Barbara couldn’t believe the woman was sharing such information with a total stranger. But then she decided to say, “My husband and I have been married thirty years and we have a daughter. Ron and I are here for a second honeymoon. One that’s long overdue.”
The woman nodded as if she understood. She then leaned over and whispered, “Take it from me. When it comes to your man, you have to work hard and play harder. But if he’s a good man then it’s all worth it. Romance is the key to a successful marriage.” She laughed. “Before making love on any given day or night, I ask James who he wants—his wife or his girlfriend because I can be both. I am both.”
Barbara laughed. She liked that, and more than anything she admired the woman’s confident attitude. It was apparent she had recognized long ago how to keep her man happy and satisfied and had no qualms about doing whatever it took.
Less than thirty minutes later, Barbara left the shop with an outfit she’d first thought was too daring, but now she knew it would be perfect. She would time things just so and would know when the time was right to spring it on Ron.
She smiled. She couldn’t wait.
19
“So, what’s going on with you?”
Courtney met Sonya’s gaze over her glass. Her cousin had surprised her and shown up on her doorstep around lunchtime. The two of them were sitting in the kitchen sharing the sandwiches and lemonade she had made. “Umm, nothing’s going on. Why do you ask?”
“I ran into Devin at the mall earlier, and he said you had an appointment with him this morning about some new drug but had contacted his office manager to reschedule. He thought you were under the weather or something.”
Courtney shrugged. “You know how it is sometimes. I needed a day to unwind, relax.” Work the soreness out of my body. “So, how’s married life?” she decided to ask, not sure she was ready to share with Sonya how she had met a guy a couple of weeks ago and had slept with him already. Not that Sonya would think it was a big deal, since she’d admitted to engaging in a few one-night stands in her days before Mike.
A huge smile lit up Sonya’s face when she said, “Married life is wonderful. Mike is wonderful. Sex continues to be great. I’m truly a happy woman.”
Courtney could tell. It was all over her. She wore exuberance well.
“We didn’t get a chance to chat long at the party the other night, so I thought I’d drop by, especially when Devin said he thought you were sick,” Sonya continued. “How are things going with the little black book I gave you? Have you contacted anyone in it yet?”
Courtney shrugged her shoulders again. “Umm, yes, a few.”
Sonya’s eyes perked up. “And are you having fun?”
“Not exactly since I decided they weren’t my type,” she said, deciding not to go into any details about her date with the three.
A surprised look appeared on Sonya’s face. “Really? What about—?”
At that moment the phone rang, and hoping it was Lake, Courtney quickly got up from her chair. “Excuse me, I’m expecting a call.” Instead of picking up the phone extension in the kitchen, she walked into the living room.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking about you.”
Her stomach spiked at the sound of the sexy voice in her ear, and as if on cue, the area between her legs—still slightly sore—began throbbing. “I was thinking about you, too.”
In truth, he had been in her thoughts constantly since the time he had walked out the door. Instead of leaving when he’d planned, after pulling her into his arms to kiss her good-bye, they had ended up going back into the bedroom and making love again.
“How do you feel?”
She smiled, knowing why he was asking. Having nonstop sex could take a toll on your body. “I’ll survive.”
“I’m going to make sure that you do. What are your plans for later?”
She inhaled. Now was the time to tell him that she thought they were moving too fast. She needed to pull back while she was capable of thinking with a clear head. He was convinced that he was her soul mate, but she wasn’t convinced of anything yet—other than his skill in bedroom. The man had moves that should be patented. Besides, it was important to her that they continue to get to know each other. There was still a lot about him she didn’t know.
“Courtney?”
“I don’t have any plans. What about you?”
“Umm, I thought maybe you’d like to do the movie we missed last night.”
“I’d better not, since I skipped work and didn’t see a couple of doctors today. I need to stay in and get caught up on a few things.”
“Would you like company later?”
She wondered if he was hinting at another sleepover. “Sure.”
“All right. I’ll call you before I come to make sure nothing has changed.”
She lifted a brow. “Nothing like what?”
“You might have changed your mind about wanting company later.”
If he was the company, she doubted it. But instead she said, “Okay.”
She hung up the phone, sighed deeply, and went back to the kitchen. Sonya turned when she entered and gave her a funny look. “What?” Courtney asked.
Sonya stood to cross the room and put her plate and glass in the sink. “You tell me, girlfriend. You could have easily answered the phone in here, so what’s going on? You have a secret lover or something?”
Courtney couldn’t help but chuckle. Leave it to Sonya to be perceptive where her love life was concerned. “Not really, but I have met someone. In fact, we met at your party, the one Carla gave you a few weeks ago.”
Sonya turned and lifted an arched brow. “Umm, then he should be someone I know.”
“He is.”
Sonya crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head expectantly. “Well, who is he?”
Courtney sighed and decided to spit it out. Sonya would bug her to death until she did anyway. “Lake Masters.”
The look on Sonya’s face, Courtney thought, was priceless. “You’re seeing Lake Masters?” Sonya asked, almost in disbelief.
Now it was Courtney who raised an arched brow. “Yes. Is that good or bad?”
