They hadn’t made love last night—she supposed they both knew she needed a little time to recover from her encounter with Todd. Still, she’d felt the need to bring it up—it was such a change of pace for them. “No sex tonight?” she’d asked with a half-playful smile when Jack suggested they go up to bed, to sleep.
“Rest tonight,” he’d replied, his hand at the small of her back as she climbed the stairs ahead of him.
She’d peeked over her shoulder. “You’re missing a beautiful bra and panty set under these clothes.”
He’d grinned, although he’d looked tired. “Time for that another night, chere.”
His simple reply had, oddly, put a new bit of hope in Liz’s heart when she’d not expected it. Those uncomplicated words had planted a seed, something she’d never really even considered before—that maybe this would go on, not be a short-lived thing. Maybe her affair with Jack, in spite of—or maybe even because of—all its hedonism, meant something to him. Who knew, maybe falling asleep with that idea in her head had been part of why waking up next to him this morning had felt so new, so special.
Throughout the day at work, though, Liz decided that she wanted to get back to normal with Jack tonight. Normal meaning “normal for them.” Meaning new sexual adventures. Last night she’d felt so vulnerable, and feeling that way with Jack was still dangerous. When she thought of having something serious with Jack, all she could see was the way all her past relationships had turned out—leaving her heartbroken. Strangely, her relationship with Todd was the only instance where she’d come out emotionally strong and unscathed. Maybe that was why she’d been able to trust in him and say yes when he’d proposed. Maybe deep down she’d known she didn’t feel the deep emotions for him that she’d felt for other men, known he didn’t have the power to hurt her. Jack, however, was a different story. And the truth was, maybe she was in too deep with him already, but she just kept telling herself that so long as she knew this was temporary, so long as she kept her head about her, that she could handle it when it was over. So getting away from emotions and back to hot sex seemed like a very good idea.
Besides, she wanted to get last night’s terrorizing meeting with her ex-fiancé out of her mind, and she knew from experience that sex with Jack definitely had the power to rid her of all other thoughts.
She called him from work at his office to tell him she wanted to hit the Quarter tonight. “Let’s do something fun, exciting,” she said.
She heard him chuckle on the other end of the line. “Still lookin’ for adventure, huh, chere?”
She was glad he couldn’t see what she suspected was a sheepish smile. “I suppose you could say that. It just seems like…there’s still more out there to do, more I haven’t experienced.”
She felt his sexy grin without even being able to see it. “Well, darlin’, whatever you want to experience, I’m real happy to experience it with you.”
Just hearing his voice curl around the words made her hot. And going to work every day in her professional suit, knowing what she’d been doing at night, made her feel like she harbored a delicious secret, that she lived a shocking double life. “Jack?” she whispered into the phone, feeling oh-so-daring even as co-workers buzzed about the office around her.
“Oui, chere?”
She lowered her voice even further. “I’m wet just thinking about you.”
The little growl he emitted sent another surge of moisture into her panties. “You just made me hard.”
“Mmm, that gives me something to look forward to.”
“Me, too,” he laughed.
“Until tonight.”
“Au revoir.”
* * * * *
That afternoon after work, Liz went shopping at a store on Canal Street that she’d passed several hundred times without ever a thought of going in. The shop windows at The Leather Lair housed mannequins wearing all forms of sexy leather—from motorcycle gear to lingerie that looked designed for some serious S M. She told the salesclerk she was looking for a sexy dress, and twenty minutes later, she walked out with a shopping bag of items that would transform her into a different sort of woman than she’d ever been with Jack before.
As she drove home, she was filled with anticipation, wanting to don her new ensemble and show Jack—but first, she needed to talk to Lynda, so she was glad to find her friend’s car in the garage when she pulled in.
“Long time, no see,” Lynda said when Liz walked in the door. She sat on the couch watching the evening news, but she turned the volume down at Liz’s arrival.
Liz joined her on the sofa. “I’m glad you’re home.”
Lynda wrinkled her brow, realizing immediately something was amiss. “What’s wrong, honey? You look worried.”
“It’s about Todd,” she began on a sigh. “Lynda, you need to know that Todd let himself into your house yesterday. He was waiting in my room when I got home. I checked the locks and he doesn’t seem to have broken in, so he must’ve found the key you keep under the planter on the back porch. I’m so sorry to have brought that kind of trouble upon you.”
Lynda reached out for her hands. “Don’t be silly, honey! The only thing I’m concerned about here is your safety. Now, what the hell happened? Did he try to hurt you? What did you do? I’ll kill the son of a bitch if he hurt you.”
Liz let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Lynda was such a good friend to her. “Well,
