The Key To Micah's Heart (Hell Yeah!) (29 page)

Madison got out of her seat and went after him. “Where are you going?”

Micah took a seat on the black leather couch. “You don’t want to hear this.”

She considered letting it go for a second, but realized this might be good for Micah, he’d clearly been holding onto these things for a long time. “You can tell me, Micah.”

Micah looked her up and down from his spot on the couch. She was so perfect, standing there in his shirt. He could easily change the direction of this conversation by seducing her. Go to her and let his emotions out in a sexual way. Oddly enough though, it felt good to share this with her.

He patted a spot on the couch beside him. “I’ll tell you more, but you have to come sit with me. It feels good to have you close.”

Madison went to him willingly and took a seat on the far end of the couch. “Come,” she patted her lap. “Put your head here.”

Micah didn’t hesitate, he stretched out, letting his long legs dangle just over the arm of the sofa and placed his head in her lap. “This is a dangerous place for me to be. Especially with you sans panties.”

Madison stroked his face with her palm and smiled down on him. “Tell me more.”

“Colton was a genius. His parents pushed him to be an engineer. He was never going to revolutionize industries or create a clean energy source, but the boy could write like nobody’s business.”

“I’ve read your stuff, Micah.” She ran her fingers through his now shorter hair and around his head. “You are very talented yourself.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Fellows, and I agree. I do have talent, but I’m a hack compared to Colton. I tell most people another story.” He remembered what he’d told Avery about Leah, and that had been true. But it wasn’t the whole story. This was. “Colton is the real reason I write.”

“Is this the friend you mentioned at Angel House the night we met?”

“It is. The last time I saw him, he asked me if I could make him some of that brisket. I’d gone to see him under the MLK overpass where he was living at the time. It’s tough to see someone you care about living under a tarp. I’m responsible for his death.”

“No. He had a problem, but you didn’t cause it Micah.”

“I may not have, but I gave him some money that night before I left to go collect his things and someone stabbed him for it. Colton died because of the money. Money I’d given him.”

Micah moved to sit up but Madison held his head in place. She looked down on him. “You didn’t stab him, Micah. Someone else did. It’s no more your fault that Colton died than it is mine. You never held the knife. You never stabbed him. Someone else did that, not you. I can tell you were his friend and from the sound of it, one of the only true friends he had and you honor him with your writing.”

“I write because of Colton, but I do not honor him with what I write. I was introduced to the world of erotic literature by someone else. If I was really honoring Colton, I’d finish what he started in that notebook.”

“What’s in the notebook?”

“Colton was always writing in his notebooks. He said his head was full of stories. He told me that writing down his ideas was one of the few things that made him feel normal. I’d gone to Angel House the night he was stabbed to get his meds and the notebooks he always carried with him. When I got there they were gone, he hadn’t had a lock to put on his locker and someone had stolen them.”

“That’s why you had the extra locks the night I met you.”

“That’s why. When I got back, I called 911 and the paramedics worked on him, but it was too late. The paramedics found one notebook on Colton and gave it to me. It was one of his most prized possessions. You asked what is in the book...”

“Yes. What’s in it?”

“One of the things Colton and I always loved growing up was detective novels. We’d sit and watch Humphrey Bogart movies for hours. Hell, we even went through a phase when we were fourteen where we wore trench coats everywhere we went. We’d get laughed at, but we didn’t care, we loved it. We watched China Town so many times we could both recite it line for line. We both loved those noir style films. It’s probably the main reason I got into the intelligence field of the military. Colton and I both wanted to be detectives when we grew up.”

“So, Long Way Down is a detective story?”

“Yes, Long Way Down was going to be Colton’s first book. He’d been working on it for years. The problem with Colton was that he had trouble focusing on things, so he rarely ever finished a story. But you could see the genius in the small stuff he would write. With Long Way Down, mostly he just jotted down ideas. A sentence here, a paragraph there. Every time he’d get an idea for it, he’d write it down in that notebook.”

“So what’s keeping you from writing it for him?”

“Fear.”

“Fear?”

