frustration. Phone to her ear, she opened her closet door as she said, “Darling, how are you?”
“Horny.”
Her lovers were usually all about pleasing her. From the beginning, this man had been different. He never sugarcoated what he wanted. Sweet talk and flowers were not his way. And though occasionally he was too crass even for her, the things he did to her in bed made up for his inadequacies. Unfortunately this wasn’t a good time for him to be horny and demanding.
“I’m sorry, darling, but I have an appointment in a few minutes. Can you come by tonight?”
“An appointment? With whom?”
Though she resented his nosiness, she hesitated in not telling him. His temper had a volatile edge. A couple of times she’d pissed him off and he’d gone way beyond the pain-filled pleasurable lovemaking she enjoyed and into something intensely scary. The last time that had happened, she’d had to hide the bruises for days.
“My ex-husband is dropping by to discuss our divorce settlement.”
“I thought your divorce was settled a long time ago.”
“It was, but I kept a piece of jewelry he wanted. I’m redecorating my bedroom and came across it while I was putting things away for the workers to come in.”
She winced. Dammit, now she’d probably have to do some kind of decorating just to keep him from asking about it later. If he ever learned she had invited Quinn over to get him into bed … She shivered at the thought.
“I’ll be there tonight at six. Be ready for me.”
A different kind of shiver swept through her. After their first time together, he had set ground rules and expectations. One of those was preparing herself for him. He had given her a list of do’s and don’ts, including where to shave, what perfume and makeup to wear, what music to have playing when he walked in the door, and what food he required after their playtime had ended. And always, he wanted her naked.
“I’ll be ready,” she answered with her most sultry tone.
The line went dead and Charlene dropped the phone on the chair beside her. She only had a few minutes to get ready for Quinn. She withdrew the lace-and-silk black negligee and stripped out of her robe. The anticipation and nervousness of seeing Quinn again made her normally graceful movements stilted. It had been years since they’d slept together. Would he notice that her breasts were larger and perkier? The plastic surgeon had done a marvelous job with them; Quinn had always been a breast man.
After slipping the skimpy gown over the head, she stood in front of the full-length mirror to assess her allure. Damn, she looked good. Though she had just passed her thirty-fifth birthday, she didn’t look a day over twenty-five. Her tits and ass were perfect. There was no way in hell Quinn could resist her. So what if she’d slept around? It was past time for him to forget about that.
The doorbell rang. She glanced sharply at her clock. He was way too early. She hurriedly put on the necklace he was coming for and then took one last glance in the mirror. His timing didn’t really matter. Even with the too-demure necklace, she looked fabulous.
Running lightly down the stairs, Charlene almost laughed with sheer happiness. Things would work out, she was sure of it. Quinn would be enamored of her again, take her to bed, and do all sorts of delicious things to her. And tonight her lover could take care of any remaining sexual needs she might have. What had begun as a lousy day might well be her best ever. Her nipples tightened in anticipation of the coming events.
She opened the door. “Darling, it’s so good—” Stopping abruptly, she stared. “What are you doing here? I told you I had an appointment.”
His hazel green eyes gleaming wickedly, he moved forward, giving her no choice but to retreat to the middle of the foyer.
He closed the door behind him and sneered, “Is this the kind of outfit you wear to greet your ex-husband?”
She held back a huff of exasperation. The last thing she needed was for him to be here when Quinn arrived. She should have lied when he had asked her about her appointment.
“I was just about to change into something more appropriate.”
“But he is coming over. Right?”
“Quinn? Yes, he’ll be here in just a few minutes.”
“Then there’s not much time, is there?”
“Time for what?”
He came closer. “For this.”
Charlene looked down at something gleaming in his hand.