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Author’s Notes…

What can I say? When you add a plot and start to take beta readers suggestions into regard, you come out on top, but it does take a little bit longer. I’m catching up. I swear. I’m actually doing pretty good and with my husband taking me out of twin this weekend to a private room in Midland, Michigan, I can say, I’m going to get a lot of work done on this book, all the while working on another one.

Yes, you heard it right. I’m working on a new story, possibly a new Kindle Select. I figure it’d be a good way to pay the editor since I’m not get very many people are buying me coffee for all my hard work. (click here to buy me a cup of coffee).

This is also a pretty long chapter and so get ready to sit back and enjoy the ride.  If you finish this too fast, you can always check out companion books.

Companion Books

Stealing Innocence 1

Black’s Innocence

Sin’s Iniquity

The Other Side of Love (WIP)

Tanner’s Devil

Dreams of Reality

Emperors Addiction / Heart

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We also had an interesting discussion in the Sylvia Hubbard’s Literary World:

Reading Question of the Day:

If I made a new book to be purchased exclusively on my website, how tempted are you to purchase it? What’s a good price? what format? #RQOTD

I’m producing a short story (about 5000) words for your reading pleasure.

I’d love to give it to your guys at a reasonable price, but I want to make it easy for you to obtain and read. LMK the answers as soon as you can.

Here’s my Grammarly Report for this chapter

Performance

…Enjoy

Chapter 15 – Who Was He?

Waking in his bed seemed strange, almost out of the norm for him. As usual, Magnum did a body check, and amazingly, he found no bruises. His clothes, which he knew were the same from yesterday, he had put on to go to see her, were not torn, ripped, dirty, or shredded.

Most times when Magnum awoke from a drunken stupor, he could barely form a thought, let alone remember his name. Now his mind was running at two hundred miles an hour.

Checking his watch, which he had taken off on his bedside, he realized this wasn’t a blackout session. He’d experienced real sleep.

Magnum had slept for exactly eight regular hours and woke clear-headed and unbruised.

What the hell had happened last night?! Seeing the drink on the stand before going into the bedroom last night, he was grateful because he needed the liquid courage, but damn if it didn’t seem to work like usual.

Yet, the benefit of that was he could take his time with her, get over his anxiety, and relax in the knowledge she was there for him.

Her soft voice calling his name was his undoing. Damn, he’d give her whatever she desired if she called his name like that every time.

The sound seemed so familiar to his soul. Scared the shit out of him that he wanted to do anything for her at the sound of his name from her lips.

So familiar.

And her sighs, gasps, and trembles…” I want to be yours, Magnum.”

He could feel his manhood respond just at the memory, but was befuddled as to how he could remember everything so clearly when he had never been able to before – not since…

A warm feeling started in his chest. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. His hand trembled as he placed his palm over his heart as if that would quell the internal heat. There was no alcohol near the bed to help him.

Magnum forced himself to think about last night and not that familiar feeling.

Damn! He should have kissed her. He should have possessed her lips and then her body.

But that fear… Liquor had consumed his life for so long, he didn’t know if he’d be able to give her what she desired. Eventually, she’d demand from him what he couldn’t give and then… he’d cross that bridge when the situation came up.

It was why he needed to drink. The darkness was kept at bay.

For now, he would take it slow—one moment at a time, as the doctor said. Don’t rush, and he’d know when it was time.

Getting out of bed, running through his memory, he found he was able to remember everything from last night – EVERYTHING!

The need for alcohol wasn’t as powerful. Yes, there was a slight trembling in his hands, his lips felt a little numb, and his mouth was dry.

And then he looked down at his legs. They weren’t wobbly, and the room wasn’t spinning. Magnum didn’t have that rush feeling to run to the bathroom and throw up; he just needed to use the bathroom—a lot.

His bladder felt like a bowling ball full of urine was stored inside, and he had to relieve the pressure hurriedly. All the while he was standing there – and he stood there for an inordinately long time – he thought about last night.

Her body lying there for him, and then her sigh… that had been his undoing. Hearing her respond excitedly to his touch felt like heaven had opened the doors and let him in. He had to go further. He had to know what he had tasted on his fingers; he could taste it directly with his tongue.

