by C. C. Coburn
Were they as good as, or better than, a man?
She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling wondering what it would be like to share your bed with a vibrator instead of a man. Definitely a heck of a lot more fulfilling than sharing it with JJ. But considerably less fulfilling than sharing it with Gabe Hunter.
What would it feel like to be wrapped in his arms, nothing between them except bare skin and pubic hair? A warm flush of anticipation infused her body. Her nipples hardened into pebbles when she imagined Gabe naked. He was tall and broad and nicely muscled—not too much, not like someone who spent their days in the gym—but toned by hard physical work. In her fantasy, his chest was liberally coated with dark hair that dipped downwards to his sex, tumescent with desire for her.
“Ohh,” she moaned softly and felt the moist warmth pooling between her thighs. His male parts were generously in proportion with the rest of him. She moaned at the thought of touching and tasting him there. No vibrator could measure up to that.
The phone rang. Her heart went pit–a–pat. Maybe it was Gabe suggesting he come round for some sex after all? She reached for the phone and answered it in what she hoped was a seductive whisper: “Hello?”
There was silence at the other end of the line. She repeated her reply.
“Beth? Is that you?” JJ’s voice demanded harshly.
Her nipples went soft, her juices dried up, her spirits sank. “What do you want, JJ?”
“Are you ill?” he asked. “Your voice sounds husky.”
“What do you want, JJ?” she repeated, her tone filled with as much warmth as a dead fish.
“Can you come and get the kids?”
So much for compassion. He thought she sounded sick and yet he still wanted her to get the kids…
“The kids!” she squeaked and sat up straight. “What’s the matter? Is one of them hurt?”
“Calm down,” he snapped. “Why do you always have to overreact?”
Beth tamped down on the desire to send the phone over to visit with the alarm. “I’m not overreacting,” she said with as much control as she could, given that her head had started pounding and she wasn’t feeling so well, after all. Damn that cheap wine! “I think it’s a perfectly normal reaction to have when my ex–husband calls on his custody weekend to tell me to come and get my kids. Why do I have to come and collect them?”
JJ’s voice changed from demanding to wheedling. “Suzie needs some time off, so she’s booked a surprise weekend away in Vegas for the two of us.”
“That’s nice,” she purred, thinking the further those two were away from her, the better. “When are you leaving?”
“In thirty minutes.”
“What?” she yelled and leapt off the bed. “You mean this weekend? This is your one–weekend–a–month–with–the–kids–deal, remember? You can take them with you.”
JJ cleared his throat and Beth detected nervousness there. “That won’t be convenient.”
“Well, that’s just too bad. I’ve made my own plans for this weekend.” Although Beth wasn’t too sure what those plans involved apart from some extensive and no doubt titillating surfing of the internet. She sure didn’t want one of the kids catching her researching vibrator performance. “Suzie can change the booking to next weekend. Or go on her own if she’s that desperate to get away.”
“I… can’t do that.”
“Why ever not?”
“Because she’s… threatened to leave me if I don’t go this weekend.”
Beth felt the urge to crow in triumph, except her kids were the piggies in the middle in all this. She expelled a breath of frustration. This was so typical of JJ. His needs came first, last and always and his children’s came way down the list after The Bimbo, his battle–axe of a mother and his job.
“You can drop them off here on your way to the airport then.”
“Ah… I can’t do that. You’re in the wrong direction. We could miss our flight coming all the way across town and then having to go back to the airport. They’ll be waiting for you in the playground. I can’t risk leaving them inside. Suzie’s afraid they might break something.”
“You will not leave my children unattended in some nasty apartment block’s playground!” she bellowed.
“It’s an upmarket condo complex. They’ll be perfectly safe,” he pointed out. “And if you leave now, they won’t be there for long. I’ve gotta go, Suzie’s calling me.” He hung up.
Beth stared at the phone, while her temper boiled within her. She was going to get sole custody of her kids if it killed her—or better still, killed JJ!
