Chapter 1

Jerrod was and is an enigma. He was a gifted metalworker, a talented cabinet maker and finish carpenter. Additionally he had gone to college and become a brilliant engineer. His future could have been one of moneyed leisure had he applied himself. Instead now he lived almost in poverty. While in high school and just after he had taken almost every welding course he could find and had become certified to weld everything from basic steel to aluminum to stainless steel. He worked part time for many fabrication plants to make money to pay his college tuition. During the summer and many school holidays he also helped his father in his wood working shop. Jerrod took a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri. Jerrod worked in the mechanical engineering field for three years after obtaining his degree. Shortly after the end of his third year in his engineering job his life changed dramatically and according to his mother for the worst. This is his story. You decide if his life is a good one. You decide if he is just getting by.

Jerrod walked into his luxury condo late on the evening his life changed. His mood was one many people would describe as almost violently angry. He had been having trouble with his supervisor for almost a year. At one time he and his supervisor had been tight. Patricia was a beautiful woman and she knew it. She and Jerrod had started at the firm three weeks apart. For the first year their cubicles had been next to each other separated only by a narrow aisle. He remembered how they had felt about each other first when they were just coworkers then later when they became lovers.

When one or the other of them had a question they would talk back and forth, helping each other with a job. Several times they were assigned the same project. They worked well together but Jerrod did most of the actual work. He had that something extra, that spark that made the projects easy to him. Patricia was marginally competent at best but he loved her and wanted her to succeed. Looking back and being honest with himself Jerrod admitted she had not worked very hard at her job. She had what Jerrod called Beautiful Woman Syndrome. Patricia flirted and teased to get her work done. She enticed others to do things for her just to get her approval and thanks, just to get a smile or touch from her. Jerrod had fallen for her antics just as did almost every other man she ran across.

Patricia was a flirt. When she and Jerrod interacted she did as many beautiful women will. She smiled, touched him gently, "accidently" rubber her breasts on him. In short, she teased. Jerrod had seen her do this with many of the males at the office and it bothered him at first. After they became a couple he had complained about it and Patricia did tone it down somewhat but flirting was in her system. She was as unable to stop flirting entirely as the Mississippi river was unable to run north.

Like many office romances their relationship began with work related conversation in their cubicles. Shortly after they became friendly they began taking business lunches with each other at first to discuss a project, then later because it was a habit they enjoyed. Rapidly they moved to an occasional trip to the local bar after work.

After almost five months Jerrod took the next step and asked Patricia for a date. She happily accepted. Within three months of the first official date they were a couple, exclusive. Jerrod began helping her more and more on her assigned projects. Many times he worked late into the night off the clock designing some of her assigned work. Of course Patricia was properly appreciative in the bedroom. Jerrod was in love.

Almost five months after Jerrod and Patricia became exclusive Patricia turned in a particularly difficult project not only well in advance of the due date but with two really innovative design features. Her Manager was very pleased and wrote a glowing commendation for her. He also authorized a $1500 cash bonus. Jerrod was slightly upset at this for three reasons. One, he had been the one who did most of the work on the project, off the clock as usual. Secondly the two innovative design features were his alone and Patricia had promised to so state when the project was turned in but she failed to do so. The third reason Jerrod was upset was perhaps the most hurtful one. After the project had been turned in Patricia began to spend more and more time with their Manager. She even began taking lunches with him and turning down Jerrod. She went to bars after work with the Manager too. If Jerrod went with them he was made to feel like an outsider. Patricia began to have excuses not to go out on dates with Jerrod. Sometimes when he went to her apartment she would be unexplainably absent or he would think he heard noise inside but she would not answer the door.

Then came the day their Supervisor retired. There were only three people under consideration for the position—Jerrod, Patricia and one outside applicant. For three weeks all three were put through the mill. They were given numerous interviews and even a couple of tests to determine the best person for the job. On the tests Jerrod came out at the top of the queue.

