Stalkers: A Dark Romance Anthology

by Ally Vance

  “Have a good time?” I ask, attempting to keep the sneer of jealousy from my voice. It’s not Tate’s fault that I’m in love with him and too scared to do anything about it.

  “Cor, it was wonderful. Stuart is amazing and such a gentleman.”

  “Stuart? I thought you said this was a blind date.”

  “I thought it was.” He sits up and grabs my hands as an excited squeal leaves his lips. “He knew I would never say yes if he asked, so he set himself up as my date. Isn’t that romantic?”

  Tate has a strict no coworkers rule. Many of the men he’s worked with over the years have tried to get him to break it, and now it seems Stuart has found a way around Tate’s rule. I can’t believe Tate will continue to see him. No matter how romantic he thinks it is, he’ll indulge him for a while then let him down gently. I relax my shoulders in relief, feeling the jealous tension ease from my body.

  “How did he take it when you told him you won’t be going on another date?”

  “What? Of course we’re going on another date. Friday actually. Cor, he could be ‘the one.’”

  I can practically see the hearts in Tate’s eyes and my own plummets in my chest to sit like a ball of lead in my stomach. Tate can’t find ‘the one.’ Not yet. I haven’t had my chance to show him how I feel.

  Because you’re a coward. You’re afraid he won’t feel the same way.

  My conscience is right. I don’t have the courage to tell Tate how I feel about him. It doesn’t matter, because he may have found the one and I won’t ruin that for him.

  “Really? That’s great.” I smile and pull him in for a hug. I can at least pretend to be happy for him.

  “Things are really starting to look up. I haven’t heard from my mysterious stalker in months and now I’ve finally had a date turn out to be exactly what I’d always dreamed of. I think things are only going to get better, Cor. Now we just need to find someone special for you.” Tate lays his head on my shoulder and presses a light kiss to my cheek. It’s nothing more than the friendly affection he’s given me several times before, but now that Tate may be taken, it leaves me longing for more. But I only want it from Tate.

  “I don’t need anyone special. I’m fine on my own.” As long as I have you in my life. Even if only as a friend. I leave the last part unsaid.

  Tate notices the movie playing on the TV and we snuggle together to finish watching it. Him with a renewed hope for love, and me with the devastation of a love that will never be.

  Chapter Five

  It angers me that Stuart arranged for Tate’s date to be with him. I can’t dispose of Stuart as easily as I did the others, not without Tate noticing. The other men had been virtual strangers, men whose disappearance from his life made no impact. But Stuart, the man is one of his favorite coworkers. Tate will definitely notice if one day he never shows up for work. I’m going to have to be inventive and convince Tate to leave Stuart himself, somehow.

  At least my day isn’t the only one that has been ruined by Stuart’s manipulations. Corvin looks miserable as he listens to Tate talk about how wonderful Stuart is. Stuart this, and Stuart that. Blah, blah, blah.

  I can’t believe he hasn’t ever seen the way Corvin looks at him. The poor man’s got it bad and it’s plain as day on his face, and if Tate ever bothered to pay attention, he’d see it. The longing and sadness at Tate finding someone who isn’t him is clear, but Tate is oblivious as he recounts his date.

  I almost feel sorry for Corvin. He’s the only man I’ve allowed to stay so close to Tate, and that’s only because he protects him. His love for Tate means he will keep him safe and is the reason I haven’t shown myself as Tate’s stalker and disposed of him. He takes care of Tate when I can’t.

  Not to worry, Corvin. I’ll find a way to remove Stuart from Tate’s life. It might take a little more time than my usual methods, but I’ll get rid of the romantic nuisance.

  Chapter Six

  Tate

  Things with Stuart are going well. Corvin has been a little distant recently, but I’m sure he’ll let me know what’s wrong when he’s ready. My life is pretty much how I’d always dreamt it would be, except for one thing. My stalker is back.

  I don’t mention anything to Corvin because I know he’ll want me to go to the police. There’s nothing they can do. He’s not harassing me or threatening me. He’s just been leaving me small gifts and romantic little notes. At first I thought it was Stuart. When I thanked him for the bouquet of roses that had been left on my desk at work, he’d frowned and told me they weren’t from him. I haven’t mentioned any of the other gifts since.

  I sigh and close the door to my office. I can feel a headache brewing and I don’t want to deal with numbers and spreadsheets and invoices, but being an accountant means I need to work with those and more. I take the bottle of aspirin from my desk drawer as I sit in my rolling chair and swallow them with a sip of water. Then I just sit for a moment with my eyes closed, willing the pain to recede enough that I can work.

  My gaze falls to the slip of paper on my desk as soon as I open them.

  He isn’t worthy of you. He can’t give you what you deserve. You need a love built to last. He’s just following some script based on what he thinks you want. No one is that perfect. He may have you falling for his act, but he doesn’t know you like I do. You’ll see through his ruse soon enough.

  I crumple it and toss it into the garbage bin at the side of my desk. Does Stuart seem impossibly perfect? Yes. But my stalker knows just what to say to make me doubt everything. It really is like he knows me better than anyone else. He thinks I’m easy prey for whatever game he’s playing. But I’m as much the predator as I am his prey; he just doesn’t know it… yet.

