Jennifer went home after work.
The bondage fantasy with Jake popped into her head again. Why had her mind been so preoccupied with these kinds of thoughts lately? It had to be her immersion in her textbooks, her classes, and her work with Dr. Prentice that had led her down this path.
What else could it be? Surely Jennifer wouldn’t have come up with this bondage fantasy on her own. Jennifer considered herself conservative. She was a girl who was dating the son of a multimillionaire. The sex they shared was definitely vanilla, but wasn’t that enough?
Sex was enjoyable, but it was for making babies, not living out the depraved fantasies that were on Jennifer’s mind. Like sex with Jake. Jake. Jake. Jake.
She couldn’t consider the possibility of Jake in her real life. She was in a committed relationship. But was she rushing into the role of a wife and mother too early? Maybe. And what if she was one of those people who wanted to explore life and sex without worrying about the consequences?
That kind of life would be impossible with a husband and children. She wouldn’t do that to them. Maybe this was the time to sow her wild oats. Dr. Prentice was attracted to the darker side of sex, but it was too late for her. She didn’t have children, but she had built a life with Foster she couldn’t just abandon. Or could she?
Jennifer knew that Dr. Prentice was using her male patients to write her book, but was there something more? Grant Dalton had cut his therapy sessions short without any explanation. He was on the extended care plan, so it wasn’t about money. Maybe Dr. Prentice had made a pass at him. As a guy, he wouldn’t say anything about it, but it made Jennifer wonder what had happened to him.
According to the notes Aubrey had delved into Grant’s sexual encounters with a tenacity that would make anyone uncomfortable. That’s probably why he left. Jennifer already knew about Dr. Prentice’s attraction to Ian. She would read his file tomorrow. Maybe there were fantasies yet to be fulfilled there. Or maybe there were juicy details about Ian’s personal life, like his marriage.
Now that she thought about it, the only notes Dr. Prentice had on Ian were from Ian Henshaw Senior, or gossip from the Orchard Park Country Club. Was Dr. Prentice building a personal file for the man she referred to as her prototype?
The only thing Jennifer could think of was that these other patients were the opening acts for the main event. If that was the case, what would stop Jennifer from doing the same? Now, Jake Andrews had become a real possibility for her to explore her sexuality. And now that she thought about it, she would look for flaws in Garson so she could get rid of him.
Her boyfriend, Garson, was the complete opposite of Jake. She met Garson in college when he was finishing his business degree. He was aiming to take over his father’s holding company someday. They dated during his senior year but took a break while Garson moved to the city to pursue his MBA. After he finished, he was appointed the new vice-president of his father’s holding company, The Joss Group, in Orchard Park.
The Joss Group held voting stock in several of the Henshaw companies, both in New York and internationally. Jennifer initially dated Garson Joss because she was attracted to him, but she kept dating him mainly because she believed he would help her pay for graduate school.
However, now that Garson’s education was finished, Jennifer realized he only wanted to marry her and have children. Garson’s parents loved Jennifer, and since he had already completed his education, all Jennifer needed to do was say yes.
Garson would have everything he wanted. And Jennifer would have, what?
So she kept making it clear that they were just dating. She didn’t know where she wanted to go to school to pursue her doctorate or finally settle down. Garson dismissed Jennifer’s plans of becoming a psychiatrist, feeling that he could give her whatever she wanted. He didn’t want her career to distract from their future family.
As far as Jennifer was concerned, she would keep Garson around until she got a better offer, or he caved in and let her earn her doctorate. Until then, he could follow her around and put up with any nonsense she sent his way.
He was so pussy-whipped.
Jennifer went to the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass and watched a reality show she had been loosely following. It was about people her age having fun and getting into trouble at the beach. Suddenly, she felt the urge to go out.
She phoned Garson to ask him to meet her at the Ascot. She wanted him to buy her dinner and drinks.
He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” he answered.
“Not much, I was thinking of going to the Ascot tonight. Wanna join me?”
“I can’t. I have some quarterly reports to finish.”
“Can’t they wait? I want to see you.”
“I hate to disappoint you. Tell you what, I can be there at ten.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Jennifer hung up the phone before he could say, Love you.
So, he wouldn’t be there until later. Jennifer would have to find someone else to entertain her until he got there.
And since she would be waiting alone, she wanted to look hot.
Not pretty. Not cute. Hot. The kind of hot that made men lose their train of thought mid-sentence. The kind that made Garson jealous enough to remember she wasn’t something he owned. The kind that made a man like Jake, with rough hands and hungry eyes, glance her way twice.
Jennifer stood, carrying her wine glass into her bedroom.
She was looking for something to wear that would make her gorgeous. No, slutty. Or somewhere in between.
Her closet door creaked as she opened it.
“Fuck, I don’t have anything to wear,” she said to herself. She wore so many nice things for Garson and work that she had neglected her party clothes.