Magnum never thought something would taste better than liquor or give him a more powerful rush than what alcohol had done for so many years. Drinking had consumed his life for so long that he didn’t remember being happy before what had driven him to drink.

The alcohol had even erased that reason – that past.

With her, he wasn’t just aroused physically. There was this powerful stirring in his spirit to consume her mind, body, and soul.

This had to be witchcraft.

Magnum wanted more of her. He needed more.

Damn, she was his. For four months, she was all his, and Magnum didn’t know what the fuck to do with her.

His only urge was to go seek her out this morning, right at that moment, and lay eyes on her. Coming out of his bedroom, Magnum needed something to occupy his mind and resist the urge to knock down her hotel door to see her.

Checking his phone, Magnum saw Reginald had called several times, and then he saw an unknown number had called. Running his finger over the screen, he knew exactly who that number was from, but he wasn’t going to dwell on why his brother would suddenly call when the sibling said he would never speak with him ever again since they were twenty-two.

Magnum wasn’t exactly sure what he had done to his brother to make him never want to speak with him again, but he knew whatever was done was something really terrible. Yet, it wasn’t as if his brother hadn’t done a horrific thing towards Magnum and the secrets that had been kept, which had ruined their life – the abomination.

Magnum was who he was because of his brother, so why should he really care if he did something to hurt his brother? Fuck him!

Yet, what could have happened to make his brother call him out of the blue?

Was that why he had the familiar feeling in his chest?

He’d missed all calls on his phone after eight last night because he had put it on do not disturb. He hadn’t been alerted to any message or notification.

Magnum didn’t want to be disturbed. He wanted his time with her to go uninterrupted.

His brother hadn’t left a message, but his cousin had left several. Magnum didn’t deign to look at them or listen to them.

As was his ritual, Magnum went to the bar in his bedroom and poured himself a drink while he scrolled through the rest of his notifications. He saw his doorbell had been rung early this morning.

Opening the front door, he saw a thick package stuck in his mailbox. On the top of the envelope was a Post-It Note with Reginald’s writing that said, “In case you changed your mind.”

Inside the first page was from Gates Enterprise.

A typed letter from Kimberly Gates, imploring him to consider taking on the project and assuring him that he would be well compensated.

Closing the door and walking to his office as he explored the rest of the papers, he decided this was something to get his mind off of anything at this point until he could see Zuri Carter again. And then he’d know what to really do with her.

Sitting at his desk, Magnum realized he’d left his drink upstairs in his bedroom, something he had never done, but he did not have the urge to go back upstairs to retrieve the liquor.

Instead, he pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator by his desk to quench his thirst for now as he perused the schematics for the app design the Gates Enterprise requested—a challenge. Magnum loved difficulties when it came to work. The more complex the work, the more he found joy and comfort in creating with programs and making them work.

Good thing he hadn’t drunk at all because if he was to get his mind off her, he needed his full capacity at this moment.

He should call his old childhood acquaintance, Richard Sanchez, when he took a break. Despite Tyler’s warning not to deal with the count when it came to relationship advice, Richard knew enough about women, especially a woman’s body, and all the illicit things that could be done. The count’s advice spoke to a part of Magnum he had long ignored. Perhaps because the alcohol made him impotent, but bold enough to want to touch women still.

Yet, without alcohol, what would it do to his libido?

The warm feeling came to this chest again, and when Magnum looked at his phone, the unlisted number returned.

Not today, brother. Magnum felt different, and he wasn’t about to let his brother steal his enthusiasm. Pushing the call to voicemail, he delved into the Gates Enterprise project.

***

Leaving the meeting, Zuri was so psyched up about her future that she could barely think straight.

Briefly, as they waited for the valet to bring the car around, she noted Lucas and Tyler discussing something and Lucas handing Tyler some pictures.

Tyler looked pleased about the meeting yet disturbed about whatever Lucas had said to him, but as soon as they were in the vehicle, he was back on his phone handling some other business as Lucas returned them to the hotel. Zuri perused her father’s notes and relished the thought of carrying on his work, which would profit her for years to come.

Knowing she could live without her mother’s dependence meant the world to Zuri.

Tyler finished his phone conversation abruptly as he started to look through the photos Lucas had given him. “Do you know her?”

