Chapter 3
Vivian stood at the stove, gently stirring the marinara sauce and silently fuming. Of course he didnât call her on the cellular phone, which he knew she always carried. NO, chicken-shit Ethan had his secretary leave a message on the machine at home saying that he wouldnât be home until tomorrow night. She wasnât sure if he was testing her fidelity or encouraging her to test the waters with Willem, but either way she wasnât too happy that Ethan had put her in this position.
âSmells delicious.â Willem joined her at the stove. âIâd almost forgotten what you can do with a jar of sauce.â He teased.
She jabbed at him with her elbow, which he easily sidestepped. âHey, I used real meat!â
âNow thereâs an improvement from college.â He said laughingly.
To hell with Ethan. He had all but told her last night to have sex with Willem. But for tonight she wasnât going to worry about it anymore. Vivian was going to take this time with her best friend and just enjoy it. And whatever might happen along the way happened.
Vivian scooped a bit of sauce onto her spoon and blew on it a bit to make sure it wasnât too hot. âHere, want a taste?â She offered, holding the spoon out to Willem.
He bent toward it before hesitating. âAre you testing this on me?â
âSure. If you donât die then it must be okay.â Vivian put the spoon against his lips. âDonât be such a baby. Just try it. I havenât poisoned anyone in weeks.â
Eyes twinkling merrily, Willem closed his lips around the spoon. He had a very nice mouth, very kissable. âSecond best thing Iâve tasted today.â
âYou are too smooth. No wonder the women canât resist you.â Vivian laughed, waving him off. âWould you mind making the salad? The vegetables are all in the crisper drawer in the fridge.â
Willem pulled out the vegetables and put them on the counter next to the cutting board. âIs Ethan going to make it home for dinner?â
She pulled a bag of pasta out of the cabinet next to him. âSure. Tomorrow night.â
âSo itâs just the two of us tonight?â He asked with a mysterious half smile on his face.
Viv looked up at him. âYouâre math skills are astounding.â
âYou canât imagine how good I am at biology.â Willem rebutted, waving the cucumber at her.
âYes I can if you wield other things as well as that cucumber.â She said with a wink before returning to the stove top to check the water.
They fell into a familiar routine, having shared many dinners together in college when they lived next door to each other. Strangely enough, there had not been the kind of sexual tension between them then as there was tonight. Or had she really been that unaware. Vivianâs brain was starting to hurt from all this second guessing.
âWine?â He asked, standing directly behind her at the stove.
Damn he smelled good tonight. âUhm, sureâŠthe bottle opener is up there.â Vivian pointed to the cabinet over the stove and she could feel the delicious press of Willemâs body as he reached past her for it.
He dropped a kiss on that little point where the ear meets the jaw the wooden spoon she was stirring the sauce with slipped out of her hand. âThanks.â
Viv gulped. No, she definitely wouldâve remembered if he had done something like that in college. Okay, if Willem wanted to turn up the heat she could handle it. But two could play at that game. She slipped her hand up to her blouse and undid another button, ensuring that there was an ample amount of cleavage displayed before joining him at the table. She lightly ran her hand down his back, lingering briefly at his waistband. âBetter be carefulâŠI may get you drunk and take advantage of you.â
Willem poured a glass of cabernet sauvignon and handed it to her, the back of his hand brushing against her breast. âThat would be awful.â
âJust terrible.â Viv took a sip from her glass, her eyes never leaving his. She slid a bit closer to him and would have said more when the timer started blaring loudly in the kitchen. âPastaâs done.â She explained apologetically, setting her glass down and returning to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.
âHow in the hell had this never happened before?â She wondered to herself as she strained the pasta. There were so many sparks flying between them it was amazing the house hadnât burned down. Maybe it made a difference now that it was out in the open, or that Ethan had essentially given her the green light to go ahead and explore whatever was between her and Willem, but it was like the candy store was open and she could eat whatever she wanted. It was heady and thrilling and she wasnât sure what she wanted to try first. But she knew she wanted to taste a little bit of everything.
