Stoking the Embers (New Adult Romantic Suspense): The Complete Series

by Johnson, Leslie

  “So the contract went through,” I state, trying to divert the conversation. “Congratulations, I’m very happy for you. You worked hard and deserve it.”

  He glows in my compliments, just as I knew he would. I go on, “You’re so handsome in your suit, I’m sure you’re having to run from all the women.”

  Narrowing his eyes the tiniest of bits, he reaches into his pocket and I freeze. But he only pulls out a set of keys, BMW on the label. “Actually, I drive away from them in my new Beemer.”

  “Convertible? You always said you wanted a convertible.” Keep him talking. Keep him talking.

  “You know it, cherry red, leather seats. The best of everything. I’ll get you a matching one… his and hers.”

  I swallow.

  “It sounds beautiful.” Before I can repeat, ‘I’m so happy for you’, he lunges. I react too slowly. He pulls me to his chest and his lips are on mine before I can stop him. I push against him and manage to twist my head away. “Stop.”

  I’m surprised when he lets me go. “Still a little cock-tease aren’t you? Playing hard to get, making me work for it. I like that. It turns me on.”

  He’s fully hard, his dress pants tented out with his arousal.

  “I’ve really got to go. I can’t be late. Please.” I keep my eyes down, afraid my hate of him will betray me through my eyes. I’ve got to stay calm. Calm. Low voice. Soft eyes. A hint of aggression and he’d escalate, I’m sure of it.

  He steps back. “Okay, we can talk about this later. You don’t want to miss your last day of class.”

  I nod. “Yeah, later is better.” I’d say anything to get him to leave.

  He turns and walks toward the door, turns the knob, then looks back. “I know how important school is to you. Hope you did well on your finals.” Then he’s gone and I sag onto a chair in relief.

  I made a D. I can’t believe it. I stare at the print out of my final grade.

  I check the corner, to make sure it’s really my name on the paper. Stephanie Grace Vonnegut. I still can’t believe it. Even as my classmates file out, I sit there stunned. Professor Donovan looks up from her desk and asks, “Are you alright?”

  I shake my head and burst into tears.

  When I’m able to speak, my voice is barely above a whisper. “I don’t understand, I thought I did so well. Could you please grade it again?”

  “Stephanie, the computer doesn’t lie,” Professor Donovan says gently. “There is no human error here. There’s 99.99 percent accuracy of the scans.”

  “Maybe I’m the point one percent? Please, can you check it again? I’ll be on academic probation, I could lose my scholarship. I’m so close to graduating, I can’t let that happen.”

  The professor looks at me with kind eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m on my way to lunch, getting the 777 plate at Planet H. Come with me and we can chat while we eat. I’m starving and if I don’t eat now, I’ll miss my chance.”

  Still in shock, I agree to meet her there. I stop by the restroom to splash cold water on my face. Then step out into the scorching Vegas sun to join her.

  Sitting across the table from Professor Donovan at Planet Hollywood, I pick at a small side salad while she eats her prime rib special. I’m meeting Ken in a little while for a company BBQ and I don’t want to spoil my appetite for his ‘world famous ribs’ as he calls them.

  The professor is working hard to assure me that my life’s not over as I first believed.

  “I’ve never failed a class before. It’s not that I’m smart, I just always studied hard and tried hard.” I blink back tears again, trying desperately not to break down inside this restaurant filled with people.

  “Stephanie, you’re being too hard on yourself,” she says. “Even with this grade, your overall GPA is still an A. Even if you’re placed on scholarship probation, which I don’t think you will considering the long-term quality of your work, it’s only probation. They will still pay for school fall semester. You’ll get past this bump and still graduate at Christmas.”

  Hope. I grab it like a life-line. “You really think so?”

  She nods and smiles at me. “I know so. Now stop worrying and eat. You look pale as a ghost still.”

  I’m sure I do. “It’s been a rough day. First my ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly and now this.” I take a sip of my tea. “Thank you for talking with me. I really appreciate it.”

  “I’m glad I could. The nursing profession needs committed, talented people like you. It’s my honor to help you along the best I can.”

