Return to Abundance

by Shanna Swenson

  “So, what’re you gonna do, boss?”

  Good question, Nate thought and smiled to himself. “I’m going to ignore her.”

  Mitch shook his head and looked confused. “Your loss, buddy.”

  “My loss,” Nate repeated and headed to the barn.

  The ignorance didn’t last too long. After all, how could it when there was a woman as beautiful as Jordan around? It was after dinner when Nate decided to change the oil in his truck, as much to get away from Jordan as for the truck itself. He’d done his best, as best as a man in his situation could do. He’d managed to ignore the sultry glances she’d shot him through lunch and dinner, the dropping of items right next to him which made her bend to get them, giving him a full shot of her scantily clad derriere, the flirting which included the showing of her “sunburn” to everyone including himself… He’d only had an erection for ten hours now. She was making him crazy; crazy horny and crazy angry. She knew exactly what she was doing to him. Damn her! So, this was her idea of retribution. Okay, well… TRUCE! He wanted to shout.

  Enough was enough.

  So, he’d headed to the carport, his own temporary garage, to work on his truck and get his mind off of her. He lifted his truck up with a jack, enough to get underneath it, and set to work. As he was pulling the plug on his oil tank and positioning his drip pan, she managed to pop right back into his head. She was such an amazing woman; not just her beauty but her determination. She was one hell of a fighter, he’d give her that. What she’d said in the pasture yesterday about his self-destruction being over— what had she meant by that? “I’m not budging. I’m going to show you that you’re still a good person, that there’s nothing wrong with you. I’m going to get under your skin and make you get close to me. Your self-destruction is over!” she’d said. And he believed she’d meant it. But the sad thing was, what she didn’t know, that there was nothing left. But damn, he really wished that there was. She was such a fun person, fun and so very passionate. He could see that fire in her eyes! Too bad she was his employee; he might actually change his mind and take her.

  “Thirsty?” Jordan called to him from the side of his truck. He sighed and mentally prepared himself for her next stunt as he tilted far enough to see her; there could never have been enough preparation for the arsenal she unleashed upon him.

  She’d changed from her baby doll tee and daisy dukes into a short school girl skirt that exposed most of her thighs and a tube top that showed her trim torso. She was close enough to the side of his truck so that he could see clear up her skirt to the black piece of lace between her legs. He gulped as his body responded appropriately. He averted his eyes from her enticing panty line, before they damned him straight to Hell, and looked up to her face. The mockery there only fueled the fire. He felt like he was going to explode inside and all he wanted in that moment was to taste her; her lips, her light olive skin... Her kiss would no doubt be passionate, as passionate as everything else about her, but what would she taste like? He bet it was a powerful taste.

  He suddenly had a sweet fantasy and decided to nurse it for but a moment. It’d been some time since he’d been with a woman, but never with a woman quite like Jordan, and he could only imagine what an incredible lover she would make. He imagined his hands running up her smooth, silky thighs followed by his tongue. He imagined taking the glass from her, sucking an ice cube into his mouth then torturing her hot, sweaty skin with it. First the nape of her neck, then her cleavage, her big breasts…

  “Nathan?”

  He shivered then as the anger hit. Dammit, now she was invading his fantasies too!

  “Yeah, just leave it on the hood,” he said sharply, hating his tone with her as he busied himself beneath the engine of his truck.

  “Well, I can’t do that…it’ll fall.” The musical voice answering him had been premeditated to be sultry. He pinched the bridge of his nose and silently counted to ten.

  “Jordan, please just sit it down somewhere. I’m a little busy at the moment.” He waited, hearing her feet shuffle on the concrete floor. Finally, she obliged him.

  “Fine, it’s on your toolbox.” She sounded hurt, but he couldn’t tell if it was real or fake. “You’re welcome,” she grumbled on her way out.

  “Thank you,” he said earnestly as the sound of her footsteps faded. He wasn’t sure if she’d heard him or not.

