The card reader flashed green, and Vanessa stepped into the suite as city lights spilled across the polished floor from the wall of windows ahead. Downtown stretched beneath them in gold and white, giving the room that temporary, almost illicit feeling of belonging to no one but themselves until morning.

Jeremy set down the bags and rested a hand at the small of her back. “No responsibilities until checkout,” he said, mischief already in his voice. “I intend to make the most of every hour.”

“You say that like you made an itinerary.”

“I did. It’s extremely detailed.”

She laughed, kissed his bearded jaw, and crossed to the mirror to loosen her long dark waves. Getting ready together in a hotel always felt different from home. No interruptions, no schedules, nothing waiting for them except the night.

Wearing lacy red lingerie, Vanessa stepped into the fitted navy blue dress she had chosen and smoothed it over her hips. Jeremy watched from behind her while adjusting his collar. When she caught him staring in the mirror, she raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m appreciating.”

The dress hugged her 5'1" curves, flattering her full breasts and firm ass. Jeremy stepped behind her, zipped it slowly, then brushed his mouth beneath her ear. “You look dangerous tonight.”

“You say that every time I wear blue.”

“Because you keep proving me right.”

She rolled her hips back against him, and the kiss that followed became heated enough to make leaving the room seem optional, as Jeremy’s hands slid down to grasp her ass. Vanessa finally pulled away with a smile, one hand still against his chest. “Club first.”

The nightclub was already crowded, deep bass pulsing through the floor as violet and gold light swept across bodies packed onto the dance floor. The air smelled of perfume, cocktails, and warm skin. Vanessa led Jeremy into the center of it, turning into his arms as his hands settled at her waist and slid lower to her hips.

They danced closely, kissed between songs, and quietly commented on the people around them. Vanessa noticed a broad shouldered man near the bar in a fitted white shirt, his sleeves rolled to reveal strong forearms and tattoos. She nodded toward him. “Him.”

Jeremy followed her gaze. “Your type?”

“Definitely.”

The man looked over, and Vanessa held his eyes briefly before turning back toward Jeremy with a pleased smile.

A few minutes later, Jeremy pointed out a tall brunette in a silver dress. Vanessa looked her over, appreciating the sharp cheekbones, long legs, and easy confidence. “She’s ok.”

“That sounded jealous.”

“Do not make it weird.”

Jeremy laughed and pulled her closer. “I was going to say the man by the bar is still looking at you.”

Vanessa caught him staring again, enjoying the familiar thrill before turning in Jeremy’s arms and kissing him slowly enough to make it clear she was there with him.

When she looked across the floor again, she saw the woman in emerald.

She was tall with deep brown skin catching the shifting lights. Long glossy waves touched with copper framed sharp cheekbones and full lips. Gold jewelry flashed against an emerald satin dress that moved over elegant curves. She danced with calm, effortless confidence, quietly owning the space around her.

Vanessa looked once.

Then again.

The woman’s eyes found hers, and a knowing smile touched her lips.

Vanessa looked away, heat rising into her cheeks as she turned back into Jeremy’s arms and let the bass pull her hips against him. Her dress clung to her curves with every sway, and she pressed closer, grounding herself in the familiar weight of his hands. Even with his mouth brushing her neck, she remained aware of the woman watching from across the floor.

“She is beautiful,” Vanessa murmured beneath the music. “Anyone would notice her.”

Jeremy briefly looked the woman over, then drew his wife into a turn without challenging the explanation, his hands sliding lower as he kissed beneath her ear. “Of course. That probably explains the third look you gave her.”

Vanessa gave him a mild glare, but it lost its force when she glanced past his shoulder again. The woman in emerald was still dancing with the same unhurried confidence, sometimes beside her friends and sometimes apart from them, never appearing to perform for anyone. Each time her dark eyes returned to Vanessa, that smile appeared again.

Vanessa turned fully toward Jeremy and kissed him, enjoying the scrape of his beard and the way his hands tightened around her. She was attracted to the tattooed man near the bar. That response made sense to her. This was different. The woman’s attention made her curious and self conscious at once, and not understanding it only made her more aware of it.

