Decadence (3 page)

The sensation of Jessica’s nails lightly scratching his
scalp had nearly lulled Eric into the second nap of the day when the phone
rang. “Let it ring,” he groaned, not wanting to move off the sofa.

Jessica stirred alongside him then crawled over him. “I have
to get it. Could be the school. Or my mom.”

He knew she had a valid point, but he didn’t want anything
interfering with the blissful day they were having.
Can’t real life give us
just a few more hours off?

“Hang on, Bill, he’s right here.”

Bill? Shit. Bill wouldn’t call unless there was a crisis.
What now?
“Hey.”

“Hey, Eric, look I’m sorry about calling but we’ve got a
problem.”

Eric sat up, not sure he wanted to hear what it was. “What’s
going on?”

“The delivery truck finally showed up, two hours late, and
they’ve got the entire order wrong.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Eric stood and paced across
the room. Tension already knotted his neck.

“I wish I was. I’ve been arguing with them for a half hour.
Showed them the purchase order and everything. They say it doesn’t match the
sheet they have and they won’t switch it unless their boss tells them to. And
Sam won’t deal with anyone but you.”

“Sam and I already went over this on Monday. He knew I’d be
out of the office Friday.”
Fuck. I specifically planned all of this out so
there’d be no problem today.

“I know. Sorry, man. Can you come by to straighten this out?
Otherwise we won’t get the shipment for at least another week.”

“I’ll be there. Give me twenty minutes. And tell them they
better not fucking leave before I get there.”

Eric hung up. Jessica came toward him and ran her hand up
his arm “You okay?”

“Yeah. They got the damned order wrong. I’m sorry, I need to
take off for a little while and fix this. It shouldn’t take long.” He wrapped
his arms around her, trying to calculate how fast he could be back.

“It’s okay. I actually have class in an hour, so it works
out fine. I’ll meet you back home when we’re both done.”

Wait, what?
“You’re going to class?”

Nodding, she stepped away, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah. It’s
the last one, actually. I shouldn’t miss it. We’ll probably be back at around
the same time.”

Eric couldn’t wrap his head around what she was saying.
Would
she have gone even if I hadn’t gotten called to work?
He’d thought they
were having such a perfect day together. He’d hoped she’d be waiting for him
when he got home from this stupid work bullshit. Instead she was heading off to
her mysterious “class”. Hell, she seemed relieved that she wouldn’t have to
skip it.
What the fuck does that mean?

Jessica leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “I better
go take a quick shower and get dressed.”

“Right.”
Sure, because everyone showers before going to
exercise.

Jessica must have sensed his thoughts because she threw him
a smile. “Someone made me kinda sticky on the washing machine.”

Eric tried to return the smile but he doubted it worked. He
was too aggravated. “Yeah, I better put on some real clothes myself.”

Following her up the stairs, he couldn’t shake the fact that
she still seemed to be keeping something from him. “What time do you think
you’ll be home?”

She paused before answering, distracting him a second when
she pulled her dress off over her head. He’d never been able to concentrate on
anything when she was naked and now was no exception. “Probably four-ish. The
boys have Scouts so they don’t need to be picked up until dinnertime.”

“I know.” That was part of why he’d picked today as their
day of decadence. Extra kid-free hours. Not that that was working out now.

“See you later.” She gave him one last kiss, her bare
breasts grazing his arm before she turned and sauntered into the bathroom.
Watching her go, the lovely curves of her ass swaying like a metronome, he felt
torn and miserable. He wanted to join her in the shower or pull her back to the
bed. Instead he put on pants and buttoned up a shirt. As much as he didn’t want
to deal with work today, he was almost glad he had someone to yell at. He felt
like cracking skulls.

* * * * *

Pulling into the parking lot at work, he cursed the
supplier.
How hard is it to get an order right?
Two delivery guys leaned
against the back door, smoking.
Glad they got to have a relaxing break while
I drove here. Assholes.

“You Carlson?” the shorter, stockier one asked, taking
another drag on his cigarette.

“Yeah. What’s the problem here? I spoke with Davis in your
shipping department two days ago and he assured me everything was taken care
of.”

“Not what it says on our forms.” Skinny guy waved a piece of
paper in the air then attached it to a clipboard and handed it over.

Eric scanned the page. “This isn’t the most current order.”

