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Last Updated:
2022-06-22 17:22:55
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INSIDE OUT HATCHING PLANS
SEVENTEEN"There's the man of the house." Collins hollered as Ajax walked towards them. Lucrecia, Owen, Lorren were seated with him around a table close to the pool, sipping their cocktails."Hmmm...look who looks a lot more cheerful." Lucrecia chipped in."I see, you all have met one another." He said as he slipped in a chair before taking a sip from Owen's drink."Now I see where Owen got his madness from." Lorren sent him a sardonic smile as he downed almost all the contents of the tumbler to Owen's chagrin."It wasn't even your drink, queen bee." Owen and Ajax replied simultaneously."Speaking of drinks, I've not had a taste of Reynolds wine. Lucrecia has told me a lot about how you started this winery." Collins said.Ajax flashed a cocky grin. "You lot have been diving into history huh.""Yes Smith. I've had my ears full. FYI, i'm still in the dark concerning the thing going on between you and Celia."Lucrecia and Owen sucked hard on their straws in a bid to hide their smiles whi
Last Updated : 2022-06-30INSIDE OUT PLAYING THE ODDS
EIGHTEENMelinda flinged her jumpsuit on the bed. She was in that moment when she was having a last minute change of mind. "I could use some training today." She told herself as she frowned at the black-striped white cotton jumpsuit and platform heels begging to be worn. She moved towards the shutters. The rays of early morning sun called to her, 'rise with the sun.' She really did need to rise. She needed to raise the stakes and up her game, the game she had just started with the man who wanted to end Reynolds. Melinda scoffed. 'That wasn't going to happen.' She assured herself.She pulled her hair into a high pony tail. "Let's do this." She murmured. In five minutes, she was reaching for the door knob, dressed in a grey tank top and black leggings. As she opened the door, her heart did a black flip."Ajax." She gasped. Heat crept to her cheeks like the blood flowing in her veins. She had almost forgotten that her room was opposite Ajax' but that instant, she did remember his office
Last Updated : 2022-07-12INSIDE OUT DODGING A BULLET
NINETEENCollins froze as he recognized the familiar bass. "Hello, Hec." He tried to maintain the calm on his face when he turned to see Hector's angry face. His lips were twisted in a scowl."You're the new guy huh. I figured I couldn't trust you. You're the filthy rat i've been smelling for days boy." He grabbed Collins by the collar."Watch it man." He defended himself, landing a not-so-lethal punch on his jaw, enough to keep Hector at a safe five feet away from him but not enough to get him backing down. Guin shrieked. "You can't trust me hunh? I've been in the devil's nest just so your boss, our boss can have another fill of abduction and then you just come here and see me having a little conversation with this sweet little thing and then I shouldn't be trusted?" He was getting better at keeping up his act. There wouldn't be a chance of survival should there be any slip up."Hell, I'll fix you." Hector prepared his fist to launch an attack on him. "Except you have something with
Last Updated : 2022-07-15INSIDE OUT CIVILIZED CONVERSATIONS
TWENTY"Wait a minute!" Ajax steamed up listening to Melinda and Lucrecia recount their experience in Westwood. The anger in his icy voice and cold stare was unmistakable. He had been on high alert when he noticed Melinda and Lu's absence within Reynolds vicinity. Concluding it as some emergency girls day out or the emergency training Mel had indulged in that morning, he decided to be calm until he listened to them say they paid a visit to Westwood. "You visited that house. Again.""It was just on impulse and it was worthwhile." Melinda replied softly. If it was his overprotectiveness speaking, she had to make extra effort in restoring his calm."Yeah, it was." Lu agreed."The hell it was." He banged his desk, standing up with such suddenness that threw Melinda off guard for a few seconds."Really, you need to calm down. We haven't even gotten to the worst part yet." Lu managed. She was unaffected by his outburst. The man was growing feelings for his P.A and his temper was a way of sh
