by Mika Jolie
After peeping through the window of the small boutique, Minka decided, what the hell? and stepped inside. She was sure most of the dresses at the store didn’t go higher than a size four, but she figured, why not? She had a couple of hours to kill before meeting Jason.
A pretty woman in her mid-forties dressed in a floor-length, navy silk V-neck dress with strappy sandals walked over to greet her. “Welcome to La Jolie,” she said with a warm smile. Upon her words, the red velvet curtains were pushed aside and a debonair man wearing a pale blue blazer with a matching ascot around the same age as the woman appeared. Smiling, the man with the ascot walked over and placed a kiss on the pretty woman’s cheek before clasping his hands together as his eyes assessed Minka.
“Mademoiselle, what is the special occasion?
“Gerard,” the woman interjected, “it’s obvious she has a hot date.”
“Ah, my darling wife, very perceptive.” He reached for his wife’s hands and brought both of them to his lips. The act made her think of Jason. Still holding his wife’s hand, he turned to face Minka. “We have great dresses for a hot date. Come, let us show you.”
“Not a hot date,” she corrected. “I’m going out with a couple of people to celebrate a friend’s birthday.” Not that she considered Jason to be a friend.
The man named Gerard winked and led her by her shoulder. “There is a man involved.”
“I…yes,” she stammered.
“I know of a particular blond, cranky but loveable young man who lives on the island that just had a birthday yesterday. Are you going out with him?”
Not able to deny or confirm, Minka remained silent. The woman smiled at Minka as if she was aware of something. “My name is Louise.”
“I’m Minka,” she responded, somewhat amused by the couple.
Louise eyes scanned her, probably mentally taking her measurements. To her surprise, Minka felt at ease.
“Give me a moment. I have the perfect dress for you,” she exclaimed and quickly disappeared. Within seconds the woman reappeared with a swingy, sequined, black motif dress embroidered with gold and silver flowers.
“Go try it on. We shall let you know how we like it. We never lie.”
Strangely, she believed them. Minka pushed the velvet curtain aside and stepped inside. She looked at the dress, not something she would normally purchase. She tended to wear less intricate A-line dresses to hide her curves. Her mind wandered to Jason. The life he brought into her. Slowly she stepped out of her comfort and slipped into the dress.
The material was surprisingly light against her body, and the cut was remarkable. Although fitted, the dress was forgiving around the waist, complementing the form and curves of her body. As promised, she stepped out of the dressing room to show Gerard and Louise. The couple whistled together as Gerard dragged her to the floor-length mirror.
“Parfait! Merveilleux! Don’t you think, mon amour?” Gerard exclaimed. Louise leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips.
Minka had to agree. She didn’t recognize the person staring back at her; this woman looked elegant and sexy. Everything she wasn’t. Louise stood behind her and pulled her hair in a bun. “Wear your hair up. Let him take it down later.” She winked.
Thirty minutes later, Minka walked out of the store with two dresses, the black sequined dress and a silk maxi one. A little self-indulgence for her schoolteacher budget. Before she left the small boutique, Louise mentioned a nearby exclusive shop where she could get some interesting undergarments. Embarrassed, Minka smiled shyly at the woman and thanked both of them for their services. Minutes later, she entered the shop appropriately named Cheekies, where she was greeted by a beautiful brunette with a perfect figure.
“My name is Isabella,” the pretty brunette said with a friendly smile. “Anything special you are looking for?”
“Uh…” God, how did she tell this woman she was looking for sexy underwear to wear for a man who was accustomed to seeing beautiful women in barely-there pieces? “Do you have anything in my size?”
Big, warm brown eyes gave her a once-over. Minka was about to run out of the store and usher a sorry never mind when the brunette smiled at her.
“We carry a broad range of all sizes. Would you like to look around, or I can show you a few things I have in mind that you might like?”
Since she wanted to get out of the store as quickly as possible, she decided to go with the latter and make the experience as quick and painless as possible. “Please show me what you have.”
“We have some great thongs, cheeky panties and boy shorts,” Isabella said, pointing to an area as they walked side by side in the store.
Cheeky panties, what the hell was a cheeky panty? Isabella must have known most were not familiar with the term for she turned to face Minka.
“Let me demonstrate. I’m going to touch your butt.”
What? The woman’s well-manicured hands were on the back of her jeans.
“The cheeky panties have moderate back coverage from here,” her hands moved on Minka’s butt to demonstrate where the coverage begins and ends. “They are very sexy, ultra soft and disappear under clothes. I have a pair on right now.”
Minka swallowed. She imagined they looked great on the other woman, but her? Never. Her immediate reaction was to point out her ass was probably twice the size of Isabella’s, which meant she needed more than a flimsy piece of material that would cover one cheek or anything that would get lost between her cheeks, for that matter.
“They’re very popular now,” Isabella added, “I’ll get a couple in your size. Would you like to try anything on?”
Minka shook her head. If trying on a dress had been self-inflicted torture, this experience was what she considered as close to a slow death as possible.
“I think these would look great on you,” Isabelle continued.
