Lovers and Other Strangers Box Set: The Boston Stories

by L. C. Giroux

  "So Michael, how are you enjoying your piece?" Michael choked on his water and turned red which surprised her.

  "I enjoy it very much, thank you."

  "Michael I didn't know you had one of Evie's pieces. I don't think I've ever seen it." This from Violet which seemed to make Michael redder.

  "You have darling, I just don't know that I ever told you who made it."

  "But her work is very distinctive. I'm sure I would have recognized it. Where do you keep it?" Michael was bright red and on the verge of laughter, actually he looked ready to burst.

  "In the bedroom, dear."

  "Now I know you are lying. Evie's pieces are large there is no way I would miss something like that in our bedroom." He couldn't stop himself now that he'd started and the laughter rolled out of him. Evie felt like she should intervene. She didn't want them to get into a fight on her account.

  "Oh, this piece was much smaller than all of my other work. Your husband came to me a while ago with some very clear ideas of what he wanted. It was almost as if he had mapped out exactly where he wanted it to curve and where it should be rough. It was fascinating to work on with him. The piece itself was maybe eight inches long and slightly curved, an obelisk shape but rounded, very organic."

  "Evie, you make it sound like a..." Joseph cleared his throat and lowered his voice "you just described a dildo, darling." Now Violet was flame red. She clutched at the tablecloth and looked like she was going to be ill. Both Evie and Joseph stared at her while Michael howled with laughter.

  "Do you remember seeing it now sweetheart?" he managed to get out before he doubled over. Violet stood up and ran to the ladies room. Joseph started laughing with his friend and when Evie realized what she had made and worse asked about she turned red.

  "Oh God! How could you... Why didn't you stop me? She'll hate me and she should. Oh, will you two stop laughing this isn't funny!"

  "I can tell you that she is a big fan of your work." Michael choked out and the men started laughing all over again.

  "Dammit, I need to go apologize." When she got to the ladies room Violet was sitting on a couch with her feet up and her shoes off. Evie wasn't really sure what to say to her. When Violet saw her she moved her feet and patted the couch next to her so she could sit down. "Violet, I'm so sorry, truly if I had thought about it, I might have recognized what it was except it wasn't really shaped like a penis so... It is fascinating in the abstract but I wouldn't have brought it up at dinner at least."

  "Michael had told me he had an artist make it. He has excellent taste, I should have figured he would have found you. Your work is very sensual so it would have been a natural partnership. He told me he had collaborated with the artist."

  "Yes, he was very specific about some things. In retrospect it was almost as if..."

  "He knew where all the good parts were."

  "Oh God, yes." Evie wanted to die, how could she have been so stupid.

  "My dear husband is nothing if not thorough in his pursuit of my pleasure. For a while he was quite insatiable about it actually, but that was before he realized he could have his own too. Michael's impairment is greater than Cam's, or so I have been told."

  "Violet I would feel less like an idiot if... I don't know, would you like to know a secret about me. I want us to be friends but I don't think I could look at you if I knew this and you didn't know something equally embarrassing about me."

  "Ooh, girlfriend secrets! I never really had those kinds of friends growing up. Yes, we'll share our sorted secrets and then we'll be good friends. I would like that very much."

  "Okay," Evie took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I am still a virgin." She let out all of her breath. "My own sister doesn't even know!" Violet's face dropped.

  "How has Cam taken it? He must be climbing the walls. I have never known a man that was more sexually charged than he is. I mean, except for the fact that he is in a wheelchair, women still gape at him."

  "I know, I went to high school with him, there wasn't a girl he couldn't have gotten into bed just by crooking his finger at them. He doesn't know yet."

  "You're telling me that the two of you haven't been intimate yet? I don't know how you could stand it. Unless you've got your own marble love toy." They both burst into giggles.

  "No, he says I keep distracting him from his goal. It didn't start out that way but if the warm up is any indication of what the rest is going to be like, I may not live to tell you when I've lost it. Unfortunately, he has decided that if I won't 'let him in' then he is not allowing me to do anything else. So now we are both climbing the walls."

  "Are you waiting for a marriage proposal?"

  "No. Really I'm not. Its just, I focus all of that energy into my work now and I don't know how my work will change after. Okay, that is crap. I think I'm just scared of getting hurt, not the actual physical stuff but emotionally."

  "Maybe your work will become even more sensual, because those feeling are there in your work but if you have sex then there will be an awareness that is missing now."

  "You mean like being able to spot a dildo when I am carving one? Do you know how much I held that thing in my hand? I used to find myself caressing it even while I was working on other things. I was actually quite proud of how it turned out."

  "You'll have to get Cam to map you out from the inside and you can make your own. I have to tell you the little bit of texture on the part that hits the G-spot, Genius!" They burst out in giggles again.

  "We should go back, they are going to think we left without them."

  "I'll blame the pregnancy hormones, greatest thing ever, I can say whatever pops into my head and then pat my belly and my husband doesn't say a word!" Violet stood up and put her shoes back on. They left the bathroom arm in arm and marched up to the table where the men were sitting.

  "How much trouble am I in dear." Michael smiled up at his wife. She glared back but her lips curled in a devious smile.