Sonya threw her head back and laughed. “Definitely good, since he’s a prime catch. And the two of you met at my party?”
“Yes.”
“I think that’s awesome.”
Courtney smiled. “Evidently you also think he’s a nice guy.”
“Gosh, yes. All the Masters men are nice. You know Grey, and I think you’ve met Quinn, the one who’s married to Alexia Bennett-Masters. Then there’s Shane, who you haven’t met. He the oldest and recently got married last year to a woman named Faith. I hear it’s an understanding in the Masters family that Lake is the lone wolf. When it comes to women, he prefers doing his own hunting.”
Courtney nodded. Although Lake had said it differently, basically it had equated to the same thing.
“Do you know what this means?” Sonya asked her.
Other than the fact I think he’s great in bed? Courtney thought to herself. “No, what does it mean?” she asked, opening the refrigerator to take out a bottle of water.
“It means that you’re it.”
She slid a sideways glance over at Sonya. “What do you mean that I’m it?”
“If Lake checked you out at the party, and the two of you have been an item since, then that means he’s really serious about you.”
He had said as much, but Courtney still had to be convinced. “We’ll see.”
Sonya’s lips quirked in a grin. “No, I won’t see, but trust me, you will.”
“Meaning?”
“Lake is also known as someone who gets whatever he wants.”
Courtney nodded. She could believe that, since he certainly got her last night, in every position she could think of. And there was no doubt in her mind that he had wanted her. The size of his erection every time they made love could attest to that. However, the big question was whether his belief that they had
a future was the real deal. Would he continue to want her, or would he eventually lose interest and become a rolling stone like her dad?
“Like I said, Sonya, we will see.”
Sonya grinned. “And like I said, Courtney. I won’t, but you will.”
Peggy watched an angry Toni pace around her office and tried to recall the last time she’d seen her friend so upset. Then she remembered. It was the time back in high school when another student had called Peggy an Oreo for being Toni’s friend and hanging out with her. Toni hadn’t taken that remark too kindly then, and she wasn’t taking what Peggy had shared regarding her lunch date with Joe too kindly now.
Toni finally stopped pacing and sharply turned around, sending a mass of blond hair swirling around her face and shoulders. “You know I liked Joe in the beginning. He was real nice at your wedding, and the four of us—me, you, Joe, and John—all became close buddies and did a lot of weekend stuff together. I thought he’d lost his mind when he left you for another woman but chalked it up to a case of testosterone gone berserk. But for him to suggest that you stop receiving alimony payments has made me thoroughly convinced the man is nothing but an educated, hen-pecked asshole of the third degree.”
Peggy wanted to burst out and laugh but didn’t think Toni would appreciate her amusement in her present mood. “Hey, don’t worry about it, because I’m not,” she said to calm Toni down.
Toni studied her for a moment. “Not even the baby thing.”
Peggy shrugged. “Suzette has to hold on to Joe’s money some way. Even if they decided to split up later, he’ll have a kid to take care of for eighteen years. I definitely don’t see retirement in his future any time soon. He’ll still be working when he’s past eighty.”
“Serves him right. Does Sonya know?”
Peggy shook her head. “Not yet. I left it up to him to tell her. She would have called if he had.”
Toni crossed the room to sit on the edge of Peggy’s desk. Her frown was then replaced with a smile. “Look, the reason I came in was to tell you that I got a call from Willie Baker.”
At the mention of the man’s name, Peggy felt her stomach beginning to do somersaults. “And?”
“And he’s coming back to Orlando next weekend and wants to see if we’re free to do the Disney World thing then.”
Peggy tried downplaying her delight at the thought of seeing him again. She simply smiled at Toni and said calmly, “Okay.”
Toni glared at her. “Will you get down from jumping all over the desk?”
Peggy rolled her eyes. “What do you want from me?”
“A little excitement wouldn’t hurt. The man has the hots for you.”
Peggy threw her head back and laughed. “Toni, take a look. I’m a fifty-seven-year-old woman. I figure Willie Baker is fifty-nine. We’re both too old to have the hots for anything.”
“Wanna bet. John still gets the hots for me. The man has the hots for you, just like I know you have the hots for him, although you’re trying not to let it show. But I’m not stupid.”
Peggy sighed. No, Toni wasn’t stupid. And Toni was also right in thinking that she had the hots for Willie. “So, what if I do have the hots for him? What do you suggest I do?”
She could see the twinkle that came in Toni’s gaze. “Let’s go shopping this weekend, and I’ll tell you just what you need to do.”
Peggy shook her head. That’s what she was afraid of.
Suzette was pitching a fit. “What do you mean she didn’t agree to stop her alimony payments!”
“I did as you suggested and told her I would be seeing an attorney but that didn’t move her one bit,” Joe said, grabbing the remote off the table. “In fact,” he added, “I think it pissed her off.”
“Who cares?” Suzette all but yelled. “We need more money. I want my baby to have the best of everything. Peggy has no right to expect you to continue to pay her money every month just because she was your wife for all those years.”
