Deserve A Chance

by Natalie Ann

  There was no reason to be, really.

  It’s not like she and Zach hadn’t had plenty of sex.

  It’s not like he didn’t know her body better than anyone else she’d ever been with.

  But for some reason, there was a part of her that felt the nerves as she climbed the stairs with an overnight bag on her shoulder.

  Maybe it was because she saw their time together coming to an end and was preparing herself for what was going to really happen, rather than what he kept trying to convince her he wanted.

  Or maybe it was because he was so sweet and considerate by dropping lunch off for the whole office today, which softened her already melting heart.

  Her heart had been frozen solid for years and no one had been able to thaw it even an ounce.

  But here was this guy that had a blow dryer running full blast, heating her up good, and making her wonder if she could finally let herself go again.

  She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, then marched forward with all the confidence she’d shown her whole life.

  The door opened before she even had a chance to knock.

  There he was, looking so sexy and a bit wrinkled. Like he’d been napping.

  “Did I wake you?” she asked, moving past him, purposely rubbing her body against his.

  “Hardly.” He shut the door behind her. “I’ve been dealing with Caleb and Nick on a conference call again.”

  “A conference call when Caleb is in walking distance and Nick is just a few miles away?”

  “They kicked me out. I was at Nick’s and they told me to leave. That I was getting on their nerves.”

  She laughed. “I bet you hear that a lot from them.”

  “I do. But I’ve never really seen the two of them working side by side before, so it’s a bit of a shock. It’s like I was double-teamed again.”

  “I’m sure you’ll survive.”

  “They’re on their own now, though. I told them I was done at six.”

  “They were probably relieved to hear it.”

  “Sad, but it was true. Enough talk about my work, and none about yours. This is our night.”

  Her heart raced again. “We only get one night? I was hoping all day tomorrow and the next night could be ours, too.”

  “That was my plan.” His eyes roamed over her jeans and cotton shirt. She’d taken her jacket off and laid it on the back of a chair, then set her bag down. “I think your idea of sexy and mine are completely different.”

  She laughed. “Sexy doesn’t have to be these clothes.”

  His eyes moved to her bag on the floor. “You need to change?”

  “No. I’ve got what I need on right now.” He started to reach for her shirt, but she sidestepped him then slapped at his hand. “You need to wait. That’s part of the fun. You imagining what I’ve got on under everything and how long it’s going to be before you get to see it.”

  “You have a wicked side to you.”

  “You love it,” she said.

  “You know I do,” he agreed.

  She looked around the cabin and saw plates set on the island, a few candles lit, but no food.

  “What’s for dinner?”

  “Celeste is bringing it over in a minute.”

  “Really?” she asked. “You asked Celeste to cook for you? That’s the easy way out.”

  “It is, but she took pity on me when she heard how mean Caleb was being.”

  “I’m sure she did. So what did you request for dinner?” she asked.

  “She told me it was all a surprise, too. I couldn’t say no since she was offering. But I can offer you a glass of wine.”

  Dinner was a surprise. Celeste had actually made a fondue of sorts for them. Thin slices of meats to dip in pots of boiling broth, along with some vegetables to dip in cheese.

  It was a simple, yet messy dinner. Almost an erotic one, and she knew she’d have to thank Celeste for it.

  Amber and Zach were dipping and sampling, licking up dribbles on fingers and lips.

  “I swear you and Celeste put your heads together for this,” Zach said.

  “I knew nothing about it.”

  “I’m dying here.”

  “Join the club.”

  “Between where my imagination is going with what you’re wearing under your clothes and this meal, I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

  Her hand slid down on his thigh, then moved up and cupped him. Yeah, he wasn’t kidding.

  “Maybe you’d like to go to the bedroom now,” she said.

  “There is no maybe about it.”

  She pushed the stool back to stand up, but didn’t get far before Zach picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

  “Whoa,” she said. “What’s come over you?”

  “You. You’ve come over me.” He walked rapidly into the bedroom, kicked the door shut, and slightly dropped her on the bed, then came down on top of her. “Can I find out what you’ve got on underneath now?”

  “Be my guest.”

  He reached for her shirt and lifted it over her head then sucked in a breath. “You remembered,” he said.

  She did. She remembered everything, too. Zach loved red. Red underwear. So she went to one of the small boutiques before coming here and prayed there was something there she could buy.

  As fast as her shirt was removed, her jeans followed. “Oh man. Please tell me it’s a thong.” He rolled her over onto her stomach. “Did you have this set already or go buy it for me?’

  “Be lucky they had my size in stock on such short notice.”

  “I’m lucky. I’m a very lucky man,” he said. “And none of this is coming off.”

  “How are we going to manage that?”

  “I’ll manage, don’t you worry.”

  She didn’t have time to ask anything else before he was disrobing and climbing back on the bed. “Are you in a hurry?” she asked, grinning.

  “Yes.”