“Sorry, dude. That’s what they gave us this morning. We just
loaded what was on the sheet.”

“Well, I’m not signing for this. I’ll call Sam. We need to
get this straightened out today.”

Eric strode into the building wishing he could slam the door
behind him. Running his own business was a lifelong dream but things like this,
with their perfectly bad timing, drove him nuts. Dropping the clipboard onto
his desk, he reached for the phone.

Sam was predictably apologetic and swore he’d have the
replacement order there within an hour. Eric took a deep breath, debating what
to do while he waited, then he heard an odd noise coming from Bill’s office. A
motor of some sort.
A vacuum? Hair dryer?

As he neared Bill’s office the sound stopped. Rounding the
corner, he saw Bill wrapping up the coil of an air mattress that lay on the
floor next to his desk, fully inflated.

“What the fuck?”

Bill jumped. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. Did you
talk to the geniuses outside?”

“Yeah, Sam said he’ll take care of it today. What’s with the
mattress?” Eric noticed the stack of boxes by the door.

“I was gonna mention it to you but I didn’t think you’d
mind. My lease doesn’t start until the first of the month and I can’t stay in
that house another night. Watching her go off on dates is fucking killing me.”

Eric’s stomach tensed, sending a chill through him. “Sorry,
man. That’s gotta suck.” Watching Jessica head off to class was hard enough. He
couldn’t imagine what it would be like knowing for sure she was heading out to
meet her new lover. The base of his throat clenched.

Bill shrugged. “It is what it is. Hey, sorry again about
interrupting your day off. You and Jess up to anything cool?”

Eric’s mind went straight to the washing machine. “Just
spending some quality time together.”

“Good. I wish I’d done that with Teresa. Then maybe she
wouldn’t be fucking Mr. Fix-it while I’m sleeping at work.”

Eric scrubbed his hands against his face. “I hope you’re
right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eric lifted a box off one of the cushioned chairs and
plunked himself down. “I don’t know. Today’s been awesome but Jess is acting
weird. She’s been taking these classes the past few months. Never misses one.
She’s at one right now. But she won’t tell me what kind of classes they are.”

“Did you ask?”

“Of course I asked. She says they’re exercise classes but
she never says anything else about them and she’s paying cash. It never shows
up on her credit cards and there’s not a single cashed check.”

“So, what? You think she’s having an affair because she’s
out once a week?”

“Twice.” Eric realized he sounded paranoid, but he couldn’t help
it. It wasn’t like Jess to be so evasive and the fact that she was hiding
something set his teeth on edge.

“Look, I’m the last person in the position to give marital
advice at the moment, but if you’re really worried, talk to her. Hell, I wish
I’d said something to Teresa before things got so totally out of control.”

“What do you mean?”

Bill toyed with his coffee cup, taking a drink then shifting
it from side to side, staring at it. “I don’t know. If I’d said something when
it first started. Or better yet, before it happened, then maybe we could have
worked through it. It’s not like I didn’t see signs.”

The knots in Eric’s stomach tightened. “What signs?”

“Taking better care of herself. New hair-do. New lingerie.
Losing all that weight. Shit, I thought she was doing it to try to spice things
up for us and the whole time it was all for dickwad.”

Acid bubbled up into Eric’s throat. Jess had a new haircut,
he’d never seen today’s lingerie before and, although she’d never really needed
to lose weight, she had gotten into better shape. He’d been assuming it was her
mysterious exercise classes but what if it was to impress whoever she was
seeing twice a week? The thought made him sick.
She wouldn’t do that.

“Sorry, man,” Bill said. “You don’t need to hear this shit.
My problems, not yours. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Jess would cheat on
you in a million years. She’s been head over heels for you since you two first
got together.”

Eric nodded, though he still wasn’t sure. He’d trusted their
relationship so long he’d started completely taking if for granted. Now
everything he had to lose seemed to be laid out before him. A chill passed
through him but he shook it off. “It’s okay. I’m sure we’re fine. We’ll be
fine.”

The sound of people coming down the hall forced Eric to pull
himself together.

“You think they got the order right this time?” Bill asked.

“They better.”
I want to get the hell out of here and get
back to my wife.
The fact that she might not be there was something he
couldn’t even think about, he just wanted to go home.

