Back for Seconds (12 page)

Knowing that her ‘date’ with Xander loomed at the end of the week left Joely a little more flustered than usual. It even affected her cooking, which was new. She was a bundle of nerves, which made her steady hand waver, resulting in more irregular cookies than normal. This was especially counterproductive given that her biggest sellers were her note/message/card cookies with such intricate designs she literally couldn’t afford to be imprecise. Had it not been for Kari’s steady hand with the lettering, something Joely was more than happy to outsource, entire batches would have been ruined.

It made her rethink the whole thing with Xander on more than one occasion. It was pure insanity to entertain such a ridiculous fantasy. She was a mom, for God’s sake. She was more at home doing laundry, cooking meals, and chauffeuring kids around town. She wasn’t some sex siren out to seduce younger men to feed her ego, feasting on their attention like some hedonistic all-you-can-eat buffet.

Novanna, however, didn’t understand why it was all such a big deal. “Get you some,” had been the extent of her wizened counsel when Joely had called her, near panicked, by Thursday, and Novanna had taken her out to lunch to calm her nerves. “It’s sex, not marriage.”

“I don’t know how to separate the two,” Joely told her.

“Yeah, you do,” Novanna replied. “You just act every bit as single as Russ has acted for the last seven months. Or has it been the last five years?”

Joely gulped back any response.

That Friday afternoon came around way before she was ready. She woke up after barely three hours of sleep and was jumpy and agitated as she prepared the kids for school. “Are you packed?” she asked them as they all piled into the car that morning.

Hannah’s head bobbed with excitement. As well as she had acclimated to living at her Nanna’s and attending her new school, going home to visit her Daddy was a bit like going to the circus. Nash, ever quiet, just nodded his head without meeting her gaze.

It was Kari’s somber mood that worried her most of all. Kari had undergone a subtle but noticeable change over the past week. She was working steadily, four hours a day at the restaurant. She was also eager to help her mother with the cookies, which was the biggest surprise for Joely. Every night without fail, her little crew of worker bees would line up to put the finishing touches on her cookies so they could head off to the restaurant the next day. Kari’s attention to detail, making each cookie as perfect as she could, both touched and surprised Joely.

They had finally found a way to connect. Was this why Kari wasn’t as thrilled to return to Fairway Oaks as the last visit?

Joely was much too afraid to ask. She feared the second she acknowledged this bridge between them Kari would demolish it with another mood swing. So she said nothing as she dropped them off for school.

When she returned to the house, she met a delivery driver at the door, who carried a large white box. “Miss Morgan?” he asked.

She fought the urge to correct him and say, “
Mrs.
Morgan,” considering, like Xander and Novanna had said, that wasn’t who she was anymore. “Yes,” she said as she approached.

“Package for you,” he said as he handed it off.

She fished a few dollars from her purse to tip the young man before carrying the large parcel into the house and up the stairs. She didn’t stop until she reached the bedroom, where she deposited the box onto her bed. Before she could rip it open, her phone rang.

It was Xander.

“Good morning,” he crooned into her ear.

“I assume you had something to do with this,” she said as she sat on the bed next to her gift.

“Guilty as charged,” he admitted happily. “Open it.”

She put him on speakerphone before she lifted the top of the box away and moved the tissue aside to reveal a silky black and lace dress. “Oh, Xander,” she murmured as she withdrew it, revealing a flowing skirt, snug bodice with a sweetheart neckline that dipped low in front. The wide straps were made of lace and the style was much like the other 50s-inspired clothing he’d selected for her. He clearly preferred retro glamour. “It’s lovely.”

“I’m glad you like it. I can’t wait until tonight so I can see you in it.” She shivered in spite of herself. “There’s just one thing,” he murmured.

“What’s that?”

“You’re not allowed to wear any underwear underneath it,” he said in a voice so low it nearly made Joely groan out loud.

“Allowed?” she echoed.

“That’s right. No panties. No bra. Just you. When I hold you close to me tonight at The Ranch, I want to know that I’m just a fine bit of silk away from fucking you right there on that dance floor. And I want everyone else to know it, too.”

“Xander,” she started, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“Ah, ah,” he said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. “I’m the one in charge, remember? And you will be a good girl and do as you’re told.”

She could barely breathe. “Okay.”

“That’s not all,” he said. “I want you to drop off the kids wearing this dress.”

Her heart nearly stopped. “Why?”

“I want him to see what he threw away.”

She made a face he couldn’t see. “He won’t care,” she said.

“Yes, he will,” Xander promised. “Because somewhere deep down he’ll know that this weekend you belong to someone new.”

Joely’s nerves were strung tight all that afternoon, so much so she had to take the day off from her cookie routine. She couldn’t think of anything but Xander and what their night together might hold. She fetched the kids that afternoon, bringing them home so that they could get ready to head over to their father’s for the weekend.

She took a little extra care herself getting ready. She showered with her favorite soap, patted herself down with a shimmery dusting powder. She slipped into the dress, which felt sensual against her bare skin. She felt naughty and brazen and oddly sensual. She hadn’t felt that way since she was a teen sneaking into a nightclub, using her full curves as collateral to get her inside the forbidden doors.

She added crystal-studded hoops to her ears and a couple of bangle bracelets for each wrist. Xander had provided a pair of sexy strappy high-heeled sandals in his gift box to complete her look. She completed her glamorous transformation with a dramatic smoky-eye makeup that deepened her dark eyes. She barely recognized the woman staring back at her from the mirror. Her children’s faces registered the same kind of surprise.

“Why are you so dressed up?” Kari wanted to know.

