Mary E. Thompson's Blog, page 54

Love, Again, part four

Keith found her in what used to be Ted’s room. It had been transformed into an office of some sort, full of fabrics, beads, and more accessories than Keith had ever seen. Andrea was sitting on an overstuffed chair under the window looking out onto the darkening back yard.

“Is that why you never visited?” Andrea whispered, her voice barely reaching Keith’s ears.

“Yes,” Keith declared, confirming her suspicions.

“Why are you telling me now?”

Keith took a deep breath, equally not ready and needing to expose the depths of his carefully guarded heart to the only woman who’s ever owned him. His ex-wife made it clear what she thought of him being in love with someone else. “I haven’t been able to forget you.”

She whirled in her seat, fiery anger flashing in her eyes. “Oh, so that’s what this is about? Come back and screw the widow so you can forget about me? Move on with your life? Well screw you.”

Keith stumbled backward as though she’d slapped him. If she had it would have hurt less than her assumption that he was only there for himself. “That’s not why I’m here, dammit,” he said, his own anger seeping into his words. “I moved back here for you. I’m not running anymore. I’m here to convince you that you belong with me.”

She scoffed. “Belong to you, more like it. I know about men like you. You’re not looking for a partner, you’re looking for someone you can control.”

“And what the fuck makes you think I could ever control you.”

“You can’t. I don’t belong to you, or anyone else.” Tears filled her eyes with her words, the pain of the day and the conversation stabbing a hot poker through her heart.

His expression immediately softened and he crossed the room to her. He crouched before her, looking up into her swimming brown eyes. She squeezed them tight and tears leaked out, making a run for it down her cheeks to her jaw and neck.

Andrea felt him shift, the slightest of movements, but her eyes stayed closed tight. When his big, rough palm touched her cheek she leaned into it, greedy for the attention, the affection. His thumb brushed the tears off one cheek and his tongue grazed the skin on the other, drawing a gasp from her lips.

“That’s the sound you made when I slid into you,” he said against her skin, his voice thick with emotion. “God, I’ve missed that sound.”

He continued to wipe and kiss away her tears, healing her heart in a way she never imagined it could be.

“Possessions can be lost. I don’t want to own you. I want you with me because you want to be. Because you need me as much as I need you.”

His words lit something inside her, finally releasing Andrea of the pain she’d carried like a cross for four years. She knew she’d always love Ted, that wasn’t ever a question, but she also accepted that Keith was someone she’d missed every day for 12 years. She didn’t want to miss him, or her life, another second.

Andrea turned her head to meet Keith’s lips. Their breath rushed out as they each poured everything they had into the kiss. Tongues caressed, teeth clashed, hands searched. When Keith lifted her from the chair and settled in it himself, bringing her down onto his lap, she couldn’t deny how much he felt like home.

“How is this possible?” Andrea mumbled, breaking their kiss to gasp for breath. “We don’t even know each other.”

“Yes, we do,” Keith insisted, dragging his large hand through her hair. “You wouldn’t have invited me to stay here if you didn’t trust me, didn’t know me on some level. We both listened to Ted talk about each other for years.”

Andrea cringed, almost imperceptibly, but Keith felt it.

“I know you still love him. You always will, I have no doubt about that. Us, this, isn’t going to be simple. If I could bring him back, I would.”

“Even if it meant we’d never be together?” Andrea asked, disbelief tinging her voice.

“In a heartbeat. He was my best friend. I stayed away when you were together because I wasn’t sure how he would take it if he knew you were the one I’d followed like a puppy on spring break.”

“But I didn’t even remember you. At least, not what you looked like.”

Keith nodded and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “That’s the other reason. I knew it would kill me if you didn’t remember me. Either way, I was screwed.”

“You didn’t want to break us up,” Andrea said softly.

“No. I didn’t. I wanted you, but he had you. I’d never destroy what you two had. We had one night and it didn’t give me any right to you, no matter how badly I wanted to have rights to you.”

Andrea drew her hand over his face, the stubble on his jaw prickling her fingers. She leaned down to kiss him softly, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that said more than words ever could.

“You’re a better man than he ever said you were, and he was definitely your biggest fan. I’m sorry it was my fault you lost your best friend.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”

“Why did you go to the cemetery today?”

Keith looked into her eyes, needing to see the trust she held there. She looked back, desperate to understand the man she was thinking of sharing her bed with. And her heart.

“I went to ask him if I could tell you. To get his permission and support.”

“Did you?” Andrea asked, her lips turning up slightly in the corners.

Keith shrugged. “I don’t think I really got an answer.”

Andrea grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m pretty sure you got an answer. I was talking to him today about where I should go. I’ve been considering leaving town, but it feels like home here. I wanted to feel connected again. I asked him to help me figure out if I should stay here. I think you’re my answer.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed and he caressed her face, drawing her closer. “You think he brought us together.”

Andrea shrugged. “Why not? He loved us both. He’d want us to be happy. That’s what my therapist told me for years. That he would want me happy.”

“He would. He does. And it sounds like he wants us happy together.”

“I think we could work on that.”

Keith nodded and pulled her close, his lips closing over hers to seal their deal.

The post Love, Again, part four appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Love, Again, part three

Catch up on part one and part two!

“I feel like I’ve met you before, but I know that’s not possible.”

He simply watched her, waiting to see if she would figure out the truth about them. He’d hoped she would recognize him, but as he sat there waiting for her to discover who he was he almost hoped she wouldn’t remember. The longer he watched her the more uncertain she appeared about her declaration.

