Sex, Money, and the Price of Truth (The Price Series Book 2)

by PE Kavanagh

  “We should sit down. They’re gonna start,” informed Trevor.

  Aidan stepped back enough for her to take a look at him. Lean dark pants and a shirt open to the second button. Was it white? Or silver? It was hard to tell in the dimly lit room. She ran her hand over the fabric that felt like solidified cream.

  She sat between the two men, facing the stage. Lola continued to stroke Aidan’s arm, letting herself imagine what was under there, then continuing down to land on his hand, resting on his thigh. She curled her fingers into his and squeezed.

  “Lo…” he whispered. She released his hand and slid her hand to the inside of his thigh, then up the center seam of his pants. His gasp was drowned out by the sudden sound of a horn, followed by the roar of the crowd. The show had begun.

  She looked him straight in the eye and squeezed him in her hand. He hardened under her palm.

  His body jumped and his mouth opened. “Fuck,” she read on his lips.

  The band began, one instrument at a time, until they had created a full groove. The crowd was on their feet, dancing, when the volume dropped by half. Everyone sat down, as if on cue. Then a voice…

  Maddie hit a note that silenced the room, even before she stepped on stage. Slowly, she appeared, illuminated in a spotlight, still holding that note. Nobody moved.

  The sounds transformed into a wordless duet between her and the trumpet, back and forth. When the drummer kicked in, and Maddie took a breath to smile at her rapt audience, there was no one in that room who hadn’t fallen in love with her. The applause was deafening. And it had only been five minutes.

  “Damn…” Aidan said.

  Trevor looked over at him, knowingly. “Told you so.”

  Lola beamed with pride about her best friend. It was amazing to be around someone so talented. And the man to her right… well, that added a whole new level to the experience.

  Aidan took her hand - that hand - and cupped it in both of his. He brought it slowly up to his mouth. Lips warmed her palm. Then, wetness. He was licking her. She gave thanks for the seat below her because that move would have dropped her onto the floor.

  “Can we make a quick stop? I hate going to someone’s house empty handed.”

  Good manners had always been an aphrodisiac for her. “Your mother raised you well.”

  “She did her best.”

  He redirected the taxi a block from Trevor and Maddie’s apartment, to a fancy liquor store, and selected two bottles of champagne. The happy couple were home when they arrived.

  “Hi! Welcome to Chez Bruckner.”

  The men did their bro shake and Lola gave Trevor a squeeze.

  “Thanks for having us over,” Aidan said.

  “It’s actually easier than going out. And my girl likes few things better than that couch over there.”

  “I heard that!” came the voice from another room. “Hey, Lo. Come in here and help me change.”

  “Yes, boss.” Addressing the men, Lola added, “Excuse me gentlemen. Maybe you guys can pop that fabulous bottle.”

  Maddie was most of the way out of her intricate dress and Lola decided to do the same. The women returned to the living room in sweats and leggings.

  “Woah! It’s pumpkin time already?” Trevor pretended to be shocked.

  Maddie threw her arms up. “Oh my God, Trev, that again? Are you serious?”

  “Pumpkin time?” Aidan asked with a confused look.

  “Oh, boy…” Lola shook her head.

  “My husband, brilliant as he is, cannot seem to understand the simplest of children’s fairy tales. Cinderella and the pumpkin are not equivalents, Trev. One does not turn into the other.”

  “Trevor always says we go out looking like Cinderella and turn into pumpkins when we come home,” Lola explained.

  “Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard?!” Maddie said, gesticulating madly.

  “I think you guys look great. Lola can’t seem to look bad, ever.” Aidan winked at her.

  She rolled her eyes, sweetly, shifting her gaze from Aidan. “Maddie, you guys have been having this argument forever. You’re going to be 100 years old and toothless, and still arguing about Cinderella and the pumpkin.”

  “That’s fine with me,” Trevor said. “I especially like the toothless part.”

  They all burst out laughing. “You can always count on my dirty boy for that, too.”

