by Mary Monroe
Bertha’s comment was ridiculous, but I agreed with her anyway. “Uh-huh.” But I wasn’t going to form any opinions about Calvin until he gave me a reason to. He wanted to see me again, at least once. And that was all that mattered to me.
Chapter 16
Joan
I HATED LAST-MINUTE DATES. ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAD NOT PLANNED to see anybody for a while. The comments and reviews about me on the Discreet Encounters website were so spectacular that I was more popular than ever.
Because I had to plan my trysts around Reed, I had to turn down a lot of men—and a few women. Even though my profile made it clear that I was 100 percent heterosexual, bisexual female club members sent me messages left and right requesting dates! I had nothing against gay people, but I had no desire to make love to another female. If anything, I planned to reduce the number of dates I went on, not because I was getting bored but because Reed was increasingly giving me suspicious looks and asking more nosy questions than ever before.
When John Walden (his screen name was “LongJohn”), a long-time member and a favorite whom I had dated several times, called me on my cell phone a few minutes ago, I was happy to hear from him. He was a prominent Phoenix attorney and a great lover, but I made it a point of not getting too attached to any of the club members. I didn’t want them to get too attached to me either.
I had never been involved in a fatal attraction, but I had read a few horror stories on the club’s blog about members who had. One of my partners told me that he had been stalked by a former supermodel who had fallen in love with him after just one date. He was lucky, because the woman left him alone a couple of months later when she fell for another club member.
I knew John liked me a lot, and I liked him. He was a very intriguing man. His family was originally from Jamaica, but they’d moved to England when John was a baby. He moved from London to New York when he was thirty and met and married a woman from Phoenix. A year into their marriage, they moved to Arizona so she could be closer to her family. John was the kind of man I wish I had married. He was considerate, generous, funny, handsome, and rich. But Reed was all of those things too. I didn’t see his dark side until after I married him.
I had just taken an hour-long bubble bath and washed my hair when John’s call came in Monday afternoon a few minutes before three. It was a good time, because Reed was still at his office. I had a towel wrapped around my hair when I entered the living room and plopped down on the couch. Before I could pick up the remote to turn on the TV and get comfortable, my cell phone rang. I was tempted to let the call go to voice mail until I saw John’s name on my caller ID. I wasted no time snatching the phone off the coffee table and answering.
“Joan, it’s John,” he said in a low voice. He had a deep baritone voice and a slight English accent. That combination sounded so damn sexy to me. Just listening to him talk turned me on. I assumed he was practically whispering because he was calling from home and his Italian bride of fifteen years was lurking about. That was one thing I had in common with almost all of my dates: a nosy mate.
“I know,” I said in a loud voice. “It’s good to hear from you again, and so soon. Where are you, and why are you whispering?”
John responded in a voice that was more like a boom. “I’m in California, and I was whispering because I’m so used to doing it when I call you from my office or from home. Anyway, one of the partners in my firm is handling a real estate deal in Frisco for one of our most important clients. Unfortunately, my colleague’s son was involved in a serious auto accident a couple of days ago, so he had to cancel his trip. He didn’t want to let the client down, so he asked me to fill in for him. So here I am, dying to get my hands on your tight little body! I hope you’re up for it.”
I gulped. Sex with John was always a satisfying experience. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me in bed, and vice versa. “Of course I’m up for it. How long are you going to be out here?”
“I arrived late yesterday and met with the client this morning. We wrapped up everything sooner than we expected, so now I have the rest of today free.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear from you. When do you want to see me?”
“ASAP, goddamnit!” John let out a long, loud laugh. “I know this is short notice, and I would have called before now, but I had a lot of things going on. I hope I can see you because . . . uh . . . there’s an important issue I’d like to discuss with you.”
John’s last sentence made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t imagine what important issue he had to discuss with me. The first thought that came to my mind was that it was something related to sex. I always used condoms with my partners, so I knew it had nothing to do with an STD. “Oh. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, luv. As a matter of fact, everything is very right.”
“John, what are you talking about?”
“It’s not something I want to discuss over the telephone. Is there any way possible you can meet me at the Hilton around five?”
I gasped. “No way! It’s almost a two-hour drive from here to San Francisco, and it’s already pretty late in the day,” I pointed out. “My husband will be home soon and he’ll be all over me, so it’ll be hard for me to get out of the house this evening.”
“I’ve checked out of my hotel in Frisco. I took a chance on you being available, so I rented a car and I’m already in your neck of the woods. I have a suite in the downtown San Jose Hilton.”
“Hmmm. Well, in that case, I guess I can make it by five if I leave soon.” My period had ended a few hours ago. Every month right after my cycle, I got as horny and frisky as a bull. I stayed like that for at least two or three days. But because Reed was such a dud, I got even more frustrated in the bedroom during that time. John had a lot of stamina for a man in his late forties, so he was just what I needed. One of his erections lasted longer than all of Reed’s put together in a month! I wanted to see John again as much as he wanted to see me. I didn’t want him to know that though, so I forced myself not to sound too eager. “Can you give me a hint about the ‘important issue’ you want to discuss?”
