“You may be smarter than I am, but I’m damn sure more cunning than you,” Gregory sneered before swallowing the last of his drink. Leaning closer he brought his face mere inches away from mine. “How does it feel knowing all your intellect couldn’t right the fact I stole your ideas for my thesis? Ideas you spent months developing; I took it all in the blink of an eye, and there was nothing you could do about it.”
I gritted my teeth, knowing this was just a way to bait me. Decade-old truths weren’t as effective when the person they are aimed at didn’t care. But then he went in for the kill, digging the knife deeper.
“And, even now, how does it feel knowing you, and your shitty little lab rats, will never reap an ounce of the benefits for all the groundwork you did on the new protocol that everyone considers mine?” Gregory’s bulbous nose flared as he threw his head back and laughed.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Not even I could remember the thought process involved as my hand balled into a fist and landed squarely in Gregory’s right eye. But what I did know was that Lashawnda and Sean had spent an enormous amount of time and effort preparing that protocol. No one would take the recognition they deserved. The impact of my punch was so powerful that Gregory lost his balance and toppled onto the floor. I didn’t give him time to recover. I rounded the table and grabbed him by the lapels of his coat, lifting him into a semi-sitting position.
“You have gone too damn far,” I barked. Another blow followed.
People around the bar perked up at the commotion. Like children in a schoolyard, they began hooting and hollering—adding fuel to the fire that sparked the situation. The bar manager yelled for us to break it up, but his words fell on deaf ears.
It had been years since I got into a physical altercation. I wasn’t prepared for Gregory to recover from my second round of punches. He pushed at my chest then swung his legs out and connected them with my shin. The impact caused me to topple over. He took the chance and pounced on me, landing a solid blow to my ribs. We tussled around, both landing blows and neither willing to give in.
In a quick move, Gregory managed to get me on my back. The pain from falling on the hard floor ricocheted through my body. His weight pressed me down, and I threw my hands up to protect my face from his blows.
“You think you’re so damn smart; obviously you don’t know the first thing about fighting,” Gregory sneered mockingly.
His gloating left him open for me to throw a solid punch to his throat, making him sputter and try to catch his breath. I pushed him to the side, fists connecting to his ribs, jaw, and head in quick successive movements. The bar manager and a few patrons who weren’t as drunk stepped in at that point, pulling Gregory and me apart.
“Calm down! I called the police. You and your little friend will pay for the damage you caused.” The burly man pushed against Gregory’s chest.
Gregory shrugged out of the hold from the men clutching him. “This all started because you just couldn’t respect the wishes of other people.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I wiped the blood coming from my busted lip.
“Juliet,” Gregory spat.
“What about my wife?” I stepped closer only to be pulled back by the men that stepped in.
“I tried being your friend, but you crossed the line when you went after the one woman I loved. Why couldn’t you find someone else? Of all the women on campus, you picked Juliet to lay your sights on. You took something away from me; now, I’m taking something away from you.”
“You sniveling little shit!” I yelled. “All this time, you had a blasted hard-on for my wife? You damn fool. How pathetic are you? It’s been more than forty years, man. Why can’t you get over it?”
“Because I saw her first. You knew I wanted to ask her out. Instead of being a good friend, you did your whole brainiac routine, and she fell right into your trap,” Gregory retorted, shooting a glob of spit from his mouth. “I tried getting her to see what type of asshole you were, but she was already blinded by your charm.”
“Juliet has never once mentioned anything about you, not even when we were in college. What makes you think she was even remotely interested in you?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. The man has been trying to ruin my life over a woman? A woman? All this time I thought it was jealousy over my success in the field.
“Because when you broke her heart after sophomore year, I was the one that found her at the bar as drunk as a Russian whore swimming in vodka. You know what she told me that night? If it wasn’t for her accidentally meeting you, she wished she had met me first, because I was perfect for her. I was the perfect man her mother would approve of.”
“She thought you were perfect?” I asked with a deep scowl. Hearing him speak so openly about my wife pissed me off even more.
Just then the police came through the front door. Three officers appeared between Gregory and me.
“Just because Juliet didn’t fall for my charms doesn’t mean other women don’t. See, the difference between you and me, Barnes is I’m willing to do anything to get ahead. My cushy job at a prestigious university allows me the freedom to lavish young beautiful brunettes with all the riches this world has to offer. The only thing I ask in return is for them to keep an eye on you.” The police officer escorting Gregory shook his head in disbelief.
They pulled us outside and placed each one in separate cruisers. The bar manager and other patrons gave statements about what transpired. Thirty minutes later we were being issued our Miranda Rights, for disorderly conduct.
I thought about everything Gregory said. Did Juliet have regrets? The ache in my chest prevented me from answering that question with anything other than ‘no’. Even the slightest possibility of it being a maybe was unbearable. Over forty years of loving that woman, and I still felt like I had a lifetime left to share my heart with her.
“Oh, Juliet…” I groaned. “You’re going to be so mad when you come back from the devil’s den.”
I settled into the back of the police cruiser. Out of all the vile things Gregory had been spewing, two words stuck out to me…‘beautiful brunette’.
