Fair market value, p.25
Fair Market Value, page 25
“What would you call it then?”
Serena had the grace to look uncomfortable. “I don’t know all the details, but dating usually means going out, wearing clothes and having some form of conversation. My understanding is that James had standing booty calls with them a couple of times a week—-.”
“At the same time?” Lauren nearly shouted. “He had group sex with those women on a rotating schedule?” She covered her mouth with her hand.
Serena rolled her eyes. “No. One at a time. No threesomes. But then again, who knows? I’m hardly an expert on my cousin’s sex lives. And don’t want to be. Gross.”
“You’re not helping.” Lauren muttered. “So what am I going to do with this information? Confront him with it? It’s not really any of my business since it happened before we got together but it still bugs me that he kept it a secret.”
Serena crossed her arms across her chest. “Lauren. He serviced them. That was it. No emotions were involved, just body parts. They meant nothing to him. So they’re no threat to you. Men are dense. James probably didn’t think it was important enough to mention.”
“Or he’s an untrustworthy sneak who has other playmate-shaped secrets, just waiting to bounce into our lives and ruin everything.” Lauren said glumly.
“Nothing is ruined unless you let this get to you. It’s his past. You’re his future, right?”
Lauren smiled weakly at this and quickly wiped away a tear. “I certainly hope I am. But tell the truth. If it was Mark, would you let it go?”
Serena groaned. “Oh man. You have no idea. I realize he seems pretty tame now but that man was king of the man-whores before he came back to Brookhaven. He made James’ Harem look like a bible-study group.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it bothers me. But at some point you have to let it go.”
“So you never confronted him about his past?”
“Lauren. I’m not as sweet as you are so you can bet that his dirty, dirty past comes up every single time I’m pissed at him and want to make him squirm. And if one of the skanks he banged in Dallas showed up for Christmas dinner, his balls would be residing in my Prada bag right now. But Mark knows and loves the fact that I don’t hold anything back. When I’m upset I tell him, we fight like crazy, have incredible make-up sex and then it’s all good again. That’s our dynamic. Even when I’m being unreasonable, petty and selfish he loves me. And when he’s stubborn, overprotective and domineering I love him just as much because that’s the person I fell for even if he bugs the hell out of me most of the time. But that’s our messed-up relationship. Not yours. It works for us.” She adjusted her earmuffs and gave Lauren a radiant smile. “You have to decide how you’re going to deal with this battle of the sexes stuff based on what works for your relationship, not what Mark and I do.”
Lauren returned Serena’s smile with a wobbly one of her own. “I really don’t know much about dealing with conflict. I’ve always been about avoiding it.”
“Being part of a couple and conflict kinda go together. If you’re not fighting, at least occasionally, then you’re not being honest with each and that eats at a relationship until eventually there’s nothing left.”
“So you think I should confront him?” Lauren asked with doubtfully.
“That’s really up to you. I’m not saying another word on the subject.” She twisted an imaginary key next to her mouth and mimed throwing it over her shoulder. “Now, kindly explain to me why your abandoned your team if you weren’t trying to avoid The Harem?”
“I left because I wanted to help Marie with dinner. And because I’m about as athletic as an epileptic ox. Not because of those girls. I had no idea.” She slipped past Serena. “But it explains a lot.” James had been acting odd since Chelsea and Danica had arrived, shooting Jacob murderous looks after every play and being even more non-verbal than usual. Jack had seemed wildly entertained by something she couldn’t comprehend but he was always happiest when James was uncomfortable. She’d assumed there was some kind of brotherly inside joke that her boyfriend would explain later.
As for those two beautiful girls, they cheered like it was the Superbowl every single time one of the players from either team made any kind of progress, with the exception of James. They completely ignored his very impressive touchdown. Chelsea, the curvy red-head, had actually yawned and looked at her watch when he’d sprinted through the makeshift goal with Jeremy nearly hanging off his neck.
