BE MY PRINCESS

A BILLIONAIRE AND VIRGIN ROMANCE

LAUREN WOOD

Contents

BE MY PRINCESS: A BILLIONAIRE AND VIRGIN ROMANCE

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

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE SERIES

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Copyright © 2017 by Lauren Wood

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction , the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.

Be My Princess: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

Published by Wood Publication, CA

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BLURB

I needed an assistant like that; hot tempting and willing to please.

Her innocence was intoxicating and I had to have more.

I was going to be her first and her last.

I lived by rules and rule number one was don’t let women get to me. Stacy got to me.

My life was a dream.
I had more money than I could ever spend.
A hot model every night to suck me off.
My business kept my heart pumping.
I had everything that a man could ever want.

Then I saw a college buddy that I hadn’t seen in several months.

He was married and smiling like an idiot at his new wife.
I was never going to be like that.
No woman was ever going to change me.
Not me.

Enter Stacy Growler and everything changed.
She wasn’t like most women I met.
She told me no.
Stacy was clear that she wasn’t interested.
It should have stopped me.
But it just made me want her more.

I want her to be the princess of my life.

Her innocence a drug and I was now an addict.
I wasn’t going to rest until I had Stacy underneath me.
Until she was screaming out my name in that sultry little voice of hers.

BE MY PRINCESS: A BILLIONAIRE AND VIRGIN ROMANCE

Chapter 1

Chris

“I am glad you could make it tonight Chris. I know you have been in Europe for a while.”

“I never miss the Gala. It is the only charity event that I actually like coming to anymore and I didn’t even want to come to this one.”

Keenan agreed and I could tell that he was talking about all of the beautiful girls that were around. It was the first time I had seen him with his new wife though and I could tell from being around them that he was smitten with her and not looking too far. He hadn’t given much looks to anyone else and I found that a little different. The man used to be a worse womanizer than I was. What had changed everything so much?

“My wife wanted to come, though I tried to get out of it. She says that I should do more to help. It’s my duty or something like that.”

I started to laugh until I realized that he was being serious.

“Isn’t that Ronald’s daughter?”

Keenan said that it was. “Yes. We got married and everything changed.”

“I can see that. I also hear that you aren’t working as much anymore.”

“No, I would rather stay home. Made enough money for this lifetime I suppose.” He didn’t look so sure of that last statement and it made me wonder.

I had a feeling that was another bit of wisdom from the new wife. I certainly hadn’t heard him talking about such things before. Keenan was the man that never had enough. How had he changed so much in the last couple of months?

“I don’t think that is something you will ever hear me say. I was actually going to see if you had any advice of KTT. I know that you aren’t really dealing with stocks anymore, but since your father in law is God of all of that, I thought you might have some information that I don’t have.”

“You know, I really don’t know. I didn’t realize how far I was out of the loop until you asked me about it. I will ask Ronald or look it up myself. Damn, Chris. I have been in a fog lately.”

I saw that he was looking at his wife again. I could tell that something had happened to my old friend from college. He was not the same guy that I had seen a couple of months ago at a convention. This time he was scattered brained and it reinforced the fact that love had no business in my life. If that is what the results of love was. I didn’t want to have anything to do with it.

“Tell you what Keenan, why don’t you come down to the members meeting this weekend? I haven’t seen you there in a couple of years. They are having it in Jamaica. There will be hot women and beautiful weather. Get away for a bit so that you can get back in the game because you are getting rusty my friend.”

Keenan looked like he was going to say no, but his wife had walked in on the last part and insisted that he goes. “See, there you go dear. I know that you need to get some work done. Sounds like fun and you were just saying how you wanted to get back into it.”

I was thankful that she hadn’t heard the first part about the women, but it put the man on the spot and he wasn’t going to be able to say no. Not with her standing there. I had a feeling that Keenan couldn’t say no to his wife at all.

“Fine, I think I will Chris. It will be good to speak to some people that I haven’t seen in a while.”

I smiled at Keenan and told him that he made the right choice. It would be good to see my old friend again. I don’t know what was going on with him, but his wife seemed to run the show. We exchanged times and I promised that we were going to catch up this weekend.

Watching Keenan and his wife, I was even surer that I didn’t want to go that route. There was pressure to do so, always pressure to start a family like that would somehow facilitate anything in my life. Like it would fill a void that was there. I didn’t need a family to be fulfilled. I had everything I needed and conquering the world was enough for me.

Keenan smiled and touched his wife’s arm. There was a gentleness that I don’t think I even possessed. He loved her. I could tell from the silly little grin on his face. He loved her a lot and while others may have thought it was cute and romantic, I just didn’t want it to be me. I hoped I never smiled like such an idiot in my life. What fun would that be? One woman for the rest of my life? It sounded boring if I really thought about it.

Going to the bar, I tried to wash down all of the feelings that I was having and tried not to get too worked up over it. I felt like something was missing and there were times when I thought maybe it was a partner to share my life and wealth with, but now I was sure that it was something else I was lacking.

“You haven’t said too much tonight Chris and now you look so serious. What is on your mind?”

I turned to see Ashlyn standing next to me at the bar. She was ordering another glass of wine and peering up at me with those soulful blue eyes.

“Not much. Have you seen Keenan over there?”

Ashlyn smiled and shook her head. “He is a mess, isn’t it?” She said the same things that I was saying in my head, but her tone was different and if I didn’t know any better, she thought that it was a good thing. I didn’t see it that way.

“Yes he is, so why are you smiling about it like that?”

“What, can I not be happy for a friend?”

“I thought you two were more than friends?”

“No more than me and you. Keenan was looking for something else and he found it in Gemma. She is a real sweet girl. Have you talked to her?”

I had no intentions on talking to the vixen that had turned Keenan to mush. I was afraid that it was some kind of voodoo and I would be as helpless as he was. I couldn’t risk it. “No, but I know her father.”

“Gemma is so different than Ronald. You should say hi. She is a real nice girl and it changed Keenan around. Look how happy he is?”

I could see the man smiling from here. “Yeah I see him. I don’t think that they will be together that long. We will see. No one stays happy like that for long. It isn’t real.”

Ashlyn called me a scrooge and maybe she was right. I just wasn’t that type of guy. I didn’t think Keenan was either, so maybe that was why I found it so hard to stomach.

“I will take him out this weekend and see how he acts away from his little wife.”

Ashlyn just shook her head and told me that I was going to find ‘the one’ one day and things would be different.

“God, I hope not.”

***

Everyone I talked to today, it was all I heard, love and ‘the one’. I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular, but the tall blond from across the room caught my eye. She had a smile on her face that told me she was ‘the one’ for the night. I brought her home with me. It was something that I shouldn’t have done, but now I was stuck with a woman that was close to being teary-eyed for me not wanting her to stay.

“Was there something that I did wrong?”

“No Lisa, it isn’t like that at all.”

“My name is Leslie, not Lisa!”

The tears turned to anger rather quickly. I was surprised that I had gotten that close to her real name. I had known her a couple of hours and in my defense, almost none of that was talking.

“I am sorry Leslie. I will have my driver take you home or wherever you want to go.”

She looked crushed and I was just feeling aggravated about the whole thing. It was fun while it lasted, but it was time for her to go. That didn’t seem that hard to understand.

“I will get a cab. You rich guys are all alike!”

There were so many things that came to mind when she said that. I could have asked her why she was with us rich guys if we were all the same, but I knew that it had a lot more to do with the fact that we had money. We could see women like her coming a mile away.

At the benefit she was dressed rather slutty and then the eyes she gave me when she came up to me in the bar. I was on her radar as soon as I got there. I supposed that Lisa, or Leslie, knew who I was right off the bat. I wasn’t going to feel bad for not falling in love. I wasn’t supposed to.

“At least let me call for you.”

She put her hand up like she was disgusted with me. “Really, don’t bother. I will just leave.”

I agreed, but I still walked her down the stairs so that I could make sure she didn’t take something on her way out. As she looked back at me, I smiled at her and told myself that I was going to have to stop doing this. A hotel was just as easy and then they didn’t know where I lived. I had a feeling that Leslie was going to be a problem. I don’t know why, but as she was leaving, something told me that I was going to have to keep an eye on her.

I shut the door and told Fred to make sure that Leslie left the premise. I called her a cab, just to make sure that she didn’t try to say that they wouldn’t come. I left nothing to chance and this was one of those nights.

“Did you get a live one Sir?”

Fred chuckled as I gave him a dirty look.

“They tend to get mad when you can’t remember their names.”

Fred just shook his head and looked out the window at the woman we were talking about. I couldn’t believe that she was still on the stairs, but it was a long way down the mountain if you were on foot. My driver could have already been halfway to her house if she wasn’t so stubborn.

“I will keep an eye on her Sir. You should get some rest. It is already three.”

The time meant nothing. I never slept anyways, but I agreed with him and went in the direction of my bedroom. I was thinking about the night and no longer about the blonde pouting on my front steps. It was going to be a while before she left, but I trusted Fred to make sure everything went well. He had been with me for years and this wasn’t the first time that he had to get rid of someone for me. I doubted that it would be the last.

Then I started thinking about Keenan and wondering why I was so against meeting his wife. Was I really that worried about finding what it was in her that was lacking in all of the women that I met? I knew that my choices were not the best, but I wasn’t looking for a wife. I was just looking to have some fun. Life was too short for anything else.

Sleep finally caught up to me and I didn’t dream about anything. When I woke up the next day, Fred filled me in on how long Leslie hung around and that she did try to come back in, but the cab I called arrived and she finally left an hour later.

I was ready for another day, no longer thinking about the what-ifs. It was a waste of time. I was happy with how life was going so why was I looking for something to be wrong? Life was good. I needed to remember that and not let Keenan and his antics changed that.

Chapter 2

Stacy

“Thanks Ashlyn for setting up that interview. I didn’t think I was ever going to find something else this summer for work. I need to get some hours in and working for Keenan as his assistant will be perfect.”

Ashlyn waved her niece off. “I told my sister that I would make it happen. Keenan is easy to work with and he does what I want him to.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about him before?”

Ashlyn smiled at me like I didn’t have a clue. “Well because last time you asked, I wouldn’t have let you be alone with Keenan. He wasn’t a very good man around young girls like you.”

I was a little shocked that she was saying this, after she got me a job working for him and traveling around with him alone.

“What?”

“Oh, he is nothing like he used to be. He got married and turned everything around, so now I wouldn’t worry about him. I wouldn’t have mentioned him if I thought there was anything to worry about. He is so in love with his wife that I doubt he will even look your way and you are gorgeous.”

I smiled at her. She always had a way of making me feel better in pretty much any situation. “Thanks Auntie.”

She grimaced at the title. “Remember, when we are in public just call me Ashlyn.”

“Does it make you feel old?” I giggled because she wasn’t old at all. Her and my mom was just many years apart and that made her an aunt very young.

“A little and I just don’t like the idea of being old enough to have a daughter your age. How old are you now?”

“Twenty one.”

“What I wouldn’t give to be your age again. I would have done so many things differently.”

“Like what?” Her life was perfect and glamorous. I don’t know why she would want it to be any different than it was. I wish I had her life.

“I would have taken more chances.”

I found that hard to believe because from what I heard, Aunt Ashlyn had taken all kinds of risks in her life. She had a faraway look in her eyes that I wanted to ask her about, but it was time to go back in as the rain started again.

“So when do you start?”

“Tomorrow. Keenan has a weekend meeting/conference thing that he is going to in Jamaica. Can you believe that I get to go there and they are going to pay me?”

“Sounds like a good deal. You will have a blast, just remember don’t have too much fun.”

“Aunt Ashlyn, you know that I don’t drink.”

“Still?” She had a look that told me that I should tell her I drink so she doesn’t think I am such a lost cause.

“Yes still. Never did like it. Makes me feel weird, but I have drank a few times.”

“I would have thought that in college you would have changed that.”

“No, it got even worse in college. Everyone is drunk and it seems like it is just better to be sober to drive everyone around then to have fun. It never seems like that much fun to me. Guys in college are idiots.”

Ashlyn just shook her head at me. “I wish I was as responsible as you are. Life would have been easier and I wouldn’t have gotten into near as much trouble as I did.”

I went into the house with her and helped go through her closet. She was cleaning it out to donate a lot of it, but I found myself going home with a couple of bags full of clothes. I had a feeling that is why she asked me over for help. She wanted to see how the job interview went that she set up, but also to give me some clothes for work. They were a little racy for my taste, but I knew that she knew her stuff when it came to fashion. I was going to be surrounded by a while new caliber of people and I at least wanted to look like I belonged, even if I didn’t.

***

“Good to see you here on time Stacy. We have a full day ahead of us and tardiness can really mess up the whole day. It has been a while since I have been to one of these meetings and I am going to need all the time I can get to do some research and get up to date on what is going on. I have been out of it for a while.” Keenan said.

“Oh, did you have an illness?”

“No, I got married and I stepped back from business for a while. An old friend of mine convinced me that I needed to get back on the horse before I forgot how to ride.”

I just sort of nodded my head, not sure what to say. Keenan wasn’t at all what I had pictured in my head. He was so less strict and uptight about everything than I’d imagined. A man of his means, it was surprising that he hadn’t let it all go to his head. I was afraid that he was going to be snobby, but he seemed pretty down to earth. My aunt had always spoken highly of him. He was handsome, though not really my type, if I was into married men.

“Well we are off then if you have everything. This is going to be a three day business trip, so are you sure that you have enough for all of those days?”

I shrugged and told him that I had plenty. He looked at my small suitcase and didn’t seem to really believe me. I learned long ago to downsize and only bring what was needed. He actually had two suitcases brought out for him, but I didn’t make a mention of that. I didn’t think it would be conducive to a working relationship, so I just smiled to myself and got on the plane with my one carry on.

We didn’t talk most of the short flight because he was serious about needing to read up on the latest numbers. He had been almost legendary the year before, even I knew that. So whatever marriage had done to him, had really thrown him off of his game. I hoped that he was able to get enough in before we got there because he seemed very worried.

I had the time to read a book on my phone that I had downloaded just in case. I figured that the meetings were going to be incredibly boring. This was my line of work, stocks and bonds, but it was working experience and a little pocket money. I would much rather read a mystery novel, then here about what stocks were where. I knew there was a lot of money in it, but none of it really was that interesting to me.

“What are you reading?”

“The Ticking Bomb.”

Keenan just looked at me and then smiled. “Is that a warning?”

“No, just the title. Did you get enough of that stuff crammed into your head?” I pointed over at the mountains of paperwork that he had in front of him.

“Not enough, but my head hurts. I didn’t realize how out of it I had become.”

“Well we still have more time till we get there.”

He waved it off and sat down next to me. All of the things that I had heard about him a few months ago ran through my head and I hoped that he wasn’t going to try and hit on me.

“Let’s talk about you. I like to get to know the people that I work with. Your Ashlyn’s niece, right?”

I nodded my head a little wary. “Yeah. She is the one that offered to talk to you. She said you would be a good line on my resume.’

He chuckled. “Yeah that sounds like Ashlyn. I hope you will learn a thing or two as well. Are you getting into finances in school?”

“No, I like the more creative side of business. I am getting more into marketing and advertising. My degree will just be a general MBA.”

“Impressive for a woman so young.”

“I have another year. That is why I can only work the summer.”

“You won’t regret it. You will learn a lot that they won’t teach you in school.”

We talked for a while longer and after a few minutes I didn’t worry about him anymore. He talked mainly about his wife and it was cute to see a man so in love with his wife. I knew that if I was ever going to get married, I wanted my husband to light up when he talked about me like that. Nothing else would do.

***

The hotel was big and it took me a few minutes to navigate myself to the room that Keenan gave me a key for. I figure that it would be a small one close to the ground floor, but it was actually up on the top floor and it was bigger than my apartment. I had never been in such a beautiful place before and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen next. I could really get used to a life like this and I certainly was going to enjoy this for a job the rest of the summer.

Keenan told me that the only thing I had to do was take care of mid-meeting paperwork early the next morning, but I was free to do what I wished for the rest of the night. I was in Jamaica and it was beautiful outside. All I wanted to do was get in the water before the sun went down completely.

I checked with Keenan by calling him to make sure that he didn’t want me to get him anything on his way out, but he assured me that he was fine. I hung up feeling like he didn’t need an assistant all that much, but maybe more for show and as a favor to Ashlyn. I was determined to make myself useful tomorrow, but tonight I was just going to get some swimming in and then maybe find something local to eat. The food on the plane was good of course, but I was looking to try some of the local flavors when I was done.

The beach wasn’t far from the hotel, really only a few hundred feet. I had a balcony off of the living area in the suite and there was a beautiful view of the water from my room. It was warm and felt as good as I imagined as I dove in head first. The salt water felt slick against my skin and I bobbed up to look at the setting sun. Yeah, I could certainly get used to this kind of job or this life. I never really worried too much about money, always having enough to get by, but there was definite perks to living on the high side of things. It certainly had good views if nothing else.

“Hey there sexy.”

I heard the voice right before I seen the dark man behind me. He caught me off guard, his darker skin helping him to hide a little. It must have been hard to do because he was so large. I didn’t hear him come up at all and I figure that I must have been caught up in thinking about what was around me. I should have noticed a guy like that slipping into the water next to me.

“Hello.” What else could you say to such a comment? He was too close for comfort and I swam a little closer to the shore.

“Where are you going?”

“Do I know you?”

I knew I didn’t, but I guess I was trying to help him realize that he didn’t know me so he didn’t have any right to be so close. The handsome man with the dashing smile didn’t seem to take the hint.

“No, I don’t think I would forget a face like that.”

The whole time he was talking, I was going closer to the beach. He’s presence was intoxicating and even though the man was devastatingly attractive up close, I didn’t want to be alone with a man like him. Not here by myself.

“Well I don’t think I know you either, so why don’t we keep it that way.”

He acted like I had hit him, moving back to take a blow. “Does it have to be like that baby?”

I shook my head as I walked out of the water, no longer feeling like a swim was going to work. Wine on the balcony was sounding a lot better all of a sudden. I never was one to drink, but I needed something to settle my nerves. The man’s closeness had really messed with my senses and I suddenly needed to regroup.

“I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten an ass like that. Come back baby.”

I ignored the inebriated man, hoping that I wouldn’t run into someone like him again.

Chapter 3

Chris

“I am glad to see you Keenan. I had one hell of a night. You should have come out with us. When did you become such an old man?”

Keenan was going to argue with me, but I wasn’t going to hear it. I knew that I was yanking his chain, but after he fizzled out on me and didn’t come out drinking because he got in late, I felt like I had to.

“I am just as old as you are Chris. When are you going to settle down and get married? Have a family? Don’t you think that it’s time?”

I was a little shocked to hear him say such things. “What the hell has gotten into you Keenan? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

“I am still the same me. Just different priorities is all.”

“Well I wouldn’t give up the single life for anything. You should have seen this hot little black-haired chick I seen last night. That chick had an ass for days that jiggled in just the right way. I wanted to bury my face into it. If I was married, I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Keenan just shook his head at me and told me that I was hopeless. Maybe I was, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

“Come on Chris, when you meet the one you are supposed to be with, you won’t even look at those asses anymore.”

I told him that we would just have to agree to disagree. There was no way that I was going to want to hear that nonsense. Everyone I had talked to lately was talking about ‘the one.’ She didn’t exist and I was getting sick of hearing about her. My perfect woman was as many as I could get my hands on.

“Damn there she is right there.”

I caught her eyes from across the hotel lobby and even though I was ridiculously drunk the night before, I would never forget her eyes. They looked almost purple in the light and in the day time they looked even more violet. Her black hair was down and she was wearing a number that I could have sworn I had seen before not too long ago. It fit her well, every curve encased perfectly and the ass that I remembered in the tight red bikini the night before was now on display and even more magnificent in the light. I hadn’t seen the large rack on the top of her because most of her body was covered in water before. Now all of her was out and I was even more convinced that this beautiful creature was the reason I was here in Jamaica.

“Hello there again sexy.”

The woman turned around and sighed at me. I wasn’t used to the kind of response and it really threw me off. Most women were eager to get my attention, but this woman seemed to be bothered by it. Had I lost my touch? Keenan had said something to me when I had started walking this way, something about wasting my time. I didn’t know what that meant, but I was eager to change the woman’s mind about me.

“I think we met last night.”

“Yeah I remember you.”

“And I told you that I would remember you as well.”

“I think you said you would remember my ass Sir. That’s what you said.”

I looked down to the curved hip and wanted to look a little behind her. That ass was magnificent, but I doubted that she would be too happy hearing about it. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling, a vibe that she wasn’t going to be okay with it at all.

“I am sorry if I said it like that. I had a bit too much to drink last night. Can I take you out for coffee to make it up to you?”

“Make what up to me?”

“My bad behavior.”

“No big deal. All of you guys are like that. I have to meet my boss and a client for breakfast anyways, but thank you.”

I didn’t know if she was just putting me off nicely or not, but I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to convince her otherwise.

“Well who is your boss? I am sure I can talk him into giving you some time off so that we can go out.”

“No thanks. I see him now. You have a good day Sir.”

She called me Sir again and walked away like she didn’t know who I was. Maybe she didn’t or maybe she didn’t care. That would be a first time scenario and I didn’t believe it to be the case. Was she just playing hard to get with me?

“Keenan, I was looking for you upstairs.”

“Hey Stacy. I called up to your room and you were already gone for the day. Where did you go so early this morning?”

“Well I had to go to the gym downstairs because I was harassed last night at the beach. It doesn’t seem like the sort of place that a girl can get out by herself.”

Keenan looked concerned and I started to feel that way. How did they know each other and was she about to tell him that I was the one harassing her? I wasn’t harassing her, was I? I mean, I was drunk sure, but at the same time, I was never that sort of guy. I didn’t understand where she was getting that from.

“So you and Stacy know each other Chris?”

Keenan had a wry grin on his face and I had a feeling that he knew something that I didn’t. What was going on with this woman and who was she? My eyes asked him what was going on and who she was, but he just smiled and left me in suspense.

Stacy realized that I was behind her and she whipped around and then groaned again. “Yeah, I have met him. That is the one I was just telling you about.”

Keenan chuckled. “Stacy, I would like you to meet an old friend and colleague of mine. Chris, this is Stacy, my assistant and Ashlyn’s niece.”

I stopped and took another look at her. I could now see the resemblance. “You know my Aunt?”

Shaking my head, I told her that I did, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell her how well I knew her. “Yes I do. She is a lovely woman.”

Stacy looked at me suspiciously and then it dawned on her. “Tell me this isn’t the client that we were supposed to meet.”

Keenan didn’t seem upset that his assistant was talking to him like that. She really was like Ashlyn in that she said whatever came to her mind.

“Sorry to say that I am. I talked Keenan into coming out here. I had no idea he was going to bring such a beautiful assistant with him. I am jealous now that I am here by myself.”

“You told me that you like to be alone.”

I cut a look to Keenan. He obviously knew that I was trying to flirt with his assistant, but it was becoming clear very quickly that I wasn’t going to get anywhere fast. “Yes, I did say that, but a good assistant is priceless, isn’t it?”

I was looking at Stacy when I said it, but she just ignored me. “Keenan, I got the reservation that you wanted for this evening.”

“Thank you Stacy. Shall we go?” He was asking me more than her and I had to wonder if there was something going on between them. How was there not something going on with her? She was beautiful and it started to makes sense why he wasn’t looking around. It wasn’t his wife, but his hot little assistant that was keeping him content. I needed someone like her in my life.

“Yes we should go if you want to have a late breakfast before the first seminar starts for the day.”

“Don’t worry about that talk, it isn’t going to be worth gong to.” Keenan smiled at me and I frowned back at him. The speaker hasn’t made that much money yet, so why would we take advice from him?”

“Well whatever we are doing, I am getting hungry. Do you want me to go down…”

Keenan’s phone rang and it was a special ring that he knew all too well by the way he answered it. I shot a look to Stacy that didn’t comment or really even look at me. How was I doing so badly with her when every other woman would have already been mine? I didn’t understand and I had to keep wondering if she knew who I was. Surely if she knew, she would make sure that I was content and take me up on my offer. Everyone else did. Why couldn’t she?

“Okay Gemma, I will be there in a few hours.”

That was all I heard of Keenan’s conversation. I knew then that he was leaving and it was because of his wife. I didn’t realize that she had such a strong hold on him, though I should have seen it coming because of how he acted at the charity event with her. The very fact that he was completely out of the loop should have been another good guess.

“I am sorry Chris, but I got to get out of here.”

“What is wrong Keenan?” It was Stacy that seemed worried and I waited to hear the answer myself. What could be so important that he was going to leave such a great event to go home to his wife? Didn’t he get enough of her?

“Well Gemma is pregnant and she is having some pain. I am going to take her to the doctor.”

“She can always just go to the emergency room, you don’t have to go.” I was trying to put some sense into him and it bothered me that he was leaving. I wanted to spend time with my old friend, but by the look he gave me, I was wrong for even suggesting that she go by herself. How was I supposed to know that she was that delicate?

“No, I want to go with her. She tried to get me to stay, but I don’t want her going through it alone. She is scared and if I can be there, I am going to be.”

Stacy kind of sighed and she had the look that all girls had when a man did something sweet. It was hard to stomach that look, especially when it meant I was losing my friend for the weekend. I had hoped that I could get him out and about, back to his old self before he got married and everything changed.

“I can understand that Keenan. I was just hoping that we could hang out. It has been a while since we are so both busy, but family comes first.”

Keenan was skeptical to hear me say that, but I knew that it was what he wanted to hear. It wasn’t necessarily what I felt was true, but I knew when I was beat. I was beat.

“Do you want me to bring you the notes when I get back to the city?”

“No, don’t worry about that. I am going to leave Stacy here to take care of it. If you could help her out a little bit though Chris, I would be grateful.”

I looked to Stacy and I could tell that she didn’t know about her boss’ new plan. I was more than willing to help the woman out, but I knew that she wasn’t too excited about it.

“Is that okay with you Stacy?”

She glanced at me for a minute and then shook her head that it was. I smiled to myself and I knew then that she was going to be mine. No woman could resist me for very long.

Chapter 4

Stacy

The last thing that I wanted to do was spend my weekend here with him. The man was a bit much to deal with and if Keenan used to be anything like him, it was clear that I was lucky he was no longer that way. Keenan hadn’t even looked at me wrong, but with Chris I knew exactly what it was that he wanted. He made no qualms about telling me. I had a feeling that I was going to be tested this weekend and even though this was all boring to me, I was going to do my best to learn as much as I could and to take good notes for Keenan.

“So are you ready for breakfast?”

Keenan had walked upstairs to get his items and leave. Because he was taking the jet back, I was going to have to ride back with Chris, another part of the weekend that I wasn’t looking forward to. I didn’t think he would really do anything, but he was going to flirt and look at me how he was now. Usually I wasn’t bothered by such admiration, it wasn’t the first time, but with him it felt different. With him, I couldn’t stop the way my body reacted to him, no matter how hard I tried.

Walking with him into the restaurant in the bottom floor of the hotel, I almost made a comment that we could have just ordered room service. The idea of him in my room was enough to keep my mouth shut though. The last thing I needed was any more intimate moments with him.

He held out my chair like a perfect gentlemen, but I wasn’t impressed. I was just anxious as to why he as being nice all of a sudden. Men like him worried me because they were the types of men that got what they wanted. I knew what Chris wanted and I wasn’t willing to give it up. The price would be too high and I hadn’t been so careful all of this time to lose my heart to a man that would crush it without a second thought.

“So what brings you to work with Keenan? Are you studying stocks in school to be an analyst or something?”

I shook my head no and for a while I wasn’t going to say anything more. I didn’t want to sit here and talk to him like everything was normal or that I even wanted to be here. I didn’t. This was my job and I knew that this man was Keenan’s friend, so even if I didn’t like him, I could at least be respectful for my employer’s sake. Unlike all of the people that I had met since I started working for Keenan, I actually needed this job and the paltry amount of money that it was going to supply to me.

“No, just a business degree, with a minor in advertising and marketing. I like to sell ideas, not really the numbers side of it. I like the creation side of things. Numbers bore me.”

“So why are you working with Keenan then?”

I shrugged, not really sure how to explain in a quick sentence or two how I got here. “Well my scholarship only covers tuition and just barely, so Aunt Ashlyn knew I needed to find a summer job. Keenan will look good on my resume and he pays well.” I guess it wasn’t so hard after all when I said it like that. I knew why I was here, the money. It was something that I knew the man looking at me now wasn’t going to get. He had probably never needed money in his life. Like Keenan, I was sure that he came from a good family that was loaded.

“I remember my summer jobs. I made pizzas the first two years I was in college. My grades weren’t good enough for a scholarship so I had to work pretty much every day when I was getting my degree.”

That little tidbit of information was a little shocking. “What, did your family cut you off or something?” I was sure that he was born with the silver spoon firmly in his mouth. I couldn’t think of another way because he was just so comfortable in his skin as a rich man that I knew he must have always been that way.

But he surprised me further, by shaking his head and smiling back at me from across the table. “No, my parent’s died when I was little and I really don’t have any family. I had no one to cut me off dear.”

“Oh, well I am sorry to hear that.”

It was his turn to shrug like it was no big deal, when it obviously was. I was starting to realize that I had been very wrong about him. I didn’t like the way that felt, but I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t thinking right. He was not at all what I thought he was.

“Don’t be sorry, it was a long time ago. But if you would like to make me feel better, I can think of several ways to make that happen.”

I groaned to myself and shook my own head. Here I was feeling bad for him and then he reminded me why I was avoiding him to begin with. “No, like you said, it was a long time ago, besides, I am sure that you have plenty of women that are lining up for the job.”

He smiled at me and was about to say something when our breakfast was brought out. He had ordered for me, which was a little assuming as far as I was concerned, but it was really good, even though I wasn’t quite sure what I was eating. I didn’t want to seem uncultured and it appeared that I would because I didn’t even know what this pile of food was with a yellow sauce on top.

“Do you like it?”

I nodded to him, not really looking up.

“It is good to see a woman with an appetite. I hate going out and watching a grown woman pick at her food.”

“Well you most likely date models that only worth    are measured by her waistline. I think I would most likely worry about what I was eating as well.”

“You have a great figure. Do you work out?”

“Not really. I swim when I can, but that is about it. Maybe I will step foot in a gym once a week, but with my schedule I don’t have time. I work at another place as well as with Keenan.”

“Really, where else? Would I know the place?”

I knew that he was from the city, but I also figured that he wouldn’t know the place. “It’s just a bar in the city that I work at.”

“What do you do?” Chris appeared interested and I wasn’t going to be able to eat until I told him, so I put down my fork and took a drink.

“Just tend bar. Make a few drinks. The pay is crap, but the tips are good.”

“So you are a hustler?”

“I don’t like to call it that. It is just survival.”

“I admire your attitude. Most people would feel sorry for themselves to have two jobs.”

“Well work like no one else for a little while, so you can live like no one else the rest of your life, right?”

Chris liked that saying and I could tell that he was warming up to me. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but at the end of the day being admired by such a man for anything other than my looks was good enough for me.

“Exactly. That is what I tell people all the time. Keenan used to be the same way. There was no stopping him, but now he is ruined, chasing after some skirt.”

“You really don’t like women, do you?”

“I do, I love them, but there is a time and place for all of that. A woman should never come between a man and his business.”

“Maybe you haven’t met the right one yet.”

Chris chuckled and sat back. “Yeah, I have heard that before. I don’t see a reason for one more than a few hours.”

“Pity.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You will never find anything of substance looking for a few hours of a good time. How can that be conducive to anything good?”

“I make them come until they can’t walk and I get my own pleasure. It is a win-win situation. No one has complained.”

“Did you stay long enough to hear a complaint if one was made?”

He laughed a little harder. “Not usually. Man, you sure have my number.”

“I have met men like you before, rich men.”

“I am not like all of the rest.”

I could tell that there was something special about him, but it didn’t mean that I wanted to have anything to do with it. I knew that he was a dangerous man that I had to stay away from. It was going to be hard to do with this weekend looming ahead, but it was just a couple of more days and it was strictly business. I told myself that enough that I started to believe it.

“I am sure you are not Chris.”

He just smiled at me like I was being silly and I couldn’t help but return the gesture. His whole face softened and my body responded to the change in just one smile.

“Well let’s get out of here. I am afraid you are going to be wildly bored for this first meeting. I am the speaker and I have a feeling you don’t want to hear me talk.”

“Sir, you have me mistaken.”

“You were clear this morning how you felt.”

“Well you ruined a good swim for me. I didn’t know who you were and in my world if some drunken guys starts calling you sexy, getting close, you get away from them.”

Chris’ smile faltered and I was almost wished that I hadn’t said anything to get him upset and to take that smile away, almost. I had to lay down some ground rules if this was going to work.

“I didn’t mean to appear like some drunken thug.”

I laughed that time, surprising us both. “I can’t see you as any kind of thug, drunk or not.” The idea was preposterous. He was so straight and narrow that I doubted that he even knew the real meaning of the word.

“There is a lot that you don’t know about me Stacy.”

He was so serious for a moment I was at a loss of words and didn’t really know what to say. It was clear that there was more to the rich bad boy than what met my eye first. Maybe there was more to him, but once again, not for me. I didn’t need the stress.

“I am sure there is. Keenan told me a little bit about you, but I know enough for the capacity of this weekend. I thank you for the ride home and help. I will make sure that Keenan feels like he was actually here.”

“Back to business huh?”

“I think it is better that way.” I stood up and waited for him to sign the bill and do the same. Truth was that I had to get away from him before I forgot what I kept reminding myself of. Chris was bad news and I needed to stay away from him.

Chapter 5

Chris

This woman was maddening and even though I knew where we stood, I still wanted to push it. I wanted her to act as the other women around me acted, but it didn’t appear that it was going to happen. I called her up to be my assistant when I was giving my conference speech and while she had played along, I knew that she was not enjoying herself.

Stacy was the quiet type and putting her on the stage in front of thousands had really messed with her. I was trying to take her off of her game, but in the end it had all back fired on me and instead of her leaving with me after the event, there were several people that wanted to talk to her, not me after the speech. It was irritating, but I could see what everyone else seen in her.

The woman had a gentle way about her, though I knew from experience that she said what was on her mind, even if it was in a tiny voice. Her tongue was sharp and I had already been cut by it a couple of times. I didn’t want a replay of that, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to give up. How could I when she was absolutely perfect in all ways that I could see?

Stacy smiled at everyone and made people feel welcome. I didn’t get a smile like that because my drunken-self had ruined out first meeting, but I knew that I had to have the raven-haired beauty. She was hot and didn’t even know it. I loved women like that and I was going to get into her pants before we went back to the city. I wasn’t going to waste the mood of Jamaica without getting to her. It was hard not to feel sexy in such a place.

“Are you ready Stacy?”

“Oh Chris, sorry I forgot you were waiting for me. I would like to introduce you to Ali Mambia.” She looked to the man that she had been talking to and smiled. “Did I say that right?”

“You did Stacy. Your pronunciation was perfect.”

I jeered at the man and groaned to myself. I wasn’t the only one that saw perfection when I looked at her and I don’t know why I didn’t want anyone else to look at her. She was mine, even if she hadn’t agreed to it yet, I still felt like I was able to claim her as such.

“We need to get to lunch Stacy. We are going to be late.”

“Oh, well I guess work stuff comes first. Maybe I will see you again Ali?”

The man nodded and smiled and I for one didn’t return the look. Stacy was happy to and that just enraged me even more. What did she see in him that she didn’t see in me? Never had I wanted a second chance for a first impression so much in my life.

“Well how about we all go out together? You don’t mind, do you Chris?”

I didn’t know the man well enough for him to call me by my first name. I didn’t even know who the hell he was, just that he was encroaching on the woman I had my eyes on.

“Sure, that would be great.” It wasn’t great, but I didn’t want to seem like a man that was not confident in myself. I knew that it was going to look bad if I let them see how bothered I was by the man’s presence.

Stacy looked at me skeptically like she knew that I was bothered, but she wasn’t going to take me out of my misery. She agreed that it was a great idea and smiled at me in a way that told me she knew how uncomfortable I was about it all. That just made it worse that she knew.

***

Lunch was an affair that I could have done without. The man that went by Ali was not someone that I knew, but I knew of him. I don’t know his exact number, but he was in the billions like I was. He was stiff competition and for some reason Stacy responded differently to his flirting than to mine. To be fair he was a lot better with it, less cocky. I was sure it was because he wasn’t from America and in his culture things were different. Here the strongest one won and I didn’t understand why I hadn’t. I was obviously the stronger man, smarter man, but it was Ali’s jokes that Stacy laughed to, not mine.

“That was a great lunch, don’t you think?”

She was practically glowing and I didn’t want to see it anymore. “I guess it was okay. I wouldn’t have chosen that place, but I guess local cuisine is good to try, as long as you don’t get a disease out of it.”

Stacy waved me off like I was being silly and I felt that way, something I didn’t feel often. I felt off and I knew it was how she had acted at lunch, as well as the fact that she had promised Ali that she would go out to dinner with him tonight. She asked me if we had anything going, but I was too shocked to answer and now I wished that I had come up with something to keep her away from him. Ali just became my worst nightmare.

“Are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you seem really upset all of a sudden and I was wondering if there was a reason for it.”

Didn’t she know that her flirting with Ali had really gotten to me? Surely she couldn’t have missed that?

“Just been a long day and I will be happy when the last conference is over in a little while. Are you going to be able to come and do your job or will that cut into your date?”

She waved me off like it wasn’t a concern. “It’s not a date Chris. It’s just two friends going out. He is interesting and more into the marketing side of things. I want to pick his brain.”

Why did that bother me more than her being attracted to him? I didn’t like her wanting to be around him because he was more interesting. That is what it boiled down to though and I groaned inwardly, my tongue hurting from biting it so much. I couldn’t say anything, even though I desperately wanted to so badly it pained me not to.

“I don’t think he will help you much Stacy. He is international and barely does any work here in the States.”

She just told me that it was an opportunity to see another side of it. “He is not in it to teach you about marketing and become your mentor Stacy.”

Stacy didn’t answer me or even look at me to make a comment, so I went on because I figured I was going to have to.

“He wants to get into your panties Stacy.”

She shot me a look and then moved her gaze out the window. “Do you really think that is a woman’s only worth, her panties?”

I knew this was a loaded question, but I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences of what I was about to say.

“No, but I know that some hot chick like you, that is all a man is ever going to think about.”

Stacy actually looked sad from my words. “I know.”

I didn’t think she would agree with me. But it was the way she said it that bothered me the most. Suddenly, the truth was I didn’t want to be right. I wanted people to see how great she was without her smoking looks involved.

“So why are you going to go out with him then?”

Stacy shrugged like there was no other choice. “What am I supposed to do? As you said, they all are thinking about bending me over the table and taking me, or whatever, how am I going to learn if I ignore them all? I would never learn anything that I needed to know. If they aren’t too forward like you were at the beach, I can deal with it better. Ali may want that, but he is a gentlemen and I won’t have to worry about him too much.”

Her words were not what I was thinking. She certainly had a reason for why she was going out with him that made me feel a little better, but I didn’t like the way she made reference to me. What had I done so bad? Called her sexy? And why does she have to deal with it? Stacy talked like it was such a chore. I started to understand that while I said I had many secrets she didn’t know about, Stacy had a host of her own.

“I just want you to be careful. Keenan told me to keep an eye on you and I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about it.”

“Thank you for your concern Chris, but I am a big girl. I can handle myself.”

The driver was taking us to the conference center and I knew that I was going to have to go to a drastic measure for her to understand how false that statement was. Or maybe I just wanted to kiss her and see what happened.

Leaning in, I pulled her face towards mine and met her lips. I was soft for a moment before I deepened the kiss. She tasted like sweet cream and I wanted more as soon as I got ahold of her. It was no longer about proving a point. It was now all about the feel of her against me. I never wanted to let her go.

Stacy made a small sound in the back of her voice that stripped me of all thought and reason. I pulled her onto my lap, my hands pressing her bottom against the hard bulge in my pants. Stacy finally seemed to notice and pushed off of me suddenly. Her eyes were wary when she looked over from next to me.

“Do you see how unprepared you are to handle yourself Stacy? What if I was a man that didn’t take no for an answer?” It was scary how close I had felt to being that sort of man.

I wanted to take the innocence that I could taste on her lips. God, I wanted her badly.

Chapter 6

Stacy

We didn’t say much as we made our way to the last convention of the day. I wanted to talk to Chris about what had happened, but after we had kissed, he had said what he’d said and that was that. Next thing I knew I was beside him in the seat and there was nothing that I could do but sigh to myself. My body was going a mile a minute with the heart in my chest, but I wasn’t worried about that. I was more interested and consumed by the throbbing that started in between my legs. Why was I feeling like this all of a sudden? It just didn’t make sense and the feelings overwhelmed me and confused the hell out of me.

“I am sorry if I went over the line Stacy. I just wanted to prove a point.”

I still wasn’t sure what the point was that he was trying to prove, but I think I was more afraid that he would want to do it again. I didn’t have it in me to refuse and maybe that was what he was proving. Would I have felt the same way if Ali had kissed me like that? I smiled to myself, knowing that Ali was too much of a gentleman for all of that. Why was I suddenly so saddened by the idea?

“Well I get your point Chris, but you didn’t have to go there to make me see it. I know that you are not used to being turned down, but I am just not into you that way. And for the record, I am not into Ali that way either.”

“I don’t think he knows that.”

I just shook my head and tried not to look at him. There was no point in arguing with him and I was still a little befuddled by it all. The truth was that I wanted to blame my current state of being on something or someone and Chris was it for me.

“He will find out soon enough then I suppose. It wouldn’t be the first time that I had to bring a man back to reality.”

I started towards the conference hall and didn’t even look behind me to see if Chris was coming or not. I knew that I was going to do my job and stay as far away from him as possible. It was hard to do when I was kind of supposed to stay with him, but I was better off on my own. There was no way that the island could be any more dangerous than he was. Chris was damaging to my thinking. It was like I went into a brain fog around him. Those were the men that I feared the most.

The conference was boring, but at least I wasn’t dragged on stage like I was for the last one. Chris sat next to me, but he didn’t say much and I was thankful for that, although I would have been a little more comfortable if Chris would have given me a little more space. I was still affected by the kiss, even if he wasn’t. I wanted some distance between me and him and quick.

I took notes, mindlessly writing things and figures that I really didn’t understand. I knew about as much as the next person when it came to the stock market, but that was not a lot. This felt like a class for advanced learners and I was not one of them. So I did my best and hoped that what I was writing made better sense to Keenan, then it did to me. It was all just scribbles as far as I was concerned.

Chris brushed against me several times with his knee, but I didn’t even acknowledge it or look at him. I was too worried about writing down the gibberish I was hearing. Chris was much like a child though and soon his hand rested on my thigh because I wasn’t giving him the attention that he wanted. I finally gave him a look to remove the hand and he did rather quickly.

It wasn’t long before he was touching me again and I finally said something to him because my senses couldn’t take it anymore.

“What?!” I whispered over to him, wanting to stop whatever it was he was doing. Like a kid, I finally gave him some attention to get him to stop.

“I just wanted to let you know that I am recording this. I will give you a copy when we get back to the hotel. You don’t have to sit there and write everything down Stacy.”

My face turned red and I had an urge to slap him. He could have told me that about an hour ago when the lecture first started. Slamming the notebook that I was writing in, he chuckled beside me and told me that I was even sexier when I was mad. Chris grated at my nerves, enjoying every minute of it. I had to wonder if he knew what he was doing to me. I had a feeling that he did.

“Well then I should be damn well glowing by now!” My words were whispered to him in a harsh tone. He made me so mad and I didn’t understand why he seemed to enjoy it so much. Why did he take such pleasure in enraging me? And in public no less.

I was able to listen to the lecture, but nothing was really sinking in. I was still steaming mad when it was over and I wasn’t able to handle Chris’ smiling face for another second.

“I am going to grab a cab. If you could send that tape over, I would really appreciate it. I am sure our friend Keenan would appreciate it as well.”

“I thought we were going to go out to dinner?”

“You know that I have a previous engagement Chris, but thank you for the offer. You don’t have to watch over me anymore. I will meet you in the lobby before the last conference tomorrow if that suits you.”

“Okay.” He didn’t seem sure and I wasn’t waiting around. I don’t know why he bothered me so badly. If I wasn’t shaking and trembling from some kind of draw that he had on me, then I was angry enough to slap him. I couldn’t take the rollercoaster anymore.

***

I didn’t go directly back to the hotel. I didn’t want to run into Chris while I was there, so I just gave myself a little space. I needed some time to think and pull myself together. I had to keep reminding myself that I was here for work, not all of this other nonsense that I had somehow gotten myself into. I was certainly not here for Chris.

But I was in Jamaica and now that I had some time to myself, I wanted to go see and do some things while I was here. Keenan called to make sure everything was going well. I hoped that he hadn’t talked to Chris, but he didn’t really say anything to make me believe that. He told me to have a good time and I assured him that I would. I felt like I had the greenlight from my boss and I was going to make sure that I made the most of my evening.

Going to a small restaurant that I found after doing some shopping, I tried tons of things that I couldn’t even pronounce. By the time I left there it was dark and I made my way back to the hotel on foot. I had canceled my date with Ali. I didn’t like to think that it was because of what Chris said, but he had reminded me how exhausting it could be sometimes.

So instead of a fancy dinner with a really nice man, I just spent the evening doing what I wanted and staying away from Chris. I dropped my bags off with the front desk and went down to the beach behind it. I wanted to get a swim in, hopefully not getting harassed by a man this time. I needed the solitude to get my mind right and work through all of the thoughts and feelings that had come to a head since I met Chris.

The water was the only thing that truly relaxed me and it felt good on my skin. I swam for a while and I couldn’t bring myself to go back inside. It was too nice, the heat and slight breeze that blew over me as I sat in the sand was heavenly. I fell asleep out on the beach, finally feeing relief after such a stressful day. The beaches back home were nothing like this.

When I awoke with the sun, I was startled to wake by some early morning swimmers. They gave me a look like I had passed out drunk in the sand, so I didn’t really look their way more than once. I hadn’t had anything to drink. I had just gotten too relaxed and when I had closed my eyes to just listen to the waves roll in, I had fallen asleep. I didn’t know what time it was, but by where the sun was, I didn’t figure it was too late. I wasn’t supposed to meet Chris until around 10, so I made my way to the hotel to get dressed and wash some of the sand out of my hair.

As I made my way in, I was stopped at the door because they must have thought I was a vagrant or something. I didn’t help with my appearance and the massive amount of sand in my hair. The more upset I got, the more sure they were that I didn’t belong there. I tried to show them my key or even my ID, but everything was in the room. They wouldn’t even give me my bags I had left there the night before.

Completely ready to just lose it, I finally sucked up my pride and told them to contact Chris. He would corroborate my story and since he had part ownership in the hotel, I figured that it would fix everything. I didn’t want him to see me like this, but I didn’t have another choice besides getting kicked out of the hotel.

“Are you sure you want me to do this Miss? It might be rather embarrassing for you.”

“Just call him and tell him my name and that I am down here. I need to get up to my room. This is ridiculous and I couldn’t be any more embarrassed then I am right now.”

The front desk clerk eyed me suspiciously, but I just gave her a glare back. I wasn’t going to let them tell me that I didn’t belong here. It was a reminder that I was in a whole other league of people, but I was still here to do a job.

All I could do was wait patiently by the front for Chris to come down and the embarrassment that came with that.

Chapter 7

Chris

“I am sorry, what?”

“We apologize for the interruption Sir, but there is a woman downstairs that is claiming to know you.”

I smiled to myself, still not all the way up. It had been a quiet night, so no one woman came to mind, though I had been to the island many times. It could have been a number of women that I had stayed the night with before.

“You are going to have to be more specific than that Tony. Who is it?”

“Says her name is Stacy I believe. She is rather upset and hard to understand Sir.”

“And she is downstairs?”

“Yes Sir. Do you know this woman? She claims that she is staying in the suite upstairs registered to another guest. She doesn’t look like a normal guest, so we stopped her at the door. This is why I am calling you. If this is all in error, I will make sure that she is out of here in no time.

My mind was fuzzy, but it wasn’t that fuzzy. “She is staying in Keenan’s suite for God’s sakes Tony. How long has she been down there?” I already knew that she was going to be pissed off for this. It wasn’t my fault of course, but I knew that it would feel that way. This day was not going the way it was supposed to be going.

“Let her up Tony. Damn she is going to be pissed. Why wouldn’t you let her up in the first place?” It hadn’t occurred to me yet that she was just getting in around six o’ clock in the morning. I was still too stumped to wonder what she had been doing and where she had been.

“Sir she is disheveled and a real sight. I thought she was one of the homeless that come up from the beach. She is covered in sand…”

“Okay, she is fine and who she says she is Tony. Thank you for taking the extra step, but I fear you have cost me a headache.”

He apologized, but I just hung up. Where had she been all night? I had tried to go see her last night, with a bottle of wine as an excuse, but she hadn’t answered. I just thought she was ignoring me. I never would have guessed that she was out all night in a strange place.

I waited for a few minutes and then moved to the hallway. I wanted to see her, but not let her see me. I had to know what Tony was talking about. How bad could she look?

When she finally came out of the elevator, I could barely even recognize her. She did have a messy knot on top of her head with sand in it. It looked like she had slept on the beach or maybe something more sinister had happened. Whatever it was, I knew that it was surely not expected. I wanted to go out and make sure she was okay, ask her what happened, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Instead I watched her go into her suite and I saw the state of her clothes. They were rumpled and covered in sand as well. I could see why Tony had denied her entry. If I wouldn’t have known that it was Stacy, I would have done the same thing.

Going back to my room, I got ready to go to the final conference and tried to pull my mind from Stacy. When I was ready and it wasn’t possible to pretend anymore, I went down the long hallway to her suite and knocked on the door. It was slightly ajar and after a few minutes, I just pushed the door open, calling her name out.

I still heard no answer and I started to get genuinely worried about her. The state she was in when I saw her last was not a good one. Maybe she had a medical problem that I didn’t know about, though why would I know? Why would I care?

Hearing the shower running, I relaxed a little. The room was still neat and tidy and the bed was unslept in. I really didn’t like that last bit of information, but I was trying not to let it get to me. It was not that I wanted to think about where she was last night it was the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was bothering me and I had to know what happened to her last night. The warning I had given her was ripe in my ear and I hoped that I had been wrong.

I ordered some room service breakfast for both of us and poured some orange juice from the pitcher. I waited for Stacy to come out, but I had expected her to be a little more dressed than she was. I thought like most she would cover up with a towel if she left the bathroom, but Stacy was apparently going to let herself drip dry. She had a towel on her head, wrapped up in her black hair, but there was nothing else covering the rest of her.

Since she didn’t immediately look my way and I was too frozen by the view to ignore what was in front of me. Stacy was turned to the side and I could see her round, heart-shaped ass just feet from me. There was water running over her, little droplets on her milky-white skin that I wanted to stop with my finger. Every inch of her was curved and delicate, dying to be kissed and touched.

What struck me the most was the rather large and whimsical tattoo that she had on her back. It wasn’t big and dense, but flowery and light. I would have never guessed that she had a tattoo of any sort, certainly not that. My eyes scanned for more bits of ink, finding something on her inner ankle that I hadn’t seen before. Did she cover it up when she was at work? How many more mysteries would she have that I would never understand?

“Oh! Chris! What are you doing here?!”

She was yelling and when I met her gaze, I know I had a stupid look on my face, how could I not? She was bare and beautiful, right in front of me. Her eyes moved down to the hard length that was not well hidden in my slacks. I turned towards the table and told her rather clumsily that I had gotten her some breakfast. I even offered her some juice while she just stared at me. Her hands covered all the necessary parts, but it didn’t matter. I had seen it all and there was no way I was going to forget every inch of her.

“Why are you still staring at me?”

I didn’t even realize I was, but how could I not?

“Sorry, you are just still naked. Do you not have any towels in here?”

My voice was surprisingly calm, but I was not feeling that way inside. I trembled, something I would never admit to. Stacy had a way about her that made me feel different.

“You are blaming me for this?” While she complained that it was my fault, she went back into the bathroom and got a towel. I could breathe better when she was out of sight from me. I could still see her if I wanted to, but it was easier to pull the images out of my head this way without the constant reminder.

“Not blaming you. Sorry Stacy. I got a call from the doorman this morning and I was worried about you. I came in because the door was still open and not even latched. You were in there, so I ordered some breakfast and tried to help make your day a little better. I really was just trying to help, even though I seemed to have failed miserably with it.”

It didn’t matter what the scene of her had done to me. My first instinct was to look, I couldn’t help it. “You are beautiful Stacy. I can’t not look.”

The sound of my voice grated on my own nerves and I tried to snap out of it. Turning away, I opened some of the metal covers and asked what she would like for breakfast.

“Let me get dressed first. I can’t have breakfast like this, not with you here.”

It may have been a jab for me to leave, a not so hard to read sign, but I ignored it. This was our last day together and I wanted it to go smoothly. At first I thought she would be mine by now, whimpering my name out. I would get my fill and move on. But that hadn’t happened, so I was more obsessed than ever before. I needed to know what was going on and how I was going to change any of it with her. I couldn’t do that if I just went away.

“Thank you for breakfast Chris. It was very thoughtful of you. I have had a horrible morning and I appreciate the gesture.”

She made a small plate with a little of everything and opened the patio door. “How long do we have until the last meeting?”

I looked at my clock. We were already late, but I was more interested to be here with her, then to hear about how to make more money. I think it was a first if I was honest with myself.

“We have time. Don’t worry about that.”

“Thanks. I am sorry about this. If you could not tell Keenan, I would appreciate it.”

I waved her off and told her that her secret was safe with me. “We all have one of those bender nights here. It is sort of a tradition. Where were you?” I didn’t want to sound too eager, but it was still something pecking at the back of my head that I just needed to know.

“It wasn’t like that. It was just so peaceful after a swim that I must have fallen asleep. I looked a wreck this morning because of the sand everywhere and they thought I was homeless.” She stopped and looked away, embarrassed.

“What about your date with Ali?”

Her lips tightened and something bothered her. What had her out swimming in the middle of the night alone? Was she alone? I was still assuming she was, but with my question, other ones arose that had to do with the smiling man from before.

“I canceled. I just didn’t feel like going out to dinner, so I stayed around town and shopped, had dinner and went swimming.”

“By yourself?”

“Well of course by myself. Who else would I go with?”

“I would have taken you.”

“Being around you is complicated Chris. Besides, I figure you didn’t want to be burden having to watch me, but I do thank you for the rescue this morning. I have never been so embarrassed in all of my life.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s fine.” I was more than a little relieved that it wasn’t what I thought. My fears included her going to stay the night with Ali and that being the reason she was gone all night. It was a horrible feeling to have and now my mind could rest knowing that it wasn’t the case. After that, nothing really mattered and if I would have stopped to really think about it, that thought would have bothered me more than it did to be so interested in her and her whereabouts. I had never cared before.

“Well the meeting is almost over and we have a couple of hours before we have to leave. Is there anything that you want to do?”

“With you?”

“Yes with me, don’t sound so damn enthused.”

“I just want to get into the water. Do you know how to swim?”

“Of course. I can rent us a boat if you like, sail around and find the perfect spot.”

She shook her head like that wouldn’t do. “No, I was thinking just right out back. The beach is beautiful down there.”

I couldn’t argue. I didn’t want to if it meant a little time with Stacy. What the hell was this woman doing to me?

Chapter 8

Stacy

What a day! I just wanted it to end at first, but the middle was pretty good. Chris let me ditch the boring conference that I didn’t want to go to. He sent someone in his stead and went with me to the beach instead.

It was quite obviously quickly that he was not in his comfort zone. He just kind of looked at the sand at the end of the walk way and then back at me like I was crazy or something. Taking off my shoes, I waited for him to do the same. “How long has it been since you went to the beach?”

He shrugged and I could tell that it was a long time ago. “Well the water is perfect here.”

I walked towards the water and waited for Chris. His dark skin contrasted with mine as I finally had to grab his hand to pull him closer to the water. “You aren’t going to be able to get in from all the way over there.”

“I don’t have any trunks on.”

“Boxers or briefs?”

“Huh?”

“What are you wearing?”

“Um, boxers.”

“Well that will do. I was kind of hoping that you would be wearing tidy-whiteys.”

He looked like he was embarrassed and I knew the feeling all too well. Chris didn’t have anything cocky to say as a comeback and I was just going to take this moment as a small win for me.

“It will be fine, come on.”

“You have a bathing suit on?”

I shook my head and told him I didn’t. I was more worried about getting in the water, then how I was going to look. I mean, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me completely naked just a few hours ago. It gave me this feeling of so what if he saw me in a pair of panty and a bra?

I started to take my clothes off and I ignored the looks that he was giving me. I couldn’t focus on that. I needed to focus on something else and I finally just pulled my pants down and kicked them off. Walking into the water, I finally looked back to see if he was coming or not.

His dark eyes were taking in every bit of me like before and I quickly got into the water to use it as cover. No one else was around, but Chris kept looking around like photographers was going to chase him and take pictures. I started to wonder if he was just too shy to bare it all.

“Are you coming in or not?”

“Yeah, just…”

I giggled and started to swim deeper. I was there to get a little workout in if I could. Swimming was the best workout for me, hands down and I knew soon I would be back in the city and it would be a while until I was able to do this at a real beach and not a gym.

Chris came in splashing behind me. He was a lot louder than he was the first night I met him. But then I was reminded of his stealth when the next thing I knew, Chris was wading next to me.

I could see the tanned expanse of his chest and the tight black curls that covered it. He was hard and muscular, not at all what I expected from a spoiled business man.

“So what is that tattoo for?”

I forgot about that and groaned. I didn’t like many people knowing I had it. It was a moment of rebellion when I was seventeen. There wasn’t much thought behind it besides that I just thought it was pretty and I wanted a tattoo. It was really that simple.

“It’s the tree of life. Do you like it?”

“I do, I just wouldn’t have taken you for a girl that had a tattoo.”

A lot of rich people thought they were low class, but I still liked it no matter what. It was a reminder that I should take a second thought before I let myself get wrapped up into an idea. I can be spontaneous at times, but now I tried to learn more control. It was just harder to do around people like Chris that provoked me.

“I put it where it could be hidden easily because I know that there is bias about tattoos and the people that get them. I take it that you don’t have one?”

“Me, no. I never did really care for needles and I change my mind too often. I can’t think of anything that I would want to get. I get bored easily.”

I laughed a little and agreed. “I got it on my back so that I don’t have to see it all of the time. I forget that it is back there a lot. I wouldn’t get it now, just a few years later, but its part of me now.”

“You surprise me Stacy.”

“Why?”

“I have never met anyone like you before.”

“Like me? I am no one special.”

“You are to me.”

He was moving closer and he just had a look in his eyes that I didn’t fully trust. I swam back a little bit and he stopped. Chris wanted to kiss me, it was clear in his face, but I don’t think either one of us was really ready for that again.

“You won’t even remember my name on Monday morning Chris. We are from two different worlds. It was a wonderful time and I will thank you for your help, but I doubt we will ever see each other again after I get off of that plane.”

“It better not be the way it turns out.”

“How could it be anything else? You want a one night stand and I don’t. I like you as well, even though you are infuriating. But me and you were never meant to be.”

His mouth opened and then closed. I had said enough because I could see the withdraw in him. What I said was true and he knew it. I wasn’t willing to give up anything for him, not for a night of pleasure. My body was worth more to me than that and being close to him made me feel like I was losing control of that. I didn’t want my control to slip.

“I don’t think much past today Stacy.”

I smiled at him and could see his expression had changed, almost contemplative. “I know Chris. It’s okay. Some people never change the rambling.”

“Am I a rambling man?”

“I don’t know, seems like it.”

We looked at each other for a time and I finally started back towards the beach. There was a few seconds that I had played out a future for us, but the problem was in every scenario I came up with in my head, there was no future for us. Not past today and I needed more. I wanted more than just one night. I wanted a life time and I knew I wasn’t going to get it with that.

***

The plane ride was less eventful than I thought it would be. I rode quietly to Jamaica with Keenan and I rode in silence on the way back with Chris. I didn’t try to break up the lack of sound, just embraced it. I didn’t want to talk about anything else. I only knew him for a weekend and he was taking up way too much of my thoughts and having too much control over my emotions, which had come in various waves over the last couple of days.

I thanked him for the ride home and he handed me a tape of every conference talk. It was far better than the notes that I had taken.

“I hope that you are wrong about never seeing each other again Stacy. That would never be my choice.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Chris stalked off to a waiting car and I went to my own car that was parked where I had left it. It looked much smaller that it had before. I don’t know why it looked like it wasn’t enough. I had lived the good life for too long and coming back to my reality was hard.

Looking behind me, I hoped to catch a glimpse of Chris. I don’t know why I had to see him one last time, but I knew that I was saddened because he was already gone. I was never going to see him again.

I called Keenan when I got home and had the tapes couriered over to him. I made sure that I kept it short. I was feeling weird and the way I felt right now, I didn’t want to talk to my boss. I just wanted to take a shower and sleep. I hadn’t done much of that the night before and I still had a crick in my neck from sleeping on the beach.

When I heard a knock at the door, I was irritated because I had just gotten undressed, but there was also a hope that I refused to acknowledge that it was Chris at the other side of the door.

Pulling a towel around me, I opened the door a crack and saw that it was Aunt Ashlyn. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I just came by to see what you were up to.” She saw what I was wearing as she pushed her way through the door. I didn’t know what to say to her, not after the weekend I had. “Who were you waiting for?”

I looked down. “No one. I was about to get in the shower.”

“Well I will wait.”

She had a tone that threw me off and made me worry. Why would she wait?

“No need. The water isn’t running or anything.” I closed the door behind her as she moved into the small apartment. “So what’s up Auntie?”

Ashlyn flashed a smile at me. “How was your trip?”

I shrugged. “It was okay. It wasn’t at all what I expected, but nothing ever is.”

“I see. So I heard that you ended up staying there with Chris Humphin?”

“Yeah. That was interesting.”

“Did anything happen?”

I looked at her and I wondered what she knew. Did she know that me and Chris had kissed? It was so unprofessional and so embarrassing.

“No, not really, why?”

She shrugged and walked into the kitchen to get some water. “I just know how Chris is. He is one of those men that I would have warned you about.”

“Why is that? He didn’t seem that bad.”

Ashlyn gave me a look that I knew well. She was calling my bullshit. He was a mess and if I hadn’t reined it in when we first met, there was no telling how my time with Chris would have ended up. I was thankful that it hadn’t gone anywhere, but it could have if he had pushed it more.

“Chris is a horrible womanizer. Never found one that he couldn’t have and let’s face it Stacy, you are every man’s dream.”

I felt uncomfortable with that comment. I had heard it before, but it wasn’t always said in a good way. It made me feel like I was never going to be taken seriously in business if everybody only seen the outside of me.

“Well he was fine. I think you are just thinking they are like that. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“Really?” Her brow went up and I looked away, not willing to have my eyes give me away.

“Yes really.”

“That’s good. Keenan thought the two of you were off to a rocky start when he left, but the tapes you had made for him made him happy. He called to tell me that you had done such a good job and that is when I found out he left you there. Are you sure everything was okay?”

“Yes, everything was fine. Really Ashlyn, you don’t have to worry.”

“I can’t help it Stacy, especially if you are going to be alone around men like Chris. You are too sweet sometimes for your own good.”

I may be innocent, but I didn’t particularly think of myself as sweet.

Chapter 9

Chris

“Sir?”

“What?”

“The meeting? Everyone is waiting for you. It started half an hour ago.”

I looked up at the clock on the other side of the room and cursed to myself. What the hell was I doing?

“Sorry Bill. Tell them I will be there in just a moment. I was getting some figures together for the merger.”

Bill was one of my many assistants and he was rather meek. I had never raised my voice to him, but my temper proceeds me and the rumors of it. He thanked me and then backed out of the office. I tried not to show my aggravation at his temperament. If I was honest, it wasn’t just Bill that was getting to me nowadays. It felt like everything was bothering me and there was nothing I could do about it.

I had a one-track mind and the person I was thinking of, wanted to have nothing to do with me. It was insane that I was bothered so much by Stacy, but it was silly to act like I wasn’t bothered to the core. There was nothing I could do about it though. It was just the way it was.

Stacy was a hard woman to get a hold of, especially when she didn’t want to see me again. I was close to finding an investigator to find out where she worked, something had to be done to see her again.

Ever since my weekend on the island with her, things had changed in my life. I no longer wanted anyone else. I wanted her and it became clear after I couldn’t bring myself to bring another woman to my bed, that Stacy was the only one that was going to scratch the itch that I had. It was constant and she held the only key to my relief.

Bill knocked on the door and said my name. “What?”

“The meeting?”

I looked back up at the clock and another fifteen minutes had gone by. My mind was a wreck and I was starting to see the resemblance between me and Keenan. I bet I had that same idiot grin on my face as he had. This was why I never wanted a woman in my life. They complicated everything and I just didn’t need it. Life was already complicated enough as far as I was concerned.

“Right, I am going now.”

I got up and struggled to pull myself together. The meeting was like pulling teeth and even though I was the one that had called the meeting, I let other people have their say. I didn’t want to be there and I finally called it off early. Bill had a cocked eyebrow for me, but I was ignoring him and the surprised looks from everyone else. They acted like I had never left a meeting early before.

Maybe I hadn’t.

Leaving the building, I drove over to the bistro for lunch and called Keenan to see what he was up to. I was really calling to see if I could get some information on his assistant, but I wasn’t going to come right out with that. I still wasn’t sure what this obsession with her even was and I didn’t want anyone to know about it.

“Keenan?”

“Chris, how are you doing?”

“Not too bad. Hadn’t talked to you since Jamaica. How did everything go with your wife and the baby?”

“They are fine. The doctor says that it is normal. She just got so freaked out and had me worried. You know how women can get sometimes.”

“Yes I do, but I try to stay away from all of that sort of thing.”

“You shouldn’t. I have never been happier.”

“So I hear. What are you doing right now? I am around the corner at Sunny’s if you want to have some lunch. I remembered that you live not too far from here, right?”

“Yeah, well I am not doing much of anything right now. Sunny’s sounds good. Order me a burger and I will be down in ten.”

I told him that I would and waited for him to show up. I was in the mood for information and I was going to get it. I wanted to see a friend sure, but it was Stacy that I had in mind. I wanted to see her again, no matter what I had to do to make it happen.

***

“I haven’t been here in months. Life is so hectic right now. How is it going with the Bayar merger?”

“Pretty good. I will make a tidy sum and I only had holdings on it for a few weeks. It was worth the investment.”

“Still making the world move.”

“You still out of the game?”

“Mainly. I pulled a lot of my money out and I am just going to put it in less risky investments that are more liquid.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Not really, just can’t take the risk anymore. I used to risk it all because I would make it back up, but now I am thinking of the long term. You know with a family, there is another generation to worry about.”

The conversation was heading to domestic Ville and I wanted to steer him back in the right direction. ”That’s why you need to take the risk and build it bigger. The way of inflation in the last decade, you have to take on a certain amount of risk just to keep the value of your money up.”

“I know Chris. Why are you pitching me? Have you heard of anything that I need to get into? You know I am always good for a short sell.”

I smiled. “That’s the man I was looking for. Do you want me to set it up with your little assistant?”

“Which one?”

“You know, Stacy, the one that was in Jamaica.”

“You remember her name? Impressive. That tells me that you must not have slept with her. I don’t know why that makes me so happy.”

I frowned his way and that just made him chuckle more. Was I that obvious and was it that easy to see that I was constantly forgetting a woman’s name. Was that why I knew it, because we hadn’t slept together?

“She is still your assistant, isn’t she?”

“Why are you so worried about it Chris?”

He was going to make me say it and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to admit that I was attracted to her and that I thought about her all of the time. It was embarrassing to say the least and I just didn’t want to. But Keenan was going to make me. I let out a sigh and he smiled bigger. He was enjoying this far too much.

“Because I would like to talk to her and see her again. If she is your assistant still, I imagine that it will be easier to find her.”

“Why?”

“What does it matter?”

“Because you know she is Ashlyn’s niece. Which means she is off limits. Besides, if you didn’t convince her on a tropical island, what makes you think you are going to do any better now?”

He had a good point, but I wasn’t interested in that. I wanted to see her and I wasn’t going to question how she felt about me or my skills. I didn’t like to think about the fact that I had never wanted a woman and not being able to convince her to give me what I wanted before. It was new territory and maybe I was kidding myself, but I had a feeling if I could get another shot, I would make it happen.

“Do you know something that I don’t know?”

He shrugged and asked me what I meant. “Well I mean, do you know anything about Stacy that I should know?”

Keenan still didn’t get what I was asking. “Do you know why the girl doesn’t want to fuck?”

He busted out in laughter and I didn’t find it amusing. “Is that what has you all uptight? Chris you can’t have them all.”

“I have before.”

“Maybe you are getting old.”

I was finding my old friend less and less funny by the moment. He was having a good old time at my expense though, his face practically red from laughing so hard.

“I am not getting old. There is something about that chick and no matter what I do she will not give me the time of day. There has to be something wrong with her. Is she lesbian or something?” I just wanted to know what it was because she was driving me absolutely mad. I should have had her underneath me a week ago and I still couldn’t fathom why. I was quite a damn catch after all.

“Maybe you just aren’t her type, but I don’t think she is gay.”

“Have you asked?”

“Why would I Chris? She works for me and I am married.”

“Yeah but Keenan that is one hot piece of ass right there.”

“I told you before that if you find the right one you won’t look anymore.”

I told him that he was full of shit, but really I was just mad because I was sick of wondering and he wasn’t helping me out at all.

“Okay look Chris, I will not give you her number because I don’t want Ashlyn or Stacy mad at me, but I will tell you that she is going to be at the Radisson with me tomorrow. There is a meeting at the ground floor restaurant. I am meeting with my father-in law. You are more than welcome to pop up and see what happens.”

That wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but it was going to have to be enough. I felt like I owed him something, so I gave him a jump on a short sell that I was about to do as well.

“Just wait until the morning to make the move. I don’t want us to do it too far apart. Once we drop, so many others will as well.”

Keenan agreed, but I was already thinking about Stacy and seeing her again. I didn’t know what my excuse was going to be to see her again, but I knew that I was going to find a way to make her mine. It was all consuming, this need to have her and the more I thought about her, the more I was sure that she had put some kind of spell on me. It had to be what it was. What else could it be besides that?

I left the bistro with a little hope in the back of my heart. I wasn’t sure if it was warranted yet. Nothing with Stacy had gone the way I thought it was going to go, but that was okay, I told myself. It was the differences that made me want her so much, so how could that be bad?

Chapter 10

Stacy

The work week was going by quickly. Between the bar and helping Keenan out, I was staying pretty busy which was just as well. I had a lot on my mind otherwise, thoughts and feelings that I just didn’t want to deal with.

When I got to work Friday afternoon to meet with Keenan for a lunch meeting, I was exhausted from working the night before. Bartending paid the bills, but it was hard to work nights sometimes. This was one of those times.

“Good to see you Stacy. Did you bring what I asked?”

Keenan was so impressed with the tapes of the meetings at the conference that he wanted to start doing it with all of his meetings now. He said he liked to have a record. He said he was so distracted half of the time that he was there, so it was better to be able to go back and hear it all again. To me, it was boring enough the first time around for me to ever want to hear it again. But I couldn’t say things like that, no matter how badly I wanted to.

“Of course Keenan. Here you go. Are we early?”

He checked his watch. “We aren’t, but he is late. That is always the way with Ronald. He thinks that when he is there, the time is right. He has a bit of a complex about it, so don’t mention it.”

I nodded my head, not sure if he was joking or not. Keenan liked to kid around a lot, but when he did so, he had such a straight face that I really wasn’t sure what he was thinking. So I didn’t know if he was being for real or not. I wasn’t going to mention it though, just in case.

We sat down and waited for another ten minutes or so until his father-in-law showed up. Ronald was a legend that even I had read about and heard about. He was filthy rich much like all of the rest of the men I met through Keenan, but Ronald was some kind of stocks guru from what I have gathered. He was the type of guy that people waited for, even people like Keenan. It was interesting to see the hierarchy of the rich. It was fascinating, if not a little boring. I had more entertainment from trying to figure out the people, far more than I tried to figure out the job or what it even was that they were talking about.

Everyone was looking at menus while the waiter brought drinks. Since working with Keenan, I noticed that my taste buds were taking on culture. I could never afford even a lunch from this particular restaurant in this swanky hotel, but I knew already what I wanted.

Closing the menu, I looked over and groaned a little too loud because Keenan heard me. “What is it?”

“Your friend is here Keenan.”

He looked where my attention was and he smiled. “Oh well small world, isn’t it?”

I agreed, but I was trying to figure out what in the world was he doing here? I had thought I would never see him again and now he was walking towards the table and my body responded in the only way it apparently knew how.

If we would have been alone, I would have asked Chris what the hell it was that he was doing here. I didn’t know what to say though and his dark eyes landed on mine and didn’t let them go.

“It’s uh, good to see you too Chris.”

He smiled at me and my heart flopped in my chest for some reason.  Why did he have such a pull on me? It wasn’t fair or right and I wanted that to change more than anything else that was going on. I wanted to be free of the feelings of Chris. Ashlyn had warned me about him and I knew that she was right to do so. He looked at me as if I was his next meal and I didn’t like to be thought of as the fodder.

“Why don’t you join us Chris? We were just about to order.”

Chris broadened the grin on his face. I knew that he had gotten exactly what he wanted. Chris always got what he wanted in the end. That is what he had told me in Jamaica and I was starting to see what it was he was talking about.

“Well I don’t want to intrude.”

“Not at all, old friend. It’s about time you met my father-in-law anyways.”

The two men met and I watched Chris and his demeanor. There were three open chairs, but of course he chose to sit down next to me. It was like he knew what his closeness did to me and he didn’t care. That or he was trying to drive me absolutely mad.

“It’s good to see you again Stacy. I told you that I would.”

“Yes you did. So what are you doing here Chris?”

“Business. I just finished a meeting in the hotel, but I didn’t get to have lunch. It was a good thing that I saw you guys here.”

“Yeah, good thing.”

I didn’t trust him. He was up to no good and the glint in his dark eyes told me that he knew exactly what it was he was doing. I was just a part of his plan and the idea of that scared me a little bit. I knew that nothing good was going to come from this chance meeting, if that was even what it was.

The men talked about business and I only had to start the recorder. Keenan let them all know that he was recording the conversation and Chris pulled out his own. “It’s a good habit and it jogs my memory if I had too much to drink the night before.

“Well son, you should really get a handle on that drinking. I used to drink, years ago when I first met my wife. She made me stop almost immediately and you know that was when I started to really make some money. I didn’t realize how much it was affecting my performance.”

“I do okay Ronald.”

“I know you have done well Chris, but there is always more out there for you. Never settle with okay.”

Ronald took a drink of his water and even though I was tempted to take a drink of the wine in front of him, I abstained. I wanted to see how Chris responded and he didn’t pull any punches. I had learned that rich had big egos and they were not afraid to say what was on their mind. What was the worst that could happen really? They had no need to look to others for any part of their survival.

“Okay is a term I use to deflect. I am doing quite well Ronald. I think when I am your age, I will have long surpassed your net worth.”

That got the older man paying attention and I swear that if he could have looked Chris up, he would have started compounding numbers to see if it was true. It was like a cock fight without any birds and looks, words.

“Well we all have enough. Gemma is telling me all the time, what are you going to do with what you have?”

Ronald smiled and seemed to settle down a little. “She is just like her mother. She heard her say it so much that Gemma took it to heart.”

“Yes, she does get a lot from your wife and of that I am thankful. She has really opened my eyes to the possibilities. Here I am, working all of the time and at some point I have to wonder when enough will be enough.”

Chris made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat. Was it really that bad to feel that way? It was how I felt. I didn’t want the world, just a small piece of it to call my own. The men at this table, these three men had more wealth than small countries. I had wondered myself, what for.

“What do you think Stacy? Do you think enough is enough?”

I turned to Chris and narrowed my eyes at him. He had a knack of putting me on the spot. He did things like that to me because I was sure that he liked to watch me squirm.

“I think everyone at this table has more than enough.”

Ronald busted out a loud laugh that startled me. “Now that is a judicious answer. What is your name girl?”

Keenan apologized. “I am sorry for not making proper introductions. Ronald, this is my assistant Stacy. Do you remember Ashlyn that was with me the first time that I met you?” Ronald nodded. “This is her niece.”

“Well your aunt is a delight Stacy, but I am sure that you know that.”

“Yes she is.”

Ronald and Keenan had taken me out of the fire and I was thankful for them. I tried to ignore Chris, but after a few moments I felt the familiar touch of his thigh against mine. I tried to move away from him and act like nothing was going on, but he wasn’t going for it. Just like before. Chris upped the ante quickly and I felt his hand on my thigh. He was pulling me back towards him. I had to stop myself from crying out in surprise.

I turned to Chris and told him to stop, mouthing the words under my breath. He just kind of smiled and pretended that he was paying attention to the stock talk going on between Ronald and Keenan. I could only focus on the hot palm that was going up my leg, it was impossible to think of anything else. What had started as an innocent touch that could have been waved off, it was now becoming more. His hand had started at my knee, but was quickly moving closer to my nether region and my anxiety was rising with his hand.

“So Stacy, what do you think of the market?”

Chris was doing it again. The smirk on his face was one that I wanted to slap off of him.

“I don’t care much for the market. I don’t have enough to worry about the market anyways. It is fascinating in some ways, but just not for me.”

Ronald told me that I was a breath of fresh air, but I could only smile. I wasn’t really listening anyways. I was far too worried about the touch on my upper thigh. As his hands pulled me closer to him, I cried out when I felt him opening my legs as far as the pencil skirt would allow, which wasn’t much. As he moved under the fabric, my face started to burn. I should have stopped him, told myself that I should have, but it just felt so damn good I didn’t want to. I wanted more. I wanted him.

I tried to move away, but he held me still as he fingered my panties. I gasped at the touch and Keenan looked over at me worried. “Are you okay Stacy?”

“Yeah, I am fine.”

He had a question in his gaze that I didn’t answer. It was all just too much. I wanted to stop Chris, but part of me wanting to see where the build-up was going to lead me. I could feel everything around me getting hot and I wanted more. God, I needed more.

Instead of pushing his hand away, what I should have done, something told me to lean down in my seat and open my legs the rest of the way. I wanted him to have easy access and I was overwhelmed as his fingers touched on my sensitive core. I jerked and my face was burning, but I didn’t want to move. I wanted more and soon I had tried to close my legs because the more was just becoming too much. I was shaking and Chris was not going to let it stop. He was pushing me to whole new heights.

“Are you sure you are okay Stacy?”

Keenan looked concerned and it was then that my body exploded from Chris’ ministrations. “I am fine, really.”

I didn’t sound fine. My breath came out fast and my words were clipped and then nonexistent. I had to stomp on Chris’ foot to get him to stop and he was the one that made a loud noise.

“Excuse me while I go freshen up.”

“Let me know if you need anything Stacy.”

I looked at Chris and his satisfied smile, but I didn’t say a word. I just couldn’t. Instead I walked away and tried to pull myself together. My knees were weak and I knew that he was going to be a problem. Chris popping up was no coincidence. I knew that much for sure.

How could I get through my day, knowing that he may just pop up wherever I was? Who had told him that I would be here?

There were many questions that I wanted answers to, but I had to take care of the squish feeling between my legs. I was mortified that I had let him, maybe even made it easier for him, but I couldn’t help it. Chris knew what felt good and it was impossible to deny the pleasure that I had gotten from his touches.

I steadied myself in the mirror and tried to not see the differences now so evident to me. My eyes were practically glowing and there was a flush to my face. It was also clear that I had thoroughly enjoyed it all. I worried that when I went back out there, the other two men would know what happened. It was bad enough that Chris knew what was going on. It was worse to know that others may know as well.

I didn’t want to stay in the bathroom too long, but I took time for the red to leave my cheeks. Something that could shouldn’t be that wrong, but I knew that it was wrong. Working myself up, I finally just sent a text to Keenan that I wasn’t feeling well and that I would get a copy of the meeting sent to him. I was just going to have Chris send him one, since it was his fault for the irritating stickiness in my panties and my mental state at the moment anyways.

Chapter 11

Chris

“Stacy just text. Says she isn’t feeling too well and is going to leave.”

I kind of smiled to myself, telling Keenan that I hoped she felt better soon. “I am sure she will be fine, but she certainly didn’t look well, did she?”

He gave me a meaningful look and I didn’t return it. I wasn’t going to discuss this with Keenan and certainly not in front of Ronald. Ronald made a comment about Ashlyn and the peculiar way she looked at things. I was relieved to get the subject off of the woman that just jetted out of here in such a way. I know that it was my fault, but I didn’t feel the guilt like I should have. I didn’t feel anything but a slight amusement.

Stacy had responded to me in the most beautiful way and I was dying to taste her juices on my finger. I just hadn’t found a way to do so, but I was going to as soon as I could.

“No, she did look a little flushed. I find this hotel a little on the warm side. Maybe she just got a little overheated.” It would explain the flush in her face that I had seen before she ran off.

“I suppose. I will call later and make sure that she is okay. Ashlyn would have my head if anything happened to her niece on my watch.”

“Lovely girl.”

I seconded the sentiment of Ronald, but Keenan didn’t comment one way or another. Like he said, he truly didn’t have eyes for anyone else but his wife.

“She is quite lovely.”

Keenan shot me a look and I just took the pose of a man that was innocent, even though the hard on under the table would have told otherwise. I was even surer than I was before. I had to have that woman, one way or another.

***

I couldn’t wait to see Stacy again, so I finally just weaseled her for information to find her address from Keenan. He didn’t want to, but I already had what I needed by the time he had figured out what it was that I wanted. I had been warned about her again, but I think he knew that it wasn’t going to happen. There was no way that I was going to give up. I couldn’t. She had done something to me that I didn’t really understand, but it was impossible to deny. Stacy had changed me.

Nervous to be standing in front of her door, I waited a few moments to let my heart calm down so that I could think properly. For all of the time that I had waited for this, I still wasn’t sure what I was doing here. Stacy made it clear that she wasn’t interested. I should respect it, but that meant that I would have to give her up. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t even get her out of my mind enough to think that was possible.

So I knocked and waited. The parking lot had several cars in it and I couldn’t quite remember what kind of car she had. There were no windows in the front, so all I had to look at was a door with a small hole in it. Was she on the other side of it, looking out at me?

If she was, Stacy didn’t answer. I was so sure that this would be it. It was hard for me to leave because it felt like a defeat. There was a moment I thought about staying for a while and waiting for her, but I didn’t want to feel like a stalker either. After what had happened today, I thought that Stacy would feel differently about everything. I know that I certainly did and I didn’t understand why she wasn’t as bothered by our encounters as I was. I had never had a woman be so blasé about out intimate time together. It was one thing that I had always excelled in. Stacy was killing my confidence.

Finally I just left and drove back home, taking the long way to give myself time to think. I wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to be with me, but I knew what her excuse was. She said that we had no future and maybe she was right, but at the same time she could be wrong as well.

With the information I was given, I was also provided with a couple of phone numbers for her. The first one didn’t yield anything and the second one got me a voicemail. I hung up before I could leave a message, not sure what to say and irritated to no end that I didn’t have the guts to say it.

I needed some courage and to hell with what Ronald says, I needed a drink. I need to forget about the raven-haired vixen with the purple eyes and the curves for days. She was taking over my thoughts and my whole life. I needed some way to stop thinking about her, just for a while. I didn’t like to admit it to myself, but a woman had finally gotten to me and I hadn’t even seen it coming.

The closest bar was a small one that I had never heard of before. I thought I was going in for a drink, but I was quickly changing my mind about everything. Someone was there that I hadn’t expected, though I remembered vaguely Stacy telling me that she worked at a bar. I hadn’t figured it would be one quite like this.

“Well small world, isn’t it?”

She was not happy to see me and I knew from the expression on her face that she thought I was following her. I wasn’t of course, it was a coincident this time, but considering the one I had created a little while ago and then took full advantage of, I could see why she was a little hesitant to see the truth.

“I swear I had no idea you worked here.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I had just came from her house.

“So you just happened to come into this bar, on this street, miles away from where you live?”

“Well when you put it like that.”

“Stacy, who is your friend? He is yummy. Is this who you have been holding out for?”

A brunette was smiling my way and she was passably cute, but I wasn’t here for her. I didn’t have eyes for her, but for her friend. Holding out?

“Angie shut up. He is just a customer. Why don’t you go ahead and get him something to drink while I go into the back for some more limes to cut?”

Angie nodded her head at Stacy and I don’t know why, but even I would have listened and done what she said. Stacy had an air about her in this place, or maybe it was because I was here, because of what I had done to her in the restaurant. I hadn’t thought to do it, it wasn’t premeditated, but it was enjoyed thoroughly with every fiber of my being.

“What can I get for you honey?”

“A beer and a bottle of tequila. It is going to be a long night.”

Angie smiled at me and told me that when I was done with Stacy, she got off at two. There was no temptation, even though before there maybe would have been. I had my blinders on, only seeing a small tunnel of light that ended with Stacy.

It was a while until Stacy came out and I was still where she had left me.

“What are you doing here Chris?”

I held up the bottle and showed her my glass. “Would you like some?”

“No thanks. I don’t really drink.”

“But you work at a bar.”

Stacy shrugged and I just took her in. She was wearing tight jeans that made her ass look incredible and a short T shirt that was tied in the front. It was a very different get-up than what she was wearing today, talking to some of the richest men in the country over amazing food. How could she go so easily from one world to the other?

“Yes, I do work at a bar. You are very adept tonight. I wouldn’t drink too much Chris, you might lose it.”

“I can see the claws are out tonight.”

“I already had to deal with you at one job Chris. I really don’t want to have to deal with you at the other one.”

“You had to deal with me? If I remember right Stacy, I think you dealt with it just fine, even helping in the end.”

She did not like that answer and I could see the anger leap into her eyes like it was a flame. I didn’t know what to say to her, or what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to see her and damn, her eyes did flash when she was mad.

“You embarrassed me. How am I supposed to look Keenan in the eyes after that?”

I shrugged and told her that he had no clue. She had hidden it well and even I had to wonder if I had made it all up. But there had been slick fluid on my fingers and I knew that she had come to full pleasure. I wasn’t going to stop until she did and Stacy had gone over the edge sooner that I thought she would. I hadn’t even really done much more than rub her for a minute or so. She was primed and ready. Was she now?

“It’s fine Stacy. No one will ever know but me and you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel any better?”

“Maybe not. I like that we have a little secret between us.”

“I don’t Chris. I don’t want to have anything between us.”

“You can’t stop it.” God, I really hoped she couldn’t. I knew that if I could get my hands on her, I would be able to change her mind and stop all of this nonsense. It was going to happen, sooner or later and I had never been a patient man for too long.

A man at the other side of the bar called out Stacy’s name and she moved to get him some drinks. He watched her ass as she bent down to get the beer and I felt a rage run through me. No one else was supposed to be looking at her, she was mine and it was about time that I took what was mine.

But Stacy had other plans and she avoided me most of the night. As I drank more, she ignored me more and before long I was slurring. I had drunk too much and I let my head rest on the bar.

***

I woke up with my face on the side of the bar and what I was going to hope was my own drink from the night before. It took a minute for my eyes to open and adjust to the light. I groaned from the pain in my head and Stacy walked up behind me.

“Rough night?”

“Yes. Why am I here??”

“Well I didn’t know where your car was or where you live, so I figured this was the best place to keep you.”

“Thank you Stacy. I don’t know what came over me last night. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Don’t thank me, thank the owner. I told her that you would pay off all of the outstanding tabs on her books to thank her.”

“Why do I get a feeling this night’s rest is going to cost me?”

“It will I would imagine. We have a lot of tabs open.”

I frowned and stopped her with my hand. “What happened last night?”

“Nothing Chris. You just had too much to drink, happens all the time. I need to get to work. I was supposed to meet Keenan half an hour ago, so can we go?”

I could see that she was irritated with me and I felt like a scolded pooch. Sliding off of the stool, my head was dying and I knew that it wasn’t going to get better for a while. I wanted to talk to Stacy, but she locked up and started walking to her car. When I moved in her direction, she stopped me and told me that my car was the other way.

“Why don’t we make this our last meeting Chris?”

She didn’t wait for an answer that she wouldn’t want to hear it anyways. I knew I had blown it and I was going to have to do something to get her back. What had I said and done last night that had her so upset?

Sighing to myself, I got in my car and leaned back against the seat rest. There really was no telling, but I had to figure it out. I didn’t want to mess things up before they even got started.

Chapter 12

Stacy

“Sorry I am late Keenan.”

“It’s okay Stacy. I have a few things I need copied, but everything else is taken care of.”

I was a little surprised that he wasn’t mad at me. I wasn’t just a little late, I was really late and I even disrupted the meeting as I got there.

“I am so sorry Keenan.”

“Really, it’s fine. We all have to take care of things from time to time.”

“So did he call you?”

He grinned and told me that he had. “Said he passed out in the bar you worked at last night and you had to get him up to close up. I guess I should apologize for introducing you. Chris has changed a lot in the last year, or maybe it is just the way I look at things now and I used to be just as bad.”

“There is no need to apologize. You aren’t his keeper.”

“I have never seen him act this way with a woman before. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that he was in love.” My heart was beating hard in my ears, roaring so loudly that I couldn’t hear much else. 

What did he mean by that?

“Stacy?”

“Huh?”

“So did everything work out okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I locked up and he got into his car and left.”

“Well thank you for being so helpful. I don’t know what has gotten into him lately.”

“We all go through fazes.” Why was I acting like it was no big deal? It was a huge deal and the more I was around Chris, the harder it was to pretend that it wasn’t a big deal at all.

“You handled it very well and I thank you for that. Chris is a very old and very good friend. He has went off the rails a couple of times before and gotten into trouble, but he has a good heart. He needs to be grounded a little though and the best thing for him was to sleep it off. I hope he has a crick in his neck for a week to remind him to stop being an idiot.”

“How do you guys know each other?” I was still convinced that all of the rich people met together once and a while secretly.

“We met in college. It seems like it was a lifetime ago, over a decade ago.” Keenan smiled and looked down, aware that he had just disclosed his age. I didn’t really care either way, though I wouldn’t have guessed he was that old.

“You said he has gone off the rails before?”

Keenan nodded and I was thankful that he didn’t seem to want to know why I was so interested. I knew that it would be wondered about and I was thankful that he wasn’t giving me a hard time about it. He seemed too into the conversation and his own memories to realize anything else.

“Yeah. He has no base. No family to tell him to cool out. So he goes off and has a few benders, gets in fights. He is in his thirties now and he needs to be more careful. He has a lot of money and someone would love to sue him for as much as they could. I don’t think Chris would care too much, but I know that I hate to see him that way.”

Keenan gave me a lot to think about and a lot of paperwork to bundle and send to several businesses. It was good to have work to do to keep me busy, Keenan paid far better than the bar did, but I wished for something that would take my mind off of what Keenan had told me. I had a family to keep me grounded and I started to wonder what would be different in my life if I hadn’t.

My mind kept going back and forth from Chris now and a Chris then. He told me that he had worked all through college and now it made more sense. Chris was self-made and he most likely understood me more than I had first given him credit for. I had most likely been the one that was way off in my assessment of him. I thought that I knew what he was about, but after talking to Keenan I wasn’t so sure. He talked about Chris a lot and I had a feeling that he was closer to what his friend was then I did.

I went home confused and again thinking about Chris. It was becoming a routine that was hard to shake. He was hard to shake. I asked him this morning if that would be our last meeting, but I really hoped it wasn’t. I wanted to see him again. I really did, even if I knew that it was going to be trouble.

***

I didn’t see Chris again for another week and I feared that he was going to take my word for it and I wouldn’t see him again. He said the bar was a coincidence, but he said the same about coming to the hotel. Was he really going to stay away? And if he was, why was I so upset with the idea of it all? I knew that it was for the best, so why did I feel like I had lost something of great value that I wasn’t going to get back?

That was my dilemma and the problem was that I didn’t even know where Chris was. I certainly couldn’t ask my employer about him. If Keenan didn’t bring him up, neither did I. I just couldn’t. I didn’t want Keenan to know that I had fallen for his friend.

Wait, was that what this was? Had I fallen for the man that I could never have? I just shook my head. It was about my luck if I was honest. I never had good luck with of it and I knew that I had to change my feelings towards him. If I didn’t, I was never going to get my heart back. I wasn’t ready to throw it away, not like that.

But then Chris just popped up like he seemed to always do. This time it was at a store that I went to for shopping right down the road from my house. I had the night off and I was grabbing something to make for dinner.

“Fancy meeting you here Stacy.”

I rolled my eyes. “So what are you doing here Chris? Do you even do your own shopping?” I imagined that he had a person that he paid to do all of that mundane stuff for him.

“Of course I do my own shopping.”

“So where is it?”

He had an empty cart and he looked over at the fruit in front of him and grabbed a bag of lemons up.

“You needed lemons?”

“Yep.”

“For what?”

He paused and didn’t answer. “Well for lemonade.”

He was full of it and I told him so. “What are you making with all of this?”

“Bulgogi.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a Korean dish. It is really good and I never have time to cook with both jobs and everything.”

“You work too hard. How do you do it all and go to school?”

“The same as you I suppose.”

“I don’t like to see you struggle Stacy.”

The only thing I was struggling with was the handful of things in my hands. I put my things in his cart and told him that he could help me stop struggling by pushing the cart and helping me shop. There was a silence between us, but I didn’t take it badly. It was a comfortable one that I was okay with. He was here and everything felt right with the world, even if my insides shook from his presence.

“So are you going to invite me over for dinner Stacy?”

I sighed and asked him if he was going to be good.

“Of course Stacy, I am always good.”

He had a grin on his face and I was afraid he was right about that. I bet he was good at many things.

“Fine, come over for dinner, but you really need to just stop popping up like this Chris.”

“Can I help it that fate seems to be thrusting us back together again? I can’t stop fate Stacy. It is just meant to be, me and you.”

“Meant to be?”

“I know, sounds cheesy, but it is the way it is. If I would have heard someone saying that before, I would have told them they were an idiot. You have made me into an idiot Stacy and the worst part is that I don’t really care.”

I didn’t know what to say, but I did like when he called himself an idiot. “You were an idiot before I met you Chris. I don’t want to take credit for that.”

He growled at me and I made my way to the register. I put his lemons up on the conveyor belt and I told him that he could make me some lemonade for dinner. Chris didn’t look that sure and I was going to most likely find it hilarious when he didn’t even know how to make that. He may have had to grow up and do things on his own when he was younger, but Chris was now a man that was very accustomed to getting everything that he wanted.

We left the store and his driver followed me to my house. He told the man to leave, but I am sure he was a block or two away, awaiting his call to pick him up. I found it weird to have a man driving me around, but for Chris I guess it was normal. It is funny what normal can be sometimes for some people.

There was a moment before I opened my door that I was nervous of what he would think. My mind was on a million things, but I didn’t want him to think less of me. My residence was assuredly far less classy than his. I had a feeling that my whole apartment would fit in one of his rooms. I knew that Chris had a huge mansion, but I just wasn’t sure where. A guy like him most likely had several huge houses to call his own.

But this apartment was mine and we couldn’t all be rich. I tried to push the worry aside. What else could I do? This is where I lived and for some reason Chris seemed into me. I don’t know why, but I was going to enjoy it while it lasted. An evening with Chris was a little nerve racking, but at the same time I was excited to be with him.

Chapter 13

Chris

I was getting shameless now. This was the second time I had sought her out in as many weeks as it had been since I met her. Was this what Keenan had told me about? Now all I could think about was Stacy and now I was here, right where I wanted to be. I should have been confident, as I was every time before, but with Stacy I didn’t have the same assurance that I had with other women. I had to stop myself from wondering if she was sent into my life to wreck it. Stacy had come in with a soft whisper, but now she was a roaring storm that took over everything.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“I thought you didn’t drink?”

“I don’t really. Once and a while I will have some sake with my dinner, especially if it is some kind of Asian food. It’s really strong to me, so I don’t need that much at all.”

I agreed to her plan. She instructed me to pour us a couple of small glasses full while she got dinner going. I wasn’t used to being put to work and I felt almost clumsy. How long had it been since I had poured my own drinks? I can’t say for certain, but I knew that it had been too long. I had lost something along the way with all of the money that I had. Somehow I had forgotten how to do some of the more basic things. I didn’t particularly like the reminder of that, at all.

“Do you need me to do something else?”

“What else do you know how to do in the kitchen?”

I thought for a minute and I have to say that I didn’t like how hard such a simple question turned out to be. There was just something about the way she looked at me as well, even if I did know anything else to say to impress her, every time she smiled at me like I was hopeless, my brain turned a little foggy. I wasn’t running with all of my engines, another side effect that I had learned to live with since meeting Stacy for the first time.

“Not much, but I am a quick study.”

Stacy wasn’t convinced. She finally gave me the duty of cutting the lettuce for the salad. I didn’t think that it would be that hard, but I wasn’t even halfway through the small task when I had cut my finger and had to stop everything. The only good thing that came from my impromptu cooking lesson was the fact that Stacy was determined to fix me up.

“Just don’t move Chris. I have to clean it out.”

I was taking a drink of the sake I’d poured and I had to say that I was more than a little tipsy. Stacy was right, this stuff was strong and my body wasn’t used to the rice liquor.

“It will be fine Stacy. You don’t have to do anything.”

She moved in behind me and held my hand under the cold water. I didn’t even feel the cool water on my finger, all I could feel was the woman behind me, pressing against me in a way that drove me crazy. Her large breasts jiggled against my back, smashing against me as she held my hand under the faucet. I never wanted to move, but soon Stacy turned the water off and told me to take a seat.

Stacy came back with a first aid kit from her bathroom.

“It’s not that bad, really.”

“Well you don’t need stitches or anything like that, but it wouldn’t hurt to cover it so you don’t bleed out all over the apartment, don’t you think?”

I suppose so. I took another drink of the clear fire water and she finally took the glass from me. “I think you have had enough Chris.”

“I’ve heard that before.’

“I bet you have. Maybe Ronald is right. You really need to think about not drinking. This can’t be healthy for you.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I do.”

“Then why do you ignore my advances?”

“I am not ready for those kinds of advances. Did you ever think of that?”

“What do we have to, date officially or something? What do you want?”

She looked at me like she didn’t know what I was talking about, but I had to wonder how could she not?

“What do you mean Chris?”

“I mean what do you want from me Stacy? Everyone wants something.”

“I don’t want anything from you Chris. I just want to fix your hand so that you will feel better. It doesn’t help that you are thinning out your blood with all of that alcohol.”

“I’ll be fine. I have drunk way more than this at one time.”

“I am sure you have.”

My hand was bandaged before I knew it and she had me sit on the couch to settle down. I think she was afraid I was going to fall, though I wasn’t as bad off as she thought I was. I was just a little tired.

“I am going to make you some dinner Chris. You just sit there while I make some coffee.”

I thanked her, but I don’t remember much after that. I hadn’t slept in days and I don’t know if it was a combination of finally seeing her and the relief that came with it, or the sake, but I don’t remember much past that.

When I woke up, it was dark and my eyes adjusted to the room. It took my mind a minute to remind me where I was and why I was there. I groaned out loud to realize that I had done it again. Maybe Ronald was right…

Making my way to the back bedroom that I knew was where Stacy was, I saw that she was sleeping under the covers. I wanted to sleep with her, so I got in bed next to her. I wasn’t going to do anything, but if nothing else I was going to blame it on the liquor in the morning. I felt horrible, but my body had long since metabolized the alcohol. I had passed out from exhaustion more than anything else.

Now I was able to lie next to Stacy. It wasn’t at all what I wanted, not by a long shot, but as she had said before, she was not ready for what I wanted. How long could I wait though? It felt like things were moving at a snail pace.

I went to bed thinking about the woman lying next to me. She moved about several times before settling against me like she was coming to me for warmth. It was one moment that I didn’t want to ravage her because I felt a feeling of protection run through me. I wanted her to be safe in my arms, not just underneath me for our beneficial pleasure.

***

“What are you doing in here?”

Her voice woke me up. The tone of it threw me off. I didn’t know what to say. I was in her bed and Stacy was holding the sheet up against her like she was naked underneath. Her shoulders were bare and I started to realize that maybe she was naked. I had been lying next to her with not a stitch on and done nothing? This may have been the first time for that, ever.

“Sorry, I think I came in here last night. I was kind of out of it.”

“Yes you were. For a man that drinks, you really can’t handle sake.”

I grinned at her. “For someone that doesn’t drink, you seem to be doing a lot better than I am.”

Stacy looked worried and I didn’t like that look on her face. I certainly didn’t like her looking at me like that. It was as if she pitied me. What did I have to be pitied for? My life was perfect.

“I kind of worry about you, Chris. The last couple of times that I have seen you, you have been in this condition. Is this normal for you?”

Normal? I don’t even know what normal is anymore. She had me so damn twisted up I was starting to think that I would never know what normal was and if I did, it would be defined in two different ways. The normal before Stacy and the normal after, yet I didn’t know if there was going to be a normal after her.

“I wouldn’t say normal. The last couple of weeks haven’t been too normal for me.”

Stacy wrapped the sheet around herself, but it did little to nothing to cover up things that I started to notice. Her rosy red tip was seen through the thin fabric of the sheet and I could see where the nipple pressed out because it was so hard. I liked to think that it was because of me, yet I knew that it could have been the air conditioner that kicked on instead. I could think what I wanted though, couldn’t I?

The curve of her hip was pronounced, which helped me to imagine what I had seen before. Stacy was still chewing her bottom lip nervously. “It hasn’t been too normal for me either. You, this, certainly isn’t normal for me.”

“I would hope not.”

“What are you doing Chris? I mean, why do you keep showing up everywhere I am?”

“I want you Stacy and I am not going to take no for an answer. I will wear you down eventually if I have to.”

“That is your strategy, whittle me down?”

The way she said it made me laugh. “Well I don’t like how that sounds, but yeah if that is what I have to do. I want this to work Stacy.”

“It doesn’t seem very effective. I had the impression that you were a lady’s man. Is that what you always do?”

“No, this is not my usual style. Most of the time I have women begging for it in just a few minutes. You are different and don’t seem to be affected by me.”

“I wouldn’t say that I am not affected by you Chris. I think you know that isn’t true.”

“Yeah but you are not ready for this yet, are you?”

I have pulled her to me and she had to make a choice to hold the sheet up or to push me away. She kept her modesty intact, but that meant that I was able to pull her hard to my chest and kiss her. It wasn’t a long one and I didn’t linger. I just wanted to show her what it was I was waiting for. From her surprised reaction she was closer than she had been a week or two before. She could call it bad strategy or not, but it was working, even if it was far too slow for my taste. At least we were moving in the right direction.

“Well, are you Stacy?”

It took a minute for her eyes to open and I swear they were more purple than ever before.

“No, I didn’t think that you were.”

“What do you want from me Chris?”

It was a simple question, but it was so much more than that. She wanted an answer to a question that I hadn’t even asked myself yet. How was I supposed to answer? I don’t know what I wanted, at this point it was unclear, but I didn’t want to leave anything out.

“I want everything Stacy.”

Chapter 14

Stacy

“Are you okay Stacy?”

“Yeah, I am fine Angie. Can you believe that we are so dead tonight?”

“It is weird for a Friday night. One of us can leave early. Did you want to go?”

I shook my head that I didn’t. I needed the money and I didn’t have anywhere to go. We both knew that it was going to be her that left early. Angie had a life to get to while mine was still on hold until I got out of college.

“Well if you are going to stay, then I am going to take off. There is no need for both of us to be here if we aren’t making any money.”

I agreed and hoped that it would get busier. There was still another hour until close and I was hopeful that I would still make my quota for the night. If nothing else I would be able to start closing up early and get out of here before two.

After Angie left, I got a couple of more drinks for the few people that were in the bar and I made my way to the back to grab some beer cases from the cooler. I had to restock everything and it was better to get it done while it was dead like it was.

I was leaned into the floor cooler, trying to get another case in my arms before I went to the front when I turned around to Chris standing there. He scared the hell out of me and I dropped a case, glass bottles breaking and beer running out on the door.

“You have got to stop doing that Chris, seriously.”

He just kind of grinned at me and bent down to help me pick up the broken glass. “I will pay for the beer. I am sorry. I wanted to surprise you. I was back in town from Europe and you were the first person I wanted to see. I figured you were down here toiling away.”

He had made comments like that before, but most of the time I just ignored him. I did feel like I was toiling, but coming from a man with all of that money, it just made it worse somehow. It made me not want to talk to him. This was my life right now, so there was really nothing that I could do about it. I would be out of college soon enough. Though I doubted I would ever make the kind of money that he makes, I would be far more comfortable than I was now.

“Yeah, I am always toiling away here it seems like. Though who says toil? I don’t think I have heard that said in a very long time.”

“It is a good word.”

“So why are you here? Are you here to see me toil?”

“I guess I am. I just wanted to see you and make sure that I hadn’t made you all up in a dream after a bender.”

I was trying to keep my distance and I started back towards the door that led out into the bar area. I needed to get away from him because I knew that no matter what I did, I was going to have to put some space between us before something happened. Every time Chris was close to me, I lost it. It was like that, whether I liked it or not. I just had to figure out a way to make sure that it didn’t happen again.

“Nope, still real and I have a real job to do.”

“Where is your help tonight, what was her name?”

“You really are bad with woman’s names, aren’t you?”

“Why do you ask that?”

I giggled a little because I forgot that I probably wasn’t supposed to share that bit that Keenan told me about him. Chris had moved in front of my way and I handed him a couple of cases. “It is better to help than hinder Chris.”

Wanting him to see it as a hint, he finally moved out into the bar area and I scanned the people that were still in there. Only four more people had showed up while I was gone and I took a few minutes to get more drinks since I was in the back for several minutes with Chris. It really hadn’t helped anything to get away from him for a few moments because when I went back into the back to get more stock, he was back there waiting for me.

“I needed to see you Stacy. Are you really going to deny what is going on between us?”

“I’m at work Chris.”

“You won’t return my calls.”

“Because I am at work. Some of us have to work more than a few hours a week. I have just been busy.”

He stopped me from taking another box of beers. “You aren’t busy right now.”

Taking the box from my hands, he set it back down in the cooler and held me by my arms. I had to look at him and I didn’t want to.

“Don’t hold me like this.”

Chris let go immediately. “Sorry, I just, want you to stop for a minute. You have barely even looked at me.”

I met his gaze, forcing myself to look into his eyes. I didn’t look because I didn’t want to see what was presently there. I knew what he wanted, Chris had never been very shy about making it clear, but now was not the time. I couldn’t think when he was looking at me like that. I just couldn’t.

“What Chris?”

“I want to go out.”

“I will let you know what times I have available.”

He scoffed at me and told me that he would most likely not hear from me again. “You are always busy Stacy. I have tried the traditional route to go out with you, but you make me resort to such measures to even get your attention.

“So fondling me under a table is traditional route for you?”

“Surprisingly yes, but all that has changed. I am changing and you don’t seem to see that. I am not the same man you met on the beach that night.”

My breath was coming out faster than what it should have. He was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my neck and shoulders. I pulled away. “I have done nothing to make you feel that way Chris.”

“I know, that is what makes this even harder to deal with. I don’t know why you have taken over my life, but at least think that we should see where it goes.”

I had a feeling I knew exactly where it was going to go and that was to a place I still wasn’t ready to go. If I knew that it would only end with fondling though, I may have been a little more inclined. I liked what he had done last time, a lot, but I still didn’t think I was ready to take it to the next level. I was closer than I had ever been before. I wanted him badly and that was what scared me the most. I didn’t know why he was so different either, just that he was.

“I know where this goes Chris. And…”

“I know you are not ready. But I am. I have been ready since I met you and saw those eyes of yours. They call to me Stacy. Why can you not see that?”

“I have to get to work.”

“You just aren’t listening Stacy.”

He pulled me back to him and my hands stopped me on his chest. His lips crashed down on mine and for a moment time stood still. My heart raced as his tongue delved in between my lips and he tasted me. I whimpered against him, trying my best not to be bothered by him, but it was impossible. I was melting in his grip and there was nothing that I could do about it.

I heard a moan in the room and I realized that it was me. His hands were everywhere and quickly he had me propped up on one of the cooler, his body wedged between my legs, while his hands were on my breasts, pinching and pulling on the sensitive tips. It was just like at the restaurant, though the build felt slower. I wanted to feel his fingers on me again and I pushed his hand down to my core.

Chris took the hint and started to rub on me faster and faster. My hands gripped his shoulders, unable to stop the pressure from building in my hands as it built up in my body. I was clinging to the man shamelessly, but if I let go, I was afraid I was going to lose myself completely.

“Tell me you feel nothing Stacy and I will stop.’

I whimpered with the idea of it and as my legs shook and tightened around his arm, I knew that I was going to come. I was so close and I begged him quietly not to stop. I didn’t want him to ever stop. It felt too good and the more I clung to him, the more I realized that it was never going to be enough until I had all of him. I wanted to take the next step with him in that moment.

“Did that feel good?” Chris had stopped rubbing so fast, but his hand went down my pants. He told me that he wanted to feel how wet I was. Nervously, I let him touch my core and it felt almost cold to the heat that was coming off of me. I felt like I was going to burn up at any second.

“Damn you are wet Stacy. I know that you want more. I can feel you clenching.”

Before I knew what he was doing, Chris was pushing a finger inside of me, causing a swift pain that made me cry out. I pushed him away and he looked to me confused. “What…?”

It dawned on him suddenly and I felt my face getting red. Just the move from his finger felt like I had been stabbed and it was sore as I got off the side of the cooler. While my mind thought I was ready, my body wasn’t. He was looking at me in such a way that I could no longer look at him.

“Please leave Chris. I told you before I am not ready for all of this. You can’t just push me into it. I need time, if it is ever going to work.”

“That is the first time that you have suggested that it might be possible.”

“Anything is possible Chris, but I am going to get fired if the owner sees the footage from a few minutes ago. I need to get my work done.”

He shook his head and asked me how I could turn it off. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about because I certainly hadn’t turned anything off. I was still dying for him and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had already lost. This denial I was doing right now was only going to prolong the inevitable. I know now that this is going to happen whether I like it or not. I wasn’t really sure if I did or not.

“You can’t be serious. You won’t at least come out with me tonight?”

I shook my head a little faster than I should have, but no part of me thought that being around him was going to be a good idea. I knew better and there was nothing that I could do to stop any of it. I was in love and I was tired of waiting. But I still had that familiar fear when I thought about it. My mind and body were at opposites ends of  the field and I was trying to get the two to agree to something. I know for certain what my body wanted to do, but my brain chimed in all of the things that could go wrong with it.

“Not tonight. I am tired, but I will have Thursday night off if you want to go out.”

“Like on a real date?”

“Yes, like a real date.”

“Fine, I will wait a few more days, but don’t think you are going to be able to put me off for long. I am holding you to this.”

“Okay, just let me get my work done Chris. I will call you in a couple of days. Okay?”

He wasn’t happy, it was pretty clear of that, but I tried not to let it bother me. I needed to get my work done and get my mind off of Chris. It was becoming a bigger issue than I could deal with at present.

As he left, I was saddened to see him go, but I was also relieved as well. There was no way that I was going to be able to get through the rest of the night with him on my mind. So I tried my best to push his touches and kisses away from my mind, but it was close to impossible. The last hour dragged on.

He had finally worn me down and I had finally agreed to a date. I had a feeling that it was going to be a mess, but Chris was right. There was something between us that I couldn’t get passed. It scared me, but at the same time I was excited by it all. I wanted Chris and I wanted what was going to happen next, but I was scared of what that meant for me. What that meant for the future.

Chapter 15

Chris

Thursday couldn’t come fast enough as far as I was concerned. I could taste her on my lips from our kiss from before and I could still hear the moaning that she had done when I was touching her. Stacy had made the most delicious sounds and I just couldn’t get them out of my head. I was almost positive that I never wanted to forget them.

It was the day of the date that I started to really get nervous. It was still a foreign concept to me and though I liked the feeling, I was still trying to get used to it. I was ready to get on with the night, but the day was dragging on so slowly and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my eyes from every clock in every room I was in. She had taken over completely and I knew that if I didn’t have her tonight, I was going to lose my mind, if I hadn’t already done so.

By the time five o’ clock rolled around, I was leaving the office, ignoring the surprising looks I was getting from some of the rest of the staff. I never left this early, but today was a special day. I told my assistants to hold all calls and to cancel my morning. Maybe I was being optimistic, but I had a good feeling about tonight. The anxiety was leaving me as I made my way home to get ready for our date.

Everything was going to be perfect, because I had planned everything to the T. I knew that I was going to have to impress her, but with Stacy I knew I was going to have to take a different approach. Most women were impressed with money, but it was clear to me that Stacy wasn’t that way at all. She was more oblivious to it than anyone else I encountered, even though I knew she had to work a lot. It was a paradox, but the time to figure her out was here.

I think I had a good handle on her now and finding out that she was a virgin made many things so much clearer. I had to laugh at myself now for thinking that she was a lesbian. It had hurt my pride when she hadn’t responded the way that I thought she would, but now I knew that it was because she just didn’t know the ways of men and women. It wasn’t because she didn’t want me, Stacy did, that much was clear, but she was unsure how to move forward. I had plenty of experience in that, so tonight should go just fine. It needed to for my own sanity.

At seven on the dot, I knocked on her front door. I had been waiting outside for almost ten minutes, but I didn’t want to seem too eager. I felt like I was a teenager again as I waited for her to answer. When she answered the door, the feeling of being a boy in puberty hit again. She was gorgeous and I realized then that I hadn’t really ever seen her dressed up. She wore jeans at the bar and a suit when she worked for Keenan, so this was the first time I got to see hair down, make up on with a sexy little dress to finish it off.

“Are you going to move so I can get out?”

I was standing in front of the door, staring at her and by the look on her face. I guess I looked like an idiot. I felt like one because the last thing I could do was move. I was frozen in place.

“Chris?”

“Sorry, you are just…wow Stacy.”

Her cheeks flamed and she looked away for a moment. I smiled at her. It just made her more darling.

“Can I kiss you?”

Stacy kind of shook her shoulders. “You have never asked before.”

I hadn’t, but I wanted everything to go as she wanted, how she was comfortable. I hoped that in doing she would be able to relax and we could get her to a point where she was ready for the next level. I wanted so badly to be her first.

“I am now.”

She looked down and then back up at me. She didn’t tell me yes, but Stacy kind of nodded her head in a way that told me she wanted me to. It wasn’t much of an answer, but it was enough for me.

Pulling her to me, I tried to slow myself and take her lips gently. She was pliable in my arms and Stacy lifted her arms and wrapped them around my neck. It felt heavenly and the feel of her body pressed against mine, quickly had me forgetting the decision to take it slow. Heaven help me I didn’t want to and when she opened her mouth with no resistance, I moved my tongue quickly into hers. I wanted inside of her any way that I could get it.

It didn’t matter that we were at her front stoop, I didn’t care. I would have taken her right then and there if it would have been allowed. If she would have allowed it, but when my hands started to go underneath her dress, she was not going for it. Stacy pushed my hand away. “No, not like this. I won’t be able to think the rest of the night.”

I chuckled at her answer, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to think either. I was already getting a little fuzzy with just a kiss. Taking her arm, I led her to the waiting limo. I knew that she wouldn’t be impressed, but I was still hopeful that I would get to touch her a little bit.

“Went all out huh Chris?”

“You have no idea.”

Stacy had this look on her face that I couldn’t get enough of. She was so beautiful when she was so happy like she was now. How was I going to take it slow if she kept looking at me like that?

Helping her in, the dress showed flashes of her long legs and upper thigh. The skin was white and milky. I had seen it all, but somehow little tiny bits of it like that turned me on even more.  It was like a tease that I couldn’t get enough of.

I got in next to her and had the driver take us to the first stop of the night. Stacy was a unique person and her apartment had showed me that in spades. When I was thinking of where to go, I quickly pushed away all normal thoughts. I didn’t want to take her somewhere that I had been with someone else. For me, that meant half of the city was off limits. It was a good thing that she wasn’t impressed by fancy restaurants.

Instead, the car pulled up on the side of a small bar on the upper eastside. It was not at all how I had envisioned it, but I knew that Stacy had been here before. I wasn’t going to try and bring her into my world. She was too good for that. I wanted to go into her world for a little while and I had a surprise waiting for her inside.

“What are we doing here?”

She didn’t sound as thrilled as I would have expected. “I thought you liked poetry. I saw all of those books at your house, the ones you wrote.”

“I write poetry. This is for those that perform on stage.”

“I thought it would be nice. I even brought some of the ones I read the other day. They were really good Stacy and I think you should share it.”

Stacy was nervous and I hoped that I wasn’t pushing her, but it was great. She was very talented in so many ways and this was one of them. Even though Stacy was awesome in so many ways though, she was shy and it was like she didn’t want people to know. I knew though and I wanted others to see it too.

“I am not into sharing.”

“I know. Let’s go in and see what happens. I brought these just in case.”

Stacy wasn’t sure, but I was enough for us both. I wanted her to see her as I did. Stacy had to know how great she was. I wanted this night to be perfect and then for the evening to be even better. I had big plans for us and I had decided that tonight was finally the night.

She didn’t loosen up when we got inside. Stacy must have thought that I was going to spring another impromptu public speaking appearance like I had before when we first met. I knew now that she hated it, but I hoped that she would come around and I could encourage her to do just that.

“Relax, I haven’t put you on a list. Your name is not going to get called Stacy. If you want to read, it is open mic. Other than that though, I am not going to have anything to with it.”

“Promise?”

She had that small voice she used sometimes and it really did drive me crazy. I knew she would most likely not want to try, but I didn’t want her on the edge of her seat all night. I wanted to have a good time and the first stop was turning out to be a bust. It was boring as hell for me, but when I looked over a few minutes later, I could tell that Stacy was starting to get into the poetry. She was enthralled with who was on the stage now. I had never gotten poetry and I don’t think I was ever going to, but I secretly wished that I could be moved by anything like that poem moved Stacy right now.

When it was over, she had a bit of water in her eyes and she brushed them back to hide the face she was so affected by it. Why did I find it so endearing?

“That was beautiful, don’t you think?”

She was beautiful and I just shook my head to her question. There was nothing else but her.

“Why don’t you go up there and share one of yours. Your poetry is moving as well Stacy. I would love to hear you read it out loud.”

Her face turned pink and for some reason she seemed more shy about reading her poetry, then she did about me playing with her underneath a table full of people. I didn’t understand her hesitation, but I didn’t push it again. It was clear she didn’t want to and when we had both relaxed, I decided I was going to take her out to get something to eat. It was getting late and the sun was going down in the city. This was the perfect time to be outside, so I went with the idea of taking something with us. The bluffs twenty miles outside of the city was gorgeous at this time of night. I came out here a couple of times a month to watch the city lights and I couldn’t think of anyone that I would want to come up here with me besides her. It was the first time I wasn’t alone to think when I was up here.

“What is this place?”

“This is my thinking spot. It has the best view of the city at night and I love to come out here and get a good look of everything. It looks so different up here, doesn’t it?”

Stacy looked out to the view I enjoyed so much and I was glad that one of my ideas had panned out. I hadn’t figured this would turn out wrong. How could it? It was just simply too pretty of a view to be anything but amazed and reminded of the beauty all around us. I couldn’t even throw it aside how much peace I got from watching her enjoy it with me.

We sat down together and for once I didn’t think about the grass stains on my slacks. It was the first time in a long time that I felt so free. That was wat Stacy was. She was freedom somehow. Now all I needed was for her to see that and feel the same way.

“Thank you for bringing me here Chris. It is a great place. I never would have thought you could go this far away to see the city like this.”

“I come up here often. It gets me just far enough that I feel like I have gone away, but not too far.”

“It’s a great view. I think I will have to come up here again, now that I know it is here. Thanks for showing it to me.”

“I would like you to come up here again with me.”

“Maybe.”

She still wouldn’t commit to anything. It drove me crazy that she denied us so much, when it as at least clear to me that this was what was supposed to happen.

“You are still playing hard to get?”

Stacy giggled. “That would be a little silly Chris. You already have me.”

Chapter 16

Stacy

“What do you mean?”

“You had me a long time ago. Why do you think I am here?”

“I don’t know. I thought this was a date.”

“It is.”

But I expected more out of this date than any one before it. I knew what was at stake and I didn’t want to pretend otherwise anymore. I had finally made a decision that I had been waiting to make for a long time. Everything for me was going to change after tonight. It was such a big part of me that I don’t know how I was going to feel when everything changed. How was I going to feel knowing that I waited all this time and the man I had fallen for was never going to really give me what I wanted in the end, what I had waited for?

I pushed the thoughts from my head and tried to be in the here and now. That was what mattered, not the future, because all I got was a stomach of knots if I thought about it like that. I wanted tonight to be special in all ways and that meant that I had to forget about tomorrow.

“So what kind of date is it?” He was finally starting to follow along and I could see the twinkle that came to his eyes. It was strange to talk about it so casually, but that was exactly what we were doing. We were talking about sex like it was no big deal when it was a huge deal to me.

“Why don’t we go back to my place and find out?”

His brow went up and he asked me if I had had some sake before he picked me up. I told him that I hadn’t, but Chris was still hesitant, like he couldn’t believe that I had just said that. I couldn’t believe it either, although I thought I was going to get a far different reaction than the one I was receiving right now.

We were on our way before I knew what was happening. It was strange to be so confident and ready when all of these years I had been putting it off. It had never felt right before, but now it did. It felt like this was the way that it was supposed to be. It was supposed to feel like the easiest decision in the world and that was what it felt like. I didn’t have to think about it anymore. This is what was supposed to happen and I was going to make sure that I didn’t back out of it again. I needed this and by the way Chris was acting, he needed it as well.

He opened the door for me and waited until I got in to slide in behind me. Chris told the driver where we were going and I shook next to him as we made our to my house and I made my way to my destiny. I don’t know why I felt the way I did, but I felt like this was all meant to be and I had a feeling of confidence earlier.

Chris put his hands on me and pulled me closer to him. I knew that he wanted more, right then and there, but I wasn’t ready for that. I was ready to get to the house and take our times. I was shaking inside with need, but just as equally from fear. It scared the hell out of me, but filled me with excitement. The whole situation was so confusing, filled with so many conflictions it was hard to keep up. We couldn’t get home soon enough as far as I was concerned.

Finally we would be able to finish what we had started.

***

I don’t know why, but the ride to my house seemed to take forever. Chris had his hands on my thigh and his fingers moved around on my sensitive flesh and I wanted more of his touch. I opened my legs and I waited for his digits to press against me. When they did, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. He felt amazing, as he always did and I was eager to get there.

When I opened my eyes, we were out front of my house and I realized that the car was turned off. Sadly, I hadn’t even noticed that and it bothered me that I hadn’t. I had been so wrapped up in what he was doing to me and my body that I hadn’t even noticed any of it.

“Come on let’s get out of here and get inside. That is where all of the magic is going to happen.”

He said it like it was already written in stone and I liked the idea of it. It was finally going to happen, no matter how many times I had thought that it never would. It was and Chris was the perfect one for me. I don’t know what tomorrow was going to bring, but tonight it was going to be just me and him.

Chris was around the car and opening the door before I got my mind right enough to even get out of it. I looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you Chris. You are always so thoughtful.”

He grinned back at me and said something about how I brought the gentleman out of him.

“You are not looking at me like a gentleman Chris. You look at me like I am your next meal.”

“Good.”

I shivered as he leaned in to kiss me. “I have waited a long time for you Stacy.”

“Not that long. I haven’t known you that long, just weeks.”

“It’s enough time for me to fall for you and know that I am never going to want another woman again in my life. That’s what sort of time we are working with Stacy. It wasn’t much, but it sure was enough. Now I am stuck not being able to stop thinking about you and how it is going to feel with you in my arms.”

“You definitely know all of the right things to say.”

“They aren’t right Stacy, it’s how I feel. I love you. It doesn’t have anything to do with what is right or what is wrong, it just is.”

I liked to think that I knew what I was getting into. Chris didn’t love me and I didn’t want to hear it. It would just hurt more later, so I told him to just stop talking all together. He had a look of surprise on his face. “What?”

“We are done talking Chris. We have done enough of it, don’t you think?”

He agreed, but I could tell that he wasn’t expecting my answer. “Whatever you want to do, Stacy. As long as I can be with you. That is all that matters to me.”

It was once again the right thing to say and no matter what, I knew that it couldn’t be true. It was a really nice thought though I quickly forgot my own name then Chris pushed me into the apartment and shut the door behind him. He had this look on his face, one that I can’t really describe. He didn’t look the same as he usually did. Now he looked ravenous, predatory, whatever it was, it sent every hair on the back of my neck up.

“Chris…”

Chris pressed his finger to my lips to shush me and I couldn’t say a word. I knew that I should say something, but instead I just stood there. It was my rules of course. No talking. So why did I now have everything to say?

Chapter 17

Stacy

“No talking Stacy, remember.”

“I change my mind.” I didn’t know how else to say it. I didn’t want to do this in silence and I was losing all of the courage that I had found when I told him to take me back to my place and see what happens. Now I think that what was going to happen was not at all what I was going to want.

“You can’t. You are mine, remember?”

I shook my head and refused his words. I could say no. “I don’t know Chris. I am just… I don’t know.”

There was no way that I was going to get anything coherent out. How could I explain how I was feeling when I had no reference to go off of. I had never felt this way before and I was now far more worried about what happened next, then in the moment. I didn’t want to give it all away if this was only one night. My mind had settled a little bit and as long as his hands weren’t on me, I would be able to think. Thinking was half the problem I found with Chris.

“You are okay. You are with me and Stacy I am going to make you feel so good. Stop worrying and turn your mind off. I just want you to feel. That is what you need to do.”

It sounded all so simple. Just give it all to him and let Chris make all of the decisions. Not only did it sound too simple, it was something that I wanted to do badly. I didn’t want to think anymore and if there would have been a way to switch my brain off, I would have used it. But there wasn’t and I was left shaking.

His kiss silenced my lips and soon silenced my mind altogether. The same waves of pleasure ran through me like they had before and I was left gasping in need. I needed him more than I cared to admit and the ‘what next’ was finally not yelling out anymore. Right now was the only thing that mattered.

Chris pushed me towards the bedroom and I felt the bed on the back of my legs. Chris didn’t stop and I fell back. He quickly covered my body and I felt the possessiveness in his touch. His hands and lips were everywhere and before long I could feel my clothes being dragged off of me.

My eyes opened to find him staring down at me in such a way. I didn’t know how to take it, but I knew that I was going to have to get it together. This was a moment that I wanted to remember for the rest of my life.

“Look at me Stacy. I want to see you.”

He could see me, but I couldn’t think of anything to say, let alone anything that was remotely clever. All I was worried about was what came next. I wanted his hands and his mouth back on my hot body. It was overheating for him, knowing what was to come. There was no preparation as he mouth became hungry and moved down my chest. He smooshed my tits together and licked between them, never touching the nipples. As he moved lower with his mouth, towards my waist and hips, the trembling intensified. His fingers started to roll my nipples between his digits, shooting strong feelings of pleasure through me. I didn’t know what to do, but close my eyes and raise my hips as his hot mouth got closer.

“Please Chris!”

I couldn’t wait anymore and I lifted up several times to get closer to his face. I knew that I wanted his hungry mouth on me. It had to feel better than his fingers and just the hot breath of his was driving me crazy. I grabbed a handful of his dark hair and pulled him closer to me. “Please Chris!”

He chuckled and pulled away as his fingers continued to play with my nipples, rubbing and twisting them till it was hard to look straight. My body tightened up with need and when I felt his other hand move down between my legs, I whimpered with the touch. It was more than I could handle, more than I wanted to handle and I felt like I was about to lose it right then and there.

My grip didn’t matter as he feasted on me. Chris grabbed me around my hips and wouldn’t let me go. His mouth and tongue moved in unison, giving me more pleasure than I could ever hope for. I cried out his name over and over again as each wave of pleasure went through me.

My pleas for him to finish me off quickly became pleas letting him know that I couldn’t take anymore. I just couldn’t come anymore, no matter how much I wanted to. I was tapped out and my body hurt from tightening up so many times.

“Please Chris, I can’t.”

He shook his head and lifted up from between my legs. “Then why are you still holding me down here? I thought you wanted more.”

I was able to breathe finally and I didn’t understand what it was that he was doing now. As he stood up in front of the bed, I got to see the hard lump in his pants that I knew was because of me. He wanted me and the realization that we were just getting started hit me.

Chris removed his clothes slowly, or it looked super slow to me at the minute, like everything around me was in slow motion. His hard body came into view and the hard length that I saw in his slacks was now standing hard and proud in front of me. He was much larger than I thought he would be and my hand was itching to touch it. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, I moved to get closer to the hardness in front of me. For being so rigid, it looked smooth to the touch.

Leaning over towards him, I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue to touch the tip of his dick. It was smooth in my mouth and the skin was soft. It was a little salty to taste, but I opened up and took the head into my mouth. I wanted to get a better taste and I was filled up with his salty pre-cum.

“Damn it Stacy. I don’t think I can take seeing your little mouth on my cock. Your lips look so sweet wrapped around my shaft. Can you take him all?”

I took it as a challenge and moved forward a little more off of the bed and took as much of him into my mouth and down my throat as I could. It wasn’t as much as I had expected. I was only able to get about half of it into my mouth before I was gagging and having to move back to let it back out. It jerked in my throat as I was moving out and it wasn’t helping matters. I gagged again, but quickly wanted him back into my mouth. I liked the way he groaned when I had him in my mouth.

There was a power in pleasuring him and every flick of my tongue and press of my lips brought him more and more under my spell. I liked that I could please him in such a way. But my fun was cut short when Chris grabbed me up and pulled me to my feet. “We aren’t going to do this anymore.”

I whimpered as he smashed his lips against mine in a passionate kiss. I could taste myself on him and I wondered the same for him. I tasted sweet and far different than his own salty discharge.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s time to give me what I really want Stacy and that is not it, although you have a mouth like an angel.”

I blushed at his words and I didn’t know what to say. There was a part of me that wanted to put him back in my mouth and the other part of me was far too worried about how he was going to fit inside of me anywhere else. It just didn’t make any sense and there was nothing I could do but tremble in his arms and wait. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but I knew that it was going to happen soon. Chris’ cock was grinding against me and I could feel it trying to find a place to enter.

“You are shaking Stacy.”

“You are huge Chris.”

He chuckled and told me that he was average. I didn’t really believe him, even though I didn’t have anything really to go off of. I had to believe him in a way. He was the only reference that I had.

“Come on Stacy. It is going to be fine. You like what I do to you, don’t you?”

I nodded my head because there was no denying the pleasure that he could give me. I wanted more of it right now and the more I thought about it, the more I wasn’t as afraid. He had always made me feel good, even when I didn’t want him to and I had fought it tooth and nail. But there was no denying Chris, not in any way. I was his and even though it was only for one night, I wanted to be his for that short period of time. I knew then in that moment that I would never meet another man like Chris. It was once in a lifetime, no matter how painful the aftermath was going to be.

“The problem is Stacy, you are just thinking too hard about it. Maybe you just need to stop thinking, if just for a little while Stacy. I will think enough for both of us.”

I agreed, but I wasn’t sure if my heart was in the answer. How could I not think?

Chris moved down to give me another kiss and I melted against him. The mind that I didn’t think was going to be able to forget what was going on and what was going to happen next, quickly forgot everything but the touch of the man in front of me. Every time he touched me I lost my thoughts on everything else but him and this was no different. This time around, I wasn’t able to be anywhere in my mind but in the here and now.

He pulled me into the bed next to him and pulled my body on top of his. I had to straddle his thighs to get myself upright, but Chris was quickly pulling me back down for another kiss. I melted against his body, sure that I was going to turn into liquid at any minute. His hands were touching all over me, but it was his mouth that I couldn’t get away from. He felt too good and the more he touched me, the more I was ready for him to touch me again and give me what it was that I really wanted. I wanted him inside of me and that was the end of it. I wasn’t going to be complete until I had him inside of me and we were made once more.

My body shook on top of him and his hands were rubbing my hips over his hardness, over and over again. He knew exactly what he was doing and each push down on his length, pushed it inside just a little bit. It made me jump and one time that I was grinding down on him, I could feel the pleasure that has to come. I was ready for him to be inside of me, but when I felt the head of him starting to push up against me and the sensitive core, I yelped and pulled back. How could I want something so much that was going to hurt so much? It just didn’t make sense.

Chris kissed me, trying to get me to relax so I wouldn’t be so nervous. I was fine until I felt his hard rod on me. There was nothing else that I could do but try to forget. As his lips and tongue teased into my mouth, I was left with a feeling of want again. I was quickly forgetting why I had gotten nervous to begin with.

Then I felt the hardness back against my core and I knew why I was nervous. He was huge, my jaw still hurt from stretching to accommodate him. Nothing I did was going to change that.

Chris pressed in slowly and I could feel the painful pressure of before. It was too much and I pushed back against his chest, trying to get him to see that it was just too much. Surely he could see that. “It won’t fit Chris.”

“It will fit. You have to trust me. You trust me, don’t you?”

I shook my head that I did, but there was still a part of me that wasn’t so sure about that. “I do trust you Chris. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“Then trust me now.”

I said that I would, but I certainly didn’t want to. If I would have known what an agreement would have meant, I would have said that I didn’t.

He pushed forward in one go and broke my innocence once and for all. I felt it rip and it hurt more than I thought it would. I blinked back moisture in my eyes and looked down at him.

“Just wait a minute and it will start to feel good.”

I didn’t believe him and I figured that he really had no idea anyways because he obviously didn’t have any real experience. But he as right and it didn’t even take a minute. Before long I was starting to wiggle on top of him, testing how it felt for him to be inside of me. It felt strange and good all at the same time. In a way I felt like he had infiltrated my body and we were now one.

“How about now?”

I felt shy and I couldn’t look at him, but he surged upwards and made me gasp, as well as getting me looking at him. “Does that feel good?”

I shook my head quickly and pushed my weight down on him so that he would be inside of me more. I already knew that I liked the feel of him inside of me way too much. It felt too good and I was starting to understand why so much was done in the name of love. I had a strong inclination now that it wasn’t love that it was done for, but the physical part.

His hands went to my breasts and I braced myself against him as well as I could. Every move underneath me took my breath away and when he didn’t move upwards enough, I was so in need that I started to push down on him myself. “Please Chris.”

Chris chuckled and told me that I was impatient. I didn’t care what he said or what he thought. I was impatient because I knew there was more. I knew that there were waves of pleasure in my future and he was going to give that to me.

“Lean over here and give me a kiss.”

I did as he asked and he held me down against him. I didn’t know what he was going to do, but it had me begging quickly and then calling his name out. He moved so fast and hard underneath me that I couldn’t stop the first headfirst fall into the abyss and I didn’t want to. It felt good. He felt amazing and I felt my pleasure run down my inner thighs.

“God, you feel so good Stacy. I knew that you would be perfect. I just didn’t know you would be so damn tight.”

I squeezed the penetration with his words and he gasped when I did it. I liked the feel of power again and it slowed him down inside of me. The heavy thrusting upwards toned down quite a bit and I was able to practice squeezing and pleasing Chris as best as I could.

“You have to stop Stacy, or I am not going to be able to go on much longer.”

I giggled, like he had laughed at me when I had said almost the exact same thing. I moved off of his chest and sat up fully. Another inch that wasn’t inside of me before pushed me over the edge and I shook on top of him. Every wave of pleasure came with a clamp of my insides around his hard cock. He groaned every time I did it and the more he tried to fight it, the harder I tried to push him over the edge. It only seemed fair since he had done it to me so many times before.

Chris called out my name as a gruff groan and I couldn’t imagine that I was going to be able to take the sudden surge of need inside of me. His sticky cum filled up every last bit of me and started to ooze out from around where he was inside of me. I was too full and I rose up off of him to relieve all of the pressure. His cock was wet with our fluids and steaming in the air conditioning.

“Damn Stacy. That was….”

Yeah, I felt about the same way. It was almost impossible to put it all in words.

***

The next morning, it was hard to look at Chris. I was up before him and I watched him sleep for a while. It was strange to see his face so relaxed. When he was awake it never was and last night, I don’t remember much beyond coming more than I thought was humanely possible. It didn’t seem to matter what he did, everything felt so good.

Finally I got out of bed as quietly as I could and went to the bathroom. I tiptoed my way into there and almost jumped when the phone in my hand rang loudly. The sound echoed off of the tile in the room and it made it so much louder than it should have been. Everything was magnified and I struggled to answer it to shut the sound off. I needed time to get myself together before Chris got up. I wasn’t ready to face him right now, not after what happened between us last night.

“Hello?” My voice was a strained whisper.

“Stacy? This is Keenan. I was wondering if you could come in today. I have a meeting that I have to fly to Houston for and you seem to do well facilitating with clients. Do you think you can make it? I can try to have you back by tonight if I have to.”

“Sure Keenan. What time?” I was hoping that I have time to get ready, have the conversation with Chris that I was supposed to have, but when Keenan told me that he was going to be over in ten minutes to pick me up, I knew that there wasn’t going to be any time for any of that. I was going to be lucky to get a shower and a fresh pair of clothes on in that short amount of time.

“Okay Keenan. I am going to jump in the shower and I will try to be ready when you get here.”

“Thanks Stacy. You’re a life saver.”

I told him that it was no problem. Maybe it was for the best because I didn’t want to have the ‘talk’ with Chris right now anyways. I wasn’t ready and if he didn’t want to talk at all, I knew I was going to be crushed. I didn’t see how I was going to get out of it the way I was going.

So I got in the shower and tried to pretend that everything was going to be okay. I wasn’t sure if that was true, but I was clinging to the hope that it would be true at some point.

I took my time, my body a little sore, even though I knew that my boss was coming. It was going to be a long day and it wasn’t even nine o’ clock in the morning yet.

Chapter 18

Chris

I woke up to a knock at the door. The bed was empty, though there was still a warm spot where Stacy had been. My mind played over the night before and my cock was instantly hard. I was never going to forget the way she called out to me and the dirty words that had poured out of her mouth as I had drove into her deeper than ever. Fuck, I wanted more and even though I knew she was going to be sore, I was already trying to figure out a way to talk her into it. It didn’t help that there was someone at the door, but I hoped that it was just Stacy at the door. Maybe she forgot her key or something.

When I unlocked it and opened the wooden door, the last thing I was thinking I would see was my old friend Keenan. He looked just about as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

“Um, hey Chris. What are you doing here?”

I was about to ask him the same question, but he beat me to the punch. How was I going to explain this away?

“Well, um I was here to see Stacy.”

He looked at me and I realized that I didn’t have any pants on. It was going to be hard to make him think that this was anything but sexual. I might as well have been caught red handed.

“You don’t have any clothes on Chris.”

I felt my face getting red. Why was I so nervous about being caught with Stacy?

“Yeah, I guess I don’t.”

“You two…?”

I just kind of shook my head and moved to let Keenan in. It was awkward for a few moments as neither one of us had nothing to say.

“I didn’t see that coming.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t think that she would give you the time of day.”

“Ouch, you have no faith in me old friend. You seem to forget that I am always in a woman’s pants.”

“Yeah, but not like her.”

I didn’t like what it was that he knew. How did he know that she was so special? Did he know that she was a virgin and that she had given herself to me? It felt like that was what he was referring to but I didn’t ask because frankly I didn’t want to know. All I wanted to know was that she was mine now.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know exactly, but Ashlyn is really protective of her. Says she is innocent and I better not corrupt her.”

I smiled, I couldn’t help myself. I felt like I had corrupted her enough last night, but I still wanted to do it some more.

“You didn’t corrupt her Keenan, I did.”

Keenan just shook his head and looked at me like I had lost my mind. “You are a mess. You better not hurt her Chris. She is a sweet girl.”

Why did every one think that I was bad news? I know that I had a reputation in the past, but people change. I had changed and I wasn’t in it to hurt her. I didn’t know what I was in it for yet, but it had nothing to do with me hurting her. I only wanted to give her pleasure and hear my name screamed out between her lips. That was all that I wanted, no matter how sad or silly it may have been.

“I am not going to hurt her Keenan. I don’t even know what this is, but I do know that I am not going to let her go. Stacy made me realize that there was more to life and relationships. I am not going back any time soon. She changed me Keenan.”

Keenan’s smile grew on his face and he started to tell me that it was just like what happened with him and his wife, but he didn’t have much time to reminisce because Stacy was coming out of the shower. She had a towel wrapped around her and I was thankful for that. Stacy was known to like to run around without one and even though I would have loved to have seen it, I didn’t want anyone else to ever see her like that, just me.

“Keenan, is it already time?”

“Yeah, I was closer than I thought when I called. I don’t mind waiting though, catching up with Chris.”

Stacy looked from me to her boss and I could tell that she was not happy about the situation. Maybe it was too real for her, I am really not sure. All I knew was that I didn’t want to make it any worse. She had that look on her face that told me that she wasn’t ready for this to be in the open.

“I think I am going jump in the shower. I have meetings to get to myself.”

I walked out of the room and the silence that I left behind. Stacy made her way into the bedroom and I heard the door shut quickly. She was embarrassed, that much as clear, but she didn’t need to be. She was perfect and I wished that Stacy knew that. This wasn’t near done with us and I knew that by the end of it she would understand.

Turning the shower on, I waited for a time to let the room get hot and steamy before I got undressed. I only had boxers on, and I got in. I looked down and saw a slight tinge of red on my cock and it reminded me once again of what it had felt like to be inside of her. The memories from last night came flooding in and I cursed the guy that had ruined my morning. What did Keenan need Stacy to do that was so important that he was calling her in on her day off?

I wanted to just give Stacy a salary and then she wouldn’t have to work. Then we would have more time together and I wouldn’t have to wait for her to have some time off to see her. Money wasn’t an object, so why was it pulling her out of my bed, never to be seen again?

When I got out, everyone was gone and I was left with a small note on the table.

“I had a great night Chris, thanks. Please lock up before you go.”

There was a signature that I knew was Stacy’s, even though I couldn’t really read it. She had given me the boot, in a nice way of course, but no less the boot. I had never had a woman do that to me before. It made sense that it would be Stacy that would do it. What was I supposed to do now? I had all kinds of thoughts of what should happen, but that was not to be. I was going to have to give her time, even though the idea alone was killing me.

***

“Ashlyn, what are you doing here?”

I hadn’t seen her in a while and by the expression on her face, I wasn’t going to like the conversation most likely.

“I am wondering what you were doing in my niece’s apartment this morning.”

I was a bit surprised that Keenan told on me and I almost couldn’t believe it. “How do you know?”

“Because I am friends with her doorman. Who do you think got her into that place and subsidizes the rent for her?”

So she knew and I was left wondering what I was supposed to say or do about it. Why was she here? It wasn’t like Stacy was under age. She could make her own decisions and that meant that I could be one of them.

“What do you want Ashlyn?” I wasn’t used to having people talk to me like this, but Ashlyn never had cared about etiquette or where someone was on the food chain. She was a shark in her own right and I wanted to tread softly. I didn’t want her as my enemy. She was in most of the city’s ear.

“I want to know what you were doing at Stacy’s apartment last night Chris and why you didn’t leave till she was long gone the next morning.”

That was a lot to answer and flashes went by that made me wish I didn’t have her aunt breathing down my neck right now.

“I don’t think it is anyone’s business Ashlyn, not even yours.”

“That’s where you are wrong. She is my responsibility. I told her mother that I would watch over her when she was in the city. I mean to and keeping her away from men like you is first on my agenda.”

I was shocked at how angry she was. I don’t know why, but it felt like she hated me in those moments. What had I done so wrong to warrant this? It was a beautiful night. It wasn’t ugly and it certainly was not a reason for her to fly off the hook.

“I think you are taking this too far Ashlyn. You don’t understand. I really care about your niece, a lot.”

She didn’t want to hear it though. I tried to think of what I had done to her to make her so upset with me, but I don’t think I was really going to get an answer. I knew that I had a reputation and the old me would have agreed with her, but this was different. Everything that was going on with me and Stacy was between me and her. It was different than anything I had experienced before. There had been this thought in the back of my head that if I was able to get inside of her once, I would get over this mind consuming need I ad for her. Now I realized that it was only worse. Now I wanted her even more than I had before. Nothing had changed at all.

“I don’t care what you think you feel Chris. You need to leave her alone and not see her anymore. I am not leaving until I get you to agree.”

It would have been easier to just tell her that I agreed and do whatever the hell I wanted to do anyways. It was that kind of thing that got me in trouble though. I didn’t want to lie to her, not when in the back of my mind, I knew that we may be family one day.

“I think that your niece is old enough to make decisions for herself Ashlyn. There is something good between us and I am not going to agree to anything like that.”

Ashlyn didn’t look happy. It was the first time that she had really been that upset with me before. I had never seen her angry and I had to notice the same flash in her eyes when she as mad, as I saw in Stacy’s eyes. It was hard to not see the resemblance between them in moments like this.

“I am warning you Chris. I don’t care how much money you have, if you hurt Stacy, I am going to make sure you wish that you had never met either one of us.”

I was starting to have that feeling about her right now. I knew that she wanted to throttle me at that very moment, but she didn’t. Instead she huffed out of my office and I was left to contemplate it all. What had just happened?

Pushing the conversation out of my mind, I tried to call Stacy. I wanted to make sure that I was still able to talk to her, that it was still real. It didn’t help my thoughts that she didn’t answer her phone. I left a message and waited a few minutes before I was looking at my phone again.

Why did I want to talk to her so badly now? Was it because she was even more forbidden than before?

Chapter 19

Stacy

I didn’t answer my phone when Chris called because I didn’t know what to say to him. After what me and Ashlyn had talked about, the last thing that I wanted to do was talk to Chris. I had known he had a reputation, but my aunt felt the need to make sure that I really knew what that entailed. Well now I did and I can’t say that I liked it all that much.

The way Ashlyn described it, I was better off to never see him again. It wasn’t that I had expected any different, but I had hoped that it would be different somehow. I knew that we weren’t meant to be together, but the fact of the matter was that I wanted us to be written in the stars. It was a pipe dream, I knew that, but it was still a dream that I couldn’t brush off. I wanted everything to be perfect, but Ashlyn brought it all back down to me. She made me realize that I was not even in the same world as Chris, let alone the same league. He wasn’t the man I was looking for and I knew that now.

It didn’t mean that I had to like the way it all turned out. Every time he called and he called often, the first thing that I would want to do was to call him. I wanted to hear his voice and I wanted him to tell me all of the things he had said before. Ashlyn must be wrong if he keeps calling me, right? Why would he call if he didn’t want to have anything to do with me?

I was getting weaker to his calls and then he came by my apartment a couple of times. Again, I didn’t answer because I didn’t want my mind to be where it was now. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that he was just toying with me. Chris was never going to give me what it was that I wanted.

I was out with Ashlyn a week later and again Chris was calling me. It was lunch time and I was sure that he wanted to go out. I quit my job with Keenan without much of an answer. The truth was that I just couldn’t run into Chris. I didn’t have the strength and if Keenan knew where I was, then that meant that Chris knew.

“Who is it that keeps calling you and making you look at your phone in that way Stacy?”

I shrugged and refused to tell her about Chris calling me. She had bashed him enough and I just didn’t want to hear it. I knew her opinion and everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to hear it again. And it didn’t mean that I had to agree with her, because I didn’t.

“Don’t tell me that it is Chris.”

“What if it is? So what? It is not like I am going to answer it.”

“Good for you Stacy. It really is for the best.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

“Well it will get better. You just have to take your mind off of it and I have an idea for that.”

“Oh?” There was no telling what kind of an idea she had, but Ashlyn usually had good ones. I needed something to take my mind off of the man that I loved and wouldn’t ever love me back. It wasn’t healthy to feel this way about him. It really wasn’t. Especially when I knew down in my heart that whatever I felt for him, wasn’t reciprocated and that wasn’t going to change.

“Yeah I have a few friends out in California that do some marketing for all of the big names in Hollywood. I think it would be a great opportunity to go down there the last month and a half of summer. It will be good for your resume and I think it will be even better for to get out of here for a while. It seems like you need to clear your mind Stacy and this will help.”

She was right. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to get Chris off of my mind when I was here. I knew that I didn’t want to have to run away, but the truth of the matter as that I did. It was going to be the only way that I was going to be able to feel normal again. I needed to jump into something head first and I had almost 2 months until my first class started.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

She looked surprised, like I wasn’t going to agree to it. But she was right that I needed to get out of here and get away from Chris. She had warned me about it him a long time ago and for a while I had tried to tell myself that she as wrong. Ashlyn wasn’t though. Being around here and where Chris could keep contacting me was just going to make it impossible to forget and I really needed to forget.

“Yeah, okay. I think that this is going to be for the best.” I wasn’t too sure about that, but I was sure that I needed a change of scenery.

“Good Stacy. I was afraid that you were going to argue with me about it. But I am glad that you see this is for the best.”

I wasn’t going to go that far, but it was a good idea and I could see it like that. It wasn’t going to be easy, but with something to do I would be able to recuperate sooner.

Ashlyn never was one to take her time with anything and this time was no different. She had it all set to go the next day and all I had time for was to go home and pack. I didn’t have time to really think about it and I didn’t have time to change my mind. I think that that was the whole point. She didn’t want me to back out of it and she might have been right that I would have done it.

So the next day I met Ashlyn at the airport and I was determined to make this an adventure and to look forward to it. It was going to be great for when I graduated. It was real life experience and it wasn’t in stocks, but marketing like I wanted. This was going to be a good thing.

***

It felt like an eternity that I had been gone when I got back to my place. It was strange to be home after being in California again. I almost stayed there, but instead I came home. It was more out of duty than anything else. I had only one semester left to go and I was determined to finish it. It would mean more money for me when I graduated, even though I had been offered a job while I was there. The pay was good, but I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t get the degree that I had worked so hard for. I was in the final stretch and with new information coming to light, I felt like I had to get my degree before it was too late and life got in the way. I had seen it happen many times before and I wasn’t going to be one of those girls.

The irony of it all was that Ashlyn had given me the opportunity to go to California to get away from Chris and to get him out of my mind. The sad part was though, that there was no way I was going to be able to forget him, not when there was a reminder of him growing in my belly. That was something that couldn’t just be forgotten and the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that there was no way that I was going to get over him. I was still not sure what I was going to do, but I knew that I had to figure something out soon. Soon I was going to be showing and there would be no ignoring it anymore. People were going to want to know.

It was something that I never thought I would be. I was going to be a single mother and I knew that if I didn’t have my degree before I gave birth there was a good chance that I would never get it.

So I made the decision to get back to school and not even worry about anything else. I needed to focus all of my attention on that and see what happens. The problem was that I took it a bit too far. I forgot to sleep and eat with my appetite gone as my life became messier by the minute. I must have collapsed because I woke up the next day in the hospital, not sure how I got there. The first person that I saw was Chris and I didn’t know what he was doing here.

“What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t have any ID on you Stacy. All you had on you was your phone.”

I was still a little fuzzy and my eyes had to adjust to the bright fluorescent light overhead. I didn’t remember what I was doing the last time I remember anything. The last thing that I remembered right off the bat was that I was in between classes or maybe I was going to a class. Either way, it appeared that I hadn’t made it. I felt a rush of embarrassment run through me and I didn’t even want to look over at the man beside me.

“So what are you doing here?”

“Well they called me last night because I was the phone number that was on your phone. I guess they didn’t think that the fact that it was all missed calls seemed to matter. I am glad that you are okay and that they called me. I didn’t know who else to call, so I went through your phone a little bit, but finally just called Ashlyn. She doesn’t want me here, but I told her that I wasn’t leaving until you woke up.”

“Don’t go.”

He turned to me and I looked away. I can’t believe that I had said that out loud, but I had and I meant it. I wanted to see him and now that he was right here, the last thing that I wanted to do was to watch him go. We had to talk and I didn’t know how I was going to say it out loud what I felt inside.

“I am not going anywhere. Where have things to talk about Stacy, a lot of things.”

“Like what?”

He gave me this half-cocked look and smiled. “Well the doctor came by. Do you know why you passed out?”

I told him that I didn’t know. It could have been a multitude of things that caused it. I knew that I wasn’t taking care of myself like I was supposed to and I hadn’t eaten much that way. That was the conclusion that I had come to while I was laying here. I don’t know if I was wrong, but it seemed like if I didn’t know, he knew and I was not sure if I wanted to hear it or not.

“Because you are pregnant Stacy, but you knew that already, didn’t you?”

I shook my head that I did. “I was going to tell you eventually, but I didn’t figure you would care either way.”

“You really think that I wouldn’t care?”

“Why would you?”

“Because I love you Stacy and I have been a wreck since you left. Your aunt refused to tell me where you were and it has been driving me crazy. I thought you had gotten another phone. Why didn’t you ever answer?”

“I wanted to forget about you Chris. I knew that you were going to break my heart and I didn’t want to let you.”

“I understand why you think that way. I have had a lot of time to really think about it and I know that I wasn’t the best man before. But all of that is going to change, it already has changed. I am so happy you are back and we can finally really be together. There is nothing that I want more than that.”

I looked up to the IV stand that was beside me and I figured that there was some really good stuff in there and that was why I was seeing Chris here. He shouldn’t be here, so why was he here?

“Do you not have anything to say about what I just said?”

I didn’t know what to say and the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that I had heard it all wrong

“I love you Stacy and we are going to be together. You and the baby.”

It was the last thing that I remember before I went back to sleep again. I dreamed about a life with just me and Chris and I woke up with this sadness because none of it was true. When I looked over and the chair next to me as empty, I was sure that I had seen it all in my mind. I relaxed back into the bed when I realized that he wasn’t coming. I don’t know what I was thinking. A man like Chris would never really love me, not really.

“Stacy, you are up. I was just getting something to drink. I knew if I left I would be gone when you woke up.”

“What are you doing here Chris?”

He smiled at me and shook his head. “I told you Stacy, I am not going anywhere.”

I closed my eyes, the tears that had threatened to fall were now doing so. Chris looked alarmed. “Why are you crying Stacy. Are you hurting? Do you want me to get the doctor?”

His concern just made me even sadder. I didn’t know wat to say. “I thought you were a dream.”

No, afraid not. I am really here and you are really mine Stacy.”

He moved into the bed with me and I knew that he was real. I needed to do was feel the touch of him on my body and I knew. Chris wasn’t a dream or he was rather and I had been lucky enough to find him.

THE END

***

I hope you enjoyed BE MY PRINCESS. For more enjoyment, I have included some bonus stories along with previews of my other books. Please check the table of content to choose what to read next.

And don’t forget to read Exclusive Steamy Romance "FILTHY Neighbor”. A HOT Never Before Published Full Length Novel

***

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

CHASER

Chapter One

Sage West took a deep breath as she stepped out of the bus. She’d decided to run until she hit the mountains, and the small mountain town of New Loveland was definitely the end of the line. It meekly admitted to a population of only several thousand, but the tourists flocked to this town that enjoyed a breathtaking mountain view and a clear and clean river that ran straight through town. As soon as she had both feet on the ground, she knew that this could be home.

The small picturesque buildings were painted in bright colors, and the sidewalks were packed with people. Sage had read that this place attracted people year round from their annual autumn harvest festivals and Christmas decorations to their spring flings and summer exploring expeditions. She was ready to shed her old life, and there was no better place to sell her unwanted possessions than the eager town of New Loveland.

She pulled up the email on her phone and glanced at the address. The woman she’d been talking to was situated in the 400 block of Main Street, and the bus stop was on the 200 block of Main Street. Glancing at the numbers, she turned herself around and headed to the rental office.

“Welcome! Welcome!” a little old lady toddled out of the back and came to greet Sage warmly. “You must the lovely Ms. West. It’s been so exciting talking to you these past few weeks. I just love the idea of picking up and starting somewhere new! So adventurous!”

Sage cringed as the woman touched her. It wasn’t so much an adventure as it was a necessity. Her old life had nothing left to offer her. “It’s been a long few days. I’d like to go ahead and get my key so I can get settled,” she said softly.

“Of course! You’ll just need to sign the rental agreement. Even though the apartment and shop are in one building, Mr. Weathers used to loan it out separately, so you’ll need to sign both agreements.”

Sage picked up the pen and signed her name in big loopy letters. “Will I need to send you two separate checks for the properties?”

“That’s something you can discuss with Mr. Weathers. Since he lives next door, I’m sure you could just drop the money off with him. He probably won’t mind one check.” The woman hesitated for a moment. “He’s usually fairly agreeable, but if he gives you any trouble, you can simply do all of your transactions through us. He’s actually quite attractive. You might enjoy getting to know him!”

Sage denied herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes. “I’m here because of men,” she said. “I’m not really in the mood to get to know a new one.”

The rental lady clicked her teeth sympathetically before handing her the keys. “Okay, you’re all set. You can, of course, walk to it from here, but there is a car rental place just down the street.”

“Walking is fine. I wanted a place where I could walk everywhere.”

“Excellent! Well if you’ll just walk towards the mountains until you get to Sara Beth’s Diner, and that’s where you’ll fine the best meal around, take a left, you’ll find your street just another block or two past that. If you have any questions or you get lost, don’t hesitate to call! We’re always excited to get some newcomers moving in here!”

Sage nodded. She wanted to shy away from any warm welcomes, but she needed a presence within the community if her shop was going to be successful. “Oh! One other thing. I had some boxes shipped here. Do you know if they’ve arrived?”

The woman’s eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. “Yes. Mr. Weather was…erm…gracious enough to keep the boxes in your new place. That’s quite a bit that you had shipped over.”

“Inventory,” Sage said with a smile. “Okay, well thank you for all your help. I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the town as I get going.”

“Good luck settling in and let us know when the store is up and running!” The woman waved energetically as Sage stepped cautiously out of the office.

She exhaled slowly. Talking to new people was exhausting, and that woman would have kept here there for hours if she’d let her. She followed the woman’s directions until she finally came to a beautiful empty shop encased in glass that was two stories tall. She inserted the key into the store and felt herself shiver with excitement as she entered it. It was completely bare, but it was the right size for what she wanted. With a few shelves and display cases, this would make a great start.

She ran her fingers along the wall as she moved up the stairs to check out the apartment. There she found a man lounging in the hallways, studying her.

She shrieked. “Christ. You scared the shit out of me,” she accused him.

He had dark brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck and beautiful golden flashing eyes that immediately gave him away.

Shifter. He was a shifter. She felt herself stiffen, and she prayed that this wasn’t her landlord. She’d had enough experience with shifters to last a lifetime.

“Davis Weathers,” he said gruffly. “I’m your landlord.”

Crap. She tried to give him a small smile. “Sage West.”

“I know. Why did you send all your crap here before you moved in? I could have left it out on the street to rot,” he muttered.

Irritation flashed through her. “The lady at the rental office said my things would be taken care of if they arrived before I got here.”

“She doesn’t own this place. I do.”

“I didn’t have your number. I had hers,” Sage snapped back. “Are we going to have a problem here? All I wanted was a nice quiet place to live and set up a small store. If you’re unable to provide that, please let me know now before I get settled in. I hate packing.”

An amused smile played out on his lips. “Welcome to New Loveland,” he said softly. “Rent is due on the first of each month.”

“Thank you,” she said coldly. She turned and froze when she saw two doors. “Why are there two entrances to the apartment?”

“The one on the left is my apartment. The one on the right is yours.”

She whirled around. “You live above the store? They said you lived next door. I assumed they meant a different building.”

“You assumed wrong. Are we going to have a problem, Ms. West?”

Desire coiled like a snake slowly inside her as she stared at those lips. She didn’t know whether she wanted to slap that smile off his face or kiss him. Unnerved, she shook her head. “It’s fine,” she muttered. She shoved her key in the lock and felt a little relief when it swung open. She didn’t even say good night as she slammed it shut.

God. The gorgeous shifter shared an actual wall with her. But it didn’t matter. She was done with them. All she wanted now was to be alone.

She was tall. Davis normally found himself with shorter women, but he loved that fact that she could meet his eye. She had curves in all the right places, an ass that would nicely fit in the palms of his hands, and thick red hair that he wanted to twist his fingers in.

Damn. He hadn’t known that his tenant was going to be a knock out. Or that she’d come with such an attitude either. He’d felt the vibrations between them as soon as he laid eyes on her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this woman might be more than just a pretty face to him.

Davis had been second-in-command of his lion pride five years ago, but when he’d bedded the alpha’s wife, he’d been kicked out. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know his alpha had brought a wife home from his vacation, and although he’d ousted the woman as a shifter addict, his alpha was still none to pleased.

Two years ago, his alpha had finally found and married his mate, and he’d reached out to Davis and asked him to come home. Davis had refused. It wasn’t that he was angry with his alpha, but here, he didn’t have to worry about being in charge. He had a sense of freedom that was rare for him.

He was unattached, and he loved it.

He wasn’t the only shifter in the community. There was a wolf, a cheetah, several owls, an otter, and even a bear, but they were all submissive. He was the only alpha shifter in the town, and he found it irritating when the other shifters came to him for advice. They needed a leader, and he wasn’t willing to step up to the plate. The community begged him to help control them. The shifters, away from their packs, were often temperamental and difficult. Davis was no different, but he wasn’t here for that. He was here to be free.

He should avoid Sage West. It was clear that the beautiful woman would probably cause trouble, and he didn’t want trouble. He should have kicked her out when the first ten boxes arrived, but instead he’d hauled them in and carefully stacked them so they wouldn’t get damaged.

Even their conversation just now proved that he should end this business relationship. She clearly had a chip on her shoulder, and he didn’t need to deal with that, but instead, he’d let it go. He’d even been amused when she snapped back.

People rarely talked back to him.

So he’d keep his distance. He didn’t need trouble. He certainly didn’t need trouble from a beautiful woman.

Chapter Two

She slept soundly for a solid twelve hours. The past few weeks had been filled with gut wrenching sobbing, screaming, packing, and traveling. It wasn’t until Sage’s head hit the pillow in the furnished apartment that she finally realized what she’d done.

She’d left Connor. After two years of dating and an engagement announcement, she’d finally realized what had happened. She’d been swept up in all this talk of mating that she hadn’t even realized that she wasn’t in love with him. She never had been. She’d jumped from a shifter she loved who had never loved her to a shifter who simply loved to control women.

He’d proclaimed her his mate on day two, and she’d been swept away by his declaration. It wasn’t until she realized how many other women he’d been screwing to realize that he’d been lying to her. She wasn’t his mate, and if she’d taken the time to analyze the situation, she would have realized it.

Of course, Connor still wanted to marry her. He’d devoted his best years to cultivating their relationship and making her the perfect woman. So she’d packed in the middle of the night and left. If she didn’t, she knew she’d never leave him. He knew all the right things to say to make her stay.

She was long gone by the time the wolf had woken up, and although he threatened to come find her, she knew he wouldn’t. He had too much pride to drag her back. He’d find a new woman and who knows? Maybe the next one would actually be his mate.

When she’d finally woken up in the strange room, she was alarmed. She hadn’t slept that well in a long time, and she had no idea where she was. But the smell on the strange sheets lured her back into comfort, and she snuggled in them as she tried to decide what to do next.

The landlord, Davis, had agreed to furnish the apartment, but she wanted her own things. That would be step one. Buy her own furniture. Connor had been loaded, and he showered her with gift throughout their relationship, and now she was going to use those gifts to buy her own life.

He, at the very least, owed her that.

She was so excited by the thought of her own freedom that she decided to get started right away. She tossed the unfamiliar sheets aside and put on her slippers before padding down the stairs. As she surveyed the boxes with a sense of glee, she didn’t even think to check the time. Under the silvery glint of the moonlight, she began to unpack her things.

The sound of a drill woke him up. He was instantly alert as he rolled over and checked the clock. Three o’clock in the morning.

Someone was breaking in.

Thinking of all of Sage’s possessions in the store downstairs, he was immediately on his feet and creeping down the stairs. The sight startled him.

She was bent over a box, dressed in black yoga pants and a blue tank-top, and he could see her heavy breasts swinging as she dug through it, muttering to herself.

A shock of desire went through him as she swept her hair to the side, and he stared that the beautiful curve of her neck. He wanted to trace his lips over it and taste her.

“What the hell are you doing?” he roared instead.

She shrieked and immediately held the drill like it was a gun. Seeing that it was only Davis, she relaxed. “Why do you keep scaring me?”

“It’s the middle of the night. Why are you drilling into my store?” he growled.

“What? You’re not a nocturnal shifter?” She shrugged. “Sorry. I wanted to get started right away.”

“I’m a lion,” he said softly. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I have a problem with you scaring the shit out of me every chance that you get,” she snapped.

“Well I have a problem with you drilling in the middle of the night.”

He watched as her shoulders dropped in defeat. “You’re right. It was rude of me. I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I slept for a long time. I just needed to start moving.”

Davis saw sadness cloud her eyes, and he immediately cursed himself. Why did he have to be so abrasive? He wanted to go and wrap his arms around her, but that would make them both uncomfortable. “I’m used to it being quiet here,” he said gruffly. “I’ll have to get used to is not being so quiet here.”

She put the drill down carefully. “I was putting up curtains, but that can wait until after the sun rises. Is it okay if I continue to at least move some things out of boxes? I’d like to go to the hardware store in the morning for shelves, and I need to know how many to get.”

“That’s fine.” Davis’s eyes wandered over the things she’d already unpacked, and his eyes widened. She had quite a bit of expensive jewelry, a collection of figurines, music boxes, and some hand painted home décor items. “Did you have a shop before?”

She reddened. “No. All of this is personal items.”

Jesus. Clearly, he should have asked for more in rent. “And you decided to move to New Loveland?”

He watched as she deliberately turned. “Some of these were gift from my ex-fiancée. I’d like to get rid of them. Some of them were things that I’ve made or designed. That’s what I’d really like to sell, but hopefully the jewelry and figurines will pull enough money in for me to start crafting again.”

An ex-fiancée? Clearly they didn’t leave on good terms. After all, the rental office had called to say that a young woman needed a place to stay immediately, and she’d wanted to open up a store. It sounded like a rash decision.

“Do I have to worry about this ex-fiancée coming back for his things?”  Davis asked carefully. He felt this insane need to protect her.

She shook her head. “Connor was pissed when I left, but he’s not going to put the effort in to come for me. I left him his ring, and these things are mine to do with whatever I please.

Davis nodded. “Okay. I’m going back to bed, but I’ll help you install the shelves tomorrow if you’d like.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said quickly.

He shrugged. If she wanted to put up her own damn shelves, she could. “Fine. Keep the noise level down. I do have to work in the morning.”

She looked up sharply. “Work? What do you do?”

“I’m a business consultant.”

She snorted, and he raised his eyebrows. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” she said as she looked at him. For the first time during their encounter, he realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. “You just don’t look like you sit behind a desk all day.”

“See something that you like, Ms. West?” he purred.

She turned beet red. “I’ll be quiet. I’m sorry I disturbed you,” she said stiffly.

She went back to pulling things out of their boxes, and he realized that she was dismissing him. It irked him that she thought she could wave him off like that, but the idea that she was disturbed by him turned him on.

She wanted him, and if he played his cards right, he was going to have her.

She exhaled softly when he was no longer in her view. God, the muscles on that man’s chest would make any woman wet. Because he was a shifter, she expected he’d be hairy, but there wasn’t a strand of hair on that hard and golden chest of his. It almost seemed to beg for her touch, and if she weren’t standing so far away, she probably would have complied.

His pants had hung low on his hips, and her eyes traveled more than once down the V that peeked out from his waistband. Even Connor hadn’t been so sculpted, and he’d had the best body Sage had ever seen.

Before now, of course.

“Get it together,” she told herself sternly. “Not only are you swearing off men, but you are swearing off shifters. No more. You don’t need a man to make you happy.”

She chanted it over and over again in her head, but she knew her body wasn’t buying it. Only a man was going to ease that ache that had begun between her legs.

And that shifter would have done nicely, she knew.

But for Christ sake, what kind of independent woman would she be if she jumped the bones of her landlord the second night that she was here? A few weeks without sex shouldn’t have made her that desperate.

But it wasn’t the lack of sex. It was that man. And she knew it.

So she buried herself in her work in the hopes of pushing all thought of Davis Weathers out of her mind. Soon, she had all of her things lined up on the floor and stuffed under the counter. From the looks of things, she already had enough to fill the store. She would just need to start figuring out how to display it.

She’d lost track of time, and it wasn’t until she felt the hairs on her neck raise and she whirled around that she realized it was already morning. Davis was dressed in a suit, and he was lounging at the bottom of the stairs as he watched her.

Like a predator sizing up his prey.

She swallowed hard. He filled out his white button up nicely, and because he was not wearing a tie and chose instead to keep the top buttons of his shirt undone, she could only picture what he looked like underneath that suit.

“Undressing me you eyes already, Ms. West?” he asked teasingly.

She jumped. “It’s just a surprise to see how well you clean up, Mr. Weathers,” she said primly.

“Keep staring at me like, and you’re going to be surprised to see how dirty I can be as well.”

She glared at him. “Please don’t let me keep you,” she said coldly. It wasn’t fair how he could affect her so when she barely knew him.

“Please wait until I get home tonight before you start putting up shelves. I would prefer it if you didn’t damage my walls,” he said as he made his way to the door.

She made a face. “How hard can it be to put up some shelves?” she said, but the door was already closing.

Sage fumed as she watched his back retreat. Did he seriously think that she couldn’t put up shelves? Well she would show him.

She didn’t need him, his drool worthy body, or that gorgeous face. He didn’t know her. She had everything under control.

Five hours later, she was staring at the hole she’d accidently made in his wall.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Chapter Three

By the time Davis unlocked the front door, he was ready for a run around the block and a stiff drink. Although he occasionally worked with local companies, he mostly dealt with companies across the country, and some of them deserved to lose their businesses.

They were complete morons.

So when he saw the shelves that were installed on the wall, he stilled. And when his eyes landed on the hole, he felt dark rage unfurl within him. She hadn’t listened, and now she’d damaged his building.

He hissed. She’d been here for less than a week and already she was driving him up the wall. She had completely disregarded his words, and the consequences were clear. He was going to wring her neck. He was going lay into her until she cried. He was going to…

“I’m sorry.”

The whispered apology floored him. As he whirled around and took a look at her red-rimmed eyes, all the rage and anger left him. Had she really cried over a hole in the wall? That wasn’t right.

“It can be fixed,” he said gently. “Don’t worry. The rest of the shelves look great.”

God. She was shaking. “The ladder toppled over, and I swung the hammer as I fell. I’m so sorry. I’ll pay to have it fixed, or I’ll fix it myself. You’ll just have to tell me how.”

She fell off the ladder? His eyes widened. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me see?” Without thinking, he had her in his arms.

She immediately stiffened, and he released her. “I’m fine. Just a few bruises,” she said awkwardly.

“I’m sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair as he struggled to figure out what was going on. Why had he reacted like that? And more importantly, why had she? “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Liability and all that,” he lied.

She nodded her head. “Right. No. I’m fine. But your wall is not.”

“The wall.” He turned again to stare at the hole. “It’s not too big. I think with some dry wall and paint, it should be fine. I’ll run to the store and grab some.”

“No, you’ve been at work all day. I’ll do it. It’s the least I can do.”

He nodded his head, and his stomach growled. “Do you think you can pick up some dinner on the way back? I’m starving. We can eat while we work on the wall.”

“Sure,” she said slowly. “What would you like?”

“Meatloaf from Sara Beth’s Diner,” he said automatically. He’d been craving it all week.”

“I’ll just run upstairs and throw some make-up on,” she said quietly. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

He nodded and leaned over to watch her hips swing as she maneuvered up the stairs. God, what had just happened? He would never have touched a female that didn’t explicitly ask him to, so why had he been so eager to wrap her into his arms?

Clearly, he needed to find himself another woman to easy this new ache within him. It would be a long year if he didn’t find some way to distract his body.

Sage tapped her finger on the counter while she waited for her order. She’d packed the supplies she needed in her backpack, and although an hour had passed, she still couldn’t keep her mind off of what had happened.

She’d been a miserable wreck after putting a hole in the wall. Connor would have flipped out, and she could see from the frozen stance and the growls coming from Davis that he’d been livid when he’d realized what she’d done.

But instead, he’d hugged her? That didn’t make any sense. She figured he’d scream at her, maybe even kick her out, but instead she’d seen true worry and anxiety in his eyes. And he’d hugged her. What the hell was that all about?

“You must be the woman renting from Davis. This is his favorite,” the woman at the counter said as she pushed a bag her way.

“Sage West,” she said as she offered her hand.

“Sara Beth,” the woman said as she shook it.

“Oh, you’re the owner? Everyone has said great things about this place! I’m not a great cook, so I’m probably going to be here often,” Sage said with a smile. She hadn’t expected the owner to be so young. Sara Beth couldn’t have more than few years older than herself.

Sara Beth laughed. “I’m one of the few places that offers cheap southern style food. So you’re going to open up a gift shop?”

“That’s the idea. I put a hole in Davis’s wall, so I’m bring him dinner while he patches it up.”

Her eyes went round. “He must have been so angry at that. He’s known for his temper.”

“No, actually, he seemed more concerned about me. I’ve seen a bit of his temper though. Should I be worried?” Sage asked as she paid for their meal.

“Nah. He just gets temperamental with the shifters here. He’s the only alpha the town has, and we have a spattering of outlying shifters here. They’re sort of their own pack, and they look to him as their leader. He hates it,” she said with a smile. “But he helps to keep them in line.”

“So he doesn’t have his own pack? How long has he been here?”

The woman pursed her lips. “I guess near five years now. We’re pleased to have him.” She leaned in close. “He is gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Sage laughed nervously. “He is easy on the eyes. Thank you for dinner. I expect you’ll be seeing me quite often.”

“Enjoy! Tell him I said hi,” she said with a wink, and it became clear to Sage that Sara Beth had a thing for Davis. She felt a surge of jealousy streak through her, and she frowned.

Where had that come from? She didn’t have any say on who Davis was with. She’d just met the man.

And as she watched Sara Beth visit a table of women, they all turned to stare at her. Clearly, quite a few of the women had a thing from Davis. And that didn’t sit well with her at all.

Davis finished the first round of paint before stepping back to eye it critically. It was matching the rest of the wall nicely. He turned to see Sage brushing paint across the shelves. She’d chosen a light grey that stood out rather beautifully from the white.

“Nice job,” he said gruffly. “Ready to take a break, and eat?”

He watched the brush shake in her hand, and he smiled. He made her uneasy, and he expected it wasn’t because she was afraid of him.

“Just a minute,” she said clearing her throat. “I want to finish this shelf.”

