Sloppy Seconds Read online

  Sloppy Seconds

  Laney Kay

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Before you go…

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Laney Kay

  1

  “Okay, that’s it, I fold.”

  Bella smiled at the man on her iPad, who grinned at her statement. “Come on, Bella, you sure? One more hand?” He winked at her. “Don’t be a wimp. This hand’s gotta be better than the last one.”

  “That’s what you said last time and look where it got me.” She waved her hand at herself sitting in nothing but her bra and panties. She reached over, snagged her shirt and pulled it back over her head. “Jackson Burton, I can’t believe you talked me into something as ridiculous as this.” Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. “You must be cheating.”

  He laughed at her obvious embarrassment and stretched back onto his pillows. “Come on, Bella, don’t be like that. It’s just a little game of strip poker. And how can I be cheating? You’re dealing the cards.” He shrugged and tried to look as innocent as a large, half-naked, obviously excited man could look.

  She looked at him lying there, his shirt off, his sweat pants tented in the front, thought about that for a second and stuck her tongue out in his smiling face. “Okay, fine, Jack. You’re not cheating. But I’m done for this session, anyway.”

  “Fine, be that way.” He shook his head at her. “I really just wanted one more hand so you could lose the bra.” She rolled her eyes and he laughed. “So, I guess I’ll have to wait until I come to Atlanta before I can see you completely naked.”

  Bella crossed her arms and tried to look serious. “You can always hope. I’m not promising anything.”

  “You’d leave me like this, you cruel woman?” He looked outraged as he waved his hand toward his lap, which made her smile.

  “Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to think I’m a tease.” She winked at him and smiled. “I’m about to go take a bath, so I will help you out a little.” She slowly pulled the sweatshirt off again, and then opened the clasp on the front of her bra. As he watched, enraptured, she slowly pulled the cups apart and shrugged out of the bra, letting it slide down her arms, and shimmied herself gently. His eyes widened as she cupped her breasts and moved closer to the camera. “Actually, I’ll be thinking of you until Friday.” She pinched her nipples until they hardened into points and laughed as he groaned. “And, on second thought, I’m pretty sure you’ll get to see me naked.”

  He sounded desperate. “I don’t think I can wait that long.” As she watched, he pressed his hand against his crotch with a pained look.

  She laughed and blew him a kiss. “Think about it as foreplay, Jack,” and waved as she disconnected the call.

  As she went into the bathroom to run a bath, she was still smiling at his antics. Jack was her high school boyfriend, and he was her first everything. Her first date, her first kiss, and her first time. By their senior year they had broken up but were still friends, and when they graduated they’d gone their separate ways. She went to the University of Georgia and majored in public relations, and he’d gone to University of Texas on a baseball scholarship. By the time they’d graduated college they’d lost touch and she’d heard over the years that he’d become a doctor and had gotten married. In the meantime, she worked in advertising and PR and had married her college boyfriend who started a construction business.

  They hadn’t had any contact until last year, when she sent him a friend request on Facebook and they’d started messaging. She found out that he was divorced, he had spent twenty years as a military doctor, lived in Houston, and was an orthopedic doctor and prosthetist who was world-renowned for his work in designing prosthetic limbs. She told him all about her life in Atlanta, that she was widowed and did fundraising for various charities around the area. They were both interested in seeing each other in person.

  The past year had been full of fun, flirty, light-hearted conversation until a few months ago, when it definitely started to take a more sexual turn. At first, Bella had been uncomfortable with the whole idea. She never considered herself a phone sex kind of person, but Jack had been so fun and relaxed about it that she now enjoyed their casual play. Their 35th high school reunion was coming up, they’d agreed to meet up there and then, if they hit it off, they’d spend the weekend together. Jack said it was like rebooting their relationship and upgrading to a newer version: Jack and Bella 2.0. Bella said as long as that didn’t make her some kind of weird sloppy seconds, she was totally good with that.

  Since her husband, Max, died several years ago, she had dated very sporadically, and she’d never once considered getting involved in a serious relationship. In fact, just the idea scared the crap out of her. She was busy, she had her work, she had a large group of friends and acquaintances, and she was happy. It had taken her years after Max’s death to get herself back to a place where she could enjoy her life, and she never wanted to experience that kind of loss again.

  She was, however, totally open to the idea of being friends with benefits, especially with someone who lived in another city. The only possible negative she saw with that type of arrangement was that it’d been so long since she’d had sex, she was hoping she’d remember how to do it. When she mentioned her concern to her friend Lola, Lola told her it was just like riding a bike--just jump on, grab onto anything that looks like a handlebar, and pedal like crazy. Bella laughed at the thought. At least these past few months had her thinking about sex again, and Jack was so fun, she was sure it would be a blast with him. Like tonight. Strip poker? Not exactly dignified, but it was certainly a good time, and Jack had always been like that.

  As the tub filled, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and shrugged as she took stock. Honestly, she looked pretty decent for being fifty-two. Short light brown hair with blond highlights, average height, average weight, still pretty nice boobs, butt still round and pretty much where it was supposed to be, legs in good shape. Nothing too saggy or flabby, nice smile, nice green eyes, a few lines on her face. She was starting to get a little turkey neck though, and what the hell was that all about? She rolled her eyes at herself, and reminded herself, it is what it is, and she looked pretty good, considering.

