BRIAN (The Callahans Book 1) (110 page)

Laura Ross stared out her office window at the security detail waiting outside. Her boyfriend, Mason Decker, billionaire, tech wizard, and the love of her life, had hired her a personal bodyguard after her stalker drama the month before.

Her cell phone rang. She glanced at the Caller I.D. to see Mason’s name pop up for the third time that day…and it was only just past noon. With an annoyed groan she sent him to voicemail.

At first the gestures had been sweet. He would call to check up on her, and yes, the bodyguard was nice, but it was now spiraling out of control. One call per day quickly grew to two, then three, and now it was up to five times a day. She was having a hard time coming up with things to talk about when she saw him in person.

Mason rang again. This time she sent him to voicemail and shut the damn thing off. Just in case, she unplugged her landline and set up an away message for her email. She needed to breathe. She rested her head on her arms and counted to ten to regain her composure. She had to remind herself,
This is coming from a good place
with each breath she took.

“Excuse me. Miss Ross?” Roy MacTavish, her bodyguard, stuck his head in the doorway. Roy was an ex-NFL hopeful who’d destroyed his knee in college. He had the height and build of a Viking, which, coming from a purely Scottish family, wasn’t surprising. After an attempt at professional wrestling didn’t pan out, he’d moved on to personal security.

“What is it, Roy?” she snapped without raising her head. She could feel a twinge beginning behind her left eye.

“Mr. Decker just called and asked me to check on you. Says your phones are off.”

Laura lifted her head and waved Roy into her office. His broad body slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. “Ma’am?”

Laura thought very carefully about what she would say next. Roy was Mason’s employee, not hers, and she knew she had no clout with him, but if she could send him away for five minutes she would be so happy. “Yes, Roy. I shut the phones off. I just needed some quiet time. My head is pounding.” That was mostly the truth. “I’m getting ready to go to lunch. Is there anywhere you’re in the mood for?” She figured if she couldn’t lose him, she could at least have some company.

“Oh, um…” He had been caught off guard. No directive had ever been considerate of his needs before. “Can we just hit the deli across the street? They make a bitchin’ cup of coffee.”

Laura nodded. She hadn’t felt much like walking, so the location was perfect. “Go on out. I’m just going to gather my things. Tell Mr. Decker – Mason – I’m fine. Hale and hearty.”
And extremely annoyed.

With a nod, Roy took his leave. Laura dug around her junk drawer for the bottle of
Excedrin she had to keep stocked as of late. After popping two of the little white pills, she grabbed her purse to meet Roy.

She turned after shutting the door to see Tammy, the young, flame-haired receptionist, chatting up the big Scot, and smiled. She lingered back to watch the hapless flirting the co-ed was attempting and which was somehow working. Roy blushed and handed her his phone. Laura watched with amused surprise as Tammy programmed her number in.

The exchange instantly lifted her mood. Tammy was her favorite person at the office, so she loved seeing the girl smile.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I do believe this fella is escorting me to lunch.” Laura leaned over the reception counter to make a knowing face at Tammy. The girl blushed in response. Roy’s complexion matched his name as well.

“I, uh, yeah. Sorry, Laura.” Tammy looked anywhere but at Laura’s face. “It was nice to see you, Roy. Enjoy your lunch.”

Laura started to follow Roy out to the lobby, but stopped herself. She turned back to Tammy and gave her a hug instead. Something maternal drove her to do it. “He’s a good one. Get him, girl.” With a wink Laura turned to follow her bodyguard out, leaving Tammy grinning like an idiot in her wake.

“So, Roy. You and Tammy, huh?” Laura teased.

The big man blushed up from his neck to the roots of his dark blond hair. “Yeah. I think she’s really pretty.”

“Tammy’s a good girl. Ask her out to dinner. I’ll be at Mason’s all weekend, so take advantage of the time off,” Laura suggested.

“Do you think she’d say yes?” Roy asked. They both jogged across the street as the light turned.

“I really do. She’s sweet on you.” Laura waited as Roy opened the door to the diner. Mason was already waiting at a table in the back corner. With a sigh, Laura crossed the busy floor and sat down. “I wasn’t expecting to have lunch with you today.”