He walked behind her and pressed his body to hers. She gasped when he took her hand and began moving it from side to side. “Even strokes,” he said in a low voice. “You don’t want one side to be darker than the other.”

When he wrapped his hand around her waist, she immediately moved. “Okay, I think I’m ready now,” she said in a shaky voice.

He felt bereft when she moved away, but his stomach growled, and he watched as she put the plates of food in the microwave. “Sara Beth seems nice. She seems very interested in you,” Sage said quietly.

Davis rolled his eyes. Sara Beth and a few of the other local woman had made a few passes at him, but he avoided them. He had his fun when he went on out of town trips to avoid the drama that sometimes came with bedding a woman. Clearly Sage had picked up on Sara Beth’s crush and was fishing for answers.

“I go there quite often for food,” he said, smiling wickedly. If she didn’t want to come out and ask if he was seeing someone, he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of answering.

“Is she married? I’m sure if the food is as good as everyone says it is, some man must have snatched her up,” she said as she laughed awkwardly.

He leaned against the wall, amused. “No. She’s not married.”

She took one plate out and popped the other one in. “Is she dating anyone?”

“Sage, if you want to date Sara Beth, all you have to do is ask her. I don’t think she swings that way, but it wouldn’t surprise me,” he said with a wicked smile.

“Oh! No, that’s not what I meant at all. I like men,” she said, flustered.

“Then why were you asking?”

“I’m just trying to get to know the locals,” she said as she handed him his plate.

He grabbed her hand. “If you want to know if I’m dating someone, all you have to do ask,” he said in a low voice. “And for the record, I’m not.”

She jerked her hand away. “That’s not what this was about.” He could tell she was lying. She was blushing and avoiding his gaze. “Why don’t we eat at the counter?”

He followed her and put his food down. His lion wanted to be fed, and he was craving more than meatloaf. He wanted her on that counter while he ravished her. While she had her back turned to him, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed up against her again. She fit him perfectly, and he could only imagine what other ways she would fit him.

Instead of stiffening, she softened against him. “You feel it too,” he whispered. “The tension in the air. Is your body responding like mine is? Are your nipples taut? Is your pussy wet?”

“Inappropriate,” she muttered, but her breath was heavy, and as he placed his lips on the side of her neck, her head rolled to give him more access.

Her skin was warm beneath his kiss, and he darted his tongue out to taste her. She moaned, and, feeling encouraged, he pulled a hand up to brush her breasts over the fabric of her top and bra. Her hips began to sway, and he wanted more. Slipping his hand under her shirt, he made his way up until he could feel her over the thin fabric of her bra.

“Sage,” he whispered. “I want you.”

She gasped and pushed him away. When she spun again, he saw the panic her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t do this.”

“Sage,” he called out, but she grabbed her food and raced up the stairs. He heard her shut the door and lock it before he even realized what was going on.

“Damn,” he muttered. He’d made his move too soon, and now she would probably be moving out before the night was over with. Frustrated, he left his food on the counter and went outside to take a walk.

Chapter Four

Several days had passed, and Sage was still avoiding Davis. Her reaction had made no sense, and she knew that he was confused. So was she. How could she be so turned on by a man that she didn’t even know?

But she couldn’t get him out of her head. She couldn’t focus on anything. She felt his arms wrapped around her when he wasn’t there. She felt his lips on her skin, and she imagined what it would be like when she finally got to kiss him.

It was driving her insane.

She organized her new store like she was driven by demons, but it didn’t help. Before she knew it, she was standing in the middle of the store, arms by her side, lost in another daydream about him.

There was really only one thing she could do. Get him out of her system.

She quit working a few hours before she knew he would get home. She showered and dressed in her slinkiest dress. A navy blue number than showed a little more thigh and cleavage than she would like, but she knew she looked in it. She pulled her red hair to one side and added a string of pearls.

Sage was going to seduce Davis tonight so she could get on with her life.

She sat at the top of the stairs and waited for him to get home. With her back pressed against the wall, she crossed her legs in what she hoped was a sexy pose.

When she heard the key in the lock, she held her breath. Her heart was racing. What if she was wrong about this? What if he really wasn’t interested in but was just trying to pass the time?

She watched as he entered the stair well. “Sage,” he gasped when he saw her.

She arched her back nervously. “Davis. How was work?”

“What?” He shook his head and braced himself with one hand. “Work? Work was work. Sage, what the hell are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” she said innocently. “I’m just sitting here. I thought we could talk.”

“And you always wear a dress like that when you want to talk?” he said in a low voice. She watched as he took another step towards her.

She tried to shrug nonchalantly. “It was just something I threw on. There’s an elephant in the room that we need to address. You want me.”

“Yes. Yes I do,” he said as he took another step. Her breath hitched when she saw the predator look in his eye.

“And I want you.”

He took another step, and liquid heat was already pooling between her legs. God, he could probably smell how turned on she was. “What did you want to do about it?” he asked as he began to unbutton his shirt.

She cleared her throat and tried to focus on the speech she’d prepared. “I think we’re both a little too distracted by this. Maybe if we just have one night together, we can get it out of our system and go back to a normal life.”

His shirt parted, and she nearly moaned. He was perfection. He was halfway up the landing now, and she scooted to face him.

“I’m not going to be easy,” he growled as he took another step.

“Good,” she said in anticipation.

“I like it rough. My lion likes it rough.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I can take it.”

When he was just a few steps away from her, he leaned over. “Be sure this is what you want,” he muttered.

She cupped his face. “Kiss me.”

“Sage,” he breathed, and he leaned over and captured her lips. She moaned as his tongue invaded her and turned her muscles to jelly. Slowly, he pushed her back and settled between her legs. “So sweet,” he murmured.

“Wait,” she gasped as he moved down her body. “I didn’t mean for us to do it here.”

“We can move to the bed, but first, I have to see what you have going on down here,” he said as he hiked her dress up. She watched his pupils dilate when he realized that she wasn’t wearing any panties. He slid a finger alone her slit, and she wiggled.

“Beautiful,” he moaned as he slipped a finger inside her, and she gasped. She let her head drop to the floor as he played with her, and she didn’t notice that he’d moved until she felt the wet warmth of his tongue.

“Davis,” she cried out when his tongue flicked over that sensitive spot.

“Don’t make me stop, baby,” he begged her. “Please. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I laid eyes on you.”

Her back arched as his tongue returned, and soon she was at a loss for words. He added another finger, and she cried out as the assault grew more demanding. Pressure mounted within her, and her toes curled. He was taking complete control of her body, and her body was enjoying every minute.

Higher and higher she flew as his tongue rasped over her clit, and finally she could take no more. She shouted as she broke, and her body shook as she climaxed. He licked her a few more times while she fell back to earth, and finally, he leaned over her.

“We need to move now, or I’m going to fuck you right here,” he hissed.

She shivered, but she allowed him to take her hands and pull her up. Her dress was still up around her waist when he picked her up and slammed her against the wall.

She wrapped her legs around him and rubbed herself against his bulge. God, it had never been like with Connor. With anyone.

His mouth feasted on hers while she undulated against him. “Baby,” he whispered.

“Hurry,” she moaned, and suddenly, they were moving again. Soon they were tumbling onto a bed. She didn’t even know which apartment they were in, and she didn’t care. She heard the zipper of her dress go down, and she arched her body to let him peel off her dress.

Normally, she felt subconscious about her naked body, but the look he gave her made her feel sexy. His eyes darkened with desire as they moved down her body. “So beautiful. So perfect.”

He shucked the rest of his shirt, and she watched as he slid his pants down as well. When he was finally naked, he covered her with his body and took her mouth again.

He dominated her, and for the first time in forever, she didn’t mind. She gave up her control easily and without worry. No matter what happened, he would always keep her safe. She knew that without a doubt.

She slid her hands down his body and squeezed his sex. He was large and hard, and she could only moan when she thought of it inside her.

“Sage,” he said hoarsely. “This is going to be over before it starts if you keep doing that.”

She giggled and released him. He settled his weight over hers and probed at her entrance. She lifted her knees in response.

“Sage? Are you sure you want to do this? There’s no going back,” he muttered as he skimmed his mouth over hers.

She knew what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to think about it. She only wanted to enjoy him. “Inside me,” she muttered. “Now.”

He grunted and slid just a bit inside her. Sage gasped as he filled her, and she knew he wasn’t even all the way in. “God, you’re tight,” he muttered.

“More,” she said as she clawed at his back. She turned into a monster as she bucked her hips. She had to take all of him. There was no turning back now.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he hissed, but she planted her feet on the bed and raised her hips, and he sank in.

Buried to the hilt, he pressed his face into her neck as she struggled to accommodate him. He touched a sweet spot deep inside her, and she knew she was never going to be the same.

“Move,” she pleaded. “You’re killing me.”

He laughed shortly and slid himself slowly in and out. “Yes,” she clutched at the muscles in his back. “I like that.”

“You like that?” he said. She watched in fascination as his eyes flashed gold.

“I do.” She bit her lip. “Let him out to play. I know he wants to come out.”

He stilled and studied her. “He does,” Davis said. “But he’s not always nice.”

“I can take it,” she said confidently.

She let her nails dig into his skin, and she watched as his eyes grew even brighter. “Let your lion out,” she whispered.

Suddenly, he roared, and Sage shrieked as he rammed himself inside her. His eyes were bright gold now, and she could barely hang on as he slid himself over and over that spot.

She loved it. She loved every second of it, and as he pushed her closer and closer to her second orgasm, she knew that things were never going to be the same.

He had unleashed his lion, and she still felt safe and secure. And loved.

“Davis,” she cried out as she peaked. Her muscles squeezed him as she came, and he shouted as he buried himself inside her and joined her.

Chapter Five

He collapsed on top of her and nuzzled her. She wrapped her arms around him and waited for her heart rate to return to normal.

“Are you okay?” he whispered when he raised his head. “I don’t usually do that. You just sort of drove me crazy,” he admitted.

She bit her lip. “You didn’t hurt or scare me at all.”

Relief swept through him, and he nuzzled her neck. She’d been everything he’d hoped and more. And if she still thought this was just going to be a one-night stand, she had another thing coming.

He’d understood that she was scared, and he’d kept his distance. Part of it was frustration. Just seeing her was enough to push him over the edge. But he didn’t understand why she was scared. Usually, when a shifter found a mate, it was easy and seamless. But she’d literally run in the opposite direction.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly.

“I’m just trying to wrap my head around it, that’s all. I’ve been here for less than a week. Ending up in the landlord’s bed wasn’t exactly the plan.”

He laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re the first tenant I’ve ever slept with.” He raised his head to study her. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever slept with in this town. You feel this connection, right?”

She stilled under him, and suddenly he realized the problem. She knew she was his mate, and it terrified her. “Can we just take this one step at a time,” she said hesitantly.

“It doesn’t work that way, Sage. It’s meant to be intense. It’s meant to bind a couple instantly and forever. Why does that scare you?”

She pushed at him, and he rolled off. She gathered the sheets up under her armpits and sat up. “First off, why wouldn’t that scare someone? I don’t know you. I’m human. I don’t share my body with another soul, so when I feel something like this, it’s intense and overwhelming. You grow up knowing that you’ll find your mate. I’m told I’m someone’s mate, and it takes me two years to realize that it’s not true.”

He felt a streak of anger inside him. “Your ex told you that you were his mate?” he asked in a dangerous voice. It was bad enough that sleeping with a shifter was the new trend, but to have a shifter lie about the emotional bond that connected a shifter and a mate? That was sacrilegious.”

She laughed shortly. “I know it sounds ridiculous. It’s so different than what I feel with you. I should have known right away, but he was handsome and charming. He wouldn’t leave me alone, and then he was controlling and manipulative. It wasn’t until I found out he was cheating that I knew for certain he’d been lying this whole time.”

She turned to him. “Davis, that was less than a month ago. So yes, what I feel, right now, scares me.”

“But you do feel it,” he said as he sat up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not trying to force it on you, Sage. I want you to come to the decision on your own. You feel it. I’m not telling you that you feel it.”

“Yes,” she whispered as she relaxed against him. “I felt it the moment I saw you.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her forehead. “You were so mean to me.”

She laughed. “You started it.”

“I felt it too. I thought for certain that I was wrong. I always thought I’d be paired with some docile little thing. You’re enough to scare the lion inside me. You always tame him, though. No one has ever done that.”

“What am I supposed to do?” she said quietly.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just let me love you. Let me know when you are ready. Then marry me and spend the rest of your life with me.”

She laughed, and he smiled. He’d spend the rest of his life making her laugh. “Oh sure. I just have to marry you. Nothing big.”

He settled back down in the bed and cradled her as she rested her head on his chest. This felt so right. Being inside her felt right. Having her in his arms felt right. “What do you want to do? I want to do this right so you don’t pack up your stuff and leave me.”

“I don’t think I could leave you even if I tried,” she whispered. She pressed her lips to his chest, and he felt himself stirring. After all that, he was still ready for her. “I’m nervous, but it has nothing to do with you. I’m not second-guessing you. I feel safe in your arms, but what if I mess this up? What if I’m just some shifter groupie, and your misreading all the signs?”

He stroked her hair. “There is no misreading you. And if you give me the chance, I’ll prove it to you.”

After a few moment of silence, she spoke again. “I’m still scared, but I want to hear you say it.”

He smiled. “I love you, Sage West. You’re meant to be with me. You’re my mate. You’re my happily ever after.”

She smiled and slung a leg around his. “I thought I would freak out, but I liked hearing it.” She propped herself up and stared at him.

“And how do you feel about me?”

“I love you, Davis Weathers. You’re meant to be mine. You’re my soul mate. You’re my happily ever after.”

Hearing those words made him growl and lift his head to claim her kiss. After a moment, she broke apart. Breathless. “So this is it?”

“This is it,” he murmured. His sex twitched against her leg, and her eyes widened.

“Already?”

“ It’s your own fault. You’re just so damn sexy.”

She licked her lips hungrily, and he laughed. “Clearly you have no issues with that.”

“Mine,” she said possessively as she straddled him. “Forever.”

“Forever,” he agreed, and soon she was riding him back to heaven.

They were married within a month, and her store opened with great success. She knew without a doubt that every part of her life had led up to this. Had she never spent so much time with Connor, she never would have run so far away. She would have never run into the arms of her true mate.

Sage Weathers. She was loved and protected. She loved and protected. And she was happy.

THE END

GIFTED LANCE

Chapter One

Sasha stared at the man across from her. There was just not something quite right with his face. Was his nose too small? Were his eyes too close together? She cocked her head. Maybe his eyebrows were too bushy.

“Wouldn’t that be great?”

Startled, she shook herself out of her daze. Shit. He had said something to her. What was his name again? “Tell me about your job, Don,” she said trying to divert his attention away from the fact that she had absolutely no idea what he’d just said.

He looked crestfallen. “I just did.”

Double shit. “I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “Long day at work, and I just zoned out.”

Her smiled must have encouraged him because his face brightened. “I bet. So you’re a baker? I love cupcakes!”

Of course he loved cupcakes. He probably loved everything a normal ten-year-old boy loved. Why did she let her sister set her up on these blind dates? They were always a complete disaster!

The check arrived, and she watched as he grabbed it. At least he was going to be a gentleman and pay for dinner.

“Mom said girls like to feel independent on first dates. Dutch?” he asked with a smile. “You owe twenty-four dollars plus tip.”

Mom said? This date was so over.

After giving him the brush off at the car, she locked herself safely inside and quickly called her sister.

“Sasha!” she squealed. Sasha could hear her niece and nephew screaming in the background. Apparently they didn’t want to go to bed. “Is the date over already?”

“Already?” Sasha asked. “Calla, it felt like it lasted forever. Where the hell did you find this guy? Boring R Us?”

Her sister got oddly quiet on the other end, and Sasha started her car with narrow eyes. “Calla. Where did you find him?”

“Maybe you just didn’t give him a chance,” she said softly.

That did it. “Calla Lilly Thompson! You tell me where you found him right here and now or so help me God!” Their mom had a thing for flowers. Sasha’s full name was Sasha Rose.

“Okay,” she said with a huff. “You don’t have to yell. I signed you up for this online dating site. Don looked so handsome in his picture, and he seemed so stable and nice when we talked.”

“You mean when you talked and pretended to be me? Well that explains why our conversations made absolutely no sense,” Sasha grumbled. “You will take me off that dating site right now. If you don’t personally know the guy, you don’t get to set me up with him.”

“I just want you to be happy,” her sister sniffed. Sasha rolled her eyes. Her sister wasn’t really going to cry, was she? That hadn’t worked since they were ten.

Calla was two years younger than her, and she’s always felt guilty about being the first to get married. Sasha never felt bitter about it because she loved her brother-in-law, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she wanted what they had. But it was so difficult to meet a decent man these days. Either they were taken, they were single and deservedly so, they were gay, or they came with an insane amount of baggage. And Sasha didn’t want to settle. She wanted to feel that initial spark of passion.

“Stop crying,” Sasha demanded. “Take me off the website.”

Her phone beeped, and she looked at her Bluetooth dashboard. “Hang on. Work is calling me. I’ve got to go.”

“But,” her sister interrupted, but Sasha hung up on her.

“Sasha Morrows,” she said.

“Sasha! Oh thank god!” Her boss, Billy Anderson, sounded frantic. “Miriam just called. She quit. Quit! Something about moving to Vegas and eloping. I have no idea. But I’m still in Florida, and someone has to man the Hairy and Fluffy party tonight. Susan finished baking, but she thought Miriam would ice them after they cooled. Please tell me you’re free tonight. I’ll do whatever you want,” he pleaded.

“Three days of paid vacation next month,” she said immediately. She wanted to spend some time digging her toes in the sand and listening to the ocean.

“Done,” he said immediately. She smiled.

“Text me the address. I’ll head that way now.” She’d wasted her sultry red dress on the date, so she might as well wear it to the party.

“You are a lifesaver. A doll. My absolute favorite,” he gushed as he hung up on. Sasha rolled her eyes. By next week, Billy would be flipping out on her for something she hadn’t even done. She loved her boss, but he was a bit touchy. Especially when his husband was out of town, which was often.

She pulled up the directions to the party, turned her car around, and headed downtown. Hairy and Fluffy Dating Agency held a massive mixer three times a year in order for their members to meet. Shifters of all types were hoping to meet their mates and humans were hoping to hook up with an alpha.

Sasha knew the rumors. Shifters could sense their mates immediately, and Sasha thought it was ridiculous. How could you imprint on someone when you knew nothing about them? What if your soul mate was actually a huge asshole? What did you do then?

No. While Sasha certainly wanted some passion in her life, she relied on good old-fashioned logic. She wanted to get to know someone before she decided they were her soul mates.

Chapter Two

Cole nearly growled at his mother. She stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips while he shook the invitation in the air. “This Meet and Greet has my name on it. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“No.”

“Why are you standing so defensively, then?”

“Because you’re always accusing me of something. Yesterday you thought I’d deliberately shoved a nail in your neighbors tire so you’d have to change it. Last week you accused me of collaborating with your brother so that you’d have to talk to his receptionist. I swear Cole, you’re getting a little paranoid.”

He felt his anger rising. He knew she was behind those little antics. His mother was tired of waiting for grandpups. She wanted Cole to marry, and she wasn’t below a little manipulation to get what she wanted.

“I told you that I would find my mate in my own time,” he hissed.

She smirked. “I know for a fact you haven’t satisfied your wolf in months. At the very least, you need to let him out to play.”

“How did you….” He shook his head in frustration. “Never mind. It’s my life, and I’ll do as I please.”

“Celibacy is dangerous Cole Grayson, and you know it!” She sauntered over and ripped the invitation out of his hands. “A Hairy and Fluffy party? A bit too forward for my tastes, but at the very least, you’ll find some damn release.” She slapped him on the chest with it. “Go. Find some pretty little thing to take home. Someone substantial enough to take your wolf, and pull that damn bug out of your ass.”

Cole growled. “If I find out that you had anything to do with this…” he threatened.

“You’ll what? I gave you life, Cole Grayson. So you adjust that attitude of yours, or I will take you over my knee!”

“I’m not going.”

“The hell you aren’t going. If you don’t, I’ll come visit you at work with a new woman to toss at you for the next month.”

The horror struck deep. “You wouldn’t,” he whispered.

“I’ll even cook. I think the boys at the fire station would enjoy that,” she said with a sly smile.

He groaned inwardly. His mother was the worse cook. Having her show up at the station while he was on duty would be a disaster. And he knew his mother. It was best not to call her bluff. “Okay, I’ll go,” he grumbled. “But I don’t promise that I’ll talk to anyone.”

She smiled. “Well I didn’t send that invitation, so maybe fate is finally stepping in. Go home and shower, darling. You smell terrible.”

“I’ve been working on my car,” he said self-consciously. Cautiously, he gave himself a whiff. Even his wolf was disgusted.

“Wear something nice,” she said as she rose up on her tiptoes. He immediately bent down so that she could give him a kiss on his cheek. “And be on your best behavior. I don’t want to hear about you getting into any fights. You need a lover. You need to find your mate.”

“Yes, mom,” he said with a sigh. What was the point in coming over here? His mom always won.

Always.

Besides, it had been awhile. He was tired of loveless fucking. He did need a lover, and he did need his mate.

But a Hairy and Fluffy party? How the hell was he going to meet one there?

Chapter Three

The party hadn’t quite started by the time Sasha got there. She checked on the baked goods. Susan had done a decent job, and she’d left enough ingredients to make more. Sasha pulled out her emergency apron and began finishing off some of the cupcakes.

“Oooh, those look lovely,” Lydia said with a smile. Lydia owned the dating agency, and she looked Sasha up and down with a smile. “And my, my, so do you,” she purred.

Sasha blushed. The dress showed off her ample cleavage and bit more of her plump thighs than she would have liked, but her friend had told her she was a knock out in it.

“I was on a date when Billy called me,” Sasha explained. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll be behind this apron and in the kitchen all night.”

Lydia frowned. “Well, if that’s what you want. Did the date go well?”

“No. No it did not,’ Sasha cringed as she remembered Don. Christ. What on earth did he say to make Calla think that he’d be a good match for her?

A slow smile crossed Lydia’s face. “Then perhaps you’ll find something else to cream tonight.”

She walked out before Sasha got her meaning. “Wow. This should be an interesting party,” Sasha murmured. She finished the first couple trays of cupcakes and cookies and sat them out in the meeting hall. The table was full of finger foods and punch bowls. Lydia must have expected quite the turn out.

A few of the guests started trickling in, and Sasha immediately ducked back through the doors to the prep room. There was no way she was going to get roped up into this.

In an hour, it sounded like things were in full swing. She’d just finished decorating another batch when Lidia came in. “Sasha, darling. We’re out of cupcakes. Do you have some more?”

Sasha nodded. “Coming right up,” she said with a smile. She grabbed her tray and bumped the door with her hips. It swung open, and she was immediately overwhelmed with the sexual charge of the room.

Beautiful woman roamed the room wearing slinky dresses and coy smiles. It was trendy these days to mate with a shifter. Some whispered it was the best sex ever, and clearly these women were looking to get laid. Men prowled the room searching for their next target. Sasha shuddered. She was glad she wasn’t the object of one of these intense stares.

She sat the tray of cupcakes down and wiped her hands on her apron. If the first batch had gone well, they were going to love these chocolate ones.

“I love a woman that can bake,” a deep voice purred. “I bet you’re going to taste just as sweet.”

Sasha grimaced and glanced to her left. The man had a pretty face, but he also had sleaze written all over him. “I’m not here for the party,” she said succinctly. Before he could object, she turned her back and headed back into the prep room.

Just before she pushed through the door, the man entering the room caught her eye. In that first moment of eye contact, all of her breath rushed out of her lungs.

Tall. She was a tall woman, and he easily towered over her. Hard. Even that button up shirt couldn’t hide the muscles that were rippling as he moved. Bronze skin. Amber eyes. She immediately grew wet. God, that man would do nicely between her thighs.

Two slinky blondes immediately sidled up next to him, and it gave Sasha a cold dose of reality. She was here to work, not pick up a guy to fuck. Shaking her head, she pushed through the doors.

As she worked on the cookies, she couldn’t get him out of her head. It had been awhile since she’d had a decent lover, and she could already tell that he’d be phenomenal. He was the type of man who could push a woman up against the wall and fuck her senseless. That was the kind of man that Sasha wanted.

Of course, by now, he’d probably have his dick in one of those women, maybe even both, and Sasha needed to stop thinking about it. She had three more trays of cookies that needed to be decorated.

Chapter Four

Cole turned up his nose as he looked around the room. His senses were on overdrive. Most of the women here were wearing pheromone enhancers, and it made his hair stand on end. They were beautiful, slinky, and seductive, but the fake aromas that wafted off them were giving him a headache.

One of them trailed a finger down his abdomen, and he shuddered as he tried to politely remove himself from the situation. She pouted. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Hungry,” he murmured.

A smile curved across her face as she mistook his meaning. She rubbed her body on him. “I think I have just the thing,” she whispered. A tongue darted out and tickled his ear.

“No,” he said more firmly. “I mean I am actually hungry. Excuse me,” he muttered.

He moved so quickly that she nearly fell over. “What the hell is wrong with you,” she snapped, but he was already trying to blend in the crowd.

It became clear that he was alpha male in the group. There were several cats and wolves, and even a bear, but he was the highest-ranking member of the group. The men frowned as the women flocked to him, but this wasn’t what he wanted. If he just wanted a fling, he could have one at any point. He was looking for something more substantial than that.

Of course, it was possible that these women were as well, but fucking a shifter was a trendy thing to do nowadays. If he couldn’t tell whose scent was real, how was he going to pick out who wanted something long term and who just wanted a fling?

One woman was still following him, and he groaned. He slipped through the service entrance and watched through the small window as she circled around trying to find him again.

“I know the cupcake tray in empty, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to finish them,” a voice said wryly.

He whirled around. The baker that he’d caught a quick glance at earlier was staring at him with icing in hand. He immediately felt himself stirring. Now here was a woman.

She was tall with luscious big breasts and an ass that a big man like him could really get his hands on. She was dressed in a hot little red number, but it was covered in flour and icing.

The best part? She smelled real. And she smelled good.

Really good.

He stirred. “Couldn’t wait,” he said with a smile. “Something in here smelled delicious.”

She narrowed her eyes. “As I’ve already told several guests, I’m not here for a date. I’m just here to provide something sweet.”

Cole laughed. “I bet you do have something sweet.” She blushed furiously, and he decided to keep going. “But I meant the cupcakes, not you, sweetheart.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and he knew he had her on his hook. “Well, you’re just going to have to wait outside like everyone else,” she hissed. She pointed to the door.

He moved easily into the shadows hoping to slink around and get a better look at that ass, but she kept a sharp eye on him. “Are you confused? The door is that way.”

He loved that sharp attitude she had in her voice. “There are worse things than to be locked in a small room with me, baby.”

“First of all, my name is Sasha. Not baby. Second of all, I’m not interesting in flirting with you. And third of all…” her voice faltered when he moved closer. If she tried to say she wasn’t attracted to him, she’d be lying. He could smell the spike of lust in her body. Just looking at him made her wet.

And it made him hard.

He hadn’t had a reaction like that in quite some time.

“Third of all?” he murmured as he took a step closer.

He watched, fascinated, as she swallowed hard. He figured she’d take a step back, but she clearly had more spine than that. She held her ground until he was only inches away from her.

“Third of all, I don’t like someone’s leftovers,” she said before spinning on her heels to stalk away.

His mouth dropped open. “Someone’s leftovers? Hold on just a second!” He reached out to grab her arm. “I haven’t been with anyone tonight.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen practically every woman here drooling all over you.”

“Been keeping an eye on me?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on everyone,” she said prissily. “I like to know who’s enjoying my goods.”

“I haven’t quite sampled your goods yet.”

“Baked goods,” she snapped. She pulled her arm away and went back to decorating the cupcakes.

He wasn’t about to let her go that easily. Cole cocked her head as he watched her hips swing back and forth, and a sound of approval slipped out. Without even thinking, he slipped up behind her and pressed her body to his.

“Personal space!” she hissed. “Didn’t I already go over all the reasons that I wasn’t interested?”

“Let’s see,” he mused. He ached to put his arms around her, but he knew that it was too soon. “I believe you didn’t like that I called you baby. And that’s okay. I like Sasha just fine. Sexy.” God, he wanted to lick the column of her neck. “Secondly, you said you weren’t here to flirt with me. And that’s okay as well. I have something way better than flirting in mind.” He heard her inhale sharply, and he leaned over to watch her breasts heave. God. He was going to have to bend her over the table and take her right here. “And then you said you didn’t want anyone’s leftovers. I can assure you, there has been no one here to catch my eye tonight. Except you.”

She whirled around. “Back off. You may not lick the column of my neck, and you certainly may not bend me over the counter.”

Shocked, he stumbled back quickly. “What the fuck did you just say?” he demanded.

She grabbed a spatula and waved it in his face. “I don’t care if you think you can tell that I’m aroused because you’re supersensitive to that kind of thing. No means no. And until I give you permission, you are not touching me!”

“I didn’t say that out loud.”

Irritation crossed her face. “Of course you did. I heard it plain as day. Not that it matters. It ain’t happening.”

“Dear God,” he muttered. “At a fucking Hairy and Fluffy party no less.” He craned his neck back as she continued to try and use the spatula to ward him off. “Stop that,” he muttered as he grabbed it. “I heard you loud and clear. No touching.”

The relief was obvious on her face. “Great. Back out to the party with you.”

He shook his head. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Are your legs broken?”

“I can’t do that because you’re my mate.”

Chapter Five

Sasha nearly dropped the spatula. She felt as though she were about to have a heart attack. Mate? She’d heard the term of course. Shifters mated for life. They were soul mates. Meant to be. One love forever and all that crap.

“That’s ridiculous,” she said as she tried to gain control of herself. “How could you possibly know that? You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

You can hear my thoughts.

She stared at his mouth. It hadn’t moved. “Ventriloquist,” she accused. “Just a simple party trick.”

“It’s not even all that common,” he continued, staring at her. “Every mate and the shifter share a special bond, but hearing someone’s thoughts is fairly special.”

She shivered. Those eyes were so damn intense.

Tell me what you want.

She swallowed hard. “I want you to leave,” she said. Her voice trembled, and she cursed herself for that.

Lies. Tell me what you want.

He closed in on her and the air thickened. This time, she didn’t stand her ground. She backed up until the table hit her butt, and she pressed into it. He stopped, just inches from her, and she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She could only feel.

Tell me what you want.

“My own bakery,” she whispered. “A house, a backyard, two dogs, and three kids. One of those SUV crossovers, but it needs to get good gas mileage. I want to take a cruise, and I really want my sister to quit setting me up on horrible dates,” she babbled.

A slow grin crossed his face.

Tell me what you want right now, he demanded.

“Kiss me,” she moaned.

He leaned down, and she reached up to grasp that beautiful head of curls. As his lips crushed hers, she could only whimper. It was intense, demanding, and it turned her system into overdrive. She could the hard rippling muscles of his arms as she tried to hold on. Her knees were already buckling, and she would have slid to the floor if it weren’t for his hands that came around to cup her ass and pull her towards him.

God, he was so hard. She moaned as she rubbed herself mindlessly against him.

One kiss. It had just taken one kiss for him to turn her into a goddamn mess.

“Sasha honey, how are those cupcakes coming?” The door banged open as Lydia came in, and while he broke the kiss, he kept his lips close to hers as he stroked her cheeks.

“Bakery is closed for tonight,” he announced.

“So I see,” she said with a smile. “Feel free to get to know each other elsewhere.”

It was like someone had dashed cold water on her. Sasha pushed him away. “Christ,” she muttered. “I don’t even know your fucking name.”

“Cole Grayson.” His hand came up to grab her hand. “I’m thirty-five years old. I’m a firefighter.”

It was all she could do not to moan. God. He was a firefighter? How was she not mounting him on the floor right then and there?

“Never been married. No kids. I’m the second in command of my pack, I love my mother, and I want to kill my siblings most of the time. I like cold beer, rare steaks, and bakers. God, I love bakers. Please, let’s go anywhere but here.”

Her mind was racing. God, she wanted him. But she didn’t take strangers home. But the more he touched her, the more her body was screaming to have him. Maybe if she had him just once, he could let go of all this mate stuff. She’d be satisfied. He’d be satisfied. And they’d go their separate ways.

“I live just around the corner,” she whispered hesitantly.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” he growled as he leaned down to claim her lips again. She melted into him.

The door banged open again. “Out,” Lydia commanded. “Now!”

He grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the meeting room. She barely glanced around as they headed to the exit.

“We’ll take my car,” he grunted.

“Oh no,” she said. “We’ll take separate cars.” She wanted him to leave when it was all over with.

He stopped and stared at her. “This isn’t just a once night deal, Sasha.”

“How about a one night at a time deal,” she said swallowing hard.

He leaned over and traced her lips with his thumb. “You’re going to a hard nut to crack, aren’t you?”

“I’m not a shifter, Cole. In my world, we date for awhile before we settle on happily ever after.”

He nodded. “Okay. One night at a time. I’ll follow you.” He seemed to have a hard time letting go of her hand, but once he did, he was off like a shot to get to his car.

Her heart was in her throat as she unlocked her own door. What was she doing?

Chapter Six

It killed him to watch her drive in front of him. It had never occurred to him that his mate wouldn’t just fall into his arms. Isn’t that usually how it worked?

Of course it didn’t. She’s never seen the connection between a mate and a shifter. She’s couldn’t smell him the way he can smell her.

And he couldn’t read her thoughts.

The connection wasn’t complete. Tonight, he would make it complete. Tonight, he would show her what she meant to him.

She pulled into an apartment complex, and he jumped out of his car as soon as it was in park. Before she could even open her mouth, he’d put his arms around him and drew her in for a kiss.

Her mouth was like a drug, and he wanted to get a fix every chance that he had.

“Cole,” she muttered. “Baby, let’s go inside.”

Baby. I like that.

She screwed up her face. “Okay. Before we go inside, let’s get one thing straight. I am inviting you inside because you are intoxicatingly attractive, your kisses make my insides melt, and it’s been a long, long, long, long, long time since I’ve had sex. I don’t usually take strangers home, but I don’t want you thinking that I buy into this whole mate thing.”

“Sasha.” He leaned over and cupped her chin. “I am not going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. If all you want is tonight, then I’ll leave you alone. But I am asking for the chance to make you understand what we have here. What we could potentially have here.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay.” The keys were clanging in her hand, so he took them from her, and she led him to the apartment. Stopping to kiss her gently, he inserted the keys and pushed her slowly into the apartment.

He could tell she was nervous. “Bedroom is back there,” she murmured.

He gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up, haul her to the bedroom, and slide himself inside her, but that wouldn’t do anything to convince her.

“Let’s just sit on the couch for a bit,” he suggested.

Sasha shot him an incredulous look. “Sit on the couch?” she repeated.

“I want you to be comfortable,” he said. He reached out and slid a finger up her bare arm, and he smiled as she shivered.

“I don’t really want to be comfortable. I want you inside me,” she muttered, and he closed his eyes. Christ. She was making it hard.

“That’s the point,” she snapped. “To make it hard.”

He chuckled. “Then you can make it hard from the couch.” Cole leaned down to kiss her, and as she moaned, he backed her slowly to the couch. When he released her, she sank into the cushion.

He joined her. “Tell me about your life,” he said as he ran a hand up her leg. They parted immediately, but he kept his hands around her knees, tickling the backs of them, stroking her calves.

“Okay, but I can’t really focus when you’re doing that,” she murmured.  “Maybe we can talk about my life afterwards?”

He took his hands away, and she whimpered. “Okay, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just touch me.”

Leaning over, he ran his tongue down her neck. “What do you want out of life?”

Sasha gripped his shirt and angled her neck. “I want…you to keep doing that.”

“Come on, baby. That’s not an answer,” he said as he pulled away.

She cupped his chin and turned to face him. “I want to be happy. I want to grow old with a man I love and trust, a man who loves and trusts me. I want to raise a family. I want to know that I’ve made an impact on someone’s life.”

He raised his eyebrows. God. She was perfect. He leaned over to kiss her, and he traced a finger along the neckline of her dress. “Are you still nervous?”

She shook her head. “I’m nervous when I think about it, but when you’re near, I’m not nervous anymore.”

“Good. That’s good baby.” God, the way she was squirming had him hard as a rock. “Tell me what you want in a man.”

She smiled coyly and rubbed her hips over his cock. He hissed his breath. Clearly she was using her newfound mind reading talents against him. “Sasha,” he moaned.

“No.” She hiked up her dress and straddled him. “I’m through talking.”

She rubbed herself against his jeans and moaned. With one hand, she began to slip the buttons of his shirt out of their holes. When she finished, she spread his shirt and leaned down to lick his chest.

He jumped. Her tongue was warm and wet over his skin. “Sasha,” he protested. He cupped her chin and forced her head up. “If I make you come, will you give me my answer?”

She almost mewled in response, and he growled and leaned up to possess her lips. “Undress for me, sweetheart,” he whispered.

He watched in puzzlement as she leaned over and flipped off the lamp. He could hear the rustling of clothes, but before she could return to him, he reached over and flipped the light back on again. She gasped, looking like a deer in headlights. “Cole!”

He drank her in. God, she was beautiful. “Why are you hiding in the dark?” he whispered.

She blushed. “I jiggle. I didn’t want you to see that for our first time.”

“First time?” he raised an eyebrow. “So you agree there’s going to be more?”

“It depends on how good you are tonight,” she shot back.

He laughed and reached for her. “Don’t ever hide in the dark. I love the curves of the woman.”

Sasha walked slowly towards him, and as she sat on the couch, he leaned over and cupped a breast. “I love a woman with a big bust,” he murmured as he leaned over to lick her nipple. It elicited a low guttural sound from her, and he did it again.

“Pinch it,” she whispered. “Pinch my nipples.” He complied, and she moaned. Her nipples were sensitive, and she did love a man who would take the time to play with them. As he blew his breath on them, they tightened, and ran his rough thumb in circles around them. She squirmed, and liquid heat pooled between her thighs.

He stroked the skin down her sides, and as he reached her hips, he leaned over. “I love a woman with an ass that fits my hands,” he murmured. Before she could react, he lifted her to cup her and pulled her down the sofa.

She shrieked with laughter, and he settled between her legs. He ran a tongue over the underside of her knee, and she shuddered. That rough stubble on his cheeks running across her skin made her even hotter. “I love these long, long, long legs,” he said. He ran a finger from her toe to her knee, and then he lightly traced the inner portion of her thigh. She held her breath as he inched closer and closer to that sweet spot.

“Cole,” she murmured. “Please.”

“Please what?” he asked.

“Touch me. For fuck’s sake, touch me.”

He laughed and touched the dewy lips of her sex. “No hair,” he whispered. And finally, after what seemed like years, he slipped a finger inside her.

She tossed back her head and whimpered as that long finger entered her. Then two. Slowly, they reached for that sweet spot inside her, and she whimpered as they brushed across it.

He moved between her legs, and she felt the warm wetness of a tongue on her outer lips. She opened her eyes and stared as he bowed his head again. The sight of those beautiful curls moving slowly between her legs suddenly turned her into a monster. She lifted her hips. “More,” she demanded. “Give me more.”

And suddenly, he was no longer gentle. She cried out as that tongue finally hit her clit, and those fingers ravished her. In and out. Swirl and lick. In and out. Swirl and lick. When he slid a third finger inside her, she started to peak. “Oh God,” she muttered. “Oh God, I’m so close. Don’t stop,” she panted. “Please, don’t stop. Right there. Right there. Oh. Oh. OH!”

He slid his teeth across her clit, and her climax ripped through her like a hurricane. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as her whole body shook, and she shoved her pussy into his face. He held on as he licked her through the waves of pleasure, and when she finally settled down, she had to push him away.

“Sensitive,” she muttered.

He slid his fingers out and traced them over her lips. Curious, she reached out and licked one. His eyes darkened with desire, and she smile coyly as she sucked the finger in his mouth. She could hear his thoughts.

He wanted her.

“You taste good, don’t you?” he whispered as he stared at her.

“Did you have a question for me?” she teased.

He leaned over and rested his forehead on her. “What do you want in a man?”

“Someone who likes to eat pussy,” she said laughingly.

“I do love that,” he moaned. She reached her hand his body and tugged on his pants.

“My turn to play,” she whispered.

“You haven’t seriously answered the question,” he protested, but he undid his belt and unfastened his pants.

“I can play and talk about the same time,” she said, licking her lips. Cole lifted his hips off the couch and pushed the pants down. After a second, he pushed his boxers off as well, and she watched him spring free.

Christ. He was long and thick. When he settled back down, she wrapped her fist around him and stroked. He hissed. “I don’t know that I can listen when you do that,” he muttered.

She chuckled, but she wanted that monster of a cock inside of her, so she unwrapped her and stroked her fingers up and down the underside of the base. “I want a man who makes me feel safe, makes me laugh, and makes me feel loved every day. I want one that believes in equality in a relationship, wants kids, and respects me. I need to know that you’re never going to cheat.”

Her hand stopped when she realized the slip she’d made on her last sentence. He gripped her hand and leaned down to kiss her. “I won’t cheat. I’m yours. Not a single woman will even come close to you, Sasha.”

He tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, and she felt more moisture leaking from her pussy. She was ready to go again.

She pushed him back and pulled herself to straddle him. He gripped her hips and stared into her eyes. “I will be all those things for you, Sasha. I just need you to believe in this.”

She undulated her hips across his cock, and when it slid across her clit, she inhaled sharply. No man had ever made her feel this way before, but was she ready to take the plunge?

Inch by inch, she lowered herself on him. God, he stretched her. Halfway, she had to stop and wiggle her hips. He grunted and forced her hips to slow down. “Hang on, baby. I know I’m big. Give it time,” he muttered. She watched the sweat running down his forehead, and she how much effort it was taking him not to just force her hips down.

“I like it big,” she whispered. “I like the way it feels. God, I love the way it stretches me. I want more. More.”

He eased up on the pressure, and she slid down even more. Bit by bit. He held himself as still as possible, and at one point she wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. Finally, she settled her weight down, and he was fully sheathed in her.

“Fuck, Sasha,” he moaned. “You’re perfect. So perfect.”

She squeezed her muscles around him, and his eyes bulged open. “Christ,” he hissed. “No one has ever been able to do that before.”

“I think,” she muttered. She wiggled her hips, and suddenly she gasped. He was sliding over a spot she’d never felt before, and sent shivers of pleasure throughout her body. “Oh God, right there. Right there,” she moaned.

She panted. She was going to come, and all he was doing was touching that one spot. Heat flared within her, and she rolled her hips over and over again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” she moaned. It exploded inside her, and suddenly, she was bouncing up and down to ride the wave of her second orgasm.

“Shit! Sasha,” he cried out. He gripped her hips and forced her to slow down. “I’m not going to last if you’re doing that.”

She convulsed and collapsed against him. “I’m sorry,” she said as she hid her face in his shoulder. “I didn’t know that spot even existed.”

“I love a woman who comes easily, but it’s been awhile for me, and I want to make it good for you,” he said as he planted kissed on her shoulder.

“Oh, it has been good for me,” she muttered. She bit her lip and finally raised her head. “Can we move to the bedroom now?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Okay?”

“You’ll see,” she whispered, and she tried to lift herself off him, but he gripped her hips.

“Oh no. You’re not leaving.”

She squealed when he lifted her off the couch. She tightened her legs around him, and as he began to walk, he moved inside her. “Oh,” she grunted.

Suddenly, her back was against the wall, and he slowly slid out of her. “Cole,” she gasped.

“Can’t help it,” he muttered. “Just need to feel it.” After a few strokes, he gripped her hips and began to move walk again. She saw the familiar walls of her bedroom, and squealed when they tumbled on the bed.

Immediately, her legs were up, and he was sliding inside her again. She grabbed the sheets and arched her back. “Yes. No. Wait.”

He froze. “What? What am I doing wrong?”

“Pull out,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Pull out,” she insisted.

Cole was confused, but he did as she asked. He slowly pulled out of her warmth and stumbled off the bed. He didn’t know what he’d done, but he wasn’t going to continue if she didn’t want it.

She flashed him the sexiest of smiles and got up on all fours. His eyes widened as he realized she was facing a mirror at the end of the bed. “It’s my favorite position,” she said as she reddened a little. “And I like to watch.”

He growled and launched himself at her. On his knees behind her, he gripped her hips and slowly entered her. He watched her in the mirror. As he slid inside, inch-by-inch, her mouth dropped open, and her eyes closed with laden desire. Her long hair covered her, and he took and hand and swept the hair to one side.

“I want to see those beautiful breasts swing when I plow you,” he muttered.

Her eyes flew open, and she cried out when he was fully inside her. He felt her muscles contract around him, and his body quivered. His wolf liked her. He wanted to come out and play.

Still, he held his wolf at bay. He didn’t want to hurt her or terrify her. He swung his hips back and forward, sliding the full length of his cock out of her warm and wet pussy. It was heaven.

The little noises that she made when he buried himself inside her again were driving him crazy. He wanted to hear more. He wanted them louder.

“Fuck, baby,” he moaned.

“Harder,” she hissed.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his hips harder. She cried out. “Oh God. Harder. Please.”

Digging his nails into her hips, he complied, and he almost lost control as he slid into her. She pushed her ass back. “Harder, Cole. Please, fuck me harder. I know you want to.”

That did it. He saw his eyes flash yellow and inside, his wolf howled, and he leaned over her and began to pound her.

“Fuck, yes,” she screamed. “So good. Oh, God, I think I’m going to break.”

“Baby,” he panted. “Fuck. FUCK!” They both panted and moaned as he kept up the pace, and he could feel his balls start to tighten. But God, he wanted to feel her come again. He reached and raked a nail over her clit.

Her body bucked, and he watched as her mouth opened. “Come for me baby. Come, and scream my name,” he demanded as he did it again.

She shoved her whole body backwards, bowed her back, and screamed his name as her body shook. Her muscles spasms squeezed him, and he howled as he slammed into her one last time and emptied himself inside her.

Sasha closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. Cole had fallen to the bed, and he’d pulled her on top of him. For a few minutes, there was nothing they could say. They were both beyond spent.

And what could she say? The sex had been incredible, but they both knew that. She’d felt a connection unlike anything else. Body and soul.

She couldn’t keep denying it. She knew nothing about him, but he was hers.

“Why did you choose to be a firefighter?” she whispered.

His hand lazily stroked her body. “It’s a good fit for my personality. I have a dominant personality, and that means I like to take charge and protect. It feels good know that I protect people.” He nuzzled her neck. “And I don’t mind a little heat.”

“What do you want in life?” She cocked her head to watch the slow curve of a smile cross his face.

Finally understand that this is where you belong?

She lightly hit him. “I’m just trying to get to know you. Answer the question.”

“I want to know that I can protect my mate. I want to raise a litter of pups, and I want to have a life where everyone I care about is loved and safe.”

She felt her heart start to beat a little faster. But of course he would say that. That’s what she wanted to hear.

But somehow, she knew it was the truth.

“You don’t have to believe tonight. Just tell me that you’ll give me the chance to prove it to you,” he whispered.

“Okay.” She paused. “Do you always partially shift during sex?”

He turned to stare at her. “Noticed that, did you?”

She shrugged. “I told you. I like to watch.”

“No, it doesn’t normally happen. My wolf liked what he saw. He liked when he felt. And he wanted to experience it a little more. I tried to keep it from happening. I didn’t want to hurt or scare you.”

She bit her lip and traced a finger around his nipple. “You didn’t hurt me. It was the best sex I’ve ever had. And seeing you lose control like that, it kind of turned me on.”

She heard a low rumble in his chest, and she shrieked just a little when he flipped her over and settled his weight on top of her. Her jaw dropped open when she felt his hard length settle between her thighs. “So soon?”

He nipped at her shoulder. “That’s what you do to me. God, I want you in my arms. I want to be inside of you all the time.” He raised his head. “But I know you’re probably sore.”

He tried to lift off her, but she raised her legs and trapped him in them. “I’m already wet,” she admitted.

He probed at the entrance, and she lifted her hips. Slowly, he sank down in her.

Before, they were wild and untamed. But now, he was unhurried as he slowly pulsed inside her. She felt sexy and luxurious as she stretched her body to test the different angles. She mewled. God, he felt good.

His skin was warm under her fingers, and she explored him without hesitation. Where she was soft, he was hard. The muscles rippled under her touch, and she moaned. There wasn’t a single part about this man that she didn’t love.

Love.

The word wrapped around her as he touched his lips to hers. As much as she might want to deny it, she’d felt it the first time she’d laid eyes on him. This wasn’t a blind date that turned into a forever kind of love. This was the man she was always meant to be with.

He manipulated her hips up, and he she cried out as he touched that spot. Christ. It was going to be death of her. She swung her legs up higher and was rewarded as he sank deeper in her.

“I love the noises that you make,” he muttered. “Fuck, baby, I think they actually make me harder.”

She panted. “You’re the reason I’m making these noises,” she pointed out. “That cock is so good. And you’re tongue,” she sighed as his tongue swirled around her nipple.

He pulled her hips off the bed as he cradled her, and he began to thrust quicker. At first they were shallow and teasing, but soon he was pounding her. She gasped and cried out, and as the tension built, he changed the angle again.

There. He was hitting both spots in one thrust. She clawed at his back. “Cole,” she cried out. “I can’t handle it,” she gasped. She struggled to hang on as he relentlessly drew her to the brink of madness.

“Baby, baby, my love,” she moaned. “Gonna come. Oh God, you’re going to make me come.”

“I’m close. Come with me. Together,” he murmured. She closed her eyes and released the control as he slammed into her. Suddenly, he lifted her off the bed and rocked back on his heels.

She clasped an arm around his neck, and when her whole weight settled on him, she lost it. Closing her eyes, she screamed as the orgasm rocked her, and he was gripped her hips, grounding her to him, as he let out a long guttural moan and spilled his seed inside her.

Slowly, the fell back to the bed, and she squealed when he twitched inside her.

“You are insatiable,” he muttered.

She laughed tiredly. “Can’t help it. You’ve turned me into a monster. I have a feeling I’m going to be wet for you for the rest of my life.”

He stilled on top of her.

I love you.

The words whispered around in her head, and she smiled. She was his mate. He belonged to her, and he would protect her. With a sight, she closed her eyes and let her guard down.

I love you too.

THE END

DRAWN TO ONE MAN

Chapter One

Lydia leaned back and rolled her head from side to side to ease the ache in her shoulders. The letters were piled high on the desk, and she was making little progress. As the mastermind behind Hairy and Fluffy, a dating agency, she had the duty to create the perfect matches. The last meet and greet party turned into a high success. Most of her matches paired up together, and she’d managed to finally pair the elusive Cole Greyson with his mate. It had taken some extra effort to finally get Sasha at the party, but it was well worth the effort.

Maxwell Torrent was now at the top of her list. The alpha lion shifter had refused to settle down, and the lion community was growing uneasy. If he didn’t find his mate soon, they would have to replace him with the second-in-command, and they weren’t keen on that idea. Maxwell was their favorite.

They’d turned to her to find his mate, but it wasn’t easy. As she sifted through the letters of women who wanted to be matched, she hadn’t found anyone that stood out. None were strong enough to withstand the lion’s domineering personality. Most wouldn’t last a night with Maxwell.

“Lydia Jones?”

She looked up to see a brunette standing in the doorway She was tall and curvy with an irritated look on her face. Lydia blinked. She hadn’t heard the bell on the door.

“That’s me. If you want to fill out an application, the paperwork is outside the door. We’re on a waiting list right now, but I might get you in at a fall party,” she said absently.

The brunette laughed. “Oh, no I’m not here for that. My name is Cassie Branders. I’m a reporter for The Weekly Report. My editor would like a human-interest piece on your dating service. Would you be able to do an interview for me?”

Lydia narrowed her eyes. She was keen on reading people, and the vibes coming off this woman were most interesting. “Cassie Branders from the Cassie Column?”

The writer smiled. “So you have heard of me!”

“Yes,” Lydia said slowly. “You tend to write rather strongly worded editorials. Why would you be slated for the human interest story?”

“You caught me,” Cassie said with a frown. “The last column I wrote hinted about the inequality of dating services, and the advertisers were not pleased. I didn’t mean for it to have such a negative response, so I offered to do an in-depth study on one dating service. You have a high success rate of couples meeting at your parties and sticking it out long after the wedding. I’d like to discuss your process.”

Lydia cocked her head. Cassie was known for her independence, her witty words, her talent, and her beauty. An idea started to form in her head. “Are you married or seeing anyone, Cassie?”

Cassie shook her head. “Married to the job, I’m afraid.”

“And have you ever been to one of my parties?”

Again, the lovely brunette shook her head. “It’s by invitation only, correct? I don’t do much dating.”

“I’m putting a party together for Friday evening. Why don’t you come to the party, and then we’ll do there?”

Cassie smiled. “That sounds great.” She offered her card. “Here is all my contact information. Would it be okay if I talked to the guests at the party? I’d like to know what they’re looking for.”

She was making it too easy for Lydia. She took the card and nodded. “I think that would be perfect.”

Cassie nodded and existed the office. Lydia pulled out the invitation and a blank envelope. With an air of satisfaction, she addressed the envelope to Maxwell Torrent. It was time to knock another big name off her list.

Cassie Branders was going to make the perfect lioness.

Chapter Two

Max’s stomach rumbled. He’d been forced to skip out on lunch when his assistant hadn’t showed up, and now that the workday was over, his stomach was demanding some attention.

The breeze rippled through his gold hair as he rolled the window down to grab his mail, and he was torn. Work had been hell, and he really wanted to put on his tennis shoes and do a few miles around the neighborhood, but running on an empty stomach tended to make him even more temperamental.

And Max was not a stand-up guy when his temper got the best of him.

So his shoved a frozen lasagna in the microwave and flipped through his mail while he waited. A black envelope with gold lettering caught his eye, and he frowned.

Hairy and Fluffy Dating Agency

What the hell? Max tossed it aside without bothering to open it. He’d heard of the agency of course. It was big in the shifter community, and rumor had it that they were good. But Max was far too busy to search for a mate. He had his own business to run not to mention a pride to oversee. Even though the pride was demanding that he finally settle down, there simply wasn’t enough time in the day.

In the past, he’d been interested. His former days were filled with women and dreams of a mate and a family, but eventually, all of his flings ended the same. None of them could handle him at his worse, and sometimes, his worse was all he had to offer.

The microwaved beeped, and Max devoured the cardboard tasting meal. Something tugged at his peripheral, and his eyes slid over to the counter.

With a low grown, he snagged the envelope and ripped it open with far more aggression than was necessary.

You are cordially invited to a meet and greet Friday evening. Shifters and carefully sifted human applicants will be there in hopes of finding their true love. Eighty percent of shifters find their mates. Are you ready for yours?

He rolled his eyes. Nonsense. He certainly did not need to find his mate in a room of pumped up testosterone and alphas or alpha wannabees. That’s just a recipe for disaster.

As he tossed the card aside, he flipped over, and he noticed a message on the back.

Maxwell, your pride encourages you to attend.

His eyes widened. The barstool hit the floor as he lunged to his phone. It only took two seconds for his father to pick up. “Before you say anything,” Charles said mildly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Max hissed. “Is this a threat?”

His father had obviously been waiting for the phone call. “Maxwell, the stipulations for being an alpha are clear. You have to mate. You’re pushing thirty-five and the pride is getting nervous. If you don’t take a wife soon, they’re going to be forced to place Jerome as alpha, and nobody wants that.”

Max gripped the phone. His father wasn’t wrong. The Torrent family had been the alphas of the local tribe for several generations, and it would continue as long as the pride was happy and the alpha took a mate and continued the line. If an alpha died without an heir, the strongest male took over, and while Jerome was the strongest, he was also the most temperamental and unpredictable. It was a recipe for disaster.

“But a Hairy and Fluffy party?” he said as his anger escaped him. He leaned against the counter and dropped his head. “That’s degrading.”

“It’s hardly degrading. That agency has the best reputation in the shifter community. I know you’re busy. They do all the work for you. Just give it a shot.”

Charles had been a great leader, and had he not fallen ill several years ago, he would still be alpha. But the community feared he would not make it, so Max, as the oldest son, took over. Charles recovered, and he had no issues with his son taking over. Max wanted to earn the pride’s respect like his father had earned it.

He wanted his father to proud of him as well.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll go. But we’re going to have some words about personal space at the next meeting,” he snapped.

“Good luck with that,” Charles snorted.

Max hung up the phone and sighed. Shrugging his shoulders to ease the tension, he stripped out of his business clothes and put on his jogging gear. He had quite a bit of frustrations to burn before he tried to take on the dating agency.

Even the pounding of his heels hitting the ground didn’t do anything to release the anxiety he had about potentially meeting his mate. It made him anxious to think that he was meant to be with one person. What if he got it wrong and he picked the wrong woman? What if his woman didn’t like him?

So he ran harder and farther, but before he could completely escape the situation, he turned back around to take a shower and get ready for the damn party.

Chapter Three

Cassie checked everything in her bag. She had her recorder for longer interviews, her notebook, a couple of pens, and her camera. She stepped into her strappy sandals and hung her press badge around her neck. She didn’t want any of the shifters to get any ideas.

“Why are you taking the badge?” her friend asked with a mouth full of ice cream. In her third trimester, Sara was usually found munching on something.

“Because I’m writing an article,” Cassie said as she rolled her eyes.

“But you’re single,” Sara said.

“Uh huh.”

“And you haven’t gotten laid in over a year.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes. “Your point?”

“My point is that there are going to be many hunky men at that party. So ditch the press badge and relax. Even if you don’t find Mr. Right, you can still enjoy Mr. Incredible One Night Stand.”

“I didn’t pick the assignment, Sara. You did,” Cassie pointed out.

Her friend and editor smiled. “You were the one who said dating agencies set women back to an age where looks and profits were all that mattered in a marriage. I’m just trying to save your column. But more than that, I also wanted you to see how wrong you are. Dale and I met through a dating agency. Just because you’re not getting any doesn’t mean you have to hate on the people that are.”

“I’m not hating on you. I’m hating on the agencies that profit from people’s ridiculous desire to find love. What are you doing in my house anyways?” Cassie said irritably.

“I wanted cookies and cream, and you always have at least two gallons in your freezer. And I also wanted to make sure you didn’t leave this house dressed in armor.” She pointed to Cassie’s outfit. “Ditch the blazer.”

“It’s work, Sara. It’s work for you. Shouldn’t you want me to keep it professional?”

“You’re my friend as well as my reporter. Besides, how can you truly get the feel for the party if you’re only there as an observer? Go undercover. Find out what the men and women are really like.”

Cassie snorted. “Nice try. The badge and the blazer stay. Don’t eat all my ice cream,” she said as she shouldered her bag.

“Cassie!’ The warning tone in Sara’s voice made Cassie wince. “I’ve known you for a long time. You have to let someone in at some point,” she said softly.

Cassie closed her eyes as she thought back to her past relationships. Men cheated, lied, and abused the power of having a woman’s heart. Cassie wasn’t single because she worked too much or because she couldn’t find men who were attracted to her. She was single because it was just easier.

“Lock up when you leave,” she said without turning around. She could feel the disappointment in Sara without facing her.

When Cassie joined the newspaper, she and Sara were instant friends. That was nearly fifteen years ago. Now Sara was an editor, and Cassie wrote a successful column. They both had achieved what they wanted, but Sara was moving on with her life. She had a husband and a baby on the way. Cassie was still struggling with what to do now that she’d achieved her career goals.

Safely away from Sara’s pointed observations, Cassie sighed and started the car. She didn’t need a man to be happy. She just wasn’t the one to melt after a single touch or get drawn into long romantic stares. She was happy being single.

As the backed the car down the driveway, she swallowed hard.

The lie was exhausting even when she was simply saying it to her reflection.

Chapter Four

Everything was in full swing by the time she got to the party. She stood in the corner for a moment to observe and doodle some notes. Some of the women were dressed in animal print, and Cassie cocked her head. Wasn’t that just tacky?

She could feel the tension in the room. It was clear that some of the shifters were very much in tuned to their animal side, and everyone was silently fighting for dominance. The women seemed to lap it up, but it made Cassie uneasy.

“There you are!”

Cassie turned to see Lydia making her way over to her. The stunningly beautiful woman was dressed in a sleek black dress and four inch stilettos. Cassie took a moment to appreciate the affect the shoes had on the woman’s legs. “What do you think so far?”

“It’s classy,” Cassie admitted. She’d thought there’d be awkward music, prom balloons, and glittery streamers, but instead quiet upbeat tempo music was coming out of the speakers, and the decorations were at a minimum. Food and drinks were plenty, and while some couples were dancing, others opted to sit at the tables and get to know each other.

“Thanks! It was tough in the beginning to come up with a party that shifters of all shapes and sizes might like. We’ve got groups that prefer water, others that prefer land, and some that are odd about concrete and hardwood floors. The key is variety. I try to have a little bit of space for everyone,” she said beaming.

“How do you keep the alphas from fighting? I can see the uneasiness in some of the men.”

“There are very strict rules at these parties for the shifters. No fighting is at the very top. I have lavender scented sprays in the corners to help calm everyone, but just in case, there are several undercover operatives with tranquilizer guns. In all the years that I’ve been doing this, we’ve never needed to use them, but safety is the number on priority.”

Cassie jotted the quote in her notebook. “Why shifters? Aren’t they destined to be with just one person? How can do you have such a high success rate when the odds are stacked against you?”

Lydia gave her sly smile. “That, my dear, is a trade secret.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw some people moving quickly. Curious, she followed the movement and saw that the crowd was parting for one man. Her jaw dropped.

“Damn,” she whispered. He was gorgeous. Thick blonde hair framed his square face and amber eyes. She watched his smooth jaw clench, and immediately, she wanted to run her fingers down those high cheekbones and over those lips. He was tall and built with muscles that rippled under the tight shirt.

“See something you like?” Lydia asked softly.

Cassie blinked and blushed. “You have some gorgeous men here,” she muttered.

“That’s Maxwell Torrent. He’s the alpha for the local lion shifter pride. I guarantee at least half of the women here would kill for just one night in that man’s bed.”

She felt the pull of sexual attraction and waved it off. She was not here to pick up men. She was here to work.

As she tried to focus and ask Lydia a few more question, she found herself getting aroused. Looking up, she saw the lion staring at her.

“My, my,” Lydia purred. “He seems to be interested in you. Why don’t you go talk to him?”

Cassie tried to shrug nonchalantly. “In a minute. It will be interesting to get the perspective of an alpha shifter at a scene like this. I just have a few more questions before I start talking to the crowd.”

She looked up from her notebook and saw the irritated look on Lydia’s face. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. It’s fine,” the woman said hurriedly. “You know, we can always talk tomorrow after the party. Why don’t you get a feel for the crowd before they get too entangled with each other?” She pointed to the corner where one shifter and a woman were getting a quick taste of each other. “Some of them will be looking for more private places soon.”

Watching the two touch other stoked a fire inside Cassie. She’d never thought of herself as a voyeur, but with the lion still staring at her, she realized she’d never been so turned on in her life. Her skin ached to be touched, and moisture was gathering between her legs. She stood quickly and snapped the notebook shut. She needed to finish this so she could leave. “That’s a good idea. I’ll call you tomorrow if I don’t see you before I leave,” she said quickly.

“Good luck,” Lydia said with a strange smile.

She got up quickly and moved across the room, trying to put as much distance between herself and the lion shifter as possible.

Max ignored all the women. Many of them walked by, several were daring enough to reach out and touch him, and a couple stopped to talk, but he ignored them. He was so removed from the party that he forgot he was even there.

She was stunning. Tall with long dark raven black hair and a sun-kissed glow, she’d been the center of his focus all night. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he’d heart beat increased. He stirred, but it was more than just sexual attraction. She was completely covered from head to two in a pants suit and a blazer, but he could see the outline of her heavy breasts and that large ass that was just made to fit the palms of his hands.

The longer he stared at her, the more he yearned to taste her. Every now and then, her dark eyes flitted in his direction, but she seemed to be purposely moving away from him. His predator instincts kicked in, but he forced himself to relax. If she was meant to be his, she would make his way to her. Nobody could deny the pull of a mate.

He watched her talk to some of the people and doodle in that notebook of hers. He wanted nothing more than to rip it out of her hands, shove her against the wall, and bury himself in her.

She was wet. He could smell her from here, and he knew she’d be warm and welcoming. Would she scream? Would she gasp or cry out? Would she whimper or make a breathy little sigh?

God, he wanted her in his hands when he made her come. He wanted to feel her skin shiver and feel those legs tightening around him.

She was getting close. Only a few people separated them, and he watched as she tried to focus on the person she was speaking with. Instead, she kept sneaking peeks at him. He could see the nervous habits. She tucked her hair behind her ear too frequently. She tapped her pen at the table.

She bit her lip. He wanted to bite her lip.

Finally, she was finished. She turned to him, and as soon as they locked eyes, her mouth snapped shut. She spun on her heels and quickly walked away.

What?

He pushed himself from the wall and began to follow her, but a cute little blonde stepped into this path. “I’ve been looking at you all night,” she whispered. She trailed a finger down his chest. “Take me home, and I’ll ride you all night.”

“Not interested,” he growled as he tried to step around her.

The woman was tenacious. She pushed her body against him and wiggled suggestively. “God, you’re already hard,” she moaned. “Let me take care of that for you baby,” she said as she reached down to grab him.

“Christ,” he hissed. “No sex on the grounds, remember?”

“I’ll fuck you in the car,” she said as she squeezed him. “I’ll do anything to get this cock inside me.”

He grabbed her hands and deliberately placed them above her head. He could see her shiver with excitement. “Sweetheart, you are delicious and tempting. And if this were any other moment, I’d have you bent over so fast it would make your head spin, but I don’t think you’re going to satisfy me tonight. Find someone else.”

Picking her up, he turned and placed her behind him before returning to the brunette. He searched around wildly, but she was already gone.

“Fuck,” he roared as he lunged for the door, He stepped into the parking lot just in time to see her speed away. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Her name is Cassie Branders.” Max turned to see the woman in charge behind him. “She’s a columnist for the Weekly Report.”

“She’s my mate,” he growled.

“Yes. I agree.”

He stared at the woman. “How the hell do you know that?”

She tiled her head. “Why do you think I invited you?”

His mouth dropped open. “I would ask how you knew that we connected, but frankly, I don’t care. If she’s my mate, she’s supposed to find me irresistible. So why the hell is she running in the opposite direction?”

“Just because she’s meant to be yours doesn’t mean she’s going to be happy about it in the beginning. What’s wrong Maxwell? Afraid of a little challenge?”

Max stared at the woman. Of course he wasn’t afraid of a challenge. But once a shifter found a mate, it was supposed to be easy after that. Smooth sailing.

But to make her his? He supposed he was willing to put in a little effort.

Chapter Five

Cassie tossed and turned all night. A ghost of a lover loomed over her with amber eyes, and as she twisted her hands in his hair and urged him to drive her over that peak, he disappeared. Over and over again, he returned to drive her to madness only to dissolve into a mist at the last minute.

There was just something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on. It was more than just the clear signs that he was attracted to her. It was more than just the obvious notion that she was attracted to him. She’d felt an invisible cord reach out and wrap around her. No matter where she was, she knew when he was near. It was impossible, and it had made her run just has as hard and fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Finally, as the sun rose over the horizon, she called it a night. An hour later, she was a pot of coffee in and scribbling furiously on her notepad. If she couldn’t sleep, she’d work.

A knock at the door interrupted and made her jump. “Christ,” she muttered, disgusted with herself. All it had taken was one look from a man to make her absolutely worthless even hours later. What was wrong with her?

She blew out her breath in an effort to get ahold of herself before crossing the kitchen to open the door.

A vase of a dozen long stemmed white roses stood on the porch.

For a second, she just stared. There was no way. There was absolutely no way they were from him. She leaned out the window and scanned her driveway and street. There was no sign of anyone, but she could feel him lingering somehow.

She reached down and picked up the card.

All night long, in my dreams, I reached out to you. I can only hope that somehow, I was able to touch you.

“No. No, no, no, no,” she chanted. “This is not happening.” Heart pounding in her chest, she leaned out the entrance. “If you’re thinking of stalking me, I will call the police!”

Gripping the card, she slammed the door shut.

Of all the nerve. He found out where she lived? Just because she had a reaction to him, a sexual pull, did mean that she was actually interested in him. She didn’t want to be wooed. She didn’t belong to him.

Three minutes later, she opened the door again and snagged the roses.

There was no point in letting them go to waste.

He grinned wickedly as he watched her freak out on her porch. The card had the desired effect.

This was going to be fun.

She was halfway through her tormented series of burpees when the next knock came. Caught off balance, she shrieked and fell to the floor. Her body was screaming for a break, but at least it wasn’t screaming for his touch. She rolled over on her back and gasped for breath.

He wouldn’t be daring enough to try it again. Would he?

Curiosity got the best of her, and she hauled herself up and opened the door again.

This time, they were long stemmed yellow roses.

I dreamed that your skin would be as silky as these petals, and I long to brush my fingers over your most sensitive spots and make you quiver. I long to run my tongue gently over your curves and make you moan.

“Oh yeah?” she yelled. “Well my vagina is going to be as sharp as these thorns if you’re thinking of sticking anything inside!”

She heard a gasp to her left and smirked as she leaned around the corner. Only it wasn’t him. Her elderly neighbor was watering his bushing and she cringed. “Sorry Mr. Caswell. That wasn’t meant for you.”

He gave her a severe look of disapproval, and she sighed, collected, the roses, and moved inside.

Now she would have to do a whole new round of burpees.

Tow hours later, the third knock came. She launched herself from the table where she’d been gorging on a bowl of ice cream and threw open the door.

No beautiful blonde Adonis. The new roses were swirls of orange and yellow.

Your folds will be as wet as the dew on these flowers, and when I finally taste you, you will be as soft and sweet.

She swallowed hard as she imagined him dipping his tongue inside her, and she nearly moaned. Cursing, she stomped down and searched the yard. He had to be here. There was no way he was sending these and not waiting around for a reaction.

“This is harassment,” she announced as she searched under the bushes. “And you are wasting your time. Okay? I have a boyfriend,” she lied. “I have ten boyfriends. And I don’t have room for another.”

But there wasn’t a trace of him. Sighing, she stomped back in the house.

At this rate, she’d have to pull her vibrator out.

The pink roses were next.

Will your nipples be as pink as these roses? Will your cheeks flush with excitement when I run my tongue over your peaks and pull at them with my teeth?

He watched from a safe distance as she turned red. Was it his imagination, or did she just moan a little?

The deep blue roses followed.

The dark beauty of these roses will be nothing compared to the sight of your release. I long to hear the breathy sighs of your pleasure, the muffled screams, the uncontrollable moans, the gasps as I wrench from you the most secret of actions. Over and over again. Fingers. Tongue. And finally, myself.

On yeah. Max smirked. That was definitely a moan.

Chapter Six

Cassie shut the door with a bang and leaned against it. She’d exercised. She’d taken a cold shower. Nothing was easing the fire that threatened to consume her. She needed a release.

She needed him.

She could feel him near. The hairs on her arms tingled, and she someone knew that if she opened the door, he’d be standing there. She could finally run her hands over that hard body and press herself against him. She could jump into his arms, wrap her legs around him, and finally taste him. She could run her hands through his hair and tug his head down until his lips finally claimed her.

Her panties were beyond damp, and she knew that if she opened the door, she would do all those things and more.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Oh God,” she whispered. “Just once. Just once and get it out of your system. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just been a long time, and he’s just so delicious. Just once, and then you can walk away.”

She chanted it over in her head. Finally, she whirled around and opened the door. And there he stood with the red roses. “I just want to slide in the depths of…”

“Shut up,” she muttered as she reached out, grabbed his shirt, and dragged him in. “You are relentless. You are irritating. You have completely fucked my day, and if you don’t fuck me senseless right now, I swear I might castrate you.”

He dropped the roses, bent her backwards, and ravaged her lips. She finally slid her fingers in his hair and entangled them as she struggled to hold on. Already, her senses were spiraling out of control. She opened her mouth, and as his tongue slid in, she was lost.

Finally, he pulled her back. “My name is Maxwell Torrents,” he whispered.

“I know,” she said as she tried to pull him closer.

“You belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said as pulled his shirt out of his pants and ran her fingers over his muscles. A small sound of appreciation escaped her, and she lightly stroked him with her nails. He grunted.

He ran his hands over her body, and she sighed. “More. I want more.”

“You’ll belong to me tonight,” he whispered.

“All night,” she agreed. “Please,” she moaned is desperation. “Please, touch me.”

He shuddered. “My pleasure,” he said as he tugged at her shirt. Up and over. Out of habit, she crossed her arms over herself, and he frowned and pried her arms away. “No. I want to see.”

Max immediately tugged at her pants, and when she stood only in her bra and panties, he stood back. She swallowed hard as he looked it over. She’d always been a bigger girl, and she was used to being naked under the cover of darkness.

He looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As his eyes traveled down her body, she saw his eyes flash even more amber, and he growled. “Perfect.” She shrieked when he lunged at her, and they both fell to the floor.

She grappled with his pants. She needed to hold him, but he wrenched out of her touch. “I won’t last,” he panted. “And God, I need to see you come.”

He rolled over on his back and pulled her on top of him. Straddling him, she settled just below the bulge of his pants, and she rubbed herself on him. The thin material of her panties did nothing to keep the sizzling contact from sending shivers all over her body.

“Lean back,” he whispered, and she did as she was told, resting on her arms on either side of his legs. “Close your eyes.”

She dropped her head back, and he began stroking her through her panties. Her jaw slackened as he made slow circles with the tips of his fingers around the whole area. Every now and then, he would slip a finger over her clit, and she would moan.

He was driving her crazy. “Max,” she muttered. “Please.”

“Please what?”

“You’ve been driving me crazy all day with those damn flowers. Just touch me like I need to be touched. Please.”

She heard him chuckle, and he tugged the fabric aside and slipped one finger in. “So wet. So tight,” he muttered.

“It’s been awhile,” she panted as that long finger scraped over that sensitive spot inside her.

“God. I don’t think an hour could go by without me touching you,” he said as he slid a second finger in her.

“Oh,” she cried out. He sensed what made her quiver, and as his two fingers stroked inside her, his thumb nail scraped across her clit.

She bucked her hips as the tension built. His fingers slid in and out, and his thumb slid side to side, and all the torment that he’d put her through that day peaked inside her. When she broke, her mouth opened in a silent scream and she convulsed.

He slid his hands out, and he lifted himself to pull her forward. She wanted to drop forward and rest for a moment, but he repositioned himself so that he was sitting, and as she straddled him, she sat fully on him, and she couldn’t help but rub herself on him.

“Cassie,” he said through clenched teeth as he grabbed her hips. “Hand on, baby.”

“I don’t want to,” she murmured.

“Christ,” he hissed. “Baby. Give me a minute.”

“Why?” she searched his face and saw the strain. She was driving him wild, and she loved it.

“Because I want to talk to you.”

She snorted. “If you wanted to talk, you shouldn’t have tormented me all day.”

He was stronger than her, and although she tried to wiggle, he had her anchored down. As he captured her lips again, she felt herself relax. “Baby,” he said against her lips. “I can feel you. As soon as I entered the room last night, I could feel you. You are meant for me. I need you to understand that.”

Cassie knew his words were true, but she realized she didn’t even know why she was fighting it anymore. “I can feel you too,” she admitted softly.

He cupped her chin. “Why did you run? Are you afraid of me?”

“Not you. I’m afraid of me.” She sighed. “I’ve been independent so long that I don’t think I know how to be with anyone else. Men in the past have only hurt me, and I don’t even know you. I’m afraid of being in love. I’m afraid of being chosen for someone. I’m afraid that I’m too cynical to make it work.”

He smiled and stroked her cheek. “I may call you mine, but I’m willing to give you time. You don’t have to give yourself to me fully.” He swallowed hard. “And if this is too quick for you, I can leave. We can start with dinner.”

Dinner? She threw back her head and laughed. “Dinner is definitely in order. I do want to get to know you more, and this is a little too quick, but it seems right. It seems like this is how it’s meant to be.” With his hands busy, she had more control over her lower body, and she took the opportunity to rock her hips. He hissed sharply. “And you owe me.”

His hands dropped from her face, but rather than stopping her, he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumb over the material of her bra. “I’ve been picturing these swinging over me as you ride me,” he said in a thick voice. She leaned back and he nuzzled her cleavage. “Tell me what you like. Do you want me to touch them? Lick them? Nibble on them?”

She tensed as he unsnapped her bra and supported her as he slowly slid it down her arms. Free, they sung low, and he moaned as he cupped on in his hands. He stroked a thump over one nipple, and she gasped as it immediately tightened.

A slow smile curved across his face. “You like that, don’t you?”

Her nipples had always been sensitive, and most men just pinched at them roughly. But Max was taking his time. He teased them until they were tight points, and then he leaned down and ran a wet tongue across them. Warmth spread through her, and she moaned.

“You like that too, don’t you baby?” he whispered as he did it again.

She nodded her head, but he wasn’t looking. He swirled his tongue over, loving her, worshipping her, and she knew he could feel her wetness below. He raked his teeth lightly over her, and she cried out.

“Damn Cassie,” he murmured. “I bet I could make you come just from this.”

She had no doubt that he could, but she wasn’t patient enough to find out. She pushed him down and slid her hips over him. “Enough. You still have entirely too many clothes on.”

He pushed his hips up and ground himself against her. “Feel free to rectify the situation,” he said with a smirk.

Cassie leaned over and pulled at his bottom lip with her teeth. “I think I’ll do just that,” she whispered, and she slid down his body.

Max felt the tug of his pants, and he cocked his head forward to watch. She made eye contact, and she stared at him while she slowly slipped the button out of its loop. There was something so erotic about that half smile on her face, but then she dipped her head.

God was she? Yes. She lowered the zipper of her pants with her teeth, and he inhaled sharply as her nose brushed along his boxers.

“Damn,” he whispered.

He watched as she wiggled her ass in the air, and when the zipper was down, she looked up and grin. “Liked that, didn’t you?” she said mockingly. He lifted his hips, and she slid his pants down the rest of the way. Before he could react, she hooked her fingers under the waistband of his boxers and slid those down to. He sprung up, rock hard and in desperate need of attention.

She wasted no time.

As she crawled back up to him, she ran her hands on the inner parts of his thighs and slid her tongue up his base. His hips jumped involuntarily, and his breath escaped him. Christ. His body was on edge from the way he’d teased her, and if he didn’t stop her, it would be over before it began.

“Cassie,” he moaned as she wrapped her lips around him and slid down. He was big, and most women had to stop halfway down, but Cassie was something special. He cried out as he felt her throat muscles relax, and she practically slid all the way down. He hit the back of her throat and moaned. “Fuck, baby, you’ve got to stop,” he panted.

He wrapped his hands in her dark hair as she pulled back up, and while he meant to force her off his cock, he couldn’t help but thrust his hips just a few times. She moaned, and it was nearly his undoing.

The woman clearly loved to suck cock.

Gritting his teeth, he managed to regain his senses and tug on her air until he fell out of her mouth. Before she could saw anything, he hauled her up and flipped her over. “Keep pulling tricks like that out of your hat, and it’s going to be over before you know it,” he grunted.

He pushed at the under side of her knees while he settled in between her legs, and she grinned, straightened, her legs and pulled them all the way up.

Flexible. Max moaned. The damn woman was flexible. He was going to lose all control.

He slid a finger inside her, pulled it out, and tasted her. Her mouth dropped open as she watched him slide the finger inside his mouth. “Sweet,” he muttered. Wanting more, he dropped down and slowly licked her slip.

“Max,” she cried out. “I thought you were going to…” her voice trailed off as he circled his tongue around her clit.

“All in good time,” he murmured. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for a lifetime for this, and I don’t want to rush it. I want to do everything I dreamed about last night.”

“What…” she moaned as he buried his tongue inside her. God, he loved the way her legs were shaking. “What else did you dream about?”

He smiled. He’d dreamed about having her straddling him and riding. He dreamed about having her bent over a kitchen table. He’d dreamed about tying her to the bed and blindfolding her, and, just now, he was picturing how she’d look under the flow of the showerhead as he pressed her up against the shower and made her scream.

“We’ll get to that,” he promised as he went back to loving her.

She panted and moaned, and when he added a couple of fingers, she stopped breathing altogether. When he finally stopped teasing her and started running his tongue over her with determination, she squeezed his head between her legs and squealed as the orgasm rocked through her.

God, he couldn’t take anymore. She barely opened her eyes when he was nudging at her entrance with her erection. “I wanted to give you more time,” he muttered as he tried to still himself. “I should give you more time.”

She planted her feet on the floor and lifted her hips to take more of him in, and as he slid the first few inches in her warmth, he couldn’t control himself anymore. With a shout, he drove himself home.

Cassie arched her back as he stretched her. “Yes,” she hissed. “God, yes.” He leaned over her and pumped his hips just a little, and her eyes widened. “There’s more?”

He laughed shortly. “Yes, but I won’t give you more than you can take,” he muttered. She could see the veins in his neck strain as he tried to control himself.

She drew her legs up, and he settled even deeper. “More,” she said hungrily. “I want more.”

He moaned and slid just a little more in. Her eyes popped open as she tried to adjust herself. She’d never had anyone reach that deeply, and she’d never imagined that it could feel like that. He satisfied a deep ache that she didn’t even know existed. The more he threatened the scratch, he more she itched. “Fuck,” she whimpered. “Can you give me more?”

He closed his eyes and finally sank all the way in. She immediately scissored her legs around him. “Don’t move,” she ordered. She wiggled her hips around in delight. “Max. That’s so good. Right there. That’s my new spot. That’s it.”

He grunted. “Cassie, I love that you want to play, but I’m about to lose my mind here.”

She licked her lips in anticipation. With a wicked grin, she managed to pulse her muscles around him, and he lost it. At the first full thrust of his hips, she knew that playtime was over.

He slid all the way in and hit that spot that made her toes curls. Slow at first, and then faster, and soon she was digging her nails into him. As pleasure coursed through her in waves, she could barely hang on.

“Don’t stop,” she cried out. She knocked her head on the floor and tried to keep up. He grabbed her legs and pulled them up. Balancing himself on his arms, he pumped faster, and she moaned. “Oh God. I think I’m going to die.”

“Look at me,” he demanded. “I want to hear you scream my name when you come.”

She locked eyes with him, and as he buried himself in her, she could take no more. “Max,” she panted. “Max. MAX!” She convulsed around him and gripped his hips.

He dropped to rest his forehead on hers. “Mine,” he roared, and slid in as far as he could go before he emptied himself inside her. For just a moment, she saw the lion come out and join them.

She dropped her legs, limp, and he rolled them over so she could rest on him.

“Can’t do anymore,” she whispered.

He chuckled. “I’d need a few minutes anyways.” He paused. “I own a woodworking business. I make furniture and cabinets and such.”

She stilled. She usually hated when the guy got personal afterwards, but she knew that fighting it was futile. He tensed under her, waiting for her response. Even if she wanted to get up and walk away, her legs wouldn’t let her.

“I’m a reporter. But I guess you already knew that,” she muttered as she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. He relaxed.

“I still have both my parents. I have three sisters, and I’m the alpha of the local pride.”

She propped her head on his shoulder and shuddered as he stroked a finger down her back. How was it that she was still responding to him? “I have an overbearing mother and no siblings.”

“My favorite color is blue, I like classical music, and I try to spend as much time outdoor as possible.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Black. Hard rock. And I’m a big fan of central heating and air conditioning.”

“Action movies, football, and red meat.”

She smiled. “Action movies, football, and red meat,” she echoed.

“At least three kids.”

She bit her lip. “In the future?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

She wiggled on top of him. “Practice first, and then I think three kids might be in your future.”

“And a wedding. I’m a traditional man.”

She raised her eyebrows. This was getting serious quick, but what did she expect? There was no skirting around the truth. She belonged to him. And he belonged to her.”

“Fall. I like the colors better,” she said with a smile.

He laughed and reached up to kiss her. “Mine,” he said aggressively.

“Mine,” she countered and wiggled her hips.

“God,” he moaned. “You’re going to drive me insane for the rest of my life, aren’t you?”

She was delighted to find that he was already hard again, and she slid her hips over him, inch by inch. “That’s my plan,” she agreed.

It was slow and unhurried, and as he did things to her body that she never thought possible, she realized that some things really were meant to be.  She had no doubt that he would love and treasure her for the rest of her life.

And she would do the same to him. “Cassie Torrents,” she whispered out loud.

His eyes widened, and as he gripped her hips, their lovemaking was no longer slow. As he pounded her, she gasped. “Like that, don’t you,” she managed just before she lost all capability to form words.

And for the fourth time in just a few hours, he made her fall apart.

And he was there to catch her.

THE END

BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE SERIES

CHARISMATIC

BOOK – 1

Chapter 1

“You’ve got to be kidding me; you’re not giving me that promotion, why not?”  Lalena Sims yelled at her Captain.

“Jackson is just a better choice for this new assignment.”  Captain Henry Case told her.

“How, he’s been on the force less time than me.  I’m tired of this bullshit, every time something good comes up you pass me over.”  She was angry and hurt.  She’d been a cop, and a good one, for the past 10 years.  Each time a great assignment came up she would be passed over for one reason or another.

“Look we may need some new people to help protect the mayor soon; I’ll try to get you on that squad.”  Captain Case stated.  “No promises though, but I’ll try and pull a few strings.”  He put his hands up in defense.

“Fine, but you know I can go and do private security and get paid just as much, and with a lot less hassle.”  Lalena stood up to walk out of the office.  “But I really do love my job and would hate to leave.  But come on Captain, you know as well as I do, I was more qualified than Jackson for this one.”  She added.

“The choice wasn’t mine Swan.  If it had been I would have picked you.  But I told you my hands were tied on this one.”  He stated.

She shook her head and left the office.  Lalena went to the bathroom to compose herself, she didn’t want to walk out in the main room and still be upset.  She was sure that some of the guys had heard her yelling in the Captain’s office.  They all knew how she felt, some of them agreed, but others thought she was wrong.

During her years on the force she had heard many times, “You’re too hot to be a cop, really you should be a stripper.  You’d make a ton of money too.”  This had been said by many of her co-workers.  They were the men who often looked down on her, and wouldn’t see that she was a good cop, even though she was also good looking. 

Lalena couldn’t help it she was born looking the way she did.  She looked at her reflection in the mirror.  Her blonde hair was up in a bun, but it was long when down, it hung below her shoulders about half way down her back.  Her piercing blue eyes would catch many people off guard as well.  She was petite but strong; she had caught a few men off guard during her police training.  She laughed at the memories of long ago.

But she hated being stuck in the same job day in and day out, when she tried for promotions, turn downs were the normal thing.  So she had instead tried to try for new assignments. 

“Maybe this mayor thing will come through.”  She pumped herself up and tried to get her thoughts out of the funk.  She really did love the idea of being a police woman, and the differences she could make.

“Guarding the mayor?”  She wondered out loud.  She thought about the things she knew about their great mayor, Rico Zess.  “He’s definitely a ladies man for sure.”  She laughed.

Lalena had seen more than one picture of the dashing mayor in the paper.  He always had a new lady on his arm, never the same one in a row.  But the mayor was also very handsome. 

“Hey Swan, how’s it going?”  Dan Murphy asked her as she walked over to her desk. 

She looked over at Dan; he was a decent guy, but just not her type.  He had asked her out a few times, and eventually she had gone out.  Their personalities hadn’t mixed, and thankfully they both could tell.  She shivered at thinking what a bad office romance would have done for her job.

“I got passed over; they gave the job to Jackson.”  She shook her head as she whispered the information to him.

“What, Jackson?  Isn’t that some serious bullshit?”  Dan commented.

“I know I let the Cap know how I felt about it too.”  She stated.

“Yeah I could hear you.”  He stated.

“Oh shit, so how many people heard it do you think?”  She asked.

“Enough, you’ll hear a few things I’m sure later on in the night.  Just wait though; Jackson will be the biggest prick about it, if he hears.”  Dan said.

“He’s a prick anytime of the day.  He doesn’t need to get a promotion to be that way.  Fucking Jackson as the communication liaison with the woman’s hospital though, how fucked up is that shit?”  She laughed.

“Right, I think he’ll piss someone off on his first day on the new job.”  Dan laughed.

“Hell yeah, he’ll make some sort of racist and sexist remark for sure.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard him go a full hour without something being said that was wrong.”  She commented.

“Oh I know I can’t believe the Cap could even keep a straight face telling you he was picked over you.  I mean what better person for the job then a woman?  Nothing sexist meant by it, okay, so don’t go chopping my head off.”  Dan held up his hands in defense.

“I agree with you Dan, don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.  If they didn’t pick me though, why him, that’s such a slap in my face.  I really might go to a private security place.  I mean it.   One more time and I’m out of here.”  She promised.

“Oh don’t say that, I’m sure sooner or later something good will come up and you’ll get it.”  Dan tried to cheer her up.

“Well the Cap did say something about a new assignment for the mayor; he might be able to get me on it.”  She informed him.

“Guard duty isn’t all that fun, but with the mayor it might be quite the challenge.  You know he’s pissed off groups of people during his time in office.”  Dan stated.

“Right, plus the fact that he is pretty sexy wouldn’t hurt either!”  She commented.

“Oh look who’s being all sexist now.  Plus he’s quite the playboy would you really want to be with him?”  He laughed.

“I’m just saying what everyone else says.  You have to admit even as a guy the mayor is sexy.  Just because he’s sexy doesn’t mean I’ll fall into bed with him.”  She laughed.

“Never will I admit another guy is sexy.  Maybe he is good looking, but sexy, never. I can’t see you even going near him with the amount of women he’s been connected with.”  Dan laughed.

“That Spanish heritage sure has helped his looks a lot.  I tell you what just give me two minutes in a room looking at him and I’d be happy.  I didn’t say I would sleep with him, but maybe, you never know!”  She commented.

“Sounds like someone might have a bit of a crush on the mayor.”  He said.

“I just appreciate men who are good looking.  Why do you think I still talk to you all the time?”  She stated.

“But you didn’t say I was sexy, just good looking, there is a difference!”  He stated.

“Dan you know we just aren’t good as a couple.  But you are a really great friend.”  She stated.

“I know it just sucks being stuck in the friend zone.”  He admitted.

Lalena shook her head, she didn’t have to have this conversation with him often, but sometimes it was such a pain.  “I’m sorry Dan, but we tried and you know it just wasn’t something that was going to work.”  She commented.

“I would have changed to please you.  I swear no one would ever love you as much as I do.”  Dan said.

“Please Dan; let’s not do this, not today.  It’s been a really bad day for me so far, and I just don’t want any more drama.”  She pleaded.

“Fine, we don’t have to do it now.  But you still owe me the time to give my side of the argument.”  He added.

“Some other day, okay?”  She said.

He shook his head and finally said, “Yeah that’s fine.  Sorry about the job.”  He said and went back to his paper work.

Lalena was happy that he let it go so easily.  Perhaps it was the look on her face that warned him, she wasn’t sure, but it was nice nonetheless.

She hoped that the Captain would come through on the other assignment and that it might be soon.  At least if she was out of the precinct Dan wouldn’t see her all the time, and that distance might do him some good.

Chapter 2

Mayor Rico Zess looked into his mirror and straightened his tie.  He was getting ready for another big dinner in his honor.  “It’s tough being the big guy in a town!”  He chuckled to no one else.  He was the quintessential playboy; he always had a new girl on his arm wherever he went. 

He thought through his list of escorts and wondered who would give the perfect statement on his arm tonight.  “I think I’ll go with Jasmine, she’s the exotic sort!”  He rubbed his chin and thought.

“Sally, pull up the list with pics on my computer for me please.”  He yelled out to the other room.  Sally was his secretary, the one person who controlled the hub of details for everything.  He was lucky she was a cousin of his, or she might make problems for him.

“Tonight is the cancer dinner presentation award for your support.  You want to have an attractive girl who is intelligent.  Someone if asked a question won’t make you look as if you are simply screwing a blonde bimbo.”  Sally told him through the door.

“Do we have any on the list that will work?”  He asked her.

“I’m looking right now.  Just give me a second.”  Sally yelled back at him.

Rico combed through his hair with his fingers.  He smiled and checked to make sure no food was in between his teeth.  He was very proud of the way he looked, and he knew he was sexy.  Many women had thrown themselves at him in the past, once he became mayor, it had been even worse.  Not that he minded having different women on his arm; he didn’t want to settle down.

His life was full of sex, power and money, three things he loved.  He had even dabbled with drugs here and there, simply because they were handed to him.  Who was he to pass up something that was put in his way, as a gift?  That was how the list of women had been made in the first place.  Each girl on the list he had been with before, and they had been special in one way or another.  Usually it had to do with their sexual expertise, but there were a few who were on the list for other reasons.  Though honestly, he wasn’t sure how many there were.  That was Sally’s area of expertise!

“I think Janesa is a good choice.”  Sally came around the corner and said.  “She’s the one you went with to, that one event two months back.  It’s been long enough so she won’t get the wrong idea either.”  Sally stated.

“Which one was she?  There have been a few who’ve gotten the wrong idea, thought I was going to make them my wife, as if!”  He laughed.

“She is the one with the long black hair, those dimples on the cheeks, beautiful smile.”  Sally stated.

“So you’ve hit on her?”  Rico asked.

“I’ve slept with her a few times, but nothing serious!”  Sally laughed.  “You know I’m just like you cousin, I love my freedom and fun!”

He laughed hard.  “That’s why I hired you, you’re just like me and you understand me!  So tell me more about Janesa and why you feel she’s the right choice.  Or is it simply because you hope to get a piece of ass from her tomorrow?”  He asked.

“Well maybe a little bit, but mostly because she is kind of smart.  She’ll be able to answer something intelligently if need be, and you won’t seem like you only date airheads.”  Sally commented.

“I don’t just date airheads.  In fact I don’t date anyone really; I strictly try to stay with one night stands.  When you get more dates than 5 in a row some women swear they are your next wife.”  Rico said.

“I know, but pick Janesa; I’ll call her if you want me too.”  Sally answered.

“Sure tell her to be ready at 6:30 sharp; we’ll swing by in the limo.  I take it you’ll be coming along too?”  He asked her.

“I was thinking about it.  If you happen to find another woman at the event and want to leave Janesa alone with me, feel free to do just that.”  Sally told him.

“Alright I just might do that, though it might look a little bad in the press to come with one and leave with another one.”  He rubbed his chin wondering of the repercussions.

“You’ve done it before; all it does is adding to your playboy appeal.  You’re top in the polls among single women and men.  They love you right now!”  Sally reminded him. 

“But I’m taking a bit of a beating in other areas.  I don’t think those boys on the north side are too happy about those new business taxes.  Have you set up that security detail to cover me, just in case?”  He asked her.

“I’m working on it.  We’ll have the officer’s assigned later on in the week.  We are trying to make sure none of the one’s that we get have connections to those “businessmen”.  Otherwise your security detail will be the one that gets you.”  Sally told him.

“Well just get me the best you can find, you can figure out the logistics of it.  I think I’ll go and grab lunch, do you need anything?”  He asked.

“No I’ll set up Janesa for tonight.”  Sally said as he left the office.

Rico strutted out to the restaurant next to his office.  The girls in there always flirted with him, and he did his best to make sure he gave them all attention. 

“Hey honey, I’ll take my usual.”  He told the little brown haired waitress who came up to his table. 

She smiled at him broadly and walked off with a swing of her hips.  They weren’t dumb in this restaurant, the more they flaunted in front of him, and the larger their tips were usually.  Sometimes he would take one of them in the back room and let them suck on him.  He knew it wasn’t really a smart thing to do, but honestly it felt too good for him to stop it!  He studied the waitress as she walked away and thought maybe he’d let her slob a bit on his knob today!

Chapter 3

Lalena headed out of the precinct for her shift.  As she was going through the doors she ran into Jackson.  He smiled at her broadly.  “Hey I hear you should congratulate me!”  He laughed.

“I would if I thought you deserve it.”  She sneered at him.

“Oh is that any way to be with your fellow officer who is just moving up?”  He asked, playing the hurt face all too well.

“Jackson, you know as well as I do that you didn’t deserve the promotion.  But when you mess up, I’ll try again and this time I’ll get it.”  She said lowly as she moved closer to him.

“Be careful you get too close people will think your hitting on me and trying to move up.  Don’t want everyone to see you rubbing those breasts on me now do we.”  Jackson said and stared at her ample chest freely.  “I would love to see them though, tell you what you show them to me and I’ll get you on my team.”  He offered.

“Fuck you Jackson; I don’t need to do that to move up in the precinct.”  Lalena stated.

“I don’t know seems like you’ve been stuck in the same position for some time now, you might want to think about it.”  He stated.

She walked away before she punched him.  It wasn’t worth talking to him; he was a Neanderthal among humans.  “Good luck not fucking up that new position.” She yelled over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Lalena could hear him muttering something as she left, but she didn’t care about it.  She really wanted to get out of the office right now.  Maybe she would stop by and see a few friends later on that night.  It could help her cheer up quite a bit.  Then she remembered she was assigned to be security at the cancer event.  “Shit, guess this day just keeps getting better and better.”

These events were a pain to work, you had to wear your dress blues and look all dressed up.  However, if something popped off you also had to be able to move.  Dress blues weren’t the most comfortable things in the world, and they definitely weren’t great to run in, or do much else.

She had to go home and check to make sure her blues were ready for the night.  Lalena wanted this day to end, to be able to go home and grab a cold brew and just relax.  Maybe talk to a few friends online or on the phone, she wasn’t sure.  But definitely her idea of relaxing was not being security for the cancer event.  In past years they had hired private teams, but not this year, she wasn’t sure why.  Maybe it had something to do with the mayor and all the uproar in the underground mob arena.  He had imposed some pretty strict taxes that had hurt a lot of people who didn’t like it.  They had some power, maybe a lot more than anyone knew, and they would use it.

Though perhaps there was more to the story than the press was saying.  Because she would think that if he had pissed the mob off too much he would be dead by now.  So maybe it was all just ways for the good mayor to grab more press time.

There had been a joke when the mayor was first elected, and honestly it fit him.  His name was Rico Zess, but many of the papers had called him Rico Suave.  After the popular 80’s one hit wonder sexy Spanish singer.  Lalena had to admit that he was pure sexiness for sure.

She hadn’t been joking when she said she would love just a few minutes with him in a room.  There was something charismatic about him that drew females and males alike to him.  Maybe that was the only real reason he was still alive, he had some connections among those mobsters who thought he was too important to knock off.

She didn’t really care honestly; maybe the only good thing about tonight was to see the mayor and maybe something else.  Where the mayor was usually something would happen that was unusual. 

Laughing she remembered the one time that a date of his had supposedly been married.  The mayor claimed to have no idea about it, but when her husband showed up at the event, it had been quite the show.  The husband had pulled a gun on the mayor and threatened to use it on him.  Claimed the mayor had ruined his marriage by going out with his wife several times.

The press had dug up the story and had found out that the woman had claimed to be separated when first asked out by the mayor.  He hadn’t seen her but maybe two times in a few months though.  The husband was unstable and was placed in a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. 

“That’s what we call the problems of being a playboy.”  She laughed.  “I wonder how good he is, why do all these women want to be with him?”  It had made her wonder more than one time.  Besides the sexy look that he possessed, there must be more under it.  Lalena would love to know if he was the Spanish lover that he came across as in pictures and stories. 

Her shift was slow and she barely made it home in time to get ready for her security detail that night.  Thankfully her blues were clean and she simply took a shower and dressed.  Lalena walked out of the door upset she was going, but at least it would hopefully keep her mind off the rest of the day.

Distraction was always something she had used to keep sad feelings at bay in the past.  Tonight she needed the distraction of this cancer event to make her forget about Jackson and all of the other bullshit that had taken place today.

She walked out the door running late and hoping she didn’t get in trouble when she got to the convention center.

Lalena got there with barely enough time before the event began.  She got a look from the lieutenant that was in charge, but at least he didn’t make any comments to her.  She might have said something to him about this.  She had after all actually volunteered for this night, right now she had no clue why, but the fact was it had been her choice.

She stood around and watched the people who walked in the door.  She was looking for anyone who looked a little suspicious or acting too nervous.  It was one of the classic signs that they were up to no good.

As she watched the people filter in she noticed the mayor.  He was looking stunning in a white suite that made his dark skin tone stand out even more.  On his arm was a beautiful dark haired goddess.  Lalena knew she was good looking, but compared to that woman she was nothing.  She immediately felt inadequate for even having the thoughts of the mayor at that moment.  If he choose women who looked like that she would never even be recognized by him. 

As the couple walked past the mayor looked at her and smiled.

“Good evening sir, I hope you’re having a great evening.”  She commented.  Lalena was shocked when he stopped in front of her.

“How long have you been on the force?”  He asked her.

“I’ve been on the force for 10 years now.”  She answered.

“I would think a 10 year veteran wouldn’t be here, did you do something to make your superiors put you on duty tonight?”  He questioned her, his eyes studying her closely.

“No sir, I didn’t do anything, I volunteered.”  She stated.

He leaned in closer to her, “Your middle button has come undone and I can see your red bra underneath your shirt.”  He whispered into her ear.

Her mouth flew open and she looked down in shock only to find that he had been joking.  Lalena took a deep breath in and thanked the universe that it wasn’t true.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t resist you looked far too serious.”  He laughed and began to walk away.

“It was funny, thanks for giving me a heart attack.”  Lalena said.

The mayor turned around and came back to her.  “So now I know you have a red bra on, I wouldn’t mind seeing it one day.”  He whispered to her.

Lalena’s face had to be bright red as he walked away from her again.  Her mouth was hanging wide open and she had to admit she was quite excited by his comments.  She had to go to the bathroom and compose herself after the scene.

She had noticed that the mayor’s date had been busy talking to his secretary the whole time he had been talking to her.  “What if I was on the team to protect him?  Would he undress me and see what color bra I had on every day?”  She could feel her pussy get moist at the thought of his hands touching her body.

Lalena had to shake it off though and get back to work.  She wondered if the mayor would approach her again tonight or not.  In a way she hoped in did, but part of her wanted to avoid it as well.  There was definitely no future in aligning herself with a playboy who switched women more than people did their clothes.

Chapter 4

Rico had spotted the good looking blonde cop as soon as he stepped out of the limo.  He didn’t remember ever seeing her at another event.  She must be new, so he approached her to ask her how long she’d been on the force.  He had been shocked by her reply of ten years. 

But what he would remember the whole night was how red her face had gotten when he had told her, “your shirt is open I can see your red bra under your shirt.”  The shocked look on her face had been priceless. 

He wasn’t sure why he had done it.  He loved joking with people.  But it had been true when he had said he’d like to see if she really did have a red bra on under her shirt.  His mind kept going back to her the whole night too. 

She had a classic beauty to her.  Not a model for sure, but someone who would produce the most amazing children from her womb.  Plus she would be a woman who he guessed would age gracefully too.  Her looks would always be there, and she would be someone that a person wouldn’t get tired of looking at.  There weren’t many people in the world like her either.

Janesa was pretty much up Sally’s ass the whole time anyway, so why shouldn’t he have some fun too.  He had a feeling that tonight he wouldn’t be getting anything, but Sally would be knee deep in Janesa later on.

Rico shook his head; he looked around trying to spot the female cop again.  He hadn’t even asked her name.  He tried to remember what he name badge had said, he thought it was Swan.  But that didn’t tell him her first name, and how he could track her down.

He leaned over to Sally.  “Hey did you notice the female cop I was talking to up front?”  He asked her.

“Um not I’m sorry I wasn’t paying much attention.”  Sally admitted as her face turned red.

“Yeah perhaps you and my date could keep it to a minimum for now.  I mean we want them to think she came with me, not you.  She can cum with you later on though.”  Rico whispered to Sally.

Her face turned a bright red.  “I’m really sorry; I didn’t realize that I would feel this way when I saw her.”  She stated.  “Perhaps I should go for now, and we can meet up later?”  She asked.

“No it’s fine, I want you to try and find out who that female cop is for me though.  I want her on the security force to guard me, and I want her assigned tomorrow.  Do this quick and fast and in a hurry and I’ll give you and Janesa a week’s vacation anywhere on me.”  He told her.

Sally perked up.  “Do you see the woman now?”  She asked looking around.

“I’ve been looking, but perhaps we’ll have to walk around and see if we can find her.  Can you handle being away from her long enough to focus on this for me?”  He asked.

“Yes I can.  I’m sorry again.”  Sally said.

Rico stood up and began mingling, but he kept getting stopped by different people who wanted to bend his ear.  He couldn’t be too rude to them, but he really wanted to spot the cop again. 

Eventually he had to give up though; too many people were bugging him.  As he stood there after being stopped once more, he turned to Sally.  “Go and look for the cop, her nametag said Swan.  See what you can find out and let me know.”  He told her.

Sally headed off as the mayor answered the questions of his public.  This was one of the only times he had to admit he wasn’t happy about the position he held.  If he hadn’t been mayor he would be maybe talking to the blonde female cop he had met.  That seemed much more appealing to him right now then talking to this older man.

“So what about that new tax law, do you think it’s fair to the middle class?”  The older man asked him.

“Sir honestly I think that we need to tax everyone fairly, but the rich also need to pay their share.  If you would look at the whole layout you would see that the rich are getting hit even harder.”  The mayor explained.

“Oh really, in the paper they don’t mention that.”  The older man commented.

“Sir, you need to learn that the media likes to make people upset, and will often make sure stories do exactly that.  So believe me the middle class may be getting taxed a bit more.  However, compared to what the rich will be paying it is nothing.”  The mayor stated.

“That’s great; it’s about time that some politician made sure the rich were paying their fair share of things.  I’m glad I voted for you!  Perhaps you should run for president one day!”  The older man said. 

Rico shook his head and laughed.  “Perhaps one day I will try and enter that arena.  But for now I’m happy with our little city here!”  He shook the man’s hand and tried to walk away and find the female cop or Sally.

He finally ran into Sally.  “Did you find her?”  He asked.

“Not yet, I’ve looked everywhere, even in the restroom.  Maybe she left already.   I’ll call the precinct tomorrow and see what I can find out though.”  She said.

He shook his head.  “Damn, I should have just gone back and talked to her before.”  He said.  “So how long do we have to stay at this?”  He added, looking around hoping to spot the cop once more, but no luck.

“To be honest, at least another hour I would say.  If you leave before then, we’ll have to pull the sick card, then maybe it won’t look too bad.”  Sally told him.

“The sick card it is.  We’ve been here a while now, I swear it seems like most of the night actually.  I’m going to the restroom.  You start making the excuses.”  Rico said and walked towards the bathrooms.

Sally went and made the apologies to the right people and by the time Rico came back it was clear to go. 

“Just drop me off at home.  If you two want the limo for a bit you can have it.”  Rico said once they were in the car.

“Not feeling well?”  Sally asked.

“Just thinking right now, see what you can find on our mystery cop tomorrow first thing for me please.  Once you find her I want her to lead the squad to protect me.  Push it through hard and fast.  I want to see her standing in front of me by noon.”  Rico commented.

“Alright, I’ll do the best I can do.”  Sally said and turned her attention to Janesa.

Rico stared out the window.  He had never had a female affect him the way the cop had.  There was something about her; maybe it was a bit of innocence he could sense in her.  He wasn’t sure, but the fact was she wouldn’t get out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

Janesa had started to play with his crotch.  “I know you two aren’t really related, so what about a threesome?”  She asked Rico.

He looked down at her face; she was just getting ready to put his flaccid penis into her mouth.  “Sure why not, but we’ll have to wait to finish this until we get back to the house.”  He let her mouth work its magic and tried to stop thinking of the blonde cop.  The whole time he couldn’t help but wonder what the cop would look like in the same position.

Janesa kept his cock in her mouth until they got back to the house.  Then the three got out and went upstairs.  He watched as Sally and Janesa ate each other out and he played with his cock. 

Finally, he pushed his member into her open hole and fucked Janesa until he felt her orgasm and he let loose. 

“I’m going to bed; you guys can stay here though.”  He said and excused himself.

“Are you feeling okay?”  Sally asked him as he walked out of the room.

“Yeah I’m fine, just a little tired honestly.”  Rico said as he left.  He was really wondering who the blonde cop was though.  The whole time he had been fucking Janesa he had wished it was the unknown female. 

“What kind of spell is this?”  He asked himself as he got dressed for bed.  His head hit the pillow and he slept.  His dreams filled with thoughts of the blonde cop and him trying to find her.

Chapter 5

Lalena couldn’t believe the mayor had said the things he had to her.  Better yet she couldn’t believe how turned on she had been at his comments, and the thoughts of him. 

She walked around the event for a while and then finally went to the lieutenant and asked if she could leave for the night.  “I’m sorry I’m not feeling really well.”  She told him.

“Yeah I heard about the promotion, sorry about that.  You would have been great for it.”  He told her.

“Thanks I appreciate it.  It seems like everyone who feels I would have been great are in the wrong positions to do anything though.”  She shook her head.

“It’s okay, keep your head up Swan, you’ll be just fine.”  He patted her shoulder.  “Now go home and get some rest.”  He said.

Lalena left the event and made her way home slowly.  She didn’t want to do much but curl up on the couch and have some pizza.  But she couldn’t help but think about the mayor and what he had done to her earlier in the night. 

Lalena changed out of her uniform and quickly put on sweat pants and a t-shirt.  “Relaxation, finally!”  She said as she stretched out on the couch.  She picked up the phone and called for pizza.

“Yeah I’ll take a medium extra-pepperoni with extra cheese.”  She said on the phone.  Lalena hung up the phone and got a Shock-Top out of the refrigerator, opening it she drank half of it in one swallow. 

She had turned on the news and on it was a report of the event tonight.  The camera quickly panned to show the mayor and his entourage. Lalena stared at the screen and studied the mayor. 

The reporter had talked to the mayor for a few seconds.  Lalena listened closely to his words, and then in her mind pictured what he had said to her.  “I’d love to see that red bra.”  She could hear the words as if he was standing here right now.

It was such a strong feeling of him being there she looked around.  Her pulse had sped up at the thought and she pictured the mayor on top of her making love.

She picked up her beer and swigged the rest of it, and went to throw it away.  She grabbed another one out of the refrigerator and opened it.  Not for the first time she was happy that her metabolism was so high.  She could easily down a pizza and drink beers every night of the week if she wanted, and not gain a pound.  Lalena had known many people in the past that didn’t have that ability.  They had to watch everything they ate and drank.  “What a pain that would be!”  She laughed as she took another drink of the beer.

The doorbell rang and she went to answer the door, she was sure it was her pizza.  She opened the door and saw the pizza delivery man there.  “Oh hey how are you?”  The man said.

“Jake is that really you?”  She asked. 

“Yeah long time no see!  How have you been?”  He asked.

“Good, it’s really been a long time.  Last I knew you were in college and the star of the football team.  Weren’t you set to go pro?”  She questioned.

“Yeah I was but I got injured in the last game of the season.  Unfortunately a pro team doesn’t really want to invest in a broken down star.  So here I am back in town, recovering, and hoping for a break once I’m better.”  He explained.

Lalena looked at him; he was still handsome as he was in high school.  She had met him when he was a senior and she was just on the force.  They had an immediate attraction, but had waited to date until he had graduated.  Those times before he left had been fun, but short. 

“So what time do you get off tonight?”  She asked him.

“I’m off in about an hour.”  He answered.

“Would you like to come back over once you’re done?  We could catch up.”  She offered.

“Yeah I’d like that a lot.”  He smiled. 

She paid him and told him to hurry back!  Lalena needed to take care of the issue of being all too horny over something that was whispered in her ear.  It wasn’t necessarily nice to use Jake this way.  But why not, they had always been great in bed together.  She was sure that hadn’t changed with his injury.

Popping back on the sofa she dug into the pizza and ate.  Her body was still reacting to the thought of the mayor, and her mind was excited about Jake.  She felt a bit like a slut for a second, and then remembered she had needs too.

“I wonder who the mayor is doing right now.”  She said to herself.  She pictured him with the escort he had along for the night.  “The Greek looking Goddess, pfft.”  She stated.

The hour waiting for Jake was filled with pictures of the mayor and the woman having sex.  How she wished it was her instead.  She just really didn’t understand why she had such a strong sexual attraction to the man.  “It’s that fucking charisma, he’s oozing with it!’  She admitted out loud.  “Everyone who has met that man seems to be bowled over by his personality!” 

The doorbell finally rang and it was Jake.  “Hey I hurried as quickly as I could.”  He said as she opened the door.

“Come on in, you want a Shock Top?”  She asked him.

“Yeah sure that would be great!  You have any of that pizza left; I wouldn’t mind a slice of it either.”  He said.

“Sure I think there are a couple of slices left!  Help yourself.  I think you’ll need your energy tonight!”  Lalena laughed.

He swept her up in his arms and kissed her passionately.   She kissed him back and pushed her tongue into his mouth.  His big hands roamed over her body and touched her in all the right places.

She pulled him into the bedroom and their food and beer were left forgotten.  Lalena undressed him quickly and appreciated the body that she had known long ago.  “You are still in great shape!”  She commented.

Lalena ran her hands down his hard body and grabbed his semi-rigid member.  The blood quickly rushed to his cock and it was rock hard.  She lowered her mouth and covered him.  He pushed his fingers through her hair and pulled it up.  “You always did that so well, I’ve missed it!”  He said.

He grabbed her and pushed her on the bed.  She looked up at her and knew that he was about to please her beyond her wildest dreams.  “Oh yes use that tongue, oh Jake.”  She moaned as he set about his task.

Lalena thrust her pussy up into his mouth and moaned again as her climax rocked her body.  As her orgasm was subsiding she felt him thrust his rock hard cock deeply into her. 

Soon they were grunting and growling in the bed.  Moving perfectly together like they had been making love for years.  The sweat dripped from both of their bodies and Lalena screamed out as he bit her neck hard.  “Don’t leave any marks.”  She told him.

“Okay babe, not a problem.”  He said and thrust into her and pushed her shoulders down.  His dick felt like it was penetrating her to the end of her womb.  “I’m going to cum.”  He yelled out.

Her body rocked to an orgasm one more time and she felt her body quiver with the release of passion and pleasure.

“I’ve missed that so much.”  Jake said.  “How many years has it been?”  He asked.

“Far too long.  Wow, we’ve always had some amazing sex together.”  She stated.

“Of course, we know what the other one likes!”  He laughed.

“Oh isn’t that the truth!  Perhaps we should go for round two?”  She said and turned around to see if she could get his dick hard again.

“Wait a bit, until later; really I’ve had a long day.”  He pleaded. 

“You going to stay the night then?”  She asked.

“We’ll see just give me a little bit of time!”  He stated.

She curled up on his chest.  It was nice to have a hard body to lie beside in the bed.  But still once she started to think about the sex she realized she had wished it was the mayor the whole time.

Lalena fell asleep after a few minutes.  Her dreams taunting her with visions of the mayor in various states.   One time she was imagining him making love to her, and suddenly she was awake.  Jake was playing with her pussy and getting ready to thrust his cock into her.

“Time to wake up for round two.”  He whispered into her ear.

She laughed and pushed her body back to meet his.  Finally, they were both spent and she fell back asleep.  At least the day that began badly had ended on a good note!

Chapter 6

“Did you find her yet?”  Rico asked Sally as he came into the office the next morning.  His dreams had been tormented by thoughts of the female cop who he had met last night.

“Found who?”  Sally asked him.

“The female cop from last night, remember you were supposed to find her, and get the task force made for me.”  Rico reminded Sally.  “How late were you and Janesa up fucking?”  He laughed.

Rico wasn’t upset, but he was serious about this cop.  He wanted to find her, wanted her in his presence.  There was something about her that he wanted to know more about. 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry I did forget about that.”  Sally stated.  “I’ll get on it right now.  You said her last name was Swan right?”  Sally commented.

“Yeah, that’s it.  Find her; have her sent to me later on.  Remember I want her to be in charge of this security force.  I’ve had some death threats and we feel that added protection is a must.  I want no one else besides her.”  Rico stated.

“Damn what did she do to get so under your skin?”  Sally questioned.

“I don’t know really.  But there was an exchange between us, and her reaction to it was priceless.  She seems, oh hell I don’t know.”  Rico shook his head.  “Just find her and get her here.”  He added and walked into his office.

As he sipped his coffee he wondered how this cop had gotten under his skin.  Maybe it was something that wouldn’t be true today.  It could be a onetime quick reaction to how red she had gotten when he had joked with her. 

Then he thought about it more.  “No it was that look she got when I told her I wanted to see her red bra.  Yeah that look that said sure, I will gladly show it to you.  But you’ll have to be good if you want to see it more than once.”  He said, remembering the look clearly now.  It had been like a wild cat caged and waiting to pounce.  “I bet she’s amazing in bed.”  His loins reacted to the thought.

“I found out who she was, but she’s not in the precinct right now.  They’ll get a hold of her and have her come over as soon as they can, but it’s her day off and they can’t find her yet.”  Sally explained.

“So what is her name, what do you know about her?”  Rico asked.

“Her name is Lalena Swan; she’s been on the force for 10 years.  Her record is spotless, really not much else to know though.”  She told him.

“Hmm, Lalena, that’s a different name.  I would have expected it from her.  Yes, let me know when she’ll be coming if you can.”  He told her and turned to his work on the desk.

Rico stared down at things that needed his attention, but now all he could think about was Lalena Swan.  It was an unusual name.  He tried to focus on things that needed to be done, but try as he might it didn’t work.

“Did they find her yet?”  He asked Sally.

“I don’t know I haven’t gotten a call yet.”  She answered.

“Please call them again, see what’s going on.  Is her number listed online?”  He questioned.

“I didn’t see it.  Most of the cops on the force make sure to stay unlisted.  But I’ll check again.”  Sally laughed.  “You’ve got it bad for this girl, why?”  She asked him again.

“I was thinking about this and the only answer I have is the look in her eyes when I made a comment to her.  She looked like she was a wild cat and was ready to pounce.  I don’t see that often in many of the women I’ve had, maybe it’s a challenge.  But honestly besides that she is really pretty.  Did you see her last night?”  He asked Sally.

“The blonde one at the front?”  She asked.  “I saw you talking to you and you whispered something to her.   But I wasn’t sure what was going on, I was trying to pay attention to Janesa too.”  Sally admitted.

“She was beautiful.  She smelled nice too, like lilacs and you know I love that scent.”  He commented.

Sally laughed.  “Damn you sound like a boy who has a crush on a school mate!”  She commented.

“I feel like the boy who has a crush on a school mate too.  A crush that the other person has no idea about.  I’m also hoping that her hold on me isn’t this strong the next time I meet her.  This could be a dangerous feeling for me.”  Rico admitted.

“Oh so you have those feelings that she might be the one who makes you settle down!”  Sally laughed heartily.  “I can’t see it, not you Rico Suave!” 

Rico laughed at the joke.  “I know this is one of the main reasons I would love to see her today.  I want to get her out of my mind, but want to grab her at the same time.  It’s an odd feeling that I just don’t know if I like or not.  Fuck I’m tempted to go get a blow job from one of the waitresses just to get my mind off of her.”  Rico commented.

“Yeah why don’t you.  Perhaps the sexual release will help some.  Hey if you go can you bring me back a hamburger?”  She asked.

“Sure, what do you want on it?”  He asked.

“Get me everything, and add a slice of Colby cheese.”  Sally stated.

Rico left the office to go to lunch and get his blow job.  “I hope this works.  Maybe by the time I get back they’ll have found Ms. Swan and she’ll visit.  Right after I’ve had an orgasm my mind should be a lot clearer in dealing with her.”  He talked himself up the whole way to the restaurant.

“Hey mayor, how are you today?”  The young waitress came up to his table and batted her eyelids at him.

“I’m good, but I’m looking for something extra special today.”  Rico smiled and looked down at his pants to give her a hint.

“Oh yes sir, I think we need to have something looked at in the back room.  Do you mind?”  She commented and stood aside so that he could get up.

They went to the back room and she quickly had his pants open and his cock in her mouth.  He patted her head as she sucked on him, but in his mind he pictured the person on her knees as the female cop.

Rico closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the waitress’s hot mouth on his dick.  He could feel his cock getting rigid and knew that he was about ready to cum.  With one last stroke and up and down motion of her mouth he was unloading his milk into her mouth.  She lapped it up quickly and licked her lips.

“I hope that was good!”  She smiled.

“It was very nice; I think you’ll have a nice tip waiting after I’m done eating!”  He laughed.

“I think I just had a really nice tip!”  She stated.

He went back out and sat down.  His body was spent and he felt a little better.  But the fact that he had pictured Ms. Swan the whole time did bother him.  Rico shook his head; he didn’t want to settle down.  Perhaps if she was willing to fuck him it would get her out of his mind.

“But come on Rico, can you just walk up to a cop and say, hey fuck me?  Even if you are the mayor that’s some messed up stuff there.”  He thought to himself.

“Hey I need a hamburger to go as well, throw everything on it and include a slab of Colby cheese too!”  He told the waitress when she came back to give him his food.

“Yes sir, I’ll get that started for you right now.  If you need anything else just let me know.”  She smiled and wiped her mouth like she still tasted his sperm.

He felt his cock jump at the thought of having her give him another blow job.  But he knew that he didn’t have time to waste, he had some work that needed to get done at the office.

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll come back for another round.”  He told her as she turned to go away.

“Anytime of the day when I’m here, it’s not a problem!”  She told him and winked.

Rico ate the rest of his food and tried to get his mind into the work that needed to be done.  Then he wondered if Sally had found the cop and was she on her way.  He finished up his food and left, hoping that when he got back Sally would have some good news for him.

“Hey did they get ahold of Ms.  Swan?”  He asked immediately upon entering the office.

“As a matter of fact no more than 10 minutes ago I got a call from them.  They found her and are sending her over in an hour or two.  Since it’s her day off, you know she was busy doing something.  But at least she will be here within a couple of hours.”  Sally informed him.

“A couple of hours.  All right I’m going to try and get some of these things done in here.”  Rico went into his office.  He hoped the time would fly by, but had a feeling that instead he was looking at two hours that would drag by.

However, he was pleasantly surprised when what seemed like 15 minutes later Sally informed him that Ms. Swan was here to see him.

“Come in and have a seat Ms. Swan.  It’s nice to see you today.  I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”  Rico said as she came into his office.  He looked at her blonde hair; it was hanging down around her shoulders today.  He felt his body react to her beauty.  His mind wondered what she would look like after he made love to her, and that hair was all messed up.

“Thank you.  No I was just doing a few things.  Nothing really important.”  Sally stated.

“I bet your wondering why I wanted you to come here today.”  Rico began.

“Actually yes I was.  I was also wondering if I should have worn a red bra as well!”  Lalena said.

The comment caught him off guard, and he started laughing heartily.  “That’s funny.  Did you wear a red bra?”  His eyes got serious and he felt the lust rush into his body more quickly than ever.

It was her turn to be caught off guard.  “Actually no I didn’t.”  She said quietly.

“Well perhaps we should stick to the first subject then.  I can always find out what color of bra you have on in a little bit.”  He comment sounded like a promise to her ears.

“I’m sorry Mr. Mayor but I’m really confused right now.”  She admitted.

“I have been receiving death threats and I need extra protection.  I’ve told your Captain Case that you are to be head of this force and are to be my main guard.  I hope you don’t mind me doing that, but this task force has to be set up.  I just got another threat by email yesterday.  So as mayor I can pick anyone to be on this team that I want, and honestly Ms. Swan I want you.”  Rico explained.  In his mind he thought I want you not only on this task force, but in my bed as well.

“Wow, I’m honored for you to pick me.  The Captain had said something about this assignment and that he wanted me to be picked for the team.  But you picking me I really didn’t expect at all.  Can I ask why you picked me though?”  Lalena asked.

“I think you are someone that takes pride in their job and always does it well.  I also know that you are a clean cop and won’t have to worry about you putting a bullet in my back.  I can’t say that for all the cops on the force.  The corruption is something that needs to be cleaned up, but will take some time.  What better way to make sure I’m protected then by a good cop who is clean and who loves their job!”  He commented.

“I do love my job, and was getting fed up I’ll admit it.  I wish that everyone on the force who was crooked could be put in jail.  But I know the connections go up far too high for me to even fathom.”  Lalena commented.

“Perhaps one day it will be done.  So your assignment will begin tomorrow I guess since your off today.  It’s not fair to make you begin on your day off.”  Rico said.

“Are you safe for the rest of the day sir?”  She asked him.  If he had gotten death threats she should take this seriously.  “Can I see the email with the death threats?  We should really get our IT experts to try and trace the email back to the senders.”  She commented.

“I’ve turned it over to them as soon as I got it.  But I can show it to you if you want.  It’s best for my head of security to know exactly what’s going on.”  Rico stated.

“I like the sound of that title.  Lalena Swan, head of security for the Mayor.  It sounds nice.”  She laughed.

Rico stared at her, the lust apparent in his eyes.  He wanted to reach out and touch her, to caress her body to kiss her.  He turned away though; he was trying his best to not tempt fate so quickly. 

“Rico, you have that appointment over on 4th street with Mr. Barns in an hour.”  Sally called out over the intercom.

“Oh shit, I forgot about it.  I’m sorry, but I really need to go.  You can check that email, or do you want to go with me?”  Rico asked.  He hoped that she would decline.  “No actually take the rest of the day off, I’ll see you at 9 tomorrow morning.  Enjoy the day off, I’m not sure when your next one will be.”  He told her.

“Yes sir.”  She commented and left the office.

Chapter 7

Lalena walked out of the mayor’s office her head in the clouds.  “Holy shit, I’m the head of security for the mayor.”  She laughed.  In one day her attitude about her job had completely turned around.

She went to the precinct to talk to the Captain to make sure this was on the up and up.  Not that the mayor didn’t have control over this type of thing, but to make sure she wasn’t dreaming it either.

“Hey Captain, is this new thing real?”  She asked as she went into his office.

“So you heard already?  I was wondering if they had sent you straight to the mayor’s or not.  Yes you are the new head of security for the mayor.  I take it you’re worked out the details of the job with him?”  He questioned.

“Well not really, maybe tomorrow morning when I go back we will.  Do you know if they were able to trace that email though?”  She queried. 

“Not yet, they have some sort of protection that our team hasn’t been able to crack yet.  I’ll keep you updated though.  Congratulations Officer Swan, you made quite an impression on the mayor last night according to his secretary.”  Captain Case stated.

“Oh really, what did I do?”  Lalena asked as she remembered the night before.  As far as she knew the only thing she had done was be embarrassed by the mayor’s comments he had whispered.  It was at that point that she realized he had made basically the same comment just a bit ago in his office.

“I don’t know for sure, but she called first thing in the morning about you and trying to find you.  I was told that we didn’t have a choice that you were the new head of security and that was it.”  The Captain relayed.

She laughed.  “Well really I’m not sure what I did, but I’m happy about the new job.” 

“Just be careful, I’m not sure who is after the mayor.  But you’ll be in the direct line of fire now, you could get hurt.”  He said.

“I’ll be careful sir, you know that!”  Lalena commented. 

As she was leaving the station she ran into Dan.  “So I guess we won’t be seeing you much around here now, congrats on the new position.”  He said.

“Thanks I appreciate it!”  She answered.

“I guess the Cap really came through for you this time!”  He laughed.

“Actually no it was the mayor who requested me.”  She admitted.

“What really, when did you meet him?”  He asked.

“Last night at the event.”  She told him.

“What happened did you strip for him and lure him with your naked body?”  Dan laughed.

“I don’t know what happened.”  Lalena commented.  She didn’t share with Dan what the mayor had said to her.  No that was something that was between the two of them only. 

“Well congrats and don’t be a stranger, at least call when you get a chance.”  Dan said.             

“Sure no problem, you be careful too.”  Lalena stated and gave him a quick hug.

As she walked out the door she looked forward to her new position.  But she was also a bit worried about being around the charismatic mayor full-time.  She had after all flirted with him openly already about her bra color.  She also knew that if he had asked to see it this afternoon, she might have shown him readily.

THE END

CHARISMATIC

BOOK – 2

Chapter 1

Lalena thought about what to wear for her first day as the head of security for the mayor.  She wanted to put on her red bra.  Thankfully, Jake had itched her every growing horniness again last night, or she might really go in to the mayor’s office and strip for him.

She shook her head unsure of why she felt this way about Rico Zess.  He was too much of a playboy; she was sure he would simply use her and toss her aside.  For Lalena this wasn’t something she wanted.  Eventually she did want to marry and settle down.  She was getting older, and one day maybe she would have a child or two.  She was sure that the mayor wasn’t that type at all.  For the biggest part, she would be a passing fancy for him.

Plus Jake was a worthwhile mate for now.  She knew they would never move to another level in their relationship.  But the fact that he took care of her needs helped out a lot, and should keep her mind so it wouldn’t get so clouded around the mayor.

As she thought of his name though she felt her body become moist.  There was something about him that just made her want more.  She would have to make sure that Jake was around a lot if she was to work with the mayor.  At night she would come home and take care of the itch that had bothered her all day long.

“How do I look?”  She asked Jake as she came out of the bedroom. 

He looked up from the eggs he was eating.  “You look really nice.  Better watch out the mayor is quite the male playboy.  He’ll be hitting on you looking like that for sure.”  Jake commented.

She thought she might see a little bit of jealousy in his eyes as he said the comment.  “I can handle myself with him.”  She stated, even though she wasn’t positive about that or not.

“I can understand why he picked you to lead this position.  Who wouldn’t want to look at your beautiful face and body all day long!  I know if I ever got famous you would be my head of security as well.  I’d take you everywhere with me!”  He stated.

“I’m not cheap though, it will cost you a pretty penny to hire me to be head of security.”  She laughed.

“I’ll pay you more than enough, not only in money, but in the bedroom.  Speaking of which, how much time do you have before you have to leave?  Maybe we can go back into the bedroom.”  He smiled.

Lalena looked at her watch.  “I don’t really have enough time; I can’t be late on my first day either.”  She sighed.

He stood up and grabbed her and carried her into the bedroom.  “I think we have enough time.”  He said as he carried her and threw her on the bed.

“Jake I just got dressed.  No we don’t have time.”  She pleaded.

Ten minutes later she was readjusting her clothes and getting ready to go again.

“I told you we had enough time.”  Jake laughed at her.

“I’m going to be late on my first day.”  She said over her shoulder.  “I hope that he isn’t a stickler for time.”

“Just bat your eyes at him and smile a little bit.  Or bend over and let your shirt hang open a bit.  He’ll forget everything if he sees a hint of your breasts!”  Jake stated as he laughed.

Lalena looked back at him and smirked.  “Oh you tell me to be careful because he’s a playboy and might hit on me.  Then you turn around and tell me to flash him a little skin!  A lot of help you are.”  She laughed at him.

Jake came up and nuzzled his mouth up against her neck and kissed her. 

“No not again, I don’t have time.”  She moved away from him.

“You know I really like you a lot.  I’m glad you ordered that pizza the one night and we could reconnect.”  He told her.

“Yeah I’m glad you delivered it!”  She kissed him quickly.  “I have to go; I’ll see you later, what time will you be off?”  She asked.

“I’ll be off around ten tonight.  What about you?”  He questioned.

“Actually I’m not sure; I’ll send you a text message when I find out.”  She said and headed out the door.

Lalena was nervous to face the mayor.  Their last two meetings had been laced with a sexual undertow.  Yesterday if no meeting would have been scheduled for him, she wasn’t sure what would have happened.  Now here she was stepping directly into the lion’s den with the male who was starving.  Of course she couldn’t place all the blame on him either; she had a hand in it as well.  Lalena had been more than willing to show him her bra yesterday; she had been shocked by the admission as well.

Jake was right the mayor was dangerous in a way, at least to her.  He had that strange effect on her when she was around him.  She made a promise to herself that she would not allow his charisma to tempt her though.  She was now head of his security and she needed to take that job seriously.  Part of the job would never be sleeping with the mayor, or even showing him her bra.  No Lalena had to take this step seriously. 

Along the way to the mayor’s office she chanted the mantra, “I will not be tempted, he is my boss, and I cannot and will not sleep with him or show him my bra.”  She stopped short of saying anything about flirting, though she knew she shouldn’t even do that.  The fact was she wasn’t sure if she could control the flirting, it was part of her personality.  Often times she would flirt and not even be aware she was doing it.

“I can do this, I’ll be fine.”  She said as she got out of her car and went into the office.  Her breathing was fast and she was nervous.  She knew it was all because she was worried about this strange attraction between them.

Chapter 2

Rico Zess looked at his clock it was now 9:15 and his new head of security was late.  He had gone out of his way to have Sally find Lalena Swan after meeting her at a cancer event.  She had been lovely; he had felt seduced by her, even though she hadn’t done a thing to him.  All she had done was blush at his comment, and it had made him feel challenged to get her. 

He was angry when she walked in at 9:30.  “I thought you would take this position seriously, maybe I made a mistake.” 

Lalena looked at him and apologized profusely.  “I’m really sorry.  I know it sounds lame but I didn’t know what to wear.”

Rico laughed, he couldn’t help it, and her face was so beautiful and enticing.  “I guess I’ll let you go this time, but please punctuality is important.”  He said.

“Yes I’m really sorry it won’t happen again.”  She stated.  In her mind she was cussing Jake and the sex they had right before she left. 

“Sally will fill you in on all your duties.  I have several meetings this morning, but they are here.  So it will be best if you simply sit out there with her and learn.”  He stated.

“Yes sir.”  Lalena got up to leave the office.

“By the way I like the outfit.  It looks really nice on you.  But I’d like to see a bit more cleavage tomorrow.”  Rico said as she left the office.

He saw her hesitate but she didn’t turn around and say anything.  He smiled at her back, and laughed.  Rico needed to focus on something besides her now though.  The fact that she was going to be around him all day long could be a good or a bad thing.

Rico knew she was a huge distraction right now, but once he slept with her that would end.  He wasn’t the kind who sought out any kind of commitment.  In fact he was scared of being tied down to one female.  That was why the list that Sally had was shuffled around all the time. 

Then there was another part of him that screamed to not get involved with her.  She was his protector now, and if he made her upset, she wouldn’t do her job well.  He swore under his breath, in trying to do something that would lead to sex with her, he had planned incorrectly.

“I have to avoid her, I know it now.  Shit what kind of bullshit is this?”  He cussed himself.  Really though he knew he had no one to blame but himself.  The sexual attraction he had for her had to be controlled though.

“Sally show Ms. Swan everything she needs to know.  Send in Mr. Jones when he gets here too.”  He said over his intercom. 

He would try to avoid Lalena in close quarters as much as he could.  Rico wasn’t happy about this the pull to her was quite strong.  However, it was also something that was dangerous to him.  It would not only distract him, but her, and she was supposed to be guarding him.

Even though this was clear in his mind, he didn’t know if it would be possible for him or not.  He was really attracted to her, and honestly flirting was just part of his character.  Rico couldn’t think of a single beautiful female he hadn’t flirted with in the past.  So how was he going to accomplish it now with Lalena Swan?  He had no clue and would have to take it a day at a time.

Chapter 3

Lalena heard him compliment her outfit as she walked out the door.  She smiled and felt a flash of pride that he thought it looked nice.  But when he told her he wanted to see more cleavage the next day, she had to keep walking.  The truth was she wanted to turn to him and walk back over to him and undress right there.

Instead she had kept moving, shocked by her thoughts.  It wasn’t like she hadn’t just had sex with Jake and should be satisfied.  In fact, she was very satisfied.  But Rico Zess just brought out an animal side of her that she had no clue existed.

She tried to focus on what Sally was explaining to her. 

“So here are a list of the threatening emails that he’s received and what we know so far.  We have a list of suspects that was given to us by the police.  But honestly, they haven’t put much effort into locating the person or people who are responsible for the threats.  There are a few extra that we’ve added to the list that were skipped over by them as well.  The file is pretty thick so it may take you some time to read.  If you want I can put you up in the office in back.”  Sally said.

“Sure, I’ll look through these and see what I can learn.”  Lalena picked up part of the stack and followed Sally, who had grabbed the other part of the stack.  “Wow, there’s a lot of them here.  I wouldn’t have thought so, with the press he receives it seems like so many people love him.”  She added.

“Well you’d be shocked by how many people he also pisses off!”  Sally laughed.

“Yeah I guess it’s more than I realized.  How does he piss them off though, really I haven’t heard many of his policies that should make many upset.  The crackdown on crime I guess could be met with resistance, in the wrong groups.”  Lalena commented.

“Yes from those groups and well honestly from a few jealous boyfriends of girls.  He doesn’t always get the girls who aren’t attached.”  Sally begun.  When she saw the look on Lalena’s face she hurried up and explained though.  “The girls will approach him and say they are single, he doesn’t check, why would he.  After they go out he finds out differently when a man approaches him and confronts him about it.  We used to have those problems quite often, but now I try and check out most of the females he takes out first.  So far we’ve only missed one lady and it was because she had broken up with her boyfriend.  Shortly after the date though they reconciled and he had to hear all about her date with the great mayor.  He didn’t take too kindly to it, needless to say.”  Sally explained.

Lalena couldn’t help but laugh.  “I guess that can happen when you’re a playboy and you date all kinds of women.  Has he ever thought of settling down at all?  I mean it would end several issues with possible boyfriends or even husbands.”  She asked.

“Rico settle down!  I don’t think he has it in him honestly.  I’ve never seen him date a girl for more than a week in the past.  Yes we grew up together, so I’ve seen him as a playboy his whole life.  One girl tried to get him to settle down and he dropped her like a hot potato.  Hell he doesn’t even go out with any of his present “dates” more than two times.  He doesn’t want any of them to get the wrong idea.”  Sally stated.

“I guess it takes a different kind of person to be like that.  Personally I would love to get married one day and settle down.  Maybe I’ll even have a couple of kids, a boy and a girl.  That would be nice.  But I can’t imagine dating numerous people and never being serious with any of them.”  Lalena commented.

“I don’t know it’s just the way he’s always been honestly.  He was a little cad when we were little too!  I remember on Valentine’s Day when he was 12 years old he set up a date with two different girls for a school dance.  Most people would have had two made girls on their arm that night once they found out.  Not Rico, he had them both eating from the palm of his hand in no time.  They danced all night long, all three of them.  Ever since that day I knew he would never settle down.”  Sally laughed at the memory.

Lalena looked at Sally dumbfounded.  “He actually had a date with two 12 year old girls and they were okay with that?  His charisma is amazing really.  I can’t imagine that I would ever be okay with something like that.”  She admitted.

“Me either honestly.  But somehow Rico has this pull when it comes to the fairer sex.  They just eat out of his palm all the time.  I have to tell you sometimes I’m amazed.”  Sally shook her head in admiration.

“So why did he pick me to be head of security?”  Lalena asked the girl.

Sally looked at her for a moment.  “Well honestly I’m not sure, I asked him about that.  My guess is that he is attracted to you, and perhaps he will try and woe you to sleep with him.  Take my advice though, he may say all kinds of frilly words, don’t believe them.  You seem like a really nice person and I don’t want to see you get hurt.  Rico will chew you up and spit you out if you let him.”  Sally stated.

“Hmm, was it really a good idea for me to take this job?”  She asked more to herself than Sally.

“I don’t know, it’s a good bump in pay I can tell you that.  However, you will have to deal with Mr. Playboy, Rico Suave.  So in the long run the decision of whether it was a good choice or not will be yours.  Personally, I love making money so I would have taken it just for that.  Since he’s a cousin of mine though I know there is no chance of romance.  That makes my job simple honestly.  Could you imagine him with a secretary who wasn’t related to him?  How would she react the first time she had to call another girl to be his date, when she’d been it before?  It wouldn’t be a pretty scene at all.”  Sally said.

“I feel so overwhelmed honestly.  I appreciate you telling me everything you have.  He does have some sort of charisma really.  I don’t know something about him is attractive.  More than just his looks too.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.”  Lalena said.

“So tell me what happened last night at the event?  He didn’t tell me completely.  He just said he whispered something to you and laughed at your reaction.”  Sally queried.

Lalena turned bright red at the question.  Sally laughed at her reaction.  “You did the same thing last night didn’t you?”  She asked.

“Yes actually I did maybe a bit more red then now though.  I’d rather not say what he whispered though.”  Lalena stalled.

“It’s fine I can imagine what he said, remember I grew up around him, I’ve heard it all.”  Sally laughed.  “If you need anything just pick up the phone and hit the button.”  She said and left Lalena alone in the office.

Lalena sat there thinking about everything that Sally had said to her.  She knew she should stay away from Rico, hell she should probably walk out right now and go back to her old position.  It wasn’t even the money that held her here; it was her attraction to Rico.

She knew she should feel bad too.  After all her and Jake had hooked back up and were semi-serious with one another now.  She really shouldn’t be thinking of another male in a sexual way right now.  But no matter how much she tried she couldn’t get Rico Zess out of her mind.

Refocusing on the task in front of her she began reading the copies of threatening emails that were in the stacks of files she had received.  Soon she was digesting the information and formulating possible motives for each of the people on the list.  She made a new list of people and placed them in the order she felt was more cohesive.  From the top of the list, where she put on people who had the most problem with the mayor.  To the bottom of the list, the people who she thought would most likely be no problem.

The morning flew by and soon Sally was sticking her head in the door.  “Hey you want to go to the restaurant next door for lunch?”  She asked Lalena.

“Is it already lunchtime?  Wow, the morning has flown by.”  She looked at her watch and saw it was actually almost 1 in the afternoon.  “Sure that sounds good.”  Lalena got up and grabbed her purse and followed Sally out the door.

“You got lost in the paper work this morning didn’t you?”  Sally asked.

“I hadn’t even realized that it was this late.  The time just flew by.”  She admitted.

“So did you find anything that might help find where the threats are coming from?”  Sally questioned.

“I made a list based on what I felt the motives might be for each of the people, and how serious the threat might be.  I think there might be a few people who are too obvious though as well on the list.  People who have more to lose than anything if they were to get caught up in this type of thing.”  Lalena explained.

“Good, I hope we can keep him safe.  It’s been escalating lately.  At first I really thought it was a jealous husband of one of the girls.”  Sally stated.

“I don’t think any of the boyfriends or husbands are that serious of a threat.  Which one did you think it was though, perhaps I’ll look at him again?”  Lalena queried.

“Raymond Stock, that’s the one. He had just gotten a divorce from his wife when she met the mayor, or they met.  The mayor had taken a shine to her quickly and asked her out.  I asked her about her husband, who was now her ex.  She swore there was nothing between them anymore and that he had moved on.  Well the thing was it wasn’t Raymond who had moved on but her.  He was still clinging to the hope of reconciliation.  Once he saw the paper and noticed his ex-wife in the picture with the mayor, he came to the office.  He actually had a gun on him, and he even pulled it out.  He never did point it directly at Rico, but he waved it around.  He shouted about how Rico had ruined any chance of him ever getting his wife back.  Said how she could ever go back to a poor man like him when Rico would only wow her with money.”  Sally told Lalena.

“What happened?”  Lalena asked she hadn’t heard anything at the station about it.

“Rico sat him down and talked to him, got him to calm down.  He told him that he didn’t know that Raymond was still hoping to reconcile and that he would never see the woman again.”  Sally said.

“Did he really not see her again?”  She asked.

“He didn’t see her again.  I mean he is a playboy and all, but he does have some ethics.  He will not cheat on a girl, because he never makes a promise.  He also will not be the participation in a cheating relationship.  I love Rico dearly and I must say I was shocked at this myself.  But he’s always tried to make sure that he’s honest with all the women he dates.”  Sally stated.

Lalena wasn’t sure what to say, she was shocked that he had ethics too.  She would expect that he would simply sleep with anyone, no matter what.  “I’m surprised too.  The papers always just talk about how many different girls he has, and they make it seem like he’s, well a bad person.  They show him in a good light too.  But you know as well as I do that the older generation of people think Rico is a male slut to put it bluntly.”  Lalena commented.  “We all know that sluts usually don’t have ethics, so I guess I just always thought he was the same way.”  She added the shock apparent on her face.

“Me too honestly.  He kind of calmed down after taking the two girls to the dance.  He would never invite more than one female at a time.  I guess he realized that he could have really hurt the girl’s feelings had he not been so smooth!”  Sally laughed.

“I still can’t believe he did that either.  That kind of person would be the type you would expect to break up all kinds of marriages!”  Lalena stated.

“Exactly how I thought too.  So when he really had me start checking the backgrounds of females he meant I didn’t do such a great job.  That was when this woman slipped through.  I don’t know what led up to his request.  He has never told me.  Just one day he walked in to the office and said, hey I met this woman I want to take her out.  So I said what’s the big deal, you’ve taken several out before.  He told me no to check to make sure she wasn’t dating someone or had a husband.  I did a quick check, saw the divorce on file and thought it was good.  He almost fired me after that day.”  Sally stated.

“Wow, it had to be odd though, for him to come to you and say check the background.  You don’t know why he suddenly did it?”  She questioned.

“No I think it might have had something to do with this one girl.  She had just broken up with her boyfriend and went out with Rico.  He called her a few days after they had gone out the first time and she had gotten back with her boyfriend.  Or that was what she said.  The boyfriend told him that they had never split up, that his woman was just a freaking slut.  At the time he had laughed about it when he told me.  But it was right after that he asked me to check out his next date.”  Sally explained.

“Interesting, I learned something that I don’t think many people know about our mayor today.”  Lalena commented.

“Honey don’t get me wrong though, I would still caution you to run if he hits on you.  He’s not going to be the kind to sweep you up and carry you off into the sunset.  No he’s more the kind who will sleep with you, maybe a few times, if you’re someone he really likes.  But after that he’ll throw you to the side.  With the position you have, it would be a good idea to get involved with him.  The only reason I’m telling you this is because I know Rico.  He sees you as beautiful and perhaps even a challenge.  So he’ll flirt with you, he won’t be able to help it.  I don’t care if you flirt back with him, just don’t sleep with him if you can help it.  I know he is something else when it comes to talking women into something they may not be sure about.  But I can tell by looking at you that you find him attractive too.  Just be careful okay?  I don’t want you to get hurt, I like you.”  Sally said.

“I know it’s not a good idea.  I’m not going to lie to you, yes I find him very attractive.  I’m pulled to him in some way.  But I know that nothing should happen between us.  I plan to not let anything happen.  However, some ideas on how to combat him when he makes my knees feel weak would be nice.”  Lalena stated.

Sally laughed.  “You’re not the first one who said something about their knees being weak when he’s around.  I don’t know how you can combat it, but if I figure something out I’ll tell you!” 

“I’m sure I won’t be the last one.”  Lalena laughed.

The two talked a bit more as they ate lunch.  It was really nice, Lalena felt like she knew a bit more about the mayor, and knew she should continue to be cautious.  However, she was nervous too; Sally had stated she was positive the mayor would hit on her.

As they were busy talking about something else Lalena saw Rico walk into the restaurant.  He headed directly to their table. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?”  He asked Sally.  He barely looked at Lalena.

“I’m sorry I figured you would go out with Mr. Jones after the meeting.”  Sally stated.

“Well I didn’t go out.”  Rico commented.

He seemed really uptight and on edge.  Lalena wondered if he had gotten another threat or something. 

“You’re more than welcome to join us if you want.”  Lalena offered.

Rico looked at her, she saw the recognition in his eyes and a flash of something, and she wasn’t sure what.  “I’m sure you girls have been quite busy talking about me.  I would find myself at a disadvantage.  Maybe next time.”  He said and walked to the back of the restaurant.

Sally leaned over to Lalena and said.  “Don’t worry he probably is trying to get a blow job and would feel awkward doing it with you at the table.” 

“What they give him blow jobs at his table?”  Lalena almost shouted out.

“No they take him to the back room and do it, but still if you are sitting at the table he might feel odd doing it.”  Sally laughed.

Lalena rolled her eyes.  “Really does he just let everyone sleep with him?” 

“No he has a list of women.  Anyone who he sleeps with has a test for anything.  If they come back positive he won’t touch them.  He’s one of the most clean male sluts I’ve ever met!”  Sally laughed heartily.

Lalena had to join in; it was too funny not to laugh.  But she was also a bit hurt that he hadn’t joined them at the table.  In fact she was hurt that he hadn’t even seemed to have noticed her when he first walked in.  Perhaps Sally was wrong and he wouldn’t hit on her.  Maybe he didn’t find her as attractive as she had thought the night before.

They left the restaurant before Rico did, but not before he watched as he was escorted towards the back by the little blonde waitress.  Lalena felt her skin turn red and she had a flash of hurt.  That could have been me with him, she thought.

When she was back in the office she went back to the files to find Raymond Stock.  Sally’s story might have some merit.  Lalena figured it wouldn’t hurt her to go back into the files and read up on Raymond Stock a bit.  If she remembered correctly he had been someone she had put to the side as not a serious threat.

Her mind went back to the restaurant.  It had been very odd to her when Rico had walked in and not said a word to her.  She had expected something.  But nothing, it had made her confused.  Had she only imagined the things he had said to her? 

No she was sure he had made all the comments, and that they were flirty in nature.  She was sure that if given a chance he would gladly take her to bed.  Of course afterwards he would want nothing to do with her, but that would be her fault for falling for his act.

“What act?’  She shrugged her shoulders so confused by lunch.  “Maybe he’s bipolar or something?”  She wondered.

At least that would explain how he would go from flirting with her one time, and not even talking to her the next.  Lalena tried to focus on the work once more.  Sally’s warnings crying out clearly in her mind and the mayor’s actions in the restaurant as well.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be as hard as she thought, it seemed the mayor had changed the way he did things.  Even Sally had commented about it on the way back to the office.  She had said something about how he hadn’t flirted with Lalena, Sally said she had been sure he would have been on that hard and fast.

Chapter 4

Rico was not happy when he walked into the restaurant and saw Sally and Lalena talking like two old friends.  He knew his cousin all too well; she looked like she had a crush on the blonde woman.  That would mean that she would be stopping any attempt by him to woe her.

“Shit stop it Rico.”  He thought quickly.  You can’t woe her, she’s your protection; remember you went through all this in the morning?  He shook his head.  The best thing for him to do was ignore her.

He had walked up and done just that, it had been quite hard to do.  His eyes wanted to look at her, and only her.  But instead he kept his eyes on Sally.  Even when Lalena had asked him a question a few minutes later, he had barely looked at her.

If this didn’t work, he had an alternative plan; he would get a blow job at lunch.  He had spotted a little blonde girl waiting tables.  That was the ticket; at least he could picture it as Lalena while she was licking his cock.

The whole lunch he was angry even after he had gotten the blow job.  He wanted to swoop up Lalena Swan and wrap her in his embrace.  But he knew all too well that a woman would never hold his interest.  For him to do this to his head of security would mean finding yet another cop he could trust. 

Currently that was not something he felt comfortable doing.  He was almost certain that the death threats were coming out of the police precinct.  There were a ton of dirty cops on the force, and he wanted to clean it up. 

Opposition had been met at every corner as he had tried to get cops to turn on one another and tell their superiors who the dirty cops were.  But he had tried to push on even so.  He had even hired a private investigator from another city.  Someone who he was certain couldn’t be part of the crime syndicate that was operating in his town.

All he was trying to do was clean up this little town and make it great.  But the press always remarked on his forays with woman.  Not the good things he was doing in town.  At times it was frustrating to Rico.  He couldn’t help it he was attracted to females and them to him. 

It had started at an early age.  He had been quick to mature.  Rico had also been good at sports that helped out his popularity a lot through the years.  If he hadn’t hurt his knee he might actually be a professional right now.  His sport of choice had been baseball, he had always loved it.  He was damn good at it too.  But then when he was only a sophomore in high school, he had been a starter on the high school team, he had been hurt.  The injury had cost him a lot.  His dreams had slipped away overnight.

However, it was then that he discovered his love of the political arena.  He had asserted his charisma in that area and had become class president, and leader of about every club he could join.  His dreams awoke under the veil of a mayor ship of the small town he lived in.

As soon as he graduated from high school he put his hat in the ring for mayor.  He didn’t win that year, he was far too young and a lot of the residents thought under experienced.  During the next two years of the mayor’s term he had dove into the political field in any way he could.  He had helped get many of the small problems in the town noticed and fixed.

“Why don’t the papers ever focus on those things?”  He had to wonder to himself.  Instead when he saw his picture in the paper it would be with one of his dates.  The comments would be about how the mayor had another beauty in his midst.  Many times there were questions about whether he would ever settle down.

The fact was that he hadn’t found one woman who could keep his attention long enough to stay around.  He got bored rather quickly with them, and soon found that being in a relationship was far too much work.  He had too many things he wanted to get done in his political life.  Rico didn’t have time to raise a family or make sure a woman was happy.

Sometimes he would wonder what it would be like to be settled down though.  The thought actually scared him.  He remembered watching his mother be so unhappy all the time.  His father had been a workaholic and had never been home much.  Perhaps the fact that his mother raised him helped him be more in tune with the female sex.

He had to laugh as he remembered how he could handle females from such a young age.  The two girls he had invited to the dance.  The other guys in school hadn’t believed he had done it, and pulled it off.  He still remembered talking to them before they went to the dance.

“Look I know you two didn’t know I had invited both of you, but I did.  Here’s the deal.  I find you both extremely pretty, and couldn’t choose one over the other.  So instead of being upset about this, you should actually be happy and congratulate each other.”  Rico had told them that night.

They had bought it, because he had been telling the truth, at least as far as he saw it.  The two girls had become fast friends and in fact still talked to one another to this day as far as he knew.

Rico smiled he had done a lot of good through the years, but he wasn’t a saint either.  Unfortunately he had caused a few relationship strains for other people.  Not that he had done it on purpose, he had always been last to find out that the girl he was dating was with another guy.

He thought back to the one girl, Julie, she had been the one who changed the way he looked at life.  He actually thought he might like her enough to stick around.  But she had lied to him, told him she was single. 

Imagine his shock when he was visited by the girl’s beau the next day after they went out. 

“Hey, what are you doing with my woman?”  He had heard from behind him.

Rico had turned around to see one of his best friends at the time.  “What do you mean?  I would know if she was dating you.”  He had said. 

“No you wouldn’t we didn’t tell anyone.  But she accepted my proposal of marriage just last week.  Then I hear your out on the town with her last night.  How could you?”  He had asked.

“Hey if I would have known I wouldn’t have gone out with her.  She should have told me.”  Rico had stated to him.

“She says she did tell you and that you laughed about it.  Told her that I wasn’t man enough for her and that you would treat her better.”  His then friend had said to him.

“Matt I really didn’t say anything like that, she never told me that you were dating, or hell engaged.  Congrats that’s great; I promise I won’t see her again ever.”  Rico had promised.

“Damn straight you won’t see her again.  Don’t try to lie and act like it was her.  I know how you are with the girls.  You want me to believe she’s lying.  I don’t think so.”  Matt had jumped at him and tried to beat him up.

Rico had been a lot larger than Matt and could easily fend him off.  But Matt had kept coming at Rico, so eventually he had simply just left.  He couldn’t hit his friend.  Or at least a guy who used to be a really good friend.

Matt had packed up his stuff and took the girl and moved out of town.  It had messed Rico up to hurt his friend so much.  But he knew that he hadn’t lied.  The girl had told him she was single, had never mentioned a word about being engaged.  It was at that point that he had Sally begin checking his dates.

Of course they had the one mistake afterwards, because Sally hadn’t understood just how important it was to Rico.  Not only was it important to Rico, but to anyone else who might be involved with the woman whom he dated.  He knew he couldn’t trust the women to always tell the truth, so he left it to Sally to check them out.

“Women there nothing but trouble when it comes down to it.  I should really give them up if I was smart.  But I swear I’m addicted to them all.  Perhaps that’s why so many guys pick only one woman and marry her.  They don’t have to worry about all these other things.  Oh shit who am I kidding look at poor Matt, she was his fiancée, and she still cheated on him.”  Rico commented as he looked down at his desk.

Chapter 5

Lalena didn’t see Rico the rest of the day.  She had hoped that he might approach her and at least talk to her.  Say something nice, maybe something seductive even.  Then her phone rang and she picked it up.

“Hey honey, it’s me, I can get off early tonight if you want to go out to the movie or something.  Maybe have a little bit of dinner to celebrate the new job?”  It was Jake.

“Hey Jake.  Sure I guess if you want to we can.”  Lalena answered.  The fact was she didn’t know if she was all that interested in going out with Jake.  In fact she only wanted him to spend time with her in the bedroom.  Some of her that was wanted that, the other part of her mind wanted to settle down.  The problem was the person she wanted was Rico, not Jake.

As she hung up the phone she knew that she would have to eventually make a choice.  But how could she make a choice that wasn’t hers to make.  She could tell Jake that she wasn’t interested, she knew that.  But she couldn’t tell Rico she wanted more from him.  Hell right now he wasn’t even looking at her, let alone on the market for more.

“How and why would I fall for a man who doesn’t want a relationship?”  She asked herself.  Then she thought about the comment, had she really fallen for him, or was it simply and infatuation?

She would have to figure that out later on, right now she had to decide what to do with Jake.  Her mind went immediately to their bedroom time.  It was always so amazing with Jake, and she would hate to give that up.  Especially since she wasn’t guaranteed anything with Rico.  The fact was she probably wouldn’t get anything with Rico at all, just flirting.  Lalena didn’t think that would be enough for her.

It was at that point that she decided Jake was the better option.  She should just be happy where she was right now. 

She got off and walked out the door, she said goodbye to Sally and didn’t even check to see if Rico was still there.  Instead she decided to throw her attitude and energy into her relationship with Jake.  She was almost positive that he was going to tell her he loved her soon.  Lalena was willing to settle to be in a stable relationship. 

When she pulled up she saw Jake was already home.  She went in and there was Jake, and the living room was filled up with balloons and some roses. 

“Hey honey, congratulations on your new job!  I hope your day was great.”  Jake hugged her and kissed her on the lips.

“Thank you so much, I wasn’t expecting this at ll.”  Lalena hugged him and kissed him back.

“I missed you today.  But I’ve been missing you more and more lately.”  Jake admitted.

Lalena didn’t say anything, though she had to admit she had thought about Jake several times today.  “You’re so sweet, I thought about you a few times today too.”  She admitted.  Though she didn’t share any of the thoughts she had of Rico that day.  She pushed those out of her mind; she needed to be here with Jake.

“Come sit down with me I brought you a present too.”  Jake led her to the couch.

She sat down and wondered what he could have gotten her. 

“It’s not much, but it was all I could afford right now.  Maybe once I get back on my feet I can give you something better.”  Jake handed her a small box.

She froze up all she could think was he was going to propose to her, she was on the fence on what she really wanted right now.  This might lead to more problems than she could imagine.  Lalena took the box slowly.

“Oh it’s not a ring; it’s far too early for that.”  He said to her.

Immediately she could feel her body relax.  “Was it that obvious I was nervous?”  She asked.

“Yeah just a bit, but don’t worry I’m not upset about it.  Really we haven’t seen each other in years, and before I left we didn’t know each other well.  Except in the bedroom, but that can’t be something you make a lifelong decision on.”  Jake told her.

“I agree with you completely.”  She stated.  She opened the box and saw a necklace.  It had a silver dolphin with a diamond and sapphire inserted in the body.  “Oh it’s beautiful, I love it.  Thank you so much!”  She hugged him.

He squeezed her back.  “I’m really glad you like it.  I would buy you so many things if I could.  But I don’t make much at the pizza shop.”  Jake explained.

“You shouldn’t have spent this money either, but I really love it.”  She kissed him.

Jake wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back passionately.  “Do you want to go out, or order in?”  He asked her after he broke the kiss.

Her breathing was rapid and she really wasn’t thinking of food.  “Let’s go to the bedroom and order in after we are done!”  She said.

He picked her up and carried her into the other room.  He put her on the bed and undressed her slowly.  Jake looked at her seductively and she pulled him down.  They kissed and swirled their tongues against each other.

He ran his hands over her thin body and felt her muscles.  “I’ve always loved how in shape you are.”  He said and bit her neck below her ear.

Lalena screamed out at the bite, but moaned as the pleasure took over.  Jake lowered his head and looked at her moist opening.  He licked his lips and looked up at her and smiled.

“Please, you always have done that so good.”  She purred at him.

It didn’t take another request from her, he lowered his mouth and sucked in her clitoris and nibbled lightly on it.  She arched her back as the electricity that his mouth caused in her body jolted violently.

Soon she was thrusting her pelvis into his face as he tried to hold her hips and keep her still enough to lick her.  He clamped her body down and devoured her lips and sucked.  She screamed out as her orgasm pushed through and let go.

She could hear him murmuring in pleasure as he lapped up as much of her flowing juices as he could.  He came up and kissed her squarely on the mouth, his lips still wet with her cum.  “You taste so good.”  He said after their kiss.

Lalena pushed her hips up to meet his hard cock as it entered her.  She wrapped her legs around his middle and swayed her body to meet his thrusts.  She could feel another orgasm building inside her core.

Jake grabbed her waists and used his strength to drive her harder onto his hard dick.  She yelled out as her body shook and her second orgasm flowed through her veins.  He yelled out and she could feel his orgasm.

They fell apart sweet pouring over their bodies.  “Oh man that was so amazing.”  He kissed her.

“It always has been.  I missed this when you left so much.”  She commented.

“Tell me did you sleep with many guys while I was gone?  You still feel so damn tight.”  Jake stated.

“Actually there was only one while you were gone.  He was okay, it just wasn’t the same.”  She admitted.  “What about you while you were away?  You being the big sports man on campus and all!”  She laughed.

“I had my share I’m not going to lie.  But none of them ever made love like you do.  Damn, you drive a man crazy.”  He laughed.

She nuzzled up into his embrace and laid her head on his chest.  She felt him kiss her on the top of the head.  “This is nice, I like this.”  She said, not meaning to say it out loud, but it came out anyway.

“So what do you think about living together then.  I mean I’m over here almost all the time anyway.”  Jake said.

“Yeah sure why not.  It would be kind of nice to have a warm body to sleep next to every night!”  She said.

“That can’t be the only reason though.  I mean I’m not just a warm body am I?”  He asked.

“No you’re not just a warm body; I really like you a lot Jake.”  She admitted.

“I like you a lot too there shorty!”  He laughed as she punched him.

“There I thought you were being all romantic and sweet.”  She said as she hit him again.

“I don’t want you to get any serious ideas or anything, you know like you thought I might be proposing and all.”  Jake said.

“You’re the one who was saying it’s not very big and we can get you a better one later on, you made it sound like that.”  She stated.

“I know, I did it on purpose to see if you were getting too serious or not.”  He admitted.

“Isn’t that a shitty thing to do?”  She was getting upset now.

“I didn’t mean anything by it really.  But I do like you a lot, and if I was thinking about it now I would wait.  I saw that you weren’t quite ready for it yet.  I just wanted to see if you felt the same way as me though.”  Jake stated.

“Yeah but you could of simply asked me what I felt about you.”  She told him.

“I know I could have, I guess I was worried about what I might hear.  You know I’m not ready to settle down yet.  I really am going to try to do rehabilitation on my knee and get better.  If that happens I’m going to try out for the pros.  If I make it I don’t think I want to be tied down.  But maybe by that time I’ll feel different too.”  Jake explained.

“I get it Jake, I understand.  I’m not upset that makes sense now that you explain it that way.  I know you don’t want to be stuck here forever.  You are more adventurous and want to get out and explore the world.  I really hope you get to do that, and I don’t know if I would be happy doing that either.  However, like you said in the future that could change.  I might decide, or better yet, we might decide to take this a different way.  For now though we can enjoy each other’s company and this.”  She said as she moved lower and took his cock into her mouth.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her mouth making love to his organ.  It was something she excelled at and he had never found another mouth near as good as hers. 

Jake grabbed her and lowered her onto his erect member.  She slid down him and moved up and down on his stiffness.  Soon she could feel her body as it got closer to climax, she felt the telltale shudder of her legs and she was off.

She had always loved being on top of Jake.  He had the perfect shaped dick that would hit her g-spot instantly.  The orgasms she enjoyed when she was on top of him were mind blowing and more than she could count.

Finally she could move no more, her body was rung out.  Jake picked her off of him and moved behind her.  Lalena braced herself on her elbows and knees as he thrust forward.  He fucked her quick and hard, pounding away as he could feel her and his body getting close to another orgasm.  Jake grabbed her waist and pulled her back and he pushed forward and he moaned as he emptied his seed into her.

She melted into the bed exhausted from the sex. 

“I love having sex with you.”  He said again as he pulled her into his arms.  “But I’m starving, what should we order?”  He asked.

“How about Chinese, I feel like some Sweet and Sour Chicken.”  She said.

“Yeah that sounds good.  I’ll order it.”  He walked out of the room, his naked butt the last thing she saw.

Lalena smiled at his ass, he was in great shape.  If she hadn’t seen the limp every now and then she would think he was fully healed. 

Her mind shouted out, I wonder what Rico looks like under those clothes.  She tried to push it out of her mind as quickly as she could.  No her and Jake weren’t getting married, but they were moving in together.  That was a big step and something she would take seriously.  It meant in her mind that she was no longer available.

This also meant that she needed to try to not think of Rico in any sexual manner whatsoever.  But her he was jumping into her mind as she’s looking at Jake’s naked ass walking away.  She didn’t think it was a good thing, and she felt ashamed.

How could Rico still be in her mind if she was with Jake?  She knew she didn’t love Jake she knew that, but she should at least only think of him in this way.  Or shouldn’t she?  What did it mean for her as a person, was she a slut?  No she couldn’t be, but here she was still wondering what Rico looked like naked and wanting to see him.

“Okay it will be here in 15 minutes.”  Jake said as he walked into the room.

“Sounds great, I’m starving.”  She commented.

He looked at her the lust strong in his eyes.  “You know I’m kind of hungry for a little bit of a snack too.”  He pulled her down and pushed into her again.

“Oh my goodness, you’re ready already?”  She was shocked.  She had forgotten all about this part of Jake.  The one that could seem to go on and on all night long at times.

The doorbell rang shortly after he had finished again.  Lalena was too tired to go and answer the door.  So Jake threw on some shorts and went to the door.

“Hey it’s for you, it’s the mayor.”  Jake came back into the room.

“What, he’s here?”  Lalena was shocked.  She hurried up and got up, ran into the bathroom and tried to clean up a bit.  Her hair was a mess and she had bit marks on her neck from Jake.

“Tell him I’ll be right out please.”  She said to Jake and tried to make herself presentable.  She felt like her thoughts had brought Rico to her home. 

Lalena got dressed and went into the living room.  “I’m sorry Mr. Mayor I didn’t mean to make you wait.” 

The look in his eyes was cold.  “It’s okay I didn’t mean to bother you at home, but I tried calling you on the phone and got no answer.  So I was out and decided to stop by and just talk to you.”  He said.  “But I can see I’ve interrupted your night so I’ll just leave.”  Rico turned to leave.

“What is it?”  She said meeting him at the door.

“Well it obviously doesn’t matter does it?”  He began.  Then he stopped and composed himself.  “I’m sorry; I just came by to tell you that you didn’t need to come into the office until noon tomorrow.  It will be a short day for you, but you’ll still get your full pay don’t worry.”  Rico said.

“Okay, you know I think there might be a misunderstanding her between us.”  Lalena said.

“No I think perhaps you are reading more into my stop then you should.”  He said and walked out.

She could tell he was upset but she didn’t know why.  She turned and went back to eat with Jake.

“What was that all about?”  He asked her.

“I don’t have to be in until noon tomorrow.”  She told him.

Chapter 6

Rico walked out of her house and was furious.  She was just like all those other lying women he’d met in the past.  The ones who Sally had checked out and found that they were involved with another man.  They had flirted with Rico on occasion, just like she had, and didn’t care about the men in their lives.

“I swear I was so close.”  Rico said to himself.

He had gone over to talk to her about how he felt.  He figured it was better than trying to avoid her every day at the office.  But when the boy had answered the door he had been shocked.  A boy that was all the kid was.  Rico thought he might know who the kid was, but really had been so shocked by the scene.

When Lalena had come out from the back of the house he could tell the two of them had been having sex.  Not only could he smell it on them both, but he could see it on her body.  She was still flushed from a recent orgasm.  That and the bite marks that were all over her neck.

He had been so upset he had almost not been able to talk to her.  But he had composed himself.  She had only flirted with him after all, hadn’t said she wanted to date him.  He shouldn’t be this upset about her and that boy.

At least he knew now and he would be able to keep his emotions in check around her.  He wouldn’t go near her, even though he knew that he could offer her more than that boy ever could.

“It’s Jake Newton.   That’s who the boy is; I didn’t know he was back in town.”  Rico’s brain recalled the past star player of the high school team that had led them to state championships.  “He’s so much younger than him.”  He added his face full of disgust.

Rico was tempted to have her fired at that point, but it would have been petty.  He should instead take advantage of the fact that she was now off limits as far as he was concerned.  He wouldn’t ever date someone, even going out one time, if they had a man in their lives.  It was the only way he knew to honor his old friend Matt.

He became sad thinking about the rest of that story now.  Matt had left down and taken the girl with him.  But they hadn’t worked out; she had cheated on him numerous times.  Rico had heard that one night Matt had enough and couldn’t take it.  He had taken a shot gun and put it into his mouth and killed himself.  Rico felt some guilt towards his friend’s death; after all he had been one of the first people she had cheated with.  Perhaps if he wouldn’t have started the process of her feeling like she should do that to Matt.

Deep down though he knew that she would have done it with others if not him.  That didn’t stop him from feeling guilty, and also disgusted and happy about Lalena at the same time.  Now the distraction of her could be put to rest.

“Matt this is for you buddy.  I hope you’re up their looking down and you know that I’m really sorry.  I wish that you would have believed me that night instead.  Maybe you would still be alive and be part of my life.  I would really like that.”  He raised his drink up in the air to salute his past friend.

He shook his head replaying the scene at her house in his head again and again.  The look on her face had screamed out guilt.  That meant that she had been flirting with him right?

THE END

CHARISMATIC

BOOK – 3

Chapter 1

Lalena woke up the next morning, the night before replaying in her head.  Why had Rico stopped over?  She was sure he had wanted something else.  She could see the anger in his eyes when she first walked out of the bedroom.  She was certain he could tell that she had been having sex.  His eyes were accusatory at least.

But she didn’t owe him anything, why did she feel so guilty then?  He wasn’t trying to date her just seduce her with his words.  She knew this about Rico, had heard all about his behavior’s from Sally the day before.  However, she still felt ashamed in a way, when she knew she shouldn’t.

“Hey baby, why are you awake so early?”  Jake came up behind her in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her.

“I couldn’t sleep.”  Lalena said.  “You want to go to IHOP for some pancakes?”  She asked him.

He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head.  “Yeah sure, that sounds good.” 

She went to get dressed and ready.  “I just have a craving for those chocolate chip pancakes, they are so good.”  Lalena said as she was putting on her clothes.

Jake had come in behind her in the bedroom, he just sat on the edge of the bed watching her.  “You’re so beautiful.”  He complimented her.

“Thank you.  Why do you have that look in your eyes?”  She asked.

“What look is that?”  He smiled widely.

“The one that says you want to ravish me!”  She replied.

“Because I want too, but I know you’re hungry.”  He looked down sadly.

“We’ll have plenty of time before I have to go to work.”  She laughed.

“Oh that’s right you don’t have to be there until noon.  You know that is still weird that he stopped over.  Why didn’t he have his secretary call you and tell you?  That’s her job; it’s what he pays her for.  It’s like he was trying to come over for something else, it really makes no sense.”  Jake commented.

“I was thinking the same thing too.”  She admitted.

“I think the mayor has the hots for you.”  Jake laughed.  “You should have seen his face when I answered the door.  Talk about taking someone by surprise.  I could have knocked him over with a feather!”  He added.

Lalena shook her head.  “I don’t know what he wanted Jake, honestly.  Yesterday he barely talked to me at work.  So I think your wrong about him having the hots for me.  Maybe it was just like he said, he was trying to call me and I didn’t answer.  You know I didn’t hear the phone ring at all, but I checked it after he left and there were 4 missed calls.  I think you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”  She commented, but she had felt the same way.  Rico wasn’t telling her something, and she didn’t think she would find out for sure now.  He had been angry when he left the night before, she could feel the heat radiating off of him.

“Maybe, but I tell you with his reputation it’s not hard to imagine.  You’re a beautiful woman, any man who didn’t want you would have to be dead or gay.  I’m pretty sure that the mayor isn’t gay, and he’s surely not dead.  Just watch him Lalena, I’m telling you he has some sort of feelings for you.”  Jake stated.

“I wouldn’t worry about it.  Honestly Jake, besides the first 10 minutes of the day, he didn’t say a single word to me.  He even came to the restaurant where Sally and I were eating and didn’t even look my way.”  She told him about lunch the day before.

“You could be right, but I don’t see it.  If you would have seen his face you would understand why I’m saying what I’m saying.  He looked at me like he wanted to kill me.”  Jake said.

“I’m sure your just imagining that.  Why would he want to kill you?”  Lalena laughed.  But she could picture the look Rico had given her too. 

“I don’t know because he wants you?  Who knows, only him.”  Jake commented.

“He doesn’t want me.  Plus it doesn’t matter now does it, I’m with you.”  She said.

“Yes, just keep that in mind when he starts flirting with you at work again, because I’m sure he does.  I’m not saying you’re lying about how he is with you; just that maybe you’re missing it.”  Jake stated.

“I know when someone is flirting with me.  I’m telling you Jake he looked right through me at lunch time, like I wasn’t even there.  Not only that I forgot to tell you, Sally said that he gets blow jobs from the girls at the restaurant.  I saw him get up and go in back with one of the waitresses.”  Lalena explained.

“Just because a guy gets a blow job from a girl doesn’t mean a thing.  I’ve had plenty of them; it’s simply a way to get your nut off.  You could like another girl and someone else approaches you and wants to go down on you, hell you do it.”  Jake said.

“You men are pigs.”  She punched Jake.  “Come on can we stop talking about this and go eat.  If we don’t go now we won’t have time to come back here and have fun.”  She reminded him.

“I’ll drop it for now, but I think there is more to talk about here.”  Jake stated.  But he got up and put on his shirt.  “Let’s go, I don’t want to miss out on dessert!”  He pulled her by her hand and they went out the door to go eat.

Chapter 2

Rico woke up in the morning, he was still angry about Lalena and that boy, Jake Newton.  He was hurt, had thought that she was interested in him.  But then he realized that he couldn’t be angry, they weren’t dating after all.  It seemed obvious that she had something going on with this other guy.

He went into his home office and tried to do some work.  His thoughts kept going back to the night before though.  He could picture the scene perfectly. 

Rico had been out, and had tried to call Lalena but he hadn’t gotten through.  After he got there he knew why she didn’t answer the phone.  He pictured what she might be like in the bedroom, but then pushed those thoughts out of his mind.

