Chapter Nineteen

Lack of pubic hair, Nicole realized, does heighten sensations; the bad thing was you wound up peeing all over yourself. No one tells you this. Pubic hair must direct all liquid downward, because without it she had pee running down the inside of both her thighs, as well as down her ass. Now that’s sexy.

Nicole sat at her desk, and debated whether or not to remove her panties to make the day a little more exciting when Sienna’s head popped into her office.

“We got the proofs back from the shoot. Come and see,” she said.

Nicole followed Sienna into the production room with her stomach churning because she knew the shots weren’t going to be what she wanted.

“Well, how’d they turn out?” Nicole asked Brent and Ian, who were stooped over the contact sheets.

Ian handed her a magnifier and stepped back while she took a look for herself. The shots were good and yes, the couple was beautiful, but as Nicole expected, she saw no passion between them.

“The ones taken for Family turned out incredible,” Brent said.

Sienna handed a stack of photos to Nicole. “Look at these blow-ups.”

Nicole had to agree they were amazing. She held one up and asked the three key questions she always did. “Does this capture your attention?”

They all nodded yes.

“Does it immediately identify Wil’s line?”

Again, all of them nodded yes.

“Does it motivate you to buy?”

Ian and Brent both nodded, while Sienna added, “And procreate.”

Nicole held up a shot from Love showing lots of flesh.

“Does this capture your attention?” she asked.

No one said anything at first. Then Ian said, “No, but these do,” and he handed Nicole another stack of photos.

“What are these?” she asked.

“Some shots I took at the party.”

“Keep an open mind, Nicole,” Sienna said.

Nicole looked through shot after shot of her and Wil dancing at the party. One showed them at the start of a salsa song, their eyes locked on each other, in a close embrace. Another showed her leg up, with Wil sliding his hand up her bare thigh.

“I particularly like this one,” Ian said, pointing to a shot of Nicole with her back arched and her head thrown back in laughter.

Nicole was speechless as she flipped through them. There were numerous ones of Wil kissing her neck, or whispering in her ear while they were slow dancing, but the ones that really got Nicole were those where she was looking at Wil with so much love and adoration in her eyes, it was impossible to ignore.

So much for her stellar work ethic. Now she knew what celebrities must feel like when their dirty laundry was aired by the paparazzi.

Nicole swallowed once, then twice to get some saliva back into her mouth.

“This is why I never drink tequila,” she said, dropping the pictures down on the table.

Sienna picked them up. “You want to talk passion, steam? This is it.”

“You’re wearing the clothes and the clothes look great,” Brent said.

Nicole threw him a horrified look. “You’re not implying what I think you’re implying?”

“Look, Nicole,” Ian said, putting his arm around her shoulders, “if I weren’t such a fucking unbelievable photographer we wouldn’t have a problem, but as it stands, there is more heat in a shot of you with Wil than in ten rolls of the other. You’re wearing the right clothes, the logo is visible…”

“You can’t be serious,” she told them. “I am Wil’s account rep, not a model. You can’t show my face, and you certainly can’t show his face. That wasn’t the idea. Sienna, tell him.”

Sienna was studying one of the photos where Wil had just kissed Nicole lightly on the lips and left a small smile on her face. “There is nothing more beautiful than a woman in love,” she murmured.

Sienna’s head snapped up, and she and Nicole said at the same time, “That’s it!”

“That’s the tagline,” Brent said.

“Fantastic!” Ian crowed.

“What’s fantastic?” Wil asked, strolling in. He came up to Nicole and gave her a slight professional nod.

“You’re here!” she said, half in shock, because nothing concrete had been decided about the photos, and she had no idea what to tell him, much less show him.

“We figured out your tagline,” Sienna said, her voice full of excitement. “‘There is nothing more beautiful than a woman in love.’”

Wil rolled it around in his head for a full minute. “I like it. What about the photos?”

Nicole looked at her creative team who stared back at her without saying a word. “The contact sheets are here, but we seem to be having a difference of opinion.”

****

Wil had been hoping to find Nicole alone in her office, instead of surrounded by her colleagues. Cranky and tired from his trip, his muscles ached and he wanted nothing more than to feel Nicole’s warm body against his. He needed to relieve some major stress in his body and was pretty sure Nicole could help with that. He’d thought of nothing else during the entire flight back. But there was a time and place for everything, and right now it was time for business.

“Let me see them and I’ll decide.” Wil spied the contact sheets from the photo shoot. “Are these them?” he asked, reaching for the pile.

They waited in silence while he studied each shot from Family, and each shot from Love. Twice. He looked at Nicole. “I’d like to know what you think.”

