Fear's Whisper (Club Risque Book 2)

by Poppy Flynn

  Only once had she ever begged a man for anything, and that was one time too many. She had too much self-respect to do it again. If she had learned one thing since Danny was born, it was her own worth.

  It was unusual that Logan was here now, but perhaps fortuitous. She could give him the letter, which had quickened her pulse and caught her breath and had her dreaming of the comfort of security, of college options for her son and maybe even a down-payment on her own little cottage—until she remembered that the photos weren't hers. She was merely the model; her face, her body, her image, but apparently, that didn't mean much when it came to copyright. She didn't even know if she could refuse their publication if she wanted to maintain her privacy.

  Logan fingered the envelope that was opened and addressed to Luanna. "What's this?" he asked cautiously.

  "It's for you," she replied, keeping her voice carefully neutral. "It was mistakenly directed my way."

  Logan frowned. "What's it about?"

  "It's regarding your photographs," she said woodenly, battling to keep any inflection out of her voice.

  Logan's frowned deepened. "Where did it come from?" he persisted.

  "From Charlotte."

  Well, that, at least, got a response from him.

  Logan's head shot up and he looked at her for the first time since she'd entered the room.

  "What does it say?" he demanded, but any reply was redundant; he had already snatched up the envelope and was checking its contents while he rang across to Jake's office.

  "I think we have a lead," was all he said into the phone.

  He looked at the compliments slip, then skimmed the letter. Realising it wasn't from Charlotte, he set it aside and snatched up the compliments slip again, checking the back, then grabbing the envelope. He was scrutinising it when Jake came barrelling into the room at a dead run.

  Luanna blinked her eyes several times and tried not to be upset that the letter that had meant so much to her meant less to Logan than helping Jake find Charlotte. She didn't know why she was surprised. He was rich, that amount of money was probably small-change, but she had thought the pictures meant something to him. He had spent enough time talking her into tying her up for them. She sighed quietly; models were obviously two a penny. There would always be another body he could use to practise his knots and photography. Probably one who would agree to pose naked where she had refused…except for those times when he had temporarily put aside his camera and made her feel cherished for the first time in her life, then quietly taken a few more private shots.

  Seeing the two men deep in a discussion that clearly didn't involve her, Luanna backed towards the door.

  "If you don't need me…"

  Logan waved absently without so much as a glance. "No…" He didn't finish before Jake demanded his attention once more.

  "Yeah, I figured that much," Luanna murmured as she made her way out of the room.

  "Luanna, maybe we could…"

  "She's gone," Jake interrupted.

  Logan looked around at the empty space where she had just been standing, then closed his eyes and heaved a heavy breath. Another opportunity wasted.

  "Logan, come on!" Jake urged, even as he struggled with yet more guilt that his rash actions had ruined Logan's relationship, too. He was lucky Logan was still speaking to him; Desi sure as hell wasn't. Something else he needed to fix, but he couldn't do that without finding Charlotte.

  "You can sort out your shit with Luanna later. At least you know where she is! I've got to find Charlotte before I can even think of speaking with her," he argued as hope made him impatient.

  "Yeah, except you didn't give your word to Desi not to talk to her unless she approached you!" Logan muttered before turning back to his PC and trying to narrow down the possible area defined by the envelope's postmark.

  Jake pulled the car up at the mouth of a long, loose gravel driveway that showed evidence of the odd pothole. The property wasn't visible from the road, but he wasn't sure if that was due to the loose shroud of fog and drizzle or the dense hedges that lined the country lane.

  The place was certainly isolated; the last sign of any other dwellings had been over a mile away and the closest village nearer to two. If this was where Charlotte had decided to hole up, then it was surely as remote as it got while still remaining within the boundaries of civilisation.

  Jake rubbed his hands across his face and tried to temper despondency with hope, but he was dog tired and hope was in short supply.

  It was two weeks since Luanna had brought Logan the envelope on which Jake had pegged all his dreams for the future on the postmark. Logan had warned him that she might not have even posted the letter anywhere close to where she was living, but it had been all Jake had left to go on and he was desperate enough to try anything, even troll through all the rental properties that had been let within a fifty-mile radius over the past four-month period. The search had sent him on several wild goose chases and had currently led him here. The intel he had was promising, but it wouldn't be the first time. The property had been let to a single female going by the name of Cece Masters who had paid cash for six months, in advance, including utilities. There was no paper trail and no ID had been provided. It seemed the lure of that amount of cash up front was more than enough to persuade the owner to overlook the formalities. A legal search had shown that no vehicle and no telephone had been registered to the address—or anything else, for that matter—and a quick enquiry to the closest sorting office had revealed that no official mail had been delivered to the address in over six months. There wasn't much to go on, but this was all good news for Jake. If someone wanted to skate under the radar, the person living here was certainly doing an excellent job.

  Jake eased his head from side to side to relieve the stiffness in his neck from hours of driving, following five days of more driving, and nosed his rental vehicle up the driveway.

  The cottage that came into view was small but looked decently maintained, at least. The front of the house looked quiet and still, but, despite being daytime, he could see light spilling out from the rear of the property and brightening the dingy afternoon.