When the kiss ended, Jeremy stayed close enough that his lips brushed her ear. “She’s still watching,” he said. “She’s watching you.”

Vanessa laughed softly as though that explained nothing, though her pulse jumped. “Maybe she likes my dress.”

“Maybe.”

The crowd shifted around them, gradually narrowing the space between the three dancers. The woman in emerald moved closer without making a show of it until her perfume reached Vanessa through the heavier air, warm spice with something faintly sweet beneath it. She was only a few feet away now, dancing in the same pocket of floor.

Vanessa kept moving against Jeremy, one of his hands firm at her hip, but her eyes returned to the woman. This time neither of them looked away. After one slow turn, the woman began matching Vanessa’s rhythm, close enough to make her interest unmistakable while still leaving Vanessa room to choose.

The three of them moved together without any spoken agreement until the hem of the emerald dress occasionally brushed Vanessa’s thigh. Vanessa kept her back lightly against Jeremy’s chest while the woman’s long legs and full curves moved in easy time with hers.

She leaned closer, her voice smooth beneath the music. “I’m Naiomi. Mind if I dance with you?”

Vanessa hesitated for only a moment. “Yes,” she answered, more breathlessly than she intended. “I’m Vanessa, and this is my husband, Jeremy.”

Naiomi acknowledged Jeremy with a brief glance, then returned her attention to Vanessa. Jeremy gave Vanessa’s waist a gentle squeeze.

They kept moving, Vanessa caught between Jeremy’s familiar body and the new awareness of Naiomi in front of her. Naiomi let the rhythm settle before lifting one hand, slowly enough that Vanessa could have stepped away. Her fingertips grazed Vanessa’s forearm and came to rest at her waist.

A quick breath escaped Vanessa, but she did not lean away. She let her hips find the beat again and remained within Naiomi’s touch.

Jeremy’s thumb passed once over her hip bone. Naiomi’s smile deepened when Vanessa chose to stay, and the three of them continued beneath the passing lights, no longer merely sharing the same space.

Naiomi’s hand traveled higher along Vanessa’s side, drawing them closer. Vanessa placed a tentative palm at Naiomi’s waist and felt warm muscle beneath the dress. Jeremy stayed close behind her, his lips near the sensitive skin below her ear, but he did not pull her away from the new touch.

Naiomi held Vanessa’s eyes as her fingers traced the line of Vanessa’s spine above the zipper. She moved nearer, then paused with barely any space left between them.

Vanessa did not turn away. Naiomi leaned closer, lips parted, her eyes still locked on Vanessa’s. Through the unspoken tension, Vanessa remained close, the nervous excitement building. Naiomi remained confident. She closed her eyes and slowly brought her lips to Vanessa’s.

Their mouths met softly. The first kiss was no more than a press of lips that tasted faintly of champagne. The softness startled Vanessa, not because it felt wrong, but because it felt more natural than she had expected. Naiomi pulled back enough to read her face. When Vanessa stayed close and tightened her hand at Naiomi’s waist, the second kiss deepened.

They continued moving with the music. Naiomi’s thigh eased between Vanessa’s legs, and the pressure sent a sudden pulse through her. Her nipples tightened beneath the red lace, and wetness gathered inside her panties. Jeremy’s hand moved higher along her ribs, his breathing heavier near her ear, eager to see how his wife would respond to Naiomi’s advances. The bulge felt by Vanessa told her what watching them was doing to him.

Naiomi drew back until their foreheads almost touched. Vanessa’s fingers remained curled at her waist. For a moment, she stopped trying to explain what she felt.

Then she pulled Naiomi back and kissed her again.

This time Vanessa chose the depth of it. Her tongue found Naiomi’s. Her free hand followed Naiomi’s side and closed around one breast through the satin. The weight settled into her palm, unfamiliar and exciting, and Naiomi gave a quiet sound against her mouth. Jeremy stayed behind Vanessa, letting her explore without interrupting.

When the kiss ended, Naiomi looked

No Longer Curious