Friends and Lovers Read online

“You spent the night with him? That was fast.”

  “Or slow.”

  Jackie thought about it and nodded. “I see your point. Fifteen years is a long time to wait. I couldn’t do it. So how was it?”

  “I’ll never be the same again.”

  “It met your expectations, did it?”

  “Surpassed my wildest dreams is more like it.”

  Jackie chuckled softly. “Well, honey, I’m happy for you.”

  “Wes liked the underwear, by the way. He wouldn’t give my panties back this morning.”

  Jackie grinned and stood to leave. “The man’s got good taste. I told you to listen to me.”

  “I’ll never doubt your advice again.”

  * * * *

  Lauren’s phone rang at ten to noon. It was Wes.

  “What are you doing for lunch?” he asked.

  “I’m heading over to the Black Briar Country Club to speak to their women’s group. Lunch is included.”

  “Going to be in Sherry and Ken’s neck of the woods, eh? Damn. I was hoping I could meet up with you.”

  Lauren smiled. “I wish I could.”

  “How about tonight? I’ll pick up Chinese.”

  “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “And don’t forget to stop for clothes first.”

  “You want me to stay over again?”

  “If I do my part right, you’re not going to want to leave.”

  “In that case, I’m going to need more than just a change of clothes. I can’t be late for work again.”

  “Just bring whatever you need. I’ll see you later.” With that he hung up.

  Wes could easily become a habit if she wasn’t careful.

  * * * *

  The Black Briar Country Club was beyond exclusive, some might say even harder to get into than the White House. It was a place where old and new money mingled to the advancement of both. Black Briar had a stringent vetting process that winnowed out the unfortunate prospects no matter how wealthy. Standards were standards, after all, and no one got a second look if they applied before they learned the finer points of taste and decorum. There would be no vulgar common language or behavior, no sloppy drunks, and no unfortunate scandals among the select. That’s not to say their members weren’t human, but they weren’t exactly cut from the same cloth as the average person either. They were elitists and quite comfortable with that.

  Lauren presented her embossed invitation to the affair—was affair the proper word for a monetary shakedown?— at the security gate and eyed the immaculate greens, beds of flowers, and expensive cars and suddenly felt a little ill. She couldn’t afford to blow this. Support from these women would go a long way if she tailored her message carefully. She needed to bring out their social philanthropy without shocking or disturbing them. She didn’t want to alienate them from an important issue that concerned all women no matter what their social or economic status.

  Ten minutes later Lauren was feeling very uncomfortable as she sipped her Shirley Temple and made small talk.

  An elegant older woman in a silk pants suit gave Lauren a tolerant smile. “I understand you were just on television. Oprah?”

  “Public access,” Lauren said with a smile of her own.

  The woman’s expertly tightened face fell. “Oh. Excuse me.”

  “Of course.”

  * * * *

  Lauren got back to the shelter just after two and collapsed into her chair. She felt drained and needed a nap. Judging by the tantrum coming from downstairs she wasn’t the only one. She made her way down there to see what she could do to help and found Jackie and the stressed-out mother trying to soothe the crying boy but he was beyond consoling.

  They all looked up when Lauren walked in and she shook her head, a sympathetic smile on her face.

  “That’s enough,” she said firmly and picked the boy up.

  Her move startled all of them but it effectively stopped the crying. The child blinked his wet lashes at Lauren and held onto her shirt as she carried him outside on her hip. She showed him around the backyard, brought him over to the flowers so he could smell them, and pointed out birds as they tramped around. His head was bouncing tiredly against her shoulder when she carried him back inside ten minutes later.

  “Do you want me to take him?” the mother asked.

  “Not necessary,” Lauren whispered and settled into the rocker in the corner. The boy’s mom went back to folding a basket of clothes and Lauren rocked them both to sleep.

  She woke a half an hour later with a sweaty chest and a damp drool mark on her shoulder. The boy roused himself enough to crawl down from her lap and stretch out on his stomach on the floor. He fell right back to sleep.

