by Peyton Banks
She took a deep breath and looked out into the sparking water. “I am such a shitty friend. I haven’t reached out to her,” Carrington admitted. The sadness that radiated off of her sent a chill through me, but I refused to let her go. I knew that she needed my strength and comfort. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in a hug, but I knew that would scare her off.
Turning to look at her, I said, “You know all you have to do to rectify the situation is pick up a phone. You could even stop by The Yellow Lemon. She is singing down there at least two nights a week.”
“You don’t understand. I’ve gotten myself into something that I don’t know if I can get out of. I don’t want to bring my drama to Starr,” Carrington quietly confessed. Her voice was just barely above a whisper, but it made the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. Sensing something behind us, Carrington dropped my hand and instantly turned around. “Did you hear that?” The panic in her voice was real and she started trembling.
Following her lead, I turned around to survey our surroundings. “I don’t see anyone. It could have been a squirrel of something.”
“No! It was him! I have to go!” she cried out as she started to run in the direction of her parked car.
“Carrington! Wait!” I called out after her. “I can protect you!”
“This was a mistake!” she called back as she got farther away from me.
“Carrington! Can I see you again?” I shouted as I took off after her. I knew that I was taking a risk and putting her in danger, but I would protect her with my life if it came down to it. I was not going to let Duke hurt her in any way anymore.
Jumping into her car and starting up the ignition, Carrington looked up and for the first time today gazed directly into my eyes, causing me to stop my chase of her. I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks and felt my heart shatter into a million pieces for her. I knew in that moment that Carrington Sawyer had stolen my heart.
7
Duke
“Hey boss, we have a problem.” My associate Butch’s voice rang out through the speaker that was attached to my phone. His voice had a slight tremble to it that sent my guard up. Butch was usually a confident man who did his job and kept his head down. I didn’t have any problems with him and was hoping that this call didn’t change that. I would hate to lose someone who has been loyal to me for as long as Butch has.
Looking up from my desk to make sure that my office door was closed and no one else could hear what was being said, I asked, “What’s going on, Butch?” I tried to keep to my voice even and steady, but I could hear my failure. Something was wrong and I clearly needed to know what the hell was going on.
“Umm, I have been assigned to Carrington’s security detail today,” Butch started.
“What is wrong with my girl?” I spit out, seeing red. Carrington was mine and if anyone touched a hair on her pretty little head, I would paint this town red with their blood.
Taking an audible breath, he informed me, “She had lunch with some guy at the lake.”
I slammed my fist down on my desk and sent a stack of papers flying everywhere. Max came running into my office. Looking up at him, I waved my hand in his direction to send him right back to where he came from. I needed more information before I brought him up to speed. Raising his eyebrow to make sure I was serious, Max quickly backed out of my office and closed the door behind him. I knew that he was right outside and waiting on my instruction to come back in. Taking a deep cleansing breath to calm down, I demanded, “What?”
“After leaving your place, Carrington made a stop at Miss Vee’s. She left the shop with a picnic basket. I followed her to the lake and sat back and watched while she had lunch with some guy,” Butch informed me.
Feeling my blood pressure and the temperature around me rise, I took another breath. Opening up the top drawer on my desk, I grabbed a bottle of pills. Quickly dumping two small, white oval shaped tablets into my trembling hand, I slammed the drawer closed. Grabbing the bottle of water that was sitting on my desk with my free hand, I unscrewed the top and used the contents to wash the pills down my throat. I took a moment to let the medicine settle in my stomach before shouting, “WHERE IS SHE NOW?” My words came out slowly and deliberately as thoughts of my Queen ran through my head.
“Sh...sh...she’s back at your place,” Butch stuttered into the phone.
“Thank you, Butch,” I said, trying to sound calm as I stood up from my seat. “Don’t let her leave!”
“Oh, one more thing.” I could tell that Butch had more information to tell me, but I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hear it.
“What?” I spit out.
“That dude that Carrington was with today…”
“What about him?” I demanded, knowing that I wouldn’t like what was going to come out of Butch’s mouth next.
Taking a deep breath, he told me, “I’m not one hundred percent sure about this, but I think he’s a cop.”
“What the hell!” I boomed, causing the floor to ceiling windows that lined one wall of my office to shake.
“I recognized him from the casino. He has been sniffing around with another dude lately. He was actually here yesterday at Carrington’s table,” Butch informed me.
“Very interesting,” I said calmly. I could feel my anger rising again, but I didn’t want to tip Butch off. I knew that even though he was loyal to me, he had a soft spot for Carrington and would protect her with his life. She reminded him of his little sister who was murdered a few years back. I don’t think he ever fully recovered from walking into his mother’s house and seeing the life drain from her eyes as he waited for the ambulance. Something snapped in Butch that day and he was never the same again.
