Pete cleared his throat and tried to look busy scooping food onto his plate and putting the food containers in the fridge, wishing that Candace was anywhere but in his kitchen. He couldn’t care less about any of them—not Kyle, nor his first wife, or their legal struggles.
How had this woman gotten into his house again?
When Pete turned back after shutting the fridge, Candace was grinning at him seductively, pressing her now empty wine glass into her bottom lip. Before he could think of anything to say, she said, “I know your wife watches us have sex.”
Without hesitation, Pete replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do,” she suggested coyly, setting her glass on the island and tracing the bottom with a single finger. “I know you guys experiment, so don’t play me for a fool. I had a hunch she was watching, but after Justin finished fucking me last week, I found him hanging around my garage like a lost puppy. Since no one is home at my house except me, I went outside to ask him what the hell he was doing, and he told me he was hoping your wife would come back out.” She cocked her head toward Pete, and a cascade of chemically treated hair fell over her shoulder. “I think you deserve to know that your wife might be heading into an affair. Justin is certainly ready and willing to oblige. He even told me he’s asked her to join us.” Candace slowly got off the stool and eased around the island. “It’s a little perverted that she likes to watch, wouldn’t you agree?”
Pete wanted to back up as she moved toward him, but he held his ground. He couldn’t show fear in a situation like this or The Cougar would strike. “Candace, I can assure you no one is cheating or thinking about cheating. And, yes, Emma has watched you a few times for fun, but she found out about your little trysts very innocently. You were moaning loudly, and we both heard you from our deck. Emma went to investigate to make sure you were okay.”
Candace set an open palm, her fingernails painted bright red, on his chest. “How very noble of her.” She leaned in to openly scent him, her nostrils flaring. “I bet she enjoyed the show, or she certainly wouldn’t keep coming back for more. Justin fucks very well. But I’m thinking”—she slid her hand up to his neck—“you would do the job so much better.”
Pete slowly removed her hand, picking it off his chest like a hot coal. He didn’t really want to offend her, because she was obviously very lonely, but this was getting out of hand. “I’m sorry, Candace. You’re very attractive, but I’m not interested. I love my wife. I would never cheat on her.”
Candace tsked. “You don’t have to lie to me.” She leaned in close to him and whispered, “I’ve seen in your windows. Your wife is not the only one who gets nosy when they hear people making loud noises. Noises that sound like delicious groans of pleasure.”
“Really, Candace, I’m sure what you think you saw wasn’t—”
All of a sudden she was kissing him, her hands grasping either side of his face, her red nails digging in.
He sputtered, but before he could break away, he heard a door opening, followed by, “I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”
* * *
The utter surprise, coupled with disgust, in Pete’s expression as Emma caught him and Candace in a clench was almost comical. But Emma kept a stern look on her face, crossing her arms and jutting her hip out to make it look convincing.
She couldn’t believe a perfect opportunity to implement Piper’s advice had presented itself already.
After a great dinner, and more chatting, Emma had come to some amazing realizations about herself, and the beginning of a plan to change up her marriage had formulated. She hadn’t thought an opportunity would materialize so soon, but this was as good a time as any to begin to shake things up with Pete. Let him know that everything in her world wasn’t always calm and go-with-the-flow.
Emma knew without being told that Candace had come into the house unannounced, hoping to seduce her husband into bed. Emma was no fool. It had been only a matter of time, the way Emma saw it, before Candace would try to make her play. It was a very unshocking scenario, and little did Candace know, Pete fucked women all the time with Emma’s permission.
But that was all about to change.
At the sound of Emma’s voice, Pete had taken a huge step backward to get away from the interloping trophy wife, but Candace had attached herself to him so thoroughly she’d lurched forward with him, forcing Pete to catch her, lest she fall to the floor. That wouldn’t have been entirely unwelcome, but this was just as good.
Emma watched the antics, biting her lip so she wouldn’t laugh, as Pete tried to detach himself from Candace as their limbs intertwined.
“This is not what it looks like,” Pete started. “I can explain—”
Emma held up her hand. “Don’t start. I clearly saw you two kissing.” If Pete was smart, he’d keep quiet.
He did.
Once settled, Candace reached up to fix her hair, not daring enough to look Emma in the eyes yet. “Well, yes.” Candace cleared her throat as she glanced at the counter, and then at the floor. “I know this looks bad, but”—she seemed to become a little bolder as she went—“it’s not nearly as bad as you watching something intimate between me and another person through a garage window like a Peeping Tom.” She lifted her chin, finally meeting Emma’s gaze, daring Emma to say otherwise.
Emma dared.