She looked through her closet until she found a dress on a hanger protected by a plastic garment bag. She hadn’t ever worn this dress. She didn’t have an occasion to.
The dress was a black minidress that fit in all the right places.
She pulled the dress out of its plastic and held it up to her body. Perfect.
As she changed, the thought of Jake returned to her mind. It was uninvited, but not unwelcome. She pictured his slumped shoulders, hands shoved in his pockets, a permanent scowl on his face. Nothing like polished, money-scented Garson, who apologized when he bumped into furniture and worried about scuffing his designer shoes.
Jake looked like he would take what he wanted.
Her skin warmed.
The fantasy lingered. She hoped Garson wouldn’t show up. The Ascot was a place where you might meet a handsome guy who would buy you drinks. Who may have gotten the wrong idea. How would Garson react?
She flicked on the small vanity lamp and leaned in close to the mirror.
Her cheeks were flushed from the wine, but the color gave her an inviting glow. She touched up her mascara and applied a matte red lipstick to complete her look.
She slipped on her heels and checked herself in the mirror. She looked like trouble. Bright-eyed, luscious, slightly tipsy trouble. Exactly what she wanted.
Then she laughed softly to herself and locked the apartment door behind her.
The night air was warm and pleasant. Downtown Orchard Park was already lively. Cars were searching for parking, cheerful laughter was coming from outdoor cafés, and strings of lights were hung in the trees to create a festive feel.
The Ascot Bar & Grill was only a ten-minute walk from the apartment, but Jennifer took her time, hips swaying, enjoying the thrill of knowing the world was about to look back at her.
Inside, the lighting was low and warm. Conversations floated around the bistro, and the scent of fried food mixed with top-shelf whiskey.
Jennifer scanned the room.
No Garson, of course. He’d be stuck behind a spreadsheet until ten, exactly as promised.
But there was a handsome bartender. Athletic and social, flashing a brilliant smile. He was a perfect way to pass the time.
When Jennifer sat at the bar, he laid out a cocktail napkin and introduced himself as Vaughn.
Vaughn didn’t just smile. He beamed. He directed his attention to Jennifer with the charm of a guy who knew he was good-looking but pretended to be humbled by her beauty.
“Evening,” he said, “What can I get you?”
Jennifer put her purse on the bar and tilted her head flirtatiously. “Surprise me.”
“Oh, dangerous request.” Vaughn’s grin deepened. “But I like dangerous.”
He moved with a smooth, practiced confidence, showing off with his bartending tricks: tin flips and pivots, the shake and stir, and the swoop cut. Jennifer watched the way his shoulders shifted under his fitted T-shirt while he performed for her. Not bad.
He set the drink in front of her. “Try that.”
She took a sip. Sweet, delicious, with a kick.
“What is this?”
“A Violet Crown,” he said. “Thought it matched the energy you’re giving off.”
“And what energy is that?”
“Someone who came here wanting to be seen.”
Jennifer felt the warmth of the liquor spreading through her body. Or was it the deep gaze of the bartender that made her feel the heat?
“Well,” Jennifer said, “this certainly is potent.”
He flashed his smile. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”
She took a longer look at him. Tattoo peeking from under one sleeve, strong jawline, green eyes that sparkled.
“Do you work here every night?” she asked.
“Most nights,” he said, leaning closer. “Except Thursdays. That’s when I do other things,”
“What kind of things?”
“Depends. Some nights I like going out. Some nights I like staying in. And some nights…it depends on who I meet.”
Jennifer smirked. This was exactly what she wanted. Attention, heat, something to occupy her until Garson showed up to play dutiful boyfriend.
She pulled the lemon wedge off the rim of the glass and put it to her mouth. Vaughn’s eyes followed the motion.
“Careful,” he said. “You keep doing things like that, I’m gonna lose my professional composure.”
“Maybe that’s the point.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but someone else approached the bar. Vaughn reluctantly pulled back.
“I’ll be right here,” he said before turning to take the new order.
Jennifer watched him move. Nice ass.
This night might end with Garson buying her dinner and pretending they were the perfect couple.
But before that?
She wanted to feel wanted.
She wanted the fantasy.
She wanted to try things out in a controlled environment, just like Dr. Prentice.
When Vaughn returned, he picked out a glass to polish. “So,” he said, “tell me what you’re really doing here tonight.”
“Waiting for someone.”
“A boyfriend?”
“Yes, my boyfriend Garson,” she said, watching his reaction.
He didn’t flinch. Just smiled. “Lucky guy.”
“Debatable.”
Vaughn laughed. “Should I pretend to be jealous?”
“You don’t strike me as the type to pretend.”
“Then I won’t pretend. Let me know when you want your next drink. Or, when you want something else.”
He flashed that smile again. Practiced in the mirror, probably, but now a deliciously bad habit.
She’d come here to kill time, to get free dinner, to look hot.
Not to meet someone. Not someone like Vaughn.
Vaughn was the man who had very real possibilities.
So how should she play it when Garson showed up?