Wedding Belles. Beth Albright

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СКАЧАТЬ laughed. “Oh, my word, Miss Wanda Jo, I thought you swore off all men of the Lord when you left your last preacher man.”

      “Well, at my age, I can’t be too picky. Ever’body deserves a chance, you know. Only problem is he’s a damn Baptist, and you know I still can’t bake a pound cake. What good will I be at a funeral? All those Baptists bake like a son of a gun.” She winked. “Better get my cookbooks out in case somebody kicks the bucket. Wouldn’t wanna disappoint my new man. Now remember,” she added, “you two let these boys alone. It will all work itself out. We don’t need you being like Lucy and Ethel stirrin’ the pot.”

      It was true; we did have the reputation of always being up to something. But when Wanda Jo left, Vivi and I sat looking at each other. We both knew Harry, and this turnaround was, at the very least, a tad fishy.

      “I swear, Blake, I want Lewis to be happy. I don’t want to say anything to him, you know, just be supportive—but I have one eye cocked over my shoulder. Harry can’t be for real, can he?”

      “I don’t know,” I said, “but for now, I guess it’s okay. I mean, how bad could it be?” In truth, I knew it wasn’t real. My prediction was that Harry probably thought it would be good for his campaign since: 1) it fit perfectly into Harry’s family values platform, and 2) Dan likely suggested it and told Harry to smarten up. With Lewis being near royalty as the voice of the Tide, Tuscaloosa really liked him. Lewis was a really likable guy in general. So it was pretty brilliant for Harry to buddy up to him. And the timing was way too perfect, with all those reporters around to capture the moment. I was sure Harry knew exactly what he was doing. Lewis was so happy, he would be receptive to Harry’s gesture. For Harry, being a politician through and through, this reconciliation was likely all in a day’s work. For him, it was a double bonus. He’d get all the votes from the Lewis fans, and he would be standing up as best man in the wedding of the decade for Tuscaloosa.

      But also, I knew deep down he was actually proud of Lewis. Probably surprised his brother had finally pulled off one of his grand schemes, but it was an important one, and now Lewis was somewhat of an equal. Someone Harry was not ashamed of anymore. Harry was proud to be the brother of our new town hero and be able to show him off, especially on air. All good stuff for a future senator. And if the end result was that he would stand up for Lewis on the big day, then I guess this charade wouldn’t do any harm.

      Vivi sighed. “I just don’t want Lewis hurt. He’s not the type to put up walls, you know? He’s an all or nothin’ type of guy. That’s what I love about him. I feel like I want to warn him, but at this point, I can’t. He was so happy, and, after all the fanfare today, this was just the icing on the cake. It would be so cruel to tell him his brother might be using him. Anyway, I’m goin’ home. Lewis said he was comin’ in a bit, and I gotta help Arthur get the place ready. Miss Bonita’s coming over for dinner, and Lewis says he’s bringin’ me a surprise.”

      “What do you think it could be? He already gave you one surprise...” I waggled my eyebrows at her burgeoning belly.

      “Ha-ha. Very funny. Lewis wants to commemorate this day in a special way, so we’ll just have to see what that means. You comin’ tonight?”

      “Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m sleeping there these days, remember? I really wanna stay with Sonny. We even talked about it last night, but I’m so afraid Tabloid Dallas will be lurking around. I decided it’d be best to wait until the election is over.”

      “Hey, why don’t you bring Sonny out? If anyone asks, he could be out there with Bonita, visiting us after work.”

      “I already asked him....”

      “The more the merrier!” Vivi rose from her chair. “Blake, I know you’re busy and I hate to push, but when do you think we can get up to Birmingham to find Tressa? I am having sleepless nights over this.”

      “I know you are, honey. I think we can get up there and back the day after tomorrow. I’ll work it out with Wanda Jo so my meetings are scheduled around it.”

      “The Fru Fru guys are coming out that day, first thing, to walk around the property and lay out the plans for the wedding. We can leave right after lunch.”

      I walked her to the front office and hugged her goodbye. As I returned to my office to pack up, I was back, as usual, to thinking about Sonny. Instead of being satiated from last night, I felt hungry for more. Harry and I never made love the way Sonny and I did, full of passion and a deep emotional connection. I needed to focus on so many other things right now, but all I wanted was Sonny, shirtless and in my office right that second.

      12

      I sat down at my desk and dialed Sonny’s cell. He picked up on the first ring. “Officer Bartholomew. Does someone need to be searched?”

      “Why, yes, Officer, however did you know?”

      “Are you finally alone in your office?” he asked.

      “Yes, are you spying on me?”

      “Always,” he said.

      I could hear the smile in his voice.

      “I’ll be right over. My legs are walking right now, and I can’t stop them. Uh-oh, here they go out the door. Here I come. I’m coming now.”

      “Well, come in the back door. I’ve already locked up the front.”

      Before I knew it, he was walking in the back door, his cell phone still to his ear. “I’m here now, gorgeous.” He hung up and stood in the hallway.

      “I see that and I like it, handsome.” I beckoned him closer, wrapped my arms around him and walked him backward to my office. I locked the door behind us, then kissed him all over his face. All my pent-up passion from earlier in the day at the dedication let loose.

      “Oh, my, did you miss me or what?” Sonny asked, enjoying the heat of my excitement.

      “No, not at all,” I said nonchalantly. “I’m like this all the time.”

      I was biting him lightly on the neck, reveling in the powerful surge of my emotions, when something inside me just snapped. Suddenly, I was out of my mind with cravings for him, filled with a lust and passion I’d never felt before with anyone. I grabbed his belt and tugged him against me.

      Sonny responded like a force of nature. With one hand, he was trying to take his jacket off, while his other hand wandered down the back of my skirt. We reached my desk, and I raked my arm across the surface of it. Everything fell to the floor.

      “I wanna eat you alive right now.” Sonny pushed my skirt to my hips before lifting me up and settling me on the smooth surface. He slipped his fingers under my panties, hooking them in the crook of his finger, then slipped them down my bare legs and right off. He unbelted his pants with one hand, allowing the other to pull me even closer.

      This was a different Sonny than I’d seen in the few times we had made love before. He was fierce, wild and white-hot in the moment.

      He didn’t take the time to unbutton my sleeveless blouse. He untucked it from my skirt and lifted it over my head, exposing my lacy white demi-bra. In seconds, he’d slipped the straps from my shoulders and pulled the bra down, my breasts now fully out and pressed against him.

      Sonny СКАЧАТЬ