Judging by the cold shoulder treatment he’d been receiving it was obvious that James’ arrangement with the two women hadn’t ended amicably. So Lauren probably didn’t have reason to be jealous of them, but why hadn’t he told her he’d had an actual harem? She’d assumed he’d been exaggerating when he claimed relationships weren’t his thing, but what kind of man had women waiting around to be used on demand? That is what a Harem did, right? And worse yet, what kind of person allowed himself to be used like a human dildo by multiple users? She had her own past but she’d been young, stupid and higher than a satellite when she’d been having her rebellious anonymous sex phase. James had been a sober adult, fucking strangers without any kind of emotional connection. That didn’t seem like the man she knew. The man she’d come to love.
It was almost impossible to imagine James having anything resembling casual sex. Sex with him was about as far from casual as she could imagine. She knew some men were all about getting off. James was not that guy. He loved every part of the act. Kissing, foreplay and cuddling were almost as good as the climax to.
She hadn’t had much casual sex but she knew it was about keeping yourself emotionally removed from what your body was doing and James never allowed any distance between them in bed. Never. That intimacy was as necessary to him as breathing. He still didn`t talk about his feelings much but they were there on his gorgeous face in vivid relief when he was making love to her. His awed expression made it clear that he considered her body his own personal miracle in physical form.
Did he look at those women like that? The thought came unbidden but could not be ignored. She was being incredibly stupid about this small deception. Logically, she could see why he’d never brought it up but it still made her feel like he’d purposely kept something from her. She needed to talk to him about this before her own insecurities overwhelmed her and she let them ruin the best thing she’d ever had in her life.
Turning to Serena, she gave the other woman an uncertain look. “Is he still outside?”
“Yup. Waiting for you on the porch, looking a bit pathetic. Everyone else has moved downstairs to the game room so you’ll have some privacy. Though I can’t guarantee there won’t be some eavesdropping.” She grinned at this admission and gave Lauren a friendly pat. “I’m glad you’re being cool about this but be sure to make him suffer a little bit, okay? He can take it. And he did neglect to mention the fact that he regularly serviced three women.”
Lauren grimaced. “Three? There`s another one?”
Serena groaned and hit her forehead with her fluffy mitten. “Shit. I really need to work on my big mouth. I’m definitely making a New Year’s Resolution to keep some thoughts to myself.”
“Don’t worry about it. I appreciate your gigantic mouth.” She emphasized the word gigantic and gave a thin chuckle to let Serena know she was kidding. “I’d still be in the dark about this whole harem situation if you didn’t have a major case of verbal diarrhea.” Serena snorted at this comment. “And as much as I wish I could pretend my boyfriend was an untouched virgin before I met him it’s probably a good thing that I know what kind of relationships, or whatever, he had. Lord knows, he never talks about them.” She said darkly.
“Lauren. Don’t do that.” Serena shook her head in warning. “He probably didn’t know how to bring it up. I mean, how do you tell your girlfriend that you had a harem without sounding like a complete tool? Not exactly casual conversation, even for a guy who knows how to communicate. And James isn’t that guy.” She shrugged. “Besides, we all have some secrets, right?”
Lauren went cold as she thought of her own little baby-shaped deception. Yes, they both had secrets, but would talking about them bring them closer? Or tear them apart?
LAUREN TOOK A DEEP breath, gathering her courage before stepping out onto the front porch to talk to James. She looked around the high-ceilinged foyer and thought how much she would love a house just like this someday. It wasn’t huge or fancy but the traditional design with its curving staircase covered in Christmas garlands and holly berries felt positively Norman Rockwell to her. The design wasn’t modern and stylish like the homes Jack and James had built in Brookhaven Village but warmth and laughter seemed to fill every room like sunshine on a summer day.