Finally the announcement came down from on high. To Jerrod's surprise Patricia was promoted and became the Supervisor for the design section they worked in. Within a week Patricia completely stopped going out to lunch or after work with Jerrod. When he asked her what time he should pick her up for their regular date she informed him she couldn't date him any longer. She told him it wouldn't be right for her to date a subordinate. Over the next several months there were three occasions when Patricia took credit for design work Jerrod had done. Their immediate supervising Manager had not supported Jerrod the two times he had complained to him. Recently his Manager also began to antagonize him even more. Jerrod had seen Patricia and their married male manager out on the town several times late at night. He saw them dance together, sit closely and walk with their arms around each other. Jerrod finally admitted to himself they were together for reasons other than business.

It was only about two months after Patricia dumped Jerrod when he met his next and current girlfriend Winona. He and his friends from work had been out bar hopping on a Friday night. They were in a bar way upscale from their usual haunts when he literally bumped into Winona. Jerrod was as handsome as Winona was beautiful. To top it off he had been in a business meeting all day and was dressed in his best suit. At first when they collided she had glared at him with anger. She made disparaging comments about clumsy assholes not watching where they were going. Jerrod's immediate reaction to that comment was a surge of anger. Neither of them had been watching where they had been going. He had seen her walking across the floor with her head turned toward one of her friends talking and waving her hands at the same time. Jerrod had been on the way to the rest room when someone he knew had called to him. He turned rapidly to see who it was and his course veered into Winona's where they collided. To Jerrod's immense relief his heartfelt apology and the purchase of a drink to replace the one he had caused her to spill morphed into them spending the rest of the evening together. They exchanged phone numbers before they went to their respective homes.

The next Monday Jerrod called Winona and talked her into a date. The first date led to another, then another. Jerrod was so smitten he took her to the expensive and upscale places that she normally frequented rather than the ones he preferred. As it turned out this gave her a false impression of who Jerrod really was. Based on this false impression they quickly became exclusive.

Winona began spending more and more nights at Jerrod's home. Almost all her belongings quickly followed her there. She still maintained an apartment for proprieties sake she said but for all intents and purposes they were living together. Winona only spent a couple of nights a week at her apartment without Jerrod. For some reason he never noticed those nights always included a Friday. After all, many Fridays Winona and her high society girlfriends spent the evening at the country club or some social function or another. Jerrod hated those types of functions so was always willing to miss out on them and let her attend with her parents or friends while he stayed home alone.

Jerrod had received a token promotion shortly after Patricia was made Supervisor. He was made Lead Man for one of the two groups in his section. He was in charge of designing equipment and laying it out for one of the largest manufacturers in St. Louis. He had come up with a really innovative idea and incorporated it into his plans. When the customer accepted the plans and complimented his company on the work Patricia and their Manager had not given him the credit. They had, instead, once again stolen the idea as their own. Upper management had been told that the Manager came up with the idea and Patricia had drawn the tentative plans out for Jerrod to complete.

That afternoon Jerrod had discovered his employer had been paid a bonus for completing the last project early. They had received a bonus because of the changes Jerrod had drawn into the plans also. Upper management decided the bonus for the innovative changes should be shared by those responsible for generating it. Patricia and the Manager were to split the bonus instead of give it or a portion of it to him. When Jerrod had confronted the two they had told him upper management had decided they were the proper persons to receive the bonus because they had been instrumental in the design and getting the customer to accept the changes.

Jerrod's meeting with the two thieves had been in the building parking lot. After a short discussion Patricia had gotten a disgusted look on her face and said, "Look Jerrod we know you drew the majority of the plans but it was OUR idea you used. Now just let it drop. We wouldn't want anything adverse to come of this would we?" After she had glared at Jerrod for a moment she and the Manager had just walked away got into their cars and left. Jerrod had almost stormed back into the building to confront his Manager's boss right then but thought better of it. He decided to wait until the next day when he was calmer, more in control before he complained to someone higher in the company. Besides, he had a date with Winona that evening and he couldn't afford to be late for it. She had turned into a stone cold bitch lately and he was trying to placate her and go to more of her functions with her.