  It was a simple answer and all he said before he turned her back over and positioned her on her hands and knees.

  That was one of the things she appreciated so much about him. How he always seemed to know exactly what she wanted.

  His hands were on her bare cheeks, squeezing and kneading, massaging and feeling all of her.

  “Whatever you do, don’t ever make this smaller. Don’t ever use any of those treatments or whatnot in your office here.”

  “It’s a bit bigger than I’d like,” she said, laughing and teasing him.

  “It’s perfect. A woman is born to have curves, so keep them.”

  It sounded like a demand to her ears and she was okay with that. What woman didn’t like a man saying he loved her body as is?

  The minute his hands moved away, she felt his lips on a cheek, kissing his way up to the top of the thin band; then his tongue went under and around, tugging with his teeth until she felt the material move out of the way.

  She heard a foil wrapper and then there was no other time to think of anything else before he entered her hard and fast. It didn’t matter though, because that dinner had worked her up just as much as him, and he glided right in.

  She dropped her forehead down to the bed and sucked in a breath as he moved in and out, fast and slow, gripping her hips and holding her steady.

  “Zach,” she said, almost pleading with him.

  “No talking,” he said. “I just want to feel this with no distractions.”

  So she bit her lip to keep any sounds from escaping. He was moving so quickly now, causing her to inch up further on the bed and she was pretty sure he wasn’t aware of it.

  That was okay because she knew he was close. Not by the heavy breathing they were both doing or his increased motions, but by the fact one hand reached around and found just the right spot.

  He knew what to touch, where to touch, and exactly how to make her body sing.

  Together they made the best duet she’d ever heard, and she wondered if she’d ever hear it again after he left
on Sunday.

  Judgment

  Late Sunday morning, Amber pulled into her parents’ driveway. She’d been avoiding them since Thursday, but knew she couldn’t any longer.

  Besides, Zach’s flight was in the air right now and she needed to take her mind off of it.

  He said he’d call when he landed. She wanted to believe it, but she still had no clue how any of this was going to work, so she was preparing for silence on his end for some time. If he called, it would be a bonus, if not, this way she wouldn’t be so upset over it.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said, walking in the back door.

  “Amber Anne, you finally decided to make your presence known again.”

  Her full name was the first sign this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. And the tone of voice she’d heard way too often in her life.

  The tone of disappointment.

  “Where do you think I’ve been?” she asked.

  “I know where you’ve been.”

  No surprise. Small towns. But she asked anyway. “And where is that?”

  “You had a guest on Thursday night and haven’t been home for the last several nights.”

  Yeah, her mother was fully informed.

  “Your source is correct.”

  “Don’t be wise with me, Amber. You know how I feel about this.”

  “About what? That I’ve got a boyfriend?”

  Her mother snorted. “A boyfriend. A man you met in Vegas, who came to visit for a week. That’s not a boyfriend.”

  “You wouldn’t understand,” she said. “Times have changed. Not everyone is in a relationship with the boy next door.”

  “You keep deluding yourself if you want about this being a relationship. Men like that are only after one thing and you’ve easily given it away now.”

  It was the last straw. As if she needed her mother to voice the thoughts she was trying to bury in her own brain. “What’s that, Mom? Sex? I had sex out of wedlock? I’m an evil girl. Send me to hell.”

  “Stop it right now,” her mother said, drawing in a breath. “Don’t talk like that to me.”

  “Me! You’re the one insulting me. You’re the one casting judgment on me.”

  “You know your father and I hear everything. It’s embarrassing to us for people to know how you behave.”

  “I’ve been an embarrassment to you my whole life. There is nothing wrong or evil about having an intimate relationship with a man you care about. I’m a responsible adult. I can take care of myself and have done it for years.”

  Her mother drew herself up straighter. “I raised you better.”

  Amber took a step toward the door, glad she hadn’t even taken her jacket off. “Just remember that. You raised me. Maybe you ought to take a look at what you think you did so wrong then.”

  She opened the door and slammed it behind her, then made her way to her car, her hands shaking.

  It was nothing more than the type of argument she’d been having a few times a year with her mother most of her life. She’d never be anything but a disappointment to them.

  They didn’t understand, and they never would. She wasn’t meant to be like them. Not many people were.

  They were old fashioned in their thoughts and beliefs. She didn’t hold it against them, she didn’t judge them on it, so why did they have to judge her?

  You’d think with as much counseling as her father had done over the years to troubled kids, he’d realize that the way they treated her and Sally was far from perfect. Holding her to unrealistic expectations and beliefs. She wasn’t a bad person. She really wasn’t.

  If only she could fully convince herself of that.

  ***

  The first thing Zach did when he landed was drive straight to see his grandparents.

  He knew his mother and half-siblings had left that morning. He even texted before he climbed into his car to verify they were indeed gone.

  “Zach,” his grandmother said when she opened her door wide before he could even climb the stairs. “Come give me a hug.”

