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I mean, sure, we were part of the same general social circle and all. I recognized her because I’d seen her around—usually with her cocksucker husband—but I didn’t know her at all. The minute Blu started talking about her, I saw her in a different light. One where she wasn’t in the shadow of an unappreciative husband, or just some other spoiled, rich wife, but where she was a smart, accomplished woman with her own business, whose life had just been unexpectedly shit on by some of the people closest to her.
She’d earned her battle scars, just like we guys had. And I liked that.
Sumner had let me know he’d dropped our ‘bomb’ on Avril. I say that because you never know how someone will react to the idea of being shared. So far, so good—she hadn’t run away screaming. ‘Course she hadn’t signed on the dotted line, either.
I’d watched her from across the room at the party the previous night, letting Blu ease her into the sex club vibe. Everyone reacted differently their first time. Some people went apeshit wild, tearing off their clothes and wanting to fuck everything in sight. Some people stood in a dark corner, wondering what the hell they were doing there. Most people fell somewhere in between. They were, without a doubt, intrigued and maybe dying to jump in, but they also took their time easing into whatever it was that turned them on.
Avril was one of those people in the middle. They were the best kind, in my opinion. Gutsy but wise enough to get the lay of the land first.
So it had probably come as no surprise to her when I called her the morning after the party to ask her to lunch. I did it on the pretense of discussing business, but if I could steer things in a more intimate direction, so much the better. The guys had asked me to seal the deal, at least with regard to securing the gallery for our next party. But if I could interest her in our amorous intentions, everyone would be happy. Especially her, I liked to think.
When I arrived at the gallery, I entered through a huge, heavy door. The building had most likely once been something industrial. The owners had clearly tried to keep some of the place’s old charms intact.
It was huge and sunny, with twenty-foot high ceilings and wide wooden boards for hardwood floors. Low voices floated through the air, and while I couldn’t make out what they were saying, I could detect Avril’s voice and that of the clients she’d told me she’d be meeting with that morning. I grabbed a seat on the cushy sofa in the corner and opened the phone app that allowed me to check in on Ruby when she was napping in her crib. Voila, there was my gorgeous little girl. She was lying in that funny position babies do, where they’re flat on their backs with their arms reaching overhead. Her face was turned to the side, and I had to say, her profile was so goddamn beautiful, I got a lump in my throat.
Funny how one of the worst things to ever happen to you can turn out to be one of the best. Little Ruby’s mom might have bailed on us, but our baby had brought more joy into my life than I ever knew was possible.
I watched Avril escort two men, the couple she’d been discussing the artwork with, to the door. She shook their hands.
When she turned to me, her face brightened.
“Hello!” she said, clicking across the room toward me in her stiletto heels.
She wore a plain, black knit dress that clung to her every curve. On anyone else, it might have looked like a sack, but on her curvy figure, it was perfection.
The woman was gorgeous by any measure, but to see her in her element, conducting business like a champ, only added to the appeal that left me wanting so badly. The rest of the guys often teased me that a shift in the wind got me hard, but this was the real thing.
I stood to kiss her cheek, lingering for a moment to experience her light perfume. Christ, it was going to be hard to keep the conversation to business.
“The gallery is amazing,” I said, looking around.
She nodded. “Thank you. It’s my baby. I love it too.”
I could have sworn I saw something wistful wash over her pretty face. “Are you okay?” I asked.
She pursed her lips before answering. “Well, I’ve had some concerns about whether or not I’ll be able to keep it going. I mean, that’s why Blu brought us all together.”
That wasn’t the only reason. He knew our tastes as well as we did.
“That’s one of the things we’ll talk about over lunch then,” I said, smiling. “Shall we go?”
Just a few minutes later, we settled into a window table at the best steakhouse in the city. It also happened to be owned by a frequent guest at Kink Lab. He’d stopped by the table to thank me for a great time the night before.
What could I say? We aimed to please.
“I guess I should have asked first if you ate meat.”
She reached across the table and patted my arm. “It’s all good. I love it, actually.”
“Whew. Thank goodness. I wouldn’t want you to think I was an asshole. At least, not yet. Wine?” I asked.
“Yes, I could totally go for a glass of wine.”
We ordered, and the waiter scurried away.
“Thank you for joining me for lunch,” I said.
She blushed the tiniest bit. Goddamn, that was cute.
