Sugar

by Seressia Glass

  “We all know and understand that, but a jury might not.” Audie stirred her coffee. “The counselor I’ve been working with has been educating me on the reality of cases like this. We’re thinking the district attorney is hoping the other side will plead it out.”

  She sighed. “The irony isn’t lost on me that all of this crap occurred because I decided to not have sex with the guy.”

  “No means no,” Siobhan said, anger burning her ears. “Turning you into a punching bag is not the way to respond. That guy has issues.”

  “This could happen to someone else if they let him off,” Vanessa pointed out. “In fact, it may have happened before but no one’s reported him.”

  “My lawyer thinks so too, which is why he suggested hiring a private investigator.” Audie blew out a breath, mussing her bangs. “Unfortunately I can’t afford a lawyer and a private investigator.”

  “That’s why you have friends.” Nadia slapped her hands against the table. “Especially a friend with a brother named Sergey who can help.”

  Hope flickered in Audie’s eyes. “Isn’t he a police officer down in San Diego?”

  “He left the force and got licensed as a private investigator about a month ago. He’s been doing a lot of work in LA, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to help out. You guys are family after all. I’ll call him tonight.”

  “Thanks, Nadia. You guys . . . you’re the best.”

  Audie’s voice warbled, and Siobhan had to swallow the lump in her own throat. Audie had a hard time believing that people would do things for her just because and without expecting anything in return, which made it difficult for her to accept that help, much less express gratitude for it. That just hadn’t been her experience, and though Siobhan didn’t know all the details of Audie’s life, she knew enough to know the redhead had a long road to regaining some sense of self-worth.

  “Hey,” Siobhan piped up, blinking emotion away, “speaking of family, are your dads coming down for the Fourth of July holiday celebration?”

  Everyone at the table perked up. Nadia’s dads had become surrogate fathers to all of them over the last couple of years. Siobhan’s father hadn’t spoken to her since her daughter, Colleen, went to live with Siobhan’s parents during her relapse, and she felt the absence keenly. Nadia’s fathers had “adopted” all of them, filling a painful void. Maybe she didn’t love Nicholas and Victor Spiceland as much as Nadia did, but she never missed a birthday or Father’s Day in gratitude for their care and support.

  Thanks to Nadia and her fathers, Siobhan had kept to her recovery, had regained the will to do better, to be better. She hadn’t given up when it would have been so easy to allow loss to consume her and drive her under. She owed everything to them, and she knew it.

  “The dads are coming down,” Nadia announced, but Siobhan noticed the tightening of her shoulders. “Kane wants to invite people over to watch the fireworks from his balcony, so consider this your invitation.”

  “Sweet. We’ll have an awesome view of the bay.” Siobhan loved fireworks, thrilling to the sight, sound, and smell of the explosions since she was a little girl. She hadn’t had much opportunity to enjoy them for the last few years, what with spending her time getting the café up and running successfully. Nadia’s boyfriend, Professor Kaname Sullivan, had a spectacular condo with a killer view overlooking Crimson Bay. After seeing it during a dinner party a couple of months ago, she completely understood why Nadia would want to spend more time there than in her condo over the café. Of course, having a sexy professor boyfriend to go home to didn’t hurt either. “Are we gonna barbecue and do something else?”

  “Don’t know yet. Or rather, I haven’t decided yet.” Nadia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Kane’s parents are coming in too.”

  “Oh, wow.” Vanessa gave Nadia a brilliant smile. “This will be your first time meeting them, won’t it?”

  “I was introduced to them through a webcam chat, believe it or not,” Nadia said with a shake of her head. “It was a little weird, especially since Kane and I—um, never mind. Anyway, not only will I be having my first face-to-face with Kane’s parents, it’ll be the first time both sets of parents are meeting each other too. And Kane wants us to cook for everyone. I have no idea what we’re going to serve!”

  Audie laughed. “Only you would freak out more about what to serve your parents and future in-laws than the fact that the big meet and greet is about to go down.”

  “Future in-laws?” Nadia paled. “Oh God, I can’t breathe!”

