ROMANCE: Mr. Mystery: (New Adult Bad Boy Romance) (Contemporary Mystery Short Stories)

by Viva Fox

  Morris stood quietly as he held the phone to his ear. Grace panicked as the silence grew oppressive. Was Morris angry? There were a million different emotions and fears coursing through her mind as she thought about the situation she was in. She was carrying a child, a child whose father was twenty years her elder, a child that would be born out of wedlock, a child that would be disgraced by a mother who would surely be disowned by her own parents. Grace could feel her whole world crashing down upon her. What was she supposed to do?

  Grace could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she thought about her life. There was every possibility that all her dreams, hopes, and aspirations would be destroyed with this child. How was she supposed to go back to her family when she had gotten pregnant outside of a marriage? How was she supposed to graduate from fashion school when she had to take care of a young child? Grace felt like her whole world had been taken away from her.

  Still Morris didn’t say a word. What was he supposed to say in a time like this? His world was thrown into chaos as well. No one would accept this. His daughter would surely hate him for sleeping with her best friend. The media would expose the scandal and their lives would be a living hell.

  Suddenly, however, Morris heard the sound of Grace’s sobs coming through the phone. His heart ached as he heard the sound and he frowned as it felt like his heart was breaking, piece by piece, as he heard her anguished sobs course through his ears. She didn’t deserve this.

  “Listen… Grace… please calm down. Don’t cry, please… It’ll be okay, I promise.”

  “How can you say that? My life is over… my family will disown me. I will have to drop out of college. I was not planning for this.”

  “Listen to me Grace. I would never let any of that happen to you, I can promise you that. I can’t promise that it won’t be hard, but I can promise you that I will be with you every step of the way. It will be hard, yes, we may be frowned upon and have to deal with judgments, but the last thing I will do is abandon you and this child.” As Morris said these words his voice took on a serious tone. He meant every word he uttered. He would never abandon this woman and their child. Never.

  Grace was surprised when she heard his words. Did he really mean what he was saying? Grace had expected him to abandon her. Why would a man of his state and reputation risk his career and his name in order to provide for her and the child? It didn’t make any sense to Grace but in a way it could account for her calling him in the first place.

  “Now… can you sit tight for me? I will get on the next plane and be there in a couple of hours, okay?” His voice was calm and sympathetic. Grace nodded before remembering that she was talking on a phone. She eventually found the voice needed to say yes.

  The time that it took for Morris to get on a plane and reach Grace felt like an eternity for her. She had paced around her room. She had thought about every bad situation that could have happened to her. Everything. But at one point she thought about the baby growing inside of her. She thought about its future and what it would look like.

  In that moment, she felt the first inklings of motherhood course through her heart. There was something that turned on inside of her, making her protective of this unborn child. Whatever happened, whatever the world threw at her she would defend this child until the end.

  Eventually, there was a knock on the door. Grace got up quickly and looked through the peephole to see Morris standing there. He looked nervous. Grace quickly opened up the door and Morris quickly wrapped his arms around the shaking girl.

  She was afraid, so afraid. She didn’t want to face what was about to happen to her, all the changes about to occur in her life, but she knew she had no other choice. She needed to be strong for the baby. There was no other way.

  Morris hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “Hey… it’ll be okay, I promise. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and the baby are happy.” He whispered softly as he once again kissed the top of her head.

  He had no idea how he was going to handle this situation, but he knew he would do whatever he needed to ensure their safety and happiness. He would do whatever he needed to.

  Chapter 7

  After arriving at Grace’s door, the two of them arranged for Grace to take a leave of absence from school. They were good about keeping the pregnancy a secret and it was their plan to keep it a secret until they managed to come up with a plan about how to explain the whole thing to their loved ones.

  In the meantime, Morris brought Grace back to his home where he took good care of her. He paid for her to see the best doctors and gave her the best care in the world.

  ***

  Grace was now about seven months pregnant. There was no denying the stomach she was now bearing, but since she rarely left the mansion, no one yet knew about the baby. They were still struggling with the idea of explaining their situation to the people they cared about. Grace was terrified of confessing to her parents and Morris was terrified of coming clean to his daughter. Both of them knew that there was a risk of broken relationships when the secret was revealed and so they avoided it as much as possible.

  They tried, instead, to live in a peaceful world, ignoring the fears surrounding them. Tonight the weather had forced them to stay inside. They were watching a movie and Grace was lying down with her head in Morris’ lap as they watched a romantic comedy. As the rain bashed against the window pane, filling the living room with the lulling sound of rainfall, Grace suddenly gasped.

  Morris’ eyes grew large in concern as he looked down at her. “What… what’s wrong?” He asked, his voice laced with anxiety. He looked down to find a smile plastered on Grace’s face which only worked to confuse him. Why was she smiling?

  Suddenly Grace reached up and grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. As she did Morris gasped as well when he felt the distinct motion of the baby’s kick. There was an emotion that ran through his heart in that moment, an emotion that reminded him of his time with Meagan.