Dropping her arms, Emma waltzed up to Candace, getting right in her face—something she might not have done if Piper’s voice had not been ringing loudly in her ears right this second, urging her to take control of her life. “You listen to me, Candace. My husband is off-limits. Do you understand? For now and forever. As for you and your boy toy—I would strongly suggest in the future that if you don’t want anyone to know about your indiscretions, you take your fucking elsewhere. Either hole up inside your house or go someplace discreet. Your moans are loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. The Dwyers can hear them without their hearing aids—which we know is your intent. You love that we know, and tonight you were hoping my husband would be your new fuck buddy.” Emma gave her neighbor a sneer for good measure. “How’d that work out for you? Justin’s twenty-two-year-old dick is no match for what Pete could give you without even trying too hard. He’s a stellar lay. But you’re never going to find out because that dream is shot, Candace. Now go back home with your empty wine glass and your tail firmly tucked between your legs, because that’s the only thing that’s going between them tonight.”
Candace opened and shut her mouth twice before she sputtered, “You can’t…you can’t take that tone with me! I know you two are into dirty things. You’re like two rutting animals—”
“Shut the hell up, Candace!” Emma snapped. “I don’t want to hear it. You came here looking to get laid, and you’re leaving with nothing. And if you don’t start moving your ass toward that door, I’m going to toss you out myself.”
Candace had been slowly backing up as Emma had been talking. Pete had remained quiet and gotten out of the way, which was exactly what Emma had wanted. She didn’t dare glance at her husband, because she would likely break character. His look of utter surprise might be enough to derail her act.
This was a side of her she was certain he’d never seen. In fact, it was a side of her she wasn’t sure she’d seen herself, until this very moment.
It was liberating!
Pete was going to have to buckle his seat belt from here on out.
“I’m going. There’s no need to get violent.” Candace scrambled toward the glass doors. As she slid the door open, she tossed her hair back and tried to regain some dignity. “I hope you two deviants are happy. When I’m done, the entire neighborhood is going to know you two are sex addicts!” With that, she disappeared into the night.
Very calmly, Emma walked over to the door and called, “Do that, Candace, and your entire bridge club will know you’re fucking the son of your good friend and bridge partner, Shannon Patton!” Emma slammed the door closed
with a loud bang, without waiting for Candace to reply. Emma knew she’d heard every word, and the woman wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
Once the door was locked, Emma turned but refused to meet Pete’s gaze as she headed out of the room. She could hear Pete following her. “I don’t understand why you’re so angry,” Pete said to her retreating back. “Candace came in here unannounced, and before I knew what was happening, she was all over me! I had nothing to do with it.”
“Of course you had something to do with it!” Emma said in an exasperated tone as she kept walking. “I just found you kissing another woman behind my back in my own kitchen.”
“I wasn’t kissing her! She was kissing me. I want nothing to do with her.”
“It didn’t look like it to me.” Emma kept walking, staring straight ahead.
“Emma,” Pete said evenly, “we invite people into our bedroom all the time. Why would this be an issue for you now, especially when you know I don’t want Candace?”
“We have rules about sex with other people, including no intimacy, and certainly no contact while the other spouse is away. I shouldn’t have to remind you of that.” When Emma reached the bottom of the staircase, she spun around, surprising her increasingly distraught husband. “I only need to know one thing from you.” She held up a single index finger in front of his face. “One thing.”
“Anything,” he said, putting his hands up. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I have nothing to hide.”
“Is this the first time you’ve kissed another woman without my permission?” Her face was set. Even though she was milking the role of angry wife, this question was a big deal to her. Emma knew tonight was all on Candace and her husband would never take that woman to bed, but their entire marriage had been based on a very strict no-sneaking-around rule.
Period.
If Pete had ever messed around with another woman behind her back, it would be devastating news—news that would change her life forever. Trust and honesty were the two things that had kept their marriage rock solid throughout the years, even though they lived an open lifestyle. If Pete had cheated, it would be a game changer.
“Yes, of course it’s the first time!” Pete practically shouted his response, even though they were a foot apart. “You have to know me better than that. I love you. I would never cheat on you! We have rules on purpose. I swear to you I’ve never gone behind your back with another woman in my life. Why would I?” When she didn’t answer immediately, his face changed to open pleading. “Em, you have to believe me. I didn’t do anything to lead Candace on! She came on her own.”
He really believed the root of the issue was Candace.
Why wouldn’t he think it was about Candace? Emma thought selfishly. It wasn’t about Candace. It was that Pete expected her to brush this off like it was nothing, to be her normal, affable self and soothe his ruffled feathers. Even though she felt peevish about that right now, she was relieved because she believed Pete hadn’t cheated on her.
Piper should become a full-time therapist. The advice she’d given Emma tonight had been spot-on. Emma now knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she needed to feel empowered in her marriage again. She needed to know she mattered to Pete—first.
That he would choose to put her ahead of their lifestyle, ahead of sex, ahead of his own pleasure.
Right now, she was pretty sure he didn’t.
And the only way to change those things would be to make Pete realize it for himself, and it wasn’t something she could just tell him. He had to discover it on his own.
She turned her back and headed up the stairs without another word.
“Wait!” he called, coming after her. “You can’t just say nothing. Can’t you at least acknowledge that this has nothing to do with me cheating on you? Emma!”