“MacTavish told me you two were coming here. Since you didn’t answer my calls, I thought I’d join you. Sit.” With a glance back at her bodyguard, who seated himself near the door, she resigned herself to her situation.

“I can tell you’re annoyed with me, but please be assured, I’m doing this because I love you. I want to see that you’re safe.” Mason rested his hand over Laura’s on the worn Formica.

“I know, Mason. It’s just a lot. I’m not used to this level of involvement with someone. Do you think you’ll let up with this at all?”
Like, yesterday!

“Yes, soon, I hope. Frank is being put on trial next week. After he’s locked up things can go back to normal.”

The countdown was on in Laura’s mind. She couldn’t wait to be able to go home again and live in her own apartment and have nights alone with bad reality television. Or maybe she could go out with her friends unsupervised. She’d cancelled the plans she had made with Jill from before Christmas because she was embarrassed to be seen with her security detail. The thought of Roy looming over her friends all night made Laura uncomfortable; she could only imagine how her friends would feel.

Being tailed by somebody all the time made Laura feel completely isolated from the rest of the world. After the first week, she would chat and exchange niceties with Roy, but when other people saw him with her they often ran across the street.

“Good. I can’t wait. So, what are we having for lunch?” Laura stood her menu up in front of her face, blocking Mason out of her line of vision. Just that gesture helped her breathe a little easier.

“I can’t stay, darling. I just wanted to check in on you. Order what you like. On me.” Mason tipped the menu away from Laura’s face to look at her. He could read the worry and the strain on her face. The guilt of forcing her to do this weighed heavy on him, but he couldn’t risk having another incident. Mason was also afraid she would try to hide from him if something new did come up, and he couldn’t have that.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll see you tonight then.” Laura couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice.

“Tonight, darling. And I’m sorry.” Mason kissed Laura’s forehead before taking off.

Laura was left with an acute feeling of emptiness. Emotionally, she had been all over the place. She was up one minute, down the next. She spent a good portion of her time pissed at Mason’s clinginess, but when he left her she felt bare and exposed without him. “Love sucks,” she muttered to herself as she looked over her menu.

“Can I join you?”

Laura glanced up and motioned to the chair vacated by Mason. Roy sat in front of her and waved for the server.

“Thanks for coming to join me, Roy. Mason left rather abruptly.” Or at least it felt that way.

“No problem, Ms. Ross. I can keep a better eye on things from back here anyway.” He sat with his back to the wall and faced the front door. From where they were seated he did have a pretty good view of the place.

“Are you expecting someone to come in and carry me out of here?” Laura joked.

“Not really, but if someone wants to try and rob the place or something I’ll see them coming before anyone else does.”

The server stepped up to the edge of the table to take their order.

“Latté for me and a turkey sandwich.” Laura glanced down at her watch, “Better make that to go.”

“Black coffee, leave room for milk, please,” Roy asked. He handed the menus off and relaxed. Or at least his posture was relaxed; his eyes were still sharp.

The pair sat in silence until their order arrived. Laura checked her email and replied to one from her attorney about Frank’s trial. She made a mental note to call her back when she got to the office.

Laura and Roy collected their food and left. Laura was in no particular hurry to get back to work, but sitting idle was making her twitch. Lately, she felt like if she sat still too long she would crawl right out of her skin.

Her phone’s text alert chimed. When she entered the office she checked. A message from Mason popped up. For a moment she contemplated ignoring it, but didn’t want the scene if he decided to show up at her office.

I love you. I’ll lighten up. I promise. Come over tonight so I can make it up to you.

That made Laura smile. She had worn her skimpiest lingerie under her work clothes just in case. She texted him back,

You had better. ;)

The idea to snap him a naughty photo crossed her mind, but lately all eyes were on her, so she quickly vetoed that choice. Instead she settled in at her desk and spread her lunch in front of her. With a crunch of her pickle, she started back on her article for that month’s issue.

In the minutes, even hours, after sex, Laura was content. She lay curled up with her head on Mason’s chest fully relaxed and sated. In that time she wasn’t mad at him and their relationship felt the most normal since her stalker ordeal.

The bedroom was the only place she was comfortable letting Mason take control of her. There she slipped into her role as submissive and followed his orders without question or hesitation. It always surprised her how willing she was to emotionally let Mason in when they were physical, when she would naturally want to push against that any other time.

