Authors: Thirteen

Full Disclosure (6 page)

“Roy! Hello.” She grabbed his hands. “Gosh, it’s good to see you.”

“‘Um, it’s good to see you, too.”

“How are things? Did you ever get that overseas call?”

Overseas? Roy blanked for a moment, then he remembered. “Oh, oh, yeah, I did. The transfer went fine.”

“Glad to hear it. How are you?”

“I-I’m all right.” His heart was racing. He couldn’t seem to stop scanning her features. Those beautiful dark eyes, the high cheekbones. Had she always been so radiant? “How about you?”

“Pretty much the same.”

“Are you with anyone?” he asked, glancing from one side of the bar to the other. There was no one sitting on either side of her, and the bar was almost empty, but he still tensed asking it. She might be waiting for someone, after all.

“Nope,” she sighed, but her smile never dimmed. “My cottage cheese thighs are keeping the men at bay. What about you? Can you sit down and talk for a moment? Or are you on your way to meet Lila?”

That struck him. She’d been that thrilled to see him, was still elated, and yet she thought he was with Lila?
Oh, fuck me,
he thought.
Why did I ever part from this woman?

“I’m not with her,” he confessed. “It didn’t work out between us.”

“Seriously?” Her eyes filled with concern. “Oh, Roy, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

He lowered his voice. “You happened, or we happened. That night of full disclosure—”

“Jesus.” She gripped his hands harder. “Tell me.”

He shifted and swallowed past a knot in his throat. “Lila returned to me because Mr. Moneybags was too demanding. But after what you and I had that night...it was like I’d been given x-ray vision. I was still attracted to her, but I could see everything underneath. I knew, no matter what she said, that she really didn’t want to come back. All she wanted was a stand-in. Her new shoes had hurt her feet and she had no option but to wear her old, comfortable pair till she found others.”

“Fuck. That’s terrible.”

“It was pretty scary,” he agreed. “I saw this future with Lila: her leaving and coming back to me whenever she needed a stopgap. And I could see myself playing that role, worn down a little more each time till there was nothing left.” He caught his breath. “And do you know, even being completely aware of all that...I still almost said yes?”

Janet felt her gut tighten, especially when Roy’s gaze fell, and he turned his head away in shame. His honesty with her, his full disclosure, both moved and humbled her.

“Come on.” She slid off the stool and, glancing about to make sure no one was watching, drew him to the bathroom. She slipped them in and locked the door.

“Um,” Roy said, “I really don’t think—”

“No sex,” she smiled, and put her arms around him. “Scout’s honor. I just want to hold you and tell you it’s all right. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, gripping her back. He’d been so afraid she wouldn’t want to talk to him again, let alone touch him. Relief nearly made him cry. “In one night you made me feel more like a man than Lila ever did. You were completely open and honest; Lila never was. Yet the second she showed up, I was running to her. I know I’m a shit. I just didn’t think I was that much of a shit.”

“If wanting to go back to an ex makes you a shit, then I’m one, too. I’d probably have done the same if Billy had shown up.”

“Well, he’d better not show up now,” Roy said fiercely, “Because I swear, if he does, I’ll beat the crap out of him. First, for treating you so bad, and second because I’ve no intention of giving you up. I’ve been coming here every night hoping to find you.”

“What?”

He shrugged ruefully. “I didn’t know where you lived, and you didn’t give me your number. Or your last name. Oh, Janet, you don’t know how glad I am to see you! Here. Sit down.” Roy lowered the toilet lid. When she’d settled, he knelt down before her. “I’ve a new proposal: I want to disclose even more of myself to you. Show you my tax returns, dental records, internet porn sites, anything you want to know. Just go out with me again and let me get to know you better.”

They were holding hands. Roy saw Janet concentrating on his fleshy palms, running her long fingers over them. She looked up and he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. She wiped at them as if refusing to cry.

“I—” she began, even as a pounding on the door interrupted them.

“Hey! Hurry it up in there!”

“Shit!” Roy stood up.

“Come on,” Janet said, rising to unlock the door, and he noticed that she was trembling. “Let’s get out of here.”

The man waiting for the bathroom scowled at them. “Get a fuckin’ room why don’t ya?”

“What a good idea,” Janet laughed and wiped at her eyes again. Roy noted, however, that she kept smiling even as she blinked back the tears. It was very sexy.

They put on their coats, and Roy held the door for her. It was another cool, windy night, but unlike the last time, the shakiness Janet felt had nothing to do with nervousness. In fact, she couldn’t remember ever being so happy. Or stunned. Roy must have felt the like, because he just stood gazing at her, like he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

“You, um, never answered,” he finally ventured. “About my proposal. Do you...want to do it?”

“Do I want to do it?” Janet echoed. Then she leaned in and kissed him, long and slow. When she finally swayed back, he was breathing hard.

“Why the hell not?” she said. “What do you say to cheap tacos, lots of hot sauce? And maybe afterwards, a shared bath at my place? I’ve a tub big enough for two. You can complain about my girly soaps and the fact that you have to shave with pink razors.”

“And you can complain about my smelly socks and how loud I snore.”

“I snore too,” Janet said, as they strolled away from the bar. “And hog the blankets.”

“Of course you do.” Roy’s eyes were bright. “I am, however, going to make one obnoxious demand of you. Whatever else we do tonight, we keep our exes out of it. Not one mention of either of them. From now on, it’s just us. Me and you.”

“Mmmm. Sounds very therapeutic. I agree to your obnoxious demand, on the condition that you meet my, one, annoying requirement.”

“Which is?”

“Leave your cell phone off.”

Roy grinned and possessively slipped his arm about her waist. “Yes ma’am.”

T
HIRTEEN

In the Fall of 2005, Thirteen felt a desire to read some romantic erotica and went to an online website to indulge. Halfway through this indulgence, it occurred to her that she had a few erotic and romantic stories she wanted to tell. Six years, four awards—including one from a French website—and twenty-two stories later, she's still writing erotic romances. Who knew such large rewards would come from such a small indulgence? Thirteen lives in a seaside town with a cat, a strange but sexy man who says he's her husband, and a very romantic imagination.

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