Just Breathe Series (Trilogy Box Set)

by Martha Sweeney

  “We’re done talking about bunny style,” he insists.

  “No, we aren’t,” I contend. “Stop trying to change the subject. We haven’t agreed or disagreed about bunny style.”

  Joe laughs and kisses me on the nose. “Bunny style it is.”

  “Really?” I say surprised.

  “Yeah,” he agrees. “If this is something you really want, I don’t mind adding another first to our list.”

  “How many are on the list?” I explore.

  “Don’t change the topic,” he chides teasingly. “You brought it back around to bunny style.” He leans in and kisses me.

  “I don’t think I’m the only one who’s curious to try it,” I goad.

  Joe smiles, but doesn’t comment. “So . . . you and Maggie . . . and porn?”

  I cover my face with my arm. “Yes.”

  “Good to know,” he says, not pushing further.

  I wait a minute or two, but Joe doesn’t say anything — his expression says it all. He wants to know more, but is afraid to ask.

  “Maggie and I were eighteen and still virgins. We didn’t want our first time being with a guy, so we went to where Sophia, one of Jared’s friends worked at the local adult shop in WeHo, got some toys and she gave us some porn sites,” I share, wincing a little.

  Joe just smiles. I’m figuring that he’s trying to picture it in his head.

  “I watch porn on occasion. It helps when I’ve had long stretches in between sex with guys or Maggie,” I continue.

  “Have you used it in between our times?” he asks hesitantly.

  Looking away, I confirm, “Yes.”

  “Good to know,” Joe says, followed by a kiss.

  “What about you?” I investigate.

  “What about me?”

  “Who and when was your first time?” I inquire.

  “Why?”

  “I’m doing a lot of sharing. It’s your turn,” I explain.

  “It was a girl from high school,” he huffs, clearly not wanting to share. “I regretted it the next day. I was seventeen, a little drunk, her more so, and it meant nothing. The next day at school, she tried to make it into a relationship and I refused. She’s not my type in any way — never was and never will be.”

  “What is your type?” I probe.

  Why the hell did I just ask him that?

  Joe shoots me a wicked smile. “You.”

  I’m uncomfortable, yet slightly smitten with his answer.

  “Joe,” I whine.

  “I know, beautiful,” he comments. “Just friends. Just sex.” He kisses my hand. “For now . . . .”

  “No,” I contend.

  “Yes,” he says, followed by a kiss. “Besides, I know you secretly liked the fact that Taylor called you my lady.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I challenge.

  “Yes you did,” he claims.

  I roll my eyes and move to get up, but he pulls me back down. We stay snuggled with Sadie a few more minutes before getting up to make dinner. Joe actually helps prepare our meal when his hands or lips aren’t attached to my body somewhere. His touch is soft and gentle like he craves the contact as much as I do, but doesn’t push for it to be more than just to be connected in one way or another. My body instantly responds to each of his caresses, content with the idea that he’s as tactile as I am.

  Seventy Eight

  I settle in back home pretty quickly over the next few days, only forgetting a couple of times in the beginning to text my bodyguards when I leave the apartment other than taking Sadie outside for our morning routine. I know they’re here for my protection, but I’m starting to feel more like I’m being babysat. I keep my outings to a minimum, mostly just taking Sadie out early in the morning when there isn’t anyone on the streets and late evenings after the sun has set, unless she really needs to get out.

  Jared and I only see each other over video chat, which ends up including Pop-Pop and Nathan on occasion. We’re trying to minimize being seeing together as I keep hoping that the news will find a new story to occupy their A.D.D. minds. Unfortunately, it looks like Jared and I are going to have to give an official statement and we’re debating on how we want to approach it.

