“So I’m shy. Shoot me.” The truth was strangers who paid her attention scared her. There was always the chance it was a reporter who recognized her and wanted to dissect the past. Heck, recollections of Penisgate still gave her nightmares. Only when she came to know people did the wariness fade to manageable portions.
“Don’t change the subject.” Susan licked the salt off the rim of her glass, her long, straight hair falling forward to cover her cheek. Impatiently, she brushed it back, tucking the annoying strand behind her ear. “Get back to the spanking.” The foil packaging of the peanut packet rustled as she ripped it open. “Carry on.”
Maggie’s nose wrinkled in acknowledgment. Seemed prevarication wouldn’t do the trick. Her friends knew her too well.
“The romance novel was about a couple who used spanking as part of their sex lives. It…” She moistened her lips again, the resulting soreness telling her it was time to quit with the licking. “It turned me on,” she finished on a rush, her gaze dropping to her drink. Her quick sip gave her friends a convenient pause to slip in questions. They didn’t take advantage, remaining silent, waiting for her to speak again.Bother.
“It…ah, made me curious,” Maggie continued. “So I did research and decided spanking sounded interesting, something I wanted to try.” And she still couldn’t believe she’d ignored her past experience and done something that might attract attention from others. She scanned her friend’s faces, waiting for them to say something, anything. “I suppose you think I’m a freak.”
Susan’s hand covered Maggie’s. “We don’t, sweetie. It’s what you think that’s important. What does Greg say?”
“I…I haven’t mentioned it to him yet. I thought I’d do it tonight or some time during the weekend.”
“Bigbadass dot com,” Christina mused. “What sort of things do you write about?”
“Stuff,” Maggie said, keeping her answer vague. Was it hot in here or what? She slid the top button of her cream shirt open and picked up a cardboard coaster to fan her face. She couldn’t help but smile. Her blog stats would rise. It didn’t take a genius to realize her friends would check out her guilty secret.
“You know we’re gonna look,” Julia said.
“That’s okay,” Maggie replied.Liar. Liar. Pants on fire. “But if any of you tell anyone I’m Big Bad Ass, I’ll…I’ll smother you with my breasts.” Raised brows and a broad grin signaled her triumph. She bounced on the padded seat, making her generous breasts jiggle. “It won’t be a pleasant way to go. And don’t think I couldn’t hold you down, because I could. I’ve been going to the gym with Connor.” A flex of her right arm showed off her new muscle tone.
“Ooh,” Susan cooed. “Armed and dangerous.”
“Yeah. And don’t forget it,” Maggie said, firm and sure of herself.
Julia giggled. “Connor said he’d dragged you off to the gym, but I didn’t believe him.”
“He felt sorry for me because Greg was so busy with his clients,” Maggie said. “He caught me crying one day, and before I knew it, he had me sweating my way through a boxing class.”
“You’re still going to the gym?” Christina asked.
Maggie nodded. “I whined a lot during the first visit, and I still complain for form’s sake, but I enjoy it. Don’t tell Connor. I’ll deny everything.”
She’d die if the gang knew her other secret. Watching Connor work out at the gym. A sigh whistled past her teeth. He looked mighty fine with the sheen of sweat coating his skin. They didn’t do the same work out, since, as a newbie, she couldn’t keep up with him, but they arrived and left together.
Maggie valued the time spent with Connor. They laughed and talked about things—lots of stuff that had nothing to do with work or the weather. It had been so easy to let him slip into her fantasies. The bad girl inside Maggie had put up little fight, happy to daydream about Connor and lots of delicious kink at the same time.
Another change to make in her future. Connor had a girlfriend, one of many in a long line of leggy blondes. She had Greg, and there was her agreement with Julia, Christina and Susan, not that Connor would be sexually interested in her voluptuous curves.
“Are you sure we can’t tell Connor?” Julia asked with a faint pleading tone.
“Not unless you want me to tell him about your blue pubic hair,” Maggie retorted. The others laughed, albeit a trifle uneasily. Their secrets were hers to tell as well.
“I did it for a dare,” Julia snapped.
Maggie’s brows rose. “Doesn’t matter. A juicy secret is a juicy secret.”
“Oh, all right.” Julia’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I won’t tell. Mine is a girls’ only secret.”
“Your current lover will know,” Christina said with a chuckle. “What does he think about the blue heart?”
“He likes it,” Julia retorted, unfazed by their laughter. “He thinks I’m adventurous.” Her grin brought a host of giggles.
Maggie glanced at her watch. After ten. Time to head home. “I should go, otherwise Greg will arrive at the apartment before me.”
She stood and lurched to the side.Problem. On the second attempt, her legs trembled, her balance not the best. A tight grasp of the tabletop prevented an embarrassing fall on her butt. Bother, the last drink had been a mistake. She should have eaten some peanuts. Diets and cocktails weren’t a good mix.
“Greg doesn’t need you to hold his hand,” Susan said.