“She’s taken, she’s off limits.”  He said to remind himself more of his ethics. 

For a moment he knew what it was like to want another’s mate, it was a flash of jealousy he felt at the thought.  He wanted her, but he had her.  Rico knew he could win in any competition between the two of them, but it wouldn’t be worth it.

He had to move on from Lalena and focus on anyone else, anything else.  Rico wondered if he should just go out tonight with one of the girls and fuck all night long.  Surely having sex with another woman would splash any thoughts of Lalena out of his head.

“Hey Sally, yeah sorry to wake you up.  Can you set up a date tonight for me?  I don’t know pick one of the girls I haven’t been out with in a while.  One of the five stars though, but make sure nothing has changed in their lives.  Right I don’t want anyone who is dating someone right now.  Check it out good okay.  Thanks let me know who you choose.”  Rico hung up the phone.

The thought of having sex tonight cheered him up a bit, but then he wished it would be with Lalena instead of anyone else.  “What the hell kind of hold does this devil woman have on me?”  He looked up to the sky and asked. 

Try as he might he couldn’t put her out of his mind, he was too angry at her.  He felt betrayed even though he knew he shouldn’t.  He couldn’t quite figure out why it even mattered to him.  Perhaps it had something to do with the fact he wanted her so badly.  But now he knew she was off limits to him, only because of his ethics.  A younger version of him, he might not even care about Jake and how he would feel if Rico stole Lalena.

That was a version before the whole thing with Matt and his fiancé.  Rico couldn’t help but feel sorry for Matt and what had happened in the past.  “I’m sorry old friend, I began that downward spiral for you, and I know I did.  But in the end it’s her fault just as much as mine.  She could have, no should have told me.  But she didn’t say a word about you to me.”  He talked as if Matt was in the room with him.  Sometimes it helped if he could imagine what Matt would say back. 

“Fucking women, you can’t trust them.  Shouldn’t Lalena have told me she was dating this Jake guy?”  How you know they are dating, his mind asked.  Rico realized that she could be one of those women who simply sleep around with many men or just one man even.  He didn’t know if that was the type of female he wanted to be around.

He knew it was hypocritical.  After all he would sleep with all kinds of woman, but didn’t think badly about himself.  So why should it be any different for a woman?  He had wondered this many times in the past as well.  But it was just a stigma that most men couldn’t get past.  They wanted to be with a woman who had morals and hadn’t slept around.

Rico decided he’d have a new attitude with her today, no more flirting, nothing.  Hell he wasn’t even sure he wanted to see her again.  But he knew she was a good cop, someone who could help protect him, and hopefully find the person who was threatening him.

So even though he was angry with her, and for some reason felt betrayed by her, he would keep her around.  It would be like a sweet torture to his soul.  Perhaps this is repayment for you Matt, he thought. 

Chapter 3

Lalena stuffed more of the delicious chocolate chip pancakes into her mouth.  “I love these things, they are so tasty!”  She said to Jake. 

He was sitting across the table eating his breakfast.  He laughed at her.  “I know I can tell you love them, that’s your second order.  What I don’t understand is how you keep that girlish figure when you eat so damn much!”  He laughed.

“I don’t know, but I’m thankful for it.  If I didn’t have my metabolism I would weigh 300 pounds I’m sure!”  She admitted.

Jake laughed hard.  “I’m sorry I just tried to picture you that heavy and it wasn’t a pretty sight!” 

“I can imagine it wasn’t pretty at all.  I’ve seen those woman who can’t even move because they are so darn big.”  She laughed.

“I don’t know how they move at all either.  But if you were bigger like that the mayor wouldn’t be looking at you either.  Part of me hopes you start gaining weight!”  Jake stated.

She looked at him to see if he was serious.  There was a mixture of seriousness and laughter in his eyes.

“Very funny, I told you I didn’t want to talk about him anymore though.  Please Jake, stop saying he has the hots for me or anything like that.”  Lalena pleaded.

“I can’t help it I’m kind of jealous that he gets to have you as the head of his security.  He gets to look at you all day long.”  Jake explained.

“But who do I come home too, and who do I sleep with?”  She questioned.

“Yeah I know I’m a lucky guy!”  He laughed.

“So please stop with this now.”  She pleaded.

“Alright I will, but just so you know I’m not happy he gets to be around you all day long.”  He stated.

“It’s a nice pay raise, and gets me out of the precinct.  Really this is a great move for me.”  She explained.

“I know, I’m not stopping you, I’m just telling you how I feel.”  He said.

“I understand, but if you could try and control your jealousy it would be nice.  I like this job so far and don’t want to feel like you hate me doing it.  It will simply create issues between us in the long run.”  She told him.

“I want you to be happy, so if this makes you happy I will support you.”  He stated.

Lalena finished up her meal and sat back.  “I’m stuffed now.” She rubbed her stomach.

“I think we should go work off some of those calories you just inhaled!”  He said his eyes full of lust.

“Let’s get the bill and go!”  She wasn’t really in the mood for sex, but was sure he would be able to change that with his touches and kisses.  The truth was she was upset that he was all jealous about Rico.  It was clear to Lalena that anything that had been between her and Rico was now squashed for good.  That look in his eyes last night let her know that.

They went home and soon Jake’s nuzzling had her more than ready for sex.  He made sure that she was satisfied by the time he was done.  Lalena hopped into the shower to clean up before work.  Jake tried to join her in the shower but she pushed him out.

“We don’t have time.  No stop it.  I can’t be late two days in a row.”  She pushed him out of the shower.

“Fine, I’m going.”  He pouted as he walked out of the bathroom.

Lalena shook her head.  He’s like a little child when he doesn’t get his way, she thought.  It wasn’t really part of his personality she liked much.  But she could look past it most of the time because of how much he pleased her in the bedroom.

She ran out the door and was almost late to work again. 

“Hey Sally sorry I was almost late again.”  She commented.

“It’s okay; you and the Mayor will be out and about soon.  He’s got a meeting downtown and will take you as security.  We got another email last night to the office.  They are claiming that something may happen to the mayor today.  So watch closely.”  Sally told her.

“Do I have time to look at the email?  What time are we leaving?”  Lalena asked.

“Yeah sure here it is.”  Sally said and moved aside so that Lalena could sit at her desk and read the email.

She read it and made a few notes on a pad of paper.  “Did you forward it to the police yet?”  She asked.

“Yes, but I have a feeling it will yield no information.  If I had to guess someone in the police knows who this is but they don’t let us know.”  Sally stated.

“Why do you think that?”  Lalena asked.  “You know you’re saying that whoever is doing this is corrupt right?”  She added.

“They are supposed to be the smartest and brightest in IT, but yet they can’t trace this guy?  It just doesn’t seem right, if you know what I mean.”  Sally said.

“Maybe your right but remember this guy could be smart too and hide himself well.”  Lalena stated.

“I guess you’re right.  So you have any ideas by what is said who it might be?”  Sally asked.

“I’ll have to run through the files and see if any of it matches with one of the suspects we have listed.”  Lalena admitted.  “What time is this meeting we are going too?”  She asked.

Sally looked at her watch.  “Oh wow, you have to leave in like 5 minutes.” 

“I’ll do it later.  I’m going to go put this with the files.  Tell the Mayor I’m ready when he is.”  Lalena said as she stood up to go back to her office.

“I’m ready now.”  Rico had snuck up behind them.

Lalena jumped at his presence.  “Oh you snuck up on me.”  She said.

“Sorry, are you ready?  I take it you got enough sleep to be alert today.”  He said his voice had a bitter edge to it.

She   didn’t know how to react to his comment.  “I’m alert, nothing will happen to you if I can help it.”  She stated.

“Good, let’s go.  Oh Sally did you set up that date for tonight with Sharon?”  Rico asked before they left.

“Yes she’ll be ready at 5:30.”  Sally told him.

“Great.  Ready?”  He asked looking at Lalena again.

“Sure, I’m ready.”  She answered. 

Chapter 4

Rico sat beside her in the car, his anger radiated off of him.  He wanted to kiss her, but couldn’t she was involved with the other man. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating another man?”  He finally had to ask.

She looked at him shocked.  “What?  Why would it matter?”  She asked.

“Because you had to know.  It doesn’t really matter now.”  Rico said.

“Wait, because I had to know what?  That you flirted with me, but you flirt with every kind of girl you walk up too.  How does you making a comment to me make me any different?  You can’t seriously be mad at me.”  Lalena stated.  She was upset; he was making it like she had lied to him.  “Plus we weren’t dating before yesterday.  It was more of a reconnection from a past relationship.  Neither of us have put a name on it.”  She admitted.

“Oh so you just slept with him and that was it before now.  What do you mean a reconnection from a past relationship?  He was gone for a while.”  Rico commented.

She thought about it for a second, that meant he had checked out Jake’s story and knew all about him.  Maybe Jake had been right the mayor had looked at him like he could kill him the night before.  But what did it matter to him?

“Wait a second.  Why does it matter to you anyway?  It’s not like you are trying to date me.  If anything you would fuck me once and throw me aside.”  Lalena almost yelled.  Now she was angry at him.

“You have no clue what I might have wanted from you.”  Rico reacted in anger.

She looked at him, his face was red and he was very angry.

“Maybe you should have told me.  But I can tell you that your record and Sally’s words told me all I need to know about what you wanted.  Mr. Mayor you like to use women and toss them aside, and keep them as a possible future hookup.  You don’t want anything else from females.  Honestly, I’m angry that you are trying to make me feel like I was in the wrong. “Lalena shouted.

He looked at for a second, his eyes softened for a minute and she could swear he was about to kiss her.  But he looked away from her and instead stared out the window.  “I don’t know what I wanted from you.  I don’t know if it was just an infatuation to have you and take you or not.  Really it doesn’t matter anymore now though does it?  Your with him.”  Rico stated.

She was shocked at his comments.  “How would I be any different from any of the hundreds of women you slept with?  You are a playboy and will always remain that way.  It’s not in your nature to settle down with one female.  I heard far too much about you and your past to think any different.  Personally, I don’t want to be someone’s once in a while date, I need more in my life.”  Lalena said.

Rico looked at her.  “Well I don’t know if you’ll find that with Jake Newton either.  You know he’s going to go pro once he’s better.  He’s a sportsman, and he’ll continue to try and reach his dreams.  Honestly, I’m pretty sure those dreams don’t have you in them.”  He said bluntly.

“I don’t think you should answer for him, you have no clue what he is thinking.”  She answered.  Though she was pretty sure that he was right, Jake had dreams of being a big star, not of being married to her.

“I know his type, his ambitions lie in another field not in marrying and having kids.”  Rico almost spat out at her.

“You only say that because that’s how you are.”  She smirked at him.

“You think you know me so well don’t you.  You believe everything you read in the papers and don’t even take a moment to consider that those reports might be false.”  Rico said his voice calm though his face was beat red.

“Oh is that right, they may be false.  What about those blow jobs you get at the restaurant?  Are those false too?”  Lalena asked.

She stared at him and watched as his face turned pure white.  “Sounds like someone might be jealous that they aren’t the one who is doing the sucking.”  He stated after he gained his composure.

“You wouldn’t want another girl if I ever did it.”  She stated.  Her face serious and she was willing to prove it to him if pushed.  It shocked her to realize that she was hoping he would pull his cock out and present it to her.

Thankfully, one of them was still thinking clearly.  “Your involved with another man, I wouldn’t let you do it.”  Rico stated.

“I didn’t say I would do it if you asked anyway.”  She said back to him.

“Hmm.”  He murmured, but didn’t say anything else.

Chapter 5

The rest of the way to the meeting the car was quiet.  Lalena was fuming at him and herself both.  She didn’t know who she was more upset at though.  The fact that she was even tempted to do anything sexual with him made her frustrated.  She unfortunately realized that this meant her and Jake were not serious at all, or she would have been more angry about this conversation.

She was upset for the wrong reasons.  She was mad that he seemed to know how Jake thought, and that he made that noise about her comment.  How did he know that she would do anything with him, hell she wasn’t even sure about it?  However, as she thought about it she realized that if he asked, she would do it.  This admission made her feel shame.

Lalena didn’t look at Rico the rest of the way.  She wanted to clear her mind about their argument and focus on the task coming up. 

“Okay so when we first get there I’ll get out of the car first and look around to see if anything looks out of place.  Then when you get out I’ll be right to your side and keep scanning the area.  You know it would have been better if you had one more person with us at the least.  Are you really afraid and think this person will hurt you?”  Lalena asked Rico.

He jumped when she had first started talking.  “I don’t know what this crazy person will do.  It seems that people like to hide who they really are, so maybe he will kill me, maybe he won’t.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see now won’t we.”  Rico commented.

“If I can help it no harm will come to you Mr. Mayor.”  She said seriously.

Rico looked at her.  “Physical harm only though.”  He commented and looked away.

She stared at him, unsure of his meaning.  There was no way he could have had any feelings for her, this had to be a game to him.  This was the man who never dated a girl more than two times in a row.  A man who his own cousin said was a male slut. 

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but I think we’ve talked enough about personal things today.”  Lalena finally said.

He grunted at her but didn’t say anything about her comment.

The car stopped and Lalena got out looking around.  She tried to spot if any of the people who were on the list of threats were lurking around the area.  She didn’t see anything out of place though and she opened the door and let Rico get out.  “Mr. Mayor.”  She said when she opened the door.

He got out and straightened his suit jacket.  Lalena loved the way it looked on him, it fit him perfectly.  She felt ashamed once more for noticing how good Rico looked and wanting him more than she should. 

Lalena didn’t understand it she had never been a female who was with one guy and longed for another man.  It just wasn’t her nature to be like that.  She had always been someone who was faithful to a fault even.  But here she was looking at Rico and wondering once more what his naked body would look like on top of her.

They made it to the building with no issue and were soon safely inside. 

“You can wait out here while I’m in the meeting.”  Rico said to her without even looking her way.

She sighed so now they were back to the behavior where he ignored her.  She couldn’t figure this man out no matter how hard she tried.  She knew she should really just focus on her own life and happiness, however, she did wonder how happy Rico would make her.

“What did he mean by you don’t know what I’m really like?”  She whispered to herself as she sat outside the conference room.  Lalena was dying to know more about him, and she couldn’t understand what the pull was that he had on her.

The meeting seemed to drag on and on forever, but finally the door opened.  Rico walked out he looked tired, Lalena felt her heart ache for him.  Did she cause him to look like this?  There was no way; it had to be the threats that were weighing down on him.

She had read through the emails the day before and they were very threatening sounding.  The fact that nothing had happened as of yet was simply pure luck, she was sure of that.  This person, or even people, would take their shot at him one day.  She only hoped that she would be able to protect him when it happened.

The ride back to the office was mostly silence.  Rico didn’t seem interested in sharing anything new with her about how he felt.  She had really wanted to ask him what he had meant though when he had said she didn’t know the real him.  But Lalena knew she was playing with fire if she opened up that door.  She really didn’t want to know more about him, it might make her like him more.

“We can drop you off at your house if you would like.”  He offered.

“No I have my car at the office; I’ll have no way to get in tomorrow.”  She stated.

“You can have you boyfriend drop you off.”  He said, the tone of his voice showing the anger once more.

“I don’t know if he’s staying the night tonight or not.”  She looked straight at Rico, a challenge in her eyes.

“Right, oh it’s one of those types of relationships!”  He smirked.

“Listen I told you once before, you shouldn’t judge someone when you are doing the same exact thing.  It’s my business, not yours.  You never even told me the real reason why you came to see me last night.  You say that you aren’t the man the papers claim, but I see someone who is exactly like that.  The only problem is you don’t like it has to be because of some sort of male dominance issue or another.  I don’t care what it is though.  Until you can honestly say that you aren’t this man who sleeps with women of all kinds, then don’t judge my life.  I don’t sleep around at all, I stay faithful to the man I’m with.  Plus compared to you I’m a virtual virgin.  I’m sure you’ve slept with more woman than you would care to count.  On the other hand I can tell you honestly that I’ve had sex with a total of 3 men in my entire 29 years of life.  Can you say that?”  Lalena had enough and let loose on him.

Rico stared at her.  “Well look who’s the little spit fire.  I saw the look in your eyes when I whispered into your ear that first night.  It wasn’t a look that said I’m dating someone either.  No it was a look that was a challenge a dare to me.  You were saying try if you want, but you have a wild ride on your hands.  So before you go and preach to me about how you are faithful to this boy, you should remember that I saw that look in your eyes.  It wasn’t the only time either, in my office yesterday you had the same look.  If I wanted you I could flick my fingers and you would be mine.”  He laughed.

“I don’t know why you think you could do that and I would be putty in your hands.  Perhaps you aren’t used to women turning you down.  But I could tell you with all honesty that if you asked me right now to screw you I would spit in your face.”  She finished then knocked on the window.  “Driver can you please pull over, I need to get out.”  She said.

The driver pulled the car over.

“What are you doing?  We’re in the middle of nowhere, how will you get home?”  Rico asked her.

“I don’t care, but honestly I don’t have to listen to your insults anymore.”  She opened the door and climbed out.

Lalena breathed in the fresh air and waited for the car to pull away, but it didn’t.  Instead Rico was soon standing beside her.  “Get back in the car, we just won’t talk anymore.”  He tried to pull her towards the door.

“No, I don’t want to.  You’ve insulted me more than one time and I’m done with it.”  She shouted.

“I see the look in your eyes when you look at me.  If you could honestly swear to me that you loved Jake Newton I wouldn’t believe you.  I see the looks, you get that right.  You don’t love him, or you wouldn’t look at me those eyes that scream out to be fucked.”  Rico said in a low voice to her, his face was only inches from hers.

Lalena looked at him, the shock on her face was apparent.  She slapped him hard across the face.

He looked at her; the danger in his eyes was shining brightly.  He grabbed her and pulled her to him.  Rico pressed his lips hard on hers.  She tried to resist him and fight, but soon her body betrayed her and she kissed him back.  As soon as she did he pulled away and jeered at her.

“Your just like any other woman.”   Rico said, and he climbed back into the back of the car.  They pulled off and left Lalena standing there on the side of the road.

“How could you kiss him back?”  She wanted to pound her head into a nearby tree.  His lips had felt nice on hers; she had tried to fight it.  But in the end the feeling of want was far too strong in her, she wanted to taste him.  It ended far too quickly in her opinion.

Tears began streaming down her face.  She was right she didn’t love Jake, but clearly Rico didn’t love her either.  So what could she do?  She had a walk to think about it, it was at least 4 miles to get back to the office and her car.  She could have called Jake and he could pick her up, but how would she explain this one to him.  “Hey sorry I’m stuck here, but Rico kissed me and I kissed him back so he got upset.”  She was almost positive about his reaction to the news.  It wouldn’t be good at all.

She used the time as she walked to think about her feelings and what she should do about them.  Jake was really sweet and she knew he cared about her, but there wasn’t anything serious between them.  He had made that clear to her last night.  It was more of a mutual agreement to sleep together and enjoy each other’s company for a period of time.

Once he was healed he would be out of town and on to greener pastures.  Lalena was almost positive that she wouldn’t want to go with him.  She couldn’t see herself outside of this town, she loved it here.  Her life was good, for the most part.  Though today hadn’t been a great day, she thought as she continued to walk.  Overall most days of the week she was happy with her life.

“Fucking Rico, who does he think he is?”  She fumed and got angry as she got closer to the office.  She wouldn’t even go upstairs; she would get into her car and go home.  She was already going to be so late getting home.

Lalena thought about simply telling Rico she quite, but she didn’t want too.  She was sure that soon enough this person who was sending the emails would do something, and she didn’t trust anyone else to protect Rico.

Chapter 6

Rico touched his lips in the back of the car.  He hadn’t met to kiss her, but he couldn’t resist the urge had been far too strong.  “She’s with another man, why did you do it?”  Rico swore at himself.

This was his fault this time, the forgiveness he sought out in his mind from Matt was nothing compared to what he had done today.  He had knowingly kissed Lalena even though he knew she was sleeping with and involved with another man.  Sure she had claimed it was nothing serious.  But did Jake Newton feel that way? 

Jake could very well be just like Matt, oblivious to the fact that his woman wasn’t really in love with him.  He knew he had made the comments to her about what he thought Jake felt, and that she wasn’t going to be part of his future life.  But he wasn’t sure about that, he had only been lashing out at her, he was hurt.

At first she had fought him, but he kept kissing her, urging her for a reaction.  He was sure it would happen; he could honestly see the way she looked at him.  There were thoughts that were not pure coming from her eyes when she looked Rico’s way.  He knew he wasn’t crazy, and when she had kissed him back, it had taken everything to pull away from her.

He had walked away from her, even though he had wanted to go back to her.  “She’s involved with another man, what the fuck Rico.”  He swore once more at himself. 

Once he was back in the office Sally had asked where Lalena was.  “Hey where is Lalena at?”  She questioned him.

“She had something else to do.”  Rico answered and headed to his office.  He could still feel her lips on his, and it made him even more upset. 

He licked his lips and could taste her; he craved to have more from her.  But he knew it wasn’t possible, what had happened today should never have taken place.  The only way he could ever be with her is if she was alone.

Rico had realized today that for some reason he wanted so much more from her.  He would be willing to be with only her.  She had asked him what he wanted from her and he had almost told her, I want to marry you.  The thought had come to his mind quickly and scared him though.

She would never believe him, he was certain.  She had made it clear in the car that she felt he was not a good man.  “How can you judge me when you do the same thing?”  She had asked him.

He knew she was right about that, he did use woman for his own devices.  But that didn’t mean he wanted to use her, because he didn’t.  Rico wanted more from her, but there was no way he could have it.  He wondered what Jake Newton felt for her, not for the first time since he had seen him open the door at her place last night.

Rico considered talking to the boy, but what would that accomplish?  “Maybe it will let you know how long you’ll have to wait for her.”  He thought, however, he shook the thought away. 

“What would it look like me approaching him and asking about his feelings for her?  He would surely know there was a reason for this, and most likely not a very good one.”  He commented to no one.  He pictured what his reaction would be if someone came up to him and asked him the question about a female he was seeing.

“Not a good idea at all.  I just really have to stop, I can’t have her.”  Rico admitted to himself.  However, his body yearned to kiss her again, to feel her skin under his fingertips.  He wanted her so badly he didn’t even hear Sally knock on the door.

“Excuse me Rico; did you forget you have that date tonight?”  Sally opened his door and poked her head inside his office.

“Oh shit, yeah I did forget.  Am I late?”  Rico asked.

“Well you’ll be a few minutes late.  She’s meeting you at Outback Steakhouse.”  Sally told him.

“Wasn’t I supposed to pick her up?”  He questioned.

“Yes, but with it being so late, you’ll miss your reservations if you go and pick her up first.  So instead I just sent the car to get her.”  Sally said.

“Thanks.  Do I even have time to go home and change shirts?”  He questioned and looked at his watch.  “Shit no, it’s all her fault.”  He said under his breath.

“Excuse me, I didn’t quite hear you.”  She questioned.

“Nothing I was just thinking to myself.”  Rico got up and headed out the door.  “See you in the morning.  If you see Lalena tonight tell her that she should be in at 9 in the morning.”  Rico told Sally and left.

He wasn’t really happy that he had this date now.  All he could think about was the kiss and how she had fought at first, then given in.  It could have been a sweet victory was it not for Jake Newton and his part in her life.

Chapter 7

By the time she had made it back to her car she was already two hours late getting home.  Jake must still be working; otherwise she was sure he would have called her.  She was happy about that, she had a feeling she would sound guilty on the phone when she talked to him.  “What are you going to be like in person?”  She wondered aloud.

Lalena tried to reason with herself and figure out what had happened.  Should she even mention it to Jake?  Wouldn’t he be better off not knowing about this?  It was obvious to her that the best thing to do would be to quit and go back to the force, but she couldn’t do it.

She tried to put the kiss out of her mind; she didn’t think it would happen again.  The look that Rico had given her as he got back into the car had been one of almost hatred.  She couldn’t understand why though, he was the one who had forced himself on her.  He had continued to kiss her even when she had pushed, or rather tried to push him away from her.

Lalena would have thought that his reaction to her kissing him back would be something more.  She was glad it didn’t go that way. 

As she got back to her car she looked up and saw the office as black, she figured everyone would be gone by now.  It was at that point she remembered that Rico had a date tonight.  “He’s a fucking hypocrite.  That’s what he is, a damn pot calling the kettle black.  How dare he kiss me and get mad when I react and kiss him back!”  Lalena was pissed off now as she thought about it. 

She’d meant guys who were like that in the past; it was okay for them to do things, but not for women.  It wasn’t like she had slept with a huge number of guys though.  She had been completely honest with Rico when she told him only 3 people in the past.  Lalena had been picky about who she slept with, she wouldn’t be with just anyone.

As she pulled in the driveway she was happy to see that Jake wasn’t home yet.  She didn’t need to face him when she was home late.  Her phone had died along the walk back to the office, so she plugged it in and turned it on.  There were several messages on there from Jake and one from Sally as well.  She pulled up the one from Sally first.

Hey Rico said that you should be at the office at 9 tomorrow morning.  Hope you got everything done you were working on!  See you at the office.  Sally.

Obviously Rico hadn’t told Sally about what had happened between them in the car and why she wasn’t back at the office.  Lalena shook her head, “what a creep, I hate him.”  She stated.

Hey Babe, I’ll be working a bit later tonight, won’t be home until close to midnight.  Hope you’re not mad! 

Hey Babe, it’s me again, correction on the time, it might be until 2 in the morning.  A couple of people have called off tonight.  Don’t be angry, I’ll wake you up when I get home!

Hey Babe, you’re not made are you?  I haven’t heard back from you yet.  Just checking.  You know I need the money!

She typed up a message to Jake.   Hey sorry my phone died earlier in the day, just plugged it in.  I’m not mad; I’ll see you later on when you get home.  Have a good night. 

Lalena sighed it was perfect, this way Jake wouldn’t be all in her face asking her questions about the day and how it went.  She was sure it would happen every day as long as she worked with Rico.  For some reason he was jealous of Rico, but she could understand why too, if he only knew what happened today.

She ran some hot water and put bubbles in the tub.  She needed some unwinding time by herself.  “I’m so happy that he’s working late.”  She wondered if her guilt would be all over her face.  “But it wasn’t my fault.”  She said, but her mind answered her back immediately, but you did kiss him back.

“Fuck what do I do about this?  I should really tell Jake about it, I hate to lie about anything.”  She admitted. 

Lalena practiced her story with the bubbles and tried to picture Jake’s reaction.  “He’ll be so mad, I know it.”  She fought with her ethics for a while.

“What a piece of shit, he’s upset at me because I’m with one person, yet he’s with how many women?  How can he be so damn judgmental?”  She said to no one.

“Who are you talking about?”  Jake asked from the door of the bathroom.

“What?  Oh sorry I didn’t hear you come in.”  Lalena said.

“How could you the music is blasting!  What were you talking about?”  Jake asked again. 

“Just something the mayor said today that pissed me off.”  Lalena stated.

“Hmm, so why don’t you tell me about it.”  Jake commented as he sat on the lid of the toilet.

“I’d rather not, you got home early?”  She tried to change the subject.

“I’m just on a short break, figured I’d come home and see how your day went.”  He told her.

“It was okay, nothing much.”  She said.

“So what is this about him being a piece of shit?  Sounds like something went on.”  Jake probed.

She looked down; she really didn’t want to lie to him.  “We had an argument, he said some things and I said some things back to him.  I’m just angry about it.”  She explained.

“You sure you’re okay, your face is flushed like your more upset than you want to admit.”  Jake pushed.

“No it’s nothing I can’t handle.  If it was a problem I would tell you.”  She made the decision to not tell him about the kiss.  There was no reason to share it with him; he would be upset for nothing. 

“Alright, you know I’ll help you through anything.  Are you sure that you should keep working there though?”  Jake asked.

“Really Jake it’s nothing I can’t handle.  It was a misunderstanding that will be fixed soon.”  She stated.

He looked at her and saw her breasts perking up through the bubbles in the bath water.  “So I have like an hour, maybe we could get your mind off of today by, you know what!”  He smiled seductively.

Lalena smiled, though she felt more guilty for thinking about the kiss at the moment than what Jake was offering.  “What do you have in mind?”  She asked.

“Well I’m kind of hungry for some of that sweet pussy juice of yours.”  He stated.

She laughed and screamed as he bent over and scooped her easily out of the tub.  “Hey your uniform will get all wet.”  She screamed.

“I have another one I can change into.”  He said as he carried her to the bedroom and put her on the bed.  “It looks delicious.”  He said as he moved between her legs and began to lick her pussy lips. 

Lalena moved to meet his mouth and tongue as he probed her cunt deeply with it.  She felt him slip one of his fingers into her as he nibbled on her clit.  “Oh damn.”  She sighed.

He chuckled and sucked hard on her clit, drawing it into his mouth; he scraped his teeth across the tender spot.  She moaned loudly as an orgasm shot through her body.  He made love to her with his mouth for a few more seconds then pulled his hard dick out of his pants.

Jake thrust into her hard.  He looked down at her as he was pushing into her and said, “I love fucking you Lalena.” 

“It’s nice isn’t it?”  She admitted.

“Would you tell me if the mayor made a pass at you?”  He asked as he continued to push his hard member into her snatch.

“Is this the right time to talk about this?”  She asked.

“Why not?”  Jake asked.

“Because I would rather not think of Rico while your fucking me.”  She admitted.  It was bad enough that she had to stop the thoughts occasionally, but for Jake to bring him up on purpose. 

“Okay I’ll wait.”  He kissed her and pushed into her again.

The kiss didn’t feel the same as Rico’s and her mind wished it was Rico with her.  Lalena knew this wasn’t fair to Jake at all.

“He kissed me today.”  She blurted out.

Jake stopped immediately.  He was still inside of her but not moving.  “What?”  He asked his face deadly serious.

“We were arguing and he kissed me today.”  She repeated.

“Okay, so is this the thing you said you could handle?”  He questioned.

She shook her head yes.  “I can handle it, he was angry when he stopped and I don’t think he’ll do it again ever.”  She admitted.

“What do you mean when it stopped?  How long of a kiss was it?  Did you kiss him back?”  Jake had pulled out of her and was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Jake, I don’t know how to explain it and it not sound bad.”  She tried to touch him.

“So you did kiss him back.”  He said his voice full of anger.

“I didn’t mean too, it was just that he didn’t stop when I fought and I gave up.”  She explained.

He was shaking his head and thinking.  “I don’t know what to say to you.  This is wrong.  Why would you even let him kiss you in the first place?  Why did you get the job?  Did you have sex with him before?”  Jake questioned her.

“I don’t know why I got the job.  He met me at the cancer event and the next day I was hired for this job.”  She stated.

“What happened at the event?  Did he kiss you then too?”  Jake sat looking at her waiting for her answer.

“No he didn’t kiss me, he just talked to me.”  She said.

“What did he say to you?  Lalena why did you not tell me all this to begin with?  I mean I thought we had the start of something here.  I didn’t know where it would go, but I can’t be with you if your kissing another guy.”  He shook his head more, his eyes looked confused.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen.  I’m sorry.”  She had nothing else she could say but that.

“I have to go; I’ll call you in a few days.  Think about what you want though.  I won’t share you with another man, especially him.”  Jake said as he zipped up his pants and grabbed some of his clothes out of the drawers.

“Jake, don’t go.”  She cried out.

“No I can’t stay; if I do I’m going to say some things that are best not to say right now.  I’m angry and I’m barely controlling it right now.  I have to go Lalena.  If you make up your mind before I call you let me know.  Though I’m pretty sure I know who you’ll pick.  I can’t offer you near as much as he can right now.  But honestly I never took you for the gold digging type of bitch that you seem to be right now.  Or rather a slut who will just go around and kiss other men.  I don’t even think I know you.”  Jake said and walked out.

She sat there crying, her body shaking from the nerves.  She had to tell Jake about the kiss.  Every time he asked her about Rico she would think of the kiss.  “What did you expect to happen?”  She asked herself.  “Do you think he would stay and still make love to you?  How dumb can you be?”  She pounded the bed in frustration.

“Think about what you want.”  He had said before he left.

Lalena sat there and thought about it, did she really have a choice.  Rico had left her standing on the side of the road, the disgust clearly showing in his eyes when he hopped into the car.  Jake had the same look on his face when he had left her tonight.

She felt as if her life was falling apart in the matter of an afternoon.  The tears continued to fall from her eyes as she thought of the two people who were a part of her life.  One who she couldn’t get out of her mind, and the other who happened to now possibly be her ex-boyfriend.  If they were actually dating in the first place!

Finally, she had bawled all she could and still hadn’t thought of what she wanted.  Though he she would actually admit the thoughts she was having, she would know.  Lalena knew that it wasn’t possible though; Rico had made it pretty clear today.

“But I’m not dating Jake now am I.”  She commented.  She knew it sounded lame and already could picture how Rico would react to that news.  He would simply use her, because he would think she wasn’t worth the time and effort for more than just a fling.

Instead of making any decisions she fell asleep and figured in the morning hopefully things would look better. 

Chapter 8

Rico looked at Sharon across the table.  He would rather have Lalena here.  Why does she have to be involved with that boy, he thought for the thousandth time since the night before.  The bad thing was he could still taste her on his lips.

“Hey where are you at?”  Sharon asked him.

“I’m sorry I had a really rough day today.”  He stated.

“You know if you didn’t want to go out tonight we could have postponed.”  Sharon stated.

“I got back to the office late, it wouldn’t have seemed right to do.”  He said.

“How about we just go back to your place, and I’ll make you forget all about the day you had.”  She offered.

He didn’t want to do it, but he took her up on the offer.  When they got into the back of the car, she took his cock out of his pants and started to suck on him.  Rico tried to sit back and enjoy the blow job, he usually loved them.

“Stop, it’s not good.  I’m sorry.”  Rico told her.

She sighed as she sat up.  “Well can you at least help me get off?”  She asked.

“I’d rather not.  I’m sorry but it was a really hard day today.”  He stated.  “I’ll just have the driver drop you off at your house.”  He said.

“Okay, fine.  But please don’t waste my time if you call again.”  Sharon said as she got out of the car.

As the driver took him back home he couldn’t think of anything but Lalena.  He really wanted to have the driver take him to her.  But he couldn’t do it.  Instead he went home and tried to toss and turn as the kiss him and Lalena had shared that afternoon.

**

“Hey Uncle Raymond, do you mind if I stay the night with you?”  Jake asked his uncle over the phone.

“Sure, I thought you were hanging out with that little cop lady again though.”  His uncle stated.

“Nah I found out that she kissed someone else today.”  Jake said.

“Come over and we can talk if you want.”  Raymond said.

“Yeah I appreciate it.”  Jake commented.  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

He pulled up at his Uncles house and sighed.  He had been falling for Lalena, had almost told her he loved her even.  Jake was happy that he hadn’t said those words to her though; right now he wasn’t sure how he felt about her.  Still he felt like the mayor was more to blame for this, not his sweet innocent Lalena.

“Hey come in Jake.”  Raymond stood to the side to let Jake in the door.  “So tell me what happened, you look really rough.”  He said.

Jake sighed.  “You know I think I was falling for her, and today I had a break at work so I went home to see her.  We were having sex and she blurted out that she kissed another man.”  Jake said.

“What?  Do you know the guy?”  Raymond questioned.

“I don’t know him personally, but I know enough about him to know he’s the one who seduced her.”  Jake stated.

“Who was it?”  Raymond asked.

“The fucking mayor, he’s a piece of shit.  I swear I knew as soon as she became head of his security that something would happen.  I told her not to do it, but she said it was more pay.”  Jake said.

“The mayor?  Interesting it seems like he might not have learned his lesson the first time.  I should have just shot him when I had the chance.”  Raymond stated.

“What?  I think I’m missing part of this story.”  Jake said.

“Remember when your aunt and I first started the divorce?”  He said.

Jake answered.  “Yes I remember that you were really upset at the time.  Sorry I wasn’t in town to help you through it.”

“It’s fine.  Well she went out on a date with the one and only mayor.  I went to his office to confront him and had my gun.  I had it out and I should have just shot him.  But as we were talking I realized that she wasn’t worth me going to jail for.  He seemed like he didn’t know anything about me, and I believed him at that time.  Now I think he was more than aware of me and he choose to ignore it anyway.  Now he’s done the same thing to you and I don’t think he should be able to wreck anyone else’s relationship.”  Raymond explained.

“He was the guy you had talked about?  Oh shit, if I would have known that maybe I would have made her not accept the job.”  Jake sighed.

“You must realize Jake that she’s just as much to blame in this as he is though.  She could have stopped him.”  Raymond stated.

“She said he kissed her first and she tried to fight him off though.”  Jake explained.

“Come on now Jake, she’s a police officer.  She’s had tons of training in fighting off attackers.  She could have got out of it and not kissed him back.  Don’t convince yourself that she’s the innocent party here.  She’s not a victim but a willing participant in this.”  Raymond said.

“Yeah your right.  Well at least I won’t have to worry about whether or not to take her if I get into the pros.”  Jake shook his head.

“You know I hate to see you so upset over a woman.  We should really make him and her pay for this pain.  I can see how badly it hurts you.”  Raymond stated.

“How do we do that?”  Jake asked.

Raymond pulled out some papers and showed him a plan.  “If we plant a bomb here in the building it would take the mayor’s office out.”  Raymond said.

“I don’t want to bomb any place, do you know how much trouble we could be in.”  Jake said.

“Or I can just shot his ass and if she gets in the way, oh well.”  Raymond said.

Jake sat and thought about it for a minute or two.  “I’m not sure; it seems to be something that is extreme in response.  She said she was sorry.  Maybe she’ll be fine and tell me she wants me back.”  Jake reasoned.

“We’ll all I can say is think about it and if you feel differently let me know.  But I’m not going to guarantee that the mayor will continue to be safe.  If I see my chance it’s over for him.  He ruined my life and now is working on ruining the life of someone I love.  You know you’ve always been my favorite nephew, right?”  Raymond asked.

“I know you’ve always been my favorite uncle!  Just give her a few days to see what she decides okay.”  Jake said.  “I think I’ll get some sleep.  Thanks for letting me stay with you I really appreciate it.” 

“Hey by the way what I told you tonight doesn’t get told to anyone okay?”  Raymond said to him before he left the room.

“Your secret is safe with me.  I have no love for the mayor; if something happened to him I wouldn’t shed a single tear.”  Jake said and went into the other room.

He lay down and thought about Lalena, tears started to roll down his face.  “I loved you bitch, and you ripped my heart out.  You’ll pay for this.”  He said into the pillow.

THE END

CHARISMATIC

BOOK – 4

Chapter 1

Lalena woke up the next day her eyes were swollen and tender from crying most of the night.  She went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror she looked at herself.  “Oh my goodness I look so bad.” 

She hopped into the shower and turned it on warm.  She let the water run over her face and hoped it would help her eyes appear a little bit better.  Getting out of the shower she cleared off the mirror and looked again.  “Shit I’ll have to put on some makeup and try to cover this up.”  She said.

As she walked out of her place she almost burst out in tears again.  “Hold it together Lalena, you got this.”  She chanted as she got in the car and drove to work.  If she was lucky she could skip past Sally and just go to her office.

But she wasn’t that lucky Sally was sitting at her desk and looked up at her as she walked in.  “Oh sweetie, what’s wrong?  She asked.

Lalena burst out in tears.  “I, oh I don’t know, everything is just falling apart around me and it’s all my own fault.”  She cried.

Sally got up and came over to hug her.  “Oh honey, it’s okay, you’ll be fine.” 

Lalena cried harder as Sally held her.  She tried to compose herself.  “I’m going back to my office.  Thanks Sally.”  She said as she walked back to her office.

At least she hadn’t run into Rico looking like she did.  She tried to blot her eyes and clean up a bit, however, it didn’t seem to be helping any.

“Hey I brought you some coffee.  Come on sweetie it will be fine.  If you want to talk about it I’m here for you.”  Sally commented.

“Thanks for the coffee, I appreciate it.  I just don’t know what to do Sally.  In the matter of a couple of days my world has been turned upside down.”  Lalena cried she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face when she thought about it all.

“Oh honey, what happened?”  Sally asked.

“Jake left me last night, but I don’t blame him.  I did something really bad yesterday, and I wouldn’t forgive him if our places were switched either.”  Lalena explained. 

“I’m sure if he really loves you he’ll be back.”  Sally patted Lalena’s back.

“No he won’t I kissed another person.  If I really loved him I wouldn’t have done that.  But the truth is I don’t know if I want Jake back.  He’s not the one I love.  It’s hard to realize that you love someone else, and you know that they hate you.”  Lalena cried, her shoulders shuddered with the force of her tears and sobbing.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay.”  Sally whispered and held Lalena.

“What’s wrong?”  Lalena heard Rico’s voice from the office door.

She buried her head deeper into Sally’s chest, not wanting to even look Rico’s way. 

“Jake left her.”  Sally told him.

Lalena shook from the sobs that escaped her body as Sally told Rico the news.

“What?”  Rico asked.  “Sally can you give us a moment alone please?”  Rico requested from Sally.

“Sure.”  She answered him.  Turning to Lalena she asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

Lalena shook her head, “Yes, I’ll be okay.  Thanks again Sally.”  She said.

She made sure to not look at Rico; she tried to hide her face from him.  He came over as Sally left the office.  “Lalena, look at me.”  He ordered.

“No, I don’t want you to see me like this.”  She said.

He grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at her.  He made an audible noise that sounded like a shared grief.  “What happened?”  He asked her.

Lalena shook her head again.  “I told him about our kiss and he left.”  She said bluntly.

“Why would you tell him?”  Rico questioned.

“Because he should know that I don’t care about him and that our relationship isn’t going to progress.”  She admitted.

“I see.”  Rico said quietly. 

She burst out in tears and he hugged her tightly.  “Shh.  Come on don’t cry.  You’ll be okay.”  He ran his hand up and down her back trying to comfort her.

“No it’s not okay, I won’t be okay.  You hate me too.  I could see it in your eyes yesterday.”  Lalena stated.

He kissed the top of her head.  “I don’t hate you; it’s far from hatred that I feel for you.”  He whispered.

She looked at him a question on her face.  Rico took his fingers and wiped the tears from her cheeks.  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently this time.  It was nothing like the last kiss where he had forced his mouth on hers and pressed hard.  His lips were tender and caring. 

Lalena kissed him back; she had no reason not to.  She had realized during the night that she loved Rico.  She sighed as the kiss deepened.

He pulled back from her and kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly to him again.

“What do you want from me?”  She whispered.

“I don’t know what I want honestly.”  Rico stated.  “I want your touch, your kisses, just you, and nothing more.”  He added.

She listened to his words and knew that she shouldn’t let herself get involved with him.  He didn’t want love from her, but she wanted it from him so badly.  She could feel her body soaking up his essence as they hugged.  However, she knew it was too late; she was his, even if she didn’t want it that way.

“I’m yours.”  She looked at him and said.

“All mine, no more Jake?  Did he really leave?”  Rico asked.

“Yes he did last night.  There is no more Jake, only you.”  She admitted.

“Okay, but you shouldn’t be at work today, not like this.”  Rico said.

“I don’t want to be all alone at home.  It will just make this so much worse.”  She said.

“I didn’t say you’d be alone.  I’m taking you back to my place.”  Rico stated.

She let him lead her out of the office.  He said a few quick words to Sally and they were gone.  Rico helped her into the car and he went around getting in on the other side.

Rico drove with one hand on her leg trying to comfort her as much as he could.  She put her hand down on his and held it. 

“Come on.”  He said as he went to open her door and help her out.  “Let’s go inside, I’ll have the maid make you some tea or something.”  He stated as they walked into his house.  “We can sit outside by the pool if you want.”

She looked up at him.  “Can you just please hug me?”  She asked.

“Of course, I can do that.”  He wrapped her in his arms once more.

Lalena smelled his scent as his arms surrounded her.  He lifted her up and carried her over to a couch that was near the window.  The sunlight shined in on them, as he held her closely.

“You know I’m not upset about Jake as much as I am about myself, right?”  She asked Rico.

“Why are you upset at yourself?”  He asked.

“Because I knew before Jake and I had talked about moving in together that I had feelings for you.  I should have just been honest with him and myself at that point.  I’ve wanted to kiss you since that first day you whispered into my ear at the cancer event.”  She admitted.

Chapter 2

Rico stared at her.  “I’ve wanted to kiss you since that day too.”  He admitted to her.

He kissed her again, again it was a light kiss, but it quickly became deeper.  She moaned as their tongues tangled together.  He wanted her badly, but felt like he was taking advantage of her mood.

“I can’t make love to you right now, but I want too.”  He pulled away from her.  “I wouldn’t feel right doing that.”  He added.

“Please I’ve wanted this for so long.”  She asked quietly.

He looked down at her eyes and could see the pleading in them.  He wanted her badly, but part of him was worried.  He thought that if he made love to her he would never be able to stop loving her. 

She was the first person he had ever thought he would be willing to be with forever.  He had never felt this way before and it was frightening to him.  She ran her hand down to his leg and over his crotch area; he wasn’t able to resist her touch.  He picked her up and carried her up the flight of stairs and into his bedroom.

“Are you sure about this?  I’m not sure you are thinking fully about what we are about to do.”  Rico asked.

“Yes, I’m sure I’ve wanted this since the first time you said you wanted to see my red bra.”  Lalena stated.

Rico undressed her slowly, taking in her body as he took each layer off of her.  “Oh my, you are beautiful, more than I could have imagined.”  He complimented her as he looked at her naked body in front of him. 

He took his clothes off and walked over to her and lowered her softly onto the bed.  Rico traced his fingers over every inch of her body, enjoying the feel of her skin.  He kissed her on the side of the stomach. 

Lalena looked at him and smiled.  “Please.”  She asked once more.

The love making was slow and sweet.  Lalena closed her eyes after as they were lying tangled up in the sheets on the bed.  Her body was throbbing with pleasure.  If only he would love me, she thought with a sigh.

He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the top of the head.  She placed her head on his chest and soon he could hear her shallow breathing, she had fallen asleep on him.

Rico smelled her hair as she slept and smiled.  I don’t know what her spell is on me, but I only want her, he thought.  It was a thought that he had a feeling would happen if he made love to her.  But as he lay here beside her he didn’t care, she was worth it.

The love making had been amazing, it had felt like they had a special connection between them.  Rico let his eyes close and he was soon fast asleep too.

Chapter 3

Jake had been sitting out front of the mayor’s office, he was getting ready to go up and see Lalena, and he missed her.  He was getting ready to get out when he saw the mayor and Lalena walk out of the office.  He watched as they went up to the mayor’s car, and he let her in the door.

He followed them to see where they went and wasn’t surprised when he saw it was the mayor’s house.  Jake could feel his blood begin to boil.  “What a fucking slut.  We aren’t even broke up for a full day and here she is going to his house.”  He hit the steering wheel of his jeep.

“We should make them pay for it.”  He could hear his Uncle Ray’s words once more.

Before this moment he would have never hurt Lalena, but now his mind snapped.  “She didn’t care about me, she couldn’t have.”  Jake fumed as he drove to his uncle’s house.

He walked into the house.  “Uncle Ray, let’s see those ideas you have again.”  Jake said to his uncle.

His uncle pulled out the plans once more and looked at Jake.  “What happened?”  He asked.

“I went to see her and they were coming out of the office.  I followed them and they went to his place.”  Jake stated.

“You know I don’t have any love for the mayor, but how do you know they were doing anything?  He questioned.

“I just know.”  Jake said.

“Alright, so here are the various ideas.  The one’s I think are best are these.”  He said pulling out a few of the plans.  He showed them to Jake who studied the ideas and let his hatred full his anger more with every second.

“Tell me Uncle Ray, how did you resist the urge to do it that first time?”  Jake asked.

“It was hard honestly.  But as I was talking to the mayor I realized that he really hadn’t known anything about my plans to reconcile with her.  I couldn’t kill this man because of a mistake that my own wife did.  I would much rather kill her and be done with it.”  Ray explained.

“So why are you so willing to help me with this?  It sounds like your forgave him for it.”  Jake questioned.

“Because I did something bad because of him and I blame him now.”  Ray said.

“What did you do?”  Jake asked.

“You always asked me where your Aunt Shelly went, I told you she moved to Florida, but that isn’t true.  I’ve been lucky to get away with it so far.  She didn’t have any family; our side just figured that she stopped talking to them once the divorce was final.  But she isn’t living in Florida.”  Ray stated.

“Okay so where did she go?”  Jake queried.

“Jake, this goes no further than between us, okay.”  Ray sat forward and said.

“Sure of course, I told you before what we talk about stays between us.”  Jake stated.

“I cut her up and fed her to the pigs out back.”  Ray stated.

Jake sat up straight and looked at his uncle.  “No way, come on you’ve always liked to pull jokes on me.  Tell me where did she go?”  Jake asked again.

“I’m serious.  The pigs have eaten her all up now.”  Ray said again.

“You’re being serious.  You killed her and fed her to the pigs?  How could you kill her?”  Jake asked.

“What do you think you’re talking about doing to them right now?  Did you think we were just going to rough them up a bit and it would be fine?”  Ray questioned.  His face showing the fact that he was shocked that Jake hadn’t realized that the idea was to kill them.

“I don’t know killing someone seems pretty bad.  I know you said something about a bomb last night, but I wasn’t really paying enough attention.  I thought you were just talking, not that serious.”  Jake commented.

“I’m deadly serious.  If he would have never gone out with Shelly she would still be here.”  Ray said.

“But you were already in the middle of your divorce when that happened right?”  Jake asked.

“Yeah we were, but if he wouldn’t have come around, I could have talked her into coming back.”  Ray stated.  “I know she still loved me, but he changed her mind about me.”  Ray added.

It was at that point that Jake realized his Uncle was just a bit crazy.  “Let me think about it more, I’ll look over the plans and let you know, is that okay?”  Jake asked.

“Yeah sure of course, don’t take forever though, he should pay soon.”  Ray stated.

“Sure, I forgot I had to work at 1 today though, so I have to get ready.  I’ll try and decide while I’m at work which one is best though.”  Jake said.

“Let me know, you know you’re like a son to me and I hate to see you hurting.”  Ray commented.

“Thanks I appreciate it Uncle Ray.”  Jake stated and went to the other room to get ready.  He had been angry enough to agree with just about anything at first when he got home.  But when he had found out that his Uncle had fed his Aunt to the pigs it had made him really think.  Am I really thinking about killing someone over Lalena?  Or even better yet, he’s talking about killing both of them, how could I do that? 

Jake knew that the anger would vanish and the pain of losing her would end as well.  But killing someone that was permanent he didn't want any part of that. 

Chapter 4

Lalena woke up and wondered if she had been dreaming, but as she looked to the man beside her she saw Rico lying beside her.  She couldn’t believe it, her body was still humming from the pleasure he had made her feel.  I wish I didn’t love him though, I just have a feeling that my heart will be broken, she thought.

She kissed him on his bare chest and ran her hand through the hair on it.  It felt so good to touch him like this; she looked at his body and smiled.  It was everything she had pictured in her fantasies.  His rock hard abs and perfectly toned body were appealing to her.  He really kept his body in good shape, she wondered how he did it, and she had never seen him exercise yet.  Perhaps he does it at night when he’s home, I bet he has a home gym here, she thought.

He pulled her closer as he woke up.  “Hmm, I had almost thought this had been a dream.”  He told her.

“Me too, when I woke up I could have sworn it was all made up.”  She laughed.

Rico kissed her.  “I’m glad it wasn’t.”  He said.

“I am too.”  She answered.

“Are you hungry?”  He asked.

“Actually yes I’m famished.”  She admitted.

“Let’s get dressed and go grab a pizza, or something we can order in if you want even.”  Rico offered.

“I think it would be nice to order in, if you don’t mind.”  Lalena answered.

“Sure I don’t mind, I kind of like it this way, that way I don’t have to share your attention with anyone else.”  He said.

She laughed.  “I’m far from the one who would draw everyone’s attention!”  She laughed.

“It’s nice to see you laughing again.”  Rico stated.

He leaned over and kissed her again.  “Let’s get dressed before I change my mind about getting food.”  He said to her.

“Hmm, don’t tempt me; I might not want food as much as you.”  She said.

Rico growled at her and laughed.  “I had a feeling you would be a wild cat in bed.”  He rolled over on top of her and their meal break was delayed for a little bit.

They rolled apart, sweat pouring from their bodies.  “You may well be the death of me.”  Rico laughed.

Lalena curled up close to him.  “I don’t know about that one, you seem to be in really good shape.”  She complimented him.

“Thanks, I have a home gym that I work out in a few times a week.  You’re welcome to use it if you want.”  He said.  “Now get dressed, I need food for energy.”  He stated.

She laughed and got up to dress.  The whole time she looked at his body, and smiled.  “How did this happen?”  She asked him.

“I don’t know, but I’m really glad it did.”  Rico said.  “What do you want to eat?”  He asked.

“How about some Italian, I could go for some really good lasagna.”  Lalena said.

He thought for a second and then said.  “Yeah I know a good place, but I don’t think they deliver.  Do you mind going out?”  He asked.

“For lasagna, I’m willing to go out!”  She laughed.

They went to get into the car and went off to eat supper.  He opened the door for her and kissed her before she got into the car.  Neither of them saw the car sitting on the other side of the road watching them.

When they got to the restaurant he grabbed he hand and led her in.  He pulled her chair out and pushed it in after she sat down.  “Wow you are really charming when you want to be!”  She laughed.

Rico laughed at her.  “Be careful or I’ll make sure our picture will be all over the papers tomorrow.” 

“How would you do that?”  She asked.

“All I would have to do is kiss you.”  He whispered into her ear.  “As soon as we left I could guarantee there would be reporters out here.”  He laughed.

“You wouldn’t dare.”  Lalena turned pale.  “Never mind I can tell you would by the look in your eyes.”  She laughed.

“That’s what I thought.”  He chuckled as he sat down.  “So you want lasagna or something else now that we are here?”  He asked.

“I’ll have that, I love it.”  She stated.

He ordered their food and some wine.  “I’d like to make a toast.”  He said raising the glass up.  She joined him and he said.  “I’d like to toast my luck in meeting you at that event.”  He swallowed his drink.

Lalena drank a little bit of her wine and put it back on the table.  “I think I’ll be the designated driver.”   She said as he filled up his glass one more time.

“I won’t drink much.”  Rico said.

“Go ahead I can drive.  I don’t mind at all.”  She stated.  Lalena wanted to keep a clear mind; her head was already swimming with the events of the afternoon.  The alcohol would make her feel too loopy and detached.

“We’ll see how I am when we leave.”  He commented.

“That’s fine; you do realize I’m a cop after all.”  She stated.

“I know, and one sexy cop too.”  He smiled across the table at her.

“Rico how do I know you aren’t going to leave me tomorrow morning and toss me on that list?”  Lalena asked a few minutes after the meal was delivered.

He looked up at her shocked.  “I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that you said that, I do have a record of doing just that.”  He admitted.

“Yeah you do, Sally said that you won’t date anyone more than two times in a row.  Am I going to see you a couple of times and then be tossed aside?”  She questioned.

“No that won’t happen; I won’t do that to you.”  Rico said.

“How do I know?”  She asked.

“You’ll have to trust me that I’m telling you the truth.  I’ve never felt this way about another woman in my life.”  Rico stated.

Lalena wanted to believe him, it all sounded so perfect.  However, there was a warning bell going off in her head.  He probably says this to all the females he goes out with, her mind yelled out.

“I’ll try.”  She finally said.  She didn’t feel very confident about it though.

“I know what you’re probably thinking; I can see it in your eyes.  Lalena really you are different from anyone else.”  Rico said.

She didn’t know why he seemed like he wanted to say more but didn’t.  Perhaps he was feeling guilty about possibly lying to her.  She ate her food though and decided she would just be happy with what she got for now, and try to not think about any day but the present one.

“Man this food is simply delicious.  I love this lasagna, so much cheese, so tasty.”  Lalena sat back as she took the last bite of her food.

Rico was sitting across from her laughing.  “How the hell did you finish that all?  I’ve never even been able to do that.  For a small woman you can put the food away!”  He laughed.

“I have a really fast metabolism.  I’ve always been able to eat a ton of food and not gain anything.  You couldn’t imagine just how many pancakes I can eat when it’s all you can eat day!”  She laughed at the look on his face.

“After you just ate all that, honestly I am taking you to the next all you can eat day just to see it!”  He stated.

“You’re on; I’ll show you something you won’t believe.”  She agreed.  “Hey can I have the keys?  I think you might have drunk just a bit too much.”  She said.

He handed her the keys.  “Yeah, here you go officer!  I wouldn’t want you to put those handcuffs on me here, maybe when we get back to my place though!”  He smiled as he dropped the keys into her hand.

They went outside and he got into the passenger’s side.  She sat in the driver’s seat and adjusted it so her feet could touch the gas and brake pedals.  “I never realized I was this much shorter than you.”

He laughed.  “I noticed it!”

She pulled out, no idea that the same car that had followed them to the restaurant had been behind them still.

Chapter 5

Raymond Stock watched as the mayor and a woman got into his car.  He was sitting across from the mayor’s house.  The blonde woman must be Jake’s ex.  She was really pretty, she almost reminded him of his ex-wife the way she looked.  He saw the mayor kiss the girl before he went around getting in.

“That bitch, she didn’t even give Jake a chance.”  He fumed.

His mind went back to when his ex-wife had seen the mayor.  She had been his life.  “Shelly, why did you have to go out with him?  What the hell could you see in him?”  He said.  He had never understood what his ex-wife had seen in that man.

Before she died she had told Raymond that the mayor hadn’t fucked her all night long.  If he closed his eyes he could remember the night perfectly.  “Ray, we’ve had problems for years.  It has nothing to do with Rico Zess why I don’t want to go back with you.  You should realize that even without him in the picture, I wouldn’t get back with you.”  She had said. 

He had hit her hard that night.  She had cried out in pain.  “Ray you’re crazy, what the hell is wrong with you?”  She had asked.

“Did you fuck him?  Did you suck his cock” He had yelled at her.

“Nothing happened between us.  He didn’t even give me a kiss.”  She had pleaded.  But Ray could see the truth in her eyes.  She was lying he was certain of it.

“I know you fucked him I can smell it on you.”  Ray had shouted at her.

“I didn’t do anything with him. Ray please your hurting me.”  She had cried.

He punched her over and over again, soon her crying had ended, and there was no sound.  Ray looked at her and realized that he had beaten her to death with his bare hands.  “Oh shit, what the hell did I do?  Oh my God Shelly, no.  I didn’t mean it.  I’m so sorry.”  He had cried over her body for a few hours.  Eventually he had gotten the saw and chopped her up.  He took the pieces of her body out to the pig sty and threw her over.  The pigs had eaten her within a few days.

Ray was haunted by her still to this day.  Her ghost form though admitted the things he had known that night.  It taunted him.  “I sucked the mayor’s dick all night long.  His cock is so much bigger than yours.”  It would say to him.

He pulled into the spot at the restaurant and watched the mayor and Jake’s girlfriend get out.  The ghost of Shelly began her taunting as soon as he had stopped the car.  “You were never enough man for me, I saw the mayor even when we were married.”  She stated.

He closed his eyes and tried to battle her memory.  It wasn’t really a fight, but more a collection of the truth in his eyes.  Since before she had died she had denied anything with the mayor, now he was learning the truth from her ghost.

“I knew you were a slut, I should never have married you.”  He said to the invisible spectre that only he saw.  “How many times did you fuck him over our 10 years of marriage?”  He asked.

“At least 30 times each year of our marriage, in fact I slept with him the day after we got married.”  The voice said to him.

Ray thought back to those early years of marriage, he couldn’t remember a time when she was missing.  But this spectre couldn’t be lying to him, it had to be her final confessional from the other side, he just knew it.

As he fought with her memory or whatever it was he wasn’t paying a single bit of attention to the mayor’s car that was parked across from him and up a little bit.  He sat up quickly as he heard it start and saw the lights come on. 

He turned on his car and got ready to pull out behind them again.  He was thinking of the best spot to get them, somewhere that help wouldn’t be found too quickly.  “Fuck it, I don’t care, if I hit them hard enough it won’t matter.”

Ray hit the gas on his car and sped towards the mayor’s car in front of him.  He didn’t want to hurt Jake’s girlfriend too much, but still make her pay for what she did.  He quickly thought of how he could spin the car so that the driver’s side would take the most impact.  “That will take care of fucking Rico Zess he thought as he hit the back of the car.” 

It spun out of control as he hit them perfectly.  He had learned this maneuver from one of his friends on the force.  He drove past and looked in the rearview mirror.  The mayor’s car had hit a telephone pole hard; the driver’s door was crushed inward.  If it didn’t kill the mayor Ray would be shocked.  The girl though should be okay.

Chapter 6

Rico felt the other car hit them from behind, it all happened so fast.  He looked over at Lalena once the car had stopped and saw blood pouring down her head.  “Lalena, Lalena, talk to me, are you okay?”  He hollered.

She didn’t move an inch.  He got his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.  “Yes this is Mayor Zess, there’s been an accident.  We are at 8th and Central.  She’s injured and not conscious.  Please hurry.”  He said into the phone. 

He unsnapped his seat belt and turned towards her, touching her and trying to wake her up.  “Lalena, please answer me.”  He said.

The ambulance was there in a just a few minutes.  They moved him out of the car and tried to get her out from the passenger’s side. 

Rico listened and watched as they had to get the jaws of life to cut the driver’s door out.  “She’s stuck on it; we can’t pull her out this way.”  The responders had said when they first had tried to move her out of the car.

“Is she going to be okay?”  Rico asked them more than once.

“We don’t know sir; please you have to give us room.”  The worker’s pushed him back more than once.

“Alright get a neck brace.  Get her stable, I still hear a heartbeat, let’s get her to the hospital now.”  Rico heard a worker saying.

“Can I ride with you?”  Rico asked.

“Yeah just try and stay out of the way okay, it might save her life.”  The worker stated.

Rico grabbed her hand and held it on the ambulance ride to the hospital. She looked so lifeless on the stretcher.  She was pale and he was sure close to death.  “Please be okay.”  He prayed as they drove to the ambulance.

They took her inside and Rico had to wait in the living room.  He had thought of pulling his status to get into the room with her.  But he knew they needed their room to help her.  Instead he paced in the room and waited to hear from the doctors who were working on her.

He paced until he was frustrated, he hadn’t heard anything yet.  Rico went up to the desk and demanded to be told what was going on with the girl he had come in with.

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know.  I’ll see if I can find out anything for you though.”  The young man said and walked off.

Rico watched for him to come back, but after another 20 minutes the man hadn’t come back.  Rico got worried that Lalena had died in back and they just didn’t want to tell him.

His nerves were raw and on edge.  He wondered what had happened in the accident.  The police walked in the door to talk to him about it as he was waiting for news about her.

Rico kept watching for the man to come back as the police talked to him.

“Mr. Mayor I need you tell us what happened.”  One of the officers tried to get Rico to focus on the questions.

“I’m sorry; I’m just really worried about her.  We were driving; she had driven because I drank some wine at dinner.  Someone hit us hard from behind and the next thing I knew I saw blood all over her.  Here we are now; I’m waiting to make sure she’s okay.  Do you know who did it?”  Rico asked.

“No sir, it was a hit and run, we’ve gotten no reports yet on anything.  Do you know the color of the car that hit you?”  The officer asked.

“It’s dark out and it happened so fast honestly.”  Rico stated.

“Do you know anyone who might want to hurt you or the person who was with you?”  The other officer asked.

“The person who was with me is Officer Lalena Swan; I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt her.  But me on the other hand, we have a list of people who might want to get me.”  Rico admitted.

“It was Officer Swan?”  The younger of the two officers asked.

“Yes it was.”  Rico answered.

He walked away and got on his radio.  Rico couldn’t make out what was being said, but when the officer came back he said.  “Okay sir, we’ll get right on this, we might have a few more questions but for now that’s it. Thank you for your time.”  He tapped the other officer on the shoulder and they left.

Rico walked back up to the front desk, the young man had finally reappeared.  “Did you find out anything?”  Rico asked him.

“She’s in surgery right now.  They’ll be done as soon as they can.”  The young man said.

“Is she going to be okay?”  He asked.

“Honestly, it’s touch and go right now, their trying to stop the internal bleeding.  But please don’t tell them I told you, I could get into serious trouble.”  The young man explained.

“I won’t say a word.”  Rico walked away and looked out the window.  He tried to think of who on the list might be the one to do this.  Who hated him so much that they would hit his car and injure an innocent party?

“Excuse me Mr. Mayor.”  He heard a voice from behind.  Rico turned to see one of the doctors who must have been in the room with Lalena.

“Yes, is she okay?”  Rico asked immediately.

“We don’t know yet.  We’ve done all we can, now it’s up to her body to fight for her.  She’s in recovery, if you want to see her.”  The doctor said.

Rico practically ran to her room.  He looked at her on the bed, her head was wrapped in bandages, and she looked so pale.  He walked over to the side of the bed and put his hand on hers.

“Please fight to wake up.  I need you in my life.  I love you I can’t lose you when I’ve just found you.”  He said to her.

He sat and talked to her about nothing and kept telling her how he felt.  He hoped that she was hearing this and it would help her recover.

“The police are looking for whoever hit us.  I think it might be someone on the list.  They didn’t hit us right, or know that you were driving.  I should be lying there where you are right now.  I’m so sorry; I never wanted you to be hurt.  Lalena please be okay, I don’t want to lose you.”  Rico cried.

Chapter 7

  This is Cindy Louis reporting for WXYZ news.  Today there was an accident involving the Mayor and his head of security, Officer Lalena Swan.  Ms. Swan is reported in critical condition and in intensive care at the hospital.  Anyone witnessing the hit and run accident today is requested to please call the police. 

Jake had stopped his car as he listened to the report on the radio.  “Oh shit, Lalena.”  He said.

He was still angry about her having kissed the mayor, but he would never want her hurt.  He wondered if his Uncle had anything to do with this accident.  But it didn’t make any sense Uncle Ray’s plans were all something completely different.  He wanted to blow up the mayor or shot him, or anything violent.

Still there was a nagging in the back of his mind about this accident.  “A hit and run?”  He thought and wondered if his Uncle was capable of doing this.  The report hadn’t said anything about the mayor’s condition.

Jake turned his car towards the hospital and called his work.  “Hey Josh, I’m heading up to the hospital, Lalena is up there, she was in an accident.  No, she’s not okay; they say she’s in critical condition.  Right I’ll let you know.  Sorry about such quick notice on this.  Yeah thanks man.”  He hung up the phone and thought about Lalena.

He parked his car in the parking lot of the hospital.  Jake didn’t even think whether or not the mayor would be there, he just wanted to see if she was okay.

“Yeah I was wondering where Lalena Swan’s room was.”  He questioned the girl at the front desk.

“She’s in room 3a.  You can’t stay very long though, I’m sorry.”  The girl said.

“Okay.”  Jake said and walked towards the elevator.

He walked into the room and looked over at Rico.  Jake could tell that the mayor had been crying the streaks were still showing on his face.

“Did they say if she was going to be okay?”  Jake asked Rico.

“It’s touch and go right now.  It’s just a waiting game to see if she wakes up or not.”  Rico stated.  “Look, I’m really sorry.  I could never apologize enough to make it up to you.  But she’s really special to me.”  Rico explained to Jake.

“You’re a playboy how could she be special to you?  Couldn’t you be happy with all the other women you’re always linked too?”  Jake asked.  He was angry at Rico, but more worried about Lalena.

“I know it’s hard to imagine that I could fall for someone.  But honestly I love her.”  He admitted.

“Does she know this?”  Jake asked.  His eyes softened a bit and his anger dissipated a little bit.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell her those exact words.  I just told her she was really special to me.  I wish I would have said them though.  I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t make it.  The one time I’ve fallen in love with a woman and I lose her.  I guess that would be karma paying me back.

“Do you always go after other guys girls?”  Jake asked.

“No, I usually have my secretary check them out.  The kiss yesterday with Lalena was out of anger and frustration.  Come on I know you’re going to be out of this town one day soon, and you’ll leave her here.  I didn’t mean to move in on her.  But you don’t understand it was just a feeling between us, a strong pulling towards her.  Before I knew what I had done I was kissing her.  When I realized what I had done I left.  I am so sorry; I know that doesn’t make up for it.”  Rico explained.

“So what happened between you and my Aunt Shelly then?  Was it the same way?”  Jake asked.

“Aunt Shelly?  Do you mean Raymond Stock’s wife?  She’s your aunt, how is that?”  Rico asked.

“Yeah she was my aunt.  Uncle Ray said that you dated her when they were just getting a divorce and ruined it for him.”  Jake asked, his anger coming back a bit.

Rico shook his head.  “It was nothing like that at all.  You know your Uncle was abusing her right?  He used to beat her and leave her bleeding on the floor in their house.  I didn’t date her, but tried to help her find a safe house to move too.  We were in the process of having it set up when she disappeared.  Raymond was questioned about it and said she had moved to Florida.  A few months later I got an email from her, it said she had found someone to help her.  She thanked me for everything.  No one ever heard the story though.  She didn’t want to charge him and without her testimony he would win.  He’s a rich man and has a lot of influence in the county.  I hate to say it, but my hands were kind of tied when it came to dealing with him.  When he approached me in my office with that loaded gun, I laid it on the line with him.  I was never physically involved with your aunt.  She was a very scared woman who wanted to get lost and quickly.”  Rico explained.

“What?  Shit.”  Jake thought back to all those times he had gone over as a child to visit his uncle and aunt.  He had often heard them fighting and her crying, but had never seen anything.  When he’d gotten older and seen bruises on her, she had said she’d run into something, or something fell on her.  He had never even noticed that she was crying out for help.  He had always thought of her as a whiner in fact.  Now he felt like a complete idiot.

“Do you know what the car looked like that hit yours?”  Jake asked.

“No it was dark out.”  Rico said.

“I’ve got to go to the police station.  I have some information they need to know.”  Jake left quickly.

Rico stared out the door as Jake left and wondered what that was all about.  It was true he had never told anyone the real story of Shelly Stock.  She had been embarrassed and didn’t want a soul to know in town.  Even Sally didn’t know the real story about Shelly.

Chapter 8

Jake walked into the police station.  He knew without a doubt that it was his uncle who had committed the hit and run.  While Rico had been telling him the story of his Aunt Shelly, it had clicked.

“Hi, I have some information about the hit and run that happened today, and a disappearance from several years back.”  Jake said to the officer sitting at the front desk.

The man looked up at Jake and grimaced.  “An old case and the hit and run?”  He questioned.  “Well I can take the report on the hit and run, but the old case, you’ll need to talk to Detective Dan Snyder.”  The man stated. “But you probably should just give him all the information.  Too much paper work floating around it’s sure to get lost.” 

Jake shook his head sounded more like the cop just didn’t feel like working.  But he didn’t care, as long as Uncle Ray was caught.

“Hello I’m detective Dan Snyder, how can I help you?”  Jake watched as a distinguished looking man approached him.

“Hi, I’m Jake Newton; I have some information about the hit and run today.”  Jake began.

“You can just give that report to good old Bob there at the front desk.”  Dan turned and pointed at the man who had hemmed and hawed his way out of taking the report.

“I also have some information about a disappearance from four years ago.”  Jake stated.

“Oh okay.  Come back to my desk, I’ll take the report.”  He led the way to his desk.

Jake sat down and looked around.  He knew that his Uncle Ray had done this; he could feel it in his bones. 

“So tell me what you know.”  Dan said.

“Well first off, the disappearance of Shelly Stock, I know what happened to her.”  Jake began. 

“Okay.  Yeah I remember investigating that one.  She moved to Florida.”  Dan stated.

“No she didn’t, did you ever check with them?”  Jake demanded.

“I don’t know I think my partner at the time did; let me pull the file up.  Hold on.  Yeah here it is Detective Browning called and checked, and she was located.”  Dan explained.

“Is that Chad Browning?”  Jake asked.

“Yeah sure is, good man.”  Dan said.

“Well I think you may have a bigger problem than you thought then.”  Jake said.

“Why is that?”  Dan asked.

“Chad Browning is my Uncle Ray’s best friend.  They grew up together.  He would protect my Uncle with his life, and seems like he helped to cover this up.  My Uncle Ray told me the other night that he chopped up my Aunt and fed her to the pigs.”  Jake stated.

“What?  Why would he do that, they just got a divorce.”  Dan looked shocked.  “Raymond Stock is a big businessman in the city; he wouldn’t do something so bad.”  Dan was trying to process what Jake had told him still.  “Hold on a minute.  First off we need to talk to the Captain, come with me.”  Dan stood up and led the way into the Captain’s office.

“Captain Case, we need to see you now.”  Dan said.

“Sure come on in, what’s up?”  The Captain said.

“This here is Jake Newton and he has some information on a possible disappearance case that was cleared four years back.”  Dan explained.

“Okay.”  Captain Case looked at Jake.

“My Uncle killed my Aunt and fed her to the pigs.  He told me the other night as he was telling me his plans to kill the mayor.  Detective Snyder here said that Chad Browning was on the case too.  He’s my Uncle childhood friend, best friend, and he covered it up to keep my Uncle out of jail.”  Jake explained.

“Wait did you just say he was talking about plans to kill the mayor?”  Dan sat forward in his chair.

“Yeah I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.  That’s why I think he was the guy driving the car that crashed the mayor’s car today.  He blames the Mayor for my Aunt not wanting to get back with him.  But the truth was that he was beating my Aunt and she was afraid for her life.  The mayor was trying to help her get out of town.  My Uncle stopped her though, he killed her.  You know someone had to have seen that today; it’s in a busy area.  Why didn’t anyone report seeing that accident?  Have you guys thought about this?”  Jake asked.

“Who’s on the desk?”  The Captain looked at Dan and asked.

Dan closed his eyes and shook his head.  “Browning is on the desk today.”  He said.

“Go get him now.”  Captain Case ordered Dan.

“Yes sir.”  Dan left the office.

“Now son are you sure about all of this.  You could be sending not only your Uncle but a man who I thought was a really good cop down the river.”  The Captain looked at Jake.

“I wouldn’t make it up sir.  Up until today I would have protected my Uncle with my life too.  But I learned a few things about him, and now know that he’s not the man I thought he was.  Sir it’s not right, you know Lalena Swan was the one injured in that accident, she may not make it.”  Jake told the Captain.

“Yes I had heard she was in the car, she’s the mayor’s head of security now.  It’s a horrible thing indeed, and if we find out that your Uncle is the person who committed this crime he will be arrested.  I just can’t believe that Browning was a part of this.”  He commented and shook his head.

There was a knock on the door and Jake looked back to see Chad Browning walk in with Detective Snyder.

“Hey Jake, everything alright?”  Chad asked Jake.

Jake shook his head.  “No Chad it’s not.  I know you lied to protect Uncle Ray.  He told me what he did to Aunt Shelly last night.  How could you protect him?  He killed her?”  Jake asked.

Chad’s face hardened quickly.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I called Florida and talked to her myself.”  Chad stated.

“So you won’t mind taking a lie detector test to verify that?”  The Captain spoke up.

Chad turned to the Captain quickly.  “What?  You believe him?”  Chad asked.

“Just answer my question, are you willing to submit to a lie detector test right now?”  The Captain asked once more.

“I think I want to call my lawyer.”  Chad stated.

“Lock him up after he makes his call.”  The Captain said to Dan.  “Send the squad out to pick up Stock too.”  He ordered.

“Yes sir.”  Dan led Chad out of the office.

“Son I want to thank you for coming forward today that was a really brave thing to do.”  The Captain stood up and shook his hand.  “You know you’ll have to be present to testify in court though, right?”  He asked.

Jake shook his head.  “I’ll be there.”

Chapter 9

Rico sat beside the bed it had been ten days now and he had barely left her side the whole time.  He held her hand like every other day he had been beside her.

“Please baby pull through this, if you do I’ll give you anything you want in this world.”  Rico said.

He felt her fingers move against his hand.  Rico looked up and saw her open her eyes slowly.  He hit the nurse button and let them know she was waking up.

The nurses came in and checked her vitals and welcomed her back to the real world.  Finally they left and Rico resumed his spot by the bed.  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  “I’m so happy you’re awake.  Oh my God I thought I had lost you.”  He kissed her again.  “Please don’t ever leave me again.  I love you.”  Rico said.

Lalena looked up at him and smiled a tear formed on her eye and it slowly slid down her cheek.  Rico wiped the tear up and kissed her again on the top of the head.

“I love you too.”  She said.

“Will you marry me?”  Rico asked, and pulled out a ring box from his pocket.  “It’s my mother’s ring, I hope you like it.” 

“Oh it’s beautiful.”  She cried.  “I love it!”  She tried to sit up and give him a hug.

“No don’t try to sit up so quickly.  Here let me raise the bed up.”  Rico hurried to hit the button. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.  “Rico Zess I love you so much.  I swear I fell for you that first night when you whispered in my ear.”  She admitted.

“You had me under a spell as soon as I looked in your eyes that night.  I tried to fight the feelings.  But I had to have you for myself, forever.  I love you.”  Rico commented.

They kissed. 

“Excuse me.”  They heard a voice and pulled apart.

“Jake, what are you doing here?”  Lalena looked shocked.

“I was checking on you.  Glad to see you woke up.  Hi Rico, how are you?”  Jake said.

Lalena looked between the two men confusion on her face.  “I’m not sure I understand.”  She said finally.

“Jake and I have been talking since you’ve been in a coma.  We learned a lot from one another, and we’re good now.”  Rico explained.

“Yeah there was a lot of things I didn’t know about, and well in all honesty you know I wasn’t really planning on staying in town.  I know I loved you, but I couldn’t offer you the things you needed.  Rico here and willing to do it, but he knows if he hurts you he has me to answer too.”  Jake stated.

“Like I told you Jake, she’ll be taken care of by me.  I won’t ever hurt her.  She’s in good hands.”  Rico told him.

“So did she say yes?”  Jake asked.

“Yes, I just got done asking her.”  Rico said.

“Congratulations you two, I’m really happy for you.”  He said.

“Thank you Jake, really for everything.”  Lalena said.

“So when is the wedding?”  Jake asked.

“Whenever the lady is ready, I’m ready.”  Rico commented.

“Oh I don’t know I would do it now if we could.”  Lalena said.

“I’m the mayor of course it’s possible.  Jake do you mind being my best man?”  Rico turned to him.

“Of course I’ll be your best man.”  Jake said.

Rico made a few calls and shortly there was a priest in the room.

Lalena couldn’t believe this was happening; she pinched herself during the ceremony. 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”  The priest said.

Rico kissed Lalena and whispered, “We’ll have to wait for our honeymoon celebration until you’re out of here.” 

She shivered in anticipation of that day.  “When will I be allowed to leave?”  She asked.

“We’ll ask your doctors a little later on today when they stop in.”  Rico told her.

**

“I’m so happy to be home.”  Lalena smiled as they walked in the door.  “I wish it would have been sooner though.”  She admitted.

“I was lucky to get it cut down to 4 more days stay.  They wanted to keep you at least a week.”  Rico laughed.  “Don’t worry; the first place we are going is to the bedroom.  I’m going to enjoy making love to my wife.”  He said seductively.

“I’m looking forward to it too.”  She smiled.

He picked her up and carried her over the threshold.  He didn’t stop and headed straight up the stairs and stopped in the bedroom.  “My lovely wife, I would now like to ravish you for the rest of the day!”  Rico stated.

She looked into his eyes and saw the passion that sparked in them.  She sighed and took her clothes off.

He watched her the whole time she undressed.  He smiled at her, you are so beautiful.

“Even with these scars, you still think I’m beautiful?”  She asked, looking down at the scars from the car door that had hit her on the side.

“Your beauty is here.”  He said and pointed to her heart.  “I love you Lalena.”  He kissed her.

She stuck her tongue into his mouth and attacked his tongue with hers.  She moaned as he pushed her back onto the bed. 

Rico looked at her body and then lowered his head to her sex.  He smelled her juices and lightly ran his finger up her slit.  Lalena arched her back with pleasure. 

He pushed his finger into her slowly and licked her clit lightly.  She moaned loudly.  He sucked her clit into his mouth and nibbled on it.  She screamed out as a climax shot through her.

Rico licked up the juices that flowed from her pussy from her orgasm.  He came up and kissed her on the mouth.  His cock spread her lips and entered her love cave.  They moved together slowly. 

“I love you Mrs. Zess.”  He said as he pushed into her again.

“I love you too Mr. Zess.”  Lalena purred.

He kept good on his promise of making love to her for hours.  They fell apart exhausted and spent hours later.  Rico pulled her close to him.  “I never want you away from me.  I really thought I lost you.” 

“I’m here baby, don’t worry I’m not going anywhere.”  She kissed his chest and ran her fingers through his chest hair. 

Chapter 10

The trial for Raymond Stock and Chad Browning was starting today.  Lalena sat in the courtroom.  Raymond Stock had almost killed her and she wanted to see him go to jail.

Jake was on the stand testifying right now.  She listened intently as he told the story that Raymond had shared with him that one night.  Lalena couldn’t believe that this man had killed his wife and fed her to the pigs.

He was a big man in town, a man who had it all.  He could have easily found another wife. 

Stock got up on the stand, even though his attorney had suggested he not go up.

The story he weaved was completely different from Rico’s story, that he had told Lalena the day before.  He claimed that Rico had slept with his wife.  Stock said that because of Rico he wasn’t able to be with his wife, who he loved very much. 

The DA got up and questioned Stock who stuck to his story.  But there was far too much evidence against stock, when Chad Browning testified.  He had been given a deal to roll on his child hood friend.  If he told the truth he wouldn’t have to go to jail.

Browning had been a cop for years now and had put several men in jail.  It would be the jail he would be sent to if he was convicted. 

“Please state your name for the jury.”  The lawyer said.

“I’m Chad David Browning.”  Chad said.

“What is your relationship with Raymond Stock?”  The lawyer questioned.

“I’ve known Ray for all my life; we grew up beside one another.”  Chad answered.

“Did you help hide the fact that Raymond Stock killed his wife four years ago?” 

“Yes I did.  I made up a story about talking to her in Florida, but I knew he had beaten her to death.  He had a problem with hitting her; I would always suppress any reports that came in about it.”  Chad stated.

“Do you know if Raymond Stock was driving the car that hit the mayor’s car on February 13, of this year?” 

“Yes it was his car.  There was a report that came in from an eye witness.  I didn’t report it.”  Chad said.

“Thank you Mr. Browning that will be all.” 

“Judge I’d like to approach the bench.”  Stock’s attorney stood up and said.

“Please come up.”  The Judge said.

The two attorneys walked up to the bench.  “Sir we’d like to plea bargain.”  Stock’s attorney said.

“No we got him convicted I’m not offering any deal.”  The DA answered.

“You heard his answer.”  The Judge said.  “Go back to your seats.”

“The state rests.”  The DA said when he got back to the table.

“Do you have any more witnesses?”  The Judge asked Stock’s attorney.

“No sir.”  He shook his head.

The orders were given to the jury, who only took ten minutes with their decision.

“How do you find Mr. Stock on the charges of attempted murder?”  The Judge asked.

“Guilty.”  The foreman of the jury answered.

“How do you find Mr. Stock on the charges of first degree murder in the death of Shelly Stock?” 

“Guilty.” 

“Mr. Stock I hereby sentence you to life in prison.  With an added 20 years for the attempted murder charge.”  The Judge announced and slammed the gavel on the bench.

Lalena hugged Rico in the gallery.  “Oh thank goodness.  You know that Sally had a feeling that it was him the whole time.  I should have listened to her.”  She told him.

“It is okay honey, I didn’t think it was him either.  Even with the story I knew about him.”  Rico answered.

THE END

***

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MORE STEAMY ROMANCE BY LAUREN WOOD

GIFTED LANCE

Chapter One

Sasha stared at the man across from her. There was just not something quite right with his face. Was his nose too small? Were his eyes too close together? She cocked her head. Maybe his eyebrows were too bushy.

“Wouldn’t that be great?”

Startled, she shook herself out of her daze. Shit. He had said something to her. What was his name again? “Tell me about your job, Don,” she said trying to divert his attention away from the fact that she had absolutely no idea what he’d just said.

He looked crestfallen. “I just did.”

Double shit. “I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “Long day at work, and I just zoned out.”

Her smiled must have encouraged him because his face brightened. “I bet. So you’re a baker? I love cupcakes!”

Of course he loved cupcakes. He probably loved everything a normal ten-year-old boy loved. Why did she let her sister set her up on these blind dates? They were always a complete disaster!

The check arrived, and she watched as he grabbed it. At least he was going to be a gentleman and pay for dinner.

“Mom said girls like to feel independent on first dates. Dutch?” he asked with a smile. “You owe twenty-four dollars plus tip.”

Mom said? This date was so over.

After giving him the brush off at the car, she locked herself safely inside and quickly called her sister.

“Sasha!” she squealed. Sasha could hear her niece and nephew screaming in the background. Apparently they didn’t want to go to bed. “Is the date over already?”

“Already?” Sasha asked. “Calla, it felt like it lasted forever. Where the hell did you find this guy? Boring R Us?”

Her sister got oddly quiet on the other end, and Sasha started her car with narrow eyes. “Calla. Where did you find him?”

“Maybe you just didn’t give him a chance,” she said softly.

That did it. “Calla Lilly Thompson! You tell me where you found him right here and now or so help me God!” Their mom had a thing for flowers. Sasha’s full name was Sasha Rose.

“Okay,” she said with a huff. “You don’t have to yell. I signed you up for this online dating site. Don looked so handsome in his picture, and he seemed so stable and nice when we talked.”

“You mean when you talked and pretended to be me? Well that explains why our conversations made absolutely no sense,” Sasha grumbled. “You will take me off that dating site right now. If you don’t personally know the guy, you don’t get to set me up with him.”

“I just want you to be happy,” her sister sniffed. Sasha rolled her eyes. Her sister wasn’t really going to cry, was she? That hadn’t worked since they were ten.

Calla was two years younger than her, and she’s always felt guilty about being the first to get married. Sasha never felt bitter about it because she loved her brother-in-law, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she wanted what they had. But it was so difficult to meet a decent man these days. Either they were taken, they were single and deservedly so, they were gay, or they came with an insane amount of baggage. And Sasha didn’t want to settle. She wanted to feel that initial spark of passion.

“Stop crying,” Sasha demanded. “Take me off the website.”

Her phone beeped, and she looked at her Bluetooth dashboard. “Hang on. Work is calling me. I’ve got to go.”

“But,” her sister interrupted, but Sasha hung up on her.

“Sasha Morrows,” she said.

“Sasha! Oh thank god!” Her boss, Billy Anderson, sounded frantic. “Miriam just called. She quit. Quit! Something about moving to Vegas and eloping. I have no idea. But I’m still in Florida, and someone has to man the Hairy and Fluffy party tonight. Susan finished baking, but she thought Miriam would ice them after they cooled. Please tell me you’re free tonight. I’ll do whatever you want,” he pleaded.

“Three days of paid vacation next month,” she said immediately. She wanted to spend some time digging her toes in the sand and listening to the ocean.

“Done,” he said immediately. She smiled.

“Text me the address. I’ll head that way now.” She’d wasted her sultry red dress on the date, so she might as well wear it to the party.

“You are a lifesaver. A doll. My absolute favorite,” he gushed as he hung up on. Sasha rolled her eyes. By next week, Billy would be flipping out on her for something she hadn’t even done. She loved her boss, but he was a bit touchy. Especially when his husband was out of town, which was often.

She pulled up the directions to the party, turned her car around, and headed downtown. Hairy and Fluffy Dating Agency held a massive mixer three times a year in order for their members to meet. Shifters of all types were hoping to meet their mates and humans were hoping to hook up with an alpha.

Sasha knew the rumors. Shifters could sense their mates immediately, and Sasha thought it was ridiculous. How could you imprint on someone when you knew nothing about them? What if your soul mate was actually a huge asshole? What did you do then?

No. While Sasha certainly wanted some passion in her life, she relied on good old-fashioned logic. She wanted to get to know someone before she decided they were her soul mates.

Chapter Two

Cole nearly growled at his mother. She stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips while he shook the invitation in the air. “This Meet and Greet has my name on it. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“No.”

“Why are you standing so defensively, then?”

“Because you’re always accusing me of something. Yesterday you thought I’d deliberately shoved a nail in your neighbors tire so you’d have to change it. Last week you accused me of collaborating with your brother so that you’d have to talk to his receptionist. I swear Cole, you’re getting a little paranoid.”

He felt his anger rising. He knew she was behind those little antics. His mother was tired of waiting for grandpups. She wanted Cole to marry, and she wasn’t below a little manipulation to get what she wanted.

“I told you that I would find my mate in my own time,” he hissed.

She smirked. “I know for a fact you haven’t satisfied your wolf in months. At the very least, you need to let him out to play.”

“How did you….” He shook his head in frustration. “Never mind. It’s my life, and I’ll do as I please.”

“Celibacy is dangerous Cole Grayson, and you know it!” She sauntered over and ripped the invitation out of his hands. “A Hairy and Fluffy party? A bit too forward for my tastes, but at the very least, you’ll find some damn release.” She slapped him on the chest with it. “Go. Find some pretty little thing to take home. Someone substantial enough to take your wolf, and pull that damn bug out of your ass.”

Cole growled. “If I find out that you had anything to do with this…” he threatened.

“You’ll what? I gave you life, Cole Grayson. So you adjust that attitude of yours, or I will take you over my knee!”

“I’m not going.”

“The hell you aren’t going. If you don’t, I’ll come visit you at work with a new woman to toss at you for the next month.”

The horror struck deep. “You wouldn’t,” he whispered.

“I’ll even cook. I think the boys at the fire station would enjoy that,” she said with a sly smile.

He groaned inwardly. His mother was the worse cook. Having her show up at the station while he was on duty would be a disaster. And he knew his mother. It was best not to call her bluff. “Okay, I’ll go,” he grumbled. “But I don’t promise that I’ll talk to anyone.”

She smiled. “Well I didn’t send that invitation, so maybe fate is finally stepping in. Go home and shower, darling. You smell terrible.”

“I’ve been working on my car,” he said self-consciously. Cautiously, he gave himself a whiff. Even his wolf was disgusted.

“Wear something nice,” she said as she rose up on her tiptoes. He immediately bent down so that she could give him a kiss on his cheek. “And be on your best behavior. I don’t want to hear about you getting into any fights. You need a lover. You need to find your mate.”

“Yes, mom,” he said with a sigh. What was the point in coming over here? His mom always won.

Always.

Besides, it had been awhile. He was tired of loveless fucking. He did need a lover, and he did need his mate.

But a Hairy and Fluffy party? How the hell was he going to meet one there?

Chapter Three

The party hadn’t quite started by the time Sasha got there. She checked on the baked goods. Susan had done a decent job, and she’d left enough ingredients to make more. Sasha pulled out her emergency apron and began finishing off some of the cupcakes.

“Oooh, those look lovely,” Lydia said with a smile. Lydia owned the dating agency, and she looked Sasha up and down with a smile. “And my, my, so do you,” she purred.

Sasha blushed. The dress showed off her ample cleavage and bit more of her plump thighs than she would have liked, but her friend had told her she was a knock out in it.

“I was on a date when Billy called me,” Sasha explained. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll be behind this apron and in the kitchen all night.”

Lydia frowned. “Well, if that’s what you want. Did the date go well?”

“No. No it did not,’ Sasha cringed as she remembered Don. Christ. What on earth did he say to make Calla think that he’d be a good match for her?

A slow smile crossed Lydia’s face. “Then perhaps you’ll find something else to cream tonight.”

She walked out before Sasha got her meaning. “Wow. This should be an interesting party,” Sasha murmured. She finished the first couple trays of cupcakes and cookies and sat them out in the meeting hall. The table was full of finger foods and punch bowls. Lydia must have expected quite the turn out.

A few of the guests started trickling in, and Sasha immediately ducked back through the doors to the prep room. There was no way she was going to get roped up into this.

In an hour, it sounded like things were in full swing. She’d just finished decorating another batch when Lidia came in. “Sasha, darling. We’re out of cupcakes. Do you have some more?”

Sasha nodded. “Coming right up,” she said with a smile. She grabbed her tray and bumped the door with her hips. It swung open, and she was immediately overwhelmed with the sexual charge of the room.

Beautiful woman roamed the room wearing slinky dresses and coy smiles. It was trendy these days to mate with a shifter. Some whispered it was the best sex ever, and clearly these women were looking to get laid. Men prowled the room searching for their next target. Sasha shuddered. She was glad she wasn’t the object of one of these intense stares.

She sat the tray of cupcakes down and wiped her hands on her apron. If the first batch had gone well, they were going to love these chocolate ones.

“I love a woman that can bake,” a deep voice purred. “I bet you’re going to taste just as sweet.”

Sasha grimaced and glanced to her left. The man had a pretty face, but he also had sleaze written all over him. “I’m not here for the party,” she said succinctly. Before he could object, she turned her back and headed back into the prep room.

Just before she pushed through the door, the man entering the room caught her eye. In that first moment of eye contact, all of her breath rushed out of her lungs.

Tall. She was a tall woman, and he easily towered over her. Hard. Even that button up shirt couldn’t hide the muscles that were rippling as he moved. Bronze skin. Amber eyes. She immediately grew wet. God, that man would do nicely between her thighs.

Two slinky blondes immediately sidled up next to him, and it gave Sasha a cold dose of reality. She was here to work, not pick up a guy to fuck. Shaking her head, she pushed through the doors.

As she worked on the cookies, she couldn’t get him out of her head. It had been awhile since she’d had a decent lover, and she could already tell that he’d be phenomenal. He was the type of man who could push a woman up against the wall and fuck her senseless. That was the kind of man that Sasha wanted.

Of course, by now, he’d probably have his dick in one of those women, maybe even both, and Sasha needed to stop thinking about it. She had three more trays of cookies that needed to be decorated.

Chapter Four

Cole turned up his nose as he looked around the room. His senses were on overdrive. Most of the women here were wearing pheromone enhancers, and it made his hair stand on end. They were beautiful, slinky, and seductive, but the fake aromas that wafted off them were giving him a headache.

One of them trailed a finger down his abdomen, and he shuddered as he tried to politely remove himself from the situation. She pouted. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Hungry,” he murmured.

A smile curved across her face as she mistook his meaning. She rubbed her body on him. “I think I have just the thing,” she whispered. A tongue darted out and tickled his ear.

“No,” he said more firmly. “I mean I am actually hungry. Excuse me,” he muttered.

He moved so quickly that she nearly fell over. “What the hell is wrong with you,” she snapped, but he was already trying to blend in the crowd.

It became clear that he was alpha male in the group. There were several cats and wolves, and even a bear, but he was the highest-ranking member of the group. The men frowned as the women flocked to him, but this wasn’t what he wanted. If he just wanted a fling, he could have one at any point. He was looking for something more substantial than that.

Of course, it was possible that these women were as well, but fucking a shifter was a trendy thing to do nowadays. If he couldn’t tell whose scent was real, how was he going to pick out who wanted something long term and who just wanted a fling?

One woman was still following him, and he groaned. He slipped through the service entrance and watched through the small window as she circled around trying to find him again.

“I know the cupcake tray in empty, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to finish them,” a voice said wryly.

He whirled around. The baker that he’d caught a quick glance at earlier was staring at him with icing in hand. He immediately felt himself stirring. Now here was a woman.

She was tall with luscious big breasts and an ass that a big man like him could really get his hands on. She was dressed in a hot little red number, but it was covered in flour and icing.

The best part? She smelled real. And she smelled good.

Really good.

He stirred. “Couldn’t wait,” he said with a smile. “Something in here smelled delicious.”

She narrowed her eyes. “As I’ve already told several guests, I’m not here for a date. I’m just here to provide something sweet.”

Cole laughed. “I bet you do have something sweet.” She blushed furiously, and he decided to keep going. “But I meant the cupcakes, not you, sweetheart.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and he knew he had her on his hook. “Well, you’re just going to have to wait outside like everyone else,” she hissed. She pointed to the door.

He moved easily into the shadows hoping to slink around and get a better look at that ass, but she kept a sharp eye on him. “Are you confused? The door is that way.”

He loved that sharp attitude she had in her voice. “There are worse things than to be locked in a small room with me, baby.”

“First of all, my name is Sasha. Not baby. Second of all, I’m not interesting in flirting with you. And third of all…” her voice faltered when he moved closer. If she tried to say she wasn’t attracted to him, she’d be lying. He could smell the spike of lust in her body. Just looking at him made her wet.

And it made him hard.

He hadn’t had a reaction like that in quite some time.

“Third of all?” he murmured as he took a step closer.

He watched, fascinated, as she swallowed hard. He figured she’d take a step back, but she clearly had more spine than that. She held her ground until he was only inches away from her.

“Third of all, I don’t like someone’s leftovers,” she said before spinning on her heels to stalk away.

His mouth dropped open. “Someone’s leftovers? Hold on just a second!” He reached out to grab her arm. “I haven’t been with anyone tonight.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen practically every woman here drooling all over you.”

“Been keeping an eye on me?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on everyone,” she said prissily. “I like to know who’s enjoying my goods.”

“I haven’t quite sampled your goods yet.”

“Baked goods,” she snapped. She pulled her arm away and went back to decorating the cupcakes.

He wasn’t about to let her go that easily. Cole cocked her head as he watched her hips swing back and forth, and a sound of approval slipped out. Without even thinking, he slipped up behind her and pressed her body to his.

“Personal space!” she hissed. “Didn’t I already go over all the reasons that I wasn’t interested?”

“Let’s see,” he mused. He ached to put his arms around her, but he knew that it was too soon. “I believe you didn’t like that I called you baby. And that’s okay. I like Sasha just fine. Sexy.” God, he wanted to lick the column of her neck. “Secondly, you said you weren’t here to flirt with me. And that’s okay as well. I have something way better than flirting in mind.” He heard her inhale sharply, and he leaned over to watch her breasts heave. God. He was going to have to bend her over the table and take her right here. “And then you said you didn’t want anyone’s leftovers. I can assure you, there has been no one here to catch my eye tonight. Except you.”

She whirled around. “Back off. You may not lick the column of my neck, and you certainly may not bend me over the counter.”

Shocked, he stumbled back quickly. “What the fuck did you just say?” he demanded.

She grabbed a spatula and waved it in his face. “I don’t care if you think you can tell that I’m aroused because you’re supersensitive to that kind of thing. No means no. And until I give you permission, you are not touching me!”

“I didn’t say that out loud.”

Irritation crossed her face. “Of course you did. I heard it plain as day. Not that it matters. It ain’t happening.”

“Dear God,” he muttered. “At a fucking Hairy and Fluffy party no less.” He craned his neck back as she continued to try and use the spatula to ward him off. “Stop that,” he muttered as he grabbed it. “I heard you loud and clear. No touching.”

The relief was obvious on her face. “Great. Back out to the party with you.”

He shook his head. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Are your legs broken?”

“I can’t do that because you’re my mate.”

Chapter Five

Sasha nearly dropped the spatula. She felt as though she were about to have a heart attack. Mate? She’d heard the term of course. Shifters mated for life. They were soul mates. Meant to be. One love forever and all that crap.

“That’s ridiculous,” she said as she tried to gain control of herself. “How could you possibly know that? You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

You can hear my thoughts.

She stared at his mouth. It hadn’t moved. “Ventriloquist,” she accused. “Just a simple party trick.”

“It’s not even all that common,” he continued, staring at her. “Every mate and the shifter share a special bond, but hearing someone’s thoughts is fairly special.”

She shivered. Those eyes were so damn intense.

Tell me what you want.

She swallowed hard. “I want you to leave,” she said. Her voice trembled, and she cursed herself for that.

Lies. Tell me what you want.

He closed in on her and the air thickened. This time, she didn’t stand her ground. She backed up until the table hit her butt, and she pressed into it. He stopped, just inches from her, and she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She could only feel.

Tell me what you want.

“My own bakery,” she whispered. “A house, a backyard, two dogs, and three kids. One of those SUV crossovers, but it needs to get good gas mileage. I want to take a cruise, and I really want my sister to quit setting me up on horrible dates,” she babbled.

A slow grin crossed his face.

Tell me what you want right now, he demanded.

“Kiss me,” she moaned.

He leaned down, and she reached up to grasp that beautiful head of curls. As his lips crushed hers, she could only whimper. It was intense, demanding, and it turned her system into overdrive. She could the hard rippling muscles of his arms as she tried to hold on. Her knees were already buckling, and she would have slid to the floor if it weren’t for his hands that came around to cup her ass and pull her towards him.

God, he was so hard. She moaned as she rubbed herself mindlessly against him.

One kiss. It had just taken one kiss for him to turn her into a goddamn mess.

“Sasha honey, how are those cupcakes coming?” The door banged open as Lydia came in, and while he broke the kiss, he kept his lips close to hers as he stroked her cheeks.

“Bakery is closed for tonight,” he announced.

“So I see,” she said with a smile. “Feel free to get to know each other elsewhere.”

It was like someone had dashed cold water on her. Sasha pushed him away. “Christ,” she muttered. “I don’t even know your fucking name.”

“Cole Grayson.” His hand came up to grab her hand. “I’m thirty-five years old. I’m a firefighter.”

It was all she could do not to moan. God. He was a firefighter? How was she not mounting him on the floor right then and there?

“Never been married. No kids. I’m the second in command of my pack, I love my mother, and I want to kill my siblings most of the time. I like cold beer, rare steaks, and bakers. God, I love bakers. Please, let’s go anywhere but here.”

Her mind was racing. God, she wanted him. But she didn’t take strangers home. But the more he touched her, the more her body was screaming to have him. Maybe if she had him just once, he could let go of all this mate stuff. She’d be satisfied. He’d be satisfied. And they’d go their separate ways.

“I live just around the corner,” she whispered hesitantly.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” he growled as he leaned down to claim her lips again. She melted into him.

The door banged open again. “Out,” Lydia commanded. “Now!”

He grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the meeting room. She barely glanced around as they headed to the exit.

“We’ll take my car,” he grunted.

“Oh no,” she said. “We’ll take separate cars.” She wanted him to leave when it was all over with.

He stopped and stared at her. “This isn’t just a once night deal, Sasha.”

“How about a one night at a time deal,” she said swallowing hard.

He leaned over and traced her lips with his thumb. “You’re going to a hard nut to crack, aren’t you?”

“I’m not a shifter, Cole. In my world, we date for awhile before we settle on happily ever after.”

He nodded. “Okay. One night at a time. I’ll follow you.” He seemed to have a hard time letting go of her hand, but once he did, he was off like a shot to get to his car.

Her heart was in her throat as she unlocked her own door. What was she doing?

Chapter Six

It killed him to watch her drive in front of him. It had never occurred to him that his mate wouldn’t just fall into his arms. Isn’t that usually how it worked?

Of course it didn’t. She’s never seen the connection between a mate and a shifter. She’s couldn’t smell him the way he can smell her.

And he couldn’t read her thoughts.

The connection wasn’t complete. Tonight, he would make it complete. Tonight, he would show her what she meant to him.

She pulled into an apartment complex, and he jumped out of his car as soon as it was in park. Before she could even open her mouth, he’d put his arms around him and drew her in for a kiss.

Her mouth was like a drug, and he wanted to get a fix every chance that he had.

“Cole,” she muttered. “Baby, let’s go inside.”

Baby. I like that.

She screwed up her face. “Okay. Before we go inside, let’s get one thing straight. I am inviting you inside because you are intoxicatingly attractive, your kisses make my insides melt, and it’s been a long, long, long, long, long time since I’ve had sex. I don’t usually take strangers home, but I don’t want you thinking that I buy into this whole mate thing.”

“Sasha.” He leaned over and cupped her chin. “I am not going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. If all you want is tonight, then I’ll leave you alone. But I am asking for the chance to make you understand what we have here. What we could potentially have here.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay.” The keys were clanging in her hand, so he took them from her, and she led him to the apartment. Stopping to kiss her gently, he inserted the keys and pushed her slowly into the apartment.

He could tell she was nervous. “Bedroom is back there,” she murmured.

He gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up, haul her to the bedroom, and slide himself inside her, but that wouldn’t do anything to convince her.

“Let’s just sit on the couch for a bit,” he suggested.

Sasha shot him an incredulous look. “Sit on the couch?” she repeated.

“I want you to be comfortable,” he said. He reached out and slid a finger up her bare arm, and he smiled as she shivered.

“I don’t really want to be comfortable. I want you inside me,” she muttered, and he closed his eyes. Christ. She was making it hard.

“That’s the point,” she snapped. “To make it hard.”

He chuckled. “Then you can make it hard from the couch.” Cole leaned down to kiss her, and as she moaned, he backed her slowly to the couch. When he released her, she sank into the cushion.

He joined her. “Tell me about your life,” he said as he ran a hand up her leg. They parted immediately, but he kept his hands around her knees, tickling the backs of them, stroking her calves.

“Okay, but I can’t really focus when you’re doing that,” she murmured.  “Maybe we can talk about my life afterwards?”

He took his hands away, and she whimpered. “Okay, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just touch me.”

Leaning over, he ran his tongue down her neck. “What do you want out of life?”

Sasha gripped his shirt and angled her neck. “I want…you to keep doing that.”

“Come on, baby. That’s not an answer,” he said as he pulled away.

She cupped his chin and turned to face him. “I want to be happy. I want to grow old with a man I love and trust, a man who loves and trusts me. I want to raise a family. I want to know that I’ve made an impact on someone’s life.”

He raised his eyebrows. God. She was perfect. He leaned over to kiss her, and he traced a finger along the neckline of her dress. “Are you still nervous?”

She shook her head. “I’m nervous when I think about it, but when you’re near, I’m not nervous anymore.”

“Good. That’s good baby.” God, the way she was squirming had him hard as a rock. “Tell me what you want in a man.”

She smiled coyly and rubbed her hips over his cock. He hissed his breath. Clearly she was using her newfound mind reading talents against him. “Sasha,” he moaned.

“No.” She hiked up her dress and straddled him. “I’m through talking.”

She rubbed herself against his jeans and moaned. With one hand, she began to slip the buttons of his shirt out of their holes. When she finished, she spread his shirt and leaned down to lick his chest.

He jumped. Her tongue was warm and wet over his skin. “Sasha,” he protested. He cupped her chin and forced her head up. “If I make you come, will you give me my answer?”

She almost mewled in response, and he growled and leaned up to possess her lips. “Undress for me, sweetheart,” he whispered.

He watched in puzzlement as she leaned over and flipped off the lamp. He could hear the rustling of clothes, but before she could return to him, he reached over and flipped the light back on again. She gasped, looking like a deer in headlights. “Cole!”

He drank her in. God, she was beautiful. “Why are you hiding in the dark?” he whispered.

She blushed. “I jiggle. I didn’t want you to see that for our first time.”

“First time?” he raised an eyebrow. “So you agree there’s going to be more?”

“It depends on how good you are tonight,” she shot back.

He laughed and reached for her. “Don’t ever hide in the dark. I love the curves of the woman.”

Sasha walked slowly towards him, and as she sat on the couch, he leaned over and cupped a breast. “I love a woman with a big bust,” he murmured as he leaned over to lick her nipple. It elicited a low guttural sound from her, and he did it again.

“Pinch it,” she whispered. “Pinch my nipples.” He complied, and she moaned. Her nipples were sensitive, and she did love a man who would take the time to play with them. As he blew his breath on them, they tightened, and ran his rough thumb in circles around them. She squirmed, and liquid heat pooled between her thighs.

He stroked the skin down her sides, and as he reached her hips, he leaned over. “I love a woman with an ass that fits my hands,” he murmured. Before she could react, he lifted her to cup her and pulled her down the sofa.

She shrieked with laughter, and he settled between her legs. He ran a tongue over the underside of her knee, and she shuddered. That rough stubble on his cheeks running across her skin made her even hotter. “I love these long, long, long legs,” he said. He ran a finger from her toe to her knee, and then he lightly traced the inner portion of her thigh. She held her breath as he inched closer and closer to that sweet spot.

“Cole,” she murmured. “Please.”

“Please what?” he asked.

“Touch me. For fuck’s sake, touch me.”

He laughed and touched the dewy lips of her sex. “No hair,” he whispered. And finally, after what seemed like years, he slipped a finger inside her.

She tossed back her head and whimpered as that long finger entered her. Then two. Slowly, they reached for that sweet spot inside her, and she whimpered as they brushed across it.

He moved between her legs, and she felt the warm wetness of a tongue on her outer lips. She opened her eyes and stared as he bowed his head again. The sight of those beautiful curls moving slowly between her legs suddenly turned her into a monster. She lifted her hips. “More,” she demanded. “Give me more.”

And suddenly, he was no longer gentle. She cried out as that tongue finally hit her clit, and those fingers ravished her. In and out. Swirl and lick. In and out. Swirl and lick. When he slid a third finger inside her, she started to peak. “Oh God,” she muttered. “Oh God, I’m so close. Don’t stop,” she panted. “Please, don’t stop. Right there. Right there. Oh. Oh. OH!”

He slid his teeth across her clit, and her climax ripped through her like a hurricane. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as her whole body shook, and she shoved her pussy into his face. He held on as he licked her through the waves of pleasure, and when she finally settled down, she had to push him away.

“Sensitive,” she muttered.

He slid his fingers out and traced them over her lips. Curious, she reached out and licked one. His eyes darkened with desire, and she smile coyly as she sucked the finger in his mouth. She could hear his thoughts.

He wanted her.

“You taste good, don’t you?” he whispered as he stared at her.

“Did you have a question for me?” she teased.

He leaned over and rested his forehead on her. “What do you want in a man?”

“Someone who likes to eat pussy,” she said laughingly.

“I do love that,” he moaned. She reached her hand his body and tugged on his pants.

“My turn to play,” she whispered.

“You haven’t seriously answered the question,” he protested, but he undid his belt and unfastened his pants.

“I can play and talk about the same time,” she said, licking her lips. Cole lifted his hips off the couch and pushed the pants down. After a second, he pushed his boxers off as well, and she watched him spring free.

Christ. He was long and thick. When he settled back down, she wrapped her fist around him and stroked. He hissed. “I don’t know that I can listen when you do that,” he muttered.

She chuckled, but she wanted that monster of a cock inside of her, so she unwrapped her and stroked her fingers up and down the underside of the base. “I want a man who makes me feel safe, makes me laugh, and makes me feel loved every day. I want one that believes in equality in a relationship, wants kids, and respects me. I need to know that you’re never going to cheat.”

Her hand stopped when she realized the slip she’d made on her last sentence. He gripped her hand and leaned down to kiss her. “I won’t cheat. I’m yours. Not a single woman will even come close to you, Sasha.”

He tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, and she felt more moisture leaking from her pussy. She was ready to go again.

She pushed him back and pulled herself to straddle him. He gripped her hips and stared into her eyes. “I will be all those things for you, Sasha. I just need you to believe in this.”

She undulated her hips across his cock, and when it slid across her clit, she inhaled sharply. No man had ever made her feel this way before, but was she ready to take the plunge?

Inch by inch, she lowered herself on him. God, he stretched her. Halfway, she had to stop and wiggle her hips. He grunted and forced her hips to slow down. “Hang on, baby. I know I’m big. Give it time,” he muttered. She watched the sweat running down his forehead, and she how much effort it was taking him not to just force her hips down.

“I like it big,” she whispered. “I like the way it feels. God, I love the way it stretches me. I want more. More.”

He eased up on the pressure, and she slid down even more. Bit by bit. He held himself as still as possible, and at one point she wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. Finally, she settled her weight down, and he was fully sheathed in her.

“Fuck, Sasha,” he moaned. “You’re perfect. So perfect.”

She squeezed her muscles around him, and his eyes bulged open. “Christ,” he hissed. “No one has ever been able to do that before.”

“I think,” she muttered. She wiggled her hips, and suddenly she gasped. He was sliding over a spot she’d never felt before, and sent shivers of pleasure throughout her body. “Oh God, right there. Right there,” she moaned.

She panted. She was going to come, and all he was doing was touching that one spot. Heat flared within her, and she rolled her hips over and over again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” she moaned. It exploded inside her, and suddenly, she was bouncing up and down to ride the wave of her second orgasm.

“Shit! Sasha,” he cried out. He gripped her hips and forced her to slow down. “I’m not going to last if you’re doing that.”

She convulsed and collapsed against him. “I’m sorry,” she said as she hid her face in his shoulder. “I didn’t know that spot even existed.”

“I love a woman who comes easily, but it’s been awhile for me, and I want to make it good for you,” he said as he planted kissed on her shoulder.

“Oh, it has been good for me,” she muttered. She bit her lip and finally raised her head. “Can we move to the bedroom now?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Okay?”

“You’ll see,” she whispered, and she tried to lift herself off him, but he gripped her hips.

“Oh no. You’re not leaving.”

She squealed when he lifted her off the couch. She tightened her legs around him, and as he began to walk, he moved inside her. “Oh,” she grunted.

Suddenly, her back was against the wall, and he slowly slid out of her. “Cole,” she gasped.

“Can’t help it,” he muttered. “Just need to feel it.” After a few strokes, he gripped her hips and began to move walk again. She saw the familiar walls of her bedroom, and squealed when they tumbled on the bed.

Immediately, her legs were up, and he was sliding inside her again. She grabbed the sheets and arched her back. “Yes. No. Wait.”

He froze. “What? What am I doing wrong?”

“Pull out,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Pull out,” she insisted.

Cole was confused, but he did as she asked. He slowly pulled out of her warmth and stumbled off the bed. He didn’t know what he’d done, but he wasn’t going to continue if she didn’t want it.

She flashed him the sexiest of smiles and got up on all fours. His eyes widened as he realized she was facing a mirror at the end of the bed. “It’s my favorite position,” she said as she reddened a little. “And I like to watch.”

He growled and launched himself at her. On his knees behind her, he gripped her hips and slowly entered her. He watched her in the mirror. As he slid inside, inch-by-inch, her mouth dropped open, and her eyes closed with laden desire. Her long hair covered her, and he took and hand and swept the hair to one side.

“I want to see those beautiful breasts swing when I plow you,” he muttered.

Her eyes flew open, and she cried out when he was fully inside her. He felt her muscles contract around him, and his body quivered. His wolf liked her. He wanted to come out and play.

Still, he held his wolf at bay. He didn’t want to hurt her or terrify her. He swung his hips back and forward, sliding the full length of his cock out of her warm and wet pussy. It was heaven.

The little noises that she made when he buried himself inside her again were driving him crazy. He wanted to hear more. He wanted them louder.

“Fuck, baby,” he moaned.

“Harder,” she hissed.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his hips harder. She cried out. “Oh God. Harder. Please.”

Digging his nails into her hips, he complied, and he almost lost control as he slid into her. She pushed her ass back. “Harder, Cole. Please, fuck me harder. I know you want to.”

That did it. He saw his eyes flash yellow and inside, his wolf howled, and he leaned over her and began to pound her.

“Fuck, yes,” she screamed. “So good. Oh, God, I think I’m going to break.”

“Baby,” he panted. “Fuck. FUCK!” They both panted and moaned as he kept up the pace, and he could feel his balls start to tighten. But God, he wanted to feel her come again. He reached and raked a nail over her clit.

Her body bucked, and he watched as her mouth opened. “Come for me baby. Come, and scream my name,” he demanded as he did it again.

She shoved her whole body backwards, bowed her back, and screamed his name as her body shook. Her muscles spasms squeezed him, and he howled as he slammed into her one last time and emptied himself inside her.

Sasha closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. Cole had fallen to the bed, and he’d pulled her on top of him. For a few minutes, there was nothing they could say. They were both beyond spent.

And what could she say? The sex had been incredible, but they both knew that. She’d felt a connection unlike anything else. Body and soul.

She couldn’t keep denying it. She knew nothing about him, but he was hers.

“Why did you choose to be a firefighter?” she whispered.

His hand lazily stroked her body. “It’s a good fit for my personality. I have a dominant personality, and that means I like to take charge and protect. It feels good know that I protect people.” He nuzzled her neck. “And I don’t mind a little heat.”

“What do you want in life?” She cocked her head to watch the slow curve of a smile cross his face.

Finally understand that this is where you belong?

She lightly hit him. “I’m just trying to get to know you. Answer the question.”

“I want to know that I can protect my mate. I want to raise a litter of pups, and I want to have a life where everyone I care about is loved and safe.”

She felt her heart start to beat a little faster. But of course he would say that. That’s what she wanted to hear.

But somehow, she knew it was the truth.

“You don’t have to believe tonight. Just tell me that you’ll give me the chance to prove it to you,” he whispered.

“Okay.” She paused. “Do you always partially shift during sex?”

He turned to stare at her. “Noticed that, did you?”

She shrugged. “I told you. I like to watch.”

“No, it doesn’t normally happen. My wolf liked what he saw. He liked when he felt. And he wanted to experience it a little more. I tried to keep it from happening. I didn’t want to hurt or scare you.”

She bit her lip and traced a finger around his nipple. “You didn’t hurt me. It was the best sex I’ve ever had. And seeing you lose control like that, it kind of turned me on.”

She heard a low rumble in his chest, and she shrieked just a little when he flipped her over and settled his weight on top of her. Her jaw dropped open when she felt his hard length settle between her thighs. “So soon?”

He nipped at her shoulder. “That’s what you do to me. God, I want you in my arms. I want to be inside of you all the time.” He raised his head. “But I know you’re probably sore.”

He tried to lift off her, but she raised her legs and trapped him in them. “I’m already wet,” she admitted.

He probed at the entrance, and she lifted her hips. Slowly, he sank down in her.

Before, they were wild and untamed. But now, he was unhurried as he slowly pulsed inside her. She felt sexy and luxurious as she stretched her body to test the different angles. She mewled. God, he felt good.

His skin was warm under her fingers, and she explored him without hesitation. Where she was soft, he was hard. The muscles rippled under her touch, and she moaned. There wasn’t a single part about this man that she didn’t love.

Love.

The word wrapped around her as he touched his lips to hers. As much as she might want to deny it, she’d felt it the first time she’d laid eyes on him. This wasn’t a blind date that turned into a forever kind of love. This was the man she was always meant to be with.

He manipulated her hips up, and he she cried out as he touched that spot. Christ. It was going to be death of her. She swung her legs up higher and was rewarded as he sank deeper in her.

“I love the noises that you make,” he muttered. “Fuck, baby, I think they actually make me harder.”

She panted. “You’re the reason I’m making these noises,” she pointed out. “That cock is so good. And you’re tongue,” she sighed as his tongue swirled around her nipple.

He pulled her hips off the bed as he cradled her, and he began to thrust quicker. At first they were shallow and teasing, but soon he was pounding her. She gasped and cried out, and as the tension built, he changed the angle again.

There. He was hitting both spots in one thrust. She clawed at his back. “Cole,” she cried out. “I can’t handle it,” she gasped. She struggled to hang on as he relentlessly drew her to the brink of madness.

“Baby, baby, my love,” she moaned. “Gonna come. Oh God, you’re going to make me come.”

“I’m close. Come with me. Together,” he murmured. She closed her eyes and released the control as he slammed into her. Suddenly, he lifted her off the bed and rocked back on his heels.

She clasped an arm around his neck, and when her whole weight settled on him, she lost it. Closing her eyes, she screamed as the orgasm rocked her, and he was gripped her hips, grounding her to him, as he let out a long guttural moan and spilled his seed inside her.

Slowly, the fell back to the bed, and she squealed when he twitched inside her.

“You are insatiable,” he muttered.

She laughed tiredly. “Can’t help it. You’ve turned me into a monster. I have a feeling I’m going to be wet for you for the rest of my life.”

He stilled on top of her.

I love you.

The words whispered around in her head, and she smiled. She was his mate. He belonged to her, and he would protect her. With a sight, she closed her eyes and let her guard down.

I love you too.

THE END

OPEN SNATCH

Chapter 1

Johnny Strom will be playing tonight in the big game, if you don’t have your tickets, get them now.  This could line up the Panthers for a top bowl bid!

The announcer said over the radio.  Johnny smiled at the promotion.  “Yep that’s me!  I’m going to take us all the way to the top of the pack this year!”  He announced to anyone who was listening to him.  That was usually a lot of people too, especially girls.

Oh the girls, he thought!  Life as the top ranked quarterback in the nation was great.  He could have a girl at any place they had a game, just by his name.

He smiled as he thought back to last week’s game and that girl.  She had been a little blond cheerleader type. Her lips were nice and pouty, “perfect for a blowjob!”  He laughed.

“Oh would you like one of those?”  A little brunette asked him.

Johnny thought about taking her up, but she was there.  He couldn’t accept a cheap blowjob while his, what the hell was she?  He didn’t know why this girl got him so worked up, and why he wanted her. 

He looked back at the brunette; she was pursing her lips and placing a finger in her mouth.  She’s showing me what she wants to do right now, he thought.  But then he looked back over to her, sitting at the table.  She seemed like she wasn’t even paying any attention to what was going around her.

Johnny walked over to her; it wasn’t the first time he had talked to her.  “Hey Carrie, how are you doing?”

She looked up from her book, he saw her flush red.  “Hi Johnny, I didn’t know you were here.”  She said, but her eyes betrayed her words.

Johnny had seen her look up as soon as he came in the door.  “Yeah I just got here.  So what you been up too?”  He asked awkwardly.

“Just studying, you know the usual.” 

He sat down close to her.  “I really wish you would let me study with you.”  He ran a finger up her arm and felt her reaction.

She chuckled, “I really don’t think you are interested in studying at all.”

“I think you’ve figured out my evil plot!”  He smiled his best eye-catching, mouthwatering grin.

He could feel her reaction to him, and he wanted to do nothing more than undress her and lay her on any bed.  Johnny would show her what it was like to be pummeled by his manhood.

“Johnny, I’m not that type of girl, I told you that before.  If you want to get laid, go back over and talk to Sally.”  She said.

“Sally?”  He questioned.

“The one who wanted to give you a blowjob, that’s Sally.”

“So you were listening.”  He said.

Her face turned red.  “It was hard to not overhear her.  But you know what Johnny I’m going to go one better.  How would you like to come up to my room?”

It was at that point Johnny realized he was simply dreaming.  But he figured he might as well ride it out.  He’d been pursuing Carrie for several months now.  At least he could get something in his dreams, to see if the wait might be worth it.

“Wait, I never have to wait for a woman!”  He laughed in his dream.

The clock began buzzing its incessant chatter.  “Shit, just when we were getting to the good part.”  He slammed a fist down on the buzzer.

Johnny was now left with a raging hard-on thanks to that buzzer.  He wanted to close his eyes and slip back into the folds of the dream.  But he knew that he had to get up, he had a class and then practice.

“But first, let’s take care of this problem.”  He wrapped his hand around his hardness, wishing that he had Sally here with him, that blowjob would sure be nice right now.

Chapter 2

Carrie Litim looked over her notes; she had a biology test today and wanted to pass it.  She was hoping to get on the Dean’s List again this semester. 

“Hey Carrie, you want to go to a party tonight?”  Her roommate Sally asked.

“Maybe, let’s see how I do on my test.”  Carrie answered.

Sally looked at her shocked, “Wait did I just hear that right, you might come with me?  Are you feeling okay?  Did you finish your book?  Why are you possibly agreeing to go out?” 

Carrie laughed at her roommate.  “Just because I usually don’t go out, doesn’t mean I can’t.  I figured one party here and there won’t hurt.  After all I have a long weekend, so why not enjoy a bit of it.” 

“Great!  I can’t wait to tell the others!”  Sally jumped up in excitement.

Carrie watched her skitter out of the room.  She had to laugh.  Sally was everything that Carrie wasn’t.  She was bold and brave and up front.  While Carrie was shy and not brave at all.  If she would have been brave, she would have slept with Johnny Strom. 

She sighed thinking of the hunky quarterback of the college team.  He was arrogant, mouthy, cocky, and damn gorgeous.  He had talked to her a few times, made it aware to her that he wanted to have sex.  But that was it, just sex, nothing more.  She couldn’t allow that to happen. 

But if she was Sally, she would have been in bed with him quicker than he could imagine.  That was really why she had agreed to go to the party, to see him.

Carrie liked when he touched her, and it made her want so much more from him.  She knew it was a bad idea, had heard from his own mouth about the women he’d slept with.  “That can’t be good; he must have some sort of disease.”  She said aloud.

She knew she should just stay away from Johnny, run far away and never look back.  But she really did like him, there seemed to be a lot more under his public image.  That was the part of Johnny she wanted to get to know.

Not for the first time she thought back to the first time they met.  It had been a sorority party and he had come to their house.  She had barely been downstairs, trying to avoid all the noise and drinking.  But she had finally had to traipse down the stairs to get a drink.

He had run into her in the kitchen.  “Hey I haven’t seen you tonight, my names Johnny.”  He had smiled at her.

She had been annoyed; she had hoped to escape back upstairs quickly.  “Hi I’m Carrie, nice to meet you.  I have to go back and study though.” 

When she had tried to leave he had stopped her for a minute.  “Hey don’t go so quick!  I mean I can actually understand you, you aren’t slurring every word!”

She had laughed, “That’s because I don’t drink a lot, and haven’t had any tonight.  I find it messes with my ability to concentrate and learn.”

He had smiled that killer smile, the one that she saw in her dreams now.  “Yeah it does do that.  Don’t tell anyone, but, this is the only drink I’ve had tonight.”  He had whispered to her.

Carrie had felt privileged to know something no one else did about him.  “Why is that?”  She had asked him, she had honestly been shocked.

“I don’t like what it does to my body.  But I also don’t want to hear all that shit about being a wuss and crap like that.  You know how guys get when they think you aren’t drinking enough.  Do girls do the same thing?”  He asked her.

“No not really.  I mean they might ask you if you want something, but they’ll just roll their eyes if you say no too often!”  She had laughed.

“Well that’s kind of nice.  Guys go into this long spiel of how you’re not a man unless you drink so much, and yada yada yada!”  He had laughed.

She had ended up talking to him for a few hours.  During that time she had learned a lot about him.  He was far more than what the public saw, but she would never let them know his secrets.  Carrie was sure that he wasn’t a boy scout either though; he most likely was quite the ladies’ man.

Eventually that night he had been propositioned by one of who sorority sisters.  Carrie had excused herself, not sure if he took up her sister on the offer or not.  All the while she had wished she had been daring enough to ask him to her room.

Chapter 3

“Hey man are you going to the party tomorrow night?”  Mike, another player on the team, asked Johnny.

“Yeah sure, is it the one at?”  Johnny began to ask, and Mike cut him off.

“It’s the one where we always end up having tons of trim!”  Mike laughed.

“Oh that cuts it down so much for Strom over there!  He gets it whenever he wants, he’s the star quarterback!”  Another player said from the side.

Mike and Johnny both laughed, “Yeah that’s true, but you know sometimes you have to pass a few to find the right one.”  Johnny said without thinking.

“What man, are you planning on settling down?  Not you, man that would be a big mistake.”  Mike said.

Johnny thought about it, could he be with just one woman?  “Nah, I was just joking.”  Johnny said.  But in his mind he could think of only one person, Carrie.  That damn dream, it had messed him up.

The thing about the dream was it had seemed so damn real.  He almost thought that he was there; he could feel her skin when he skimmed his fingers down it.  Still if he closed his eyes right now, he could feel it.

She haunted his every thought right now, and had done so for a bit now.  How, he wondered.  Johnny wasn’t the type of guy who was a one woman man.  He’d had all the girls he wanted since high school.  All he had to do was say something, hell no that wasn’t true.  So many would come up to him and hit on him, making it clear what they wanted.

He liked the fact that he hadn’t had to commit to any of them.  They all knew that he wouldn’t be back after the one night, and they didn’t care.  He had to admit he liked that, so why was he even thinking about one woman?

It confused him a lot.  He had to shake her out of his head enough so that he could practice, and get through the game on Saturday.  It was a huge game; it could put them in the Rose Bowl, the Championship Game!

Johnny wondered if he should skip the party of Friday night.  She might come downstairs, like she had many times in the past.  When she had shown up, each time, he had sensed her.  The air around him had changed; he could simply feel her presence.  He hadn’t been like that with any other woman in his life.

“Hey I may not go Friday night after all.  You know that game on Saturday is really important.”  Johnny told Mike.

“Oh man, at least come for an hour, you don’t have to stay late.”  Mike said.

“Maybe I’ll see.”  Johnny answered.

He made his way out to the field, trying to push Carrie out of his mind.  He loved this game, he loved being on the field.  Once the ball was in his hands, his mind clicked to the game, she was out, but he could feel her on the edges.

He was on point, the practice went great.  There was electricity in the air among the players.  They could all feel that impending victory that could be there’s.  All they would have to do was play and work as a team, and they knew it was there!

Everything was perfect, the operated as a cog that moved in synchronicity.  Johnny, the whole team, and even the coaches were excited.

Victory on the field was easy to obtain, it was off the field Johnny wasn’t sure about.  Sure he could go right now and have a girl from any dorm or sorority.  However, he wanted her, Carrie.

Chapter 4

“Come on Carrie, you said you would go to the party!  Plus Johnny is here, I just saw him walk in.”  Sally told her.

Carrie blushed bright red.  She had shared her feelings about Johnny with Sally a little.  But even Sally didn’t know about the dreams that Carrie had about him. 

It was one of those dreams that had flashed through her head when Sally had told her Johnny was downstairs.  Carrie couldn’t help but remember how erotic the dream had been.

She had never had sex before, but in the dream they had done so many things.  She had no feeling what they would really feel like, but in the dream they had been amazingly wonderful.

Her body had hummed and purred in the dream.  Johnny had touched her in all the right spots.  She didn’t know how he had known where to touch her.

“Yeah just let me change really quickly.”  Carrie answered.

“You look perfect in that dress, I already told you that.  If anything will catch his attention that dress will do it.”  Sally smiled at Carrie.

“I don’t know if I want his attention.”  Carrie admitted shyly.

“Look I know you are a virgin, but you have to give it up one day.  So why not with him, he’s so fine.”  Sally said.

Carrie could see Sally almost salivating as she talked about Johnny.  But once Sally had known that Carrie liked Johnny, she had tampered her pursuit of him. 

“I know he’s really fine.  But what if I’m really bad?  What if he laughs at me?”  Carrie asked.  “Plus I’ve been raised that you just don’t give that to anyone.  It should be someone special.  I don’t think Johnny Strom is looking for that, he just wants notches on his bedpost.”  Carrie stated her worst fears of hooking up with Johnny.

“Well you know they say there is one woman for one man, that they are soul mates.  Maybe this is you two.  I mean, every time he’s been here and you come down, he goes to you.  I’ve seen him leave one of the other girls standing there and he’s gone to talk to you.  She’s offering him sex, and he just leaves.  That’s not normal.”  Sally told Carrie.

“Maybe it’s just the pursuit though, and if I’m bad.  Well he won’t want more.”  Carrie looked down.

“Hey come on positive thoughts girl.  Don’t always think so negatively.  You’re a beautiful girl, once you dress up and take your nose out of the books.  I mean any guy would be dumb to not see how hot you are!”  Sally complimented her.

“Thanks, but you’re just saying that to be nice.”  Carrie didn’t think she was beautiful at all.  She was kind of plain.

“Look, here in the mirror, just look at your image.  Tell me you aren’t beautiful.”  Sally pulled Carrie to the mirror.

Carrie looked at the girl staring back; she didn’t look like the same person.  Sally had helped Carrie with her hair.  The long brown hair hung freely around her shoulders.  Usually she would have it up on top of her head.  “Yeah well I look different, that’s for sure.”  Carrie admitted.

“No you are beautiful, stop selling yourself short Carrie.  Now come on it’s time to get down there to the party.”  Sally pulled her out of the room.

Carrie protested along the way, until they got to the top of the steps.  She looked down and found Johnny staring up at her.  A slow smile spread over his face at her sight.  Carrie smiled back at him and allowed herself to think positive if just for a bit.

Perhaps Sally was right, maybe Johnny felt something more for her?  Maybe just maybe she could convince herself enough of this that she would sleep with him.  She had to admit that she wanted to know if that dream was true or not.

Chapter 5

Johnny could feel her before he saw her.  His attention was drawn to the stairs and then he saw her.  He couldn’t help but smile up at her.  When she smiled back it made him feel great.

“Hey, I was hoping you would come down.”  Johnny came up to her.

“I agreed to come down earlier in the week.  Sally wouldn’t let me out of it!”  Carrie told him.

He laughed, “I wasn’t going to come at all either.  But I decided to at least stop by for a bit.  However, now that your down here.  Well would you like to go for a walk out back in the garden?”  He asked.

“Sure, but I would think you’d want to stay in here.”  Carrie stated.

“No I would rather be alone with you and just talk.”  Johnny admitted.

She looked at him; he could see the shock in her eyes. 

“Come on let’s go.  It’s so loud in here too, I can barely hear you.”  He let her walk in front of him.

Carrie thought she could feel his eyes studying her body as she walked.  It made her feel self-conscious, and she thought she might fall down.  She hated wearing any type of heels, but tonight she had put some on, on Sally’s urging.

She stumbled slightly and felt his arms go around her to catch her.  “Thanks.”  She mumbled.

He didn’t want to let go of her, she felt good to touch.  Johnny let go reluctantly though.  “Sure, you know you could take the shoes off if you want.”  He said.

“I really hate these things.  I’ve never been good at walking in them, and they hurt my feet.”  Carrie told him.

“Take them off; I can carry them for you.”  He stated.

Carrie took off her shoes and he grabbed them.  She wiggled her toes in the grass.  “That’s so much better.”

“Did you grow up on a farm?”  He asked her.

“Yes I did.  But tell me why you would say that?”  She questioned.

“Because I grew up on one too, and I love going barefoot!”  He laughed.

They found a place to sit in the garden.  “It’s so beautiful out here.  Sometimes I’ll come out here and study, it’s so peaceful.”  Carrie said.

“Yeah, but your even more beautiful.”  Johnny said.

He wanted to touch her, but also to show her respect.  Johnny felt awkward around her.  He sighed lightly and shook his head.

“I don’t know what it is about you Carrie, but you’re different.”  He said.

Chapter 6

Carrie couldn’t believe her ears when he said she was different.  “What do you mean?”  She asked.

He moved around nervously and finally spoke.  “I can’t stop thinking about you.  I dream about you, and you are on my mind all the time.”

“Okay, so I don’t know what to tell you.” She stated.  “I can tell you that I’m not some easy girl though, I don’t want to be another notch on your bed post.  That’s not how my mother raised me.”  She said.

“No, I don’t think of you like that at all.  I mean if I did, I would have already tried to talk you into going upstairs.”  He told her.

Carrie studied him closely, she wondered if he was lying to her.  She heard stories of how guys would tell a girl just about anything to bed them.  Johnny was a real player and he would most likely always be one.

“So you’re practicing patience with me?” 

“No, it’s more like I want it to be special with you.”  He said slowly.

She didn’t know if she could accept this as truth or not.  It all sounded too good to be true.  How would Johnny Strom stop his ways?  Or was he just talking about bedding her, and having all those other women too?

“I don’t know Johnny; I’m not the type of girl who wants to share with others.” 

“I wasn’t asking you to do that.”  He looked at her quickly.

“Then what are you asking me?” 

“I don’t know.”  He held her gaze.  “This is new to me.” 

Carrie took her bottom lip into her mouth and bit it lightly.  She always did that when she was nervous and unsure.  She found that most of the time around Johnny, at least right now, her lip was in her mouth.

“If you keep doing that I’m not going to hold back though, I will kiss you.”  He told her.

She looked up at him, her lip still captured in her mouth.  He moved closer to her and covered her mouth lightly with his.  The kiss was gentle and sweet, and far too short for her liking.

She closed her eyes; she swore this was a dream.  To test it out she leaned into him and placed her lips over his.  He pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss.

Carrie sighed loudly at the passion she could feel in the kiss.  “I don’t know if I can sleep with you though.”  She pulled away from him finally.

“I’m not forcing you to sleep with me.  Did I say we should go upstairs?  Carrie, I’m not going to push you into anything.  I’m also not going to lie to you; I wouldn’t stop if you said yes.  I want you more than I have ever wanted another girl or woman in my life.”  He told her.

All logical thought left her mind at the sweet words, she wanted him too.  Carrie kissed him again, but in her mind she could hear the words, don’t do it.

But she couldn’t say the words; she couldn’t invite him up to her room.  He didn’t push her into it either.  He held her and kissed her occasionally.  Carrie almost gave him when he skimmed his fingers over her nipple.  She felt the nub grow hard and her body react to him more.

“I want you Carrie, but I don’t know if you are ready.  It’s getting late and I have to go, we have a big game tomorrow.”  Johnny said.

“What time is it?”  Carrie asked. 

“It’s already 2 in the morning.”  He told her.

“It’s been that long; it’s only seemed like a little time.” 

“I know, but we’ve been out here for a while.”

“I’m sorry you missed the party.”  She said.

“No I didn’t miss anything; I had the best night ever.”  He told her.

“Really, but we didn’t have sex.”  She said confused.

“Carrie, darling, you don’t have to have sex to enjoy a night.  You of all people should know that, you are a virgin right?”  He said.

She blushed, “Well yes I am, but how did you know?”

“If you weren’t you would have been all over me in a second.  But you hold your values high, and I respect that.  This is why I won’t force you into it.  I had fun touching you and kissing you though.  I swear I want much more too.” 

She smiled up at him.  “I don’t know I’m scared of letting you have my heart.”  She admitted to him.

“I know, trust me.  I told you this was different from anything I’ve ever felt too.”  He said.  “Are you coming to the game?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” 

“I’ll see you after it is over.  Maybe we can go and get something to eat.”  Johnny said as he stood up.

“Sure, but don’t you usually do something as a team?” 

“I’d rather spend it with you.”  He pulled her to his chest and kissed her deeply once more.  He let her go and she watched as he left. 

Carrie wanted to all him back, tell him to come upstairs.  But it was far too late, and he had to play tomorrow.  She would only hurt his chances of performing on par.  So she watched as he left, he turned around and blew her another kiss.  “Until tomorrow, sleep tight my darling.”  He said.

Chapter 7

Johnny had a really nice night with Carrie.  He had wanted to take her upstairs so many times.  But he had been serious when he told her he wouldn’t pressure her.  He wanted this to be a mutual agreement between them.

“Hey Johnny, where have you been all night?  I’ve been looking for you.  Would you like to come upstairs?”  Patty, one of the sorority sisters stopped him on his way out.  She pushed her body up against his.

He tried to back away as quickly as he could, to put distance between them.  But he heard Carrie from behind him, could feel her there.

He turned towards her to say something, but she gave him a look that said don’t bother.  He watched as she ran past him and up the stairs.

Johnny turned to face Patty, “If I would have wanted to find you I would have, I’m not interested.”  He said and left.

He wanted to go up and tell Carrie that he wasn’t interested in Patty.  Hell there was only one person he wanted, and that was here.

It was late though, and he knew that she wouldn’t listen.  He would catch up with her after the game.  I hope she still comes to it, he thought.

The whole way back to his room he was mad at Patty.  But in truth he knew he had also helped to create the problem.  If he hadn’t been such a playboy, it wouldn’t have been expected of him.  Carrie wouldn’t question his motives and she would let go of those feelings.

Johnny wasn’t dumb; he could tell that she wanted him just as much.  Her body had betrayed her all night.  He could hear the sighs when he touched her, and felt the blood pulsing through her veins quicker.

“What the fuck, I can’t wait.”  He turned around and headed back to talk to her. 

He got back and went up the stairs; he had no idea which room was hers.  “Carrie, where are you?”  He yelled out.  “We need to talk, come out please.” 

After a few calls she finally opened her door, “Will you please stop yelling.”  She pulled him into her room.

He could tell she had been crying, “Look that wasn’t what you thought it was down there.”  He began to explain.

“I know Sally told me about it after you left.” 

Johnny finally noticed that there was another girl in the room with him.  He knew her; she had hit on him a few times, but had backed off one day.  “Hey, sorry I didn’t see you when I came in.”  He said.

“It’s okay; I’m going to leave you two alone though.”  Sally got up and walked out of the room.

“I know I created this problem, but really I only want you.” Johnny said to her.

“You have to play tomorrow; we can just talk about this after the game.”  She said.

“Okay, you’re right.  I do need my sleep.”  He got up to leave.  Johnny turned and pulled her into his arms once more.  “As far as I’m concerned these are the only lips I ever want to kiss.”  He said and covered her mouth.

Chapter 8

Carrie watched him leave once more.  The kiss had been amazing, but the words had been what had gotten her the most.  He had told her “these are the only lips I want to kiss ever.” 

She could feel her heart beating faster as she thought of him.  Carrie wasn’t a dumb girl; she knew that she was already in love with him.

Her fear was that Johnny was simply feeding her a line to get her into the bed.  However, wouldn’t he have tried harder, she wondered.  He hadn’t tried to even get her to sleep with him just now, when he was in her room.

She wanted to let hope and happiness fill her heart, she really did, but she was nervous.  Carrie had never really given her heart to anyone.  She did have one crush when she was in high school.  It had been Mr. Tetley, her psychology teacher that caught her eye.  However, she was just a student, and she never followed up on any of her crush feelings.

“This isn’t a crush.”  She whispered to herself.  Carrie knew that she wanted more with Johnny than she could have ever imagined.  But could he give her the hopes and dreams of what she had always wanted in life.  Could he be a one woman man, a man who would marry her?

Carrie felt that life wasn’t fair; she didn’t know if Johnny would be able to give up all the other things he had thrown at him.  He was going to be a big star; she had no doubt about it.  There was already talk about some of the professional teams who were eyeing him.

She knew that more women would throw themselves at him in the professional leagues; it would be nothing like now.  Did she really believe he would turn his back on all other women?

Carrie wanted too, but there was an ache in her heart at the thought.  It felt as if he had already betrayed her, before they even began. 

Finally, frustrated with the thoughts in her mind, she tried to close her eyes.  Her mind played back the kisses from the night, and the touches.  She could feel her body going into overdrive at the thought of him. 

She moaned at the thought of what it would be like to have him take her.  How her body cried out for him, even now.  She knew it was possibly the biggest mistake she would ever make.  But she hoped that tomorrow after the game that he would take her.  Not just out to eat either, she grinned.

Though she really wanted to wait, she didn’t think she could resist him again.  It had been hard enough tonight.  If he won tomorrow, he’d be on cloud nine, and want to celebrate.  She would give him her most precious gift in celebration.  It might be dumb, and she might be setting herself up to be heartbroken.  However, she was tired of fighting these feelings inside of her.

Carrie was ready to take a leap and let him prove to her the words he told her.  If he was lying, maybe it was better to find out now, instead of later on.  Dragging out the time it took her to invite him into her bed, would only make her like him more.  “Who are you kidding?  You love him.”  She muttered to herself.

She really did wonder if it was love though, she had nothing to compare it too.  He had told her she was different.  Did he mean that he had more feelings for her?  Was in possibly in love with her?  But how, he barely even knew her.

Then she thought about it, how she could have developed such strong feelings for him as well.  She didn’t know him all that well.  Sure they had shared some secrets at a few of the parties, and then tonight. 

So how could she even wonder what was going on in his head, when her own was so messed up.  “Oh Johnny, I just wish I knew that you were serious.”  She said lightly. 

Carrie let her dreams take her away, and they were filled with him.  It was a night of him taking her body in several ways.  Again the dream seemed real, but she had no experience, so she wasn’t sure.  Is this what it would really feel like?  She had to wonder, once she knew she was in the dream.

Chapter 9

Johnny dressed in his uniform, it was the big game.  He had dreamt about Carrie again last night.  They had made love all night long in his dreams, and he had woken up feeling great.  He had to admit that he was really horny, but he didn’t take up any of the offers of a quick blowjob before the game.

No he had been serious she was the only one he wanted.  It had shocked him when he had told her “her lips were the only ones he wanted to kiss.”  When he realized that it was much more than just a kiss, it was all of her he wanted.  Well it had made for a hard discovery.

“It’s time for you to settle down there Johnny Boy.”  He had muttered to himself when he had got up from bed. 

The fact that he had never thought of one woman so much in his life scared him quite a bit.  He had wanted to avoid any type of commitment for so long.  Now here he was going headlong into one of his choosing.

“Hey Strom you ready?”  Mike came up behind him in the locker room.

“Sure am, let’s win this one and go to the big game!”  Johnny gave his killer smile.

“Hey save that smile for after the game, don’t get too cocky yet.”  The coach came in the room.

The men settled down, and listened to their before game speech. 

I could say a lot of things to you right now.  I could tell you how working as a team will be the only way you can win this game.  But you already know that.  I saw yesterday in practice just how well-oiled this machine we have here is, and I loved it.  I could tell you that this game means everything.  But I would be lying to you if I did that.  This game is an important one for our program, and could mean that some of you will go higher in the drafts.  But everything, I would be lying to you.  The truth is that there is so much more in this world than football.  If for some reason you happen to lose this game, it won’t be the end of the world.  Most of you will still be drafted, or you’ll simply go into other careers.  I guess this kind of sounds like I’m not putting enough of a spin on this game.  I’m not, you know why?  Because you are young men, you will go on from here and have full lives.  Many of you will only wear this uniform a few more times, and then never again will it be stretched taunt against your skin.  You’ll trade it for another uniform, maybe a suit and tie, or just jeans and a shirt.  What I’m saying is do your best out there.  If it’s our time to win, God will look down on us and smile.  If it’s not, then so be it, just go out there and do your best.

The team all cheered and headed down the tunnel to the field.  Johnny thought about the coach’s speech.  It had been much different from many of his other talks before the game.  He had been more focused on letting everyone know that there was more to life than football.  It had been the very thing that had been pulling at Johnny’s mind all day long too. 

He still wanted to make football his life, but he wanted to have Carrie there beside him as well.  Would she be willing to do that?  He hoped so.

Once he was out on the field he looked around for her, he could feel her there.  He spotted her almost immediately and waved to her. 

The crowd that was sitting around her went wild.  He could see her blushing red from on the field.  Johnny had to chuckle at the shy smile that slide onto her face.

Chapter 10

Carrie watched the game from the bleachers.  After Johnny had waved to her in the crowd, she had gotten many questions from those around her. 

“Oh are you dating him?”  “How do you know him?”  “Can you get him to sign my shirt?”  She heard them all. 

Plus a few of the jealous girls had started giving her nasty looks.  Carrie wondered if they had been with him before, or if they saw their chance slipping away.

She watched with pride as Johnny had an amazing game.  He threw for 5 touchdowns, and ran for 2.  Carrie yelled and cheered for him.

After the game he ran over to the sideline and called her down to him.  He waved to her, so she made her way down.  She watched as he calmly waited for her, and handled all the people around him.

“Hey good looking, how’d you like the game?”  He smiled at her.  He didn’t wait for her to answer, but instead pulled her closer and kissed her on the mouth.  The kiss was long and passionate; she could feel her knees grow weak with each passing moment.

Carrie pulled back once he had released her.  “What was that for?”

“I want everyone to know that you are my girl.”  He kissed her on the cheek, “I’ll see you in about 15 minutes outside the back door.”  He ran off.

When she turned to walk back up to her seat she saw the jealous girl’s eyes.  They actually looked to have tears forming.  Carrie couldn’t believe it, but she was sure she saw it. 

Other people were cheering her on, telling her way to go, but see didn’t hear much.  All she could think of were his words, “I want everyone to know that you are my girl.”

Carrie shook her head, she must still be dreaming.  Johnny Strom was many things, but a person who showed affection in public?  That wasn’t him at all.  He usually kept that to the bedroom, or so she had heard.

Sally looked at her when she was finally back by her seat.  “So I guess you and Mr. Handsome have made a first step!”

“I don’t know.  I’m so confused.  I mean he told me he would wait for me.  He just told me down there that I was his girl.  Does that mean he wants to date me?”  Carrie asked the confusion plain on her face.

“Yeah it sure sounds like it.  I told you he looked at you differently all the time.  I swear I could tell he was into you.”  Sally told her.

“But really Sally, would he be happy with a plain girl like me?”  Carrie asked.

“You’re not plain; I keep telling you that you are beautiful.  Ask him, he’ll tell you.”  Sally stated.  “He’d be dumb anyway if he passed up on a girl like you.”

Carrie smiled at her friend.  It was hard to imagine that Sally had once been after Johnny, but had backed off.  She was a good friend, Carrie was happy to have her in her life.

“Thanks Sally, you really are a good friend.” 

“Now let’s get you down there so you don’t miss your big date!  I have a feeling it will be a very interesting night for you.  Oh also, I won’t be home until late, just in case you need the room.  Just remember to put a sock on the door knob so I don’t come busting in.”  Sally told her.

Carrie turned red at the comment, but shyly said, “I will.”

She went down and was only outside waiting for Johnny for a few minutes.  The door opened and he walked out, his smile grew when he spotted her.  “Hey, I was wondering if you would actually come down here.  I’m sorry if I embarrassed you with the kiss.”

“No I wasn’t embarrassed, it was nice.”  Carrie admitted.

“So I wanted to celebrate, so how about we go to the steak house?”  Johnny asked.

Carrie wanted to invite him back to her room instead.  But she couldn’t voice the words, so instead she agreed to go to the steak house.  There was always later!

He opened the door to his car for her and let her in.  She was shocked at how chivalrous he seemed.  Carrie decided she could get used to this.  She really liked this side of Johnny.

Chapter 11

Carrie sat across the table from him at the steak house.  Her mouth was wide open.  “How in the world did you just eat all that meat?” 

She had watched as Johnny had slammed down a 21 ounce steak without stopping. 

“I’m hungry after the game, it’s not easy work!”  He laughed.

She had been pushing her food around barely able to eat.  Her mind was running as she thought of the best way to invite him over to her room.  Carrie was nervous, but she had made up her mind to take the jump.  To take a leap of faith based on what Sally had seen, and what Johnny had said to her.

She only hoped again, and not for the first time, that it was not a mistake.  She wanted to give him the gift of her virginity, but didn’t want him to break her heart.  How could she guarantee that?

“You’re awfully quiet tonight, is anything wrong?”  Johnny asked.

“Well I was thinking about a few things.”  She began, but wasn’t sure how to continue.  “Maybe after we eat, we can go back to the sorority house.”  She finally said.

Johnny looked at her, “If you are sure that’s what you want.” 

Carrie was happy that her meaning had gotten across to him.  This was a field where she had absolutely no experience.

“Yes.”  It was all she could say.  The weight of the one word answer hit her fully.  She had just agreed to give him her virginity. 

“I promise to be careful.”  He told her across the table.

She looked up at him; she could feel her nerves throbbing.  Carrie wasn’t even sure if she would be able to go through with it.

“Well let’s get the check and go.  You are done eating right?”  He asked, looking at her plate that still had half of the food on it.

“Yeah I’m a bit nervous, so I can’t really eat.”  She admitted.

“Don’t be nervous, I swear I won’t hurt you.”  He said once more as he directed her out the door.  Johnny had paid the bill quickly and soon they would be on their way to her room.

Carrie hoped that his I won’t hurt you comment also included her heart.  Here goes nothing, she thought. 

Before she knew it they were standing at her room door.  Carrie wondered what had happened in between, the ride here was a blur.  She couldn’t remember anything they had talked about, though she had heard words and her own voice.

Her mind was humming, her body was a nervous wreck and she was tucking her lip between her mouth and biting on it.  Carrie swore if she didn’t just get this over with she’d bit through her own lip from worry.

She closed the door behind them and Johnny looked at her.  “I told you I won’t pressure you.  Honestly, if you aren’t ready yet, please just wait.  I can wait.”  He told her.

Carrie swore he made her crazy; she wanted to throw herself at him, just because of his words.  She slowly closed the distance between them. 

When she was right in front of him she stopped and stood on her toes.  Her mouth found his and she lightly kissed him.  He pulled her to him and deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

She sighed heavily as her body began that low throbbing and her lower regions moistened.

“Are you really sure?”  He stopped and pulled her away, looking directly into her eyes.

“Yes I’m sure.”  She barely whispered.

Chapter 12

Johnny slowly undressed Carrie.  He pinched himself a couple times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.  She had invited him back to her room, and now here they were.  He was actually nervous about making love to her. 

To him this meant more than just a casual encounter with anyone.  This was a woman he cared a lot about, hell might even love.  That was if he wanted to admit to those feelings.  He had yet to really say them out loud.

“You are beautiful.”  He whispered to her as he kissed her neck. 

“Thank you.”  She said shyly.

He caressed her breasts lightly with his fingers.  He wanted to take her nipples into his mouth.  Johnny had been wanting to see her completely naked for so long now, or so it seemed.  But now that she was in front of him, all he wanted to do was enjoy every inch of her.

He kissed his way down to her breasts and took a nipple into his mouth.  She moaned loudly as he applied a bit of pressure with his teeth to her hard nub. 

Johnny kissed his way down to her apex, looking at her closely shaved area.  It was a region that no one else had touched, he felt honored.  He hoped that he could live up to this honor; he wanted to make sure she was not only happy but satisfied.

He ran a finger slowly down her leg and back to her lower region.  He could feel the moistness seeping out of her already.  Johnny wanted to taste her, so he lowered his head between her legs.

He looked up at her and saw confusion in her eyes, but soon she was screaming.  Her body writhed under the exploration of his finger and tongue on her pussy. 

Johnny took her clit in between his teeth and he heard her squeal as her body began to shake.  His face was covered by a slew of her liquid as it poured from her body.

He lapped up what he could and knew that she should be wet enough for sex.  “How do you like it so far?”  He asked her as he kissed her.

Her eyes were hazed over with pleasure; she smiled and said, “Oh wow.” 

Johnny chuckled as he slowly pushed his member forward.  He goes to her opening and tried to go as slow as he could. 

Carrie was nervous still, but so much pleasure had rocked her body that she couldn’t think straight.  She felt him push into her, and felt a tug of pain.  But soon it vanished and was replaced by pure pleasure.

He thrust into her and she came up to match his movements.  Carrie raked her fingers down his back, and Johnny moaned loudly.

“I don’t know how long I can last.”  He admitted ashamed that he couldn’t last longer.  She was far too exciting for him.  As she moved against him, he concentrated on anything but how she felt.

He felt her body climax though and he couldn’t hold back.  He moaned loudly as he had what had to be the best orgasm of his life.  Johnny was shocked when he still felt his hardness, so he kept thrusting into her.

She moaned loudly as her body kept hitting the high of a climax over and over again.  Johnny released another load into her and finally felt that he was done.

He kissed her lightly and pulled her closer to him.  “Carrie that was amazing, I love you.” 

She sat quietly, wondering if she had heard it right.

Chapter 13

Carrie couldn’t believe her ears, had Johnny just said he loved her?  “What did you just say?”  She finally asked.

“I said that was amazing.”  He said.

“No after that.”  She pushed.

He laughed, “I said I love you Carrie Litim.”

She jumped up, “Are you serious?  You love me?  How?”

“What do you mean how?  You’re amazing in so many ways.  You’re so beautiful, even when you wear your glasses and hair up.  I think you have to be the most magnificent woman around.”  He told her.

“I can’t believe it.”

“What you don’t care about me?”  He asked.

“I love you too Johnny.  But you’re so experienced.  You can have any woman out there, why me?”  She asked.

“I just told you why you.  Don’t you listen, I don’t want anyone else.”

Carrie stopped, why was she arguing with him, why couldn’t she just enjoy it. 

“I hope you aren’t just saying that, and plan on breaking my heart.”  She whispered finally.

He pulled her chin up.  “What do I need to do to prove it to you?”  He asked.

“I don’t know, I guess just time will tell.  I shouldn’t be upset about it.  I’m just scared Johnny.  I’ve never been in a relationship before.  You’re reputation doesn’t make me feel any better either.  You know that these girls talk right, they say things about you.  They talk about how you’ve slept with them, and then you never come back.  Well I guess you do for some of them, Patty seems mighty found of you.  Her eyes light up when she mentions your name.” 

“I will be the first to admit that I haven’t always used proper judgment when choosing my partners.  But they were different from you.  I never felt about them, not the way I do about with you.  I’ve never loved any of them.”  He admitted.

“But tell me Johnny, have you ever told them you did?  You know just to get them into bed.”  She asked.

He laughed, “I never have to tell them anything, they throw themselves at me.  I guess they wanted to sleep with the star quarterback.  Maybe they hoped to hook me in their grasp, so I would marry them.  I don’t know.  But I can tell you the only other person I’ve said those words to, who is female, is my mother.”  He said.

Carrie looked at him closely, she believed him.  Her heart soared, maybe he did love her.  “Okay, I’m sorry.  I just really am scared that you’ll find someone offering something, and you’ll take it.”  She stated.

“Carrie from here on out I only want you, no one else.”  He told her. 

“Alright Johnny.” 

He leaned over and kissed her, he moved his hands over her body.  Soon he was making love to her again, taking his time.  She rode the wave of pleasure to climax after climax.

Johnny looked at her as he moved in and out of her slowly, “Carrie this is special, I love you.”  He said and kissed her.

They climaxed together and melted into each other’s arms.  Carrie snuggled up closer to him and let her heavy eyes take over. 

“Hey it’s late, I should go.”  He shook her awake.

“Oh sorry I fell asleep.”  She yawned and stretched.

“So did I.  I think I heard your roommate come up a little while ago.”  He told her.

“Most likely, I forgot the sock on the door in my haste.  Did she come in?”  Carrie asked.

“I heard her open the door and then shut it.”  He said.

“I’ll hear about it from her later I’m sure.”  She laughed.

He kissed her, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Shortly after he left Sally came into the room.  “You forgot the sock.”  Sally said.

“I’m so sorry.”  Carrie apologized.

“It’s okay; I didn’t see much of anything.  Just the two of you all tangled up.  Naked bodies peeking out from the covers, so I guess you did the deed!”  Sally laughed.

Carrie felt embarrassed, but finally shook her head yes.

“Tell me was it nice?  Did you enjoy it?  Did he enjoy it?”  Sally was full of questions.

“It was amazing.  You know I have nothing to compare it to though.”  Carrie said.

“Did you orgasm?”

“So many times, I can’t even tell you.”  Carrie said and Sally laughed.

They talked later into the night, Carrie sharing some details, but not everything. 

Chapter 14

Johnny felt like he was walking on air.  He had told her had he felt tonight.  Those words had seemed so easy to say, and rung true to even his ears. He knew it was true, he had never felt so much for anyone in his life.

He had been telling her the truth about not saying those words to another female, but his mom.  Carrie was someone that Johnny wanted to keep in his life for a long time.

The funny thing was he wanted to ask her to marry him, had planned on getting a ring today even.  His head felt like it was stuck in a whirlwind.  When she had asked him if he was serious about his feelings, it had hurt him a bit.

But as she explained why she had said it, he had to agree with her.  He wasn’t the most reputable person in the world.  His reputation was one of a real player.

Johnny Strom was no longer going to be that way though; he had decided that she was the one.  He didn’t feel like sleeping, but knew he should.

“Maybe I’ll take her out and let her pick out the ring?”  He said to himself. 

However, that seemed so unromantic.  No he would rather hope that he picked something she would love.  He wanted to find a ring that fit her personality, and showed how much he loved her.

Johnny hadn’t told anyone yet, but he had been approached by a professional manager the other day.  “Hey Johnny, you know we are really interested in having you join the team.  So what do you think?  We would draft you first and sign you to a nice contract.”  The guy had told him.

He had his sights set on going to a warm location; the team that had contacted him was the San Diego Chargers.  After talking to the guy he had done a bit of research on the area. It had seemed nice enough.  Now though he had Carrie to consider too.

“That’s if she says yes though.  What if she says no?”  Fear flitted through his heart.  Hell he didn’t want to lose her when he had just gotten her.

Johnny tried to think of the perfect way to present it all to her.  He stood in front of his mirror and tried it a few times.  “Look Carrie, I know we only just really started dating.  But I feel like I’ve been with you for years now.  I feel so natural around you, like I can be myself.  Will you marry me?” 

He shook his head that sounded so corny.  No he wanted to sweep her off of her feet.  He wanted to make it impossible for her to say no.

Finally falling into the bed he slept for a bit, and got up as soon as the stores would be open.  He had a plan for the day and didn’t want to be side tracked.

Johnny made his way downtown and found a store. He went inside and pick a ring out, one he thought she would love.  “That’s a perfect one.”  Johnny told the clerk.

“It’s a nice choice.  It offers simplicity, yet is classic and beautiful at the same time.”  The clerk said as he rang up the purchase.

Johnny took the package and put it into his pocket.  He wasn’t paying much attention as he walked out the door. 

“Johnny, hey, how are you?”  He heard a female voice call to him from behind.

He turned to see Patty walking up to him.  She was doing her best I want you look and prancing his way.  “I’m good Patty, but I’m a little busy right now.”  He tried to turn and leave.

“Oh not so quick there cowboy, I think we have some score to settle still.”  She walked up to him and rang a finger down his chest, stopping short of his belt buckle.

He moved away from her.  “Look I’m not interested.  I have a girl now.  As a matter of fact, I’m asking her to marry me today.”  He told Patty.

Patty’s face turned mean instantly.  “You have a girl?  Johnny Strom, the biggest male slut I’ve known.  Right, who is the idiot who thinks you, will be faithful to her?”  She demanded.

“I will be faithful to her.”  He stated.

He noticed her face as she figured out who he was talking about, “Oh you and Carrie?  No way, she’s a virgin.  Oh I get it.  You’re going to marry her so that she will be the little housewife.  While you’re on the road doing whatever it is you can.  Just look me up, I’ll be waiting.”  She laughed and walked away.

Johnny wanted to call out and tell her no, it wasn’t true.  But why waste his time with Patty, she was simply jealous.  She had been trying to get to him for a long time now.  He had slept with her a few times, but it had never meant anything.

Instead he went back to his room and made reservations for him and Carrie.  Tonight he would take her to the fancy French restaurant in town and ask her to marry him.

Chapter 15

“You bitch, how dare you take him from me.”  Carrie heard from behind her.

She turned to find Patty, her face red with anger.  “I don’t know what you mean.” 

Sally got in between the two girls.  “Hey Patty back off.  What’s going on?” 

“Johnny, I love him and she took him from me.”  Patty shouted.

“You didn’t love him, hell how many other guys do you sleep with?”  Carrie shouted back at her.

“Oh little virgin girl don’t get all up on your high horse of morals.  It doesn’t matter, you need to back off.”  Patty said, trying to push her way to Carrie.

“I’m not a virgin anymore.”  Carrie said quietly to Patty.

It threw her into a fit of rage, and Sally had to hold Patty back.  “You little bitch.  He doesn’t love you; he’ll only use you for a bit.  Don’t believe for one second he’ll ever be faithful to you.  He already told me that you’ll stay at home, and when he’s on the road.  Well let’s just say, I’ll be the one he’s with.”  Patty shouted out.

“Patty knock it off will you.”  Sally pushed her back.  “You have no idea what is going on between them.  But I can tell you the skin on your face is turning green from jealousy.” 

“That’s it; I’ll have you two kicked out of the sorority by noon.  Pack your bags and find another place to live.”  Patty stalked out of the room.

Sally turned to Carrie, “Don’t believe a word she says.  She likes to create problems.”

Carrie smiled at Sally; she wished that what Patty had said didn’t sound so possible.  But the fear was building up in her heart already.  Maybe Johnny had said that, but why.

***

Johnny called her a little later, “Hey I made reservations for Le’ Chic for us, I’ll be over to pick you up in a few minutes.  I have a lot of things to talk to you about.” 

Carrie felt the fear creeping in once more, “Okay, I’ll get ready.”  She said.  As she dressed she couldn’t help but feel like he was going to tell her what Patty had already informed her about.  Or would he tell her?  He might just do it, and she would be unaware of it all.

“Carrie, hey Johnny is here to pick you up.  I had him wait outside, you know just in case Patty comes out of her room.”  Sally came into the room and told her.

“Thanks.”  She made her way to him.

He smiled as soon as he saw her; she felt her heart lurch out for him. 

“You look amazing.”  He said.

“Thanks, but tell me what you want to talk about please.”  She said.

If he was going to tell her she wasn’t right for him or something like that she didn’t want to go out to eat.  She would rather cry in the peace of her own room.  Well at least for a couple more hours.

“Well I wanted to wait until we were in the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant.  But I guess here goes.  Carrie I love you, and I really want to have you in my life.  Will you marry me?”  He asked as he got down on one knee in front of her.

“Are you going to marry me, and then sleep with other women on the road?”  She asked.

“What?  Why in the world would I do that?”  He asked.

“Patty said that your plan was that, to marry me.  Then when you were on the road you would look her up and other women.”  Carrie admitted.

“No, I never said that to her.  I told her I’m not interested that I have a girl, and I only want her.  Carrie, I got an offer to move to San Diego, to play pro ball.  Will you go with me?  You can go with me to every game; I’ll never leave you home.  I want you around me all the time.  Well except in the locker room, you can’t go in there.”  He said.

“What?  Oh wow, I can’t believe this. Yes I will marry you.  I’m sorry I even thought she was telling the truth.  I love you Johnny.”

THE END

ALPHA’S HEART

There was a chill in the air and a light, wet haze covered everything I could see in the pale moonlight. My senses guided me through the trees as I clutched my rifle close to me. For once, the field was quiet, but I knew that was only because we hadn’t been spotted yet. As soon as me or one of my men made the wrong move the whole land would come alive with an uproar of bullets and blood.

Thankfully, I was the only one still in human form. I usually was, but only because my job was the most precious. As soon as we neared the base I had to take the sentry out while my brothers, still in wolf form, took the base. This time, however, I knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Vampires are never easy. Then again, taking out the cold-blooded freaks would be even harder to do for a ‘normal’ person. Normal people… Do they even really exist?

The entire reason my unit was made was to take out those leeches. In some ways, I could be grateful to the men who made it possible, but for my boys and I, something about the whole thing was just…unsettling. Night after night we’d stalk the fallen remains of battlegrounds long after the winners and losers were decided. Do they think we’re cowards? I wondered, eyeing a wolf’s tail and then another on my opposite side. We’re wolves, not vultures.

I growled, feeling my wolf stirring and clawing at my heart. Just a few feet ahead, I could see a dim light coming out from a short structure in the distance. As we neared the clearing, I slowed down and then stopped completely. I held a hand up to tell the others to stop and all at once, the air was still. Very faintly, I could hear my pack’s breaths. The slow, controlled breaths we had to do in order to keep the vampires off our tracks.

Where are you…? I wondered as I scoped out the base with my night vision binoculars, looking for a trace of movement. Perched atop a tower overseeing the whole base, I could make out subtle movements. I raised my rifle and took aim, but as I slid my finger onto the trigger and peculiar scent graced my nose. After giving my head a firm shake, nearly knocking my helmet off, I readjusted my hold on the weapon only for it to falter again. Out of frustration, I growled and tried to pin the scent to a memory. The sweet, Earthy scent reminded me of something, but I couldn’t remember what.

My ear twitched on upon reflex as someone shifted back into human form and walked up behind me. I could tell it was Jack based on his heavy, musky scent now covering the old scent’s. Growing more frustrated, I snarled at him, but he put one of his heavy hands on my shoulder.

“Hey, what’s the hold up?” he asked in a whisper right into my ear.

I tapped his hand twice, signaling him to let go. As his hand slipped off, I replied, “There’s something weird about that guy up there. He doesn’t smell like a normal vampire.”

Jack coughed up a dry laugh. “So? Take him out.”

A part of me wanted to reach back there and punch Jack right in the shoulder. No matter what we did, he always had to be so short sighted. No, there has to be more to it than that. “I want to investigate,” I stated, taking a step forward. I turned around as the other wolves walked up beside Jack. “I’m going up there to check it out for myself. I’ll give a signal when it’s safe to go in, all right? If you don’t see the signal for a while, well then…”

Jack crossed his arms, glaring at me. “I hope your hunch is right, Ross.”

I smirked and said, “Hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

The soldier wearing only a few weapon belts and a large backpack nodded to me and the wolves around him scattered into various sections of the forest—surrounding the base. I took a deep breath and turned to the structure. Just the size of it made my heart skip a beat, but I was determined to see why I couldn’t pull the trigger.

In the back of my mind, I didn’t truly know whether this was the right choice or not, but as I ascended the tower, I felt surer in my decision. It was easy to convince the others that I was confident, but much harder to convince myself. I climbed up the tall, thinly built structure with one hand since the other was holding my rifle, but eventually I made it to the top.

Standing before me, back facing me was a soldier unlike any other. The scent that rolled off of them was sweet—almost like perfume and they weren’t the size of a regular soldier at all. They were big—bigger than I thought their uniform could fit them, and yet, I found myself enjoying the size. They wore a tight outfit of cameo, but part of their midsection was exposed. I knew it’d be too easy to kill them, so I figured that I could do them a favor and spare them since I had the choice.

I crept up behind the unsuspecting soldier, pulling out my knife to hold against their throat as I raised my foot to kick the gun out of their dangling hand. The solder flailed in my grasp and it was difficult to keep a hold of them, but digging into my werewolf muscle helped to keep them secure.

“Pl-please! Oh, please! Have mercy!” cried a feminine voice, making me stop for a moment.

Am I hearing things…? “What was that, soldier?” I asked for confirmation.

“I… I…” The voice choked out, making me release my grip a little. “I don’t want to die…”

Oh my God! A woman… A woman…here? Of all the places. It’s weird. She doesn’t smell like them… She’s even feels warm. I clicked my tongue disapprovingly. “Hey now, no one’s killing anyone.”

“Yeah…?” she asked weakly, now trembling in my hands.

“Yeah,” I replied as I pulled my knife away, but pulled her weapon to me with my foot. Just in case you decide to change your mind… I thought as I looked down at the pistol. She turned around to mouth the words, ‘Thank you,’ but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Looking around at the other stations, I asked, “So, where is everyone else? Looks like it’s just you.”

She clutched her arm, looking away as she said, “Yeah, well… The guys said that they didn’t need the extra protection ‘cause I’d do well enough. No one goes after guys like them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You say it like you’re not one of them either.”

For a moment, she looked as though she was stumbling through her options. I knew what the base was full of, blood sucking husks, but something about her was different. The way she carried herself and the way she looked at me with her big, blue eyes made something in me stir. Eventually, my gaze went past her eyes and down her body, checking every curve and perfectly shaped handle.

For the first time in a while, I felt my heart racing for something other than a kill or an order for my brothers and me. After spending all of my time with men, day in and day out, the lust kept in my wolf was begging to get out as shown by the growing bulge fighting with the fabric of my pants. A hand started to drift down to my zipper, but I snapped out of my daze when the woman said, “W-well, I might actually not be like them, but my brother is… He’s the whole reason I’m up here now.” She sighed. “I just wanted to help…” 

This woman doesn’t seem so dangerous. If I distract her for long enough, then I’ll probably be able to get my boys in safely… How to keep her distracted…? My mind searched for answers, but it kept coming back to her different features. Everything about her in that instance seemed to get my blood rushing from her golden blonde hair tied up under her hat to the breasts hardly concealed under her vest. Licking my lips imagining making the cute female drip for me, I finally realized what I’d been missing from the second I saw her. Oh… I know just what to do…

“Heh, well… I think you were doing a pretty great job if I’m to be honest,” I said with a smile.

She perked up a little and asked, “Really?”

I nodded slowly, subtly adjusting myself from outside my pants. She giggled quietly. I added, “I couldn’t even see you. That’s why I had to come up here—to get a closer look.” Taking a step forward, holding my hand out, I said, “My name is Ross by the way.”

Hesitantly, she put her soft, warm palm in mine. “I’m Rose.”

I hummed and said, “Ah, Rose is such a nice name.”

Thanks to my enhanced vision, I could see the speckles of red dashed across her plump cheeks. “Th-thank you,” she choked out, uneasily putting all her weight on one leg and then the other.

“Damn,” I started to say in a husky voice, drawing nearer, “You act as sweet as you smell and as lovely as your name, Rose.”

Her eyes widened in alarm and my stiffness pulsed from inside of my pants.

“Y-you really think that…?” she asked with her eyes almost closing as my hands came up to caress her sides.

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed in reply, one of my hands reaching to cup her cheek. I stroked it with my thumb as I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, holding the kiss just long enough for my fingers to slip up her shirt. Rose gasped into my mouth as I tease her right nipple with my finger tips and then the other, feeling the little nubs getting harder thanks to my tentative touch.

Rose pulled away from my kiss before I could sneak my tongue into her mouth, but she pressed her forehead against mine. Hoarsely, she whispered, “That feels good, Ross, but do you really think now is…?”

“I can’t think of a better time… I have to make up for startling you earlier, don’t I?” I might just enjoy this more than you will, Rose. How many of these guys ask to lick you with their dirty little fangs, huh? Let me show you what a real man can do…

By the time Rose could giggle again, my hand fell out of her shirt and the finger tips dug at the lining of her pants. Nails grew into claws, my wolf lusting for more of her as the seconds went by. She squirmed in my grasp, and as I worked my way farther and farther, brushing my fingers past her slightly furred mound and teasing her lips with my hand I could already feel that she was ready for me—even without my tongue to make her hot or my fingers to stretch her.

A grin grew wider across my face and my cock throbbed, wanting so badly to be in her tight little snatch. Before I forgot to, I raised my hand to give the signal and my trained ears could hear the wolf shifters hidden in the forest dashing onto the base to start the attack. To keep Rose distracted, I undid her pants with the hand once cupping her face and with my other, I ran two fingers up and down her labia, feeling them getting wetter by the second. Her entrance gushed when I finally prodded it with my two fingers, but she started to catch onto the screams and shouts going on in the background.

“Hush, don’t worry about them,” I reassured her as I looked into her eyes. “It’s just you and me. They can handle whatever it is. They’re vampires, right?”

“I…I guess so…”

“There we go…”

Many years later…

Back when I was younger, a woman would usually be the victim of my morning cock-stab, but these days that honor belonged to my blanket. This morning was slightly different from usual, however. Since I had such a thick, long cock, it drooled near my thigh, but this time there wasn’t any sign of a wet spot. Stretching my arms out and letting out a yawn, I could really feel my solidness begging for some attention.

Each throb earned a stroke, but looking over at my alarm made me groan. Ugh… He’s gonna be calling any moment now telling me what he wants. Last thing I wanna do is start jacking off only to get blueballed. I growled and scratched my chest. It was always an odd thing to go to sleep as a wolf only to wake up as a man. The faint remnants of my dream had me believing I was chasing a few rabbits through a field, but as I started to come back the rabbits turned into soldiers and it was like I was in the war all over again.

Their pale white faces, the moonlight, and the mist. It was a confusing thing for me. At one end I hated it. I hated everything I’d ever done or been told to do, but at the same time I was one of the lucky ones. I was one of the survivors and my time in the war could forever be a part of the stories I’d tell my grandchildren. The time of the “glory days.” Grandchildren when I don’t have so much as a fuck-buddy at my side… I scoffed, denoting the thought as I swung my legs over and stretched them out.

