Long Overdue (River Jewel Resort Book 3)

Long Overdue

River Jewel Resort Series

Book 3

Madison Sevier

[email protected]

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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

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Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Other Books

About The Author

Contact Madison

Dedication

This book is dedicated to lovers of happily-ever-afters everywhere.

Chapter One

“Ms. Milan!”

Olivia and her most recent distraction froze in place. She peeked around the shoulder of the naked young man she currently had her legs wrapped around.

“Um, yes, Mrs. Brooks? How can I help you?”

“For starters, you can untangle yourself and get dressed!” The hefty old woman crossed tweed-covered arms across her middle and Olivia swore she saw smoke coming from her ears.

This was not good. And that was a serious understatement. Olivia was screwed and not just by the hot, tan quarterback who was pulling his pants up. Olivia stood and slowly inched her lace panties up her long legs until they were settled on her hips. The entire time, she held eye contact with Mrs. Brooks, giving her a wink and a smile.

“You know, Mrs. Brooks, sex is an excellent way to help unlock the mind. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

Olivia knew she was pushing the old bat’s buttons unnecessarily, but she was already in deep shit. She might as well enjoy herself.

“You were told to stop this kind of…activity.” Olivia could see the woman visibly shaking with rage and embarrassment. It gave her a perverse sense of pleasure seeing the old lady like that, even though Olivia knew she was about to be fired.

“I won’t apologize. These students, students of adult age, mind you, have been coming to me for help for years and, might I add, these people have had exemplary grades. Everyone I’ve had special sessions with has improved their GPA in record time. That has to count for something.”

“And the professor last year? How did you
r
sessio
n
improve his life? Your whorish escapades on campus are coming to an end right now. I won’t tolerate it for another minute.”

The student she’d been helping stood there with his mouth wide open. As he stood there shirtless and a bit cocky, Olivia couldn’t help but be turned on by his defiance. The sight of the library combined with his unique male scent provided reminders of their unfinished study meeting.

“Unless you’d like me to inform your parents of your activities, young man, I suggest that you leave the library immediately. In fact, try studying. You’re already on the verge of flunking and I’m sure your mother wouldn’t want to hear about this. Isn’t there a trust fund hanging in the balance? Ms.
Milan, follow me to my office. Now!”

She finished dressing as she gave Sean a few last-minute instructions for his overdue essay. “Don’t forget to ask your professor for an extension. She’s really an understanding woman. She’ll help you catch up and you’ll be fine.” After slipping her shoes on, she followed the stuck-up old biddy out of the library
, locked the doors
and
followed Ms. Brooks
across the yard to the administrator’s office.

“You have no one to blame
,
but yourself.” Mrs. Brooks slammed the door and plopped down into an antique leather chair. “As of this moment, Ms. Milan, your employment here is terminated.”

The woman sitting at the desk across from her glared at Olivia with the coldest eyes she’d ever seen as she slid a piece of paper across the polished surface.

“You can’t be serious. Mrs. Brooks, I’ve dedicated my life to this University and the library.”

“I’ve been waiting for this day. In fact, I’ve had this voluntary resignation form on hand for months. Honestly, in light of recent revelations, you should thank your lucky stars we didn’t have you arrested. Over the years, you’ve conducted one-on-one sessions with a professor and other employees. I thought I’d made myself clear when I warned you the last time. Now, you’re back to romping with students? Please pack your things and vacate the premises before morning classes
begin
start
. Let’s face it, the fewer people who witness your departure, the better. We’ll tell them you resigned and that will be the end of this fiasco. Sign this paper and leave immediately.”

“Of course
, b
.
,
.
b
B
B
ut in my defense, there ha
ve
ve
n’t been that many instances and everyone was a willing, if not exuberant, participant. I haven’t corrupted anyone. Sure, I screwed a few people in the library, but not during open hours. I would never do something like that.” Olivia signed the voluntary resignation form with a flourish, tossed down her pen and stood, stretching her long legs.

“I expect you’ll leave everything just as you found it.”

With a pointed look, she dusted off her short black skirt and straightened her satin blouse. “Mrs. Brooks, have you ever known me to leave a mess?” Okay, she probably should’ve thought before saying that. “I mean, yes, I’ll be sure everything is cleaned up. I mean…”

Mrs. Brooks rolled her eyes. “Just leave. You have no idea how disappointed I am in you. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

“That really isn’t fair, Mrs. Brooks. You know how much I love this place, how much pride I have in our library. What I do before or after hours should be nobody’s concern
,
but my own.” She shook her head and the long, raven-colored strands cascaded across her shoulders.

“That might’ve have been the case and may have remained so if you hadn’t had sex in the building you claim to love so much...”

