Totlandia: Summer (5 page)

With both hands, Caleb yanked him by his jacket’s collar back onto his feet again—really, his feet never touched the ground—and through the door.

He landed on the walkway with a thud.

Caleb slammed the thick oak door. Exhausted with emotion, Jillian fell against him. He, too, was breathing heavily. Simultaneously they asked, “Are you okay?” then answered “Yes!”

He tilted her head so that they were eye to eye. The concern in his eyes made her blush.

When he pulled her close, she felt him, hard and thick, against her. The way his lips sought hers—the fervency in which his kisses came—showed her how ready, willing, and able he was to do her bidding, no matter what it was: beat up her ex; talk her into forgiving Ally—

But no. Right now all she wanted was to feel him inside of her.

She pulled him down onto the rug with her. As she fumbled with his belt buckle, he tweaked open the buttons on her blouse. His thumb got caught under her bra as he tried to pull it off. She slapped his hand away and unclasped it herself, then watched his eyes grow with desire as her full breasts sprang free.

She didn’t care about rug burn. In fact, she welcomed the pain as much as she anticipated the pleasure they were about to share.

Caleb had just entered her when they heard Scott yell, “I’m going for it all, Jillian! Be prepared for the fight of your life.”

Oh yeah? Fuck you,
she thought.

No, not you.

Caleb.

As if reading her mind, Caleb arched over her and moved deep inside of her. In no time, they found their rhythm. Her craving grew with each thrust. When she could take it no more—when she hurt with desire—she tightened up even more on him.

He couldn’t hold back any longer.

His shiver hit her like a bolt of lightning.

When, finally, he was spent, he groaned as he collapsed on top of her.

She never felt happier.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him: Scott, looking at them through the window on the side portico.

For her, sex was a private issue, a beautiful act of love and desire between the two people involved. The thought of sexting abhorred her. She could never understand why some women thought nothing of sending nude photos of themselves to the men in their lives, without a second thought. Thank goodness, she’d never said yes to Scott when he’d begged her to pose nude for him, iPhone in hand, let alone agreed to elevator sex in some hotel or, God forbid, the building where his office was located. “Why?” she’d chided him whenever he’d asked. “So that some security guard can get his jollies?”

But now that the voyeur to her own bliss was the man she’d once called the love of her life, deep down in the recesses of her mind an ember of guilt, sparked by the memory of the life they once shared, flared white hot—but only for one brief, shining moment. Then the ice-cold reality of his deceit, coupled with the gale-force wind of bliss she felt in being held by Caleb, extinguished any shame she felt.

And any doubt she had for the choices she’d made since he’d walked out on her.

She smiled at him.

He stared back at her for what seemed like an eternity. Was he hurt, dismayed, angered? She didn’t know, and she didn’t give a damn.

The realization that she didn’t care felt
wonderful.

Finally his silhouette faded from sight.

As he walked away, his footsteps softened, but the memory of his ominous threat stayed with her.

It was something she’d never forget.

But she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him make good on it, either.

Suddenly, she wished she had Ally to talk to.

She nudged Caleb to one side.

He groaned. “Don’t move. Let’s just stay here, forever.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I’ve got to call Ally.”

With that, she grabbed her clothes and practically flew to the kitchen.

She couldn’t wait to tell her friend how wrong she’d been, and how badly she missed her.

1:15 p.m.

“That’s, what, your fifteenth call to Ally since yesterday?” Matt Connaught looked up from his computer in the hope of catching Lorna’s eye. “Honey, face it. She’s gone off the grid. And in truth, with Jade blabbing to Bettina, and Jillian turning her back on her, I can’t say I blame her.”

Lorna tossed her phone on the couch then flopped down beside it. “So why is she mad at me, too? I ran after her. Granted, I was shocked to learn that she and Brady are…are…well, I don’t quite know
what
they are—”

“Obviously, they’re serious enough about each other that Jade picked up on it.” He got up from his chair and stretched. He was so tall that his hands almost hit the ceiling. “In hindsight, yeah, I can see it.”

She loved that about him, because she was tall, too. Even standing beside him, she could wear heels and not feel strange about it.

