Page 49 of Captivating Nights

Chapter 35

CALI SPENT THE NEXT few days trying to get re-acclimated to her normal routine, leaning heavily on her old habits to help her put the last two weeks behind her. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. While she was growing accustomed to being back home, Cali had been ignoring the calls from her best friends, not wanting to hash out everything that had happened while in Virgin Gorda.

As much as she tried to, however, Cali couldn’t stop craving their touch on her body. She’d never responded to anyone as completely and as easily as she did to the two Dominants. Zane and Xavier had awakened parts of her she never knew were dormant. Now it was pure hell trying to leave those memories in the past.

As she sat there in her living room, the sound of loud banging jolted her out of her daydreams. There was only one guess as to who it was. Sighing, Cali debated on whether she should even answer the door. The loud voices accompanied by even more knocking finally had her rising from the couch.

“We know you’re in there, Cali. We’ll knock all day and night. Let us in!”

Turning the lock, she opened the door and stepped aside to let the two women in. Natalie and Emily made their way into her place and were already helping themselves to a bottle of wine before Cali had made it out of the foyer.

She already had a glass on the coffee table in the living room, so she grabbed two more from the kitchen. Natalie brought the bottle of wine into the room, and seconds later, Emily had it uncorked and began to fill the three glasses.

Before sitting down, Cali embraced the two women tightly. She hoped she didn’t look as horrible as she still felt. That hope was squashed as Emily took a long look at her.

“You look like hell, Calista! I thought the time away would rejuvenate you.”

Leave it to Emily to get straight to the point. The brunette didn’t know the definition of subtle and was one of the things Cali respected most about her. Until now.

“I agree. You don’t look so good, Cali. Didn’t you have any fun on your trip?” Natalie’s eyes were filled with concern as she sipped the wine.

Cali knew she wouldn’t get out of telling them about her vacation but could at least delay it for a few seconds longer. Grabbing her own glass of wine, she killed time by slowly sipping her drink. Blue and brown eyes remained fixated on her, the impatience beginning to show.

“It was okay. I’m still trying to get used to the temperature difference, is all.”

“Uh huh. I’ve known you forever, Cal. I can tell there is more to it than that. What happened in paradise? We want all the details.”

Cali thought for a minute about leaving out everything regarding the two men, but Emily was right. She and Cali had been roommates and friends for years. If anyone knew her inside and out, then her best friend would be the one.

Cali had also known Natalie for several years too and even she wasn’t buying any of what she was selling. Taking another sip of wine, this time it was more like a large swallow. In fact, she finished the rest of her glass and quickly poured another one. She’d need the confidence boost the alcohol would hopefully provide.

“It can’t be good if you are having so much to drink, Calista. What happened, sweetie?”

Cali turned toward Natalie and couldn’t hide the tears welling up in her eyes even if she tried. She opened her mouth and was about to speak, but all that came out was a broken sob.

“I…I met two men there and had sex with them.”

“What? With both?”

Her best friend clapped her hands together at Cali’s declaration. She could tell by the excitement in Emily’s voice that she wouldn’t be satisfied until every sordid detail was revealed.

“I met one of them at the bar, but I didn’t know he was a...” Cali leaned toward them and whispered, “Dominant.”

Natalie and Emily gave each other a high five, and Cali knew they would be excited about that prospect. Her blond friend folded her legs underneath her while the pretty brunette was practically levitating at the news.

“So, tell us more,” Natalie urged.

“More? I had sex with them a few times and that was it. What else is there to tell?”

“Calista Grant! You know good and well there was more to it than that. So what did they do? Did they tie you up? Spank you?” Emily had become very animated, which was almost comical.

“Did you take them both at once, Cali?” Natalie seemed just as excited, and Cali groaned at them.

“Sheesh! The two of you should go work for the Boston Globe. If you both calm the fuck down, then I’ll tell you everything.”

The two women got comfortable, obviously expecting some very juicy details. As painful as reliving some of the most pleasurable moments of the trip would be, Cali hoped it might be cathartic as well. She would tell them about the men, what had happened, and why she missed them terribly. Her friends wouldn’t judge her and might possibly have advice on how to move on without them.

“It started on the first night when I was out on my patio. I sensed someone there and looked up to see this man just looking at me. He was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen, and the way he looked at me, it was almost as if he were staring right through me. While it made me nervous, it also excited me. Nothing else happened, though. I eventually got up and went into my room. I thought about him all that night. And the next evening, I decided I didn’t want to spend all my time alone. I went to one of the bars, refuted the advance from one idiot, and was about to give up all hope of finding anyone to interest me.”

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