  Parking the car, Jake took a moment to familiarise himself with the surroundings. There was a small wooden shed just big enough to house a lawnmower and some gardening tools but no other outbuildings. Behind the house, which was surrounded by lawn and an insubstantial wire fence, was meadowland dotted with trees. There didn't appear to be any other access, except for what looked like a footpath that was nothing more than a passage of worn grass. Just as his intel had suggested, there was no vehicle or any other method of transportation to be seen.

  Jake unfolded himself from the driver's seat and stretched with relief before he headed for the door. Might as well check things out, then at least he could be on his way, in what currently passed for daylight, if this lead didn't pan out. The thought of any more driving really wasn't appealing, but the need to find Charlotte outweighed everything else, even work, much to his colleagues' astonishment when he simply upped and left the office, without warning, the minute he'd received the information he'd needed to start a physical search.

  He knocked on the heavy oak door and waited, about to knock again, when he heard the sound of footsteps drawing near.

  Jake held his breath as the deadbolt unlatched, then felt an almost physical jolt as he met a pair of familiar hazel eyes in the four-inch gap above the security chain.

  There was a flurry of movement and a high-pitched shriek before Charlotte tried to slam the door in his face.

  Jake's hand flew out in a blur of reaction, preventing the lock from catching even as Charlotte spun away, the look of pure terror etched on her face, a memory Jake would take with him to the grave.

  He cursed and shoved the door, but the sturdy chain held firm. Without thinking, Jake simply lifted his foot and booted the door with all his might.

  Splinters flew as the wood gave way and the door bounced back on its hinges, Jake bargin
g through with his shoulder as it swung back towards him.

  Sprinting towards the rear of the house, he chased the departing figure. A second door slammed in his face, but he could still hear Charlotte's choked sobs, even through the barrier.

  Wrenching the back door open, he took the time to lock the latch into the open position. He couldn't afford for Charlotte to make a circuit of the house and get back through the front door, effectively locking him out. If she called the police and had him removed, she'd be in the wind and he might never find her again. He knew all too well how lucky he was to even have this chance.

  Charlotte was barefoot and hadn't gotten far on the gravelled path. A few swift strides and he was upon her, wrapping both his arms around her, even as she struggled to break free, the wrenching gasps and breathless sobs that dragged from her throat breaking his heart all over again.

  "Please, Charlotte, I'm not going to hurt you," he implored as they stood there in the dreary dampness and a light rain eased its slow fingers across them.

  A hysterical bubble of laughter rose up from her throat. "Of course, you won't hurt me." Her voice was husky from a combination of lack of use and sobbing. "You wouldn't get your precious baby if anything happened to me!"

  Although he had suspected, the confirmation that Charlotte was carrying his child made his heart soar and he splayed his big hands reverently across her abdomen, as if in confirmation.

  "I didn't come after you because of the baby," Jake choked. "I didn't know about that. I came because I love you, because I can't live without you. I came to take you home."

  Epilogue

  Jake skidded to a halt in front of the nurses' station in the maternity ward, sucking breath as he tried to get his words out.

  "My wife…" he wheezed. "Charlotte Blackwood…she was brought in unexpectedly in premature labour."

  "Jake!" The shout came in from behind him and Jake whirled around to see Desi poke her head out of a doorway. Not waiting for the nurse to reply, he ran towards his cousin's wife.

  "Calm down!" she ordered, halting his progress with a palm against his chest. "Charlotte's just fine, but she doesn't need you barging in there in a panic."

  "The baby…" Jake fretted.

  "Is also fine."

  "It's early!" he protested, craning his neck to see around the door which she currently obstructed.

  "Three weeks isn't life threatening," Desi reassured.

  Jake took a deep breath and calmed his frazzled nerves, grateful that Charlotte, at least, had someone to lean on when the chips were down. Grateful that Desi had finally forgiven him for his bull-headed stupidity.

  He'd been away at the head office when he'd received the call. The last trip he'd agreed to take before Charlotte's due date. He'd chartered a private jet to get him back here as quickly as possible and broken every speed limit in the car he'd arranged to be waiting for him at the airport, but he'd made the journey in record time. All he wanted to know now was whether he'd made it in time for the birth.

  Trying to be patient with his wife's best friend, Jake raised both hands in supplication. "Okay, I'm calm. Can I go in now?"

  Desi smiled and planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek. "I thought you'd never ask!" she replied cheekily, holding the door and ushering him inside.

  "Dad's here!" she announced as he preceded her into the private birthing suite.

  "Jake?" His wife's voice sounded thin and reedy and ended on a gasp which was followed by laboured panting.

  "Ah! Just in time," a cultured voice intoned. "She's already pushing."

  Jake rushed past the doctor who was peering between his wife's legs and tried to shove down the irrational possessiveness that reared up at the sight. The man was just doing his job.

  Grasping Charlotte's hand, he smoothed long, damp tendrils of hair away from her face before placing a gentle kiss upon her forehead.

  "You're here!" she whispered hoarsely.

