Gail finished her third glass of wine and stared at her Husband keenly, ignoring their present company and feeling her darkness stirring within her. Despite Matt causing her mood to shift, she was happy they had happened across Caleb as she had missed her children and would usually have checked in on them throughout the day. Her Husbands activities had kept both of them busy and she felt better knowing that at least Caleb was with them, making her relax and not react badly to their current setting.
Adam had not expected this meeting so soon and had been thrilled when he received the invite to bring his family, knowing that meant Gail would be present and the Sheriff would be easier to manage with her around. Now that they were here, he noticed something was off about Gail and her attention appeared solely on her Husband.
'And our boy' Lucas smiled smugly, nodding towards Caleb when Gail shifted her attention to their Son to ensure that his napkin was securely placed before his barbecue ribs were served, then turned her attention back to Lucas.
'I thought we were discussin' business-' Adam started.
'In a casual settin'' Lucas interrupted charmingly as he moved his hand beneath the table to pull Gail's leg over his knee, then kissed her lips tenderly when she instinctively leaned in closer and rested her chin on his shoulder.
'Are you manipulating the situation so our poor Mayor doesn't get a chance to talk business Sheriff?' Gail asked sweetly, sensing Adam's strong disdain for her Husband.
'I'm merely focussin' on what's important Love, rather than spittin' out my dummy for not bein' capable of playin' with the big boys' Lucas responded casually, running his hand up to outside of Gail's thigh and smiling when she let out a quiet moan.
Gail could not hold in her laughter at the comment, then shot Adam an apologetic look when he stood up abruptly to get another drink from the bar.
'Don't mind him, he's just a little moody these days' Janet apologised, smoothing over her Daughters ponytail and trying not to appear nervous at being left alone with the Bucks.
Lucas sensed an air of mischief radiate off of his Wife and he glanced at Caleb, who was also regarding his Mother suspiciously.
'Happy or sad path?' Gail asked sweetly, sensing her boys attention on her and smiling at their bewilderment at her sudden question.
Lucas stared at her confused for a moment, then felt himself become excited when he sensed that she was serious and placed a long kiss on her lips. 'In this settin', let's go happy and even up the score for today' he responded, ignoring Caleb's confused look and squeezed the top of Gail's thigh hard, wondering what she was up to.
Gail stroked her hand through Caleb's hair reassuringly, then shot him a playful wink when she got up from her seated position and reached for her bag. 'I need to visit the little girls room, I'll only be a minute' she advised and placed an affection kiss on Caleb's head.
Lucas watched as Janet stood up instinctively to follow Gail and began to wonder what his Wife had been hiding from him.
Gail stood in front of the large mirror in the ladies room and reapplied her lipstick, waiting for Janet to finish in the toilet. She had not wanted to detour from their trip home and spend the evening with these needy people; however, this was partly her doing due to winding Adam up and sending him to Lucas in the first place earlier today, so she decided to just have some fun with her current predicament and test herself to see if she had learned anything from her Husband.
Janet exited the cubicle smoothing down her long dress and admired Gail when she approached the mirror to wash her hands, hating how well her clothes always fitted. 'I don't know how you keep that figure of yours after giving birth to 2 children' she said quietly and tried to make herself look presentable.
'Relentless intimate workouts from my Husband every morning, noon and night' Gail shrugged, sensing Janet's underlying bitterness towards her and being amused at the predictability of the women in this town.
Janet laughed at the answer, then spotted the serious look in Gail's eyes and realised that she was not kidding. 'How is that even possible with how long you've been together? I know he can never take his eyes off of you, but I thought it was all act to promote the Buck brand' she said cattily and began touching up her makeup.
Gail smiled smugly and trailed her hands down her toned body, revelling in Janet's bitterness. 'What can I say? I know how to keep my man happy and I can assure you that he doesn't have any sulky moods like yours is having right now' she mocked, then turned towards Janet and regarded her seriously. 'How's the shop doing?' she asked, smiling sweetly so not to alarm Janet at the sudden change of subject.
Janet took a sharp intake of breath at the question and pushed down her bitterness. 'Oh it's goin' great, I've just started gettin' some regulars and boosted my menu's-' she started happily.
'Are you breaking even yet?' Gail interrupted impatiently, not wanting to be away from her boys any longer than she had to.
