Sheltered Love

by Mj Williamz

  “Sorry, lover boi. I need to get going.”

  Boone got up and got dressed quickly.

  “And in the future?” she asked.

  “What? Oh a repeat performance? I’d be a fool to turn down another night like last night.”

  “Well, don’t be a stranger at the bar,” Boone said.

  “I won’t. But don’t worry. Just because I show up won’t mean I’m stalking you.”

  Boone laughed again. She really enjoyed Ancella.

  “Fair enough. Okay, let’s get you to your car.”

  *

  After she dropped Ancella at her car, Boone headed home for more shuteye before work. She woke later, showered, and made it back to the bar by eleven to help with the lunch rush.

  “Hey, lover girl. How was your night?” Christopher asked.

  “It was good. How was yours?”

  “Well, I came down here to watch the game and you weren’t around.”

  “No. I left pretty early.”

  “So I heard.”

  “Some things are more important than football, my man.”

  “Some hot women are, for sure!”

  “So, are we all ready for the rush?” Boone asked.

  “We are. It’s Friday, so that means a lot of our lunch rush will stick around through happy hour.”

  “I love Fridays.”

  “Speaking of Fridays, you got something interesting in the mail today,” Christopher said. He walked over to the pile of mail behind the bar and handed her a postcard.

  “What’s this?” she said, then read it. “Oh, no. No way. I’m not going.”

  “When was the last time you went to a Chamber of Commerce mixer?” Christopher asked.

  “Not long enough ago. Those things are so boring.”

  “Free food, free drink, and a chance to promote the bar. It’s a no-brainer. You have to go.”

  “Remind me again who the boss is here?”

  “Come on, Boone. It’s good to be seen by the movers and shakers.”

  Deep down, Boone knew he was right. She’d go, have a few cocktails, shake a few hands, then make a quick exit. Fortunately, she had a week to mentally prepare for it.

  *

  “Sally left this morning,” Cecilia told Grey when she got to work Friday morning.

  “Shit. Where’d she go?”

  “Home.”

  The word hit Grey like a blow to the gut. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Yet each time it happened, it knocked the wind out of her. She sat at her desk and buried her face in her hands.

  “She didn’t even give us a fair shot,” Grey said. “We really could have helped her.”

  “She sure needed us,” Cecilia said.

  Grey leaned back, absorbing the news.

  She didn’t say what they were both thinking. Sally would be back. Only how bad a shape would she be in the next time they saw her?

  “Any other great news you have for me today?”

  “Martha met with Connie yesterday. You have an appointment with her today to see how it went.”

  “Have you talked to Connie?”

  “Yes. Martha is still resistant.”

  “I’ll have a good session with her,” Grey said.

  “She’s first on your agenda.”

  “Well, then I’d better get to it.”

  She walked down the hall to the room she used for visits with residents. Martha walked in soon after.

  “How did your meeting with Connie go?”

  “I don’t know,” Martha said.

  “You don’t know?”

  “I guess it went well. I’m just still not convinced.”

  “What did you and Connie talk about?”

  “She asked me what I wanted to do. What sort of career I might want.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I laughed. Then cried. I’ll never have a career.”

  “Martha, tell me one of your strengths.”

  “I don’t have any. I used to think I was a good wife, but we all know better now.”

  “We need to get you to stop blaming yourself for what happened. How could that have been your fault?” Grey knew deep down Martha had to know that or she would have stayed with her husband. The thing was getting her to realize she knew that.

  “Name another strength.”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “Let’s try this. What did you want to be when you were a little girl? What was your dream?”

  Martha started sobbing.

  “What is it?”

  “I just wanted to be a wife and mommy. Now I’ll never be a mommy.”

  “You don’t know that,” Grey said.

  “I’m used goods.”

  “You’re an attractive young woman who will someday be ready to start again.”

  “I’m not attractive, and I’m not so young anymore.”

  “How old are you?” Grey asked.

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “You really think that’s too old to start over?”

  “I thought we were talking about me getting a job.”

  “This is. We need to know about your hopes and dreams to help you find a job that will work for you.”

  “I don’t have any hopes or dreams. Why can’t you people understand that?”

  “Okay then, let’s talk about your likes and dislikes. I know you’ve been helping a lot in the kitchen here and helping with childcare. You could pursue either of those fields.”

  “And what do I put on my application?” Martha asked. “Worked with children at the shelter for abused women?”

  “Being here is nothing to be ashamed of. It means you’re smart and strong enough to step out of a dangerous situation so you can improve your life. You’re doing the right thing, Martha. And we can help get you started in either of those fields.”

  Martha stopped crying. She wiped her eyes with the tissues Grey handed her.

  “Maybe that is something I could do.”

  “Excellent. That’s what I like to hear. Promise me you’ll talk to Connie about that at your appointment on Monday.”

  “I promise.”

  “Good. Thank you. Okay, Martha, our time is up for today. My door is always open if you need me, though. Please keep that in mind.”

  Martha nodded and stood to leave. “Thank you, Grey. You and everybody for all you’re doing for me.”

