She had known about Samantha and Charles from almost the minute the affair started.  Intelligent, athletic, and ambitious- shit, Sam was a younger version of herself. Most women would be bothered by that. Marilyn was flattered. In an odd way, it simply affirmed that Charles still and always would love her, by finding a Mini-Marilyn to romp with.

To the public, Charles and Marilyn were the poster children for modern marriages: two business powerhouses that supported and complimented one another. They had decided to opt out of child rearing, but had formed several non-profits for children and families. They both believed that you didn’t need to have a kid of your own in order to make a difference in someone’s life. They took their volunteer work and philanthropy very seriously. Big checks were always accompanied by hours of hands on mentoring, building, and teaching. The Andersons were more than detached donors to their community.

As Marilyn threw on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and some boots, she knew that a phone call from Samantha in the middle of the night only meant trouble.

Marilyn Anderson was no pushover. Far from it. She was a brilliant businesswoman in her own right, and her marriage to Charles had been a merger of two great minds, as much as  it had been a union between lovers. They met in grad school, and from the first day, they duked it out privately and publicly to be top in their class. Not only did she take the top spot in their class, but she also commandeered Charles’ love and affection. Charles had always been attracted to smart women, and with Marilyn, he knew that he would never grow bored.

And he never did. He had been faithful all these years because he had never found an intellectual match to Marilyn. Marilyn, however, was a pragmatist in matters of the heart. She had very little faith in men, and their ability to be monogamous. She knew that many women found power and money to be the strongest aphrodisiac. She was more turned on by her own goals and accomplishments. She never competed with others, just herself. There was no one out there who could match her drive, intellect, and ambition. Until Samantha Reynolds.

Marilyn had never received an “I’m fucking your husband” phone call, but she had counseled many of her friends who had. It was amazing for her to realize that no matter how educated or independent a woman might be, some really held on to the idea that they weren’t complete without a silver, gold, or platinum band on their left hand, even if it came from another woman’s husband. But Samantha was not one of those women, so this call out of the blue was making Marilyn’s heart race.

She decided to drive herself in the SUV, instead of calling Raul to take her, as there would hardly be anyone on the road. She was moving on instinct and she needed to be prepared for any and everything.

Her thoughts kept coming back to Sam as the garage door went up and she backed down the driveway. Ivy league educated. Top notch lawyer. A quiet ambition that could lull you into a false sense of security. You would never see her gunning for you until it was too late.

Six months into the affair, Marilyn held her annual charity event for the local literacy council. It was a big to-do. Everyone who was anyone attended the event. It always started out as an elegant and austere occasion , but about halfway in, it often turned into the party of the year. Last year’s event was no different.

Marilyn had watched Sam work the room. She was confident, sexy, and charming. While the men were busy falling at her feet, she was busy being cool and disinterested, yet still having a great time. At one point, she headed to the restroom to get away from a drooling old moneybag and Marilyn decided to follow her. It was time to have a one-on-one with Samantha.

Marilyn wasn’t about playing games and wasting time, so when Sam came out of the stall and headed to wash her hands, she found Marilyn leaning against the counter.

“How are you enjoying the evening?” Marilyn asked, with genuine interest.

Sam was a little uncertain about the situation, but she wasn’t going to let anyone see her sweat. “This has been a great event. Who knew that the Charleston elite could party like this.” She smiled as she washed her hands.

“Yeah, this is one of the best events of the year. But really,what I’d like to know is how things are going with you and Charles?”

Sam blinked, and was slower than she wanted to be in her response. “Um, business is good. We are about to go after a merger with South Coast Technologies. I’m very excited about it.”

“Yes, I understand, but business is not exactly what I’m talking about?”

There was a moment of silence before Sam spoke again. This time she decided to take the direct approach.

“Is there something specific you would like to discuss Marilyn?”

