The Wives of Beverly Row 6: Lust Has a New Address Page 2

  Their food arrived and Ariel was relieved of the chance to gather her wits. Jake wouldn’t touch her as much while they ate. She felt like she was walking a tightrope, trying to keep everything on an even keel so that she could pull off her plan. She had to make Jake believe she was doing this to get back at Gabe, but she also had to make sure she didn’t push Gabe too far.

  When they finished their food, Jake ordered a round of espressos. “They have the best coffee here,” he said to Gabe.

  It seemed Ariel and Zola were not going to be addressed directly in any of the conversation. Everything was for the men, including their bodies.

  “So,” Gabe said, giving Ariel a quick glance, “you said earlier that you had contacts who might be interested in making an investment in art?”

  “Oh, sure,” Jake said, obviously bragging. “I know a lot of people with money in these parts. A lot of high-tech guys. I’m sure one of them would be willing to invest in some art.”

  “This would be more than an investment,” Gabe said. “This would be millions of dollars. I’m thinking you’d want to get an institution involved.”

  Jake’s eyebrows rose. “Millions?”

  “Yes, millions,” Gabe said. “This would really only be something of interest to specialist collectors, a museum, something like that. There’s not a lot of private collectors who’d have the money to put down for this kind of painting.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Jake said. “Who’s the artist?”

  “I’d rather not say,” Gabe said.

  “Look,” Jake said. “I’m not blowing smoke up your ass here. Tell me who painted the thing. I have serious connections.”

  Gabe looked across at Ariel. He was pretending that he wasn’t interested in Jake’s offer. “I don’t know, Jake,” he said.

  Jake threw up his hands. “Jesus,” he said. “What have you got to lose? If I find you a buyer, you make a sale. If I don’t, there’s no loss.”

  “Well, it’s not as simple as that,” Gabe said. “This is a sensitive painting. It’s rare. It’s old. If anyone knew I had it they’d want to know how. There would be a lot of questions. Questions I’m not ready to answer.”

  “All the more reason to get me to sell the thing for you,” Jake said.

  “Look,” Gabe said, “if I thought you had a snowball’s chance in hell of selling this painting, I’d gladly tell you everything. But I know you can’t sell it. There aren’t more than five guys on the planet who know how to sell this painting.”

  Jake was getting really interested at this point. There was nothing that got to a man like him as much as being told no.

  “All I’m saying is that it’s something to think about,” Jake said.

  Now Jake looked at Ariel, as if it was he and her who were going to be pulling the wool over Gabe’s eyes. She smiled at him.

  Then he leaned in toward her and put his lips on hers. She felt incredibly uncertain about what he was doing. As his tongue slid into her mouth she tried to look and see what Gabe’s reaction was going to be. Jake held her head as he kissed her. When he let her go she tried to act as natural as possible.

  “I guess that’s what we’re here for,” Gabe said.

  Ariel was finding it difficult to read Gabe. Was he upset that Jake was acting like this, or was he excited that he could do the same to Zola? She had no idea.

  “Why don’t you taste the goods for yourself,” Jake said to Gabe, indicating Zola.

  Gabe looked at Zola. Ariel knew he liked her. During their marriage, he’d have happily fucked her. She wasn’t sure how much things had changed now though. Gabe wasn’t the man he’d once been, but that didn’t mean he was above screwing Zola’s brains out.

  “Go for it,” Jake said encouragingly.

  Ariel watched. Gabe looked at Zola. She looked back at him. Ariel knew Zola was just acting on autopilot. She was so overwhelmed with everything Jake was doing to her, everything he was putting her through, that she’d sort of given up resisting.

  Gabe gave Zola a little smile. “You game for this?” he said.

  Zola looked at Jake, then at Ariel, then back to Gabe. “Of course,” she said.

  Ariel wasn’t sure if she was pretending or not. She knew Zola had learned to pretend she was into Jake’s little games, but maybe she actually liked Gabe. Gabe was a nice guy, good-looking, there wasn’t really much reason not to like him. Zola might even be relishing the opportunity to get back at Ariel a little bit. It was only fair. She’d slept with Jake. Why wouldn’t Zola want to sleep with Gabe?

