Perfect Partners Read Online Free PDF Page B

unzipped. She was on her knees in front of him, and there was a rather appalling sucking noise. It was”—Letty paused—“quite amazing, really.”
    Joel drew a deep breath. “Yeah, I can see where that would have been a little upsetting.”
    Letty's shoulders started to shake. She put her hand over her mouth and made a tiny, muffled sound. Joel stared at her, alarmed. Hell, she was going to start crying. He was no good with crying women. He had no idea what to do. “Letty, don't. Christ, I'm sorry I brought up the subject. Look…”
    “No, you don't understand.” She glanced at him, but her eyes slid quickly away before Joel could read the expression in them. There was another choked squeak, and then the giggles spilled forth.
    Joel realized with a jolt of surprise that she was laughing.
    “Oh, I was shocked at first,” Letty admitted as she struggled to catch her breath. “‘Stunned’ would be a better word. But then I realized I had never seen anything so ludicrous in my entire life. He looked so silly with his, uh, you-know-what…” She broke off again as words failed her.
    “Male member?” 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