Marilyn’s smile held no hint of malice. “Actually, there is. I need you to keep Charles focused. This merger will have Anderson Enterprises poised for the world stage in the next three years. I need you to do whatever it takes to make that happen. I definitely think you are up for the challenge. You are so like me. Charles has chosen well.”

Startled by this woman’s bluntness, Samantha simply said nothing.

“Oh, come on Samantha. Did you really think that I had no clue about the two of you. I know everything that goes on in Charles’s life. That is what has made this marriage last- what has made it strong. No pretensions.”

“Marilyn, I…”

“Look, I’m not here to scream and cry and tell you to get out of my marriage. You aren’t in my marriage. I’m telling you that business is everything to me. Get Charles through this deal, and your future will be set. You have as much riding on this as Charles does. Make no mistake.”

Sam was taken aback by Marilyn’s honesty, and her curiosity got the better of her.

“Are you actually saying to me that you don’t care that your husband and I are having an affair?”

Marilyn was enjoying Samantha’s confusion. “What are you, like 35, 36? I’ve been married to that man for the last 25 years. I knew before Charles did that he would take you on as a lover. He has never cheated on me before, but the minute I saw you, I knew that you would be the one.  I no more care about Charles getting it on with you than I would if he were banging his secretary. A very old and boring cliche, I might add. Charles and I are soul mates, but beyond that, we are true partners. Equals. Something most women will never experience because they settle for less.”

Sam could only blink back her surprise.

“Oh come on, Samantha. I thought you were more enlightened than that. I spent my youth watching a generation of women throw their lives into turmoil because of the sexual wanderings of their men. I knew early on that I would never be that woman.”

“Marilyn, I have no interest in trying to come between you and Charles. What happened was totally unexpected. And…. Well, I can’t even stand here and offer a justification to you.”

Marilyn reached out and put a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “Listen to me Samantha. You can’t come between us. What you can do is help Charles make this deal happen. Help him anticipate the roadblocks and then overcome them before anyone else figures out that they even exist.  This is what I do for Charles, but I’m working on my own big deal, and I need to be fully engaged. Charles has never been intimidated by my intellect. If you want to make this work with him, don’t play dumb. He hates that. Challenge him mentally, and don’t take his shit.”

Sam closely examined Marilyn’s face for some hint of a joke, but she found none.

“If you are going to be with Charles, then it’s important to understand who I am. I am his muse. I am always two steps ahead of everyone around me. I never make a move without knowing what my next few moves will be after that. I plan for every contingency. I even planned for something like this. Stay smart, stay focused, and enjoy your time with my husband. It’s a win-win for us all.”

With that, Marilyn patted her hair into place, turned on her very expensive heels, and headed for the door. By the time Samantha had recovered and left the restroom, Charles and Marilyn were dancing and laughing. They looked like they were having the time of their lives.

Pulling onto the road that lead to the beach house, Marilyn began to feel the panic pull at the edge of her calmness. As far as she knew, Sam had never told Charles of their conversation in that restroom. The two women had made an unusual alliance, but the company was the better for it. No good could come of this late night drama.

I really want an iPad. I can’t tell you how bad. But I now know how Apple does things (after buying a few of their products)- they introduce the “must have” item and then a few months in, they add more bells and whistles, change the design, and drop the price. They’ll always have early adopters. And when my bank account gets a bit fatter, I may join that crowd. Until then, I’ll wait for the 2nd Gen, and ooohhh and ahhhh over  Gens 3 and 4 until the next big thing comes out. But this post is about the Nook, not the iPad, so let me get to it.

I’ve been dying for an ereader for some time,  as I’ve been dabbling with ebooks for over a year now (reading and writing). It was finally time to take the plunge. The iPad was out for obvious reasons (price point being the biggie, plus, I know I would spend waaaay too much time doing everything but reading books), and the Kindle, while being the first widely sold ereader on the market, never really rang my bells in terms of looks.

I’m a girl, I like cute things.

