Forever Mine (Providence Series Book 1) (6 page)

“Are you kidding me, Andy?
 
You were arrested for attempted assault and essentially stalking in Tampa. You were told to stay away from me yet you called, and I gave you a friendly heads up about breaking the warning that the police had given you and here you are, again no less, calling me! What the hell?” The end came out with a shout.
 
I could feel the shakes setting in and the anger building. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
 

He started to say something, but I cut him off. “You cheated on me for nine months!
 
You fucked so many women you couldn’t even give a ballpark figure when asked. You even fucked almost every friend that I had.
 
Is that not enough for you? I’m not interested, I’ve moved on, I don’t want you, and I am done!”

I heard him saying in the voice he used to use to get what he wanted, “But Angel,” just as my phone was taken out of my hand and Ren said, “Listen, man, I’m giving you warning — leave Maya alone.
 
Forget her number and forget she exists or you got trouble, you with me?"
 

You could hear the sniveling diseased dick asking who he was speaking to before Ren cut him off. “I see you don’t hear so well, man.
 
Name’s Ren, I’m looking after Maya now. You fucked up, and you lost. Move on and leave her alone.
 
I only give one warning, I’ve never been a two warning guy, and my best advice is to listen and fuck off, yeah?"
 
Disease Dick must have hung up because the next thing Ren was pressing buttons on my phone as well as his own.
 
I needed to speak to my provider about blocking his numbers or changing my number. I hated that I’d had such a fantastic day that had been ruined by that STD riddled prick.

“Sorry about that, guys,” I whispered, feeling like an idiot because they’d had to deal with my ex and they knew what I’d been involved with.

I felt hands gently cup my face either side and then they raised so that I was looking up into Ren’s beautiful gray eyes. “Baby, what the fuck?
 
This isn’t on you, it's on him. Now, I just spoke to the dick, and he had jack shit to say back to me, so I’m hoping that it’s scared him enough to make him fuck off, but if not then you tell me and I’ll fix it. If I’m not around, you got Cole, okay, Maya?”
 
He was looking at me so softly, and I flicked a glance at Cole to see him standing there with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
 
It was a shock to see him looking so serious, as he kept scanning around us like he was expecting someone to jump out.
 
“Maya baby, eyes on me.
 
Do you get me? If he contacts you, you get one of us.
 
I have his number, and I’ve programmed our numbers into your phone, so any issues , you call one of us, and we’ll deal with it. Say you get me,” he ended, giving me a gentle nudge.

“Uh I get you, but what’s Cole doing?" Ren turned just as Cole was standing on his tiptoes and doing a spin on the tips of his feet looking left and right at the same time.

“I’m on the lookout, this ain't no laughing matter!” He said still doing it.
 
He suddenly stopped and swayed to the left and a bit to the right before coming to a halt. He had his hand on his stomach and face had gone pale.
 
“Yeah, uh I think I’ll stick to just looking,” he said still holding his stomach and walking up to the wall to lean against it while taking deep breaths.

“Is he gonna throw up?” I asked Ren, who was frowning at him and had a tic in his jaw. “Seriously, he’s gone a bit green.”

“I told Mom he shoulda been adopted.
 
I begged her for years, and now this is the shit I’m stuck with,” he growled.
 
“Yo Cole, there’s Francheska!” Ren shouted suddenly.
 
Cole jumped up, grabbed my arm and started dragging me back towards the garage.

“Walk faster, walk faster — there're rabbits in danger!” He chided, still pulling me along.
 
I couldn’t help but giggle at him because he’d moved from vomiting to running in a matter of seconds.

Ren caught hold of my other hand and gently tugged me away from Cole, and I ended up chest to chest with him.
 
I swear I could feel an eight pack, maybe a 10… “Cole man — don’t drag her, you’ll hurt her! I was kidding you, idiot. She left before you arrived!” He looked at the arm that Cole had been holding and then at the hand he’d tugged me away from Cole with and checked it. “Did I hurt you, baby?" he asked with a soft look on his face. With every breath, the bumps on his stomach were touching my chest and tummy which was not conducive to a normal thought process at all.
 
“Maya,” he said laughing and making the bumps touch me more frequently and with more pressure which I was sure was the closest thing to heaven on earth that I’d ever get. Then he laughed even harder, and I swear I had a mini orgasm which was fortunately and also unfortunately interrupted by a car as it drove past loudly at that precise moment, waking me out of my Ren induced stupor.
 

Looking around to see if anyone had noticed or was watching, I heard Cole mutter, “Lucky bastard,” as he stomped back towards the garage.

7

____

Maya

After meeting Ren and Cole’s Nana,
I drove Hulk to the park closest to the shops that I wanted to visit, and also so that I didn’t have to make eye contact with Ren or any of his coworkers after the kiss almighty that we’d shared.

Walking along the main street, there was a beautiful furniture shop that had old pieces of furniture that had been refinished and distressed; there was literally everything in it.
 
I met the owner and designer Hannah who was in her mid 50’s, and her daughter Josie who was a year or so younger than me and explained what I was doing.

 
After a cup of coffee and exchanging numbers with Josie, I had a source of my favorite style of furniture, one that I fully intended to stock up on for my own home first, and they had offered to work to order — anything I needed, they would create.
 
It might sound a given that people would do this for you, but it was so rare in this day and age and normally cost a fortune.
 
They were so grateful to be used that they were only charging seven percent, which was nothing.
 

I stopped in at a fabric shop to look at what they had available and met Mildred, or Old Lady Mildred as she informed me she was known as and insisted that I call her, and I got some samples to use before I went to the final store on my list - Scarlett Treasures.
 
