What Caroline Wants

by Amanda Abbott

  “That’s the spirit!” Piper smiled.

  “This is going to be a piece of cake,” Jace said from the doorway. “We’ll just treat them like new friends and nothing more.”

  She and Piper followed Jace out of the bedroom.

  Caroline stopped to pick up her shoes, a beautiful pair of black high heels with a tiny row of rhinestones across the toe. She’d done her hair in a conservative chignon, and had added a simple pair of pearl earrings. They all headed downstairs.

  Piper made a beeline for the back door, waving. “Have fun, you two!” Then she was gone.

  Caroline picked up her purse and walked to her waiting husband. “You look beautiful,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Are you ready for this?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  * * *

  His wife was so nervous, he felt her vibrating. Jace was having second thoughts about going through with this as he held on to the crook of Caroline’s arm, steering her through the crowded restaurant as they followed the hostess to the table.

  Even though they’d spent weeks debating if they should do it or not, now that it was here it felt surreal.

  Thankfully, the Slaters appeared to be in the very back of the restaurant. Bella was upscale Italian, and the décor was big leather booths and lots of red.

  “Here you are,” the hostess said, laying down two menus across from a beautiful couple who were seated in the booth opposite them. “Enjoy your meal.”

  Pete was on the end and rose halfway out of his spot to shake hands. Jace reached over and took hold, while directing his wife to slide into their side of the booth. Pete’s grip was firm, but not overly so. “Jason Stratton,” Jace said. “Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Caroline.”

  Caroline was pale, but she gave a nod and uttered a quiet, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you both.”

  “This is my wife, Emma,” Pete said, smiling.

  “It’s so lovely you could make it,” Emma said as Jace took his seat next to Caroline, resting his hand on her thigh to reassure her. “We were so happy to get the call. We’ve been friends with Michael and Piper for quite some time, and any friends of theirs are friends of ours.”

  Emma was very poised, Jace noted as he organized himself in the booth. She had long, red hair and creamy skin. It looked as though she never went out into the sun. She wasn’t his type, but he could appreciate her classic beauty. Pete was medium height, blond, and obviously worked out. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. The guy looked like he’d be at home in the surf.

  The Slaters already had drinks, so Jace raised his hand to get the waiter’s attention. His wife was going to need more alcohol to get through their meet and greet. The waiter rushed over. “What can I get you, sir?”

  “One scotch, neat. And a gin and tonic.”

  “Do you prefer any particular brand of alcohol?” the waiter asked.

  “Macallan and Tanqueray, if you have them.”

  “We do. Coming right up.” He turned and left.

  “So, are you guys originally from this area?” Pete asked easily. “We’re both Midwesterners, but I’m originally from Illinois, and Emma is from Kansas.”

  Jace let go of Caroline’s leg and draped his arm behind her and replied, “I grew up on a farm about an hour outside of Madison. After high school I went to play football at the University of Georgia, which is where I met my wife, who’s originally from South Carolina.”

  “I played baseball for USC.” Pete smiled. “What position did you play?”

  “Quarterback.”

  “Impressive,” Pete said. “I played shortstop for the Trojans for three years, then a knee injury benched me indefinitely. It was a hard thing to give up.”

  Jace nodded. “I know how that goes. I love the game of football, still do, but it took its toll. By senior year I had torn my meniscus in both knees, had several tendon issues in my right shoulder and my throwing elbow, and a herniated disc. It was time to hang up the cleats. It was bittersweet, but I was ready to get back to my roots here in the Midwest.”

  Pete picked up his beer and leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table while he took a drink. He was very relaxed, and that put Jace more at ease. “That’s a tough break.” Pete set his glass down. “After baseball, I focused on getting my degree in advertising, and it was the best decision I ever made. I headed to Chicago after I graduated, and while I was there I met Emma.” He turned to his wife and smiled. “She was with a dance company at the time. We got married and moved here three years later.”