  Nathaniel’s has been closed the past several days since it’s been completely out of stock. Nathan and Denise have been working strictly with the celebrities who have called, and he reports that the department stores scheduled to release his designs are bumping up production to have them out within the week to capitalize on all of the news. Some of them have already asked for him to create a Spring look for both men and women for next year. They’re bidding high amounts to get first dibs. As happy as I am for him, he’s creating a special men’s and women’s line named after Chris and me that gives me reservations. I have mixed emotions over the whole concept, but I know that it does make good business sense. Looks like Nathaniel’s will be on Rodeo Drive sooner than later.

  Maggie and Henry have been doing great. Henry’s business has picked up in certain areas due to he and Maggie being in the news with Chris and me. Maggie checks in with me each day for work as well as making sure I’m not going crazy from all of the comments posted online.

  One morning, Sadie and I are on the train heading to downtown Los Angeles to meet up with Maggie at the Peking Wok. I’m tired of being inside and need to get out. I barely notice Taylor, Dale, Dylan and Caesar on the train and try hard not to look around to draw attention to myself. With sunglasses on, I have a peaceful ride. We exit the train onto Seventh Street and walk the rest of the way to the restaurant. Taylor calls my cell, suggesting that I take a cab, but I refuse. I need to walk.

  Once inside the restaurant, Maggie and I get settled into our regular booth as two of my guards stay in the restaurant with me at a distance while the other two stay out on the streets. At some point during the past few days, everyone’s bodyguards have become acquainted to prevent confusion or misunderstanding when my friends and I are all together.

  “So we’re still scheduled to go to Oregon the first week in November, right?” Maggie checks.

  “Yes,” I confirm. “Joe says that the construction team is meeting their deadlines and he’s flying back up first thing next week to check in on everything.”

  “Awesome,” Maggie praises.

  When Mŭqīn comes over to give us more tea a half hour before the restaurant opens for lunch, she whispers something to Maggie. They both look at me with odd expressions.

  “What?”

  Not giving them a chance to answer, Taylor comes over to the table in a hurry. “Ms. Emma, we should make arrangements to leave and have your meeting continue somewhere else.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Apparently, there’s a line out the door,” Maggie informs.

  “Is there a store having a sale?” I ask, taking a sip of my tea.

  “No,” Mŭqīn corrects.

  “What?” I inquire, confused by their expressions.

  My phone vibrates and it takes me a moment to process what’s happening.

  “Hey, Jared,” I greet with as much of an upbeat tone I can muster.

  “You okay?” he checks, worried.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, nervous by his words.

  “Where are your bodyguards?” he inquires.

  “They’re here with me at the Peking Wok. Why?” I return.

  “They know where you are,” he says.

  “Who does?”

  “Everyone on Twitter,” he explains.

  “What?”

  “Someone posted a photo of you on the train with Sadie. I guess someone followed you because they know you’re there and a crowd forming outside.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “There’s a news helicopter circling above, showing that the street is flooding with people,” he informs.

  “Shit!” I exclaim.

  My phone buzzes and I see that Joe is calling me now, probably for the same reason.

  “Ms. Emma,” Taylor s
ays, looking for my response. “It’s not safe. We need to get you out of here.”

  “I’ll call you back, Jared,” I inform.

  “Let me know when you’re home safe, okay?” he checks.

  “Definitely.”

  “Love you, Kitten.”

  “Love you too.” My attention turns toward Maggie and I resume discussing business.

  “Emma?” Maggie says with a little apprehension.

  “They aren’t scaring me out of here,” I command.

  “What would you like to do, Ms. Emma?” Taylor asks politely.

  “Maggie and I will finish our meeting and have lunch. If you and one of the guys need to be closer to block people from coming over when the restaurant opens, then fine,” I instruct.

  “Yes, Ms. Emma,” he replies and turns, taking only a few steps away.

  I watch Taylor lift his right hand to talk into his communicator to the rest of the team.

  “Are you sure, Emma?” Maggie questions.

  Looking at her and then Mŭqīn, I say with a smile, “Yes. Besides, we might as well have Peking Wok get some press too.”

