The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (21 page)

“Oh thank god!” she exhaled, relaxing her shoulders, happy now that the matter was solved.

When we pulled into the bowling alley and were walking across the car park, Nate took my hand and pulled me back so the kids couldn’t hear. “I don’t like this, Liv. First the phone calls and now
this,
” he said, his face etched with worry and anger. “Just the thought of somebody in your bed!!” he scowled, “And what’s with the underwear? All over the fucking floor!”

He was seething now and I took his hand. “Nate. Calm down,” I encouraged with a squeeze of my hand. “I
promise
to get my locks changed tomorrow and if there’s any more funny stuff I’ll get on to the police,” I swore, lifting my lips to him, giving him a reassuring kiss.

“You promise?” he asked, regarding me with a serious look on his face.

“Yes, I promise.” I smiled to hide my own apprehension. “Now come on, let me thrash your magnificent arse at bowling.” I giggled as he gave me an ‘are you serious woman’ look.

“You have no bloody chance, baby, I’m sorry!” he bragged, laughing at my scandalized expression.

Two hours later we were all sat in a burger bar laughing at Nate’s competitiveness. He had teamed up with Matt while Erin and I had partied up, his eagerness to win had him cheating throughout the game.

When it was my turn he had slipped his palm across my bottom as I bent to take a shot, bent over at the side of me to give me a fantastic view of his tight arse as I bowled and whispered lewd things in my ear about my own backside as I aimed the ball towards the remaining pins.

Then when it was Erin’s turn he told hysterical jokes while she was trying to concentrate, coughed loudly and made her jump as she hurled the ball down the alley; he even tried to offer her £50 to throw the game.

Everyone had taken it in good humour and Matt and Nate had bonded well, both high-fiving and hugging when they won.

Brad had arranged to meet Erin in the restaurant and he had joined us at our table, squeezing in beside Erin and kissing her lovingly when he arrived.

I gave Nate a querying look as he sat scrutinizing Brad, checking him out. When he seemed to conclude that Brad was absolutely smitten with Erin, he relaxed and joined in the banter with us. It was a very parental thing to do and it astounded me, especially when I noticed that Nate hadn’t realised he was doing it, like it was in his natural instincts. It made my heart swell, knowing that Nate cared for my children already and that they were comfortable with him being around.

“You looking forward to your holiday?” Nate asked Erin as we all slumped back in our seats, full and bursting after the burgers.

Nodding frantically, Erin beamed. “God Yes! I’m gonna miss you though, Mum,” she said, turning to me.

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” I said casually, giving Nate a nudge under the table as his hand came to rest on my thigh.

Erin nodded at me. “What day are you meeting J . . . Beth?” she managed to hide before slipping up fully.

Nate’s hand paused on its route up my thigh. I felt him tense as he caught Erin’s salvaged slip-up. He narrowed his eyes at no one in particular as I stammered through Erin’s question. “Thursday.”

She nodded. “Okay, give her my love, won’t you?”

Luckily Matt turned to Nate, changing the subject. “You play Xbox, Nate?”

“Sure.” Nate smiled at him and they discussed different games and achievements between themselves.

I sat back, looking over my family with a fierce love and devotion. The ‘unlocked door’ situation came into my mind and I sat contemplating what to do, silently arguing with myself about it. It had unnerved me when Erin had told me of what had happened to my bed and underwear; it was possible that I
had
just swept my duvet up but there was no way I had left my underwear scattered on the floor, it just wasn’t me to be so untidy.

I had a niggling uneasiness about it all and Nate was right; after the phone calls and now this I was also getting the impression something or
somebody
was not right and I was eager to get the house locks changed just for peace of mind. I would make sure that I put the door chains on as well from now on whenever we were in the house.

Nate dropped us at home a little later and was adamant that he came in and checked the house before we entered, and I was secretly thankful to him.

We were sat at the kitchen table, coffee in hand and the kids had gone upstairs to blatantly give us some alone time.

“You sure you don’t want me to stay the night, Liv? I would feel more relaxed knowing that you were all safe,” he tried, obviously still worried about the situation.

“No Nate, it’s fine, I’ll put the chains on and make sure everything is secured when you leave”

“I can sleep on the couch” he persevered. “I won’t make a sound.”