  "You are going to get tied to the bed when we get home and I may leave you for dead." He looked like he was about to say something and Violet started rubbing her protruding belly, he stopped and just looked at his plate. Joseph cleared his throat.

  "Well in that case he'll need a hearty dinner. Michael what do you recommend?"

  Cam thought the rest of the dinner went well. Evie was still pink from embarrassment but her and Violet kept looking at each other and smiling. What the hell were they up to. He was glad they got along but the thought of the two of them pooling their talents was enough to terrify any man. Michael couldn't believe he hadn't tied Evie up yet which made him wonder even more what went on in their bedroom. Marble sex toys and bondage, maybe Michael wasn't so much of a choir boy any more. Okay he really didn't want to think about it.

  Maybe Evie was nervous because things had started off so strange or she was just shy meeting new people but she had been snuggled up against him, flirty as all hell. She'd even been feeding him with her fingers. He didn't mind but he sure as hell wasn't go home and taking a cold shower again. When they were waiting for the cars to be brought around Michael smiled at him and said good luck, Cam said the same back and Michael started laughing, again he didn't want to know.

  As she drove home Evie kept stoking his leg almost absentmindedly. When he couldn't take anymore he'd cover her hand with his and she glance over and smile at him. Shit, he wanted her around for the long haul. Telling her he loved her, talking about her being pregnant, he meant those things. He didn't want to freak her out or piss her off so bad that she would take off. Maybe cuffing her to the bed wasn't such a great idea.

  When they got home they went to their rooms just like they had been for the last couple of days. He thought about taking another cold shower and decided that it wasn't worth it. It didn't change anything so he got undressed and put some flannel bottoms on and sat on the edge of the bed contemplating how his life had become complicated. He was surprised when she poked her head in the door.

  "Everything
okay, Evie?"

  "Um, yeah, I thought you'd be taking a shower. You usually do before you go to bed."

  "No, usually I shower in the morning but for some strange reason I have had to take a cold shower before going to bed the last couple of days. Got any ideas as to why that might be?"

  "A cold shower?"

  "Yes."

  "Joseph, I don't want to play this game anymore."

  "Thank God!" He reached for her arm and pulled her down on the bed then pinned her under him. "I was thinking I was going to have to cuff you to the bed and seduce you but I was afraid I'd piss you off. This way I can just get to the good part." She was wearing the flannel shirt she had bought for him that he still hadn't gotten to wear. He started unbuttoning her. He craved the feel of her skin against his lips. He kissed his way down the valley of her breasts, he was just starting to revel in the softness of her stomach when his phone rang. Fuck it! Nothing was more important than this.

  "Joseph, your phone."

  "Let it go to voicemail."

  "It might be Delia."

  "Fuck." He grabbed the phone and saw that it was Michael. "Violet alright?"

  "She's fine. You didn't actually do what we had talked about at dinner did you?"

  "I'm kinda in the middle of something here."

  "Cam, Tell me she's not cuffed to the bed, that would be bad, really bad."

  "No, Not that part but the rest, yes." Why was Michael so fucking interested right now. "I gotta go."

  "Cam, wait, look, When Evie and Violet were talking... Evie sort of mentioned that she's... She's a virgin buddy, I don't know about you but that would sure as hell change the way I would do things. I just didn't want you to totally screw things up for yourself. I mean, being her first is one thing but seeing you two together tonight it looked like you were pretty interested in being her last, if you get my drift." Cam closed his eyes to stop the the roaring in his ears. It did change everything even if he wasn't sure why.

  "Yeah, something like that. Gotta go, I'll keep what you said in mind." He hung up and looked down at Evie. Her hair was swirled around her head like a halo, She was more naked than not, hell, she hadn't worn any panties. He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath that hurt his chest.

  "Get dressed." He couldn't believe he was doing this. He didn't entirely understand why he was doing this. She looked at him in confusion.

  "But..."

  "Get dressed Evie. You need to sleep in your own bed."

  "But I want..."

  "God dammit, don't say it, please." The last part sounded as desperate as he felt. She sat up and clutched the shirt over her chest.

  "I...I don't understand. What did I do wrong?" He wasn't handling this well at all. Why did this feel like a sucker punch to the gut. He should be thrilled but the last time he'd taken a girl's virginity was back in his freshman year of high school and he had been a virgin too.

  "You didn't do anything wrong. I, I just need to think."

  "Fine." She sounded like it was anything but fine.

  "The security guys called earlier today, they finished up this afternoon. I'll move back tomorrow."

  "Evie, you don't have to do that."

  "Yes, I do. You have been very gracious about letting me stay here. But you are right we don't know each other all that well and I obviously was wrong about... I'll be gone in the morning."

  "I wasn't being gracious, I wanted you to stay here."

  "Well, I think maybe I've overstayed my welcome. It will be good to get back to work and my normal life again."

  "Evie, I just need to figure some things out. I need to clear my head some so I can think. I never said you had to leave."

  "No, its better this way. I'll call you when I get settled back into my routine, I promise."

  "If that is what you want."