Last Updated : 2022-07-29INSIDE OUT DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Twenty-OneMelinda didn't need to be told it was morning before she opened her eyes. The air was diiferent. She felt warm calloused hands on her waist. "Good morning beautiful." Ajax nuzzled her neck when he heard her breath quicken. However she was going to react to their position, he was prepared for it. He spooned her while his hands stayed on her waist. For reasons he wanted to explore right now, he had left her bare after they had dinner in his room. Smiling, he remembered how she had slept off soundly, mumbling his name after he had brought her from torrents of pleasure to another. He only woke her up to feed her. While he had watched her tremble in his arms, he had promised himself to wait. This would be his first time waiting. He wanted her to trust him. For reasons he didn't understand, he was ready to hold back the need to just plunge into her in that vulnerable and seductive position she was."Rey." She murmured. Her cheeks glowed with warmth and something like coyness. Sh
Last Updated : 2022-08-19INSIDE OUT DISCOVERIES (1)
TWENTY-TWO"You know, for a moment in that restaurant, I was going to lose it. Mr Strange seemed to be very familiar with you." Ajax whined as he and Melinda trotted down the walkway leading to Reynolds entrance."Someone is jealous." She smiled. It would be fun to exploit this new discovery though she ignored the sensation from knowing that Ajax Smith was jealous."Yes, I am. I'm not ashamed to admit. I don't like to share what's mine" His frown was dead serious."Excuse me? Since when did I become your property?" She frowned deeply. "Don't answer that." She cut him short. "I think we already know how you'll answer that question. Fact is I am not your property or anyone else's for that matter." She hissed, winking at Jerome as he walked past them. "There they are. Excuse me Candy." Collins excused himself from the company of Reynolds cook as he sighted his sister and Ajax."Collins." Melinda rushed into his waiting arms. "It's so good to see you again.""Same here Celia. You don't l
Last Updated : 2022-09-22INSIDE OUT DISCOVERIES (2)
TWENTY-THREE"Hey stranger." Ajax accosted Melinda on her way out of her office. Avoiding her wasn't working. After his conversation with Collins concerning Melinda, the thought of making children had shaken him up a little. If he was going to make children, he had to at least be in touch with what he was feeling about her. That's how it works... right?He had promised himself to stay away from her to be sure that what he was feeling wasn't just a typical i-wanna-shove-my-tongue-in-your-mouth kind of feeling. If that was going to be it, he wasn't sure he could trust himself with her heart. It was supposed to be operation zero-contact-with-Melinda but after hours of sitting in his office without his personal assistant gracing and tempting him with her presence, he couldn't stand it. Screw the operation, he told himself on his way out of his office."Hey there." She responded after momentarily losing her breath. She hadn't expected to run into him. She was also in the business of avoida
Last Updated : 2022-10-05INSIDE OUT DISCOVERIES (3)
TWENTY-FOURCollins stood before Ajax's black raspberry farm. The array of trees scattered on the landscape was a beautiful sight to behold. So was the bright orange glow of the sunset sinking into the horizon. Watching it, he had flashbacks of several moments like that. Those would be he and April watching the sunset every week while they ate burgers. It was a sacred moment that stopped when her condition became severe as she didn't need much exposure to the sun. Collins squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the way the light dimmed in her eyes with each day that drew her close to her deathbed."I miss you so damn much April." He whispered. The tightening in his gut was enough to send a tear trickling down his cheeks.Pocketing his hands, he made a solemn vow to protect everyone close to him. Especially when it was in his power. At this thought, he smiled. Who would have thought he would see his lost sister again after his family had concluded her dead?He frowned as his mind played a
Last Updated : 2022-10-15
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INSIDE OUT EPILOGUE
