Discovering Truths by B. Benfield (chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT) 📕

I could still hear Marcus snoring from down the hall, but I was wide awake, sitting in my office chair. As I aimlessly browsed social media, curiosity got the best of me, and I clicked on Gage’s profile. I’d never looked at it before, even though we were connected on Messenger. Deep down, I wanted it to be private. I didn’t want to see the details of his real life, but now that they were there in the open, I couldn’t stop myself from looking.

There were mostly pictures of his son, who was adorable. I didn’t see many “happy family” pictures, which made me feel better. I was so wrong. This was so wrong. As wrong as it was, I continued my search. I finally spotted a family picture from two years ago. I clicked on it to enlarge and my heart sank immediately.

His wife was gorgeous. They were standing on the beach and he was holding their son, who was much younger. They were close together with their arms around each other. She was skinny, with long, brown hair. As much as I knew I shouldn’t, I clicked on her name which brought me to her profile, which was mostly private, but I did notice that she was a Nurse. Her profile picture was another family picture of the three of them at some event.

I closed everything out on my phone and sat it on the desk. I suddenly felt sick. There was this perfect family and I was right in the middle, ruining it. I was a homewrecker. I sat in silence, processing everything, eventually convincing myself that if they were the perfect family, Gage wouldn’t be in search of something different. Nobody knows what happens behind closed doors. I wasn’t the only one doing wrong. He was just as wrong as me. I couldn’t believe this was my life. How did I land in such a mess?

Chapter Thirteen

 

Wednesday of the following week, I looked at myself in the mirror and gave myself a mental pep-talk. I hadn’t been to a job interview since the grocery store I worked at in high school, and that didn’t count. This was an interview for a real job. I was acclimated with feeling nervous and excited all at the same time, so I welcomed the emotions. I just hoped I didn’t blow the interview. For my sanity, I needed this job.

I wore a black pencil skirt with a white blouse tucked in, and black heels. I felt like it was professional enough, given the information I’d received about the position. I straightened my hair and let it hang long down my back, and I applied a minimal amount of make-up. I didn’t want to overdo it.

Gage: Ready for your interview?

Me: As ready as I’ll ever be.

Gage: You’ll do great. Message me when you’re done.

Me: I will.

While searching for directions to the company, I had discovered that it was only about ten minutes away from Gage’s shop. We had plans to meet after my interview if he was able to get away from work. That would be a wonderful ending to a stressful situation, so I had my fingers crossed that it worked out.

I freshened my lip-gloss and with one last glance in the mirror, I was ready. I grabbed my purse and headed for my car. Let’s do this.

 

***

An hour and a half later, the interview was finished. I sent Gage a message immediately.

Me: All done. Can you meet?

Gage: I’ll be able to leave in about ten minutes. You good just meeting and hanging in my truck, or do you want to do lunch?

Me: Your truck is fine!

He gave me the address of his gym and told me to meet him there. The place was huge, and when I arrived, I opted for a parking space in the back. I assumed that we might need the most privacy we could get. It wasn’t long before he was pulling in beside me and I rushed out, anxious to see him.

I climbed into his truck and wrapped my arms around him immediately.

“Hey,” I said softly against his neck.

“Well, hello,” he said, bringing my face to his. Our lips locked and the fire ignited. I could never get tired of this feeling.

We finally pulled apart and I smiled, leaning against his truck window.

“You look…freaking hot,” he said, a cocky smile across his face.

I laughed. “Thank you.”

“Well, how did it go?”

“Great! They offered me the job!”

Yes! I couldn’t believe it! With no work experience and never even attending an interview, I landed my first job. I was sure it would take a few tries before a company took me seriously, but the manager loved me and felt like I was a good fit for the position. It was finally happening.

“Are you serious? Offered you the job right then and there?”

“Yep! Can you believe that? I’m so excited!”

“Congratulations, babe! When do you start?”

“Monday. The schedule is Monday through Thursday, eight to five. I have Fridays off!”

“Well, aren’t you lucky?”

“I’m just happy to finally have something to do. I was starting to lose my mind.”

“I understand that.” He said.

He reached over and grabbed my hand, linking it in with his. “I’m happy for you.”

The sexual tension between us was so intense I thought we both might explode. It was only a few seconds before our mouths collided again. His hands were on my thighs and up my skirt, exploring every inch. I followed, rubbing my hands across his lap. I tugged at his jeans, a hint for him to pull them down…and he did. There he was, bare and rock solid in front of me. I wrapped my hand around his length and he closed his eyes, his head falling back.

“Abby…” he whispered.

I continued to