Page 62 of Inferno
His eyes glinted wickedly. “By helping you burn off as many calories as possible.”
“How you gonna do that?” she purred.
Sliding into her wetness, he proceeded to show her just how.
After several more rounds of steamy lovemaking—which culminated in the shower—Stan and Prissy got dressed and ventured out for an early lunch at the Black Kettle, where they were greeted ceremoniously by members of the Navarro family, who ran the restaurant.
Since it was a balmy autumn day, Stan and Prissy decided to dine on the terrace to enjoy the breathtaking mountain views. When their fragrant meals were served, they sat close together, eating from each other’s plates and sipping from a large margarita glass for two.
After their plates had been discreetly cleared, they lingered to savor the beautiful, postcard-perfect scenery. Talking and laughing softly between stolen kisses, they made plans to go on a cruise next August to celebrate their sixteenth wedding anniversary. This, of course, led them to begin reminiscing about the special ways they’d commemorated the occasion over the years.
Even when money had been tight, they’d always made a big deal out of their anniversaries, leaving the kids with Sterling and Celeste or Prissy’s mother so that they could spend a romantic night at a hotel or enjoy an intimate candlelight dinner at home. And whenever their anniversary fell during the first week of school, Stan always had roses delivered to Prissy at work, making her the envy of her fellow teachers.
After leaving the Black Kettle that afternoon, they headed to one of their favorite parks and strolled hand in hand along the scenic lake. Not since the night in the Jacuzzi had Prissy felt so relaxed and utterly satiated. The look of lazy contentment on Stan’s face told her he felt the same way.
With two hours left until their sons got out of school, they decided to go bowling.
When they arrived, the bowling alley was nearly empty, so they pretty much had the place to themselves.
While Prissy was an average bowler, Stan was a master, throwing multiple strikes in a row with the skilled ease of a professional. Whenever their family had gone bowling with Sterling, Celeste, Michael and Marcus back in Atlanta, all the boys had vigorously lobbied to be on Stan’s team, because any team anchored by Stan usually won.
Over the next hour, Prissy laughed, groaned protestingly and thumped her head on the table as her husband made quick work of her, sailing to victory after two embarrassingly lopsided games. When she taunted him and talked trash in a pathetic attempt to throw him off his game, he merely laughed and pointed to the scorecard.
When he began their third match by knocking down nine pins, Prissy decided it was time to employ another strategy.
While Stan was waiting for his ball to be queued up, she unfastened the top four buttons of her fitted sweater, revealing enough cleavage to tantalize and distract without getting herself arrested for indecent exposure.
When Stan looked at her, she undid her ponytail and shook her hair loose, then combed her fingers through the thick, relaxed strands. As Stan watched her, she leaned across the table and plucked a cherry Tootsie Pop from the bowl of leftover Halloween candy. Sheunwrappedthe lollipop and began licking it slowly and provocatively.
Stan was riveted.
“Better go before you forfeit your turn, baby,” she warned silkily.
He swallowed hard and nodded, then turned away. Prissy watched as he rolled the ball down the lane and narrowly—uncharacteristically—missed the spare pin.
When he turned and shot her an accusing look, she sighed dramatically. “Better luck next time.”
Stan scowled.
Smothering a triumphant grin, Prissy got up and started toward him, hips swaying as she sucked the Tootsie Pop. Stan’s dark eyes glittered with hunger as he stared at her mouth and the plump swell of her cleavage.
As they approached each other, she slid the lollipop out of her mouth and gave it one last flick of her tongue, then held it out to Stan. “Could you hold this for me?”
“With pleasure.”As he eased the glistening lollipop between his lips, her nipples hardened. Ignoring her body’s traitorous reaction, she gave him a sultry smile and swatted him on the backside as she strolled past.
After picking up her ball, she took her sweet time perfecting her stance at the line and targeting her desired arrow. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she saw that Stan was staring fixedly at her ass.
Hiding a satisfied smile, Prissy turned back, leaned forward and wiggled her butt before releasing the ball. It traveled down the middle of the lane and struck eight pins with a satisfyingthwack!
Prissy cheered and pumped her fist. Her luck was changing already.
Or so she thought.
The next time she rolled the ball, she came up empty.
“Damn,” she grumbled.
As Stan sauntered past her, he leaned down and taunted softly, “Better luck next time.”
