Seduction - Chapter 3
Friday
I wasn’t a crazy person, so I wasn’t wearing like an overly tropical dress or anything.
A theme restaurant didn’t mean cosplay. But I still fit into a sundress that I liked to wear on trips to the beach with James.
It was what was underneath that was going to surprise him.
I’d slipped into his favorite bikini, one he’d bought me during our first few weeks of dating.
Because I’d lost my other one. And by lost I mean we went skinny dipping and had sex in the ocean.
And while we were doing that, a bunch of horny little boys stole my bikini.
James had replaced it with this one…which was much nicer.
I was lucky that it still felt more like summer than fall, because even though my dress would have looked cute with boots, my bikini would not have.
I pulled on my high heeled sandals and strapped them up tight.
And then I contorted my arm into an awkward angle so I could zip the back of my dress without assistance.
My reveal was supposed to be a surprise.
So if James zipped me and saw the bikini, the whole thing would be ruined.
I turned to look in the mirror. The dress was flowy over my stomach, so it masked my growing baby bump. Perfect.
James emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam billowing around him. The towel around his waist was just begging to be pulled off.
“You’re licking your lips,” James said.
Really? Oops. “I was not,” I said with a laugh.
“Mhm.” He walked into the closet and grabbed a pair of khakis he usually saved for teaching.
Was he trying to torture me? He knew what him dressing like a professor did to me.
I didn’t even pretend not to gawk at him as he dropped his towel to the floor.
I don’t know if I’d actually been licking my lips earlier, but I definitely was now as he slid his tight ass into his boxers.
I shamelessly watched him finish getting dressed.
He walked out of the closet, rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
Fuck me now.
Instead, he grabbed me around the waist, pulling me close. “You look breathtaking.”
I smiled. Just wait until you see the bikini. “You too.”
He laughed. “I look breathtaking? That sounds so weird when you say it to me.”
I placed my hand against his strong chest. “You’ll be horrified to know that I describe you as gorgeous in my book then.”
“Gorgeous? That is a very unmasculine term.”
“Don’t worry. All the things you do to me in it are very masculine.”
He raised his left eyebrow.
“And as much as I’d love to recreate one of those moments right now…we’re going to be late.” I slapped his butt and then stepped away from him. Two could play the teasing game.
He ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes drank me in. “So tonight’s the first night of our five months of seduction?”
Oh yes. I was going to seduce the crap out of him. “Just you wait and see.” I grabbed his hand and led him out of the bedroom. I could feel the sexual tension in the air when we stepped onto the elevator. James gripped my hand a little tighter.
I smiled up at him.
And he winked at me.
“What was that wink for?”
“You’ll see,” he said.
“What are you planning?”
“You’ll see,” he said again.
He wasn’t supposed to be planning anything. I’d already planned something. I was the one seducing him for a change.
He guided me out of the elevator and out the front doors of our building.
Ian was leaning against the car, talking on his cell phone.
“I gotta go,” he said as we approached. “I love you too.” He quickly hung up, looking a little embarrassed.
“How is Jen?” I asked.
Ian glanced at James and then back at me. Jen was James’s sister. Ian had been dating her since our wedding. But it was long distance and I was really hoping she’d move back to New York soon.
“Good,” he said and cleared his throat.
I could tell he felt awkward about this whole situation. But it didn’t have to be weird. I looked at James and he was scowling. Okay, fine…it was a little weird. But love was love.
Ian quickly opened the door for me.
I thanked him and ducked my head to climb into the back seat.
James joined me on the other side.
“Why are you being weird?” I asked. “They make such a cute couple.”
“That’s fine. But I don’t want to hear about it.”
“It’s not like he was going into intimate details about their sex life.”
James made a funny face.
“Ian wouldn’t do that. And I’m sure he’s very nice to your sister.”
“Can we please stop talking about this? I just don’t like when my friends date my sister. It’s awkward.”
I laughed. “Are you talking about when Matt dated your sister? Because from what I heard they weren’t really dating. It was just sex. Kinky, primal sex.”
He glared at me.
“I’m just kidding you.” I nestled into his side as Ian climbed into the driver’s seat.
As great as our sex life was, James was a little bit of a hypocrite for not wanting to hear about anyone else’s.
But I got it. I’m pretty sure if I had a brother I wouldn’t want to hear about my friend banging him.
I guess that was a plus side to not having any siblings.
I put my hand on my stomach. I wanted my son to have lots of siblings. A whole house full of love and laughter. James and Rob practically grew up with their friends Mason and Matt. It would be fun to have four kids that were as close as them.
Ian pulled the car away from the curb and we started zooming through the city.
James looped his arm around my shoulders. “What are you thinking?”
“About having all the babies,” I whispered. I always whispered when we were in the car. As awkward as James thought hearing about his sister’s sex life was, I didn’t really like anyone to overhear our private conversations. I guess I was the hypocrite.
“All the babies?”
“Yeah, a whole bunch. That can grow up the way you, Rob, Mason, and Matt did. Well, not exactly that way. Your mom is terrible.”
