Love With A Younger Man (5 page)

“You once asked where I learned how to please a man.” As I spoke, tears began to fall. “My father abused me as a child. He pimped me out to his friends and took graphic pictures of me. When I was old enough to run away, I did and used my skills to please men in order to raise money to put myself through school. Then, I reinvented myself.”

“Amber—”

“Please let me finish and get this over with,” I said, in the voice of a stranger. Richard was silent, but as I continued, each word felt like a nail being driven into my coffin.

“I changed my name, got my realtor’s license, and thought I’d finally escaped my past. Well, I didn’t. You see, my father showed up yesterday and blackmailed me. He threatened to show Eve those horrible pictures of me if I didn’t pay. But with him, I knew that would be only the beginning of the extortion. He’d never stop until he’d milked me dry. I wrote those letters because I was a coward and feared telling you and Eve the truth. Yet, ironically, after I left the office today, my father double-crossed me and attempted to blackmail Eve before I even had the chance to pay him. I know this because Eve was here; she just left. However, Eve wasn’t a coward like me and stood up to my father. She went so far as to call some friends from her old neighborhood to come and persuade him to leave me alone. I’d meant to throw away the letters—”

I didn’t have the chance to finish my sentence. Richard grabbed me. He crushed me to him as his lips devoured mine. He fiercely planted kisses on my eyes, my face, my neck before returning to my mouth. Finally, we parted, breathless.

“You still want me?” I asked in disbelief.

“Lady, I don’t give a damn about your past. All I want in this world is in my arms.”

“Then marry me as soon as we can at City Hall. I don’t want a church wedding. I don’t want to wait.”

“You really want to get married right away?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. I nodded.

He smiled. “All right, then. Order in some Chinese, and let me make a few phone calls.”

***

I met Richard at Town Hall to apply for a marriage license.

In a few days, we were to be married before the Justice of the Peace. I had chosen to wear a simple, tailored, beige suit. The smile on his face when he saw me told me he approved of my choice. City Hall was the seat of local government, and the place was filled with people applying for all sorts of licenses. Of course, we weren’t the only couple tying the knot that day—but I knew I was the happiest person there.

I finally felt safe. No longer did I have to look over my shoulder. The secret of my terrible past could no longer hurt me. Kiesha Washington was dead and buried. But, most of all, I was marrying the most wonderful guy in the entire world who had the power to make my heart sing.

Just before the ceremony, Eve met us in the waiting room outside the Justice’s chambers. She hugged me and Richard. “Girlfriend, you look radiant. You could be the spokesperson for marriage. Hell, if we put you outside hawking marriage licenses, we’d sell enough to lower taxes!”

That brought on a gale of laughter that earned us a stern look from the Justice’s assistant. Looking at Eve, I felt she looked beautiful as well in her black suit. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to tell her this because Richard’s two buddies, Mark and Lewis, showed up. Richard stood and they thumped him on his back. I didn’t quite catch what Lewis said to him, but I remembered the unkind things both men had said about me that Sunday morning at Richard’s place when they discovered he was still seeing me.

“You never met Amber, guys,” Richard said, beaming as he introduced them to me. (indent)“Congratulations,” Mark said, and Lewis nodded his agreement.

I thanked them both, knowing deep inside that most likely, they would never accept me or understand how Richard could love an older woman.

Ray arrived. “Glad I’m not late. Had an appointment.” I introduced him to Richard and his friends.

“Good appointment?” Eve asked. Ray shook his head.

The door opened, and a very happy couple, walking arm-in-arm, came out. The assistant nodded to us. It was time. I took a deep breath and gave Richard my hand. He kissed it, and we went inside. The others followed us in and would be our witnesses.

The Justice of the Peace was a short man with graying hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He reminded me of an owl. He welcomed us in a soft voice and wasted no time getting started. Then I heard, “You may kiss the bride,” and it was all over. I was now Mrs. Richard Harrington.

Richard took me into his arms and kissed me. In that wonderful kiss, I saw my future filled with sweet velvet days of love.

The End-

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With nearly 200 short stories in print and her fifth novel soon to be released, sweet and spicy Candy Caine keeps her husband, Robert, on his toes in their Long Island, NY, home. Supportive of her writing career, Robert is always willing to help her make certain the scenes in her stories are authentic. After all, technique is very important for good writing. Visit Candy’s website at
www.candycaine.com
.

Candy Caine likes to hear from her readers. You can reach her at
[email protected]

OTHER BOOKS BY CANDY CAINE

Christmas with a Stranger

Two days before Christmas, sassy Allie Benson found herself stranded in a wintry wilderness with wealthy, sexy, Roy Colby. Staying warm was a priority. But the heat their bodies generated went way beyond what either of them had ever dreamed.

Dangerous Attraction

Can a trailer park blonde beauty overcome her sordid past to not only find herself living the life of a privileged princess, but finding true love in the arms of a lusty, tender, bronze-skinned man?

Never Is Not Forever

Claudia Brown didn’t want marriage. But she wanted a baby. So she set out to find the perfect sperm donor—someone who wouldn’t be around later to even know he had fathered a child. Falling in love with the man was not in the game plan.