  “That’s why you love me.” Trevor kissed her dramatically.

  “Let’s toast,” Lola said. “Here’s to my best friend, soul sister, diva extraordinaire for proving to the world that there isn’t a damn thing she can’t do!”

  They clinked their glasses and hummed in appreciation at the delicious champagne. Maddie briefly made eye contact with each of them. “Thanks you guys. And those flowers, Aidan, waiting for me backstage when I got there. You made me feel like a star!”

  “You deserved them. I'm still speechless about that performance. You need to be selling out Carnegie Hall next time.”

  “That’s the plan, honey. That’s the plan.”

  Trevor opened and closed the refrigerator door. “Babe, I don’t think we have any food. And you’re going to need to eat.”

  “Should we order something?” Aidan suggested.

  “Excellent idea, bro!”

  They squeezed into the small galley kitchen to peruse the collection of takeout menus. The consensus was Indian.

  “If you want, I can run down there and pick it up. So we don’t have to wait for delivery,” Aidan proposed.

  Lola gazed lovingly at her generous, thoughtful guy. “That’s okay. They’re usually quick. And we don’t want you leaving just yet.” Lola offered Aidan a kiss, which he gladly accepted and reciprocated. The change to sweatpants clearly hadn’t dampened his excitement one bit.

  She pulled away to find Maddie and Trevor transfixed. “It’s not polite to stare,” Lola said directly to Maddie.

  “It’s not polite to make out in the middle of someone else’s kitchen.” Maddie put on her best fierce look.

  “Who needs more champagne?” asked Trevor, their constant mediator. All the glasses went up.

  * * *

  After dinner, Lola and Aidan curled up on the recliner, meant for one person, while Trevor and Maddie shared the overstuffed couch. While Trevor spoke, he rubbed his wife’s feet. That was their way: always offering a kind and generous gesture. From the day she met them in the apartment across the hall, Lola had been in awe of them. Even through their recent struggles with infertility, they had remained devoted to each other.

  Lola snuggled deeper into Aidan as he held her in the small space of the large chair. She folded her knees across his chest, like a child. His long arms cradled her entire body as he planted small kisses in her hair.

  The conversations unfolded as if they had been fast friends for years. With every smart comment Aidan made, and every time he kept up with her friends’ quick wit, Lola grew more impressed. From this view, the guy sharing the chair with her was shockingly perfect.

  In the middle of one of Trevor’s stories about his students, Maddie popped up off the couch, in a way that only surprised Aidan, as the other two knew exactly what was happening.

  “I’ve got an ideeeeeaaaaa,” she sang as she skipped to the bedroom. She returned, dangling a joint between her thumb and forefinger, like a pendulum. “Who wants a little smokey smokey?”

  “Baby… maybe our guest doesn’t enjoy such a thing.” Trevor's face tightened.

  “Your guest will happily participate,” Aidan assured them all.

  “But what about Lo?” Trevor asked.

  “What about Lo?" Aidan was oblivious to their inside knowledge.

  Maddie's arms went up. “Oy! That girl is the worst stoned person ever. She’s super funny for like half a minute and then falls fast asleep. Party over. Done. She cannot handle her ganja.”

  “That’s such bullshit. Just because my eyes are closed doesn’t mean I'm asleep. I'm payin
g close attention to everything around me. Just not with my eyes.”

  “You bet, Lola.” Even Trevor agreed.

  “You guys are embarrassing me in front of YOUR GUEST. Stop it.”

  “We love you the best, Lola." Maddie looked around the room. "Don’t we?”

  “Yes we do,” chanted all three.

  “Good. So give me that joint. I'm starting.”

  The first joint was gone in two rounds, and another was brought out. The party got louder and sillier, then much quieter.

  “Your body is like fire,” Lola slurred while rubbing Aidan’s chest.

  He smiled, amused. “Thanks, Lola. Nothing compared to yours.”

  “How can you tell under this huge sweatshirt?”

  “Trust me. I can tell. And let’s not forget the red dress that nearly killed me.”

