The Wives of Beverly Row 1: Lust Has a New Address Read Free Page B

weren’t actually that many people out there. She’d felt so overwhelmed earlier and that had made the party seem bigger than it was. She stood there in her bikini, praying she looked good.
    “Ariel,” Zola said and came over to take her arm.
    “Thanks for this bathing suit,” Ariel said. “I really like it.”
    “You look great in it. Better than I do.”
    “Oh, I doubt it,” Ariel said but when she looked at Zola she really seemed to mean it.
    “I want you to meet your new neighbors,” Zola said.
    Zola brought Ariel over to the patio table where everyone was seated. It was a lovely iron table with a big canopy over it. Large, red Mandevilla flowers hung from the canopy.
    “Everyone, this is the newest addition to our little neighborhood. Ariel, this is Veronica Roycroft and her husband Hank.”
    The Roycrofts looked like a perfectly respectable couple, the type that Ariel had expected to find in a community like Beverly Row. They were both in their mid to late forties. Veronica had stunning, rich red hair that flowed down over her shoulders. Her husband had a little bit of a belly and was wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt. He seemed like the kind of guy who played a lot of golf.
    “It’s a pleasure,” Hank said.
    Ariel took his hand. She caught him glance at her cleavage in the bikini.
    “And this is Trudy Luxton,” Zola said, introducing the woman sitting next to Veronica. “She’s divorced.”
    “Is that the way you define me?” Trudy said, extending her hand to Ariel.
    Ariel shook it.
    “Sorry, no, of course not,” Zola stuttered, “I just thought—”
    “You just thought that since we’re both divorced that we could bond over it,” Trudy said, laughing.
    Ariel laughed. “I could see that happening,” she said.
    “Sure, anytime,” Trudy said. “Whenever we’re feeling morose and lonely we’ll open a bottle of wine together and drown our sorrows.”
    “Sounds like a plan,” Ariel said, taking a seat.
    She looked around for Becky. She was sitting on the diving board with a very attractive young man about her own age.
    “That’s Veronica’s son, Kyle,” Zola said with the same mischievous grin she’d had earlier. “I told Becky this party would be fun.”

V
    Z OLA SAT NEXT TO JAKE and made sure her guests were looked after. Everyone had brought food so the party really didn’t take much effort. Ariel seemed to be fitting in nicely, making small talk with Veronica and Trudy. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Becky and Kyle seemed to be hitting it off over by the pool.
    Jake squeezed her knee. “Honey, go make me a plate would you?”
    “Sure,” she said.
    She looked around the table. She really hated when Jake spoke to her like that in front of people. It made her feel like a maid. She hated it when he spoke to her like that in private too but at least that didn’t humiliate her as much. She had a feeling he did it in front of guests on purpose to put her in her place. He was cruel like that sometimes. But what could she do about it? She wasn’t about to start standing up to him, not after two years of treatment like this.
    She just accepted it and got up and went to the kitchen. Jake liked meat so she gave him some of the delicious looking ribs that Ariel had brought. She also got him steak and potato salad and a little of the pasta salad she had made. She’d used one of her mother’s recipes.
    She brought the plate out to Jake and sat back down.
    “Oh, and a beer,” Jake said.
    She looked around the table again. Veronica averted her eyes. Trudy looked away too. They both knew that Jake could get like this sometimes. Ariel seemed a bit more surprised. She’d get used to it soon enough, Zola thought. Everyone else had. Jake liked throwing his weight around, showing everyone he was king of the hill.
    She got up from her seat again. “Anyone else want anything?” she said.
    Everyone had everything they needed but Ariel got up. “Here, let me give you a