Travis could feel that they were both close to finishing and he wanted to make sure that Karen got off before him. With a wicked smile, he slid his pinkie up her ass again. Karen swore loudly and he felt her pussy clench down on his dick as her hips began to buck wildly against his. Her orgasm had finally arrived. Feeling her come sent Travis over the edge and, with one final deep thrust, he buried himself in Karen’s spasming pussy just as his orgasm came crashing over him.
When her orgasm finally faded, Karen looked up at the ceiling, her head resting against the tiled wall as she gasped for breath. “Oh God,” she panted, her chest heaving.
Travis chuckled, kissing her neck. “I’m really glad you weren’t kidnapped after all,” he said.
“Me too,” she replied as he gently set her down. She put one hand against the wall to help her keep the balance as her feet touched the slippery bathtub floor.
“Plus I could definitely go for some pancakes right about now,” said Travis as he pulled her into his arms to steady her. Karen leaned against him, her body limp and soft with pleasure.
She gasped as he spoke. “Oh my God! I completely forgot about the pancakes,” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes.
Travis chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll survive. And, if not, this was totally worth it.”
Karen giggled as he turned off the taps and led her out of the shower. “So true,” she said.
***
The pancakes turned out to be delicious despite waiting for Karen and Travis to be finished in the shower. Starving after their early morning workout, they both ate a few too many and had to sit around digesting for a while longer than usual. By the time they made it down to the shop, it was already nearly noon.
They had recently gotten in an order of wreaths, holly, and ivy and Travis wanted to get the shop ready for Christmas by tomorrow. He’d already had a few of their more anxious neighbors asking about decorations for their doors. Travis had decided that he wanted to try to make his own wreaths this year and he’s been practicing different techniques all week – and making a huge mess in their kitchen in the process, much to Karen’s frustration. She’d pulled a few pine needles out of her pancakes this morning with a very pointed look at Travis.
As Travis worked on his wreaths, Karen brought out some essays she needed to mark and set herself up on the far corner of the work counter. Humming along to the carols on the radio, they smiled at each other as they worked. However, before they got very far, there was a knock at the door.
Travis looked up from his wreath expecting to see Miranda with a tray of tea and goodies. Instead what he saw made his eyebrows shoot up: it was Bruce. Hurriedly, Travis set down his tools and went to open the door. “Sir,” he said, a little breathlessly. “I’m glad to see you’re all right.”
Bruce nodded. “Yes, it’s certainly been a while,” the enormous man agreed.
“Come in,” Travis said, holding open the door and gesturing inside. “Do you want coffee or something?”
Bruce shook his head. “I’m not here for long.” He caught sight of Karen working in the back room and it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?” he whispered to Travis.
Travis shook his head. “She knows.”
“What?” Bruce frowned. The rules about revealing your true identity to citizens were very strict and very clear: you didn’t.
“She and the other townspeople saved my life,” said Travis with a shrug. “I would have been shot down in the street a few months ago if they hadn’t come to my rescue.”
Bruce pursed his lips. “Yes, I heard about your run in with Nabokov’s hitmen. Glad to see you made it out all right. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to send help. Things have been—”
“I know, sir,” said Travis, brushing aside the apology. “And was it Nabokov in the end? Like you thought?”
“Yes,” Bruce nodded. “That’s why I came by. I wanted to tell you that the danger is over and we’ve got Nabokov and his remaining employees in custody. You can come out of hiding. I wanted to come by in person to make sure you were doing all right after the attack.”
“Travis?” Karen appeared from the back room. “Is everything all right?” she asked, coming up to stand next to him.
Travis slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Everything’s fine,” he said. “Bruce is an old friend of mine. He’s just come by to say hi. He’s on his way back home,” Travis explained vaguely. “He wanted to offer me a job.”
Karen nodded, understanding that this was a man from Travis’s spy past. “Nice to meet you,” she said offering her hand to Bruce. As they shook hands, she asked, “What job?”
“One I won’t be needing,” Travis replied, smiling down at her. “I’ve got everything I want right here, Bruce,” he said, turning back to his former boss. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m happy where I am.”
Bruce nodded. “I understand,” he said, his eyes darting to Karen. “I’m happy to hear you’ve settled down. And, in that case, I suppose I’ll be on my way. If you ever change your mind, Travis, you know where to find me.”
Travis nodded. “I won’t,” he promised, “but thank you.”
“Won’t you stay for a coffee?” Karen offered. “Or some tea?”
Bruce shook his head. “No rest for the wicked, I’m afraid,” he said, smiling at her. “I’ve got to be getting back. Oh, that reminds me,” he chuckled, “Maud sends her love.”
Travis laughed. “Tell her I say hello,” he said.
