Flat-Out Sexy(14)

But she found herself asking, "Can I see?" Which was rude and tacky, but  she couldn't stop herself. She tried to cover her over-the-top  interest. "I just can't believe someone would send a picture of  themselves like that to a total stranger. How did she get your number,  by the way?"

"Are you sure you want to look? It's crude." When she nodded, in spite of herself, Elec turned the phone toward her.

Tamara saw an amazingly perfect nude body with perky breasts and a waxed  bikini area at the same time Elec said, "Well, she's not a total  stranger. We went out a couple of times.

I'm just not interested in her and she's not getting the hint."

Feeling like all the air had been crushed out of her lungs, Tamara gaped at the text picture.

Not interested? He hadn't been interested? On top of the long legs and  the firm abs and the toned arms was a beautiful face surrounded by the  quintessential halo of blond hair. Pouty lips smiled out at them. She  could have been a model. A Playboy bunny.

And Elec had gone out with this woman. Dated her.

Tamara felt like a big old schlumpy soccer mom. Old and schlumpy being the operative words.

"She's very attractive," Tamara managed to force out.

Elec just shrugged. "She's alright, physically. But I can't think much  of a woman who would do this . . . I mean, if we're dating and we're a  couple, sending naked pictures of yourself is sexy as hell. But when  you're not dating, doing what Crystal is doing is just sort of like  trying to sell yourself. I don't know. I just don't like it."



While she could appreciate that, and the fact that it said wonderful  things about Elec's character, all she could think about was that  smoking hot body and how it compared to her ten-years-older cottage  cheese ass. And the naked beauty's name was Crystal. Of course.

"Erasing this," Elec said, pushing the button to get rid of the pic on  his phone. "Good thing I have free texts. I'd hate to think I'd paid to  get that." He shoved his phone in his pocket.

"Guess we should go."

"Definitely." Tamara shook her head when he tried to hang back and let  her go first, like a gentleman would. Screw manners, she needed to be  covert. "No, you go first," she insisted, shoving Elec toward the door.  "I'll follow you."

He turned and shot her a look of amusement over his shoulder. "No one is  going to care if we walk out of this coach together. For all they know,  we're just friends. It's almost one in the afternoon."

What was he not understanding about this? "I am meeting my children and  Pete's parents in thirty minutes. I came down here yesterday with a  different man. I don't think they're going to be thrilled to see me  tumbling out of your bed."

"Technically, it was Ryder's bed. And only Ryder saw you in it."

Tamara smacked him on the arm, feeling like she just might have an  anxiety attack if anyone saw her with Elec. She just wasn't mentally  prepared to deal with the questions and curiosity, especially now that  she had naked Crystal to fret about as well. "Whatever. Just go. I'll  wait a few minutes, then I'll leave. I'll lock the door, I swear."

Elec looked like he was going to make some kind of smart-ass remark, but  he just grinned and leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "Make  sure you cheer on number fifty-six.

I'll call you later, gorgeous."

Then he was gone with a wave and Tamara was left standing there in jeans  that didn't fit, a golf shirt that swallowed her whole, and her black  heels. She was going to sacrifice the cocktail dress and just leave it  at Elec's because she couldn't imagine strolling up to her in-laws with  it tucked under her arm. If he was as determined to see her again as he  said, he'd get it back to her next week.

With no cell phone, she figured her only recourse was to head to the  track and find Pete's parents. They always sat in the pit boxes or hung  out in one of the suites, so she would just go and look for them. If  worse came to worse, she could borrow someone's cell and give her  mother-in-law a quick call to locate her, except without her own phone,  she suspected she'd never remember Beth's number. Though it wouldn't be a  bad thing if she spent hours wandering around and didn't spot them. She  was sure she had "Guilty Slut" stamped across her forehead.                       
       
           



       

Unfortunately, she found them right away. The minute she walked into the media suite, Pete's mother was waving to her.

