Mallory

by Michelle Love

  They both laughed. ‘Tell me about Kelly – if it’s not too painful.’

  Ollie looked out of the window. The sun was streaming in and Jess could see the dust motes swirling in the beams hitting the kitchen floor. ‘Feel like a walk?’

  They strolled along the riverbank, the air so fresh and with a slight bite still from the early morning.

  ‘Kelly and Theo were off and on for years in their teens,’ Ollie explained. ‘When Theo graduated from college, they got back together. About a year later, Theo came home from work one day and she’d slit her wrists in the bath. He couldn’t save her. Kelly had always suffered from depression and over the years, she’d become an expert at hiding it. She thought if she told him about it, he’d leave her.’ Ollie sighed. ‘He wouldn’t have, he has a white-knight complex.’

  ‘That I know,’ Jess muttered. ‘God, Ollie, that’s so sad, so – why didn’t he tell me?’

  ‘Theo blamed himself for not seeing the signs – we all did but Theo took it the hardest.’ Ollie looked at her. ‘Should I be telling you this?’

  Jess shrugged. ‘I don’t know, honestly. I won’t say anything to Theo if you don’t want me to. If he and I go the distance, I’m sure he’ll tell me himself eventually.’

  She wasn’t sure of that at all and later when Ollie had gone, she thought about what he’d said. It made her wonder how much they really knew about each other. Theo knew loss as much she had. It made her sad that he hadn’t shared that with her yet. Her thoughts drifted to Camilla and the heavy feeling in her chest came back. Fucking Jules…she wanted to rip him limb from limb for what he’d done. In the days after the murder, she’d considered going to the police but the cops who had visited Theo’s apartment had obviously looked back in their files and their attitude to her had been colored by Jules’ remarks all those years ago.

  ‘They don’t take me seriously,’ she’d said bleakly to Theo who couldn’t help agree with her. She saw the anger in his eyes and he’d begged her to let him tell them about the attacks on her. She couldn’t face it though and there was something else. She wanted to make Jules pay. She wanted him to lose everything. She wanted him to hurt.

  She wanted revenge.

  He was waiting in the shadow of the alleyway when Jules Gachet walked out of the restaurant. With one hand, he clamped down on the other man’s shoulder and pulled him backwards. Max slammed the smaller man against the brick wall of the building, getting in his face, and was gratified to see a flicker of fear in his eyes.

  ‘Get your homo arms off of me,’ Jules puffed himself up, a sneer on his face, Max smiled grimly.

  ‘Oh, so you’ve done your homework, Gachet? Good. Then you know who you’re dealing with.’ Max searched the other man’s face. ‘You enjoy hurting women, Gachet?’

  The other man chuckled darkly. ‘Where’d you get that idea?’

  Max looked at him in disgust. ‘I won’t wait forever, Gachet. Draw up the papers to transfer Jess’s inheritance to her by the end of the week.’

  Jules nodded once and walked towards his car. Max watched him as he opened the door and then turned, smirking.

  ‘Shame about Camilla,’ his smile widened, ‘tell Jess to take extra care, won’t you?’

  Jess opened the door to the cabin and flew into his arms. Theo, laughing, picked her up and twirled her around joyfully. He pressed his lips to hers. ‘It’s been a very long week, Miss Wood.’

  Jess kissed him, her hands on his face. ‘Agreed, way too long. Come inside and say hello properly.’

  She opened a bottle of wine she’d bought at the Farmer’s Market as she cooked pasta for them and Theo filled her in on his week. When he brought up the idea of the charity again, she smiled at him.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about that too. I have a proposal for you, something I’ve been thinking about all week.’

  Theo nodded. ‘Go on.’

  She sipped her wine before speaking. ‘We rushed into everything so fast, you and I. We’re living together, you want me to go into business with you and as for sex…I’ve done things with you, I never imagined I would. But I don’t know your mom’s name. I don’t know why you went into property. Hell, I don’t know your shirt size. The minutiae of a person’s life – surely these are the things we need to know about each other. You don’t know that I can play the piano or that I once went on a date with a man who swore he could ‘make me a movie star’.

  She pulled a face at that and he laughed. ‘Second date?’ Theo raised his eyebrows in amusement.