She wondered,
Can people see the love between us, too?

Her innate shyness kept her from initiating public displays of affection. On the other hand, random acts of love came so naturally from Matthew. He thought nothing of reaching for her hand, or placing his arm around her waist, or, for that matter, kissing her, openly, in the middle of the street.

She always blushed at his forwardness. At the same time, his touch never ceased to thrill her.

She snuggled next to him. Taking his hand, she entwined his fingers through hers. “‘In hindsight’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the signs were all there, if anyone cared to look for them. Look at it this way. They’re both smart, buttoned-down entrepreneurial whizzes. But there’s a physical attraction, too. Haven’t you noticed that when she comes into the room, his eyes are always following her? Not to mention, she lights up whenever he’s around.”

“You’re right. We only see what we want.” She shrugged. “Bettina was such a bitch, calling Ally out that way in front of the whole club.”

“What else is new? Bettina is always looking for her next victim. It keeps the rest of you in line. I’m just surprised she didn’t have Ally burned at the stake.” He looked down at the phone. “Do you think Jillian will ever come to her senses?”

“I don’t know. She took it pretty hard. She’s been through hell with Scott, so I can’t say that I blame her. And Jade played up the ‘other woman’ angle pretty strongly.”

“Jade’s a fool for throwing Ally to the wolves—by that I mean Bettina and her cat pack.” Matt shook his head. “If she thinks any of those women are her friends, she’s got another thing coming. The only difference between them and polar bears is that they don’t actually eat their own.”

Lorna sighed. “Look, I know Ally hasn’t betrayed her. Still, Jade would have never done it if she felt she could trust Ally.”

“How long do you think she’s known about their…whatever it is they’re having?”

Lorna shook her head. “Hard to say. But it must have been for quite some time because she indicated she and Ally have discussed it before.”

“If that’s the case, she must have had it out with Brady, too. If he’s admitted his feelings for Ally, there really isn’t anything else she can do.” He smiled. “Frankly, I think Ally should be rejoicing. She’s free and clear of that so-called club once and for all. Other than a few supposed social connections, it’s not as if it serves any true purpose for its members.”

“For some, that’s all they care about.”

“What about you, Lorna?”

“What do you mean, what about me?”

“You’re a Connaught. You never needed the club for connections. And it’s not as if you need Bettina’s
Good Housekeeping
Seal of Approval.”

Noting her frown, he added, “You made it into the club, and held your own there. That being said, you could resign now. No harm, no foul. Like a prizefighter at the top of his game.”

“I’m not there for me. I’m there for Dante.”

“Our son bears my name, too. Remember?” He turned to face her. “Tell the truth, Lorna: are you staying in the club for Dante’s sake, or for your own?”

She pushed him away. “What a ridiculous question!”

“Is it, really? You don’t think I’ve noticed that both you and my sister are the two most competitive women on Earth—especially when it pertains to winning my mother’s approval?”

“Okay, yeah, maybe at first I did it to prove to Bettina—and to Eleanor—that I belonged in the club—and in this family. But now that I’ve made it into the club, I see the purpose it serves beyond all of Bettina’s rules and silliness.” She stood up. “I meant it, Matt, when I said I’m in the club for Dante. He may bear our name, but he’ll never have your natural sense of humor, or your ease at making friends. And he’ll never have my drive. What he does have is autism. But that doesn’t mean he’s dumb. Have you noticed how calm he is when it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday? That’s because he knows it’s a club day, and he looks forward to it. He knows the other children, and he responds to them. His new developmental therapist—what’s her name, Marcy? Mindy?”

“Mandy.” He laughed. “I hope you remember it for at least another hour, when her lesson with Dante ends. She’ll want to fill us in on his progress.”

“You mean, she wants to fill
you
in on it. She barely looked at me when you introduced us.”

Matt tweaked Lorna’s nose. “I love it when you’re jealous.”

“Do you, now? Then keep hiring young, buxom developmental therapists to work with our son. Here’s hoping he responds to her with the same enthusiasm.” She smiled. “But Mandy is just one piece of the puzzle for Dante. He also needs as much social interaction as possible with other, normally developed toddlers.”

