”

Mia held up a hand, patiently waiting for Lydia to give her a high five. With her mouth twitching, Lydia finally gave in when her friend rolled her lips out in an elaborate pout. “Yeah!” Mia crowed. Tossing a look over her shoulders where the men still lingered, she said in an undertone, “Now, let’s get out of here before they follow us back to the office. I’m almost certain I’ve heard the word ‘threesome’ a few times, and I’d hate to knee one of them in the balls since they were so helpful.”

Lydia got to her feet and hurried after Mia’s departing form. She couldn’t help smiling a little bigger when the men all threw their hands up and waved eagerly as she passed their table. Score one for Mia. Lydia had left the office for lunch feeling hopelessly attracted to Jacob, but resigned to the fact that nothing would ever happen there. Now, even with the possibility that he might still turn her down, but she was determined to give it her best shot. And she owed her newfound confidence to an amazingly outspoken friend and a handful of strangers who’d been kind enough to give her the confidence that she’d hadn’t even realized she’d been missing.

It’s time to seduce my hubby tonight. Game on, Mr. Hay—game on.

*   *   *

Jake knew it was cowardly, but instead of driving to Chris’s house to talk, he’d asked her to meet him at the country club for lunch. Personally, he’d hated most of the pompous crowd that gravitated toward the place, but he also knew that Chris was less likely to cause a scene among the people whose admiration she so coveted. Know thy enemy. Not a terribly nice thought about the mother of his child, but experience had taught him a tough lesson there. Chris was a born drama queen on her best days, and this wasn’t likely to be one of those.

He pulled into the parking lot and glanced around until he located her car. He took an available spot a few spaces down and slid out of his truck. She’d obviously decided to head on inside since her vehicle was empty. He was pathetically grateful for the small reprieve before facing her. To say she was going to be livid would be an understatement. Judging by her reaction to meeting Lydia at his house on Sunday, she would probably go postal over the wedding news.

A big part of him still wondered if he should be going forward with this deception—because that’s what it was. Lydia, out of the goodness of her heart, had agreed to help him, and even though he’d put up some token protests, he’d still jumped at the opportunity. He’d lain awake most of last night thinking about her. He hadn’t been able to get the last time he’d touched her in Vegas out of his head. He wondered what her reaction would be if she knew he’d jacked off to the memory of going down on her for the first time. The sounds of her moans still filled his head. What he wouldn’t give to taste her again.

“You’re late,” said an annoyed voice. To his chagrin, he jumped as Chris glared down at her watch.

“Sorry,” he offered, not really meaning it. He’d probably wasted what amounted to a year of his life by now waiting for her when she was late dropping off Casey, so he didn’t feel any remorse for keeping her waiting. The hostess led them to a relatively quiet table in the corner and Jacob automatically held out Chris’s chair for her. They both remained quiet until they’d ordered. He had a burger and she had some kind of salad with the dressing on the side. It reminded him of dinner with Lydia and Casey at Johnny Rockets. He’d been thrilled to see a woman actually eating a hearty meal. He loved her soft curves and womanly figure. Chris was even thinner than she’d been the first time they met, and she’d been too skinny then. Most men would certainly consider her attractive, and apparently, he’d been one of them since he slept with her. But if you looked below the surface, it was all superficial. She was the type that never left the house without being perfectly dressed with flawless makeup. There was no way she’d have been lying on her stomach at an aquarium petting stingrays with her daughter.

He caught her giving him a calculating look before she carefully schooled her expression. “So what’s the occasion?” she asked casually. “We don’t normally meet alone for a meal.”

It was then he saw it. She thought she had him. She figured this whole lunch was about him throwing in the towel and caving to her demands. You’re in for such a disappointment, sweetheart. He took a drink of his water and wished belatedly that he’d ordered a beer. Something to be said for liquid courage. Clearing his throat, he began, “I wanted to talk to you today while Casey was in school. She’s seen you and me argue far too much, and I refuse to keep doing it.” He could see by the frown on her face that the importance of his words was sinking in. He wouldn’t have said what he had if he’d been planning to marry her.

“Get to the point,” she bit out stiffly, looking as if she wouldn’t mind an alcoholic beverage herself.

Here goes. Brace for impact. “The woman you met at my home yesterday is actually my wife. Lydia and I were married—”

“What!” she hissed, all color draining from her face. “Your wife? How is that even possible?”

He winced as she ground her teeth together. She appeared to be approaching apocalyptic levels a lot faster than he’d imagined. People at nearby tables were already darting curious glances their way. Possibly this public meeting hadn’t been a good idea after all. “Lydia is my wife,” he inserted calmly. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to her as a tramp again because I can assure you that she isn’t. I also must insist that you not say things like that around my daughter. You realize that she’s likely repeating that garbage at school, right?”

“Your wife!” she screeched yet again, bringing the conversations around them to a halt.

“Chris, lower your voice,” he instructed. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”

“I could give a fuck!” she snapped. “How dare you bring me here and unload something like this on me!” She leaned so far into the table her chest was sitting in her salad plate. He certainly didn’t have the nerve to point that out, though. She’d probably throw the damn thing if he brought it to her attention. “You know what, Jake, I don’t believe you,” she taunted. “I think you’re lying your ass off to get me off your back. What did you think—I’d just say, ‘Well, hey, congratulations to you both. I wish you all the best’?”

“A guy could hope,” he joked, then wiped the smile quickly off his face when her left eye began twitching. Wow, he’d always known she was tightly strung, but he was ready to call for an exorcist. He was afraid she’d climb on the table at any moment and attempt to stab him with her salad fork. And the profanity, that was another shocker. Obviously, she was fond of the word “tramp,” but the string of curse words she was muttering under her breath were new. As were the insults she was now heaping upon his mother. Holy hell. As he looked around to see the entire place riveted on them, he closed his eyes and took a breath. He had to get her out of here before they called the cops.

“Christine!” he said harshly. Thankfully, the tone of his voice instantly cut through her tirade, and she paused long enough for him to continue. “If you’ll stop for one moment, you’ll notice that anyone and everyone that you’ve ever wanted to impress are staring at you as if you’ve lost your mind. Now, I’m leaving before we are hauled out of here in handcuffs. I’d suggest that you do the same.” He saw the moment it hit her. Her cheeks turned a vivid shade of red, and she dropped her eyes to the linen tablecloth.

“You bastard,” she whispered. “This is all your fault. I’ve put six years into you and you go and marry some piece of trash off the street? We could have been a family. But nooo, you had to ruin everything.” Getting to her feet, she glared down at him as she attempted to brush the stain from the mixed greens from her silk top. “You’ll pay for this,” she threatened before turning to stalk off.

Their waiter came hurrying over as if she’d been waiting for a break in the action. She efficiently picked up the mess that Chris had made without comment. Then she turned to him and raised a brow. “Can I get you anything else, sir?”

With a snort, he said, “How about a Jack and Coke?”

She broke her polite expression long enough to smile at him before saying, “That sounds like an excellent idea, sir.”

A few short moments later, he sat sipping his drink and waiting for the calm it would hopefully bring. If he were an optimistic man, he’d say it was over and he’d gotten the hard part out of the way. But with Chris, he was dearly afraid that he hadn’t really seen anything yet. Tonight, he needed to warn Lydia to beware not only of things that go bump in the night, but also of ex-girlfriends who lose their shit during the daylight hours. Never sleep with anyone crazier than you are. Those were words he had definitely come to regret not living by.