What She Needs - Lacey Alexander [140]
“Your point again?” Brenna asked, eyebrows raised.
“Saying you don’t need a man over and over indicates that, like it or not, you do. And there’s no crime in that, by the way. Most women are wired to desire love and commitment.”
Brenna only rolled her eyes. “Love and commitment—bleh.” She didn’t have to say more since Kelly knew all the nasty details about her cheating husband and recent divorce. “The last thing I’m interested in is commitment. And that’s the truth.”
Kelly nodded. “I believe you. You have trust issues. But I’ll tell you what you do need.”
“What’s that?”
“To paraphrase the immortal words of John Mellencamp, you need a lover—who won’t drive you crazy.”
A lover? Brenna had had relationships, and guys she’d dated, and of course, a husband, but she’d never been the confident, carefree sort of woman who could have someone she thought of as a lover. So she pointed to her book. “According to this, a good vibrator will provide the same fulfillment.”
Kelly raised her eyebrows matter-of-factly. “Do you have one?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Brenna pursed her lips. “Besides the fact that I’m too shy to go into one of those stores? Well, because somehow an evening with a vibrator just sounds a little . . . empty, as in boring. I know some women talk a good game about it, but—”
Kelly held up her hands in a stop motion. “Say no more. And listen to me. You need a lover. How long has it been since you’ve had one, by the way?”
“Does Wayne count?” Her smarmy ex.
Kelly grimaced. “Don’t tell me he’s the last? I mean, you’ve been divorced for, what, six months now?”
Brenna sighed. “And separated for a year before that.”
Kelly looked as if Brenna had just announced the death of a loved one. “Oh dear God, you poor girl. Stand up.”
Brenna blinked her surprise at the command, but the imposing look in Kelly’s eyes pushed her to her feet. Placing her hands on Brenna’s hips, Kelly positioned her in front of the small mirror above the sink in one corner of the break room. Reaching around her from behind, Kelly deftly undid the top two buttons on Brenna’s blouse, then firmly cupped the undersides of her breasts to hoist them higher. “We’ve got to get you a man, and we’re going to start by showing off your assets a little more.”
Sadly, it had been so long since anyone had touched Brenna intimately that even Kelly’s unexpected grasp aroused her a little, sending a tingling sensation shooting straight to her panties.
But she still had no desire for some meaningless affair. Or some meaningful affair. Which pretty much cut out affairs. And brought her back to the book. “I don’t know, Kel. I just don’t think men or sex is on my personal menu anymore. That’s why I’m doing these affirmations. I want to get them out of my system.”
Kelly stepped back to the table, peering down at the books still lying open. Then she let out a huge harrumph. “Oh my God! Trust me, honey, you do need penises. We all need penises. Penises are one of God’s gifts to women. Sure. He gave us labor pains. And periods. And kept us oppressed for centuries. But He did give us the penis, and that makes up for a lot.”
Brenna simply sighed. Then buttoned up her blouse, hiding the cleavage Kelly had just revealed. This was pointless—the cleavage and the conversation. “Did you come in here just to harass me or did you have a purpose?”
“Oops, sorry—I almost forgot. Your moratorium on men totally sidetracked me. Jenkins wants to see you in his office.” Their boss and the CEO of Blue Night. “Word in the halls is that he’s got some big announcement to make, but no one knows what it is. So go check it out and end the suspense for all of us.”
An announcement, huh? It was the first Brenna had heard of it, and being Jenkins’ right-hand gal, she usually knew what was going on around here. So, after wiping away donut crumbs with a napkin, stowing her book in her desk drawer,