Spinster? (6 page)

"Then he would be gay," Emma teased, batting her dark doe eyes. She was a petite Latin beauty, with a big personality. Tess had always been envious of her thick ebony hair that curled just about down to her waist.
 

"I think it's safe to say the dating scene is brutal whether you're gay or straight," Jen added. She had almond shaped eyes, inherited from her Korean mother. Their green shade was from her German dad. She was very exotic looking, almost like a wild cat.

"Jen, you always have a boyfriend," Tess threw out.

"Nuh-uh. I define a boyfriend as someone who lasts more than a month. A boyfriend is someone who buys you presents on Christmas and takes you out to eat for your birthday. I've had a long line of bed buddies."

"They take you to dinner, and buy you presents...I saw the enormous Louie you were sporting courtesy of your last bed buddy," Marin accused, with a wicked grin.
 

"Yeah, dudes are always buying you stuff. You must have a whiskey flavored punnie," Emma teased. They all laughed. Then Tess moaned...salt hurts when it goes up your nose.

"Whatever, Emma. Like you're one to talk. Guys ask you out all the time, you just never accept," Tess added. "And you, Marin—women throw themselves at you, gay and straight. Your like an Amazonian beacon to vaginas everywhere."
 

Marin laughed and shook her head. "What about the guy Rebel set you up with, Tess? He sounded nice."

Tess sipped her frozen drink and nodded. "Donovan? Yes, he's very nice. Easy on the eyes, too. We only went out the one time, but we've talked on the phone a few times since. We're supposed to go out this weekend."

"Cool, what are you gonna do?" Emma asked.

"I think he mentioned something about a trail ride." All three friends made various faces of WTF.

"Like on a horse?" Jen scoffed.

"No, a bike."

"But you don't own a bike. In fact, you face planted getting off the stationary in spin class," Emma pointed out.
 

Tess ignored Emma's kind of exaggerated, but mostly spot on comment. "I've been thinking about getting one."

"Tess." Marin gave her a look.

"Okay no, I don't own, nor do I want to own a bike. Riding one on a bumpy trail made of dirt makes my labia hurt just thinking about it. He's very outdoorsy. I didn't want to come off like a lazy ass."

"Tess, you work out. Just because you don't enjoy off roading in those weird spandex outfits doesn't make you lazy," Jen said.

"I know, but I don't exercise for fun. Running, biking, for entertainment? No freaking way. I work out so I can eat guac and drink margaritas with you hookers...it's just as well. I'm trying to make a good impression and I'm pretty sure that helmets are not flattering, like not even a little.

"Tell him you're only down with meat helmets, then the only riding will be in your bedroom on top of your tired flowery sex blanket." Emma said, spanking the air.
 

They all groaned.

"We'll get to the sex blanket thing in a minute...but first, what the hell is a meat helmet?" Marin asked, disgusted.
 

"Oh, come on! We know you're down with beaver town, but you've seen a dick before," Emma said.

"Yes, smart ass, I've seen several of them—I spent most of my twenties pretending to be bi-curious. I still don't know what a meat helmet is, though."

"It's the fleshy part, or head, on the top of a circumcised penis," Tess described primly. Marin did not look glad to be clued into the whole meat helmet thing, her face squished in revulsion.
 

"Oooh, I love proper Tess," Jen teased.

"Pinkies up!" Emma, Jen, and Marin said in a snooty accent, doing just that—earning a middle finger from Tess. They loved to give Tess a hard time about her privileged upbringing.
 

"There
is
one thing I wanted to run by you guys," Tess offered. "The thing is, Donovan...he's a widower."

"Eh, tough break," Jen said.

"I know, right? It seems like a contest I'll never win." It felt good to finally express her worries about the situation. "It's not that widowers shouldn't move on, or whatever, it's just...it seems to me like he may not be ready."

"Why do you say that?" Marin asked.

"It's the feeling I get."

"Well, who are we to say when he's ready? Give him a chance. Maybe he's just a bit rusty, ya know?" Jen suggested.

"You know, you're right. It's not like I'm looking to marry the guy." Tess grinned, deciding to let the subject drop. It was true she wasn't looking to marry the guy, but the truth was it was always swimming around in her brain. Anytime she met someone she liked, it was there, in the back of her mind. She didn't need a man to be happy, she was happy. But maybe her happy might, just might, be even happier if she found someone to share her life with. Time would only tell.