  Jake stroked her cheek. "You didn't think I'd let a thousand measly miles get in my way, did you?" He smiled.

  The smile that had started to appear on Charlotte's face contorted as her back bowed and a guttural groan was wrenched from her throat.

  "That's it, bear down. The head's cresting! Keep it going!" the doctor ordered. "A little bit more, we're nearly there…continue the momentum."

  Charlotte flopped back into her bed, the iron grip on his hand easing from rigid to just firm.

  "One more good push should do it." The doctor smiled. "We're almost done."

  Jake looked in shock to where he could see between Charlotte's raised knees, but he didn't have time to wonder if the light-headedness that suddenly overcame him would leave him embarrassed before another huge contraction overtook his wife's slight frame, straining her muscles and causing perspiration to pop out in dots upon her forehead. The score of her short, sensible nails pulled him back from the brink of oblivion.

  A moment later, the doctor laughed in triumph, Desi gasped with delight, a nurse busied about them with scissors and cloth, a hearty cry curtailed all other sound in the room and a small, squirming bundle was placed on Charlotte's chest.

  "You have a son!" The doctor smiled, slapping him on the back.

  Tears and laughter punctuated Charlotte's crooning as she held the baby boy in one arm and pulled Jake closer for a kiss with the other.

  Jake enfolded both Charlotte and the baby in an emotional embrace, knowing his reactions mirrored her own. He peppered her face with joyful kisses, then gentled his lips against the forehead of his son.

  "Oh, angel, I love you both so much," he breathed against the baby's head.

  His eyes finding Charlotte's, he looked deeply into her beautiful face, speaking his rawest emotions without ever saying a word.

  Charlotte leaned forward and took his mouth with hers, never breaking his poignant gaze.

  "I love you, too." She smiled, and Jake's whole world smiled with her.

  His life was complete. Everything he had ever wanted lay right within his arms and if he'd had not a penny, he knew that he'd still be the richest man in the universe.

  The End

  Poppy Flynn

  Poppy Flynn was born in Buckinghamshire, UK and moved to Wales at eight years old with parents who wanted to live the 'self-sufficiency' lifestyle.

  Today she still lives in rural Wales and is married with six children.

  Poppy's love of reading and writing stemmed from her parents’ encouragement and the fact that they didn't have a television in the house.

  "When you're surrounded by fields, cows and sheep, no neighbours, no TV and the closest tiny village is four miles away, there's a certain limit to your options, but with books your adventures and your horizons are endless."

  Poppy x

  Visit her website here: www.poppyflynnsaucyauthor.com

  Follow her on:

  https://poppyflynnbooks.blogspot.com/

  https://www.facebook.com/poppy.flynn.355

  https://www.instagram.com/poppyflynnbooks/

  https://twitter.com/PoppyFlynn1

  Don’t miss these exciting titles by Poppy Flynn and Blushing Books!

  Club Risqué Series

  Fool’s Desire - Book One

  Fear’s Whisper – Book Two

  EBook Offer

  WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE SPANKING STORY EVERY MONTH?

  At http://www.blushingbooks.com, we provide our visitors with a free eBook every single month! That's right, every month we choose an eBook to give to our customers at no charge, both to show our gratitude for your business and to provide a sample of the content we offer.

  Can you read this free eBook on your Kindle? Yes! Once you’re logged onto our site, it’s easy to send a book right to your Kindle.

  Can you read it on your iPad? Yes! Your Kobo? Yes! Your Nook? YES!

  We provide all of our books on BlushingBooks.com in several formats so that you can read our stories on virtually any reader! Membership at BlushingBooks.com is free, so sign up
today and get your free story right now!

  DO YOU NEED A TRIP TO THE WOODSHED?

  Since 1999, Bethany's Woodshed has been publishing the best romantic and erotic BDSM and spanking fiction on the Internet. Before there were eBooks, there was Bethany's! More than a decade later, The Woodshed is Blushing Books exclusive preview site, and it is still going strong delivering the best, original stories - now with two updates a week. We guarantee at least 40,000 words of brand new, professionally written stories each week by all your favorite Authors, plus at least 20 completed books when you join. Carolyn Faulkner, Addison Cain, Anya Summers, Maren Smith, Starla Kaye, Paige Tyler, Joannie Kay, Abigail Webster, Allison West, Melinda Barron, Courage Knight, Loki Renard ... they're all here, plus many more.

  Embrace the spank!

  See the stories first at The Woodshed!

  http://www.herwoodshed.com

  Blushing Books Newsletter

  Please join the Blushing Books newsletter

  to receive updates & special promotional offers.

  You can also join by using your mobile phone:

  Just text BLUSHING to 22828.

  Blushing Books

  Blushing Books is one of the oldest eBook publishers on the web. We've been running websites that publish spanking and BDSM related romance and erotica since 1999, and we have been selling eBooks since 2003. We hope you'll check out our hundreds of offerings at http://www.blushingbooks.com.

  You might also enjoy our membership site at http://www.herwoodshed.com, where we offer an exclusive first look at new novels and novellas by some of our most popular Authors before they are released anywhere else.