The Great Charade, page 14
Aaron stood on cue. “Me too.”
Abby exchanged glances with Nic, both of their eyes widening teasingly. When Holly and Aaron left, she leaned closer, her voice quiet. “Do you mind offering to help Mom? I want to talk to Dad.”
“Sure.”
Abby went to stand by the bar, watching as her father added scotch to a glass with three ice cubes.
“Busy day?”
“Oh, yeah. Holiday crowd.”
She moved closer to him, waiting until he met her gaze. “What’s going on, Dad?”
He didn’t appear startled by her question. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve hardly been around. Less than last year, even. Mom says you’re gone a lot.”
He glanced toward the kitchen, then back at her. “What has she said?”
“Well, mainly she said I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you about it. Because, you know, it’s Christmas and all and we can’t have any drama at Christmas. Other than, you know, the me and Holly situation.”
He smiled at that. “It’s been less stressful than last year, that’s for sure.”
“Yes, it has. So what’s going on with you?”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Oh, come on, Dad. Don’t make me ask.”
He sipped from his drink but said nothing.
“Fine. I’ll ask. Are you having an affair?”
He nearly spit out his drink. “What? Is that what she thinks?”
“You’re gone a lot. At odd hours. You get phone calls. You claim to be working at the resort. A lot. But she followed you one morning. You met some woman at a coffee shop. Sat on the outdoor patio. And she called the resort. You weren’t scheduled to be at work that day.”
His reaction wasn’t what she’d been expecting. A smile and a laugh?
“I guess I should have told her. But I’d promised and I hated to break my promise.”
“What are you talking about?”
“In Dallas, when we quit, I told her I’d never go back into real estate. It had nearly ruined our marriage. I love your mother. I didn’t want to lose her.”
She frowned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that for the last couple of years I’ve been working toward getting my license here. I took the broker exam in November of last year.” He grinned. “Passed with flying colors, of course.”
“I would hope so.”
“Anyway, for the last year, I’ve been working.”
“For a firm?”
“I thought that was too risky. I didn’t want Sandra to find out. So no, I’ve been on my own. But it’s really taken off and I’m swamped now. I already had connections in Dallas, and you’d be surprised at how many second homes up here exchange hands. Not just that, but I’ve become friends with one of the builders in Taos. He builds vacation homes that the owners then use as short-term rentals. What he’s found is that people will keep the house for two or three years, then sell to someone else who’s looking for investment property. That alone has kept me plenty busy.”
“So instead of telling her, you sneak around and pretend to be working at the resort?”
“Not pretend. I do work there a couple of days a week, but not as a manager as she thinks.”
“How do you find the time?” She held her hand up. “I know. You can do three things at once. Like when you used to come to my soccer games. You always had the phone to your ear.”
“Yes. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching you.”
“Were you?”
“Of course I was. Did I ever miss a game?”
She sighed. “Okay. So you need to tell her.”
“It’ll disappoint her.”
“She thinks you’re having an affair, for god’s sake! Telling her you got back into the real estate business will not disappoint her.” She refilled her wine glass. “But why, Dad? I thought you had both pretty much burned out on it.”
“We had. And we needed to get away from it. But honestly, I was losing my mind being up here and not working. I felt like I was wasting my life.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“Because she was happy not working. She enjoys tending to this big house and she has all of her projects outside. And she’s made friends with our neighbors so in the summer when they’re here, she has outings with the ladies, and they take turns having lunch. She was happy.”
“But you were not.”
“I was bored, to be honest. And I found myself taking it out on her.”
She smiled. “So to save your marriage in Dallas, you quit the business. And to save it now, you got back into it?”
“Exactly. But it’s different here. Not nearly as stressful. Not the cutthroat business like when I was dealing commercial properties. This is almost relaxing.”
“Okay. Daughter to father advice—after you confess to her, that is—is not to keep odd hours, don’t go overboard with it again, and bring her flowers on occasion. Oh, and take her out to dinner more often.”
He added a splash more scotch to his glass as well. “Do you think she’ll be mad?”
“I know I would be,” she said bluntly. “Not that you’ve gotten back into the business, but that you didn’t tell me.” She softened her words. “She was really hurt, Dad.”
He nodded. “I think I knew she was getting suspicious. You’re right. I should have told her.”
She smiled at him. “Okay. So that’s one drama averted. Now if we can just make it through without me and Holly coming to blows, it’ll be a success.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Nic closed the door to their bedroom and leaned back against it with a sigh. “That was actually tolerable. Much better than last night’s dinner.”
“She was quite subdued tonight, wasn’t she?”
She pushed off the door, going to the drawers where she’d put her clothes. “I feel sorry for your brother.”
“Why? He has free will.”
“You think so? She seems to snap her fingers and he jumps.” She took out her sleep shirt. “There’s no way they’re in love with each other. They both look miserable.”
“I’m guessing it’s their sex life that is miserable,” Abby said as she went into the bathroom. “Being a lesbian and sleeping with a guy has got to be difficult.”