Eight months later...Melinda stared blissfully at her reflection in the vanity mirror in her room, pleased with what she saw. Two people in endless love. Ajax' hands were around her middle from behind. He pulled her closer, trailing kisses on her shoulder to the tender spot beneath her ears. "We're going to be late." She giggled."We can just postpone our flight if we miss it. What's the worse that could happen?" He cupped her breast, wishing she wasn't clothed."Stop it." She gasped in delight and disapproval. "You don't want to make a bad first impression on my parents, would you?""Honestly, I don't care what the world thinks or says. Whether the paparazzi lurking outside your gate think that I'm the beast and you're the beauty...oh well, that's oddly accurate." His hands gripped her hips as he nudged her bottom with the evidence of his arousal. She shimmed out of his embrace, laughing. "Put on a shirt. You're seducing me and we're going to be late, and, Lucrecia isn't going to
INSIDE OUT CHOOSE
Forty (Choose)Melinda screamed past the ringing in her ears as she watched the love of her life tumble on the floor, his fingers still trying to fight the effect of the drug. Her freed hands stayed frozen behind her while she watched his blood soak his shirt as he collapsed on the ground.She stayed frozen still, as Xavier picked him up. He tried to move his lips, but he couldn't. Her eyes moved to his shoulder. The bullet wound was somewhere between his collarbone and shoulder. His eyes were unfocused when he tried to glance at her. Melinda gulped down another sob, understanding that even at that moment, his eyes were warm, his eyes told her he loved her, even in the end. But this didn't have to be the ending. This was not how she would want her love story to end, or her fight for freedom, or her fight for her family, for Sam, for peace. No, she wouldn't let it end like this. She let her hands stay put behind her, like she didn't just shrug off the binds from her wrist, or flex he
INSIDE OUT TICK TOCK
Thirty-nine"We have been infiltrated by Ajax and his men." Xavier announced.Payne shot Melinda a look. "How bad is it?" Payne clenched and unclenched his fists, fighting the biting pain in his nose and the desire to shoot Melinda."We are outnumbered." Xavier narrowed his eyes at Payne's bleeding nose, then stared in shock at Melinda's bloodied lips. She halted her movements when she felt Xavier's eyes on her."Hector?""Dead."Payne laughed. It sounded more like a bark. "Well planned. Well executed. So Collins indeed worked for Ajax Smith. Well..." He cocked the gun in his hand. "What can I say?" He aimed the gun at Melinda who froze in her move to miraculously chug her knife out of her boot with tethered hands. "The game is not over." He fired, missing her leg by a fraction and she jolted in fright. "The war is not over. Fetch me towels. One for my nose and one for Ajax." He winked at Xavier. Xavier started to leave."Oh and... bring me Collins. I think I'd love to hear the true
INSIDE OUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT
Thirty-eight"He has to be followed. Where is he taking her to? She's already dying." Lois snapped at Ajax.Ajax wiped his face as he felt cobwebs mat his nose. "Guin. We need to get her out of here, now. Melinda is in danger, Sam is..""Dying or already dead, and we're wasting time." Lois didn't wait for his approval before dashing on her heels. "Guin, it was nice to finally meet you." Lois hollered as she raced out of the basement.Ajax chuckled. He looked at Guin and his face turned serious. Things were starting to not go as planned. He had so much to say."Guin...we.." "Don't have much time. Hector will be back here. I'm sure of it. But for what it's worth, I'm glad I got to see you again before I gave up." She toyed with the pen in her hand. Briefly, she had contemplated suicide when she heard the distant New year fire works."I'm here, Guin and I swear, nothing will separate us again. Why did you stop me from going after Hector?" Ajax asked, as he opened the cage."I was afrai
INSIDE OUT MEETING AGAIN
Thirty Seven Melinda counted Payne's steps as he leisurely walked towards her, giving her a once over as if seeing her for the first time. In that few seconds, she took him in all at once, while mentally warming up for his opening remark and the events that would follow after. He looked normal, but make no mistake, the abnormality was in his eyes. He walked like a predator who wanted to take his time to enjoy his kill. His smile was like a smirk. Every move he made sent wicked chills down her spine, but she stood her ground.He stopped short of four inches away from her. She glared at him, wondering what he saw at that moment. Anger or fear. At least, that was the half truth. She was scared of things going wrong. She swallowed when he took another step further. That way, not a single space remained between them. She heard Collins sharp intake of breath, but he covered it up with a rasp in his throat. Payne leisurely fisted her hair in his hands, twirling some strands around his fing