  He had experienced a similar moment with his wife and tears pricked against his eyes as he felt himself teleported to the past, to where he was in a shabby home, holding her hand and listening to the baby, his ear firmly pressed against her stretched out skin, as he heard the strong rhythmic sound of a heartbeat.

  Morris was about to lean down and kiss her stomach when the door open. Suddenly, Felicia was walking into the home and making her way into the living room, lured by the sound of the movie. The two of them looked at each other with large eyes as they heard the distinct sound of Felicia’s heels clicking against the marble floor.

  There was panic in Grace’s dark eyes as she quickly sat up and started to cover herself up with a nearby blanket. She didn’t know if they were ready to confess what had happened to her best friend and she didn’t know if she would be able to go through it. She felt herself getting cold feet as her heart beat a million beats per minute inside of her chest.

  As Felicia entered the living room she stopped in her tracks. She stared at her father and then at her friend. Her friend that was supposed to be studying abroad in Paris. She was supposed to be overseas. What the hell was she doing with her father watching a movie?

  “What the hell is going on here?” Felicia demanded as she got close to the two of them. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on. Suddenly it hit her. Suddenly, she realized exactly what was going on. How had she been such a fool?

  “Don’t you dare tell me…HOLY SHIT!” Felicia’s voice was stone cold as she glared at her father. “How could you do this dad?” Her voice filled with venom. She knew her father had questionable dating habits, but she never thought him capable of fucking her best friend.

  And how could Grace do this to her? How could her best friend, the girl she trusted with her life, all her secrets, the girl she considered like a sister to her, how could a girl like that betray her? Felicia felt sick to her stomach as she looked at them. She stared at the blanket around Grace’s midsecti
on. It was eighty degrees in the home, why was Grace wrapped up in a blanket? Unless, of course, she was hiding something.

  Felicia quickly moved forward and yanked the blanket way from her friend. Her eyes fell on her friend’s distended stomach and her world flipped upside down. She was pregnant. Felicia couldn’t handle the situation anymore. She turned around and left the room and then left the home without a word. The two of them could hear the sound of her car viciously peel out of the driveway and rush down the street.

  The two of them had been thunderstruck throughout the entire thing. Finally, Morris snapped out of his daze and rushed out of the house, following his daughter. His daughter was in an unstable condition. She was in danger of doing something stupid in her angered state and he needed to explain himself before this happened. He quickly got on his motorcycle and tried to follow her, but she was long gone by the time he made his way onto the street. But one way or another he would find her.

  ***

  It took Grace a little longer to get her bearings again. She was shaking as the fears, doubts, and anguish rushed back into her. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but something told her it wouldn’t be good. She was scared and alone.

  She didn’t know what to do. She felt so alone and paced around the living room.

  Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She assumed it was one of them coming back and didn’t even bother to check the peephole. She opened up the door when suddenly something pinched the side of her neck and everything went black. She fell onto the floor and her whole world shut off.

  Chapter 8

  As Morris rode through the city looking for his daughter, he came up short. It seemed like his daughter had disappeared and he couldn’t find her. Suddenly his phone started to ring and he considered ignoring it but eventually he convinced himself to answer it.

  “M... M…Morris… please help me… please…I… I think they want money…” Morris’ eyes grew as he heard the distraught voice of Grace coming through the phone. He suddenly heard the sound of her howl in pain. He flinched as if feeling the blow himself. His teeth clenched as he heard someone grabbing the phone.

  “As you heard… we want a ransom for your little lover here. If you don’t come up with the money by midnight tonight, then we will kill her.” The voice on the other end of the phone was emotionless and Morris could feel his blood boil.

  He felt himself thinking of Meagan dead on the couch. Morris nearly destroyed his phone in his anger, but somehow he managed to control himself.

  “I’ll have the money. Where?”

  “At the intersection of 2nd and Cumberstone. There is an old warehouse there. If you bring us a million in dope, we will let her go, completely unscratched… maybe.” There was a sinister sound in the man’s voice.

  Morris didn’t like the sound of this at all. He hung up the phone and quickly drove to his underground warehouse and grabbed the needed dope and dumped it into a suitcase. He then quickly made his way to the address of the warehouse.

  If these men thought they could threaten Grace and get away with it, they were sadly mistaken. They seemed to know about his underground operation but apparently they didn’t know what he was capable of. They didn’t know who they were messing with and soon they wouldn’t be able to recount the tale.

  Morris parked his bike in the alleyway near the warehouse and approached the door. When the guard saw him and the suitcase he opened it and escorted him inside. Morris was brought to an open floor of the warehouse where Grace was sitting tied up to a chair. Her face was bruised and battered, but otherwise she looked okay.

  The ringleader looked at Morris and grinned. “Where’s the dope?” Morris tossed him the suitcase. As the man started to look at its contents Morris acted quickly. Suddenly the man to his left was squealing in pain as Morris broke his arm. One of the other men tried to shoot at him, but soon that man’s trigger finger was broken in more places than one. Morris quickly made mincemeat of all the men around him when he suddenly heard Grace cry out.

