One Sex Scene Too Far Read online

  “It doesn’t have to be like that,” Luke said gently. “Romances can last forever.”

  Robin stared at him. Who was he to talk? He couldn’t hold down a woman.

  ****

  When she woke up on Sunday, she found herself getting edgy. The weekend was nearly over, which probably meant the end of her and Luke.

  They skipped breakfast. Luke cooked them “linner” as he called it, a meal that came between lunch and dinner. He served them melted goat’s cheese on bread topped with homemade chili jam.

  After the meal, he wandered off. Robin loaded the dishwasher for him. But it was so high-tech she couldn’t figure out how to get it to start.

  She went looking for Luke to ask him about it. She found him in his bedroom. He was flicking through the line of shirts in his closet. Robin’s heart sank. He was leaving her already. Things really were at an end.

  “Are you going out?” she asked. She was amazed at how casual she sounded.

  Luke pulled a shirt from the wardrobe. It was in the softest shade of blue.

  “I’ve got this party tonight,” he said. “It’s for my agent, Celeste’s, birthday. It’ll be kind of boring. But...” He smiled at her. “It would be heaps better if you came too.”

  Robin’s heart swelled. He wanted her to go with him. Her heart dropped again.

  “I’ve got nothing to wear,” she said.

  “You look hot in that skirt.”

  “But I need fresh underwear.”

  “Go commando.”

  “No.”

  He came up to her and took a strand of her hair and coiled it around and around his finger. His eyes were distant like he was thinking about something.

  “I won’t be long,” he said.

  He pulled on some clothes and left the suite.

  ****

  He was gone for an hour. Robin passed the time on his couch, Googling him on her phone. When Luke returned, he held a bag. It had the logo for Holt & Renfrew, a high-end department store, printed down its side.

  He came up to the sofa and kissed her on the neck.

  “Hopefully these should do.” He held the bag out to her.

  Robin reached inside. She pulled out a wine-colored bra and a pair of matching panties. She glanced at the tag. Agent Provocateur. They must have cost Luke a fortune.

  “Aren’t you going to try them on?” he asked.

  She flushed, suddenly nervous.

  “Okay,” she said. “But turn around. No peeking until I’m done.”

  Luke grinned. Then he turned to face the wall.

  Robin pulled off the t-shirt Luke had given her to wear and put on the skimpy bra. She stepped into the gauzy panties. The material was so soft that it felt like she was wearing nothing at all.

  “Ta-da,” she called. “You can look.”

  Luke swiveled to face her. She heard him draw a breath. A slow grin spread across his face. He was staring at her. Really staring. Like he really fancied her.

  “I’m falling for you,” he murmured.

  “What’s that?”

  “You need to see yourself in the mirror.”

  He took her hand and led her out of the living room and into the bedroom. Then he stood her in front of the mirrored door of the closet.

  Robin’s eyes popped. Was that really her? Was that really Robin? The Agent Provocateur underwear had worked magic. She vowed right there and then that she was never going to buy cheap underwear again.

  Often the bras that she tried on squished some of the flesh from her breasts around her body and gave her armpit fat. Or they would use a scaffolding of wires to push her breasts up so much that she could have used them as a tea tray.

  But not this bra. It knew what to do with her curves. It molded rather than fought with them. The scalloped edges of the material were cut low to showcase the half-moon tops of her breasts. Her nipples teased through gauze, so near yet so unattainable.

  Luke walked around behind her. He gave a long, slow whistle. “Check out the back. It makes your ass look amazing.”

  He put one hand on her butt cheek.

  A pulse twitched between Robin’s legs.

  “We don’t have time,” she said half-heartedly.

  “Nonsense,” Luke said. “It’s only five p.m. Jenna doesn’t want us there until seven.”

  He pulled Robin onto the bed.

  Chapter Five

  When Robin and Luke walked up to the house, she realized that the party was already underway. People spilled through the front door, down the steps, and onto the path outside. They stood in groups, drinking and chatting to one another. Some were already drunk, judging by their loud voices and screechy laughter.