“No!” I laughed at him, “Honestly, trust me.” I took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

“I’m worried, Liv. Something is seriously wrong here.” His brow was wrinkled and his eyes were full of concern.

“Babe,” I implored. “Please, don’t worry. I’ll take my phone to bed with me and I’ll ring you as soon I as I hear or sense
anything
suspicious and I’ll text you as soon as I wake in the morning. Okay?” I guaranteed him, needing to reassure him.

He nodded solemnly, submitting and took my hand. “I just love you, Angel and I don’t want anything to happen to you or the kids.”

I nodded my understanding and changed the subject. “You want me to come to yours Wednesday night or straight from work?”

“Straight from work,” he answered quickly. “And don’t forget to pack an evening dress cause it’s the NSC Employee Awards Saturday night,” he reminded me

I groaned, the whole do was something I was NOT looking forward to, I abhorred formal events like these. “Can’t I miss it?” I pleaded sulking.

“No Liv you can’t. You’re nominated for three awards,” he informed me proudly.

“What?!” I asked unbelievably, “I don’t think I’ve contributed much to the business since I’ve been there.”

“Don’t be silly Liv. You are good at your job and you deserve to be recognised for it,” he informed me. “I’ve also booked us Thursday and Friday off so we can make the most of our precious alone time together.”

I stiffened.
Shit!
How was I going to explain this? “Well . . . I’d already booked Thursday off Nate, I have things to do then.” I cringed inwardly.

“Oh! What things?”

“I’ve got to buy a dress for Saturday.” I smiled, pleased at my quick retort.

“Well that’s fine, I can come with you and help you choose one.” He grinned, happy at rectifying the situation.

Fuck! Bollocks!
“Well . . . I . . . I’ve already asked Beth to go with me. We were making it a girlie day, you know; hair, nails and make-over kind of thing!”
Well done Liv!
“I promise to come straight back to yours when we’re done.” I smiled hopefully.

He was giving me a curious look, scrutinizing my features as if he knew I was lying. “Okay,” he said, dully. “I’ll cook for you, if it’s gonna be a busy day for you,” he brooded.

“That’ll be good.” I grinned at him, feeling shamefaced about deceiving him. “I might even invest in some nice new, sexy lingerie while I’m out,” I added, trying to lift the mood, giving him my sexiest smile.

He regarded me, a twitch at the corner of his lips. “Toys?” he coaxed, his eyes glinting as he pictured some of the naughty things he wanted to do to me.

My pussy clenched and my breath quickened, excited now as I contemplated which toys to invest in. “Anything in particular?”

He pulled me onto his lap and nibbled my neck, his palms brushing over my breasts. “Whatever takes your fancy, baby,” he breathed, his arousal evident in his lap, making me shift a little to accommodate it.

“Stop it!” I scolded him, giggling.

As Nate left he ordered me to double check that everything was secure as I shut the door behind him, and to text him before I went to sleep.

I inspected everything thoroughly as I walked round the house, making sure all the doors and windows were locked and I closed all the curtains tightly. I was nervous and worked myself into a state by the time I went upstairs to bed.

Texting goodnight to Nate, I laid in bed staring at the dark ceiling listening intently and freezing at every slight noise. I could hear a whisper of a kind of whir but put it down to my alarm clock playing up; next doors dog kept barking, making me sit up straight and pin my ears back, and Matt was snoring so loudly that I was getting annoyed with him in case I missed an important sound.

I now wished I had let Nate stay over but I was adamant I retained my independence and started looking after myself, although braving tonight was pushing those things to the limit.

Eventually I dropped into a fretful sleep, still jumping at every sound. I was relieved when the sun rose, even if it was before my scheduled time to get up.

Taking a long soak and cleaning the house thoroughly it was time to set off to work; I looked as awful as I felt and secretly hoped I wouldn’t bump into Nate today because he would be able to see the toil the night had had on me.

As I left the house and locked up I was already on my phone arranging for a locksmith to visit after work, informing him that I wanted new dead bolt locks and replacement window security.

