She reached the table. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to order,” he said, as she took her seat.
“Steak. Bloody. Steamed broccoli. Vodka martini, extra dry, shaken, not stirred, and extra olives.”
He signaled the waiter with the order and then leaned forward, intrigued. “Most of the women I know are vegetarians.”
She tilted her head in challenge. “I have no problems eating cows. I love bacon, vodka and bread. I also balance my cravings with salads for lunch and yogurt for breakfast.”
“A woman in balance is someone I respect.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled at him, her face open. “I take pleasure very seriously. Life is too short.”
“I agree. So, tell me what brought you to my yoga class?” She started on the dinner rolls and slathered the inner flesh with butter. “I work in an advertising agency. Fast pace, tons of stress. All the late hours and bad food finally caught up with me. I didn’t like the way I felt anymore, so I needed a change.”
“Most people never slow down to even assess why they aren’t happy. I give you credit.” She took a bite of the roll. A drop of shiny butter gleamed in the corner of bee-stung lips.
Her tongue slid out and licked the corner of her mouth with slow motions. Grant stared at her openly. His erection was immediate, imagining those same lips over his shaft, opening and sliding upward to receive him. Again, she didn’t pretend not to notice. She smiled the age old smile of Eve and beckoned him over to her garden.
“Why don’t you want to go to bed with me?” she asked.
Her blunt question only made him want her more. Her body was dangerous, but her cleverness and companionship was deadly. Damn, he liked her. Grant reached for his red wine.
“Would you like to hear my story?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and went back into his past. “I was married. She began as one of my students.
I loved her and I was faithful. My following began to grow and instead of hopping to different locations, I decided to embark on a yoga school. I wanted to develop something like the karate schools and train students to go deeper into the practice than a class at the local gym. She supported my goal, and we built the school together.” He paused and waited for her questions. She said nothing, just nodded her head for him to continue. “The school became successful, but my wife began to change. She became jealous of the female students. As you know, the practices sometimes morph into an intimate level. There are standards to follow, but sometimes the women in class form an attachment to me. The same thing happened with the male students and my wife.”
“Makes sense.”
“She believed I was having an affair. Became irrational, stalking me and the students.
Began a chasm within the school until sides formed. Rumors started. I tried to talk to her, pulled back from my classes so we could fix it.” Grant kept his voice neutral though the old emotions still clawed at his gut. “During one of my classes, I was served with divorce papers. Things got nasty. She rallied the students against me and some females made accusations that weren’t true.” Their food came. Silence settled over the table while he forked up his pasta. Then he continued. “She ended up getting the school. My reputation was ruined as a teacher. I walked away with nothing and had to start over. So, I moved to New York and made a fresh start.”
“I’m sorry.”
She offered no more, but he spotted an understanding in her gaze that soothed him. Grant realized he had never told the story to anyone other than his close friends back in Florida. No one in New York had ever scaled the wall to learn his past. Somehow, Arianna had gotten past. On some strange level, he trusted her. So, he told her everything.
“She lied to me.”
Arianna blinked, seeming to realize the worst had not been told. “How did she lie, Grant?”
“She was having an affair with one of the students the whole time. While she accused me and took my school, she was screwing around with one of my senior aides.” Her hands reached across the table and interlinked his fingers as he’d done back in the studio. The warmth and softness of her flesh closed around him and chased away the cold. “It doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “One of the principles you teach is correct. It’s your own karma that you need to account for. You didn’t cheat. You didn’t do anything wrong. And another principle I’ve learned in this life.”
“What?”
She smiled then, dazzling, sexy. “Life sometimes sucks.” He smiled back. “Sad story over. Now you know.”