Eric tried to return the smile but he doubted it worked. He was too aggravated. “Yeah, I better put on some real clothes myself.”
Following her up the stairs, he couldn’t shake the fact that she still seemed to be keeping something from him. “What time do you think you’ll be home?”
She paused before answering, distracting him a second when she pulled her dress off over her head. He’d never been able to concentrate on anything when she was naked and now was no exception. “Probably four-ish. The boys have Scouts so they don’t need to be picked up until dinnertime.”
“I know.” That was part of why he’d picked today as their day of decadence. Extra kid-free hours. Not that that was working out now.
“See you later.” She gave him one last kiss, her bare breasts grazing his arm before she turned and sauntered into the bathroom. Watching her go, the lovely curves of her ass swaying like a metronome, he felt torn and miserable. He wanted to join her in the shower or pull her back to the bed. Instead he put on pants and buttoned up a shirt. As much as he didn’t want to deal with work today, he was almost glad he had someone to yell at. He felt like cracking skulls.
* * * * *
Pulling into the parking lot at work, he cursed the supplier. How hard is it to get an order right? Two delivery guys leaned against the back door, smoking. Glad they got to have a relaxing break while I drove here. Assholes.
“You Carlson?” the shorter, stockier one asked, taking another drag on his cigarette.
“Yeah. What’s the problem here? I spoke with Davis in your shipping department two days ago and he assured me everything was taken care of.”
“Not what it says on our forms.” Skinny guy waved a piece of paper in the air then attached it to a clipboard and handed it over.
Eric scanned the page. “This isn’t the most current order.”
“Sorry, dude. That’s what they gave us this morning. We just loaded what was on the sheet.”
“Well, I’m not signing for this. I’ll call Sam. We need to get this straightened out today.”
Eric strode into the building wishing he could slam the door behind him. Running his own business was a lifelong dream but things like this, with their perfectly bad timing, drove him nuts. Dropping the clipboard onto his desk, he reached for the phone.
Sam was predictably apologetic and swore he’d have the replacement order there within an hour. Eric took a deep breath, debating what to do while he waited, then he heard an odd noise coming from Bill’s office. A motor of some sort. A vacuum? Hair dryer?
As he neared Bill’s office the sound stopped. Rounding the corner, he saw Bill wrapping up the coil of an air mattress that lay on the floor next to his desk, fully inflated.
“What the fuck?”
Bill jumped. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. Did you talk to the geniuses outside?”
“Yeah, Sam said he’ll take care of it today. What’s with the mattress?” Eric noticed the stack of boxes by the door.
“I was gonna mention it to you but I didn’t think you’d mind. My lease doesn’t start until the first of the month and I can’t stay in that house another night. Watching her go off on dates is fucking killing me.”
Eric’s stomach tensed, sending a chill through him. “Sorry, man. That’s gotta suck.” Watching Jessica head off to class was hard enough. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like knowing for sure she was heading out to meet her new lover. The base of his throat clenched.
Bill shrugged. “It is what it is. Hey, sorry again about interrupting your day off. You and Jess up to anything cool?”
Eric’s mind went straight to the washing machine. “Just spending some quality time together.”
“Good. I wish I’d done that with Teresa. Then maybe she wouldn’t be fucking Mr. Fix-it while I’m sleeping at work.”
Eric scrubbed his hands against his face. “I hope you’re right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Eric lifted a box off one of the cushioned chairs and plunked himself down. “I don’t know. Today’s been awesome but Jess is acting weird. She’s been taking these classes the past few months. Never misses one. She’s at one right now. But she won’t tell me what kind of classes they are.”
“Did you ask?”
“Of course I asked. She says they’re exercise classes but she never says anything else about them and she’s paying cash. It never shows up on her credit cards and there’s not a single cashed check.”
“So, what? You think she’s having an affair because she’s out once a week?”
“Twice.” Eric realized he sounded paranoid, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t like Jess to be so evasive and the fact that she was hiding something set his teeth on edge.
“Look, I’m the last person in the position to give marital advice at the moment, but if you’re really worried, talk to her. Hell, I wish I’d said something to Teresa before things got so totally out of control.”
“What do you mean?”
Bill toyed with his coffee cup, taking a drink then shifting it from side to side, staring at it. “I don’t know. If I’d said something when it first started. Or better yet, before it happened, then maybe we could have worked through it. It’s not like I didn’t see signs.”
The knots in Eric’s stomach tightened. “What signs?”
“Taking better care of herself. New hair-do. New lingerie. Losing all that weight. Shit, I thought she was doing it to try to spice things up for us and the whole time it was all for dickwad.”
Acid bubbled up into Eric’s throat. Jess had a new haircut, he’d never seen today’s lingerie before and, although she’d never really needed to lose weight, she had gotten into better shape. He’d been assuming it was her mysterious exercise classes but what if it was to impress whoever she was seeing twice a week? The thought made him sick. She wouldn’t do that.
