She looked beyond her friends and saw the men gravitating toward their women protectively. Recalling the brawl on The Pony’s dance floor the year before, when Seth Carter had rescued her and Teresa, she appreciated that they watched out for the girls like that. Just one more thing she wasn’t used to. A thrill raced through Gwen when she noticed Julián and Chris watching her, lust burning in their eyes as they moved closer.
She was just appreciating the boost to her ego when she felt a rough hand slide along her thigh. Turning toward the person who would dare lay a hand on her uninvited, she felt anger and disgust when she looked into Hatch’s gloating face. His eyes gleamed with challenge as he danced with an unknown woman who evidently hadn’t noticed his straying hands.
The song ended and Gwen immediately put as much distance as she could between her and Hatch. Not wanting to spoil the evening, she didn’t say anything about his untoward advance when they walked her to the bar and ordered another drink. They were making their way back to the table when Grace waved secretively at Gwen and motioned her over.
Judith was sitting at their table, in Gwen’s chair, having an animated conversation with Emma and Maya.
Speaking softly so that she couldn’t be overheard, Grace said, “Judith just sat down a few seconds ago and started talking to Emma out of the blue. With my hair up, I guess she didn’t recognize me. Either that, or she’s really drunk. Listen, I think she’s talking about you.”
Gwen noticed the mixed looks of consternation and amusement on the men’s faces as they listened while Judith spoke in a very loud voice.
Judith nodded like a bobblehead doll as Emma asked her a quiet question. “Oh, yeah. You wanna be really careful around Gwen. I saw you at her table the other night and—” She belched loudly. “Oh, ’scuse me. She likes to steal men. The more the better. She stole my boyfriend more than once. And between you and me, she likes them two at a time.”
“Oh?” Emma rounded her eyes, looking shocked.
“Mmm-hmm, you heard right. She’s one of those messed-up kinky ménage people. I heard there’s a bunch of them in Divine. Freaks.”
Judith was so drunk she obviously didn’t know she was surrounded by those supposed freaks.
Chapter Nineteen
Gwen watched Emma with admiration as she listened to Judith rant on.
Judith took another swallow of her drink. “Yeah! And believe me. I know what I’m talking about when I say ‘messed up’ because that shit’s crazy. I s’pose it’s okay for the men because they get theirs, no matter what. But those threesomes, foursomes, whatever…I’ve been there and done that…and it ain’t all that,” she over-enunciated and then giggled as if she’d said something clever.
Emma nodded sympathetically and said, “Oh, I can’t imagine! You’ve had that happen to you?”
Gwen thought the good doctor deserved an Oscar, she was so convincing. Emma was married to two of the hottest IT consultants and private investigation subcontractors in the area. Emma knew hot ménages from a hole in the ground.
“Yeah! It was terrible. They came and left me hanging. Didn’t even use lube.”
Gwen was embarrassed for every man at that table having to listen to this woman talk about a subject she knew next to nothing about. Technically, Gwen didn’t either, but she planned to rectify that soon enough.
“You didn’t ask them to use lube?”
“Didn’t have any. We were in the backseat of a truck.” Judith took another swallow of her drink. She glared back at the two cowboys who had been sitting with Hatch earlier, confirming Gwen’s suspicion.
Jayne Carter, Grace’s cousin, snuck up to her and asked, “Who is she and why is she here?”
Gwen smiled and whispered, “To stir up shit. It’s what she does,” and then she briefly explained her past association with this particular rodeo-following buckle-bunny troublemaker.
Grace said, “Shh, listen.”
“So, what you experienced was basically a quickie threesome? With no preparation or foreplay?”
“Foursome, actually,” Judith stated and then laughed. “Foreplay? Are you kidding? They couldn’t wait to get down to business. That’s the way it is with men when they get that look in their eyes and you know the clock is ticking,” she added in a stage whisper, obviously believing that none of the men at the table could hear her over the loud music. There were few occupants at the next table who couldn’t hear her.
Emma glanced at both her men, a twinkle in her eyes just for them that Judith never noticed. “I see. So if there wasn’t any preparation, or foreplay or kissing, and they didn’t even make sure you were safe and comfortable, like in a bed—”