The Morning After by Kendra Norman-Bellamy Page A

overshadowed it. Today, he’d hoped for some possible intimate time with his wife to gratify his salacious appetite more than he was anticipating food to curb his bodily hunger. The former far outweighed the latter.
    â€œWell, you want to run and get something now?” Nona asked. “I still have a little more than fifteen minutes before I leave to take my break. I can just keep answering any incoming phone calls until you return. Or if you like, I can bring you something back when I come back from lunch.”
    She had given him some good options and Colin sat back in his seat to mull over which was the better choice. He wasn’t particularly fond of fast foods; they had a tendency to make him sluggish, and he needed to be fully alert so that he could get as much work done as possible before close of business. But he also didn’t want to wait another hour before eating.
    â€œI’ll tell you what,” Colin said, snapping his finger as an idea presented itself. “I owe you lunch anyway from when you bought mine last week.”
    Nona quickly broke in. “Oh no, Mr. Stephens. You don’t owe me anything. I did that because I wanted to. I owed you for being such a great boss.”
    â€œWell, I’m a great boss because I want to be, so technically, you never owed me anything to begin with either. So here’s how we’ll settle the score. Let me buy you lunch today, and we’ll call it even. How about that?”
    â€œWell, I . . .” Nona looked around the office, then back at Colin. “What about here?”
    â€œHere?” Colin echoed.
    â€œYes. Who’s gonna run things here if both of us leave?”
    Colin laughed out loud. “Believe me, Nona; as important as we all think we are to the everyday function of this place, Wachovia Bank will not have to close its doors simply because the two of us leave for an hour or so. Now do you want to go or not, because I’m starved and if I don’t get some nourishment in my stomach in a minute, I’m gonna get cranky and when that happens, I’ll no longer be the great boss that you’ve labeled me to be.”
    Nona laughed too. “Give me a minute to grab my purse, and I’ll be right back.”

Chapter 8
    Elaine’s Story
    She corrected a typographical error, and for the next ten minutes managed to fight the thoughts that had disturbed her focus throughout the process and stay in writer’s mode; focusing only on the project currently displayed on her computer screen. But as soon as she placed the period on the closing sentence, her thoughts wandered back to the plight of her unconventional marriage.
    Elaine stood from her computer, deciding that now was a good time for an afternoon snack. She hadn’t eaten since the half grapefruit she prepared for herself after her morning run. The walk down the hall was only a few feet, but on days like today, it seemed longer. Unhurried steps brought her into the kitchen where a fresh pot of coffee had been brewing. She eyed the box of glazed donuts that Mason had purchased from Krispy Kreme on their way home from church yesterday and licked her lips. It had been over a year since she’d had one. Deciding that she had earned the reward, Elaine took one of the round desserts out of the box, quickly bit into it and moaned.
    The taste was so pleasurable that Elaine felt as though she would cry. She made quick work of that one, then grabbed another before closing the box and filling her cup with coffee. Sweetening her drink with three packets of Splenda and flavoring it with a healthy dose of Vanilla Toffee Caramel nondairy creamer from International Delight, Elaine inhaled and relished the aroma before blowing through the steam and taking her first sip. “Ooh! Too hot.” She placed the ceramic cup on the counter to give it a moment to cool.
    As a part of her quest to shed the pounds that had invaded her body without consent, Elaine had