The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance

by Bell, Victoria

  So, I throw myself up and down his rock-hard rod, over and back, until he’s “oh fuck yeahhh”ing and I throw myself as far down his cock as it’ll go. At this, he spurts my warm hot snack down my throat, gush after delicious gush of it.

  Afterward, once his breathing has calmed, I break him the news.

  “We’re going to have to leave today.”

  He regards me with a half-smile.

  “Do we?”

  I nod.

  “Your agency’s going to know something’s up as soon as you don’t come into work. After that, I’d give us a few days before they find us, at most. Our best bet is to leave now.”

  I search his face for any signs of indecision, disappointment, but there are none. Instead, all he does is kiss my cheek, say “Well, we better get packing then.”

  Chapter 10 - Phoebe: One Year Later in Aruba

  Something’s up with Antoine. It’s our anniversary, and he hasn’t told me anything – what we’re doing, what to expect, nothing. It’s just like the old days, but I don’t want it to be just like the old days. I want it to be like now.

  Sitting on our balcony, I cast my gaze over the still-sleepy downtown. No one’s around; it is only 5 am, after all.

  One year ago, as we sat in the Toronto Pearson airport staring blankly at a long list of destinations, who would’ve thought we would’ve ended up in Aruba of all places? We’d finally solved the dilemma by having me close my eyes and go wherever my finger landed. First, of course, my pointer finger had landed on Antarctica of all places, which obviously wasn’t a viable choice. The next time, however, when the tiny island we had to squint at was chosen, Aruba, we had gone for it. We had come here with nothing and, in just a year, we’d already accomplished a lot. There was our little beach café Pizza Underside, the one we were now living on top of. Already, it had become an Aruba staple. The townspeople were more than welcoming, while there had been no sign of any agency or suspicious activity. Yes, we’d made it, escaped. Our cheap fake identities for traveling had paid off. Everything was perfect, or at least I had thought so until Antoine started getting all quiet and secretive these past few days. Sure, maybe he was just planning something special for our anniversary, but what if it was something else?

  “Happy anniversary, love,” a familiar voice says as his strong arms wrap around me.

  I turn around to kiss him. As our lips meet and re-meet, Antoine pulls back.

  “We have a busy day ahead of us.”

  He gives my butt a playful spank.

  “Quick – get ready!”

  And so I do, choosing the same royal blue dress I was wearing the day I met him. Now dressed and him seeing my choice, Antoine can’t help but smile.

  “You look as beautiful as ever in it.”

  I can’t help but smile, either, even as I shoot him a significant look.

  “You never told me what we’re doing today.”

  Taking my hand, as we head down the stairs, Antoine nods.

  “You’re right; I didn’t.”

  I stop.

  “Antoine!”

  He grins, kisses me on the cheek.

  “Just how you’re repeating the past, I am too.”

  Downstairs, the restaurant is empty; we had both agreed to close it for the day. Sitting on the counter, however, is a vase with an orchid and, more surprisingly, a plate topped with several banana pancakes. I shoot Antoine an incredulous look.

  “What- how?”

  He shrugs.

  “I still remember the banana pancake tragedy – I’ve wanted to try them ever since. I made them while you were out on the balcony and thought I was sleeping.”

  “You sneak!” I declare with a grin.

  And then, sitting down, we dig in. His banana pancakes are, admittedly, better than mine would’ve been, even if I hadn’t have burned them.

  The rest of the day is a whirlwind blur of joy. We go from one activity – snorkeling amongst a veritable rainbow of fish, kissing on the soft-sanded beach – to another. When we’ve laid out in the sun for hours and finished a bottle of wine between us, Antoine takes my hand.

  “I have somewhere to take you.”

  His face is strained, his lips pressed together; I nod my agreement, and we’re off.

  As we walk, Antoine starts talking. He talks of the warm night, the lit-up celebration of stars overheard, of how beautiful I look. Finally, I ask “Antoine, what’s this about?”

  By now, however, we’re there, at the chapel I’d only heard about: Alto Vista. It’s still light out enough to be visible, but dark enough that all the tourists are gone. It’s just us and the little white box with a cross on top. The small white architectural wonder, positioned in front of the stretch of blue water, the sight is breathtakingly, staggeringly beautiful.

  Antoine leads me to one of the white stone benches in front of the building, then sits down. He talks to the open air, seems uncomfortable looking at me head-on.

  “I’ve wanted to do this for some time now. Only now, however, seemed like the right time. I never thought this day would come. Even when I fell for you, I never knew where it would lead, was never so optimistic to think that we would triumph against the odds as spectacularly as we have. Nor did I have any idea that my love for you would only grow every day, swell and swell until the enormity of it pressed on me so much that I had no choice but to do… this.”

  Still, Antoine wasn’t looking at me, although now he was on one knee.

