EVERYTHING MORE
By
Arabelle Stevens
Copyright @ 2018
All Rights Reserved
This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2018
ISBN: 9781983364501
CHAPTER ONE
Marie Gilman sat with a group of her friends in a posh nightclub in Uptown Manhattan on a warm Saturday night. She was a twenty-eight-year old brunette beauty with an athletic physique. And she knew it. She wasn’t vain, she just knew the package that she was. She was intelligent, educated, attractive, and enjoyed playing the field.
Mr. Right hadn’t come along, but she wasn’t in a hurry. The world was her oyster at this moment in her life.
“Marie, are you going to dance at all tonight?”
“No, I don’t think so, Sonja. I’m kind of enjoying the people-watching tonight. Interesting crowd. Where’s our server? I’m going to get another drink. Need anything?”
“Sure. Another one of . . . whatever this is I’m drinking.” Marie laughed.
“Okay, be right back.”
She went up to the bar, sashaying past groups of tightly packed people. The bar was so crowded that she couldn’t help but touch other patrons of the bar as she passed.
“What can I get you?” Asked the bartender.
“Two white wines, please.”
“You got it.”
“Thanks.” She turned her back to the bar to watch the crowd as she waited. Interesting crowd indeed. All the beautiful people were out tonight.
“What’s a gorgeous woman like you getting her own drinks for?” The man next to her asked.
“Excuse me?” She smiled coyly.
“Forgive me. I couldn’t help notice that you’re getting your own drinks. Not very gentlemanly of your date.”
She looked over at the man next to her. He was gorgeous. Not a hair out of place, dark, deep eyes, and shirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal a sexy tuft of chest hair. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered.
“I’d agree with you, if I were here with a date.” The man’s face lit up.
“Oh really? This conversation just got interesting. Would you like a date?” She smiled.
“Maybe.” She turned to face him full-on.
“My name’s Douglas. Douglas Benedict.”
“I’m Marie Gilman.”
“Nice to meet you, Marie Gilman. Here’s to you.” As he lifted his drink to toast her.
For the next two years, Douglas and Marie were practically inseparable and the sex was voracious and adventurous.
“Marie, I need to ask you something.”
“Don’t stop. Ask me anything. Just don’t stop.” She panted, almost at her climax. “Harder. Oh my God, harder. Faster.” Douglas grunted as he complied.
“Oh my God, you’re so perfect.” As he thrust even harder. “I want this forever. I don’t ever want to be without you.” They both were grunting and moaning like animals as their climax began it’s ascent. “Marry me. Marry me right away.”
They both moaned and screamed as the violent thrusting and rotating smashing against each other came to a head. They laid still, but panting and sweating, he on top of her for what felt like an hour.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard you.”
“What’s your answer? I can give you a life you’ve never even dreamed of. We’ll travel the world, together, and then . . .” he kissed and licked her neck. “And then, we can find a nice little town. Settle down. Make some babies,” as he licked between her full breasts. “What do ya say? You and me taking on the world. Doing this every day. How ‘bout it?” She smiled and wrapped her leg over him.
“I say, yes. I’ll marry you.”
CHAPTER TWO
For nine years, the sexy couple traveled the corners of the world, making love all over the globe. It was a life of dreams. Eventually, it was time to wake up.
“I’ve been thinking, Marie.”
“Uh oh. That’s never good.”
“I think it’s time to go home.” Marie looked across the bed at Douglas. Strange that he’d verbalize exactly what she was also thinking.
“Funny you say that. I’ve been daydreaming about white picket fences and a quaint little Cape on the coast.”
“And babies.”
“Yes. Cribs, strollers, all of it.”
“So you agree?”
“I do. Have you thought about a town?”
“Not New York again. That’s not where I want our kids to grow up. I want them in a small town, a community. A place where everyone watches out for each other. No one’s a stranger.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Sheffield Shores in Massachusetts quickly moved to the top of their list. It was everything they were both looking for.
The house hunting was fun and painless. They found the exact white Cape that Marie had dreamed of on a quiet side street. And, yes, even with a white picket fence.
Douglas easily stepped right back into his career as one of New York’s finest bankers and Marie renewed her teaching license and went to work at the local Middle School, teaching sixth and seventh grade Social Studies.
And they waited to get pregnant.
And they waited.
Months went by and, eventually, they were into their second year of trying. Marie was still not pregnant.
She monitored her cycle daily, changed her diet, tried medications, and practiced every sex position under the sun.
She brought up in vitro fertilization one time after a discussion with her doctor, but Douglas wasn’t open to that route. He was old-fashioned, set in his ways, and had a staunch belief in having a child the traditional method, he had no interest in becoming a science experiment.
He was nearly a decade older than Marie so he was pushing fifty. As an only child who had uncles with no children, he felt a strong responsibility to carry on his bloodline and family name. The pressure was on him.
Marie and Douglas’s happy home began slipping away. Fighting and bickering became constant, sex became passionless, and the two spent little to no quality time together.
