Jessica's King

by Clarice Jayne

Genres: Small-town Romance; Crime & Mystery; Contemporary Romance; Erotic & Steamy Romance; Romantic Suspense; Romantic Suspense; contemporary romance; kidnapping; small town romance; alpha male; mystery romance; small town suspense; damaged alpha

Synopsis

Mason King had given his service to Queen and country in the SAS. Now he was running his own business with his brother and friends, King Brothers Investigation Services.

With a failed engagement and a cheating fiancé under his belt, the last thing he was looking for was love and romance. That was until she walked through the door!

Jessica Davis was a small town girl through and through. She was a workaholic, spending all of her time from dawn to dusk, working in the coffee shop she owned. When strange things start to happen in her flat, and the local police refuse to investigate, she goes to the only place she can think of for help. That was when she met Mason King!

Can Mason uncover the strange events and catch the perpetrator before it's too late? Or will Jessica be snatched away from him before he realises exactly how deep he already is?

Jessica's King is a small town mystery romance with a happy ever after. It is the first book in the King Brothers Investigation series.

Release date: May 3, 2021

Publisher: Amazon KDP

Print pages: 255

Content advisory: Adult Situations

Sample

Chapter One

Mason

Monday mornings, how I hated them! Always the same thing...we had the morning meeting with the team discussing everything that had happened over the weekend. I was in the conference room with the team sitting around me, not really paying attention to anything that was being said. It was just a typical start of the week.

I listened to them drone on as usual about how this client’s wife had been with her lover all weekend in bed, or how the husband had been shopping for expensive gifts that she would never receive. It always brought me back to the same thought. Cassandra!

It had been nearly three years since I found out the truth. I had not long left the SAS and had started up the King Brothers Investigation business with Brandon, knowing that my brother Jayden and his best friends Tyler and Nathan would join us in a couple of years, once they left the Army. Everything was perfect. I was finally hoping to settle down, get married, and raise a family with her. That was, until the day Brandon came to see me.

He had been my best friend for years. We had struck up our friendship from the first day we enlisted. Wherever I went he was with me, as if he was my own shadow. Together we travelled the world serving our Queen and Country, seeing sights that would cause most men to lose the plot. We spent so much time with each other that we were more like brothers than friends.

I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. He walked into my flat with the pictures in his hand and told me the unfortunate truth. I had always suspected that she was being unfaithful to me while I was on deployment, but I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it. However, there it was in full colour, Cassandra in the arms of another man! 

It had been one of the first jobs I had sent Brandon on. A wife suspected that her husband was having an affair. Brandon had spent the whole week tailing the husband. He had done all the usual things, spent time working in his office, a round of golf with his business partners, nothing out of the ordinary for a top executive.

That was, until Friday night. Instead of going home to his wife like he had done for the rest of the week, he paid a visit to a West End hotel. That was when Brandon saw her walking into the hotel and straight up to the cheating husband. Little did we know when we took the job that not only was he having an affair, but it was with my fiancé!

I had known something was wrong as soon as Brandon walked in, the look on his face said it all. The only thing he could say when he placed the photos on the coffee table was “I’m sorry”. I sat there looking at them for what seemed like hours. How he had gotten the pictures in the hotel room I would never know, but he had, and that was all that mattered to me.

Cassandra was there, lying on the bed with another man, my beautiful fiancé in the throes of passion. There was no mistaking it was her; I would recognise the look on that face anywhere, because it was the same look she had always given me.

I sat in the conference room lost in my thoughts, when I was suddenly pulled back to the present.

“Hello, Earth to Mason King!” Jayden suddenly said.

“Yeah, we should definitely do that,” I replied, not even knowing what I was agreeing we should do.

“Have you actually been listening to any of the conversation this morning, or are you completely lost in your own thoughts again? It’s the same every Monday morning, I’m not even sure why you bother holding these meetings, bro.”

I looked over at him and to the rest of the guys who were all now staring at me as though waiting for me to crack.

“Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night, must just still be tired. You guys know exactly what needs to be done, so just let me know what you have decided. I have some paperwork to do, so you can find me in my office. I’ll catch you all later.”

I stood up from the conference table and headed down the corridor to my office and sat down at my desk. Jayden was right. It was the same every Monday morning. It had been three years, but I still couldn’t get those images out of my head. I was always asking myself the same questions, what had I done wrong? Why did she cheat on me? How could I have made things better?

I knew those were probably the exact same questions our clients asked themselves when we showed them proof of their partner’s infidelity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer them for our clients, and I had never been able to answer them for myself.

There was a knock on my office door.

“Come in, door’s open,” I said, looking up to see Brandon walking through the door. I laughed to myself; he never waited for me to tell him to come in unless he knew I was with a new client.

“Hey, Brandon, what’s up?” I asked as he took a chair in front of my desk.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” He sat down and continued. “Mace, it’s been three years already. You have got to let her go, it’s still eating you up inside, and I can’t stand to see you like this every Monday morning!”

“Brandon, how can I forget? I’m reminded every single day of what happened to me. We are in the business of investigating cheating husbands, wives, and partners for fuck’s sake! How can I forget what she did to me?”

“I know it’s hard, Mace, but you have to snap out of it! I worry every damn weekend that I’m going to show up and find you in a drunken coma in your place again. I can’t see you like that again, bro. It nearly killed Jayden and me!”

Now that was a weekend to forget. Well, for the most part I couldn’t recollect anything about it, and that was probably a good thing. It was the weekend after I had found out the truth. I had been avoiding Cassandra all week, making excuses for why I couldn’t see her. I knew she suspected something. She had become very clingy, calling and texting me every hour worried about where I was and what I was doing. It was almost as though she suspected me of being in the wrong.

I had arranged to meet her at her flat in Chelsea, the one I had originally gotten for her and was paying for. That stopped that very night. There was no way I was paying the rent of a woman that was never going to be mine.

Cassandra opened the door to her flat and embraced me as she would usually do. However, everything had changed in those five days we had been apart. There was no spark. The feelings I always had whenever she touched me had gone forever. This time, all I felt was hurt, pain, and coldness in her touch.

She had treated me as her meal ticket for all those years, and got exactly what she wanted from me. An expensive flat, clothes, jewellery, and I had done it willingly because I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I wondered how many different men she had slept with over the years.

Without a word, I walked past her and into the living room. I could tell from the way she was looking at me that she was confused and worried. I made her sit down on the settee and before she could say a word, I dropped copies of the photographs onto the coffee table. The look of shock, anger, and complete disgust on her face gave me all the answers I needed. Then I turned to her.

“I can see from those that you’ve made your decision, and you no longer want to be with me. The flat is in your name, exactly the way you wanted it. You can pay for it, and don’t think of using any of the credit cards as they have all been stopped!”

I didn’t give her any time to explain. I just turned my back and walked out of the door to the sounds of her hysterical screams. I went back to my flat and turned off my phone after receiving countless texts and calls from her trying to explain her way out of everything. I opened the cupboard and got out a bottle of scotch and a glass.

After that, nothing! The rest of the weekend was blank! Brandon and Jayden found me Monday morning unconscious in my living room on the settee. They had been trying to contact me after Cassandra had called them in hysterics on Saturday. Knowing me to be a level-headed, sensible guy, they hadn’t worried, deciding to give me some space until I didn’t show up at the office on Monday.

According to the guys there were two bottles of scotch lying empty in the room and I had been lucky not to die of alcohol poisoning.

I looked up at Brandon as my focus came back to the present. I could see the worry and concern in his eyes. I knew Jayden was worried too, which was probably why he had sent Brandon in here. Jayden knew Brandon could get through to me when he couldn’t.

“I’m fine, Brandon. And you can let my brother know that as well. I know he sent you in here.”