I’d been checking out the Nook for a while, especially after they put demos in stores. Once a week, I’d cruise by and play with it. I would stand there imagining myself reading with it in my comfy chair, until the impatient retiree behind me would start breathing hard because he was tired of waiting for his turn. It’s not like he had anything else to do. Anyway, once the iPad came out swinging, Amazon and Barnes and Noble responded by dropping their prices.

Yay me.

So, a month ago, I skipped my happy ass into BN, dropped my debit card on the counter, and walked out with a shiny new toy. Once it was charged, the melee began.

I combed through EVERY ebook category on the website, I played with every feature on the touch pad, and then after making several impulse purchases, I started reading.

I would say that it took me about 30 minutes to get the feel of the thing. Clicking to turn pages was a little weird. But then my story got good, my butt settled into the right spot in my chair, and the next thing you know, time was flying.

And I was hooked on the Nook.  Stop rolling your eyes- you knew it was coming.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed my reading experience on the Nook, and use it pretty much everyday. I even fall asleep reading in bed, just like a regular book.

But one of my favorite things is this tres’ cute Jonathan Adler cover:

So, if you are on the fence about an ereader, I say find one that has the gadgety stuff you like, and then get to reading. There are enough of them out there now, so you definitely have choices. I like having wi-fi and the ability to make impulse purchases away from my computer. That’s just me.  I can buy all the books I want, without crowding out my bedroom and making The Man grimace.

I’ll still purchase my favorite writers in hardback, but for everything else, the Nook will do just fine.

Until I can afford the next gen iPad.

Your best laid plans get scrapped for the major and minor emergencies that seem to happen one right after the other (both real and imagined).

At some point, you stop and realize that you can’t control the chaos, and since you know you’ll never be prepared for the next upheaval, you decide to revisit your master plan. Or create a new one. Whatever works for you.

And after a year of sorrow, anger, and uncertainty, it’s time for me to get back to what I love. I started this website because I love writing and reading. I’ve been reading, but writing- not so much.

Until now…

My passion never left. It just hung out in the background waiting for me to get my head out of my ass and notice it.

I’ve even got some new ideas brewing. And it’s time for me to get ‘em going. In the meantime, while I’m working out the details and doing some real writing, I’ll be posting short blurbs about what I’ve read over the last few months.

Gotta warm up my writing muscles before I forge full steam ahead.

For those of you who hung in there with me- thanks for your support and continued encouragement. It’s what helped me break through.

I have many stories to tell, but life is screwing with me right now.

So, I’ll edit and post Part 2 to A Complicated Matter later this week.

And maybe one day you’ll read about the unexpected journey that has been my life these last few months.

So much so that I haven’t finished reading it yet.

But you’ll have to check out my review at UrbanBeatzInc to find out why.

And yes, I wrote a review on a book I haven’t finished yet.

Don’t judge me.

Instead, check out my review of South of Broad over at UrbanBeatz,Inc.

And happy Thursday.

Here is the first of a three part story. Enjoy.

Samantha’s hand was shaking as she reached for the phone. Never would she have ever imagined she would be making a call like this. Shock was radiating from her body, and grief was standing idly by waiting for its opportunity to settle upon her. She didn’t have any idea how to proceed. And yet, she knew that she had to do something. Charles’s body was splayed out on the kitchen floor. The longer she hesitated, the worse things would look for her.

She had heard the thump as she was getting out of the shower. At first, she simply thought that Charles had dropped something. When she didn’t hear any swearing, she called out to him. The quiet was eerie, even out here at the beach house in the middle of winter. As she wrapped the towel around her, she assumed that he had not heard her and was in his head figuring out how to manipulate the press conference in a few hours.

Charles could do that- tune out the world in a split second, as his mind worked out the next move in a business deal, the best way to woo a skittish client, or what direction he should take his company in the next twelve months. He was always planning, always thinking, always doing. Not noticing the people and activity around him was standard behavior. When he came out of his thinking coma, he was totally refreshed, and fully engaged. He could turn things on and off without a second thought about the ones in his presence.

