I’ll admit I was surprised when Solange Faraday pointed to this dress as the one she’d always dreamed of, but when she stepped out of the dressing room at the Funky Monkey wearing it, we all fell in love too.
“You think?” she asked, holding out her long arms covered in creamy Spanish lace. “I saw it in Paris. It’s not too much?”
“It’s definitely too much, but that’s the beauty of it,” I said, laughing at how ridiculously stunning she looked in her off-the-shoulder couture confection, which cinched her tiny waist and flared out in a cloud of pale cream tulle.
“Jesus Murphy Jones and his sister Martha,” Dauphine said, placing her hand over her chest. “Solange. It’s … perfection.”
“It also costs more than my car,” Solange said. “I don’t know if I can accept all this.”
“You should have thought of that before you accepted our Step,” I said, moved to tears by the sight of her.
Weeks later, in the pool house before the ceremony where we all gathered to privately toast the bride, Matilda had attached Solange’s Step Nine charm—Exuberance—to her bracelet.
“There. Something new,” she said. “And you can borrow my old blue handkerchief to cover all the other bridal criteria.”
There was never any question about whether Solange would stay in S.E.C.R.E.T. and take the Tenth Step. Once she reunited with Julius, this was always going to be her final Step, the one fantasy we all wanted to help facilitate. Watching her walk down the aisle at dusk to remarry Julius, the love of her life, their young son giving her away, and watching Julius lift her veil before reciting the vows they had written for each other, my heart burst wide open. And I knew it would never close again.
I scanned the crowd for my lovely assistants: Angela, Kit, Bernice and Pauline were all dabbing tears. Behind them, Jesse casually stretched his arm behind Matilda’s chair. She shifted a little uncomfortably, still trying to get used to his public displays of devotion. After the ceremony, I sidled up to her while Jesse went to get us all drinks.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“It’s a beautiful wedding. We might have stumbled on another source of income. Not that we need the money anymore,” she said, referring to the returned painting. She took my hand. “So, do you miss us, Cassie?”
“I miss you and the girls. Though, if we do decide to cater events here, we’ll see a lot of each other.”
Mark Drury’s band, The Careless Ones, wrapped up its first set, Mark handing the mike over to Solange to serenade Julius. The groom beamed from the back of the garden, a beer in one hand, his other arm around Gus’s shoulders, both of them completely love-struck.
“Hey, babe,” I heard behind me.
I turned around to gaze into my own man’s face. Will handed me a glass of champagne and clinked his against mine. He had asked me to bring him a suit to change into once the party was in full swing, but he was so sexy in his jeans, his mis-buttoned tuxedo shirt, the bow tie stuffed into his back pocket, his sunglasses askew on his head. We both drank from our flutes, never taking our smiling eyes off each other.
“Well,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and slinging his arm around my shoulders. “I think our first wedding went really well.”
“Could be a good side gig. We could hire catering staff, a couple of assistants for Dell, maybe put in a real cauldron for cookouts.”
He looked at me. “Have I told you how fucking beautiful you look tonight?”
“You did,” I said, smiling down at my cornflower blue sundress.
“Have I mentioned how brilliant you are at all of this?”
“Uh-huh, a couple of times already.”
“And have I told you how much I love you?”
“Yup, earlier today, when you pulled me under the trellis and kissed me in front of all those people.”
“Ah. Yes. I do remember doing that.”
We stood there, swaying to Solange’s beautiful voice.
“Should we cater our own wedding, I wonder?” he asked. “Or hire another company so we can relax and enjoy ourselves?”
My eyes widened as I fought back tears. “I didn’t realize we were having a wedding.”
“I mean, if you don’t want to marry me, I’m happy to keep on being your number-one fantasy man for the rest of your life. It is a big step.”
I finally turned to face him, my eyes spilling tears. “Yes, but I accept that step. I accept it wholeheartedly.”
“So it’s a yes?”
I nodded vigorously, too overcome with joy to do anything else but kiss him for a long time. I picked you and you picked me.
The band struck up the marching song “Street Parade” and broke into a little procession. I wiped my eyes and we grabbed our drinks and each other’s hands and everyone shimmied and sashayed behind the musicians, all the way up Third Street to St. Charles Avenue.
