Beautifully Broken

“I am.” I take a step away from her. “I’ve made an extra set of keys for you. If you do decide to go somewhere, just lock the door.”

I begin to walk toward the front door, but then remember the phone I got her. Turning back, I head to the kitchen and open the cupboard that’s become a little storage space for my tools. I take the cheap phone out and hand it to Cara. “Same thing as before. Use it only to phone me. Don’t give the number out to anyone.”

“But…” She takes the phone from me, and our fingers brush, sending electric pulses straight to my cock that’s once again ready for action. “What if I need to give a number to an employer?”

“Shit, you’re right. Just don’t go giving it to everyone.”

She glares at me, and it makes her look cute. “I’m not stupid, Mr. Jackson. Go to work.” She starts to walk toward the bedroom but then stops and turns back to me. “It has your number on it, right?”

“Yeah.” I can’t keep from staring at her. “Call if you need anything.”

She smiles and nods. “Great, thanks.” She walks into the bedroom and then calls out, “Have a nice day, hubby.”

A grin forms around my lips as I head out the front door.

CARA

After Damian leaves, I quickly shower and get ready to head out myself. I’ll go crazy if I have to sit around doing nothing all day. I need something to keep myself busy.

When I’m ready, I make sure all the appliances are off, and all the windows are closed. I lock up behind me and then walk in the direction of town.

I love Southport. The fresh ocean air is calming.

My thoughts turn back to this morning when I walked past the bathroom on my way to make some coffee, and I could swear I heard Damian growl.

Did he…”

Nah?

But it sounded like he was orgasming.

Just the thought of his strong hand stroking himself makes my body grow hot and bothered, but there’s a pang of sadness at the same time.

I might’ve masturbated to the image of him, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to have actual sex with him.

We haven’t talked about us or what we are since the kiss. We also haven’t kissed again.

Damian’s actually more careful around me, not touching me unless he has to – which sucks. It feels like we’ve taken a step backward instead of forward.

Maybe I scared him off?

When I reach the town, I shove the thoughts of Damian and me to the back of my mind and glance up the main road.

Here goes nothing.

I try Pete’s Place first, the local diner, but there are no vacancies.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

When I try the supermarket, the cashier there tells me to try the hardware.

I cross the road and walk into the small hardware store. It’s hot and stuffy inside as I head to the dark wooden counter. There’s a bell on top, and I hesitate to ring it. I tap it quickly, and the soft ping makes me cringe.

“Back here,” a man calls from one of the aisles.

I walk closer and stop when I see a middle-aged man sitting on a crate. He’s busy stocking the shelves.

“Hi… uhm.” I clear my throat. “I was wondering if you have any jobs available… for me? I mean, I’m looking for any kind of work.”

The man rises to his feet and looks me up and down. I take a step back just to be safe. Not that he looks threatening, but seeing as I’m a piss-poor judge of character, I’m not taking any chances.

“I have an opening, but not for someone like you,” he says rudely.

I lift an eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest. “Someone like me?”

“Yeah.” He waves a hand at me. “You’re too small. I need someone with muscle. You’ll have to carry heavy boxes, stock the shelves, sign for stock as it’s delivered, and carry it to the storeroom. You’re too small.”

In other words, I’m a woman.

My mouth drops open in surprise that he’s discriminating against me.

Is this man from the middle-ages?

“I’m strong,” I argue. “I’m a hard worker, too. What would you rather have, some guy who hasn’t worked an honest day in his life or a woman who doesn’t have a lazy bone in her body?”

The man stares at me, and it looks like my smart mouth just lost me any chance of getting the job.

Shit, you should’ve kept your mouth shut, Cara.

I turn around to walk away when he says, “Fine, I’ll give you a week. The pay’s not great, but it will take care of the bread and milk. There are no benefits. You work from eight a.m. until five p.m., and you get an hour’s lunch.”

He points to the box he was busy unpacking. “You can start with that. You’ll find more boxes in the back. I don’t want to lose a sale because you didn’t keep the shelves well-stocked. Also, make sure we have stock in the backroom. If we run low on something, tell me, and I’ll place an order.”