Page 3 of The Side Deal
You should do more spontaneous things. How do you look? Still in your gala dress?
I catch my reflection in the mirror and smile.
SHANNON:
Same dress, but I did some creative makeup work in the car.
ROBERT:
Show me.
The command sends an unexpected jolt of desire through me. I like it when he takes control. I angle the phone, ensuring the lighting captures my transformed appearance, and snap a selfie. I look like a sluttier version of myself.
Before I second-guess myself, I hit send.
ROBERT:
Holy fuck. You look incredible, babe. Like someone I’d want to take home.
SHANNON:
That’s the point.
ROBERT:
If you see someone you like in there, go for it. You have my permission to have fun. Enjoy yourself.
I read the message twice, recalling our conversation three nights ago. Seeing it in text makes it real.
SHANNON:
You’re serious?
ROBERT:
Yes. Your pleasure is the sexiest thing in the world to me. All of it. Even the parts with someone else. Just tell me everything afterwards.
His response warms me.
SHANNON:
You might regret saying that.
ROBERT:
No way. Go explore. Come home and tell me everything. I’ll be waiting.
The messages remind me of our flirting when we first met. I send him a kissy emoji, then pause as I’m about to drop the phone into my purse.
The streetlamp catches my wedding ring—three carats of flawless diamond surrounded by smaller stones. Without analyzing the decision, I twist it off my finger. The band leaves a pale indent on my skin. I stare at the naked finger, then drop both phone and ring into my purse with a decisive snap of the clasp.
I know I’m not going to find someone to fuck at the casino. That’s just not me. But this impulsive stop has alreadyspiced things up for us, and I haven’t even gotten out of the car.
Now it’s time to see what a little gambling does for me.
Chapter 2
I push open the door to the casino, and a security guard nods politely. He doesn’t know who I am or who I’m married to. He doesn’t care about the Wellington Foundation Gala or which charity boards I sit on. The anonymity is intoxicating.
