2
The mansion door flies open, and a blur of white and gold rushes down the steps before my girl is flying into my arms. I catch her by the waist and swing her around; her exuberance at seeing me melts my heart. “Hey, baby!”
She lands her mouth on mine in a heated kiss. I take the kiss deeper and slip her a little tongue action. She moans into my mouth before pulling away and licking her lips. “Guess what!” She smacks my chest, excitement rushing her words.
“What, Peaches?”
Skyler smiles. “Not only is the A-Lister series going to shoot the bar scenes in Lucky’s, they are going to shoot most of the movies in Boston! Which means”—she wiggles wildly in my arms—“I’m not going to have to leave much for the next two years! Not only is the series three parts, but they’re stretching it out for maximum money-making potential and making the last movie a two-parter like they did with the Twilight Saga!”
I smile wide and kiss her silky lips hard. “That’s awesome, Sky.”
“And guess what else!” The dancing keeps going as I hook my arm around her and start walking her up the steps to Mick and Wendy’s mansion. Wendy is patiently waiting at the top, leaning against the doorframe. Her cap of flaming-red hair is bright and shiny, glinting in the light from the huge chandelier inside the door. She wiggles her fingers at me, grinning.
“What?” I chuckle and lead my woman up the concrete stairs.
“They’ve cast Rick Pettington as my costar!”
This stops me before my foot touches the next step. “Rick the Prick?”
She turns with one foot on the step above and frowns. “I thought you liked him. You gave him tips on how to be sexy in a scene and everything. I figured you’d be happy.” She pouts.
I lift my hand and tunnel it into her hair at her nape. “Sky, I’m never going to be happy a man is playing your love interest in a romantic movie. Doesn’t matter who it is or if he were my best friend. Another man kissing and touching you is a fact of life that I have to swallow down on the regular; doesn’t mean I gotta be happy about it.”
Her shoulders drop, and her spine curves toward me along with her arms. Behind her, Wendy is laughing behind her hand.
“But you know Rick thinks of me like a sister. I thought you’d be”—she shrugs—“excited about this news.”
“Baby, you love your job. I’m excited you’re happy. You being happy is all that matters to me. Your costars can be cool, and treat you with respect, which I expect to happen always, or else . . .” I leave that bit unspoken. She knows what the or else means without me having to say a word more. I tug her body flat against mine with her standing on the stair above, putting us at eye level. “I’m never going to like you pretending to be in a relationship with another man. I love you too much. You’re mine. I’ll never tell you to not accept a role or to not do your job. It’s who you are. It’s a beautiful part of you. I’m proud of the work you do and talent you have and will support you always. Asking me to like a man kissing my woman?” I shake my head. “Baby, you gotta look at it from my perspective.”
She kisses me softly. “Well, at least I get to be here all the time for the foreseeable future!”
“Now that part I absolutely love.” I run my hands down to her ass and give it a playful squeeze combined with a lip nip.
She laughs but kisses me back.
“Uh, guys . . . still waiting. Are you ever going to come into the house?” Wendy calls out, reminding us she’s standing there.
“Oops!” Sky laughs. My girl is always laughing with me, and I’ll go a long way to hear that laughter as often as possible. She’s had enough strife in her world to last a lifetime.
I turn Skyler around and push at her booty to get her moving.
She dashes up the stairs as I come to the top and open my arms for my second-best girl. Wendy grins and comes right into my embrace, placing her face flat against my chest. Her coconutty scent mixes with Sky’s own fruity smell, filling me with familiarity and comfort.
“How’s it going, minxy?”
She nods against my chest. “Good. Now that we’re home and away from that witch Monika, it’s all good. We’re well into final wedding plans, and”—she leans back and looks into my face—“we’ve been trying to get pregnant. I’m off all the meds, no more pain, just a few tweaks here and there, but nothing I can’t handle with a glass of wine and a good night’s sleep. Both of which I’m getting in spades.”
I loop my arm around hers and walk her into the house. I kiss her forehead. “Keep me posted,” I whisper, knowing she’s sharing something incredibly private.
“Okay, I will. I’m just really excited and nervous about it. I hope it happens soon. We want to have our own family so bad.” She worries her bottom lip, and I stop before we enter the receiving room.
I frown and whisper in her ear, “Stop worrying. You’ve got lots of time. Take it all day by day. The moment you stop fretting is when it will happen.”