"Do you ever miss it?" Emma asked, looking at Marin.

"Miss what?"

"Men...schlongs. The muscle. The manly smell surrounding you as he pushes inside?" Emma asked, in the daze of her naughty thoughts.

"Jesus, Emma," Jen snipped. "Actually, I'd like to know the answer to that question, too."

"Me, too, " Tess admitted.

Marin sighed. "I've never heard that one before...but really what I miss about sex with men, all two of them, was the simplicity." The girls looked at her, confusion on their faces. "As you know, men are simple creatures when it comes to sex. Touch dick = orgasm. Stroke dick = orgasm. Suck dick = orgasm. Sure there's finesse in going down on a guy, if I remember correctly, but for the most part it's pretty straight forward. Now, getting a woman off on the other hand...G spot, middle C spot, nipples, inner thighs, spine, fingers, lips, mouth, sucking, biting, licking...sometimes all at the same time. There are so many ways to pleasure a woman, but none of them are easy."

"Is it hot in here?" Tess asked. Jen and Emma nodded.

"And as you know, orgasms for women start in the mind, so that's a whole other layer...but damn, it's worth it. The sweet sigh and tight clenching around my fingers. The sweet taste in my mouth..." Marin caught herself. The girls sat silent, wide-eyed. "Sorry, it's been a while," Marin admitted in a soft voice.

Tess cleared her throat. "No worries. We've just never heard you be quite so...descriptive before...So, it's been a while?" Marin nodded, looking down at the origami project she had going with the napkin in her hand.

"It's okay, Mare. We all go through dry spells," Emma offered. "You're a heart in kind of girl, and yours is probably still broken." Emma rubbed gentle circles on Marin's shoulder. Marin lifted her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Tess hated to see her friend in pain. It had been six months since Marin broke up with her girlfriend Dani. They'd been a couple for a year and had lived together for half of that time. It was the longest relationship she'd been in since she and her college love broke up a decade ago.
 

"I just can't seem to get past it guys...I've tried everything."

"When it comes to getting your heart handed to you, there's no trying to get over anything, sweetie. Time, pure and simple. It sucks, but it's the truth. There's not a damn thing you can do but feel it," Jen said.

"Feel it, and then one day you'll wake up and you'll be over it," Tess said.

"I know...in my mind I know, but right now I'm still drowning, ya know? I thought she was the one. I loved her with every piece of my self." Marin wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "And still, I can't even think about even kissing anyone else...so yeah, it's been a while."

"Have you talked to her at all?" Tess asked. Marin shook her head. They'd met in a cooking class and fell instantly. Dani was in her twenties and hadn't come out to her family. Marin, fed up with pretending they were just roommates, gave her an ultimatum. Dani packed her bags and left—both broken hearted and in tears. Tess had gone over that night after Dani left. It was horrible. She'd never seen her friend so upset. It made Tess want to stay single for the rest of her life. Anything seemed preferable to that kind of anguish.

Marin sniffed. "Sorry, sorry. You guys have had to witness too many tears with all of this Dani bullshit. I'm done crying."

"You can cry as much as you need to, sweetie. You'd do the same for any of us if the roles were reversed," Emma pointed out.

"Yes, I would. But at some point I would tell you to suck it up. It's time."

"Okay, then Marin, I say this with all of the love in my heart...suck it up." Tess advised with a smile.
 

Then Emma and Jen chimed in, "Suck it up!"

 
Marin smiled and took a deep breath. "Sucking it up."

"Okay, so enough whining about our lack of steadies. We're beautiful, successful, all around kick-ass women. Life is good." Tess cheered.

"Better than good," Jen added.

"The best," Marin agreed.

"So, what say you? One more round?" Emma asked.

Jen and Marin said yes.

Tess stood up, grabbing her purse. "Sorry girls, can't. I have to get a good night's sleep." She threw down two twenties and started her way around, pecking her friends goodbye.

"Wuss," Emma teased.

"I know, but you know I would never turn down tequila unless justified."

"And what is this justification, Tess?" Marin asked, her blonde brow arched.