Bruce nodded, taking one last look at Travis and Karen. “You look well, Travis,” he said at last. “I’m happy to see it. Take care of yourself.”
“You too, Bruce,” said Travis. “And thanks for everything.”
With one last nod, Bruce left the flower shop and Travis’s life forever.
Karen nuzzled in Travis’s side. “So,” she asked, grinning, “who’s this Maud person? Anyone I have to worry about?”
Travis exploded with laughter. “No,” he said, shaking his head emphatically. “No, definitely not.” Leaning down, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Then, still laughing, he led her back to the workbench. He had Christmas wreaths to finish. He didn’t want to disappoint his neighbors after all.
THE END
New Beginning
Chapter 1
HEATHER
I’m standing in my shop early in the morning. I stare at the sky; it’s gray, a sign that the sun still hasn’t made its way up there. I’m doing my best to stop a yawn, even though waking up so early every day is my job. After all, I’m a baker and I own a small bakery business in a rural town just outside of L.A. People expect their bread crispy and their cookies soft, and to do that, I have to be up before anyone else.
The good thing is that my apartment is located on the upper floor of the same building. I don’t have to walk or use my car to get there. The bad thing is that I had never been an early starter throughout my life and it’s still very difficult for me to get out of the bed in the mornings. Especially in the cold days; God, I hate waking up early when it’s cold outside.
Nevertheless, I walk into the shop and head behind the counter, straight into the kitchen. On my way there, I turn the lights on. I have several things to do, one of them being to clean before starting. A dirty kitchen isn’t a functional kitchen as my mother used to say. Luckily, my place is small enough to not even need an assistant to take care of these things.
I just pop up half an hour earlier, take care of the chores myself, and then start baking. The time always flies by from the moment I start pouring the flour in the mixer to when the first batch of bread is ready. The first couple hours of the day are a silent meditation accompanied by dough and chocolate cookies.
It’s peaceful and calm at this time; I might not like it, but it helps me put my mind straight before the customers start barging in the shop.
And just as the smell of fresh bread starts spreading around, the doorbell rings.
I sigh and wipe my hands clean on my apron. I hurry to the front part of the shop. An old lady is waiting for me.
“Good morning,” she says with a soft, yet strict voice.
“Good morning to you too, ma’am. What can I do for you today?”
“I’d like a loaf of bread and three bagels. My grandchildren get really hungry when they wake up,” she continues while pacing around the shop.
I rush back to the kitchen and grab the things she asked me for. However, by the time I return, the door bell has rung again. This time, a familiar face walks in.
“Morning, Heather,” a plump, dark-haired man says loudly. The old lady from before seems annoyed by his rowdy entrance.
“Good morning, Frank,” I reply to him. I put the old lady’s order in a paper bag and pass it to her. “That will be six dollars,” I continue after I give her the receipt.
She hands me the money and turns to leave only after commenting. “I hope you have a nice day. See you, Frank.” Her face turns to a mask of disdain when passing next to him.
He notices the woman’s reaction but doesn’t seem to give a damn. On the contrary, he turns and mockingly bows to her behind her back. “Snobby bitch,” he mutters when turning to face me again.
“Who was that?” I ask him.
“No one. Just an old woman that thinks she’s above us all just because her husband left her a small fortune when he died. There are not many of them ladies left, nowadays. Nevertheless, I’ll have the usual Heather. I hope she didn’t ruin your day.” By the time Frank ends his rant, I’ve returned with his order: two loafs of bread, and a box of cookies.
His family loves my bakery and he’s one of the main reasons I have so many customers only after two years of starting my business. Frank is also the one that always pushes me to expand even further.
“Here you are, Frank. Now tell me, how is June? The kids? Are they all doing okay?”
I run back to the kitchen to continue with the preparations for the rest of the day. Frank is talking loud enough that I don’t have to be in the same room as him to hear him.
“They’re all doing great. Kristina and Jason are doing great in school and June has just got a promotion.”
I lean back my head and stare at him through the kitchen door. “Really? Wait a moment, don’t leave,” I say. I rush to the back of the kitchen and take a couple of chocolate cupcakes and bring them to him. “It’s not much, but tell June this is a congratulation gift from me. Tell her I’m still waiting for her to visit.”
“Yeah, yeah. She knows. I’ll tell her again, though. She doesn’t have time to even see the children. Nevertheless, did you hear what happened?”
I’m in the kitchen again, using my hands to grab the dough and spread it on the counter. Mechanically, I reply to him: “No, what happened?”
Frank is known for being well-informed in the matters of the town’s social life. Well, in short, he likes to gossip, but in a good way. He won’t break out a story that has been trusted to him nor lie. He’ll say things he knows are true, so when I hear something from him, I know that it’s the real thing.
