Taming Todd (Maple Hart) Read online

  Taming Todd © 2020 by Fel Fern

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  Book cover design by James

  www.goonwrite.com

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  All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

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  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

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  Taming Todd

  Maple Hart 4

  Fel Fern

  Contents

  Taming Todd

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Maple Hart Series

  Taming Todd

  Todd

  Sometimes being a famous Omega isn’t all it’s cracked out to be.

  * * *

  When a tenacious stalker becomes obsessed with me, I reluctantly agree to hire an Alpha bodyguard. Marco doesn’t care I’m the star of a popular soap opera show. He’s gruff, rough, and frustratingly devoted to keeping me safe. Marco isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met. He calls me out on my bullshit. It’s way too easy letting my shields down around him.

  * * *

  I trust him to guard my body. It’s my heart I’m afraid he’ll wreck.

  * * *

  Marco

  Todd’s the last Omega on earth that needs rescuing.

  * * *

  I’d been around my share of celebrities. Dealing with them is hard work, but Todd’s unlike the famous clients I’ve worked for before. Todd’s bright, loud, and the life of any party. I can’t afford distractions. I need to take my job seriously but Todd’s making it hard to do.

  * * *

  I’m a commitment-shy Alpha. Todd’s not looking for a boyfriend. He’s too focused on his career. Where does that leave us?

  1

  Todd

  “That’s a wrap. We’ll continue the rest of the scene next Monday,” said Preston Reed, one of the assistant directors of the show.

  “Thank God,” I mumbled.

  We’ve been filming since 6 am and it was now close to 10 in the evening. All I wanted to do was get a hot shower and collapse on my bed. A good rest would go me some good.

  It would’ve been nice if I had someone waiting for me back at my pricey uptown apartment but I didn’t. You would’ve thought a famous soap opera star would never be lonely but I was.

  I left the set and went inside my changing room. Since I was one of the primary stars of Days of our Omegas, I had an entire room to myself.

  I shut the door behind me with a sigh.

  Somedays, I loved my work far too much but other times, I wondered if I was better off being a normal guy like my twin brother Aaron.

  Aaron seemed content with his job as a freelance yoga teacher. Aaron never seemed to have trouble scoring dates either. It was usually one of his students.

  I envied him a little. However, I doubted Aaron would settle down anytime soon. Aaron moved from Alpha to Alpha like he was at the buffet.

  Seeing the white roses, accompanied by a heart-shaped boxed of chocolates on my dressing table, my mood immediately lifted. I no longer felt bone-tired.

  I snatched the roses and inhaled them. Thank God for my devoted fans. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job, but it wasn’t sunshine and daisies all the time. Without my fans, I didn’t think I could get through the gloomy days I had on set.

  Sure, I had a few oddball fans, but I didn’t mind them so much.

  Getting stalkers meant I was only becoming more famous. Right?

  I picked up the box of chocolates next.

  I lifted the cover. My stomach growled, seeing the heart-shaped white and black chocolates on the tray.

  My stomach rumbled. I only ate a salad for dinner, because I didn’t want to look bloated on the camera.

  Right now, I hungered for a greasy burger, fries, and maybe a strawberry shake. These tiny chocolates could hold my hunger off for a bit.

  The door to my room opened. I groaned, seeing who it was. It wasn’t my assistant Gary or anyone I worked with, just my brother.

  “Don’t give me that look, Todd,” Aaron said with a sigh.

  Aaron and I looked a tad physically alike so sometimes we had a ball of a time playing practical jokes on the staff.

  We weren’t identical exactly but there were a couple of times fans mistook Aaron for me. I knew my brother didn’t like the attention but he put up with it anyway, because he loved me.

  “Why are you here?” I asked.

  I took off the clothes I wore for that scene—a stuffy suit and tie and put on my usual clothes. I was comfier in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans any other day.

  “We’re supposed to meet up with Everett and Nestor for drinks, remember?” My brother reminded me.

  “Oh. Was that tonight? I don’t know. I’m kind of beat.” I pictured myself lying face-down on my bed. My incredibly soft bed.

  “Come on, Todd. You could use a little break. You’ve been working a lot lately. You even missed the last two family barbecues.” Aaron pointed out.

  Earlier, all I could think about was getting home but returning to a quiet apartment didn’t sound too appealing.

  My brother, cousins and I were obnoxiously close.

  They were my best friends growing up. I didn’t mind getting hammered. Being drunk made it easy to forget I was going to turn 30 this year.

  30 and still single. Omegas usually mated in their early twenties and had their first kids soon after.

  Usually.

  Aaron and I were an exception but at least my brother was seeing someone. Becoming famous made it harder to date.