“Is it possible?”

“Anything is possible,” Keith answered, not revealing any more than she was asking.

“How have we met? You’ve never visited Ted. There’s no way we could have met.”

“Then I guess you have your answer,” he said, infuriating her.

“Why are you here?” she asked, changing tactics in an attempt to draw information out of him.

“You invited me.”

“You know what I mean. Why are you in town?”

“I came for you.”

Four simple words. Words that could mean anything. Words that turned her on more than she’d ever been in her life. She wanted him. Desperately. It’d been four long years alone, but no man had ever made her want the way Keith was sitting in her kitchen, eating her lasagna.

The heat in his eyes and the smooth sound of his voice was making her body tingle all over and she couldn’t think straight, let alone respond to what he said.

She collapsed in the chair across from him, waiting for him to explain. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry as he slowly ate the rest of the lasagna she’d served him. He looked comfortable in her house, something that left her belly feeling as unsettled as the rest of her.

When Keith finished his dinner he pushed the plate away gently and rubbed his stomach. “Thanks,” he muttered, meeting her gaze once more.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked innocently. The second his eyes drifted from hers to scan the rest of her she felt the flush of embarrassment and excitement blend to give her the hottest of hot flashes.

“How about that drink?”

She nodded, unable to say anything with his eyes tracking her. She pulled out two bottles of beer and handed him one, twisting of the top of hers as she sat. The cool liquid chilled her heated body, until she saw him still looking at her.

“Where are you staying?” Andrea asked, desperate to find a conversation that wouldn’t leave her feeling like she’d stepped into the sun.

“I’ll get a hotel.”

“You don’t have one yet?” He shook his head and took a long pull of his beer. “Just stay here. I’d like the company.”

“You don’t want my kind of company.”

“Why not? I’d like to get to know you better.”

“Why?”

Andrea shrugged. The answers bouncing around in her head weren’t things she could say to him, but somehow she felt he would understand, and reciprocate, her desires. What she finally managed was, “You’re Ted’s best friend.”

“Try again, Andrea.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘try again.’ Ted has nothing to do with why I’m here. And I think you know that.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

He shook his head as he drank his beer, draining the last of the bottle. He set it down on the table with a hard clunk and leaned toward her. “I know what your skin tastes like. I know the sounds you make when you come. I know what it feels like to have your body wrapped around mine. So you can argue, but I know more about you than you think.”

Andrea gasped at his words, at first not believing him, but seeing the unmistakeable truth in his eyes. She stared at him, wondering how in the world she didn’t remember him.

“How is that possible?” she asked, almost to herself.

“Spring break. Twelve years ago.”

All the blood drained from her face and Andrea wondered if she would pass out. She barely remembered the night, even the morning after. There was a guy, she knew that, and when she’d woken up next to him she was mortified that she’d slept with a complete stranger. The details of the night were fuzzy, but she always remembered throwing herself at him until he snapped and gave her what she demanded. Even through the fog of alcohol it was the best sexual experience of her life.

Instead of waking him up that morning, she took a mental picture of the sexy, naked, sleeping man with the tanned skin, tight ass, and broad back that she’d clutched in the throws of passion. His dark hair was a bit long at the time, but she couldn’t deny that it was the same hair she’d run her fingers through as his mouth settled between her legs and drove her crazy.

Staring at the same man, years later, in her kitchen and learning he was her husband’s best friend, was more than she could handle.

“I’m sorry. This was a mistake,” she said, running out of the room and away from the only man she’d ever fantasized about while she was with her husband.

The post Love, Again, part three appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Love, Again, part two

Catch up on part one!

Keith got into his truck and drove the streets he’d grown up on. As a child he and Ted had spent their time outside, shooting baskets in the driveway, playing hockey in the street, and throwing the football at the local park. Their lives had consisted of sports, sports, and more sports until high school when women came into the picture. Keith was always more popular than Ted, but they both had their fair share of women.

Spring break their junior year of college they went to Florida to party with other friends. The first day Keith spotted her, the conservative woman with the one piece bathing suit that did nothing to hide curves that made his mouth water. Ted had his own conquests, having accepted his short, skinny body and learned to use it to his advantage, and never saw Keith’s dream woman.

Keith tried to catch her attention but nothing he did ever seemed to matter. Then their last night in town he saw her out. She’d been drinking, something he knew from watching her all week she didn’t do. He rescued her from a overly friendly guy on the dance floor and offered to take her back to her hotel room.

She hung on him like curtains on a rod and tried to kiss him. He knew it was because of the alcohol and refused, but she was persistent. Halfway back to her hotel she ground herself against him and begged him to make her feel good, saying she’d find someone else if he wasn’t willing.

Keith tried to be good, but he was afraid of what she would do so he led her back to his hotel room. As soon as the door closed behind them she was on top of him, kissing him, rubbing against him, letting her hands wander over him. He resisted as long as he could, but something inside him snapped when he imagined her leaving his room to find another man to touch.

He kissed her back with an urgency he’d never felt before, or since. His lips blazed over her skin, tasting the sunscreen she’d religiously applied and the softness of her skin. She pulled her clothes off to reveal the curvy figure he’d been dreaming about all week and he didn’t have a prayer of holding back. He had to have her. And he did.