* * * * *

Jessica wove though traffic, timing it just right so she’d
have to stop for a red light. She needed to call Olivia and make sure
everything was set with the kids. Dialing the phone as soon as her car came to
a stop, she waited as it rang.
Pick up, pick up.
She tapped the steering
wheel, willing Olivia to answer her phone.

“Hey,” Olivia answered, breathless. “Sorry, we just walked
in the door.”

“We? Did you pick up the boys?”

“Yes. Got your message just before I headed to the Scout
meeting. All present and accounted for. What’s up?”

The light turned green and Jessica hit the speakerphone
button before setting the phone in her cup holder. “Can you still hear me?”

“Yeah. Jess, what’s going on?”

A smile crept across Jessica’s face as she thought about her
day. “Eric surprised me by staying home from work today. We spent the whole
day…together.”

“Oh man. I spent my day volunteering at the library. You’re
so freaking lucky. I want details.”

Jess laughed. “For details we’ll need to meet for lunch next
week. All I’ll tell you now is that he actually bought one of those Spice
Racks. And we already used one of the suggestions.”

“Oh my God. Are you serious? The ‘spice up your love life’
Spice Rack? He actually bought one?”

“Yep. Shocked the hell out of me. So glad he did.”

“You’re making me crazy, you know. I want serious details at
lunch. And you’re paying. That’s going to be the new rule, whoever’s had sex
the most recently buys lunch.”

Giggling, Jess maneuvered her car into a parking space at
the mall. “Fine. Lunch is on me. In the meantime I need two big favors.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“Can the boys sleep over tonight? I have overnight bags for
each of them and I can drop them off at your house on my way home.”

“Okay,” Olivia said, her voice hesitant, “you know I’ll
always take the boys. What else do you want?”

“Where’s the best place to buy some really good slutty
clothes?”

Olivia guffawed into the phone. “Oh, and you think I’d know
that, of course.”

“I know you do. Come on, I’m at the mall. Where do I go?”

“What kind of slutty?”

“I don’t know. Naughty school girl slutty? Clubbing slutty.
Anything. I just need to know, fast. I don’t have much time.”

“Slutty in a hurry, okay…thinking. Try Fever. Or that new
place, the one that’s practically dark inside the store… What’s it called?”

“City Lights?”

“That’s it. One of those places has to have something. What
the hell are you up to?”

Jessica grinned as she slammed the car door and headed for
the mall entrance. “I’ll tell you next week at lunch. And I’ll drop the kids’
stuff off in about an hour. I gotta go.”

“Jess, wait—”

“Gonna lose the call, you know my service sucks in the mall.
Thanks, Liv. Love you.” Jessica hung up, tucking the phone in her purse and
walking toward Fever as fast as she could. She had serious shopping to do and
precious little time to do it.

Jessica rushed back to the car, arms laden with bags. She
managed to send Eric a few quick texts before the battery died, then tossed her
phone back into her purse and headed home.

She ticked through a mental inventory as she drove.
Did I
forget anything?
There’s already wine in the fridge. I have to figure
out how to wear my hair.
She checked the clock. Eric would likely be home
in a half hour or so.

You can do this.
She took a deep breath, willing
herself to relax but so full of excited energy she couldn’t.
What’s he going
to say? What if he thinks it’s stupid? I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

She still remembered the first day she’d set foot in Madame
Carla’s dance studio, two months earlier. She hadn’t had the slightest idea
what to expect. When Olivia had suggested she take dance lessons, Jessica had
laughed. Having two left feet was something she’d come to accept. Some women
moved with a natural grace. She never had. Then the flier had shown up in her
mailbox. A simple yellow note card offering a free lesson. She’d never gotten
one before and coming less than twenty-four hours after Olivia’s suggestion, it
had seemed like a sign.

Breathless with nerves, she’d entered the studio the next
day.

“Are you Jessica?” A wisp of a woman had appeared from
behind the Japanese screens that lined the right side of the large studio room.

“Yes,” she’d answered, contemplating leaving.

“Come, put your things over here and meet me by the mirrors.
Shoes off, please.”

Jessica had shrugged out of her jacket and left her shoes
and messenger bag in a heap in the corner before cautiously approaching.

