Page 7 of Five Fingers of Death

“Yes, that would be nice.” I slid into the kitchen chair and avoided eye contact with her new lover. Slider had been her previous bedmate, but after an awkward encounter one morning, Vira kicked him to the curb. Now, this man was here. He seemed like a decent enough man. I’d seen him around before and he always had a smile on his face. He actually seemed like the perfect fit for Vira.

“Morning, Isabelle. How are you?”

“Just call her Izzy,” Vira said, rolling her eyes. “Isabelle is so formal.”

I didn’t correct her, but Ebarardo would never have allowed me to be called Izzy. “I’m just fine.” My mouth hung open as I realized I didn’t know this man’s name.

“Patrick,” he answered with a twinkle in his eyes.

I gave a polite nod as Vira brought over a mug for me. It smelled delicious, but my manners got the better of me and I waited for everyone to be seated. I wasn’t sure if Vira liked to sit at the table or if she was accommodating me, but she always joined me for morning coffee. It was our routine.

She tugged on Patrick’s arm and they sat down, Patrick shooting her a strange look as he took a seat. Giving a polite smile, I took my first sip of coffee.

“The coffee is wonderful this morning.”

“It’s the same as every morning,” Vira answered.

It was, but it was rude not to offer my gratitude for her offering.

“So, what are you ladies up to today?” Patrick asked, his eyes wandering over Vira to her exposed knee.

I flushed and looked away. I’d seen the way men looked at Vira. She was beautiful and not at all ashamed of her sexuality. I watched from the corner of my eye as Patrick ran his hand up Vira’s bare leg, slipping it just under the long shirt she wore. She smacked his hand away with a laugh, which I knew was all for my benefit.

“I have to get to work,” Patrick said, getting to his feet.

“You’d better take a shower first. You smell like sex.”

“Maybe I want to smell like you all day,” Patrick rumbled, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

I brushed off the indecent thoughts running through my head and forced myself not to watch as Vira took him into the other room and then clung to him, wrapping her leg around his waist as he kissed her hard. My eyes wandered over to them as his hand slid down her back and then cupped her rear, gripping tight as he thrust his hips against her.

I whipped my head away, forcing myself to look straight ahead. Heat crashed over me in waves and I had to press my legs together to stem the throbbing down below. Her male encounters were wreaking havoc on my body. It had been one year, three months, and twenty-nine days since I last had sex with Ebarardo, and I was really beginning to feel the pangs of loss. My body was used to being twisted and bent for his enjoyment, but without him, there was nothing to take the edge off. I was just a shell.

“Sorry about that.”

I picked up my mug and carefully put it to my lips as she took her seat. “It’s no problem.”

I could feel her eyes on me, how she watched me, waiting for me to say something. We’d been roommates now for over three months, but she’d yet to ask me a single question about my life before I came to live here. I knew she was aware of my circumstances. Hell, I bet there was a briefing packet on me. Everyone tiptoed around me like I was damaged goods.

I wasn’t damaged. I just missed my husband.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

Here we go.“Sure.”

“How many men have you slept with?”

Shocked at the question, my eyes flicked to her. “Um…” I was thrown by the question. I really expected her to ask something about my time on the island or Ebarardo. “Four.”

Her eyes lit with surprise. “Wow. That’s not many.”

“It seems like a lot to me.”

She chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee. “Girl, I could fill a whole book with my list of suitors.”

“I like the way you say that,” I said before I could think better of it. I flushed in embarrassment, immediately regretting my words. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”

“Why?”

---