by E. L. Todd
“Excellent,” Stella said. “I give this guy five stars.”
“What’s his name, by the way?” Tatum asked. “We can keep calling him Mr. Gorgeous, but I assume he has a name.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Never asked.”
“Really?” Stella asked with a laugh. “Wow, so you guys really didn’t talk.”
“Nope,” I said with a smile. “And that works for me.”
“So he just left, and that was it?” Tatum asked. “Did he ask to see you again?”
“I’m not sure. I left a note on his chest before I came over here. Just said I had a great time and that was it.”
Now Colton grinned. “Talk about hit it and quit it.”
“So he’s sleeping in your bed right now?” Stella asked in surprise. “You just left him there?”
“I’m sure he can find the way out,” I countered. “I don’t know anything about him, but he’s gotta be somewhat intelligent.”
“That’s hot,” Tatum said. “You got what you wanted without apology.”
“I think it’s pretty clear what I wanted.” I’d walked right up to him and asked him back to my place. I never gave him any indication I wanted something more. If anything, I’d wanted him to be just a good memory that I could cherish. He helped me get back on the horse. His job was complete. “So, he won’t be upset.”
“Wow.” Stella had a dreamy look in her eyes. “That’s one hell of a night.”
“He might want to see you again,” Colton said. “After a night like that, he might want another round. Wouldn’t blame him.” He flattened his tie against his chest before he drank from his coffee, his blond hair perfectly styled for his day at work. He was a pretty man, and just from a look, it would be impossible to know he was gay.
“Well, hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.” I cupped my mug with both hands so I could savor the warmth as it spread through my fingers. It was a sunny day in Seattle, but that meant it would be a little chillier than usual. “Not interested. I just want that night to be what it was…a one-time thing. I’m not looking for a relationship right now. Being with him rejuvenated my confidence and helped me find the old me. But I want to play the field for a while and not force something with the first pretty man I see.”
“That totally makes sense,” Stella said. “You just got back on the market, and you should enjoy being single as long as you can. You’ve been stuck with a gay guy for the last five years. You need to make up for all that lost time.”
Colton lowered his gaze but didn’t voice his offense to the comment.
“That time wasn’t lost.” I looked at my ex-husband, my best friend, and showed him the same affection in my eyes that had always been there. “I wouldn’t change those years for anything.”
Colton responded with a slight smile. “Me neither, Pepper. Me neither.”
4
Colton
When I stepped through the door, the bell rang overhead.
Pepper was behind the counter of her boutique, her long brown hair pulled over one shoulder. She had green eyes that reminded me of tropical palm fronds, and when she wore deep red lipstick, it made her smile more apparent. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. It didn’t matter that I liked men. Nothing could deny what was right in front of me.
Her little shop had a European design, carrying pieces made in France and Italy. Her items fetched a high price, but the craftsmanship made them worth it. Women loved to feel sexy, especially in expensive things.
She lifted her gaze to greet me. She always wore a smile when she greeted her customers, but when she recognized me, her smile widened even more. There was a hint of affection in her gaze, the same look she used to give me when I came home every day. “What a nice surprise. Are you shopping for yourself or someone special?”
I chuckled as I approached the counter. “Like anything would fit me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you want something to fit you…?”
“No. I’m not that kind of gay.”
She finished making her note before she put her pen down. “How was work?”
“Eh. You know.” I looked at the new display she had on the wall, along with the counter showing off new thongs. Being married to a sexy woman like Pepper had only made me realize just how gay I was. She was a perfect ten, on the inside as well as the outside. I tried so hard to pretend to be something I wasn’t just so I could keep her.
“Actually, I don’t.” She looked at me with that knowing gaze, her intelligent eyes absorbent like a sponge. She had fair skin with a few faint freckles, and her delicate frame was beautiful with her tall height. She was just a bit shorter than I was, but she was tall for a woman. She had the body of a model, even though she denied it every time I mentioned it to her. “Sometimes I get the impression you don’t like your job.”
“Well, who does?” I said with a chuckle.
Her gaze softened in sadness. “I do. Stella does. If you don’t like it, why don’t you change it?”
Pepper always wanted the best for me. There were very few people in life who were so selfless. When I told her the truth and ended our marriage, she was upset but always supportive. She had every right to hate me and never speak to me again, but that wasn’t her reaction. Now she was my best friend, and that relationship wasn’t easy to maintain, at least in the beginning. But nothing ever stopped her from loving me. “Not so easy. I’m in too deep to change my career.”
“But you could switch jobs or fields. There’s a lot you can do with a law degree.”
“I guess.”
“The way I see it, you can keep doing the same thing and be miserable. Or you can take the chance and do something different. Odds are, you aren’t going to be less happy, so you may as well go for it.”
“Not a bad way to put it.”
She smiled. “I’m very wise, I know.”
“You really are.”
“So, what brings you in? Other than getting a new thong.”
“I’m meeting Zach for a drink. Wanted to see if you wanted to come along.”