Janet looked at her hands nervously and began to feel anxious. 'Well, erm, I have the new menus and my new cup cakes are goin' over a storm...it's just really hard starting up and all' she shrugged, not intending on getting into this with anyone until she absolutely had to.
'And Adam's moods probably haven't made him the most accommodating for a top up I gather?' Gail asked knowingly, sensing the rift in the couple as soon as he got elected Mayor.
'He's just so busy and he don't seem to be gettin' anywhere with the Sheriff-'
'Lucas isn't the problem, he's always happy to come to an arrangement should the need arise...just like we did' Gail reminded her casually, not wanting Janet to lose focus.
Janet's eyes grew wide at how ungrateful she must seem and she took Gail's hands in hers. 'I appreciate everythin' you've done for me, you know that right?' she asked nervously.
Gail smiled warmly at the woman and squeezed her hands reassuringly. 'Of course I do and if you need another loan, all you have to do is ask' she advised and started to head out of the bathroom. 'Oh wait, there's just one small thing you could help me with providing you don't mind?' she asked sweetly, turning back towards Janet.
Janet nodded frantically and smiled. 'Of course, anythin' at all that I can do for y-'
'Great' Gail interrupted, forcing her demeanour to remain warm. 'You know, I feel quite bad for poor Mary. After Mayor John died she hasn't got much purpose to her life...I know, you can get Adam to hire her as his Secretary and she can help with his 'branding' so to speak' she suggested, emphasising the word to ensure Janet was aware that her previous catty comment had not gone unforgotten.
Janet had never warmed to the last Mayors Wife, she remembered how much she was in the public eye and arranged extravagant parties when John was alive; however, that was not what Adam wanted his term to be and there was something about the request that she did not trust. 'I don't think I have that kind of sway' she responded finally, feeling a knot in her stomach.
'Well that's why you're going to take care of your man every night...It's been a while now hasn't it?' Gail asked knowingly.
Janet took a sharp intake of breath at the question and felt her cheeks blush. 'Well, a little while but we're both very busy-'
'Just like me with my children, the newspaper, my Uncle and Cousin, not to mention your Husband who seems to pine for my attention at every opportunity...oh and let's not forget helping you with your first professional venture' Gail advised sweetly, forcing herself to remain calm and dominant like Lucas had throughout the day.
The knot in Janet's stomach intensified and the stern look in Gail's eyes was not helping her relax. 'Gai,l I can't every night-' she started to protest, truthfully not seeing Adam in the same way that she had when they were younger.
'Then you'll do it every morning, he is your beloved after all' Gail stated flatly, the order clear in her sweet tone.
Janet inhaled deeply and nodded obediently, unable to challenge this woman's air of authority and feeling utterly deflated.
Gail smiled when she broke Janet's will, sensing her Husband was monitoring them closely and knowing he would be proud of how she was handling herself. 'I'll have the funds in your corporate account by tomorrow night and I'll give you until the end of the week to get Mary sorted' she advised, then began heading out of the bathroom again. 'Oh and Janet?' she stopped for a moment.
Janet looked up from her defeated stance obediently.
'Why don't you take a few minutes to freshen up...you look a little pale and wouldn't want to cause your Daughter any concern' Gail smiled devilishly, then exited the bathroom confidently to return to her boys.
Lucas watched his Wife appreciatively as she sauntered across the room to their table and disregarding the admiring glances from other men. 'You've been bad Mrs Buck' he whispered in her ear, unsure of whether he was furious or impressed that she had managed to make an official deal without his authority.
'Following your families traditions against my better judgement can't really be classed as bad, can it? Although I'll take whatever punishment you see fit Master Buck' she responded teasingly, as she sat down beside him and ran her hand up the inside of his thigh.
Caleb rolled his eyes as his parents began to kiss and just shrugged off their behaviour to the Mayor's Daughter Emily. As he glanced around the room to avoid his parents public display, he spotted the back of the familiar blonde woman who he had been so intrigued with earlier and inhaled sharply.
Gail heard Caleb's sharp intake of breath and pulled out of their embrace abruptly, turning towards Caleb concerned.