  The entire situation was weird. It was messing with Ariel’s head. She couldn’t quite think straight. She watched with intense interest as Gabe reached out to Zola and took her cheek gently in his hand. He leaned toward her and to her surprise, Ariel found it difficult to breathe as Gabe started kissing Zola. She could see the tension in Zola’s shoulder relax as Gabe kissed her. Their lips seemed glued together. She imagined that Gabe’s tongue was inside Zola’s mouth, playing with Zola’s tongue. She was almost sure she could see Zola’s nipples firm up and ripen from the exhilaration of Gabe’s kiss.

  As she watched them kiss, she was surprised that Jake’s hand began sliding up the inside of her thigh. It went further and further up under her dress until it reached the lacy fabric of her panty. Despite everything in her body telling her that this situation was bad, that it was wrong, that it was going to leave her hurt, she felt blood flowing into the lips of her vagina, ripening them for sexual activity. She sighed. She looked at Jake. He was watching Gabe and Zola kiss. The sensation was very strange. Ariel could almost begin to see the appeal of swinging. It was like doubling the intensity of love making. She could feel what Jake was doing to her, and at the same time, she imagined she could feel what Gabe was doing to Zola as well. It was as if the sensations were being multiplied, as if she was experiencing her own pleasure and Zola’s pleasure at the same time.

  The waiter arrived with their coffees and broke the spell.

  “Wow,” Gabe said. His eyes met Ariel’s but he looked away again. He was embarrassed. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to do this.

  Jake’s hand was still touching Ariel’s panties. She tried to concentrate on her coffee but it was impossible. As she drank the rich, dark liquid, all she could think about was getting to a hotel and having her body fucked by Jake and Gabe at the same time. And she didn’t just want them for herself, she wanted Zola to be fucked by them too. She wanted to share everything with everyone who was at the table. It was a sensation she’d never felt before.

  IV

  JAKE AND GABE BOTH WANTED to pick up the tab for dinner but in the end it was Jake who paid.

  “Thanks for dinner,” Zola said to him.

  “You’re welcome, honey,” Jake said.

  Ariel watched as Jake patted Zola on the bum. He treated her like an obedient pet. Then he put his arm around Ariel. She felt horrible, as if she was in some way being taken advantage of, but she also knew there was a big part of her that wanted this.

  She looked at Gabe. He was walking next to Zola and she saw him take her hand. It was probably in response to Jake’s putting his arm around Ariel but still, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She knew she was silly to feel jealous but emotions were never logical.

  “Let’s get a room somewhere,” Jake said.

  Gabe looked back at him. “We’re close to the Roosevelt,” he said.

  “Let’s do it,” Jake said.

  Gabe led them out onto the street and hailed a cab. “The Roosevelt,” he said to the driver when they were all in the car.

  Jake had taken the front seat, leaving Ariel and Zola in the back, sitting on either side of Gabe. As the car cruised down Hollywood Boulevard, Ariel was shocked when she felt Gabe’s hand on her thigh.

  “What are you doing?” Ariel said to him under her breath.

  “Hey,” Gabe said, “this was all your idea. I’m just playing along.”

  Ariel had such conflicting e
motions about everything that she wasn’t even making sense anymore. What had she expected? She’d basically organized this orgy and begged Gabe to be a part of it. Now she was getting mad at him for touching her, and even madder at him for touching Zola.

  She closed her eyes and tried to get her head straight. She had to enjoy this, relax, stop being so uptight. It wasn’t going to be an ordinary night, it wasn’t going to be the sort of night that she had ever imagined would be a part of her life, but she was here so she might as well get the most pleasure out of it that she could.

  She opened her legs very slightly and felt Gabe’s hand ride farther up her thigh. She got a thrill out of the fact that Zola and Jake didn’t know what was happening. It was as if she and Gabe were cheating on them.