INSIDE OUT THE GALLOWS
Thirty-SixPayne drummed his fingers on the foot stool beside him as he watched the burning logs crackle in the fireplace. He smiled to himself, picturing the many ways Melinda would react when she saw her pathetic friend, Samantha. He had gone over the top by cracking something on her body. He couldn't remember where that was exactly. Her ribs? Her fingers? He had been so blinded by white hot rage when she called him a sick pathetic monster who didn't have the courage to live a normal life, then she had gone ahead to mention how the slimy Ajax Reynolds Smith would break every single bone on his body if Melinda didn't get to do it first.Payne sniggered, absently rubbing the five o clock shadow on his jaw as he felt another bubble of temper rise in his gut. He didn't believe Melinda would have the strength to challenge him when she saw how broken he had rendered Sam. She would weep, and then ask him what he wanted. That was the perfect scenario. That would be his new year present. The
INSIDE OUT SAVING LIVES
Thirty-Five Melinda felt Ajax go still in her hands as Lorren broke the news. She couldn't quite place a finger on what he felt as Lorren repeated for the second time, that his sister, Guinevere Smith was alive and unhale under Payne's roof. Joy, relief, shock, fear, anger. She could feel all of them at once rolling off his stiff shoulders."I don't understand. All this time..." Ajax lacked the words to express himself in that moment. He felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders and then a truck decided to climb his back in its place. He rubbed his face with his free hand as Melinda held on to the other. He had to be dreaming. The knowlege that Guin was alive should have been enough to give him that burst of joy he had imagined he would have when this moment came, but knowing that Payne had been holding her captive all these years set his blood on fire. He was angry and he was afraid. Ajax Reynolds Smith was afraid for the first time in a very long time. If Payne fo
INSIDE OUT SHOTS FIRED
Thirty-Four May basked in her new found freedom as she stuffed her mouth with pizza. Her stomach growled, and she giggled. "Looks like my baby has an appetite tonight." "I guess you can say that. Guess who else has an appetite?" Eric murmured playfully wiggling his brows and, inching closer to her on the couch. "Keep off. Until you've found a permanent housing, and provided security, I'm not tangling. You are considered a danger to me and the baby." She said with her stuffed mouth as she stood up. " I'm exhausted for no reason." She threw herself on the bed. "Understandably so. I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation." Eric sent her a sympathizing look. "I will make it up to you." "Don't you dare get sweet on me. If you make me fall for you more, I don't think I can handle it. It's not your fault we're holed up in this hotel while Payne's men prowl the city on the lookout for us." Suddenly, there was a bang on the door. May froze. Eric stood abruptly, instantly reaching f
INSIDE OUT TEAM COLLINS AND LU
Thirty-Three As Collins walked into Reynolds, he knew that time was going to be their greatest enemy, not Payne, not anything else. If things went south, he knew he was going to die. Guin would die as well. Merciful heavens. Ajax' sister was alive. The reverse could be the case if they didn't act quickly. Without a brief glance to the familiar faces he walked by, he stormed the hallway, bellowing Ajax' name. He scowled at the huge live portrait of Ajax on the wall. He wanted the real guy, not his pictorial representation."Dude, what's the problem?" Owen asked as Collins walked right into him. "Owen." Collins shook his head when he stopped seeing stars from the impact of walking right into muscular Owen. "I need to see Ajax.""Don't we all? I heard he ran after your sister. Looks like she decided to take out Payne on her own this evening.""Shit." Collins rubbed his face."Let's sit it out while we wait for them. Lucrecia is somewhere around the farm." He said. It was no news that