  She turned off the water and settled into the tub, smiling as she mentally made a list of everything she had to do before she saw Jack. Some new outfits, for sure. Definitely a facial and a mani/pedi. Lasering had already taken care of hair removal, and she’d just had her teeth cleaned, so check, check, on that front. Absolutely, new lingerie. And condoms. Because you could never have too many of those. That should get her started, and she smiled at the thought.

  She was meeting a group of friends tomorrow to cook out, and they’d be great for advice on the best place for some nice lingerie. Maybe something downright slutty instead of elegant, understated, and tasteful, like she usually bought. Her friends might have some great ideas she hadn’t even thought of, and she was open for anything, at this point. This reunion was going to help Bella make some long overdue changes, and she was ready for it.

  2

  Bella stopped to get some beer on the way to Daisy and Luke’s house. She knew that Daisy would have enough food to feed everyone there, plus probably half of Atlanta, so bringing drinks was probably the best way to go. As she drove up to their bungalow, she saw everyone else’s cars and knew that the group was all there.

  She’d gotten to know Daisy and Luke, Mo and Harrison, Sara and Mark and Lola a co
uple of years ago when she was fundraising for a hurricane recovery charity in Belize. It turned out that Luke’s ex-wife and ex-business partner, who had absconded with $13 million in Katrina relief funds from New Orleans, were living under aliases in Belize, and were coincidentally involved with her fundraising project. Bella had helped them capture the fugitives, and they had all been friends since then.

  Bella grabbed her beer, walked up to the front door, and knocked as she came in. There was no one inside, so she walked through the house out onto the deck. The husbands were congregated around the grill and the women were lounging around in chairs in the screened porch. Bella waved to the guys as she put the drinks in one of the coolers, grabbed a cold beer, and went to sit on a glider next to Lola as everyone called out a greeting.

  She took a long pull of the beer. “Hey ladies, what’s happening?”

  Everyone smiled at her, and Lola leaned forward with a questioning look on her face. “So any new phone sex episodes we need to know about?”

  As her friends laughed, Bella felt her face turn red. “Damn, I should’ve never said anything to y’all.” She took another swig of her beer. “How about a little lead in? You know, ‘Hey Bella, what’s going on? How’s your day? How was your week? Anything exciting happening?’”

  Lola rolled her eyes. “Screw that. You know you’re glad you told us. If it hadn’t been for us, you’d have never given Facetime and Skype sex a try, and look at all the fun you’d have missed.” She laughed at the expression on Bella’s face. “You know you’ve been having a good time, you big baby, so you’re welcome. Come on, Bella, we want details. Main question: Did you finally find out if Jack look as good naked as he used to?”

  As everyone burst into laughter, Daisy took pity on Bella. “Come on y’all, give her a break. It’s hard getting back into the swing of things.” She leaned forward, patted her on the knee, and smiled sweetly. “I remember how weird it was to think about getting into a relationship. Poor Luke had to suffer through a lot of me freaking out. Bella, don’t let anyone rush you, not even us.” Then she grinned and winked. “But seriously, does he look as good naked as he used to?”

  “Fine.” Bella blew out a big breath. “I’m not sure, because I still haven’t seen him completely naked, but yes, from what I can see, he looks even better than he did.” As the women catcalled, Bella started to laugh. “He was kind of lean and lanky when we were together in high school, and he’s filled out really nicely.” She bobbled her eyebrows, and said before Lola could ask, “Yes, it appears he’s filled out nicely EVERYWHERE, Lola.”

  “That’s all we wanted to know.” Lola saluted her with her beer. “So when are y’all going to meet up again?”

  Bella shrugged. “We’re meeting up at the reunion Friday evening.” She finished her beer and leaned forward to put it on the table. “I’ve got a couple of meetings Friday morning and then I’m a free woman, so I’m good to go.”

  “So y’all are going to meet up and then what?” Sara rolled her eyes. “Come on Bella, you need a better plan than that.”

  “We have no idea. We’ll meet up at the reunion and if everything goes well, we’re spending the weekend together.” Bella was starting to feel harassed. “Come on guys, it’s my first official date in a long time, and even longer since I even considered having sex, so cut me a little slack here.”

  Mo felt sorry for her. “She’s right, ladies. Whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be fabulous.”

  “Oh please.” Lola rolled her eyes. “Come on, Bella, dating’s changed. You’ve gotta step up your game, do some prep work. Please tell me you’ve gotten prepared. Some hot lingerie, maybe some toys, some flavored condoms, maybe some of that lube that gets hot when you blow on it?”

  Bella could feel her eyes get bigger. “Holy shit, Lola, I was going to go buy some new underwear today, and I’ve already got some condoms…”

  “Flavored?”

  “No! Just regular, not flavored. I have some regular lube, also unflavored, no temperature change, no toys.” Bella felt like her eyes were starting to bug out of her head. “Like I don’t feel enough pressure on this date, now I have to worry about providing props?”

