by Marie James
I groan loudly when I hear the bell chime over the door, notifying me that a customer just entered. It’s the last thing I want to deal with today, but I plaster a smile on my face and go to greet the man.
Chapter 18
Leia
I was more than murderous by the time I got in my car after leaving Matt’s apartment. No doubt that relationships, in the beginning, will have problems. Growing pains are expected when two people are getting to know each other better, and they’re adjusting to each other’s quirks.
The way he spoke to me; however, is wholly unacceptable. I take calming breaths when I begin to think about his reaction to the broken condom last night. I didn’t expect him to jump for joy at the notion of a child, but he actively participated in the conception of our child last night. For him to just throw me out of his apartment while in such a delicate condition is absurd. His mother will not be very happy when she finds out about it; that’s for damn sure.
I place a gentle hand on my lower belly, just over where I’m certain our baby is beginning to grow. This baby will be a miracle since my cycle tracker says I already ovulated a week and a half ago. There is no way with the way we made love last night that we didn’t create a life. I’m just glad I had the forethought to bring condoms with me that I made sure would break before his big finale. It’s incredibly hard to get pregnant while using a proper condom; I knew I had to help it along a bit.
I grab my What to Expect When You’re Expecting book that I grabbed from Wal-Mart on my way home last night and flipped to the section on diet and nutrition. I also grabbed the prenatal vitamins I knew I would need, but I have to go back to the store today to get all the appropriate foods. I also stopped taking my Risperdal because the side effects of that particular antipsychotic medication aren't good for the baby.
I think I’m going to need to take up a yoga class because the calming breaths seem not to be enough to calm me. If I had a weapon with me this afternoon, I would have surely landed in jail. The lady behind me in line at the grocery store nearly made me come unglued when she ran into the back of my heels. I turned around and stared her down; eventually getting the message she moved to a different line.
I went home, put the groceries up, and I’ve been sitting outside the gym waiting to catch a glimpse of Matthew going inside to work out, but he never shows. I may have missed him either before I left the house or while I was shopping. I drive by the supplement shop that he works at on the way to his apartment and see his truck parked out front.
I park as far back as I can without being able to be seen by him and to keep the front of the store in my line of vision. I pull out the mini-binoculars from the glove-box and slouch down a little in the front seat. I put them to my eyes and scan the inside of the store, hoping that Matthew is near the front so I can see him.
I’ve missed him so much since last night. I went to his apartment with every intention of staying the night. I didn’t want to seem too forward, so I left my overnight back in my car. It came in handy when I had to deal with the Wal-Mart employee who was less than helpful when I was looking for my book last night. She was shocked when she left to go home for lunch, and I followed her. Her husband was, even more, shocked when I slit his throat after showing his wife some manners. They must not have been discovered yet because I haven’t heard anything on the news or the police scanner at the house.
I smile, knowing he’s working hard to help support his family. What an incredible man. I pull away and head to his place. I know he’s more than likely working at the bar this evening so I’ll just swing in to say hello to him there. Maybe by then he’ll have wrapped his head around the idea of our little family.
I grab the small bag from the front seat of my car and head up to his apartment. I reacted out of anger last night, and I don’t want him to think I’m still angry. What better way to say I forgive him for the way he acted last night than to do something nice for the other girl he loves almost as much as me.
The strange car in the driveway when I pull in my driveway sends a rush of excitement up my spine. I can’t wait to see what Luke has going on in the basement.
I don’t even bother taking my things to my room. I merely lay my purse and keys on the kitchen table and make my way down the steep stairs into the basement. Grunting meets my ears before I clear the landing and can see what is going on.
Luke has another man down here with him. Luke has him strapped to a saw horse; his arms are tied, and his legs are spread, straps holding them to the legs, leaving him virtually helpless. My brother is standing behind him, plowing into to him repeatedly. From the noises the man is making, I’m certain he’s not enjoying this interaction as much as Danny did last week.
Disgusted by the sight of my brother’s naked ass, I clear my throat. Luke doesn’t stop completely but slows his thrusts enough that he can look over his shoulder.
“Hey, sis,” he says with a smile.
“Yeah, hey,” I tell him. The least he could do is stop fucking this guy while I’m down here. I glance from him to the guy on the wooden sawhorse. “I want to whip him when you’re done.”
“Sure thing,” he says and turns back to his toy, his hips immediately picking up tempo.
I climb back up the stairs to make a sandwich and grab a cup of milk.
Chapter 19
Matthew
I’ve been on edge all day long. My attitude has sucked, and I’ve been rude to more than one person who didn’t deserve that type of treatment from me. I’m an upbeat kind of guy. I constantly smile and do my best to make people laugh. Today it’s like that fire has been sucked out of me. I wanted to go home after leaving the shop, but I’d already committed to working at the bar tonight, and I don’t go back on my word and sure as shit don’t call in for emotional issues.
“Where’s that famous Matthew smile I came all this way to see?” I turn in the direction of the voice I know so well.