  Swallowing a bit of my salad, I tell her about my adventures of late. Of helping out with the car wreck, the birth of the baby and my ride-alongs as I consider the life of a paramedic. Her eyes are wide and her steak is forgotten by the time I finish.

  “That is impressive. Would you mind if I contacted the school paper to interview you? The local paper might pick up the story. It would be wonderful to see you recognized and the nursing academy would be promoted at the same time. A real win-win.”

  “Really? You think this is newsworthy?”

  “Absolutely. Everyone loves a hero story and you were, without a doubt, a hero.”

  I smile for the first time all day, reveling in her compliments. I open my mouth to say I’d love to when…

  “Stephanie, my love. I found you!”

  Holy hell. It’s Jerome, standing by our table, his face split open in a wide grin.

  He looks from me to Professor Donovan. He sticks out his hand, “Hello, I’m Stephanie’s boyfriend. Stephanie, aren’t you going to introduce me to your lovely companion?”

  I stutter, “Prof… Professor Donovan, this… this is my ex-boyfriend, Jerome Golsin.” Finally, I gain a bit of my senses and exclaim, “Jerome, what are you doing here? Did you follow me?”

  “Of course I followed you. I wanted to make an already special day more perfect. We didn’t get to finish our conversation this morning, so I want to finish it now.”

  He pulls a small box from his pocket and drops down on one knee. I gasp and push myself into the farthest corner of the booth, wishing I could break through the wall and run away.

  The entire restaurant grows quiet as Jerome loudly professes, “Stephanie, I love you. I’ve loved you every day for the past three years and I want to love you every day for the rest of our lives. Please, my love, make me the happiest man in the world. Say you’ll be my wife.”

  With that, he opens the box to expose a giant diamond ring nearly the size of my thumbnail. “Stephanie Grace, will you marry me?”

  Lights explode in front of my eyes, even as my peripheral vision grows gray. I’m certain I’m about to pass out from the shock of Jerome’s proposal. I shake my head, because my tongue is too thick to speak and I hear a collective gasp from the dining patrons around me.

  “Please, Stephanie, say yes.” He lifts the box higher, as if a closer look at the ring will make me change my mind. Finally, I find my voice…

  “Jerome, I told you before. This isn’t going to work. Please leave.”

  I stare down at the man kneeling on one knee, holding a diamond ring for half of Las Vegas to see. I’m horrified—how did he even know I was here? I’m mortified—lunch with the associate professor of the nursing school I’m attending. Finally, I’m simply sad—three years of my life wasted on this man.

  “But Steph, there’s no one I want but you. I love you and want to be with your forever. Why would you reject me this way?”

  Professor Donovan stares at me, her mouth hanging open, as do half of the guests around the jam-packed tourist hole. I can’t blame them. Jerome looks like a normal guy, actually better than normal. He looks handsome in his suit, his shoes perfectly shined. His hair is expensively barbered and the ring he is holding is HUGE.

  But… they’re only seeing the outside, not the psychopath lying just beneath the surface. I know. I didn’t see the psychopath in him either.

  “Jerome, I don’t want to make a scene.” I lean in, loweri
ng my voice. “Please, just take it back. You need to go.”

  I could wish for subtle, dream of it even, but Jerome doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Instead of honoring my request, he stands and addresses the audience around us.

  “How many of you beautiful ladies wouldn’t find this romantic?” He turns in a circle, waiting to ensure he has everyone’s attention. “I’m trying to give the woman of my dreams a three carat flawless diamond. This was supposed to be perfect, but no. Rejected. After three years she rejects me.” He turns to me and a… holy hell… a tear drips from his eye. “You’re right about one thing, my love. It is time for me to go.”

  With a dramatic flourish, he turns on his heel and marches away, leaving me sitting there, stunned and shell-shocked, the target of verbal daggers and caustic looks. I look across the table at Professor Donovan who looks as stunned as I do. She reaches across the table and grasps my hand.

  “I’m so sorry, Stephanie. Are you okay?”

