Quantum Series Boxed Set: Books 1-7

by Force, Marie

  “Take the call, sweetheart. Do whatever you want to. We’ll make it work.”

  I draw in a deep breath and accept the call. “This is Natalie.”

  “Natalie, this is James Poole, chairman of the board at the Emerson School in New York.”

  “Hi, Mr. Poole. How are you?”

  “I’m doing fine, and hope you’re well?”

  I squeeze Flynn’s hand. “Yes, I am.”

  “Very good. I’m calling with what I hope you will think is good news. The board of directors has voted to reinstate your position, effective immediately, with back pay, of course. And to address your next question, Mrs. Heffernan has decided to retire.”

  I find it interesting, in light of what Leah told me earlier, that they are spinning Mrs. Heffernan’s departure as retirement rather than dismissal.

  “I understand that you may feel less than inclined to accept our offer in light of what’s happened, but we all hope that you’ll consider returning to your class and serving out the remainder of your contract as planned. We’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you from the parents of your students. You’ve made a big impression on them.”

  “That’s nice to hear.”

  “I’d just like to say… I’m very sorry for the way this was handled. Mrs. Heffernan’s actions do not, in any way, reflect the feelings of the board of directors. We believe she acted far too hastily and before she had all the information. I hope that no matter what you decide to do, you’ll accept our heartfelt apology that this happened in the first place.”

  “I do. I accept your apology. Thank you.”

  “And how do you feel about returning to your class?”

  “I’d love to return to my class, but before I decide anything, I need a few days to talk it over with my husband and figure out our plans. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course. Please, take your time and let us know your decision when you’re ready. Again, my sincere apologies and best wishes to you no matter what you decide. On a personal note, you have my admiration for what you’ve endured and how you’ve persevered.”

  “Thank you,” I say softly, moved by his kind words even if part of me suspects he’s far more concerned about dodging lawsuits than he is about me. “One question…” I figure I’ll never be in a better position to bargain, so why not go for it?

  “Of course.”

  “I have an elderly twenty-pound dog named Fluff who sleeps all day. I wondered if I come back, if the board would permit her to sleep under my desk. No one will know she’s there, and she’s great with children. She loves them.”

  After a hesitant pause, he says, “I’m sure some accommodation could be made.”

  “Wonderful. Thank you so much. I’ll be in touch.”

  “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  We say our good-byes, and I return the phone to the table. “Could you hear all that?” I ask Flynn.

  “Yep, and I’m very happy for you that they have realized the error of their ways.”

  “I think you and your lawyers helped them to see the error of their ways.”

  “However it happened, as long as it happened. I’m sure it has much more to do with the outrage of the parents and the staff than it did with lawyers.”

  I’m not as convinced, but I let him believe what he wants to.

  “Great move with Fluff, too. Way to work your advantage.”

  Smiling at his praise, I say, “You didn’t give me a chance to ask what you were doing home so early. I thought you’d be gone all day.”

  “Are you complaining?” he asks with a sexy smile.

  “Not at all. Just wondering what’s up.”

  His smile fades, and he looks away from me.

  “Did you have another fight with Hayden?” I hate that I’ve come between lifelong friends.

  “No, we actually had a really good talk. I think we’ve reached an understanding of sorts.”

  “That’s a relief. So what’s wrong, then?”

  He twirls a strand of my hair around his finger. “While I was at the office, I had a visit from an FBI agent who told me that David Rogers was found murdered in his office this morning.”

  The news hits me like a fist to the gut, and I sit up. “What? Why did they want to talk to you? Oh God, what you said on Carolyn’s show! Are you a suspect?”

  “Take it easy, sweetheart. It was a formality. They needed to rule me out, and they did. He took my phone, though.”

  “The pictures…”

  “Were removed from the phone, but they are still safely stored in the cloud where no one but me can see them.”

  “Oh, good. Okay.” I relax into the pillow once again. “Did you talk to Emmett?”

  “Yes, before I left the office. He says it’s bullshit and we have nothing to worry about because I only said I wanted to kill him. I didn’t actually do it.”

  “I can’t believe he’s dead. Did the FBI agent say what happened?”

  “No, and I didn’t ask.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

  “Emmett said Rogers owed a lot of people money. There’s plenty of motive to go around, and they probably needed to rule me out. He said we shouldn’t worry about it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Why do you still look worried?”

  “I just hate that something from my past has caused you trouble.”

  “Now you know how I felt when my fame caused you trouble.”

  “It sucks.”

  “Yes, it does, but we’re fine, sweetheart. There’s nothing to worry about. We’re together and we have each other and everything else is just…noise. Speaking of noise… What do you say we get away from it all for a little while and go on an actual honeymoon?”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “How about Mexico? Unless you want to go back to New York right away, and I’ll totally understand if you do.”

  “Jeez, what a decision. Sunny Mexico or freezing New York.”

  “You love New York in the winter.”

  “Yes, I do.” I love New York in the winter, but I’m not sure I can go back to who and what I was before I met Flynn. Don’t I belong wherever my husband is?

