Not Without Challenges

By Lavender Lively

Ever dreamed the wrong dream?
Made a decision that caused a stir?
Found yourself in an awkward situation without any recourse?

Then welcome to NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES, a collection of stories and poems that will help answer those questions.

The pieces in this collection are more on a personal level, taken from experiences of either myself or of acquaintances. The collection does contain fictional accounts as well - I'll let you figure out which is which.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Next Chapter
• Release date: Apr 10, 2024

Book preview

Not Without Challenges

NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES

LAVENDER LIVELY

CONTENTS

Promised Possibilities

Commandments Seven And Ten Revised

Touching Base With Irony

One Look

Tracking An Affair

No Hugs In Private

No Strings Attached

Goodbye Again

Flavored Rewards

Figment Of Reality

High Infidelity

Giving Care A Whole New Meaning

About the Author

Copyright (C) 2024 Lavender Lively

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2024 by Next Chapter

Published 2024 by Next Chapter

Edited by Graham (Fading Street Services)

Cover art by Jaylord Bonnit

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

Dedicated to everyone

who wonders

if I’m writing about them.

I am.

PROMISED POSSIBILITIES

Out of the corner of my eye

I search the crowd

looking for any familiar face.

Hoping no one will see us

together.

Risks,

Taken by you,

taken by me.

Both hate knowing

someone else waits

for our return.

You hold back touching me

for now.

Restraining from my warm eyes

that hold desire and hunger

I can’t contain much longer.

When we’re alone later

and the danger has faded,

the long-awaited promises and secrets

will be far worth it.

Just like the risks

we take

together.

COMMANDMENTS SEVEN AND TEN REVISED

OR…OH, BROTHER, HOW ART THOU?

The experts say paybacks can be hell. I’ve also heard say that big chances are the only ones worth taking.

In addition, there’s a right time for everything.

Let me tell you all the statements are true to a certain degree.

I’m living proof.

My in-laws, husband and I live on a farm with separate residences. My mother and father-in-law take up the main house, brother-in-law Tim in a smaller house near the horse and cattle barns. My husband Garst and I reside about a fourth of a mile down the road.

One bright summer day, Tim and I were in the horse barn alone, chatting about the upcoming county fair. He innocently flirted with me, and I didn’t put too much stock in his advances. There was nothing strange about them because, on occasion, he toyed with me.

I didn’t ever remember consciously teasing him but maybe he just read my signals wrong as, without warning, he took me by surprise. His advances became a little less playful and I was blindsided. At first, his approaches were deliberate, and I properly fought them despite feeling like an experiment ready for alterations. After that point, I didn’t stand a chance against his intimate caresses.

The fact my brother-in-law knew my husband and I had ongoing problems definitely helped matters. Not that it was common knowledge, but haphazard signs played host to suspicions. Garst never showed any affection toward me outside the bedroom, and he disrespected me on a few occasions with groping gestures and name-calling. Some, in front of his family and friends.

In all honesty, there were times in my marriage when I questioned why I took those vows in the first place.

From the standpoint of a sexually frustrated wife, Tim was a perfect indiscretion. Before long, he served as a plan I never made, a design I couldn’t help be part of.

Simply put, my agenda didn’t include