Thirty-Five

The morning came early. Faith hit the snooze button three times before she forced her eyes to creek open and tried to focus on the popcorn ceiling. Each time she silenced the screeching wail, she negotiated with herself in order to remain in bed. She didn’t need to wash her hair. She could wear her Polo pullover, instead of her beige top, so she didn’t need to iron anything. She would risk sandals and forget socks and shoes. Finally, there was nothing else to cross off her morning routine. She had to get up.

Her head throbbed as if one of those silly wind-up monkeys clanged its cymbals behind her eyeballs. She slammed the alarm off as she squeezed the bridge of her nose between two fingers. Groaning, she pulled herself into a sitting position, the blankets bunched around her waist. Oh god, what did I do to myself?

Faith left the warmth of her bed and trudged her way to the bathroom, holding her head with her right hand. With her left hand, she turned on the shower, avoiding the mirror. She did not want to see what she looked like this morning.

They were done and heading home. Kent’s office was running smoothly and, if Patricia did everything Faith showed her, she could stay on top of it. Faith did all she could. It was in their hands now.

The hot water scalded her body but did little to wake up her mind. She should have known better than to get that drunk. Faith wasn’t a heavy drinker, and twice in one week now, she allowed herself to lose control. She placed her hands upon the plastic shower wall and hung her head into the pelting stream. Her hair draped around her head like a curtain. Last week, her drunken stupor was with Selby and Tracey, and Faith had just let go and enjoyed herself. Last night, she had been angry and hurt and simply wanted to stop feeling. Of course, this morning she was more than making up for it in the feeling department. Her head pounded, her mouth felt drier than dirt, and her back ached from the stone slab the hotel called a mattress. It seemed as if her entire body felt something.

Once she was out of the shower and trying to dry her hair with a towel without throwing up, her cell trilled out its ring. She answered it just to shut it up. “Hello?”

“Whoa, you do not sound good at all.” Tracey’s voice on the other hand sounded way too chipper for seven in the morning. “You okay?”

Faith plopped on the edge of the bed, her naked body still damp. She held the towel across her as if Tracey could see through the phone. “Yeah. I just woke up with a headache.”

“A headache or a hangover?” Faith could practically hear the evil smile.

“Yes.”

Tracey started laughing, and Faith had to hold the phone away from her ear until the other woman stopped. “Good for you. At least someone is having fun this week.”

“I did last night, at least. Who isn’t having fun?”

Tracey told Faith about Selby’s moodiness and how he had moped around all week without her. Faith felt both happy and sad hearing it. Happy that he worried about her and missed her; sad that he hadn’t enjoyed his week. She had no illusions that Selby would survive without her, but it helped to know he was miserable while doing it. Of course, she didn’t know how much of his mood was because of the drama of Edwin, Cherish, and Glen, or actually him missing her. She was sure the former played a big part in it.

Faith then told the redhead about her conversations with Selby and Edwin’s silence. “Hell, not only did Edwin not talk to me this week, but the bastard also told Morgan he could have sex with me!”

“Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Have sex with him.”

Faith felt her cheeks blush. “That’s not the point.”

“Ha! You did. Faith, you little slut, you.”

“I did not!” Faith yelled into the phone. “Well,” she said a little more meekly, “not exactly. He went down on me. That was it.” By the end of the sentence, she was smiling.

“Does Selby know?”

“Not yet, but he called just as it was getting started.”

“Okay, girl, tell me. I want it all.”

“Oh god, it was good.” Faith told Tracey everything from the dinner conversation all the way to Selby’s call and her saying she was digging a shoe out from under the bed to cover up for her heavy breathing. Faith could hear the business of the bakery going on in the background, and somehow, the knowledge of Tracey’s location started Faith’s pussy dripping. Not only couldn’t she believe she was telling the redhead about Wednesday night, but what’s more she couldn’t believe the other woman was at work, listening. It felt like sneaky phone sex, and she couldn’t resist slipping a finger between her legs to rub her swelling clit. Her breathing grew heavy, and she tried to force it back to normal, but it wasn’t going to happen.

How she could flip back and forth in her moods, Faith didn’t know, but right now she just wanted someone to touch her. It didn’t matter by who or how. She could feel the wetness between her pussy lips as she slipped two fingers into her channel and started massaging her clit again. She shared how Morgan had smothered her pussy with whipped cream and used the strawberry to fill her. She closed her eyes as she pictured his head buried between her thighs and remembered how his tongue felt on her as he lapped the silky cream from her body.

Tracey’s breathing grew heavy in Faith’s ear, a pant and moan. The noise in the background had disappeared, leaving the two of them alone with Morgan. Faith lay back on the bed, the towel falling to the floor. “He ate the strawberry out of my pussy.” She rubbed her swollen nub in faster circles while Tracey’s moans told her the customers were being put on hold. Faith continued her story, feeling it all over again as her fingers caressed where his tongue had licked.

Faith heard the other woman moan and then catch a whimper before it became a scream. Faith’s back arched as her own orgasm hit, her body shaking as her hips tried to fuck her finger. She no longer saw Morgan, but the redhead in her office chair, fingers mirroring Faith’s. That was the image that caused her explosion. Tracey’s was the name Faith whispered into the phone. Tracey whispered Faith’s name back.