He tasted every inch of her skin, and when he plunged into her tight body he knew he’d found perfection. Her moans were the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard and when she came with him he knew he’d never be the same. He had to have her forever, or as long as she’d let him. She owned him, and he wanted nothing more than to own her as well.

But the next morning Keith woke up alone. The sheets next to him were cool and all her stuff was gone. He knew her name, but nothing else about her.

It was two years before he saw her again, and when the picture of his childhood best friend’s new girlfriend came across his email Keith couldn’t breathe. He spent two days drinking before he committed to letting her go, never telling either of them that they knew each other. That was why he skipped the wedding and never visited. If she remembered him it would crush Ted that he’d kept the secret. If she didn’t, it would crush Keith.

After Ted died, Keith couldn’t stay away. He grieved for his friend and wanted to let Andrea know she wasn’t alone. When he saw her again all the memories of their one night together flooded him, even though it’d been eight years. It took him four years to be able to face her again, to come back and have enough composure to talk to her.

At least, he thought so. Seeing her again, especially at Ted’s grave, knocked him harder than he’d expected. He wanted to take her up on the offer to stay, but he knew it would test every ounce of his decency to be under the same roof as her. Still, he had to see her again.

He pulled down the street he grew up on, noting how much the neighborhood had changed. His parents had long since retired and moved to warmer climates, but Keith stopped in front of their old house anyway.

Lost in his memories he didn’t notice her approaching from across the street. When Andrea knocked on his window he was startled. She held her hands up in a surrender type of pose and his mind flashed back to the way she looked beneath him, her hands in the same position, but pressed against his chest, her body welcoming him in.

Keith blew out a deep breath then rolled the window down. “Yeah?” he asked gruffly.

“I saw you sitting out here. I’ve got plenty of food left if you’d like to come in for dinner. Or a drink.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Okay. I just didn’t want to be alone,” she half-whispered the sentence as she turned away.

Immediately feeling like an asshole he called, “Wait.” She paused in the middle of the road, not turning back to him, but not leaving either. “I’ll come in.”

“Okay,” she said softly, still not looking at him.

Keith got out of his truck and followed her across the street. Inside the house he’d spent too much time in as a kid, he stomped behind her to the kitchen he knew as well as his own mother’s. Ted’s parents treated Keith like their own child like his parents did to Ted. It helped that their mothers were close friends as well.

“I had lasagna if you’d like some, but I can make you something else instead.”

“It’s fine,” he grumbled, forcing his eyes from her perfectly rounded ass and legs that he remembered wrapped around his hips.

Andrea worked through the kitchen mesmerizing Keith with her movements. When she slid a plate overloaded with lasagna in front of him he couldn’t deny the intoxicating scent of the food, or of the woman.

As he dug into the food, hungrier than he’d realized after driving all day, Andrea watched him. There was something about him that was more familiar than it ought to be. The only thing she knew for sure was that he disliked her, although she had no idea why.

“Is it okay?” she asked, his opinion mattering to her more than she wanted it to. There was something comforting about cooking for someone besides herself, and she wanted Keith to be happy.

He answered by way of a grunt and a nod, and she dove in.

“Why do you hate me?”

He choked on the bite he’d just shoveled into his mouth. After a minute of coughing, followed by more gulps of water than any normal person could handle, he turned his crystal blue eyes on her. She saw the naked desire in his gaze and her breath caught in her throat.

“I don’t hate you,” he growled, his eyes never leaving hers.

She knew he wasn’t lying.

The post Love, Again, part two appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Love, Again, part one

How does one move on from losing the love of their life? That’s what Andrea wanted to know. Every year on the same day, she took off work and spent the day at the cemetery. She packed a picnic lunch and sat on his grave, talking to her late husband, Ted, who was taken from her too early.

Ted was the love of her life. A man who swept her off her feet when she’d just about given up on love. Andrea’s life changed the day she met him, and was destroyed the day he died. Ted was riding his bicycle to work one morning and someone spilled their coffee on their lap. The driver swerved, not paying attention to the road as the hot liquid burned through his clothes, and struck Ted, killing him instantly.

In that one moment, everything Andrea dreamed of vanished. Along with her hopes and her heart.

Four years later she was sitting on his grave, sharing her life with the man who wasn’t there to hold her hand through the hard days and kiss away her tears. She promised to love him forever and knew she’d never find another who would make her feel the way Ted had.

“I love you,” she said, kissing the headstone that marked his resting place. As Andrea turned to go she startled, shocked to find a man standing nearby, watching her. But more than his presence, what shocked her was that she recognized him.

“Keith?” she asked hesitantly. She’d only met the man once, at Ted’s funeral. Still, there was no mistaking his tall, muscular frame and piercing blue eyes. He was the polar opposite of his childhood best friend, where Ted was shorter, nearly Andrea’s height, and thin, Keith was big enough that people backed away as he approached. Even at the funeral Andrea noticed his chiseled good looks and air of confidence, but standing a few feet from the man, alone, he was even more overpowering.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” he said, his deep, rich voice wrapping a soothing balm around her forever shattered heart.

“It’s okay. I was just going to get dinner.”

“How long have you been here?”

“After breakfast. I spend the day with him every year.”

Keith nodded as if it made perfect sense, something no one else in her life had ever understood. Her parents had pushed her into therapy after the first year passed and she still hadn’t moved on, but especially after they found out she spent the day with her dead husband.

