by J. M. Adele
CONVINCING YOU
Copyright © 2020, J.M. Adele
All rights reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the author of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various places/products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission and is by no way sponsored by the trademark owners.
Edited by CREATING ink
Proofed by Fiona Dreaming
Cover by Tall Story Designs
Formatted by Book Flare Publishers
Kindle Edition
For my B.
I wish you could understand that I will love you for eternity no matter what you do or say, or how far you roam. No matter your achievements or failures.
There is no stopping this love.
I wish you would believe you deserve it.
I wish it was enough.
Coming Home Series
Shattered Home
Remembering Home
Finding Home
Leaving Home (TBA)
Coming Home (TBA)
Sensing Series
Sensing You
Convincing You
Indulging You (TBA)
Bloodlust Series
Ashes and Dust
Ember and Flame
Bone and Blood (TBA)
Titles by J.M.
Aussie Glossary
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Excerpt from Sensing You
About the Author
Agro – Aggression
Bags – Call dibs. To claim something as yours before anyone else can.
Barbie – Barbecue. Grill.
Blow chunks – Vomit
Bogan – An uncouth person
Bomby – A dive where you curl into a ball to make a large splash
Chippie – Carpenter
Dacks – Pants
Dunny – The toilet
FIFO – Fly in, fly out. An acronym used to describe workers who are flown on-site to work, and flown back home at the end of their block of shifts
Galah – Australian species of bird
Glove Box – Glove compartment or jockey box
Gob – Mouth
Goldy – The Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia
Grog – Alcohol
Grub – Food
Idiot Box – Television
Jackeroo – Young man working on a sheep or cattle station. The female equivalent is Jilleroo.
Knackered – Exhausted
Let one rip – Fart
Macca’s – McDonald’s
Maggoted – Drunk
“Nah, yeah” – Yes
Op shop – Thrift store
Portaloo – A portable toilet often used on a worksite
Pulling someone’s leg – To tease them
Ranga – Redhead
Rocky – Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Shirt-front – To push your chest into another person’s. Usually an aggressive move
Smoko – Morning tea or afternoon tea break
Sneakers – Running shoes
Sparrow’s fart – Before dawn
Stubbies – A brand of workwear. Refers specifically to shorts
Squiz – A glance or a look
Taking the piss – Having a laugh
Thong – Beach footwear. Flip flop.
Tool – Idiot
Tucker – Food
Uni – University
Ute – Utility vehicle or pickup truck. A car with a tray on the back for hauling loads
Veg – Relax
“Yeah, nah” – No
The following story contains scenes that may be of a disturbing nature to those sensitive to triggers. Please do not proceed if you feel you may be at risk of emotional or psychological harm in doing so.
Please reach out for support should you need any. You don’t have to suffer alone.
Call me John Doe
Rockhampton, Australia
26th June, 2006
They sashayed around in their short skirts, flashed their cotton underwear as they bent over. And then pretended they didn’t want a man’s dick buried deep inside them.
Fucking schoolgirl cock-teasers, playing a dangerous game.
They asked for it and I was ready to give it. Girls wanted me to get them alone so I could fuck them raw. I had them begging for it just with a look. And when I caught one of my little does, they were always bucking for a fucking.
My cock lengthened in readiness as my brain teased out a scenario.
All I had to do was choose who the next doe would be.
A young blonde jogged over to her brunette friend, perky tits bouncing all the way. I reckoned she’d be about fourteen. Just the right age. Not too young to be completely naive to female power, but not old enough to know how to wield it as a weapon. Fourteen was the perfect age for me to make a girl believe her self-worth was under my control.
I couldn’t decide which one I liked better. The brunette was taller, but she had less meat on her bones. Her hair only just reached her shoulders. That was a shame. I liked to wrap a good length around my wrist when I pounded their flesh. Two more girls joined their group. A plump, auburn-haired beauty, and another blonde—this one flat chested. Wait. I looked closer. No. I could just see the outline of swollen nipples. She was just developing. Perfect.
So many girls ripe for the picking. Which one will it be?
Andrea
Brisbane, Australia
19th December, 2016
A cracker loaded with brie and quince paste was passed in front of my face as Lee handed it to Ronnie.
Brie. Sweet, sweet, unpasteurised, soft, bacteria-ridden cheese. Oh, how I’ve missed you.
I licked my lips, sucking in the smell as my nose followed the delicacy.
“Are you sniffing my food?” Wrinkles carved grooves into Ronnie’s cheeks.
“It has been nine months. Nine. Months. Yes, I’m sniffing the brie. I miss it.” My statement came out as a whimper.
