by Mia Carson
“I don’t think anything is broken, but you’re going to sore for a week or so. Take some acetaminophen or ibuprofen for the pain, and you need to take it easy for a while, but you’ll be okay.” He gave me a camaraderie slap on the knee as he rose.
For the first time, Tanya stepped in and I held her. She was considerate, and though she draped her arms around me, she didn’t squeeze. I held her as the paramedics wheeled Ed out. My place was a mess, but all I could think about was that Tanya was safe.
The cops were there another hour before they finished what they were doing. It was almost three when I closed the door behind the last of them, and in the two hours it had taken the police to finish their business, I had started hurting badly.
“I need a shower,” I muttered, thankful I didn’t have to pull a shirt over my head.
I retreated to the bathroom where Tanya started the water and helped me out of my pants. Normally having her kneeling in front of me as she pulled down my pants would make me steel hard in moments, but tonight wasn’t normal. I stepped into the shower. I was standing under the water, head down, waiting for the heat to leech the pain from my body, when I heard the shower open again.
She stepped in and pressed herself loosely against my back. She rested her head against me. “I was so scared.”
“I know. So was I. I was afraid something would happen to you.”
“When he was swinging that crowbar… if he’d hit you… and I was so afraid the glass would break.”
She whimpered once. I slowly turned. Everything I did would be slowly for the next few days. I pulled her close and held her, but not too tightly as my ribs were making their displeasure known, but after a moment the pain began to lessen. I needed this. I needed to feel her in my arms, and my aching ribs could go fuck themselves.
“You could have died,” she whispered, and I heard the tears in her voice.
“But I didn’t,” I said softly as I rested my cheek against her head. “I’m sore, but I’m okay.”
She nodded and my lip twitched. How could such a small movement hurt that much? We stood in the shower for a long time, until the water began to run cold. Using the last of the warm water, she carefully washed me clean, being extra delicate around my ribs, before we stepped out of the shower and she patted me dry with the lightest of touches.
I was exhausted, hurting, and the tablets I’d taken weren’t helping. Or maybe they were, but if they were, I didn’t want to know how badly I would be hurting without them. Getting into bed and lying down was sheer torture, and lying on my back was the only possible position.
“I may spend the next week in bed!” I gasped as the pain slowly receded.
She slowly crawled in beside me, careful to not shake the bed. “Normally I would say great, but…”
I chuckled and gasped. “Please don’t make me laugh.”
We tried to snuggle. I wanted her in my arms so badly I thought I would die if she weren’t there, but we simply couldn’t. She lay beside me, her hand on my chest as I slowly caressed her thigh. It was the best we could do.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you…more.”
I smiled, my hand slowly caressing her. It wasn’t possible for her to love me more than I loved her, but I said nothing as sleep slowly took me.
Epilogue
“Lucy! I’m home!” Neil called in his best Desi Arnaz voice as he closed the door between the kitchen and the garage. There was no answer, but that wasn’t unusual, at least not for the past three months.
He walked back to the nursery and paused in the door. Tanya was sitting in her rocker, her eyes closed and her face at peace as she slowly rocked. Circe, wrapped in a blanket, nursed at her breast. A year ago, when Tanya had told him she was pregnant, he would have sworn he couldn’t love another as much as he loved his wife at that very moment. Now, as he watched the two people most important in his life rock in a leisurely rhythm, he had to admit, he loved his little Bird, his nickname for Circe, as much as he loved his wife. He’d discovered for himself that truism that said love was infinite and your heart grew as large as necessary to hold it.
He stepped into the room as Tanya opened her eyes and held a finger to her lips with a smile. Circe—pronounced SIR-see, was the Latinized form of the Greek word for ‘bird,’ and was also a Greek enchantress—was almost asleep. He kissed his daughter softly on the head, then gave a longer, more intimate one, to her mother. As he slowly pulled back, Tanya nodded, slowly offering Circe to him.
He draped a thick cloth over his shoulder and took Bird as she snuffled and fussed. He draped her over his shoulder as he bounced and cooed, patting her gently on the back. He was the best baby-burper in the business, and Tanya smiled as she tucked herself away.
It had been tough, the past three months. Neil had been endlessly patient with her as they tried to adjust to their new lives. She’d closed Clearview Investigations for a while to concentrate on her family. It didn’t matter if she ever went back. After they’d married, she’d cut way back on her caseload. They didn’t need the money and she could afford to be choosy in the cases she took. No more chasing cheating spouses. Now she took only the cases that interested her, normally some kind of fraud.
Her reputation had skyrocketed after the Harnette case. The sordid affair had first broken in the local newspaper with a long article on how Edward Harnette had set out to destroy Neil’s reputation. That had led to Neil and her appearing on Lunch with Diane, where the story was sensationalized, particularly the part where Ed had broken into Neil’s apartment and they’d fought, if not to the death, at least to Ed’s destruction.
That had been picked up by one of the national tabloid papers, which had spun the tale as a love story of how the hard-bitten private eye had fallen for her client, and how he in turn had risked his life to defend her against the man that had broken into his apartment, intent on killing them both.
