by S. K. Lessly
Contents
Title Page
Untitled
1. Lauren
2. Lauren
3. Lauren
4. Lauren
5. Paul
6. Lauren
7. Lauren
Untitled
8. Lauren
9. Lauren
10. Paul
11. Paul
12. Lauren
13. Lauren
14. Lauren
15. Paul
Untitled
Chapter 16
17. Lauren
18. Paul
19. Lauren
20. Lauren
21. Paul
Untitled
Chapter 22
23. Lauren
24. Lauren
25. Paul
26. Paul
27. Lauren
28. Lauren
29. Lauren
To be Continued:
My Redemption:
A Second Chance Series
By S.K. Lessly
Copyright © 2018 by
Published by Jessica Watkins Presents
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
“The good thing about failing is that you get a second chance to do better.”
-Unknown
1
Lauren
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”
I stared at my car and shook my head in utter disbelief and frustration. I ran my cold fingers through my long, black hair before resting them on the back of my neck and looked around dumbfounded. This has to be a joke! A cold wind whipped past my thin jacket, sending chills all through me as if in answer to my question. Nope, not a joke!
I continued to stand there like an idiot, waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and yell,” ‘Got’cha!’ with cameras from some stupid show hosted by some washed-out actor. But as I stood there, flabbergasted and freezing my ass off, no one appeared.
I looked at my car again and blew out a puff of disgruntled air. I’d been having a great night up until this point, partying and enjoying myself. Just when I was ready to call it a night, I came out to my Infinity Q30 with a flat tire.
I looked around the quiet neighborhood this time hoping someone would walk by, have pity on me, and help. So far, no such luck. The roads and sidewalks were deserted. I couldn’t call the friends I had met up with at this club. They had long gone. I was the idiot who still wanted to party when all of the sensible, responsible people left at a decent hour.
I glanced at my watch and noted the time. It was almost one o’clock in the morning. I shouldn’t have been surprised the streets were empty. Most sane people were in their beds right about now, snuggled under cozy blankets instead of being out in this chilly weather.
The weather here in Northern New Jersey was no picnic and very unpredictable. Even though it was early September, tonight it was rainy, cold and miserable. Two days ago, it was a balmy eighty-two degrees.
I blew out a breath. I should’ve been home right now, in my PJ’s, in bed, snuggled up with my pillow. Instead, I wanted to be a lush. I wanted to shake my ass to some house music and pretend my life didn’t suck. Reality check happened when I got to my car. As for my life, it still sucked.
“Just come out with us,” my co-workers said. “We won’t be out too long. You’ll be home by nine.”
Yeah, right. It was after midnight and here I was standing way across town, wondering how the heck I was getting home. Don’t misunderstand me. I wasn’t placing blame solely on my co-workers. No. Wait. Yes, I was. This was entirely their fault. They had enticed me with the promise of alcohol. Then just when I began to immerse myself in great-tasting liquid courage, they bailed on me.
See how it was their fault?
The sound of deep laughter, rumbling in the distance caught my attention. I followed the sound and saw three black guys coming my way. My spirit began to lift. Maybe they would feel sorry for me and help. As they got closer however, my spirits took a nosedive. I recognized them from the club. They had been part of the many I’d told to get lost tonight.
In fact, I think I had told the tallest of the three that he needed to find a breath mint somewhere before he tried to kick game. His breath was so offensive that I almost vomited in my mouth. And just as I’d suspected, once they got close, a look of recognition came over them. They looked at my car, noticed I had a flat, and smirked at me as they continued by.
So much for chivalry…
To make matters worse, I heard a familiar notification ring from the phone in my hand, which meant only one thing. My phone was in the first stages of death. I looked at my phone as a pained sigh seeped through my tight lips. Yup, as suspected, the battery on my phone was at fifteen percent.
Perfect.
You would think that wouldn’t be a problem. Just plug in the phone to charge in the car, no problem. Well, there was a problem. I didn’t have a power cord.
I had started to place my charger in the car this morning, but I figured I didn’t need it. My plan was to go straight home after work and not go out with my co-workers, which I should’ve done. But nooo, I had to be a hot ass and go shake said ass to house music and reggae all night. But between you and me, other than this flat, I had no regrets. I’d had the best time tonight.
Okay, back to the problem at hand. I needed to act fast before my cell completely died on me. I woke up the screen to my phone, found the number I needed, and called my husband. I was hoping he would be able to tear himself away from his computer and answer the call, but of course, he didn’t answer his phone. Honestly, I shouldn’t have been surprised he didn’t pick up the phone. When this dude was working the whole world could be coming down around him, the house could be on fire, burning everything to ash, and he wouldn’t notice a thing. Quite frankly, it was becoming a huge pain in my ass.
