Seedlings

By Rachel Benson Gifford

It took fifteen years, and a lot of water under the bridge, but Sarah has reunited with her first love, FBI agent Tim Randall. Despite a past that includes children, deceased spouses, and a jealous ex-brother-in-law, they've decided to build a life together. But, second chances aren't problem free, and their rekindled love spurns the hopes of others. Tim and Sarah must deal with perilous forces that plot against them. Now living in Lubbock, Sarah feels like a hostage in her new home as Tim tries to protect her from outside threats all while he is consumed with two child kidnapping cases. The endless pressure begins to wear on the relationship - especially with the arrival of voluptuous attorney Pacey Decker who shares a history with Tim.

With her best friend so far away, her brother distracted by a new relationship, and Tim totally consumed with work, Sarah is excited to find old friends have moved nearby. But there is more to them than what it appears, and outside dangers threaten them all. Tim and Sarah's relationship is put to the test as they are forced to make hard decisions as the risks grow stronger.

Love and fear motivate Sarah into action, but is she prepared to do whatever is necessary? Must she choose among those she loves most? Can Tim protect her even from herself? With their lives teetering on the brink between despair and liberation, two more children go missing - two children even closer to home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachel Benson Gifford
• Release date: Apr 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989224208

Rachel Benson Gifford

Rachel Benson Gifford is an Associate Vice President at Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville where she oversees the Marketing and Development Offices. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and a Master's Degree in Mass Communication with a major in Journalism. She is an avid reader who also loves to write and has taken her journalistic experience to a new level in the writing of Keeper of the Seed--her first novel. An Arkansas native, Rachel resides in the northeast corner of the state in the Mississippi River Delta area where agriculture is a prominent part of the economy. Having grown up on a cotton farm, she appreciates her rural heritage and enjoys writing stories with a southern angle. When she's not working or writing, she enjoys watching basketball and baseball. She and her husband Scott have two children, Miles and Meg

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By Rachel Benson Gifford

SEEDLINGS

Published by Rachel Benson Gifford

Smashwords Edition

ISBN# 978-0-9892242-0-8

Copyright © 2013 by Rachel Benson Gifford.

All rights reserved.

Edited by Sheiron Bearden.

Cover design by Ammi Tucker.

Cover photography by Rachel Benson Gifford, Arlen Roche, Jip Fens, and Patricia de Santacruz.

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locals, or events is entirely coincidental.

This eBook is for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

About the Author

More from the Author

Contact the Author

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank my readers. You give me the incentive to continue Tim and Sarah's story, and I appreciate your willingness to share in these characters' lives. With your continued interest, I see more possibilities in the future and I am excited about their future.

As is the case with so many things, my family, both immediate and extended, have provided me with encouragement and lifted my spirits with their enthusiasm of this series. They bring to me a source of pride that motivates me to keep writing. Certainly my husband and children are a constant source of love and support. They keep me grounded and my priorities in order...and they are often unknowing inspirations for storylines.

As I write, I cannot help but think of the many teachers who have influenced my life and instilled in me a love for writing. Lynda Edwards, Paula Poag, Roy Ockert, Dr. Gilbert Fowler, Dr. Marlin Shipman, and Dr. Terrell Tebbetts were extraordinary educators who greatly influenced my love for writing of all styles...and research--something I've come to enjoy.

I also wish to thank my good friend and graphic designer Ammi Tucker of Ammi Tucker Designs for lending her talents to Seedlings. From book formatting to cover design to publicity and marketing, she has made this book aesthetically appealing, and I cannot imagine the Keeper of the Seed series coming to life without her.

As always, I am so very thankful for my editor Sheiron Bearden for her continued support. She has been through this process every step of the way and has been a wonderful sounding board for storylines and scene development. She understands and loves the characters, and I gain a lot of insight through her input.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Mike Bridges.

A great coach--a greater man.

I feel blessed to be a product of his guidance.