  “You’re more than welcome.”

  Martha left and Grey did her usual meditation. Then she went in search of Cecilia.

  “Anything I need to know about?” Grey asked.

  Cecilia handed her a postcard.

  “What’s this?” Grey read it. “Oh, fantastic. The Chamber of Commerce mixer. That’s great. It’ll be good to spread the word about Serene Pathway. We’ll get more companies interested and maybe find more sponsors and get more donations.”

  “I knew you’d be happy to see that.”

  “I am. Oh, this makes my day.” She entered the event on her phone.

  The office phone rang and Cecelia answered it. “Serene Pathway. How may I help you?”

  Grey saw her stiffen.

  “No, of course. We can help you.” She sat quietly. “Of course your children are welcome.”

  Grey leaned back in her chair. It never ended.

  “How many children do you have? Yes, we have room. Where are you now?” She scribbled an address down. “I can be there in ten minutes. Just stay put and you can follow me here.”

  “What’s going on?” Grey asked when Cecilia hung up.

  “I have to go get her. Mom with two kids.”

  “What happened?”

  “She didn’t want to talk in front of the kids.”

  “Okay. I’ll go let Tonya know she may have two new kids to counsel. I’ll talk to the woman as soon as you guys get back.”

  “I’ll be back.”

  Grey wandered down the hall to Tonya’s office. Tonya was a licensed child t
herapist. Fortunately, her services in that capacity weren’t needed too often.

  “Knock, knock,” Grey said.

  Tonya looked up from her paperwork.

  “Come on in. What’s going on?”

  “We’ve got a new woman coming in. Cecilia went to pick her up. She’s got two kids with her. She wouldn’t say anything over the phone in front of them. So we don’t know what they’ve seen. It may have been pretty gruesome. Or it may be nothing. We’ll let you know when we know something.”

  “I’ll check my schedule and rearrange it to see them if you deem that necessary.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  Cecilia arrived moments later with a petite woman with long dark hair and scared brown eyes.

  “I’m Grey.” She held out her hand.

  “This is Virginia,” Cecilia said.

  Grey eyed the two small children hiding in the woman’s skirt. She bent to their level and smiled. “And who might you be?”

  The children retreated behind their mother. Grey wondered anew what horror these kids had witnessed. She stood upright again and looked Virginia in the eye.

  “I’d like to hear your story as soon as I can. Are the little ones scared or shy?”

  “A little of both.”

  “Would they like to play with some other children, do you think?”

  “Maybe. But I don’t know that they’ll want to be away from me right now.”

  “And that’s okay,” Grey said. “We’ll talk when they’re ready. We do have a play room if they’d like to go see it?”

  “Let’s go take a look at the play room, kiddos.” Virginia placed her hands behind their heads and urged them in front of her so she could take their hands.

  Grey turned to Cecilia. “Why don’t you go see if Tonya can meet us there?”

  Grey led the way down the hall. There were only a few children playing in the room, and the television was on in the background. “Do either of you like movies? We can put a movie in for you.”

  “Would you like that?” Virginia asked.

  Tonya walked in then and introduced herself to Virginia.

  “Why don’t we all sit here on this couch for a few minutes?” Tonya said. “You heard me tell your mommy my name. Now will you tell me yours?”

  The children looked up at Virginia with wide eyes.

  “It’s okay. Tonya is our new friend. You can tell her your names.”

  “My name’s Jock,” the little boy said.

  “I’m Emma.”

  “Well, it’s very nice to meet both of you. I’d like to stay here with you while your mommy goes and talks to Grey for a while. How would you feel about that?”

  “Will Mommy be okay?” Jock asked.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t she be?” Tonya asked.

  Jock looked up at Tonya and a tear rolled down his cheek. “We keep her safe.”

  “Well, Grey will keep her safe, too. I promise.”

  Grey escorted Virginia down the hall.

  “Please, have a seat.” She pointed to the sofa.

  Virginia sat down, wringing her hands.

  “So, you want to give me some history or just tell me what happened to bring you here?”

  “First of all, is there a rule about how long I stay? We’ll really only need to be here until I can get a place of my own. I’m not hurting financially.”

  “That’s fine. Stay as long or short as you like. Bear in mind we do offer counseling services for you and the kids while you’re here.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Okay, so what brings you here?”

  “He’s always been mean. He pushes me, shoves me, swears at me. I’ve known for a while that I needed to get away.”

  “What was the final straw?”

  “He pulled the butcher’s knife on me last night. I was terrified. I don’t know what would have happened if Jock hadn’t come in. My husband told me he didn’t want his son to see him hurt me. So he put the knife down. I slept with the kids last night then left the house and called you as soon as he left for work this morning.”

  “I’m glad you called. So have the children witnessed the pushing and shoving?”

  Virginia nodded.

  “It’s okay. Tonya is a licensed child therapist. She can talk to them.”

  “I really don’t think I’ll be here that long. I’ll get them set up with private counseling. I don’t want to sound unappreciative. I just want to be honest with you.”

