by Anna Edwards
“I’m just…so happy.” She sobbed. “Thank you. I know I was a pain, but you don’t know how much this means to me.”
“You weren’t a pain.” James kissed the top of her hand.
Her mum stepped back.
“Right. I think it’s time I got married.”
Amy
“Thomas. Come back here.” Chasing a crawling, almost one-year child around was not going to make for a fun day, especially in a tight dress, high heels and a sore backside. Ok, she had asked for it by being a naughty little submissive in the playroom.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Sonia grabbed Thomas and flew him around her head. “He’s getting heavy now.” Thomas was quickly handed back to Amy when he started to fuss. He was going through a clingy phase.
“Excuse me, ladies.” One of the ushers came up to them. “Can I ask you to take your seats? The bride is on her way down.”
“Of course.”
“Do you want me to take Thomas out?” Sonia looked at her.
“We’ll see how it goes. I think once he sees daddy and Matthew he’ll be okay.
They took their seats at the front and looked towards where Callum was fiddling with his cuffs. He looked nervous, glancing towards the door all the time. When the bridal march started, you could see him visibly relax.
Marie’s little boy entered first, his tiny hand held by Marie’s mother. They took their seats, and Thomas stared at Owen. He smiled at him, and Owen smiled back. Thomas’ gaze then shifted to Marie and his daddy and Matthew leading her down the aisle.
“Dada dada da.”
“Yes, daddy.”
He held up his chubby little arms to try and get to him.
“In a minute.” She tapped him on the nose.
“Dada dada da.”
James winked at him, and Thomas burped.
“Beg pardon, you.” She turned to watch James as he and Matthew proudly handed Marie over to Callum and then came and took a seat with her and Thomas. Thomas instantly went to his daddy and settled down in his arms to nap. Matthew and James had developed a good friendship with Callum, and that had brought her closer to Marie as a result. Initially, she had thought she was a gold-digging bimbo, but as they had got to know each other, she learnt that Marie had a wicked sense of humour. And she could rap on a par with Nicki Minaj.
Amy and Sonia had helped Marie prepare for her first night at the local club with Callum. She had been so anxious and on edge that they were surprised she’d even been able to enter the club doors. By the end of the evening, though, she was completely relaxed and asking if they could go the following week again.
They’d seen Colette with her new partner, Micheal Larson. When Michael had seen them, he took Colette away out of courtesy to James, but Amy had noted that the one-time waif was looking stronger and happier than she had in a long time. Something still remained hidden behind her eyes, though; she just hoped one day Colette would be able to finally place all her demons to rest.
Amy snuggled into James as they both watched the marriage taking place. James kissed the top of her head, and she looked up at him with loving adoration.
“What are you thinking?” he whispered.
“The last time I was a guest at a wedding I had a clit clamp on.”
“You're insatiable.”
“That’s why you married me and Callum is marrying Marie.”
“We’re doomed. I must tell Matthew never to get married.”
“Don’t you dare. I think Sonia is getting impatient for a ring.”
“That’s why I told Marie to make sure Sonia catches the bouquet.”
“Cheeky.”
“Sometimes Matthew needs a push.”
As if sensing his name, Matthew looked their way.
“James.”
“Yes?”
She looked towards Thomas as he lay sleeping in his daddy’s arms. It was the cutest sight ever. Her heart fluttered with contentment.
“I’m due to get my next injection on Tuesday. I’ve booked the appointment, but I’m wondering about cancelling it. What do you think?”
“Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?”
“Shall we have another baby?”
“Do you feel ready?”
“I do. I was an only child, and I don’t want that for Thomas. I want him to have lots of brothers and sisters. I don’t want them to be too far apart in age either. Thomas will be almost two by the time the next baby is born. I think that is a nice gap.”
“I do as well. Similar to Sophie and I.”
“Does that mean yes?”
“That means that were going to have a lot of fun over the next few weeks.”
Amy kissed James’ lips just as the registrar pronounced Marie and Callum husband and wife.
Matthew
“Would you care for a dance, Mr Carter?” Matthew Carter looked up to where his stunningly beautiful girlfriend, Sonia Anderson stood hopefully in front of him.
The music changed to a slow song.
“You know that is going to totally kill my street cred.”
“I think you can handle it.”
He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her closer. Their feet started to move in time to the romantic beat.
“So you caught the bouquet?”
“I did. Although I suspect Marie threw it straight at me.”
“I’ve no doubts about that. Do you want to get married?” He knew she was his forever. They’d even discussed starting a family, but marriage worried him. Why?
“I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it. I would like to be your wife but only when we're both happy with that decision. Now isn’t that moment, and I’m content with being your girlfriend.”
“You mean that?”
“Even if we never marry, I’m with you until death.”
“Hopefully that is when we’re old and decrepit.”
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just imagine you as an old man. Using a cane to walk around.”
“As long as you can still get on your knees to suck my cock and I can use that cane to redden your then-saggy backside. Then I’m happy.”
