I reach out to the side table to grab my phone. As the screen lights up, I groan. Voicemail messages and texts flood my screen. The arsehole didn’t take long to start being a fucking nuisance. I know I should block him. It was the first thingNoah said when I told him about him hassling me. I never took them seriously; he was just pissed off because I dumped him. He would’ve made up some lie when he told the other Doms, making him the one that ended it. I open the text messages and read the first.
Simon: Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?
Simon: Call me
Simon: You need to call me
Simon: Stop this shit, boy. Call me
Simon: I expect you to be at my house at nine pm tomorrow
Simon: You know it’s only me that can make you feel good
Simon: CALL ME!
I stop reading and drop my phone on the duvet. The voicemails will only be the same thing, so they can stay unread. He really is delusional if he thinks I’m going anywhere near him. I do need to let Royal know though.
Before I can call him, Finn calls out, asking if I want coffee. “Yes, please. Gimme a minute, and I’ll be with you.”
I climb out of bed and head for the bathroom. Matt gives me a nod as he follows Finn into the kitchen. When the fuck did he get here? Was here already here, is that why Finn went straight to his room?
The day is busy. We have six new requests for covers and a rebrand for a small chain of family run coffee shops. This is on top of the work we already have. If it carries on growing at this rate, we’re going to need to take on someone else. Which has me thinking that we’ll have to get used to zoom calls again when Igo back home. Even with the short time I’ve been back, it feels good, the place I want to settle down in. With or without Royal. Although for me, I want it to be with.
Then I remember I haven’t filled Finn in on the messages. Nor has he discussed Matt being here this morning. I’ve had my phone on silent and locked away in the drawer of my desk. As I open the drawer, my laptop pings with a zoom call. When I look to see who it is, I know I can’t let it timeout. This is a prolific writer and always comes to us for her covers.
I click on the accept icon and see her happy, smiling face. “Alice, how are you?”
“Memphis, my favourite man. I’m good and very excited. I have a new project for you. An eight-book series on sexy pirates and the naughty sailors on their voyages. What do you think of that?” Her contagious laughter comes across the computer, easily putting a smile on my face. One that wasn’t there earlier.
“I think that sounds like a few more bestsellers are coming your way. Have you got your images, or do you want me to search for them?” I can lose myself for way too many hours searching stock photograph websites. The hole is deep and vast, and I chuckle as I think that could be something she puts in her books.
“No, no worries. I have the first four, and to make it even more spicy, there will a few with a threesome, including a poor heroine who needs saving. It can’t get much better than that, can it.”
Laughter bursts from me as I fake a swoon with the back of my hand on my forehead. “Send them to me with a small synopsis, and I’ll get on with them. When is the first release date?”
We go on talking about schedules and timelines, and I wish all my clients were as fun and enthusiastic as her. Afteranother fifteen or so minutes, we wrap up the call, and I promise to have some mock-ups with her in the next seventy-two hours.
“Has Twat-face called again?” Finn’s nickname for Simon usually makes me smile, but not this time. I’m a little worried now. His angry messages are different from the pleading ones he sent when I first left. With a quick tug, the drawer opens, allowing me to grab my phone.
It only takes a glance to see that he’s started again, but there’s one from Royal, asking me to call him. It was time stamped an hour ago. “Yeah, a few times. Royal has too. I need to call him.” I get out of my chair and leave the room.
He should have finished at school by now. I press call and let it ring. He picks up on the fourth ring. “Memphis,” he says flatly, but that’s it.
Confused, I look at my phone, has the call dropped. “Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay? You sound weird. I need to talk to you about Simon, something I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t think anything of it. He was being a prat and called me a few times. I’ve been meaning to call all day, but it’s been a crazy busy.”
“I know about the calls. I wish I’d heard about them from you rather than Noah. Don’t blame him for telling me; he thought I knew.” I don’t know why he’s so pissed off; we’d hardly spoken when I was getting them. When they stopped, I thought Simon had got over me and his tantrum. I’m not going to explain myself to him. I’m not a child.
“Yeah, well, they’re nothing to the shit he’s saying to me now.” I run through the messages and voicemails. Telling him bluntly, without any embellishments. “I haven’t replied to any of them. I’m not going to either, and I’m sure a shit not going anywhere near his house.”
“I want you to forward them all to me.”
“What? Why? You can’t do anything with them. He’s just being a dick, Royal. I’m going to block him this time. I should’ve done it when I left him.” I’ve had enough now; he’s not important enough to spend any more time on.
“No, don’t do that yet. I want to see how far he’s going to push you. Plus, it’s proof if he does try anything.”
“What? Do you really think he’s dangerous? I thought he was just pissed off I finished it before he did. We weren’t going anywhere.” I now feel silly for trying to be flippant when Simon could prove to be a very real problem. “I’ll be leaving here soon. Finn is going to take Matt back; there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“What the fuck is wrong with him? People like him don’t change, which means all your time there been a total waste, and now you’re in the crosshairs of a lunatic.” He all but growls at me, and suddenly, I’m feeling very exposed and frightened.