There was a gallery wall of photographs filled with smiling Kingston faces mounted along the staircase. She’d scanned these earlier, hoping to find the fabled photographic evidence of James in a wizard hat but the closest she could find was an adorable shot of him and his brothers dressed up for Halloween as superheroes.
The boys in the photo ranged in age from around seven to twelve and she recognized the big tree in the background from the front yard of this very house. She couldn’t be absolutely certain due to the masks but she was fairly confident that the chubby little Batman was James. He looked so serious compared to his brothers, standing slightly apart from them as they mugged shamelessly for the camera. Mini-Spiderman, Jacob no doubt, was hanging upside down from one of the tree branches as the other two tried their hardest to look heroic with their small fists on their hips and their chins raised to the sky. That picture alone made her sigh with longing for the childhood she’d missed.
Regretfully, she stepped away from the photograph and looked around at the somewhat lived-in furniture of the formal living room just off the front foyer. It’s shabby chic ambience attested to the fact that a family had really lived here. This place was everything she’d wished for as a kid. It was hard to believe she was actually spending Christmas here. With James. It felt like a dream – one that could actually be her reality if she didn’t sabotage it by confronting James like a jealous, possessive basket-case. If she was really lucky she might even spend all her holidays here from now on. But only if she kept her mouth shut. Wasn’t that bright vision of their future worth a little denial? Even if it did bug the hell out her that he’d kept the details of his past a secret?
Hell yeah. She could ignore her feelings with the best of them. Living with her dad had been all about sublimating resentment. This would be a piece of cake.
Decision made, Lauren stepped out on onto the porch to warmly greet her man like the mature, secure girlfriend he deserved.
James was sitting on the porch swing, looking casual and athletic in his navy down jacket with a knit cap covering his bright hair. He was clean-shaven for a change so she could see every inch of his handsome face. His summer tan had faded and his freckles were more pronounced than when they’d met, giving him an innocent, almost boyish look. His vivid blue eyes, however, were filled with adult male heat when he turned towards her and noticed the shimmery green dress clinging to her curves. His gaze skimmed over her body in a lazy perusal that was comical in its thoroughness. She would have laughed if he didn’t make her feel so damn hot with just that one, long, intense stare.
Good Lord, he was gorgeous. How could she even think about jeopardizing her relationship with him, especially over something so trivial as a couple ex-harem girls? No, she wouldn’t even ask him about them. It was none of her business who he’d been with before her. She would bury her hurt and disappointment, just like she’d buried her bitterness towards her father for so many years. This was minor by comparison. A little denial wouldn’t hurt their relationship. It was normal to keep some thoughts to themselves. All couples did it. In fact, it would be weird if they did discuss every little thing.
So instead of giving him a passive-aggressive cold shoulder she pasted a huge fake smile on her face and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. “Hi, Champ. Did you get another home run after I went inside?” She nuzzled her nose against his stubble and pressed her palm against his shoulder, loving the solid feel of him under her fingers. At moments like this, she felt like she would never tire of touching him. She was addicted to being the only woman entitled to put her hands on his incredible body. Giving up this pleasure up would be much worse than rehab, she just knew it.
He chuckled at her endearment and pulled her down beside him on the swing, wrapping one big arm around her waist to keep her warm. “Home runs are in baseball, Baby, but I know what you meant. And no, I didn’t score again. Mark can still outplay us, even with a bum knee. But how about you? You left pretty suddenly. Though I’m glad you did, if it means I get to see you in this sexy dress sooner.” He smoothed his palm down her satin-covered thigh and pressed a soft kiss against her neck.
“You like?” She asked huskily as his fingers dipped under the hem of her dress and toyed with the soft skin on the inside of her knee.
“You know I do. But you didn’t have to change your outfit. We’re a pretty casual bunch here. And you know you look just as hot to me in muddy sweatpants and granny panties.”
She gave him a suspicious look. “How do you know I was wearing granny panties?”
He grinned. “I was staring at your butt most of the afternoon. I’d recognize those thick panty lines anywhere.”