  ‘God no. But do you see what I mean? Your generosity in giving me a home, offering me a huge promotion in terms of my career – don’t think I’m not grateful because I am. But all I want is you. If you want me to run this charity, I will, but I don’t want any special favors just because we sleep together. I’ll take them if we mean something more than that.’

  Theo chewed his lip, pondering her words and frowned. ‘Jess, surely you know by now…you are the love of my life. Hands down. If what you want to is to know me, then I’ll tell you everything you want to know.’

  She nodded. ‘So I propose…we start over. Now, today. We tell each other everything, we get to know the other as well as possibly could. You are the only person in the world I trust implicitly. I hope I’m right to do so.’

  She waited, willing him to tell her about Kelly, about that wound in his past. When he was silent, she felt a little pull in her chest but brushed it aside. There was time.

  She leaned over to kiss him and he pulled her into his arms.

  ‘Anything you want, you just have to ask,’ he murmured as he kissed her. She kissed him back, melting at his touch then as she pulled back, she gave him a wicked grin.

  ‘Maybe…we should just go to first base, you know if we’re starting over.’

  Theo chuckled. ‘Yeah, good luck with that.’ He slid his hands under her t-shirt, stroking her belly, cupping her breasts and she grinned.

  ‘I missed your hands.’ She kissed him. Theo smiled lazily at her.

  ‘Oh yeah? Let me show you what they can do.’ He slipped his fingers into the back of her jeans and stroked her buttocks. She sighed.

  ‘Yeah, that’s the stuff.’ She kissed his neck.

  Theo grinned. ‘You know what else they can do?’

  He cradled her in his arms and rolled her onto the floor. She giggled. He undid her jeans and pulled them off.

  ‘I’m quite sure this goes against our new rule.’ But she wriggled with pleasure. Theo shook his head, a mock serious expression on his face.

  ‘No, no. We’re just making out, that’s all like you said. But I should tell you since we last did this,’ he kissed her, ‘times have changed. There’s a new definition of ‘making out’.’

  ‘Is there….oh lordy…’ She gasped as his mouth found her sex, his tongue curling around her clit and lashing against the deep cleft of her. Theo looked up at her.

  ‘Man, you taste so good…’

  She sucked in a deep breath as her body began to quiver until Theo brought her to a pitch of excitement she could not hold back and moaned as her orgasm shuddered through her. Theo propped himself up on his elbow and let his fingers drift gently down her body as she caught her breath. He smiled at her shining eyes, so deep and warm and full of love for him.

  Jess chuckled at his satisfied smile.. ‘Wow. Theo, I think I like your new definition of making out.’ She pushed him onto his back and stroked his face. ‘I think maybe it’s my turn to add a new definition.’

  ‘You do, huh?’

  ‘Oh yeah.’ And grinning, she moved down his body.

  Jules watched Theo bring her to orgasm and the rage he felt was all consuming. He waited outside Theo’s apartment the entire week in the hope he would lead him to wherever Jess had gone but now he wished he hadn’t seen them together like this. Defiling her, defiling his Jessica.

  He stood at the side of the window, watching them, watching her as she repaid her lover’s generosity. Theo had pulle
d her t-shirt off and Jules admired the smooth skin, the way her back curved. Jules felt in his pocket. The gun. He had never used a gun before, not to deal with any of his…problems. But Jess was special. And having that rich asshole around had presented a whole new set of complications. A gun was necessary.

  He felt the cold steel with his fingers. He imagined putting a bullet into that beautiful curve in the small of her back. The thought excited him. Jules grunted and froze. Theo had looked towards the window. He could see him sit up, looking concerned. Jules ducked down and darted back into the trees.

  ‘What is it?’ Jess looked scared.

  ‘Thought I heard something.’ Theo got up and headed towards the door. He looked back at her and smiled. ‘Don’t worry, I’m just going to check around the house.’ He winked at her. ‘If you hear anything, lock the door. Don’t be scared, baby.’ He went out into the night. Jess felt a cold fear settle around her. But seconds later, Theo came back. He grinned wryly. ‘Sorry sweetheart, I didn’t mean to scare you. Guess I’m just jumpy after everything that’s happened.’