“Well, umm…” she stammered.

It wasn’t like Nicole not to have a definitive opinion about all things work-related.

Sienna picked up another stack of photos. As she took a step toward Wil, she stumbled, causing the photos to fly out of her hands and land at his feet.

“I’m such a klutz,” she said.

“I’ll get them,” Wil told her, starting to bend down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nicole mouth the words “I’m gonna kill you” in Sienna’s direction.

He knew something was going on, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Nicole had looked uncomfortable from the second he’d walked in. She didn’t seem particularly happy to see him, which annoyed him, and he guessed it had something to do with the contact sheets.

Wil began gathering the photos that had fallen at his feet and froze when he saw himself in them. He remained in a crouched position until he had gone through every single one of them. Twice. Then he slowly stood up.

“Who shot these?” he asked.

Ian raised his hand and said, “That would be me.”

“Nice work,” Wil told him, and Ian smiled, giving Nicole a look that said, I told you so.

“We all think, well, with the exception of Nicole, that these shots from the party are more effective for the Love part of the campaign than the ones taken at the photo shoot,” Sienna said.

“Were you ever planning on showing me these, Nicole?”

“Why don’t we give you both some privacy to discuss this?” Sienna backed out of the room, and Ian and Brent followed.

“I know what you’re going to say, Wil,” Nicole said, pointing at him, “and the answer is no. We are not using any of those shots.”

He held her gaze without blinking while she rambled on some more. “It’s completely unprofessional, and it’s not what we agreed upon.”

“The final decision is ultimately up to me.”

Her eyebrows flew up as her mouth dropped open. “You’re going to pull rank on me?”

“You want me to approve that other crap?”

Nicole was silent, and he knew he had her.

“Wil…” she began.

He began to pace. Wil made decisions quickly when it came to his business. He knew what worked and what didn’t; no one argued with his decisions. Until now.

“Not only are you supposed to be an expert as to what works in an advertising campaign, Nicole, but you’re also something of a photographer.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is your eye is astute enough to know these shots of us work better for the campaign than the other ones, so why are you fighting me on this?” It was the first time he had ever raised his voice to her, and she looked at him like he had just slapped her.

“What about our faces?” she asked quietly.

He considered this. “I’m okay with my face being shown. Everyone knows the brand, but no one knows the man.”

“And me? What’s my father going to think?”

If Wil weren’t so exhausted he’d smile at that one. He let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. “We can either use the ones where you’re partially visible, or modern technology can make your features indistinguishable somehow.”

Nicole came over to him and put her arms around his neck. “You know, I never got a proper hello.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “You’ll have to do better than that, Mr. Blanco.”

Without waiting, she drew his mouth to hers and kissed him deeply and sensually.

“I have a surprise for you,” she said into his ear.

“Does it involve a bed?”

Her look was one of pure mischief. “Only if you want it to.”

“Give me a hint.”

She gave him a playful smile. “Let’s just say I hope you have an appetite.”

****

Nicole lay back on the pillow with a newfound respect for the tongue. The penis had some serious competition. All her life all she kept hearing was how difficult it was for many women to have an orgasm through intercourse alone; they needed oral stimulation in order to climax. She had always prided herself on being the rare oddity that could have one every time during intercourse.

Yet to hear women rave about cunnilingus, she knew she was missing out on one of the great pleasures of life. And that sucked, in her opinion. The men who tried it on her sucked. Literally. Either too hard or too soft, too fast or too slow. She’d silently endured their pathetic attempts at pleasing her, and then once they realized they weren’t getting anywhere, they’d have sex, they’d come. End of story; both were happy.

Nicole’s ex-husband rarely attempted to go down on her. Too messy. He was one of those neat freaks who had to take a shower before and after sex, and would never even think of lying in the wet spot.

Wil, on the other hand, relished getting down and dirty, because once Nicole guided him toward her “surprise,” he dove in with gusto. Maybe it was the combination of his skill and the fact that she trusted him, coupled with the novel sensation of being hairless—whatever it was, as soon as she shut her mind off and relaxed, she knew Nirvana wasn’t far. Nicole had never had an out-of-body experience during sex, but she had a feeling this was the closest she was going to come to one.

When her spasms subsided, Wil sat up and licked his lips like a guilty tomcat.

“Damn, you’re good,” she told him, trying to catch her breath.

“I’ve had lots of practice.”

Nicole sat up on one elbow. “Just for the record Wil, you don’t always have to say what you’re thinking.”

“I didn’t mean with a lot of girls.” He laughed, crawling up beside her. “I meant with Sonia. It’s all she ever wanted.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Once I found out why, I didn’t take it personally that she never wanted to have sex with me.”