"Tammy, sweetie, over here."

The endearment made her wince. Her in-laws were good people and Beth  would curl up in a botoxed, bleached ball and die if she knew how Tamara  had spent the preceding night.

"Hi," Tamara said, giving Beth a cheek kiss and praying to the Lord her own cheeks weren't flaming red.

"I tried to call your cell phone and you didn't pick up."

"I lost my purse last night," Tamara said, glancing around the room. "It  was awful." Well, not all of it. Definitely not the naked with Elec  part. She felt a telltale jump of desire that mortified her. Floundering  for a life raft, she asked, "Where are the kids?"



"Johnny took them for a hot dog. All this catered food in here and they  won't touch it. Just like Pete was. Grease over greens. And Petey's  turning into a bottomless pit. We feed that boy morning to night. When  was the last time you measured him? I bet he's grown an inch since  Christmas."

Tamara pressed her fingers to her temples. She was having a hard time  following Beth's chatter. All she could think was that she still had the  scent of another man on her. She had stubble burn on her breasts, sore  arm muscles, which she couldn't even quite explain, a lingering dampness  between her thighs, and kiss-swollen lips. She felt like she was  standing there screaming, "I had sex!" and yet Beth was just smiling at  her like absolutely nothing had changed when it absolutely freakin' had.

"Right. Great. I actually think I'm going to grab something off the table myself. I didn't get any breakfast."

"Oh, go right ahead. There's a huge spread. And there's coffee, too. You  look like you could use it. Did you call about canceling your credit  cards?"

"No, not yet." Tamara headed toward the table of bagels and Danishes  furnished by corporate sponsors and winced as her high heels pinched her  feet. "I was hoping someone would turn my purse in."

"Shoot, I doubt it. They probably stole all your cash and cards and pitched the rest in the trash."

Beth was probably right, but somehow it didn't make her feel any better to hear it out loud.

"I can't call until I go home and find all the right numbers. What a  mess. I never should have set it down at the cocktail party." Beth had  followed her to the buffet, and looking over the food, Tamara suddenly  realized how hungry she was. She piled two pastries and a bagel on her  plate, along with a healthy helping of fruit.

"You lost it at the party? Well, I bet the staff stole it then. You'll never see it again."

At the moment she could truly care less. "I only had about forty dollars  in it, and it was just an evening clutch, so I didn't even have my  wallet in it, just my license and one credit card, so it's not that big  of a deal. I'll just have to be more careful from now on." She stabbed a  piece of melon and ate it to occupy her mouth, figuring the less she  said about the night before, the better off she was.

"Are you losing weight, Tammy?" Beth was looking at her curiously.

"No, why?"

"Your clothes don't fit right. They're really loose."

Oh, Lord. How did she wiggle out of this one?

"And where's your friend, Geoffrey?"

Hopefully somewhere far away from the track, washing his ugly sweater.

"Things didn't work out and Geoffrey went home." Tamara rammed a strawberry into her mouth.

Beth's eyebrow rose. "Oh, that's a shame. Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm absolutely fine." About Geoffrey, anyway. She wasn't sure how  she felt about Elec. "I'm the one who called things off. We only had a  few dates, and I just realized that I'm really not attracted to him."

"He did sound kind of boring," Beth confessed. "But I know it hasn't  been easy for you being all on your own. You know Johnny and I want you  to be happy . . . We'd like to see you find a nice guy at some point."

Chalk it up to lack of sleep, but Tamara suddenly felt tears in her  eyes. Her in-laws were good people. "Thanks, Beth. I appreciate that,  and everything you both have done to help me with the kids. With my  parents being in Seattle, I don't know how I would have managed without  you." Her voice trembled.

Beth, who was a notorious crier, only needed that much encouragement  from Tamara to choke up herself. "Well, shoot, you know we'd do anything  for you."

They were hugging over the plate of melon and both swiping at their eyes  when Tamara heard her father-in-law's voice next to her.