Both ladies were silent for a while except for the panting of their heavy breaths. Faith didn’t know if that had been phone sex or mutual masturbation or both. She did know she was still turned on, and the conversation had just made it worse.

“When will you be home?”

“Not soon enough.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Selby stared at the clock on the wall. Faith had been on the road for two hours with another hour to go. He gave up stocking shelves and just sat behind the counter staring at the rotating hands of the clock. They didn’t move. Time wasn’t just dragging; it had stopped altogether.

There had been no morning call, just a text saying she was leaving and she loved him. He wanted to keep texting her on her ride home but didn’t. She had ignored his calls last night and hadn’t called that morning. She was making a statement, a loud one, and Selby had gotten the message. She needed some space, and he forced himself to give it to her.

His fear, however, was what might happen on the other end of that space. Would Faith continue to see Edwin just for spite, even after Selby had asked her to stop? Then, the next question was how much Selby would continue to allow. This went beyond their sexual exploration. Faith’s relationship with Edwin had the potential to explode in her face and rain down into her family. If her mother was a bitch now, it would only escalate with the knowledge that Faith had fucked her boss. Life with Valerie Driscoll would become even more of a living hell.

The cowbell over his door clanged as Tracey entered the bookstore, two turkey on rye sandwiches in one hand and a couple of Cokes in the other. “Our girl make it in, yet?” The door slid shut behind her as she laid the food on his cluttered counter.

Selby shook his head. “Another hour, I’m guessing. I haven’t heard from her since she left.”

She just shrugged as she slid behind the counter and onto the black stool. “You’ll get her all weekend. Well, not all weekend, because I plan on having some girl time, as well.”

Selby glanced at the sandwich but didn’t reach for it. “At this point, Faith will probably want to see you more than me, anyway.” He caught himself glancing at the clock again, but stopped, closing his eyes instead. He forced a smile upon his face as he glanced up at Tracey. Reaching for the sandwich, he said, “So, how has your morning been?”

Tracey had been about to take a bite of her lunch but stopped. “What was that all about?”

“What? I can’t ask about your day?”

“Don’t play stupid with me.” She held her sandwich by her lap. “I’ve never known you to play the poor pitiful Selby act. Why now?”

Selby leaned back in his chair, shoulders slumped. “Because she’s not talking to me.” He went over their last conversation and how Faith had been ignoring his calls. His only communication had been the text that morning. He knew Faith was upset, but he was confused as to exactly what it was that had her that way. Edwin? Cherish? Him? All three or a combination of the three? He didn’t know, and it bothered him to no end.

“So she’s mad; she’ll get over it,” Tracey said. “You’re not giving our girl much credit here. She’s being bombarded with a myriad of emotions and feelings, all very new and extremely raw. She has to sift through them, and she will. She just won’t do it as fast as you want.”

Selby said nothing. He just stared at the sprouts poking out between the meat and bread. He could understand that Faith was going through a lot, but she had never shut him out before. They prided themselves on being able to discuss anything. They both said it was a major strength in their marriage. Selby didn’t know how to handle the silence.

Tracey slid off the stool and walked around behind his chair. She slid her arms around his neck and her hands down his chest, holding him in place as she leaned in and kissed his ear. “She’s not going anywhere, Selby. She loves you and the life she has,” Tracey whispered as she squeezed him lightly. Any other time, it would have been seductive, but right then, it was simply comforting.

Selby lifted a hand to cover hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I hope you’re right.”

He felt the softness of her lips as she kissed his ear. “I’m always right.” They gave each other another squeeze before letting go. Tracey waved at the lunch remains as she circled the counter. “Now, be a good boy and clean all this up while I get back to work and give our girl a big, wet, sloppy kiss from me when you see her.”

Selby watched as the small woman passed through the front door and stopped traffic as she crossed New Haven Avenue. She was always so positive, so upbeat. She didn’t care if the glass was half empty or half full; she just drank it while it was there. He needed that in his life right now. He picked up the wax sandwich wrappers, then paused as he glanced back across the street. No, he needed Tracey in his life, not someone like her, not just her positive attitude. Her. He froze at the realization.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was an emotional time for him right now, and he needed to make sure he didn’t put feelings where none really existed. He loved Tracey in their life, but she was a friend. True, a friend with perks, but that was it. Faith was his wife, and he loved her.

Selby opened his eyes and stared across the street at the entrance to Joe’s Bakery. He could picture the petite auburn-haired girl tying her apron around her waist while flirting with the next customer. Only she could make pastries seductive. He found himself smiling. Was it possible to care about two people at the same time as Tracey did with Ryan and Chelsea? Was this Faith’s battle with Edwin?

He took the trash and dumped it in the garbage bin out back. He was eager for Faith to be back in his arms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith was quiet for most of the trip, her thoughts sinking in the quicksand that became her life. Morgan remained stuck on his phone conducting business, making Neal money as he liked to say. Their conversation, when they had it, was light, him telling her what a great job she had done and how he appreciated all her hard work. He intended to head back to Orlando when they returned, and it’d be at least a month before he was in Brevard again.