  As the people flock into the restaurant, I do my best to stay focused on Maggie. My phone keeps buzzing from Joe every few minutes and I ignore it, not wanting to explain anything to Maggie. I get her talking easily, bouncing from one topic to the next as we eat. When I realized about ten bites into my entree that Joe won’t stop calling until I answer, I text Taylor to come to the table.

  “Everything okay, Ms. Emma?”

  “Taylor, please, just call me Emma,” I instruct.

  He nods. “What do you need?”

  “I was hoping you could get Caesar to clear a path to the ladies room,” I mention.

  I don’t need to explain any further as Taylor instructs the team with his communicator. I wince a little when I realize that he just broadcasted to all of them my need to pee. Maggie tries to get up with me, but I tell her it would be better for me to sneak in and out by myself. Sadie stays with Maggie per my instruction as I confidently make my way across the restaurant to Caesar who is waiting patiently for me outside the women’s room.

  “No one’s in there, Emma,” Caesar informs.

  “Oh, thanks,” I comment.

  I text Joe that I’m not free to talk, but reassure him about the crowd and that I’ll be fine. When I return to the table, several young girls try to approach, but Taylor and Caesar are quick to block them with their bodies.

  “Taylor,” I call.

  “Yes, Emma,” he replies.

  “Let them through,” I direct.

  Taylor nods and takes one step to the left to let the two girls pass. Caesar’s attention stays forward, scanning the room as Taylor’s stays fixed on the teenagers. Maggie and I smile sweetly at them, hoping to ease the nervous looks written all over the faces.

  “Hello,” I greet.

  “Hi . . . Emma,” the slightly taller girl stutters.

  “What’s your name?”

  “I’m . . . Rachel . . . Cheng . . . and this is my sister, Tina,” she replies with a shaky tone.

  “Hi,” Tina meekly greets.

  “Nice to meet you, Rachel and Tina,” I return, looking at each of them as I say their names.

  “Um . . . we were just wondering if we could get a picture with you,” Rachel bashfully requests.

  “Sure,” I answer.

  “Really?” Tina squeaks.

  “Of course,” I comment.

  I swing my legs out from under the table and the two girls stand on either side of me, each raising their phones. They instruct me who’s taking the photo first and I look at that phone and then the next once the photo has been taken.

  “Can we meet Sadie?” Rachel asks timidly.

  “Of course,” I agree.

  Sadie pops out from under the table, sniffing and licking the girls’ hands. She eagerly accepts their affection.

  “Can I ask you something, Emma?” Tina inquires.

  “What’s that?” I instantly reply.

  “Do you mind if we post these photos on our social media?”

  With a genuine smile, I comment, “It would be an honor.”

  “Really?” Rachel beams.

  “Really,” I confirm.

  “How was the movie?” Tina blurts.

  “It was very good,” I comment. “I definitely recommend it.”

  The sisters smile, nod and bow before turning to leave. They giggle when Rachel bumps into Taylor. Tina makes a remark in Mandarin to Rachel which cause Maggie and I to laugh. Their faces blush when they realize that Maggie and I understood their comment about how cute Taylor is, darting away like a flicker of light.

  When it comes time to leave, Taylor, Caesar, and two of Maggie’s bodyguards, escort us to Deacon who is waiting with the car. As the door of the restaurant opens to the streets, the crowd shouts my name — they’re blocked by the police from coming too close. I smile and wave to the group on my right before Maggie, Sadie and I climb into the back of Maggie’s car. Deacon is able to maneuver through the streets smoothly in a matter of just a few seconds thanks to the police barricade. Once it’s confirmed that we aren’t being followed, Deacon steers the car back toward my apartment.

  Maggie comes up to the apartment with me to hang out, but I know she’s just making sure I’m good after the incident. When we round the corner from the elevator, Sadie takes off for a hard run down the hall and I stop in my tracks for a second when I see Joe standing outside my door.

  “What’s going on?” Maggie questions quietly with a devious smile.

  “I don’t know,” I comment.