She gave him a playful slap on the thigh. “Why didn’t you say anything? Your family is going to think I wear adult diapers,” she muttered. Damn it. Her grey sweatpants were obviously more transparent than she’d anticipated. How embarrassing. Especially considering those ex-harem girls probably only wore delicate lace thongs that never ventured deep into crack territory. In other words, not only were they prettier than her, now her underwear was clearly inferior as well. Fantastic. She bet they never ran out of clean laundry either.
“If my idiot brothers were staring at your butt that intently then we are definitely going to have bigger issues than your wardrobe malfunction.” He shot a warning look towards the house, just in case one of the idiots in question was eavesdropping. “I thought maybe that’s why you left – to do a wedgie adjustment.”
Lauren rolled her eyes at him. “You sound like the eight-year-olds at the daycare. All they talk about is farting and wedgies and butts.” She tried to sound exasperated but the truth was that she found the kids at the daycare hilarious. It was hard to believe that she spent most of her days laughing her butt off instead of mindlessly data entering billing information as she’d done at her previous job.
She was so grateful that James’ mother, Marie, and Lacey’s mother, Diana Ferguson, had decided to open “Camelot Childcare” in the small building beneath her balcony. Once her training was complete, she would take over the day-to-day operation of the daycare, allowing the older ladies to work part-time so they could enjoy their semi-retirement while remaining part of the new family business.
James gave a snort. “I bet my mom loves that.”
“Oddly, she seems pretty used to it. Probably because you and your brothers regress to eight-year-olds when you get together. I think Jacob was actually burping the alphabet earlier. And you were all laughing like hyenas when Jeremy got hit in the groin with that tree branch.”
James laughed fondly at this memory. “His face turned bright red. You must admit, that was funny. Not as funny as your wedgie, but pretty damn amusing.”
“I did not have a wedgie.”
“Are you sure? Maybe that’s why Serena disappeared after you. To help you out with that whole situation.” His tone was teasing but his expression had turned watchful. He was obviously trying to figure out if Serena had mentioned The Harem.
It was so tempting to tell him she knew his shameful little secret, but somehow she managed to bite her tongue and give him a flirty smile instead. Tossing her hair back, she looked up at him through her eyelashes in the most seductive manner she could muster. “If I needed help with my underwear, you’d be the first person I’d call. Seems to me you enjoy removing my panties, don’t you?”
His hand on her thigh went completely still. “It’s my favourite pastime. You know that. And as much as I’d like to help you out with any rogue panties that need wrestling I think we need to talk about a few things first.”
She blinked at him in surprise. “We do?”
He huffed out a sigh. “Don’t sound so shocked. I am capable of communication, you know.”
“You are. For sure.” She patted his hand reassuringly. “But we don’t really need to talk about it. I’m ok with it. Really.” She sounded so reasonable and understanding, even though a little part of her wanted to give his nose a good twist.
James narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. “What are we talking about exactly?”
“Your Harem girls, of course. I`m fine with it.” She said with a careless little shrug.
“You are?” He gave her an annoyed look.
“Of course. It’s none of my business. You told me that you didn’t have any actual relationships before me. So I shouldn’t really be surprised that you, um, dated more than one girl at a time.” She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent stare, proud of her deceptively blasé tone but also a little shocked at her too-cool-for-school attitude. She didn’t feel cool in the slightest.
James clearly wasn`t quite as impressed. He removed his hand from her leg and turned to face her with deliberate, almost mechanical movements. His arm slid away from her waist and she immediately felt chilled to the bone in her thin dress.
Staring up at him she was shocked at the thunderous expression on his face.
“Let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “You’re telling me that you’re ok with the fact that I fucked both those girls that were just here?”
She flinched like she’d been slapped. “Well, when you put it that way, I can’t say I’m thrilled to meet your exes like this, but I don’t really think it’s my place to make a scene about it.”
