Page 7 of Naughty Wishes

Chapter Three

Of course, everything goes wrong on Saturday, and I am stuck at work until six making sure things are fixed up for Monday’s inspection. With no time left to shop, I race home, only to walk into an empty house. I check my phone and find two missed messages from Dan. His plane was delayed, but he’ll be home by seven thirty. He’s already talked to Aiden. We should start without him.

How are we supposed to engage in a ménage with only two people? What am I supposed to wear for the hottest man in town? Somehow I don’t think my hot-pink department store lingerie from five years ago is going to cut it—much less fit. And how does this kind of thing work? Should Aiden and I just strip off our clothes and get down and dirty on the coffee table until Dan shows up?

I can’t even imagine how awkward this is going to be. So I don’t. Instead, I pretend Alexis is coming over for a chat. I change into my sexiest pink bra and panties, yoga pants, and a fitted, V-neck T-shirt. Although I’m not comfortable with my curves anymore, I am always looking for an excuse to show off my breasts.

I feed Rusty, our Labrador retriever who we rescued from the pound five years ago. Then I vacuum the living room, whip up an avocado dip, cut up some veggies, and put Dan’s favorite beer in the fridge.

By the time the doorbell rings, I have almost forgotten about the ménage.

My heart pounds. Sweat beads on my forehead and trickles between my breasts.

I take a deep breath.

Let it out.

Open the door.

“Hi, Kylie.” Aiden Steadman smiles, and I almost melt into a puddle on the floor. He looked hot in his office, wearing his dentist coat with the little tools lined up in the pocket, but standing on my front porch, in a pair of low-rise jeans, his abs rippling beneath his tight black T-shirt, a duffel bag in his hand, all ready to have sex with me and Dan, he takes my breath away.

And my voice.

My mouth opens. Then closes again. Rusty rushes in to save the day by sniffing at Aiden’s crotch, as if he knows that’s why Aiden’s here. I force my lips into a smile and will the ground to swallow me up.

Finally, I manage to squeak. “Come in.”

Aiden gives Rusty a pat and then steps inside, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry about Rusty. He always sniffs strange, new things . . . I mean, people. He sniffs strange people. Well, not strange people. Strangers. He sniffs strangers. Although not usually in the penis.” Oh. My. God. “Crotch. I mean crotch. He doesn’t usually sniff crotches . . .”

Shut up, Kylie. My cheeks heat and I look away.

“No problem,” Aiden says. “I’ve had dogs all my life. I’ve just bought a German shepherd pup. I’m picking him up next week. My wife kept our collie after the divorce.”

I’m not sure if he’s happy because he hated the collie and his wife, or sad because he liked the collie and hated his wife or liked the collie and liked his wife, so I just nod. “I have snacks.”

Aiden makes himself comfortable on the couch while I race to the kitchen and contemplate sticking my head in the oven and turning on the gas.

“Nice place,” he says when I return with the beer and veggies and dip.

“We’ve been here since Peter was born.” I perch on the edge of the loveseat, while a betraying Rusty curls up on the couch beside his new best friend, Aiden. “We redecorated this year. Since I’m the only woman in a house full of guys, I had to give up my dream of pink and chintz and settle for dark leather, wood, and browns and creams.”

“I see a woman’s touch in here.” Aiden plucks a carrot from the veggie plate.

Is that a sign? Is there a reason he took the long, hard carrot and not the cherry tomato?

“Those paintings are beautiful,” he says. “Lots of color.”

My cheeks warm with a small burst of pride, and I glance up at the colorful landscapes on the wall behind me.

“I painted them when I was young and wild and thought I’d be able to make a living as an artist.” I ease back on the chair. “My parents convinced me to go to college instead. I met Dan, got a degree, tried a few different jobs before settling on hospital administration, had kids, and that was the end of the dream.”

“I had a dream too.” Aiden crosses one leg over the other, and I try not to stare at the significant bulge in his jeans. Oh to be a dog.

“I used to be in a jazz band, but just as we were making a name for ourselves, my dad had a heart attack and passed away. I needed to get a real job to help with the bills, so my grandfather arranged for me to work part-time for one of his friends from dental school. I decided to pursue dentistry as a profession, met my wife in dental school, and opened up my own practice. After we divorced, I wanted to start over someplace new, and as luck would have it, my grandfather had just decided to retire.”

“I’m sorry about your father.”

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