Virtuous(46)

She dazzles me with her smile. “Excellent, you?”

“Long and boring waiting for school to get over. Reminds me of the not so good old days.”

“See?” Leah says. “He agrees with me. School sucks.”

“Lovely to see you again, Leah.”

“Mmm,” she says suggestively, “same here.”

“Can we give you a lift somewhere?”

She eyes the car longingly and then glances at Natalie. “Home?”

“We can do that,” I say before Natalie has a chance to reply. I open the back door for Leah and the front passenger door for Natalie.

When I get into the driver’s side, I notice Natalie giving me an odd look. “Do I have something on my face?” I rub the cheek I recently shaved in anticipation of seeing her.

“No,” she says, laughing.

“Then what?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“When I’m not here,” Leah says from the backseat.

“Then let’s get rid of her ASAP,” I say.

“Hey! That’s not nice.”

Natalie laughs at Leah’s pretend outrage. The two of them amuse me. Leah is as mouthy and ballsy as Natalie is reserved. They make for an odd pairing that seems to work well despite their differences.

Natalie’s cell phone rings, and she glances at the caller ID. “Aileen,” she says, glancing at me. “Hi, Aileen.”

I can hear the other woman’s high-pitched screams coming through Natalie’s phone.

“I heard about that,” she says, looking over at me again.

I feign ignorance as to what’s happening even though I know all about it. The donation was made anonymously because I don’t want anything from it other than to know that Aileen and her kids are taken care of during this difficult time.

“I’ll tell him,” Natalie says after several minutes of mostly one-sided conversation. “Talk to you soon.” She ends the call and stashes the phone in her purse. “Can you believe someone made a half-million-dollar donation to the fund we set up for their family?”

“I wonder who could’ve done something like that,” Leah says.

“That’s great,” I add. “Good for them.”

Natalie gives me another of those looks that lets me know I’m not fooling anyone. That’s okay. The best thing about having money is being able to help people who truly need it.

When we arrive on their street, there’s not a parking spot to be found.

“I can jump out here,” Leah says. “You want me to take Fluff out for you?”

“Would you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Thanks. Flynn’s not her favorite person.”

“Aww, is the old bag of bones jealous?”

“Don’t say that about her! She’s not a bag of bones.”

“But she is jealous,” I say smugly.

“Ha,” Leah says as she opens her door. “I knew it. See you later. Or tomorrow. Stay out all night. Have a wild time.” She closes the door before Natalie can reply.

“She’s a freak,” Natalie says.

“I kind of like the way she thinks.”

She rolls her eyes at me as I pull back into traffic. “You would.”

I reach for her hand and love the thrill that travels through me when her skin rubs against mine. I can’t even begin to wonder what sex with her would be like if holding her hand is one of the most sensual experiences in what’s been a rather sensually indulgent life. With her sitting so close to me, I don’t dare indulge those thoughts. “You look very kissable with those purple lips.”

When the light in front of us turns red, she leans over the center console, her intentions clear.

Being no fool, I meet her halfway and revel in the sweet taste of her lips. “Mmm, hello to you, too. I missed you today.”

“I missed you, too.”

“So why were you giving me that funny look when I picked you up?”

“I was just enjoying the exceptional view.”

“Is it Friday yet?”

“One more day.”

“I’ll never make it.”

She smiles, and neither of us looks away until the driver behind us blows their horn when the light turns green. Damn impatient New Yorkers.

“In California, stoplight kissing is encouraged and supported much more than it is here.”