Capital Wives (21 page)

“Anytime, Dee.”

D
eanna maneuvered into the driveway leading to the stately Colonial in a charming cul-de-sac. Before leaving Alexandria she'd plugged her iPod into her car's auxiliary port. She'd opened the driver's-side window and sung at the top of her lungs when one of her favorite songs flowed through the speakers. Some drivers gave her shocked stares, while others shook their heads at her off-key singing.

A smile curved her mouth when she saw Bethany leaning against a massive column waiting for her. Dressed in a pair of black stretch capris, matching ballet-type shoes, white tank top and with her hair held off her face with a black headband, the stay-at-home mother was the epitome of casual chic.

Bethany came to meet her as she got out of the BMW, hugging her tightly. “I didn't expect you to open your own door. But thanks for inviting me.”

Bethany pressed her cool cheek to Deanna's. “I always give the housekeeper the day off whenever I have company. And there's no need to thank me. You're welcome to come
anytime you want.” She looped her arm through Deanna's. “Come, let's go inside. I have a neighbor across the street who is nosy as hell. Every time someone drives up I can see her curtains move. One of these days I'm going to open the door naked as a jaybird. That'll give her something to gossip about.”

Deanna laughed as she walked into a great room with a soaring cathedral ceiling. It opened out to a living room with furnishings that looked as if they'd been positioned for a furniture showroom ad. The Paxton home looked too perfect, just like its inhabitants. Whenever Damon and Bethany attended a social event it was as if they were walking the red carpet. Everyone looked to see what they were wearing. Both were tall and slender, and their choice of attire always radiated sophistication and elegance.

“Your house is beautiful,” she said truthfully.

Bethany smiled at Deanna over her shoulder. “Thanks. I've asked Marisol if she would give me her professional assessment of my decorating skills. I told her I want her to be brutally honest.”

“I hope you've come to know Marisol well enough to know that's the only way she knows to be.”

Bethany slowed as she turned down a wide carpeted hallway leading into an enclosed back porch. “When I first met her I swore she couldn't stand my guts. But then I realized that was her way, and I really appreciate her candor.” She indicated an armchair covered with fabric sprigged with strawberries pulled up to a cloth-covered table with settings for two. “Please sit down. I called her the other day to find out whether she is available for lunch next week, but she's going to be in Puerto Rico until the end of the month.”

“Yes, I know,” Deanna confirmed, glancing around the garden room with ornaments from the outdoors. There was
a collection of armillary sundials, worn urns on stands, an indoor waterfall and fountain and large tank filled with a collection of colorful fish. A table spanning the width of one wall was filled with painted clay and blue-glazed pots filled with a variety of miniature roses, sunflowers, violets and begonia. French doors provided a vista of a wooded area beyond the house where one could watch the change of seasons.

Bethany, removing covers from plates on a nearby serving cart, placed one in front of Deanna. “Did you know she was going with Congressman Wesley Sheridan?”

“Yes, I did.” Deanna stared at the plate of spinach salad. Instead of the requisite crumbled bacon and mushrooms, this one boasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. “It looks delicious.”

“It's one of my favorite salads,” Bethany said as she filled water goblets with chilled water. “Which wine do you want? White or rosé?” She held up two half carafes.

“No wine for me, please,” she said when Bethany sat down across from her.

Pale eyebrows lifted. “Are you in the family way?”

“I'll know in another two weeks.”

“Have you ever been pregnant before?”

Deanna shook her head as she spread a cloth napkin over her lap. “Never. I'm looking forward to becoming a mother.”

“What are you going to do with your business?”

“I occasionally work with another event planner when I have a scheduling conflict, and she does the same with me. The difference is that she has a full staff whereas I usually work alone. I have a printer who handles my invitations, a list of caterers and florists, but I'm hands-on with everything else.”

