Page 13 of Carnal Desire

I shrugged. It must be a rich people thing to take such good care of their clothes, I thought. I didn’t totally believe that, but it gave me an out to keep the clothes. And I really wanted to keep the clothes.

Ariel

“Everyone, this is my friend Sadie.”

All conversation at the table stopped as my friends looked at me and my house guest. Theo smiled widely, whispering something to his husband Archie, while Grace and Meave looked like cats who ate a canary. They knew I’d had a crush on Sadie for a long time, and that while I’d invited many random people to Found Family Dinner, I’d neverbroughtsomeone.

“Move over,” I nudged Maeve to slide down a chair so I could sit next to Sadie.

There were already bottles of red and white wine on the table, as well as water, bread, and little bottles of olive oil.

“Wine?” I asked Sadie.

“A little white please.”

I poured her half a glass of wine and a glass of water before placing two pieces of bread on the side of her plate, ignoring my friends’ curious looks. There was nothing wrong with taking care of Sadie.

“Try it with the olive oil,” I instructed, pouring a little on first her plate and then mine.

She watched me dip my bread in olive oil as if she’d never seen anyone do it before, then copied me.

“Oh my God, this is so good! The bread is still warm!”

I smiled, happy that she liked it. When I looked across the table, Theo was giving me an appraising look that I ignored.

The good thing about our Found Family Dinner was that everyone who attended was super welcoming. It wasn’t long before a friend of Theo’s husband and someone who with Grace at her family business had engaged Sadie in a spirited debate about some video game I’d never heard of.

Meanwhile our restaurant team brought out a variety of pasta, breaded veal cutlets, fried clams, eggplant parmesan, and giant salads.

Through it all, I was aware of Sadie sitting next to me, her leg pressed against mine under the table. Every time she moved I felt a little zing travel right to my core.

She was wearing one of the sundresses that Theo brought over, a dark blue with little white flowers, the colors a nice compliment to her pale white skin. She’d paired it with a light white sweater, just enough to keep her warm if the air conditioning was too high, and a pair of battered sandals that reminded me that we needed to get her some decent shoes.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull that off as easily as the clothing though. I didn’t think she’d believe that people were giving away a bunch of unused shoes. I slipped my phone under the table and texted Theo anyway. He’d figure out her shoe size and take care of it for me.

Whenever Sadie wasn’t paying attention I piled food on her plate, much to the amusement of my friends. Despite the sizable amount of food she’d eaten at breakfast and lunch, Sadie ate with gusto. It made me happy to see her enjoying her food. I’d noticed that she’d lost weight over the last few months, and now I knew why. It was okay though, I’d get her back to a healthy weight.

When we finished dinner our little group headed upstairs to the nightclub on the second floor. As was usual for a Saturday night, it was jam packed, but as the owners, we’d reserved the entire VIP section for our use. We sat on the upholstered couches that overlooked the dance floor, and Sadie leaned closer to whisper in my ear.

“I think I’m underdressed for this place.”

I followed her gaze down to the dance floor where a bunch of women in short, clingy dresses danced with guys in expensive shoes. The club had a fifty dollar cover to get in, so only people with money made it in here. Even so, there was no set dress code. There were a few sundresses and even some jeans mixed in amongst the crowd.

“You look beautiful just as you are,” I whispered back, hating that she felt uncomfortable. The dress Theo got her fit her perfectly and she looked good enough to eat. She’d fit in almost anywhere.

The uncertainty on her face cleared.

“Do you want to dance?”

Sadie’s eyes darted to the dance floor and back to me. I could tell she wanted to say yes, but didn’t think she should. Her fingers were tapping on her thigh, keeping time with the music.

“Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet before she could argue. “Let’s dance.”

I threaded my fingers through Sadie’s and led her down the stairs and through the crowd to an empty spot on the dance floor. The businesswoman in me was glad to see that the club was crowded, between the cover charges and the high drink prices, we pulled in a lot of money here. But part of me wishedthat everyone would go home, leaving this space for me and the woman I loved.

Pulling Sadie closer, I placed my hands on her hips and began moving with the music. It was a fast song, and a loud one, so we couldn’t really talk.

Sadie stood stiffly in my arms until I pulled her hands up to my shoulders and leaned in to yell in her ear, “Relax, baby. Close your eyes and just feel the music.”

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