Prologue

She gazed at the house with sadness and distaste as she pondered its newest inhabitants. With dark bricks and deep chocolate trim, the large house was still beautiful, but different. Its solemn beauty at the end of the cul de sac once made it stand out against the others in the neighborhood. It had been an imposing, almost frigid, structure with a hardened existence lacking the soft touches of pretty flowers and lived-in warmth. But it had looked like him—tall, strong, unapproachable, and breathtakingly beautiful. Now, with its decorative, potted trees on the front porch and wreath on the door it was morphing into something else. Landscape lighting outlined all the walkways, and a basketball goal had been added to the driveway. Two small bikes leaned against the garage wall, and now a trampoline graced the lush lawn of the backyard. The home no longer stood out, it was blending in, because it was looking like all the other homes in the upscale area. The changes were sickening.

She was transforming everything, and he was letting her. How could he not see her for the vile creature she was? He mistook her uniqueness for beauty, but she was not beautiful. Her long auburn hair was the color of crusted blood and looked odd against her green eyes and tanned skin. She was lanky and awkward. Her oddities were magnified by his gloriousness. His muscular, taut body was graceful. His eyes, the clear blue color of the most stunning ocean water on Earth, were highlighted by his smooth, sandy blond hair and flawless skin. What could he possibly see in her?

The way she clung to him was disgusting, but the way he accepted her advances was revolting. Watching them embrace and kiss was like watching a black widow wrap its legs around its prey. Her voice was smooth and mellow and she used it as a weapon to lure him in as she sang. The way she manipulated him was obvious to all but him and his pathetically lonely parents who willingly accepted her for the addition of her incorrigible offspring. He needed to be saved from her curse before she manipulated him even more. He was sacrificing his life for the red haired parasite and her repulsive spawn. His life was worth so much more than that. Was it a minor indiscretion that had led to this overwhelming forfeit of his precious life? Did the discovery of his unknown child trap him to this temptress forever? She taunted her victory though she won him through dishonorable actions.

At first thought, to remove his son from the equation seemed the remedy for his entrapment, but to remove the boy would be to harm part of him. Though the child was half monster he was also half angel and that half was most dominant as he radiated his father’s magnificence. She was the one requiring removal. Pure and simple, to save him, she had to go. Once freed of her cunning brainwashing, he would be able to appreciate his rescue…to realize who truly loved him.

The time had to be right and the moment perfect as he, unknowingly harming himself, worked to provide her with an insurmountable amount of protection. It was almost laughable to think that someone considered her worthy of protecting, but that someone was him, so nothing was funny about it. He did not realize that he was the one needing protection from her. She was sucking the life out of him, changing him. He had been perfect and she had marred that perfection. Still, she was too stubborn for full-time safeguarding and opportunities would present themselves. The transgression she imposed on him deserved an appropriate punishment. Simple elimination provided no punishment. Time would reveal her fate and it would be one befitting a monster…

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Chapter 1

Now that I am living in the same city as my brother I find myself visiting with him daily either by phone or in person. Certainly proximity dictates that occurrence. When I lived hours away in Arkansas, he never called, but now that we are both in Lubbock, he keeps my phone ringing. When he stopped by unexpectedly in the late afternoon, I had no idea of the turn of events that would take place, but I shouldn’t be surprised as Ben’s odd life usually brings excitement to mine. His brilliance is often masked by his calm, quiet demeanor. Today I learned that while there is a thin line between love and hate, there is also a thin line between genius and stupidity—a lesson aptly taught by my Ph.D. holding brother.

As the children played upstairs, Ben joined me in the kitchen for a glass of tea and small talk. My new husband works long hours and I am still unemployed since moving to Lubbock just over three months ago, so Ben’s visits are actually a nice perk. The first couple months of my marriage had flown by as Tim and I became acclimated to one another and our new family structure. Additionally, we were very busy making the initial adjustments of enrolling the twins into their new school, adding security to the home and flying Ben back to Arkansas to take down our Christmas tree and bring my car, the kids’ toys, and as much of our clothes as he could manage back to Lubbock. Our swift marriage during the holidays had left a lot to be done back home. We still haven’t finished moving everything.

You’re about to get this place looking lived in, Ben commented as we headed to the living room to visit and watch television.

Yes, I said as I looked around the large house that I now called home and was still amazed by the turns that my life had taken. My quick wedding just after the New Year landed me both a new name and address. I had given up a life in Arkansas to become a Texan and was now a member of the Randall family, having married the only son of a retired oil executive and his beautiful wife.