“We both worry about you, Mace. Fuck, even Tyler and Nathan worry about you. You know they look up to you like a big brother! We just want the old Mason back, the carefree guy we could go down to the pub with and have a few beers. Even when we all have a weekend off, you find some excuse not to come.”

“OK, I get it! Next time you all go out I will come too, but no strip clubs. Remember the last time?”

“Hell yeah, I do! Sounds like a good idea to me.”

Brandon started to walk out the door. “Brandon! I said no strip clubs!” I called after him as he turned down the corridor to his office.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever!” He called back.

I chuckled to myself and started to shake my head. Yep, that was a disaster in the making, I could tell already.

I opened up my schedule for the day. For a Monday it was quite empty for a change. The only thing scheduled was a meeting this afternoon at our London office with a possible new client. I hated going there and tried to avoid it at all costs, however it was where most of our clients were based.

The core of our clientele were professionals working in town; therefore, it made sense to have a base in the city. However, the building held far too many bad memories for me. Everywhere I turned there were reminders of her. She had helped me choose the offices and decorate them to make them welcoming to both male and female clients.

That was why I had to relocate here in Kings View. Yes, I know it is kind of corny moving to a town with the same name as your surname, but that was exactly why I chose it. It was just a small town, almost a village, but I loved it here. It had everything I needed, a coffee shop, restaurant, pub, a small high street, and a supermarket.

I bought a cottage just outside the town overlooking the beautifully green and hilly countryside of the South Downs National Park. The rest of the guys hated it, too old and ‘fuddy-duddy’ they said, but for me it was perfect. It was what most people would describe as quaint, but it was far from small.

It was a three-bedroom cottage on an acre of land. I had a range cooker in the kitchen, keeping it lovely and cosy in the winter. In the sitting room I had a log burner which was used every winter, not to keep warm, but just because there was something comforting about having a real fire in the house. I was also lucky enough to have a large conservatory on the back overlooking the downs. Luckily, the cottage was not a listed building, so additions like this were allowed.

I could relax there and go on long walks in the countryside with Monty, my Sprocker Spaniel, my dependable companion. I had always wanted a dog, but living in a flat in the centre of London didn’t lend itself to animals. Living out in the country allowed me to finally fulfil this one wish, and his love and loyalty was all I needed now.

We were only just over an hour away from London, which was a benefit both for work and fun, not that I had much of that recently. Perhaps the guys were right, perhaps I did need to get out more? I didn’t want to be in a relationship, hell, I had enough of love and romance to last me a lifetime, but that shouldn’t stop me from having a good time.

I went over the details I had for the meeting this afternoon, definitely more interesting than our usual jobs. The owner of a web design company was positive he was losing clients to one of his members of staff working privately and undercutting them.

I knew this was going to be a long-term job, seeing as these kinds of investigations had to be squeaky clean so criminal prosecutions could take place if required. However, they paid really well, and good results lead to recommendations and more work in the long run, so it was important to get it right.

I knew it would be a job that would be right up Tyler’s street; he was the techie geek of the company and would enjoy the challenge. If we got the job, then this was one he would definitely take the lead on.

I read through all the information that the potential client had sent through to me, making notes and writing questions that I wanted to ask, so I was well prepared for the meeting.

After what felt like forever, I looked over at the clock on the wall. 11:45, time to go and grab something to eat before I headed into the city. And I knew exactly where to go, Jessica’s Coffee House. For lunch, it was really the only place to go unless you wanted a pre-packed sandwich from the local supermarket.

Brushing all of my memories off my shoulders, I got up from my desk and headed out of my office. I made sure to make a passing comment to Jayden, saying I was grabbing some lunch, then I walked through the main office doors and out onto the street to focus on my day ahead

 

Chapter Two

Jessica

The blaring sound of my alarm abruptly woke me from a deep sleep. 4:30 a.m. already. Still drowsy from one of the best night’s sleep I’d had in ages, I rolled over, hit the off button, then I stretched out the final sleepiness from my body. Another Monday morning...at least it was the least busy day of the week, especially in Kings View in the autumn.