  Robin and Luke neared the steps. People started to clamor around Luke.

  “Luke, Luke.”

  “How you doing?”

  “Over here, buddy.”

  Their voices rang from every side.

  Luke stopped to shake hands or receive slaps on the back. A woman in a pastel dress barged up to him and air-kissed him on both cheeks while making mwah-mwah sounds.

  Luke turned to Robin.

  “This is nuts,” he mouthed.

  He took her hand and pulled her through the scrum of people, up the steps, and into the house. They pushed their way into a hallway, which was equally packed.

  Just then, a vampish woman edged her way toward them through the scrum. Her scarlet dress was so tight that Robin could see her hipbones through the material. She looked familiar, but Robin couldn’t remember where she’d seen her.

  “Luke, darling.” The woman coiled her arm around Luke’s shoulders in a predatory manner.

  “Hey, Jenna.” He sidestepped out of the embrace.

  Jenna, that’s right. Now Robin remembered. The woman had been at the book signing standing guard over Luke. She’d been seriously unimpressed with Robin’s breast-signing comment.

  “Where’s Celeste?” Luke asked Jenna.

  Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know, darling. Probably in the kitchen. Why don’t you send your little friend to find her?”

  Your little friend. Robin raised her eyebrows.

  “We’ll both go,” Luke said firmly.

  Jenna’s painted lips puckered.

  Luke led Robin down the hall past more party guests. The house was like a maze. They went through multiple rooms—a music room, a billiards room, and a laundry until they reached the kitchen.

  Some other people had found their way there too. They stood in a cluster around the island. They were discussing a play that was running at the Arts Club. A man in a bow tie gave lots of haw-haw laughs.

  Luke steered Robin to the counter, where canapés and drinks were laid out. She took off her coat and put it on the work surface. Luke poured them both a glass of wine. Robin took a gulp.

  “Sorry,” he said. “This place is a zoo. I should never have brought you here. I’ll find Celeste and wish her a happy birthday then we’ll go.”

  Robin’s stomach lurched. He wanted to go. The fantasy weekend was nearly over.

  “This weekend’s been incredible,” Luke said, as if tuning into her thoughts.

  Robin’s stomach lurched even harder.

  Now he was wrapping up everything. He was pointing out all of the good things that had happened as a debriefing before he sent her on her merry way.

  “So you don’t need any more help with your book?” she asked.

  She hated the desperation in her voice.

  Luke topped her wine from the bottle. She realized that she’d drunk nearly the whole glass.

  “You’ve helped more than enough,” he said.

  Robin felt like she’d been hit in the gut. “So there’s nothing else?”

  Luke took a tortilla chip from a platter and dipped it into a bowl of salsa.

  “No more scenes?” she pressed.

  A shadow passed over Luke’s face.

  “There’s nothing that you can help me with,” he said.

  Robin felt a spa
rk of triumph. So there was another scene. He was definitely holding something back.

  “Tell me,” she said.

  Luke looked her deep in the eyes.

  “Okay,” he said. “If you really must know, there is one more scene.”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s a threesome.”

  Robin jumped back like he’d waved a burning stick at her.

  “Don’t look so appalled,” Luke said. “I knew you’d react like that.”

  “Is it with Beatrice? Or has the slimeball moved on to other girls in the village?”

  Luke laughed then he topped up Robin’s glass of wine. “It is with Beatrice. And with Georgette. She’s confessed that she’s had fantasies about being with a woman. I didn’t describe the scene in the book,” Luke continued. “I had the curtain close on them as they disappeared into Georgette’s bedroom. But Celeste said it would be better if I wrote about what happened.”

  “You’re sick,” Robin said.

  Luke raised his eyebrows.

  She pushed past him and hurried off through the kitchen. The group of people at the island turned to stare at her. But she didn’t care. They were horrible. This was a horrible party. She had to get out of this horrible place.