“Well, her loss is my gain,” she said, kissing her way down his chest and stomach. She remembered how tired he had been before, and yet he had still performed like a Navy SEAL. Nicole was one lucky woman, and she was prepared to show her appreciation.

She took him soft into her mouth and he grew as she caressed him with her lips, her tongue, her throat. Wil stretched his lean body into her and moaned softly, trailing his fingers through her hair.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Nicole wanted to answer him; she wanted so much to be able to say it back, but she couldn’t. Whatever part of her that was holding back decided it wasn’t letting go anytime soon. So, if she couldn’t express her love in words, she’d have to show it sexually and hope it was enough.

****

I love you. Three words that caused Nicole to wake in the middle of the night and made it impossible for her to get back to sleep. Three small words that packed such a wallop. She remembered the way Wil had whispered them to her. Why couldn’t she say the words? He had to be disappointed. No one likes laying their heart on the line only to receive a bag full of nothing in return. She could have responded with a cheesy response like, “I know” or “Me too,” but Wil deserved so much more.

The first time Stephen had told Nicole he loved her he couldn’t get the words out either. They had been dating for eight months.

“I have something important to tell you,” he had said, in the middle of their Scrabble game on a random Saturday night.

She shuffled her letters around, trying desperately to think of a word that had a V and a Z in it. “Can you at least wait until it’s your turn? I’m working on a big one here.”

Nicole glanced up at Stephen when he didn’t respond. He had an odd expression on his face: a mixture of irritation, tenderness, and absolute terror.

“What’s up, honey?” she said, grabbing her glass of chardonnay.

“I’ve never told anyone this before.”

Nicole immediately got that feeling of trepidation in the pit of her stomach, like he was about to reveal something awful. Please don’t let him tell me that he was seduced by one of his mother’s friends at fourteen, or worse, one of his father’s friends. She took a big gulp of her wine and waited.

He took a deep breath and pointed to himself. Then he placed both hands on his heart, and finally ended by pointing at her.

At first, Nicole didn’t understand what the hell he was doing. When she realized he was trying to tell her he loved her, she burst out laughing.

“Are you trying to say, ‘I love you,’ in a unique Stephen kind of way?”

When Nicole saw the look on Stephen’s face turn sour, she realized he was being completely serious.

“Are you unable to say the words? Is that the problem?” she asked.

“The only problem is with you, Nicole. You ruined the moment.” He stood, and in his haste, proceeded to knock the entire Scrabble board into disarray. “You win.”

“Yay for me,” she said aloud to an empty living room.

Nicole looked over at Wil’s sleeping face. She reached out and gently stroked his temple. Wil stirred slightly, reaching for her. Nicole didn’t want to wake him, so she shifted her body around so her back was facing him and his arm was wrapped around her waist.

She loved the feeling of being against him, nestled in his arms. Wil made her feel safe, content, and desired. No matter how independent she considered herself to be, she still craved the feeling of a man’s arms around her; she still needed to be held. It wasn’t just about the sex. It was about the intimacy. That’s what Nicole truly missed from a man. The intimacy. She’d be kidding herself if she thought she could have it with any man. Nope, the man she wanted it from was spooning her at that very moment.

So, why was she holding back? She didn’t think it had anything to do with Josh, although it would be a bit of a transition for him after all these years of Nicole being single. Wil wasn’t intrusive or smothering, and she knew he respected the importance of her relationship with her son. That wasn’t it. Maybe she and Stephen were more alike than she ever wanted to admit. She shuddered at the thought. No, Nicole wasn’t emotionally inept like Stephen; she’d simply been hurt. Then why couldn’t she just let the hurt go?

****

Wil woke up starving. And hungry for food. But when he reached over for Nicole, she wasn’t there. He waited a few minutes, hoping she’d reappear and he could start his day the way he had previously intended. Damn, this woman made him insane. There was never a time when he didn’t want to make love to her. He knew Nicole felt the same way about him—sexually, anyway. As for anything deeper, he wasn’t so sure.

When she was in his arms, she was there with him, fully present and in the moment. Doubt fell away, and he was convinced she cared for him. The problem was when the everyday world returned, the ticking time bomb started again. The bomb of course being the day her son would come home. Kapow! Their world would end as they knew it. That was the impression she always gave him. Who lived their life by an expiration date? He wasn’t a gallon of milk that could be poured down the sink once his date expired.

Wil stood, stretching. Nicole would have to be nuts to give up what they had. People waited their whole lives to feel what they felt about each other, right? He grabbed one of Nicole’s towels from her bathroom and wrapped it around his waist. Patience was the virtue he was always being tested on. In business, in love…well, it was the first time he had ever been in love, but he knew enough not to pressure Nicole into saying words she wasn’t ready to say.