“Do you remember me?” Andrea asked, unsure what to say to the man she’d never really spoken to. For as close as Ted and Keith had been as children, when Keith moved away from their hometown, and Ted’s life moved forward with Andrea, the two didn’t see each other. In the six years Andrea and Ted were together, Keith had never visited, not even for their wedding.

Keith nodded, not saying a word, just staring at her. His eyes seemed to drink her in, cataloguing each of her features as though he’d never get the chance to look at her again.

“Where are you staying?” Andrea asked, growing more nervous with each passing second they stood watching each other. No man besides Ted ever had the ability to make her nervous, but the butterflies were impossible to ignore as she looked over the impressive man before her. He’d always seemed familiar to her, but was sure it was because of all the stories she’d heard of their childhood, not to mention the pictures Ted had of the two of them.

“I got a place,” he said gruffly, not giving any more details than he had to.

“You’re welcome to stay with me if you need somewhere to stay.”

A single shake of his head betrayed his finely crafted indifference. “Not a good idea.”

“You’re Ted’s best friend. Why wouldn’t you stay?”

“Because you’re Ted’s wife,” he answered, as though it explained everything.

Andrea heard the pain in his voice but wasn’t sure what caused it. “I’ll go so you can spend time with him. It’s nice to see you again. If you need anything while you’re in town, you know where to find me.”

Keith nodded once and watched as Andrea brushed off her jeans and walked to the car parked in front of his. He hated feeling the way he did, which was why he’d gone to see his best friend, but he couldn’t stop the desire he felt for the man’s wife. When Andrea got in her car and pulled away Keith turned to the grave she’d been sitting at, facing his best friend for the first time in over a decade.

“I’m a miserable fucker, man. I want nothing more than to bring you back and here I am fantasizing about your wife. I hate myself, but God dammit, I’m in love with her. The moment I saw her again I knew I had to make her mine. And now, four years later, I still can’t get her out of my mind. I know she doesn’t know who I am, but I want a chance to tell her. That’s why I came back. I need to tell her who I am, Ted. I need to be with her. And I need to know you’re okay with it.”

Keith ran a hand through his silky, brown hair. He meant to get a trim before he moved back, but he never made the time. The edges of his hair brushed the collar of his black t-shirt, but he didn’t care anymore. The only thing he cared about was finding a way to tell Andrea that they knew each other, and to convince her to give him another chance.

“She’s still in love with you,” Keith told the headstone. “She’s as devoted as she ever was. I had her for a night, a night she doesn’t even remember, and you had her for a lifetime. I need her, man. You know I do. I pray you’re okay with this. I can’t stay away any longer. I won’t.”

The post Love, Again, part one appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Brains over Beauty, part three

Catch part one and part two first!

“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” Megan sneered at Becky. “For two hours I needed you to cover for me, and you weren’t capable of that.”

“Megan, I can explain,” Becky stammered, getting to her feet in front of the one person she most wanted to avoid.

“I’ll bet you can,” Megan said harshly with her arms crossed over her chest, pushing her already overflowing breasts further out of her shirt.

“Ladies, can we possibly do this another time?” the man said in a rough whisper, directing his attention at Megan.

“Oh, yes, of course. I look forward to hearing from you,” Megan charmed the man. She shook his hand firmly then turned to leave without another word or glance toward Becky.

“I’m so sorry,” Becky began. “Um, I should just go.”

“No, wait, please. Uh, I’m assuming you’re Rebecca? My next interview?” Becky nodded. “Then I think we need to get started.”

An hour later Becky walked out of the interview room, shaking hands with Tim. She felt good about the interview and was sure he was going to offer her the job.

“Uh, Becky, could I ask you something else?” Tim asked before she left the room.

“Sure,” Becky said, turning back to face him. The outfit from Rachel had given her confidence she usually struggled to find. She’d sensed a chemistry with Tim during the interview, making her wonder what he would be like on a date, or in bed.

“This has nothing to do with the interview,” Tim said, attempting to put her at ease. His statement had the opposite effect, and Becky’s heart raced with anticipation and anxiety. She nodded for Tim to continue, noting he suddenly looked nervous. “I, uh, I was wondering if you’d be interested in going to dinner. Maybe tomorrow night?”

Pleasure and unease coursed through her. Why did he want to go out with her? She never dated. Besides that, she was up for a job. If she said no would that mean she wouldn’t get the job? What if she said yes? Why did he ask her out?

“Um, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. With the interview and all that. I don’t want to have it interfere and, um, I just don’t think we should.”

“Yeah, sure. I understand,” Tim mumbled. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Becky thanked him again and left, trying to piece together what the hell happened.

Three weeks later Becky started her new job. Megan was less than happy when Becky quit, especially after she tried to fire Becky and was told she didn’t have grounds. Still, Megan made Becky’s last few weeks miserable, doing everything she could to make Becky unhappy.

Her first day was long and boring, but she was looking forward to going out with Rachel for celebratory drinks afterward. She hadn’t seen Tim much during the day, but she’d met Rose, who was her new boss, a sweet person who didn’t resemble Megan at all. Becky was happy to find out Tim wasn’t her direct boss, especially after spending the last few weeks fantasizing about his strong hands, his soulful eyes, and his perfectly kissable lips.

After hours of orientation and more paperwork than it took to buy a house, Becky was ready for a drink, or two, with Megan. They met down the street at a new bar they’d never tried before, agreeing on a new start to go with Becky’s new job.