Frustrated, I ended the call, bit back a few choice cuss words and moved on to plan B: AAA. I used my phone to search for the 1 800 number the popular roadside service and dialed, hoping someone would answer right away. As soon as the call went through, my ears were immediately attacked by an offensive busy signal.
Story of my life…
“Hello,” a male voice called out behind me, startling me.
I jumped slightly, my hand resting on my chest as my heart banged against my ribs.
“Jesus, you can’t just sneak up on a woman like that. Are you insane?” I chastised, before turning around to see who had sneaked up on me like a ninja. I had a few choice words ready on my lips, but the words got caught in my throat right along with my breath the second I made eye contact.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you,” returned the voice, but I was too lost in a pair of gorgeous blue eyes to respond. Hell, I even forgot the art of speech.
Standing before me was one of the most stunning and handsome men I had ever seen in damn near all of my life. He was tall and solidly-built; at least from what I could tell through his wool coat. He had on a skull cap too, so I couldn’t see his hair color either. But what I was able to see was a pair of intense blue eye
s and a face that literally took my breath away.
Wait? Were those dimples?
“I noticed you have a flat tire,” he said hesitantly, probably thrown off by my awkward staring.
“Huh?” I managed to get out finally as I stared at this god-like creature. Goodness, I knew I was acting weird, but I just couldn’t help it. He was so good-looking!
The man smiled at me again and I felt my face flush with heat. Someone please pinch me.
“Your tire…” he said to me, glancing at my car quickly before looking back at me. “It looks like you have a flat. I wanted to check on you to see if you needed any help.”
Was I drooling?
I blinked a few times, just now understanding that he was trying to shift my focus from him to the car. I laughed to myself. This wasn’t the first good-looking guy I’d seen before. Jeez.
Get a hold of yourself, Maxwell. You're never supposed to let them see you sweat.
I cleared my throat, nonchalantly wiped the side of my mouth, just in case, and straightened my back. I smiled up at him and found my voice.
“Oh, yes, it appears I do have a flat.” I glanced at my car more so to chastise myself for sounding like an idiot. I set my eyes back on him and tried not to sound stupid. “I’m okay, though. I’m calling AAA right now. I’m sure they won’t take long.”
What did I just say?
Dimples’ eyebrows rose to his forehead. “Oh, um, okay…”
Yup, he knew I was an idiot. Everyone knew AAA wasn’t reliable. I could probably die of starvation before they’d get to me tonight.
A sympathetic look washed over him before he offered, “If you want, since I’m here, I could change that tire for you in less time it would take for a tow truck to get here.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but I don’t want to inconvenience you. Besides, I pay for this service. I might as well use it.” I smiled.
I might as well use it? Seriously, Lauren?
He stared at me for a moment longer, probably noting just how big of an idiot I truly was before he nodded and said, “Oh, okay. Well, good luck.”
“Thanks.” I waved and smiled while I watched in rapt attention as he continued past me.
I know what you’re thinking. I need my head examined. No arguments there!
But cut me a little slack please. I’d been drinking for one and alcohol clouded the judgment, right? Also, it had to be against the law for a man that good-looking to be walking around without a chick glued to his hip. He had to be a serial killer or something was wrong with him to explain why his woman had let him out alone like this. Don’t you agree?
All jokes aside, I really felt like an idiot for refusing his help. First, I should’ve known how to change a tire. And second, my idiot husband should’ve answered his stupid phone! Urgh!
I stopped trying to call AAA after ten minutes and tried my husband, Sebastian, again. He still didn’t answer. I was getting cold standing here and it was getting late. I got back into my car, started it up and turned on the heat. At least I wasn’t out of gas.
I was just about to call an Uber when I heard the second warning that my phone was about to die.
“Fucking great!”
I dropped my phone onto the seat next to me and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. Self-pity and I were about to become the best of friends when my pity party was interrupted by a loud rumble of a strong V-8 car engine in the distance. I strained my neck to my left to locate the source of the power that was making my own car shake when a black Dodge Charger with tinted windows crawl up beside me. I grabbed my phone instinctively as if that would protect me as the passenger’s side window slowly slid down. A man's face appeared with dark hair and an unbelievable smile. It was Dimples. I rolled down my window.
“Any luck?” he asked.
“No. And my phone’s about to die.”
“My offer still stands. I don’t mind helping.”
I smiled at him and gave him a quick nod of the head.