He turned one of the photos around, which had been zoomed in on a woman about Zuri’s age, African American, exotic-looking, lean, with a high black ponytail about shoulder length. She was dressed in an all black leather outfit and black boots. In the picture, she was standing across from Zuri’s hotel door, looking disgruntledly at the camera.

“No,” Zuri said, “Who is she?”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Lucas said that’s the second time he saw her around the hotel, and while we were in the meeting, she was in the lobby of this building. Like she’s following you.”

“Maybe she’s following Lucas.”

“I doubt it,” Tyler said with a snort. “Do you think she has something to do with your mother?”

A worried feeling came to her stomach. “No, my mother wouldn’t know a woman like that. My mother has never really gotten along with many women. I’ve never heard her having any female friends.”

Tyler stared down at the photo. “She’s familiar, but I can’t place my finger on her.” He tucked the pictures into the inside of his jacket. “Now, I know you’re not the kiss-and-tell kind of person, Ms. Carter, but my client, who is trying to work with Mr. Knight, did want to confirm you served the drink to him.”

She shrugged, still feeling the tightness in her stomach about her mother and thinking the question was too nosy, but she answered. “I mixed the drink up and left it on the stand outside of my door like I was instructed. I can’t confirm if he drank it or not, but it was empty when I woke this morning.” Putting her hand on her stomach, she asked, “Do you think I should move to a new hotel or another place?”

“I was thinking that, but I have to speak with Magnum on arrangements. He’s never been comfortable around anyone at his home. Built a damn fortress out in the suburbs with a complex security system as if someone was after him, according to what my partner, who is also his cousin, told me.”

“Why? Is he paranoid someone’s after him, too?”

“According to my partner, he said, an old girlfriend kept breaking in.”

Zuri frowned with reservation. “Should we be worried?”

“About an ex-girlfriend?” Tyler snorted. “You have a lot more other things to worry about, and I’d rather have you at his fortress to keep you safe as I get your affairs in order and find out what your mother really had planned for you. For right now, Lucas has ordered access to cameras in the front room of your hotel and some other security measures.”

As they arrived at the hotel, Tyler continued, “There should be another note of your next meeting with Mr. Knight soon. My assistant should contact you in a couple of days to request a list you’ll need for the lab. I think I can find one you can work on privately for a while. Access how much time you will need, and I can hopefully work around whatever you give me.”

Zuri only nodded because she was just overwhelmed about her situation. One moment, she was looking forward to being with Magnum again; the next moment, she wanted to delve into her father’s journal. All the while, in the back of her mind, she was concerned her mother and ex-fiancé were trying to harm her. How was a person expected to think straight with so much happening all at once?

Was this adulthood? Is this why she avoided being on her own for so long?

Lucas opened the door to the car on her side.

Tyler smirked. “Have fun tonight.”

As she was getting out of the car, Zuri paused and turned back to Tyler. “Why are you helping me so much to get on my feet?”

“Because you’ll bother me less,” he answered, stepping slightly out of the car so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice.

“Is that all, Mr. Black?” she asked suspiciously.

Tyler looked around as if he was expecting someone to walk up on them. “Of course not. I have my own motives. I’m using you to get ahead. I’ve told you this.”

“I know you’re using me with Magnum Knight and some other client, but you didn’t have to help me with the lab and my father’s work.”

“Seeing your mother’s plans fail gives me pleasure,” he admitted. “She’s a piece of work and reminds me of so many gold-digging wives I’ve worked to keep my clients away from. The idea of using and hurting you to get money turns my stomach. Plus, knowing your father’s wishes are being honored makes me feel I’m doing my job.”

“Do you think my father would have approved of this arrangement with Magnum Knight?”

“Would you honestly tell him about this situation? Would you tell your father about the first time you met Magnum Knight? I’m not here to make you feel good or bad about the choices you make for pleasure, and I’m sure neither would your father. Now, when you start to do things to affect your future, your father’s legacy, then we’ll talk, if I’m still your lawyer. Otherwise, please be careful and trust Lucas to do his job.”

Zuri was satisfied with Tyler’s response and allowed Lucas to guide her to a private elevator, which returned them to her room.

“Are you going to be okay?” Lucas asked. “You’ve been looking queasy since he brought up that picture.”