  She rushed off through the house toward the front door, but somehow she got lost. She found herself in the music room. A cat dozed on the lid of a piano. The vase of lilies on the mantle gave off a sickly sweet smell.

  She sank into an armchair and started to cry. What had she done? She should never have offered to help Luke with his novel. The idea had seemed fun at the time. It had felt like an escape. But now she felt used and cheap.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and cried harder. She’d played a dangerous game, one she’d thought she could handle and—

  She heard the swoosh of a door being opened. Her heart soared. Was it Luke? Maybe he’d come to tell her he was sorry for even mentioning the threesome and that he’d changed his mind and wanted a normal relationship, nothing kinky.

  She looked up. Her shoulders slumped as Jenna walked into the room.

  Jenna frowned at her. She was clearly annoyed that Robin wasn’t with Luke.

  “Where’s Luke?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Robin said.

  “You should know,” Jenna snapped. “You came with him. And I don’t think you should be in here anyway. This area isn’t part of the party.”

  Robin opened her mouth to defend herself, but instead a sob came from her lips.

  Jenna stared at Robin. Her green eyes widened. Then she tapped her way across the room in her heels.

  “It’s Luke. Isn’t it, darling?” she said. “Half of Vancouver has cried over him. You can’t pin him down. He’s a solitary creature. He’s like a tiger prowling the jungle.”

  “I always knew that,” Robin sobbed.

  Jenna walked behind Robin and started to stroke her hair. Her talons raked through the strands. It felt weird, Robin thought, but she was too preoccupied to tell Jenna to stop.

  “If you knew what Luke’s like,” Jenna said, “then I don’t see what the problem is.”

  “I’ve been helping him with his book.”

  The stroking hands slowed.

  “He’s written these sex scenes,” Robin said. “But his agent didn’t like them. So we acted them out so that he could describe them better.”

  The hands began to stroke faster again.

  “You acted out sex scenes with Luke?” Jenna breathed. “You lucky, lucky girl. Why are you crying?”

  “Because he wants me to act out a threesome.”

  The stroking hands stopped.

  “With another woman?” Jenna asked.

  “I don’t know. What’s that got to do with it?”

  The stroking hands sped up again.

  “How long have you known Luke?” Jenna asked.

  “Since Friday.”

  “Friday! I’ve known him for over eight years. We signed him to the publishing company when he was in his twenties. He was just a twinkle of a boy back then. Lots of writers don’t become serious novelists until they’re in their forties because they haven’t experienced enough out of life to write about it. But not Luke,” Jenna continued. “He’s such a wise soul.”

  Robin wondered where this was going.

  “You know, darling,” Jenna went on. “I’ve had a lot of experience in the publishing business, and I would say that Luke’s on his way to becoming part of Canada’s literary canon. People like him are a shining light. It’s our duty to nurture them. We can’t hold them back. If they are stuck artistically, we have to help them in whatever way we can.”

  “I’m still not having a threesome.”

  Jenna gave a tinkling laugh as cloying as the scent of the lilies. “Oh, Robin. My sweet, silly girl. It’ll be so much fun. Have you ever been with a woman? Only a woman knows what a woman really wants. I’ll make you come harder than you’ve ever come in your life. With my hands. With my tongue.”

  Robin gasped.

  She had the sudden image of the tip of Jenna’s tongue spiraling into her pussy. Of Jenna lapping up her cream. Of Jenna’s hard breasts pushing into hers. It would be hot. But she would have to watch Luke screw Jenna. She pictured Jenna on top of him as he lay on the Persian rug. She imagined Jenna rocking back and forth on his cock, her neck flushed red.

  The door flew open. Robin broke out of her trance. She watched Luke stride into the room.

  “Oh, there you are,” he said to Robin. “I was looking all over for yo—” His words trailed off, dissolving into the air.

  His gaze leapt from Robin to Jenna then back again. He was clearly absorbing the scene. Jenna’s hands were still possessively on Robin’s hair.

