Normally, she’d have been mortified to think she’d been walking around the streets that way. But instead, an undeniable and naughty warmth stole over her as she found herself hoping Jack had seen them, too.
Chapter 2
That day after work, Liz met Lynda, back in the Quarter. Lynda ran an antique shop on St. Peter, but she lived out in the Garden District, just next door to the historic home Liz and Todd had purchased when they’d moved there together six months earlier. Todd had accepted a relocation to his investment advisory firm’s New Orleans office without even asking Liz. Looking back on it now, that seemed to have been the beginning of their problems.
Even so, she’d gone along with him, quitting her advertising job and finding a new one upon her arrival, packing up and leaving everything she knew in Maryland, where she and Todd had both been born and raised. If only she’d been smart enough to question the move more, maybe protest, not always be so easy to get along with.
But she’d never really been taught to stand up for herself—her parents had been strict disciplinarians and Liz and her two younger sisters, Diana and Carrie, had been expected to obey their parents’ rules, to always do what was expected of them. Diana had been a rebel, but Liz and Carrie had both allowed themselves be poured into the mold their parents had created for them. And somehow, without quite planning it, Liz had let that carry over into her adult life.
But she had a feeling that finally, at thirty, that was about to change. Todd was cheating on her…or something, and whatever it was, it would provide the ammunition she needed when she told her parents she wasn’t going to tie the knot with him. It wasn’t that she couldn’t simply decide not to marry him on her own, but she wanted to make this easy on herself, wanted to hear as little argument from her family as possible, so she could simply get on with the business of living once this was over.
Before moving, she and Todd had shared a happy, respectful—even if lukewarm—relationship, so pulling up her roots when he asked hadn’t seemed like a large sacrifice. Only now that he seemed to be changing did Liz realize that perhaps she should have made her decisions more carefully. Having so much time alone in the evenings to contemplate his whereabouts and examine the core of their relationship had finally opened her eyes, made her want to be a more independent woman. And getting to the bottom of Todd’s evenings away from home was going to be a big start.
Although Liz and Lynda had little in common, they had become fast friends. In fact, Lynda was the only person Liz had chosen to share her suspicions with. Now, they were meeting in order to…initiate Liz into the wild nightlife of Bourbon Street. Liz had never even ventured toward the red light district since moving to the Big Easy, and even as the newly-awakened wild side of her was almost itching to see what went on in a strip club while at Jack Wade’s side, she needed a pep talk from Lynda; she needed to know what to expect.
“So,” Lynda said, locking up her shop and tossing her waist-length blonde hair over her shoulder to look up at Liz, “that Jack’s a hottie, isn’t he?”
Had Lynda read her mind? Liz couldn’t help letting out a small giggle. “Very hot, as a matter of fact. Which you might have mentioned to me, by the way.”
Lynda flashed a mischievous grin. “I thought you’d enjoy the surprise. And I bet he enjoyed your sexy little outfit.”
Liz felt heat color her cheeks, but decided not to lie. Lynda had never liked Todd anyway, and she especially didn’t like him now, so Liz didn’t mind letting her friend know she’d flirted with another man. “Well, if the way he looked at me was any indication, yes, he did.”
“Don’t those dark, penetrating eyes just go all through you? And don’t those little bits of Cajun he peppers his speech with just make you wet? Doesn’t everything about him just make you want to hold him down and have your way with him?”
“Well…” she began, uncertain exactly how much she wanted to confide in Lynda, “I suppose that…”
Lynda laughed. “Oh come on, Liz, quit trying to keep secrets. You wanted to fuck his brains out right there on the desk, I know you did. I did, too, the moment I met him. So just tell me.”
Liz couldn’t help laughing, too, and finally said, “Okay, I admit it—I’ve never met a man so…fuckable.” Dear God, where had that come from? Certainly not from her usual vocabulary. Must be Lynda’s influence on her, she decided.
As they strolled up the cracked, broken sidewalk of the French Quarter toward Bourbon, Liz was struck once more by how unusual her reaction to him was. Remembering the way she’d felt as soon as he’d laid eyes on her was nearly enough to make her cream her silk undies again. Now that she took the time to thoroughly recall that first meeting in his office, she’d had the same sensual reaction to his blonde friend, too, instantly thinking sexual thoughts, wishing for a physical connection—although her attraction to his friend seemed somehow linked to her desire for Jack in a way she could scarcely understand. She’d never experienced such emotions—it had been almost as if she’d become another person.
“In fact,” she added, deciding—oh, what the hell, why not just be totally honest? “part of me is almost tempted to…”
Next to her, Lynda smiled. “Good. You should.”
“Well,” Liz reminded her, “I’m still technically engaged to Todd.”
Lynda shrugged. “Whether he’s banging some high society chick in the back of
