Unbound Faith (Bulletproof #1)

by J. L. Baldwin

  Chief looks down at something on his desk before glancing back up to meet my pathetic gaze. “Zac, you’re a smart man. You’ve got a good fucking head on your shoulders. And your personal life is none of my business so whoever you want to date is none of my business either. But, you had one job and one job only, to keep your identity a secret. If you are hell bent on getting to know this girl, do it subtly and not by snooping in her file. You’re a detective man, use your skills. That’s why I chose you for this job.”

  I laugh as my body instantly relaxes into the chair. “Really? I thought it was for my good looks.” I say joking. He shakes his head by I can see a hint of a smile beneath his mustache.

  “Not a chance pretty boy, be careful with that one. She seems like she’s a handful.” He adds with a wink. Collecting his files, he stands up and walks out of his office. I follow not far behind him and Craig is sitting there in his chair, sitting closer than usual.

  “Fucker, were you listening in on our conversation?” I ask and he nods feeling unashamed. “Hell yeah I was. I wanted to hear Chief lay into you but that didn’t happen. But I do have an idea on how you can get to know her but without blowing the rest of your cover.” He smiles mischievously. I raise an eyebrow. “Oh great, what could this possibly be?” I joke. Craig hardly ever has any good ideas. So this time won’t be any different. “Okay so what’s your plan?” I ask nervous as hell.

  “Write her a fan letter. She’s a journalist, who publishes public articles. Write her a fan letter and let her know the ‘real’ you without actually blowing your cover. It’s fool proof.” I nod my head in thinking. He did have a point. Writing a fan letter to her would be technically undercover but I would allow her to let her know the real me and not some fake persona. Yes, I’ll do it!

  “Let’s do it. If this blows all to hell, I’m blaming you asshole.”

  Craig gasps and raises his hands in surrender. “I gave you a great idea to get close to this girl and you are insulting me? Rude ass.”

  I laugh out loud. “It takes one to know one.” Once in a while, Craig comes up with good ideas. I hope this is one of those. Needing to leave to grab some good coffee, I grab my phone and pull up her email address and start typing away. Fallen Angel is the name I’ll use instead of Z. That way, I’m completely hidden. The email address I’m sending the letter from will be from my fake persona profile. Fallen Angel is something that would capture her attention and hold it exactly where I want it. Mysterious and sexy are what I want to portray to her. That’s exactly who she is going to get. I tell Craig I’ll see him later and head out the door towards the coffee shop. While walking, I type out the first few words of my letter to her. Not too bad. This is nothing I can’t handle, I think to myself. The better question is, after she reads these letters, can she handle me?

  Chapter 8

  Jayde

  It’s been a few days since I first ran into Z where we met. I can’t help but wonder what happened in such a short amount of time. The aggressiveness of his tone mixed with the uncertainty of his actions sends pleasurable shivers down my spine. “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.” I say mumbling to myself. Pinching my forearm, the pain immediately following insures me that it is in fact real. Anna woke up with a killer monster of a hangover the day after we hit up the bar. I’ve never seen somebody throw up so much.

  Sarah texted this morning reminding me that I was supposed to hit up the café and see her before heading to work. Dammit, I check the time on my phone to insure I have enough time to stop by. I send Brooke a quick text saying I’ll be a little late and she replies almost instantly letting me know that it was okay. Even though I didn’t need to let her know anything, it’s common courtesy to let the manager know. Looking up from my phone, I notice the café coming into view so I head on in.

  The door chimes as I walk out of the muggy humidity of the southern air and into the cool confines of the coffee shop. Students and locals line the counter when I walk in. The coffee shop has a tropical feeling, with its beach décor all over while still maintaining the relaxed, cool café feeling. Sarah, bubbly as usual, greets me as soon as I walk in.

  “Hey sis, you want your usual?” I nod cheerfully and she gets to work fixing my coffee. She knows exactly how I like my coffee; two creams, extra sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a dash of hazelnut.