While Vivian finished putting dinner together Willem set the table and lit the candles that she always kept strewn about the house. A saxophone wailed softly from the stereo, adding to the atmosphere. âNice. Very subtle.â She commented after putting the food on the table and taking her seat across from him.
âI donât know what you mean.â He said innocently. âWeâre just two friends having a nice, relaxing dinner together.â
She nodded, picking up a bread stick from the basket and playing with it idly. âJust a nice, relaxingââ Vivian put the breadstick up to her mouth and flicked her tongue over the tip. ââfriendly, dinner.â His eyes dilated slightly when her lips closed around the bread stick.
Willem sipped from his glass of wine and watched her closely. âSo, tell me about your fantasies.â
âPardon me?â She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
âThe list that you and Ethan made.â He explained with a playful smile. âI have to admit Iâm intrigued, aside from how we all stand to benefit because of it.â
âWell, itâs really not a big deal.â Vivian said, spooning some salad into a bowl. âWe were talking one night about all the stuff we wanted to try. Sex on an elevator, on the beach, a blow job in his office, Kama Sutra stuff, fun with foodâŠâ
âFun with food?â A fork full of spaghetti hung about an inch from him mouth when he stopped to stare at her.
âIt wasnât me and a carrot, Hunney.â Grinning, Vivian reached out and guided his hand to his mouth. âThe food was an accessory. Whipped cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter,â She giggled as a particularly wicked memory flitted across her consciousness. âAnd we topped it all with a maraschino cherry.â
âSounds sticky.â
âOh yeah. It was sticky. Good sticky.â Vivian speared a cherry tomato and brought it to her mouth, rolling it thoughtfully against her lower lip. âWhat about you? What are your fantasies?â
âI havenât had the opportunity or the willing partner that you have.â Willem pointed out as he poured some dressing onto his salad.
âWell, maybe thereâs something we could do while youâre here.â Vivian slid out of her shoe and slid her toe past the bottom of his pant leg. âItâs only fair since youâre going to help one of my fantasies come true.â
He winked at Vivian, her fairly obvious technique not lost on him. âSo, this is more your fantasy than Ethanâs?â Willem leaned forward and traced his index finger over the back of her hand, sending a fine little bit of frisson up her arm.
âWell, he was rather enthusiastic about it last night.â She defended, her toes venturing a little higher up his pant leg.
âDonât you think most men would rather be in a threesome with two women?â He asked, leaning a bit closer. âDonât get me wrong, Viv, Iâm not complaining. But I have to admit it would be much more exciting watching you eat another woman out than giving Ethan a blow job.â
âWhy is it that men find woman on woman sex hot but women have very little interest in seeing two men together?â
âBecause we have broader and more refined tastes?â
Vivian tossed her head back and laughed. âYeah. Right.â
âYou know, it could be a bit awkward, both of us touching you and trying not to touch each other. But women donât have to worry about that whole âmachoâ thing. Youâre more demonstrative, less hung up on perceptions.â He put his elbow on the table and leaned toward her. âAll Iâm asking is are you willing to fulfill Ethanâs fantasy as well?
âI hadnât reallyââ
âCome on, havenât you had a little curiosity about what it would be like with another woman?â His fingers inched up her arm to gently caress the tender flesh at her elbow. âTo see what a nipple would feel like in your mouth, how a hard clit feels when your tongue wraps around it.â
A small moan escaped Vivian. âProbably more so than you imagining what it would feel like to lick a cock from the base up, swirling your tongue slowly over that thick head before sucking it into your mouth.â
âProbably.â Willem agreed, his voice sounding a bit strained.
âSo?â Vivian prompted, taking another sip of her wine. âYour fantasies?â
âPlaces mostly.â He told her, tearing his breadstick in half. âAround the house, in my garden, maybe something a little public. If we could have managed it at the gallery today, that would have been exciting.â