  Lauren smiled and got up. She was stiff as she climbed the stairs.

  Jackie was working at her desk. She looked up and grinned. “You’re full of surprises today.”

  “I suppose I am.”

  “Come see the softer side of Lauren.”

  She laughed and walked into her office. “Cut it out.”

  * * * *

  Lauren stopped at the store on her way home. If she was going to be spending time at Wes’s place, and it certainly looked that way, she wanted her own hair products, body wash, and a second toothbrush for those nights she stayed over. She hoped he wouldn’t mind.

  His car was already in the driveway when she pulled up. She knocked and he called out, “Door’s open.”

  Wes wasn’t in the living room. Lauren wandered into the bedroom and dropped off her bag but he wasn’t there either. Walking through the kitchen she eventually spotted him out on the deck. The table was already set.

  “Your glass of wine is on the counter,” he told her through the screen.

  Lauren picked it up and joined him outside.

  Wes pulled out a chair for her and Lauren lowered herself into it.

  “First things first,” he said, giving her a lingering kiss.

  “Mmm.” Lauren sighed and her eyes slowly opened. “That’s nice and this smells good,” she said, looking at the plate he set in front of her.

  “Dig in.”

  “Oh…this is good,” she said, going for another forkful. “Do you see how green this broccoli is? Tell me this place delivers?”

  “Not here. I picked up the order on my way home.”

  “Damn.”

  Wes laughed. “But I’m glad you approve.”

  “I think this just bumped pizza off my number one favorite spot.”

  “I’ve got the menu on the counter inside. Just let me know what I should order for you next.”

  “Speaking of which, I haven’t finished my fifty questions yet.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “You wish. I’ve got lots more. You ready?”

  Wes tossed his napkin onto the table and reached for his wine. “Might as well get it out of the way.”

  “Music?” Lauren asked, cocking an eyebrow.

  Wes’s brow furrowed in thought. “No opera, no twang, no easy listening. You?”

  “Agree, agree, depends on the easy listening. I have a soft spot for pop.”

  “No!”

  She laughed. “Quit it. Sade?”

  “Love her.”

  “Isn’t she easy listening?”

  “No way. She’s pure unadulterated sex.”

  Lauren smiled. “I can’t argue with that.”

  “Your favorite?” he said, stabbing a peapod.

  “I don’t have one. I get into moods. I also like rock, jazz, classical, reggae, and world blends. How about you?”

  “I guess I lean most toward adult alternative but I’m pretty open.”

  “I suppose I can live with that.”

  “You suppose?” he asked playfully, jostling her with his elbow.

  “I can.” She took a sip of wine. “Experience you’d most like to try?”

  “Did it with you yesterday and again this morning.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.�
��

  She couldn’t stop the blush. “Thanks. Anything else you’d like to try?”

  “Depends on how flexible you are.”

  She groaned. “Come on.”

  Wes took a moment to think about it. “I wouldn’t mind going up in a glider.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know why. It just sounds interesting.” He pursed his lips and studied her thoughtfully. “If you could go back to school and study anything, what would it be?”

  “It’s a tie between archeology and anthropology.”

  His eyebrows went up. “No kidding?”

  “I’ve always loved them.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  She shrugged. “You?”

  “I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”

  She tweezed up an orphaned Chow Mein noodle with her fingernails and smiled. “That’s great,” she said, popping it into her mouth.

  Wes lifted the bottle and topped off their glasses. “Have you ever wanted to live anywhere else?”

  “Who hasn’t? I’ve thought about a lot of different places but I’m all my parents have left now and it would kill them if I took off. They’re looking to me for more grandchildren.”

  “Do you want kids?”

  “Yes. I always did. How about you?”

  “Promise you won’t tell Sherry?”

  She laughed. “No.”

  “I want kids,” he admitted.