“That bitch.”
CHAPTER 32
On a quiet Monday night, Sal made his rounds on each floor, double checking the work of the cleaning crew. Since his promotion to supervisor, he realized other staff members were cutting corners at the start of their shift so they could sit and watch TV for the rest of the night. He’d received a few complaints that the trash wasn’t taken out and the bathrooms weren’t cleaned properly. If the work wasn’t getting done correctly, it was a poor reflection on him.
But, tonight, he was appalled to find out the world as he knew it had been turned on its head.
He started on the top floors, checking trash cans and interoffice bathrooms. They always had to make sure the bigwigs and executives offices were kept extremely clean. By starting at the top, he would be alert and less likely to miss something. He did a sweep and headed toward the basement for a clipboard and pencil to take notes of the things the crew had missed.
On his way to the maintenance office, he stopped short. Sal couldn’t believe his eyes.
Rajiv, the skinny Pakistani intern from the IT department, had a woman bent over the desk, pounding into her with every ounce of power he could muster.
Now, Sal wasn’t a man who participated in any nefarious acts such as voyeurism, but he had to take a moment to admire the young man for all the work he was putting in. He surmised that Rajiv was no more than one hundred pounds soaking wet, but the way the woman was wailing her pleasure, twenty of those pounds was located between his legs.
He couldn’t see the woman’s face because she was held down with her head facing away from him. But, from the curve of her bottom, and shapely legs and thighs, he surmised her to be one attractive woman. He had enjoyed a mid-afternoon romp with his sweet wife, so he knew how much fun Rajiv was having. Sal turned away and picked up a stray piece of paper bef
ore heading past the busy couple.
On Sal’s second trip past the door, he saw they had switched positions. Rajiv was now standing with this back toward Sal, and the woman was kneeling before him with his privates in her mouth. She looked like she enjoyed every bit of what she was doing. Flipping her auburn hair to the side, she pushed it out of her face. Sal narrowed his eyes; the woman looked very familiar to him. As soon as the thought passed through his mind, Rajiv grabbed two handfuls of her hair and began pivoting his hips in short rapid movements. With her hair away from her face he instantly recognized her.
It was Jenny Reed from the Human Resources Department.
How could a beautiful woman like that be with a man like Rajiv? Sal didn’t want to downplay Rajiv as a good catch, but there was no denying Jenny could have just about any man she wanted. He saw the looks on the faces of other men when she walked by. Granted, he found her too flirty at times, but she still had a lot to offer.
Why would she settle for an intern? Sal thought.
Shaking his head, Sal walked away wondering why she was in the office at such a late hour. He couldn’t help but laugh in amusement. He would ask his wife if she was willing to keep him company one night at the office.
CHAPTER 33
LASHAWNDA
I was exhausted after spending the entire day seeing my father’s fiftieth birthday party come to fruition, to spending the wee hours of the morning bailing Dr. Barnes out of jail. I told myself I would try to get a few hours of sleep before heading over to my parent’s house to help my mother with Sunday luncheon. A few of Daddy’s high school friends were staying in town the entire weekend. Momma planned a small get together at the house for them and whatever family wanted to stop by.
As I rolled over in my bed, I realized it was almost one o’clock in the afternoon. I didn’t feel like getting up. The space next to me told me Sean had already graced the world with his presence. An aggravated groan slipped through my lips as I thought about having to go to my mother’s aid by two o’clock. On any other day, I would have been the dutiful daughter, up early and ready to leave the house. But, after a night like I had, my mother would be very upset with me.
Snuggling deeper into the blankets, I was falling back into blissful slumber when I felt the bed dip with the weight of someone sitting down. I tried not to sound like a two-year-old when Sean lifted the blankets and crawled under the sheets.
“Wakey wakey…eggs and bakey,” Sean growled from behind me.
“No. I’m tired. Please let me sleep,” I protested.
A bristly beard rubbed me from neck to cheek. I tried squirming out of his reach, but his hold was firm around my waist. I brought my knees up to my chest and attempted to force space between us. My attempts were for naught when I didn’t even get an inch. Changing tactics, I arched my back and tried to curl myself into a ball. He threw his leg over mine and pressed them back into the mattress.
Sweet Jesus he’s strong!
“Sean,” I whined.
“Yeah, baby,” he answered, voice far too loud for my sleep-deprived brain.
If I could get out of his crushing hold, I could get back to sleep. The slight brush of Sean’s semi-erect cock against my backside made the light bulb go off upstairs. If I couldn’t out wrestle him, I would just have to outsmart him.
Arching my back slightly, I pressed my butt into his pelvis and swayed my hips side to side. I held in my giggles when I felt him coming to life underneath my ministrations. Now, to make sure he didn’t catch on to my little scheme, I still attempted to fight against his hold. A few soft moans later, I was victorious in my efforts.
I also found myself planted firmly on my back with Sean deep within me.
“Damn, Shawnie. How did we end up like this?” he asked between slow strokes.
I cracked my eyes open and gazed up at my man. The first thing I noticed was he needed to shave—not that it was a complaint. I loved his five o’clock shadow. The second thing I noticed was his stormy green eyes glazed-over with lust.