  Robin leapt up. She had to get away from this craziness. Her heart was beating very fast. She rushed out of the room.

  “Robin, wait,” Luke called.

  But she didn’t wait. She raced through the house, elbowing her way past guests and taking left and right turns, until at last she’d made it out of the front door and into the cold.

  It was only then that she realized she’d left her coat in the kitchen. But she couldn’t go back for it. Not now. She couldn’t risk facing Luke and Jenna.

  She hurried down the road and onto Broadway, where, as if by magic, the 99 bus was rumbling along the road. Robin ran to the bus stop and jumped onto the bus. Yay, she’d made it. She was free from Luke and Jenna.

  ****

  But when she got home, her elation at escaping them faded. She went into the bathroom and stripped off her clothes, including her beautiful underwear. Then she turned the shower to as hot as she could bear it and stepped under the nearly scalding spray. It felt good. Like the water was purging her from all of the messed up stuff that had happened.

  God. Why did this hurt so much? She gasped. She couldn’t be, could she? Was she in love with Luke?

  The doorbell chimed. Robin ground her teeth together. She stepped out of the shower, pulled on a dressing gown, and marched to the front door.

  Luke stood on the deck by the stairs from the fire escape. It had started to pour and the rain fell at an angle over the railings of the deck. He was drenched. His coat looked heavy with water. His hair was plastered to his scalp. Good, she thought. She was glad he was wet. Maybe the rain was washing him clean, too. He certainly needed it.

  “You forgot this.” He held out her coat.

  She took it without a word.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  She glared at him. He really had no idea. Then her face crumpled.

  Luke made a move to comfort her, but she backed away.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Hot tears spiked Robin’s eyes. Desperately, she blinked them back into her eyeballs.

  “I wanted to help you with your book,” she said. “I really did. But I just couldn’t do it.”

  “Do what, baby?”

  “Have a threesome with Jenna.”


  Luke gave a hiss. “She offered you a threesome?”

  Robin nodded.

  Luke balled his fingers into fists. “Why, the little bitch. She’s been wanting to sleep with me for ages. I guess she saw that this was her chance. I wouldn’t have done it. You’ve got to believe me.” He stared Robin deep in the eyes. “I’m not interested in sleeping with anyone else. The only woman I want is you.”

  Robin’s heart skipped. Then she clasped her hands to her head. Her brain hurt so much that she couldn’t think straight. She had no idea whether he was being sincere. Or whether he was acting out a scene from his book, one she didn’t know about yet. Everything was a hideous, jumbled mess.

  The rain fell harder. Puddles formed on the deck. Luke shivered. She bet that the wet was getting to his bones.

  “I can’t,” she said at last.

  She went to shut the door

  He stuck out his foot and blocked its path.

  “So it’s over?” His voice was bleak. “You’re finished with me just like that?”

  “You got what you wanted. I helped you with your novel.”

  A lot of utter sorrow carved its way across Luke’s face.

  “It was never about the book,” he whispered.

  “Liar.”

  He shook his head, clearly defeated. Then he stepped back from the door.

  She pulled it shut. Then she sank down onto the floor in the hall, where, like a wounded animal, she crumpled herself into a ball.

  Chapter Six

  On Monday, Luke sent a bunch of orchids to Robin’s office.

  On Tuesday, he couriered a pair of gloves to her. They had special pads on the fingertips so that she could text with them.

  On Wednesday, he sent her a spiral-bound notebook covered with decoupage hearts.

  On Thursday, Robin was expecting—well, half hoping—to receive some Agent Provocateur underwear. But the gifts stopped. Just like that. She had no idea why. Although she guessed that he’d moved on to another girl.

  The days dragged by. Getting through each one felt like a miracle.

  One day, Sam found her crying in the ladies’ washroom and Robin was forced to give her a much edited version of what had happened.

  Every night, Robin lay on the couch gazing at the TV. It was an effort to brush her hair or to even put on makeup. Because nothing mattered anymore. All the color had bled out of the world.