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Chapter 54: Beau
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Craving Sugar Chapter 55: Epilogue
Epilogue"May I present to you the new Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Scott," the preacher announced, and everyone stood up to clap, watching as the happy couple and my favorite kiddo walked down the aisle as a new family. It was a thing of beauty, and we were blessed to welcome him into the family.In the six months that followed, he'd been a godsend. Calmed Gloria down. Made her happy. Truly happy for the first time in her life.She'd always loved Aubrey, but was missing something. Made her search for it in all the wrong places. Now I knew why; he was her person.Completed her.The cool breeze off the water swept through the small ceremony, causing a few to grumble about their hair. Not me. I welcomed the reprieve from the warm weather in the middle of winter.We just didn't do that holiday down here. Five days of fifty-degree weather, and then we were back to scorching. Was a blessing and curse.Everyone else walked inside and toward Hendrix's deck to await the next part of the festivities. St
Craving Sugar Chapter 1: Hendrix
Hendrix"I'm not hiring a whore," I all but snarled, pissed at the idiot in front of me. I was tired and stressed; lacked the basic urge to be an understanding individual, much less give the asshole in front of me the benefit of the doubt.Jax, my closest friend since college, had caught me off guard - something that never happened these days.Nothing surprised me anymore, not since that night four years ago. The night my entire world stopped.Fuck. Focus on the here and now."Why?" he asked, bringing me away from that dark path filled with memories - moments frozen in time that never failed to haunt me. "Answer me."The jerk sounded amused - a pit bull with a bone. He wasn't going to let it go.Rubbing a hand down my face, I bit back a tired groan. "No."Of all the moronic crap he could have spewed, I had not been expecting this; for me to hire someone to play the role of my girlfriend for the next few months."Think about it, Hendrix. It's legal, safe..." he ticked each reason off
Craving Sugar Chapter 2:Beau
Beau"I'm so screwed," I whined from my place, head down on the coffee shop's table. I'd just turned in my finals paper in this semester's Special Education: Behavioral Intervention course and was fried.Well, if you could call individual lesson planning that would benefit two kids the age of nine assigned to me a paper. It was more of a teaching assessment. Different needs - IEPs that were set at two different places of the spectrum.It was my dream to work with autistic children, and it all stemmed from my older sister's daughter being diagnosed with autism. Four years old and a total cutie, Aubrey was the light of the family. Loved her as if she were my own, and I needed to help out.To learn what I could and give back to a community full of vibrant children.A dream that now seemed millions of miles away.Tired. Exhausted. Plain old freaking the hell out, I was drowning.From my viewpoint, there was no escaping the dead weight I carried. The responsibilities.Other people's expec
Craving Sugar Chapter 3: Beau
Beau"I can do this. This will be a good thing." A chant. My mantra ever since I set this meeting up with Zoe. Something about the way she reached out to me - how earnest she looked while telling me not to be prideful - resonated with me.Made me call.Once more I walked the length of the sidewalk."Planning to have this conversation out here? Should I fall in step?""Shit!" I yelped, while my companion laughed. Placing a hand on my chest, I looked over to my left and glared. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not kosher to sneak up on people? How rude it is?"Zoe watched me try and regulate my breathing with an amused expression of her face. "My mother did tell me that all the time - hated when I'd sneak up and scare her half to death.""And yet you continue to do so?""Never been able to kick the habit." She shrugged unapologetically. "Didn't grasp the concept." My reply was a quick flip of the bird which caused her to snort. "Real mature, Beau.""Wasn't trying to be.""So..."
Craving Sugar Chapter 4: Beau
Beau"Always the truth.""You two weren't exactly using your indoor voices for parts of the conversation that day."Heat bloomed across my face; I was mortified that she'd heard. Reaching over, Zoe squeezed my hand once before letting go. "Stop. Don't be embarrassed. I've been where you are.""What? How?" I wasn't at my most eloquent. The high pitch in my voice had caught the attention of a few patrons around us, and again I blushed."As you can see..." she tilted her head to the side "...that's a conversation best had in private." Sliding out of the booth, Zoe strode off toward the shop's counter. A few words were exchanged between her and the employee up front before she came back with a few to-go containers.After placing my untouched food in the Styrofoam, she handed me, I looked up. "I thought we were going to talk. Are you leaving?"She nodded. "I am, and we are." Her eyes pleaded with me not to argue. "Come back to my place with me. Let me show you my world and explain." Noddi
Craving Sugar Chapter 5: Beau
BeauI felt as though I'd been beaten and hung out to dry.At that point, and since my lunch with Zoe, I'd been denied for two small personal loans and my credit cards were maxed out. It was official; the financial pits of hell were dead set on dragging me under.Doing the right thing was hurting me.At twenty-three, I lived on my own and paid my own bills. Understood that my parents deserved a break. That taking advantage of their generosity wasn't fair.I should be able to solve my own problems.I should be able to afford college even if it meant I'd be paying back the government until I retired.I should, but couldn't. Not when every single door was being closed in my face.Becoming a stripper was beginning to look very appealing.Jesus, that kind of money would come in handy right about now. Just a few nights a week; I could do it. A decent club in Miami wouldn't be hard to find. On the beach would be my best bet.My tits were perky and ass tight. Being a brunette, green-eyed co-
Craving Sugar Chapter 6: Beau
Beau"Honey, sit down." Dad stood up then and gave me his chair. Squeezed my shoulder as I walked over, and he dashed inside to pull out a stool for himself. He came back out before I could sit down with his seat in hand and a bottle of water for me. "Food should be out soon. Hungry?""Always." His mustache twitched at my response. Always claimed my sister and I ate like men. No shame. "And thanks for the chair.""Hush, kid."Once situated, I made sure Aubrey was comfortable before getting back into the conversation of her schooling. "So, you were saying about this school?""It's a privately run academy where our main focus is children with disabilities. Our program runs from Pre-K to 12th grade and works with a large array of social, behavioral, and learning impediments. From Autism to Dyslexia. We work with everything in between.""Impressive, right?" Gloria preened beside him, and I felt as though I was missing something important. What was the catch?Because if it seemed too good
Craving Sugar Chapter 7: Hendrix
HendrixYour attendance is requested.We're honoring your commitment to the greater city of Miami Development, Architecture, and Construction Association.Don't forget to R.S.V.P!My finger hovered over the delete button.It'd be so easy. Just check off one little box highlighting them all, and it'd all go the fuck away."Leeches," I hissed through my teeth before slamming my laptop closed and staring off into the warm waters of the Atlantic. None of these people were my friends - people I might even consider a colleague.Most had never been on a job site, much less gotten their hands dirty in their life.Just your average snob with money to spare and who loved to make themselves feel important. This wasn't for charity or to raise funds for the city.It was to rub elbows, kiss ass, and show off: three things I didn't give a flying one about. Thousand-dollar plates and an open bar were not my idea of a good time.As if you remember what that is.Ignoring my own self-deprecating though
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