That story had gone viral, and her phone began ringing off the hook with clients, people who were being blackmailed or otherwise extorted, and she finally felt she was doing some good in this world.
Circe burped, a wet sounding rumble that made Tanya want to laugh. Neil placed his daughter in her crib and covered her. She fussed and whimpered, the child missing the comforting touch of her father and mother, but they crept out of the room. They knew from experience in five minutes, she’d be asleep.
In the hall, Neil pulled his wife into a more proper kiss. She still looked a little tired, but she positively glowed, and every time he saw her, he felt his love for her grow. Even after almost two years together, he was still falling in love with her.
“How was your day?” he asked as they stepped into the kitchen and away from Circe’s room.
Their house was a split bedroom design, where the master suite was on the opposite side of the house from the other two bedrooms. That detail had been a must. He didn’t want to have to worry about waking up kids later down the road as he and Tanya demonstrated their love. He stopped in the kitchen, intending to start dinner, but Tanya took his hand and pulled him through the kitchen and into their bedroom.
“I’m in the mood for an appetizer before dinner. You?” she asked.
He smiled. “I always love a tasty appetizer.”
“It was a good day. She slept for almost four hours this afternoon, so I got a good nap.”
Like most new parents, their sex life had been drastically reduced, but he knew when Tanya had enough sleep, she was as randy as ever. He’d offered to help with the nighttime feedings, but she preferred to feed Circe at her breast rather than using the pump, so feedings were on her. He helped as much as he could by taking over the other chores. He already did most of the cooking, and running a load of laundry every night was no real chore. The cleaning lady and yard service took care of the rest once a week, so Tanya could nap during the day when Bird was asleep.
Now that Circe was sleeping longer, and Tanya was able to rest more, their love life was coming back, and they st
ole chances to be intimate whenever possible.
“How was your day?” she asked as she began unbuttoning his shirt.
He nodded, allowing her fingers to work. “We closed another franchise deal today, in Hartford, Connecticut.”
After their story went national, he’d started receiving franchising enquiries. He now had twenty-one franchises in sixteen states, with three more slated to open in the next six months. The synergy between the fitness centers and his website was driving growth in both, and he expected his website to be the number one fitness destination on the web by the end of the year. Ed might have been an asshole, but he’d certainly been good for business.
A year to the day after he’d told Tanya he loved her, he’d surprised her by bringing home takeout pizza from the same place they gotten it when he told her he was falling for her, and then he asked for her hand in marriage. She’d laughed and cried as she accepted, and that story was told endlessly during their engagement and at the wedding.
After she’d accepted his proposal, they’d gone shopping, and when they returned from their honeymoon in Italy, they set about the task of moving out of their apartment and making their new house into a home. She’d moved in with him before he’d proposed and was renting both sides of her duplex.
“That’s good,” she murmured as she kissed him on the chest. “That’s very, very good,” she purred, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t talking about the franchise deal any more. And if she was, he was going to do his best to distract her.
Before Tanya became pregnant, they were making love, on average, nine times a week. Every night, plus mornings on Saturday and Sunday. That had dipped to only once a week, or less, when Circe first came home, but they were back to three to five times a week now. They’d missed yesterday, so his desire for her was bubbling over.
He pulled her lips away from his chest and smiled down at her. “Maybe, but it’s not nearly as good as this,” he rumbled before he picked her up and dumped her on the bed.
She smiled as she kicked back into the bed, her smile calling to him as he followed her into the center. “Nothing ever is.”
BONUS #1
THE PLAYBOY’S VIRGIN
VOLUME 1-6
Chapter 1
Her hands shook as the elevator rode up from the lobby to the fifth floor, and she gripped the straps of her old, beat up, black leather bag. You can do this, Belle told herself firmly as she nodded at her reflection in the doors. You made it past the hard part. You nailed it. Now’s your chance.
A loud ding echoed around her, and she exhaled loudly. “Don’t blow it.”
The doors opened, and Belle stepped out into the busy stream of workers moving across the office floor. No one stopped to look at her, but most of them smiled when she passed. She recognized some of the faces of people who had interviewed her last week, but the one person she needed to see was not among them.
She glanced at the slip of paper in her hand and looked around the bustling floor. She’d never been here before. When she interviewed, they met at a coffee shop and she was simply told where to report on her first day. No signs pointed towards the HR office, and she tapped her booted foot, worried she’d be late because she couldn’t find the right office. She whipped around and ran straight into a guy wearing an AC/DC t-shirt, black jeans, and holding what had been a cup of coffee, now spilled down the front of his shirt.
“Damn it,” Belle said as she searched in her bag for something to clean his shirt, but the guy was laughing. “Really, I’m sorry. This is my first day interning, and I’m a little lost and nervous. I hope you didn’t really like that t-shirt.”
The white fabric soaked up the coffee, but the guy with the short, curly hair shrugged. “Could be worse. You said you’re lost?”
Belle blushed at his bright, cheery smile and the way his eyes did a quick scan of her body. She wore her best dress slacks that hugged her curves, as well as a blouse. No one had told her the office dress code, though after only a few minutes she’d figured out it was much more casual than she’d expected.