  Mo and Daisy hurried to reassure her. “Lola, Sara, y’all leave her alone. No Bella, you don’t need props…”

  Lola snickered. “You don’t need them, but they’re sure fun.”

  Bella deliberately turned her back on Lola and looked at the other women. “Seriously? Do I need to approach this like I’m planning an event?”

  Suddenly, a deep voice from behind them said, “Hell, no.”

  The women turned to see all of the guys standing there behind them, beers in hand, and pitying looks on their faces. Harrison repeated, “Hell, no.“ He pointed his beer at Lola. “Lola, don’t freak her out like that.” Lola stuck out her tongue and Harrison stuck his out in response, which made her laugh.

  Harrison patted Bella’s shoulder consolingly. “Don’t listen to them, they’re just messing with you. We couldn’t help but overhear your conversation…”

  “Because y’all are loud as hell,” Luke interrupted.

  “… And we just wanted to tell you that no man cares about all that. Trust me. Things like lingerie are hot, but when it comes down to it, a man’s main goal is to get it off of you as soon as possible. All you need is you, plus naked. We’re simple creatures.” The other guys nodded in agreement.

  “But, to be clear, the lingerie is fun,” Mark added. “We’re not saying that something lacy and some high heels aren’t a nice addition.”

  Bella nodded as Luke added, “Having plenty of condoms are a great idea, too. Nothing worse than finding out you don’t have those when you need them.” The other guys took a long pull on their beers and looked traumatized at the thought.

  “What about the other things like toys and flavored lubes, and whatever the hell else Lola was babbling about?”

  Lola tried to look insulted. “Babbling?” but Bella just ignored her.

  Harrison shook his head. “Well, for obvious reasons, a little lube is always a good thing, but for your first, uh,” Harrison was at a loss for the right word.

  “Session?” Luke offered, helpfully.

  Harrison nodded his thanks. “… session, all that other stuff might scare the shit out of him.”

  Everyone started laughing at the thought and finally Bella joined in. She looked at Harrison, and deadpan, said, “So to be clear, you don’t think I should buy an S&M starter kit, some latex lingerie, and as soon as I see him, start laying it out on the bedside table, crack a whip, slap him in handcuffs and nipple clamps, and tell him to lose the drawers? Too much, too soon?”

  Luke patted her shoulder. “Maybe wait for the second date.”

  Bella smiled at the guys. “Thanks, so much. Y’all have been very helpful.” She frowned at the ladies. “As opposed to the rest of you people.” As Mo looked insulted, Bella clarified, “Except for you, Mo. Okay, and Daisy. Y’all are the only nice ones.”

  Lola put on an innocent face and placed her hand on her chest as though offended. “What? What about me? I’m very nice,” and Bella just snorted and kissed Lola on the cheek.

  “So basically you’re telling me that I need to relax and just have a good time?”

  The guys all nodded, and Mark handed her another beer. “A little alcohol also helps.”

  When Bella asked the ladies for a place she could buy some elegant, but still sexy outfits and lingerie, Lola and Sara had a couple of recommendations. She asked if any of them were interested in joining her for a little shopping in the morning, and Lola said she was free until two, when she had to be in court. Everyone else was busy, except for Daisy, who pointed out that she wasn’t busy but she’d rather go to the gynecologist than go shopping, so Bella and Lola agreed to meet for breakfast and shopping in the morning.

  3

  The next morning, Lola and Bella met for a quick breakfast and headed over to Buckhead. When Bella automatically gravita
ted to a rack of elegant, understated dresses, Lola immediately shut that down.

  She took the dresses out of Bella’s hands and put them back on the rack. “Nope. These dresses are pretty, but they look like every other dress you own. You are always impeccably put together, but you usually dress like a conservative Buckhead matron, which is fine for your work, but that’s not really you at all. Plus, you need something sexy for this weekend.” She grabbed Bella’s arm and dragged her over to a rack across the room. “Look, you’ve got a great body for clothes. You’re in great shape, your legs are long and muscular, you have a nice round ass and a great rack. You need to show yourself off with stuff like this.” She pulled out a black lace tank dress with a plunging v-neck and a swingy short skirt. “Or this.” She grabbed a red halter dress with a short pleated skirt and handed it to Bella.

  Bella looked traumatized. “Lola, you’ve got to be kidding. These are too short and they show way too much skin. I can’t wear them. My ass will be hanging out, and I don’t want to be one of those over fifty-year-old women trying too hard to look like they’re twenty.”

  Lola gave her a pitying look. “Bella, I promise these dresses are completely age appropriate, but they’re still hot. Those skirts will hit you a few inches above your knees, not right under your ass, so you won’t look like you’re trying to be twenty. Just do me a favor and try them on. I promise you, you’ll look great.” The entire time she was talking, Lola was selecting additional dresses for Bella to try on, and Bella was taking them, looking more and more concerned.

  Finally, Lola was done. She grabbed a couple of dresses for herself and steered Bella toward the fitting rooms. The large handicapped fitting room was available, so Lola opened the door and waved Bella inside. “Come on, we’ll share this one.” She pulled the louvered door closed behind them. “You’re not shy about changing in front of other people, are you?”