The Erica Miller Story

This is my second submission but was in fact the first story I wrote. It once again takes place in the USA so any cross-cultural mistakes I will apologise for now in advance. This story is also linked marginally to another story I have written that I need to edit. I am not too confident about this one but would regret not publishing it.

After plenty of good advice from my first submission I have another one that should be ready shortly, but one based in the UK. I have not managed to find an editor as yet and seeing as this was all ready to publish I thought why not?

This story does contain sex and all characters involved are over 18.

My name is Erica Miller and this is my story.

I was raised into a good Christian household and we had certain moral standards we were expected to meet and keep. Charity and understanding were drilled into us from an early age. This pretty much shaped my life and through school I made good friends and I am proud to admit that I was pretty popular amongst my peers. My education took precedence over boys but I was pursued by boys all through school and college. However sex before marriage was a no go.

I got accepted onto a social work degree course at a local Christian college here in Kentucky. I loved college life and blossomed both physically and emotionally. I stand at 5 foot 7 and my once sporty figure has given way to a few curves in the right places, if you know what I mean. I am happy that my c-cup boobs have managed to stay where they were in college 20 years ago. I still exercise daily to work off that good old Southern cuisine. My blonde hair is a lot shorter now but people often comment that I do not look like a 38-year old mother of two teenagers.

Just before I graduated I met a wonderful local man called David who was everything I wanted in a man and although he was 8 years my senior he was already high up in a local church. A year later I gave birth to Noah, followed a year later by Grace. They are the most beautiful children you could ever wish to meet, but I guess all parents say that about their children.

My life is now one of wife and mother, which is the same for many of my friends so I never feel like I am missing out on anything. I know there are women my age off doing all kinds of other things in the world but I am more than content. Also being married to a local pastor gives me a certain amount of respect in the community. We live in a nice home, we have everything we need and everyone loves David.

In public we are the perfect family but privately David is a strict Christian, even more than I am. He always wanted to be someone the community could look up to and trust. This usually means that I am required to dress conservatively and be supportive of him at all times. It is a little suffocating at times as I did not have my own job and my life was the home and church. I know he loves me more than anything, well, except maybe God.

A couple of years ago we had the opportunity to move to a bigger church with a larger congregation. It meant a bigger house, more money and the location was much closer to David's family. With Noah just about to start high school it was perfect timing.

David's mum Dolly and his father Mike were amazing people who retired early and have a beautiful home in the suburbs. One of the advantages of living so close to them now is that they want to spend a lot of time with our children. They go fishing, shopping and Grace especially loves baking with Dolly. This also gave me some free time to help David settle into his new job. His parents are far more relaxed than David and they often make little comments to him to lighten up and stop being so strict on his family.

The best part of working more at the church was that I could engage with people, I missed not seeing my friends and family everyday but I loved to help people. One day I suggested to David that I should finally put my social work education to good use and organise counselling sessions at the church, I would focus on a range of issues facing local people. This would also help to bring attention to our church and increase our reputation, whilst actually helping people in need. I would focus on drug issues, mental health and poverty for example. David actually loved the idea and soon enough I started the sessions with a good uptake in participation.

It was during one of my sessions that I met Rachel Moore, a middle aged African-American woman who approached me and introduced herself. She was a social worker for the department of social services, responsible for both child and adult welfare, especially those who had just left prison or recovering from alcohol and substance abuse. Our conversation ended with a job offer. I would assist her for 6 months and then become a full-time case worker. After a long conversation with David and the full support of his family I accepted the job.

*************************

Monday morning I rose early and spent a little too much time in the bathroom getting ready. I opted for a conservative looking pants suit. I made my way downstairs to make breakfast for the family. My nerves meant I only managed to consume half a cup of coffee before leaving the house.

The office building was bright and airy and after clearing security I found Rachel.

"This is home base," She said with a huge smile on her face.