Wendy nods sharply. “Good advice. I’m just going to roll with it.”
I squeeze her shoulder and kiss the crown of her head as we enter the formal room that oozes old money, from the artwork to the large antique mahogany furniture and vibrant gem-toned fabrics with gold accents everywhere.
Mick is already waiting with a drink in hand.
“Ellis, I’ve made you a gin and tonic, but I’ve got cold IPA at the ready if you’d prefer.” He holds out a cocktail glass.
I let Wendy go as he hands me the drink. His eyes go from hers to mine and back to hers. “Something you two want to share?” He smirks.
She shakes her head. “Nope. Just Park reminding me to ‘go with the flow’ and let nature do its thing.”
Mick cocks a brow. “I see you’ve been sharing . . .”
She lifts one shoulder and presses her lips together. “Not much. Besides, I have to talk to someone.”
Mick’s gaze narrows, and he curves an arm around her waist, bringing her body flat against his chest. “I’m your someone. You talk to me.”
She rolls her eyes and pushes away. “Not when it involves you, silly.”
He brings her back against his chest with an iron grip.
I chuckle under my breath as Sky wraps her arms around my waist, leaning her chin on my chest.
“Especially when it involves me.” He kisses her sweetly.
She stares at him directly. “You’re insufferable sometimes.”
“You love it.”
Wendy smiles huge. “I totally do.” She kisses him hard once before spinning out of his arms and addressing Nate and Rachel, who are sitting on the couch.
“Well, now that you’re all here, do you want to chat before dinner or after?”
“I think it would be wise to get the work stuff out of the way first, then enjoy our personal time. Yeah?” I suggest.
Sky nods. “Yeah. Did Park or Nate tell you why we wanted to talk?”
Wendy’s eyebrows furrow. “No, just that you had a security issue that would take up some tech time on my part.”
Skyler blurts out, “I have a stalker.”
Mick’s arm wraps around Wendy at the same time that Wendy’s mouth drops open and her blue eyes turn a fiery deep blue. “Say again?”
“How about we sit down?” I point to the comfortable couches.
“How’s about you tell me what the hell is going on and why the word stalker just came out of my best girlfriend’s mouth?” Wendy’s voice is low and demanding.
“Cherry, let’s have a seat. I’ll make you a stronger drink.”
“Yes, yes, you will.” She stomps over to the couch and sits down on the edge of the arm.
Skyler and I take positions on the couch across from Nate and Rach.
“Hi, guys,” I say.
“Hey,” Rachel replies at the same time Nate offers a chin lift.
Mick crosses the room to his bar setup and sets out six tumblers. He grabs a crystal decanter sitting on a matching tray and pours two fingers of amber liquid into each tumbler before bringing the entire tray over to the coffee table. He sets the tray down, picks up one glass, and hands it to Wendy. She immediately slams the two fingers of what I assume to be whiskey in one go. Then she promptly picks up another. “For sipping.”
I grin, recalling the first time she did that in a hotel in Canada when I was losing my mind over Skyler. Wistfully I let those thoughts go and grab for a tumbler to hand to Sky. “Whiskey?” I ask Mick, and he nods. Once Sky’s taken hers, I accept one for myself. Mick chooses his when both Rachel and Nate shake their heads. They’re on the job, which means they don’t drink. Ever.
“All right, someone tell me what’s going on,” Wendy demands.
We start by giving her the lowdown on the texts. Nate printed them out, complete with time stamps and the phone numbers they were sent from. One set for Skyler’s texts and one for mine. Then he presents her with copies of the three individuals’ letters we narrowed down from the fan mail. Still, all three are anonymous. The only saving grace is two of the three have the same postmark, meaning every letter was mailed from the same location. One is New York, the other some small town in Alabama.
Wendy skims through the papers. “The letters are strange. Some downright upsetting. I’m sorry, Sky.”
Skyler reaches for my hand, and I hold on to it, letting her know I’m here for her.
“The texts worry me,” Wendy says. “They’re all over the place and change from friendly to possessive to angry. Parker’s texts less so. The letters seem as though they were written by a male who’s obsessed with Skyler as a love interest. A companion. The texts almost sound like they were written by a girl. You see the phrasing: ‘I thought we were friends. You think you’re better than everyone else.’ But the last two are most disconcerting. Whoever sent those texts is watching you. They know when you’re coming and going. Look at the word choices. ‘Glad you’re home. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.’” She shakes her head. “And Skyler’s gotten a lot more texts than Parker and more often. Which, to me, is almost a jealous behavior. Didn’t you say there was a note you received, Park?”
