by Weeks, Abby
The Wives of Beverly Row 6
Abby Weeks
Copyright © 2014 Abby Weeks
To find more by Abby sign up for personal updates.
This work is presented by the author.
To get in touch please contact:
abby@type‐writer.net
ISBN 978‐1‐927947‐36‐4
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Quote
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Back Matter
*
“ALL ART IS EROTIC.”
Gustav Klimt, 1862‐1918
*
“EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD IS ABOUT SEX EXCEPT SEX. SEX IS ABOUT POWER.”
Oscar Wilde, 1854‐1900
*
I
ARIEL WAS DRESSED TO IMPRESS. She’d pulled out all the stops. She had on a brand new Chanel dress, the most expensive underwear she’d ever bought, she’d had her hair done, her makeup was perfect. She was leaving nothing to chance on this night. She was sitting at her vanity, painting her nails, when Becky came in with the phone.
“It’s dad.”
“Thanks, honey,” Ariel said and blew on her nails. She took the phone and then looked up at Becky who was still standing there.
“What is it, honey?”
“Are you going on a date with dad?”
“Oh, Becky,” Ariel said and held out her arms for Becky to hug her. She was careful not to let her nails touch Becky’s clothes. “We’re just going out for dinner. It’s for business. It’s not a date.”
“Oh,” Becky said, “I just thought.”
“I know, baby,” Ariel said, and squeezed her extra tight.
She put the phone to her ear. “Gabe?”
“Hey,” Gabe said, “I just wanted to run over the details one last time.”
“We’ve been over it,” Ariel said.
“I know. So basically, I want him to buy the painting from me.”
“Yes, basically,” Ariel said, “but he’s not going to give you any money. He’s got to be the one left holding the pot.”
“I don’t know about this,” Gabe went on. “I mean, how’s it going to work? I’m basically giving him the thing for free.”
“He’s got to think he’s getting one over on you, Gabe. It’s all got to come from him. He thinks he’s the one screwing you.”
“Then why does it feel like I’m the one getting screwed?” Gabe said.
“Listen, Gabe, do you trust me?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Ariel realized as she waited for him to respond that it was quite a loaded question she was asking. How much was he supposed to trust her? She was his ex-wife, he knew she’d been making love with Jake. What guarantee did he have that he wasn’t the one being ripped off in all of this? She was asking him to basically hand over a five million dollar canvas to her new lover.
“Yes,” Gabe said at last, “I trust you.”
Ariel sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said.
“I just hope you’re as smart as you think you are, Ariel.”
“Gabe, have you ever had a reason to question my intelligence?”
Gabe laughed.
A car pulled up Ariel’s driveway outside.
“Damn, they’re here, Gabe. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at the restaurant.”
“Don’t worry,” Ariel said. “Just go with the flow. Jake’s greedy. He’s going to fall for the whole thing.”
Ariel hung up the phone and checked her nails. They still looked fine. She hadn’t ruined them before they’d had time to dry. She got up and slipped into her shoes, the sexiest, highest heels she owned, and then went downstairs. She grabbed her coat and opened the door. Jake was already on the porch.
“Wow,” he said, looking her over from head to toe. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks,” Ariel said. She smiled. She hadn’t meant to but she couldn’t help herself. Despite everything she knew about Jake, she still had to admit he was very hot.
Jake opened the back door of his Mercedes and she got in. The white leather seats felt good against her skin. Zola leaned back from her seat in the front next to Jake.
“Hi, Ariel.”
Ariel touched her on the shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about a thing,” she said when Jake had closed the door, “I’ve got everything under control”. They watched him cross in front of the car. The headlights lit him up.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. He seemed so confident, so sure of himself. Ariel couldn’t wait to show him what it felt like to be under someone else’s power. He was a bully, plain and simple, and sooner or later all bullies had to learn the hard way that they couldn’t treat people the way he’d been treating Zola.
As the drove down the steep and winding hill toward Hollywood, Ariel saw Jake’s hand where it rested on Zola’s thigh. It made her angry to think of the way Jake treated her. He honestly believed Zola was his property.
Jake cleared his throat.
“So you really think your ex is going to fall for this?” he said confidently.
“I know he will,” Ariel said. “He thinks he’s a big shot but when it comes to selling a painting, he’s always needed help. He knows that. If you can make him believe you’re going to be able to sell this thing for him, he’ll be eating out of your hands.”
Jake laughed. He gave Zola’s thigh a little squeeze.
“And what about the other thing?” he said to Zola, referring to the fact that they were planning on swinging and wife-swapping once they met up with Gabe.
“What other thing?” Zola said.
Jake laughed again. “What other thing?” he said mockingly. “You know exactly what I’m referring to. It’s the only thing you’re good for. The wife-swapping.”
Zola looked back at Ariel. “I’m excited about it,” Zola said. Ariel could hear the sadness in Zola’s voice. She was amazed that Jake couldn’t. It was as if he was blind to the fact that Zola was an actual person, with actual feelings.
