As much as I loathed Steve, he had always treated Chloe like a princess. Sometimes I worried that he spoiled her too much, but she never seemed to act like she was entitled. And she understood that I couldn’t give her the things her dad could.
Lately, I noticed she was spending hours in the bathroom. I think that had to do with Rob moving in down the street. His family moved from Texas to Pennsylvania when his dad got transferred. Rob seemed nice enough, but Chloe was only 14. He was a couple of years older, and I wasn’t happy about the age difference. So far, they’d just spent time talking, mostly at our house out of my hearing range. But I had a feeling Rob was going to ask her out one of these days, and that scared me. Steve didn’t want Chloe to date until she was 16. Having dated when I was Chloe’s age, I thought that was a little strict. I knew it was only a matter of time before Steve and I had to come to some kind of resolution, and we’d never been good at that—especially where Chloe is concerned.
I heard the back door open and Gina yell.
“I’m in the kitchen!” I yelled back. I filled the tea kettle and turned it on.
Gina walked in carrying a big smile. “So, tell me about Tom and don’t leave anything out. I want every detail, even the details you think I don’t want to know I want to know.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Everything?”
“Absolutely.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s the most caring man I’ve ever been with—unlike Steve, who only cared about his own needs, Tom cares about mine.”
“Makes a difference, doesn’t it?” Gina asked.
“Big difference. With Steve, I was always worried that I was doing everything right, pleasing him in all of the ways he wanted me to. It was all about him—his needs and wants. Never about me and what I wanted. But with Tom, it’s different.” I smiled, remembering last night.
“I know that look,” Gina said. “Come on. Tell me.”
“I’m half afraid to. I don’t want to jinx it. I want to feel that way again.”
“Are you serious?” Gina asked. “It was that good?”
“It’s was better than good. It was amazing. If I could live on orgasms like I had last night, I’d spend my entire life having sex!”
We laughed.
“I’ve never felt that way before. I didn’t know I could feel that way. My body just trembled. It was like I was having my own personal earthquake. God, I had no idea what I’d been missing all of these years. Steve really was a lousy lay!”
Gina smiled. “I’m so happy for you. And for Tom, too. I still can’t believe the two of you got together. And now that you are, it seems like you were always meant to be. Does that make sense?”
I nodded. “Completely.”
“Are we still on for dinner later?”
“Yep.”
“So another hot night?” Gina asked.
I smiled. “I swear I feel like I’m 17 again. I’m actually a little sore.”
Gina laughed. “But at least it’s a good sore, if there is such a thing.”
The tea kettle whistled and I filled Gina’s mug. “So what did you, Mike, and Jack do last night?”
“After the pizza, we watched a movie.”
“Which one?”
“An oldie but goodie. Jaws.”
I sipped my coffee. “God, I haven’t seen that in years.”
“Me, neither,” Gina said. “Turned out Mike had it and Jack had never seen it, so we watched it together. I actually fell asleep. I’ve been so tired lately.”
“I remember being tired with Chloe. It got better in the second trimester, but I was whipped for the first three months. Did you tell Jack about the baby?”
Gina laughed. “Yes. He made us promise not to put the baby in the room next to him. Said he had to put up with his sister crying at his Mom’s.”
I laughed. “Gotta love that kid.”
“Yeah. He’s pretty neat. He also put in a request for a boy. He wants a brother. Said girls are too fussy and cry all the time. He figured boys aren’t like that.”
I laughed. “Did you tell him that’s already been decided?”
Gina shook her head. “I figured that’s a conversation for Mike to have.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
Gina waved her hand. “When I was going to have a child on my own through insemination, I wanted a girl. I thought it would be easier. But now that I got pregnant the old-fashioned way and the dad is in the picture, the baby’s sex doesn’t matter to me. Just as long as it’s healthy.”
“So are you going to find out the sex?”
Gina sipped her tea. “I haven’t decided yet. I kind of want to know but Mike doesn’t. He said it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or a boy and finding out at the end gives us something to look forward to. I, on the other hand, am a planner. I’d like to know what I’m having so I can plan the nursery accordingly. So, I guess we’ll have to come to some sort of compromise.”
I laughed. “Something tells me you’ll find out.”
“What? Don’t think I’m a great compromiser?”
“Well, you usually win your cases.”
Chapter 5
Tom
I had made reservations at a ritzy place that overlooked the river. I’m more of a meat and potatoes guy, but I wanted to splurge on Sue. Plus, I figured we could celebrate Gina moving back home.
When I picked up Sue, she was wearing a black dress with spaghetti straps that made my jaw drop. Her hair was in a loose bun on top of her head and strands fell to her shoulders. She looked so incredibly sexy.
“You look great,” I said. “I love your dress.”
She waved her hand. “Oh, this ratty old thing. It’s been in my closet forever. I don’t get many opportunities to wear it.”
“Well, you look amazing.”