“Fear that I won’t do him justice. Fear that it’ll never be as good as it could have been if Colton wrote it. Fear that I’ll let my friend down.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“It may be. I keep that book out on display and I lie to people when they ask about it. I want it there so I can see it every day. So it feels like Colton is there every time I walk by it. But it taunts me. Makes me feel like a failure. Like I’ve let my friend down by never finishing it for him.”

“Then don’t write it like Colton would write it. Write it how Micah Wolfe would write it. Write it how Don Juan would write it. That’s what Colton would want you to do. Not as him, but as yourself. I have no doubt you could get it published.” Micah sat up and looked at her. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“You’re right.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. I never thought of it that way. I’ve spent years worrying about writing it and fucking it up, but I’ve always thought I had to do it how Colton would’ve done it.” He got up off the couch. “My God. You’re right. The best way to honor Colton is to take his idea and do it my way.” He went to his knees in front of Madison and placed his head back in her lap, hugging her knees. “What have you done to me, Fellows?”

“Nothing bad I hope.”

Micah lifted his head and looked at her. “Nothing bad at all. Everything is just better when you’re around. Where have you been all my life?”

Micah raced off to his study.

“Where are you going?” Madison followed and walked in to see Micah taking the notebook from under the glass. “You’re starting today?”

Micah turned to look at her with the book in his hand. He placed it on his desk. “No, but I’m taking it out from under that damn glass. It’s been locked away too long.” He came around the desk towards her and swept her up in his arms. “Right now. I’ve got a headboard to break.”

A proposition…

“Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you,” Micah said, then ending the call, placing the phone on the vanity. “Good to see your handsome face again, Wolfe.” He checked out his reflection after wiping shaving cream from his face. The novelty of the beard had worn off quickly and after he’d seen what the coarse hair had done to Madison’s face when they were demolishing his headboard, he’d decided to shave it off that night before a shower.

Madison was still recovering in the bed. Micah hadn’t even been home for twenty-four hours, but already they’d had sex three times and she’d had more orgasms then she could count. If she didn’t think it was crude, she would’ve asked him to fetch her a bucket of ice for her private parts.

Micah came out of the bathroom naked, drops of water on his body, his big cock dangled between his legs and Madison could see it was red from all the sex they’d had today. “You’ll never guess what just happened before I got in the shower.”

Madison sat up in the bed. “What’s wrong?

“That was Avery McCoy on the phone a few minutes ago. She just called to ask me if I want to be a part of a book tour with her.”

“Avery?”

He explained briefly his association with the McCoy’s. “Avery is Isaac’s wife. She’s also Sable Hunter. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her.”

“I have!” Madison’s eyes grew wide. “I’ve read some of her stuff and enjoyed it.” She grinned at him. “Never as much as Don Juan’s though. Just knowing a man had written it made the story sexier for me. I always imagined what he’d be like and fantasized about him. And now…I know why.”

“When you read my books, did you play with yourself?”

Madison blushed. “Did you say book tour? I thought you wrote under a pen name to keep your privacy?”

Her deflection was as good as a ‘yes’ response and seeing she was embarrassed, he let it go. “I do, but Avery and I share a publisher and she asked them about a book tour and they told her it was a good idea for her. Somehow, they got to talking more and the publisher mentioned they were going to approach me to finally step out from behind my pen name and go public. Avery told them she knew me and she would ask me personally. So, she just did. She wants me to go out on tour with her. Hit some conventions. Do some readings and book signings.”

Madison wiggled in the bed. “How exciting! Your fans would absolutely die to meet you. Don Juan unmasked. Are you going to do it?”

Micah sat on the bed beside her. “I literally just got home from running for my life in Mexico for two weeks. I’m exhausted.”

Madison placed a hand on his broad shoulder and pulled him back onto the bed to lie down beside her. She traced a soft fingertip across his chest. “You did say you wanted to get out of here when you got back from Mexico.”

Micah closed his eyes and just enjoyed her touch. “Did I? Shit.” He thought about it. “You think it’s a good idea to do it?” Micah was used to making decisions on his own and it felt good to have someone special to talk to about it.

“Well, that depends on you really. I think anyone who knows you understands how much you love the limelight.”

“Ouch, Fellows. Tell me what you really think.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No. It’s fair to say I love the attention. I never really wanted to be a big celebrity with the writing, but I have been to a few conventions and signings as a spectator. They look like a blast. Maybe I should do it.”

