There were two billiard tables off to the left of the main entrance and three dart boards hung on the back wall. The bar was a deep wood finish with stools of black leather perched in front. The bartender offered her a smile and a wave as Jacqui forced her way closer to the bar. The men leered at her as if she were fresh meat and the couple in the corner hadn't even noticed she entered the bar."What can I get ya?" The bartender placed both hands on the wooden bar, her breasts falling back down to a normal position, and smiled as she waited. "Club soda, please."The woman gave her a curious look. "Playing it safe tonight?""I, uh, I don't drink." Jacqui reached to her right where a plastic container holding perfect white napkins rested. She pulled one out and tore off the corner."Ah, meeting someone special then, huh?""I can be someone special," the man sitting closest to her offered. He wore faded jeans and a baggy T-shirt. He had short, dirty-blond hair and hands that needed a goo
Morgan walked into The Karston Foundation Friday morning with the goal of getting Jacqui Karston out on a date. He had been dwelling about it since Wednesday afternoon, and finally decided to just go for it. His life needed some challenge in it, at the moment. It was going to be a risk, of course, keeping her from running to Neal about his inappropriate employee, but that was part of the game. It was a rush to do what you know you shouldn't do. Besides, with Dustin back in Orlando and Erin, his usual distraction, not around, he needed something new to keep him entertained. Morgan didn't do boredom too well. He didn't do it at all, actually.He made it past the first receptionist barrier at the elevators and wandered down the hall to where he knew the second wall to the domain of Jacqui Karston waited. He couldn't get over how hard Jacqui made it for people to reach her.Jacqui's young assistant sat behind her desk, her dark hair framing her face and drawing out her hazel-brown eyes. He
She was furious with Sophia. The woman should have known better than to take her father back to his house without someone there to watch what he was doing. She knew Sophia was only trying to make her father happy and, knowing him, he probably whined and badgered her until she gave in just to shut him up. Her father could be very persistent when he wanted something. She was going to have to talk to Sophia about being in better control. It was vital that Sophia was the sensible one when it came to Bert Clydesdale. As the elevator began its trek to the ground floor, Jacqui took a deep breath, suddenly feeling worried about the housekeeper. She knew the woman would be beside herself with worry and blame. To be honest, Jacqui blamed her father more than she blamed Sophia. He was a cantankerous old man, used to getting his way and manipulating people into doing what he wanted. Jacqui had fallen for his manipulations several times, too many times.But he could have really hurt himself this t
The few days turned into a year and Bert Clydesdale was becoming restless. She should have taken him to his house and allowed him to putt around. She just became too busy with the community center project and days had turned into weeks which added up to a year. Now he was in the hospital and it was all her fault. The thing she had tried to avoid came to fruition and her father was hurt. This is exactly why she couldn't go out and have fun like Brent and Lily suggested. She simply had too many responsibilities, people depended on her.Jacqui stopped at the emergency room nurses' station at the Biloxi Memorial Hospital. A young lady with short brown hair and a patient smile sat behind the desk, typing in some statistics. "Excuse me," Jacqui said, leaning over the counter. "I'm looking for my father, Bert Clydesdale.""Stop sticking me with that damn needle!"Jacqui took a deep breath. "Never mind. I can follow the yelling." She turned towards the room from which her father's voice bellow
Morgan watched as Jacqui disappeared around the corner toward the elevators. While he could understand her being upset because of her father's fall, she was definitely not making it easy to be friendly toward her. She liked keeping everyone at arms distance while she stared down at them from her lofty office window. He had never seen anyone hold onto grief so long that it paralyzed them socially. There was no doubt her business life was a giant success. She had accomplished everything she set out to do and from what he saw at the fundraiser, she was respected by everyone who knew her. It was her personal life that had crashed and burned, still smoldering on the wreckage of her husband's plane crash.He turned to the dark-haired woman behind the desk. "Is she always so aloof?"Lily nodded. "She keeps things awfully close to her chest. She has dozens of acquaintances, but only a handful of what I would classify as friends, and all of them are business connections. I don't even think she
It was almost dinner time by the time Jacqui was able to get her father home. Sophia had gone on ahead earlier to prepare a meal and make sure his bed was ready for him. Nothing was broken, luckily, just bruised and banged up. He was on some pain pills Jacqui was sure would make him loopy for the rest of the night. With his behavior at the hospital, loopy was good. It kept him from bitching at her again.Once Bert was settled in his bed, pillows propped behind his head, television blaring through reruns of Law & Order, Jacqui fixed herself a steaming cup of orange spice tea and settled into her plush sofa, doing her best to allow the stress of the day to flow from her taut nerves. She was furious with Sophia, even though the fault was partially Bert's. He knew better than to push himself and to put Sophia in that position. He was lucky he hadn't hit his head on a rock or part of the steps going down to the backyard. Jacqui closed her eyes, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. H
Good question, but he knew he couldn't exactly tell her father that he wanted to see how far the chase could go. He needed to come up with something less devious. "I don't like to see the people I work closely with wound so tight. I'm going to be around for quite a while, and I'd like to work with someone who was a little more relaxed.""Good luck with that. Jacqui never relaxes.""I've noticed."He followed Sophia as she drove Bert Clydesdale to his home, a cooler of beverages and their lunch in the back of Morgan's truck. As he drove, he thought more about what he had told the old man about his own daughter. Truth was, he liked Bert. He was a cantankerous old man, but that was probably because of what life had dealt him. He also understood the man wanting to have some sort of independence over his own life. No one likes to feel like they have no control and Jacqui Karston was one who needed to be in total control. Yet, he was going to be working closely with her on more than just thi
Jacqui glanced at her watch. 11:45. She stared down at the file she had been reading, realizing that she hadn't been focused on the last two pages. It was time for a break and lunch with her father sounded good. She pressed the intercom button on her phone."Yes, Mrs. Karston?" Lily's voice came through the speaker."Will you call Sophia and tell her I'm coming home to have lunch with my father, please?""Yes, ma'am." The speaker went dead.Jacqui stretched her arms over her head, popping her sore muscles back into life. She had not realized she had been hunched over in the same position for so long. Lily must have been doing the same at her desk, because she usually came in and forced Jacqui to move a bit, even if it were to sit up straight. Things were growing more hectic as the groundbreaking ceremony drew closer. It had been a while since she had taken on such a major undertaking and she had forgotten what all was involved. Add to that the normal daily business and they were all ru
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.