  “Antoine,” I gasp, “You’re not.”

  Now, finally, looking up at me with a smile, he nods, takes out a small felt box from his pocket. Opening it showcases the most dazzling ring I’ve ever seen. It’s like us, the small heart diamond set amidst the carved silver is beautiful and ornate, not showy, but unique.

  “Phoebe, will you marry me?”

  And, at that moment, time stops. There’s the wind ruffling my hair, the waves lapping not far off. There’s the handsome love of my life on one knee before me holding the ring that symbolizes us, looking adorably worried.

  It’s adorable because he has no need to be. Because, for as long as I’ve known him, from that moment in the kitchen, the answer was always going to be “Yes.”

  “Yes,” I say, and his chin lifts up, his smile rises.

  “Yes!” I cry, and we kiss.

  We break apart so, arms around each other, we can both cry “Yes!”, yell it to the sky, to God or the universe or whoever was responsible for our big wonderful love, for the miracle of us.

  Unquestionable Love

  A Contemporary Romance

  Chloe King

  Unquestionable Love

  Copyright 2017 Chloe H. King

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING:

  Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Chapter 1

  The loud sound of typewriter keys being pressed rang loud in the room. People shouted and swore under their breaths, calling out for the copy boy to grab the papers they held in their hands. The mixed smell of tobacco smoke, fresh bread and coffee lingered in the air, slowly making its way throughout the whole floor. Every single person in the room had their head down. Everyone busy, trying to beat the deadline.

  This wa
s a usual scene for Lauren Lovely as the massive letters of Manchester Herald stared back at her. The staff minded their own business but tried their best to hide their stories as all were trying to make it onto the front page. The majority of them worked by oneself, but teamwork was never ignored. They might not always work together under one story, but that didn't mean that each of them wasn't driven by the love, obsession, and passion for journalism.

  That had been her motto then as a starting out journalist. Someone had told her once that in order for her to reach her dreams, she had to be hungry, driven and passionate for what she loved the most. And it just happened that journalism was the career she was destined to have.

  She had honed her technique and skills from years of journalism courses. She had even learned how to spot a good story that could possibly make her shine as a writer. And at the age of twenty-eight, Lauren Lovely had lived a pretty damn good life that included rock-bottoms that she had hit a few times in her life.

  Typing a few more words to complete the story, Lauren pressed the print out button and called for the copy boy. As soon as he came, she handed him the paper and leaned back against her chair. Her back ached, but it was a good ache that told her she had done her best today and had a higher chance that the head editor would like it. Her story had been about a minor case that she was asked to do. A hot lead to that story got her the information she needed.

  But she was usually based on the unresolved crime cases. She had worked with a couple of the police officers who had all become her good friends. They were always the first resource she had to go to in order to gain the information she wanted. With a few flicks of her hair and a little charm, Lauren had them all going.

  She didn't look anything special in particular. She was a short woman. No more than being five foot four with a curvy body that sometimes caught men's attention whenever she would walk past them. Her hair was the color of a chestnut. Silky and curly that reached down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were the same color but a deep chocolate brown that made her wish she had green eyes instead. As if that characteristic would add up to her personality.

  Someone to her right made a coughing sound that stopped her train of thoughts. She looked to the side, finding her nemesis of all times regarding her with a cock of his head as if studying her.

  Joshua Barker, thirty-years-old and annoying as ever was staring at her. He had dark blonde hair that had some of the strands to fall over his blue eyes. She knew those pair of azure orbs so well that she didn't have to look intently for her to see the emotions playing out behind them. He was probably finding amusement from her, secretly. She had never been able to understand before. But now, Lauren knew it was a just mockery.

  He was one of the biggest writers in the company. His work was known by everybody, including her, much to her shame. She wasn't a big fan of the guy. Lauren thought he was obnoxious, annoying and shouldn't have been placed in the same office as her. But his stories had been a damn nail-biting experience from how good he had shaped his lead. He must have one hell of a resource, she thought annoyingly.

  "See something you like?" she asked dryly.

  He grinned, showing those infuriating dimples that only added up to his good-looks. If only the man could be humble for once. "Yeah, I do see something I like."

  "Well, good for you," I muttered before standing up to take my lunch break.

  I had heard the silent approach of his steps before I saw him appear beside me. He walked annoyingly fast. Compared to me, he was a few inches taller. We had a massive height difference, so whenever he would take a step forward, it would at least take two or more from me. It was an unfortunate characteristic, my height that I had inherited from my mother. She was also short like me. If only I had managed to get my father's tall genes.

  "Shouldn't you be busy flirting with the other women in the office?" I asked as I walked past the head editor's office. I waved at him.

  "Jealous, I see." He said, making my blood boil even more.

  I huffed. "If I had to be jealous of a guy, it would never be you."

  He feigned hurt. "Why won't it be me?"

