Wicked Pleasures Read online

  He stared at her as if she had another head growing out of her cheek.

  How could she have read his intentions so incorrectly?

  Because, fool, she doesn’t have a clue what you’re all about.

  Will sat for long moments, digesting his thought along with the little food he’d eaten. Sure, his agitated state could very well have been misinterpreted as pre-proposal jitters. But coming on the heels of her trip and his ducking of her physical advances…well, was the woman completely daft in the head?

  No, not daft. A little naive maybe. Trusting. But not daft. After all, he’d been the one who had played her impeccably mannered date all these months, a date whose sole intention had been to get her into the sack.

  “Janet, I—”

  “Will, please. Don’t say anything more,” she interrupted, her gaze cutting away from him as she put her hands in her lap. “While I appreciate the gesture, and I really would have liked to have seen the ring…”

  Ring? She thought he had a blasted ring?

  “My answer is no.”

  Will blinked. Then he blinked again. He felt like someone had just dumped the entire contents of an ice bucket over his person.

  “No?”

  Okay, so he forgot that he had never intended to propose to her and instead focused on her answer, merely because it was so shocking.

  Well, that, and it began dawning on him that Janet wasn’t the one who was daft, he was.

  “The truth is, I’ve become attracted to someone else.”

  If Will’s eyebrows had been able to fly straight off his face, they would have.

  “It’s actually been going on for some time now.”

  “You’ve been sleeping with someone since we’ve been dating?”

  Oh, some ladies’ man he was turning out to be. He couldn’t get into her panties when all along some other man had been gaining access.

  “No…no. Well, not until a week or so ago anyway.”

  “In L.A.?”

  She nodded, refusing to meet his gaze straight-on.

  Not that he could blame her. He’d been unable to look at her when he’d been about to spring news of his infidelity on her.

  “But why…why did you try to seduce me the other night?” he asked though there was no reason he needed to know the answer. He just couldn’t help wondering.

  “I don’t know.” She finally looked at him. “I hadn’t meant to sleep with…well, the other guy. It just kind of happened. And I thought that maybe if we…”

  Will couldn’t help her as he was completely beyond words at that moment.

  She sighed heavily. “We’d been going out for five months and I thought that if we, you and I, slept together, that everything would start making sense again.”

  Will nodded, then shook his head, her logic making perfect sense yet no sense at all.

  “So, you see, it isn’t fair for me to accept your marriage proposal.”

  Fair.

  Now there was a word for you.

  Fair.

  A word that really hadn’t played much of a role in recent events. Had it been fair when he’d felt so irresistibly attracted to Renae he’d slept with her before officially breaking things off with Janet? Was it fair that even when he realized that he felt more for Renae than desire that he’d allowed her to continue believing he’d been in it merely for the sex?

  Was it fair that Janet had harbored a secret attraction for someone else then had given in to it the moment they were away from each other?

  He opened his mouth to tell her they were equally guilty when she patted his hand in an almost motherly way that made him wince.

  “I’m sorry to break this to you now, Will, really I am. I probably wouldn’t have said anything at all except that you know the man in question.”

  How could he possibly know the man when she’d had an affair with him in L.A. at the medical convention?

  Then it dawned on him. The other man was none other than resident Evan Hadley.

  He felt like banging his forehead against the table. How had he missed it?

  How? Because he’d been so obsessed with his own wicked deeds that he hadn’t stopped to consider that anyone around him could be just as dirty. He realized he’d missed every last sign.

  He stared at her. “What if I hadn’t refused you the other night? What if I’d taken you up on your generous offer and slept with you?”

  She grimaced. “I don’t know. I’d like to think I would have come to my senses at the last minute….”

  Well, he’d been dumb enough to ask the question.

  “But if we had, I keep thinking of what a mess it would have been all around.”

  He glimpsed an emotion on her face that he’d grown all too familiar with over the past two weeks. Guilt.

  “Well, Janet, there’s something I have to tell you….”

  And with that, he proceeded to do just that.

  He told her that when she’d left, he’d had every intention of staying true to her. That up until that point she was what he thought he wanted. He told her about Renae, about how a one-night stand had turned into a weeklong stand. He shared that he hadn’t brought her to the restaurant to propose to her, but rather to come clean.

  And all the time he was explaining things, he watched as her face grew redder and redder.

  He finally finished the sordid tale, hoping his story would help alleviate a little of the guilt she was feeling.

  Instead she picked up her glass of red wine and tossed it into his face, then got up from the table and stalked out.

  Hunh.

  17

  RENAE WAS RUNNING LATE for what was probably the most important lunch date of her life.

  She opened the door to the bar and grill she’d agreed to meet Ginger at, feeling sweat trickle down the back of her neck and convinced she’d never draw another calm breath again.

  She’d waited around outside her locked condo door for two hours last night to no avail. Neither Tabitha nor Nina had returned. And repeated calls to the condo and Tabitha’s wireless phone had produced the same results. So she’d bunked with Lucky and had been up until the wee hours of the morning trying to re-create the proposal she’d put together for Ginger. A proposal that had been hidden in the back of her closet inside the locked condo.