Ronnie took a small bite before asking, “Can you still have soft cheese if you’re breastfeeding?”
“I don’t think so,” Lee answered, scrubbing the back of his freckled neck.
I arched my sore back. “What? Of course I can. Don’t tell me that.”
Ben wrapped his fingers around my ponytail and stroked its length. “I dunno. I think it might be too risky for the baby.”
I twisted to look at him. “Bullshit. You’re wrong.” I searched
his serious expression for any hint of a joke. A twitch in the corner of his mouth. A change in his eyes. Nothing. He was stone-cold sober. “Don’t tell me I can’t eat the cheese. I want the cheese. Babe, you know I can’t do without the cheese.”
Ronnie rested her forearms on the table and leaned forward, her gaze glued to mine. “I read an article last week about this woman who did all the right things during the pregnancy and as soon as the baby was born, she gorged on all the cheese. Brie, camembert, blue vein—she went to town. She fed the baby a couple of hours later. The poor thing ended up in hospital with a nasty infection.”
“Are you shitting me?” I dropped my chin, mouth agape. If this was a joke, she was no longer my friend.
“Yes. Yes, Andy, we’re shitting you.” She leaned back with a huge grin on her face as Lee and Ben sniggered. “It’s way too easy.”
“I hate you.”
“Not true.”
Ben tried to tuck me under his arm. I pouted and inched away. “You’re so mean to me in my vulnerable state. You know it’s my due date and I’m still fecking preggers.”
“He’ll be here soon. He’s just way too comfortable inside there.” Ben nuzzled my neck, whispering in my ear, “I don’t blame him. I wanna be inside you right now.”
I wriggled in my seat as a choking noise came from across the table. “Jesus, I heard that.” Ronnie scrubbed her hands over her ears, masses of dark curls bouncing as she did.
I didn’t give a shit that she’d heard what Ben said. I loved that he still found me desirable despite the fact that I’d swelled to twice my normal size and couldn’t see my toes, let alone touch them.
The loud clap of Lee’s hands made me jump. “Who wants prawns? Not you, Andy. I did a rolled turkey roast for you. Sorry.”
Prawns. Another thing I couldn’t eat. Yet. After this kid was out, I was going to fill myself with all the pre-prepped salad, shellfish, soft cheese, and wine I could get my hands on.
Lee dragged his chair back as Ronnie jumped to help him.
I rested a hand on Ben’s thigh. The delicious smell of our early Christmas dinner wafted from the kitchen. “Do you mind if we exchange gifts first? I can’t wait. We might have to run off to hospital at any moment.”
“You can’t hold off for another half an hour?”
“Nope.”
Ben pushed his chair back.
“Babe, can you grab the presents for me please?”
“Already on it.”
He was the best.
Lee stood behind Ronnie with his arms around her teeny tiny waist, one palm spread over her stomach. They presented such a contrast. Her with sultry, dark features and caramel skin, and Lee with freckles and auburn locks. He was only just taller than her. She and Ben were eye to eye, but he was twice her girth, although they were both solid muscle. All three of my dinner companions could’ve done a Nike ad, while I was the Oompa Loompa in the background.
Not for much longer hey, baby boy?
Our hosts watched me from the kitchen. Something silently passed between them, evident from the way they held each other.
“Are you coming over here, or are you going to make me get up?” I raised a brow.
They returned to their seats with matching smirks.
Ben slid in beside me, placing down an envelope and a box wrapped with multi-coloured braided ribbons and topped with a pretty bow.
“Thanks.” I handed the envelope to Ronnie. “Merry Christmas!”
Lee had given Ronnie tickets to Sydney for her birthday two weeks ago. They were going before uni started back in March. As soon as I found out what he’d planned, I’d known what I wanted to give her for Christmas.
A smile tilted her mouth at one corner as her eyes flitted around the table. She ducked her chin and used her knife to open the present. Slipping out a piece of paper, her eyebrows scrunched before popping high. “A private ghost tour of Sydney.” Her shoulders kissed her earlobes. “I’m shitting myself. Thanks.”
“All the oldest buildings are haunted, but you already know that. I figured you could kill two birds with one stone. Face down your fear of spirits and get an inside view of some beautiful old buildings.”
“You’ll be with me. I’ll protect you, babe.” Lee kissed her cheek and she responded with a roll of her eyes.
