“See that one? That’s an aerial photo of Ljubljana, where Kat and Dom are from. They said you can see their old house in it, but it’s a wide view, so you can’t exactly make out the details.” The voice listing and explaining the various points of interest was so close to bubbling over with excitement that it forced Ed to forget his discomfort and shoot her a grin.
“Wow, are you thinking about a side-gig as curator of the Museum of Novak?” Ed lightly elbowed his wife in the shoulder, and Michelle giggled, her green eyes dancing with giddiness behind those black, fashionable glasses she wore that always, always made Ed think of a naughty librarian, no matter how many times he kicked himself for being immature.
“Sorry, sorry… I just love it here, and I want you to love it too.” Michelle kissed him on the cheek fondly, leaning over to press her more-than generous chest into his own shoulder as she did. “But yeah, I guess I have been spending a lot of time with Kat and Dom. Kat especially is fantastic.” She paused, as if realizing she needed to say more. “I mean, Dom is great too. I really think you two could be friends.”
His wife stayed pressed to him as she talked, and though Ed appreciated the feel of those wonderful breasts against him–no matter that it was for the millionth time in their ten years of marriage and five years of dating before that–he still wished she’d chosen something to wear other than that tight v-neck sweater that dipped so low and exposed so much of those selfsame breasts. Well, it is for me, she said. He glanced down at the skirt that was just short enough to reveal a couple inches of skin at the top of her thigh-high stockings, and couldn’t help but give a leer. And she does know what gets me wound up. Hopefully this meal, or whatever, is quick.
Special surprise birthday gift; that was the announcement that Michelle had made that morning, nearly as soon as the couple had woken, and Ed had immediately perked right up. When she told him that they were going to be spending the evening at their neighbors’ house, though, his interest had become incredulity. She’d gotten to know the eastern European couple that had moved in six months before, but he never really had. It was an odd choice to celebrate his birthday, and he’d let her know that, but she had just smiled and went right into corporate lawyer mode.
Michelle Lawrence was a master dealmaker, her stellar career was proof of that, and she knew how to negotiate, even if she had taken a step back to become more part-time in the last year. A morning spent slavering all over his cock, then riding him like a cowgirl possessed by the devil was more than enough to get Ed to concede to her plan, mysterious as it was.
Lying in their bed that morning, sweaty and laughing, a post-orgasmic Michelle had planted kiss-after-kiss on her husband’s face. “Okay, due diligence time…” Ed laughed, but she ignored him. “I rocked your world… but you made me cum twice…” She’s sounded like she was tallying up a bar tab. “…and it’s your birthday, and after what you did for mine, I definitely owe you… hmm. Yep. You’re ahead.”
Ed had kissed her long and hard then, weaving his fingers through her disheveled black hair, trying, futilely, he knew, to bring her back to reality. “Gorgeous, you don’t have invento–”
“Oh yes I do, sweetest.” She propped herself up to stare at him, those emerald eyes full of affection. “You’re a doctor, you give. It’s your nature. My nature is to make sure that all parties are fully satisfied.” She initiated the kiss this time. “That’s why we work.” She smiled. “And that’s why I’ve decided that, since there’s a definite imbalance, my surprise gift for you tonight will have to do to bring us to parity.” She chuckled. “We can reevaluate in the morning.”
Back in the present, a side door opened, the one that the home’s owners had disappeared into about twenty minutes before. Not exactly the pinnacle of good hosting to leave the guests alone, but Michelle had spent so much time there that it wasn’t as awkward as it could have been. Really, Ed was the only stranger in the place. Still, you’d never be able to tell by the radiant smile that the woman emerging from the dining room gave to him as she spied them on the couch, cuddled together lovingly. “Edward, you really can’t let your wife go for even a minute, can you?” The only-lightly-accented words had a tinge of familiarity, like they’d known each other for years. Michelle must have really talked him up while getting to know the woman.
Though unexpected, the question was given with such fondness that Ed found himself warming. “Well, Katja, what can I say? I have to make sure this knock-out I married knows that I have at least a mild affection for her.” He waggled a brow sarcastically. “Y’know… like a lost puppy.”