During one turbulent argument, Marie pleaded with Douglas.
“I’m doing everything in my power to help us. Can’t you see that?”
Marie’s pleading became the theme of each and every argument. The boiling point hit when Marie suggested to Douglas that they consider adoption to have a child since they couldn’t get pregnant.
“That is not an option, Marie! My family name ends with me if I don’t have a child. Don’t you get it?” Douglas screamed at Marie. “An adoption agency? No way! If you can’t give me a child, I guess our days are numbered,” he said, as he slammed the bedroom door shut.
Tears streamed down Marie’s face as her once heavenly marriage was on its last leg. For the last few months of her marriage to Douglas, Marie hoped and prayed he would come around, but he only shunned her.
It came as no surprise the day Douglas formerly asked her for a divorce.
“I can’t wait any longer, Marie. I need to have a child now and you can’t seem to provide that for me,” he scowled at her.
“What happened to you? What happened to us? Don’t you love me anymore?” Marie pleaded as Douglas edged closer to the door.
“We’ve had fun times, but this turmoil has been too much. It’s time for a change,” he sighed at her.
Douglas left with his bags in his hands and gave Marie one final goodbye as he
walked out the door and her life, forever.
Marie struggled to figure out what went wrong, and when. Was it simply about not being able to get pregnant? Did he change? Did she?
The questions would forever remain unanswered. Marie fell out of contact with her husband and all of his family and friends.
The dreary, stormy day that Marie had been dreading for months had arrived. Her marriage was coming to a close and she couldn’t bear it. Tears streamed down her face faster than the rain could fall during the summer storm that hit the quiet town of Sheffield Shores, Massachusetts. The divorce would be final today.
CHAPTER THREE
As Marie’s forty-fourth birthday approached in less than a week, she paid no mind to it. It was just another day. She’d kept her job as a teacher in Sheffield Shores and had surrounded herself with work ever since the divorce. It had saved her.
The hardest part for Marie was to adjust from her students calling her Mrs. Benedict to calling her Ms. Gilman. But over time, she adapted to the change.
Her dedication to her students made Marie one of the favorite teachers at school.
She naturally had a kind heart and cared about the development of her students in and out of the classroom. Her sweet and motherly personality hid the fact that she was going through marital problems. The classroom was no place for that. She was a firm believer in keeping work and personal matters separate. Her years of hard work garnered her as one of most respected teachers not only at her school, but in all of Sheffield Shores.
Even though Marie engulfed herself with work, which helped, it was her best friend, Sonja, that kept her sane through the entire process.
They met in college but when Douglas came onto the scene, they’d faded away from each other. That is, until Sonja got word through the grapevine that Marie needed her.
Sonja was older than Marie, but their age difference didn’t affect their friendship whatsoever. Marie was approaching her upcoming forty-fourth birthday, whereas Sonja was now sixty-five years old.
Marie was not the only one to suffer a devastating loss. Sonja lost her husband of over forty years to cancer less than two years ago. The two friends comforted each other through their losses as they each struggled to find closure.
It was thanks to Sonja’s guidance that Marie was able to successfully channel her energy in her work with her students and keep her mind off the divorce.
Conversely, Marie also was a stable support system for Sonja as she coped with the death of her husband at her own pace.
With Marie’s birthday soon approaching, Sonja wanted to take her out and show her a good time. Sonja especially wanted to potentially get her back in the dating game as Marie had yet to date at all since her divorce.
“Girlfriend, we have got to go out and celebrate your birthday this year,” Sonja said to Marie as they enjoyed a coffee at a local café. “You still got the goods to land any man.”
“At my age? You’re crazy!” Marie responded.
“Oh yah. You are tall, long legs, pretty face, and nice curves. Believe me, if you put yourself out there, you can get a man, any man you want, wrapped right around your finger,” Sonja exclaimed to Marie.
“I’m just not sure if I’m ready to get back out there. It’s uncomfortable to think about. I haven’t been on a date with anyone, other than Douglas, since I was in my twenties,” Marie said as she let out a gasping sigh.
“Forget about that douchebag, Marie! I don’t want to hear his name come out of your mouth. It’s time to turn over a new leaf and that means finding a new man,” Sonja chuckled.
“Oh stop it. You just never liked Douglas from the beginning,” she laughed.
“Turns out I was right not to, didn’t it?”
They continued to sip on their cappuccinos and ponder over ideas to get Marie back into the jungles of dating again.
“Where do I even begin?” Marie asked. “I know a lot of people nowadays do the online thing, but that seems so weird to me. We didn’t grow up in this social media crazed age,” she said.
“Who cares when you grew up, Marie. Let’s start with right here, right now. Look around. Any guys here at the café you think are cute?” Sonja asked her while winking at her.
Marie panned the café scoping out the handful of guys who were in the vicinity. The look on Marie’s face said it all.
“Not really,” Marie replied. “No quality suitors here,” she laughed.
