by Mora Early
Twisted Arrangement
Vol 2
By
Mora Early
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Sexy Read Suitable for Readers over the age of 18
Copyright © 2013 Mora Early
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and storylines are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 ~ A Wedding Plan
Chapter 2 ~ Champagne & Blue Balls
Chapter 3 ~ The Engagement Announcement
Chapter 4 ~ Good Mud & the Felon
Chapter 5 ~ Getting A Little Wookie
Chapter 6 ~ It Won’t Ruin the Leather
Chapter 7 ~ Magnus & the Rita
Chapter 8 ~ Meet the Ranslers
Chapter 9 ~ A Desperate Girl
Chapter 10 ~ Thrown to the Sharks
From the Author
Chapter 1 ~ A Wedding Plan
Joshua Owens stood before the church’s altar, staring up at the sunlight pouring through the elaborate rose window. It warmed his face. He closed his eyes, the many hues of the stained glass playing behind his lids. He listened to the sounds of the church around him. An old woman was praying the Rosary behind him. Someone was turning the thin pages of a Bible with a soft rustle. Someone else shifted on a bench, the wood creaking.
The air was redolent of candle wax, incense and dusty stone. Everything was calm, beautiful, peaceful. He imagined a dark haired woman in a white dress standing just where he was, the multi-hued light dancing over her face. She stares at him, eyes brimming with happy tears. The door of the church bangs open with a sound like a gun shot. Her eyes widen in horror. The bouquet of flowers drops from her slender fingers, tumbling end over end to the stone floor.
Josh opened his eyes. He had his answer. Spinning on his heel, he searched the shadowy nave for Martin. His caught the other man’s eye and grinned. Martin quirked a questioning brow. Josh gave him a thumbs up. They ducked out of the church. As soon as they reached the front steps, Josh began rambling.
“It’s perfect. The wedding will play like a dream. Get McClure in there and see if he doesn’t want to make love to that lighting. Where’s my phone? Have you got Chartrand on the line?”
Martin thrust the cell at him. “Chartrand’s on the line.”
“Max,” Josh cried, jovially. “I’ve just been to see the church. You’re a genius. How’d you find it?”
Maxine Chartrand gave a wry snort. “I’m your location scout. That’s my job.”
“Yeah, well, you deserve a raise. An extra percentage point on the back end. How’s that sound?” Josh slid into the back of the limo beside Martin and motioned the driver onward.
“Very generous, Josh. Thank you. But about that... Mr. Goodweather has been saying some things. Worrisome things. About our funding.”
Josh sighed. It had been over a week since the charity masquerade. He’d taken the donations to the people at Children of Hope in person, and the man who ran the charity had hugged him. But he still hadn’t managed to arrange a meeting with William Ransler yet. Every time he called, the star’s manager or agent or secretary claimed he was ‘all booked up, so busy, so sorry, please call back, Mr. Owens and we’ll squeeze you in somewhere, we promise.’
“I’m on top of it, Max. I swear. Have I ever let you down yet?”
He could hear the smile in the tiny woman’s voice when she answered. “No, sir. That’s what I thought. But I promised the rest of the crew I’d ask.”
“Ahh, so they sent you to beard the lion in his den, huh?” Josh chuckled. Maxine was a straight shooter; she always said what she meant. It was one of the reasons Josh kept bringing her onto his film crews.
“Exactly. They know I’ve got a way with pussy.” She paused and again, Josh could hear the amusement in her voice. “You know, cats.”
Martin waved to get his attention, and pointed out the window to where they were pulling up to the train station. Josh nodded. “Yeah, yeah. How is Steph, by the way? You two still going hot and heavy?”
“She’s good,” Max replied. “I’ll tell her you said hey. She’s been asking about you. The rest is none of your business, you pervert.”
“Tell her I’m looking forward to the next wrap party. She owes me another one of those cake things.” The car door opened and Ben slid inside, held up a manila folder, and shook it. Josh smiled. “Listen Max, I’ve got to go. Tell the crew there’s nothing to worry about. And let me know when we’ve got all our ducks in a row on the permits for that church.”
“Sure thing,” she said.
Josh said his goodbyes and tossed his phone back to Martin before quirking a brow at his friend. “So, what did you find out?”
“Why yes, Josh, I had a lovely trip down to Ojai, thanks for asking.” Ben leaned across the seat to the mini-bar and snagged a bottle of water. He wiped at the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Josh rolled his eyes. “You poor thing, you had to take a train out to the countryside. The things I ask of you! Now, what did you find?”
Ben cast Martin a doleful look. “I don’t know why you put up with him.”
The long-faced man grinned. “Well, he is pretty to look at.”
