Beyond Bliss
Authors: Delia Foster
Beyond
Bliss
by
Delia Foster
Copyri
ght © 2014 by Delia Foster
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
Editing Services provided by Chelsea Kuhel,
http://www.madisonseidler.com
and Cathryn Zuniga (independent editor)
Cover design by Delia Foster
Cover photo by
http://www.shutterstock.com
For my Gran—the woman who taught me life has no boundaries. Love you always and forever.
Table of Contents
“You don't find love, it finds you. It's got a little bit to do with destiny, fate, and what's written in the stars.”
― Anaïs Nin
"You’re kidding, right? That’s the only explanation. I mean, I knew it was bad, but because you’re such a prude, and you hate talking about it I didn’t know it was this bad,” the astonished woman’s voice was slightly hysterical. “But seriously? Two whole years without sex? I don’t believe it. You’re not being serious right now…are you?”
His ears perked up.
"Like a heart attack," another woman responded glumly. Despite her tone, her voice sounded sweet and innocent. "I don’t think I even remember what it feels like.”
She paused thoughtfully. “I'm pretty sure my hymen re-generated. Sort of like when a lizard loses a tail or a snake, the skin. Either that or my vagina muscles have atrophied," she declared, her voice wobbling slightly.
At this, her friend burst into something between a laugh and a groan while Lucas cringed and tried to focus on the Patriots getting pounded on the TV in the corner.
Too much information. This is what you get for eavesdropping.
Although...he’d been unable to help himself.
He'd arrived at the restaurant too early so he decided to kill some time at the slightly crowded bar. There was a lone seat next to two women, but he momentarily hesitated. The last thing he felt like doing was fending off females on the prowl, but they’d seemed heavily preoccupied in whatever it was they were discussing.
He’d settled into his seat and ordered a scotch. While he waited for the bartender to pour his drink, he pulled out his phone and combed through emails from his assistant when words "sex" and "orgasm" permeated his hearing.
It was shameless, but he shifted in his seat so he could better hear their conversation. The bartender placed his scotch in front of him, and he took a mild sip looking over at the football game on the plasma TV in the corner. He tried to pay attention to the game, but he couldn’t stop listening to the conversation currently taking place next to him.
The brunette was still counseling her friend through her 'dilemma'.
From the corner of his eye, he had an unobstructed view of the brunette who'd laughed earlier, but the Born-Again Virgin had her back to him. All he could see was a waterfall of shining brown-black hair, which glimmered as she shook her head in protest.
"What about online dating?"
"Absolutely not. I would rather be hog-tied to a dentist's chair and have multiple root canals - without anesthesia," Born-Again Virgin testily responded. Lucas almost spit out his scotch. Clearly, this woman had reached the pinnacle of frustration and seriously needed to get laid.
"Why not? You know, Carly in payroll—”
Her friend interrupted her.
"Liz, you know I tried online dating. You’re the one who made my freaking profile and forced me to go out on dates. I hate it. And you know what? Honestly, I don't really want a boyfriend,” she paused, inhaling for a moment before rolling full-steam ahead. “I don't want a relationship. I'm happy coming and going as I please and not having to answer to anyone. Maybe it would be nice to have a companion
sometimes
, sure, but that's a 'nice-to-have', not a 'necessary.’ It's just that it hit me the other day,” she groaned, and it sounded like she face-planted into her hands.
Her friend made sympathetic noises, encouraging her to continue.
“I’m turning thirty in a few months, and I haven't had sex in two years! No, in
over
two years. Jesus, there’s something wrong with me," she finished, sounding confused.
"What about a one-night stand. Or a friend with benefits?" Liz suggested.
"I am my own worst enemy. I can’t freaking win.”
He felt a tiny thump on the bar, and guessed she either put her head down on it this time or slammed her glass down. "I can't. Do you know how many diseases there are running around this city? Any clue?”
Lucas found himself shuddering at the dire warning in her sweet voice, but she continued. “So, I think I need to have sex because I am technically in the sexual prime of my life—or am I? Anyway, It would be nice, really nice, because I really do think I'm getting sexually frustrated, but I don't want to have sex outside of a committed relationship, and I don't want a relationship, at all. Make sense?"
He could only imagine the look on her friend’s face.
"You
think
you're getting sexually frustrated? Hah! Honey, I think you landed there a long time ago."
