Chapter 2

Jennifer was broken from her reverie when she heard a car pull up outside — she knew it had to be Dave's car. Part of her mind told her to run to Dave and beg him to forgive her for not immediately agreeing to marry him but most of her was angry with him for doing just what Mark had predicted — snapping his fingers and expecting her to run to him. Dave was truly her best friend — they had literally grown up together and she would always love him deeply, but did she love him more than Mark?

She heard voices outside; then she heard the front door of her trailer open. She thought Jana must have forgotten something so she looked up and waited for Jana to enter her room. She heard heavy footsteps move through the kitchen and she was surprised to see Dave appear at her doorway — she immediately became defensive. She growled, "I don't want to speak to you, Dave." Dave's angry words the previous day had really hurt her and she was ready to fight back this time but Dave's expression today was totally different — her heart instantly melted. He moved towards the bed and she automatically moved over to make room for him to sit. He looked like the old Dave — her best friend.

He softly said, "You don't have to speak but please listen. I'm sorry I was an asshole yesterday. I was very upset that you rejected me, or at least put me off, and when I found out about the other thing, I lost it."

She listened patiently and as he apologized her heart sank even lower. Inside her mind, one part of her wanted to wake up another part of her brain with a slap to the face. Why couldn't she simply say yes to him and agree to leave Mark? Mark's prediction kept repeating in her head and she knew she had resolved not to do that to Mark. No matter how much she truly loved Dave, she also loved Mark. She stared into Dave's loving eyes and softly replied, "I didn't reject you."

He quickly responded, "By not immediately agreeing to be with me, it felt like a rejection. I obviously feel much more for you than you do for me."

She immediately argued, "That's not true." As he continued to talk, her mind raced and she barely heard what he said. She wondered silently, "How could Dave say he loved me more than I loved him? I love him more than anyone. More than Mark? Yes, even more than Mark. But I do love Mark and can't simply dump him after two wonderful years."

Lost in thought, she heard him make some sort of apology but wasn't really focused until he said, "Have a good life with Mark. Goodbye, Jennifer."

His words sounded so final and she watched a tear run down his cheek. She had hurt him deeply. She felt awful. She had hurt the one person she loved more than any other in this world. She was almost numb when he stopped talking and she stared at him in shock. He looked so sad; she wanted to hug him but before she had a chance he stood up and walked out of the trailer.

She lay there staring at the door for a brief moment in complete surprise — she had to have him in her life. She jumped out of bed quickly and found her robe. She pulled it on as she ran through the trailer then dashed out the door. Dave's car was sitting in front of his family's trailer and her heart jumped into her throat as she ran towards it. She suddenly realized it was empty and she saw his family van pulling away up the clay road.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she waved at the departing van to stop. Surely Dave would look back. The van kicked up a cloud as it moved up the lane and as the dust rose, Jennifer's heart sank. She watched for him to look back. Dave didn't look back. "Why didn't he look back?" she fretted.

When the van disappeared out of sight, Jennifer sullenly walked back to her trailer. As she walked through the door she saw the portable phone and picked it up then walked into her room. She pulled off her robe and crawled into bed staring at the phone. She started to dial Dave's cell number but she heard Mark's words echo in her head and she cried as she hung up even before it began ringing. She was still being torn in two directions but she didn't know what to do. She finally set the phone on the bedside table and cried into her pillow. She eventually cried herself back to sleep.

She woke shortly after seven o'clock and packed her bags in her car. Her mother came into the kitchen as Jennifer was carrying her bag to the car and asked if she was okay. When Jennifer shrugged, Heather hugged her daughter lovingly. Jennifer cried on her mother's shoulder as she said, "I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. Who should I choose, Mom? Please tell me; I can't decide."

Heather held Jennifer at arms length so she could look lovingly into her eyes. "I can't make that decision for you, honey. You will have to live with your decision so you have to be the one to make it. Your father and I will completely support whatever choice you make."

She pulled her mother close. "I know you will. I love you, Mom. I don't know what to do but I do know I need to get away from here so I can think clearly. I'll call you later."

Jennifer kissed her mother on the cheek before she pulled away and went out the door. She waved to her mother standing in the door of the trailer before she backed onto the clay road and followed the same path Dave had departed on just hours earlier.