From the outside, you could see towers of lingerie and some clothes through the glass door, but the glass panels that took up the walls either side were covered loosely with thick burgundy panels that had a border around two inches thick of white satin.
 
It wouldn’t have been a design that came into my head immediately, but as I stood looking at the sheerness of the panels and the thick satin with the light shining through it, I realized that it really was quite sexy and suited the name of the shop perfectly.
 

I opened the door and walked onto the properly finished oak beams, no bare wood in this shop, and was hit with the subtle fragrance of jasmine and sandalwood; it was beautiful.

“Oh my God, it smells like heaven in here,” I groaned, not seeing anyone around the place.

“Do you like it?” A soft voice sounded from beside me scaring the shit out of me, making me squeal and jump.
 
I turned to see a girl around the same age and slightly shorter than me who had the most gorgeous long auburn hair, big dark green eyes, and beautiful face — she really was stunning.
 
“Gawd, I’m sorry. I thought you heard me on this flooring, but I just remembered I took my shoes off to wrestle with the fixtures that the new stock is going on.
 
I’m Scarlett Hughes!” She said holding her hand out to me.

“Sorry, I was in a world of my own, it's totally my fault.
 
I’m Maya Price. I just came to see what you had because I’m a complete underwear junkie.
 
Seriously, I can’t make it a week without a trip to Victoria’s Secret, and trust me after all of my purchases — there are no secrets left between Victoria and me.” I laughed, but in all actuality what I was saying was totally true; it didn’t matter where I was, if there was a lingerie department - I was in there.
 

Thankfully Scarlett let out a soft laugh but nodded her head in sympathy. “I get ya, honey! I actually design all of the stuff in here, but up until a year ago I was making it all to order by hand, and trying out designs on myself.
 
It was a relief when I found an investor and set up shop I tell ya. Doesn’t mean that I don’t keep one of each to try out, though, it would be rude to sell stuff without knowing what it felt like on, ya know?” She said with a wink and a slight head tilt.

I want to say that I could see her with Cole, but to be honest Cole and an underwear designer…that would be his heaven.
 
She was too nice and soft for Cole, though, he’d eat her up and spit her straight back out again so why would I do that to her?

“Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for sweetie?”

“No, I just wanted to come in and have a look. Do you mind if I take a wander?” I asked having a look around seeing she had a mixture of everything available.
 
The main product was lingerie, but towards the back, there was a swimsuit and bikini display with cover-ups. Interspersed throughout the lingerie displays were evening and day dresses, nightwear and flirty skirts.
 
The till point was at the back of the store and behind and under it was silver jewelry; it was literally my heaven.
 

“Sure thing, make yourself at home. Have a look and if there's anything you need then shout.” Scarlett said giving a little wave of her hand and wandering back to her displays. I wanted to be her. She was so cool.

I looked through the corsets, demi-corsets, bra’s of all kinds and colors and fabrics…there was literally everything.
 
I picked up a coral pink demi-corset, the matching balcony bra, thong and Brazilian panties, a white lace set, matching satin and lace short nighties for both and then I saw the bikini to beat all bikinis hanging up at the back.
 
It was my favorite shade of coral pink, and I knew that I was going to walk out of here with it even though I had more than enough bikinis at home after living in Florida for so many years.
 

I shouted to Scarlett that I was going to the changing room and walked in - I knew my bra and underwear sizes, but I figured I needed to try on the demi-corset just in case and holy shit!
 
I have ample boobs, in fact, some might say I have more than ample boobs for my size — at 5 foot 7 I was a size 6 with padding in my ass and mucho padding in my boobs that made me a D cup. The demi-corset gave them extra oomph and made me feel a bit like Jessica Rabbit because they just looked round, and big — that’s the only way I could describe them.
 
Normally I’d put it back, but Ren’s handsome face popped into my head and I figured there was no harm in making a purchase. If the worst came to the worst, they’d stay in my drawer waiting for a special occasion.
 

Decision made I turned and looked at the bikini. The shade of coral was just perfect, and the string in between the cups had lovely wide silver filigree beads on it that offset the color perfectly.
 
It was essentially a string bikini, but the added details like the beads and a little bit of silver thread delicately added into the strings, and the top of the cups just got me.
 
The bottom was the standard two triangles of material with a tie either side, but there was one of the long silver filigree beads attached to the very front, and the same silver thread ran through the edging; it was gorgeous.
 
I tried it on and stood gaping at myself in the mirror.
 
I hate bikinis that don’t have padding in them so your nipples point the way to all enquirers and passers-by. This one had subtle padding and lifted them slightly to create a delicate cleavage, not a ‘stick your head in here, and I’ll smother you to death’ type cleavage. Well, there was no walking away from it, it was definitely coming home with me.

Getting dressed again, I took my purchases out to Scarlett and made a point of not looking any further around the store.
 
I needed to limit my lingerie spending because I already had three drawers full of the stuff - it all got worn, but still.
 
Unfortunately, that then left me with the silver in the glass display cases.
 
I’d had my belly button pierced when I was eighteen and saw the most beautiful flower belly bar and one with the hand of Fatima on it.
 
I had a couple of large silver and terracotta hand of Fatimas that I’d bought when we visited Turkey last year, and I loved them and what they stood for.
 
Dammit, I was so close as well.
 

“Find whatcha need, sweetie?” Scarlett asked walking around me to the till and tucking her hair behind her ear.
 
It was longer than I’d realized and almost hit her ass in layers.
 
God, how did she make it look so soft and shiny?

“Uh yeah,” I coughed, “and then some. Could I see the hand of Fatima and the flower belly bars pleas, Scarlett?” I squatted down and pointed to them because there were so damn many in the case.