Her energy was amazing and her demeanour always so positive.

Rachel was a mid-forties woman with bright brown eyes that when trained on you had a steely feel of strength. I knew she could probably get anything she wanted just by looking at people in the right, or wrong way. She was very attractive and though shorter then me and had a bit of weight on her bones her face was perfectly cute.

Later that afternoon I was up to speed on all the terms, conditions and expectations. Finally I was ready to go out into the field.

"Have a look at this file Erica," Rachel said.

She handed me the file without taking her eyes off the road.

"They live in a trailer park, a pretty run down place and they are both alcohol abusers with their kids in and out of care. I'll deal with them and you just sit back and take notes."

I started to read through the file as Rachel was talking to me.

"To be honest I don't think you're going to take 6 months to get this but for now just observe because it may be a little uncomfortable," Rachel explained.

I looked up from my reading and smiled at her. My heart lifted to hear her have such confidence in me after just a few hours together.

We arrived at the entrance to a rundown park. The front yard's, or what there was of it, were covered with children's toys, broken furniture and some even had old cars with missing parts sprawled out all over the place. Laundry was left drying on makeshift lines. My heart sank as I realised just how lucky I was and I couldn't help but imagine what the life stories were of the people living here. I never judge people and I knew many never had a chance in life and probably came from bad situations.

We pulled up to number 28 and I noticed a battered old truck outside and a smaller vehicle parked alongside. Their yard had a wooden bench and a couple of garden chairs with a cigarette filled plastic container sitting in the middle of the grassed area. There was an overfilled trash can and I took a mental note of the empty whisky bottle sitting atop the trash.

This is the home of Reed Wilson and his girlfriend Peggy. Reed is 40 and Peggy is only 34 and both are convicted felons with histories of mainly misdemeanour charges. Their two children are Darryl aged 3 and Chance aged 1. Both children have at times been taken away from them but 3 months ago they regained custody. Our job was to ensure that they are keeping to the rules set by us and the courts.

We never got a chance to knock as the door flew open and there stood Reed with Peggy clearly visible in the back tidying up the home. Reed was a skinny man with a sunken chest and his body was covered in cheap and poorly designed tattoos. He had a face full of stubble that did nothing to hide his yellow teeth. His greasy hair fell down to his shoulders and standing over 6 feet tall he had an angry looking face that made him look like he was permanently sucking on a lemon.

"Mrs Moore, how yawl doing?" Reed asked as Rachel entered the trailer with me following eagerly behind.

It was then the musty odour of the home hit me and I cannot explain the stench but think dirty diapers, cigarettes and alcohol. I tried my best not to react for fear of appearing judgemental.

"This is Mrs Miller, she's just started with us and will soon be responsible for you," Rachel said as I smiled politely.

"Well it sure is nice to meet you Mrs Miller. I'm Reed and this here is Peggy," He said.

He held out his hand for me and I reluctantly shook it. I could see his fingers were yellow-stained with nicotine. Peggy then offered her softer and cleaner hand. She was a sweet looking girl and her short blonde bob and soft blue eyes suggested to me that she had been a beautiful young woman who had obviously taken a wrong turn in life and ended up with the likes of Reed. I vanquished my train of thought as I realised I was indeed being judgemental.

Rachel and I made a quick investigation of the home and all seemed to be ok.

"Have you been keeping up with your meetings Peggy?" Rachel asked.

"Sure have Mrs Moore," Peggy replied "I don't wanna lose my babies again."

"Good to hear," Rachel replied with a smile. "What about you Reed, any luck finding employment?"

"Not yet." he replied as I caught the contemptuous look on his face.

"Well as long as you keep trying we will be happy," Rachel stated trying to remain professional.

Although I was conservatively dressed as ever I could feel Reed looking me up and down out of the corner of my eye. I felt uncomfortable in his presence and I sensed that Peggy feared him too, although the report never mentioned any domestic violence. I could sense violence in him though as I had seen it before in some of the people who had been a part of my church sessions.

