But, in reality, the new weekly STD meetings were helping Piper almost as much she could see they were helping Caroline. Caroline had actually made Piper feel more normal than she had in years, so there was something to be said about your girlfriends being your best counselors.
Marianne interrupted her thoughts. “It’s a wonder your brain isn’t the consistency of scrambled eggs with all that’s going on in there. I see you’re thinking about something hard.”
“No scrambled eggs in here.” She tapped the side of her head. “I’m just really good at compartmentalizing.”
“I’d say avoiding is a more apt description of what’s going on inside that mind of yours.” Marianne took her glasses off and let them rest on her chest, dangling from the rhinestone chain Piper gave her as a gift years ago.
“Fine, avoiding. But, whatever. It’s not going to happen.”
“I think you should rethink that,” Marianne told her. “It’s more than time for you to stop being afraid of your own sexual happiness and jump back into the mix. Start risk-taking again. No more watching from a safe distance, left out of the fun. You’re such a vibrant soul, Piper. It’s a pity to keep missing out on all the sexual adventures that await your pleasure.” Ms. Cummings was a product of the sixties. She advocated a lot of free love, which Piper was totally on board with.
But this was different.
Jumping in could produce a ripple effect that she might not recover from this time. At least, that was her greatest fear. “I’m not afraid. I’m terrified. What if that”—Piper waved her hand in the air aimlessly—“thing happens again? I can’t risk it. I don’t feel ready.”
“That thing? You mean your mental breakdown?”
“Um, yes. Exactly that.”
Piper still had trouble admitting it had ever happened.
It’d been a dark time in her life, and it had been a blessing that she’d been out of it for only a few weeks and not months—or even years. In the thick of it, she’d felt like the weight of the world was crushing the life out of her. For days on end, she’d felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Michael had finally coaxed her out of it, with lots of love, patience, and understanding. But she wasn’t willing to risk those heavy emotions again, not even for something she needed desperately—to feel the intense pleasure of sex again. To be titillated.
To have an orgasm shake her to her core.
“Well, that was over eight years ago,” Marianne reminded her, “and from everything you’ve told me, you’re no longer satisfied with your sex life the way it is right now. Things are going to have to change, or it’s going to adversely affect your marriage. You’ve been participating in open sex for the last nine years, and you’ve assimilated very well. My advice is to start putting yourself out there so you can begin to find real satisfaction again, and in the process, strengthen your marriage.”
“Or things can just stay the same.”
Marianne chuckled.
Piper didn’t think it was unprofessional for her therapist to laugh at her. They’d been together for too long to not be completely comfortable with one another.
“I know that’s your fear talking,” Marianne said, “and I’ve been saying the same thing to you for the past year to no avail. So you’re either going to listen or you’re not. But now that you have this friend to confide in—what’s her name again?”
“Caroline.”
“Yes, Caroline. Maybe she can help you uncover the path you need to take better than I can. Piper”—she leaned forward in her straight-backed chair—“there is sexual fulfillment in your future if you allow it to happen. Lots of it. All you need to do is make up your mind to live again, and it will happen for you.”
Now it was Piper’s turn to chuckle. “I have news for you. Caroline is not going to advocate me swapping things up. She had her own little run-in not too long ago, and she’s still recovering. She will want me to stay nice and safe.”
“Have you explained everything to her?”
“Not exactly.”
“Try it. She might surprise you.”
* * *
“I think you should fuck the shit out of him.” Caroline drained her third glass of wine and peered over the rim at Piper, her eyebrows up at her hairline. “What? Too much?”
“Caroline Elizabeth Stratton!” Piper belly-laughed. “I cannot believe that just came out of your proper Southern mouth! I’m totally aghast!” She really wasn’t. Piper loved Caroline’s new confidence. She’d like to take credit for her growth, but really, it was in thanks to her husband, Jace. That man would do anything for her, and Caroline had finally accepted that.
Caroline set her glass down and smiled like a shrew. They were in Piper’s kitchen for a change, the breakfast nook, to be exact. “You are not even a little aghast,” Caroline replied. “You love this new side of me. But let’s get back to the real issue here, because I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that you haven’t had an orgasm in six months! And this is the first I’m hearing about it! What the hell, Piper? I thought we shared everything now. I shouldn’t have to remind you that you’re the one who’s responsible for me being in this lifestyle at all, which has been less than six months. You sat in my kitchen and painted this fantastical picture of raw carnal pleasure, delights around every corner, and you’re not even living it! What a farce!”
Piper didn’t answer for a moment. Instead, she swirled the wine in her glass. The ruby liquid arced close to the rim, leaving behind a thin film. This was one of her favorite wines. A Cabernet mix. She saved the good stuff for her nights with Caroline. They usually met at Caroline’s because she worked from home and it was easy for her to host. But Michael was out of town, and Piper had taken a rare day off from her hectic job at the ad agency and had made them a bunch of their favorite foods, including guacamole, which Caroline was currently munching on. Piper set her glass down and rested her arms on the table. “I couldn’t tell you before because it’s embarrassing. I used to be the orgasm queen. I could have ten in a row. Now, zilch, nada, nothing. Telling you I was failing in the sex department when you were all hopped up on it all wasn’t going to happen. I don’t do Debbie Downer. I’m Debbie Upper. You should know that by now.”
Caroline leaned over the table, chip in one hand and a recently refilled wine glass in the other. “Well, we’re going to fix your sex slump. You just have to leave it to me…”
About the Author
Amanda Abbott lives in the Midwest. She’s the author of many books, both on her own and some published in New York. She loves traveling, seeing the world, and above all she loves to write. These stories have blossomed out of her pure love of all kinds of romance, but especially humor + sexy combined. Taking the question of “what if” and making it real was an absolute thrill to write. And there’s more where that came from! To keep up with new series and new releases, be sure to visit www.authoramandaabbott.com and sign-up for her newsletter.
Other books by Amanda Abbott
What Piper Needs
What Emma Craves
Nothing is created without a great team.
My thanks to:
Cover design: Clarissa Yeo/Yocla Designs
Digital and print formatting: Author E.M.S
Copyedits/proofs: Joyce Lamb
Final page proofs: Dana Waganer
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Link to
BONUS SCENE
SNEAK PEEK of Book Two
About the Author
What Caroline Wants Page 21
