“I will dad, you take care okay?” I make sure and tell him before hanging up.
Looking up I see Phoebe standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips with her towel covering her, unfortunately.
I still like what I see though, and my naked arousal is soon at full attention again as she creases the side of her mouth.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that girl has fallen in love with you,” she says, sounding serious.
I remember Trixie, sleeping on my chest and notice my hand over her, been holding her there the whole time without even realizing it.
“She has her momma’s good taste in men,” I tease her, clearing my throat when Phoebe moves away to dry off and get dressed.
“You can do that right here,” I tell her, letting my eyes wander over her curves again, my dick twitching in anticipation at the thought of seeing her naked all over again.
She blushes but then shrugs a little. “Whatever floats your boat,” she tells me, trying not to look nervous.
“Bathroom’s all steamy anyway so I usually do get dressed out here,” she admits. Her voice far away as I hear the blood pounding in my ears, my heart thumping against my ribs as I watch each tiny movement of her perfect body as she slips out of her towel to dry off.
“Bend over,” I command, making her laugh a little.
“Easy tiger. I’m no athlete. You’re seeing plenty of me,” she counters.
“And you’re seeing all of me,” I remind her, gripping myself with my free hand to show her what I have when she’s ready for it.
She lets out a longing sound, pressing her thighs together as she gnaws at her lip again, a shiver passing over her.
“I thought you said you wanted to go someplace else?” she asks, finally managing to tear her eyes away from me long enough to get dressed.
“I do,” I remind us both, waking Trixie up without meaning to and even she looks like she’s been waiting for us all to go on the next adventure together.
“I do,” I tell her again. Wondering if I’ll ever grow tired of seeing her fine figure within reach. Wondering if this effect she has on me will ever fade.
I sincerely hope not. I know it won’t.
“Did I hear you talking before?” she asks, changing the subject. “Had soap in my eyes and ears, wasn’t sure if you were saying something to me.”
“Just my meddling father,” I tell her, feigning fatigue at the mention of his name.
“He was checking in on his latest locksmith customer. The girl who was getting window locks and had her baby trapped inside yesterday?” I remind her.
“I can pay for yesterday,” Phoebe says defensively. “In a week or two,” she adds, her shoulders sagging.
“That’s not what I meant,” I tell her. “And the old man was just calling to see how I was, how we both were,” I add, not wanting her to think she owes either of us anything because she doesn’t. And she never will.
“You close with your family?” she asks, slipping on a sweater over a fresh white tee.
“My dad, yeah. My brother not so much,” I tell her, figuring she’ll meet them all soon enough. Especially if my dad has his way.
“And your mom?” she asks innocently. I frown, shaking my head.
“Never knew her. Adopted.” I admit.
It’s never been something I advertise, but the more Phoebe knows about me the better.
“I’m sorry,” she says swiftly. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “My dad’s the only real family I have, how about yours?” I ask and can tell it’s a no-go zone straight away.
“It’s complicated,” is all she wants to say for now so I leave it at that.
All that matters to me is that we’re together. It’s her I want, and Trixie of course.
“She’s your family now huh?” I ask, closing the topic as I ruffle Trixie’s fur.
“That’s right,” Phoebe says firmly, softening her tone as she moves closer, picking up Trixie and telling her all kinds of stuff I wish she’d whisper in my ear.
“I thought you were whisking us away,” she says to me, eyeing my nakedness one more time before I move to get dressed.
“That I am,” I remind her, quickly pulling enough clothes on to pass for decent before I pull her closer and kiss her again.
“Tell me it’s what you want,” I ask her. Wanting her happy as much as I want her by my side.
“It is,” she whispers, kissing me back briefly. “It’s just happening so fast, but I get the feeling that’s how you operate,” she observes.
I grab a handful of her perfect ass and squeeze it while grinding my front up against hers.
“We can slow down some once we-” I start to say, her phone pinging to interrupt us this time.
She wants to ignore it, but I encourage her to see what it is, noticing another one of those yellow envelopes near the doorway.
I pick it up while she’s not looking, pocketing it as she gasps out loud.
“Oh my god, this is-” she starts to say, covering her mouth, trembling all over as she holds her phone out for me to see.
It’s a picture, sent from the same person I’m assuming has been stalking her.
It was taken today, a snapshot of me, Phoebe, and Trixie walking a few doors down from her building.
There’s no message with the image, but my face has been scratched out.
Thin, jagged lines of white were whoever they are has edited the image to cancel me from the scene.
“We’re leaving. Now,” I tell her, not wanting to make things worse by telling her there was another note to go along with the photo.
“I’m taking you away from all this, for good Phoebe. We’ll get you a new phone too. You won’t have to worry about this creep ever again,” I promise her.
Wondering, as she gathers what few things she wants to take, just how I’m gonna keep that promise.
Whoever they are, they’re watching both of us now.
No matter where she’s been so far, they’ve always managed to find her too.