The cold tile on her bare feet registered in Samantha’s brain as she made her way down the hall. She wondered why she never brought socks or slippers when she came out here. There was a chill in the air because Charles had not turned on the heat when he first got to the house. As a matter of fact, she had only turned the heat on right before she got into the shower. Before then, they were planning on making enough heat together. Sam had been smiling at the thought when she entered the kitchen. Charles was going to give her plenty to smile about tonight. They had a private celebration to begin.

Charles had taken Samantha and the entire executive team to dinner at Carolina’s that night. The food and wine flowed freely. They had just managed to complete the largest merger in southeast’s history. This not only meant more technology jobs for the city, but it made Anderson Enterprises the largest software company on the east coast. And this was just the beginning. Charles was planning to make AE a real contender in the national computer software arena.

Charles and Sam had lingered at the table after everyone left. It was already 11pm, and Charles had sent his titans of industry home. Tomorrow would be the beginning of the media blitz, and he wanted them all fresh and appealing. He wasn’t one to hog the spotlight. He prided himself on the fact that he groomed his executive team to expand and grow in their skills. He also knew that one day, one of them would defect to one of his competitors. He welcomed the challenged. He wanted to see what folks could do outside of his realm. What had he taught them? How would they use what they knew against him? He needed that kind of interaction to keep his mind sharp.

“Do you need to go by your condo before we head to the beach house?” Charles asked Sam, not considering that not going to the beach house was even an option for her.

“Actually, Charles, I had every intention of hitting my own sheets tonight and sleeping in. Tomorrow is going to be a long day with the press conference and all, and I want to be on top of things.”

“I’ll send the car for you, so that you don’t have to drive and see you in about an hour. I have a surprise planned.” It was as if he hadn’t heard her.

Sam laughed at the arrogance of the man seated next to her.

“I’m going to run home and pack a bag, and I’ll see you in about an hour. And I’m driving myself so that I can leave earlier in the morning. Tell your driver to take the night off.”

Charles laughed and signaled the server for the check. As they waited, Sam noticed that he kept rubbing his left arm. As a matter of fact, she realized that he had been doing it most of the evening. As she headed out of the restaurant, she figured he was winding down from the excitement and stress of closing the deal and quickly put it out of her mind.

Sam didn’t spend a lot of time in her condo. She kept a bag packed for her trysts with Charles. She never knew when his schedule would open up, so she decided to always be ready. It was that kind of relationship.

The drive from her condo on the Ashley River to the beachfront property on the Isle of Palms was a mere 35 minutes. Sam parked in the driveway and headed to the front door. There was an electronic keypad that she used to let herself in. There was no pretense to their situation. Charles was a practical man with practical ways. Samantha knew that she would find him in his office, leaning back in his leather executive chair, feet up on the matching ottoman, facing the window with his Mac in his lap and his Blackberry in his hand. He liked to joke that he could multi-task better than a 14 year old.

He was exactly where she knew he would be, wearing a pair of trendy sweat pants, no shirt, and no shoes. She was pretty sure he wasn’t wearing any underwear. She walked over to his chair and leaned down to kiss him. This was the first kiss they had shared in over a week, and she missed his thick lips on hers. She moved from his lips to his cheek, to his neck, and then turned to walk over to the sofa on the far side of the room.

Charles put his laptop and phone on the desk, and then rose to his six feet five inches to walk towards Sam. He never said a word, just extended his hand to pull her to her feet.  She got up and followed him as she always did. Instead of taking her to the bedroom, he took her out onto the deck that was just off the office.

Once outside, he began to kiss her on the forehead, the nose, and eventually worked his way down to her lips.  He wrapped his arms around her and slipped his tongue gently between her parted lips. The kiss was not passionate and lusty, but tender and caring. Through her shirt, she could feel the warmth of his hands on her back. After a couple of minutes, Charles stepped back and finally spoke.

“This is one of the best nights of my life, and I am so l glad that you were there every step of the way. I could have never made this happen without that brilliant legal mind of yours.”