  Later that night when Nathan ambled up the front steps of the porch and into the house, he was a filthy, greasy mess. He longed for a hot shower. He tore his shirt and jeans off at the door of his room and cut the water on as he pulled his socks and boxers off. He was grateful that Jordan was nowhere to be seen. Not that he minded “seeing” her; that was just it, seeing her was started to drive his mind and body crazy. He pondered this as the hot water rained down over his weary, cramping muscles. He really was unsure what he was going to do… There was simply no way for him to continue to ignore the way his body responded to her, and it would only be a matter of time before he’d finally had enough and took her to bed. That was the only remedy he could produce. She had been opposed thus far to having sex with him, especially after he made it seem like just another job… but wasn’t that ultimately what she was pushing him to? How long did she reckon he could go on like this before he advanced on her? She couldn’t continue to go parading around wearing what little she did before his natural instincts took control of him. Was she completely unaware of this concept? No! His subconscious screamed in response. She was a smart woman and a conniving one at that. She knew what she was doing and where all this would lead, but what would happen after their lust had been slaked?

  He washed his hair, enjoying the steam surrounding him, although his mind continued to wander. He soaped his weary body up, his hand falling over the scar the bull horn had left when it’d plunged into his lung just 15 months prior. The wound was still tender to this day; a gentle reminder of how fragile life really was.

  He cut the shower off when his fingers began to prune up and stepped out, roughly drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist. All the sudden he was incredibly thirsty, so he headed to the kitchen. A dim light peeked out beneath the door and he opened it, realizing as he did so that Jordan was there too. He cursed silently in his head.

  His heart did a little jump as his eyes fell on her. She was up on her tiptoes next to the sink, reaching for a glass, hair cascading down her back, clad in a skimpy black negligee, completely oblivious to him; she must not have heard the soft opening of the door… or was she still playing her sultry little game? He cleared his throat and propped himself against the door jab, crossing his arms over his bare chest. She, in turn, nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned swiftly like a frightened little animal, her eyes wide, her hand grabbing at her ample bosom. The glass teetered in her hand as she tried to steady it before it crashed to the floor with a loud bang, glass shattering in shards at her feet.

  “Jesus, Nathan!” she hissed. “Dammit, why did you sneak up on me?” She bent to look at the mess she’d made. He gave her a crooked smile, amused at both her shock at seeing him and the fact that she thought he’d “snuck up” on her. Suddenly, he was all too aware of her curious eyes on his bare chest. “Look at what you made me do!” The red in her cheeks only served to amuse him all the more.

  He stilled her from moving, afraid she would step on a piece of glass as he walked over to where the broom and dust pan were. “I’ll have you know that I indeed did not sneak up on you,” he began, sweeping the mess up, making sure to sweep away from her recently polished toes. She stayed on her tiptoes, her back against the sink as he secured the area of debris. Once he was finished, he set the broom to the side and came to stand in front of her, his eyes gazing into hers.

  “I could have gotten that,” she murmured and blushed, looking down. “After all, I’m the one who made the mess.” His finger swiped a piece of hair from her face, and her eyes met his again.

  “Are you cut anywhere?” His question seemed
to confuse her; either that, or she was rattled by his finger on her face as it lingered there. He enjoyed that there was another way to fluster her without cutting her down with his words. She just shook her head and continued to stare at him.

  “I see you’ve changed clothes once again. I have to say… I like this piece a bit more than even that last outfit.” His voice was hoarse and almost unfamiliar to him as he fingered the strap of her sheer gown. Her eyebrow cocked in a challenge, and he knew she was picking up on where this was going.

  “Well, that’s just too bad!” She shifted to move away from his intent gaze, but he wouldn’t have that. He stilled her body with his hips, feeling his growing erection digging firmly into her inner thigh. She silently gasped, slight alarm showing in her eyes. “Move, Nate.”