  “Why’d you choose Madison over staying in Chicago?” Jace asked. “There’s lots more to do there.” He didn’t have to add “in the swinger world,” because that was a given.

  “An ad agency in town recruited me, and Emma was able to secure a dance teacher position at a dance school right away. She’d been having a hard time finding one in Chicago. It made sense to us, and it’s worked out very well. We like the laid-back vibe of Madison, and it’s close enough to Chicago for us to visit whenever we’d like.”

  Caroline moved beside him, straightening her posture. Jace knew she was trying to gear herself up to join the conversation. He slid his hand down and rubbed her lower back, hoping to give her some encouragement. After a second, she said, “So is that how you met Piper?” Caroline asked Pete, clasping and unclasping her hands in her lap. “You both work in advertising?”

  “Actually,” Emma interjected, smiling brightly. “Our dance school is a client of Piper’s firm. It was one of those freebie parties they throw for the holidays. We saw them across the room, and they were so cute together—”

  The waiter interrupted the conversation as he set the drinks down. Once he was done, he asked, “Are you guys all set to order?”

  Jace and Caroline hadn’t even opened their menus yet.

  “If it’s okay with you guys, we’ll order some starters for the table,” Pete said. “Emma and I come here all the time.”

  “Sure,” Jace replied, knowing Caroline likely didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. He double-checked with her, and she nodded. “That sounds great.”

  Pete took care of it, and once the waiter left, Emma leaned forward. “So what do you guys both do for a living?”

  Caroline cleared her throat, but managed, “I run a stationery business out of our home, and Jason works with his father, buying and selling farm equipment.”

  “Oh, a stationery business sounds so creative! How did you decide on that?” Emma asked, sounding genuinely interested.

  Jace glanced over and saw his wife blush as she took a sip of her drink. She was always modest about her talent. The truth was, Caroline was an amazing artist. But this was a perfect topic to start her talking. “I have a degree in Fine Arts,” she answered, setting her glass down, “and, really, it just made the most sense. I’d always dreamed of going into business for myself ever since I was young. My goal in the beginning was to open a boutique here in town, focusing on upscale art décor, but I found I loved the designing aspect too much. I’ve been very lucky. The business has taken off, and now I spend half my time doing corporate stuff and half my time creating the art for the cards. It’s a great meld of both worlds.”

  “Do you paint?” Pete asked.

  “Yes,” Caroline replied. “I actually use a lot of mediums, but charcoal has been my go-to recently, along with oil pastels. They make up most of the design formats for the cards. It’s been really fun. My office doubles as an art studio. I sort of took over the den.” She beamed at Jace.

  “Her art is ridiculously good,” Jace said, pride swelling. “She has most of her designs made into prints as well.”

  “Can’t wait to see them. I love art in all its forms.” Emma smiled. “I guess that makes us quite a diverse bunch.” She laughed good-naturedly as she reached out and caressed her husband’s arm.

  Caroline’s hand immediately found Jace’s thigh and squeezed.

  He knew his wife was worried the Slaters we
re going to put on a show. Caroline wanted them to take it slow. But Jace had a different idea. He wanted it all on the table. Then they could figure out sooner, rather than later, if they wanted to stay and keep talking or not. So instead of continuing on the topic about jobs, he asked, “So how did you get in the business of having sex with strangers?”

  9

  __________________________

  ____________

  Caroline uttered a small gasp at her husband’s blatant question about sex, but to mask her surprise, she picked up her gin and tonic and took a long draw, trying not to cough as it rushed down her throat.

  The Slaters were stunning.

  Perfect in every way.

  They could’ve been at home in Hollywood or quite possibly in a castle somewhere. They seemed very comfortable in their own skin, and that was the only thing currently making this dinner bearable.

  Before the meet, Caroline and Jace had strategized about possible ways to steer the conversation if it got awkward. Asking them straight up about their sex life hadn’t been in any one of the plans. They’d both agreed to tread carefully, and questioning them about their sexual practices wasn’t under the radar.