“Hey, even when I’m ninety I’m going to do butt clenches to keep everything in place.”
A commotion in the corner of the room caught his eye. He looked over the heads of the guests drinking champagne and eating little burgers.
“Shit!”
“What is it?” Sonia turned as well.
“Sally Bridgewater.”
“Trouble?” James asked.
“I doubt she was on the guest list,” Matthew replied with a sigh, and they all headed over to support Callum.
“You're not welcome here.” Callum had his fists clenched as he spoke.
“Leave,” Marie added in a snarl.
“I’m not here for you two. You're last year news. Nobody cares that the Prime Minister’s son if marrying a nobody. No, I’m here for someone else.” Miss Bridgewater quipped back quickly, scanning her way around the room till her eyes landed on him.
“Mr Carter. I knew your day would come. Always there when a story is about, but seemingly hidden from any scandal.”
James stepped in front of him and motioned for one of the stand in bodyguards to take Miss Bridgewater away.
“I believe this is a private function. By invite only. And you're not on that list. Therefore, Mr and Mrs Ashworth, I’ll have my guards escort her out.”
“I think Mr Carter and Miss Anderson will want to hear what I have to say. After all, this story has been cleared by my lawyers and will be posted tomorrow in its entirety.”
“Let her speak. I’ve got nothing to hide.” He was growing tired of this woman's fascination with their lives.
Miss Bridgewater’s lip curled up into a malicious grin.
“I don’t think that is true, is it Mr Carter. No, in fact, I believe that it is far from it.” He watched as she pulled a piece of
paper from her bag and thrust it into his hand.
“My headline tomorrow.”
He looked down at the paper.
James North’s bodyguard is an ex-MI5 agent with a story to tell. A story that will leave you wondering how such a man can be trusted. After all, he was responsible for the death of a colleague, Beth Parks.
He swallowed down the flood of memories that came flooding back. Sonia had come to his side and was reading the article as well. Her arm went around him as his world started to crash down.
“You might want to read on a bit further, Miss Anderson. You see Miss Parks had another name.” The reporter pursed her lips in a triumphant stance. He knew what was coming. “She was also Mrs Carter.”
DEAR READER
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this book. I’d love it if you could post a review about it on Amazon and Goodreads. Getting reviews for my books is such a thrill as it allows me to see what readers enjoy or even, dislike about what I write. It’s all good for me to learn. Perhaps you could mention which is your favourite character and what parts you like best. You could also say which character you’re looking forward to reading more about in a new book.
If you’ve spotted a typo, email me at
[email protected].
I look forward to hearing from you.
Anna Edwards
PS – Read on for a preview of Controlling Darkness!
PREVIEW OF CONTROLING DARKNESS
Coming May 2017
They’ve been a part of James, Amy, Marie and Callum’s journeys. Now find out their story.
"Mummy? Mummy, wake up?" The little girl crawled closer to the still body on the floor. "Mummy?" Minutes turned to hours as nothing changed. Her mummy didn't wake up. Sirens suddenly filled her head, and a policeman rushed in.
"Come on little one. Shall we go find a teddy for you to cuddle?"
"Why won't mummy wake up?"
"She is very tired. The doctors will come and look after her." His anguished face looked to the now cold figure on the floor.
"Oh! I will get my toy cat; it is called Mr Whiskers." The little girl took his hand, and as he led her from the kitchen, she called back over her shoulder. "Have a good sleep mummy."
...............
Sonia sat up on the bed, sweat drenching the tangled mess of sheets. No, not again. She hadn't had that nightmare for so long. Why tonight! She needed a good night's sleep as tomorrow was the first day of her new job. She’d trained so hard for it. She couldn't go to it and look like a mess. Sonia tried to right the sheets and padded into the kitchen to make hot chocolate. Too many memories had stirred after that dream. Why? Why did her stupid subconscious have to remind her now? 'Mummy' the words echoed through her head. She had only been seven when she had found her mother dead. When the policeman had arrived, Sonia remembered how cold her mother had been. Her life changed dramatically that day, it derailed, and she was finally getting it back on track. 'Come on Sonia' she was giving herself a pep talk. 'You are stronger than this! Don't let him win!' With that, so strong was her determination that her hands stopped shaking and she picked up the hot chocolate and drifted back into the bedroom. Her long brown hair fanned out over the pillow as she lay back down and snuggled herself comfortable. The pep talk had worked, and she was feeling sleepy again, so tired in fact that the next thing she knew was her alarm clock sounding out 7 am.
It hadn't taken Sonia long to dress in a smart suit, grab a breakfast of croissants and skinny Americano and travel the short distance across London from her one-bedroom flat in Hackney to the Central London offices of North Enterprises. The massive shimmering structure loomed up skywards in front of her. Alright! She could do this. She had been through a rigorous training regime and had been selected from candidates that she had thought were far superior to her. But the man mountain who had told her she had the job seemed to empathise with her past work. She had originally trained for the police but had quickly become jaded with that when she saw all the bureaucracy that the profession involved. After that she moved into Royal Protection Services for a year and then private clientel. She had always been very fit and with her training, it seemed the ideal thing to do. She had travelled lots of places, protected an assortment of people and had really enjoyed every minute of it. This was most definitely the career for her. When the agency had been approached to select candidates for this detail, she had been hesitant at first. They wanted someone permanently, and the specifications of the position were somewhat sketchy and boarding on stalking but the young lady that she was to be watching seemed really nice from what Sonia had heard.
