Standing in front of her picture window, Jacqui stared down at the city of Biloxi without seeing it. Her fingers toyed with her lips, gliding over them in slow, easy strokes. She could still imagine his lips on hers, the warmth of his breath against her skin, the way it stole the air from her lungs along with her voice. She hadn't even said goodnight to him as he walked away from her and back to his truck. She could only stare at him as he drove off, lost in the fact that he had kissed her.Her father was in bed when she finally pulled herself away from the retreating taillights of Morgan's truck, the house dark except for one lamp Bert left on for her. She peeked in on him while he slept, Morgan's words echoing in her mind. They were still echoing as she stood in her office, unable to focus. Was she being unfair to her father? She had never thought about it the way Morgan had put it, but it made perfect sense. She had never sold her home, because it was her connection to Marc and Magg
Jacqui just smiled as she poured the coffee, adding the sugar and then stirring. She gestured for Lily to take one of the chairs as she handed her the coffee, and instead of settling in behind her desk as she normally would, Jacqui took the other chair beside Lily. Reaching for her coffee, she settled back in her chair, her legs crossed at the knees. She wasn't used to small talk, but she was going to learn. "So, tell me what's been going on with you lately. I don't even know what you enjoy doing anymore."Lily held her coffee mug with both hands, her nervousness a mirror to Jacqui as to how the CEO of The Karston Foundation was viewed by her employees. Have I really been so domineering that I can't even ask Lily a question without her believing there is some ulterior motive behind it? So, she decided to ask. "Have I really become that bad, Lily?"The younger woman took a sip of her steaming coffee, stalling for time. As she lowered the coffee cup, she took a deep breath. "You've just
Morgan walked through the offices of Rutherford Construction, inspecting the work completed so far. The framing was complete as was the electrical and plumbing. Today the drywall people would show up and hang the Sheetrock. The warehouse behind the offices was already being painted, but then again, there wasn't as much to do back there as there was in the main part of the building. Another week and a half and he could get out of that trailer and into a quieter office. He was anxious to have this part of the project done so they could focus on the Maggie Karston Community Center and gaining new contracts. Vince was already out putting a bid in for a new plaza that was going up in Pascagoula and then for some office buildings in Ocean Springs, while Kari was putting out job postings for construction crews. By the end of two weeks, the offices would be hopping, which was exactly what he needed. Perhaps then he could get his mind off Jacqui Karston.Of course, he wasn't sure he wanted to g
The quiet didn't last long, however, before the interviews began.Carl Anderson was a former warehouse attendant for the local cable company. He had long gray hair, which he kept tied up in a ponytail and was thin enough that a strong breeze would force him to struggle simply to walk. He stood just under six feet and had the longest fingers Morgan had ever seen. Still, outside of his aged Ichabod Crane look, he seemed to know his stuff when it came to running a supply warehouse and Morgan told him to show up Monday at seven in the morning ready to start receiving supplies. Neal Rutherford had always maintained that he didn't want his employees wasting time at Home Depot. It took time away from actual work. Therefore, each of his offices had a warehouse fully stocked with the necessities and if something out of the norm was required, the warehouse manager would make sure it was there before it was needed. They would house supplies, as well as tools. In some offices, they even had their
Morgan glanced at his watch for the tenth time that morning. He had to admit, he was nervous. Jeannie was due any minute to drop Dustin off and he wasn't sure he was ready to see her new boyfriend. He was glad she had someone in her life, but there was a difference between knowing it and actually seeing it. He was quite content remaining in the knowing-it-only column. Of course, that made no sense to him, considering he was quite content banging any skirt that sat still long enough.He took a deep breath as he tossed his pen onto his desk, reaching for his cold mug of coffee. He took a bigger gulp than he would have had it been hot. He was unable to concentrate on work at the moment and it wasn't just the imminent arrival of his son. It had been almost a week since he had heard from Jacqui, since he kissed her goodnight on her front porch. He thought of reaching out again. While she had seemed happy to hear from him the next day, he wasn't sure how she took his advice about her father
Jacqui left Lily in charge and took the rest of the day off. As she shut the door to her office, Lily had smiled at her, saying, "I think I approve of this new habit of yours, taking off early. You need it. You work too hard." Jacqui was about to snap at her for her intrusiveness but realized Lily's teasing was exactly what was needed. Jacqui was trying to loosen up and that meant allowing friendly banter into the workplace. It reminded her of the old days when Marc ran the company. It was an atmosphere that needed to return. She just hated that it was Morgan who had made her see it.It wasn't the only thing he had opened her eyes to see. It was also the reason she was leaving work early. She had made up her mind about allowing her father to return to his own home and now she needed to make the arrangements and talk to Sophia. Bert Clydesdale was not an invalid, just paralyzed. There were a ton of things they could do to make his life easier. One of the first was to make his house mo
Jacqui left Lily in charge and took the rest of the day off. As she shut the door to her office, Lily had smiled at her, saying, "I think I approve of this new habit of yours, taking off early. You need it. You work too hard." Jacqui was about to snap at her for her intrusiveness but realized Lily's teasing was exactly what was needed. Jacqui was trying to loosen up and that meant allowing friendly banter into the workplace. It reminded her of the old days when Marc ran the company. It was an atmosphere that needed to return. She just hated that it was Morgan who had made her see it.It wasn't the only thing he had opened her eyes to see. It was also the reason she was leaving work early. She had made up her mind about allowing her father to return to his own home and now she needed to make the arrangements and talk to Sophia. Bert Clydesdale was not an invalid, just paralyzed. There were a ton of things they could do to make his life easier. One of the first was to make his house mo
"Mommy!"She felt the little body wiggling around her feet, tiny shoes banging against the backside of the desk. "Who is that talking? A ghost?"Tiny giggles bounced off the desk walls. She felt the child-sized fingers trying to tickle her legs. She gave a slight jump, careful not to hit Maggie with her adult-sized knees. She let out some small gasps as she cried, "There is a ghost!"Maggie laughed even harder as Jacqui pushed her desk chair back and reached under the desk, snatching the little girl into her lap. "It's not a ghost. It's a Maggie Monster!" She held her daughter to her chest and covered the tiny neck with kisses. Maggie squealed as she tried to push away and make her escape.Jacqui took a deep breath as the memory faded. There was so much she missed. She smiled down at the little boy. "Then he's a lucky little boy to spend his day with his father."She ignored Morgan's raised eyebrows at her sudden change of opinion as she glanced back at him. "I'm sorry for just droppin
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.