“I think you’d love it. And you would definitely charm the pants off your readers.”

“I did say I wanted to get out of here, didn’t I?”

“You did. Where would you be going?”

“Avery didn’t get into specifics. She just wanted to run it by me. She mentioned Dallas and Memphis and Savannah, Georgia. I told her it would be nice to spend some time back up north, so she’s going to try and get the publisher to agree to Boston. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like it’s settled then. You’re going.”

Micah sat up on one elbow, the man was a slice of gorgeous with a heaping of sex appeal on top and he smiled at Madison. “Where would you go if you could go anywhere?”

“Oh, God. I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.”

“That’s in Georgia isn’t it?”

“Not really what I had in mind. You’d better call Avery back and let her know you’re in.”

“I never said I was totally in. I still need to figure out one very important thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll need a personal assistant.”

“I’m sure you can find one.” Madison hoped he meant a male assistant. She didn’t really want to think of him with another woman, even if she was his employee.

Micah brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “I already have. She’s sitting right in front of me.” He kissed her on the lips softly. “I hope you’re ready, Fellows. ‘Cause I’m going to need a very personal assistant.”

Dallas…

“I want you to give me things to do, Micah. If I’m going to be your assistant, I need to know I’m doing my job.”

“I’m not paying you a salary, Fellows. Think of it as a vacation. Besides, keeping me happy is job one and there’s no one more qualified to do that than you.” He’d kissed her gently on the lips, figuring she was on board but Madison could be stubborn.

After plans with Avery were confirmed, everything came together quickly. Their publisher, Renee Lucas, was so excited she was giddy. When he’d given her the thumbs up, Renee insisted that Micah have some publicity photographs taken. For what, he didn’t know. He’d had a good time with the session, pretending he was one of those runway models. In one shot he’d insisted on having a fan blowing on him to lift his hair back. Yea, he’d vamped for the camera. The whirlwind tour would encompass four cities over a two-week period. Renee assured him all the details were taken care of and when he’d asked about bringing Madison, she’d readily agreed.

Even after they were on the road, headed to Austin-Bergstrom Airport, Madison still wasn’t absolutely convinced. “I know it will be a vacation for me, but you’re still paying for everything.”

“If I invite you on vacation, I’m supposed to pay for everything,” Micah pointed out. “In this case, the publisher is picking up the tab for it all unless it’s something we find to do in our spare time. She’s booked the rooms, provided us with plane tickets and will be paying for our meals.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Madison had put her pretty little foot down. “If they’re paying, then I really have to work. It’s only right,” she argued. “I don’t want them to think I’m a freeloader.”

“If you were my wife, they’d do the same thing.”

At the mention of being Micah’s wife, she froze, then went hot and cold all over. There wasn’t anything she could say. The idea of marrying him was just too wonderful to even conceive. “I’m not, though.”

“No, you’re not.” Clearly, he wasn’t seeing this from her point of view. “Okay, okay, you can keep track of the pen I use to sign autographs.”

“I’ll do more than that.” She didn’t know what, but she would find something to do. “I’ll help Avery too.”

Madison was frustrating the hell out of him, but he couldn’t get mad at her. She was just too sweet. “I’ll keep you busy in the bedroom, no problem.” At her worried look, he caved. “Don’t worry, we’ll work something out.”

“Okay.” The first stop on the book tour would be Dallas, only a hop, skip, and a jump away. While Micah drove, Madison studied the itinerary. “Dallas is the only city I’ve been to before. I’ve never had a chance to do much traveling.”

“This is going to be fun, Madison. I promise.”

She wasn’t so sure. The hotels were beyond fancy. She’d packed her best clothes, but if the photos of the places they’d be staying and visiting were any indication, her wardrobe was sadly lacking. “I hope so.”

He could see she was still fretting. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She put a smile on her face, determined not to be a drag. “I can remember going to Six Flags over Texas right outside of Dallas. I love rollercoasters.”

“Me too. I especially liked the ones that turned the cars upside down.” He turned off Highway 183 and headed down Airport Drive to the lot where he’d leave his car. “I’ve been to Six Flags several times, but it’s been years. I don’t know if we’ll have a chance to go this trip, but we will do some sightseeing.”