“Sorry, man,” Bill said. “You don’t need to hear this shit. My problems, not yours. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Jess would cheat on you in a million years. She’s been head over heels for you since you two first got together.”
Eric nodded, though he still wasn’t sure. He’d trusted their relationship so long he’d started completely taking if for granted. Now everything he had to lose seemed to be laid out before him. A chill passed through him but he shook it off. “It’s okay. I’m sure we’re fine. We’ll be fine.”
The sound of people coming down the hall forced Eric to pull himself together.
“You think they got the order right this time?” Bill asked.
“They better.” I want to get the hell out of here and get back to my wife. The fact that she might not be there was something he couldn’t even think about, he just wanted to go home.
* * * * *
Jessica wove though traffic, timing it just right so she’d have to stop for a red light. She needed to call Olivia and make sure everything was set with the kids. Dialing the phone as soon as her car came to a stop, she waited as it rang. Pick up, pick up. She tapped the steering wheel, willing Olivia to answer her phone.
“Hey,” Olivia answered, breathless. “Sorry, we just walked in the door.”
“We? Did you pick up the boys?”
“Yes. Got your message just before I headed to the Scout meeting. All present and accounted for. What’s up?”
The light turned green and Jessica hit the speakerphone button before setting the phone in her cup holder. “Can you still hear me?”
“Yeah. Jess, what’s going on?”
A smile crept across Jessica’s face as she thought about her day. “Eric surprised me by staying home from work today. We spent the whole day…together.”
“Oh man. I spent my day volunteering at the library. You’re so freaking lucky. I want details.”
Jess laughed. “For details we’ll need to meet for lunch next week. All I’ll tell you now is that he actually bought one of those Spice Racks. And we already used one of the suggestions.
”
“Oh my God. Are you serious? The ‘spice up your love life’ Spice Rack? He actually bought one?”
“Yep. Shocked the hell out of me. So glad he did.”
“You’re making me crazy, you know. I want serious details at lunch. And you’re paying. That’s going to be the new rule, whoever’s had sex the most recently buys lunch.”
Giggling, Jess maneuvered her car into a parking space at the mall. “Fine. Lunch is on me. In the meantime I need two big favors.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Can the boys sleep over tonight? I have overnight bags for each of them and I can drop them off at your house on my way home.”
“Okay,” Olivia said, her voice hesitant, “you know I’ll always take the boys. What else do you want?”
“Where’s the best place to buy some really good slutty clothes?”
Olivia guffawed into the phone. “Oh, and you think I’d know that, of course.”
“I know you do. Come on, I’m at the mall. Where do I go?”
“What kind of slutty?”
“I don’t know. Naughty school girl slutty? Clubbing slutty. Anything. I just need to know, fast. I don’t have much time.”
“Slutty in a hurry, okay…thinking. Try Fever. Or that new place, the one that’s practically dark inside the store… What’s it called?”
“City Lights?”
“That’s it. One of those places has to have something. What the hell are you up to?”
Jessica grinned as she slammed the car door and headed for the mall entrance. “I’ll tell you next week at lunch. And I’ll drop the kids’ stuff off in about an hour. I gotta go.”
“Jess, wait—”
“Gonna lose the call, you know my service sucks in the mall. Thanks, Liv. Love you.” Jessica hung up, tucking the phone in her purse and walking toward Fever as fast as she could. She had serious shopping to do and precious little time to do it.
Chapter Six
Jessica rushed back to the car, arms laden with bags. She managed to send Eric a few quick texts before the battery died, then tossed her phone back into her purse and headed home.
She ticked through a mental inventory as she drove. Did I forget anything? There’s already wine in the fridge. I have to figure out how to wear my hair. She checked the clock. Eric would likely be home in a half hour or so.
You can do this. She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax but so full of excited energy she couldn’t. What’s he going to say? What if he thinks it’s stupid? I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.
She still remembered the first day she’d set foot in Madame Carla’s dance studio, two months earlier. She hadn’t had the slightest idea what to expect. When Olivia had suggested she take dance lessons, Jessica had laughed. Having two left feet was something she’d come to accept. Some women moved with a natural grace. She never had. Then the flier had shown up in her mailbox. A simple yellow note card offering a free lesson. She’d never gotten one before and coming less than twenty-four hours after Olivia’s suggestion, it had seemed like a sign.
Breathless with nerves, she’d entered the studio the next day.
“Are you Jessica?” A wisp of a woman had appeared from behind the Japanese screens that lined the right side of the large studio room.
“Yes,” she’d answered, contemplating leaving.
“Come, put your things over here and meet me by the mirrors. Shoes off, please.”
Jessica had shrugged out of her jacket and left her shoes and messenger bag in a heap in the corner before cautiously approaching.
Madame Carla moved around her in a slow circle, eyeing her up and down, head tilted to the side. Petite but firm hands had parked on her shoulders, straightening her posture. “What are you hoping to get out of this lesson?”
Jessica blushed, heat filling her cheeks. “My friend Olivia recommended you.”
“You want to learn to dance for your husband?”
Jess nodded. “If I can.”