Shortly after he walked into his home Jerrod had another hit to his happiness and well being. He was trying to relax and unwind from his day with a triple shot of his favorite single malt—The Glenlivet—when his cell phone rang. He would have ignored it except it was his mother's ringtone. His parent's rarely phoned him although his mother called more than his father. She tried to keep in touch and usually gave him a hard time if he didn't answer the phone when she called. His parents were of the older generation and to them phones were not the social tool many younger people thought them to be. If his parents used the phone it was because it was extremely important more often than not.

"Hello Mom," Jerrod answered. "How are you this evening?"

Jerrod heard his mother sniffling. Her voice broke up and she squeaked out his name. "Jerrod, your Father is dead. He was working on some machinery for one of the local farmer's this afternoon and there was an explosion. He was hit with a piece of metal..." Kelly, his mother, broke down crying once more.

"Are you doing ok Mom," Jerrod asked. "Never mind, of course you aren't. I'll be there as soon as I can." Jerrod rose from his slouch on the couch and rushed to his bedroom. He packed as he and his mother continued to talk. By the time he was packed and walking out the door he had calmed her down enough to hang up. Jerrod rushed out of his building and got into his "Cowboy Cadillac", a nearly new F250 SuperCrew 4X4. He was almost forty miles west of St. Louis roaring down I 44 enjoying the chuckle of his Powerstroke Diesel when his phone rang once more. This ring tone was one more he couldn't safely ignore. It was his girlfriend Winona.

When he heard the phone Jerrod grimaced in disgust. Crap. He had forgotten he had promised to take Winona out after he received his mother's phone call. He had promised to take her to some damn society banquet and dance at her parent's country club this evening. She had been looking forward to the soirée and had talked about nothing else for weeks. It was almost 15 minutes past the time he was supposed to be at her apartment and he knew she would be very angry. They had been arguing lately about his 'attitude' toward her and what was important in their lives. He knew even considering the circumstances that he was probably in for it now. His mind quickly flitted over their last argument three weeks ago.

He felt his anger surge when he remembered the argument. Their relationship was still strained because of it and now he was going to miss her big banquet. Jerrod was honest enough to admit their last argument was probably more his fault than hers but he had been fed up. Winona was high maintenance, no question about that. When she was happy she was pure pleasure to be with. She was beautiful, sexy, and cuddly beyond compare. When she was in a good mood and they made love she would almost purr like a kitten while he was stroking her. Unfortunately when they were in bed it was all about her. She resented the fact he expected some satisfaction also. Winona thought he was there to pleasure her and if he had some fun too it was ok. Like most women, Winona loved to have her pussy eaten. Like many women she hated to suck dick. In fact, she absolutely refused to suck dick. Truthfully getting his cock sucked wasn't really high on Jerrod's list of pleasant sexual acts but he did enjoy it from time to time as part of the foreplay.

One evening when Jerrod came home upset with Patricia and his treatment at work he wasn't as willing to please Winona as he normally was. He wasn't as pliable as she demanded he be and didn't cater to her needs willingly enough. He wanted, no he needed to be loved that night and Winona was the same old Winona. She wanted him to please her. Winona once again refused to suck him and to engage in foreplay that was pleasurable to him. This upset Jerrod enough he stopped eating Winona out. No matter how hard she pushed his head toward her crotch Jerrod resisted. He didn't take her at first gentle hints to resume his feast. Her requests became more and more heated. Finally she had not asked him to eat her; she had ORDERED him to eat her. When he refused she told him if he didn't lick her pussy there would be no pussy for him. Jerrod said, "No problem Honey. I'll eat your little pussy as soon as you finish blowing me."

