Marienne was awed. “It would have taken me ten tries to squeeze into a space that small and we still would have wound up with the car crooked and a foot from the curb.”
“I’ve always been good at parking.” Justine grinned.
They walked straight to the nearest café. The tray of oversized muffins seemed to be calling Marienne’s name. She reached for a blueberry one. “Want to split this?”
“Sure.” Justine surveyed the rest of the choices and grabbed a large fruit salad. “Let’s get this, too.”
Marienne nodded and grabbed two forks from the glass jar on the countertop.
They each ordered a coffee; a small, light and sweet regular coffee for Marienne, a large, fat free latte, no sugar for Justine. They paid, and then took a seat at one of the outside tables.
“Tell me more about Just in Time,” Marienne said. “Frank told me you have some investors interested.”
“I have two potential investors, but they have different ideas of how they’d like to see the company expand. I want to be the one to make that decision. It’s my company, and I won’t work with anyone who’s going to forget that.”
Marienne listened intently. Justine was so vibrant and animated. It was easy to see why men found her attractive. Aside from the obvious, which was that she was beautiful, she exuded confidence. What Marienne didn’t see was any softness. Daniel was kind-hearted and thoughtful, yet she saw no hint of sentimentality in Justine. She wondered if perhaps Daniel brought out her gentler qualities when they were alone.
Justine made notes on a small pad as they wandered through the shops. She said she wanted to make sure she’d examined all her options before she made her selections.
Marienne picked up a handmade change purse at one store, and a set of pewter cheese knives with inlaid stone handles at another. She found a shirt she liked, a rich plum colored v-neck with delicate beadwork along the cuffs of the sleeves. She held it up and looked in the mirror, then hung it back on the rack.
“You should get that.” Justine stopped her. “It’s you.”
“Really? It’s not too much?”
“You can totally pull off that look, it’s a great color for you, and you’ve definitely got the boobs to make the v-neck work. Trust me.”
Marienne shrugged, but bought the shirt, feeling flattered by Justine’s statements. Women like Justine didn’t usually compliment her. It felt good that she had.
They stopped for lunch at a restaurant with tables that overlooked the river. Justine ordered a Cobb salad, dressing on the side, no croutons then began rereading her notes.
“What did you order?” Justine asked when she finished perusing her list.
“The Italian panini. I’m in the mood for something cheesy and melty. Besides I like saying the word
panini
.”
“I try to eat as little bread as possible, and I already had that muffin today.” Justine returned the notepad to her purse. “So, how long have you and Frank been together?” She appeared eager to chat.
“Almost four years. We’ll be married two years in January.”
“January? That’s an uncommon month to get married.” Justine took a sip of her unsweetened iced tea.
“I was still in grad school, so that was when I had time off from classes.”
“How did you two meet?”
“Frank was good friends with my college roommate’s boyfriend. They were at Wharton together.” Marienne had the distinct impression that Justine was hoping for more details, but she wasn’t certain how much she wanted to share. “What about you and Daniel?”
“We met our junior year. Everyone was talking about him because he was on the cover of The Village Voice.”
“He was?”
“Yep. When I saw the photo, I decided I had to meet him. He was totally freaked out by all the attention he was getting, and none of the girls who were following him around were getting anywhere with him, so I found out his schedule and arranged to bump into him. Accidentally on purpose.” A wicked grin tugged at her lips. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right?”
Marienne nodded, unsure what to make of Justine’s confession.
Justine lowered her voice. “He was totally worth the effort. He’s fucking fantastic in bed.”
Marienne laughed. All she could hear in her head was Daniel saying, “I got better.” Apparently he was right.
Justine took Marienne’s laughter as encouragement. “Seriously, I slept with a lot of guys, and most of them didn’t know what the hell they were doing. Daniel’s another story. He’s very intuitive, and he’s got some serious skills. I just wish he’d be more aggressive sometimes.” She frowned. “He’s too sensitive. I don’t always want to
make love,
sometimes I just want to fuck, you know?”
The waiter walked up to the table, carrying their food. Justine looked at him with the most innocent smile imaginable. She sat back so he could place her plate in front of her.
Marienne had to make a conscious effort to keep her jaw from dropping. She hadn’t expected Justine to make more than small talk and here she was telling her the intimate details of her marital life. Not that she wasn’t interested, but it was bizarre. And the concept of a guy being ‘too sensitive’ in bed, or anywhere else, was not one Marienne was familiar with, at all. She wondered briefly about the photo, but Justine interrupted her thoughts with another question.
“So what’s Frank like? Conservative? Or a total animal? You never can tell with those Wall Street boys.”
Marienne laughed. “I guess it kind of depends on the day. He’s definitely a take charge guy.” Marienne was pleased that she’d managed to answer the question without really answering it. She didn’t feel like following up Justine’s declaration that Daniel was great in the sack with a confession about how her own sex life was usually less than satisfying. Although Justine was being extremely open, Marienne couldn’t help but think about how she was bragging about having tricked Daniel. She had the distinct feeling that Justine would sell out anyone to get what she wanted.
When they finished eating Justine checked her makeup in a small compact while Marienne signed the credit card slip.
“We’d better hit the shops before they close,” Justine said.
****
By the time they arrived back home, it was getting dark. Purple clouds streaked the sky and the hum of crickets filled the air. Marienne gathered her packages as Justine pulled into her driveway.
“We’ll have to shop together more often.” Justine looked pleased.
“I’d like that.” Marienne smiled.
“You guys up for dinner and pool on Friday?”
