Lara soaped up her breasts and let her hand travel down to her treasure trove. She wanted to release the tension from her body, but everything was going wrong for her. None of her strokes had any effect on her. After several minutes of targeted caresses to her own body, she gave up and opened the shower door to find nothing hanging on the hook.
“Where the hell is the other towel? Fuck. How many more things can go wrong?”
Lara shivered as she walked out of the shower dripping wet.
Espresso poked his black furry head just inside the bathroom door.
Lara looked down at Rachel’s cat. “What are you looking at? I’m entitled to a hissy fit now and again.” She reached into the cabinet where the extra towels were stacked neatly on top of one another and pulled one from the top.
Sauntering naked into her bedroom, Lara considered what clothes she needed to pack for her week long get-away. She liked to do her pre-planning ahead of time. She would pack her suitcase after selecting clothes from her back up wardrobe that she left at the penthouse. By the time she went to pick Sophia up, she wouldn’t have to waste her precious time deciding what would come with her on the trip.
She stepped into her comfortable pants and pulled her soft natural cotton shirt over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. The tiny crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes were starting to become more prominent. Vanity was beginning to get the best of her and she decided to consider some minor plastic surgery. She wasn’t positive when she would be able to fit that in with her busy schedule, but she would just have to make some time. Turning forty was not a welcome milestone.
It was still relatively early, but certainly Sophia would be awake by now. Sophia tended to be an early riser, especially when she slept alone. Lara assumed that she was able to catch up on her sleep these past two nights. She wondered why the phone went straight to voicemail when she’d try to call earlier.
Espresso sprawled his long lean body across the bed and lifted his head when Lara sat on the bed next to him and put on her shoes.
“Meow.”
“Well, excuse me. I guess I disturbed the king. I should have told Rachel I needed to leave yesterday. A lot of good it did me to stay one more night, I didn’t even get to sleep with her, but you did, didn’t you. Lucky bastard. I still can’t believe she left me sleeping in the recliner. It’ll take two days to work out the kinks in my back. Oh, what do you care? I’ve officially lost all my marbles—talking to a cat.”
Lara picked up her phone from the dresser and called Sophia again. When a groggy Sophia finally answered the phone after four rings, Lara wondered why she was still in bed. “I’m sorry, babe, did I wake you up. Yes, I got everything done and I’m ready to pack a bag and be on our way. I’m not sure we’ll make the eleven am flight, so I’ll call and rearrange our flight for two. That should give you enough time to pack and be ready to leave by noon. I hope you are as excited as I am. I’ll see you in a little while. I love you.”
Lara decided she would call Rachel on her way to pick up Sophia. She wasn’t sure when she would get a chance to break away and call her when she was on her way to Rosario, so she might as well take advantage of the shitty Seattle traffic that was sure to delay her drive to Hotel 1000 where Sophia was waiting at the penthouse.
Hopefully, she’d learn more about the breakfast date with Joy. There had to be a way to keep those two apart while she was out of town with Sophia. Maybe she could ask Chandra to keep Joy occupied. Chandra was exactly Joy’s type. Chandra might even have some fun. Lara rationalized that everything would work out and she was just doing everything to keep all parties happy. What was the harm in that? She wasn’t really pimping Chandra out. Joy was charming and beautiful. Chandra was single. It was the perfect solution to her current dilemma.
†
Rachel hugged Sophia, holding on a few seconds more than she would normally. “Lara is nothing if not punctual, so you better get back to the penthouse.”
Her hands absently caressed the sides of Sophia’s arms. “Listen, you’re going to do just fine. I hate like hell to ask you to do this, but you have to act as though nothing at all is wrong. I’ll take care of all the legal paperwork, but I may need you to respond to a text here and there as I work with your attorney. We’ll see you tomorrow. All you have to do is make sure she doesn’t whisk you to a new location. Lara is very clever—one change of venue is child’s play to her, so two won’t pose much of a challenge. We have to time it just right so she can’t do a damn thing about the inevitable. I want her to see the train coming and know she’s doomed.”
Rachel felt Sophia pulling her in for another hug and she melted into her arms. After she broke away from Sophia, their hands remained linked together.
“Thank you for taking care of all the legal crap. I honestly don’t have the energy for it. Do you think you might be interested in taking a short vacation after this is all over? I’ve always wanted to spend time in the Pacific Northwest and I’d hate to return home with my tail between my legs. I begged for this time off and I’ll be damned if I’ll let her ruin my vacation,” Sophia announced.
“You know. There are an awful lot of places I’ve never visited. I’d love to hang out with you and Joy. I’m due a bit of vacation. Sure. I think that would be lovely. Count me in. We can make plans after the shit show is finished. You really better get going now. No more procrastination.” Rachel broke away from Sophia and kissed her cheek. “Good luck.”
“Thanks for your help too, Joy,” Sophia said.
“Anytime. You know I’ll always have your back.”
Sophia started walking toward the exit.
“Come on kiddo, let’s go meet with your attorney and wrap up the boring stuff and then we can have some more fun.” Joy flung her arm over Rachel’s shoulder and they followed Sophia out of the café.
†
Lara entered the penthouse and listened to the shower running. Having already planned which clothes she wanted to take to the islands, she began pulling out the various outfits to pack in her suitcase.
She found Sophia’s bag open on the bed with a pair of casual pants and pullover top laid neatly next to the fully packed case.