***

Mason hugged Laura closer. He savored these moments. Lately their relationship had been too tense; they fought too often and loved too little. He found it difficult to give Laura her autonomy back. He knew it was the right thing to do, but the worry that something worse would happen was too strong, too fresh. Every day he was on the phone with his attorneys, pushing to make sure Frank was locked away where he could never get out and terrorize her again.

“Do you think these women ever get out and do anything worthwhile?” Laura asked. They had been watching a show on plastic surgery.

“I doubt it. For the life of me I can’t figure out why you watch these ridiculous reality shows,” Mason commented. “Can’t you watch something with substance, or even a movie?”

“I spend, like, ninety per cent of my waking hours researching and pouring over facts and figures. I need the empty brain calories to decompress. And I do watch movies. We went and saw that animated one last week. Remember, the one with the little purple aliens?” Laura adjusted her body so she could look at him.

“I do. While it was adorable, I would definitely classify that as ‘empty brain calories,’ as you say. It was a kids’ movie!”

“So? What’s the difference between that and the ones you like with explosions and fires?”

Mason grinned. “That’s easy. The explosions and fires.”

Laura stuck her tongue out at him. Mason tossed a throw pillow at her in response. A pillow fight ensued for several minutes until they both rolled off the bed, tangled in sheets, to the floor.

“Gah! Get me out of these!” Laura struggled at the cotton binding encasing her legs.

“Hold still.” Mason pulled at the fabric to loosen it. “There you go. Free at last.”

The words were meant to be innocuous, a joke even, but they went straight to Laura’s heart. In a blink, she realized what she needed. She stared at Mason and knew she needed to make a decision or she knew she couldn’t be with him anymore. “I think I should go home.”

Mason started. “What? Why?”

Laura struggled to her feet, refusing Mason’s help. “I just miss my apartment.” At Mason’s insistence – and that of her landlord – she had moved into another building a couple of blocks away. The rent was outrageous, but the twenty-four hour security guard and key card entry were worth it.

“It’s late. Just stay here.” Mason furrowed his brow.
What the hell just happened?

“It’s not that late. If I catch a cab I can be home before midnight and still get plenty of sleep before work.” Laura began collecting her clothes and dressing. She knelt down to check under the bed for her missing shoe.

“Let me at least call my driver.” Mason grabbed his cell off the bedside table. “I’m really confused, Laura. I thought we were having a good time. What happened?” He looked down at his phone to dial.

“I don’t know. I’m really overwhelmed, Mase. I just want to go home and be by myself for a little while. There’s nothing wrong. I promise.” She stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.

Mason called his driver. He had fifteen minutes to convince Laura to stay before Smith got to the building. Before he even opened his mouth, Laura opened the door and blew by him into the living room.

She didn’t want to talk. Suddenly the room was suffocating. She grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter and was blocked from leaving by a sexy, half-dressed Brit.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, Laura.” Mason spoke very lowly and sternly. “What is the matter?” Too many possible scenarios rushed through his head, none of which were good. He needed to understand why Laura was suddenly so flighty.

“Fine. You want to know?” She tossed her bag back on the counter. “I can’t breathe, Mason! The security, the incessant phone calls and emails, showing up just to check on me and then leaving – it’s all making me nuts!” Laura sucked in a breath. The anxiety was spreading through her chest. “I understand your concern, and I appreciate it, but Frank’s in jail, and I need space.”

Mason’s face settled into a mask of calm, but inside he was aching. “That’s fair. I have been a little paranoid–”

“You think?” Laura interrupted.

Mason scowled. “But after the stalking and you keeping it from me, which by the way hurt that you couldn’t trust me, I just feel overprotective.”

Laura gaped at him. “You want to make this about you? Come on, Mason. You’re better than that.” He wasn’t the one with a crazy ex-lover.

“My feelings don’t matter then? This all happened to you, yes, but I was hurt, and you seem to always dance around the topic. I have been supportive and have gone above and beyond for you because of this. Hell, I respected your wishes initially, and things ended up in a clusterfuck. You hurt me, Laura, and I’m just supposed to deal with it?”