As she drove back to New Dominion she thought about Dave and she continually asked herself if she had made a mistake not accepting his engagement request. She arrived in Charlestown mid-morning and decided to go to work. She felt she needed the distraction of work plus she had a project due the middle of the following week. She had planned on working the entire weekend to make up for the vacation time she had taken during the week. Her boss was happily surprised to see her and they went over some design modifications before she sat down in front of her computer and started working with the AutoCAD design software.

She managed to push Dave from her thoughts as she concentrated on her design project. After two hours of relatively productive work she opened her mail program to see if Mark had left any messages. She read a message from Mark asking her to contact him when she returned. She sent a reply explaining that she was home but at work.

She didn't feel hungry so she went back to work on her project. The afternoon passed quickly as she made steady progress on the revisions. Just before normal quitting time she saved the project on the server and went in to review her changes with her boss. He was very pleased with her progress and he complimented her on her excellent work.

She loved architectural design and knowing she did it well felt very satisfying. The sense of accomplishment when she finished a project was unbelievably fulfilling. She wondered what it would like to work on a huge project — her ultimate dream. Then, she thought about how incredible Dave must have felt when he won the British Open but suddenly she remembered him telling her he had won the tournament to show how much he loved her. A tear came to her eye and she unexpectedly excused herself and went to the washroom.

She went into one of the stalls and sat on the toilet. Tears were running steadily down her cheeks as she thought about Dave and the hurt look on his face when he left the trailer that morning. She was still sobbing when she heard the bathroom door open. The familiar voice of the receptionist asked if she was okay. Jennifer assured the older woman that she was fine and would be out in a moment.

After she heard the door close, Jennifer pulled herself together and walked out of the stall. She freshened herself up in front of the mirror before she returned to her boss's office and apologized for rushing out so suddenly. Mr. Jones asked her to sit down before he said, "Jennifer, you are one of the brightest and most enthusiastic technicians I have hired in many years. Your work is spectacular and you seem to anticipate my thoughts almost as well as my wife. I can tell something is bothering you, is there anything I can do to help?" After she wordlessly shook her head no, he continued. "If you need time off, I can find someone else to finish your project."

Jennifer again shook her head. "No, sir. I really need to finish this project myself. I'll be fine but thank you for asking." Her boss nodded and they reviewed his newest changes before he left for the weekend. She took a short break to go out for a bite to eat but she returned by six o'clock and started right back into her project. She had been working hard for three hours when she heard the buzzer for the front door. She looked at her watch not realizing it had gotten so late. She shook her head as she walked to the door. She had actually been able to push Dave out of her mind completely, but the moment she saw Mark standing outside the door, she thought about Dave's proposal again.

She opened the door and Mark strolled in casually before he locked the door behind himself. He looked lovingly at Jennifer in her knee-length navy dress skirt and soft white blouse. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately before he asked, "So how was the week? Did you have a good time? Did you and Jana have sex with Dave? Tell me all the details."

Jennifer couldn't believe he wanted to hear the details. He had told her she had to describe the scene in detail when he approved the initial idea. She thought how upset Dave was about him approving of her having sex with another guy and now she thought how much more angry Dave would be if he knew that Mark actually got excited about hearing the potential details. She looked into his eyes and shook her head as she explained, "We didn't do anything. Dave got upset when he found out you approved of your fiancée having sex with another guy and he refused to sleep with me."

Mark shook his head. "What a goof. He had a chance to make love to two beautiful women and he didn't? What kind of stud does that? I guess I was all wrong about him."

Jennifer got mad at Mark for calling Dave a name and she protested. "Don't call Dave a goof. He just has different values than you."

Mark smiled down at her and pulled her into his arms again and kissed her. He then whispered, "I don't care about your ex; he's history. I just wanted to come by and show you how much I missed you."

After a very sensual kiss, he guided her to her cubicle. As soon as they reached her desk he began unfastening the buttons on her blouse and, even though she protested, he continued until her blouse was slipped off her shoulders and tossed onto her desk. He sucked one of her nipples through her white camisole and, even though she continued to protest, he pulled the camisole off before he unhooked her bra.

