Hello Gorgeous

by Sherry J. Cook

  Chapter 24

  We had decided it would be best for me to meet Connery at the hospital room of George, his father. We were to act as if we had never met before, only spoken and that was just in regards of the employment. This shouldn’t be difficult to do. I dressed in a nice pair of black dress slacks and a pull over sweater, and light coat. It had gotten chilly out and I wasn’t for sure how far I would have to park to make my way to the hospital room on the eighth floor.

  I had decided I would be just a bit later than the ten o’clock time we had planned on meeting. I wanted to be the last one to arrive. The other care giver, Celeste Cummings, a friend of Abigail’s would be there as well, and most likely Higgs too. I wanted to look professional and knowledgeable of the task I was about to begin.

  I arrived and we greeted, right off the bat Higgins had approached me and asked me how long I had known Connery? I looked at him, replied this is the first time I had ever met him. I remember well the comment Higgins said, really, hmmm I would have thought you knew him well by the way you two were so comfortable together. Strange, oh well.

  Higgins made me a little uneasy but I was determined I could pull this off for as long as need be.

  I would begin work on the seventeenth of January, alternating days and nights as the other caregiver Celeste and myself worked out a schedule between the two of us. Connery had said he didn’t care how we did it just that there was always someone there with his mom, Eleanor while George was hospitalized. So Celeste and I worked out an agreement and started working. The first month went ok until Celeste started running late, causing me anxiety. Eleanor wasn’t the easiest person to care for; she was a real mental case at times and would all but fight physically if you got in her way or disagreed with her. This might be more difficult than I had imagined. Celeste was working another job and between her and her daughter they shared a car so there was always issues with transportation between the two getting back and forth to the jobs and then there was the kids to pick up from school too. I felt like I was getting the raw end of the deal but I was being paid fairly decent and we could have worked twenty-four hours if we wanted to so if there was a need to make more money all we had to do was work more hours. No one seemed to care.

  January slid on by and even though I was working now I still stayed on the dating site as much as I could, and chatted constantly with Connery. He still had the Hemingway look alike photo on the site, but I had no idea why he was even on there for it seemed like there was no time for women anymore, even me. His parents had solved that problem as far as I could tell. I was hurting inside and in need of Connery to be inside me it had been too long. Past time and I had to have him. The work had become almost a burden now for just Celeste an myself we needed help. I had discussed this issue with Connery one night while chatting on line and he had mentioned he might know of someone that might be willing to help out. That was somewhat of a relief. But I had no idea at the time that the person he had in mind would be Grace O’Brian the woman he had met on line back in October, the one he met when he had changed his profile picture and never mentioned to me that he was back on the site in search of new women.

  I lost it! Honestly what was he thinking? How could he bring another woman to work in the same home as I? Was he insane? He would surely know that she and I would have a problem working together. We would probably have a time that we would talk and compare our notes on Connery and one of us surely he would favor more than the other. I didn’t like this arrangement at all. I had no idea what she might think, but I knew it was going to be hell and nothing I was looking forward to at all. Celeste was difficult enough to deal with. She already figured something was going on I was certain of it. Connery and I were just too chummy when together at his folk’s house. I knew she had felt it. And Celeste was close with Abby and probably filled her in on all the unusual things she saw, heard, or felt that were out of the ordinary, when it came to Connery and I, besides Connery had more or less put me in charge and just over looked Celeste. She hadn’t accepted that well since Abby had hired her first, she wanted to be in charge.

  Now this new woman would be in the mix, and in more ways than one. He called and let me know he would be coming by around lunch time to bring Grace over. I was to show her around and fill her in on the day to day procedures. God this was not anything I wanted to be a part of. Noon time was approaching, I freshened up my makeup and hair I wanted to be looking my best when Connery showed up with her and I wanted to make sure I was prettier than her. I had no idea what she looked like. I had never had enough gall to ask him.

  He knocked, they walked in, I stood frozen, and my mouth must have dropped wide open, as my eyes met his. Grace was like an Amazon woman, six foot tall at least, large boned natural blonde, no makeup, simple and homely looking woman. She had worn a ragged white t-shirt and a pair of jeans that looked like they were the only pair she owned and wore them every day. A huge sigh of relief came over me. I had worried about nothing! He introduced us to each other, we said our hellos and he turned to leave, but before he left I made sure she saw me give him a kiss, a kiss on his lips!

  No more than a few minutes passed by and I started the conversation, asking how she had met him and how long they had known each other. Her story was unbelievable, for she proceeded to tell me the exact story that Connery and I had established incase Abby had asked at any time how he had found me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He had obviously instructed her to use the same story. She had no idea that I had used the same one. I let her know quickly that I knew where they had met and that he and I had met at the same place and that we had been seeing each other for almost a year now. I immediately told her that he was married as well… just in case she had no idea, she wasn’t going to get too far if I could help it. She had begun to share with me their first encounter.