But things will be different from now on.
Now she has me and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this finishes, somehow.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Phoebe
Once I see the photo, I’m with Max all the way. Getting away from here is the smartest move and his finding me when he did is obviously a blessing.
Apart from being god’s gift in the tongue department, he’s got the means and determination to take me and Trixie away from here.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, once we’re in his car.
“They’re just parking tickets,” he says shrugging of the sheaf he’s just collected from his windshield after having parked opposite my building since yesterday.
“No, Max. I mean I’m sorry I was so weird about going with you. About us being together so soon,” I tell him, his hand reaching out for mine.
“It’s okay,” he reminds me. “We’ll get through this. I won’t have you anywhere near this place or anywhere they know where to find you until this stops,” he says with conviction.
“How are you going to stop them?” I ask, not wanting to go to the police or anything. It’s all too crazy, and I have no idea who it even is.
“I don’t know yet,” Max says honestly. “But try not to worry about it, for now, we’ll go someplace a lot nicer. Maybe find something a lot nicer to think about too,” he adds, pulling out into traffic.
I feel myself relaxing more and more by the mile, and Trixie does too.
She’s not shivering like she usually does anymore, she knows we’re safe.
That something good has finally happened and things are looking up for once.
We don’t get too far when Max slows the car, pulling up in front of the kind of store I’d never even go into, wondering if his apartment is above it or maybe nearby.
“C’mon,” he encourages me. “I know I said we won’t talk about it, but we need to get
you a new phone, like pronto. No more weird messages,” he says with authority.
“But Trixie,” I protest, realizing it’s some kind of shopping he has in mind, not exactly something I can take her along for.
“We can get her a phone too if you want,” Max says, keeping his face all business.
I groan out loud. “You know what I mean, Max. I can’t take a dog into the-”
But he stops me. “Sure you can. This isn’t the five and dime, Phoebe. This is real shopping. Will you come on?” he asks impatiently, only because I know he can’t wait to spoil me somehow.
Me and Trixie.
Before I know it, and after everyone who works in the store has greeted Max as if he owns the place, I’m in front of a glass top counter, picking a color, a case and being assured I can have help to transfer all my pictures and information over to a new phone, no problem.
Max is hovering nearby, letting a stranger pet Trixie which for the first time in her life she seems to be enjoying.
That’s the effect Max has on everyone and everything around him. He’s just so damned adorable himself.
“Max?” I murmur, getting his attention when the person helping me disappears to fetch me more choices.
“These are all really expensive,” I tell him, feeling awkward more than anything else right now. I appreciate his concern and wanting to get me another phone, but I could survive with a new number and SIM card.
“I don’t need a whole new phone,” I tell him.
“I like that one,” he says pointing and politely ignoring me. “What do you think, Trixie?” he asks in a baby talk voice.
I try to feel bad, try to get upset that he and Trixie are so close so quickly, but it’s no use.
I know he won’t take no for an answer, and Trixie does seem to be agreeing with him.
He’s picked the one I like the most too, which kind of settles it. I guess.
“Perfect,” he exclaims. “We can grab a few other things and maybe grab a bite while we wait for them to set it all up,” he says, guiding me by the small of my back into the rest of the store, which is more like a mall by the time I manage to take it all in.
“I never even knew,” I tell Max, feeling out of place in a sweater and track pants until I see some other girls in the same.
Designer brands though, and brightly colored, but nobody seems to even notice me or Trixie.
In fact, plenty of women have little dogs poking their heads out of expensive handbags.
“See?” Max says reassuringly. “Just a shopping mall. No big deal,” he adds but I notice him watching more than just Trixie or my reaction to the phone.
He’s brought me here to do some shopping, sure. But I can tell he’s also trying to flush out whoever might still be following us both.
He hands me Trixie once he can feel I’m a little lost without holding my baby, slipping a hand into mine too, instantly making me feel better about everything.
Nobody stares or points. Nobody laughs.
Most importantly, nobody creepy seems to be following us either and in no time we’ve both gone from window shopping to Max buying whatever takes my fancy.
“Have it sent here, will ya?” he tells every store clerk, telling me the art of shopping is to never have to carry anything home with you.
“It’ll be there not long after we are,” he tells me. “Unless there’s something you wanna wear right now?”
A few more stores later and I do find an outfit I like, and shoes to match that I decide to slip into.
Nothing fancy. Just some slacks and a top with the shoes.
Max likes what he sees and wastes no time in telling me so.
“I can’t wait to peel this off you,” he says hungrily, nibbling my neck before kissing me. Casually announcing we should get something to eat before collecting my new phone.
“If you want?” he adds, noticing how much he’s taken charge, which I kinda figure is just how he is with everything.
I’ve got no problem with that, my belly’s been groaning for a while and although it’s been fun, shopping can be exhausting.
A mall like this one doesn’t have a food court, it has restaurants, and once again, Trixie is more than welcome, even getting her own little plate of whatever we choose for her to snack on, all dog friendly of course.