  “Oh, honey.” Siobhan laid a hand on Nadia’s arm. “This can’t be a surprise to you. You guys obviously love each other. Where did you think you’re headed?”

  “Shacking up,” Nadia answered. “We’re still in the fornicating like bunnies stage, and testing the waters of living together. Well, he’s talked about it and I’ve sort of gone along with it without making a decision one way or another. I’ve been thinking about putting the condo up for sale or renting it out. As convenient as it is to just walk downstairs five minutes after I roll out of bed, Kane’s place is bigger, has that view, and a better kitchen.

  “And, if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll—I’ll—oversalt your soup!” She glared to make her point.

  “He won’t hear it from me, pinky-swear,” Siobhan said, hiding her smile.

  “Me either,” Audie said with a wink. “Sisters before misters.”

  “I wouldn’t dare reveal what’s discussed during Bitch Talk,” Vanessa said solemnly. “But Siobhan has a point. You’re already at his place more than you are at yours. You do love him, don’t you?”

  Siobhan watched as Nadia’s expression softened. “More than I thought I could.”

  “And we know he loves you,” Vanessa added. “The professor can be very strategic when he wants to. He probably has a whole ‘get Nadia to marry me’ plan in the works, and this holiday meet-up is part of that. He’d rather you stress about what to serve everyone than about meeting his parents for the first time.”

  “Devious bastard,” Nadia groused without any heat.

  “Thoughtful boyfriend,” Siobhan countered. “And smart too. Probably why he’s a professor.”

  Audie reached over and rubbed Nadia’s back. “That man will stop at nothing to make you his—and make sure you know you’re his.”

  “I know,” Nadia answered, and Siobhan could hear so much happy certainty overflowing Nadia’s tone that it was almost painful to hear. “Kane finds very interesting ways to prove we’re meant to be together.”

  “I guess so,” Audie cracked, pulling at the collar of Nadia’s loose-fitting shirt to expose a band of bright red cord peeking out of her bra. “You want to tell us about your new fashion accessory?”

  Nadia cheeks darkened with a flush, but mischievous delight flooded her eyes. “Let’s just say that Kane and I have extended our studies beyond The Perfumed Garden,” she explained, “and I’ve reaped the benefits of our extracurricular activities.”

  “I guess you have,” Siobhan said, glancing toward the entrance as the bell tinkled overhead. Her heart leapt as she caught sight of the Crimson Bay Couriers uniform, but a woman held the arrangement of tulips, not Charlie. “Kane obviously appreciates the way you’ve taken to your studies.”

  Nadia met the courier at the counter with a smile, a smile that widened as she signed for the ginormous bouquet and returned to the table—only to set the vase down in front of Siobhan. “These are for you.”

  With her blood pounding in her ears so loudly she couldn’t hear her friends’ ribald comments, Siobhan reached for the card tucked into the arrangement of a dozen pale peachy-pink tulips.

  A small token of appreciation for my new favorite dessert. I look forward to my second helping.

  The card wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Only one person would send her that particular note with those particular flowers. Only one person had referred to her womanly parts as tulips.

  “Looks like I’m not the
only one getting in some after-hours extra credit,” Nadia said with a smirk.

  “Cute.” Siobhan shoved the card into her bra before Nadia could snatch it away. “I’m not doing any late-night anything.” That wasn’t a lie. She had Charlie had parted ways long before sunset.

  “Uh-huh.” Nadia’s smile was a little too wicked. “Care to tell us about the condom in the trash can?”

  “Oh, God.” Heat exploded in Siobhan’s cheeks. “Are you serious? I thought he got rid of—”

  She broke off as the table erupted with laughter. She glared at Nadia. “You beyotch. There wasn’t a condom in the trash bin, was there?”

  “No.” Nadia dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “The bin was empty. But I saw what you wore to work yesterday, and Rosie told me how Charlie got all bug-eyed when he saw you. So I did some snooping when I came in this morning and found a condom wrapper under the desk.”

  “Siobhan?” Audie gasped, incredulous. “Siobhan did it on the desk? In the office? Here?”