“All of whom will leave him behind, eventually, as they grow and thrive.” From his tone, she could tell he wasn’t bitter, but resigned to an inevitability that neither of them could deny. “We’ve always talked about having a large family. But with all we’re going through, with Dante…well, I guess no one would blame us for having second thoughts.”

Second thoughts?

She’d dreaded hearing that from Matt since the moment she’d divulged Dante’s autism to him. The knowledge that Dante was no longer her perfect little man wasn’t half as disheartening to her as Matt’s fears for the future. “We’ll take it one day at a time. It’s all we can do,” she insisted. To quell her own despair, she stroked his face lovingly. “But you do have a point about one thing, Matt.”

“You know how I love being right. Now, do you mind telling me what particle of genius I’ve bequeathed on the universe?”

“Gladly. With all its resources, the club could—and should—be doing more for others less fortunate. Not Bettina’s periodic posh gatherings—you know, some fund-raiser for starving supermodels, where they pass the token hat in a tepid attempt at a tax write-off. But nothing that is actually hands-on—and certainly nothing that could provide a learning experience for our children. It’s pathetic.”

Matt shrugged. “Maybe some of the other moms feel the same way. Why not call her on it? You know, bring it up at the next meeting. You may be surprised at the response you get.”

“An attempted coup against the evil queen, in her own domain, no less?” Lorna smiled slyly. “It’s the last thing I’d do. I’d rather catch her off guard, at a time and in a place she’d least expect it.”

“Be sure to give me plenty of lead time. I want to make sure that Dante and I are safely out of town when it takes place.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oh, you’ll be there, alright. So will the one person who can make Bettina go along with my plan—Eleanor.”

Matt’s laugh rang through the house. When he could pull himself together again, he gasped, “You’re right. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

He pulled her close for a kiss.

When finally they came up for air, he noticed she was looking at the clock on the mantel. “What time did you say Mandy will be finishing up with Dante?”

“Two-thirty. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if we have time for a quickie.”

He laughed again. “But they’d be next door, in Dante’s nursery.”

“Who says we have to go upstairs?” To make her point, slowly she walked to the door and locked it. But when she turned back to him, she wasn’t smiling. Blushing, she murmured, “Wait, I forgot. One of us should sneak upstairs—into the bedroom, for a condom.”

Matt shook his head. “Not to worry. I’ve got it covered.” He reached into his desk drawer and rummaged about until he found what he was looking for: a condom packet. It was a lurid green color.

Lorna frowned. “Where did you get that?”

“From Art. One of his clients sent him a promotional case of them, for Valentine’s Day. He was giving them out to all the dads at the PHM&T Easter-egg hunt. I guess he and Bettina don’t do the dirty deed enough to run through a whole gross.”

She shuddered at the thought.

It took a long, sweet kiss to put her back in the mood. Whenever he held her in his arms, every other thought when out of her head.

Even her worries about Dante.

She hoped that losing herself here and now to Matt would make up for the bittersweet realization that there were to be no more children in their future.

At least, not unless Dante’s progress or some twist of fate convinced him otherwise.

She succeeded so well in tuning out both their fears that she never heard the hum of her cell phone, now buried deep in a cushion, let alone saw that the caller ID read
ALLY.

1:44 p.m.

“Zoe! Bad, bad girl! Give Mommy back her phone!” Ally lunged at her toddler daughter, but the child was too fast for her, dodging through the open double doors that connected Ally’s Victorian town house to its twin, which was owned by Zoe’s biological father, Barry Simon, and his husband, Christian Cordell.

Somehow Zoe had hit the speaker button, and Ally could hear the cell ringing the last caller.

Oh my God,
she thought.
Is it Brady, or Lorna?

Both had been trying to reach her numerous times since her exile from the club yesterday. She didn’t want to talk to either, but if one of them happened to pick up before Zoe, the imp, did goodness knows what with the phone, she prayed it was Lorna, not Brady. With Lorna, she could hold back her tears while explaining, firmly and in no uncertain terms, her desire to be left alone.