Spring and summer were always busy with holiday makers passing through the town to stay down on the coast or to visit the beautiful countryside of the South Downs. However, once autumn arrived the passing trade started to fade, and I was left with my loyal customers, the people of Kings View. I knew I wasn’t ever going to make a fortune, but I got by just fine. To me, the love I felt for my little shop and everyone in the town was enough.

As the boiler lit up, signalling that the heating had just kicked in, I realized that I really needed to change the timer on the system. By the time the flat was actually getting warm I was walking out the door. The problem was, I was useless at that kind of thing, and every time I did try to change it, I just made matters worse. I made a mental note to have a word with Chris, my neighbour; he was always good at that kind of thing and willing to help.

Without thinking, I threw back the covers on my bed and immediately regretted it. The cold air in my bedroom sent shivers through my entire body. Yes, I really needed to get that damn timer changed. Also, a hot shower was definitely required to kick me into gear this morning. I got out of bed, shivers still running through me, and walked across the corridor to my bathroom. Once I walked in, I immediately turned the shower on, setting it on as hot as I thought I could bear, then I looked in the mirror.

I never considered myself to be beautiful or pretty, most women didn’t, but I never thought I was plain either. I was a normal woman with curves in the right places, who would possibly be attractive to the right man, just not to anyone in Kings View. Even if there was someone to impress in town, I wouldn’t be doing that today with the bed head I was currently sporting. Chuckling at the thought, I  picked the tooth brush up, added some toothpaste and quickly set about brushing my teeth.

Once done, I pulled off my pjs and stood under the welcoming heat of the shower. How I wished I could stay here all day. Unfortunately, I had plenty to do at the coffee shop. With that in mind, I quickly washed my hair and body, switched off the shower, and wrapped myself in the biggest towel I owned. There was no time to dry my hair, so it would have to be towel dried and wrapped up into a bun for the day. I’d deal with the mess that would cause when I got home tonight.

After pulling on my favourite skinny jeans, t shirt and jumper, I folded the pjs and put them on top of my pillow, ready for tonight. Walking out of my bedroom and to the front door, I headed out of the flat and down to my coffee shop below to start my daily routine.

One benefit of where I lived was the short journey to work each day. Conveniently, my flat was right above the shop. It was placed on the end of a row of shops in the high street of Kings View, which included the bank, pharmacy, and newsagents, and above was four flats. It was like living in a small community. My flat was on the end of the terrace of shops. Next to me was Christopher Carter, then Mr. and Mrs. Duncan who owned and ran the Newsagents, and at the end was Madeleine Lewis, or Maddie for short. Maddie was a student and would spend a lot of time in the coffee shop studying. She loved it there, watching the world go by while she was working through her online course. I didn’t complain, as she would often help out around the coffee shop whenever it got busy. I had offered to pay her countless times, but Maddie would never accept any money, but would always have free coffee whenever she was in.

I walked down the stairs to the street below and opened the door at the back of my shop. Then I turned on the lights and proceeded to get everything ready for the morning. As usual, I had made all the pastries, rolls, and bread the night before so they were all ready to put in the oven to bake. Turning on the ovens, I placed all the trays in to start cooking while I went to the front of the shop to start making myself a coffee.

As I stood waiting for the coffee to come through the machine, I thought about how nice it would be to have a latte, but at this time in the morning, filter coffee did the job just as well. Then I remembered the day I had first opened the shop. It was six years ago now. My Mum and Dad had still lived in the town then and were so proud that I was starting up my own business. I hadn’t wanted much out of life, because quite frankly I wasn’t academically minded, but I did love to cook and bake.

Working in a restaurant had never interested me. All those long hours being bossed around by a chef just didn’t suit me. I wanted to own my own place. So when Mr. and Mrs. Baker retired as the owners of the then called Cafe Shack, I jumped at the chance to open it. The local Bank Manager helped me with the loan to purchase the business and that was it, Jessica’s Coffee House was born.