“Of course you can. If you want. But I recommend learning to dance for you, then showing your husband what you can do. Confidence shows in every dance move and it comes from within. I’ll teach you.”
And the lesson had begun. Jessica left the first class feeling an inner calm unlike anything she’d ever experienced, along with a sense of determination. “I’m going to do this,” she’d promised herself as she’d signed up for the ten-week program.
Now the lessons were over. And she needed to get herself ready to tell Eric what she’d been doing. Racing into the house, arms full of packages, she headed straight for the bedroom to change. Tremors shook through her stomach as she slid on her thigh high stockings and quickly put on the other new clothes.
She stepped back to examine herself in the mirror, turning from side to side. Hair swept into a messy updo, secured with two lacquered sticks so she could undo it with ease. Black stretchy tank covering her new lace-up bustier. A man’s red silk tie neatly knotted at her neck. Short naughty school girl skirt barely concealing her silky black panties.
She hardly recognized herself. Pulling on long satiny gloves, she had a fleeting moment of panic. What if he laughs?
Madame Carla’s voice echoed in her head. “Move like this and he won’t be able to form a complete sentence.” Taking a deep breath, Jess steadied herself and went to set the stage. She laid out the cheese platter they hadn’t gotten around to trying at lunch. Strawberries. Grapes. Perfect finger food. Just as she finished surrounding the bottle of white wine with ice and placing the bucket on the dining room table, she heard Eric pull into the driveway.
Eric had tried to call Jess three times. Each time voice mail picked up, he felt himself get a little more rattled. How long is this freaking class? And where the hell are the kids? It occurred to him that he didn’t really know what she did with the kids when she took her afternoon classes. Again there were no checks to babysitters. How could she possibly disappear for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon?
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw that he had several text messages. Checking the time stamp, he realized they’d come in over half an hour earlier. Damned cell service.
Olivia’s taking care of the boys for the night.
Thought we could have some extra time together.
Will be home by 5. What time should I expect you?
Hope you’re on your way. There’s something I really need to tell you.
Jesus. Something she needs to tell me? His heart pounded in a frustrated rhythm making it difficult to take a deep breath. Fuck. He drummed the edge of his desk, glancing at the wall clock—5:15. Time to go home and find out what’s really going on.
Eric went over every possible scenario in his head, clenching the steering wheel for the entire drive. Half of them scared the crap out of him. If Jessica confessed an affair, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it. He’d been cheated on once, by a girlfriend in college, and once was more than enough. They’d tried to work it out and he hadn’t been able to get past it. He couldn’t stop picturing her with the other guy. Never trusted her completely.
Would it be like that with Jess? Or worse, what if she doesn’t even want to try? What if she’s tired of our relationship and wants something new? He kicked himself for every late night. Every missed opportunity to tell her how much she meant to him. What an idiot I am, thinking a goddamn Spice Rack is going to make up for the fact that I’ve barely been around for her for the past six months.
He’d seen her change over those months. First he’d blamed it on the stress of moving to a new house but he’d known it was more than that. Her mood had been in a downward spiral as she grew progressively more distant. Until the fucking classes. Then she’d perked up.
She’d always been sexy as hell in his opinion, but this was different. She was different. She moved with a new sense of grace, held herself with greater poise. Hunched shoulders were replaced by self-assuredness. He’d been so relieved to see her
looking happier he hadn’t bothered to give it further thought.
Another mistake.
For years he’d been telling her she had an awesome body and he knew she’d never quite believed him. “Yeah, right,” she’d say, brushing off every compliment. Especially after the kids were born. It had taken her nearly a year after each pregnancy to be comfortable letting him see her naked. He’d given up trying to convince her. He couldn’t force her to believe it.
Lately, though, she’d been moving like a woman who did believe it and believed it plenty. Watching her walk across their bedroom every morning, sauntering with a newly pronounced sway to her hips, it had been all he could do not to toss her on the bed and make them both late for their days. But there’d still been that air of distance. That secret he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Pulling into the driveway, he noted with a blend of relief and dread that her car was already there. This is it. Moment of truth. No matter what it was she wanted to talk about, he was going to find out once and for all. Lay it all on the line. His head swam as he keyed into the house.
The family room was shadowy as the sun set, casting a pink glow on the room. “Jess?” he called, not seeing any lights on in the kitchen.
Stress knotted his shoulders. Where the hell is she?
Jessica waited just out of the line of sight from the front door. She watched as Eric put down his briefcase and tossed his jacket on the foyer bench. “Jess?” He scanned the room.
Her heart pounded as it occurred to her that this was her last chance to back out. She could take off the outfit, slip into a t-shirt and just seduce him the old-fashioned way. He’d be none the wiser. Would have no idea what he’d missed. And she wouldn’t run the risk of making a total ass out of herself.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right there. Have a seat in the dining room. I set out a snack.” It took every ounce of concentration she could muster to keep her voice from quavering. Please sit in the chair I left pulled out. Please, please, please. She tapped the tips of her fingers together, willing him to sit down.
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