by Moore, M. K.
“I get that feeling too. She’s downstairs at my place. I’ll get her while you get ready.”
“Sounds good,” I say, finishing off my toast.
Twenty minutes later, Marissa and I are standing in front of the building with Thomas, waiting for Jacob to come back with the car. Once we climb in, we are on the way to Jersey.
“Why didn’t you sit up front with Jacob?” I ask Marissa.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, girl. Please.”
“What?”
“I know about you and Jacob,” I say, checking my email.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she says, looking down at her hands.
“Don’t be sorry. I get it. I am sure it was very exciting with it being a secret like that.”
“Except I don’t think it was as secret as we had hoped.”
“How so?”
“Um, promise me you won’t tell anyone, especially Jacob,” she whispers.
“I can’t promise that, Marissa. Just tell me. What’s going on?”
“I keep getting notes, each letter was cut from magazines. Crazy thing is they were all the same fonts from articles I wrote for Gesture.” I think back to the one I got.
“Have you gotten any notes since Chad Beesley was arrested?” I ask, my mind racing.
“Yes, I got one this morning.”
“What? You got one at Jacob’s place?”
“Yes. It was delivered by messenger and addressed to me. Now that I think about it, all of the others were just slid under my apartment door.”
“Jacob. Stop the car,” I all but shout.
“What’s wrong, Mallory?” I smile at the his use of my name for the first time.
“We need to go to Eros, now.” He changes lanes quickly and we make it to Hudson Street in no time at all.
“What’s this all about?” Jacob asks as we reach the office Malachi uses when he is here.
“You remember that note I got in the backseat of your car?” He nods, so I continue. “We thought it was for me, and that it was from Chad. Neither of those things are true.”
“What do you mean?” Malachi asks.
“They are for Marissa. The letters started about the time your relationship with her started, right?”
“Well, yes. The one from the backseat was from the following morning after we got together, now that I think about it,” Jacob says.
“Show him the one from today,” I tell Marissa.
“Maybe I should talk to him in private first,” Marissa hedges.
“Okay, Malachi and I can step out,” I say but make no movement to the door.
“Just show me the note, Risa,” Jacobs growls.
“I should explain first.”
“Explain what?”
“I don’t know how this person could have known, I didn’t tell anyone.”
“You’re scaring me Risa. Out with it,” Jacob says.
“I’m pregnant,” she says quietly.
I jerk my head toward the door when Malachi’s eyes meet mine.
“How long have you known?”
“Just a couple of days. I went to CVS the other day and got a pregnancy test.”
“Give me the note.” She hands him the note and he reads aloud. “I am going to kill you and your baby. Leave my man alone. Someone must be following you. How would they know you took a pregnancy test otherwise?”
“I didn’t know you were already taken.”
“I’m not. I had never even been with anyone before you, I swear it.”
“Are you mad? We didn’t talk about it beforehand.”
“No, baby. I am not mad. A man who doesn’t use a condom knows exactly what is going to happen. What they hope will happen.” Marissa is in Jacob’s arms before I can take another breath. “I love you, Marissa.”
“I love you, too.” The sexual tension in the room is palpable.
Malachi stands from behind his desk. He grabs my hand and drags me out of his office.
“Wow,” I say. “That letter was delivered to Jacob’s this morning, by messenger. Surely there is a record of who delivered it, right?” I ask.
“Absolutely. You can’t get in the building anymore without signing in.” he says already pulling his cell phone out. “Hey, Thomas. It’s Malachi. Jacob got a delivery this morning. What company delivered it? Excellent. Thank you,” he says, hanging up. “Allied Messengers.”
“Are you going to need a warrant or something, Captain?”
“I hope not,” he says, busting back into his office.
Marissa is righting her blouse and Jacob is zipping up his pants. I smirk and wink at Marissa. She giggles. The true definition of a quickie.
“Right, so I’ve found out who delivered the note this morning. I say we go over there and convince them to tell us who paid for it,” Malachi says.
“Very good,” Jacob replies.
“All right, let’s go,” I say.
“Not you, Jez. I meant Jacob and me. You two sit tight.”
“Yeah, right. I am coming with you,” I reply, hands on my hips.
“Me too,” Marissa says.
I pull out my phone and hit up Google.
“Allied Messengers is off Wall Street,” I say.
“Alright, let’s go. But let us do the talking,” Malachi says rolling his eyes. He knows I will never give up.
“You got it boss,” I say, saluting him.
When we get to offices for Allied Messenger, it’s pretty typical.
“Hello, I received a delivery this morning. I need to know who sent it,” Jacob says.
“I’m sorry sir, if they didn’t sign what was sent, I can’t give out that kind of sensitive information. We value the confidentiality of our clients.”
“I understand, but I am not sure who to send the reply to,” Jacob says.
“Then you will have to wait until they send you something else,” the girl behind the desk says. She looks around at the rest of us. “Oh my God! Are you Mallory Greer?” she asks, jumping up. I turn on a megawatt smile.
“I am. Do you enjoy my books, Alana?” I ask, reading her name plate.
