Time seemed to slowly crawl by while I was waiting for Friday. When it finally arrived, my nerves kicked into high gear. All week, I had been writing pick me up reminders to myself on sticky notes, and they circled my mirror. I took a moment to read through them. Breathe. You are an intelligent woman. Don't chatter non-stop. Smile. Do not worry. You are worthy. You deserve to be happy. They were simple, but reading them helped me calm down.
I smiled at the new one that Kim had added in the center of my mirror. Have fun. I took a sip from the glass of chilled white wine that she had delivered to my bathroom before leaving for her shift at Biggie's.
Since I still had over an hour before I needed to meet Devin at the restaurant, I decided to take a bubble bath. The wine and bath must have been just what I needed because I was almost calm as I donned my denim mini skirt and the v-neck, light pink tee shirt that Kim had chosen for the occasion. I still couldn't believe that she had loaned me her favorite cowboy boots with the pastel flowers swirling around them, but they looked fantastic, and gave me just the extra boost of confidence that I needed as I walked to Biggie's.
Biggie's was one of the only full-service, waterfront restaurants in town, and it was bustling with activity when I arrived. Thankfully, Kim had promised to save us a table. She ran over to greet me as soon as I walked in. "You look fantastic!" she gushed. "He isn't going to be able to keep his hands off you." Her enthusiasm was contagious as she covered my eyes and led me over to the table that she and I normally shared on girls' night.
"Ta-da!" she yelled when she removed her hands to reveal how the table had been transformed. Twinkle lights sparkled from above the booth and along the back of the table, a lit candle created a subtle glow, and a bouquet of fresh wildflowers had been placed in a water glass at the center of the table.
"Oh, Kim. It's beautiful! You treat me like a princess," I said with watery eyes.
"You deserve only the best," she whispered in my ear before sliding up to the bar to grab a tray of drinks for one of her tables.
I knew when Devin arrived because the group of ladies sitting across from me stopped talking and turned to gaze at him. He walked to my table and grinned at me. "You're even more beautiful than I remembered."
I blushed and then chuckled as Kim walked behind him fanning herself with a hand, and silently mouthing the words "hubba hubba." She was right. Devin looked like a Greek god, and I could not believe he was here with me. His dark hair was slightly damp, as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. He was clean-shaven and smelled like Irish Spring. His black tee shirt was just tight enough to show off his flat abs and bulging biceps. And, speaking of bulges, his jeans were snug enough to give a tantalizing hint of his junk. I had to pry my eyes away.
As he sat down, he commented, "Wow, it looks like we scored the best seats in the house."
I grinned, "I know people."
Kim stopped by with a quick, "Hi, I'm Kim. Take good care of my girl or we'll have words." She waggled a warning finger at Devin with a smile, before hustling off to her next table. She had arranged for one of the other waitresses to take care of us. That had surprised me at first, but being her thoughtful self, she had probably figured I would be more comfortable without her stopping by the table periodically all evening.
Devin and I split a bottle of white wine from a local vineyard and an appetizer platter full of fried, fabulous, fattening goodies. Then we topped it all off with a brownie sundae. It was a perfect evening filled with interesting conversation, laughter, and great food.
Devin surprised me by turning towards the bar and asking, "How long do you think it will be before your friend and the bartender hook up?"
I gave him a sideways look. "Kim? And Biggie? He's her boss," I responded, shaking my head.
"Well, they've been giving each other googly eyes all night," he countered.
I sat back in my seat, thinking that one over for a minute. Could he be right? Kim loved sex and men, but she had never shown an interest in keeping one around for more than a couple of dates. As I contemplated it, I realized that she did act different around Biggie, whose real name is Brad. I had always chalked it up to him being her employer.
I watched Brad working the bar with his customary laid back ease. He was kind of cute, with his slightly scruffy, dirty-blonde hair. His style tended towards tee shirts and flip-flops, while Kim was a glamour girl. "Hmm," I said aloud as I tilted my head, pondering him.
Devin coughed. "Please don't gaze at another guy while you are out with me. You're going to give me an inferiority complex." He smiled after he said it to let me know he was teasing.
"Well, then you better work to keep my attention," I retorted quickly, openly flirting with him.
"Let's get out of here then, and find someplace where I can have you all to myself. How about a walk along the water?" he asked.
"I'd love to," I responded, deciding to give more thought to the Kim and Brad idea.
As Devin paid Brad at the bar, Kim slid behind me and whispered in my ear. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
I chuckled as I turned to her and asked, "What would that be?"
"There isn't much that would be off-limits with that fine hunk of man," she mumbled under her breath as I turned to leave with Devin. "Have fun!" She yelled the words to both of us, as Devin placed his hand gently on my back and guided me out of the restaurant.
