All Chapters of First Class Male: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

44 Chapters

PART 1 - Chapter 1

The bulky manila envelope was heavy with the weight of rejection as Postmaster Alex Bentley placed it on the counter and began filling out the yellow pick-up slip. In the three years since his promotion to Postmaster of the small rural office in upstate New York, Alex had delivered his share of good news and bad. Even if the tiny Post Office he ran was only a mailbox drop, he was there six days a week in rain, sleet, snow, and sometimes into the darkest of night. He tolerated the postal jokes, ran an efficient operation, and received numerous awards, all displayed proudly on the office walls of the ruggedly handsome young man who, at age thirty-two, was the youngest level fifteen Postmaster in the district. Years of walking a mail route had given his body a permanent tan and his daily routine of lifting mail sacks was all the exercise he needed to maintain his well-toned physique. Promptly at eight a.m., Alex opened the front window and began his daily

Last Updated : 2021-08-14

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Not having her life run by a clock, Rachel didn’t need to be up any earlier than her body desired. Never a morning person, she enjoyed the opportunity to make breakfast her noontime meal, which was why she was more than a little irritated when her phone rang at nine-thirty.“Rachel? It’s Alex, from the post office.”At the sound of his voice, she was wide awake.“Alex?” she tried not to sound as if he had just awakened her.“Did I wake you?” Apparently, she hadn’t succeeded. “I’m sorry, but you have a special delivery package here that needs your signature.”Rachel felt as if he could see her through the phone cord, and she pulled the covers over her skimpy nightie.“Uh, ok,” she said, “I can be there in an hour.”“That’s why I was calling. I have to take another delivery out your way

Last Updated : 2021-08-21

Chapter 3

Rachel tried to concentrate on her writing, but her fictional romance plots were constantly being interrupted by her real life thoughts about the postmaster. It took all her will power not to find some excuse to visit the post office. In the past week, she spent more than two hundred dollars on postcards and stamps she would never use. She was sure he knew her motive. The last time he gave her change, his hand stayed on hers a few seconds longer than necessary, but he never said anything. In fact, except for that one visit to her cabin, their conversation was strictly business.With only three weeks left on her summer rental, Rachel decided she had better make the first move. She reached for the phone just as it started to ring.Maybe that’s Alex. She thought. Her voice quivered slightly when she said, “Hello?” but the voice on the other end wasn’t his.“Rachel? It’s Sandra. Have you checked your mail today?”

Last Updated : 2021-08-21

Chapter 4

At twelve o’clock sharp, Alex locked the lobby door and turned off the lights. Usually, he’d stay in the office a bit late in case someone needed to buy some stamps or get mail past closing, but today was not a usual day. He changed out of his uniform and stopped by the corner market to pick up what he needed for lunch. It seemed silly to pay for flowers when there were plenty of free ones everywhere, but he did it anyway. Alex put the roses and the bags of groceries in his truck along with the magazines, bills and other mail he would personally deliver to Rachel. On top of the pile, he placed a large envelope from Prelude Press that was marked URGENT.Rachel spent most of the morning cleaning her cabin and talking to her agent. Usually she’d spend her Saturdays sleeping till ten and shopping at the local stores, but today was not a usual day. Sandra called at eight to discuss several amendments to the contracts and they had gone over every line word by word

Last Updated : 2021-08-21

Chapter 5

Rachel was on her third cup of very strong morning coffee when the phone rang. After staring at the damn thing many times over the weekend, she finally gave up trying to mentally force the silent instrument to make a sound. She turned her full concentration on reading the final proof of her book. After checking the copy the publisher sent against her own, she discovered that several changes had been made. Nothing major, in fact the changes enhanced some of the characters and setting, but she should have been asked, or at least told, before anyone changed her words. She made a mental note to talk to the publisher about it the first chance she had. As it turned out, that chance came just after she picked up the phone.“Rachel, it’s Sandra. I have Peter from Prelude Press on conference.”“Hi, Rachel,” a man’s voice said. “We have all the papers ready and would like to set up a meeting this afternoon. Can you be in my offi

