Christian Mingle by Louisa Bacio Page B

mean?
    Blaine gripped the handle of her roller, and for a brief moment, they had a standoff. She wouldn’t release. It was her lifesaver to the real world. She glanced behind her, outside the closed doors to the world beyond, and he tugged.
    â€œMrs. Druger. Can you let go?”
    The smooth plastic handle slid out from between her fingertips, and a sense of loss washed over Jody. What would she do without her things?
    Blaine wheeled it towards a closet, unlocked it and tugged the suitcase inside. In her head, she heard him tsk-tsk her reluctance to part with the material items. Was Sex U. kind of like getting into Heaven that way? If she wasn’t willing to let her earthly possessions go, then she wouldn’t be admitted? Something about that comparison made her feel better about the entire situation.
    â€œAre you ready to move on now?” he asked.
    â€œYes.” She righted her white, button-up shirt. At least she still had the clothes on her back. She had the Lord to thank for that.
    â€œNow when we get to your dorm, usually you’d be nude,” Blaine said.
    Suddenly, she started not to like him so much. He may look like an angel, but he was anything but.
    â€œSomething tells me though,” he continued, “that Ms. Lucy might have some other plans for you first. And for that, you’ll need something to wear.”
    Thank God for small favors. She wouldn’t be able to handle being nude, and he knew. Time to testify.
    â€œHas anyone ever told you, you’d look better as a blonde?” he asked.
    His question resonating through her head, Jody followed. A blonde? What would the husband think if she returned platinum a la Marilyn? She didn’t want to know. He might get a kick out of it, her “inner goddess” alter ego (yes, she had read about that book) said in an ultra sassy voice. If he can’t have any woman he wants, at least he can have a bit of variety in the bedroom and not the same-ole, same-ole.
    Once back outside, Jody followed her host through a labyrinth of winding pathways, with overgrown foliage and weeping willows shading the way, until they reached a large wooden building.
    â€œYou’ll be bunking in here,” he said, ushering her inside.
    Bunk beds lined the room. Bunk beds. Like her kids had at home. Here, she thought she’d escaped, and instead, she ended up at a summer camp? With sex thrown into the mix?
    â€œI think there may have been a mistake,” Jody backpedaled, wondering if it was too late to escape the confines of this pit of sin.
    A warm hand pressed against her lower back, his heat seeped through the thin layer of material of her shirt.
    â€œNo mistake. You’ll be staying here, and I’m positive you’ll enjoy your stay.”
    On the far side of the dorm, a door opened and a striking red-haired woman strolled in, with her focus completely on Jody.
    â€œThanks for your service, Blaine, you can leave us now.”
    â€œMs. Lucy, you might want to know …”
    â€œThere’s nothing I need to know that I don’t already see,” she said. The tall woman looked Jody up and down, taking in her appearance from her feet all the way up to her unkempt, limp brown hair.
    Jody lifted a hand to pet down her wayward locks. As a busy, stay-at-home mom, she didn’t have to worry about what she looked like. The kids didn’t care. But obviously, her husband did. Although she hadn’t shed an item of clothing, something about the woman’s striking gaze made her feel stripped bare. Naked.
    She wasn’t used to the feeling.
    â€œSo I see you made it, safely, Ms. Druger,” Ms. Lucy said. “Are you ready to be serious now?”
    Jody opened her mouth, expecting to say … she had no idea what. Instead, all that came out was a weak little eeek.
    A bundle of taut energy, Lucy strode around Jody, lifting the back of her hair, tugging down at the waist of her shirt. “Whatever