He knew damn well she didn’t need protection. They were cute together. It was nice to see them both happy after the fucked-up shit that had gone down earlier in the year. She’d nearly died trying to save her friend from an underground sex cult. Nothing would ever clear those images from their heads, but they could create new memories—happy Polaroid moments, shining light into the darkest corners of their minds. Not that ghosts would provide particularly happy snaps necessarily, but Ronnie could handle anything that was thrown at her now. She was a badass.
“Your turn.” Ben pushed the box across the table to his mate.
“Did you wrap this?” Lee tried to hide a smirk.
“That’s all my handiwork, mofo. You know I’m good with plaits.”
My eye twitched as Lee fiddled with the ribbons, trying to delicately untie the bow. “Just rip it.”
“You sure?”
“Yes! Jesus.” I almost dragged my hands down my face.
He yanked at the paper, tossing bits on the table. “Do you know what you’re gonna call Benny junior?”
“Sebastian.” I answered without thinking.
“Hell, no.” Ben frowned.
“Why not?” I thought we’d discussed this already, but maybe that had all been in my head.
His blue eyes pierced mine. “Sebastians don’t play rugby.”
I wracked my brain trying to remember if there’d been any players named Sebastian. Surely there were. I shook my head. “What if he doesn’t wanna play?”
Ben paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he blinked at me.
“Are you going to make him?” I asked.
“No?” It sounded like a question.
I took it as a definitive answer, rubbing my belly. “I’m relieved to hear it.”
“Is Stewart gonna make him play league?” Ben narrowed his eyes.
“Not if he knows what’s good for him.” My brother wouldn’t dare. I’d slap him if he tried to influence my child in any way.
He scoffed. “He has never known what’s good for him. I still can’t believe they let him into the police force.”
I couldn’t get over that one myself.
“Why Sebastian?” Ben frowned.
“I don’t know. I just have a feeling.” The moniker had been rolling around in my thoughts more and more lately. There was something attached to it, tangled strings that needed unknotting. Unfinished business. I’d never known anyone with that name, but it wouldn’t leave me alone. Our son had to be called Sebastian—I knew that much. I just didn’t know why. “It’ll grow on you. Trust me on this one, okay?”
Ben pushed a breath through flared nostrils. “Do I get to pick the middle name?”
“Absolutely ... as long as it’s Ben.” I smiled with all my pearly whites on show.
His lip quirked. “Sebastian Ben Locke.” Running his tongue along his teeth, he looked at me. “Seb for short. That’s okay.”
“Cute.” Lee added. “And he’s going to play league. Is anyone interested in my critique of my present?”
Ben and I twisted our heads and found that Lee had opened the box and was wearing his present on his head. A fluffy wallaby with a baby in her pouch sat atop the brim of his Australian national rugby union official team cap. I’d made the alterations myself.
Ronnie gave him the side-eye while leaning away.
“I love it.” Lee grinned.
I snorted. I couldn’t help it. He looked ridiculous.
Ben, Lee, and I were laughing so hard I didn’t realise at first that we were the only ones. Ronnie had a smile on her lips, but her worried eyes were on my stomach. She almost appeared sick. Or spooked.
Sebastian rolled. I shi
fted in my seat, holding my side. Her gaze tracked my hand. She grimaced before turning away.
What is that all about?
The only answer I got was a sinking feeling in my gut that had nothing to do with Seb’s movements and everything to do with the way Ronnie stared at my baby bump.
I take it back. I don’t want to know.
Andrea
Brisbane, Australia
24th December, 2016, 3:23 p.m.
Have a baby, they said.
It’ll be fun, they said.
Lugging this stomach around a shopping centre on Christmas Eve was not my idea of fun. I squeezed out of the car, swearing at my husband’s tool benches and the equipment crowding the other side of the garage. He could do whatever he wanted with his space, but he wasn’t allowed to infringe on mine. The trouble was, I needed more now that I was pregnant. And I’d still need to expand after the baby was born. The man needed a shed.
Making my way through the laundry to the open living area, I switched on the air conditioner before hauling my bags onto the kitchen bench. A sigh rushed from my mouth at the sweet relief of getting rid of the weight. “Oh, thank you, Jesus.” Yanking my arm away, I rubbed the sting from where the bags had dug in.
Bang. Pop.
Cool, fizzy liquid sprayed my legs and up the back of my dress. I jumped, my head snapping around in shock. “What the shit?” I croaked in dismay as a bottle of soft drink spun, dousing every friggin’ surface in a fountain of red, sticky hell.
It finally ran out of pressure, rolling to a stop beside the fridge. My shoulders dropped, eyelids falling to half-mast in mourning for the floor I’d cleaned only yesterday. I screwed my lips, snarling, “You bastard,” at the bottle.