Wife Number Seven (The Compound, #1)(43)

“Even after all these years?” I asked. I didn’t doubt her love for the man she lost, but was surprised that she spoke of him as often as she did. He’d been gone for more than a decade.

“That’s how you know it’s true. When you think of him all the time, whether he’s with you or he’s not.”

When Lehi wasn’t with me, I wasn’t affected. Before becoming involved with Porter, I’d craved my time with Lehi, but I didn’t know why. Was I lonely? Confused?

With Porter in my life, I could never be lonely. When we couldn’t be together, he found ways to communicate with me, to show me how much he thought of me. The way he treated me, felt for me, showed me his emotions was such a drastic shift from my experiences with my husband.

If I never saw Lehi again, I wouldn’t be sad. In fact, I’d be relieved.

“You seem lost in thought,” she said as she set the timer for the cake.

“A little bit.”

“Sharing is hard. I speak from experience.”

“It is.” I nodded, but I was lying. I was never jealous of my sister wives. I didn’t care enough to be bothered.

“Cherish that alone time, dear. It can be so special, and quite enjoyable, I might add.”

Did she . . . did Jorjina Black just hint about the pleasures of intercourse?

My mouth fell open as I stared at her. Her gray hair threatened to pull from her braid as she pushed it from her forehead again and again, wiping the sweat from her skin. I had no idea how to respond, so I stood there gaping at her until she chuckled.

“When you’re with the right man, it does wonders.” She winked. “Oh, come on, dear, I may be old, but I’m certainly not dead. My husband was . . . generous, and we enjoyed our time together very much.”

She giggled under her breath as she leaned against the counter, studying me. But I couldn’t say a word. Lehi had never been “generous” with me, nor had I ever enjoyed my time with him.

But Porter was another story.

His kisses swept me away to another place, another time. I felt alive, revived from my complacent life. If his kisses did that to me, I could only imagine what laying with him would be like. My cheeks reddened at the thought. The temperature of the room rose in seconds, and I found myself wiping the sweat from my brow just as my employer had moments before.

Sex with Porter. Sex with Porter. Sex with Porter.

I couldn’t shake the thought from my head.

I was ready, ready to explore the intensity that being truly intimate with another human being would bring. Like a fool I craved his touch, standing there in Jorjina’s kitchen and wishing I could see him, touch him, and understand what both Rebecca and Jorjina had experienced with the men they loved.

? ? ?

When the cake was cooled, frosted, and placed under the glass dome of the cake stand on her counter, Jorjina turned to me and yawned.

“I’m going to lie down.”

“Okay,” I said, wiping the remaining crumbs from the counter into my hand. When I dropped the crumbs into the sink, I realized Jorjina hadn’t moved, and turned to find her staring at me.

“Ma’am?”

“Would you stop calling me that? I told you to call me Jorjina.”

“Sorry.” I hung my head. “Is there something else I can do for you?”

“Go. Take a break. Leave me be.”

“I can’t do that, ma—Jorjina,” I said and shook my head slowly.

“You’re a young girl, go outside. Spend time with your friends.”

“I don’t have any friends.”

“Well, perhaps it’s time to fix that. Go.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Stunned, I opened my mouth but had no idea what to say. I felt like I was being tested, as if this were some sort of trick.

“I ca—”

“Don’t tell me you can’t. I’m giving you permission. Let me rest. I’m an old woman, I need my privacy whenever I can get it. Please, Brinley.” Her eyes softened, and her eyebrows drew together in a plea.

“All right. I-I’ll go home and come back in a little while?” Uncertain if I should leave, my suggestion came out as a question.

“Yes, I’ll let you make me dinner.” Her chin lifted upward in pride. “Now, go. Leave me be. I’m tired.”

“Are you sure?” Leaving Jorjina alone like this was risky for me, so I couldn’t help but fret, yet in the next second I wondered if Porter was on a job site.

Jorjina linked her arm through mine and ushered me to the front door. “Yes, now scoot.”

When my shoes hit the heat of the pavement, my mind was already racing a mile per minute. I wanted to see Porter, but couldn’t go home to retrieve my phone. If Leandra, or any of the wives, caught a glimpse of me, I could be in major trouble with Lehi and the prophet. No, if I was going to do this, if I was going to take advantage of the freedom Jorjina had afforded me, I had to be smart.

I would risk it. I’d go into town and attempt to see Porter.

? ? ?

My heart raced as I walked faster and faster to Porter’s building. I climbed the steps two at a time to reach his door, then pounded on it with my fists as adrenaline made its way throughout my body.

I hadn’t seen him since he’d climbed through my window, and I’d missed him terribly. I’d missed his voice, his lips, the feel of his skin against mine. Jorjina’s words had reverberated inside my brain, permeating my thoughts and desires.