  “It’s completely up to you. Just say the word on what you want to do, and I’ll make it happen.”

  “You’d be okay with going back to New York?”

  “If that’s where you want to be, that’s where I want to be.”

  “What about Hayden and the movie and work and everything?”

  “He and I have come to an understanding. He knows I want and need to be with you right now. I’ll work some part of every day from wherever we are, and he was cool with that.”

  “Can I think about it a little?”

  “Take all the time you need.” He lets out a huge yawn that tells me he’s as tired as I am from staying up half the night before. “What do you want to do today?”

  He’s given me the perfect opening to ask the questions I have about the room I discovered upstairs. He runs a finger over the furrow between my brows. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Nat. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

  “I’d rather show you, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure.”

  I get up out of bed, retrieve my robe from the floor and tie it around my waist.

  Flynn groans. “You didn’t say I had to get dressed for this.”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  I take him by the hand, and he follows me up the stairs, caressing my bottom as we go. “Flynn, stop!”

  “I’ll never stop. This is my favorite ass in the whole world.”

  I lead him into Hayden’s bedroom. “What do you want to show me in here besides the biggest bed in the universe?”

  “I know! What does he need with a bed that big?”

  He doesn’t reply.

  “What I want to show you is in here.”<
br />
  “How did you happen to end up in Hayden’s closet?”

  “I was looking for the laundry room and Fluff came in here. I chased after her, and one thing led to another, which led to this.”

  Chapter 19

  Natalie steps aside, and I nearly gasp at what I see. Hayden’s fucking playroom. Natalie is in Hayden’s fucking playroom, and I have no idea what to say right now. I’m feeling panicked. I knew Hayden had a room in his house in town but I didn’t know he had one here, too. If I’d known that, I never would’ve left Natalie alone in the house. And why in the name of fucking hell isn’t it locked?

  “Flynn?”

  I glance over at her to find her looking at me curiously. That’s when I realize my dick is hard and giving away my true feelings about the room.

  “I guess Hayden has his secrets.” I don’t know what else to say.

  “So you didn’t know about this?”

  I’m on a very slippery slope, and it’s getting slipperier by the second. “No,” I say, because it’s the truth. I didn’t know he has a room here.

  “Oh.”

  Does she sound disappointed or is that my hopeful imagination at work?

  “Do you know what goes on here?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I venture a glance at her. “Do you?”

  “I looked it up.”

  “Oh.” The thought of her looking up information about sex playrooms and other such things only makes me harder, which she notices but thankfully doesn’t comment on. I’m dying to ask her what she thinks of it and whether she wants to try it, but then I remember what happened when I pinned her hands above her head. So I don’t ask. Rather, I dodge the subject. “Since we’re moving home tonight, we should hit the beach while we can.”

  After a long pause, she says, “Sure, whatever you want to do. Let me put the clothes in the dryer, and I’ll be right down.”

  She goes out ahead of me, and I close the door to the playroom. My heart is hammering on the way downstairs. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! If she ever finds out what I’ve kept from her, she’ll never forgive me, especially after all the painful things she’s shared with me and no one else.

  Maybe I should see this as an opportunity and just tell her the fucking truth once and for all. But the thought of that makes my skin feel hot and tight the way it did when I had hives once as a kid. I can’t tell her. I just can’t, even though I know I should.

  We pass a relaxing afternoon at the beach. At least she’s relaxed. I’m wound so tightly, my chest aches from the stress. After dinner, we pack up our belongings and head back to my place in the Hollywood Hills. The paparazzi gave up when they saw no sign of us there for more than a week.

  Natalie has been unusually quiet, which I chalk up to the decision about her job that’s hanging over her. I want to ask her what she’s thinking, but I’m afraid of what she might say. I don’t want to go back to New York. I want to take her to Mexico on the honeymoon she deserves. I want to spend some more time completely alone with my wife.

  Then it occurs to me that she probably doesn’t have a passport. “Hey, Nat,” I say from my perch in bed. Thrilled to be back in my own bed, I’m waiting for her to join me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you have a passport?”

  “Uh-huh. I got one when I changed my name.” She comes into the bedroom rubbing lotion into her hands and wearing a gorgeous nightgown I haven’t seen before. “Ironically, David Rogers suggested I get one while we were taking care of everything else.”

  “Is it here or in New York?”

  “It’s here. I keep it zipped into my purse so I have ID on me since I don’t have a driver’s license. Why?”

  “Just wondering, if we end up going to Mexico. Have you ever used it?”

  “Nope. Never been out of the country. My parents weren’t comfortable with me being out of the country when I traveled with the Stones, so I never went on those trips.”

  “Now I really want to go to Mexico so I can be with you for another first.”

  She slides into bed and turns to face me. “I want to go to Mexico, too, Flynn. I want a honeymoon.”

  I take hold of her hand and link our fingers. “What about your job?”

  “I’m going to call tomorrow and ask if I can have next week to figure things out. I’m sure they’ll be willing to give me some time since I thought I’d been permanently fired.”