  She moved her gaze from his sculpted chest to his beautiful face. “Are you ever going to try anything, Aidan?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  “Yes. I mean you’re totally hot. And we could have totally hot sex, like right now. But if you want to wait… well… I guess that’s alright too.”

  “I think it’s fine, Lola. To wait. We don't need to rush.”

  “I like you, Aidan.”

  “I like you, Lola.” He kissed her head before she tucked it under his chin and fell asleep, as predicted.

  * * *

  “Lola. Wake up honey. Lola.”

  Someone was shaking her. “Stop it!”

  “Lola, let’s go to bed.” Maddie’s voice pierced her groggy haze.

  “No. I want to go home." Somehow, she found a way to sit up. Aidan was still sharing the chair with her. How long have I been out?

  “It’s too late, Lo. Just stay here.”

  “Nope. I'm going home.”

  “I can take her home,” offered Aidan.

  “Wait a minute… she’s in no shape. She’s fine here.” Maddie’s tone was unexpectedly sharp.

  Trevor took his wife’s arm, aware of where this was going.

  “Maddie, I promise I’ll get her home safe and sound.”

  Maddie turned to Trevor with a panicked look on her face, miming, do something!

  “I'm getting that you don’t think it’s okay she leaves with me?” There was a tone in Aidan’s voice that Lola had not heard before. It sounded like he was struggling to stay respectful.

  Trevor interceded. “No, man. It’s fine. Maddie just worries. And she’s a little tipsy.”

  “Good. Aidan will take me home,” Lola said, definitively.

  Maddie's furious glare flipped from Aidan to her husband.

  “How about if she texts you when she gets home. Is that okay?” Aidan’s tone had become razor sharp.

  Maddie was insistent. “I think she should stay here.”

  Aidan’s frustration finally burst into anger. “Maddie, what exactly do you think I'm going to do? I mean really?”

  Lola dropped her head in her hands. She knew the reason for her best friend’s over-protectiveness, but was too tired to talk Maddie down at that particular moment. She just wanted to get home. “Lord! Can we not do this now? I'm tired. I want to be in my own bed. Maddie, chill the fuck out. I love you.”

  Lola slept the short cab ride home, wrapped in Aidan’s arms. He took care of everything – fetching her keys, opening all the doors and helping her all the way to bed. This had slipped her mind when she stumbled from her bedroom in the middle of the night for a drink of water and saw someone on her couch.

  She screamed. He screamed.

  “Oh my God,” she said, breathless, only after he sat straight up. “It’s you. What’s going on?”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said, rubbing his face. “I brought you home, remember?”

  “I know. Why are you out here?”

  “I wasn’t sure… I wanted to make sure you were alright. Hope it’s okay.”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

  Lola crossed the dark living room to the kitchen and returned with two glasses of water. “It’s cold out here. Do you want a blanket? Or you could come in… to my room.”

  He got up without answering, took the glasses from her hands and headed into the bedroom. She got into her side of the bed and curled up around the blankets as he walked around to the other side and nestled in behind her. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was how well their bodies fit together.

  The next time she woke, she was wrapped around him, with no surprise or fright. He had accompanied her into the most delightful dreams. And the view with her eyes open was just as good.

  “Good morning, Lola.” His voice was strained.

  “Good morning.” She placed her hand on his stomach, stroking that wonderfully silky shirt he was still in.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Great. Slept great. And you?” Her hand moved up to his collarbone, her finger tracing the broad line at the top of his chest.

  “Fine.” The flesh under her hand tensed. “Do you remember what happened? Why I'm here?”

  “Yes, I think so. You were on the couch, which was weird. Then you came in here. And then…” She paused, trying to remember. Then looked under the covers to see what they were wearing. Nearly fully dressed. Except… “Your pants.”

  “You asked me to take them off. They were too scratchy.”

  “Oh, yeah. Nice shorts by the way.” She giggled to herself. “Thanks for being a good sport. With Maddie basically accusing you of date rape, and my semi-consciousness. Ugh…”

  “I had a great time last night. More fun than I’ve had in a long time. And you’re fun to sleep with. You don’t move around much, but you kind of burrow in. Like turbo snuggling. It was great.”