We left the trailer park and went on to visit a couple more homes and this was pretty much how it continued for the next few weeks until Rachel declared that I was ready to go out in the field alone. I was so proud to have received this endorsement by Rachel and her confidence in me only made me respect her more.

*************************

To celebrate my new role we were all invited to Mike and Dolly's for dinner on the Saturday night. David's brother Greg and his wife Michelle would be joining us. Michelle was my age and I considered her more a friend than a sister-in-law. They had two children in elementary school and they seemed very much in love.

Michelle was less conservative than I was and Greg was different than David in many ways, including his devotion to religion. Michelle was very quick witted and on her day she could swear like a New York construction worker. However with family she played the perfect wife but more often than not I got to see the full Michelle, and there was plenty to see.

She had beautiful brown eyes and high cheekbones and she just smouldered. She was never short of attention from men but she held herself in a classy manner. At 5 feet 9 she had long slender legs that I would die for and quite large boobs that almost seem to defy gravity. Even as a woman I could honestly say she was a sexy lady. I did sometimes catch David and Noah eyeing her up when she would bend over and reveal her cleavage. I guess she was every schoolboy's fantasy but she loved to tease Noah and he would go bright red with embarrassment when she moved in for a big hug. She teased him about girlfriends and it was all in good fun.

I liked the fact Michelle was not afraid to speak her mind. She would always call David out when he got too serious about religion and could shut him up in a way I wish I could, but of course every time she did I would hear about it afterwards. I think the term tolerate is good enough to describe their relationship.

Michelle, as well as being a mother, had managed to complete her degree in criminal justice. She had been working part time at a local women's correctional facility but was considering a full time case manager position at the men's correctional facility here in Louisville.

*************************

The next few weeks passed by and I managed to organise my caseload to allow an early finish on Fridays. This meant I could continue to run a session at the church. My employers were fully on-board and encouraged it.

I loved my job and the sessions but I have to admit that there were a few clients that made me feel uncomfortable and very unwelcome. One of those was Reed Wilson and I would be visiting him today.

Unfortunately I turned up at their trailer a couple of weeks ago to see them in a drunken stupor, Darryl walking around in used diaper and Chance screaming uncontrollably. They had violated the terms of their agreement with us and the courts so I had to call in support and the children were removed for their own safety. This made Reed very angry and he accused me of being a 'self-righteous bitch' and a 'stuck up Little Miss perfect'. At the time the insults hurt but those children were my priority, not him. I was not looking forward to my last visit of the day and it was deliberately arranged to be just that.

"Hey Erica, how yawl doing?" Peggy said greeting me at the door.

I preferred my clients being on a first name basis to make everything more personable and comfortable for them.

"I'm good Peggy thanks," I replied.

I looked past her to see Reed laying on the sofa in just his underwear and smoking a cigarette.

"Reed please cover yourself up," Peggy said throwing a robe in his direction.

"What's wrong Peg? I'm sure Miss Perfect has seen a man in his underwear before," he said with a wry smile that did nothing to hide his contempt for me.

"Reed just please be nice remember," She said, indicating to me that I had been the topic of an earlier conversation.

"Ok Peg. Then again maybe the little snowflake hasn't seen a man's cock in years. Yawl know these church types are all repressed."

"REED, STOP," Peggy shouted.

I continued with my inspection and checked in on the children playing away in the corner. Reed remained silent not even making eye contact with me. I was delighted with the progress Peggy had made. I discovered she had a rough childhood and that obviously continued into adulthood and being with a man like Reed was doing her no good at all.

"I'm very happy with your progress Peggy. I know things have been difficult but I..."

I was cut off by Reed snorting in derision.

"What do yawl know about it princess? You privileged sorts can never understand the lives of folk like us," Reed said with a slight anger in his voice.