She stopped midway up and whirled around. “What I saw was you kissing Candace. I know she came here sniffing around in hopes of a quick fuck, but what I didn’t see was you trying to get away from her.”
“I didn’t have time,” Pete argued. “You walked in the second she kissed me. Believe me, I wanted her off me—”
“Pete, I want to believe you, I do. But I’m tired. I had a long day, and I want to go to sleep.” She turned and started up the steps again. “I mean, we fuck other people,” she tossed casually over her shoulder. “Why wouldn’t you feel like you could just fuck Candace if you wanted to? I think maybe our rules have blurred over the years and it’s time for some new ones.”
“What are you talking about? Our rules haven’t blurred at all!” Pete’s voice was frustrated. “This isn’t on me. I didn’t ask Candace to come over. She came with her own agenda!”
At the top of the stairs, Emma turned one last time, placing a hand on Pete’s chest before he could reach the top of the landing. “Just know,” she told him in a low tone, “if you get to kiss other people behind my back, I can do the same.” With that, she spun around and headed to their bedroom, trying not to smile at Pete’s shocked expression.
She would never cheat on him in a million years.
But it might be high time for him to think she would.
4
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Pete hadn’t been able to get Emma to continue the Candace conversation and he was going nuts. He’d talked in vain until she’d fallen asleep, trying to get her to see things from his viewpoint—that Candace wasn’t a threat to their marriage, and their rules of sex had not changed. But Emma hadn’t responded.
Pete was having a hard time recognizing this Emma, and it was alarming. What he did recognize, however, was he was in deep shit, and he had to find a way to dig himself out.
As he drove into Madison for work the next morning, he slapped the wheel in frustration. He had no idea what to do. A few more miles and Pete pulled onto the parking ramp attached to his building. He worked for an ad agency, just like Piper Collins. Their companies were similar, but barely ever competed for the same business. Pete’s firm was more specialized in providing branding for the movie industry. It was big business. He loved his job, which made the thirty-minute commute worthwhile.
Once in his office, he tossed his briefcase on his desk right as his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, hoping it was Emma.
Instead, the name on the front read Michael Collins. That was unusual. Pete hadn’t talked to him in over a year, even though their wives had started hanging out together on a regular basis.
Pete accepted the call. “Hello, this is Pete Slater.”
“Hey, Pete, it’s Michael Collins. How are you?” Michael’s voice was relaxed and cordial.
“I’m doing well,” Pete said as he sat down. “What’s up?” There was a reason behind the call, and small talk wasn’t Pete’s forte.
“I’m calling to invite you out for a drink tomorrow night with Jason Stratton, Brad Harrison, and me. Our wives are meeting regularly now, and us guys have slowly gotten on board. I think the ladies are heading out to your place tomorrow, so I figured you might be looking for something to do. We’re meeting at Johnny Q’s after work around six thirty. It’s a sports bar. Do you know it?”
“I do,” Pete said. “That’s nice of you to offer, but—”
“To be totally honest with you, I’m doing this at Piper’s request. It’s not that I didn’t want you to join us, but it didn’t occur to me to ask.” He chuckled good-naturedly over the line. Pete took no offense. “Typical guy brain. But Piper met up with your wife last night, and she thought you might like to go out with us. We talk about the lifestyle on occasion, among other things.”
Pete cleared his throat. “She did, huh?” Pete’s brain raced. Emma had probably confided in Piper what was bothering her, and maybe Piper had given Michael some insight on how he could fix it. It was worth a try. Plus, he liked all those guys, even though he hadn’t seen them for a while. “Okay, you convinced me. I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you then.” Michael clicke
d off.
Pete sat there for a few minutes, thinking about his wife and what had shifted in their relationship, but he was at a complete loss. There hadn’t been any major upsets or fights—Candace notwithstanding—that had occurred in the last few months. They hadn’t done much swapping lately, but they’d been busy, which wasn’t unusual.
The only thing he could think of was the vacation. Emma had wanted to go somewhere where they could be alone.
He’d pushed for his agenda and won. But now she seemed genuinely excited to go. So what was it? Pete wondered idly if it was too late to get their deposit back after all. Maybe he could surprise her and book another hotel on a bigger island instead.
He ran his hands through his hair.
This thing with his wife was worrisome. She was clearly unhappy, and he was going to have to fix that.
Whatever it took.
* * *
Emma buzzed around the kitchen, finishing up all the last-minute prepping. Not only had she made appetizers for the ladies, but she’d also made a potluck contribution for the block party. The neighborhood event was fairly low-key, as she and Pete lived on a street that turned into a cul-de-sac that had only ten homes total. Their house was the one right before the cul-de-sac began.
Pete was going out with the guys, which had been a nice surprise. She was glad he was meeting up with them. Piper had given her a heads-up about Michael inviting him, and Emma had been thrilled.
What Emma Craves Page 3
