Unexpected Top (Ball & Chain) by Cassandra Carr Page A

too hot.”
    “Do you want to go see a movie or something later?”
    Now he looked up. “What movie?”
    “That new action movie about the guy who finds out he has the superpower to stop the sun from melting the Earth is out.”
    “You’d go see that?” One of Len’s thick eyebrows rose and Cissy took a moment to study his face. He wasn’t hostile, just surprised. Besides the frustrating sexual experiences lately, they got along for the most part, but Cissy wanted more. Obviously marriages cooled off over the years, but she didn’t want to be married to a guy who was more of a friend, a buddy. She wanted to be married to a guy who would want her forever. If she’d wanted a friend, she would’ve married her best friend Shell. At least she’d put down the toilet seat.
    “Sure,” she answered quickly. “Maybe we could grab some dinner after that. There’s a new fondue place in the mall.”
    Which would force us to be together for hours since it’s a multi-course meal.
    “Um, yeah, okay.” Len folded the paper and then stood. “I’d better get out there. Looks like a scorcher.”
    “Yeah, turns out you can get a tan in Buffalo.”
    Len smiled and his gorgeous brown eyes lit up. That was a private joke between the two of them since so many people assumed it was always cold in Buffalo. Her heart caught as she stared at him. She really did love him and couldn’t imagine her life without him, but was that enough to save her marriage? Did he still love her back? Did he even want to fix things? Cissy bit her lip. He’d agreed to go on this date.
    That has to mean something.
    With a lighter heart, Cissy began her daily chores. On a whim she decided to stop by the mall to buy a new outfit. Who knew if Len would even notice, but she had to try. Besides, the infernal cottage cheese diet she’d forced herself to keep at had helped her lose nearly eight pounds. It was time to show off her new, though still far from perfect, body.
    While she was there she got a manicure and pedicure, and when she got back, Len was watching a baseball game, a beer in his hand as he lounged on the recliner. Cissy took a moment to appreciate his body. Len was clad in a pair of cargo shorts, which she happened to know showed off his ass beautifully, even if she couldn’t see it at the moment, and one of those tight, breathable t-shirts.
    She wanted to take a shower before they had to go, but considered surprising Len by sucking his cock. He never turned that down—what sane man did? But then she remembered how Len had acted the night before and shook her head, feeling tears well in her eyes again. Before she got more upset and ruined the entire evening, she left the room to get ready.
    They had a good time on their date, though not surprisingly Len didn’t seem to notice her new clothes. During the movie she’d tried to take his hand, and he’d held hers for a few moments but soon pulled away to grab his soft drink. Disappointed, Cissy dropped her hand back into her lap and tried to concentrate on the movie, which she knew Len was enjoying. It wasn’t her kind of thing though, and she found her attention wandering. All that time she’d spent staring at the ceiling the night before caught up with her, and she fell asleep before the end of the movie. When the house lights came up she woke with a start, looking around groggily.
    Len looked at her sideways. “Man, you’re a pretty dull date.”
    Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was joking, and she gave him an uncertain smile. She hated feeling like this, as if she was constantly walking on eggshells, afraid to say or do anything that might make everything worse. But the way he had begun to treat her recently, with distant politeness, indifference or, at the worst of times, barely concealed contempt was a stab to her heart. Cissy didn’t even think he noticed when he was putting her down. Len wasn’t a cruel man by nature. If she had to put a name to the whole situation, she’d