As I approached Betty I noticed she had a flat tyre. “Oh for fucks sake!” I exclaimed already in a mood to freeze hell due to my lack of sleep.

After desperately phoning for a taxi, I texted Grace to tell her I was going to be late when my phone rang in my hand. Nate’s name came up on the display. “Hey, Angel” he sang as I answered.

“Morning,” I replied sullenly.

“Oh, dear. Someone had a bad night,” he laughed down the phone.

“And obviously someone didn’t,” I sneered back.

“Everything okay last night, Liv?”

“Yes apart from you working me into so much of a state that I jumped at every single fucking sound all night.”

“Hey Baby, I’m sorry,” he apologised genuinely. “I was just worried about you.”

I relented, softening to his gentle voice. “I know Nate, ignore me I’m just tired and late for work already!”

“Why are you running late?” he asked with interest in his voice.

“Betty’s got a flat.”

“Really? She was fine last night when I left ‘cause I made a point of checking her over what with everything that has happened.”

“Well she has now!” I informed him as the taxi pulled up. “I’ve gotta go Nate, my taxi’s here.”

“Okay. Try and cheer up. I love you,” he urged.

I smiled. “I’ll try. I love you too.” I ended the call and climbed in the taxi.

A little after lunch I was sat at my desk when Josh came in. “Hey, Sweetie.” He grinned at me. “Another delivery for Miss Adams.” He wiggled his eyebrows as I took in the three large white boxes in his arms with ‘
The Bunting Bakery’
embossed in expensive gold lettering on the side.

I gasped at the offering; The Bunting Bakery was the most expensive and chic designer cake shop in London. Its baked goods were to die for. They specialised in luxurious sponges with sumptuous toppings, cheesecakes so creamy that your taste buds demanded more and homemade biscuits so crumbly that they melted on your tongue.

“Wow.” I grinned at Josh. “Let’s take a look.” I gestured to him and he beamed back at me, obviously wanting a sneaky look as he placed the boxes gently on my desk. There was an envelope attached to the first box and I decided to read it when Josh had gone.

Opening the first box I was delighted to find heaps of various mini cupcakes, all in different colours and toppings, the smell as well as the look of them making my mouth water immediately. The second box consisted of stacks of biscuit’s, cookies and a selection of chocolates and the third contained masses of tiny cellophane bags containing sugared fruit, Turkish delight and gooey marshmallows.

“Bloody Hell,” Josh whistled at the delectable treats.

“Bloody hell,” I duplicated, my stomach groaning in anticipation. “Want some?” I grinned at Josh as his eyes lit up like a child’s at Christmas.

“Do you really need to ask?” he laughed as he took a selection of the goods.

“Can you run up a selection for Nate?” I asked him and picked out a few for Nate as Josh nodded, already filling his face with a cupcake. “Hang on, I need to write him a note,” I told him and took out some paper from my drawer.

Nate,

You are truly the most considerate and attentive lover a woman could ask for. You have once again put a huge smile on my face and I will show my appreciation in ways that will blow your mind. I will now sit and devour all the scrumptious treats you have sent me and I hope you will relish dipping your tongue into my lush goodies.

I love you wholly.

The Angel of your soul.

Xxx

Placing it in an envelope and popping it in the box of goods I had sorted for him, I gave it Josh to take up immediately. Thirty minutes later Nate text me.

NATE:

Angel, I am so happy that I have put a smile on your face again.

You definitely needed it today after last night’s torture.

I would scour this earth to see your beautiful smile.

I am going to sit at my desk and run my tongue around your delicious goodies ;-)

ILY xxx

PS I am sooo looking forward to your appreciation.

I can’t wait for tomorrow night.

Can I see you tonight?

ME:

You have definitely put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

I’m sorry Babe but I have an appointment with Dr Greene tonight AGAIN!!

He thinks it’s a good idea to have extra sessions now I’m in a relationship, extra money more like!

But I can’t wait for tomorrow either. I’m looking forward to having you to myself for a few days.

Gotta go now but I will be thinking of you all day with a huge smile.

ILY2 xxx

I grinned as he texted back to say he enjoyed my ‘sweet things’ and that I should fire Dr Greene because he was taking up too much of my time, time that should be reserved for Nate.