"You'll be doing this with people you don't know. You don't know their history, if they're good, dependable, anything. You know nothing about this town or its people. What the hell were you thinking telling her you'd be the only outsider coming here?" Neal didn't even wait until the car had started before launching into his rant. Morgan thought the veins at his boss's temples would explode. "This is our first job in Biloxi, and we need it to go smoothly. We need people we know can deliver. Now is not the time to wing it."Morgan tried not to smile, knowing it would only infuriate Neal more. "We got the job, didn't we?""Yes, but will we be able to keep it?""If you didn't think I could run this project, Neal, why did you bring me up here?""I brought you up here to organize one of our crews, get them on their feet until you picked your replacement, not to create a crew from scratch. What the hell were you thinking?""I was thinking we'd get the contract we came out here to get," Morgan
The drive didn't take long, and Stacey Rogers stood outside a cream-colored building with faded paint and dirty windows. There was nothing faded and dirty about Stacey, however. She was a short woman, barely over five-feet tall, with short dark hair, a slender frame, and hips Morgan would love to grip. She smiled, watching them as they exited their car, her eyes twinkling and her blouse buttoned low enough to tempt a man's gaze. Morgan quickly put on his Sunday-Go-To-Meeting smile and allowed his eyes to roam over her curves. Neal would be all business, so Morgan was free to be all male. Cedar Lake was a busy road full of small businesses, churches, and easy access to I-10. The building Stacey showed them was a small fenced in office with a warehouse and parking in the rear for larger trucks, which would keep Neal happy with the way he preferred to stock up on supplies and tools.Introductions were made, Morgan holding her warm hand longer than necessary as he smiled into her emerald
I don't want any damn orange juice." Bert Clydesdale pushed the glass away from him, almost causing it to tip over.Jacqui took a deep breath to keep from snapping at her father and his belligerent attitude. "Well then, what do you want, Dad? You don't want coffee or water or anything else I've laid in front of you.""I want to get out of this damn house, that's what I want. I want to go wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go."Jacqui rolled her eyes. Sophia, their housekeeper, must have told him no at some point today and sent him into this recurring tizzy of his. Her father had never been one to depend on anyone, and here he was, trapped in a wheelchair, yearning for the freedom he enjoyed just a little over a year ago. She wished she could give it to him, too. While he survived his head-on collision with a drunk driver, Bert Clydesdale had been paralyzed from the waist down. Since Sophia already lived with the Karstons, Jacqui brought her father home to live with her once he w
I don't want any damn orange juice." Bert Clydesdale pushed the glass away from him, almost causing it to tip over.Jacqui took a deep breath to keep from snapping at her father and his belligerent attitude. "Well then, what do you want, Dad? You don't want coffee or water or anything else I've laid in front of you.""I want to get out of this damn house, that's what I want. I want to go wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go."Jacqui rolled her eyes. Sophia, their housekeeper, must have told him no at some point today and sent him into this recurring tizzy of his. Her father had never been one to depend on anyone, and here he was, trapped in a wheelchair, yearning for the freedom he enjoyed just a little over a year ago. She wished she could give it to him, too. While he survived his head-on collision with a drunk driver, Bert Clydesdale had been paralyzed from the waist down. Since Sophia already lived with the Karstons, Jacqui brought her father home to live with her once he w
Morgan picked up the tiny form of Stacey Rogers and pressed her back against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she snaked her arms around his neck, fingers sliding through his hair. Their lips meshed, and their tongues danced as they ground against each other, his hardness stroking her through their clothing, clothing they needed to shed. He slid his hand up her thighs and under her skirt, sliding the material up her legs so his hand could grab her bare ass. He loved thongs. Their lips parted, and Stacey's head fell back against the wall as her breathing and moans filled the furnished apartment. He felt her hand start to pull at his pants, trying to free his manhood, tired of waiting. Allowing her feet to touch the floor, he gave her room to reach her target, a smirk on his face as he watched how fast she moved. He felt the button as it was freed and heard the zipper as she yanked his pants open.Kissing her neck, he lifted her back into his arms and carried her over to th
Although Jacqui was tempted to run the contracts through the shredder, they sat on the corner of her desk, waiting for Rutherford's signature at dinner tonight. Hiring a company outside of Biloxi just seemed like a betrayal to what Marc and she had committed to after Katrina, and she had betrayed him enough by not being with her family when the plane crashed. Yet, according to Brent in their conversation after the business lunch yesterday, it was their best opportunity to get the community center started. "He's willing to do it as cheap as possible just to showcase what he can accomplish," Brent said back at the office. "You want the community center to be a nonprofit, and to be honest, with the economy the way it is, The Karston Foundation can't afford to carry it. Even with the fundraiser planned in a couple of weeks, we need to cut corners without sacrificing quality. Neal Rutherford is your best chance of doing that." "Marc would never have gone for it.""Jacqui, Marc isn't here
