The Job (Volume One) Read Online Free PDF Page A

ago I was this strong woman looking to take her life back into her hands. Now, I am a mere child. It is astonishing how I could have such big balls about this and be cut right down to size in an instant.
    “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.” I choke out and turn for the car. One step, two steps, three steps, and his hand is gently wrapped around my upper arm stopping me. I’m paralyzed by his touch.
    “Just come inside. I have dinner waiting for us on the deck. My offer still stands. Nothing has changed. Join me for a meal and then you can go, if that is what you want.” I can’t even listen to his words because my own conscious is arguing so loudly. My ears are ringing and confusion has set in. I knew from the get go that this was all a bad idea, but right now that three hundred dollars could turn my cable back on and buy at least two weeks worth of groceries. Could a meal actually be that bad?
    “Okay.” I say. His fingers release his slight grip on my arm and slowly fall to his side, fingertips caressing my bare arm on the way down.
    “I promise you, Madeline I won’t overstep my boundaries.”

    Looking around the back deck of Brian’s home, I find myself becoming increasingly jealous. Not in a nasty way, but man… I could only imagine waking up to the sun rising over the beautiful waves every morning. To the left of the small glass table for two is a set of stairs that brings you right down onto the shore. The back wall of the home is almost completely made up of huge windows that make me feel like an ant. When you think of beach-front home, Brian’s home is the first vision most people would get.
    “Living here alone, now that all the children are away, is lonely. Can you see why I look for companionship?” His words continue to run through my mind while we eat some fancy takeout I am sure he had delivered.
    The bleak silence between us didn’t last long because Brian quickly began a great conversation. I almost wished he would have been one of the men that actually replied to my dating ad because we quickly learned how much we truly had in common.
    “Madeline, honestly. Why the ad?” His question took me off guard and I wondered if I should give him an honest answer.
    “I need the money.” I try to keep it short and to the point, but I know after the flowing conversation we had, he won’t let me stop there. Brian comes off as one of those smooth, romantic men, but on the inside I can see a fiercely protective alpha male residing in his bones. He is the caveman type that can show a woman who they really belong to. The kind of man we all want in the bedroom and in our love lives.
    “Is this your first trick ?” He says with air quotes and a smile.
    “Yes, I didn’t answer any of the other replies I got tonight. You were by far the most appealing. To be honest with you, I didn’t think you would be the real deal.” Maybe it is the glass of wine helping me to open up a little bit more about the situation; or maybe it is just that I actually feel comfortable with him.
    “Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?” Before I can answer him, he pushes his chair back from the table and makes his way to my chair, slowly pulling it out and extending his hand. A true gentleman, I think.
    “Do you miss your wife, Brian?” I don’t want to bring her up, but my curiosity gets the best of me. A bad trait that I’ve battled with most of my life.
    “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss Audry. She was the love of my life. She gave me three beautiful children and doted on me just like a wife should for all those years. I was so blessed to have her for the twenty five years we had.” He pauses to look at me and back to the moon dancing across the waves. “We had our ups and our downs, as all couples do. Now, she’s been gone for almost two full years and I just can’t live without companionship in my life. Even if I have to pay for it.” I hate that I spoiled his