Chapter 5

Emma followed Jen through the lingerie store, a blush so hot on her cheeks that she felt like she was having some sort of hot flash.

"What do you need that for?" Emma asked before she could stop herself.

Jen held up the satiny teddy she had just tried on in the tinny dressing room. It was red and black, with tiny yellow bows along the top and bottom hems. Too tight, too short, and too sheer for Emma's comfort.

"To make Ray remember why he married me."

Emma laughed despite her embarrassment. "I'm sure you never let him forget."

"I try not to." Jen glanced back at Emma as she continued to make her way through the stacks of displays. "You should get something, too. I'm sure Steve would appreciate it."

"I don't think Steve would notice even if I wore this," she said, snatching up a pair of crotchless panties from a low lying table. Jen's eyes widened and Emma dropped them, laughing so hard she thought her ribs might burst.

They walked out of the store a few minutes later, the fifty dollar wisp of material tucked into a paper bag Jen swung at the end of her finger as they walked out into the noisy corridor of the huge mall. They stopped at a few more shops, picking up a few trinkets they probably didn't need, before heading to the Grill on the Alley on Dallas Parkway.

Emma tugged at her thin blouse, always self-conscious when she walked into a place like this. Jen slapped her hand away and winked, reminding her that they belonged there. Emma bit her lip and followed as the ma?tre d directed them to a table near the center of the room. Jen dropped her bags at her feet and made a big show of picking up the menu, as though she had not been there a dozen times and did not know exactly what she was planning to eat. Jen got the same thing each time, a steak salad with the dressing on the side. Emma envied her friend her control. Emma could not resist the chicken alfredo despite the cream and parmesan that would add another inch or two to her already too full hips.

"Have some wine," Jen said. "I'm driving."

"Sure," Emma agreed. "Get me drunk and then take me back to the mall. Steve would love you forever."

"Hope so," Jen said, her voice a little wistful.

Emma sat back and smoothed her hands over her skirt. She pulled the hem up just slightly to tug at a wrinkle that had appeared in her stockings. When she looked up again, she was surprised to see a man in a suit, a man at least ten years her junior, watching her closely from two tables away.

"Hey," he said, lifting a hand just slightly.

Emma blushed and looked away.

"Say hi back," Jen said. "Didn't your mother teach you manners?"

Emma glanced at the man again, found him still watching. "Hi," she said politely.

The man picked up his drink and walked over, bringing a friend along with him. The two men pulled up chairs from another table and sat on either side of Emma and Jen.

"I'm Jerrod," the first guy said. "And this is Harry."

Harry shook Jen's hand, moving close to say something only she could hear. Jerrod leaned toward Emma, a soft smile on his lips. "And you are?" he asked.

"Emma," she said.

"Emma. That's a beautiful name."

A blush burned deeply across Emma's cheeks and down into her chest. "Thanks," she muttered, looking to Jen for help. But Jen was deep in conversation with Harry.

"So, you two ladies out for a little shopping trip?"

"Yes," she said.

"Sounds like fun." His smile took on an erotic flavor as his gaze lingered on the lingerie bag near Jen's feet. "Harry and I work at a bank up the street."

"Oh," Emma said. She splayed her hands across the table, hoping he would see her wedding ring. But it didn't seem to faze him. He ran his finger over the top of her hand, coming within inches of touching the ring.

Emma pulled back.

"Look," she said as nicely as she could, "I'm married. I'm just trying to have lunch with my friend."

Jerrod studied her face for a long second. "I was hoping we could join you. No one would have to tell your husband."

Emma shook her head. "No, but thanks anyway."

He pulled back, anger flashing momentarily in his eyes. But then he smiled, looking her up and down once more before slowly nodding. "Your loss," he said under his breath. He stood. "Come on, Harry. The ladies don't want company."

Harry seemed reluctant to stand, almost as reluctant as Jen appeared to let him go. She held his hand until he stepped back, moving too far for their fingers to reach. She grunted as she watched him walk away.

"That would have been fun," she said, still watching them.

"We're married."

"I know," she said with resignation in her voice. "If I was ten years younger"

"Jen."

She smiled as she focused on Emma. "You are such a saint," she said.

The waiter walked up then, saving Emma from having to answer. But he wasn't there to save her when Jen started in on Steve.

"How are things between the two of you? Are you still struggling?"

Emma shrugged. She hadn't told Jen everything that was going on between she and Steve, but she knew enough to know that Emma was deeply unhappy in her marriage. "He announced last night he wants to run for the state senate," she said.

Jen straightened, shock clear in her eyes. "He said that?"

Emma nodded. "He wants me to be the perfect wife during the campaign."

"He said that?"

"Didn't have to."

Jen sat back, the wheels clearly spinning in her mind. Her gaze was miles away, as though she was trying to work something out. Then she focused on Emma. "That's going to be a long, hard road."

Emma nodded. "I'm not sure I can do it."

"Then what are you thinking?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't know."