“Yes, I’m the new intern. Supposed to report to HR.”
“I can show you. Going that way myself. Name’s Tim,” he said and held out his hand.
She shook it and smiled. “Belle. What do you do here?”
“I’m one of the designers for the new MMO coming out, if we can ever get our asses in gear,” he muttered as they meandered through the other employees. “Having some technical difficulties with the design again.”
“You’re one of the graphic designers?” she asked excitedly and clutched her bag tighter.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty great the last two years. This company just took off, and we can’t get enough people in here with a lick of talent,” he grumbled. “You design?”
She shrugged. “It's what I’m in school for, but I haven’t really had a chance to showcase anything yet.”
“Well, if I have a few hours where I’m not slammed with work, maybe I can show you a few tricks,” he suggested casually. “And look at your work. Do you know who you’re interning under?”
“No, not yet,” she told him. “They said they would give me all the details here, but I’m getting credit and a small stipend. I’m not going to complain too much.” The stipend meant she could quit one of her two part-time jobs. “There might be a full-time position available when I graduate in May if I impress the right people.”
He grinned and stopped outside an all-glass wall office. “I hope so. You look like a fun person to work with. Well, here’s Kelly’s office,” he said happily. “See you around, Belle, and don’t take it personally if the guys give you a hard time. They do it to all the interns.”
“Even you?” she asked, and he laughed.
“Oh yeah, even me.” He waved and hurried down the hall. Two more guys met him, and they all looked at the tablets in each other’s hands.
Belle bounced on her feet with excitement. This place was crazy, and she loved it. One day, she might be able to help design one of the new MMOs for the fastest growing gaming company in the US, Greystone Games. She’d have a stable job and a stable life, and a career doing something she loved for a change.
After composing herself, she knocked on the door. Kelly called for her to come in. “Ah, Belle, there you are. Find the place alright?”
“Yes, Tim helped me get here,” she said.
Kelly smiled. “He’s a good man. One of our first employees, actually. Come in, sit down, and we’ll get you squared away.”
As she tapped on the keyboard for a few minutes, papers spewed out of the printer behind her desk. Belle glanced around her office, grinning. Posters and printouts of the company’s projects covered the walls, along with pictures of the employees at a costume party of some sort. In the middle of them was a tall man with a full beard and short hair. He grinned like a wolf on the prowl at the camera, and Belle squinted her eyes, studying him.
“Is that Greyson Taylor?” she asked.
Kelly glanced up and nodded with a smirk. “Yeah, that’s the boss man in all his glory, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.”
Belle’s head turned so fast, her hair fell loose around her shoulders. “I will? I thought I’d just be working with the techs or something… an underling.”
“You were, but Greyson just put in a request a few days ago for a new personal assistant to help him with his work and such, so you may even get your hands dirty on his latest project. His last one quit unexpectedly,” Kelly muttered as she cringed. “I’m going to murder that man.”
The words were uttered so quietly, Belle had a feeling she wasn’t supposed to hear them. She leaned back in her chair as her hands twisted in her lap. She hadn’t expected to meet the man in charge, at least not until later. She smoothed her blouse and tucked the loose strands of brown hair behind her ears. What would he think of her? Maybe she’d get a chance to show him what she was capable of doing for his company. The idea of presenting her work to the CEO—
the man who could make or break her dreams—made her heart pound, and a ringing in her ears wouldn’t go away. She tugged at her blouse again and nodded when Kelly started going over rules of the office and pointed out a few lines where she needed to sign.
“And I’ll need your banking information so we can get you setup for direct deposit,” she explained to Belle, glancing at the computer screen. “Oh, and I meant to tell you, Greyson likes our office to be casual as far as dress. He says everyone works better if they’re wearing what’s comfortable.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Belle said as her lips twisted to the side. She glanced at her professional outfit, too dressy for this office, but Kelly laughed.
“I’m glad to see you taking initiative instead of acting like half the other idiots we deal with.”
“Do you get a lot of interns from Arizona State?”
“A few. The professors know how to pick ’em, usually,” she said with a wink and encouraging smile. “Trust me, you’ll do just fine here, and hopefully, in a few months, I’ll be offering you a full-time job.” She held out her hand, and Belle shook it, smiling. “Welcome to Greystone Games. Now, here’s your badge and parking pass for the garage.”
“Oh, I take the bus,” she said. Her cheeks warmed, and she cringed internally.
“Hold onto it anyway,” Kelly told her. “Standard issue. Greyson should be in his office, so I’ll walk you down there so you can get started.”
Belle picked up her bag and followed Kelly out of the office.
“You’ll have a desk outside his office,” Kelly explained as she walked. “This floor is for designers, marketers, and our legal team, if you can even call them that.” She nodded across the room to where five guys were playing hacky sack and laughing loudly.
Belle laughed. “That’s the legal team?”
“You should go down one floor and see our IT guys,” she grinned, shaking her head. “This place runs like a well-oiled machine, but most days, I can’t figure out how.”