He went downstairs and found Nicole leaning against the counter in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee. Wil watched her in profile for a moment, marveling over how undeniably beautiful she was. I’d never get tired of waking up to that face.

She turned her head, startled.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

Nicole smiled. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to think that maybe food isn’t my first priority of the day.” He went to her and took the coffee mug from her.

“Oh? And what is your priority?”

Wil leaned into her and nuzzled her neck. “Do you really have to ask?”

“You look good in my towel, but I think you’d look better without it.” Off went the towel.

She kissed his cheek and when she moved toward his mouth, he turned away a fraction of an inch. “Morning breath,” he murmured self-consciously.

Her hands wandered down his torso. “Who said anything about kissing?”

****

Nicole stared at the heap of clothing surrounding her. She was trying to get dressed in a hurry, because she knew Wil was famished. He wanted to take her to this hole-in-the-wall place that supposedly made the best sopes.

Every outfit she had tried on didn’t look or feel right. She stared at herself in the mirror in the camel-colored wrap dress she was wearing. She looked…like a mother. As stupid as that sounded she still didn’t want to look like one. Yeesh, when did she start caring? She knew when, and the why was coming up the stairs. Nicole yanked the dress up over her head and threw it on her bed.

“As much as I like what I see, I was kinda hoping you’d be fully clothed for once and ready to go,” Wil said.

“I know. I just can’t decide on anything to wear.”

Wil sighed. “May I?” he asked, gesturing toward her closet.

“Be my guest.”

To Nicole’s closet he went, flipping through her wardrobe like a maniac until he found a short, flowered sundress.

“Put this on.” He handed her the dress, and then bent down to choose her shoes.

He came up with a pair of strappy nude sandals. “My hero,” Nicole sighed dramatically. She put on the dress and slipped on the sandals. “Great. Now I look like I’m twelve.”

Wil strode toward her, lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. Nicole shrieked as he carried her down the stairs and to his car. He plopped her down and opened the car door.

“In!”

“Gee, I love it when you get Neanderthal on me,” she said.

He grunted and shut the door once she was inside.

“Tell me what we’re eating again.”

“Sopes,” Wil said. “King Taco has the best ones around here. Think of a pancake. It’s like a thick pancake made out of cornmeal, topped with any kind of meat you want—Carne asada, cabeza, carnitas, lengua—”

“Hang on, you lost me. What is cabeza and lengua?”

“Cabeza is…” Wil paused, thinking. “It’s not brains; it’s more like the muscles of the cow’s head.”

Nicole stared at him, her stomach beginning to turn. “And lengua?” she asked, although she was sure she didn’t want to know.

“Tongue.”

“The only tongue I want in my mouth, Wil, is yours, okay? What about chicken? Do they have chicken?”

Wil chuckled. “Of course they do, silly. So you have meat and refried beans, topped with shredded cabbage, cotija cheese and salsa. Damn, I’m starving.” He pulled into a parking space as soon as a van pulled out of it.

Nicole groaned. “No salsa, please.”

Wil came around and helped her out of the car. “Don’t worry, they have salsa for amateurs.”

King Taco was filled with wall-to-wall people. There was so much noise and activity, Nicole wondered if this was what it felt like to be on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

“Come on, babe.” Wil took her hand and led her into the line. She was studying the menu on the wall when a woman walked over to Wil and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Wil? Is that you?”

Wil turned around. “Hey, Janette, how’s it going?” Nicole noticed he didn’t sound too thrilled to see her. She was younger than Nicole, which wasn’t a surprise, and had on so much makeup, it looked like she was wearing a painted tribal mask.

“It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.” Janette honed in for a kiss, but Wil turned his head so that she barely grazed his cheek. Still, she left a smear of hot pink lipstick behind. “Where you been hiding?”

He shrugged one shoulder and held Nicole’s hand tighter. “I’ve been around. How about yourself?”

“Haven’t been doing too much since we were hanging out together.” She noticed Nicole and Wil holding hands. “Is this who you dumped me for?” Before Wil had a chance to answer, Janette’s hand shot out. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Janette.”

Nicole reluctantly shook it and introduced herself.

Janette looked her up and down, sizing her up. “So, where did you two meet?”

“Are you really going to do this right now, Janette?” Wil said.

“It’s okay, Wil,” Nicole said. “It’s a funny story, Janette. I’m actually in charge of Wil’s advertising account. Technically, Wil’s my boss, but just between you and me, I call the shots, if you know what I mean.”

“Uh no, actually I don’t.”

