Signed, Sealed, Delivered ... I'm Yours Read online

  Signed, Sealed, Delivered … I’m Yours

  by M-LAS:

  Naleighna Kai

  L. A. Lewis

  Tanishia Pearson-Jones

  Joyce A. Brown

  Valarie Prince

  Martha Kennerson

  Candy Jackson

  D. J. McLaurin

  Susan D. Peters

  Macro Publishing Group

  Chicago, Illinois

  This book is solely intended for the use of helping aspiring writers or published authors on the quest to becoming better writers or marketers or widening their visibility. The information shared is based on personal experience of the authors and any advice therein should be weighed against current circumstance and what is currently available from other sources on a consumer level.

  M-LAS: Macro Literary All-Stars:

  Naleighna Kai, Joyce A. Brown, Martha Kennerson, Valarie Prince, Candy Jackson, D. J. McLaurin, L. A. Lewis, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, J. L. Woodson (cover designer), and Janice Pernell (editor).

  Macro Publishing Group

  Macro Marketing & Promotions Group

  www.macrompg.com

  © 2014 by Macro Publishing Group

  Trade Paperback ISBN: 9780982682999

  e-book ISBN: 9780982682968

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical or photocopying or stored in a retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

  First printing September 2014

  Cover designed by: J. L. Woodson www.jlwoodson.com

  Interior design by: Lissa Woodson www.macrompg.com

  Acknowledgments

  The members of M-LAS would first and foremost like to thank The Creator for never-ending mercy and grace. A special thank you to Katie Walsh and Amy Paul for providing additional professional support for this book.

  What is M-LAS?

  Macro Literary All-Stars (M-LAS) is an author support group of Macro Marketing & Promotions Group clients which was founded by Naleighna Kai in May 2014. Our main purpose is to grow, learn to write new genres, and cross-promote each other. Our mission is to build a broad base of mainstream readers and travel the country to events that will connect us with book clubs and avid readers. Our ultimate goal is to land on the national bestsellers lists—together.

  Dedication

  We dedicate this book to the upstanding men who are in all branches of civil service, military, and law enforcement. There are many who humbly fulfill their duties with integrity and a sense of pride. We salute you and appreciate your efforts.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Stop! In the Name of Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  You’re All I Need

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Baby I Need Your Loving

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Living for the City

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  How Sweet it is

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  You Can’t Hurry Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Could It Be I’m Falling In Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Then Came You

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Stop! In the Name of Love

  by Naleighna Kai

  Chapter 1

  “When did policemen start looking like that?” Elise Payne gasped, putting a tighter grip on the steering wheel.

  She had been pulled over for speeding but couldn’t believe that someone as breathtaking as Officer Friendly had stepped out of the cruiser. The man had expressive, dark brown eyes and smooth golden features—a proud nose and sensuously curved lips—carved into a ruggedly handsome face that was damn pleasant to look at along with a muscular body that was nothing but pleasure to watch. Elise normally enjoyed milk chocolate, but maybe it was time to give vanilla bean some consideration.

  The fact that this delay would probably make her miss the train slipped her mind as she became totally smitten by the most handsome male since Jesus turned water into wine. She could picture those gorgeous lips doing wicked, forbidden things to her—the kind of things that made a woman start speaking in tongues, the kind of things that made a woman leave religion at the altar and dive headfirst into temptation, skinny dip in an overdose of sin, and—

  “License, insurance, and registration, ma’am.”

  Her fantasy circled the bowl and flushed right down the drain with those words. She let out a long, slow breath and said, “May I take my hands off the steering wheel?”

  He nodded, grimacing as he did so.

  Elise inched her hand into her satchel and produced a license, then leaned toward the glove compartment and froze at the thoughts whipping through her mind. Registration, no problem. Insurance, huuuuge problem. Expired. Five hundred dollars.

  She tried to keep the despair from showing on her face as she slid the documents to him. Elise watched his every move as he snailed a walk back to his cruiser.

  Seriously? Can’t you go any faster?!

  Several minutes ticked by before he returned. She quickly put her hands on the wheel before he made it all the way to the driver side window.

  This time, he sighed with impatience. “It’s safe to take your h
ands off the wheel, Ms. Payne. I’m a Burnham officer. It’s the Chicago police who are trigger-happy.”

