Free Never Too Late by Patricia Watters Page B

fling seemed exciting when she started on the cruise and she couldn't
stand the sight of Jerry, but now, the thought of finding herself in bed with a
man other than Jerry was like venturing into unfamiliar territory. And the only
time she'd done that, during those sheltered years of growing up as the only
child of Barbara and Carter Ellison, was when she defied them both and ran off
to marry Jerry. Moving from a twenty-two-room mansion overlooking an estuary
into a two-room apartment with a view of a concrete playground was definitely
venturing into unfamiliar territory.
    After slipping
into a pair of designer jeans, a modest knit top, and a plain brown jacket,
Andrea left to join Alessandro. Although she had a mindset against letting him
do anything physical tonight, with a week left to the cruise there was still
time to shed her inhibitions and see what romance in the fast lane would be
like. Jerry hadn't wasted time moving into the fast lane. Maybe that's what
bothered her most. After twenty-five years of loving him, and bearing his
children, and keeping him happy in bed, he had no problem shoving that aside
and welcoming another woman in her place. But she couldn't fault Jerry. She'd
been turning her back to him and feigning sleep for months.
    Alessandro
welcomed her with a light kiss on her forehead. "Ah, querida ," he said, taking her hand and drawing her into the
room. "You did come as promised. I hoped you would. But when you didn't
come as soon as you returned to the ship, I wondered if you'd had second
thoughts after spending an evening with your husband." He placed a kiss on
her palm and another on the flat of her wrist.
    Andrea withdrew
her hand, and said, "My husband and I only celebrated our anniversary to
please our daughters, but it wasn't a good evening. I was so stressed out by it
my stomach was queasy and I could barely get the food down."
    "Then you
must be hungry," Alessandro replied, gazing at her with those hooded,
bedroom eyes. "I'll send for room service, whatever you want."
    "No,
please don't bother," Andrea said, waving a negative hand. "My
stomach's still in a knot. I just need to relax." The encounter with Jerry
was still fresh, the sight of his well-muscled, fully aroused male body, first
ready for her, then turning limp while he stared at her naked body, bothered
her even more now than when it happened. The thought that it would take more
than a face lift and liposuction and silicone implants, along with daily workouts
at the gym, for her to see that old glint of appreciation in Jerry's eyes made
her feel even less desirable than before. And maybe that's how it would end
with Alessandro. He'd strip off her clothes, and while she waited for him to
give her the sexual pleasure Jerry once had, he'd see her sagging breasts and
belly with its stretch marks, and he'd fulfill his gentlemanly obligation to
satisfy her sexual need then graciously send her on her way...
    "Then you
can stretch out on the bed and make yourself comfortable," Alessandro
said, "I'll mix a drink that will calm your nerves, and we'll sit on the
bed and enjoy a movie, and a little cuddling. You promised me, remember?"
    Andrea laughed
lightly, a nervous laugh to release her anxiety with the thought of cuddling
with Alessandro. "A drink would be nice," she said, "But maybe
we'll wait on the cuddling, if you don't mind. I'm not quite ready for
that."
    "Like I
said, querida , I don't want to rush
you. Just relax."
    Feeling vastly
relieved with Alessandro's assurance, Andrea hung her handbag on the back of a
chair, lowered herself to the bed, slipped off her shoes, and lounged against
the pillows that were propped against the headboard. And Alessandro went over
to a wet bar to mix their drinks.
    Glancing over
his shoulder, he said, "The cocktail I'm mixing for you is made with
banana liqueur, rum, orange and pineapple juice, apricot brandy, and
Galliano." After measuring and adding the contents, he gave the mixture a
little stir, then