  He locked the door behind him and took her in his arms. ‘I want you to know I heard what you said earlier and I’m on board. Completely. Except for the first base business…I don’t think we should deprive ourselves…’ He grinned wickedly and she chuckled.

  ‘You may have a point,’ and she slid her hand down his groin, cupped the long shape of his cock through the denim of his jeans. She glanced around and then grinned up at him. ‘Wanna fuck me on the stairs, soldier?’

  Theo growled and scooped her up roughly, and then they were clawing at the remains of the other’s clothes. Theo tugged her legs around him, his cock so ramrod hard he had no trouble thrusting deep into her ready sex. He clamped her hands above her head as they fucked, brutally, desperately, their mouths hungry for the others.

  They made it to the bedroom and much, much later they fell asleep in the other’s arms. Neither of them woke when the door to the cabin creaked open. Jules moved silently through the house, up the stairs.

  Jess lay on her back, naked, Theo’s arm across her stomach, his face buried in the curve of her neck. Her long dark lashes swept down onto the smooth skin of her cheeks, the flush of lovemaking still pink. Christ, she was beautiful. Jules pulled the gun from his jacket and aimed it at her belly. An inch away, just one inch. His finger twitched on the trigger as he imagined the bullet smashing into the soft silky flesh, her gasp of shock and agony, Theo Storm’s horror as she bled out in his arms. He’d let him watch her die before he shot him too. Jules smirked to himself. It was a nice fantasy but no…not yet. He pocketed the gun and slipped back down the stairs, through the woods to where he’d left his car. He downed a bottle of water before starting the engine, lost in thought. It was good to know that they had no idea the lengths he would go to – stupid fuckers. Hadn’t Camilla been enough to terrify them?

  What he’d done to Camilla was nothing to what he would do to Jess. Nothing at all.

  The sky was heavy with snow a week later and Seattle was gearing up for a bad winter storm. Camilla was laid to rest in a small cemetery just outside the city and afterwards, Theo held Jess’s hand tightly in the car back home. Her head rested on his shoulder but he was surprised she hadn’t cried. Instead, he saw a slow burning anger behind her eyes. Good, he thought, that would keep her vigilant, keep her safe. He hadn’t told he that he’d found footprints and evidence of an intruder at the cabin that day.

  He kissed her temple. ‘Hey, what say we grab some lunch then go over the paperwork Max sent over? Get a jump start on your new job?’

  Max had gotten together a bunch of information – in record time, Theo grinned to himself – and if Jess was up for it, then the Stormfront Foundation would soon be a reality.

  Jess looked up and smiled gratefully. ‘That sounds good to me, I could do with a new focus…apart from you, that is.’

  Jess looked around the wide spacious office with views across the city and her jaw dropped. Max smirked at Theo, who put a hand on Jess’s shoulder. ‘Don’t get freaked out. We have a ton of advisors ready to help you. We just thought you could get up to speed at your own pace.’

  ‘And in one of the best offices in the city,’ she managed to choke out. Theo laughed and opened his hands in apology.

  ‘I can’t help it, I want you to have the best.’

  Jess nodded but chewed on her lip. Max cleared his throat. ‘We have a press conference coming up – no, don’t panic…’ He shook his head at the panic on Jess’s face. Theo wrapped his arms around her. ‘It’s just to announce the Foundation’s formation – we need to get the word out if we’re going to be helping people. I’ll be there to do most of the talking, Max too. We’ll introduce you as the president of the foundation…’

  ‘Much to the amusement of the local art world,’ Jess said. She looked at him evenly. ‘Do you honestly think people won’t say it’s you finding a job for your feckless girlfriend?’

  Theo took a deep breath. ‘To begin with, maybe. We have to be realistic, they’re gonna have their opinions. But when the foundation – when you - start making a real difference to young and exciting artists, they’ll change their minds. We just have to ride the wave of skepticism.’

  ‘Including yours,’ Max said with a grin and Jess couldn’t help but laugh.

  ‘In that case…I think I can handle it.’