  “Do you have Addie’s number in your phone?”

  “Yes, she texted me earlier.”

  “Will you text her and tell her Mexico is a go for tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow? She’ll be up all night making plans if we go tomorrow.”

  “Nah, I have a house down there, so all we need is the plane and to let the staff there know I’m coming.”

  “You have a house in Mexico.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Where else do you have houses?”

  “I have a place in Aspen and one in the south of France. And the place in New York. That’s it, though.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. For a minute there, I wondered if your house collection is as big as your car collection.”

  “Smart-ass.” I smile as I kiss her. “Now will you send that text, please? I feel like I’ve had an arm amputated without my phone.”

  “Awww, poor baby. Yes, I’ll send the text.”

  Addie replies right away. Got it. I’m on it.

  “Does that poor girl ever sleep?” I put my phone on the bedside table and snuggle up to Flynn.

  “Yes, she gets plenty of sleep.”

  “When? You’re bugging her morning, noon and night.”

  “She loves her job.”

  “Sure she does.”

  “She does! I’m great to work for. I pay her a ton of money. I bought her an awesome car. I set her up rent-free in a condo we own in Santa Monica. She’s doing just fine.”

  “It does sound like a pretty sweet deal, especially since she gets to work for you.”

  “I know, right?” he says with a cocky grin.

  I poke his belly, and he laughs. “If we go to Mexico, when will I be able to see my sisters?” I’ve texted with both of them every day, and all we talk about is getting together as soon as we’re all free at the same time.

  “Addie has been in touch with them about the logistics, and it seems like the weekend after next is better for them because of school and work and everything they’ve got going on. Will that be okay?”

  “Sure. That’ll be great.” We’ve waited this long. Another week or so won’t make a difference. Everything in my life feels so uncertain and up in the air. Except for the man currently wrapped around me, who begins to snore softly.

  I stroke his hair and caress the stubble on his cheeks. He’s so beautiful all the time, but he’s even more so when he’s asleep. Even with the gorgeous rings on my fingers, I still can’t believe that this incredible man is my husband, that I get to keep him forever.

  My phone rings, and I pounce on it, hoping it won’t wake Flynn.

  “Hello?” I get out of bed and leave the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

  “You were looking awfully smug last night, which leads me to wonder how much you know about the man you married.”

  “Who is this?”

  “The first Mrs. Godfrey.”

  I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. How did she get my number? “I have nothing to say to you.”

  “I have a few things to say to you. I’m sure you’ve heard about all the ways I ruined his life, but you should know how he ruined mine. Have you seen his sick little playroom in the basement yet? If you don’t believe me, you should check it out for yourself. He keeps it locked, but there’s a key in the kitchen. It’s hanging on a hook by the door.”

  I need to end this call right now, because I know how awful she’s been to Flynn. But remembering his obvious physical reaction to Hayden’s playroom keeps me from ending the call. “Why’re you telling me this?”

  “Because. You look
like a nice enough girl. And I’d hate to see him do to you what he did to me, both in private and in public.”

  “It’s not because you want him back, is it?”

  She snorts loudly. “I’d rather be single and celibate for the rest of my life than to spend one more minute with that man.”

  “Good thing you don’t have to, then.”

  “Check out the basement, Natalie. Don’t be naïve.”

  “Don’t call me again.” I hit the End button and hold the phone in my trembling hands. For long minutes, I stand in the dark living room that looks down over the glittering lights of Los Angeles. I can’t move. I can’t think or process what just happened.

  Why is she doing this to me? It’s no secret that she and Flynn hate each other, so of course she doesn’t want him to be happy with his new wife. I’d be wise to forget what she said and go on with my life. But how am I supposed to do that without knowing if what she said is true?

  And what if it is? What then?

  “One thing at a time.” I return to the bedroom, where Flynn is still asleep. Fluff has moved into my spot, and Flynn’s hand is on her back. Tears fill my eyes at the sight of the two “people” I love best snuggled up to each other. How far we’ve all come since that day in the park.

  And in all that time, has he been keeping something huge from me? Something I should’ve known before I married him and tied my life to his forever? Have I been a total fool? In hindsight, there have been signs that there’s more to my husband than what he has shown me. Things he’s said and done. “I want to fuck you here,” he said while fingering my ass.

  Later, he showed regret for his blunt language and for introducing things I wasn’t ready for. But I liked it, and he’s done it again since then. Standing there, watching him sleep, I’m so confused. I should wake him up and just ask him if what Valerie said is true. Is he into the same things Hayden is, and if so, what does that mean for us?

  But how will I know if he’s being truthful? When it comes right down to it, I don’t know everything there is to know about this man I married after a whirlwind romance.

  Leaving him and Fluff to sleep, I step out of the bedroom and close the door. I return to the living room where I sit in the dark for more than an hour, trying to reject what Valerie said as the words of a vindictive bitch who lost the love of an amazing man and earned his eternal scorn. I want to put all my faith in him because he’s given me no reason not to, but she was so specific, right down to where the key is located.