  Ginger was sitting at a back booth talking on her cell phone. Renae took the seat across from her and smiled her apologies. She picked up a menu and pretended to read it even as she covertly took in the woman who had been more of a friend to her than a boss over the past five years.

  Ginger Wasserman sometimes joked that her mother had given her the proper stripper name when she was born. But it wasn’t a stage she’d found herself on when she’d been a teenager but rather a street corner because, as she told it, she’d always looked younger than her age, which was bad for someone trying to look older.

  Now in her fifties, the pretty brunette could easily pass for forty, her pale skin smooth, her dark eyes clear and friendly despite the rough road she had traveled down.

  Renae knew it was no accident that nearly everyone associated with Women Only had had it rough growing up. Not only knew about the shadows of life but had lived in them. There was a kind of scarring that only another person who bore the same psychological scars could spot. A sisterhood that automatically drew them to those who were like them. She’d seen it in Lucky the instant their eyes had met a few months ago. And Ginger had seen it in Renae.

  And that’s what set them apart from the other members of the walking wounded. When Ginger had offered Renae a hand up, she’d started a chain reaction that added new links nearly every day. She had only to marvel at Lucky’s work with a local runaway shelter to understand that.

  Ginger ended her call then flipped her phone closed.

  Renae put aside the menu she hadn’t seen a word of and smiled at her. “Sorry, I’m late. The last interview ran over.”

  Ginger waved away her apology. “Did you hire her?”


  “Unfortunately, no.” She grimaced then thanked the waitress for the glass of water she placed on the table in front of her. “She couldn’t work the hours we wanted.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  Renae was grateful that Ginger never questioned her decisions. While she might have her doubts—as she suspected she had now, likely because it was taking Renae so long to fill the position—Ginger merely smiled, reinforcing her confidence in her.

  “So what is it you wanted to discuss with me?” Ginger asked.

  Renae’s tongue suddenly felt like it was cemented to the roof of her mouth. She almost let out a squeal of relief when the waitress came up to take their orders. They both ordered salads and before she knew it they were alone again.

  “I’ve been waiting for the right time to talk to you about this, but somehow it never seemed to come.” Renae knew she was rambling but she couldn’t seem to help herself. This meant so much to her. If Ginger didn’t like her proposal, if she turned her down, she didn’t know what she would do.

  Her rambling stopped as did her words. She was almost dizzy with nerves.

  “You’re not leaving Women Only, are you?” Ginger asked, concern apparent in her gaze.

  Renae laughed so hard she nearly cried. Her friend’s puzzled expression caught her up short. “Hardly.”

  “Good. Because I couldn’t run Women Only without you, Renae.”

  She stared at Ginger. That was good, wasn’t it? If Ginger really felt she was that much of an integral part of the shop, then she shouldn’t mind letting her buy into it.

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed lately, but I’ve been a little preoccupied,” Ginger said.

  Renae was surprised by the offering up of the information.

  “You see, I’ve met someone.”

  Renae sat up straighter. “Really? Who, when, where?”

  Ginger smiled and waved her hand, causing the thin gold bracelets she always wore to slink up her slender forearm. “That’s not really important.”

  “Sure it is!” she disagreed. “If you’re serious about this guy, then it’s very important.”

  Ginger cleared her throat. “What I meant to say is that what is important is that he’s not from here, Toledo, I mean. He lives in Arizona. And, well, that’s where I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately.”

  It struck Renae as more than odd that she was just now realizing that Ginger hadn’t only been preoccupied with other matters and away from the shop, but she’d been out of town. It was kind of hard to drop by when you were ten states away.

  Their salads were delivered and Renae took the opportunity to think about what Ginger had just said. She’d met a man and he lived in Arizona, and apparently it wasn’t easy for him to come to Toledo, so she went to him—

  Ginger sighed deeply. “You don’t know what a relief it is to finally share that with somebody.”

  “I’m glad it was me you shared it with.”

  “I am, too.”

  Then it struck Renae. The way fate was laying the cards out in front of her like a royal flush.

  She forced herself to eat at least a bit of her salad, then she pushed her plate aside, pulled her proposal out of her purse and laid it down flat on the table. “Well, then, Ginger, do I ever have the proposition for you….”

  RENAE RETURNED from her lunch with Ginger feeling ten times better and ten times worse. While final details had yet to be worked out, Ginger had been intrigued by her idea, first because she felt Renae deserved the buy-in option, and second because the arrangement would free Ginger up to spend more time with her newfound love in Arizona.

  Of course, now that the proposal was in and things were officially under way for her new career move, Renae wondered what she’d been thinking. She was nervous, scared and overwhelmed. But in a happy, excited way.

  She’d still felt like that when she’d tried yet again to call Tabitha on her cell to tell her she’d been locked out of the condo.

  Her friend had finally answered and had been genuinely appalled by the news. She’d had no idea Nina had changed the locks and they’d agreed to meet up at the condo later that day.