“Joan, I know you’re not happy. You’re never going to be happy as long as you remain married to what’s-his-face.”
“So?” One of my biggest flaws was my loose lips after a few drinks. I often revealed way too much information to whomever I was with, especially if they shared personal information with me. In John’s case, during one of our previous dates, he told me how unhappy he was in his marriage. He claimed his wife had “retired” from sex. According to him, she’d decided years ago that she’d had enough. She’d admitted that she had never enjoyed sex in the first place. He also claimed that his wife “encouraged” him to find pleasure with other women—as long as he was discreet. Once I found out that John was also trapped in a miserable marriage, I wasted no time telling him about my situation with Reed. The only thing I left out was the part about his threats to commit suicide if I left him and that he’d already attempted it once.
Chapter 17
Joan
JOHN LOUDLY INTERRUPTED MY THOUGHTS. “SO WHY DON’T WE DO something about it?”
“We? What can ‘we’ do about my unhappy marriage? That’s my problem.”
“Joan, I didn’t want to get into this over the phone, but I want you to be with me.”
“Be with you? Can you be a little more specific?”
“I own several properties in Phoenix that I am sure you and your son would like very much. They are all located in quiet, safe neighborhoods with great schools. The one I have in mind for you is a three-bedroom town house in a gated area in one of the most magnificent locations in the city.”
I gasped again. “You want me to leave my husband and move to Phoenix to be your backstreet woman?”
Several moments of silence passed before John answered. “Well, yes. But ‘backstreet’ is such an outdated word. I haven’t heard it in decades.”
“You’re asking me to be your mistress?”
“I guess that’s what I’m asking. You’d never have to work, and I’d make sure you’d never have to worry about money as long as you stay in the relationship. I’ll even put it in writing.”
I was flabbergasted! The idea of me being a rich man’s mistress sounded as incredulous as me being a poor man’s sugar mama. This was the last thing I ever expected to hear from John, or any other man. I gulped and shook my head. I didn’t know what to say next.
“Joan, say something, please. Your silence is making me nervous.”
“John, you haven’t even known me that long,” I said evenly. “What if you stop liking me when you really get to know me after I’ve left my husband and moved to Phoenix?”
“I’m willing to take the risk if you are. Besides, I know all I need to know about you.”
“What about the club?”
“What about it?”
“If I take you up on your offer, are you going to keep dating other club members?”
“I have dated only three other members since my first date with you and that was only because I was traveling to locations on the other side of the country or even farther away. If I had you to myself exclusively, I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”
“Huh?” I was stunned and flattered. But I found it hard to believe that such a prominent man wanted a woman with my ordinary background to be his mistress. John spoke Spanish, French, and Italian fluently. He went to operas and art museums and listened to Mozart. He read books written by highbrow authors like Alex Haley and Toni Morrison. The contrast between us was about as wide as the Pacific Ocean. However, most of that was also true of Reed, and he was willing to kill himself over me. Damn! I didn’t know what it was about me that was that good! “Do you really mean that?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. You know how devastatingly attractive and sexy you are. You’re the most phenomenal woman I’ve ever known.”
I could feel my head swelling, but I made myself stay cool. “Yeah, right,” I said with a touch of sarcasm. I could think of a lot of words to describe myself, but “phenomenal” was not one of them.
“Joan, believe me. You’re everything a man wants in a woman. Hasn’t any other man ever told you this?”
“Yes, I’ve heard all this from other men.” The first night I met Reed, he told me that I was “everything a man wants in a woman.” And look where I was!
“You don’t believe me?”
“Well . . . I . . . I—” I blubbered, sounding more like an idiot than a devastatingly attractive, phenomenal, and sexy woman. I stopped spewing gibberish long enough to compose myself. “I believe you think that I’m everything you want in a woman. But I can’t just pack up and move to another state.”
“Joan, I am a rich man. I’m offering you a brand-new start. You can have a privileged life with me. And that’s really what you need and deserve.”
I was tempted to remind John that I already had a privileged life and a rich man, but I didn’t because it would have contradicted all the negative things I’d already told him about my marriage.
“You’re asking me to make a major change in my life. That’s something I’d have to think about carefully, and for a long time.”
“I see. Please give it some serious consideration before you make your final decision.”
“I’ll think about it, I guess.” By now my head was swimming.
“I’ll handle your divorce; no charge, of course. I’ll pay for your moving expenses and let you pick out all new furniture, and you can have the vehicle of your choice. On our first anniversary, I’ll buy you an additional residence anywhere in the country so you’ll always have somewhere to go when you want to be alone. And I’ll hire a full-time housekeeper for you. All you’ll have to do is stay beautiful and keep me satisfied. . . .”
The more John sweetened the pot, the more my head swam. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a man to offer me such a lavish life. Reed was successful and generous, but even he couldn’t offer me as much as John.
