Chapter Two
TAYLOR*
Connor turned to leave, and I couldn't help but stare at his fine ass. I would have my way with him if it weren't for the fact that he is just like Aaron. I'm pretty sure he's never been in an actual relationship before, not even in high school. Connor and Wade always have and will forever be Playboy's.
I was a grade below them in high school, but we all lived on the same block, and we all grew up and played together up until they became freshmen and figured out hanging out with the preacher's daughter wasn't good for their ego.
I somehow ended up being the most popular girl in school, to be honest, and always hoped that either Connor or Wade's attention would be drawn to me. Until they became Seniors and slept with half the girls in school; then the thought of being with either one of them made me sick. Connor and Wade may be nice to look at, but that's all either of them would be to me.
Connor turned around suddenly and caught me checking out his ass, and in return, I caught sight of his raging hard-on through his pants. My body heat skyrocketed, and all I could do was avert my gaze back to my work. Please leave, don't come over here,' I chanted in my mind. I could feel Connor starring at me, and I would not give him the satisfaction of looking back up at him. Man, I should have worn panties today, but I didn't want the lines showing through my pants, so now my pants were getting wet.
I got up to go to the bathroom, and Connor was still standing there in the doorway. 'This is not happening. Please leave, please leave,' I thought as I made my way to the door. Connor didn't move but allowed me to go around him and watched me as I made my way to the bathroom.
What in the world just happened? I stared at myself in the mirror for a moment and did my best to catch my breath, then walked over, grabbed some toilet paper, and cleaned myself. I washed my hands, and as I washed my hands, it dawned on me that when Connor walked in, he had seen me getting jiggy with it as I sang. Of course, that action would turn a man on; I'm so mortified.
I opened the door and looked down the hall, and saw that Connor had left. Or I was hoping he had left; Aaron and I haven't had sex in months. Pretty much since the last time he came home drunk telling me he had had a three-way with two very hot women and one had let him cum in her ass.
If Connor touched me in any way right now, I don't think I would be able to stop myself from doing something stupid. I slowly made my way back to my office, turned to glance around to make sure I was alone, and then ran smack dab into a wall. I would have fallen, but I felt two arms grab my shoulders to keep me upright. I tilted my chin to look up into Connor's baby blue eyes and melted.
"I'm sorry, did you have something else for me, something else you needed me to order or," I fumbled for my words as I turned and backed away from Connor. Why is he still here shit?
"I had to grab something from my office. Sorry, I scared you again. Are you ok," Connor asked as he bent down to pick up his helmet that had fallen to the floor. I could see his hooded gaze as it trailed up my body until it reached my eyes again.
I cleared my throat before replying because it had grown dry, and I feared it would come out raspy. "I'm fine, thank you, see you tomorrow Connor,"
I watched as he turned and walked out of the door and heard the click as he locked the door. "Get your shit together; girl Connor is a hell no. That's all you need," I grumbled to myself as I sat down in my chair. How was I going to get any work done today?
***
"Taylor, I need for you to pick up Mark from school today, I got held up, and I can't make it," Aaron said into the phone. I knew I shouldn't have answered it; dang it.
"Aaron, I'm behind. I can't leave; I need you to pick Mark up," I said and tried to keep my tone as nice as I could, considering how annoyed I was.
"Figure it out, Taylor. My job is more important," Aaron said and ended the call before I could argue the matter any further.
Aaron called me thirty minutes before Mark was due to be picked up, so I scrambled around frantically, trying to finish up what I had been working on at the time.
***
"Mark, please be quiet and let momma finish this up real fast. If you're good, I'll get you ice cream," I said before picking up the phone.
I handed Mark his tablet as I dialed the number and called the bricking contractor to confirm they would be out in a week to brick a house.
Thank goodness my parents would have Mark tonight so that I could have my girl's night out with the girls. I haven't been out in a few months, and a couple of Margaritas are needed after the crazy day I've had.
I stopped by the house to pack a bag for Mark, and Aaron came home just as we were about to leave.
"Where are you two going?" Aaron asked as Mark, and I made our way to the door.
"Remember I told you I was going out tonight? I'm taking Mark to my parent's house, and then I'll be coming back here to get ready," I said as I tried to hurry Mark along.
"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea. You're thirty years old, married, and you're a mother. I don't like the idea of you going out and getting drunk with your friends while I sit here alone in our house," Aaron said as he grabbed Mark's bag and put it on the floor. The one night he decides to come home, and it's the one night I finally have a chance to let loose and unwind.
"I'm going out; I've been looking forward to this for weeks. Also we are engaged not married, I'm hanging out with friends not hooking up with someone. All of my friends are married with kids and you know that. I'll be back in a little while," I said as I grabbed the bag and ushered Mark out of the door.
***
"Mom, can I use your makeup so I can get ready and leave from here. Aaron decided to make an appearance tonight and isn't happy about me going out," I asked as my dad took Mark to the backyard to play catch.
"Sure, honey, do you mind if we chat a bit while you are getting ready?"
"Yes, that would be nice, I need to vent, so I don't do it later when I'm supposed to be not thinking about crap that's going on in my life," I said, and my mom and I made our way to her bathroom.
