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24
“You two are acquainted? How wonderful is that.” Her mother clapped her hands together.
Stella felt like she was going to vomit. Philip’s mom was the woman from the club. She’d given Michael his car. The one he drove every day. The one he wouldn’t let Stella replace.
Michael reclined in his seat with a cool smile, looking casual, perfectly comfortable, and drop-dead handsome in his black suit. “We go a ways back.”
Aliza released a husky laugh and stroked her hand down his arm. “We do.”
When he didn’t so much as flinch at the contact, Stella’s throat knotted. Michael liked older women—he’d said so. With her large breasts, tiny figure, whiskey-smooth voice, and sophisticated seductiveness, she was sex incarnate. Stella reminded herself he’d ended things with Aliza. Today, he hadn’t given Aliza three glorious orgasms with his beautiful mouth before making love to her like he couldn’t get enough.
“Please do tell me, who did you come here with?” Aliza’s eyes swept over the table and considered Stella’s mother before they went back to Michael’s face.
“He’s here with me.” Stella scooted closer to him and covered his hand with hers. She expected him to flip his hand over and interlace their fingers like he usually did. When he remained immobile, her stomach dropped. What did that mean?
Aliza picked up her whiskey and considered Stella over the glass’s rim. “Well, aren’t you wholesome-looking. Your daughter is beautiful, Ann. I can see why Phil likes her so much. It’s a shame she isn’t single.”
Her mother smiled, but Stella could see from
the tension around her eyes that she was worried. “Thank you, Aliza. These two look very happy. It’s no shame at all.”
Stella squeezed Michael’s hand tighter as she stared up at his profile. Before tonight, they had been happy. What was wrong? He remained impassive, his gaze trained on Aliza. Stella was touching him, but he felt miles away.
“So it’s serious?” Aliza looked at Stella’s parents before she smirked and sent Michael an amused glance. “Meeting the parents now, Michael? Would you have met mine for the right price?”
“What are you talking about?” Philip narrowed his eyes as he looked from his mom to Michael and back again.
Aliza took a healthy drink from her lowball glass and smiled suggestively. “We used to . . . go on dates.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Philip stared at Michael in rising disgust. “You’ve slept with my mom?”
“Not exactly,” Michael replied with a tight smile.
Aliza chuckled. “There wasn’t any sleeping involved, if I remember correctly.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. I need a drink.” Her father pushed away from the table.
“Get me another whiskey on the rocks while you’re at it, darling,” Aliza said, shaking her glass.
“You’ve had enough.” He fled toward the cocktail bar in the back corner.
Aliza’s throaty laugh floated over the table before she drained her glass of the amber fluid and set it down. “Never.”
Because Stella was sitting so close to Michael, she saw when Aliza’s red nails brushed over his thigh. He didn’t move. He merely stared at the woman as her hand stroked leisurely upward, coming closer and closer to the fly of his pants. Why wasn’t he stopping her? Did he want her to touch him?
Standing up abruptly, he said, “I’m going to get some air. Excuse me.”
Before Aliza could pursue him, Stella jumped up and followed him through the back doors. The air outside smelled of nighttime, cut grass, and chlorine, and the coolness sent goose bumps over her bare shoulders and arms.
“Michael,” she called out.
He paused next to the blue glowing swimming pool. “You should go back in, Stella.”
She walked to his side. This distance between them was making her panic. How did she bring them back together again? She took his hand and wrapped him around her waist as she pushed her body close. “But I’ll miss you.”
His eyes softened, and he tightened his arms around her. She sighed and rested her cheek on his chest, breathing him in. If he could hold her like this, everything was still okay.
“You were having a good time before my past sat at the table.” He swept his hand up and down her back.