  “Morris!”

  The ringleader had a gun pointed at Grace. Morris froze in place and put his hands up. The man was about the fire the gun when suddenly Morris acted quicker. He picked up a gun from one of the fallen men and shot the ringleader in the leg. The man fell down and tried to aim his gun at the girl, but Morris was by his side in an instant kicking his head unconscious.

  He looked at Grace who was sobbing in relief. This time, he had saved the mother of his child.

  ***

  After the incident, the two of them came clean to everyone. To their amazement, after some time everyone started to understand the situation. They were honest and explained their feelings. It seemed like their lives wouldn’t be as bad as they thought.

  And soon enough they had themselves a beautiful baby boy on their hands. This baby was now sleeping soundly in his nursery, a mobile spinning around and soothing him into the world of dreams.

  Meanwhile, his parents were in the bedroom. They were exhausted with the responsibilities of parenthood, but they were happy. As Grace fell on top of him she kissed him passionately. Morris placed his hands on her hips and kissed back excitedly. There was something in the kiss, something about its lustful taste that made him think that tonight would be more than just kissing.

  Suddenly Grace’s hands were creeping under his shirt. It had been almost 3 months since they had sex. She wanted him. She wanted him bad and she would have him and so with an eagerness she pulled off his pants. She needed to feel him inside of her.

  She wanted him like nothing else and so she continued to kiss him harder and harder as their clothes started to fly across the room. Soon enough Grace was in nothing more than her underwear and Morris reached up and started to fondle her breasts that were now swelled with milk. She moaned loudly since they were extra sensitive and bit her lip looking down at Morris.

  “I want you…” Morris grinned and suddenly flipped them over. He pinned her to the bed and leaned down taking one of her breasts into his mouth. He sucked and nibbled them roughly. He was eager as well. His member had been craving her body for a very long time and finally he would get his release.

  He ripped off her panties in one clean swoop and grinned as he looked down at her. She looked just as beautiful as ever. Her new curves were sexy and he couldn’t get enough of her. He felt her hands going up and down his chest and smirked as he suddenly plunged into her. Grace moaned out loudly and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  She pulled him close and felt amazing as she felt him pumping in and out of her. Soon enough the two of them were covered in scratches, bites, and sweat and they were coming toward the point of no return. Suddenly, Grace felt herself go over the edge and Morris followed soon after.

  The two of them collapsed onto the bed and there was a slew of juices between their legs. After a moment, after catching her breath, Grace grinned and said, “Do you think that’ll bring baby number two?”

  Morris smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. Nothing would have made him happier.

  *****

  THE END

  Sins of a Viking

  Karla ended up spending her eighteenth birthday like she spent most of her other days. She woke up before the sun rose and took her father’s old bow out into the woods behind the village. She was always the first one in the village awake, but there was something about being alone in nature that make her so content. Karla always knew that she was an independent woman and she was dreading her future now that she was considered a “woman.”

  Ever since she was young her mother and father had made it known that their intention for her was that she would be married to a Viking warrior in either their own town or a neighboring town if there was some kind of peace or trade agreement that she could be a part of. It was how her own parents were wed and they spoke of it with such reverence and grace that it almost made her sick. She couldn’t understand how anyone could stand to not have a say in their own future. Karla decid
ed from a very early age that she would be different.

  When she was born she was third child to her parents and was the first girl. Being raised with two older brothers gave her a different understanding of the world and she saw how much choice they had in their futures. Her eldest brother became a blacksmith and forged weapons for the warriors. He had an interesting relationship with the warriors because even though he was not fit to fight, they still respected him as one of their own. Her second brother though was bred to be a fighter. He was tall and muscular and had a temper that wasn’t matched. He was the prize fighter of their village and would often lead out expeditions to raid nearby villages.

  However, one thing they both had in common was being overprotective of Karla. They had always been there keeping a watchful eye over her from the very beginning which drove her crazy. She wanted nothing more than to be considered adult enough to stand up for herself. It had worked in her favor in the past though because there are a number of things that she was able to do because she was their sibling. For instance, the only reason she ever learned how to use a bow was because her brothers taught her.

  So, as she gracefully weaved in and out of the trees, she looked down at the bow and thought of her brothers. She spent the majority of the morning in the woods and as the sun rose and she knew her parents would start inquiring about her she began to make the short journey back home. It didn’t take her long and as she neared the edge of the forest she heard a branch snap in the distance. Karla froze and turned to see if there was an animal but saw nothing. She brushed it off and continued her trip home.

  She had to slip in through the window of her room to go unnoticed as soon as she slipped into the bed, the door slammed open. Her father’s large frame filled the doorway and he lumbered towards the bed. Karla peaked out from the animal furs and saw that he was pretending to sneak up on her, so she played along. After a moment of his loud footsteps landing on the floor he leapt up into her bed and began to shake her.