Disconnecting the call, I grabbed my suit jacket from behind my chair and made my way to the closed door of my office. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I opened the door and smacked Max with it. “Cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day. I have something that I need to deal with. You are in charge,” I said as I walked past him. Stopping before I reached the exit that led to the casino floor, I turned to look at my number two. “Go wash your face and clean up the mess you made.” I motioned down to the floor where the blood from his nose had started to puddle and shook my head in disgust.
“Is everything okay?” Max asked quickly.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I replied.
8
Carrington
Walking into the home that I shared with Duke, I felt a chill pass through my whole body. Something wasn’t right and I couldn’t deny it anymore. I needed to get away from Duke and all the bad things that came along with him. Spending the afternoon with Chase showed me that there was a whole other side to life that I had been denying myself. I was ready to retire the crown that Duke placed upon my head when he claimed me as his.
“Miss Carrington,” Duke’s employee and friend, Butch, called out as I plopped down on the couch.
“Butch?” I responded as I watched the man walk into my living room. There was a look of concern etched on his face that I had seen many times before. Someone had crossed Duke and what came next when that happened was never good. I have seen many people dealt with by Duke and his men in my time here, and it is something that I could never get used to. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
Taking a deep breath as he looked at me, he said, “Miss Carrington, I think you need to get out of here.”
Meeting Butch’s gaze, I asked, “Excuse me?” I wasn’t sure that I had heard him correctly. Standing up and walking over to Butch, I placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.
“I saw you today.”
“What?” I asked. I hoped that he didn’t mean he’d seen me with Chase, but I knew deep down that he did and reported back to Duke.
“You were with the young man from the casino. You two had lunch together. I saw him touch you.”
“Did you tell Duke?” I asked, already knowing the answer to the quest
ion.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Carrington. I had to,” Butch said as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Carrington!” Duke called out as the front door slammed into the wall. The sound of his expensive shoes echoing off the tiled floor of the living room caused goosebumps to rise up and down my arms.
Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I quickly got up from the bed that we shared and stepped out into the hallway. “Hey baby. I’m back here,” I called out with a shaky voice. Willing the tears that were building up in my eyes not to fall and show my fear, I waited for Duke to come to me. I was ready to tell him that I wanted out.
“How was your day off?” Duke asked with a measured tone to his voice. He was pissed and trying very hard to keep his anger at bay.
“Fine,” I replied as he came into view. There was a look on his face that I could see from down the hallway and I knew that I was not going to be able to just walk out of here a free woman. I was going to have to fight for my freedom.
“Do anything fun?” he asked as he made his way down the hallway. Stopping in front of me, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. A chill ran up my spine from his touch.
Taking a step back to put some distance between us, I said, “I had lunch with a friend.”
“Oh, a friend?” Duke’s left eyebrow raised up slightly as he waited for my answer.
“We need to talk,” I said quickly. I wanted to get this conversation over with. I had been trapped for too long and wanted out.
“What could we possibly have to talk about?” Duke sneered as he pulled me closer to him. “Oh, let me guess…”
“I know that you know about my lunch date,” I said, cutting him off.
The look on his face morphed into pure hate as he looked me up and down. “I gave you everything that you could have wanted! I made you my Queen!” Duke bellowed as I took another step backwards.
“It’s too much,” I quietly said as I lost the battle with my tears and they started rolling down my face.
“What!” Duke roared. I reached out and braced against the dresser that was next to me for support. I was afraid that I was going to fall over from the force of his anger.
“I never wanted any of this,” I explained. “When we first met, I was so lost. I was running away and you offered me everything that I thought I was looking for.”
“I should have put you to work on the pole,” Duke spit out at me.
His words cut me like a knife and I doubled over from the verbal assault as the tears continued to flow. He had never been so mean and hurtful towards me. In the past, when I had pissed him off, he’d slapped me around a bit. Then when he cooled off, there were always a million apologies and presents to make up for his anger. I knew that things had changed. There would be no flowers or jewelry or new handbags after this fight. “Maybe you should have,” tumbled from my lips before I had a chance to stop the words.
The slap that came from Duke was as loud as a clap directly in my ear and stung like a million bee stings at the same time. My hand instantly flew up to my face to protect my battered cheek from another assault. I knew that I was going to have one hell of a bruise later.
“Carrington!” Chase’s voice called out from the front of the apartment. I wasn’t sure if I was hearing correctly or if I was dazed from the brutal and unexpected assault from Duke. The sound of his feet running down the hallway got louder and confirmed that I had a new knight in shining armor.
Turning his back to me, Duke roared, “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?” Chase made his way further into the room.
“I’m here for Carrington,” he informed Duke.