Yeah. Not her most brilliant idea. But she couldn’t help herself. Everything about that library turned her on. The sight and smell, of long hardwood shelves shined to perfection. Even then, as she stood in Dean Brooks’ office receiving her walking papers, the mere thought of those spotless, long, hard tables used for research had her creaming her panties and her heart thundering.

“Ahem.”

“Yes, well, I guess I’ll be going. I’m sorry we couldn’t find a way to fix this.”

Opening the door, she heard, “Do that. And while you’re at it, find someone to settle down with before you end up an old spinster. You won’t be able to keep the young men coming forever. No pun intended.”

On her way out of the administration building, Olivia passed one of the young men she’d tutored the week before. The twenty-year-old baseball player had been especially responsive to their one-on-one session. Sam had proven what they say about the size of the shoe to be true and it’d been a lesson for both of them that day. One Olivia wouldn’t forget anytime soon. As she walked across the campus, she wondered if she’d have time to tutor one more time before she left the grounds for good. Unfortunately, she didn’t pass another student and she depended on the crisp air of that March morning to cool her down.

“If they’d given me a little warning, I could’ve had one last hurrah,” she mused. God, even to herself she sounded like a whore
.
, w
. W
W
hich wasn’t the case, really. Over the years, she’d maybe slept with ten guys and all of them were of legal age.

Olivia unlocked the large doors, letting herself in. After packing up her belongings, she left the bag on her desk and turned to look at everything she’d loved for the past ten years. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d be saying goodbye t
o
he
r
library. Sure, she’d made mistakes. Didn’t everyone? However, this time she knew she’d gone too far. Instead of stepping over the proverbial line, she’d erased it. Getting caught once again with her pants down by Mrs. Brooks put an end to her career. Now what was she going to do? The library had been her entire world, her escape from reality. How could she have been so stupid as to think she’d get away with it forever? She knew better. She couldn’t help but think of how she’d ended up in such a predicament.

It hadn’t always been that way
.
, b
. B
ut
years
However, years
of
heartbreak and
relationships with men who thought she was boring and mousy had changed her. The library filled her with a sense of power. There, she’d been important, needed. Both feelings she hadn’t felt before working
t
here.

“
I’m really going to miss you
, Ms. Milan
.”

So engulfed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone come in
and
she was relieved to hear a friendly voice
. Turning to face the other woman, she said, “I’ll miss you too, Stephanie.”

“It’s really not fair that they fired you. It’s not like you were hurting anyone or anything.”

Olivia smiled and swallowed her true feelings. “I knew better. That’s all that matters.” She wrapped her arms around Stephanie Wilson, her student library assistant, and hugged her.
Stephanie had been a tremendous asset to Olivia over the past few years and she’d become a friend.

“Thank you for always being here for me, Ms. Milan.” The young woman sniffled.

“Now, stop that.
Why do you still call me Ms. Milan? We’re friends.
We
live in the same town.
We’ll still see each other and if you ever need help with your research or want to grab a cup of coffee, just come see me. You know where I live.”

The girl nodded,
,
“I’ll do that.”

“Well, I need to get going. I’ll see you around.”

Olivia scooped up her bag of mementos
, slid the straps of
it
onto her shoulder
and walked through the library, running her hand
s
across the hand-carved, mahogany bookshelves
, allowing her fingertips to feel the cool, glossy w
ood
one last time. Years of memories flooded her mind and caused an almost unbearable ache in her heart. This was it. “Ten years of service gone in an instant.”
She swiped at the stream of
silent
tears running down her cheeks
and took a deep breath.

She’d be separated from the wonderful worlds she’d discovered between the pages of books by both new and old authors. They’d been her saving grace after losing her fiancé years ago. After she’d found out he’d been cheating, Olivia had immersed herself in the job and
her work
it
had filled the hollow void that his sudden death and all that she’d discovered about him had created. Behind
that la
rge set of double doors
, she’d found happy endings over and over again. In a cold world full of lies, the library spoke to her, welcomed her with its truth and warmth. With every bit of joy these creations had given her, she’d returned the favor by mending worn covers, caring for them, dusting their shelves, protecting them. Now, she had to let them go. Forever.

Picking up one of her favorite love stories, opening the hardcover, she ran the pad of her thumb across the pages and let them skim across her soft skin, creating a small breeze. The indescribable scent of the old tome, a smell that only true book lovers could appreciate, permeated her senses. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to preserve the scent and the feeling the library invoked within her in her memory and she reined in her desires, telling herself to just enjoy the atmosphere one last time. She needed one last moment without allowing the insatiable need to make love amongst the world’s greatest treasures to overcome her.