“So how was your day with Klondike?” she asked, offering me a glass of wine.
“I think I’m back on his good side—for now. I took him to the park and he ran into some old friends. We threw some Frisbee and I bought him some ice cream doggie treats at the store. When I left, he was sleeping on the couch.”
Sue sipped her wine. “Sounds like the two of you had a nice day.”
“What’d you do?” I asked.
“Gina stopped over and we gabbed for awhile.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you told her everything.”
Sue smiled. “Well, she is my best friend.”
I shifted in my seat. “Mike was right about you two.”
Sue scrunched her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He said that you guys tell each other everything.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Sue said. “Except for that bastard raping her. That she didn’t tell me.”
“She didn’t tell anyone,” I said.
“But you knew and you didn’t say anything.”
I held up my hand. “Oh, no. You’re not going to get me into that conversation again.”
When Sue learned that I knew about our math teacher raping Gina in high school, she wasn’t happy that I hadn’t said anything to anyone. Looking back, I wish I had. But at the time, my 17 year old self felt that it was Gina’s story to tell, not mine. Anyway, Sue and I had a long talk about it and I didn’t want to have another long talk about it. It was in the past and there was nothing we could do to change it.
“Sorry. You’re right. We don’t need to go there again. Especially when we can go here.”
Sue leaned in and kissed me. I just about spilled my wine on her damn sexy black dress.
***
Sue
I could tell by the way Tom scanned my body that he liked the black dress I had bought that afternoon. I didn’t want him to know that I had run to the upscale clothing store in the mall to get something to wear after Gina left. When he told me where he was taking me, I checked my closet for something sexy and found nothing but frumpy grandma clothes. I wanted to wear something that made a statement. Something that said �
�I’ve got something that you want—bad!”
I think that every girl should have a little black dress—and not the kind you wear to funerals. I also bought a push-up bra that made my boobs look bigger. I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good about myself.
Gina and Mike were waiting for us at the bar when we arrived at the inn. Gina looked her normal knock-out self in a white strapless dress. I love her in white. It shows off her beautiful red hair and emerald eyes.
Mike jumped off the bar stool and offered it to me. I hugged Gina.
“Love the dress,” she whispered in my ear. “It’s perfect.”
The bartender walked over. “What can I get you?”
I looked at Gina. “What are you having?”
“Sticking with diet tonic. Nine months of not drinking is going to be a bitch.”
I smiled. “Yeah, but when you hold that baby in your arms, it will be worth it.”
I decided to have another glass of Chardonnay.
It wasn’t long before the waiter showed us to our table. We were next to a huge window with a gorgeous view of the river. I had heard people talk about this place, but I had never been here. It’s one of those places most people I know only go to for something really special—like a wedding anniversary. The average entrée was forty bucks. I sort of felt bad that Tom was spending so much money on the meal, but I knew he wanted to.
Gina ordered a bottle of champagne. When the waiter went to fill her glass, she placed her hand over it. “Fill mine with water.”
Gina lifted her glass. “To great friends. I hope life brings you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
We all cheered and touched our glasses. When Tom took a sip of champagne, his eyes grew wider and he choked, spitting it out all over the table.
“I’m so sorry.” Tom stood up, dabbing the tablecloth with his linen napkin.
“What’s the matter, Tom?” a woman said. “Surprised to see me?”
The woman was probably the sexiest woman in the entire place. Her silky black dress with a slit up the leg and X-rated neckline (I swear her boobs looked like they were going to fall out!) clung to her hour-glass figure like plastic wrap. She made me look like Cinderella in black rags—and my push-up bra enhanced boobs were baseballs compared to her basketballs!
Tom coughed. “Rachel. Hi.”
Rachel ran her long tongue over her ruby lips. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” She scanned the table, working her sexy smile. I realized who she was and wanted to smack that smile right off her picture-perfect, not-a-thing-out-of-place Barbie face.
“Uh, sure,” Tom stuttered. “This is Sue, Gina, and Mike. Friends of mine from high school. And this is Rachel, an old friend.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Excuse me, darling. I’m more than an old friend, wouldn’t you say? I mean, after all, we were engaged!” And then the bitch winked.
Rachel must have seen my eyes jump to the top of my forehead because she quickly excused herself. “Well, my date is waiting. He’s a surgeon and I want to make sure I’m the only one he’s operating on tonight.”
She glided away, putting one foot in front of the other and striding from the hips. Yep! She had the seductive walk nailed. I definitely had to work on that. When I walk, I suck in my stomach trying to make it look flatter, but then my damn ass sticks out way too far.
Tom shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. But now you’ve met Rachel.”
I put my napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back. I need to use the ladies’ room.”
***
Tom
I looked at Mike and ran my fingers through my hair. “Guess I fucked up.”
“You hadn’t told Sue that you were engaged to that piece of work?”
