Page 37 of Misbehaving

CHAPTERELEVEN

Beatriz stared at the phone in her hand. Ben had hung up on her without answering her questions. Fine. Whatever. Let him be that way. She had more important things to worry about, like how to best murder Henry and where to bury his body.

Claudia gasped as the two of them—Ben and Henry—entered the room. Beatriz could tell she wanted to run to Henry, but she held back. Her eyes had turned red from crying.

“Is this yours?” Ben asked Beatriz as he handed her the box. Beatriz looked into the box.

“Guide to swinging, open relationships, pegging…”she said, smiling for the first time in hours. “Dildo and harness. Yeah, this is the stuff John sent me, to see if I wanted to review them for the blog. Where did you get them?”

“Look at the label,” Ben said as Claudia and Henry continued to eye each other warily.

“That stupid fucker,” Beatriz said, half-laughing, half-groaning. “I told him to send it to me care of Claudia Spears since she’d booked the hotel room in her name. He sent it to Claudia. John, youcabrón.”

“Those are your books and stuff?” Henry asked Beatriz.

“Yes, they’re mine. Not Claudia’s.” She emptied the box out onto the bed.

“You thought those were mine?” Claudia demanded, looking at books and the sex toys. “You thought I wanted to be in an open relationship?”

“You said you had stuff coming for our honeymoon,” Henry protested. “I asked. This is the box they gave me.”

“I ordered a new swimsuit and beach towels since I forgot to pack ours, Henry.” Claudia nearly yelled the words.

“So you don’t want to be a swinger?” Henry asked.

“No, I don’t want to be a swinger.”

“And I’m enough for you?”

“You are more than enough for me,” Claudia said.

“So you don’t want to fuck me up the butt?” he asked.

Claudia slapped a hand on her forehead.

“No, Henry. I do not want to fuck you up the butt. I mean, unless you wanted me to, and then we can talk about it, but I’d really rather not unless it can’t be avoided.”

“It’s more fun than you think it would be,” Beatriz said. She’d tried it before with an old boyfriend and they’d both thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“Just use lots of lube,” Ben said. Beatriz looked up at him with an arched eyebrow. He put on his most innocent face. “What?” he asked her. “It was a phase.”

Beatriz said nothing. She turned her attention back to Claudia and Henry.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Henry said. “The box had your name on it and I just… I’m an idiot.”

“You had me scared to death. I’ve been crying for three hours,” Claudia said. “What do you have to say to that?”

“I thought you were going to fuck me up the butt.”

“Oh, come here, you ridiculous man.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I was still your fiancée even after you dumped me, you know. I refused to believe you didn’t love me anymore.”

“And I still loved you even when I thought you wanted—”

“To fuck you up the butt. I know.”

“Aww…” Ben said. “I love a heartfelt reunion.”

“They should probably go have make-up sex,” Beatriz hinted loudly. She and Ben needed to talk and needed to talk right now.

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