"NO! You KNOW I don't do blow jobs. How can you even ask me to do something as disgusting and demeaning as sucking your penis? That's too gross. I don't want that thing near my face and you know it. I hate sucking on a man. Now get down there and eat me Honey. I know you like it and I need it desperately. I need it soooo bad tonight."

About a week before that night Jerrod had an insight about Winona. He began thinking much of their relationship was about power for her. Everything revolved around her. If he bowed and scraped for her she rewarded him with sex. The more he did for her, the more money he spent on her the more sex she gave him. He was allowed sex but only the sex that pleased Winona. It was obvious his pleasure was NOT her priority. That night Jerrod had been angry enough he found enough backbone to refuse her demands for cunnilingus. He played with Winona's pussy. He kissed her and nibbled on her nipples. When he got her wet enough he started to move over her and screw her. She looked up at him and pushed him away. "Not until you lick it," she said.

Jerrod looked down at her and said, "Not gonna happen sweet pea. Not until you return the favor."

Winona pushed him away and rose from the bed. She dressed and stomped out of the bedroom. She was cursing and complaining constantly from the time he again refused to eat her until she was out of his hearing. The last thing Jerrod heard was his front door slamming behind his girlfriend. He did not see her for three days after that argument.

By the time he finished reminiscing his phone stopped ringing. He thought about calling her back but the idea became moot. His phone rang again a few seconds later. With a sigh and a slight amount of fear Jerrod hit the control on the steering wheel and answered his phone. "Hello Honey."

Before he could say more Winona snarled, "Where the hell are you Jerrod? You're late. We should have left here almost 15 minutes ago. You know it takes almost 30 minutes to get to the club. We're missing supper. Can't you even get something this simple right?"

"Look, I'm sorry Honey. I just forgot to call you about"

Winona broke in on his sentence and screamed, "YOU FORGOT? Damn you Jerrod how could you? I suppose you're out swilling booze with those drunkard friends again aren't you?"

"NO! Look Winona I am sorry. I had just barely got home from work this evening when my mother called. She was a wreck and I just forgot to call you. My Father got killed today and I am on my way home to take care of Mom. I won't be back in town until after his services. Should I come back for you or do you want to drive down alone for them?"

"What? Jerrod you knew we had this planned for weeks. There's nothing you can do at home tonight. You could have honored your obligation to me and gone home tomorrow. Can you get back in time to take me to the dance at least? I have to put in an appearance. What will everyone think if I don't even show?"

"Dammit Winona you know I can't drop everything and take you to a damn dance. I have to get home to my family. My father DIED for Christ's Sake! Look, if you're too BUSY to come down for the funeral I'll see you when I bet back ok? I'll call you in a day or two and let you know when the services are in case you can tear yourself away and make it."

"Don't bother asshole. I can't keep putting my life on hold just to satisfy you. I'll just go out to the club myself. You know, I've almost had it with you and your thoughtlessness. I think we need to give our relationship some serious thought. You're never there for me. It's always what you want that's important to you. You work when we have obligations we need to honor. Now you shirk your responsibility to me and renege on a promise you made me weeks ago to run home because your MOTHER wants you to. Every time something comes up that is IMPORTANT to you I have to take a back seat. I'm sick of it. Mother was right. I really don't think you're right for me. I deserve a lot more than you've been giving me lately."

Winona hung up. Jerrod felt his stomach roiling as he first listened to then digested Winona's diatribe. He shook his head at her insensitivity. He grinned a little when he remembered what his father had said the one time his parent's had met Winona. "She's a little flighty and high maintenance aint she boy? Are ya sure ya wanta be runnin' 'round with someone like her? If she's what you want fine and good but you need a woman with substance like your momma. You need someone who will have your back all the time and who will always be there for you son. I just don't think that one is it. From what I've seen this week it's always going to be all about her; her wants, her needs, her plans and friends. A man can't live his life like that boy. When ya get married her friends and wants and needs should become yours as yours should become hers. I don't see that happening with her son. You don't strike me as one of the country club crowd son and she is all about the country club and social scene."

