Forever Your Concierge

by Jessica Ingro

  I slapped him and laughed. "God you're disgusting."

  "Hey, it was your scenario. I was just being honest."

  "How about a little less honesty next time?" I suggested.

  "That's what you say now, but you love me just the way I am." His voice dipped low, and he kissed the tip of my nose.

  "Yeah, you are pretty great when you want to be."

  "Actually, I think it's all the time, but I'll let that one slip since it is getting late and you did drink almost a whole bottle of wine by yourself."

  "Gee thanks!" I playfully slapped his chest and snuggled back into his embrace.

  We laid in silence for a while. When I felt myself starting to drift off, I lifted my head and kissed him tenderly before settling back in.

  "I love you," I whispered.

  "Love you too."

  That night I dreamed of giant bushes chasing after me with toothpicks in their mouths. It had to have been the wine.

  Chapter Eight

  "Gah!" I pulled on the damn jar lid for the umpteenth time, but the damn thing wouldn't budge. I slammed the jar against the side of the counter in another feeble attempt to get it to pop open.

  "Having issues?" Elizabeth asked as she walked in the room.

  "Is it that obvious?" I cursed and slammed the jar down. I blew a stray piece of hair from my face and huffed.

  Elizabeth studied me for a few moments before honing in on what my issue was. "Let me guess. Hormones?"

  "You have no idea," I warned.

  "I might have some idea," she reminded me.

  "God, it's like I don't know whether I'm going to kill someone or cry my eyes out most days."

  "Sounds like good practice for the real thing." She rubbed her now expanded belly and leaned back against the counter next to where I stood. I swear her stomach appeared out of nowhere. One day she looked normal and the next she was like a small house. I, of course, did not tell her that. I knew better than to say such things and risk losing my head.

  "Yeah, I guess," I muttered petulantly. I blamed that on the hormones too. This was my second round of them and my fingers were crossed that they worked. Especially since I was over my stomach looking like a pin cushion from all the injections. Only time would tell, Travis kept reminding me. That earned him a slap upside the head. Okay, it was a love tap really. I swear.

  "When do you find out if this round worked?" She reached over and nabbed the jar of pickles from my hand, twisting it open effortlessly. Anger flared as I looked at the offending object. Instead of cursing E for successfully doing what I couldn't, I chose to believe my pounding on the counter is what loosened it.

  "I'm supposed to get my period later this week."

  "Cool." She chomped on a pickle like it was her last meal. Completely turned off by the sight, I put the lid back on and returned it to the fridge.

  "So I finally made my decision about taking over Your Personal Concierge." I had put her on hold for almost two months while I tried to decide what I wanted to do. The idea of teaching acting classes appealed to me, but I just wasn't ready to go back to the industry that held such bad memories for me. Not on a full-time basis anyway. Opening my own business teaching acting was still something I wanted to keep as an option for the future. In the meantime, an old friend who taught classes at a community theater in Brooklyn, agreed to let me help her out on an as-needed basis. I figured it was good practice for if I ever decided to venture down that path.

  "And?" She practically bounced with excitement at the promise of me taking over the business. Good thing I wasn't going to let her down. Then again, I'm sure she always knew what my answer would be. I loved working with her, so of course I'd want to see her business continue to thrive.

  "I'll do it."

  "Yay!" She wrapped me up in a tight hug—well as tight as she could get with her belly between us.

  "Travis said he'd have his lawyer contact Grant about the details." I picked up my herbal tea and started towards the living room where Vivi played with her Barbie dolls that I kept for whenever they visited. Elizabeth toddled behind me.

  "Thank you. I feel so much better knowing it's in your hands than having to send clients elsewhere."

  "Well, don't thank me yet. You can thank me when I'm able to keep it successful." I ruffled Vivi's curls and propped my feet up on the ottoman in front of my chair.

  "Please. You'll be great." She waved her hands in front of herself, dismissing my words.

  "Okay, so spill. Are you having a boy or a girl? I've been waiting for you to tell me, yet you've stayed tight lipped. I won't have any of that. I know you know."

