Barbara leaned back, rested her head on a small plastic pillow, and looked up at the full moon. Bradford was out there having too much fun, probably with a woman, to return early. In the past, she would have been drowning herself in a bottle of booze or lounging around and smoking a pack of cigarettes while he was away. Now she was having fun, too.
It was gorgeous out here with the soft light of the moon shining down on them and the water of the hot tub keeping them warm in the fall night air. She always felt so alive around Noah, so free. Something about him made all her worries disappear, and she barely even thought about cigarettes when she was with him. Maybe it was his way of taking things in stride. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him lose his temper, even with some of their most trying clients. One of his favorite sayings was “No worries,” and that seemed to be the way he lived his life. Some of it was youth, but a lot of it was just Noah.
“C’mon,” she said teasingly, as she wiggled her toes in his hand. “No worries, tonight, huh?”
He smiled wickedly and fumbled beneath the water until he came up with his swimming trunks. He tossed them over the side onto the deck. “As you wish. Now it’s your turn.”
“Uh-uh. I don’t know about that. What if a neighbor sees me?”
“Out here? You can barely see your nearest neighbor’s pad. It’s so dark and the houses are several acres apart, most with trees hiding them.”
“They could have infrared binoculars,” she said firmly. “They’re nosy people.”
Noah shook his head and smiled at her playfully. “You’re not worried about them seeing a man with locks get into your hot tub with you, but you’re worried about them seeing you toss your swimsuit over the side?”
“It doesn’t make much sense if you put it that way, does it? OK, so here it goes.” She slipped out of her suit and tossed it up onto the deck.
His smile deepened. “You look beautiful in this light, Barbara.”
“Why, thank you, sir. So do you.”
“Now, I have just one more request. Can you let your hair down? Or will your neighbors throw a hissy fit about that too?”
“If I don’t keep it pinned up the steam will make the ends frizz up.”
“So?” He slid over next to her, reached up, and unpinned the French twist at the back of her head. Her hair fell down softly over her bare shoulders. “There,” he said. “That’s better. You know, sometimes, I don’t think you realize how pretty you are.”
“It’s always wonderful to hear you tell me that.”
“I would think you hear it all the time. When you first told me how old you were I was shocked. I always assumed you were about my age, maybe a little older because of the way you dressed. I mean, you always looked nice but in a mature, sophisticated kind of way. I never would have guessed that you were over fifty in a million years, especially now that you’re dressing more hip.”
Barbara laughed softly. “I’m surprised you didn’t run in the other direction when I told you my age.”
“Why would I? I’ve always been attracted to older women. My last long-term relationship was with a woman in her late forties.”
“Really? You never told me that. What attracts you to older women?”
He shrugged. “It probably has to do with my sister. She was a big influence in my life. We were always being shuffled between our folks, and sometimes my grandparents, but Debbie was always there looking out for me. If you were to see her, you would never know how strong she is inside. She’s petite and kind of reserved, and people assume that she’s meek. Big mistake. She’s one tough lady. You’re like that, too. On the outside you have this very reserved demeanor. You can be sweet and soft, but there’s also a quiet strength about you.”
In listening to him describe her, Barbara felt that Noah knew her better than Bradford did. Noah certainly seemed more interested in trying to understand her than Bradford ever had been. With Bradford it was all about Bradford—his business deals, his looks, his golf game. Noah was such a refreshing change.
“How do you feel about my age?” he asked. “And the twelve-year difference?”
“Thirteen years,” she corrected. “Not that I’m counting.”
He laughed.
“Honestly, though, it doesn’t bother me as much now as it did at first. I mean, we’re both adults. Once people reach their thirties, I think differences in age shrink.”
He nodded. “It shouldn’t bother you, ’cause it means nothing.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “That’s what I like about you, your attitude about life. You’re able to let things slide right off your back. I worry about every little thing. I’m trying to learn from you.”
“Stick around, kid,” he said as he stroked her hair. “I’ve got a lot to teach you. I just wish we didn’t have to sneak around. There are so many places I’d love to be able to go with you. Museums and galleries, bookstores, movies, concerts. I’d even like to travel out of town. I’m getting tired of looking at the four walls of my little house.”
“I love your house and that neighborhood. I don’t know why, but I feel liberated there. Maybe because it’s so far removed from my world. All this can get depressing at times.” Barbara stretched out her arms.
Noah looked doubtful. “This gets depressing? That’s hard to believe. You’ve got it made here.”
She sighed. “I guess it looks that way. But the things you have to put up with. The people can be so rigid and unforgiving if you step outside of the box—if you shop in the wrong stores or drive the wrong car or wear the wrong clothes. And God forgive you if you live in the wrong neighborhood or even if you’re just seen there.”
“So my place near U Street is an escape for you?”
“Yes. And I mean that in the most positive way.”
He nodded. “Glad I can be of help.”
“But I thought we could use a change of scenery. That’s why I jumped at the chance to invite you here when I found out that Bradford was going to be out of town.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m glad you did. What do you think he would do if he came home and caught us?”