Madame Carla moved around her in a slow circle, eyeing her
up and down, head tilted to the side. Petite but firm hands had parked on her
shoulders, straightening her posture. “What are you hoping to get out of this
lesson?”

Jessica blushed, heat filling her cheeks. “My friend Olivia
recommended you.”

“You want to learn to dance for your husband?”

Jess nodded. “If I can.”

“Of course you can. If you want. But I recommend learning to
dance for you, then showing your husband what you can do. Confidence shows in
every dance move and it comes from within. I’ll teach you.”

And the lesson had begun. Jessica left the first class
feeling an inner calm unlike anything she’d ever experienced, along with a
sense of determination. “I’m going to do this,” she’d promised herself as she’d
signed up for the ten-week program.

Now the lessons were over. And she needed to get herself
ready to tell Eric what she’d been doing. Racing into the house, arms full of
packages, she headed straight for the bedroom to change. Tremors shook through
her stomach as she slid on her thigh high stockings and quickly put on the
other new clothes.

She stepped back to examine herself in the mirror, turning
from side to side. Hair swept into a messy updo, secured with two lacquered
sticks so she could undo it with ease. Black stretchy tank covering her new
lace-up bustier. A man’s red silk tie neatly knotted at her neck. Short naughty
school girl skirt barely concealing her silky black panties.

She hardly recognized herself. Pulling on long satiny
gloves, she had a fleeting moment of panic.
What if he laughs?

Madame Carla’s voice echoed in her head. “Move like this and
he won’t be able to form a complete sentence.” Taking a deep breath, Jess
steadied herself and went to set the stage. She laid out the cheese platter
they hadn’t gotten around to trying at lunch. Strawberries. Grapes. Perfect
finger food. Just as she finished surrounding the bottle of white wine with ice
and placing the bucket on the dining room table, she heard Eric pull into the
driveway.

Eric had tried to call Jess three times. Each time voice
mail picked up, he felt himself get a little more rattled.
How long is this
freaking class? And where the hell are the kids?
It occurred to him that he
didn’t really know what she did with the kids when she took her afternoon
classes. Again there were no checks to babysitters.
How could she possibly
disappear for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon?

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw that he had
several text messages. Checking the time stamp, he realized they’d come in over
half an hour earlier.
Damned cell service.

Olivia’s taking care of the boys for the night.

Thought we could have some extra time together.

Will be home by 5. What time should I expect you?

Hope you’re on your way. There’s something I really need
to tell you.

Jesus. Something she needs to tell me?
His heart
pounded in a frustrated rhythm making it difficult to take a deep breath.
Fuck.
He drummed the edge of his desk, glancing at the wall clock—5:15.
Time to go
home and find out what’s really going on.

Eric went over every possible scenario in his head,
clenching the steering wheel for the entire drive. Half of them scared the crap
out of him. If Jessica confessed an affair, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to
handle it. He’d been cheated on once, by a girlfriend in college, and once was
more than enough. They’d tried to work it out and he hadn’t been able to get
past it. He couldn’t stop picturing her with the other guy. Never trusted her
completely.

Would it be like that with Jess?
Or worse, what if she
doesn’t even want to try? What if she’s tired of our relationship and wants
something new?
He kicked himself for every late night. Every missed
opportunity to tell her how much she meant to him.
What an idiot I am,
thinking a goddamn Spice Rack is going to make up for the fact that I’ve barely
been around for her for the past six months.

He’d seen her change over those months. First he’d blamed it
on the stress of moving to a new house but he’d known it was more than that.
Her mood had been in a downward spiral as she grew progressively more distant.
Until the fucking classes. Then she’d perked up.

She’d always been sexy as hell in his opinion, but this was
different. She was different. She moved with a new sense of grace, held herself
with greater poise. Hunched shoulders were replaced by self-assuredness. He’d
been so relieved to see her looking happier he hadn’t bothered to give it
further thought.

Another mistake.

For years he’d been telling her she had an awesome body and
he knew she’d never quite believed him. “Yeah, right,” she’d say, brushing off
every compliment. Especially after the kids were born. It had taken her nearly
a year after each pregnancy to be comfortable letting him see her naked. He’d
given up trying to convince her. He couldn’t force her to believe it.