Lucas spotted the blonde woman who Caleb was staring at and pulled his Wife back to him, then began kissing her forcefully before she caught on. He did not know what his Son was doing; however, he sensed that this was not something he wanted his Wife involved in, at least not until he had managed to interrogate Caleb alone.
Gail allowed Lucas to kiss her for a moment, never tiring of the taste of his tongue in her mouth, then pulled away again and shot him a look of warning. When she turned back towards Caleb, he was stacking the empty plates for the Waiter and he smiled up at her innocently, causing Gail to become more suspicious of him.
'We ain't done talkin' Love' Lucas whispered in her ear, trying to take her attention off of his Son.
'Yes we are in this current setting' she responded coldly, then forced a sweet smile when Janet returned to the table and pushed away from her Husband, not appreciating his incessant need to always take Caleb's side above hers.
Lucas pulled into the driveway and signalled for Caleb to assist Abe out of the car. He had hoped to have a moment alone with his eldest Son; however, Gail insisted on Abe and Stacey riding in his car while she drove their babies back in hers. He watched as Gail pulled up carefully beside his car, then exited his vehicle and opened her back passenger door to enable him to unbuckle their Daughter from her car seat, knowing that Luke would protest if his Mother did not get him.
'I'm sure that's not true' Gail stated reading his mind effortlessly, then smiled as Luke reached frantically for her and disregarded his Fathers presence.
Lucas sighed at his youngest Son's obsession with his Mother and thought back to how close he had been with his own Mother. 'I can't blame him for dotin' on you, it's not as if I don't' he winked, smacking her behind playfully as she past him.
Gail laughed at his happy mood, she suspected that it was due to her not denouncing him and losing her temper for what he had done to his townspeople today.
'You've lost it for less' Lucas advised sarcastically, reminding her that he could also read her clearly, then narrowed his eyes at his Daughter confused when she started struggling in his hands and began frantically reaching for her Mother.
Gail stared at her Daughter concerned for a moment, not used to her wanting her above Lucas, then handed a reluctant Luke to Lucas and took their Daughter. 'Has Gabby had a bad day?' she asked confused, then smiled as her Daughter wrapped her small hands around her neck and clung to her tightly.
Lucas glanced at Abe who just shrugged, then spotted Caleb was avoiding his eye line and let out a long sigh. 'Did I miss somethin'?' he asked himself.
'Yep' Luke responded and smiled smugly as his Father regarded him confused, knowing that his Sister had been craving his Mothers attentions since they left her sanctuary earlier.
'You gonna enlighten me Son?' Lucas asked when Luke just continued to smile at him.
Luke weighed up his options, if he mentioned his Mothers safe place he would get Caleb into trouble and if he mentioned Chuck he would get his Mother into trouble.
Lucas sensed his youngest Son's dilemma and smiled at how protective Luke was of his family. He would not push the boy and would even disregard his thoughts; however, he filed the name Chuck away for consideration at a different time. 'Did you look after her?' he asked, nodding towards their little girl.
Luke glanced at his Sister and nodded proudly.
'Then that's good enough for me Son' Lucas advised and smiled when Luke hugged him affectionately, clearly appreciating not having to get anyone in trouble.
Gail watched the exchange curiously and was about to question everyone when she spotted a white Vauxhall Beetle drive past their home slowly, then watched as the car sped off. She had seen that car outside of the restaurant when they left and in the Hospital parking lot when she had seen Loris waiting for Matt, once would have been a coincidence; however, twice was something more.
Lucas spotted the glazed look come over his Wife's eyes and recognised it all too well from when she was contemplating something. He sensed her curiosity spoke and approached her cautiously, wondering what she knew about the car that had just drove past. 'Somethin' you wanna share Love?' he asked curiously.
'Not at all, you Soulmate?' she asked sweetly, not oblivious to his distraction tactic in the restaurant earlier.
'Nope' Lucas responded casually and turned towards Luke. 'You Son?' he asked sarcastically.
'Nah' Luke shook his head, then smiled when his parents began laughing, not sure if he understood the joke.
'Alright, well we all appear to have had a long day...let's head off while Momma still has some good spirit left to entertain your Daddy' Lucas smirked, pinching Gail's behind playfully and ushered her into their home to enable them to satisfy their strong craving after their successful shared activities of the day.
-The End-