The doorbell chimed but she barely noticed it in her fog of seething anger. “You lousy bastard!” she shrieked and picked up the phone and threw it at the wall. It landed on top of the alarm clock.
The doorbell chimed again. Her temper seethed further. Probably some group selling door–to–door religion. Well, they’d picked the wrong day to darken her doorstep! And now they were hammering on it! Good grief! Didn’t these people ever get the hint? Her head was almost splitting apart with the noise. Just as well she’d slept in her clothes, it would save time on dressing. She pulled on her boots, stuck her keys in her pocket, raced downstairs and tore open the door. “Can’t you people leave me alo… Oh! It’s you,” she said.
“Are you okay?” Gabe asked. “I heard yelling and banging.”
“That was just my ex.”
“He’s here?” Gabe peered up the stairs.
“No. He’s at his condo. That’s just how we usually conduct phone calls,” she explained.
If Gabe was alarmed by that revelation, he did a good job of hiding it. “Great,” he said. “Then we can have breakfast together.” He held up the package in his hand. “I’ve brought Danish, if you can supply the coffee?”
She sighed and looked heavenward. “Why do you hate me so much?” she implored.
Gabe frowned. “I thought you said JJ wasn’t here?”
“He isn’t.” She glanced back at Gabe. “I’m talking to the Man Upstairs.” She pointed heavenward. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go and collect the kids. Otherwise they’ll be left alone in the condo playground.”
“Excuse me?”
She sighed again. “It’s a long story and I haven’t time to explain.” She stepped out the door and indicated he should go inside. “I’m really sorry. I’ll have to take a rain check on the Danish, but help yourself to coffee. You know where the kitchen is.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
Beth held a hand to her aching head. “Um, it’s probably better if you don’t hear what I have to say to JJ if I get there before he leaves. It might leave you with an even worse impression of me than you have already.” She offered a tiny smile, turned and ran to her Lexus SUV parked in the driveway.
Gabe watched as she backed it out and tore off down the street. Should he take her up on her offer of coffee and leave before she got home? Forget the coffee and leave now? Stay and meet the kids?
It took him all of two seconds to make up his mind. He closed the front door and headed for the kitchen.
Beth could see JJ’s car about to pull out of its parking space just ahead of her. She pressed the accelerator and shot down the street to cut him off. There was a squeal of brakes from both cars as they came to a standstill.
JJ leapt out of his car. “What the fu—”
“Don’t you dare cuss in front of my children!” Beth hissed as she jumped out of her vehicle then stuck her head in the driver’s side window of JJ’s. “Hello, Suzie,” she purred. “Lovely to see you.”
Suzie responded with a grimace and glanced at her watch.
“My, my,” Beth remarked to the other woman, “Are you losing even more weight?”
Suzie’s face brightened. “Why yes,” she said, preening with pleasure.
“That’s wonderful,” Beth responded. “In no time at all you’ll be able to slide right through those bars on your crib, won’t you
?”
Beth waited for the long seconds it took Suzie’s brain to register the insult, almost regretting how cruel she was being to a dumb animal.
“That’s completely unwarranted,” JJ growled behind her. “Suzie doesn’t deserve the brunt of your twisted wit.”
Beth spun round to him. “At least I’ve got some wit,” she spat back.
“Mommy!” her son, Ben, cried as he came running towards her and threw himself at her.
Beth caught him and held him close and then the rest of her children clustered around her for a group hug.
“D… d… d… daddy, was going to leave us here all alone,” Molly sobbed.
Beth bent down and wiped at her daughter’s face with a crumpled tissue she’d fished out from the pocket of her jeans. “There, there, sweetie,” she cooed, “Mommy’s here now.” She kissed Molly then glanced up at her eldest son, Jack. He wore a troubled frown. She rubbed his arm comfortingly. “It’s okay, honey. Get your backpacks and hop in the car.”
