by Katie Dowe
“Matthew Logan is that your way of getting me to eat?” she asked him with a tiny smile.
“Cara Logan you know me too well.”
*****
Carolyn heard when he stumbled inside the room. She pretended as if she was asleep and heard when he came over and peered down at her before moving away to take off his clothes. She had told her sister that they were not getting along but she had told her all the reasons. He had been accusing her of cheating on him and wondering if the child was in fact his. It had been one foolish night long ago that she had given in to temptation and had slept with a co-worker. It had happened a few weeks after they had come back home and she had started questioning herself about what they felt for each other. She had seen how Matthew looked at her sister and knew that she had never experienced that before and she had been jealous. She had wanted something like that for herself and thought she had found it with Lyle, a handsome and charming man in her office but he had not been interested in anything other than a romp in one of the bathrooms after work hour. He had told her that it had been nice but he was not interested.
She had come home terrified and wondering what on earth she had done and had prayed that Clive would never find out. It was a few months after that she had discovered that she was pregnant. He had told her that he would see when the baby was born to find out whether it belonged to him or not and he would decide what to do after. She was beginning to think that they had never loved each other and that had been the problem. Whatever happens she was going to love her baby and try to get the pieces of her life together.
*****
Jennifer was excited. He had called and asked her to come over to his apartment. He had told her that after his wife had died some time ago, he had sold the house and bought a smaller place because he hardly spent any time there anyway. She had sent up some dinner for her brother and Cara and had told them she was going out for a little bit. She had seen the look he gave her but she was too excited to take him on.
With Brent she had always been the dutiful wife and had ignored the fact that the attraction had waned soon after they had gotten married. She was starting to feel alive again with William. He was gentle and kind and listened to her as if she was the most important person in the world. He did not make her feel as if she was a worthless housewife whose only duty it was to keep the house and make sure dinner was on the table on time.
With a smile she slid into her car and started the engine.
Chapter 3
The center was a little empty when she got there. Spring break was over and the kids had gone back to school. They were a number of preschools around whose mothers had dropped them off and gone off to work. They offered babysitting services for the mothers who could not afford the regular sitters free of cost and had been told numerous thanks.
They had noticed that the mothers had started bringing by little things to give them to show their appreciation. Sometimes they would see a bag of freshly cut vegetables left on one of the tables, some fruits or even flowers. On weekends most of them insisted on coming over to clean up the place and make sure it was tidy and ready for the next week. When it was snowing, the drive and sidewalks would be miraculously shoveled. Matthew had been true to his word and had gotten funding for them to run the center and to pay Christine and Elaine, the other young ladies who helped out during the days. They were sent food and juice and water on a weekly basis.
“How are things between you and Bobby?” Cara asked her curiously as she helped her friend sifted through some clothes they had received as donations. They were sorting them out by size and age to hand them out later. Elaine was in the living room area entertaining the toddlers and they could hear the laughter and clapping all the way in the bedroom which had been turned into an office and holding area. Jeanette had gone over to bake some cookies and take care of the dogs. Cara was contemplating taking Yap with her to the manor.
Christine looked over at her curiously. “We are holding our own. What makes you ask?”
“Marriages seem to be falling apart these days,” she held up a cute little all in one red and white suit with a big bow on the side. She had also brought over some of the numerous clothes and toys and was planning to start bringing them to the center. She told her friend about her sister.
“Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce if the statistics are right,” Christine said with a sigh.
“Bobby and I barely get the chance to have sex because of his odd hours and the way I am constantly tired from running around after our son. We have to schedule time for sex and by the time we get around to it, the moment passes.”
“Is that the way it is going to end up with Matthew and me?” Cara pulled up a chair and sat down, feeling her feet starting to swell. “I have a third child on the way and I am here thinking that maybe I made a mistake in getting pregnant so fast. We have something good Chris and I don’t want to lose sight of it.”
“That’s just it honey,” Christine folded the clothes neatly and started packaging them. She had seen some outfits in there that her son could get as well and put them aside. “You and your husband are still in love with each other. Bobby and I just sort of ease into a relationship and we have settled into a period of complacency and comfort. It’s different for you and Matthew; you guys are actually in love.”
“I thought you and Bobby were solid.” Cara stared at the girl a little disturbed.
“Don’t get me wrong honey,” Chris said with a reassuring laugh. “We somehow learned to live with it and we are very good friends. It’s just that he does not set my body sizzling when he touches me.”
“And you think that it is enough to maintain the marriage?”
“We have a very strong bond in our son. He is mutual ground and even if it is just him we have learned to live with that.” She told her friend practically. “You have seen Bobby honey and know that he is not a hottie like your husband.”
*****
Cara and Marissa decided to order the smoothies and take it to her place. “John is away for a few days and I have the place all to myself.” She had told Cara giving her directions on how to reach there.