Jerrod had been thinking about his father's observations on Winona for several weeks now. This was the straw that broke that camel's back probably. Oh, well. He needed to take time to focus on family and getting through the next few days right now. He could think about his relationship with Winona after the services.

Thirty minutes after she hung up on Jerrod Winona stomped into the dining room at the country club. Of course that made her angrier. She knew she hadn't made the entrance she wanted—the regal entrance that let most of the people there know she was above them. She was so angry she was just totally unable to affect the attitude and composure she normally exhibited making an entrance. Instead she 'stomped' and knew she was doing it. Finally she found the table her parents were at, the table she and Jerrod were supposed to share with them and sat at her place. She looked down at the now cold meal and glared. Her mother looked up at her with worry on her face and said, "I'm sorry about the cold food Honey. I was so sure you would be on time I told the waiter to leave it for you when he served us. Where's Jerrod dear? Why were you kids so late?"

"Jerrod's not coming mother. He would rather go home to see his mother than be here with me."

"OH, you poor dear. What excuse did he use this time?"

Winona explained about Jerrod's father's death. Peter, her father looked shocked when she launched into a long complaint about Jerrod's insensitivity to her and her needs. He said, "Now Honey calm down. He couldn't help this and you know it. His father died for God's sake. Why are you here? Why aren't you going home with him Winona?"

Winona looked at her father in shock. She took a deep breath and said, "Yes he could help this Daddy. There's nothing he can do at home tonight. Hell he won't even get there until almost midnight. He could have brought me here to the dance tonight like he promised and then gone home tomorrow. We had this planned for weeks and you know it. As for being there with him for one he didn't even call me to tell me he was going home instead of coming here with me like he was supposed to do. When I called him to find out where he was he said he had been so worried about his mother he had even forgotten our date tonight. Besides, going to that hick town he calls home is absolutely the last thing I have any intention of doing. I wouldn't have gone even if he had remembered to call me and ask."

Her father stared at Winona in shock. He wondered how his sweet loving daughter had managed to grow up into such an uncaring selfish bitch. He began to tell her she was overacting when his wife placed her hand on Winona's forearm and said, "We understand Honey. I've always thought he was a thoughtless man. There was no reason for him to not bring you out here tonight. Now, let's call the waiter and see if they can get you a warm plate. The night's still young. Maybe one of your old friends will be here and you can at least enjoy part of the evening."

Peter sat the rest of the evening and pondered about his family. He had a few too many drinks as he watched first his daughter then later his wife dance with all the shallow womanizers and posers that frequented these galas. In his opinion Winona was allowing way too much familiarity from one of the young men she danced with. He would have been slightly upset had he seen Jerrod doing some of the things to Winona that he saw other men do that evening and he had been expecting Jerrod to be his son in law.

As the evening progressed Peter became even more upset at his wife's attitude. After her second or third dance Peter had once more tried to reason with Winona about her attitude toward what Jerrod had done this night. All he had done was make her angrier. His attempts to make Winona understand Jerrod's actions had angered his wife. They sat and watched Winona dance twice more. She was laughing and flirting as if she had no troubles in the world. Men were almost fighting for a chance to get her out on the dance floor. Peter was glaring at his only daughter when Cynthia leaned across the table and hissed at him, "Are you just going to sit there all night drinking or are we going to dance Peter?"

Peter looked at the anger in Cynthia's eyes and pressed his lips together. He was beginning to see where Winona had gotten her attitude from. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this in his wife before. When they had married they had been from working class families. He had gone to college then graduate school and worked his way up in the banking industry. Now that he thought about it Cynthia had always demanded more social mixing than he wanted or than was required by his position in the bank. He routinely acquiesced to her demands to attend banquets and social events in order to keep harmony in the household. He now realized at some time Cynthia had forgotten her roots and it saddened him. Worse to him was what she had turned their daughter into—a selfish self centered little society bitch.