Josh shoved a hand through his wavy blond hair, exasperated. “I don’t know why I put up with either of you. Now, remind me before I get testy and start firing people.”
“Okay, okay, calm down.” Ben flipped open the folder and began reading. “Your first time-poker player was named Todd Ness. Not Nest.”
Josh shrugged. “Close enough. I barely knew the guy. What do you expect?”
“Anyway,” Ben continued. “Todd Ness is 24. Youngest son of Marian and Frank Ness. Marian died when the boy was an infant, Frank a few years later. He and his older sister were sent to live with an elderly great aunt, Margaret Hackenburg.”
“Poor kid. Sounds like he had it rough.” Martin tapped at the screen of his iPad, fiddling absentmindedly with Josh’s schedule.
Ben nodded. “Yeah, according to all reports, Aunt Margaret wasn’t too keen on having kids. But she was a stickler for familial duty so she took them in. Todd was in and out of trouble all through high school. Small-time stuff, pranks mostly. Some petty theft. The kind of stuff punk kids do. But on one occasion he was nearly involved in a full scale robbery.”
Josh frowned. “Nearly involved? What does that mean? And how did you even find that out?”
“I have my ways.” Ben grinned. “And I’m not about to share them. As for what it means, according to the kids who did get caught, he was one of the masterminds behind the scheme to begin with. But before the thing went down, something happened to his sister and he bowed out. Guess Aunt Margaret managed to teach him a little about familial duty.”
“So, he’s got a history of stealing,” Josh said, leaning back in his seat.
Ben’s lips twitched. He flipped through several sheets of paper. “He’s got a history of everyt
hing. I’ve never seen someone with such a long, varied, and frankly odd job history in my life. It reads like a fake identity. Or a children’s book. But I checked it out and it’s all legit.”
Josh raised his brows at that. “Like what?”
“Like, he was a stuntman for a week, a migrant worker, a magician, an inventor, a real estate agent, a self-help guru, and he’s toured the rodeo circuit. Seems like you ended his try at professional gambling in its infancy. Most recent reports say he’s moved on to racing dune buggies.”
“And are there any reports of long time female companions? Partners-in-crime? Who was his magician’s assistant?” Josh was determined to get his watch back. He’d won it, fair and square. And he wasn’t the kind of man who let people take things from him. Even gorgeous, mysterious women in stunning dresses
Ben scanned another piece of paper. “I’m looking into the assistant. Ness has a pretty long list of female acquaintances. Apparently he’s lucky with the ladies. No one serious from what I can tell, though. I’m going to have to run down all these names.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Tell me again why I’m doing this?”
“Because I asked you to,” Josh shot back. “What about the sister?”
“What about her? From all accounts so far, she’s never said boo to a goose. Most people hardly remembered her, except to say she had the same green eyes as Ness. Didn’t you say your Madame Butterfly had brown eyes?”
“Dark brown. And she was damn memorable too. Probably not the same woman. Still, look into the sister a bit more, just to be sure.”
Ben nodded and snapped the folder shut. “Got it. What are you going to be doing?”
Josh glanced at his watch. Since his mystery woman stole the pocket watch, he’d bought himself a wristwatch. He’d prefer to have the other one back, though. Things bought with money were just themselves, nothing more. He’d won that watch through his own skill and cunning. It wasn’t just a watch, it represented that triumph. And he was going to get it back. “I am going to play racquetball.”
“You hate racquetball,” Ben reminded him with a grin.
Josh returned the smile. “I know. But William Ransler loves it. And I’m going to pin that bastard down no matter what it takes. I’ve got to sign him. Arnold has gotten even more skittish since the ball, which I didn’t realize was possible. If he pulls out, the whole project goes up in smoke. And I just promised Max that isn’t going to happen. ”
As if on cue, Martin gave a dramatic sigh and thrust Josh’s cell into his hand. “Mr. Purefoy on the line.”
Emma sipped her coffee, staring at the ghostly reflection of her face in the window over the sink. The morning sunlight shone in, warming her face and hands. But beneath her skin, her heart and lungs felt frozen solid. Tomorrow she would go back to work at Picture Perfect and have her post-event follow-up with Josh Owens.
She squinted hard at her reflection. Would he take one look at her and know? The temporary color had washed out, leaving her hair its own natural brown shade. Still dark, but nowhere near the stark black it had been at the ball. And the contacts were tucked safely away in her bathroom cabinet.
Of course, he’d seen more than her hair and eyes. Her hands trembled around the cup as she remembered the press of his warm mouth against her naked back, the touch of his strong hands on her breasts. Emma gasped as scalding hot coffee splashed onto her wrist. She carefully set the mug aside and ran the wounded arm under the tap. Once the sting had dissipated, she patted her hand dry with a dish towel and carried her coffee back to the kitchen table.