  “Why are you surprised by that?” Siobhan asked, indignant.

  Audie held up her hands in surrender. “I’m just surprised that you did it here, instead of at your house. Despite you playing a sexpot for burlesque, you tend to be a little conservative.”

  “Am not!”

  “You married your high school sweetheart,” Audie pointed out. “And you haven’t once dated anyone since I’ve known you, or taken home any of your admirers lining up for pictures with you after your shows.”

  Siobhan pressed her lips together. She had no comeback, but Audie told the truth. “Okay, maybe I am a little straightlaced when it comes to this. I’m not as casual about it as you are, and I didn’t make a sexual declaration in the middle of the café like Nadia did.”

  She lightly stroked one of the tulips. “If you guys don’t mind, I don’t want this, whatever this is, to be public knowledge yet. We just had sex for the first time yesterday.”

  “Yesterday was the first time?” Vanessa asked, surprised.

  “Yes.”

  Vanessa smiled. “Pay up, ladies.”

  Siobhan’s mouth dropped open as Nadia and Audie both slapped five-dollar bills onto the table. “You guys bet on when Charlie and I would have sex?”

  “Yes, and I lost.” Nadia pouted. “I had you doing the deed after a week.”

  “And I had you at two,” Vanessa said, gathering her winnings.

  “For what it’s worth, I had you at three weeks,” Audie told her.

  “Thank you,” Siobhan said. “At least someone expected me to show some restraint with someone I’m doing business with.”

  “Come on now, Siobhan,” Nadia interjected. “I told the girls how the air damn near crackles with electricity when you two are in the room together. Frankly, I didn’t expect him to take that long to seduce you.”

  “Actually . . .” Heat scalded Siobhan’s cheeks again. “I seduced him.”

  Audie cackled. “Pay up, ladies.”

  “You beyotches bet on that too?” Siobhan asked as Vanessa and Nadia handed another pair of fives over, this time to Audie.

  “We were in a betting frame of mind, and no one thought you’d make the first move, considering how reluctant you were when he first started flirting with you.” Nadia leaned forward eagerly. “Now that I’m broke, you can console me by sharing. What did you do? Because I gotta say, with that guy all you probably had to do was smile.”

  “There was some smiling going on, especially afterward,” Siobhan confessed, thrilling at the memory. “I introduced him to Sugar Malloy.”

  “That’s how you do it!” Audie said, giving Siobhan a high five. “The poor guy didn’t stand a chance!”

  “No, he didn’t.” A different kind of heat stole over her as she remembered the hungry way that Charlie had stared at her, the way he’d powered into her after licking her to orgasm. “He most enthusiastically approved of my burlesque persona.”

  “I just bet he did,” Nadia snorted. “I’m not a voyeur, but I would have paid to see his reaction! Was he as good as he looks like he should be?”

  “Yeah, even better than good.”

  “Woo-hoo!” Audie threw her arms around Siobhan, catching her off guard. “And he earns bonus points for sending you flowers. So when are you hooking up again? I’m assuming you’re going for seconds. And thirds.”

  Siobhan squirmed in her chair. “He’s supposed to meet me at my place at four.”

  “Good for you,” Vanessa piped up. “Why waste time when you’ve got a hot young stud like that?”

  “Don’t remind me about the age thing. I’m trying not to think about it.”

  “You shouldn’t be thinking about it at all!” Audie said. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself with this guy. Life is too fucking short not to have fun fucking.”

  “What Audie’s saying so colorfully is that you need to let go of the hang-ups,” Nadia said. “I told you that before. You’re both consenting adults. You should consent the hell out of him as many times as you can.”

  Vanessa gave her an encouraging smile. “What they said.”

  Audie raised her glass. “I for one am glad that we’re all finally getting some on the regular.”

  “All?” Siobhan and Nadia echoed simultaneously, then turned to face Vanessa. “Have you been holding out on us?”

  “I have.” With a calm that Siobhan envied, Vanessa took a sip of her tea, then returned the mug to the table. “Audie and I are helping each other out. She’s teaching me to be a little bit naughty, and I’m helping her to be a little more—”

  “Nice?” Nadia guessed.

