Transparency by Jeanne Harrell Page B

want to fend us off. It won’t work because it’ll be too expensive and they could lose their shirts trying to pay down the debt.”
    “That sounds illegal…”
    He shook his head. “Unethical maybe, but not quite illegal.”
    “And that’s the kind of business you’ve been doing all this time?”
    “Pretty much…”
    She leaned over to wipe some crumbs from his lips and then kissed him.
    “Oh, honey… You’re losing your soul.”
    “I know it, Beth. The whole house of cards started falling in on me when Sheriff Ibarra found my dad’s logbook.”
    “What?”
    He explained the whole story to her about the sheriff, the logbook and the subsequent reappearance of his conscience.
    “And that’s when I bumped into you or fate brought you…”
    She smiled. “I see. So you think your dad’s reaching out to you, trying to steer you back to the straight and narrow.”
    “Beth, I always thought he was such a poor businessman, but it’s pretty obvious that I’m the one who’s sorely lacking.”
    “So what are you going to do now? With this company?”
    “… Can you stay a while, sweetheart? I need to talk your ear off. Would you please stay and listen to me? I really need to talk this out…”
    “Oh, Bryce. Once again, I would do about anything for you.” She smiled at him. “You always were my Achilles heel.”
    “I’m not going to say I’m sorry for that.”
    “Nope. Don’t bother… It’s my problem anyway.”
    “It’s not a problem. It’s wonderful…”
    They’d finished their eggs and just sat, gazing at each other. Beth pushed some hair out of her face.
    “I always thought you were this Marlon Brando type guy – Larger than life… Maybe Brando in ‘ On the Waterfront’ .”
    He laughed at that. “Does that make you Eva Marie Saint? You know she co-starred in that movie with him.”
    “Am I co-starring in a movie with you, Bryce?”
    He took her chin to lift up her face to his. “Please do. Using all my powers of persuasion, please do…”
    Bryce’s lips pressed firmly against Beth’s. He brushed hers again and again planting little kisses until she parted her lips. The kiss deepened... He put his arms around her and tightened, pulling her closer. Soon he’d pulled her into his lap and the kissing continued. She ran her fingers through his dark hair and then wrapped her arms around his neck. Long, sweet kisses with no beginnings and no endings… She began moving her lips along his jaw and down his throat. She used her tongue to outline his ear… Opening his shorts, she moved to straddle him as he gasped.
    “Wait, honey…” He shifted to accommodate her and she straddled him more firmly before beginning to move slowly with him. He clung to her hips as she picked up the pace… Faster and faster… higher and higher… His breathing was ragged as the exquisite movement continued and continued… Suddenly, she ground her hips against him – They lost themselves in one another at the same time, while fireworks went off in the kitchen around them.
    Calming down, Beth got off Bryce’s lap and sat back in her chair. He ran a hand through his own messy hair and leaned over to cup her face for a sweet kiss.
    “Thank you for coming back into my life, sweetheart.” He kissed her again. “I’d forgotten how wonderful love could be… with you.”
    He gazed into her shining eyes. Her kisses were sweeter than honey.
    ‘May I ask you something?”
    “Anything…”
    “Did you love Sylvia?”
    “No… And what’s more, she told me that I was fun…”
    “Fun?”
    “Yeah, just fun…” She laughed and then he caressed her face. “May I ask you something?”
    “Sure…”
    “Why didn’t you ever marry?”
    She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her water.
    “… Oh, boy. You had to ask that, didn’t you?”
    “Yes…”
    She looked at him, exhaled a breath and decided on complete honesty.
    “… Bryce, you wrecked me. I didn’t want anyone else if I couldn’t have