  “I suppose there’s no point in getting all ashamed about it now.”

  “No. No point.”

  Lola moved more of her body closer to his. Her phone buzzed. “Oh, my God. I bet that’s her.”

  She reached over to the nightstand, picked up her phone and rolled her eyes. Lola laid back down, holding her phone up so that both of them could read the message.

  MADDIE: Hey, are you alright? Everything ok?

  LOLA: I’m still a virgin. No worries.

  MADDIE: You will be for a long time with that attitude.

  LOLA: We’ll see.

  Lola held the phone straight up and took a selfie of the two of them lying in bed.

  “No, don’t!” Aidan tried to stop her sending the photo, but it was too late.

  “Wow, she really scared you didn’t she?” Before she could deal with Aidan’s confusing panic, Lola’s phone rang. “Jeez, that girl has no boundaries.”

  “What did you expect with that picture? Now she thinks I was lying.” His tone was unexpectedly rough.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hey Mads. Whoaaa, honey, calm down. Everything is perfectly fine. Didn’t you see my smiling face? Yes, he’s still here. No, nothing happened. Yes, I would tell you. Can we talk about this a little later? After you’ve calmed down? Love you.”

  She put the phone down and resumed her position draped on him. His arms remained wrapped around her but his body did not soften.

  “Is she really that worried?” he asked into the top of her head.

  Lola didn’t know how to justify the Maddie who was joking about getting her laid and the Maddie who was crazily overprotective. It was complicated, but Lola felt obliged to tell him something. “Well, yes and no. It’s kind of a thing. You see, we’ve been through a lot together. She was by my side the whole time with my ex. She basically watched me nearly destroy myself. It’s hard to do that. You know, stand by someone you care about who is consistently choosing harm. Since then, I’ve kind of become her pet project.

  “Now that they’re going through some hard stuff – haven’t been able to get pregnant – she’s even more attentive to protecting me. It’s some sort of projection or something. And the fer
tility meds are basically escalating all her emotions.”

  Aidan shifted onto his side, head resting on his hand. He looked at her for a long time before speaking. “Have you thought about kids?”

  This was the most unsexy conversation she’d ever had in bed with a super hot guy. “Not really. I mean, most of my life so far has been about not getting pregnant, if you know what I mean.”

  “How about in the future?”

  “Probably. It seems distant. So many things have to happen before that. There’s the whole getting the sperm to the egg situation.”

  His face fell. “Oh my God, are you really a virgin?”

  She laughed so hard she almost hit him in the nose with her forehead. “No, Aidan. That was a joke. I just meant, despite having a pantless man in my bed at the moment, there’s not been a lot of sperm in my recent life.” Was that enough of a hint?

  His shock turned to relief, slowly.

  When he didn’t appear to get her hint, she kept rolling with the odd conversation. “How about you and kids?”

  “I’m still recovering from the last exchange. Give me a minute.” He pressed a breath through his pursed lips.

  “Wow. Virgin-phobia. My first sighting.”

  “Not funny. Anyway… I had pretty much planned on starting a family back before… but now… I guess I feel the same as you. A lot of things have to happen first. I’ve got a lot to figure out, and not just how to get my sperm around some eggs.”

  “I imagine that’s pretty easy for you.”

  “Are we really having this conversation again?”

  “Nope. Just an observation. Please go on.”

  “That’s it. Family – yes, definitely. Timing – TBD.”

  He lay down again. They both stared at the ceiling. “Do you remember what you said to me last night, in the chair?”

  “I think so.” Without a doubt. “What do you remember?”

  “You told me you thought I was hot.”

  “I said your body was fire, actually.”

  “Yes, yes, that’s right. So you weren’t lying. Even though you seemed totally out of it, you were aware of everything going on.”

  “Pretty much. There might be some blank spots. So, did you like that I said your body was fire?”