Picking up her fork, Bethany stared directly at the event planner. It was as if she was seeing Deanna Tyson for the
first time. Her twists were pulled back, allowing for an unobstructed view of a face with a flawless brown complexion, her eyes a shimmering clear gold-brown that changed color, reminding her of a smoky topaz or tigereye. “Do you plan to give up your business to become a stay-at-home mom?”

Deanna swallowed a mouthful of salad. “To tell you the truth, I would love to run a bed-and-breakfast. I saw a for-sale sign on an abandoned farmhouse not far from Reston that I've inquired about. I have an appointment to meet with the broker next week to see the interior.”

“What about Spencer? Is he willing to move?”

“I haven't said anything to Spencer, because I'm not certain whether I'm going to go through with it, and we've just spent a small fortune renovating and redecorating the house in Alexandria.”

“How would you like a business partner?”

Deanna almost choked when she took a sip of water. Touching the napkin to the corners of her mouth, she stared numbly at Bethany. “Are you for real?”

Bethany flashed a toothpaste-ad smile. “I'm as real as they come. Damon has more money than he knows what to do with, so investing in an B and B would be a wonderful business venture.”

“I thought Damon wanted you to stay home with your kids.”

“He does, but that doesn't mean I can't get involved with an outside project when Abby and Connor are in school.”

“Overseeing the operation of a B and B is hardly an outside project, Bethany. It's like running a boutique hotel. There's housekeeping, laundry and meals. Then you have to have a groundskeeper, electrician and plumber on-call. And don't forget the all-important ordering, delivery and preparation of
food. Last but certainly not least, you must have a bookkeeper to take care of the books.”

Bethany grimaced. “I guess it's not as simple as I thought.”

“It's simple once it's up and running,” Deanna said, smiling. “Remember I have a degree in business with a concentration in hospitality and hotel management.”

“Then running a bed-and-breakfast would be perfect for you, Deanna.”

“I know. I could have my own suite where I could look in on the baby anytime I want.”

Resting her elbow on the table, Bethany cupped her chin on the heel of her hand. “You'd live at the B and B, while Spencer would live in Alexandria?”

“No, Beth-Ann. Of course I'd hire a manager who would live there permanently. There's no way I'm going to have a child and not have Spencer involved in his or her life. It's only recently that I've managed to get my husband back.”

Bethany's eyes grew wider. “What are you talking about? You just got him back?”

“I didn't have a husband who would come home at six o'clock and we'd sit down and have dinner together. There were times when Spencer would leave the house before seven and come home at eleven. Before we were married we planned to wait ten years before starting a family because we wanted to establish our careers. Spencer is now junior partner and my business is doing well.”

“So now you're having baby-making sex.”

Lowering her eyes, Deanna stared at the half-eaten salad. “I don't know if you experienced the same thing, but it's incredible.”

Throwing back her head, Bethany let out a peal of laughter. “Honey, please. There was one time when it got so good that
I was close to passing out. Damon thought he was going to have to give me mouth-to-mouth.”

Deanna laughed until her eyes filled with tears. The two women talked about the men they'd dated, those they'd slept with and those they fantasized sleeping with. By the time she'd drunk two cups of lemon tea with delicate shortbread cookies, Deanna had all but forgotten about her conversation with Richard Douglas.

“I hope Marisol manages to get in a little fun,” she said to Bethany.

“I know if I went away with a man as gorgeous as Wesley Sheridan I'd make certain to have some fun.”

Deanna went still. “I know you're not talking about slipping out on Damon.”

Bethany flushed a becoming pink. “It's only a fantasy.”

“Just make certain that fantasy doesn't become a reality.”

Setting down her cup, Bethany gave Deanna a long stare. “I know you had that horrible experience with that strange man, but have you ever had the urge to sleep with a man who wasn't your husband?”

“Not really. Remember, Spencer wasn't the first man I'd slept with, so I'd managed to scratch that itch.”

“Don't get me wrong, Deanna. I do love Damon with all my heart, but there are times when I need him to make love to me more than once a week. And, I always have to initiate it. I'm ashamed to say that I lied to Damon when he asked if the reason we don't make love as often as we used to was because he was getting older. I told him it was because we have kids and we can't play the little games that kept our lovemaking fresh.”