“And what about you?” Jake said to Ariel. He was watching her in the rearview mirror.
Ariel forced herself to sound cheerful. “I can’t wait,” she said.
“This will be a real thrill for you, won’t it?” Jake went on. He could never leave well enough alone. He always had to keep picking at people.
“It will,” Ariel said. “I’ve always wanted Gabe to see me getting fucked by another man. Especially a real man like you, Jake.”
Jake laughed. He pulled the car up outside the fancy restaurant he’d chosen for their meeting with Gabe.
“Me too,” he said. “And I can’t wait to see Zola getting fucked like the whore she is.”
II
THE RESTAURANT WAS EVERYTHING ARIEL had expected. It was extremely expensive, extremely trendy, and yet somehow totally lacking in any kind of taste. It almost felt like the lobby of a corporate office building. The valet took the car and a doorman held the doors open for them as they entered.
“Medeiros for four,” Jake said.
A server in a black suit and white shirt brought them to a nice table next to the massive windows overlooking the street. Gabe was
n’t there yet. Ariel was eager for him to arrive. She felt uncomfortable sitting there with Jake. Zola’s face was completely blank.
“Can I get you started with some drinks?” the server asked.
Jake picked up the wine list and selected an expensive bottle of burgundy. Ariel noticed that he didn’t check with her or Zola whether that was what they wanted.
She sat there feeling uncomfortable, staring across at Zola for moral support. Jake was sitting in the middle. When the server came back with the wine Jake tasted it. As the wine was being poured, Ariel gasped. Jake’s hand was under the table and resting on her bare knee. She looked over at Zola and she nodded. Jake’s hands were on both of their knees at once. Ariel felt so humiliated. Who did Jake think he was? She prayed no one in the restaurant could notice him feeling up both of them at once. She didn’t fancy the idea of being seen as part of Jake’s harem of wives.
Ariel picked up her wine glass and took a sip. She felt extremely uncomfortable. Jake’s hand was slowly moving higher and higher up her thigh. If Gabe didn’t arrive very soon, he’d have his hand in her crotch before long.
When Ariel finally saw Gabe walk into the restaurant she breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Jake stood up to greet Gabe. It was a strange feeling for Ariel to see the two men shake hands. She almost felt as if she and Zola might be the targets of some other, more sinister, scam that the men were planning. The thought made her shiver. She told herself that she was here doing this to help Zola, but if she was honest with herself, her life hadn’t been all that different from Zola’s. She tried not to think of it too often, but during her marriage she’d often felt similar to the way Zola must be feeling now, powerless, helpless, worthless. She’d forgiven Gabe as much as forgiveness was possible, but she knew she’d allowed that situation to go on far too long. She could have stood up for herself sooner, she didn’t have to let so many years of her life pass feeling so humiliated. Seeing Gabe shaking hands with Jake now brought it all back to her.
But she’d come a long way since then. She had to give herself credit for that. She was free, she was independent, and she felt that despite everything, she’d somehow managed to win Gabe’s respect in this new phase of her life. He was even being a better father than he’d ever been before. She felt like her courage and her strength were largely responsible for all of that.
She gave Gabe a smile when he sat down. She knew he wasn’t her enemy. Not anymore. He was here to help her, to help Zola.
Still, she couldn’t help noticing how smug he seemed as he sat there. He looked at Zola. He knew he was going to be having sex with her. Had he changed at all? She would probably never know.
“So nice of you to join us,” Jake said to Gabe.
“Oh, no problem, I mean really, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“Ariel told me you two never tried this while you were married,” Jake said.
“Maybe we should have,” Gabe said, laughing. He looked at Zola again and Ariel couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit jealous at the way Gabe was eyeing her.
She knew she was being silly. Gabe was her ex, and Ariel was the one who’d orchestrated this entire scenario as a means of getting even with Jake, but still….
“Well, if I remember correctly,” Ariel interjected, “Gabe was doing his fair share of it. It was just that he was keeping me out of the party.” Ariel knew she was being challenging to Gabe but it worked for drawing Jake in, playing up to her cover story of wanting to get even with Gabe. She figured it could only work to their advantage.
“I can’t deny I was a terrible husband,” Gabe said, facing Ariel.
Ariel shrugged. “Well, I guess tonight you’ll get a taste of what I went through.”
“What do you mean?” Gabe said.
“Oh, come on, honey. I know you’ve still got feelings for me.”
Gabe looked at her and then around the table at the others. “Maybe I do and maybe I don’t,” he said.
“You’ll have to watch Jake giving me everything he’s got.”
“Oh, come on,” Gabe said. “This isn’t about getting back at me for cheating, is it?”
Ariel shrugged, then she laughed. “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” she said. She winked at Zola. Zola laughed. This was turning out to be more fun than Ariel had expected. Not only was Gabe helping her with the plan to get back at Jake, but she was getting a chance to get back at Gabe in the process. It wasn’t much, he’d be screwing Zola’s brains out while she was supposedly getting even with him, but still, there was something satisfying about it all.