Cara had asked Caleb to pack something for lunch in a picnic basket and she took it with her. She had spent most of the morning with the children and she and Jennifer had discussed the plans for the kids’ birthday party. She had told her sister in law firmly that they were never going to know what was going on so it should not be a big spread and her husband had agreed.
It was in an exclusive neighborhood not far from where she lived and Cara found herself admiring the lushness of the vegetation and the luxurious houses. Marissa had told her the third house on the right with the palm trees outside the gates. The woman was out the gate waiting for her and walked up to the sweeping lawn and waited until Cara had parked. There were flowers on either side of the driveway and the scent of them in the afternoon was quite heady.
“I am so happy you were able to come,” she linked her hand through that of Cara’s and took the basket away from her. “One of these days you need to take those two lovely children with you.”
She pushed open the double doors and they stepped into a cool hallway with a high ceiling. The place was elegant and immaculately kept with light airy furniture and pale lime green walls. “This is very nice,” Cara murmured as she was taken on the grand tour. They went upstairs and Cara found her hand lingering on the delicately woven staircase and her feet sinking into the rich burgundy carpet.
“The master bedroom,” Marissa flung open the doors and Cara smiled in admiration at the expensive yet tasteful furnishings. She glimpsed a huge bathroom with black and white tiles and the open doors of a large walk through closet. “John had suggested that we have separate bedrooms at the beginning but I told him absolutely not.”
She led the way to the other bedrooms and sitting room where they stopped and she indicated for Cara to have a seat on one of the sofas there. “I married John because he was a way out of
my situation but I respected him for giving me a chance.”
“And you actually fell in love with him.” Cara murmured. “Aren’t you afraid you are going to fall for someone younger as time goes by?”
Marissa stood and went to pour some juice for both of them. “I gave the maid the day off today so we could talk freely.” She said handing Cara the frosty glass of juice. “I made a fool of myself when I was much younger,” she sipped the liquid slowly and then put the glass on the rich mahogany table. “I was quite a player. I never kept a man for more than a month and I told myself that I would settle down eventually.” She stared off at something across the room. “It never mattered whether the man was married or not, I just wanted to find my own brand of happiness and to be taken care of but I was miserable and I knew I wanted something better. I met John while I was in a bar drinking away my sorrows after yet another failed relationship and he bought me a drink and we started talking. It started from there.” She looked at Cara squarely. “I have done my younger men honey and I have had enough of them, I am not looking back again.”
Cara stared at the girl for a moment. She was elegant and beautiful and very well dressed. Even inside the house she had on black and red silk lounge pants, a red silk top and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She had seen a picture of her and her husband above the fireplace in the living room and they looked happy together. “My husband worries that he is a little too old for me sometimes.”
“Honey your husband has nothing to worry about!” she said with a laugh as she curled her feet beneath her and settled back against the sofa. “I used to worry about what people in our circle would say but I stopped worrying after I found out that they had married the right age with the right amount of money but their lives were going to hell!” she shook her head. “My next door neighbor to the right of me is very prominent in society, married with two kids and is having an affair with her therapist. The one to the left of me, her husband is seeing his personal trainer who is a man. Honey I don’t worry about people and what they say or think because chances are their lives are in the crapper.”
They had fun talking and Marissa showed her the pictures of his kids who were living in New York. “They come for a visit every now and then and when they do they barely acknowledge that I am around. I usually leave them to visit with their father and either go and do some shopping or run other errands. I don’t let them bother me either.”
*****
Matthew called his sister in law. He knew his wife had said she would call her back in a few days but he wanted to set her mind at ease. “Carolyn how are you?”
“Matthew is everything okay with Cara?” she asked him swiftly.
“Everything is fine. I was just wondering if you would like to come and visit with us for a while?”
“My sister told you?” she said with a resigned sigh.
“She did and she has been worrying over you.” He admitted. “She is pregnant and so are you so I figured you could keep each other company. I will pay the airfare and if you want to take time off from work I will compensate you for it.”
“I can see why my sister is so in love with you.” Carolyn murmured. “You are one of a kind. Okay you have sold me on the idea. Mom is in Paris with a group of friends so I will let her know that I will be away for a couple of months. Would you mind not telling Cara yet? I want to surprise her.”
“I will make the arrangements straight away.”
*****
For the first time in several weeks Carolyn found herself smiling. She eased herself out of the comfortable rocking chair in the bedroom and went to stand in front of the long oval mirror. She was not as beautiful as her sister and had never been. Cara had gotten the looks from their mother and she had gotten everything from their father including his height and the sharpness of his jaw. Her hair was shorter than her sister’s and she had added lengths to it by putting in weaves which she was not sure really suited her. Her only saving grace was her eyes and that was nothing compared to Cara’s.