Once she reached Marc's gravesite, she knelt and set back on our heels, her hands fidgeting with one of her husband's handkerchiefs she carried with her, knotting and unknotting the corners. Maggie's grave was on his left and to his right was a plot reserved for Jacqui. A pang of guilt tugged at her that she was not already lying beside them. It was only because of her recklessness that she wasn't. Her friends told her it had saved her, but she didn't agree. Her place was beside her husband."Hey, Maggie, baby," she said, tears already pooling at the bottom of her eyes. "Mommy misses you so much. Do you remember the community center I told you about? Well, I hired the company that'll build it today. Well, actually, it'll be tonight when they sign the contracts, but we're closer. Mr. Wellington is really excited. He says they are used to building fun things for children, like four-story slides right inside the building. You're going to be so proud of it." Jacqui swiped at a tear that sn
"I really wish you were staying behind to sign those contracts," Morgan said as he unloaded the trunk of Neal's luggage. "Jacqui Karston likes you. She wants to deal with you. Not me." Morgan didn't mind doing the work, but he wasn't overly fond of coddling the clients. When it came to employees, they either did the job or they were fired. You couldn't fire the people you worked for, and Neal would kill him if he quit. It wasn't that Morgan couldn't schmooze with the best of them. It was just that he hated the hypocrisy of it all. Neal was much better at playing politics and smoothing the ruffled feathers of the people who hired Rutherford Construction. Morgan didn't have the time or patience for the nonsense. If he was anything, he was honest about his motives. Kissing anyone's ass was just never his style.Neal lifted the lever of his luggage on wheels and slung the strap to his briefcase over his shoulder. "Who she wants and who she likes is beside the point. This is why I brought y
Dropping the arm holding the towel to his side, he walked over to where Cherish sat and joined her on the bed. He reached out, placing a hand on her leg and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry you're having to deal with this," he told her. He gave a weak shrug. "I guess we never know the full extent of our actions and their consequences until it's too late." He quickly held a hand up, stopping her from saying anything else. "That wasn't a judgment. Promise."She offered him a weak smile. "I didn't take it that way." She shrugged. "Besides, you're right. I didn't realize while I was...you know...how it would hurt you or Jordie, and I sure as hell didn't realize how it would follow me to another job. I was too caught up in what I was doing to even think of anything else." She reached out, placing her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry I was such a selfish bitch."Glen leaned over and kissed Cherish's forehead. When he pulled away, he grinned. "You're my selfish bitch, so it's all good.
Cherish shoved her phone into her purse, closed the final file folder, and shoved herself away from her desk. This day was over, and she was more than happy to see it go. As she stood, however, she realized the day was not completely over. She stood at the edge of her desk, adjusting her purse on her shoulder, as Mary Overton stepped into her doorway, arms crossed over her chest, looking as if she had a corncob shoved deep up her ass. What Bernie saw in the woman, Cherish would never know. Cherish sucked in a deep breath as she paused, waiting to hear what had brought the grump of a woman to her door. "Is there something I can help you with?" Cherish asked.Mary glanced over the room, scowling as she took in the changes Cherish made to the small office. "I see you've rearranged. Making the place more to your liking." Cherish could have sworn the woman gave a disgusted sniff as she said it. "I thought the way Kim had it set up was quite efficient." She glanced around the room with a sn
Glen soaked in her naked body, making no qualms about devouring her with his gaze. He had always thought Cherish was gorgeous and hated when she started to hide her body in baggy shirts and shorts. He wanted to see more of her flesh, more of her body tempting him under tight clothes or low-cut tops. He wanted her to be seductive, sultry, sexy. Hell, he even wanted her to dress slutty for him.Reaching out, Glen ran a hand over her freckle-covered shoulder, up her neck, and into her strawberry-blond hair. Gazing into her eyes, he sucked in a breath as he stared at her. "You, Cherish Lansky, are beautiful."He saw her cheeks redden with her blush, felt her squirm under his touch as his words embarrassed her, but he didn't care. While he thought the words often enough, he failed to say them out loud for her to hear. She needed to hear them. He needed to say them. They needed to get back to the spark that was them when they first ignited each other's passions. Looking at her right then, he
