Free The Wives of Beverly Row 2: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks Page A

eyes were tearing up. Did she really have no idea Matt was in love with her ?
    “He said that the two of you never crossed the line, you never did anything improper, but that basically the reason he broke up with Cathy was because she could tell he was in love with you.”
    For once, Veronica was speechless. Tears welled up in her eyes and dropped down over her cheeks. “He’s in love with me?” she whispered.
    “You had no idea?”
    “I knew there was a chemistry, I knew there was something , but I thought it was all in my imagination. I figured I was just fantasizing about him all the time because I’ve always been so bored with Hank.”
    “Sounds like there’s more to it than a fantasy.”
    Veronica shook her head. “How can there ever be more to it? I’m happily married to Hank.”
    “Happily married?”
    “Well,” Veronica said, “I guess that depends on what you’d define as happily. But I’m secure, I’m safe with Hank.”
    Ariel nodded. She knew as much as anyone about the trade-offs life demanded. Security instead of love, stability instead of excitement, safety instead of happiness, those were the decisions women were all too often forced to make.
    “What are you going to do?” Ariel said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “You know exactly what I mean,” Ariel said. “Matt’s a babe, he’s stunning, and he’s in love with you.”
    Veronica sighed. “I guess I’m going to do what I’ve been doing for years. I’m going to cherish my friendship with him, spend as much time with him as I can get away with, but stay loyal to my husband.”
    Ariel nodded. She couldn’t argue with that. It was probably what she would have advised. Still though, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed for Veronica. No one wanted to forgo a chance at real happiness. She knew she didn’t.
    “You know I had to pass him up too,” Ariel said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I could have slept with him the other night.”
    “That was the idea,” Veronica said. “I was the one who hooked you up, remember?”
    “Yes,” Ariel said, “but how could I sleep with him after he confessed to being in love with you?”
    Veronica nodded. “You’re giving me more than I deserve,” she said.
    “You’re my friend, Veronica. There are plenty of men out there that I can sleep with without spoiling the thing you’ve got going with Matt.”
    “But I don’t have a thing going with Matt.”
    “Sure you do,” Ariel said and winked. “You just don’t let it break above the surface, it’s all suppressed, it’s secret, even to you. I think that’s romantic.”
    Veronica smiled. She reached out and touched Ariel on the hand.
    “Speaking of romantic,” she said, “you want to hear an awful story?”
    “You know I do,” Ariel said.
    “It’s partly your fault, too.”
    “What is?”
    “After dinner the other night, after you left, Hank started asking what my secret fetish was.”
    “Oh God!” Ariel said.
    “Yes.”
    “I’m so sorry I brought it up.”
    “Don’t be, you didn’t mean any harm.”
    “So what did you tell him?”
    “I told him the truth. I told him I’d always had a thing for anal.”
    “Oh God, Veronica, I’m so sorry for bringing that up.”
    “So get this, he says he’s going to give me what I want.”
    Ariel had to put her hand in front of her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. “He didn’t!”
    “He did.”
    “And how did that go?”
    “You can imagine.”
    “Not good?”
    “He couldn’t get it inside me. He tried, he used lotion and lube, but I was too tight.”
    “It’s not the easiest thing to do,” Ariel said.
    “I know, but Hank took it all so personally. He’s a drama queen. He thought it meant he was a failure. He thought I was comparing him to my former lovers.”
    “Were you?”
    “Of course I was,” Veronica said, shaking her head. “I’ve been doing that for six years, and I so miss the passionate times I had in my younger