“Ol’ Dwayne from next door? He left. Last night.”
I stop what I’m doing and rush back to the main room of the shop. “What? Who? I mean...what?”
“The man that was renting the shop next door, left last night. Some say he got bankrupt and returned to his hometown. Others say that he just retired and left. Either way, Heather dear, this is your chance to expand your little bakery.”
When the words came out of his mouth, my hands were already shaking. “He left? But...how? I’m living upstairs, I should have heard something, shouldn’t I?”
“Well, sweet Heather, when someone wants to disappear like he did, then the first thing that comes to their mind is how to avoid the neighbors. Never mind that now, though. You have to make a move this week or else someone else will snatch it through your fingers.”
“But...oh, dear...what about the money? Equipment? What if...what if...?” I stutter, unable to form a complete sentence in my head.
“Look, Heather, I have to go now. But think about it. If someone rents the place, it might be half a lifetime until it’s free again. This is your chance. You know how people love your bakery,” he says and gives me a wide smile.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll think about it later. Thank you for letting me know, Frank. See you later,” I say and crawl back to my kitchen without waiting for Frank to greet me.
What now? What am I doing? Do I go on with it? What if it fails?
But then again, I had the same kind of thoughts when I started this business two years ago. It was a risk that paid off, a risk I’m willing to take once again.
“Fuck it, I’m going on with it,” I mumble to myself as I pour the chocolate in the mix for a new batch of chocolate cookies.
***
MITCH
The drive to this town out of L.A. is a drag. The bus is half-empty, the scenery is boring, and... I have no fucking idea what I’m doing. Damn you, Dwayne. Why did you have to leave out of the blue like that?
I check my phone and try to kill some time by playing a game. Soon, I feel carsick and decide to put it down. At the same moment, the bus comes to a stop outside a small town. A middle-aged mother, holding a child in each hand, boards the vehicle.
“Mom! Mom! Look! There are empty seats in the front! Can we please sit here?” one of the two brats says, practically screaming.
I’m sitting in the back and still I can hear his voice like he’s screaming next to me.
“No, Toby. It’s too cramped in here. We’ll sit in the back where it has more space,” she replies to him with a similar, loud voice.
“But why mom? I and Shaun want to sit here. You go back.”
The young boy has suddenly decided to make a scene. Even the bus driver is staring at them, annoyed by all the noise they’re making.
“Listen to me, young man, you’ll do as I say or no ice-cream for you today. Am I clear?”
That’s when the dreaded crying came. He started pushing her out of the way, then trying to pull his hand free, and finally, screaming like a young chimpanzee. This is happening for five minutes and the bus isn’t moving until they find a seat. The driver is doing nothing to confront them and the other passengers, dumbstruck, are waiting patiently for this scene to end.
But, I can’t see an end to it anytime soon. With a deep sigh, I stand on my feet and head to the front. “Ma’am, can you please take a seat already? Some of us want to arrive at their destination, today,” I say.
The woman turns and faces me with an expression full of dread. Even if I held a gun to her face she wouldn't be scared so much. “Excuse me! What’s your problem?” she shouts at me.
I jerk my head back and continue. “Are you fucking kidding me? What’s my problem? You can’t control your children, ma’am. The whole bus is waiting for you to sit your fat ass down to start, and you’re asking what’s my problem?”
Only after I hear the words that came out of my mouth I understand that I’ve gone too far. I was too loud, too rough, too...I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have said a thing.
“Sir, please sit down,” the bus driver says to me.
My brows arch from the surprise. “Are you taking her side? You have to be fucking kidding me.”
One of the passengers behind me shots on his feet. “Dude, sit down or get off the bus. Harassing a mother is a crime, don’t you know that?” he says.
The other passengers around him agree, all of them now attacking me for no reason at all. The woman in front of me, with a smug expression on her face, continues. “You’ve heard them. You’re wrong, boy, so you should sit down now and leave us alone.”
I press my lips together, holding back from saying another thing. I can’t afford to lose my patience over a stupid woman and the monsters she’s raising. I can’t go on creating troubles or else...I will end up back there. And that’s something I decided I won't ever do
.
I turn my back to them and head to my seat. On my way, I hear the whispers of the rest of the passengers.
“Look at all his tattoos. He’s a criminal. He could have killed her,” one man says to the one behind him.
“Yeah. And did you hear how he talked to her? He didn’t mind that the woman had two young children with her,” the other one replies.
“Men like him deserve to be shut in jail for all eternity,” they both agree.
What did I do wrong? The woman was freaking annoying to everyone. I was even nice to her the first time. They should have defended me, not her; they should have agreed with me.
Romance: Billionaire In Disguise (Inspirational Clean Romance Box Set) Page 13