We walked hand in hand along the sandy shore. The nearly full moon glimmered on the water. It was unseasonably warm, so even the breeze off the water wasn't too chilly. I was pleasantly tipsy and happier than I ever remembered being in my entire life.I was in my own world with Devin and barely took notice of the couple walking towards us, until the man spoke. I would have recognized his voice immediately, even if he hadn't called me by the nickname he had used the entire time that we were married, despite the fact that I didn't care for it."Surprise." He drew the word out. "Working your magic on a new fellow, I see."Devin smiled and introduced himself, extending his arm to shake hands.I almost felt sorry for Tiffany when Richard introduced himself as my husband. "Ex-husband," she and I interjected simultaneously."Right, of course, we all knew that. What good fortune, to run into you on our little weekend getaway." I had to force myself to refrain from rolling my eyes at his broad
I blurted out, "Want to take this party inside?" I wondered where this newfound boldness was coming from."Oh, uh." He ran his fingers through his hair.He doesn't want me. He's just being nice. My inner voice panicked."I'm not exactly prepared." At my perplexed look, he elaborated. "I didn't think we'd be in this situation tonight, so I don't have any condoms.""Oh." Relief flooded over me. Since I hadn't had sex until I was married, I had never had to worry about condoms. In fact, I'd never seen one other than during the banana demonstration that every teen suffers through. "Okay, we don't have to." I paused before adding, "But I know I don't have any diseases because I got tested after I found out Richard had been with that whore we saw tonight." Whore?!? My mental critic screeched. How classy.He looked down at me and smiled. "I know I am disease-free because I always wear a condom, but I don't want to get you pregnant on our first official date.""Apparently, I can't get pregnan
I awoke to the delectable smell of sizzling bacon. "Could you be any more perfect?" I asked as I devoured the sight of him working in the kitchen. I watched the muscles in his bare back flex as he turned the bacon. Clad only in perfect fitting jeans, he looked completely at ease in the kitchen.When he turned to hand me a mug of English Breakfast tea, he asked, "Cream and sugar, right?"I could see by the color of it that he had already added the ingredients, and I was beyond touched that he had remembered. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed a shirt," I said, indicating the long, navy blue tee shirt that I was wearing."Looks way better on you than it ever did on me." He smiled. "Mind buttering that toast? Then we can head outside to eat. It's a beautiful morning."He was right, the sun was glistening on the water and the air was fresh and clear. We ate in companionable silence, and I kept finding myself gazing at him. He was so handsome it almost hurt my eyes. When he tossed his last
I could not stop smiling. Last night had been the best of my existence. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders, knowing that my body was capable of experiencing so much pleasure. Now I could see what all of the fuss was about. The only mar on our perfect night was seeing Richard and learning that I was the reason he and I had never conceived a child. I had wanted a baby for as long as I could remember, and I would not give up on that dream. Perhaps I would just need to explore other options, like adoption. I decided to put off thinking about it for now. It's not like I had to be in a big hurry. I wanted my life to be more settled before I made a plan for my child. Settled with Devin? The possibility popped into my head. I attempted to nudge it down, realizing that I might be skipping ahead way too quickly. I ran up the stairs two at a time towards my bedroom. As I rounded my doorway, Tobi, Kim's bitchy cat, skittered out of the room as if I had just kicked her.
We decided on an elegant, black, form-fitting cocktail dress. When paired with the super-high, shiny, black stilettos that Kim had loaned me, the look was classic and stunning. I just hoped I didn't fall down, especially considering what I was wearing underneath my ensemble.The thigh-highs, garter and racy thong were not my traditional type of undergarments. It made me feel sexy, though, to know how scantily I was clad underneath my demure outfit. I shivered in anticipation as I imagined how Devin's eyes would sparkle when he discovered my naughty secret.As I climbed the steps to the museum, I wished again that Devin had picked me up instead of asking me to meet him here. I had waited until fifteen minutes after the event started, hoping that there would be plenty of people here, so I could slip in unnoticed. I despised walking into parties by myself. The great room of the museum had been transformed into a sparkling fairy forest and the effect was magical. Six-foot tall mushrooms p
"Identical twin"? My mind reeled. How could Devin have failed to mention that? And what have I just done? Thank goodness it hadn't gone any farther, but I would never be able to face Devon again.And what about him? I wondered disdainfully. Was he just going to screw a stranger in the bathroom? Well, he is a guy, my mind retorted. And I was totally coming on to him out there. It's not like a man to turn down easy sex.I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My boobs were hanging out and my dress was askew. I quickly went over and snapped the lock into place before someone walked in on me in this state of complete disarray.I splashed cool water on my face and patted my chest with a damp paper towel in an attempt to calm down. Never in my whole life had I been that excited, or this humiliated. What a difference a few seconds can make.As I attempted to fix my appearance, I thought about Devon. He really was identical to Devin physically, but he was darker, more dangerous. The bath
He had the audacity to grin. Then he continued. "I don't generally share my brother's taste in women, but with you he did okay." "Okay?!?" I spluttered. Then I lifted my chin, deciding not to let him push my buttons. "You know, instead of rating me, you might think about how hurt Devin would be if he knew about us." "Us?" he asked. "So, now we're an 'us'? I didn't know you cared so much." "You know what I meant." I glared at him. This man was exasperating. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "When I'm fondling my date's fake tits tonight, I'm going to be thinking about your real ones." That did it. My mouth fell open, appalled. My eyes felt like they might pop out of my head. I whirled away from him and headed for the bar. I needed a glass of wine. Pronto. "Your brother is a pig!" I said loudly when Hailey hopped up on the bar stool next to me. "I'll take it you've met Devon," Hailey chuckled. "Yes, he can be a bit of a pig. But he can also be generous, and kind, and hilario
I looked in my rear view mirror to make sure Devin's Jeep pulled out of the museum lot behind me. We had decided to go to my house, and I was suddenly nervous about having him in my space.Kim had worked the dinner shift tonight, so she wouldn't be there when we arrived, but she would be coming in later. I wasn't sure how to let her know not to disturb us. I wondered if I should tie a 'we are screwing our brains out' scarf to the doorknob, but decided that was a little crass. She would just have to draw her own conclusions when she saw Devin's vehicle parked in our driveway.I was hornier than I ever remember being. In fact, I briefly considered pulling over and having my way with Devin in his Jeep on the side of the road. I pictured myself climbing through the door-less driver's side and mounting him in one smooth move. I could have him inside me, easing this aching desire within seconds. I tapped the brakes, but at the last minute decided that we would have more room to fool around