I knew he was about to cum. The little signs were written all over his face. Tiny beads of sweat spotted his hairline and upper lip, a slight red color on the apple of his cheeks, and the short breaths he was desperate to catch. My perfect view of his budding climax pushed me toward the same end.
But then something clicked.
“Wait,” I said placing my hands against Sean’s forearms to halt his movement. “Did you just call me Shawnie?” I asked with slight amusement and genuine surprise.
Sean looked down at me; confusion etched on his face, eyes filled with determination. He dropped down and gave me a quick peck on the lips, hiking my legs higher up his muscled torso. That move always meant one thing. Playtime was over, and he was about to go to work. I thrust my hips forward, matching him stroke for stroke. He had no plans on answering me, and I was ready to catch the wave that was building. Conversations about nicknames would wait for later. Perfectly timed strokes and a solid grip of his turgid shaft sent us both over the edge.
“I’ve got to go to my mom’s,” Sean said minutes later as we lay still wrapped in each other’s arms.
“I wish we could stay like this all day,” I sighed, snuggling my back against Sean’s chest.
The cocooned heat underneath the blanket was gradually lulling me back to sleep. Sean’s large hands did nothing to aid in keeping me awake. The pad of his forefinger gingerly caressed me from the middle of my chest, to the outer curve of my breast, down my side, over my hip, and finally rested on my thigh.
There were a few stops back up along the trail he’d created. He went off-road to my belly button and made a slight detour to the plump curve of my rounded bottom. He was always very tactile—something I craved.
“I wish we could too.” A long sigh left Sean’s lips. “Nothing is better than waking up with you, curling up in bed together, and just talking about any and everything.”
“Don’t tell the girls, but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that you’ve officially owned the title of best friend.”
“Been knew that,” he boasted with a gentle pat on my butt. “You’re definitely mine.”
“Can’t we stay home, please?” I begged, voice sounding like a whining five-year-old.
“Not today. But, let’s do it next weekend. It will just be you, me, and F.B. hanging out at home all day. We can cook, find some new places around the house to make love, and cuddle up on the couch and watch movies, and make love in our bed some more.” I moaned when Sean’s hold on me tightened. “It will be like our first weekend together. I’ll even help you organize that photo book of the two of us.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Aren’t you forgetting, we have the end of the year banquet for H&G to go to on Saturday? We can’t miss it. They are going to honor Dr. Barnes for helping give H&G a name in the world of oncology research. Seven R01 grants in the same year is unprecedented,” I reminded him.
I’d much rather stay home and get lost between the worlds of fantasy and dreams with Sean than a boring function with a bunch of people I had to see five days a week. But I’d assisted Mallory with planning the event, and I wanted to be there to see it all come together.
“Well, we’ll have a lazy day on Sunday.” Sean nibbled on my neck.
“I’ll have you all to myself.” I turned in his arms, hand coming to his prickly cheeks.
“Every inch of me.”
“That’s a lot of inches,” I murmured against his chin.
“Don’t worry I’ll make sure you’re well satisfied. I plan to enjoy all of you as well. Now, let’s stop this before my mother kicks my ass for being late.”
A sound of acknowledgment was my only reply. Sean pressed a hard kiss to my mouth and hopped out of bed. Something was going on with him and his mother. I didn’t want to be nosy and knew if Sean wanted me to know he would have told me. A few minutes later, I heard him moving around in the bathroom. The shower turned on, and then, nothing.
Col
d air hit me out of nowhere. I jumped up to see Sean standing at the edge of the bed with the comforter balled up in his hand.
“Ugh! Sean Tyler Colcord, I’m going to kick your tight tooshie for messing with me so early in the morning,” I screeched in frustration.
Sean’s heavy baritone laughter resounded through the room. He dropped the ball of material he had taken from the bed and made his way around to sit next to me. The towel made it from around his waist to wipe the water dripping from his freshly washed hair. As pissed off as I was, I couldn’t help but to appreciate how sexy my man was.
I loved that laughter and joy was such a big part of our relationship. Of late, we had been playing little jokes on each other. The most recent one occurred when I warned him about constantly eating food off my plate. Sean thought nothing of it until I put salt on my fruit one morning during breakfast, knowing he would finish his and go after mine. I took small bites of bacon and watched as he dug into my fruit. Sean spat and coughed as the salty taste assaulted his taste buds. He couldn’t be too upset as he watched me dance around the kitchen laughing. I already warned him. However, my prank wasn’t enough to stop him from eating my food. It just made him a bit more cautious about the first bite.
“Aww, sleepy head.” He kissed my cheek. “You mad at me?”
“I have no idea how you have this much energy after everything we went through yesterday and this morning,” I grumbled without opening my eyes.
“Because I woke up next to the most beautiful woman in the world,” Sean replied, plastering my face and neck with kisses. “Why are you so tired? You pregnant?”
“Oh, you wish.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Fuck yeah, I do,” his enthusiastic reply made me roll my eyes even harder.
“That’s why you always ‘forget’ to put a condom on.”
Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 39