Love Walked In Read online

  “Ice cream? Well, you tell me. Is it working?”

  Jemma laughed. “Funnily enough, it may be.”

  They strolled along the promenade. It was a beautiful sunny Spring day and only a soft breeze penetrated the air.

  “So, the double scoop tells me that chocolate chip is your favourite?”

  “Always.”

  “Always? You mean you never mix it up?”

  “Never.”

  “But there are so many options.”

  “I know what I like so there’s no need to deviate from that, right?”

  “So, you’re loyal to your ice cream?” Jemma said laughing.

  “Hey, don’t diss it. You can tell a lot about a man by his choice of ice cream.” They both laughed.

  As they reached the end of the promenade, they leaned against the railing and looked out onto the ocean.

  “Thank you Michael. I needed to get out and I didn’t even know it.” Jemma sighed. “My instinct was to cocoon myself at home and hide away from the world.”

  “That seems perfectly natural, given what you went through.”

  “But... it feels so good to be out, to be here, with ice cream.”

  Michael laughed. “So, how would you feel about visiting the store?”

  “Now?”

  “Why not. I’ll go with you.”

  Jemma gazed out onto the water. She felt better, stronger and with Michael by her side, she knew she would be safe.

  “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Michael opened the door and Jemma followed close behind. She felt a chill run through her as she stepped inside. “I’m right here,” urged Michael reassuringly, taking her hand in his. Daphne looked up from behind the counter.

  “It’s great to see you here Jemma,” she said, walking towards her, greeting her with a hug.

  “It’s good to be back.” As she pulled away from Daphne, she looked around the store curiously. Things were different.

  “I made a few changes, added a few security features” said Michael pointing at the mirror.

  “We cleared off the back wall and had this two-way mirror installed, that way, when you’re in the office, even with the door closed, you have a clear view of anybody coming into the store.” Michael paused and moved towards the counter.

  “Look here. There’s an alarm switch,” he continued, ushering Jemma to join him. “Anytime you feel threatened, just flip the switch and it will activate an alarm. Your premises are monitored twenty-four seven so the monitoring centre will be notified. There’s another switch under your desk.”

  Jemma followed him toward the office and stopped short of the doorway. Noticing her hesitation, Michael turned towards Jemma and reached for her hands.

  “You’re safe Jemma. I’m here. Daphne’s here. No one will hurt you again, I promise.” Jemma looked into his Michael’s eyes and allowed him to coax her into the room slowly. Once she had crossed the threshold, Michael stepped aside and let her take in the surroundings.

  “Wow. It’s totally different.” She turned to look at Michael. “You did all of this?”

  The mish mash of old furniture was gone and in its place was a freshly decorated and furnished room.

  “It looks amazing Michael. I hardly recognise the place.”

  “Exactly. I thought it might be easier to deal with the attack if the place looked different so that hopefully it wouldn’t trigger too many bad memories.”

  Michael turned to the door. “I had this new door fitted. Look. It slides in and out of the wall, but if you are in a hostile situation, press the button under your desk and it closes and locks automatically. The two-way mirror is made of security glass and can’t be broken easily.”

  Jemma looked around in awe. Michael had obviously spared no expense in making sure she was safe.

  “I can’t believe you did all of this for me,” she said as her eyes teared up. She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  Michael wrapped his arms tightly around Jemma, not wanting to let go.

  “Jemma,” a powerful male voice erupted from just outside the door. Jemma pulled away from Michael and turned to see Nathan.

  “Jemma, what’s going on?”

  “Nathan,” replied Jemma with surprise. Walking towards him, she grabbed his hand and drew him into the office. “Look at this place. Doesn’t it look amazing?”

  Nathan looked around at the startling transformation.

  “What’s he doing here?” he muttered quietly to Jemma, eyeing Michael suspiciously. Michael Locke was supposed to be at the meeting.

  “Michael dropped by the house to see how I was doing. We were talking about heading back to work and so I thought I would give it a go.”

  “Well that’s great honey,” he replied with a hint of irritation in his voice. “I’ve been trying to get you to venture back for the last couple of days, so I’m glad you finally did.”

  “Michael added a few security features.”

  “I see that,” said Nathan, looking at the two-way mirror.

  “An alarm system too,” she added.

  “That’s great, probably overkill for this neighbourhood though.”

  Overkill for this neighbourhood, thought Michael incredulously. Your girlfriend was attacked by a violent junkie so how could this not be necessary. The dislike Michael had for Nathan was compounding by the second. Jemma was distracted by some customers coming through the door and excused herself, leaving Michael and Nathan face to face.

