Syrah and Swingers Read online

  Syrah and Swingers

  Wine Valley Mystery Book 3

  Sandra Woffington

  Sandra Woffington

  Copyrighted Material

  Syrah and Swingers copyright © 2019

  Book design and layout copyright © 2019

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are

  either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Sandra Woffington.

  sandrawoffington.com

  1st Edition

  ISBN-13: 978-1-944650-09-4 (ebook)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-944650-10-0 (paperback)

  Books in the Wine Valley Mystery Series

  Titles and Release Dates

  Merlot and Murder: The Beginning (FREE)

  Burgundy and Bodies, Book 1 (May 2, 2019)

  Pinot Noir and Poison, Book 2 (May 9, 2019)

  Syrah and Swingers, Book 3 (May 23, 2019)

  Rose and Rocks, Book 4 (June 27, 2019)

  Grenache and Graves, Book 5 (July 2019)

  Shiraz and Slaughter, Book 6 (Aug. 2019)

  Pinot Grigio and Pesticide, Book 7

  Gamay Noir and Ghouls, Book 8

  Claret and Carnage, Book 9

  Viognier and Venom, Book 10

  More murder, mystery, and mayhem to come . . .

  Other Books By the Author

  WARRIORS & WATCHERS SAGA SERIES

  Epic Mythological Fantasy

  Seven ancient gates of evil will open, unless a quirky group of teens become warriors.

  “Original and consistently entertaining from cover to cover.” Midwest Book Review

  Evil Speaks (Reader’s Favorite 5-Star Review)

  Evil Hears (to be released in 2019)

  Evil Sees

  Evil Touches

  Evil Feeds

  Evil Deeds

  Evil Desires

  ______

  STAND ALONE HISTORICAL ROMANCE

  Unveiling

  What would you sacrifice to fulfill your destiny?

  Stay up to date

  In appreciation of each and every reader, I created a Facebook group called Woffington's Reading Warriors: Mystery, Murder, Magic & More specifically for readers to join together and share their interests, discuss books, and to communicate directly with me and fellow Reading Warriors!

  I post updates, previews, new releases, insider information, and awesome offers in this group.

  Visit my website at sandrawoffington.com.

  Follow me on Amazon, Facebook or Instagram.

  Come for the Mystery—Stay for the Magic!

  Acknowledgments

  If you love this series, it is because of my fan ARC Readers and the pros on my team.

  Thanks for your energy, your belief in me, and your support!

  ARC READING WARRIORS

  Lisa Oster

  Julie Bawden-Davis

  PROS

  Editor: Beth

  Cover Artist: Judy

  Marketer: Jynafer

  To the readers—

  without your passion for stories,

  my passion to write remains unseen, the characters’ voices never heard, their lives never lived, their triumphs never celebrated.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Author’s Note

  Rosé and Rocks

  Books in the Wine Valley Mystery Series

  Stay Up to Date

  Also by Sandra Woffington

  1

  In Wine Valley, social gatherings occurred regularly, but tonight, hosts Elwin and Sophia Hansen held another kind of party.

  A swingers’ party.

  A party of average people with average lives, who delved into fleshy pleasures and crossed boundaries others dared not cross.

  Ted Hook and his date, Asia Williams, crossed the long walkway of the sprawling front lawn of a ranch-style home, built in the eighties when cheap land afforded homeowners enough acreage to be at a comfortable distance from their neighbors.

  Ted stepped up to the door and rang the bell. As he waited, he stared at Asia but tried hard not to make it obvious. It still astonished him that she had showed up in Wine Valley to visit. He hadn’t seen her for three years. As soon as she had aged out of the social services system at eighteen and his parents no longer received checks for her care, Asia had to leave his house and fend for herself. With his devotion to culinary school, then work, they’d drifted apart. A few months ago, he moved to Wine Valley to start a new life. He’d barely settled in when a policeman from Brooklyn informed him his parents had been murdered in a home-invasion robbery. It meant he had no one—and that made Asia’s visit all the more special.

  “You’re sure this is your cup-of-tea, Asia? We can just hang out.”

  “Ted, you know how my life was before social services put me with your family. My life has been as crazy as yours. Besides, we’re not hooking up—you and me, I mean. Having a good time is my cup-of-tea.”

  “Okay. Just being sure. I’m new at this, but you only live once, right?”

  “Exactly once.” Asia laughed. “You’re too funny.”

  Despite his best effort, Ted could not take his eyes off of Asia. He never could. A black father and an Asian mother had bestowed her with warm almond skin, full lips, and dark exotic eyes. She had her hair pulled back from her face and wore a skin-tight yellow dress. A sheer yellow scarf wound round her neck like a wide choker. He, on the other hand, felt inadequate next to her with his scruffy black hair, pale skin, and skinny mustache. Even though tall, his shoulders slumped in perpetual inadequacy.

  Sophia Hansen swung the door open. “Asia and Ted.”