  While standing there waiting for my coffee, I allow my mind to wander out which was a common thing for me. Who was Z? Where the fuck did he come from? And when was I going to see him again? I thought that before walking into that bar then boom, there he was. All tan and muscular, with those tattoos showing. He was beyond gorgeous and had such an amazing body. The naughty side of me wondered where that sexy V led to. God, I had to pull myself together if I’m going to be able to write this piece. Sarah interrupts my thoughts as she waves my coffee in my face.

  “Hello? Earth to Jayde. Is anyone home in there?” Sarah waves her hand in my face to get my attention. “Do I have to pour this scalding hot coffee over your head to get your attention?” She asks laughing. Z is still on my mind. I don’t know what to do now. There was a really good chance I’d never see him again, because there’s no way I’m going to that bar anymore so it would be better if I kept that little bit of information to myself to not bring up any unwanted issues or feelings.

  “Huh? Oh sorry, I’m staring off into space again.” I say a little bit more enthusiastic than I probably should have let on as I take my coffee from Sarah and blow softly into my cup to cool down the hot liquid before taking a small sip. My taste buds light up at the contact of the morning drug.

  “Mmmm this is delicious. Thanks Sarah! You rock.” Rolling her eyes, she shoos me away so she can get back to work. “Yeah, yeah. I heard that one a million times. Now go, before I sick my wrath upon you.”

  Laughing softly at her false modesty, I head over to my vacant corner that’s not inhabited by spring breakers and settle down into the chair. Pulling out my Kindle, I flip to the latest book I was reading, Rogue by Katy Evans. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have a guy like Greyson King. But that would never happen. Not in a million years would a guy like that come into my life. Greyson was a guy with a past. He had so much blood on his hands but he made it sexy. Wow, I sound sick and twisted. Guys in romance novels never exist. That was rule number one of being a book junkie. Don’t expect the guys in the romance novels to be real. I guess I was kind of like Melanie. Bubbly, energetic and carefree. But when it came to…him, I was a plate of butter. I melted instantly and I cursed my body for betraying me when our eyes collided. There was something about him that made me shiver with angst. That same feeling you get when you’re about to see a scary movie, excited but anxious because you never know what to expect. Z made me feel that way. He made me feel…everything.

  Not able to concentrate on my book any longer due to my lingering and lustful thoughts, I clicked it off and stuck my kindle back into my bag and silently observed the people around me. Mostly people my age who were on spring break and getting away from their daily college life. Being a journalist, I had graduated with a Bachelors in English and if it wasn’t for my internship at the local newspaper, I wouldn’t have the job I have today. My education helped me with the journey but it was my talent that landed me the job. That opened up a whole new avenue for me to venture down. One day, I want to work for a major magazine company like People or Cosmopolitan. That would be a dream come true.

  Sarah walks over to me holding a plate with a ham and cheddar Panini and I look over it feeling suddenly hungry as my mouth begins to water. “Phew, I didn’t think that that line was ever going to die down. Thankfully Georgette is covering so I can eat something.” I nod as I continue to sip my coffee. Sarah doesn’t look like me. She’s skinny where I’m curvy. Not obese but a little heavier than other girls. “Do you want one?”

  Shaking my head, I regretfully turn her down. “No, I’m good. I already ate.” That was a lie.

  “Liar.” She said between a
bite. Fuck, she saw right through that.

  “Come on, have a bite.” She scoots the plate over to me and I push it back. “No I said. I am not hungry.” Then at an inconvenient time, my stomach growls. Sarah shakes her head. “Doesn’t sound like you are. Let me buy you lunch.” Sarah says before I can say something, she hops up out of the booth and walks over to the counter before I have a chance to protest.

  Five minutes later, she comes back with a blueberry muffin and another ham and cheddar Panini. “On the house.” She sits the food down in front of me and the aroma hits my nostrils and resistance is futile at the delicious food in front of me. I give in to my stomach and the muffin is gone in a matter of moments and I’m working on the second half of the Panini when Sarah lets out a low whistle. “Damn, slow down girl. You’re going to choke.”

  “Yeah well I lied before, I’m starving.” I reply, polishing off the rest of my food in a few more bites. “I’d say you’re hungry for more than just food sis. Come on, what’s eating you.” She asks. I look up when I’m finished with my food to see her smirking.