  To her cringing mortification and before she could stop herself, the words “how many?” were already out. She immediately hid behind her glass.

  “I guess that’s up to you,” Wes said with a straight face.

  The wine Lauren just swallowed bolted right back up her throat and she choked. Her eyes were watering like faucets as she fought to hold it together.

  Wes chuckled and plucked the glass out of Lauren’s hand before she spilled it then handed her his napkin. He bit his lip as she thumped herself in the chest, glaring at him through glittery eyes.

  “You suck,” she managed to say through another cough.

  “That was bad of me,” he said, his grin not remotely apologetic. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Then he got the most curious expression on his face and asked, “It’s what you wanted to hear but didn’t expect, isn’t it?”

  The heat spreading across Lauren’s cheeks had to be deep enough to give the red wine a run for its money. Knowing it was a tacit confession only made her blush even hotter. She looked away, intensely embarrassed. “Now you’re just teasing me,” she said in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

  There was understanding—and a little hope?—in his eyes when he asked, “Do they look like me, these imaginary kids of yours?”

  Her eyes swung back slowly and she nodded, completely embarrassed but unable to deny it.

  Wes gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, I’m flattered.”

  “An instrument?” Lauren burst out, desperate to change the subject.

  His eyebrows pinched together. “Do I play an instrument?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Not unless the music I coaxed out of you last night qualifies.”

  That sent her eyes into a dizzying roll. “You have sex on the brain.”

  “I waited a long time for you, Lauren. I guess it’s only natural I want to make up for lost time.”

  The heat in his eyes was intense, scorching. Lauren felt like she was sitting too close to a sunlamp. Wes was like that damn bug zapper—seductive, hot, impossible to withstand. She was melting now, her pores open, each breath she took shallow and weak.

  Wes pushed back his chair and stood, holding out his hand to her. Lauren half expected to feel a painful sizzle the instant they touched but that didn’t happen. It was the kiss he took that seared her skin.

  Chapter 13

  This was all still a dream. A ‘pinch me’ sort of dream but who’d want to wake up?

  Lauren closed her eyes and snuggled against Wes’s warm chest and sighed. Even though he was behind her and had more room to stretch out, his knees still rose several inches higher than hers against the sides of the tub. She cupped her hands over his naked legs and smoothed down the coarse hair, riding the tops of his thighs until she crested the hard knees.

  Even his knees were sexy.

  Wes lazily swished the lavender scented water over Lauren’s breasts and murmured, “You know, it’s been a good twenty-five years since I took a bubble bath.” He kissed her shoulder. “And I can safely say it wasn’t anything like this.”

  “Next best thing to a spa.” She smiled contentedly, soothed by the beads she’d dropped into the bath.

  “You seem pretty relaxed.”

  “Mmm.”

  A few more quiet minutes passed before Wes spoke again. “Are you coming to self-defense tomorrow?”

  “Can’t.” She rolled her head back and forth against his shoulder. “I have a PowerPoint presentation at the hospital tomorrow night.”

  “Okay, how about Thursday? Feel like doing some boxing if the gym is free?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” She was clearly hedging.

  “Come on. I want to know you can protect yourself.”

  “I want that too.”

  “Then make an effort.”

  Lauren elbowed Wes in the ribs and he grunted.

  “Hey, I’m serious.”

  She blew out a breath in resignation. “Fine, I’ll consider Thursday.”

  He gave her a grateful squeeze. “Think we’re pruny enough yet?”

  “You’re ready to get out?”

  “Well, this is fun, but it’s not why I asked you to stay over.”

  She sat up and looked back at him. “Is that right?”

  “I’m just saying.”

  She laughed at the double eyebrow lift he gave her. “You’re lucky I find you so irresistible.”