“You’d be willing to do all those things for me?”
“Those things and even more,” John said, strongly emphasizing his words.
I had resisted at first, but I still developed feelings for him. Still, I didn’t love him the way I wanted to love the man with whom I would ultimately spend the rest of my life with after Reed. However, I didn’t know of any marriage where the scales were balanced and the love between the two partners was equal. The way Mama rode my stepfather’s back with one complaint and put-down after another, and the way he hugged and fawned over her all the time, it was obvious to me that they didn’t love each other equally. But they were happy.
“We’ll talk more about this when I get to your hotel.” I paused so I could gather my thoughts. “I have to go now so I can make arrangements for my cousin to keep an eye on my son when he gets home from school. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
I sent Junior a text and told him to go to Mama’s house after school. Then I called up my cousin Too Sweet and told her to keep him there until I picked him up.
I hung up and glanced at my watch. Lola was still at work, but I had to let her know what I was up to so she could cover for me in case Reed pestered her with bothersome telephone calls. I dialed her cell phone but my call went straight to voice mail. I didn’t bother to leave a message.
I started to call Reed’s office to let him know I was going out for a while. I changed my mind because I was not in the mood to listen to him whine or question me. Since I couldn’t get in touch with Lola, I scribbled a note to Reed and told him I had to go to a book club meeting. I put the note where I knew he’d see it as soon as he got home: taped to the front of the liquor cabinet.
Chapter 18
Lola
I DIDN’T TALK TO JOAN AGAIN UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT. SHE SHOWED up at my house at ten-fifteen p.m. I was in the living room alone watching a Golden Girls rerun. Bertha had gone to bed an hour earlier.
“Thank God you’re home,” Joan said, out of breath. She almost knocked me down as she trotted to the living-room couch and plopped down. She had a frantic expression. She was dressed in jeans and a nightshirt, her house shoes were on the wrong feet, and her hair was in curlers.
“Halloween is a long way off. You look like a fishwife,” I teased as I looked her over. I had never seen Joan looking so frumpy. She ignored my remarks. “Is somebody chasing you?” I asked, joining her on the couch.
“No, nobody’s chasing me. I just left the house in a big hurry.” She glanced toward the staircase, then back at me, looking even more frantic. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”
“Yeah. I’m the only one up. How come you didn’t call to let me know you were coming over this time of night? Where the heck have you been all day? And what’s this about a book club meeting you allegedly attended today? That’s what your mother-in-law told me when I called before I left work this evening.” I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and muted the TV.
“Mother Riley showed up just as I was about to leave. I told her I had to go to a book club meeting. Actually, I went on a date.”
“I figured that. Why didn’t you let me know in case Reed called me?”
“My date called me at the last minute. I had so much on my mind and so much to do, I called your number but I didn’t leave a message,” Joan wailed.
“Which ‘date’ are we talking about?”
“Remember that lawyer from Phoenix?”
“John Walden? How could I not. Had I been available when he contacted me for a date, you might never have met him. You’ve been with him several times, so he must be damn hot.”
“Girl, the man is hotter than cayenne pepper. And just as generous as ever. He gave me a diamond necklace this time. It must have cost a fortune. I know when Reed sees it, he’s going to scold me again about spending so much of his money. Ha! If he only knew.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Reed asking you about a diamond necklace,” I
chided. Joan owned more jewelry and everything else than any woman I knew, and a lot of it had come from her lovers. Looking in her bedroom closet was like looking into a stockroom. There were several large shopping bags that contained clothes, shoes, and just about everything else a shopaholic woman would buy. Most of the items still had sales tags attached. Reed was so busy trying to keep up with her other activities, he rarely hassled Joan about her purchases. “But I’m sure he’ll get nosy about a book club, so you need to give me all the details. I might need to use that alibi with Bertha.”
Joan rolled her neck and gave me an exasperated look. “Pffft! What’s there to know about a book club? A bunch of people get together once or twice a month for a few hours to discuss a book they’ve all read. I’ve never actually been a member of a book club, but I happened to be at my cousin Norma’s house one evening a couple of months ago when she and her book club were having a meeting. And I went to one at Aunt Maggie’s house last year. They’re all the same.”
“Well, you could have at least told me what book your bogus book club was discussing in case somebody asked me.”
“Woman, puh-leeze.” Joan giggled and gave me a dismissive wave. “Do you think that Reed or Bertha would ever ask the title of a book that you or I would read, or where the book club meeting took place?”
“Probably not. But the next time you go to a ‘book club meeting, ’ I wish you would let me know too.” I looked toward the staircase to make sure Bertha had not crept within earshot like she used to do when I had male company. “So, how is the good lawyer from Phoenix?”
“As amazing as ever. He . . . he wants me to move to Phoenix.”
My mouth dropped open, and I stared at Joan from the corner of my eye. “He wants you to move to Phoenix? For what?”
“To be with him. He said Junior and I could live rent free in one of his properties.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”