“Oh, I wasn’t hinting,” she promised. “Anything we do will be fun.”

Micah parked and gave the Challenger key to a valet. He helped Madison from the car and retrieved their luggage. “You sure packed light.” He noticed she’d brought the same small duffle she’d had at the shelter.

“Yea, I know. I hope I have enough clothes to do.”

“Clothes won’t be a problem. There are boutiques in all the hotels and I plan on dolling you up for my pleasure.” He pulled the handle of her duffle onto his shoulder and took his carry on in the other hand, leading the way into the airport terminal.

“I can’t let you buy me clothes, Micah.” Madison held onto his arm in the crowd.

Micah stopped dead still. Facing her, he placed a hand on her face. “No more worrying. You’re giving me a headache. I want to do this. Doing things for you makes me happy.” Rubbing his thumb over her lip, he looked into her eyes. “Do you understand?”

Madison felt a sense of peace come over her. “Yes, I do. I feel the same way.”

Micah laughed. “Okay, agreed. We’ll take care of each other.”

“Now, I feel better. Is Avery meeting us here?”

“No, she’s driving to Dallas. She wanted to pick up someone along the way. I’ve only met her once. Her name’s Cato and she’s married to Isaac’s cousin Heath. She’s a nice lady. You’ll have to remember that she reads lips when you speak to her. Cato is hearing impaired.”

“Oh, okay. I will.” Madison’s head was spinning. This was the most exciting thing that had happened to her in a long time. The small plane they were taking to Dallas was waiting for them once they picked up their tickets. “I’ve never flown before,” Madison whispered.

Micah let her go up the steps into the plane ahead of him. After they’d found their seats and he’d put their luggage into the overhead compartment, he sat down next to her. “Fasten your seat belt,” he cautioned her. When they were safely buckled in, he took her hand, rubbing his thumb over her palm. “We’re having a lot of firsts together, aren’t we? Your first time making love. My first time opening up about Colton.”

“True. My first time to throw up in a plane,” she murmured, holding onto his hand for dear life as the small Lear jet taxied down the runway and lifted off. Once they were in the air, she loosened her death grip on his fingers and he managed to wiggle them to restore some sensation. With a window seat, Madison was enthralled with the view. “Look at the clouds,” she exclaimed. “They look like cotton candy.”

Micah realized how much fun he was going to have, seeing everything through her eyes. As they flew the short distance, he studied the emails his publisher had sent him. They were staying at the Ritz-Carlton downtown and the signing was being held at the hotel ballroom. He and Avery wouldn’t be the only authors in attendance; the publisher was also sending several others. “This Dallas event looks more like a meet and greet. We’ll each have a table set up to sign books and we’re encouraged to mix with all the readers.”

“You didn’t bring any books,” Madison pointed out.

“Renee will have boxes of them there waiting for me. That’s her job.”

“Are you nervous?” she asked, thinking she would be if she were him.

“Nah,” Micah dismissed the idea. “I’m used to women throwing themselves at me.”

Madison giggled. “I guess I’ll have to be your bodyguard, as well as your assistant.”

“Guarding my body…” he pretended to think about it. “Yea, I think I like that idea.”

When the plane landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Madison wondered how far away they were from wherever Sunny and Rudy were staying. If things had been normal between her and her mother, she could have invited her over or met her somewhere for coffee. Pushing the useless notion from her head, Madison clung to Micah’s arm as he steered her toward a waiting car.

“Now, this is what I call service,” he muttered as a chauffeur took their bags and held the door for them to enter a black limousine.

Madison was speechless. “I really wasn’t expecting this.”

Micah chuckled. “To tell you the truth, neither was I.”

The drive from the airport to downtown Dallas took a little over half an hour. “When we get checked in, we’ll grab something to eat and do a little sightseeing before the signing begins at seven.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Madison agreed.

She wanted to look out the window at the passing scenery, but Micah was much more pleasing to the eye. He wore dress jeans and a cashmere sweater the same color as his eyes. She thought he looked good enough to eat. In contrast, she wore a simple linen skirt and white blouse. She felt drab by comparison, but Micah didn’t give her a chance to worry about it.

“You say you’ve been to Dallas?” he asked.