  Ted could hardly believe his luck at having met Sophia, a librarian, and Elwin, a geeky electrical engineer—plain folks on the outside, wild on the inside. Sophia’s brown hair feathered in seductive sweeps around her face. She had large doe-brown eyes, a delicate nose, and unadorned lips that formed a perpetual smile. “We were beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”

  “My fault, primping,” said Asia.

  “You’re as beautiful as ever,” said Ted. “After you.”

  Sophia led Ted and Asia inside, past the living room of beige and turquoise, which opened to the dining room and to the kitchen, freshly remodeled with white quartz countertops and black cabinets with polished nickel hardware. The faint smell of fresh paint vied with the smells of hot and cold appetizers, spread across the dining room table.

  A bar had been set up on the quartz countertop. “Asia, let me introduce you. This is Henri and Nicole.”

  Henri, despite being just over fifty, maintained a musky, masculine charm. His dark wavy hair spilled over the collar of his yellow polo shirt. Black slacks hung loosely on his hips, and desp
ite being casual, they emphasized his narrow, gym-carved, six-pack waist. He was clean-shaven but still had a shadow.

  Asia beamed. “Henri, you’re the chef of the restaurant where Ted works, right?”

  “We’re the owners,” corrected Nicole, who hopped about like an energetic sprite, wearing a red spaghetti-strapped dress that hugged her petite figure. Her red hair and pixie haircut helped her maintain the façade of a fairy princess. She just needed cute, pointy ears. A mischievous twinkle illuminated her eyes. She’d already kicked off her shoes and was standing barefoot. “It’s lovely to meet you, Asia. I love your dress.”

  “Thank you,” said Asia. “I like yours too.”

  Ted noticed his boss Henri scowl at him, despite the “no jealousy” rule among swingers. The irony was that, before swinging, he’d heard rumors that Henri had cheated on Nicole. Henri didn’t always seem to like the arrangement, especially since Ted had joined the group. Henri had missed the last party, Ted’s first, but Sophia told Nicole to come, as she had an extra male—him. They had a great time and even went to Victor and Gloria’s club one night—all was well, until she walked into the kitchen one day, and they discovered that Nicole was Henri’s wife, and Ted was the kitchen help. He’d only been in town a few months. But they had settled it amicably—Nicole was off limits from then on, and Ted kept his mouth shut. Small world—the term had new meaning.

  “And this is Victor and Gloria. Ted, you know them,” said Elwin, a moderately handsome man, except that his nose veered right due to the beating from bullies he’d taken in high school. He had an unsettling, overly-wide smile, but he had dressed to impress, wearing a white collared shirt, open at the neck, and slacks.

  Asia nodded. “Hello.”

  “Good to see you again,” said Ted.

  Victor, a German businessman, mid-forties like Elwin, had close-cropped gray hair, thinning on top, gray eyes, and the rigid posture of a general. Gloria, forty-one, was a statuesque blond bombshell. Gloria wore glistening lip-gloss, double-thick mascara, and a little black dress from which her buff arms and long legs protruded and her cleavage spilled over. Her hair fell in lavish curls around her shoulders.

  Elwin continued the introductions. “This is Tony and Christie.”

  Ted hadn’t met them before. Tony had curly, sandy-blond hair, a receding hairline, and a rugged face that made him seem angry even when he smiled. Christie kept her chin down and her eyes up, which gave her a shy or timid appearance, but that was offset by her bold short, spiky blond hair with blue highlights. She had pale blue eyes, pale skin, and a waifish figure. She wore a see-through shirt with long sleeves, a blue lacy bra, and a blue skirt. “Nice to meet you both.”

  Ted considered getting together with Christie later, since Asia had rebuffed him, which he had expected. While they weren’t blood relatives, they had lived as brother and sister for five years, from the time she was thirteen through eighteen. Asia’s mother had died of a drug overdose, so he surmised she’d seen plenty in her formative years prior to entering the social services system.

  “And this is Mark and Mary,” said Elwin.

  Mary was closer to Asia’s age, as was Mark. They offered politely frigid nods.

  Asia nodded back.

  Ted had met them at the last party—his first—where he and Nicole swapped with Mark and Mary, but he got carried away. Mark and Mary were new at swinging, and they had a long list of “won’t dos.” Mark had a lanky body, protruding ears, and sharp features—true geek—while Mary had brown hair that hung to her hips and she wore no makeup. Dressed in simple jeans and a white tank top, she looked like the wholesome girl next door or someone’s babysitter. In the heat of the moment, Ted had slapped Mary, and the next thing he knew, Mark ripped him off of her and punched him in the face while Nicole ran to get Elwin, who pulled him aside and explained the rules—strict rules—not to be broken or he’d be banned. He’d mistakenly thought swingers engaged in a free-for-all, but it was nothing of the sort.

  “Asia, what can I get you to drink?” asked Sophia. “We have red, a Syrah, and a white, a Sauvignon Blanc. Or vodka and OJ or gin or whiskey or water or none of the above?”