Becky walked into the crowded bar and immediately felt out of place. The other people there were beautiful in their classic suits and stylish hair. Becky, on the other hand, was dowdy in her oversized clothes and limp, unkept hair. She managed a bistro table in the corner where she could watch for Rachel and be out of the way, invisible to the others there.

A minute after she sat down a waitress came over with a tall glass of a colorful drink for Becky. “I didn’t order this.”

“Yeah, the man at the bar paid for it.” The waitress pointed toward the end of the bar. Becky looked to find Tim watching her. He raised his glass in a silent toast and smiled. Becky waved him over, not willing to give up her table but wanting to thank him.

“How was your first day?” he asked as he took the seat next to Becky. His long leg brushed against hers when he sat, sending a thrill of heat through her body. That close Becky noticed flecks of green swimming in his golden brown eyes and a dusting of auburn in his otherwise brown hair. A shock of unexpected desire pierced her, sweeping her breath away and making her long for something she could never have.

Struggling to compose herself, Becky managed, “Fine.”

“Fine? That’s all? I’m going to have to talk to whoever is in charge of orientation,” his eyes sparkled with mischievousness as he spoke, letting Becky knew he expected the answer and knew exactly how boring her day had been. “It gets better, I promise.”

“Why did you hire me instead of Megan?” Becky blurted out before she could think about the words. She immediately clapped a hand over her lips and her eyes went wide as she realized what she said. “I shouldn’t have asked you that, I’m so sorry,” she mumbled around her hand.

Tim laughed at her obvious embarrassment and pulled her hand away from her face. “Please don’t hide that beautiful face of yours. And don’t ever feel like you can’t ask me something. Honestly, I shouldn’t tell you anything, but I know you won’t tell Megan. The truth is Megan had good qualifications, but I don’t like women who put themselves on display. Megan made me uncomfortable during her interview and even hit on me. But you,” he paused to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, “you, Becky, I wanted to be closer to you from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Becky sucked in a breath, surprised and a little uneasy about his confession. “Did you hire me because you wanted to go out with me?”

Tim shook his head, his fingers lingering over Becky’s chin. “No. I’d never do that, although I won’t deny that I’ve been thinking of you since the day my dog tripped you and you fell into my arms. Your qualifications were as good as Megan’s and better than the other candidates. I shouldn’t have hired you because of how much I want you, but I couldn’t pass up the best candidate and a chance to get to know you.”

Becky head was tipped up, watching him as he spoke. His hand cupped her jaw and slid to the back of her neck. She saw how much he wanted her in his eyes and knew hers reflected the same. As she leaned forward Tim met her halfway, their lips brushing together in a soft kiss that was both passionate and chaste. Tim angled his head, taking control of her and his hand held her in place as his tongue asked for entry.

Their tongues swept each other’s mouths before settled together in the middle, tasting and learning each other. Becky’s hands came up to rest against his chest, fisting lightly in the fabric and pulling him closer. Tim slid off his chair and hovered over her, never breaking the contact of their lips. He stepped between her legs, letting her feel how much he effected her. He pulled back slightly, enough to whisper, “Let’s get out of here.”

Becky nodded then remembered she was meeting Rachel. “I can’t. My friend is supposed to be meeting me here.”

Tim nodded. “After then. We’ll meet your friend, then you’re all mine.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re the smartest woman I’ve met, and I’m drawn to your brains, even more than I’m drawn to your beauty.”

Hoe could she say no to that?

The post Brains over Beauty, part three appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Brains over Beauty, part two

Catch part one first!

Arguing with Megan was futile. The woman didn’t listen so it didn’t matter that Becky had to leave early herself. Well, not really early, just on time for once. Which, in Megan’s eyes, meant early.

As Megan stalked away on her teetering high heels, Becky rolled her eyes and headed for her office. Her friend, and only ally, Rachel, was already in the cubicle next to hers, too ready to unload her own angst with Megan.

“She’s already been down her twice this morning looking for you. She acted like it was my fault you weren’t here yet. And you’re not even late!”

Becky’s neck stiffened and her desire for a tub of double fudge ice cream increased. God knew if she had a freezer in her office she’d never have lost those 50 pounds. “I already saw her. She wants me to work late tomorrow because she has something going on. The shitty part is I have an interview. Or I did. I’m going to have to reschedule, if they’re willing.”

“Eeek,” Rachel squealed quietly to avoid drawing attention to them. “You can’t back out of the interview. I’ll cover for you.”

Becky shook her head as her computer booted up. She knew Megan would flip if she found out Becky had left and Rachel was filling in, without permission. It wouldn’t work.

“No. Don’t even go there. I see those wheels turning in your head. You’re not going to let her win this one. You’re going to that interview, even if I have to drive you myself.”

“Then who would cover?” Becky teased her friend, knowing she would do it too. Rachel narrowed her eyes at Becky and she relented. “Okay, I’ll go. But if she finds out I’m toast.”

“She won’t find out. She’ll be gone. It’ll be fine.”

The next afternoon Becky watched Megan walk out of the office an hour before Becky planned to leave. She’d worn her one and only outfit that sort of fit her, a pair of black slacks that were only two sizes too big, but didn’t look that bad once she added a belt, and a pink button down shirt that hung to her knees but was okay when it was tucked in.

Or as okay as she was going to get.

“Dragon lady’s gone. Let’s get you prettied up,” Rachel said from behind her. When Becky turned, Rachel was holding a bag that could have held the secrets of the universe for all Becky knew. Rachel grabbed her hand without waiting for an answer and dragged her off to the women’s bathroom.