Throughout my thoughts, my hard-on persisted. The blood of a shifter is said to be warmer than a normal person’s. Add in that I belong to the wolf shifting family and alongside the warmth, I have a libido to go along with it. It could be fun some days and a complete pain another. Either way, even if I found a woman that liked me, it was rare that she was able to keep up with me for very long. Not that I minded since I had variety, but sometimes I liked to think that just one would stay with me for one more night.

I shook my head clear of the thoughts and hopped out of bed. As I walked into the bathroom, naked, my cock bobbed with every step I took. Not realizing it, I ended up pawing at myself at every chance I got. My touch felt nice on the stiff rod, giving me just enough pleasure to keep me going and I earned a few beads of thick pre-cum from it. “Mmff, yeah…” I groaned purely out of lust, bucking my hips into my hand as I brushed my teeth.

One look in the mirror let me know how far I’d gone into letting the lust take me. The few streaks of grey in my otherwise jet black hair sat right above my fluttering eyelids. My mouth, surrounded by a thick outline of facial hair hung open, letting one hot breath escape after the other.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the shower, hand pumping my cock faster and faster as the hot water ran down my body. I moaned and groaned quietly, loving every second I took to handle my raging, tan and pink colored member. A hand squeezed out some soap and brought it down to my balls, washing them mid-fondle as my hand squeezed my shaft harder.

My breaths got shorter the more I played with my balls, rolling them on my palm, imagining a woman doing it for me. A nice, plump woman with soft hands and a smile on her face. Oh yeah, baby… That’s it…! I thought as I threw my head back, letting out one spurt and then another across the shower walls. I panted hard, hardly able to stand on my shaky legs. As my thoughts started to clear, the haze surrounding the woman’s face disappeared and all at once, I remembered who I’d been imagining: Rose.

“Gah! God dammit…” My thoughts to that of scorn against myself. “Fuck… Fuck…” I growled, washing the soap off of my spent sex. “Every time I do this I always think of her… Why?” It was a question I already knew the answer to, and yet, I asked it every chance I got nonetheless.

I stepped out of the shower just as my cellphone started to ring. Hastily, I grabbed a towel and rushed over, picking up the phone and answering by asking, “Yes, Jack?”

“Hey, Ross. You know I hate having to do this, right?”

I rolled my eyes, scoffing audibly for Jack to hear. “No one’s forcing you to. I don’t even know what you want.”

The man on the other end sighed, grumbling to himself for a few moments. I contemplated hanging up, but I didn’t want him calling at another time insanely early. “Listen… You’re the only guy I still know, that’s well, alive. You’re gonna have to do.”

“And what am I doing exactly?” I asked in a frustrated tone

“It’s not me necessarily… It’s my sister.”

“Your…sister?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I didn’t even know you had a sister.”

“Well, now you do! Anyway… I’ve been receiving some strange letters and emails lately. Most of them have to do with me, but I don’t care about that. A few of the newer ones have been targeting…her. I don’t want there to be any risk for her when I’m the one who made those enemies.”

“I see. So, what do you need from me?”

Jack sighed heavily. “I need you to look after her for me. Can you do that?”

It would be nice to have someone around the house again... “Sure.”

“Wait, really? You’ll do it?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Great! She’ll be over tomorrow.”

“Okay what t—” Before I could finish my question, Jack hung up.

I hope she’s not as rude as him, at least.

Two knocks on the door helped me wake up from the couch. “Huh…?” I asked absentmindedly. “Huh…” I sighed, settling back down into the cushions.

Another barrage of knocks got me onto my feet out of reflex, but before I wandered over to the door, I made sure I was wearing pants first. After checking that my white t-shirt and blue jeans were on, I walked over to the door, opening it to find a tall, dark skinned man and a shorter, plump woman standing beside him.

The woman beamed with such intensity that I couldn’t help grinning a little. “Jack,” I said, turning my attention to him and nodding.

“Ross,” he replied, nodding as well. He gestured to the woman beside him and said, “Isabell.”

Isabell looked from me to him and then rolled her eyes. “Man, can you guys be anymore awkward? I’ll just let myself in if you’d be so kind.” She looked at me a certain way and I took a few steps to the side, letting her get in. From behind, she lugged in a few suit cases. My first thought was to ask her if she needed any help, but upon another thought, I figured that she had it handled.

Jack crossed his arms, now standing in the middle of the doorway. Isabell sat down on the couch behind me, presumably in the warm spot I’d left at one of the arm rest’s ends. “So, you think you can handle things, Ross? I’ll be coming by to check on you two soon. Just so you know.”

I coughed up a dry chuckle. “Okay, boss. I got it, boss. Okie-dokie.” I mocked him with a grin, adding in a false salute gesture.

Jack let out an exasperated sigh, loosening his straight posture for a second. “This isn’t fun and games, Ross. If anything and I mean anything happens to Isabell…”

I shook my head. “If you were worried about something happening, then you wouldn’t have brought her over, would you?”

Jack growled, showing a little of his wolf through his exposed fangs. His response triggered something in me—making me want to flash mine back at him. Digging deeply into myself, I resisted the temptation, but erected my posture and puffed my chest out.

After a few seconds, Jack’s head drooped down and his entire body slumped. “It’s just… She’s all I have...” Jack uttered, his eyes glancing over at Isabell for a second. “If I lose her then I might as well lose my connection to the world.”

I reached out, putting a hand onto his shoulder. “I’ll take care of her, all right?” I smiled at him and he gave me a little grin.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

It was a little strange at first—having someone around the house. The last time I’d lived with a woman was back when I had my fifth girlfriend. Far before I ever thought of joining the army. Ha… I was such a fool back then, wasn’t I? To think she’d actually wait for me… To think…

The days never seemed to end, which in some parts were a joy, but others a pain. Isabell and I had made a routine out of sitting on the couch together and watching TV. The one time I watch the thing and I only have the basic channels…

Isabell shifted in her seat a few times and let out a sigh. Over the week, I noticed that something about her had changed. The way she carried herself was different as was the look on her face. She started out so cheerful and upbeat, but I could tell that when I told her that she couldn’t use the internet for the duration of the stay struck a chord in her.

I remembered it as if it’d happened yesterday. “But why?” Her voice was so shrill and high that my windows could’ve cracked.

Confused as to why she’d care so much about it, I replied, “Because they could be using it to track you. Who knows?” I didn’t know much about technology these days, but what I did know were the stories my friends told me. Isabell wouldn’t be the first person being tracked by the net and I knew she wouldn’t be the last.

Isabell frowned at me in the memory, so I added, “It’s just for safety.”

Ever since then, something changed in Isabell. We sat in silence for the most part, watching the images on the screen. Occasionally, I’d try to make conversation, but it didn’t continue for very long. The most I knew about her was that she had a good friend online she talked to and a few others, but aside from that I couldn’t get much else out of her. There was no telling how long she’d be under my protection, so I decided to try again.

“Hey, so um…” She turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. “You all right?” She shrugged. “Hungry or anything?” She shrugged again. “You know, I could go for some mac and cheese myself…maybe with some bacon bits on there.”

“Same here,” she admitted quietly. “But it’s more that I’m bored than anything else, Ross.”

I crossed my arms, shifting my weight around on the cushion. “Yeah? Well…what do you do on the internet that’s so great, huh? Maybe I could entertain you.”

She stifled a laugh, but turned her entire body to face me. “You’d really like to do that, Ross?”

I nodded and a smirk wedged itself in the corner of Isabell’s face. She giggled quietly, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. In that instance, something pinged in the back of my mind—the vision of the sentry woman in all of her dripping, moaning glory. When I came back into reality, I was licking my lips and my heart was pounding in my chest faster and faster by the second.

Isabell scooted closer to me and turned down the volume of the TV. “So…I hope you’re not too weirded out by this, but how big are you?”

I blinked twice. “Excuse me?”

“You know…your cock.” Isabell bit down on her lip a little while motioning toward my groin.

I sat back a little, surprised by her question. “Well… I wasn’t expecting…that.” My eyes widened in shock, and yet, I could feel my cock starting to stir.

“I-I’m pretty big, I guess… I’ve never measured, but the women I’ve been with tell me, well, they usually gawk a little…”

“Oh my…” Isabell chimed, a tongue coming out to lick her thick, luscious lips.

Fuck, those lips around my cock… “S-so, you ask this sort of thing to the guys on the net?” She nodded slowly. Every action and movement she made sent a new sensation through me—a new tingle ran down my spine or pleasant chill caught my body off guard. It’d been so long since the last time I’d done this that I forgot what words to say. What should I do…? Should I be doing anything right now? God, what’s wrong with me? How did she get me like this already?

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed with a nod. “It’s usually pretty fun except for the whole screen thing. Sometimes I’ll get or give a cam show, but it’s just not the same, you know?” I swallowed hard, imagining her giving a guy a show—no—giving me a show.

I nodded, but asked with a dry mouth, “Wh-what kind of show do you usually give them?” My wolf, full of lust, seemed to speak for me, giving me a growly tone. My hand trembled, slowly drawing nearer to the outline in my jeans.

“Mm…” hummed Isabell as she leaned forward, exposing the perfect amount of cleavage to make my heart skip a beat. For the first time in the week I noticed something about Isabell that I didn’t before: her breasts. My mind was so caught up in the battles and protection that I hadn’t even looked at Isabell more than I had to. In this instance—this moment alone together it all came to me that she was one of the most gorgeous women I’d ever laid my eyes on. The curly hair, lovely dark complexion, and warm smile stirred me at the core and made my wolf claw at my heart.

While I was distracted by her, Isabell went on to say, “I usually show them the girls… How I like to suckle on my nipples to get me nice and wet… Then I show them down I play with myself while thinking about their cocks…”

“You…ah…ah…” I could hardly think of the words to say let alone what words sounded like. My mind focused entirely on Isabell and all I could think about was having her right then and there. A nail grown into a claw latched onto my zipper and without giving it a second though, I pulled the zipper down slowly exposing the all-too-prevalent bulge.

To my surprise, Isabell didn’t react with a gasp or even a teasing word. She simply put her hand to the bulge, feeling it as I throbbed and pulsed for her—already starting to feel myself give into my lustful desires. Her hand was warm and as she moved her hand up and down the length through the soft fabric, I couldn’t help shuddering. Another’s touch was something I’d longed for, certainly, but I never thought Isabell would be the one to give it to me.

Everything about Isabell helped me felt at ease. She exuded comfort and as my cock continued to grow in her grasp, I unbuttoned my jeans, licking my lips. “I hope you don’t mind,” she whispered. “I’ve been wanting to touch one for a while now… Always being able to see, but not touch… It’s such a goddamned tease…”

“Oh… Oh… Ah… I, uh, I know what you mean, Isabell…” I said in between hot breaths, finding it harder to keep my composure as the seconds fast. I dared to reach for her breasts in my haze of need and desire, but she pulled back just before my fingertips met her skin.

“Uh, uh, uh,” she teased with a waggling finger. “You can touch when I tell you you can…”

I swallowed dry air, my thoughts settling. “Then what are you…? Ah-ah…” I blinked and the second I opened my eyes my cock was out and in Isabell’s hand. It felt so good for it to finally be free and in her soft, warm palm. She took it slowly at first, softly grasping it as she glided her hand up and down the shaft, but gradually, she squeezed more and more.

Pre-cum flowed freely, coating her hand and making it slick enough for her to go faster. My mouth hung open, letting one hot breath follow another as my hips started to thrust upward to the rhythm of her hand. Right when I started to feel close—from the speed and arousal alone—she stopped, letting my hardness stand freely in the cold air.

I whimpered, begging for her to take me again—in any way she could. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” she whispered. Before I could ask her what she was about to do, she adjusted herself, laying down on the couch and resting her head on my lap right beside my cock. My eyes widened in surprise as I watched her, looking down at her as she glanced up at me with a cocky smirk.

All of my muscles tensed up at the first lick and a soft sigh escaped through my gritted teeth on the second. Lap after lap up my shaft, slowly feeling up my hardened member sent a new wave of pleasure of me. Her teases did what my own hand and many before her couldn’t. My cock, pressed against her slick, warm tongue strained to be inside her lips.

“Ahhh…” I huffed, reaching out to put a hand at the back of her head. My touch seemed to encourage her because she stopped at my head after one last lick and stroked her tongue down my slit after rounding my crown. I shuddered, but the second she invited me into her lips, lightly suckling around my head, I moaned aloud.

The moan only got louder as she brought a hand up and twisted it up and down my slick shaft, moving it in time with her bobbing head. Her lips followed her hand as she pumped and sucked me. Feeling my wolf’s lustful wishes finally getting granted gave me sensations beyond all belief. My balls churned with my fresh seed just waiting to get pumped out and shoot down Isabell’s throat.

I threw my head back, planting both hands at the back of her head, digging my fingers into her hair. She forced her lips halfway down my length and my eyes fluttered as I cried out, “Oh, fuck yessss!”

“Oh… Oh, Isabell…! I’m gonna… I’m gonna start…! Ohhh fuuuuck!” All at once, I started shooting into her mouth, one after the other in rapid succession. After taking a few mouthfuls, she pulled her mouth off my cock, allowing a couple of the shots to hit her face—especially her cheek. She didn’t seem to mind, however, beaming at me just as she had when I first saw her come through the door.

I was left panting as she licked my seed off of her lips, quietly giggling to herself. “Well, that was pretty fun, don’t you think?” I nodded a few times, but she gave me a look. Picking up my prick, making me wince in response, she said, “But I’m not done with you yet…”

I sat up a little, surprised. “I… You… You’re not…?” My thoughts scattered for a moment, but it only took a second for me to see what she was getting at. In an instant, she was naked and quickly changed positions again. This time, she chose to expose herself to me.

I blinked twice and wrapped my hand around my newly invigorated hardness. “Well, well… It seems that you’re not.” I got onto my knees and took a moment to admire her beauty in its rawest form. There was nothing to keep her from me and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from her for very much longer. “Hot damn, you’re absolutely gorgeous,” I said with a grin, reaching down to toy with her pulsing clit. As my thumb teased the little nub, her legs spread apart further, making it seemingly too easy to wedge myself comfortably between her.

Isabell looked at me if she was blushing and the wolf in me could sense her getting warmer. Her feminine sent drove me wild the longer it was in my nostrils—nice and sweet, but also packing a punch. Knowing what I could do to her—that I could give her just as much heat as she gave to me sent me past the point of taking things slowly.

“You ready, babe?” I asked in a low, growly tone. At first I started positioning the tip at her entrance, but I abandoned the endeavor once I decided that even though I knew what she was going to say, I wanted to hear her reply.

I crawled over her, feeling my shaft grind against her wet little snatch and glide up her inner thigh. Lips just inches away from her ear, I asked again, “You ready?” in a soft whisper. I could feel Isabell shudder along my words.

“Fuck yes, Ross,” she replied without the slightest second of hesitation. I grinned, leaning in a little closer to drag my fang down her ear to tease her as my hips brought my cock up and against her dripping sex again. “Mm… Oh, baby…” moaned Isabell as she began to rock into my grinds, kicking her feet up beside me.

“You want me to go hard for you, babe…?” I asked, grinning against her skin.

“I want you to give me everything you’ve got!” As soon as she answered, I slipped the tip in, making her gasp sharply. “Ahh…!”

“That’s what I like to hear…!” I said just before joining her in the gasp, feeling her walls clamping down around me and pulling me in further and further. “Ah… You’re so… Holy shit…!” I cried as I threw my head back, pushing more of myself into her. I felt like I was never going to reach her end and before I knew it, my entirety was inside of her.

I could feel her walls all around me, clenching me tightly and already starting to milk the steady stream of pre-cum out of me. Isabell’s moans matched my groans, getting louder as I slowly started to pull my hips back and thrust right back into her. The motion only got faster, my body staying close to hers as we rocked the cushions, the TV providing white noise under our cries of pleasure.

The sensations washing over me were like nothing I’d ever felt before. Each one she gave me worked wonders on my body. I could feel everything at that moment. It was close to overwhelming me the instant I started going faster, getting the entirety of my cock inside her with every other thrust. I bit down on the side of her neck, raising myself up to go even harder, making Isabell writhe and squirm under me until I started feeling myself building to the climax.

“Ah…! Ah…! Isabell…!”

“Ross! Rooosss! Yes!”

I gave her one last thrust before we both shouted out at the height of the climax. Her juices gushed past my torrent of hot seed, shooting out to meet her and fill her completely. Before I pulled out of her, our combined fluids were leaking past my shaft and onto the couch.

Exhausted, yet satisfied, I laid atop her, panting heavily as we reveled in the afterglow. “Hey Ross,” Isabell started to say in between pants.

“Yes?”

“I think my bro was wrong about you… You’re not such a bad guy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Thanks.”

A few weeks passed and I didn’t hadn’t gotten any word from the outside. Jack would come by to check on Isabell and inform me that he hadn’t dug anything up then go back home for what I presume was more scheming. There wasn’t a day that went by that Isabell or me weren’t pawing at each other—sometimes right after Jack had left. “I just feel so naughty!” she told me on more than one occasion.

On that occasion, of course, I’d reply with, “I know you do, but sometimes naughty feels just so damned good. Because of all of our spontaneous outbursts, we ended up talking more than ever before. I started to learn more about how the internet worked, so I allowed her to go online again, which was much to her pleasure. It’d be impossible to name all of the times I’d come home only to see her giving a guy a show in the living room. By that point, of course, I’d join her if only to show the guy she was talking to who was really in control of things around here.

The first time I had alone in the longest time was when Jack came by to go with Isabell to do something with their mother. I didn’t look into it any further because I didn’t need Jack getting any more suspicious than he already was. Isabell asked if I wanted to go with them, but I figured it was something for the family to enjoy, so I declined. Jack didn’t seem too broken up about it, but I could tell Isabell really wanted me to go along.

A minute after she left with Jack, I remembered that I hadn’t checked the mail on that day. Living in an apartment, I had to go into the main office to get my mail. On the walk there, I couldn’t shake the creeping feeling that I was being watched, but shrugged it off. My wolf always felt things around me, but they weren’t always dangerous. A few years of getting caught chasing shopping carts disproved that my senses were always right.

I stepped into the main office, waved to the attendant, and pulled the mail key out of my pocket. After fiddling with the lock, I opened my box up and started to sift through the envelopes. One in particular caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, the envelope’s color was mint green and was formatted like a bill. Normally, I’d see the corporation’s name written somewhere on the front, but there didn’t seem to be one on this one—anywhere.

My curiosity offsetting my caution, I opened the letter with a claw. “What’s this…?” I asked myself as I scanned the document. The entire thing looked as though it’d been typed up on a typewriter, and the only thing that resembled a handwritten font was the signature at the bottom. I raised an eyebrow at several of the lines, but the most disturbing part of the letter was the disclosure that they knew about Isabella.

Holy shit. My mind raced. How could they know? Jesus Christ. How the fuck? I acted on impulse and slammed my mailbox’s door shut. I nearly tore the lock off since I had to fiddle with my key a little to get it out. Shit. Shit! I stuffed the envelopes into my pockets, feeling my wolf growling and starling inside of me. I didn’t know whether or not to tell Jack, but what I did know was that Isabell was in danger. The one job I had was to protect her and if I could do that, then, I knew I’d be able to have another shot at happiness with her.

I whisked myself away back into the apartment. As soon as I was inside, I slammed the door shut behind me and threw the envelopes down onto the kitchen table. With a sigh, I put the normal bills together in a pile to the right, but pulled he distinct, mint envelope closer to me. As if I feared the paper itself was poisonous, I pulled it out and looked it over gingerly. It was obvious to me that the person who sent me the letter, regardless of the fact I didn’t know them, knew me very well.

Line after line they presented me with various facts. Where I lived, who I lived with, even when and where I ate every day. It was strange to me, at first, to think that someone would go to such lengths to learn about me solely to get at Isabell. I threw my hand behind my head, scratching my scalp as I searched for answers. “There’s got to be something that I’m missing here…” I said to myself as I looked through the lines again.

I started at the signature for what felt like hours, but nothing came to mind. I thought back to everyone I’d been in the army with or people I just happened to know. Would it be him? Nah, too pretty to be his…

Left with little choices, I knew I could call Jack, but that could make things worse for the both of us. I decided to grab my phone, but instead of dialing his number, I dialed another friend’s. It rang a few times, but once I got the answering machine, I cleared my throat. “Hey, Mike? I need a favor…”

“So… It was you, huh?” I asked the house standing before me.

The tiny home was almost entirely in shambles, but light pink outlined every wooden panel and inch of it. I sneered at the color. Someone who wants to threaten two veterans lives in a place like this? I bet this is his mom’s house and he lives in the basement. I took one step onto the creaky old wood, making it cry out. Damn, this thing could break any second, I thought as I made my way up the steps and to the door.

I knocked twice and waited for a while. Using my enhanced hearing, I put my ear to the door to listen for footsteps on the other side. There didn’t seem to be anyone approaching, so I knocked again, but just once this time. My knocks made someone on the other side get up, as I heard through the thin, wooden door. “Hello…?” I asked as the person approaching stopped just short of reaching the door.

Slowly, the door started to open, revealing the dim light in side. I tried to see more of what was behind the person answering, but I couldn’t see past her impressive bosom blocking the way. It was apparent, at that point, that my eyes were wholly focused on her chest, so I cleared my throat to excuse myself. My gesture seemed to amuse the large, woman with snowy complexion enough to make her giggle. “Looks like someone hasn’t changed a bit…”

I tilted my head to the side asking, “Excuse me?” Oddly, she grinned a little, but didn’t respond. “Do we know each other…?” The woman nodded once. “From where…?”

She sighed heavily, her posture dipping for a moment. “You don’t remember? Well, then again, I suppose it was a pretty long time, but…” The woman pinned up her long, flowing hair with her fist for a moment, giving me enough time to fixate on her face.

Wait… No, it can’t be! “R-Rose…?” The woman nodded a few times.

“Yeah, it’s me. Surprised?”

I took a step back, swallowing dry air. Words couldn’t form in my mouth anymore—she shocked me to the core. “Y-you’re…”

“Alive?” she asked with a toothy grin. “Don’t worry, I was surprised to be alive as well. You see, after your little raid everyone died except me.”

“What…?” I tried to make sense of the situation in my head, but everything kept coming up blank. “I mean we…so…you know. They couldn’t get you where we were.”

Rose nodded slowly. “That’s right. And when I say ‘everyone’ I mean everyone. Even my brother. Trevor.”

I sighed deeply, remembering the night a little more clearly. I could see Rose in the moonlight, lost in bliss as my brothers slaughtered the unlucky bloodsuckers at the base. A part of me always held fondness for Rose despite her alliance, but the conflicting feelings made my fist curl up into a tightly wound ball.

“I… I’m sorry, Rose…” I looked away from her, feeling unworthy to look into her blue eyes.

“You don’t have to be. You’re not the one who drove a stake through his heart.” Rose crossed her arms, leaning on the doorframe.

“Drove a… Wait… Jack never did that.” Thinking back to the vampire hunts, Jack was the one who led the attack, but he never got his hands dirty. The one most notorious on our team for killing the vampires was… Jesse.

“What are you talking about?”

My mind racing and heart pounding I hastily asked, “Rose, who did you ask killed your brother?”

“I…I can’t really remember what his name was…” She looked off to the side, lost in thought as she tried to remember.

I took a deep breath and then asked, “Was his name Jesse, by chance?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped in the air. “That was his name! Jesse. Why do you ask?”

“I… I don’t know how to tell you this Rose, but Jack wasn’t the one to kill your brother…”

“What are you talking about, Ross?” she asked with a confused look on her face.

“Jack never actually killed any of the vampires. The guy you probably want is Jesse. He’s the one who went crazy with the stakes…not Jack.”

The two of us were silent for a little while. Rose was lost in thought and I didn’t know what to say to help. “So,” I started to say, “Are you going to be all right…?”

Rose nodded a few times before saying, “Thank you, Ross.”

Before I could say anything else, she started closing the door. Just as it shut I managed to squeeze in, “I hope everything turns out all right.”

Rose paused for a moment to add, “You know, we could always go for coffee or something if you’d like…”

I shrugged, but smiled. Seeing Rose in the doorway helped me remember why I was here in the first place. The woman that’d been enchanting my life ever since she walked through the door. As much as I liked Rose, there was no denying that I’d moved on. “Nah, I’m all right. But thanks for the offer anyway. Take care, Rose.”

“You too,” she said as the door finally shut, locking as I went down the steps.

I let out a sigh of relief once my apartment came into view. A car in the lot beside it was a familiar face: Isabell. Damn, you’ve got great timing, huh? I wondered as she stepped out of the car. I couldn’t help rushing over to her and wrapping my arms around her. Jack growled at me, but I smiled widely at him.

He took a few steps out of the car and walked over to me only for me to hug him as well. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.

I smiled and said, “Things are fixed now.”

“What?”

“I found out who was sending the threats and, long story short, they’re not going to be an issue anymore.”

“Wow, really?” asked Isabell excitedly.

“Yeah. You can go home!”

Jack smiled, but it faded as Isabell turned to me and said, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind staying with you…”

“Really?”

Isabell glanced over at Jack, and then pressed her lips to mine, making him claw at his clothes while I closed my eyes to deepen the kiss. 

THE END

HIGHLAND RESCUE

The rain fell softly on my face. It helped me forget about all of the black cloth that had recently passed by. The tree above me released the raindrops that had been contained in its leaves. It was as though the tree was crying with me.

Merely days had passed since my father was killed by the beast. Brother was in such a hurry to bury him into the ground after his death so that he could become king. The ceremony would be held later today to introduce the new king of Darden. I had no intentions of being there. I would remain by my father’s side until my body became one with the ground above him. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so alone.

Mother had died the day I entered the world. Brother always told me it was my fault that she was gone. I killed her. He never let me forget that. Father was my only ally in life. Now he was gone and I was alone.

Many people have told me that I am much like my mother. At my age my mother had dark hair that flowed straight down her back touching her waist. Just as mine does now. I have her emerald eyes and small button nose. Unfortunately for me I was given my father’s ears that always seemed to stick out to the side. He always told me that my strange ears made me a good listener. I wish I could have known my mother. There is so much I wish to have learned from her. Things such as how it felt to kiss a boy for the first time. Or how she knew who to give her love to. There are so many things that only my mother could tell me. Father always did his very best however it is certainly not the same. I love him dearly for trying. He was able to provide me everything I could possibly need.

Three days ago I went with Father into the village to see the townspeople. We brought bread and cheese to pass out to those in need. Father was always giving back everything he had to his people. He was a beloved king and things would never be the same without him. The people praised him and he made sure to call everyone by their first name. I already knew that Brother would be nothing like that. He had darkness inside of him, a burning greed. He enjoyed making others feel small while he stomped around like a giant.

When we knocked on the door of Mr. Toil Germaine’s small shack he greeted us nervously. Just like he would do every time, father shook Mr. Germaine’s hand and offered him some bread. Mr. Germaine asked us inside for a cup of warm milk, father accepted. After entering his home, a wild beast pounced at us from across the room. It looked like a monster with razor teeth and black bristly fur. First he attacked Father and I screamed. Mr. Germaine kept chanting, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! My king, please forgive me! What was a starving man to do?”

Father fell to the ground and the animal escaped. The next thing I remember was waking up in my bed back at the castle. I awoke in a panic. Then I realized it must have all been a bad dream.

“Mira!” I heard our nurse Hazel stirring beside me. “Oh, my sweet girl. What trouble you have seen!” She placed a cold cloth upon my brow.

“Thank you Hazel. You may leave.” Brother called out from across the room.

I watched as Hazel started toward the door. She bowed her head as she walked past Brother. “My king.” She replied. It hadn’t been a dream. Tears began flowing down my cheeks.

Brother pulled up a chair to my bedside. “Hello Sister.” He stated with a bite in his voice. “I see you have done it again.”

Puzzled, I responded in between sobs, “What have I done again?”

“You have killed another one of our parents. Well done.” He said in a poisonous tone. “Death truly surrounds you sister.” I began to cry even harder. I felt a pain in my heart that could only be described as emptiness.

“Brother!” I pleaded. The sound of my voice scared me. It sounded hollow and desperate. “There was this black beast, it came out of nowhere!”

“Don’t bother wasting your words, I will not listen. I have already arranged your punishment. You got away with killing our mother, the queen. I will not let you get away with killing our father as well.”

At this point I wanted to fall into myself and leave this world. I had no one.

“I have arranged your wedding to Kit Bataran. It will take place after I am sworn in as king.” Brother stood up and looked down at me in the bed. “You are a disgrace to our family and I will not see you again. Consider yourself forever banished from Darden.” And just like that he stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him. I jumped at the sound.

Kit Bataran was the eldest son of King Laurence Bataran of Soundsforth. For my entire life I had been told stories about the Bataran’s. Brother had always told me horrors of what terrible people they were. I didn’t know enough about him and I was in no way interested in being married to him, or anyone for that matter. Darden had been my home for the past eighteen years. I wasn’t ready to leave. I stayed in my bed for days until my tears dried up, only getting up to say my goodbyes to father.

The funeral felt short for someone who had led such a significant life. The entire town showed up to pay their respects to the fallen King Erroll Nord. The only townsfolk who wasn’t there was Toil Germaine. The way he continued to mutter his apologies caused me to believe that he had planned the attack on my father. Something didn’t fit properly. My heart burned with hatred for that man. He let this happen, I know it.

The tree shook again and more raindrops fell upon my face. It was quiet, I was the only person remaining at the burial site. The rest of the town was at the castle for the royal crowning of their new king, Montgomery Nord.

I looked down at my hands and placed them gently on my lap to smooth out my black cloak. When I noticed the white lace of my wedding gown peeking out around my ankles, I scrambled to tuck it in. Brother had insisted I wear it under my cloak to the funeral seeing as I was to be married hours later.

When I was sure that Brother’s crowning ceremony was over I picked myself up off of the ground and blew father a kiss. “Father, I miss you in my heart and I will never forget you. I promise to keep your soul alive.” I placed a single white rose upon his headstone and pulled myself away. The wind picked up and howled against my back pushing me up the hill. Forcing me not to turn back.

The ceremony was small which I was completely grateful for. It was held just outside of Darden in the hills of Soundsforth. The only people attending were King Laurence and his queen Elmire. Brother showed up for the appearance to ensure that I was following through with my punishment. He left shortly after the ceremony began. It was quite strange for a royal wedding to be so small but my heart screamed out in joy.

Kit was quite handsome in his royal cloak. He had a very kind but concerned face. The way his hair curled and framed his face softened his appearance. He stood six foot five inches towering a foot above my petit frame. He clasped my hand in his which I found quite bizarre considering the circumstances. This man was a complete stranger to me.

The ceremony droned on and I only half listened. I paid close attention to cross my fingers behind my back as I recited my marital vows to Kit Bataran. The only vow I took today was to myself. I vowed to keep my heart guarded. I may be forced to marry this man but I would never love him. Everyone I have ever loved has been taken from me. It was better this way.

“You may now kiss the princess.”

Kit smiled at my coyly, nervously. Gently, he placed one hand along my cheek and bowed his head down placing his warm lips carefully on mine. This was my first kiss, all of the blood in my body rushed up into my cheeks. I hoped I was doing this right. I felt his other hand brush the small of my back and against my hand which was still fingers-crossed behind my back. Embarrassed, I pulled my hands together. Then it ended just as quickly as it had started.

“I promise I am going to love you.” Kit whispered in the kindest voice. I felt my stomach flutter and my mind began to fog.

Snap out of it Mira, guard your heart.

As a family, we walked toward the royal carriage where the guards and horses were awaiting us. King Laurence and Queen Elmire lead the way while Kit and I followed closely behind. Just as he had before, Kit clasped my hand in his.

Once we reached the carriage and the king and queen had entered, Kit asked to talk to me on the side. I felt a wave of nerves come over me but politely agreed.

“Mira, my lady.” He cleared his throat. He was so handsome. “I just wanted to personally express my condolences on the loss of your father. King Erroll was a great man. We thought very highly of him even in Soundsforth. I understand that it has been an excruciatingly difficult day for you and I will respect your space. Please, if there is anything myself or the kingdom of Soundsforth can do for you, do not hesitate to ask. We are you home now.”

I couldn’t help myself, I threw my arms around his neck and burst into tears. His kindness burned right through me and I so badly needed someone to care for me. Reminding myself to keep my heart guarded, I pulled away carefully from his embrace. “Thank you my prince. We can go home now.” The words tasted funny in my mouth. I had never referred to anywhere but Darden as ‘home.’ Now here I was, headed in the wrong direction and already calling it home.

When we arrived in Soundsforth hours later, the townsfolk were there to greet us. They cheered as we entered the gates. Everyone was trying to get a glimpse of Soundsforth’s newest princess. I cowered into Kit not wanting to be seen. My mind continued to soar back to Darden. I wondered what they were doing and if anyone missed me. I knew I was certainly missing them. Head forward and heart hidden, I trudged onward into my new life as Princess Mira Bataran of Soundsforth.

Kit was extremely accommodating when we arrived at the castle. The handmaids had already prepared a separate room to help me adjust. A wave of relief washed over me as I realized I was not expected to share a bed with a complete stranger. They helped me undress and change into something other than my funeral cloak and frilly wedding dress. After bathing I sat on the edge of my bed and peered out of the window. The moon was full and the stars bright. I hoped that father was up there looking into this window right now. I hope he could see how brave I was being. I hope he knew I missed him.

Breaking my trance, I heard a quiet tap on the door. “Who is it?” I choked out.

“Mira,” I heard in a small voice “it’s me, Kit. May I please come in?”

My heart immediately began to pound and my hands started to sweat. All of the nerves in my body were on guard and prickling me. I couldn’t say no, could I? “Kit. Yes, you may come in.”

Quietly he pushed into the door being sure not to make a sound when closing it behind himself. Exaggeratedly he tip-toed his way across the room and sat across from me on the edge of the bed. We sat there in silence for quite a while simply staring into each other’s eyes. His were round and the color of azure. The light from the moon bounced off of his brilliant eyes and they sparkled as they looked into mine. “I was telling the truth when I promised I would love you.” He managed to break our silence.

I smiled shyly but said nothing in return.

“Mira, we are going to have a beautiful life together but only when you are ready. I will be here when you need me and until then I am granting you space and comfort.” He stood and stepped over to face me. With one hand on either side of me he bent in close. “I promise I am going to love you.” He repeated and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before leaving the room.

My mind was spinning when I heard the door click closed. So badly my heart was crying out to follow him but my mind continued to intervene. Mira, guard your heart. If I was to fall in love with him, something terrible would happen to him. As loud as my mind was screaming over the cries of my heart, it wasn’t loud enough.

In the dark I fumbled my way across the hall in search of Kit’s room. At this point I was sure he had to have been asleep as it had been hours since he had visited me. When I finally reached his room, I could still see the flicker of candle light around the edges of his closed door. I inhaled deeply before rapping on the door. Not even a second had passed and I turned to go back, he had to have been asleep.

Suddenly, the door propped open. “Mira?” I heard Kit’s whispers. “Mira, is that you out there?”

My feet took off running toward him and I barreled into him arms. Frantically I sobbed and told him all about how alone I felt. “Father was my best friend. He was the only person who loved me just as much as I loved him. Brother had never been kind to me, he almost seemed relieved to hear that Father was gone.” I spilled my entire story about how I killed my mother when I was born to helplessly watching my father get attacked by a savage animal. It felt all too easy to fall into his arms and to confess it all. I didn’t hold back and he sat there and listened. The entire time stroking my hair and kissing my cheeks.

I had never felt comfort like this. I have never felt this kind of safety with anyone. He held me tightly and let me cry into his chest. Eventually I felt as though I had no more reason to cry. Everything that had been bottling up inside of me for so long had been released. I no longer felt as though I needed bigger shoulders now that I knew the release of honesty and finding someone who cared.

“Kit,” I looked up at him “I think I promise to love you too.” I could feel my heart racing in my chest. It was pounding so hard it must have thrown its guard down because before I knew it I was kissing him and all of the pain had stopped.

He held my face in his hands and kissed me with so much passion I could feel it in my toes. I pulled him close to me and ran my hands down his back. His breath on my neck felt electric and I could barely it. One by one, I unbuttoned his shirt eager to feel the warm skin beneath it. His chest was strong I could see each muscle tense as he picked me up and carried me across the room. This was paradise.

Carefully he laid me down across the bed and continued kissing me. My mind felt intoxicated and my heart was jarred with lust. So badly I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I started grabbing for my nightgown and he slowed himself down.

“Mira, if you’re not ready I can wait.” He gently kissed my forehead.

“I’m ready.” I was so ready to love this man I could hardly stand it. I stood up and slipped out of my nightgown. In the middle of the room I stood, vulnerable. The light of the night sky cascaded alongside of my body casting a mysterious silhouette on the wall. I stepped forward toward Kit. He was laying on his side on the bed, propped up by his elbow. His eyes scanned me as I moved forward. With one arm he reached out and wrapped it around my small waist. Tenderly he kissed my breasts stirring so many emotions and desires in my heart.

I laid myself against Kit. My skin thrilled under the influence of his. With each touch I pulled myself closer to him. We moved into each other and my breath fell heavy. Every nerve in my body ached with desire. All of the past seemed to melt away and he was the only thing contained in my consciousness.

Together we reached the top and I collapsed beside him. Resting my head on his chest I followed his breath and listened to his heart throb. Every feeling in my body was so alien but yet so freeing. We lay there in a close embrace for what felt like hours sharing playful kisses and laughing. Just as I began to fall into sleep I heard Kit’s soft voice “Mira, I promise to love you.” We fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

The sun beamed through the window blinding me. I could feel Kit stirring beside me. I immediately felt as though I should panic and run back to my room but this was my husband. This was the man I was to share my life with so who was to care that I had spent the night with him. The thought reassured me and I reached over to kiss him.

Once we had dressed and prepared for the day ahead, we made our way into the dining hall for our breakfast with the king and the queen. Laurence and Elmire greeted us with the warmest hugs.

“It brings great joy to see our Kit so happy, Mira. We have dreamt of Kit’s wedding day since he was a young boy. Always so easy and carefree. As his mother, I know he will dedicate his being to making you happy.” Elmire reached up to brush her son’s cheek. “To see him marry such a bright young lady makes me a very proud mother. Mira, if you are anything like your father, Soundsforth with be lucky to have the two of you ruling it someday.”

“That just about sums up everything I wanted to say.” Laurence chuckled. “My queen is never shy of words. Welcome to our family princess Mira!” he cheered. “Now let us eat.”

During breakfast I learned so much about the Bataran family. Each king thus far had lived a long prosperous life. The townsfolk were always considered family and were welcome at the castle any time. Their values reminded me so much of father’s. It seemed that everything Brother had told me had been complete deception. My heart fired at the thought of him.

I wondered how Darden was doing under the rein of their new King Montgomery. I hoped he kept father’s spirit alive and spread as much love as King Erroll had. Deep down, I dreaded it very much. My heart feared for the people of Darden.

In the weeks that followed I was able to explore Soundsforth with Kit by my side. He introduced me to the street merchants and school children. One by one he knocked on the doors as women did their washing to introduce his bride. With each passing day I felt more like a princess than I ever had. Kit showed me off as though I was a trophy, I was something he was proud of and if felt astonishing. He treated me kindly and always ensured I was taken care of.

Truly, we were the happiest pair. There wasn’t a day that Kit wasn’t beaming with joy. I thought I could never see him happier until the day that my bed nurse announced to him that I was pregnant. He screamed with pride and twirled me into the air. “We are going to have a child!” he proclaimed. “Mira, my beautiful lady. You are going to have my child. I promise to love you always.” He wrapped his arms around me lovingly. “Thank you nurse!”

The news of our pregnancy rolled through Soundsforth faster than I could have ever imagined. The entire town buzzed with excitement for the new baby prince or princess. I hadn’t realized just how far it had spread until one morning I received a letter from my brother. It read:

My dearest sister,

News has reached Darden that you are with child. I presume congratulations are in order. It pains me to hear such news through the chattering of Darden townsfolk. I am your brother and I wish to hear such news from the direct source. Be sure to write me if anything noteworthy should happen. I care to be the first to know.

I have spent the past month cleaning up the mess that Father has left behind. I know you believe that Father was a great king but he was absolutely wretched. His carelessness and gaiety has caused me much grief since I have been appointed King.

There is something very important that you need to be aware of. As I expect this letter to be monitored by Soundsforth authorities I will simply say this: Follow his strides by the light of the new moon. A new man you will find.

Dare not say that I did not tell you. Sister, you have been warned.

Signed,

King Montgomery Nord

My heart sank and confusion set in. What was he talking about ‘a new man you will find?’ For days I read over his letter in private trying to understand the meaning. Surely he couldn’t be talking about Kit? I spent every night in Kit’s arms. With the new moon approaching I became wearier. What kind of warning was brother sending me?

On the night of the new moon I lay still in our bed however could not contain any rest as my mind was racing. Just as I started to fall into sleep, I felt Kit stirring beside me. He got to his feet and quietly left the room.

At this point I could hear my heart in my ears. I waited until his footsteps disappeared down the hall. Without hesitation I sprung up out of bed and changed into my clothes. Without any light, I stumbled my way down the corridor. Kit was nowhere within sight or sound. He must have left the castle.

I made my way to the back gates where no one would see me escape into the night. From the light of the moon I could see Kit’s silhouette in the far off distance. I made sure to stay back so that he could not hear or see me. He seemed to be headed in a specific direction, straight to the tree line.

The forests in Soundsforth were nothing like they were in Darden. They were heavy and dark. You could hear the moaning of the souls that had been trapped in the trees unlike Darden where birds whispered in your ear and the trees sang into the breeze. He was headed deeper and deeper into the forest. With each step forward I could feel the baby kicking me. Maybe it was a sign that I needed to stop and go back. I needed to know where he was going.

Brother and I had never really seen eye to eye. Maybe this was his way of reaching out to me to show me that he still cared. Even with that thought, I was terrified for what I might find when I caught up with Kit. The darkest part of night was falling and the baby kicked harder than ever before inside of me.

Just when I was ready to turn around, the trees parted into a clearing. I remained at the edge of the trees so that Kit wouldn’t see me. I searched the clearing but he was nowhere in sight. As I turned to leave I heard a branch snap just a few feet away from me. I froze, it was Kit.

He was staring into the darkness with the moon directly at his back. Then something strange started happening. The wind stopped. The night fell completely still. Kit’s body began to shake, slowly at first but became exaggeratedly more vicious with each passing moment. Something seemed to be possessing his body. I couldn’t hide anymore and watch him. I screamed out but quickly covered my mouth with both of my hands.

Before me stood a dark creature. At about seven feet tall and completely covered in thick bristly hair. Its silhouette resembled that of a starved bear. Its breath was heavy and eyes hollow as he turned in my direction. My body was frozen with fear. Kit had changed into a beast in front of my eyes. My brain couldn’t process what had happened. This was the beast that had killed my father. The beast that had killed King Erroll Nord and had sent my life spiraling. Kit had killed my father.

The beast took a stepped toward me, slowly. “Stay away from me you animal!” I cried out. The baby thrashed around, something was wrong. As fast as they could my feet took me running through the woods. I held my stomach trying to calm down the baby, it was too soon. When I reached the castle, I turned back and Kit was nowhere in sight. I ran straight to the barn and jumped on the tallest, fastest horse, Midnight. Without a thought I dug my heels into his hips and sent him in the direction of Darden. I needed to tell Brother that I knew who had killed Father.

“Midnight, faster!” I hollered. We raced through the night onward to Darden. There were still a few hours remaining until we would reach our destination. The baby didn’t seem happy as it twisted and turned. I tried talking to it to help it calm down. “Baby, it’s alright. I have gotten you away from that man, that beast. We will be safe in Darden you just hang in there. They will all love you there.” I cried out in pain.

Night was beginning to break and I could see a glimpse of dawn on the horizon. Midnight had slowed to a fluid canter and I had somehow managed to settle the baby. I could still feel its squirms but I was no longer in dire pain. Morning was beginning to show it’s face when I arrived at the outer limits of Darden. I knew I was trespassing but this matter was far too urgent. When I arrived I would plead for Brother’s forgiveness and offer to complete my punishment as a servant.

I could see the small huts and shacks of the town nearing. At this point in the morning there should have been more people swarming the town but from what I could see at this distance it was desolate. Where were the merchants selling their international goods? The baker should be at the market selling his sourdough and sweets as the people made their way to work at the mills. There was no one around.

Slowly Midnight and I walked through the narrow paths of town. I could see Miss Caleigh Clarne picking through the rubble down the path. “Miss Clarne! Caleigh!” I called out.

Her gazed darted in my direction. Her face used to be plump and pink with a dazzling smile constantly plastered across it. Today her face was sunken and grey, her thin lips creased into a frown. She looked frightened and defeated. “Mira?” she asked in a broken voice. “Princess Mira, is that truly you?” weakly she smiled in my direction.

I dismounted Midnight and ran to hug her. “Oh, Caleigh it is such a pleasure to see your familiar face!” I held her close. “Do you know where my brother is? I need to see him immediately. I have discovered something quite horrid.”

At this mention Caleigh pulled away from me. “He is a horrible man Mira. He will be of no help to you.”

This confused me. What was she speaking of? “Caleigh I do not understand.”

“Mira, look at me. King Montgomery has starved all of the townsfolk out of their homes. Many took to the forest to thrive and forage. Anyone who stayed has since taken ill or gone into hiding. Very few of us remain Mira. He has taken Darden for himself. You need to stop him!” her frail hands gripped my shoulders sending pain down my arms.

“Caleigh, you’re hurting me.” I tried to break free from her grasp. She only tightened her grip.

“Mira. Help us!”

When I was able to free myself, I mounted Midnight and headed for the castle. Everything I saw tonight confused me and weighed on my heart. At the entrance of the castle the guards seemed relieved when they saw me approaching.

“Princess Mira, you have returned!” the guard greeted. “However you should not be here, it is no longer safe here you must turn back.”

“Mr. Lane I must see my brother. There is something I need to tell him!” I pleaded. What was happening in Darden?

“If you must Mira but please tell King Montgomery you snuck in the back. He will have my head if he finds out.”

I reached out and gave him a generous hug. “You have my word.”

The corridors were dimly lit and there were large cobwebs draped in every corner. I took the steps one at a time and tried to conjure the words that I would tell Brother. How was I to tell him that the man he married me off to had caused our father’s death? There was no way he would believe me.

Reaching the top of the stairs I heard laughter behind the door to my right. My bedroom. It must be Brother! I eased the door open and peaked around the corner. There stood Toil Germaine, his back to the door. He was dancing about with jewelry draped from his neck to his feet. His laughter echoed through the room. Without warning a sharp pain shot through my stomach and I shrieked in pain. This was an interesting way of announcing my presence. Toil spun around with a look of alarm plastered across his mug.

“Why are you here?” I managed to muster together in between jabs of pain. The baby was coming. “Where is my brother?”

Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He stammered about in search of a response.

“Do you know who killed my father? I know you do.” His look of fear fell blank. I grabbed the door frame for support. “Why didn’t you warn Brother before he shipped me off to that dreadful kingdom to live with a beast?”

This seemed to catch him by surprise. His surprise quickly changed to panic as a voice sounded behind me. “Tell her everything you know.” It was Kit, not the beast but the real Kit. He scooped me up and laid me on the bed. Without taking his eyes off me he continued to speak to Toil. “You know something and I am not letting you leave this room until you have told us everything.”

“You tell it, Kit. You are the reason Father is dead!” I screamed, swatting at him to leave me alone.

Kit rested his hand on my head and brushed my hair out of my eyes. Leaning in he whispered “I know what you saw Mira but it wasn’t me who killed your father. I may have kept this secret from you but I would never harm anyone. Especially not King Erroll Nord.” He kissed my forehead and turned his speech back to Toil who was now cowering in the corner. “Mr. Germaine. I will ask you one more time politely. What do you know about the attack on King Erroll?”

“I was starving, what was I to do?” he cried. “He made me do it. He made me!”

“Who made you do what?” Kit questioned. The baby was well on the way now. I cried softly, scared I was about to join Mother and Father too soon.

Toil squirmed uncomfortably in the corner at this question. “He promised me safety and riches.”

Kit knew I was in trouble so he instructed Toil not to move. Kit ran down the corridor in search of a bed nurse. When they returned, I could feel the baby fighting its way into the world. Grabbing Toil by the arm, the two men left the room. Only myself and the nurse remained. I was so scared and confused. I couldn’t stop crying. Pain enveloped my entire being.

“You need to push, Mira.” The nurse instructed.

I couldn’t push. I needed to know what was going on. Did Kit kill my father? Who was Toil babbling about? The baby couldn’t come now, not like this.

“Mira, push!” The time that followed has escaped my mind. It felt as though just like that, my baby boy entered the world. The nurse took him to a wash basin to clean him up. She swaddled him tightly into a cloth and placed him into my arms.

I cried with happiness for this small child. Tucking him closely under my arms he settled in asleep. As exhausted as I was and as badly as I didn’t want to leave my son minutes after his birth I handed him to the nurse. “Something terrible is happening and I need to help.” I propped myself up and swung my legs of the edge of the bed.

“Mira please, rest. You have been through so much I need you to lay down.” The nurses pleaded with me.

I shot her a look and she seemed to understand. She nodded and stepped to the side. Just as I reached the door, it swung open. Toil in tears and Kit looking tortured. “What is happening?” I begged to know the truth. Kit’s eyed searched the room for the baby, his child. “It’s a son.” I smiled. He swung down and hugged me hard. “Please Kit, I need to know.”

As badly as Kit wanted to embrace his new son, he understood that I needed answers and something had to be done. “Nurse, guard my son with your life. You will be rewarded for your efforts.” He grabbed my hand and we exited the room. “We need to find King Montgomery immediately.”

His eyes were so stern it frightened me. “Why do we need to find my brother? Who did this Kit?”

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. When he seemed to calm himself he turned to me. “I need to explain what you saw earlier in the forest.” My heart picked up pace, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear this. “My family was cursed one hundred generations ago. One of my ancestors wished our kings to die a death of old age and not warfare. He was granted his wish at a cost. The cost of beauty. Every time the new moon surfaces, our bodies are transformed into a bear-like creature.” His eyes searched mine to see if I was following. “Mira, we are shape shifters. You need to understand that after so many generations of shape shifting we have evolved and can control our actions when we take our forms.”

“So it was you that killed my father?” A tear traced silently down my cheek.

“No Mira, I promise you it was not.” He wiped the tear away with his thumb. “After speaking to Toil Germaine I have discovered that your brother too has been granted a wish. He wished to be king. His cost the same as mine. Now with each new moon he has turned into a beast only he had no boundaries. When he came to the realization of his capabilities he quickly plotted his actions to become king. Toil was an easy target. He was feeble and greedy. King Montgomery knew that if he offered riches that the petty man would agree to anything.”

I could not believe what I was hearing.

“Since he knew King Erroll would make his rounds through the town and would never say no to a personal invitation into a townsfolk’s home, he formed his plan. Toil was to ask the King inside and he would then complete the task. Knowing that the Bataran family were bear shifters he married you off to me. He figured you would eventually see my true colors and point the blame on me. Which he was close to achieving tonight.”

Tears poured from my eyes. I shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss Miss Caliegh Clarne. She had warned me of my brother’s wrongdoings. Brother had truly unraveled Darden and taken it for himself. Kit wrapped his arms around me and held me close. He understood that this was not easy information to process. “We have to find him.”

“Sir!” We heard the nurse’s voice call out from the bedroom. “Mr. Toil Germaine has escaped. He said he is going to find the king to tell advise him of your presence. You must leave immediately!”

Kit disappeared down the corridor toward the nurse and our newborn son. “Did he say anything else?”

Her expression fell and she appeared suddenly scared. “He told me that the king is going to do something terrible once he finds out.” Her voice faded.

I felt ill. What would he possibly do? “Did Mr. Germaine have any mention about what the king may do?”

The nurse’s eyes remained glued to the floor, she clenched her hands tightly in front of her. “He said he was to seek revenge against you for exploiting him, Prince Kit.”

Kit snatched our son out of her arms and grabbed my hand. We were running down the corridor toward the exit. “Kit, where are we going?” I cried out.

His face was stern. I had never seen such a look of terror, it frightened me. Our son slept soundly in Kit’s arms as we collected Midnight and began our journey back to Soundsforth. I watched behind me as the remains of Darden faded into the horizon. It may have been the last glimpse of my home I would ever see.

I could tell we were approaching Soundsforth from the trees in the distance. They stood tall and heavy. Despite the wind their branches held strong. At this point Kit had yet to say a word. “What do you think Brother has done?” I asked in a small voice.

“I believe he is trying to break my family’s rein. I believe he is trying to eliminate my father, the king, through warfare.” I could feel a bite in his words. He was truly terrified.

“What exactly does that mean?” I tried to sound brave.

“There is no way to know. Never has a Bataran, a king of Soundsforth, been murdered since our curse was set. What I am afraid of is the power King Montgomery possesses. He has not yet learned how to contain his shifting. His actions will be unjustified and blood will spill at his hand.”

There was nothing I could say. The remainder of the journey we rode in silence. I held our son close to my chest and watched him as he slept.

Soundsforth was quiet. We approached the castle not knowing what we may discover. Kit ran ahead in search of his mother and father. I saw him halt dead in his tracks. Peering around I could see his mother laying across the floor, her body trembled. She was sobbing.

“Mother!” Kit lunged forward and scooped her up into his arms. “Mother are you alright?” She continued to cry into his chest.

“My boy. It’s your father, they have taken him. He has been murdered and his body has been stolen.” She let out a scream.

“What happened?” I cried out to her.

“A shifter that I have never seen before forced his way into the castle. The guards shouted out to warn us but you know your father. He always wishes the best for all beings. Your father tried to speak to him to find out his name. The creature would not listen. As he approached us we knew it was not one of us, it was not a Bataran. Then it pounced on top of him until his body fell limp.” She ducked her face into Kit’s arm, shuddering as she relived the moment.

“Mira.” Kit stood and looked directly into my eyes. “Stay here with Mother.” He pushed past me and headed straight for the doors. I knew exactly what he was about to do. I feared for my Brother and Darden.

The entire kingdom was outraged at the sudden loss of King Laurence Bataran. The entire town was stirring as the news spread to the men, women, and children. Something had to be done and they looked to their new King Kit Bataran for guidance. His decision for action had already been made.

Kit had decided that his only option was to avenge his father and mine by hunting down the shifter, my brother. All of the men in Soundsforth gathered their horses and set out to find this beast. Kit knew exactly where he would find King Montgomery. They galloped through the thick forest toward the clearing where I had found Kit the night before.

Through the dark clouds, the moon fought to show its blue face. I watched out the window beside Elmire, our hands clasped together. It took everything I had to remain strong for this woman who had just lost her husband. Every so often she would rise out of her chair and pace the lengths of the room. The baby seemed to keep her mind calm. Every time he would make a sound she would immediately tend to his need.

“He looks so much like his father.” She would repeat over and over again. “He will be a great king someday. Has he a name yet?”

Through all of the madness that engulfed this day I hadn’t thought to give my son a name. The choice was clear. “His name is Erroll.” I replied. “He is named after my father who was the greatest king I have ever known.” I smiled down at that helplessly small child but couldn’t help but worry for my husband and my brother as the day grew darker.

Thoughts continued to spin through my mind. Why would Brother want to kill Father? I always knew that Brother wanted so badly to be king but I never expected him to take such extreme actions to achieve it. Flashes of the angry beast attacking my father played in my head. My fears shifted back to my husband leading the townsmen toward such danger.

When they had reached the clearing the men saw King Laurence’s body propped up against a tree stump. Motionless. One man, unable to contain his outrage, tore through the clearing with a baton above his head charging into the night. Out of nowhere, the creature pounced through the darkness killing the man in one motion. This caused many of the men to step back closer to the tree-line.

Kit’s mind raced as he attempted to conjure up a plan. So far he had only been seeing red and marched forward. Now that he was here, in front of the beast, he needed a plan. He decided to use his voice.

“King Montgomery Nord.” There was silence and the beast took a step toward Kit. “I am Kit Bataran of Soundsforth. You are trespassing on our land. Please, return to your kingdom. We mean you no harm.” Kit took a step toward the creature. “Haven’t you already gotten what you wanted? You are a king are you not?” The two stepped even closer together. “Why must you take our king away from us? He could have taught you so much, he was a great king.”

The beast hissed and spat in Kit’s direction. “You do not know what a great king is!” he laughed a sickening laugh.

“I may not know what it takes to be as great as King Laurence Bataran or King Erroll Nord, this is true. What I do know is that killing kings is not the best starting strategy.” At that the beast launched himself at Kit with his jagged teeth glaring in the darkness. Kit expected this reaction and managed to shift himself just in time and knocked Brother against a tree. He held him there with extreme force. “We could have been brothers, King Montgomery. But now it seems as though you will never even meet your nephew.” with a quick swipe, the beast fell to the forest floor. His breathing labored and eventually seized.

The townsmen gathered themselves and headed back to the town to share the news that the beast had been eliminated. They made sure to bring back the body of their fallen king for a proper royal burial. Before they reached the town, they heard a rustling in the bushes. Out came Mr. Toil Germaine, trembling and begging for forgiveness.

“I’m so sorry but what is a starving man to do?” He pleaded.

“Mr. Germaine?” Kit began. He walked over to the bush and placed his hand over Toil’s shoulder “What a pleasure to see you again.” He taunted.

Toil’s body shook in fear that he would be executed for high treason. “P-Please sir. I mean, King Kit. I will do anything you desire of me, just please do not kill me.”

Kit thought to himself what pleasure it would bring to him and the people of Soundsforth to eliminate the man who plotted with King Montgomery to kill two great men. He decided that it would bring him much more pleasure to see Mr. Toil Germaine carry out his days slaving away as a servant to all of the townspeople. So that is what he did.

When King Kit Bataran returned to the castle, I felt a wave of relief wash over my entire being. I didn’t care to know what had happened in the forest. All that mattered in this exact moment was that my husband, the king, was home safe. He reached over and placed his strong hand against my cheek, pulling me in for a kiss. When he let go he said, “I promise to love you.”

The baby cooed in the corner awaking in his father’s presence. Kit smiled over to me before gently picking him up. “Say hello to Erroll.” I told him.

“My son. Prince Erroll Bataran.” He pulled me closer with baby Erroll in his arms and I breathed them in. These were the two men in my life that I would do anything to protect. For them my heart raised its guard, to protect the radiating love inside of me.

THE END

TWIN ALIEN

Chapter 1

“I can’t believe that I’m left holding the bag and my sister has decided to wash her hands of the entire ordeal. Louise can be a bit of a handful, but at least I always knew that she had my back. I guess I didn’t know much about her relationship with our father. They apparently never saw eye to eye on anything, especially her mixed marriage with Thomas.” This was not the highlight of Vanessa’s week and their father had not been in the grave more than two months. She knew that this would be something that she would have to contend with eventually, but she really did think that her sister Louise would be standing right by her side.

“I’m sorry, Vanessa, but this is something that you’re going to have to deal with on your own and I just can’t stand being in that house any longer than necessary. I think it’s a good idea that we get rid of it, as soon as possible. You can even have the profits from it. I want nothing to do with it and having him out of my life has given me a sense of freedom that I’ve never had before.” Vanessa could hear the relief in her sister’s voice and she had a momentary attack of the conscience. If their relationship was that bad, then she had no choice, but to allow her sister to walk away cleanly.

“Its okay, Louise and I’ll do what I can to make this easy on you. I’m sorry that I didn’t know about the rift between you and father. I guess I had blinders on this entire time.” Vanessa was twirling her hair around on her finger and now she was biting into the strands. It was a nervous habit that she picked up from her mother. Her dark hair was the perfect contrast to her sisters blond locks. You wouldn’t even know that they were sisters, except for the slight resemblance in their faces. They had their own attitude, their own way of thinking about things and the only thing they really did have in common was a stubborn streak.

This was something that they inherited from their father, a scientist that was discredited by the community for his belief that aliens were among them. He had several pieces of documented proof, but each time that he tried to claim something in the scientific community, they would find a way to make it look like he was out of his mind. Vanessa believed in her heart that her father was grasping at straws and there were times that they had knockdown drag out fights about where his career was going.

“I know that this is not what you want to hear, Vanessa, but this is the way that it has to be. You don’t know the hell I went through caring for him, when you were off with your own life.”

Vanessa really didn’t think that she had a life and there were moments that she thought that she was just going through the motions. Her job was not something that she wanted to do for the rest of her life and her true passion was in taking photos. Unfortunately, photographers was one of those professions that were a dime a dozen.

“If only she knew that my life has not been the rosy picture that she has made it out to be. Ever since father’s death, I’ve been struggling to find my own way in the world. I want to tell my bosses that I’ve decided to move on, but without anything permanent, I feel like I’m stunted and not able to move forward.” She felt bad for trying to put her sister into a position that would find her uncomfortable. This whole thing with their father was something that came out of left field. They didn’t even know that he was sick and to find him face down in his oatmeal was a bit shocking to say the least.

“Louise, I believe that a lot of his stuff will be put out into the trash or sent to goodwill. You know his god awful suits and each time he wore one, he was proud to be one of the only ones that stood out from the rest of the crowd. I think that was one of the main problems. They just didn’t know how to take him seriously in a lime green suit.” Vanessa had never been much of the caregiver and growing up, her main problem was trying to emulate some of her heroes. Andy Warhol and Annie Liebowitz were her main inspirations to try to find that perfect picture that would make everybody stand up.

She had her cell phone in your hand, as she smoothed down her blue leather skirt and then looked at her reflection in the door of her dearly departed father’s house. The wood was chipping and if she was so inclined, she could call some handyman and do some necessary renovations to get a better price on the market.

“I’m sorry, but I really do have to go, Vanessa. Let me know how you make out.” Vanessa knew in the back of her mind that her sister really didn’t care one way or the other. It was a little disconcerting to see that their relationship had turned to only seeing each other on holidays and special occasions. Without mother and father to referee, them being in the same room could only lend to backbiting and harsh words.

“I hope she knows what she’s asking me to do. I’ve been very emotional ever since my father died. I can’t go more than a day without seeing something that reminds me of him. Now that I was back in the family homestead, I could see all of these memories flooding back. To me, he was my hero and even though he was ridiculed for his beliefs, he still managed to eke out a living doing lectures around the globe.”

She was about to say something, but Louise hung up and left her standing there with only the dial tone. Vanessa placed the key into the lock and listened to the telltale click of the mechanism falling into place. She opened the door and was immediately accosted with the smell of cigars. There were no windows open and she quite hastily went around to air out the place. This was the first time that she had the courage to walk into the place. Just being there at the doorway was enough to bring back a vivid image of him standing in the kitchen when she was three years old burning dinner. They had to order takeout and mother wasn’t very happy about finding old pizza boxes when she came back from work.

“This is not going to be easy, but I only have a couple of days off. I’m just going to have to dive in head first. I think the best way to do that is to tackle downstairs in his office.” Vanessa walked downstairs hearing the creaking of the house and looking at the various awards that he had gotten early on in his career. “I’ll always remember you as a friend and somebody that I could rely on to take into my confidence. You often just sat there and listened, never judged and that was worth more to me than you could ever know.”

Vanessa had on her customary brown leather coat with the leather belt tied at the waist. It was vintage and she found that bringing the old back in style was something that she got from her father.

It was a little chilly on this October morning and there was the first frost of the season on the ground. She could actually see a semblance of her breath in the air.

She took a deep breath and opened up the door to his office. At first, she didn’t quite believe what she was seeing. Her father was mostly anal about everything, but his office looked like a cyclone went through it. There was no denying that somebody was interested or at least looking for something that her father had. There was no way that her father would keep things in such disarray.

“Father, I know that this wasn’t your doing, which leads me to believe that somebody has been here without my permission. I did not see any signs of a break in upstairs. There were no windows broken and the door lock didn’t look like it had been played with. That only tells me that either the person knew you quite well, or somebody with a unique skill set was sent in here to retrieve something.”

It was still pretty early in the morning and even when she arrived, there was nobody up at this time. There were no joggers or those that were out walking their dog. It was her wish that nobody was going to interfere in the business at hand.

Looking out the window, she noticed that the lawn had a medley of different colored leaves on the ground. They would need to be cleaned up.

Vanessa sat down at his desk and could feel this presence, like he was standing over her shoulder. He did that, while she was doing her homework. Mother was mostly away on business, but it was soon learned that some of that business was not exactly concerning her job. Her parents’ marriage wasn’t what she thought it was. They divorced when she was 18 and Louise was only 16. Louise opted to stay with their mother and Vanessa, feeling sorry for her father decided to stay with him.

Unfortunately, when their father got a bit of dementia, Vanessa made every effort to be out of town, as much as possible. She begged and pleaded on bended knee to her bosses that she could handle being away from home for days on end. Thankfully, they needed somebody to make some international calls and her volunteering had given them a way out.

Vanessa might have only been 5 foot four, 115 pounds, but she had enough baggage that would make any relationship fold under from the very beginning. She was always judging and measuring those men that came into her life. They didn’t know it, but that measuring stick came in the form of her father. If they couldn’t match up to her expectations, she would show them the door in short order.

For the next 2 hours, she boxed up various pieces of information and labeled them to make sure that she knew exactly where everything was. Vanessa was tempted to call the police, but there didn’t seem to be any need. He was gone and there was nothing that anybody could do to him ever again. He was at peace and there wasn’t much here that was worth anything. Some of it was ramblings and when he started to get dementia, things began to unravel in a hurry.

The office was almost completely empty with only boxes left behind to inform anybody that this was his legacy. Vanessa laid back and looked at the ceiling, when she noticed something sticking out from one of the overhead beams. Standing on the chair, she balanced herself and reached up. Straining every muscle, she felt like her shoulder was going to give out, when she finally grasped onto this blue sphere.

At first, she thought it might be some kind of stone or maybe even a shell that was found on a beach somewhere. She never did take her father to be the outdoorsy type. Looking at the blue sphere in her hand, she weighed it and handled it very carefully. There seemed to be some sort of heat emanating from within.

“I remember something in one of these files that mentioned a blue sphere. I thought it was just another one of his mental breakdowns. If I recall, I believe he said that this was some sort of device to contact a civilization known as Tu’Fallian. Wouldn’t it be something if I could actually visit another world? I could bring back photographs and become a sensation overnight. There would be no stopping how far I could go. I only wish that something like that could happen.” The blue sphere began to glow and then there was some kind of voice coming from within. It was garbled and didn’t sound human. It stopped, as soon as it began. She placed the sphere on the table and walked away from it, having no idea what kind of Pandora’s Box she opened.

Chapter 2

Vanessa was getting tired and after the second day of going through everything in her father’s house, she had just about had it. Charity had picked up most of the furniture and even his suits. She did notice that they looked at her kinda funny when they saw the multicolored designs that her father liked to wear to shock the masses. He always said that you could get a person’s attention with more than just your words. It was a credo that she lived by even today. She had a sense of whimsy and she always wore something that would be the talk of the office.

“I think that just about does it, Ms. Lasky.” It sounded, so weird for somebody to call her miss. It seemed only yesterday that she was running down to the convenience store for an ice pop in the middle of summer. It would always drip on her clothes and leave a sticky mess. “I’ll just give you this receipt and then we’ll be on our way. Is there anything that you want us to do about the boxes in the office? I noticed that when I was down there picking up the desk that there were several things that would be a little too heavy for somebody like you.”

“He looks at me like I’m a frail fragile doll, but he doesn’t know that I work out constantly. I probably have better upper body strength than even he does. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, considering that he is kind of muscle-bound.” Vanessa wanted to reach out and touch him, but she knew that it would probably be frowned upon. Besides, she wasn’t looking for any satisfaction. She could get that at any dive bar in the middle of the night…not that she was ever that desperate. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I can handle it.” She saw him shrug his shoulders and then he walked down the stairs to the white panel truck.

The next half hour, she heaved those boxes up from the office basement. It wasn’t easy, but she prided herself on being freakishly strong when it came to moving things. As she was reaching for the last box, she heard something of a whine and at first she thought it was some kind of dog caught in a trap somewhere.

She had a glance outside the curtain, raising herself up, so that she could see through the small window. There was a layer of dust and she wiped it with a Kleenex, but there was nothing out there, but the vast lawn that still needed to be mowed. She didn’t consider herself to be all that handy, but being single had made it necessary for her to learn some of the things that were more in the line of a man doing them. She learned how to put in electrical wire, not to mention do her own plumbing and fix her own car when necessary. She was a renaissance kind of girl.

She had the last box in her hands, when she walked up the stairs to come face to face with two specimens of men that really didn’t look real. It wasn’t that they were just standing there, but they were standing there completely naked. They were looking at each other and then at her and she wasn’t sure if she should scream or bow down to worship at their feet.

“I’m afraid that you’re too late and my father’s clothes have already been taken to goodwill.” This was her idea of teasing them, but she couldn’t stop staring at something else of interest. “Seriously, I don’t think that you’re in the right house. Perhaps you should be a few blocks south at the sanitarium.” One of them tried to open their mouth, but nothing came out for a moment.

“I could call the cops, but something tells me that they’re no threat. I don’t know how I can say that, considering they are standing in front of me in their birthday suits. I could at least offer to get them something to wear. I just don’t know what I have. There might be something that was left over that I didn’t grab when they were here to pick up his clothes.”

“My name is… Marcos and this is my Brother Michael. We came here to talk to Robert. He sent us a message and we really didn’t think that he would abide by the deal. We thought that we were going to have to come here and use force to get what we wanted. We were really close to doing just that.” Vanessa thought that they might be colleagues, but unless they were nudists, it did not explain the way that they had greeted her.

“I’m afraid that you’ve been misinformed. My father has been dead for the past two months.” Both Michael and Marcos’ exchanged glances. They appeared to be telepathically linked and they were able to communicate without saying any words. One of them was having a hard time trying to voice the human language. His tongue was completely tied and he was now allowing his brother Marcos to speak for the both of them. “I would’ve thought that you would’ve known, but maybe you were in some isolated part of the world.” Vanessa could not stop staring at their bodies and wondering what it would be like to take one for a test drive.

“I’m sorry to hear about your loss, but the agreement still stands. This may be a little hard to believe, but we come from a place that is far away from here. Your father and the two of us came to an agreement that benefited all of us greatly. In exchange for us providing him with medicine, he agreed that…” Before he could say anything, the other brother had touched him on the shoulder briefly.

“I don’t know what kind of agreement you have with my father, but I don’t think you’re going to find it here.” Vanessa was inching her hand into her purse that contained a taser that would give them a shocking development. “I do have to get going and I have a meeting in less than an hour.” She had placated them enough and how they weren’t noticed coming up to the house completely nude was beyond her. It was 6:00 PM and that meant that people were home from school and work. If they were all inside, then surely, somebody saw them walking by their window and would call the cops.

“My brother and I are aliens from a world called Tu’fallian. You must have accidentally initiated contact with the blue sphere. We understand that this was not intentional, but it came at the most opportune time. We’re going to give you a rare gift and something that not a lot of humans have been able to experience for themselves. We would like to take you to our home world and show you colors and landscapes that would make any photographer’s dream come true.”

“I see and you should tell this to your doctor’s. I would suggest that you go back to where you came from and talk to them about this. I’m sure that they will be understanding and will most likely give you medication to keep you from hurting yourself and others.” She didn’t mean to talk down to them, but she felt like it was necessary to keep her words calm and soothing in the face of those that had lost their mind. “I may have been wrong about them not being a threat. If they try any sudden moves, I’ll have to act.”

“I understand that this is hard for you to take, but we really don’t have time to debate this issue. The window for going back to our planet is closing rapidly. Let me show you that we are on the level. You just need to let me touch your forehead with my finger. That way I can use a technique that hasn’t been used in millennia. We are still capable of doing it, but it causes us immense pain. To be honest, it has been banned and to use it only shows you how important this is.”

Vanessa backed away, but she did not go more than a couple of feet. Marcos came forward and she felt his finger just grazing her forehead. There was something sticky on the end of his finger and he was now drawing some sort of symbol on her forehead.

When he was done, he pressed the pad of his thumb in the very center of the symbol. His brother was touching his hand. They were now closing their eyes.

The transmission had only lasted a mere couple of seconds, but both young Tu’fallian men looked drained to the point that they could not even stand without assistance. They collapsed under their own weight. They fell down on to their knees and were looking up at the woman that they had come to retrieve.

For Vanessa, she felt like she was on some sort of drug. The images were, so quick, but she was able to see that this was definitely of alien origin. She even saw the meeting that they had with her father. It was fleeting, but that memory was now with her, even though it was part of a jumbled mess that had just short circuited the neurons in her brain.

She stumbled backwards and held onto whatever she could find. Thankfully, there was one lone chair left behind. She fell against it, moved your fingers along the wood grain and then sat down with her two hands over her face. She’d never felt anything like this in her life. She didn’t even know that there was any kind of technology that was out there today that could do anything even close to this.

“I don’t know what I just saw, but it couldn’t be real. All I know is that I want to see more.” The brothers looked like they were fish out of the water, clawing at the wood floor and trying their very best to get back on their feet.

Vanessa could barely move and she felt like her limbs were holding her down. It was not the ideal way to find out that there was alien life out there. She often wanted her father to be right and right now, she was getting that proof in a way that was a little overwhelming. It was mostly a flash, but there were moments that she was able to grab onto more. The rest got lost in translation.

Marcos was the first one to stand, but he needed to hold onto the banister of the stairs. Vanessa saw him very slowly move up the stairs. She wanted to scream, but there was no voice. She wanted to run, but she could not use her legs. She felt tingling and at least that gave her hope that she would not be paralyzed for life.

She had no idea how long it had been, but then Marcos came downstairs with a heavy foot. He was wearing an old pair of blue jeans and a white muscle top that stretched over his gigantic chest. He had in his hands a pair of black pants and another white tee shirt. He put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and Michael turned and looked up. He took the clothing and he dressed, but he fell back down several times.

“I’m afraid that we’re going to need your decision. We’ve just showed you proof of alien life. If you want to know more, bring your camera with you and we’ll make you into a star on our planet. We do not have this thing called photography. You’ll be the first to break into that scene. Unfortunately, our spaceship is crossing over your hemisphere and will only be here for the next minute. After that, we will be pulled out of your atmosphere and back to our ship on our way back home.”

I thought that they might have lost their minds, but maybe I have. Right now, I could be sitting in some sanitarium, rocking back and forth in the fetal position and mumbling all sorts of nonsense. Do I even dare think about doing this?”

“We have less than 30 seconds.”

“This is crazy and I don’t even have any luggage.” She looked at them and still couldn’t believe that this was happening. It was all, so fast and there was a sense of urgency that made it impossible to weigh the pros and cons.

She did notice that the brothers were almost identical, except for one was a little thicker around the middle and they both have scars, but over opposite eyes. Their dark hair was almost shaved to a stubble and they were over 6 feet tall, 200 plus pounds and that was all muscle. She’d seen that with her own eyes and it was not a sight that she would forget easily.

“You don’t need luggage and whatever you require, I’m sure that we can make allowances for. 10 seconds.”

She looked around the house. She had made a decisions and she turned and gave a nod of approval. She didn’t even realize what she was doing, until it was too late to take it back.

There was a flash of light, so brilliant that it was burning through her cornea. She was blinded and couldn’t see a thing and then she materialized in this sterile cold silver walled room that looked barren.

She saw Michael, one with the scar over his left eye move quickly to open up the console. “Brother that was a close one. We barely got on board and now the ship is taking us back to our planet. We should arrive in less than 5 hours.”

“Our ship has been programmed with artificial intelligence to move through your atmosphere and any obstacles without delay. There are too many asteroids between your planet and ours for Marcos and I to manually move the ship around each and every one of them. This way, we’re relatively sure that the artificial intelligence will take care of it.”

She heard what they were saying and their voices were identical with this monotone feel that would’ve been right at home on the radio. Vanessa looked around and everything was fuzzy like she just woken up from a three day bender with one of her friends. She couldn’t concentrate and her entire body was awash with electrical current that hit her from the moment that she came on board. Her head was pounding and then everything began to spin. She couldn’t stop it and she did not fear for her safety. She should have, but she really did feel like she was in good hands.

Chapter 3

She awoke with a start, smelling lilacs or something fragrant in the air. She was lying in a field completely surrounded with different color flowers that were not indigenous to her own planet. She had minored in botany and none of these plants had any semblance of anything that she had seen in her studies. She looked up at the sun, but it was not the kind of sun that she would have normally seen. There was a green tinge within the orange.

“I thought for a moment that we lost you, until I remembered that the human brain isn’t accustomed to immediate travel. Being transported to our ship was very taxing on your system and your body decided to shut down. It was its defense mechanism and your father was exactly the same way. Michael and I forgot that and we apologize profusely for our shortsightedness.” She could not see where the voice was coming from. She turned once again felt breathless in their presence. They were wearing what look like ceremonial robes. She looked down to see that she was also dressed in the same way.

“That was a trip and a half.” It reminded her of when she had woken up after an accidental dose of LSD. Her mouth was dry, her vision wasn’t exactly 20/20, but she knew that that was only temporary. “I’m trying to justify in my own mind why I came here.” Vanessa stood up and looked around. It looked remarkably similar to what she would see on her own planet. The big differences were that the blades of grass seem to change color with each step that she made towards it.

She grabbed for her camera and she took shot after shot, completely immersing herself into the alien environment. She loved the contrast of colors and the way they seem to dance in her peripheral vision. She wanted to stay there and investigate further, but then she noticed that the brothers were not exactly smiling.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, Vanessa, but our intentions were not entirely pure. We brought you here for our mating season. You’re to copulate with the both of us and then decide which one you’re going to take as a husband.”

“Marcos thinks that he has to speak for me, but that’s only when I was on your planet. Here, we have universal translators, not unlike something that you would see in one of your science fiction movies. We understand that we may have tricked you, but it was necessary. We could’ve taken you by force, but that wouldn’t have shown us in a good light. Marcos saw the camera sticking out of your bag and it brought to mind the conversation that we had with your father. Even when you were young, you were impetuous and too curious for your own good. You liked to pretend that you had your own gallery and the stories that we heard about you wanting to be a photographer stuck with us. It was the last communication we had with Robert when you were only 10 years old.”

“Oh, you think that bringing me here under false pretenses was better than telling me the truth. I think that I want to go home now.” “I should have realized it was too good to be true. Being famous blinded me to the reality of the situation. This is an alien race and I’m essentially their prisoner.”

“I’m sorry to say that that is not possible. We only go by your planet every 10 or 15 of your years. Everything has to line up in the wormhole is only present during those times. It has since closed itself and there is no way for you to get back to your planet. Marcos and I don’t want you to consider yourself a prisoner. You are our guest.” For what reason, Vanessa felt almost compelled to touch them. The electricity that she had felt on the ship was even more prevalent on the planet. It felt like she could touch it in the air and it seemed to exude from the two brothers.

“I don’t know if I should take your word on this. You could be lying to me and I wouldn’t have any idea. I don’t think you are lying and for some reason I do believe everything you’re telling me.” As she was talking, she noticed that the brothers were not exactly wearing ceremonial robes. It only looked like that on first glance, but on further inspection it was a white top that was open from the neck down to their pectorals. The pants hung off their frame. She had no idea how it was staying on. She had her hand on their chest, feeling the heat of their skin on her fingertips.

“Michael is a bit blunt and he rarely has a filter to figure out what is the right and wrong thing to say. I’m a bit more in tune to a person’s feelings. When we were born, the chemical makeup of our DNA was split down the middle. Where others of our kind have the ability to feel the emotions and be open and honest with their feelings. We are different. I’m the one that is attuned to somebody’s emotions and Michael is the one that is able to use his analytical mind. Together, we can be a force to be reckoned with, but apart we’re weaker and our enemies know that. It’s the reason why we have to complete the mating cycle before the next two full moons.” Having sex should have been repulsive to Vanessa, but instead there was more of a curiosity.

“Your anatomy seems familiar. There’s obviously differences in the way you feel and smell, but for the most part you look like a human male. Then again, if all of our humans on earth looked like you, then nothing would ever get done. Women would be falling on their knees to have sex at a moment’s notice. Add to the fact that you seem to make me want to have sex, even if it wasn’t something that I was thinking about. What exactly was this arrangement that you had with my father?”

Michael was the first one to field this question “Your father was ill for some time and even though we could not cure him, we could prolong his life. We gave him a medicine and in exchange, he would give us his first born daughter. We thought for sure that he was calling, so that we could collect what was rightfully ours. It’s better that you came willingly and it makes the joining easier.

“So how exactly does this work? I’ll just have sex with one of you and then after I’m done with that one, I turn my attention to the other one?” “I looked at the both of them and I can’t decide which one I want more. I have this need to be filled and each of them has the equipment that makes my eyes go wide with surprise. They are quite endowed. I see them looking at each other and know that there is something that they want to tell me.”

“I’m afraid that’s not exactly how this is done. It would be, if we were only from one embryo. In our case, you need to mate with the both of us at the same time. I know that this comes, as a bit of surprise. Right now those of our kind are now searching out suitable mates to bring to this world. It’s been well known for some time that earth is ripe with young women that can take our intense need for sex. We made sure to inject our DNA into your father. He then transferred that to you by giving your mother the gift of life.” Marcos didn’t know how lucky they were. Others of their kind were still searching and feeling the overwhelming desire to mate was causing them to react destructively.

She moved her hand down over the material that they were wearing. It was softer than anything that she’d ever felt before. The flowing dress that she was wearing was made of the same material. It appeared that this material was plentiful on this planet. “I’m not usually one to take two men to bed at the same time. This will be a first, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

They both took one hand each and they led her towards an isolated blue dome in the distance. They shimmered right through to the other side. They now stood and admired her body like the work of art that it was.

“I don’t know if you know this about human females, but we like to take matters into our own hands. If you don’t mind, I would greatly appreciate that you allow me to undress you myself.” Both brothers looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders to indicate that they didn’t mind in the very least. “I just want to take my time and enjoy this for as long as I can.” She’d never felt like her body was on fire and no man had given her the kind of butterflies that were now swimming around in her stomach. “I just want to tell you that you both look delicious. I would say that there’s more than a meal here for any queen.”

Vanessa made them lift their arms and exposed their chests to her hungry stare. She tossed the garments to the side, before reaching for their pants. It was some kind of elastic at the waist and once pulled on; it became loose and fell from their waist with ease. Once again, she was accosted with two wonderful pieces of elongated meat. She stared at them for some time, burning the image into her mind, before grabbing onto both of them at the base.

“Michael may not want me to tell you this, but we are both virgins. We’ve never been with a woman and this is our first cycle when it comes to the Tu’fal mating season. We come of age and every year we have to find another. That was of course before we moved our search from off the planet. Those that have come back with human wives stay with them, until the end.”

They were now completely naked and Vanessa was still clothed and taking this moment to survey her new lovers in their undressed state. There was no hair and even their crotches were bald. She was manhandling the family jewels and their balls were smooth to the touch. They felt different than humans, but not by much. There was a clear fluid spilling from over the top and she easily spread the liquid down over the both of them. It was weird being courted by two, but the energy that she had felt before was getting stronger with each breath that they took.

“I’ve never been considered the most adventurous when it came to being in the bedroom. I always thought that one on one was the best way, but now I see that two is a whole lot better than one. I don’t know how I’m going to concentrate with both of them standing here at my mercy.” Before she even had a chance to react, they both reached out at the same time and tore that dress off of her. There was nothing left, except strands that hung to her naked body in defiance of their animal ways.

“Forgive me and Michael; we are just following our instincts. We think as one and we act as one.” That was very much proven by the way that they were now moving their hands over the swell of her breasts. She had a nice mouthful and they found out for themselves, as one each consumed a nipple. Both boys were now sucking gently, but also with enough force to pull her little buds away from her chest.

“Wow, I don’t know how to put into words what that feels like. I’ve had a man do that before, but not two at the same time. It ignites a fever pitch between my legs.” She never stopped pulling at their hard cocks or marveling at how thick and demanding they were. “I don’t know how quite to tell you this…Ah… Oh my god…YESSSSSS.” She didn’t have to say anything, because her body was now showing them in no uncertain terms that they were playing her like a fiddle.

Her orgasm took her by surprise and it felt like somebody had grabbed her around the throat and squeezed, until she started to pass out. They were right there to hold her up and they circled her like she was some kind of prey to be devoured.

“Michael and I are very blessed that your father agreed to this. We didn’t have to seek out our mates like others of our kind. We just had to wait for the right time. It just so happened that the wormhole was present a year after we started to feel that need to find someone. We’ve been fighting that urge, that intensity that has become like an old friend. There were nights that we couldn’t even sleep and we didn’t dare use our own hands to stimulate ourselves. It would ruin the moment of being with a woman.” Vanessa wasn’t really listening and her mind was concentrating on the way that their fingers were now insinuating themselves into her nasty little hole.

They were working in unison and being identical twins had given them a unique way to communicate.

“Marcos and I are the only ones of our kind that can talk to each other without saying words. It’s one of the gifts that we were given when our abilities were split in between us. Nobody knows, but our parents and they have long since passed away. We don’t want to be considered freaks, so we keep that part of ourselves private.” Their fingers were deep inside her and her tight little lips were holding them and making them wonder what it would be like to slip inside something with that kind of glove like fit. The oily residue on their fingers was hot. They took them out and offered it up to her, which she eagerly accepted with a hunger that could be seen in her eyes.

She had been fighting the urge to do something physical with these boys from the moment that they entered into her life. She could not fight it any longer and she dropped to her knees with her hands still holding the both of them. She dragged them together, so that their cocks were now slip sliding back and forth along each other. She kissed the both of the heads, leaving behind her lipstick and the mark of a woman that had taken them for her own.

She began with Marcos, or maybe it was Michael. She really couldn’t tell them apart, except for the scars over their eyes. Their cocks were exactly the same, 9 inches of hardened steel between their legs. There was no denying that these guys were ready and willing to take whatever she had to offer them. She stuck out her tongue and saw their cocks were oozing more of that clear liquid. It was a little different than a human male. It felt like she was in the presence of some kind of drug that she wasn’t going to be able to get off of. She didn’t want to and she felt that these guys were more man than any guy that she’d ever been with.

She’d always been afraid of commitment, but with Marcos and Michael, it was different somehow. She felt more connected to them than her own family. She licked at both of their cocks and she moved them, so that they were side to side. She had no idea that she was going to be able to accomplish this with the both of them at the same time. It was going to take some amazing talent on her part and it was not like she had done it before.

“I don’t know if I can do this, but I’m damn well going to give it my best effort. I’ve always been the good girl and maybe it’s time that I let the bad girl come out and play. She’s been cooped up in there long enough and I no longer have to contend with just fantasies, when the reality is so much sweeter.

This was the moment of truth and she opened up her mouth and stretched to accommodate the spongy knobs. She didn’t think that she was going to be able to do it, but then finally both of those cocks were in her mouth. It was all that she could do and there was no way that she was gonna be able to take anything more of them. She thought it was a great feat that she had done that and she looked up to see both boys smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

There was still fabric from where they had ripped it off her body still tickling her flesh. It actually felt nice and an added bonus to the stimulation of both of their cocks now slipping easily in and out of her mouth. It may be just the heads, but it was more than enough to elicit more of the creamy essence of the man.

“Oh my god, Michael. I can’t believe that this is the way it’s supposed to feel. I’m glad that we waited for the cycle of our mating season. If we hadn’t, I don’t think that I would ever want to be without it. Then our peers would look down on us and we wouldn’t be seen as a true Tu’fallian male. Oh my, what did you just do?” Vanessa looked up and saw that Marcos was not completely unaware of the fact that he had just slipped into her throat for a moment of complete bliss. That rippling sensation was a little bit more than he could take. He began to shoot ropes of his discharge into her mouth. For her part, she pulled back to savor that taste and let it linger on her tongue, until she had no choice, but to swallow.

She was still stroking Michael and when she was done with Marcos, she brought that same sweet torture over to him.

Vanessa consumed the entire thing and didn’t stop, until there was nothing left but his swinging balls. He got carried away and started to fuck her face, holding her steady and using her lips for his own pleasure.

“Oh yeah, you know how to take it.” He was breathing heavy and his mind was awash with the pleasure of her mouth working him over into a lather. Michael was now leaking all over the place. It was like his entire body was telling him something and he didn’t know how to react.

“You’ve got it…oh my god do you have it.” If the first time was good, then the second load was just about as explosive in volume and intensity. She had trouble trying to keep up with it. Both brothers tasted almost the same and there was very little difference between one or the other.

“Before you go any further, the brothers Ellian would like to bring forth a Kapal. I think you both know what that means. If you intend to mate with this human woman, you’re going to have to go through us first.” Vanessa saw that there were three slightly similar in build young men looking at her like she was theirs. They were actually drooling and it made her cringe.

Chapter 4

“I thought I felt somebody watching us, Michael and I guess we should have known that it would be the Ellian Brothers. They’re always trying something like this.”

“I’m the elder of the brothers and I ask for first right.” Vanessa could only stare and wonder how this was going to play out. She felt like she had this bond with Michael and Marcos. There was something sinister and she did not like the way that the Ellian brothers were looking at her like she was property. “Which one of you is going to go first? If by miracle, you get past me, then you’ll have to contend with Josiah and Amel. They may not be the fighters that I am, but at the very least I will slow you down. At the most, I’ll win and have that girl.”

“She has a name and it’s Vanessa. She is nobody’s property and she came here under her own free will. Michael and I will not allow you to make something dirty that was pure.” It was Marcos that had decided to step up for the brother’s cause. “Akin, it’s your decision if we do this the old way or the new way.”

“I think that the old ways are the right way. I’ve come prepared.” From behind his back, he produced a curved blade with what looked like stains of blood along the steel shaft. “I’ve used this several times in battle and I have never washed it, because it is stained with my victory over others.”

“I have my own blade that was passed down to us by our father.” Nobody was to interfere and now they circled each other to see if there were any weaknesses in their posture or fighting stance. The clanging of metal was the only thing that could be heard, as they took this dance of death to a different level.

The blade swung cleanly across the top of Marcos’s head. It did not connect, but it did give him a shorter hair cut than he already had. He used that opening to strike out and pierce into the shoulder of Akin. He did not scream, but he did grit his teeth and show remarkable resilience with the extreme pain that was now radiating down his arm.

Vanessa wanted to stop this, but she didn’t feel it was her place to go against an entire planet’s belief system. “I just hope that the brothers win and they don’t get injured during this insanity I instantly liked them and I can see why my father did.” She watched as they battled back and forth, and it was not lost on her that Akin was losing steam, because of lack of blood.

Akin made one last ditch effort, by stabbing forward and nicking the cheek of Marcos.

Marcos stabbed out and made direct contact with the same wound that Akin already had. With that, he backed out of the circle holding his shoulder that was barely hanging together.

“I don’t know if you know what’s going on here, Vanessa. Basically, they fight until two strikes of a blade is hit in the exact same spot. It’s either that or they kill with one shot. Marcos is trying his best not to get that kind of blood on his hands. He continues with Josiah and then Amel.” Vanessa and Michael watched, as Marcos used his strengths, as he balanced one decision over the other. It wasn’t long before Josiah was stepping out of the circle with two strikes of the blade to his left thigh. He could barely walk and he would need several months of recuperation.

There was determination in Amel’s eyes. He was bigger than his two brothers and he used that to his advantage. He attacked fast and with precision, not allowing Marcos to see it coming. The impact landed him on top of Marcos. He bought the blade over his head and struck down, only to be deflected by Marcos and his blade. When this happened, Amel found his anger growing. He struck faster, but Marcos was able to move his head in time. Marcos kicked him in the stomach and sent him back onto his feet.

“I’m warning you Amel and if you continue this, then I will have no choice, but to cripple you. It’s the only way to send a message to the others that they should never go against me and my brother. One of you will have to take that message back with you and apparently it’s going to be you.”

Vanessa could see that Amel was losing focus and that his anger was blinding him to a decisive victory. She’d already seen the Marcos had a weakness in that he favored his left side, more than he did on his right. If Amel were thinking straight, he might’ve been able to see that for himself. Marcos was using psychology to mess with Amel’s mind.

“I was going to hurt you, Marcos, but now I’m going to kill you.” Amel came forward and being overanxious, he found himself stumbling right into the blade of Marcos. It slid into the spot on their body that housed most of their internal organs. The blood loss was significant and even though there was the scent of death in the air, the other brothers could not interfere. Black thick ooze was coming out from Amel’s mouth and then he made one last final strike with his last breath.

With that final swipe, he did finally pierced the skin of Marcos, but not deeply enough to do much damage. Amel died on the floor and the Ellian brothers knew that they could not seek vengeance on this day. They would have to wait, until the eclipse of the moons of Tu’fallian. They grabbed their brother and carried him out of there with a trail of black blood following in his wake.

“I can see the look in Marcos’s eyes. He’s going to have to carry that death with him and I can see that this is not something that he is accustomed to. I need to show him that I don’t see him any differently.”

Vanessa went to Marcos and put her hands around his chest, only to feel his fingers now touching hers. “I didn’t mean to kill him and that was never my intention. I just wanted to make him hobble back to the others. I always knew that I would have to fight for the honor of family, but I never knew what kind of price I had to pay.”

She turned him to face her and then he got the shock of his life by a kiss that took him quite by surprise. It did not erase what he did, but it did make him concentrate on something else entirely.

“I believe that we can think of something else besides an accidental death. Besides, I think that you know that it was just an accident. I know that might sound like cold comfort, but you didn’t do it out of malice or forethought.” Even during the fight, their manhoods did not diminish more than an inch or so. It was possible that seeing them naked had distracted the Ellian brothers.

“Vanessa is right; brother and you only did what they forced you to do. They didn’t have to come here, but they were desperate and now they are the ones that are going to be shunned by our society.” Michael was behind Vanessa and he was squeezing her ass and pulling the cheeks apart to see those petals split apart. She was already wet and she felt his finger move down the slit and into her again.

“I know that the both of you are trying to make me feel better, but it’s going to take a little while for me to digest the fact that I killed somebody with my own blade.

“I’ve killed before, Marcos and I prayed that you would never feel that kinda weight on your shoulders. It’s not something that somebody can describe to you. It’s the feeling of knowing that a life was gone and you were responsible. I can only tell you that it will get better and that feeling of guilt will turn into a dull ache. You just need to constantly remind yourself that you were doing it for the honor of family.” They were now lifting Vanessa, so that her legs were wrapped around Marcos’s waist.

His staff drove into her with one long persistent stroke. She’d just settled down and was holding her breath, when she felt Michael begin to press forward beside his brother. “I really don’t think I’ll be able to do that.”

“Vanessa, you just need you to relax and then everything will fall into place. You may not think so, but you’d be surprised at what the human body is capable of. Being in this environment, it allows your body to adjust.”

Vanessa tried to stay still, but it was virtually impossible with two cocks trying to rip her apart. Her self lubricating walls were paving the way. She thought that it was an impossibility, but then her eyes went wide. She had no choice and she bit into the shoulder of Marcos.

“I can see why nobody has been able to say with some definitive explanation what this feels like. You don’t know, until you are in a position to feel it yourself. You’re right, Marcos, Vanessa is more than I could ever hope for. She’s tight, wet and so damn hot that she’s most likely going to leave a permanent burn along my shaft.”

Vanessa could do nothing, but hang there in the air with both of these guys penetrating her. They did not move and when they finally did, it was like they were taking her on a roller-coaster ride. She bounced up and down and he actually found herself throwing her hands in the air like she would if she was on a roller-coaster.

“I’m fucking cumming… I’ve never felt like this…before… YESSSSS.” They easily held her up and she began to squirt like a fire hose all over their members. It was too good to last, but that moment was more than she could ever imagine. It was like a wet dream come true and the harsh reality of knowing that she would always be here was now finally sinking in. She thought that she was going to miss earth, but then she realized she had everything here that she was looking for.

She did not have to worry about working and she had multiple canvases that she could draw inspiration from for her photographer.

“If I thought that she was tight before, then I definitely didn’t see anything yet. That’s absolutely amazing. I hope that you’re feeling the same thing as me, Michael.”

They held her there and used her body for their own personal pleasures, while at the same time knowing that this would make them a family. It was almost like they all came to the same conclusion. Vanessa would not be able to pick one over the other and for the first time in Tu’fallian history, the brothers would make a precedent of having one woman between them. There was no law against it, although they would most likely be looked upon as different. It’s not like they didn’t know what that felt like, because being twins was an abomination in the eyes of those that saw them every day.

“I’m cumming again.” Vanessa began to tremble and soon she was shaking with such force that they thought for sure that they were hurting her. That was not the case and she was now feeling an intense pleasure that almost kept her from feeling the two boys getting off themselves.

“I think I’m going to…

“I’m right with you, Michael…

“AHHHHHHHH.” That one long moan was a combination of both brothers’ voices at the same time. They let loose with the cream that was filling their balls. Each one of them had an overabundance stored up and they had no problem giving her their injection of love.

Vanessa felt it deep inside her and she knew instinctively that she would soon have their baby. She would want for nothing and her baby would be loved by parents that were of mixed species.

They lowered her to the ground and then they stumbled back and lay there on the cold floor looking at the ceiling. She lay down in between them and suddenly the ceiling was gone and in its place was a medley of stars. She grabbed for her camera and at first she took pictures of the expressions on the boys’ faces. Then she turned her attention towards the sky above. This was exactly where she wanted to be and her only regret was that she didn’t get a chance to tell her sister goodbye. It was her price to pay for staying here. She was at home in both of their arms and had no intention of leaving paradise.

THE END

ALIEN DEEP DESIRE

Chapter 1

“I don’t know what to tell you, Cassie. There just isn’t any funding for this kind of research. If you had something to back up your hypothesis, then maybe I might be able to make a stand for you with the committee.” Benjamin Hampton was telling his prize investment that the gravy train was ending. Cassie had always been a headache from the moment that she came to work for him. She was always demanding. She was the cause of his premature gray and how his wife didn’t want to touch him anymore. He was going to have to bite the bullet and use some Grecian formula to get back that lovin’ feeling.

“I can’t believe this. I’ve wasted 10 years of my life bending over backwards to please you people. I’ve given you nothing but my best. I ask for one little favor in return and I get shot down. You know that this is the answer that the human race is looking for. It could even be a problem solving measure for those worlds that on the cusp of losing everything that they hold dear.” “I want to slap him, but I know that he’s only doing what the committee has mandated. It’s not his fault and why I’m castrating the messenger is beyond me.” Cassie was the dictionary meaning of the word intellect. She had no interest in showing off her curves to anyone.

The world was vastly different from the one that they both remembered growing up. The first sighting of that alien vessel that had the secrets that would advance their technology had come in the year 2018. At first, they thought that is was a form of subterfuge to lull them into a false sense of security.

The aliens proved to be friendly and willing to share the wealth of their knowledge in return for a welcoming new world. They looked exactly like humans, but their eyes would change color with whatever mood they were in at the time. Green usually meant that they were satisfied and red was something to be avoided at all costs. There was one that they were even afraid of and they called him the conqueror.

“I might be able to set you up with a meeting with those that might be interested in your research. I wouldn’t hold your breath, but it is the only option on the table. I do see some real potential in your research, but you have yet to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. It goes a long way when you can give them something tangible to hold onto. This is the era of convenience and everything has to be right now.” He saw the reflection of his face and the wrinkles. He was most likely going to have to go under some procedure. He had heard of a cream that the aliens had just put on the market, but it would cost a pretty penny to get his hands on.

Cassie was a bit of a hothead, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at her 5’3 frame and 135 pound body. She didn’t exude any sort of attraction to the opposite sex. She avoided relationships and commitments like they were the plague. Being inexperienced at 25 was a little uncommon, but it wasn’t like she was advertising it.

Cassie pulled her lab coat tightly across her chest to hide the fact that she was endowed more than others. It wasn’t hard to see that Benjamin might’ve been married, but he wasn’t dead. “I don’t see how I have any other choice. If I don’t find some way to get the funding, then my mother is going to step in and I just know that means wedding bells in my future. She thinks that I would even consider a blind date down the aisle. I can’t say that his picture doesn’t make me curious, but I would have hoped by now that she knew that I would not bow to her insistence. Set me up a meeting with some think tank or group of Angel investors. I will have to get this company to sign over an affidavit saying that I can outsource my expertise.” “I never thought that I would have to go down this road. If I didn’t think that I was onto some kind of major breakthrough, then I probably wouldn’t even bother. I can feel it in my fingertips and the only thing that’s missing is the required funds and the best equipment to make it happen.”

“There is one that has been looking high and low for something to sink his teeth into. Nobody really wants anything to do with him and they have good reason. It’s a known fact that he can be belligerent and the world leaders are still trying to figure him out.” He wasn’t sure what she was going to say to this proposal, but it didn’t hurt to throw it out there and see if something stuck. “Jorgen has been seeking a scientist and maybe he will take you on with me vouching for you. I could reach out to those of his people and see if he’s willing to at least discuss the matter.”

It was the year 2025 and her recollection of Jorgen went back to when she was in middle school. “That man is a tyrant. I don’t even know if I could even stand to be around him.” “I have to do something and desperate times call for desperate measures. My mother can’t be trusted. She probably already has the wedding cake designed and the ring practically on my finger. The only way that I can get her off my back is to show her that I can think for myself. I don’t need a man to hold me down and make me feel subjugated. Cassie was peering at the results of her latest scan and noticed a couple of anomalies that this equipment was not capable of finding the answers.

“You say the word and I will make sure that you at least get a sit down meeting with Jorgen. They say that he’s going to be in the area sometime in the next couple of days. He usually likes to do it under the down low, as to not to attract too much attention from government authorities. It still amazes me that they leave him alone to conquer other worlds on the pretense that he doesn’t touch this one.” Benjamin was exuberant about the possibility that he could kill two birds with one stone. He couldn’t stand to be around Cassie any longer than necessary. He wanted to pawn off his headache onto a man that needed to be taken down off his pedestal.

“My father would be rolling around in his grave if he were around to see me stoop to this level of groveling. He always said that if research was important enough that somebody would back it. I can only hope that I’m not some kind of disappointment to him. It hurts me to think that my mother was right all along. She claimed that I would never make it on my own and I’ve been struggling to prove her wrong every single day of my life.” Cassie was strong minded and would not knuckle down against the pressure of her mother’s constant verbal abuse. “There’s only one person that can get underneath my skin and that’s my mother. One look in my direction and I feel like I am five years old clutching onto her pant leg as she lambastes into one of the staff. She will always have that ability to strike fear into the heart of many including myself.”

“If it was up to me, I would gladly give you the funding, but everybody is tightening their belts. A lot of that money that was earmarked for research has gone to the government to make weapons of mass destruction. They want to be ready in case of the possibility of an Armageddon. There has been no sign that Jorgen or anybody else has designs on bringing this world to its knees. We actually have a settlement on Jupiter and we got the know how from the alien race known as the Sect. They have warned us that Jorgen can’t be trusted, but it remains to be seen that he’s a threat to us.” Benjamin was aghast. In his 50 years on this planet, he had never seen a government bow down in servitude to anyone without facing the consequences.

Jorgen had shown what he was made of by destroying a national landmark. Mount Rushmore had been obliterated and a reminder of his might was a sunken hole.

“I will be damned if my mother gets me underneath her thumb again. Living underneath her roof is the last place that I want to find myself. I would rather live in a cardboard box underneath the rail road panhandling for money.” She could say that, but she was also accustomed to the finer things in life including hot and cold running servants. “I want to believe in my heart that this is not the end and only the beginning. If I can show that this research can be used to give new life to planets that are on the edge of being uninhabitable, then my mother might look at me with a bit more respect.”

“I still don’t know why it’s a big deal. Your mother has always had your best interest at heart. She was the one that was instrumental in getting you this far. It was her name that allowed those doors to come open and it was your gift that allowed them to stay that way. I certainly don’t want to lose you, but I fear that Jorgen will have use for you other than in a temporary basis. It will be a sad day when you leave this place behind.” Benjamin was basically skipping, but he couldn’t show any of that emotion without ruining what could possibly be the answer to his prayers.

“I know that we’ve had our differences, Benjamin. I know that we have butted heads too many times to count, but we always come away with something for our troubles. It was through my diligence and hard work with a staff that didn’t know what the hell they were doing that we were able to make those gravity defying boots. We made it possible by using technology that we extrapolated from the Sect to take away the need for carbon emissions into the ozone layer. There is still need for cars, but only when long distances are required. Otherwise, they move about freely with gravity defying boots.” She walked over to the window overlooking the vast city of New York. She saw the statue of liberty and it brought a tear to her eye to realize what kind of symbol that was. This country did indeed welcome the huddled masses whether it was here or galactic. “I can only hope that I’m doing the right thing and that this isn’t going to hurt me in the long run.”

“I know what kind of success we’ve had and there’s no reason to remind me. I’ve had several sleepless nights. I tossed and turned until my wife had to kick me out of bed and send me down to the couch for the rest of the evening. All this time away from her has strained our relationship to the breaking point. I’m not even sure if the money that I receive in salary is worth all the hassle. I could probably retire tomorrow and not having to worry about money for the rest of my life. It is something to think about.” Benjamin had wondered what it would be like to have no stress and finding clumps of hair in his shower did not instill confidence. It was only lucky that the Sect had a product that could rejuvenate hair follicles, so that the day of hereditary baldness was behind the human race.

“You deserve to step back and enjoy your hard work. Honestly, I never really liked you and I always thought that you were a kiss ass. I could never play those kinds of politics, but you seem to know your way around like the back of your hand. That has to come from your military upbringing. Your father was a general and your mother was a PR specialist that knew how to sweep things under the rug. It’s a wonder that you didn’t go into one of their professions, but I suppose that makes us kindred spirits. My mother doesn’t understand my need to continually improve the quality of life on this planet.” If I play my cards right, I might be able to improve the quality of life on not only this planet but several others in the galaxy. Our ability to travel from one world to another has given us the idea that most alien races were primarily built from our DNA strands. There are subtle differences like an added digit or long reptile tongue.”

“I appreciate what you have to say. You’ve only begun, Cassie. I know that you have a long and illustrious career ahead of you. Don’t ever give up your principles. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let anybody tear you down. I may not agree with you all the time, but I do admire your stubborn streak. You never let me tell you what to do and I think that you made me a better administrator by holding me to a higher standard.” Benjamin did mean every word, but he still wasn’t going to miss the outbursts of rage and tantrums that had become a daily occurrence.

“I don’t think that anybody else could have handled me. The only one that can make me feel like a docile lamb is my mother. It’s the main reason why I continually put her off about going to Sunday dinner. I’m not an only child and my twin sister Rebecca found herself trapped within my mother’s gravity. I pity the best half of me.”

Chapter 2

Jorgen found that he wasn’t happy unless he had somebody underneath the heel of his boot. He looked at the human race as a minor inconvenience. He had plans for global domination and each world that he conquered became a legacy that he would have to lord over others. He wanted to be seen as a ruler. He knew that the leaders of the humans weren’t equipped to deal with his might. He had promised that he would leave them alone, but he was only amassing his forces. He wanted to be ready. He had heard that the humans could be quite unpredictable when forced into a corner.

He moved his glove along the console and the electronic signature from his brain was now sending those signals from the glove to the computer. He found it to be an expedient form of his time. He looked down and saw the eyes of a beautiful young blond woman staring up at him. He was naked from the waist down and his cock was in the process of blowing quite the load into this young woman’s mouth. He could see the glazed look in her eyes and knew that one taste would have her addicted to his body.

“You have been down there for over an hour. I’ve tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now you’re going to have to give me what I really want. I know that you have tried to avoid it by attempting to make me succumb to your pleasures. I appreciate the effort, but I don’t think that you’re going to be able to accomplish the feat that very few have been fortunate enough to complete. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and I just don’t get the same kind of feeling that I get from fucking the inside of a tight little hole.” Jorgen pulled her by the hair, releasing her grip on his member and he could see the disappointment cross over her features.

“I was hoping to be a part of that elusive club. I guess I’m going to have to contend with you fucking me, until I can’t see straight.” Jamie Collins was a woman that was a computer engineer with her whole life ahead of her. She heard of this elusive club and it became something of an obsession for her. There were others exactly like her clamoring for one shot at giving him the kind of pleasure that would allow his balls to give up that just reward.

“I would be apologetic, but I don’t really know what that means. I find that emotions are a weakness that I don’t share with most other races. I can’t explain it and the only thing that I really get anything from is the pleasures that I get from screwing.” Jorgen held her gaze and his intention was pretty damn clear by the way that he looked to her and then down at his still hard as stone member. It was leaking like a volcano with hot lava rolling down the sides, getting ready to spew, but not quite there.

He had purposely stopped her from going too far and the limited time that he had put on her to get him there was the only thing that saved him from announcing his exclamations of joy and euphoria. He knew that she would be a nice respite from the many different enterprises that he had his finger in. He had just gotten word from one of his sources that a young scientist was looking to make her mark, but didn’t have the necessary funding. He had found that manipulating the market on this earthly world was easier than he had expected. He had amassed quite the fortune and could live anywhere in the galaxy. He had chosen earth, because of the beauty and the majesty of the landscape not including the women that were practically begging him for a twist in the sheets.

“Are you sure that I can’t just continue what I’m doing? I know that we had a deal, but I was hoping that you would make me the exception to the rule.” She could barely fit that thing in her mouth and the very idea that it was going to sink into her warm embrace was terrifying beyond words. Going down on a man had given her the excitement and desire to moisten the pathway. Her pussy was going to grab onto him with a death like grip.

“I would, but then I would have to do it for everyone. It wouldn’t be fair and how am I to know that you would be able to keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to be seen as weak and that is not even something that I would entertain. I hate to repeat myself, but it’s time that you sit on me. If it helps, you don’t have to look at it and you can just hold onto the console.” Jorgen actually preferred it that way and the plump cheeks of her ass had him ready to crack down the middle like a coconut.

“I still don’t know about this. I’ve heard some horror stories about the girls that you’ve been with in the past. I knew that it was a risk coming here, but I couldn’t help myself.” She thought that it was by her own making, but Jorgen had been playing a dangerous game with subliminal messages in computer emails. He had found some very tasteful looking women that he wanted to sleep with and he made it his mission to contact them and leave them with the need to have him at any cost. It didn’t matter if they were married or involved. It didn’t matter that they had a dedication to god. The girl that he had a couple of weeks ago had designs on becoming a nun. He had ruined her and had her shaking her head in disbelief after she was thoroughly fucked.

“I know that it seems daunting, but trust me you will stretch out to take me. I really don’t have all day. You get up you on your own, or I can do it for you. Please …I implore you not to test me and I can get a little edgy when I don’t feel that somebody is measuring up to my expectations.” He watched as she got up and turned reluctantly, so that her back and her arching ass were right there for the taking. He touched her with a gloved hand and applied the necessary pressure to send an electric shock wave through her body. It made her dance to his tune like a puppet on a string.

“Oh my god…what the fuck was that.” She felt this need to please him and that sensation had only grown through the shock wave of electricity that was now coursing through her veins. “I so fucking want this that you wouldn’t even believe it.” He would believe it, because he was making it easier for her to jump on the grenade. In this case, it was his pillar of manliness that once measured would come out at over 10 inches and thick around as his wrist. He was quite surprised to see that she was able to take almost all of it down her throat. It was time to open her up like a blossoming flower.

“Of course you do. They all do. By all means, let me hold it for you so that you can slide into place.” His body was something that you would only see in the photos of some playgirl magazines. He could’ve had any woman, but he thought that he should at least give them the package that they were looking for. “It’s not going to take me long, but my juices have an interesting effect on that part of your female anatomy. I think that you’ll see the pleasant results for yourself.” He still couldn’t believe that he had that kind of power between his legs. One taste would never be enough, but once inside, his juices would make their tiny holes even tighter.

“Let’s just do this, before I change my mind.” She wasn’t going to change her mind and she backed up until she felt the balloon shape of his knob trying to gain access. She thought that it was going to be impossible, but somehow it surged forward until the head was inside her. “It’s so big, but I love it.” She was only being led to believe that. Her mind was now taken over by the pleasurable endorphins from being connected like this. Jorgen was finding it too easy. He wanted a woman that was going to deny him, so that he would have to earn their desire.

He watched and was slightly bored, as she screamed and bounced up and down in his lap, throwing her hands in the air like she was riding a roller coaster. “That’s it…take it…take my cock.” It seemed so mundane and there was no real passion behind the words that he was speaking.

Jamie didn’t feel that way and this was one of those moments that she never thought that she would ever forget. She felt like he was tearing her apart, but she wanted more. She couldn’t live with the very idea of leaving him wanting. “Yes… Yes… Yes.” It was a litany of confirmation that she was exactly where she wanted to be. Her hair was flying and the strain on her legs was making her calves ripple with the exertion of what she was putting herself through.

“Oh yes…you have me almost there.” He didn’t know the reason why, but the actual act had been getting more and more like he was just going through the motions. He felt the pleasure, but there was something missing. He wanted to say that he could chalk it up to a sense of ennui, but he wasn’t sure how he could say that with a straight face. “I can feel it coming and it’s all yours…whatever the hell your name is.” He had forgotten who she was and it didn’t even matter in the very least. She was too far gone to even notice that she was a second thought. Her body was the only thing that he was using to complete this transaction.

She felt him grow even bigger and didn’t even know how that was even possible. She was prepared to take him deep within her, but that was not going to happen. She felt him lift her off of him just as the product of his arousal went into the stratosphere. The seed was thick and pure white and landed without any fanfare onto the floor of the vessel high above earth.

Jamie was still shaking and when she looked down, she was sure that no man would ever want her again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her hole was now closing in on itself. It no longer had that gaping reminder of some invading force that didn’t seem normal by everyday standards.

“I don’t think that anybody is going to be able to measure up to something like that. I’m going to tell all of my girlfriends that if they get the chance that they should jump at the opportunity to be with you. I’ve heard a lot of them complaining about their boyfriends not being able to go the distance. I’ve even heard a few that weren’t exactly pleased by the size of their endowment.” She was going to brag incessantly to anybody that would listen and that was part of the conditioning that was now telling her that the best time was with Jorgen.

Jorgen knew that it was the word of mouth that had gotten around from one world to another. He couldn’t go anywhere without some woman on her knees waiting for him to snatch her up for a wonderful interlude that would last no more than a couple of hours at best.

He pressed a button and a beam of light covered her and then made her disappear. He had no idea where she went and didn’t really care. He was done with her and that sense of not being fulfilled had come back even stronger. Every time that he tried to fill that void with anonymous sex it was a temporary solution to a bigger problem.

Jorgen decided to turn his attention towards the business of making every world his own. Earth was on his list and the research that he was looking at supplied to him by Benjamin had certainly raised his curiosity. If he could somehow use this technology in a different way, then he could be looking at the one thing that was holding him back from going forth with his invasion plans.

He sent a message back to Benjamin saying “I’ll be happy to meet Cassie at your earliest convenience. I will be down shortly and I believe that I’m going to make a surprise visit to her lab. Please, do me the honor and don’t tell her that I’m on my way. I would like it to be a surprise.” He was thinking that maybe it would be better to catch her unaware. That way he could get a true first impression of the woman in question.

He zeroed in on her location by the tracking chip in a bracelet that all humans were wearing. It was supposed to be for the military to keep tabs on their people, but he had been easily able to break their encryption. He found her and used the same beam that sent Jamie away to materialize at the door to her Cassie’s lab.

He looked in and saw her standing at one of the microscopes. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt a need to grab his depleted member. It was stirring once again. There was something about her that had him staring like a stalker.

Chapter 3

Cassie felt like she was being watched and turned to see that there was someone at her door. She had no idea how anybody could get through the security measures without her being alerted to their presence. She came over and opened the door to see this giant of a man dwarfing her tiny form and making her feel like he could crush her with his two hands. She’d only seen him a couple of times and each time did not do the man justice.

“I’m…ahem…not sure how you got here.” She was tripping over her own tongue and for some reason; she just couldn’t take her eyes off of the package inside those very form fitting pants. “I wasn’t expecting you to show up out of the blue.” “I can’t believe that I never noticed how handsome he was. He has this something that makes it very hard to think straight let alone say something poignant. I’m just going to have to block him out and do what I can to sound like I know what I’m talking about.”

“I heard of your request and I didn’t see any reason to wait. I looked over your research and it would be interesting to work with you. I have a lab set up and I believe that you’ll find everything that you need to make this breakthrough.” Jorgen wanted to lift her up and impale her on his growing excitement. “I have to say that I was quite impressed by how easily you came to your conclusions. I believe that you might have something, but only time will tell.” He had seen other uses for that terra forming technology. If he could somehow reverse the effects, he could literally make a world uninhabitable with one press of a button. He felt this pang of something and he touched his heart like it was sending him some kind of message.

“I don’t know what you expect in return. I’m sure that we can come up with something that will be beneficial to the both of us.” She couldn’t stop herself from touching his arm and tracing the muscle of his shoulder all the way down over his well defined bicep.

“Is that any way for a daughter of mine to act?” Her mother Sandra had decided to surprise her daughter with a late night supper at a fancy restaurant to discuss matters of marital importance. “I did not raise a daughter to blatantly throw her body at a man. He’s not even a flesh and blood human. I will not condone physical relations with an alien race. You can call it alienism and I don’t care.” She was standing there in a loose fitting pant suit that showed her to have masculine qualities and an air of superiority that surrounded her like a personal halo.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, mother. He’s only here to invest in me. Unlike you, he thinks that I can be something more than a trophy wife.” “I’m trying to stand up to her and this is the one time that I don’t feel like I am clutching at her ankle, as a little girl. I may as well use this and I have no idea when this confidence is going to disappear for good.” “It might be a good idea that you leave. I don’t really want to hear anything more about marrying for the sake of the family fortune. Every time that you come to see me, you always make it seem like you’re here for me, but then you switch scripts in the middle of dinner. I’ve tried to be nice, but maybe a bit of force will make you see how serious I am. Stay out of my love life unless you want to alienate me and push me away for good. I do hope that I’m making myself perfectly clear and there is no mistaking what I’m trying to convey.” Cassie was floored and had no idea that she even had the fortitude of standing up to her with any kind of conviction.

Jorgen had backed away from the scene unfolding and was watching this exchange with avid interest. The fire that was being exuded out of this small frame had him wanting to grab her and pull her into a torrid love affair that would have them both basking in the afterglow.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever heard you talk to me like that. Some mothers might like to see their daughters with a backbone, but I don’t. I’m afraid that I have no choice but to cut you off from your inheritance.” Sandra didn’t like this side of her daughter. She had Rebecca and she would bend to her will with the snap of her fingers. “You won’t have to worry about me darkening your doorstep again. If you want to get control of your trust fund, then you will marry Casper Vandyke.” She was through playing this game and decided to leave with her dignity still intact. She was fuming inside and wanted to grab Cassie by the neck and shake her enough to make her see that the right thing was to follow her wishes.

Jorgen was impressed and found her no nonsense attitude to be like a very strong aphrodisiac. “I’ve never seen anything quite like that. Let me show you the lab that I have specifically designed for those with the aptitude to see beyond conventional thinking. You are that innovator that I want on my team.” They were there one second and they were gone the next to materialize in the lab.

She stumbled and fell back against him, feeling a little dizzy from the aftereffect of such a journey of having her molecules torn apart like that. This was the first time that she had ever been anywhere near that device. Others were using it all the time to travel for one part of the world to another. She was always afraid that she would never materialize on the other side. She had nothing to worry about. Those unfounded fears were now put to rest.

Jorgen was right there to hold her and to feel the curvature of her breasts and the hard peaks that made the difference between want and need. He wanted her and how she was keeping herself from jumping into his arms in a mad panic to get his clothes off was a mystery. It was not the usual way that a female of the human species would act around him.

“I don’t know what came over me. I think that it might be different for everybody when they go through something like that. “” I can feel his hands on my breasts and my chest is thrust out to get an even better contact. His palms are rubbing my nipples, but this is no way to act in a professional manner. I’m going to have to keep my libido in the cage of my own making.”

Jorgen went through the procedure of showing her around and watching as her eyes lit up when she saw the equipment that she was going to be working with.

She noticed that he had transferred all of her work to this station.

“If there’s anything that you need, then all you have to do is ask and it will be yours. I want this partnership to work out for the both of us. You asked me what I was getting from this, but I think a sense of fulfillment and scientific accomplishment is more than enough.” He was starting to feel bad about wanting to destroy the world. It was strange that he was even feeling anything and it made him look at himself in a different light.

“This equipment is mostly experimental and hasn’t even been released onto the open market. I don’t know how you got your hands on this, but I’m not going to pull at thread too tightly. It’s better that I leave it alone and not cause you to see me as some kind of problem.” “I know that he’s behind me and that object in his pants seems more like an unfurling snake than an actual piece of a man’s anatomy. It continues to grow and for whatever reason, I want to see it without the cumbersome clothes to get in the way. I just can’t bring myself to drop my guard like that, especially when this is a platonic partnership.”

Jorgen had decided to press his luck by pushing up against her, while leaning over her shoulder to show her how to run the equipment. He was moving up and down between her buns and dry humping her to temporarily satisfy that itch that he couldn’t scratch. It felt better than those times that he had been with other members of the female species.

“I think that we should get away after you finish your work. I have a place on Jupiter that overlooks the skyline at night. I think that you’ll find that it’s a vision that’s worth seeing for yourself.” He was actually trying to seduce her and the awkward act made him even more anxious to touch her in a less than subtle way. “I don’t normally have to work this hard, but I think that we can be good together in more ways than one. I do want to make it perfectly clear that your research is not predicated on sleeping with me. It could be an added bonus, but only if you were even interested in something like that.” He thought about how he had made a world suffer. He swallowed hard knowing that he had done something to hurt those that were only trying to eke out an existence.

“I really do need to get to work. I don’t think that I could even sleep if I wanted to.” “I want to take him up on his proposition, but science is my mistress. She is a fickle one and demands more of my time than I want to admit to any one. I can still feel him fucking between my buns. Is that his cock out of his pants that’s striking up against the leather of my pants? Do I dare turn around to see what it is that has the Internet buzzing about his sexual prowess?”

“I watched you for the last few hours and I have to admit that I’ve never seen anybody so dedicated to her work. You haven’t taken a break and I see the look in your eyes that tells me that you are ready to announce something.” Jorgen was thinking about one planet in particular outside of the Milky Way galaxy. He had watched as their scientists had scrambled to find a way to repair the damage after the crust split down the middle. This terra forming device could give it a second chance. It made him smile thinking about doing something good. He turned around and away from Cassie in disgust for thinking such a thing.

“I did it. I fucking did it. I have you to thank for this, Jorgen. You made it possible for my vision to become more than just a fantasy. All I have to do is introduce the seeds into a dying planet and it will flourish once again. I really don’t know how to thank you for this.” She turned and jumped into his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. She rained kisses on his face.

"Oh…it was your genius and I was just the man behind the woman.” He felt her hot body pressed against him and normally he would be taking advantage of this moment. He couldn’t do that and those emotions that he had felt earlier became stronger over the time that he had spent with her.

“It was a team effort.” “I want to celebrate and I don’t think that I’m in any need for a celebratory drink. I want something more than to numb the senses. I want him right here and right now. He’s not going to say no. I need to show him that I’m serious. I think that maybe this will give him that impression.” Cassie stuck her hand down those pants that seemed to mold to his skin. She grabbed onto the sizable piece and she was astonished with the implications of what her body was capable of.

“I don’t think that we should.” Jorgen never heard himself say something like that in his life. There was a part of him that wanted to kick himself in the nuts. There was also another part that felt like she was deserving of some respect. “I don’t want to do anything to ruin what we already have. This one revelation is only the start. Together, we can make this world and others like it thrive like never before. We take away the violence, the destitution and those that beg for scraps.” He felt her stroking his length and her nimble fingers were certainly hard to resist.

She pulled him by the collar and ripped open the material of that shirt until her eyes fell upon the well formed pectorals. She was hanging around him with her back now on one of the steel tables. It was cold through her shirt and then even colder when she felt his masculine hands ripping it off of her like some kind of wild animal unleashed. “I want to do all those things that makes a woman scream. He has that need in his eyes and I don’t think that I’ve ever seen that from any of my former lovers. He really wants me and not just for physical release. Could I even dream that our paths were meant to cross and that we were destined to see each other in more than a professional capacity?”

“I can’t possibly deny myself the opportunity of being with you, Cassie. You bring something out of me that I never knew that I was missing.” He pushed her breasts together, while his cock was nudging at her panties and trying in vain to push them out of the way. He had never done anything like this, as he lifted her clear off the table and up to his mouth. He snapped forth with that reptile tongue. It slithered and moved until she was writhing in personal bliss.

“Yes… Oh my god. I don’t think that I’ve ever felt anything like that before. I don’t know where your tongue begins and ends and I don’t think… I CAREEEEEEE.” She came with an intensity that had her rocking her pelvis up against his mouth over and over again. “I don’t think that I’ve ever cum that fucking hard in my life.” “It’s no wonder that women everywhere have a hard time breaking away from him. I thought that they were all weak minded, but I’m seeing things from a different perspective. I’m feeling things that make me believe that it’s his body chemistry and the cocktail that makes up his DNA that is causing the female species to swoon at his feet. I do see something different and the callous look that I saw in his eyes in those photos during his interview is no longer present.”

Cassie pushed him away with her foot and was immediately taken by the way that he was massaging her soles and then licking them like a fine delicacy one toe at a time. She swallowed hard knowing that she was powerless to resist and not giving a damn what kind of impression this would make.

Jorgen moved that foot down until it was making contact with his quite prominent region. He felt this slight spasm and his balls literally jumped. He flinched for a moment, as she moved both feet together to show him something that he had never done before. He heard of these people that had foot fetishes and always thought that they were sick in the head. Feeling it for himself, he now understood the appeal. He would have gladly shot his spunk all over her feet.

“I find your willingness to explore for the sake of pleasure most confusing. Where most of your species is complacent, you tend to see things with more gray than black and white.” He was thrusting through the tight seal that she had made with her 2 feet together. “I know that you’re probably going to… Ahhh…think that I am lying, but I have feelings for you. Real feelings and believe me, I’m as surprised as you are.” He had pushed himself as far as he could and had to pull back before he gave in to those feelings that were causing him to mistrust his own instincts.

Cassie tried to reach him with her bare toes, but he was a couple of inches away from having that feeling all over again. She got down on her shaky feet. She walked up to him with a purpose, placing his hands on the table beside him, before moving her fingertips and long talon like fingernails down over his chest. She saw him shudder to that feeling when she briefly came in contact with his nipples. She saw him shiver as she made her way down onto her knees. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Chapter 4

She blew warm air over his cock head and saw it bob in response to her outside stimulus. Her lips were parched and the only thing that was going to satisfy that thirst was what he could give her. He was meant for her and she was not going to stop until he felt the same thing for her. The best way to accomplish that was to give him only brief glimpses of the pleasure that was contained within her body.

“You’re certainly not like all the rest. They beg for my cock and you’re not like that. You want me and I don’t think that I’ve ever had anybody feel that way. It was always just a superficial physical release that left me feeling empty afterwards. I could not account for the fact that I was with the wrong women. I needed somebody like you to come around and show me the real man underneath it all.” He ran his hands through her hair and could feel the silky locks wrapped around his digits. He was in no rush and this was the one time in his life that he was ready and willing to go with her pace.

Cassie took a hold of this alien cock and gave it the once over. She started at the top with the purple throbbing head that was waiting for her manual release of his sexual endorphins. She waited and continued to wait with her hand barely moving the skin more than an inch. When she got to the top after what felt like an eternity, she saw that what she was doing was getting the desired results.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m on fire.” “That fire that I feel can only be put out by one method. I don’t want to go too far, but I do want him to be scrambling for the chance to sink deep within my heated gape.” She accomplished that by sucking the knob into her mouth with a spit shine of her tongue before pulling away to hear his inhalation and exhalation of breath. She did that several times just to hear that popping sound.

His eyes were open in wonder. He tried to force it deeper, but she was determined not to allow him that kind of access. He tried to stay still, but it was the hardest thing that he had ever done in his life.

She saw the glistening tip begging for her mouth. She moved forward and opened her mouth as wide as she could. She dragged it along on the surface of her agile tongue. It went deeper and she didn’t even hesitate when it touched the back of her mouth. She continued to force the spongy tip down into her throat which was followed by the next three or 4 inches. She felt proud of herself by doing this even though it had always been a grotesque act that she found repulsive.

“You’ve got to stop. I mean it. I’m not just saying that. I need to…fuck you.” He had never said those words exactly like that. There was a real need with real conviction. He looked down at her pretty face and watched as each inch reappeared covered from the root all the way up to the head with her spit.

Cassie scrambled to her feet, lifting herself back up onto the metal table and moved her feet to either side of him. She braced her feet against the table across from her as he took those short steps. She grabbed for his pulsating member and placed it at her entrance. “Do it… before I come to my senses and realize what kind of colossal error this is to get involved with my investor.” The decision was made for her as he made one lunge and drove into her halfway. “He’s taking my breath away. I have to hold him back, so that I can be ready for what comes next.” Cassie draped one leg over his shoulder and he was now grabbing onto it for a form of leverage.

They began moving to a rhythm of their own making like a sensual dance between partners that knew each other’s moves like the back of their hand. They grunted their response and they moaned in unison as the echoes of pleasure were captured in the small room.

“Yes… I don’t know where you have been all of my life, but I’m never going to let you go. I do hope…fuck me…get in there fucking deep…that you don’t feel a need to run after I say something like that… YESSSSSS.” Her body felt that earth shattering orgasm and it drove her into a bit of a sexual madness. She screamed like that of a banshee sealing her victims fate, which so happened to be deep inside her at that very moment.

Jorgen could feel the constriction wrapped around him and the tight glove that was wet and inviting. “This has become something unexpected for me. My god… Is this what sex is really supposed to be about? Is there really more to it than the actual physical act?” He didn’t get a chance to fully absorb what he was going through when the floodgates opened and his knob expelled the creamy streams into her.

“I have nothing to say. I don’t even know where to begin to tell you that was nothing like any other time that I’ve been with a man. I am on my knees with awe and I hope that you don’t consider this just a moment of pleasure between colleagues. “I have never felt this connected to a man. Sex was mostly a necessary stress reliever. I’m usually more selective. I take my time to get to know a suitable partner before jumping into bed”

They enjoyed the afterglow with her still lying on the table with her legs dangling over the side limp and useless. She didn’t have anything left to give.

“When we get our bearings back, we’re going to have to announce our discovery to the world.” What he got for a response was a nod of her head. The smile on her face struck him where it mattered in his heart. He was no longer the conqueror and as long as he was beside her then he could truly understand what emotions were all about.

“I’m going to have to do some more tests before I am morally able to release this. I want to make sure that there are no hidden side effects that could come back and bite us where the sun doesn’t shine.” “I don’t know where he gets the energy to keep standing after something like that. I’m barely able to comprehend that my body was capable of whatever that was. To call it pleasure would not be the right adjective. I don’t know if there is any word that could suitably convey the way that I’m feeling right now.”

“I want you to know that you have changed me for the better. I don’t know what I did before I had these emotional bursts of clarity. I didn’t know what it was like to be compassionate or to care for another. It was an existence of loneliness and one that I truly didn’t know could be anything else. I can’t possibly go back to the way that I was, but I can’t give your government the freedom to continue researching and building weapons. I can protect this world from anything that stands against it. Earth has a funny way of killing its inhabitants and that is something that I will not stand for.” Jorgen looked at this woman and he could finally understand the words of the lyrics of certain songs that were now replaying in his head. Love was that commodity that he could never grasp onto.

“I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, but I really don’t need to know. It’s probably better that way. I would never want to be complicit in something that is going to get the ire of the government and its military. Plausible deniability is something that is a phrase all too often thrown around in the White House. I do believe that I’m going to take a page from the leader of this country’s playbook.” I approve of what he’s thinking about, but I have no idea how he’s going to go about it. I guess it really doesn’t matter. I touch my skin and I still feel like I have this electricity. I glance to see this blue spark emanating from my fingertips to my stomach. It must be an aftershock something along the lines of what an earthquake does after it has finished its business.

“I’ve always had the capability of leaving this world defenseless. I’m sure that I’m going to get some backlash, but it’s not like they can do much to fight back. They’ll hopefully realize that lasting peace comes at the price of laying down arms. This world has not had a sheriff like me to keep it from destroying itself. This is not the first time that I’ve come across a world that couldn’t get out of its own way. It is lucky that the Sect came to you and they put you on a path of prosperity. We can take it one step further. We can do more for this world than anybody has in centuries. I wouldn’t even mention this, but I plan to use whatever is at my disposal to make them fall in line.”

“The only thing that I want you to remember is that humans tend to feel slighted when they are forced into any kind of servitude. You’re going to have to expect that there are those that are not going to be very happy with your approach. They will consider you a threat. Without weapons to do anything about it they will be pretty much neutered. That will only make them fight even more and you’re certainly going to have to have eyes in the back of your head.” “I want him to know that I’m behind him every step of the way and that there truly is a woman behind the man. Some won’t understand and they will feel violated like he has declared war.”

“I need them to see that this is the right thing to do. Getting rid of the methods for your kind to kill each other is the only way that they can finally put to rest their differences.” Jorgen was trying to figure out the best way to finish any kind of resistance.

“I think that we can kill two birds with one stone. We announce this discovery to the press and in the same breath you step forward and take credit for making sure that the world does not destroy itself. It’s a tried and true method of giving good news after bad news. It takes the sting out of it, although there are some with military thinking that will take exception to this.” “I feel that earth and possibly several other worlds are on the cusp of a new day. The destroyer of worlds that he has been known in the past is no longer willing to inflict death and destruction on others. I think that I can take responsibility for that and I do it with a sort of pride. I like this new Jorgen better than I do the old one and I think that he can say the same thing.”

Over the next few days they had several press conferences and there was some resistance. There was push back by the government after they learned that their weapons had all been made useless for the good of a peaceful end to hostilities. They were ready to fight back, until they learned of their breakthrough and the terra forming project. They realized that fighting was only going to cause more harm than good. The first of the seeds into the air of a planet of Jorgen’s choosing was launched. The success was evident by the pictures of lush vegetation that were sent back from the vessel that had been hovering above to watch progress at its best.

“I never thought that I would see this day. I do hope that this spirit of cooperation will continue. You may have eyes everywhere. That doesn’t mean that we won’t be watching you as well. If you step out of line even that one time, then we will have to act. You may think that you have us powerless to raise a finger, but humans always find a way. We always band together when there is a threat to our freedoms. Remember that and we might just get along.” General Davies had spoken on behalf of the president. He was back at the White House breathing a sigh of relief.

“I have better things to do with my time, general than to continue bickering with you. Cassie and I will be leaving for Jupiter. She has just discovered that she’s going to have my son. I will have an heir to a legacy that I am now proud to call my own. I no longer want obedience, unless it’s in the bedroom.” They shared a laugh together, until the general composed himself long enough to walk away.

“The actual results are better than I expected. We can outfit several more of these vessels to disburse the same program into the air of suitable environments. The seeds have the ability to mimic whatever atmosphere it comes across. Worlds that have suffered at your hand will now have a chance to rebuild. You do know that they will see you as the reason for their suffering. They won’t care that you decided that there was a better way.” I’m trying to show him that his enemies might not consider this an olive branch of peace. They might want revenge for a fallen comrade or sibling that had died by his hands.”

“As long as I am with you and my son then we can take on just about any obstacle. Your influence will help me to rein in that natural urge to squash them like a bug. Diplomacy and working towards a common goal of peace is the only thing that matters to me.” They held hands and the beam from his vessel took them from this planet. They would return, but not until their child had already grown and was ready to take his place by their side.

THE END

SEDUCING COWBOY

Chapter 1

“I will not have any daughter of mine acting like this. You have embarrassed me for the last time and if you’re not careful, I might even consider sending you to live with your uncle in the backwaters of Alabama. Don’t think for a second that I’m kidding. As long as you live underneath my roof there will be rules that have to be followed. You may not be mine by blood, but you were given to me despite my misgivings. Your mother entrusted me to look after you, but it’s starting to feel like a burden.” A year had gone by since Lynn’s mother died mysteriously during a boating accident. From that moment on, Lynn had the penchant for getting into trouble with just about anybody that was willing to play on the other side of the legal fence.

“Just say what’s on your mind, Helen. You never wanted me in the first place and I do not see any reason why we have to continue playing this game. I’m 19 and I’m going to college in the fall. You may think that you have all the power, but all I need to do is get a job and then I can leave you in my rearview mirror. I hate you and you treat me like I’m a child who can’t live without you being under foot. I am my mother’s daughter and we both have the same temperament and stubborn streak.” I know that we’re going to say something that we’re going to regret. I’ve never wanted to be here. I can’t even dare to call her mother and I fight every instinct that I have to get close to her. One year and it has already felt like an eternity. I know that she’s trying, but the only thing that she’s doing is making it very clear that I can’t be here for very much longer.

“I don’t know how you can talk to me like this after everything that I’ve done for you. I wake up in the middle of the night to find you missing more often than not. I have no idea if you’re dying in a ditch or shacking up with some of your so-called friends. You may not be innocent, but at least you have kept your purity intact.” They both looked at each other in shock. It became readily known that Helen had been snooping into her diary. This was the last straw and the silence that followed that declaration was not for the faint of heart. The tension in the air was thick and you could see that they both had reached their breaking point.

“I can’t believe that you invaded my personal space by reading my private thoughts. I thought that I could at least trust you to stay out of my business. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you and made it abundantly clear that I don’t need you interfering. I can live my life with or without you.” They were in the car on the way to church and had just arrived when this big major blow out had occurred. Casting daggers at one another walking across the parking lot in their Sunday best did not go unnoticed by those that knew them very well.

There were mumbles of dissent amongst the congregation. Nobody dared stand up and say something, but everybody had their own opinion that they were keeping to themselves.

Deacon James took center stage and felt that there was something in the air. Everybody looked nervous and shifted in their seats like they didn’t want to be there. He looked around for the source and the animosity that was coming off of both Helen and Lynn wasn’t exactly hard to see. They were not hiding their emotions and being a man of the cloth, he decided that he would shine a light down upon them from where he stood at the front of the church.

“I see that we have something to deal with before I begin my sermon. I told all of you that I would not condone bringing your private life in beyond those doors. If you do, then you can expect me to involve the entire congregation. Lynn and Helen have some issues to deal with and we are going to help them find their way back into the light. Show them some encouragement. I’m sure that it’s not insurmountable like the boulder that was pushed up the hill.” Deacon James was bald and the light from above was shining on his head like his own personal halo. Being a good Texan, he understood that there were always squabbles, but all could be forgiven.

A couple of people started to clap and then the rest followed like the sheep that they were. Before long there was a chorus that had both Lynn and Helen looking around to find that they were now the center of attention.

“I am not going up there with you and there’s nothing and no one that is going to make me. You do whatever the hell you want, Helen but don’t expect me to play along with this charade. We will never be a happy household and I feel that you have violated my trust. I don’t know if that can ever be fixed. This has gone too far. It might be time that we cut ties and walk away. I don’t want to hate you and I try to get along for the sake of my mother. I really don’t know what she was thinking when she thought that you and I could work. I would be better off going my own way.” “I see the way that everybody is looking at me, but not even their influence is going to force me to stand up and be noticed. I don’t want this attention. If they don’t want me to scream, then they better stop looking at me like that. I can see in Helen’s eyes that she’s thinking about airing our dirty laundry for all the neighbors to hear. I’m sure that most of it has been spoken in hushed tones. Nothing goes on around here that the others don’t find out about eventually. I think it has a lot to do with Deacon James’s need to make everybody happy.

“They only want to help, Lynn. I don’t see any reason why we can’t let them in. In times of great trials we must always stand together. Life is about changes and nothing stays the same. I’ve done my best to guide you with a helping hand, but you have been resistant every step of the way. I can’t deal with this on my own anymore.” Helen had seen a premature graying of her hair in the last year and the stress of dealing with a woman that was still grieving after all this time was weighing heavily on her shoulders. “I need to do this for my own sanity and you can stay there and sit and listen, but you will not leave here for any reason whatsoever.” Helen could see that her arms were across defiantly and she was basically stewing in her own juices.

Smoothing down her black skirt, she got up and faced the judgment of those that thought that they could be of any help. She felt scrutinized and for a girl that stayed to herself she had learned an inexplicable lesson that teenagers were hard to live with at the best of times. Helen’s cheeks were a rosy hue from the embarrassment of being called out like this. Taking a deep breath, she realized that the only way to get through this was with one breath.

“I see that somebody is being stubborn. No matter, I’m sure that once Helen speaks that Lynn will feel compelled to make some kind statement. Let’s give Helen a warm welcome and hope that the words within the pages of the bible will help her to lay rest to whatever this issue might be.” Deacon James considered himself to be a confidant to many. He had heard his fair share of sin and confessions. Some of them were not suitable for those of an impressionable age. “The only way to get through this is to give it a voice. Forgiveness is an amazing tool and one that is vastly underutilized in my opinion. Helen, tell us what has caused this rift between you and Lynn. We all know the back story. I’m sure that Lynn is still feeling the loss of her mother. That woman was considered a saint amongst all of us.” There was a silent bow from those sitting on the benches and from Deacon James himself.

Lynn’s mother Kate had dedicated her time to those that needed her the most. She volunteered her services, even though she had a fulltime job running a small deli shop. That shop was destined to go to Lynn, but she found herself rebelling against it and in turn the shop was turned over to those with deep pockets. Kate was the exact opposite of her daughter. Kate was dark haired with a generous height of over 5’10 and 150 pounds. Lynn had taken the traits of her blonde blue eyed father Henry who died just after she was born. This was the type of loss that was crushing her very soul and keeping her from moving forward.

Helen wasn’t sure that this was the right decision, but she didn’t see any way other than to let others speak for her. “I don’t know where to begin. I guess it all started when I was surprised to learn that Kate had found me a suitable role model. I really don’t know what she was thinking. I work long hours as a lawyer. I hardly have any time for myself let alone a teenage daughter that is dealing with too many issues to count. I want to be there for her for that stability in her life, but she won’t listen. She thinks that she knows everything. All of you at one time thought the same thing growing up. We all did, but if we could go back to our young self, I’m sure that we would tell them to act their age and don’t do something stupid. I only wonder what either one of us would say in response if we had a chance to go back and do it all over again.” Helen could not have children and she was destined to live with that knowledge. It had ruined a few relationships and sent the guy packing after he learned the terrible truth.

“There’s no reason to pause. You’re saying what is in your heart and that’s all that we can hope for. We bottle all these things up and they fester inside until it’s inevitable that something gives. We’re here for you and we want you to take whatever strength you need from all of us. See this through to the end and don’t anything stop you even the look that you’re getting from Lynn. We know that you’ve struggled and fought the good fight. You may not have heard this enough, but we believe that you have that motherly instinct. Kate would never have selected you to raise her daughter in your absence had she not thought that you had some redeeming qualities. She told me in confidence that you were her life. She thought of you as a sister.” It was nice for Deacon James to get that off his chest and he had been carrying that from the moment that he gave Kate her final words to enter into god’s kingdom.

“I don’t know if it’s right for me to be up here, but I feel I have no choice. Lynn has been making some very bad mistakes. She’s been drinking, smoking, staying out late and even doing a little bit of weed. I found a baggie and I don’t think that I have to tell you what was in it. She thinks that she’s hiding all of this from me, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t want to walk around on eggshells around her, but she doesn’t make it very easy for me to reach out.” Helen was on a roll and she saw that she had everybody’s undivided attention. It made her feel good to let it out, but you could see that Lynn was not very happy by this public forum.

“I’m sure that there are many issues, but let’s get down to the reason why there’s a rift between you today. Tell us what has made this silence almost deafening. You both brought this into my church. Do us the honor of helping you when you’re at your lowest. There are words in the bible for any circumstance and let’s not forget that god made us in his image.” Deacon James was finding that sharing the spotlight was only making him seem bigger than life.

Lynn was shaking her head and staring intently at Helen. She was doing everything she could not to scream that she better not say another word or there would be hell to pay. “I can’t believe that this thing had come this far that she would feel that it was necessary to say what was on her mind. I can’t possibly believe that she would say anything regarding my purity, but I’ve learned not to underestimate anyone these days. I can’t let her get the final word. If she knows what’s good for her she better not say what I think that she’s going to say.” She looked to Helen and waited for those words to spill from her lips.

“I wish that there was another way, but I see that I’ve gone as far as I can on my own. Lynn has been playing with fire with boys that are older than she is. I would have thought by now that she would be pregnant, but thankfully that hasn’t happened yet. She doesn’t talk to me and I have to resort to reading her private diary.” Helen heard the shocked exclamations coming from those in the parish. “I know that it’s not right and that I would probably hate my mother if she had ever done anything like that when I was growing up. I knew that she was hurting, but I never knew that she felt that she needed to abuse her body like that. I’ve tried to stress abstinence and to find the man that is going to put those butterflies in her stomach. I can’t be sure how long it’s going to be before she takes things too far. I want her to have a future and not to worry about having her life ruined by one moment of stupidity. Don’t say that any one of you wouldn’t want to go back and change things. I know that all of you hide your own secrets. There are even a few of you that have confessed to me in private that you didn’t want kids. You made a mistake of letting your body do the talking for you. I’m just trying to give her a life. I put my foot down and if need be, I’ll lock her up someplace so that she can’t even begin to think about doing something physical with a man.” Helen didn’t lose her virginity until she was 25. It was after she had already been in college a few years getting her legal degree. It was a moment that was fast and not exactly pleasant. It only lasted a few minutes, but it did leave an indelible mark on your psyche.

“Young people are under the impression that they need to experience it all. They don’t realize that they have all the time in the world. Love should never be taken for granted and sex should never enter into the equation without the feeling of ever lasting devotion. I know that kids are going to have sex, but sometimes I feel that I need to step in and say something. It might be considered a sin by the words in the good book that stress sex after marriage. I’m a man of the people and I know that these things happen regardless of what each and every one of us could say to the contrary.” Deacon James felt that today was going better than usual. He had found a sermon within the very problem that came forward courtesy of Lynn and Helen. If he could get Lynn to open up, then this would be considered a success.

Lynn was fuming and felt like she was being put on the spot for something that she didn’t even do. The issue was privacy and the lack of it. She found that she was lacking that inside Helens home. Standing up she placed her hands on the bench in front of her and curled her fingers to indicate that she was not very happy.

“That is more than enough. The main issue is that she doesn’t trust me to make my own decisions. I’m a big girl and whatever mistakes I make are mine to make. In fact, I’m going to do you one better. If my virginity is so important to all of you, then you may as well be a part of it. I want to get out of this town and I see that the only way to do that is to give my virginity to any man that’s willing to pay the price. This tight little body can be all yours and all you have to do is to be the highest bidder.” She saw the stunned expressions on their faces. “I have to say that this was not exactly what I was expecting. I didn’t mean to say the words, but they came across my lips. Maybe it’s the right thing to do and I could kill two birds with one stone.

Chapter 2

Everybody was in total disbelief that this girl could say something like this in front of everyone. The women were appalled, but there were several married men that were now thinking that such a young piece of ass would just be the icing on the cake to a 40 year itch. Some were calculating what they had in their accounts and if they could get away with taking the money without their significant other finding out about it. There was even one that was licking his lips and he had already envisioned her naked spread out with handcuffs on and a ball gag in her mouth.

“I can’t believe that you would say something like that. This is not the girl that I remember when I came to see you wearing pigtails with your mother teaching you to bake in the kitchen. I know that we all have to grow up, but maybe you need to do a little bit more growing up than most. Stop blaming others for your problems and all you want is for everyone to be as miserable as you are. I don’t know how to deal with you and I think I’m going to give you enough rope to hang yourself with.” Helen was not happy and had reached a breaking moment.

        “I’m going to have to ask the both of you to leave immediately. This is not the place for this subject matter. Take this kind of talk outside and away from god’s ears.” Deacon James had felt that things were progressing nicely and then the bottom dropped out with Lynn blurting out about giving her virginity to the highest bidder.

“I’m aghast that she would say such a thing. She’s only doing it to hurt me. I think that it might be time that I get some distance. I have vacation and I’m going to take a cruise someplace tropical. I’m through playing with kid gloves. In fact, I’m through playing at all and I’m washing my hands of the whole ordeal.” Helen stepped down with a tear in her eye and the Deacon tried to reach for her and only got a shrug of her shoulders in response. She ran past Lynn not even bothering to look at her. She felt like she had done Kate wrong. It made her feel less than a woman.

For that final nail in the coffin, Lynn walked down the aisle towards the door running her hands up and down her body and mouthing the words “All of this can be yours. Pay the price and you can make all your dirty fantasies come true.” There were a lot of guys that couldn’t sit still. They had conjured up all sorts of scenarios. Many of them had never had a virgin and the very prospect had lent to those thoughts that were not exactly pure of heart. Some had never even considered cheating on their wives, but this was almost a temptation that was hard to resist.

She walked out in the parking lot and saw the gray Ford Volvo speed past with a plume of dust in its wake. Lynn watched Helen mumbling something underneath her breath with her hands firmly clasped on the steering wheel. She didn’t bother to try to flag her down and it didn’t seem there was any point. She could walk the few blocks back to her house. It was such a nice day. She felt vindicated by how she had acted. If they wanted to play with her life, then they were going to have to realize that could have ramifications that went beyond just the church walls.

She took a few steps, until she was bumping into a man with blue jeans, a red shirt and a black bolo tie. His black hat made him look like he was about ready to wrangle a horde of buffalo or cows in the pasture. He was tall and over 6 feet with the kind of muscles that threatened to rip through the shirt that he was wearing. Casting her eyes downward she found them placed on the object that had women whispering behind closed doors. Lynn saw his face and was not immune to that of Mitchell Wright. She had heard some stories about him and how no woman in any bar was safe from his advances.

“Where’s the rush? Church has only begun. I just saw Helen crying. I’m assuming that you had something to do with that, Lynn.” Mitchell had known all about Lynn and he pitied her for losing both of her parents at such a young age. He couldn’t help but to admire the way that she had grown up over the years into a desirable woman with the kind of curves that made him want to grab hold in a not so friendly manner. “Don’t tell me that you are fighting with your mother again. Where has the respect for Elders gone? I know growing up that I wasn’t allowed any kind of reprieve for doing something wrong. It usually ended up with my father spanking my ass. Something like that is considered child abuse in this day and age.” Mitchell could see that this girl was bigger than most, but it was for that very reason he found himself quite entranced.

“She’s not my mother. I’m tired of trying to make everybody understand that. I don’t know why everybody is so accepting of her to be my mother. It’s only been a year since my real mother died and you all expect me to bend over backward to welcome this woman into my life. She’s only been by a few times when I was growing up and why my mother even considered her to be ready for this kind of responsibility is beyond me.” Lynn had curves and was a big beautiful woman that had a lot more to offer than those girls that would probably drown if they fell into the sea. She had the buoyancy to float and one of her bigger assets was those that Mitchell was now staring at. “I don’t know why I haven’t noticed that before. He’s always watching me from afar and I’ve seen him walk by our house at the most unusual hours. I get this feeling that maybe I don’t have to look too far to lose my innocence. Mitchell is charismatic, quite the ladies’ man and I’m sure that he would love to sink his cock into my tight hole.”

“I know how Helen can get caught up in her own stuff and that’s the reason why your mother thought that she would make a suitable candidate. I don’t know if she’s motherly material, but she is doing her best and you should give her at least some credit for that. I don’t know what I would do if somebody sidled me with their kid and had the attitude that you show her every day. Why she puts up with it is most likely because she feels that she owes a debt to your mother. They were best friends growing up in high school and I’ve seen them fight over guys but then realize that no guy was worth their friendship. They even fought over your father and him dying so inexplicably 19 years ago hurt the both of them more than you can ever know.” Mitchell stood there and looked at her. It was best not to stare directly at the mounds in front of him. There was no denying that she wasn’t wearing a bra and he had a wonder if maybe she was also going commando underneath that skirt. He was praying for a slight breeze to lift the skirt.

“I may pretend to be bad, but I’ve always known when to stop before going too far. That is until I found out that Helen crossed the line by reading my diary. It would be something if I had just left it lying around. I always lock it and place it underneath my mattress. That meant that she had to literally go searching for it and then finding it by accident wasn’t good enough. She had to take it one step further by breaking in. She thinks she has the right to talk to me about my love life. I don’t have one to speak of and I may make out with a few young boys that don’t know what they’re doing. What I really need is a real man. I need someone that can take this beautiful body of mine and mold it into a woman. I’ve even mentioned in passing that I’m willing to give it up for the right price. What do you suppose is the right price for something like that, Mitchell?” “I can see him looking at me and I know that he’s probably undressing me with his eyes. I want him to do more than that and I’m giving him the right of first service. If he doesn’t take me up on my offer, I’m sure that there are others that would literally line around the block for the chance.”

“I take it that’s the reason why she tore out of here in a hurry. You have the unmitigated gall to say something like that in front of all of her friends and the Deacon. I give you credit for having the balls to do something like that, but do you think that it was appropriate under the circumstances?” Mitchell had his fair share of women. He was known as a bit of a playboy, but underneath he was hurting. He had put up the walls to prevent his heart from being broken again. He was older than Lynn by at 15 years. The very thought of placing his cock into a woman that had not been fully broken in was making him sweat.

“You can stand there indignant, but I can see from the bulge in your pants that this is something that you would like to be a part of. I’ve had this crush on you for some time and maybe I don’t have to do something as nasty as advertise it. You could easily put a stop to that by saying that you will be my first. Every girl remembers their first or so I’m told. It’s not like to have that kind of experience. An older guy has it going on and I’ve seen several older men from the neighborhood wondering what I would look like naked. Do you suppose that a man like yourself would like to reach into his pockets and find the right amount of money that is going to put a smile on both of our faces?” Lynn was purposely touching his arm and licking her lips with anticipation of what Mitchell would be like on top of her, underneath her or behind her.” I want him, but I will find somebody else if he says anything that doesn’t resemble a yes to my proposal. I’ve heard stories of men and how much better they are when they are older. Experience goes a long way to satisfying a woman’s curiosity and her needs all at the same time.”

“You dare say something like that to me and expect me to answer you. You should be ashamed of your behavior and I will not dignify that remark with any kind of response. Go home and make up with Helen before you do irreparable harm that you can never come back from. Any guy your own age would give you what you’re looking for. There’s no reason to sell your body like some common whore on the street. I will say that I do have enough money that I could make it worth your while. I can’t believe that I’m even thinking such a thing. What would be the going rate for your virginity? It is a sought after commodity from those guys that never experienced anything like it. I’ve been with women, but I’ve never been with a girl that wanted to become a woman. What am I saying? I can’t think about something like this.” Mitchell tried to walk away only to feel something massaging his length. He looked down to see that her nimble fingers had decided to convince him in a more direct fashion.

“I would say that you have nothing to be shy about. I think that there are several ladies that would be happy to praise your virtue. I’ve heard talk and I thought that it might be an exaggeration, but I’m beginning to understand that it’s far from it. You do know how to fill those jeans out in just the right way. Pressing up against my palm like this and the zipper being pulled down by the weight of that impressive piece is almost too hard to pull away from. I would seriously give it some thought, Mitchell and this is not an offer that comes around every day. Name a price and I might consider you to be at the top of the list.”

“One million dollars.” He blurted out that number like it was something that was ready to spew from his lips. He looked embarrassed. He looked back to see if anybody had heard what he said. He was grateful that there was nobody there and the only witness to his proposition was the young girl that had brought it up in the first place.

“I wish that I could say that I was surprised, but I think that every man that has that kind of money would be willing to throw it down on the table for the chance to be with me. I may not be a willowy young woman with the figure that has most men clamoring for a chance to be with me. I do have one thing and that one thing is making Mitchell that much more anxious to be with me.” “You do present a very hard bargain, Mitchell. I’ll have to give it some thought, but I see that this means a lot to you. They’re not that many men around this area that would be able to pay that kind of cash. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, unless of course you feel that there is something unseemly about this transaction. In that case, I would respectively suggest that you keep this to yourself.” Lynn walked away from him and being a bit brazen decided to show him what he would be missing.

Lynn bent over and let that skirt ride up. It wasn’t high enough and she had to reach back with her hands to flip it up to see his eyes go wide with surprise. She wasn’t wearing panties and the warm caress of the afternoon air and his leering wandering eye had made her wetter than any time that she had been before.

“I was only kidding and I would never even consider something like that. I don’t have to pay for it. I can have any woman with just a few choice words. Why would I even give you anything? He was trying to convince himself and Lynn’s big ass made him want to fall on his knees to press his face into the deep valley within.

“Keep telling yourself that and maybe eventually you will begin to believe it. I left you something with a slight of hand in your pocket. It’s the panties that I’m not wearing. Think about what you would be getting. You have everything that I’m looking for, but rest assured that I will find somebody and maybe you would be the one holding my safety in your hands. It really does say something for society that they are willing to pay for the chance to fuck a real life virgin. Think about the kind of guys that I might attract with that proposal. You could avoid all of that.” I want him to follow me to some no tell motel in the area. I want him to take me and bend me to his will, until I am a sweaty mass of sexual heat that is lying over top of the bed. I want to feel him deep inside me and my lips caressing every inch until he has no choice, but to give me that whitewash of pleasure.”

“If you expect me to call you then you will be waiting until a cold day in hell. I told you that I have no reason to pay for it. You will not make me feel guilty and whatever you get from this act of defiance is what you deserve. Be careful, because some of these guys could become quite the handful. They may not just stop at that sweet little pussy of years. They may want to fuck a tight hole and what exactly are you going to do to stop them? You may have a bit of weight and I find that almost a little hard to stop myself from doing something about this heat between us. Just remember, these guys could be rough and they may take your insistence and the money changing hands as an open invitation to all of your holes.” He didn’t realize that he was touching himself or that she was watching him and the outline of his package.

“You can say anything that you want, but I know what I see. It’s not the words but the action of a certain part of your anatomy that brings to mind that you are very interested. You may not have to pay for it, but you will if you wanna be with me. It’s a small price to pay and one that is most likely petty cash to somebody of your wealth and influence.” “I know that I’m laying it on pretty damn thick to get his attention. He’s the one that I want and I don’t want to worry about some beer belly grunt giving me a sweaty 5 minutes before dumping a load. I want this to be special and even though I want the money, it doesn’t negate the fact that I still want to be satisfied beyond words.

“I’m telling you that you don’t know me and there’s no possible way that I’m going to call you.” He turned and walked away, heading for his black pick-up with the gleaming metal roll bars in the back.

Chapter 3

He stopped with his foot poised to climb into the cab and looked back to see that she was walking away from him in profile. He did want her and if he wasn’t careful, he would find himself being the one that was looking in from the outside.

He couldn’t even begin to think why it would matter that somebody else would have that chance. He just knew that he wanted her with her cheeks spread for him. That was more than enough to make him drive very slowly down the road in hot pursuit. It had been a few minutes and driving behind her like some kind of stalker was only going to attract too much attention.

Mitchell rolled down the window and came up beside her looking at that plump ass and the generous helping of breasts that were more than a handful or mouthful for that matter. “Let me drive you home. I may have gotten a little heated back there, but you really did catch me off guard. This is something that you should reconsider and like you said it’s not every day that a proposition comes in this form to any man. In that same regard, it’s not every day that you lose your virginity. You should probably take it more seriously than some kind of banking transaction.” Mitchell was trying to be the good guy but it was very hard and most of that was in reference to what was now trying to break free of his pants. That was 9 inches of solid Texas beef and there were many women in this small Texas Town that had experienced his type of loving.

“You think that I’m not a woman of my word. I will gladly take that ride with you, but only if you really give it some thought. We can both get what we want and I won’t have to settle for second best. I won’t have to worry about catching anything, because I know that you get yourself tested every year without fail. You always wear protection and that’s something that a girl doesn’t take lightly. In a day and age where chivalry is dead, there might still be room for a guy like you to open my door and show me the kind of manners that will make me want to give you something that no man can say that they will ever have again” “I wasn’t expecting him to follow me down the road, but I guess I really did get to him. For some reason, I envision him pulling my hair and spanking my ass. I may not be into rough play, but maybe I don’t know what I’m into until I finally experience it for myself.”

“Get in this truck, before you have a horde of men running down the sidewalk about ready to commit adultery. There are a lot of guys that would sell out their own mother for the chance at somebody’s virginity. To feel that tightness for the first time and experience a woman’s orgasm like that will be hard for any moral man to step away from. You’ve opened a can of worms that you can’t close. I could make it easy on you, but I’m reluctant to take that step.” Mitchell watched her settle in beside him and the way that her thighs spread slowly brought that skirt up to show her silky white alabaster thighs.

“I think that maybe you’ve given this a lot of thought already. You probably thought that it was wrong to even think of me in that way, especially since you and my mother were close friends back in the day. The only thing that I’m looking for is a physical relief. I’m not looking for a commitment or a ring on my finger. The money will allow me to start a new life without Helen getting in my way. I could take the money and I could invest it, or I could go down to a tropical island with a drink in one hand and a bronze body on the other. I’ve dreamed of finding that paradise and planting my flag there for the duration of my life. I don’t want to get caught in the mundane existence of going back and forth from a 9 to 5 job like Helen does every day. She works too hard and I never want to be in that position. I’d rather have my freedom than to experience a life of hell doing one job for the rest of my life without any end in sight.” Lynn was consciously spreading her legs a little wider until she was now showing off the cleft of her bald mound. “I see him pulling at his tie and there’s a trickle of sweat running between his eyes. He can’t stop looking at me and I believe that I have one on the hook and I just need to find a way to reel him in. This all began with Helen forcing my hand and I think that I have found something that is worth fighting for. I don’t think that I could ask for anything more. He’s huge, but I’ve heard through the Grapevine that any woman can accommodate such a girth.”

“I know this sounds foolish under the circumstances. If I were to agree then this would have to remain between the two of us. It can never get out that I stooped so low as to pay for it. I’ve never wanted anything to do with women of the night. It’s the oldest profession in the world and my father tried to make me lose my virginity by going to a house of ill repute. I felt dirty sitting in the waiting room and I walked out before I even had a chance to choose from those that were willing to let me stick it to them. I guess I don’t want that same thing for you and I have more than enough experience to show you a good time. I’m going to ask you to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I’ll have one written up. I’m going to give you $1.5 million. That is my final offer. Take it or leave it.” Mitchell had no earthly idea that this was going to happen today. It was quite unexpected, but a welcome addition to an otherwise boring day.

“I would say that we should shake on it, but I think I can do a whole lot better than that.” She reached out nervously and she manhandled the goods through his pants. He swerved and she probably should have warned him before doing something so out of character. She felt alive for the first time and it was like a certain part of her had lain dormant for too long. It was time to let her inner woman free. She had found the right man to make that happen. “I know how men like to have their cocks played with by other hands besides their own. I’ve done my fair share of research on the Internet and let’s just say that I’ve seen things that had me wondering why anybody would even consider doing something like that. A couple of those acts I would like to commit to memory. I think that you can help with that. I’m sure that you have tricks that you’ve learned over your years. I agree with your terms and I believe there’s no reason to go searching any further than you. When do you suppose that we should do this? I believe that Helen will be out of town for a while and that leaves that whole house unoccupied. I’ll be alone. We can find something to do other than to talk about our feelings.”

“Look what you’ve done to me. I thought that those girls that I picked up in the bar were enough for me. You changed my mind and now I want to show you what it feels like to be with a man and not some little boy pretending to be one. I’m the genuine article and when they say that Texas comes with everything big they are referring to me. I’m quite happy with what I have and I’ve had several guys comment about it in the gym. I never thought that I was anything special, until I went to school and saw that all the other boys were not exactly the same. They ridiculed me, but I soon realized that there were women that considered themselves real size queens. The rumor of what I had got out and I couldn’t beat them off with a stick. I was grateful that I didn’t give my virginity to those girls in that whore house. I had my pick of the litter when I got the high school.” Mitchell considered himself to be worldly, but the one thing that had escaped his bucket list was that woman with a purity that was very hard to find.

“I’m enjoying this a lot, but I do believe that I’m going to refrain from going any further than this. I want to open my present on Christmas Day and not a moment before that. By all means, if you insist on surprising me then maybe a red bow around the very thing that I’m holding in my hand would go a long way to helping things to go more smoothly. I don’t want any awkward moments and what I’m looking for is that passion that burns within the both of us.” “I could tell him that I want to suck his cock and that wouldn’t be a lie. I’m looking at him. The way that he looks at me back is under the pretense that I have no idea that he has become trapped by his own sexual needs. This is the kind of guy that could put me through my paces and hopefully go all night long. This kind of money opens me up to anything that he requests. I have every right to say no, but how can I when he is supplying me with the one thing that can make my life more palatable.

The roar of the engine as he sped down the road was whipping her hair back like that of some movie star. He saw that the cold air had affected her nipples. They were poking obscenely against her shirt. He wanted to turn and bite them through the material, but that would’ve been too much of a risk of getting into some sort of accident. “I’m going to need a couple of days. I don’t want this to be just another experience for me for me. This has to be something that goes beyond all others. I need some time to go through some details. You might even find yourself getting some gifts to make the evening that much more interesting. I have a few ideas and believe me I am not opposed to using toys in love play. I find it not only enhances, but it sexually excites me. Some guys might feel like they are less than a man, but I don’t feel that way.” He was losing his composure and his chest was constricting like that of some kind of attack.

“Oh, my…that is not something that you experience every day. You have an amazing capacity to withstand just about anything that I do. That brief jerk was a good way to spell the end of this moment between two consenting adults and I could easily make you cum inside your pants and believe me the idea does put a smile on my face. It’s not like you will be able to fight me and seeing you go off inside your own underwear will be the icing on the cake for today.” “I need to finish this. I want to see that look on his face that I’ve seen only in movies thus far. I’m beginning to think that there’s more to sex than just the grunts of approval that I see on screen. There were some positions that seemed almost unfathomable to complete, but I’m willing to give it the old college try.”

“Damn you…for making me feel this way. I can’t say that I’m not enjoying what you’re doing and a hand job has only scratched the surface. I never knew that there was a girl out there that could even come close to some of my better conquests over the years. Most girls are shy and make me initiate and I want you to be the other way around. When I come to you in the next couple of days, I don’t want to have to be the one to take you by the hand. You’re going to have the show me that you are ready. You may not know what I mean by that, but I think that you’ll come to your own conclusion in the nick of time.” Mitchell was rubbing her leg and his fingers began to sneak up to find that her pussy was well lubricated. “I take it that this is the first time that you’ve touched a man in this way. What exactly have you done?” He was trying to make conversation while keeping that sensation between his legs from going off.

“I have had my pussy eaten, but by someone that really didn’t know what they were doing. I went down on the same guy and it was probably the blind leading the blind. He was a bit of a hair trigger and I had to pull away before I took any of that nasty stuff in my mouth. It was only after I was looking on the Internet that I found it quite fascinating to blow a guy all the way to the finish line.” “He’s fighting that instinctual need and he’s making me work for it. He’s circling the neighborhood and purposely staying away from my house for as long as possible. I can only assume that he doesn’t want to take anything away from what he’s feeling. I’m not going to leave him, until I take him to the point of no return.”

“I don’t know what you…expect me to…say.” Mitchell thought that there was no pressure, but this girl was not about to stop. He had no idea what he was afraid. This wasn’t the first and it wouldn’t be the last time that he had done something with a woman. It would be the first time that he ever shot his load inside his underwear and that very kinky act was now fueling him to the end of his willpower. He had no idea what he was doing. If anybody saw him doing something like this with Lynn they would consider him to be some kind of pervert. At this moment, he didn’t care. “I can’t believe that I’m letting you… Oh fuck… oh yes… Oh fuck yes… YESSSSSS.” His fingers had turned white on the steering wheel and his eyelids fluttered for a moment, as he filled his underwear with a fair amount of his seed. It wouldn’t be long before it was soaking through the material and leaving a very noticeable wet stain at his crotch.

“That’s what I wanted. Remember that when you come over in the next couple of days. I don’t want you to treat me like a docile little lamb being led to the slaughter. I want you to treat me like a woman and believe me I plan to treat you like a man.” “I was intending to make everybody inside that church realize that it was my life and not theirs. It started with a dare to myself, but now it has turned into so much more. I’ve wanted to get rid of this feeling of being the only one that hasn’t gone all the way. I just never fathomed that I would have the chance to be with Mitchell a man that was considered a catch amongst any available woman looking to get into his pants.”

“You really are…hell bent on getting what you want. I suppose I could consider it a service and that what I’m doing for you is keeping you from throwing yourself at any available man that is willing to throw money at your feet. I want something more for you than that. Let’s not consider this a business transaction. Consider the money that I’m giving you a gift that is not predicated on performing to my expectations. I do want to make one thing perfectly clear. It goes without saying that I’m going to please your body. I will make you scream and that’s a given. You may think that I’m blowing smoke up your skirt, but trust me I know my around down there. I’ve learned what it takes. I’m just trying to make sure that you’re fully informed before going forward.” Mitchell saw that she was nodding her head yes, but her mouth was about to say no. He swung around to her house and stayed a block away in case of nosy neighbors that saw that they weren’t exactly platonic.

“I don’t have anything to complain about. I want you to make me scream and to show me all those things that I have been missing out on.” “I don’t want to tell him that I had this crush on him for as long as I can remember. I know what he already had with Connie. I’ve never heard him speak of her name in public. It’s possible that that wound is still fresh, even though a few years have passed since she left him. He got a postcard a few weeks later from the French Riviera of her holding onto two boys that were barely out of their teens. She said that life was too short to be chained to one man for the rest of her life and that she apologized for getting his hopes up by taking his ring. Amazingly, he actually got the ring back. She did not try to pawn it as if she had any right to have it in your possession after the engagement was cut short.

“You can’t talk about this to anyone including friends. You might feel this need to over share. You and I will be the only ones that know, unless I otherwise state to the contrary. I’ll be by in two days at exactly 7:00 PM. The gifts I send to you, I will expect you to wear in accordance to the agreement that we have set fourth.” He didn’t mean to make it sound boring, but he also didn’t want there to be any misinterpretation. He wanted this to be something they both wanted. He wasn’t sure how serious she was about this, but there was only one way to find out. He was happy to make that sacrifice.

Chapter 4

Two days later and being a woman that had enough, Helen had indeed left on a cruise to the Bahamas for the next month. They didn’t talk about it and Lynn did not offer to take her to the Airport.

Being alone was not all that it was cracked up to be. Lynn didn’t like the eerie silence in the house, the ticking of the clock or any strange noises that made her jump practically out of her skin. Tonight was the big night and she received a couple of gifts along with the agreement that she eagerly signed on the dotted line. She was close to telling her friend Shelly about all of this, but at the last second she stopped herself from revealing too much.

The gifts consisted of lingerie that were very risqué. This was not the type of stuff that she would have bought on her own. It was time to get dirty, but she also wanted to show off her virginal status. She had a choice of five different outfits and she had a feeling that before the weekend was over that she would be in each and every one of them. To start, she was going to take on a more pure after the wedding kind of outfit. This was a white widow with matching garters and the cups were literally flowing over with the abundance of her flesh. She put on the silk see through robe and heard a door slam in the backyard.

The headlights were shining through the back door and then they were extinguished before she heard the telltale stomping of his cowboy boots. She flung open the door and got an appraising glance with him leaning down, so that she could grab him by his short dark hair. She shoved her tongue down his throat and decided that if he wanted somebody that was going to show initiative then she was damn well going to do that. She wiggled her tongue up to the roof of his mouth and could feel the presence of his member taking notice. He was wearing the same blue jeans and they were tight over his body like they were meant to accentuate the positives of his manhood.

“I was tempted not to go through with this, but then I realized that I would never be able to look at myself the same way again. It was a tug of war between what was right and what was wrong. You drove me mad with desire these last couple of days. I wondered what you were doing at night. I’m happy to report that I didn’t do anything to satisfy myself. I’ve been saving it for you and there’s quite the buildup from the last couple of days. I’ve had a couple of women from my past come calling and I somehow denied them their request at a late night booty call.” Mitchell knew that this was different and he wanted to get everything done in a hurry. “I’ve taken the liberty of putting half into your account. That’s just a down payment to the gift of 1.5 million coming your way. I would say that I was only waiting to see if I was getting my money’s worth, but I think that I have already learned that I’m getting more than I bargained for.” Mitchell pulled down the cups and was quite fascinated to see the silver dollar size nipples staring back at him.

She was about to fall on her knees when he did the exact same thing before she even had the chance. He had a hold of her around the waist with his head pressed up against her stomach.

She cradled his head and held him close to let him hear her heart beating wildly inside her chest.

“I’m glad that you don’t consider that a part of the transaction. It’s so much better that you mentioned that it was a gift and not some kind of payment for services rendered. I know that I mentioned that this was what I wanted, but maybe I have been having second doubts. I don’t want my first time to be on the premise of money exchanging hands. I probably wouldn’t care with anybody else, but with you I’m beginning to learn that there’s a lot more to you than the playboy that everybody else sees.

“I want you to know that you took the hammer to my walls of defense. You took my memories and dragged them away for something more pleasant than the haunting images of my nightmares. I wake up screaming every night for her, but the last couple days the only thing that I have been able to think about was you. I’m not just saying that and I do mean every word. I would like to think that she’s looking down from where she’s at with approval. She may think that it’s a bit distasteful to talk about money, but this was a promise and it’s not one that I’m going to renege on.” He lifted her onto the counter and found her white underwear already quite stained with her juices.

“Now that the time is here, I feel little hesitant. I’m sure that something like that is normal. Is there any way that you can take away some of that nervousness? Why don’t you show me what you meant when you said that you know your way around down there?” “The only connection that I had to him in the last couple of days was those gifts. There were 10 in total with five being outfits and the others enhancements to what we’re going to do to each other this weekend. They are splayed out on the nightstand and I have to say that I took them out of their package and gave them the once over. The vibrating butt plug was calling my name, but not until we open the gates to depravity. The only way to do that is to fuck me silly and to make me realize that this is only the beginning.” She could feel the cool surface of the black marble against her ass and then she was lifting to let him pull her panties off with one very determined motion of his hand.

Mitchell had that delicate material in his hands. He looked at the white sheer material and had a thought. He could smell her from here, but he wanted her to know that this was not just going to be a wham bam thank you ma’am kind of deal. He was going to prolong this and lengthen their time together to encompass the entire weekend and maybe even beyond.

“You won’t need those anymore, Lynn. You may think that I was bragging, but it’s not bragging when you can back it up.” He placed two hands underneath her and pulled her into a position where she was lying prone. He opened her legs and saw the wet petals of her sex begging for the attention of his mouth. He moved closer and let the heat of her hole and the fragrance wafting from within draw him closer with each second that passed. “You probably know by now that any man’s fantasy revolves around having a virgin. This all started with you trying to get back at your… at Helen. I do hope that it has transcended that.” He touched her clit and saw her jerk in response. It was exactly what he was waiting for. He slid his tongue into her to feel the constricting walls finding a reason to bear down on that oral projectile.