  “Did that really just happen?” I look around and see people leaning in, whispering to each other.

  “It sure did, the strangest two minutes of my life.”

  I nod, looking at her, my mouth hanging open. I take a sip of my tea before agreeing, “Mine too.”

  Pulling out of the parking lot of Planet Hollywood, I check my rearview mirror to see if I’m being followed. I don’t see a red BMW convertible anywhere. I also look for his old Camry and don’t see it either.

  I’d stayed longer than I should have with Professor Donovan. I ended up telling her the long, drawn out story about my ex. She kept patting my hand, making little noises of sympathy and giving me wonderful advice on how to handle further altercations.

  Now, I was officially late in meeting Ken. I pull out my cell phone to call while I sit in traffic, but I have no service. Strange. I power down the phone and restart it, still nothing. I toss it on the passenger seat. As crazy as my day has been, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to learn that every satellite in the universe has burst into flames.

  Chapter 14—Ken

  The pitch-black clouds rising from the southwest over the River Mountains portend the break from the stifling heat—probably around two o’clock, the middle of the picnic. Terrific, I know what that means. The storm will be followed by unbearable humidity, a rarity in the desert.

  Why in the hell does the captain insist on late-afternoon for the Battalion picnic? Even as I ask the question, I already know the answer. No nights or weekends, because those are our busiest times. Of course, in Vegas, nothing is predictable.

  My navy blue LVFD t-shirt looks black and feels about two pounds heavier than it did this morning as sweat makes it cling uncomfortably. Okay, I can understand late afternoon, but why August? Not that many other months are much better. September is school time and then the slow descent into winter and the cold months. No, I guess August is as good a time as any.

  The air-conditioning of the truck has that blast furnace effect as I pull out of the station, burning my fingers on the steering wheel. It should be lukewarm by the time I pull into the SaveAll to do my one appointed duty for the day. One nice thing about being the bachelor of the station, they don’t expect much. A quick trip to the store is my only errand.

  “Hi Ken, how can I help you today?” It’s the manager, Diane. Ever since the milk incident, she’s been unusually helpful each time I come in.

  “Company picnic. Need to pick up some potato salad. I got it, thanks anyway.”

  Instead of taking the hint, the blonde woman follows me to deli, where I toss several buckets of it in my buggy. “Is that all you’re planning to take? I’ve got some beer the distributor left for samples and we can’t sell it. Why don’t you take it for the boys… and girl?” She winks at me. “My contribution to our local heroes.”

  Even while I’m still pondering the wink, I thank her. “Beer would be great.”

  As I follow her to the stock area, she looks back and asks, “How’s Stephanie, by the way.”

  Shit.

  “I’m sure she’s fine, why are you asking me?”

  She gives me a little grin, “I’ve heard the rumors. Seems you two didn’t cry over spilled milk after all. Maybe bonded instead?”

  “Look Diane, we’re just good friends. She’s thinking of becoming a paramedic. I thought it’d be good for her to get some practical experience. She’s doing great. Much better than I did when I was starting out. She’s a natural.” I notice the frown on her face. “Oh, sorry, I don’t mean to take an employee from your clutches, but you had to know she wasn’t going to make this a career?”

  Opening the gray double push doors to the cooler, Diane motions me inside and points to four cases of beer. “Sorry they’re not all the same, but the price is right.”

  “Yep, the price is perfect. Thanks again.”

  I start to load the beer, but the older woman puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. “Ken, be good to her, she’s a good girl.”

  Ha, if she only knew. I have a flashback of Stephanie in handcuffs, me holding a vibrator between her legs two nights ago. Snapping out of it, I agree, “Yes, she’s a very good girl.” If everyone knew the kinky stuff Stephanie and I had done together over the past two weeks… whew… I needed to stop thinking about that.

  Back at the truck, I unload the potato salad and beer and climb behind the wheel. I realize I’m missing something. I really wish Steph was in the seat next to me, telling me about her day. I’d run a hand up the insides of her thighs, listen to her get all breathless. Higher, a casual stroke near her clit, her lifting her hips to give me better access. She’d lean into me, kiss my neck, maybe unzip my pants…

  The blast of a car horn behind me lets me know the light’s been green a few seconds too long. Damn, I’ve got a hard-on, again, and I don’t need the boys seeing that, so I turn on talk radio—surefire way to calm down any erection.

