It had been two hours, and Cherish already wanted to scream. The woman she replaced, Kim Rosa, was a disorganized mess. None of the files had any semblance of order, and some even had information in it that belonged in someone else's file. The records were a shambles, the record books riddled with coffee rings, and the computer files a spider web of chaos. How the woman managed to function or answer any of Bernie's questions was beyond Cherish's capacity for comprehension. She blew out a burst of frustrated breath, her bangs flipping up at the gesture. It would be a nightmare just getting everything organized."You settling in okay?" Bernie leaned in her doorway. Her office was next to his, and she usually saw him as he went in and out, getting a cup of coffee, following his wife around, or talking to the installers out in the warehouse. Whether he left his office or returned, he always stuck his head in her doorway to check on her and see how she was doing. So far, in the mere two hou
"He's doing it again," Amy whispered, giggling as she leaned over toward Cherish."Stay in your row, Miss Wynn," Mr. Walker said, looking at her from over the top of his glasses.Amy leaned back in her seat, still giggling, as she raised her eyebrows at Cherish, pointing at Glen with her eyes suggestively. Cherish just rolled her eyes as she turned her attention to the front of the room. She didn't need to turn around to see Glen staring at her. Mr. Walker had a glass cabinet in the front corner of the room beside the chalkboard; she could see Glen's reflection in the glass. He was too busy staring at her to notice she stared back at him.Once class was over, Amy and she headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Glen left as well, but soon disappeared in the crowded corridors of Eau Gallie High. He wouldn't be out of sight long, however, Cherish knew. They shared the same lunch period, and Glen always found a spot with his friends near whatever table Cherish and her friends ate. It wasn't li
"Finally went for it, huh?" Brent shut the driver's door to their work truck and moved to the bed of the truck and his tools. "I know what I said before and all, but are you sure this is what you really want? After what she did?" He shook his head as he pulled his tool bucket from the back of the truck. "Glen, what makes you think she won't do it again when she gets bored?""I don't know that she won't." Glen grabbed his own tool bucket from the back of the truck and followed Brent to the back of a house along the Indian River. "I can only hope she doesn't. Hell, I'm hoping we can figure out what made her do it in the first place and fix it. Jordie deserves a whole family.""But you deserve a wife who won't cheat on you. What happens if she does it again?""Then we deal with it." The truth was, Glen didn't have an answer for his friend. He could only hope Cherish and he could work through their issues and salvage their marriage. He could only hope she wanted it as much as he did and wa
She shouldn't have done it, she knew. It was an impulse. A knee-jerk reaction to the changes that became her life recently, a lifeline to a past she longed for even though it had changed the course of her life. However, Cherish couldn't stop herself from writing Nick's cell phone number down, not sure if she threw his business card away or not. She knew she wouldn't use it, so she wasn't sure why she even bothered. She tried to justify it, at first. What if Jordie grew seriously ill, and she needed Nick's medical history? It was a precaution against future possibilities. She would never need to use it. All right, she doubted she would use it. No. She would not use it. She picked up the piece of paper, ready to rip it into shreds and throw it away. However, she stopped herself just before she tore the paper, the numbers staring at her, reminding her of the experiences, the adventures, the carefree nature Nick Pepper brought with him to her life. They had fun. They didn't care about soci
Glen tossed his tool bucket into the back of Brent's truck, his shoulders sore from the day's labor. He could feel the sting of the sun where he stayed exposed to it too long without protection. He should know better, but sometimes, he just became too engrossed in the project at hand and tuned out everything else. Of course, he compounded the situation by how distracted he was with his marriage. He sighed as he leaned on the truck's side. He was tired of being distracted."So, what's the plan for tonight?" Brent asked as he dumped his own bucket into the back of the truck. "Feel like grabbing a beer or something?""What? Need a wingman?" Glen said with a chuckle. "Actually, I'm thinking of swinging by the house and seeing Jordie. I also need to see what we're doing for his birthday coming up. You know, that parenting-type stuff."Brent acted like he shuddered, shaking his shoulders. "Please, don't say those words out loud."Glen laughed harder. "Sooner or later, some poor woman will re
Cherish tucked the covers up under Jordie's arms, leaning down to kiss his forehead as she did. "You get a good night's sleep, young man," she said, smiling down at him. "No getting out of bed and wandering around. You've had your water—both glasses. You're all set."He nodded, his dark hair sliding up and down on his pillow. "Is Daddy still here?" he asked. "Is he staying here tonight?"The question tugged at her heart, and she fought to keep the tears at bay. "Your mommy and daddy still have a lot to work out, but none of it is about you. Always know both of us love you very much, no matter what happens between us."He nodded, his dark hair swishing against the pillow. "Does that mean he won't be here in the morning when I wake up?"His face was so innocent, even though the question was so earnest. She leaned down, kissing his forehead. "We'll have to see what the morning brings, all right? For now, you just focus on getting a good night's sleep.""Yes, ma'am," Jordie said with a sig
This was torture. She had been naked in front of him a million times, and yet, right then, with the way he commanded her to take one piece off at a time, she never felt more vulnerable or exposed. It was like a stranger forced to strip in front of him. She reached behind her, unclasped her bra, and then slid the straps over her shoulders and down her arms, exposing her breasts to him. She tossed the bra down with the shirt.Glen sat there, soaking in her bare breasts, his grin revealing how pleased he was with what he saw. "I've always loved your tits," he said with an uplift of his brows. "I love how hard and long your nipples get."She felt the blush warm her cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered, struggling with words right then. "I've always loved the way you've played with them."He motioned to her pants with a lift of his chin. "Take them off but turn around first. Keep your gaze forward."She swallowed again, her nerves tight as she did as he ordered, turning so that her back was t
Glen watched her body tremble as he fingered her. He held onto her ass with his other hand, squeezing her delicious cheek as he pummeled into her pussy. "I think we'll do that," he taunted. "Take you out, put you on display for others." She said she missed the excitement, the rush of the adventures she experienced before they were married and started a family. Brent suggested giving her what she craved. Even Glen's sister had suggested the same thing. Perhaps they were right.Glen yanked his fingers out of Cherish's pussy, her moans at the sudden emptiness between her legs filling the room once more."Turn around and kneel," he ordered, and she obeyed without hesitation, kneeling in front of him, her face a mask of hungry want. God, he missed that look. Maybe she wasn't the only one who missed the old days.As soon as Cherish knelt in front of him, Glen stood and stripped out of his clothes. Once he was naked, he sat back down, motioning for her to move closer. "You know what to do."S
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.