Her nipples quickly grew hard, more from the cool air conditioned office than any passionate feelings; Mark sucked the other one into his mouth. He slipped his hand under her skirt as he pushed her back against her work surface. Jennifer pleaded, "Please, Mark, not tonight. I have a lot of work to do and I really don't feel like making love, especially here."

He smiled at her and overrode her objections, "I told you I always wanted to make love to you here in the office and after a week without seeing you, I'm really horny." He slipped his hand inside her panties and directly eased a finger into her soft love hole.

She really didn't want to make love but his teasing mouth and fingers had made her body respond and juices began to flow automatically. She thought about Dave and a tear came to her eye as she suddenly realized she had made a huge mistake. Dave would never force himself on her and what she had previously thought was love and passion might just be Mark's controlling personality focused on meeting his needs.

His finger began rubbing her clit and her body betrayed her again as she moaned in pleasure. As he pulled her panties off, she kept telling herself that this wasn't right but her body continued to get very excited; when Mark pulled his rock-hard erection from his pants, he easily slipped into her very wet pussy.

He pushed her ass onto the hard work surface as he began driving into her. He fucked her hard until he groaned loudly then released his juices deep inside her. After catching his breath he smiled at her and kissed her tenderly. She simply stared at him in disbelief.

She eventually told him she had to clean up so she pulled on her clothes then went into the washroom. After she used the toilet she simply sat there and cried. She was so confused about who she really wanted to be with. Mark had just forced her to have sex and she slowly got very angry. After quickly cleaning herself up, she stormed out of the bathroom. Mark was sitting contentedly in her chair and she growled at him. "What the hell was that all about? I told you I wasn't in the mood but you pushed it anyway. I don't like to be treated as your sex toy."

Mark was surprised by her words. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. I missed you a lot and I just got excited seeing you in your dress clothes."

Jennifer pulled him out of her seat and guided him to the front door. "Well you've had your little fun so it's time to leave — I have a lot of work to do." Mark tried to apologize again but she pushed him out the door; after locking it, she went back to her cubicle. She put her head down on her desk and cried as she continued to ask herself if she was making a mistake not accepting Dave's proposal. Her phone rang several times but she ignored it and let it go to voicemail.

For twenty minutes she tried to work but without any luck. She finally decided to call it a night. She listened to her voicemail before she left — it was Mark apologizing profusely and begging her to forgive him. In the last message he promised to call her the next day at work and asked her to go to dinner with him the next night.

Jennifer went home and went to bed but she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Dave and Mark and she continued to grow more confused as to what she should do.

She spent most of Saturday working and the project became a good distraction. Late in the afternoon she called Mark and agreed to go out to dinner with him. After dinner they returned to her house and had a long talk. They made up and Mark spent the night with her. When they woke Sunday morning they talked more about her trip to QAI, but she didn't tell Mark that Dave had proposed to her. She didn't know how Mark would feel and she still didn't even know how she felt. Mark asked if maybe Jana would want to spend some intimate time with him and Jennifer instead, after the deal with Dave had fallen through. Jennifer wasn't sure what she thought of that but she knew Jana was hoping it would happen so she simply said, "We'll see." She eventually cooked them breakfast before she went back to work for a few hours. When Jennifer left for the office, Mark said he would meet her at the house around six o'clock. Jennifer worked for the rest of the morning until she got a call from Jana. She said she would leave immediately.

She locked the office and as she got in her car she thought about Dave again. She thought about him the entire drive to Nova Scotia. She had agreed to meet them in Stellarton and she tried to think about what she would say to Dave. In the end she wasn't exactly sure what she would say but she was desperately looking forward to speaking to him.

When she pulled into the service station where they had agreed to meet, she saw Dave's family van. She pulled up beside it and got out of her car with a nervous excitement. When the driver's door of the van opened and Dave's father, Roger, got out, her heart sank. Dave didn't even want to see her. He must have been so angry with her that he couldn't even face her.

Jana ran to her and hugged her excitedly before she helped Roger move her bags into Jennifer's car. Jana and Kyra both hugged Roger goodbye and he told them to have a safe trip home. Roger saw the very sad look on Jennifer's face and he walked to her. She smiled up at him as he hugged her. She couldn't help but cry into his chest. She started to say she was sorry but he cut her off and said he would always love her like a daughter and that she was always welcome in his home. She thanked him before they got into their vehicles and went their separate ways.