Nate shuffles through the files in his hand and gives her the original letter, which is encased in a clear plastic bag.
Wendy reads the letter out loud. “I am her. She is me.”
On that, I suck back a generous swallow of the whiskey. It’s smooth and warm going down. Must be a good year. As with anything Mick owns, it’s probably top-notch.
Wendy taps her lips with her finger while staring at the letter. “It’s like she’s proving that Skyler and she are the same somehow. But why would she need to make that clear to Parker? Then the first text he receives is a comparison. Maybe the person who’s texting Skyler is after Parker? This person could be after Parker and messing with Skyler to get to him.”
“He did receive the note first and then the first text. Skyler’s came after,” Nate says.
“Could it be two different people, possibly working together to freak you both out?” Wendy suggests.
I shrug and run my hand through my hair. “Could be, I guess. They sound similar, all grammatically correct, no quick text. No emojis. Except the first one Skyler receives talks about them being friends. The letters she’s received from fans have been overly friendly. They all believe they have a form of friendship or relationship with Sky.”
Wendy bites her lips and nods. “I’m gonna do some poking around. Work these phone numbers, see if I can’t trace them back to actual cell phone purchases. Maybe narrow down the location where the person is buying their phones. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”
“What do you think about bringing the authorities in?” Nate inquires.
“What do we really have?” I ask. “There’s nothing threatening in them. Just because we’re uncomfortable doesn’t mean whoever this person is has broken the law. It’s a bunch of texts and a note. Even the fan mail spans years with no security breaches or harm having come to Sky,” I add.
“True. You can’t do anything without the threat of physical violence,” Mick states.
“Either way, I’m gonna look into it. And of course, if a person tries to mess with you, they’ve got He-Man”—she hooks a thumb toward Nate, then Rachel—“and She-Ra to contend with. If it were me, I wouldn’t make an approach. Then again, I’m not stupid. Though nothing in these texts or the way the sender is evading identification says the person is stupid either. Just keep your eyes open and be careful.” Wendy finishes her second whiskey.
“Well, if we’re done with the ugly portion of our evening, I think it’s time to retire to the dining room. Our chef has prepared a feast for the six of us.” Mick stresses the word six and glances at Rachel and Nate.
Rachel’s brows seem to jump up into her hairline. “Uh, I thought we would just come back after you’ve had your meal with friends,” she says, looking at Skyler, then at me.
Wendy stands, grabs Rachel’s hand, and pulls her up. “You are our friends. Now come on. I don’t want to ruin Chef Fancy Pants’ plan to feed the whole group. Chef Tony is Italian and loves to have many mouths to feed and bellies to fill. Another reason we need to have a house full of babies. Come on.” She hooks her elbow with Rachel’s. Nate and Sky follow close behind. As I’m bringing up the rear, Mick stops me with a hand to my bicep.
I stop abruptly, and he lets go but waits until the group is out of the room.
“Should I be worried about Wendy’s involvement in this issue?”
I take a full, deep breath and rub at the back of my neck. “Honestly, Mick, I don’t know. I’m uncomfortable with a lot of things in Skyler’s world, but it comes with the territory. She has Nate and Rachel with her at all times when she’s not with me. Heck, most of the time, they’re with us too. No one’s going to know Wendy is looking into things, but if you don’t like it, I’m not sure what you can do to change it. Wendy’s the best we’ve got when it comes to detailed searches. If anyone can find something on these letters or the texts, it’s going to be her. Nate and I are at a complete loss. We exhausted all possible avenues before coming to her.”
His jaw seems to clench before my eyes as he nods curtly. “Open communication. At all times. This is not just you, Wendy, and Nate. You understand? If my woman is in on this, I’m in on this.”
“Full disclosure. Done,” I promise right away. I’d want the same respect if the situation were reversed.
“Then we understand each other perfectly. Hope you’re hungry. I understand Tony went family style with dinner tonight.”
I grin widely. “Is there any other way?”
A small hint of a smile appears across Mick’s lips. “Apparently not.”
“I’m up to my eyeballs in paperwork, brother. This shit is too much. I can’t handle the money, manage our investments, wrangle Bo, and pretend to be a lawyer.” Royce’s deep voice over the phone has an extra element of grating I don’t remember it having normally.
