“Oh sugar,” Joely said. “You were just a baby yourself.”
“I know. But I loved my baby so much. She was perfect and all mine. I didn’t have sex again until the night of my twenty-first birthday. I ended up doing it with some sweet-talkin’ cowboy in his pickup. I went home with him afterward and we had sex again. I tried oral. Received oral. But it wasn’t great. I thought there was something wrong with me and decided sex wasn’t worth the hassle. Plus I had that whole ‘young, single mother’ stigma and I didn’t want to have a reputation that Rory would have to deal with. The two other times I’ve been attracted to a guy and we ended up having sex, it’s always been a disappointment. So, like I said. I’ve always figured it was me.”
“Was it a disappointment with Gavin?”
“Only in how I reacted. I was shocked because I’ve never had an orgasm with a man during sex. During oral? Yes. I can get off by my own hand, so I know I’m not incapable. I’m just…”
“Inexperienced,” Joely finished.
“At age forty. Gee, wouldn’t you wanna get all up in this?”
“I totally would, if I didn’t have a serious love of cock.”
Rielle choked on her drink.
Joely grinned. “I love shocking you.”
“No shit. So, tell me, Doctor Love, what should I do?”
“First off, do you want a sexual relationship with Gavin?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m writing you a script for birth control pills.” She pulled a pad out of her purse, filled it out and passed it over. “Get that filled tomorrow, you hear me? Use alternative birth control methods for a month.”
“Yes, Doctor Monroe.”
“Do you think your inexperience will scare him off?”
“Maybe it already has. How do I convince him to give me another try?”
“Besides getting on your knees?”
“Joely!”
She laughed. “That would work, trust me. But in all seriousness, come on to him. Tell him he made you come so hard that night you were speechless. Tell him you can’t stop thinking about him. Tell him you want him. Then prove it. Seduce the f**k outta him.”
Rielle considered that advice and polished off another martini. She had a decent buzz going. “How many of these have we had?”
“Three. Each. And now that one is empty.” She signaled to the cocktail waitress for another round.
“I’m hardcore tonight.”
“Damn straight. Besides, you wouldn’t have the guts to talk to me without a little liquid courage.”
“True. Now I’m mulling over your advice and it’s your turn to confess how Joely gets her jollies.”
“Hilarious. Like you, I can only admit what I really want when I’ve put away several of these babies.”
“Wanna explain that?”
She ran her hand through her short red hair. “I can’t explain it to myself. It’s so f**ked up. Every time I swear I’ll never do it again…I do.” She scowled over her shoulder. “Where the hell is my damn drink?”
“Hey, look at me.” When she had Joely’s attention, she said, “This road runs both ways, girlfriend. I’m as good at keeping confidences as you are. Any time you’re ready to spill, I’m here.”
“I appreciate it, Ree, I really do.”
“But you’d rather help other people than yourself.”
“Yep.”
The cocktail waitress dropped off the martinis.
Joely plucked hers up. “Right now, I’m helping myself to another drink. Cheers.”
Rielle knew the subject was closed. So they switched gears, talking about cooking and yarn, since Joely was an avid knitter. Then out of the blue, Joely said, “So what are you going to do about Gavin?”
“Taking your suggestion to seduce the f**k outta him.”
Joely raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Good. ’Cause sugar, he just walked in the door.”
The Golden Boot was packed on a Saturday night. Gavin wasn’t much into the bar scene, but sitting home by himself was borderline pathetic. He’d headed to the closest honky-tonk to soak up some atmosphere after Ben and Tell both had mentioned a good local band played some weekends. But with the dark stage it didn’t appear to be this weekend.
He found a spot at the bar and ordered a whiskey, neat. He felt a little out of place wearing jeans, a wool sweater and loafers amidst all the cowboy hats and boots, but no one glared at him like it was a hanging offense.
After ten minutes or so, the guy on his left struck up a conversation. He’d just settled in when the guy’s eyes locked on someone behind Gavin. He turned and his heart rate spiked at seeing Rielle. For the first time in two goddamned days.
She offered him a little finger wave.
His new buddy from the bar gave him a huge grin and took off.
Rielle moved in. Right in. Slid her palms up his chest and snuggled her body into his. She tipped her head back and smiled at him. “Hey, roomie.”
She looked so good and her sexy little body felt so good against his that he bent down and touched his lips to hers. She tasted like lemons and smelled like heaven. “Hey, yourself. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Joely picked me up for a few cocktails. I was about to order coffee to sober up before the ride home. Then I saw you and thought I’d ask if you wanna give me a ride?”
I’d like to ride you like you wouldn’t believe.
“But I wouldn’t want to tear you away from anything…pressing.” Keeping her eyes on his, she pressed her pelvis into his, adding a tiny grind of her hips.
Gavin instantly went hard.
But Rielle wasn’t done. She dug her fingers into the back of his neck and pulled him closer to whisper in his ear. “Are you avoiding me after the other night?”
“No. Why?”
“I thought maybe you were since I might’ve come across a teensy bit of a lousy lay.”
He froze. “What? God no, Ree, I’m the one—”
“But here’s the secret I tried to keep from you. Why I might’ve seemed so motionless and quiet.”
“What?”
“You made me come so hard, so fast that I forgot how to breathe.”
Gavin curled his hands on the side of her face and tilted her head back. “How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough to give me the courage to talk to you but not enough to make me forget what I want to say,” she said softly.