Heavenly Angel (36 page)

“Yes!” Grace giggled. “You must have waited on them!”

“They seemed too good to be true. I thought
you
must be too good to be true. They told me you were their wife. I did my best to help them, but I have to confess I was a little twitter-pated by the thought of the three of them—well, you can guess, and I don’t rattle easily. They went on and on about you once they got started talking. It was like something out of an erotic romance novel.”

“Grace and our friend Rachel are both writers.” Teresa said. “This tiramisu is delicious.”

“Really? Oh, thank you. I’ll pass your compliment on to Margot. She’s going to be so pissed she missed your visit. I told her about your men, and she didn’t believe me at first. So, Teresa, what’s your story?”

“My husbands, Angel and Joaquin, are brothers and longtime friends of Grace’s men. They handle the horse breeding operations at the Divine Creek Ranch. Grace’s men own the ranch, and Ethan also co-owns The Dancing Pony nightclub in Divine.

“Oh, I‘ve heard of that club. I always wanted to see what it was like.”

“Well, now you have friends to visit there.”

“Any of these guys have other brothers tucked away somewhere?”

Grace shook her head but smiled. “We know several eligible bachelors, and Jack does have three handsome cousins who just moved back to Divine. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“I’m going to give you my number, and when you think you might want to visit The Pony, you call me, and we’ll come in, too. Do you like to dance?”

Summer chuckled happily. “I love to dance. I have the feeling this is the beginning of a great friendship. So what’s it like? Are you tired all the time?”

“Oh, no,” Teresa said dreamily.

“But I’m sure the sex is demanding, isn’t it?” Summer’s cheeks flamed crimson and she put her hands over her mouth and said, “I’m sorry. That was so inappropriate of me.”

Grace patted her arm. “Summer, if we’re willing to talk about being married to more than one man, we’re certainly willing to talk about sex. You didn’t offend either of us.”

Teresa chuckled. It felt good to embrace the future.

“Okay, so how is it?”

Teresa volunteered the answer. “Well, it definitely takes energy, but they’re careful to not overdo it. And it’s not sex with multiple partners every night, just some nights.”

Summer asked a few more questions which Grace and Teresa answered with candor. “So, Grace? Teresa mentioned you were a writer? What do you write?’

Grace smiled like a Cheshire cat and blushed a little. “A great author once said, ‘Write what you know.’”

“Oh! So you write erotic romance? Are you published yet?”

“Not yet. All my friends keep getting engaged and asking me to plan their weddings,” she said, elbowing Teresa who grinned sheepishly. “Now that life is settling down a little, I’m planning on submitting a manuscript.”

“Well, I hope someday I get to read your stories.”

“That’s my hope, too.”

They talked more and finished their snack and coffee. Summer quizzed them about what they hoped to find in the store that day as they left the kitchen, and she took down the sign and unlocked the door.

Teresa said, “I want to try on evening dresses, but you’re going to have to show me how the ‘easy access’ features work. Joaquin asked me to bring home something new to experiment with.”

Summer asked nonchalantly, “In bed, you mean?”

“Yes,” Teresa said with a smile, trying to imagine the old Teresa having this conversation.

“Grace?”

“I need undies and lingerie. I want to try on dresses, too.”

“Then let’s start there. Tell me your sizes, and I’ll get you set up in the dressing rooms.”

Teresa narrowed the selection down to the gown she liked the best and let Summer deck her out, including shoes. She stepped out to show the beautiful, slinky black dress, shoes, and jewelry off. Summer showed her how to unhook the hidden closures on the bodice of the dress, which opened all the way down the front but overlapped enough that no one would know the dress opened with a simple flick of the wrist. The ultimate in easy access.

Grace came out in a silky, dark purple dress with a jeweled bodice and empire waist. Hidden in the bodice of the dress were snaps that could be taken loose.

After they made their clothing selections, Summer took them around to the antique glass sales counters that displayed all the sex toys.

Teresa mentioned to Summer that she’d like to look at anal plugs in graduated sizes.

“Okay, Teresa, let me show you what I have,” Summer said nonchalantly. “These are the different sizes,” she said, indicating silicone anal plugs lined up in a row inside a glass case. “Look at the thickest part of each plug, and tell me which is closest in girth to the thickest part of your men’s cocks when erect.”
Wow, way to put it out there!

Teresa glanced at Grace uncertainly. Grace said, “It’s okay, Teresa. Summer’s an expert at this stuff.” Grace turned to Summer and said, “Would you mind if she handles some of them?”

“Sure,” Summer replied easily. She removed the compartmented display tray and put it on the glass countertop. Grace lifted one from its nest and placed it in Teresa’s hand. It felt flexible and a little squishy, not hard like she’d expected. She wrapped her hand around it.

Summer asked, “Teresa, can your thumb and index finger touch each other when you wrap your hand around either man?”

“Almost, but not quite,” she answered, knowing immediately the one in her hand was too small.

“
Mama
,” Summer whispered, handing her a blue jelly plug. “Try wrapping your hand around that. Okay, try this one.” And Teresa quickly found the maximum size she would need. It looked gigantic. The look in her eyes must have spoken volumes.

Grace smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, honey. It’ll fit. Remember, you’re working
toward
that size, not starting there.”

“You’re right. What now?”

Summer helped them pick out four different plugs in graduated sizes. She recommended a good lubricant and set aside two bottles of it for Teresa then made some suggestions for other toys she could use along with the plugs.

Grace looked over her selection of intimate jewelry, settling on a couple of pieces. Blushing, Grace fingered one of the silver wrap-around cock rings and picked one out silently but never hinted to Teresa which man it was for. She knew Grace would tell her if she wanted Teresa to know.