  The traffic is backed up on Warm Springs with a broken down landscape truck in the middle of the intersection. I notice Bill, my cop friend, directing traffic. I honk as I pass on the right, and he flips me off. Just wait until the next Fire vs. Police football game, I will take the penalty.

  Pulling into Sunset Park, I notice very few cars, and only one bouncer house full of kids. The ominous clouds must’ve scared people away. I can’t really blame them. It hardly ever rains in Vegas, but when it does, it pours. Especially in late summer, our official monsoon season. Again, I shake my head… why August for the picnic?

  We always get the good spot by the lake, all roped off and with the barbeque grates cleaned. One advantage of being city workers, I guess.

  “Octavio, get your ass over here and help me with the stuff that matters.” Jeff heads over as well. They carry the cases two at a time so I start to unload the ice and feel the first drops of rain. At least one of the other guys brought some 10x10 canopies to cover the picnic table with the food.

  Popping the cap off a beer, Captain Frank comes over and takes a seat next to me on the bench. In his typical, rapid fire way, he asks, “Tell me Ken, are you sleeping with Stephanie?”

  I nearly choke. “What? What kind of question is that?” I stumble to find the words. How the hell does he know? The ladies at the grocery store and now this?

  “It isn’t that important, but some of the guys are talking shit. They think you have ‘ulterior’ motives about getting her into the paramedic program. We don’t have a fraternization policy in any case, but I just figured I’d ask. Prevent some drama. You know these guys can be like old ladies when they sense a scandal.”

  I pull a big drag off my bottle to give me time to think. “Captain, you know I’m not the boyfriend type. We hang out, we’re friends. Besides, she’s too busy for anything serious. With school and work and all.”

  I hope my wordplay placates the captain for now. I hate to lie, but I don’t want her to get kicked out of the training. Or have anyone thinking she’s a slut.

  He stands up and slaps me on the b
ack. “Okay, I just want to make sure your dick won’t affect your judgment on a call.” Without giving me time to reply, he walks away.

  The rain has stopped for the moment. Another Las Vegas tease, but I suspect it’s just waiting until the party is in full swing. Ed walks over with an extra bottle of beer. “Ken, you need another?” He fills the seat the captain just vacated.

  Thank god I’m off duty. I chug the last warm bit from my current bottle. “Sure, as long as it’s cold.”

  “Like ice.”

  Smiling my thanks, I wait for him to pop the top with the Newcastle opener on his keychain. Leaning back, Ed takes a long sip before asking, “What’s the deal with Stephanie?”

  Again? I grind my teeth before saying, “Not you too.”

  “Well, yeah man. She’s coming today, right? How many trainees do that? Besides, anyone with two eyes can see the way you look at each other. It’s really no big deal; we’re just curious. Have you done the deed or what?”

  I push him lightly on his shoulders. “Come on, man, leave it alone. She’s a good person, doesn’t deserve to be thought about like that. She’s serious, almost done with school, still trying to figure everything out.” Change the subject. Change the subject. “What do you think about her being a paramedic?”

  Ed smiles at me, he knows what I’m doing. “She has the talent. I saw that after the first accident; how she handled the pregnant woman and her son. She’d make a great paramedic; a great girlfriend too.”

  I bounce off the bench and stand to face him. “Come on man, I’m not going to get trapped like you. I’ve got at least ten more years of casual hookups before I think of getting serious. Stephanie will be married by then, to a doctor no doubt. Probably have couple of kids and a mini-van.”

  Ed laughs and points at me. “Me thinks the man protests too much.” He pats the seat beside him. “Come on, sit down. We’re all just curious. Besides, if you were tapping that, I’d be giving you a high five. I was kind of joking when I asked, but now I see this probably hit a nerve. Did she turn you down or did you turn her down… face down?”