  He raced up them and hugged her tight, lifting her off the ground briefly and then kissing her cheek. He missed her more than he thought he would.

  “It’s good to be home. Where’s Grandpa?”

  “He ran to Jimmy’s, but he’ll be back shortly. I’ve got dinner cooking. Please tell me you’re staying.”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. Did you make my pie?”

  “I did. You know it.”

  “You’re the best.” He walked into the kitchen and smelled a pot roast cooking. Nothing like coming home to Grandma’s.

  “Tell me all about Lake Placid. You stayed longer than I thought.”

  He debated on what to say and how much. He could fib and say he spent most of the time working, which was only a half-truth. Or he could tell her about Amber. Since he wasn’t sure yet, he brushed it off.

  “First, tell me what is going on and how much you know about my mother’s situation.”

  “Cutting to the chase, aren’t you?’

  “Yep.”

  He walked over and turned the one-cup coffee maker on and prepared to get comfortable in the kitchen like he had so much in his life.

  “I don’t know much more than she got a pink slip this week.”

  “She was fired?” he asked, not surprised.

  “No. The plant she works at is laying off half their staff. That meant people in the office were being let go, too.”

  “When is her last day?”

  His mother never went to college. She barely had a high school diploma. Somehow she’d landed a job in an office as a secretary, though.

  “They were all given three weeks and extra holiday time last week, which is why she came earlier.”

  “What does she want from you then? Money?”

  “She didn’t say. I think she just needed to talk to someone. The kids’ father is unemployed too, you know that. Child support has been few and far between lately. This is another blow. She has a few job interviews lined up next week, but she isn’t holding her breath.”

  “Are they getting any severance packages?”

  His grandmother snorted. “Really, Zach? No. They were given three weeks’ notice and help finding another job. That is what these interviews are next week. Otherwise, she’ll be on unemployment when she’s officially done.”

  Which meant if she was scraping by before, it was only going to get worse.

  “What did the kids say?”

  “Nothing. Your grandfather and I tried to talk to them separately, but they weren’t forthcoming at all. Both were pretty miserable while they were here. You could see they were upset, but they never said a word.”

  He thought for a minute. “Is she still living in the same apartment?”

  “As far as I know. Why?”

  “Just wondering,” he said. “Enough about that for now. So I met a girl.”

  “What? Where? Why are you just saying this now?”

  He knew it would take his grandmother’s mind off of his mother now. “I met her in Vegas, then I lost her. Come to find out she works with Rene in Lake Placid.”

  “Vegas, Zach?” she said, shaking her head.

  “She was at the convention, Grandma. She isn’t a call girl. I told you she works with Rene. Rene was supposed to be there with her but decided not to go last minute.”

  “What do you mean by you lost her? Is she the person you told me you were trying to find weeks ago?”

  He’d forgotten he briefly mentioned that to her. “Yes, it is. And she didn’t give me her real name and left before I could get her number.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know any more details about Vegas,” she said, narrowing her eyes on him.

  “I’m not going to tell you anything more.”

  “Good. So when you were in Lake Placid, you ran into her? Who was more shocked, you or her?”

  His grandmother’s easy acceptance of things always warmed him. She never judged, just questione
d, then tried to help.

  “We were equally shocked, but spent the entire time together.”

  “Now what?” she asked, pulling out a chair and sitting across from him.

  “Now I guess we’re going to try this long-distance dating thing.”

  “Do you think it can work? What exactly does she do for a living?”

  “She’s a PA like Rene. Works a crazy amount of hours.”

  “Just like you,” his grandmother said. He didn’t need the reminder.

  “Yes. Just like me. But we’ve got phones and computers to communicate.”

  “It’s not really the same thing as seeing someone in person,” she pointed out.

  “No, it’s not. But I can fly there at least once a month. It will give us time to test the waters.”

  “Is she okay with that?”

  “She seemed it. I told her I’d call her when I landed.”

  “Did you?”

  He’d been more concerned about what was going on with his mother and grandparents while he’d been gone. “No. Not yet. But I sent her a text that I was coming to see you and that I landed safely and would call later.”

  “Call her right now,” his grandmother said.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. You told her you would and you didn’t. I raised you to follow through with promises.”

  He laughed. “I didn’t promise to call her.”

  “If you like this girl as much as I think, then you’ll call her right now.”

  He’d never seen his grandmother like this before.

  “Are you going to want to say a few words to her, too?” he asked, joking.

  “Yes, I am.”

  His jaw dropped. That wasn’t what he expected. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  He knew when his grandmother had made up her mind and this was one of those times. Rather than disobey her, he pulled his phone out and made the call.

  “Zach,” Amber said, sounding excited, and his smile widened. “I thought you were going to your grandparents’?”

  “I did. I am. I mean, I’m here now. I was just scolded by my grandmother into calling you, that if I didn’t then I was breaking a promise.”

  She laughed on the other line. “I think I like your grandmother.”