  “What are you talking about? I am fine.” Again I lie. Ever since I saw Z on the beach, then the other night at the bar, I’ve been practically panting. Sarah sees right through that and knows something is up.

  Shaking her head, she sighs at my lie. “I’m calling bullshit on that one. You know you can talk to me about anything. I’m not the overpowering, ‘can’t talk to because of the age difference’ big sister. We are only a few years apart, and believe me I know how you feel. It’s that guy, isn’t it?” She catches my gaze and I force my eyes to look away. Damn, she is good.

  “Maybe. I don’t really know a lot about him because I only met him once then again at the bar.” Well there goes the plan about keeping it to myself. Way to go, Jayde. Sarah smiles wide with a shit eating grin as I shake my head to ward off any trailing thoughts I know she will have.

  “Hell no. Do not get any thoughts in your head. Who knows if I’ll even see him again? I have his number but it might not even happen. It was a miracle I just so happen to go to the very place he works at.”

  Sarah looks confused at my defensive action. What if its fate you ran into him not once but twice? What are you so afraid of? If you’ll have sex?” She nods understanding. “Oh honey, are you worried because you’re a…” I hold up my hands in front of her face. Can she be any louder? “Oh don’t even fucking go there. Do not and I repeat, do not use the V word in public. It isn’t a safe word.” I retaliate. The fact that I’m twenty-six and I still have my v-card intact is something to be ashamed of, even though it shouldn’t be. Taking a long swig of my coffee, I finish it then slam the paper cup down onto the table angrily.

  “I don’t know what the big fuss is all about. You give yourself completely to somebody for one night and then you develop some insane, crazy psychotic obsession with them because they took something you’ve held on to for years. No thank you. I’m doing fine without sex and I’ll be dammed if I’m going to let some random guy take it from me. I’ll pass.”

  Sarah’s whole face lights up as bright as the sun. I look away and around, anywhere I can to avoid her gaze that I know is still transfixed on me. “You are so tense. You need to get laid sis. Want me to hook you up? There’s some cute guys that work at another bar down the street. And one of them is oh my god sexier than sin. So give it a try. Trust me when I say that sex is AHHmazing and you’ll want more of it once you get it.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. Yeah, right. Like its some magical pill that I’ll take and it’s going to turn me into some raging horny femme fatal.

  “Also you read all those romance novels that have the most amazing sex described in them. Don’t you want that? I mean, there is somebody out there willing to do all those things to you that you read about. Just got to go out there and find him.” Sarah says, taking another bite of her Panini. Maybe she’s right. There isn’t anything I have to lose. Trying to find Mr. Right is something I’ve always dreamed about. Instead of trying to find him, maybe I should try to find Mr. Make Me Shiver With Ecstasy, or Mr. Make My Toes Curl. Taking that next step seems like it could be huge but anything that’s worth having must be scary, right? Right. Sarah takes my hand in hers and smiles brightly at me at noticing my uncertainty.

  “Sweetheart, I know that you’re scared and nervous but that’s normal. As much as I want you to have that amazing and wonderful experience as well as that insane connection with a guy, don’t rush it. Do it on your time. And don’t let anybody push you into something you’re not ready for, emotionally or physically.” Maybe she was right. I should let it happen when it’s supposed to happen. No sense in rushing things. Man my mind was all over the place today.

  Sarah scooped up both of our plates and scooted out of the booth. “Jayde, you’re twenty-six. Take a risk or two. I learned a long time ago that life is all about risks. Take one and you’ll realize that everything you’ve been afraid of, was actually what was worthwhile all along. Or better yet, take some advice from your own self. I know you’ve written a couple racy articles in your time. Use the advice you learned from that and take it. You never know what will happen.” As soon as Sarah went back to work, my mind was too wired to think about reading. I reached back into my bag and pulled out my Macbook so I can check my email. I open the web browser and click on the bookmark that houses my work email. As soon as I click my inbox, I suddenly regret it. Over 300 unread emails sit unread in my inbox. One after another from countless people who had submitted pieces hoping to get it published in a newspaper. Luckily for me, these emails didn’t need to be answered for at least another week so I had plenty of time. One of the emails caught my eye as it stood out like a flashing light. Even though I wasn’t supposed to check emails, I couldn’t help it and my mouse hovered over the email before I finally gave in and opened it. The email was off but it was the anonymous name used that caught my eye. FallenAngel.