“Yes, I’m fine, or I’m going to try to be. The thought my mother and ex-fiancee are actually trying to hurt me is a bit nerve-racking,” she answered, touched by his concern, digging down in her purse for her wallet. “Can you bring me anything like notebooks, pens, or something in that regard? I need to work.”

“Definitely. Mr. Tyler said to give him anything you request, and it will be charged to the room and to Mr. Knight’s account. I’ve also been informed that we have an appointment at the bank tomorrow at five to open another one of your father’s security boxes. They could only schedule the private appointment after bank hours. Let me also know what you’d like for lunch. I’ll have it delivered.”

“You’re my security, not my butler, Lucas,” she said, a little bit insulted because it seemed Tyler had given Lucas the task of being her calendar assistant without her knowledge.

“I was ordering lunch for myself as well,” he responded. “It’s called being nice, Ms. Carter.”

Looking apologetically, she said, “Thank you. I guess with everything going on, I haven’t even asked how you do your job, or what your specific job title is, and how I can help you with your job.”

“I’m here to make sure you’re safe. These rooms are specially designed so I can stay below you, and there are hidden cameras on your door and the hallway,” Lucas revealed as he pointed to her lightswitches. “While we were gone today, they installed a button by each light in the front room, bathroom, and the bedroom entrance for you to press if you need help. You have my number on your phone, and while you make your list for me, I can program your phone to use the emergency signal to send me a text directly.”

Handing him her phone gratefully, Zuri said, “Let me write the list down and lunch.”

Lucas took his job seriously, but he was probably used to some people not thinking his career was that important – her being one of those people. She was grateful to Tyler for assigning Lucas to her, but she would never reveal that to the arrogant lawyer.

When Lucas was gone, Zuri’s mind was everywhere. Coming back to the hotel reminded her of her four-month obligation.

Her life at that moment was perfect if it wasn’t for the fact that her mother and ex-fiancé were trying to do her harm. By day, she could parse her father’s work and the Bellini account, and by night, she could explore the mysterious man who desired her.

Someone she needed to know more about.

Her lunch was delivered with a note in Magnum’s handwriting attached to a large box.

She didn’t bother with the food but immediately opened the note.

At 9 pm, she was to go to the hotel bar’s balcony and wait.

In the attached box was a form-fitting rose gold dress, fishnet thigh-high stockings with a matching rose gold garter, a bra, and shoes. Looking through the box, Zuri found no underwear anywhere and worried maybe they had fallen out. Going around the breakfast cart and then looking around the couch where she had opened the box, Zuri found no underwear anywhere.

Continuing the instructions, she was to stand at the far end of the balcony by the blue light and look forward. “You will stand there until told to do otherwise. Do not remove your hands from the bar for any reason.”

She saw that the last sentences were underlined, and it was just signed with his first initial, yet again.

Would others be around?

Would they be alone?

Excitement ran through her veins at the opportunity to have him touch her again, but she was starting to crave more.

Would he move forward?

Hell, would he even speak to her? Other than whispers, Magnum hadn’t spoken a complete sentence to her.

It was probably why her mind had remembered that other voice; the one that had enticed her so long ago – the one that she could listen to all day and all night long. The voice that her brain could never forget until Rodney came into her life.

Forget the past, Zuri, she ordered herself.

Zuri prepared for her night. Her thoughts had pushed past the work she would start tomorrow on all her father’s notes, especially since Lucas had brought many of the things she needed. Now she could concentrate on Magnum Knight.

The mysterious man was consuming her senses, and she couldn’t understand her attraction to him.

Rereading his note, she realized that at no time were there orders for her not to speak.

Tonight, she would try to speak to him carefully. Try to find out more about this man.

Just enough not to scare him away.

What could she ask? What could she say?

Overwhelmed in thought, she barely heard her phone ring.

Looking down at the phone number on the screen, she didn’t recognize it, but curiosity was killing her, and she pressed the button to answer the call.

“I didn’t think you’d answer the phone,” the familiar male voice said, surprised to hear her answer.

He Touched Me (c) 2016 Sylvia Hubbard. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the author’s written permission.

• Companion Books
  • Stealing Innocence 1
  • Black’s Innocence
  • Sin’s Iniquity
  • The Other Side of Love (WIP)
  • Tanner’s Devil
  • Dreams of Reality
  • Emperors Addiction / Heart

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