Read The Wives of Beverly Row 1: Lust Has a New Address for Free Online Page A

her throat. She was still thinking about Gabe hiding all that money from Ariel for all those years. “Let me tell you, if Hank ever tries anything like that I’ll cut his balls off.” She swung her rich, red hair over her shoulder in a way that made it look like she meant every word of it.
    “Veronica’s on her third marriage,” Trudy said.
    “And I’m in it for the money,” Veronica said.
    Ariel put her hand in front of her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
    “It’s no secret,” Veronica said, “believe me. Hank knows it, too.”
    “That’s funny,” Ariel said.
    “It’s the way it is and I don’t try to hide it. I married for love in my twenties. That was a mistake. My second marriage in my thirties was for lust. Alejandro from Barcelona. What a lover he was! There is a certain kink I have that Alejandro was able to satisfy for me just perfectly.”
    Ariel saw Zola and Trudy exchange glances. “What?” she said.
    “A certain kink ,” Trudy said, and laughed.
    “What is it?”
    “Girls,” Veronica said. “Stop it. I’m trying to be serious. Basically, Ariel, I married for love and I married for lust and neither time did it work out for me. So this time, when I met Hank, I was upfront. I told him I wasn’t looking for the greatest lover in the world, I wasn’t looking for Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet, I just wanted a decent, steady, loving man who would take care of me and my son.”
    “And he agreed?”
    “Look at me,” Veronica said, smiling mischievously. “How could he refuse?”
    Ariel smiled. Veronica was a glamorous looking woman, definitely a lot better looking than her husband. Hank had looked a little boring at the party and Ariel supposed the arrangement he and Veronica had made perfect sense. Veronica gave him her beauty, her sexiness, she let him show up at events and business functions with a glamorous wife, and in return Hank brought home the bacon, paid for everything, and gave Veronica the financial security she needed for herself and Kyle.
    But something niggled at the back of Ariel’s mind. She wanted to know what the kink was that Alejandro had been able to satisfy so perfectly for Veronica.
    “Don’t get me wrong,” Veronica said. “Hank and I have a loving, committed relationship. I’m a good wife to him. I really do love him. But I didn’t hide the fact that I wanted stability and security, that’s all.”
    “I guess there are worse things to base a marriage on,” Ariel said.
    “There certainly are,” Zola said. “If I could switch out my marriage for something like Veronica’s I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
    “Oh, come on,” Trudy said. “Jake’s fifteen years older than you. Admit it, Zola. You married for money too.”
    Zola shook her head sadly. “I wish I had,” she said. “Then it might not hurt so much.”
    Trudy put her hand on Zola’s shoulder to comfort her. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    “It’s alright. Really. I wish I’d married Jake for his money because then it wouldn’t cut so deep when he cheats.”
    “Oh, Zola,” Trudy said.
    “I just don’t know what to do,” Zola said. “I mean, you all know what he’s like. He’s a bully, he’s a cheater.”
    “He’s a complete jackass,” Trudy said.
    “Thank you,” Zola said, tearing up, “but I still love him.”
    The four women were quiet for a minute.
    Ariel broke the silence. “Gabe was a cheater.”
    “And did that make you stop loving him?” Zola said.
    “It did, but only after years and years. I forgave him so many times that it became meaningless. I was married to Gabe for sixteen years and I’d say he had affairs for at least twelve of those years. All short-term flings. Lots of different women.”
    “How did you put up with it so long?” Veronica said.
    “I don’t know,” Ariel said. “Self-esteem issues, I guess. I just thought that was what I