*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
Disclaimers: Yes I need an editor and no I do not want an editor. If this bothers you that much, just quit reading.
Yes it jumps around too much, yes there's too many people to keep track of, yes it's too long, yes it's too short, yes it's in the wrong category, yes this is stupid shit and yes, I suck.
For everyone else, I hope you enjoy this little tale.
*****
Chapter 1
"What do you say to a woman with two black eyes?" Darren James asked.
"I don't, can I get you some ice?" Vince Davis asked.
"Need me call the cops?" Billy Hunt asked.
"You don't say nothing; I mean, fuck! You done already told the bitch twice," Darren guffawed.
Vince looked at Billy, then shook his head. Billy's eyes mirrored Vince's own look of disgust.
"Really? This?" Vince thought to himself. "This piece of shit wrapped in skin is the great Darren James? Mister Perfect in Stephanie's eyes?"
Ever since meeting Stephanie James, Vince had been living under the shadow of the shrill, spiteful, vindictive girl's absent father. Anything Vince did, her daddy could do better. Any accomplishments were sneered at by Leslie's daughter, any attempts of befriending the girl was rebuffed. Any attempt of Vince's to thaw the girl's icy demeanor were rejected.
"Seven years of putting up with her shit is coming to an end; thank God," Vince consoled himself as he nursed his beer.
"God damn! What's with this shit, huh?" Darren yelled over the loud music. "Drink, Mother Fucker, drink! This is a Bachelor party!"
Billy obliged his future father in law by downing his own Jack and Coke, but Vince ignored the man. He focused on one of the large screen televisions and saw they were showing highlights of that day's college games. Missouri River State and Myndee was being featured and his eyebrows shot up when the final score showed that Missouri River State had managed to squeak by Myndee, eight to seven.
The Myndee Blue Jays were a tough bunch and beating them in their own stadium was a Herculean feat. Vince watched the Blue Jays block the attempted point-after with fifty three seconds left, making it Pioneers six, Blue Jays seven.
Then the Pioneer's kicker managed to put the kick-off on the three yard line. The Blue Jays lined up, snapped the ball, and five Pioneers converged to sack the Blue Jay quarterback in his own end zone.
"And that, Pioneers, O Pioneers, is how it's done!" Vince cheered as the Pioneers simply knelt and ran out the clock to win the game.
"Secret to keeping your bitch in line?" Darren yelled to Billy as he pressed a fresh drink into Billy's hand.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! That 'bitch' is your daughter, huh?" Vince said, face twisted in anger.
"Oh! Sorry, Mr. Sensitive," Darren mocked.
"And she'd have to work hard to be labelled a bitch," Vince thought. "That's about three steps up than the cunt she is now."
"Like I was saying, on Saturday? You beat her. Nice thick belt, or a razor strop. Whether she has it coming or not," Darren guffawed. "That way? She knows who's the man, who's the one in charge."
"Ask him how well it works," Vince reminded Billy.
Darren scowled darkly at the man that had married his ex-wife.
"Hear you getting married Honey?" a dancer cooed, draping herself over Billy's shoulder.
"Tell him, Honey, tell him don't do it," Darren laughed.
Vince had known he would not be walking Stephanie James up the aisle. David, her older brother had been granted that honor. And that had been more than fine with Vince. David was a fine young man, the kind of man any mother and step-father would be proud to claim as their son and step-son.
Then, five weeks ago, Leslie had shrilled excitedly that, out of the blue, Darren had reached out, contacted his younger daughter.
"Isn't that great, Honey?" Leslie gushed.
"Just out of nowhere? Wow, that is something," Vince agreed.
He did think it had been a real shame that Darren could not have reached out when Debbie, Leslie's oldest child had married. Leslie's brother, Al Wooten had been the one to walk the beaming Debbie up the aisle.
Al had been a diabetic, had weighed three hundred and seventy pounds at the time of Debbie's wedding. Since then, Al had quickly deteriorated and was now lying in a hospital bed in the living room of his Chicago home. He would not be attending his youngest niece's wedding.
Billy quickly asked David to be one of his groomsmen when he found out Stephanie's father would be walking Stephanie up the aisle. Billy had also extended that invitation to Vince; he genuinely liked Vince, as did Debbie and David. Stephanie had loudly, vehemently protested Vince Davis being included in any part of the wedding ceremony.
"Billy, thank you, but I consider it honor enough to be able to escort the beautiful mother of the bride," Vince had magnanimously stated to the young man.
If Stephanie had it her way, Vince wouldn't even get that honor. But the girl did keep her mouth closed. It was, after all, her mother and step-father that were paying for the elaborate wedding.
Darren had needed to 'borrow' the money for a plane ticket to Chicago. Leslie had even suggested that she and Vince invite Darren to stay in their home but David had jumped in and offered to let his father stay at his apartment.
As they were being fitted for their morning suits and top hats, Vince found out that he was expected to chip in to rent the outfit for his wife's ex-husband.
