The Red Shoe Chronicles : A Fantasy Romance Anthology

by N. R. Larry

  After an older couple came in and walked through the house, Chloe’s cell vibrated. There were a few texts from Jeff and though she wanted to ignore them, she took a peek.

  Jeff: What is this stuff you posted about an open house?

  Jeff: I got an email asking if we were moving?

  Jeff: Call me

  Jeff: Now Chloe

  Chloe rolled her eyes in disgust, and texted back. She knew they needed to talk. On a day she was already a ball of nerves, it made sense to just get it over with today.

  Chloe: I will explain everything again, after work

  Jeff: Work?

  Chloe: I’ll be home at 6:00, please be home

  Jeff: I’ll try

  She expected a message saying he was going to work late after all, but it never came. She would be uneasy till she knew if he was home by six or if he lied again.

  “Hello.” Brock kept his voice low key to try to not startle Chloe, who was facing away.

  “Oh, hi.”

  “I hope I didn’t startle you?”

  “No, just.. nothing.” Chloe tossed her cell onto the counter by the flowers.

  “Nice flowers, your boyfriend, or husband send them?”

  “No, no, my manger at Red Door.”

  Brock didn’t get a definitive answer on the boyfriend or the husband question. Chloe felt single, she just hadn’t told Jeff yet. Jeff left the relationship first. She knew somehow when she confronted him tonight, he would somehow say it was her fault.

  “I used to work for Gwen.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, it was her idea I get my license.”

  “Small world. Why did you leave Red Door?”

  “When my dad divorced her, it was weird, so I left for White Bay.”

  “Wait, Gwen, my boss, is your stepmom?”

  “Ex-step-mom. I have four.”

  “Oh my, your dad…”

  “Gets around? Yea, both my parents like getting married.”

  “I see. And you follow in their footsteps?” She tried standing a few feet away from him, but she felt an urge to move next to him. She took a few steps forward, till the toe of her red heels were as close as she could get to Brock.

  “I tend to…” She kissed him again. He tried to keep talking, but Chloe was making it difficult. “I tend to play it safe.”

  “Do you?” Chloe had her hand on his belt buckle already.

  “Yea, but Chloe?”

  “Yes?”

  “The door.” Brock tried to be loud enough to be clear, but she was smothering his face with hers and stole his breath. Together they made their way around the kitchen island.

  Brock threw Chloe up against the door, reached down, and turned the deadbolt. He tried to tell her they shouldn’t be doing this, they both had a house to sell today.

  “Quit fucking talking.” Chloe tried climbing him like she was a monkey in a tree. Brock took them both to the kitchen island and bent Chloe over it. All she muttered were breathy oohs and ahs as he slid her skirt up. He placed his hands on her bare ass, the blue of her thong disappearing in front of him.

  He took his hard cock and slapped it against her ass, making her beg for him to enter her. Chloe could barely stand it when he trusted into her again. His cum from only a few hours ago coated his cock as it slid in and out of her again.

  When Chloe felt Brock tense up the way he did earlier, she stopped him and turned around.

  “Chloe, what are you doing?”

  Chloe barely had time to get him all the way in her mouth before he came. She swallowed him and licked her lips in front of him. His blue eyes were brighter than when he foolishly knocked on the door of her duplex.

  Chapter 8

  Chloe stepped out the door and locked it behind her. The entire day was a blur. She had no clue why she acted the way she had. Instead of being tired and wanting to just be done with the day, she still had a zest running through her. After cleaning up a little in the murder house bathroom, she was ready to confront Jeff.

  “Hey, any luck today?” Brock locked up his side. He walked to the edge of the yard and let loose the balloons he tied to the open house sign earlier.

  “You know those will fall to the earth and a little bird with think it is food and die.”

  “Is that a fact?” Brock started walking back towards the driveway. Chloe headed towards him. Her red heels clacked on the concrete drive. “Maybe little birds shouldn’t put things in their mouth that are in front of them.”

  “I don’t remember hearing any complaints.”

  “Did you like…. my balloon?” Brock reached over and twirled a few strands of Chloe’s brown hair that hung in front of her breast. “Man, that was corny. God, I’m a dork.”

  Chloe giggled. Being with Jeff for so long, she forgot that not every guy is an overly confident brute. Some are cute, shy, and endearing. “Yep, pretty corny. But Cute.” With her heels, she barely had to lift to kiss Brock again.