  As the cab made it’s way from one red light to the next, Gabe’s hand slowly slid all the way to Ariel’s panties. She kept her legs open and Gabe’s fingers began caressing the lips of her pussy. Her panty was still in his way but he gently stroked the skin to each side of the thong and as her pussy began to get more excited, it swelled up and spread over the slender strip of silk that ran down the middle. Gabe then rubbed these two mounds which had been created to form a camel toe, and as he did so, Ariel began to get more and more excited.

  She threw her head back and closed her eyes and let Gabe’s fingers work their magic on her pussy. She heard a slight moan and opened her eyes. What she saw when she turned her head was Gabe making out with Zola.

  Was she jealous? She wasn’t sure. But she did know that it felt good. That was what she would concentrate on. She reached across Gabe and put her hand on Zola’s breast. It felt firm and ripe.

  “Hey,” the cab driver called from up front. “No funny business. Wait till you get to the hotel.”

  Jake laughed.

  “Jesus,” the cab driver said.

  Gabe stopped kissing Zola but he kept his fingers on Ariel’s pussy, gently rubbing her till they got to the hotel.

  The cab pulled up outside and Jake led them into the lobby.

  The place was extremely glamorous, decorated in the classic Hollywood style. Everything was vintage and chic and Ariel loved it. She’d never been there before. She knew it had been the playground of the stars a long time ago. Apparently, the very first Academy Awards ceremony had been held in the hotel’s ballroom in 1929. If the room looked anything like the lobby, it would be the most opulent thing Ariel had ever seen.

  The four of them went up to the reception desk together. A young man in a very smart concierge’s uniform met them.

  “We’d like a room,” Jake said.

  “Just one room, sir?” the concierge said.

  “Just one room,” Jake said.

  The concierge looked at each of them then, no doubt wondering what sort of plans they all had for the room. He took Jake’s credit card and swiped it.

  “Okay, sir, I’ll need to see your driver’s license.”

  Jake handed him the license. “Could we get a room with a view,” he said.

  “Certainly,” the concierge said. “I’ve got a penthouse suite available. I’ve also got a room on the twelfth floor with a nice view.”

  “The penthouse would be great,” Jake said.

  As soon as they got in the elevator, Ariel started laughing. She wasn’t sure why she was laughing but she wasn’t able to stop once she’d started. It was probably just nerves.

  “What’s so funny?” Gabe said.

  “Oh, just shut up and kiss me, husband,” Ariel said.

  Gabe reached out and took her into his arms. It was a surreal feeling, being in the arms of the man she’d been married to for almost all of her adult life. There was a time when she loved this man with all her heart. There had also been a long period, almost fifteen years, when he’d broken her heart on a regular basis. Now she was making out with him as if none of that had ever happened.

  She threw her arms around Gabe and let his tongue slide into her mouth. He held her tight as he kissed her. There was such passion in the kiss, a passion that could only come from the strength of the emotion that Ariel and Gabe had once felt for each other. People often assumed that the most passionate affairs were the ones that lasted the shortest time. They thought there was nothing as fun and as pleasurable as a one night stand. But Ariel was beginning to realize that the real pleasure, the real stimulation, came from long-term relationships, from making love to a man you’d known for years, to a man who knew everything about your heart.

  The elevator dinged when it reached the top floor and Gabe released her.

  “Wow,” he said.

  Ariel smiled at him. It was fun getting the chance to make out with her ex. She looked at Zola. Zola looked scared. Ariel put her arm around Zola and led her down the corridor toward the suite. Jake unlocked the door and the four of them entered the room. It was every bit as fabulous as Ariel had imagined. A huge chandelier hung over the enormous bed, which was right in front of a massive wall of glass overlooking the city. They could see the Hollywood sign on the hills above the lights of the streets. Next to the bed was a hot tub.

  “If you two gentlemen will excuse us for a minute,” Ariel said, “we’re going to go into the ladies room and freshen up.”

  Ariel took Zola by the hand and brought her into the washroom. To call it a washroom didn’t do it justice. It was two rooms. A little ante room with a long vanity and a massive mirror came first. There were little velvet stools in front of the vanity. Ariel sat on one.