“I meant to, just never got around to it. And you know how Rachel is.”
“Yeah, I know how Rachel is. That’s why I can’t believe you didn’t tell Sue about her.”
“I told her some, just not the engaged part.”
“Did you tell her about the cancer?” Mike asked.
I nodded. “Sort of had to, if you know what I mean. But I just didn’t feel like going into the whole near-wedding saga.”
“You mean that you practically left Rachel standing at the altar when you called off the wedding a month before?” Mike said.
“Okay. I get your point. I was going to tell Sue. Just not yet. Does Gina know about Rachel?”
Mike shook his head. “Of course not. I had no reason to fill her in on the assorted details of that fucked up affair. And personally, you made the right call, even if you did wait until the last minute.”
“So what do I do now?”
“When they come back, tell Sue you’re sorry and that you’ll talk later. That it’s been over between you and Rachel for a long time and you want to focus on enjoying the evening with her and your friends.”
***
Sue
I was mad and Gina knew it. I marched into the ladies’ room and she followed.
“Wait.” She held up her hand. Gina checked the stalls to make sure we were alone.
“She was a real piece of work,” Gina said. “She worked her skinny-ass body like a whore on the strip.”
I bared my teeth. “Did you see the way she looked at Tom? I wanted to smack that smile right off her face. Oh, and the fact that they were engaged. Seriously? I had no idea Tom had ever been engaged.”
“You mean he never told you about Rachel?”
“He told me a little about Rachel. Said she was self-centered and spoiled. But he never told me he was going to marry her.”
“Thank God he didn’t,” Gina said. “That never would have lasted. One look at her and I can see that girl is high maintenance.”
“I agree. She’s not his type. But am I?”
Gina put her arms on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. “You are an amazing person. I know that Tom really cares about you. Don’t let his ex-girlfriend…”
“Fiancé,” I clarified.
“Don’t let his ex-fiancé come between you. Stake your claim, and if she gets too close, it’s smackdown time.”
“But did you see her? She’s gorgeous.”
“You’re gorgeous,” Gina said. “You look amazing tonight. Now, we’re going back to the table. Own it, sister. And if that bitch shows up at our table again, have a comeback ready.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Gina said. “Maybe you compliment her dress and tell her you saw one just like it at the thrift store. That ought to deflate her tits a little.”
“Do you think her girls are real?”
“Not a chance,” Gina said. “They’re as fake as her nails.”
I looked at my nails. “At least she has nails. I have stubs.”
“And you have gorgeous stubs.”
***
Tom
When the girls returned to the table, Mike and I stood to pull out their chairs.
“Such gentlemen,” Gina smiled.
Sue’s face still looked a little red but at least she smiled.
“So, what’s everyone having?” Mike asked, trying to lighten the mood. “The waiter said the Peruvian red tail bass has been selling well.”
Sue held up her hand. “I can’t do fish. My grandfather traumatized me when I was a kid. I sat beside him at a restaurant once and when the waiter served his fish, it still looked like a fish.”
Mike laughed. “What was it supposed to look like? A fish stick?”
“Yes, that I would have eaten. This fish still had its eyeball in it and my grandfather teased me that he was going to eat it. I haven’t eaten fish since.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I said. “I love fish, although I’ve never eaten fish eyeballs. Saw someone do it once, though. Sucked them right out of the eye sockets.”
Sue held up her hand. “No more or I’ll puke. Just thinking about that nauseates me.”
“I’m with Sue.
Let’s talk about something else. Something fun,” Gina said.
Sue jumped up and down in her seat. “I know. I know. What is something you’ve never done but would like to try?”
Mike smirked. “Can it be anything?”
Sue nodded.
“Well, I read something about helicopter sex,” Mike said. “That might be something different.”
“What’s the big deal about having sex in a helicopter?” Sue asked. “Other than being a little uncomfortable and cramped. You might as well do it in a broom closet.”
I started laughing.
Sue playfully slapped my arm. “What’s so funny?”
I looked at Mike. “You want to explain, buddy?”
Gina looked as confused as Sue.
“You mean you girls never heard of helicopter sex?” Mike asked.
Gina and Sue looked at each other and shook their heads.
Mike rubbed his hand over his mouth.
“Come on, Mike,” Gina said. “Out with it.”
“Well, the guy’s on the bottom and the girl’s on top and the guy grabs the girl’s legs and twirls her around.”
“There’s no way in hell you’re going to grab my legs like they’re helicopter blades and twirl me around. I’d fall off and you’d lose your penis,” Gina said.
We all laughed and got dirty stares from diners at nearby tables. Gina had said “penis” just a little too loud.
***
Sue
“So anyone else have something you’ve never done but want to try?” I asked.
“A threesome might be good,” Tom said.
I slapped Tom’s arm.
“I was talking golf.”
“Sure you were.”
Sue and Tom (The Yearbook Series Book 2) Page 3