"I don't understand why you keep letting Aaron back into your life, honey. You deserve so much better, I know he's Mark's father, but he has never been good to you. He's a great father, but past that, he's scum," my mom said as I put on some foundation.
"I love him, mom; I've spent ten years of my life with him. I'm thirty years old, and I have Mark. I don't want to be alone, and besides, no man will want me because I'm damaged goods. They'll find out I have a kid and run for the hills. Add the fact that Aaron is Mayor and a cop onto all of that. No man will touch me. I don't want to be alone, mom; it's that simple. It wouldn't be so bad if he could learn to be faithful," I said as I began to put on my eye shadow.
"You only think that because that's what Aaron forces into your mind daily. Men would throw themselves at you if they had the chance, and he knows that. You're a beautiful young lady inside and out. You have so much to offer, and any man would be lucky to have you. Get away from that asshole and start living your life, honey,"
Yes, that came from my mom, a preacher's wife. She's my best friend; we talk about everything. I would be lost if anything ever happened to her.
"Ok, mom, if he cheats on me again, that'll be it, I promise. But he's changed since the last time we broke up. I seriously think he has changed, and even the way he treats me has changed. He has stopped drinking; he helps me out with Mark more than he ever has before. It's going to work out, you'll see," I said as I completed applying my makeup by applying some lipgloss.
"Does he know where you'll be tonight?" My mom asked, and I smiled.
"Nope, and I'm taking an Uber, which I need to put in for real fast. Can you help me pick out something cute to wear real fast? I'm not going to hook up with anyone, but I still want to look nice," I said as mom and I made our way to my old room.
***
I walked into the bar that was hosting ladies' night and sighed with relief. I haven't been out in ages, or it feels that way anyway. I knew I was going to need to take things slow since I had work in the morning, and if Connor was going to be there, it meant all of the other Cunningham men were most likely going to be there as well. Just a couple of margaritas, and I would be golden. I looked around and finally found Kallie, Kirsten, and Sasha at a table towards the middle of the bar. The bar was packed with men looking to snag a woman for the night. I did my best not to make eye contact with any of them as I made my way to the table.
"You're finally here. We've been waiting forever," Kallie screamed as I walked up to the table.
"You look, hot girl, let me see your rock; I haven't seen you since you told me you got engaged," Kirsten yelled over the music, and they all got up to hug me and examine the enormous 2ct. diamond ring Aaron had gotten me. I mean, the thing is beautiful, but it's massive. His way of letting men know not to touch me.
"Oh my God, what in the world? That thing must have cost a fortune. Has he been treating you right? I mean, I'm guessing things are going well between you and Aaron now. Or do I need to whoop his ass again," Sasha said, and we all laughed.
"I wouldn't be here otherwise, now would I," I said as we sat down, and a waitress came by to take our drink orders. We all ordered burgers and chips and casso. I barely made it in time before the kitchen closed, thank goodness, because I skipped lunch, and I was starved.
I looked at my happily married friends, and hope crept into my chest. Kirsten was the first of all of us to get married, and she has been married now for eight years and has two children. Sasha was next, and she has a son Mark's age, she has been married for six years. Kallie has been married for three years now, but she and her husband haven't had any children yet. Surely Aaron and I were going to weather the storm and come out unscathed, right. Shit, I hope so. Otherwise, I've wasted ten years of my life, and the only good thing that came out of it was Mark.
We all dived into our food, caught up on the ongoings of our lives from the last five months, and drank our margaritas. The waitress came around and placed a fresh batch of chips and casso in front of us and retrieved all of our plates, and told us she would be back with more margaritas. She would be getting a hefty tip from us tonight; we didn't even have to ask her for anything.
"Hey, I'll be right back, nature calls; keep an eye on my drink. Please, I don't want to get drugged tonight," we all laughed, and I took off towards the bathroom.
As I was trying to make my way through the tables, I felt as if I was being watched. I looked back to my table, and sure enough, Kirsten was watching me to make sure I got to the bathroom ok. Still, I felt like someone else was watching me. I shrugged my shoulders and walked on.
When I came out of the bathroom, Connor was standing there with a beer in his hand, and he looked outright gorgeous.
"It was you wasn't it, that was watching me?" I asked, and he smiled.
"Wade and I are right over there, not far from where you passed. I saw you, but you didn't see me, I guess. I didn't want to be rude, so I thought I'd come up and say hi. I'll leave you to your girls' night; see you tomorrow Taylor," Connor said and walked back over to Wade. Wade grinned at me, and I waved at him before going back to my table.
"Why was Connor Cunningham all up in your grill just now? He knows you are practically married, right?" Sasha asked and glared over at Connor and Wade, who were busy chatting it up with two blonde bimbos.
"We had an awkward moment at the office today. He just wanted to say hi, which was also somewhat uncomfortable, but it's nothing to worry about," everyone nodded, and we went back to our conversations.
A little while later, I looked up to see Connor and Wade walking out of the door with the two blonde chicks they were talking to earlier. I couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy towards those girls. I was most likely going to go home to an empty house.
Writer's Note
I hope you all are having a fantastic dayπThank you for reading, please feel free to give this chapter ππLive Laugh Love! Sapphirian J.β€
