Introducing Scott from Secrets and Sins by Bettye Griffin

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Secrets & Sins by Bettye Griffin

In this sweeping, 115K-word novel, Bettye Griffin introduces readers to the Cheeks family of Zion, Illinois: Eldest daughter Faye, whose placid, orderly life is about to be disrupted in a way she never could have imagined…middle child and only son Scott, who brings new meaning to the phrase ‘midlife crisis’…and youngest daughter Robin, who is divorced from but not exactly rid of her former spouse.

At the center of the story is their mother, Julia Scott Cheeks, who along with her devoted husband Melvin, has tried to keep two scandalous family secrets hidden and has been successful for 55 years…but when Robin mentions the name of the former classmate she has a romantic interest in, Julia fears that the events she has tried so hard and for so long to keep her children from knowing are in danger of being exposed…
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Bettye would love to give a complimentary download of Secrets & Sins to a reader. To be eligible, all you have to do is leave a comment before midnight Central Time today (Jan. 16, 2014) There must be at least two comments left for an eBook to be given away, if there is only one there will be no prize. Bettye will post the name of the winner tomorrow morning, so please check back, for she will need to hear from the winner.

And now, today’s character sketch:
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Zion, Illinois, January 2010

Scott Cheeks here. I was given my mother’s maiden name as my first name…I’m just glad my grandfather’s surname wasn’t Crawford.

I have two sisters, one three years older and one two years younger. That puts me in the middle, but I’ve got no middle child complex. I’m the only son…I know I’m special. My mother calls me her late birthday present. I was born on January 5, 1960, two days after my mother’s 26th birthday. Yeah, I just hit the big 5-0.

Getting older isn’t that big a deal. The important thing is to enjoy life, not let it pass you by. I’m definitely enjoying myself. Unlike a lot of folks who live for retirement, I even enjoy my work. From the time I was a kid I was fascinated with commercials and the art of selling. I originally wanted to go into advertising because it looked like they had so much fun on Bewitched, but my dad—one smart dude—said that was a rat race and suggested marketing instead. I’m now a senior manager, and I’d like to become a director before I retire.

Of course, there’s more to life than work, and I’m making the most of that, too. My sister Faye—she always thinks she knows everything—tells me she thinks I’ve got a sex addiction, which is ridiculous. I love women. Nothing wrong with that.

I knew my ex, Lynn, for years before we started dating. She’s my sister Robin’s best friend, and she was always at my parents’ house. She’s always been pretty and always had a good body, but I never looked at her that way…until Robin got married. She had Faye as her matron of honor and Lynn as her maid of honor. Avaughn, Robin’s husband (now ex-husband), asked me to be his best man. He and I had some classes together in high school and always got along well, but we weren’t really close. I figured he just thought it would be nice to ask me to stand up for him. My brother-in-law, Faye’s husband Godfrey, was a groomsman. When it came time to dance at the reception, though, Godfrey danced with Faye and I danced with Lynn. Suddenly I realized that my kid sister’s friend had all the attributes I liked, at least on the surface. A really pretty face, a stacked build with a nice, full ass. Those big tits were like a bonus. We both got loose that night, and before the sun rose the next morning I learned that she met my other qualification…she was as enthusiastic about sex as me. She really laid it on me that night…and the next, and the next. I couldn’t get enough.

I still remember how cute she was, the way she panicked after we did it the first time. She’d barely stopped cumming when she started worrying about what I’d think about her for jumping in the sheets with me so quick, but hell, we were both adults. We each felt an impulse, and we acted on it. Then she worried about what Robin and the rest of my family would say if they found out we’d started an affair. I told her they were going to find out and we’d deal with it; I had no intention of hiding.

As it turns out, the family was fine with it. My mother wanted to see me settle down, although my dad told her I’d do it when I was good and ready, not before, and that she shouldn’t try to influence me…as if that could happen. Robin confessed that she secretly hoped Lynn and I would get together so that they’d really be sisters.

I told everybody to hold the phone. I was crazy about Lynn, yes, but I wasn’t ready to settle down (I was 29 at the time; she was 27). She, on the other hand, was ready, and occasionally she’d get annoyed at me for dragging my feet, and we’d break up. I’d find solace in between some other woman’s legs, but I could never stop thinking about Lynn. Anyway, we spent years going down that bumpy road, breaking up and eventually making up. Finally, I realized I couldn’t stay away from her, and I was willing to settle down. We got married when I was 33, after dating on and off four years. I remember telling myself how lucky I was. We were totally compatible, in bed and out.

A year-and-a-half later we had a son, Scott Jr., who we call Scotty. Three years after that, our daughter Kaylin was born. I was thrilled to be a daddy, but it was the beginning of the end for Lynn and me. The woman I married got lost in a mountain of flesh. She just couldn’t seem to get the weight off after her pregnancies. I like women with some meat on their bones (actually, I like women who are slim, too, but it’s just the extremes I don’t go for…the string beans or the watermelons). Between delivering Scotty and Kaylin, Lynn’s weight ballooned to nearly 300 pounds, and her figure disappeared. I won’t lie…it affected my libido. There I was, pushing 40, with nothing to look forward to except watching my wife get bigger every week. She couldn’t even ride me anymore. That thought made me feel trapped…and I started messing around.

When Faye and Godfrey went for a prolonged stay in Thailand for his job, they decided to sell their house and buy another one after their return to the States in a few years. I volunteered to watch the empty house for them, be the contact person for the selling agent, and keep the carpets vacuumed (Lynn and I are both neat freaks; we used to clean the house together on weekends. Don’t let anyone tell you cleaning can’t be sexy.). The house didn’t sell right away, so I bought an air mattress (I used the vacuum to keep it blown up), and some sheets and went hog wild. Faye surprised me by coming home for a visit—Daddy was in the hospital for unexpected surgery—and she went to check out the house before I could clean it up. She found the mattress and the wastebasket where I disposed of all my used condoms and read me the riot act. Faye was always bossy—she takes being the eldest way too seriously—but this time she was right and I was wrong. I finally came clean with Lynn…it really wasn’t fair to her. Of course, she threw my ass out.

She kept the house in the divorce settlement, and I found a reasonably priced condo nearby. She’s always been good with both the kids and the money. We made our own agreement, no courts involved. That was a few years back. The funny thing is that Lynn started losing weight the minute we separated. Every time I see her she looks better…but that ship has sailed.

I can see myself getting married again, but not soon. I’m having too much fun. It’s amazing how many women are just as hungry for good sex as men are. You don’t have to tell them you love them. You don’t even have to buy them dinner, though some Panda Express takeout and a rented DVD is thoughtful…
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Read more about Scott in Secrets & Sins, out now! Kindle owners can get it at Amazon or at Bettye’s eStore. Readers needing EPUB or PDF formats can get theirs from Bettye’s eStore, where eBooks always cost less, usually $1. You can always whet your appetite by getting the FREE download of the prequel, Sinner Man, which is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Bettye’s eStore.