“Seriously?” Sonja said looking puzzled. “What about that guy over there in line? He’s cute and he has a nice butt too,” she said with a slight grin.
“Oh stop it! Get your mind out of the gutter,” Marie exclaimed. She leaned in to Sonja saying, “Plus, he’s bald. I’m not into bald men. I like hair.”
“Okay, so no one here gets your juices flowing. Where would you like to look then, Missy?” Sonja asked her.
“Beats me! Do you have any suggestions?” Marie asked.
“Let me think.” Sonja told her.
After watching Sonja bounce around different ideas in her head for almost fifteen minutes, Marie was ready to walk out the door.
“I really have to get to work. You can tell me any ideas on the phone tonight.” Marie stated.
“I got it!” Sonja exclaimed in excitement. “This weekend they are having the Sheffield Shores Jazz & Blues Festival. I can’t believe I forgot about it. There’ll be a pretty good-sized crowd there. There will be men there. Lots of men,” Sonja told her.
Marie laughed and just rolled her eyes at Sonja as she walked toward the door.
“We can go to the Jazz & Blues Festival, that’s fine with me. I could use some good music anyway. All I hear on the radio nowadays is pop and hip-hop nonsense. Gross.” Marie told her.
“Splendid! Scoping out guys…I mean good music this weekend,” Sonja chuckled.
Not amused by her statement, Marie flipped her long, brunette hair and began her commute to the school for the day.
CHAPTER FOUR
The weekend approached. The Sheffield Shores Jazz & Blues Festival was one of the more popular festivals, especially among middle-aged and older adults. People flocked from all over New England and beyond to attend. About a dozen performances were scheduled to perform on Saturday and Sunday with a perfect weather forecast. Sunny, slightly breezy, and in the mid to upper seventies throughout the weekend.
Even though Marie made it clear to Sonja that she was going simply to relax and hear good music, Sonja constantly pressed her about looking for a new man. For days, every slight mention of the festival came back around to finding a man for Marie.
Saturday morning approached with the festival set to begin in a few hours, starting out with some smooth jazz to kick off the day.
As Marie waited for Sonja to come pick her up for their short drive to the festival, she changed into a short, slim-fit sun dress to suit the weather conditions. The yellow dress accentuated her long, tan legs and showed off her curves. She completed her outfit with a pair of sporty sneakers and a tan floppy hat for sun protection. She looked in the mirror, front and back, to see how she looked in her summer dress.
For the past two years, Marie focused on staying fit. Following the divorce, she replicated her workout routine to that of her twenties. While the divorce had taken its toll physically, gaining twenty pounds and losing her adventurous spirit, it wasn’t but a few months that she picked herself up and resumed her attention on herself. As she stood looking at herself in the mirror, it had paid off.
Today would be the first time since her divorce that she allowed herself to take pride in how she looked and felt. Confident.
Sonja arrived to pick Marie up for the festival right on time and when Marie answered the door, Sonja’s jaw dropped to the floor.
“Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about! Lady, you look fantastic!” Sonja told her. “I haven’t seen you dress like this in years. I didn’t even realize you lost that much weight,” she exclaimed.
Marie smiled at her sayi
ng, “I’ve worked my ass off for well over a year now so I figured it was time to show it off for once.”
“But I thought you said you were just going to the festival for good music?” Sonja questioned her.
“Of course, I am. I’m going to be there to enjoy the music and I won’t be scoping out men,” Marie said. “This dress is for me and my self-confidence. I don’t care what anyone thinks of it.”
“Well, whatever your reasoning is, you look amazing and I guarantee you’ll turn some heads,” Sonja told her. “Come on, let’s get out there before parking gets too crazy.”
There was already a decent crowd at the festival when the ladies arrived and the first performers were getting warmed up.
“Marie! There’s a great spot right by the bar. And look, we have an awesome view of the stage.”
The ladies settled themselves as the tune of smooth jazz filled the air.
“The sound is so smooth. I don’t know how anyone could not like jazz,” Marie told Sonja.
“I could dance to this beat all day if I was a younger girl,” Sonja jokingly told Marie.
They enjoyed the nice day and amazing music, as well as a couple too many beers, most of the day. It was the first outing of live music for both women since losing their husbands.
“I’m going to get one more drink, do you want one?” Marie asked.
“No thanks, I’m already too buzzed and it’s only four o’clock,” Sonja replied.
The bartender who’d been serving the two ladies their drinks was gone, so Marie had to search elsewhere to get her next beer.
As she walked around trying to find another bar at the festival, she noticed heads turning towards her in admiration. Gentlemen’s heads. Checking her out. One man she walked by spilled his beer in awe as Marie walked by.
However, not all of the attention was so pleasant for Marie. When she got to the bar to get a drink, a very machismo figure drew her attention away from making an order.
“I got you covered this round. Wine or something fruity I assume, right?” he rudely interrupted while she was speaking with the bartender.
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