Faith stared at her plate, tenderloin over noodles, and wondered why she had even ordered it. She was not in the least bit hungry. Ever since her verbal bout with Cherish, she could not shake the funk she allowed herself to slip into. Or rather that Cherish had shoved onto her. She tried her best to be civil to her sister, but she was damned if she would allow her family to continue to place her on the executioner's block. How they lived their lives was up to them, and how she lived hers was up to her. Well, her and Selby.He tried his best to get her out of her sour mood, such as taking her out to eat. Even Edwin attempted to swing her back into a cheerful demeanor as well, but both had failed. She was just too tired of being blamed for the decisions of others. It seemed to be the theme of her life of late."Would you folks like another drink?" The waitress stood, smiling, beside their table.Selby didn't ask if Faith wanted one. He just ordered another round to go with the meal that
"You ready for your big weekend?" Edwin stood behind his desk buttoning his pants back into place. Faith still knelt on the floor by his chair, the office lights low."Yes, and no. I'm excited for the opportunity, but nervous about being away. I'm also afraid of the mess I'll find when I return.""You don't think Nessa can handle it?""I'm afraid Cherish will drive her away." Faith was still angry about her sister's accusations and about her run in with her mother at dinner. She was tired of being the brunt of their unhappiness. Cherish would sabotage Nessa just so she could say that Faith hadn't trained her properly before leaving. She wanted Faith to fail and didn't care if it ruined another in the process."It'll be fine. All Nessa has to do is keep up with everything. There aren't any new jobs, so she won't have to worry about getting crews set up with stuff, and even if there was, Terry can handle it."Faith placed her hand on the desk and lifted herself to her feet, a look on her
Tracey closed her Styrofoam container, lunch over for the day. "We should go dancing tonight. The clubs down here hop pretty well on the weekends. Might be fun before our girl leaves for a week." She dumped the trash into the wastebasket behind the counter. "Unless, of course, you were planning to keep her all to yourself all weekend."Selby watched as she tidied up from their afternoon meal. "No way. If I can have my two favorite ladies with me, I'll take it every time."Tracey pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. "Good answer.""I've been practicing." He smiled at her. "It's true. I stand in front of the mirror wondering what you might say and then rehearse my answers, so I look sharp.""I'm sure that's what you practice in front of the mirror." She leaned against him, her breasts firm against his chest, and gave him a slow, soft kiss. Her eyes were still closed when she pulled away, savoring the moment. When she opened them, his eyes smiled back at her. "I'll meet you at th
Dinner was a succulent array of oysters, crab cakes, and salmon washed down with a crisp Chardonnay. Faith found herself giggling more and more as they talked across the table. Selby reached across and caressed the back of her hand as she rested it on the hunter green tablecloth. She couldn't take her eyes off him; his whole face seemed alight.He had dressed her in three-inch heels, black, which matched her knee-length skirt. Her blouse was a silky lime, which he had her keep unbuttoned enough to allow her cleavage to turn several heads. She found herself blushing quite a bit, but had to admit, she loved the attention. He also laid out her black lace bra, but no panties. She loved the twists of her husband's mind."You are beautiful."She felt the blush heat her cheeks. "You are blind." She felt beautiful, though. There, with him, dressed as she was. She felt sexy. Alive. She never felt that way before Selby entered her life.He grinned at her. "That means I get to read you like Brail
Selby washed his hands, tossing the Eco-friendly towel into the over-flowing trash bin as he pushed his way back out to the crowded bar. The place seemed to have doubled in occupancy since he had entered the restroom. Most of the tables were full while people lined the walls and crowded around the dance floor. First, he glanced at their table, assuming Faith had beaten him back, but it was empty. Glancing at the bar, he finally found her. He could see in the mirror behind the bar that she had their drinks, but she wasn't moving. It was then that he spotted Tracey perched on a barstool beside his wife. A smile pushed his cheeks up seeing the two of them together. He was glad Tracey showed up since dancing was her idea.He started to make his way to the girls and then stopped. Faith's eyes were closed, and her facial expression was...different. He tried to get a better look at what was happening, but the crowded dance floor was between them, and people gyrated across his line of sight. F
The midmorning sun beat down upon Faith as they lay in lounge chairs along the sandy Atlantic shore. She wore sunglasses over closed eyes and tried not to move. She had downed half a bottle of aspirin and an equal amount of coffee already. It had been way too long of a night. Tracey joined them for the rest of the evening, dancing and drinking. Faith wasn't sure when they had arrived back home. Or how.She heard Selby turn the page of whatever thick volume he was reading, and she winced at even that slight noise."It's not fair," she groaned."What's that?" His voice was distant, and she knew he hadn't even taken his eyes off the page. She'd smack the book out of his hand if she could move."Why aren't you in as much pain as I am?"Now, she heard him close the book. "Let's see, three shots of tequila, five of your Malibu and cranberries, and two Alabama Slammers. I do believe your pain is self-inflicted, my love.""So? You drank as much as I did."At that, he chuckled and the urge to s
"I think I overdid it," Faith said as they passed through the sliding door to the Florida room. Her skin was the color of the inside of her favorite steak. She felt microwaved, and she was sure her flesh had shrunk on her body. How long had they been out there?"You are kinda reddish," Tracey said, her face puckered in empathy for what Faith must be feeling.Selby merely chuckled and shook his head."I know, I know." Faith dropped her towel on a wicker chair as she passed through to their bedroom.Tracey glanced back and forth between the two. "What am I missing?"Passing through the inside slider and into the bedroom, Faith reached behind her and pulled her bathing suit top loose. "He has no sympathy for Floridians who get sunburned. We should know better.""Bully." Tracey swatted Selby as she took Faith by the arm and led her to the king-sized bed. "Here, dear, lay down. We need to get some aloe on those burns." Tracey pushed Selby toward the bedroom door. "You can get us some water
"Have you thought about what you'll wear on your trip?" Tracey sat cross-legged on the bed as Faith folded a basket of towels. They had taken almost a two-hour nap, and when they woke, Selby decided the night called for ribeyes and Merlot, so he headed to the market.Faith decided she needed to do some laundry before the trip, and Tracey wasn't leaving until she had her steak. So, Faith loaned the other woman some gym shorts and an old Green Lantern T-shirt, much to Selby's dismay who hoped the girls would stay naked for the remainder of the day. He was even willing to grill the perfect steak for them in return. They, of course, laughed as they shook their heads, but promised, perhaps, after they tasted the steaks, they might accommodate the pouting man.Faith had laughed at the time, but later was shocked at her quick agreement to the promise. All their sexual exploits, not that there had been many, had either been with single men or couples, never just a woman. Selby had always wante
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.