Exceptional An update on the girls' new lives. A New Beginning : The girls are back! by alexisleech

My last book ‘Let’s Talk Dirty,’ ends with Karen getting back together with her husband, Jenny happily living with her vet, and Laura meeting her long distance friend in the flesh for the first time. Laura has bought The Bedford, the hotel Karen and Jenny worked in, and after she makes them shareholders, and they wave goodbye to their horrible ex-boss, they all set out to make it a success and put their chat line days behind them… Jenny looked over at George while he slept on the sofa. Although an attractive man, it was not an attractive sight, especially when you took in the cheek rippling effect of his snoring. Her wonderful lover had turned into a couch potato, and she’d had enough. His cat, Jasper, who had come between them since George brought him to her house, flexed his paws slowly while he blinked back at Jenny with the superior haughtiness a cat radiates so well. ‘Loser!’ he seemed to say with one languid move of his eyeballs, before he lay on his side and snuggled back into his master's chest.      Jenny stared back at the scene before her like an adversary silently viewing the enemy. When George moved in, she was convinced he was the one. For the first time in her life, she had a partner who didn’t want to go out with the ‘boys’ every weekend. Someone who wanted only her; well, at least in the beginning. He’d convinced her she was the most important thing in his life - until the bloody cat arrived. Now? Well, it was like some kind of payback for the wonderful three months before George and all his possessions were unloaded from his Land Rover. What had happened to the fun times? The time when having a ‘duvet’ day under any pretext was the norm? The time when she felt loved and content for the first time in years.      No, this wasn’t the way she’d envisioned their life together at all. Jasper now ruled the roost. At his side when George fell asleep on the sofa every evening, and pawing him awake before four o’clock every morning, his meowing louder than any alarm clock. Jenny appreciated that George was likely to be tired because he worked so hard as a vet, but in the months preceding Jasper’s arrival, when George had stayed over, they’d always had a cuddle in the morning before they got up to get ready for work. It was a bonding time that reaffirmed how much they loved each other.      Not anymore. Once Jasper started his noisy onslaught, George would be wide awake. He’d then go down to the kitchen to make himself a coffee and watch the news, only returning upstairs to have his shower and tiptoe around the bedroom while he got dressed. Because he started work an hour before Jenny, he often brought her a cup of tea before he left. But by then Jenny was past caring. Another broken night’s sleep was the last thing she needed after working with Laura at the Bedford all day while they organised the refurbishment of the twelve bedrooms.      ‘It’s only until he settles in,’ George had claimed when Jenny suggested Jasper should be put in the kitchen every night with her King Charles spaniel, Katie, and his adorable golden retriever, Brody.      Yeah, right. That was a month ago, and Jenny’s constant requests to eliminate the little monster from their bedroom were still being ignored. She had to accept she made a mistake in not putting her foot down earlier. The cat had to be banned from their bedroom, or she and George were history….   **********     Laura waved goodbye to Jack after he got into the taxi before it drove off. It had been an interesting couple of days, but she was glad he was gone. Having it confirmed that she was his second choice on his newly awakened romantic pursuit of a partner didn’t bode well, and she’d suggested he leave when she realised how much that thought upset her. There was never any chance of them getting together anyway. She was now living in the city, which, due to the inclement British weather, was often under grey skies. Jack was a true outdoor American who loved nothing better than being out in the fresh air, backpack donned, preferably with a rifle in his hand so he could go hunting. He was a hell of a nice guy, and he had been a great long-distance friend on Skype since she was widowed, but she now knew it would never amount to anything else.      What she had to do now was concentrate on business. She was determined to make a success of the Bedford, the hotel she’d bought with the money she’d initially made from her internet friendship sites. With the restaurant opening that evening, there was still a lot to do. Her friend, Karen, had cooked up a storm for the last day or two. That is, when she wasn’t at home getting loved up with her recently returned husband. Laura still smiled when she thought about the night she got them back together after their eighteen month separation. If she genuinely thought Karen didn’t love Mark, Laura wouldn’t have interfered, but the conversation they'd had when Karen stayed at the hotel after her disastrous date with Mark, convinced her she did.      Life was now a far cry from the days when she, Karen and Jenny, had worked for different chat lines. She had money in the bank, a hotel she knew her friends and partners would help make a success, and friendship sites all over the world that not only helped lonely people who unexpectedly found themselves alone, but gave her and her son, Paul, a good income. She didn’t need a man in her life anymore. Now fifty-eight, Laura resigned herself to a life on her own. She had been lucky to enjoy nearly thirty wonderful years with her late husband, Colin. She now appreciated that those memories would probably have to keep her warm for the rest of her days….   **********        Karen stretched her arms above her head in an effort to wake up. The last two nights had been wonderful, and at times highly amusing. Although Mark still didn’t know she’d been working for a chat line for the latter part of their separation, the experience had made her more adventurous in the bedroom department. She’d caught Mark staring at her in amazement a couple of times while they made love, but his belief that she had a lover while they were apart, had given him good reason to believe Karen’s new found expertise was as a result of that. Karen had considered telling Mark the truth about her imaginary lover, but there was no other way she could explain away the noises that not only Mark, but her children had overheard when she was working for the chat line in her bedroom. Secondly, she was aware that it had also made Mark feel less guilty because he'd had a ‘real’ affair three months after he left her. So, for the time being, Karen decided to keep schtum about her imaginary ex lover.      As Mark stirred and reached out for her, Karen snuggled back down on his shoulder.      ‘Good morning, beautiful,’ he groaned as his arms engulfed her. ‘Would you like a sneaky peek at Stiffy?’      Karen giggled as she lifted up the duvet to see what was on offer. Her ‘morning man’ had come back with a vengeance. It was just like the days before the kids arrived, when the need to attend to the practicalities of getting a family washed, dressed and fed was a priority.      ‘Maybe…’ she teased. ‘But it’ll have to be a quickie because I promised Laura I wouldn’t be late again. She’s stressing out about the restaurant opening tonight.’      She was silenced with a kiss.      ‘No problem,’ Mark chuckled, before he pulled the duvet over their heads….   Recognized Author Notes As regular reviewers of my last book 'Let's Talk Dirty,' know, I decided to use the first three chapters I posted for 'The Bedford,' my follow up book, as the new ending for 'Let's Talk Dirty.' Hence the title of this book 'A new Beginning'--in every sense of the word! Thank you for your patience while I worked it out.

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