  Elise remained completely silent. Maybe if she zipped her lips, he would give her the ticket and let her be on her way.

  “Do you realize you were going 77 in a 45?” he asked.

  “Actually, I thought it was just 65, but 77 it is,” she shot back.

  He paused for a moment, his right eyebrow lifting. Elise saw a sudden slight uplift at the corners of his lips. There was a fullness that made them the most kissable pair she’d seen in a long time. What was it about this man’s lips that invited her to give him a second and third look? What was it about those dark brown eyes that held a sparkle of mischief, but a smidgen of pain behind them? And how was that so easy for her to recognize?

  “Why were you going so fast?” he asked.

  “Because I was trying to catch that train riiiiight there,” she replied, gesturing to the silver and orange commuter whizzing past them on a black bridge overhead. Her heart sank. All hopes of landing that new position were gone.

  “There’ll be another one coming along.”

  The train disappeared from their view, and she returned her focus to him. “Not in enough time to make it downtown for my first day.” She slumped in the leather seat and whispered, “And this one had a chance to go permanent.”

  The officer looked down at her, as though summing things up, summing her up. “Well, I’m not going to ticket you for speeding.”

  Her grateful gaze locked on him.

  “Or for the fact that you weren’t wearing a seatbelt.”

  She opened her mouth to protest that she had only slipped it off because he had taken so long, but shut it and nodded her thanks.

  “Or for the fact that your insurance expired last week.”

  “Thank you, Officer Montgomery,” she murmured as he slid the items back to her. Their hands touched briefly, and a jolt of electricity whipped through her. She looked up in time to see his shocked expression. Ah, he felt it too!

  At that moment, however, the only electricity she needed to worry about was ComEd. Her lights and power were about to become a distant memory if she didn’t dance into their office with something more than a handful of “give me” and a mouthful of “much obliged.”

  He tipped his hat. “You have a nice day, ma’am. And leave a little earlier next time.”

  When he walked back to the cruiser, Elise laid her forehead on the steering wheel. Tears she had been holding back for months finally had their reign. The energy to forge on, to get up and dust herself had never abandoned her—but everything happening at once had finally taken its toll.

  Elise moaned as the tears increased. Her entire life was at a standstill and most wasn’t of her own making. All of her money was gone. Every single dime she had had been used to keep her twin sister alive, only to lose that beautiful soul to kidney and liver failure last month.

  No sooner than she could breathe again without razor blades tearing into her lungs from that loss, did her rich ex-husband swoop down with a team of lawyers and manage to steal her baby boy while she was distracted with grief and the fallout of her family’s displeasure at what she’d done to keep her sister alive as long as she could. Yet, she had gathered up whatever resources she could, fought with everything she had, only to lose her son anyway.

  Another blow, another setback, another harsh, bitter loss. The last being the one which left her so out of sorts—at least financially. The fact that Ameritech’s merger put her and 5,000 other people on the unemployment line was a wakeup call that blared in her ears every day.

  Elise sniffled and blindly reached into her satchel for a tissue. She couldn’t even drive downtown and park because what she had left in the bank had been shelled out to pay mortgage, a few groceries, and get a train pass to carry her through the month. She didn’t complain because at some point, she’d catch her breath and a break—both at the same time.

  Fighting for the life of her sister was something Elise would never regret. But the aftermath to her finances and the never-ending strain between her and the family was putting her closer to the edge of emotional bankruptcy.

  A tap on the window startled her.

  Elise absently patted her tears away with the tissue.

  “Ma’am, is everything all right?” Officer Montgomery questioned.

  She rolled down the window. “Your kindness was the nicest thing that’s happened to me in a long time.” She looked up toward the empty bridge. “Thank you. But the next train comes in two hours. By then, the agency will call someone else to take the spot I was going for.”

  The officer scanned the area. Only a few cars zipped by them. “Traffic isn’t bad right now. You could make it downtown in about thirty minutes and still get there on time.”

  “I could but …” Elise hesitated then abruptly added, “I can’t …” She couldn’t voice the words—she had everything, down to the last penny budgeted—and parking downtown was an arm, a leg and a couple of someone else’s toes.

  Officer Montgomery placed a hand over hers. “I’m really sorry.”