  He’s messing with my head, and I need to do something to make him stop. I’m determined to end this before he can escalate to disrupting my life with more than minor inconveniences. I write out a note asking him to meet me and leave it on my desk. He’s bound to find it when he comes to drop off his next ‘gift.’

  I close out of my files and shut down my computer. The thrumming pain in my head isn’t going to let up and I won’t be able to get any work done anyway, so I slip out early. I send Stuart a text to let him know and then another to reassure him that I’m fine.

  I don’t remember much of the journey home, or the walk up to the apartment, but somehow I make it inside. Falling onto my bed, I squeeze my eyes tight to try and help alleviate some of the pain. I’m not sure how long I lie there, but at some point I must doze off. The next thing I know is I’m awakened by Corvin calling my name from down the hall. The pain in my head has lessened, but his shouts are like vises clamping down on my brain.

  “What?” I manage to call back, and I open my eyes to see him standing in my doorway.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I got a headache at work that wouldn’t go away, so I cut out early.”

  “Another headache? You’ve been having them a lot lately. Are you sure you’re all right?” Corvin crosses the room to sit on the bed beside me and immediately puts his hand to my forehead. “No fever. Did you take anything for it?”

  I nod and sit up, adjusting my body until I’m reclining against a pillow next to him, and I’m close enough to lay my head on his shoulder. “I’m good, Cor. I promise.” I feel his arm wrap around me, and I lean my body into his, accepting his comfort.

  I think about my stalker and the note he’d left. I can’t bring Stuart into that mess, but I can talk it over with Corvin. He already knows about the guy. Lifting my head from his shoulder, I turn to face him without leaving his embrace.

  “Corvin.” I meet his eyes and there’s something in them I’ve never seen before... or maybe it was something that I didn’t want to see. Words fail me and I’m frozen with shock as Corvin leans in and takes my mouth with his.

  Chapter Seven

  Corvin

  Tate’s body stiffens as my lips touch his and I’m thinking I’ve made a huge
mistake, but before I can pull away his lips soften, and his mouth opens to mine. The kiss doesn’t last long and Tate jerks away to stare at me in shock.

  “I can’t—we can’t. Stuart.” He seems unable to form complete sentences, but I understand what he’s trying to say. He has Stuart and I’m just a friend who has missed his chance.

  “I get it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” I tell him, and I stand up to leave his room.

  “Cor,” he calls my name and waits for me to turn back to face him. He’s lifted himself up onto an elbow and his other arm is resting across his body as if he reached for me but let it drop before I could see. “Don’t be sorry. My head is messed up and I’m confused, but I—I really liked that kiss. It’s just… I’m seeing Stuart and I like him. He’s a great guy.”

  “It’s cool. I told you, I get it.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t. I never thought that you saw me that way, and now I don’t know what to do. I’ve finally started seeing someone and things are going good. This has thrown me for a loop. I need to think. But not tonight. My head is killing me. I have enough going on right now without adding to it. Not to mention my stalker is back to leaving me notes.”

  “Okay. Wait. What?” I listen intently as he tells me about the notes and gifts he’s been receiving from his stalker since he started seeing Stuart. I try again to convince him to go to the police, but he tells me he has a plan. When he winces in pain, I decide to leave the argument for the morning. I watch him close his eyes and let his head sink back into the pillow. I stare at Tate a little longer than I should, but his words have given me hope that I have a chance.

  I leave Tate to sleep off his headache and I try to get some rest too. Unfortunately, my mind keeps replaying the kiss, keeping me awake and hard as a rock. I can still feel the soft skin of his lips beneath mine and how he responded during those few short moments.

  I slip a hand into my boxers and grip my cock firmly, stroking as I imagine Tate would have had he not stopped himself. I imagine his lips moving over my jaw and slowly down, his tongue coming out to lick a path down my throat. As I continue pumping my dick, the fantasy becomes even more vivid, and closing my eyes, I give in to the vision playing out behind my lids.

  Pushing Tate to lie back on the bed, I follow until I’m pressing my body down onto his. I grind against him as he pushes his hips up to meet mine, creating a lust that rolls through me at a fever pitch. My hands grip his face to pull him back in for another kiss as his fingers twist my T-shirt, and the crescendo of our imagined dry humping washes over me.

  Warm, sticky cum shoots over my hand and I keep jerking my cock until it’s too sensitive to touch. Inhaling deeply, I release my breath with an amazed laugh. Just the fantasy of Tate caused me to have one of the best orgasms of my life. I can only imagine what would happen if it had been real.

  Chapter Eight

  Tate

  I can hear his footsteps pounding on the pavement of the park’s jogging path as he chases me. I don’t know him, barely saw that it was a man before he gave chase, but I know he’s the one who’s been following me the past few weeks. Always there, watching, waiting. Leaving me notes and gifts.

  I push through the exhaustion that wants to slow me down and gain speed as the path opens onto the street. His steps slow as I weave in and out of the crowd, but they never falter. My apartment building looms in front of me. My hand grips the door handle, twisting it and pushing open the door just as his hand brushes along my back.

