I am suddenly awake. My heart is pounding, and I open my eyes slowly, waiting as they adjust to the darkness of my bedroom. I can’t remember if it was a bad dream that woke me up or a strange noise, but I am lying here trying to still my rapid breathing as I survey the room. My eyes pick up a shadow in the corner, but I am quick to dismiss it. Inwardly cursing my overactive imagination, I reach out and flick on the lamp beside the bed. My eyes adjust to the sudden light, and as I scan the room, the shadow I so easily dismissed steps forward. I let out a gasp as realisation dawns on the identity of the person standing in front of me. “Anna,” I say, staring as she slowly moves forward until she is standing at the foot of the bed. “What are you doing here?” She doesn’t say a word, and for a moment I think I am maybe dreaming, that is, until I see the knife she is holding in her hand. My body starts to tremble, but I will myself to be calm. Now is not the time to turn into a complete m
A surreal sense of déjà vu hits me as I wake to the sound of beeping. I open my eyes to find Taylor staring down at me with tears in his eyes. “Bean?” I gasp, scared of what those tears might mean. “Bean is fine,” Taylor soothes, stroking my hair back off my face. “The doctor should be back any minute, but everyone is confident from the scans and tests that Bean is okay.” I reach up to stroke Taylor’s face, still reluctant to believe that Taylor is actually here with me. I wince at the pain that shoots across my ribs, and Taylor immediately brings his face down to mine in the gentlest of kisses. “How are you here?” I ask. “I thought you weren’t due until tomorrow.” “I wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I’d always planned on being back early,” Taylor says with a little smirk on his face, though the cockiness he would have usually exhibited over his surprise is gone under the circumstances. “And thank fuck I did….Oh my god, Abby, I don’t even want to think about what would ha
I wake up and for a moment confusion clouds my brain until the memories of last night start filtering back. My whole body aches and I briefly wonder why I can’t seem to move my arm, that is, until I glance down to find Taylor asleep beside me, his head resting in the palm of my hand. My movements wake him, and I see his eyes open slowly. For a moment neither of us says anything. With a soft smile, Taylor strokes the inside of my wrist with his thumb and says, “So what is this all about, hey?” “Baby we’re fate,” I murmur back at him, repeating the words I said when Taylor proposed to me. “I wanted it to be permanent, but apparently they don’t tattoo pregnant chicks, so instead Fred did it in henna for me. I wanted it to be a surprise for you…” I trail off, unsure of how Taylor is going to respond. “It’s beautiful, Abby. I love the design. And I am glad you didn’t just cover your scars up.” I stiffen at his words. “They are a part of you, and if not for them, maybe you and I would n
The bell on the door announces our arrival, and the moment Bea looks up and sees us standing there, she rushes forward and envelops me in a hug. I hear her sniffing as she tries to hold back the tears. Finally, she looks me in the face, holding it between her hands gently. “Thank god you are all right, Abby,” she exclaims. “Is the little one okay?” “We are both fine, thanks, Bea. The doctor cleared us to leave this morning, so there is no need to worry.” I smile and keep my voice light. Sensing my need to try and retain a degree of normality, Bea clears her throat before ushering me towards one of the sofas, calling out to Emma to bring the birthday girl her latte. Emma gives me a bright smile and thumbs-up, so I sink into the buttery-soft leather while Taylor heads upstairs to take a shower and pack a bag for us. No sooner is Emma placing my steaming coffee in front of me than Andreas comes through with a plate of freshly baked croissants. “Here you go, Abby,” Andreas says as he h
So far my day has been blissful. We arrived at The Grand well before normal check-in is allowed, but I think the suite was empty and Taylor used his powers of persuasion, so we were shown straight up. I know that I should be used to the luxury that goes hand in hand with dating a multimillionaire, but it still surprises me every time. Granted, it was not like I had an impoverished childhood, but I certainly didn’t spend time in five-star hotels unless it was with my parents and a client was paying. I had barely put my bag down on the bed and had a look at the amazing view of the Brighton seafront when Taylor announced he had booked me into the hotel’s spa for a couple of hours of pampering. I sensed that he wanted me out of the way so that he could catch up on what was happening with Hannah and how she managed to get into the flat when Henry’s team was supposed to have everything covered. I didn’t want to watch the heads roll, so instead, I gratefully made my way downstairs. For th
Arriving at my parents’ house promptly on the dot of seven, I am overwhelmed by the aromas filtering out of the kitchen. Following a brief round of hugs, we are ushered through to the dining room, which has been set beautifully, candlelight glinting off the silverware and stark-white china and the lovely smell of fresh freesias filling the room with their beautiful aroma. We take our seats and my mum disappears for a moment before returning with a dish that I quickly identify. “Mum, is that…?” I ask quietly. “Nonna’s chicken parma. I know it was your favourite, so I dug through her notebooks and found the recipe,” Mum says proudly. “Your mum has been practising for the last week to get it right,” my dad chuckles. Oh my. After all her hard work, I can’t bring myself to tell Mum that this is the dish that Nonna was making when she dropped dead on the floor from an aneurism. Even after a lot of therapy, I still can’t think about that day without feeling like my world is ending. Today
I am standing outside of Bread & Cake, ready to walk in and get this party started. I am wearing the Valentino dress and boots that Taylor gave me for my birthday, my newly cut and coloured hair has been styled into an awesome faux hawk and the girls at the beauty bar in the hotel worked their magic with my make-up, so, all in all, I am feeling very glam. My body is still humming from the orgasms Taylor gave me earlier. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, Taylor’s jaw nearly dropped on the floor. Seeing Taylor all dressed up in his charcoal-grey slacks, a fitted black shirt with its arms rolled up, and muted silver tie had me damp in seconds, and when he started circling me like a predatory lion, I felt ready to combust. I can still feel the electrifying touch of his fingers as they traced the tops of my stockings before making their way up to my wet pussy. Orgasm number one came as he finger-fucked me hard and fast, just how I like it. Number two came when he dr
Midnight has been and gone, and as I lie in Taylor’s arms, I reflect on the night’s success. By the time all the guests left, it was fair to say that everyone was exhausted but elated. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would have ever done this without the amazing people around me. I know there is still so much unresolved; I have yet to make my official statement about Hannah’s attack, we are still unclear about what Richard is planning, and the idea of returning to my own home fills me with dread. But I push it all out of my mind, determined that for tonight at least, nothing is going to ruin my good mood. Tomorrow will probably be a different story. “Taylor?” I murmur, taking a chance to voice something I had been thinking about for the last couple of days. “Mmm?” “I was thinking about wedding dates…” I say, my heart beating in my chest. “I was thinking about how there has been a lot of change in the last few months, and I was kind of thinking that I would very much like to be