While Trixie enjoys something she looks like I’ll have to feed her from now on, Max asks if he can order for us both, choosing a huge pastrami stack of a sandwich with monster fries, which we share.
“You normally eat one of these on your own?” I ask him, noticing he doesn’t even mind sharing with me as he nods.
“I’m a big eater, always have been,” he confides, but I kind of figured that not that he has an ounce of fat on his lean body, but from what I’ve heard, bigger guys need to eat bigger meals.
I have trouble finishing my half of what is essentially a meat coma between two thick slices of toasted rye.
Even Trixie is full for once and I feel nothing but relief when Max offers to finish what I can’t manage.
“It’s had my mouth all over it though,” I caution him, he makes a low, hungry sound as he bites into it, loudly telling me as he chews that he’d gladly put his mouth anywhere mine’s been, making me blush.
Sensing I’m done with eating and shopping, at least for today, Max picks up the check and suggests we head home after collecting my new phone which I’ve almost managed to forget all about.
True to his word, they’ve set it up with a new number, transferred everything I wanted to keep from the old phone, and repackaged and cleaned up the old one, which Max recommends we keep.
“It has all those messages you got on it, doesn’t it?” he asks, not meaning to put a dampener on things, but I know he hasn’t stopped thinking about whoever’s following me since he found out.
“Uh… I kinda deleted everything,” I tell him, making a face when I see how disappointed he is.
“It doesn’t matter,” he tells me, a white lie to protect my feelings.
I sense Max wants to go to the police, or more likely, a private investigator to solve my little problem.
Or maybe worse, maybe he wants to deal with this himself.
He brushes it off, determined not to spoil our first day together and making sure we’re all set, we head back to his car, and in what feels like no time we’ve left downtown behind us. Eventually winding our way through leafy suburbs sets me to guessing where someone as interesting and amazing as Maxwell Bear might actually call home.
Makes me wonder if I could really get used to all of this.
But being with Max like this, even so soon. It feels like home already.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Maxwell
I want to open that latest note from under her door so bad, wished I’d asked Phoebe earlier about the other messages too.
Even though she’s deleted them, there’s always a chance they could be scraped. I have a few contacts through my dad who should be able to help, finding the number and phone that picture was sent from shouldn’t be too hard for them either.
I’d like to see all this behind her quickly and quietly, as far as Phoebe’s concerned anyway.
Once I know who’s behind terrifying her, I’ll make sure they have their own set of problems to deal with. The least of which will be answering to me personally.
For today though, from now on, I only want to see her smiling. Only want her and her little fur baby to be happy and not wanting for or worrying about anything.
I could have gone to the city house. A loft apartment I use when I’m in town on business.
But I want Phoebe away from the city, at least until we get to the bottom of things.
I could take her to the country house, upstate. But I really don’t feel like driving so long. I want to see her somewhere safe and all to myself, and soon.
Plus the suburbs home is where everything’s being sent and it does have excellent security.
If anyone does ma
nage to follow us, they’d be stupid to try even getting within a hundred feet of the gates without me knowing about it.
Despite everything, I can’t help but want to pleasure Phoebe all over again. I’ve caught her glancing at me in a similar way more than once as we’ve shopped and had our late lunch.
After what still feels like too much driving, she asks if we’re any closer, an almost urgent tone in her voice.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“Just need the little girl’s room,” she says cheerfully.
“Almost home,” I assure her, turning into the street that takes us all the way to the end where my house is.
She gasps once it comes into view and the huge gates swing open automatically as the car gets closer.
“No way,” she murmurs to herself.
It’s not the Rockefeller mansion, but it’s the nicest house on the street.
A two-story place, it was the first house I actually bought years ago. Big enough for the family my dad keeps telling me I should have by now with room to spare after that too.
There’s a big front yard and even more out the back, a pool and hot tub but what’s best for Phoebe now is the high walls and fence that surround the whole place that backs onto a section of woodland.
It’s secure but doesn’t look like a prison. Plenty of room for little Trixie to explore too.
Pulling up out front I’m mindful of Phoebe’s predicament and waste no time letting us both in and showing her the nearest bathroom.
I invite Trixie to have a sniff around but she seems a little overwhelmed by the scale of the place compared to her apartment when her mommy’s not holding her. She trots down to the bathroom to find Phoebe and I set about opening the place up a bit.
I haven’t been back here for over a week and it feels good to be out of the city for a change.
My head’s buried in the refrigerator when I hear Phoebe and Trixie pass by the kitchen that opens out onto the back patio.
I’m wondering if I need to order groceries or just order in for every meal while we’re here.
And what does little Trixie actually eat?
“It’s beautiful. Just beautiful,” I hear Phoebe exclaim as she looks out the back and opens the sliding doors to let Trixie out.
Goldie Locks: A Steamy Standalone Instalove Romance Page 7