though it felt a bit patriarchal and
condescending. The thought of her having sex with another person
didn ’ t bother me at all;
I had quite liked watching Emir fuck her. But the mere suggestion
of sharing her love brought with it a crippling insecurity that I
couldn ’ t bear to
contemplate.
“That is why you direct who she fucks?” Emir
nodded in understanding. “I know she did not pick me out in the
club.”
“On the contrary, she was quite attracted to
you. But you are right, I made the final decision in that
situation.” Sophie ’ s
interest in him had caught my attention, but ultimately
I ’ d been the one to
suggest it go further. “ I
don’ t know how you manage your arrangement with your wife,
but I commend you for doing it and being so happy.”
“Yes, I am happy,” he said, but after a
thoughtful pause he added, “Sometimes, I need a distraction.”
I looked up at the television over the bed.
I ’ d probably leave it on
tonight, just for the company.
“Why not stay here? We can watch mindless
telly all night?” I patted the bed. “We ’ ll still be lonely and miserable, but at least we
won ’ t be doing it
alone.”
“I would not wish to be an imposition.” But
even as he said it, he was slipping off his towel.
I scooted
over to Sophie’s side . There was still a very strange, very
jealous part of me that wanted to be between them always. And yet,
my sympathy toward his compromise with his wife made him less of a
threat to me.
What a completely bizarre thing it is, the
intersection of personal relationships and feelings.
“I want to thank you,” I said, watching him
fluff the pillows beneath him. “This was an enlightening
experience.”
“Oh?” He turned onto his side, propped on his
elbow. “Then perhaps we should do this again.”
“Yes, I dare say we should.” I tilted my head
back and closed my eyes, letting the peace of a dozen final
decisions wash over my brain. “And I believe I ’ m going to have a lot of free time in the future .”
Abigail Barnette is the alter-ego of
author, blogger, and all-around funny person, Jenny Trout. Writing
as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today Bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American
Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Online . When she’s not writing award-winning erotic
romance, she’s either sleeping or otherwise incapacitated. She is a
proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person
capable of spending extended periods of time with her without
wanting to murder her.