  Over the remainder of the afternoon at Women Only, Renae had managed to get something of a grip on her nerves, but the instant she pulled into the condo complex parking lot, her heart pounded thickly in her chest. Will’s SUV was nearby which meant he was home. But she reminded herself that he wasn’t the reason she was there. She needed to find out what the status of her residency was. Did she still live in Tabitha’s condo? Or was it long past time for her to move out?

  She climbed the stairs to the third floor, wondering what she would do if Will opened up his door and addressed her. A question that went unanswered as she passed his condo without incident. She knew a sharp stab of disappointment, but raised her chin and continued up to the condo. After taking her keys out, she tried her copy one last time. It still didn’t work.

  So she knocked instead, moments later finding herself face-to-face with a stone-eyed Nina.

  “What are you doing here?” the other woman asked coldly.

  Renae raised a brow. “The last time I checked I still lived here,” she said, carefully rounding the woman lest she should try to close the door on her.

  “Tabitha?” she called out.

  Her best friend of over a decade came out of the kitchen. “I’m glad we’re all three together. Maybe we can clear up this confusion.”

  Confusion? Nina had changed the locks without giving her a key and just made it abundantly clear she didn’t want her in the apartment anymore. Renae didn’t think things could get more cut-and-dried than that.

  But rather than saying so, she followed her friend into the kitchen, Nina close behind. She took a seat across from her friend while Nina, of course, took a seat closer to Tabitha.

  Tabitha looked tired. More tired than Renae could remember seeing her. “It looks like there’s been a misunderstanding and an apology is in order,” she said. “It appears Nina lost her keys the night before last and was afraid that someone might be able to gain access to the apartment so she called in a locksmith. But before she could get you a key, we had to go meet some friends we’d arranged to hook up with.”

  Renae squinted at Tabitha. Certainly she wasn’t trying to explain this away? Even if Renae accepted the apology and the reason for the “confusion,” why hadn’t Tabitha’s cell phone been working last night? And why hadn’t anyone picked up the phone here all night?

  And, more important, why wasn’t she being offered a key now?

  She looked at Nina for the first time since entering the kitchen. “Then why did you just ask me what I was doing here like I was the last person you’d expect to see at the door?”

  Tabitha sighed heavily. “Maybe it’s because you usually get home after nine, Renae.”

  “Or maybe this has all been a ruse since the moment Nina moved in here,” she countered.

  She remembered her missing notes, her sabotaged cell phone, her missing clothing and felt a disappointment so strong that she could do little more than shrug. “You know what? I’m tired of dealing with this. I’m going to get some of my things now and I’ll come back for the rest of my stuff when I find a place.”

  Tabitha blinked at her while Nina looked on the verge of cheering.

  “But just so we don’t get in each other’s way, why don’t you give me a new key now? I’ll leave it once I’ve collected everything.”

  She looked at Tabitha who in turn looked at Nina.

  “What? I didn’t have time to make another copy.”

  Renae gave Tabitha a long, disappointed look. “That’s what I thought.”

  As she got up and went about collecting her clothes from her room, she heard what could only be the beginning of an argument start in the kitchen. But at least she wouldn’t be stuck on the steps as the two star-crossed lovers had it out.

  “I’M REALLY SORRY you went through what you did tonight.” Lucky placed th
e pillow and blanket Renae had used the night before on the couch then sat down beside her.

  Renae could do little more than nod, not only numbed by the day’s events, but overwhelmed by everything that had transpired over the past twelve days. Will…Tabitha…Nina…Ginger.

  Lucky leaned slightly against her then drew back. “It’s been quite a roller-coaster ride, huh?”

  Renae hadn’t missed her friend’s hesitant physical reaching out then retreat. She turned her head and smiled at Lucky then leaned against her arm and stayed there. “Thank God for you.”

  Lucky didn’t appear to know how to respond at first. Then she laughed and leaned into her as well. “You know you have a couch whenever you need one.”

  “I’m not, um, cramping your love life?”

  Lucky’s eyes twinkled. “Actually I’m going over to stay at Colin’s tonight. That is if you think you can spare me.”

  Renae’s throat tightened, so thankful for Lucky in that one moment she was incapable of speech. “Thank you.”

  “No need for thanks, Rea. I’m happy to help.” She held out a key to her.

  Renae slowly took it and sat staring at it for long minutes.

  “Funny how life works out, isn’t it?” she asked quietly, staring at the opposite wall of the older apartment with its airy rooms and original wood floors. “Just when you think you have everything figured out, bam, life throws a curveball at you that no one could possibly hit.”

  “Tell me about it.” Lucky settled in a little more comfortably. “Do you mind if I share a bit of advice with you?”

  Renae looked at her. “Please do.”

  Lucky cleared her throat. “There are always more pitches and, unlike in baseball, in life you get to take as many swings as you want. And eventually you’re going to hit that damn ball.”

  Renae smiled. “That’s nice.”

  Lucky smiled back. “While the words are different, it’s the same advice I received not too long ago from a very, very wise woman. Advice that helped me through one of the toughest times of my life.”