by Stella Moore
She broke down under the unwavering, unconditional love. “I’m scared,” she admitted, allowing herself to be pulled into her friend’s embrace. “When I finally got the courage to leave him, I always worried he’d come for me. But he never did. I have no idea why he’s doing this now, and it freaks me out.”
“I know, honey. But we’re going to keep you safe. That bastard won’t ever touch you again,” Elisa soothed.
A knock on the door made Penny jump, her heart racing.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s probably Dr. French,” Eric told her as he went to open the door.
Penny groaned when her perfectly dressed therapist stepped through the door. “Hi Dr. French. I’m sorry, you didn’t have to come. Eric shouldn’t have called you.” Her eyes shot daggers at him, but she received only a raised eyebrow in response.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the doctor soothed. “And really, since we’re hanging out at each other’s houses now, you can call me Melissa.”
Penny managed a weak smile. “I’m fine, really, you should all get back to your Christmas celebrations.”
Elisa rolled her eyes. “I already called my mother. You think she’d forgive me if I left you right now?”
“And I don’t have any plans that can’t be changed. My family is very understanding,” Dr. French, Melissa, assured her.
“I appreciate it, but really, I’m fine. I’m sure this was just him trying to get under my skin. And it worked, for a minute. For the love of God, what now?” she exclaimed when another knock sounded on the front door.
“That better be the cops,” Elisa stated with a glare towards the door.
“Oh, it better not be. Eric, I swear to God if you called the cops…” her tirade was cut off when he turned and she saw the flash of rage in his eyes.
“Yes, I called the cops. Because you’re going to take this seriously or I swear I’ll turn you over my knee until you come to your senses. Understood?” At her small nod, he turned and stalked towards the front door.
“He’s right,” Melissa offered quietly. “You need to take this seriously. For Franklin to suddenly initiate contact like this, after so long, it concerns me.”
Eric returned to the living room, followed by a tall, muscular man in a long overcoat. Penny watched in amusement when Melissa’s eyes went wide with surprise and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a healthy dose of lust.
“Detective Meyers,” the man said. He looked around the room and sighed. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?” he asked, obviously working to remain polite and professional in the face of such an excess of people.
Penny turned to her friends and her lover. “Could you guys maybe hang out in the bedroom for a bit? I’ll be okay.” She turned back to the detective. “Can my therapist stay?” she asked tentatively.
The detective shrugged. “Sure, why not. Might as well make it a party.”
The struggle to leave her alone was evident on Eric’s face, so she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll call you if I need you, promise.”
He nodded and followed Elisa and Paul to the bedroom, leaving Penny with the detective and her doctor.
Chapter 14
“We’re just going to go over what happened this morning and take it from there,” Detective Meyers explained, pulling out a tape recorder. He ran through the protocols, asking for her permission to record their session before settling in to question her.
For the next hour, he ran through the morning, taking her back over small details. Some she couldn’t fill in because Eric had retrieved the package, but others she could. Then they started to go over her history with Franklin. How long had they been together, who ended the relationship, why did she think he was making contact after so long?
“I don’t know, because he’s fucking crazy?” Penny finally exploded, pushing up off the couch to pace. “After we saw him at the mall, I figured that was the end of it. He made it clear he didn’t want me, that I wasn’t worth his time, which is exactly what he said.”
“That could have been a trigger,” Melissa offered. “It could be that he’s convinced himself that he ended things. It’s possible that this time apart has been, in his mind, a form of punishment for you, so he was in control. When he saw you, happy and with another man, it may have set him off.”
“I’m inclined to agree with the doc here,” Meyers said. “Men like this, it’s all about that control. He’s probably been checking up on you without you noticing it until now. Have you had any other relationships in that time?”
Penny shrugged. “None that mattered. They only lasted a few weeks before fizzling out.”
Meyers nodded. “Makes sense. I’m going to get some information from your man and then take the package in as evidence. In the meantime, make sure you’re keeping your doors locked and call me immediately if you notice anything strange. Got it?”
“Yes,” Penny replied softly as she accepted his business card.
No sooner had the detective left than there was another knock at the door. Penny glared at Eric accusingly. “Did you call the fucking National Guard, too?” she snapped. The room fell silent.
Eric crossed his arms and returned her glare. “I’m trying to keep you safe. So, if I did call the fucking National Guard, it’s because I love your stubborn ass and I’ll move mountains to make sure that bastard never touches you again. If you have a problem with that, we can discuss it— respectfully—once everyone has left.” With that, he turned to answer the door again.
Penny huffed out a breath and flopped onto the couch with her arms crossed. Melissa was watching her, apparently fascinated by the exchange. “It’s always interesting to see couples interact in their natural habitat. We have so much to discuss at your session tomorrow.”
“But I don’t have a session tomorrow.”
“Oh yes, you do. Nine a.m. sharp at my office,” Melissa informed her cheerfully.
Any further protest was cut off by a familiar voice. “Where’s my baby? What happened? Have the police been here?”
Penny turned her glare on Elisa who shrugged sheepishly and mouthed ‘whoops’. Then Penny forced a smile onto her face before rising to greet her mother.