  "I think its best. The space will be good, let you figure things out." He felt like everything important was swirling around him just out of his grasp. If he could catch just one thing then he could get the rest to fall into line but nothing stood still long enough for him to figure out what all the important things even were, let alone make them make sense. She got up and went to her bedroom.

  He sat there for hours trying to make sense of how he felt. He was crazy about her, he knew that, he'd even told her he loved her. It hurt that she hadn't said it back but he'd gotten the feeling she was definitely moving in the right direction. She had even come in here tonight saying she was tired of the bullshit of the last couple of days and was ready to... Actually that was all she'd said, he hadn't given her a chance to say anything else before he pounced on her and then Michael had called. Hell, he had no more idea now of what to think than he did when she'd walked out. If he could just hold her, hear her say she loved him back then it would make sense.

  He couldn't help himself and went to her room like he had done each night for the last couple of days. He watched her chest rise and fall with her breathing. The light from the streetlamp reflected off the tracks of her tears on her cheeks. He closed his eye at the ache that caused in his chest. He had screwed up badly, his fear of being out of control with her had gotten him to the point where he had made this woman he loved cry and the thought caused him physical pain. She turned her head towards him and he was surprised to find she was still awake.

  "What did you want Joseph?"

  "Oh, ugh, nothing. I was just coming to check on you. Make sure you were okay. Are you?"

  "Like those other nights?"

  "You knew about that?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. Go to bed."

  "Come with me."

  "No."

  "I need to hold you, please."

  "I don't think that is a good idea. I think you should go."

  "Evie..."

  "Just go." It came out as a sob and then she turned over to face the wall. He backed out the door and went back to his room.

  Cam didn't know how to fix this. He had always fixed everyone's problems, it was what he was good at. But this, he'd fallen in love with someone so wonderful and rare, he'd known that even before he found out she was a virgin, he'd wanted to make love to her not just for the physical release. Hell, he wanted that too, but not just that. They had known each other forever and not at all. He had to find some way to make her see she did love him and he had to find some way around his fear of hurting her.

  He spent the part of the morning helping her load up her car. When she was finally packed he asked if she wanted breakfast.

  "You don't have to do that."

  "I know I don't have to, I want to. I like eating meals with you, hell I like just sitting around doing nothing with you." She gave him a weak smile.

  "Come on, its not like you've got anything at your place. Let me make you breakfast." She thought about it for a second and realized he was right. There wasn't any food at her loft so it was eat here or at the diner.

  "Fine, but something quick." He laughed he had no intention of making something quick."

  "Sure how about I make you some crepes."

  "I thought you only knew how to make Italian."

  "I do, Dad would make manicotti from scratch, turns out it uses crepes as the noodle part. So I can make crepes too."

  "Crepes aren't quick."

  "Sure they are. You want sweet or savory?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I've got ham and cheese or I can do some ricotta and preserves."

  "Both sound good, you can pick.

  "If both is what you want then both is what you'll have. Keep me company while I cook." That got her to sit down at least.

  "Joseph, I should just go."

  "No! I would be a lousy host if I just let you leave, you can have some breakfast, we can talk some, come on one last meal before you go, even a dying man gets a last meal."

  "Fine, you know I find you irresistible when you smile like that." She smirked at him but stayed put. He took his first full breath in way too long. He'd come up with the loose working of a plan
but wasn't feeling all that confident about it. Her sitting there eating breakfast was a major hurdle he'd jumped. He was able to keep the conversation light while he cooked. She moved around his kitchen like she owned the place getting the stuff together to dress the crepes up. He liked watching her looking so comfortable there. When they had almost finished eating he reached over and held her hand.

  "You look tense, let me give you a back rub," She started to object. He held up his hands "I promise I'm not going to undress you if that is what you're afraid of."

  "Right."

  "No, really. You're so tense, let me help. Come sit on my knees so I can get a better angle."

  "Joseph." He didn't say a word. If she did it, another hurdle cleared. If she didn't, well, he'd have to come up with a plan B. She thought about for a second longer and then got up and perched on his knees with her back to him. He reached under the hem of her shirt and started just rubbing to warm his hands up.

  "Sorry my hands are cold, they'll warm up in a second." She stiffened up and then started to relax again. Once his hands were warmed he started at the base of her spine and gently kneaded his thumbs in to the tight muscles. She let out a puff of air.

  "Feel good?" She just shook her head yes. "I'm going to go lower."He hooked his thumbs down below the waist band of her jeans, even under the lace of her underwear.

  "Hey!"

  "I've got to do the back of your hips or it won't really be any use." She turned and looked him in the eye. He tried to think his most innocent thoughts. It must have worked because she turned to face away from him and let him continue. He smiled as another hurdle crashed down. He kept working his thumbs into her back and then up her spine. His hands were under the shirt and while he couldn't see anything he was soaking up the feel of her skin. He took a deep breath to tamp down his desire, this wasn't about him, it was about making her feel good. When he worked his way up to her neck he took his hands out from under her shirt and started on the base of her skull. Her bones felt so tiny in his hands, like one wrong move or too much force and he'd break her. His hands stilled and on reflex he kissed the back of her neck. She melted back against him and he slid his hands down her thighs cradling her against his body.