“You can have the whore! I’m done with her ass,” Duke spit out before turning back to face me. Leaning in close to me to make sure that I didn’t miss a word that was coming out of his mouth, he whispered, “This isn’t over. You will never be free of me. I own your ass.” Spit flew out of his mouth and landed all over my face.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked as he came closer to me. Stopping a few steps behind Duke, his fists balled up as he prepared for whatever Duke had planned. He rushed to catch me before I hit the hard ground. “Something told me that you were going to need saving today,” Chase said as he held me in my arms.
“It’s over. We’re over,” I said quietly as I let the realization sink in. I felt free for the first time in a really long time.
“Are you going to be okay?” Chase asked.
“For the first time in a really long time, I think I will be,” I whispered as I gazed into the eyes of my knight. His armor may not have been shiny, but he was still my knight.
“What comes next?”
A feeling of calm washed over me as I continued to stare into Chase’s eyes. “How about a game of Hearts?”
“How about dinner?” he countered with a smile.
* * *
~~~The End~~~
About the Author
E.S. McMillan is a self-proclaimed Superhero. She is a mom to 4 amazing boys. Married to one of her best friends and has plans to take the world by storm.
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E.S. was born in California, raised in New York, and now resides in Connecticut.
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E.S. is a lover of the written word and cannot remember a time when there was not a book in her hand or an open notebook close by, waiting to be filled with her stories.
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A Dozen Kisses
L. LOREN
Blurb
Astrid Satterfield lives for romance and love, especially in the movies. Something she shares with her longtime boyfriend, Leon. Their entire world is centered around romantic movies and the love they share for one another. After seven years of dating, Astrid is expecting the ultimate proposal. Well, you know what they say about expectations? Instead of a lifelong commitment, she gets the boot.
Leon Coltrane needs adventure. Being tied down to one woman for most of his youth has left him unfulfilled. The need to discover his true self is tugging at him from deep within and he must answer the call, no matter how much he loves Astrid. Moving to New York to pursue his dreams of working in the movies seems like the perfect solution.
After five years apart, these lost lovers find themselves back together again, albeit not by choice. Being forced to work together during a film workshop, they find the chemistry they once had never died. However, Leon is surprised to discover Astrid is now jaded and closed off. He attempts to use their project about the twelve most romantic kisses in film to convince her to give him another chance, but her cold demeanor is too much for him to bear.
Will they find their Happily Ever After or go their separate ways for good? Find out in this second chance romance by L. Loren.
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1
Astrid
Summer 2014…
“Then, mister, you’ve got my vote.” The closing line from my favorite movie, Mahogany, rang out from the TV as Leon and I watched in awe. The credits rolled and Diana Ross’ melodic voice chimed in singing about knowing where you were going to. The tears rolled down my face as usual. While Diana and Billy Dee kissed passionately on the tube in front of me, my own man, Leon, leaned over, wiped my tears, and gave me a kiss of my own. We had seen the flick about a million times, but each time we watched was like the first. That was one of the things I loved most in the world.
Watching black love stories was my thing. It had been since I was a little girl sitting on my mama’s lap watching Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Lena Horne, Miss Cicely Tyson and countless others portray black love on the silver screen. It sparked my love of cinema. Most of the girls I knew had a thing for John Hughes movies. No disrespect to Molly Ringwald and the Brat Pack, but I much preferred seeing my own reflection up on the screen. It gave me hope and allowed me to see myself falling in love with a handsome man of my own.
“You good, babe?”
Leon looked at me with so much love in
his eyes that I almost melted into the floor. He was it for me. This was the man I was meant to be with. He was my Billy Dee. Who else would I marry? No other man in the world would voluntarily sit with their girl, watch romantic movies and enjoy them just as much, if not more. He was a unicorn, and I planned on keeping this magical creature all for myself.
“I’m good. You know how much I love the redemption scene at the end of the movie. No matter what they went through, they would always find a way to be together. It gives me hope for all relationships.”
“Yeah, that is a powerful moment in the movie. After all she put that man through, he still loved her and took her back. That’s what true love is all about.”
“Absolutely! I also love how supportive he was of her dream. He didn’t try to stand in her way when her dreams started coming true. He tried to make it work. She was the one who got the big head and ruined everything.”
“Typical woman.”
“What?”
I playfully smacked Leon’s arm, knowing he was just messing with me. He grabbed me and started tickling me until I begged for mercy. Then he kissed me and made it all better. We kissed like we did when we were first dating as teens in high school. Oh, who was I kidding? Leon and I always kissed like it was going out of style. His lips were an elixir to all that ailed me. I got drunk off his kisses. Over the last seven years, the man had turned me into a stone-cold alcoholic. If I wasn’t thinking about his mouth on me, in various places, I was engaging in intense make out sessions. Damn, he was sexy.