  “I just wanted to make sure Jemma felt safe coming back to work, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, thanks, but that’s my job. I was going to suggest a few updates when she was ready to come back.”

  The hell you were, thought Michael.

  “Well it’s done now, so you can relax knowing that Jemma will be much safer now.” They both looked at Jemma who seemed to be feeling right at home interacting with the couple outside.

  “So, you couldn’t make the meeting?” Nathan said, keeping his gaze fixed on Jemma. “We covered a lot of ground.”

  “Yeah, Webster’s my right-hand man on this. He’ll fill me in on everything later.”

  Nathan looked at Michael. It was an awkward situation working for Locke, but he had crossed a line with Jemma, sneaking out to see her when he knew she would be alone.

  “Well, I think Jemma and I will be fine going forward. I’ve got it from here,” said Nathan, patting his hand on Michael’s back, ushering him out of the office. As Jemma finished with her customers, Nathan put his arms around her waist, and then planted a tender kiss on her lips. Jemma gazed up at him.

  “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, my love.” he said, pulling her close whilst locking eyes with Michael.

  Michael smirked. His entire body language spoke volumes. Nathan was claiming her as his own, right then and there. As he walked past them towards the door, Jemma pulled away from Nathan.

  “Michael,” she called, stepping towards him. He turned.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, reaching her arm out towards Michael.

  Forget the handshake, he thought. He took her hand, guided it toward his lips and kissed it gently.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. He turned to leave, a huge grin on his face. Michael one. Nathan zero. Let the battle begin.

  PART TWO

  Chapter Six

  “Where are you going?” asked Nathan, shielding his half-open eyes from the light streaming through the window.

  “I thought I’d go into work for a few hours this morning. We’ve got a large wedding order and I know Daphne could use a hand.”

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I think so and Daphne’s there, so I won’t be on my own.” Tucking her blouse into her jeans, she bent down, kissed Nathan goodbye and headed out the door.

  Nathan threw a pillow over his head. He was tired. Thinking about Mi
chael Locke making a move on Jemma kept him up half the night. Locke had made his intentions quite clear with his chivalrous display of affection. He had tried to ask Jemma about it on the way home, but Jemma seemed to think Locke’s actions were entirely harmless and that he’d have done the same thing if he had walked in on Daphne. Yeah right, he thought. Daphne didn’t have that sweet arse and fuck me look on her face that Jemma had. Obviously, she had no idea the effect she had on men, Nathan included. It bugged him that he had talked to Jemma about dropping in at the store for days without success, and then Locke stealthily swept in and like an episode of Extreme Makeover, transformed the store and his girlfriend’s demeanor, all in one afternoon. He reached over for his cellphone and scrolled through his contacts. Raquel. Just what he needed to fix his shattered ego. He showered, dressed, mixed up a protein shake and headed out.

  After years of playing the field, Jemma had scooped him up unexpectedly. He knew early on that Jemma was a keeper and had no plans to let her go. Nathan had managed to stay faithful for the first year but then the lure of the many beautiful women he came across was just too much to bear. Although he had given his heart to Jemma, his dick was another thing altogether. Sex with Jemma was great. She was sexy, fun and passionate in bed, but Nathan couldn’t help himself and eventually he resorted to his old ways. Raquel had worked for Cross Construction for a year now and one night as they sat working late, her long legs and ample chest got the better of him and with her skirt hoisted up around her waist, he fucked her on the table. Nathan didn’t particularly care for Raquel, but it became a casual arrangement that suited them both.

  Finding the door unlocked, Nathan pushed it open and found Raquel sitting on an armchair in her lingerie, one leg draped casually over the arm. He closed the door behind him, feeling his cock harden in his pants. She looked ravaging in her sheer bra and panties, with stockings and heels sending his senses into overdrive.

  “Well Mr. Cross. This is an unexpected surprise.”

  “You, are an unexpected surprise Raquel,” replied Nathan, removing his shirt and undoing his jeans as he walked towards her. He got down on his knees and pulled her body towards him, kissing her pouty red lips. Raquel straddled him, teasing her fingers through his hair as they kissed. Removing her bra, his lips searched hungrily for her peaks which hardened at the feeling of his tongue and moving his hand down towards her panties, he teased her wetness through the sheer fabric. Raquel moaned at his touch. “Feel me,” she whispered. Nathan pulled off her panties and pushed her body back into the chair. Grabbing hold of her ankles, he spread her legs, hardening even more at the sight of her wet pussy. Reaching forward to explore her, he lapped at her with his tongue, as she writhed with pleasure. As he flicked his tongue to arouse her, he fingered her gently. He sat up to watch her, working his fingers faster as she moaned uncontrollably. He found her with his tongue again and licked her until she came to a climax. She arched her back as the orgasm radiated through her body.