James laughed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t wish my childhood on anyone. Speaking of childhood…” James cleared his throat. “Mason and Matt’s parents are starting up their annual Halloween party again. If you want to go.”
“Um…of course I want to go. Is that even a question? You know how much I love Halloween. That sounds amazing. And their house is perfect for a spooky party. With those gargoyles and everything.”
James laughed. “It really is.”
“You said starting it up again? They used to have one every year?”
“Mhm.”
“What made them stop?”
James looked out the window. “Just…they got busy I guess. Mr. Caldwell is retired now though.”
“It’s cute that you still call him Mr. Caldwell.”
“You do too.”
“Only because that’s what you call him. And the fact that Maxwell Caldwell is kind of a ridiculous name.”
James laughed.
“When was the last Caldwell Halloween party you went to? In college or something?” It was a silly question.
But I kind of wanted to know if he’d taken Isabella.
I hated picturing them together. Even though she was gone, it still turned my stomach.
Thinking about James with anyone else made me feel sick.
But the image of Isabella and him together was a special kind of torture.
“No. They stopped doing it after my senior year of high school.”
“Wow, it’s been a long time then.”
“I’m not that old. What’s with all the digs at my age tonight?”
I laughed. He wasn’t old. He was only 30.
But it was fun to mess with him. “I know. I just meant…it’s been a while since they stopped hosting their annual party then.
It’s weird that they just stopped all of a sudden.
You’d think they’d keep doing it until at least Matt graduated.
Since he’d still be home for Halloween even though you and Mason went off to college. ”
“Yeah, Matt doesn’t really do Halloween.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t really do Halloween?”
“Have you really not noticed that Matt never comes out with us on Halloween weekends?”
“No…I…” Huh. The first year I moved here was after Halloween. The next year I’m pretty sure Matt said he had another party to go to. And the year after that he’d been sick. “Wow, yeah. I’ve never even seen him in a Halloween costume. That’s blasphemy.”
James laughed.
“Is he scared of clowns or something? I’ve heard that lots of people don’t do Halloween because they’re terrified of clowns and so many people dress up as them. It’s a thing.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s scared of clowns.”
“Then why doesn’t he do Halloween?”
James shrugged. “You should ask him.”
“Okay…” I stared at him. He was hiding something. I could tell. “Or you could just tell me.”
“You should really ask him.”
I pressed my lips together. “Okay. I will.” I already had an idea in my head.
Matt was young at heart. I bet he did something really embarrassing one Halloween and swore everyone to secrecy or something.
That was probably it. I’d get the truth out of him.
And even if I couldn’t…he had to come to the party.
His parents were throwing it. I could be very persuasive when I needed to be.
Ian pulled to a stop in front of a…ridiculous looking restaurant. There were parrots painted all over the sides of the exposed bricks. Really big parrots in tons of bright colors. And the Parrot Palace was scrawled above the turquoise front door. The Parrot Palace. I smiled. What a funny name.
“It looks very tropical,” I said.
James laughed. “Just wait until you see the inside. They really went crazy with the theme.”
“I can’t wait.”
Ian opened my door. I grabbed his hand and stepped out.
“Tell Jen I say hi,” I said.
He smiled. “Of course.”
“Thanks for the ride, Ian,” James said. “See you in a few hours.” He gave him a curt nod.
I waited until Ian climbed back into the car to turn to James. “You have to get over it. Ian and you are close. Stop being so terse with him.”
“I’m not being terse.”
“Every time you talk it looks like you’re gonna rip his head off.”
“I would never do that.”
I laughed. “I know that. But he’s probably worried you’re going to fire him or something. Which you can’t do. Because we need him.”
“I’m not going to fire him.”
“Good.” I stared at him.
“Good.”
He hadn’t agreed to be nice. But I’d pester him about that later. Right now I needed to see what the hell was inside this tropical restaurant. I’d painted a picture in my head of very over the top tropical décor.
We walked inside and it was like we were transported to…
well…some tropical place. If anything, it was more extra than I’d even pictured ahead of time.
The walls were all painted with waves. The tables were made of worn-down beach wood.
There were stuffed parrots perched on fake palm trees.
I wasn’t even sure that was accurate. Weren’t parrots in rainforests or something?
But it didn’t really matter. It all somehow worked, even though it was way too many decorations for a restaurant.
I wondered if Matt and Mason’s parents went all out like this for Halloween.
Probably. Mrs. Caldwell always threw a good party.
I swore one of the parrots’ heads moved as we walked to the hostess stand. “Did you see that parrot move?” I asked.
“What?” James looked over at the parrot. “No.”
I swore it was looking at me. Maybe I was already at a Halloween party.
But then I heard music. Ah! My eyes abandoned the creepy parrot.
There was a DJ and a dance floor. I hadn’t been expecting that.
Right now the DJ was just playing some Beach Boys music pretty quietly.
The restaurant had a romantic, intimate feel despite the creepy birds.
But fingers crossed it was going to get crazy in a couple of hours.