Michelle smiled hugely, but slapped him playfully on the arm in a show of mock severity. “Did you just basically call me a sexy dog?”
Ed grimaced and threw up his hands. “I plead the fifth, counsellor.”
Katja burst out laughing then, and Ed couldn’t help but look at her, even though he knew that he had to handle the act with more care than he did the scalpel he used every day. He could admit to himself that one of the reasons he’d been nervous to come here was that he knew he’d be in close proximity to this Slavic woman before him. What was the old stereotype about those eastern European ladies? They were either three-hundred pounds of lard under a babushka… or angels from heaven deigning to mingle with mortals from on high, with no in-between?
Wall, there was no doubt which category Katja Novak fell into. The golden-haired goddess took each step like she was seconds away from giving up the pretense and just dancing her way through the room. She was nearly everything that Michelle wasn’t; tanned, tall, and sleek, with perky but modest breasts and a gym-toned ass, rather than middling sized and lushly rounded like his wife. Not that Michelle was overweight in the slightest–her curves were in all the right places–but the other woman looked like a runway model with her high cheekbones, frosty blue eyes, and glamorously coifed blonde hair, not to mention her smokily-sexy accent, even mild as it was.
Yep, being around his immigrant neighbor felt like it should have been a minefield, but Ed was confident in navigating it. As trite as it sounded, no woman really existed for him other than Michelle. His gorgeous bride. His soulmate.
“Misha, Dom has a question about the recipe you insisted on.” Ed got a quizzical look on his face at the nickname the woman so casually used. He’d never heard it before. Wow, they really are friends. It was a wonder; Michelle was many things, but gregarious was not one of them. She was so driven, she didn’t ever have time for a large circle of friends. Her days, until the recent, forcible easing of her foot on the gas pedal, had largely been filled by work and Ed himself. This new-formed relationship was… nice. He was glad that these two were close. He just hoped that he and the man of the house, Dominik, could get along like Michelle so obviously wanted.
At the statement, Michelle rolled her eyes dramatically. “Thanks, Kat. I swear, I’ve never met a man so confident, but so meticulous. Even for a professional chef, he goes above and beyond to make sure every single detail is just right.”
The criticism was said with a fond smile, so Katja just nodded. “Proper steps lead to perfect outcomes, correct? Nothing to complain about.”
Giving Ed a squeeze on the thigh, Michelle got to her feet. “Absolutely true. In any case, it’s also the perfect time for you two to get to know each other.” Without brooking any protest, she gently took Katja by the upper arms and maneuvered her over to the couch, seating the nonplussed woman a few feet from her husband. “I shouldn’t be too long, but you’re in good hands.” She grinned. “Both of you.”
With Michelle exiting like a whirlwind, Ed didn’t have a chance to get a word in, and now he was back to shifting awkwardly on the couch, struggling to come up with a single thing to say. Katja, oddly, was in the same boat. The woman seemed so sophisticated and elegant, he’d have assumed that she was a conversational master, but she just sat there for a full minute, nervously playing with the cuff of her form-fitting cream blouse, shooting him an occasional glance, then looking away in a complete one-eighty from what she’d been only seconds before.
Finally, he cleared his throat and gave her a smile. “I’m glad you’re friends with Michelle. You and Dominik have been the best neighbors we’ve had. I’m… uh, looking forward to getting to know your husband. And you, of course. Michelle thinks we can be friends too, and she’s smarter than…” He paused at the look on her face. “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”
Katja was staring at the floor as she shook her head. “No, Edward. You are fine.” She looked up at him then and, strangely, rubbed his arm with her hand before giving it a deep, lingering squeeze. He didn’t say anything–if it seemed overly familiar, well, different customs and whatnot–but he couldn’t help but note that she really, really looked like she wanted to do more. Like she was waiting for something, or trying to decide something. After a long moment, she dropped her hand and her eyes both. “Misha told me what you did for her birthday last month.”