She gripped the warm ceramic mug tighter to keep her hands from shaking. The Watch sat in the middle of her small kitchen table. Emma now thought of the thing in capital letters. Not as their many greats grandfather’s watch, or daddy’s watch, or even Todd’ watch. No, The Watch had gained its own designation, as if it was a talisman or Horcrux. Some magical object that had served as the catalyst for this whole strange, surreal affair and would now return to its dormant state until it decided to wreak havoc on someone’s life again.
Emma thought back to the day Todd first texted her, after their fight. All she’d been worried about was that he wanted more money for another one of his ridiculous endeavors. If only, she thought now. Lending him the last of her savings seemed far less risky than almost seducing and then robbing Joshua Owens.
She looked at The Watch now, and could think only of the feel of Josh’s hand on her back as they danced, the playful light in his eyes, his scorching kisses.
“Now you’re just taunting me with it.” Todd padded into the kitchen, rubbing a hand through his tousled hair and frowning sleepily at her.
“I’d hardly call this ‘taunting’. I haven’t said neener-neener-neener once. Yet. What are you doing up this early?” She poked her finger through the watch chain and begin twirling it on the table in slow circles.
Todd collapsed into the chair opposite her, yawning. “I have no earthly idea. The pain meds really messed up my sleep schedule.”
Emma stopped spinning The Watch and pursed her lips. “You said you weren’t going to take anymore unless they were absolutely necessary.”
“I didn’t take any more. But I slept so much for the first few days I was taking them that I’m all out of whack.” He yawned again and reached for her coffee mug.
Emma let him take it. “To be fair, that happened long before the pain meds.”
“Ha. Ha.” Todd gulped a mouthful of coffee, grimacing. He took more sugar than her, normally. “If this party planning thing doesn’t work out for you, you could become a comedian.”
He paused, mug halfway to his mouth, blinking at her. “Actually, that’s not a half bad idea. You are pretty hilarious all by yourself, Ems. But playing my straight man... woman? The Abbott to my Costello? We could mint money. Like a funny Donny and Marie Os--”
“No.” She drew her brows down low and curved her mouth as far into a frown as it would go. She pointed at herself. “See this face? No more schemes!”
“Aww, Ems. I don’t know why you’re so out of sorts. This last one went down perfectly!” He spread his hands out in front of her, as if presenting the scheme as a whole, on display.
Emma snorted. “No. More. Schemes. And this?” She lifted The Watch by its chain and dangled it before his eyes, swinging it back and forth like an old-time hypnotist. “Repeat after me. This Watch is going to go into a safety deposit box and I will not touch it until I have a son of my own. In a hundred years.”
Todd rolled his eyes. “You’re such a dork.”
“I’m a dork that has to face Joshua Owens in person tomorrow. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull off innocent party promoter if I’m worrying about my lame-brained brother using our family heirloom to get himself embroiled in yet another disaster I have to rescue him from by dressing up in period costume and stealing from vengeful billionaires!” Emma sucked in a long breath to replenish her oxygen. Todd snickered.
“Wow that was impressive, Ems. But you’re the lame-brain. I’m not going to get--”
Emma scowled. “Todd Franklin Ness!”
He flinched. “Fine. We can put it in a safe deposit box. Happy?”
“I’ll be happy when this is all over and I never have to see Joshua Owens again.” Except that was a bald-faced lie. The idea of not seeing Josh again felt like a splinter between her ribs.
Todd drained the rest of her coffee and handed her back the mug. His smile was wide and beatific. “Don’t sweat it, Ems. You’re going to do fine.”
Chapter 2 ~ Champagne & Blue Balls
Clarice’s gaze bored into the side of her head like a drill. Emma adjusted her sleeves yet again. She concentrated on making sure her cuffs were perfectly even any time her frayed nerves began to spark with anxiety. The pointlessly precise task calmed her.
“You seem quieter than usual, Emma.” Clarice’s laced her casual tone with curiosity.
Emma forced her lips upward, fingers smoothing over the st
ack of paperwork on the table in front of her. “Just thinking about all the things I need to catch up on, Ms. Davenport.”
Clarice rubbed a bony finger along her blade of a nose. “Well, I want your head here in this room. Mr. Owens is one of the biggest clients we have. We need to keep him happy. Happy clients spend more money.”
“Yes ma’am.” Emma knew exactly what a happy Josh Owens looked like, what he sounded like. His full-throated laughter on the dance floor as they’d verbally dueled had been a happy sound. When he’d playfully assured her that he didn’t need champagne in order to lick every inch of her body, the glint in his eyes had been full of anticipation. She would have liked to see the expression on his face as he slid into her.
Clarice slapped a palm against the conference table. “You’re not even listening to me.”