  "I promised Grant I wouldn't tell anyone," she hedged. I could tell by the gleam in her eye that she wanted to purge her secret. I stopped myself from rubbing my hands together in excitement knowing all I had to do was nudge her a little more and she would crack.

  "Vivi, honey. Are you going to have a baby brother or a baby sister?"

  Elizabeth quickly slapped her hand over her daughter's mouth and laughed loudly. "Oh come on, E. You can't keep her quiet forever. I'm surprised she hasn't announced it yet. You might as well give in."

  She sighed and removed her hand from Vivi's mouth. "Fine."

  As soon as she was free to talk, Vivi shouted, "Baby brother!"

  "Oh my God. Grant was right," I murmured.

  "I know. Trust me, he's gloating."

  "I'm surprised he hasn't been shouting it from the rooftops. Especially since he's getting the boy he wanted." I couldn't understand why Grant would want to keep that knowledge from everyone. It went against his personality.

  "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. Grant does what Grant does." E shrugged and cast a dreamy look in my direction. "It's one of the main reasons why I love him."

  Before I could respond, there was a loud pounding on the door. Quickly making my way to the foyer, I opened it to find an upset Kayla brushing past me without a greeting or invitation.

  "What's going on?" I trailed her into the living room where she plopped down on the loveseat opposite the chairs E and I were sitting on.

  "Ashton Moore is what's going on," she grit out past clenched teeth.

  My heart stopped at the mention of his name, and my palms instantly became sweaty with anxiety. Why would she bring her problems with him to me? I was the last person she should be talking to about her relationship with that ass.

  "What happened?" Elizabeth stepped in and asked her when I sat there dumbfounded.

  "I think he's cheating on me. Ever since I moved into his place a few months back, he's been coming home later and later. And then last night a woman sent him a text when he was showering. It said she had a good time and couldn't wait to see him again. When I asked him about it, he got pissed off and screamed at me. He's never screamed at me before. You know?" I gave a slight nod, not really knowing but wanting to get the story over with just the same. "So anyway, I decided to go snooping today after he left. There was something off about how he reacted. And that's when I found it. A box in the back of his closet. In it there was a digital camera with pictures of women in various stages of kinky..." She glanced at Vivi quickly before dropping her voice and whispering, "Sexual acts."

  "Maybe they're old pictures," E chimed in before Kayla could continue. I clenched my hands into fists and tried to count to ten to calm my anger. They weren't old. I'd bet anything they were very much recent.

  "That's what I thought, but they had the date stamped into the corner. Some were old-ish. Some were as recent as a month ago." Tears formed in Kayla's eyes before spilling down her cheeks in waves. "Why would he do that to me?" She wailed.

  Elizabeth glared at me as I sat there still stupefied by what was happening. I knew something like this was going to happen, so why I was in shock was beyond me. Not satisfied with my lack of response to the daggers she was shooting my way, she reached over and pinched my arm. I yelped and rubbed the spot for a moment, but it successfully spurred me into action, and I jumped up an
d took my sister in my arms, rocking her as her tears soaked my blouse.

  "Sometimes we do stupid things that hurt the ones we care about," I tried to soothe her while not choking on the words. Ashton didn't care about anyone but himself. I didn't want to hurt my sister more than she already was though. Who knew if she'd even listen if I did tell her the truth.

  "I know you hate him, but I love him, Maya. I just don't know what to do." A fresh wave of tears came with that declaration and I gave Elizabeth wide eyes, silently asking her for some help. She might not know the whole story, but she knew enough to know I was treading on dangerous ground with this whole scene. She looked back at me with concern and shrugged, letting me know she was just as clueless as I was with how to proceed.

  "I'm going to take Vivi home," E said after several minutes of Kayla's loud, wailing sobs. I chanced a glance at the little girl who was staring at Kayla like she was some sort of odd specimen.

  "I'm sorry I ruined your day," Kayla stuttered. She lifted up from my embrace and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Classy.