Twenty minutes later they emerged with Becky looking more beautiful than she’d ever felt in her life. Rachel perfectly applied the right touch of make-up to give Becky a confident, but natural, feel. She also talked her out of the shirt that was still too baggy, even though Becky said it would be fine, and put her in a pool blue poplin dress shirt with French cuffs. A simple knot in her hair and a pair of drop earrings and Becky looked the part.

She hugged her friend and thanked her for the transformation. “This was all you, Bex. I just helped it to come out. Now go show those people how smart you are and how much you deserve this job. Then steal me away from here!”

Becky laughed on her way down the elevator and was still smiling when she walked into the doors for her interview. After giving her name to the receptionist, Becky was asked to wait in the lobby until they were finished with the current interview they were conducting.

Nerves swamped Becky as she waited, wondering if she could handle the responsibility that came with the promotion and job change. She’d wanted a job like that for a while, one that was similar in nature to Megan’s, but one she promised herself she wouldn’t abuse. She knew how to treat people fairly and had every intention of doing just that.

Voices drew her attention and had her turning toward the interior of the building. Becky hadn’t looked up the people she would be interviewing since the names hadn’t been provided to her. She had reviewed the company website though, and was familiar enough with what they did to be able to speak intelligently about their work. She just wished she knew more about the people she’d be meeting. Although it appeared she would learn soon enough.

Keeping her seat until she was called, Becky watched as a man and woman walked toward her. There was something familiar about both of them, but he was shielding most of the woman from her sight. Still, her voice was familiar, but Becky was struggling to place it.

The man turned to smile at her and she was met with the same startling blue eyes she’d seen the morning before, on the man who’d saved her and groped her all at the same time.

Not to mention turned her on with the slightest innocent touch and the depth and warmth of his voice.

“You!” slipped out before she could stop it.

He froze where he stood, appearing equally stunned to see her sitting in the lobby. Unfortunately, the woman beside him didn’t freeze. She kept walking. And when she realized he wasn’t beside her, she turned and pressed her overflowing breasts to his arm in an effort to get his attention back. When she realized it didn’t work, she turned toward the offending creature who’d captured more of his attention than she’d managed in the last hour.

“Slipping out of work early, I see,” she snarled at Becky. Her eyes snapped to the left where the voice finally snapped into place, along with the end of her current career.

“Megan,” she sighed defeatedly.

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Brains over Beauty, part one

Becky laced up her sneakers and pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. She really needed a trim, but that would mean she had to get off work on time, and it would cost money. Every spare penny Becky had went toward her savings. Savings she would one day use to get out from under the thumb of her ultra-controlling boss, Megan.

That savings would help Becky survive for a year without a job, just in case it took that long. She was close, but not there just yet. And a haircut and new wardrobe, another thing she needed desperately since losing over 50 pounds, would set her back further than she was willing to go.

Instead, Becky sucked it up and prayed the people she interviewed with weren’t as worried about her appearance as Megan was about hers. The perfect little witch always wore shirts with a few too many buttons left open, with push-up bras that left nothing to the imagination, and pencil skirts that boasted not one panty line, which could only mean there weren’t any panties there.

It disgusted Becky to go in there every day and see a woman like Megan. A woman who took women back 50 years. In a world where women strived for equality and balance, Megan’s overt display of assets reminded men where women ‘belonged’ – and it wasn’t the boardroom.

Becky locked her apartment, started up her iPod, and jogged down the two flights of stairs to the ground. She’d been jogging every morning for the last few months, a way to center herself before being subjected to too many breasts in her face all day. Becky found it was a good way to start her morning, and meant after a too long day she could go home, soak in her bathtub, and crash without feeling guilty.

A right turn and Becky took off. She circled the edge of her neighborhood, a large complex that housed almost 200 residents, and headed off into the nearby neighborhood of single family homes and luxury cars. Neither of which Becky had any fantasies about, mostly because no one looked twice at the smart girl in the baggy clothes.

Lost in her reverie about all the things she wanted to change in her life, Becky didn’t notice the man running toward her. With each step he watched as her new workout clothes molded over her new figure, one that rivaled any woman he’d ever met. A figure that he ached to explore further. A figure that was completely oblivious to him, in spite of his tall stature and broad shoulders, dark hair and piercing blue eyes, and very obvious interest in her.

But more importantly than all that, she was oblivious to the puppy that eagerly pulled his new owner toward the person he wanted to be his new best friend.

The puppy crossed in front of Becky just as she approached, his leash taut between his owner’s hand and his collar, a perfect tripping hazard for Becky. “Watch out!” he called less than a second before her stride hit the leash and she toppled, free-falling toward the ground and screaming as she went.

Becky’s hands went out to brace herself and just barely brushed the ground, pain searing her palms, before she hovered in mid-air.

Strong hands held her, awkwardly, one low on her waist, nearly brushing between her legs, and the other cupping one breast. The hands held her tight, pulling her close and lifting her away from the concrete that surely would have done more damage than a stranger copping a feel.

He held her, whispering, “I’ve got you,” as she righted her feet beneath her. Becky had no idea how she’d tripped so miraculously, and despite her embarrassment, she was grateful for the stranger’s help.

She finally looked up at him, blue eyes meeting her own brown ones in a look that said more than Becky would ever admit aloud. Heat and desire reflected in his gaze, a shock to Becky as much as to the sexy stranger.