“I fucking…should’ve done this along…time ago. Waiting for the right guy was the right decision, but waiting for that ring on the finger doesn’t necessarily have to go hand in hand.” She could barely feel anything below the waist and her extremities were pretty much numb. His tongue was driving in and out of her inner folds in a repeated fashion. “I’d heard that having a guy go down on you was better than getting fucked, but I don’t really have any reference at this point to say anything either way. This is going to be one very interesting weekend and I plan to make the best of our time together.”

He was keeping her in place, making sure that he got that maximum penetration with his tongue to open the pathway for something even larger. He had reached down and was doing the impossible by pulling himself free and going down on her at the same time. He was putting the extra emphasis with his fingers along his own length to make him rampant and ready to enter into that forbidden zone. He was already quite excited and that was evident from the way that he was dripping like a leaky faucet.

It was 20 minutes and anytime that she thought that she was ready to blow her top, he would slow things down to make her realize that building things up would only make things a whole lot better in the long run. She thought at one time that this was a dumb thing to do. She had gone back and forth about whether or not to call it off, but in the end the result was going to be the same. “I know that he’s doing this on purpose and he’s pretty much making me a slave to my own body. He really does know what he’s doing and that’s a little scary when I begin to think about all the lovers that he must’ve had in the past. Do I even compare or am I some kind of dismal disappointment that will make him look at me differently afterwards. I can’t think of something like that when the pressure growing inside me is only getting to a point that something is going to have to happen.”

There was no need to rush. He already knew that loving somebody could hurt more than anything in his life. He had watched her deteriorate for over a year while fighting that disease. Her death had caused him to lose a part of his soul. Her final breath had broke him and made his heart harden to a point that it was impenetrable.

Mitchell was delving deep and could feel her juices streaming across his tongue and then suddenly her whole body went into a trembling wave of pleasure. He thought that he had hurt her for a moment, but the squirting presence of her juices into his mouth told him otherwise. There was a bit of a squeal coming from her lips, but mostly she was riding a perfect orgasm that was brought about by patience and knowing exactly what he was doing.

“Oh god…more…don’t you dare take your fucking tongue out of me. I want to feel that again and again and again and I never want it to stop. I want to cum and continue to cum, until I have no more breath to give. Yes…fucking…YESSSSSS.” She lifted her pelvis and pushed her hole into his face with her two hands pressing down on his shoulders. “I thought that playing with myself would only be marginally different than a guy going down on me. I was wrong and now I am more than anxious to see if my misconceptions of sex can be changed once and for all.” Lynn didn’t know that she could feel this deeply in her soul. She didn’t want anybody to hurt her and Mitchell and his cowboy way had certainly tamed this stallion. She was wild and he had come around and done the impossible by soothing the savage beast.

She lay there wondering how it could possibly get better and then her eyes opened to the feeling of his mouth encompassing her clit. He was lashing it repeatedly with the tip of his tongue and circling it each and every way. It was too much and her mouth parted with a banshee cry of pleasure that rattled the panes of glass and the pots and pans hanging overhead. There was the customary howl of a dog nearby and then there was a chorus of dogs in heat applauding their efforts.

Mitchell continued to give her no choice, but to lose herself in the moment. Working tirelessly was no stranger to Mitchell. He would need some time to recuperate after the weekend was finished. He was not holding back and it was a crying shame that he didn’t find her long before now. He allowed himself to get caught up in her orgasmic release. His bed had a revolving door of playmates. He wanted to feel again, but he was going about it the wrong way. He finally took a step back and looked at the woman that had caused him to think of her, as more than just a sought after commodity.

She finally got control of her senses and she moved down until she was landing in front of him. Her legs gave out and that was to be expected after something like that. He was able to hold her by the underarms and she slithered into place at his feet. She went after him, pulling down his stiffness to her mouth and sealing her lips over the crown with her lipstick now traveling up and down the first few inches. “After what he did, he deserves everything that I can give him and more. I’m willing to walk on the wild side. He is that dream that has come alive and that sinful delight that keeps on giving. He saved me the heartbreak of letting my virginity go to somebody that I didn’t really want in the first place.”

Mitchell looked down at her head bobbing and couldn’t see much with her hair fanned out across his crotch, He didn’t need to see anything and the feeling was something that could only be described as out of this world. It felt like he was rescued and set free. His heart was finally beating for the first time in a long time.

“I have to say that this might be your first time, but it’s quite obvious that this is not your first time going down on a guy. You do need some pointers, but you make up for that in other ways. You really should slow down and I really don’t want to lose myself this quickly. I thought that I would be able to withstand anything that you gave me, but that was wishful thinking on my part.”

She could feel the heat of his knob pressing up against her throat and she wasn’t quite sure that she was able to do something like that. Every time that she pushed forward, she would gag just a little with more spit accumulating at his balls. She tried to stop that reflex, but it wasn’t easy when she had no training in this department. After some trial by error, she finally managed to take his cock head into her throat for a brief second before coming back up and sputtering something mad.

“I only want you to do what you’re comfortable with. It did feel very good, but I don’t want you to do anything that’s going to harm you.” Feeling her deepthroat gave him a catch in his throat. He swallowed hard and felt himself buck up against her in a moment of sheer delight. “I don’t know about you, but I think that you can do it. We have all the time in the world. I’m willing to show you some interesting tricks.” He saw the look of desire in her eyes and he pressed the knob back up against her lips. He slid across her tongue and then grabbed a fistful of her hair to slip the rest of the way in. He could see that she was fighting it, but she managed to keep it all the way in this one time for more than 30 seconds.

He pulled out with her spit now quite thick along his shaft. He heaved her back onto the counter and was in the perfect position to give her what she had been waiting for all these years. He could feel the fucking suction of her hole trying to pull him in by the force of will alone. He felt the heat surround his mushroom tip and then the resistance waiting for him. This was a sure sign that she was indeed virginal and was in need of a man to take away that cherry. He pulled back and then pushed back in with a healthy dose of determination behind that thrust. He broke through that resistance and heard the telltale shriek of a girl that was getting it for the first time.

Her hands went out to touch his chest and she stopped his momentum and opened her eyes to see that he was looking back at her. She needed time to adjust and the pain was quite severe, but was modest in comparison to those horror stores. “I need you…to take it very slow. It was probably good that you went fast at first, but now I’m going to have to ask that you slow things down.” They looked at where they were joined and that bulbous head had now found a way to stretch her open. “This doesn’t feel normal, but I know that I want this. It feels too damn good to stop now.”

Chapter 5

He waited with the ticking of the clock and then he lifted her and carried her impaled on his member up the stairs with her legs crossed around him. She was a very healthy girl and it took a bit for him to carry her weight without collapsing on the stairs. He was not going to give into that instinct and the very notion that she had given him her body was now making him fully aware of his duties. This was not about his pleasure and even though he paid for it dearly, didn’t mean that he was going to have to be some callous prick.

“This is better than my fantasies and my imagination at the same time. I’m glad that I chose you. It was quite fortuitous that we met outside that church. I do have to wonder what would have happened had we not bumped into each other. I guess there’s no reason to think along those lines when there’s something a lot more pressing going on in my life.” I cringe to think about the guy that I could’ve found myself with for my first time. He was being gentle and a little rough, but I think I like that more than I want to admit.”

Mitchell carried her through to the bedroom, across the threshold, while kicking the door open to make him look like a big man. He heard her gasp and knew that his cock had buried itself. In his haste to get her onto the bed, he had driven the very air out of her lungs upon landing on the mattress. He stayed still, seeing the shocked look on her face and knowing that he had done something that he had said that he would never do. He had hurt her.

“I did say that I wanted to take it slow. I know that it was by accident and I don’t think that I would have had it any other way. I refuse to deny myself this pleasure just because of a little bit of pain.” “He has really shown me that he wants me. I’m giving him all my trust. This is a comfort that only comes from a man that cares for me deeply. He said that he wanted me and that he wasn’t going to settle for anything but all of it. I didn’t need true love, but maybe I was settling for less than everything I wanted on a silver platter. I want him to tell me that he doesn’t want this to end and that we can have forever together. I don’t want him to lie to me and tell me something that isn’t true. I’m not sure that he wants more than just this one time.”

“I’m here in between your legs and I see you tremble and I know that I’m the cause of that. You have my love inside you and my staff and my body is properly motivated to give you the time of your life. Hold on, because it’s going to get bumpy from this moment on.” He made it sound like it was some kind of amusement ride or roller coaster. As he began to move against her, he found that he was not the only one that was working toward a common goal. She was pushing up with her hands against the mattress to make them work together.

“I know that I don’t have any right to ask, but I’m requesting one thing. I don’t want you to think that this gives you free rein to just fuck me and then leave me like some kind of skid mark on the way out the door. I want this weekend to last. I don’t even want to think about anything besides the moments that I’m sharing with you. Fuck…that thing is really big and you’re going to have to be very gentle. I will say that you didn’t hurt me at least not too much. This might be my first dance with sex, but I believe that I’m beginning to learn the steps.” I want to continue this until the sun is creeping through the curtains and then I want to start all over from the very beginning. It might be greedy and probably asking for too much, but I can’t help the way that I need him constantly and with no reservation.

He unbuttoned his shirt and with his pants already hanging loosely around his ankles he was able a kick them free. He had gone without any underwear. It seemed pointless for a weekend escapade like this one. “I’m tangled within you and this is exactly where I want to be. My cock feels so good and I know that you can feel it rubbing up against your walls. You want it slow, but you really should be careful what you ask for.” There was no doubt in his mind that she was better than all the rest. They were vacant stares in the middle of the night. Those other girls were pretty much just a body and no substance.

“You really do make a good first impression, Mitchell. Go ahead and fuck me and don’t stop, until I either say so or pass out.” “I’ve fallen deeply for this man, but how can I justify that after making him pay through the nose for the privilege of breaking me in. I’ve lost too much in my life and to lose him after he’s done with me would be the final straw that broke my mind. My parents aren’t around to protect me and Helen has done her best, but she never asked to have a teenager that had a chip on her shoulder to come into her life. I finally see things clearly and maybe I haven’t given Helen a fair shake. I have to remember to put myself in her shoes.”

“Oh yeah…that’s it work your hips up to meet me. Do you hear that slapping sound? Do you know that is music to my ears?” Mitchell was ramming full long into her and was hearing her cry out in orgasmic joy. There was no shy and inexperienced young woman underneath him anymore. This was an awakening and one that had her begging him to fuck her all night long. “Yes…all the way and then all the way back in. You love that. I can see it in your eyes how much you want me to make you cum. This one time is never going to suffice. There are going to be more this weekend and I plan to utilize every inch of this house.” The blow job downstairs had certainly caused things the stir between his legs. He could feel it coming and he knew that he was not going to stop. It was clear that she didn’t want him to. Her legs were wrapped around him in a tight vise.

“Do it…for fuck sake… Just do it already… AHHHHHH.” Lynn’s body shook all over and she imbued a newfound confidence that came from a man that was really doing her a favor. She could feel him cresting that wave of excitement and suddenly his balls overflowed with its white hot goodness. They moved together groaning in response and holding each other’s eyes through the entire ordeal. He had gone the distance and he was lying on top of her with his cock shrinking after such a painful and pleasurable ending. He wanted to feel her body and he took a moment to lie on his back and turn his head to see that she was glowing with the aftermath.

Lynn had felt every single spurt from his cock. He didn’t know when to stop and the way that she was moving against him told her that he was right there with her every step of the way. “He made me cum effortlessly and he had metaphorically written his feelings in bold letters into the air for all to see with just his smile of satisfaction. It’s impossible for me not to feel connected. I don’t want this to be something that is only a one off. I want to scream it from the rooftop, but not until I find out if this is what he wants. Does he know what he wants?” Lynn draped her hand over his chest, feeling his sweaty skin and touching his nipple just to see him squirm in her hands.

“I really don’t know what to say. The one thing that I know for sure is that this weekend is going to drain me of every drop. Every time that I’m up, I will find you in whatever room you’re in and I will take you once again. I don’t care if you’re doing dishes, laundry downstairs or even dusting with a pair of cutoff shorts. There’ll be no place safe for you in this house. I don’t want to scare you, but I just want to give you warning that you can expect more of the same.” Every time he looked at her it was like he was seeing his future in her twinkling eyes.

I think that we should take stock in what we have already done. By taking my innocence, you’ve opened up a Pandora’s Box. I’ve become insatiable and my body is literally vibrating with the need to do that again. I’ve never been this horny and hot for a man in my life.” I’m still wearing the white widow outfit and it’s about time that I exchange that for something a little more nasty and provocative. I’ve had my eye on the black bustier that he sent over with the matching leather panties with the crotch cut out. I have a pair of thigh high leather boots that I bought on an impulse a few years ago. I’ve never had an occasion to wear them. I believe that I might have found the right man and it’s about time that I shock him instead of the other way around.

“I think that it would be best that we take a shower and that should rejuvenate us for the next chapter of our union. As you can see, I’m practically ready to go again. That hasn’t happened in quite some time and I’m usually good for one time and then done for the evening. It only goes to show you that it has to be the company that I’m keeping. You may be insatiable, but I think that I can handle that. You do know the old saying about save a horse and ride a cowboy. It’s time that you saddle up and give me your best.” He wanted to take a shower, but this was becoming more urgent. “I am going to fuck you again and this time you’re the one that’s going to be in the driver’s seat. It probably should’ve been that way the first time, but I couldn’t help myself. At least this way, you’ll be able to control the pace and the depth of my cock. I will be pretty much at your mercy.” Mitchell saw that she was breathless, but she managed to ready herself for the task at hand.

“I do believe that I’m going to enjoy learning every facet of every sexual position. I have the perfect teacher and someone that knows how to please in just the right way.” “He has definitely started a spark and I fear that is going to turn into something of an obsession. I never thought that I would have him for my first time. I could have all the money and the treasures in the world but it would mean nothing without him. Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but it doesn’t compare to the love of a good man.” Lynn moved until she had both knees on either side of his body. She reached back and grabbed him, hearing his moaning and knowing that that was only the start of something new between them.

There were a lot of guys knocking at her door, but she had been steadfast on her belief to wait for that one that was going to be the only one. She placed the tip at her entrance and she let her obvious weight advantage play into this nicely. She dropped all 165 pounds onto his midsection. He bolted straight up and attached his mouth to one of her nipples which was a constant form of electricity between her chest and her pussy.

“I have to say that you are a woman that knows what she wants. I like that you can take…direction. You just squeezed very hard. I’m not sure if you did that on your own or if your body was acting on its own.” He knew that nobody could blame him for wanting to be with her. It wasn’t even about the money. He could afford to pay her a lot more than what he offered and most of that money was earmarked for some kind of charity. This was better than giving back to his community. This wasn’t going to stop him from playing the part of a true humanitarian.

“I really do like this, Mitchell. Mitchell…oh, my god Mitchell…you hit me in just the right way every single time. I see the stars in my eyes and these pinpricks of light. I’m not sure what they…MEANNNNNN.” That orgasm come up pretty quickly and rubbing her clit against the shaft was a surefire method of making her go off yet again. She slapped his chest and scratched her nails along the surface of his heated skin. She threw her hair back in obvious pleasure and let that moment converge until she collapsed on top of him.

Seeing that he was going to have to do some of the work, Mitchell lifted his hips and performed like that of a seasoned lover. He was slapping her ass, smacking his balls up against her and feeling that orgasm gripping him. He wasn’t even close to finished, but her falling on top of him had been met with her lips sealed to his in an embrace of passion and pure sex.

She had a little bit of fear going into this, but that had vanished from the moment that she saw him smiling at the door. The cowboy hat and the cowboy boots were making her aware of the fact that she liked a manly kind of guy and not some prim and proper businessman looking for stock tips. “Please…don’t stop…on my account. I just need to get my second wind and I’ll be right back in this to win it.” “I don’t know how many calories are burning doing this, but it has to be pretty damn significant to put up this kind of sweat. This is the kind of exercise that I can do practically every day. I could shed the pounds or at least sculpt what I already have into something of a hard body. I like the way that he looks at me and I don’t think that it would be the same if I were to become some stick thin bitch. He was afraid that I was going to find somebody else, but I don’t want anybody else.”

“I’m not the man that I used to be and that all changed when I met you, Lynn. I’ve seen you around, but never really saw you as anything more than Kate’s baby girl. She would be so proud…of you and how you have grown up to be quite the woman.” He slipped out from underneath her and was quite pleased to see that she had gotten into the position of being taken from behind. He grabbed his member and gave it a few jerks of incentive, as if it really needed any after seeing a site like that. Her big ass was making him drool and he was soon planting his flag deep within that body.

“Yes… I don’t know how much one can take without passing out. Please… I need it so badly. I’ve been without for so long… fuck me… fuck me…I don’t know how I’m going to stop this…this fucking…AHHHHHHHH.” “I’m serious when I say that I’m getting quite the workout. My heart has never beat this quickly I’m afraid that this kind of exertion can be detrimental to my health. I’m sure over time that I will get used to something like this, but he’s not exactly holding back. I don’t trust myself being around him and his eyes have me stripping down to nothing without even realizing that I’m doing it. Even that moment inside his truck was fraught with sexual excitement that would have led to fogging up his windows big time.”

You have nothing to worry about. I have a lot more to give you.” He had his hands on her hips and was giving her all of him. He watched it sink into her hole and then come out coated in her juices and that fueled him into a passionate state arousal. “I think that you and I are made for one another. Damn it… I was hoping that I could last a little bit longer than this…my god.” It felt like his cock was going to come apart at the seams. He saw her slump forward and it wasn’t hard to recognize that she had fallen into a deep slumber. He looked down at his cock and had never seen it so depleted. He had nothing inside and he was going to need some time. It looked like he was going to get it.

He lay down behind her feeling the cushion of her ass. He felt to his side to see her angelic face. He touched her cheek and saw the beauty of a woman that came to him with a proposal that was not going to be hard for most guys to turn down. He moved his fingers down her spine and saw her shiver with Goosebumps appearing. It was time to get some rest and there was no way that he could keep this up all night. He needed that time to be ready for her over eager body.

Chapter 6

Watching her sleep had become something of a pastime in the last few hours. He could barely sleep and he was wired like somebody that had too many energy drinks. He was still wearing the cowboy hat and her hand on his chest made him realize that he was alive for the first time in his life. He never wanted this to end. He wanted to capture this for all time. Mitchell knew that this had all started as a way to stop her from doing something that she was going to regret later on. If he didn’t bite the bullet, then somebody that wasn’t all that nice would take advantage of her innocent nature.

He couldn’t believe that their time together giving each other physical relief had led to the spilling of the light through the curtains. That was only one night and he was not lying when he said that he was going to make the most of this weekend.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Lynn had woken up and looked up to see that he was already awake and staring at the ceiling. Her hand lingered on his chest, feeling the warmth and temperament of his heart beating against her fingertips. “I know that a lot of girls feel that their first time lacked any kind of passion or romance. I also know that what we did last night put a smile on both of our faces. You’re everything that I wanted for my first time and more. Every time that you moved against me it was like lightning was striking between my legs. I’m a little hoarse from screaming all night long. It’s a wonder that somebody didn’t call the cops to say that somebody was being killed in here.” “I know that this was an arrangement and one that he had fulfilled to the best of his ability. He had gone above and beyond to show me that a man could be compassionate and wasn’t just after one thing. It might’ve been wrong of me to make that proclamation in front of the entire town, but it all worked out the way that it should have. My first time was something that was memorable and there is nothing and nobody that could take that away from me.”

“I was thinking that it’s such a beautiful day that we should probably take advantage of it. I have this special spot that I would like to share with you. It’s somewhere that I have never taken any girlfriend. I just never thought that I could share this with them. I believe that you might be the exception and I would like to test that theory. I suggest that we get something to eat and the hike is a bit of an arduous climb. I hope that you have some good hiking boots.” All they really wanted to do was wallow in depravity for the rest of the weekend. He wanted to tame her desire over and over again. His intention was to utilize every room in this house until they were spent an exhausted.

“I don’t know what he expects me to say to a proposal like that. I secretly enjoy nature and not that many people know that about me. It only shows that we have a lot more in common than we give each other credit for. It might be that not only do we have a physical bond, but there is something of a spiritual one. Losing my virginity made me a woman, but finding a man like him is priceless. I can’t imagine giving my innocence to anybody else. I can now see that I have been making Helens Life miserable and maybe it was that sexual frustration that was making me lash out for no good reason.” She squeezed his hand and smiled dreamily like that of a woman obsessed with being in love. “It would be my honor to share in your childhood memory. I don’t think that I could have said no even if I wanted to.” They were barely able to tear away from each other. They managed to take a shower separately. If they had done anything like that together they would probably never make it to his secret spot.

When she was done with her shower, she breezed by him dropping the towel to let him see her curvaceous curves as she ran down the stairs giggling like a maniac.

“I heard what you said to him.” Helen had decided at the last second that it was wrong to leave things up in the air like that. She’d come back to find them in bed together. She stood in the hallway and listened to them exchange words of passion and love. She knew that it was not an act. Lynn had found the one that made those butterflies in her stomach. “You have my blessing and maybe what happened was supposed to happen. It doesn’t make me feel any better about how I acted or what I said. I can only apologize and hope that you will take it at face value.” Helen had her metaphorical hat in her hand and was waiting to hear any kind of backlash or venom spewing from Lynn’s lips

Instead of saying anything, Lynn decided that actions spoke louder than words. She was still naked, but she felt compelled to wrap her arms around Helen. They shared a moment and Lynn decided that it was time to clear the air. “I know that it doesn’t seem logical, but I think I blamed you for what happened to my parents. I let my anger for them leaving me fester into something that was ugly. I turned that anger onto the only person that I could. I do forgive you for what you said and it wasn’t like I was innocent in all of this.” “I never thought that this day would come and losing my inhibitions opened my heart and let me see that the true enemy was myself. A lot what happened to my mother and father defined me and that was a power over me that I wasn’t going to allow any longer. Helen didn’t deserve my abuse of words and the way that I acted. It was a wonder that she didn’t have any more gray hairs from the antics that I had perpetrated to get her attention.”

“I have to say that I was a little surprised to see you with him. He didn’t seem all that trustworthy and some of my girlfriends talk about him like he’s the devil in disguise. I see the way that you both look at each other and I know that this is the genuine article. I think that it would be best that I do leave. I still have those tickets to the cruise and maybe I’ll miss out on a couple of days, but I feel a whole lot better leaving you alone.” Helen felt that they had turned a corner. “I know this is none of my business, but how exactly did you get together? I only ask, because I know that you put it out there for anybody to hear that you wanted to sell your virginity to the highest bidder. Tell me that this wasn’t the cause of that.” It really shouldn’t matter, but Helen feared that maybe that Lynn had jumped into something that was destined to fail.

“I don’t think that I have to justify that with a response. Seeing that we are being honest, I guess I don’t have to hide things from you. All I’m going to say is that I’ve found my happiness and I’m going to hold onto it like grim death. He is the man that I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I hope that he feels the same way. I’m going to have to ask him straight up. We may have fallen into bed under less than ordinary circumstances, but I feel that what we have together cannot be broken.” Lynn did not mention the $1.5 million and felt that it was in pretty poor taste. “I don’t wanna see the judgment in her eyes and the best way to avoid that is to keep things close to my vest. She doesn’t need to know all the gory details and I feel slightly ashamed that I had to resort to those measures to find the one thing that has been lacking in my life.”

Helen could sense that she was leaving something out, but this was her life to lead in any way that she saw fit. “You may not be mine, but I feel like you’re the daughter that I never had. You know that I can’t have children and for your mother to trust me with your care was not only unexpected but quite a welcome surprise. I just don’t want you to make a mistake. The one thing that you did say that had a ring of truth to it was that it was your life. Whether this is a mistake you make or not, you either own it or you get swallowed up by it. That’s not what you said, but it was pretty much the meaning. I want you know that I have been always proud of you and I only want the best for you. I consider us family and I hope that you feel the same way.” Helen had seen a real change in Lynn’s attitude. She was no longer caustic or showing any signs of mistrust.

“I may have rebelled against you, but I always thought of you as a role model. I want to consider you part of my family, but there’s no way that I can call you mother. That might change in the future, but for now I’d rather just continue to call you Helen. It’s not a sign of disrespect and I don’t want you to take it like that. I care for you deeply and love you more than I could ever say. You took me in when I was at the lowest point in my life and for that I can never repay you.” “I wasn’t expecting any of this. Having a good man in my life has taught me a valuable lesson. It gave me a perspective that showed me that Helen was only doing her best. It was all that I could hope for under the circumstances. I might have gone a little overboard, but I thank god that I didn’t have to essentially go through with it. I will gladly give the money back, but I get the feeling like he’s not going to let that happen.” They shared a moment and when they heard the shower turn off upstairs they knew that it was time to say goodbye.

“I will always be there for you, but I think that part of the problem was that I had never taken the time to smell the roses. You made me see that I was alive, but I really wasn’t living.” Helen knew that she would be back, but for now she needed to do this for herself. The taxi had been idling at the curve and for some reason she didn’t pay the fare and told them to wait. She dragged her one suitcase back to the taxi and heaved it into the trunk with the help of the driver. She took one last glance and saw Lynn touching her heart and she did the same as a form of saying I love you without having to say the words.

She felt like she was a victim of the night and seeing everything in the cold light of day was another matter altogether. She had woken up with that feeling that things had shifted. The proposal to join him on a family quest was not something that she was prepared for. She rummaged into the closet and found the necessary hiking birds.

She realized that she was wearing only a blanket that Helen had thrown over her to cover her shame. She raced upstairs to find the dripping presence of Mitchell standing there with his member swinging between his legs. “Don’t even think about it. If we continue looking at each other this way we’re never going to get out of the house. I don’t think either one of us would be complaining about that. I do feel that I need to show you this and maybe it’ll give you a better idea of who I am.” Mitchell put on the pair of pants that he had worn here last night. The room smelled like sex and the way that the sheets were torn asunder only showed just what kind of sexual acrobatics they had gotten into last night.

They were both staring at the bed and knew that it wouldn’t take much convincing to jump back between the sheets. In a moment of strength, Mitchell was able to turn her away from a possible repeat performance. “We can always come back to that later. Don’t look at it and it won’t have that power over you.” Mitchell heard the sigh of regret coming from Lynn’s lips. He kissed the back of her neck to see that her legs almost buckled out from underneath her.

They had breakfast and they continue to stare at each other like they were ready to throw the dishes to the floor in their haste to get to one another. They had a medley of fresh fruits and fried eggs over easy. They finally cleared the dishes and then got ready before leaving the house hand in hand. He lifted her into his truck and felt that this was better than anything that had even remotely made him happy. He wanted this intimacy to continue and he was ready to share a painful memory. The only way to get closure was to see it up close and personal.

“I know that what you did to announce your virginity to the neighborhood was a very poignant moment in your life. I want to show you the reason why I have never settled down. I wish that I could say that it was because I was looking for the right one. There’s no denying that I was engaged, but it never worked because I couldn’t be completely truthful with her. I think deep down I knew that I wasn’t in love and that there was no way that I could open up that wound.”

Chapter 7

Helen was behind him and looking at his ass in those jeans. She couldn’t help but to envision them coming down a little. When he bent over there was that telltale plumber’s crack. Thankfully, he was built in a way that made it easier to swallow. She wanted to reach out and trace the line down into the valley. She had seen his concentration and that faraway look told her that he was dealing with something that had no voice.

“I want to go on record to say that last night proved to me once and for all that I do have the capability to love. I thought that I lost that and you’re about to find out the reason why I’ve never let anybody get that close.” He didn’t know how to say the words and the best way to do this was to show her and hopefully the words that he was looking would miraculously come to him.

“The years go by too fast and we never know when our time is up. We gotta take time to enjoy life and not let petty differences to get in the way. I’m not going to pressure you and whether you tell me this secret or not is entirely up to you. I have to say that I find your willingness to share this with me enough to make me think that you might be more than the man that took my virginity.” “I thought that when we started this that I was too good for him. I see now that we were both lost and we needed each other to find our true selves. I feel different and I know that I’m never going to be able to look at him the same way again. I need him to see me as the future and not just the present.” She could hear the rushing of water and every step was making it louder by the second.

“I haven’t been here in over 20 years. My family used to come up here all the time for family outings.” He swallowed hard and knew that saying the words would be the hardest thing that he had ever done in his life. “There’s a rift between me and my parents. We are cordial enough during the holidays, but we’ve never been able to look at each other the same way again.” They came to a clearing and the water that they had heard was of a waterfall crashing down into a pool below. The outcroppings of rocks were not easy to traverse, but they managed to make it with a little help from a guiding hand.

Lynn was in awe and this was a hidden oasis away from the rest of the world. It was no wonder that they spent a lot of time here, but there had to be a reason for them to leave all of this behind. “I see the pain in his eyes and I only want to reach out to him to tell him that I’m here for him. Mitchell had helped me during a difficult time and I feel that I need to show that same thing in return. I trusted him with my virginity and now he’s trusting me with a very painful reminder of his past. Is this not what love is made of? I question if we have more here than meets the eye.” Lynn saw him sit down and place his hands over his face with only his eyes peeking through that of his fingers.

He looked towards the water and he saw that day as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. It killed him to think about this, but it was weighing him down and preventing him from finding any sort of substance within any relationship. “I never thought that I would be back here. 20 years ago I lost a part of my soul. My brother Kenneth and I were fooling around and he lost his footing. I watched…horrified as he plummeted from the top of the cliff. Had he landed in the water, he probably would have survived, but instead he crumpled against the rocks. I was stunned into silence and I heard the anguished cry of my mother and father as they were setting out a picnic for his birthday. I blame myself for him falling. I was the big brother and I should’ve been looking out for him.” Mitchell felt the tears fall down his cheek and then the comforting gesture of Lynn’s hands massaging his shoulders.

“That must’ve been awful for you and your family. You can’t blame yourself and it wasn’t like you pushed him. You were kids and you were acting like kids. There’s nothing that you could’ve done and the sooner that you put that to rest the better off you will be.” Lynn heard him sobbing and pushed his face up underneath her bosom. “I never knew that he was carrying this burden. I don’t think that anybody did. He always seemed so strong and confident, but it was always just a façade that he put on to please people. He doesn’t have to do that with me.”

“I blame myself, because I told him that he was a chicken. I coerced him into joining me on top of that cliff. I could see that he was scared out of his mind, but I continued to needle him until he took the leap of faith. I should’ve been the one that fell and he had only begun his young life. I would give anything to go back and take his place. I know that I can’t and that forgiveness starts with me forgiving myself. People have been telling me that for as long as I can remember. I’ve never been able to see clear to do it. I have you to thank for letting me open up and tell you of my darkest day” Mitchell could hear her heartbeat and wrapping his arms around her gave him a comfort that came from knowing that she wasn’t condemning him for his actions.

They stood there together and eventually they began to shed their clothes. They were soon naked and then rushing into the water to frolic in the buff.

“This place might hold a terrible memory, but maybe we can make better memories that will overshadow that one.” They waded in the water up past their waist with the sun beaming through the trees like a blessing to their union. “I love this place and will not let you wallow in some kind of depression. This place is something that should never leave you with feelings of regret and loss. You should always celebrate Kenneth’s life.” “I can feel his cock nudging between my legs. He’s rubbing against the lips and I know that all I will have to do is hook my leg and wrap it around him. I see no reason to wait around and this will prove to him once and for all that this place should have no power over him.”

Mitchell felt the heat of her hole and despite those painful memories; his cock began to emerge like a periscope over the surface of the water. She grabbed him and he could feel that moment of indecision was over. He abruptly grabbed her by the hips and lowered himself to a crouching position with his cock poised and ready to pierce her womanhood. He didn’t get a chance. Her smile informed him that she was up to no good. She took a deep breath and in that moment he realized just what exactly he was in for.

Lynn dove down under the water, holding her breath and then opening her mouth over the tip of his cock. There was already that salty flavor and she was more than happy to coax more from the cavity of those balls. “I’ve never done this before. I thought about it several times, but I’ve never been in a position where I was willing to try it on anyone. Mitchell is not just anyone.” She bobbed her head back and forth until she had no choice but to surface to catch a breath of air.

His face had this beaming smile as he lifted her and let the buoyancy of her body float on the water surface. Her legs wrapped around him and his cock soon found its way into the gripping vise of her sex. “Being this close to you means more to me than you can ever know. I have been secretly wealthy for a long time without anybody’s knowledge. I’ve invested wisely, but my biggest investment of all was letting you into my life.” He was buried deep and there was something magical in the air. He looked up for a moment and he thought he saw his younger brother giving him a salute from the top of the rocks. He blinked and then he was gone. It was almost like he was given his life back.

“You captured my heart and it doesn’t hurt that you have a tight little body. I love that you have more to offer than the average woman. You wear your weight well and I have to say that most of it situates nicely with your breasts and your ample heart shaped ass. You want me to fuck you. I can see it in your eyes, but I want to hear it. Tell me and anybody else that can hear your voice that my cock is everything that you want.” He saw her lips part and was waiting for that moment where she was never going to be able to hide her feelings again.

“I have your cock and your heart. What more can a woman… ask for. I do want you to fuck me and make love to me underneath the sun and in this water. My wet pussy hungers for your meat and my body begs you to make it cum over and over again. Fuck me… Fuck me… make my wet pussy sing your name. Never will I have another man’s name on my lips. Never will I have another cock that even comes close to what you give to me every day.” “My massive thighs clinch him and I make sure that he’s not going to try to escape the imprisonment of my greedy little hole.”

Mitchell had his hands under her, squeezing her pliable flesh and watching her scream to the heavens. It was enough to bring about his impending climax. He held back, keeping it to himself, until it was going to come out one way or the other. “I fucking love everything about you. Your pussy is grabbing me and you know that…that… it’s about that time… YES.” He went into high gear, slamming it against her with such fervor that the water around them churned in response to their heavy handed lovemaking. “I won’t be able to…keep this up. You are the one that is going to have to finally turn the switch. Pull my fucking nipples…do it and I promise that you will not be disappointed… HOLY FUCKKKKKK.” He let his passion ignite from her fingers plucking at those buds. That action had certainly had the desired effect. He let go with an onrush of emotions with his seed traveling very quickly up the shaft and out through the opening at the head.

“Yes… Yes… Yes… Mitchell… Mitchell… Mitchell.” She couldn’t help herself and she didn’t care that they were in a semi public place. They were away from prying eyes, but this was the first time that she had ever taken this kind of risk. She felt dirty and exposed and loved every minute of it.

“I can honestly say that you took my breath away literally and figuratively. You’re a woman with your own mind and a body that just won’t quit. I think by taking your virginity that I have created a monster. I guess there’s no way to put the genie back in the bottle after what we did last night and here today. I have to say that after everything is said and done that I find myself looking at this place differently. I no longer look at it as a bane of my existence. I see it more as a new beginning. I can forgive myself and I’m glad that you came into my life to show me that I didn’t have to live with his haunted face every night when I went to sleep.” Mitchell took her by the hand and they walked out of the water, until they were standing dripping in front of each other.

“We had a lot to deal with, but amazingly we have come out on the other side unscathed. We might be a little older and wiser, but at least we understand that what we’re looking for was not unattainable. We just had to be patient and wait for that right moment to strike. When I’m with you, there is no place that I would rather be. When I’m apart from you I yearn for the moment that I see your face again.” “I look at his body and I have to say that I am a very lucky girl. I don’t feel self conscious about my weight. I think I try to hide it with bulky sweaters, but with him I don’t feel it’s necessary to put on any airs. I can be myself and I don’t have to worry about making him see me as anything more than what I am.”

They embraced afterwards. They were lying in each other’s arms and looking at each other. They didn’t have to say the words and their expression said that they were never going to be separated from one another. Half the money was in her account and the other half was earmarked to go into her account tomorrow morning. She didn’t care about any of that. He had mentioned something about Barbados and before they knew if they were flying to their secret love nest in the tropics.

Helen would eventually visit and find out that she was with child. They had that in common and that was something that they could share. Helen had found an unexpected treat with a Jamaican flair and they had this interracial romance. It was going to be a very interesting extended family, but the one thing that their life was never going to be was boring.

THE END

ONE NIGHT WITH THE BEAR

Nicole had never been in more of a hurry then she was now. She just had gotten out of the doctor’s office, and with some very big news. As soon as she heard those two impactful words, all she wanted to do was tell Gregory.

Gregory was a man she had met online, specifically lovesick.com, the place where those who feel unloved find out they aren’t. Nicole had never been in a serious relationship before meeting Gregory. Every previous time, she had just gotten bad vibes from the others. This caused her to be extremely timid around them, which turned them off and terminated the relationship.

But Gregory had been different. She had started getting that vibe with him, but he was just so considerate and was nothing but supportive for her, so Nicole decided to stick it out with him. It was around the time she came really trust him that they had their first time.  Sex with him was not only pleasurable, because boy was he an animal, but she felt a sense of calm and serenity when they did it.

And now, this…

Nicole drove down what felt like yet another copy of the same housing structures that she had seen the past few minutes. What was that address he said? 2356 Burmont Dr.? 2365 Brewmont Dr.? Was it a more rusty red house or a more vivid red one? It became dark so quick, how could she be able to tell anyways? Good God! She had been here before! Why couldn’t she remember this frigging place?!?!

‘Deeeeeep breath,’ she reminded herself.

Then she saw it; Burmont Dr. Nicole breathed a small sigh of relief and turned down there.  She recognized the house Gregory lived in with his roommates as soon as she came up to it. She parked and hurried up the stairs, one hand holding the railing while the over was draped over her chest. She knocked lightly on the door and waited.

Lewis, one of Gregory’s roommates, opened the door. With the door wide open, the sounds of video games mixed with joking male voices could be heard in the back.

“Hey Nicole.” Lewis said, “What’s up-?”

“Where’s Gregory?”

“Well he’s out Nicole. You know he does this-“

“Where is he?!”

“I don’t know Nicole.” Lewis said, trying his best to not lose his friendly tone, “He doesn’t tell us. He just leaves every once in a while. I’ll let him know you stop by.”

Nicole rubbed her chin frantically, shifting her eyes back and forth.

“Are you ok Nicole? Did something happen?”

“I-I-I just really need to talk to him right now. I don’t know what to do and-and-“

Nicole held her stomach steady with both hands now. Lewis only had to glance down for a second before it hit him.

“Holy shit! You aren’t-…Oh man. Yeah, I will let him know as soon as he gets back that you need to see him. Oh my gosh Nicole.”

“Can I wait here till he gets back?”

“Uh, I dunno Nicole. You see, he probably wouldn’t-“

Nicole’s voice barely registered above a whisper, “Please Lewis.”

Lewis silently looked at her, caught between two hard places, “Yeah Nicole. You can take his room. We’ll probably be up when he gets back, so I’ll let him know.”

Nicole gave a forced smile and stepped inside.  As she made her way to Gregory’s room, she could hear the whispering behind her.

***

A knock on the door woke Nicole up from her slumber. It took her a few seconds before she remembered how she got her, and the importance of her visit. She hurried to the door to open it, but it swung open before she reached it. There in the door stood Gregory, his big shoulders slumped to the sides. As she looked at the somber face of her boyfriend, Nicole recalled how his bearded face usually made him seem jolly. Now, he looked like a homeless man.

“Lewis told me you were in my room, and…” Gregory said, unable meet Nicole’s eyes.

“I just wanted to let you know as soon as I did.” Nicole said, “I just didn’t know what to do. I’m so scared.”

Gregory nodded and wrapped Nicole in his arms. He then led her to his bed.

“What were you planning to do with the child?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to tell you. I-I think I just wanted to know how you felt about this since we’re together and all.”

Gregory sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He tried to make a grab for her hand, but Nicole backed away from him. 

“Look, if you aren’t ready for this, I understand, but I was expecting a bit more sympathy from you-“

“Nicole, there’s something you need to know if we’re going to go forward with this.”

“Wha-what?”

Gregory sat back, took a deep breath, and then looked Nicole in the eyes more intently then he had all night.

“I’m a bear shifter.”

“A what?”

“It’s kinda like a werewolf, but I turn into a bear. It’s crazy, I know, but it’s the truth. I get these strong urges to change now and again and I have to go off into the middle of nowhere.”

“So the baby would…”

“It’s possible. I don’t know how I got it for myself. It’s still new for me. The guys are cool with it, kind of. Listen, I’ll understand if you want to, you know…”

“Abort.”

“That and possibly never want to see me again.”

Nicole was silent for a while.

“Were things ever going to work out between us? Were you going to walk away from me because of what you are?”

“I don’t want to Nicole. I really don’t want to.”

Gregory’s gaze weakened and he began to grip the sheets tightly as he looked away. He was surprised when he felt Nicole’s hand stroking his. He looked up to see those loving eyes that had kept him scared of ruining the relationship because of what he was.

“We’ll figure this thing out.” Nicole said, “The two of us.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“After all that I have told you?”

“Yes Gregory.”

Gregory was quiet for a few moments, but then he lunged forward and kissed Nicole passionately on the lips. His face pushed her into the pillows as his body slowly began to compress down upon her. With each successive kiss he gave her, Nicole could feel a combination of warmth and desire arising within her. He lifted his body up slightly and she could feel his fingers slipping underneath her shirt, dragging it off her body. Her fingers fumbled blindly for his pants as she began to get them off of him. After the pants came his shirt. Once that was off, she skimmed her fingers along his hairy upper body. Before, she had enjoyed this part of him because it made him seem rugged and almost primal. Now, having been told the truth, it gave awoken in her a beast of her own.

Gregory is part-bear. Oh God; he’s part-bear. How did this happen? How? How?!

This must be what Bella had felt; not that Nicole even liked that book series, but just the concept of discovering someone you cared for wasn’t…wasn’t fully human.

It was kinda exciting to be honest.

With all their clothes off, Gregory began kissing her shoulder blade, working his way up the neck. Nicole’s fingers dug into his back, enticing a guttural groan from his lips. She wrapped her legs around him as he began to thrust. Nicole cried out with passion, arching her body backwards and allowing her lover to enter deeper into her. As he kept going, Gregory began to smother Nicole’s neck with kisses some more. Her breaths were barely coming out in gasps now. Her eyes and mouth were wide open, unable to express recognizable emotion. She couldn’t even scream. She was caught up in the epicenter of it all. His touch felt even better than usual. It was ecstatic. It was heavenly. It-

It was right then that Gregory nibbled on her neck.

“Stop!” Nicole screamed, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

Despite his large size, Gregory was off her in an instant.

“What?!”

Nicole couldn’t stop her body from shaking sporadically. When she looked at him, Gregory could see something in her eyes, something he didn’t want to see.

“Nicole, what’s wrong baby?”

“Why’d you bite me?” 

“I’ve done it before. What’s the problem?”

“It’s just that you…uh.”

Gregory’s eyes narrowed.

“Because you know I’m part bear now, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry.” Nicole said in a low whisper, “I’m not meaning to make you think that I care about that.”

Gregory looked at her, unable to speak. Nicole averted her gaze and began picking up her clothes. Gregory walked over and put his hand over hers.

“Let’s just call it a night. Clearly you need to process this some more, ok?”

“Ok.”

“You ok sleeping here tonight?”

Nicole nodded. Gregory lightly kissed her on the cheek and began to pull on his clothes. The two went off to bed and slept without another word being said.

***

Nicole rubbed the mark where Gregory had bitten for about the tenth time at work today, and she had only been there an hour. She felt conflicted about it all. Deep down, she really was ok with Gregory being who he was. It was weird, and didn’t seem all that possible, but this was who Gregory turned out to be.

Maybe he was one of those, what’s the word, furries. Maybe he had some furry bear costume in his closet that he walks around in when he gets those urges of his. I mean so long as he stayed his loving, loyal self, he could be into nearly any non-violent lifestyle he chooses.

But that bite, she thought as she rubbed it again, that was something else entirely. After being told he figured himself a half-bear, that bite just immediately conjured up some gory thoughts in her head. She had pictured him throttling her by her neck, blood flying everywhere. She shuddered at that thought, not wanting to think any more about that, or even how that ruined her feelings about Gregory. He was such a sweet guy, and it must have taken a lot of courage for him to reveal that about himself.

She looked down at her stomach and wondered, ‘What would a half-bear baby look like?’

“What are you looking at?”

Nicole turned to see her co-worker Abagail staring at her, a coffee mug in her hand.  Nicole gave an embarrassed smile and straightened out her shirt.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Oh hey! How did that doctor’s appointment go? Did you get anymore news?”

“Well…”

Abagail gave a big, toothy smile.

“Oh my God!”

She wrapped Nicole in a big hug, shaking both her body and Nicole in a fit of excitement.

“You’re gonna be a mother! That’s so exciting!!”

A female customer passing by stopped and turned to the two customer service employees having their little moment. She gave a small laugh of amusement. Abagail saw this and slowly assumed a more professional stance.

“Sorry about that. My friend just found out she’s going to be a mom.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

The two watched the woman leave before having a hushed laugh. Abagail made her way behind a register before turning back to Nicole. She was about to say something when a customer approached her.

“So have you told Gregory yet?” she asked once she was free again.

“Yeah. I told him right after I found out.”

“And what’d he say?”

“He was…happy. A little concerned about whether I wanted his child.”

“Would I hope he should! The two of you are dating!”

“He’s just recently been diagnosed with some stuff and-“

“What?! What kind of stuff?!”

Nicole shushed her before continuing.

“Just private stuff. I don’t think he’d like me talking about it.”

“Well if it affects the kid, then he better get himself checked or fixed or something.”

“I’m sure everyone is going to turn out fine.”

“Listen Nicole, I have heard you talk about a lot of guys who you just couldn’t click with. You’ve waited this long for the right guy and if he isn’t it, then you need to find the courage to get out.”

“No Abby. He’s not like that. It’s just we had this big talk last night and I learned some new things about him that I just need to think on.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

“Yes!”

“Ok. I wish you two the best then.”

Nicole smiled and turned to face the customer who had just approached her register.

***

During her lunch break, Nicole grabbed a coffee and a croissant from the Starbucks in the store. As she was sitting down to eat, her cell phone vibrated. It was a text message from Gregory asking if she was doing alright, considering everything that went on last night.

‘Yes. Everything is fine.’

‘Are we still fine?’

Nicole replied that they were, but Gregory wanted to see her to make sure.

‘Maybe. Sometime later when I’m not so busy.’

‘Ok then. When are you free?’

Before she could respond, a second text message appeared.

‘I really want to get things straightened out. I need to know if this can still work.’

Nicole bit her lip, and then took a sip of her coffee.

‘Tomorrow we’ll talk about it.’

Nicole put her phone away and tried to finish her lunch and not think too negatively about what talking to Gregory was going to be like.

They were going to get through this.

They would be just fine.

At least, that’s what she hoped.

***

Nicole got back to her apartment around six in the evening. She carried the groceries up the stairs, unlocked the door and pushed it open. After putting everything away, she started cooking some dinner. Normally she would be satisfied with a half-hour of cooking some spaghetti or meatloaf, but tonight it was going to be some microwavable corn dogs.

Nicole stood watching the food turning around when she remembered how the microwave could radiate some things to give her cancer, and jumped away. She covered up her belly with her arms almost instinctively, and then slowly let them fall to her side. She lifted her shirt and rubbed her belly. She knew that the child wasn’t far enough along that they’d start kicking back yet, but there was still something developing in there. A week ago, she didn’t realize how much her world was changing. Nicole recalled how stunned she had been when she had missed her period after a few months. She had scheduled a doctor’s appointment as quickly as she could. They did their tests, and then they came back and gave her the news.

But they never told her that the child she held was going to be half-human. She was already going to need to seek some advice for how to be a mother and she doubted they had self-help books on her current situation. What would it even look like when she gave birth to the child? Would it slide out like a baby, or maybe claw its way out with bear paws.

There may be a lot to this that she would have to ask Gregory when she saw him.

***

The drive the next day felt nerve-wracking. Never in her life did Nicole expect to have the discussion that she was about to have, and yet there were questions that were absolutely key to what her future was going to hold.

She knocked as confidently on the door as she could. Gregory opened it. There were evident bags under his eyes and his clothing seemed pretty ruffled. Despite this, he was smiling like everything was alright.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hey.”

“I appreciate you coming over as quickly as you did.”

“Of course. I know this is important to you, and it’s rather important to me considering…”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Would you like to come inside?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Gregory stood to the side as Nicole walked in. The two headed to Gregory’s room, which looked slightly better than Gregory did. The bed well-made and the carpet looked almost brand new as well.

Gregory headed over to the bed, Nicole following close behind.

“You can set your bags down by the nightstand.”

Nicole did as she was instructed, and then taking a spot on the bed opposite of Gregory after she was done.

“I’ll go first.” Said Gregory, “I feel that since I’ve told you about me being half-bear, that you’ve been very put-off with me. I get that this was big news and you can’t be expected to process this almost immediately, but this is more than just you and me. You’re pregnant and I don’t want you having to carry around this child if you don’t want to. So I need to know what you’re thinking about all of this. Please don’t be afraid to be honest to me, even if it’s not what I want to hear.”

“Gregory I…I just don’t know. I mean, half-bear? I don’t know if that makes you someone in serious need of psychiatric help, if this is just “who you are”, or if you’re some dangerous monster. I just, how do you expect this to work? Is this child going to be part bear?”

“I told you Nicole, I don’t know! I’m the only person I know who deals with this! I don’t know beyond what people tell me!”

“What people?!”

“My roommates. They came out a few nights and just watched me when I got the urge. I mean, they are very weirded out by this, but they aren’t going to rat me out. They say I’m harmless.”

“They have seen you turn into a bear?”

“Yeah.”

“So if I go out and talk to them, they’ll say they followed you somewhere-“

“To a park.”

“To a park, ok. They’ll say they saw you out there and that you turned from a man into a bear and back into a man?”

“Yes!”

“Do your friends bring any sort of drugs along when they experience this?”

“You don’t believe me!”

“Do you take drugs before you turn into this “bear”?”

Gregory got to his feet, “This is a pointless conversation if you are just going to deny everything being told to you.”

“Gregory, I don’t want to believe it.”

“So why did you come then, huh Nicole? You have no respect for me or who I am, so why bother even coming here?”

Tears began to form in Nicole’s eyes, “I mean I don’t want to believe that the love of my life can turn into this animal from time-to-time. I don’t want to believe that the child, the child that is supposed to be the light of our lives, is possibly going to go through the same things too. I don’t want to believe that out of all the faults that you could have, it is one that I can’t possibly hope to understand.”

Gregory seemed to look very unsure, watching as this supposed “accuser” was slowly making her way on her knees over to him.

“I want to understand Gregory. I want to know all that makes you tick and love every inch of you. I want to love your body. I want to love your soul. I want to love the features that this creation of ours will have from each of us, but I just can’t.  I want to understand. I want…I want to see this.”

“See what?”

“Show me the transformation.”

“Why would you want to see it?”

“Because I will always be wondering about it if we find a way to stick together. Not knowing this side of you will haunt me always if I don’t see this. Gregory, I need to see this thing of yours.”

“Fine. If it will help with this whole thing.”

Nicole’s whole body seemed to ease itself up. She collapsed on the bed with a sigh of exhaustion. She scooted a little to the side as Gregory took a seat down. She curled up beside him, slipping her hand in his. He tightened his grip on her hand ever so slightly, stroking her fingers with his.

“I really do want this to work out Gregory. I really do.”

“I know Nicole.”

“So, when is the next time this urge of yours is supposed to happen?”

“I don’t. It comes at odd moments, but I know when it happens when right around the time that I get a really strong feeling.”

“A strong feeling?”

“Like if I’m really angry, sad or happy. You know, when I’m feeling an extreme emotion.”

“Extreme emotion huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok then.”

Nicole began to fiddling with Gregory’s zipper. Gregory, caught by surprise, struggled at first.

“What are you doing?”

“Just relax Gregory. I’ll get you ready.”

Gregory eased himself back as Nicole began stripping away his pants. She pulled his underpants around his ankles and wrapped her mouth over his cock.  She began to suck on it, her tongue stroking it in unison. Gregory’s hands clenched his bedsheets tightly, his back arched back so his eyes were gazing upward. His breathing came in gasps for breath and pleasured moans. As he came into her mouth, Nicole raised her head, swallowed, and then went back for a second go at it. Gregory felt his cock growing harder again and began muttering the names of several Gods, Judeo-Christian and otherwise.

As Nicole raised her head again, He lunged forward and pushed Nicole onto the bed like a cat pouncing on a mouse. She gave a smile as he removed her clothing one by one, tossing them off the bed with hardly a thought. He thrust his cock into her and began moving back and forth on her. Nicole screamed with glee as the two of them hit their synchronized stride. She put her hands around his lower hips, teasing the ends of her fingers against his ass, while he put his hands on her breasts and began to lightly rub them with his fingertips. They locked eyes with each other, both grinning like crazy, young kids discovering love for the first time. The two of them continued to move as one, sweat dripping down their bodies and moans escaping their lips.

Suddenly, Gregory’s moan began turning into a very low growl. He began to stop, Nicole ceasing a moment after.

“Gregory?”

“It’s time.”

“The urge?”

“Yeah. We need to get me out of here. Fast”

The two of them sprang out of bed, pulling on clothes as fast as they can. They rushed out the door as they could, drawing the stares of the other roommates.

“Where you guys off to?” Lewis asked.

“Gregory’s got an urge. I have to see him turn.”

The roommates sprang up after them.

“We’ll take our car.” Lewis said, grabbing keys off the counter.

The five of them leapt out of the apartment and dove into the van waiting outside. They were speeding off before everyone had a chance to fully get their seatbelt.

***

“Why did you get him on his urge right now?” asked Lewis from the passenger seat.

“I wanted to see this so I could understand who he is, so we had sex and-“

“I do NOT need to know that. My point is that he changes pretty fricking quickly after he gets his urge.”

Nicole looked at Gregory, who looked as if he was trying to hold something in. His teeth were grit tightly. His eyeballs seeming to bulge out of the sockets. There was also a lot of hair on his hands, but Nicole could not recall if that amount had always been normal or if it was more than usual.

“How far away is the park?”

“A bit farther.”

Gregory let out an angry roar, causing the person driving to almost swerve the van into oncoming traffic.

“Hurry up you guys!”

“You know, it’s not our fault we’re in such a time crunch.”

***

They soon made it to the park. Nicole reached over and undid the seatbelt on Gregory. Lewis opened the door, to which Gregory came barreling out of the van and ran off into the trees in the center of the park. Within seconds, he disappeared from view. Nicole ran to chase after him, but Lewis grabbed her and held her back.

“He’ll be right back. Trust me, you aren’t missing too much with the transformation. It’s pretty nasty to watch, speaking from first-hand experience.”

Nicole looked off into the trees, trying to get a glimpse of anything at all. The only way she was able to tell that Gregory was somewhere in there was the sound of his roaring. It was becoming more and more primal, until it stopped. Then there was silence. The roommates began to walk forward, Nicole following close behind them. As they descended into the tree line, they began to turn on their flashlights and slowly shine them around. Nicole was handed a flashlight, which she darted the light around trying to find Gregory. Lewis steadied her hand.

“You wave your light around like that, you’ll spook him.”

Nicole wrestled her arm away from him and shone her light on the ground. They kept walking, out of the trees and onto the other side of the park.

And there was Gregory, or at least a giant grizzly bear. Nicole offered a short yelp, covering her mouth in an attempt to not spook him. She began raising her flashlight to get a better look

“Don’t shine it near his face. That scares him.”

Nicole angled her flashlight to go over the body of what was supposed to be her boyfriend. It looked like just a normal grizzly bear. No a thing indicated that this was Gregory. And yet, Nicole felt completely safe around this bear, not the slightest thought of being attacked.

“He just wanders around the park mostly. Most chilled bear I’ve ever seen.”

Nicole turned to see one of the roommates, Seth, looking out at the bear.

“It was so weird, the first time he transformed. We thought he was choking or something, what with all the growling and such. So we’re in the middle of giving him the Heimlich when he starts turning into the bear. We were freaking out, hiding behind couches and trying to not look at him. He just wandered through the house, chewing on anything he could get his teeth into. We had to replace almost everything, and we were so angry at him, but he had the most apologetic look in his eyes. We just forgave him and just went out to a movie.”

Nicole gave a small smile and laughed.

“Deep down though, I think he hates this about himself.”

Nicole’s smile died almost instantly.

“I mean, some people have acne, some people have an ugly family, but this guy turns into an animal every once in a while. I mean, he is so scared about telling people this because he’s afraid they will judge him. He really needs a support system.”

“So if you’re going to do something that splits the two of you apart,” Lewis said, turning to face Nicole, “You better get it over with so he doesn’t get led on.”

Nicole looked back to Gregory, a tight knot forming in her stomach. She took a step forward to him, then another one, and then another one.

“Nicole, no!”

Keeping her eye on Gregory in case he suddenly turned around, Nicole slowly walked over to her boyfriend. Her mind was screaming for her to stop and turn back now, but her heart pulled her forward, telling her to go to him.

She could hear the snap of a branch underneath her foot. She froze mid-step, looking at Gregory. He slowly turned his head and looked at her. Lewis and the other roommates prepared to run and grab Nicole away should things go south. They weren’t quite sure how Gregory reacted when he noticed other people around him. If he was anything like a normal Grizzly Bear when he turned, then they imagined they never wanted to see what happens.

Nicole and Gregory looked at each other eye-to-eye, neither one hesitating. When she looked into those eyes, Nicole swore they looked almost like his eyes. They seemed to be filled with such kindness and concern, not a primal curiosity like a normal bear.

Taking a deep breath, Nicole took a few steps more towards Gregory. He gave a mild roar in response. Lewis and the others made a move to help her, but Nicole waved them away. She turned back to face Gregory, taking a few more steps. He roared again, taking a few steps back.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Nicole said.

Gregory stopped, looking at her.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

She raised her hand as she kept moving forward.

“She’s crazy.” Seth said.

“Yes she is,” Lewis said, “but you’d have to be crazy to make this thing of theirs work.”

Nicole approached Gregory, who was watching her intently, her hand still upraised. Slowly, she lowered it until it was right under his nose. She held it there, looking back into her boyfriend’s eyes. A few seconds passed before she could feel his nose sniffing her finger. Once he stopped, Nicole slowly raised her hand and began petting him. She dug her hands into the fur as she rubbed them against Gregory’s sides. She could feel his tight, muscular shoulders rippling under the brown, scruffy fur. She massaged his sides, hearing a very satisfied growl omitting from Gregory’s lips. Nicole wrapper her arms around his big, muscular body, rubbing her body up and down his side. She could feel him rubbing up against her too, a low hum escaping his lips.

The roommates watched this scene with looks of uncertainty.

“Maybe we should go wait in the car.” Said Lewis.

“Yeah,” said Seth, “Not sure I want to see how this goes.”

The three quietly walked away, leaving the two lovers to, once again, express their love for each other.

***

An hour later, Nicole and Gregory, now back in human form, lay side-by-side in the grass, smiling and gazing into each other’s eyes.

“I love you” said Gregory.

“I love you too. That was…wonderful.”

“Was it?”

“It’s strange, I won’t lie, but I think that I will be able to live with that.”

“And what if the baby turns out being like me?” 

Nicole turned away and looked up into the night sky.

“Well then that will have to be something that you have to teach him or her about. I mean, I only saw you once in that form. I have no idea how it all works.”

Gregory reached over and grabbed Nicole’s side, pulling her back to facing her.

“I can’t believe how accepting you are of this. I…I am so lucky I found you.”

“It…It’s nothing Gregory.”

“No Nicole, it’s not. This has been such a big secret for me. I mean, it took a lot of courage to tell you that.”

“Well, you probably wouldn’t have told me if I wasn’t pregnant with your child.”

It was Gregory’s turn to roll over and face the sky, “Yeah. I guess so.”

Nicole reached over and squeezed his shoulder, “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, this baby was a blessing for us.”

“Was it?”

“Yes. It brought us together as a couple. We’re stronger because of it.”

“But what about the child?”

“What about it?”

Gregory turned to face her, “What happens during its first transformation? What if we aren’t there when it happens? They will be ostracized, if not taken away and experimented on by scientists. One slip up, and this child’s life will be ruined forever.”

“Well when did you change first?”

“I was twenty-one, already living on my own. I didn’t have any family around who could be ashamed of or worry about me.”

“And what about your family now? What do they think?”

“They haven’t heard from me in a while. It’s better that for the both of us if they don’t even know that I’m still alive.”

“But Gregory…”

Gregory stood up and turned to face her, extending his hand.

“Come on. Let’s get back to the car. I’m sure my roommates have been waiting for a bit too long now.”

Nicole took his hand and allowed herself to be helped up. The two began walking back to the car, Nicole casting glances at Gregory. He had on a look of hurt, one that she felt she would be seeing from time-to-time for the rest of her life if she chose to spend it with him.

“I’m not ashamed of you at all. “

“Thank you Nicole. That means a lot.”

The way he said that, it sounded like he imagined she would soon be gone just like everyone else he had ever come to care for and love. By the time they made it to the car, it seemed like the intentions of brining her and Gregory together had just done the complete opposite.

***

Nicole had them drop her off at her home. She kissed Gregory on the lips before walking up to the apartment. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she finally gave into the tears that were rimming her eyes. She was doing her best to try and show Gregory her devotion to the two of them since the announcement of the baby, but this event only seemed to be dragging them apart from each other. The longer this went on, the more Gregory seemed to be trying to separate himself from her and the baby. She just did not know what else she could to prove that she would love him despite any differences he possessed, no matter how strange it was.

Nicole loved Gregory, there was no doubt about it. Despite finding out he was half-bear, nothing had changed with how caring he was, how much of a good listener he was, and the length of which he seemed willing to go to make sure Nicole was happy. And she wanted to be able to show him how much his happiness meant to her, how she wanted to do everything she could to show him just that. The problem was, everything she had tried thus far had seemed to only show him that his difference prevented him from being happy. She had exhausted almost every idea she could think of to prove him he was wrong.

Well she thought, pulling out her cell phone and moving through the contacts, almost every one.

***

The ringing of his cell phone awoke Gregory from his rest. Turning into a bear sapped a lot of energy out of him then he ever would admit. Luckily for me, his urges usually arose when it was in the evening, so he would appear normal if he slept into the early afternoon. He turned to the clock, which read that it was eight thirty-seven in the morning. He turned to see who was calling. No surprise, it was Nicole. Gregory sighed and let the phone go to voice mail. When it did, it showed that she had tried to call him several times already. His phone lit up again, saying that Nicole was trying to call him. It must be important if she was willing to continue calling him over and over again.

“Hello?”

“Gregory! Thank goodness you picked up.”

“Yeah…I usually have to sleep after the transformation. It takes a lot of energy out of me.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. I just really needed to tell you something.”

“Tell me what?”

“You’re coming with me to dinner with my parents tonight.”

There were a few seconds of silence from Gregory’s side, “What did you say?”

“You’re coming with me to my parents for dinner-“

“Why?!”

“Gregory, I understand that you do not think that someone can love you in the world because of your thing, but I want you in my life.  I want you to come with me and do things that couples do, like meeting the parents of your girlfriend.”

“But Nicole, what if I go into my urge-“

“We will work it out. I’m not asking you to divulge to my parents who you are. I just want to feel like you can belong and be with someone who you love. You do still love me, don’t you?”

Gregory gritted his teeth, “Of course I still love you. I just…I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Yes you can. I will be there right you, supporting you through all of this. You aren’t going to be alone in this. So, will you come?”

Gregory held the phone in between his hands, thinking about what he could possibly say to save both of them from this tragedy waiting to happen. Deep down, he knew she would not accept anything but him to say yes. She wasn’t the same timid woman he had met on that first date at the movie theater. She had found something to believe in, someone to believe in.

He brought the phone back up to his ear and took a deep breath.

“Gregory? Are you still there?”

“Yeah baby, I’m still here. I’ll come with you to your parents. I’ll pick you up from the apartment and we can head over to their place. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds lovely! Thank you so much! I’ll text you the details later. I love you. Bye.”

“I love you too.”

A small smile spread across his face as the phone clicked. She had sounded very happy that he was coming. Now, it was time to get back to bed so he’d be well-rested to meet the parents.

***

Gregory pulled up to the apartment around four –thirty in the afternoon.  He looked down to inspect the purple dress shirt he had on, hoping that he was dressed appropriately for this. He got out of the car and walked up to the apartment. He knocked on the door and waited, thrusting his hands into his slacks and bouncing on the balls of his toes.

The door opened and there stood Nicole, dressed in a white cocktail dress with matching pumps. Gregory’s eyes widened as he looked her over.

“Wow.”

“Wow, yourself. You also shaved the stubble off.”

“Yeah, well,” Gregory said, averting his gaze when she stroked his chin, “This dinner means a lot to you, so I wanted to look my best.”

Nicole retracted her hand and kissed him on the lips, “Thank you.”

Gregory linked arms with hers and led her to the car. After helping her into her seat, he got in and they drove off. He could feel her hand rubbing his thigh seductively. He sensed a boner beginning to form as a result of that. One of Nicole’s fingers reached out and lightly brushed against it. Gregory tightened up slightly and looked at Nicole.

“You’re feeling very frisky aren’t you?”

“I just can’t wait to introduce you to my parents. We’re all really excited that I finally found a man I can be comfortable around.”

“Is this what you call comfortable?”

‘I’ll show you how comfortable I am when we have a moment alone.”

Gregory chuckled and turned his eyes back on the road. This was going to be an interesting trip to say the least.

***

Nicole’s parents lived in a cream colored two-story house with large, rectangular windows facing out of the front of the home.  The lawn looked fresh and newly trimmed which, complete with the white picket fence, gave this place the look of someone who was quite well off.

Gregory looked at it all from the car, mouth agape. A tap on the window brought him to his sense. He looked to see Nicole waving at him from outside the window. He grinned and got out of the car.  He followed her up the paved walkway up to the front door. As Gregory knocked on the door, Nicole planted long, passionate kiss on his face. They were caught in the moment as the door opened and a man with well-combed graying hair stood in the doorway.

He harrumphed, which brought the couple back to reality.

“Sorry daddy.”

“While I am very happy you found a man sweetie, there is such a thing as too much PDA.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you sir.” Gregory said, extending his hand, “I’m Gregory. “

The man shook his hand, “Carl. Now, there’s no sense for you to be kept waiting out here, please come in.”

Gregory and Nicole walked in, looking around at the scenery. There were a number of paintings, probably from the Renaissance period, up on the wall. What really caught the eye of Gregory though was the bear head hung up over the stone fireplace. He looked at Nicole, who saw it as well and turned white.

“I completely forgot about that.”

Carl appeared from down a hallway with a woman with light brown hair. Nicole ran to the woman, the two embracing tightly.

“Nicole. How nice to have you back. And with a man too. I hope he’s been treating you well.”

“Oh he is just a dream in every way possible.”

“Well, isn’t that nice?”

Gregory stepped forward and shook the hand of Nicole’s mother.

“I’m Nancy, Nicole’s mother. I’m afraid dinner is going to take a little bit longer than expected to be ready, so if you would like to tell us about ourselves.”

“Actually,” said Nicole, “Gregory needs to take some medication and I have to assist him with it.”

“I do?”

“He doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s really important he does. Do you mind if we excuse ourselves?”

Carl’s eyes narrowed, “Be quick about it.”

“Ok daddy. Come on baby.”

Nicole grabbed Gregory and dragged him away from her parents.

“Carl honey, What sort of medication do you think that boy needs to take?”

“I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care to know.” He said with a huff.

***

Nicole tossed Gregory into the bathroom before closing the door behind her.

“I need you to take me now.”

“What-?”

Nicole began kissing Gregory, biting his lips as she pushed him into the sink. She started to climb on him, bending him over. Gregory slipped off her dress straps and slid it to expose her breasts.

“You know that we can’t do too much or else I’ll be getting another urge.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. They’re expecting us back soon anyways. Now take me Gregory.”

Gregory dragged his hands down Nicole’s back, causing her to arch back and pant a little. She began to thrust herself on him over and over again.  Gregory’s hands had made it down to her ass and he began to squeeze firmly. Nicole gave an abrupt cry, doing her best to be quiet as soon as she could. She giggled a bit.

“Do that again.”

Gregory complied and she screamed in pleasure through gritted teeth.  She went back to kissing him, her tongue teasing his. Gregory gagged a little, but soon had his moved moving around with hers.  Nicole pulled her mouth away from him and guided one of his hands into her panties. She tilted her head back and began to gasp for breath as his hand was inserted into her vagina.

After several seconds of this, she grew still.

“Ok. I’m good to go.”

The two of them began straightening their clothes out.
“Where did that come from Nicole?”

“I don’t know. I just feel incredibly aroused by you right now.”

“But what will your parents think of me now? I think they knew what we just left to do. They’ll think we’re sex addicts.”

“Well at least they think you’ll be normal then.”

Gregory stopped and looked Nicole in the eye, “What?”

“Well if they think I found a man who I love to have sex with, that will just mean I got caught up with a bad boy. That’s normal.”

“Is that why you did this?”

“How’s it feel being just another guy?”

“Nicole, that won’t change who I am.”

“Then don’t think about that part of you. Please Gregory, I’m ready to commit. You, me and this child are going to be just fine. I’m not going to let you be ashamed by yourself. We’re in this together.”

“Why?” Gregory asked, tears rimming his eyes, “Why would you do all this for me?”

“Because I found someone who I want to live the rest of my life with and I am not going to let one massively different thing about you change how well we get together. If we run into problems, we’ll figure it out together. You being half-bear is no different than being a different religion than I am; it’s just new customs and traditions to observe. So please, I need you to walk out of this bathroom with me and go have a nice, normal dinner with my parents.”

Gregory wrapped Nicole in for a hug, holding her close to him. Tears flowed down his face as whispered the words, “Thank you.”

“Come on you big teddy bear, let’s go get some food.”

***

Carl and Nancy were just about done setting the table when Gregory and Nicole walked in with big smiles on their faces.

“You’re both pretty happy for some people just taking some medication.” said Carl, giving Gregory the stink eye.

“Oh, Gregory just needed a little encouragement that his illness is nothing to get so worked up about.”

“You’re a wonderful woman Nicole.” Nancy said, bringing a big pot of spaghetti to the table, “Now sit down everyone and let’s dig in.”

The four of them sat down. Carl was the first one to start getting food.

“You know Gregory, my daughter isn’t around solely to help you “take your medication”.” Gregory said, “She needs to be more than just that in your life.”

“Oh yes sir. She reminds me of that every day.”

Gregory grabbed Nicole’s hand from under the table and gave it a squeeze. She gave a reassuring squeeze in response.

“Now, as I imagine my daughter has told you, a number of men have already broken your heart. Now my Nicole is just trying to find someone to share her life with; someone to start a family with. Are you willing to commit to that, through the good and bad of it all?”

“You have my word on that. Your daughter is never going to be feeling like she made a bad choice for choosing me.”

“You sure talk a nice game,” Nancy said, “I sure hope you aren’t just talk.”

“He’s not like that mom. He actually has a big heart. He’s been the only one I’ve met who actually took an interest in me and wanted to help me find strength in being in who I am. I have been trying to return that favor recently, around the time I found out about Gregory’s condition, and I just want him to see himself in a more positive light.”

“Your daughter sure knows how to show love. I guess she was just waiting for the right person to share it with.”

“Well let’s hope that she can keep you an honest man.”

Gregory smiled and nodded. As it came his turn to serve his food, he caught Nicole looking his way subtly. She had been right. This was the most normal he had felt in a long time. His smile seemed to only grow stronger as he started serving the food to Nicole. Their gazes met for just a second, neither of them having the slightest desire to back out of this situation now. The two of them knew what awaited them.

“Thank you.” Nicole said as Gregory finished serving her.

“No Nicole, thank you.”

THE END

THE ALIEN ARK

Chapter 1

Melody Hall woke up and looked around, “Where am I at?”  She said rubbing her head.

The last thing she remembered was looking at a patient. Her partner and she had received a call.  There had been a horrible accident.  The patient had bad lacerations to his chest, was close to death. 

Now here she was in some big room, and she had no idea what was going on.  She was mad, but more scared then made at the moment. 

It was so dark in the room.  She thought she had heard some noises when she first woke up, but now she didn’t hear a thing.  Melody wondered if her fear was playing with her, perhaps the noises were just her imagination.

Melody wanted to get up and walk around, but her head was still woozy.  Also her fright of dark places wasn’t making her move any quicker.  She could and would gladly use the excuse of not feeling well for a bit longer.

Her head whipped to the left, she heard a soft mewing or some sort of noise.  Could it be a monster of some type, she wondered.  She listened more closely, it sounded more like a young girl softly crying or moaning.

The paramedic in her kicked in and she tried to judge how far away the voice was.  Slowly she moved her way towards the sound, hoping it wasn’t some trick.

In her mind she picked some sick serial killer waiting for her to react.  The killer would end up being the one making the noises.  He would be slowly bringing her in for the kill.

Melody slowed her approach to the noise.  She tried to give her eyes more time to adjust to the light.  She thought she saw a figure of a younger girl sitting there.  It looked like she was holding her knees and rocking back and forth.

“Hey are you okay?”  Melody said softly, just in case a killer was in the room with them.

The girl looked up; her eyes were shiny with fresh tears.  She couldn’t be any more than 18 years old.  “Are you real?”  The girl asked.

“Yes, where are we, do you know?”  Melody asked, happy the girl could talk.

“I heard them talking about the girls who were to be sold to the highest bidder.  Then something else about fights and I don’t know where we are though.”  The girl broke down sobbing again.

“Shit.”  It was the only thing that Melody could think of saying.  She did have a fleeting moment of wonder, what had happened to her partner, and the dying guy?

Melody decided she should explore, but didn’t know if the girl would be okay or not.  “Hey, I think I should look for a way to escape.  Will you be okay here by yourself?”  She asked.

The girl snapped up her head quickly, “Please don’t leave me.”  She pleaded.

“I promise I’ll come back for you if I find a way out.  Or you can go with me.”  Melody offered as she noticed the pure terror in the girl’s eyes.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.”  The girl finally answered.

Melody tried to hear any more noises, and decide which way was the best to try.  Finally, she decided to go more to the left.  Her eyes were fairly adjusted by now.

As they began to move they heard noises from outside a door, it had to be a door.  Melody grew excited to hear a way out, or she hoped.  She tried to prey the girl back into motion, but she wouldn’t move.

Melody looked back at her, “Come on we have to move quickly.”  She whispered.

The girl shook her head, “No, I don’t want too.  How can we get past anyone?”  The girl asked.

“I know a bit of self-defense moves.  Come on, just stay behind me if trouble breaks out.”  Melody pulled the girl along.

The door opened when they were too far away, if only she could have made the girl move quicker.  A bright light made her blind and she knew that she had made a vital mistake.

“Oh what do we have here?”  A tall man said from the door.

Before she could react and get her eyes adjusted she felt strong arms circle around her.

“Stop, where am I, what are you doing to us?”  Melody asked the man.  But as she looked up she noticed he didn’t look like a human.  His skin seemed to have a strange green tint to it, and were those eyes right?

“Oh, well I guess I can tell you.  It won’t matter; you’ll never be able to escape.”  The thing chuckled; she could tell he wasn’t human now for sure.  “You’re being sold to the Sheiktel Family for their Goma.”  He answered and his smile grew large.

“What is a Goma?”  She questioned.

“Nope sorry, you’ll learn that soon enough.”  Another two large men had already entered the room.

“We’re ready for the transfer; the funds are in the account.”  One of the men/creatures said. 

Melody’s mind was lost trying to figure out what creatures they were.  Besides the slight tint, they looked close to human.  But those eyes, she studied them closer.

Before she could look anymore though, she and the girl were being pushed along a long hall.

Chapter 2

Cassius looked in the mirror and pumped himself up for the fight.  He wished that it was over already.  After this fight he would be a free Sheiktel, free from all his obligations.

He had also heard that there was an extra prize in the purse.  The promoters had been tight lip about what the extra prize was tonight.  But they had seemed quite excited about it, so he hoped it was some extra currency to his account.  That would be an amazing prize; it would help him out a ton.

Tonight had taken a long time to get too.  He had already won 199 fights.  On this night if he won, and he was certain he would, he would be free!

He heard the hype over the speakers in the gladiator room.  Taking the last few moments to make sure he was stretched out, Cassius got ready to go fight.

Tonight, Cassius the Killer could win his freedom.  That’s right, creatures of the night and day; we are about to possibly witness a great moment in our Goma fights!  Are you ready?

Cassius could hear the crowd go into a wild frenzy of noise.  “I’d say their ready!”  He chuckled.

Cassius will face a special challenger tonight.  Can you guess who it is?

He heard several names screamed out from the crowd, but one continued to be called again and again.  “Lars, Lars, Lars.” 

He sighed;   Lars was the one opponent he really had hoped to not have tonight.  The guy was extremely strong and lightning quick.  But Cassius wasn’t a weakling either, and his speed had often won him the fight.

Lars though, he had watched a fight, and he had literally picked up his opponent and snapped him in two.  “Okay so I’m a little nervous.”  He sighed. 

That’s right folks; tonight we’ll pit Lars the Barbarian against Cassius.  He will have to fight the best of his life to make it out alive and to his freedom! 

As Cassius walked out he heard the crowd chanting his name.  It sounded like most of them wanted him to win.  However, he did hear several calls out for Lars.

Stepping into the circle, Cassius and Lars stood face to face.  Cassius had to look up to the huge man.  He was larger in person; he had only seen him from far away before.  That’s okay I will still win, Cassius thought.

“Alright you two know the rules, anything goes.  Weapons will be given out from time to time.  It’s a first come first serve basis though, so you may end up with no weapon.  Fight is to the death, no mercy is to be given.  Cassius if you win, well you know what you get.  Lars, if you win, you’ll get to fight one more day.”  The referee said to them.  “Go to your corners and wait for the bell.”

“You die tonight Cassius.”  Lars growled.

“We’ll see.”  Cassius laughed and walked to his corner. 

He hoped his plan worked in his favor.  He wanted Lars to be mad and off his game.  By the flair in Lars’s eyes he had hit the spot. 

The bell rang and no weapons were tossed out right away.  So Cassius used his hands and legs to his advantage.  Plus he continued to work his mind games on Lars.

“Hey big guy, so what did you have for your last meal tonight?”  Cassius asked right before he landed a hard kick to the left side of Lars.

Lars recovered quickly, “You’ll die soon.  Too bad you won’t have lived even one day as a free man.”  Lars laughed.

“No way, how many fights have you been in now?  Like 20, you know I’ve bested 199 other people already.  Why would you be any different?”  Cassius laughed loudly.

Lars eyes flared a red hot fire within them.  He rushed Cassius, just as a sword was being tossed into the ring.  Cassius faked to the right and moved to the left.  Lars hadn’t even noticed the weapon had come out. 

Before Lars could recover Cassius was one him and with one swoop it was over.  Lars’s head bounced on the ground next to his prone body.  He heard the crowd erupt in celebration.

Well that was a lot quicker than anyone thought it would be!  Cassius has just earned his freedom.  He now becomes only the second Sheiktel to do so in history of our Goma!  Way to go Cassius.  Tonight though there was also an extra prize to the purse.  Cassius has also won himself. 

The announcer paused for effect.  He’s won a live Earth girl as his very own slave!  What a fabulous way to begin your freedom.  Congratulations to Cassius!

An Earth girl, he thought.  Great, just what I need someone to drag along with me.  He had really hoped it had been currency in the pot.  But perhaps he would sell the girl and get money anyway.  He was sure there would be at least one eager buyer out there.

Chapter 3

Cassius had cleaned up and gotten dressed after the fight was over.  He now walked to collect his freedom paper and Earth girl from Demetri.  He knocked on the door to the office.

“Come in.”  He heard Demetri call out.  “Congrats Cassius, you’re a legend now!”

“Yeah, it’s nice to finally be free.”  Cassius admitted.

“Wait; let me call the guards to bring your Earth girl here.”  Demetri held up his finger and picked up the phone.  “Yeah, hey bring the girl to my office.”

“So do you know anyone who will want to buy this girl from me?”  Cassius asked.

“I’m sure you’ll find anyone outside of the arena.  But you may want to wait; she’s a really nice looking one.”  Demetri got a sly grin on his face.

Cassius figured if anything he might be able to sell the girl to Demetri.  However, he was curious to see her now too.  Demetri often had Earth girls on his sides.  They were always some really nice looking ladies too. 

There was a knock on the door, and Demetri called out for the person to come in.

Cassius watched as the Earth girl was pulled into the room.  He studied her slight body, she was a lot shorter than he was, but her eyes are what got him.  She turned to look at him and he saw the emerald green orbs staring at him.

“So here is your girl, if you don’t want her though, I might take her off your hands.”  Demetri was saying from behind Cassius.

He saw the girls eyes flinch in fear.  “No, like you said she is very good looking.” 

Cassius grabbed the girl and looked back at Demetri.  He could see the man was a bit sad that Cassius had chosen to keep her.  “Thanks Demetri, I’ll be seeing you, not!” 

The girl resisted his touch for a second.  “I’m not going to hurt you.”  He whispered into her ear.

She walked out with him a little easier after hearing the words.  He had noticed a few bruises rising on her skin.  He had always hated seeing that on slaves.  Why couldn’t these men treat them like the fragile creatures they were?

“What’s your name?”  He asked her as they walked down the hall.

“I’m Melody Hall, who are you?”  She asked.

“I’m Cassius, your new owner.”  He answered.

“What are you, you’re not human.”  She asked.

Cassius chuckled, “My dear you are light years away from Earth now.  You’re in the Sheiktel region of the Dilerian Galaxy.  Most likely you were kidnapped from your home, and sold to our Goma.”

“But I don’t want to be here.  I want to go home.”

“Well, I don’t have the money to send you back home.  To be truthful though, I don’t want you here either.”  He turned and said to her.

He took her back to his room.  This added extra cost to his way home; he hoped he had the funds available.  He may not want her here, but her body wasn’t that bad to look at.  Cassius wondered how easy this Earth girl would be, it had been some time since he had sex.

“Do you need to take a shower?”  He asked her.

“Yes please.” 

Cassius showed her the room.  “I’ll get something you can wear after you’re done.” 

Chapter 4

Melody turned the water on and let it splash down on her.  Her mind was all over the place.  She had been kidnapped, and now this huge Sheiktel creature was her owner.  How had her life taken such a turn?

When she had first seen him, she was frightened of him.  He had stood a good foot taller than her.  His body width was more than two times of her own body. 

If he wanted to take her, she wouldn’t have a prayer.  However, when he had whispered to her that he wasn’t going to hurt her, she had relaxed a bit. 

For some reason she had trusted him at that moment.  She had studied him closer as they had walked down the halls of the building.  He had a sloped forehead, but besides that, and his huge size, he looked human.

She had felt his muscles rippling as they walked together.  Her body had begun to react to him in ways she would never have imaged.  When he had asked her if she needed a shower, she should have told him yes, a cold one.

As she soaped up and washed off all she could think of was Cassius and how large he was overall.  Her mind had to wonder just how big his junk would be.  “Oh I bet it’s way too large for me.”  She shook her head and tried to think of anything else.

“Hey how are you doing?”  She jumped as she heard his deep voice from behind her.

Melody turned and saw that he was now behind her in the shower.  “How did you get behind me?  I didn’t even hear you come in.”  Melody stuttered.

His body was completely naked and it glistened a light gold all over.  She licked her lips without thinking.

“I wanted to test out my slave of course.”  He smiled.

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m really not the type of girl to sleep with someone right away.”  She said her nerves tightening up all over.

“It’s okay; I’ll make you want it.”  He closed his arms around her and covered her mouth.

She opened her mouth to receive his tongue without any fight.  Melody had known she had wanted him as soon as she saw him naked behind her.  The fact that her body had moistened in an instant and her heart had been pounding a wild beat had been her clues.

She moaned loudly as his arms moved over her body.  Melody could feel all of his wonderful muscles as they grazed over her body.  His fingers clipped her nipple in between them and he lightly twisted the nub around.

Melody cried out in pleasure.  She heard him chuckle, “Not going to fight are you?”

She couldn’t speak but she looked up at him and shook her head no.  He picked her up and carried her body, dripping water, to the bed.

Cassius looked down at her body, he was slightly more happy about having won her right now.  He pushed one of his huge fingers into her slit and Melody arched up and moaned loudly.

“How much do you want it?”  He asked her.

“So much, please just fuck me.”  She moaned as his finger pushed into her pussy once more.

He grinned down at her and positioned himself above her.  Cassius moved his hardness to her opening and pushed into her slowly. 

Melody thought she would explode from the pleasure that was shooting out through her body.  She moaned as he sped up and moved in and out of her quicker.

Soon she could feel a climax rocketing in her body.  Melody yelled out and clawed at Cassius’s back.  He couldn’t hold back and let lose his climax.

She looked over at him, shocked by how amazing the sex had just been with this alien.  I might just get used to that, maybe Earth isn’t that big of a deal, she thought.

Chapter 4

Cassius rolled over and untangled himself from Melody.  They had sex several times during the night, and he felt like he could go again.  He looked over at her body, and felt his erection build.

He placed a hand on her body and began tracing patterns on her skin.  She stirred and looked up at him, a smile on her face.  “Hey.”  She said.

“Hey!”  He answered.  His fingers had made their way to her core and he was massaging her clit between his thumb and finger. 

She moaned and moved her body towards him.  He picked her up and settled her down on his hardness.  Her warmness enveloped him and he was soon buried to the hilt.

Melody moved on him, moaning as he hit her g-spot.  Cassius began moving her up and down by grabbing her waist.  She was really light and he found that he was helping her to climax quicker.

His phone rang on the side of the bed.  “Ignore it.”  He ordered.

She was more than glad to continue letting him manipulate her body up and down on his hard cock.  The phone kept ringing though and it became too much of an annoyance. 

He took one of his hands off her waist and Melody began moving herself on him once more.  Cassius picked up the phone.  “This better be good.”  He barked into the phone.

“Cassius, what the hell happened in Demetri’s office last night?”  He heard his friend Jakir ask.

“Nothing, I got my prize and left.  He answered.

Melody was still moving herself on his hard cock as he talked.  She moaned loudly as she had an orgasm.

“Oh I hear her there.”  Jakir chuckled a bit.  But then quickly became serious.  “You might want to leave though.  Someone killed Demetri last night and you were the last one anyone saw him with.”  Jakir said.

Cassius sat up quickly; he caught Melody before she fell off the bed.  “What?  No way, I saw someone come in as we were leaving.  I couldn’t tell who it was; they had a jacket on with a hood.”

“Well you were the last one that signed in, and they are thinking it was you.  They aren’t in the mood for talking either, if you know what I mean.”  Jakir told him.

“Oh shit.  Alright, how much time do I have?”  Cassius asked.

“I would say no more than an hour.”

“Thanks Jakir, I owe you one.”

“Just get out alive and I’ll come visit you soon.”  Jakir said and hung up.

Cassius looked at Melody.  “We have to go.  They think I killed Demetri last night.”

Melody just looked at him, “What?  Where are we going?”

“I was planning on going home but they’ll figure that out.  So we are going to have to pick a different destination.  Let’s go, I’ll figure it out along the way.”  He grabbed her.

Cassius threw a few things in a couple of duffle bags and soon they were out the door.  He hoped he had enough of a head start.  He was going to have to call in a few favors, but he knew the right person to get him out of this system.

Chapter 5

Melody sat looking at Cassius.  He had got them passage on a storage ship and they were now secured in between all the cargo. 

“Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you.”  He tried to smile at her.

“Why do they think you killed him?  I mean I could tell them you and I left and he was still alive.”  Melody told him.

“That’s not how it works here, especially since it was Demetri who was killed.  He was one of the most well-known people in our region.  They won’t ask questions, and they won’t care what you have to say.”  Cassius explained.

“So where are we going?”  She asked.

“We’re going to a planet that is nearly uninhabited.  It’s called Zeron, we should be safe there.  It’s a place they will never think of going too.  This ship will drop us off along the way.  The only person who knows we are here won’t say a word.”  He explained.

“Hmm, I hope he’s more trustworthy than most humans.”  Melody scoffed.

“Why humans aren’t trustworthy?”  He asked.

“Some will look at you and claim they have your back, but when push comes to shove.  Well let’s just say you won’t find them anywhere near your back or side, or anywhere.”  Melody stated.

“Well in Sheiktel our word is our bond.  The only way they would get it out of him would be to kill him and save his last memories.  But that technology is a bit sketchy at best.”

“On Earth some people are so evil and they get off on lying to women and making them think they’ll hand them the world.  But when it comes to hard times they will leave you.”  Melody said sadly.

“What happened to you?”  He asked.

She shook her head, not sure if this was a story she wanted to share with him.  Finally, she looked at him and started the story.  “I was young, only 21 years old at the time.  I was dating a guy, his name was Jay.  He swore he loved me, and wanted to spend his life with me.  I was still a virgin at the time, but he convinced me to have sex with him.  He told me, it was okay, because he was going to be the man I spent my life with.  So I decided he was right.  We slept together a few times, and well I got pregnant.  When I told him that we were having a baby, he wasn’t happy at all.  Not the way you think he would be, even though we were young.  If he wanted to be with me, why wouldn’t he want kids?  He disappeared, and left me alone to face this new world on my own.”  She stopped to catch her breath.

“So you have a child back on Earth?”  He asked concerned.

“No I didn’t go full term.  The stress of everything just pushed me over the edge.  I had a miscarriage around month 4, and lost the baby.”  She told him.

“Oh wow, I’m so sorry to hear that.  I really don’t know what to say.  Why did he leave you and not stay, it was after all his responsibility too.” 

“Well that’s why I said that people are Earth aren’t really good.  You can find good ones, but you have one’s who are like this.  They will lie to suit their own needs.”

“We are much more honest in our Galaxy.  I must say it would be confusing for me to deal with people I couldn’t take at face value.”   Cassius stated.

Cassius held her hand; he could feel the fear emanating from her.  He couldn’t blame her.  He had a life of near luxury planned once he retired.  But now he was on the run, and his only hope was that when they didn’t find him they would look into the case more. 

However, Cassius knew from past stories, that they didn’t usually start looking into cases until several months after they happened.  If the authorities found who they thought the guilty party was they would be killed.  The case would be closed, even if the real killer was still out there.

It didn’t happen very often in their galaxy, but that didn’t matter now.  Right now he had to keep both himself and Melody safe.  He looked over at her and studied her features.

Her forehead was crinkled up as if she was thinking about something very serious.  He rubbed her arm with his hand.  “It’s going to be okay.”  He told her.  This time he sounded a bit more positive.

Cassius knew he had to be strong for both of them right now. 

“Thank you.  I really don’t want to die yet.”  Melody finally said.

“So you heard what he said to me? I had wondered.”  Cassius said.

“Yeah, how he said that they would kill both of us on the spot.  That we had to hurry up and hide.”  Melody commented on what she had heard Cassius connection say to him.

“I won’t let you get hurt.”  He took her chin in his huge hand and looked into her eyes.

She shook her head.  He could still feel the quaking of fear through her body though.

“You know we never got to finish what we started back at my place.  Maybe that will take your mind off of all this.”  Cassius grinned as he brushed his fingers over her nipple.

Melody looked at him; the lust was in her eyes.  He moved her over and opened up his pants.  She sat down on him to finish what they had begun before they had to run.

Her mind was whirling about, how could she be having sex and be so scared.  But soon the fear was replaced by the pleasure he was eliciting from her body.

It was short, Cassius couldn’t hold back once he felt her body begin to throb in orgasm.  After they were done he held her close on his lap. 

He had a strong desire to make sure nothing happened to her.  Was it just a sense of duty, or more, he wondered.

Cassius had to admit that he had feelings about her, especially now that he had seen her at her most vulnerable.  He touched her cheek and brushed some of her long brown hair from her face.

Chapter 6

Melody knew that there was more to life than just good sex.  Shit, who am I kidding, mind blowing sex, she thought.  The way he had just looked at her made her wonder though, just what was he thinking.

If she had been more experienced she might realize that he was looking at her with dreamy eyes.  The kind that men usually only got when they were infatuated with a female. 

However, Melody had only been in one relationship, and that was nothing to compare this one with.  It had been a choice, not a forced situation, like this. 

Her ex-boyfriend Jay had been quite the talker.  He had sworn that he would be with her until the day they both died.  It was his sweet words that had convinced her to have sex with him.  Melody had believed his lies about marriage and gladly gave her precious virginity to him. 

But a few months later, when she had found out she was pregnant, he had vanished.  Jay couldn’t be found, no matter who she called, he was not around.  She knew that his friends were lying for him.  However, what was she supposed to do?

She had been on her own and scared at only 21 years of age.  Melody had lost the baby in a miscarriage, due to all the stress she was under.  She had only begun her career, and really didn’t have the money for a child.  However, she had planned on going through and having the baby, she would raise it alone.

Melody could have really used the support of a strong man at that time in her life.  Instead she had to go through her grief all alone.  It had been one of the worst times of her life.

Now 3 years later, here she was with another man, or rather alien.  She could feel the hope of something more developing between them.  However, it was with trepidation that she put her heart into his hands.

“Cassius, I don’t know how to ask you this.  But what are your plans with me?”  Melody asked.  Perhaps since she had explained about her and Jay, he would understand why she was asking this type of question.

“Well of course you’ll go to Zeron with me and live.” He answered.

“I mean, how long do I stay your slave?  What do I do?  I don’t know anything about how this works.”  She wanted to add “I don’t want to be a slave I want to be more to you”, but she couldn’t.

“Hmm, I’ve never had a slave before.  So I don’t know, I guess you would be with me your whole life.  As far as what you do, I think you’ve learned some of the things I require.”  He chuckled and smiled, his meaning written on his face and by his hands flicking her nipple lightly.

Melody couldn’t help but let the moan escape from her mouth.  He seemed to know the right spots to touch her and send her body into overdrive.  She turned red, but her body cried out for him. 

He pulled her to him and crushed her lips to his.  “I don’t know, I guess we’ll play it all by ear.”  He said releasing her.

She wanted him again, wanted him to converge on her body and plow her into oblivion.  But then she looked around and considered their situation once more.  However, they had sex once already, though it was quick.

Melody moved her hand down his leg and cupped his balls in her hands. 

“We should really wait until we get to Zeron.  It won’t be much longer, than we can break in our new home.”  He promised with his words.  His mouth added a more intimate promise.

“Okay.”  Her body yearned to feel him right now.  But she put her libido in the closet for the moment and locked the door.  She really couldn’t understand how she had fell for him so quickly. 

When he had said our new home, she thought she might swoon and faint.  It sounded like he wanted more with her, not just a slave/owner relationship.  Maybe he will marry me one day, she thought.

Chapter 7

Cassius could feel the ship slowing down; he knew they were getting close to Zeron.  When Melody has started to rub him, he had almost gone wild.  He had wanted to take her like a wild animal at that moment.  However, he knew how close they were to stopping. 

If he wasn’t careful they would miss their window and be stuck on the ship to a more inhabited location.  That wouldn’t do good, he would be got and they would both be killed.

It had taken all of his will to not take her.  Cassius knew of a place where they would be able to stay.  He had a home here, one that no one had known about. 

The home had been a gift from a friend a while back.  “Here, thank you for not killing me.  This is the deed to my home on Zeron.”  The man had stated.

“I can’t take your home.”  Cassius had told the man.

“Please, I have another one.  Truthfully I don’t think I could ever live on Zeron.  There is so little there.  So few, that you have to learn to live off the land.  I’m not interested in hunting for my meals.  I’m more of the type who wants it ready made.”  The man had said.

Cassius had no clue at that point he would ever see this home.  However, it was funny how things somehow seemed to work out in his favor.  Well, not with the whole death of Demetri.  At least he had a place that was safe for him and Melody.

He looked at her and thought of all the things he was going to do to her in that new home.  He also wondered if she would ever be interested in a more stable relationship, like being his wife.

He had heard of interspecies relationships before.  They might even be able to have a family together.  Cassius had heard that most women liked to have at least one child.  Maybe if he offered that to her, she would agree to be his wife.

“Come on, you have to go now, you have two minutes.”  The man who had set up the passage for them came into the room.

Cassius grabbed Melody by the hand and got them out of the ship quickly.  He found transport at a small hut that was near the landing zone of the ship.

“We need a few supplies; can you take us to the shop first?”  Cassius asked the man.

“Yeah sure, but it will cost you more currency.”  The man said.

Cassius agreed gladly, he was happy that news of the gladiator fights at the Goma didn’t reach this area of the region.  The guy clearly had not recognized him.

The shop was small and didn’t have much to offer in the way of supplies.  Cassius picked up what he could and they went on to the house.  He had never seen it so had no idea what to expect.

“Here you are.”  The guy said as he stopped.

The place looked pleasant enough, as long as the inside was in better repair, they might be in luck.  “Thanks a lot.”  Cassius handed the man some currency, plus a little extra.

“Thanks man, anytime.”  The guy took off after they had taken the bags out.

“Well it looks pretty nice from here.  I’m shocked I thought it might not look as good.”

Melody and him went up to the door.  He opened it with the key.  “It looks like we’ll be busy cleaning for a bit.”  Melody said looking around at the dust and grim that had been seated for years.

“First things first, we’ll get to cleaning later.”  Cassius grabbed her.  “You were driving me wild in the ship; I think we need to take care of that first.”  He laughed.  “Now to find a spot that isn’t so dirty.  Oh hell with it,” He said after looking around for a few moments.

Cassius finally shook out a sheet that had been placed over a couch.  He pulled her down on top of him.  They kissed deeply as his hands went over her body. 

He had learned where to touch her already.  Cassius moved down though and looked at her nexus.  He licked his lips, he felt like doing something special.

He heard her moan as his mouth covered her slit and his tongue licked up to settle on her clit. 

“Oh wow, oh my.”  Melody was sputtering as he applied his tongue to her sex.

Cassius laughed and went back to his exploration of her lower body.  Soon he was awarded for all his hard work with a rush of her juices.  She screamed out as she was sent over the edge and climaxed.

He greedily licked up as much of her juices as he could.  He was hungry to taste more of her, but he wanted to have sex too.  His member was throbbing, and he thought he might orgasm before he even got inside of her. 

She was still bucking up into his face as he pulled away from her.  He moved up and placed a kiss on her lips.  “Melody, I don’t know what all I can offer you.  But I’ve been thinking about it.  I don’t really want a slave.”

Melody froze below him, her face looked frightened, “What will I do?  Where will I go?”

“I’m not kicking you out my love.  No I would like you to be my wife instead.  We can have children if you want; I think our species is compatible.”  He offered.

“Married, you want to marry me?”  She asked confused.

“Yes I would like that very much.  I mean we may have to move quickly and if your my wife.  Well our cover might be better.  If your my slave though, we might be easier to find.”  He explained.

“I thought that you said we should be safe here?”  She asked. 

“We should be, but just in case.”

“Oh is that the only reason, so that we won’t be discovered?”  She questioned.  He could hear the hurt in her voice.

Cassius pulled her up to him and thrust into her.  “No it’s not my love.  I want to be with you too.”  He admitted.  “I love you.”

Chapter 8

“You do?”  Melody questioned.

“Well yeah, I mean when we are together it’s like a volcano igniting and exploding.  This has to be more than just sex.”  He explained.

“Yes, I thought the same thing too.”  She admitted.

“So what do you say?”  He asked.

“Oh yes, I’ll marry you, and I love you too Cassius.  I feel safe around you, like no one could ever harm me.”  Melody scraped her nails on his back and he thrust into her again. 

She was lost in thought as he brought her body to another climax. 

Once they were done it was time to clean though.  They both began to fix the place up.  It was possible that they could be stuck here the rest of their lives, or at least for a few years.

Along the trip Cassius had explained to Melody more in depth about how their justice system worked.  It had made her shiver with fear to think of how many innocent people they may have killed in the past.

Soon enough the house was coming together. 

“Overall it’s in rather good shape.”  Cassius announced after he came in from inspecting the outside of the house closer.

“Well that’s good.”  Melody smiled at him.  “Were you kidding when you asked me to marry you earlier?”  She asked.

“Of course not, why would I do that.”  He answered.

“I don’t know.  Well on Earth men talk and say things they don’t mean.  You know they promise women things so they get sex.”  She explained.

“Wow, your species seems a bit dishonest.  Is that what your ex-boyfriend did to you?  Didn’t you tell me his name was Jay?  Another thing are you dishonest?”  He asked, his face showing some worry.

“No I’m what you would call one of the good ones.  I’m so honest sometimes people take me as being rude.  Yes Jay did the whole dishonest thing to me.  But I would rather not talk about him anymore.”  She laughed.

“I’d rather have you honest.”  He admitted.

There was a knock on the door, they looked at each other.  No one knew they were here, except for the guy who drove them here.  However, why would he be back out here?

Cassius approached a window slowly and looked out front.  He turned towards her, “I don’t know who it is.  He doesn’t have a uniform on though.”

She shook her head, ready to help defend him if it came to it.  “Be ready to run if I tell you.”  Cassius told her.

“No way, I’m standing by you.”  She stated.

He smiled at her.  “Alright, but I really don’t know if this is bad news, or nothing big.” 

“Go ahead.”  She stood by his side and he answered the door.

“Yes can I help you?”  Cassius asked the blue man standing at the door.

“Wow, Brakley wasn’t lying; there are really new people on the planet!”  The man smiled and pushed his hand towards Cassius.  “I’m Jureal; I’ve lived on Zeron for around ten years now.  You are the first new people I’ve seen come here.  I was just wondering if you needed anything.”

“Oh it’s nice to meet you Jureal.  I’m Cassius and this is Melody.” 

Jureal looked from one to the other.  “Hmm, interspecies couple are you?  Interesting, I would never have imagined that on Zeron!”  He laughed.

“Yeah we wanted to be away from the bustle of it all.  You know live a very quiet life.”  Cassius said.

“Oh you’ll have that here on Zeron.  Overall, there may be around 100 of us here.  All of us are spread out quite a bit.  So you should be able to enjoy your peace and quiet here.  Perhaps I’ll contact the others and we can have a little party to greet you one day.”  Jureal said.

“Sure that sounds nice.  But can you give us a bit to fix up the place, and we can have it here?”  Melody said, shaking Jureal’s hand.

“That’s not a problem.  Most people who live on Zeron don’t like to travel much anyway.”  He laughed heartily.

Cassius and Melody looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

“Well I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the planet.  When you get the phone installed here’s my number.  Just let me know if you need anything.  I’m one of your closest neighbors.”  Jureal explained.

“Oh how far away are you?”  Melody asked.

“About four hours or so, with the speed travel options.  But if you want to go the slower way it would take me a few days.  So not very close at all!  I just happened to be in the area to visit the shop.”  Jureal explained.

“Well thanks for stopping by.  We’ll let you know when we get our phone in and are ready for a party!”  Cassius said.

“Yeah it’s always nice to see someone new comer to Zeron.  Hey did anyone ever tell you, you look like that gladiator dude a bit.  Well you’re not near as big as he looks on the channel though.”  Jureal laughed as he left.

Melody looked at Cassius, “Do you think he knows?”  Her nerves felt frayed at the thought of Jureal knowing Cassius real identity.

“I don’t know.  We’ll be careful and watch to see if we get a lot of visitors or not.  I’ll set up an alarm system outside.  That way if they do come for us we can hopefully get out quickly.”  Cassius said.

Epilogue

Melody looked over at Cassius; they had been on Zevon for six months now.  She had grown to love Zevon quite a lot.

They had a party about a month ago and met several of the other people who lived on this lonely planet.  Jureal had turned out to be not only a real friend, but also a good source of information.

It had been just two weeks ago when Jureal had come to visit them again. 

“Hey, Cassius and Melody how are you both doing?”  Jureal asked him as he came into their home.

“Hey Jureal, we’re good.  How are you doing?”  Cassius had asked.

“Not bad.  I heard some interesting information from the Goma the other day.”  Jureal had said.

“Oh what is that?”  Cassius had asked quietly.

Melody had felt the nerves begin to throb in her body.  On more than one occasion Jureal had hinted about how much Cassius looked like a great warrior he had once seen at the Goma.

“Well it seems that Demetri, he was the guy who sold the tickets and promoted the fights.  He was killed, there was a lot of talk about how the warrior, Cassius, funny he has the same name as you.  But the warrior had supposedly killed him.  However, you know that never made much sense to me.  Why would a guy who had just won his freedom do something like that?  Surely, it would be someone else.”  Jureal had paused.

“Right it wouldn’t make sense that a guy who was finally free would kill the man who basically gave him that freedom.”  Melody had said.

Cassius had cut her off with a look though.

“Yeah I agree.”  Jureal had said.  “So anyway, I thought perhaps it was a relative of the Lars fellow.  Do you know anything about the Goma?”  He had stopped and asked them both.

“No, besides the legend talk I’ve heard from some people in the past.”  Cassius had stated cautiously.

“I have no idea, I’m from Earth.”  Melody had looked at him and played dumb.

“Okay, we’ll you have heard of gladiators before right Melody.”  Jureal had looked at her.

“Yes, the Romans on Earth used to have fights to the death.”  Melody had shook her head.

“Well the Goma is the same thing, but in our Galaxy.  The men who battle are often slaves, they’ve either been sold as slaves, or their families were slaves.  The deal is that if any warrior can win 200 fights they will be set free.  It isn’t a task that is easy to do.  There have only been two in all of the history of the Goma.  Mazart back around 100 years ago was the first fighter to complete all the fights.  Recently, Cassius completed this same number of fights.  This is where it gets interesting though.  The night of the fights someone killed Demetri, and the signs all pointed to Cassius.  I on the other hand had other theories about the guilty party.  I thought that it would either be one of Lars’s relatives, he’s the man that Cassius obliterated in about 10 minutes time.  Or perhaps an angry fan who felt they were cheated on a bet.  I just happen to have the right connections and let it be known of my theories.  It seems that the authorities hadn’t looked at the cameras in the building yet.  When they pulled up the footage from that night, you know who could be seen clearly walking out of the building?”  Jureal had stopped and studied them both closely.

Melody squirmed under his study, but sat tight lipped.  Cassius had not said a word either.

“Well it was Cassius and his prize for the fight.  About two minutes after walking into Demetri’s office was a hooded man.  The kicker was when they pulled the office film though.  The man who had come in was Lars’s younger brother, Marteen.  Clearly on the film you can see Marteen as he slayed Demetri.”

“Oh really, that’s great news!”  Melody had said.

Cassius had looked at Jureal, “So how long have you known I was the warrior?”

Jureal had laughed, “Since the first time I met you son.  But I’m telling you I have a sense about anyone I meet.  I can tell if they are a good person or a bad one. You my friend are indeed a good man.  That was why I pulled my strings and made sure that the truth was discovered.  You my man are truly a free man.  If you want you can go back home.”

Cassius and Melody had been stunned further to find out that Jureal had once been an inspector for the authorities.  If he had thought Cassius was really guilty, he would have called them in the day he first met them.  But he had gone with his gut instinct and now Cassius could do anything he wanted.

They had decided they loved Zevon and would stay there most of the year.  But had planned to visit his home planet once the baby was born, he wanted his parents to meet their new grandchild.

“What are you thinking about Melody?”  Cassius interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh just thinking about how scared I was when I was first kidnapped.  I never imagined that I would find love out in space.”  She answered as she rubbed her belly.

“You know I was so upset when I first found out you were the prize.  Boy was I a stupid man at that point.”  Cassius laughed.

“But you’re not anymore!”

He grabbed her and kissed her deeply, “No my love I’m not, and I have the most amazing wife a man could ever ask for.  I love you Melody.”

“I love you too Cassius.”

THE END

THE WIDE RECEIVER’S LADY

Chapter 1

“I can’t believe that he’s even giving me the time of day. He could have anybody that he wants and he has chosen me. I have all of this nervous energy and he’s going to be here in the next couple of hours. I have no idea what I’m going to wear. I do know that I want to make a good first impression. I can’t have him playing the field and I don’t want to see that infamous wandering eye of his. I need to make sure that the only thing that is on his mind is me.” Melissa was a cheerleader and she just got her big break. She was taken with one of the football players. She heard all the rumors about how he would sleep with a girl and then practically leave her on the side of the road after he was done with her.

“I don’t really know what I can do to advise you on this particular subject matter. Football has never been one of my strong suits. I tend to shy away from those sports that become barbaric enough that someone can get seriously injured. I can’t see how anybody can be on the edge of their seat with excitement when bones are breaking and careers end suddenly.” Raven was 19 years old and had just moved out of her parents’ house for the chance at spreading her wings and becoming her own woman. She was only 5’2, 115 pounds with jet black hair and the kind of studious appearance that came from knowing exactly where she was going.

“It doesn’t matter that you know football or not. What matters the most is that you’re a woman and that you’ve obviously had some experience with a man.” Melissa had found her roommate to be a little hard to get to know. Raven was here on a full scholarship to be a geneticist and to work primarily in the biochemistry field. She’d never met somebody so smart in her life. It did help that she was there to aid her in her own studies. She made learning easy and fun. She often thought that Raven would make a great teacher or maybe a professor if that was the field that she was attempting to go into. “I think that as a woman, we both know what it takes to attract a man.”

“Speak for yourself. I don’t usually like to talk about this, but I’m not exactly as experienced as you may think. I have dated, but I’ve seen some of my friends walk down a dangerous and dark path. They had their futures snatched away from them because of some bundle of joy in the oven. You may think that condoms are 100% affective, but they do have a tendency to fail from time to time. I would feel like I was playing Russian roulette with my life. I’m not one to judge and I would never tell anybody what to do with their life. These are mistakes that we make on our own and we must live with those decisions regardless if they are right for us or not.” “I’m trying to be subtle, but I don’t think that she truly understands the concept of the bad boy mentality. She will become his prize possession and he’ll use her and then discard her when he finds something better. I don’t want to be her mother and being her friend is a fulltime job.”

“You could really use a makeover and one of these days I’m going to turn you into a swan. You will no longer be able to stand in a corner and not be seen. I think that I could mold you into something that all the boys would swirl around like locusts after their queen.” Being a cheerleader, Melissa had been acutely aware that beauty was only skin deep. Makeup hid those flaws and one thing that she noticed about Raven was that she was that natural beauty underneath it all.

“I don’t think I really need your help. No offense, but I’m not exactly what you would call a social kind of girl. I find the concept of idle chitchat to be mind numbingly boring. I can’t stand people that are not able to keep up with me intellectually. I actually find it quite interesting that you are studying to be a chemical engineer. People see what they want to see and you project the kind of girl that is easy on the eyes.” “I want her to be like me and stop this foolishness of panting after a man that cannot be tied down. Vance has always had a free ride and his father an ex football player has done his best to open doors. It’s obvious that he has never had to work for anything in his life. He thinks that his world revolves around football and I pity the day that the reality will come crashing down on his head. I will admit that I find him uniquely attractive and the bulge in front of his uniform has made him a legend amongst the females.”

“I don’t need a lecture and if I wanted somebody to tell me that I was doing something wrong, I would go home and listen to my mother berate me with her finger in my face. Without my father being around, she became both my mother and my father figure. She was the one that vetted those boys that I was dating. I’ve never seen a confident man turn into a gibbering idiot over the span of a couple of hours of interrogation. Being a police officer, my mother can be quite intimidating and doesn’t mind using her training to get her point across.” Melissa was tearing through her closet and then she saw this little red number that might just be the ticket.

She took it out and she moved it around the room to see that it was a little on the demure side. She saw a pair of scissors and knew how to alter any kind of dress. She went directly to the sewing machine and began to form this otherwise plain piece of material into something that was going to make Vance’s jaw drop.

“You really are a woman with many talents and I’m afraid that Vance will only see the exterior surface. He’ll judge a book by its cover and if you’re not careful, you’ll have your panties flung across his headboard at the end of the night. We both know that he’s not exactly a three date rule. If he doesn’t get what he wants on that first date, then he will move onto somebody that is willing to give him the milk for free.” I do feel a bit of a jealous streak running down my back. It’s all too much when I see him walking across the campus with that smug look and those muscles right there for anybody to witness. He is that shining example of what a woman should avoid and never can. I could never get enough of seeing him take his shirt off and playing with the boys on the field between classes. I could only hope that I was subtle enough and staying within the shadows was a good way not to be recognized as a groupie.”

Raven hated football with a passion and found any sport that was rough around the edges not at all interesting enough to even give it a chance. She knew the kind of man that Vance was and how easily he could sing his song of praise to any woman to make them drop their panties. It didn’t stop those fantasies emerging in the dead of night when she was all alone with only her fingers as companionship. “I’m not going to lie to myself and say that I’m not willing to enjoy that one moment of bliss. It is a constant struggle between my brain and the rest of my body that craves his touch that stops me from acting on those feelings. I’m just happy that I don’t fall on his radar. He would never see me as something that was going to easily spread her legs for his obvious virility.”

“You can say that, but I’ve never seen you go out with a boy since I got here. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were a virgin. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t want to make you think that there’s something wrong with you. I do believe that there’s one person for every one and I just might have found my prince charming.” She had that dress turned into a masterpiece with a plunging neckline and a long slit up the side that gave a bit more than the average dress off the rack.

Raven was wearing her glasses and even though she had contacts, she never had a reason to attract that kind of unwanted attention. She never did have a need for makeup and the very little that she did have on was on only when she went out socially. A little blush and lipstick was like catnip and made the boys give her more than a passing glance. It was the reason why she didn’t wear makeup when she was on campus. It was only when she went out alone to occupy her time in the clubs to see how the other half of lived that she would let down her hair a little.” I know that she is that blond bombshell with huge melons on her chest. I get this feeling that maybe Vance is what most you would call a breast man. I’m not exactly lacking in that department. I do hide it well with bulky sweaters and bras that are meant to hide my obvious endowment to the male populous.”

Raven wore a pair of black yoga pants with a sports bra. She knew that he was coming here to see Melissa. She began to think that maybe it would be a good idea that she covered up what was going to make his eyes see her as more than just the friend. She had no interest in letting him see the real woman underneath the nerdy persona. There was a part of her that would have loved to flaunt it in his face and to make him yearn for something that he couldn’t have. That would only be asking for trouble. “I see how determined she is to make him hers, but I’m not sure that anybody is able to make him settle down. It’s a known fact that his family life was not all that it was cracked up to be. His father was not exactly the one woman kind of guy and that seems to have been passed off to his son. His father James was one of those football players that didn’t know what it was to be a part of a team. I did catch one game out of curiosity and seeing Vance in uniform certainly did raise the temperature. I wasn’t much into the sport, but I did have to admit that his leadership qualities were above reproach.”

“What do you think?” Melissa put that dress on and felt sexually liberating. There wasn’t much to it and underneath was very little else including a thong that rode up into the crack of her ass. It was a little uncomfortable, but the outline of it through the dress when the light hit it in a certain way would certainly give him ideas. “I want your unbiased opinion. I know that this is not where your talents are, but maybe you can make an exception for this one time only.” Melissa hovered over young and innocent Raven by a least a few inches. She really did feel like she was the older sister and that it was her duty to show Raven what it was to be a real woman in a male dominated society.

“Let me see if I get this right.” Raven grabbed her crotch and made the appearance of shifting her balls like that of a man. “You look delicious enough to eat. Come over here…baby and take a seat on my face.” She had lowered her voice to that of baritone gravel. She was mimicking the look of a man that was more of a playboy than someone that was capable of commitment. “If I don’t say so myself, I believe that I nailed that impersonation. Guys only think with one head and it’s not the one that’s on top of their shoulders. I don’t care if they are intellectual, jock or preppy. It doesn’t matter and if they have testosterone, then they will become like salivating dogs after a bone. Even the briefest moment where they think that they are going to get some will become their mission of choice. They will become obsessed and I’ve seen it time and time again and I’m not impressed.”

“That was pretty good. A lot of guys would take exception to how you perceive them. I know that I shouldn’t care and that I would be better off with somebody that is going to show me a bit more respect than this guy. You know what they say about the heart wanting what the heart wants. When you feel those butterflies and you know that that guy has eyes for only you, then that is when everything changes. Danger and excitement is one thing, but if you mix that up with a pretty package including the one between their legs, then a woman can’t be responsible for their actions.” Melissa stood in front of the mirror looking from every angle. It wasn’t exactly understated and the intention of this dress was to make sure that it landed on his floor in a not so subtle way.

“If I were a guy, I would be all over you like a cheap suit. I just don’t want you to feel obligated. He’ll probably take you out to a fancy restaurant. Try and be a good girl and we both know that we all have that bad girl waiting to get out for the right guy.” “I’m not immune to the way that he stares at the other girls. Being a ghost has always been the one thing that has prevented me from having the spotlight put on me.”

Chapter 2

Vance was getting ready for his big date with Melissa. He knew by the time that dessert arrived that she would be practically eating out of the palm of his hand. He had watched his father and learned by observing what it took to make a woman feel like the most important person in the room. He saw the way that his father made them desire him and all it took was the ability to read the signals. If the signals weren’t there, then he could easily change his tactic to get them to lower their guard.

“You know that the coach doesn’t condone dating before a big game. I’ll do what I always do. I’ll cover for you the best way that I know how. Try to promise me that you will at least make it an early night. I know that you pride yourself on giving the girl the royal treatment all night long. I know that they’re not praying when they are screaming the lord’s name in vain.” Julian had seen his best friend turned into the consummate ladies man. He had always been that way from the moment that he met him three years ago in high school. He followed him around mimicking his every move and becoming a sought after commodity by NFL teams that were most likely going to be scouting those that they thought had potential.

“You know that there’s no way that I can promise something like that. I have a reputation to uphold and I’ll be damned if this girl doesn’t get my very best. Some guys might try to phone it in, but I go all out to seal the deal. Money has never been an object for me. You know where I live and you know that my father had a career that afforded him nothing but the best.” He had just returned from Puerto Rico for a weekend sojourn with his father and his soon to be third bride. He actually slept with the daughter of the bride with both parents sleeping down the hall in the next room. That was an awkward moment at breakfast, but soon turned into a romp in the surf. He remembered Charlene with fondness. He remembered all of their names. It couldn’t be helped with his condition.

“You make us good guys look bad. You claim to be one of the good ones, but we both know that the only thing that you’re interested in is what they have between their legs. You don’t care what they think or who they really are. You make them believe they you’re only in it for them, but mostly it’s for the chance to sink deep into some strange pussy.” Julian did not mean to belittle his conquests. He actually found some of them crying after the ordeal and was able to parlay that into sloppy seconds. He was always good with a shoulder to lean on. Those girls that had found themselves used by Vance were always in need of a sympathetic ear.

They would use him to make Vance jealous, but that was not an emotion that Vance was willing to show to anyone. He was not about to get emotionally involved and he did his damnedest not to allow any woman to sink her claws into him that deep.

“I don’t know why you’re complaining. It’s not like you don’t get something from this. You may think that you are fooling everybody else, but with me I know the truth. I’ve seen you with the girls that I’ve been with and you can’t sit there and tell me that you haven’t taken advantage of their vulnerable condition. Do you think that it’s a coincidence that I leave in the morning, so that you to pick up the pieces after I’m gone? I thought it went without saying that I was throwing you a lifeline to your otherwise dismal love life. You pine after one girl and I’ve done everything in my power to make sure that you forget about the one that got away.”

“You can say that, but you don’t really know for sure. It’s not like you told them to sleep with me. I don’t think that you would have been the kind to cuddle afterward anyway. You would rather forget that they even existed and move on to the next one that catches your eye. There’s going to come a day where you find yourself feeling something for a woman. That is the day that I’m going to do an Irish jig in this very room in front of you. That day will come sooner than you expect. Somebody is out there. She’s waiting for you and eventually you’re going to meet her and fall hopelessly in love.” Julian heard the merriment of laughter and knew that Vance didn’t think that was even possible.

Vance put on his fancy white sport coat with a red shirt with gold buttons to attract the eye to his well defined pectorals. He had no problem showing off his body and taking off his shirt in the quad was by design. He wanted the girls to see what they could have if only they applied themselves. He wanted them to know it when he made his advance that it was because he wanted them and nobody else. The shirt was what he would call lucky and anytime that he wore it was a night that he would never forget. He actually had to have a few buttons repaired after the way some of the women had attacked him with no regard for his personal belongings.

“The one thing that I can assure you of is that I will never fall for the girl that has her eyes on getting a ring on her finger. My father has tried that two times and is in the process of doing it the third time. I don’t know why he doesn’t learn his lesson. It’s so much better when you can fly the nest and go from one birdie to the next. I’ve never got complacent, but I do feel that I’m missing something. I can’t put my finger on it. I think I just might be ready to take a break. After Melissa, I believe that a self imposed abstinence is in order.” He had no idea how long that would last and each time that he tried it was a losing battle. Everywhere he looked there was some comely young thing giving him the look and they were not about to take no for an answer. Sooner or later he was going to fall naked into bed with one of them.

“You have to remember that your father was a legend. You may not think that it hurt him when he lost your mother, but he’s only trying to fill that void with other women. I don’t want to see you go down that same road. Being a friend means that I’m going to tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. You can hate me all you want, but the one thing that you need to learn is that every man is powerless against the woman of his dreams. Phoebe was that for me and then she met somebody that made her look at me differently. I went into a pit of depression and you were right there to hold my hand and make sure that I didn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. There would always be other women. I don’t feel good about having your hand me downs, but they were very appreciative of my tender loving care.” Vance’s hair was cut short and had that tinge of blond that made him into a dirty boy.

Vance was meticulous in his appearance and made sure that there wasn’t a hair out of place. He shaved his face to get rid of that shadow of a beard. He had learned from personal experience that the smooth look and feel was what a woman really wanted. They may claim otherwise, but he had never had any problem showing them the error of their ways. He was blessed with the same good looks as his father. The chiseled jaw line and being 6 feet tall and 220lbs had made him an imposing figure that had girls practically begging to have their cherries popped. He had his fair share of virgins and they were always very receptive and gave him something that no other girl could.

He was always on the hunt for that pure as the driven snow kind of girl. They were a rare breed, but once caught in his snare it was very difficult for them to weasel their way out from underneath him. “It won’t take me long to get Melissa to go down on me. I’m just wondering if she’s adventurous or if I’m going to have to coax her into doing something particularly naughty. When I leave tomorrow morning, you can take your shot and see what you can’t do about taking the sting out. She’s going to feel dirty and you’re gonna have to show her that there is hope.” They had a good thing going and Vance was not going to ruin a perfect game plan.

“You and I both know that you are a bastard and that these girls deserve a whole lot better than to be treated like they’re only good for one thing. I tend to hold them to a higher standard and put them on the pedestal where they belong. You look down upon them like insignificant insects that are there to fulfill your every whim. Don’t worry; Melissa will know what it is like to be with a real man. I might even be able to make her see me as more than just your friend on the side.” Julian had the same muscles, but he did not have the gift to sweet talk a woman into bed. He was learning quickly, but so far his expertise was letting them cry on his shoulder

“I am glad that I have the money, but it’s the notoriety and the fame that I require most of all. The adoration of the fans and those girls that can’t seem to leave me alone without satisfying their curiosity is what I live for. The only thing that is better is that one out of many that has never been touched. Their greedy holes are raw and festering with desire to be taken to a higher pleasure that has never existed in their minds. They have no reference to what I can do for them and I do hope that I make myself the measuring stick against all others.” Vance took one last look in the mirror. He didn’t consider himself vain, but if they were to look up the meaning in a dictionary they would see his face. He smiled that cocksure grin that he was known for.

“It must be nice to have the kind of money that will have them ready to slide under the table at your command. One look at your fancy silver Porsche and to feel it humming underneath them will be almost too much.” He watched as Vance put on his customary leather jacket. It was that smooth kind of leather that made him look like he was sophisticated and not at all the kind of player that women should be avoiding at all costs.

“The first thing that I bought upon coming here was this jacket. It seemed to call to me from the store. It might’ve been an impulse buy, but it was well worth the extravagance. I don’t really think of money when I slap down the black credit card in my father’s name. I recently learned what my inheritance is going to be and apparently that is not only thing that I have to look forward to. I also get a very sizable portion when I reach the age of 25. I don’t even know how people can live without money. They may say that it’s the root of all evil, but I would rather have it than not.” He went down the stairs and looked up to see Julian shaking his head.

Julian stuck his head out the window and screamed for everybody to hear. “Everybody lock up your daughter’s… Vance is on the hunt and will not be satisfied until one of them is his for the evening. Girls beware that it’s not a good thing to take candy from strangers even if they look like my friend.” Julian could see that this was embarrassing him and that his cheeks had turned slightly flushed.

Vance decided to turn the tables and put his hands up to his mouth in a bullhorn fashion. “Don’t think for a second that Julian is the good guy that he projects. He’s just waiting in the wings for when you come out of my bedroom after I have run off after the deed is done. He’ll have a nice cup of cocoa for you and he’ll listen to your feelings, before making his move.” They were only teasing each other and it wasn’t like anybody could really hear them outside of the first couple of floors in the frat house.

The rest of the guys piled out and stood at attention like soldiers getting ready to go to war. They saluted their hero and wished him good voyage between the thighs of Melissa the cheerleader that had a lot of agility and was able to bend in certain ways that didn’t seem possible.

Vance wiped a metaphorical tear from his eye before getting in the car and driving away.

He only had to go around to the other side of the campus. He parked in front of the dormitory waiting for his potential love interest to emerge. He saw Melissa and he ran his eyes up and down her frame. Suddenly and without warning, he was now showing interest in a woman that didn’t seem to be his type. Her seething hatred for his kind was coming off of her in waves. It was that disdain for him that made him want to get to know her better.

Chapter 3

The entire evening was listening to Melissa talk about cheerleading. She was drinking incessantly and slurring her words in an effort to quell the nervousness that she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.

After dinner, they went out to the car and began to make out. It was a hot and heavy session with the window’s steaming up. His hand was caressing her breast. She was quite endowed and practically spilling over the top of that dress. He moved in for the kill, pulling down her straps and inviting one of those nipples into his mouth. He thought that he would hear some kind of gasp of arousal, but instead there was nothing. He bit a little bit harder and no reaction.

He looked up to see that she had passed out from the liquor consumption. He could’ve easily taking advantage of her, but that was not the type of person that he was. The challenge was getting them to believe that having sex with him was the right thing to do. It would defeat the purpose if he just had his way with her. He decided to play the cards that he was dealt and brought her back to the dormitory. He lifted her easily into his arms and carried her like that movie an officer and a gentleman up the stairs to the room that he had seen her roommate glaring at him from above.

He couldn’t exactly knock with her still in his arms and decided to kick the door with his black shined shoes. He waited impatiently and saw a few glances from those doors that opened up to see what the commotion was all about. There were going to be some rumors swirling around in the morning.

The door opened and he walked right past the girl in the Pokemon pajamas. He was trying to be gallant, but her dead weight was weighing him down. He carried her down the hallway and deposited her onto her bed. He only knew that this was her room by the pompoms by the closet. He wanted to see her other pompoms in action tonight.

Vance had been watching her all night and she really did run her mouth. He didn’t really care and it wasn’t the first time that a woman had talked about themselves. He did look at her plump red lips and wonder what it would be like to slide his meat deep into her mouth with her eyes looking up with adoring glee.

“I would ask what happened, but I think that I can pretty much fill in the blanks. She told me that she was nervous and that she wanted to show you that she was all that. I’m guessing that she drank a little bit too much and I could smell it when you walked by me. Her drink of choice has always been wine. She can overindulge.” Raven was standing there with her hair in curlers and her breasts not exactly hidden from view. “I can’t believe that he’s in my dorm room. The man that has been the subject of many fantasies is standing right here in the living flesh. I know that he’s disappointed and he probably had plans to see her with nothing on. I think it looks good on him to have a bit of humility and maybe this will be the start of a new kind of perspective about women. I know that I’m trying too hard and I can only hope that he doesn’t see that I’m interested in more than just talking.”

“I want you to tell her that I had a great time when she wakes up. I would like to revisit this, but I do believe that this prince charming is about to turn back into a pumpkin. I have a big game tomorrow night and maybe you would like to see me in action.” He had no idea why he had said something like that. He should’ve been staring at her buoyant globes, but they were nothing compared to her brilliant blue eyes and the way that they seemed to burn into his soul. There was something unassuming and also this fire underneath that was begging to have somebody come around with a match to light it into a full blown blaze.

“I’ve never been interested in football. I appreciate the invitation, but you would only be wasting your time. The way that you treat women is not exactly a secret. I don’t want you to get the impression that you have a chance with me. I have no interest in playing fast and loose. I would rather continue my studies and marry somebody that is worthy of the kind of money that I’m going to make. Your banking on some NFL team snatching you up and making you a household name like your father was. It’s not a good thing to keep all your eggs in one basket.” “He had me flying and I felt like I was actually weightless in his presence. I’m trying my best not to show any kind of outward emotion. I can only hope that my words are good enough to make him walk away.”

“I’m not sure that it was necessary to make me feel like I’m some kind of Neanderthal. It’s not nice to judge a book by its cover. You never know, it is possible that I have more substance than just being a jock. I might just have a brain. For you to think otherwise is only stereotyping.” He spied the textbook out of the corner of his eye and decided to show her that there was more to him than throwing the pigskin. He didn’t know much about the subject matter, but he could play along with the best of them. He picked it up and began to thumb through the material.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s not like you could even make heads or tails out of that. Don’t make yourself look like a fool. It’s better to quit while you’re ahead.” He suddenly heard these equations and scientific words that just didn’t seem possible coming from his mouth. “I didn’t know that you had any interest in biochemistry. Perhaps my idea of you has been wrong. For treating you like that I guess I’m going to have to eat my own words. I’m as guilty as anyone for judging a book by its cover. I thought that I had you figured out, but there’s more to you like that of a layer of an onion.” She was actually finding conversing on this topic to be too good to be true. She tried to trip him up, but he miraculously was able to call upon those times with his eidetic memory. He didn’t have to understand to have a conversation.

“I think that it’s important that you remember where you come from. I may not look like the intellectual type, but I can assure you that I have more going on upstairs than people think. I feel little insulted that you thought of me as some kind of airhead with nothing between my ears. I think that I should leave before I say something that I’m going to regret. You should really be ashamed of yourself and you should really get to know somebody before you judge them this way to Sunday.” He was being indignant, but underneath he was laughing at her expense.

She felt like she had genuinely hurt him and reached out to touch his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “I apologize. I never knew that you had these other interests.” She could feel the hard muscle and she began to trace it by squeezing down his arm. He had molded his body into the perfect specimen and there was no denying that getting him naked was not exactly far from her train of thought. “I thought that he was only good for one thing. I did the same thing to him that everybody has done to me all through my life. They assume that I’m above the simpler things like a steak dinner or going to a ballgame. I actually enjoy baseball and there’s very little chance that somebody is going to get hurt seriously enough that I would turn away.”

“Sometimes I don’t know why I even bother. My father would never understand that maybe my interests don’t primarily lie with football. I felt like I was being forced into it in some kind of lame family tradition for him to live vicariously through me.” He was piling it on thick and making her show this kind of sympathy meant to lower her guard and her panties at the same time.

“I know exactly how you feel. It’s not nice when somebody looks at you and thinks that they know you better than you know yourself.” She had both hands around his arms and her body was now eliciting an emotional response to him being that close to her. “I never expected to have a true coherent conversation with you about anything. It really is quite attractive to see this side of you.” She was being fooled by his memory trick and not many people knew that he had possession of such a gift. He was able to breeze through tests by reading the printed material once.

“Everybody sees me one way and they don’t even imagine that I might be more than what they see on the surface. I only sleep with these women because it’s expected of me. I always felt like I needed to take a shower afterwards.” He was only telling her what she wanted to hear and the look in her eyes told him that things were going to progress very quickly from here.

“You have suffered in silence long enough. You can always talk to me and I feel that we have something more in common now. We’ve both been pigeonholed to believe that we are supposed to adhere to the way that people think about us.” She had just finished that speech when he turned and got a kiss with such a passion that she felt momentarily stunned into silence. “I can feel his tongue in my mouth and I never thought that I would be in this position. His hand is cupping my right breast and the other hand is sneaking into the waistband of my pajamas. I want to resist, but my body is telling me one thing I and my head isn’t playing along.”

He could feel how wet she was and the lips were soaking with excitement. He touched that tiny nub and felt her jerk in response to his attention. He dropped down into a subservient role on his hands and knees knowing that this was the best way to draw her out of her shell. He pulled at the drawstring, and watched as the gravity did the rest. He was now faced with the smooth mound with the puffy lips that showed exactly how his words had affected her.

He opened her lips and he saw the bubbling cauldron waiting for the insertion of his long oral instrument. He had learned through a two time encounter with a woman of the night on his father’s dime how to please a woman the right way. That girl was a wealth of information and now he was using that to supply Raven with the necessary incentive to give her body to him.

His tongue found that resistance waiting for him that he knew exactly what that meant. He had found a virgin unicorn. It made him smile to hear her pleased by what he was doing.

“I can’t do this… I can’t do this to my friend… Oh fuck… I don’t think that I give a damn about anything besides what you are doing.” Raven grabbed onto his hair and pulled at the follicles to hear him moan on her clit. He had just latched onto with his mouth. “Yes…make me cum with your tongue deep inside me.” She came with the intensity of a storm. She was pressed up against the wall of the kitchen and was reaching out to the fridge to make sure that she didn’t collapse in a heap after going off like a firecracker. “This has to be some sort of dream and maybe I had some sort of head injury that is now making me hallucinate with lucid clarity.”

He slobbered all over her and was now concentrating on that one piece of her anatomy that would most likely go unrecognized by other men. His tutelage underneath Rachel was money well spent for his 18th birthday. Every man should experience an older and experienced woman once in their life.

He got up and stood there with his hand grabbing hers and placing it on the object had become something of a fascination for her. He let her linger with her fingers touching the length of him through his pants. The way that she was biting her lip and staring down at where her hand was had certainly been a good indication that she was ready for more.

“I’ve never met somebody like you, Raven. You seem so unapproachable, but yet you feel things deeper than others. I know what you want. I also know that you’re never going to get it without doing something about it. You need to be the one to tell me this is what you want. You can feel how aroused I am by being with you and that should prove to you that I’m not just going to fuck you and then leave you. Give me a chance and I promise that I will never disappoint you.” He had said these lines a few times, but this was the first time that he thought he actually meant it. It was kind of weird to hear the words and know the true purpose behind them.

Chapter 4

Raven stood there with nothing in between them other than the thin layer of his pants. “I know that I’m probably going to go to hell for this, but I want you to fuck me against the wall. I want you to make me peel the wallpaper off, so that everybody can hear what you are doing to me. This pussy is begging for that kind of penetration and I’m worried that you’re going to hurt me this first time. Promise me that you will be gentle and that you’ll give my body the respect that it deserves.” “I don’t want to sound naïve, but I’ve heard stories that would make a grown woman’s hair turn white. Every girl wants their first time to be special and with the man that captures their heart. I’m hoping that I can say that for myself, but how can I be sure that he won’t revert to his old ways after he’s done.”

“I don’t know that I can promise you tomorrow. The one thing that I can promise you is right now and right here. There’s no way for me to tell you that we’re going to be together forever. I wish that I could say that, but I’ve seen friends of mine lose their way and the love that they used to share.” He had never confessed something like that before and it was like a light bulb going off over his head. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to feel her lips on him, but he didn’t have to do that.

Raven hungered for what she was feeling with her fingers and she went down to get an unbiased view. She’d heard stories, but she never believed any of them until this very moment. She opened his pants and found the bulge that was pressed into a pair of black briefs that was not exactly regulation. These were custom made to hug his package.

She pulled it down to see this log and she planted a lone kiss on the tip. There was no lipstick smeared, because she wasn’t wearing any. She thought that she could fight this feeling, but in the end it was all about pleasure. “I know that I shouldn’t, but I’m going to. He just flexed it and made this very clear drop of fluid appear like some kind of magic trick. I have to do this and I would hate myself if I were to walk out the door after he shared something so poignant.” She opened her mouth and at first struggled with remaining in the moment. She finally was able to accomplish what she had in mind. The heat from the skin of the shaft was now lying heavily on her tongue. She surprised even herself as she continued to take 1 inch after the other until all 9 inches had found its home inside her throat.

She could feel that vein making its presence known and could feel the balls rise up in reaction to the way that she was servicing him.

“I’m not exactly a novice at this, but I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a better site than with you on your knees. One thing that could be better is to see you from behind with that perfect ass arched and ready to take me.” He could feel her swallowing. He was going to do the one thing that he promised that he would never do. He was never one to give in easily, but this girl with jet black hair had certainly shown him that not every woman was the same. He gave her a few sharp jabs with his hips and each one was received in kind. He watched her mouth in action and the way that her spit slid down the shaft to tickle the ivory of his balls.

He always thought that he was composed, but with her he was ready to turn this apartment upside down with every position in the book. He moved away from her and saw the way that she was looking at him with that desire that could not be contained. It didn’t take all that much to get her to stand up or to turn around in a compromising and dirty position.

“I don’t think that I have to tell you this, but I have never been with a man in this way. I’ve wanted to, but I never found anybody that was even close to risking what I have built for myself. You might be the only one that has found a way to open me up to new experiences.” “I’m watching him and I’m not sure, but I think that he wants me as much as I want him. A part of me feels guilty for doing this, but there’s another part that only wants to get fucked. I’ve waited long enough and I only wish that I had done this sooner. I was waiting for the right one to come around.” She raised her arms and allowed him to turn her body into an erotic plaything.

“My god… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect pair of half moons. I don’t know what you do to make it this hard, but I don’t think that you should ever stop.” He was holding himself precariously on the edge. He noticed that he was drooling down the sides like some ice cream cone that was melting in the hot sun. He applied pressure to the lips and in combination to her already excited form he was able to fit himself in for the first couple of inches. He waited with bated breath. He wanted to be the one to take it from her, but his hesitation was her gain.

She pushed back and broke through the last thing that was preventing her from becoming a woman. She drove him in all the way, until his balls were nicely nestled up against her pussy lips. She could feel every single inch and she wondered if the pulsations of her walls were causing him to be concerned about his ability to hang on until the end. “I thought that I didn’t know how to talk to him. He told me things that were not common knowledge amongst the rumor mill. I feel like we have only this moment and that we should make it count for something.” The expectation of the moment had now gone past anything that she had thought it would be.

“I don’t even know what to say. You can feel hard I am and you know that it’s not going to be long before I let the cream boil to the top.” Vance took a hold of her beautiful hips and bent at an angle to get the perfect vantage point. He watched himself pull back with her sweetness now coating his shaft. It covered him and he started to move until the stuff that she had just squirted over him had become something of a white thick paste. Her slippery walls welcomed him with a glad hand and in the same breath squeezed down on him with a fierceness that made him spill regardless if he thought that he could hold on or not.

“I’m…I’m…cumming… I’m so fucking sorry. This has never happened to me before.” He had nothing to feel sorry about and 20 minutes with Raven was better than all the other times that he had lasted infinitely longer. “Fuck… I feel like I’m not even myself anymore.” He was about to leave the comfort of her warm embrace, but her lips grabbed onto him and kept him at a readiness that he didn’t understand. “I have to say that this has never happened to me before either. You’re truly a woman in your own league. Others just don’t do it for me the way that you do.”

“I’m not…done with you…yet.” She’d become something that she didn’t recognize and the reflection in the mirror down the hall was of a wanton woman slamming back against him and taking every fucking inch. That 9 inch spike was driving in like a hammer. She heard the smacking of their flesh and she soon felt that moment arrive with no fanfare. “It’s happening… It’s fucking happening… I’m…CUMMINGGGGGG.” She screamed and found her legs losing the energy to stand up any longer than necessary. She was on her knees clinging to the wall and then she heard the door slamming behind her.

She lay there on the floor looking up at the ceiling and feeling ashamed of her behavior. She could still feel him dripping down onto the floor and she had no choice but to touch it and bring it to her lips for a savory reminder of what they had just done with each other.

It was two weeks and still they had not seen each other in that time. She had seen him from the bleachers hiding in disguise to make sure that he didn’t see her. She just found out that she was pregnant, but she was now becoming fully aware that his interest in biochemistry was a false façade. She found out about his eidetic memory and felt foolish that she had allowed him to breach the perimeter of her legs.

She tried to keep things to herself, but her roommate was constantly on her case. They talked at length about what had happened. They eventually realized that there was no man that was worth this kind of drama.

Raven and Melissa were sitting with some of the gaggle of other girls without even paying attention to what they were saying to one another. Raven suddenly perked up her ears at a notion that didn’t seem possible. These girls were talking about Vance and what they were saying had her wondering if maybe there was a chance for them. She was ready and willing to raise this child on her own and had designs on leaving at the first sign that she was showing.

“…know what you mean. Vance was kind and generous to a fault, but he seemed to be preoccupied. I wanted him to bend me over the car, but he put his hands up and told me that this was as far as it was going to go. I don’t know what has gotten into him.”

“I had the same experience. He wined and dined me like I was expecting and the lobster was to die for. It was soaked in this garlic butter and melted on my tongue and my palate. It was the only thing that remotely came that close to my lips that night. I tried every trick in the book to get him to sleep with me, but he continually denied me. It’s usually him that initiates and I thought that he was learning that a woman likes to grab on and never let go.”

“I could have sworn that once he got a look at the way that I picked up those quarters in his car that he would be all over me, but that didn’t happen. He dropped me off and told me that I would get a call from him, but I never did.” These two girls were describing a different man.

“I have to wonder if I really did get underneath his skin that much that he wasn’t even able to perform. I didn’t think that I was anything special, but maybe he thought differently. It might be a good idea that I corner him someplace and get the truth from the horse’s mouth.” This secret pregnancy was her cross to bear and she hadn’t even informed her very religious and strict parents of this latest development.

She found him in the hallway after one of his classes and she pushed him into the ladies room. The two girls that were there were aghast by this interruption and they left with dirty looks that probably would’ve killed somebody.

Raven went over to the door and locked it. She stalked her prey with her finger up in the air and pushed into his chest.

“I have a bone to pick with you. What is this that I’m hearing about you not sleeping with the girls that you’re dating? What kind of game are you playing? I have a good mind to shake you until you tell me the truth. Was this just a recent development?” “I’m hoping that he’s going to say something that will make me see that he can be a father.”

“I don’t want to admit it, but my time with you changed me. When I told you of my confession, it was the first time that I began to see that I had allowed my father’s mistakes to become my own. I never allowed anybody to touch my heart until you came around.” Vance pulled her to him and felt the way that she was trying to pull back. “Did you hear me? I’m through playing the field and I only want to spend my time with you. I only dated those other girls after you because I needed to know for sure that was what I was feeling. If you hadn’t come looking for me, I would’ve come looking for you.” He was no longer going to allow his father’s past indiscretions to dictate the rest of his life.

Raven turned away with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind and his mouth now touching that spot on her neck that drove her crazy. “I hope that I’m not going to regret this. I just found out that I’m with child. I do hope that this doesn’t change things for you. I certainly don’t want to see a cardboard cutout of you going through the bathroom door in an attempt to get away.” “It’s a good thing that I can’t see his face. I can hear him breathing behind me and the only other sound is the water rushing through the pipes.

“I’ve never wanted to be a father and maybe it’s because my father was no prize. I thought that it was my mother’s fault and I just recently found myself going to her and pleading for forgiveness. I will always love my father, but I now know that his way can’t be mine. It’s not going to be easy, but we will do this together and not because we have to. I don’t want to chain you down and I don’t want to be with anybody else. I don’t have a ring, but I can give you the proposal. I really don’t think that it would be a good idea for me to do it here of all places.”

“I never thought that the day would come that you would want to settle down with anyone. It’s always been my dream to find that man that is going to care for me and give me the family that I wanted for as long as I can remember. I promised myself that I would never get pregnant without planning it first. I suppose if you want god to laugh, you say that you have a plan.” “I will not allow my studies to suffer and I will have it all. I have the devotion of a good man even though in the back of my mind I will wonder about all the other girls. I’m definitely not going to pull at that thread. There’s no point in lamenting over the past when the future is the only thing that matters. I need to give him the benefit of the doubt and forget about any kind of suspicion that he might be stepping out on me.”

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know that I don’t want to lose you. It feels strange saying something like that and meaning the very words. I will never try to pen you in like an animal. I know how important your studies are. I’ll have the kind of money that will allow you to continue your pursuit of your dream.”

“That’s all I needed to hear. I don’t want to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen cooking for you and slaving over a stove every day with no appreciation. I don’t want us to be absentee parents and I would never allow a nanny to come into our lives. I would consent to my mother visiting and looking after the child in a granny suite that is made specifically for her.” “It’s better that we plan ahead and not feel overwhelmed when the baby is born. He’s going to be very busy training in the fall, but I have a feeling that’s not going to stop him from becoming the kind of father that he never had.”

The proposal was made in the privacy of her dorm. He had just found out that he was going to join the Los Angeles Raiders. The lucrative contract was too much to pass up and they were soon moving their extended family to the other side of the United States. It all started with an infatuation and ended with the perfect little family. The baby would be born and would have all the love of its parents. They would continue to show each other their affection for one another and they would never allow one moment to pass that they didn’t say that they loved each other.

THE END

THE WIDE RECEIVER’S BABY

Chapter 1

Christy Simmons wondered why the urge for a family was so strong inside of her.  It wasn’t like she had an amazing childhood, no it had sucked.  Her family hadn’t wanted her, well they weren’t her real family, and they were her adoptive family.

They had taken her into their home when she had turned 8 years old.  She was quite old to be adopted, however, this family had wanted her; or so she had thought.

For about the first four days they had welcomed her into their homes.  She had felt loved, for the first time in her life.  However, it had changed one day, and from then on out, it was nothing but hell.

She had run to get out of their home when she had been just 17 years old.  It had been tough the past 5 years, but now she was finally stable. 

However, she really didn’t want to marry anyone, she didn’t need all that drama in her life.  Christy thought and felt that she didn’t need any man in her life.  But she did so desire to have a child. 

In a child she saw a chance to give all the love inside of her to someone.  For so many years she had tried to love her adopted family, but they had spurned her every step of the way.

Tears sprang up in her eyes as she considered how much she had simply wanted to be loved.  “Why couldn’t they just love me for me?”  She asked herself, for what seemed like the millionth time in her life.

Shaking her head she didn’t want to focus on the bad things in her life.  She looked up at the sign in front of the building, it read, Donors R Us. 

Christy was frightened to take the step inside the door now that she had finally arrived.  She thought to herself, this is a big step, are you sure you’re ready for this?  Sure after she became pregnant, she still had a full nine months after to prepare more.

With that thought she opened the door and made her way to the front desk.  The young woman looked up at her, a nice warm smile spread across her face.

“Hello, how may I help you?”  Her voice was warm as well, it made Christy relax a bit more.

“Hi, I’m here for an appointment, Christy Simmons.” 

“Yes here you are.  This is a great day for you!”  The receptionist stated.

“I know I’m very excited, but nervous as well.”  Christy admitted.

“That’s normal for first time mothers.  Now did you read the information we sent in your email?”  The young woman asked.

“Yes.”  She responded.

“You understand that this first time may not turn into a positive, but if not, you can come back.”  The receptionist stated.

“I realize, but I’m hoping the first time will be lucky!”  Christy smiled.  She was beginning to feel more and more excited about having her own child.

“The doctor will be right out.  You can have a seat while you wait.”  The receptionist told her.

Christy went to sit down; she had picked out names for her child already.  If it was a girl she would name it Alexandria, a boy she would name Alexander.

The truth was she didn’t care which she had, either would be nice.  The main thing was she would have someone who was connected to her.  Someone she could love unconditionally, and who would love her back.

The doctor came out and Christy followed him in back.  The whole procedure took around ten minutes and she was back out the door.  Christy decided she needed a little alone time, so she headed home to read a book.

Chapter 2

It had been around two weeks since she’d been artificially inseminated at the donor place.  Christy sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for the results of her pregnancy test. 

The five minutes seemed to tick by far too slowly.  She put the stick down and tried to think of anything else.  But her eyes kept going back to the stick, should she pick it up again?

With fingers shaking she grabbed the stick and closed her eyes.  Saying a silent prayer before she turned it over, she saw the telltale sign, she was pregnant!  Christy let out a whoop of celebration.

She picked up the phone to call the donor center to let them know of the test results.  Surely they would want to see her to verify her results.

“Hello, Donors are us, this is Shelly.”  The receptionist answered the phone.

“Hi, this is Christy Simmons; I was in two weeks ago.”  Christy stated.

“Oh yes, hello Christy, is everything okay?” 

“Yes, it’s wonderful.  The results are positive; I just took a test this morning.”  Christy felt elated.

“Wonderful, congratulations, this is great!  I can bring you in today, around 2 or so.  Is that good for you?”  Shelly asked.

“That would be great.”  Christy answered.

Since she worked at home as a freelance writer, she had no problem dropping her work and getting ready for the appointment.  She smiled happily as she showered and got dressed.

Christy was on top of the world, she was going to finally have a child.  “I’ll show them how good of a mother I can be, I don’t need anyone to help me.”  She said proudly to herself as she drove to the appointment.

“Hello Christy.”  Shelly welcomed her as she walked in the door of the center.

“Hello.”  Christy smiled brightly.

“You can go right back to room 2, we had a cancellation.”  Shelly said.

Christy went back to the room.  She hated needles, but knew they would have to get some blood.  As she sat thinking about the growing bundle in her stomach, she figured it was a small price to pay.

“Hello Ms. Simmons, I’m glad you could come in on such short notice.”  The doctor said as he came into the room.

“Well I work from home, so it’s quite easy.  I’m so happy about the positive result!”  She said.

The doctor stopped for a second and looked at her.  “Oh I thought you had come in because of the other thing.”

“What other thing?”  Christy asked.

“Well it seems when we got the vial for your insemination.  There was a mix-up and you got a different vial from the one you had picked.  The donor you received sperm from isn’t the person you had chosen.”  He said, looking down as he was quite embarrassed from the mix up.

“Wait, what happened?”  She asked.

“You didn’t get the sperm from the donor you picked.  Instead you received the sperm from another donor.”  He said again.

“Oh, who is the donor I received from?”  She asked.  Christy had carefully picked the donor from a list.  She had picked someone who had a certain look, that way the child had a better chance of looking more like her.

The doctor pulled a file from below his arm and handed it to her.  “This is the sperm you received.” 

Christy looked down.  She read the name, Derrick Banner, age 22, college football quarterback.  She looked at his picture; his dark black hair was a huge contrast to her blonde hair.  His eyes were a piercing blue, while hers were brown.  “But he looks nothing like me, or the donor I picked.”  She said, not to the doctor, but more to herself.

“I’m really sorry.  We can give you the name of a person who can end the pregnancy if you want.  Then we can redo the insemination, at no extra cost of course.”  The doctor said.

She looked up at him shocked, “End the pregnancy?  Why would I do that?  No I mean, I’m not really happy about this, however, I can’t end the life of this little person growing inside of me.”

The doctor smiled and appeared to relax a bit more.  “Great, I’m glad to hear that.  I personally don’t agree with abortion, however, you had the choice.”

“No I want to keep this child.”  She said.

As he walked out of the room to get the nurse to draw blood, Christy sat thinking.  The child would most likely come out with darker hair, though she wasn’t positive.  She didn’t know enough about genetics.  She absently rubbed her stomach as she wondered about the small pebble growing inside of her.

The test results showed up positive from the blood draw, and she left the center.  “Derrick Banner, wow, who would have thought he was a sperm donor.”  She said to herself.

She had met him a few times on campus.  Christy had taken a few classes part-time at the University of Florida.  Derrick had been in one of her classes once.

Christy thought back to the young man she had met around a year ago now.  He had something about him, it screamed stardom. 

Derrick was the star quarterback of the Gators football team.  This year he would be a senior, and most likely be sought out for many NFL teams.  He was hot; he played the game like he had been born to be a champion.

The thing about him she had remembered most was his kind manner.  She hadn’t believed he was the sports star that everyone was talking about, he seemed so quiet and reserved in class.

They had worked on a few projects together during the year and had struck up a slight friendship.  But after that class she had only seen him on television.  Their paths hadn’t crossed on campus again.

She had requested that the center not tell him about the mistake, and that he was now a father.  After all the people who donated to the bank didn’t have any responsibility to the children they helped to create.  That was one thing she remembered about the paperwork.

Christy decided to stop by the book store on the way home.  A nice read would be something to help her relax.  She walked back to one of the sections with some older romance on the shelves.  She loved reading those short stories; they helped her create her own spin on an older story.

She had picked up a few books and was walking while reading one of the covers.  Christy went further back into the store.  She loved the smell of all the old books that lined the shelves. 

As she walked she suddenly ran into a brick wall and dropped all the books she had been holding.

“Oh I’m so sorry; I wasn’t watching where I was going.”  A deep voice said as a hand was held down to help her up.

It hadn’t been a brick wall, but the chest of none other than Derrick Banner.

They both bent to get the books that had fallen, and banged their heads together. 

“Hey, I remember you; we had a class together about a year ago.”  He smiled.

Christy couldn’t believe he remembered her, but a warm feeling went through her at the knowledge.  “Yeah, it was the creative writing course.”  She smiled up at him.

“Are you taking any courses this semester?”  He asked her.

“I was thinking about it.”  She admitted.

“Hey you know what, I feel like I owe you a coffee for knocking you over.  How about it?  There’s a really nice place right down the block.  Sometimes I take a book I’ve bought and go down there and read.”  He said.

“How in the world are you left alone long enough out in public?”  She asked him.

Derrick laughed, “It’s not easy, but there is this corner booth.  I sit there, order my coffee and hold the book up over my face!” 

“That’s a good idea!  I would love a coffee.”  She smiled.

Christy thought at the least she could get to know her child’s father, that way she would be able to tell him stories about his father.  Not made up stories, but real ones.

They both went and paid for the pile of books both held.  She looked at some of his choices and noticed him doing the same with her choices.

“You like those corny romances?”  He chuckled.

Her pile had about 10 old romances and a couple of other books.  “Yeah, they help me create my stories.” 

“Your stories, oh that’s right, so you finally did the whole romance writing thing?”  Derrick asked.

“How in the world do you even remember that?”  Christy asked completely shocked.

“You know sometimes there are just people you meet that you remember.”  He shrugged it off.

“Yeah, this is true.”  Christy didn’t know what else to say.

He carried her books to her car for her.  “You just want to walk to the coffee shop?”  He asked.

“Sure, I usually walk, but had an appointment across town today.” 

“Great.”  He smiled and walked beside her.

Every once in a while their arms would brush against one another.  Christy felt a spark ignite between them with each touch.  But it could just be her, after all Derrick Banner probably had so many girls.  She was surely plain looking compared to the beauties he could get on his arm.

“So how is the romance writing thing going?”  He asked after they had ordered coffee.

“It’s going great.  I mean I don’t have anything published under my name.  Most of what I’ve sold is under other people’s names. However, I did just send out a manuscript for a story to a publisher.  I’m hoping they will write back and my name will finally be on the front of a book!”  She smiled.  It had been her dream for years to have her name on the front of a book.

“Wow that’s really great.  I’d love to read it.”  He said.

“Right, you want to read a romance?”  She laughed.

“No really, I’d love to see what you came up with.” 

Christy looked at his eyes; he looked like he was serious.  “Well I guess I could forward you a copy to your email.  Just don’t share it with anyone else.” 

“Oh never, I wouldn’t want to take any sales away from you!”  He smiled.

“Exactly, I want to be a big seller!”  She laughed.  “So when does the new season start?”  She asked.

“It starts next week.  This is my last day off really.  From here until the end of the season I’ll barely have any time to myself.”  He said.

Christy noticed he looked a bit sad when he talked about it.  “I thought you love the game?”  She asked.

“Oh I love the game; I just seriously hate the hype that goes with it, especially when you are a good player.  I have people approaching me all the time.  NFL teams who want to convince me to go to them.  It was the same when I was in high school.  When I was a senior I had a lot of colleges come to games.  They would offer me incentives to come to their school.” 

“Oh wow.  Isn’t that illegal?”  She asked.

“Oh yeah it is.  If I would have accepted something, and it was found out, well, all the records I’ve set, the championships I’ve helped win, they would be wiped off the record books.” He explained.

“That wouldn’t be good.” 

“No so I turned them all away.  You know the main reason I picked Florida?”  He asked.

She shook her head no.

“Because all they did was give me a tour of their program.  They never once hinted at anything to bribe me with to come here.  I liked that honesty.  It was between them and the University of Nebraska in my mind.  I picked Florida because I hate the cold!”  He laughed.

“Oh me too, I grew up in it, and don’t ever want to experience it again.  But you know now that I’ve been in Florida for years, it gets so cold her during the winter months.” 

“Where did you grow up?”  He asked.

“A little town called Kearney, Nebraska.” 

“Oh wow, that’s weird, my other choice was UN!”  He repeated.

“Yeah I thought that was funny when you said that earlier too.”  She admitted.  “What about you, where did you grow up?”

“I grew up in Minnesota; it gets far too cold there.  Maybe that’s why even the winters here seem so mild to me still!”  He said.

The afternoon seemed to glide by and before she knew it the sun was setting.  “Wow, how long have we been here?  She asked when she saw the sun going below the horizon.

Derrick looked at his watch, “Wow it’s been a few hours.  I hadn’t realized the time has flown by so quickly.  You know I’m starving, how would you like to go grab a bit to eat?”  He asked.

Christy couldn’t believe her ears, “Sure, I’d like that.”  Right now she could image just how wonderful of a person their child could be, she almost blurted out that she had been inseminated accidentally by his seed.  But she didn’t want to ruin his future.

Chapter 3

Derrick Banner wondered what he was doing, but there was something about her.  In her presence he felt good.  He knew he shouldn’t ask her to eat, should just leave now.  But the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

He was happy she had said yes, however, it would have been better if she had said no.  Derrick needed to focus on his career completely. 

It was his last year at Florida, and next year he would be in the NFL.  He knew that his focus, all of it, should be on football.  But when he had run into her at the bookstore, all thoughts of football had gone out the window.

He had remembered her fondly from the one class they had together.  She had been so passionate about her writing, like he was about football.  They had an instant connection; he had felt great around her then. 

When she had accidentally bumped into him, he couldn’t believe his luck.  Ever since that class, he had hoped to see her again. 

The biggest thing he liked about her was, well just about everything.  She was a simple girl, and she had it all together in her life.  He wished he was like her in many ways. 

She had a dream, and was on the brink of making it happen.  He hoped that she would do well in the future.  Part of him wanted to be a part of her future that was the side he should be keeping under control.  But it was so nice to be sitting with her and just talking.

They took her car to the restaurant; he had walked to the store.  He watched as she winded her little bug in between the busy traffic.

Derrick enjoyed the view from her side.  He studied her profile several moments at a time, turning to look around when he thought she might notice he was staring at her.

“So what is the name of your romance?”  He asked.

“Desert Storm, it’s set in Arizona, I think it’s a good story.  But we’ll see what the publisher says; it may not be up to par.” 

“I can’t wait to read it!  I bet it’s great.”  He replied, honestly meaning it.

“Thanks, I hope so.”  She said, as he watched her skin turn a bright pink.

She looks so beautiful when she is embarrassed, he thought.  He almost let the words slip out of his mouth.  Derrick, you idiot, focus on football, not her, his mind called out.  His heart though had other thoughts.  He wanted to know more about her.

They parked and went to eat.  The conversation was light; they shared stories about growing up in cold locations.  Most of the talk centered on how neither of them wanted to live in a cold environment again.

“I will be so happy if I never live through another blizzard.”  He stated.

“I know.  I hate those storms.  I walked home in one when I was in high school.  I got frostbite on my one ear at the bottom.  Man that stuff hurts.”  She told him.

“I’ve seen some horrible cases of that in Minnesota.”  He nodded his head.

Derrick felt his heart warming up to her quickly.  He had always liked her; he had a secret crush on her when they had class together.  He wondered if she was aware of it or not.

“You know I had this crush on you when we studied together.  I always thought you were so passionate and intelligent.”  He stated. 

“Oh wow, I wouldn’t think I was your type.”  She said.

He chuckled, “What is my type?”  He had to see what she would say.

“I don’t know, like a model.  You know one of those skinny girls who never eat but a few bites of food, so her figure doesn’t go over a size 1.”

He laughed hard, “Oh no, they are far too skinny.  I like a woman who has some meat on her bone.”  He answered, as his eyes swept over her ample body.

Derrick watched as her face turned a bright red.  “You know when you blush your adorable.”  He blurted out.

“Hmm, thanks, I guess.”  She said, her voice breaking from nervousness.

They left the restaurant; Derrick didn’t want the night to end yet.  He hinted at her coming into his dorm room. 

“It might be better if we went back to my apartment.”  She said softly.

Derrick couldn’t think of anything but touching her body, seeing her naked, and loving her.  He knew he was making a mistake in getting involved with her.  But he couldn’t stop how he felt.

“Okay.”  He finally said.  Thoughts of football were nowhere to be found; instead it was all about the woman beside him. 

Chapter 4

Christy couldn’t believe she had just invited him over to her house.  She knew what would happen, and she wanted it.  She felt a connection with him, something that they shared deeply.

No words were said as they walked into her apartment.  He swept her up in his arms and kissed her.  Finally, she thought as she melted into his arms.

They made love to each other, it was full of passion.  Something she knew she never had experienced before passed between them.  As their bodies became one in the act.  He made sure that she was satisfied before he even considered his own satisfaction.

“Wow that was mind blowing.”  He stated as he rolled to her side.  He grabbed her and pulled her into his chest.

“Yeah, that was amazing.”  She admitted breathlessly.

Christy almost told him about the baby, but couldn’t.  She didn’t want to ruin his dreams of an NFL career.  She couldn’t stifle him, or stop him.  She knew how much he loved football, had seen it in his eyes all night long. 

When he talked about the game, the passion about the game could be heard in his voice as well. 

Soon she heard his breathing slow, he was sleeping.  She let sleep take her over as well. 

During the night they woke up a few times and made love again and again.  Each time was more amazing than the time before.  Christy didn’t know why he made her body purr so much, but he did.

He nudged her awake in the morning once again.  He was lightly caressing her nipples.  Her body was soon on fire from his touch.

She mounted him and slowly made love to him.  Neither of them had thought of a condom.  They were simply too into one another.  It wasn’t until after that he said, “I forgot to put a condom on that time.”

Christy almost told him, it is okay, I’m pregnant.  But how in the world could she even explain that to him.  Then toss in the fact that she had been impregnated from his seed, no she didn’t want to say that.  Instead she said, “I won’t hold you to anything even if I did get pregnant.”

She felt him tense up for a second.  But he didn’t say anything to her.  She knew that she could never tell him about the donor center, and that she already had his baby in her.

They got up and she made them pancakes for breakfast.

“Man these are really amazing, what is your secret?”  He asked as he ate his eighth pancake.

“They are just homemade pancakes with a bit of vanilla, and butter milk.”  She laughed as she watched him dispatch a huge plate of the pancakes.

“No they are amazing little works of art!”  He said pushing another big bite into his mouth.

“Thanks, I’m glad you like them so much.”  She smiled and blushed.

He smiled at her, “You know you’re really an amazing woman.  Any guy who ever got you would be the luckiest man in the world.” 

“I don’t know they don’t seem to think they are lucky.  At least the couple I’ve tried to date.” 

“Well they were stupid.  If I dated you, I would always make sure you knew how much I loved you.  You would never doubt it; it would be all about you.”  He said the look in his eyes serious.

“Well you can’t have that, football is your passion.  You’re meant to be a star.”  She stated.

He made a noise, almost like a sigh and a groan.  “I know football is my passion.  I do need to focus on that.”  He added softly at the end of his statement.

Christy wanted to cry, she wanted to keep him close.  But she knew that she had to push him away too.  It was what was best for him. 

“Yes you should really focus on that.  I mean this is your last session to shine, right?  So you have to make it your best.”  She said.

Derrick looked at her, “Who says I can’t have more than just football?”

“I guess in the long run that is your choice to make.”  She stated.

He looked over at her; she could see the turmoil in his eyes.  She knew he was battling something inside, but wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking.  Christy wanted to ask, but also didn’t want to invade into his privacy.

“I should be going soon, we have practice at 2, and I need to do a few things first.”  Derrick stood up.

“I can drive you if you want.”  She said.

“No it’s okay, I live close by anyway.  The walk will give me a good workout.” 

She didn’t ask if she would see him again, she didn’t want to know.  She hoped she would, but if she asked, he might feel obligated.  Instead she wanted him to focus on football; it was a selfless act on her part.  She was already pregnant.  She had a family on the way, let him live his dreams, she thought.

She waved as he walked away.  He didn’t say anything about seeing her later, just thanked her for a wonderful time yesterday.  Christy almost felt dirty, she had never slept with a man that quickly before.

Chapter 5

Derrick thought on his way back to the dorm.  He knew he didn’t need the attachment of another person, but he wanted her.

He had been serious when he had asked why he couldn’t have both.  It had been a question that he was more asking himself than her.  He knew that she couldn’t make that decision for him.

Could he do both, have her and his football dreams?  Why not?  It seemed so logical.  He knew that she would be the type of person who would support him the whole way.  It was just her personality. 

He was battling with himself.  He wanted to excel at the game, to become the best quarterback ever in the game.  He also wanted her, and to be the best husband ever.  Was it possible for him to do both?

He wondered what Christy would do about the groupies who tried to grab him all the time.  He laughed; he could picture her giving them a scowling look that would make them turn tail.

“Hey man, where were you last night?”  His roommate Chad asked as he walked into his room.

“I was with a friend.”  Derrick answered.

“Is this a friend of the female persuasion?”  Chad asked.

“Yeah it was.” 

“Man I swear you get so much trim.  I wish I was the star quarterback.”  Chad said, a look of lust crossing his eyes.

“This was different man; she’s not like the others.”  Derrick responded.

Chad looked at him quickly, “No way man, you catch feelings for her?” 

“Remember that girl I met in class last year?”  Derrick asked.

“Oh that one that you wouldn’t shut up about for the longest time, yeah I remember her.  Wasn’t her name Chrissie or something like that?”

“It’s Christy.  I was out with her.” 

“So you got laid right?  This is great; you’ll be slow at practice today.  I’ll get some good hits in!”  Chad laughed.  He played defense on the team, and was always rushing Derrick when he got the chance at practice.

“No way, I feel great!  You won’t be able to touch me today.”  Derrick stated.  He had to admit, when he had sex in the past it would usually make him slow the next day.  He felt like all of his energy had been drained, but not this time.  This time it felt like his body was buzzing full of extra energy.

“We’ll see!”  Chad said.

They walked to practice together, Chad talking about how he would run over Derrick today.  Derrick meanwhile kept thinking about Christy, he wondered what she was doing right now. 

He hoped when he got back to the dorm that her story would be in his email.  He had reminded her again that he wanted to read it, before he had left out her door that morning.

Derrick stepped on the field.  This would be a test for him, he wanted to see if he could still focus on the game, but keep her close too.

The coaches ran the team through drills, and soon the scrimmage began.  Derrick was on point, he couldn’t mess up.  Even the coaches were commenting about how well he had seemed to retain his timing with the break.

“Derrick, if you play like that in every game, we can’t lose.”  One of the coaches patted him on the back as he walked off the field.

“It’s not just me coach.  The team is working great together.  Those freshmen too, they are picking up the patterns nicely.”   Derrick commented.

“Yeah I see a few we may add to the varsity team already.” 

Derrick went back to his dorm after practice.  He opened up his email, there was nothing from Christy.  He was sure she had just gotten busy and simply forgotten to send him the story.

He thought about calling her, but didn’t want to interrupt her in case she was working.  His body longed to touch her again though and soon he was picking up the phone to call her.

Derrick dialed her number only to get her voice mail.

“Hey it’s me, I was just wondering if you’d forgotten to send the story?  I do really want to read it.  I know a guy reading romance is weird.  But it’s more about the fact that you wrote it.  Well give me a call, if you want.  I’d love to hang out with you more.”  Derrick hung up after leaving his message.

He could only hope that she would call him, or at least send him the story.  If she did that, he would have at least one more reason to call her, or see her. 

Chapter 6

Christy heard the message from Derrick, she wanted to call him.  However, she still didn’t want to be the reason he gave up a promising career. 

She was happy that when he had called she had been in the shower.  Otherwise she might have told him to come over.  Oh how her body cried out for his touch, it was hard to resist.

A few times she would stop working on her new story and look at her phone.  She would pull up his voice mail and listen to it again.  Her temptation to call him growing stronger; each time she listened to his voice.

But her mind kept telling her to just let him go.  He didn’t need her to be hanging off of him.  He didn’t need to be tied down.  Especially since she knew she was already pregnant.

She laughed, what were the chances she would accidentally gotten impregnated by his donation.  Then add to that the fact they had slept together the night before, and not used a condom.

Well only that one time, but that could be enough, if she hadn’t already been knocked up.  It was such an odd thing to think about.

Her phone rang and without thinking she answered it.  “Hello.”  She said.

“Oh hey, I didn’t know if you were busy or not.”  She heard Derrick on the other side.

“I was taking a break at the moment.  I finished the one story, and have a couple more to do still.”  Christy responded.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.  I can let you go.” 

“No it is okay, I have several weeks to finish all of these stories.  Oh, you want me to email the story, I’m sorry I forgot.” 

“Well that and I was wondering if you were hungry.  I could order a pizza and bring it over.”  Derrick stated.

Christy wanted to say no, but she also wanted to see him.  “Sure that sounds good.”

“Great I’ll be over in just a little bit.”

“Okay see you in a bit.”  She hung up the phone and chastised herself.  Your so selfish Christy, you need to let him have his dream.

She felt the guilt run through her body, she should call him back and cancel.  However, she couldn’t she wanted to see him too much.

How had she let herself become involved with him? Christy should have ended their day after having coffee with him.  The fact was she felt like he was so easy to talk too, and he didn’t seem to judge her.

She had shared some about her past with him, and he had felt bad for her.  But she never saw that look of judgment cross over his eyes.  It had been nice, and she had wanted someone to be able to talk with for so long.

In the past, her two boyfriends had always seemed to judge her.  They had turned out to be huge mistakes, one’s she wished she had never made.

Christy took a shower and let the warm water soothe her running mind.  Just because he’s coming over again doesn’t mean he wants more, she said to herself.

Chapter 7

Derrick stood in front of her apartment door and hit the bell.  He had ordered the pizza and stopped along the way to grab it.  His heart was beating a million miles an hour, was he doing the right thing? 

He didn’t know.  But he didn’t want to be without her.  After todays practice he thought he could have both.  He was more than willing to make a go of it with her.

Derrick was smart enough to know that life would throw special people at you sometimes.  If you didn’t grab that special someone the first time around, well you might miss your chance.

He could gladly share his life with her.  He would buy her the biggest house, and set up an office that was fit for a queen.  While he was practicing and playing she could be working on her books.  Of course, he would want her to come to all the games too.

Derrick wondered if this type of arrangement would work well for her.  He loved her; that would add to the whole package, and he wanted her.

She opened the door, her hair still wet from the shower.  He could smell the lilac coming off of her.  It smelled like pure heaven to him.

He wanted to sweep her up into his arms and kiss her deeply.  He also wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend, and possibly wife.  Derrick was nervous about what her answer would be, it was so quick.  But he knew what he wanted in the long run, and she was definitely part of it.

Derrick set the pizza down and pulled her into his arms.  He kissed her deeply and then pulled away.  “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day long.”  He whispered into her ear.

She smiled, “I was thinking about you too.” 

“Look I have something really important to talk to you about.”  He said and pulled her down on the couch.

Christy was sitting on his lap, though she felt subconscious and tried to move.  He pulled her back, “I want you sitting here.”

“But I might crush you.”  She stated.

“You didn’t last night when you were on top, you won’t today.”  He smiled as her face went a bright beet red color.

She settled down though and stopped trying to move off of him.

“I’ve been thinking and well I made a decision.  I really do like you a lot; I told you I had a crush on you.  Well I think that’s not the case now.  I really have strong feelings for you, and would love to.  Oh crap, I’m not sure how to say this.  Christy Simmons, eventually I want to marry you, but we can date for now.”  He finally said.

He saw the shock on her face at his words.  “But what about your career, won’t I interfere with that?”  She asked.

“Why would you?  Many guys who go into the NFL are married, why can’t I?”  He said.

“I have something to tell you first though, and you may change your mind about this whole proposal.”  She said softly.

“Okay what is it?”  He asked.

“Well I’m pregnant.”  She paused; she wasn’t sure how to really explain it all so she started at the beginning.  “I’ve always wanted a baby, wanted to prove that I could love and be loved.  But I never found a guy who I really liked before.  So I set up an appointment at the donor center.  I went a couple of weeks ago and had the procedure done.  I found out that I was pregnant just a few days ago.” 

He tried to not be jealous of the guy who had impregnated her.  After all, it wasn’t like she had sex with the guy.  “Okay, so we can raise the child as our own.”  He finally said.  “I’m okay with that, it’s not like you had sex with him, right.” 

She looked down; he didn’t like that and was about ready to push her off of him.  “Well, not to get pregnant I didn’t.  But there was a mess up at the center, and well, you’re the father of this child inside of me.”  She looked at him worried how he might react.

Derrick took a moment to think, did she just say he was the father?  “I’m the father?”

“Yeah it seems they gave me a vial of your sperm, and it took.  Now the baby growing inside of me is yours.”  She said.

He shook his head, still unsure.  He had given a few donations to the center when he had been a junior at the college.  The extra money he had used to pay off his parents mortgage.  So it was possible that she could have been given his donation, or one of them. 

“Well this makes sense now, why you so readily agreed to sleep with me.”  Derrick wondered if she had bewitched him.

“No that was purely because of how I felt about you.”  She admitted.

He studied her closely; he had felt that same feeling with her, why was he lying to himself.  “I guess this makes it even more important that we get married.  So what do you say?” 

She stared at him shocked, “Yes I will marry you.” 

Derrick kissed her deeply and carried her to the bedroom to celebrate.  The pizza could wait until later, it would just be cold.  But the heat he felt for her couldn’t wait any longer.

He undressed her slowly and commented on how beautiful she was.  “You are ravishing Christy.”

She blushed at his comment and looked down.  He grabbed her and kissed her deeply.  They made love slowly, no condom needed.  He was already a daddy, and he was with the woman he loved.  How could life be any better?

After they were done, he held her close to him.  “You know what baby; we’re both going to live our dreams together.  I have a great feeling that your book is going to be bought by the publisher.”  He said to her.

“I can only hope you are right.”

“So tell me what city would you like to live in?”  He asked.

“Oh somewhere warm.  Where do you want to go?”  She asked.

“Somewhere in Florida maybe, I don’t know about California.  I’m used to Florida now, and I love the weather.”  He answered.

They talked about their future together, hoping for great things to come for them both.  Then he changed the topic, “So when do you think you’ll hear back from the publisher?”  He asked.