I could still recall the look on my parents’ faces the day I opened; their eyes were so full of pride. We were overwhelmed by the number of people from the town that came in to wish me well, including the Bakers. Everything was perfect, business was booming, and although I was working from dawn to dusk, the money coming in was good, and I actually enjoyed my day.

That was until that fateful day five years ago when my Mum died. It had been so sudden and unexpected. She had had a short illness and her health had gone down rapidly. It was only in her final days that the doctors established she had breast cancer and it was too late. We were devastated!  My dad changed overnight from the fun loving person I adored to a shell of his former self. After a few months he decided that he couldn’t live in Kings View anymore and sold the house and moved down to Eastbourne to be near his sister and her family.

There was absolutely no way I could move. I had to stay and continue to run the business, so I was now here in Kings View alone. Over the years Dad had become more like his own self and had started seeing a lovely lady called Edith. She made him happy, and that was all that mattered to me. I knew it would never be the same as having my own mum back, but I had grown to love her and enjoyed when they came up from the coast to visit.

Lost in thought, I grabbed the coffee pot that had finished brewing and poured myself a mug. I had just put the jug down when there was a knock at the shop door. Confused, I looked up at the clock, reading  5:30 a.m. It wasn’t unusual for someone to come to the shop before I opened at 7:00, but this was a lot earlier than usual.

Curious, I walked from behind the counter and over to the door to look and see who it was. A sigh of relief fell from my lips when I realised it was just my next door neighbour Chris. I gestured to him that I’d just be a minute, then I headed out back to get the keys to unlock. Walking back to the front of the shop, I proceeded to unlock the door before opening it and greeting Chris with a smile.

“Good morning, Chris. You’re early today,” I said cheerfully.

“Morning, Jess. Yeah, sorry about that. I have an early start today and was hoping to grab a coffee and a Danish before I left.”

“I only have what’s left over from yesterday as today’s are still in the oven. They should still be good, though. Hazelnut Latte?”

“You know me too well, Jess, and yesterday’s Danish will be fine, thank you so much.”

“I have some rolls left if you would like me to make you something for your lunch,” I informed him.

“No, it’s fine. I will grab something on the job.”

“It’s not a problem at all.”

“No, really, it’s fine,” he replied smiling at me, as I turned to the coffee machine and started to make his Latte. Once done, I bagged up a couple of his favourite Danish and handed them over to him.

“It’s on the house,” I said as he took the bag and coffee mug.

“You won’t make any money if you do things like that all the time. I insist that I pay.” He proceeded to take his wallet out of his pocket.

“No, it’s fine, I actually wanted to ask you for a favour, so call it pay back for that.”

“And what’s the favour?” He asked, a smirk falling across his face.

“Nothing like that, for fuck’s sake! Get your mind out of the gutter.” I laughed. “Could you come and have a look at the timer on my heating and hot water. You know how rubbish I am with that type of thing.”

He laughed, “How many times is this now? Of course, I will pop round when you finish tonight. 7 o’clock OK for you?”

“That would be brilliant, and thank you.”

“Anytime. babe. Thanks for the coffee. I’ll see you later, and don’t forget to lock up after I leave.”

“I won’t, see you later.” I replied and followed him as he turned and walked out of the shop.

I locked the door and paused for a second thinking about what Chris had just said. He had called me babe. He had never done that before. I insisted from the beginning that he call me Jess, since I did not like to be called Jessica all the time, but he had never called me babe.

He was a really nice guy, not really my type, but I could see how some women would find him attractive. He was always polite and was a true gentleman. Chris just didn't do it for me, though I couldn’t explain why, there was just something about him.

I mentally shrugged my shoulders. He probably just said it as a term of endearment to say thanks for the coffee. Nodding to myself, I went back into the kitchen and removed the first batch of pastries from the oven and swapped for the next batch to be cooked. Two batches were more than enough for a Monday, since usually by the end of the day I was giving them away to anyone that was having a coffee just so I didn’t throw them away.