I never would have dreamed back in graduate school that my downstairs neighbor would end up my brother-in-law, Ben repeated a sentence he had said probably a hundred times since Tim and I reunited.

Or that he was the father of your nephew, I added with a smile.

My husband was the recipient of the first real love I had for a man. He actually was the first for me in other ways as well. Our history is complicated and includes meeting and falling in love while we were still in college when he was living in Lubbock near my brother and I was hours away in Arkansas. After our fateful meeting we parted ways for more than fifteen years, but that meeting had resulted in an unplanned pregnancy.

Just think how things would be different if you had told me that little piece of information, Ben said with a smirk.

I nodded and thought back to those difficult days. Before I had even known I was pregnant, Tim married his longtime girlfriend so; I kept the news of my pregnancy a secret. I travelled to my father’s homeland of Sweden where I found comfort and solace in my family there, though my situation greatly disappointed my parents and only brother. I gave birth to a son under my cousin Nila’s name and allowed her and her husband to raise my beautiful boy so that he would have a nurturing, successful family rather than just an unwed, unemployed mother.

But I wouldn’t change it now because I wouldn’t risk not having Alan and the kids, I replied. Tim’s choice to leave me had been almost as heart wrenching as my decision to give up our son, but after years of guilt I eventually found love again and married Alan White and we had two beautiful children—twins Bess and Luke. Still fate had intervened and a year after Alan’s accidental death, I was reunited with my first love. His job as an FBI agent landed him in the middle of a case involving the disappearance of my brother. He had been surprised to learn that he had a son. I had been surprised to learn that his wife had died of cancer shortly after their marriage. His guilt over our fling, combined with the knowledge of her terminal illness, led him to put aside his feelings for me and to marry her.

And, I continued, I credit you with bringing Tim and me back together. I laughed as I remembered our search for my brother and how we found more than him— we found each other and time had not dulled the emotions we had once shared. Tim Randall’s reentrance into my life was unexpected and life-saving in more than one way. He had been a widower for years, so it seemed as if destiny had brought us back together and we immediately rekindled those old flames. Still, our current situation placed us in harm’s way as I became the target of a psychopathic former agent who turned her unreciprocated love for my husband into a massive hatred of me. After a few near-death experiences at her hands, I was now relegated to the confines of our spacious and highly secured home where I was surrounded by an assortment of personal safety devices such as stun guns, pepper spray and even a taser—all gifts from my overly protective and loving husband.

My brother Ben, a professor in plant physiology and a renowned cotton breeder at Texas Tech University, sat casually on our sofa as we talked. His offer of a part-time, temporary job in his department was appealing, if for no other reason, just to get out of the house. Though I’m sure it would take nothing less than a miracle to convince Tim of its appeal. My thoughts were distracted by Ben’s appearance. His deep brown hair was longer than usual and he looked thinner as his khaki shorts and white polo shirt were baggy.

Have you lost weight? I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe a little…I’m trying to eat healthier.

You want to start working out with Ponch and me? I asked surprised by his rare foray into healthy eating. Tim never would allow me to do anything alone so our friend and local Lubbock police officer Ponch Romero had become my workout companion and shopping buddy as well as personal security guard. Until we catch her, you have got to be cautious, Tim had preached and I listened. At least I had him and the twins, and contact with our son Timothy with whom we had reunited while in Sweden. Tim worked hard to learn my second and our son’s first language and had me speak Swedish to him and the children to help with the learning process. I was strongly considering getting a job, but Tim wasn’t an advocate of that idea just yet. He said that he wanted me to wait until the children were adjusted to all their new surroundings before being gone every day. I really think the idea of me safe at home was the underlying factor. The reason for Ben’s unannounced visit today would probably not excite Tim.

Nah, Ben said. I’ll just start with the healthy eating first and ease into exercising later. He smiled before leaning over and picking up a gift my husband had left for me on the coffee table.

A new toy? He asked.

Yes, another stun gun, I said with a smile. Tim has them strategically placed all around the house. The children have been instructed on their uses and dangers. I laughed as I thought of Tim trying to explain to Bess how to use it, but really not to ever touch it.

Ben pulled the small black gadget up to his face for closer inspection and I could almost see his thought process.