“Well I sent the manuscript to them around 2 months ago now, so any day.  At least if you believe their web page response time.”  She commented.

“Maybe it will come tomorrow.”  He smiled at her and pulled her into his arms.

He was tempted to take her again, but his stomach growled loudly.  It reminded him that he hadn’t eaten yet.  “Hey let’s eat a bit.”  He pulled her up out of bed and they went to eat.

Epilogue

Derrick had asked her to try and mend fences with her adoptive parents when they first got together.  However, as he learned more of the story, he had stopped pushing her.

Christy had never shared everything she had gone through with anyone but Derrick.  He had sat there one night and held her, as she relived the past.

Derrick had held her tightly as she told him about the beatings she had received from the mother.  “All the while the father would let it go on.  But there was one time he did stop her.  She was using a metal wire to spank me with.  It hurt so badly, she didn’t hit just my butt either, but was hitting my back with each swat.  I don’t know how long it continued, but he finally held her hand before she could hit again.  When she pushed me off of her, all I could see in her eyes was pure hatred.  Do you know what it’s like to be hated?  She had asked him.

“No I don’t baby.”  He had told her and kissed her lightly on the forehead.  “I don’t understand how they adopted you and then made you feel so bad.”

“You know I didn’t either it took me years to actually understand it all.  Right after we had Jimmy though I got it, I understood her.”  She had responded.

“How did that make you understand here?”  He had asked her, curious to what she had discovered.

“Remember I told you one time that they had lost their daughter?  That was the reason they were looking for a girl to adopt.  It was also the reason they had decided to adopt an older child like me.  When we had Jimmy, that time he got really sick, and we weren’t sure if he would make it.  I felt such fear, anger and so many emotions at one time.  I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to lose him.  It would have literally broken my heart into a million pieces.  Now you add in the fact that they pick a child who isn’t theirs and add them to the family.  How could you really love this person?  When you looked at the girl you would only want to see your own child.  Instead you were looking at someone who wasn’t who you really wanted.  I forgave her at that moment.  I still think that they made a mistake.  I don’t think she was mentally prepared for another child.  They should have not even adopted me in the end.  However, somehow I toughed it out until I was 17.  But trust me once I could I got out of there.  Would I like to tell her I forgave her?  Maybe one day I’ll write a letter to her and tell her.  But I don’t really want to see her face to face.  Because even though I forgave her, I still would love to tell her that she made a huge mistake.”  Christy had explained.

She had eventually written the letter to her mother.  She didn’t place a return address on the envelope.  As far as she was concerned she didn’t want to talk to them ever again.

Tomorrow would be their 10 year anniversary.  Christy couldn’t believe the time had passed so quickly.  So much had changed in both of their lives.

Derrick had been drafted by the Miami Dolphins and was already breaking many NFL records.  He had driven them into the Super Bowl his very first year.  Even though they lost that first time, they had run a couple in the past years.

Christy had sold her book, and was now a real author.  No more ghosts writing were in her future.  With each book she wrote, she used parts of her and Derrick’s love story.  They sold like hot cakes, people loved her romances.

She had laughed one night when she had walked into the bedroom to find Derrick curled up on the bed reading her latest book. 

He had looked up at her and said, “Hey you have the story about how we first met in here, that’s really cool!” 

Christy traveled with him to away games, they were never far apart.  She swore she had fallen even more in love with him with each passing day. 

Derrick walked into the kitchen, Christy was cooking pancakes.  “Oh man those smell wonderful!”  He came up behind her and hugged her.

“They are your favorite!” 

“Yeah I love these things; I swear I could eat them every day.  But imagine how much weight I would put on.               

“Where are the kids?”  She asked.

“I told them to hurry down to eat or I would eat all the pancakes.”  Derrick laughed.

Just then the three children piled in the door.  “Dad didn’t eat all the food did he?”  Jimmy asked.

He was their oldest; he was the result of her donor visit.  He was the spitting image of Derrick, down to the dimples on his cheeks when he smiled.

“Hey tell John to stop touching all the pancakes.”  Amanda yelled.  “It’s gross did you even wash your hands?”  She chastised her brother.

“I’m just looking for one’s with more chocolate chips.”  He had said, rubbing his hand that had been hit by his sister.

“Now kids, I can always make more, so stop it.  John, just eat from the top of the pile please.”  Christy asked.

Amanda was 8 and in a phase where everything was gross, especially her younger brother.  John was 6; he had a wicked tendency to push his sister even at his young age.

“You know what tomorrow is darling?”  Derrick asked Christy.

“Of course I do, it’s 10 years!”  She laughed.

“So since I’m off for a few months, how about we take a trip somewhere to celebrate?”  He asked.

“Hey do we get to go?”  Jimmy asked.

“Of course we wouldn’t go anywhere without you three.”  Derrick answered.

“Oh can we go to Disney Land?”  Amanda asked.

“Yeah can we dad and mom?”  John asked as well.

Derrick looked at Christy, “What do you think?”  He asked. 

“Sure why not?”  She shrugged her shoulders.

She looked over her family and pride filled her very soul.  All those years ago she had felt so unloved in this very situation. 

THE END

BLOODTHIRSTY ALINE MASTER

Chapter 1

Melissa listens to her favorite band on her headphones, hearing the melody and immersing herself into each and every word. She feels her long blond hair flowing in the wind, as she bicycles hard towards a job that she really doesn’t want in the first place. She’s one of their best barista’s in this coffee shop that is known for quite an eclectic clientele.

“I wonder if I can keep a straight face when I see Jennifer. If anybody is going to be able to see through my false smile, it’s going to be her.”

She contemplates calling in sick, but she’s already been on vacation for the past two weeks. The breakup between her and Andrew was like world war three. There was a lot of screaming and breaking of glass, but she still can’t understand why he was the one that was getting angry. Melissa had found his emails to other girls, including some very racy photos that really should’ve been kept between boyfriend and girlfriend.

“Just because we’ve been best friends since high school, doesn’t mean that I can’t keep a straight face. I really don’t want to get into this with her, because Jennifer can be quite smug when she knows that she was right. I thought that I could prove her wrong about Andrew, but it would appear that her assumption about his single life was right on the mark.”

Melissa has hit her stride by the time she reached one block away from her final destination. She’d already gone past the wall and was able to feel that second wind coming over her. Her legs were fatigued, but she liked the fact that she could work out and didn’t have to worry about insurance for a car. That was an expense that she didn’t need or want.

She gets to the coffee shop and she can smell the caffeine in the air. From the moment that she steps through the door, she knows that she’s trapped in a dead end job that wasn’t going anywhere. Her white and blue uniform with the short black skirt is a carbon copy of the one that Jennifer is wearing. Melissa sees her by the counter, chewing gum and twirling her dark hair around her fingers.

There hasn’t been a day since she went on vacation, two weeks ago that Jennifer didn’t call her and tell her about a certain client that had just started to come in at exactly the same time every day. Jennifer told her several times on the phone that she should come in and get a look at him herself, but she was still nursing a broken heart.

“I’m glad that you’re here, Melissa and we’ve been slammed from the moment that Jerry introduced the breakfast special.” Melissa jumped right into it, using her considerable charm and curvaceous frame of 5’2 and 120 pounds to her advantage. When she swung her hips, people noticed and it was her openness to talk just about anybody’s ear off that made her one of the best employees that Jerry had ever hired.

“I can honestly say that I haven’t missed this place, but the people are a different story.” They had regulars and most were police officers, firemen or those that had early mornings in the city. “This is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, Jennifer. There has to be something better and I’ve always believed that I was destined for something bigger.”

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about and we get exercise by staying on our feet and to be honest, there have been a select few men that make it worth my while to come in every day. Ooooh…I told you about one and according to my watch he should be here in less than 5 minutes.”

Melissa thought about what she said about the young man in question, but she really didn’t hold any hope that he was anything to write home about “I don’t know what she’s getting so fired up about. She usually has a flavor of the month. This guy can’t be all that special and I believe that she may be a exaggerating slightly.”

“I know how you can be, Jennifer and let’s just say that I’m not convinced. Even if it was true, then I have to wonder why you haven’t made a play for him yourself.”

The fresh blueberries cooking in various forms from muffins to bagels were now wafting from the kitchen. You wouldn’t know it to look at Jerry, but he was a consummate baker. Just because he had a gruff exterior, a beard that would’ve made any lumberjack proud, didn’t mean that he didn’t have a softer side.

Melissa had to stand there and look around and wonder how her life had gotten, so off track. She wanted to be an architect, but losing her folks when she was only 16 was a shock to her system. That was 10 years ago and she had run away from her aunt at the age of 18. She was domineering and opinionated and had no problem using corporal punishment to get her point across.

The bell rang over the door and Jennifer was now pointing towards the man that had come through the threshold. Through the sun streaking through the window of the door, she saw a handsome brooding dark haired man that seemed to have this way about him. Just looking in his direction, she noticed the two different colored eyes. He was built like a linebacker, wearing a black pair of pants and a black pullover Henley, not to mention his hair was coifed just so.

“I’m going to do you a favor, Melissa. For your first day back, I’m going to serve him to you on a silver platter. He doesn’t seem to be interested in me and you know how that seems almost an impossibility.” Jennifer had always been quite the eye candy and she had no problem using what god blessed her with to make the big tips. “Don’t ever say that I didn’t do anything for you. If he’s not interested in me, then maybe he’s looking for something a little less abrasive.”

For some reason, Melissa felt her hands shaking and her palms were literally sweating. There was a flush along the top of her chest and she had to hold herself up by using the counter, before her legs gave out from underneath her. She stayed herself and took a deep breath, before approaching the man.

“Oh my, you’re new and you have this sense about you that surrounds you.”

Melissa thought with her heart in her mouth “You have no idea what I’ve been through and I am not sure you want somebody this damaged. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t be more than happy to take a shot at you.”

“Ahem, do you want to order, or do you need a few more minutes?” She had never been nervous before, but this guy was certainly shaking her up and making her feel like a giddy little schoolgirl back in the day. “We have some fresh made blueberry muffins.” At the sound of those words, he grimaced and it wasn’t lost on Melissa that blueberries were not exactly his cup of tea.

“I think that I’ll stick with my usual. Ask your friend and I’m sure that she’ll be able to inform you.” She noticed that he was shifting back and forth in his seat and just couldn’t seem to sit still for very long. There was a bead of sweat along his brow and he was constantly licking his lips.

Melissa turned her back on him, when she felt his hand grab hers in a vise like grip. “I’m going to need that back.” The way that his fingers dug into her skin made her almost afraid, but also made her feel like her entire body was alive for the first time in her life. She had never felt this kind of sensation with any other guy and maybe she had just found her soul mate and didn’t even know it.

“I apologize for my abrupt behavior, but I would really like to spend more time with you. You might be exactly what I’m looking for.” This was a bit out of the blue and she thought for a moment that she was dreaming or maybe she was in some kind of accident and was now in a coma in the hospital.

Melissa thought “This really can’t be happening and something like this doesn’t happen to me. He has to have something wrong with him. It’s the only explanation that I can come up with for the reason why he would even be remotely attracted to me. This is the kind of guy that could have anybody.”

“I’m not exactly sure what you’re proposing, but I’m pretty much open for anything.” She didn’t even believe that the words were coming out of her mouth and that she was, so easily turned around that she would even consider something after breaking up with Andrew.

“For now, I would like to just talk to you and would it be possible for you to take a break for 10 minutes.” That one green eye was shining and she thought for a moment that he could see what she was thinking. “There just has to be something wrong with him and he’s just too good to be true. I know Jennifer wouldn’t steer me wrong, but he’s just too perfect.”

She went to retrieve his usual and Jennifer was more than happy to provide her with the order in question. It was a green tea and not something that she would have expected that this kind of man would be drinking.

“I hope you name your firstborn after me. After all, I was the one that brought you two lovebirds together I can almost hear the pitter patter of little feet.” Melissa knew that she was being teased, but there was a small part of her that actually did hear wedding bells.

“Jennifer, don’t you think that there has to be something wrong with him. I mean, he’s handsome, well spoken, dresses impeccably and he has this natural animal magnetism that draws me to him like a moth to a flame. I literally feel exposed, like I’m standing there completely naked and at the mercy of his gaze.”

“I know…isn’t it delicious?”

Melissa felt like she was being watched and she glanced over her shoulder to see that this man was staring at her like she was a piece of raw meat to be devoured. “I just don’t know about this, Jennifer and there’s something different about him. I can’t put my finger on it.” She thought about it for a second “Get a grip on yourself, Melissa or better yet, get a grip on him. It’s obvious that he wants more than just a friendship.

She brought the tea and she placed it in front of him, using both hands, because she knew that if she used only one that she would probably spill it.

“By the way, my name is Cole Arbor and if I don’t mind saying so myself, you are absolutely stunning.” Melissa felt her hand being touched on top of the table and it was like this instant electricity between the two of them.

“I bet you say that to all the girls. You probably have to beat them off with a stick.” With each word that came out of her mouth, it felt more whispered and almost sexual in nature.

“I mean it and in all the time that I’ve been here, I have not met a woman quite like you. There’s this energy about you, and animalistic fire that you try to contain. I don’t know why you even bother, because you can see it in your eyes and the way that it exudes from your body.” He was breathing heavy and then he gripped the table with both hands. Melissa could swear that his fingers were digging into the surface of the wood table. He was gritting his teeth and swallowing hard, before he suddenly got up and made the table shake with his abrupt departure.

She saw him excuse himself and rush out the door, but she couldn’t allow it to end like this. She had to follow and see if there was a true connection or just some fleeting moment.

Chapter 2

Melissa pulled Jennifer by the arm and squeezed a little too tightly “I need you to cover for me with Jerry and I shouldn’t be too long. Just tell him that I had a female issue to deal with and that should get him off my back for the time being.” She knew Jennifer well enough to know that she would bend over backwards to help her.

“What about Andrew? He’s been calling all morning and I’ve been putting him off for as long as I can. He claims that it’s all a big misunderstanding and that you should listen to him. You already know my opinion and I would rather you chase down that young man that just left here than stay with a pig like Andrew. He’s not right for you and you were right to send him packing.”

“I should’ve known that Andrew would not go away easily and there was going to come a point that I was going to have to deal with him. I thought that I made my feelings crystal clear. It wasn’t exactly like we had left things on good terms. For him to come crawling back only made him look desperate. Maybe it’s true that you don’t know what you have, until it’s taken away from you.”

“I don’t really need a lecture at this moment, Jennifer. If you can just do me this favor, I would be most appreciative.” Melissa grabbed her coat and went out to unlock her bicycle from the chain that was around it. She was fiddling with it a little bit too much and in her nervous energy, she had temporarily lost sight of Cole.

“He really did get underneath your skin. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Just be careful, because we still don’t know anything about him. He’s very quiet and he keeps to himself and there has to be a reason for that.” Jennifer was standing there watching her best friend and Melissa grabbed her bike and began to pedal fast towards the last place that she had seen him.

“There’s no way that he could get away that quickly. I just have to think about this town. I know it almost as well as I know the back of my hand.” Melissa was getting that frantic feeling, a well up of emotion that told her that she was going to lose the one shot to get to know the man of her dreams.

She thought for a moment that she caught sight of him going into a nearby park, but without knowing for sure, she was going to have to check it out. She moved quickly through traffic, hearing the incessant honking and irate people in their cars giving her a piece of their mind. There were plenty of expletives and it almost hurt her ears to hear such profanity, so early in the morning.

For a guy that was walking, he seemed to be pretty quick and light on his feet. She had been pursuing him for the last 10 minutes and it was taking all her effort to stay in eyesight. She would lose him for second and pick him up soon after, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn’t gotten away.

“I don’t know where you’re going, but I’m not going to lose you. If you think that you can drop into my life and make me feel these things and not do something about it, then you have another thing coming.” There’s was a moment there that she was almost willing to give up the chase, but this thing they had between them was too electric to let slip away. She could always wait, until he got back to the diner tomorrow, but there was no telling if he would even come back.

She came to a thickness of trees and she was able to weave back and forth in the shadows and away from his prying eyes. For some reason, she felt like it was necessary to hide and not attract his attention in any way.

Melissa hadn’t even realized how far she had gone, until suddenly she found herself lost and unable to find her way back. There were no tracks, no visible signs of any human life and not even the sound of the road was there to give her a sense of calm. The underbrush was heavy and now her only choice was to catch up to him and get him to bring her back to civilization.

Weaving through, she did find that she could avoid most of the downed trees and stumps, although the cracks in the trees seemed a little too recent. As far she could remember there was no storm that I’d gone through the town in at least a month. It was then that she could see that there was a pattern to the downed trees and trampled down high grass. It was going in a straight line and it became a little disconcerting when she noticed that some of the branches had burn marks.

A lot of scenarios were going on in her head, but what she saw next completely took her by the throat and squeezed, until there was no life left. A ship that was shimmering like it was there and not there was now visible to the naked eye. She stopped her forward momentum by slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop. She swallowed hard, not quite believing what she was seeing and then the man that she had come to have these feelings for put out his hand and suddenly disappeared within.

She got off the bike, stepped closer to the strange craft and that one spot where he had disappeared was a little different from the rest of the ship. “I know that Jennifer would tell me to turn around and go back, but I’m not about to do that. What the hell am I getting myself into?” She put her hand out and when she thought better of it, she felt this wave go through her and her hand was being pulled towards the ship.

The feeling of panic came back, as her hand then her body became almost immersed within whatever material made up this vessel.

“This has to be some kind of trick or maybe a movie set that I didn’t know about. It can’t be real…there’s no way that this could be real.” She didn’t have a whole lot of time to think about it, as she felt this tingling sensation up her arm and then it along with the rest of her body began to meld into the ship even deeper. It was a little unnerving, but then suddenly she emerged into a bright light that almost blinded her.

She stood there completely transfixed, unable to move or speak for several seconds. When she finally pulled herself out of whatever shock she was in, she turned and saw that there was no way to get back out. The opening was now closed and even as she pushed her hands up against it, it became a solid surface. She heard mumbling, but the voice sounded strange and the language was not anything that she had heard before.

“I should get the hell out of here, but I’m too curious for my own good. This guy is not what I thought he was.” Seeing that she didn’t have much of a choice, she continued to walk forward, feeling her feet almost floating in midair. She wasn’t, but the floor seemed like there was no substance whatsoever.

She walked into a hallway and there was no sound and the silence was making her feel like her head was going to explode. There was no noise whatsoever and the only thing that she could hear was her own heartbeat beating a million miles an hour.

Seeing the ship outside and being inside was a lot different than she expected. It felt like she had been walking for days, but it didn’t occur to her that it was just because her feet were being pulled along in the wake of the ship.

During the journey, she continually looked for a way out, but there was no semblance of a door or even a window. Everything was just, so sterile that if she didn’t know any better, she would think that she was in some kind of sanitarium.

Melissa had told Jennifer that she wouldn’t be long, but it felt like an eternity since she had seen her face.

“You really shouldn’t have come here, Melissa. I don’t think that I can let you leave here knowing what you know about me.” She whirled around and saw him. He looked exactly the same that he did in the coffee shop.

“Without stating the obvious, what exactly is this and what exactly are you? You’re definitely not of this world, because if you were, this current technology would be unheard of.” She tried to move, but her feet were unable to respond. She pulled at her legs, but it was like she was stuck in quicksand.

“I really shouldn’t have come here and nobody even knows where I went. I don’t know what compelled me to come here, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Melissa felt strange like her head was spinning and her eyes were becoming unfocused. “I don’t… feel so good. Maybe I should lie down somewhere for a few minutes to catch… my breath.” The only thing she saw was his smiling face and it was quite apparent that he was the cause for her condition. “I… I can’t think straight and what exactly was I saying before…” Her mind was shutting down and she felt her limbs becoming too heavy to carry her weight.

“I’m sorry about this, Melissa, but apparently I found the one that I was looking for. I had to be sure and I did a complete physical on myself and it’s clear to me that you’re the one. I thought it was going to take forever and my time here is very limited.” His voice sounded like was coming through a long distant tunnel. Her eyes fell and there was nothing, but his voice to concentrate on. “By the time you wake up, things are not exactly going to be the same, as you once remember.” Melissa had no idea what he was talking about or why this sense of dread carried her on its shoulders.

Chapter 3

Melissa had no idea how long she was out but everything was now disjointed like a bad dream that was coming back to her in pieces. She remembered the man and how easily he had charmed his way into having a brief chat with her at the coffee shop. She recalled his reaction to being close to her and the fact that he had run away when they were just finding out more about each other.

Her head was pounding and she rose up on her elbows to find that she was lying on some kind of plastic tubing. She was no longer dressed the same way and her uniform was now replaced with a flowing white dress. She checked underneath and there was no sign of her unmentionables. She looked around to see that there was nothing to indicate that there was any dresser or something that would keep her things safe.

She held her head with her palm pressed up against her forehead. She swung her feet around, so that her bare toes were now touching the floor. It was cool and warm at the same time.

“I’m glad to see that you’re awake.” At the sound of his voice, she turned and glared at him with daggers. Melissa hoped that she could instill in him a sense of fear, but all she got was a smirk as a response. “There’s no reason to be upset and it’s a great honor to be chosen. You should not be looking at this like a bad thing. It’s far from it and to be honest, the sex that you’ve had previously will pale in comparison. You already felt what it is to be near me and that is just a mere shadow of what this is all about.” He put out his hand, but Melissa did not take it and turned away from him in disgust.

“You can’t be serious and you’ve essentially taking me prisoner and now are going to use me sexually.”

“Such crude terms and all you really need to know is that your body will help me get rid of a long overdue problem. I’ve heard through some reliable sources that earth was the place to be. I took it on face value and I’ve been here for over three months without success. I thought for a moment that they had fooled me, but now I see that their intentions were pure. From the moment that I met you, I could not help, but to feel this instant pull. This is going to happen and you may as well get yourself prepared. We of the Tu’fal race are quite and endowed and it can be a humbling experience.”

Melissa saw that he was dressed in the same clothing and now he was peeling the black Henley over top of his shoulders. She was about to say something to stop him from continuing, but there was no voice. The only thing she managed to say was a moan of complete delight at seeing the naked portion of his upper body. This had been the first time that she had ever been speechless. Cole was better looking without his clothes than he was with them. There was no hair and she saw no stubble to tell her that he had shaved for this particular occasion.

“Wait…for god sake…wait. Just wait before you do anything else.” She had no idea how she was able to expel those words, but at least she was now able to put up some kind of argument. “I don’t think that I’m the right girl for you and maybe you should continue your search for somebody else. People will know that I’m missing and they will come searching for me.” He was smiling again, like this was one big joke and then his finger started to work on his pants.

“I don’t think you understand the true scope of what’s going on here, Melissa. We’re no longer on earth and we left there 24 hours ago by your time. We’ve since traveled through your milky way and now are very close to my space. I’m afraid that I have to complete this before I get back home, or I will not find acceptance. They’re probably not very happy with me taking this experimental spacecraft. It was meant for somebody with more technical know how, but my purpose is to rule and I can only do that with the mating season being completed.” She hadn’t felt like they were flying and it was, so smooth that it felt like they were completely still.

“I have to convince him that I’m not the girl for him. There has to be a way to make him see that this can’t work.” Her mind was grabbing for any kind of straw that she could find, but there was very little in regards to something that would pull him back from the course of action that he had already started.

“I know that this is a little hard for you to adjust to, but I do promise that this will be an experience that you’ll never forget. Your idea of sex is antiquated and does not fully integrate the emotional aspect. Let me show you and I promise that you will not regret it.” Melissa wanted to scream no, but she found herself nodding her head in compliance. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and even though nobody else would believe her, she would know the truth.

“I don’t know why I’m even contemplating something like this. It goes against my moral code for waiting, until I get to know somebody before I find out what they’re like in the bedroom. I’m not going to lie and say that your attempts at convincing me are not getting through. I’m just glad you don’t have tentacles or some crazy DNA. If you do, I would rather you use this form and not revert to your real self.”

“Let him be hung… Please god let him be hung.” This seemed out of character for her to even think about and she’d never been a size queen. It was always about the motion of the ocean, instead of the size of the tool.

As if answering her prayer, he disrobed down to his boxers. He peeled them down over the bulge that was making her eyes go wide with anticipation. Her mouth was salivating and her tongue was literally licking across her lips with that need to taste what he had offered.

“I hate to be crude, but I’m only interested in one part of you. If you have any need to do something else, I might entertain the idea.” Melissa wasn’t about to let that invitation pass without at least reaching out and touching him inappropriately. She moved her hand around the circumference and could barely reach around her fingers with his thickness. It was already drooling and she used the sticky sweetness to lathe attention on his member. She thought for sure that he would be moaning incoherently, but he wasn’t showing any kind of emotion whatsoever.

“I’m not sure what you have in mind, when it comes to stimulation. I would say that doing this with my hand is not going to get the necessary results. I want a certain reaction and maybe it would be better if I tried it with my mouth.” He shrugged his shoulders and she moved to a position on her knees in front of this alien. She never thought in 1,000,000 years that she would be saying something like that, even in her head. “I’m not bragging when I tell you that I’m that good.” This was a line that she was willing to cross, even though in the back of her mind, she still couldn’t understand why she was, so accepting of the fact that he was an alien.

“He’s hung, but does he taste good. I hope so, because I’m not sure what I will do if he doesn’t.” She knew that she was deluding herself into thinking that she could stop this by making it as pleasurable as possible. If she had to go down this road, then she may as well jump in feet first and hope for the best.

Melissa was parched; her lips completely dry and she had to continually swipe her tongue across them to get any sort of moisture. She was right in front of the great beast and she took it in her hand and brought it down to her lips. It was a little harder than it would be with a regular human being. Where they were hard and pliable, he had become almost rock like with no give.

“I always get this way, but it becomes even more pronounced when I get to the mating season. Like I said, I’m going on pure instinct and my body is the one that is controlling me. I don’t like it, but I have no choice, but to relieve myself of that burden. It’s the only way that I’m going to be able to become the leader that they want me to be. I just hope that my absence has gone unnoticed, or they’ll send a search party out looking for me. My father is ill and it’s just a matter of time before he falls victim to a natural age process.”

“I would ask why me, but I think I’ve already been given that answer. I’m assuming that you would have come back for me after you realized that what you were feeling was not something of an anomaly.” She was staring at the eye, watching it gurgle forth with a heavy dose of thick white bubbles.

“I would’ve come back for you, but you forced my hand by coming after me instead. That was unavoidable and I didn’t even realize that you were following me. I must’ve been distracted by that feeling of complete lust that was running through my veins. I wanted you and if I didn’t get out of that coffee shop when I did, I probably would’ve tried to take you right there in front of everybody. I wouldn’t even perceive that they were there and if they were tried to intervene, I’m afraid that I might have done them considerable harm.”

“I’m glad that he didn’t try to do that, because that would have been dangerous to the health of everybody involved. Jennifer would most likely be killed and I would have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life.” She was visibly distressed, but sexually excited beyond words.

“It sounds to me that you’re a slave to your own body and its urges. Is there any way for you to hold back?”

“There is, but it’s very dangerous and it could leave me impotent. If that were to happen, I would be looked upon as weak and my leadership would be called into question. I will be the alien master and people will follow me, but I need to find a suitable mate to complete the ritual of bonding. I’ve already waited too long and I’ve been taking a page from human society. I’ve immersed myself into meditation and exercises of the mind to keep my body in check. It does work, but only temporary and then it comes back even stronger than it was before.”

“I can see that it’s quite painful for you and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one, so hard that there doesn’t seem to be any give.” Melissa had a hold of it and it was taking a lot more effort to keep it close to her mouth. “I don’t know why you can’t do this with a female from your own race.” She was only biding time and hoping that she could get out of this. There was only a small part that was fighting back and the rest of her was willing her to go forward and find that euphoric bliss that he was talking about.

“I’m Caldor and the house of Orack cannot be with one of our own. It’s very rare that we are compatible and it’s more than likely that I would kill her. They are frail creatures and we learned from personal experience that it’s best to find somebody that is more willing and able to take our type of excitement.”

Melissa was no more than a couple of inches away from his love staff that she could see the vein along the back throbbing with an insistent need to unleash what was building inside.

“I will warn you, Melissa that what you’re about to do has never been done before. At least, I have not heard of it and I really can’t be sure what will happen if you were to attempt such a task.” The warning had caught her quite by surprise and she was now rethinking her situation.

“Now he tells me. I just don’t know. Damn it…I want myself a little taste. Perhaps, it won’t be, so overwhelming and I’ll be able to pull back when necessary.” Melissa was trying to convince herself and then she touched it with the tip of her tongue, only to be unable to hold herself back. She became a woman possessed and this feeling of desire and want washed over her like waves onto the shore.

Chapter 4

When she tasted the product of his arousal, she found herself wanting more than anything to consume him, until there was nothing left. Melissa looked up into the face of Caldor and it was a mask of confusion and curiosity. His face was contorted into pleasure or maybe it was agony. She didn’t know for sure, but there was a small part of her that was hoping that she was giving him a little bit of pain. It would’ve been nice to have that sense of revenge for being taken in the first place.

“Oh my, that is interesting; Melissa and I might just allow you to finish me off this one time. As long as you don’t tell anybody about this, because I’m not sure how it will be met. Our idea of mating is more primal and feral than doing some of this nonsense you humans believe to be pleasurable.” Melissa could see that just touching him with her tongue had caused an affect and it was just the encouragement that she needed to continue on this course.

“I know that you’re supposed to be this big strong alien, but I think that you’re going to find that this is going to be something that not even you are going to be able to hold back from. Warn me ahead of time, because like you said, we really don’t know what’s going to happen.” Her sense of time was skewed and she had no idea if they even had a perception of time where they were going.

“We’ll take this path together, Melissa and see where it leads us. I can’t promise you that I will be able to take you back home, but you’ve been remarkably cooperative. I don’t think I can ask for more. I do hope that you don’t consider yourself a hostage, but I understand if that is the way you feel. I know from experience and from recollections of those that have come before me that being around us can be almost too much for you to take.”

“No kidding and maybe you should have told me that before we started all of this. A warning label would’ve been nice. I liked to be forewarned and there’s power in knowledge.” She consumed the head and it was salty and sweet at the same time. It was unlike any male appendage that she had gotten close to her lips. This thing seemed to have a mind of its own. It was bobbing up and down against the roof of her mouth and slapping down just as heavy on top of her tongue.

“Damn it, I never thought that it would be like this. I don’t know if I have time for this and being away for so long is going to make it possible for somebody else to take what is rightfully mine.” She really wasn’t concerned about the political ramifications of him being away and that was the furthest thing from her mind. “Oh wow, the thing that you just did with your tongue was very interesting.” She had swirled her tongue around the top of his glands, knowing full well that this could be the most sensitive part of any man.

“I do have to wonder what’s going to happen if I go all the way. He’s quite huge and I’m not even sure if I’m going to be able to accommodate such a monster between my legs. Maybe if I give him enough pleasure with my mouth he might forget about the rest of it. He’s honestly just looking to get laid and I have no problem with distracting him with something that could be a lot more pleasurable.” She had no idea if he was just playing her and that this was just his way of turning up the heat between them.

He was grunting and moving his hips into her and it seemed almost involuntary. There was something about the way that his seed tasted that compelled her to go after more from the source. It was almost intoxicating to the point of being addictive. It was like a drug and one that could not excise from her back. It was that same euphoric feeling when she took a drag from her cigarette; at least it was, until she quit cold Turkey two years ago. Melissa wasn’t quite sure that she could give up Caldor without hanging onto his ankle and begging him for one last chance.

She felt the object of her desire touching the back of her mouth and then she gave into her natural curiosity to see if she could take it all the way. Amazingly, she felt it enter and then the constricting feel of her throat was now rippling around his length. There was a moment that she thought for sure that he was going to blow the top off, but suddenly it calmed down. It was only slightly and only enough to keep him at bay. She could swear that he was holding himself back and this was getting her excited to the point that she was putting her own hands to work on herself.

She lifted the flowing white robe, until it was bunched up around her waist, until she was able to find her hidden treasure. Her lips stretched to accommodate that one finger and feeling the girth of him in her mouth, gave her the feeling that one finger was never going to be enough.

“I think that if I’m going to have to take this that I should be at least ready for the possibility. The best way to do that is to open myself up to the invading force that is about take me to new heights of pleasure.” Melissa felt like her whole world was spinning around her and her body was supercharged to a heat that was actually burning.

“I’ve already postponed the inevitable a few times, but I’m not sure how much longer I can take this kind of struggle between climaxing and not. If I go for too long, I can permanently injure myself.” The energy that she felt sliding across her tongue was now making her hungry for more of him. He was trying to stop himself from giving her what she wanted. This seemed greedy and selfish in her mind, but she wasn’t really thinking straight at the moment anyway.

“Just give me it already and stop teasing me.” With her mouth full, she was moaning around the column of flesh, while at the same time strumming her own little kitty into submission. It was a vicious cycle and she was trying to time it, so that they were both going to go off at the same time. This was a Herculean effort on her part, because just having him in her mouth was more than enough to make her libido rise to a level of torture and pain that seemed almost inhumane. She was insistent and her initial reluctance on her part not to take him all the way was washed away with a need and an ache that could only be fulfilled one way.

“You don’t know what you’re asking… Ah… Ah… Melissa. This is uncharted territory…but I need this and I know you want it.” He was on the precipice of going over that edge of nirvana and she could feel the way that his balls had risen to the occasion. They were full to overflowing and needed a release in pressure.

“That’s it, come for me…you  bastard.” She had no idea why she was having such erotic thoughts, but he had already said with a degree of certainty that he was the cause for her oversexed nature.

It was then that there was a jolt and his cock came loose from her lips. She was disappointed, but she was more concerned with the face of fear on Caldor’s face.

Chapter 5

Caldor moved towards the front of the ship, where these controls seem to materialize out of nowhere. Melissa got up off her knees and she still had this fire in her belly that didn’t get satisfied. She didn’t quite know what was going on, but the worry on Caldor’s face was more than enough to make her concerned.

“I guess I should be worried, but for some reason I’m not. I guess deep down, I know that he’ll protect me, whether he has to put his own life on the line or not. I don’t want anything to happen to him. Even though this started off with being his prisoner, it turned out to be a lot more than that. I don’t even want to go back home, or at least I don’t think I do.”

“I was afraid of this and it appears that they have found me. I don’t think this is somebody that wants to bring me back. I think that this is somebody that wants to stop me by any means necessary from claiming my rightful place on the throne. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it was Unger. He has always had his sights set on taking what was rightfully mine. He probably got word from one of the spies that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. When he investigated, he realized that I had gone off to complete the ritual.

“He sounds vindictive and petty and I think that somebody should put him in his place once and for all.” The next shot was a direct hit and the entire ship seemed to shimmer out of focus and then back to what it was.

“I agree with you in theory, Melissa. The only problem I foresee is that I don’t really know that much about this experimental vessel. I have no idea what it’s capable of. I was barely able to get it started and then it took me almost 3 hours to figure out how to fly it.

A loud imposing voice echoed in the confined space. “Caldor, I admire the fact that you went off to do this on your own. You really should have brought somebody with you, but since you haven’t, it gives me the opening that I’m looking for. Power down that vessel and be prepared to be boarded.” Unger’s voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and it was almost too deafening for Melissa to take much more.

“I can’t hear anything but his voice. My own thoughts are drowned out.” Melissa held onto her ears and she came back with blood on your fingertips. Her equilibrium was out of whack and then she started to spin, until she was falling on the floor on her hands and knees.

“I will never give up, Unger and I think you know that one way or the other, this ends here between you and me. I can’t have you around when I finally take my place. I’ll constantly have to look over my shoulder to see if you’re going to stab me in the back.”

‘You don’t have to worry about that and I would rather do it with my own bare hands. However, I know that you could beat me in a fair fight, so I’m just going to continue to fire upon you, until you are obliterated.” Caldor looked confused and Melissa stood by his side looking at these controls and having no idea what to do. She was still dizzy, but was at least standing.

“I don’t know about you, Caldor but I’m getting a little tired of hearing his voice. In fact, it’s hurting me.” This was when Caldor turned and saw that the woman that he had claimed for his own was in danger. Melissa saw that he was no longer worried and his anger was seeping through.

“Melissa, I need your help. When I tell you, press all the buttons that you see. I’ll do the same thing on my side and let’s just hope one of them has a way of defeating Unger.” This was a very daring thing to do, especially since he had no idea what was going to happen. Melissa waited on pins and needles, her whole body on high alert and then she got the nod from Caldor.

They began to press buttons and they both watched the screen, as it started to go crazy with the dials smoking and the whole compartment filling up with a toxic fume. She was swaying on her feet and she could feel that her life essence was draining with every breath that she was taking. She saw some kind of energy ball heading towards Unger’s ship and then beams of light were following it on its wake. They were blue and very brilliantly so, but she was losing the battle to stay awake.

As she came to, she saw Caldor completely naked and hovering on top of her. He was a sight to behold, but she still didn’t know what happened.

“I think I may have fainted or passed out.”

“I feel weird and my limbs are like they are in cement all over again. There’s something different and I’m not sure what it is, but I think I’m dying.”

“I’m sorry to say that you inhaled toxic chemicals and the only way to flush them from your system is to inject you with my essence. I wish that this could be more loving, but I’m afraid that time is of the essence.

“Just go… AHHHHHHHH.” Melissa was not prepared for the way that his cock opened her up to the invading force of his anatomy. She screamed and thrashed her head from side to side in pain, but then it wasn’t long after that that she began to feel pleasure that superseded anything else.

“It fucking hurts, but in a good way. I’ve never felt so loved and dominated at the same time. It’s an odd sensation, but something that I could seriously get used to.”

“I really am sorry for this, but it’s unavoidable. I will tell you that it was your final shot that blew up his ship. He didn’t get a chance to escape and he probably didn’t even know what was happening, until it was too late.

Melissa was breathing heavy and she was pushing up against his chest to indicate that she needed a moment to adjust. She felt that log deeply immersed with in her womanhood. He was larger than any man and thicker, but somehow she was able to accommodate his girth. She found herself wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her ankles in place.

“I really don’t know what I’m doing and I’m sure this has something to do with whatever pheromones you are sending out at this moment. I don’t care and the only thing I want is to be with you, Caldor. I need you and I know that you need me too.” Melissa looked into his eyes and saw a desire that was building by the second.

“You denied me what I wanted the most, but it wasn’t your fault. I won’t let you get away this time, so easily.” Melissa felt like she was on a roller-coaster and her emotions were going all over the place. At first, she was in a state of drugged out euphoria, and then suddenly she wanted nothing to do with him. This fluctuated from one moment to the next, until it leveled itself out and made her want more than anything to suction his life force from his balls.

“I need to give you this one and thankfully, I did not give you the mouthful that you tried to take from me. If I had, I don’t think that I would’ve been able to get off, as quickly as I need to save your life.” She could see in his eyes that it was just a matter of time. “I’m going to… explode.”

“I hope that I’m ready for this, because he already warned me that going down on him was maybe not the best use of my time. If I’m ready or not, it doesn’t matter, because here he comes.”

His seed came out of him in wave after wave and just when Melissa thought that he was done, he would give off a short burst. When he finally pulled free, she felt that the elixir of life that she had just been given had awakened all her senses. Her blood felt like it was boiling and she squirmed underneath his caress, until it finally subsided.

She lies there in a post coital desire, not quite knowing what had happened. She remembered going after Cole and then the rest of it was a blur. It finally came back to her and at first she was terrified, but then the feeling of being wanted surrounded her.

“I do hope that you’re not done. If you are, then you’re just a tease, Caldor and I am ready to go again. This time, I want you to consume me.” Melissa had no idea why she was saying this, but deep down she knew that it was exactly what she wanted.

There was this smell in the air, almost like it was being permeated from his skin. His cock head was leaking what was left along her lips and she traced it with her fingertips, until she watched with bated breath, as he began to climb back to a hard and strengthened condition.

“I think that you are exactly what I need, Melissa. You will be a welcome addition to my family. They may not like it, but they will have to accept it nonetheless.” He began to slap that huge plum size knob against her clit. Melissa made this involuntary whimper of delight. She could not stop herself and she reached down to grab him by the base.

“I want that and I want it now. Don’t make me wait.” She was now feeling that urge and he had somehow turned her, so that she was on her hands and knees on the floor. This was the way that he enjoyed his women and Melissa saw this in his eyes looking over her shoulder.

“The first one was for you, Melissa but this one is for me. I need an heir to the throne and your body is the perfect incubator to give me a son.” With those words came the feeling of being full and when she wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Her mind was completely overcome and overwhelmed by Caldor’s presence behind her.

“Normally, I would hope that he was gentle, but I don’t want any of that. I’ve already told him that I want to submit willingly to his body. If he doesn’t give me his best, then I will know that he’s not serious about making this work.”

Caldor was moving against her and for her part; she was moving back to get him, as deep as possible. This was better than lying on her back and she felt feral and was delving into her primal nature. Her lips were constantly being attacked and after everything was said and done, she knew that those same lips would be swollen. It would give her that well fucked look and would probably make her walk a little funny for the next couple of days.

“I will never get over how easily a human woman stretches to receive those of my kind. Your body has this elasticity that women from our own race don’t have. I love how you squirt your juices along my shaft and over my balls at the same time. The feeling of that heat is super charging my libido. It’s going to get rough from this moment on.”

Melissa had never wanted to be subdued, but now that she was having her hands pulled back and he was using them as leverage, it was better than anything that she could even think of.

“I don’t know how to tell him that I’m just a slave for his cock. Maybe I don’t have to and he’s already shown me that he knows how to take command. He is my master and I will be the woman behind the leader.”

Melissa felt him bearing down and now he was standing over top of her with his hands holding her wrists and fucking her with abandon. The loud slapping sounds was continual and just when she thought she had enough, she dug deep and found a reserve of energy that was hiding in plain sight.

Caldor was breathing heavy and there was this sheen of something on his skin that was coming out of his pores. It was dripping onto her back and being absorbed into her skin. It set her body ablaze and there was this warmth that covered her from head to toe.

She was not about to give total control away, even though for the most part, she was just there to please him. She did reach down and grab onto his bristly balls. It was a good thing it was stubble, because it probably would have cut her otherwise. She squeezed, maybe a little bit too tight, but it sure had the desired reaction that she was looking for.

Caldor’s cock lurched, but he continued to seek out her most pleasured area. His knob was rubbing against her G spot and he purposely concentrated on that one place. Lightning bolts that were flashing in front of her eyes only served to make her gave in to a man that she hardly knew.

They continued to go after each other for a very long time and with her sense of time skewed, she had no idea how long it had actually been. It felt like forever and every muscle in her body was screaming for him to unload.

“I’m cumming again.” She didn’t know how many times it had been and it was like he was able to play her body like a musical instrument. The masterpiece that was created was a cacophony of orgasmic sounds that had no end.

“I don’t know how much more I can take of this. I hope that he cums soon, because I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep up with him. I’m surprised that I’ve been able to go this long.”

She had certainly opened up and she was a little afraid to see what would happen after he had pulled out. She got this image of a hot dog down a hallway, but for some reason she did not believe that she had been wrecked. In fact, she felt tighter than ever and his drippings were coating the walls of her sex and making them that way.

“That’s it, take it, Angela… Take it and know that you’ve been owned by me. We will never be apart and this will give me a… Son.” He erupted like a volcano and his molten lava of love was consumed from within. It was almost as daunting as the first one to save her life. She held on through his manly attack and then when he pulled free, she slumped forward with no visible energy left.

He lay down on top of her and whispered “Sleep now my precious flower, because when you awake your new life begins by my side.”

THE END

HIS JUSTICE

BOOK – 1

Chapter 1

Sally Leach looked around her room, and sighed.  She had such a boring life and was looking for much more in life.  Her dream was to go to Paris one day and study fashion.  Perhaps even stay over there and find a husband.  But for now she was stuck in her hometown, Kearney, Nebraska.  “Oh if only I could get out of here and find something more!”  She said wishfully.

“Hey Sally, Johnny from next door is here to see you.”  She heard her mother yell out.

“Alright mom, I’ll be down in just a few minutes.”  She called out.

Sally sighed once more, Johnny was the next door neighbor and he adored her.  The problem was he wasn’t her type at all.  He was a gamer geek, who was skinny and too straight for her.  She had to admit she simply gravitated towards the men and boys when she first started dating who were bad boys. 

It wouldn’t be bad if Johnny would simply understand that, however, he didn’t seem to understand.  He would still come over every day or at least three times a week and talk to her.  At least one time during the conversation he would swear he loved her with all his heart.  “I could give you anything you wanted, I swear, you’ll always get what you want.  Sally I love you like no other will love you.” 

Those words and much more had come from Johnny’s mouth on more than one occasion.  Sally didn’t want to be mean, but she just didn’t see him in any romantic way.  She would explain to him that she saw him as just a friend, that she was sorry, and that it would never work.

But here he was yet again, and most likely to ply her with adoration and words of love.  Sally wasn’t really up for this today.  The truth was she was more depressed about still being stuck here in Kearney. 

She was still saving up every cent she could from her job to go to France.  But with the lack of funds, and her hours being cut back, she felt as if her life was ending quickly. 

“I’ll die an old lady in this same town, most likely living in a house close to my parents.  I don’t want that, I can’t just have that.”  She cried out to the room. 

Finally, she composed herself and went downstairs to see Johnny.

“Hey Sally, I brought you these.”  He said and pulled some flowers from behind his back.  “It is your birthday right?”  He added when she had a confused look on her face.

“Oh yes it is.  I kind of forgot about it.”  Sally stated.  She had not forgotten, but the fact was it made her sad.  Another year in her hometown, now she was no longer 19, but the big 20. 

“I would never forget your birthday.  This is the day my angel was born into the world.”  He smiled at her.

Sally shook her head; it was going to start early today.  Sometimes he would at least wait for a few hours and then start being sappy.

“Johnny, I told you were just friends.”  Sally said to him, her face serious.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how I feel.”  Johnny said.  But she could see his face fall.

“Look, I’m sorry Johnny.  You’re such a great guy and one day you’ll find a great girl too.  It’s just not me.”  Sally added.

“You are a great girl.  But I know you don’t have to explain it to me again.  I’m not your type.  I get it.”  Johnny said, his voice holding an edge of frustration and anger.

Sally hesitated to say anything else.  Johnny had never really seemed angry before.  He had always been the guy who was calm and wouldn’t raise his voice to anyone.  He was very close though to it, or so she thought.

“So what do you have planned for the day?”  He asked her. 

She took a deep breath, thankful that he was moving on from the other topic.  “I don’t know.  I think Mary and Susan want to go out later on.  But I didn’t plan anything at all.”  Sally answered.

“Why not, this day is supposed to be one to celebrate.”  Johnny said excitedly.

“I’m just not feeling it.  They told me last night my hours were going to be cut back.”  Sally stated.

“Oh no, that means you won’t be able to save up for your trip?”  Johnny asked.

“You don’t have to sound so excited about it.  I know you and several people don’t think I should go.  But even if I have to take a second job, I’ll save up and be out of here before another year is gone.”  Sally pulled her shoulders back in a stance of stubbornness.

“Hmm, well just keep in mind that if you go to Paris, you’ll not have friends and family around to help you out.  There is no one there to help you.”  Johnny commented.

“Now you sound like Mary, she says the same thing to me.”  Sally said.  “But you know what; I’m old enough to make my own decisions now.  So when I have the money, I’m getting my ticket and leaving.”  Sally stated.

Johnny looked down at the ground. 

“I’m sorry Johnny; it really hasn’t been a good couple of days for me.  I don’t mean to take it out on you.  So what are you doing today?”  Sally said, trying to change the subject once more.

“Well I was wondering if you would like to go out to lunch or something.” He asked.

“Like a date you mean?”  Sally replied.  “I don’t know I really don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”  She added.

“No not like a date, just two friends.  I swear you’ve made it abundantly clear that you aren’t interested in more.”  Johnny stated.

“Well I guess we can go then.”  Sally answered.

“Great, hamburgers sound okay?”  He asked.

Sally felt more relaxed, at least he hadn’t said Red Lobster or somewhere fancy.  If had suggested that she might have declined and back out of the meal.  It would feel far too much like a date.

“From Lenny’s, I love those?”  She questioned.

“Yeah, and there cheese fries, those are so good!”  Johnny laughed.

“Let’s go!”  Sally said and headed towards the door.

Chapter 2

Johnny was so happy that she had agreed to go along with him.  He had tried many times in the past, but she had always turned him down.  He wasn’t sure why she had agreed today, but he took it as a good sign.

Then in his mind he heard her words again, the same one’s he’d heard so many times before.  “We’re just friends Johnny; I don’t see you that way.  You’re not my type anyway.”  She had said several times.

“Why, what’s wrong with me?”  He had asked her once.

He had watched her face as she had tried to think of the best way to say her next words.  Johnny had wanted to stop her from saying them, however, there was too much of him that needed to know why.

“I like the bad boys, you know the ones who aren’t into computer games and well.”  She had stopped and thought more. 

Johnny had stopped her from staying anymore; he didn’t need to know anymore.  He wasn’t a bad boy, and couldn’t image ever fitting her idea of the perfect guy.  “Its fine you don’t have to say anymore.”  He had told her that night.  But those words had hurt him deeply.

However, now she was sitting in his car and going to lunch with him.  Maybe it wasn’t a date, but it was more than he had before today!  He could feel his heart beating wildly as the excitement of this was realized by his whole body.

He took a deep breath and smelled her scent, she always smelled like cherry blossoms.  Johnny wished that she would see him differently.  He couldn’t help it that he loved to play games online.  The fact was no one looked at him when he was behind the screen of a computer.

He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t like a lot of guys either.  His looks, at least he considered them to be average.  His dark hair was medium length, and his eyes were green.  His mother always told him he was a really good looking young man, but he knew she was prejudice in her opinion.

Johnny looked at Sally out of the corner of his eyes.  She was a blonde haired, blue eyed beauty.  Though she was kind of short, she made up for that in her spunkiness.  When they had been in high school, she had been the head of the cheerleading squad.  He had to watch as she had dated the quarterback of the team for several years. 

Often he wondered why they broke up, but Sally had never given him the reason.  No matter how much he would push her, she would remain closed lipped to why her and Chip had gone their opposite ways after high school.

Though there were people who said that Chip had been upset about Sally wanting to go to Paris.  Johnny could understand why Chip would feel that way, he was the same way.  He loved her and didn’t want her to leave, but he also didn’t want to watch her date someone else in town either.

Until he could figure out a way for her to like him, he wanted to keep her close by as much as possible.  However, there was another part of him that wanted to see her go.  That part was really small however; the part that wanted to squeeze and hold her tight couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving.

“So why do you want to go to Paris so badly?”  Johnny asked her.  He already knew her answer, he had asked this question many times in the past already.

“Silly you know why, but I’ll tell you again anyway!”  She began.  “I want to study in Paris so badly, all that art and beauty.  The people there are so amazing, so worldly!  Plus I know my fashion designs will be such much better.”  Sally said.

“How do you know they are worldly?”  Johnny asked.

“They must be they grew up in another location.  I mean, not like they’ve traveled all over, but some may have.  I just want to meet some people from another culture and get out of Nebraska.  Haven’t you ever been bored to death here?  Oh maybe not, you play those games and can escape into a little fantasy world.  Maybe I should take them up until I get the money up to leave!”  Sally said.

Johnny smiled, he had tried to get her into gaming for years, but she had always bulked at the idea.  “Well if you want to play one, I can get you in my guild and we can power level you up quickly.”  He started to say, getting excited about the idea of being able to talk about the game to her every day.

“I’m just kidding; I would rather see something real and in person.  Plus I would most likely not be able to earn any money, if I get into some of these games like you, that is.”  Sally remarked.

“Hey I’m out of my room more often than I used to be, and look we are going out right now.”  Johnny laughed.

“Just as friends though.”  Sally reminded him.

“The point is I’m not in front of my computer playing right now!”  He added.

“I guess this is true.  But how could you ever be a good boyfriend if all you do is play games?”  Sally asked.

“If I had the right girl I would make sure she always knew that I wanted to be with her, and fit the game in too.”  He explained.  “I promise you that you would never feel like the game came before you, and if I had too I would stop playing it.”  Johnny added.

“Oh I’m not saying me silly.  I mean some other girl.  You are a good looking guy after all, if you went out more, you’d be with a girl by now.”  Sally stated.

“I don’t just want any girl though, so why would I go out and find one.  You know the perfect one for me lives right next door to me and has for years now.”  Johnny said and looked at her.

“Can we please not do this again?  I mean I understand and all that, but can’t we just give it a break for now?”  Sally asked.

“Sure, I’m sorry I don’t want to ruin this for you.”  Johnny said, and stayed quite for a bit.

He knew in his heart she would do just about anything to leave and go to Paris, but he could still want her.  He didn’t think that would ever change in his life, this also made him very sad.  Unless somehow he could figure out a way that he would see her differently.  This was a task he would have to work on before she went off though.

Johnny wasn’t dumb he knew that once Sally was gone the chances of her ever coming back where small.  He had sat many nights in his room playing his games and wondering how he could win her over.  As of yet he couldn’t think of any way to do it as of yet. 

If he hadn’t started this stupid talk about being her boyfriend again in the car though, maybe he could have gotten closer today.  He still had hopes that this could happen though.  If he gave up hope Johnny knew the rest of his life would be over.  He knew that no one but her would ever be perfect for him.

Chapter 3

Sally sat eating her hamburger, the grease dripped down her chin.  She quickly wiped it off her chin with the napkin. 

“You missed a spot.”  Johnny said and pointed down at corner of her chin.

She laughed and wiped it off.  “Thank you!” 

“I love these cheese fries.”  He said and picked up another huge handful.

“Where do you put all that food?  That’s your second order of fries and you’ve already finished that huge hamburger.”  Sally stared at him amazed. 

“What can I say I must have a tape worm?”  He said.

“I think you might want to get it checked out!”  She laughed. 

For the past 10 years they had grown up beside one another he had always been skinny.  But she had never seen him eat this much food.

“I wish I could eat that much and not gain anything.  If I ate as much as you though, I would weigh 200 pounds easy!  You’re so lucky.”  Sally said.

“I guess so.  Honestly, I’ve never thought about it.”  He admitted.

“Excuse me would you like any dessert today?”  The waiter came up and asked them.

“I want the brownie caramel.”  Johnny said.  “It’s her birthday today, what does she get?”  He asked the waiter.

“Oh happy birthday to you.”  The waiter smiled at her.  “You can have any dessert you want on the house.”  He told her.

Sally was full, but loved sweets, so she looked over the menu.  “I’ll have the brownie caramel too.”  She said and put down the menu.

She looked at Johnny and said, “I’ll have to go on a diet after just this meal!” 

“You look fine.”  Johnny said.  “If you are happy then that should be good enough for anyone who knows you.  Well as long as you don’t get too big!”  He added and laughed.

“I’m going to go to Paris and come home and weigh 300 pounds.”  Sally laughed.

Johnny didn’t say anything, but for the first time he had heard her say something about not staying away forever.  He smiled and laughed though at her comment.  “I seriously doubt that will ever happen!”  He finally said when he had stopped laughing enough.

The desserts were served and they both ate heartily.  “This is so good.”  Sally stated.

“Yeah I love this as much as I do the cheese fries!”  He agreed. 

Sally finished her dessert and almost picked up the page to lick the plate.  She faked like she was going to do it, and instead stopped.  She watched as Johnny picked up his plate and licked it clean!  “It’s the best part!  Go ahead; I’ve seen plenty of people do it.” 

She looked around, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.  “Do you want it?”  She handed him the plate.  He grabbed it and licked it clean too.  “You’re crazy Johnny Young do you know that?”  She asked him.

“Not so much.  Well maybe just a bit, but can you not tell everyone?  I’m trying to keep it on the down low.”  He laughed.

Sally laughed along with him and shook her head.  “Well I guess we are all crazy in our own way!” 

“Are you ready to go?”  Johnny asked her.

“Yes.  Thank you so much, I really had a great time.”  Sally stated.

“Good, I’m glad.  I hoped you feel better, you seemed really down earlier, with the hours being cut.”  Johnny said.

“Yeah, I was down.  But honestly I feel much better now.  Thank you, this was a good idea, I’m glad you asked.”  Sally said.

“Anytime you want to do something just let me know, I’m up for it.”  Johnny said.

“Well only if there isn’t some sort of war on your game!”  Sally laughed.

“Depending on the night and the war, maybe not!  No I’m just kidding, anytime.”  Johnny laughed.

“We’ll see.”  Sally didn’t want to commit to anything and give him the wrong idea.  Though she had to admit it had been a really fun time with him.  If only he was more her type, she might actually take him up on the offer of doing more things.

“Okay, well you know where I live.”  Johnny said.

They just chatted about old friends the rest of the way home.  Sally tried to avoid any more talk about the two of them.  She was already confused that she could have so much fun with him. 

Sure she could remember many times in the past when they would play outside.  Well at least until he really got more into gaming, then she barely saw Johnny.  It had been okay though because by that time she was really into more popular activities then playing with her neighbors outside.

“Hey remember when we built that fort in the backyard?”  Sally asked him.

“You mean when we were like 10?  It was one of the first things I did with you after we moved in next door.  Of course I remember it that was so much fun.”  Johnny added.

“Yeah it was we should build another fort one day.  Perhaps if I don’t get to ever go to Paris I can live in it!”  Sally said.  She had meant it as a joke, but saying the words made her worried that she would never make it out of town.

“Oh don’t say that one day you’ll be able to go to Paris.”  Johnny said.

She looked at him.  “That’s really nice of you Johnny.  I know you are like most other people   and would rather I just get this wild part of me out and stay in town.”  She said.

“Really, I would just like to see you be happy.  If going to Paris is what does it, then I want what you want.”  Johnny admitted.

“Hmm, thanks it’s nice to know that someone else see’s it another way besides me.”  Sally stated.

“So I guess I’ll go home.  I hope you enjoyed your lunch.  Oh I forgot that I had a gift for you.”  He said and looked at his watch.  “Can I bring it over later; I have something I have to do now.”  He asked.

“Oh it’s a war isn’t it?  Sure you can, I’ll be going out around 7 tonight, if you can’t make it before than just come later.”  Sally answered.

“Great, sorry I forgot it.  Hey hope you had fun.”  He said and ran off.

Sally shook her head at him as he went.  “That game is his life!”  She went inside to get ready for later when she would go out with her friends.  She was sure her parents would have some sort of celebration for her too; she had no idea what though.

She hadn’t been in the mood earlier, but the time with Johnny had made her forget about most of her worries.  Sally knew that her plan to go to Paris was a bit further away than it had been yesterday.  However, she was serious about finding another job to help save money once more.  She needed to get out of this town and grow.

Sally walked in the door and her mom called out.  “Dear can you come here; we want to give you your present.” 

She went to the other room and walked into a room filled with people.  Even Johnny was there.  He must have walked out of the back of his house and through their joint backyards and came back inside.

“What is this?”  Sally asked as she looked at everyone else in the room.

“Surprise dear.”  The group of people began singing Happy Birthday to her and she had to smile.  It was nice to be loved by so many people.

There were many, if not most, of these people who see would miss when she left.  This was the way she wanted to think about it now, when she left, it was easier.  That way her dreams wouldn’t die completely. 

“Hey birthday girl, how was your day so far?”  Her friend Mary asked her.

“It was good I went out to Lenny’s and had a hamburger and an amazing dessert.”  Sally said.

“Oh which dessert?”  Mary asked her.

“Hey everyone, let’s have some cake, then it’s time to open presents!”  Her mother interrupted the crowd.

Sally told Mary really quickly about the dessert and they went into the other room to have some cake.  “You’re mom’s cake is amazing!”  Mary said as she took another big bit of her piece.

She wasn’t hungry, but still she had a little piece.  Her mom’s cake had won many competitions in the past.  “Mom you outdid yourself, this is better than ever.”  Sally complimented her mom.

“Thank you dear.”  Her mom smiled.  “So are you about ready for your presents.  There are a lot on the table in the other room.  We hid them so you wouldn’t see them earlier.”  She laughed. 

“Thank you for getting her out of here Johnny so we could get all set up.”  Her mom turned to Johnny and said.

“Not a problem Mrs. Leach it was my pleasure.”  Johnny said.

“Oh so it was a ploy to help my parents?  Is that the only reason you asked me to Lenny’s?”  Sally asked. 

“No it was my idea originally.  It just so happened to work well for your mother as well!”  He laughed at her face.

“Oh that’s nice you all are plotting against me!”  Sally laughed.

   “Don’t think of it that way honey!  You know we always throw you some sort of party!”  Her mom told her and rubbed her shoulder.  “Don’t be mad at Johnny, he really had already planned to ask you to Lenny’s or somewhere.  I asked him if he would do it at a certain time of the day.”  Her mom said to her.

“I’m not mad mom.  Actually thank you very much to everyone for coming today.  I am quite happy to have all my friends and family with me on my birthday.  You never know maybe by next year I’ll have saved enough to go to Paris.  If that happens this may be the last birthday for a while where I get to see everyone.”  Sally said.

“I know dear, this is true.”  Her mom said.  “That’s a good enough reason to have a special party for our little girl.” 

“Thanks mom and everyone!” Sally felt a tear rolling to the corner of her eye. 

“Hey don’t act like you’re going yet, I heard they cut your hours down at work.”  A guy in the group cried out. 

Everyone turned to see who it was.  “Shut up Jack, that’s just messed up.”  Johnny said to the big hulk of a guy.

“Why don’t you make me?”  The big guy said and began to walk closer to Johnny.

“Hey now, this is a birthday party, and that was out of line young man.  So either you apologize to my daughter, or you can leave now.”  Her mom stepped in between the two guys.

“I’m sorry Sally; I didn’t mean anything by it.”  Jack said and put his head down. 

Sally was upset about the comment, because he was right.  Her chances had gotten worse overnight of being able to go anytime soon.  If they wouldn’t have cut her hours back, she might have been able to save up the money in 6 months.  Now though, it might be as much as a year or more.

She tried to put the thought of her head as her mom called everyone into the family room.  “Come on all, its present time!”  Her mother yelled to the room.

There were several packages that had clothes in them.  Some other people gave her some cash instead of an item.  

“Here sweetie we wish we could do more, but this is all we could come up with.”  Her other handed her an envelope and she opened it.

“Oh my goodness mom, this is a lot of money.  Are you sure?  This is most of what I need to go to Paris.”  Sally stood her mouth wide open in shock.

“We couldn’t afford to get you the ticket like we wanted, but we at least could give you this bit to help you get there sooner.  It is your dream after all sweetie and we only want the best for you.”  Her mother told her.

Sally hugged her mother tightly.  “Oh mom, this is so amazing.  I may not have to wait but another few months now.  Even with the hours being cut back.  Oh this is so nice.”  Sally could picture herself in Paris once more, thanks to her mom and dad’s generous gift.

“Oh wow Sally that’s so amazing.”  Her friend Susan said to her. 

“I know that’s really nice.  I wish my parents would do something like that for me!”  Mary, another of her friends said to her.

“Looks like you may be wrong Jack, she will be going soon!”  Susan turned to the big guy who had been so mean before.

Jack did his best to look hurt by the comment, but didn’t do well.  Sally looked at the money again and tried to add up in her head just how much more she actually needed.  After all there were plenty of people who had given her cash.  When combined with what she had already, she might be able to actually buy her ticket in the next month.  Her pulse started to beat rapidly, and she wanted to be able to sit down and count all the money.  To figure out her steps, and to see what all she had to get done!

“Here this is my present.”  Johnny handed her a present.  “I hope you like it.”  He said.

Sally looked at the small gift; it was about the size of a ring box.  She was worried to open it, hoping that Johnny wouldn’t do something so insane.

She slowly unwrapped the present, dreading that she would find something that she would have to give back to him.  In front of all these people it would be quite embarrassing for him.  Sally was leaving after all, the last thing she needed was to have a boyfriend here.  Not that she would ever actually consider Johnny as a boyfriend.  But before today she had been looking at Jack with some interest. 

“Oh it’s beautiful.”  Sally pulled out the necklace that had a small charm of the Eiffel tower on it.  “I love it.  Thank you so much.”  She said and hugged Johnny.

Many people in the room made noises and yelled out at them.  “I’m glad you liked it.  I thought it was the perfect thing for you.”  Johnny said and pulled away.

Sally looked at him and noticed that he had turned red.  She kissed him on the check.  “It’s perfect; can you put it on for me?”  She asked and turned so he could put the necklace on her.

When it was on, she moved it out to look at it, and then went over to the mirror.  “Oh this is the best thing ever.  I always wanted one of these.”  She smiled.

Finally, people began to leave shortly after the presents were opened.  Sally tried to escape a few times to go and count her money, but each time she got stopped. 

“Hey so how close are you to going now?”  Johnny came up and asked her.

“I don’t know yet.  I got some cash from other people today, so I would need to add it all up.”  Sally told him.

“Well why haven’t you done that yet?”  He asked.

“I didn’t want to be rude.”  She said.

“Yeah I guess it would be rude to disappear at your own party.”  He laughed.

“Hey did you really have a war tonight?  Or was that just part of the plan?”  She asked him.

“No there was a war, but I missed it.  I wanted to spend your birthday with you.  After all I may not see you after this year.”  Johnny said solemnly.

“I told you I would come back one day, I’m just not sure when.  Hey I don’t even know when I’ll get to go yet.  I still have to buy my passport and get it processed.  That may take a month or so.  I’ll be here a bit longer, so you’ll see me!”  Sally said and tried to cheer him up.

“Yeah break it to me gently right?  It’s okay; I know how much you’ve wanted to go for years now.  Don’t you remember when we used to play in the fort?  You used to always tell me it was a fort built in France.  It was our castle and my job was to guard you, the queen.”  Johnny said.

“Oh yeah I remember that, you did a fairly good job of guarding me most of the time!”  Sally laughed.

“I guarded you with my life, and I would do it until the day I die if I had a chance.”  Johnny stated.

Sally looked at him.  “I’m sure you would Johnny.”  She didn’t want to say anything else.  She could see the love that showed in his eyes when he looked at her. 

“Well go and count that money, I’ll cover if anyone asks about you.  But I think you’re safe almost everyone is gone.”  Johnny said and hurried her off.

Sally got upstairs and pulled out her tablet that had the amount of money that was needed for each part of the trip.  Though it was an approximate amount at the best, it gave her a number to shoot for.

She quickly counted the money and added it to what she already knew she had saved.  “I need at least another 1,000 dollars.  Well that’s better than the 4,000 I needed earlier.  I can’t believe mom and dad gave me this much money.”  She said as she sat on her bed.

“We knew how much you wanted to go.”  Her mother scared her as she walked into the room.

“Mom, how long have you been standing there?”  Sally asked.

“Just a few minutes is all.  I wondered how long it would take before you came up here to see what your totals were.  Do you really need 1,000 more?  Could you do the trip on less?”  Her mom asked.

“Wow mom it sounds like you really want me to go.”  Sally said shocked.

“Honey, I would like to keep you here at home your whole life, but that would be wrong of me.  I wanted to travel the world when I was your age too, but my parents didn’t want me too.  I can’t keep you trapped in a life that you don’t want.  Instead I can give you the chance to see what it’s like and be able to study where you think is best.”  Her mom said.

“You really wanted to travel?  Why didn’t you tell me that before?”  Sally asked.

“Because I was fighting with myself about this whole trip.  I wanted to keep your safe, but wanted to allow you to go as well.  It’s hard for a parent to let their only daughter, and only child wonder off.  I can’t protect you when you’re gone, you know that.  But I also wanted to give you a chance that I never had.  You couldn’t imagine how many times I wonder what other countries are like.”  Her mom stated.

“You know you and dad can always travel once he retires.”  Sally said.

“We may just do that honestly.  We’ve been talking about it for years now.  Your father is just thankful that I didn’t go off and find a different man!  He says that my mother protected him by not allowing me to go.  But he also wants you to go.  You have to understand how hard it is to let you go though.  One day when you have kids you’ll understand it!”  Sally’s mom commented.  “So can you go with less or not?”

“I would rather have the little extra, just in case something happens so I have the money.”  Sally said.

“That’s practical.  If we had the money we would give it to you, but that was all we could afford.”  Her mom stated.

“No mom, it won’t take me but a month to earn it, I’ll get another job.  Plus I have to get the passport done.  Maybe I’ll have it all at the same time.”  Sally commented.

“You could always do a rush on the passport!”  Her mom commented.

“Yeah I know.  I might be able to do that, but I want to make sure I have the rest of the money still.  Plus I have to buy the plane ticket.”  Sally thought in her mind as she talked. 

“You’re going to be gone soon, before you know it.”  Her mom smiled.  “Enjoy it Sally, it’s something amazing to see other cultures.” 

“I’m so excited to go; I can’t believe I’m so close now.  It seemed like such a little shot to go earlier today, and now I’m so close.  Thank you so much.”  Sally hugged her mom.

“I think Johnny is waiting downstairs to hear how close you are.  You know that boy adores you right?” Her mom asked.

“Yes mom, but he’s too much of a geek for me.”  Sally said and rolled her eyes.

“Well honestly I think you could do a lot worse than Johnny Young.  He’s really a good boy, and he stays out of trouble.  Maybe if you ever come back he’ll still be free and you and he can marry!”  Her mother said.

“Mom, really?  No I don’t really think he’s my type at all.”  Sally turned red at her mom’s words.

“Well I think he would be good to you, and that’s what is important.”  Her mom stated.

“But mom don’t you have to love the man you want to marry?  I don’t love Johnny, I mean as a friend, but not more than that.”  Sally told her mom.

Sally watched as the color drained from her mother’s face.  “Oh hey Johnny, how are you?”

Sally turned around to see Johnny standing there.  By the look on his face he had heard what she had said.  But she didn’t know what to say to make it any better.  She had never told him anything but that he was a friend.

“Hey Johnny, how are you?”  Sally asked.

“It’s okay Sally you’ve told me plenty of times.  I’m just that guy who will always be a friend.”  Johnny said, his voice sounded like he was on the edge of anger.  “So how close are you?”  He asked.

“I have a thousand dollars to save up.”  Sally said.

“Great, so when do you think you’ll leave?”  He asked.

Sally noticed that his voice sounded colder than normal.  She felt bad like she had broken something inside of him even.  But what could she do?

“I don’t know probably a couple of months.”  Sally stated.

“Okay, well let me know if you need anything before you go, I’m right next door.”  He said and turned to leave.

“Thank you Johnny.”  She said to his back as he walked away.

“Sally Mae, did you really have to seem so cold to him?  He’s such a good boy.”  Her mom shook her head.

“Mom, I’ve had this conversation with him far too many times.”  Sally sighed.

“I saw his face, he may have said he wasn’t hurt, but he was, trust me.”  Her mom stated.

“What am I supposed to do mom?  I don’t want him to think that I will date him.  I know he wants to date me, but it wouldn’t be fair to give him the wrong idea.  In fact, I think I’m being nicer to him then a lot of girls might be.”  Sally said.

“Maybe you see it that way.  But keep in mind that he still has feelings.”  Her mom said and got up to walk out.  “There’s still some cleaning up I have to do.”  She said as she walked out.

“Thanks again mom.”  Sally said as her mom left the room.

She sat there a few more minutes and thought about what her mom had said.  She had seen the hurt on Johnny’s face too.  It had been apparent.  For the second time in the same day too he had seemed quite angry at her words.  Sally wasn’t cold, she did feel bad, and sometimes she wished that he was a bit more of a bad boy.  If he was just a little different she might really date him, hell she might even stay in town and give up her dream of Paris.

Chapter 4

Johnny went home and sat in his room; he looked at his computer and sighed.   “If I didn’t get hooked on those games maybe she would like me more.”  He stared and could feel his blood boiling.

“I like the bad boys, your just way too nice.”  He heard her voice echoing in his head.

“She wants a bad boy; I’ll just be a bad boy.  How do I do it?”  He turned on the computer and punched in a search.  How to get a bad boy image, and hit enter.

Johnny studied the results and clicked on a few and opened them in new panels.  “Johnny, it’s time to get serious and study.  Learn this behavior and do it.  If you want it you have to grab it.  She will be mine one day.”  He stared at the first page and studied the information set before him.

You need to be self-confident and exude charisma.  So you want to know how to accomplish this?  I know you do, because it will be the first step to making your charm the bad-boy nature women love so much.  First you will need to always be sure of every comment you make to anyone, not just the one girl.  The more self-confidence you show, the easier it will be to actually become what you are searching to be, a bad boy.  With that self-confidence your charisma will naturally be increased.  The woman you want to impress, even if there is more than one, will flock to your door.  You won’t even have to search her out anymore; instead she’ll come crawling to you.

You do want you want and whenever you want.  That’s right; you don’t ask for permission from anyone, you don’t need it.  This is a classic bad boy behavior that will set you apart from the nice guy you once were.  When women she you behaving like this it naturally increases their sexual attraction to you.  Remember that my steps will allow you the freedom to be the real bad boy inside of you, not just a fake mask that other does will try to sell you.

You will do everything you do on purpose.  What does this mean?  It means that no matter what you do, it will be done on purpose.  You will never apologize for looking at a woman who is beautiful if she catches you.  Instead you will let her know it was done because you wanted to do it.  Remember this is where getting permission and not having to do it comes in.  Does that mean you should do bad things to a woman, NO.  You must still treat her with respect and know that she is the creature you desire.  You have come here with someone in mind, why would you ever treat this person you wanted so wrong? 

You never show fear, you are not afraid of anything.  This is simple.  A woman doesn’t like having to come to the rescue of any man.  Not when they love the bad boy!  Showing fear is one certain way that many nice guys lose those women who want something more from life.

You will break laws, not necessarily bad ones, but just enough to show you are a bad boy.  This is a hard step for many of the nice guys who are trying to change their image.  It is honestly the one that many will fail to accomplish.  There are a lot of women who love the man who lives on the edge and will break the law.  The attraction is often not even known by the woman until it’s too late. They aren’t afraid to say FUCK YOU to anyone, even the law.  This is when you know that you really desire someone, if you can accomplish this step.  Sure there are some bad boys out there who haven’t broken the law, but many of the most desired are one’s who’ve at least had some sort of charges brought against them.  (Some perfect examples of this are Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, and 50 Cent); women would do just about anything to be with any of them.

You leave women wanting more.  That’s right, you don’t let her push you around, you don’t always do what she wants, and you definitely leave her wanting more from you.  Once you’ve hooked your woman to your bad boy attraction they will want more from you.  Whether it’s one night in the sack, or a lifetime commitment.  She will always come back to you, you’ve got her hooked at this point.  If she wants a kiss from you one night, give her a little kiss, and maybe a deeper kiss.  However, stop and don’t continue.  It may be hard if you’ve desired a certain woman for long, you’ll want to give in.  Don’t do it though, it will hook her in your clasp much more.  Be strong and walk away, make her wait, and she’ll want you even more.

For more tips you can buy the full e-book available on Amazon.

Johnny smiled some of these things he thought he had down already.  “I could be a bad boy, actually.”  He said out loud.

His mind began to churn and wonder how he could accomplish these steps and win Sally over before she left.  “Break the law, how will I do that?  I mean, that might be a bit tough.”  He said. 

Chapter 5

Sally woke up the next day and went to get the classifieds.  It was time to find another job and save up for her fashion design classes and live in Paris, France. 

“I will go to Paris, and I’m going to be in Paris one day!  I can feel it in my bones.”  Sally pumped herself up. 

She circled a few jobs and called to set up interviews. 

“Hey mom, I have a couple of interviews today and am going to do my passport.”  Sally said as her mom entered the room.

“Are you going to get it sped up or not?”  Her mom asked.

“No I think I’ll just get a few more jobs and work to save up the money.  I would love to get more than I need saved up, and the time waiting for the passport will give me it!”  Sally told her mom her plan.

“Oh that’s a really good idea.  Where are your interviews?”  Her mom asked.

Sally told her mom and then went to get dressed for her interviews and other things she wanted to get done for the day.  She had an extra hop in her step as she went out the door to get it all done.

Coming home later that day she was even happier than ever.

“Hey how did the interviews go  today?”  Her mom asked when she came in that night.

“Great, I got part-time at each of them, now I have three jobs!  By the time I get my passport back I’ll be able to by a flight and go!”  Sally jumped up and down with excitement.

“That’s great news sweetie, I’m so happy for you!”  Her mom hugged her and joined in the celebration.

“I have to get ready, I work two hours tonight.  Then tomorrow I have a full day between the other two places!”  Sally kissed her mom on the cheek and ran upstairs.

The weeks flew by and Sally added her money to the kitty.  Each day she came home to see if her passport had come yet or not, but so far nothing. 

“Mom you didn’t get the mail today did you?”  Sally asked as she came in the door.

“No sweetie, didn’t you get it yet?”  Her mom replied.

“No, I was hoping you got the mail and it was here.”  Sally answered.

“Well how long has it been now?”  Her mom questioned.

“It is a little over three weeks now.  But they said it could come as quick as two weeks.  Also that it could take a couple of months.”  Sally looked down at the floor.

“Don’t worry honey, just remember how much money you might save!”  Her mom tried to cheer her up.

“its okay mom, I’m so busy with work I don’t really think about it much.”  Sally admitted.

“Good honey.  But you look tired, are you off the rest of the day?”  Her mom asked.

“I have a couple hours before I got in tonight.  I’m going to go and get some sleep.”  Sally said and went upstairs.

“Alright sweetie, do you need me to wake you up?”  Her mom yelled up the stairs.

“No mom it’s okay, I’ll set the alarm.”  Sally yelled back.

Her head hit the pillow and Sally was out.  Her dreams were of Paris and creating the most beautiful designs.  She saw her name on the labels of clothes that people, including celebrities, would buy and wear.

This was a dream she’d had all her life and now to know that she was so close, it was exhilarating.  She thought back to when she was only four years old and making dresses for all her dolls.  Her parents had congratulated her on her skills.

They had helped to increase her love in fashion design by buying her books as she got older.  When she was 12 they had found a summer program in Lincoln for Fashion Design and had taken her to it.  Her mother and her had stayed the week in Lincoln and would come home on weekends to visit her dad. 

She smiled as she thought of the many sacrifices her parents had made for her.  This dream wasn’t just hers anymore, it was her parents as well by now.  The gift of money on her birthday had proven it to her. 

When she had first learned that the top designers studied in France and had talked about going; it had seemed like they didn’t agree.  

They had wanted to be happy for her, but she could see in their eyes their pain.  She knew it was because of their desire to keep her close.  But hadn’t really understood it much.  However, like her mother said, maybe once she had kids.

However, now it was just the desire to finish her dream to a completion.  Even if she didn’t ever become a top designer that everyone knew.  The fact that she could say she had lived in Paris and studied fashion design was enough.

Sally woke up an hour and a half later.  The remainders of the memories that had led her dreams still there in her mind.  She smiled and felt refreshed and ready to go to work.

She ran downstairs to see a note on the table.

Hey sweetie, we went out for supper.  I made you a sandwich it’s in the refrigerator.  Eat before you go to work.

Love you, Mom & Dad

P.S. Johnny stopped by to see you

She grabbed the sandwich, and ran out the door.  Johnny would have to wait, she didn’t have time right now.  She thought in her mind when she might have free time, but didn’t know.  “I’ll get to him later, I’m sure he only wants to know how much I have saved up.”  Sally said to herself as she got behind the wheel of the car and drove off to work.

It wasn’t until a few days later that she had a few minutes to go see Johnny.  She walked next door and knocked on the door.  Johnny’s mom answered the door.

“Hi Mrs. Young  I came see Johnny.”  Sally smiled at his mom.

“Oh hey Sally, I’m sorry he’s not home right now, he’s at work.”  His mom said.

“I didn’t know he had a job.”  Sally said shocked.

“He just got it a few days ago.  He’s working at the mechanic shop.”  She said.  “If you want you can stop by and say hi to him.” 

“Maybe if I have the time, thanks.”  Sally responded.

Sally knew she didn’t have time today, so she figured maybe they would meet up soon.  She was due at work in half an hour and it took 20 minutes for her to get there.

One day blurred into another and a few more weeks had passed when she had a little time again.  Sally was far too tired to go over to Johnny’s though, she thought as she opened the mail box.  Bending over to look inside she saw something that could  be her passport.

“Oh my god, I got it, I got it!”   She ran in the house yelling.

Her mom met her in the living room.  “You got your passport?”  Her mom asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, yes, I got it.  I’m going to buy my ticket today!”  Sally ran off to the computer.

She turned on her computer and pulled up one of the sites to find cheap airline tickets.  She looked over specials that included at least a hotel and maybe a car.  Sally was so excited she felt like she was overwhelmed with it. 

“Once I get over there I’ll find a cheaper place to live, but one month in the hotel.  Oh here’s a great deal.”  She said as she looked over the various offers.

She clicked a few buttons and picked a flight.  She knew her friends would be upset with the date she picked, it was just a few days away. 

Sally then called the places she worked and told them she wasn’t coming back, she was going to Paris.  She knew she should have given them more time, however, she had waited for Paris for 20 years now, and it was finally here.

“Mom I’m leaving in 3 days.”  She came running down the stairs.

“Are you going to be able to be ready by then?”  Her mom asked shocked by how quickly she would be losing her only child.

“I’ve had a bag packed for about a month now!  The rest of what I need to do isn’t much really.  Mostly saying goodbye to people.”  Sally admitted.

“Well I’m so happy for you, but I’ll admit I’m really sad you’re leaving too.”  Her mom stated.

“Me too mom, me too.  I have to call a few people.  I know they’ll want to spend some time with me, but really if I can I’d like to spend a little with you and dad too.  You know mom I realized the other night that this is just as much all of our dream now, as it is mine.”  Sally said.

“Oh your right sweetie, ever since that time you first designed that cute little pink dress for your Barbie.”  Her mother laughed.

“Yeah I know.  Hey have you seen Johnny around lately?”  Sally asked, knowing that she still hadn’t seen him since the one day he had stopped over.  She felt bad, but knew that she should say good bye to him.  He was her neighbor and friend for the past 10 years after all.

“I think he came home a little bit ago, I heard his motorcycle.”  Her mom stated.

“He has a motorcycle now?  Are you kidding me?”  Sally said shocked.

“Yeah, he was explaining everything about it to me one day, but I didn’t understand a word.”  Her mom laughed.

“Probably all technical stuff that only a geek like him would know.  But honestly I wouldn’t expect him to have a motorcycle, it seems far too dangerous for him.”  Sally had to laugh at the thought of Johnny on a motorcycle.  “I think I’ll run over and tell him that I’m leaving in a few days.”

“Alright, see you in a little bit sweetie, and congratulations on the ticket!”  Her mom hugged her before she left.

Sally started to go next door and stopped at the motorcycle.  Not only was it a nice one it was a Harley Davidson.  “How and why did he get this?”  She asked herself as she headed to his door to knock.

Johnny opened the door and saw Sally there.  “Oh hey, how are you?”  He asked and opened it to let her in .

“Is that really your motorcycle?  I’m good, but how are you?”  She asked.  Sally looked over him, there was something different about him, she wasn’t sure what, but it was not the old Johnny.

“Yeah that’s my hog, I got it from a guy I work with, nice isn’t it.  I love it, hey you want to go for a ride?”  Johnny asked.

“Sure, I’ve always wanted to ride on one.”  Sally agreed.

“Come on.”  He said and walked out the door.

“Do you have a helmet?”  She asked as she started towards the bike.

“A helmet, are you kidding me?  Helmets are for pussies.”  He laughed. 

“Okay, since when did you become this tough guy?”  Sally asked. 

“I’ve always been like this, but you never really noticed it since I was always playing games.  But I’ve quite those childish habits and moved on.  Time to make my way in life and have fun.”  Johnny stated.

“Wow.”  Sally didn’t know what to say, and even if she did, her voice would be drowned out as he hit the gas. 

Sally clung to him as he drove down the street and headed towards the interstate.  She loved the feel of the air in her hair.  Oh this would be so nice to enjoy on a daily basis, she thought, and then remembered she was leaving in three days.  Being on the bike had actually made her forget about Paris for a bit.

“Hey I have something to tell you.”  Sally yelled to Johnny.

“What I can’t hear you?”  Johnny said.  He pulled the bike back into the driveway.

“I’m leaving in 3 days for Paris.”  Sally said.

She saw his face fall quickly, and then he recovered slightly.  “That’s great.  I wish we could have hung out more before you left.  If I would have known I would take a few days off.  But honestly, today is the only day I have off for the next week.”  Johnny said.

Sally wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not, she felt anger under the surface.  “Yeah, well we can always talk online if you want.”  She offered.

“I don’t know, maybe, we’ll see.”  He said.

She was confused by his behavior.  She had always been used to the boy who was swearing his love for her.  This Johnny was different, he hadn’t said anything once about how he felt about her. 

“Okay well, I need to do a few things for my mom and I have to work early in the morning.  I’m sorry I don’t have more time to spend with you before you go.”  Johnny said and gave her a hug.

“Yeah, okay.  The bike is really cool, I like it a lot.  You’ve changed somehow too, I’m not sure how, but you have.”  Sally said and watched as he left her standing there and went inside his house.

She was so confused as she walked back to her house at his behavior.  The last three days she was in town Johnny was in her mind more than he ever had been.  She almost wished that she hadn’t bought the ticket yet and could find out more about how much he had changed.

As she was boarding the plane to go to Paris her thoughts were of Johnny and her parents.  She had watched him go off to work that day as they were leaving.  He had barely looked over at her and waved.  He had to remember she was leaving, did he not care anymore.  Sally felt sad that she had lost the one person who seemed to care for her so much.  Well besides her parents, but in another way that they couldn’t offer.

She fell asleep on the plane and hoped that Paris was everything she hoped it would be and more.  Her dreams were filled with a vision of Johnny riding his bike and picking her up at the airport. 

Waking up she realized it was almost time to land in Paris.  Any thoughts of her old life were quickly replaced by a sudden wonder and excitement of another country. 

She walked off the plane and into the airport.  The hotel had sent a representative to pick her up.  She wasn’t sure why, but it had been a nice addition for a traveler who had no idea where to go.

“Excuse me, I’m Sally Leach, you are waiting for me?”  She walked up to a young man who had been holding a sign with her name on it.

“Oh yes mademoiselle, I am Pierre from the hotel.  I hope your flight was good.  We can get your bags and I’ll take you to the hotel.”  He said, his French accent thick.  He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.  His lips lingered on her hand just a little too long.  But he looked at her like it was a challenge.

Sally looked at him, he had dark black hair and this look about him that made her forget everything.  I think I’m going to like Paris a lot, she thought.

THE END

HIS JUSTICE

BOOK – 2

Chapter 1

Oh yes mademoiselle, I am Pierre from the hotel.  I hope your flight was good.  We can get your bags and I’ll take you to the hotel.”  He said, his French accent thick.  He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.  His lips lingered on her hand just a little too long.  But he looked at her like it was a challenge.

Sally looked at him, he had dark black hair and this look about him that made her forget everything.  I think I’m going to like Paris a lot, she thought.

“You are very beautiful.”  Pierre said to her as they walked to the car.  “I’ve always heard American girls were pretty, but could never image someone quite like you, even in my wildest dreams!”  He added.

She turned bright red at his compliments.  “I’m sure there are many pretty girls in Paris.”  She finally said.

“Not as beautiful as you are Ms. Sally.”  He said. 

“You can just call me Sally.”  She told him.

“Okay Sally, you are really something else.  I would like to offer to show you around Paris.  I’ve lived here all my life and know many things that most tourists would never see.”  He stated.

“That sounds nice.”  Sally answered.

She gazed over at Pierre, he was what she had always pictured for a Frenchman.  He had a slanted nose that was a bit large, but honestly on his face looked amazing.  He had a little bit of a mustache, and his skin was a golden bronze tone.  Sally could feel herself becoming more attracted to him by the second.  Any homesickness she had felt along the trip was quickly disappearing as she looked at him more and more.  Yet there was the memory of her one afternoon with Johnny, she couldn’t get it out of her mind completely.

“Great, how about we start in a couple of hours.  Or we can wait until tomorrow if your too tired from your flight.”  He said. 

“Well I just need to drop off my bags, but after that I can go now.  I slept the whole flight almost, so I have plenty of energy.”  She smiled.

Sally hadn’t flirted with many men in her past, but she was trying to flirt with Pierre.  He had these emerald green eyes that were beautiful.  She was here now, and Johnny, well he hadn’t even said anything about what took place between them. 

“Great, I would be honored to show you Paris, Mon amour.”  He kissed her hand once more, again he lingered longer than normal.  She didn’t stop him though, the truth was she liked the distraction from her old life.

This was her new life now, Paris, and maybe Pierre.  Sally thought about him as she walked to her room.  Then she flashed back to Johnny and his bike.  At least when she had been around Pierre he had made her think of something besides her neighbor and that amazing sex they had before she left.

“Maybe I’ll try to contact Johnny really quickly, and see how he’s doing?”  Sally thought out loud as she placed her bags on the bed.

There was a knock on her door, so she went to answer it. 

“Oh hi Pierre.”  Sally smiled.  It was those eyes of his that had her mesmerized. 

“Are you ready?”  He asked.

“Yeah, but let me send a quick message to a friend back home.”  Sally stated.  She picked up her phone and typed in a quick  message to Johnny.

Hey Johnny,  I just got into Paris, hope you are doing well.  How is the job going?  I wish I could of rode on the Harley once more before coming over here.  Write when you get a chance.

Sally

She looked at it and thought it was fine.  But part of her wondered why she wanted to write to him so much.  It was true that her feelings towards him were quite confusing.  Now she was here in Paris though, and she had a chance to live her dream.  Sally had to try and put Johnny out of her mind, but maybe she could still talk to him. 

Sometimes they said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, she thought.  Was that what was going on with Johnny and her?  Sally had never thought of him in any other way besides the geeky gamer next door, until just a few days before she left, that was.

“Okay I’m ready.”  She said turning towards Pierre, thankful for the distraction of his eyes and behavior.

“I like your hair down too.”  Pierre commented.

She had taken it down when she had come into the room.  “Thank you.”  She said as she ran her fingers through her long blonde locks.

“Mon Cheri, that is beautiful when you do that, but please don’t tempt me by doing it a lot.  I might have to kiss you and declare my every dying love for you.”  Pierre stated.

She looked at him to see if he was serious.  “Oh stop, you can’t love me you don’t even know me!”  She laughed.

“Tu es belle, you are beautiful.”  Pierre said.

Sally just shook her head.  Maybe she had made the wrong choice by agreeing for him to show her around.  But part of her enjoyed the flattery and the wonderful words. 

“Alright, so where are we going today?”  Sally asked.

“I’m going to take you to one of the most beautiful gardens in town, Bois de Vincennes.  It has beautiful roses and other flowers in it, though they will never compare the beauty that is you.”  Pierre added.

“Are you going to hit on me all day long?”  Sally questioned.

“Only until you agree to have dinner with me tonight.”  He stated.

“Fine if it will stop you I’ll have dinner with you tonight.”  She said.

“Great, do you have a nice dress, we’ll go to Le Meurice.”  He said.

“Is it good?”  She asked.

“Oh it’s the best food you can find in town.  Well one of the best easily, there are several, but perhaps we can try them all while you are here!”  Pierre stated.

She couldn’t help but wish it was Johnny who was here with her to see this.  Sally snapped her mind quiet quickly.  What was this constant thinking of Johnny?  It was simply getting out of hand.  It was just sex the one time; clearly it had just been that to him.  If it would have been more he would have surely said something to her.

“I think that would be nice.”  She replied.  I have to get him out of my mind one way or another, she thought with resolve.  I’m in Paris and he’s in Nebraska, I’m not going back without accomplishing part of my dream, if not all of it.

“Great, let’s go to the garden.”  He opened the door for her and they walked out of the room.  “You’ll love this park if you like flowers.”  He stated.

“I love flowers!”  Sally commented.

He smiled, “Then you’ll love this park for sure.  There are other’s we can see while you here.  How long will you be staying in Paris?”  He asked.

“I’m studying fashion design.  So I’ll be here at least a year or more.”  She said.

“Oh that’s a long time.  Maybe I’ll be able to convince you to marry me in this year!”  He laughed.

She simply looked at him to try and decide if he was serious.  She had always heard the stereotypes about Frenchmen being lovers, but was it really true.  She thought she could see clearly why this stereotype had come about.

“There’s the park.”  He said and pointed out the car to her right.

“Oh wow, it’s already so beautiful from here.”  Sally said as she looked out over the landscape she could see.  There were flowers of all colors, and a whole bunch of trees.  “Are we going to walk around?”  She asked him.

“But of course Mon Cheri.”  He commented.  “What kind of tour guide would I be to just drive you by the park and not go into it?”  He added.

Sally laughed.  “Not a very good one!” 

“No not at all.  Plus I get to show you off.  All the people will be jealous because of the American beauty I have on my arm.”  He smiled wickedly.

“I thought you were going to stop that once I agreed to go out to dinner with you?”  She asked.

“So I lied a little bit.  I don’t think I could ever stop telling you how beautiful you are.”  He laughed.

“Yeah I had a feeling about that.”  She admitted.

“Please forgive me if I seem too forward.  I don’t know how American men are, but I can tell you how we French are.  If we see something we want, we’ll go after it.  I’m not going to lie to you Sally, I want you.”  He said bluntly.

She was shocked by his direct honesty and wasn’t sure how to respond right away.  It hurt her mind to try and figure out why he would be so interested in her in the first place.  As far as she was concerned she was a simple girl from Nebraska.  She had big dreams sure of one day everyone knowing her, but right now she was just a simple nobody.  Why would this sexy speaking Frenchman want her?

“I just don’t know how to take you.”  She finally stated.

“I know it’s hard to understand dealing with someone who speaks his mind.  But you’ll find that I’m that sort.  If I don’t like something I will tell you, and the same goes for when I really like something.  Like you Mon Cheri.”  He stared into her eyes.

He leaned in to kiss and placed his lips on hers lightly.  She pulled away from him.  “I can’t, I really like this guy back home, I don’t know why, but I do.”  Sally explained.

“But he is back home, and you are here.  If you really liked him, why would you come to Paris?”  Pierre questioned.

“I’ve always wanted to study fashion design in Paris.”  She said.

“Seems to me if you really liked him you would have stayed in America, no matter what your dreams.”  He stated.  “But I will give you the space you request.  I won’t stop telling you how beautiful you are and how I desire you.”  He added.

“I didn’t know I liked him until right before I left, and I had already bought my ticket.  I don’t know it’s confusing right now.  I have no idea what I want to do, but I might actually go home, I’m considering it.”  She admitted.

“Well I would rather you stay, I am serious about my intentions towards you though.”  He explained.

“I’d like to go back to the hotel now; I need to think for a bit.”  She said.

“Alright, but remember you promised me dinner tonight, I’ll pick you up at 8.”  He reminded her.

“Okay, I’m sorry; maybe I’m more tired than I thought.”  She apologized.

“It’s okay Mon Cheri, get some rest and I will see you later for our meal.”  Pierre said as he dropped her off at her room.

Sally walked in and collapsed on the bed, her mind a whirl of nothing but confusing emotions.  The scene in the woods played itself out in her mind again.  She had enjoyed it a lot, and thought he had too.  But after it was done, he hadn’t kissed her once, had simply zipped up his pants and taken her home.

Of course she had told him that she was going to Paris in 3 days that most likely didn’t help any.  Maybe she should have cancelled the trip and stayed back home, seen what was up with the new Johnny?

She picked up her phone to see if he had responded to her message yet or not.  She saw something and clicked on it.

Hi Sally,

I’m glad you made it there okay.  Look I don’t think we should write to each other, I’m kind of dating Mary now.  She wouldn’t really like me talking to you.  Plus you went to Paris and who knows when you’ll be back.  So have fun.

Johnny

She reread the message several times, trying to process it all.  He was dating Mary?  Her friend Mary?  She had often been rude to him in the past when she was over at Sally’s.  How were they even dating?  She had so many questions that she wanted answered.  But he had made it clear he really didn’t want her to write him.  Her heart sunk deep in her chest.

“Maybe he’s just saying that, I’ll write to Mary and find out.”  Sally stated.

Sally pulled up her Facebook and saw if Mary was online.  “Oh good she is!”  Sally clicked on her friend’s name and sent a quick message.

Hey Mary, I made it!  She typed.

Hi Sally, so what is it like?  How long have you been there now?  Mary wrote back.

I’ve been here for just a few hours now, and went to this amazing park it was magical.  So what have you been up too since I’ve been gone?  Sally wrote and then thought for a full two days, that’s all I’ve been gone.  You’ve already moved in on the boy who wanted me for years and grabbed him up, her mind added.

Oh a park, that’s nice.  Me and Johnny are dating now.  How come you never said he was such a bad boy?  I mean were you trying to keep him all to yourself or what?  Mary wrote.

Sally sighed as she read the words from her friend. 

I thought you didn’t like him?  I mean you were always so rude to him, what happened?  Sally typed on the screen.

I was in the grocery store and I saw him.  Did you know he had a motorcycle?  He just walked up to me and started talking and asked me out.  So I said yes, and I think he might be the one!  Mary’s message read.

Sally felt a tear escape from her eye and then from the other one.  “How could he, I thought I was all he wanted?”  She asked not Mary, but herself.  It wasn’t a message she would type to her friend.  But Mary had seen how Johnny had always been around her too; she had to know, right?

Wow I had always thought he wanted to date just me.  Sally put in the message box and looked at the message.  Did it sound conceited?  Yes a little bit, but Johnny had always claimed it.  She finally hit send; she really wanted to know what was going on.  Here she was in Paris and pining after this bad boy back home that had moved on.  If that was the case, she would just have fun with Pierre and move on from Johnny.

Oh aren’t we a bit full of ourselves.  What would you expect him to do follow you to Paris.  You made a choice and left here and everyone behind.  Don’t be upset at him for moving on.  There is nothing wrong with me; I think I might love him even.  So please Sally if you’re going to be mean about this I don’t want to talk to you.  I should have just blocked you like Johnny said to do.  But no I figured you could be happy for me, and even him.  You are more shallow than I had realized. 

The scathing message stared at Sally, as she read every word.  She had to admit she wasn’t happy for Mary or Johnny, not one bit.  Instead she had hoped that he would wait for her, maybe she would go back in a year, and he would be there.  Still the Johnny he had been before she left and he would sweep her off her feet. 

Now even that dream was dying so quickly.  She read Mary’s message once more and responded.

I’m sorry Mary, I’m happy for both of you.  It just really comes as a shock that he would move on so quickly.  I mean we had sex right before I left even.  She typed it and then erased the last part of the message.  No she didn’t want everyone to know she had sex with Johnny, it was their own personal thing.

When she hit send though her message didn’t go through and it showed up that Mary had blocked her. 

“What the hell?”  Sally said out loud.  She curled up in a ball on the bed and began to cry.  Not only had she lost the boy who had always adored her, but she had lost another of her good friends. 

So far her life in Paris had been one bad thing after another.  “We’ll all except Pierre, he seems to adore me.  He almost reminds me of what Johnny used to be like.”  She said.

She pulled up an email and wrote to her mom, it was one of the last people she felt she had in the world.

Hey Mom,

I’ve only been in Paris a few hours so far and life is so much different.  I went to a park with this really nice Frenchman, his name is Pierre.  We are going out later tonight for dinner. 

I’ll write and tell you how the food is, and I’ll take pictures of everything!  I’m posting some from the park today.

I love you and dad,

Sally

Sally had thought of asking her mother about Johnny and Mary, but didn’t.  She would simply move on here.  Pierre had already told her how he felt.  Well the next time he tried to kiss her, she would simply let him.

Her head was heavy as she finally allowed her eyes to close shut.  Before she knew it her alarm was ringing and she had to get up and take a shower.  Pierre would be here in an hour to pick her up.

Though she did feel a bit more rested, her heart was still heavy as she thought of Johnny and Mary.  “I don’t get it.”  She muttered as she stepped into the shower.

Chapter 2

Johnny looked in the mirror and smiled.  But the truth was that deep down he was boiling with rage.  “How could she still leave after what happened in the trees?” 

Perhaps he should have said something to her.  But right after they had finished that day, she had told him she was going to be gone in three days.  He felt like he had been punched in the stomach, throat and heart all at the same time.

He thought back to the day he saw them drive by to take her to the airport.  She had waved at him; he had simply looked away from her.  She made up her mind as far as he was concerned.

Johnny had to wonder if she had broken something in him.  He didn’t quite feel like the same person he was before she left. 

“Hey hot shot, the sex was amazing.”  Mary came into the room still naked.  She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his shoulder.

“I have to go to the gym.  I’ll see you later.”  He kissed her quickly on the lips.

He left and headed to the gym.  He had started working out right before Sally had left, and finally he was beginning to see some nice results.  The trainer at the gym told him he had the build of Bruce Lee, lean and full of muscle.

Johnny had to admit he’d never felt better in his life, at least physically.  Emotionally, well that was another thing.  He had set his sights on Mary, not because he wanted her.  But because it was Sally’s best friend.  It would hurt her the most to know that he had screwed her and then started to date her best friend.

Lately though he felt the anger welling up far too often.  He hoped that lifting at the gym today would help out.  Johnny put an extra fifty pounds on the bar and got ready.

All he could think about was Sally.  Sometimes when he was sleeping at night he could still smell her scent.  Johnny had hoped that the distraction of Mary and having sex with her would be enough to get her out of his mind, however, it hadn’t worked.

He could remember the night he saw Mary at the grocery store and picked her up.  It had been quite easy.  Mary hadn’t even recognized him at first in the store.

“Hey so how do you feel about Sally going to Paris?”  Johnny had approached Mary in the store.

She looked up at him and he could see the lack of recognition. 

“It’s me Johnny Young, Sally’s neighbor.”  He stated.

“Oh wow Johnny, you look a lot different from the last time I saw you.  I didn’t even recognize you.”  Mary said, her eyes getting that glazed look of attraction that he’d read on other sites women would get.

“I figured that.  I’ve been lifting at the gym too the last few months, now I’m seeing results.”  He flexed his arm and showed her the muscle.

She grabbed his arm and squeezed it.  “Oh that’s nice, very nice.”  She flirted with him openly.

“So maybe you’d like to go out for lunch or something.”  Johnny offered.

“I thought you were hot for Sally?”  Mary asked.

“She went to Paris, what am I supposed to do wait?”  Johnny sneered.

“No, you shouldn’t wait.  Sure I’ll go with you for lunch.”  Mary answered.

Johnny had taken her to the Chinese place on the corner and then they had gone back to his house and had sex.  He had enjoyed the rough sex he had with Sally, but this had gone to an all new level.  It was something he discovered he enjoyed quite a bit too.

Mary had been on top of him and had asked him to squeeze her neck a bit and choke her while she was on top.  Johnny had hesitated at this step at first.  But finally, she had grabbed his hand and squeezed her neck with his hand.

Johnny didn’t last long at all, he found the power he held in his grasp was far too much of an aphrodisiac.  He made it up to her that day though by getting hard as a rock quickly and fucking her hard from behind.  They had been a couple from that moment, he couldn’t shake her off of his dick half of the time. 

No matter how much fun he had with Mary in the bedroom though he still only wanted Sally.  Sometimes while Mary and he had sex he would picture Sally instead.  Those were the times that he would have a hard time not choking the life out of her too.  But he would often have one of the strongest orgasms he’d ever experienced.  Well that was except for the time in the woods with Sally. 

Why hadn’t he said anything about that to her?  “It’s because she went to Paris.  I would have talked to her, was getting ready to in fact.  But then she told me she was leaving in 2 days.

He strained to lift the weights as the anger at what he felt was her betrayal hit him hard once more.  However, he knew that he was just as much at fault at her.  He could have said something to her, told her he loved her again. 

Johnny had instead had sex with her and never told her once how he had felt during or after it.  He shook his head, “she still knew how I felt.” 

He wondered how many guys Sally had slept with in the past, maybe she was just a slut.  Perhaps he had seen her as something that she wasn’t, all because he loved her so much.  But then he realized it was his anger making him think this way. 

The fact was that Johnny knew all her past boyfriends, of which there were two of them.  He was sure that Chip, and Sally had sex when they dated.  They had been together around 5 years before he left to go to college.

But the other boy had been a short lived boyfriend.  He couldn’t even remember if Sally had told him the guy’s name or not.  That guy, well he wasn’t sure if Sally had slept with him or not.  However, it didn’t matter, he still wanted her.

His phone rang and he picked it up.  “Yeah, what’s up?”  He asked.

“I need you at work, Stanley got sick.”  His boss asked him.

“Yeah sure, what time.”  Johnny asked.

“Be here ASAP.” 

“Alright I’ll be there.”  Johnny hung up the phone.

Lately his boss had been a bit of an asshole to him, or maybe it was just that Johnny hated his life right now.  He knew he shouldn’t.  After all, he had a steady piece of ass, and a girl who was really kinky.  But what he wanted was halfway around the world now.

He called Mary and told her he was going into work. 

“I thought you were off tonight?”  She whined on the other side of the phone.

“I have to go in Old man Denton said so, didn’t give me a choice.  If I want to keep my job, I have to listen to him.”  Johnny stated, though he could feel the rage underneath the surface and it was threatening to come out.

“You really need to find another job Johnny.  We had plans for the night, now what am I going to do?”  She whined more.

“Listen I don’t know why you’re complaining, you’re not the one who has to go in and work.”  Johnny said.

“Well you don’t have to have an attitude with me.”  He could imagine her pouting on the other side of the conversation.  Johnny hated it when she whined and pouted.  He had wanted someone who was more mature, and figured that Mary was the same age as him and Sally.  Well there was a huge difference between Sally and Mary, the maturity difference alone was several years’ difference. 

He hung up the phone with Mary and missed Sally more than ever.  He knew that he could have still talked to her if he had wanted.  The comment about Mary not liking it, well he wouldn’t care what she liked or not.  He had wanted to hurt Sally as much as she had hurt him.

Johnny pictured her crying in a hotel room on the other side of the world, or at least some part of him hoped for it.  Then he felt bad as well, he still did love her so much.  His heart just felt like it was being ripped apart any time he thought of her and pictured her.

Maybe he would have been better had they not had sex before she left.  He had to be honest, that whole day had caught him off guard.  He hadn’t expected her to like the motorcycle so much that she would basically undress for him. 

He felt his manhood as it started to become erect.  Not now, I don’t have time, he thought.  However, when it wouldn’t go down he slipped into the bathroom and closed his eyes.  He sat there and replayed the whole scene in his head.

Sally was bent over the rock and he had slammed into her hard from behind.  He had showed no mercy during their sex.  He had grabbed her hard and she had moaned and he felt her get wetter.  Johnny wondered if Sally would enjoy being choked or not, as he had that thought his sperm flew out of his cock and into the tissue he had waiting.

Johnny got cleaned up and went home to change for work.  He wasn’t really happy about it, but honestly he didn’t want to be with Mary tonight either. 

“About time you got here Young, I called you over an hour ago.”  Old man Denton screamed at him when he walked into the shop.

“I was in the middle of my workout; I made it as quickly as I could.”  Johnny stated.

“I don’t pay you to go to the gym; I pay you to work on these cars.  Stanley got sick; these cars are due back to their owners now.  What should I tell them?  My sissy little worker had to go and get his body all toned up to impress someone?”  Old man Denton scoffed.

Johnny could feel his rage as it went up.  “I’m not a sissy because I take care of my body.  You’re just mad because your wife hasn’t given you sex in years.”  He shot out at the old man.

“Fuck you prick.  You better watch your mouth Young or you’ll be gone.  Think your hot shit and all that since you ride a Harley now.  You’re still a little nobody to anybody who it matters.  Look at that little girl you had the hots for, she’s in Paris now isn’t she?”  Denton got out.

Johnny was on him in a second.  “I’ll tell you what you fucking piece of shit.”  Johnny swung and hit the old man quickly.  His arms were flying as he went overboard.

“Yo, come on Young, stop already man.”  Jim a co-worker pulled him off the old man.  “Shit man you fucked him up bad.” 

“I’m going to have you arrested for assault you little prick.”  Denton stumbled to his feet.

“Look boss you were pushing him quite a bit, why don’t you just go to the hospital.”  Jim pulled the old man back to the office.  He made a motion for Johnny to get the hell to work now.

Johnny looked down at his hands.  He didn’t know where most of the rage came from, but it had scared him.  He thought he could have killed the old man no problem, if Jim wouldn’t have stopped him.  “Thank goodness he thought.”

He worked and hoped that Jim was talking Denton out of calling the police.  But he got his answer 10 minutes later when they walked into the door.

“Johnny Young, you’re going to have to come with us, we’re arresting you for assault.”  They told him.

He went with the officers peacefully.  But the old man had been right; the one person he wanted had left him, why?  If she could see him right now, what would she think?  No better yet, if she hadn’t left after they had sex would she still want him?  Would they still be together?  He really thought they would be the connection that day had been far too deep.

Chapter 3

Sally opened the door to let Pierre in.  “I’m almost ready, sorry I just have to finish with my makeup.”  She said and went back to the bathroom.

“You don’t need any makeup, your beauty is perfect.”  Pierre said as she walked away.

She shook her head at him.  “You really are going to keep telling me this type of stuff?”  She asked.

“Why wouldn’t I, it’s the way that I feel.”  He said.  “But you seem a little bit off, what’s wrong?”  He asked.  “It looks like you might have been crying, are you okay Mon Cheri?”

“I guess I was confused about nothing before.”  Sally said.

Pierre looked at her confused for a minute.  “Oh you mean the person back home, right?”  He questioned.

“Yeah, it seems like he is dating my best friend now.  I guess I wasn’t as important to him as I thought.”  Sally said sadly.

“Oh Mon Cheri, you will always be the most important thing to me.”  He grabbed her arm and kissed the back of her hand.  This time he moved his kisses up her arm and slowly made his way to her mouth.

Sally didn’t pull away from the kiss this time.  It was light and tender.  He pulled away and ended the kiss. 

“Let’s go eat.”  Pierre said.  “I promise the food will make you feel better.  If that doesn’t work, I’ll woo you more when we are done!”  He laughed.

She had to admit the kiss had been something that made her feel better though.  Sally had wondered if once Johnny had sex with her he had decided she wasn’t worth his time.  But Pierre’s kiss had held the promise of passion and much more, but not right away. 

Sally smiled and wondered how considerate of a lover Pierre would be.  It still hurt to think about sex though, because she pictured Mary and Johnny together.   Screw Johnny, she thought.

“Let’s go Pierre; I’m ready to have fun in Paris!”  Sally said and grabbed his arm.

He smiled at her; she saw the promise in his eyes of something more.  Sally suddenly felt the pain of the past starting to slip away; she knew Pierre would at the least be a very good distraction to her.

During the meal they talked about each other’s lives. 

“So what was it like growing up here?”  Sally asked.

“Nothing special really, well not until now and meeting you!”  Pierre smiled.  “It would be the same as where you grew up, was it special to you?  I’m used to everything around here, it’s my home.  But now Nebraska, tell me more about that!”  He stated.

“Well it’s cold in the winter, and gets really windy during the spring.  They have tornados and thunderstorms, but not much else if you want to expand your views.  I mean I could stay there but I would have felt like I was missing out on something.”  Sally explained.

“Yes Mon Cheri, you would have missed out on me!  Worse yet I would have missed out on meeting such a beautiful rose.”  He commented.

She smiled at him.  “Pierre you are indeed a Frenchman, the one’s I’ve read of whom love to love!”  She laughed.

“I don’t love everyone Mon Cheri, only those who are worth it, and I bet that you are worth every moment of my time.”  He stated.

“Maybe, but I guess that depends on you.”  Sally said.  She wasn’t sure if she was interested in Pierre because of him, or to get over Johnny.  Sally compared Pierre to Johnny more than once in her mind, and knew it wasn’t fair to either of them.  However, she knew it was something she would have to get over.

Before she knew it they had been sitting in the restaurant for four hours and it was closing down around them.  “Oh my goodness I hadn’t realized we had been here this long!”  She laughed.

“It’s okay I know the owner, but we should really go so they can clean up!  I was thinking about a nice romantic walk along the river, if you’re up for it.”  He said.

“Sure it sounds nice.  I want to experience Paris in every way possible.”  She stated.

“I will show you many sides of the country, if only you allow me too.”  He stated, his eyes showing a lust that she was sure was strong.

In her mind she weighed whether it was a good idea to sleep with Pierre, or would she be better off making him wait a bit.  She didn’t want to seem easy, though she had just thrown herself at Johnny right before she came over here.  Sally tried to decide her best approach to this situation, but felt as if her emotions were going to suffocate her.

He took her hand as they walked along the water.  It felt good to have the connection, the feeling of someone wanting you.  Sally knew it wasn’t a good idea to get into a relationship with him, but right now she didn’t really care.  It was more about the complete distraction from her past and the hurt she felt at the betrayal of Johnny and Mary.

When Pierre stopped walking and leaned into kiss her, she kissed him back more passionately.  Sally pushed her tongue into his mouth and demanded him to respond back.  He did so and soon they were both separating from the kiss.  She was breathing hard from the excitement that the kiss had started.

“Would you like to come back to my room?”  She asked.

“Mon Cheri, I’ve been waiting for this moment from the second I first saw you in the airport.”  He said.  “I will show you how much a man who appreciates you will make love to you.  I hope you don’t have to be up early tomorrow though, because I will keep you up all night!”  He promised.

Sally turned a bright red.  She hadn’t had sex many times in the past, and never had someone make love to her all night long.  The thought of it was intriguing and exhilarating at the same time. 

He noticed the look on her face.  “Mon Cheri, do not worry, I will not hurt you, but will please you more than you could ever imagine!”  He stated.

“How do you plan on doing that?”  She queried.  More out of curiosity than anything, she knew the words would excite her. 

“Oh I will show you, words do nothing to describe the feelings you will have when we are in the bedroom.”  He said.

Sally hurried her step up, looking forward to this more than she had thought she would.  His words held a promise that she wanted to experience. 

When they got upstairs her nerves were on edge.  She was nervous but excited at the same time.  Pierre kissed her softly at first and then increased the pressure.  She kissed him back and felt his hands roaming over her body.  They were rough and probed her breasts like they were bags of bread.  He pushed her nipple out of her top and bit it hard.  She moaned loudly at the sensation of pleasure and pain together.

He undressed her slowly, and caressed her body with a mixture of soft and hard touches.  Each time he would apply more pressure to her body she would arch her body in pleasure.

“Oh so my little Mon Cheri seems to like it a bit rough, this is good!”  Pierre laughed.  He bit her side near her stomach.  Sally screamed out in more pleasure. 

“Please make love to me.”  She pleaded.

He smiled down at her.  “In due time my love, don’t rush me, you’ll enjoy this much more if I take my time!”  He laughed and bit her on the neck underneath her ear.

Sally moaned again and arched her body.  She could feel a release that was building up in her body, and he had only done a little bit to her.  She couldn’t imagine what this night would hold, but she was enjoying the beginning of it.

He turned her over and made her get on her knees.  Pierre slapped her ass hard.  She yelled out, but it wasn’t because it had hurt, but she felt her juices begin to boil even more.

“Do you like that?”  He asked.

She shook her head yes. 

“Do you want me to do it again?”

“Yes please.”  She said.

“Beg me for it, tell me what you want.”  He ordered.

“I want you to spank me more.”  She stated.

He hit her ass again with his open palm.  She moaned and felt her pussy become soaked.  Pierre hit her a few more times and then hit her on the side of her leg with his now very erect member.  “I’m going to fuck you hard now, are you ready?  Do you think you can take this full 8 inches?”  He asked her.

“Please fuck me hard, do it now, I can’t wait another minute.”  She pleaded.

Pierre shoved into her hard and fast, she was soaked wet, her pussy dripping out like a drooling baby.  She pushed back as he thrust into her and moaned as he penetrated her sex with great ferocity.

Sally felt the explosion of her climax and moaned loudly as her body felt pleasure from every core.  Pierre didn’t stop though, he kept pounding into her and her body enjoyed it by orgasming again.

He flipped her over and made her sit on top of his hard cock.  She slid down it easily and soon she was rocking on his member.  Her body didn’t want to stop, it felt so good.  He pinched her nipples between his fingers and twisted them.  Sally howled out in pain and felt the clinch of her body as it shot off into another zone of climaxes.

Pierre grabbed her waist and manhandled her, pushing her down onto his hard dick.  She was light to him; he easily slammed her body onto his and made his dick touch regions of her inner body that she had never felt before. 

With the constant attention her g-spot soon throbbed and her body showed her its pleasure by another orgasm.  Sally was soaking with sweet and her pussy was soaking Pierre from the many climaxes.

He grabbed her hair roughly and yanked her down to kiss her hard.  “Your mine now, no one will ever show you this much pleasure again.”  He promised.

She wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but at the moment she would agree with him completely.  Her body was a puddle of mush, there was no juice left in her.  She didn’t think she would be able to orgasm anymore.  But he wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze slowly.  She felt her body as it exploded in a symphony of sweet pleasure once more.  Pierre screamed out as his body shot his juices into her waiting hole. 

She fell forward on him, her body drenched and worn out.  He kissed her forehead and said.  “Mon Cheri you are a wild animal in bed.” 

“I would say the same for you.”  She laughed.  Her neck was sore, but not so much.  Her body was humming like a well-oiled machine.  Sally couldn’t believe that her mind would bring up a picture of Johnny at that moment, but it did. 

She sighed as she thought of the only other person who would be able to make her feel like she did right now.  Maybe even more so, she wondered.  She cleared her mind of thoughts of Johnny, she shouldn’t care at all, and he didn’t.

Pierre looked over at her and smiled.  “Mon Cheri, I hope you’re ready for round two!”  He grabbed her.

She squealed at how easily he manhandled her, but she enjoyed it.  He was a bigger man than Johnny just by his muscle mass.  Johnny could easily do this to her as well.  But just as quickly as he had entered her min; Pierre pushed it all out by slamming her still wet pussy down on his cock that was fully erect and ready for action.

Sally screamed out as her body went into pleasure overload quicker than she could imagine.  Her body quaked as a climax shot through her body. 

He kept true to his word and the sun was coming up as he was still pounding her into the mattress.  Sally felt like a rung out doll when he finally climaxed deep into her body. 

She fell asleep quickly as she felt his arms melt around her.  Her dreams taunted her with thoughts of Johnny.  When she woke up in the morning she found herself alone.  For a minute she had to wonder if she had simply imagined the night before. 

Sally looked around for Pierre at the hotel that day and didn’t find him.  She wondered what it was about these men that made them leave her so quickly.  She began to think she was broken, that something was wrong with her.

She walked around in a fog of confusion as the days passed she didn’t run into Pierre once.  Many nights she would spend inside her room and cry.  “It isn’t fair, why is this happening?”  She wondered aloud more than one time.

No matter what she thought though she couldn’t understand why this had happened.  He had seemed so honest and like he really cared about her.  However, here it was three days after their night out and no Pierre was around.

Sally wondered if something bad had happened to him.  But she wasn’t sure how to ask around about him. She didn’t know if he would get into trouble and lose his job.  So instead she would walk around and look for him, sure that something bad had befallen him.  That had to be the only reason that he wouldn’t be around his Mon Cheri, or so she thought.

She didn’t even have Johnny or Mary to talk too.  This wasn’t something she wanted to talk to her mom about either.  So she let herself stew in the dark depressive thoughts of bad events taking place.

Sally even had a hard time concentrating on all the fashion design things she was trying to learn.  She had gone to the school and thought about signing up for the next term.  However, she stopped and instead told them she would be back later.

Her life that had once held great promise seemed to be overshadowed by men who didn’t want her.  “No he wants me, something is wrong, maybe his mother got sick, or he got hurt?”  She told herself on several occasions.

Pierre couldn’t be like Johnny.  “You’re the one who left the states, not Johnny.”  Her mind reminded her.

She pulled up her email and decided to lay it on the lie with Johnny.  Sally began to type her message.

Johnny,

I know you said not to write to you, but I have no choice.  The truth is I can’t get our one afternoon out of my mind.  Why didn’t you say something to me about it?  Why do I feel like you simply used me and then moved on?  Was it because I moved?  You know I’ve wanted this for my whole life now; would you stop me from being happy? 

Well the truth is I’m not happy here either.  I seem to be lost and all alone.  I miss you, I miss our talks, and I want to feel your touch on my skin again. 

She looked at the note and erased the last part.  “He obviously doesn’t want me or he wouldn’t have moved on to Mary.”  She pouted.

Sally left the note as a draft and closed her program down.  “I can’t write this when I’m sad and depressed.”  She admitted.

She went out of the hotel and decided to walk to the nearby park, maybe the flowers would help cheer her up.  Sally heard a familiar voice behind her talking to someone.  She turned to see Pierre; he was with another young female.

“Mon Cheri, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”  She watched as he told the other woman.

She stared his way, her mouth open wide.  “How could you?”  She walked up to him and asked.

Pierre looked up at her, his eyes cold and hard.  “I’m sorry who are you?”  He asked. 

“You know who I am; you were saying those same words to me just last week.”  Sally demanded.  “What was I, just a stop on your way to what?” 

He pulled her to the side quickly.  “Look you don’t understand, you are simply one of many tourists who show up every day in town.  You were easy to read, you wanted a man to take you and make you forget something.  But you weren’t looking for anything else.  Don’t blame me for stopping this before it got too far.  Now just pack up your bags and go back to your town.  You will be eaten alive in Paris.”  He stated.

She stood listening to him; the tears began to fall from her eyes.  “What do I have to go back too?  You promised me something, why have you turned away so quickly.”  She wanted to know.

“You are just a child in my eyes.  Please don’t embarrass yourself anymore just walk away now.  People are staring at you like you are crazy.”  His eyes burned into her, she could feel the anger flowing under his touch.

Sally turned and walked away, the tears were streaming down her face.  She could hear the other girl asking him who Sally was.

“She’s just some girl, don’t worry about her.”  She heard him say.

She felt the sobs as they hit her body and she ran the rest of the way back to her room.  Sally wasn’t ready for this; she wanted to go back to the room she grew up in.  She wanted to have her mother take care of her, and tell her it was all going to be alright.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was done with Paris.  She didn’t want to be here anymore, her dreams were crushed.  Sure she could go to school and learn about fashion design.  But the fact that Pierre had done this to her so easily, how many more times would it happen. 

“Why didn’t I just stay in Kearney?  Johnny why didn’t you plead for me to stay, tell me once more you loved me.  I might have not left.”  Sally thought.  But she knew that her mind had been made up she would have still made the trip.  However, if Johnny had said he loved her, she would never have fallen for Pierre.  But she knew that she would have missed Johnny even more than she did right now.

She turned on her computer, and went to the airline website.  Sally felt like she was running away, she knew she was.  But she hoped that maybe Johnny would see her and take her under his wing, tell her he loved her once more.  It was all she could think of as her tears blocked her vision. 

She called her mom and told her the news, but didn’t go into the reason why.  “I’ll tell you when I’m back mom.  Don’t forget to come and get me at the airport.”  She reminded her mom.

“I won’t dear.  But I wish you would talk to me, I can tell your sad.”  Her mom stated.

“I’ll be fine mom.  So tell me have you seen Johnny lately?”  She couldn’t help but ask.

“Well he got into a bit of trouble and we don’t really talk to him anymore.  He’s not the same boy he was before.”  Her mom said.

“What kind of trouble?”  She asked.

“I don’t know all of it really and you know I hate the gossip.  But I heard he beat up his boss first and then there was something with Mary and I don’t even know the full story.  Just tell me you won’t hang out with him if you come back.”  Her mom stated.

“I don’t know mom, I’ve known him for so long.  It seems like these are just stories about him.  I can’t see him beating up his boss at all.  Johnny was never mean to anyone.  What happened with Mary?”  She queried wanting to know more.

“She says that he hurt her during sex.”  Sally heard her mom sigh as she said the words.

Sally shook her head, it had been rough between them the one time, so it was possible, she guessed.  But as she thought of that afternoon her blood began to flow and she wanted him again. 

She knew she was being what some would term wishy-washy.  However, there was an attraction a pull to that rough bad boy she had seen that day in the woods.  She hung up realizing she had gotten all she could from her mom. 

Though she thought about calling Mary, she changed her mind.  Instead she wanted to hear the story from Johnny.  She wanted to see his face when he saw her again.  Sally hoped that he would look at her like he used too so long ago.

Chapter 4

Sally could barely sleep on the trip back to the states.  She was nervous again, wondering how people would look at her.  They would surely think she failed; well she had in one way. 

But it hadn’t been a failure at anything but choosing the wrong person.  “I should never have left Nebraska.”  She murmured to herself.

She saw her mom at the airport and ran into her arms.  “I’ve missed you so much mom.  I should never have left, it was horrible.  I’m such an idiot.”  Sally cried as her mom hugged her.

“Its okay sweetie, we all make mistakes.  I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.  Maybe one day you can go back and try it again.”  Her mom tried to cheer her up.

“Mom I can’t I would rather do anything else.  I was such an idiot and fell for his story.  It’s was all my fault though, I should never have listened.  Men, they are simply bad for me, or I’m not what they want.”  Sally stated.

“Oh my dear, I should have known a boy was behind it.”  Her mom commented.

“He was a man; he knew he was playing with my emotions.  Just like Johnny, they are both horrible.”  She tried to be mad at the two men, but felt angrier at herself.

“Johnny?”  Her mom questioned.

“I don’t know it’s hard to explain.  Can we just go home; I want to be in my own room.”  She said.

“Sure honey, let’s go.”  Her mom helped with her bags and they left.

Sally wasn’t sure why she had spewed so much to her mom, but knew her nerves were raw and on edge.  She didn’t feel any better when they pulled into the driveway and Johnny was coming home as well.

She saw him on the motorcycle and immediately remembered that day again.  Sally felt the tears begin to fly out of her eyes.  She tried to sneak into the house so he couldn’t see her.

“Sally is that you?”  She heard from behind her.

She didn’t want to turn around; she knew he would see the tears in her eyes and the streaks running down her face.  He walked up behind her and touched her shoulder, she didn’t have a choice.

“Hi Johnny.”  She said as she turned around.

“What’s wrong why are you crying?  What happened why are you back so quickly?”  He questioned her quickly.

“I can’t talk about it right now.  Please don’t make me.”  She pleaded.  Her mother had taken her bags inside.  It was just the two of them.

“No tell me now, I want to know.  Why are you back?”  He asked.

“I couldn’t do it.  I was just too confused, and made a bad decision.  I thought I could get you out of my mind, but it didn’t work.  He only used me and threw me away, much like you did.”  She said the last part with anger.

“I didn’t throw you away.  You told me that you were leaving.  What was I supposed to do?  I couldn’t make you stay, you wanted to leave.  If you wanted more you would have stayed.”  His face filled with anger.

“Why didn’t you say something to me about how you felt?  You had no problem before we had sex to tell me every day.  But after you didn’t say a word about how you felt.”  She stated.

“Exactly what should I have said?  Don’t go to Paris?  I love you and want you to stay?  To have you look at me every day of your life like I was the one who ruined your dream.”  Johnny demanded.

She thought about it for a moment and knew he was right.  “So tell me what you feel for me?”  She asked.

“Sally I’m not the same guy you knew before.  People talk about me behind my back; they feel I’ve done many bad things.  Perhaps I did do some of them, but I’m not a bad guy.  You really shouldn’t worry about me and should move on.”  Johnny stated.

“I asked you what you feel for me, not what people are saying about you.”  Sally moved closer to him.  “Tell me that you don’t care anymore and I’ll leave you alone.”  She demanded.

He looked down at the ground.  “I can’t tell you that, it’s not true.  I’ve loved you since we were kids and always will.  But you choose to go to Paris over me, and I didn’t stop you.  How do I know you won’t still blame me in the future?”  He asked.

“I won’t blame you for anything.  I came back on my own.  Can you please just hold me?”  She asked.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.  “This is what it should have been like this that day, instead of what happened.”  He said.  “I wanted to hold you so badly, but you told me you were leaving.  I love you far too much to keep you in a prison.  Remember you often referred to Kearney as a prison before.”  He stated.

She looked up into his eyes and kissed him.  “Please just take me inside and show me how you feel.”

Johnny wanted to take her with all of his soul.  He led the way into his house.  They went straight to the bedroom and he undressed her.

“Your body is so beautiful.  I would give everything to look at it every day of my life.”  He said.

Sally knew she should ask him about the trouble he’d been in since she was gone.  It had only been a short month, but her mom had warned her of him. 

Her mother had always told her how good of a boy Johnny Young was; now she was warning her.  She couldn’t help it though; she pulled him close to her and felt him enter her.  All thoughts of anything else were replaced quickly with the pleasure he elicited from her body.

Sally screamed out as he pulled and pushed her around the bed and slammed into her repeatedly.  He grabbed her from behind and pummeled into her as hard as he could.  She yelled out as her climax hit hard and she felt her juices flowing out of her.

Johnny fucked her hard and made her scream out more than once. 

“Can you choke me just a little bit?”  She asked him.

He quickly circled her neck and lightly pushed against her throat.  Soon she was bucking back on him as she could feel a massive orgasm that started to overwhelm her.  Sally screamed out and Johnny let go of her neck as he felt her body quaking with the force of her climax.  He let his sperm go and she could feel it hitting the walls of her inner kingdom. 

They were both spent and were lying there soaked and breathing hard. 

“So what are people saying about you?  Or better yet what is going on with you?”  Sally asked him.

“I’m shocked you didn’t ask before sex.  Obviously you didn’t hear the stories yet.”  Johnny commented.  His face was a mask of anger.

“Tell me.”  Sally stated.

“I would love to tell you that it is all okay.  But honestly I go to court in a few days.  Mary called the police and said that I tried to kill her.”  Johnny commented.

“What?  Why would she do that?”  Sally asked.

“I would rather not go into the details right now.  Not right after we’ve had such nice sex.  Can we wait a few days and talk about it?”  He asked.

“Aren’t you worried that people will tell me their version of the story?”  She questioned.

“Fine, I was choking her during sex and it went a little too far, she passed out.  After she woke up she swore I did it on purpose.  But it wasn’t true, I swear.”  He commented.

“I understand.”   Sally said.  She had often talked to Mary about her preferences and she knew Mary liked it rougher than Sally did.  So the fact that their sex had gone too far didn’t seem too ridiculous. 

“I’m glad your back.”  He kissed her and rolled off the bed.  “I have to go and meet with my attorney now though.  You can show yourself out.” 

She still wondered what his feelings were for her, but not so much that she didn’t think he’d be back.  But he could be going to jail, she thought.  What would she do then? 

Sally went home to find her mother pacing. 

“Are you okay, did he hurt you?”  Her mother asked as soon as she came in the door.

“Mom he wouldn’t hurt me.”  Sally laughed.

“Sally he’s being charged with rape of ten girls.”  Her mother stated.

“What?  He said it was just Mary.”  Sally said shocked.

“No there were several of them that came forward.  I wasn’t kidding you shouldn’t be around him.”  Her mother said.

Sally went up to her room.  “Why didn’t he tell me the whole story?  Why had he left most of it out?  Was Mary even involved in it?”  She had far too many questions and unfortunately a burning desire to sleep with him again.  But if he was a monster was it smart on her part?

THE END

HIS JUSTICE

BOOK – 3

Chapter 1

Sally was furious if what her mom told her was true was real.  Why had Johnny only said it was Mary?  Why hadn’t he told her about all these other girls and their charges?  What was he hiding?  He had said that he had changed since she left, but she couldn’t believe he would change like this.

She watched for him to get home so she could confront him about what she had learned.  She couldn’t imagine Johnny doing anything wrong to these girls.  Or could he?  Sally was very confused; surely he wouldn’t hide the truth from her, would he?

The motorcycle pulled up front and she made her way outside. 

“Hey Johnny, can I talk to you for a few minutes?”  She asked.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the story or not.  Her fear was that he would admit to it all and that she would have to question how she could feel so strongly for this type of person.

“Yeah sure, come on in.”  He headed for the door.

She followed behind and tried to think of the best way to bring it up.  “So what is this I hear about 10 girls saying you raped them?”  She decided to just be straight forward.

Johnny stopped walking and turned around immediately, his face full of rage.  “Who told you that?  It’s not what happened.  I knew you would hear something messed up about me.”  He shook his head.

“Tell me then what happened, I want to know.”  Sally probed.

“Does it even matter?  By the look in your eyes you aren’t even sure about me.”  He commented.

“Stop avoiding the question and just tell me what is going on.”  Sally demanded.  “It’s not fair that you aren’t honest with me.  You said it was just Mary, and then I hear something about 10 girls.  Did you have sex with them?”  She questioned.

“I told you it wasn’t like that.  They came to me, Mary and the girls.  All of them together.  They wanted to see if I could take care of all of them.  I had sex with them yes.  But when Mary went to the police later she got them all to change their stories.  They all claim I raped them, but honestly it was all consensual.”  He stated.

“I don’t know what to say, did you even.  I don’t get who you are anymore.  You used to be such a decent person.   I’m not saying you shouldn’t or can’t have sex, but 10 girls at one time, why?”  Sally queried.

“It’s a male thing you wouldn’t understand.  I’ve already told you I wasn’t the same person as before.  You said you didn’t want a geeky, good boy.  Now that I’m known as a bad boy you want to look down at me?  How dare you do that, you’ve helped to create this person who is standing in front of you.”  Johnny stated.

“Me, how did I create you?”  Sally asked.

“You made me fall in love with you that day when we had sex, even more than I was before it.  Then you turned around and left like I was nothing to you.  What was I supposed to do, be happy about it?  Have you ever thought that maybe I was looking for another girl who made me feel like you did?  No you’ve never considered anything like that have you?  Perhaps you should consider what you and that man did in Paris too.  Was it right?  How could you sleep with him if you cared about me?  See it works both ways doesn’t it.”  Johnny finished as he saw her face crumple.  “Look I’m sorry.  I still have a lot of anger from you leaving.  I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like you are completely committed to us as a couple.”  He added.

“You’ve never asked me to be a couple.  You’ve had sex with me 2 times now, after which you’ve never professed your love to me.  If you don’t love me anymore just tell me.  If this is simply something we are going to do for sex, I guess I’ll be fine with it.”  Sally admitted.

“I don’t know what I want from you anymore.  I would have jumped at marrying you before, but now I don’t know.”  Johnny admitted.

Sally stood there shocked.  “How did your feelings for me change?”  She asked.

“I’m mad at you for leaving me.  I can’t help it, I’ve tried to control it, but it just always wells up inside of me.  I did hurt some people since you’ve been gone too.  I’m not going to lie to you; I wanted to hurt you when we had sex before too.  I could have easily squeezed your neck until you passed out, and I’m worried that I might.  You’ve made me so mad.”  He stated.

“You would hurt me?”  She asked.

“I don’t know, sometimes I’m so mad at you for going to Paris and then sleeping with someone.  But how can I be mad when I did the same thing here?  Sally it’s really confusing to me.  I love you but there is a part of me that hates you too.”  He said.

She covered her mouth.  “I don’t know what to say.  I never met to make you hate me.  I’ve always thought it was sweet how you liked me so much.  But I could never imagine you feeling any other way but loving me.  I’m so sorry Johnny; I didn’t mean to do it.”  Sally said and a tear dropped from her eyes.

He saw her crying and walked over to her.  “I’m sorry Sally.  I really do love you; I hate to see you crying.  But I’m not good for you anymore.  I think I would only make people look down at you.  They all see me as a rapist and nothing more.”  He looked into her eyes.  “I can’t tie you to me and ruin your life too.”

“It’s not your choice Johnny, it’s mine.  If I want to be with you I should be able too.  I don’t care what everyone else says in town.”  She stated.

In her mind a plan was formulating to finding out the truth from Mary and getting her to tell it during the trial.  If he was cleared surely their lives together wouldn’t be bad.  Or they could move she began to think of many plans at once. 

“You may after a bit, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you again.”  He said his voice serious and a bit scary.

Sally moved closer to him and rubbed her head on his chest.  “Can we make love again?”  She asked, trying to put all thoughts out of her head.  She didn’t want to think about him pleasing anyone else but her.

He picked her up and she was shocked.  “You’ve really been working out a lot since I left.”  She purred.

“Yes I have.  I wanted to be a man you would desire.”  He stated.

Sally knew that it was wrong that he had changed so much for him, but she really did like this new bad boy.  Johnny had always been such a little wimpy type of boy, now he could easily pick her up and carry her into his room.  He threw her on the bed and pounced on her. 

Their clothes were off immediately as he showed her again how much he had missed her.  She didn’t think she would ever tire of this. 

“Did you have fun with those girls?”  She asked in the middle of their love making.

“This isn’t the right time to talk about that.”  He stated.

“I just want to know, if you liked fucking them as much as you do me?”  She pushed.

“No, it’s not the same.  I just did it for fun, not because I loved them.  It isn’t like it is with you.  I orgasm much stronger when I’m with you, and I want to taste every part of your body.”  He growled and tossed her on her back.

Sally couldn’t think as he probed her lower regions in many various and delicious ways.  She grabbed onto his hair and pulled it as her body squirmed under his manipulation of it.  “Oh Johnny!”  She screamed loudly.

She couldn’t help it she knew she was in love with him.  Even if she had never seen him that way before, the person he was right now had captured her heart.  Sally wanted him to make love to her for the rest of her life.  If only he would come around and figure out that she wouldn’t leave him again.

They lay tangled together later and she sighed.  “That was wonderful.”  She smiled and closed her eyes.

“It was perfect.”  He stated.

Her mind floated in her dreams.  She pictured herself confronting Mary and finding out the true story.   Sally wanted to plead with Mary that she should tell the truth. 

Chapter 2

Johnny had visited his attorney and wasn’t in the best of moods.  But Sally still wanted to talk.  He had been honest with her.  The night had been Mary’s idea and he had gone along with it.  Now he wished he hadn’t, and it didn’t look good for him.

Mary wasn’t budging from her lie, and the other girls were along with her to the end.  At least that was what his attorney had stated.  “I don’t know we might have to plea bargain this one out.  If we go to trial they might sentence you for 20 years or more.”

“But I didn’t do it, why should I even serve one day?”  He questioned.

“Look your past few months have been tough.  You’ve been arrested and charged with assault.  Even though Denton dropped the charges it still shows there.  That doesn’t look good at all.  It isn’t hard for people to imagine that you might be a bit of a loose cannon.”  The attorney explained.

“Fuck this is bullshit.  How much time do you think you can get it plea bargained down too?”  Johnny asked.

“I don’t know, I was hoping for maybe a year or two.  But I might just be dreaming.  I might be able to get the DA to agree to it.”  He said.

“Let me think about it okay.  The last thing I really want to do is go to jail after Sally just got home.  Fuck she’d leave me, I’m sure of it.”  Johnny had answered.

The whole drive home he had imagined it, her leaving him again.  He really thought it might send him over the edge.  He could see his anger spilling over and beating the life out of someone.  It wasn’t hard to imagine lately, with all the anger he had inside.

He had hoped that once she was back he would feel better.  Had wished it, but he had discovered that he didn’t trust her fully.  Johnny was just waiting for her to turn her back on him and say she was moving somewhere else. 

When she had asked him about that night he hadn’t wanted to discuss it.  But he knew at least she would hear the truth from him.  Anyone else would tell her the lies that had been weaved by the girls and Mary. 

Johnny looked at her now as she slept in his arms.  “I don’t deserve her anymore.  I’ve made too many mistakes and she’s going to pay for them too.”  He shook his head.  If they weren’t at his house he might just get up and leave and never come back. 

But he had to admit that he would never be able to stay away from her for long.  If he had to go to jail, it would kill him being away from her.  He had felt like he won the lottery when he had seen her back in town.  Johnny hadn’t believed his eyes at first.

Then when she had turned around and he could see she was crying, he had felt like a heel for everything he’d done since she was gone.  He felt bad for having sex with Mary, for trying to hurt Sally, and so many other things.  But deep in his mind he knew that she had been the cause of it all.

However, he loved her and was in a fight with himself about what was the best thing to do.  “You know the best thing is to leave her and let her be with someone who isn’t thought to be a rapist.”  He murmured under his breath.

“I can’t though, she makes me feel better.  I love her.”  He thought to himself.  Why isn’t life fair, why did she have to leave in the first place?  If she would have just stayed, none of this would have ever happened. 

Eventually Johnny fell asleep as well, his mind stopping just long enough for it to take over.  In his dreams he pictured a sentence of 5 years being handed down in court.  He looked at his attorney a question in his mind and he asked.  “I thought you said one or two years, how did it change to 5?” 

His attorney looked at him and said.  “It was the best I could do I’m sorry.  You’re lucky it’s not longer.” 

He turned to see Sally sitting in the court room and her face was hard.  He tried to talk to her, but she ignored him and turned her back.  Johnny watched in the dream as she walked out without looking back at him once. 

When he woke up he felt horrible, he wondered if it was a prophecy of what would happen.  Not that he had ever believed in anything like that in the past.  But the fear of her turning her back on him was real.  He could feel the fear through to his every bone.

He felt her moving and she looked up at him and kissed him.  Her hand roamed down his body and felt the new muscles that he had gotten in the past month.  Then she stopped and focused on one muscle that was already reacting to her touch.

“We shouldn’t do it again.”  He pulled away.

“Why not?”  She questioned.

“What if I go to jail?  Will you wait around for me?”  He asked.

Sally looked at him.  “How long will you go for?”  She asked, and then stopped him from answering.  “I’ll wait.”  She answered.

“I might be in for up to 20 years if it goes to trial.  But my attorney thinks I should go for a plea bargain and I’ll serve less time.”  He told her.

“20 years, that’s a long time.”  Sally said and realized that she wasn’t sure if she could wait for him that long.  “I’ll wait for you though.”  She finally said again.

He looked at her cautiously.  “You don’t sound too confident about that.  I’m telling you it would be better if you just leave now and never look back.”  Johnny told her.

“No I don’t want that.  I want you.”  She murmured and kissed him deeply.

Johnny didn’t stop her this time, he made love to her.  Even if he wasn’t sure if she would stay, at least he could enjoy her while she was with him.  He looked down at her and said, “I love you Sally, but I really think you’re making a mistake being with me.”

“Johnny Young all these years you’ve been proclaiming to me how much you love me, and now you’re telling me its wrong.  I don’t think so; I think I’ve just finally realized the truth.”  Sally said.

“Remember this when people start saying stuff to you in town, because they will.  I get looks all the time now, and they aren’t nice ones.”  Johnny commented.

“Johnny Young I love you and that’s all there is to it.  I’m behind you 100 percent of the way.”  Sally commented.

“Sally why did I have to change for you to love me though?”  He asked.

“I think you’re still the same boy deep down, you’ve just changed on the surface.”  She stated.

“I don’t feel like the same person.”  He admitted.

“But you are.”  She kissed him.

He only wished it was that simple, but he knew she wasn’t looking at the full picture.  Only time would tell if she was being completely honest with him or not.

Chapter 3

Sally decided she had to go back and get at least one of her jobs back now that she was back.  She hoped that they would at least give her part-time to begin with.  She also wanted to be able to spend time with Johnny, so full-time wasn’t something she wanted.  Just in case he really did have to go to jail on these false charges.

Another thing she wanted to do was to go and see Mary.  It was bad enough Mary had said the things to Sally that she had when they had talked when she was in Paris.  But now Mary was lying about a man that Sally wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her life with.

She had thought about it overnight and had decided that she would stay beside Johnny, even if he went to jail for a lot of years.  It would only be right on her part, and she had to admit she had learned to love him even more than just the bad boy image he had created. 

Sally was still shocked when she thought about that kind of love he must have to change himself completely.  Well not completely, she could still see a lot of his old self underneath the outside layer.  But even she would admit that there were just slight glimpses of that person now.  Some of her missed that old Johnny, but not enough to say anything to him.

“Now onto the job search, I’ll call my old jobs now.”  She was saying to her mom.

“I really wish you would consider this relationship you have with Johnny.”  Her mom began to lecture.  She had heard it many times since she’d been back.  But like all the other times, she stopped her mom quickly.

“Look mom, I know what you think.  But you only know one side of the story.  If you wouldn’t automatically jump to conclusions like everyone else, you might just see that.  You’ve known him for the last 10 years now; do you really think he could be that person they say he is?”  Sally questioned her mom.

“You didn’t see old man Denton after Johnny beat him.  If you would have you wouldn’t be so sure about him anymore either.  If that wouldn’t have happened and it was just the girls, maybe I would still believe him.  But honestly I think I would still have doubts.  He was different right after you left.  He wasn’t the same little happy boy that I remembered seeing so many times in the past.”  Her mother explained.

“How could someone change that much though?”  Sally asked.

“I don’t know Sally, but you know that I wouldn’t lie to you.  He was no longer the boy who was over here every day and making googol eyes at you.  I’m not really sure how to explain it.  He stopped saying hi to us; he never came over to ask about you or anything.  He was out all hours of the night, and would often come home and be loud and drunk.  I just wish I could be sure that you were safe with him.  That’s all I want is for you to be safe and happy.”  Her mother stated.

“Mom, he wouldn’t hurt me I’m sure of it.  Plus I am happy, really happy for the first time in a long while.  I don’t even mind being in Kearney anymore, not like I used to be.  Sure a lot of that has to do with my bad experience in Paris, but thanks to him I’m happy here.  So don’t worry about me mom, and please stop lecturing me on my choice of men.”  Sally said.

“Fine honey, I’ll do that.  I just hope you are making the right choice.  You know a lot of people here are talking about him.  If you are with him, they will think badly of you too.  It may not be right, but they will.”  Her mother said.

“Its okay mom, I’ll be fine.”  Sally responded and picked up the phone to start making phone calls.

“Hello Mr. Samuels it’s Sally Leach.  Yes I’m back in town.  I was wondering if you had an opening still, anything, part-time would be great.  Sure I can stop by later today, say 5:00?  Okay great I’ll see you then.”  Sally hung up the phone.

“Well that will be nice, I know their system and he said he’s only hiring part-time for now.”  Sally told her mom.

“Great sweetie.  Just remember this town gossips.  That’s all I’ll say, but I hope I’m wrong about these things.”  Her mother said.

“Mr. Samuels has known me for years; he won’t be like that even if he’s heard anything.”  Sally commented.

“Everyone has heard about this in town, it’s the story of the year.  It really doesn’t look good for Johnny.  Are you sure you’re ready to see him go to jail?  I would imagine it would be hard on you, and him.”  Her mom questioned.

“Johnny and I talked about this already and yes I am ready.  Aren’t you supposed to stand beside the one you love, even in times of trouble?”  Sally asked.

“Yes sweetie this is true.  But I don’t know if they were using it this way.  If he’s in jail, oh I don’t know honey.  Do what you feel is best, I just hope for you to be happy.”  Her mom said. 

“I know mom.  Hey I’m going to go out and shop a bit.  I have some extra money since I didn’t stay in Paris long.  Oh I’m also going to give you and dad the money back, well most of it.  I’ll pay the rest back as I get paid from work.”  Sally stated.

“Oh honey you don’t have too.”  Her mom commented.

“I want too though.”  Sally said.  “I’ll be back in a little bit.”  She said and headed out to go to the mall.

At the mall she ran into a few people she knew who were shocked to see her back. 

“Hey Sally, I thought you want to Paris?”  Tom asked he had been a friend in high school.

“I came back early, it just wasn’t what I expected it to be.”  Sally told him and the other friend who was with him.

“Oh hey did you hear about your neighbor?”  Tom questioned.

Sally decided to play dumb and see what they would say.  “No, what about him?” 

“He is a psycho, they say he raped 10 girls, one of them was Mary.  He beat up old man Denton, and a few other guys at the Southside bar.  I don’t know he used to seem pretty normal in school.  But that’s what they say about the quiet one’s they are the ones you watch out for.”  Tom shook his head as he talked.  His mind had obviously been made up about Johnny’s guilt already.

“I don’t know about that, he isn’t the type of guy who would do those things.  I’ve known him far too long, I don’t believe it.”  Sally commented.

“Yeah that’s just because the guy always had the hots for you.”  The other guy who was standing with Tom commented.  Sally couldn’t even remember his name, but she looked at him with a glare that shut him up quickly.

“No I’m not saying it because of that.”  Sally stated.  “I just don’t think he would be capable of those things.” 

“Well you were gone, so you didn’t see it all happen.  It would have been different if you were here.  Then you wouldn’t be so quick to defend him.  Jack Denton is my cousin and I saw his dad after Johnny beat him.  He had to be in the hospital for almost a month because of it.”  The other boy said to her.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s possible.”  Sally gave up trying to convince them that Johnny was innocent.  Honestly, she did know he had beaten old man Denton, Johnny admitted that, but he hadn’t said how badly.

She had to wonder again about how honest Johnny was being with her.  He seemed to be hiding some things from her, but it could just be the doubt that other people were putting in her mind too.  She wanted to believe in him.  But what could you believe about someone who you seemed to know so little? 

“No I don’t think he did those things.  I know he beat up his old boss.  But really, how bad was it?  Are you sure you aren’t exaggerating those injuries just to make it sound worse?”  Sally looked at the boy intently.

He looked down as she continued to stare at him.  “No he was bad.”  The boy said, but not very loudly.

“Did he actually go to the hospital and stay in for that long?”  Sally continued to question.  She was searching for the truth, she had a feeling this boy was adding some falsities into the real story.

“He got checked out at the hospital.”  The boy said.

“So did they keep him?”  She pushed.

“Well for a couple of hours.”  The boy finally admitted.

“So you were lying?  I thought so, and you don’t wonder what those girls might be lying about?”  She commented.

“I don’t know Mary was your friend.  Are you saying she lied about it?”  Tom asked her.

“I don’t know honestly.  But I’m telling you I don’t believe the story.”  Sally stated.

The boys left her standing there; they seemed to actually be wondering about the story now.  Sally knew that wouldn’t get him out of the charges.  After all, these two wouldn’t be on a jury, if they even had one.  She wasn’t sure how big of a trial it would be, or even if Johnny had decided to do the plea bargain.

She hated the fact that he might have to do that; it would be like admitting you were guilty.  Sally hoped that somehow she could get Mary to change her story. 

Sally called Johnny and asked him if he would meet her for lunch. 

“At the mall?  I don’t think that’s a good idea really.  People will all know you are with the town rapist, as they are now calling me.”  Johnny said.

“I don’t care what they think Johnny.   Come meet me please?”  She asked.

“Fine, but if it backfires on you I don’t want to hear it.”  He said and hung up.

She shopped for a bit and bought a few things.  Her phone buzzed and she looked at it. 

I’m here. 

The text message was from Johnny.  She headed over to the restaurant area and looked for him.  He was standing by one of the doors.  She noticed several people looking at him and whispering.  Sally fought the urge to say something to them all.  Instead she walked up to him and kissed him.

“Hey how are you?”  She asked.

He pulled away from her.  “You really don’t care.  I don’t know if that’s so smart.”  Johnny commented.

“Let’s eat, screw these people.  They’ll know the truth one day.”  Sally stated.

“I don’t know about that.  If I plea bargain they’ll all think I’m guilty.  If I go to trial my attorney says I don’t have much of a chance either.”  Johnny commented.

“I was thinking of talking to Mary.”  Sally told him.

“For what?  You think you can get her to recant her story?  No chance, she loves the publicity.”  He stated.

“I don’t know I’ll appeal to her as her best friend for years now.”  Sally stated.

“I doubt it will work, but if you want to try it, good luck.”  He finally gave in.

“Yeah maybe after I go talk to Mr. Samuels.  I got one of my old jobs back!”  Sally told him.

“That’s great!  Congratulations.”  Johnny said.

They ate most of the rest of the meal in silence.  Sally looked around and saw people talking about the two of them.  She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Johnny.  “So what are you doing after you leave here?”  She asked him.

“I think I’ll go work out at the gym.  It’s usually not too busy during this part of the day and people leave me alone, the few that are there anyway.”  Johnny commented.

“Do people often say things to you?”  She asked.

He looked up and she turned to see what he was looking at.  There was a lady of about 30 standing there.  “You should be ashamed of yourself.  How could you rape those girls?  I hope they throw the book at you.”  She spat at him.  “Don’t you know what he is?  He’s a rapist; you really shouldn’t be with him.  You might get hurt like one of those girls did.”  The lady said to Sally.

“You do realize that there are two sides to every story and that what you’ve heard may not be the truth right?”  Sally begun.  “Remember you aren’t supposed to judge other people either.  Let thee who is without sin cast the first stone.”  Sally stated.

The lady turned red and made a noise and walked away.

“I hate people like that.”   Sally commented.

“Wow that was amazing, you handled her very well.”  Johnny had to laugh.  “Can we please go now?  If one person comes up they usually start coming up more and more to me.  It’s just the way it goes.  One person breaches the gap and they all jump in.  Even with what you said, I’m not sure we will be safe from another visit.”  Johnny explained.

“Sure let’s get out of here.  I have a little time before I have to go see Mr. Samuels, would you like to go back to your place?”  Sally asked.

  “Sure, let’s go.”  Johnny smiled knowing what they would be doing when they got back to his place.

He took his Harley and she drove her car, the trip seemed to take forever for her.  But soon they were back at his place and inside.  She smiled at him and closed the gap quickly.  Sally kissed him deeply and he undressed her quickly. 

Johnny looked down at her and smiled.  He lowered his head between her legs and lapped at her pussy opening.  She arched into him and moaned loudly as her juices flowed quickly.  He bit her clit and she climaxed and yelled loudly. 

He moved up and pushed his cock into her with one quick thrust.  He slowly thrust into her and pinched her nipples as she arched her back to meet him.  She rang her fingers down his back and scratched him.

Sally screamed out as she felt his orgasm coat her walls with his sperm.  Her pussy started to quiver as another orgasm hit her body hard. 

They fell together sweet pouring down their bodies.  He kissed her and pulled her closely to him.  “I hope you never leave me again.”  He said to her.

“I won’t Johnny, I promise.  I’ll be beside you the rest of our lives if you want me.”  Sally stated.

“We’ll see this may be a tough few months or years, depending on what happens.”  Johnny said.

“After I’m done at Mr. Samuels I’ll go talk to Mary and see what I can do, she’ll be reasonable I’m sure of it.”  Sally said.

“Like I said, I don’t think she’ll change his story.”  Johnny stated.

“We’ll see.”  She replied.

She didn’t see any reason why Mary wouldn’t listen to reason, and she had known Mary for so long.  They had been best friends since they were 4 years old and first met in nursery school.  She smiled remembering the good times she had with Mary through the years.  However, she knew that Johnny thought Mary wouldn’t budge, Sally had more faith though.

Sally looked at the time and said, “I have to go and get a quick shower before I leave.”  She kissed him.  “I’ll see you later Johnny, I love you.”

“See you later honey, love you too.”  Johnny said as he kissed her.

She ran next door and got her and shower and got dressed.  As she drove off she smiled thinking about Johnny.  She was positive she would be able to talk Mary into changing her mind and recanting her story.  If she did, perhaps the other girls would follow along. 

“Hi Mr. Samuels how are you?”  She said as she walked into her old work. 

He smiled at her.  “Come back her Sally.”  He led the way to his office.  “I just need to talk to you about a few things.” 

“Sure no problem.”  She answered.

“Tell me how was Paris, I see you didn’t stay long.  You know they say a Nebraska girl will always come home, it’s in their blood!”  He laughed.

“Yes I’ve heard that too.  I guess that’s what happened.  Paris was okay, but I really missed everyone so much.”  Sally said.

Mr. Samuels rubbed his chin for a second.  “I have some bad news though Sally.  I think I spoke too quickly in offering you the position.  They hired another girl just yesterday for it; I really can’t take you back on.”  He explained.

Sally had known him for years and could tell when he was lying.  “Is that the real reason?”  She asked.  “I mean if it was for something else you could ask me about it, you know I’ve always been honest with you.”  She told him.

“Well I know that Sally and honestly I wish I didn’t have to even ask you about this, but I should.  You know we have a reputation we like to keep, as far as the type of people we hire.  That can even go for the people that our employees are associated with, if you can understand.  But I’ve heard rumors that you and the Young boy are hanging out, actually very close.  Is that true?”  He asked.

“Well yes, it is true, but what does that have to do with me?  He hasn’t even had a trial yet, and he’s innocent.”  Sally stated.

“Sally, I hate to tell you this, but he’s guilty.  Everyone knows this, and we can’t have you as the face of our store and be associated with him.  It just doesn’t send the right message to our clientele.  We’ll surely lose a lot of business, and it would break us.  I can offer you the job but only if you aren’t with him.  I know you are neighbors and you’ll see one another, but I’m talking about the type of relationship I’ve heard it was.  You know people talk in town, and well this isn’t a good business decision for us.”  He explained.

She sighed heavily.  “I understand, but I don’t agree with this decision.  When everyone finds out the truth and learn he’s not guilty, they’ll change how they are talking.  I can’t believe so many people are judging him without the full story.”  She said.

“Perhaps my dear it’s you that hasn’t heard the full story yet.  But I’m not the one to tell you.  I know you were good friends with Mary Sims; you may want to talk to her about it.  When you find out the truth and have left him, then perhaps I can hire you again.”  He apologized.

Sally shook her head.  “Really I thought people were better than this.”  She walked out of his office, upset and angry.

“That’s it I’m going to visit Mary now.”  Sally said to herself.  “This is going to end now.  I’m tired of people lying about him.”  She smacked her teeth in anger.

By the time she had reached Mary’s house her anger was boiling over.  She knocked on the door and it opened.

“Oh hi, it’s you.”  Mary said.  “I heard you were back in town.  So did you see Johnny yet?  Oh don’t worry I’ve heard all about you and him at the mall.  I know why you’re here.”  She added.

“So will you tell the truth?”  Sally asked.  “I mean as my best friend why would you lie about the man I love?”  Sally added.

“The man you love?  Since when?  All those years he looked at you with his little puppy dog eyes and you couldn’t give him the time of day.  You really are something else, you know that Sally.”  Mary shouted at her.

“I think I’ve known it for some time actually, but I realized it once I was gone.”  Sally admitted. 

“Is that right, isn’t that nice.”  Mary looked at her with eyes that could kill.

“Look Mary I didn’t come here to fight with you.  I just want you to tell the truth and have those charges dropped against Johnny.”  Sally explained.

“You don’t want to know the truth; you want me to tell you he’s innocent.  But he’s far from innocent.  He broke my trust more than one time and that night was the final night he did it.”  Mary stated.

“How in the world would he break your trust?  You set up the party right?  He performed for you and your friends, what happened that made you mad?”  Sally questioned.

“Oh so he told you I set it up.  I was wondering just how much he would actually tell you of the truth.”  Mary laughed.

“Remember Mary I’ve known you since you were a little girl, I can tell when you lie.”  Sally reminded her.

Mary’s face turned red.  “You think you know me so well do you.  Well do you know that the whole time I was with Johnny he always talked about you?  No you didn’t.  I can tell by the look on your face.  I bet you didn’t know that he often screamed out your name in his sleep too.  I know you two had sex before you left too.  He didn’t want to tell me, but he talks in his sleep sometimes.”  She stopped to try and regain some of her composure. 

“So you lie on him because he loved me?  How does that make any sense?”  Sally asked.

“I’m not done telling you everything.  He told me he hated you many times when I talked to him about calling your name out while sleeping.  He said he would never go back with you.  But I could tell he was seeing you, not me when we had sex.”  Mary stated.  “That’s what ruined it with us, you and your memory.  He called me that last night right in the middle of his orgasm.  He yelled out I love you Sally.  Can you even imagine what that’s like?”  Mary began crying.

“I’m sorry Mary, I really am.”  Sally hugged her friend.

Mary fell into Sally’s arms and sobbed.  “I really thought he loved me and hated you.  He had me convinced of it.  But then that happened, and all the other girls heard it.  Everyone looked at me; I had tried to ignore it.  However, someone else asked him what he had said.  He didn’t even know he had shouted out your name either.  He tried to apologize, said he was under so much stress and all this, all lies.  He lied to me the whole time, why shouldn’t I lie now?”  Mary stated.

“Because you’ll ruin his life, his reputation.  I couldn’t even get my old job back because of your lies.  Why did the other girls go along with you?”  Sally asked. 

“I asked them too.  Some of them might have backed down during the trial, but just a couple of us would have to keep up the lie.  Sally I want to hurt him, it’s not right he lied to me.”  Mary said.

Sally sighed.  “I know he hurt you, but really when it comes down to it, I’m just as much to blame as him.  But so are you, you knew how he felt about me for all those years.  You used to yell at him and tell him to leave me alone.  So why would you think it all changed?”  Sally asked.

“I wanted to believe it.  He’s really good in bed, and I was all alone.  David had broken up with me to move to Colorado.  I didn’t have anyone, and Johnny was looking really nice.  That Harley of his only adds to his sex appeal.  He’d been working out in the gym and well he told me he hated you.  I really thought he was being truthful with me.”  Mary said again.

“Mary why can’t you forgive him then?  We always wanted the best for each other.  I think he’s the best for me.  I really never doubt that he will protect me and keep me safe.  He makes me happy, and well he’s really a good person.”  Sally said.

“I don’t know Sally, it really hurt to hear him say those words that night.  But I guess I could forgive him.  I don’t know what the other girls will do.  I can talk to them.  I’m sorry Sally; I was mean to you when you were in Paris too.  But I felt like you were trying to take Johnny, the sad thing is I never even had him even when I thought I did.”  Mary cried.

“Mary, I’m sure you’ll find someone.  Heck maybe David will come back home.  Look how quickly I made my way back.  Maybe it is true what they say about Nebraska people, both girls and guys.  We always want to come home, it’s in our blood.”  Sally tried to cheer her up.

“I did love him so much.  It was a hard breakup, he didn’t want to go.  But he couldn’t find any work here.”  Mary said.

“Why didn’t you go with him?”  Sally asked out of curiosity. 

“He didn’t ask me.  He just said that it would be far too tough for both of us.”  Mary explained.

“Maybe you should call him and talk to him, have you tried?”  Sally asked.

“No I didn’t I was far too upset about Johnny.”  Mary admitted.  “I had thought about it but was sure that he had found someone else.”  She added.

“I think you should call him, once you’ve fixed this other mess that is.  I’m really sorry Mary, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.  I tried to tell you from Paris, but you wouldn’t listen to me.  Then you told me he didn’t like me anymore and he said the same thing.  I don’t know it made me very upset.”  Sally explained.

“I think we both wanted something different than what we really needed.”  Mary stated.

“I think so too.”  Sally agreed.

“So tell me about Paris, what was it like?”  Mary asked.

Sally sighed.  “It wasn’t what I expected, but well it was my own fault.  I was upset and confused from the start; all I could think about was Johnny.  But then he turned me down and told me you two were dating.  I thought another man there was interested in me, but he wasn’t.  He slept with me once and left told me I was just a child.”  Sally told Mary about Pierre.

“Oh so you experienced kind of the same thing.  Was he in love with someone else too?”  Mary asked.

“No he just wanted to sleep with me.  I think he does it with all the tourists who show up.”  Sally stated.

“Was he at least good looking?”  Mary asked.

Sally told her about Pierre. 

“Oh he sounds cute; at least that’s one good thing!”  Mary said.

“I would have rather skipped the whole experience.  But honestly, it was the push I needed to come back home.  It must be one of the shortest trips in the history for a student who wanted to study fashion design.”  Sally shook her head.

“Did you go to school at all while you were gone?”  Mary questioned.

“No I couldn’t bring myself to sign up for any classes.”  Sally admitted.

“I’m sorry; I know you’ve wanted to do that for years now.  Maybe you can talk Johnny into going later on.”  Mary commented.

“I don’t know, I’ll think about it, or I might just intern with someone in the states.  There are several that I wouldn’t mind learning from.  But for now I’ll wait and see what happens.”  Sally stated.  “So you’ll call them and have your charges dropped today?”  Sally asked, making sure that Mary would remember.

“Yes, I’ll do it right now.  But I’ll call the other girls after, or they can hear from the DA.”  Mary hugged her.  “I’m sorry Sally.” 

“Thank you for telling the truth.”  Sally got up to leave.

The first thing she wanted to do was talk to Johnny.  She picked up her phone when she stopped at a light. 

She’s going to call and tell them what really happened?  Why didn’t you tell me you said you loved me while you two were having sex?

Sally typed in and hit the send button.  “It would have explained so much and she would have known right away what had happened.  Not that she would ever accuse someone of rape who didn’t do it, but she would know any female would be hurt.  Some would react in ways that perhaps were evil, like Mary did. 

I don’t believe it, wait until my attorney calls me then I’ll know for sure.  I think she is lying to you.  She’s really good at doing that, if you hadn’t noticed before.

Johnny responded back.

Sally shook her head. 

I’ve known her since she was four years old, I know when she lies.  I reminded her of that and she knew that I would be able to see through anything she said.  Just be happy, she was calling as soon as I left her house.

She replied.

We’ll wait and see what happens.  What about the other girls?

His message came back.

She thinks many of them wouldn’t have even made it through the trial, but she will talk to them.  Or maybe she will let the DA do it, she wasn’t really sure.  She was embarrassed about it.  You know that is something that a female will hate.  I hope you never say another person’s name to me.

She sent back to him.

Come over, I’m home.

He sent her.  Sally headed to his house.  She figured a celebration would happen soon.  She didn’t know how long it would be before the DA would tell Johnny’s attorney, but she hoped she was there when he got the news.

Before she went over to Johnny’s she ran inside to see if her mom was there.  Sally wanted to let her know that Mary had admitted Johnny hadn’t done a thing that night, well except upset her.  But her mother wasn’t there when she walked in. 

Instead she went over to Johnny’s and knocked on the door.  He came and answered the door, and gave her a hug and a kiss.

“Welcome home.”  He smiled.

“Well close enough to home right.”  She smiled back at him.

Johnny got down on one knee and looked at her.  He pulled a small box out of his pocket.  “Sally Leach would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”  He asked her.

She felt her knees get weak.  “Oh my goodness, I wasn’t expecting this.  Yes I will marry you Johnny Young.”  She said.

“Are you sure?  Just in case Mary doesn’t call the DA, or one of the other girls goes through with the charges.”  Johnny asked.

“Mary can testify that you didn’t rape any of them, right?  So why would we have to worry about it?”  Sally asked.

“I’m not sure how that works, I’d have to ask the attorney, but it seems like that would work.  But again I know you swear she will do it, but I don’t believe her.  You didn’t see her that night, or when she was putting on the show for everyone.  I got jumped a few times by some of the guys from school.  Thankfully, I’ve been studying martial arts and could protect myself.  Unfortunately it didn’t help me much because I would get in trouble for fighting.  Thus I must be violent.”  Johnny explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me all of this at first?”  She asked.

“Why?  What good would it do for you to hear it?  It wouldn’t make anything go away.”  Johnny commented.

“I know but at least I would have known what you went through while I was gone.”  She stated.

“I don’t want to drag you through it all.  I can just tell you it was a living hell; I really thought I hated you for a while.  But my love for you is far too strong for it to just disappear.  I guess that night with Mary proved it to her, but to me as well.  Honestly, before that night I would swear that I was over you.  I know Mary thinks I lied to her the whole time, but I really didn’t.  You messed me up bad when you left to go to Paris.”  Johnny explained.

“I’m so sorry Johnny.  I wish I would have realized how I felt before I stepped on that plane too.  It would have solved a lot of problems, or at least changed this situation, and a few others.  I wish we could go back to that day when we were in the woods.  I would have said something else to you, would have talked about how it made me feel.  I was nervous; I was shocked that we had just had sex.  I mean how many years did I put you off?  Suddenly I’m feeling all these emotions for you that simply make no sense to me.”  Sally admitted.

“That wasn’t my problem.  It was when you told me you were leaving in 3 days.  I knew how I felt for you, and I had hoped it changed your mind.  I know they say that a relationship shouldn’t be built on sex.  But I don’t think I would change that happening that day.  I would change what you told me right after though.”  Johnny said.

“I would too Johnny.  I wouldn’t have left.  I missed you so much when I was gone.  When you told me you wouldn’t talk to me anymore, I just died a bit inside.”  Sally said.

“Imagine how I felt when you said you were going to Paris right after we had sex the first time?”  He commented.

“No I can get it.  Really Johnny, I’m so sorry.”  She stated.

“Well now it’s in the past.  If Mary does what you think she will, I don’t even know what I will do.  I don’t know if people will believe the girls even after they change their stories.  What I’m saying is that we may have to move someday.  Otherwise I won’t be able to get a job, and you’ll have to support us.”  Johnny said.

“How would you feel about going to New York or maybe LA?  I could intern with one of the fashion designers there, and maybe still be able to do what I’ve always wanted to do.”  She asked.

“We’ll compare the options and see what looks like the best choice.  But I haven’t given up hope on staying here either.  Both of those cities are so dangerous, I don’t know if I want to take a chance of you getting hurt.”  He commented.

“I’ll be careful no matter where we go.”  Sally stated.

“We have to get past this whole thing first.  You would think that if Mary did what she said I would have gotten a call by now.”  Johnny said looking at his watch. 

“It hasn’t been that long since I left her, maybe 10 to 15 minutes now.”  Sally tried to cheer him up.

“I just have this horrible feeling that it won’t go that way.  That she won’t call, and the attorney won’t be able to plea bargain and I’ll be in jail for years.  You’ll be out here by yourself and will get tired of waiting for me.  Eventually, you’ll leave me for another man.”  Johnny commented.

“Is that why you asked me to marry you, because you thought I would stick around longer?”  She asked.

“It might have a little bit to do with it.  But it is mostly because you told me I needed to decide what I wanted from you.  So today I went to Grand Island and went ring shopping.  I couldn’t buy anything in town, they wouldn’t sell to me.  Can you believe that?  Don’t answer it.”  Johnny told her.

“I can believe it honestly.”  She began.

He put up his hand.  “I told you not to answer it.  I know you’ve seen it.”  He stated.

“I’ve unfortunately found out just how judgmental people are in our little town since I’ve been back.  The lady in the mall wasn’t the only one.  I meet a couple of other guys we went to school with before that, and they were the same way.  Mr. Samuels wouldn’t even hire me because he had heard a rumor about us.”  Sally said.

“Well that isn’t shocking to me.”  Johnny said.

His phone rang and he answered it.  “Yes sure Mr. Wallace.”

Sally watched as Johnny listened and talked to his attorney.  She kept her fingers crossed and watched his face to try and figure out what he was hearing. 

“Okay, yes sir.  I understand sir.  Alright, I’ll come down there in an hour.  Sure, I appreciate it.”  She heard Johnny say.

As soon as he hung up she asked.  “Well, what happened?”  She asked.

“She did call and rescind her story.  The charges from her are going to be dropped.  The DA is dealing with the other girls right now as well.  In an hour I’m supposed to go to my attorney’s office and I’ll find out what happened with them.”  Johnny stated.

“I told you she would call.”  Sally said.

“Okay so you were right about that.  But I am telling you we need to decide what to do now.  I don’t think anyone will hire me here.  So what place would you like to move too?”  Johnny asked.

“I don’t care; either of the bigger cities would work.   I’ll look up to see if there are any more in different cities as well.  Maybe Chicago that might be a good place too.”  Sally suggested.

“Look them up when I go to see Mr. Wallace.  Do you want to get married before we go, or after we get to where we are going?”  He asked.

“Well I would like my parents to come, but so many people in town have really made me upset.  They judged you for a rumor, based on lies.  We have to move because of those lies too.  As far as I’m concerned there aren’t many people I would even want to come now.”  She stated.

“Where ever we go we can fly them out.  I don’t mind that, are they going to be okay with you marrying me though?  You’re mom stopped talking to me after she found out about the charges, I don’t think she likes me very much.”  He said.

“She will change her mind once she finds out that Mary was lying.”  Sally said.

“No don’t believe it.  I’m telling you Sally; people will still talk and think I’m guilty.  But your parents can come if they want.  I agree with you there are too many people who I wouldn’t want to see at the wedding.  Look up the places and let me know where you want to move when I get back though.  It may be a quick move though; I want to start our new life together on an up note.”  He stated.

“Alright sweetie, I’m going to go home and talk to my mom and do some research.  Let me know when you get back okay.”  She kissed him and walked out the door.

Sally went inside and called for her mom.  “Mom, are you home?”  She yelled out.

“Yeah sweetie, I’ll be right down.”  She heard her mom call from upstairs.

A few minutes later her mom was downstairs.  “Hey honey, how was your day today?”  Her mom asked.

“It was very nice actually.  See what I got?”  She showed her mom the ring.

“Oh it’s beautiful.  Oh wait, is that from him?”  Her mom’s eyes closed a bit.

“Yes it is mom.  It’s from Johnny and I said yes.  By the way so you know I also talked to Mary today, and she lied.  Sit down and let me tell you the story.”  Sally said.

Her mom sat and listened intently as Sally explained what Mary had a little earlier in the day to her.  She left out details about sex and all that, but gave her mom enough of the story so she could understand Johnny was not guilty. 

“Well I guess you were right to begin with.”  Her mom said once Sally had stopped talking.

“I also need to tell you that we will be moving as well.  Johnny will always have people looking at him like he’s guilty.”  Sally said.

“What?  Where will you move?  When are you going?  I just got you back from half way around the world.”  Her mom cried out.

“Mom, its okay, maybe we’ll go to Chicago.  It’s not that far away really, and you and dad can come out for the ceremony.  We aren’t going to get married in town.”  She explained.

“Oh my little girl, she’s all grown up now.  I’m so happy for you.  You’re sure though that he’s not going to hurt you.  Even though he didn’t rape those girls he was always in trouble for beating people up.  They even said that old man Denton was in the hospital for a few months after he was done beating him up.”  Her mom commented.

“Mom I talked to a guy today who told me a month.  Then when I began asking him questions he admitted that old man Denton wasn’t even in overnight.  People are over exaggerating things when they talk about Johnny.  It was all a case of just making him look worse than what he is.  Yes he did beat him up, and he knows he was wrong.  But mom really I caused a lot of that anger in him when I left.”  Sally explained.

“Well he did always love you so much.  I guess you leaving would make him upset.  But really he seemed to change right after you left so much.”  Her mom said.

“Mom he was mad at me for leaving.  We had gotten a bit closer a few days before I left and well something happened.  We, well, had sex.  I know mom, I know, I shouldn’t have sex before I’m married.”  Sally said.

Her mom held up her hand.  “I never said that, but I would think waiting would have been a good idea.  But I know kids of your generation don’t look at marriage the same as us old folks do.  But go ahead, so before you left you two had sex.”  Her mom said.

“Yes and right after I told him I was leaving to go to Paris.  He was hurt and upset.  I was confused because I didn’t know why I found him so attractive.  I got over to Paris and found out about him and Mary.  It hurt me a lot, and made me realize just how much I cared about him.  Now that I’m back I’ve already seen his attitude change.”  Sally stated.

“My little girl, you did hurt him.  Well I guess I owe him an apology too.  I can understand why he was angry.  It puts a whole new perspective on it.