She remembered when they were attending school together and how she would have done anything to be a part of the popular crowd but Cara had ignored the girls’ invitation to be a part of the cheerleading team much to Carolyn’s disappointment. Her sister always got what she wanted and was always so nice about it. Now she had done it again. She was married to a billionaire who had looks and who was completely in love with her while she was married to a man who did not really appreciate her and who was now planning to divorce her.
But Matthew had called her himself. She smoothed the dress over her bulge and smiled in satisfaction; she had no problem taking some of the benefits of what her sister was receiving, she was entitled.
*****
Later that afternoon they put their children to bed. Cara had left Marissa’s place at a quarter past four and came home. She had told her husband where she was going and how she and Marissa had connected and he had told her he was happy she was passing the time so well.
The nannies had gone to their respective rooms giving them time to spend with the children. Janice was fighting to keep her eyes open but Joel looked like he had several more hours to go as he played with his stuffed dinosaur. Matthew had taken off his suit jacket and taken off his tie and lifted his daughter to his shoulder to rub his hands soothingly over her back.
“So how was your visit?” he whispered not wanting to wake their daughter. Cara had Joel on the chair beside her and her hand comb through his curls as he concentrated on bouncing his toy on the sofa.
“Quite enlightening,” she told her husband with a smile. “Remind me to tell you about it later.”
*****
Jennifer stared at herself in the mirror, a wide smile on her face. She had been nervous at first and wondered if she had been doing the right thing but he had made her feel at ease as soon as she entered through the doorway. He had offered her something to drink and she had accepted looking around the small place. It could use a woman’s touch, she mused looking at the sad colorless curtain at the window.
The place was a bit untidy but he had told her that the woman who usually cleaned up for him was not well and she was not coming back until next week. She had felt her nesting urges coming to the fore and had started tidying up in spite of his protests.
He had wanted to order take out but she had stopped him, suspecting that it was a while since he had eaten a home cooked meal. She had looked into the cupboard and realized that he needed some things. They had gone out to the supermarket together where she had picked up fresh produce, going back to the apartment to cook him dinner. They had sat around the dining table and talked and laughed and he had told her that it was the most delicious meat loaf he had ever tasted. She had preened with delight and had served up the dessert: raspberry tarts and ice cream.
He had told her she was spoiling him. “I might just get used to this,” he had told her softly as they moved from the dining table to the living room. She made a mental note as to what was needed the next time she was coming over. He had pulled her closer to him as they watched something on television and she had felt as if she was home.
*****
“She really appears to be in love with him Matthew,” Cara stretched appreciatively as he rubbed the cream over her belly and down her thighs. His touch on her skin always set her off and she felt the fire tingling inside her.
“You sound skeptical,” he looked up at her as his hands slid over her naked body. They had taken a shower together and had climbed onto the bed completely naked.
“It’s just that he is so much older than she is,” she murmured. His green gaze met hers in question and she knew what the look meant.
“It’s different with us.”
“How so?”
“You are not old enough to be my grandfather,” she muttered.
“Old enough to be your father perhaps,” he said wryly. “You were the one who said age is just a number.” He reminded her.
“You are rig
ht. She told me what he did for her and I supposed that is part of the attraction.” She moaned as he came nearer to her pubic area and started kneading the skin there. “Matthew,” she whispered as he spread her legs and touched his fingers to her mound.
“Do you think I am too old for you?” he inserted a finger inside her wetness, watching her reaction. He loved to see the expression on her face when he touched her there.
“You know my answer to that,” she was restless as he moved his fingers inside her.
“Then I guess that is the way she feels as well.” He took his fingers out and rubbed them over the tip of his hardened penis, taking his time, his eyes holding hers. “I thought I would have been burnt out by now,” he murmured still rubbing the tip of his penis, driving her crazy with need. “I told myself I had no business being with you, it would never work but I am over fifty and I still get hard thinking about you.”
He climbed in beside her and came on top of her holding himself aloft a little bit as he stared down at her. Her coffee and cream complexion was glowing with good health and pregnancy and her large dark brown eyes were half closed with desire. Her lips were parted, her breath escaping in little pants as she looked up at him.
“You are so beautiful and I am so hard for you.” He moved and using one hand he guided his erection inside her, closing his eyes as her wetness welcomed him. He lifted one of her legs and started moving inside her slowly, savoring the feel of her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and brought his head down, opening her lips beneath his as he took her mouth with his.
He remembered the first time they had made love and he had thought he was going to have a heart attack. He felt it now: the racing pulse, the thundering of his heartbeat and the heat of his skin. He would always feel this way about her and he knew it would never change. He deepened the kiss and felt her nipples tight against his chest. He broke the kiss and nibbled on her bottom lip before going down to feast on her nipples. Her breasts had increased in size and the nipples had gotten wider since she had been breastfeeding their children and as his teeth grazed her, he felt her body stiffen and arch against him.