  “Are you alright?” she said to Zola.

  “I don’t know,” Zola said. “I’m fine, I guess.”

  “You’re so quiet.”

  “It’s just, this is the way I get when Jake is doing this to me,” Zola said.

  “But this time it’s different,” Ariel said. “This time we’re the one’s screwing Jake.”

  “I know,” Zola said.

  “Are you going to be able to get through it?” Ariel said.

  “I think so.”

  Ariel got up and hugged Zola. Zola held on to her so tightly and Ariel could tell she was going through a lot of emotion.

  “Everything is going to be alright,” Ariel said.

  “Ariel,” Zola said.

  “Yes?”

  “Can I ask you one thing?”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “Zola! What do you mean?”

  “I keep getting the feeling that you’re mad at me. That I’m making you jealous.”

  “You’re not making me jealous,” Ariel said.

  “But the way you look whenever Gabe touches me, I can see you’re not happy about it.”

  Ariel sighed. She sat down again. This time Zola sat next to her.

  “I’m not in the least bit mad at you, Zola. We’re both here to get through this. I know that.”

  “But?”

  Ariel nodded. “But, I won’t lie. It’s a bit strange for me to see you with Gabe.”

  “I knew it,” Zola said.

  “I guess now I understand how you must have felt when I told you I’d been with Jake,” Ariel said.

  “I guess so,” Zola said.

  The two women hugged again, even more tightly than they had the first time.

  “Look,” Ariel said. “Let’s just do this thing. Let’s own it.”

  “Alright,” Zola said. “I’m in if you’re in!”

  They quickly touched up their makeup and then went back into the bedroom. Jake and Gabe were sitting on some armchairs by the fireplace, looking at each other. Ariel saw that they’d been discussing the art deal some more. She got a rush of excitement at that. It was working. Everything was going to work. She was sure of it.

  “Come on over here, beautiful,” Jake said to her when he saw her coming out of the bathroom.

  Ariel walked confidently over to him and at the same time, Zola walked straight over to Gabe and sat on his lap. Ariel never thought she’d see the day when she was sitting on a woman’
s husband’s lap, while that woman was sitting on Gabe’s lap, but now that she’d come to terms with it, she began to allow the unusualness of the situation to really turn her on.

  “Show us something,” Ariel said to Zola and Gabe.

  Jake’s hand was stroking her breast. His other hand was inside her dress, resting on her thigh.

  “Like what?” Zola said.

  “Use your imagination,” Ariel said. She was smiling at Zola encouragingly, showing her that everything was alright.

  Zola got up off of Gabe’s lap and walked over to Ariel.

  “Alright,” Zola said, “I’ll show you something.”

  She pulled Ariel to her feet and then put her arms around her. She leaned in and kissed Ariel on the lips. It was the first time Ariel had ever kissed another woman like that. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. She didn’t know what she thought of it. She looked at Jake, then at Gabe. They were both watching intently. Ariel felt a thrill at knowing the two men were so turned on by this display. She put her lips on Zola’s again and this time let her tongue slide in to meet Zola’s tongue. It was a strange and electrifying sensation, kissing another woman, knowing that two men were watching.

  As Ariel’s tongue continued to caress Zola’s, as their kiss grew more and more passionate, Ariel became aroused. She put her hands around Zola and let them slide down her back. Zola broke the kiss and Ariel immediately moved her lips down to Zola’s neck. She licked her friend’s neck and sucked gently on it. She wasn’t sure if she was being aroused by Zola, or by the fact that two men were watching them. It was strange. But one thing was certain, taken as a whole, the situation was intensely arousing.

  “Go for it, girls,” Jake said.

  Ariel and Zola looked at the men. Ariel wasn’t sure if it was to make sure they were still watching. It felt to her that it was the men that were making the scenario sexual for both her and Zola. They were touching each other, but it was the men’s eyes, the men’s gaze, that gave their activity its sexual charge.

  “Come over here,” Jake said to them. “Let me get a look at that kiss close up.”

  Ariel looked at him and then at Gabe. “You two come to us,” she said, playfully.