As soon as Jennifer was on the highway she asked, "Was Dave too angry to come see me?"

Jana, who was sitting in the front seat, replied accurately, "He said he was tired from his golf but that wasn't the whole truth. I don't think he was angry as much as he was sad."

Jennifer nodded understandingly but didn't speak. After a moment's pause she asked, "How did he play?"

Jana explained, "It looks like he made the cut for the match play but his dad said he could tell his focus was very poor — his mind was definitely not on his game."

Jennifer sniffed. "I know how he feels."

From the backseat, Kyra asked softly, "Are you okay?"

Jennifer looked into the rearview mirror at Kyra and nodded that she was; although that was a lie, everyone accepted her statement. The next hour of the drive was very quiet; eventually Jennifer asked what Cape Breton was like and the twins described how beautiful it was. That seemed to open up the conversation again and the last ninety minutes passed quickly. Just before they reached Charlestown, Jana asked, "So, are we going to have some fun with Mark tonight?"

Jennifer hesitated before she replied, "I don't know. I'm not sure if I really like the idea anymore."

But Jana wouldn't let it go and convinced Jennifer to do it. Jennifer could see that Kyra was getting very angry in the back seat but didn't know why. When they arrived at the house, Mark's car was in the driveway. As Jennifer walked into the house she didn't notice the twins drop behind and start talking. She found Mark sitting in the living room and he stood and kissed her. He asked how the trip was and she said it was fine.

Jana strolled in a moment later and she moved next to Mark. Mark hugged her and then kissed her softly on the lips. Jana seemed to enjoy it and, while Jennifer wasn't expecting any sex to begin immediately, she didn't really mind the kiss. Mark then pulled Jana onto the couch next to him and began rubbing his hand on her thigh. Jennifer heard Kyra enter the room and she immediately saw a very angry look on Kyra's face. Mark made to get up and move towards her when Kyra said, "Don't bother getting up, Mark. I'm just going to my room to pack." She then glared at Jana and said, "You know you shouldn't do this." Jana simply glared at Kyra who added, "Fine, I'll see you later then."

As soon as Kyra left the room Jennifer asked, "What was that all about?"

Jana looked a little sheepish as she replied, "Kyra's mad because Dave said he didn't want me to have sex with you and Mark."

Jennifer was surprised to hear what Jana said, but before she could say anything, Mark blurted out, "What a fucking hypocrite. Jennifer, didn't you tell me that he was screwing his English Princess? What? He can fuck around but Jana can't?"

Jennifer immediately wanted to defend Dave but Jana looked at her and asked, "Don't you think Dave is being unfair?"

Jennifer looked at the pleading eyes of her very close friend, the same friend who had stood by her the entire week. Jennifer simply nodded but deep down she knew it was wrong for them to get intimate together.

She barely heard Mark say, "Jana, go over and kiss Jennifer. I want to watch you two make love, it'll be a real turn-on for me."

Jennifer's body almost felt numb as Jana moved into her arms and kissed her. Jana's familiar lips felt very soft but Jennifer kept thinking about Dave and how angry he was going to be.

The next hour was a blur. She vaguely remembered making love to Jana and spreading her thighs to Mark and watching Mark with Jana. Jennifer remembered the many times she had slept with Dave and different women and this didn't feel anything like those special times. There had always been a deep love for each other in those sessions but this didn't seem right. She watched as Mark fucked Jana and, although they were both clearly enjoying it, there were obviously no true feelings involved — it was just physical sex.

Jennifer felt a tear come to her eye — she finally realized she had definitely made a big mistake. She should have told Dave she wanted to be with him — but now it was too late. Dave would be furious about Jana fucking Mark and Jennifer was all to blame. If she had agreed to be with Dave then this would not have happened. Dave would hate her forever for this.

Jana and Mark both climaxed together then collapsed on the couch. Jennifer explained that she was going to make a late dinner and, after she pulled her clothes back on, she left the room. When she got to the kitchen she cried and cried. In the last week she had rejected Dave and now she had chased him out of her life forever by allowing Jana to talk her into a three-way with Mark. Dave would never, ever forgive her for this.