  “Oh my God, Nathan that was amazing,” she squealed.

  Before she had fully recovered, Nathan pulled her off the chair and bent her over the seat. His cock was rock hard, and she moaned as he entered her. Within seconds, he was rocking back and forth inside her. He reached forward and cupped her large breasts as he exploded inside her, gasping uncontrollably. Nathan sat back on the floor trying to catch his breath. Raquel grabbed a robe and covered herself up, taking a seat opposite him.

  “What the hell was that Nathan?” asked Raquel, taking a puff of the cigarette she had just lit.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, at the office, we fuck, but this was different. You were more… attentive.”

  “Attentive?”

  “Yeah, going down on me like that.”

  “Is that a complaint?”

  “Not in the least.”

  “Good. It didn’t mean anything.” Nathan got up from the floor, zipping his pants up and grabbing his shirt. He leaned towards Raquel, kissed her on the cheek and on his way out added, “See you on Monday, Raquel.”

  As he started the car, he washed the taste of Raquel down with his shake. She was right. He had never been attentive with her before. After she sucked him, he usually fingered her and then they fucked. He’d never really been attentive with anyone until he met Jemma and he loved going down on her, watching her come. The attention he had given Raquel was all about his irritation with Jemma and was one small way he could get back at her for making him feel inadequate. Although Jemma hadn’t intentionally meant to hurt him, it massaged Nathan’s bruised ego just a little to watch Raquel moan and writhe under his spell.

  Now that he had managed to release some of his frustration, he had to deal with the next issue. What was he going to do about Michael Locke? Locke had made his intentions quite clear. With his money and status, he could have any woman he pleased and had been linked with models and high-profile actresses, so why goddamn it was he after Jemma? Why couldn’t he play with somebody else’s girlfriend? He’d likely just screw Jemma and throw her away like yesterday’s news. Jemma was obviously unaware of Michael’s intentions, and she for one, would not be swayed by power and money, besides, Jemma was happy with him. They were happy together, so how much of a threat could Michael Locke possibly pose?

  Chapter Seven

  Michael Locke wasn’t born into money. An only child to working class parents, he had a happy stable upbringing. He wasn’t one for academics and with high school being a challenge, his parents worried that Michael would not make it through to Grade Twelve. They encouraged him to stick with it and knowing his love of taking things apart and then rebuilding them, they pushed him to look at the trades upon graduation. Michael found a natural affinity for construction and sought out an apprenticeship at a local firm, taking extra courses such as architecture and structural engineering in a local college.

  Disaster struck when Michael’s parents were involved in a fatal car accident which shook him to the core. He found himself in a deep state of depression and locked himself in the house, barely eating, instead sleeping all hours of the day. A visit from the family lawyer and reading of his parents will came as a shock as Michael learned that they had left an insurance policy of two million dollars to him. Days went by and Michael sat at the kitchen table staring at the cheque. What he wouldn’t give to return the money and have both his parents sitting at the table beside him. What was he supposed to do with the money? He thought about giving it to charity as his mother volunteered regularly at a soup kitchen and his father was an avid fundraiser for various charities supporting the local community. He felt that this might be the best option to celebrate the life of his parents.

  Michael finally ventured back out into the world, letting the warmth of the sunshine rain down on him. He had felt so melancholy, trapped inside a house full of memories and it felt good to be out amongst the living again. He walked around town for hours and found himself at the soup kitchen. It brought tears to his eyes as he remembered the many times he would drop by to meet his mother. She always took advantage of the fact, by asking him to help where he could, serving patrons, stacking shelves or cleaning and putting out the garbage. As he walked in, he saw the friendly faces of the staff he knew. They rushed to greet him and hugged him warmly. They had all attended the funeral and many had dropped off pies and casseroles on his doorstep for the first few weeks. Much of the food sat untouched for days and soon the deliveries stopped. They instead left cards and voice messages asking him to reach out when he was ready.

  Michael looked across the room and felt comforted to see Hattie sitting at one of the tables. Hattie had been at the soup kitchen for decades and was one of the early organizers. Originally from England, Hattie always acted with an air of decorum and spoke in a perfectly formal British accent. Well into her seventies, her arthritis slowed her down physically but her passion for serving the community knew no limits. As Michael sat down opposite her, she reached forward, cupped his head in her hands
and looked into his sad eyes.