“Are you still on that? He’s not coming back.”
Barbara stood up and reached for her towel. Bradford was the last thing she wanted to talk about now. She had much too little time with Noah as it was. When she was with him she wanted to focus on them. She took his swimming trunks off the deck and held them out toward him.
“C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go inside.”
“What for? It’s beautiful out here.”
“I’m ready to go upstairs where I can hold you without worrying about the neighbors.”
He took the swimming trunks from her and tossed them back onto the deck. He pulled her down on his lap, towel and all. “The neighbors aren’t thinking about you,” he said softly, his voice a little hoarse. “But I am and I don’t want to have to wait until we get upstairs.”
“ ’LL BE LATE coming home tonight,” Bradford said as Phyllis poured him a fresh cup of coffee. “I’m taking a client to dinner.”
Barbara glanced up from her copy of the Washington Post. “I’ll be late, too,” she said. “I have a showing this evening.” Not a total lie, she thought. She would be showing Noah plenty after he got off work.
“How’s that going?”
“You mean showing houses? Oh, you know. The market has really slowed down. Lots of looking, little buying.”
“Did Bernice and Bernard ever sign a contract on the house here?”
“Yes, finally. They went back and forth for so long that I was beginning to give up. But we go to closing next month.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Congratulations. Should be a nice commission.”
“Yes it will be, but I’m letting Noah keep my half.”
Bradford put down his copy of the Wall Street Journal and stared at her, eyes wide. “You’re giving him all of the commission?”
Barbara nodded.
“May I
ask why the hell you’re doing that? I brought Bernard to you, not him. You don’t have to give him a damn thing.”
Barbara knew this would anger Bradford, but it was better that she tell him up front. Bernard was likely to mention the sale to Bradford, and Barbara didn’t want it to look like she was hiding anything. All their financial accounts were joint, and Bradford, with his ever watchful eyes, would surely wonder what had happened to her commission check. “Noah did almost all of the work for the sale and he needs the money for a down payment on his house or he’ll lose it.”
“How generous of you,” Bradford said sarcastically.
“He needs it a lot more than we do, Bradford.”
“That’s his problem, not ours. You two seem to have become awfully tight lately.”
Barbara swallowed hard. “Well, I mean, we’ve been working together closely with the Wrights and . . . and now with Veronique.”
“Veronique? Veronique Valentine? She’s looking for another house?”
Barbara nodded.
“You didn’t tell me she was in the market for a house and that you were working with her.”
“It’s recent and I don’t have to tell you everything, Bradford. You almost never express any interest in my work.”
“You still should have told me about Veronique.”
“Why? You mean like you told me about your dealings with her ex-husband in Atlanta? About lending him money to grow his business?” Barbara also wanted to mention all the women Veronique said he fooled around with down there, but she didn’t.
He grimaced. “She told you about that? What else did she say?”
“Not much.”
“She runs her mouth too damn much from what I remember about her. She’s a troublemaker, always meddling in people’s affairs. You’ve changed since you started spending so much time with her.”
“You can never be happy for me, can you, Bradford?”
He frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You don’t want me to sell real estate, not to Veronique or anyone else, because it makes me independent.”
Bradford sighed, picked up his newspaper, and stood up. “You do whatever you want with your part of the commission. But I wonder why the hell you sell real estate if you’re going to give away your commissions to anyone who needs the money.”
She took a sip of her coffee. She had made up her mind to help Noah, and the less said on the subject the better.
As soon as he left the kitchen she put her cup down and jumped up. She had a full day with a literary committee meeting that morning, and then she was going to meet Veronique for lunch at the Ritz and shopping at the mall until it was time to hook up with Noah at the Hilton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
She was a little worried about meeting Noah at a hotel, but it couldn’t be helped. He was having his house painted that week, and unless they wanted to wait until the job was finished this was the only alternative. At least Tysons Corner was all the way around the beltway and far from her life in Silver Lake.
Sometimes Barbara felt as if she were addicted to Noah. If she had to go more than a couple of days without seeing him outside of work she felt empty. She could never get enough of him, and it wasn’t just the sex. It was the wonderful way he made her feel when she was around him.
She wished they didn’t have to be so sneaky. She wanted to tell the world that she was Noah’s woman. That she, Barbara Bentley, age fifty-one, was with a man thirteen years her junior and they were crazy about each other.
Thank God she and Bradford were rarely intimate anymore. They had slept together only twice in the four months since she’d started seeing Noah, and that was more than enough as far as she was concerned. Whenever she was with Bradford, she thought about Noah, whether they were having sex, eating together, or out attending a charity event. But not once had she thought about Bradford when she was with Noah unless Noah brought him up.
“SO,” VERONIQUE SAID, as she picked up her caviar fork and smiled at Barbara from across the table at the Ritz. “How are things with you and Noah?”
“I can’t remember being so happy.”