  “Jared and I wanted to make sure you’re okay after what happened downtown,” Joe states, not giving Maggie a chance to say anything about his surprise visit.

  “I told Jared we were fine,” I mention impassively.

  “I know, but we wanted to make sure,” Joe replies. He leans in to hug Maggie first and then me. “Where’s your team?”

  I shrug my shoulders and I can see some mild agitation in Joe’s eyes to my answer. I know where they are, but I’m not interested in reporting to him.

  “Deacon and Malcolm drove us,” Maggie offers.

  My phone chirps with a message from Taylor.

  “See,” I say with a smile holding up my phone. “Taylor and the team have been here for a while. They took the train back and have been waiting.”

  I watch Joe’s jaw clench a little.

  “Why don’t we move inside,” Maggie suggest.

  With a controlled smile, Joe instructs more than asks, “Call Jared.” He steps in to hug Maggie and me again. “I’ll let you ladies go. See you later.”

  “Bye,” Maggie says.

  “Later,” I comment.

  With the door closed and locked behind us, Maggie asks, “Geez, what was that all about?”

  I eye her, aware that she’s trying to downplay the speculation she’s hiding in her words. “You’d think Jared would know I can take care of myself.”

  “You know how protective he is about us,” Maggie comments.

  “I know,” I agree.

  “I didn’t know Joe would be that protective too,” she adds.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.

  “Nothing,” she counters with a smile.

  “Maggie?”

  “You’re torturing the poor guy,” she accuses.

  “What? What are you talking about?” I feign.

  “He obviously cares about you, Emma,” she delivers, laying it out on the table.

  “Just because he has feelings for me . . . as you claim,” I quickly recover. “It doesn’t mean that I’m required to say or do anything other than be his friend.”

  “Well, maybe you should reconsider,” she throws back playfully.

  “What?” I gasp.

  “It’s going to be a while before you’ll be able to troll again. And, if you won’t be with Chris, you might as well . . . .” she starts before I c
ut her off.

  “Don’t you even dare finish that statement,” I demand.

  Maggie’s smile widens, enjoying that she’s getting to me.

  “I’ve got four hot guys as my bodyguards, if I’m tempted,” I rebut.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she debates. “You’d be breaking too many rules if you did.”

  “The same would happen if I ever entertained the idea with Joe,” I quip.

  “So, you have,” she antagonizes.

  “No, I haven’t,” I lie.

  My stomach turns each time a lie oozes from my lips. Lying to her is nauseating and breaks my heart.

  Maggie giggles, brushing off our little conversation as if she’s been playing me this whole time. “Want to get naked? I’m horny.”

  “Only you, Mags,” I comment, shaking my head.

  “Well, I know you’re horny by how you reacted,” she teases.

  I can’t help but laugh at her sudden directness. “Sure,” I return, happy to get some action since my arousal spiked when I saw Joe.

  Maggie leaves before dinner, eager to get home to see Henry. Jared, Nathan and I talk via video chat for a long while. By the end of our conversation, I concede to their insistent requests of acquiring a personal vehicle.

  “Good,” replies Jared. “Joe and I already lined up something for you, so your Tesla should be delivered tomorrow.”

  “What!” I shout. “You went ahead and got one anyway?”

  “Yep,” Nathan replies with a grin.

  “You just agreed,” Jared stipulates.

  “That was before I knew you already took action steps,” I challenge.

  “Do you want to be trapped in that little apartment all the time?” Nathan asks with a snooty tone.

  I don’t say anything.

  “We got two,” Jared nervously admits.

  “What!”

  “Your team should have one too, unless you want all four of them driving around with you and Sadie,” he remarks.

  I make a face like I’m considering it.

  Nathan laughs. “You might as throw your rules out the door,” he states.

  My phone chirps and a smirk smears across my face at who’s calling.

  “Who’s that?” Nathan sings.

  “A friend,” I reply.

  “What friend?” Nathan challenges. “You’re talking to two out of three of your friends right now, and I know it’s not Maggie.”