We were just in time to catch the tail end of the big parade, me leaning back into Will, his arms wrapped around me, as the sun finally set on this crazy, beautiful city I could finally, truly call my home.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Right from the get-go, I had the support, encouragement, guidance and leadership of my editor, Nita Pronovost. I couldn’t have embarked on this adventure without her, and everyone at Random House Canada, especially my publisher, Kristin Cochrane, Scott Richardson, Zoe Maslow and Adria Iwasutiak, publicist extraordinaire. Thank you Suzanne Brandreth and the Cooke Agency for being incredible international advocates. I have the best agent in the business who also happens to be an intuitive reader and a friend: Christy Fletcher and her stellar team—thank you—especially Rachel Crawford, Melissa Chinchillo and Kevin Cotter. And a big shout out to Gregg Sullivan for introducing me to so many passionate new readers.
To my best friends and first readers, thank you Lisa Laborde, Cathie James, Sarah Durning and my sister, Susan Gabriele—you each consistently elevated the material with your thoughtful queries and smart suggestions. Thank you so much. Finally, and mostly, I wish to thank every single reader that embraced this series and spread the word in more than thirty countries by pressing these books directly into their friends’ hands. Thank you for making room on your crowded bookshelves for a different kind of love story. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.
A READER’S GUIDE TO
S•E•C•R•E•T
REVEALED
1. There is a common theme for our main characters in the S.E.C.R.E.T trilogy. Prior to their transformations, Solange, Dauphine and Cassie have each lost touch with their sexual sides. Can you identify how each loss registered differently for each woman and how each woman recovered that aspect of herself?
2. In S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed, we meet Solange Faraday, the beautiful, successful New Orleans news anchor. Her first fantasy involves a mysterious, attractive handyman. Despite her attraction, Solange stops herself from flirting with him because of her status as an older, professional, divorced mother. Why do you think she feels these attributes hold her back sexually? Have you ever talked yourself out of flirting or behaving sexually because of similar perceptions?
3. In the prologue of S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed, we find Cassie and Will still madly in love before that fateful night at Latrobe’s. Cassie laments that in one week she went from being a “sex goddess” to a “dirty slut.” The notion of a “slut,” what that is and isn’t, is a common theme throughout the S.E.C.R.E.T. trilogy. How do the various characters in S.E.C.R.E.T. respond to the use of that word? How do you feel about that word?
4. That word “slut” also plagues a teenaged character, Claire, who is taunted by friends with dire results. Why do you think this issue still lingers? What can be done to cope with or prevent this kind of bullying?
5. Cassie is struck by the positive changes she sees in herself as the result of her participation in S.E.C.R.E.T. She feels she can now stand up for herself and go after what she wants. She is bolder and surer of herself and is no longer clingy and afraid. In wh
at scenes in S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed can you really see these changes in Cassie?
6. At one point, Solange frets: “What if I’m bad at sex?” Prior to accepting a Step, Solange has that private battle in her mind with her fears. What is at the core of those fears? Can you relate?
7. We learn that a contributing factor to Solange’s divorce was the “falling away of sex” after her son was born. But what else contributed to the death of their sex life? What changes between her and Julius, her ex, by the end of the book?
8. When recruiting Solange, Matilda, in her usual direct manner, explains that S.E.C.R.E.T. provides the opportunity for sex “relations,” not relationships. “These relations I speak of are purely sexual. Fun, free, safe, anonymous encounters. Ones you’re entirely in control of. Ones you define. They don’t define you. Sexual scenarios you come up with, executed exactly the way you want them to be executed. How does that sound to you?” Well, how does that sound to you? Do you feel in control of your sexual experiences? What would it take for you to feel more empowered sexually?
9. Solange meets the Committee of S.E.C.R.E.T. and is quite impressed. “These women were of an age; not pretty young things, not girls but women, women who looked me square-on, who glowed with a kind of sexy self-assurance I had long abandoned for professional polish. They wore their femaleness fearlessly, comfortably, alluringly.” Besides physical appearance, what qualities make a woman sexy? What does it look like to wear your “femaleness fearlessly”? How might an older woman’s sexiness differ from a younger woman’s sexiness? What do you think are Solange’s sexiest traits?