Nic walked to the open door, watching as Abby brushed her teeth. “Is she gay or is she bi?”
Abby rinsed her mouth before answering. “If you asked Holly, she would probably say she was straight. If you ask me—and by what she said to me earlier today—I’ll go with gay.”
Nic raised her eyebrows questioningly.
“When she indicated she wanted to sleep with me, I asked if the sex wasn’t good enough with him.” Abby stopped and shook her head. “Never mind.”
“No, no. What did she say?”
Abby looked away. “She said he wasn’t me.”
Nic smiled. “You’re that good, huh?”
Abby blushed and moved past her. “I’m not answering that.”
Nic was still smiling when she went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. She heard Abby in the bedroom, presumably changing as well. Much like last night, Abby was already in bed with only the lamp on beside the bed. Unlike last night, they weren’t both dog-tired.
When she got into bed, Abby made no move to turn the lamp off. Instead, she rolled to her side.
“Did you have a good day?”
“It ended well, yes. I like your family. Your mother especially.”
“Wanna tell me what you told her about Holly?”
Nic gave a quiet laugh. “Don’t be mad. It just came out.”
“Oh my god! You told her we slept together last year?”
“No, I didn’t tell her that. I told her Holly wanted to sleep with you this year. I told her I caught you in the kitchen.”
“Oh god,” she groaned. “How did she take it?”
“She blames Holly.” Nic moved her hand under the covers and found Abby’s. “If we were real girlfriends and I’d walked in on you like that, I would have been pissed as hell.”
“She kinda blindsided me.”
“And if I hadn’t been there?”
“I don’t know. Right then, at that moment, I didn’t feel anything for her. There was no underlying attraction that I was trying to fight. But I don’t know. If you weren’t here and she did that to me three, four, five times—I may have gone along with it. I would hope not, but…”
Her voice trailed off and Nic wondered what she was trying to say. “But you’re lonely?”
Abby surprised her by turning the question back to her. “This morning, you said that you were lonely. Have you ever been in a relationship, Nic?”
Nic nodded. “Once. Like I said, I didn’t have great role models, but I thought I’d give it a try.” She thought back to the girl she’d met in college—Kayla. “I was twenty, I think, when I met her. I liked her a lot. At first. I wouldn’t say I was ever in love with her. I didn’t have those deep feelings, whatever that is. But I thought maybe it would grow to that. She was fun and we had a good time together. But then she got into the whole college scene and was binge drinking and partying. Stuff I wasn’t into. Turns out she was a mean drunk and she liked to pick fights with me, then she wouldn’t remember it the next morning. It was too much. That was my parents’ relationship. Yelling, fighting. I thought, is that how all relationships were? If so, I wanted no part of it.”
“Was she the same age?”
“A year younger.” She rolled onto her back. “One morning, after a fight the night before, I broke up with her. She didn’t remember getting hammered, didn’t remember the fight. It didn’t matter. I was through. She kinda turned into a stalker for a few months after that. So much so that I didn’t go out at all. She finally moved on to someone else, but I was over the whole dating thing by then. Sex became so much more relaxed when you didn’t have to worry about the emotional crap that comes with dating.”
“And that’s how you still are?”
She smiled. “I’m not in college anymore. I’m over thirty. I have a job that demands I get to work before dawn. So no, I don’t cruise the bars at night, looking for a hookup. I’m with Eric and Addison a couple of times a week. I have dinner with my uncle at least once a week. I have a handful of other friends that I go out to dinner with occasionally. And yes, sometimes I get lonely, and I go to the bar. And sometimes I go home alone and sometimes I don’t.”
She heard Abby sigh. “I wish I could be like you. I’m not brave enough to pick someone up at the bar like that. My friend Sharon says I like to vet them first before I become even a little bit involved with them. So, I get lonely too. I feel left out. Most of my friends are couples. In fact, I think all of them are.”
“Do they try to set you up? Blind dates and whatnot?”
“Oh, sometimes but not often.” Abby met her gaze. “I think that’s why I let Holly into my life. I remember the night I met her. I was at the bar alone. I usually go with a group or at least a couple of friends. But not that night. So I met Holly and I let her in. We don’t really go together. I can see that clearly now. She’s so fake. And really, we had nothing in common. I don’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t see past the charm, the looks. It was just nice to have someone, you know.”
Nic shook her head. No, she didn’t know. It had been ten years since Kayla. So no, she didn’t know what it was like to have someone. And she didn’t imagine she ever would. But right now, here, in bed…there was Abby. A woman who, on the surface, she hardly knew. Yet they did know each other, didn’t they?
Abby was the one to move, to move closer to her. “Do you want…do you want to collect on your—well, our agreement was—”
“Abby, I shouldn’t have made that offer. It shouldn’t have been a stipulation. I’m sorry.”
“No. But we did have an agreement. Didn’t we?”
Nic rolled to her side, facing Abby, trying to read her eyes. Hell, it was their agreement, wasn’t it? Sex. No attachments, no nothing. Just sex. Her payment for being the fake girlfriend. She leaned a little closer, touching her mouth to Abby’s. It was a light kiss, just lips moving together. It felt nice.
