The Wives of Beverly Row 1: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks Page B

and she needed to pick up some groceries. On her way through the university she passed the art building. She’d wanted so badly to study there when she was younger. She’d even been accepted to the prestigious school, but then she got pregnant. It just wasn’t possible for her to go to school after that. She’d married Gabe instead. She slowed down outside the building and looked at the students hanging around outside the entrance. The boys had long hair and the girls were smoking. If her life had gone differently she could have been one of those kids.
    She parked on Weyburn Avenue and went into the supermarket. It was nicely air conditioned inside and she took a minute to appreciate the cool air on her body. She looked at her watch. It was just after nine. She thought about giving Becky a quick call but she resisted the urge. She had to let her daughter find her own feet in the new school. She told herself that Becky was a bright, friendly kid and would be just fine.
    She got a cart and began making her way through the aisles, picking up the things she needed. She wasn’t far from Beverly Row but she didn’t expect to run into anyone.
    “Ariel?”
    She turned to see who was calling her name.
    “Oh, Veronica.”
    “I thought I saw you come in.”
    “Just grabbing a few things,” Ariel said.
    “Me too. They have the best salsa here. Have you tried it?”
    “I’ll grab some.”
    “It’s so fresh. I think they make it right here in the store.”
    Ariel smiled. “I had a great time the other night,” she said.
    “It was fun wasn’t it?”
    “It was great to get to know you girls better. I really appreciate how welcoming you’ve all been.”
    “Oh, we’ve been desperate for fresh blood, Ariel. Things can get awfully dull. We’re delighted to have you in the neighborhood.”
    “Well, things sure don’t seem dull to me. You should have seen my last neighborhood.”
    “It can’t have been more conservative than our little street.”
    “It wasn’t more conservative. No. But after so many years there it just felt like the same thing over and over, day after day. You know what I mean?”
    “I’m a wife and a mother, Ariel. I know exactly what you mean. If I have to hear one more story about Hank’s accounting practice and Kyle’s sports teams, I’ll scream.”
    Ariel laughed. It was nice to meet other women who weren’t afraid to call things as they saw them. She found that so many women were so reverent about their lives, it was almost as if they were afraid to admit that they hated doing their family’s laundry and keeping the house clean.
    “I was pretty surprised at the things you told me,” Ariel said.
    “Oh, about the depraved fetish I crave?” Veronica said, grinning wickedly.
    “Exactly. No one in my old neighborhood would ever have owned up to wanting something like that.”
    “Well, that’s me. I’ll own up to anything. That’s not even the worst thing I’ve been lusting for.”
    “Veronica! You’re hilarious.”
    “Ariel! Don’t tell me you don’t have fantasies like that. Wouldn’t you just love it if a great big hunk of a man took you and made you his and did everything he wanted to you? Wouldn’t you pretty much give anything for that?”
    Ariel looked around the supermarket. It wasn’t busy but she didn’t want people to overhear the conversation she was having with Veronica. It was pretty risqué for the Trader Joe’s dairy aisle.
    “I’ve never thought about it,” Ariel said.
    Veronica slapped Ariel’s arm playfully. “Oh, give me a break, Ariel. You can’t fool me that easily.”
    “Let’s get out of here,” Ariel said. “I’ll buy you a coffee.”
    They checked out together and loaded their groceries into their cars. The street was still in shade and it wasn’t too hot.
    “There’s a Starbucks right around the corner,” Veronica said.
    They ordered some drinks and sat by the window overlooking the street. A good-looking guy about ten years younger