“Can you move it out of the way first?” JJ demanded. “You’re blocking us in. We’ll miss our flight.”
Beth ignored him and asked Mikey. “Where’s Applebee, honey?”
At that moment an enormous golden retriever bounded up and jumped up on Beth, his paws covered with mud. “Hello, you big, silly brute,” Beth greeted him and ruffled his ears.
“This is all very touching, Beth,” JJ growled. “But I want you to move your car. Now!”
Jack returned from the playground area and tossed their backpacks into the back of the SUV.
“You’re not getting into my car with feet like that, Applebee,” she gently chided the dog. “Kids, would you mind taking him over to the hosepipe and washing the mud off his paws, please?”
The four children and their dog ran off to clean up. “Take your time!” she called out.
“Can’t you move your car while they’re washing him?” JJ bleated.
Beth watched her children a moment longer and then seemed to notice JJ hopping from foot to foot. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?” she inquired innocently.
“Move your damn car!” he bellowed.
“Move yours,” she sniffed and brushed off what she could of the mud.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a car parked behind me.”
Beth made a performance of checking over JJ’s shoulder for the other offending vehicle. “Well, so there is!” she exclaimed.
“We could miss our flight, all because of you!”
Beth decided she must have been certifiable to marry this selfish, self–absorbed prig of a man. She placed her hands on her hips to stop herself from putting them round his neck. “Oh, so this is all my fault now, is it? You should’ve realized by now, JJ, that the guilt–trip thing no longer works. I’m so over you and the way you always try to lay the blame on me for everything that goes wrong in your life.”
“If you’d paid me more attention while we were married, then I wouldn’t have had to seek comfort elsewhere,” he ground out.
Beth held her right hand up in front of JJ’s face and rubbed her thumb and middle finger together.
JJ was nearly apoplectic with rage, Beth was pleased to notice. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded of her gesture.
“See this, JJ?” she held her hand even closer to his nose. “It’s the world’s smallest violin.” She pulled a sad face. “And it’s playing just for you,” she finished in a singsong voice.
JJ’s face turned an even brighter red than before. “You bitch!” he yelled. “That’s not funny.”
“Yeah, well, you never did have much of a sense of humor. Personally, I think it’s hilarious. And so very apt for a spoilt mommy’s–boy–drama–queen like you.”
Beth was relishing venting her spleen on JJ. Not only was she enjoying taking digs at him, she was also letting off steam about his battle–axe of a mother who had so indulged him that he’d grown up to be the irresponsible cry–baby he was. She checked to make sure the kids were still out of earshot.
Beth regretted that JJ had been her first real boyfriend and had swept her off her feet and up the aisle so fast with his smarmy charm that she’d had no idea of his real personality defects until long after they’d said their I do’s.
“Grow up, JJ. You’re turning forty next month, not four.”
“That isn’t funny either,” he growled.
“No, it’s not very funny, is it? It isn’t funny at all that you’re such an irresponsible jerk you’d offload your children on your access weekend in order to go on a dirty vacation with your teenage girlfriend.”
“She’s not a teenager, and what you’re suggesting is beneath even you,” he growled.
“How would you know what’s beneath me?” Beth said in the sweetest voice she could muster, considering what she really wanted to do was strangle him. “I’d intended spending a peaceful weekend browsing for vibrators. But I won’t be able to do that with the kids in tow now, will I?”
JJ spluttered. Suzie tittered. Beth watched The Bimbo’s $10,000 breast implants bob up and down.
“You’re… you’re… disgusting! ” JJ finally exploded. “Only someone who’s totally depraved would even think about such a thing!”
Beth shrugged. She was darned sure Suzie had more than a passing acquaintance with one. With JJ for a lover, she’d definitely be in need of it. A lot.
“If you say so. After all, you’re always so convinced of your righteousness.” She glanced up at the children as they came back to the car. “All clean?” she asked.
