Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set

by Maddie James

  “Get off of me before I knee you, scream my head off, and sic the police on you.” Cheris dug her nails into his hand when he’d pulled at her shirt.

  Bobby held her fast, his breath hot against her face. “You give me three minutes, Babe, I can have you begging me take you right here.”

  Cheris braced her foot. “It was hard on your mother, I’m sure, not having any children.”

  A sound from across the room caught Bobby’s attention. Cheris pushed him away as hard as she could as Geoff approached them, his eyes glittering angrily.

  “Everything okay here?” Geoff asked Cheris.

  “Yes.” Cheris smoothed her sweaty palms down her shirt and tried to stop her knees from wobbling. “Bobby was just telling me a funny joke so I threw him a Ginger Rogers’ line which of course he didn’t get.”

  Geoff glared at Bobby who glared back.

  “You got a problem, bro?” Bobby tugged at his too low pants and zipped up.

  Geoff held Cheris’ gaze. She took the hand he offered to her. His eyes ran over her, but not as Bobby’s had. Geoff’s gaze was assessing, checking to be sure she was okay. He nudged her away from him and toward the door before dropping her hand.

  Finally he turned to Bobby. “Does my sister know you sleep with other women?”

  “Why don’t you mind your own damn business?”

  Geoff stepped closer to Bobby murmuring something to him Cheris couldn’t hear.

  Oh, no.

  Were they going to fight? She wrung her hands wondering if she should get the security guard she had seen near the entrance.

  “Gentlemen,” she called. “There will be no fighting here. This is the war room.”

  Janie entered the room and walked past where Cheris stood. “What’s going on?” she asked as she watched the two men, their postures stiff with tension. “Geoff?”

  “I’m getting the hell out of here,” Bobby grated and stalked out.

  “Man, I wish I could have one—” Janie’s phone chimed signaling she had a text. She looked at the screen and grimaced. “It’s Judith, the director. She needs me.” Janie appealed to Cheris. “You’re getting lots of video, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great.” She sprinted away. “See you in a few. Geoff? I’ll take Aunt Nancy home, all right?”

  “Sure, Sis.”

  Janie’s brother turned to her searching her face, his own expression troubled. “Cheris, did Bobby…was he—”

  She linked her arm through his and began to walk to the door. “I have spent many a day around men who like to push and shove and shout thinking they make things happen by being aggressive. And I’m not terribly anxious to have another man like that around the place.” She winked at Geoff. “I’m starving. Won’t you take me somewhere and feed me?”

  “Oh, Janie.” Cheris turned to the other woman. “What have I done?”

  “Nothing yet. But you need to fix that. I swear I cannot believe that man is still a virgin and almost thirty years old.”

  “I’ve been so awful to him—accusing him of taking advantage of me and thinking I wasn’t good enough for him. He told me he loved me and I threw it up in his face.”

  Janie stuck out her tongue in disgust. “You threw up in his face?”

  “No.” Cheris smacked her on the arm. “He said it didn’t matter how much he loved me if I was always so ready to believe the worst of him. Then I brought up getting a divorce.” Cheris gasped. “He knew the baby wasn’t his, and he wanted to take it to Disney World.”

  “What baby?”

  “Our potential baby. The one I thought I was pregnant with.”

  “Oh man.” Janie chuckled. “You were a few days late and he was planning to take a baby that didn’t exist to Disney World?”

  “He knew it couldn’t have been his, and he never said anything.”

  “Well, see, that’s his problem. He needs to put his cards on the table. Tell you what happened.” Janie shook her head. “I would tell you to go to the Whirlwind Wedding Website for advice, but you are the Whirlwind Wedding Website.”

  Cheris clapped her hands with inspiration. “Here’s to plain speaking and clear understanding.”

  Janie griped, “Are you quoting old geezer movies again? I hate it when you do that.”

  All starry-eyed, Cheris hugged herself. “Geoff loves it. In fact, I think he loves me, and I’m going to love him right back via the World Wide Web.”

  “This isn’t going to be pornographic, is it?”

  ****

  Geoff and Joel walked down the hall in the Music and Arts building. Joel had asked Geoff to accompany him for a demonstration the older man had made for the observatory.

  “So, when’s the last time you talked to Cheris?”

  “Almost three weeks. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed your advice. She accused me holding back because I think something’s wrong with her.”

  “Did you tell her otherwise?” Joel asked.

  “She didn’t give me the chance.”

  Joel motioned Geoff to enter the classroom as he spoke. “Didn’t give you the chance? How long’s it take to say ‘I love you. I want to make sure you’re ready before we do this.’”

  “It isn’t that easy.”

  “Sure it is. What’s she say when you tell her you love her?”

  “Well.” Geoff leaned on the table and stared at the floor. “I didn’t outright say I loved her.”

  “What’d you say?”

  “I said it didn’t matter how much I loved her if she didn’t think she was worth loving.”

  Joel shook his head. “To be so smart you sure are dumb. Just say ‘I love you’ and let that be it. Then hug her and wait until she returns the sentiment.”

  “I am waiting,” Geoff returned. “She’s got until I move back there. If she hasn’t filed for divorce, I’m going to sweep her off her feet.”

