
Mermaid Thighs
amy worcester · Completed · 240.6k Words
Introduction
Forty-three year old Helen is newly divorced and trying to find herself. For the first time in her life, she is not under the control of a man. With an absentee father, an abusive step-brother and a manipulative ex-husband, she's had the perfect trifecta of bad men.
Along with learning to live life on her own, she's trying to help her three children. Jaxon is struggling with his sexuality. Jolene is discovering that her perfect marriage is far from perfect. JD is just trying to get through high school and into the Navy.
Fifty-two year old Owen Reese returned to his hometown after twenty years in the Navy. He started a small business that has made him a millionaire over the past decade. With his own daughter grown and living a life of her own, he thought his days of parenting were behind him. But he is now raising his sixteen year old niece while his sister is deployed with Doctors Without Borders.
And now, the cute, plump receptionist from his accountant's office is everywhere he turns. Not that he's complaining; he's dying to get his hands on those lovely, lush mermaid thighs that haunt his dreams.
Nothing seems to go right for them. All of his many sisters are constantly interfering. Her children worry about her so much that they are almost obsessive. And she just wants to be happy. And skinnier.
Warning: include an abusive relationship
Chapter 1
A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure. – Henry Kissinger*
Helen knew that it was over. Long before her husband had said it was. She knew about the other women. And his other children.
She wasn’t an idiot. When the kids were younger, she just pretended everything was fine. As they got older, they knew it wasn’t. The youngest, JD, was now in his senior year and there was no hiding it.
Bob had moved out seven months ago. He called the kids on a regular basis but she didn’t know if they talked or not. It was not all his fault. She was not innocent in letting their marriage fall apart.
She didn’t have a lover and a second family stashed away. But she was just as guilty.
When they married twenty-four years ago, she was not small, but she wasn’t this big either. Three kids, thyroid issues and low self esteem added a hundred pounds.
Or more.
The alarm across the hall went off letting her know that JD was awake. It was Wednesday which meant he had a weekly run with the other Navy recruits. She heard him go through his morning routine and then his keys jingled as he left.
After Bob left, Helen could no longer keep up with the mortgage and had to sell the house. After paying off the mortgage, they split what was left, per the divorce decree and state law. Bob had put a down payment on a new house for his new family. Helen paid for her second hand car and she and JD moved into the two bedroom apartment.
With her weekly paycheck, she could pay her bills, feed herself and the bottomless pit of a teenage son and have enough leftover for her one indulgence.
Her nails.
The lady at the nail salon always saved her Saturday morning appointment for her. Saturday morning at 9:45, Helen would be sitting in the massage chair with her feet in the little tub. Bian would pick out a color and not let Helen see until everything was done. Nail art and everything.
The eighty dollars could be spent more wisely. But she enjoyed her time to herself. A little bit of pampering and she could face another week.
Rolling out of bed, she made her way to the only bathroom. That had been a big adjustment. But they were doing well now.
She did miss the big soaker tub. Stepping under the spray of the shower tub, she doubted that she would be able to get into this tub.
If she were honest, getting in would not be the problem. Getting out? That would probably require oil. And a crane. Possibly fire fighters.
Giggling at the thought, she wondered if she could get the hot fire fighters from TikTok.
She washed her hair and added the conditioner to set as she washed herself. Once she deemed herself clean, she rinsed her body and hair. Then she stepped out and used a beach towel to dry off.
JD had talked her into getting them when he found out that the complex had a pool. She was NOT going to the pool. Not in a swimsuit. Not in a cover-up. Not even in a circus tent. It was not happening.
But she liked the fact that she could wrap the towel around herself. Combing out her hair, she let it hang down her back to dry. Looking in the mirror, she saw herself and again didn’t blame Bob for leaving.
Five feet four inches and two hundred and sixty pounds. Mousy brown hair with traces of gray. Light brown eyes saw it all. Cheeks too round. Laugh lines and crows feet.
Flabby arms. Large gut. Thighs that not only touched, Helen often wondered if she were part mermaid. Yeah, she could definitely be mistaken for a mermaid. Or at least a manatee.
She finished her make-up and blow dried her hair before going and getting dressed. It was early August and she was already hot this early in the morning. Just add tht to one more reason for Bob leaving. Menopause, although her doctor called it perimenopause. She didn't see that there was a difference.
The dress that she chose was a golden brown and had multi colored fall leaves on it. Simple gold hoop earrings and the bracelet her kids gave her were the only jewelry that she wore. It had been over six months since she took off her wedding band, she still wasn’t used to not wearing a ring.
Grabbing a jacket and her lunch from the fridge, Helen walked out into the morning light and began her thirty minutes bus commute to the office she had worked at since she her marriage ended.
The new owners of the building she worked at would be there today. At least they weren’t getting rid of her receptionist position.
Yet.