They nodded in unison and Applebee leapt into the back of her SUV. The children opened the rear doors and started to climb in. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your father?” she asked.
JJ glanced at his watch. “They’ve already said goodbye,” he said impatiently. “Now, move!”
On hearing their father’s tone of voice, the children scrambled to slam the doors and fasten their seat belts.
Beth smiled triumphantly. “Yes, that’s right, JJ. They’ve already said goodbye, ” she said with a note of finality and got into her car. She slammed the door, locked it and took her time fastening her own seatbelt. Then she checked her non–existent lipstick in the mirror, pondered whether her eyebrows could do with a visit to the waxing studio and added aspirin to her mental shopping list, as the sound of JJ’s horn blasting a foot from her ear sent her headache into overdrive. She then took several turns at getting her car out of the awkward spot she’d parked it in. She backed it up and forward some more, just for good measure, then with a toot and a carefree wave she headed for home.
Beth’s morning from hell took a turn for the better when she found Gabe Hunter sitting at her kitchen table, reading the newspaper and sipping coffee, looking as though he’d belonged there all his life.
He stood as she entered the room. “Hi there. I hope you don’t mind I stayed?”
The children piled in behind her, their eyes as big as saucers at the presence of this stranger in their kitchen. Beth cursed herself for not mentioning Gabe, but she hadn’t seen any reason to. She’d figured that as soon as he’d heard she was fetching her kids home, he’d be riding off into the sunset as fast as his horse could carry him.
She tried to wipe the smile of pleasure off her face and failed. “Well, hi yourself,” she said.
“Mommy, there’s a man in our kitchen,” Jack observed unnecessarily.
“Are you a burgulerer?” Molly inquired.
“Ah, kids, this is Mr. Hunter,” Beth told them and then seeing the looks her twins, Ben and Mikey, were exchanging, thought that she’d better explain things so they didn’t think he’d spent the night. Which would be perfectly logical reasoning on their part, considering how at home Gabe was looking and the comforting smells of frying bacon and pancakes that were filling the room. “He’s Tilly’s cousin,” she said and left it at that. She crossed the room to scratch around in the kitchen drawer for some aspirin.
&nbs
p; Gabe held out his hand to Jack. “Call me Gabe, everyone else does.” Man and boy sized each other up as they shook hands.
Molly giggled. “That’s a funny name,” she said, then hid behind her mother in case the stranger didn’t like her saying that.
Gabe smiled and hunkered down to her height. “You must be Molly,” he said and was rewarded with a shy smile.
“Yeth,” she lisped and dimpled prettily. Molly was going to be a man–killer, Beth was convinced of it.
“And that’s Ben and Mikey.” She introduced the last of her children around a mouthful of aspirin, washed it down with a full glass of water then leaned against the kitchen counter top, waiting for it to take effect.
Applebee swaggered into the kitchen, sniffed at Gabe and, seemingly satisfied that he wasn’t about to take off with the family silver, flopped down in front of the refrigerator. “And that’s Applebee and he’s going to have a bath today,” she said.
On hearing the word bath, Applebee lumbered to his feet and wandered back outside.
“What’s with the sulking?” Gabe asked. “I thought all Retrievers loved water?”
“He only likes dirty water. And mud,” Beth explained and moved towards the cooktop. “This smells good.”
“Since it’s early, I figured the kids mightn’t have eaten yet.”
The children had complained all the way home about their empty stomachs and had tried to nag Beth into stopping by a fast–food drive–thru for their breakfast. She was glad now that she hadn’t succumbed to their pleas, figuring her need to get home and swallow painkillers was far greater than their need to eat right that very second.
“Thank you,” she said and helped Gabe dish up the children’s breakfast. “I hope you didn’t eat all the Danish yourself. I’m feeling peckish now.”
Gabe held out the remaining chair for her at the table and said, “Take a seat and I’ll warm one for you.”