  His touch was wonderful. She centered her self-control with a quickness. “What’s done is done. Recently my life has been hit with more curve balls than a dodge ball tournament. So I’m going home to regroup. I’ll be fine.” Her voice wavered on the last sentence, but she took a deep breath, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and held her head high. Seconds later, she turned the key in the ignition to start the car. “Take care.”

  Officer Montgomery reached for her hand again. “No, you’re not,” he ordered. “You will park your car in that lot just ahead. Then you’ll get into my car and I’ll get you to work on time.” He stepped back and finished, “That’s what you’re going to do.”

  She looked at him, her tears blurring her vision. “That’s what I’m going to do?”

  He nodded.

  Elise took a moment before whispering, “All right, then.”

  Officer Montgomery headed for his squad car again and added, “I’ll be right behind you.”

  This time, she did smile … a little.

  Chapter 2

  When Elise slipped into the passenger seat of the cruiser, he pointed to the seat belt and waited until she strapped in before he closed her door. As soon as he called the station to inform them that he would be back on shift in an hour, they were off.

  “What are you thinking right now?” he asked as he sped onto the expressway.

  “I’m thinking that my day may have started off terribly, but things are definitely looking up. Thank you so much for this.” She grinned over at him. “And I’m sorry for falling apart on you like that.”

  He laughed and said, “We all go through rough times.”

  “Do yours make you look like a blubbering idiot?”

  Officer Montgomery shrugged. “Weeeeeell, not exactly.”

  “Like I said, I’ve been going through a rough patch,” she said, relishing his laughter.

  The man was absolutely sexy, with a dash of bad-boy swagger thrown in for good measure. He was a definite change from the type of man she normally went for. Officer Montgomery, despite everything she was going through had managed to do the impossible—excite her. Something Elise thought Cecil, her ex-husband, had ruined for her.

  Cecil Payne had shattered her desire for corporate men. After their disappointing marriage there was nothing appealing about the corporate executive over-moneyed entitled types that she even wanted to think about. They were not married a full year before he laid down an entirely new set of demands. A stay at home wife, preferably in the kitchen and bedroom, and not precisely in that order. She would never have signed up for the long program if that was the case. To this day, she couldn’t understand how he had managed to be so good at keeping his true intentions hidden.

  Cecil found more issues with her as their marriage grew older. Elise saw a selfish side of him that rivered chills down her spine. He disapproved of her workin
g outside of the home—said it reflected badly on a man of his success. She would often argue, “I bet Jay-Z doesn’t have a problem with Beyoncé bringing home the bacon.” For which he would glare at her and turn cold.

  Elise knew she was not built to just be trophy wife. It was not in her nature. She had dreams, too! To fuel those, and appease her over-bearing spouse, she started an extremely successful home-based business in graphic design. She had the best of both worlds until Elena, her twin, became ill and then every aspect of her world fell apart.

  “I’ve been so swallowed up with trying to get my life back on track,” she said, “I feel guilty when I forget to take the time to be grateful for being alive, for being healthy.” She kept her focus on a hooptie with an obvious alignment issue ahead of them. “Some people haven’t been this blessed.”

  He nodded, maneuvering the cruiser into the fast lane.

  “When you pulled me over,” she said, “I wasn’t thinking what I’d done wrong, only what it was going to cost me. And lately, my ‘cost me’ list is longer than Beyoncé’s good weave.”

  “I can understand that,” he said softly. “But it doesn’t have to stay that way. You have to take one bite of the elephant at a time.”

  “You know, I never cared for lines like that,” she countered, giving him a wary glance. “Who eats an elephant anyway?”

  He chuckled and gave her the side eye.

  “True. Allow me to re-phrase it. You can only drink a glass of water one sip, one gulp, at a time.”

  Elisa crossed her arms. “That’s just as bad as having your cake and eating it too,” she said dryly. “I mean, why have a cake if you can’t eat it?”

  Officer Montgomery shook his head. “You have to see things in a more positive light, Ms. Payne.”

  “How can you say that?” she asked. “Especially in your line of work.”

  He was silent a few moments, then, “I choose to be optimistic.” He glanced at her for a brief moment before putting his focus back on the road. “For instance, I chose to believe the best about you, so when I checked your record and found it clean, I decided not to issue those tickets.”

  Elise looked at the clock, the odometer, and then back at him.