I placed the pastries on the trays ready to go out into the display cabinets once they had cooled thoroughly. Before I knew it all my rolls, bread, and pastries were cooked, and it was 6.30 and nearly time to open. I had just put out the last tray of pastries into the cabinet when a knock at the door signalled my first customer of the day.

I knew exactly who it would be and started the coffee machine for the two lattes that they would order. I walked over to the shop door, unlocked and opened it.

“Good morning, Mr. Duncan. How are you and your lovely wife this morning?”

“Good morning, Jess. We are both very well, and how many times have I told you, call me George,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Too many to remember, but I was always brought up to respect my elders, and that includes calling anyone around the same age as my parents as Mr. and Mrs., and I would not want to let them down,” I replied with a smile.

“I don’t know, Jess. What am I going to do with you? How are your Dad and Edith? It seems like forever since they were last up here.”

“They are both well, should be here in a couple of weeks, actually. I will let them know you asked after them.” I turned back to the coffee machine to finish the two lattes for Mr. Duncan.

“You do realise that you can make a coffee in your own shop, don’t you Mr. Duncan?” I pointed out, turning and placing them on the counter.

“Yes, I know my dear, but then I wouldn’t get to speak to my favourite coffee shop owner every morning. Plus, you make the best lattes and pastries in town, so why wouldn’t I come here every morning.”

“Mr. Duncan, I do believe that I’m the only one that serves coffee and pastries throughout the day, so I’m not sure that’s a valid reason,” I laughed, while placing two pain au chocolat into a bag and handing them over.

“There you go, Mr. Duncan. I hope you and Mrs. Duncan enjoy them.”

“I’m sure we will, we always do, Jess sweetie. Can we have our usual order for lunch, please, and I will pick it up around 1 p.m. if that is OK?” He handed over the exact same amount of money as usual.

“Not a problem. I will have it all ready for you then. Can you ask Mrs. Duncan to pop round when she has a minute? I have an idea I would like to run past her for some new lunch ideas, if that’s OK.”

“Will do. Have a good day, Jess, and I will see you later for my lunch.”

“Will do, thank you, and you too,” I called after him and continued to get everything ready for the morning.

There was nothing special about that morning. My regular customers came and went. In between serving customers, I got my orders ready for pick up during the day. I even got to sit down and spend some time with Maddie, who was in her usual spot for the day.

We had been chatting about this and that for a while when the bell on the shop door rang indicating a customer had walked in. I looked up to see a tall, dark, and well-dressed man walk in. I was sure I’d seen him around town occasionally, but I never knew who he really was.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” I asked as I made my way behind the counter.

“Afternoon, could I please have a chicken salad baguette and a latte to take away please?”

“Would you prefer a white or granary baguette?”

“A granary baguette would be great, thank you.”

“Take a seat, and I will bring it over to you when it’s ready.”

“Thank you,” He simply said, then took a seat at one of the empty tables in the shop.

Not wasting any time, I quickly got to work making the baguette, wrapping it in paper and cutting it in half before putting it in a bag. I then made the latte and took it over to where the dashing gentleman sat. Smiling politely, I said, “There you go. All ready for you. I hope you enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will, thank you.” He gazed at my eyes for just a moment, causing butterflies to flutter in my stomach then walked over to the counter, and handed over the payment. Then he left the shop.

“Who was that?” Maddie turned to me and asked.

I responded a little breathy, “I’m not sure. I think he works at that Private Investigator’s up the road.”

“Well, he is a little old for me, but absolutely perfect for you, Jess. You really should find out who he is.” Maddie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Don’t be silly. He wouldn’t be interested in me, and even if he was, not only am I not looking for anyone, but I really don’t have the time.” I shrugged.

“I was just saying.” Maddie laughed and continued to get on with her work.

I stood there for a moment taking in what Maddie said. Who was I kidding? The man was gorgeous, he‘d never be interested in me. I sighed to myself and went about cleaning everywhere to save time later in the day.