  “Chloe…”

  “It’s ok, I need to get going. I have somewhere I need to be for once.” Chloe pulled out her cell and looked at the time. She would get home just in time to find that Jeff was probably not going to show up. And it would only help make her point.

  Brock sounded deflated when he said he understood and tried to recover by saying he had plans too.

  “I tell ya what. Give me your number and maybe my thing will be done before it even starts.” She handed him her phone, and he typed in his number.

  “Well, just in case I don’t see you again….” He paused and looked down. She could tell he was searching for what to say next while not sounding needy. She was enjoying the fact she had the upper hand with a man for once in her life. He continued, “Good luck with your open house. I got a few offers and have all the boring paperwork to do, so I think my boss will pull the next open house off the schedule.”

  “I better go.”

  “Yea, me too.”

  Chloe felt like she bounced to her car instead of walked. She waved a brief wave as Brock stood there, watching her pull away. She couldn’t believe the same guy standing there was the same man she begged to take her in a stranger’s kitchen. What the fuck happened today?

  During the drive back to her condo, she thought about how short of a time span encompassed so much bullshit. Her new job, catching Jeff, not giving a shit about Jeff’s excuses, new career, new shoes, her first open house, trying to sell a house where an infamous crime took place and to top it all off she not only was uncharacteristically sexually aggressive with Brock, she fucking loved it and wanted to throw him in her backseat and have him fuck the hell out of her again.

  Gripping the steering wheel, “Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you? Idiot!” Just then her phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “How was your open house?”

  “Oh, Susanne! How can I ever thank you and Gwen? I was expecting an empty house.”

  “And blood stains?”

  Chloe laughed at Susanne’s comment because in her new job jitters she didn’t know what to expect, but she said a silent prayer she didn’t have to clean up anything.

  “I didn’t know what to expect, but everything went really well.”

  “Great, Gwen will touch base with you when I get the secret shopper reports from our scout.”

  “I’m sorry, what? A scout?”

  “Yes, someone you talked to today about the house was there because of Gwen. But don’t worry, I am sure you did great. You had to get your feet wet.”

  Chloe wasn’t sure what to say and was upset. Yet another person in her life, Gwen, felt that Chloe needed to be guided, check up on, taken care of. And she was over it.

  “I understand. Like I said, I think today went pretty great, and I look forward to talking with Gwen Monday.” After a few pleasant goodbyes, Chloe threw her cell phone on the empty seat.

  By the time she pulled into the condo’s garage, she realized she was not mad at Gwen for sending a secret house hunte
r in. Chloe realized she needed to channel her anger and disappointment towards the person who deserved it.

  Just as she was exiting her car, her cell went off. It wasn’t Jeff. It was Winnie. She shot off a message.

  Chloe: Hey just got home, J better be here, I have got to confront him

  Winnie: Yes you do. He is an ass.

  Chloe: Talk to you later

  Winnie: Keep your phone close. 911 if you need me

  Chloe: Will do

  There was no missed text or call from Jeff, he better be here. He always parks at the far end of the garage so no one door dings his prize German automobile. So unless she wanted to walk all the way over there, she wouldn’t know if his car was here or not.

  “Hello? Jeff?” Chloe tossed her bag and keys onto the marble countertop.

  “There you are.” Jeff stepped out of the bedroom and headed towards her. He checked his watch to see if she was late.

  “I’m not late.”

  “Didn’t say you were.” He stepped to her and kissed her on the cheek, though she tried to kiss him on the lips. “Want to order Thai food?”

  “Sure, that sounds good. I’m glad you came home tonight.”

  “Really, Chloe? Because I don’t even know what’s going on with you?”

  “I started a new job this week and you act like I did something wrong, Jeff.”

  “I forget you started, I remember when they hired you I just forgot when you actually started.”

  “Can you put your phone down, please?” Jeff let out a snarky, “fine.” And he laid his phone down. Face down.

  “I saw you Thursday night.”

  “You came by my office?” Chloe could see the color drain from his face. And his confident smile fell.

  “No, I was with the girls at Gators.”

  “I hate that place, it’s for kids.”

  “That is not the point, Jeff.” Chloe slapped her hands on the counter and raised her voice. “I was at the fucking bar I like and I saw you outside when you said you were working late.”

  “Well, yea, I was meeting a coworker for dinner, we needed to go over a few things before a meeting we had today.” Jeff reached for her hands. She didn’t fall for him trying to pull her in.