I wonder what it feels like? He finally asked.

It hurts, I said matter of fact.

He took his finger and softly rubbed the head of the device which sort of resembled a small electric razor. It’s hard to believe something so small could incapacitate someone.

You’re a scientist, you work in a laboratory, you shouldn’t be surprised by the advances in technology.

He nodded, Yeah, I know, I mean it’s intriguing.

Everything is intriguing to you, I said.

What’s the voltage on this one? He asked.

I don’t know, I said as he continued to stroke the electrode on the head of the weapon. I imagined its voltage was high because Tim would want one strong enough to really harm someone trying to attack me.

He bit his lower lip and before I knew what he was doing he placed the device to his inside thigh area and pulled the trigger. My eyes widened in shock as did his—literally.

Ben! I screamed as his body stiffened then started gyrating wildly until he finally dropped the little black shocker. A loud squeak came out of his mouth and I noticed that his shorts were soaked as urine dripped from his leg to my floor. He was still sitting quietly making little jerking movements when I returned with a towel and a bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner. I know I should have been more concerned, but really, he has a PhD for crying out loud. He should have known better.

Well, I asked sarcastically, what did your study conclude? How does it feel? He just sat there jerking. I think we still have an electric fence back home if you want to go back sometime and pee on it, I added as I began wiping off his leg.

He shook his head a couple of times as he slowly began to regain his composure and I was reassured that he was okay.

I guess you’re one of those crazy scientists who test their experiments on themselves, I continued as I scrubbed the floor.

Ouch, he finally said and slowly stood on wobbly legs. I think I better go home.

I probably should have been worried about him driving after his recent shocking incident, but I was too irritated by the sight of my pee soaked couch.

You peed on our couch Ben! I scolded him.

Sorry, it caused a loss of muscle control.

I’m about to experience a loss of muscle control in my hand and knock you upside the head. Why would you do that?

I don’t know…just curious…I gotta go.

Looks like you already did! I laughed.

I’m sorry Sarah, really I am, he said with deserved embarrassment.

It’s fine. I laughed again. Be careful Einstein. I watched as he slowly walked straddled legged and with a slight twitch out of the room and toward the door.

Don’t forget to let me know something before the end of the week, he reminded me of our previous conversation from the kitchen.

I nodded slowly, Yes. I’ll call you tomorrow. There was no need in making him wait any longer than that. He was doing me a favor and the only reason for delay would be my hesitation in broaching the subject with Tim.

Ben smiled and fluttered his fingers in a small wave as he stumbled out the door without even yelling a goodbye to the children. Tim arrived home shortly after Ben’s departure to find me still scrubbing the sofa. He walked over to me and took the cloth out of my hand to help. I sprayed cleaner on it while he scrubbed with more strength.

What did you do, spill a drink?

No. I shook my head. My brilliant idiot brother decided to taze himself to see how it feels and peed all over the couch.

Tim instantly dropped the cloth and backed away from the sofa. What?

You heard me right. I held up the stun gun to show Tim the weapon that caused the loss of bladder control by my brother, and he had to hold his stomach as he laughed.

Why would he do that? He was laughing so hard he almost cried. That thing has a hundred and fifty thousand volts.

He teeters on that fine line between brilliance and idiocy…apparently he lost his balance today. I sighed. You should have seen him jerking around on the couch, I said as I mimicked the action. I hope that jolt knocked a little sense into him.

Tim fell into the recliner as he laughed uncontrollably. The mental picture of the event must have been funnier than actually witnessing it.

Would you stop before you lose control of your bladder and I end up having to clean the chair, I said with a giggle.

Just flip the cushion over, he finally managed to speak.

I can’t. It has a big black ink stain on it.

Since when? How did that happen? He asked.

I sighed. You have two seven year olds living here now, I said. My guess is that it was Bess.

He laughed. Well, it’s time to get a new couch then.

I can clean it, I argued as I scrubbed, feeling a little guilty that my family had ruined his perfectly fine sofa.

Forget it. I’m not sitting on something Ben’s pissed all over. Flip it over until we can replace it. I’d rather sit on ink.