10. The first sexual fantasy on Solange’s wish list has a domestic twist to it and resembles a stereotypical male sexual fantasy, where the man comes home from work to find a sexy woman cleaning or cooking for him. What does this fantasy say about Solange? Out of Solange’s sexual fantasies, which one would appeal to you the most?
11. Cassie says, “Since S.E.C.R.E.T., I had discovered that I had been wrong about a lot of things.” Can you give an example of something she was wrong about that improved her life?
12. Matilda says that some men (and women) don’t think that a woman’s sexual appetite is as important to satisfy as a man’s, or they feel that a woman’s sex life shouldn’t be as varied, complex and interesting as a man’s. Have you ever faced these perceptions in yourself or others? How does this perceived attitude affect Solange? Cassie? What do they do to defy it?
13. When in pain, Matilda says, the best remedy is to “work hard. Try to be of some service. You can’t do anything about how he feels or about how he sees the world. But you can change how you look at yourself. Don’t let this stall all of your great progress.” What are some actions Cassie takes to follow these suggestions? Can you think of situations where Cassie and Dauphine let their men stall their progress in life? Would you ever apply Matilda’s advice in your own life?
14. For Solange, the anticipation of her next sexual fantasy is heightened by the fact that she doesn’t have to “work for it.” She enjoys the freedom of not having to worry about rejection, primping, flirting, dating, jeopardizing her reputation, and introducing anyone to her son. Do you find the idea of having all that work taken out of your sex life appealing? Why? Why not?
15. “Beauty in business distracts. The more beautiful you are, the less, it seems, you’re taken seriously.” Throughout the book, Solange struggles with her need to be taken seriously as a professional woman and therefore plays down her sexuality, creating obstacles when it comes to S.E.C.R.E.T. Do you think she is right about women, beauty and business? Have you ever had experiences that either prove or deny this theory? How does Solange resolve this, if at all?
16. During her photo-shoot fantasy, Solange becomes more confident with each passing moment. She wonders: “What is it about a stranger that makes you abandon all your rules and regulations?” Why does the lack of emotional intimacy seem to allow Solange (and Cassie and Dauphine, for that matter) to abandon herself to the moment? Have you had any experiences with strangers where you had a similar reaction?
17. At the opening of Cassie’s, Will agrees to invite Tracina, Carruthers Johnstone and baby Neko. Cassie, now a friend of Tracina’s, insists that Will forgive her. Did this surprise you? Do you think Cassie was right? How is forgiveness important for Will’s transformation in S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed? How good are you at forgiving people?
18. By the end of the book, Cassie and Solange end up in love with men from their real lives, not men from their sex fantasies. In your opinion, what keeps Cassie and Jesse apart? Is it harder or easier for a relationship that begins with sexual chemistry to transform into something more intimate? What makes it possible for Cassie and Jesse to walk away as friends? What sustained Cassie and Will’s relationship, even when they weren’t sexually involved?
19. Tracina was born with a natural comfort and confidence in her sexuality. “Be mysterious,” she tells Cassie. “Be busy, date. You really want a guy? Behave like you don’t.” How does Cassie follow this advice? What is your philosophy when it comes to attracting someone?
20. Cassie lists facets of her life developed through her involvement in S.E.C.R.E.T.: entrepreneur, lover, business partner, boss, mentor, friend. Do you think she could have developed all of these aspects of herself without the organization’s help?
21. In your opinion, what really brought Cassie and Will back together?
22. Looking back over all three books in the trilogy, can you see other times when Jesse’s feelings for Matilda (and vice versa) were apparent? Or did that turn completely surprise you, as it did Cassie? How did you react to this relationship, considering the age difference and other factors?
23. What major lessons does Solange learn by the end of S.E.C.R.E.T Revealed? What is at the heart of her transformation? Beyond her reunion with Julius, what else has she achieved?
24. Why did it take Solange’s participation in S.E.C.R.E.T. to bring her and Julius together? What did she need to let go of to make room for this reunion?
25. S.E.C.R.E.T. is a fictional society dedicating to helping women achieve a sexual awakening. What are some ways you can create your own personal sexual awakening?
Also by L. Marie Adeline
Say yes to S • E • C • R • E • T
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SECRET Revealed Page 24