“I’m going out with Auntie Novi later,” she lied. She wasn’t ready to admit she was dating, and she certainly wasn’t ready to admit it was Xander. That would just complicate everything more than it already was.

“Oh,” Kari said, satisfied with the answer. “You look nice.”

Joely was stunned by the unexpected compliment. She wasn’t sure why her daughter had been cutting her a break recently, but it was a welcome reprieve from the attitude she normally threw her way. “Thank you,” she said with a genuine smile.

The closer they got to Russell’s house, the quieter the older kids got in the back seat. Hannah was the only one who showed any real excitement once they pulled into the familiar drive. Even Joely herself didn’t want to get out of the car. She juggled the duality of the new Joely, who baked cookies for a living and dated a younger man, and the old Joely, who was the proper and undemanding wife of a prominent doctor. It was like every mile she drove was a mile in reverse, going backwards instead of forwards, and it hurt quite a bit more than she would have thought it would, like the old Joely was a pair of shoes that no longer fit.

She might not have gone to the door at all had it not been time to get another check from Russell. More than anything she wanted to tell him where to shove his check. She wanted to tell him that she no longer needed it, or him, and that she was standing on her own two feet thank you
very
much. But she knew that was just her pride talking. Her kids needed his financial support and they deserved it. And he needed to shoulder some of the responsibility for the care, especially since he had delegated the hard work of raising them to her anyway.

So she squared her shoulders and followed her children into the house. It hadn’t changed much in the month that she’d been gone, but everything looked different. All those possessions she had taken so much pride in acquiring and displaying had been reduced to mere things she could easily leave behind, quite superfluous to her existence.

Not too long ago this house had been her pride and joy, but it had never really been hers at all. She knew that now that it had been easily taken away.

Never again
, she swore to herself as she watched Russell turn the corner to greet them all. Hannah launched herself into her Daddy’s arms like normal, but Kari held back just a tad, preferring only a hug. Nash, of course, hung back like usual.

When Russell’s attention turned to Joely, his blue eyes slid over her hair, face and body in cool assessment. She knew he missed nothing, including the fact she wore nothing on underneath the dress. Russell had known her body better than anyone, so he wouldn’t have missed out on these important details. But he said nothing as he walked over to where she stood.

“Hot date?” he asked in that smooth voice that now felt like nails on a chalkboard.

“Something like that,” she dismissed. “Ready for your weekend with your kids?”

Her condescending tone did not go unnoticed. “I’m always ready to spend time with my kids.”

She wanted to scoff and ask him, “Since when?” But her kids were present and she was determined not to let it devolve into a fight. Instead she let the subtle arch of her eyebrow say it all.

Russell brushed past her to retrieve the white envelope on the table in the foyer. It was her check. “Don’t spend it all in one place,” he murmured under his breath. So he did notice the fine fabric of the new dress she wore, if only to judge her for spending whatever money she had for it.

There was a small smirk on her face as she said, “See you Monday.” She walked out of that house with more strut than when she walked in.

It was the same strut she wore when she walked into The Ranch that night. Xander had texted her a time to meet, telling her to wait for him at the bar. She took her place at the crowded bar, squeezing into a vacant seat between two groups of people, and ordered herself a drink.

One of the men standing next to her glanced down with appreciation, his eyes sweeping over her figure and quickly processing how ripe for the pickings she might have been. “Hello there, beautiful. What’s your name?”

She didn’t want to answer him at first, but then decided if she was going to be pushed up against him until Xander came, they might as well be on a first-name basis. “Joely.”

“Brian,” he said as he reached for her hand. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“I used to come here all the time when I was younger,” she admitted. “Decided to check it out.”

“Lucky us,” Brian smiled at her as he tipped his beer in her direction. He couldn’t stop staring at her bared cleavage, the promise of her full breasts on prominent display strained against the thin fabric that contained it. “Care to dance, Joely?”

“Thank you but I’m actually waiting for someone.”

Brian leaned down. “Can’t dance while you wait?”

“I think the lady made herself clear,” a rich voice with a British accent said. She turned to see Xander standing directly behind her. He wore a ready smile for her as he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. Without even asking he pulled her from the stool and pointed her towards the dance floor. He turned back to Brian with a big grin. “Sorry, mate. She’s with me.”

He propelled her through the crowd towards the dance floor, not stopping until they reached the center and he pulled her close to his body. His eyes swallowed her whole as he looked down at her, taking in every detail. “My God, you look fantastic. I do have great taste, if I do say so myself.”

His grin was infectious. “Don’t wrench your arm out of socket patting yourself on the back.”

He chuckled as she held her tighter. “If I do, you can pop it back in place for me.” He swung her around to the music until she laughed. “So tell me. Did your ex gnash his teeth out when he saw how incredible you looked?”

She shook her head. “He wouldn’t notice me if my hair was on fire.”

“He’s an asshole but he’s not dead. Believe me. He noticed,” Xander said as his hand swept across the curve of her back and landed on her backside. She gasped in surprise. “No panties. Good girl.”

She held him tighter as the music swelled and pulsated around them. “You told me not to. I’m just following orders.”

Again he chuckled. “You’re doing more than that, love. And you know it.” He bent to lightly nuzzle her ear. “Tell me you don’t feel like the most powerful woman in this room. Look how the men around you are watching you, just waiting for their chance.”

“They just think I’m easy,” she retorted.

“There’s nothing about you that’s easy, Joely,” he murmured in her ear, his tongue lightly rimming the earlobe. “If there were, I wouldn’t want you as much as I do.”