“Yes, please. Thank you.” I sighed in relief, which made him chuckle.
“Not a problem at all. I’m just going to find a place to park and I’ll be right back.”
My hero disappeared down the street and about two minutes later, I saw him walking to my car.
I got out.
“I really appreciate your help,” I said once he was close.
He smiled. Oh, that smile…
“No problem at all. It’s late and you shouldn’t be out here alone anyway. Pop the trunk. Let’s see how your spare looks.”
I did as ordered and hit the button on my key fob to pop the trunk. I walked to the back of my car and met my knight in shining armor, secretly praying I didn’t have anything embarrassing lying around like underwear or smelly socks that may have fallen out of my gym bag.
Dimples rummaged around my trunk until he uncovered my spare. He stood up straight and looked over at me, rubbing his hands together as if he were warming them.
“Okay, well, your spare looks good. It shouldn’t take me but a minute to change your tire.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
He shot me a sexy-as-hell smile, and I damn near melted despite the chilly air.
Freaking swooning… That’s what I’m doing right now. Get a grip girl before you embarrass yourself.
Dimples removed his peacoat, folded it inside out and laid it on the hood of my car. I took this opportunity to perv on him. He was wearing a black, long-sleeve Henley and dark blue jeans. Despite the dark material covering his body, I could make out the muscle definitions of his back, arms, and shoulders. Goodness gracious! The long-sleeve shirt left nothing to the imagination.
I watched, transfixed and trying not to drool as he effortlessly hefted my spare, tire iron, and jack from my trunk. He walked around to the back passenger’s side of my car, knelt down in front of my busted tire, and went to work.
I watched mesmerized at how his muscles flexed as he worked the jack, especially his back muscles. Goodness gracious, he was impressive. My body shook with dirty thoughts as my imagination tried to take over. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I needed a distraction.
I leaned in closer to him while he loosened the bolts on the tire rim and asked, “So, are you from around this part of town?”
The woodsy scent of his mouthwatering cologne hit me, and I started to melt again. I stood up straight to give us space. Get it together, Lauren. I lifted my hand to run my fingers through my hair when the glitter from the diamond on my hand caught my attention. I immediately sobered.
I also noticed that he too had jewelry on his left hand, specifically his ring finger. The man was married. Here he was just being nice and I was gawking at him like a horny high school girl. However, my thoughts were just that—thoughts. I would never act on them. I wasn’t that kind of woman. But when you came across a man that looked this good, you couldn’t help but take notice.
“Nah, I’m just visiting with some friends,” he replied. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I’m not from this side of town either. I live a distance away from here.”
He looked up at me. “Is that so? In what part of the city do you live?”
“Oh, I live in Belleville.”
“Huh, small world. I actually live very close to that area. What brought you out to West Orange?”
I shrugged and stubbed the front of my boot into the asphalt underneath my feet. “I met a few of my friends out for some drinks. I didn’t expect to stay out this long but here I am.”
“I take it you also didn’t expect to have a flat tire either.” He smiled and I continued melting.
Damn him.
“No, I didn’t actually. I thought I’d be on my way home by now.”
I watched as he removed my bad tire, mounted the spare, and started tightening the bolts. He was right. It had taken only a few minutes and he was done. He put my flat tire in my trunk and slammed it shut. When he turned to face me, we were close enough for me to
see his eyes clearly. Damn, they were such an astonishing and vibrant color blue. They reminded me of a clear blue sky and summer warmth.
I smiled and looked away briefly just to get a break from looking at what I knew was forbidden fruit. I needed to go home, attack my husband, and forget about Dimples.
“I’m eternally grateful for you, really,” I said to him, trying to change my focus. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee or warm you up? Oh… Shit…” My eyes grew, panicked. “Uh to warm you up… Sorry.” I shook my head, completely embarrassed.
He laughed and shook his head, putting his coat back on. “No, that’s okay really. You don’t have to do that.”
“It would be no problem at all. In fact, I owe you for helping me.” I tried not to sound too weird. I was grateful that he stopped to help. My offer to warm him up was just me being friendly. It was the least I could do.
But Mr. Polite managed to give me a friendly smile before he said, “Under other circumstances, I would love that. But I should get home. Thanks for the offer, though. Drive safely on that spare. It can get slick out here with the wet ground and dropping temp.” He gave me another smile before he turned and walked away.
“Wait!” I blurted quickly, causing him to stop in mid-stride and turn back to me. What the fuck are you doing Lauren? “I didn’t catch your name?”
He turned to face me and forced his hands in his coat pockets. “It’s Paul.” He gave me a chin lift, putting the ball in my corner.