  I jerk awake covered in sweat and with my heart pounding. Ever since the day I felt as though someone was watching me—following me, I keep having these recurring nightmares about a faceless man. And each night, my dream stalker gets closer to catching me. I don’t know what will happen when he does catch me, but I bet it’ll be something I’ll never forget. I just don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

  From the beginning the cops have said there isn’t anything they can do since I don’t know who’s following me, nor do I have proof that someone is actually stalking me. I’ve not been threatened, and until it escalates, or I have evidence, there’s not much they can do. Corvin has taken it upon himself to be my protector in their place like he’s done most of my life, so I have kept the continuing nightmares to myself. If he knew I was still having them he wouldn’t let me out of his sight, with or without Stuart. Now that he knows I’ve begun receiving notes again he’ll probably recruit Stuart to help him ransack the city until he finds the man.

  I yawn and glance at the clock. The lack of sleep caused by my nightmares is normal. Still, I decide to try to get a few more hours if I can. I place my head back on the pillow and close my eyes, willing my mind to give me a break from being chased, only to remember the way Corvin had kissed me.

  Fuck. What am I going to do? Corvin is my best friend, and while I’ll admit he’s gorgeous and any other time I would jump with joy to have him make a move on me, I can’t dismiss Stuart. He’s a good man and I’m happy with him. Sure, it’s early days still, but besides Corvin he’s the only man to have made me smile in a long time. Ever since my stalker has been following me at least.

  We have a date set for tonight and though it’s probably a bad idea, I decide I need to tell him. I can’t let the kiss with Corvin fester inside my mind until it’s all I can think about. If Stuart is the man I hope and believe him to be, he’ll talk it through with me until I understand what I’m feeling. He might not like the results the talk brings, but he won’t do anything crazy. He’s not my stalker after all. At least… I don’t think he is.

  The stalker’s obsession with me is all-consuming. I should run, but I won’t. I’ve been running long enough. If he shows himself, I’ll be ready and waiting. In the meantime, I’ll work through the conflicted thoughts raised by the unexpected kiss from my best friend and my new relationship with Stuart.

  After getting a few more hours rest I get ready for my date with Stuart. When it’s time to leave I sneak out. I know it’s childish of me to do it, but I don’t want to have to confront Corvin and my feelings for him until I’ve sorted things out with Stuart.

  Stuart is waiting for me in the restaurant parking lot and we walk in together. We order food and awkward silence settles between us. I can only take the quiet for so long and I blurt out, “Corvin kissed me.”

  Stuart’s brows rise in surprise. “Okay.”

  “I didn’t plan it. It just happened,” I rush out the words and somehow he understands them.

  “Calm down. I believe you. But I think maybe you’re feeling a bit guilty, am I right?”

  I nod and sigh in relief. “Yes. I don't know how I feel about the kiss, not really, but my first thought was of you.”

  “Tate, Corvin is your best friend. I’d be lying if I said the thought of him finally coming to his senses and taking you from me had never crossed my mind. But I know we’re just starting this thing between us and there will be hiccups.”

  What he says makes sense and I begin to relax. We enjoy a nice meal, but I can tell something is on Stuart’s mind. I take a sip of water then clear my throat. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.” He sighs at the disbelief on my face. “Okay. It’s not really a big deal, but I’ve been promoted.”

  “Stuart! That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”

  “It is wonderful. But the promotion is at another office. Across the country.”

  “Oh.” Why am I so disappointed at his success? Maybe because you thought you’d finally found someone who wanted to stay with you.

  “I know we’ve only been dating for less than a month, but I was hoping you’d want to come with me.”

  “I—Stuart, I can’t. There aren't any openings at any of the other offices for my position. And even if there were, I like it here, at this office and in this city. I can’t leave for something that may or may not last, especially when it’s still so new.”

  “I understand. Can I ask you to think about it? Really think about
it and then give me an answer.” I see the hope in his eyes that I might change my mind, so I nod even though I already know my answer will stay the same.

  “When do you go?”

  “Uh, I leave next week. The position has been open for a while and they need me there as soon as possible.”

  “Yeah. Makes sense I guess.”

  We continue eating in silence.

  Chapter Nine

  I can’t believe that asshole Stuart gave Tate hope, especially after his confession about Corvin, then crushed it the way he did. He had to know Tate would never just leave his life behind for someone he’s been dating for such a short time. And even if he tried, I’d quickly put a stop to that. I should have worked harder to get rid of Stuart sooner, but I thought I’d have more time to poison Tate against him.

  I guess there’s good news in that Corvin has finally shown his true feelings for Tate. He may yet prove to be the man for Tate. I’ll find out soon enough, but first I need to take care of the man currently seated across from Tate.

  I wait impatiently for them to leave the restaurant and for Tate to get into his car before I confront Stuart.

  The surprise on his face as I approach shifts into a smile and he reaches for me, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Not ready for our date to be over?” he asks, the words a low whisper in my ear. I shiver in disgust, but he mistakes it for something else. “Want to come back to my place?”