Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

– not that I don’t want to, you understand.” That seemed to calm her somewhat. “What happened in the kitchen; I’m sorry I frightened you. That wasn’t my intention. It’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as responsive as you are, and I lost my head a little. I think it was your reaction that made you uncomfortable, wasn’t it?”

Her pale face was a blazing scarlet, but she nodded. Barrett leaned down and kissed her in a kindly, less sexual fashion than earlier. “Don’t worry about it now, ok? Just relax, take it a little easy, and we’ll discuss things more a little later in the week.”

Meagan would have sold him her soul if he’d’ve just agreed to get the hell out of her bedroom. She nodded like a good, obedient girl – which was false advertising – and he left. On her

- 17 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

side, trying to get to sleep, she was scheming up ways to stay avoid him over the next two weeks.

Barrett, meanwhile, was racking his brain to come up with a way to keep her with him for longer than a measly two weeks.

What Barrett wanted, Barrett got. And he definitely wanted one Miss Meagan O’Reilly, by hook or by crook.

- 18 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

Chapter III

warm, wet tongue was licking insistently at her cheek, then swiped boldly across her lips.

A“YEEEECCHHH!!” Meg sat up and compulsively wiped “doggie kisses” off her mouth and cheek. “Bu-tchie!!

Mamma loves you, but that doesn’t extend to your tongue down my throat! Blech!”

She was still making disgusted faces when breakfast a la Barrett arrived. “I thought you said I could get up today?”

The tray was situated over her lap before he spoke. “You can, I just thought you’d like to continue the tradition.” He opened the curtains while Meg perused the . . . food.

This was food? The other meals he’d brought to her had been fabulous – way too much, but great – pancakes, fluffy eggs, home fries, etc. The toast on her plate looked like it had barely survived Chernobyl. The eggs were by Dr Seuss and she was afraid to inspect the bacon too closely for fear it might bite.

Orange juice. Can’t do much to that, she thought. Wrong again. It was sour, had seeds, and whole chunks of rind in it. And the coffee had so many grounds in it she wouldn’t have to be worried about being regular any time soon.

- 19 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

“Uh, I’m really not very hungry this morning,” she feigned weakly, setting the tray aside. “I guess you were right about me not eating that Ben and Jerry’s last night. Spoiled my appetite.”

Slipping her robe around her shoulders, she got up.

Surprisingly, Barrett collected the tray and made his way out without comment while Meg dressed in rose colored jeans and an old but still pretty print top in cream, rose and green. Tiny jade and gold earrings, a jade and gold flower ring, a spritz of light perfume and she was ready to face him again. Maybe if she were lucky, he’d have to go away somewhere – anywhere.

Three morose faces confronted her in the kitchen. “What happened, did someone die?”

Hayden kissed her good morning on the cheek as Barrett scowled terribly. It looked like his talk with that boy had done no good at all. He’d have to do some reinforcement of his claim later.

“Worse than that. Katrina had a family emergency and has to be gone all summer – maybe even into September!!!”

Katrina was the cook. That explained the lack of food at breakfast. Well, edible food, anyway.

Mandy pushed her chair away from the table and got up. “I don’t know why everyone’s in such an uproar about Trina leaving, it’s not like we’re going to starve or anything.”

Meg choked softly on that, then said, “Excuse me,” in a soft voice, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes. They’d certainly starve on what Barrett could kill – uh, cook.

“Meagan, could I see you for a minute in my office?”

She’d never been in Barrett’s office before, and she followed him complacently, interested in seeing his inner sanctum. He held open

- 20 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

the door for her with a flourish. “Step into my parlor . . .” Meg glared back at him and he laughed.

It suited him to a T, a large rectangular room with oak paneling, a huge desk in front of big bow windows and floor to ceiling bookcases. There was a black leather couch over an Aubusson carpet and a small TV with VCR. It smelled of leather, cologne, and man. Meg took a very deep breath.

Barrett’s manners were impeccable and old worldly – that’s probably why he subscribed to the idea of spanking, too. He seated her before taking the big cushiony chair behind the desk. “Mandy says you usually only stay about 2 weeks.”

Meg laced her fingers over her stomach. “Yes. It’s about all I can afford. I have a summer job that’s slowly helping me pay down some of my school bills. Student loans are forever! ” she sighed ruefully.

“I can offer you an extremely well-paying job down here.”

She could feel his eyes on her, and tried to play it casual and cautious. “Doing what?”

He leaned on his bare, lightly hair covered forearms, having rolled up the sleeves of his white business shirt. “I have an immediate opening for a cook. Mandy tells me you can fill the bill.”

Fidgeting under his intense