Saying that her men might love it, Grace talked Teresa into purchasing pussy dangles with black onyx beads. “It’ll go with the jewelry Angel gave you for Christmas. Summer, do you have anything in a bright blue turquoise?”

“Teresa, your skin tone would look perfect with turquoise dangles.

If your men like turquoise, I have a turquoise clit clip, a magnetic belly ring, and nipple dangles. I could order extra dangles and make you a nipple dangle chain that can be worn with the nipple rings. It attaches right on to provide extra weight.”
Ooh, extra weight, there?
The thought made Teresa a little wet imagining what that would feel like.

Teresa felt a little daring. “I think they would love that. Yes, Summer. I’ll take those, and order the extra dangles. I want to look at your books,” Earlier she’d been curious to look at the titles Summer had available but had been too self-conscious. Their conversations had loosened her up considerably. “Grace?”

Grace shook her head. “You go ahead, Teresa. I’m going to chat with Summer for a few minutes.”

Teresa wandered over to the large bookcase display and began leafing through the erotic romances. She’d never owned a book like these before. Some of the covers were very erotic and downright shocking, others were simply beautiful. She found several whose back cover descriptions were intriguing and returned to the sales counter. Grace grinned as Teresa showed her the covers.

Summer smiled and said, “That’s one of my all-time favorite authors. If you like that book, she is releasing a sequel to it in a couple of months.”

Teresa had never felt so at home in such an unusual place as Discretion.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Teresa slipped into the supple leather seat of Grace’s convertible BMW Z4 and buckled her seatbelt, looking over at her friend. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but
that
was fun!” Teresa had gotten all the things her men had asked her to get, plus a few fun surprises they weren’t expecting.

Grace laughed and said, “I hated to leave. She was so fun to talk to. We’re going back sometime soon and we’re bringing Rachel and Rosemary with us.” Grace turned the key in the ignition then popped her Miranda Lambert CD into the player. Grace had gotten Teresa hopelessly hooked on her. “Only Prettier” played in the background.

Teresa suggested, “If we time it right, we could take her out to lunch or supper.”

Grace said, “Can you imagine how
fun
it would be to work in a shop like that?”

“Once I stopped blushing when someone asked to handle the dildos.” Teresa said.

Just like that, the seed was planted. What if, down the road, Margot and Summer needed help, or what if the opportunity to invest in a great little boutique like that presented itself? She enjoyed dealing with customers at Stigall’s. The idea wasn’t that far-fetched.

“Maybe they might be interested in Harper’s doing some embroidery work for them,” Grace speculated.

“Overnight bags for holding toys and other ‘goodies’ monogrammed ‘Discretion’.” Teresa replied.

Grace gasped and got a sparkle in her eyes. “Lingerie cases for traveling, monogrammed garment bags for submissive wear, duffle bags for equipment.
You’re brilliant
. I’m going to do some research and get back with her. I think we just made a good friend.”

“I’m so glad we
came
!” Teresa said then laughed when Grace snorted and cackled.

“Yeah,
some
of us more than others.”

They cruised down the state highway headed toward the Morehead historical district.

“Grace, I want you to know how much I appreciate your help and encouragement. You’ve taught me how to have fun with you and the girls.”

“You’re welcome. You remember how it was for me with Owen. Once I was free from that and found out what real love felt like, I wanted for you to be that happy, too. Remember the first time you laid eyes on Angel in the store?”

Laughing, Teresa said, “I’ll never forget. I lost the ability to speak.”

“You fell in love with him the moment you saw him. Too bad he was still bound to that freaking psycho. When I visited him after she shot him, he asked me about you. He wondered if you might be interested in him, knowing he’d allowed someone like her in his life and his home. ”

Teresa replied, “Angel told me he knew she didn’t love him. I know there were benefits for him with her. Angel is very…virile,” Teresa said as her cheeks got hot. “I can’t hold that against him. He didn’t know me. It’s easy for both of us to regret our pasts. We both trusted people we shouldn’t have and paid a heavy price. But how can I regret it if it ultimately caused us to cross paths and, thanks to a
certain matchmaker,
to fall in love with each other. The same goes for Joaquin about regretting his past.”

Teresa groaned and shook her head, chuckling. “You know, he finally sat me down a few weeks ago and told me his conscience was bothering him and could he come clean to me about something.”

“Gracious! What did he do? Murder somebody? Make a porn movie?” Grace snickered when she said the last one.

“I know! I was imagining all kinds of awful things, bracing myself for some disaster.”

Grace glanced at her as they neared the restaurant they planned to eat lunch at. “What could he possibly have done?”

“He was worried that I’d find out what…”

“Holy crap! What?”

Teresa broke out in uproarious giggles. “He was afraid I would find out what a
buckle-bunny-slut
he was!”

Grace’s jaw dropped open and they both broke out in laughter. “A what? Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yes. I mean, can you imagine someone who looks like him, unattached and available, not taking advantage of any decent offer that came his way? He felt guilty about Christmas Eve, though.”

Grace’s eyebrows drew together and she asked, “Why? He loved you the moment he saw you. Anything he did before was in his past. It wasn’t cheating. It was being a normal, handsome, horny male. What would he feel guilty about?”

Teresa smiled and said, “Well, he feels guilty because Christmas Eve morning, when Angel talked to him, he said he was tied up there, and he’d be along a little later in the day than he’d originally planned. What we didn’t know was that he really
was
.”

“Was what?” Grace squealed, evidently having an idea, going by the laughter in her tone.

“
Tied up in El Paso
. He was tied to some gal’s bed in a hotel room while she took advantage of his vulnerability with his full consent.”