The words somewhat registered in Minka’s brain. She was just unable to respond. So she stood there as the pretty brunette with her perfect figure suggested a variety of sexy, lace-trimmed thongs with some cheekies and matching bras.
Twenty minutes later, Minka walked out with a bag filled with enough lacy underwear to last her a lifetime. Minka rolled her eyes. She had never owned anything that didn’t cover all of her behind.
Once in her hotel room, she reached into her purse for her phone and frowned at the missed calls from Lily. It was out of character for her friend to call so many times. As a last resort, her friend did send her a text that simply read Call me. Guilt ran over her. After Jason’s kiss, he had insisted they stay with everyone and have a drink. Minka had just wanted to escape. The atmosphere had been too much. So she had stayed for one drink, then left.
When her friend responded on the second ring, Minka noticed the strain in Lily’s voice right away and frowned with concern.
“I’m sorry for reaching out to you so late,” Minka apologized.
“Nate cheated on me.”
The words didn’t take long to register. Nate, Lily’s live-in fiancé, had cheated on her. Questions ran through her head, but she knew this wasn’t the time. Instead she offered the only words she could. “I’m sorry, Lily.”
“The bastard! He actually gave himself up. Idiot. He asked me to look up a name on his cell phone for him and there were all these vulgar text messages. He must have forgotten to erase them.” Lily sighed. “I can’t believe I was such a fool.”
“No. You guys were in love.”
A heavy sigh came from the other end of the phone. “I think I was in love with the familiarity but it still hurts, you know.”
“There’s got to be something about him you couldn’t stand,” Minka offered lightly in hope that would brighten her friend’s mood.
Lily let out a hollow laugh. “He was quite stale in bed, you know. Very mechanical.”
The two women laughed together. Only Lily could be upset one second, then talk about Nate’s skill in bed in the same breath. She sat back and allowed her friend the time to voice her fru
stration without interruption.
She learned Nate Ryan had cheated with the cute waitress at the family-owned restaurant they frequented.
“Naturally I wanted to pay her a visit, drag her by her hair and beat the shit out of her,” Lily explained. “But logic sank in and I took out my frustration on Nate and kneed him in the groin area before kicking him out of my apartment.”
Minka was grateful. “At least that saved you a trip to a jail cell.”
“And I’m sure he’s out of commission for a while. Not that he was using it on me anyway. We stopped having sex about two months ago. I was so relieved I didn’t even stop to think he was sticking someone else.”
“Have you told your parents?”
“I will.” She paused. “You know, now I’m officially a spinster.” She groaned miserably.
Minka feigned offense. “You’re my age.”
“Hey, do you have any hot, rich guy on The Vineyard who can pretend to sweep me off my feet?”
“Why don’t you come and find out?” she joked lightly then thought about the suggestion for a second. Her friend probably needed the getaway. They were both teachers and not working for the summer. “Seriously, come Friday and you can leave Sunday or Monday.”
“Don’t you have things, or should I say someone, to do? I don’t want to be a cock-block.” Lily teased.
Minka could picture her friend’s beautiful face smiling. That image made her feel better. “That was a one-time thing. Well, kind of. He asked me to spend tonight with him.”
Minka waited for the ball to drop, for a smart rebuttal from her friend. Instead she got neither.
“I Googled Jason,” Lily announced quietly.
“Why would you do that?”
“I needed to know who my friend was finally having sex with,” Lily answered “Did you know your boyfriend is a millionaire and he knows Claire? There are pictures of them on the net.”
Minka’s heart sank. “Yes, I figured they knew each other. I saw them together.”
“I don’t think they’re involved,” Lily said. “I’m sure the media blew it out of proportion. You know, a good-looking, popular artist with a good-looking millionaire hugging and…voila!”
Minka remained quiet. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of Claire and Jason together.
“You should take a look after we get off the phone. His father is pretty interesting too. I’ll send you the link.”
Minka thought of the man she had encountered this morning while leaving Jason’s house, the way he looked down on her. She cringed. “I’m sure I can just look it up myself.”
“Yeah, but I know you won’t.”
Curiosity was killing her. But Lily was the one person who knew her well enough to know what she would or would not do. “I’ll send you the link to the ferry. You can stay with me.”
“Or I can get my own room. I told you I will not cock-block.”
Minka rolled her eyes. “You’re not cock-blocking anything.”
“Yeah, he would probably kick me out on my butt while he has his way with you.”
“Lily, you’re exaggerating.”
“So, are you spending the night with him?”
Not quite sure how to respond, Minka remained silence.
Lily giggled on the other end of the phone. “Nice. Get your freak on, my friend. I’m so proud of you.”
By the time the women said their goodbyes, Lily was laughing, which pleased Minka. Shortly after, the Google link popped up on the screen of her phone. Her eyes settled on the arrow wavering over the URL, and she debated whether to click on it or not. It felt intrusive.
Her fingers swept over the link, snapping it open. Various images of Jason splashed on her screen. The majority of the pictures were taken about four to five years ago, pictures mostly with his shirt off. Minka noticed his hair at one point was shorter. Either style suited him. The first picture she examined showed Jason with one arm around Claire, the two laughing together. In the picture the two appeared close.