“Has he had a physical lately?”

She nodded. “Damon has a comprehensive physical twice a year and everything comes back within the normal range.”

“It could be his libido isn't what it used to be. There are over-the-counter supplements you can buy in health-food stores to help him.”

Bethany sucked her teeth. “I doubt very much if my husband would appreciate me suggesting that he take something to boost his libido.”

“The only alternative is to get a vibrator to take care of your needs.”

“Believe me, I've thought about it.”

“Remember when you told me they were for single women, Beth-Ann?”

“Please don't remind me. Now I'm going to have to eat my words. But I think there may be a silver lining behind this, because Damon is planning to rent a suite at a residential hotel blocks from Rock Creek Park. He says it's a place where influential men stash their whores and mistresses.”

Deanna smiled. “So the two of you are going to use the suite only for sex?”

“That's his plan.”

“Would you mind if I give you some advice?”

Leaning closer, Bethany couldn't hide her excitement. “Of course not.”

“Go to a lingerie shop and buy a merry widow, thigh-high stockings and bustier. And don't forget a pair of five-or six-inch red stilettos. I've heard that there's something about red shoes that turn men on. Black leather and crotchless panties are also turn-ons.”

“That's so hoochie, Deanna.”

“Men love hoochie, Bethany. Every man I've known who has cheated on his wife was with a hoochie, ho, shank or whatever it is you want to call her. The other woman usually isn't a nice, but a very naughty girl.”

“I was once the other woman.”

Reaching across the table, Deanna rested her hand on Bethany's. “Planning parties for D.C.'s elite allows me to overhear a lot of gossip. Most times I'm looked upon as hired help, so the doyennes talk as if I don't exist. I've heard a few of them snicker about Jean Paxton's penchant for sleeping with what they consider ‘blue-collar trash.' And that includes deliverymen, workmen, the pool boy and/or landscaper. They were proved right when she did marry one of her landscapers. If Jean was doing everything that walked through her door, then I don't blame Damon for finding affection wherever he could. In fact, he was quite the pussy hound until he met you.”

Bethany giggled like a little girl. “I've heard him called everything, but not a pussy hound.”

“Well, he did have a reputation for sniffing skirts,” Deanna said, smiling broadly. “He was very lucky that he found you.”

“Did you know that I'd set out to seduce him?”

“No, I didn't. I thought you met by chance.”

“Yeah, right,” Bethany drawled. “I'd done intensive research about who he did business with and where he liked to eat, then one night I asked the restaurant's maître d' to sit me at a table close to his because I wanted to ask him if I could interview him for a news segment. It helped that I gave the greedy bastard a Benjamin, but it was worth it. I flirted my behind off and before he left Damon gave me his business card and asked me to call him. The rest, as they say, is history. But I turned the tables on him when I made him wait before giving him my panties. I wasn't looking for a lover, but a husband. It paid off in the end when he told me he was going to divorce his wife.”

“You did what you had to do to get what you wanted.”

“You're right,” Bethany agreed. “Have you ever worn black leather?”

“Girl, please. That's my Halloween trademark. I dress up like a dominatrix and Spencer is my male counterpart whenever we go to private parties that look like everyone's ready for a bacchanalia. I spend half the night staring at Spencer's leather codpiece and the other half fantasizing how I'm going to make love to him. Don't forget when you put on your getup that you have to transform your face. Kohl does amazing things to the eyes.”

Bethany shook her head. “I'm older than you, yet you know so much more than I do.”

“Remember, I grew up here in D.C., while you were growing up in small-town America.”

Bethany's expression stilled, growing serious. “I don't know where I'd be now if you and Marisol hadn't come into the bathroom that night. I owe you both my life.”

“Don't start with the self-pity, Beth-Ann. You're a survivor. If you hadn't been you never would've left Parker Corners, Alabama.”