Blaze* Third Time's A Charm

BLAZE*

"Alright guys, time for lunch," I called out to my cousins. "It's one in the afternoon, and I worked breakfast off hours ago. I'm starving my ass off over here." I placed the small boulder down into its ultimate resting place and turned to my cousin Tanner, who was doing the same.

"Same here, man," Tanner said with a grunt as he stood and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It's early spring and still pretty cool, but with the work we do and how we look now, you would think it was a hundred degrees outside, but we love it.

Over the last year and a half, my cousins Tanner, Wade, Conner, Jace, and I have pulled together to start our construction and landscaping company. Receiving our degree was a pain. It just seemed like it would never end because we also had to throw some business courses in, which was the hard part of it all. The rest wasn't all that bad.

Jace has two years left of school, but we brought him in as our architect. He draws up unique building designs, and people tend to drool over them.

My cousins and I have built fifteen homes so far, and we were about to finish the landscaping for this last one. So for us just starting, business has been impressive. It helped that our dads all owned a family law firm in town. My cousins and I were supposed to follow our dads and become lawyers, but we chose a different path. My parents' house had been our first build, and the housewarming party they had thrown put our name out there.

My cousins and I are all hoping to go on to more significant projects at some point: building businesses, parks, hospitals, you name it. As for now, building homes for growing families was excellent. Just seeing the looks on the family's faces when they saw the outcome was pure bliss.

I can't wait until the time comes to establish making a family of my own.

However, with my track record, I'm wondering if the right one would ever come along. I'm only twenty-five, I've got time, but I've already gotten my heart stomped on by two women. Both were long lasting relationships that ended in chaos. I hope to have children before I hit thirty.

"Conner, Wade, come on, let's take a lunch break," I called out as Tanner, and I made our way to the exit leading to the front of the house where our trucks were. Time tends to speed by, and before you realize it, your life has passed you by. There never seems to be enough time in the day when there is so much to accomplish.

Conner and Wade showed up through the fence a few minutes later. Thank goodness for their distinctive hairstyles, or you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. They are identical twins. Growing up with them was a riot. My Aunt Clair would always dress them and get them similar haircuts. As they grew older, they persuaded her to let them be because they have such different personalities.

"You guys want to pile in my truck, and all go together?" I questioned as I walked around to the driver's side.

"Sure," they all spouted out in unison as they all climbed in. I started the truck and took off down the road. The residence that we're working on is a beautiful ranch house out in the country, so we have a fifteen-minute drive to get into town.

"How's Jessa doing, man?" Wade asked me from the back seat. I grimaced and put my hand through my sweaty hair.

"Well, I think I'm going to break it off with her. You know, we've been together for about a year, but we have nothing in common. I mean, the woman barely eats. Which annoys the hell out of me, man." I said.

"Well, on the plus side, Jessa hasn't cheated on you as Tori and Candice did," Tanner said from beside me, nodding his head as to prove a point.

I gawked out the window as I remembered the other two women who had taken my heart and ripped it from my chest. Tori was my first kiss, my first lay, well, my first of many things. We had been together through our senior year in high school and had gone to the same college the following year. We spent the Summer together, and when our second year of college started that next year, Tori seemed to pull away a bit.

Tori informed me once she thought we needed a break. She wanted a chance to experience college life a as being single. I persuaded her to remain with me but experience life; she did anyhow, with one of the new professors. Anyway, a video and pictures emerged. The professor had gotten fired, and Tori had dropped out.

People kept telling me they were sorry, like they could do anything. The looks I had received from individuals in the hallways were horrendous. It was like that for a couple of months. From what I've discovered, Tori is unmarried and pregnant. Karma can be a jerk sometimes.

It had taken me a while to recover after losing Tori, and later in walked Candice. We were together for three years, THREE YEARS. I purchased an engagement ring, proposed, and she responded no and thus revealed to having a liaison with someone else over the past year.

What Tori had done was a substantial sucker punch to my nuts, but it was nothing compared to what Candice had accomplished. I loved her. I craved to devote the rest of my existence to her. I'm not a big ole ball baby, but after observing my parents and all of my aunt and uncle's marriages and how perfect they were, I hungered for the same, someone to grow old with and dote on for the rest of my life. Fate has not been on my side.

***

My cousins and I had wrapped up with our landscaping project, and I was on my way home. Jessa should be there, even though I'm arriving home sooner than I determined I would be. Getting home early is convenient because, after my lunch conversation with the guys, I've decided to end this relationship with Jessa. I have decided it was the proper thing to do. This relationship between Jessa and me wasn't working out, and it was not healthy for either of us. It would be nice to have one last romp in the sheets, though. Doubtful she'll agree with me, though. We shall see.

I parked my pickup in the garage, turned off the pickup, and inhaled a few heavy breaths.

'Ending this relationship is the appropriate action; pull it together. Just go in there and split up with Jessa,' I thought to myself.

I descended from my truck and approached my kitchen door, but I paused for a moment before twisting the doorknob. Jessa's car was in the driveway, so I knew she was inside, but I was very apprehensive. What if she freaks out? She is a bit of a drama queen. I twist the nob and what I discover next was alarming. I heard Jessa's moans of pleasure coming from my bedroom, which was just to the right of the entrance.

I suppose she's horny and touching herself and getting wet for me. How did she know I was on my way home already?

"Oh yes, right there so perfect Mmm mm, harder, faster, she screamed. Suddenly I heard a hand slap to her flesh.

"Oh yes, baby, take my cock; you like my fat cock in your pussy, don't you?" a man grunted out.

The door was open a crack, and what I saw next made me want to hurl. Jesse was in my bed with another man. I couldn't believe this was happening.

One of my father's long-standing clients was balls deep, slamming and pounding into Jessa. This man is married with five children. She knows this as well because she's my father's secretary; and not only is he married with five children, but he's also in his mid-fifties. There are at least thirty years between them.

I happened to glance right then at the time that he growled out and stilled himself for a moment.

I burst through the door; the door slammed into the wall behind it, "Get the hell out of my house now," I yelled.

They scrambled around, looking for their clothes. The man left most of his clothes and hurried past me out of the door. I ripped the comforter and sheets from the bed.

"Blaze I..." Jessa trailed off as she cried.

"I said get the hell out, and take this shit with you," I howled and hurled the contents I had shredded from my bed at her. Jessa gathered all the contents I flung at her and ran as quickly as she could out the door.

Yeah, I can't deal with this shit right now. Of all the fucked up bullshit, THIS. I pulled my hair, turned around, got back in my truck, and hauled out of the driveway. I looked over to see Jessa crying in her car. Like I gave a crap. No condom or anything. How fucking stupid could a person be? I slammed my hand on the dashboard.

I've called Tanner, and we're going to meet at the bar that's just a few blocks from my house. After telling him the complete story, he slapped me on the back.

"I'm sorry, dude, that's fucked up. Your luck with women is beyond words. I don't know what to say. Let's have some shots and drown it all out. Blaze man, you've got to consider doing what I do. Just take a girl out on a couple of dates, use her a few times, and then move on to the next. Just kick them to the curb before they turn into a bitch, and get all clingy," Tanner said.

If you haven't guessed, Tanner's heartbroken himself. He doesn't bother with relationships anymore. I grunted and gave him a nod, and gulped down my first shot.

Would you believe that on my way back home, Jessa messaged me to ask me to forgive her? I pulled over to the side and texted her back.

"Nah, don't bother, you two-timing little whore," I texted back.

I didn't receive any message back from Jessa. Why do I keep going through crap like this? Can't a man catch a break?