  “Why?” His hand stroked her bare upper arm, and he watched her worry her lip with her teeth. Was she afraid of him or perhaps, afraid of where all this had inevitably led, or was this just another one of her sultry acts? “Isn’t this exactly what you’ve been going for?” He cocked his head, sarcasm dripping from his words. “To torment me with this sweet curvy body of yours until I just can’t take it anymore? Isn’t that the game you’ve been playing with me all day long? Well, I have to tell you, sweetheart... it’s been working, can you tell?” he whispered in her ear as he pressed his erection even further into her thigh. She grimaced.

  “Ew! You’re unbelievable.” Her eyes flashed with anger; he smiled.

  “You should’ve been careful. Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to play with fire?”

  Her mood shifted then, and she smiled arrogantly, her eyelashes fluttering. “Oh? You think I can’t handle you, Nathan?” She looked him up and down.

  His hand moved from her arm to her hip, and he smiled again. “Maybe we should find out…”

  “I think it’s me that you can’t handle.”

  Her hands came to his bare belly as she arched up off the sink, leaning into him, her breath inches from his mouth, her breasts pressing into his chest. His eyebrow arched as those whiskey eyes of hers burned into his; the smile fading from his face. Her bravery didn’t seem to waver as his arms encircled her waist, her eyes never leaving his. “I do believe that it’s us red heads that are the fire, if I’m not mistaken… I just don’t know if you’re ready for all of this.” She drew her hands down, showcasing herself. “Besides, just your luck, you’ll end up falling in love with me then where will that leave your self-pity.” She enunciated those last two words.

  He growled then as he moved away from her, his face contorted in anger. She stood her ground.

  “You,” he said and pointed to her, “are a prick teasing little tramp.”

  “Ha!” She had the audacity to laugh. “Well, you,” she pointed back at him, “are an arrogant, insensitive asshole.”

  He stood there for a moment pondering that, then nodded. “Well, at least we understand each other… And now I know, deep down, you really want me.”

  She guffawed incredulously, “As if! What makes you think I would want you?”

  He moved closer. “Because if you didn’t, you would have fucked me by now.”

  With that, he walked out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom, laughing as he heard her scream, “Miserable bastard.”

  “Can you believe the audacity?” Jordan asked as she related the incident to Natalie a few days later, who laughed at the story. She had to admit it was rather awkward to speak to Nate’s sister about sexual things related to him.

  “Well, yeah! He’s a jerk. He said it to grate on you; insinuating that you only sleep with men you don’t really care for… Ah, don’t worry about what he says!”

  “Well, it’s just infuriating!” Jordan took a bite of the chicken salad croissant she’d ordered as Natalie sipped her butternut squash soup.

  “Well, do you like him?” Natalie asked.

  “What? Why would you ask me something like that?” Jordan scowled, slightly amused.

  “It’s rather obvious, if you ask me,” Natalie retorted.

  “Obvious? What do you mean?”

  “Well, you’re both attractive people, you’re both single… you live under the same roof. Reminds me of two other people in that same predicament not long ago.” Nat laughed. “What would be the big deal, anyway?”

  “Natalie!” Jordan scolded. “Do you really think so little of me?” Jordan inquired solemnly.

  “Oh, Jordan.” Natalie stilled and grabbed her friend’s hand. “Of course not! It’s just that you both need each other, that’s what’s so obvious to me… and falling for you might be all it would take to bring him out of this dark place.”

  Jordan couldn’t keep that thought from swirling around in her head after they had finished their lunches and stepped in line to pay their tabs.

  “Nat, don’t you really think that’s grabbing at straws?”

  “No, why?”

  “Well, to say that all the answers are that simple… It’s deeper than that! He’s broken. I don’t know that he can be fixed, or furthermore, that I can be the one to fix him.”

  “Well, it’s a start to think that it could be possible to get Nathan back.” Natalie smiled and Jordan said no more, not wanting to bust her bubble.