“I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. Thank you for saving me,” Becky stammered, unable to break away from his brilliant eyes.

Equally stunned, he simply stared at her. Only when the dog started barking did either of them look away.

“Oh, he’s cute,” Becky said, crouching down to scratch the dog behind his ears. “What’s his name?”

“Zach,” came out in a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time stronger, “Zach. His name is Zach. I’m sorry. He’s the reason you tripped. He cut across your path before I could stop him. Are you okay?”

Becky brushed her hands together and felt the sting of her scrapes. She looked down and saw no blood, just raw skin. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for your help. It was nice meeting you, Zach,” she said with one more scratch behind the dog’s ears.

Then she took off running. Away from him.

He just watched her in wonder, trying to figure out if she was playing him or if she really didn’t know how badly she’d affected him in the brief minutes they stood together.

Then he realized he never even got her name, and she never asked for his.

Back home Becky got dressed for work. With feelers out, she checked her messages constantly hoping for an interview. She’d been on plenty, but none seemed to stick. She was hoping for one last call before starting to process all over again.

When she pulled into work a beep alerted Becky to a new message waiting for her. She checked her phone and saw the interview she’d been hoping for was scheduled for the next afternoon. A quick reply to confirm she’d be there and went into work with a little bit of happiness.

Until she spotted Megan. Her good mood deflated like a popped balloon, especially when Megan said, “I’ll need you to work overtime tomorrow. I’ve got an appointment and need to leave early so you’ll have to stay and cover me.”

So much for her interview.

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Husky & Hot, sneak peak 1

I’m so excited about my next series, Big & Beautiful. It’ll be out late in the summer, probably September, but I’ve written four of the eight books and couldn’t wait to share another peak with you.

This is book seven, Husky & Hot. It’s by far the steamiest of the books with a sassy, dirty minded woman and a sexy, dirty mouthed man. These two were amazing to write about and I struggled to let them go. I hope you love them as much as I did!

Husky & Hot

My words snapped something inside him and within seconds my skirt was around my hips, my panties gone, and his jeans were on the floor. I watched as he rolled a condom down his long length. He pulled me to the edge of the desk and propped my feet up next to my hips so I was open for him.

I felt him at my entrance, teasing my overly sensitive flesh. My hips bounced with his movements until he sunk inside me fully. I moaned at the feel of him deep inside, filling me completely. He leaned over me, our bodies melting together. “Can you come like this?”

I bit my lip and shook my head. “I never have before,” I admitted.

Drew’s determined look told me he was going to try.

His body moved slowly along mine, his hips drifting away before meeting mine again. The simmer my body had been on was still there, but it was fading. Disappointment flooded me as I realized sex with Drew was not going to be nearly as good as not sex with Drew had been.

He watched me intently. His eyes searched my face and I saw the tension in his. “Get that bored look off your beautiful face. I’m going to fuck you so good all you’ll be able to do is grin for the next week,” he growled.

I cocked my eyebrow at him in challenge and he smirked back at me. “I knew you’d like dirty talk. Every time I talked to you last time you moaned louder. I thought for sure we were going to get caught. But this time… There’s no one here to hear your screams. And dammit, I’m gonna make you scream, Carrie.”

He thrust harder into me as he spoke the last sentence. My head spun with the feeling, the simmer turning up to a low heat.

“Oh, you like that, don’t you? I knew you’d like it hard and fast.”

He crashed into me, sending me reeling all over again. I started to moan and move with him, my hips meeting his stroke for stroke. He leaned over me again and clasped one of my bouncing breasts in his hand, rolling my taut nipple between his rough fingers. The feel sent lightning bolts straight to where we were joined and my heart pounded under his hand.

“I love watching your breasts bounce. Every time our bodies meet your breasts move and it makes me harder watching those beautiful tits mimic our movements. One day I’m going to make you come just touching those. But for today, oh today you’re going to come from my cock alone.”

“Drew,” slipped past my lips as my body tightened around him.

“Oh, there we go, baby. I want to hear it. I want to hear how loud you get when you come. I’ve been dreaming about hearing you again, about making you scream while I was inside you. I’m not stopping until you scream, Carrie.”

“Oh, Drew,” I moaned louder. My body was under his control. I couldn’t feel my legs, my arms, anything… except Drew. I felt every slide of his body within mine, every pinch of his fingers on my nipple, every press of his lips against my neck.

I was close. So close it was almost painful. I wanted to lose myself, to forget everything except Drew. His voice slipped through the fog.

“Come for me, Carrie. Now, baby. Come hard. Let me be the only man to fuck it out of you. Now, Carrie. Scream my name. NOW!”

He bellowed the last word with me. My words blended together but I know his name was the word I said the most. Our bodies slammed together, shaking the desk and nearly toppling his monitor. I reached up to grab something, anything, to anchor me. My head was spiraling into nothing and my body was going right along with it in the most amazing orgasm of my life.

My hand connected with Drew’s and he wrapped our fingers together. He grabbed my other hand and lifted them both to the sides of my head. Drew leaned over me, his body colliding with mine as our hands gripped each other. “Beautiful, so beautiful,” Drew whispered right before he yelled my name. I felt his erection expand then pump into me.

My body throbbed with pleasure. After a moment Drew collapsed on top of me, his head nestled just under my chin. I wrapped my legs around him and felt him stir within me. He groaned then kissed my neck. “You smell so good.”

I snorted. I was covered in sweat and probably smelled like an old gym sock. Then again, he was sweaty and he smelled like heaven.