She glanced at the clock on the wall then surveyed her store. “It’s been a pretty slow day, so I may as well close. Sometimes it’s a hit or a miss. Today was definitely a miss.”
“Not a lot of people need lingerie on a Tuesday.”
“Well, a lot of people needed lingerie yesterday.” She put her tablet and receipts away before she grabbed her coat and walked out with me.
“Heard from Mr. Gorgeous?”
She set the alarm and locked the door. “Nope. But that’s how it’s supposed to be. He seems like a playboy, so I don’t think I need to worry about him.”
“But you’re a special woman. I’m sure he hasn’t stopped thinking about you.”
We walked down the sidewalk and headed to Hopkins for a drink. It was a chilly afternoon, but the rain was gone. We both wore black jackets to hide our bodies from the breeze in the air. Sometimes when it was just the two of us, I wanted to wrap my arm around her waist the way I used to. But then I remembered those days were over. She was just my friend now—my best friend.
“You’re sweet, Colton. But he gets tail all the time. I’m sure he’s moved on to the next lady.”
“You’d be surprised…”
We entered the bar and both ordered our beers. Zach was already at the table, his eyes glued to the game. We’d been friends since high school, so our friendship went far back. He was the first person I told when I came out of the closet, and he helped me reveal the truth to Pepper. Not once did he treat me differently because of it. “It’s a close game.”
I glanced at the score. “Then I’m not making any bets.”
Pepper pulled out her phone and texted someone before she took a drink.
Zach yanked his eyes off the TV so he could look at her. Taller than me and with brown eyes, he’d always been a hot commodity with the ladies. “How’s it going, Pepper?”
“Great. I had no customers today, bu
t that gave me time to read.” She pulled her jacket off her shoulders and revealed the teal blouse that hugged her curves perfectly. She hung the jacket over the back of a nearby chair.
“I’m doing great, thanks for asking,” I said sarcastically.
Zach brushed off the comment. “I’ve been talking to you all day through texting.”
“But a lot has happened since our last message,” I countered. “Maybe I got fired or something.”
“You wish you got fired,” he said with a chuckle.
Ever since I’d opened up about my sexuality, most of the office disliked me. Maybe if I’d come in as a gay man at the beginning, it wouldn’t be weird, but since I’d divorced a beautiful woman, they viewed me as strange. The work environment progressively became more and more hostile. I never told Pepper the truth because she’d probably march down there and stab my boss in the eye with a pen.
Zach turned back to Pepper. “I heard you got laid.”
She couldn’t hide the smile from stretching across her face. “The rumors are true.”
Zach grinned. “Good to hear. It’s hot when a woman gets some D.”
I thought this conversation would make me uncomfortable or jealous, but it never did. Truth be told, I was relieved Pepper was finally making progress with her love life. I hadn’t made much in mine, but I didn’t want her to be miserable forever. She had been in love with me for a long time, and she had needed about three months to finally move on from those feelings.
Pepper turned to me. “Does this make you uncomfortable?”
It took me a second to process her question because it was unnecessary. “Not at all.”
She turned back to Zach and continued the conversation.
I watched the game for a while before I directed my attention across the room. At another table was Aaron, one of the men who went to my gym. He was with two other guys, and I knew from watching him so much that he definitely swung the way I did. He had a hard body, nice cheekbones, and a boyish smile. I’d noticed him a long time ago but never had the balls to actually do anything about it.
I was out of the closet but with no game.
Pepper must have noticed my stare because she said, “You know him?”
“Uh, he goes to my gym.” Like I hadn’t been staring at him with longing, I turned back to the TV and pretended to be involved in the game even though I didn’t give a shit about sports. My brother had always been into every kind of sport, even playing rugby when he was overseas, but I could never get myself to care.
Pepper kept watching Aaron, like she was putting the pieces together, before she turned back to me. “Go talk to him.”
“Why?” I asked, a little too defensively.
“Because he’s cute, and you clearly like him.”
“I do not,” I said in mock offense. “I just—”
“Come on, man. Grow a pair and pick up a dude.” Zach continued to speak his mind, never being delicate with me even though my orientation had changed. He treated me exactly the same, giving me a hard time when I deserved it. “You’ve been single forever, and you haven’t done anything about it.”
“And he’s very cute,” Pepper said. “Just ask him out. What’s the worst he could say? No?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “And I just…I’ve never done this before.”
“So?” Pepper asked. “Tell him that.”
I knew I needed to put myself out there, but something was always holding me back. I didn’t want to allow the truth out in the open because it would make its way back to my family, but the truth was I just didn’t have any confidence. “Look, I just—”
Pepper walked off and headed right for their table.
Zach chuckled as she walked away. “I’m glad the old Pepper is back. She’s a badass.”
“Uh…” I watched her walk right up to Aaron and somehow make him laugh. “I kinda miss the old Pepper.” Back and forth, their conversation went, and it seemed to be going well because he wrapped his arm around her waist. Then she pointed at me.
