| Shelby took a sip of the tall cool drink as she gazed out at the water. The sun glistened on the caps as they rolled into the shore. The weather had been perfect since she arrived, warm sunny days and clear cool nights. She had been here nearly three weeks and had no intentions of leaving just yet. This was her first real vacation in three years. Oh there had been breaks from the touring and appearances but while the guys took off for some R&R she would be busy working on upcoming schedules. Shelby planned on enjoying every minute of this holiday until she decided it was over. She had the money and when she was ready, she would find a new job. The day that Shelby told AJ about Brian was basically her last day working for them. She dropped her letter of resignation in a mailbox on her way home. She asked that no one be told where she was going and she took off on this much needed vacation. She knew she needed to make a clean break. Shelby heard through a reliable source that the guys were upset with her sudden departure. AJ and Kevin, in particular, tried to find out why Shelby would just walk away and Brian seemed to withdraw and sulk when he found out there was no forwarding address. Shelby thought it was odd for him to act that way but decided she couldn�t worry about his feelings any more. He was in her past and she had to move on. She was not going to pine for him any longer. She had her own life and by God she was going to get on with it. Shelby removed her sunglasses and ran towards the water and dove in. Just the mere thought of Brian caused her heart to ache. She broke through the surface and swam hard just beyond the breakers. She had to forget him. There were plenty of men out there. She just had to find the right one. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Brian walked in the back door dropping his keys on the counter. It was late but not too. The house seemed eerily quiet. He called out but there was no answer. Two wineglasses stood on the counter along with a couple of dishes of half eaten meals in the sink. He shrugged thinking Laurie had a friend over for dinner and headed off down the hall to the bedroom. The lights were out and he could see the outline of a form in the bed. He thought it odd that Laurie was already asleep but shook it off. He prepared for bed and undressed quietly slipping in beside her. He kissed her neck as his thumb brushed her breast through the thin fabric of her teddy. �Hey baby,� he purred against her ear as his hand ran down her stomach and brushed her mound. �Not now Brian. I�m tired.� She took his hand and brought it to her lips. �I�ll make it up to you in the morning. I promise.� �I love you.� He nestled closer pulling her body to his. �Hmmm.� The man watched from the patio as he shrugged into his pants and shoes. She was a hot little thing and that poor guy had no idea she was two timing him. He waited a while and when he heard no more sounds he walked silently to his car. And as Brian held her to him and sleep slowly invaded his body, a lone figure got into a car and pulled away from the curb. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Shelby sat at the table in the corner of the club sipping a glass of white wine. The dance floor was crowded with young couples, their sun-kissed bodies rubbing against one another as they moved to the music. She felt a bit uneasy as the men walked by giving her the once over. She had never been one to go clubbing and was apprehensive about her decision to take the plunge. There had been no steady man in her life in a long time. When she moved to Florida she had broken off with her then boyfriend and neither one of them were overly upset about the breakup. And then Shelby set out on a course that closed her heart to anyone else. She had tried all sorts of relationships, one-night stands, platonic unions, but nothing lasted. They were nice men, but she couldn�t love them. She even found the sex lacking and eventually just stopped dating all together. It just didn�t seem worth the effort. But here she was at a meat factory. Shelby wasn�t fooling herself. The chance of meeting someone in a place like this and forging a relationship was almost impossible. The guys were on the make and so were the girls. Each was looking for a gratifying evening with no promises for a tomorrow. She finished he wine and started for the door. �Hey pretty lady, leaving so soon?� A tall, dark-headed man stopped her. �Yes. Do you mind?� Shelby went to walk past him when he grabbed her arm. �As a mater of fact I do. I�ve been watching you. Let me buy you a drink� His eyes were a bit glassy and Shelby knew he was feeling the effects of the contents of his glass and heat permeating the room. �Thanks, but I don�t think so.� Shelby disengaged herself and started towards the door. Rejection was the last thing he expected and started towards her. �Come on, baby, let�s have a drink and then maybe you and I could�� He ran his hands along her neck and slipped his fingers under the strap of her sundress. �No. I�m sorry.� Shelby removed his hands, but he persisted. His voice growing louder and suddenly he grabbed her to his body. Shelby pushed back. �Now, don�t fight it,� he slurred. �You�re a little spitfire.� Shelby fought him as he ground his hips into her. He was about to cover her lips with his when he was yanked at the collar. �Sorry miss,� the bouncer said. Shelby nodded as he escorted the man out the back door. Shelby took a deep breath and made her way to the exit. That incident only confirmed why she didn�t frequent those establishments. She wanted more than one night with a man with no name. Her resolve to try and start over melted as a pair of clear blue eyes rose up and invaded her thoughts. Would there ever come a time when he wouldn�t stop her dead. All the weeks of pushing Brian away caved in and Shelby fell on her bed in a torment of tears. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The months went by and ironically Shelby settled into a PR position with the foundation at St. Joe�s Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She was hesitant at first to take the job knowing the connection with the Littrell�s but the offer was too good to pass up and with Brian living in Florida most of the time there would be very little opportunity for them to meet. The position had her working on an upper corporate level and thereby afforded her very little contact with Brian�s charity. She found a modest townhouse on the outskirts of the city and slowly the ache in her heart lessened. Shelby knew it would never completely vanish, but she did her best to create a new life for herself. So as Shelby acclimated herself to her new surroundings Brian had his world come crashing down around him. He should have seen the signs, but he was blinded by the cunning and imaginative display of a woman he thought he knew and loved. The evidence piled up but Brian couldn�t see it. After that first night with the glasses and dinner dishes, all sorts of oddities began to appear. There were strange phone calls, and dates broken. Her sexual appetite, usually voracious, waned. Brian also found she would shy away from his touch and his kiss. He tried talking to her about it but Laurie fended him off. And then one night he came back early from a trip to California. AJ tried to get him to call home and let Laurie know they were returning a day earlier than expected but Brian kept insisting he wanted to surprise her. AJ on the other had just knew that it would be Brian would be getting the surprise. The car pulled up at the front door and Brian got out. AJ said goodbye and prayed that if it went down like he feared, that no one got hurt. The car pulled away and as soon as Brian disappeared inside the house, AJ told the driver to stop. He got out of the car and stood at the front of the walk to Brian�s house and waited. The house was quiet and Brian went directly to the master bedroom. The door to bathroom was ajar and hearing the water he decided to surprise Laurie. He threw his jacket on the chair and heard soft moans coming from the bathroom. He opened the door and stood motionless. Neither one heard him as their bodies moved in unison in the throes of their orgasms. His heart began to pound. He turned and backed into the bedroom. The candlelight from the bathroom cast a dim glow on the rumpled bed, bottle of wine and tray of food sitting on the floor. He yanked his jacket off the chair and grabbed another suitcase from the closet. He quietly opened his dresser drawers and emptied the contents along with some things from the closet into the bag. He had to get out. He could hear soft panting and the spray from the shower nozzle. In his haste to leave he hit the bag against the door, a loud thud reverberated through the room. Not waiting to see if anyone heard it, he started down the hall to the front door. �Brian, wait!� Laurie�s voice rang out. Brian stopped but refused to turn and look at her. �I�m sorry you had to find out this way.� He felt her move closer to him. �I�ll leave. This is your house. Don�t go.� He slowly turned around. Her hair was dripping wet and she had on one of his old tee shirts. Her face was still flushed from the aftermath of the sexual encounter. �Oh, you will leave all right, but I can�t stay here.� His eyes bore into her. �Our bed! Our bed! My God Laurie! How could you?� He felt tears sting his eyes and he swallowed hard fighting back the urge to just fall apart. He jammed his hands in his pockets and felt the small box that he had forgotten was there. He had almost made an utter fool of himself. �Bri�I like you, I really do. But I�� she faulted and he looked at her in disgust. �I loved you.� The words came out raspy as he fought the tears. �I have to go.� He opened the front door. �Brian, I was going to tell you, but�� �Well, it�s a bit late now isn�t it. Goodbye Laurie.� He took the two bags and started down the walk only to find AJ standing there. �AJ? What are you�� Realization set in and AJ nodded. �How long?� �From the beginning.� Brian closed his eyes and shook his head as tears fell on his cheeks. �God I was so stupid.� He wiped his face with the back of his hand. �Look, Rok, don�t beat yourself up over it. She was a train wreck waiting to happen.� He took one of Brian�s bags. �But why are you here on the sidewalk and she�s still in your house?� �I can�t go back in there, AJ. I just can�t.� �Okay, come on then, there�s plenty of room at my place, till she�s gone.� He put his arm around Brian and they walked towards the limousine. Brian rested his head on the back of the seat; there was a dull ache in his temples. His stomach was in knots and he felt like he was going to be sick. He sure knew how to pick them. Well maybe he wasn�t meant to settle down and have that family he had always dreamed about. He�d had it with women, for now anyway. He needed some time to get over this farce he had thought was love. AJ sat back and watched Brian. This hurt more than he would admit but that was Rok. Let off a little bit of steam and then deal with it internally. Well, I�ll give him a few days but that�s it, AJ thought. He needs to work through this and get his house and his life back. |