I grin genuinely for the first time today. “Don’t give me that shit, darlin’ you live like a mile away.” I reach out and give Shelly a hug. “Where’s your old man tonight?”
She grins back at me. “He’s in the back playing pool, and by playing pool I mean he’s probably getting hustled again. But you know Mike, a few beers and he thinks he’s a professional.”
I laugh. “I have to keep walking around, but I’ll swing in and check on him in a bit. It was great seeing you.” I lean in and give her another hug and a quick peck on the cheek and start another rotation around the bar, making sure everything is as calm as a building full of drunk people can possibly be.
I eventually make my way to the back of the bar and check in on Mike. He’s not being hustled yet. I know the guy he’s playing pool with, and that man sucks more at the game than Mike ever can. I’m certain whoever wins this game will get hustled, though. I see the pool shark biding his time in the back corner waiting for his chance to pounce. I lean and tell Mike to watch out for the man in the green shirt and hope he listens this time. I’m certain he won’t though since he just slurred his response and raised his beer to the guy in a half-assed salute.
By the time I make the full circuit, I come face to face with chaos near the bar. I stop short when I see Shelly leaning back on her bar stool, trying her best to get away from some woman who’s screaming in her face. When she shifts her head to the side, a streak of purple hair comes into my line of sight. I now despise the sight of it.
This woman has a lot of nerve coming in here.
I step up to the pair of women and authoritatively grab Leia by the upper arm. Not enough to hurt her but enough she knows I mean business.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Leia?” I glare at her, waiting for her response.
“Is she the reason you’ve been so standoffish?” I can see the honest pain in her eyes. This woman is delusional. “Have you been cheating on me with this tramp?” She points at Shelly.
“Cheating? Are you fucking crazy? We’re not together!” I’m
losing my temper more than I should. Even worse I’m doing this shit in the middle of the bar where I’m currently working.
“Not together? How can you say that?” She’s screaming by this point and lucky us we seem to have the attention of everyone in the bar.
“You need to leave, Leia,” I say trying to gain some control over the situation. I turn toward the door and guide her along with me. “I don’t want to see you here ever again. I don’t want to see you at the gym,” I tell her as I drag her toward the door. “Quit fucking showing up where I am you fucking stalker.”
I push the door to the bar open and step outside with her, pointing toward the parking lot.
“Show up here again and I’ll have the police issue a criminal trespass against you.” I release her arm and take a step back increasing the distance between us.
“Is this how you treat everyone you love?” She has tears rolling down her face and if I hadn’t witnessed the level of crazy she just displayed in the bar I might actually feel sorry for her.
“You need serious help, Leia.” I turn and open the door and walk back into the bar. A lot of people are staring at me. I dare them to say something. One look from me has most of the crowd going about their own damn business.
“I’m not fucking crazy!” I hear her yell as the door closes behind me.
I make my way to the employee bathroom in the storage room of the bar to try to get better control of my nerves. I splash cold water on my face and do my best to calm down. It helps marginally, but I have to get back to work, so I do a quick dry of my face with a stiff paper towel and head back to the main area of the bar.
Less than an hour later I have some jackass in a headlock because he just wouldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut. He saw the altercation with Leia at the bar and made one too many wisecracks about not being able to handle my women. I let it slide the first time but when he inferred that Shelly was some sort of side piece I lost my cool. After I ejected him and his dumbass friends I was seething. I knew I shouldn’t have shown up tonight, and I make a mental note never to make that mistake again. Seems all I’m doing these days is fucking up and making lists on how not to fuck up in the future.
Chapter 20
Leia
I watched from the corner as Matt made his rounds throughout the bar. When he first stepped up to the blond skank and gave her a side hug I figured that she was just a friend or a regular at the bar. The action seemed platonic enough until he gave her a full-on hug and pressed his lips against her cheek. I saw red and was unable to lurk in the shadows to get my vengeance this time.
I asked her what she was doing putting her hands on my man, and she had the audacity to laugh at me. Matt saw me before I had the chance to take it even further with her. I wanted to slice that little smirk off her pouty lips, but I know the stress and frustration are not good for the baby.
I read that hormones are crazy in pregnancy and make you do things out of character, and that’s apparently what happened tonight with my inability to handle my temper. Not very smart of me to react that way with such a large audience. Now I just have to seethe because I know doing anything to her will lead right back to me. I may wait a few months and come back for her, but this is definitely not over between us.
I’d planned on waiting a little longer before I put my plan into motion, but I can tell that Matt is growing away from me with every minute that we spend apart. It breaks my heart, but I know with me is where he belongs.
I pull up to the house and go directly to the basement, knowing Luke will be down there. I hope he will help me. He said he would, but I haven’t brought up my plan to get Matt to the house except that first time that I mentioned wanting a man down here.
I would normally wait for my brother to finish his session, but this is urgent.
“Luke,” I call out as I take the last step at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m busy, Leia.” That much is obvious since he’s slamming his penis inside of the bloody mouth of the man that was down here earlier. I whipped him repeatedly until he passed out from the pain.