Lara smiled as she noted the outfit. It was one of her favorites. The blouse clung to Sophia’s shapely curves and accentuated her full round breasts. Sophia always knew how to select clothes that would complement her coloring. Her classic beauty was easy to showcase, but Sophia had a knack for choosing just the right style.
Lara lifted her head when she heard the shower turn off.
Sophia walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body and her long wet hair hanging loose in a disheveled manner. She oozed sensuality.
Lara gently loosened the towel. She watched the droplets of water make their way down Sophia’s breast. Bunching the towel up, she pressed it against the ends of Sophia’s hair. She leaned down and captured Sophia’s lips in a slow torturous kiss. For a brief second she thought she felt Sophia tense in her arms before acquiescing to the kiss.
Sophia broke away, pulled the towel from Lara’s hand, and vigorously rubbed her hair. “I don’t think we have time to start anything if we plan on catching that plane.”
“You just look so tantalizing right now. I better stop gawking at my beautiful wife and finish packing while you get dressed.”
“Good idea. We’ll have plenty of time for that when we get to the resort.”
†
Sophia stepped up to the counter with her bag. She’d wanted to avoid raising any suspicion so she made sure to pack enough for a weeklong excursion. Unfortunately, she was unaware of the weight limit.
The young woman frowned as she hefted the bag onto the counter. “The bag is ten pounds more than the limit, ma’am. We’ll have to wait to see if we’ll be able to put this on the plane. How much do you weigh?”
“Excuse me?” Sophia asked.
“Your weight. I need to know how much you weigh so I can balance the plane.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Sophia glanced at Lara.
“No, hon, she’s not. This is standard with small planes,” Lara answered.
“Women never tell the truth about their weight and I’m supposed to get up in a plane that quite possibly is imbalanced?” Sophia asked.
“We know that, ma’am, it’s why we usually add ten pounds to whatever number that is given to us,” the woman whispered.
Sophia chuckled nervously. “You’re sure this is safe? A lot of famous musicians have died in these tiny planes.”
“If you’re talking about Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens—that was like fifty years ago. It’s perfectly safe, hon. Kenmore Air has a stellar safety record,” Lara soothed.
Sophia was already nervous enough about continuing to act as if nothing was wrong and now she had to squeeze into what felt like a tin can with wings. She tried to visualize Rachel’s encouraging smile. She wished that Rachel was the one performing in this little one act play, but unfortunately, the situation didn’t call for that particular rendition. She tried to imagine how Rachel would react. She was vibrant and adventurous. She would love going up in a floatplane. If only she was more like Rachel.
Joy always told her that opposites attract.
Wait, where did that come from?
She needed to stop having random thoughts about her co-conspirator
“Ma’am? Your weight?”
Sophia shook her head. “Um, sorry. I’m one hundred and twenty five pounds and you do not need to add ten pounds to that number.”
The woman gazed across Sophia’s body. “You may be the only woman to give her true weight, but I would say that looks about right.”
“One thirty-five and don’t even think about adding ten pounds to that number,” Lara growled.
Sophia was grateful that in an effort to balance the plane, she did not have to sit next to Lara. She could enjoy the view from the window and mentally prepare for her role as the dutiful and loving wife. Her stomach churned thinking about what she might have to endure during the next couple of days. Oddly, she felt like a prostitute—or at least she would if she had to have sex with Lara. Sex for the sake of the plan was extremely distasteful to her, but she would do whatever she needed to do.
Rachel had promised that her forensic accountant would be able to uncover everything they needed within forty-eight hours. She’d doubled his fee in an attempt to get the report as quick as possible and he’d assured her that she would have most of the information she needed within twenty-four hours. Seattle Children’s Hospital was about to receive a very generous donation to their foundation. At least something positive would come from this mess.
Four other passengers joined Sophia and Lara on their flight. The excited chatter filled the small cabin as the plane began its ascent into the air.
Sophia remained quiet in her seat. When the plane reached cruising altitude of eight thousand feet, she focused on the aerial view of Lake Union. What she saw from the tiny window took her breath away. Her fear of flying in the small plane floated away like tiny seeds from a dandelion flower. Could she make a wish like when she’d blown on the weed as a child? If only it were that simple, she would wish for this mess to all be finished.
In the distance, Sophia could see the snowcapped mountain peeking through the clouds. Mount Baker was every bit as awe-inspiring as Mount Rainer. Everywhere she looked, Sophia saw the lush landscape of Seattle and eventually, the San Juan Islands. It looked like a thousand diamonds sparkling on the dark blue water of the sound. Flourishing green forests peppered the water in an uneven pattern.
Sophia felt a calm come over her as she looked out at the famous archipelago of the northwest. Suddenly, she wished she could share this view with Rachel. It was an odd thought that she wasn’t prepared to analyze at this particular moment.
As the plane began its descent into the harbor where the seaplane dock was located, Sophia took a deep breath. Landing on water was a brand new experience for her. She could hear her mother’s voice in her ears,
if you can’t drive there, count me out
.
Too much of Sophia’s ordered life was influenced by her cautious mother. Even during her college days, with Joy encouraging her wilder side, she remained more reserved. Her mother’s death hadn’t changed a thing. She’d broken away some when she met Lara, but deep down she was still that play by the rules, prudent young girl that her mother raised. If only her mother could see her now—scheming with her wife’s mistress— or whatever you’d call Rachel— and landing on a speck of water.