8 Weeks

Chapter Two

Chapter 2 -Shelly

As I finished cutting up vegetables for the salad, I looked around the kitchen and into the dining room to see if I'd forgotten anything. Table set and made beautiful with tulips and candlesticks in cheerful shades of yellow, roast cooking in the oven, and shrimp sautéing in a pan on top of the stove for an appetizer. Everything looked, and smelled, wonderful.

I smiled happily as I hummed to myself, excited to surprise Cal when he got home from his "boy's trip" to Vegas.

It was our sixth wedding anniversary, and I couldn't wait for him to see my new dress. It was a little white dress that hugged my curves in all the right places.

When we'd gotten married at eighteen, right out of high school, everyone said we'd never last. But I'd known from the second I'd laid eyes on Cal at a pep rally our junior year of high school that he was the man I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. He'd been making mehappy every day since.

I took the salad bowl to the table, complete with the moose-shaped salad tongs that Cal had bought me on our cruise to Alaska, and placed it in the center of the table. I straightened the wine goblets with our initials that Cal had brought home as a surprise for me when I'd gotten promoted to manager at the bank.

I could look all around our sweet little house and bask in the memories we'd made so far.

I turned off the stovetop and covered the pan, then ran to the back of the house to our bathroom. Checking myself in the mirror, I was happy to see that my hair and makeup were holding up. I turned and walked into our bedroom, taking off clothes as I moved. I had my outfit laid out on the bed, down to the white garter belt and stockings. I took care putting on the underthings, so as not to get a snag and ruin the sexy little treatI had just bought for Cal. I looked in the full-length mirror as I slipped the dress over my head, then turned around, checking to make sure everything was in its proper place.

With my dark hair in soft waves and my ruby red lips contrasting the stark white of my outfit, I realized the last time I'd felt this sexy and beautiful was on our wedding day.

Cal was going to be so turned on, I thought with a giggle, the blush on my cheeks only accentuating the look I was going for.

The beeping of the oven timer sounded off in the kitchen and I nodded at myself in the mirror before returning to the kitchen.

The night was going to be perfect.

I pulled the roast out, leaving it covered asI sat it on the counter so the flavors could come together. I went to the small wine rack, my first purchase when we bought this house, our first home, and pulled our favorite bottle of red. I opened it swiftly, then set it on the counter to breathe.

I looked around again, mentally checking items off the list in my head as I surveyed the rooms. One of the selling points of this house for me had been the open floor plan. I loved the way the rooms opened up to each other, really giving the house a homey feel.

Realizing I'd forgotten to freshen up my deodorant, I ran back through the house,checking the clock on the wall and squealing when I realized thatCal should be home any minute. I quickly put on deodorant, sprayedCal's favorite perfume, and slipped on a pair of sling back heels.

At six foot four, Cal towered over my five-foot-six frame. I loved it. Being in his arms always made me feel feminine and safe.

As I was walking down the hall, I heard the sound of the garage door going up, and my stomach dipped in anticipation of Cal's arrival. I put on my brightest smile and positioned myself seductively against the counter, so I would be the first thing he saw when he walked through the door.