  They had met on the same dating site and the one difference was Connery and her had used Skype so they had video chatted and she had known right from the get go that he didn’t look anything like the latest photo he was using on the dating site now. We talked about the one visit she had made here to the island back in the fall to be with him. She didn’t mind sharing the details with me at all. She spoke of how they had met locally and had driven to the East End and had sex in her car. Once done she had driven back to Louisiana that same day. Was this for real? I would have to question Connery about this. It was difficult for me to believe that anyone in their right mind would drive that far just to have sex with a stranger. Besides that, she had told me that while they had been chatting she had noticed his wedding ring and she knew he was married and didn’t care. I didn’t understand how anyone could come that far, have sex, drive back home and all this time know that the man she was meeting was married what did she have up her sleeve. Something wasn’t right about this. There had to be more, more than what she was sharing at the moment and a hell of a lot more than he had ever shared with me, a whole lot more.

  This day just happen to be the first Friday of Mardi Gras and Connery had purchased tickets for all of us to go if we wanted to. He needed us to help push George around in his wheel chair and someone to watch over Eleanor. The only reason he was going was Abigail was in the parade and he had to go watch her do her thing. He had called me, confirmed that I would be going and had given me the details when and where to meet them at, that would be him, Grace, George and Eleanor. I had agreed and arrived in the parking garage early so I could make a grand appearance in the condo for I had dug out my lace black top and the barely nothing black lace bra to wear. When I opened the door Connery’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t take his eyes off me. I was stunning looking and I knew it! Grace made a nasty little comment something of the nature that she wasn’t aware that we were going to dress up for the evening. I just smiled for I knew if it came down to looks, and probably “job performance” I would win out in both. There was nothing attractive about her in my opinion.

 
We walked down to the garage together and then he turned to me out of realization that my car was the only car that would carry them all. So I handed him the keys and I climbed in the back seat behind him so that he was able to view me in the rear view mirror while we drove downtown. Grace didn’t like me at all, I could feel it. And that was fine with me. I knew before long something negative would happen between us and I knew that I would go straight to Connery with whatever it was. He had to know that this was not a good situation, to put two of his “women” working together with his family. Again all I could imagine what had gone through his mind when he had asked her to come work here with us.

  We made it to the downtown area. Connery parked the car after letting us all out. Once he caught up with us we immediately started walking through the vendors booths and checking out the merchandise being sold. Connery had noticed a booth selling boa’s so he purchased a hot pink one for me while I was attending to his father in the wheel chair. Connery approached me with the gift and placed it around my neck while whispering, he thought I might be cold and this would keep my neck warm. This was the first thing he had every bought me with the exception of the taco and soda he had paid for months before. I was so pleased and proudly pranced around flaunting the new pink boa for Grace to see. She wasn’t as excited about it as I was, of course. The pink boa would be something I would cherish forever. Little though it might have seemed to others, it had meaning to me, a place and time that could always remember a good time had.

  We made our way through the crowds finally sitting waiting for the parades to march through the streets. Once they were all done we headed back towards the car and Connery picked us up and drove us back to the Condo. The evening had been exciting, interesting and even a bit overwhelming in many ways. I had felt like Grace and I would be forever competing for Connery now. It would be a daily ordeal between her and me. I was worried that if it got too far out of hand that Connery would just dump us both. I was going to make sure that if any one got dumped it would be her, not me. I would do or say anything within my being to keep Connery for myself, even though I might have to share him with others I was not going to let this woman destroy all that he and I had worked so hard to obtain.

  I departed from the garage without even going back up to the condo. There was no reason and besides I was tired it had been a mentally exhausting day, meeting Grace O’Brian was more than I thought it would be and then the parade and dealing with the folks as well. Tomorrow would be a new day. I could start fresh and new with the emotional ordeal of dealing with the third wheel, Grace. I went on to work as usual aware that she wouldn’t be there until time for me to leave from my shift. Little did I know I would be wrong? Connery had asked her to come over while I was there so she could observe the day in and day out routine. Get familiar with things. I was frustrated of this information. I wanted to be rid of her and bad. So she arrived shortly after I did, but it was nothing like she had expected things would be. I had already done the morning chores, meds and anything else I could think of. I wanted time to sit down and talk with her, get her side of the story from beginning to end. We did a few little reviews of the daily tasks and then Grace and I went back to the back room sat down and began talking. We discussed the dating site, her profile name, how long we’d both been on the site and a few odds and ins. Then I asked her when she had met Connery, what picture was he using at the time and how many times they had been together sexually. She didn’t hesitate to share the answers to all the questions I had laid out in front of her. It was like she knew it would happen and was fully prepared with answers.

  Grace had met Connery back in October just after he had his surgery. She had driven to the island just as he had said to meet up with him to have sex. The stories of both so far matched.

