We all want to feel accepted, but sometimes we do
unacceptable things. When we push it too far and do the unforgivable, are we
still allowed to hope for that acceptance?
Or are we doomed to accept a life of loneliness?
My current bed friend is someone who’s struggling to find
his own acceptance. His big crime? He’s following his dreams. His father can’t
accept the fact he no longer wants to follow in his footsteps. Should he be
shut out because he quit the family business? I don’t think so. But if he
should, I’ve got bigger problems.
My crime?
I cheated on my husband and then killed the man I cheated
with. Would you still accept me?
Ages
18+ due to adult situations and violence.
please?” I was crouched down, getting the displays ready for opening day. Never
mind it was still three weeks away. I needed to keep busy.
it. “Thanks.”
inches from a bulge I’d gotten used to having in my face. I hadn’t seen what
the bulge was made of yet, but he sure liked thrusting it in my face every
chance he could.
“You’re very brave to come that close.” He backed up. “That’s what I thought.”
hair needed a cut, as usual, and the smirk on his face needed to be smacked
off. I tilted my head to the side and wondered what he would look like without
the scruff he tried to pass off as a beard. Why
should I care what he would look like? I shook my head.
help.”
you’ve come over, no. I’ve got everything under control.”
around. “It does look good.”
smiled. We were complete opposites. She had long, wavy blonde hair while my
hair was black and cut short. You might have been able to tell we were from the
same gene pool if I showed my body off the way she did, but I liked to keep
things a little more under wraps compared to her curve-hugging style. Besides,
I’d always been the more casual type and she was all about the latest styles.
It looked good on her, but I’ve got better things to worry about than clothes.
fact she was friendly. I wasn’t. “Hey, Mick, what brings you over?”
another display. “We’ve got it. Thanks for stopping by.”
very nice to him.”
other.” She smiled. “I’ve tried to get Carl to grow some scruff like that. It’s
sexy. The least you could do is play nice with him and tell me if it—”
to be caught up in that. Plus, he’s a little rude, always pushing his cock in
my face.”
looking.”
do, but this conversation isn’t over.”
even though I’d already cleaned it a dozen times. I wasn’t ready to go home. I
wanted to make sure it was perfect for opening day.
in already!” Mick yelled.
door. “It’s unlocked. Just open—” I opened it to see him balancing two plates
and two glasses of wine. He walked past without an invitation. “What are you
doing?”
over and watched as he turned his ass to me. “Take out the tablecloth, will
you? It’s a little big, but if you keep it folded in half, it should fit the
counter.”
and laid it out as he said to. “What are you doing?”
down. “You never leave for dinner or have anything ordered in.” He looked me
over. “You’re too thin.”
you’re going to run a company by yourself. You need to take care of yourself or
you have no business taking care of anything else.”
and pointed to the plate. I watched him grab a couple of stools for us. “Eat.”
He sat on his stool and dug in. “Are you going to tell me you don’t like
steak?”
the steak, baked potato, and green beans. “I’m just trying to figure out what
your motive is.”
this.”
you can’t do that if you run yourself down.” He took another bite and pointed
at my plate. “Eat.”
honest and impersonal, so I liked it. I started eating. “This is really good.”
wasn’t uncomfortable. The sounds of the utensils against the plates filled the
air and before I knew it, I had cleaned the plate.
remarkable how good this place looks. You’ve done a great job.”
welcome.”
and I started shaking. He noticed. “I’m going to take the plates to the back
and rinse them off for you, but I don’t have any detergent to clean them.”
his plate. “What’s wrong?”
right back.”
dishes. I set them in the sink and took a deep breath while I hung my head and
leaned on the counter. I wondered if Al was available. It made it easier after
I moved into Rachael’s apartment to see her neighbor down the hall, but it also
made it more difficult to avoid him. I needed to forget life for a while and he
always helped me with that, but he had started to want too much. I just wanted
sex.
I jumped, dropping the knife in the sink. “I’m sorry. You were just back here a
little longer than I thought it would take to rinse plates.”
and dried the plates. “They still need soap, but at least you won’t get
anything dirty.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
walked around him and took the plates to the counter. He had already folded the
tablecloth.
sister.”
what makes me a good listener.” He looked around. “Well, I think I’ll get out
of your way and let you go home. You need to rest up for your big day.”
still a few weeks out.” What I needed wasn’t rest. I checked my watch. Al went
to bed early, and I needed to catch him before he went to sleep.
somewhere you need to be?”
before he went to sleep.”
surprise that you liked the male species.”
“For what you need your friend for.”
was probably wondering if I was going to take him up on his offer, and I was
wondering if he was serious. It didn’t matter. I couldn’t get involved and risk
losing the shop, no matter how promising the bulge he constantly put in front
of me was.
for.”
counter. “You want him to take care of your needs. Needs you suddenly have ever
since that cop car went blaring by. You need him to help you forget life for a
while, to make you feel good, and protected.” He leaned in and whispered in my
ear. “Deny it.”
his body to mine and reaching behind me to grab the dishes. I closed my eyes
when he walked away. The breath I had been holding was finally released. Al
better not have gone to sleep yet.
the chair. I wanted to take a shower before I went to Al’s. He didn’t care if I
came over dirty from working in the shop, but I cared. Before I got to the
bathroom, there was a knock on my door. I smiled; only one person knocked like
that. He could shower with me.
“Hey, I was just going to jump in the shower and head over, but you can come in
with me. My back needs washing.”
we need to talk.”
dreading this day, the day he demanded more than sex. I turned and looked at
the guy I’d spent the last several months with but knew very little about. That
was how I wanted to keep it.
That’s all I needed to know and all I wanted to know. I was going to miss the
orgasms he could give me. Fuck. “Al, we’ve talked about this.”
his hands. “I met someone.”
“You did?”
her.” He handed me the package.
neck with his hand. “Don’t open it until I leave, but I feel bad about this.”
him. “Do not feel bad at all. I’m very happy for you.”
chest. “You have a big heart in there and have wanted to give it to someone for
a long time. I’m glad you’ve found someone to give it to.” I looked at the
gift. “You really didn’t have to.”
watch. “She’s coming over any minute, so I should get back to my apartment.
Thanks for being cool with this. I’m going to miss you.”
see each other. We’ll just see each other with our clothes on.”
locked the door behind him and turned to the package. I should’ve given it back
to him. He didn’t need to give me anything. What I received from our time
together was the only thing I’d wanted from him. I opened the package and
smiled. I guess he wanted to make sure I still had my orgasms.
I took it out and
looked at the deluxe model vibrator he had given me. I wasn’t much into
vibrators and didn’t have the need for them with him next door. I shrugged and
took it to the bedroom. I didn’t have him anymore, so no need for his money to
go to waste.
B.L. Mooney started writing when the voices and storylines in her head ran out of room. They were getting too cramped and neither B.L. nor the characters could take it anymore, so she did the only thing she could do—she made room. She always knew she wanted to write, but vowed to make time for it later. Now that she’s made time for writing, most everything else falls to the wayside. That seems to suit the characters that keep popping up in her head just fine.B.L. lives in the Midwest, and her other talents include in-demand cookies, a very dry sense of humor, and stealth eavesdropping. Some mannerisms, attitudes, or twists come from random sentences picked up while passing by strangers. So speak up the next time you have something to gossip about. You never know, it may just end up on the pages of the next book you read.
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