“I misspoke; I’ve really only been to Arlington.” She mentioned the urban community that connected the cities Dallas and Fort Worth where the amusement park was located. “We always referred to it as Dallas, but it really wasn’t.” 

“I understand. We’ll remedy that situation.” As they drove into the city, he asked the chauffer to take them on a little tour and he pointed out some things he thought she’d be interested in. The limousine took them by Dealey Plaza where President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. “This is a sad locale, but I think everyone should see it once in their lives.” He rolled down their windows and showed her the Book Depository where Oswald hid to take aim at the president and also pointed out the ‘grassy knoll’. “I’m sort of a conspiracy theorist. I don’t think Oswald acted alone. I’m not even sure he pulled the trigger.”

“Are you more inclined to think he was a ‘patsy’?” Madison asked.

“Yea, I am.” He nodded his head. “My mother’s cousin, she’s dead now, hung out at Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club. Jack Ruby shot Oswald, you know.”

“Yes, I know,” she nodded. “I’ve read a little bit about this.”

“Joanie, the cousin, said she saw Oswald in the club several times during the weeks before the shooting. She was a big proponent that they were both involved with the mob and were actually working together.”

“All of it sounds sad to me.”

“You’re right, on to something happier.” They passed by a huge sculpture depicting a cattle drive.

Madison liked it much better. “They’re life-size,” she marveled, fascinated by the display and how it almost looked as if they were moving.

After that, the chauffeur took them by the orb-shaped Reunion Tower, which had become a symbol for Dallas.

“Wolfgang Puck has a restaurant up there. We’ll go, if we have time,” Micah promised. He instructed the limousine driver to make one last detour through White Rock Lake Park before heading to the hotel.

Upon seeing the spillway and the lake, Madison exclaimed. “Oh, this is beautiful. I love the water.”

He remembered how excited she’d been to see the Pedernales at his ranch and to ride the riverboat on Lake Austin. Micah vowed he’d show her the ocean soon. “This lake is supposedly haunted. A girl drowned here in the 40’s in a boating accident. Many people have seen her. She walks up to people’s parked cars, looking like she’s just come out of the water and asks for a ride home. When they invite her in, she disappears on the way leaving only a wet spot behind on the seat.”

Madison shivered, moving closer to him. “I’ve heard those type of stories before.”

Micah hugged her. “If you respond like this, getting all snuggly, I’ll tell you ghost stories every night.” He held her close, asking the driver to take them to the hotel.

When they arrived, Madison was so impressed. “This is grand!” she whispered loudly. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I’m excited to be here with you,” he told her as he checked in. “I’m not so sure about everything else.”

Madison stayed close to him. Even though she lived in Austin, she’d never spent time at any of the fancier hotels or stores. The lobby was huge with massive pillars and the floor was marble and gleamed like a new penny. She was slightly intimidated trying to take it all in…until her eyes landed on a sight that shocked her panties off. “Oh, my God, Micah. Look!” she exclaimed.

After Micah thanked the clerk for their room key, he glanced in the direction Madison was frantically pointing. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He couldn’t believe his eyes. Completely covering one of the huge walls was a more than life-size figure of him. The sign said ‘Don Juan is in the house and his name is Micah Wolfe. Come fall in love with the world’s sexiest author!’

Madison started to walk over to get a closer look, but Micah stopped her. There were at least a dozen women standing underneath the poster and they were staring at his image like a hungry dog eyes a T-Bone steak. “I think we should go to our room and relax for a bit.”

“But, I want to see…” Madison began, but Micah was tugging her and the luggage toward the elevator at a fast clip.

But he wasn’t quite fast enough.

“There he is, girls! Don Juan!” A voice rang out in the expansive lobby.

Micah tried to keep his cool while punching the elevator button a dozen times in quick succession.

“You have some excited fans,” Madison whispered as she watched the mob of women making their way across the hotel toward them.

“So I see.” Micah loved women, but he preferred to deal with them in reasonable numbers. The group approaching made him more than a little nervous.

“Don Juan! Micah! I love your books!”

“You are so handsome!”

“I just knew you’d be sexy!”

“Will you sign my chest?”

All Madison could do was back up and let the mob have their way with him. Micah handled the women with his usual aplomb. “One at a time, ladies. Are you all coming back for the party tonight?”