The Wives of Beverly Row 5: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks Page A

first,” she said.
    He nodded. “I shouldn’t have let this happen. You deserved more from your first sexual experience.”
    “Well, that’s what I learned from our little adventure .”
    “It’s an important lesson.”
    “You should learn the same thing,” she said, eyeing him.
    “You mean, not to let Trudy take advantage of me?”
    “Yeah. I mean, it’s up to you. But don’t you sort of feel like sex should be kept for the one person in the world you really love?”
    He smiled again. He leaned toward her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “You’re a smart girl, Becky West.”
    She nodded. “I know,” she said.
    She let him take her hand in his. She looked at him again. He was so handsome. Despite everything that had happened she would always remember him fondly. The things they’d done, the experiences they’d shared, it had shown her the pleasures that sex could bring. It had also shown her the importance of only being intimate like that with someone you really loved. She didn’t regret what had happened between her and Kyle but she was determined to learn from it, and not to make the same mistakes that she saw so many other people make. She didn’t want to be like the adults she knew. She didn’t want to end up like her parents, letting sex mess up the most important relationships in their lives. She wanted more than that for her own life, and she had Kyle to thank for realizing that.
    She took her hand from his. He leaned toward her again. He was going to kiss her on the cheek a last time but she turned to face him and let his lips land on hers. They lingered there for a second, their lips touching, and then she withdrew.
    “Good bye, Kyle,” she said softly.
    She would always remember the look on his face as she left him. It was hard to let him go but she knew it was the right decision.

II
    Z OLA GOT OUT OF THE bath and grabbed a towel. She had to admit, despite everything Jake had done to her, she loved the home he provided. The towels were like nothing she’d ever known in her previous life. They were thick and white and made of the best cotton. She sat on the side of her magnificent marble bathtub and dried herself. When she was dry she got up and looked out the window at her backyard. The trees rustled peacefully in their perfectly manicured surroundings.
    How could a place so beautiful provide a life that was so unhappy, she wondered. When she was younger she’d always thought she would die to have a life like this. Now she felt as if she was a complete prisoner, a piece of property owned by a man who had utterly no regard for her happiness or wellbeing.
    Jake had left for work an hour earlier. She felt calm. At least when he wasn’t home she could relax in her house, she could feel safe, she could enjoy the luxuries he provided. She was planning on going down to the kitchen for some nice coffee and fresh croissants after her bath, then she might do a little gardening. The garden was perfect but it was still nice to putter around a little and tidy the few things that were out of place. She had a favorite part of the garden, just at the far end of the pool, where palm trees shaded a beautiful rock garden. She could spend hours walking around it, clipping dead leaves or pulling up the rare weeds that managed to raise their heads.
    As she was applying her makeup she heard a knock at the door. She wondered who it could be so early. Maybe it was UPS. Jake was always getting deliveries of strange packages, sex toys, costumes, that sort of thing.
    She ran down the stairs with her towel wrapped around her. When she got to the door she hesitated for just a moment. What if it wasn’t UPS? Suddenly she was afraid. What if it was one of the guys from Jake’s forum? He’d told everyone on the forum where their house was, and he’d also told them that they could feel free to drop in on her at any time. She stood in the hallway and looked at the door as if it was the only thing between her