  Jordan returned home later on that same afternoon with several grocery bags. She was unloading them in the kitchen when she turned around to see Mitch standing there at the island, his shirt and jeans all dusty, his hat in his hand.

  “Jeez! You startled me.” She laughed as her hand went to her chest.

  “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” Mitch mumbled and bowed his head then looked back up at her a pained expression on his face.

  “Can I get you something?” Jordan asked, her brows drawing in confusion. What is he doing here? she thought.

  “No, I just, uh…” He hesitated, his hand running through his hair. He stepped closer. “You look real nice today, Jordan.” His eyes skimmed her up... then down. Discomfort began to stir at her; an uneasy feeling that made her stomach catch.

  “Uh, thanks,” she murmured.

  He continued to ease ever closer to her as she instinctively stepped away from him. She suddenly realized that she was backed against the sink with nowhere to go.

  “I just, I wanted to say that I—I’m just a really lonely man right now and you... you’re just such a beautiful woman, Jordan” Mitch stammered.

  Flutters of panic began to rise in her, and she gulped as his hand moved to her face. She sincerely regretted wearing the short skirt and tank top she had on.

  “Mitch, I’m sorry but—”

  “I know that Nate hasn’t bothered to appease your wants,” he stated sarcastically.

  “Excuse me?” How would he know what Nate was appeasing?

  “…your needs,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, a twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at her. “And I’m sure you have many, but I’m more than willing to try, if you’ll let me.” Jordan put her hands up in protest. “What I need right now is a woman like you. I think that you and I should see where this goes…” With that, he grabbed her face in both hands as she squealed in protest.

  “NO,” she cried as his lips met hers.

  Suddenly, there was a giant swoosh of wind as Mitch was pulled from in front of her, and she heard a loud bang. She realized she’d clenched her eyes closed; she opened them swiftly.

  “I believe Miss Tate said no, Mitch.” It was Nathan! He’d pulled Mitch away from her and was standing protectively in front of her. She felt utter relief as she saw him, face red, fists clenched at his sides, his breathing accelerated. “I do believe you know what no means?” Nate was livid, his tone and his stance emanated it.

  Mitch looked embarrassed and startled as his red face pointed toward the floor. He replaced his hat as he said, “Gee Nate, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me! I…”

  “Don’t apologize to me,” Nate scoffed. “Apologize to her.” He turned and pointed hi
s head at Jordan. Mitch bowed his head and mumbled an apology. “Now, I’m in a bit of a predicament here. What do I do with this? You, one of my best guys… Dammit, Mitch! Sexually harassing my female employee?”

  “Nate, please don’t fire me! I need my job. I swear, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to…” he pleaded, stepping closer to Nate.

  “Unfortunately, that’s not my choice,” Nate insisted. “It’s Jordan’s decision on whether she wants to press charges or not. It’s also unfortunate that I was a witness to the whole freakin’ thing!”

  Mitch just looked at Jordan, who’s breathing was attempting to return to normal, his brown eyes pleaded with her. Despite her past experience with sexual harassment, she felt sorry for Mitch. He seemed a nice enough guy. Maybe he’d just had a lapse in judgement…

  She shook her head, indicating that she wouldn’t be pressing charges. Mitch looked hopefully up to Nathan then.

  “Get out of here! Take the day off. I need to think about all this. For now, I just want you out of my sight!” Nate grumbled.

  With that Mitch dropped his head and stumbled out the back door.

  Slowly, Jordan felt her breathing and heart rate return to normal. She’d had run-ins with horny males before, and her fair share of sexual harassment, but she’d been fortunate enough, thank God, never to have been raped by one of the many admirers. Nate had played her rescuer today. For that, she guessed she owed him a thank you. She chanced a look at him.

  Nate’s eyes raked over her then, an angry glaze covering them.

  “I told you to watch how you dressed,” he reprimanded then walked away.

  It had been a week since Mitch had violated Jordan’s trust. He was back now as of today and humble each time he saw her; his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Well, he should be embarrassed!