  “And if she does file for divorce? What are you going to do then?”

  “So far I’ve managed to avoid thinking about it.” Geoff rolled his shoulders. “Why don’t you show me what you got?”

  “One more piece of fatherly advice?” Joel clapped his hand on Geoff’s back.

  Geoff nodded.

  “Loving is a process. When she responds, keep being patient. You’ve got the rest of your life to love her.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Good man.” Joel walked over to the computer sitting on the desk but when Geoff followed him, Joel held up his hand to stave him off. “No. You go over there and sit down in one of the desks. I want you to get the full effect.”

  “Not the Smartboard. You know how I hate it.”

  The projector light clicked on illuminating the white screen with its icons across the top.

  “Isn’t Cheris some kind of computer tech person?”

  Geoff chose a chair in the front row and waited. “Ironically, she’s in charge of a wedding and marriage advice website.”

  “Interesting.”

  The Hip Granny Website appeared on the screen, and the mouse moved to Cheris’ wedding site.

  “Joel, haven’t we beaten this dead horse enough today?”

  “Oh, a few more whacks might just be what we need to resurrect it.”

  The mouse moved to a video feed Geoff hadn’t noticed the last time he’d checked the site. Cheris’ face filled the screen.

  Her hair was down around her shoulders, and she wore the same outfit she’d had on the night of the gala.

  Complete with the turquoise spiked heels.

  He loved those shoes.

  She stood on a high columned porch with marbled stairs. It almost looked like…

  Geoff sat up straight.

  “Hi, this is Cheris, and today I wanted to talk about wedding vows. Some people choose to write their own, and some use more traditional versions. You’ll find both kinds on the links labeled ‘Your Vows’ and some informative tips to help you make your decision. When my husband and I said our vows, we chose the anc
ient words from the early Christian tradition.

  With this ring I thee wed.

  With this body, I thee worship.

  With my earthly goods I thee endow.

  What do I like about it? It incorporates the symbol of the ring, takes into account our reverence for each other through our affection, and declares our intention to blend all of our assets as we begin our life together.”

  Geoff stood at her word reverence.

  Was it possible?

  Had she remembered their wedding night?

  Cheris held up her hand in which her wedding band glistened in the outdoor light. “I wear this ring as a reminder to myself, my husband, and the world of those vows that I intend to keep until death do us part.”

  With graceful steps, Cheris approached the front door of Newbie River Institute’s Main hall and opened it.

  She was here.

  She was here, and she had on her wedding ring.

  Inside the foyer of the main hall, she crouched on the area rug next to a…

  A grin split Geoff’s face.

  Oh, I love that woman.

  “Here’s a fun domestic gadget: the robotic vacuum cleaner. My husband was so excited about these little cuties that he asked for one for our wedding shower.”

  The camera followed the metallic disk as it moved across the Persian rug.

  “The beauty of it is it cleans the floor at night while you’re sleeping. It’s reasonably priced and comes with an AC powered charger station. Since no one gave my dear husband one for the shower, I bought it myself to give him.”

  The picture moved from the floor to Cheris.

  “To my husband, I’d like to say, yes, I love you.” She smiled prettily. “And you can clean my floors any time.”

  The picture morphed into the Whirlwind Wedding logo.

  Geoff looked at Joel who still sat behind the computer monitor. The older man nodded sagely.

  “Did you know about this?” Geoff asked.

  “Who do you think worked the camera?”

  “How—”

  The robotic vacuum whirred into the room.

  Cheris.

  Geoff charged to the door reaching it as Cheris stepped onto the threshold. Her fingers clasped in front of her and one foot poised in front of the other, she looked beautiful. Geoff cupped her shoulders and skimmed down her arms until he held her hands.

  Opening his mouth, he managed one syllable. “Hi.”

  She stared in the vicinity of his throat. A glance upward and she lowered her gaze again. “I’m wearing white for you, to help me say how humbly I need your forgiveness.”

  A movie quote. He’d bet his life on it.

  Geoff slid his arms around her, and did his best Bogie.

  “Of all the joints in all the towns of all world you walk into mine.”

  Cheris face tilted, her mouth breaking into a smile. Geoff placed his lips on that smile, sealing all of the unspoken words and healing all of the misunderstandings in the kiss.

  He raised his head and held her against him, breathing in her sweet scent, reveling in her soft frame pressed against his.

  “I’m sorry, Geoff.”

  “You don’t need to apologize. You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

  “I don’t want to get a divorce. Not ever.”

  “Okay.”

  Joel moved into his line of vision. He waved his hands in a hurry up gesture.

  What?

  Joel rolled his eyes and mouthed I love you then pointed at Cheris.

  Oh, right.

  “I love you, Cheris. I haven’t said it before because I didn’t want to—”

  Joel shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. He ran his finger across his neck in a cut throat gesture to desist.

  Oh, yeah.

  I love you, and that’s it.

  Cheris arched her back away from Geoff, a crestfallen expression on her face. “You didn’t want to?”