Last Updated : 2021-08-21

Chapter 6

It only took Rachel an hour and a half to reach her apartment in Manhattan and another twenty minutes to find a parking spot. Living in the city, she didn’t own a car and searching for a place to park the one she rented was one of the reasons why. New York in July was not a place anyone would call pleasant, but the people Rachel lived and worked with were not at all like the stereotypical New Yorkers who were known for their nastiness and snobby behavior. Even in the heat and humidity, the doorman gave her a smile as Rachel entered the building. She checked her watch and found that she still had plenty of time to relax and change before her meeting. But first, she wanted to fill out the postal form on Alex’s behalf. She had no difficulty writing a highly complementary letter, based on what she had seen earlier, but she still embellished the facts, just a little. Rachel didn’t want anyone in the postal service to know she had written the letter. They might not take it serious

Last Updated : 2021-08-23

Chapter 7

“...then, I ran out of the 8125s for the drop-ships and bulk mailing and had to spend most of the afternoon on the phone with every postmaster in the district. So, first thing tomorrow morning, I have to order them from the warehouse and hope they get here before the end of the week.” “Maybe you should have them sent FedEx?” Rachel joked. Alex was not amused. “Joking!” She smiled and in spite of himself, Alex smiled back. It was the first time since they’d left the cabin that he seemed to notice she was even there. Except for his remark about how great she looked in the white sleeveless dress she’d changed into, Alex had delicately stayed clear of the topic of her leaving and instead talked about the weather, his truck, the new fishing boat he’d just purchased and his job. Rachel would have killed for a martini, but the sign in the window indicated the restaurant recently opened and had not yet been granted its liquor license. So, cold sober, she politely tried to st

Last Updated : 2021-08-23

Chapter 8

Alex tried to concentrate on the employee applications his fellow postmaster Richard Drew had put in front of him, but the pages were a blur. “Sorry, Richard. I didn’t get much sleep last night. These all look pretty good to me.” They all look pretty much the same to me, he thought. “I don’t know why you need my help picking a clerk.” “Actually, Alex, this was just an excuse to get you out of the office. You spend way too much time behind that desk. How about her?” Alex read the file Richard handed him. “Cynthia Anderson? What’s so special about her?” “Her entire family are all employees of the postal service. Her dad worked his way up from letter carrier to postal supervisor and was promoted a few years ago to head the maintenance contracts division, and her mother manages all the computer systems for the entire state of New York. Cynthia aced the postal exam with a perfect score. She’s not the typical college kid looking for some eas

Last Updated : 2021-08-23

Chapter 9

As she had predicted, Rachel slept past noon, way past. It was two-thirty when she opened her eyes and another half hour before she felt fully awake. She dumped out the morning coffee, made a fresh pot, and took a shower. She was just starting to dry her hair when the phone rang. “Rachel. It’s Alex.” “Hi, I was just getting out of the shower. What would you like for dinner?” “That’s what I was calling to tell you. I’m afraid I have to cancel our plans. Something really important just came up and I have to go to a meeting right after work.” “Oh,” Rachel tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Can you stop by after your meeting?” “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take. Besides, I really do need to get some sleep.” She laughed. “Sorry, I forgot. I just woke up a few minutes ago. I need to get started on that book outline for Peter, anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow?” “Absolutely. I have some incredible news to tell you, but

Last Updated : 2021-08-23

Chapter 10

“That sonovabitch! That lying bastard!” As soon as Rachel returned to her cabin, she began tossing clothes into her suitcase. Every item she packed was accompanied by a series of very loud curses, aimed at the, fortunately absent, Alex Bentley. “He knew,” She yelled at the laundry. “All these weeks. He acted so innocent, when he was the one who did it. God, how could I have been so stupid?" Rachel grabbed the suitcase and headed out to her car. Even though she didn’t have to be back in the City until after the weekend, there was no way she was going to spend one more night anywhere near Alex Bentley. She was about to close the trunk when she saw headlights coming up her driveway. Instinctively, she knew those headlights were attached to a very familiar truck, and she also knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with the driver of that truck. Not bothering to turn off the headlights or the engine, Alex jumped out of the truck and

Last Updated : 2021-08-23

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