Chapter 5: Resolution
i get up to pick my bra and panties and try to leave without the men knowing
Sarah's house throbbed with the seductive rhythm of a dozen different songs, punctuated by the laughter of strangers as the night crept on. Her carefully planned party was an undeniable success, a warm ripple of social excitement shimmering through the air like heat rising off asphalt on a summer's day. Glasses clinked together, conversation between guests ebbed and flowed like a living tide, and soft clouds of sweet perfume vied with the enticing spice of her handpicked cheese platter.
The scents, sounds and sights should have been enough to make Sarah's head spin, but as she leaned against the kitchen counter, one hand absently playing with a lock of her curly hair; she couldn't focus on any of these successes. Instead, she thought about his hands and his lips, which had touched hers just a few moments earlier in her now chaotically disheveled bedroom.
She glanced around the kitchen. Ethan wasn't here; this couldn’t be more perfect.
It was Jack who had led her astray, and it was him she had come to regard as a confidant, a close companion; someone who understood her in a way her husband, Charlie, never could. Sarah couldn't explain why she felt this way, but she did, and she was determined to see if what she felt could ever turn into something more.
As she retrieved her bra and panties from the bedroom, Sarah caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Her flushed skin, lips swollen from his kisses and hair a beautifully wild mane left her looking wild, unhinged—but it was the fire in her own eyes that caught her attention.
She splashed some water on her face, sighed and summoned enough resolve to return to the party. Jack and Ethan were in the living room, engrossed in a discussion. Jack's short blonde hair, tall muscular build and easygoing demeanor contrasted perfectly with Ethan's brooding, mysterious aura.