Sonia was escorted up to the top floor of the building and into the expansive office of Mr James North. She had researched the billionaire as part of her preparation, he was very intimidating. Behind him stood the man who had interviewed her, Mr Carter. Mr North stood and held his hand out to her.
"Miss Anderson, a pleasure to meet you. Please take a seat. Matthew has told you of the job specifications?"
Sonia sat on the offered seat, her legs to the side and hands folded neatly in her lap. She so wanted to make the right impression to her new boss at this first meeting.
"He has Mr North, I am to ensure Miss Jones safety at all times but at present I am to stay back and not allow her to know that she has a bodyguard. Mr Carter will accompany her when you do not need him, and I will report back to him for all instructions. Under no circumstances am I to acknowledge you. I will maintain this cover unless I feel it necessary to break it, in order to protect Miss Jones from either physical or emotional harm."
"Superb!" Mr North looked up at his bodyguard. "I have a meeting but after that, I will be taking Amy shopping. Matthew do you want to provide Sonia with everything she needs. Please give her the keys to the Lexus, I believe it is still stored in the garage below from the last time we used it." Matthew nodded at Mr North as the latter left the room, he hadn't spoken once the entire time she had been in the office. She had learnt this about him though during the training phase. He was often silent; it gave him an allure of mystery and also of power. Sonia had first met him when he had just finished a workout. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, he was muscular in all the right places, and even his shorts looked they could barely contain his statuesque thighs. His hair had been messed up by the towel he had been drying himself with. Sonia was confident she must have looked like one of those cartoon characters whose long tongue rolled out and along the floor when they saw something that sexy! Matthew had just given her a pleasant smile and gone into business mode.
"Miss Anderson, I hope you are not prone to daydreaming when on duty."
Matthew's voice broke through her reflections. She bit her tongue and looked guiltily down at the ground.
"Sorry Mr Carter, just a little nervous after meeting Mr North. He is overawing."
Matthew laughed, "Give him a week and you will see he is a pussy cat! Miss Jones has the measure of him already!"
"Is that why he isn't telling her she has a bodyguard?"
"The relationship between Miss Jones and Mr North is still in the early stages. Mr North understands that he needs protection to ensure his safety, but Miss Jones is still somewhat independent. They tend to clash a little as they sort out their differing opinions. I am sure you will see that this afternoon."
"I think I understand. Miss Jones, thinks a bodyguard will take her independence away, but Mr North knows she will be a target because of her association with him and his wealth?"
"Not just that. Miss Jones has a unpredictable Uncle. Mr North has just shown Miss Jones several things about him that she was unaware off. We are not sure if Mr Jones will want to try to talk to his niece again. This is not to happen for any reason. He is a very dangerous man. Do you understand that?"
"Of course. Do you have a photo of him?"
Matthew strode towards a safe, punched in a combination and pulled some papers out. He also retrieved a gun. He brought them back to the de
sk and handed Sonia a picture.
"This is Stephen Jones, no criminal convictions but he is suspected of murder, grievous bodily harm, human trafficking and forced prostitution. He is a nasty piece of work and recently ordered his own girlfriend have their child beaten from her stomach."
Sonia baulked at what she was hearing. This was a really nasty man. No wonder Mr North wanted Miss Jones protected from him.
"I understand. I will make sure he gets nowhere near her."
"Thank you. This is for you as well." He handed her the gun. "You are aware of how to use it?"
"Yes, Sir."
"It is for emergencies only. Here, if you are caught with it, this will give you a reason." He handed her a piece of paper, it was MI5 authority paperwork.
"MI5?"
"I used to work for them. Still, have contacts. Mr North wants me to do whatever I need to, to protect him. This allows me to do that."
Sonia nodded her understanding. It did not need any further explanation. Sonia hadn't actually used a gun much in the past for her work, but she had trained with them and had spent a lot of time on the shooting ranges perfecting her technique. It was a powerful emotion that was brought about when she was able to hit her targets with hundred percent accuracy.
"I better show you your car and then I need to go and collect Miss Jones. I do not think she is looking forward to this shopping trip, but unfortunately, most of her clothes have been ruined so she has little to wear and needs lots of clothes for the upcoming trip to India. Not that she knows about that yet."
"India?"
"Yes, which reminds me. I will need your passport so that I can sort out the visa for you to come as well. Can you make sure you bring it tomorrow please?"
"Of course Mr Carter."
"Mr Carter is my father, Sonia, please, will you call me Matthew."
About Anna Edwards