"And this perpetually broke, chronically unemployed ass hole just suddenly pops up?" Vince asked Leslie.
Leslie ignored Vince's question. And when he rolled over and tried to initiate a little loving, she coldly rolled away.
"You need to drink," Darren screamed into Vince's ear, jostling Vince out of his reverie.
"Fuck, dude, need to scream in my ear?" Vince yelled.
"Come on, pussy, fucking drink, huh?" Darren screamed.
"Dad, come on, this is Tiffany," David said, introducing the drunk man to a young African-American girl with surgically enhanced breasts.
"Mother fucker! Them honkers real?" Darren asked.
Chapter 2
Ink barely dry on his Doctorate diploma from the Missouri River State University, Vince Davis had attended a conference of Engineering in Chicago, Illinois. His briefcase bulged with several copies of his resume. His laptop had a stock cover letter; all he had to do was plug in the company's name and print it out.
The twenty six year old circulated, made some promising connections, and saw that, doctorate or not, he had a lot to learn.
And admitting that to a man that seemed to also be circulating earned Vincent Aaron Davis an interview with Colfax Sewage & Water. Vince had not considered the smaller community; wanting to be in Chicago, or St. Louis or another major metropolitan area.
"Most of Colfax is still on the septic tanks they had from the 'fifties and 'sixties," Jack Warner said. "Switching them over to public sewage is going to be a bear. But it's an excellent opportunity for you to learn and grow."
Vince agreed; it would be an excellent opportunity.
His first day in his new office, Vince met Leslie James, the vice president in charge of public relations and marketing. The forty one year old woman warmly greeted the new kid on the block and wished him well.
He ran into her in the lunch room and politely asked if he could join her. He did notice the wedding ring and engagement rings she wore so kept his attraction to himself.
Vince was six feet, one inches tall. He had started college with a partial scholarship as a wide receiver for the Pioneers. After attaining his bachelor's, he dropped football and concentrated on his post-graduate studies in hydraulics engineering. He did continue his exercise and diet regiment, though. So, at twenty six years old, he sported a finely chiseled athletic physique.
He had worn his sandy blonde hair in a pony-tail while he attained his Master's then his Doctorate, but the moment his diploma was in his hand, he had the dandy blonde hair trimmed to a stylish buzz cut, donating the hair to Locks Of Love. His brown eyes were warm pools, his nose was a strong one, and thanks to the hated orthodontic braces, his smile was straight and white.
His dentist had recommended having his third canine tooth extracted. But since he could give Vince no good reason to have it done, Vince declined to have it removed.
"So, uh, how long you been working here?" Vince asked Leslie the next time their lunch breaks coincided.
"Started, oh God, I'm embarrassed to tell you," Leslie laughed.
"What? Why's that?" Vince asked.
"Then you'll know how old I am," Leslie admitted.
Vince could see some tendrils of gray mixed in with the strands of brown hair that had escaped the severe bun. He could also see some crow's feet beginning to appear in the corners of her eyes.
She had beautiful blue eyes, a slim nose, and lips that formed a cupid's bow.
"I started right out of high school, pregnant with Debbie; that's my oldest. "Jack's daddy, Chip Warner took a real shine to me and paid for me to go to night school," Leslie said.
Leaning forward, Leslie afforded Vince an unobstructed view to the lacy bra she was wearing. Vince tried not to stare too long, but the attractive brunette had soft, creamy looking skin, and the bra was black.
"But, twenty four years, three kids and one divorce later..." Leslie was saying and Vince realized he'd drifted off, lost in the very nice cleavage she'd been showing him.
"So, next year's your silver anniversary with the place? Wow, that is really an accomplishment to be proud of," Vince said.
"So you HAVE been paying attention," Leslie tittered.
Vince blushed, realizing that she had noticed his attention had been focused on her chest. He then smiled and shrugged.
Two weeks after he'd started working at the office, Leslie let it slip that she was not married. The rings were simply to keep the wolves at bay. She waved her left hand at Vince.
"Plus that? I'm one paid for these rings," she said. "One my husband gave me? Diamond was so small needed a magnifying glass find it. Then come to find out, it wasn't even a real diamond. Was one of them cubic zirconia ones. I paid for these; I'm wearing them."
She confessed she'd caught Darren in bed with the girl they'd hired to tutor their youngest, Stephanie in French. They'd gone to counseling, almost repaired the damage, then Lori announced that she was pregnant.
"She was three months pregnant," Leslie smirked. "Problem was? I'd caught them five months earlier. Only way she could be three months was if they'd just kept doing it."
"So, uh, if I uh was to ask you uh, to House Of Mei?" Vince asked.
"I'd say that's very flattering, but you need to find someone your own age," Leslie said.
Then began a weekly campaign. Even though they used Direct Deposit, the office still delivered their pay stubs in sealed envelopes. Vince would carry his pay stub to Leslie's office, knock on the doorjamb and show her his pay stub.
