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built by Jason s grandparents. Over the years, three
others had been added. Jason s two younger
brothers, Joshua and Jeremy, and their families,
had the cottages on either side of them, and his
parents was across the way. The four bungalows
formed a happy little circle on a small hill
overlooking the ocean. The Bolt family compound
was a bit of an anomaly as condos and luxury hotels
sprung up around it. Every year, developers tried to
persuade the family to sell. In fact, the most recent
offer was so generous it nearly caused Candace to
choke on her coffee. But, the family was resolute.
They understood the value of the time they spent
there together, and since they were all financially
secure, there was no reason to give up what all of
them considered to be their own little slice of
heaven on earth.
The family s refusal to sell was a bit ironic, since
the family business was Bolt Construction, and
much of their work involved building hotels and
condominiums. Jason and his brothers ran the
business now, though their father liked to keep his
hands in things. All three sons, their families, and
their parents, lived in a small city about two hours
away. The wives and children spent the entire
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summer at the cottages, with the men arriving on
Friday nights and staying as late on Sunday as they
could. As was their custom, all of the grandchildren
had Friday lunch at their grandparents house and
stayed for a big sleepover, which ended when all of
their parents arrived to collect them in time for a
family lunch on Saturday. Candace was grateful to
have a mother-in-law who remembered the
excitement of spending Friday afternoon
anticipating her husband s arrival after a long week
of sleeping alone, and who went out of her way to
make sure that her daughters-in-law could have
that time with their husbands without the intrusion
of children. And, of course, it was no great hardship
for the children to spend a night being spoiled by
their grandparents.
Candace knew that she was blessed to have two
darling children, Jack, age four and Hannah who
just turned two, but she also looked forward to
dropping them off at her mother-in-laws house at
lunchtime every Friday.
The Friday afternoon anticipation was Candace s
favorite part of the week, aside from the actual
arrival of her husband. Today, she was even more
anxious than usual since business had prevented
Jason from getting to the beach last weekend. Two
long weeks. Candace was determined to make the
night sufficiently memorable, so her husband would
not be tempted to miss another weekend. She
smiled to herself at the naughty thoughts going
through her head and returned to the bedroom to
prepare to put them into action.
Candace removed the white robe and sat down
in front of the dressing table. The long white eyelet
skirt around the table brushed against her bare
feet. As she slid lotion over her legs, Candace
wondered about the women who had gone through
the same Friday afternoon rituals in that room
before her. She wondered if their husbands had the
same rugged good looks as Jason, if they were also
passionate, yet surprisingly tender, lovers. Candace
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felt a flutter in her abdomen as she thought about
the night ahead.
Her preparations had actually begun well before
she stepped out of the shower. Steaks were
marinating in the refrigerator next to the salad she
made that morning. Wine had been selected, and
the table was set. Of course, she hoped to work up
an appetite in the antique feather bed, or
elsewhere, before dinner.
Candace applied mascara and a light coating of
eyeshadow. She dusted her nose with powder to
tone down the redness, and the freckles, caused by
the sun. It was hell to be a fair-haired sun
worshiper. Her alabaster skin never tanned, only
went from pink to shades of red, so she was usually
quite careful. Candace dabbed perfume at her
wrists, behind her ears, and down the deep cleft of
her cleavage. She sprayed her hair and was about
to stand up when she saw Jason looking back at her
in the mirror.
Candace jumped from her seat and turned to
give her husband a proper welcome, but stopped
short when she saw the look on his face. He had her
sandals in his hand.
Jason! I didn t hear you come in. I m so happy
to see you, but you caught me before I was ready.
Jason couldn t help but smile as he looked at his
naked wife. You look ready for what I ve had on
my mind all afternoon. In fact, I was so distracted
that I knocked off work early just to get here that
much sooner.
Candace took a step closer to her husband, and
the flutter in her stomach returned. But, she had to
ask, What are you doing with my sandals?
A very good question, my dear, Jason said as
he looked down at the shoes in his hands. When
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