Monika Hollingsworth decided to risk it and let her Corvette go full out on the country back roads. She was looking forward to getting home and seeing both of her parents again. Most kids her age didn't get along with their folks. That was not true of Monika; she thought that the sun shined on her family all of the time. She could talk to them about anything under that selfsame sun and know that they would not judge her. When she had called her mom to let her know she was coming home for Spring Break, Monika got yet another happy surprise. Her aunt Laurel was expected to arrive at the same time for a long-overdue visit. Monika adored her aunt, she was her favorite relative. Next in line was her cousin Candy, but Monika's mom informed her that Candy would not be coming along on this trip as she was out of the country with her Daddy. Monika was disappointed, but looking forward to her family's company. She was in a cheery mood as her 'Vette tore up the roads. What a difference a week could make. Last week, she was seeing red.
The elfin redhead had a wide circle of friends at the university she attended. She could have gone to the university where both of her parents taught, it would have been convenient. Wisely, the 22-year old had chosen to go to a university some distance away where she could live her own life. Even still, a few of her professors knew her parents and would pass on their best wishes.
Her social circle included a number of attractive young women and men, a few of them older. Spencer Parker was one such man; he was 29 and worked for a large brokerage firm. He had a habit of throwing money around like it was confetti and he charmed all of the girls. Monika saw him and wanted to get to know him in the biblical sense of the word. She might have been petite, but Monika packed a punch. She was aggressive in her pursuit of the handsome man and Monika's friends all knew better than to interfere with her. Within a month, she and Spencer were dating exclusively and she was over the moon about that. For the past year, Monika was sure that she had met the man she was going to marry. She even got a bit dippy about it, going through bride magazines and planning her dream wedding in her head.
Unlike her normal, in-control self, the new Monika seemed to lose herself in her relationship. Spencer liked blondes, so for a while, she bleached her hair blonde. It suited her but it was ruining her hair and scalp, so she stopped. He didn't like girls in jeans, so Monika stopped wearing jeans. He thought running shoes or sneakers weren't feminine, so she always wore stylish shoes, even though they took a chunk out of the money she earned at the café. She didn't mind, she liked the added height her heels gave her and it pleased Spencer. If Spencer was happy, Monika was happy. Until the day that she
wasn't.
Monika's social circle was tight and they were also loyal to a fault. When word reached one of them, they all convened and knew that Monika had to be told. One of her best friends told her all about it.
"Spencer is cheating on you and he has been since Day One," Sophie told her. "He's been boffing one of the secretaries at his office. I'm sorry baby, it's true. We all did some digging and we've confirmed it. He's a two-timing louse and he doesn't deserve someone as sweet and sexy as you," Sophie had said as she hugged her closest friend.
Monika was livid and she drove her car to Spencer's condominium to confront him. She also did herself up fine to remind Spencer just what he was going to be losing. Even if he admitted it, even if he confessed and promised not to see this woman any longer, Monika was done with him. Her parents had instilled the value of honesty in her. If he hadn't wanted to be exclusive, he could have said so from the outset. Monika might not have pursued a relationship with him, because that had been her goal, a one-on-one relationship. Still, she would have known where she stood with Spencer.
She walked up to the front door and the doorman let her in. Spencer lived on the top floor; he had often commented that he could afford the best view. Now that Monika was coming to her senses, she was beginning to see that some of his charm had been based on money and power. He could be arrogant, rude and controlling. Monika's blinders had been removed and she now realized that she would be much better off without him. All that remained was for her to tell him that.
She rang the buzzer and the door was opened by a young woman who appeared to be close to Monika in age. She realized at once that this young woman was not Spencer's other lover, because she had a good description of the "other woman" that she had obtained from Sophie. This stunning young woman was not she.
Whoever
she was, she was stunning and dressed in pretty black lingerie. "Hello, may I help you?" The girl smiled. She had a voice like honey with the vague trace of a Southern accent.
"I was looking for Spencer?" Monika asked.
"My brother is out of town for a few days," the young woman smiled. "My apartment is being painted so I'm staying here and cooking and cleaning for him. He's hopeless at that, he thinks it's girl's work," she laughed. "I'm Shauna, his sister, but I guess I said that already, didn't I?" The girl said as she held out her hand. Monika had never touched skin this soft in her life, it was like velvet. "Sorry, you caught me having a nap. I got tuckered out from cleaning. My brother might be a rich broker, but he lives like a slob. I've told him that he should hire a maid," Shauna told Monika and then she covered her mouth. "I'm babbling, sorry. I'm a motor mouth. So, what can I do for y'all?" She asked.
"Not much, I guess," Monika sighed. "I'm Monika, Spencer's girlfriend. Well, sort of."
Shauna put her hands on her hips and looked at Monika with a sigh. "Don't tell me, y'all are about to be an ex. He's done it again, hasn't he? I'd heard all about you and thought you might be the one to put a stop to it, but ..." she didn't finish the sentence "Come on in sugar, you probably need someone to talk to. Do you?"
Monika nodded and followed Shauna into the large apartment. She had been here before and had never seen it like this. The place was immaculate. Shauna was right, Spencer tended to be on the messy side and she often found herself tidying up after him. Shauna hadn't "tidied"; she had been a whirlwind of activity that had removed all of the debris.
"He cheated on you, didn't he sugar?" Shauna asked sympathetically. Monika nodded. "My brother. He does have his good points sugar, he is good to me and to our parents, but he's a shitheel as far as boyfriends go," she said in that sweet voice. "This time, I know he's out of his mind. You're the prettiest little old thing I've ever seen," she told Monika. "All he's done for the last little while is talk about you and now, he's done blown it."
Monika quite liked Shauna; she was refreshing, open and honest, not like the "shitheel". "I know your family is originally from Montana, so why do you have an accent?" Monika asked the lovely, delicate blonde.
"I lived in Georgia for the past two years until I split with my partner," Shauna told her. She cleared her throat and spoke again with no trace of an accent. "I can stop if I concentrate, but I find people treat me nicer when I talk the other way."
"Don't stop, please," Monika smiled. "I think it's lovely, it sounds sexy, coming from you." She realized what she had said and went to correct it and then stopped. It did sound sexy, Shauna was sexy. Why deny that? Monika wasn't bi-sexual, but she could appreciate a gorgeous woman. The way that the young blonde was dressed, it was hard to miss just how beautiful she truly was.
"Okay darlin', I'll keep talking like this," Shauna giggled. "I like it too and I liked Georgia. I wouldn't have left, I was happy there, but you aren't the only gal in this room who got cheated on."
Monika almost used Shauna's own words on her. "Whoever cheated on you has to be out of his mind. You are absolutely perfect, how can you improve on perfection?"