“Neither do I. Why don’t you tell us?” Wil said, crossing his arms.

Nicole put her arm around Janette, steering her away from Wil. “Girl talk,” she told him over her shoulder. “When Wil and I met, Wil was curious to…how shall I put this? Expand his horizons.”

“What does that mean?”

“Since he’s always assuming the dominant position in his work, he wanted to see what the other side was like.”

“You mean, the older side?”

“I mean, the submissive side,” Nicole snapped.

Janette’s eyes widened. “Like S and M stuff?”

“Bingo.”

She snuck a glance over at Wil. “But he seemed so normal.”

“I’m sure that’s what he thought about you; that you were such a sweet girl—too sweet, in fact. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.”

“Got that right.”

“By the way,” Nicole said, giving Janette a saccharine smile. “There’s a twenty-four-hour-only sale going on right now at Forever 21.”

She gasped. “Oh my God, that’s my favorite store. Are you sure?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“I’d better hurry then. The day’s almost half over. Hey, thanks a lot.”

“Any time,” Nicole said.

“I don’t think I want to know what transpired between the two of you,” Wil said, when she joined him. They were two customers away from ordering.

“You need to stop dating twits.”

“We never dated. We—”

Nicole held up her hand to stop him. “Spare me the details, Casanova.”

“How did you get her to leave?” Wil asked in awe. “Maybe I should let you handle damage control from now on.”

Nicole reached up to rub the lipstick off his cheek. “Probably not the best idea,” she told him, and before he was able to ask anything else, it was their turn to order.

****

“Looks like it’s just you and me this ladies’ night out,” Annie said when she called Nicole early on Friday.

“What happened to Wanda and Paulina?”

“Wanda said she’s not feeling well, and Paulina has to work a bridal shower tonight. I was thinking, since it’s my turn to choose anyway, we invite the boys out with us.”

“The boys?”

“Our boys. Rick and Wil. A double date.”

“Ooooh, like in high school. Do you think you’ll let Ricky, I mean Rick, get to second base?”

Annie chuckled. “I’m thinking more along the lines of a grand slam.”

“You always were easy.”

“I’ll ignore that,” she said. “I was thinking of some healthy competition between the sexes, like maybe some miniature golf.”

“I have trophies on my mantel for winning at miniature golf, Annie; that’s how good I am.”

“Can’t wait to see your swing, girl.”

****

Nicole may have exaggerated just a tad about her abilities at miniature golf, because Wil and Rick wound up so far ahead of them that Annie joined their team.

“What happened to female solidarity?” Nicole said.

“That was before I knew how bad you were,” Annie said.

“So it’s all about winning?”

The three of them looked at each other and said, “Of course it is.”

Even though Nicole lost miserably, she laughed more than she had in years, especially when Wil repeatedly tried to hit the golf ball into the castle with the door that continuously opened and closed.

The ball thumped against the closing door, only to have it roll all the way back to Wil. After twelve tries, Wil picked up his ball and threw it in, landing a hole in one.

“Cheater!” Nicole shouted. “That doesn’t count.”

Wil glanced around. “Did anyone see me cheat?”

Annie and Rick looked the other way, whistling.

“So now you’re a cheat and a liar!”

Wil picked her up in his arms and spun her around. “I dare you to say that to my face.”

“I don’t have to. You know what you are.”

“A bad boy?” he teased.

“A very bad boy,” she said seductively. “I think you need to be punished.”

“Check, please,” Wil called out.

They piled in to Rick’s midnight-blue convertible. While they were stopped at a red light in the center of Claremont, a college town known for its restaurants, Rick looked to his left and said, “Look at the line for that new Thai place.”

“I hear it’s pretty good,” Annie said.

Wil leaned across Nicole’s lap and pointed. “Hey, there’s Sonia.”

“Who’s Sonia?” Rick asked.

“Wil’s lesbian ex-girlfriend,” Annie explained.

Nicole looked closer at the woman standing next to Sonia. “Is that Paulina next to her?”

Annie craned her neck just in time to see Sonia put her arm around Paulina and kiss her on the lips. The car behind them honked their horn to indicate the light had turned green.

“Is your friend gay?” Wil asked.

“That would explain why she’d get so mad whenever I’d make a pass at her,” Rick said.

Nicole and Annie stared at each other, eyes wide.

Nicole shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t she tell us if she’s gay?”

Annie’s head dropped back on the headrest. “No wonder she never talked about any of her dates.”

They were all silent for a moment, shocked by the revelation.

Rick broke the silence first. “I can’t believe she bats for the other team.”

“I can’t believe she’s dating my ex,” Wil said.