  Most of the men I’ve gone out with over the past few months didn’t care about the real me. They were only attracted to me because of my fame. It sucked big time because I wanted something genuine.

  In my early twenties, I wanted to explore. I didn’t want to settle down. Lately, I kept picturing myself living in a quaint little house in a quiet neighborhood with a loving mate and brood of kids.

  I never pictured myself putting down roots, much less having kids. Would that mean giving up my hard-earned career?

  I didn’t have to worry about that yet.

  “You know what, you’re right,” I told Aaron.

  I’ve only thought of work over the past few weeks. I had little time for anything else, including my family.

  My family was important to me.

  My brother, parents, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins all supported me when I announced I wanted to be an actor.

  Everyone applauded me when I landed my first commercial. They even held a big party for me when I got my starring role as Dave Hill on Days of our Omegas.

  I needed to learn how to balance my work and personal life better.

  “Ooh, who gave you chocolates?” Aaron snatched the bo
x from my hands.

  “Rude,” I grumbled.

  Ignoring my comment, Aaron sat on one of the chairs in my dressing room. He picked up one chocolate piece and I frowned.

  It looked delicious. Tiny black spots were scattered across its white surface. Cookies and cream?

  Aaron knew that was one of my favourite flavours.

  “Hey, those are mine. Give them back.” I pointed out.

  Being hungry made me a little grumpy. Perhaps I could convince Aaron and my cousins to stop someplace for a quick bite before we went bar hopping.

  Aaron broke the chocolate in half but didn’t eat it immediately. He seemed to stare at it for a long time. Aaron turned a strange greenish, almost sickly color.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning.

  “Come look at this, bro.” Aaron stood up and showed me the two broken pieces.

  I stared at the black strands sticking out of the chocolate. For a second, I couldn’t comprehend what they were.

  Insects?

  No. They weren’t moving.

  Dirt?

  My stomach heaved. I was suddenly no longer hungry.

  “Ew. Is that hair?” I whispered.

  Aaron dropped the pieces back on the box. He lifted the tray and my heart nearly stopped, seeing the lavender card underneath.

  This wasn’t the first time I received fancy stationery like that.

  Aaron lifted the card and read it out loud, “To my darling Dave. I made these chocolates especially for you. I hope you don’t mind but I added a part of myself in it. I can’t wait to be with you soon. From your world’s greatest fan, Randy.”

  Aaron tossed the box of chocolates right into the trash.

  Good riddance.

  I swallowed.

  Randy.

  Now that was a familiar name. Every week, I received a letter from Randy. He always used the same lavender envelope and card.

  I merely thought Randy was just another devoted fan but lately, his letters started becoming more disturbing. I even remembered some of what he wrote.

  I want to be with you forever, Dave. My devotion to you is absolute. I can’t wait for our wedding day.

  You’re mine, Dave Hill. I’ll kill anyone who gets in our way.

  Randy seemed to have trouble differentiating me from the actor I played on the show.

  “Oh my God, Todd. Why haven’t you told me you have a creepy stalker?” Aaron demanded.

  I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “I didn’t think it was serious. I’ve also been working a lot. I put Randy out of my mind, hoping he’d lose interest sooner or later.”

  “What else did he send you?” My brother demanded.

  Feeling like a guilty child caught doing something wrong, I pulled out the rest of Randy’s letters. I hid them inside an unused drawer in my dressing room, hoping to forget them. I didn’t even bring them home.

  I sat back down and watched Arron go through all of Randy’s letters. My twin turned sheet white as he read the contents.

  “Dearest Dave, today I repainted our dream house and bought a new bed for us. I’m planning to outfit our love dungeon next,” Aaron said. “I’ll use my salary to get us all the toys we need.”

  Love dungeon?

  Dreamhouse?

  Toys?

  I briefly scanned all of Randy’s letters, never really processing them. Hearing Aaron read Randy’s notes out loud, gave me the creeps.

  Aaron had a point. My stalker was deranged.

  “Jesus, Todd. Why haven’t you gone to the police?” Aaron asked, shaking his head.

  “I told you. I didn’t think it was that serious,” I answered defensively.

  “This has always been the problem with you, Todd. You think you can deal with every little thing by yourself. What if I didn’t examine these chocolates? What if he put poison in them? You were about to eat them, weren’t you?”

  Poison?

  I must admit the thought never occurred to me. Suddenly I felt unsure of myself. I was grateful my brother found out about Randy.

  I’d kept this little secret to myself, thinking I was the one being paranoid. Talking to Aaron made me realize what a real threat Randy could be.