Chapter 2

Ellerby Greer looked nervously around the parking lot. Where could she be? The sun glistened off his black skin making him look shiny, and his six foot ten inch frame did nothing to help him blend in to his surroundings which included mostly women. He leaned against a huge, metal trash can where he impatiently twisted his watch until he was suddenly struck by how unsanitary his waiting area was. He was too fidgety, but he couldn’t help it. Jozelyn and Jerra were out with friends and Treena was at home with Charisse and Max. While he felt guilt over that fact, his feelings of freedom and excitement greatly outweighed the guilt.

The white compression shirt he wore fit tightly across his muscled chest and accentuated his strong physical attributes. The black mesh shorts clung to a tapered waist and flat stomach and revealed well-defined, long legs. At thirty-seven, he still sported the same athletic build he had during his college years playing basketball. He had been a tremendous athlete who had been overlooked by the NBA probably because he had played for a smaller university in Arkansas. Following college, he had married his long-time sweetheart Treena. They moved to Turkey where he played professionally for a few years and she gave birth to their first two daughters. Jozelyn was now sixteen and Jerra fifteen.

Once he and his family returned to the United States, he made his way back to his hometown of Dallas where he became a high school basketball coach and they added to their family. He boasted winning seasons every year and managed to capture the state title three years after taking the job. To that point, life had been good to Ellerby, but not exactly thrilling. Treena was a part-time nurse and a full-time mom. Admittedly, he was bad to leave her with all the responsibilities of home as he went from gym to gym watching games and fraternizing with coaching colleagues. Still, after seventeen years of marriage and with all the opportunities to stray, he had remained faithful to Treena—had.

As he stood waiting, he began to analyze the occurrences that had taken place over the past year. He abruptly quit a job that he was about to lose and moved from Dallas to Midland—a move that had left the entire family staggering. Even eight year old Charisse and six year old Max had been caught in the crossfire. He was innocent of the charge. The accusation made by Jozelyn’s friend was absurd, and he had found it merely a laughable irritation in the beginning. But the first lie had led to others and then he was surrounded by a cloud of suspicion that would remain regardless of the court’s ruling. Fortunately, the girl finally recanted her initial charges, but it was too late. The community thought that Ellerby had bought her silence. He was most definitely guilty in the eyes of public opinion, a punishment that he could never escape.

Fortunately he was a very good coach and all of his networking within that field had garnered him a different kind of reputation with a more positive and profitable outcome. The fact that he was able to quickly find another coaching job had been almost as much of a godsend as his wife. Through it all, and much to her credit, Treena had stood by his side with unwavering support. With all the stress surrounding the situation, she gave him a sense of peace and hope. She never doubted his loyalty and only asked him once if he was guilty.

Treena knew him better than anyone else in the world, and she believed him. Her trust rekindled his love for her. She didn’t blame him for the move that none of them wanted to make. She found work in Midland and nestled into the new life with as much enthusiasm as she could and helped ease the transition for the rest of the family. He admired her more than anyone else in the world. How could he betray her? Why would he even consider risking the trust of the one person whose faith in him had never faltered? Though Treena didn’t expect him until late tonight, she would be amazed if she learned the truth—that he was in Lubbock where he was not meeting with colleagues in an area coach’s clinic.

He began to move back and forth in front of the entryway of the grocery store where he impatiently waited. Why was he doing this? His only son’s face flashed through his mind. Why was he risking everything dear to him? Then, her face flashed through his mind, and he felt vindicated. An excitement coursed through his body as he envisioned her long blonde hair and soft blue eyes. This woman captivated and enlivened him. He felt his heart race as he thought about their last meeting. She was the first white woman he had tasted, and though he wasn’t generally attracted to her type, she was different. She was pretty, not beautiful, and very self-assured. Though she was graceful and feminine, she was still strong. She had crossed his path at a time when he was sad and vulnerable, and she made him feel victorious.

She knew he was married, and so was she. She met him at a local park shooting hoops. She was jogging when she noticed him standing in the middle of the court staring at the basketball he held. According to her, she could tell he was troubled and some inner instinct pushed her toward him. They started out as friends who met in the park to walk and play basketball, but the friendship quickly rose to a different level when she unexpectedly kissed him one day. Instead of feeling remorseful, he felt a rush of adrenalin and quickly pulled her behind a tree where they continued to passionately kiss. His huge black hands were magnified by the delicate features of her pale, white face as he held her cheeks. She was strong, but still so breakable.