  "Because you're not my type." I saw him stop in the corner of my eye as if really hurt by what I just said. With a satisfied smile, I kept walking ahead until I heard him following me again. This was a usual thing in my everyday life whenever I was in the office. Joshua would do everything in his will to get under my skin.

  "I'm everyone's type," he said soon after we reached the elevator.

  Lauren turned to him with her arms crossed over her chest. "You should be running your copy already, Joshua. You shouldn't waste your time on anyone if you want to make that story into page 1."

  "Why should I worry when my story will make the cut?" Joshua squeezed into the crowd once the elevator doors opened. Huffing silently, she shot him a glare before squeezing herself in. Lauren let his question hang in the air, choosing not to answer. One thing she hated was being stuck in crowded places, elevators in particular. But with her body pressed against his, she could tell that he was enjoying himself with this situation.

  "Can you move up a bit?' she hissed quietly to his ear.

  "Sure," he said before pushing harder against me.

  I elbowed his arm. He gave a small yelp. "I meant to your right! I didn't mean for you to squeeze yourself into me even more."

  "All you said was move up a bit," he hissed back without moving at all. He was doing this on purpose, and I didn't have enough space to give him another jab. "You should be more specific next time."

  "Specific, my ass." she said before stepping out as soon as the doors slid open again.

  "You know for a woman; you shouldn't say 'my ass' as it's not a good look on you in particular," Josh advised as he still continued to follow her outside.

  "Are you going to stop following me?" she asked, turning on her heels to stare at him.

  Amusement danced in his eyes as they both regarded each other. His blue eyes lit up with mischief, showing how unwanted his presence was to me.

  "I don't have anything to do right now, so I'll take my own amusement from you," was the only thing he said before grabbing her hand, pulling her behind him. Lauren felt electricity racing down her arm as we continued to touch. Realizing what she was doing, she gave her head a shake and yanked her hand away from his.

  "Just what do you think you are doing?" she said, exasperated.

  "Holding your hand just now," he said as if it was just a joke to him.

  She placed her hands on either side of her hips, regarding him with a pissed off look on her face. "You really need to stop being so annoying and do something productive today. Annoying me would not get you anywhere."

  "I told you already," Josh said as they began to walk again. She was heading toward her favorite cafe that she went to every day for lunch, her obnoxious worker still in tow. "The big boss wants to talk to us."

  "Why would he want to talk to the both of us at the same time?" She asked as they reached the small cafe. Lauren stepped inside, pushing the door open and letting it almost close in on Joshua. He muttered a quiet curse under his breath, shaking his head with a grin. He was really starting to get under her skin as the day passed by. Lauren had been seriously thinking about asking their boss if she could be moved to another place if Joshua didn't get his shit together.

  She ordered her usual and sat down at the corner of the room, choosing her usual booth. She wasn't surprised to find him sitting down opposite her, placing his interlaced fingers on the desk in front of her.

  "I would really appreciate it if you could give me space right now, Baker. I'd like to have some peace and quiet and have my lunch." She grabbed her cellphone and started scrolling down her messages. There were a few from her family, and the rest was work e-mail. She was looking at a particular message when she found her phone being whipped away from her hold. Looking up, she saw him type a few keys on her phone before slipping it into her pocket.

  "Give it back," she
said as she held out her hand. Lauren could feel her patience thinning out by the minute.

  "Not until we get back to work and we find out what the big boss wants." Was all he had said before the waiter came back with their order.

  They ate in silence while she secretly fumed inside. She wanted to fish his phone out of his hands the way he had done. But he was faster than a ninja. He would surely hold it out of her reach like the tall person that he was.

  She ate quickly before standing up and leaving the shop. She was walking so fast and knew that she had put a great distance between her and Joshua. But just as she reached the company building again, she already saw him standing in the lobby.

  "How did you get here?" she whispered, out of breath.

  "I took the shortcut," he merely shrugged before grabbing her arm and leading them to the fifth floor. As soon as they arrived, Josh led them both to the office of the head editor's where he was waiting with his chair turned to us.

  "You called for me?" Lauren said as soon as the door closed behind them.

  The head editor, Edward, turned and fixed his eyes on her and her nemesis. "I called the both of you here. You both have to work on a special case."

  Chapter 2

  "A special case, did you say?" Her ears perked up, and her interest piqued, Lauren, shoved Josh out of her way that had him chuckling. She barely stopped herself from sending him a look.

  "Yes, a special case," Edward confirmed before gesturing for them to sit down. "I have a family friend who wants me to look into a particular closed case."

  "What's the point of going back to a closed case, sir? There's no need to deal with closed cases, right?" She was confused to why he suddenly had his head into a case that was already closed.

  "I'm not doing this because I want to," Edward said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But he's begging me to look at this old case no matter how much I don't want to."