  I let out a weak laugh. “I doubt Randy wanted to poison me. Can we get out of here? I need a drink or two.”

  “Yeah. Okay, but we can’t leave this alone, Todd. If you don’t want to go the cops, can we at least discuss alternative options? Please?” Aaron’s worried tone made me look at him.

  My brother and I were the family jokers and pranksters. We were known for never taking anything seriously but seeing my brother show genuine concern made me uneasy.

  Genuine fear festered in my gut.

  I disliked asking for help. I was stubborn that way, but I knew I couldn’t handle this situation alone.

  “Fine,” I grunted. “What other options do I have?”

  “What about hiring a bodyguard? Clark has a friend who works in security.” Aaron suggested.

  Clark was a cousin of ours and the only Alpha my gigantic family managed to produce.

  Clark could also be super protective of all his Omega brothers and cousins. I groaned.

  “Do we have to drag Clark into this?” I asked.

  I was complaining but truthfully, I was grateful for my brother and the rest of my family.

  I knew everyone had my back. They were always there if I needed them.

  We left my dressing room. Most of the other actors and staff had gone home by now.

  It was dark and quiet in the other actors’ dressing rooms. Unease knotted in my belly as we passed the set.

  I started to hurry. Aaron did the same.

  Just nerves, I told myself.

  We were nearly at the exit, much to my relief. As we emerged into the cold night, Aaron started for his car. I followed him.

  Was it my imagination or did I glimpse a shadow lurking in the alleyway?

  Goosebumps appeared over my arms. My paranoia rose a notch higher. I imagined a guy in a hoodie coming at me from behind, shoving a chloroform-doused cloth over my mouth.

  I shivered. Nothing like that was going to happen. I might be a soap opera actor but real life was nothing like fiction.

  Right?

  “Hey, Todd?”

  It took me a second to realize Aaron had called out my name three times. I must be really out of it. Exhaustion and fear made for a terrible combination.

  “Yeah?” I asked, hating how dazed I sounded.

  “Get in the car. Stop spacing out.”

  Grateful to Aaron for taking charge, I slid inside the car. Aaron got behind the wheel and patted my arm.

  “We’re going to figure this out, bro. Everything’s going to be alright.” Aaron reassured me.

  I only hoped my brother was right.

  2

  Marco

  I knew this bodyguard gig wouldn’t be easy. Celebrities were a piece of work.

  I should know because my last job had involved keeping a famous underwear model safe from his tenacious ex-husband.

  That turned out to be a full-time nightmare. My employer had been nothing but insufferable.

  He acted more like a spoiled teenager who would throw tantrums whenever he could as opposed to an adult man.

  I would be better off refusing this job but Clark was the brother I never had. He always had my back. Clark helped me out in a tight pinch once. A client’s ex-boyfriend had a gun on me.

  Luckily, I called Clark for back-up before I confronted the ex-boyfriend. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve landed myself in a hospital or worse, ended up dead.

  That was why I was sitting in Jo Jo’s Diner on a hot afternoon. I agreed to meet Clark and his cousin Todd. I didn’t watch soap operas but I did a little online digging on Todd Bright last night.

  According to the news articles I’ve read, the show had been receiving average ratings until Todd became a full cast member. Then the ratings skyrocketed.

  Curiosity pro
mpted me to watch one episode last night.

  Who was I kidding?

  I binged-watched the entire first season. I didn’t sleep until 4 am. I could’ve started on season two, but I was dead certain if I did that, I wouldn’t get my ass off my couch.

  The show was that addictive, although I’d never tell Clark or my future employer that.

  “Hey, Marco. Thanks for coming,” Clark said, interrupting my thoughts.

  The other Alpha slid into the booth opposite mine.

  Clark looked so much better. The last time we had a video call, the other Alpha was in the dumps. Clark lost his boyfriend and his job at the same time.

  He’d been mopey and irritable. Privately, I was glad Clark broke it off with his ex Simon because I never liked the demanding Omega.

  Clark was now happily mated to a loving Omega and even had triplets.

  A complete shocker, I know. I never pictured my friend as either mate or fatherly material. I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet his mate Dusty or his kids.

  I wasted two years of life, working for that spoiled underwear model.

  “It’s been a while, huh?” I asked.

  “It has. Sorry for being late. The triplets were being rowdy and Dusty went out grocery shopping. Which reminds me, have you seen a picture of my cute babies?” Clark asked

  I took a sip of my coffee and shook my head. A waitress stopped at our table to take Clark’s orders. He asked for coffee and a ham sandwich, then whipped out his wallet.

  Clark showed me photos of his smiling mate and kids.

  Who the heck was this stranger?