Skyler tosses her sweater on the back of her couch as I meander through her penthouse and into her bedroom. I walk into the closet to hang my jacket and stop dead in my tracks at the entire right side, which is filled with suits. Men’s suits. Polos. Dress shirts. T-shirts. Jeans. Slacks. Even a flat surface that has expensive ties in a variety of wildly colorful and cool-as-shit designs, all spread out along a handmade wooden tie holder thingamajig. I blink a few times and refocus on the call as my eyes take in the other three-fourths of the closet, loaded with Skyler’s clothes and gowns, many of which still have tags.
“Brother, I get you. I get you. And I’m on it. I actually met with Andre today and a lawyer who would be perfect for us—”
“Great! Fucking hire the man.” His voice is tired and determined.
“It’s a woman, actually, and—”
“I don’t care who it is. Is the person qualified?”
“Very.” I sigh.
“Educated? Credentials up to snuff?” he adds.
“And then some. But—”
He butts in again. “Is she experienced?”
I clench my teeth. “Yeah, worked on Capitol Hill, specializes in corporate law but also dabbled in legislation, which would be ideal for the case we’re starting next week with Pure Beauty Pharmaceuticals.”
“Hire her,” he states flat out.
“Royce, I don’t think you understand . . .”
“I understand you’ve got a qualified, educated, experienced female. Is she dog ugly or something? Have you slept with her?”
I cringe. “No! And no! Jesus. She’s beautiful. Classy.”
“Awesome. Then the only issue we’ll have is Bo wanting to bang her.”
Actually, Bo is the least of my worries when it comes to Kendra Banks.
“There are things you don’t know. Also, I had a chat with Annie today regarding permanent employment. She was happy. Well, at least I think she was. I can’t get a good read on that girl.”
Booming laughter greets me. “Probably because the last few times you’ve been in the office, you were there with Skyler. That woman is your perfect distraction.”
I grin. He is not wrong. “Be that as it may, she’s interested in full time. I didn’t talk with Wendy about our idea for her being the chief information officer because I thought you’d want to do that together. Same with Annie and the new lawyer.”
“Fuck it. Bo doesn’t care. You already know that. Wendy he’ll want to be in on just because he loves her and loves poking fun at her. Annie, he could care less. Hiring a lawyer, he wants no part of. If you say this woman is qualified, just take the plunge. We’ll get to know one another later. Do you get along with her?”
I finger the store tags dangling from all the clothes hanging in Sky’s closet. “Yeah, totally. It’s just—”
“You found your surprise!” Skyler squeals from the entrance to the closet. “Man! I was going to blindfold you and everything.” She pouts.
“Looks like you got yo’ girl to deal with. Send my love. In the meantime, Park, I trust you. Save my ass. I do not have time to drag this out. We need help now. The sooner the better. Now that’s all I’m going to say. Have a good night. Peace.” It’s the last thing he says before he hangs up.
I tip my head back and rub at my temples with my thumb and forefinger.
A pair of arms slide up my chest and loop around my neck. “Honey, I thought you’d like the surprise. Makes it easier for you to stay whenever you want without having to stop across town for your clothes.”
I let out a long breath and pull my girl into my arms. “Good surprise, baby. I love it. How did you get my sizes?”
She grins and pulls back. “Had Wendy look up all your clothing purchases for the past year. Figured out your style preferences and then called my personal shopper. She picked it all and sent it over. It should all fit perfectly. If it doesn’t, she’ll take it back and charge my account.”
“It’s awesome, Peaches. I’ll have money wired over to pay for it.”
She frowns. “No, honey. This is a gift. From me to you. I want you to feel at home here. This is just one step, don’t you think?”
I know if I force the issue, especially the money part, she’s going to shut down. And honestly, I’m tired. Bone tired. Instead, I snuggle her neck. “Thank you, baby. I love it. Very thoughtful. Now all I need are my Sox tees and we’ll be set.”
She backs up, waggles her eyebrows, and leaves my arms to flounce over to a set of drawers. She opens the top drawer. “Underwear.” The second. “Socks.” The third. “PJ pants. And in the last drawer . . . Sox gear!” She grins wide.
“You just proved what I already knew,” I say with nothing but admiration and love.
She smiles wide and comes back into my arms clutching a Sox T-shirt. “Which is what?”
“You’re the perfect woman, and all mine.”