Samantha smiled as she lowered her arms from around his neck to his chest. If she weren’t still in her stilettos, she would be standing on her tiptoes.

“This deal was all about you and your charisma. Once you made up your mind, they didn’t stand a chance.”

Charles laughed. “You’re right. I’m a god.”

Sam playfully pounded his chest and quipped, “whatever” as she turned to face the ocean and nestle her back into his chest. They stood that way for a long while and listened to the waves rolling in, and a few gulls cry out. The moon was beautiful, and it’s gleam on the water, picture perfect. Eventually, the cold became too much and Charles suggested that they go inside and knock the chill off. When they walked into the bedroom, Sam saw that there were lit candles around the room, and a fire already burning in the fireplace.

“So, you decided that a cliché would be the best way to celebrate tonight?”

Two of the reasons that Charles loved her: her sense of humor and the fact that she was not afraid to say what she really meant around him. So many people wanted to be in his favor, that they often censored themselves. He hated a kiss-ass.

“Yeah, babe. I wanted to see your ass on a rug by firelight. Seeing as I’ve seen it every other way.”

She laughed loudly.

“I’m glad to see that your male sensibilities remain fully intact. Before you get a load of my ass on this very expensive rug, you’ll have to grab me some ice cream and a bottle of water while I take a quick shower. I didn’t have dessert at the restaurant, and now I’m wanting something sweet- besides you, I mean.”

“Deal. But make it quick. I’m in the mood for a marathon.”

“How in the world do you have energy for a marathon? I’m tired from all of this wheeling and dealing. How about you give me one good orgasm, and I’ll treat you to a buffet this weekend.” She smiled as she kicked off her pumps and began to unzip her dress.

“Sheesh woman. I’m twenty years older than you are. You should be able to keep up.”

Sam balled up her dress and threw it at him and then ran into the bathroom before he could toss it back at her.

She didn’t waste any time in the shower. She knew that Charles would take care of her needs first. He always did. She heard the thud as she was drying off. Sam wasn’t afraid that someone was in the house. Charles’s security was state of the art, and he also kept a gun in the nightstand drawer. She was a country girl who had learned to shot almost as soon as she could hold a gun.

As she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, she expected to find Charles cleaning up a mess and cursing about whatever it was he dropped. Instead, he was in a weird position on the floor, with a vacant look in his eyes.

“Charles- are you ok? What happened?”

Charles did not answer.

Sam shook him, and called his name, but there was no response. No blinking. Just the blank stare. She felt his neck for a pulse, and found none. She just figured she didn’t know what she was doing, so she tried his wrist, and then his neck again. Still, there was no response from Charles, nor was there any pulse.

She needed to call for help, but she would have a lot of explaining to do. She was wearing a towel, in her bosses home, with candles burning in his bedroom. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. And what did that mean for her reputation, for her career, never mind for Charles?

It was pretty clear that Charles was not all right. It was actually pretty clear that Charles was dead. She stood up and grabbed the phone off the counter. With the tremor in her hands increasing with each number pressed, she dialed the one person who would be able to quickly get a handle on things. As the phone began to ring, her breathing was so shallow, she was afraid that she would pass out.

The phone was picked up on the third ring. “Hello?” The voice was husky for a woman. As if she had, of course, been sleeping at this time of night.

“Marilyn, it’s me Samantha Reynolds. It’s Charles. Something’s happened, and I need you to come.”

“I can see from the caller ID that you are at the beach house. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Don’t move.”

The next sound Sam heard was the phone being hung up. She held on to the receiver for a while, until she realized that she should not greet her lover’s wife in a towel.

I read That Devil’s No Friend of Mine by JD Mason.

Go to Urban Beatz, Inc for the review.

A good read if you are thinking about losing weight as a New Year’s Resolution.

I don’t make resolutions anymore, but that’s neither here nor there.

My review is posted on Urban Beatz, Inc.

(click thru to post to grab the link)

Happy Thursday.