  "It's fine, honey. I hope it all works out for you. I'll talk to you later, M." She blew me a kiss before picking up Vivi's stuff. Vivi ran over and gave me a kiss and hug when E told her it was time to go. She cast one last unsure look at Kayla and trotted off after her mother.

  "What am I going to do?" Kayla asked quietly some time later, after her tears had subsided and we both sat there with arms wrapped one another in silence.

  "You're going to talk to him about it. It's the only solution." For as much as it killed me to be levelheaded, I had to put my personal feelings aside for the time being.

  "Yeah," she agreed, although she didn't sound so certain of the idea.

  "Want a cup of tea?" I asked her a few minutes later. When she didn't reply, I pulled my head back and tilted my chin down to look at her face. She was asleep. Her face looked peaceful, the only evidence of her earlier trauma being the tear stains down her cheeks.

  I sat back and let her body weight settle on me, all the while struggling with what I was about to do. I knew it was a bad decision, but the protective side of me was rearing its ugly head. I hated Ashton Moore with every fiber of my being, but what I hated the most was the fact that I had let this thing between him and my sister go on for so long. I had hoped it would run its course and she'd move on. Clearly that wasn't happening. Even faced with his indiscretions I knew she would stay with him because he knew how to be charming and manipulative.

  Biting back a curse, I swallowed hard and shifted Kayla so she laid on the couch. Grabbing my cell phone, I paced the room for several minutes before stomping to my bedroom. Shutting and locking the door, I slipped out onto the patio and shut the door behind me. A chill shook my body in the wind, but I ignored it and dialed the phone before I lost my nerve. Unfortunately, there were some numbers you never forgot even though you wished you could.

  After several rings, a deep voice answered, "Moore."

  For a brief second, I considered hanging up. The memory of my sister exhausting herself with tears pushed me on. "You sick son of a bitch," I yelled into the phone.

  "Who the fuck is this?"

  "It's your worst fucking nightmare, Ashton," I sneered his name.

  "Maya," he said slightly resigned but with a bite.

  "How dare you cheat on Kayla."

  "Excuse me?" The darkness in his voice almost had me pausing.

  "Isn't it enough that you ruined my life? Now you have to ruin hers too? Are you forcing her to fuck other people too?"

  "You better watch what you say," he warned. I wasn't listening though. Maybe I should have.

  "You're a fucking scumbag. You're dirt. Slime. A sick motherfucker. I will not sit by and let you destroy her. Do you hear me?" My voice ended several octaves higher than it started.

  "Are you threatening me?"

  "I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore. You can consider everything I just said a promise."

  "You'll keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you, bitch."

  "Fuck you." God that felt good to say.

  "All right, Maya," he said suddenly sounding amused. "You want to swim with sharks? Let's see how quickly you get chewed up and spit out. If memory serves, it didn't take very long the first time."

  My stomach dropped at his threat and reality crept in. What the hell had I just done? I awoke a beast who wouldn't stop until he took everything away from me.

  "We'll see about that," I said with false bravado. It was a complete bluff, one I didn't want Ashton to see through. With nothing left to say I hung up.

  Taking several deep breaths, I tried to calm my wildly beating heart. There was nothing I could do now besides fight fire with fire. Ashton was a man of his word, if nothing else, which meant I needed to get my sister out of harm's way. Opening the patio door, I walked into my bedroom and straight into the closet. Digging in a few boxes, I found the black leather-bound journal and went back into the living room. Kayla stirred when I stroked her hair.

  "Shit. I fell asleep." She propped herself up on her elbow and gave me a sad smile. "I should probably get going."

  "Are you going back to Ashton's?" I asked as she pulled herself up to sitting. I really hoped she said no.

  "I'm staying with my friend, Peyton, tonight. I need to figure out what I'm going to say to Ashton before I go home."

  I walked her to the door. Before she could leave, I held out my journal for her. "I want you to read this before you go back there."

  "What is it?" She took the book and quickly thumbed through the first few pages.

  "It's the journal from when I was with Ashton."