  It was the radar.

  Pete chuckled, his arms crossed in front of him. “I suppose that’s why we’re here tonight, right? To talk about sex. Well, it’s both a complicated answer and a very simple one. The easy answer is, we both love sex. We always have. And we both share the same negative viewpoint about societal norms in the bedroom, and have since the day we met, but that’s a discussion for another night. The better answer is, we’re hooked on the exploration of sex and where it takes us. There’s a great high to be had when something is new and exciting. It’s extremely satisfying.” He leaned in. “If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t be here, believe me.”

  Luckily, right at that moment, the waiter came to drop off their food.

  He set down a beautifully arrayed plate of bruschetta, along with a variety of olives, meats, and cheeses, and something white spread on crackers with prosciutto on top, secured with a fancy toothpick.

  Emma gestured at the prosciutto dish. “These are delicious,” she said. “That’s garlic ricotta on the crackers.”

  Caroline snorted and immediately brought her hand up to cover her mouth, completely embarrassed. All eyes at the table landed on her, waiting to see what had made her giggle. “I’m so sorry,” she half-laughed, half-apologized. “My brain immediately went from garlic to…kissing…then wandered to other things. I apologize. I think I just need to have a bite or two of the food and lay off the drinks for a while.” The tequila shots had solidly kicked in—and with a gin and tonic on top of that, and no food since lunch—she was set to make a huge fool of herself.

  At least she wasn’t an angry drunk.

  She just tended to giggle a lot.

  Emma laughed along with her. “I hear you. I always carry mints in my purse for that very reason. One, you never know when you’re going to get a kiss, and two, I always think I have garlic breath even if I haven’t eaten it for days.”

  “That’s probably because your favorite food is garlic,” Pete joked. “Paired with just about anything.”

  Caroline helped herself to some food and was completely relieved Emma and Pete were making it so easy on them. She began to relax by a few degrees. She glanced over at Jace, who kept sneaking her are-you-okay looks, and gave him a reassuring nod. He acknowledged her slightly as he reached for the food, letting her know he noted the improvement in her nerves.

  Jace piled up his plate. “So, getting back to the earlier topic we were just discussing,” he interjected smoothly. “My wife and I are new to even thinking about this lifestyle. It’s been a bit of a stretch for us to make this date. In fact, it’s safe to say we’re both a little shocked that we’re sitting here right now.”

  Her darling husband had brought it around to sex again!

  Right as she was beginning to relax.

  Now the Slaters knew they were freaked out. Caroline slid a foot over and kicked him in the leg. In response, he lowered his hand under the table and patted her thigh, letting her know he had it under control.

  “That’s to be totally expected,” Pete started. “We didn’t just one day decide to live this lifestyle either. It was an evolution, as most things are. We’ve had our days where we’ve gone, ‘Can you believe this is happening?’ We’re normal people, same as you guys. We felt unease at our first meet, too.”

  “But we have to warn you,” Emma added. “If you decide to meet other couples after this, just know there are a lot of crazies out there. Pete and I are extremely particular about who we let into our fold and how we approach this. We don’t do bargain-basement sex for the cheap thrills. We’re extremely invested in the people we choose. It has to mean something, or why else do it?”

  Caroline leaned forward, a little alarmed. “Piper and Michael told us that no emotional ties are allowed. Isn’t that a steadfast rule?”

  “Yes, that’s true up to a point,” Emma agreed. “But it’s a little more complicated than that. You aren’t allowed to fall for someone else, or come into this searching for an emotional connection with someone. There are plenty of couples who are unsatisfied in their own marriage and would love nothing more than to introduce their spouse to this lifestyle as a way to find someone else. None of that is allowed. We only pick happily married couples who have healthy relationships. And let me tell you, they aren’t easy to find.”