“To be honest, Neal’s thinking of taking me to Mississippi with him,” Morgan said as they finally entered Brevard County. “Seems, he’s ready to branch out more, and there’s still quite a bit to rebuild after Katrina.”

“Where in Mississippi?”

“Right around Biloxi. I was thinking you did such a great job this week, I’d take you with me to train a brand-new office.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the thought, and she hoped some of it was true. Of course, knowing Morgan as she did, he was also probably hoping to finish their little tryst. She had to admit it would be fun to see what he was like in bed. However, traveling wasn’t what she needed at the moment. “Thanks for the offer, but right now, I need to focus on what I have at home.”

Morgan nodded. “Have you figured any of that out, yet?”

Faith glanced out the window at the passing palm trees and oaks. Florida had such bizarre landscaping, like a hodgepodge of plants and trees with no order or design. Her life had suddenly become a hodgepodge, as well, and somehow she needed to sort it out and bring order to it. “Not really.”

“Well, you’re still on my dime, so take the rest of the day off with pay. Go see Selby, go to the beach, go home, whatever, but relax. You’ve earned it. Everything else will figure itself out. You’re a strong woman, Faith, who enjoys her life. You’ll know what to do when it’s time.”

She hoped he was right.

When they pulled into the parking lot at Rutherford Construction, Edwin and Cherish stood by the back door, having a cigarette. Things were back to normal, it seemed. Morgan parked beside her small Toyota and thanked her again for all her hard work. Faith thanked him for the fun time in return and then both slid out of the truck.

Cherish stood a few feet from Edwin, but as Faith came around Morgan’s truck, she saw her sister slide closer to their boss. Faith took a deep breath. She intended to take Morgan’s advice and take the rest of the day off. She was in no mood to put up with the jealousy nonsense.

“How did it go?” Edwin tossed his Salem into the distance as he left Cherish’s side and approached Morgan and Faith. “Ready to return my girl to me?”

Cherish glanced at Faith. “Welcome back.” She dropped her cigarette and went back inside, leaving the two men alone with Faith.

“Nope,” Morgan said. “You get her back Monday morning. I gave her the rest of the day off.” He turned to Faith and winked. Turning back around, he gave Edwin’s arm a pat as he walked by. “I’ll see you inside.”

Edwin slipped his hands into his pockets. “So, how was it?”

Faith just glanced at him and then at the door Cherish had passed through. “Quiet,” she said, her eyes returning to the tall man in front of her. “Very quiet.”

Edwin nodded. “I figured you’d be busy, so I left you alone. Figured you’d reach out to me when you wanted.”

“I did reach out to you, but gave up when you never responded. And you mean you thought I was busy with Morgan because you told him he could fuck me? And that’s bullshit. An excuse for you to ignore me for a week.” Anger coursed through her, ready to erupt and scald the man before her who a week ago she would have done anything for. “How long have you been fucking my sister?”

“Selby told you?”

“He told me Glen’s suspicions and then everything fell into place. He shouldn’t have had to tell me, though. The signs were all there. I should have seen it myself, but more importantly, you should have told me.”

“That would have gone over like a fart in church. Do you want Cherish to know that we’ve been having sex?” He crisscrossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow at her.

“Hell no! Are you crazy?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure Cherish doesn’t want you to know, either. And really, Faith, it’s not my place to tell you other people’s secrets.” He took a deep breath. “Look, I didn’t plan any of this. I never dreamed you would actually follow through on any of it, and when you did, I was too caught up in it to think about Cherish. You two are nothing alike.” He glanced off into the woods in the backfield. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should have told you. It was stupid.”

“No, Edwin, it was selfish. Just like you ignoring me for the past week was selfish. And cruel.” She shuffled into her purse and dug out her keys. Looking up at Edwin, she wanted to cry and scream and slap him, all at the same time. “I’m going home.”

“But I want to see you.”

“No, you want to fuck me. There’s a difference. If you had really wanted to see me, you would have talked to me throughout the week. I don’t need a welcome home booty call.” She opened her truck door and threw her purse inside. Turning back around to face Edwin, she saw Cherish staring out the break room window. Her sister had been the wild one growing up. It shouldn’t have surprised Faith that Cherish slept with their boss. The fact that Faith had been screwing around probably shocked the hell out of Cherish, however. “I’ll see you Monday morning.” She slid behind the wheel and shut the door.

She caught Cherish’s eye as she turned the key. If Glen knew that Cherish was having an affair, what did that mean for their marriage? Faith put the truck in reverse, not looking at Edwin, but with Cherish’s face etched into her mind. She felt as if she betrayed Cherish, somehow, and the sad part was, the two sisters really didn’t like each other that much. Still, Faith didn’t wish her sister harm.

Faith slipped out onto Eau Gallie Boulevard and headed for the ocean. She dug her phone out of her purse and sent Selby a text. “Heading home. Please close the shop early.” She plopped the phone in her lap as she pressed harder on the accelerator. She just wanted to be in her home in the arms of her husband.