Oh god.
Aaron looked my way, a handsome smile on his face.
“Dude, you look like shit,” Zach whispered. “Smile or something. Stand up straight. Be sexy.”
“How do you be sexy?” I countered.
“I don’t know, but looking like a pussy isn’t the way to do it.”
I straightened my spine and shoulders and smiled back, doing my best to seem confident rather than out of place.
Then Pepper and Aaron walked to our table.
“Oh shit, he’s coming over here.” I turned to Zach, like he would somehow know what to do.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked. “Just be you. See where it goes.”
“Oh god…” This was my first time putting myself out there, and I had a feeling I was going to crash and burn.
Pepper reached me first, Aaron right behind her. “Colton, I want you to meet my new friend, Aaron. Aaron, this is Colton.”
Aaron smiled at me then extended his hand for a shake. “Pleasure.”
“Uh, yeah.” I took his hand, feeling the spark immediately burn up my fingers and my arm. “You too.”
“We go to the same gym, right?” he asked, still smiling.
“Yeah, I’ve seen you around a bit.”
“You can bench like two hundred pounds, right? I’ve noticed you.”
I felt the burn of my cheeks and the thump in my heart. I knew I was gay because I was currently addicted to gay porn, but this small conversation convinced me even more. “Yeah…about two hundred. And I’ve noticed you too.”
Pepper moved into Zach’s side. “You wanna get out of here?”
“I think that’s a good idea.” Zach left cash on the table then walked out with Pepper.
Before Pepper walked out, she turned back to look at me, a dazzling smile on her face. Then she winked at me.
I didn’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing woman in my life. I was so lucky to have her, and I would never take her for granted. It must not have been easy for her to give me away like that, to push me out of my comfort zone so I could flirt with a guy.
But that proved how much she loved me.
I winked back.
5
Pepper
A week went by, and I didn’t see Mr. Gorgeous again.
I was afraid he would stop by the shop to see me, but he seemed to want to leave our night untarnished the way I did.
Now it was a perfect memory, something that would never be ruined. It was a night that changed my life, a night that put a spring in my step and a smile on my face. I had amazing sex with an amazing man.
Now I was ready to take on the world.
That Saturday I had a private bridal shower gig. It was usually the bridesmaids and close friends that gathered around and picked out the lingerie for the bride. I brought everything in her size with me, and sometimes she would try it on for the girls if she was comfortable.
Events like that tended to be my biggest moneymakers.
The house was in a quiet neighborhood near the coast. Two stories with a gorgeous front yard, it was a dream house. The perfect place to settle down and start a family. Only rich people lived over here, so I suspected this woman came from money. Or maybe she was about to marry into money.
I grabbed my box of lingerie along with my tablet and gear and headed to the front door. After I rang the doorbell, a pretty brunette answered.
She looked just as perky as she sounded on the phone. With dark hair and green eyes, she was a beautiful girl, someone who would look amazing in a mermaid gown as she walked down the aisle. Her sparkly engagement ring sat on her left hand, catching the light and creating rainbows all over the walls. “You must be Pepper. It’s so great to have you here. Come inside.” She gave me a quick one-armed hug before she escorted me farther into the house.
The entryway led to the large staircase that went to the second floor. Vaulted ceilings had immense windows that filled the house with
natural light. A table sat in the center of the room with a large vase of fake flowers. “This is a beautiful home.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Too bad it’s not mine.” She took one of the boxes and helped me carry it into the living room. “It’s my brother’s place. He’s letting me live here until the wedding. My fiancé is a doctor, and he’s moving from Chicago.”
“Wow, you have a nice brother.”
“Yeah, he’s not bad.” She downplayed her affection for her brother, but she smiled as she said it. “The girls will be here in about an hour. I’m just finishing up with the appetizers. So you can set up everything right here in the living room. Give me a holler if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Sasha.”
She walked down the hallway and entered the kitchen on the other side of the house. When I was alone, I set up my tablet along with the pieces of lingerie I would be debuting. She said she had a large bridal party of ten girls, so chances were, I was going to sell a lot of pieces. I didn’t take cash or checks, just debit and credit cards. It was a lot easier to keep track of things that way. Besides, no one used cash these days.
The garage doors opened, and three men let themselves inside. All dressed in workout clothes with sweat streaked across their foreheads, they looked like they’d had a good workout. One had a basketball tucked under his arm, so it seemed like they’d just hit the courts.
I eyed their muscled biceps and sexy arms, hardly paying attention to their faces. I assumed one of them was Sasha’s brother, the guy who could afford this beautiful house. All the furniture was black leather, and the interior design was distinctly masculine. It didn’t seem like a woman lived with him.
I walked toward them to introduce myself.
That was when I locked eyes with Mr. Gorgeous.
Wow, what were the odds?
He didn’t seem surprised to see me, as if he expected me to be standing in his living room. That same sexy smile stretched across his face, the memory of our night together dancing across his eyes.