  “That’s kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?” Jace countered. “Happily married couples in healthy relationships don’t usually search for this—because they’re happily married and content. That’s one of the reasons we’re having so much trouble wrapping our brains around the concept. If we are happy, then why are we here?”

  “Honestly,” Pete said, “that’s the sole reason you’re here, in my opinion. You guys want something extra, something exciting in your life, but it’s a supplement to your relationship, not a defining piece. We all like sex. We’re animals. It gives us pleasure. You guys are smart enough to know the difference between pleasure and love. And I’m telling you”—he leaned over the bruschetta, and both Caroline and Jace automatically inclined their heads—“because of that, it’s mind-blowing sex. The kind you can’t get anywhere else. It’s like you’re breaking a rule, but you’re not. It’s very hot.”

  “We also provide a completely safe, nurturing environment,” Emma said. “We try to cover all the bases to make it as good as it can be. If you choose to enter into this lifestyle with us, you’ll need to get checked out.” She whispered the last bit. “It’s a must.”

  “As in medical tests?” Caroline asked, her voice barely audible. She tried not to sound too horrified. Going to her doctor and asking for a test for STDs would be unacceptable. She cringed just thinking about her ob-gyn knowing anything about her sex life.

  “Yes, but we use this great anonymous clinic.” She smiled. “They don’t require background information, and you pay in cash. It mostly caters to college students, but we get checked there every time we meet someone new, and require it of everyone else. We don’t take risks and we don’t use condoms. You also have to be on some kind of birth control.”

  Caroline’s hand shook as she reached for her gin and tonic. This conversation just became too real.

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but as she raised her glass, she realized her drink was empty. Jace immediately put his hand up to signal the waiter. Thank goodness her husband was in tune with her. She refrained from slumping against his shoulder, but just barely.

  Jace ordered them two more drinks, and the Slaters ordered another round as well.

  Caroline set her empty glass down and finally found her voice. “We totally understand your caution. Of course we’d…get checked out if we…or when we…decide to…” She stammered. She hoped like crazy she and Jace weren’t required to give them a yes or no by the end of the evening. That would be horrifying. This w
asn’t like deciding to buy a pair of jeans or even to purchase a home. If she and Jace decided no, then she wanted to forget this meet ever happened.

  Jace covered her hand with his, taking the baton for her. “We will follow all of your rules if we decide to give it a try,” he said. “And, I can promise you, we aren’t looking for an emotional connection with either one of you. You seem like very nice people, but we are happy. It’s definitely going to take us some time—for sure longer than this dinner—to figure out if the next move is right for us.”

  Pete leaned over again. “I can tell you right now, this is the right move for you.”

  * * *

  When Emma mentioned medical tests, Jace thought Caroline was going to pass out or simply melt under the table. The conversation went from being a vague idea to something rooted in the real world very quickly. He had to find a way to slow down the conversation or he was going to have to escort his wife out of the restaurant before she collapsed.

  But he was intrigued by Pete’s confidence.

  The guy seemed unwavering and utterly sure about himself and his choices. The waiter set down a round of new drinks. After he left, Jace leaned over and said, “So why are you so sure this is the right move for us? Can you see into the future?” Jace smiled at the guy to show him he was comfortable with the conversation, but kept a no-nonsense look on his face.

  “No, but I have a huge…use your imagination.” Pete chuckled as he picked up his drink. “And I know how to use it.” He took a sip of his beer. When Jace didn’t bite, Pete changed his tune. “Listen, I’m pretty sure I can sum you guys up. Tell me if I’m wrong. You’re college sweethearts. It was love at first sight. Your wife was timid about sex for years until you took the time to nurture that side of her.” He grinned at Caroline, but he wasn’t being offensive, so Jace let it go. “But now she loves sex—and that must mean you’re great in bed, so kudos to you.” He winked. “You guys have become increasingly more adventurous over the years, you enjoy taking risks, you’re competitive in a good way, and now you’re looking for something even more stimulating, so you dialed us up. Am I close?”