  “A Syrah, please,” said Asia.

  “Screwdriver for me.” Ted blushed the moment he said it. “That sounded like a bad pun.”

  The group laughed.

  Sophia grabbed two paper cups. “That’s why I said ‘vodka and OJ.’”

  The doorbell rang again.

  “I’ll get it.” Elwin rushed to the door. “Probably our virgins, Steve and Sandy.”

  Ted eyed the crowd to make contact and read the girls for receptive glances. Christie and Tony returned his gaze.

  Ted had rented a mother-in-law cottage in the backyard of an elderly lady who lived two doors down. When Sophia and Elwin had first introduced him to the lifestyle, he demurred until she assured him that swingers were heterosexual. Gay parties stayed gay parties, and the men at their swinger parties just liked women, although the men didn’t mind playing with girls who interacted, which, for sure, he didn’t mind either, although he’d not had that chance yet.

  Elwin returned. “This is Steve and Sandy. Please introduce yourselves, and no touchy this bottle.” Elwin set an expensive bottle of champagne on the counter. It had a card attached.

  Steve was middle-aged and short. His pudgy belly stretched over his white polo shirt, and his muscular legs jutted from his blue shorts, the waistband of which pinched his gut.

  Sandy had light brown hair streaked with blond highlights. She was moderately attractive, but clearly fidgeted, seeing the other women gussied up more than her. She wore a floral cotton dress that ran down to mid-calf. She attempted a smile, but it curved into more of a grimace, and her eyes maintained a fearful-deer-caught-in-the-hunter’s-scope expression.

  Victor remarked, “If you bring gifts like that, I’m inviting you to my house.”

  The others laughed and nodded, but Steve protested, “Hey, that wasn’t from us. If I buy that brand, it’ll be Sandy and I drinking it. Sorry, Elwin.”

  Elwin explained, “One other couple was due to come, but the gentleman showed up just after Steve and Sandy. He dropped off the bottle, saying that his date had gotten ill.”

  Sophia gushed, “That’s courteous! Like Elwin said, ‘no touchy that bottle.’”

  Gloria and Victor gave each other a knowing glance. Victor said, “I think I know who—the inquisitive man that came to our club and dropped a boatload of cash.”

  Elwin nodded. “Yep.”

  For the next couple of hours, Ted and Asia mingled with the others. They didn’t stick together. Instead, they created space between them that signaled invitations to others. But Sandy and Steve clung side-by-side and were at least one drink ahead of the others. Ted overheard Elwin warn them, “Slow down, you two. No pressure here. This is not the place for alcohol-laced decisions that will lead to regret later.”

  Elwin, Sophia, Victor, and Gloria hung near the newbies, doing their best to put them at ease. Elwin said, “Unlike the outside world, at swingers’ parties, no means no, safe sex is mandatory, and boundaries are respected or you’re booted and banned. We’re glad you came.”

  “Too bad the rest of the world can’t be as sexually polite with one another,” remarked Nicole. She tried to allay Sandy’s fears. “Here, women are in charge—you say who, you say when, you say what you want and don’t want. Sorry, Steve, but that’s the truth.”

  Sandy muttered a nervous response. “Well, thank you. That’s good to know.”

  The Hansen home had six bedrooms, but Ted had only been in one: the cave, which had walls painted like rock and fur throws draped over the bed. But he had peeked at the others: an Aladdin room had central brass rings on the ceiling, from which draped long sheer fabric that swept upward to the top of the walls and cascaded down to the floor. A round bed with a red satin cover and round lounge pillows sat in the middle of the room. An oriental carpet added to the Arabian mystique. A swin
g hung down, suspended from the ceiling. The “safari room,” as Elwin had called it, had red walls, black carpeting, a white ceiling striped like a zebra, and various stuffed animals: a lion, a giraffe, and an enormous ape with a leathery chest. The wildest room had a mirrored ceiling and mirrored walls. A window in the hallway allowed the occupants of the mirrored room to either pull a curtain closed or leave the curtain pulled back to allow voyeurs standing in the hallway to watch. The other bedroom had a simple quilted bedspread and oak furniture, and the master contained tasteful French provincial furniture.

  Gloria had joked to Ted that swingers didn’t need ambiance, just a place, but Sophia liked themes, saying, “They are the byproduct of my days spent in the library between stacks of history and fantasy.”

  Before long, Tony approached Ted. “How about joining us, Ted? Christie would like that, wouldn’t you?”

  Christie nodded, although her express revealed reservation. “Tony likes to watch. If that’s okay?”

  “Oh, I see,” said Ted, caught off guard and immediately surprised that anything anyone said or did at one of these parties could catch him off guard. Ted eyed Asia, who seemed to be hitting it off with Sophia and Elwin. Victor and Gloria and already disappeared with Henri and Nicole. Mark and Mary stayed beside Sandy and Steve, trying to get them to relax and laugh and enjoy themselves. “Ah, sure.”