“Absolutely.” Marienne waved as Justine drove down the block then went inside. Frank was sprawled on the couch watching baseball. She set her bags down in the hallway and walked into the family room.
“How much did you spend?” Frank asked, not looking away from the TV.
“Not much.” She scowled. “Justine on the other hand….”
Frank’s eyebrows went up. “Why, what the hell did she buy?”
“Two paintings and some fancy desk set. She bargained the prices down on the paintings, but still.”
“How much?” Frank was always interested in money.
“It was almost $800 for the two of them. Would have been over $1000 if she hadn’t talked the guy down.”
“Not surprised. I bet she can talk any guy into doing whatever she wants.” His admiration for Justine was apparent. “At least art usually goes up in value. What was it like spending the day with her?”
“It was nice.” Marienne was glad he asked.
“I’m glad you had fun. And I’m glad you didn’t come home with $800 worth of paintings. Daniel’s got his hands full with that one.”
“You ate?” she asked, taking in the crumpled white bag and paper plate on the coffee table.
“Yeah, I grabbed some pizza.”
“I’m still full from lunch.” She realized he was no longer listening; he’d gone back to watching the game.
She sighed and wandered into the kitchen to put away her new cheese knives. She glanced out the window toward Daniel and Justine’s house and her mind wandered back to the comment about how Justine had arranged to meet him. It bothered her more than she knew it should.
****
Daniel sat in the living room, in the oversized chair, his legs stretched out on the ottoman. He was half-heartedly reading a book while he waited for Justine to arrive home. He sipped a beer and wondered what Justine and Marienne’s day together had been like.
They didn’t have a lot in common, but they had both seemed excited about this day trip. Daniel thought it would be good if they became better friends. He didn’t want any tension among the four of them. He’d already grown fond of the times they were all spending together.
He also hoped that Justine had played nice. He hated the thought of Justine saying anything hurtful to her, even if it was unintentional. Daniel knew all too well that Justine’s words could inflict pain, without her realizing what she’d said.
He heard the garage door open and listened as Justine entered the kitchen, tossed her keys on the countertop, and filled a glass from the water cooler. He thought about going into the kitchen to greet her, but he didn’t want to seem too eager.
“Did you have a nice time?” he asked the second she stepped into the living room.
“I did.” Surprise was evident in her voice. “Marienne is really nice. And she’s a lot cooler than I expected.”
Daniel knew both of those things. “Cooler how?”
“She’s got this very relaxed, easy-going way about her. She could use a bit more self-confidence though.”
Uh-oh.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I had to talk her into buying this blouse that was perfect for her. She seemed to think it wouldn’t look good.”
“And what did you say?”
Something nice, something encouraging…
“I told her it was a great color for her and that it would make her boobs look awesome.”
“Oh my God.” He groaned then laughed. “You really said that?”
“It was true,” Justine said. “It was the perfect color for her, she’s so freaking pale it really brightened up her complexion, and she’s got great boobs.”
Daniel was not about to argue. Plus he was distracted, as he couldn’t help but picture Marienne’s breasts.
“She bought the shirt?” he asked.
“Yes, of course.” Justine smiled, straddling his lap. “I can be very persuasive.” She took the book out of his hands and placed it on the end table next to his beer. She swiveled against him, and leaned in for a kiss.
He ran his hands up her spine. “I’m glad you had a good day.”
“Me too.” Her eyes darkened. “I also told Marienne that you’re a fantastic fuck.”
“What?” He was gobsmacked.
“You think only guys talk about that stuff?”
“You’re unbelievable.” He was unsure whether he should be flattered or embarrassed, and felt a bit of both. He wondered what Marienne’s reaction had been to hearing that statement, but he knew he couldn’t ask Justine, and he felt fairly certain Marienne wouldn’t mention it either.
“I’ll show you unbelievable.” Justine pulled him off the chair and onto the living room rug.
Things progressed quickly. She was clearly in the mood. Daniel had no trouble matching her enthusiasm. His hands worked across her body as he undressed her. She wasted no time undoing his pants.
Her fingers wrapped around him. “God I love your cock.”
He climbed on top of her and kissed her deeply, his tongue mimicking the gyration of her hips. She came first, groaning into his ear, her mouth hot and wet against his neck.
He followed within moments.
“Oh man,” she said, panting. “I should tell you you’re a great fuck more often.”
Chapter Eight
Daniel scanned the theater as he strode toward the stage. Lumber was being carried in through the side door, and the smell of sawdust filled the air. The usual cluster of sewing ladies was sitting in a circle, stitching petticoats and parasols. He felt a twinge of disappointment as he realized Marienne was nowhere in sight, then he saw her, crouched down at the rear of the stage.
She looked tiny, kneeling and hunched over. She was wearing a faded black t-shirt and torn jeans that were already splattered with multiple colors of paint. A bandana held back her hair. He smiled as he heard her muttering a barrage of curse words at the paint can she was struggling to open.
“When I first saw you I thought maybe it was dress like a pirate day, now I see it’s swear like a sailor day as well.”
She made a face. “Go ahead, make fun. You try to open this can.”
Whoever had put the lid on hadn’t wiped the rim and now the can was cemented shut. She handed him the spackle knife and hammer. He tried to chip away the dried paint to break the seal.
“Shit,” he said as the sharp edge of the knife skipped out of the ridge and scraped across the top of the can. “Bugger.” It happened again.
Marienne laughed. “Now who’s cursing like a sailor?”
“I wasn’t making fun of your abilities. It was more a commentary on your attire. What’s with the bandanna?”