Magnetic by Robin Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

made plans to do it again the following evening. She and Ronnie were on the same page—have a good time, and when the party was over, no problem. They’d go their separate ways with no hard feelings. Ronnie had said as much after a week of nothing but sport fucking. Having no expectations and knowing that Ronnie had none of her, Stacy had relaxed, content to let things just happen, then came the invitation to take the trip. Would Ronnie even care if she knew what happened in Detroit?
    “Can I ask you an odd personal question?”
    Ronnie stepped into the doorway of the bathroom and grabbed her own breasts. “They’re real, baby. You’ve felt them.”
    Stacy laughed and folded her arms. “Of that I have no doubt.”
    Ronnie leaned against the doorjamb. “Okay, shoot.”
    “Would it bother you if one of your friends dated someone you had been with?”
    Ronnie pursed her lips for a moment. “You’re right, that is an odd question.”
    Stacy rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. “It happens a lot in our circles, don’t you agree?”
    Ronnie eyed her suspiciously for a moment. “Lisa talked to you at the club the other night, didn’t she? I saw her go into the bathroom one time after you did.” Ronnie started ticking off fingers as she made her points. “First, Lisa and I aren’t friends. She’s an asshole, and she likes to stir shit. She and Joley were broken up a month before Joley and I did anything, so I didn’t steal Joley away from her like she’s been telling everyone. It was a one-time thing, and I found it sadly dull.”
    “Oh,” Stacy said with a weak smile.
    “Molly, Jenny, and Layne are my real friends, and I would never mess around with anyone they cared for. Olivia’s pretty damn good-looking, and even if she didn’t have the personality of a dirty sock, I wouldn’t give her a second glance. Layne means too much to me.”
    “That’s…sweet.”
    Ronnie grinned. “Don’t tell anyone I have a soft side. You’ll ruin my rep.”
    Stacy looked back at Layne’s cabin as Ronnie busied herself in the bathroom. Maybe as she got to know Layne, the mystique would vaporize. With any luck, she’d downright detest Layne, and the gnawing in the pit of her stomach would finally go away.
    *******
    Layne did not unpack. She laid her suitcase on the chest at the foot of her bed, hoping a brilliant excuse for her to leave would miraculously manifest. She’d been lonely with Olivia, often feeling as though she shared a bed with a stranger. But as she sat in a chair and studied the cozy little love nest that surrounded her, she felt embarrassed to be there knowing she was in the middle of two couples who would no doubt make the most of the retreat designed for lovers.
    On a table in a corner sat a bottle of wine with two glasses, next to it was a vase with two red roses. There were two large candles on either side of the Jacuzzi tub built for two. “Two, two, two of everything. This place is like an ark. I may as well be in a honeymoon suite in the fucking Poconos,” Layne said to no one, her voice sounding hollow as it reverberated through the room.
    She leaned her head against the chair and stared at the ceiling. What she needed the most at this point in her life was work. David’s kindness was ill-timed. Layne needed the distraction of a busy office and wished she were back at Calloway being pummeled with questions and mounds of research ahead of her, not this solitude where all she had was plenty of time to think.
    *******
    “This is so good,” Molly said with a groan as she relaxed in the water that swirled around her. “I feel so wrong for enjoying myself when everything’s going wrong for Layne. This vacation was supposed to be good for her.”
    Jenny swallowed the last of her wine and refilled her glass. “You know…Ronnie might laugh at this, too, and Layne will be off the hook.”
    “I don’t know, Jen. She seems to enjoy Stacy. She’s affectionate with her, touches her a lot. Do