  Hmm, interesting. There are a lot of unusual names that come across my inbox, but none that stood out to me like this. It was unusual, yet alluring. It yelled mystery as well as suspense. As I’m reading the email, I smile at the greeting. “Dearest Jayde,” before reading on to the rest of the email.

  Hello. I’d love to say it’s a pleasure to meet you but meeting you would involve face to face contact and that is something I haven’t had the utmost beautiful honor of doing yet. You’re probably wondering about my name, well that’s a long story and one I’m not ready to dive into right now. The reason I’m emailing you right now is because I want to let you know what a huge fan I am. Your work has touched me in ways that are unimaginable and I can’t stop thinking when I’ll be able to view your next literary masterpiece. There’s probably a stack of email sitting in your inbox right now of work and deadlines to get to but my email is different. Let me introduce myself a little bit. My name is Angel. I’m a man who gets everything he wants but the ladies don’t seem to give me what I desire. And you want to know what that is Miss Jayde? That’s right, I desire control. Dominance over the woman I’m buried deep inside. The kind of sex women beg for. Something I’m sure you’re used to being such a stunning creature of the arts, I’m sure you’re very beautiful and have to fight the guys off with a stick, am I right?

  Wrong. My insides begin to flutter at his words despite the instantaneous creepy factor that’s staring at me right in the face and I have to shake my head to clear my naughty thoughts. There was something about him that…struck me as appealing.

  I mean, somebody as beautiful as yourself probably gets these types of emails all the time. Just sitting there in an office, begging to be taken over your desk, and fucked until you see stars. And I bet you’re panting reading this, aren’t you Jayde? That makes me hard just thinking about it.

  Jayde my dear, you get so many emails from horny men only wanting a quick fuck and don’t really want to give you what you want. Well let me tell you right now I’m not like that at all. I want to make sure that y
ou’re well taken care of…by me. I’ve been a fan for so long that I have grown very fond of your writing and I yearn to meet you. But I know you probably think I’m a nut case for thinking those thoughts so I’ll just try to end this email on a good note.

  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Smile for me.

  ~ Fallen Angel ;)

  P.S – A little background on my name. I heard you were a fan of the darker fantasy themed objects so that inspired my name. I hope you like.

  Wow. Just wow. I never had somebody’s email touch my…heart in that sense before. Yeah, I’ll go with heart. And as wrong as it was to picture, I visualized a tall, handsome man sitting behind a desk in a huge office typing away this email, but he was probably a horny fifteen year old who spends his days playing Xbox and jerking off to the centerfold of the latest issue of his father’s playboy magazine. Disgusting. My body wanted to reply instantly, but my brain was telling me not to for legal purposes. My heart was hammering out of my chest so hard like a jackhammer. Crap. Double crap. This was not going to go over well.

  I wanted to slam the computer shut, shove it back into my bag and pretend I didn’t read that inappropriate yet inviting email. But then another part of me wanted to give him a piece of my mind, like who does he think he is, sending me a sexy email like that. One that got my body going before my brain could catch up to all the action. But both of those parts weren’t working properly right now. I really had to get my body and brain to work together one of these days.

  Once my racing heart had ceased, and I gained a little bit of my senses back under control, I forced myself to re-read the email before I replied. Was this guy for real? I mean, maybe somebody like that was worth looking into. When I gathered the last bit of courage I had, my fingers ran over the keyboard to reply but when I briefly scanned my eyes across the room to focus a bit more on the task, I stopped suddenly. There was something about the air that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It was that same feeling I had the other night at the bar. It couldn’t be, can it? Fate was really fucking with me if that’s what was going on. I scanned the room again trying to figure out where that feeling was coming from.