“Hell yes. I am reading Pirate’s Cove right now,” she says, pulling out a well-worn paperback book. “It’s probably the tenth time I’ve read it. I am so excited for Ryan’s Kiss on the big screen. My book club is going to see it on release day.”
Pirate’s Cove is my naughtiest book to date. It’s the only book I have set in the past. 1750 to be exact. Captain John Wainwright takes Lady Charlotte prisoner aboard his British Royal Navy ship, the HMS Charlotte. Needless to say, he is a bit obsessed with her and always has been. It’s got some dubious consent, but that’s just because she’s a lady through and through. Despite wanting him, she can’t just come right out and say, “fuck me.” It was my guilty pleasure.
“Well, thank you so much for that.”
“Would you sign this for me?” she asks, holding up the paperback and shaking it.
“Of course. We are really in bind here, could we get that name?” I ask while signing the book. I am so glad I don’t have to think about my signature. MG is all I sign and that didn’t change when I got married.
“Um, I am not really supposed to do this, but for you I will.”
“That is so nice of you, Alana.”
“What was the delivery address?”
“425 Madison Ave, apartment 518,” Jacob says, and Alana types in the info quickly.
“Sent to Marissa Gordon from Stella Arbritton,” she says.
“The actress?” I ask.
“Seems so. Her return address is in Los Angeles, but we picked the package up at the Waldorf.”
“Do you know her, Jacob?” Marissa asks.
“She was a former client. It never dawned on me that it could be her. It should have though.”
“Thank you for your help Alana.”
“You’re welcome, Mallory. Can we take a picture before you go?”
“Of course,�
� I say. I am just thankful that she gave us the info.
Marissa takes the picture while Jacob places a phone call. Once we are back in the car, Marissa starts asking questions again.
“Why is she a former client?”
“She became inappropriate with me. When I refused her, she claimed assault. What she didn’t know is that I always wear a body cam when I am working. She didn’t have a leg to stand on and Eros dropped her as a client, and pretty much blacklisted her with other reputable security firms. She is violating a restraining order as well. I called Frank. He’ll handle it. I hate that she was following you though.
“Do you think she is following us now?” Marissa asks.
“Shit, I didn’t think about that. There is a Mercedes that has been behind us for a while,” Jacob says, speeding up.
“Stop the car,” Marissa says. I am getting a sense of déjà vu. “I am so done with this bitch. Nobody threatens my baby.” Jacob pulls the car over and sure enough the Mercedes stops too, a few car lengths behind us. “Mallory, call the police. Malachi, call Frank. I won’t be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Stay here,” she says, and they climb out of the car. What a badass.
“Be careful, Marissa,” I say as the door closes. She taps her nails on the window to let me know she heard me. While I don’t agree with her half-assed plan, I do understand the need to get it over with. We do as she asked and now all we can do is watch the show. And what a show it is.
Holy shit, I think, looking out the back window. Marissa has dragged Stella from her car by her hair. While they are not fighting per say, Marissa is yelling in her face. Before I know it, cops surround them, and Stella is taken into custody.
What a fucking day. A crazy day that followed a crazy couple of months. I am looking forward to things settling down.
Chapter 16
Malachi
Man, these last few months have really done number on us. With the twins due in September, I decide it’s now or never on getting shit ready for them. I drag Mallory to IKEA, and we buy two of everything. Cribs, dressers, changing tables—everything we can think of. The middle of July in New York City is awful. It’s eighty-three degrees and humid as hell. When we left the house this morning, Mallory’s hair was straight and smooth. Now, it looks like she stuck her finger in an electrical socket.
Once Marissa and Jacob dealt with their issues, life slowed down considerably. We have started to fall into a routine that isn’t hindered by stalkers and the like.
“Baby,” Mallory calls from our bedroom. I get up off the floor where I am putting together the second crib. These directions are about to make me lose my mind, but I think I finally got it. I walk into the bedroom. Mallory is lying in bed.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. She looks pale and so far from her normal tan complexion that I start to worry.
“I don’t feel well,” she says, trying to sit up.
“We should go to the hospital, just to see what they say.” I’m expecting Mallory to put up a fight with me.
“I really feel like shit, so I am not even going to argue,” she says as I help her up.
Fuck, now I know something is wrong. She never passes up an opportunity to argue.
I help her get dressed and we leave the building, passing several people as we go. I hail a cab and we head for the nearest hospital. We get ushered right into a room where a doctor quickly examines Mallory before stepping out without a word. We wait in silence for what seems like forever.
“Alright, Mrs. Goranson. It looks like it’s gas,” the doctor says as he re-enters the room.
“I’m sorry? What?” she asks.
“It’s trapped gas. It’s painful when you aren’t pregnant, so I can only imagine how much pain you are in right now. That being said, Gas-X is what I am going to recommend. You should feel right as rain in a couple of hours. Any pharmacy will have it over the counter.”
“Thank you, Dr. Davis,” I say.
“Gas, can you believe it?” Mallory huffs when the doctor leaves the room.
“I can’t. It’s crazy that you are so much pain. Let’s get you home.”
“Okay. These clothes are driving me bat-shit crazy right now.”