  She had also shared, just as Connery had instructed me with the resume and job for her to do the same. Then she begins to tell me how she had been left for dead basically in storage shed where her husband had run off and left her. She had managed to get away and was living with a close friend now and needed work and Connery had offered her the third shift position and she had jumped at the opportunity. She told me of her life and how she had been used, and abused by all her x’s three to be exact, the third not yet divorced and no date in site. It amazed me that men and women could just fuck around while married. I must have been brought up with some strict moral beliefs because I would have never been able to do these things if I had been married; it was hard enough now sometimes even being single sleeping around. Times had changed from when I was a teenager and sleeping with complete strangers was normal to most.

  Grace begin telling me how she had video chatted with Connery and how she had noticed his wedding ring on one occasion and had questioned him about it then. He had been honest with her and yes, told her he was married, and happily at that, but he just needed sex with others and often. It hadn’t seemed to bother her one bit. She mentioned her children and grandchildren and her idiot sister, as she had called her, Satan, in female form. She hated her sister it was obvious.

  Finally she said something that caught my attention. Something I had to even ask her to repeat again just to make certain I had understood her correctly. She had sat there on the bed in the home of Connery’s parents and boldly looked me straight in the face and said that from this point on… She would be included in the family will. She was going to make sure that the husband and wife, the one plus one would now not equal two but three, meaning that she was going to bust up this marriage, she would take her place as his and the wife would be good riddance. I couldn’t believe my ears. I was shocked had he known this was what kind of person she was, probably not. It wouldn’t be long before he would because I was going to make sure he knew this. She was after his money, his life, and wanted him. She would do anything and everything to have her way. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I had been there first, and even though I didn’t want Connery or his money, nor to destroy his marriage I did want him for sex and for a friend and I would fright for what I had gone through to get to where I was. If I had known in the beginning he was married I would have never gotten myself in this situation but it had happened.

  Connery was made aware of Graces preexisting pretenses. He wasn’t happy about this little insight regarding the newest employee. He should have checked her out better. With me he could have gone to anyone on the island and questioned my integrity, my intensions. But with her he had nowhere to check, it was her word or nothing.

  Things got better in time and we settled our differences and she found out that Connery and I cared for each other in ways she had no idea. I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  Chapter 25

  February and January had been stressful months. The new responsibly of caring for Connery’s parents, meeting Abigail, Celeste, and then there was Grace, much less the folks and Higgs too. Had I gotten into something I didn’t have any control over? Or was I in complete control and no one realized it yet but me.

  Connery, had he been a complete fool by placing me in the position of caring for his parents, meeting his wife, brother, and becoming a part of the day to day routine in the Jackson family lives? I had wondered if he thought at some point, I could turn on him, tell the world of our affair and now could include the so called one time sexual encounter with Grace O’Brian as well. He’d better watch his p’s and q’s as the old adage went for if he decided to not see me anymore I had a hold of some pretty important information that I was certain could and destroy his little perfect world, as he knew it. I had been used to seeing Connery so many times a day that I was having withdrawals. He was like an illegal drug and I was so addicted to him I would do anything to have him, to taste him, to have his body.

  Connery hadn’t realized that I was capable of telling all, if push came to shove. For the moment we were still alright, but I still wanted him sexually, now even more than ever. I also wanted him to have nothing to do with Gr
ace for she had become a real bitch. She did nothing when it came to actually working at the folk’s house and it seemed like all the real work still fell on Celeste and me. So he was paying Grace to sit and play on her computer games or talk on the phone or hunt for willing men on line throughout the day to meet up with her. It wasn’t right. When I had gone to him, telling him of her don’t give a damn, attitude he snubbed me in a strange way or it at appeared to me as if he had. This angered me, the first time I think he had ever angered me, and he’d better watch it was all I could think.

  I was in the position to burst his bubble, destroy his world. But I wouldn’t do that to Connery even if he pushed me completely away, or never saw me again for sex, I still couldn’t hurt him. I had fallen in love with him and nothing or no one would take that from me. I would always hold a place in my heart for him. Once he had told me if he ever had to move away, leave the island, he would forget about me in time and would move on to the next woman. That had cut me deep, but he if he ever left the island he would then have no reason to want me to need me, all we had in common was put into simple words with one of our messaging conversations.

  “You are a gorgeous woman, and you have no idea. You are so hot, I adore how gorgeous you are, but if I ever leave the island you would be just like all the others, history. I would forget about you and move on to the next one. There would always be someone in my life to supply the unconditional sex that I so craved. Abby had lost my attention like I had told you once before, that no one can have an alluring attraction to the same person for a life time, it’s not meant to be that way.”

  This hurt me, but I knew I would do the same with him, at least the move on part, but I could never forget him, my Mr. Bond, my GCLST. With no regrets he would forever be a part of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.