Free TRUTH by Sherri Hayes Page A

was the only person who could make me feel better afterward. Even now, I felt how far away he was, and I wanted him here with me.
    “Waxing?” she asked.
    “Yes. I never had anything waxed . . . before.” I didn’t have to elaborate. She knew what I meant.
    “Well . . . it does hurt some, but only in certain spots and it’s not that bad. Plus, after a few seconds the pain is gone and so is the hair.” She smiled.
    “They don’t . . . do anything . . . else?”
    She bunched up her nose. “No. I mean she has to touch you in order to get the hair, but that part doesn’t hurt or anything. And it’s not sexual at all, if that’s what you’re asking. She just removes the hair and then it’s done.”
    “She?”
    Lily giggled.  
    “Julie is my esthetician. She’s really nice. I think you’ll like her. I’ve been going to her for years, and she’s always been great.”
    “Will you . . . will you go with me?”
    “Of course. Besides, I doubt Stephan would let you go alone, especially not your first time, knowing how nervous you are.”
    I nodded.
    “What do you say I make us some popcorn and we watch a movie?”
    “Okay.”  
    “Come on,” she said, dragging me over to the bookcase where Stephan kept all the movies.  
    She ran her hand over the titles until she landed on Pretty Woman . I couldn’t remember ever watching it. Lily was stunned when I told her. She insisted it was a classic and that everyone had to watch it at least once. I didn’t argue. I was just happy to do something that didn’t require thinking for a while.
    When Stephan arrived home that night, he held me in his arms and asked me about my day. I started by telling him about my conversation with Lily. He said he was proud of me for facing my fears. It felt good to be in his arms, like I could take a deep breath again.  
    Then he’d asked about Cal. “How do you feel about what Ross said?”
    “I don’t understand,” I told him, truly not getting what he was asking me.
    “Karl told Ross I like to hurt women. How do you feel about that?”
    “You won’t hurt me.” I trusted Stephan more than any other person. He’d had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, and he hadn’t.  
    He kissed my forehead. “No, love, I won’t. You are precious to me.”
    Time ticked by as we sat together with his arms around me. Everything was peaceful. Everything was right.
    We stayed in his chair until it was time for bed, and he guided me into his bedroom. Like the night before, he stripped me of my clothes, touching me in ways that made me feel warm all over. This time, however, after I was naked, he led me into the bathroom. After removing his own clothes, we stepped into the huge marble shower stall that I’d come to love. He washed me and let me wash him. I loved feeling his body under my hands. There were certain places where I’d touch and he would flex in response. I found one of those areas on his stomach, and I touched it over and over just to see his muscles move.  
    “What do you think you’re doing?” He smiled.
    I giggled. “It moves.”  
    “You think that’s funny do you?” he asked, stepping toward me.  
    “Yes.”
    He moved closer still, until our bodies were flush against each other. I could feel his penis, hard and pressing against me. It had also been subject to my exploration. His body was still so new to me, and he seemed to like it when I touched him, so I kept doing it, trying to learn what he liked.
    I expected him to stop moving once we were body against body, but he didn’t. He gripped my shoulders and continued walking us backward until my back was up against the cool tile wall and my front was pressed against the heat of him.  
    “I think you are being a very naughty girl, Brianna.”
    I froze. Was I in trouble? Did I really do something wrong? I felt my anxiety building.
    He leaned forward and kissed me with the slightest brush of his mouth, slipping out his tongue to slide gently