“It shows, Barbara. You’re glowing. I’m happy for you.”
“We can’t stand being apart. We’re meeting this evening.”
“At his place?”
“Actually, out here at the Hilton. He’s having his house painted.” As soon as she said it, Barbara worried that she might have revealed too much. But she was so happy about Noah and wanted the world to know. Veronique was the only person with whom she could share all the delicious details of her affair. Marilyn was still her closest friend, but she clammed up whenever Barbara mentioned Noah.
“Oh?” Veronique said, raising an eyebrow. “So that’s why you had me meet you all the way out here in Northern Virginia. Lucky you.”
Barbara sighed. “At times I’m so confused. He’s hinted around that he wants me to move in with him. I want to be with him, too, but that’s a big step.”
Veronique put down her caviar fork and stared wide-eyed at Barbara. “Whoa. I’m shocked.”
“At what? That he wants me to move in with him?”
“That you talk like you’re thinking of doing it. This sounds serious.”
“I’m definitely falling for him.”
“And he for you, obviously. I never thought it would go this far.”
Barbara laughed nervously. “That obviously would be a whole different lifestyle. I just don’t know.”
“Do you still have feelings for Bradford?”
Barbara paused. “Good question. Yes, of course. Not the same feelings we had when we were first married, but I’ll always love Bradford in a way. We have so much history together, and he can be very generous. But I’m tired of the lack of emotional attention. And all those years of him fooling around, even if he has stopped or slowed down—it’s taken a toll.”
Veronique nodded. “I understand what you’re saying. Can I offer some advice?”
“Sure.”
“You’ve got a good man in Noah, someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated. That’s so hard to find in this world. Whatever you do, darling, don’t let him get away.”
BARBARA STEPPED INSIDE the lobby of the Hilton in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and adjusted her big Gucci sunglasses and mahogany mink coat. She didn’t dare remove the glasses all through check-in, in hopes that they made her more difficult to recognize. And she didn’t dare remove her mink coat, as she was wearing nothing beneath.
She got the keys from the clerk and rode the elevator up to the second floor. Once inside the room, she removed the sunglasses and tossed them on the bed, along with her black Prada handbag.
She looked around. There wasn’t much to see—four walls, a bed, a couple of chairs and nightstands with lamps, the Bible, and the bathroom. It was a typical hotel room, the kind she hadn’t been inside in years. When Noah mentioned getting a room in Northern Virginia, she was tempted to suggest that she get them a suite at the Ritz but thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was make Noah feel that his money and choices weren’t good enough for her.
She sank down on the edge of the bed and tapped her Gucci boot as she waited for Noah. The enormity of what she was planning to do—greet her lover wearing nothing but a fur coat and boots—hit her like a tidal wave on the beach. She was cheating on Bradford, and in a way, even on Robin and Rebecca since he was their father. It felt sleazy.
She jumped up. It seemed like the four walls of the room were collapsing around her. Had she lost her damn mind? She was nearly naked and sitting in a common hotel room waiting for her lover to come and make her feel good for an hour. She was having wild and crazy sex with a man much younger than she was and loving every minute of it. She was even talking to others about leaving her husband. She was no better than Bradford or one of his sluts.
Her heart beat wildly. How the hell could she even think of leaving Bradford for a younger man who was barely able to supp
ort himself? She had to stop this nonsense. She grabbed her glasses and bag and ran to the door. She was going to buy a pack of cigarettes, go home, and talk some sense into herself.
She yanked the door open to see Noah standing there with a smile on his face and a single sterling rose in his hand.
“Hello, beautiful.”
She blinked as she stared into his face. Her pulse slowed down, her breath evened out. Seeing him flushed all the anxiety out of her heart. She barely knew this man, really, and yet he had a powerful hold on her.
She took the rose, pulled him into the room, and let her coat fall to the floor.
TWO HOURS LATER, Barbara slipped into her mink, adjusted her sunglasses, and smiled as Noah put on his shoes. She didn’t know why she had felt so flustered earlier. Yes, what she and Noah were doing was huge. She had no idea what the future held for them or how things would turn out. But if any man was worth taking a chance on, it was Noah. He had just proved that to her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Not really. I wish we could stay all night.”
He walked up and tilted her shades so he could see into her eyes. “I’ll go down and pay the man for ten more nights if you want. Just say the word.”
“One of these days I’m going to take you up on that.”
“But not tonight, right?”
“I can’t.”
“You could,” Noah said. “You won’t is a better way to put it.”
“What on earth would I tell Bradford on such short notice?”
“I know you can’t do it now. But tell him you have to go out of town for a real estate conference next week or the week after that. And then let’s go somewhere together. Jamaica, Nassau.”
“I’ve never gone away without Bradford, except back home to visit my family. He would get real suspicious if I went that far without him.” She laughed bitterly. “He would probably have me followed.”
“Why? He’s always going out of town on business without you.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Maybe I will one day.”
He put her glasses back down on her nose. “So, you want to leave first? Or me?”
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