He laughs.
“I just wish we could meet Bernard now and not later.” That was what the envelope was about that Rachel, the woman at the front desk, had given us: a message from Bernard requesting we meet him in his office at 5:30 p.m.
And that was it.
Talk about keeping us in suspense.
I remove my light-pink stilettos from the closet and slip them on. They’re simple in design, rich in elegance. The perfect shoe for my outfit. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Jayden’s gaze sweeps down my body, and he swallows. Hard. “Nice outfit.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t expecting to play games in my bikini. Otherwise, I would have packed something more practical.”
The Marina Room where we’re supposed to meet the group is located on the main floor, down the same wing that includes the spa and the entrance to the swimming pool.
We might be a few minutes early, but we’re the last ones here. Seven other couples are already sitting on the thick exercise mats.
Virginia smiles at us. The mat next to her and her husband is empty.
The room is nothing like I was expecting. I was thinking along the lines of a conference room or a small gym. It reminds me more of a spa or fancy yoga studio, with an expansive skylight. The floor and walls are composed of large beige tiles, and a waterfall cascades down the wall opposite the entrance.
In addition to the exercise mats, a dozen loungers with red-and-gray pillows are lined up along the walls.
“Hi,” a pretty woman in her forties says. “You must be Jayden and Isabelle.”
“That’s right,” I respond, doing my best to ignore the sinking sensation in my stomach. All the couples look lovey-dovey. The women (or the second male partner in one couple’s case) are sitting between their spouses’ legs. Jayden and I belong here as much as a dragon belongs at a prom.
One of the men whispers in his wife’s ear. She giggles, and a light blush colors her cheeks.
“Perfect. Grab the empty mat, and we’ll get started.” The woman, whom I’m guessing is Gabrielle, smiles and gestures toward the mat in question.
Jayden and I sit on it. The heat from his chest soaks through the gauzy cover-up against my back. And a different kind of heat settles low in my belly.
He leans close, his breath brushing against my ear. “Are you okay?”
“Just wonderful,” is my whispered reply.
“Hi everyone,” the woman says. “My name is Gabrielle Mendez. I’m a certified marriage and sex counselor. And for the next four days, I’ll be guiding you through some fun activities, to help keep your sex lives fresh and exciting.”
At her news, my body stiffens like a diving board.
Holy. Shit.
Something tells me we’re no longer talking about Bingo and Scrabble.
“There’ll also be homework to do after each session,” she continues, “but you aren’t required to hand anything in. These are activities that you’ll practice in the privacy of your room. Some of them involve you being naked, or partially naked, so they aren’t appropriate to practice in a group setting such as this.”
Partially naked? The guys are already shirtless, and I’m not the only one in a skimpy bikini. We can’t get more partially naked than this.
“Some of the activities are the type you might not normally be comfortable doing in public, but this is a safe, judgment-free environment. What we do here will help bring you out of your comfort zone with your partner, so that you can be more sexually adventurous at home.”
Jayden lightly brushes his thumb against the back of my shoulder.
I can do this. I want to be an operative with Liam’s team. The guys have to do things outside their comfort zones all the time. It’s part of the job.
Besides, it’s not like they’re expecting Jayden and me to have sex in front of everyone.
God, I hope they’re not expecting that.