  “I was going to say discerning,” Vanessa answered, giving Audie a conspiratorial smile. “I think it’s working well for both of us.”

  Audie and Vanessa? Siobhan sat back in her chair, completely flummoxed. “I know opposites attract, but I really didn’t see that coming. Good for you, both of you.”

  Audie broke into peals of laughter. “We’re not dating, Siobhan.”

  “Oh, is that what you thought?” Vanessa grinned. “Audie is a sex goddess who knows her way around the Big O. If anyone could convert me, she’d be the one. The fact of the matter is, we both like dick too much.”

  Siobhan spluttered into her tea. It always surprised her when Vanessa allowed a crude word to pass her lips. She should have known better. With Vanessa, still waters ran really deep.

  “I’m confused.” Nadia frowned at them. “Did you or didn’t you? Not that it bothers me, but I can’t help being curious.”

  “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” Audie said, her grin definitely of the shit-eating variety.

  “Too bad there aren’t any ladies present,” Siobhan retorted. “Exactly how are the two of you helping each other out?” They were all friends, true, but she’d thought Audie, the youngest of the group at twenty-six, was closest to Nadia, the next youngest at thirty, than Vanessa, who’d recently turned thirty-two.

  “We’re acting as each other’s wingman,” Vanessa explained. “We both have memberships at Onyx, a private club just outside San Francisco.”

  “What the . . .” Nadia’s eyes widened like a startled character in a Saturday-morning cartoon. Siobhan would have laughed if she hadn’t felt as shell-shocked as Nadia looked.

  “You.” Nadia pointed to Vanessa. “You bought a membership to a—to a—”

  “Sex club,” Audie supplied helpfully.

  “It’s more than a sex club,” Vanessa explained. “They offer a little something for everyone. Not just anyone can get a membership either. We both had to go through a series of offsite interviews and provide all sorts of records before we were sponsored, and then approved.”

  She toyed with her tea. “It was worth it, though. That level of consideration was important to me. The safeguards were important. And the space is . . . it works for me. I wouldn’t have considered it at all if it weren’t for Audie.”

  “If you’re happy, then I’m glad for you,” Siobh
an said, stretching her hand across the table to give Vanessa’s a reassuring squeeze.

  She turned to Audie. They’d had a minor falling out after Audie’s assault, mostly because Audie had struck out against Nadia, who’d helped her during that awful night. After they’d staged an intervention of sorts, Siobhan had been the one to drive Audie home and give her the verbal ass kicking she’d needed, offering to pay for a wellness retreat to give Audie the professional support she needed. Audie had taken her up on the offer and now seemed far down the road to getting herself and her life together.

  “Is this working for you?” she asked Audie.

  “We’ve been going pretty regularly, so it’s working for now.” She hunched her shoulders. “I’m not going to apologize for having sex. I’m sure as hell not going to apologize for liking sex.”

  “You shouldn’t have to in this day and age,” Siobhan said. “But you know there are people out there who don’t agree with that. People who may be picked to hear your case.”

  “I know that.” For a moment, a bone-deep sadness pulled at Audie’s features. “I’m still in counseling. I’m working through things. I’m making better partner choices and my desire for sex isn’t interfering with my job. I have nights at the club, and I volunteer at a no-kill shelter a couple of Saturdays a month. Who knows? I might surprise you and become a crazy cat lady.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be a cat lady,” Siobhan told her, “but you’ve got the crazy down pat. I mean, look who you hang out with.”

  Audie grinned, her earlier sadness gone. “If I’m going crazy, at least I’ve got some fabulous company. And we look good doing it!”

  “As fabulous as the company is, it’s time to break this up,” Nadia said. “We wouldn’t want Siobhan to be late for her afternoon delight!”

  “Ooh, you know what we should do?” Audie bounced in her chair. “Road trip to the naughty store this weekend!”

  “That’s a good idea,” Nadia said with a nod of agreement. “It’s like makeup. You can never have too many accessories.”