Beverly Frost had her daughter’s height and, even at sixty, her impressive curves. She raced to Penny and wrapped her in a hard embrace.
“I’m fine, mom,” Penny said soothingly, but she clung to her mother’s coat for a few moments longer. “Eric has been taking good care of me. As you can see, he called the cavalry,” she said dryly, letting go to gesture towards the group gathered in the living room.
Melissa rose and offered a hand. “Melissa French, ma’am. I’m your daughter’s therapist.”
Elisa waved from the couch. “Hey Ms. Bev. My mom called you?”
“Yes, just as you should have,” Beverly scolded.
“Mom, it’s not her fault. It’s been a crazy morning. I’m sorry we didn’t call. The police just left. Hi Daddy,” Penny offered a weak smile to the imposing man standing off to the side.
“Hi pumpkin,” he replied with a smile, holding his arms open. Penny raced into them and held on tight, breathing in his familiar scent.
“Sorry I’m so much trouble,” she mumbled into his chest.
“Nonsense, baby girl. We’re going to do everything we can to get this taken care of as quickly as possible.”
Penny sighed. Apparently, there would be no quietly ignoring this and hoping it went away. She stepped out of her father’s embrace and walked over to Eric.
“Mommy, Daddy, this is Eric.” She smiled up at him. “The love of my life. Eric, Michael and Beverly Frost.”
Eric shook hands with both of them, then slid an arm around her waist. “Nice to meet you both. I wish it were under different circumstances, but I swear to you I’ll do everything in my power to keep your daughter safe.”
Beverly studied him intently for a moment before grinning brilliantly at the couple. “Well of course you will. Anyone can see tha
t she’s being well taken care of. Now, what are we going to do about Christmas dinner? I already told your grandmother that you weren’t feeling well, so she’s not expecting any of us.”
Relief washed over Penny. As much as she loved her family, the last thing she wanted was to put on a happy face and pretend like everything was okay. And she was glad her mother had the foresight to keep the situation quiet.
It was quickly decided that they’d order in from the Chinese restaurant down the street. Elisa and Paul offered to pick it up, and disappeared after the order was placed. Penny had a feeling that they were going to detour by their house for a “discussion” before picking up the food.
Melissa left shortly after them, heading to her own family celebration. When Penny apologized for disrupting her holiday, she simply waved her off and reminded her that they had an appointment the next morning.
Then it was just her and Eric and her parents. With a start, Penny realized she was still in her pajamas. “I’m going to grab a shower and change while we’re waiting on the food.” She hurried away before Eric could stop her, leaving him alone with her parents.
Little brat won’t sit for a week, Eric thought darkly as Penny disappeared into her bedroom.
“So, can I get you something to drink?” he offered, at a loss for another way to fill the silence.
“A glass of wine would be lovely. And you don’t have to look so terrified, darling, we don’t bite,” Beverley laughed as she settled in the oversized armchair Penny had recently discovered she couldn’t live without.
“Penny keeps my favorite scotch in the cabinet under the silverware,” Michael offered as he made himself at home as well.
Eric kept himself busy making the drinks, stalling for as long as he could before joining the couple in the living room. When he delivered the drinks, he perched on the edge of the couch, unsure of what to say next.
Luckily Michael took control of the conversation. “What are your intentions with my daughter? You seem very familiar with her kitchen, so I assume you’ve been spending a good bit of time here.” Maybe it wasn’t so lucky after all.
Eric didn’t realize, until that moment, that you could feel the blood drain from your face. “Um, well, I do, I mean, not that we—”
He was interrupted by Beverley’s delighted laughter. “Mikey, don’t tease the boy.” She turned to Eric. “She talks about you, all the time. I’ve never seen her this happy, especially since…” she trailed off, then seemed to give herself a mental shake before continuing. “I’m not the type of mother to hound my daughter about getting married, but I would so love some more grand babies. I’m not able to spoil the ones I have nearly enough.”
“Mother, really!” Penny emerged from the bedroom in a pair of snug jeans and her favorite red sweater. “I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re talking about babies? We haven’t even been together six months yet. We’ll let you know when marriage and babies enter the conversation,” she promised. “Eric, can you come here for a moment? I need to get something out of the closet and I can’t quite reach.”
Desperately relieved by the distraction, he practically jumped off the couch and hurried after her. Inside the bedroom, he shut the door behind them before grabbing her and pinning her against it, crushing his mouth to hers. He’d needed to hold her, to feel her like this since she’d opened that package this morning, but he hadn’t been able to with everyone hanging around. With a whimper, she wrapped herself around him, responding to his kiss with her own impatient hunger.
“I love you,” he said simply, pressing his forehead against hers.
“I know you do. And I’m so sorry about this morning. I’m sorry my stupidity caused so much trouble.”
Eric chuckled, but it wasn’t a fun, happy sound. “Little girl, you’re already in a heap of trouble for how you spoke to me earlier. Do you want to add to it by talking like that?”
Penny felt her pussy clench at the low, threatening words. How she wished her parents had left with everyone else so he could paddle her ass red right here and now. She needed the release it would bring like she needed her next meal.