Lately, though, she’d been moving like a woman who did
believe it and believed it plenty. Watching her walk across their bedroom every
morning, sauntering with a newly pronounced sway to her hips, it had been all
he could do not to toss her on the bed and make them both late for their days.
But there’d still been that air of distance. That secret he couldn’t quite put
his finger on.

Pulling into the driveway, he noted with a blend of relief
and dread that her car was already there.
This is it. Moment of truth.
No matter what it was she wanted to talk about, he was going to find out once
and for all. Lay it all on the line. His head swam as he keyed into the house.

The family room was shadowy as the sun set, casting a pink
glow on the room. “Jess?” he called, not seeing any lights on in the kitchen.

Stress knotted his shoulders.
Where the hell is she?

Jessica waited just out of the line of sight from the front
door. She watched as Eric put down his briefcase and tossed his jacket on the
foyer bench. “Jess?” He scanned the room.

Her heart pounded as it occurred to her that this was her
last chance to back out. She could take off the outfit, slip into a t-shirt and
just seduce him the old-fashioned way. He’d be none the wiser. Would have no
idea what he’d missed. And she wouldn’t run the risk of making a total ass out
of herself.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right there. Have a seat in
the dining room. I set out a snack.” It took every ounce of concentration she
could muster to keep her voice from quavering.
Please sit in the chair I
left pulled out. Please, please, please.
She tapped the tips of her fingers
together, willing him to sit down.

Eric thumped into the chair, looking pissed.
Maybe he’s
still upset about work.
Her stomach flip-flopped.
Hopefully this will
take his mind off whatever’s bothering him.
“You know how you’ve been
asking me about the classes I’ve been taking?”

“Yeah.” Eric scrubbed his hand over his head, still looking
totally stressed.

“Well, I thought I should let you know what kind of classes
they are.”
This is it. Showtime.

Holding her breath, she hit the play button on the remote
control. The opening notes of Peggy Lee’s
Fever
drifted out of the
speakers. For the first time, Jess was glad Eric had insisted on surround
sound. The music seemed to bring the whole room to life.

She stepped out from the shadows, feeling as though she
might pass out at any moment. Eric’s head darted up, his eyes locked on her.

Moving slowly, making certain to place one foot directly in
front of the other in time to the beats of the music, she made her way toward
him. At each collection of drumbeats she paused, emphasizing the rhythm with a
side-to-side shake of her hips.

Eric seemed mesmerized. Mouth slightly open. Head cocked to
the side. Seeing him swallow hard put an extra dose of confidence in her every
step. She strutted around him, swishing just close enough that the fabric of
her skirt grazed his arm before she moved out of reach.

The way he craned his neck during the few seconds she
lingered behind him sent a thrill through her.
He wants to see more.
Standing directly before him, she gyrated her hips, turning in a painstakingly
slow circle, glancing over her shoulder for a second of eye contact as she
circled her ass mere feet in front of him.

His eyes flashed at hers. Approving. Hungry. Filling her
with a greater sense of confidence. Facing him again, she took a step closer
and nudged her knee against his. As if she’d spoken a command, he spread his
legs wider.
Perfect.

She lifted her leg, praying she wouldn’t lose her balance,
and placed the tip of her spiked heel on the space of chair between his thighs.
She could see him suck in a breath as she leaned forward, hands gliding up the
length of her calf then slithering up her body. Hips. Waist. Breasts. His gaze
followed the path of her fingers. Grabbing on to the tie, she gave a gentle
tug, slowly pulling again and again in time with the music until it came
undone.

The silky fabric felt good rubbing back and forth against
her neck. As she removed it, she brought her leg down. Dangling the tie closer
to him, she ran it along the edge of his shirt collar, grazing his neck. Eric’s
breath hissed out, sending a shiver of happiness down her spine.

She trailed the tie down his arm, to his hand. His palm
turned upward and she teased the fabric over it before slipping it beneath his
wrist.
Will he let me?
Bending forward so that her breasts were
practically spilling out of her top, she knotted the tie and strutted back
behind his chair, tugging Eric’s arm along with her. Without a word, he reached
his other hand behind the chair.

Jessica couldn’t contain the grin spreading across her face.
He’s into it.
Her heart did a happy jig as she secured the second wrist
and slowly walked around his other side.

Hands behind his back, eyes still locked on her, erection
clearly visible through the fabric of his pants, Eric was right where she
wanted him.