My Cover Model (A Love Like That #1) - R.L. Kenderson Page 0,90

down on one knee and kissed my belly, stretch marks and all. Thanks to my amazing husband, I saw them as badges of honor rather than something to be embarrassed about.

“I will always desire you, Sydney,” he said, practically reading my mind.

We finished undressing each other, and I lay back onto the bed and spread my legs. “Get inside your wife, Zehler.”

Travis laughed, grabbing on to my ankles, and did exactly as I’d demanded.

Once we were both spent and panting, he lay down beside me.

“I suppose we should go check on the kids,” I said, eyeing the closed adjoining door.

“In a minute. I want to hold you for a bit.”

I wiggled back into him. “Sounds good to me.” I closed my eyes and let my husband’s warmth and love surround me. Even though I hadn’t won an award, I was happy because I already had everything I wanted.

My Five Dates Sample

CALEB

“Thank you, sir,” I said to my final customer of the day and breathed a sigh of relief when he walked out the door.

I’d spent almost an hour with him, and he hadn’t bought a single thing. I didn’t work on commission, but it was still frustrating.

I looked around the used sporting goods store. I wanted this place to thrive, for more reasons than one, and it wasn’t going to happen when people continually came in and didn’t buy anything.

“It’s five, guys. I’m done for the day,” I told the three staff members on the floor.

“Okay,” one of them said without looking my way.

Yeah, they were going to miss me.

I walked back to the break room to grab my stuff before I headed home.

My phone buzzed. It was my mother.

Mom: Don’t forget about dinner tonight, sweetie.

I groaned. I loved my family, but I had been looking forward to doing my own thing tonight.

Me: I’ll be there. Just getting off work now.

I grabbed my wallet and keys from my locker and headed for the door, but I stopped when I saw my boss—the owner of the shop—sitting at his desk in his office. I’d been wanting to speak to him all week, but he hadn’t been around much.

I knocked on the open door.

Ted Goldman looked up from his paperwork and smiled at me. Unfortunately, it was strained, which didn’t bode well for what I wanted to speak to him about.

“Hey, Caleb. Can I help you with something?”

I walked into the office and took the chair right across from him. “I wanted to know if you’d considered my offer.”

Ted was almost in his seventies now and getting ready to retire. His wife had done so the year before, and the two of them wanted to do some traveling. While Ted had some good managers running his store, it was still a full-time job, and he was looking to sell.

And I was looking to buy.

I was one of the good managers Ted had on staff—correction, I was a great manager. I’d been working at the store since I was sixteen, minus one year back when I was twenty, making my total years of employment fourteen.

I had the most seniority and loyalty, and Ted was like a second father to me. I figured I was his first choice. In fact, I figured I wouldn’t even have any competition, but the look on Ted’s face said I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

Ted set his pen down and sighed. “I have thought about it, but I’m going to have to say no.”

“No?” No? I’d thought he’d at least counter my offer. A flat-out no wasn’t something I’d even considered. “Did you change your mind about selling?”

A look of regret filled Ted’s face. “No. I’m going to sell it to Rick.”

“What?” I said as I flew to my feet. “Rick?”

“Shh,” Ted said. “Close the door.”

I did as he’d requested because I didn’t want people listening in on our conversation any more than Ted did.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Rick has only been here a year and a half. He’s not even full-time,” I argued.

Rick was Ted’s nephew and had only started working here after his wife and kids left him. He was trying to make extra money to pay for his lawyer and child support.

“I know, Caleb. But, if I sell the place to Rick, he can work here full-time and spend more time with his kids because he won’t be working two jobs.”

“This is fucking nepotism.”

Ted’s chair screeched as he pushed it back and rose to his feet. “You will