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Fifty Shades of No Way

I read an article earlier, and I honestly can’t find it again, that made me feel so much better about myself. I really thought I was the only one who hated 50 Shades of Grey.

Maybe hate is a little harsh. Maybe not. No matter what I only read the first book. There were so many things within the book that I just couldn’t swallow to read another word.

Do you remember your first time? Maybe it was in the back of a car, or your parents’ couch, or if you were lucky a bed. My guess is your first time was awkward, uncomfortable, and strange. I’m also going to guess it was pretty vanilla. And that afterward you were pretty vanilla with sex for a while. Maybe it’s just me, but my assumption is you have to figure out how to have sex before you can decide what you like.

I’ve never been involved in a BDSM relationship. It’s not something that interests me. I don’t write about them because I don’t know them and because I struggle to see where there is love in a relationship built on control. Some people enter into these relationships with someone they know and trust and love. But that relationship is built on something other than sex. A relationship built on sex alone, which is what I saw in Fifty Shades of Grey, is not one that will last.

I’m not trying to bash the writer or the people who enjoyed the book. Everyone reads a book and gets something different out of it. In my mind the relationship between Ana and Christian crossed the line to domestic abuse. In the real world, a relationship like theirs would be one where he could get rid of her and no one would ever know because he’s made of money. On top of that, she couldn’t ever go to the cops because of the contract.

The whole thing just bugged me. I bought into the hype and had to see for myself what it was all about. In all honesty, I could have gone the rest of my life without ever reading that book.

Oh, and if she ‘shattered’ one more time, I thought I was going to lose it.

If you choose to go see it, I’d be curious to know what you think. If you read the book, let me know if you think they did a good job with the movie. I know the book is always better, but let me know what you think!

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Book Covers, part five

Read part one, part two, part three, and part four first!

He couldn’t be serious. There was no way in hell he was serious.

Harmony pushed back from him and got off the bed, grabbing a t-shirt and pulling it over her head. She spun on him, but he held his hands up before she could speak.

“Harmony, listen. Just, wait. Before you freak out.”

She defiantly thrust her hands on her hips and glared at him. She did not bring him home for that. For whatever he thought he was doing.

“Shit. I shouldn’t have said that-”

“Damn right you shouldn’t have. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Kevin crawled off the bed and pulled on his pants. “Okay, just calm down. I, damn. I don’t know, Harmony. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Yeah, we just met, we barely know each other but it’s different. You’re different.”

Harmony scoffed. “I thought that was why you wanted to fire me.”

Kevin shook his head. “I was an idiot. I never should have judged you, or anyone else, based on appearance. That was my first mistake. After that… hell, I should have done a lot of things differently. I didn’t care about the people. I cared about the company. One night with you and I know why your customers can’t get enough of you.” She smirked. “Not like that. Although, yeah, that too. I just hope they don’t all know that.”

She playfully smacked his arm.

“Seriously. I’ve been miserable. I hated my job. Always being the person who delivered bad news. Watching how you work, how your whole team works, over the last week has been… I don’t know. I can’t really explain it. You guys work together better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I don’t want to ruin people’s life. For some working in a restaurant isn’t much, but for others it’s everything. Flexible hours, decent pay, variety, whatever. I’m sick of telling people they aren’t good enough. And of wasting my life. I know it’s nuts, but I want to see where this could go.”

Harmony ran a hand through her long purple hair and sat on the edge of her bed. It was too much, all of it. He was asking more of her than she thought. First he wanted her in the management program and then he said he’s changing his whole life because of her. She wasn’t someone who inspired that. She was just an ordinary person who looked a bit different than everyone else.

“You can’t throw your life away for me. You don’t even know me.”

Kevin sat down next to her. “Oh, but I do. I know the color your eyes turn when you’re angry. I know the way you smile when you’re talking to someone you like and someone you don’t like. I know you’re fiercely loyal to your friends and would stand up for your coworkers over anything. I also know you go above and beyond to do things for others even though no one else seems to do much for you.”

“People help me out,” Harmony argued. “My coworkers and I work really well together. But that’s besides the point. Kevin, I like you, I do, but we’ve had one night together. Do you really think you should change your entire life based on one night?”

Kevin reached over for her hand and twined their fingers together, resting both hands on her lap. “Are you worried about me changing my mind or you?”

Harmony took a deep breath and looked down at their hands. Only the truth would do. “We have nothing in common. You’re a buttoned-up suit, I’m a wild mess. You’re a corporate oriented person and I don’t want anything more permanent than the next shift. I just don’t know if we would work.”

Kevin smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “I don’t want to be that guy anymore. Don’t you see? I’m not asking you to support me, but I want a change. I need a change. I just want you to be there with me through it. I want you as a part of my life. I can get to know you in bed and out,” he said with a wave of his eyebrows.

Harmony laughed and shook her head. “I’ve never imagined myself with a man like you, I’ll be honest. There’s something about you that draws me in, but my exes were all… well, more like me. Artists, musicians, creative types. I guess I’m a little anxious about a relationship.”

“A little nervous, but not against it? So you’ll give it a shot?”

Harmony rolled her eyes at his grin. “If I’m honest, I want to get to know you too. In and out of bed.”

“Well, then,” Kevin said, laying Harmony back on the bed, “I think I need to get to know you a little more right now, and maybe again later.”

Harmony laughed… at least until Kevin kissed her senseless.

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