  Lauren stood and stepped carefully onto the bath mat. Wes rose behind her and she could hear the water running off of him. She took an appreciative peek back at his exquisite body when he hit the drain release with his toe. Feeling a little playful now, Lauren blocked Wes, trapping him behind the shower doors. He wasn’t going anywhere until she moved aside and allowed it. She began to dry off, taking her sweet time and pretending she wasn’t aware Wes was probably shivering in that rapidly draining pool at his ankles.

  “If you don’t mind,” he said, prodding her along.

  “Hmm?” Lauren asked innocently, tucking the large towel tightly around her chest.

  “Move your luscious ass or I will.”

  “Promises promises,” Lauren said archly and crossed over to the vanity.

  She caught her wicked grin in the mirror when she picked up his folded towel. Lauren turned and Wes held out his hand for her to give it to him, but she laughed and took off running instead.

  “Last one to the bedroom is a rotten egg!” she called over her shoulder.

  There was an unexpected, high-pitched squeak as her heel slid across the floor, immediately followed by a startled shriek as Lauren wiped out in the hallway.

  He was behind her instantly, lifting her to her feet. “Jeeze, are you okay?”

  “Stupid wooden floors,” she said with annoyance. “I think I skinned my elbow.” She twisted her arm to check.

  “You sure did. Come on.” Wes dragged her by the arm back to the bathroom and set her on top of the vanity. He threw open the medicine cabinet and grabbed the bandages and antibiotic ointment. “I need to wash it first, and it’s probably going to sting. You nailed it good.”

  He let the tap run hot while he found a clean washcloth. Lauren held her breath when Wes clapped it over her elbow.

  “Now I’m going to tell you what my mom always told me when she was doctoring my wounds.” Wes did her voice too, or an approximation anyway. “This is what you get when you horse around inside.”

  Lauren snorted. “And I’ll bet you listened too.”

  Wes laughed. “Course not.” He stretched the ban
dage tight and pressed it down. “There you go. Good as new.” He gave her boo-boo a soft kiss.

  Lauren looked at him helplessly, utterly astonished at all the unknown sides to the man. She learned something new and remarkable every day and felt herself sinking deeper under his spell with each revelation. She wished there was a way to merge with him, learn from the inside how he saw things, felt things, experienced the world, because he opened her eyes and her heart to a degree she never thought possible. It should frighten her, that level of vulnerability, but Wes somehow managed to make her feel more secure instead.

  Loving Wes wasn’t what came as such a surprise to her—no, it was falling in love with him all over again, but deeper this time, that made everything so intense and special. This wasn’t a one-sided infatuation with a fantasy, this was the real deal, warmly reciprocated.

  Dropping her eyes down his body as he dried his hands, Lauren wondered if Wes even noticed he was still naked. She certainly couldn’t help it.

  “Come here,” she said with a husky voice, pulling him close and wrapping her arms and legs around him.

  Wes dipped down and kissed her, and Lauren gave herself up to the heady sensations of bare skin to bare skin, tongue to tongue, and their heartbeats synchronizing. She tightened her grip on him and felt his erection brush against her. She pressed back willingly.

  He groaned. “You realize this isn’t the bedroom.”

  “Your point is?” Lauren put her ear against his chest and listened to his heart as she ran her fingertip lightly along the underside of his cock, making both jump to attention.

  “Hold that thought,” he said and dashed to the bedroom for a condom.

  Lauren’s towel was draped over the top of the shower door when he got back.

  * * * *

  Wes escorted Lauren to her car the next morning and pressed her up against the cool door.

  “When will you be through tonight?” he asked.

  Her head fell back as he kissed along her neck, nipping at her ear on his way back up. He loved how she clung to him for support. “I don’t know, sometime after eight,” she said weakly.

  “Mmm,” he said, nuzzling along her jaw next. “Are you going home afterward?”

  “That was my plan. I didn’t get any sleep here last night. I could sure use the rest.”

  Wes chuckled and fastened his mouth over her earring, tracing it with the tip of his tongue. “Now that you mention it, sleep sounds awfully good. You wore me out. I think I’ll leave the driving to Chuck today.”