***

Sally looked out the window of their little house in a Chicago suburb.  Her belly was rounded and she was 9 months pregnant with their first child.  She waited for her husband to come home from work. 

“Hey honey I’m home.” Johnny said walking in the door.  “How’s the most beautiful girl in the world?”  He asked.

“I’m great. The baby has been really active today.  I think he’s ready to come out soon!”  Sally commented.

“Good, come on slugger, we can’t wait to see you.”  Johnny kissed her belly and felt the baby kick.

THE END

ACTION STAR

Chapter One

Sara Albright, was only 22 years old and was running a farm and watching over her siblings.   It wasn’t the life she had ever imagined for herself.  But after her Ma and Pa had been in the accident, she had no choice.

She sighs heavily as she cleans up after her two siblings.  Henry, age 16, and Sally, age 17.  They didn’t ask for their parents to be killed either, none of them had ever thought of a life without them around.  Well, eventually, but not until a much later time.

The shock of it all still was fresh in her mind and heart.  She would forever miss her parents; it had left a huge hole in her heart.  But it hadn’t been one that she had any time to focus on.

Immediately the tasks of everyday life had been pushed on her.  She didn’t have a choice, she would be the one who had to feed her siblings and do it all.  But Sara knew how bad the situation was for them, she was on the verge of losing it all.  What would happen to her family then?  Sara honestly didn’t know her family had been the only one who accepted her anymore.  Ever since she had stood beside Elizabeth, the rest of the community here looked at her as an outcast.

Sara didn’t blame them, after all what had she expected?  She was Amish and knew how her community would react.  As soon as everyone had heard about the unwed Elizabeth’s impending child, they had turned on her quickly.  Not Sara though, she had known Elizabeth since they had both been young children.

She knew that Elizabeth hadn’t done this as a betrayal to their religion.  She had just enjoyed rumspringa too much.  But that was the time they were supposed to have fun.  Not that Sara would have gone and had sex, but her friend had.  How could she turn her back on her? 

Elizabeth had not admitted to that though, she had told everyone that Seth had raped her.  It wasn’t true of course, but Sara still stood by her friend.  It had cost her everything, well almost everything.  At least she hadn’t been kicked out of the community.  That was just because when the truth had come out, Sara had played dumb.  But she knew people looked at her differently.  She knew they were sure she had known the truth.  After all her and Elizabeth were almost inseparable since they had been little.  In fact she was sure they all thought Sara had gone and had sex during rumspringa too.  Though she hadn’t, she couldn’t plead her case, no one ever listened.

Her friend had left shortly after that to parts unknown.  But Sara had been stuck there, and then after a short two weeks her parent’s had passed away.  Numb, but smart enough, she realized that no help would come from anyone in the community.  She had to solve this on her own, but how?

She heard a knocking on the door; it must be someone who saw my sign for vegetables for sale.  She was happy, that would mean money coming in finally!

She opened the door to a man who was definitely not Amish.  He was dressed in ripped blue jeans and a t-shirt with some sort of cartoon superhero on it.  She had seen outsiders wearing them in town before.

“Who are you?”  She asked, immediately leery.

“Yeah, well you don’t know me obviously.  But I have a proposition, wait do you use like our money?”  He stopped and looked waiting for her to answer.

Sara was still shocked looking at him.  “What?  Yes we use money, how do you think we buy things?”  She chuckled lightly.

“Okay, then I have a great deal for you.  I can change your life, with only two weeks of your time spent.  I can make you rich.”  He explained.

“Well sir, first off I don’t know your name?  However, how rich can you make me?”  Sara admitted she was interested.  If it would mean being able to keep the farm, and her now much smaller family together, she was all for it.

“Oh I’m sorry, my name is John Austin.  I’m the agent for Ben North.  Have you ever heard of him?”  He asked.

Sara had seen things while in town about Ben North many times.  She had always thought how attractive he had been in those pictures.  “Yes, but only a little bit.” 

“He is playing a new role, and needs to learn about Amish culture.  So what I would like you to do is help him out.  Let him come into your home, and teach him everything. This is a very important role to him, and we are willing to offer you ample compensation for your time and effort.”  John explained.

“Well, he would have to come in as a cousin.  We’d have to try and make it possible that the community would believe it.  See I’m already quite the outcast here.  But bringing in a man, who isn’t related, no they would tar and feather me for sure. I’d be kicked out and have nowhere left to go, my siblings, I don’t know if they would send them with me.  I have no clue what would happen, but it isn’t something I want to experience.”  Sara explained.

“Of course, we will follow your rules.  Aren’t you interested in how much we will be paying you?”  He asked.

Sara realized she hadn’t found out what he was offering.  She realized it was because she was thinking of what Ben North looked like.  He was rugged and very handsome.  “Of course I do, how much are you offering me?”

“We will give you $250,000.”

She sat up surprised by the huge amount of money.  If she used that correctly, it could keep the farm running for years.  “When will he be coming?”

“Is next month okay?”

“Sure.”

“Good, see you in a month.  Thank you very much.  I’ll bring the money that day when I drop him off.”  John shook her hand and said goodbye.

Sara plopped down on the sofa.  Her life would soon change for the better and she would have Ben North in her house!

Chapter Two

Ben North looked out of the windows as they drove through Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  “What kind of world is this?  I’ve not seen one oriental restaurant, let alone a Thai food one.  What in the world has John talked him into?  How in the world will he survive here?”  He talked to the driver.

He heard the man chuckle lightly, “No sir you won’t find much choices in food here.  But you’ll really enjoy what they have to offer.  The Amish food is something that many enjoy around here, and pay quite a pretty penny for.”

Ben looked around more; he couldn’t even imagine what this was going to be like.  In a slight panic he pushed the button on his phone and calls John.

“John, how the hell will I do this?  I mean seriously, is she going to take me around all the other people?  I don’t think I’ve learned enough to pull off really being Amish.”  Ben questioned the man quickly.

“Look, you want to do a great job on this role right?  You will have to absorb as much about the culture as you can.  The good news is that you won’t have too many visitors; she is kind of considered an outcast there.  It was why I picked her out of all the choices.  She also wants to make sure you don’t blow your cover, so she’ll watch how much interaction you have with everyone.  If they find out something, they will banish her from their community.”  John explained.

“What?  John, why didn’t you tell me that before I agreed to this?  What if I blow it for her?  How do you think I’d feel knowing I got some girl banished from her whole community?”  Ben could feel his blood pressure rising.  It was so much more pressure on him, he didn’t think he liked it one bit.

“I didn’t tell you because you wouldn’t have agreed to it.  But Ben this is what you need to pull this off.  You’ll have lived the life and you’ll know exactly how they would react.  You’re sure to bring home the Oscar for this one, no doubt about it.  But in order to do that, you had to go.  Tell me Ben, if I would have told you about the chance she was taking.  If I would have said, look Ben if you get found out, her and her brother and sister may be kicked out of the community.  Would you have agreed to do it?”  John asked.

“Hell no I wouldn’t have agreed.  It’s not just her but two other people?  John, you’ve put me in some sort of spot, I’m just thinking of calling it all off.”  Ben said.

“Look Ben, the kid really needs the money.  Her farm is going to be lost if she doesn’t get it.  Plus I took the money to her yesterday.  She’s got it already.  You should have seen her face.  Seriously, I think we just saved her family with this offer.”  John explained.

Ben felt his heart melt a bit.  “Oh shit.  Alright, I’ll do it, but I’m not going to like it one bit.”  He cut off the call without saying goodbye.

The thing was John knew him quite well, he knew what would make Ben feel bad for Sara Albright.  That was his hostess name.  He was to be her cousin Ben from out of town. 

He knew John had picked this girl on purpose.  John had most likely checked out everything he could about her.  Then approached her and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.  Not if she wanted to ensure her family farm was to continue.  It was a dirty ploy, but it had worked.  Ben knew that John was right about this role. 

Ben North had been a big name in the movies for the past 7 years now.  But he had always played an action hero.  He had gone to John one afternoon a few months back and asked him to find him something different.

“What do you mean different?”  John had asked him.

“I want a more serious role.  A drama, something that will make people see that I can do much more than action.  I’m tired of the same old story line.  I want to spread my wings, and while doing that, I want to prove how skilled I am.”  Ben had told him.

John had looked at him, and studied Ben closely.  “Well I just got one in yesterday, I was thinking of passing on it, at least for you.”

“What is it about?”  Ben had asked.

“It’s an Amish love story, well, more of an Amish betrayal.  But it opens as a love story; the husband finds out that his wife has been sleeping around on him.  You would have to pull off that you were Amish, and well its high drama.  The story is pretty decent, I have to admit.”  John explained.

“Let me take it and read it.”  Ben had gotten the script and taken it right home that day. 

He had flipped through the pages, getting into the story, and even seeing how he would play the part.  He loved it, but wasn’t sure if he could play the part.  It would mean a lot of work on his part.

“I’ll do it, sign me up now.”  Ben had called John and told him.  “But somehow I have to learn about the Amish culture.  Put me in it if you can, so I can absorb everything.  I want to play this part so well that people will think I used to be Amish.”  Ben stated.

“I’ll get on it.”  John had hung up the phone.  No more than two weeks later he had called Ben with the details of his stay. 

At that time Ben had been thrilled.  But driving through Lancaster had tampered that excitement quite a bit.  Now when he looked out he saw they were in the country.  By the bumps in the road in figured they were on an old dirt road.

“We’re here sir.”  The driver turned and told him.  “I’ll get the bags.”

Ben stepped out of the car; they were nowhere near a house.  “Hey where are we going?  There’s no house.”  Ben asked.

“Yeah, we can’t drive up to the house and tell everyone you are her cousin.”  The driver stopped talking for a second, and then pointed to the south.  "That will be your ride the rest of the way.” 

Ben watched as the carriage drew closer to them.  He looked closely at the girl and studied her as much as he could.  He smiled upon seeing that some of her hair had come lose during her trip.  It was flapping in the wind, and every once in a while she swipes it out of her eyes.

The brown mass doesn’t pay attention to her pleas for it to stop either.  He can hear her pleading to stay out of her eyes as she gets even closer. 

Ben is transfixed by the pure beauty of the girl who is in the driver’s seat.  As she hops down from the carriage with an amazing grace, he is simply too dumb to talk.

Finally the driver speaks to break the silence.  “Sara Albright?”  He asked.

“Yes that is me.  I’m sorry I was a little late.  I was having a few issues at the farm.”  Sara explained.

Ben is studying her accent, trying to pick it apart.  “Hi it’s nice to see you cousin.  I’m Ben from your Uncle Burt’s side.”  He tries to copy her accent.

She laughs heartily.  “Nice to meet you cousin, how is Uncle Burt doing?” 

“Was my accent really that bad?”  Ben asks embarrassed.  He was never embarrassed, but this girl turned his insides to jelly.  He wanted to impress her.

“No it was really good.  It just shocked me that you did such a perfect job of it, after all you’ve only heard me once.”  Sara smiled at him.

He was lost in the smile.  Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Three

“As soon as we get to the farm house, I’ll give you some of Pa’s clothes.  You tried, but even what you have on now isn’t Amish enough.  These people will pick apart everything.  We must pull this off.  Just follow my lead on most of it for now.  We can play that off as you’re the shy cousin; he hasn’t quite made it into that time of his life where he talks a lot.  I think they will go for that.  But if you start trying to interact too soon, they will pull you apart.  Along with that they will kick us out of the community.  I don’t know what I would do if that happened.”  She explained to him.

Ben wasn’t upset that she was telling him how much pressure he had on him.  It would remind him that he needed to listen and absorb everything as quickly as he could.  “Just how soon will we have people coming around?” 

“Well after you meet my brother and sister, they may tell some of their friends.  Even if we tell them not too, there will be other people who are noisy.  If someone comes and buys vegetables and sees you, they’ll spread it all over that you have come to visit.  Just remember who you are, and why they’ve never heard of you.”  Sara stated.

“Hello, my name is Ben Albright.  My cousin was kind enough to let me come and stay with her for a while.  I may plan to move to Lancaster soon.”  He said, using the accent from before.

“Good and they are going to ask you right away where you are from.”  Sara told him.

“I’m from the Heuvelton settlement; it sits along the St. Lawrence River.”  He answered, the accent now sounding quite natural to her.

“Excellent.  With the accent you have worked out very well, you’ll pull off the noisy people who come around.”  She explained.

“Won’t your brother and sister think it’s odd that they have never heard of me?”  He asked.  Ben was trying to locate any weaknesses in their story.

“No, when my parents died I became the head of the household.  They’ve not heard of all of our relatives, and may never know where all of them are located.”  She explained.

To him it sounded a bit weak, but he hoped she knew her culture better than he did.  Of course she did, this had been her life for how long now?  “Just how old are you Sara?”  He asked.  John had never told him many specifics.  Just that she seemed like a really nice girl. 

“I’m 22 years old, just turned a week before my parents passed.”  Sara said. 

He could hear the sadness in her voice.  “I’m really sorry about your folks.  I know what it’s like.  I lost my mom when I was 14.  My dad died a year later.  Though I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose both at one time.”  Ben told her.

She could hear he was being earnest in his voice.  “Thank you, it’s been very hard on us all.  My brother and sister are very messed up by it too.” 

“I don’t know how you’ve taken over so much at such a young age.”  Ben admitted.

“By messing it up mostly, I was going to lose the farm, until your agent came around.”  Sara laughed dryly, no humor in it at all.

“Well I appreciate you helping me out.” 

“There’s the farm house.”  She pointed out a shabby little shack looking thing.

“It needs a bit of work.”  Ben commented.

“I can only do so much.” Sara said a bitterness coming through in the comment.

“No I only meant I could help you with it.  Believe it or not I do know how to do some hard labor.”  He stated.

“I’m sorry; I’m really a bit on edge right now.”  She apologized.

“No worry.”

They took his bags in and she placed them into her Ma and Pa’s old room.  Here are some clothes.  My brother and sister will be home soon, they will normally play outside for a bit.  Though I’ve been making Sally help with dinner every now and then, she needs to learn.  Get changed, and you can look around outside.  Just please remember the story just in case anyone sees you and comes up to talk.”  Sara said.  He could hear the plea in her voice.

“Alright, don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything wrong.”  He told her, though his confidence was shaky at best.

Sara left the room and Ben missed her presence immediately.  He would love to get to know her much better.  He couldn’t help thinking about how she would be as a lover.  After his entire playboy nature made him think that way all the time.

“No way, she would be far different from those others.”  Ben told himself.  Sara would never be the type to let him touch her, not until they were married. 

The thought of marriage scared Ben.  He didn’t want to have any part of it.  Far too many times he had seen the damage that his parents’ marriage did to them both.  They were always fighting; it was never quiet at his house.  Ben had often wondered why they stayed together.  Wouldn’t it be better to be alone, than to listen to someone yelling at you every day?

He finished dressing and looked in the mirror.  Now he really did look Amish, he was impressed how well the clothes looked on him.  “Oscar here I come!”  He muttered in the mirror and went to check out the rest of the farm.

Before he could make it to the door though he ran into Sara and her brother and sister, they were all staring at him.

“Henry and Sally this is our cousin Ben.  He came to visit us.”  Sara introduced him.

“Hello nice to meet you both.”  He shook Henry and Sally’s hand. 

“Who is your father?”  Henry asked.

Ben felt a bit of nerves pop up, maybe he knew more than Sally had given him credit for.  “Uncle Burt, we live in upper New York, near the St. Lawrence River.”  Ben explained.

Henry shook his head like he accepted the answer.  Ben wondered if he had spotted a weakness in the story so quickly.  “Okay, I don’t know him anyway.  Nice to meet you Cousin Ben, I have only a bit of time to play outside before I must do some chores.”  Henry went out the door.

Sally followed behind closely and soon it was just Ben and Sara again.

“Good job.”  She smiled at him.  “I have to finish dinner, you can go look around.  Maybe help Henry with the chores, he’ll love it.” 

“Sure.”  Ben went out to explore more and figured what would it hurt to learn from Henry too.

However, Henry finishes up to fast for Ben who had been lost standing looking over a field that was filled with wheat.  The beauty of this area had filled him with a joy he hadn’t felt in some time.  This break away from the fast lifestyle would do him a lot of good.

He sat down for what smelled like a wonderful meal.  “I hope you don’t mind, I had Henry and Sally eat sooner.  They have some homework to do tonight.”  Sara explained why it was just the two of them eating.

“Good, that way I can ask you questions and they won’t wonder why.”  He smiled.

“Ask anything you want.” 

“By the way the food is delicious.”  Ben said as he shoveled in another huge scoop of meat and potatoes.

“Thank you very much.”

“Is it all homemade?  I mean do you ever buy the powdered potatoes from a store?”  Ben asked.

“Never, why would I do that when we can get them from the Earth?”  She answered shocked at his question.

“What about a place to plug in my phone?”  He asked.

“We don’t use electricity.  I’m sorry.”  She apologized.

“What, no way to charge my phone.  I swear what would it hurt if you just put in some electricity?”  Ben asked.

“It’s our religion.  We feel that we should live with the basics, only what God provides to us.  Electricity was invented by man, not God.”  She told him.

“Well who gave him the idea, God?”  Ben said.

“Why take a chance, perhaps it was the devil.  That means that everyone who uses it is going against God.”  She explained.

“That’s the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever heard.  You’re telling me that everyone else on the face of the planet is going against God, because they use electricity.”  Ben uttered.

“I don’t expect you to understand our ways.  But your agent wanted you to know about it.  You either accept it or not.  I’m not the one who is playing a part, you are.”  Sara said.  “You know what, I’m going to bed.  You can wash up in the other room; I’ll heat some water for you.  You know where the bedroom is.”

Ben looked at her, he had insulted her.  He hadn’t meant too, but he did think their thinking was backwards.  However, as she pointed out, he was the one who was set to play an Amish character on the big screen.  How could he pull it off he if didn’t at least understand why they did things, and he would have to practice it too.

He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, but she was nowhere to be found.  Instead he cleaned up and went to bed.  His head feeling heavy on the pillow as he tried to sleep in a strange new world that he felt far too confused to figure out.

Chapter Four

Ben stretches as he wakes up.  He looks around and realizes yesterday wasn’t a dream.  No he’s still sitting in the shabby little Amish farmhouse.  The bed had been quite comfortable and he at least had slept well.  Now his mind was whirling again, he was trying to figure out how he was going to finish the two weeks here.

As he is walking down the stairs he smells bacon and eggs.  His stomach growls like he’s been starving for weeks.  Ben knows better than though, he had ate the equivalent of a horse last night, he swore. 

“Hey Cousin Ben when you’re done eating, you want to come and help me in the field?”  Sally looked at him.

“You know you can just call me Ben!  Sure let me just eat really quick and I’ll be right there.”  Ben smiled at her.

He noticed that she turned red as she ran off. 

Sara laughed a bit, “You embarrassed her a little, don’t worry, she’s shy!” 

“This is delicious.”  Ben said.  “I’m really sorry about my comments last night.  You know they say that people often think of things as dumb, just because they don’t understand them.  Really I want to know everything, and I promise to listen.” 

“Apology accepted.  Now finish eating and go help Sally plow.”  Sara motioned for him to finish up and go.

Ben gulped down the rest of his meal and finished it off with a huge cup of coffee.  He ran out the door to go to the field.  He found Sally there struggling to control the horses as they moved the plowing instrument through the dirt. 

I don’t know how to do this, how in the world am I even going to help her.  He studied her closely, trying to pick up her movements so that he could duplicate them.  “I’m not sure to help you, what would you like me to do?”  He asks her.

She shakes her head as to say right now she doesn’t need him.  He stands watching her, just in case she calls on him for help.  He’s studying her so much that he doesn’t notice the old man who comes up behind him.

“Hello young man.  What are you doing here?”  The old man’s voice is loud, and Ben jumps.

“Oh I didn’t notice you coming up, I’m sorry.  My name’s Ben, I’m here to visit my Cousin’s.”  He holds out his hand to shake the man’s hand.

“Hmm, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of you.  Which cousin are you?”  He asks Ben.

Ben is wondering who this old man is, when Sally spots him and runs up.  “Grandpa, how are you today?”  She asks.

Now it makes sense to him, he must improvise though.  “I’m her fourth cousin on her Uncle Burt’s side.  We live up near the St. Lawrence River area in New York.” 

“Oh welcome to our community.  I had heard we had a few relatives in that area.  So Sara was kind enough to take you in?  That’s nice of her, but I don’t know if it will help her out in the community or not.”  The old man stated.

“Well she should be considered as a very generous young lady.  I think my cousin Sara might have given the wrong impression somehow.”  Ben stated he felt as if he was defending her honor.  He had wanted to say much more, but didn’t dare.  It would have given up the story, and Sara would be kicked out of the community.

“It’s that generous nature that made her the outcast.  She should never have stuck up for Elizabeth.  Not like she did anyway.  If she really did know the truth, though some of us still wonder if she was fooled by the young girl’s story too.”  The old man said.

“I don’t think I’ve heard this story.” 

“Elizabeth went out for rumspringa and when she came back she was pregnant.  Not only that but she tried to accuse one of the young men of the community, saying he had raped her.  The truth came out though, and she was shipped off.  Sara had fought for the girl, though she had never said anything about the boy.  That’s what makes me think she knew the truth all along.  Surely if she was sticking up for her friend, she would have wanted him to be in trouble.  But instead she always avoiding condemning him.  Some fell for the story that she didn’t know the truth, not me though.  One more mistake from her, and she will be kicked out for sure.”  He stated.

Ben studied the man, he was quite serious, and Ben could see it in his eyes.  “That would be a shame.  I don’t know about this story though, and what she knew and didn’t know.  I can only tell you the little bit I’ve seen and she’s a good girl, who will be a fine woman for some man one day.”  Ben stated.

“Oh she will never be a bride.  No man in our community would touch her.  She’s been marked by her choices of friends.  She most likely had sex during rumspringa too.  After all her and Elizabeth were like sisters.” 

Ben wanted to say, just because one of them was wild, it didn’t mean both of them were.  He had never seen a sign from Sara that she even thought about such things, let alone had sex already.  No she seemed pure as the day was white.  “That’s a shame I think those men will be missing out a great bride.”

The old man studied him a bit longer, and then wished him a good day.  Ben studied the old man as he walked away.  The weight of how bad it was for Sara in this community hit him like a brick.

Chapter Five

Sara was fuming as she got ready to go out and work for the day.  She had just finished the dishes from breakfast, and Ben hadn’t lifted a finger to help out at all.  Not with anything, many times she had tried to get him to help with chores.  But he would simply look at her and go do something else.

She didn’t mind teaching him things about this culture, but he needed to experience it too.  How could he do that if he was so darn lazy though?  She had all but come out and asked him to help her with the fields today.

“Oh, I sure wish I could find someone to help me plow the field today.”  Sara had muttered loudly as he was eating the breakfast she had cooked.

“What about Henry?”  Ben had asked her.

“He’s off to school right now.”  Sara had answered.

“Okay, how about your grandpa?” 

She hadn’t even answered him.  She had gotten up and went to the kitchen.  “Ask your grandpa?”  She muttered under her breath as she began to wash the dishes.

“I guess the fact that he’s old and can’t handle the horses wouldn’t be apparent to some hot shot movie star.  Or the fact that even if I asked, he would be too ashamed to help me, and what others in the community would say about him.”  She said angrily to the air. 

Sara knew that Ben was aware of her own standing in the community.  However, what she wasn’t aware of was that he might have no idea what that meant to everyone else.  Hopefully, Henry and Sally could avoid too much harm.  After all they were young enough that the community could see that they had to stay where they were.  If her grandpa had been younger, he would have quickly taken them in.  At that point, they might have even decided to kick Sara out of the community.  That would have depended on who believed her about Elizabeth or not.  She hadn’t known during rumspringa that Elizabeth had sex.  In fact, she hadn’t seen much of Elizabeth during that time.  But no one in the community would believe that.  No her and Elizabeth had always been together, so why would it be different at any point?  That’s what they all thought; she could see it in their eyes.  She was sure that the vote would have been to expel her right away.  She would be placed in exile and never allowed back into any Amish community in this area, and perhaps others.

Her mind was on all of this as she started to get the horses ready for work.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ben as he approached.  The horse wasn’t cooperating with her, for some reason he seemed frightened.

As she took her eyes off of the horse to look around at what might be scaring him, she didn’t see anything.  The next thing she knew was she was in the dirt, spitting it out of her mouth.

“What in the world did you do that for?”  She yelled at Ben.

“He was charging right at you, didn’t you see him?”  Ben yelled back.  “He would have killed you if he ran you over.  What in the hell were you doing?”  His voice was loud and carried far. 

Sara looked around to see if anyone was going by close enough to hear him.  “Can you please lower your voice?”  She asked.  “I was looking around to see why he was scared.  I didn’t see him coming at me.  Thank you very much for saving me.  I apologize for yelling at you.”  She said calmly.

As she had been sitting up in the dirt she had seen Ben calm the horse down and tie him up.  “How did you calm the horse so quickly?”  She asked.  She tried to stand up and almost fell down again.  Ben grabbed her quickly, “Did you get hurt?”

“Yeah I think it’s just a little twist though.  I can put some ice on it after I get to the house.  But I may need your help to get there.”  She said.

“No problem just lean right on me if you need too.”  He lowered his arm so she could grab on to it.  She felt a rush of heat go through her body as they touched.

Flushed she took an unsteady step, but quickly recovered as she felt more of his body press against hers.  He had steadied her and quickly moved away though.

“So to answer your question I know all about horses.  See I was raised on a ranch in Texas.  My parents ran a small one outside of Amarillo Texas.  That’s where I grew up, every year since age 2 I knew about horses.  I rode my first horse at that age, by age 4 I was riding them alone like they were a part of me.  I love them.”  Ben’s eyes has been wistful as he talked about growing up.  “Don’t ever tell anyone that I’m just a small town country boy, it will hurt my image!”  He laughed.

She chuckled.  “I can tell you still love horses.  I honestly would have never imagined you to be a hard worker though.” 

She saw him flinch at the comment.  “Well I mean since you’ve been here you’ve done nothing.”

Ben had the decency to at least look embarrassed by her comment.  “Looks like I’m going to have to help now.  I’m sorry if I’ve seemed so lazy.” 

He helped her into a chair in the house and went to get the ice to put on her ankle.

Chapter Six

Ben came down to see Sara hobbling to work on dinner. 

“Hey I can do that, sit down.”  He ordered her.

“I’m okay; really it doesn’t hurt much at all anymore.”  She said.

“Yeah I can tell by how much weight you’re putting on it.  That means I think you’re lying.”  Ben pulled out her chair and told to sit down.  “I can do this for you, no problem.  I’ve had to cook before.  Here put this ice on your ankle and I don’t want to see you up again.

Sara sat down and looked towards the kitchen.  She had laid, her ankle hurt quite a bit still.  But they needed to eat dinner, what else could she do?  Sally was out doing other choirs on the farm, and Henry shouldn’t cook.  Well he could in emergencies, but she wouldn’t trust him to be able to boil water. 

Of course she had no idea what kind of cook Ben was either.  She hoped that she wouldn’t smell anything burning. 

She had listened to him a while when they got back as he had talked more about the small ranch in Texas.  He had seemed so happy when he talked about most of his childhood. 

“So what about your parents, what were they like?”  Sara asked Ben.

His face had changed instantly and the happiness faded right before her eyes.  “Well they didn’t get along at all.  They were always fighting about something, anything, and everything.  If dad breathed the wrong way, mom would yell.”  He had explained.

“Why?  Didn’t they love one another?”  Sara had asked curiously.

“I often asked myself the same thing, many times.  I don’t know, I think they honestly loved one another.  It wasn’t all moms; dad would do the same thing to her.  I guess that is one of the reasons I’ve never seriously considered marrying.”  Ben sighed.

“You should feel lucky to have the chance to marry.  That’s been taken away from me now.  I’ll never be asked to marry in this community.  Not even the older widows will dare come near me.”  Sara had looked down.

“I’m sorry.”  Ben had said and touched her hand. 

Sara had felt that same shock of heat pass through her body.  She needed out of here, but she was hurt.  “You know what I’m a little tired; I think I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.”  She lied.

He had helped her to her bedroom door and she had told him she would take it from there.

“Oh darn it.”  Sara heard Ben cry out from the kitchen.

As she went to stand up, he came rushing out of the kitchen.  “Don’t you dare get up, everything is just fine.  Dinner will be on the table in just a few minutes.”  He said to her.

Sara plopped back down on the chair.  She would have to wait to see what exactly happened, she just hoped it wasn’t too bad.

“Dinner ready yet?”  Henry and Sally came in the door and looked at her.

“Well Ben is cooking tonight since I couldn’t stand on my ankle.”  She explained.

“Does he even know how to cook?”  Henry asked.

“Let’s hope so.”  Sally said.

Sara looked at them seriously, “Now is that anyone to show thanks that he did this so you could eat?”

They both looked down ashamed, “No ma’am.”  They answered together.

“Dinner’s served.” Ben came out in a flourish from the kitchen.

What he was carrying might pass for food in his part of the world, but Sara heard a collective sigh around the table.  She couldn’t chastise Henry and Sally because she had sighed too.

“Looks interesting, I must say.”  Sara finally said.

“Yeah that would say exactly what I was thinking too.”  Henry said.

Sally just nodded her head.  Sally could tell she was trying hard to hold in a laugh.

Sara was almost scared to take the first bite, but she knew Henry and Sally were waiting for her.  She tried to keep her face as neutral as she could, but it tasted horrible.  “Hmm, that’s good.” 

She watched as Henry and Sally took a bit of their food.  They weren’t as adept at holding their faces emotionless.

“Look I’m really sorry, I burnt it a bit.”  Ben said.

“It’s not that bad, really.  Eat all your food Henry and Sally.”  Sara ordered.

They ate begrudgingly, but finished their food.  Since they sister was hurt, they actually took their plates into the kitchen.

“I’ll do the dishes.”  Ben shouted out as they went out of the room.

Sara heard the telltale sign of the door opening and closing as the two escaped, not even stopping to tell him thank you.  She had to laugh, but she wobbled into the kitchen behind Ben.

“Look don’t say a word, let me help you, I’ll stand and wash.”  Sara said to him.

He looked like he was going to argue, but finally stepped aside and let her get to the sink.  He took the dishes and dried them and made sure to look around and place them in the right spots.  He planned on getting up early and making breakfast, and doing a better job of it.  He wanted to redeem himself with a better meal.

She picked up a pan and next thing Ben knew she was on the floor.  He bent over to help her up.  “I just lost my balance, I’m okay.”  She said.

Ben helped her stand up, they were so close.  The way she was looking up at him made him want to cover her mouth with his.  She was close enough; all he would have to do is lean forward a half an inch.

He stepped back.  “You sure you’re okay?”  He asked.

“Yes, really, I’m fine.  But that pan will have to soak with water in it overnight.  I’ll never get it clean right now.”  She said.

“Great, well I’m going to go to bed now then.  Can you make it to your room okay?”  He asked.

She looked at him as she was trying to study him.  “No I’m fine, I’ll make it there.”  She said.

Ben escaped to his room as quickly as he could.  When he got to his room, he slowly got his emotions under control.

“What the hell were you thinking Ben?”  He asked himself. 

He had wanted to kiss her so badly, he had almost done it.  Hell he wanted to go and find her right now and kiss her passionately. 

“What is it about her?” 

She was nothing like the supermodels he always had on his arm.  But he had been drawn to her since he had first set his eyes on her.  Ben had to admit that more than one night he had fallen asleep and had erotic dreams about her.

But he had to control himself.  She would never leave this life, and he didn’t want to live it full-time.  No thank you, he thought.  I don’t have long left now, and I can leave and never come back.  She’s not part of my future, so I have to control these feelings. 

Sure I could seduce her and take her, he thought.  “That would be far too low; they would banish her for sure if they found out.”  For some reason he was sure they would know too.

No he would leave he and she would be left alone, he would now be sure that those emotions didn’t come up anymore.

Chapter Seven

Sara stretched as she woke up.  Her skin flushed as she thought about the kitchen last night.  Ben had almost kissed her; she had seen a look in his eyes when they had been so close.  She had wanted him to do it too, but she felt so ashamed about those feelings.

Her parents had always talked to her about doing the right things.  When she had gone on her rumspringa she had been a good girl.  She hadn’t done anything like the other kids had, especially Elizabeth.

She wistfully thought about what Elizabeth’s life must be like on the outside.  Was it fun?  Could she ever do it?  There were so many things she was beginning to wish she had experienced during rumspringa.  But the truth was that she would never have done anything that she thought her parents might find out about later.  She liked them to look at her with pride. 

For that reason she hadn’t gone on rumspringa but for a few days.  But when she had come back only her parents had known.  She had asked them to just allow her to let everyone think that she had been gone.

They hadn’t understood her reasons for it.  But she had known.  She didn’t want Elizabeth to be right about her.  Of course her and Elizabeth had planned to do all sorts of things together on rumspringa.  But as the time had gotten closer Sara was more nervous about the adventure.  She didn’t say anything to Elizabeth though, and just acted like she was excited.  Sara had hoped once they were in town she would become excited about the prospect.

However, after they had gotten to town, Sara found that she was too nervous.  Elizabeth had talked her to at least going to a bar for a drink.  Sara had felt guilty the whole time; she had taken a small sip of the alcohol.  The only reason had been because Elizabeth had been watching her so closely.

Sara had excused herself saying she hadn’t felt well.  Elizabeth had stayed in the bar.  When Sara had woken up the next morning, Elizabeth still wasn’t back.  She had been scared, thinking perhaps Elizabeth had been killed.

A few minutes later when Elizabeth came in, Sara had first hugged her friend, but then became angry.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?”  Sara had asked.

“Look if I wanted my parents here with me, I would have stayed at home.  I think I’m going to get my own room, or maybe stay with a friend.  Your just a chicken and you won’t do a thing, you’ll probably turn and run back to the community once I leave.”  Elizabeth had said.

So as far as Elizabeth had known Sara might have stayed.  Even though after that night their relationship had never been the same; Sara had still stood up for her friend. 

The truth was she had honestly believed Elizabeth’s story about Seth raping her.  Why would her friend lie to her?  When all this started her parents died so suddenly, they couldn’t share the truth about what they also knew.  Sara had been telling the truth when she hadn’t been with Elizabeth. 

Well there was nothing she could do about that now, why focus on it?

Ben on the other hand, she had to get these feelings under control.  If she kissed him, and anyone found out, she would be banished for sure.

Though she was curious about the outside, she feared it more.  She didn’t think she would have a chance to survive.  Most likely she would end up like those destitute women she had heard the old ladies talk about.  “All women who are banished end up on the streets selling their body, they have no hope of any redemption.”  Sara had heard more than one time.

“I can’t allow that to happen.”  She cried.  “I will be strong; I will not allow these thoughts to come into my mind again.  He’s a movie star, he’ll be gone soon, and I’ll go back to my normal outcast life.”  She pepped herself up before she went to collect the eggs outside.

She opened the door and began to make her way to the hen house.  She sees him walk around the corner of the hen house; he’s collected the eggs already.  Sara feels her resolve melt instantly.  I wish he would have kissed me; she thinks and smiles to herself.

Chapter Eight

“Hey how are you feeling?”  He asked her.

“I’m okay, thanks for getting the eggs.” 

“It wasn’t a problem.  I’m trying to pull my full share now.  A decent woman once told me I was lazy.  I listened and wanted to prove to her that I wasn’t.”  He smiled at her.

Sara looked down at the ground quickly, her heart fluttered.  “I have to go into the market, your welcome to come if you want.” 

The truth was she was sure it was a bad idea to invite him.  She would explain to him on the way into town that he would see a few things he might not like.  But he needed to just ignore it all.

“Sure sounds fun.”  He said.   “Let me just put these eggs in the house.” 

She watched him run into the house.  Would he be worth leaving this life for?  She thought it and then remembered his words, how much he didn’t want to be married.  So why would he want to marry her?  Sara laughed at herself.  Her flight of fancy had made her realize just how far out of her league Ben really was.

As they headed to the market, Sara broached the subject lightly.  “So when we get to market there may be a few people there who don’t like me much.” 

“What do you mean?”  He asked.

“They think that I should have been banished with Elizabeth.  None of them know that I came back home early.  The only two people who knew that are dead now.”  She explained.

“Okay so they think you should have been banished, the hell with them.”  Ben said.

“Ben please don’t say that.”  She said quickly.

“Oh I’m sorry.”  He watched the scenery go by.

As soon as they got to the market the trouble started.  “Whore.”  An old man walked passed her and said.

Ben looked at her quickly and asked, “Did he call you what I think he did?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”  She lied.

“Well I heard it clearly.”  Ben muttered.  “If anyone else says something like that I’ll make them pay for it.” 

“Please Ben don’t, you’ll only make more problems for me.”  Sara pleaded with him.

“Fine, but only because of that, trust me I’ll be thinking of doing it.”  Ben said his teeth clenched tightly together.

“You are a whore; you should have been kicked out with her.”  And young man came and stood in front of Sara.  Ben was okay, until the man spit on her.

He drew back his arm and connected square with the man’s jaw.

“Ben don’t stop please.  Get off of him; he has a reason to be mad.”  He could hear her yelling, but didn’t want to stop hitting the man.

“Hey look that’s Ben North!”  He hears a scream coming from his side.

“Where?”  Ben hears someone else.

“Over there, fighting that Amish guy.” 

Ben stopped immediately.  He stood up and looked around. 

“Hey your right, Mr. North can I get your autograph.”  Ben hears as the people swallow him up. 

He tries to find Sara and spots her for a minute, and sees the Amish who are standing around her.  Their looks are unmistakable, she’s crossed the line, and they will make sure she pays. 

Ben tries to push out of the crowd, “Come on folks I have to get through.  I’m sorry I can’t sign any autographs right now.”  When he’s on the other side, he sees the carriage going as Sara runs away. 

Chapter Nine

Sara slowly makes her way back home.  She had been mortified that she would be banished.  However, she had stopped at her grandpa’s home and talked to him.  She had told him about everything, and he had assured her that he would see she could stay.  She had felt so happy, like her prayers had been answered. 

She sees Ben watching her approach as she draws the buggy up to the barn. 

“Look I’m sorry about today; I know I’ve made it so awkward for you.  What can I do to fix it?”  He had covered the space so quickly, she jumped when he talked.

“My grandpa said it will be okay.  Some of me is sad about that though.  However, I can’t leave because of the kids.  I’ve never felt like I fit in her anyway.  It just proves to me more than ever after today.  Even if he has talked them into it, that doesn’t mean they’ll be any nicer to me.”

“What about when the kids are old enough to move out?  Would you move out of the community after that?”  He asked.  Ben wasn’t sure why he wanted her to say yes, but his heart felt like it was on fire as he waited.

“Yes I would.”  Sara answered.

Ben couldn’t hold himself back; he covered her mouth with his.  It started as a light kiss, but soon deepened.  He felt rocked when he stepped back.  He’d never felt that way from a kiss in his life.

Sara looked up at him.  “You can’t stay, there is no reason, and we would only be tortured.”

Ben wanted to argue, but he knew she was right.  He wanted to kiss her again and do much more with her.  He shrugged his shoulders and walked away from her.

Sara felt like she would break down as he left.  Her knees were going to buckle.  She made her way back to the house after he was gone.  She couldn’t bear to have been there when he had his suitcase in hand. 

Maybe they would see each other again one day, but she didn’t know.  If she had been hoping anymore to hear the words, she might have asked him.  “Ben can I come stay with you when the kids leave?”  But she hadn’t said it.  She had wanted him to ask her. 

But how could she expect that from him, he didn’t want long-term.  He would surely go back to LA and forget she even exists.  Sara felt like she was going to cry.

Finally making it to the house she went to her room and crumpled on the bed.  Now she let the tears come freely and she did.  Her sobs came in loud sounds from deep inside of her.

Chapter Ten

Ben had left Lancaster what seemed like ages ago now.  He had gone straight to the ranch that was now all his.  This had been his first visit in years though, and he saw how run down the house had been. 

He spent any free time he had at the farm house fixing it up.  He had plans to be in this house soon, and hopefully Sara would be with him.  There hadn’t been a day that passed that she wasn’t on his mind.

He woke up in the morning and thought of her.  He pictured Sara as the woman who he was playing opposite in the movie.  On screen it had been pure magic.

The Oscar was his almost before the movie was even in the can.  The talk had been all about how Ben North had pulled off an amazing drama role.  He had even seen one review, after the movie was out, that said, “If I didn’t know better I would swear Ben North used to be Amish.” 

Tonight was the big of the event, and his nerves were up high.  Even though he had almost been assured the win was his, he still wondered if he would win. 

Ben wished that Sara could be by his side for the event.  He wanted everyone to know who had truly inspired his performance.  He knew how true it was.

During the filming he had pictured Sara and how he would feel being betrayed by her.  His heart had felt like it was ripped apart while they were filming the scene of his breakdown.  Not a tear had been left dry after he was done with the scene.  It had taken the director several minutes before he could even call cut to the scene.

Ben thought at that moment that he deserved the Oscar.  He hoped everyone else had the same experience when they had watched the movie.

He walked into the event, several cameras flashed in his eyes. 

“Mr. North, do you think you’ll win tonight?”  He heard a reporter call out to him.

“I’ll win if God is willing!”  Ben smiled and moved on.

He hated all the glitz and glamor now, he had once loved it so much.  Now he couldn’t wait for this to be over and be back in Texas.  He wondered how the world would feel when they heard Ben North was retiring?

Ben would do that for her.  He wanted to spend his time with her.  So if she did come, he would spend his days with her. 

“The Winner for Actor of the Year is, Ben North, for his work in Amish Love.”  He heard announced and stood up automatically.

He got to the podium and cleared his throat.  “I’d like to thank you all for this award.  To the director and all the other people who helped me do so well in this role.  The biggest thanks though goes to a woman who will never hear this speech, Sara Albright.  She was my in to the Amish community, she taught me many things.  She was my inspiration for this film, and thanks to her, I played a tremendous role.”  He finished and the room exploded in applauds. 

Ben left early, skipping the after party.  He didn’t want any questions; he simply wanted to escape to Texas and work.  He had sent a letter out yesterday to Sara.  He wondered if she had received it yet.

**

Sara wondered every day what was up with Ben.  She had now had to resort to having Sally and Henry go to market.  Her tainting hadn’t rubbed off on them.  She was trying to distance them from her as much as she could. 

Sara had been pushing them out the door more and more lately.  Telling them to go and mingle.  She thought it was working out well, she had heard Henry talking about one of the young girls. 

Soon he would be proposing to her.  She could hope that she said yes, that would be one sibling out of the door. 

Sally would take a bit longer. She was quite shy and wouldn’t talk to many of the young men who approached her.  Maybe her grandpa would speed up the process, she could hope.

Today had been the second time she had sent them to the market together.  She had no choice.  She had tried to go and had found that all of the Amish let her know just how lucky she was, who her grandpa was.  They suggested that she not show up at the market again, or she might not make it back.  She could feel the anger coming from them, and was sure they saw it as justice from God.  Sara had gone home quickly, shaken to the core by the whole thing. 

The next market she had convinced Henry and Sally they should go by themselves.  They had sold a bit of the food they had taken along.  Sara hoped this was a good sign that they were more accepted.

“I hope they don’t turn against them too.  Please God if you’ve ever done me a favor this would be the one I want the most.”  She prayed allowed.

For what seemed like the hundredth time of the day she wondered what Ben was doing right now.  She wondered how many girls he had bedded since he’d been back in LA.

As if a sign from God, she opened the mail box and found a letter from Ben.  She held it to her heart for a second, and then quickly ripped the letter open.

My dearest Sara,

I hope this finds you well.  I’ve thought about you every day since I’ve left.  I don’t know how close you are to having the children out of the house, but please find these tickets for a bus trip to Texas.  I went there when I first left Lancaster, and have since been fixing up my childhood home.  I would love if you come to live with me here.  I want to have you in my life and only you Sara.  These tickets can be used whenever you are ready, I’ll be waiting!  Just call me from Amarillo and I’ll come and pick you up right away.

All my love,

Ben

THE END

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Bad Boy Next Door Standalone Series:

Only Mine:  A Bad Boy Next Door Romance (Book 1)

Always Mine:  A Bad Boy Next Door Romance (Book 2)

You’re Mine: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance (Book 3)

Forever Mine: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance (Book 4)

Be Mine: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance (Book 5)

Billionaire and Virgin Standalone:

Be My Sailor: A Single Dad and Virgin Romance

Be My First: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

Be My Bride: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

**Every book in these page-turning bad boy romance series can be read as a standalones, there are no cliffhangers, and happily ever after’s guaranteed! Although, I would recommend not to miss book 1. **

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PREVIEWS

Only Mine

A Bad Boy Next Door Romance

ONLY MINE: A BAD BOY NEXT DOOR ROMANCE

“From the instant we met, I could see your innocence. You were both shy and bold, all at the same time. I needed to learn more. I need to know all of you.”

I am going to bring this angel down to my level.

I have a reputation in the city. My bar is always open to the right kind of people and everyone who is anyone knows me. The ladies know me as someone else. I am their lover, bad boy, anything they want me to be for the night.

But then Eve moves in downstairs. She is a preacher’s daughter, innocent and I want her.

She’s my one desire. I can already feel her pull like her namesake. I want to do bad things to her.

I’m going to take her innocence and forever make her mine. I will not stop until I have her screaming my name and begging me for more.

Eve is not made for the city, so I don’t know how much time I had. Her family wanted her to marry another, a gentle man.

But I am not a gentle man and with her right downstairs, I knew it was only a matter of time until I had her bending to me. She can’t resist me for long.

I don’t care that I shouldn’t have her. She was too good for me, but that didn’t matter.

She was warned about men like me for a good reason.

I was going to take it all.

Wrong or not, I would have her and I was never going to let her go.

***

Chapter 1

Carlos

“Hey man, what are you doing up this early?”

I shook my head and shrugged. I didn’t know why I was up with the sun. I hadn’t even slept but a couple of hours. Something loud coming from underneath me was what woke me up and as I took a drag off of the cigarette in my mouth, I went to the porch to see what it was. I wasn’t above cursing someone out first thing in the morning if I couldn’t get some peace and quiet while I woke up.

“Looks like someone is moving in downstairs.”

I wanted to tell Joel that he was being Captain Obvious, but I didn’t. Instead I just kind of looked at him and then to the moving truck that was parked downstairs. I wasn’t too thrilled to have new neighbors because it took me so long to get rid of the last ones that had called the police on me several times before. Every time I had a party, I was sure to get the cops called and I didn’t want to go through that again. I didn’t want to be quiet, I wasn’t a quiet person, but I knew that I didn’t have a choice. I was too stubborn to rent out the apartment below. Why would I when I could just make the people leave?

“So who do you think it is going to be?”

Again it was a moronic thing to ask. I didn’t know and there was no point in imagining who it would be. It was better to wait and as I flicked the cigarette, watching the ashes float down to the pavement below, I stopped when I saw the tiny blonde that reemerged from the inside and went back to the moving truck to get another box. I could tell she was struggling with it. It looked like it was as big as she was, but I didn’t feel moved to help. I felt moved to watch her and her jiggling breasts as she tried to get it in without dropping it.

“I think I’m going to go help her. You know, be neighborly and all of that.”

I sighed at Joel and reminded him that he didn’t even live in the building. “She isn’t even your neighbor, Joel.”

“Yeah, but you are my cousin and you live here, so that technically means that I live here too.”

“I don’t think it works that way.”

He disagreed and really wasn’t listening to me anymore. To him, he was already downstairs with the blonde lovely and I could tell just by looking at him what he had in mind. I didn’t blame him. She was beautiful, but I learned not to mess with anyone that I was going to have to see every day. She may have been pretty now, but after a few times with her and after I get bored with her, she wouldn’t be quite so attractive. Not when she would no doubt hate me for whatever it is I would be blamed for doing. No doubt I would break her heart.

The idea made me smile and then I saw Joel talking to her. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, she must have thought it was funny because I could hear the melodic sound of her laugh from where I was. For a moment I regretted not going down there with Joel, but part of me knew that it was for the best. I didn’t need to get involved, especially with a neighbor, no matter how cute she may be.

Going back inside, I didn’t want to hear the two of them any longer and I crawled back into bed. I shouldn’t be up before noon and I didn’t plan to be. Ignoring the sounds of the moving going on downstairs, I went back to sleep without worrying about a thing. Joel would tell me all about her later when he got back upstairs. I could wait to get the low down on the new neighbor. I was hoping that she would at least be okay with me and my life style. The last thing I needed was some uptight woman that was going to give me a hard time.

***

“So, what is she like?”

Joel just smiled and then poured himself a drink. It was almost one when he came back upstairs and I had been up for a while, wondering what in the world he was down there doing. I didn’t hear any noises like he was getting it in, so I had to guess.

“Her name is Eve and I have to say, I don’t think I have ever met anyone like her before.”

It was his tone and the way he said it that made me look at him a little sideways. Why was he acting like he was in love with this chick or something? It didn’t make sense. He had only been down there a few hours and I didn’t see how anyone could feel anything for someone else when no time had passed. I slept with the same girl for a week and I was bored, so I didn’t get what it was that he was smiling like an idiot for.

“What is wrong with you Joel?”

My cousin shrugged his shoulders and took a drink of his glass, looking off in the distance a bit too much for comfort. What was wrong with him?

“Nothing man, she is just perfect. I can’t believe you didn’t go down there. I told her that you lived up here and Eve thought it would be good to meet. I told her that you would go down there later for an introduction.”

“Why the hell would you tell her that?”

“Because you should. You are going to regret it if you don’t. I’m telling you Carlos, there is something about her that you are going to want to see.”

I thought he was talking about her physical attributes. I had seen a bit of them from my place on the porch earlier, but then he started talking about her personality and her likes. What had gotten into my cousin? It was like he wasn’t himself all of a sudden and I knew that it had to have something to do with the new neighbor.

“I didn’t see anything that special about her Joel. I think it has just been too long for you.”

He tried to look like he was offended, but he wasn’t. Joel was a one-woman man and after his divorce, he was even more so now. I kept trying to get him involved and looking for other women, but he was still in love with his ex-girlfriend Lisa. For him to actually like a girl in that way had me sitting up and taking notice. It also made her off limits in a way. If there was someone that was going to make him forget Lisa, I wasn’t going to mess with that.

“You just have to meet her.”

“I think I’m good. You can chase after her if you want to.”

Carlos didn’t say anything, but I knew that was what he was thinking about. It didn’t take a genius to really get it. “I don’t think we have much in common. If you went down there with me, then it would be less pressure.”

“Are you actually nervous around her?”

He wouldn’t admit it, but it was pretty clear that he was. I didn’t know what to think about his reaction, but it did make me want to see what all of the fuss was about. What was it about the woman that had acting so strange?

“Well, all I know is that I hope she isn’t like the last ones, always banging on the door when it gets too loud.”

“I don’t think she is much of a partier. I think she is some kind of journalist or something.”

I sighed and blew out a breath. If she was one of those types, I was sure that it was going to be hard to keep it quiet for her. Not that I cared, but I had a feeling that I was going to hear from her whether I wanted to or not.

Chapter 2

Eve

I was trying to concentrate, but it was almost impossible. I got a couple of hours in the morning that were silent and peaceful, but once noon rolled around and the man upstairs woke up, there was no more quiet to be had. He was loud with everything that he did and at one o clock, it was back to me trying to ignore him. It was impossible though, everything about this apartment felt impossible. Why couldn’t he be like the nice man that had come down and helped before?

Getting up from my seat, I tried to think of something else to do that didn’t need quiet, but it was work that called to me and that was more important than anything else. That was the reason that I had moved to the city in the first place was to work for the paper, but I was missing my small town more and more. I liked the excitement of the work and I liked having my name in print, but was it worth it? Everything felt so different here and it felt like I didn’t belong.

Carlos was the name of the guy upstairs and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was he did. He didn’t work in the day time like most people and he was gone until late in the night, but after he got home there was usually a party going on. A couple of times I had heard a knock at my door, but there was no way that I was answering at one o clock in the morning. It couldn’t be that important.

So I sighed to myself and left the apartment. I wasn’t going to get any work done until around five when the loud man upstairs went to work or wherever it was that he was going.

I almost ran into a woman that was going into the building.

“Sorry about that.” It wasn’t my fault, but it just seemed easier than arguing with her. Moving out of her way, I almost wanted to ask her a question about the man she was going to visit, but I didn’t have the guts to do such a thing. What I really wanted to know was what in the world he did all day, but that wasn’t something I could ask.

“Does Carlos live here?”

Her voice overturned the one in my head that had been musing about what it was he did all day. When I turned back around, she was looking at my door and then to the stairs that led to Carlos’.

“I think the guy that you are looking for lives upstairs.”

The redhead smiled and thanked me before making her way up there. She was certainly in a good mood to be seeing him. All I could think about was the noises that came from his apartment when he had women over. It was enough to make me blush.

Putting the Ipod ear buds on, I started down the street in a slow jog. I had already gone earlier that day, but I needed some fresh air and time away from the loud music and soon to be moaning that would be coming from the neighbor’s house. It had only been a week and I was already debating how plausible it would be to find somewhere else to live. I would lose all of my deposits, but that might be better than losing my sanity.

Stopping at the crosswalk, I was surprised to see Joel coming out of a restaurant. He spotted me and waved, crossing the street to say hello. I didn’t really know him all that well, but since I knew almost everyone less, I talked to him for a few minutes and eventually invited him over for dinner. It was supposed to be to thank him for helping me move in, but if I was honest it was more about some kind of buffer for the neighbor. Maybe I could have Joel talk to him. I seem to remember him telling me that they were related.

“I have to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things. I’ll have dinner ready around seven or so if you aren’t busy.”

“Eve, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I smiled back at him and I couldn’t help the draw of his dark eyes. He looked a lot like the man that lived upstairs, even though I had only seen him from the distance a couple of times. I could tell that there was a resemblance.

After telling him goodbye, I did as I was planning to do and picked up a few things for dinner. It was something that I missed, having someone to cook for. I didn’t see Joel as a potential mate, but I did look at him like he could be a friend, something I needed far more.

When I got home, the music was loud and the moaning was louder. I looked over at the clock and saw that I only had another hour of the racket before he would have to leave for the night. It was my favorite time of the day and I couldn’t wait for the time to change so that he would leave. Then I would be able to hear myself think again and possibly get some work done.

***

“Sorry I am a little late.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was just getting some work done. It’s hard to do when it is usually so loud, so I try to squeeze it in when it is quiet like this. Come in.”

“I take it that Carlos is a bit louder than you had thought.”

I pressed my lips together, not really sure what I was supposed to say. I didn’t want Joel to say anything to him, but in a way I did.

“I’m just not used to living so close to everyone. I think my last neighbor was almost a block away in my hometown.”

“The city is a lot different. I don’t know if I would like the slow pace of a small town, though I didn’t know that there were girls like you there. Maybe I would have moved a long time ago.”

He made me blush and it was the first time I realized that he was attracted to me in that way. Joel had been nice and for some reason I hadn’t looked at him in that way. He wasn’t my type, if I had one.

“I am sure there are plenty of small town girls here in the city to choose from.”

“None like you.”

My face was red, I could feel the heat, but I didn’t want to give him any ideas. I wasn’t after all looking, but I didn’t know what to say to let him down easily. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I just kind of laughed it off.

“How do you like the city so far?”

My mind went to my crazy neighbor and I once again just kind of shook my head, not saying anything one way or another. It was clear to me then that I was just going to have to keep that to myself.

“It’s been okay. It just takes a little getting used to.”

“Has Carlos came down and introduced himself to you yet?”

I shook my head that he hadn’t and Joel didn’t look so surprised about it. It was easy to see that he knew exactly what kind of guy his cousin was. I was already pretty sure I knew what kind of guy he was and I had only met him in passing from a distance.

“Carlos is just hard to get to know. Once you know him, he has a heart of gold, but he can be a little aloof at times. I was hoping that the two of you would hit it off.”

There was nothing to say and I just kind of smiled back at him. I saw my mistake rather quickly when his eyes had darkened and he as looking at me in such a way. I realized then that it wasn’t the best idea to invite him over. Not now that I knew what he wanted from me.

“Well you are nothing like him, I can see that. You are a good man Joel.”

“We are cousins, but not too much alike after that. I always looked up to Carlos, but we never agreed on how to treat women.” He looked away like he had said too much. “So how is your writing going?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn’t getting near enough done because of the noise upstairs. “It’s going. I am just used to more quiet. It can get loud around here at night and early in the morning.”

“I bet. You can always come by and write at my house if you want. I stay upstairs sometimes, but even I need a break from all of that. Carlos just has a certain kind of lifestyle that is fun, but exhausting if you are not used to it.”

My mind went to the moaning that I heard almost always on a daily basis. It did sound exhausting.

“What?”

My smile faded and I told him that I was just thinking about something. I wasn’t going to tell him what, but Joel didn’t push and I was thankful for that. The rest of the evening I tried to keep my mouth shut on his cousin and keep him from thinking that this was a date. It was just dinner. It was just a dinner between friends.

The differences between the two men were stark and I was glad that I had gotten to know Joel. It didn’t help me understand his cousin any better, but it did make me feel a little less lonely in a city of strangers.

Chapter 3

Carlos

The pounding on the door had just started, but it was messing up my rhythm that I was already struggling to keep. Cassie was underneath me, screaming as she always did over the music blaring, but none of that was loud enough to drown out the hard knocks that I heard at the door. I couldn’t concentrate and after yelling at whoever it was to go away, there was a moment of silence that made me think that they had gone away.

When it started up again after a few moments, I cursed and got up, not even bothering to cover myself with more than the sheet that had fallen off of the bed.

Cursing to anyone that would listen, I told whoever it was that there better be a good damn reason that they were disturbing me. It was almost three in the morning and the last thing I wanted was someone there to visit.

“What?”

I opened the door quickly with a hard jerk and it made the person on the other side almost jump out of her skin. I hadn’t ever seen her before up close and all of the anger left me when I stared into her bright blue eyes. Eve’s face was alarmed and I could see her taking a step back from where she had knocked from. I was making her nervous and I didn’t like the reaction I got from her.

“Um, sorry, I…”

“Sorry I was so short. Can I help you with something?”

I leaned against the edge of the door on the frame and took in the small woman in front of me. She was petite, but curved in all of the right places. It was hard to not to smile in a suggestive way. It didn’t matter that I already had a girl in my bed. I would have easily traded her out right then if I could have.

“Yes Sir, I uh, live downstairs.”

My demeanor changed because it finally clicked. It was the blonde that I had seen from the balcony and I realized then that she was something special like Joel had said. How could I have not seen it? This woman was living beneath me the whole time and I never even knew it. She was absolutely beautiful and the way her eyes kept leaving mine to look down like she was bashful just made her even more so.

“Yes, I was meaning to come down there and say hello. Been busy though.”

It was then that I saw how stiff her expression was. She was not looking up at me with coy eyes. She was tired and upset by the looks of it and I knew that it was because of me.

“I can tell you are busy Sir and I won’t keep you long.”

Her voice was loud because of the music and I told her that I would shut it off so that I could hear her better. When I got back, she was avoiding my gaze and asked her what was wrong.

“You are out.”

“Out?”

Covering her eyes a little, she pointed down and I saw that it was part of my body that was out, having slipped between the tan sheet that I had pulled around me to answer the door.

“Do you like what you see?” I said it as a joke with a grin on my face, but Eve didn’t take it that way. Instead she was blushing and stepping back.

“No Sir, not particularly. I just need some sleep, so can you put a muzzle on your girlfriend for the night or at least hurry up? I am tired from just listening to you.”

The change in her mood was quick and I didn’t get to say anything else as she was already turning to leave and go back down the stairs. My first inclination was to yell something back to her, something derogatory, but I was transfixed by her small waist and round behind. I just watched her walk away silently and didn’t say a word. I was still asking myself what had just happened. Did that sweet little woman upstairs just tell me to muzzle my bitch? It wasn’t her words, but it had the same meaning. I don’t know why the thought had me smiling, but it did.

“Carlos? Are you coming back to bed?”

She didn’t even ask who it was. Cassie was just worried about if I was going to come back to finish her off. Cassie knew not to ask questions and I liked that about her. I called back that I would be there in a minute, but I found myself not as eager as I had been about it. I wanted Eve in my bed all of a sudden, my cousin and his sensitive heart be damned. The new neighbor was my kind of woman, even though I was starting to get the feeling that I was not her type of man.

***

I knocked on the door and pushed the brown hair back from my face, trying to calm it down from where it was springing up from rolling around the night before. I wasn’t sure what I was doing there, but I knew that I wanted to see Eve again. I had a coffee in my hand that I had retrieved from the coffee shop down the road. I was looking at it as a peace offering.

“Hello?”

The door didn’t open, but I could hear her voice on the other side of it. I had a feeling that she was looking at me through the peephole and part of me wasn’t sure what to think. Why wasn’t she answering the door?

“I thought I would bring you some coffee, my way of apologizing for last night. I hope we didn’t bother you too much.”

The door still didn’t open and I was starting to think that it wasn’t going to. After another long pause I heard a couple of locks move over and she cracked the door open finally. “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

“Just muzzle her next time huh?”

The red in her face was back and she opened the door a little wider. “I’m sorry I said that. I just haven’t been getting a lot of sleep is all and I just popped off at the mouth. You didn’t have to come by here Carlos.”

I insisted that she take the coffee and she refused, telling me that she didn’t drink coffee that late in the day. “It’s only noon.”

“I’ve been up working since five. It is about the only time I can while you are here and it actually quiet around here for a little while.”

“Is it really that bad?”

I don’t know why I expected any other answer but the one that I got. “Yes it is. I am looking into moving because our lifestyles are just not compatible together. I don’t think it would be wise to stay living in the building, but I thank you for the apology. I hope you have a good day and I am once again, sorry that I was so rude with you last night.”

The door closed and I was left standing there holding two coffees like an idiot. I don’t know what I expected from her, but it wasn’t what I got. Instead I had been dismissed like I was a child and I now had an extra coffee that I wasn’t going to drink. I didn’t like it to begin with, but I didn’t think my normal shot in the morning was going to do well to share with a woman like her.

Getting back up to my apartment, I silently the girl downstairs that was taking up too much of my attention and mind. I wasn’t used to caring and I could tell that I still didn’t really care for the sentiment. I didn’t like having to care and I certainly didn’t like it if I was going to have to live next to her, not able to get into her panties. That was all I could think about when she came by last night and it was the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I didn’t need this in my life.

Now, I was left to call Cassie if I wanted something and when I thought about it, I didn’t find myself too enthused to see her. While I should have been, I just wasn’t. What I wanted I couldn’t have, so instead I turned up the music and tried to forget her. I didn’t even think about going down to the bar and picking up someone new. It was only Eve that had me going.

There was no noise from downstairs and I had to wonder what she was doing. It seemed to me that a woman like Eve would come around eventually. I had never met someone that I couldn’t have and I was sure she was no different. The only thing that could stop me was her moving and I had to make sure that it didn’t happen. I could be quiet if I wanted to be…

I looked over at the radio and felt the floor underneath me moving. I was already being too loud, but I hadn’t thought about it that way. I had always been a little loud, but now I was starting to realize how much. Going to the stereo, I turned it way down and sighed deeply. I wasn’t doing this because she asked. I was just doing it to get on the right side of her. That was all this was, just until I convinced her to give me a chance and then I would run with it. I’m sure as soon as I have her the way I want her, I will be able to get her off my mind once and for all.

Chapter 4

Eve

The music stopped upstairs after Carlos left. I was sure that it was going to be louder and he would be worse than before, but it seemed like he was actually going to be better. I could have handled talking to him a little nicer, but it was hard to. All I could think about was how he had looked the night before when he had opened the door to me. I had not been expecting the hard chest and hard rod that was practically bursting from underneath a very thin sheet around his waist. It was something that I wasn’t prepared for and talking to him after seeing him in such a way was not how I was going to be able to look at him straight.

Now it was becoming a problem. Before I couldn’t write because I was too tired and everything was too loud, but now things were different. Now I couldn’t work because I was thinking about Carlos and I couldn’t help but think about how long it had been since I was with a man in that way. My last boyfriend was my only boyfriend and he didn’t look anything like Carlos with his clothes off. If he had, maybe we would still be together, but Tony never looked like that. He had been upset when I left, but now I was starting to see that there were a lot of things that I never knew about, things that were now making me wonder.

Sighing to myself, I knew there was nothing that I could really do, but leave the apartment. I couldn’t work and I was starting to get a little cabin fever. A run was just what I needed and before it got too much later and hotter, I was going to get a run in. I was hoping that it was just what I needed to get the man off of my mind. He was off limits after all. A man like that would be dangerous to a girl like me, to any girl really.

I left the apartment and did my best not to look up at the balcony of Carlos’ apartment. There was part of me that wanted to, to see if he was up and smoking a cigarette like I saw him doing some days. But I didn’t look. I was trying hard to be good and ignore the temptation that was right above me.

The pace that I started was faster than usual. I had too much energy to get out of my body and all I could think about was the hard abs that I had seen the day before. It was hard to think of anything else and I found myself on the wrong side of the road, going the wrong direction. Where was my mind at today? I was never going to get any work done this way. I knew what I needed, but there was no clear answer on how to get it.

Passing up the coffee shop that I had seen Joel in, it gave me an idea of how I could get my mind off of everything. I knew that Joel liked me in a way that I wasn’t sure I liked him, but he was nice and didn’t push. He was also one of the only people out of work that I knew in the city and I was starting to feel lonely. The knowledge that I wasn’t going to see my friends at home for months was hard to fathom. It was rather lonely in the city that didn’t sleep.

Calling Joel when I got back to the apartment, I asked if he wanted to go out and do anything that evening. I was sure that I knew how it sounded, but I was hoping that he would take it as a friendly invitation. That was what I was hoping for anyways.

***

“You look, stunning Eve.”

I had made the effort and I was already rethinking it when I saw the look in Joel’s eyes. Maybe I had done too much because he looked like he wanted to eat me alive at the moment.

“Thank you Joel. You clean up nice as well.”

He grinned at me and I noticed that he was wearing a leather jacket. Joel looked different and I knew that the jacket had something to do with it. He looked like a biker all of a sudden and it made me wonder what form of transportation he was going to be taking me out in. When he handed me a helmet and walked towards the bike, I knew that my fears were realized.

“We are taking this?”

His smile faltered and he shook his head. “I told you that I had a bike, didn’t I?”

Shaking my head that he didn’t, I was sure that I would have remembered such a thing. There was no way that I was getting onto the back of it. That was all I could think about. I was going to die, I was sure of it if I did get on.

“You don’t want to ride with me?”

About to answer him, I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and I could tell that it was Carlos on his porch. He wasn’t usually home this late in the day, but of course he had to be there. I didn’t want him to think that I was a coward, so against all better judgement, I put the helmet on and got on the back of the bike.

It moved when I got on and it scared me for a moment, but I was happy that the helmet covered up my face and the expression on it. More regret came when Joel got on and my body naturally nestled up against him. It was too close and I could feel my face getting hot. This was supposed to be a night to get Carlos out of my mind, but it was only getting me in trouble so far.

I couldn’t ask him where we were going because of the loud bike, so I was left to hold on for dear life and hope that we didn’t crash on the way to wherever it was we were going. When we stopped at a particularly rough looking bar that was lined with other bikes like Joel’s, I started to wonder if I would have been better off in a wreck. There weren’t a lot of women there from what I saw and the few that were there were not dressed like I was. I was dressed to go out to a restaurant and eat, not this. What had I gotten myself into?

***

“This is Carlos’ place.”

“Carlos?”

“Yeah my cousin that lives upstairs.”

“Oh.”

Looking around, it started to make sense why Carlos was always gone when he was. His lifestyle was far different from mine. Curiously enough though, I didn’t see the man that Joel kept talking about. I could tell that the man admired Carlos and it wasn’t hard to see that there was a loyalty there. I liked that about Joel and it made me rethink Carlos if he had someone that thought that highly of him. Maybe I had seen him all wrong before?

“You still haven’t really met him yet?”

I was sure that Joel had heard about my comments the other night, so I told him that we had met when I had went over there.

“I wouldn’t really call it a social call though. It was three in the morning.”

Joel just smirked and shook his head. “I hope Carlos wasn’t too gruff with you. He has a tendency to be that way sometimes, but his bark is worse than his bite.

“He was actually pretty nice about it and they were quiet the rest of the night. He even brought me coffee the next morning, so that was nice.”

My words stunned Joel and I wasn’t sure why.

“That doesn’t sound like my cousin.”

“Why?”

Joel just shook his head. “Carlos usually doesn’t give in to anyone.”

The look on his face was different than before. Joel was looking at me strangely and I took a drink of the glass in front of me to break the eye contact.

“What are you two doing here?”

Speak of the devil.

“Just taking Eve out to see the place. She is still new to the city, so she had to come to the best place here.”

I agreed with Joel, but it was Carlos that took my attention. His look was similar to his cousins, but with Carlos it didn’t look like a want, it looked like a need that he had every intention on getting his way.

“You flatter me Joel. I don’t think that this is Eve’s kind of scene.”

His comment offended me, even though it was dead on. “You don’t know what kind of scene I am into Carlos.”

“Well you don’t fit in here. I think you need something a little fancier, like a drink with an umbrella in it.”

Taking Joel’s shot of whiskey I downed it and asked Carlos for another. I saw the brow go up on Carlos’ face and I thought I had made myself clear. I wasn’t some weakling like he thought. I didn’t have to be handled with kid gloves, but I seemed to forget that I wasn’t a very good drinker. Never had been and by the way I was feeling, I was never going to be.

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PREVIEWS

Always Mine

A Bad Boy Next Door Romance

ALWAYS MINE: A BAD BOY NEXT DOOR ROMANCE

“I knew once I saw you that I would make you mine. You were pure and a little dirty in the same breath. It was going to take a lifetime to know you, to really know you.”

There wasn’t a woman alive that I couldn’t have…and I wanted them all.

I knew that I had to have Cameron the first time that I saw her. She was beautiful and the fire in her eyes was hard to deny.

It was only a matter of time before I made her mine. With my hard body, bike and tattoos, I was irresistible and I had never met a woman yet that wouldn’t drop her panties for me. Once I got a girl in my head, there was nothing in the world that was going to save her from Joel Radici.

Sure she can fight it, think that she has a choice.
Cameron can tell me that she doesn’t like bad boys.
She can try and scare me off with that haughty look all she wants.

None of that matters to me one bit.

Because I already claimed that curvy body of hers and I was going to make her mine. I didn’t matter what the cost, Cameron was going to be underneath me soon enough, screaming out my name for more.

How could she deny me, when I know what it is that she really needs?

***

Chapter 1

Cameron

“Hold the door?”

I looked back at the tall man in a leather jacket that was talking to me in such a gruff voice. He had his hands full, but the problem was that I didn’t know who he was. The door was usually locked for safety reasons and I didn’t want to be the one to let him in.

“I’m sorry Sir, but if you don’t live here, I can’t let you in.”

“I am moving in today, so hold the door.”

He gestured to all of the items in his hands and there was a moment that I thought it would be best if I did let him in. But there was another side of me that was sure that he didn’t live here. I had lived in the building for many years and I would have remembered a man like him. He was hard to forget with his tattoos and dark brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, but you should have a key then. I can’t let you in, but I will give you a number to call the manager if you want.”

He looked at me as if I was a little crazy and I ignored the look that he gave me. I closed the door behind me and there was a bit of noise when I did so. I looked back over my shoulder once to catch his dark gaze. If I would have been wax, I would have melted right then and there from the stare. It was clear that he wasn’t the least bit happy with me. The man’s dark brown eyes bore into me until it was hard for me to speak, let alone go up the stairs to my own apartment. What if he was telling the truth? There was no way that we were going to be friends or anything short of enemies.

I tried not to think about it again as I opened the door to my apartment. The city wasn’t as safe as it had been and if I was wrong, there was no telling what could happen. Besides, he looked a little rough for this neighborhood. Whoever the man was, he didn’t look like he belonged. It was men like him that I tried to stay away from. That was why I lived in a place that had better security than my last place and I paid a premium in rent.

Forgetting about the man from the door, I took a shower and got ready to go out for the evening. Carol had invited me to drinks and it had been one of those weeks that I needed one. It wasn’t long before I was making my way back down the stairs and I stopped short when I saw the landlord and the rude man from before. I cringed inside. Of course he was telling the truth.

“Cameron. How are you doing?”

I smiled at the old man and told him that I was fine. I tried my best to ignore the look that I was getting from the dark-haired man standing next to him. It was obvious that he wasn’t very happy with me and I didn’t blame him now. In my defense, I didn’t really know who he was. He could have been anyone.

“I wanted to introduce you to the new complex manager Joel. You know that I am getting long in the tooth, so I finally hired someone that will be taking care of everything for me.”

It was getting worse by the minute and all I wanted to do was scream a little inside. It was my luck that he was the new manager. That meant that it was going to be impossible to get anything fixed, not when I hadn’t let him in.

“Nice to meet you Joel.”

I moved to shake his hand and there was a moment that I thought he wouldn’t take it. Mr. Johnson was standing right there though and must not have known about us meeting earlier.

“We have already met Ron. This is the one that wouldn’t let me in earlier and made me call you down here.”

Mr. Johnson chuckled and the grip on my hand was a bit tighter. I pulled away after a moment and bid them both a goodbye. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I was more than a little embarrassed and I knew then that I wasn’t going to be calling for anything unless it was an emergency.

“Oh, Cameron? When do you want Joel to come up and take a look at that air conditioner of yours?”

I had forgotten about it and I turned around slowly. “You know, it is working better now. I wouldn’t even worry about it.”

“Now come on. You have been telling me about it for a month. I had meant to come over, but my old knees have been acting up. That’s part of the reason that I had to hire my nephew, Joel.”

“Really, don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? It is going to be hot next week.”

I hadn’t seen the forecast, but in New Orleans in the middle of July was always hot. I was just going to have to deal with it. I told him that I was sure and retreated into the muggy air outside before he could say anything else. Why hadn’t I just let him in? There were so many apartments in the building. It wasn’t like I would have known everyone. It was a mistake that I was going to have to pay for by sweating this summer with no air conditioner.

Looking back before I moved down the sidewalk, Joel was looking after me and I thought to myself how much of a shame it was that earlier had happened. I was more than a little attracted to the man, even when he was giving me a dirty look and now it would amount to nothing. He wasn’t my type, not by a long shot, but a guy like Joel could make a woman forget for a little while that fact.

Pushing it from my mind, I tried to focus on the night and called Carol to see where she was. She was supposed to be here already and since I now had an enemy at the door, I decided to have her meet me away from the apartment. Walking to the bistro, I waited a few minutes before I saw her silver car pull up and I took her out a drink that I knew she liked. There was no better way to start the night of dancing, then with a White Russian to go.

“Cameron, what is going on with you? Why are we meeting here?”

I told her about the man at the door and the new manager. I was frustrated and I knew by the look on her face that I was blowing it out of proportion. I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the way he looked at me, but I knew that it was going to be a problem.

“So it’s the landlord’s nephew?”

“Yeah, just my luck.”

“Well was he cute?”

It wasn’t something that I was really thinking about. Joel was cute, really cute in a bad boy sort of way. But that wasn’t the point. Carol was a little man crazy, so I figured that she would want to know about him for that reason.

“I guess he is, if you like that biker sort of look. He is just not my type.”

As we drove to the club, I sipped on the drink and thought about Joel. He was cute, but I knew that it was going to be trouble. I was already thinking about the heat and what I was going to do about the air conditioner. I could do a lot of things, but fixing mechanical things was not one of them. I was just going to have to find someone else to help me or replace the whole unit.

“Man, you are quiet. He must be a little more than cute.”

I looked over at Carol and shook my head. “I wasn’t even thinking about him. I was just, I don’t know.” I wasn’t a good liar, so I stopped while I was ahead.

“Well stop thinking about it or whatever it is that is making you frown. You know that is just going to give you wrinkles.”

She was right and I wasn’t sure why I was so worried about him. I was out to have fun and it was something that I needed. “You’re right. I guess he just put me in a bad mood.”

“Well drink some more of that and we will be there in a minute. There isn’t anything that some liquor and a little dancing will solve.”

I knew she was right and I tried to do what she said, pushing the man from my mind and not thinking about him anymore. I wasn’t going to think about the dark-eyed man that was now thrust into my life. I was going to focus on the drink and the night ahead of us.

Chapter 2

Joel

There was a racket out in the hallway by the front entrance that woke me up from a deep sleep. I lay in bed with my eyes cracked open and a soft, warm body snuggled up to me. Trying to will whatever the noise was to stop so that I could get back to sleep, I pulled the girl next to me closer. I didn’t remember her name, though I knew that she had told me the night before.

It had been a longer day than I had expected and with all of the work I had to do the next day, I was sure that it was going to be even longer. Staying up hadn’t helped and now it was clear that a restful night was going to be harder than I thought.

Finally I sat up because whatever the banging and rattling was, it wasn’t going to stop. It reminded me of my cousin Carlos and how loud he used to be when he was coming in from a night at the bar. If I didn’t know any better, I would have had to guess that someone was drunk in the hallway just like he would be. It brought back memories of Chicago and the old life that I was trying to leave behind.

Pulling a pair of jeans on, I went out of the apartment to see what it was that was making all of that noise. I was trying my best to get back to sleep, but it was clear that it wasn’t going to happen until I did something about it. My mind went to the blonde in my bed. Maybe I would wake her up when I got back.

I smiled when I saw what it was that was going on. The person in question was the rude woman from before and since she hadn’t seen me yet there was a moment where I thought about just walking away. It was its own kind of poetic justice.

When she saw me, her face fell and even though I was right about the drinking thing, it seemed like she wasn’t so drunk as to not have a reaction to me. Walking towards the closed and locked door, I smiled back at her and her face fell. She was not happy to see me and that made my grin a little wider on my face.

It was a shame she was so difficult because the woman was so beautiful. When I had first seen her, I had thought of Eve, a woman that I had fallen for the year before. I didn’t win her heart, most likely because I was too nice of a guy, but things were different. I wasn’t the same guy that my wife divorced and I wasn’t the same guy that lost the girl. Moving to New Orleans was my change of scenery so that I could be someone else. Taking notes from my cousin Carlos, I had learned that nice guys really do finish last.

“Fancy seeing you here, on that side of the door.”

She didn’t smile back at me and I had to chuckle a little at her discomfort. I could tell how much she hated me right then.

“Do you need help?”

It was clear that Cameron was trying to get in the building. She had a big keyring in her hand and I wasn’t sure if she was too drunk to get it into the keyhole or if she had forgotten which one it was that she needed.

“No, I am fine, thanks.”

“Well you woke me up with all of this racket, so now I am here. I can tell that you are going to be a problem.”

“Sorry.”

“I bet. I bet you are wishing that you had let me in before, don’t you?

The words were slurred and so help me she sounded adorable. What was it about this woman that set me off so much? I shouldn’t help her, not like she had helped me at all, but I wasn’t going to get any sleep if I didn’t. Every time I was around Cameron, she caused me trouble. Someone needed to bring her down a notch.

Pushing the door open, Cameron almost fell in because she was leaning on it. I had to move to catch her and there was an instant attraction when her body fell into mine. I don’t think that I was very worried about if she fell or not, I was more worried about getting a feel of her soft curves that I hadn’t been able to ignore.

“Thanks, sorry about that.”

She was pushing herself off of me and for a moment I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted her against me as she was, but I had a feeling that it would just make things worse between us. There was the surge of curiosity of what she would do if I copped a feel. Pressing off of her, I made sure to brush my hand against her large breasts. She didn’t even seem to notice.

Watching her start towards the stairs, she was wobbly and it made me nervous. I didn’t want to be responsible if she fell and then tried to sue my uncle. I needed the fresh start and the job that was on offer. I wasn’t going to let her hurt herself because she was too stubborn to get a little help.

“I told you that I am fine Joel.”

I liked that she remembered my name, even if she said it in a tone that wasn’t that nice. At least she remembered me. That was how I was going to look at it. I wasn’t going to notice the attitude or the roll of the eyes. Cameron was complicated and I didn’t want to get involved. I reminded myself of that several times before I couldn’t help myself.

“Let me help you Cameron. You are pretty drunk and I don’t want you to fall down the stairs. I’m sure my uncle wouldn’t approve of me just letting you go up by yourself. My cousin Carlos would have approved, but this was business.”

She shook her head and insisted that she was fine. Maybe she was and she would make it, but the nagging feeling inside of me was hard to shut off. I tried to think of what Carlos would have done. He would have left her there and told her to have at it. It is what I should have done, but I couldn’t. I was still trying to turn off that part of me, but it was hard to do. It was hard not to care about Cameron, even though I had another woman in my bed.

Taking her arm, I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. It was clear that she needed help and even if she didn’t want it, I wasn’t going to let her hurt herself. It was going to be easier if I just helped her up there and then I would be able to get back to sleep.

“Take your hands off of me Joel!”

I wasn’t expecting the strength of the refusal and I did as she asked. Cameron wasn’t ready for it and she leaned into the wall to stop herself from falling. I was trying to figure out what it was that I was doing trying to help her. It was obvious that she didn’t want my help, even though she needed it and I was getting more and more irate with her.

When I tried to help her again, she pushed against me and sent herself into the wall again. It was funny to see, but I knew that I was going to have to do something. Picking her up, I ignored her protests and started up the stairs with her. Even though she was squirming in my arms, I could smell her perfume filling my nostrils. She smelled as good as she looked and I felt a tightening in my pants. Why was I always attracted to the difficult ones?

“Put me down!”

We were up the two flights of stairs and she wasn’t that far from her door. I didn’t do what she wanted immediately, when we were in front of her door, I finally put her down. She swayed and I let the wall help prop her up.

“Do you need any help getting inside?” I was more than willing to help her to bed if that meant I would get to relieve myself of the perceived duty that I had. I was trying to become more like my cousin that just didn’t care, but it was harder than I thought when it came to certain people.

“I don’t need your help Joel. I told you that I was fine.”

Not believing her, I waited for her to fumble with her keys and then I just grabbed them and slid the key in for her. Neither one of us was going to get any sleep the ways she was going about it all and it was hard to be around her when I knew that my attention wasn’t wanted.

“There. Now I am going to go back to sleep now. If you decide to go anywhere, don’t. You are too drunk to be walking around.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

She was being childish and the slur in her voice made it a little more entertaining to me. I just shook my head and walked away. All I was trying to do was help her and I was learning that no good deed ever goes unpunished and this was one of those times.

Going down the stairs slowly, I looked up once to see that Cameron had made it into her apartment. I hadn’t seen much of the inside, but it was far more put together than she was at that time. Was I the reason that she was so drunk? Our altercation earlier had bothered me, but I liked the idea better that it may have bothered her as well.

Stripping off the jeans that I had thrown on when I had thought there was something going on in the hallway I laid back down and stared up at the ceiling. I didn’t want the unnamed woman that was next to me. I asked myself the same question that I had since I arrived in New Orleans. What was I doing here? Was I really ever going to get to start over fresh and if I was, would it be here? I just wasn’t sure and before I could think much more into it, my mind went to Cameron. While it was clear that she didn’t want anything to do with me, I was sure that I was going to be able to change her mind.

It was just going to take a while to convince her. I wasn’t very patient, but I always got my way and this time was going to be no different. Like Carlos had told me so long ago, if you really want something, you just have to take it. Cameron was someone that I really wanted and I was going to do everything that I had to, to get her. It wasn’t a question of if I was going to get her, the real question was when.

Chapter 3

Cameron

I woke up with a groggy head and I couldn’t even think straight. It took me a minute to remember why I felt this way. I had way too much to drink when I went out with Carol and more than that, my body was sore from all of the gyrating. I didn’t want to think about what all I did, but I knew I was going to have to. Carol was most likely going to tell me about it when I talked to her later. It felt like it had been an embarrassing night for me and I remembered kissing some bald guy that I was dancing with.

Getting out of bed, I made some coffee and waited for the slow drip to wake me up. I looked at the clock and I at least had woken up in time for work. I hadn’t even bothered with the alarm clock and even though it was Saturday, I still had to go into work for a while.

The coffee had me feeling a little bit better, but as soon as the night before started to come into focus, I was more aghast than I would have thought. Not only had I kissed some random guy at the club, but if I remembered correctly, the apartment manager had to let me in because I couldn’t figure out which key it was that I needed to get in the front door. Even worse, he had carried me up the stairs like a damsel in distress. In my drunken stupor, I remembered how I felt in his arms and I knew that it was a good feeling. Why had he helped me though? That I just didn’t understand.

I didn’t have time to worry about it because all of my musing was eating up time that I needed for other things. I jumped in the shower and washed off the body glitter that had rubbed off on me from God only knew where. Getting dressed, my head was still a little weird feeling, but the shower had made me feel a little bit better. I wasn’t looking for everything to be better, so with less pounding in my head, I was just going to take that as a good thing and go with it.

Leaving the house, I looked around, hoping that Joel wasn’t up on the second floor. While I knew that I was going to see him around, today was not the day that I wanted to see him at all. I was going to have to say something, but right then I didn’t think I could take his verbal sparring.

Making it out of the building without running into him, I sighed in relief. It was short lived though because the next thing I know, I almost literally ran into him in the parking garage.

“Sorry.”

“Are you still drunk?”

My defenses went up because I was so embarrassed from before. “No, I am not drunk.”

He put his hands up like I had a gun and backed up a little bit. “Sorry, you just seemed to be a little out of it and most of the time that I have seen you, you were drunk.”

It was most likely true. I had been so worried about him, that I had literally almost run into him. What was this guy doing to me?

“No, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be snippy with you. Thank you for helping me last night. I appreciate it.”

“Well I am surprised you remembered. You were about three sheets to the wind. If I would have known that you partied like that, you could have come over last night when I had a few people over. There were lots of other women from the area here.”

The last thing that I would have wanted to do was go to his house for anything. I knew that he was most likely the type to have a party that I would have never been caught dead in. I didn’t live the way he obviously lived. I had seen what or who had come out of his apartment early in the morning. “Thanks but I really don’t drink like that. I don’t know what got into me last night.”

I was trying to side step him, but the man was not going to budge. He just had this look on his face that drove me a little crazy. He enjoyed making me feel this way, I was sure of it.

“Thanks again Joel, but I am going to be late for work.”

“Where does a pretty thing like you work?”

“Not too far from here at an accounting firm.”

“You guys work on Saturday? Seems like such a waste to work away your weekend when you could be having fun.”

I shook my head that we did and looked at my watch. I was going to be late if I didn’t leave soon. There was always something that sidetracked me from where I was going and I hated to be late.

“Yeah, most Saturdays, though I don’t think I like to have the same kind of fun that you do.”

He didn’t say much for a moment and I waited to see what it was that was on his mind. You could tell there was something that he was thinking about and I wondered what it was. I felt like I was waiting an eternity for his words, but none came forth.

“Have a good day Cameron. I guess I will see you around, hopefully it won’t be at the door when you are drunk at two in the morning.”

I was a little disappointed as he started to walk away. I don’t know why I was, but there was a moment where I wanted to stop him and say something. I didn’t have a clue what to say though and I knew that I shouldn’t say anything, not after what happened the day before. I was just going to be better off steering clear of the man, no matter how hard it was going to be living in the same building as him.

***

Getting home, it was almost three and I was tired. The drinking from the night before had made me feel tired and foggy most of the day and I was thankful to see the apartment building. My eyes scanned the garage, half expecting to see Joel there. He wasn’t and surprisingly it was a little disappointing when I didn’t see him. I told myself that I didn’t want to see the arrogant man that had picked me up like a sack of potatoes and thrown me over his shoulder the night before, but I did. I wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t change the fact of the matter I felt drawn to him.

When I saw him inside of the building, I pretended that I didn’t notice him and walked past him without saying a word. He looked good and his shirt was off again. I couldn’t help but see the small trickle of sweat that was coming down the hard, tanned abs. Pulling my gaze away before I was caught, I stopped at the base of the stairs when I heard his voice.

“How was work Cameron?”

I shrugged and told him that it was fine. I waited for a heartbeat for him to say something more and realizing that I wanted to keep talking to him, I asked how his day was.

“Hot.”

His answer made me look at his sweaty body and I could tell that he was hot. I could also tell that I liked him that way. He was far too handsome for me to ignore and it took everything in me to pull my eyes away again. Did he know how badly I wanted to touch the ripples on his chest?

“Well you have a good night Joel.”

“Where are you going?”

I was already up to the fourth step when I turned around to answer him. It was rather clear in my eyes where I was going. “Up to make some dinner I guess. It is too hot to do much of anything else.”

“We are going to the beach later to have a bonfire and drink some beer, you want to come with and have some real fun for once?”

My first thought was yes. I loved going swimming, but then I had to remember that I didn’t even really know him. Sure I knew his uncle, but the man was obviously a bad boy, something that I told myself that I had to stay away from. While they were fun, they were also heartbreakers as well, something that I needed to steer clear of.

“No thank you. I think after last night, I just need to take the night off and rest a bit.”

He looked like he wasn’t happy with my answer and every part of me wanted to change it. It was in my best interest not to though. That man was trouble and that was all that I knew to be true.

I walked up the stairs and there was a part of me that wished that I had said yes. When I got into my apartment, I looked around and I was already bored with everything. My quiet night of dinner and a movie didn’t seem all that enticing anymore and I debated seeing if he had left yet. I was fighting with myself and finally I just went to bed early, trying to save myself from doing something that I was sure to regret later.

Joel was just bad news and I needed to stay far away from him. Why was that so hard to sink in? Even with everything I knew of men like him, something inside of me wanted to play with fire. I wanted to know what it was like to be with a man like Joel. Just once.

Chapter 4

Joel

“Good morning Cameron.”

The young brunette looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. She had her hands full and I rushed forward to grab one of the bags that she looked like she was going to drop.

“Thanks. I thought I could carry it all in. I hate making a second trip.”

She looked like she was in a better mood today and I was going to take it as a sign. I was still working on her slowly, but I wasn’t any closer to getting what I wanted as when I first met her. Today I was feeling a bit luckier.

“So how was work?”

Cameron sighed and said she was glad another week was over. I was still surprised how much she worked, but I was happy that it was Saturday afternoon and she was going to be home the next day. I just had to find a way to get her to agree to go out with me. Last time my attempts had failed miserably and this time all I could think about was how I knew I wasn’t going to be able to fail. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I just couldn’t be patient anymore.

“How was your week Joel?”

“Boring. There is not a lot to do after I got the back ordered fixes done. Not enough is breaking around the apartments to keep me busy.”

“It seems like there is always something breaking. Just give it time.”

I kind of chuckled and stopped in front of her door. I was waiting for her to open it and then shoo me away. It was what she had done many times before in the last few weeks, but I kept telling myself, today is going to be different. Today she is going to say yes.

“Well since I have so much extra time, I was thinking of going out tonight. Do you know of any good places? I still don’t know much about the city. I came here a long time ago when I was younger, but it has changed a lot since then.”

I was playing to her helpful side that I had learned she had. Cameron noticed things and ever since meeting her, she had become more and more helpful. If that was the angle I had to take to get her to go out with me, I was not above it.

“There are a lot of good places around here. Are you looking for a place to eat, drink or dance?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere to eat first I guess. Would you like to show me a good place that you like around here? I am buying.”

Cameron looked at the groceries that I had set on her kitchen counter. It was like only then did she realize that I was in her kitchen, just feet from here. The door was still open, but no one was in the hallways and it felt like we were alone.

“Um, well I was going to just make some pasta.”

“Come on Cameron. You haven’t gone out in a while.”

She didn’t like the comment or maybe it was the fact that she didn’t like that I noticed. It was hard not to and whether I wanted to or not, I was constantly aware of what she was doing. It was a hazard of the job and the fact that she was always around. How could I not notice such a woman?

“I guess I could.”

Although she wasn’t as enthused as I would have liked, it didn’t matter, I would take it how it was. After trying to forget about her in the arms of several others, it was becoming clear to me, painfully so that she had gotten under my skin. All I needed to do was scratch the itch and then I could forget about the sassy mouthed tenant that kept me up at night.

“Let’s go then.”

“I have to get ready and put these groceries up.”

“I will help you.”

Cameron didn’t look so sure of my skills, but I was already taking things out of the bags and setting them on the counter. I wasn’t going to give her a reason or a chance to say no.

“Um, okay. I’m going to jump in the shower then. I will be back out in a few minutes.”

I watched her walk into the bathroom and I felt a tightening in my chest. I was thinking about her naked and soaped up in the shower. It was the first thought that went through my head and it was one that I just couldn’t shake. I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like without her clothes on. Tonight was the night.

The water turned on and my mind went into overdrive. What would happen if I just went in there right now? Would she turn me away?

***

Without a real idea of what she would do, I didn’t go into the bathroom. I didn’t want to move too far too fast and lose her. It was the last thing that I wanted to do and all I could tell myself was that it was going to happen soon.

There was a small peek of her in a towel, her hair damp from the shower and that was enough. It was a tiny, tasty tease that was going to get me through until I could peel off whatever it was that she was putting on.

Unlike most girls, Cameron was done pretty quickly. She looked completely different, sexier then I had seen her before. There was a touch of makeup that I didn’t usually see and I liked the idea that she had done it for me. The woman was beautiful and swallowing my tongue was well worth it to see her like that.

“You look…”

Cameron giggled and swished her skirt around. “Do you like it?”

I nodded my head, unsure if actual sound would even come out of my mouth. It was so dry in there I felt like I couldn’t move my tongue around properly. Yeah, I liked it alright. That dress was going to be the nail in the coffin. There was no way that I was going to be able to walk away from that. She was too much, too beautiful and now I was thinking about naughty things that I wanted to do to her. There was nothing good that was coming out of my mind right then.

“I am going to take that as a good sign that you like what I am wearing. Are you sure it is not too much?”

Shaking my head, I told her that it wasn’t. It was something, but definitely not too much.

“Okay, well are you ready to go?”

Again I shook my head and just kind of stared at her. Here I was acting like the old me, the version that lost the girl. “Yeah, let’s go.”

She was no longer hesitant and she gave me a little grin that set my blood boiling in my veins. Cameron knew exactly what she was doing to me and I was more than happy to be her plaything. Little did she know that I was going to have my way soon enough, of that I was adamant.

When we got out to the parking garage, she asked me where my car was. “I never said I drove a car…”

Her eyes widened when she got a look at the bike. It was fairly easy to see that she wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of getting on the back of it. I had learned one thing from my cousin Carlos and that was to make sure that I took her on my bike. He had promised that a girl couldn’t resist it and I would be rewarded with a soft body leaned tight against my back. It sounded like a win-win to me.

Cameron was going back and forth in her mind that much I could see and I waited for her to make a decision. I wasn’t going to push her into anything. She would come around. I hoped so anyways. I wanted Carlos to be right.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity, I was starting to question how sure I was of it. How positive was I that she wasn’t going to just flat out deny me like she had so many times before?

“Okay, but it’s not far at all. We could just walk if you want some fresh air.”

The temptation to have more time with her was nothing compared to having Cameron smashed up against my body. That was how I was going to get her. I was going to make her think about me the way I was thinking about her. And I just wanted to know what she was going to feel like pressed up against me. Handing her the extra helmet I kept in the black satchel, she put it on and smiled at me in a way that stopped me in my tracks. God, this woman was going to be the death of me.

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PREVIEWS

You’re Mine

A Bad Boy Next Door Romance

YOU’RE MINE: A BAD BOY NEXT DOOR ROMANCE

“From the first look, I knew that I wanted you. You were sassy with a little sweetness. Now I have to have you back in my life and in my arms.”

I could have anyone that I wanted and I wanted Carol Masters. She was a challenge.

The first time I met her, she was in the middle of a wedding. She was the maid of honor and I was a friend of the groom. Carol looked like a glowing angel. She was beautiful and I had to have her. I needed to corrupt her.

How could she resist me? No one had before. Once a woman got a look at my muscles and tattoos, I usually had to keep them at bay, along with their feelings.  I wasn’t looking for love. I was looking for a good time and Carol was instantly on my radar.

Meeting her was a different story. She wasn’t interested in what I had to offer, but I knew that I was going to get my way. I only had two nights in Louisiana and I was going to spend them with her.

There was no denying the attraction between us and before the wedding reception was over, I was going to have her bent over something.

Carol took over my mind. Once just wasn’t going to be enough. I had to have her for good, for keeps and I wasn’t going to stop until she was mine. From the moment I saw her, I knew that Carol was made for me.

How could it be any different?

***

Chapter 1

Carol

“I can’t believe that you are actually getting married. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen, Cameron.”

“Me either, but at the same time I feel like I have been waiting for this my whole life. I don’t know why it took so long, but it is finally happening.”

I was happy for her, really I was, but I had to wonder why love never seemed to come my way. I had tried for years to find what she had now to no avail. While I was happy for my best friend, at the same time I wished that I would find someone to be happy with as well. It seemed like it was never going to happen and now that my last friend was getting married, it was on my mind more than ever.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just wish Cliff would have broken up with me after the wedding. I hate going to these things by myself.”

“You are not by yourself, you are here with me.”

“Going to be a bit of a third wheel on our wedding night, don’t you think?”

“Carol it is going to be fine. There is going to be plenty of Joel’s friends to keep you busy. I have seen a few of them, they are hot and not from around here so no complications when you are done.”

“You know that they are not my type. I don’t like that rugged, ‘me man, you woman’ caveman thing that they got going on.”

She laughed at me and told me that she had felt the same way about it. But she was marrying a tattooed biker, so I no longer believed that they weren’t her type. Joel was a bad boy with a soft side, but to look at him, I would have never known. It was only when I got to know him and see how much he loved my friend that I really started to even accept him at all.

“I’m just saying don’t be so down. Things always work out the way they are supposed to. I had done given up hope of ever finding someone to share my life with and then Joel just showed up. I think you have to stop looking.”

“That makes no sense, you realize that don’t you?”

“I know. It doesn’t make sense.”

I wondered if she was losing it because of all of the pressure of the wedding. She had been planning nonstop for months and the culmination of everything seemed to be too much for her. I put the veil on after we had her hair perfect and I felt emotions tugging at my heart and head. It was stifling how badly that I wanted to be her. She looked perfect and the happiness was literally glowing out of her. Cameron made a beautiful bride.

“Just have fun, okay? I will not be able to have a good time if my best friend isn’t.”

I had a feeling that whatever I was doing, Cameron was going to be far more wrapped up in her new husband to notice. But I resolved to have a good time and the open bar was going to help.

“Showtime Cameron. Are you ready?”

She sighed and smiled that high-wattage smile that Joel had given her. She wasn’t the same friend that I had met in school. Cameron was different now and I felt a surge of jealousy that I was going to have to stuff back down before it got me in trouble.

“You look beautiful Cameron. I am so happy for you.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Happy tears, I swear.”

She wasn’t so sure, but today was her day and she didn’t have time to worry about my emotions. I tried my best to smile through the wetness dripping down my face. I tried to put on a brave look. I really did.

“Okay, well as long as you are going to be okay Carol.”

“Don’t worry about me, Cameron. I am going to be fine. The music is playing for you and it is time to go.”

Cameron nodded and she pushed the veil back over her face. I helped her with the back of the dress on her way down the aisle. I was the maid of honor after all. I wanted to be there for her, but the whole ceremony my mind was somewhere else. I didn’t even notice all of the hot men that she had told me about. I was in my own little world, listening to the preacher’s words and trying not to lose it right then and there in front of everyone.

***

“You were even more beautiful than the bride.”

The raspy voice threw me off because it was so close behind me. I could almost feel the heat on my hair. I smiled at the sound and turned to see a black-haired man with eyes to match. He was wearing the same leather jacket in the same style as most of Joel’s friends. I was starting to think that it was because they were all in the same biker gang or something together. I didn’t know what it was, but the style worked for the man in front of me.

“That isn’t a very nice thing to say.”

“I just call them how I see them.”

“You are one of Joel’s friends?”

He shook his head like it was obvious, his eyes pinning me where I stood.

“Well nice to meet you…”

“David.”

“Nice to meet you David, but I have to go.”

“You can’t take the time for one dance?”

I really looked at him then and I wondered if he even knew how to dance. Men like him were not usually so fleet of foot and he didn’t look to be any different. I could see a tattoo that was barely covered with his shirt, going up his neck. What would possess someone to do that?

“I don’t think so.”

“You think you are too good for me?”

There was a bit of anger in his question and it had me turning back around. “No, but we are from two very different worlds, David. And I don’t know the language.”

He stopped me with a hand on my arm and I pulled away. I didn’t know who he thought he was, but I wasn’t going to let him manhandle me in such a way. It wasn’t going to happen the way he wanted it to. That was why I didn’t have much to do with guys like this. They were worried about one thing and would go out of their way to get it. It wasn’t hard to see what David wanted. It was something that I wasn’t willing to give.

“It’s just one dance. Are you really that stuck up that you won’t have one dance with me? Am I not good enough?”

He had a whine to his voice, but I think we both knew that it wasn’t real. He could think I was stuck up all he wanted, that wasn’t going to change my position. I didn’t do well with being forced to do anything and I moved away.

“Please just one dance.”

“Have you been hitting the bottle already today?”

He shook his head that he had been. “I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

“I am just trying to figure out if this is how you normally act or not.”

“You are a feisty one, aren’t you?”

I didn’t like being called that, especially not from a man like him. In his world, that was most likely a compliment, but in my world it was just rude.

“I am good on the dance, thank you though.”

“So, is it because you are afraid you won’t be able to resist me?”

I shook my head and had to smile. If nothing else, he was sure of himself. It was the kind of confidence that drew women in because they would think that he had to be good in bed to be that cocky. I wasn’t looking for that, so it didn’t draw me in at all. He was hot, but once he started talking that ruined it for me. If only I could enjoy him without the chauvinistic words coming out of his mouth.

“I don’t think it would be hard at all to resist you David. I just don’t want to dance with you.”

“Please?”

I don’t know what it was about the way he asked me, but I couldn’t say no. He somehow said it in a way that pulled at my heart strings and by the grin on his face, I was sure that he knew exactly what it was that he was doing. David’s face brightened and the wattage went up on his smile when I finally agreed. A person might have thought that he had won the lottery by the way he was cheesing. It was hard for me to not be a little caught up in it and smile back at his excitement.

“Just one dance.” I reminded him that it wasn’t going to be nothing more than just a dance.

He held his hands up like he would go with whatever I wanted. I couldn’t help the gasp that came out of my mouth when he pulled me into his arms. We were close enough to the dance floor that it seemed acceptable to dance right there. It wouldn’t have mattered anyways. I was pulled tight against his hard body and the feeling felt too good for me to pull away from him. There was no way that I could have focused on anything else but him against me.

His smell took over my senses and I found myself relaxed, yet tense all at the same time. How had he known that he would have such an effect on me? He had been so confident and while I knew there was a reason for it, it was still hard to realize how easily I had been talked into it. He had been right and though I wasn’t afraid of how I would react to him, I was more than a little nervous about it now. Now that I was in his arms, it was hard to think anything bad about him.

The song was over before I was done and I longed for his heat against me as soon as it was gone. It was like this was how it was supposed to be. This was how it was supposed to feel.

“Now was that so bad?”

I shook my head that it wasn’t and tried to ignore the canary-eating smile that he was giving me. I could have sworn that he knew that he had gotten to me. He knew that I was going to think about the two of us together the rest of the evening. When I had come to Cameron’s wedding, I was not expecting it to be like this. I was sad then that a rough guy like David had moved away. I didn’t have the same feelings for him then as I had before.

“You want to get a drink or do you want to just go somewhere to be alone?”

“What kind of girl do you think I am David? I don’t even know you.”

He just kind of grinned and told me that he was sure that I would get to know him soon enough.

“I’m not that drunk.”

David didn’t seem to care and told me that that could be changed as well. The man had a confidence that I wondered about. What was it about him that made him so sure of himself? And why was I falling into the trap?

“One drink.”

“That is all I need.”

I almost told him never mind because of how assured he was being, but I didn’t. I wanted to see what it was that made David smile in such a way. Why was he so sure that he was what I needed, when I didn’t even know myself?

“All you need for what?”

“To convince you.”

I was already convinced and I knew that it was because of the way my body responded. I could have blamed it on the drinks, but there wasn’t enough to justify that. I could have blamed it on the fact that I was at my best friend’s wedding and there was bound to be emotions cropping up that I wanted to silence. It wasn’t any of those reasons. I wanted him because I knew that he was going to make me feel better, even if only for a moment.

“What if I am already convinced?”

His eyes darkened and the smile on his face grew. “Then what are we doing wasting our time here?”

Looking down, the intensity of his eyes was too much to handle. “Do you have somewhere in mind?”

“Right here if that is the only place.” David started looking for a way out and I was looking for a reason to stay.

“Come on. Let’s go upstairs where we will have some privacy.”

His hand outstretched and before I knew what I was doing, I was placing my hand in his. I needed a few moments of madness and David was the one to give it to me.

Chapter 2

David

“I can’t believe you even remember her. What is wrong with you?”

I couldn’t believe it either. I don’t know why that woman was on my mind so much, but it was impossible to say that she wasn’t or to pretend that I didn’t think about her every time I was with someone else. It was not an easy thing to have going on in my brain and I started to wonder if this was the beginning of insanity.

“Don’t you think that if I knew what it was that was wrong with me, that I would change it? I am sick of talking about her, thinking about her. Every night almost, I wake up in the middle of it, dreaming about her. It is always the same.”

Craig just kind of looked at me like maybe I had lost it. It wouldn’t be the first time that I had wondered the same thing. Maybe I was going over the deep end and I just didn’t even know it yet. Was this the deep end? It didn’t feel like it was normal and it hadn’t mattered how many women I had underneath me, it was Carol’s face that I hoped to see when I looked down. It never is though and the frustration of not having what I want had set me on edge.

“Man you got it bad. It has been six months. It is time for you to get it together. I know that this girl got in your head, but everyone is worried about you. I am worried about you.”

“Are you getting soft on me Craig?”

“No, but I don’t know what to do with you. It seems like everyone in the gang is losing their mind and now you. I didn’t think you would ever be like this, yet here you are.”

Here I was. I didn’t know where I was, but I did know that it was getting to be too much. What was it about her that had driven me to this? I didn’t think I would ever know.

“It isn’t that bad. I think I just need to smash it again. I didn’t get enough the first time.”

Craig just kind of shook his head with a faraway grin on his face. “What the hell are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, I have been there. There is always this one girl that you won’t be able to stop thinking about. They do some kind of voodoo, I swear.”

I liked the idea of having something to blame my emotions on. I didn’t know what else it could be. I had never cared about a girl passed a night or two and now it had been too long to think that this was just a fluke. I remembered her so well for a reason. I didn’t know what that reason was, but I knew that it all had happened for a reason. I just knew that I had to see her again.

“I don’t know about all of that, but the damn woman did something.”

“Just drink some more beer and eventually you will forget about her.”

“That or I will pass out.”

He shrugged and asked me what the difference was. Either was I was going to stop thinking of the woman that was the bane of my existence. It didn’t take long for him to be right and I was feeling better pretty quickly. I spotted a girl from across the room and the first thing that I noticed was that she was a redhead. I was now attracted to them full stop and I moved towards her at a slow pace. If I couldn’t have the real thing, maybe it was better to have an alternative. It was better than nothing.

***

Waking up the next morning with a pounding headache, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the strands of red hair that were on my arm. My dreams were of Carol, as they always were and I woke the woman up to give her a kiss. For a few moments there, I was convinced that it was Carol. When Maggie turned over and smiled at me, my heart sunk and I remembered the night before. I remembered picking her up at the bar and taking her home. I had seen Maggie around before. She was one of those girls that hung around when one of the gang wanted her. I didn’t need anyone to point her out. I had seen her with almost everyone in the gang. Everyone knew what she was in the bar for. It was only last night that I took her up on the open offer. She wasn’t as satisfying as I would have hoped her to be.

I didn’t say much to her and instead of getting some more of her delectable tongue I got up and started to get dressed. I already knew that being with her was a mistake, one that I didn’t want to repeat.

“Where are you going so early David? I was hoping that we could do that thing again that we did last night.”

I was sure that she was talking about sex and though she had been better than I had thought she would be, there was a big part of me that knew that it was never going to be the same. How could I have sex that was good and not great, when I knew that there was more out there? How could I not desperately crave the way I had felt with Carol in my arms? It didn’t make sense and the more I thought about it, the bitterer I became.

“I have work to do.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that the shop was open today. I thought Carlos had decided on closing it on Sundays?”

“It’s not. I think Carlos has a job for me and as slow as it has been at the shop, I didn’t think it would be out of the question to take on some more work.”

Why was I explaining myself to her? I got up and instead of saying anything more, I got into the shower and tried to rinse away all of the bad effects that were going on in my head. “I am going to take a shower Maggie. I will drop you off if you need a ride when I get out.”

“When will I see you again?”

I stopped with the question and wished that it was a bit clearer what was going on. She wasn’t going to hear from me again. I thought that she was a woman that wasn’t expecting anything out of our relationship. Maybe I was wrong…

“I don’t know Maggie. I will give you a call.”

“But you don’t have my number.”

She had me there and I should have taken it, but I didn’t like feeling obligated. I wasn’t going to call her so it was most likely better for me just to tell her the truth. She was the one that had seduced me. I was just there for the fall down.

“I am not really going to call you Maggie. You are nice, cute face and all, but what I am looking for is a little different.”

I could tell that it wasn’t what she wanted to hear and for a moment I worried that she was going to start crying. I couldn’t stand the sight of a woman that was upset, but I ignored the urge to comfort her and I just kind of ignored all of the thoughts that were running through my head.

“Look, I had a great time last night Maggie.”

She looked at me with a little hope that maybe I would change my mind. I didn’t want to though and even though everything I said about her was true, the fact of the matter was that I knew at the end of the day I would never see her again. If I did, it would be a random run-in and it would be awkward.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

Maggie wasn’t ready for the switch of conversations and she just stared at me blankly with her blue eyes. Would it have been different if they were twinkling green like Carol’s? I could still see them in my mind’s eye and I knew that if she would have looked more like Carol, maybe I would have been willing to call her back and to have something more to do with her. But she wasn’t and I didn’t feel any obligation to her.

“No, I think that I have taken up enough of your time.”

I didn’t blame her for being mad and I waited for her to leave before I took a deep breath. I needed to get dressed and go down to see Carlos. He had promised me a job. It wasn’t the money that I needed, but time away from the city and everything about it. I just needed a change. I wasn’t sure for how long, but anything to get me out of here was going to be great. I had to get out of here before I drove myself crazy.

***

“So what do you have for me?”

“I need you to take a road trip for me, take a car down south.”

My ears perked up with the direction, but I tried my best to not let out anymore emotions. He was sick of hearing about Carol too.

“Okay. So what is the car for?”

“I am selling it.”

“Anything extra that I should know about that needs to be delivered?”

Carlos shrugged and nodded his head. “You know we might as well make a trip of it, right?”

I shook my head and agreed. I had a feeling that it was all about the extra cargo and not the car at all. That meant that there was no telling what kind of car it was going to be. My luck it would be some beater that I would have to drive at night because it wasn’t even road worthy. It wouldn’t be the first time that I had to hump a stash in a trashy car. They thought that it made it look less conspicuous, I always thought that it just made it harder to get there on time.

“I got it Carlos. Just tell me where and I will leave today.”

“That ready to go huh?”

I told him that I was ready to get out of Chicago for a while. I was sick of the same sights and I needed something new to get my mind off of everything. Anywhere but here would be good right now.

“I haven’t even told you where you are going yet.”

“It doesn’t matter. I need to get out of here, so anywhere is good.”

Carlos cocked his head to one side, trying to figure out my dilemma. I wasn’t going to say anything, Craig was the exception and the drinking hadn’t helped when it came to loosening my lips. Carlos was different. He was my boss and I didn’t want to look weak in front of him.

“I think you are going to like this place that I am sending you to David.”

He was messing with me, dangling something in my face and I wasn’t sure what it was. What did he have that was so good to give him a grin like that?

“I need you to go down to New Orleans David. Do you think that you can handle it?”

I wasn’t sure that I heard him right, but I was definitely ready to take that road trip. I wouldn’t have to call a number that never got answered anymore. I was more than determined to find Carol while I was down there and I had a feeling that was why Carlos had me going. He must have known that she was from there. I may have mentioned it a time or two, that or Joel was running his mouth to him about it.

“Sounds like a plan Carlos. I will get a bag together and I will leave in a little while.”

He grinned at me and I tried to ignore it, but it was impossible to. What in the world was he thinking?

“What?”

“Nothing, I just thought that you would be a little more excited about going there, that’s all. I mean, isn’t it where that chick is from that you never shut up about?”

He was playing dumb, but he knew. They all knew. When a guy like me started turning down tail, it was time to sit up and take notice.

“Yeah that is where Carol lives.”

“Well take your time coming back. I don’t need you for a while if you want to go and see the sights.”

I knew what he meant and I thanked him without ever saying the words. He was giving me a gift and I was going to take it. I hadn’t had time off in a while to get away when everyone else was in the city. There was a first time for everything after all, but this was new to me.

Leaving Carlos’ house, I was in a bit of a daze. Not sure what I was going to do about everything, I tried to imagine what Carol was going to say when she saw me. Would she remember me as much as I had remembered her? Would she even want to see me?

I hoped so and if not, I still remembered her weakness and I was not above using it to my advantage.

Chapter 3

Carol

“Why are you telling me this Cameron?”

“Because I thought you would like to know that he was looking for you. Joel said he just got into town and there was only one name that he mentioned.”

“I don’t know why.”

My friend snorted at me and I was left to look down. I couldn’t meet her gaze. I wasn’t good at lying to her and this was one of the times that I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Come on Carol, I think half of the people at the wedding heard the two of you.”

I could feel my face getting hot and it was impossible to look her in the eyes. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

“Well then tell that to someone that doesn’t know what you two did. It was my wedding and I think I heard more about you and him getting it on, then I did about my dress. I had that flown in from Paris, but it is you two that I still get to hear about. Way to go with taking away all of my shine.”

“You know that I didn’t mean to.”

“Were you drunk?”

I would have liked to have said that I was, but I had been far too sober to blame it on that. I had done it because David was everything that I wasn’t looking for. There was a reason that I had picked a man like him. It wouldn’t matter when he left. It did of course, something transpired between us, but the fact of the matter was that we were too different to ever be much of anything.

“No, I wasn’t drunk. He had good game and it was hard to refuse him.”

“Well you did something to him. He is asking for you and you know he is staying in one of the apartments? He is right around the corner from you.”

It was not a conversation that I wanted to have. I didn’t want to see David. Things were going good now and I didn’t want to ruin it.

“I have Steve now. He is good for me.”

Cameron rolled her eyes. “He is not good for you. He is…. I don’t even know what he is, but I know that you are not happy.”

“I am.”

I didn’t sound very convincing and I didn’t blame her for not believing me. I didn’t even believe myself, though I tried to. Steve was the kind of guy that I was supposed to be with. He was the type of man that wanted to get married. We already talked about it, even though we had only been dating a couple of months. That was progress as far as I was concerned.

“Just because it worked out for you, doesn’t mean that I need that kind of guy. Besides, Joel is different. He isn’t really a bad boy. He is softer than most of them. David is just rough.”

Cameron smiled and didn’t say anything for a time. “There is a difference when it comes to Joel. There is a sweetness that had taken me off guard. That is what I had fallen in love with. He looks good in leather too.”

“Well David is no Joel.”

“I met him for a few minutes, he seemed nice enough. You didn’t seem to be too bothered by him at the wedding.”

I thought of what it was he had talked me into doing and while I was completely open to it, I wouldn’t have done it with a man like Steve. He would have never even thought to do something like that. He wouldn’t have gone along with it if I had wanted to. The two men were so different and part of me knew that was why I had picked Steve from work. He was quiet and polite, just the kind of man that I needed.

“He is a mess, trust me. I am going to stay as far away from him as I can. How long is he supposed to be in town?”

Cameron shrugged and told me that she didn’t know. He was supposed to be there doing work and I could just imagine what that actually meant. I hadn’t asked him at the wedding what he did because I knew I didn’t want to know the truth. Whatever it was, I am sure it was illegal.

“Well don’t give him my number and make sure Joel doesn’t either. Do whatever voodoo it is that you do on him, but I don’t want to see him. He is nothing but bad news and I don’t want to ruin a good thing.”

“Okay, I will, but do you really think that Steve is the one? You haven’t even had sex with him yet.”

“That is not by my decision. He is the one that wants to wait. I think that is going to change though. If not, I am going to change it.”

She giggled a little and I knew that she was thinking along the same lines that I was thinking. We had been dating long enough and if I had to go into full seduction mode, I was okay with that. All I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to wait anymore. The mere mention of David got me feeling a little hot and bothered. It also reminded me how long it had been since we were together. He was the last man I was with and it felt like that needed to change or it was going to mean something.

“Well you go girl. It is about time. Here I was thinking that you really cared about him and that was the reason that you were turning into a nun.”

“No, it is nothing like that. It is just a decision that I decided to make. I needed a break.”

“It has been a drought for you Carol. I don’t know how you aren’t crawling out of your skin.”

I didn’t mention that I was, instead I just gave her a noncommittal noise. I was crawling out of my skin. All I wanted was for Steve to really kiss me and touch me, but he always pulled away and got himself together. I was left in need, wondering if there was something wrong with me. It drove me absolutely crazy.

“I’m fine. It is not that big of a deal. You stop thinking about it after a while.”

“Uh huh.”

Her face told me that I was full of shit and once again, I didn’t blame her. It did matter and bringing up David wasn’t helping anything at all.

***

Getting home that evening, there was a part of me that wanted to call Caroline and get David’s number. I was sure that if I called her, I would get a hold of him and then I would feel better. He had known my body, manipulated it like it was his own and made me feel a way that I had never felt before. There was a strong possibility that I would never feel that way again and the idea of that bothered me.

I didn’t call her though. I wasn’t supposed to want David. It was obvious that he wasn’t the one for me. I am sure he was just trying to get laid. He was in town and he thought that I was easy. That was all it was. Then why did I want to see him so badly, knowing exactly what he was and what he wanted from me? Why was I so tempted to know that he was close?

I tried to ignore the thoughts of our time together. It was hot, hotter than I had ever experienced before and I couldn’t concentrate. I went to bed early that night and didn’t wake up thinking about him. I took that as a win and decided to continue in that manner for the rest of the day.

Around noon my thoughts were drifting and instead of feeding into the need that my body liked to remind me of, instead I called Steve to see if he wanted to go out tonight. We usually went out on Fridays and Sundays, but I didn’t care what day it was. It was time for us to take the relationship to the next level. I had to get David out of my mind and I wasn’t afraid to use Steve to help me.

“Hey Carol. I didn’t expect to hear from you. Are you off work early?”

“No, I am hiding in the bathroom so I could talk to you.”

“Classy.”

“Yeah I know.”

“So what is up?”

“I just miss you Steve.”

“I will see you on Friday.”

“I know, I just, I don’t want to wait till Friday. I know that you work late through the week, but I was hoping that maybe you would make an exception and we could see each other tonight?” There was desperation in my voice that I knew was easy to hear. I couldn’t help it though. I was in dire need.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone, but I didn’t really read into too much. I knew that he had a thing about going out during the week, but he was going to have to get over that. I needed him and he was going to have to get over the waiting thing too. If he wanted to be with me, I had needs as well and almost three months was long enough in my eyes.

“Okay Carol, if you can’t wait. Do you want to go get something for dinner when I get off?”

“Why don’t I make you something and you can come over here?”

Another hesitation before he agreed. I had to wonder what it was that he had to think about. We were together after all and it was only a logical step.

“Yeah that will be good. What are you making?”

I hadn’t really thought about it, so I just said the first thing that came to mind. He wasn’t as enthused as I would have hoped, so I suggested something else before he agreed. “Good Steve. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Yeah, why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know. You just don’t seem to really be acting like yourself.”

“No, I am good. I just miss you is all. I want to see my boyfriend.”

He told me that he wanted to see me as well, but I could tell that he knew. Something was up. I wasn’t going to deny it anymore. It was time to move on with Steve, so I could forget all about David.

Chapter 4

Steve

I got off of the phone with Carol and I had to wonder what it was that she wanted. She wasn’t a patient woman to begin with, but it seemed like now it was even worse. There was a part of me that wondered if she was going to break up with me. My heart hurt even thinking about it and it was the last thing that I wanted to happen. We hadn’t been going out that long, but it was the longest relationship that I had ever been in.

“Steve, are you going to take that call on 3? You know that the boss doesn’t like it when we leave the customers on hold.”

Waving Dave off, I tried to tone down the sudden aggravation. He was the type that stayed in everyone else’s business and it was usually mine that he was into. It drove me crazy and my fist was still tight when I answered the call.

“Yes Mr. Weimer. I understand that you are anxious, but that is how the stock market works. You have to handle a little risk. I wouldn’t put your money anywhere that I wouldn’t put my own.”

“I know that Steve, I am just watching this number fall and it is making me sick to my stomach.”

“Have a little faith Scott. It is all going to work out. I see the numbers. I am going to buy some more up for the short time once it hits 15. Then you will see. Give me 24 hours and everything will start to make sense and I am sure you are going to feel better.”

“That is all of the money I have Steve. I need to know that everything is going to be okay.”

I told him again that it was. I knew that he had a lot of money on the line, but I still didn’t like to be questioned about any one trade. He had given me his money to work with, that was a lot of trust, but now he wasn’t so sure and I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to keep making him money.

“I can sell your position now, but you are going to take a loss.”

“What about the fact that it is going lower?”

I couldn’t tell him that I knew some information that was about to come out and the stocks were going to take a huge rally once the company’s big contract was announced. I almost wanted him to tell me to pull out, just so he could feel like an ass when he found out that it was all under control. I didn’t like the loss of confidence on his part. It made me mad more than anything else.

“You do what you want. If you leave it with me, this is what I am going to do. If you want to pull out, cut your loss, but don’t call me tomorrow.”

“Steve, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It doesn’t matter Scott. Tell me what you want me to do?”

“I want you to make me money.”

“That is what I have done for several years. Nothing has changed. Stop getting spooked. I have to go.”

I didn’t wait for an answer on the other end. It didn’t matter what it was that he wanted. I knew that it was going to go my way. I had studied the stocks and companies they represented for too long. Not to mention the steady stream of insider information that I got.

The call irked me and I thought about taking off early to see Carol. She was just what I needed after a stressful day like today. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be good news. It was never good news when a woman wanted to see me out of the blue. I had to take a break to get my anxiety down. When it came to stocks, I had more confidence than sense, but when it came to women, Carol in particular, I was afraid that anything I did would make her leave me. She already had way more control over me than I think she would ever realize.

***

“It is good to see you baby.”

She kissed me on the lips after she opened the door. I could tell right away that something was different. Carol was kissing me like she had the first time months ago. There was passion and need in the kiss, both things that I wasn’t ready for. I didn’t do well going down that route. It made everything too intense and I pulled away before more could happen. I felt like it was going to get out of hand if I let it.

“It is good to see you too Carol. How was your day?”

The woman took my coat as I moved into her house. It was clean and tidy like always, but now the place was filled with the smell of dinner.

“Pretty good. I just missed you today Steve. How was your day? You sounded a little stressed out when I called earlier.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Clients are just getting scared, but I am used to it by now.”

She didn’t even pretend to care what it was I did for a living. I didn’t blame her, it wasn’t the most riveting work, but there was a big part of me that loved the chaos and the risk. The rest of my life was so safe and secure, it was nice to have some time that it wasn’t.

“Well you are going to prove them wrong, I am sure of it.”

I agreed with her, but I was too busy looking at the red dress she was wearing. It was shorter than usual and like her kiss, there was a way that she was swaying her hips that I swore she was doing on purpose. I was seeing a whole other side of Carol and I wasn’t sure what to think of it. She had always been okay with taking things slow, but if I didn’t know any better, I would think that all of that had changed. Maybe she wasn’t interested in doing it my way anymore. Here I was worried about her wanting to leave me, but it looks like it was because of something altogether different. If she was a cat, she would have been in heat and I couldn’t stop the reaction from her need. It was palpable in the air.

“I will. Um, it smells good.”

“I am sure you will like it. It is one of my grandmother’s best recipes.”

I couldn’t really think, all of the blood draining from my body. I didn’t want to go down this road with her. Everything would change and it would all be ruined. I liked it how it was and even though I was solid as a rock, I moved into the kitchen away from the beautiful woman that was ready to give me everything that kept me up at night. That seemed wrong in so many ways.

Moving to the stove, I opened the lid to see what it was that smelled so good. I couldn’t identify half of it, but it did smell good and I hoped that it tasted half as good as the aroma suggested.

“So what is this?”

Carol looked put-off a little bit and I had a feeling that it was because of the fact that I wasn’t paying attention to her hot body. She moved with such determination that it was obvious that she wanted me to notice. I did, far more than I wished I had, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was me keeping my cool and not putting my hands where they so desperately wanted to be.

“Just a stew. I don’t think it really has a name. She made it every Sunday after church. Just kind of tradition that I thought you might like. Are you ready to eat?”

Her eyes tried to find out what was wrong. She wanted to ask me if I didn’t like the dress, or her, something, but I looked away like I had many times before and told her that I was famished. I was in desperate need of many things that I was sure she would have no problem satisfying.

We sat down and it was quiet for a while. Carol told me about her friend at work Mona, the one that I heard a lot about, but she sounded like a floosy. It was hard to imagine how the two had become friends when they were so far away from each other in actions and attitude. Mona sounded like a mess and even  though I knew that Carol had been wild before we met, I shuddered to think of her as bad as her friend.

After dinner, there was dessert and I was thankful for a little more time. I had dodged sexy looks all night, ones that were rather hard to ignore. Carol was practically begging for it and it was becoming harder to concentrate with the stiffness below the belt. Her attention went to my bulge several times, so much that I had to turn my body away as to hide it. After dinner, there was nowhere left to hide and when she suggested I stay for a movie, I desperately tried to figure out a way to tell her no and not get her mad.

“I have an early morning Carol. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Come on Steve. We can watch anything you want. I just want to sit next to you and just be together. Doesn’t that sound nice to you?”

“It does, I just don’t know if it is a good idea. You know I have to get up early for work and tomorrow is a day I can’t be late for. There is a lot of money on the line.”

“Come on, please.”

She looked at me like she was going to cry or she was about to lose herself if I didn’t say yes. How could I say anything else? I knew it was going to get me in trouble, but I didn’t care.

It didn’t take long for her desires to be known. She never was one to beat around the bush and this was no exception. She leaned her head against my chest and then onto my lap. Her eyes were half-closed and she reached down to pull me to her. The kiss was like the one at the door, full of demand and it left no room for more time. It was going to have to be now or she may not be mine anymore. 

“Are you sure you want to do this Carol? We don’t have to. I enjoy just being with, being around you and doing things.”

‘”I want to Steve, so badly.”

“What changed?”

She sat up a little and propped her head on her hand. “What do you mean?”

“Something is different today. You never call me like that at work and I don’t know, it is just a different vibe now.”

“I just want you Steve, that’s all. I have needs and it has been a long three months with no real physical touch.”

“We touch all of the time.”

“You know what I mean.”

I did know what she meant, but I was trying to prolong the inevitable. I wanted it to stay just the way it was. I didn’t want it to get awkward and the obsessive feelings to come back that I knew came with it.

“I guess I do. You are talking about sex?”

She shook her head and told me that I was right. “Most of the time it is the guy that can’t control himself.”

“I don’t have much control in that department.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“I have tried really hard not to show that side to you. I like it the way things are now.”

“I want more Steve. I need more from you than just companionship. I want you to make love to me and show me how much you care.”

It was those words that made the decision I had been fighting for so long. Her voice was small and ever so appealing. How could I say no to a request like that?

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Forever Mine

A Bad Boy Next Door Romance

FOREVER MINE: A BAD BOY NEXT DOOR ROMANCE

“She was a girl from my past. The girl of my dreams and I wasn’t going to rest until she was in my arms again”

The moment I saw her, I thought she looked familiar.

The woman moving in next door looked like someone that I had known a long time ago, but Angela wasn’t around here anymore.

She moved during our senior year.
She never said good bye.
She was the only person that had ever broken my heart.

When I found out that it was the old love that had hardened me, I had a plan to get her back. I knew how to get her where I wanted her. She wanted sex as much as I did and I knew just how she liked it.

Angela was even prettier than before. Her blue eyes called to me from day one and now I was unable to ignore it. I had to make her mine once again. It was fate. She was right next door and there was nothing to stop me. 

She would fall for me again. I would make her beg for it as she had so many times before. I was going to make her feel it all over again and then I was going to bounce, just like she had done to me. 

But could I turn away, once I had her back in my arms? Could I ever walk away from her as she had to me?

***

Chapter 1

Marcus

This woman was going to be the death of me. I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. All I wanted to do was get her to leave. She refused though. It was like she wanted to see how far she could push me and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when she did. I had reached my limit after about an hour into this latest argument. I am not even sure what it was about anymore.

“I told you that I didn’t have anything to do with him Marcus.”

“And I told you that I didn’t care. It doesn’t matter what you say, I have heard it all from everyone else. I know what you did at the party and it doesn’t even matter anymore. I could go stomp his head in, but you know what, he can have you because you are just not worth the trouble.”

She was crying. Melissa was always crying and most of the time it would upset me to see her that way, but today I had no mercy. I wanted her to leave and this was becoming more than I was willing to deal with. Women were so much more complicated because I couldn’t handle it like I wanted to. I wanted to throw her out, but this was not to be.

“You are willing to throw this all away, everything that we have made together?”

I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but I was done with it. “Yes, I want to end this. You need to leave. I packed your stuff while you were gone. It’s by the door. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

I had tried unsuccessfully to end the conversation several times, but it was like Melissa just didn’t want to hear the truth. It was over and she was going to have to get used to the idea. It was her fault for cheating, but it was my fault for even letting her move in. I don’t know what I was thinking and now I was paying for it.

“You can’t just walk away.”

I turned to her with my hand on the door. “Yes I can. Watch me. You need to be gone when I get back Melissa.”

She yelled something at me and I heard glass crashing and breaking against the door. I didn’t want to know what it was that she had thrown. I told myself that I didn’t care. I was going to have a hell of a mess when I came home, but as long as I was alone, that would be alright with me. If that didn’t work, I could always just bring home another woman just in case. Then it would be impossible for her to not get it.

I smiled at the neighbor that was taking groceries in and he kind of grinned at me. “How are you doing Marcus?”

Melissa was still yelling in the house behind me and I was surprised at how loud she was. “Good, how are you?”

“Getting some meat for the barbeque. Are you coming?”

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow. It’s Anise’s birthday.”

“I will try to come by.”

“You bringing Melissa?”

We both looked towards the house that could have been in the middle of an exorcist as far as I was concerned. I didn’t want to bring her and by the look on my neighbor’s face, he didn’t want me to either.

“No, she is moving out today.”

“And you are leaving?”

“Yeah, I can’t take it anymore.”

“You know she is going to trash your house.”

I sighed and I could hear something else breaking in there. “Yeah, I know. It is going to be worth it if she is gone when I get back.”

He nodded like he understood, but I didn’t know if he did. Kevin and his wife never argued. I had lived next to them for several years and not once had I heard any kind of yelling and screaming like what was going on at my house at the moment.

“Sorry about this.”

“No problem Marcus. We thought that she was the one for you. I think this is the longest one to stay.”

I didn’t need the reminder. I should have kicked her out a while ago, but something would happen that would rope me back into her. Not this time though. I was determined not to let it happen like that this time.

“Nah, not the one for me. I don’t think that there is one for me Kevin. I think there is a right-now girl out there with my name on her.”

“Well we got someone new moving across the street.”

I looked to the empty house that he was talking about. My luck it wouldn’t be anyone that I would want as a neighbor. Several families and individuals had come and gone. There was no telling who would be next.

“How do you know?”

“Anise signed them up and took the deposit for the electric. She told me when she got home last night.”

I shrugged, not really caring. I was too worried about getting the woman out of my house before I worried about anyone else moving in.

“Hope they aren’t as uptight as that last family. I thought that the cops were just going to stop answering that woman’s calls.”

“I think that she just gave up because they did. Dozer scared her more than you did.”

She was petrified of my pit bull and though he was harmless, I let her think whatever it was that she wanted to think about it. “Glad she is gone. We will have to cross our fingers that we get a good neighbor this time.”

Kevin agreed and I told him I would see him later. “Come by for a beer if your lady is still there. Don’t get into it with her. She will just get you in trouble and you know it.”

“I know, why do you think I am leaving?”

“With that one, it is probably a good idea.”

Waving to him as he walked in with the paper bags from the grocers I got onto my bike and looked back to the empty house one last time. Whoever it was, it couldn’t be worse than Melissa. The neighborhood was due a little peace and quiet after her.

***

I got back later that evening and I was a little nervous about all of the lights being off in my house. I didn’t know if that meant that Melissa was sleeping, like a dragon in its stolen lair or if she had left. Hell, she could have left it empty and there weren’t even light bulbs left. Either way, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when I went inside. I didn’t care what was left there. I just wanted that crazy woman to be gone.

I parked the bike and stayed standing on it for a few moments listening. I needed to go ahead and see. I almost wanted to see Kevin and then I would know is she was there or not. I had to prepare myself for the madness that most likely would be awaiting me when I opened the door.

The place was quiet as I walked up to it and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There was movement in the house across the street. I looked back quickly and saw a figure in the un-curtained window. But I didn’t have time to think about that. I had to worry about the madness that awaited me and the woman I hoped was gone. That was all I wished for as I tried the door knob.

I don’t know why I thought I was going to be able to just go in. Maybe I thought that she was going to take everything and just leave it all unlocked, but the opposite was true. I wasn’t prepared for the entry to be locked. I had a set on my keyring, but I had left that in my rush. I hadn’t wanted to pass her to get the ones off the counter, so I had grabbed the extra set that was by the door. That meant that I was stuck outside of my house and the only option was to break the window. The door wasn’t going to come in and even though I knew the house was empty now, I was too aggravated by Melissa that I didn’t even care that I would have to fix the window later.

Looking around to see if anyone was out, lights were on in the empty house and I wondered who our new neighbors were. It didn’t matter, I told myself. I just needed to get into the house, so that I wouldn’t have to stand out here. It took only a minute to decide which window to break. I broke the one in the front because it was easier to get into for fixing it.

When I got inside, it was exactly how I knew it was going to be. The place was trashed and anything that was of value was gone. It looked like I had been robbed, even though I knew it was just the spite from my ex. Melissa was always that way and I just ignored it because the sex was great. I should have known that she would do this.

Turning on the lights, the flood of seeing made it worse. I was surprised that I had light bulbs left. I just wanted to go to bed without dealing with everything, but even that was taken from me. Seemed about right and I called Joel to see if I could crash in one of the empty apartments at the complex. Some of the places were furnished and that was exactly what I needed right now.

By the time I got off the phone with Joel, I was ready to get out of there. I would deal with all of this tomorrow. Tonight I just wanted some sleep. It had been a long day and I was done dealing with Mellissa and her storm. That woman was like a damn hurricane.

There was a hard knock on the door and then I heard wood splintering off as someone kicked it in. The police made themselves known and I put my hands up as several guns were trained on me.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“We got a call that there was a break-in in this house.”

I told him that it was an ex that was leaving, but they didn’t believe me. The place was empty and I looked like a criminal. The cops didn’t want to hear anything that I had to say about it. I was going to jail and I knew that Melissa would be happy if she knew.

As the cop pushed my head down to get into the backseat of the car, I looked over at the house with lights on and I saw a brunette in the window. She must have seen me because she was gone after a second. Did my new neighbors call the police? It made sense and I had to just laugh. I guess there were worse neighbors than the last ones. These guys were starting out early.

Why did that woman in the window look so familiar?

Chapter 2

Angela

I moved here to get away from all of the drama in my last city. I came home to get away from all of the crime and I think that I was going right back to a place like that. New Orleans was the town I had grown up in, but my first day back I had to call the cops because the house next door got broken into. It didn’t seem right.

A few hours later, I was still putting things away and there was more movement at the house. The man that the police had picked up and carted off was back and again he had to break in to the house. It was then that I realized he wasn’t a burglar. He was my neighbor and the first thing I had done on this block was call the police. I knew that I was going to have to apologize in the morning. I wouldn’t have called if I would have known. I was just trying to help.

Sighing to myself, I picked up the last box that I was going to mess with today and went towards the kitchen. The house was small compared to the one I shared with Jimmy, but it was mine so it was enough. I wouldn’t have to argue with him anymore. This was the first time since high school that I was single and I was sure that was why I wasn’t able to sleep. How could I sleep with everything going on? It was only when I was too exhausted to move that I was finally able to lie down and shut my eyes. It had been so long, but even now being back in my hometown brought up all kinds of old memories that were hard to shake.

***

I was up later than usual. Usually I would get up at five or six and run for about an hour. It was the one time of the day that the silence would take over and I was able to think. I wasn’t trying to remember why I was there or where I was going next, I just wanted to think about the now. Now I was back home and needed a job. There weren’t many choices, but I was going to find something.

When I got back, I saw the door open to the neighbor’s house. I should have went over there and apologized for what happened, but I didn’t know who lived there and I didn’t know if he was going to be mad. He went to jail because of me, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I knew how some people felt about the police and those that called them. I didn’t want to be one of those people.

Instead I went inside and made some lunch. Cleaning the house up took up a little more of my day and only when it was about four in the afternoon that I went outside again. The man from the night before was outside working on a motorcycle and I figured that it was my chance to make things right. I hadn’t meant to cause any trouble and I wanted him to know that. I wasn’t going to be that kind of neighbor.

As I made my way across the street, I had to wonder if he even knew that it was me. Maybe I could just pretend that I didn’t do it and everything would be fine. It would have been easier than having to admit it to his face that I was the one that had caused it.

I almost turned around when I saw the man’s bare back covered in tattoos. He didn’t look like the type of guy that would be happy to hear what I was going to say. But I was already there and I wasn’t going to just walk away now. So what if he looked a little rough around the edges. That didn’t mean anything, right?

“Sir?”

There was music blaring outside from the garage and I had to get closer to get his attention. I was almost close enough to touch him and I stopped when I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. “Angie-Always Loved.”

It was silly. I knew that I didn’t know him and that Angie was a very common name, but it was the last part that threw me off. I hadn’t heard that in so long. It made my mind go instantly to the man that I knew when I was a teen. He had told me that for months before I left. It was the sweetest thing that I had ever heard then and since. It was good to know that I was always loved by him. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, young love rarely ever did, but it was a point in time that I couldn’t forget.

“Sir?!”

I said it a little louder, but there was too much drums going on in the music playing. I could have touched his shoulder to get his attention from whatever had him hunched over the bike in such a way, but I didn’t. I didn’t think that I should. Instead I went to the garage and turned the stereo off. The quiet that took over was deafening and I almost wished that I hadn’t just done that. It felt different now and the man cursed and stood up.

“Stupid ass stereo!”

He stopped when he saw me and my heart stopped when I saw him. “Marcus?”

It was the man from my past and the tattoo was not a coincidence. The fact that he was standing there had to be. This was the man that I hadn’t seen since I left school my senior year. I put my hand to my chest, making sure that my heart was still beating. I couldn’t breathe and I was immobile, everything that I was there to tell him about last night had run out of my mind. I was stuck looking at him with a smile on my face, but everything else inside of me threatened to crumble. What the hell was wrong with me? The second question was about the universe and its sense of humor. Of all the people, down all of the streets of this city, him, really?

“Angie?”

The voice was different and his body was different, but those dark green eyes were the same. He had a few more freckles that I noticed and he was taller, but it was the same guy I had known so long ago. That was my name on his back and I had to wonder why it was there. He towered over me and I was left unable to speak. What was I supposed to do now?

“Wow, what are the odds?”

He was confused and I pointed to the house on the other side of the street. “I live there now since last night. I take it that you live here?” The odds were never in my favor. I had just put down first, last month’s rent and deposit. It wasn’t like I could just walk away from the place. Why did it have to be next door to him?

“You live there now?”

I shook my head that I did. It was strange to be right there in front of him and even the ten feet between us didn’t seem like enough all of a sudden.

“Yeah, I moved in yesterday pretty late…” I was here to tell him that I had called on him last night, to apologize to the neighbor, but I hadn’t expected to see Marcus. Of all of the people that I thought I would run into while I was back home, it didn’t occur to me that he would still be here. Not after he talked about going out west so much. He wanted to go to the west coast and I always thought he would go. I expected him to be in California.

“I saw you last night, but I didn’t know it was you. Someone called the cops on me and I got taken in. This place hasn’t changed much than when we were younger, nosy ass people always getting in the middle.”

He sounded so casual and I didn’t understand it because all I could do was shake on the inside and hope that I didn’t pass out right where I stood. How could he be so cool?

“Sorry about that. I saw you break that window and I thought that you were a robber. I know how the crime is on the other side of the city. I was the one that called. I am sorry. I was coming over here to tell you that and offer to have you over for dinner to make it right with you.”

“But now?”

Now I found out who it was and wanted to move again. I had run from Marcus before. He had been trouble ten years ago and looking at him now, he looked like even more trouble now. Now he looked like he was the king of it and I could already feel the draw to him. I always had a magnetic pull for the bad boy and Marcus still fit the bill, though we weren’t cutting class in school any longer, so desperate to see each other.

“Now I see that it won’t be necessary Marcus. We go way back, right?” It was the understatement of the world, but he didn’t yearn for me like I had for him. If he had, I might not of left, but I knew that it was a one way street.

“Yeah we do Angela.”

“So that tattoo…”

He looked away for a moment and I wished then that I could read his mind and hear his thoughts. What was behind that look that he gave me now?  I shouldn’t have brought it up, but how could I not when it had been staring up at me.

“It was a mistake. Some broad I met a couple of years back.”

“I see you stuck with the same line Marcus. It was a good line.”

Marcus’ green eyes flared and if I didn’t know any better, I would have said that he was mad at me. I don’t know what I did wrong. The tension in his jaw was prominent and I could see the jump as he clenched his teeth together.

“Yeah it worked well in getting those panties to drop, didn’t it?”

My face turned red at the reminder and I groaned inwardly. I should have just let it go. I could have gone weeks, months even without seeing the neighbor up close and having this conversation with a ghost. My propriety had made me come over here and I was cursing what I now started to see as a character flaw.

“Yes it did. I was young and not very bright back then.”

He chuckled and I felt his eyes on my body. He was looking me up and down from my head to my toes and even though I shouldn’t, I really wanted him to like what he saw. I certainly did. The years had been kind to him and he was even more handsome now that he was a man. Attraction had never been the problem with us. It had been the big stuff that had ruined it all.

“I see you still have your claws. I always liked that side of you.”

“Yeah? I seem to remember you hated that side of me Marcus. But time has a way of making us remember things a little differently, doesn’t it?”

“No, I remember everything just the way it was. Damn it has been a long time Angela.”

I wanted to get away from the nostalgia talk. I asked him about his bike and what he was doing to it. Machines had always been his hobby and if it happened to go fast, well it was all the better for it. I missed the slight smell of grease when I would kiss him after working on something. Back then it was an old Chevelle that he worked on more than he drove. He loved that car and I still could see the baby blue paint in my mind.

“What about the Chevelle? You still have it?”

It was the first car that we made love when we were dating. He was my first and was my only for several years. I had some very fond memories in that car and I would have loved to see it again.

“Not here, but it is around.”

“That was a great car Marcus.”

“Yeah it was.” He had this faraway look in his eyes when he looked my way. It was like he was seeing me, but not really seeing me. What was going on in that head of his?

“It is good to see you again Marcus, but I got a few errands to run.”

“Where is your car?”

“I don’t really drive and since I moved back here I didn’t think I would need it, so I sold it before I came.” After a bad breakup, I had to sell the car to get home, but that wasn’t information that I was going to offer up. He didn’t know about that. I wanted Marcus to think that everything was okay. He didn’t need to know anything more than the basics. I can’t get roped up with a man like him again. It almost broke me last time.

“If you ever need anything Angela, don’t hesitate to ask. We are neighbors now and I would like to catch up one day soon.”

I agreed that I would and we should, but I walked back across the street knowing that we can’t. I can’t get involved with him again. I barely made it out of it the first time and it had always been impossible to say no to Marcus.

Chapter 3

Marcus

I watched her walk back across the street like it was nothing. Angela was back and she was acting like there wasn’t some unfinished business between us. We go way back, she said. That was something I would say to a girl that I had a one night stand with. What me and Angela had was the realest relationship that I had ever had. She was the one that had turned me hard against love, because I knew that no one else would ever be enough. If I couldn’t have Angela, then I didn’t want anyone at all. She was all I could think about, all that I had needed. Now she looked at me as if I was a stranger.

It took me a while to pull myself together enough to turn the music back on and get back to changing the oil in the bike. It was due and the sun was out. Now I wanted to go inside into the darkness and drink away any feelings that wanted to bubble up inside of me. I didn’t want to feel them. I didn’t want to feel anything that had to do with Angela. Melissa was looking like a saint next to Angela. At least Melissa couldn’t really mess me up. She took some things and broke even more, but that was nothing. Everything was replaceable, but the half of my heart that that woman carried off with her when she left was not.

My phone rang and it was Lucas calling me in. I was happy for the distraction and jumped at the chance for some work. It had been slow lately ever since we got a new player in the city. Lucas wanted to keep things quiet for a while and I hoped that the call meant that things were going to change. I didn’t care who was new and trying for territory, we had been here a long time and the Devil’s weren’t going anywhere.

The time away also meant that I would have something to occupy my time besides Angela. She had gotten enough of my thoughts and time over the years and she had had enough. The woman didn’t even act like it mattered what happened back then. I was going to have to pretend the same. It felt impossible when I even mentioned it to myself, but it was what had to happen. It had been too long and she was different now.

The drive to Lucas’ house was refreshing and I went as fast as I could without getting pulled over. I missed the wind in my short hair and the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that I needed to get out of the city for a while to clear my head. Things were getting complicated and the best thing to do was get of town before I did something stupid.

“Good to see you Marcus. You have been busy lately and I haven’t gotten to see you much. How is Melissa?”

“Gone.”

Lucas smirked and then shook his head. “She was beautiful, but I could see that she was complicated.”

Complicated didn’t even start to describe her, but she was easier than other woman I was thinking about. At least Melissa was just crazy and it was something that was known when you got with her. She was marked with a danger sign. I never got the same warning with Angela. That was why it was so hard to deal with all of these years, I never saw it coming.

“Complicated wasn’t a word. The place was so bad that someone called the cops about a robber when I had to break in last night and they didn’t believe that I lived there. She broke and stole everything that was worth anything.”

Lucas whistled and made a remark about how happy he was to be out of the dating game. “I gave it up. Women are too much drama for me. You are better just sticking to bed warmers. Then they leave in the morning and you don’t have to hear all of the rest of it.”

“I think I am with you on that one. Melissa killed it for me for a while.”

“Too bad.”

“Why?” Lucas had a grin on his face.

“She was here a little while ago looking for you.”

“I was home. I don’t know why she came here.”

He shrugged. “Who knows what goes on in their heads? She may be looking for another member to take her on. There is no loyalty with women like her. She just wants the jacket and the bike. The rest of it doesn’t matter.”

It was hard to hear it said about my relationship or whatever it had been. I didn’t care about her, but I liked to think that it was a little harder than that to replace me.

“Well it doesn’t matter. She is gone and she is never coming back.”

He nodded his head like he agreed, but the grin on his face said that he wasn’t so sure. Maybe I wasn’t sure either. Melissa would be a welcomed distraction after the day I was having.

***

“I’m glad you called me Marcus. I didn’t know what to do after our fight the other day.”

Melissa was talking fast and I wished that I had been driving my bike when I went to the bar earlier. Here I was trying to get Angela off of my mind with a few beers and I ran into Melissa instead. She was hanging out there and I wasn’t sure if Lucas was right or not about why she was there. Was she there for me or was she just in line to find another biker to ride on the back of his bike with?

Hell, it didn’t matter. I had her with me to keep me from thinking about another woman. There was nothing wrong with that. I knew that she was crazy, but she was also good at other things that would make any man forget his own name, let alone whatever it was that ailed him. I just had to get her out of the place by morning. The morning was when there was all of the talking that got us in trouble in the first place.

“I am sorry about what happened the other day Marcus. I really am.”

My eyes were looking across the street as I pulled in. Angela was out on her porch and she looked good. How was I supposed to forget about her, when she was so close?

“Is that the new neighbor?”

“Yeah, I think you know her. We went to school together senior year, but maybe she was already gone when you started.”

Melissa looked over into the neighbor’s yard and shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

“She was a cheerleader. Pretty popular back then.”

Melissa wrinkled her nose. “No I don’t think I know her. What was her name again?”

“Angela Madden.”

“I know her. She was the head cheerleader, wasn’t she?”

I shook my head and hoped that there was no connection. “Yeah.”

“You should invite her over for a drink. She was the girl that everyone wanted to be in school. I would like to see what she is up to nowadays, don’t you?”

Melissa was already getting out of the car and I was cursing myself for opening my big mouth. What the hell was I thinking bringing her back here? It didn’t matter what I thought though. Melissa was already across the street and talking to Angela. This was not going to end well.

The two women started back over across the street towards me and I could see that Angela was grinning at me. What was on her mind and why was she coming over?

“She invited me for a drink. I couldn’t refuse.”

Angela smirked and I knew that she was judging me on Melissa. She was pretty and vicious, but she wasn’t very bright, not like Angie was.

“Well let me see what I got. I don’t know if I have any wine coolers.”

“Don’t worry Marcus, I graduated to hard liquor years ago.”

Melissa looked from me to Angela and I had a feeling that she wished she hadn’t brought her over. It was going to be clear that I knew Angela better than just as a neighbor. Melissa had only been gone a few days and she was not going to take kindly to that. I knew her too well.

“Great, then let’s go in. I love seeing people from the old high school. I had some of my best memories there.”

I had some of the worst there and I think that Angela was agreeing with me from the silence that was coming from her. It was deafening and the look on her face made me nervous.

“So did you know Marcus when you were in school?”

Angela looked to me for an answer, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say anything. I was too busy trying to hide the fact that my house was bombarded two days before by the woman in front of me. She had made a mess of things and I hadn’t really done much to the wreckage left behind.

“We knew each other a bit Melissa. I don’t remember you though. Were you in our class?”

She shook her head and told Angela that she was a few years behind. “I didn’t meet Marcus until I graduated and he was at the shop in town. Since then we have been inseparable.”

I wouldn’t have went that far with it, but we had been off and on again for a couple of years. The key thing to remember though was that we were off far more than we were on. She was the familiar madness that I went back to, just like I had this time.

“Well that is nice. When are you going to marry her Marcus?”

Angela was smiling and I could tell she was enjoying herself. What I didn’t see was the way Melissa was looking between us. And I didn’t see the look in her eyes when she realized where she had seen that name before. That was going to come later when Angela left.

She didn’t stay too long, just long enough to get Melissa going and to make sure that everything between us was complicated. Angela didn’t know the storm she had caused. I wouldn’t even know it until later when I was looking at the aftermath. For now, it was just uncomfortable and I was sure that I had made a mistake bringing Melissa back. What the hell had I been thinking?

I don’t know what I thought it was going to solve. Angela was still on my mind and now I had a crazy chick to deal with. This was certainly not the best idea that I had ever had. I couldn’t even bring myself to sleep with Melissa, not when what I wanted was just across the street.

“Let’s just lay together Melissa.”

“You have never said that to me in as long as I have known you Marcus.”

“Well maybe I should have. I just don’t feel like it tonight.”

She had a dark look on her face that made me nervous. What made her so mad all of a sudden?

Chapter 4

Marcus

“Did I see Melissa coming out of there this morning?”

My head shook and though what Kevin seen was true, I knew that I didn’t want to admit to that fact. I was the idiot that had brought her back over and I knew that Kevin was thinking I was an idiot at the moment. Maybe I was. I should have known better. Really I should have.

“Yeah, that was her.”

“Damn Marcus, I thought you had gotten rid of that crazy ass woman.”

“I did.”

“She tore that house up, didn’t she?”

“Yeah I still haven’t picked some of it up.” The things that I was talking about was still in the yard and on the porch. It looked like she had thrown a lot of my things out in the yard. At least I didn’t live in a neighborhood where this would be a big problem.

Kevin just shook his head like I was crazy and maybe I was. I don’t know what I was thinking about, but I wanted to forget about Angela. I hadn’t expected her to come over and want to mess with me and Melissa. That was what she had done and the more she had drank, the louder she had become. At one point, Angela had let it slip about us dating and Melissa had picked up on it. She didn’t say anything, but I had seen her face twitch. I hoped that it was nothing, but I had a feeling that hope wasn’t going to help me. Nothing was going to. I had messed up again and I was even more eager to do a couple of runs for Lucas. It would get me out of the city for a while.

“I hope you know what it is you are doing.”

“Of course.” I had no fricking idea what I was doing. That much was clear by the way that last night went down.

“So you two are back on again?”

I shrugged and told him that I didn’t think so. “It was one night and I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Kevin laughed and opened his car door. “You weren’t thinking Marcus, at least not with your head my friend.”

I hated that he was right, but I wasn’t going to mention how that was wrong as well. We hadn’t even done anything and even just lying there hadn’t been enough to calm my mind. It was just like when she first left. I couldn’t think and I was a damn mess. Why the hell could that woman get to me like this?

Forgetting her and the drama that I had unleashed by the name of Melissa, I went back to Lucas’. He had some runs to do again today and even though it wasn’t usually my job, I jumped at the chance. If I didn’t stay busy, then something bad was going to happen. I knew the feeling and I couldn’t afford to get into any more trouble right now. Not after last month’s fiasco.

When I got to Lucas; house, there were a lot of people there and I was able to forget my troubles for a bit. David was there and I hadn’t seen him in a week. He had just gotten married and it seemed to be like a disease sweeping through the gang. No one knew who was next, though we all joked about whom it would be. It wouldn’t be me that was all that I knew.

“Hey David. Long time no see. How is married life treating you?”

He grinned and I wanted to hit him in the face. He just looked too damn happy. It made me sick and I wanted to knock the look off of his mouth.

“Great man. When are you and Melissa going to tie the knot? I heard that you two were back together.”

I looked to Lucas, the only one that knew anything about her and had to wonder if he was blabbing his mouth. I wouldn’t doubt it, but there wasn’t anything I could do. I was being an idiot and though I didn’t want them to know that, it appeared that everyone already did. I would never let them know about Angela. Then I would have the reputation that Joel had.

“We aren’t really back together. Just needed a woman to keep me warm last night was all that was.”

David grinned and told me that a heater may be better than a girl like Melissa. Everyone knew what she was and I was the moron that they thought didn’t seem to see it for how it was.

“Yeah, I should have gone that way. I don’t know what I was thinking, but she still gives good head, so why not?”

David shook his head. “I am ready to get back to work, aren’t you?”

“I am. I don’t mind doing runs, but I am better at bashing heads together. Ever since you came here though, it hasn’t been that necessary. Almost sad when I think about it. I used to have enough work to keep me busy before and now it is too quiet. I am getting restless.”

“Well it is good that people have learned not to mess with the Devils. I hear that the Arc Angels are trying to press in from Atlanta. We may have to go to task soon enough about them.”

I wasn’t really listening. I had heard the rumors and I had seen a few of them at the bar, but so far they hadn’t made a move. It was anticipated, but I wasn’t going to worry about it until that time came. For now, it was just like any other day.

“We will see David. I think you are a little too excited to get your hands dirty. I thought married life was good for you?”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t want to smash a couple of faces every now and then too.”

“Are you coming with me on the run to St. Bernard Parish?”

“Nah, I think you are going solo. I am going up to Chicago for a few days. Now that Carlos and Lucas are working together, I am the go-between man.”

“What about Joel?”

“Well you know that Joel isn’t really too active here. He does a little work, but stays to himself with the complex. He has his hands full of that woman and all of those tenants.”

I almost guaranteed that the woman he was with was harder to deal with than all of the renters combined.

“Alright man, I will see you around. Hopefully not too soon, but I think you are right about the Arc Angels. They will make their play soon and we are going to have to be ready for them when they do.”

***

The run was one that I had done many times before. I was only dropping off and picking up some money. Since the order was the same for almost a year now, the weekly drop off was not one that I was worried about. I knew that it would go like it always did and all I had to do was wait for the duffel bag of money after the purity was checked. It was a simple in and out situation that I didn’t expect any problems from.

That was the problem with expectations though. It was too close to assumptions. When I got to the old U-pull it junkyard, there was no white Escalade awaiting me like there always had been in the past. Out of the many times that I had done this run, Santiago was always waiting for me. He was always on time or early enough to beat me. I should have known something was up then, but I was just thinking that everyone had a right to be a little late sometimes. Even Santiago.

So I parked by the gates and got out to open the padlock so that I could wait inside. I didn’t like being so out in the open with all of the drugs I had on me. The bag in my hand was full to the brim with coke. I didn’t need to get seen by the police and have them sniffing around asking questions. I needed to stay out of trouble.

The shot rang out and I saw the cling of the bullet hitting the gate right next to me, before the sound of the shot had reached my ears. There were only a few moments to really think before I felt a burn in my side. I didn’t have to hear the gun fire to know that I had been hit. It wasn’t the first time and the fact that I was still moving was a good sign.

Getting back into the car, I looked down to see blood all over my shirt and more was appearing before my eyes. I had to get out of there fast.

I slammed the car into reverse and backed out, whipping the car around. I still couldn’t see who my assailant was but I had a feeling it had to do with who I was talking to David about earlier. Maybe this was the Arc Angels way of starting something. I didn’t have time to wait around and find out though. All I was worried about was getting out of there in one piece. The way I was losing blood, I knew that I had to get back to base and find the Doc. A few more shots hit the metal side of the car and one went through the back window, shattering the glass into small little square pieces that sprayed the back of me. I felt a few bite into the back of my neck, but I couldn’t feel it to the throbbing pain in my side.

Calling up Lucas, I told him what was going on and asked him to get the Doc to his place. I was going to need him. I couldn’t go to a regular hospital, not when they had to call in every gunshot wound that they treated to the cops. I really was trying to stay out of jail and the Doc was around to help with all of that. All I had to do was get to him. The seventh ward was aways away from Chalmette and when I started to feel so tired, I wondered if I was going to make it there.

I had to pull over on the side of the road. I was starting to lose consciousness. I called David and told him where I was. “Just come get me man. I am losing blood and I don’t think I am going to make it to Lucas’.”

“I’ll be right there Marcus. Just hang tight.”

I told him that I would and hung up the phone. Cars on the interstate were passing me by quickly. A big semi-truck passed by close enough to make the whole car move with it. The last thought on my mind was to wonder what had happened. Who was shooting at me and to what end? Was it because of the gang or was it something more personal? I had too many enemies to really know for sure. Whoever they were, I hoped that they didn’t find me here before David did.

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PREVIEWS

Be Mine

A Bad Boy Next Door Romance

She’s off limits. Way off limits.
She thinks that I will just let her walk away.
What she doesn’t know is how much her body makes it impossible.

I couldn’t get the fiery redhead off my mind.
I was wrong. I will pay for p*ssy.
The problem is I don’t know if once will be enough.

I have never been to one of these things before.
Are these girls really willing to give up their innocence?

Men like me didn’t want a relationship.
Too much drama when women are a dime a dozen.
I would rather hear them all scream my name, then stick with one.
I always get bored. And walk away.
I never f*ck the same b*tch twice.

But damn if those emerald eyes and pouty lips didn’t make me break all of the rules.
I wanted her all to myself.
I had to own her.
Body and soul.

Was that for sell as well?

***

Chapter 1

Lucas

“Damn Lucas, this is one hell of a party.”

I clapped Marcus on the back as I hugged him to me. It had been too long since I had seen him. “Glad you could make it Marcus. I didn’t think you were going to come. Where is your old lady at?”

Marcus had a look on his face that told me that she wasn’t with him. She had issues with this lifestyle and I was almost surprised that she had even let him come down for it. I never thought I would see Marcus listening to a woman, but he loved Angela and I was happy for them both. I missed one of my best enforcers though. He knew that he always has a job if he wants it, but I had a feeling that I was only going to see him when Angela let him come.

“Well Angela is always welcome here.”

“After what happened with the Arc Angels, I don’t think she is going to come back to New Orleans. I have told her that it is safe, but she isn’t trying to hear it.”

It was strange to hear him talk like that. There was something so weird to hear one of my best men talk like that. He was in love. That was for sure. I swear there was something going around lately.

“I can understand that. This is a hard life for women. They are the ones that get to patch us up, but she had a little more in-depth look in our life.”

“I wish she hadn’t. Now I am working at a garage in Pascagoula.”

“Are you missing the action?”

Marcus wanted to say that he didn’t, but I could see it in his eyes. There was no way that he didn’t miss the excitement. It was about the only thing that kept me going some days.

“It’s here when you want it.” I had a feeling that he wouldn’t want back in, but I was still holding out hope. David did a good job and he was bringing along Zach to learn a thing or two, but Marcus was the man that I had always went to when I wanted to get something done. He had been with me since the beginning, him and his brother.

He made a noncommittal answer, but we both knew that he was out. I had joked about him being put out to pasture. He was so happy with Angela that he didn’t even seem to care about the ball-busting that had become a norm. All he was worried about was keeping her happy. It made me a little sick to see his balls clipped like that.

“So who are you here with Lucas?”

I looked around and shrugged. “Some little blonde that is running around here with a nice set of tits. I picked her up earlier and she gave me a hand job on the way over.”

“Still going with the guarantees, huh?”

“They are all guaranteed Marcus if you know how to play them. All this chick needed was a smile and a wink. You know how those bitches are. I can’t get away from their asses if I tried.”

Marcus just shook his head and grinned at me. I know that he was missing more than just the action from the criminal shit. He was missing all the sluts that hung around as well. How could you not when there was a steady stream of strange?

“One of these days you are going to have to settle down with one Lucas. You will find her and that will be that.”

“She better have a hole as tight as a fist then, because I doubt it. I don’t care how good a bitch can suck, one won’t be enough.”

“Suck what?”

Ethan came up and got into the conversation. It was just as well. I couldn’t talk to Marcus like this.

“Marcus is telling me that I need to find a wife.”

Ethan laughed and I was comforted. At least someone else got it and wasn’t ready to marry the first good girl to give it up.

“Fuck that, what the hell do you want a wife for?”

I looked where he was looking and watched a little raven-haired beauty stripping on the table. She wasn’t the first or the last of the night, but she sure did have good timing. “No wife is going to do that Marcus. You barely get to see the pussy when you get married. Here, I see it all day every day.”

The woman that had our attention smiled my way. I was starting to think that I needed black instead of blonde tonight. Her tits jiggled not too far from me and someone behind her started to pull her panties down. I got a glimpse of the shaved mons before she was grabbed from behind. I started to move forward and saw that she was smiling. Just another slut.

I walked away with a bit of confusion and in the same thought, wonder of what it would take for me to get like Marcus was. I don’t think there is a woman alive that would get me to quit the gang and play it straight. If I was ever going to be with a woman, she was going to have to be down for me and the lifestyle I have. That was all there was to it. It was the reason that I was still single, that and I wasn’t too interested in forever with anyone. I was doing good to get through a day without getting bored with a female.

Looking around, I thought of the one that I had met and invited here. I knew there was going to be a lot of people, but it was even fuller than I would have imagined. I had lost the short little blonde, but it wasn’t that much of a loss. I would either find her or I would find someone else. To me, women were easy come, easy go. I didn’t worry about it.

“Lucas?”

She was back when I turned around. Why couldn’t I remember her name?

“Hey there you are.”

“I was looking for you. I went to the bathroom and when I came back you were gone.” Her cute little cherub face was pouting prettily and all I could think about was how those tits were going to feel in my mouth. But I didn’t like her tone .

“Things move fast around here. I had to welcome some old friends back. Do you need a drink?” Cause you need something to calm your ass down.

I knew this girl a total of thirty minutes and she was already trying to bitch me out for something that I didn’t even know I did. This was not looking good and the request to get her a drink was really just a ploy so that I could get some breathing room away from here. Glad that there were so many people to hide me, I set about losing her this time in the sea of people. I would find another bitch for the night.

It took me upstairs to my bedroom. Everyone knew this floor was off limits and I listened to the music downstairs while I sipped my beer. My mood was dark for some reason and I didn’t want to go back down there. It was getting late, but the party would go on for as long as there was alcohol and women. There were plenty of both still in attendance.

I looked out the window when I saw a reflection of flashing blue lights in front of me. I could have sworn that they would be here for me and the party, but instead the lit up car went to the neighbor’s house next door. There was a little distance in between houses, but not enough that I couldn’t see the police get out in the beam of light from the headlights.

Not being one to get into other people’s business, I looked away and went back to my beer. My plans were to go find a new chick for the night to keep me warm. If I wouldn’t have heard screaming, I wouldn’t have looked back up. There was a high-pitched scream that I could hear over the loud music thumping under my feet.

Now I was interested and I squinted to see a little better. One of the officers stood in front of the barely opened door and there was another one with his hand hovering over his piece like he was about to draw it standing behind the door to use it as a shield. The cop at the door was trying to get in, but the door was slammed from the inside and I couldn’t hear anything anymore. The silence was deafening, even with the background noise of the party downstairs.

When the second cop finally drew his gun, it was clear that something bad was happening next door. I couldn’t think about that though. I had a crap load of people in my house and the music was jamming. I started downstairs to turn it off and try to make it so that the cops weren’t here next. There were enough drugs on the property to get me put away for a very long time.

I didn’t know much about the guy that lived in the house next door. I tried to keep to myself and all I knew was that he was a small time dealer, but it wasn’t even enough for me to worry about. He didn’t cut into my profits, so there was really nothing to worry about. There had been whispers that the man dealt in guns as well, but those were just rumors and I liked to stick to fact as much as I could. It was easier that way.

I got to the radio and turned the music down. There was a little ruckus from a few of them, but I didn’t care. I needed everyone to shut the hell up until the cops left. More than that, I wanted everyone to leave, but that wouldn’t be a good idea right now. Whatever was going on next door needed it’s space and it would just draw more attention. We were all just going to have to wait out the drama that was playing out next door.

I found Marcus and told him a little of what was going on. I wanted him to be my eyes while I tried to move some of the product. Anything that wasn’t hidden or locked up needed to be that way. I hoped that I wouldn’t have a reason to do this, but it was safer to just make sure that it was done anyways. It was better to be safe when it came to the police.

I heard a shot ring out next door, followed by several more. Since there was no music, the talking drowned out most of it, but I moved back to the window upstairs to see if I could see anything. The screams of a woman were what bothered me most. The police around here could be brutal and I don’t know what pulled me to the glass pane, but I wanted to know what was going on. It was like I had to know or something. Not sure why, but there was some kind of reason in my gut.

Watching the police shoot into the house, there was a couple of return fires that lit up when the bullet glanced off the metal. Both cops ran for cover and the screams started again. Why did I want to go over there and help? I was not the helpful kind of guy, especially when there were cops involved and it had nothing to do with me. But there was something about it all that made me on edge and I wanted to help.

“Lucas, it looks like there is more cops coming. We need to get out of here. Let everyone else stay. We can get out with the back and down the alley. I say we get the hell out of here now before they are over here asking questions.”

I looked towards the neighbor’s house again and I agreed finally. I didn’t want to for reasons unknown to me, but I was okay with that. The need to get out of the area before the place was flooded with police was definitely more important. I didn’t know anyone over there and I didn’t know that the woman screaming was worth saving.

“Come on Marcus. We can’t have you getting caught here when you are supposed to be north. You know that the probation officer isn’t going to be happy with you. Don’t want you to get in trouble with the misses.”

We both knew that wasn’t the half of it and that I had my own reasons. It didn’t matter why, we both needed to get out of there before something bad happened. As we were going out the back door, I saw a woman from the neighbor’s house climbing out of a window. Chaos was going on behind her and she looked up to meet my gaze for a moment.

Her brown eyes were wild and it stopped me in my tracks. Who was she? Who was this woman with the wild, long dark hair making her escape? Her body was barely covered and I could see her curves clearly. It was the wrong time to get turned on, but I was hard as a rock in seconds. The bitch was gorgeous and instead of playing the victim, she was getting out of dodge. That turned me on even more.

“Come on Lucas, I know you hear those sirens. They are getting close and then we are not going to be able to leave.”

He was right, but I watched the young woman land on her feet and take off out the back gate before I made a move. It seemed that we both had the same idea. I didn’t want to be around when the police came either, but I had to wonder if she was the screamer that I had heard earlier.

I didn’t know the details of what was going on at the neighbor’s house, but I was just glad that she got out of there okay. I shouldn’t care. I did care though. Marcus pulled me from my thoughts and I followed him a couple blocks over where we had a few bikes stashed away for this sort of thing. I always had to be ready to get out of dodge and tonight was one of those nights that I just had to get the hell out.

Chapter 2

Fran

Caspien had lost his mind. He never was the most stable guy, but I had never seen him like this. One minute he was doing okay and we were joking and the next minute he had snapped. I didn’t know what to do, so I locked myself in the bathroom. If he would have went away, I would have let it go, but he didn’t. Finally I had to call the cops, something that I knew he would never forgive me for, but what else was I supposed to do? The man scared the crap out of me when he was like this.

So when I felt like the bathroom door was going to come down, I ran. It was all I could think to do. There was nothing else to do but run and that was exactly what it was that I was doing.

The ground was further than it seemed and though I landed the right way, I could still feel the pressure in my ankles and knees when I hit the ground. There were two men that were looking my way, going into the darkness of the back gate. I had seen one of them before, but the tall redhead wasn’t one that I knew. Were they friends with Cass? I hoped not because I wanted to get away from him. This wasn’t the first time he had been this way. I blamed that crap he was on, but it didn’t matter. I just had to get out of here.

The shots fired got me moving and I made my way out of the yard and through the back yard into the street. Sirens were in the distance, coming closer and I needed to get some distance between me and this place. I don’t know what I was thinking getting with a guy like Caspien, but I had learned my lesson once and for all. It just wasn’t worth it to date a bad boy. It sounded good in theory. They are exciting and they will always keep you on your toes. But I was looking forward to some quiet in my life. After living with Cass the last couple of years, I needed it bad.

There was just a question of where I was going to go. My family was not around, but it didn’t matter. I had no cash, though I did have a friend that I could stay with from work. All I had to do was get far enough away from Caspien. I should have stayed and talked to the police, but I felt like Caspien would have had no problem turning me into a shield or leverage. It was easy to see that he didn’t care for me in the way that I hoped he would. I had hoped that he would see that he loved me and calm down. Whatever he was taking changed all of that though.

My eyes looked around for the two men that I had seen leaving next door. The first man that had seen me was tall and blonde. I had seen him around before. I just didn’t realize who he was. Why were they leaving out of the backdoor? Most likely they were as criminal as Cass was. There were just too many criminals around here and I needed to get out of this rotten neighborhood.

***

“Fran, wake up. Are you okay?”

The sun was bright in my eyes from it streaming in through the windows. It made me feel like my eyes were going to burn out of their own socket. Stephanie was looking down at me as if I had grown a third eye.

“What’s up?”

“It’s time for work. What happened last night?”

I remembered going to her and telling her as little as possible to get her to let me stay. Steph and I had been friends for a couple of years now, but I have never stopped by like I did last night. I was sure that I was a wreck. Cass had ripped some of my clothes when he was throwing me around. Now there was most likely bruising on my face because it hurt to even smile.

The grin I had for my friend turned into a grimace and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. “Cass got on some drugs and went crazy I think. I snuck out the back window while he shot it out with the cops. I really don’t know what happened after that.”

I tried to be as nonchalant as possible. I didn’t want to have to worry about all of the questions. The truth was I didn’t know what had happened. I didn’t even know if Cass was still alive, but it begged to reason that he wouldn’t be. You can’t just shot at the cops around here. They shoot back in that neighborhood, they had to dealing with me like Caspien.

“What?”

I wasn’t going to repeat myself again. I didn’t see a point. Stephanie was just going to have to take me at my word. I was still tired and trying to remember why I was up so early.

“It’s fine Steph. Thanks for letting me stay here last night.”

I moved to get up and touched my head where it was killing me. I could feel the tenderness in my face and in other parts of my body. I felt like every inch of me had been hurt and there was nothing that I could do about it. I wanted her to see that I was fine, but that was a hard thing to do when I felt like I was going to keel over. This wasn’t the first time that Cass had put his hands on me, but I knew that it would be the last time. I was done.

“No problem Fran. You know that you are always welcome here. I just worry about you. Ever since you got with that guy, you have to put on makeup to hide what he does to you more often than not.”

“That is over now.” I thought that most likely Cass was over and I know that I should have been sad. I was in a way because there was a good man underneath it all, but at the end of the day, I was more relieved than anything else.

“I know. Do you think Ralph will let me take the day off?” I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. It was embarrassing, but like I said before, sadly it wasn’t the first time that I had shown up for a shift with a black eyes. This time it was just a little worse and it was everywhere. I felt like I was never going to be the same again, but I knew that it would pass, like it always does.

“I don’t know. You know that we are short because Kristy decided to quit. I think you should go in, if nothing else so that he can see.”

I felt like I was an animal in a zoo. I didn’t want him to know how bad it was or how bad I felt. I certainly didn’t want to hear him tell me that he told me so. I knew that is what Ralph would say. It was my fault that I hadn’t left him. There was truth in that, I could see it of course, but there wasn’t much that I thought I could really do about it. Cass was most likely taken care of.

“Yeah, I guess I don’t really have a choice. Now that I don’t have a place to stay, I definitely can’t lose my job too. It had been too much of a pain to get the one I have now.” She was right and I was thankful that Stephanie had her head on straight. I was too full of nerves to be thinking that clearly.

“Well come on. Take a shower and you will feel better. I am going to make some coffee. Do you want some?”

I told her that I did, though I didn’t drink coffee that often. I needed the bitter brew if I was going to make it through the day. My mind was full of what-ifs and it was only when I got under the hot steaming water that I was able to really get myself together. I was worried about all of the wrong things, I knew that now. When I had been worried about making Cass happy, I should have been running the other way.

“Better?”

“Yeah, I do feel better. The coffee smells good. Do you have any creamer?”

Stephanie handed it to me and I put enough in the coffee to get it closer to white than black. I had to put so much into the coffee to make it palatable, that I supposed there wasn’t much left of the actual caffeine drink. It was warm and sweet though, just what I needed as I took on another day looking like a punching bag.

As I looked in the mirror as I got ready, I told myself again that this was never going to happen. I was never going to let a man do this to me, but more than that, I wasn’t going to let Cass get me down. He was out of my life and that just left me able to move on.

***

Work was just as it always was. It was busy by the time me and Stephanie got there and Ralph made a comment about us being late. When I turned around to answer him, I forgot for a moment that I looked like I had been hit by a Mack truck. It wasn’t until I seen Ralph’s face that I remembered.