She knew that one of the lawyers in one of the firms wanted her gone. The woman constantly complained about the fat receptionist that could be replaced by a security guard. Or a kiosk.
As if Helen didn’t know that she was fat, the woman who ran marathons on the weekend liked to let her know.
She really wanted to tell the woman off. Helen always had a smart reply, which never got said.
"I have a mirror, yes, I see how fat I am."
"Really? Oh my God! Is that why I have to buy a size 2X?"
"I'm so glad you told me. I've only had this body for forty-three years, I never knew I was fat."
"That’s because I have more personality than you. I keep it tucked between my fat rolls."
Helen often wondered what the woman's reaction would be if she said anything. But she liked her job. Even more, she liked the benefits of her job. You know, the ones like being able to pay rent. So her comments stayed in her mind behind her smile. While hoping and praying that her tears did not fall.
Arriving at the building, Helen set up the three coffee bars in the large lobby. The blinds were opened slightly to allow the morning light in. Then she settled into her desk and opened up her computer.
Twenty minutes after eight, she was called into the building supervisors office. Smiling nervously she sat in the chair he indicated.
“Helen, I want you to know that most everybody here is upset over this. The owners are doing away with your position. But one of the offices upstairs would like to speak with you.”
Last Chapters
#201 Mermaid Tears Sneak Peak
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#200 Chapter 200: Tomorrow
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#199 Chapter 199: Pictures
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#198 Chapter 198: Teacher
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#197 Chapter 197: Pillow Talk
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#196 Chapter 196: Dinner
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#195 Chapter 195: First Birthday
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#194 Chapter 194: Historic District Mural
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#193 Chapter 193: Busy Morning
Last Updated: 5/6/2026#192 Chapter 192: Roses and Webs
Last Updated: 5/6/2026
You Might Like 😍
Where I End and She Begins
But when a body lies at Amelia’s feet, and her hands are covered in blood that isn’t hers, one question echoes louder than the rest:
How did it come to this?
As the school year unfolds, cracks begin to show — in friendships, in family, and in Amelia’s own mind. The lines between loyalty and control blur. Between truth and perception. Between who she is… and who she thinks she needs to be.
Because some friendships don’t just shape you.
They consume you.
And when the illusion shatters, there’s always something left behind.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Cursed Fates
The Alpha King's Human Mate
“I have waited nine years for you. That’s nearly a decade since I’ve felt this emptiness inside me. Part of me began to wonder if you didn’t exist or you’d already died. And then I found you, right inside my own home.”
He used one of his hands to stroke my cheek and tingles erupted everywhere.
“I’ve spent enough time without you and I will not let anything else keep us apart. Not other wolves, not my drunken father who’s barely holding himself together the past twenty years, not your family – and not even you.”
Clark Bellevue has spent her entire life as the only human in the wolf pack - literally. Eighteen years ago, Clark was the accidental result of a brief affair between one of the most powerful Alphas in the world and a human woman. Despite living with her father and her werewolf half-siblings, Clark has never felt like she really belonged in the werewolf world. But right as Clark plans to leave the werewolf world behind for good, her life gets flipped upside down by her mate: the next Alpha King, Griffin Bardot. Griffin has been waiting years for the chance to meet his mate, and he's not about to let her go anytime soon. It doesn't matter how far Clark tries to run from her destiny or her mate - Griffin intends to keep her, no matter what he has to do or who stands in his way.
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
A pack of their own
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
King of the Underworld
However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”
But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”
Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.
She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The New Girl and the Broken Basketball Star
After years of feeling unwanted by the father who should have protected her, Clara is finally forced to leave the only home she has ever known. Her stepmother’s pregnancy only makes it easier for her family to let her go.
With nothing but her mother’s old violin, she arrives in a small Pennsylvania town carrying the fear that she will never truly belong anywhere.
The last thing she expects is Adrian Cole.
Once the town’s basketball star, Adrian gave up his dreams after his father disappeared and left him with debts he never should have carried. Now he spends his days repairing cars, avoiding the court, and pretending he doesn’t want anything more from life.
Clara thinks she is too broken to be loved.
Adrian thinks his future is already over.
But somewhere between physics lessons, late nights at the repair shop, and a forgotten small-town high school, two lonely people begin to find something they both thought they had lost forever:
A reason to stay.
✦ ✦ ✦
A tough exterior with a soft heart x A soft exterior with a strong heart
✦ ✦ ✦
The first half is set in high school, and the second half is set during their college years. Hope you enjoy the journey!
This is a slow-paced story, focused more on emotions, healing, and the small moments in life rather than intense action or dramatic twists.
If you find any mistakes while reading, please feel free to leave a comment. I’ll be happy to correct them.
I hope ordinary Clara, ordinary Adrian, and all of us ordinary people can find the happiness we deserve.