The man I left this evening had teeth. This man no longer does. My guess is he either bit Luke or attempted to. Stupid pet; he should know better.
I tap my foot until Luke groans his release down the man’s throat. I turn my back to him, giving him privacy to clean up and set his clothes to rights.
“What is so important Leia that you interrupt my time with Larry?”
I turn back to look at him. He’s pulled his pants up but leaves his shirt off, using it instead to wipe sweat and leftover blood from his chest and abdomen.
“I need your help,” I tell him with a sweet voice he can’t refuse.
He laughs unconvincingly. “I bet you do. Just spill, Leia. I wasn’t near done down here.”
“I want you to help me get Matthew here,” I say quickly hoping he will appreciate me getting right to the point.
Luke looks at me and narrows his eyes in contemplation. “Why would I do that?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you the only one who gets to have fun?”
Luke looks back at Larry and then again at me. “I can keep going the way I have, but you told me to stop killing people.”
“How many people have you killed since we talked about Matthew?” His voice is condescending, and I don’t like it one bit.
“Four,” I admit.
Luke releases a long, harsh breath and stares at me for a long moment. “When exactly did you see this little coup taking place?”
I smile at him because I know he’s already on board.
Picking the right moment to abduct someone successfully is more than stressful. Luke insisted that I do recon on him and figure out his schedule. I didn’t want him to know that I’d already been keeping an eye on him; I was afraid he’d make me pick someone else if he knew I’d already been involved with him. I didn’t even hint at the relationship we’ve had for the last couple of weeks. There are some things even my twin doesn’t need to know.
I’ve spent the last few weeks distancing myself from Matt. Well, he hasn’t seen me, but I’ve always been around. I had a laundry list of things to get done before I was one hundred percent ready for him to move in.
Unfortunately, I lost the baby I was carrying. Thankfully though it happened in coordination with my actual cycle dates. I read online that you’re super fertile after a miscarriage and for some, it’s the best time to try again. I’m waiting for the perfect time to get him home so we can try again. The medicine I was taking before we conceived, I’m certain, played a part in losing the baby, but they’ve been out of my system for several weeks now.
I know he’s forgiven me for my slip up at the bar because I can see the tiny crown trinket still hanging from Dixie’s collar each morning and afternoon that he walks her. It has been absolute torture staying away from him, but I know distance makes the heart grow fonder. I can see the pain in his eyes each day, knowing that he’s missing me being around as much as I miss him.
I haven’t done much by way of Facebook these last few weeks. I promised to keep my distance, and that includes social media. I still see his posts, and I like them every once in a while; the other women fawning all over him get my blood boiling, but I’ve kept my calm and, for the most part, kept from responding.
The best way that I’ve found to keep women from posting things about him is reporting their pictures that they share. I’ve noticed a drop in tags for his pictures, and that is very pleasing to me. Once I get him home, the modeling and attention-seeking behaviors are going to have to stop. If we’re going to have a family I need him dedicated to us and he’s going to have to leave the modeling mess behind. I don’t like the sexual attention he’s been getting.
Chapter 21
Matthew
Surprisingly my life seems to have gone back to normal. After the incident at the bar with Leia, she seems to have taken the hint and backed the hell off. I feel bad fo
r her getting all crazy over me, but obsessed jealousy is not something I can look past. A crazy, needy woman is the last thing I want or need in my life.
I’ve taken measures to keep from running into her by switching gyms. The one I go to now is even better than the last and I’m grateful for the switch. I breathe in the fresh air as I make my way to my truck. I stop dead in my tracks as I make my way to the front of my truck to the passenger side.
I never even should have thought about Leia because after two weeks of absolute silence here she stands, leaning against the driver’s side door of my truck. The sweetest smile on her face like she isn’t every ounce of crazy.
I scrub my face with frustrated hands and close most of the distance between us. I look around and don’t see anyone to witness what is sure to turn into a screaming match. This is it. After this, I’m going to the police to file a temporary restraining order. I know I’ll look like a pussy to the guys down at the PD but so be it.
“Leia,” I say with more calm than I feel right now.
“Hey, Matt.” I clench my teeth. There are only a handful of people who can get away with shortening my name and she certainly is not one of them.
“I told you I didn’t want to see you anymore, Leia.”
“Well you’re just going to have to move past that,” she responds.
Before I could tell her to get lost, I feel a sharp pain in the side of my neck. I reach up, grip the place where it feels like I just got stung by the biggest damn bee, and turn on my heel. I get a glimpse of a man in a dark hoodie holding a needle before my eyes go completely dark; I crumple to the ground.
I grunt and try to roll over in bed but my arms are asleep, and I can’t seem to get my body to respond how I need it to. Every damn time I wake up with a hangover I give myself the same ’no more of that shit’ speech and today is no different. This hangover is by far the worst, and I pray I didn’t bring another crazy bitch home.