Laura fumed. She didn’t know what to say. On one hand, she had hurt him. It wasn’t intentional, but it had happened. On the other, she felt like it wasn’t his problem to deal with. “I don’t feel like talking tonight. Please excuse me so I can go home.”

Mason stepped aside. “Okay. Go on home. I do expect to talk about this soon though.” He tipped her head up and kissed her on the mouth, a long, slow kiss to keep her mind on him that night.

Laura pulled back, breathless, and looked into his eyes. “Thank you, Mason. Good night.” And she took off down the hallway before she changed her mind. There was something in his kiss that turned her into jelly. Staying with Mason that night was not a good idea when she already felt so gun shy.

***

Mason plodded back into his bedroom and dropped onto the edge of the bed. He opened the locked bedside table and extracted a small, teal-colored box. He turned it over in his hands. The hope and promise of finally making it with Laura was tucked away inside the tiny cube.

He opened the package, and for the twentieth time since he’d bought it three weeks earlier, he rehearsed what he wanted to say. He stared at the diamond ring, a symbol of the future he was so ready to finally get started. For the first time since he and Laura had reconnected, Mason felt that future hanging on by a thread.

With a sigh, he replaced the ring in its box and locked it back up. His heart was heavy as he went to bed that night, but his hands were tied. He had learned that in order to get her to stay, she had to come to him. This time, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to play that game anymore.

***

Laura trudged up to her apartment building, emotionally and mentally tanked. By the time she reached the elevator it was nearly one in the morning. She leaned against the up button and waited.

All of her senses were on high alert. In the last month she had become increasingly more paranoid rather than less. Part of that may have been due to Mason’s diligence. With a sigh she boarded the elevator and pushed the “4” button to get to her floor.

Mason had offered to pay for her new place. The gesture was sweet, and she was grateful for his offer, but she had to turn it down. She really didn’t want to feel obligated to him in any way, in case the relationship imploded. She was even more grateful for him not asking her to just move in with him. That would have sent her screaming in the other direction.

The elevator doors slid open, and to Laura’s chagrin, Roy was leaning against her doorway.
So much for space
. “Hey, Roy. Did you go on that date with Tammy?”

He nodded his blond head. “I did. It went really well. We’re going out again next Saturday. That is, if I’m not called away again.” He cocked an eyebrow and narrowed his gaze. It was easy to see that he wasn’t pleased to deal with Mason tonight either.

“I’m guessing Mason called you out here. How long do you plan on staying?”
Please say five minutes!

“Just long enough to sweep your apartment and make sure you’re ‘tucked in for the night.’” he used air quotes around the last comment.

“I am so sorry.” Laura turned her keys in the lock and pushed the door open. No alarm bells sounded in her head, but a pounding had started.

Roy crossed the foyer and checked out the sparsely decorated living room, opening closets and cabinets. After a quick check of her bedroom and bathroom Roy gave the all clear thumbs up. “All good. Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.” He turned towards the door to leave.

“Wait. Tomorrow? It’s Saturday. You’ve never had to babysit me on a Saturday.”

Roy spread his hands in a mea culpa. “I’m only following the boss’s orders. I hope you didn’t have plans.”

Laura sighed and raked her hands through her disheveled blonde hair. “No. Well, not anymore.” Here’s to rescheduling with Jill again. She and Mason were supposed to double date with Jill and her boyfriend, Craig, at the Guggenheim. Since taking a breather was first priority, no date with Mason.

“You know what? Fuck it. I’m meeting my friend and her boyfriend at the Guggenheim at eleven tomorrow, and then we’re having lunch after. It’s not your or their fault Mason’s being a crazy person.” She realized her purse was still over her shoulder and she was wearing her jacket. She was so tired she would have slept in the whole get-up. She chucked her bag on the black leather Ikea couch.

“Be here by ten. See you in the morning, Roy.” She walked her bodyguard to the door and showed him out. After he left she locked the three deadbolts and stumbled to her room. She had intended to shut her phone off to charge, when she saw she had a text from Mason. “Ugh! What?!”

Sleep tight. I love you

“Thank God.” That was it, just a goodnight text. Great. She powered down and plugged in her charger. Sleep was calling, and she felt compelled to answer.