"You could divorce him," Jen said, her eyes intent on Emma's face.

Emma hadn't thought about that. All she could about was the children. Despite Steve's erratic schedule and his habit of being absent when they needed him most, he was still their father. She would never take that away from them.

Besides, she still believed in the vows of their marriage. For better or for worse.

Emma shook her head. "No, I couldn't do that."

Jen's eyes fell, her intense gaze moving toward the two Lotharios who had returned to their own table. "So, now what?"

"I guess I become the wife of a state senate candidate."

Jen frowned, as though deeply bothered by the idea. It occurred to Emma that Jen was thinking of Ray and his political ambitions. But before she could ask, their food arrived. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Jen apparently lost in thought as she carefully picked apart her salad and ate just the bits of lettuce that poked through the piles of steak, cheese, and egg. But then she looked up. "I have the perfect solution for you," she said.

"Oh?" Emma sat back and took a deep sip of her wine. "What is that?"

"You won't like it."

Jen pushed her half-eaten salad away. She picked up her water glass and twirled it in her fingers gracefully, never spilling a drop. "There's this place in Pilot Point. Just outside the city, actually. An old, elegant mansion that was once owned by a cattle rancher and his family. It houses one of the best spas in the country."

"A spa?"

Jen smiled into the clear liquid in her glass. "A special spa," she said quietly.

Emma took a bite of her pasta, carefully mopping the cream sauce from the corners of her mouth. "What do you mean 'special'?"

"I mean, it caters specifically to the needs of a modern woman." Jen's eyebrows flicked upward. "All needs."

Emma choked a little on her lunch. "As in"

"Sex," Jen said loud enough that Jarrod and Harry could hear from their table. Emma could hear them laugh.

"Jen"

"It's a discreet place, Emma. The guysand few girlsare paid to provide discretion as well as whatever fantasy you could want."

Emma shook her head. "Why would someone want to do something like that?"

"It's fun."

Emma looked up, her eyes widening again. Just when she thought Jen couldn't possibly surprise her anymore. "You go there?"

"How do you think I know about it?"

Emma shook her head. "I could never do something like that. Having sex with a stranger"

"Is a hell of a lot of fun. Don't you remember what it was like to explore a body you hadn't already touched a million times before?"

"Yeah," Emma said with a new blush blooming over her cheeks. "And I remember how awkward it was."

"Oh, Emma-" Jen shook her head as she grabbed Emma's wine glass and stole a drink. "You always were such a prude."

"I'm not a prude." Emma stiffened, pushing her own plate of food away. "I just believe in the sanctity of the human body and in the vows of marriage."

Jen shook her head again. "I love my husband," she said with all the honesty her blue eyes could offer. "But sometimes when he's distracted or just too busy, it's nice to go somewhere safe where I can have my needs met without causing turmoil in my marriage."

"Does he know?"

"He knows about the membership." Jen laughed. "The cost is a little steep."

"But he doesn't mind."

"Not really. He wants me to be happy."

"Lucky you," Emma said, not intending to sound as bitter as she did.

Jen reached across the table and touched Emma's hand. "There comes a time when you have to think of yourself, Em. It's not being disloyal to put your needs before your husband and kids once in a while."

"The pampering would be nice," Emma admitted.

"I could take you this weekend. I get a certain number of visitor passes with my membership."

"But I couldn't do the other thing," Emma said. "It's too much like-" She couldn't even make herself say the words.

"Prostitution?" Jen asked. Then she laughed, taking another swallow from Emma's wine glass. "This isn't the Client List, Em."

"Yeah, but you would think people in this state would learn from that fiasco."

Emma shook her head, thinking, not of the canceled television show, but of the real prostitution ring that inspired it in Odessa. Ten years ago she had been a newlywed reading about the scandal in the local paper, unable to imagine how a housewife could get herself caught up in such a situation. She still couldn't imagine turning to prostitution to support her family, let alone using her body to get things she couldn't get with her mind.

"Yeah, well," Jen said, a smile on her face, "those ladies catered to men. You know how men find it impossible to keep their mouths shut when it comes to sex."

Emma laughed, despite herself. "You might have a point there."

Jen leaned forward and took Emma's hand. "Just because we're women, it doesn't mean we don't have the same needs as our husbands. Maybe it would make things better for you and Steve if you took away some of this" she waved her hand to include all of Emma ¨C"sexual tension."

"Tension?"

"Repression." She squeezed Emma's hand. "Face it, babe, you're so horny you can't hardly stand yourself."

Emma pulled her hand away. "I am not."

"You are," Jen said. "And if I know it-"

She left the rest of her sentence unspoken. Emma looked away, humiliated beyond words simply because she knew Jen was right. She was tense and a lot of that tension had to do with Steve's unwillingness to touch her. Maybe if she-

But she couldn't even imagine it. It was too much like cheating, no matter what Jen might say.

There were a lot of things Emma was, but unfaithful was not one of them.