Perfect Partners

Joel suggested dryly.
    Letty succumbed to a fresh burst of giggles. She nodded wildly, springy hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Yes, perfect. With his
male member
stuck in her, I mean, inserted between her…her…”
    “With his male member inserted between her scarlettinted lips?”
    “Exactly. It was the most ridiculous thing you can imagine.”
    “I get the picture.”
    “Disgusting, actually.”
    “Probably depends on your point of view,” Joel temporized.
    She finally stopped giggling and gave him an embarrassed smile. “I guess you had to be there.”
    “On the whole, I’m glad I missed it.”
    “Yes, well, you have to know Philip to really understand just how ludicrous he looked,” Letty confided. “You see, he’s so incredibly
professorial
. Tweed jackets, tasseled loafers, button-down oxford shirts, paisley ties, the works. He looks a lot like—” She stopped abruptly.
    “A lot like what?” Joel asked.
    She made a small, dismissing motion with her hand. “Nothing. It just occurred to me that in some ways Philip dresses and acts a bit like Dad. I wonder if that’s why I…Never mind.”
    Joel realized that avenue of conversation had just been shut down. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t sound like you’re carrying a torch for Dixon.”
    “No.” Letty sighed. “It was horribly humiliating at the time, of course. But when it was all over, I knew it was for the best. I thought Philip and I had a lot in common. But I guess it was all rather superficial in a way. And he did have the most annoying habit of pontificating about things.”
    “Pontificating?”
    Letty smiled wryly. “If we went to a film, he’d analyze it to death afterward. If we attended a play, he evaluated each actor’s performance. It was embarrassing to go out to a restaurant with him because he always sent something back to the kitchen. And his opinion was always the deciding one. He assumed that because he had more degrees than I did, he was always right. I think it would have gotten to me after about six months of marriage.”
    “I’d figure six weeks at the most.”
    “You may be right.” She glanced at him. “There was something missing in my relationship with Philip. I think I knew it from the first, but I tried to pretend it didn’t matter. Maybe I hoped he just wouldn’t notice.”
    “What do you think was missing?” Joel asked, curious again.
    She scowled intently. “I don’t know. Some spark. A feeling of passion. An underlying sizzle. I’m not sure how to describe it. All I know is, never in my wildest dreams could I even conceive of getting on my knees in front of Philip Dixon when he had his pants unzipped.”
    “Ah.”
    “It seems to me that if there had been a shot of genuine passion in the relationship, I would at least have been able to imagine doing that. I’m not saying I would have actually done it, of course. I mean it is rather…” She floundered.
    “Wanton?” Joel supplied helpfully.
    “Yes. Wanton.” She appeared relieved by the word. “As I said, if there had been a lot of real passion in our relationship I think I should have at least been able to visualize it. Don’t you think so?”
    Joel tried valiantly to squash the picture he had conjured up in his own head. He failed. “Yeah. Sure.” Damn. At this rate he was going to need another long run before he would be able to sleep.
    “What I have come to realize lately, Joel,” she continued with a burst of earnest intensity, “is that passion is exactly what’s been missing in my life. It’s missing in every area of my life. My career, my past, my future. Everything seems to have gotten into a rut. I want out.”
    “Out. I see.”
    “Lately I’ve begun to feel as though I’m sitting on the sidelines of my own life. Normally I’m a very goal-directed person, but I feel as though I’ve lost my way or something. I need to revitalize and redirect myself. Great-Uncle Charlie has given me the perfect opportunity to do just that, and I’m going to grab the chance. Thornquist Gear is going to change my life.”
    Joel was torn between wanting to insert his male member between her scarlet-tinted lips and the equally strong desire to throttle her.
Thornquist Gear was his
.
    “Letty, have you really thought this out? I know the idea of being president of your own company probably sounds exciting, but it’s not that easy. You have no background in retailing, let alone in the sporting goods business. Hell, I’ll bet you