Then her phone beeped. She took it out of her purse and looked at it. It was a message from Gabe. She hadn’t noticed him send it.
—We need to talk.
That was all it said. Maybe she’d scared him with her attitude.
“Will you please excuse me,” she said, getting up. “I need to make a phone call. It’s Becky.” She went over toward the ladies restroom. There was a sofa by the wall and she sat on it.
A moment later Gabe joined her.
“What did you tell them?” she said.
“I said I was using the washroom.”
“So what do you want to talk about?”
“What was all that talk about my cheating in there?”
“I’m just playing a role,” Ariel said. “I’m trying to get Jake to believe I’m doing this to get to you.”
“But you are getting to me,” Gabe said.
“Well,” Ariel said, “you should think about that. What do you think it was like for me, all those years, while you were cheating?”
Gabe looked her in the eye then dropped his gaze to the ground. “I know,” he said. “Ariel, if there was any way I could make that up to you, I would do it.”
Ariel felt bad. She knew he meant it. “I know, Gabe. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
“The whole reason I’m here tonight, the whole reason I’m giving this guy the painting, is because I’m trying to atone for what I did to you for all those years.”
“I know,” Ariel said. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. Seeing you eye up Zola, it just brought back too many memories.”
“Well, just for the record,” Gabe said, “you’re a hundred times sexier than Zola.”
“You’re just saying that,” Ariel said.
“No, I mean it. And another thing. If I had my choice between having Zola and having you tonight, I’d pick you. I’d pick you over any woman in the world!”
III
WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO the table, Ariel felt better. She no longer felt angry at Gabe. She no longer felt the need to make him jealous of her and Jake. She also knew that the little scene she’d created between her and Gabe would have been helpful in persuading Jake that the whole thing was real.
“So,” Jake said, rubbing his hands together, “the steak here is really excellent. I totally recommend it.”
“Sounds good to me,” Gabe said.
“I think I’d prefer something a little lighter,” Zola said.
She flicked through the menu. There was something slightly surreal about the situation. Ariel didn’t understand how swingers managed to do this. How did they manage to enjoy it? It was weird, sitting there, the four of them. No one knew what to say, or who they should address. Gabe seemed to speak mostly to Jake. It was as if he was afraid to address Zola directly. Ariel saw how this type of scenario really could reduce wives to the status of property very quickly. The dynamic was weird.
When the waiter arrived Jake ordered the steak, rare. Gabe asked for the same. Ariel and Zola both ordered salads. They’d almost made their way through the bottle of wine Jake had ordered earlier and he ordered another.
“This wine will go great with the steak,” he said to Gabe.
Gabe nodded as he poured himself a glass.
“So what’s this I hear about some big art deal?” Jake said to Gabe.
“Oh,” Gabe said, pretending to be surprised. “Who told you
about that?”
Jake put his arm around Ariel. She could tell that Gabe was finding it difficult to watch Jake treat Ariel with such familiarity. “Your wife did,” Jake said.
“My ex-wife,” Gabe said.
“Once a wife, always a wife, am I right?” Jake held up his glass and everyone met it for a toast.
The clinking wine glasses gave the table a festive atmosphere that Ariel knew was entirely false. Apart from Jake, no one was relaxed, no one was enjoying the situation. Zola had hardly spoken a word. Gabe and Ariel were struggling to retain their composure and play along with Jake’s little game. It would all be worth it, she told herself, when Jake realized what had happened to him.
“The art deal,” Gabe said, “it’s nothing serious. I own a gallery so there’s always some painting or another that I’m trying to sell.”
“Ariel told me that you found selling the most difficult part.”
“Oh,” Gabe said. “I wouldn’t say that, necessarily. I mean, it depends on the painting of course, but I can usually come up with a buyer. My gallery’s got a very good reputation for spotting new talent.”
“But this is an older piece, isn’t it?” Jake went on.
“Wow,” Gabe said, flashing a look at Ariel. He was playing his role perfectly, acting exactly the way they’d discussed. “She told you all that?”
Jake was gloating now. He liked feeling as if Ariel had betrayed Gabe in some way by telling him too much. He liked rubbing Gabe’s nose in that fact. “This little lady tells me everything,” he said. “She just can’t keep her mouth shut once she gets going.”
“Right,” Gabe said. “Well, it’s a pretty old painting, yes.”
Ariel wasn’t sure if Gabe was pretending to be flustered or if he really was. She knew it would be weird for him, watching Jake put his arms all over her. As Gabe spoke, Jake gently rubbed Ariel on the back in the most affectionate, familiar way possible.
“And valuable too, right?”
“You could say that,” Gabe said.
“Well,” Jake said. “We’ll have to talk about it later. I’m really interested. I could sell ice to eskimos. It’s my speciality.”
“Alright,” Gabe said.