"I see people in your situation everyday Reed and I'm just doing my job, following the law and protecting YOUR children."

I made sure to emphasise that point.

"Reed she's only doing her job," Peggy followed voicing her support.

"Well stick it!" He said.

He stormed out the door and speeding off in his battered old truck. His musky odour lingered longer than he did.

"I'm sorry Erica, he gets like that sometimes. He's never violent but just gets frustrated I guess."

"No need to apologise Peggy. Believe it or not I'm on your side, but the wellbeing of your children is my major concern. Just stick to what the courts have said and soon enough I'll be out of your lives," I said with earnest sincerity.

As we said our goodbyes I got into my car and drove away. But as I drove Reed's words were ringing in my ear. Did I come across as stuck up? Did I act better than them? Of course not and how dare he accuse me of such things. How dare he disrespect me by laying around in his underwear and talk about his cock in front of me. My mind flashed back to the moment I could actually see his cock nestled in his worn out underwear and I quickly shook the image from my mind and continued on driving home to my family.

I pulled onto my driveway and as I cut the engine my cell began to ring.

"Hi Erica," I recognised the voice.

"Hi Rachel everything ok?" I asked.

"Yeah all good but I have a new client for you," Rachel said.

She went on to explain that the new client was a single mother whose boyfriend had just been sentenced to 7 years in prison and since the birth of her son 6 months ago she has been struggling with depression and is currently receiving medication. They were worried about the welfare of both mother and child.

"The problem is she lives about a 45 minute drive from the office," Rachel stated.

"That's ok I'm more than happy to help out Rachel."

I knew that the following day I wanted to finish early so I could get back to the church and oversee another session. I had built up a good group of recovering substance abusers and did not want to let them down. I also wanted to spend some time reading up on the background of Taneesha Morgan, my new client. I would be meeting her on Saturday which meant I broke my agreement with David not to work on weekends.

*************************

I pulled up to an apartment complex that was nestled behind a busy shopping district in a town I was unfamiliar with. Upon getting through the entrance and knocking on the door I was greeted by a beautiful young lady who looked much younger than her 23 years. I was not used to people looking up to me but she was a good few inches shorter than me. As I looked down I was met with a pair of big brown eyes filled with innocence. I felt instant affection for her.

Taneesha and I spoke for over an hour and I found her extremely grown up and cogent. A new development was that her mother was coming to live with her for a while and so I felt that both her and her child's welfare would be in good hands without the need for us to pay regular visits. I arranged to call again in a week so I could meet her mum and hopefully sign her off as a higher risk client.

As I left the apartment building and got into my car I decided to call Rachel and update her on the situation, she never answered so I drove on out. Almost immediately my cell began to ring so I pulled over next to a café to take the call.

Rachel and I spoke for a few minutes and as I turned to put my phone back into its holder I looked up and straight into the café window. Sitting there alone at a table I could swear it was Michelle, my sister-in-law. I decided to surprise her so I collected my purse and as I opened my car door I noticed a man sitting down opposite her and lean over the table for a kiss. It was not a kiss a friend would give another and at first I just assumed it was Greg.

I paused and watched for a second before remembering that Greg and David had arranged to play golf. Who on earth was this man with Michelle and what was that kiss all about?

I got back into my car, started the engine and drove off down the road and parked up. I decided I was going to investigate so left my car and began to walk back towards the café. I was no more than a few yards from the car when I noticed them leaving and getting into separate vehicles. I quickly turned back and followed in pursuit.

My heart was racing and a feeling of dread had formed in the pit of my stomach. What was Michelle playing at? Was it all an innocent misunderstanding? Surely she wasn't cheating on Greg. I had to find out.

I followed for a couple of miles and I saw her signal to turn into a motel parking lot. I continued past the entrance before doubling back. I found an empty space at the back of the lot and watched as they entered the front reception area. I pulled out my cell and dialled her number. She picked up after 5 rings.