  The press conference went off without a hitch and suddenly the realization that she was the head of a charity made Jess more determined than ever to prove herself. In the weeks that followed, she worked late into the night with Theo’s advisors and even some picks of her own to source the most suitable projects to fund. She called up her old boss Gerry who was delighted to hear from her and she took him to lunch to pick his brains.

  Gerry grinned happily at her. ‘You were always too good to be someone’s assistant, anyway, Jess. I was selfish to hold you back.’

  She protested but his words meant the world, gave her confidence.

  It was a Wednesday night, towards the end of November when Theo came looking for her in her office. She was sprawled out on the floor in her bare feet, looking through applications and samples, engrossed in her work when he knocked on the doorframe. She looked up and grinned.

  ‘Hey, sexy.’

  Theo smiled and lifted her to her feet to kiss her. She wound her arms around his neck and sank into the kiss. ‘Man, I needed that…what time is it?’

  ‘Past eleven.’

  She looked appalled. ‘God, I’m sorry, honey, I just lost track.’

  ‘You never have to apologize for being as committed as you are to this. I hope this doesn’t sound patronizing…but I’m so proud.’

  She kissed him again, a light brush of the lips. ‘Not patronizing at all, thank you for believing in me. This can wait until tomorrow.’

  ‘Not tomorrow, Norma Rae. It’s Thanksgiving.’

  Her eyes opened wide. ‘Jeez, I totally forgot…we haven’t got any food in the apartment.’

  He smiled at her. ‘Max and Josh have invited us to go to their place for dinner. Josh is expert in stuffing us to the gills – I honestly think it’s why Max married him.’

  Jess laughed. ‘It’s a good as a reason as any, and that sounds good. About time I met Josh.’

  Theo felt warmth flood through him. Without saying anything, she had made it sound like a family. His arms tightened around her. ‘Wanna go home?’

  She hesitated but he saw fire in her eyes. ‘Actually…’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘What?’

  She pulled away from his arms and shut the door behind him, shut off the light. She started to unbutton her shirt. ‘I was admiring the view from the windows today…the panoramic views and it occurred to me…I didn’t know who could see in here…no-one I think…but what if we gave them something to look at?’

  She stepped out of her skirt, unhooked her bra and drew her panties slowly down her legs. Theo’s groin was almost painful,
watching her sensual striptease. He yanked his own clothes off, grabbing her roughly and ground his mouth down onto hers. She moaned slightly, the soft sound of it making his cock diamond hard, and then he pushed her against the window, her breasts and belly hard against the glass as he stroked her clit, bit down on her neck.

  ‘I’m going to fuck you so hard, beautiful girl, so – he thrust his cock deep inside her and she gasped – ‘fucking’ – harder – ‘hard.’

  She turned her face so her cheek rested against the cool glass and tightened her muscles around his cock as it rammed so brutally into her. Theo’s teeth nipped at her earlobe, his fevered breathing. His arms were wrapped around her waist, lifting her so he could fuck her as deeply and as savagely as they both wanted, as she entreated him to. She screamed her orgasm into the glass and he came, pumping hot semen into her ready sex, then, still ramrod stiff, he turned her to face him and entered her again, feeling the damp warmth of her envelope him. This time, they moved slowly, eyes locked, lips brushing. Theo angled her so that he would rub against her clit as he thrust; she cupped his balls gently, massaging them. She bit down on his nipples as they neared the climax and as they came they both tumbled to the floor, moaning their love for each other. As they shuddered to a halt, torchlight swept over the window of the office door and giggling, they hushed each other as the security guard tested the locked door. After a few minutes, they got up and still laughing, dressed.

  ‘Consider this office well and truly christened,’ Jess grinned at Theo who nodded.

  ‘Which reminds me…my office needs a good rebirth.’

  ‘Later, babe, if we’ve got to be social tomorrow, I need some sleep. Well, some, at least.’

  ‘That, young lady,’ said Josh to her the following day as she sprawled out on his and Max’s couch, groaning and holding her belly, ‘is a food baby.’ He tapped her stomach lightly and she giggled. Max and Theo were washing the dishes from the magnificent Thanksgiving dinner Josh and prepared and now he and Jess had decamped to the couch to gossip. They had gotten along as soon as Max had proudly introduced his husband and now Jess studied the handsome Mexican.