Cherish took a deep breath, deciding to tackle the topic of Rutherford even if Glen hadn't brought it up. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jed. It's been a pretty emotional week all around, and I swear, it just slipped my mind."Glen cocked an eyebrow at her. "A lot of things have slipped your mind lately. I should probably do something about that, eventually."She bowed her head. "Yes, sir," was all she said, but she couldn't deny the tingle between her legs at the thought of Glen punishing her again. She would never have thought the idea of him spanking her would have such an effect on her.He took a sip of his coffee as he studied her, and Cherish just stood there under his scrutiny. After a stretched-out moment, he said, "So, tell me about the conversation now. You said you weren't interested in returning. Is that the truth?"She shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. And, in the way of full disclosure, it was sort of a mixture of him asking if I would want to return and me aski
Cherish placed the last of the glasses back in the cabinet, her back screaming at her due to the lengthy day she just endured. Jordie was already sound asleep in his bed, his tired little body crashing as soon as everyone left, and the constant energy faded away. She could relate as exhaustion tugged at her as well. She had to admit, however, Glen's idea of having the party at their house opposed to her parents' was definitely a winner, minus the cleanup part afterward. Jordie loved every gift he opened, and he and the other kids made full use of the bounce house. Even a few of the adults climbed inside to get their inner youth on while they made the little ones stand outside the giant inflatable while they took over. The children, of course, were far from happy about not being permitted inside, but they laughed like crazy as they watched their parents bouncing around, trying to do flips, and falling on their asses.Valerie surprised Cherish with how she interacted with everyone else a
Cherish felt the tears streaming down her cheeks, felt the anguish clutching at her heart as she sat there, staring at her mother, the woman crying openly now as she stared back at Cherish. How could her mother ever doubt Cherish's love for her? Because I did a shitty job of showing it. I pushed her with everything I did. Cherish reached out, taking her mother's hand in her own, squeezing it tight. "I've always loved you, Mom. You did nothing wrong. It was all me; I was the selfish bitch who never seemed satisfied and happy. I'm so sorry I ever made you feel that way." She squeezed her mother's hand again. "I should never have treated you that way."Her mother gave her a weak smile, squeezing her hand back before pulling it away. "I love you, too, and I'm sorry I ever made you feel as if you couldn't tell me you were pregnant." She shook her head. "Not a very good mother, huh?"Cherish settled back in her chair. "I think we both made mistakes, but that was then. This is now. I need to
Cherish left the others and walked over to her mother, taking one of the remaining chairs beside the other woman. "Why don't you come join the rest of us? Has to be better than sitting over here all by yourself."Her mother didn't even look at her, keeping her gaze on the children. "Why is she here?" she asked, her back stiff, hands clasped in her lap."There are a lot of shes here," Cherish said, even though she knew to whom her mother referred. "You'll have to be a little more specific.""Your sister's new friend," her mother said, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Why did they have to bring her to a family event? It's rude."Cherish glanced over and watched as Tracey Williams laughed at something Arni said, her feet barely touching the ground from where she sat in the chair. "She's close to Selby and Faith," Cherish said with a shrug. "We permitted Brent to bring Bonnie; why wouldn't we allow Faith and Selby to bring Tracey? She seems to be getting along with everyone all right."
Glen stepped back out into the yard, two camp chairs in his hands. Valerie Driscoll was accustomed to calling all the shots, and he knew she set up her area far away from his mother to try to force a division in the party, drawing the crowd to her, so she could show off. That was one of the reasons he wanted the party at his house, so she wouldn't be able to pull a stunt like this. Yet, she still wrecked division wherever she went.Glen moved to the middle of the yard, close to the bounce house, and set up the two chairs. He turned to find Cherish near her mother, two beers in her hand as she watched him, one eyebrow raised and a smirk turning up the corner of her lip."Excuse me," he heard her tell her mother. "I think I'll go join my husband." She then left her mother's side, Valerie's mouth ajar as she gawked at her daughter's retreating back. When Cherish reached him, she handed him his beer as she slid into her chair. "Your beer, sir," she said, smiling at him.He glanced over at
Glen just needed a few minutes to calm his temper. He knew he had acted rude since returning home, and he didn't mean to snap at everyone, taking out his frustration with Cherish on everyone but her. He shoved his way inside the house and headed for the bedroom at the back of the house. Just a few minutes, that's all he needed.However, what he needed and what he received were two different things. As soon as he plopped down on the bed, his hands clasped together as he rested his elbows on his knees, doing his best to take deep breaths, Cherish walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. He didn't even turn to look at her. He couldn't right then. She had lied. Again. That's all she ever did lately.Cherish walked in front of him and dropped to her knees, sitting back on her heels, her hands on her thighs as she stared up at him. She said nothing. Just knelt there, waiting.Glen closed his eyes, taking another fortifying breath. Before opening them again and staring at his wife.