  “No. I mean, yes, I wanted to love you, but I didn’t want to scare you off. Joel says I should just tell you I love you, hug you, and wait. So, I love you.” He tightened his embrace.

  Joel made a disgusted sound and moved past them. Nudging them from the doorframe, he shut them inside the room.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  “Ummm. For you to return the sentiment.”

  “Oh….Okay.” She stepped away from him and retrieved the robotic cleaner. Tucking it under her arm, she opened the door and clasped his hand. “When’s your next class?”

  They walked into the hallway. “I’m done for the day.”

  “Good.” Cheris pulled him down the corridor. “Let’s go to your house so I can return the sentiment.”

  THE END

  Author’s Note

  I love classic movies and wanted to incorporate some of the more colorful quotations from my favorite movies into a book, hence Cheris’ habit of reverting to movie quotes when she gets nervous. But I wanted to respect copyright so each quote has been tweaked a bit to stay within the law but keep the flavor of the quotation. Except for Gensa’s Genesis which only exists in my mind, the rest of the quotations are close approximations from actual movies.

  I also have a great love for books, especially some of the great works of children’s literature. Each quotation at the beginning of every chapter is in its original form as all of these works are now in public domain.

  I had a lot of fun with all of the quotations as well as writing the original poem which Cheris and Geoff quote to each other in the planetarium. I had another poem in mind, but, again, wanted to be respectful of its copyright protection and was not able to get permission. I called my poem Fair Use because of my frustration at the time with copyrighted works and wanting to use them in the book, but also wanting to respect the work of the author. Respect for the copyright pushed my muse to be even more creative, and I see now that copyright not only protects the artist and their work, but it challenges the rest of us to bring into being something new and fresh. Here is what Fair Use looks like in its poem form.

  Fair Use

  In the black expanse Orion, that great hunter, waits with arm raised,

  Arrow poised and twinkling belt—silent, searching.

  While below I pull my sweater to me thinking soon I’ll see my breath.

  The hunter pays me no mind, so focused is he on his aim.

  Trembling, the crisp leaves beside me hang on for dear life.

  They know the eminent fall and crunch underfoot.

  And I’ll strike a match to them, breezy cinders, and bitter smoke.

  Will rise, rise, rise to that great one who may, at last, stop and look on me.

  And have his turn to gaze and wonder.

  Thank you for reading Double Dog Dare. I hope you enjoyed it. ~Jennifer

  Jennifer Johnson

  I grew up as a flower girl named Francesca in Uruguay, making my first “B” movie at fourteen. I was a sensation locally, but tragically, the world did not appreciate my talents. My lover, Bruno, intent on killing me because of my infidelity, forced me into fleeing to the United States, the land of new beginnings and redemption.

  I have a dream that I am a North American woman from Alabama, USA. I go to Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and later to graduate school in Georgia. My dream continues that I marry a man who teaches math and that we have two children who share with us in our happy existence in the United States, far away from Uruguay and my checkered past.

  In my dream, my name is Jennifer Johnson. It is a common, yet lovely name, which allows me to be free from the clutches of Bruno….

  Oh, wait. Maybe my dream is my life. Yes, it is! I do, however, love to create other worlds to dream in and fall in love with. I wrote my first love story in seventh grade. It was about two teenagers who meet at beach camp. They get stranded on a top bunk of a bed by a wolf. I kept this epic novel in a bright pink notebook and carried it with me everywhere. It disappeared one day and; alas, the young lovers’ story was never r
esolved. If I had finished it, it would have been a happy ending because I’m a big believer in happy endings. And I’m still hoping that pink notebook will show up somewhere.

  P.S. I can’t take credit for Francesca—she’s from an old Kids in the Hall comedy sketch.

  Books by Jennifer Johnson

  The Jinx

  The Clergy Affair

  Holding Out For A Hero

  Rescue Me

  Rescuing Riley

  HARD CANDY KISSES

  Maddie James

  New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and Legend Elementary teacher Patti Jo Baker has tried every trick in the book to land a date for the annual New Year’s Eve Bash at The Lodge. This includes setting up a kissing booth at the Legend Elementary Winter Carnival—a booth which Principal Jim Hamilton promptly shuts down. Because if Patty Jo Baker is passing out kisses, any kind of kisses, he wants to be both first, and last, in line—and he definitely doesn’t want to sample them in front of the student body.

  From Murder on the Mountain

  “Come on, Kate.” Patti Jo Baker stuck her head in Kate’s classroom door. Best friends since attending Legend Elementary, they now both taught there, side by side. Patti Jo taught fourth grade, Kate sixth. “Let’s take a break.”

  “I really want to finish this bulletin board.”

  “Let me help. I’m finished. Want to go out later?”

  She looked at Patti. Why not? She had nothing else to do. It was just that for the past twenty-four hours she’d not been in much of a mood to be social. Of course it had absolutely nothing to do with her frustration with one Tennessee State Trooper or the entire situation that she’d been thrust into the day before. Even though she’d managed to finally diffuse her anger about all that, nagging worry still chipped away at her, and she wasn’t quite sure how she would handle the situation. It never quite left her mind.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go home and finish grading papers. I’ve got a frozen dinner in the freezer.”