She sat up then and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor. She urged Abby up too, removing hers as well. Her gaze went to her breasts. They were full, the nipples taut. Then she leaned closer, kissing her again, this time with a little more fervor. She heard Abby moan quietly. She lay back down, pulling Abby on top of her. Their lips parted simultaneously, their tongues meeting, dancing together in a delicious kiss.
She cupped Abby’s hips, slipping her hands inside the flannel pajama bottoms. Abby arched against her, drawing out her own moan as their centers pressed together. Abby’s hair fell across her face as they kissed, and she blindly pushed the pajamas down, wanting to touch flesh. So did Abby, apparently, as her hand went inside her underwear, pushing them out of the way.
They were struggling to breathe as they kissed, but they didn’t struggle with their clothing. She rolled them over, both naked now. She slipped between Abby’s thighs, hearing her groan as she thrust against her. She bent Abby’s knees and pushed them up, spreading her legs even further. She moved her mouth to Abby’s breast, sucking a nipple inside, feeling Abby squirm beneath her.
“God, yes,” Abby hissed as Nic slid fingers into her wetness. Abby rose up to meet her, her hips rocking against her hand.
Nic used her own hips to drive her fingers deeper. Abby was panting, her fingers digging into Nic’s arms as she met each thrust. Nic bit down lightly against her nipple, then sucked it hard into her mouth. Abby’s hips bucked wildly against her, then she turned her head, stifling her scream with her pillow as she climaxed.
Abby’s legs slowly settled back on the bed, and Nic rested her face against Abby’s breasts, her fingers still inside her. With her thumb, she brushed across Abby’s clit, making her jerk.
“God, I thought you were the one to be compensated, not me,” Abby murmured huskily.
Nic looked up and smiled, finding Abby’s eyes closed. She slowly withdrew her fingers, making Abby jerk again. Abby gave a satisfied moan and her eyes fluttered open.
“I think I like the way you kiss.”
Nic moved higher, doing just that. Abby rolled her over this time, resting her weight on top of her.
“I may be out of practice. As you know, it’s been a year.”
Nic smiled against her lips. “If you need three or four tries at it, that’s fine with me.”
Abby laughed quietly as she pulled her mouth away. Their eyes met and Abby’s smile slowly faded as she moved to kiss her again. Nic lay back, letting Abby do as she may. Her kisses turned fiery hot before moving to her breasts. She closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of Abby’s mouth and tongue on them. Yes, hopefully it would take three or four tries. How glorious would that be?
Chapter Twenty-six
Abby’s eyes were closed as she stretched her legs out. She was aware that she was smiling. Aware that the lamp was still on. Aware of how contented she felt. Odd, really, when she’d so dreaded fulfilling this agreement she and Nic had made. But god, what a glorious night it had been. She rolled over, turning off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Well, not quite darkness—dawn was already breaking outside.
“You’re smiling.”
She rolled back toward Nic. “I think I kinda like this.”
“This what?”
“This having sex without worrying about dating and all that goes with it. It’s much more relaxing. I’m really glad you made me that counteroffer.”
Nic moved closer to kiss her. “I’m glad you picked me to be your fake girlfriend.”
“Can we do this every night?”
“If you want to. I won’t complain.”
Abby took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. God, she felt so wanton, so shameless. And tired. She wondered how many hours of sleep they’d gotten. Not enough, obviously as she felt herself drifting off. She didn’t fight it. She felt Nic’s arm snake across her stomach and she pulled it tighter around her.
When she woke again, sunlight was streaming in through the blinds, and she blinked against it. She was alone in bed, and she listened, but all was quiet. She tossed the covers off, aware of her nakedness. She hurried into the bathroom, turning on the small heater there to warm it. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her disheveled hair. Her lips felt puffy from kissing, and her breasts felt swollen. God, Nic’s hands and mouth had been everywhere on her body, and she positively loved it. Who knew she could be so unrestrained in bed with someone who was practically a stranger? But no, Nic didn’t seem like a stranger at all anymore, did she? No. She met her eyes in the mirror and smiled. They would have eight more nights together. She wasn’t certain she could keep the pace, but she would certainly give it a good try.
“You’re so bad,” she murmured as she stepped into the shower. And to think she had been dreading this. It was kinda fun being a little naughty. She nearly rolled her eyes at herself. What she considered naughty most people would probably consider perfectly normal.
After her shower, she made the bed and straightened up the room before going downstairs. She found Nic in the sunporch with her mother, chatting away as if they were old friends. Nic met her gaze and gave her a lazy smile. Abby felt her stomach turn over at the look in her eyes.
“Good morning.”
Abby suddenly felt a little shy. “Morning.” She glanced at her mother. “I guess I wasn’t recovered from the drive up here. I slept like a log.”
“Uh huh.”
She hoped she was successful warding off the blush that threatened. She sat down beside Nic on the wicker loveseat. It was toasty warm in the room, and she took a sip of her hot coffee.
