Sweet Persuasion (Sweet #2)(2)

Serena rolled her eyes. “You’re way too easy, Faith.”

“You only think I’m all sweet and innocent,” Faith mumbled as she pulled on a robe.

“What was that?” Julie asked, pouncing on Faith’s statement.

“Serena. We’re talking about Serena. Remember?”

The phone rang, and Julie held up a finger for them to wait as she walked over to answer. Serena sat there with her feet dangling down the side of the table. In the weeks the women had been meeting for massages and then lunch, they’d discussed a lot of outlandish topics, but never had those included the personal details of Serena’s deep, dark fantasies, and she honestly wasn’t sure she was prepared to unveil them. Even to her two closest friends.

But if not them, then who?

Exactly.

She sighed. Maybe she should just forget about them and continue on fulfilling other people’s hokey fantasies.

Julie returned, a look of apology darkening her pretty features. “I’m sorry, guys. I can’t do lunch today. That was one of my clients in need of an emergency overhaul.”

“That’s too bad,” Faith said with an unhappy grimace.

“Overhaul? That doesn’t sound good,” Serena remarked.

Julie grinned. “It’s her own fault. She went to another stylist to get her hair done, and now she’s ten sorts of sorry and is crawling back to me.”

“Just like you like them,” Faith said as she hopped off the table.

“You two go on without me. But,” she said, pinning them both with a glare, “I’ll expect a full report later. As in nothing left out. Don’t make me hurt you.”

Serena rolled her eyes and got down off the table to go dress. “Trust me. It’s not that juicy, Julie. As if anything in my boring-ass life would be.”

Julie studied her with a speculative stare. “Oh, I don’t know, Serena. It’s always the boring ones who turn out to have the most shocking secrets.”

Again, a rosy blush stained Faith’s face, and Serena and Julie both burst out laughing.

“Obviously we haven’t been pressing Faith enough for hers,” Serena said dryly.

“Make her tell you at lunch,” Julie suggested. “Then you can call me later with the dirt.”

“Oh, she won’t do that,” Faith said innocently. “Because then I’d have to give you the dirt on her.”

“Somebody had better give me the scoop on both you deviants,” Julie warned. “I’ll withhold all services until I get it. And you, my dear, are due for a wax soon.”

“Crap,” Faith grumbled.

Serena linked her arms through Faith’s and started to drag her toward the dressing room. “We could always find a new salon, you know.”

Julie snorted. “Sure, if you want to look like a scarecrow.”

“She’s arrogant, isn’t she?” Serena said in a loud whisper as they exited the room.

Julie’s laughter followed them into the changing area.

Serena veered off into her cubicle to dress, and a few minutes later she met Faith out front where Julie was already soothing her distraught client. As Serena and Faith headed for the door, Julie caught their gaze and rolled her eyes heavenward. Serena blew her a kiss.

“The usual?” Serena asked as she and Faith walked out to the parking lot.

Faith shook her head. “If we’re going to have a down and dirty conversation, I don’t want to go to Cattleman’s.”

Serena lifted her brow. “Why not?”

“Because any one of the guys might be there,” Faith said.

“Good point,” Serena mumbled. The men that Faith worked with, gorgeous specimens of men all of them, regularly haunted Cattleman’s, a local pub and grill. The last thing Serena wanted was an audience. Although if one of them wanted to step up and volunteer to man her fantasies, she wouldn’t complain.

“Where to, then?” she asked as they stopped at their cars.

“How about my apartment?” Faith suggested. “It isn’t far, and I can warm up some leftovers.”

Serena sighed. “And there’s plenty of privacy for the juicy conversation you’re going to make me have.”

Faith grinned impishly. “Exactly.”

Serena followed Faith into her apartment. She’d only been inside Faith’s home once before, right after Faith’s fiancé, Gray Montgomery, had moved the majority of his things in.

“Excuse the mess,” Faith said as she stepped around a box on the floor.

“Moving?” Serena asked.

Faith’s smile lit up her entire face. “Gray and I are buying a house. We hope to move in as soon as we get married.”

“Julie is still mortally offended that you aren’t having a huge church wedding so she can make you look like a million dollars for the occasion,” Serena said as she settled onto a stool at the bar in the kitchen.

Faith made a face. “Neither Gray nor I was crazy about a big fuss. Not after everything that happened.” Her smile faltered as pain flitted across her brow. “Pop wanted a big wedding too so he could give me away, but honestly, Gray and I just want to be together. The sooner, the better.”

Serena smiled. “I think that’s great, Faith. You deserve to be happy after all you went through.”