This was when Joe knew to tune Suzette out. She didn’t like his ex-wife or his daughter. Evidently, she thought they were a threat to her, which he constantly tried assuring her they weren’t. Occasionally she would get on a roll, and he refused to listen. For once he would like to come home from the office and get some peace and quiet instead of a lot of bitching.
“Joe? Are you listening?”
He glanced over at her. “Yes, I’m listening,” he lied.
“Then do something.”
He rolled his eyes. “Suzette, we better leave well enough alone. No judge in this state is going to let me drop Peggy’s alimony payments, and if we piss her off, she might take me back to court for an increase. She even hinted at such.”
Anger flared in Suzette’s face even more. “She can’t do that!”
“Evidently, you don’t know the law, because she can, so let it go.”
“What about all that baby furniture I ordered yesterday?”
That got Joe’s attention. “I thought I asked you not to buy anything else without my approval. Are you trying to put us in the poorhouse?”
She glared at him. “Of course not. You said for me not to buy anything. I assumed you meant for myself. The furniture I bought is for the baby.”
He shook his head. She had found out about her pregnancy just a week ago and was buying baby furniture already? Angrily, he stood. “You knew what I meant and deliberately did what I asked you not to do,” he said, raising his voice.
“Joe, I’m getting upset, and you know what the doctor said about me getting upset.”
He placed his hands on his hips. “No, I know what you claimed the doctor said about you getting upset.”
“Are you saying you don’t believe me?”
Joe suddenly decided he wanted to be any place other than here. “Look, I’m going out.”
“Where?”
“Out.” And he kept walking, even though she was engaging in one hell of a hissy fit behind him.
20
Courtney stared at her laptop, trying to think, but it was difficult given that Lake was on his way over. He had called earlier to verify that she still wouldn’t mind him dropping by, and she’d told him she was fine with it. Bottom line, she had missed him today and wanted to see him. She sighed, knowing such a thing made her seem like a needy child. But that wasn’t it. There was nothing about her need for Lake Masters that was childlike. She was definitely feeling the emotions—sexual and otherwise—of a grown woman.
She stood and glanced down at herself. The moment he had called, she showered and changed into a sundress. She figured the outfit she had on earlier hadn’t been sexy enough, and whenever Lake saw her, she wanted him to think sexy. What Sonya had said earlier that day was true. He was a prime catch, and for some reason he was convinced—as Sonya also stated—that she was the one.
She nibbled nervously on her bottom lip when she heard the sound of his truck outside. Was she really the one, or did he just think so for the time being? She truly wished these insecurities would go away. But then, what did she expect when constantly dating men who were losers? And when she finally met one who was everything in a man she’d ever dreamed about, it was hard to accept. She knew it simply wasn’t rational to feel the way she did. Where most women would count such a man coming into their lives as a blessing and move on with it, she couldn’t. She had to get over this ingrained fear that all men were like her father and her uncle Joe. Doing so was hard because those were the men she’d been around the most while growing up, and both had greatly disappointed her.
Her pulse jumped at the sound of the doorbell, and she took a deep breath to calm her jittery nerves. What do you say to a man whom you had spent a night making love with nonstop? How did you react? Was she supposed to invite him to stay again or chalk it up as a one-time deal? Dang, where was Sonya when she needed her? Knowing Sonya, she was probably somewhere making out with Mike.
“Who is it?” she asked when she reached the door.
“Lake.”<
br />
Taking one last huge gulp of breath, she slowly opened the door. When she saw him, she opened her mouth to say something and then said nothing. No words seemed capable of forming in her mouth. The light from the streetlamp outlined his features. They were features she’d seen before, up-close and personal, but there was something about him standing there on her doorstep, looking as sexy-as-he-wanna-be that started her blood stirring in a way that couldn’t be normal. The raw physical force of him was impacting her senses. The one word that seemed to readily come to mind whenever she saw him was sexy.
Since it seemed she couldn’t say anything, he did. “Hello, Courtney.”
The deep voice stirred sensations within her some more, and then there was the way he was looking at her, like he could eat her alive. Hell, when she thought of all the oral sex he’d introduced her to last night, he’d almost done that very thing.
Knowing he couldn’t stand outside on her doorstep forever while she pulled herself together, she forced herself to respond to his greeting. “Hello, Lake. Won’t you come in?”
What she wanted to ask was, Won’t you come in and make love to me again witch the same intensity that you did last night? Who cares if I probably won’t be able to walk in the morning and will have to take another day off work?
But she didn’t ask. She merely took a couple of steps back when he came in taking a couple steps forward, which put them standing directly in front of each other, face to face, body to body, heat to heat.
Trying to ignore the breathless fluttering taking place inside her stomach, she studied his features, mainly his lips. They were perfectly shaped and extraordinary skilled.
“You’re still working,” he said in a throaty voice when he glanced across the room and saw her laptop on the sofa.
“Yes, but I’m almost finished. Would you like anything while you wait?” It was only after she said the words that it occurred to her that she didn’t particularly like the way they sounded. What was he supposed to be waiting on? It was as if he was only there for one thing. Was he?
“No, I’m fine. Besides, I brought my own work with me,” he said, pulling a BlackBerry out of his pocket. “No rush.”
Her Little Black Book Page 16