We stop at the pharmacy on the way home. I run in and grab what we need and a bottle of water. She takes the pill as soon as I get back in the cab, then snuggles up against my shoulder and falls asleep. She looks so peaceful that I hate to wake her when we get home, but I have to.
I help her inside and back in bed.
“How are you feeling?” I ask after stripping her down.
“So much better. The pressure is gone.”
“That’s good. Get some rest, Jez.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Finish the crib and start on the other things. Not a lot of time left,” I say, kissing her on the forehead.
“Okay, you are a saint,” she says, closing her eyes. I turn out the light and go back into the living room.
I finish up the crib and roll it into the room we are using as a nursery. I put it on the wall opposite from the one I put together yesterday. We found out we are having a boy and a girl, so we painted one side of the room pink and the other blue. It looks pretty good. We also picked out names, Kai Connelly and Kayla Claire. I am so ready to be a father. My own led by such a good example that I feel ready for this, though I honestly never thought it would happen. I take a quick shower and crawl into bed beside my amazing wife.
A few weeks later, I am helping Mallory gear up for the release of her newest book, Fall with Me, the one she was writing when we first met. She is eight months pregnant, but she will still make her TV appearances. Tonight, she’s on the Kellen Davis show. I am standing offstage watching her work her magic.
“Alright we’re back. I am here with Mallory Goranson. So much has happened since the last time you were here,” Kellen says.
“So much, Kellen. Greatest thing is that I got married and I’m working on making some tiny humans.” She rubs her belly.
“I see that, you are positively glowing.”
“Thanks.”
“So that business with Chad Beesley?” he probes.
“Old news. No worse for the wear,” she says with a smile, but I know she doesn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully, Kellen picks up on her cue.
“So, let’s talk about the new book. Fall with Me is in stores everywhere on Tuesday, right?”
“That’s right. Fall with Me is the harrowing journey of Emmett and Lacey. They experience the highs and lows of falling in love with someone who doesn’t even know you exist, or so they think. It’s super steamy though, once they meet all bets are off,” she says, laughing.
“I, for one, can’t wait to read it,” Kellen says with all the sincerity of a game show host. What a bullshitter. “I see that you dedicated it to your own personal Captain America. Got a thing for Chris Evans, do you?” This is news to me. I haven’t seen the book yet.
“I mean, who doesn’t? But I actually meant my husband. It’s a little inside joke.”
“I see. Was he not a captain in the Army?”
“He was.” That’s all she says.
“Alright, Fall with Me comes out Tuesday, anywhere you buy books. We are going to take a quick commercial break and be right back with musical guest, Bonnie and Clyde. Don’t go away.” He winks at the camera. What a douche.
“And we are out,” a heavyset guy with a headset says loudly. “Back in two minutes, fifteen seconds.”
“Thanks, Kellan,” she says, taking her microphone off.
“Anytime Mal. Good seeing you,” he says.
“You too.”
She walks right over to me and grabs my hand.
“You weren’t supposed to know about the dedication yet,” she says pouting.
“I can act surprised on Tuesday, Jez. Don’t worry.”
“It won’t be the same.” I lead us out of the studio and over to our new car. A black 2018 Honda Odyssey. It seems
crazy that this is the first car either of us have ever had, and it’s a minivan. With twins on the way, it seemed like the safest bet. No more waiting in the rain to hail a taxi. I can’t imagine how awful that would be with twins in tow.
This is the first time I am glad it was my left leg that got amputated. That means I can still drive, as there is no way in hell Mallory’s belly would fit behind the wheel. As it is, she can barely get her seatbelt on. Eight or so months ago, I could barely come to terms with the fact that that my leg was gone. I know that I have Mallory to thank for helping me with that. For the first time since the accident, I don’t even give a fuck that I don’t have the damn thing. I have Mallory and babies on the way. I don’t need anything else.
“I’m hungry,” she says, rubbing her belly.
“I think Taco Bell is the only place open right now.”
“Fuck yeah. Tacos are always the answer.”
I drive to the nearest Taco Bell and get a party pack of hard tacos.
Her cute ass doesn’t even wait until we get home before she is tearing into them.
“Don’t judge me. I’m starving.”
“I didn’t say a word, baby.”
“You didn’t have to, I know you.”
“You do, don’t you?”
“I am pretty sure I do.”
“Hmm,” I say.
“Go on, test me,” she says before taking another bite.
“I’m not gonna test you,” I reply.
“Chicken.”
“There is no need to test you, baby. I know you know me.”
“Damn straight.” I pull into the parking garage down the street from our building. We pay monthly to park so close to home. It’s not too terrible, given the amount we are going save in taxi fare. It’s a block’s walk to the building but we get there pretty quickly, even in the late-night rain.
“Let’s get you to bed,” I say, laughing as we track water across the hardwood floors.
“Yes, let’s.”
With her belly pretty much in the way, we have had to get creative with our lovemaking. So, as soon as I have her naked, she is up on all fours waiting for my cock. I slide into her slowly, but it’s too much and I have to speed up. Her moans ratchet up the excitement. My fingers dig into her hips.
