Barrie Abelard The Baker's Man [DaD] (pdf)

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with her was her unfulfilled desire and the
fragments of a dream. She moved one hand to the
lingering welt in the bottom-thigh crease, and the
other to touch the area where she d dreamed
Jackson s mouth had been. She was hot and ready,
and her release a minute later left her panting.
The alarm blared. She slapped it off and
stumbled out of bed. It was time to go to work.
___________________
Jackson heard his cell phone s trill as if from a
distance. Groaning, he covered his head with his
pillow, but it would not be silenced. He peered at his
clock. Five-fifty-eight. He had to get up, anyway,
but if this was Bradley about the job fair one more
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time he was going to charge the man extra for all
the harassment. Punching it on, he snarled, Yeah?
I say, boy, that s hardly the way you want to
answer your business s cell phone, is it?
Jackson rubbed his eyes. What the hell are you
calling about, Bobby?
Something you should hear, if you know what s
good for you.
A beat of silence was followed by Jackson s
irritated, Well?
What would you think of catering a party for
me?
You called at six in the morning to ask me that?
Of course, I ll cater a party for you, but when?
What s the rush?
Elyse has offered me a job. I want to
celebrate.
What?
You heard me. I m thinking of working for
Elyse.
Whatever for? What would you do? Wait, don t
answer that. I can only imagine what you might do
for Elyse. Aren t gigolos normally buff guys in their
twenties? Jackson climbed out of bed and headed
toward the kitchen.
It s not what you think, though I don t give a
flying damn what you or anyone else thinks. I m
talking a real job here.
Humor me. What is Elyse offering you? She
doesn t own any businesses as far as I know, and I
can t see you working as her gardener or towel
boy.
Hardly, Bobby sniffed. She wants me to
administer the charitable foundation she intends to
start.
What do you know about foundations? Jackson
filled the coffee maker and turned it on.
Not much, but I do know a lot about business
and finance, and she needs someone to do the
business part of it.
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You d quit Allred for this?
Hell, no, at least, not right away. This is a side
job for now, but it s captured my interest, so, why
not?
I ll bite. Exactly what cause is she funding?
Funds for orphans, foster home kids, and poor
kids, to help them all go to college.
Why? We already have a local charity for that.
He couldn t help it, but he didn t feel very charitable
right now, not with a long day ahead of him with
Lena. He recalled the hot dream he d had about her
before the phone rang, and groaned when he
stiffened.
Bobby rattled on. The local group s limited to
orphans. She wants to expand the scope. Plus, she
also wants to make low-interest loans to struggling
entrepreneurs. I have a good head for evaluating
any applicant s business smarts.
Eyeing the clock, Jackson said, I ll throw your
party, and gladly, for free. But right now I ve got
pick up scallops before heading over to Lena s. The
job fair catering at UniMed is today.
You ll not do my party for free, but I ll accept
cost. Good luck with today s job, buddy, and good
luck with Lena.
What s that supposed to mean? Thank God the
coffee was ready. He slurped some, then coughed
as it burned his mouth.
You know damn well what it means. I saw how
you made goo-goo eyes at her on Sunday. And I m
bettin she feels the same way about you. Grab the
brass ring before you miss it. Don t be an idiot.
Though that part may not be possible because I just
heard you cough from drinking too-hot coffee.
You ve been doing that as long as I ve known you.
Thanks for reminding me not to be an idiot. I
forget to do that all the time. How s Elyse s
bottom?
A great pleasure, my friend, a great pleasure to
me and her. I ve spanked her more times than I
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can tell you since Sunday. The woman s mad for it,
especially the belt. I honestly don t know how she
manages to sit any more. And I honestly don t know
if I can keep up with her. She s a pistol, that one.
So I ve heard.
She s wearing me plumb out. I got exactly one
hour s sleep last night, and none Sunday night.
I can t believe you re not keeping up with her,
Bobby.
Yeah, well, I try. Hey, gotta go, buddy.
After the call, Jackson shook his head to clear it.
What the hell was going on between Bobby and
Elyse besides spanking and sex? And what other
surprises did the day have in store?
___________________
Lena had showered and dressed and was
heading downstairs when Ricky emerged from
Annie s room. Seeing Lena, he flushed, starting to
stammer, but she smiled and whispered, It s all
right. I saw you there last night.
Ricky whispered back, Thanks. I ll be leaving
shortly to go shower and dress.
Lena continued to the kitchen, where she made
coffee and poured juice. She d wake Annie in a
moment, but first she needed her daily caffeine jolt.
She paced the kitchen, not quite ready to sit, her
limp slowing her only a little.
She thought of Jackson again, of her dream, of
her intense desire that knew no logic or reason.
Hearing Ricky leave, she returned to the second
floor bathroom, where she studied herself in the
mirror.
Maybe she d dry her hair for a change instead of
simply pulling it back. Wait. She had to pull it back
to work, and cover it as well. Perhaps a little
makeup would be an alternative to foo-fooing her
hair.
What the heck am I doing? she thought while
she painted her eyelashes with mascara and
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reddened her lips, adding a bit of neutral eye
shadow for good measure. She studied the results.
Maybe if she wore the right shirt, her eyes would be
highlighted. Refusing to analyze her unusual
actions, she limped up the stairs, grabbed a knit top
that emphasized her emerald eyes as well as her
figure, and returned to the second floor. She pulled
it over her head before she awakened Annie.
Annie, of course, immediately said, Wow, who
are you dressed for?
No one.
Bullshit. You re wearing makeup, which has
happened about zero times in the last few years. I
didn t think you even owned any.
I don t. I used yours. Now let s stop discussing
me we need to get you in the shower. I don t
suppose you have any sort of plastic bag up here,
do you?
As a matter of fact, there s one. Annie pointed
to an unused garbage bag. She chattered about
Ricky while her sister swathed the cast in plastic
and rubber bands, making it as waterproof as she
could. Helping her stand, Lena said, Let s go. No
time to waste. The chair is still in the tub from my
shower. Do you need me to help you wash?
Sis, I m not a child. Just help me climb into the
tub. I ll toss my clothes on the floor before I start.
The only help I ll need is getting out when I m done.
Also, can you find me something to put down inside
the cast? It s itching like crazy in there, and I m
going insane.
I ll look through the craft materials. I ll bet
we ve still got a knitting needle from Mama.
Just find it quick, Annie groaned. Oh, this is
going to be one lousy, uncomfortable summer, with [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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