  "I don't want to read this." She tried forcing the book back into my hand, but I refused to take it.

  "Please. You have to before you make your decision."

  "What am I going to read?" She demanded, eyeing me distrustfully.

  "I can't say." I held up my hand to stop her protest. "You'll understand when you read it. Just please promise me you'll do it."

  "Why is this so damn important? I know you don't want me to be happy with him. Whatever this says isn't going to change my mind."

  "Don't be so sure of that. Please. Read the damn thing."

  "Fine." When the door slammed behind her, I slid down the wall and hung my head. Shit was about to get real.

  Chapter Nine

  "Honey, I'm home," Travis' voice washed over me like the softest silk. I dropped the socks I was folding and ran towards the front door. A few feet from where he stood with a wide smile, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands locked around me.

  "Aww! I knew you'd catch me," I teased in between peppering kisses all over his face. I ended at his mouth, where my lips desperately fused to his.

  Travis had gone out of town on business four short days ago, but it felt like an eternity. We didn't spend much time away from each other, so whenever he traveled I missed him like I'd miss a limb. For as much as I loved our home, it was too big and lonely when he was gone. Now that he was home, my world was back to right.

  "Always," he murmured right before his tongue spiked into my mouth, making me moan with how good he tasted.

  Setting me on my feet, he picked up his suitcase and started for the bedroom. I followed closely behind, wanting to get him out of his clothes as quickly as possible. That was the one good thing—the only good thing—about him being away, the sex after he returned was always explosive. I'd rank it right up there with makeup sex.

  Instead of instantly ravishing me as expected, Travis went straight for his walk-in closet, leaving me standing next to the bed with my mouth gaping. Stomping into the closet, I pointed my finger at him and had just opened my mouth to berate him when he lunged at me, taking me to the carpeted floor. A strong arm around my back broke my fall, while the other one held him up from crushing me.

  His chuckle told me his defection had been a game and he had planned this all along. It seemed as though Travis had th
e same thing on his mind as me.

  My sweater was the first article of clothing to be flung across the room, quickly followed by Travis' belt. Once we were both naked, he wasted no time plunging his finger inside of me. My legs immediately fell open, exposing myself fully to him. Within mere seconds, I was panting and drenched. My hips circled and lifted to match the movements of his thrusting hand. It was glorious and just what I needed after the traumatic events that had happened with Ashton and Kayla earlier in the week.

  Travis' hand slipped from between my legs. Before I could protest, his hips settled between mine, and I felt his tip poised at my entrance. He surged inside, and I cried out at the sudden fullness.

  "So fucking good." His hips flexed out and then in again. "I could spend eternity buried deep inside you." Out and then in. "I missed you so damn much." Out and then in again. "You're everything I've ever wanted, Maya." Out. In. "Everything I'll ever need in this life."

  His words spiked a fever deep inside me. I was too overcome with emotion to respond with my own words of devotion. Instead I bit his shoulder as a mini wave of pleasure rippled over me.

  For over an hour, he kept the maddening pace he had set, all the while driving me higher and higher. I felt like I was crawling out of my skin and ready to combust. I was obsessed with how he felt. His thickness. His hardness. The delicious friction that threatened to take me under.

  "I need to come," I finally pleaded with him. How he was keeping himself so controlled was beyond me. I felt like I was frenzied and caught up in a cyclone of calamity.

  "Soon," he told me. I groaned in response and clenched my inner muscles, seeking out more contact to trigger that elusive orgasm.

  I might not have come with that move, but it did serve to snap him out of his slow pace. Thank God.

  His hips slammed into mine before grinding down hard. I quickly found myself breathless and clawing at his back. The faster pace mixed with the bruising thrusts had me drowning in the undertow of my orgasm. I cried out louder than I ever had before. My body convulsed like it was possessed. Through the madness, I vaguely recalled watching Travis' face go slack with pleasure. I felt him jerk deep inside me, bathing my inner walls with his seed. His head tipped back, and he grunted and groaned through his own release.