  “That’s fine. Just know the services are here if you need them.”

  “Thank you. Thank you so much for what you do.”

  “You’re quite welcome. Now let’s get you to your room.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Thursday night was jumping at The Boonies. Boone was excited to see everyone enjoying their dinners and loved having football on the big screen. This week Seattle was playing, and the place was packed. She made her usual rounds of the bar, picking up empty pitchers and glasses and scouting for any potential bedmates for the night.

  Football night was a predominantly male event, but having the closest thing to a home team playing that night meant a lot of women as well as men filling the tables. She spotted an attractive woman with long blond hair sitting with a large group. She changed her course to approach the table when Dani stepped in front of her.

  “Hey, stud.”

  “Hey, Dani.”

  “Busy night,” Dani said.

  “Yeah, it’s a great crowd.” Boone looked past Dani and saw the blonde looking her way.

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I just wanted to say hi.”

  Boone favored her with a wide smile. “Well, thanks. It’s great to see you.”

  When Dani walked off, Boone continued her route to the blonde, who stood as she approached. Boone smiled and was just about to say something when the blonde stepped around her and threw her arms around a tall, hulking young man. She planted a big kiss on him, and Boone felt her libido deflate. But it didn’t cool her spirits. Life was good. She could just cross the blonde off her list for the night.

  Boone sat with a table of regulars to watch the game. By halftime, Boone was feeling no pain. She had a nice buzz going, plus the game was tight, so no one was leaving early. It was a good night.

  The gang at Boone’s table was rowdy, and she joined them in yelling at the television, rooting for the Seahawks. She’d left the bussing of tables and taking orders to the waitstaff to just relax and enjoy the camaraderie.

  Late in the fourth quarter, Dani came over and sat next to her.

  “Great game, huh?”

  “Too close for comfort,” Boone said.

  “I hope I’m not sitting too close for comfort,” Dani joked.

  Boone put her arm around her. “No such thing where you’re concerned, darlin’.”

  They stayed that way for most of the rest of the game, although they separated and stood to cheer when the Seahawks kicked a last second field goal to win the game.

  Then Boone pulled Dani into a big hug and kissed her cheek.

  “How ’bout those Seahawks?” Boone said.

  “Yeah! How ’bout them?”

  “You ready to get out of here?” Boone asked.

  “Sure am.”

  They drove to Boone’s house and started undressing each other as soon as the door closed behind them. In between kisses, they stripped one another of their shirts, shorts, bras, and underwear.

  “God, your body’s hot,” Dani said. “You’re so tall and lean and I just want you.”

  “I want you, too. And I plan to have you. Every way I can.”

  They made their way to the bedroom and fell into bed. Boone wrapped her arms around Dani, her mouth kissed her passionately. Boone moved her hand to Dani’s center and buried her fingers.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” Boone moaned. She moved in and out while she moved her mouth to Dani’s hard nipple. She sucked deeply and licked the hard nub. She lost herself in the fee
ling of Dani’s body around her.

  Dani reached her hand between her own legs and grabbed Boone’s wrist, pumping it inside her. Boone felt her own pussy clench at the feeling. Dani was so uninhibited, which made her such a fun playmate.

  Boone sucked harder at Dani’s nipple and heard her scream her name as she came.

  “You need to touch me, baby,” Boone whined. “I need you so fucking bad.”

  Dani deftly rubbed Boone’s swollen clit as Boone arched her back and moved her hips. She felt the orgasm approaching and closed her eyes to focus all her attention.

  “Oh God!” she cried. “Oh Jesus Christ, yes!”

  *

  Friday morning, Boone walked into the bar with a spring in her step.

  “Someone’s in a good mood today,” Christopher said.

  “It’s a beautiful day.” Boone poured herself some coffee then pulled her laptop out of the safe.

  “I thought maybe you were just excited about the mixer tonight.”

  “The what? Oh shit. That’s tonight?”

  “Yes, it is. And you’re going.”

  “I’d better start drinking now,” Boone said.

  “You’d better be sober when you get there,” Christopher said.

  “What’s your deal with this mixer thing?” Boone asked.

  “I just think it’s a great way to expand our clientele.”

  “What’s wrong with the clientele we have now? This place was packed last night.”

  “What about a regular Tuesday night? Right after work. It would be nice to see more business people stopping by for happy hour before they head home.”

  “We have people stopping by is all I’m saying.”

  “We could have more is all I’m saying.”

  Boone looked up from her laptop. “Are you saying you want to turn this into a hipster bar or something?”

  “Businessmen and women aren’t hipsters.”

  “I know, but yuppie sounds so dated,” Boone said.

  “It is.”

  “And we have a lot of young business people that come in here.”

  “Why are you so against making more money?” Christopher asked.

  “I’m not. I’m just not sure a Chamber of Commerce mixer is the way to do it.”

  “And I’m saying it’s free, it’s easy, so why not?”

  “Fine. I said I’d go and I will, but know I’m doing it under protest.”

  “Duly noted.”