Peter grimaced more than smiled and held his hand out to his wife. She primly took it and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Cynthia smiled and nodded to a few people as they walked past them on the way to the dance floor. Cynthia was stiff, still angry through the first dance. Midway through the second one she began to relax. Peter saw her staring across his shoulder and turned to see what she was staring at. Winona was plastered against one of her old boyfriends, her head on his chest while one of his hands rubbed the cheek of her ass and the other was resting on the outside of her breast.

Peter muttered, "That girl."

"What?" Cynthia saw where he was looking and smiled up at Peter then continued, "Oh, yes." She giggled and continued, "It didn't take her long to find someone more suited did it? I'm glad. He's so much better for her than Jerrod was."

"Cynthia how can you say that? Jerrod treated Winona like royalty and if I remember correctly that young man treated her like crap. Jerrod is an Engineer for Christ's sake and that boy barely made it through college. He only has a BS in General Studies. How much more useless a degree can you get? You need to talk some sense into that girl if it isn't too late already. If you don't I will."

"You'll do no such thing Peter. I know what's best for Winona and it sure isn't Mr. High and Mighty Jerrod. He's always running off for one reason or another and leaving Winona hanging. Tonight is just another instance of his high handed attitude. I'm going to do everything I can to see she keeps her backbone this time. That young man comes from a good family, a moneyed family and Jerrod's father is a damn carpenter for God's sake! Winona can do much better than a blue collar worker's son even if he is an engineer."

"Bullshit. Have you forgotten what OUR parents did for a living? Like I said, if you don't talk to her I will. I've had it with that girl."

Cynthia pulled away from Peter and said, "You'll do no such thing Peter. If you so much as say one more word in support of Jerrod you will be very sorry. And no, I haven't forgotten what our parents had to do to survive. We're above that now though and I won't see Winona lower herself to those levels if I can help it." She glared at Peter then stomped off toward the restrooms leaving him standing on the dance floor. After she had gone down the hallway out of sight Peter walked angrily back to his chair. He had finished two more drinks before Cynthia came back into sight. She looked around the room until she saw Winona and smiled. Winona was sitting at a table with her old boyfriend. Cynthia walked over to her daughter. She took a seat at the table with them and talked a few minutes. Cynthia gave Winona a gentle kiss on the cheek, stood and started toward the table she and Peter were using. Partway across the floor she was stopped by one of the other members and whisked onto the dance floor. For the next 30 minutes Cynthia danced with first one man and then another never returning to her husband's table. Peter continued to drink and glare at his wife and daughter.

Finally Cynthia returned to their table. She scowled at Peter and said, "You're drunk! Honestly, I don't know why I married you sometimes. How could you? You embarrass your daughter taking sides against her in favor of Jerrod and then you embarrass me by getting drunk here in public."

Peter looked up at Cynthia through bleary eyes. "Well Fuck You. You're just like her aren't you? Or should I say she's just like you? I can't believe I've been married to you almost 25 years and I'm just now realizing how heartless and self centered you are. Cynthia you've turned into a snob! I liked you much better when you were just plain Cindy!"

Peter stood and swayed back and forth. He looked at Cynthia and said, "I'm going home. If you're going with me come on." Cynthia stood and watched him stagger across the floor. She was shocked. She wondered what in the world had happened this evening. Jerrod wasn't even in the room and he had caused trouble. She really hated that man. Now he had even caused problems between her and Peter. It would take her weeks to get him back under her thumb again if she wasn't careful.

Cynthia scurried off after Peter seething inside. She caught up with him at the Valet Parking area. When he saw her approaching the Valet heaved a sigh of relief. He had decided Peter was too drunk to drive and was going to refuse to let him have his keys. He smiled at Cynthia and handed the car keys to her. "Looks like you had better drive Ma'am. Here are your keys."