“That can’t happen again,” Theresa said as she walked into the living room and handed a beer to David.
“You didn’t like it?” David asked with surprise.
“I liked it just fine,” she said as she eased herself into the chair. “Although it was a little rougher that I’m used to. What I’m talking about is the absence of a condom. That can’t happen again.”
“I take it you’re not on the pill,” he said softly.
“That isn’t the point,” she said firmly. “We don’t know each other’s medical history. Having unprotected sex in today’s world is just too dangerous.”
“I know my body, baby,” he assured her. “I’m clean.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’ve been celibate?” she said with a tone of disbelief. “Or, are you saying that you always use a
Jeffrey looked at his reflection as he wiped the remains of the shaving cream from his face and sighed. His mother somehow managed to railroad him into yet another dinner for the purpose of introducing him to a nice young girl. He’d suffered through several of them since David starting dating Theresa in hopes of distracting his mind from them, but it hadn’t worked. He’d decided enough was enough and asked his mother to stop setting him up. Somehow, she’d managed to finagle yet another dinner out of him.He smiled at her craftiness. He had to admit that she was good at getting what she wanted. It made him wonder how much of his father’s story about having to chase after her was fact and how much was a figment of his imagination. As crafty as Glenda Holmes was, he was tempted to believe that she’d orchestrated the illusion of Henry chasing her to make him desire her all the more.He slipp
Disappointment, jealousy, rage, hate, anger, sadness, and insecurity… these were among the myriad of emotions that flooded Theresa while she watched the way Jeffrey fawned over Linda’s every word. He’d never hovered next to her in that way. He’d never hung on her every word, laughed at her ridiculous jokes, smiled back at her with his alluring, sexy mouth whenever the occasion called for it, or kept his body scandalously close, yet far enough away to remain in the respectable category the way he was doing with Linda. She had to fight back the tears as she choked down the brandy enhanced, cherries jubilee Glenda had taken great pains to prepare for their casual dessert setting.It was clear that Jeffrey found Linda to be everything he thought Theresa wasn’t. It was like a slap across her face with a spiked glove.She needed to wake up and face reality. Jeffrey Holmes had never and would never feel about
A frown formed on her brows as Theresa watched the exchange of hugs and giggles between Glenda and Linda from the opposite side of the room. She had to admit to herself, if not to anyone else, that she admired the confidence Linda possessed. It took Theresa the better part of the summer to open up to Glenda in the way she saw Linda doing after just one dinner. Then, Theresa never did possess the confidence of most women, which was why she remained a virgin until she met Scott while in college. Scott may have been a dog when it came to women, but he was thorough with his education in the bedroom. This fact was proved by the complements David repeatedly gave her about her sexual prowess. She knew David was no stranger to sex; not just by the acts he performed for her pleasure, but by the way he was able to abstain from climaxing for such an extended period of time. It took practice to accomplish such a thing. During quiet times, sh
Theresa wandered aimlessly around the pasture while she tried to regain composure. She and Jeffrey been gone from the house far too long not to have their absence be noticed. She struggled to think of an excuse to tell them while she fought back the tears of frustration and shame.What had she done? Jeffrey was right. She was a slut. Only a slut would behave in such a way.What was saddest about the entire thing was the fact that, all the while he was calling her a slut and coldly telling her to get out, she was certain she detected remorse for his words in his body language.Was she simply in denial? Was he really feeling remorse about his actions and saying those things to her and treating her so abominably to make her hate him enough to never look back, thus, not hurting his brother any more than he already had. Or, did he really just use her body for his own satisfaction and then toss her away like a dirty dishrag?
Theresa did her best to slide into the passenger’s side of the cab without wincing from the tenderness of her most private area. All thoughts of guilt oversleeping with Jeffrey were replaced by worry and trepidation over the fact that David would expect sex once they got to her place.He took her hand in his and inspected the engagement ring he’d slid onto her ring finger only a few hours earlier. “Look at that sparkle. Are you happy with it?”Theresa looked down at the three and a half carat solitaire diamond and smiled. “How did you know my ring size?”“I snuck into your jewelry box and took your ring to the jeweler,” he admitted.“How long have you been planning this?” she asked with wonder.“Since the day I looked at your tight ass while swinging on the gate, baby,” he said with a grin.“Do men only think of sex?” she mused, more t
Indian summer turned to fledge on fall and fall turned to winter with no interaction with Jeffrey. Theresa wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Most of the time she hated him for using her in such an abhorrent fashion that Sunday afternoon. But, there were moments when she forgave him and even understood that he’d done it out of pain and guilt. The more she learned about Jeffrey Holmes, the more she realized how damaged he was by his divorce from Penelope. She questioned if he’d ever heal. Her mind repeatedly assured her that she was getting the better brother in marriage, even if her heart didn’t believe it.She’d spent a considerable amount of time with Glenda Holmes as they planned for her marriage to David. The fact that her own mother passed when she was just a young girl and her father shortly after she entered veterinarian school, made it easier to accept Glenda and Henry’s input. She barely remembered her mot
Theresa nervously fluffed the accent pillows on her sofa while she looked at the clock. Jeffrey would arrive at any moment. More than once, since she’d agreed to let him pay her a visit, she’d questioned the wisdom in it. Her feelings for him were a complete mystery to her. She had no idea how she would behave once she was behind closed doors with him. Would she cry her eyes out and tell him how much he’d hurt her, or would she grab a knife from the knife block on the kitchen counter and stab him in the heart with it? Just to be safe, she tucked all of the knives away in a very inconvenient kitchen drawer.Even though she told herself that she wanted nothing to do with Jeffrey Holmes and that she was only letting him come over so that he could explain himself, she took extra care with her hair and makeup. When she was tidying up her bedroom, she told herself it was out of nervousness and not because she expected to take hi
David slid his cell phone into his pocket as he stepped onto Linda’s front porch. He sighed as his index finger pressed the doorbell. For the first time in his life, he had regrets for his behavior. With the exception of Theresa, the women he’d bedded in the past were carefully chosen for their tastes in the bedroom, as well as their ability to be discreet.Theresa was the woman he intended to marry. It was vital that she did not learn about the other women. She’d never understand, and she’d probably break it off with him. The thought of losing her because of a loose mouth made his blood boil.It wasn’t just the thought of losing Theresa that bothered him. It was also the thought of losing the money she was to inherit. He needed that money in a bad way. No one -not even Jeffrey- knew of the dire straits his financial portfolio was in. He’d made some seriously bad investments and was almost br