  “No, no, no, Jeff. Stop with the bullshit. Who is she?”

  “Babe, there is no one, come here.” He stood, and she didn’t get away in time.

  Jeff pulled Chloe to him and nuzzled her neck. She had to admit to herself that he felt good. He always felt good. And smelled good. It was probably the reason they had made it this far together. But she also knew any other woman would see a sexy and successful lawyer like Jeff and want to get close like she was now. Jeff had that power over women. But what was intoxicating at twenty-one was now dangerous and self destructive.

  Trying to not let him know his body heat was an aphrodisiac to her, Chloe played things his way. She looked around her kitchen while Jeff buried his face in her chest. It was a shame too; she was going to miss this kitchen. State-of-the-art. A Lawyer and a Realtor can afford this condo. A Realtor on her own, no way.

  “See baby, isn’t this nice?” Jeff asked Chloe as he rammed his hand up her skirt. He was in for a surprise if he went too much further.

  “Yes, baby, but maybe I should help you out instead.” She pushed his hand out from between her thighs.

  “Yes, yes.” Jeff’s ego was back in charge. He led Chloe to the couch.

  Chloe pushed him down onto the leather sofa he picked out two years ago. Jeff was sitting there, his cock out, waiting for her to do what she promised only a second ago. Chloe stood and undid her blouse. She stopped abruptly and raised her red heeled shoe to his cock.

  “What the fuck, Chloe?”

  She pressed just enough for him to know he needed to listen to her.

  “I’m done. Where ever this cock has been lately….” She pressed in a little more. He grabbed at her ankle, but she didn’t move. “Where ever you have been working late and whoever you have been working late with you, can have you. Maybe you can pay attention to her because you sure as fuck haven’t paid attention to me.” She withdrew her foot and planted both feet on the ground.

  “You aren’t serious, you need me.” Jeff tried to stand, but Chloe crowded around him. She never in a million years could imagine starting a conversation like this, let alone follow through by leaving him and life in the high-rise condo.

  “I used to. But I have a job, a career, and a future. And in that future I will not worry who my boyfriend is with when he isn’t with me.” Chloe grabbed her bag and phone and slammed the door behind her.

  She leaned against the cold metal door, fought back tears, and thought to herself, “What the fuck did I just do?”

  In the parking garage, Chloe sat in her car for a few minutes. Wondering if maybe, just maybe, Jeff came after her. She stared at the black screen on her phone. Not even a text. He let her leave that easily.

  “Take a deep breath, Chloe, it is better this way.” She dialed Brock, took in a deep breath, and put the key in the ignition.

  Chapter 9

  2 months later

  “Babe, can you get the door? It’s Winnie.” Chloe called out to Brock while she clenched bobby pins between her teeth.

  “You bet.” Brock hopped off the bed and headed to the front door. “Hey, Winnie, come on in, she is almost ready.”

  Chloe came down the hallway to find her best friend and Brock, chatting and laughing about something. A site she never saw between Winnie and Jeff.

  “Are you ready?” Winnie asked Chloe without looking at her. Instead Winnie was rummaging in her giant bag. “Let’s go find you some furniture. Are you coming, Brock?”

  “No, I have a showing at two. Besides, I have my lay-z-boy in front of the tv, that’s all I need other than Chloe.” Brock kissed Chloe on her forehead and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I see you’re wearing my favorite shoes. Maybe later you take everything off and leave the shoes on?”

  “Guys, I’m right here.” Winnie said and added a gagging sound for punctuation.

  “Sorry, Winnie, she’s just so hot.”

  “Stop…” Chloe blushed because if Winnie wasn’t here, they would be naked in the bedroom, if they even made it that far.

  Out in the car, finally, Winnie asked Chloe, “What color palette are you thinking for the murder house?”

  “Well, first of all, we aren’t calling it the murder house anymore. It’s the ‘Chloe got a helluva deal love shack’.”

  “So, anything but red?”

  She was so stupid in love, she called her home a love shack. And even though she was prepared to face life as a single woman after walking out on Jeff, Brock was such a tremendous help with work and one thing led to another… again and again. And since he sold the other side of the duplex, she knew her neighbors were nice and quiet, and not bothered that they over spent on their property.

  Winnie drove and asked Chloe where to go to first.

  Looking down at her red heels, Chloe told her friend she needed to return to Clara Dean’s Boutique. “I want a bag to go with these. Maybe the matching bag will be lucky too.”

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