"Liz, you are not helping," Born-Again Virgin growled.
"Well, first of all, there isn't anything wrong with you. You're attractive, smart, and successful. If you really wanted to do it, you could. You're just your own roadblock, and you need to figure out if you can compromise the necessity of the relationship before sex or evaluate whether or not you really don't want a relationship. Don't you get lonely?" she questioned.
"Yes," her friend admitted. "But still." She paused. "Ughh, this is so frustrating. I don't even know why I'm thinking about this!"
"Because you are a healthy, red-blooded, attractive, young female. This is normal," Liz reassured. "Did you get a vibrator yet?"
Lucas heard an astonished gasp from his left and grinned to himself. This just kept getting better, and better. He listened, intently, waiting for Born-Again Virgin's response.
He kept waiting until he heard Liz's droll reprimand. "Really, Sophie? After all we've talked about, you're going to start holding back now?" She paused, and Lucas saw a hand waving in the periphery of his gaze.
So the Born-Again-Virgin had a name…
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling through emails, searching for the list of people he needed to meet, as the bartender made his way over and took the girls' drink order.
"Drink," Liz commanded.
Around thirty seconds passed before she ordered, "Spill."
"You know I have one," Sophie whispered. "You were the fool who gave it to me for my last birthday…but I tried using it a few times, and nothing really happened. It's just so impersonal. Plus, I think I want someone there. A vibrator can't kiss you," she said defensively.
Lucas stifled a laugh as he heard Liz burst out in hysterics once again.
"Sophie, I can't take you. You're hilarious. But—" she paused. "This is something you need to change on your own. Talking about it is only going to do so much. What's the worst that could happen if you have a casual fling? You use protection, ask the right questions to make sure you’re being safe, have mind-blowing sex—hopefully, and
then
see how you feel about it in the morning. Online dating is out, your sex toys, err, toy, is out."
He could hear the grin in the other woman’s voice as she continued. "Both of those things you’ve tried, and didn’t like. Before you rule out a casual fuck, I recommend you try it first before deciding it’s not what you want to do. Just pick someone random up and see where it goes."
Even though Lucas couldn't see Sophie's face, he imagined the face behind the mahogany curtain of hair frowning at her friend. Liz's snort of laughter told him he was right.
He glanced at his watch. His dinner meeting was in ten minutes, but he found himself reluctant to leave the entertaining conversation between the women.
He decided to spend the next ten minutes listening to Liz's instructions.
"It won't be that bad, I promise. Here's a step-by-step guide of what I think you should do..."
And then five minutes later, when Born-Again-Virgin a.k.a. Sophie slid off the barstool and headed towards the bathroom, he got a good glimpse of her face and his mind shattered.
His dream girl.
****
A week later, Sophie Harlow, Attorney at Law, found herself perched on the very same barstool she’d been in while her best friend had counseled her on improving her sex life.
Never mind improvement, she actually needed to get one to improve first.
She fought the urge to reach into her bag and pull out files to review. No one would come up to her if she looked like she was working, and she’d probably get so caught up in it, she would forget her mission.
Hah!
Some mission.
Hopefully, this was just a phase, something she needed to get out of her system. The restaurant bar was perfect. It was situated across the street from a W Hotel, so if this worked, odds were that she'd pick up—or be picked up by, a businessman traveling for work, in town for a just few days.
The perfect target.
A sure guarantee there would be no strings attached, and furthermore, it meant she could avoid any embarrassing run-ins. She took a deep breath, and sipped at her wine. Taking a look around the bar, she noted a few tourists, but nothing promising. Her gaze rested on a lone patron, sitting at the far corner of the bar.
Tourist, for sure.
He wore a visor cap, yellow polo shirt, and had what looked like an uncomfortably large camera strap hanging around his neck. She inwardly grimaced as he awkwardly smiled at her from underneath a bushy moustache. The light sheen above said moustache indicated that he was probably sweating into it.
Ewwww.
Panicking, she quickly averted her gaze as he slid off his stool and made his way towards her.
Oh no.
This was such a bad idea. She was about to hail the bartender to ask for her check so she could quickly escape when she heard a deep voice beside her.
"Is this seat taken?"
Oh no. She did not want to turn around to talk to the tourist in yellow, but she hadn't been quick enough to get her check in time. She inhaled, then plastered a fake smile on her face as she turned around, "Actually..."