“No, sir,” she responded quietly, resting her head on his shoulder. “I am sorry, though. Especially for yelling at everyone.”
He pressed a kiss to her hair. “No worries, sweetheart. I know you’re stressed, and scared. We all are. I’m not upset with you, but I do think a spanking will probably help relieve the stress.”
She nodded enthusiastically against his shoulder and earned a laugh. “Let me go grab your parents’ present from the closet and we can go enjoy our Christmas.”
Chapter 15
A week went by with no further contact from Franklin. Eric and Penny rang in the New Year together at her apartment, surrounded by their closest friends. As January settled in, with its biting cold and slushy snow, Penny hunkered down to work on projects she’d neglected during the holidays. Since weddings were few and far between this time of year, she had time to upload and sell some stock photos that she’d taken around town when the Christmas decorations had been at their peak. It wasn’t glamorous and wouldn’t win her any awards, but it paid the bills between busy seasons. She was deep in editing mode for some pictures she was hoping to sell at a local gallery when she heard a knock on the door. Annoyed at the interruption, she got up and went to the door. She remembered to check through the viewer before opening it, but didn’t see anyone. She opened the door to an empty hallway. Uneasy, she closed the door and made sure the deadbolt was thrown before getting back to work.
By the time Eric came home from work, she’d all but forgotten about the strange knock. It didn’t even cross her mind to mention it as they sat down to dinner.
Winter bloomed into spring, and with it came the flurry of activity that signaled the start of wedding season. Penny spent most of her days, and some of her nights, meeting with brides and their mothers, scoping out venues and booking appointments for engagement shoots, bridal shoots and of course, the weddings themselves. Every now and again, she had the feeling that someone was following her, but since she still hadn’t heard from or seen Franklin, she brushed it off as paranoia.
Until the day she returned home from shooting a wedding, and found the door to her apartment sitting slightly open. Frowning, she figured she must have forgotten to close it behind her and decided to check it out. At first, it seemed like nothing was out of place. Then, she spotted something small laying on the counter. Slowly, almost as if she were in a trance, she walked towards it. A small, strangled cry escaped her throat when she realized what it was.
Laying on the counter in the kitchen of the apartment she knew she’d locked when she left that morning, was a matchbook from the club where she and Franklin had first met. The knowledge that he’d been in her apartment was followed quickly by the fear that he might never have left. Grabbing her purse and keys, she fled.
A few minutes later, Penny found herself banging on the door of her best friend’s house.
“Penny? What are you doing here?” Paul asked when he opened the door. “Is everything okay?”
“He was in my apartment.”
Paul reached out and grabbed her arm, hauling her inside the house and closing the door behind them. “How do you know? Have you called Eric? Detective Meyers?”
“Eric’s out of town for the weekend at a convention and I was too scared to think to call anyone. I just came straight here. Paul,” her voice broke on his name and she found herself wrapped in the strong arms of the man who’d been like a brother to her for as long as she could remember, “why won’t he just leave me alone?”
Paul guided her to the couch and sat, not letting her go. “Okay, let’s start over from the beginning and then we’ll call the detective.”
Penny nodded and started her story. Once she reached the part about going in her apartment, Paul exploded.
“Have you lost your mind?” he bellowed, fury etched into every line on his face. “What if he’d been
in the apartment, Penny? You could be dead.”
Penny could only stare at him, shocked. She’d never seen Paul angry, even that time she and Elisa had stolen his car on Spring Break to go joy riding. Even then he’d just dropped her off at her house after calmly telling Elisa she wouldn’t be sitting comfortably for a while. “I just figured I didn’t close the door all the way when I left. I honestly didn’t even think.”
“Exactly. You didn’t think. So right now, you’re going to call Detective Meyers and tell him everything. I’m going to call Eric and let him know he needs to come home asap.”
Penny leapt up from the couch, glaring at him. “Don’t you dare! There’s no need to ruin his trip just because I made a small mistake.”
Paul closed his eyes and Penny could swear he was counting to ten. “Even if you hadn’t pulled this stunt, I’d still be calling him. He deserves to know what’s happening and that you’re okay. Now, unless you want me to spank you myself—which trust me, I’m seriously considering doing right about now—you’ll do as you’re told.” With that, he turned and walked away.
Mumbling to herself about overbearing alpha males, Penny pulled Detective Meyers’ card out of her purse. “Hi, it’s Penny Frost. Something happened. At my apartment. I think he got in.”
“You’re not there now, are you?” the gruff detective asked.
“No, I’m at Elisa and Paul’s house.” She rattled off the address.
“I can be there in ten minutes. In the meantime, I’m sending a unit to your apartment to keep an eye on things until we can get over there. Stay put,” he ordered, before ending the call.
Penny was still scowling at her cell when Paul returned to the living room. She looked over at him warily. “What did Eric say?”
“He’s on his way home. He’s hoping to get an earlier flight, and he promised to let us know his ETA. I didn’t tell him about your memory lapse. That’s for you to tell. If you don’t though, I will tell him and I think you know it’ll be that much worse for you.”