“Yes, soon.”
After they hung up, Lydia stared at the phone. “I need a vacation,” she mumbled as she put the key in the ignition. “Hawaii would do nicely.” As she pulled out of the parking space she imagined a Hawaiian vacation, complete with three hooded strangers to see to her every desire. “Crap, I’m so going to hell.”
Lydia couldn’t seem to move, could barely take a breath, as she stared at two dozen red roses in a beautiful crystal vase, a big red bow tied around the gorgeous bouquet. They’d been delivered right after she, Dane, Trent and Mac had gone to lunch. She’d never received flowers before so she hadn’t even considered that they might be for her.
Damn, someone had sent her flowers. She was afraid to go anywhere near them or the card sticking out of the top. Finally, after five minutes of staring at the fragrant red petals, Lydia pushed back her chair and stood. She plucked the card out of the center and read it.
Sweet Lydia,
Thank you for a memorable evening. We hope to see you again soon.
Your admirers,
Apollo, Poseidon and Zeus
She collapsed into her chair and read the card again. “Oh. My. God.” She groaned and quickly tucked the card into her purse before picking up the phone.
“Hey, chicka,” Roni answered in a chipper voice, “what’s up?”
“They sent me flowers,” Lydia muttered.
“Who?”
Lydia slapped a hand against her forehead. “Who do you think?”
Silence hit her.
“Roni?”
“Uh, yeah. Wow. You must have made an impression on them. What did the card say?”
“That they hope to see me again soon. Are they insane or what? And how did they even know where I work?”
“The form you filled out at Kinks, remember? And why insane? You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?”
Lydia was ready to scream. “I’d forgotten about the form. Yes, I enjoyed myself, but that’s not the point here.”
“Then what is the point?”
How could such an educated woman be so dense? It was inconceivable. “I had sex with three men, three hot, mouthwatering men, Roni. But it was only supposed to be one night. Sex with a stranger, remember?”
“And you don’t want a repeat performance?”
“What I want and what I should do is not the same thing. I shouldn’t even accept the flowers. I should be putting the whole thing behind me and praying I don’t go to hell.”
“Listen to me, Lydia, really listen,” she ordered, her tone firm. “You’re upset because you did accept the flowers and you do want a repeat performance. Here’s the clincher. You are not going to hell just because you had a good time at Kinks and are now considering doing it again.”
Lydia ignored Roni’s argument. She couldn’t allow herself to go down that oh so tempting road. She needed to forget about Friday night, period. “What if Dane and them ask about the flowers? What am I supposed to say?”
“Hell, tell them the truth. Say they’re from an admirer.”
Roni’s simple answer made her wish she could reach out and strangle her. “I guess that could work.”
“Of course it could work.” Lydia heard voices in the background. “I need to go, but call me tonight.”
“Sure. Talk to you later.” Lydia hung up the phone and looked at the flowers again. They wanted to see her again? Her heart did a little flip as she imagined making love to Apollo, this time without the mask hindering her view. She’d enjoyed the three of them, but it’d been Apollo’s touch that had stayed with her, haunting her dreams. She’d been secretly afraid the night had meant nothing to him. After all, while it was unique for her to spend the night with three men, it was obvious he and the other two men were a little more experienced. Come to think of it, maybe the flowers were a standard thing for them. They probably sent flowers every time they spent the night with a woman. She sighed. Here she was imagining them pining away for her when the truth was much uglier. She’d just been another notch on their bedpost most likely.
Lydia grabbed a file from her desk and forced herself back into work mode. It was her one saving grace, keeping her mind busy kept her from going crazy.