She told Ellerby that she loved her husband, but admitted that she felt uncontrollably drawn to the formidable black man. Her husband had hurt her with his own indiscretion, but she assured Ellerby that she wasn’t looking to get even. She claimed that her attraction was genuine, and they had begun to secretly meet as often as they could. Still, it had been three weeks since he was last with her, and he was more than excited to see her again. It was as if she had taken his mind hostage as visions of her drowned out most every thought he had.

She had arranged this meeting, as she had all of their meetings. Her husband was a wealthy man with a lot of power, so she had to be extremely cautious. Ellerby’s particular career, as well as Treena’s overwhelming distractions with the children, allowed him more flexibility in sneaking rendezvous time. Still, he considered the woman’s husband and felt no guilt for him. He didn’t love the man’s wife, only the physical pleasure she game him. And, he wasn’t stupid. He knew that he was only a play thing to her. Oddly, they both talked about their spouses often. Each of them undoubtedly loved their significant other, but couldn’t resist the draw between them. She didn’t have to worry about Ellerby ever sharing their secret.

He breathed deeply and smiled as he imagined the ecstasy that awaited him in the next few hours. He loved Treena, but he needed an escape from reality. This new woman was just a splurge. He still preferred his chocolate cake, but every now in then a little vanilla was a nice change. He thought of wrapping his huge black fingers into her long blonde locks as he pulled her to him. His nose flared as he imagined her sweet scent and delicate features. He had become addicted to the woman. He looked around the parking lot again with a growing sense of urgency.

Ellerby! Oh my God! Ellerby Greer is that you? Came a familiar voice from behind him.

Chapter 3

Okay, I said to my husband as he still sat laughing about my brother’s lack of intelligence in regard to taser testing. I need to talk to you about something.

Shoot, he said through a wide smile and I almost lost my train of thought as I gazed at his beautiful face brightened for an unusual moment of carefree happiness.

Ben actually came here to… I began chewing on my lip as I struggled to find the right wording.

What is it? The smile disappeared from his face.

I walked to him and plopped down on his lap as he sat in the recliner.

The secretary in Ben’s department is going on maternity leave next week, and they need someone to keep things…

No, he was shaking his head adamantly before I could finish the sentence.

But Tim, it’s just part-time, and it’s no more dangerous than me staying locked up in this house all day alone.

I said no, Sarah.

I can go in after I drop the kids off for school and leave in time to pick them up. I acted like I didn’t hear his last comment.

Sarah, we’ve been over this, you don’t have to work, he began.

I know, but it would help them out and it would give me something to do…just for a few weeks.

He was shaking his head. I don’t think so…not right now. Besides, you’re over qualified? You’re a computer programmer for crying out loud.

He sighed and I could see that he was thinking through his argument in his head before he continued. I knew that he liked having me at home surrounded by protective weapons and an alarm system. I knew that he didn’t enjoy the thought of me mingling among groups of strangers on a university campus, but I also knew that he was probably overacting and that a lot of his hesitation came from his own desire to have me at home where he could know exactly where I was. So, I made the split decision to mark my ground before allowing him to present his argument further.

Well, honestly I’m not sure I could handle all the work that a secretary does, I said with sincerity. But I think I owe you an apology.

For what? He smiled.

I’ve misled you. I’ve given you the impression that I was asking for permission…I really was just letting you know. I’ll be going to work Monday morning. I nestled down in his lap and pressed my face against his chest as a signal that the conversation was done.

Within an instant he had slid me to the floor and was on top of me straddling my body, pinning me in place with his face inches from mine.

This is a marriage Sarah, we should both have a say in all decisions made. He spoke softly and seductively. So, he was going to try to convince me in another way.

Listen to your own words then, I said calmly. This is a marriage, not a dictatorship. The only time you’re interested in us both having a say is when I don’t cower down to your orders.

Orders? He rolled his eyes and chuckled. You say that like I’m some kind of drill sergeant.

No, darling, I said sweetly, not a drill sergeant…a dictator. I smiled. "And, I’m initiating a