Her response was a wink. "Good night, girls. Drive safe." The decibel of their harassing comments lessened, then went silent by the time she passed the hostess stand.
 

Her reasons were her own and she didn't want to go into it tonight. She wanted to keep her nerves and excitement to herself. It was silly, after all. She knew it, but she felt the nerves and excitement all the same.

And it felt good.
 

CHAPTER NINE

It usually didn't take Tess more than fifteen minutes to find something to wear to work. But when minute forty-eight passed, she knew she needed to make some decisions or she'd be late to her morning meeting. It wasn't her morning meeting, but her lunch meeting, that had her Spanx in a twist. Today she was taking an extended lunch—her destination, the law offices of Foster, Graham, and Caraway. Today was the day...Tess was going to interview
the
Wesley Caraway at his office. He was an attorney in his father's law firm. She'd contacted him the week before explaining the situation, via email, of course. She couldn't take the chance of screwing the verbal pooch when she heard his voice, which was no doubt deep and smooth as silk. He said he was surprised they wanted to interview him. Tess'd sniffed when she read that line. "Really, dude, who else would they interview?" Whether the modesty was false she couldn't decipher...damn email. But in person, with only a desk between them, was a different story. A sturdy desk...sure to hold her weight when he pressed the fabric of her skirt up her thighs.

"Skirt, definitely a skirt."

Pushing aside the pile of discarded choices—including the "my ass looks huge" pants, the "I look freaking pregnant" crepe dress, and the "I'm never eating carbs again" silk tank—she selected a camel colored pencil skirt from it's dry cleaning bag. It was tight everywhere until it flared into a delicate wave at mid calf, and with a white fitted button down, it looked very flattering. She went a little heavier on the eye makeup than she normally wore to work, but it brought out the green in her mostly brown eyes. She twisted her caramel waves into submission, pinning it to the nap of her neck. High heeled sling backs or flats? She held one of each on her hand. Her mind was saying flats, you idiot. But her loins were saying, go with the heels. They'll dig into his back better.

"Heels, it is."
 

Logically she knew it was silly to fixate on how she looked. Logically she knew it didn't matter, that Wesley was probably married to a supermodel who goes down on him every day without being asked. Tess was no supermodel, but if Wesley was still as hot as he was twenty years ago, then he wouldn't have to ask her, either. She'd go down on her knees with enthusiasm and gusto. Bowing to his cock like...

"Lord, get a life, Tess." She shook her head, slipped in her earrings. "Shit." All this mucking about with clothes and fantasizing about desks and cock bowing had her running behind, really behind. She didn't have time to eat breakfast, so she snatched an apple from it's bright bowl and hoped it would hold her over until lunch. The lunch she wouldn't be eating because she would be interviewing Wesley.
 
Damn it. Hopefully all the guacamole she ate the night before would sustain her until she could grab a sandwich.
 

"Brady, I'm still waiting on the conclusion for your article. I need it by the end of the day."

"You got it."

"The sales team brought in five solid advertisers for the next six issues, so looks like you fuckers get to keep your jobs," he teased. A wad of paper flew towards his head.
 

"Okay, lastly, Warner, your piece looks great. You'll feature this month," her boss announced. There was a round of applause and enthusiastic cheering. Gabe Parks could be a task master, but he sure had good taste. He was a squat, stout guy. Perspiration heavy and foul mouthed, he seemed more suited for the stock exchange than this little free publication.

"Thanks, Gabe. That's great news, " Tess said, trying to suppress the eat-it-suckers grin threatening the corners of her mouth.

And it
was
great news—to have the feature article was the goal of each writer. They had a tally board on the wall outside of the break room. Whoever got the most features received the coveted "Writer of the Universe" trophy made of spray painted gold plastic and Mardi Gras beads. If that wasn't enough, the winner also had dinner at the swankiest restaurant they could think of paid in full by the other columnists. The trophy now sat on Jemma Brewer's desk, stolen right from under Tess's nose. Tess had it in the bag when Jemma swooped in with her sell out piece she wrote about the new cancer wing at the Children's Hospital. Like Gabe could say no to sick kids...the pussy. Tess's piece on the Christmas tree lighting in the square, although heartwarming, didn't stand a chance. So Jemma, with a smug face, got the December issue giving her six features to Tess's five.