Her eyes moved to one of Jason leaning on the rail of a yacht with what appeared to be a beer in his hand and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. His tattoos were fully exposed, his long blond hair blowing with the ocean wind. He seemed to have been smiling at someone but his eyes didn’t have the light she had become familiar with. He looked dispirited and in pain. Minka ran her fingers over the picture before clicking on the link to read the story behind it.
The headline caught her attention, Millionaire’s Son Boozing after Mother’s Suicide. Her eyes scanned the story about his father’s alleged affair and then his mother, heavily intoxicated, had driven her car over a bridge into the ocean. Her body was recovered and buried in France, her birthplace. The article went on to provide a biography of Jason’s mother. Her name was Victoria, a former French model. Minka wanted to read on but the words became a big jumble of pain, blurring her vision.
She exhaled with agony and the revelation of the man behind Jason Montgomery. She did a quick calculation in her head; he had been barely twenty-five when he lost his mother. She couldn’t imagine the pain he’d endured. The story continued to mention Jason walking out of his father’s firm and implied growing tension between the two. There were other pictures and other articles, but she felt no need to go further. Instead, she closed the link and leaned against the headboard.
Her own heartbreak suddenly appeared mundane. She thought about the way he held her earlier while she cried. Who had he leaned on during his time of loss?
She guessed Claire provided some support but from the various pictures on the internet he seemed to have dealt with the loss alone, relying mostly on alcohol and cigarettes. Some pictures were taken with one or two women in his arms laughing, temporary distractions to fill a void that no one could.
Minka glanced at her watch. She had a little time before meeting everyone in Oak Bluffs. Jason had offered to pick her up, to which she reluctantly agreed. There was no point in her driving; he made it clear she was spending the night at his house, which meant she had to pack an overnight bag. The idea excited and unnerved her. A frown crossed her face, the nervousness about the night causing a knot in her stomach. Her body was still aching from last night. Pulling herself off the bed, she entered the bathroom and turned on the water to fill the tub. A nice bath would help her to relax.
As she removed her clothes, her eyes fell on the scale. She stood and contemplated. The temptation to step on it overwhelmed her. Two days ago upon arriving on the island she had weighed herself and jotted the number on her cell phone with a goal to exercise and lose one pound a week. The two pounds a week goal she decided was a bit unrealistic. She needed to set her expectations to something more achievable. With a sigh, she turned and stepped in the tub.
About fifteen minutes later, Minka slipped into the black sequined dress and was applying her lipstick when she was informed of Jason’s arrival. She made a point to go meet him at the hotel bar. Any chance of him in her room and they might never make it to the restaurant.
She found him sitting at the bar engaged in a conversation with the pretty waitress. He immediately turned and met her gaze before coming to his feet. She stopped to catch her breath at the sight of him.
Dressed in a pair of slim-fit, broken-in chinos and a plaid button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, he looked relaxed, comfortable, and downright sexy. Without speaking, he extended a hand. The hesitation she had earlier felt seemed to have vanished. It was understood what they both wanted so she placed her hand in his and walked into his arms.
His lips covered hers. Not a deep kiss, but one that was slow, sensuous and full of promises.
“You look magnificent.”
Without thinking she raised one hand to touch his lips, removing the remnants of her lipstick. “I’m sorry, you had lipstick,” she apologized, conscious of her action
Jason reached to take the overnight bag from her. “I’m yours to do with as you please.” He threw in a
rakish smile.
He needed to stop saying things like that to her. Words like that could easily give a woman false hope into believing the possibilities were greater than the reality of the situation. Minka knew better, but, more importantly, she didn’t want more. One more night, she had told herself; one more night to get him out of her system. As she walked out of the inn with him into the parked Jeep, Minka tried to ignore the little voice inside her head warning her she was playing with fire.
Chapter Ten
“Don’t trust the scale, trust your jeans.”
Anonymous
Minka walked through the restaurant with her hand in Jason’s. The maître d’, a handsome African-American, seemed to recognize him. He released her hand to shake the man’s before introducing them. Then his fingers threaded through hers once again. Ryan, the maître d’, smiled warmly at Minka and patted Jason on the shoulder as he informed him his friends were at the bar.
Minka spotted the group right away. Forrest was leaning with his back to the bar talking to Adam, Jason’s business partner. Keely as always was wrapped in Blake’s arms while talking to Claire. They were an interesting bunch, Minka mused. Forrest was the tallest of the group, standing an inch or two taller than Jason. His hair was slightly shorter but considered long for a doctor. Adam seemed to be the most relaxed of the bunch. He was dressed in dark denims with a button-down shirt. He was just as handsome with olive skin and a mass of jet-black hair.
Minka noticed many women at the bar glancing in their direction, but the men seemed oblivious to any stir they caused. Instead they were talking and laughing with no care in the world until two women dressed in form-fitting dresses approached them. It was Adam who turned, flashed them a dazzling smile and ordered each of them a drink. She watched him pull one of the brunettes into his arms and whisper something in her ear. The girl laughed, ran her hand over his chest and walked away.
“Adam is ruthless,” Jason said in a low tone. “I promise you he will hit on you before the night is over. Beautiful women are his kryptonite.”