“Fran…”

“Sorry Ralph. We didn’t mean to be late. It wasn’t Stephanie’s fault. She was nice enough to let me stay with her last night and I think that I kept her up.”

He was staring at my face and the quiet man just shook his head. I knew that he wasn’t going to admonish me or yell because we were late. He was going to do something far worse. Ralph was going to give me that look of pity that I hated so much. Didn’t he understand that I hated the pity more than anything else? I would rather him be angry at me. That I was okay with it for some reason. If he was angry, then that meant that he wouldn’t give me that look that I hated to see so much.

“Fran, what happened?”

Steph chimed in and told him the basics. It was most likely already known. Like I had said before, this certainly wasn’t the first time in the last six months that I had come to work like this. This time it was just worse.

“Fran, I hope you are going to leave that man. He is going to kill you. You have to see that.”

I could see that of course. It wasn’t hard at all to see and know that if I didn’t get away from Cass, he was going to kill me. But maybe I didn’t have to worry about him anymore. I still didn’t know what happened last night over at his house, but I heard the gunshots. People can’t just shoot at the police. I felt like something was going to have to come from all of this. There was no way that shooting the police was going to get him anywhere but dead.

I had too much stuff over at his house to get and it got me wondering what I was going to find when I got there. I knew that whatever happened though, I was going to be okay. I wasn’t going to let Cass bring me down anymore. I was done with men like him.

“I know Ralph. I don’t think I am going to have to worry about him anymore. He messed up and got into it with the police.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I left they were shooting at each other. I jumped out one of the windows in the back. I don’t know what happened, but I am sure that Cass isn’t my problem anymore.”

He looked shocked and it told me that maybe I should feel the same way. I didn’t though. I was far more worried about what was going to happen to me. How I was going to get my things and where was I going to go next? It was a relief on one side of the coin, but then again, it wasn’t. I did love Cass in my own way. There was a good man in there, but the drugs brought out the worst in him. That was just the way it was.

“Well you worry me Fran. I will be happy when you are away from him. Have you checked the news to see what happened after you left?”

I shook my head that I hadn’t. I didn’t want to go there and find out what happened from one of the neighbors. There was still a chance that Cass was there and I wasn’t going to take that chance. I was going to have to see what happened first another way that didn’t put me into danger. I still had to get my stuff out of the house, but I was far more worried about what I was going to do afterward I got it.

“Thanks for understanding Ralph.”

He waved me off and told me that I just had to let this all sink in. “Let this be the last time that you come in here like this Fran. You are a beautiful girl and you don’t deserve this. There are plenty of men that would love to treat you the way that you deserve to be treated.”

I had a feeling he meant himself. I just smiled and kind of nodded my head like I agreed with him. It wasn’t the first time I questioned the boss’ attitude. It made me feel like he was nice to me because he wanted to be that man, but Ralph wasn’t my type. Not even in the least bit and even if I gave up on the bad boys, I wouldn’t go that way.

Chapter 3

Lucas

“What the hell happened to you last night, Lucas? One minute you were around and the next you were gone?”

David looked at me with expectations. I didn’t know what to tell him. With everything that happened the night before, I was glad I had left. There were several arrests as people tried to leave. I had warned them and I was thankful that most of the people that took off were not from the gang. My members did what they were supposed to do and David was one of them.

“You know I got a couple of warrants David that I don’t want to deal with right now. I saw that shit going down next door and had to make sure that I didn’t get picked up. Did anyone from our side go in?”

David shook his head. “No, we all stayed in and waited them out. You should have seen how many cops were here last night. It was more than I thought we had here. I even saw a couple from Marrero that was here. They called everyone in. One cop got shot and then the place was flooded with them.”

“What happened to the guy that lived there? Wasn’t he the one that was shooting at the cops?”

“He was taken out on a stretcher. Not really sure what happened to him, but I would imagine that he got some lead in his ass. You know the cops don’t play with all of that around here.”

“Yeah, well I guess that is good. I didn’t know him very well, but we don’t need that kind of shit around here.”

David nodded that he understood and I looked to Marcus. He was calling his old lady and letting her know that he was going to be around a couple of more days. While he may not be in the gang anymore, he was a good friend and I was glad to have him around. I wanted people like him around because I knew that I could trust him. I can’t say the same for many others.

“So how did everything go over here?” I turned to Ethan for his take.

“Not too much. Remember that chick that was dancing naked on the table?”

“Yeah, what about her?”

“She came out of the house in the middle of it and had those big ass bouncing around. The cops about lost it. They didn’t ask her to get into the back of the car. They had her out on one of the hoods. The craziest shit ever. Some cops were in the house dealing with the shooter and the other one’s were out in the front fingering that drunk bitch.”

I just shook my head. I knew that she was an easy target when I saw her.

“Should have video taped it. We could have used it when they pop us for small stuff later. A little bribe can go a long way when I bet those cops were married.”

“No man, you don’t understand. That bitch was squirting or pissing, hell I don’t know what it was, but it was hot as hell. Half of the house was checking it on in the windows. I haven’t ever seen a bitch do that before.”

I didn’t know what to say, but I wished that had taped that. It wasn’t like everyone in there didn’t have a phone. It had to have been quite a sight to have made it that hard to remember how to push a button.

“She was asking about you earlier.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“I was going to try first. She wasn’t biting though. Once you get a hold of them, they are ruined for us.”

I wasn’t going to get clarification on that. I didn’t care what it was that he meant. I had to get the images out of my head and my mind back on what I was thinking about. I asked if the cops were over here for anything else.

“The cops did come over here asking some questions.”

I looked back to David and asked him what it was that they were asking about. I didn’t like that they were here or that anyone was involved, but I at least had to know what was going on. What were the cops doing here?

“They wanted to know about some woman. They said that she was the one that had called. Said she was locked in the bathroom or something that the man was getting violent. I don’t know about all of that. I have never seen a chick over there. Do you know what he was talking about?”

“Yeah, when me and Marcus were going out the back, I saw someone jumping out of one of the windows. She went towards the back alley and was gone. I would say that she is fine.”

“Well they want to talk to her. I didn’t even know that there was a chick living there. Cass was one of those guys that didn’t seem to have a girl around. He reminds me of you, more single than not.”

I didn’t like the thought that me and the crazy neighbor were at all the same. I had some women around, but I was single more than I was anything else. Women were more trouble than they were worth half of the time and I just didn’t have any extra energy to put on them. I had enough going on and with the cops sniffing around it was just going to make my job a little harder.

“That is the way to be. Everyone around here is getting whipped by their women. Hell I might not even have a gang if this keeps up. You guys are more worried about the coochie then you are anything else.”

Marcus just shook his head. He knew that he didn’t have an excuse. He was one of the men that I didn’t think would fall for it, but he had and I was still left reeling by how many of them had taken up with a permanent chick this year and how many more had gotten married. It wasn’t natural and I for one wasn’t going to get caught up in all of that mess.

“Glad to see that you and Marcus made it out. You had me worried when you wouldn’t answer your phone Lucas.”

I told him why I had taken so long to get back. Me and Marcus had some work to do and instead of just staying away, we had taken most of the drugs that were on the premise to make sure that they weren’t found by the cops. So we didn’t drive around with it, we sold it. That meant that I needed to re-up and figure out what to do next. With the incident from last night, I had a feeling that we were going to have to keep a low profile for a while. Our gang had been getting into too much trouble lately and it was time to take a back seat to it all and figure some things out. We needed to still do business, but make sure we weren’t caught doing it.

“Sorry about that. It was just a long night. We had a lot to unload and with a few guys out of it from the last fiasco, it took longer than I thought it would.”

“So you got rid of it all?” David sounded surprised.

“Yeah, it’s all gone. I am getting some later and I want you to run it to Santiago.”

David had this look on his face. He knew that the last time we messed with him, there were problems. But the Arc Angels were done and no longer an issue to worry about. Santiago was still one of my best distributors and I was ready to get him back in action. It had been long enough.

“Okay, are you sure that we can trust him?”

“Well I don’t trust him like I trust you and the other guys, but yeah, I think he is good. It wasn’t his fault that he got pulled in before. I know that he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know. The man is too scary to do something like that.”

“But do we really want to do business with a man that gets scared so easily? I worry that he is going to get in deep with someone and the first thing he is going to do is sing to the cops.”

It was a legitimate question, but the answer was still the same. He got rid of a lot of product for us and I wanted to continue working with Santiago. It was just something that had to be done.

“You know how I feel about it. For the time being, there is no one else to take his place, so we will have to use him. We need runners and distributors and he has both.”

David didn’t second-guess me very often and that was why I let it slide. He was still sort of new and I would give him lee-way this time. It didn’t mean that I actually liked it though. If I was truthful, it drove me crazy.

“I am going to take off for a bit. I am starving and I need something on my stomach. Why don’t you just come by later after you are done over there and we will talk about next steps? I think it would be best if we kept our heads down until everything on the block settles down some. I also need to know what is going on with that man next door. He doesn’t know much about us, but if he is looking for a little mercy, he may remember seeing a lot of people over or something like that. You know how easy it is for people to snitch.”

David agreed and I could tell that he was worried about it as well. It wasn’t like there was anything that we could do about it. What would be, would be. I couldn’t worry about it right then. I had to get some food and then meet with Boris. I owed him for patching up a couple of guys last night and I wanted to ask the Russian about a couple of things I was curious on. He wasn’t part of our group, but his ears were always open and he was a great source of information, as well as many other things that he did well.

I waited for David to leave before I jumped in the shower and changed clothes. My stomach was growling and I was legitimately starving. With all of the chaos that was going on yesterday, I had forgotten to eat and now I realized it as it rumbled almost as loud as the bike motor.

“Stacy’s Place.”

That was the place I had heard about opening up on 5th. The place had been there for some time, but it was the first time I had the inclination and time to try something new. Some of the guys had raved about the food, so naturally I had to give it a shot. It wasn’t like I cooked, so there was nothing that I could do but eat out. I had been told to get a woman for that, but I didn’t want to have to deal with one, just to make me a couple of sandwiches every now and then.

When I walked into Stacy’s Place, it wasn’t at all what I had expected. Everyone was looking at menus, while I was checking out the wait staff. I don’t know what it was about waitresses, but I had a thing for the apron. It made them look more feminine and tastier in my opinion.

“Welcome to Stacy’s Place. Go ahead and find a table and I will be with you in just a minute.”

The voice was attached to a woman that I recognized from the night before. It didn’t take much to realize that she was the one that had been jumping out of the window last night. It was also pretty clear that she was the one that had been screaming as well. Her face was pretty, but there was bruising and swelling that made it hard to imagine what she really looked like underneath all of that.

“Do I know you because you look so familiar?”

She nodded her head. “I don’t think so, but I know you Lucas. We used to be neighbors not too long ago.”

Used to be. That was what she said, though I had to wonder what happened. I wanted to ask, but instead I went to find a seat like she suggested. I would ask her later, although I could tell that she didn’t like the attention I was giving to her face. The woman was embarrassed and I wanted to tell her not to be. It wasn’t like she had done anything wrong, but for a moment I wanted to do something to the person that made her look that way. No man should put their hands on a woman.

Was it wrong for me to check out her ass as she walked away? The woman was hot and my body reacted like it did last night. This time was no less awkward then riding my bike as we got away last night. Did my cock know something that I didn’t?

Chapter 4

Fran

“So what is your name then since you already know mine?”

I looked to the man that I had lived next to for a couple of years and pointed to the nametag on my shirt. It said that my name was Fran and it was rather obvious then what it was. Most guys read it just fine because it was located on my chest and that was where their eyes usually were.

“Fran. That is a beautiful name. It suits you quite well.”

“What can I get for you Sir?” I was not in the mood for his flirting. The guy was extremely hot and I could tell by the way he was acting that he was used to girls at his feet.

He chuckled and told me that he could take a hint. I hope so, because the last thing I was in the mood for was a guy like him trying to hit on me. I needed to stay clear of men with tattoos and leather jackets, the ones that made my heart race faster in my chest. Those guys were bad news. The bikers in the city were no better than the men like Cass. It was obvious to me that the two men were one in the same, at least as far as drugs and crime went. He was one of those bad boys that I knew I had to stay away from, even if my body responded as soon as I saw him.

“I think I will have the western omelet and hash browns.”

“Okay, sounds good. I will have it out to you in no time at all. Did you want some coffee or juice to go with it?”

“No, but I would like to get your number. It seems a shame that we were right next door to each other and never got to know each other any better.”

I just smiled and pretended like I didn’t hear the request about the number. This guy was really laying it on thick. I wanted to curse my body’s response like it was an invitation to more. I wasn’t worried about men right now, certainly not one like him. I wasn’t looking and even if was, I would never pick another bad boy like Cass. Lucas was certainly a bad boy, even if his words were as smooth as butter.

Lucas was handsome. I had admired him from afar before when I had seen him shirtless in the front yard working on his bike. He was blonde and blue-eyed, though that was about the only two features that were normal on him. Everything else was hard to ignore and I couldn’t. His thick arms were muscled and covered in tattoos that bore naked women and what I was sure was gang symbols.

The man wore full black, even when the weather was rather fair outside and that kind of jacket wasn’t needed. It must have burned him up, but he didn’t seem to mind it at all. I didn’t mind looking at him, but that was as far as it was going to go. I wasn’t supposed to even do that. Men like Lucas and Caspien were the ones that seemed to always get me into trouble. I had enough trouble for a while.

When I brought back his food, he tried a few more lines on me, but I had heard them before. I had to wonder why he would flirt with me, knowing what I looked like. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. That thought made me a little nicer to him, but it wasn’t enough to take what he was peddling. It didn’t matter that I could feel wetness where I shouldn’t and that my nipples were hard with some of the suggestions that he made.

As he was handed his check, he stopped me with his words and I finally really looked at him. “I am glad you are okay Fran. It would have been a shame if something would have happened to you. I haven’t seen someone jump out a window like that in a long time. Didn’t seem to be the first time around for you.”

I smiled and for a minute it was real. “It wasn’t. We all do that kind of thing when we are young and a little wild.”

“You still have a bit of wild in you Fran. I can see it in your eyes.”

Lucas stood up and it was then that I got a full idea of how big he was. Before I hadn’t been so close and it hadn’t really occurred to me that he was huge. Now he towered over me and I had to crane my neck upwards to see his face. “Why do I take it that you are saying it as a compliment?”

“Because I am. Most girls would have just cowered, but you did something. I respect that.”

“I did scream, as I am sure that you heard.” God, how embarrassing was this? I wish no one would have seen or heard me then. It was one of the worst nights of my life and I was going to make sure that it was the last one that I had like that. I didn’t want people to remember me that way and I certainly didn’t like that I had to walk around with this crap on my face. It made it hard to forget and everyone had something to say. Though I didn’t really like his comment, it was better than telling me I deserved better.

“Yes, but you got out and saved yourself from being a victim. There is nothing wrong with that and that is to be commended.”

“Why were you leaving?”

The grin faded a little and I would have laughed if it wouldn’t have been such a pain to do so. He didn’t like that question. I had a good feeling that it was because he didn’t want the cops to find out what he was doing that was no doubt illegal. I knew enough about Lucas through rumors and conjectures to know that he was not a law abiding citizen by any stretch of the imagination.

“I didn’t think it was good to stay. The neighborhood was going to be swamped and that would have made it impossible to leave.”

“Uh huh. I think you and my ex-boyfriend have a lot in common. More than you think.”

I turned to walk away. I didn’t have the energy for mental sparring with a man that I had never even really met before. Yesterday was a long night and I hadn’t had enough sleep for all of this. His hand went to my arm to stop me from leaving and I turned back around to face him.

“I would never put my hands on a woman, ever.”

I looked down at where he had me. “Yet here you are, with your hands on me.”

He immediately moved it. “You know that is not what I meant Fran.”

“I know, but I don’t know you Lucas and you are getting a bit too friendly for my liking.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. “I am holding back a whole lot Fran. If I had it my way, I would have already pulled you into that bathroom.”

I looked to the bathroom that he was talking about and I could feel my face getting red. Why could I already feel his hands and lips on me?

“Well that is classy. You couldn’t spring for a by-the-hour motel, huh?”

“Anywhere we went would be classy. You don’t think I could change your mind?”

There was a big part of me that knew he could, that if he had pulled me into the bathroom and kissed me, I would have kissed him back. I hated to think what else I would do. That was why I had to stay away from men like him. They were bad news in every way possible.

“Maybe you could, but today is not the day.”

“I am a patient man when it comes to many things Fran, with you I can see that won’t apply.”

I didn’t really believe him, but I did like the idea of it. It didn’t take much to realize that I wasn’t in the mood at the moment, but if today would have been any other day, I was sure that the ending would have been much different. Talk about bad timing.

Watching him leave, for a moment I wondered if I had made a mistake turning him away. More than likely I had, but I was staying away from those types. I hadn’t even broken up with Cass, though that little tidbit didn’t bother me that much. It was a fact that I had to deal with my last relationship before I got tangled up into another one. I had to find out what was going on with Caspien and a guy like Lucas would just complicate everything. The last thing I needed right now was complications.

“Who was that?” Steph was behind me and pulled me from my thoughts.

“Oh, a neighbor.”

“He is cute. Kind of looks like Caspien in a way, don’t you think?”

The only thing they had in common was hair color and choice of dress. They were both covered in tattoos and they both had an aura of danger around them. I had been drawn to Lucas, just as I had been drawn to Caspien. Look where that had gotten me? Obviously my heart and mind were idiots and I was going to have to help them shut up at some point. I had picked the wrong guy so many times, I didn’t trust the radar anymore and I was sure that Lucas would be no better. Maybe it was time to just take a break from it all. It would be easier and I was due a break.

“Not really. You should go for him if he comes in here again.”

She looked away. “If he is interested in you, there is going to be no way that he is interested in me.”

“Why?”

“Because you are like a hundred pounds soaking wet. Guys like that. They don’t like fuller women like me.”

“You are not that much bigger than me Stephanie. I think you worry about it more than guys do. They like that big bootie thing nowadays. Girls my size are now the ones getting work done to look more like you, butt implants, all of that nonsense.”

She scoffed and told me that I was full of it. I didn’t feel like I was and I meant every word of it. I had always admired her physique, even as she herself hated it so much. It was a constant problem for her and I just didn’t see it. Maybe it was true that no one was really ever happy with themselves.

“Well anyways, no matter what you think, you are hot and if you are into that sort of guy, then you should say something to him about it.”

“Those kinds of guys don’t like girls like me. That is your type and you know it. I saw the way he was looking at you. I bet he asked you out, didn’t he?”

“Not in so many words, but I turned him down. I am still with Caspien.”

“You can’t be serious Fran. After everything that happened between the two of you!?”

“It’s not like I am going back to him, not hardly, but it was just last night. A bit too soon to be going down that road again, don’t you think?”

She looked to the door that Lucas had left out of and I had a feeling that she didn’t agree with me. Steph went to the table and picked up a hundred. “It seems like he really likes you Fran. No sense in waiting around forever. Guys like that don’t come in here that often.”

I took the money and was thankful. I did need it since all of my money was at Cass’ house. I had to go over there today and get the rest of my things, but I didn’t know what kind of situation that I was walking into. There really was no telling.

“It doesn’t matter if he does. I am not trying to get caught up with another man right now.” I really wanted to get off of this subject. “So are you going to come with me?”

I asked her earlier and Steph had agreed. I just wanted to make sure and then more than that, I wanted to get her off of talking about Lucas. I shouldn’t have felt anything for him, but he had made me smile on a day where that was a near impossible feat. If nothing else, he had done that. I hadn’t thought about it, but maybe I should have asked him if he could tell me anything about Cass and what happened. I wanted a heads up, but I knew that I was going to have to go in there blind now. There hadn’t even been anything on the news about it yet. I didn’t know anything about what we were going to be walking into.

“Yeah, I am going with you. You don’t need to be alone with him if he is there. I hope he isn’t though. They should have shot him or carted him off to jail. I am sorry Fran, but it is what he deserves.”

I didn’t think that he would be there, but I was thankful that she was willing to go. She was the one that had warned me about him. Said there was something off about Cass. Now I know that Steph was right and I was even more grateful that she hadn’t rubbed my nose in it. It would have just been insult to injury and I was happy that she wasn’t that type of friend.

***

There were yellow caution lines cordoning off the house. I didn’t know what to think or expect, but it hadn’t been this. I was thinking that I would have to worry about Cass, but the blood in the house made me wonder what happened. Whose was it?

I wasn’t supposed to be here, I knew that, but I had to at least get a few things. I found the stash of money and grabbed a bag full of clothes before going back over the yellow caution tape that was stretched across the door and front yard. Looking around, I noticed there was a lot of activity at Lucas’ house. I didn’t mention to Stephanie that is where he lived, though she did ask as we were driving back to her place who the guy was that I was talking to at the restaurant. It seemed as though Lucas had made himself an admirer. As far as I was concerned, she could have him.

“So what do you think you are going to do next?”

“What do you mean?”

“For a place to stay. You know that you are always welcome with me, but that studio is barely big enough for one person and I know how you like your space.”

“I don’t know. It was hard enough to find that place with Cass and he ended up paying cash for it through a lawyer because he hasn’t ever had a real job in his life. With what I make at the diner, I just don’t know. It is all just a mess and I haven’t even thought that far ahead to be honest. Cash is low because Caspien always took care of the money. I just gave what I made to him.”

“No rush Fran, really. You know that, but if you want me to help you ask around, I will. I don’t know of anywhere off hand, but I will look around and see if anything pops up.”

I thanked her and stared off out the window. My life was always constant motion, but this time, I hadn’t seen this coming. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect to be in this position again, staying with a friend and trying to figure out what it was that I was going to do next. It was exhausting and I wanted to push it all from my mind.

Tomorrow was going to be a better day. It just had to be.

**END OF PREVIEW**

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PREVIEWS

Be My Sailor

A Single Dad and Virgin Romance

Be My Sailor: A Single Dad and Virgin Romance

“I’ve rented an entire cruise ship but never knew we will be accompanied by a mermaid…”

Blurb

Her graceful innocence surprised me.

The way she stared at me with her intensity made me so hard I could barely control myself from taking her in front of everyone.

I wanted to feel her skin against mine, her warmth against my heat.

I wanted her to scream my name in her voice that had the ability to turn Ash into fire.

I craved to corrupt her, take away the innocence she’d prized for twenty-one years. Make this one week unforgettable in her memory.

Life gives you a lot but takes away even more. I learnt this a long time ago, but never had I wanted my little daughter to face it. I have money, a lot of it, but even that couldn’t save her mother from death.

Now, I need to bring back the brighter part of life she’s lost the vision of. I want to see her truly smile again.

A week long cruise to the Bermuda might achieve this.

But then I saw her.

And she did come for me, multiple times; giving me the solace I didn’t know I needed.

But there are people I don’t trust in here. The Journey of the deep blue might not be as pretty as it’s supposed to be.

Is this solace going to be another thing I’d lose to life?

***

Chapter 1

Dana

After Oceania docked at the Port of Miami, I met my father in the reception lobby to bid farewell to our passengers as they disembarked.  There was always certain sadness to it, saying goodbye to new friends and funny personalities that we knew we’d never see again.  Even so, nobody ever wore anything but a smile, especially to shake my father’s hand and even to see me.  My father wore his full captain’s uniform for these occasions, so tall and handsome, his brown hair graying just a bit around the sides.  Captain Seth Ballard treated every passenger like a diplomat from the beginning of the cruise to the very end.  And our customers often behaved in a similar fashion, if the rumors one heard about Washington debauchery were true. 

They didn’t call Oceania ‘the commotion on the ocean’ for nothing.

After seven days of the pure recreation on the greatest floating resort on the high seas, the usually college-aged passengers walked past with relaxed smiles, darkly tanned skin, colorful t-shirts, swollen bellies.  They'd eaten and drank and played to the hilt, a floating Spring Break, and there was nothing to do by then but to shake the captain’s hand and maybe a last-minute flirtation with his daughter, also the lead singer in the show band and, therefore, a shipboard minor celebrity.

One young man, who’d gone without wearing a shirt for most of those seven days, had been especially amorous, despite Dana’s courteous refusals.  She was well-experienced in the tender art of letting them down gently; she did it every single time.

“There’s the angel of the Atlantic,” he said, referring to more than just my blue eyes and blonde hair, which did give me a certain look, I suppose.  But he went on, “I’m gonna take this cruise every six months until you agree to marry me,” he said, his voice looping with a slight surfer accent, popular in the West Coast, especially Southern California.

But Capt. Ballard smiled with a little nod.  “We look forward to seeing you again … ”

“And again,” I said, “and again … and again … ”

We all shared a chuckle as the young man joined his friends and walked out of the air-conditioned reception area to the already humid Miami morning.

Another man approached with a woman on his arm, though both had arrived separately.  He shook my father’s hand, thanked him for a fine voyage, then turned his attention to me.  He was young, but he had a professional air that a lot of our frat-boy and sorority-sister passengers lacked.  He asked me, “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

I smiled, deliberately bashful and more than just a little flattered.  “I don't think so, Mr, Sanders.”

“Douglass, please.  I’m telling you, Dana, a voice like yours, that face, that body ... ”  This made me flinch, but not because I was uncomfortable with my body or with being complimented about it.  More and more, I felt men on the ship staring at me, looking me up and down.  And I knew why.  Over the previous twelve years I’d grown from gawky tween to a pretty and vivacious teenage girl and then to an attractive young woman.  I didn’t obsess over it, or use my looks the way Caroline did, but I knew I’d grown up to be quite pretty, and men were more and more interested in telling me so.  But I didn’t like hearing it while I was standing next to my father!

Douglass went on, “You could be a big, big star.  Don’t tell me that’s not what you really want.”

I glanced at my father, and he down at me.  That made me nervous, because I never could keep anything from my father.  Not that I lied to him, I never did.  But I didn’t always want him to know what I was thinking every time.  And he was so smart and knew me so well, it was just about impossible to prevent it.

So I gave him the answer I’d given before, the one or two times such an invitation had come up.  “That’s really very sweet, but I just don’t think I’m ready yet.”

Douglass Sanders shook his head, his gorgeous brunette companion glancing around, increasingly annoyed with the conversation.  “Dana, I’ve produced hits for Brianna, for Heather Gates, for New Girls in Town, and I can tell you … you’re ready.”

But I could feel my father’s gaze upon me, and I just didn’t want to get too far into it, not there and then.  So I said, “Well, I’ve got your business card,” which wasn’t entirely the truth.  He’d given me three of them.

“Use it,” Douglass said, pointing at me with his index finger as if he were shooting me with an imaginary gun.  With that, he led his new conquest away, slipping his five-hundred-dollar aviator sunglasses over his face.

My father stared at me, and I tried to look away.  It wasn’t easy, despite the many distractions in the lobby.  Cruise director Caroline Sempter nodded and smiled and had to fend off would-be suitors of her own.  Male passengers, and a lot of the females too, gave their eyes one long, last drag across Caroline’s face and body, committing it to memory.  They copped their last feels, pulling her close for a kiss on the cheek, maybe a glance of side-boob.  Caroline was the belle of the ball, and that didn’t surprise me; it happened every time.  Caroline was gorgeous, with long, curly red hair, creamy freckled skin, green eyes, an hour-glass physique, long legs.  The curves of her toned calves led up into her smooth thighs, their curves pressing against the inside of that white skirt.  Her breasts were round and firm, straining the buttons of her blouse.  Her waist was small and graceful, tempting any man to rest his hands there.  She had thick, full lips that shimmered with gloss, plump and so kissable.  The nape of her neck was creamy and freckled, her little ears hiding beneath all those brassy red curls.  I’ve never had a thing for girls, but honestly, if I did, Caroline might be just the kind of woman I’d go after.  And she was every bit as charming and outgoing as she was pretty, smiling and laughing and casually setting her hand on a man’s arm, his shoulder, leaning in close.  She enjoyed their attention, and she enjoyed giving them her own.  I often wondered what else she gave them, but I didn’t know for sure and, to be honest, I really didn’t want to know. 

It was just one of the many things she and I didn’t have in common.  Caroline had an outgoing way about her that I never had, a confidence, a certainty that she was the prettiest woman in the room, the most desirable, even if she wasn’t.  Oceania was a floating playground for the young and frivolous with at least some money to spend and most of their lives ahead of them.  The young men were almost exclusively well-built, toned, in the peak of their youth.  And the girls were often flawless, with sparkling smiles and bodies free of even a speck of body fat.  Even so, perhaps even more so because of it, Caroline flashed those big green eyes with practiced skill, rolling her shoulder just so.

Still smiling and nodding at the disembarking passengers, my father said to me, “Don’t forget the meeting, in the grand banquet hall.”

“Of course not, Daddy.  When have I ever missed a meeting?”

He shrugged.  “How often do we have staff-wide meetings at the last minute?  Just running a tight ship, dear.”

“No no, you’re right, Daddy.  But I’ll be there.”

“I know you will be,” he said, giving me a little kiss on the side of my head.

*

The grand banquet hall, the largest of three, was filled with every member of the Oceania staff.  I sat near my father instead of with Sticks Simmons, Eric Newton, Barry Meuller and the rest of the musicians in the show band. The room still smelled quite strongly of bacon and coffee from the morning breakfast.

“There’s something a bit unique about our trip out to Bermuda this time,” my father said, his hands behind his back, pacing slowly in the front of the room.  “In fact, in all my years on the sea, I’ve never come across anything like it.”

“Daddy?” I said, expressing the piqued interest of everybody in the room. 

My father held his hands out to calm me and anyone else with my growing confusion.  “All’s well, folks, take it easy.  The thing is, we’re setting out with a very special guest.”  But this only furthered my confusion.  We’d had special guests before; celebrities, sports stars, even the sons of famous politicians.  But we all knew not to share anything we saw happen or try to use it against any of the passengers, so there was no reason to gather us all together just for that.

My father explained, “His name is Preston Hutchinson.”  I was thinking, How special could he be?  I’ve never heard of him.  But my father once again seemed to be reading my mind.  “He made a fortune in tech stocks, real estate — ”

Barry Mueller brushed his long, feathered brown hair from his handsome face.  “Is he famous?  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him.”

“He’s too rich to be famous,” my father answered, some of our crew chuckling.  I noticed Hector Gonzales and a few of the other bartenders sharing smiles and nods.  Wealthy single dads meant two things to bartenders; lots of drinks and big tips.

“Mister Hutchinson,” my father went on, “or Hutch as he apparently likes to be called, is arriving with his young daughter, Blu.  She’s nine, I think, maybe ten.”

Oceania was basically a party boat, not perfect for a kid that age.  But I could already name a dozen or more fun things for him to do, so I still couldn’t quite figure why my father had called this big meeting.

But then he stopped pacing, turned to face me and the rest of the crew.  “And they’re coming alone.”

I was completely stumped.  A man traveling with his daughter was no Earth-shattering news.  It happened quite a bit, as I thought about it.  I had to assume, the guy’ll probably go home with a new girlfriend.  If he's that rich, it’s almost a certainty.

I even thought I saw Caroline’s posture straightening just a bit, shoulders back, breasts pushing out from behind her uniform blue jacket.

“I think we can handle that,” Caroline said.

My father smiled.  “I should hope so.  Because when I said they were coming alone, what I meant was … they’re going to be our only passengers on this run.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.  “The whole ship, Daddy?”

“Stem to stern,” he said.  “As I said, it’s … unusual.”

I couldn’t help but repeat, “Unusual?  It’s just … weird.”  Members of the staff chuckled, but my father wore a stern, authoritarian expression and respectful silence returned to the grand banquet hall.

“You know better than that, Dana.  He’s our passenger, and money or no money, he and his daughter deserve the best service we have to offer.”

“Of course, Capt. Ballard,” Caroline said, shooting a nasty little glare at me from the corner of her eye, careful not to let my father see.  “We’ll show them the time of their lives, of course.”

Barry asked, “Does he have special requests for the band?”

“If he does,” my father said, “I’m sure he’ll let you know.  Anything else?”  No more questions rose up from the massive group, people on every level of pay and power.  They shared silent nods and worried glances as my father dismissed us.  “He should be here close to noon, so let’s be ready!”  The crew disbanded, but my father glanced at me.  “Oh, Dana, would you mind?”  I knew he wanted me to stay behind for a private chat, and I had a good idea what he wanted to talk about.

Once we were alone, my father poured us each a cup of coffee.  It was still hot and flavorful, an island blend with traces of almond and coconut.  He sighed and took a sip, taking a moment of quiet to enjoy it.

I said, “I’m sorry I spoke out of turn, Daddy.  That was thoughtless, stupid. It’s just … such an odd thing, y’know?”

“I do, honey, and it’s okay, I”m not upset with you.  You’re my everything, my pride and joy, the best thing I ever did or ever will do.  You’d have to do a lot worse than that to upset me, Dana.”  He gave me a little kiss on the forehead, the smell of the coffee heavy on his breath, a smell both familiar and cozy.  “No, what’s bothering me is the conversation we had before the meeting, with that record company executive.”

“Producer, I think.  Anyway, Daddy, I told him I’m not ready — ”

“I know you did, sweetheart, but … maybe he’s right.  Maybe you are ready.”

“No, Daddy, no, I’m only twenty-one.  I can’t even drink in a lot of states, not that I want to.  But you know what I mean.”

“Dana, you’re a singer, you could be a star.  Youth is a big part of that.  At twenty-one, you’re certainly not too young.  You may be too old by this time!”  We shared a chuckle, but it didn’t last.  “And you are ready, we both know that.”

“But I’m happy here,” I said, “I like living on the ship, singing with the band, being here with you.”

He smiled, but I knew it was bittersweet as he nodded, staring into some sad distance as he often did. 

“I’m glad you’re happy, Dana, and I couldn’t be happier having you on the ship here with me.  You’re the only family I have, you know that.  But that’s what worries me, that you feel like you have to stay here just to babysit me, keep the old man happy.”

“Daddy, you’re not that old!”

“But neither one of us are getting any younger, are we?”  He stepped away, leaving me to take in my own reflection in the well-polished glass window.  Neither one of us could go on ignoring the changes that had happened over the previous years.  My blonde hair had a natural shimmer, my complexion was smooth and clean, not blotchy, no blemishes.  My blue eyes were clear and round, my neck every bit as long and inviting as Caroline’s.  But my body was a bit leaner than Caroline’s, my hips had more of a feline sway, my champagne breasts hiding behind my sweet summer dresses.  And there was more hiding behind my sweet and pretty facade than just my breasts.  My body was seething with sexual hunger, positively crackling with it.  I was a twenty-one-year-old woman living in my father’s shadow, and living up to my responsibilities.  I couldn’t bare to have my father forced to stand by and watch as I became some shipboard trollop, passed around from guy to guy.  That’s not the girl he raised, and it’s not the woman I ever wanted to be.  But I did have wants, desires, and I wanted so badly.  I wanted so much to feel a man’s arms around me, strong hands caressing my breasts, nipples hard under his fingertips, huge member pushing into me, slow and sure.   I couldn’t stop imagining myself getting railed against the cabin wall or against the rails of the deck, overlooking the ocean and not caring who was watching or what they thought of it.   I had to wrap my body around someone big and hot and hard.  I couldn’t get it out of my head, not to mention other parts of my body.  It was harder and harder to deny or to disguise these feelings, and my father and I both knew that, eventually, something was gonna have to give.  Standing with my father to greet our guests wasn’t the place or the time, of course.  But I did more than just greet passengers.  More and more I felt like a chanteuse on stage, in shimmering, body--hugging gowns in the grand ball room clinging to my curves, smooth and womanly.  Nothing was hiding, but I was still the captain’s daughter and I wasn’t about to take the stage looking like some hooker.  Nothing was hiding, but little was revealed; just enough thigh to suggest that sweet treasure above, just enough view of the side breast to lock in the boys’ attention.  I knew what I was doing, I couldn’t deny it.  I was learning to play them the way Caroline did, little by little.  Maybe we have more in common than I thought.

Chapter 2

Hutch

I rented the entire upper floor of the Miami Renaissance Hotel overlooking the Miami Beach and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.  We shared a two-bedroom suite at the end of the empty hall, ignoring the weird looks we got from the bell staff, the room service waiters, the maids.  I didn’t care to explain things to them, and I wasn’t about to.

We got up early and dressed, light and casual clothes specifically for the cruise.  The slacks were light cotton, the shirts blousy and colorful, Blu’s dress light and flowing.  Walking into that dense Miami humidity, thick even in the spring, told me why everyone on Florida dressed that way, and I knew things would be just as dewy in the tropics, if not more so.

And between Miami and Bermuda, and then back, was an adventure we’d both been looking forward to, and one we’d both earned.  But it had us both a little nervous, no reason to deny that.

Blu sat next to me in the cab ride to the port.  She looked around, her big round eyes nervous.  She looked up at me, a miniature of myself, black hair and blue / gray eyes, traces of our Black Irish heritage.  But she had her mother’s soft features and little nose, though she lacked her mother’s zest for life; or, to be more specific, she’d lost it.

I kept my tone of voice light, bouncy, filled with the excitement I hoped she’d catch.  “I can’t wait to get on that boat!  Waterslides, delicious food, movies and music and all the good stuff.”  Blu nodded, but said nothing.  I wasn’t surprised, and I was beginning to wonder if we should just cancel the trip and go back to Beverly Hills.  I thought, Maybe I should just score us a place on the beach somewhere, Malibu maybe?  But the idea didn’t linger too long; ideas of that sort never did, even if they occurred to me more and more as the year progressed.  No, I told myself, we have to do this, we have to get out of the mansion, have some kind of vacation out in the world.  We’re going to do this, and we’re both going to have a great time!

The cab pulled us up to the port, the huge cruise ship waiting for us.  Even I was impressed with its size, but Blu was more intimidated than excited.  The cabbie drove us right up to the disembarkation station, our view of the ship interrupted as the cab slowed to a stop.  I turned to Blu and said, “Okay, Blu, I know this might be a little bit scary, okay?  So if you are a little bit scared, you can tell me.”

Blu nodded and shrugged, little shoulders arching up toward her tilting head, eyes downcast.  “I guess I am …  a little.”

“Okay, Blu, good, that’s good.”

“It’s good to be afraid?”

I set my fingers under her chin and raised her face to meet mine, her big eyes already glistening and moist with the sorrow that haunted them, forever lurking in her heart and her mind and her soul.

I said, “It’s good to be aware, Blu.  I know this is our first trip since … since Aspen, but this is going to be different, nothing bad is going to happen to either of us, I promise you.”  Blu nodded.  “The only thing we’re going to have to worry about is having too much fun… ”  I put my hand on my stomach, flat and hard.  “I might have to do some extra hours in the gym after all those desserts.”  They shared a faint, fleeting chuckle.  “I’m sorry none of your friends could come with us.”

Blu’s eyes sank again, finding the bottom of the cab.  “I don’t really have any friends anymore, Daddy.  I’m too weird.”

“You’re not weird, Blu, not at all.  It’s been a rough year.  Maybe we’ll think about going back to regular schooling next year?”

“No, Daddy, no!  Please no!”

I pulled her close, hating myself for bringing it up.  “Okay, honey, okay, don’t worry about it.  We’re doing fine with the home-schooling, right?”

“Right!”

“Just the two of us.”

“Right, ‘Zactly!”  I let myself be amused, but only because it was easier than feeling my heart break yet again.  I pulled her close, taking in a deep breath of her shampoo and youth, her body thin and gangly and light against mine.

My daughter, I thought, the best thing in my life, the only thing in my life.  I’ll do anything for you, my little angel, anything to keep you happy, to keep you safe … 

Chapter 3

Dana

I stood next to my father and Caroline in the reception lobby.  I wore a breezy summer dress, which felt even softer compared to my father’s pressed white uniform and Caroline’s crisp blue blazer and white skirt.  It seemed to me that she’d taken just a little extra care with her makeup or hair.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but she was extra pretty.  I wasn’t sure about the what, but I did know why.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.  I’d done some research on him in what little time I had between the staff meeting and the guests’ greeting.  And what I’d found had me stunned.  It explained a lot about why this Preston Hutchinson had gone to such lengths to secure their privacy and protect their security.  But it was such a horrific story, that had a chill running in my blood and I just couldn’t shake it.  But I knew I’d have to before the Hutchinson family arrived.  Sorrow and morose sympathy were not appropriate for the first impression aboard the commotion on the ocean, especially not in this case.  The man booked an entire cruise ship exclusively for himself and his daughter, he deserved to be greeted with a smile.  I just wasn’t sure I could manage it.

I was also worried, more and more as I made my way across the ship toward the lobby.

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this man or his daughter.  What kind of people will they be?  If he’s got this kind of money, he’s going to be demanding, probably a chauvinist, used to getting whatever and whoever he wants.  The kid’s probably a raging, screaming brat; not that I’d blame her for some of that, at least, given what’s happened to her.  But are we all really going to have to spend a whole week catering to two billionaire slave-drivers?  Well, I’m just the singer, I can always lay low or just stick to the stage.  A girl’s gotta do her job, captain’s daughter or not.

Preston Hutchinson stepped into the reception lobby with his daughter, the two holding hands and smiling politely.  He introduced himself and his daughter, my father introducing himself and me and our cruise director, Caroline.  I was struck by how gorgeous he was.  None of the few pictures I’d found online did him justice in the slightest.  He was near to six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chest, all angling down to an amazingly small waist and strong, powerful legs. And his face, blue eyes like mine peering out from sculpted cheekbones and a strong, cleft chin.  He was in his early thirties, and experience was beginning to show in the faint lines around his eyes, a furrowed brow holding back his deepest thoughts.

My father added, “Caroline will be showing you around the ship, taking care of whatever you need.”

“Anything at all,” Caroline said with a little nod, wavy red hair bouncing just a bit.  Blu backed up, very nearly hiding behind her father. 

Hutch looked her over.  I could tell he was impressed with her, his eyes combing those shapely legs, sexy hips, breasts so full and round behind her uniform blazer.  It wasn’t a cut that was meant to inspire a sexual response, but Caroline could make a potato sack look hot and Hutch seemed to know it.  He looked me over too, with the same sexy, rakish expression.  He asked me, “And what do you do around here?”

“Singer,” my father said, “with the show band, and she sings with Barry on piano in our beautiful crystal staircase cathedral, for our … romantically inclined guests.”  Caroline glanced down, deliberately coy, but when she looked up she hit Hutch with a glance that was absolutely rapacious.  She bit her lower lip, one brow raised.  I half-expected her to jump on him right there and then, in front of his daughter and everybody.

But Hutch said simply, “We’d like to retire a bit to our quarters, unpack, perhaps have some breakfast.”

Caroline was quick to say, “Of course, Mr. Hutchinson, I’ll show you to our Presidential suite, make sure your bags are delivered immediately, if they’re not already there.”

“Please,” he said, glancing at me and addressing us all.  “Call me Hutch.” 

*

I was torn with conflicting emotions walking away from that greeting.  On the one hand, I was relieved.  Thank goodness he’s not some nasty blowhard, I reasoned, at least he’s not revealed that yet.  And that little girl seems sweet enough, understandably timid.

But that only stirred up other feelings, and the more I thought about them, the more complicated they were.  I was a little bit jealous of Caroline, I couldn’t deny it.  There was a part of me that wanted to be the kind of person she was, so pretty and sexy, so at home in her own skin.  Caroline was gorgeous and she knew it, and that was something I was only beginning to understand.  Caroline was also so comfortable around strangers, so … experienced.  At twenty-one, I was craving experiences of my own, more and more.  But there were other things to consider.  I was the captain’s daughter, that carried responsibilities.  I represented him and he represented Oceania, which represented the whole Fantasia Cruise Line.  I wasn’t about to trash all that just to cavort with some strange men, even if something inside me was screaming out to do it.  That voice would go unheard by the rest of the world, at least for the time being, I was committed.  That tortured plea was coming louder and more often, but it would have to go unanswered.

At least , I didn’t have too long to think about it.  There would be plenty to keep me busy, and meeting with the band was only one place I’d be able to hide. 

Barry sifted through some sheet music, sitting at the piano.  “We could do the one the cricket sings.’”

Carl Sticks Simmons sat nearby, drumsticks in his dark chocolate hands, wrapping them against his long lean thighs.  “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide?”

“No,” I said, “I think he means, When You Wish Upon a Star.”

Eric Newton sat on a stool, electric bass in his lap.  His hair was blond, like mine, but curly and short.  He always reminded me of what The Little Prince would look like as an adult.  He looked at me quietly with a little smile, turning away when my eyes met his.

Barry played the first few chords from memory, bass  lines and melody pouring out of the big mahogany grand.

Also from memory, Dana sang, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are … ”  I paused, thinking I was waiting for Barry, but Barry was waiting for me, and for my little moment of melancholy to pass.  “Everything your heart desires will come to you … ”

Sticks nodded.  “That sounds great,” he said nodding, his dark brown head shaved completely bald, light bouncing off its curves.

Barry shook his head. “I’ll have to pull up the Frozen soundtrack … ”

Sticks chuckled.  “I spotted Caroline talkin’ up our special guest.  Instead of Frozen, maybe you should look up Molten … “  We shared a laugh.  “I’ll bet she bags him, we’ll have to find ourselves a new cruise director.  That’s never fun, the new ones always try too hard.”

Eric nodded, glancing at me with his usual forlorn expression.  In his early twenties, Eric could have his pick of the women onboard, but I knew he had a crush on me.  I didn’t do anything to string him along, of course.  We were friendly, I found his quiet company very pleasant.  But he knew what my policy was, everybody in the band did.

But we weren’t talking about me.  Barry shook his head.  “I dunno, Sticks, that Hutchinson guy is a pretty big prey, I don’t know if Caroline’s got what it takes.”  Off our skeptical glances, he explained, “A man like that can have any woman he wants, right?  I’m sure he’s had his fill of brassy redheads.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I said.  “Internet said the thing with his wife only happened a year ago.  He doesn’t strike me as the cheating kind.”

“We’re all the cheating kind,” Barry said, Sticks chuckling; me, not so much.  Eric wasn’t amused either, shaking his head and turning away.   “Anyway, the guy’s single now, so there’s no cheating about it, it’s just … y’know, messin’ around.”

I said, “No I don’t, actually.  You guys know I don’t … mess around.”  Barry and Sticks traded a knowing glance, brows up, eyes rolling.  “What, you don’t believe me?”

Barry asked, “Are you kidding?  We work with you, Dana and we practically live with you too.  We know for a fact you don't mess around.”

“But if you ever did,” Sticks said, not needing to add more.

Eric looked at me and I caught his eye, his silent, moping stare saying everything about the way he felt, everything he felt that he didn’t dare say.  I couldn’t deny that, if my policy had been a little different, I might have been interested in having a date with Eric.  But that just wasn’t going to happen.  Eric had accepted it, and I appreciated that. 

“Excuse me?”  The rhythm section and I turned to see Caroline stepping toward us with a slow, professional stride, hips carrying that dominating swagger.  We all waited until she crossed the empty dance floor to the stage and fixed her green eyes on me.  “It seems Mr. Hutchinson requests that you be the one to tour him around the ship.”

I couldn't help but repeat, “Me?”  Barry and Sticks and Eric looked directly at me, each with their own questions and their own concerns.  Caroline huffed and shook her head just a bit, like she couldn't believe I was surprised.  But I could hardly believe what she was saying.  I added, “We’ve got rehearsals — ”

“What you've got is a responsibility to this ship, our crew, and our captain.  The guests request your company.  They’re in the Captain’s Table for breakfast.”  I stood there shocked, glancing at Barry and at Sticks, who only shrugged as if to say, I told you so.  Eric’s head sank even lower on his shoulders, disappointment wiping the little half-smile from his face.  But there was no more time, as Caroline’s voice snapped with unusual distemper, almost unheard of when speaking to the captain’s daughter.  “Now, Dana, now!”

Chapter 4

Dana

I left the band behind and walked with Caroline down a long hall.  I knew what had happened even then, and that Caroline felt rejected.  It was hard for me to fathom, to be honest.  I thought for sure Hutch would have kept Caroline around for a day or two at least.  But for him to be so quickly disinterested in that curvy body, all that sexy, toned skin, impressed me.  Very few men would have passed Caroline by, and the last person I would have thought would have been preferred, would have been me!  Barry and Sticks had been right; Caroline had designs on Preston Hutchinson and they didn’t get her further than just a few minutes.  That had to be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a woman like Caroline. Even worse, to know he wanted to see me instead of her, that I was the one between the two of us who was more desirable, must have taken Caroline completely off-guard.  She was used to getting pretty much any man she wanted.  But things were changing fast, we both could sense it.  But what it would mean for both of our futures, neither of us could yet imagine.  Anyway, for me the present was a lot more pressing than the future.  “Everything okay, Caroline?”

“It’s fine, Dana, everything’s … everything’s just swell.  How about you, you sure you’re … up to this?”

I shrugged, keeping up with Caroline’s impatient pace.  “I know the ship as well as anybody, I practically grew up on — ”

“That's not what I mean, Dana.”  We walked on, my silent confusion letting Caroline continue.  “You really think what he needs is a tour of the ship?  There are directories posted all over the place, Dana.  Use your head … at the very least.”

With that, Caroline turned and headed down another hall alone.  But my destination lay straight ahead, my brain jangling with what seemed like the obvious conclusions.

Am I going to have to sleep with him, is this what all this is truly about?  Am I really supposed to be some amusement, an attraction like the video arcade or the IMAX theater?  I suppose that’s just the way these super-rich people go through life, renting everybody they don’t need to buy.  But these people can be dangerous too, not caring who they hurt or what they have to do to cover up their crimes.  Odd what happened to his wife.

I got to the end of the hall to the elevators, pushing the button and waiting for the door to slide open.

No, that’s too dark, too cynical, I’m sure he didn't have anything to do with what happened in Colorado.  If he'd been guilty, the police would have caught him by now.  Wouldn't they?  Of course.  And he’s the only guest on a cruise ship.  There'd be no way to cover up anything happening to me.  I’m probably the safest person in the world right now, at least the safest girl floating on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.  Anyway, this man doesn’t necessarily have to be that kind of person; not the kind who would swoop in on some defenseless young woman, much less do what they said he did to the late Mrs. Hutchinson.  That’s just hysteria. The man wants company for his daughter, probably.  Sure, that's really all it is, the girl's gotta be lonely.  What a silly notion, that I'm supposed to be the guy’s onboard concubine!  I’m sure Caroline sees it that way, because that’s the way she sees the world and so that's the way the world sees her.  But I don't live that way, that’s not me.  I’m lined up to be a babysitter, not some sex toy!

I stepped into the elevator and waited, the box gliding me down two floors.  The door slid open to reveal the big mall, the Captain’s Table Steakhouse just a few yards away, wondering what that feeling was in the pit of my stomach.  Is it excitement?  Fear?  Disappointment?

I took a deep breath, put a big smile on my face, and stepped out to see Hutch and his daughter, Blu.

They were at a booth near the front, not needing too much privacy since he rented out the whole ship.  But the restaurant was immediately dark, thick wooden paneling giving it the look of an old pirate’s pub somewhere on what used to be called the Spanish Main.

As soon as I sat down, breakfast arrived.  Leo the cook knew what I liked, and the spinach egg white omelet was perfectly well-done, crispy on the outside.  The roasted potatoes were my favorite, and the English muffins were still hot from the toaster.

Blu was polite and gracious when they brought her scrambled eggs and fruit, following her father’s lead as he received his steak and eggs.  The waitress, Stella, gave me a little wink as she turned to walk away from the table, but I tried to ignore it.  I certainly didn’t appreciate it.  I had to think, Leo already knows, so does Stella?  What will they all be wondering, talking about, gossiping about tomorrow, and for the next seven days?  What about my father, what’s he going to make out of all this?  I’ll bet Caroline’s telling him right now, probably making it sound as bad as she can.  But I couldn’t keep focusing on all that; that wasn’t what mattered.  At that moment what mattered most was the somewhat-reduced Hutchinson family, and that they have the best week of their lives.

Hutch said, “The food is delicious, Dana.  May I call you Dana?”

“Please do … Hutch.”

He smiled and turned to Blu.  “S’good?”

She nodded, pushing a piece of watermelon into her mouth.  “Yes, thank you.”

Hutch asked me, “How do you stay so thin?  You must have a gym here.”

“Oh yeah, I go when there’s a spot open.  It’s usually pretty crowded.”

Hutch smiled.  “Won’t be this time.”  He didn’t say anymore about it, and I was glad.  We’d just met, and I found myself immediately hoping he wouldn't come on with some tacky line about showing him my routine or whatever, especially not right there in front of his daughter.  But he left that matter completely alone, as if it had been the mere afterthought that it seemed to be.  He went on, “Anyway, I’m glad you could see your way clear to joining us.”

I smiled, glad he brought it up, and for reasons other than sheer curiosity.  “It’s certainly my pleasure.  Though I have to say, it’s generally the kind of thing Caroline, our cruise director, would do.”

Hutch let the moment land, silence at the table.  “Would you rather she do it?”

“Do what?”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, well, um, just, y’know, show you around the ship, be your escort, as it were.”

Hutch smiled, taking a sip of his coffee.  “I see.  Nevertheless, we feel a bit more … comfortable with you.”  He turned to Blu to confirm.  “Wouldn’t you say, Blu?”

Blu nodded, swallowing her food to say, “‘Zactly.”

I couldn’t help but smile, and I really didn’t want to help it.  What more was there to do but shrug and butter my muffin?  We were going to have a splendid time and there was nothing I was going to be able to say or do about it.

*

After breakfast (Hutch tipped a hundred dollars!) we strolled around the ship.  I showed them the rest of the mall, a glittering city block of polished glass and chrome, the world’s most tantalizing trinkets on display; diamonds and fine silk, but also the colorful, humorous t-shirts and flip-flops so popular among their post-adolescent passengers.  They passed the IMAX theater, which had 3-D presentations of a variety of deep sea documentaries as well as the latest blockbusters.

Hutch looked around, impressed.  “Wow, this is really something.  It’s quite a place to live.  How long have you been doing this?”

“My dad took the job almost ten years ago, after my mom … ”  But a quick glance at little Blu told me I’d already said too much.  The last thing I wanted to do was to drudge up sad memories for the Hutchinsons, especially not those memories in particular.  But it was too late to backpedal away from the subject, and both Hutch and Blu seemed to know it.  “Anyway, it’s been about ten years.”

“So, about half your life,” Hutch presumed and I nodded.  “Or two thirds of mine.” 

Odd thing to say, I couldn’t help but think.  He must want to know how old I am, and he wants me to know how old he is.  There can’t be too many reasons for that.

But I wasn’t intimidated or upset by it, not at all.  In fact, I was intrigued, to put it in the most gentile way I can.

Blu asked, “Have you always been a singer?”

I didn’t have to give that one too much thought.  “Ever since I was a kid, Blu.  I sang in the shower, school plays, all that stuff.  When we came to the ship it was … it was a little harder for a while, I have to admit.  I really didn't sing at all for a few years, to tell you the truth.  I just kept my head down, I had a tutor so there was always schooling to do.  And I gotta say, all the things there were to do, and Oceania was brand new at the time, it helped, y’know?  Just to know there was still some fun to be had out there, and for me … it was in my own backyard!”

Hutch said, “Speaking of that, who feels like a swim?” 

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PREVIEWS

Be My First

A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

Blurb

My New Employee makes it hard…very hard to ignore.

Claire makes me want to throw all the rules away

I’m not supposed to f*ck employees.
But I have never cared for rules.
And all of the rules changed when Claire Adams walked in the meeting as one of my newest consultants.
I ignored the slight stirrings, but it was hard to resist the beautiful woman.
She was so young, innocent and supple.
Her body called to me in so many ways.
She is so ripe for the taking.
It was like she was asking for it.
I just couldn’t say no.

Once I put my mind to it, I get anything I want.
I have money, cars, power.
No one denies me.
Not even her.

I want Claire underneath me.
My mind obsessed about being inside of her.
The noises she would make.
How tight she would be.
I want to be her first.
And I always get what I want.

I don’t care what others think.
How wrong it is.
I don’t care that I am the wolf and she is the sheep.
She is bound to me.
I will have her innocence.
And then she will forever be mine.

***

Be My First: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

Chapter 1

Claire

“So what about that guy?”

I looked to where Amy was pointing and I shook my head. “Come on, you know that I am not really looking.”

“You are single, have been for months. It is time that you start looking again. You are too picky Claire and you are going to end up an old spinster if you don’t start opening your horizons.”

I chuckled at her and took a sip of my drink. She was right of course. I would never tell her that, but she was right after all. I already had a cat. I was just three cats away from being the crazy cat lady on my block.

“I am looking, sort of. I just know what I want. That isn’t being picky.”

She wasn’t buying it and her brown eyes gave me this look that I knew too well. “What about you?”

“Scott and I are doing okay. I think we should see other people though, you know, keep the options open.”

“Then what is the point of being together?”

“He keeps me from doing stupid things.”

I giggled, “Like Justin?”

“Yes like Justin. That is worth it, right?”

I nodded my head in agreement, but I still wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. This was a normal thing for us. We went out every Friday night and Amy always tried to talk me into dancing with all these different men. She had found the love of her life in a bar, even if they did split up. I knew I wouldn’t find my husband here. I didn’t know where I would find him, but it wouldn’t be at a place like this.

“That guy is over there staring you down Claire, go say hi.”

I looked where she was looking and I had to admit that she finally found a guy that was easy on the eyes. I certainly liked the look of him and I turned back to Amy when he met my gaze. The man was not what I was looking for, but there was something in his eyes that made me look again.

“Go over there.”

I debated it for a minute and had decided that I didn’t want to go, but that didn’t matter. The guy that was looking our way started to walk over and I fixed a smile on my face.

“Hey ladies.”

Smiling up at the guy, as he got closer, I could tell how handsome he was.

“Hello guy.”

“Tony.”

“Hi Tony.”

“Can I buy you a drink?”

I picked up the glass that I was drinking from. He was a little too late on that one.

“Fair enough, let me take you for a dance.”

He was persistent and with Amy half pushing me out of the bar stool, I didn’t really have a choice but to go dance with him. One dance I told myself. I only have time for one dance and then I was going to go home and work on some resumes.

“You are beautiful, what is your name?”

I smiled at the compliment and told him that my name was Claire.

“I think I have seen you before Claire.”

I shook my head and told him that I doubted it. The man wasn’t listening though. His hands were all over me and I felt his palms tightening up on my ass. What the hell did this guy think he was doing?

I pushed back from him. ‘”Come on, I know where I saw you from Claire. It took me a minute, but I have watched you dance many times before.”

“No, I think you have the wrong girl.” He was not letting go of me and I was getting aggravated to no end. I wanted his hands off of me, right now.

I pushed away and he told me that I was being a tease. This was why I hated coming here, but I came for Amy.

“Don’t think that I don’t know who you are. Do you need a few dollars?”

My face fell and for a moment I was mad at someone else, more than I was this man. But then I had to wonder how I could deal with this every day. When Tony started to pull some money out of his pocket, I turned around and hoped that I didn’t feel his hands on my arm to stop me. I was humiliated and I walked right back to the table where Amy was.

“What just happened?”

“He thought I was someone else and thought he would get liberal with his touching.”

“Oh, ewww, sorry.”

We were both quiet for a while. I wanted to leave right now, but Amy wanted to finish her drink. She at least had the decency to not say anything about Amber. I didn’t want to talk about it and it was nights like this that I hated sharing a face with someone else, that someone who is my twin, someone so different than me, yet close enough to the same that I had encounters like this a couple of times a week since I came to Atlanta.

“Don’t worry about it Claire, that was one guy.”

It was one guy, all the time it felt like. How was I ever supposed to date here if that was how it turned out? “I think we need to try somewhere new. This place isn’t working for me.”

“It’s not so bad. Some of the guys are really nice. I just like the atmosphere.”

The atmosphere was dark and bright all at the same time. Colored strobe lights moved throughout the place. It felt like more of a light show than anything else. The music was loud enough to vibrate my rib cage and I could barely hear without the person doing a sort of shout talk that was only okay in a club.

“I think I have had enough of this atmosphere for the night.” My attention was on Tony who was staring me down from the bar. I didn’t know if he was going to be a problem or not, but he made himself being there uncomfortable.

Amy saw the exchange and agreed that it was time to go. “If he gets up when we do, we need to talk to the bouncer.”

She was getting the same feeling I was and I agreed one hundred percent with her plan. Tony didn’t get up though. He stayed on his stool, eying us as we left. I got a shiver down my spine with the way he was looking at me. I was going to have to warn Amber about him. That guy seemed a little too forceful and I didn’t want her to run into him as well.

I took Amy home and even though she offered to finish the night at her house, I had had enough.

“Come on Claire, it’s not like you have class or work in the morning. You might as well get some of the benefits of being unemployed, think of all of the off time that you get.”

“I would rather have a job.”

“I could always get you a job at the diner.”

She had offered before and I had refused several times. I wasn’t quite to that level yet. I would be soon if I didn’t find something in my field before my savings ran out. I had projected up to nine months to find a good job. I moved to Atlanta for better job prospects, but I was finding it hard to bust into the market. I hadn’t given up, but I was getting discouraged.

“Maybe in another week or two. I am going to go online and see if I can find anything. I haven’t done too much of that yet. I took too much time off after college because I thought finding something would be a breeze.”

“Well I am here if you want to do something. I can’t sleep. I might call Justin over.”

I told her that it was a bad idea. He was an ex-boyfriend for her and most of the time a person was an ex for a reason. Justin was like her kryptonite and I didn’t want to see her get hurt again. Amy was an absolute mess last time she broke up with Justin.

“Don’t call him over Amy. You will regret it when he is asking you for gas money in the morning.”

“I know, but he is good at some things.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I would never get how some people could put up with so much because of sex. That was the real reason, I knew that, but I didn’t understand why.  I was still waiting for the right one. I wasn’t going to waste my time with the Justins of the world. I was looking for the real thing. “You will regret it in the morning Amy.”

“I know, but what else is youth for but regrets?”

There was no arguing with her and I wasn’t even going to try. “I will see you in the morning. Are we still on for lunch?”

“Yeah, I will see you then. You sure you don’t want to stay over?”

I declined again and wondered if she was that worried about calling Justin. Why did she act like an addict when it came to him? Would I ever find that? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. It didn’t seem to be that fun.

Driving home, I thought of Amber and what she was doing right now. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of days, but after meeting Tony, I thought I would give her a call. She didn’t answer, that was usual and I left a voicemail for her to call me back when she got it. It would most likely be three or four in the morning when she got off of work, but I was used to her late hours.

I got home to Rosco and fed him for the second time today. It was like a peace offering because I had been gone so much today. He purred after I sat down at the computer and started to weave his way around my feet. I had this cat since college and he cheered me up about as much as he cleaned me out of tuna.

“Not now Rosco. I need to find a job.”

He looked at me disinterested and lay on my feet, purring like a small motor on the tops of them. I ignored the weight on my feet, settling for that instead of him lying on my keyboard and went to the job board in Atlanta. I was looking for a few different key words and for once there was more than a few new ones. It was two in the morning when I started to apply to a couple jobs around the city. I didn’t want to go to work at the diner, but I knew it was going to happen soon if I didn’t get something that would use this degree I was going to be paying back for the next decade or two.

I wasn’t too hopeful that I would get a call back. When I first starting looking I was sure that it would be an easy thing. Now I knew differently and I felt like I was just plugging along, hoping that something would change, even though I had a fear that it wouldn’t.

Turning the computer off, I sighed to myself and checked my phone to see if Amber had called. I would talk to her later and went to lie down. I didn’t want to wait up for her, but I knew she would wake me up one way or another.

My thoughts raced when I lay down as they did most nights, uncertainty at the core. I thought of Amy and Justin. I didn’t get why she kept going back, but I had to wonder what the draw was. I knew the basics, but the emotions and feelings I didn’t get at all. Why in the world would someone put themselves through that over and over again, for a guy? It just didn’t make sense to me.

Amber and her line of work didn’t make sense to me either. Why would she choose to be around men like Tony?

The phone rang around four in the morning and I answered, not even needing to look at who it was. I already knew.

“Hey sis, long night?”

Chapter 2

Claire

I woke up groggy and the phone going off next to me. It was late, I could tell by the sunshine coming through the window like tiny little blades of glass in my eyes. I closed my eyes and lay back down. My head hurt, most likely from the few drinks I’d imbibed.

The phone stopped ringing and I laid there for several minutes in the silence before I braved opening my eyes again. It was pretty outside when I finally pulled the curtain back. It was like jumping in cold water, get it over with quick. Pulling the shade back had me squinting, but I was finally able to see the day in front of me.

I wanted to be positive, even though my head was throbbing incessantly. I picked up my phone only after I had a cup of coffee in my hands. I had a feeling that it was going to be Amy. She always drank more and recovered quicker. It was proof I was a light weight or she was a witch, not sure which one.

I didn’t even look to see if she was the one that had called. I just dialed her number and let it ring while I took my first sip of coffee. It was heavenly.

“Hey Amy, I can’t believe you are up so early. I was going to give you some time to wake up before I called, but since you already did, what’s up?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you call a little while ago?”

“No, I am trying to figure out why I am even awake right now. It is only nine Claire.”

I laughed and apologized. “I will call you back when you have gotten your beauty sleep. Just answer me one thing?”

“What?”

“Is Justin there?”

There was a pause that spoke volumes and I just shook my head. I should have known that she would call him up.

“It’s your fault because you wouldn’t stay over.”

“Bye Amy. Call me when you have rolled out of bed and gotten rid of him.”

“Okay.”

I hung up and just shook my head in disbelief. Amy really was a bit off when it came to men. If sex is what made a woman like that, I was thankful that I hadn’t gone that way. How exhausting it would be to make bad decisions based on a few minutes in bed.

Looking to see who did call me if it wasn’t Amy, I didn’t recognize the number. Pushing the recall button, I heard a recording that I had reached the offices of Future Plans HR Department. My heart instantly started to race. This was the call that I had been waiting for and I had been lying about in bed.

Waiting for someone to come on the line, I told them that my name was Claire Adams and I was returning a phone call. When she didn’t automatically know what they had called me for, I told her that I had recently put in an application. It was very recent, like a few hours ago, but I was holding out for this being what I needed.

“Yes, Claire. We were calling to set up an interview later this afternoon if you are available. I have a couple of positions for someone with your degree as a starting position. I would like to fill those as soon as possible if you are interested.”

I was, far more interested than I would be able to express. “Yes of course. Just let me know the time and place.”

“Very good, we like eager. I will connect you to Andrea and she will take care of you.”

I thanked the woman, never catching her name. Staring at myself in the mirror, I frowned at my appearance. My blonde hair was hanging limp around my face and my blue eyes were dull. The best thing I could do was get started on straightening myself up. I was going to worry about it for the next few hours anyways, so I might as well look my best. This was the interview that I was waiting for and everything had to be perfect.

***

The building in and of itself was enough to be impressive. It was at least fifteen floors and I felt quite small standing in front of it, looking up to the top. I couldn’t actually see where it all ended. From this vantage point, Future Plans looked like something from the future. I just had to find out if this was going to be part of my own future or not.

I gave my name to the lady in the front. She was a general secretary and she was the one that had the information. “You have an appointment at four with Caroline Channing.”

I nodded my head that her information was correct. I was given a visitor badge that I wasn’t expecting and instructions on where to go after I got off the elevator. There were several people behind me as I was leaving and I hoped that they weren’t there for the job as well. I needed this and no matter what, I had to get this job today. All I wanted to hear was that I was hired.

The elevator was slow and it took several minutes to get almost to the top. I would be meeting Caroline on floor fourteen and as the elevator went up, so did my anxiety. This was the big time and I was scared to death to mess this up.

The instructions from the elevator were a little confusing, but it made more sense when I got there. The financial level was a maze of cubicles and offices and the four turns were necessary to find the office of Caroline Channing. I took a deep breath and knocked. It was now or never.

***

“Come in.”

I opened the door slowly and was almost instantly relieved at the smiling woman that was in front of me. She wasn’t much older than me and I don’t know why I felt better. I felt like I had a chance now, as she hadn’t been out of college that long either.

“Claire Adams?”

I nodded my head that I was she and she motioned me to the seat across from her desk. “Nice to meet you. I was glad to see your resume in my inbox this morning. You have all of the educational requirements that we are looking for. Sadly that has been a hard thing to find it seems and even with several recruiters I have two open positions.”

She was babbling and I was just to the point of smiling and nodding. I was listening, but more just waiting for her to get to the interview. Her desk was covered in work and I could tell that she was scattered brain for a reason. It seemed like she needed me, as much as I needed the job.

Caroline asked me about school and my grades. I had a copy of my transcripts with me just in case and when I offered to show her she took a few minutes going over everything. “Great grades and I can see that Stats was your best class. Very impressive Claire.”

“Thank you.” I was waiting for the but now. Like I had all of the education, but we were looking for someone with a little more experience. That was the but I was waiting to come out of Caroline’s mouth.

“Well everything looks to be in order Claire and I think you would be a great fit here. We focus on efficiency and I can see that you will be perfect. I have talked to a couple of your professors and bosses and everyone raves about you. We need the passion they describe here. I need people that are passionate about numbers.”

It was a silly thing to say, but I could relate. Numbers were easy because they didn’t change. Everything else changed and I liked the simplicity of numbers. I found it soothing, while most found it mind numbing.

Caroline went over the pay packet and the benefits that they offered. It was higher than I would have thought and there were many perks to working there. While Future Plans was still small in comparison to their rivals, they were making a name for themselves and apparently believed in taking care of the employees. “The employees take care of the customers, so Rick likes to make sure that we are taken care of. You couldn’t ask for a better boss. He is demanding, but I am sure you won’t have any trouble here. I have a good feeling about you Claire.”

I thanked her for her kind words and the opportunity. I almost wanted to get out of there quickly so that she couldn’t change her mind. I don’t know why I was so worried about it, but I was. I needed this job and it had just fallen on my lap a little too easily. I wasn’t used to it and I am sure that is why I felt this way.

“Do you have any questions for me Claire?”

I couldn’t think of a thing. “When do you want me to start?”

Caroline smiled and the woman looked beautiful for a moment. Her smile made the rest of her face more inviting and it was almost like seeing an eclipse with the belief that you wouldn’t see it again for a very long time.

“Start tomorrow at nine sharp. Make sure you are on time. You will have a meeting with the rest of the consultants and with the CEO Rick in the morning.”

“Sounds good, thank you again.”

She told me that it was no problem. “I am just happy you applied. I was starting to think I would never fill those positions and I was going to have to do it all. We are in our busy time with all of the annual reports going out. Businesses are feeling the pinch and many want to know where all of their money is going.”

I left not long after that. Caroline had a lot of work to do and she was happier than when I first came in. She was inviting in her own way and I hoped to see her again. Caroline had changed my life and she didn’t even know it.

Going down to the fifth floor, I picked up a packet from HR and made my way out to the parking garage. I had a handful of paperwork in my hands to do with the insurance and the 401K. I felt like for the first time, I was finally an adult, with a real job and everything.

I had to call Amy with the good news, but first I had to get home. It had been a long day with a late start, but everything was starting to look up if nothing else.

Chapter 3

Rick

“Good morning baby.”

I looked to Bella and smiled. She was lying next to me and I could feel by where our skin touched that she wasn’t wearing any clothes. I don’t remember asking her to stay the night, but I wasn’t going to argue with the results of waking up to her supple body. It did something to me and it wasn’t long before I was pulling her to me. The softness of her skin was intoxicating and before long I had her on top of me. It gave her the power and me the best view in the house.

“Do you have to work today?”

I grabbed her hips to hurry her along. “You know that I do.”

My teeth gritted to the tightness surrounding me and I pulled her down for a kiss. I didn’t want to talk, but Bella had something on her mind. She was pouting, her bright red lips poked out. Did she sleep with makeup on?

Pushing her hands to my chest to brace herself, she slowed down and made me groan. It wasn’t enough to push me over and I think that was her purpose. I was starting to feel need boil up, but the way she was riding me was prolonging it. I was going to be late and didn’t have time for her antics. She knew exactly what it was that she was doing.

Rolling her underneath me, I thrust in a few times hard and fast, sending us both to the edge. I heard my name called out and it was the best start to the day.

I got up and told her that I would call her a cab.

“Why can’t I be here when you get back Rick? Do you have another girl planned for tonight?”

She shouldn’t ask questions that she doesn’t want answers to. “It’s not like that Bella. You know that I like my privacy. I will call you.”

I would too, but it would be a week or two from now. I had to give her time in between so she wouldn’t get clingy fast. While Bella knew she wasn’t the only one, she still wanted to be the only woman in my life. I tried to tell her that I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but like many women, she thought falsely that she could change my mind.

“When…? And don’t say soon, I really hate when you say that.”

I was going to say soon. That was my answer to that question. I liked ambiguous answers that I couldn’t be held to. If I told her a day or a week and I didn’t call, she would pop up at my work again. “Very soon.”

Bella pouted, but I ignored the look. She did that a lot when she didn’t get her way. I would have stopped seeing her a long time ago, but Bella was talented in other ways. She was a great girl, but just not for me. I told her that one day she would find who it was she was looking for. I knew when that day came, it wouldn’t be me.

I jumped in the shower and checked the time. I had about twenty minutes to get to work and start a major meeting. The company wasn’t in trouble, but we were going to be soon enough if we didn’t get some more staff in to take care of all of the new clients. My little consulting firm had really taken off, but staffing it had become a big problem. I hoped for all of our sakes that Caroline had found a couple employees for me.

The drive to work was relaxing. After the orgasm with Bella and the jazz on the stereo, I was ready for another day. I parked in the same spot I had for several years and made my way to the elevator. All the way up to the top, I got out and stopped by the conference room. Everyone was already in there because they know how I hated tardiness. Waving at a few, I told them I would be back in a minute. I needed a cup of coffee in my hand, one that my assistant already had ready for me. It was times like this that she was a real lifesaver.

“Busy day Karen?”

“Not too bad. You have the meeting in a few minutes and then a couple of consults with Jerry Adkins. I don’t know how long that will run. You know how long-winded he is, so I left the afternoon open. If you get back from lunch before three, I have something else lined up for you. We will just see how everything is going.”

I thanked her and looked back towards the conference room. “Any new faces?”

“Caroline hired a girl yesterday. She has a great education, but no experience.”

I was not sure how that would go. It would either go really good, or it would be a disaster. I never knew which way it was going to go. “I didn’t see her in there. When does she start?”

“Today I think. Not really sure. I can find out if you want me to boss.”

I declined the offer and made my way to the conference room at the end of the hall. I was there with a handful of my best consultants, as well as the hiring manager. I looked around the room. I didn’t see anyone new and I thought that maybe Karen had been mistaken.

“Good morning everyone. How was your evening?”

Everyone gave a nod or a short answer. I wasn’t the only one that looked like they needed coffee, so I sent Karen to get a cup for everyone. We had a lot to cover and a lot of new clients that had to be given a consultant. It was going to be a long meeting and the last thing I needed was people unable to pay attention.

When Karen came back, she was the savior to most and I pulled Caroline to the side.

“I heard you hired someone yesterday?”

She nodded and I could tell that the question made her uncomfortable.

“Did she not show up?”

“Not yet, Sir. I told her nine. I didn’t think that she would be late. You should see her resume and she was actually almost a half an hour early for the interview.”

“Give her a few more minutes and if she doesn’t show up, keep looking.”

“Of course, Sir.”

I went to the front of the long table and sat down. I was clearing my thoughts, trying to figure out what I was going to say first, when the side door opened and a young blonde walked in. She was tall and petite, nothing special in my world. Her eyes were a blazing blue that really stuck out to me and it was hard to look away when I met her gaze. That was a little different and made her unique.

Caroline introduced her to the group and while I thought she was pretty, she was also almost fifteen minutes late. She tried to give an excuse but I stopped her. I just didn’t want to hear why. I wanted to hear that it would never happen again.

“Just sit down Miss…”

“Claire Adams.”

“Well Miss Adams, find a seat and try to keep up.”

I was slightly irritated by the new employee being late on her first day. I was sure it was to make sure that her shoes and her black bag matched, or that her makeup was perfect. I didn’t think she was going to last long.

The meeting went as expected. There was a lot to cover, namely several new clients that had set up consultations. It was more than I could take on and that is why I was building the consulting team. I eyed the young blonde that was staring wistfully out the window.

“Am I boring you Miss Adams?”

Her name jolted her up from her seat and she shook her head that I wasn’t.

“This is where I give out assignments. Do you think you are ready for one?”

I expected her to get a nervous look on her face, wide eyes, but she just nodded her head that she was ready. I was surprised, shocked even, but I had to begrudgingly admit to myself that I liked her spunk. She looked me right in the eyes, accepting the challenge. I had thrown down the gauntlet and that didn’t seem to bother her one bit.

Caroline interjected that it was literally her first day and I remembered her saying she was fresh out of college with no experience, but I couldn’t back down from a challenge any more than she could apparently.

“I think that if Miss Adams wants to give it a shot, we should let her. Our reputation is not so fragile.”

I wasn’t even going to pretend that I had faith in her. I didn’t have much, but I wanted to see how it would all turn out. My aggravation had turned to intrigue. I usually knew what was going to happen next, but this time I was left in the dark. It was a nice change of pace from everything that was so predictable.

“You can have Baker’s Food. I will need a report on my desk by the end of the week. Since it is only three days away, I suggest you get started.”

She thanked me, but didn’t budge. “Now Miss Adams, you need to get started now.”

“You want me to leave the meeting?”

The exasperated feelings were coming back and I shook my head up and down slowly like she was an idiot. I don’t know what possessed me to, but there was something about that woman that put me on edge. I didn’t like inconsistency and surprises and she was both.

***

“You were kind of harsh on her, don’t you think?”

I shook my head that I didn’t know what she was talking about, but we both know that I did. She was talking about Miss Adams. Caroline didn’t usually say anything to me in this way, but she seemed to have a protective feel for her.

“She was late. You know I don’t tolerate tardiness.”

“Her only cat died this morning. She had to dispose of the body before she came in.”

Still I didn’t see what had caused her to be so late. “As cold as it is outside, you would think she would have just chucked it in the bin.”

“That was even worse.”

I tried to look innocent. “What? I don’t like cats.”

Caroline just shook her head at me like there was no hope for me and I had to admit that she could have been onto something. Was I that rough on her?

“Well, be a little nicer. It took me weeks to find her. You keep scheduling all these consults and it is going to be me and you doing them all.”

“You aren’t going to leave me because I am too mean?”

She nodded that she wouldn’t. “You are like a little puppy. Your bark is worse than your bite. They just don’t know it yet.”

I watched the young woman leave and I had to admit that she made me pause. I didn’t look at what I was doing all that much, not really. There wasn’t a lot of time for self-reflection and I can’t say that I really liked it all that much. I didn’t want to think about how I was perceived by the rest of the world.

“Well you will just have to wait and see.”

I had a feeling that I was going to be proven right. I don’t think the young girl was going to be up to snuff. Caroline had faith in her, but I didn’t. I think for all of her bravado, I would have to go back over the numbers and find out where Baker’s Food was bleeding money. It is what I did after all.

The idea that I would be wrong, never actually crossed my mind.

Chapter 4

Claire

“Ugh, you should have heard him Amy. I swear that if I didn’t need this job, I would have walked out right there. I can’t help it if I was late. What was I supposed to do with Rosco?”

“Did you tell him what was going on?”

“He didn’t want to hear it.”

I felt close to tears and I was so very glad that Amy was off and available to listen to my rant that switched to tears several times. I had one of the worst first days of my life. In less than two hours, I had lost all hope for Future Plans being in my future. The owner was a jerk.

Rosco died, still not sure how. I found him when I woke up and even though my alarm clock had been set early, it had taken me a considerable amount of time to get myself together. I did my best, but to have heard Rick talk about it, I was the lowest form of scum for being late.

“Then don’t go back.”

“Oh I am going to, just to prove it to him. Caroline told me that Baker’s Foods is huge, I mean really big and they are losing a lot of money. It is a big client and Rick thinks I am going to fail. I won’t though and then I will show him.”

Amy sat back in the patio seat and just shrugged. “There is always a spot at the diner. It is a lot less drama than your job already is. You take orders and give out food. The living is okay.”

“No, it wouldn’t be enough. I have student loans.”

Amy told me that she was just throwing it out there, but I really wasn’t ready for that. I know that I made it sound like it was a horrible job and maybe it would turn out to be, but really it was just Rick. He had been so rude that I still wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do to handle him.  All I could do was do the best job that I could and prove him wrong.

“I don’t know. Sorry I am bitching so much. You just should have seen it. The sad part is that the guy was really hot. I mean rich and handsome, so of course he is a total jerk. Caroline talked about Rick like he was this great guy, but I just don’t see it.”

“What did he look like?”

“Tall, dark and handsome with the greenest eyes I have ever seen. They look like little emeralds or something.”

She looked at me a little queer, so I shut up. Okay, he was really hot and even thinking about him got me a little warm under the collar. It seemed like a waste that he was such a jerk because he was just so damn cute.

“That sounds like it has some potential.”

I scoffed. “He was just named the richest man in Atlanta. I don’t think he is worried about me and there is certainly no potential there.”

Amy was a dreamer, but one of us had to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground. It wasn’t going to be her.

“I am just saying Claire, could you imagine?”

I couldn’t and I ignored the next five minutes of conversation that came out of her mouth. I didn’t need help thinking about him in that way. It was literally the first thing that I thought of when I saw him. Now she was helping me fill in some details and that was not helping at all.

When Amy left that night, I was a little tired but I couldn’t sleep. She had put more crap in my head and it wasn’t helping my state of mind. I didn’t want to think of him that way, but I knew when I saw him next I was going to check out a particular part of him, just to see.

I giggled to myself thinking about what Amy had said earlier. “What, you haven’t bulge-checked him yet!?”

She was incredulous and all I could do was laugh. Amy was a little crazy, but man she made me laugh.

***

Caroline gave me a file about as thick as my arm and told me to have at it. “I know this is a lot, but I am sure you will do fine.”

We went over briefly what they were looking to find and I sat down to do just that. It was Wednesday and I only had a couple of days until I had to turn in my report. I was supposed to somehow find where the company was bleeding money and profits.

It didn’t take long to conclude that I was going to need more time. The sheer volume of paperwork to go through was too much for such a short time. I tried to categorize and go through the numbers like I had learned in all of those college classes, but in the end I decided to go about it another way. This was a challenge and so was the time line. I had a feeling that they had given me till Friday to figure out, so there would be ample time for someone else to go over it.

I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to surprise them all, namely Rick that thought so little of me so far. I wanted to prove myself, still thinking that if I did, he would see me more as an equal, than a lemming that he can turn his nose up at.

So instead of going over the numbers until I was blue in the face, in an amount of time that wasn’t going to be sufficient for the kind of report I wanted to turn in, I decided that I would do something a little unconventional. I found out where the closest factory was a few hours outside of Atlanta and I called to set up an appointment. They sounded surprised that I wanted to come there, but the factory manager was actually on site and eager to talk. He was eager to help in any way that he could. The stockholders were not happy with the last quarter earnings and the whole year had seen far too much in waste and labor. Something was going on and I promised him that we were going to get to the bottom of it.

When I got off of the phone, I was feeling a little more optimistic than before, but I still wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I felt like it was a now or never kind of situation and I wanted to make sure that I was able to rise to the occasion. I just had to.

I made my way down to the factory and met with Johnson Grey. He was a nice man, but he wasn’t sure where to start. I wasn’t either, but I had made some notes of certain product lines that were suffering the most. It had to be somewhere and since the factory was tens of thousands of square foot, I decided that it would be easier to check there, than needle in the haystack style.

“Are you going to look at the books?”

“I have Sir. Now I wanted to get a sense of how everything works here and see if I can spot any areas that can be changed to give you a better result. That is why I’m here.”

Johnson smiled at me and asked me again if I was single. This wouldn’t happen if I was a man, but I just smiled and told him that I wasn’t. I didn’t want to lie, but I needed time to get productive. I didn’t have time to make goo-goo eyes with the factory manager.

I started with a couple of the production lines that showed the most loss. I didn’t know much about all of it, but soon I had several helpful gentlemen helping me understand everything. Scott walked me through every machine that he worked in the area of French fries. I would never have known how much went into making a fry. I would never look at them the same again, that much I knew for sure. Apparently there was an art to them.

“So where do you think the waste is coming from? This area was the highest percentage wise.”

He shrugged and told me that all of the waste was the same as before. “We have tons of scraps left over, but the boss isn’t interested in trying to use it. If we chipped it up in the T-32, we could make tater tots or even hash browns.”

“Introducing another product to use up the waste is a great idea Scott. I will make a note of that.”

Scott blushed a little and his face almost was the same color as his shirt. I thanked him for his time and went on to the next area that was causing trouble. There was a strange amount of maintenance going on in one area and there were several wrecked fork lifts that were years from scrapping.

It didn’t take long to see why that was. The man driving one almost ran me over. He was smoking a cigarette and talking on his phone. He wasn’t paying attention at all and once I noted his name on a notepad, I knew that he was going to be the name I found on the incident reports.

Maintenance in general was an issue, but I saw that by the lack of maintenance on some machines, the ones doing poorly, they were actually losing money from losing the machine way before it was supposed to become useless. This was due to a low labor cost in that sector. The loss of production made it impossible for the same amount of people to keep up. It was all starting to make sense to me.

I found Johnson and asked to see his journals for the last year. He didn’t ask any questions, but he did seem anxious when he handed them over. I don’t know why he was worried, but I had a feeling that if he was audited right now, there would be a lot of discrepancies that would be found.

“Is there any problem areas that you would like me to look at?”

He shook his head and I had to wonder how he seemed to know so little about his factory all of a sudden. I talked to him about the labor costs, but again he was very ambiguous with his answers. He only made me look harder, though I am sure he was hoping for the opposite to occur.

I left the factory and instead of going straight back to Atlanta I took the evening off in a hotel close by. I had found some things in their accounting that was questionable at best, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do about it. I couldn’t tell the boss that he was getting reamed by his own employees, but yet that was very much my job to do that very thing.

So I spent most of Thursday pouring over everything that I had gone over and then I made another trip to the factory. Caroline called me about mid-day, worried that I had already quit, but I told her where I was. She was surprised, but happy to hear that I would be back in the morning with results.

“Did you find the problem?”

“I found several that will save them close to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars or more with very little changes. There is also an opportunity to turn three hundred from waste into about a half a million in useable product. I think I have everything I need here.”

I sounded a little more sure than I really was. I wasn’t sure if all of those things were going to be enough. I told Caroline that I was going to check all of my numbers again. She sounded happy to hear that it went so well. I had a feeling that she was just happy to have some help. She had made that clear before when I was being interviewed.

I just hoped I had enough to prove Rick wrong. I wanted to see his face when he saw my report, so I had to make sure that everything was perfect. I was not going to be able to prove my point if it wasn’t perfect. My reputation in the firm and maybe even my job was on the line. It was a lot of pressure as I drove back to Atlanta. I called Amy to see if she was working. She was, so I took the rest of the night in to write the report. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

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Be My Bride

A Billionaire and Virgin Romance

Blurb

I had a decision to make, that would change everything.

Could I say ‘I’ do for business?

I had one rule in life, don’t fall in love. Now I have fallen for my wife.

I had everything that a man could want.
My bank account was stuffed, I had a new woman every night of the week and every guy wanted to be me.
Life was perfect.
I thought I had everything that I wanted.
Then something was offered that I hadn’t been able to secure myself.
I wanted to win the favor of the best investor in the country and learn his ways.

Ronald Gary was a hard man to get a hold of.
When I did, he had a proposal that I couldn’t refuse.
I was to marry his daughter.
A woman I had never met.

I met her on our wedding day and she was beautiful.
Long legs and a curved body called to me from underneath the veil.
I fell for her charm and wit, but I wanted more.
I wanted the real marriage, the real wife.
I wanted my hands on her.

Once I knew that she was to be mine in all ways,
I had to figure out a way to convince her.
All I had to do was get my hands on her and I would show her what I could do.
Her innocence was intoxicating and I was drunk from my own need.

I was going to be her first.
Her only.

I was going to be the man to make her scream.

Chapter 1

Keenan

“Sir, can we please have a picture?”

I tried not to look annoyed as I got out of the vehicle. I was here for a charity event, but there was never a situation in this world that didn’t involve the press. I smiled for the cameras and then put my hand out to get Ashlyn out of the limo. She was my date for the night and I might as well get the picture part over with.

We stood together for a few moments while the flashes blinded my eyes before I told them that it was enough. I was there to give away a large amount of money, the last thing I needed was to be blind for the rest of the night. As I walked into the banquet hall, there were still bright colored blotches in my eyes that I was trying to blink away.

“It is so beautiful Keenan, don’t you think?”

I looked around and agreed. It was a nice place, decorated to the hilt and I had to wonder how much of the donations tonight were going to pay for that. It would have been more fiscally responsible to just send the money in, but this was how the charity world worked. Half of the money raised was spent to congratulate the ones that donated. It was a vicious cycle and I was only here because my father insisted. He didn’t insist much, but tonight was for him. He had even remarked that I should bring a lady of class with me as well. When I found out about those on the guest’s lists, I heeded his warning.

Ashlyn was as close as I could get on such short notice. Most of the women that I saw were models and debutants, but that didn’t make them any kind of classy when a few drinks were in them. My father had asked that I didn’t bring one of my whores with me. Ashlyn was a woman I had met through the family years ago. We had a few dalliances until we realized that we were better as friends. She was the only one that I knew I wanted around that long and I loved the look on her face.

“You act like you haven’t seen a place like this before.”

She gave me a look that reminded me what else I knew about her. She hadn’t come from the same world as me and I was sure that was part of why I got along with her so well. She had none of the airs that the usual women I dated did. She didn’t care what designer she had on or what kind of drink was in the glass. I didn’t have to spend all of my time trying to impress her and she could just enjoy herself. I was almost envious at the way that she could see everything in a positive way.

“Sorry, I didn’t think about it.”

Ashlyn waved me off and was going for a tray of drinks. She looked back at me and asked if I wanted one. It was rather ridiculous for her to ask, but that was just how she was. Ashlyn didn’t have time for how things were supposed to be.

“Here. At least they have good food and drinks. I don’t know why you were so hesitant to come. It looks like it is going to be a good time.”

“Only you would think so.”

“Only you could be a sour puss in the middle of all of this. Come on, let’s get something to eat. Is there going to be any bands playing or anything like that? I really want to dance.”

Her brown eyes were alight and I wished for a moment that there was something more than a friendship between us. For all intent and purpose, we should have been more. My father would have hated me not marrying a rich woman, but that would almost be a bonus. There just wasn’t that chemistry between us that a woman and man needed to be more. It really was a shame. She was perfect, just not for me. I almost felt more like her brother, protective of her in that way.

I told her that we would dance in a little while after we ordered our plates. I was just tired of the same people around me all of the time and it was shocking how many of the same people I had seen at the last charity drive. That one was for children’s relief fund. I really couldn’t be sure because all of these things seemed to run together.

When we found our names for the seating, I saw that I was going to be next to Ronald Gray. He was a business man that was old to the investing game. He was a man that I had tried to get ahold of several times, but I was never able to secure an appointment. It didn’t matter that I was worth a few billion. He had more money than God from what I heard and I wanted a piece of it.

It was one of the main reasons that my father had told me to make an appearance and Ronald was literally the only reason that I had. To my chagrin though, the man wasn’t there yet. I had to hope that he hadn’t sent someone else in his stead. It would be my luck.

Ten minutes later, I saw the older man coming to the table and I started to relax. Everything was going to be okay. I really needed to listen to Ashlyn about that sometimes. She was convinced that I wished bad things on myself always expecting them to happen.

“Well I didn’t expect to see you here Keenan.”

I stood up a little to shake his hand and cover up the surprise that he actually knew who I was. He was like an investment guru and anyone that was taken under his wing was made richer in days. Ronald had the magic touch and I hoped for that now.

His hand was firm and I smiled at the woman that he had with him. She was an older woman and I was as equally shocked that he would take his wife to one of these things. Most men his age would have taken a beautiful young woman, most likely the mistress. If I had to guess, they were about ninety percent of the women that were in this room.

“This is my wife Evelyn.”

She was beautiful and had kept up well with her age. I don’t know why, but her being in our midst puzzled me so much that I had to have it pointed out that I hadn’t introduced Ashlyn. When I did, I felt a little embarrassment.

“This is my friend Ashlyn.”

The older woman smiled at Ashlyn and I could tell that she found me rude. It was not very often that I was looked on that way and I knew I was going to have to win her back if I wanted to work with her husband. I had heard that he was a family man and now I was starting to see how real that assertion had been.

We all sat down and the waiter was there almost immediately for Ronald. I didn’t like to point out in my mind that we had been sitting here for several minutes and was still not waited on. It was a humbling moment if nothing else that just drove me to want to get to know him more and figure out how I could make the money that he does. I had the capital. I just needed a nudge in the right direction.

“You know, it’s funny Keenan.”

“What is that Sir?” I hadn’t been paying too much attention, too much in my own head.

“I think that it is strange that you are here tonight. I had my assistant check and see who would be at this table and I was told a few extras that don’t seem to be here at all in attendance. Mr. and Mrs. Winchester.”

I looked away for a moment and took a drink of the wine in front of me. I had made sure that I was at his table. I didn’t care how it happened. I didn’t know what to say and I figured that if Ronald was saying anything, then it would be because he already knew what was going on.

“What can I say Sir? You are a hard man to get a hold of.”

Evelyn agreed with me and told me that she liked my initiative. I was surprised that she had anything good to say, however her and Ashlyn had been talking for some time. Leave it to Ashlyn to make me look good. She was the reason that I had brought her here, not knowing how much I was going to need her in the end.

“Yes, I suppose you are right dear. Not much of a loss I must say. The Winchesters would have most likely gotten drunk and fought the whole time anyways.”

Evelyn gave him a look like he was saying more than he should, though she didn’t disagree with him. I had heard the same thing about them, though I had only met the husband a few times and never with his wife around.

I was just glad that he hadn’t taken it as underhanded, even though that was exactly what it was. Ronald had a high moral compass and I was sure that I would have to tone down a lot of my actions if I was going to go into business with him. I was so sure that it was going to happen. I had convinced myself that all I had to do was meet him and I would be on my way. Ashlyn’s optimism seemed to be rubbing off on me.

***

“Wow Ashlyn, you were magnificent.”

She giggled and pushed me away. “I am serious. I have never been attracted to you as much as I am right now.” Her brown hair was coming down in waves and she had the most beautiful smile on her face. She had done well and I was thankful moreover that I had come and I had brought her with me. She charmed the couple enough that my first few missteps were quickly forgotten. Not only did I get the face time that I wanted, I also got him to agree to see me later in the week. Ronald hadn’t agreed to take me on, but he had agreed to let me run a few ideas that I had by him.

“Well I am not attracted to you Keenan. We tried this before. You are like my brother.”

I sighed and opened the door for her. I have to say that I wasn’t having very brotherly feelings towards her at the moment. I was instead trying to remember the last time we had tried. What had gone wrong?

“You don’t even find me remotely handsome?”

“You know you are gorgeous, but you are too much of a player for me. You always have another woman on your arm Keenan and I am a jealous girl. It is better this way.”

She was getting serious and I guess the look in my eyes said I was getting that way as well. How badly I wanted her and I don’t know what came over me. She suggested that I just needed to get laid. Ashlyn could be right, she knew me too well.

“Come on Keenan, drop me off and call one of your girls over. I will talk to you later. I have a lunch date with Evelyn tomorrow. She was the sweetest woman.”

I just shook my head amazed. “You are an enigma Ashlyn. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Always here to help. Call me when your head is straight Keenan.”

She was getting out of the limo now that we were at her apartment. I waved to her and I knew that she was right. I wouldn’t want to mess up what was between us for just one night of pleasure. There were plenty of women for that.

Chapter 2

Keenan

The meeting with Ronald was scheduled for eleven. We were going to go out to lunch and again I wish that I had Ashlyn with me. Her personality made everything so much smoother and I wanted her there to do just that. Ronald was a hard man to work with from all of the reports and gossip that I had heard on him. But after meeting him I was sure that we were going to work well together. I just had to prove to him that I was worth working with. The man had enough money so I was going to have to offer more than a few more dollars to add to his billions or trillions if some reports were correct.

There was one angle that I thought would work with Ronald. In his old age, he was starting to focus more on philanthropy and I was under the impression that it could be done in tandem with making money. I wasn’t going to push that part of it, but there was no way that I wasn’t going to try to pull him in with the thought of helping. As an investor for new start-ups, there were several that were going to change the world and if I could get Ronald involved, it would turn to gold. Everything he touched always did.

My nerves were banished by a few swigs of the flask in my inside pocket with just enough to take the edge off. I needed to be confident and when I walked into Casp, I was feeling just that way.

When I told the hostess my name, the wattage of her smile doubled. It was once again not because of whom I was, my name was pretty big in Chicago. She was more worried about making Ronald happy and I came to realize then that I was going to have to leave my ego at the door if I was going to be seen around town with him. No one here was going to ask for my picture, not with a guy like Ronald around. I was no longer the big fish in the pond. It was a strange sensation to say the least.

“Keenan, glad that you could make it and on time. Punctuality is the key to life.”

I could have mentioned that he was late the last time I saw him, but I would imagine that he was always on time. No matter where he went, whatever time that he showed up was the time that he was supposed to be there. He just had that kind of pull on everyone. It was that quality in particular that I wanted to harness from Ronald, that and more money.

“I wouldn’t have missed this lunch for the world. Like I said before, you are a hard man to get in contact with.”

Ronald shook my hand and then I sat down. He was dressed in much of the same suit as he had been before. It was one of his quirks. The same brown suit that he had been wearing for thirty years. Some say it was because it was a lucky suit and he was superstitious. Others assured that he had taken away the options of what to wear in the morning for efficiency. It was a question that I would have liked an answer to, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask such a thing.

“I have seen a few calls from you Keenan, but I felt at the time that we weren’t very compatible to work together. We have very different goals and are in different stages of life.”

I had a bad feeling that this was going to be a polite rejection and I raced to think of what to say so that wouldn’t be the case.

“Well you have really ramped up your charitable giving.”

His brow went up. “You have kept up with what I do?”

“Sir, I think there are thousands of people, maybe more, that do. When you drop a stock, everyone scrambles to do the same.”

“But my charitable giving doesn’t make me money. You have done well for yourself son, but it is clear where your priorities lie.”

I didn’t like the way the conversation was going. We didn’t even have food on the table and I was starting to think that we weren’t going to get that far. It was hard to not feel anxiety bubbling up. I really wish that Ashlyn was here. She would know what to say.

“I have made a lot of money and I plan to make more, but I am becoming choosy about how I do so. I want to make a difference, just as much as I want to add to my net worth. That I think is something that we have in common. You did not get where you were just doing the right thing. I believe that multiple goals can be accomplished with only one act.”

Now I had his interest and I was thankful that I was right. I knew that the old Ronald was still in there.

“You are right Keenan, there is always more than one goal. I have a few of my own and it doesn’t solely involve giving away most of my money.”

I hoped that this was a sign that we were getting somewhere. I just had to figure out what his goal was and make sure that he knew that I was the one to do it.

“What kind of goals are you looking to accomplish? I am sure there is nothing that you can’t do.”

The old man looked away and I felt a redness creeping up his neck. Whatever it was, it was something big and I waited on the edge of my seat to see what it was. What would make a man like that, act like this?

“Did you know that I have a daughter?”

I actually did not. I heard and read a lot about his son, doing big things in business like his father, but I had never once known that there was a daughter as well.

“No I did not.”

“You wouldn’t. She is quite a bit younger than Anton. Gemma is our miracle child and I tried to keep her from this life. Now she rejects it all together. I want her married off, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Anton has decided that he is gay, a decision I stand by, but that leaves me with only Gemma to give me grandchildren. I want to see them before I leave this world. That is my goal.”

I sat back and tried not to whistle through my teeth. How many things I had imagined he would say? Never this. I had so many more thoughts in my head and I had to admit that he had me stumped. I told Ronald as much and he chuckled as he sat back. “Well you asked my goal. Main one is to get my daughter married. She is spirited though and she has yet to get a suitable suitor. I have paid off countless men to get her away from them, but it doesn’t seem to matter. She just finds another one and I think she does it to drive me crazy.”

I was shocked that Ronald was being so forthcoming. It made me a little leery of why I was being told such a personal tale. The man was the type that didn’t do or say anything for no reason. He had a reason, even if I didn’t know what it was at the time.

“So why are you telling me this Sir?”

“Because you asked.”

I nodded, but waited for what was left. I knew there was more and I was starting to get an idea of what it was. I was holding out with the hope that I was wrong, but I really didn’t think that I was.

“And because I think that we can help each other.”

Now I was paying attention listening for the terms that I knew were going to be high. I just had to see if they were too high for me.

“In what way?”

“Well I take it you want to work with me, have me take you under my wing, teach you everything that I know so you can take your 3.27 billion and make it into something a small country would envy. Am I right?”

He was exactly right in so many words and I was waiting for what he wanted out of it. I was sure I was wrong about what I was thinking. He didn’t want me to…

“Well you know what I want, my goal.”

“I don’t see how they are connected.”

“Well I am not going to waste my time on a no-name. I respect your father, but it is not enough to take you under my wing and teach you. You would have to become something to me. You would have to become family Keenan.”

I sat back in the seat and took another drink of my flask. I didn’t even bother with the wine in front of me. I knew that it wasn’t going to be strong enough for the sort of day that I was having.

“You want me to marry your daughter?”

I had gone from excitement to thinking that this man must be crazy. There was no way that he could be being serious, right? How could I marry a woman that I had never met before? It didn’t make any sense and I knew that he must be senile. That’s what it was. He had lost his mind somewhere along the way and I was now making a deal with a crazy man.

“Yes, that’s exactly right.”

“Why?”

“You have the sort of background that I would like to see her marry and although you have a colored past, you have also shown that you can do what is necessary. Your father left his company in a messy state and look what you have done with it? I think that you are the perfect one for the job. My daughter can be quite troublesome and I think you are up for the challenge.”

I had to wonder what kind of woman would need her father to help her get a husband. Was she hideous? He said she was difficult and I had a feeling that was an understatement. How did he figure that he was going to get her to marry me in the first place? He couldn’t make her and we were long past the age of arranged marriages.

The food arrived and I was relieved to get away from the subject. I knew that Ronald wasn’t joking. He was being serious and I had to wonder the desperation that he must have felt to have even propositioned such a thing. How bad could she be?

“So what do you say Keenan?”

I was speechless and there really wasn’t much that I could say. “Well Sir, I appreciate the offer, but I am not really looking for a wife.”

“Why, you are getting old and will soon be past your prime. Do you not want to carry on your name and bloodline?”

I wasn’t that old. I was thirty six, but I had thought about what was going to happen to my legacy when I was gone. I had no brothers or sisters to carry it on and it was all down to me. I am sure my father would be absolutely thrilled, but could I really do something so drastic to make others happy and to further my career? It was a lot to ask for and I needed time to think about it.

“How do you know she would marry me?”

Ronald was happy that I had asked, it meant that I was actually thinking about his crazy scheme.

“Well she would lose her inheritance if she didn’t. Gemma may turn her nose up at money and privilege, but she isn’t stupid. She is used to a certain kind of life. That is how I will get her to agree. Do I have your agreement as well?”

Chapter 3

Gemma

The day had gone from bad to worse. First I went to the store to grab a few things. I needed a new dress and bathing suit for a party on a yacht over the weekend and when I got to the register, all of my credit cards weren’t working. It was extremely embarrassing and I left the store with a bright red face. I don’t know if I am ever going to be able to show my face in there again.

So then I went to the bank to withdraw some money. I wanted to show those store clerks with their smug smiles that I had the money. It was just some kind of bank error. Maybe someone had charged it up and stolen my identity. By the time I got to the local branch, I had convinced myself of this.

When I got in there and talked to the bank teller, I was given the same answer. My request was denied.

“Why may I ask, will you not honor this check?”

“Your account has been frozen Miss Gray. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this.”

“How can my account be frozen?”

“The other person on it has stopped you from being able to withdraw any money for a temporary amount of time.”

“How temporary?” I could deal with a day or two. I don’t know what is going on, but I was still grasping at straws.

“I can’t be sure. Your father will have to take the freeze off before you can withdraw any money or use any of the cards linked to the bank account. I am sorry Miss. Gray.”

I was irritated when I left out of there and I called my dad. I knew that he was the cause of it. When he didn’t answer, I decided to call mom. She would never let this stand. She didn’t want to leave me broke and without money. She wouldn’t do that to me, would she?

“Mom.”

“Hey Gemma. It is good to hear from you. Where are you? I haven’t seen you all day.”

“I am just leaving the bank.”

“Oh okay. Your father and I are leaving for the weekend. I was leaving you a note now.”

I had a feeling that their sudden departure was not a surprise weekend like my mother wanted. Dad was getting out of town so that he didn’t have to hear how ridiculous this was to do to me. Why was he doing this?

“Can I talk to dad real quick?”

I heard the phone being rustled around and then after a minute mom got back on the phone. “He is really busy dear. I will have him call you in a little while, okay?”

I should have said something then, but mom sounded so happy to be getting out with dad that I didn’t want to ruin it for her. It was just for a couple of days and it wasn’t like I really needed anything. It would be fine.

Hanging up with her, I counted the money in my wallet. I only had twenty three dollars. What was I going to be able to do for that amount of money? My weekend plans were quickly going down the tubes, but I refused to make a big deal out of it. This was most likely more of my father trying to teach me a lesson. There was no telling what it was about this time. I would just pretend like I didn’t even know and I wished then that I hadn’t told mom where I was. He was going to know that I knew. So I was just going to have to try my best to forget about it and not bring it up.

It was just a weekend. I can do this.

***

By Saturday I was miserable and even though I had scraped together another hundred from my room, I was still back to broke and without anything to wear. I ended having to use most of the money I had left to get there and then I had to wear something that I already had. It was humiliating in a way, especially with the people I hung out with, but it was better than staying home and letting my father win.

I was starting to feel like I was the one that had won. He had tried to show me and I was going to show him in the end that I was resourceful. If it hadn’t been so hard without money, I would have stopped listening to him a long time ago. But money made the world go round and I certainly didn’t want to do anything to actually make any. My dad had enough, so I didn’t see the point of why I should have to do anything. Wasn’t that the point of getting rich? So that you could give it to your kids and they would never want for anything?

After a beautiful day out on the yacht, instead of everyone staying on it, most of the rest of the group went to a local hotel. It would be more comfortable for such a large group, but I had to stay back. I said that it was because the weather was so pretty that I wanted to sleep under the stars, but in reality I just didn’t have the money for the room. Another embarrassing moment to add to the one when my card got declined.

That night as I stared out at the moon and it started to rain, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to last long this way. It had only been two days and I felt like I was alone adrift in the world. It was far different without my father’s money to smooth over all of the ripples and I can’t say that I liked the feeling all that much. By morning I was miserable and ready to go home, but even then I had to wait for a ride to get me back home. I had never been so humiliated in all of my life.

It was the last day of the weekend and I waited anxiously for my parents to come back home. Neither one had called me and when I tried to call mom, I found that her phone was off. I was blaming it all on dad, sure that he was going through a teachable moment mood. I did not like it at all if I had to be completely honest. It was ridiculous and the more I thought about it, the madder I got. If it wouldn’t have been such a horrible weekend, I may have stuck to the original plan to not let him know it bothered me, but it did and I was never one to suffer in silence. I waited up till almost eleven o’ clock, sitting in the front room, waiting for them to come in.

When they did, I stood up and asked dad if I could speak to him after I gave mother a kiss on the cheek. I was shaking from being so upset and I still wasn’t sure what I was going to say. I never really did know. I just let it fall out of my mouth like word vomit and that was that.

He must have known what I was about to say because he didn’t ask me what was the matter until mom was upstairs and out of our talking range. That also meant that he hadn’t told her about his idea. That was an angle I may have to play later. It just depended on what he wanted to do and how this was all going to end. I wasn’t going to let him get me down and I knew that this was not a lesson that I had learned very well.

“So what is the matter pumpkin?”

His sweet voice was grating on my nerves and there was nothing I wanted to do less than talk to him.

“You know what’s the matter dad, so why are you acting like you don’t know? What did I do this time and what lesson am I supposed to learn? If you tell me now, we can save ourselves both a little bit of a headache. I just want this over with, so tell me what this is about and I will change it for you. I don’t want to have to have another weekend like this. Not ever again, so what do I have to do?”

“Get married.”

It was said quickly and quietly like he didn’t want me to really hear what it was that he had to say. “What?”

“I want you to get married Gemma. I have already picked out a perfect husband for you. I can’t take care of you with just money. You are going to need more than that and I want you to do this. It will set my mind at ease to know that you are properly taken care of.”

I was sure that a fly was going to land in my mouth, it was agape so wide. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was typical dad of course. He was so damn protective. Of course he would have already picked out a husband. I was twenty two years old and the last thing that I was worried about was a husband. This wasn’t the fifties anymore. No one got married at that age. He had me late, so now I was supposed to rush it along so he could be around longer. I had asked him before why he didn’t just go adopt a baby himself. And I was the unreasonable one.

“Dad, you can’t be serious!”

“I am Gemma. I have thought about this a lot and it doesn’t even have anything to do with grandchildren, though you know I would love it if you had some and soon.”

I sighed and I couldn’t believe that we were having this conversation, again. It was rather ridiculous and I wasn’t sure what to say anymore. What do I say to that?

“This is for your future. I know how you are with money Gemma. How are you going to take care of everything?”

Now I was supposed to answer and all I had for him was a shrug. I was still in my early twenties. Why did I have to worry about all of this stuff right now? He acted like he was on his deathbed and for a moment I thought that this was what it was all about. Maybe he was dying and he wanted me to get hitched so that I would be taken care of. Was that it?

“Are you dying dad?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You are acting like you are going to be gone tomorrow.”

“No, but your mother and I want to travel, be gone longer than a couple of days. How was your weekend?”

My face soured up and I pouted out my lips. “It was horrible and I think you know it. You are the one that made sure I was broke this weekend.”

“That is what it will be like all the time if you don’t take care of things or if you aren’t married to a man that can take care of you. I know you are young, but it is time Gemma.”

He made it all sound so rational, even though it was the craziest thing that I had ever heard. Did he hear himself?

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am and the way you are acting now just tells me that I am doing the right thing. I will give you a couple of days to get used to the idea and then you will tell your mother to start with the arrangements. She is not to know about this Gemma. As far as she is going to know, you and Keenan fell in love.”

I was starting to think that my father was crazy and Keenan sounded like a silly name. It was one of those times that I actually hoped all of this madness was just a dream. How could this be real?

Chapter 4

Keenan

The offer ran through my head, as did Ronald, the man that made it. I wanted to think that he was joking or had had a little too much to drink, but neither one was the case. He knew exactly what he was doing and I had a feeling that Ronald knew that I was desperate enough to work with him that I might.

Love and marriage were never on my radar. As far as I was concerned, women were a dime a dozen and I got bored easily. That had made it so that through the years, I never stayed with a girl long, most of the time it was for just one night and then I moved on. Very few women would I see again and only Ashlyn had been one that I had stayed friends with. She was the exception.

Then there was the idea that the girl had to have her father bribe another guy to marry her. Sure I was rich, but it wasn’t like they were desperate for money. He was desperate to get her off of his hands and that didn’t sit well with me at all. What was she like?

I did an internet search to see if I could come up with any kind of picture or likeness and although I found thousands of the rest of the family, the girl seemed to be mainly out of the limelight. It was just another mystery and I felt like I should at least get to see what she looks like before I go ahead and say yes.

I was going to say yes though. Marriage wasn’t this sacred thing that everyone made it out to be. It was just a piece of paper and if that is what Ronald wanted to get him to be my mentor, then so be it. I would give it to him and the peace of mind that came with it. It wasn’t going to mean anything and even the old man had to realize that he couldn’t guarantee the heir that he seemed so bent on having.

Still wanting to have some idea of what Gemma looked like, I called in Mike, a guy that found out everything that I wanted him to. I was going to have him do a little investigating and see what he could come up with. If nothing else, I would get Mike to get me a picture of her now.  I just wanted some inkling of what I was getting myself into. I wondered if she was hideous. Would that even matter?

I decided that it wouldn’t and when Ronald called me for an answer, I still didn’t have a picture.

“Well, have you thought about it Keenan?”

He didn’t say straight out what he was talking about, but there was no sense in pretending that I didn’t know what it was that he was talking about.

“I have thought about it a little bit, but I have to admit that it feels like I am the one with no guarantees in this arrangement. You will have your daughter taken care of and peace of mind, what are my assurances?”

There was silence on the phone and then Ronald asked me what kind of assurances that I wanted. I wasn’t sure, should have thought about it before I opened my mouth.

“What kind of mentoring will I get from you?”

“You want to know if I will make you richer?”

“I was going to word it a little differently, but that is the gist of it. You get what you want, so how will I know that I will get what I want?”

This was a strange way to talk to my future father in law about his daughter that he wanted me to marry. It was just so strange that it was almost surreal and any minute I was going to wake up from this dream and the chance of a lifetime. Be as rich as God, to marry one girl. Right then I realized nothing about her mattered. All that mattered was the position her father could put me in.

“If I back you Keenan, your net worth will do nothing but go up, just knowing me publically will help you out and I think you know that. If you didn’t already know what you could get out of such an arrangement, we wouldn’t be talking right now. We are both busy men, so bullshit aside, have you came to a decision?”

“I just have one question to ask you Ronald.”

“Okay, go ahead. I will answer if I can.”

“Why me?”

Ronald wasn’t expecting that question and for a moment I had to wonder if he knew why. Maybe it had been something that just popped into his head and he blurted it out, but I didn’t think that was it. It was like he knew I was going to be there at the charity event. Did he know that I was going to be the one that he would propose this all to? It just didn’t make sense to me and I wasn’t comfortable in a situation where I couldn’t see all of the angles. Everyone wanted something and I couldn’t clearly see why I had been chosen to marry his daughter.

“Many reasons. You have been trying to get to me for years. The shenanigans at the charity event told me that you were desperate enough to entertain such an idea. You are accomplished, very accomplished in your own rights and that alleviates anxiety that you are in it to get my money. You want to make more of your own and there is nothing wrong with that. Darryl Jameson took me under his wing a little before I turned forty. That’s when everything started to happen for me. So, you have a good family line, your own money and a brain in your head. What more could I ask for in a son in law?”

It was a lot to process, but it was clear that he had read up on me and at least thought it through to some degree. Though I had to wonder why if so much thought was put into this idea of his, why he hadn’t come up with something better than an arranged marriage.

“But why would you do it this way?”

Ronald scoffed. “Why not? Parents have been picking their children’s partners a lot longer than marriage for love. Love is fleeting, but money, obligations and family ties last a life time.”

I felt a shiver run up my spine with his words. How could I have not known that this was going to be more than a marriage? It wasn’t just a piece of paper. It was going to be more, so much more. Insane as it sounds, I was just now starting to realize that this was going to be a lifetime thing that I needed to really think about. Didn’t I have enough money? Did I really need to do all of this just to make more and pick up some prestige?

“You are right. This is a big commitment.”

Ronald chuckled. “You need to make the decision. Are you jumping in or backing off?”

It was a now or never type of situation. I could tell that right from the bat and I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t, there was no way that I would go with such a crazy scheme, but Ronald had been right on all accounts. I was just a little bit desperate. Desperate enough to reach another height that I couldn’t on my own, just to get off of the plateau I was on.

“Yes Ronald. I will marry your daughter. You have a deal.”

The older man exclaimed and I pulled my ear back. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. Most people listened to theirs and let it guide them through their life. I ignored mine every chance I got. The larger the leap, the more uncertainty there was, the more yelling from my gut to stop. This was one of those times and I was just going to see where it took me. Out of all of the deals I had made though, this one seemed to be the biggest.

“Hot damn son. Well good. I have my wife putting something together for this weekend. That will suit you, won’t it?”

“This weekend?” My voice was hoarse and the last bit came out as a croak. This was happening far faster than I would have liked. How was I going to explain this to my own parents? I sighed when I really thought about it. My father would be happy because it was Ronald’s daughter. He wouldn’t care how we met or anything other than attaching ourselves to his family.

My mother on the other hand would want to know everything else. I didn’t have an answer for her and I was already trying to formulate something in my head. Giving me just a few days to figure it out was pushing it in my mind. Why did it have to be so suddenly?”

“Yes, do you have plans? Because if you do, you might want to cancel them.”

“No, no plans that can’t be rescheduled. That is just rather soon. Isn’t a lengthy engagement period considered the right way?”

Ronald told me that he didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter how it looks. Not in this century anyways. I just want it done and everything moving in the right direction.”

There was an urgency I didn’t understand, but I was just going to chalk it up to a hidden health scare or something like that to make him want to put his affairs in order. I tried to remember if I had seen any signs of sickness when I had seen him last. I didn’t remember thinking of anything more than he was sharp and healthy for his age.

I agreed to his mad scheme and got off of the phone not really sure how to feel about it all. I wanted to think of this as the changing point. I was already rich beyond all means, but I was still hungry for more. Now it was power and respect, the kind that I had seen first-hand when I was around Ronald. That is what I wanted and I was on the way to getting it.

The idea that I was going to be married and it all hinged on that was just a thought way off in the back of my mind. It didn’t matter to me anything about her. I would marry his daughter in a few days and I hadn’t even asked to see her first because it was the power and money that I wanted. I had enough women on the side that none of my needs were unsatisfied. Why would any of that change?

I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to imagine what this change was going to be like. I tried to imagine myself as a husband and I just couldn’t. It had never crossed my mind before, but here it was, about to happen. All I had to do was meet my new bride and convince the world that we were happily married and in love.

That didn’t sound that hard. I made a call to the investigator Mike to keep looking. There was no rush on it now, but I wanted to know all that I could about my wife to be.

**END OF PREVIEW**

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***

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Chapter 1

I was just pulling into my driveway when I saw her for the first time. Watching her through the black tinted visor on my motorcycle helmet I couldn’t help but stare at her.

She was slightly pale with long blonde hair, I couldn’t tell what color her eyes were from the shades that she was wearing to protect her eyes from the sun but I’m betting they’re blue.

I checked her out as I shut my motorcycle off and watched as she lifted her head slightly from the basking chair she was laying in.

Her blonde hair was put up in a ponytail and she looked as if she had headphones in her ears but she had a slight smile on her face. I was pretty sure her name was Amanda but I wouldn’t have bet money on it.

Taking off my motorcycle helmet and welcoming the cool breeze that picked up, I was hot in the leather motorcycle outfit I decided to wear, even my feet were soaked with sweat inside my motorcycle boots.

“Nice day isn’t it?” I called over to her, seeing her nod her head and take one of her earbuds out of her ear.

“What’s that?” She called back, she hadn’t heard me but at least she acknowledged that I was talking to her.

“I said nice day, isn’t it?” Repeating myself which I didn’t like to do.

“It is.” She nodded her head, her smile growing wider across her face.

“My names Dean.” I thought I should at least introduce myself and hope that she would do the same.

“Shelly.” She replied. It was a good thing that I didn’t put money on it I would’ve lost but money isn’t anything if you have a lot of it.

“Nice to meet you,” I stated, wanting the conversation to continue but I had to get out of the leather that was surely going to be had to get off my sweaty body.

I left my motorcycle in the driveway and as I reached the steps to the front door it opened and my driver Jake came out.

“Would you like me to move that to the garage for you?” He asked he was a balding man with brown hair and light brown eyes.

“That would be good, thank you. Wash it down so that it looks new.” I grinned at him.             

The motorcycle was my favorite thing to drive. I always made sure after each ride it got a scrub down. Not by me of course, that was the reason why I had so much help. So I wouldn’t have to do it myself.

I hoped that she was going to be outside when I got done taking a shower. Maybe I would invite her over for a drink or two, or to go swimming on this hot day that threatened to get hotter.

Chapter 2

His name was Dean, I had watched him since I moved into the mansion that my father had given me in his will. I stuck to myself mostly and thought about my father and the things that he had done to help me out. I was no stranger to the loneliness. The only people to keep me company was the help that decided to stay on because my father had taken care of their pay as well.

I watched him walk into his house and saw the way he walked he had a lot of confidence, the way he talked to the man that came out of the house I would’ve probably told him to wash his bike himself but that’s just me. I could see that he was kind of a bad boy but I would never let him treat me like that even if I was his help, it didn’t matter how much he was paying me.

My father had taught me to give the same respect that I would expect from others and I always had.

A smile lingered on my face when I thought about being on the back of the motorcycle with him, I had never been on the back of one and it looked thrilling, he looked like a bad boy when he pulled into the driveway. I wasn’t stupid. I knew that he was checking me out and taking his time getting off his bike before he decided to talk to me.

I picked up the spray bottle beside me that had water in it and I spritzed myself with it, the sweat was getting to me and the day was getting hotter. I wanted to get into the pool but it was being cleaned for the start of the summer.

“Is there anything you would like me to get you?” I heard a soft voice behind me.

It was my maid Jenna, she was short with brown hair and dark brown eyes. I didn’t make her wear a uniform. I knew how hot it was outside and I wasn’t going to make her sweat in a uniform that my father had designed for the help.

She was wearing a pair of shorts and a white tank top with flip flops on her feet.

“An ice water would be good.” I smiled up at her, keeping my white framed mirrored sunglasses on.

“I’m sorry about the pool, it will be another day before you can get into it.” She told me.

I nodded my head but it wasn’t something I wanted to hear. There was no use in complaining, it would change the news that I heard. It would just complicate things.

“Thank you for not getting upset with me.” She smiled, getting ready to turn away.

“There’s no point in it, life’s too short,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“Your father didn’t see it that way. I wish he had the personality like you have.” Jenna told me.

I watched her walk away, I felt bad for her. The morals that my father had taught me he didn’t abide by himself, he just taught me what he thought was right. Though it was I wished that the help had more good things to say about him than bad.

My mind drifted back to Dean when I watched him take off his helmet and I saw his sweat black hair that was recently cut I wanted to run my hands through it. I didn’t care if he was sweaty or not, I was betting that he was enjoying the coolness of the shower he was probably taking the second he got inside the house.

I closed my eyes imagining him in the shower, cooling his heated body down and I bit down on my lip. A slight moan came out of my mouth but I wasn’t worried about it, no one was around me, or at least I thought no one was.

Chapter 3

I stood by the rose bushes that separated our yard and looked at her, hearing her moan made my heart race as I stood watching her with just a pair of swimming trunks on. It was too hot for a shirt and I didn’t bother putting on any sandals.

“You must be having a good dream.” I chuckled, watching her jump at the sound of my voice.

“And what are you doing sneaking up on me like this?” She grinned at me, her recovery of being jumped was impressive.

“I wasn’t sneaking up on you, I was going to ask if you wanted to take a dip in the pool with me. I noticed that yours was down for repairs.” I gave it right back to her.

I was beginning to like Shelly more and more. The quick wittiness that she had when most women wouldn’t be able to handle the sarcasm that I dished out she was ready for it and with the snap of her tongue threw out just as much sarcasm.

I watched her lift her sunglasses and I was right, she had light blue eyes, blue eyes that took my breath away but I wasn’t going to let her know that.

“Are you seriously asking me if I want to go for a swim with you?” She sat up, she couldn’t tell if I was serious or not.

“Yes, I wouldn’t be standing here in this heat just to gawk at you in your bathing suit. Though I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking.” I grinned, taking my hands off my hips.

Her bikini was soaked with sweat but that didn’t turn me off. She looked sexy in the blue bikini that she was wearing.

“That would be great, oh and for the record, I don’t know if men look at me or not. I don’t concentrate on things that are usually a waste of my time.” She raised one eyebrow and made a face at me.

“You might want to hurry before I change my mind on the invite.” I threw my head back and laughed.             

She laughed with me, she got my sense of humor and the biggest turn on for me, more of a turn on than the sexy moan I heard escape her mouth just a few minutes ago.

Shelly got up from her chair and just in time for her maid to come out. She was holding an ice water and handed it over to Shelly.

“Thank you, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. If you need me for anything I’ll be at Dean’s house right over here outback in the pool.” Shelly explained to her.

Looking at my watch I saw that it wasn’t even noon time yet. I could see that she had a sensitive, considerate side to her. I would never allow my help to take the rest of the day off. I was too secure with them, whenever I needed something they were right there. But it made me feel a little guilty about the way I acted because I barely said thank you while she did everything she could to make sure that her maid knew that she was grateful.

The maid smiled at her and nodded her head before she turned away, I couldn’t find anything sarcastic to say to her, knowing she would get me back and the statement that she would probably sting me.

“Ready?” I cleared my throat, I was already sweating and I just got out of the shower.

“Ready.” She nodded her head, instead of walking around to get to the driveway she found a small space between the bushes and walked right over without thinking about it.

I nodded my head and grinned at her, I turned my back and walked towards the backyard with her by my side. I was getting what I wanted, I told myself that I would get to know her better, it was a goal of mine. I wanted to talk with her and get to know her since the first day she moved in but it didn’t look like the right time, I could tell something was bothering her but never asked her because it wasn’t my business. If she wanted to talk she had a mouth and I had ears so I would be a good listening tool.

The back deck made a path down to the pool and when I saw her eyes I could tell she was impressed. They grew wide when she noticed just how big the pool was, not to mention I had a mini bar attached to the deck so that I wouldn’t have to go inside. I spoil myself a lot and that’s one of the things that I had built because I was too lazy to step inside for a drink when it was gorgeous outside and today was one of those days.

Chapter 4

It was nice to be able to joke around with Dean, to show him I wasn’t the average woman to sit there and stay quiet when he threw comments at me. I noticed the shocked look on his face, the way I had talked to Jenna. It was the way I’d always talked to her.

But his pool…his pool was ten times bigger than mine. It covered most of the backyard and I had to say that I was impressed with the mini bar that he had on the back deck. He had a tanned, scrawny, man working behind the bar washing glasses and making sure the bar was stocked with every drink that I could imagine.

I wasn’t all that surprised when he came over to invite me to go swimming with him, I was slightly embarrassed that he had caught me moaning, I didn’t dare tell him it was because I was thinking of him but when I opened my eyes I saw his hard, tanned, chest. The sweat rolling down it made me fight the urge to run my fingertips down his hard chest and go further down, wondering how big his cock was inside his trunks.

“You’re staring at me.” Dean pointed out, catching me and seeing I was lost in thought.

“Yeah? You’ve got a lot to stare at.” I winked at him, feeling my heart flutter with the comeback I just made to him.

“Would you like a drink?” He asked, I saw his face flush and I knew it wasn’t because of the heat. I had either embarrassed him or he wasn’t ready for what came out of my mouth.

“I thought you invited me to come over and swim with you?” I grinned, my blue eyes trained on his dark blue eyes.

“That was just a way to get you over here, we don’t have to necessarily go swimming if you don’t want to. If you want the truth I didn’t know if you would even bother answering me when I invited you over. I told myself to take the time to get to know you. That was my goal.” I could see that Dean wasn’t looking at me, it was hard for him to come out and say what he was feeling but hearing the words come out of his mouth made my knees grow weak.

For the first time I was at a loss for words, I licked my lips and felt my mouth grow dry. He made it easy for me to get to know him, I could read his face like a book. I took a sip of my ice water and stood closer to him as he looked out over the pool.

“That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard you say today,” I smirked, feeling silly, I could’ve come up with a better comeback.

He laughed and took my free hand as if he had done it numerous times before and led me to the bar. We sat down and ordered bartender of two beers. I would just sip at mine, I wasn’t going to tell him that I didn’t have a taste for beer.

“Thank you.” He stated, nodding his head as he handed me mine and I took a small sip of it before putting it on the bar.

I was impressed with him, he was nicer to the bartender than he had been with the man who washed his bike for him.

“I think I’m rubbing off on you already.” I laughed, nudging him.

“What do you mean?” He asked, giving me a confused look.

“The way you talked to the man who took care of your bike opposed to the bartender. Your thank you with the man who met you outside was harsh, even though you did say thank you. It was sincere.” I pointed out the difference to him.

“So you were listening in on my conversation.” He laughed again and I could see that he was being playful but serious at the same time.

I felt my face flush and he laughed again putting his arm around my shoulders. Not once did it feel strange, it felt good enjoying each other’s company.

I tilted my head a little and that’s when it happened. I had been thinking about him since I moved in and wondered what kind of man he was. Wondered how soft his lips were and now I had my answer.

He pressed his lips against mine and I concentrated on his lips. They were soft, I closed my eyes and felt myself kissing him back, right there in front of the bartender!

Chapter 5

She was right, she was rubbing off on me. I didn’t realize how nice I was to the bartender. A simple thank you that came from my lips and it was a real thank you. Her lips were nice and soft against mine, in the summer heat I could feel taste the sweat on her lips and I’m sure she could taste it on mine.

I don’t know what had come over me, I just kissed her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if we had known each other for years. It was the second hurdle that I had jumped. I wanted to see her happy, unlike when she had first moved in and she looked like a cold, bitter, woman. I wanted to show her that there could be happier times than sad times if she let it happen.

Hearing her moan against my mouth made me want to take it further but I didn’t dare to. I didn’t want to scare her off when normally I didn’t care about the woman’s feelings I only cared about what I wanted and that was it, looking out for number one.

“How about we cool off?” She murmured against my mouth before she broke the kiss and got off the bar stool.

My heart was racing, I couldn’t find the words to speak so I nodded my head and watched her step off the deck. I watched her body as she moved and saw the way the sun was kissing it, her pale skin was going to be tanned before the end of the summer.

I continued to watch her as if I was in a trance. She went to the deep end of the pool and climbed up the ladder to the diving board. My eyes looked up, up, up, until she was standing on the board. She bounced a few times and I enjoyed the way her tits bounced inside her tight bikini top. They were eager to be let out and I was hoping that they would when she dove into the pool.

I watched her dive into the pool, hands out in front of her, head down and watched her long legs. It was a picture that I would never forget. She looked gorgeous and when she splashed into the pool I watched her touch the bottom of the pool before coming up with a big smile on her face.

Her hair tie had come out of her hair and was at the bottom of the pool. She went down to get it and when she came back up again I loved how she looked with her hair wet and cascading down her back.

“You are coming? It feels so good!” She called out to me and without even thinking I had a good come back.

“I know something else that would feel good!” I shouted, winking at her as I got off the bar stool and jumped off the side of the deep end to join her in the middle of the pool.

I splashed her the second I got the chance to, and before I knew it we were having a splashing contest with me coming out on top. She swam away from me and went under the water and I chased her for another kiss.

I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around her, seeing her blurred figure it was a clumsy kiss but once our lips met and I felt her arms and legs wrap around me I could tell just how happy she was to be with me.              

She clung to me under the water or maybe I just imagined it, feeling dizzy from the kiss that we shared.

When we came up for air the warmth of the sun felt good with the mix of the cool water that was surrounding us.

“I’ve never done that before!” She cried out, laughing as she swam away from me and made it to the other side of the pool before I even moved from where I was.

I couldn’t keep a smile off my face, I couldn’t wait to hold her. I had the vibe that she wanted me as much as I wanted her and not in the pool. The more I thought of her naked body on mine the more I found it hard to breathe.

One way or another I was going to get her in my bed and not just because I wanted the sex. Because I wanted to see how compatible we were in the bedroom. As it stood we were great for each other, I thought that we fit like a hand and a glove.

“Are you coming over here or not?” She asked me, laughing again and I dove under the water, swimming towards her. I didn’t come up for air until I was right in front of her.

“Is this close enough?” I whispered to her, staring into her eyes as I pressed my body against hers.

“Could be closer.” She whispered, staring into my eyes and it felt like we were in a freeze frame moment. A moment that I didn’t want to end, she was changing me within the few hours that we had spent together.

She made me feel as if she was the only woman in the world and I would die without her kiss, without her touch, as if I was a prince who would turn back into a toad if I didn’t accomplish what I set out to do that night.

“Dinner?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Your place or mine?” She shot back.

“Mine,” I answered quickly, grinning at her and knew at that moment that we would get closer and closer in time.

Chapter 6

The day was going better than I expected it to. The way he flirted, the way he looked at me I could see myself in Dean’s bed that night, we were both thinking about it. I knew he was from the invitations that he was sending out to me. I would be a fool not to notice that he wanted to sleep with me, my breath caught in my throat when he invited me to dinner because even though he wanted to spend more time with me I knew it wasn’t going to be just a make out session that evening and I was wanting it as much as he was.

He finally pulled away from me and I swam over to the deep end to use the ladder and get out, the day was going by fast, faster than any day in my life and for once I wasn’t bored, I wasn’t sad and thinking about the losses I had. I thought more about everything that I was gaining from a new friendship to a new lover and he was the man that I was looking for.

It wasn’t like I went out on a lot of dates, I always made sure that if I went out with any man that he was worth my time and Dean was definitely worth my time. I didn’t feel as if we weren’t connecting, I didn’t feel as if I was wasting my time.

I was hoping the night would go just as well as the day and we stayed outside for a good portion of it.

Dean had set up a table for dinner on the back deck. He did it himself and put a white tablecloth over it, he lit the candles and did everything except cooking dinner and serving the wine that my taste buds really enjoyed.

It was strawberry wine and he noticed that I enjoyed that better than the one sip of beer I had earlier in the day.

For dinner, we had a salad, steak, and potatoes. The steak was well seasoned and it was medium rare just the way I liked it.

“Do you want something sweet?” He asked when we were done eating. He didn’t have a problem making eye contact with me and even had a glass of wine though I could tell he really didn’t like it.

“I’m full,” I told him, wiping my mouth with the napkin that was in front of me.

“Good, I think today was a great day.” He nodded his head, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head.

I watched him as he stared up at the sky, he was searching for the first star and I couldn’t help but smile at him, though he was tough on the help he had around the house he was sincere and sweet when it came to someone he cared about. I would never imagine that he would set up a dining table and candles when I first talked to him that morning and I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes but the steps that he had taken to make me happy were romantic, something that I hadn’t seen in a man in a very long time. So long that I didn’t think that there were any men out there who were romantic. I thought they no longer existed.

“Look, the first star!” Dean shouted so loud that I almost jumped out of my chair.

I laughed and looked up to where he was pointing and I saw it. I closed my eyes and made a wish, closing them tightly as if I were a child and still believed in the magic of wishes and fairytales.

“What did you wish for?” He whispered, leaning over the table when I opened my eyes.

“If I tell you it won’t come true.” I laughed at him and pushed his face away gently with the palm of my hand.

“I will tell you my wish if you tell me yours.” He tried coaxing me, his grin spreading wider across his face.

“No way, it’s almost like I will show you mine if you show me yours.” I giggled.

“Are you willing to show me yours?” He whispered I could see his eyes challenging me as the night grew darker.

I bit down on my lip and nodded my head, I was ready to show him if he was ready to show me. I had thought about it for the past hour, wondering more and more what he would be like in bed.

“Good, I will show you mine first.” He moaned, standing up from the table and reaching out to take my hand.

I slowly put my hand in his and got up from my chair. He led me into the house through the sliding glass doors. We left the bartender as he stood there reading a book just waiting for Dean to tell him what he needed or wanted.

Dean didn’t dismiss him from his duties, I wasn’t surprised. He was still the man that needed the security of his help around him, I had a feeling that was a flaw that he was never going to let go. But I knew that no one was perfect and that I could get over the habit he had.

I thought he was going to bring me to his bedroom but instead, he brought me into the living room, closing the wooden sliding doors behind us so that no one could bother us.

“I don’t like anyone seeing my messy room.” He joked, turning back towards me.

I stood there with my heart beating faster and faster as he got closer and closer to me. I wanted him, I wanted him so much that by the time he reached me my knees were starting to shake and no matter how much I tensed up they wouldn’t stop shaking.

“I’ve wanted you since the first day I saw you move into the house Shelly, I just never had the nerve to come over and introduce myself.” He murmured, wrapping his arms around me and searching my face with his eyes.

“Since we’re doing confessions I have to confess that I’ve watched you from a distance since I first moved in.” I moaned as he kissed me below my ear.

“Well tonight, we’re closing the gap.” He moaned and I felt his hot breath tickle my earlobe.

Chapter 7

It was one of the moments that I would cherish forever, seeing her weak and willing to let me please her, it was the first time that I cared about any woman to show her that I wanted to be with her, to show her just how addicted I was to them. She wasn’t like any other female, she was special and I wanted to take my time with her, only my body wouldn’t let me.

I kissed down the side of her neck and at the same time I moved away from her slightly, enough to bring my hands to her tits and slide the top of her bikini down. I wanted to lay her down the bear skinned rug that I had in the middle of the room and I was going to do just that before the night was over.             

I heard her moan for me when I pressed against her so she could feel how hard my cock was for her, to show her how much she had turned me on throughout the day.

As I kissed further down her neck I let go of her tits and attached my mouth to one of them, feeling her hands move to the back of my head and tug at the strands of my hair playfully.

I wanted to bite on her hard nipples, I wanted to pinch them hard between my fingers but I wanted to show her that I could be gentle with her, there would be plenty of other times to show her that I could be wild in bed. I had a feeling that our romantic relationship was just beginning and it wouldn’t be the first time that I pleased her body.

I let go of her tit and slowly kissed down her ribcage, I kissed down her flat stomach and finally made it the waist band of her bikini bottom, I took it between my teeth and tugged at it playfully before I hooked my fingers inside and slowly pulled the bottom down her legs. When she stepped out of them I kissed her pussy lips and let my hot breath tickle her.

“You want to lay down?” I whispered, looking up into her eyes.

She smiled and nodded her head, she was staring down at me the whole time. I wondered if she was making sure I was doing it right but I must’ve been because she was slowly getting on her knees and slowly laid down on her back on the bear skin rug that was behind her.

“It’s nice and soft.” She murmured, running her hands up and down the fur that she surrounded her.

“I’m sure you want something hard though.” I grinned at her, spreading her legs slowly as she looked down at my hard cock.

“Yes, yes I do.” She licked her lips and nodded her head slowly, making sure she kept her eyes on mine.

I felt my heart hammering against my chest, I felt the sweat returning to my forehead as I got between her legs. She spread her legs further apart for me so that I could fit and as I laid down on her she put a hand around my neck and pulled me closer, she brought my mouth to hers for a sweet strawberry wine kiss.

I kissed her hard on the mouth, I couldn’t help it, it was as if her body was coaxing me to show her what I had. As the kiss intensified I pushed the head of my cock into her awaiting pussy and could feel how wet she was, I grunted with surprise and pleasure that she was so wet for me.

I felt her lock her legs around my hips, bringing me further inside of her, she was showing me that she wanted all of me inside of her, she wanted to feel everything that my hard cock had to offer her.

She whimpered against my mouth and I could hear her heavy breathing as her hands clung to the back of my neck, not wanting to break the kiss, not wanting me to pull away from her. I felt my heart melt for her, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere but she was holding me to her as if I was her only chance of surviving.

Chapter 8

I felt him teasing me with the head of his cock, teasing me with his tongue as he kissed me harder and harder. I wanted him, I wanted to show him that I wanted him and I didn’t want to take our time. The slower he tried going with me the hotter I was getting for him.

I took control the best I could by wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him inside of me, showing him that he was more than welcome to please my pussy.

I whimpered against his mouth as I felt his large cock enter me fully. I felt him trying to slide out of me so that he could bury himself back into me. I felt my pussy sucking on his cock, making it hard for him to slide out and there was a mixture of moans and laughter between us.

I don’t know how I had gotten so lucky to have Dean invite me into his home. We were only supposed to go swimming and get to know each other but the night had held more for us that neither one of us really knew. A bond that was going to get stronger as time went on.

“Fuck me,” I whispered against his mouth, loosening my grip on his waist and letting my legs fall back down to the floor, spreading them as far apart as I could without causing myself pain.

“What?” He asked, surprised that the words had come out of my mouth, I knew that he had heard me. He was just surprised that I swore I’m sure.

“I want you to fuck me!” I hollered out to him this time, making sure that he had gotten it loud and clear.

He grinned and nodded his head, he looked down at my tits and I arched my back, willing to give them to him.

“What do you want me to do with those?” He teased me, licking his lips and focusing on both my tits, I looked down and was surprised to see how hard nipples were for him.

“I want you to push these tits of mine together and suck on both of them. I know you can, you have a big enough mouth.” I laughed, licking my lips.

He answered me by pushing my tits tightly together and he devoured them. Sucking on them greedily as he popped them in and out of his mouth teasingly.

He slammed his hard prick inside of my wet pussy, making me wetter and wetter for him, he knew what he was doing and I was glad that he did. He knew what spots to touch as I whimpered loudly for him, not caring who could hear me.

He surprised me though, just when I thought I was going to cum for him he changed position, he rolled over so that I was on top of him, he did it so smoothly that he never slipped out of me. Changing the position made my pussy hold off and I think that was what his intent was.

“Now you fuck me.” He winked at me and put his hands behind his head. Waiting for me to please him.

I giggled and nodded my head at him, slowly I began thrusting my hips back and forth, I put my hands on his hard chest palms down and began started grinding against him, I felt him flex inside of me and I threw my head back and moaned for him.

“Yes, that pussy is getting wetter and wetter for me. I can feel it, Shelly, I knew that your pussy wanted me the second I got off the bike this morning.” He grunted, taking his hands out from behind his head he brought them to my tits and began massaging them.

“Fuck, be rough with me. I’m not fucking fragile!” I shouted at him, looking down at him.

His eyes grew wide but the smile on his face grew wider and I bit down on my lip, my face blushing at the words that had come out of my mouth.

I wasn’t normally like that but he was going so gentle that I thought he was going to kill me with the anticipation that was building up inside of me.

He took my hard nipples between his fingers and slowly rolled them as I riding his prick faster and faster. The faster I rode him the harder he pinched and twisted my nipples.

I couldn’t stop riding him, I wasn’t even thinking about getting off anymore. It was too much fun, I didn’t want it to end. I’d never felt myself grow so wet before with any man that I’d been with. It was something completely new to me and I was enjoying every second of it.

“That’s it, ride my prick faster Shelly, ride it as fast as you can!” He shouted at me, even bringing his head off the rug to show me how much he wanted it.

I laughed as he took his fingers away from my tits and brought them to my hips. Again he changed position and caught me off guard but I was glad that he did because I would’ve cum a long time ago if he didn’t switch it up.

He wrapped his arms around my hips tightly and sat up in one quick motion my hands were on his shoulders and my tits were pressed tightly against his chest.

“I’m going to have you bouncing so hard on my cock that you’re going to beg for me to make you cum.” He grunted, sucking on my neck as I felt his hands grab my hips tightly.

Chapter 9

I was beginning to lose control, I knew that my cock wanted to cum deep inside her pussy but I didn’t want it to end. I had to keep it going a little while longer so that we could both enjoy the sexual time that we were spending together.

I brought her up and down my cock, each time slamming her pussy down hard on it, every time I brought her down was that much closer to me cumming for her.

My prick was throbbing, it had never hurt so much, begged so much to cum for a woman and it was new to me. I enjoyed the feeling for as long as I could make it last.

Shelly’s hard nipples were rubbing against my pecs making them hard for her and as sweaty as we both were it made our bodies slick and easy to slide her up and down my chest.

“Fuck, oh fuck!” She screamed out for me, digging her nails into my shoulders as I smiled.

“Yes, you’re fucking my hard cock, it feels so fucking good! I want you to cum all over it!” I shouted at her, begging for her to cum before I did.

I could’ve busted inside of her the first ten minutes of us being together but I wanted to show her that I cared about her needs. My needs could wait, but now I was begging for her to cum on my prick so that I could bust inside of her. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out.

“I’m going to cum! I’m going to fucking cum!” She threw her head back and screamed at me.

I grinned, I couldn’t help it. I knew that the help could hear her but I also knew that they didn’t dare come knocking on the door, after all they weren’t stupid. They knew what was going on and if they came to the door I would be pissed that they interrupted us.

“Yes, god please!” I cried out for her, nodding my head and closing my eyes tightly.

The more she whimpered and moaned, the more I could hear her heavy breathing and her gasps of pleasure the more I wanted her to cum on me.

“I can’t, I just can’t!” She whimpered, and that’s when I felt her pussy juice wash over my hard cock.

I whimpered and begged for more. I murmured her name over and over again as she came harder and faster for me.

“Do you want me to cum Shelly?” I growled like an animal as she gasped again and nodded her head quickly.

I did what she wanted, not that I had a choice my prick was going to cum whether I wanted it to or not. I had no more control over my prick and what it wanted to do.             

I felt her grinding against me as she felt my hot juices fill her pussy, I felt her nails pinching my skin harder and harder and I cried out from the pleasure and the pain that she was sending through my body as we clung to each other during our moment of ecstacy.

“God, I love it, keep cumming for me. Fuck keep cunimming for me!” she screamed out as she began grinding harder and harder against my cock that just kept going.

She held me tight as she continued to let her pussy go. I felt her hot breath in my ear, I heard her mews of pleasure as she clung to me and when we were done she held me as if she was still releasing on my cock that was still buried deep inside of her.

“God, that was so fucking hot.” I murmured, the first one to speak as I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me.

“I know, god that was so fucking good.” She whispered catching her breath.

“I hope there are going to be more times like this Shelly. I hope that we can get to know each other more and more every day.” I murmured, closing my eyes and enjoying the embrace that we were sharing.

“I promise you that we’re going to get to know each other more. I’m going to be over here so much that you’re going to beg for me to go home.” She laughed.

“Or I’ll be begging to go home with you.” I chuckled and felt her body relax.

I found the woman that I could connect with, sexually and mentally. We had so many things in common that I knew we were going to make a great couple. I was already thinking about the future with her, seeing how much she had changed me in one day. I never would’ve thought about setting up dinner on the deck for any woman. I never had in the past it was just a fly by night one night stand but not with Shelly, no not with her. my heart ached for her and she was sitting on top of me holding me tightly to her, my body was relaxed with her and I never thought about kicking her out like I had the many women in my life before her.             

“This is going to be a night that I’ll never forget. Many more nights to come. I hope.” She murmured, and I could hear that she was tired.             

“Yes, many more nights of this. I can’t wait.” I whispered to her, nodding my head and enjoying the time we were spending together. We were perfect for each other.

I wanted to show her that I was going to be there for her, that I wasn’t like all the other men that she had in her life before me. That I was going to show her I was interested in the things that she wanted to do, that I was going to pay attention to the things that made her happy. In time I knew that things were only going to get better between us. That was a bet I was willing to take. No matter the price, I was going to win. It was a promise that I was willing to take to the bank.

“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, Dean. I can’t wait to see what adventures we’re going to go through together.” She whispered in my ear and I shrugged my shoulders so that she would take her head off it, knowing she was trying to fall asleep.

When she looked me in the eye I could see that she was happy, I could see the happiness beaming from them as they board into mine and I kissed her, I kissed her so passionately that I felt a tear slide down my cheek, no woman had ever made me feel the way Shelly did. No woman could ever make me feel the way I was feeling right then. I was happy and I knew in my heart that we were both going to become happier as time went on. I promised myself that I would always make her happy, I would do anything to see that gorgeous smile appear on her face.

THE END

EXCLUSIVE FROM MY BAD BOY COLLECTION FOR A LIMITED TIME
NEVER MINE: A BAD BOY SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE

“One look and she was mine. I wasn’t letting her go this time.”

PROLOGUE

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: MANDY

I couldn’t believe what I’d just found out. It was not at all what I was expecting when I took the test. Things like that don’t happen to girls like me. I was just out of high school and I had my whole life ahead of me. Greg had his whole life ahead of him and I knew what he would say if I told him.

It occurred to me then that I couldn’t tell Greg. He would try to fix it, do things that he didn’t want to do because of it. I couldn’t let him do that. I didn’t want him to be with me because he had to or because he felt trapped. There was nothing that I could do but get away. I had to get away from Watertown for a while. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I needed space and time to think.

Packing up my bags, all I could think about was Greg and what he was going to think when he found out that I had left. I knew that I couldn’t see him again and the thought made my heart hurt. It was something that I had to do, that much I knew, but it didn’t mean that it wasn’t going to hurt more than anything else I had ever felt before.

Looking back one last time in the room that I had lived in since I was a small girl it wasn’t my childhood home that I was going to miss the most. It was Greg and I knew I was always going to wonder what would have happened if I had stayed.

CHAPTER 1

MANDY

“Come on Mandy. I don’t know why you are being like this. It is a nice night and you have nothing else going on. Let’s go have some fun for a few hours.”

I tried to look excited, I really did. It was hard to feel like doing anything after I had worked twelve hours at the animal sanctuary. It had been a long day with two animals put into quarantine and another couple being released. All I really wanted to do was find a movie that I hadn’t seen in a while and have a glass of wine. I was tired, but it wasn’t going to matter to Alise. I had made her a promise and she was going to hold me to it. That much I knew, so there was no point in fighting it.

“I said I was going, what more do you want?”

“A little enthusiasm would be nice Mandy. Stop acting like you are on death row.”

I smiled, but I knew that it didn’t reach my eyes. I was leafing through the closet, trying to find something to wear while Alise played with my hair and the curling iron.

“I’m not. I just haven’t gone out in a while.”

She sighed and pulled another hot strand of curl off the iron that fell to my shoulder. I looked into the mirror and I liked the change. I hadn’t done much to my hair in a while besides braid the blonde mess up for work. Now I was looking like I didn’t deserve a lab coat on me, but I still couldn’t find anything that I really wanted to wear. Nothing looked good and I knew that it was because I wasn’t that into going out to a bar to drink and dance.

“I know you haven’t. Ever since you and Jeff broke up, I haven’t been able to get you out of the house after dark.”

Shooting her a look, I couldn’t believe that she was bringing him up. He was the last person that I wanted to think about, but if I was honest he was a lot like all of my exes and I didn’t want to talk about any of them either.

“I just had to take a little break.”

“Well time is up Mandy. It is time to get back out there and you aren’t going to do it with that.”

She took the little red dress out of my hands and I protested a little. “What is wrong with that?”

“It isn’t near short enough. I thought you wanted to have some fun?”

Groaning inwardly, I waited for her to pull out a skirt and tank top combo that made me blush. It was not the kind of outfit that I would wear but to keep the peace and get it over with, I slide the clothes on and watched them cling to my curves. “I look like a slut.”

Alise shook her head. “No, you look a little cheap, but not a slut.”

I smiled and laughed that she thought there was a difference. All I could think about was how much attention the clothes were going to bring me. Straightening up the skirt and pulling it down as far down my leg as I could, I gave up and realized that it was going to have to be okay. I had agreed to it after all.

“Do you want me to put your makeup on?”

Looking at the woman staring back at me in the reflection, there was no part of it that I recognized. My red hair was a mass of loose curls that fell around my waist and the outfit was tight and revealing. I looked good, a few years younger than my thirty two years, but I felt like an imposter.

“No I think I am good on that Alise. I look enough like you.”

She took it as a compliment and told me that my boobs looked good in the shirt. “If I had a body like yours Mandy, I wouldn’t be so shy to show it off.”

I didn’t want to hear that. Alise was beautiful and petite, something that I had always wanted to be. Where everyone else saw curves and features that they liked, I always wanted to be doll-like, like her.

“Whatever, Mandy. I know that you don’t get it, but I can’t even pull off half of the clothes that you have.”

Waving her off, I swiped a little lip gloss on my lips, as well as some eye liner and called it a day. “Are you ready?”

She looked at me as if she had been ready for a year and I had to giggle at her. Alise had a way of dragging me into things that I wasn’t necessarily into, but she at least made it fun on the way. Locking the door behind me, I moved out into the chilly night. Alise was right behind me and I was hopeful that I could get her back home before it got too late.

“What about Alfie?”

“He is with Rita for the night.”

“Good, so that means that you can stay out all night.”

“No, I still have work tomorrow.”

Alise gave me a look and I ignored it as we got in the car. I was still hoping to be in bed before midnight. My overnight partying days were behind me.

***

When we got to Dante’s, I was still a little reluctant, but as soon as I got a drink in my hand I was feeling a little bit better about the situation. The White Russian had an extra shot of rum in it and before long I was feeling the music more than I was feeling my nerves. Alise was right of course, she always was it seemed. Maybe a night out was just what I had needed the whole time.

I could feel the smile spread across my face as I looked out at the dance floor. It was only when I caught the side profile of someone that I used to know that everything in me stopped. The people, the music, it was all in the background as Greg came into view.

Memories flooded my system and I was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe in the packed room. He didn’t see me yet and I was split between standing still and running away so that he didn’t. It had been too long since I had seen him and the last time I had, my heart had broken into a thousand pieces. There was a part of me that knew that he was never going to forgive me for what I had done. I had made some decisions that I knew was going to be hard for him to deal with. They were hard for me to live with as well, but it was what had to be done.

Greg was a bad boy or he had been when we were in school together. He was the love of my life and I would have sworn that I was going to marry him. That is what I had expected and when things had changed, it had taken me a long time to get over Greg, if I ever really did.

He turned my way and I stopped in my tracks. I had been staring and though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see him or not, if I wanted him to know that I was even there. When he saw me though, I saw the recognition on his face and I was left speechless. He remembered me and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. One way or another, Greg started to walk towards me and I was left there to stand. The drink in my hand was gone and I felt betrayed a little bit by that.

“Mandy Cossin, as I live and breathe.”

I smiled up at him and I could feel my body’s age old response. All of me remembered Greg quite well.

CHAPTER 2

MANDY

“I can’t believe you are here. What are you doing here Mandy?”

I didn’t know what to say, passed the fact that he was standing right there and I missed him. God, I had to stop the words from coming out of my mouth. What was wrong with me when all it was I could think about was the last time the two of us were together in such a way? I was shocked to say nothing and it was only when a tall blonde woman walked up behind him and asked him when he was going to be able to leave that I pulled it together.

“I’ll be ready to leave soon Amber.”

Amber could tell that she was being ignored and I stood up a little straighter in the woman’s presence. I don’t know why, but I wanted to know who she was and though I think I had a good idea of who she was, I wanted confirmation.

“No, don’t let me hold you up Greg. Maybe we can catch up another time. Nice to see you again. It has been a long time.”

I started to walk away and though I was happy to see him, filling my eyes with Greg, I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to talk to him and explain myself. There was a part of me that wanted to, but more than that I knew that it wasn’t going to end well. If I told him the truth, Greg wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. That much I knew for sure.

The breath in me was starting to come easy again and my eyes looked for my friend Alise. I wanted to get out of there before I ran into someone else, though there weren’t any more Greg’s running around. He was the only man that I had ever loved and there was a part of me that was sure that it wasn’t possible to love someone more than I had loved Greg.

“Mandy?”

I felt his hand on my shoulder before I heard him calling my name. There was something in his green eyes that I didn’t understand, but I didn’t want to. Looking behind him, I asked where his friend was.

“Why did you take off? You’re really bad about that, you know that right?”

“Bad about what?”

“Taking off on me.”

I was silent for a moment. He was talking about the fact that I had just left. I had left Watertown in the dust, along with my boyfriend at the time. I’d never say goodbye and that was one of the reasons that I knew it was going to be hard to talk to Greg again. I wasn’t proud of what I had done and how I had acted, but there had been no other choice for me. I had to do, what I had to do, no matter how hard it had been or how hard it was then with the past staring me in the face.

“Sorry, I don’t think your wife or girlfriend wanted you talking to me, so I didn’t want to get you in trouble with her.”

Greg looked at me as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. “Who? Amber?”

He waved her off like she wasn’t important. “Yes.”

“She is just a friend.”

I smiled and remembered that we had been ‘friends’ a long time ago too.

“So you never got married?”

He shook his head. “Never found a woman that made me want to. Not in a long time anyways.”

I didn’t know what the last bit was about. We had dated our senior year. He had tried to date me several times, but I had been focused on my studies. When I finally gave into his boyish good looks and piercing green eyes, I knew that I had made a mistake. I loved him not long after that and I wasn’t sure if I had ever loved someone the same again or if I ever would. Greg had been a special kind of love and almost fifteen years later, he still made me feel the same.

“What about you, are you married?”

“God, no.” My answer was paired with a strong shake of my head. The last thing I wanted to think about was getting married. I had never even come close. I had been asked, but never once had I thought to actually say yes to one of those kinds of questions. I was more likely to never get married, especially when it was figured that I was already in my thirties.

“I can’t imagine some guy not snatching you up a long time ago.”

Shrugging, I looked around again for Alise. Maybe she could pull me from his grips that he had on me so that I could get out of there. Every minute I spent with Greg was not good. I knew that I wanted to talk to him more, see how he was, but I was afraid of what would happen after that. I knew that part of me would always love him, but I had left him for a reason and that reason was still just as valid as it once was. It was actually more so now because I wasn’t prepared for him this time. I had had years to know the difference between what we had had and what I would have with others. At the time I was with Greg, I didn’t understand how special it really was and how special it was going to be as time went on. That was the hardest part of all of it. I knew what I had lost now and though I couldn’t go back, there was a large part of me that wanted to. I wanted to go back to the way things were when I was permanently in his arms.

“I never really thought about it. Life got busy and I haven’t really had any time for things like that.”

It was a lame excuse. I knew that. I could hear it in my voice. There was no conviction and I was sure that Greg could hear it too. He had to understand that I was dying inside to talk to him and to be so close to him. I knew that I wanted him, badly, but I don’t think he ever really knew how much I liked him and loved him. I was always quiet with my feelings, but for some reason I was finding it hard to hold it all in. I felt like I was going to burst and again all I could think about was getting away from him so that I could breathe again.

“Come have a drink with me. It has been fourteen years and I think that there is much for us to catch up on.”

I told him that I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I had to get home and get up early. I didn’t mention that my son had to be picked up and brought his clothes because he always forgot something. I didn’t want him to know about Alfie. I wasn’t ready for that, if I ever was. There was a part of me that didn’t think I would ever be able to go down that route.

“Come on Mandy, you can’t give me the time for just one drink? Not for old time’s sake at least?”

I couldn’t tell him no. That was a big problem and had always been that way for as long as I could remember. I wanted to do everything and anything to please him and there was a part of me that still felt that way, whether I wanted to or not.

“Yes, but just one. You have your friend waiting for you.”

“And who do you have waiting for you Mandy?”

I didn’t really give him an answer, just walked to the bar and waited for the bartender to get around to serving us. The sooner I got the drink, the quicker I would be able to get it down and then find Alise to get out of there. I was suffocating again and I knew that it was Greg that was taking up all of the oxygen in the room. He looked good, like always and I couldn’t help the way my body reacted to him. Greg still looked like he had then and it was hard not to relive some of the better parts of our six month relationship.

CHAPTER 3

MANDY

“I forgot how easy it was to talk to you.”

He waved me off. I was working on my third drink that had started with just one. I didn’t want to go and I didn’t actually have to go, but then Alise popped up and I was forced to make a decision.

“Are you coming home with me or what?”

Alise was looking at me strangely and I was sure that she was trying to figure out who Greg was and what it was that I was doing there with him. I could tell she was also trying to figure out how wasted I was. I wasn’t but her evaluator look made me rethink what it was that I was doing. I had long since ignored the looks from his friend from across the bar, but Alise was harder to deny.

“Yeah, I am. Sorry I got sidetracked.”

She didn’t say much, her attention on Greg. “And you are?”

“Gregory Smith.”

Alise knew the name and I could tell the recognition in her eyes before she glanced over at me. I waited for her to straighten up and not say anything. I knew she wouldn’t, but she didn’t have a poker face either.

“He’s an old friend that I used to go to school with a long time ago.”

I could feel Greg looking at me and not liking the way I had summed up our relationship. I didn’t know honestly what else to say about it, so it worked for me. Alise finally snapped it together and I was thankful for that.

“Well it was nice seeing you again Greg. We should catch up again some time.”

Greg wanted to stop me, I could see it in his eyes and the determined look of his chin, but I also knew that I shouldn’t. He took my hand and pulled a pen from the credit card receipt he had just signed. I felt him write something in my palm and made me promise to call him.

“I’ll be waiting for your call Mandy.”

I nodded, but I could feel my face getting red like my hair. It really was good to see him again, no matter what old memories and haunts that he brought up. It was good to see that life was treating him well by the looks of it. He was successful and still just as handsome as ever.

CHAPTER 4

GREG

I was still watching the door that she had left out of, still not sure that what had happened was real. Amber was next to me when I looked back to the empty drink that was in front of me, as well as the one that was next to it that Mandy had used.

“Are you ready to go?”

An hour ago, before I had seen Mandy, I was ready to take Amber back to my hotel and give her everything that I had. She had already pleasured me in the bathroom and now it was her turn. She had been patience and though she was as pretty as she was before, more so now that I was a little drunker, I didn’t want her. The last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere with her. Everything had changed.

“No, I think I am going to head out. I’m not feeling so good all of a sudden.”

Her blue eyes looked at me as if I was lying. She was someone that I used to know as well, though Amber was just a friend that I went and seen when I was back in town. It was every few weeks and it had been a regular thing for several years. Amber was not happy with me and I knew that she wasn’t going to go quietly. While I tried to get her out the door before she blew up, I was a little too late and some trickled out before we cleared all of the people. The last thing that I needed to do was start a scene. It was bad enough that I was there with her when Mandy showed up. I didn’t need any more gossip about me reaching her ears. Not when I was trying to get another chance.

“Who is she!?”

I knew which she Amber was talking about. I didn’t want her to get her nose in it so I told her that she was just an old friend that I used to know a long time ago. Amber wasn’t buying it, but I didn’t owe her anything, so I didn’t say much else. It was too hard to explain it in my own head. How was I supposed to say it to her when I didn’t quite know what it was that I was doing or why I still felt the clinch in my heart all of these years later. There had always been something about Mandy and the draw I had to her was still undeniable.

“I have to go Amber. I will give you a call in the morning before I head out.”

“So that is it?”

Her red lips were pouting and for a moment I almost went with her because I needed the release that she would give me. Amber was many things, but she always was one to pleasure me well.

“For now. I just wouldn’t be any good the way I am feeling and you deserve better.”

It sounded good in my head, but reflected back in her eyes, I knew that it was a load of crap. She stormed off and if I was smart, I would have gone after her, told her that I was just feeling off and offer her a quiet night in with me. There were a lot of things I could have done, but I just let her go. She wasn’t the one that I wanted and now that I saw Mandy again, I remembered why no one else had done all of these years.

Driving back to the hotel, my mind slipped to Mandy. She looked the same as she always had. Her red hair was a bit longer and a bit more tamed, but it was still the same as when I had buried my fingers through her hair while we were making love. I had always loved her hair and there was a part of me that had ached to smell it, wondering if she still used the same shampoo as before. I would never admit to how long I had spent in grocery stores trying to find the right bottle, just so I could have that smell of her. I never found it and if I did get to see her again, I knew that I was going to have to find out what it was.

The room in the hotel was a lot smaller than I remembered and I was sure that it was because I was pacing before I went to bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mandy and all of the things that we had done together when we were young. She was the one that I thought of late at night when I was alone. Now I wondered if she was ever going to call me. Had I missed the only chance to see her that I was ever going to get? The idea was unsettling and I knew that there was a part of me that was never going to get her back. That sort of thing was only in my dreams.

***

“Morning sunshine.”

I smiled into the phone and wiped the sleep from my eyes. Looking at the clock, it had only been a couple of hours since I had lay down and though I was supposed to leave in a couple of hours, I was still debating what to do. It is what had kept me up all of this time and I was no closer to an answer than when I had started asking the question to myself last night.

“Did you get some rest before your flight?”

“Yeah.”

“Liar.”

I sat up and wiped my eyes until they were a little sore. I hadn’t really gotten any sleep, but that wasn’t any matter. I still had a million things to do and the only one that was going to get them done was me.

“I was going to bring over some breakfast before I left for the week. Do you have anything in particular that you would like?”

My Aunt Dawn told me that there wasn’t anything that she could think about and I was just going to have to pick something out for her. I knew that she wanted French toast, but she would never really ask for it because of her diabetes. She knew that I would tell her no, so she didn’t even ask anymore.

I hung up the phone and realized that it was still a little while before my flight and I was thankful that she woke me up instead of me waking up at the last minute and not getting to go see her. It had been a long time since I had missed a flight out of Watertown, but the last time I had been forced to rent a car and drive back to Chicago. It was easier to pay a little more and let someone else do the traveling.

I checked to see if there were any messages that I had somehow missed. I was waiting for Mandy to call me. I was sure she would, but then again, she had ghosted me so many years ago. There was no telling if she was just going to do it again. I tried to tell myself that I wouldn’t care like I had the last time, but I would have only been fooling myself. If I never heard from her again, I would be devastated like the last time.

CHAPTER 5

GREG

“I see that you are in a better mood today, but you haven’t gotten much sleep.”

Aunt Dawn was old, but she had keen eyes that seemed to pick everything up. I knew that it was futile to say otherwise, so I just kind of shook my head as much as I could to agree with her. I didn’t want to explain myself, but there was a part of me that kind of did. She was one of the only people that knew about Mandy and what happened. She was the one that I had stayed with over the summer to help out, so while I was getting over Mandy, or trying to, Aunt Dawn saw it all. Dawn would understand what it all meant to me. It was a big deal and she would appreciate it better than anyone else would have.

“I ran into someone that I haven’t seen in a long time. A ghost you might say.”

Her blue eyes met mine and for a moment I thought she was going to burst her name out. It was clear to me that she knew who it was that I was talking about, but there was part of me that knew that I was going to tell her anyways.

“Did you talk to her?”

I shook my head that we did. “Not as much as I would have wanted to, but we did get to talk for a little bit and I gave her my number.”

Dawn’s eyebrows went up and I would have given anything to have heard her actual thoughts on it, not just what her filter would let go of. I always felt like she always knew more than what she led on. Dawn was mysterious that way.

“I hope she calls you back. I know that she was the only woman that you ever really loved.”

“How have you not seen her in town?”

“I have a few times. She has the most darling son that is getting to be a man. Must be in his early teens I would say.”

That was a tidbit that I had never been told before. I wondered why she had never told me that before, but I figured that she was just trying to protect my feelings. Dawn knew that Mandy had destroyed me in more ways than one.

“I didn’t know that she had a kid.”

“It’s been a long time Greg. You need to make sure that is a road that you are willing to go down again.”

CHAPTER 6

MANDY

I toyed with the number that I had written down off of my palm. I had done it as soon as I had gotten home from Alise dropping me off. She had a lot of questions, many that I had no answer to and I tried to ignore some of them. It was too much to think about if I had a say in it.

I wanted to call Greg, but I didn’t know what for. Could I really just call him and see how he was? Did he give me the number because he wanted to talk again or was just being nice? I didn’t think that he was just being nice about it, but I wasn’t really sure and I didn’t want to be wrong.

Staring at the number for far too long, it was a while before I realized that I was going to have to get Alfie and go to work. I had sat and thought about it for several hours and even though my day was just starting, it felt like I had been up all day. It was too much thinking and it was wearing my head out at the moment.

Instead I got dressed and started my day like I was supposed to. Just because I had seen Greg and he put my head in a tailspin, didn’t mean that I was going to be able to leave it like that. I had things to do and Alfie had already texted me wondering where I was. I was never late, but that day I almost was. Instead of being early, I was running only a couple of minutes early, which was late for me.

Alfie was ready to go when I got there and it was then that I realized the similarities. It was not just in the crystal green eyes that seemed to see everything, but in the mannerism as well. Those were not supposed to be the same, but there were many times that my heart had clenched because all I could think about was who Alfie always reminded me of.

“What took you so long Mom?”

I kind of shrugged and told him that I slept in. He didn’t believe me, but didn’t say much else. I was supposed to be the one that worried about the truth, but it was Alfie that was such a fan. I always knew that some things were better left unsaid or unknown. The truth was not always the best thing.

“I just have been a little more tired than usual. I got a lot going on at work. So how was the sleepover?”

He didn’t like that I called it that, but I didn’t know what else to call it. I don’t think there was a cool teenage version that I could use, though I was sure it was best just to not talk to him all together to help my coolness. Teenage boys had their own issues to worry about and I was still getting used to my baby growing up and getting an attitude. It was a hard thing to deal with.

“It’s not a sleepover.”

“Oh, okay, sorry hon.”

He made a deep sigh that told me that he was already sick of talking to me. I was still trying to navigate what I could and couldn’t say, but I would have to be honest if I didn’t say that I wasn’t still as confused as when I started.

“Well I can see it didn’t do anything to improve your mood Alfie. Do we really have to be like this?”

He shrugged and it reminded me of myself. I know exactly where he got his stubbornness from and it didn’t take long for him to tell me what it was that was wrong with him. I could tell it was something, but I wasn’t sure what it was all about.

“Do you want to tell me what is going on with you?”

“I want to know who my dad is. You and Grams keep putting it off, but I am older now and I want to know. I have a right to know mom.”

It was not the first time that he had wanted to know more, and it was not the first time that I was at a loss of what I was supposed to say. I know that I should tell him the truth, but my hands were not unclean and I was afraid that he would never forgive me. I felt guilt for not telling him all of these years, but could I really tell him now? Something inside of me said that I should hold it in a little longer, even if that was going to make him more upset with me. I was okay with that, as long as I convinced myself that it was the best way to go about all of it.

“You need to get to school and I need to get to work. Maybe we can talk about it tonight and I will tell you all that you want to know, okay?”

Alfie wanted to believe me, but it wasn’t the first time that I had backed out of telling him about his father. It was procrastination and fear on my part, but I could tell now that I wasn’t going to be able to put it off anymore. It was time for the truth to come out. I knew that it wasn’t just Alfie that I was going to have to tell some hard truths to, but someone else as well.

I dropped him off at school with a sinking feeling in my heart that was impossible to ignore. I knew that there was part of me that was never going to be able make it up to him, but it was time for him to at least learn the truth.

My mind was elsewhere as I drove the few miles to the animal sanctuary for work. It was my last day for the week and though I loved my job, I was ready for the freedom that came with a little time off. I told myself that I wasn’t going to spend all of my time thinking about Greg, but I knew I was going to do that very thing until I just broke down and called him like I needed to. I made it a point that I was going to call him when I got home from work. There was a lot to talk about and it wasn’t like I didn’t have a very good reason to make that call.

CHAPTER 7

MANDY

“How are you doing today Mrs. Dawn?”

Dawn looked behind her and smiled at me. She was one of our regulars and if I didn’t know any better, I would say that she was a big donor as well, though she would never admit to such a thing if I ever got the nerve to ask her about it. Nonetheless, Dawn Whitaker was there a lot. I knew that she was related to Greg, but I figured that when he left town, he left the rest of his family behind because until the night before, I had never ran into him.

“I am good Mandy, how are you?”

She was looking at me with those clear eyes and I could feel her trying to read me. It was impossible to keep her gaze for too long because I was sure that she could read my mind or something like that. She was just too calm, too much of the time. While Dawn was rather old, her eyes were that of someone much younger and it was like she was watching everything. It was a trait that had always reminded me of Greg because he had always been the same way. I didn’t think that she knew that I knew her nephew, which was helpful with such an awkward situation ahead.

“I can’t complain. The weather has been cooperating and I am just thankful for that.”

Dawn agreed, but I could tell that she had something on her mind. When I asked her about it, she got quiet and then it was like she was preparing herself for something. I don’t know why, but the woman’s demeanor made me nervous. What was it that she was thinking about to make her look at me in such a way?

“How long have we known each other Mandy?”

I thought about it for a moment and then told her that it must have been ten years. That was when I had come back to town and started working for the sanctuary. It was almost immediately that I met her in the butterfly enclosure. It was her favorite place and not long after that we had started to talk. One thing led to another and she had invited me out for lunch and the rest was as they say it, history.

“In all of that time Mandy, why have I never heard of you dating someone?”

It was not a question that I was prepared for and if I was honest with myself, I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t out of her nature to be so blunt, but it was never about my love life or lack thereof. It wasn’t that she asked, just that I had nothing good to tell her.

“Between here and Alfie, I stay pretty busy.” It was another lame excuse, but I had nothing else, really.

“I see. Here I was thinking that you must be pining for some man or something like that. I hate to be so nosy, but I was just curious because you are a beautiful girl.”

I thanked her, but I hadn’t felt like a girl in a long time, and certainly not a beautiful one. I had never seen myself that way, even when others would say such things, I wouldn’t know what to say, sure that they were just pulling my leg or something like that.

“There is someone that I was in love with a long time ago, but you know how life is Mrs. Dawn, it never quite turns out the way you want it to.”

The older woman smiled at me and told me that it may not turn out the way I wanted it to, but it would always turn out the way it was meant to be. If only I could have that much faith in what was going on in my life. I certainly didn’t feel like there was much to her words, but it made me think of Greg and though I didn’t want to, I knew that he was the one that I had told her about. But what I hadn’t told Mrs. Dawn was that it was her nephew that I was in love with and I was still in love with him, a fact that I didn’t really understand until I ran into him and all of the old feelings came back to me.

Could she have meant Greg? Was he the one that I was supposed to be with and that was why I had seen him again? It was wishful thinking that I couldn’t help and it kept my mind occupied most of the day with it.

CHAPTER 8

GREG

I didn’t recognize the number on the phone and since it had been such a long time since I had seen Mandy, I didn’t even think that it could have been her. Instead of answering, which I would have done if I would have known, I let it go to voicemail and turned my phone off for the meeting that I had with Darryl and his lawyers. I was there for a merger, but it was starting to look like me and the old man was not on the same page. It was one of those days that I wasn’t too interested in being there, my mind back in Watertown and the weekly trip that I was going to make to see my Aunt.

“Good morning gentleman. It is good to see that everyone was able to make it today.”

Darryl was the first to get up and shake my hand. I had worked with him for years on similar projects for other companies, but now it was his own company that he wanted to sell. I was the one to do it and though I was going to make a tidy sum, there was no pleasure in the end of such a long working relationship. There weren’t that many more businessmen to work with like Darryl. He was honest and I always knew what to expect from him because he always kept his word. To me, that was priceless.

“Good to see you as well Greg. It looks like you had a long week.”

I kind of chuckled and though I knew it was a woman on my mind that had created the bags under my eyes. I blamed my lack of sleep on construction that was going on across the street. It didn’t bother me of course, I could sleep through the end of the world, but with Mandy constantly on my mind, it is harder than ever to actually even get to sleep in the first place.

“If that is your way of saying I look like shit, I would have to agree, though you are not looking too good yourself.”

Carter stood up and shook my hand as well, though the grip was light and quick. I didn’t really care for Carter, never have and the fact that he was even there was kind of irksome to me. I liked things to be less formal, but this was a big deal and the old man must have felt better to have someone there that was looking out for his best interest only.

“Oh come on Greg. I am almost sixty seven years old. I think I have earned the right to look a little tired.”

I kind of nodded that it was a lot better excuse than the one I had. I wasn’t going to tell him what I thought of all of it. It was a lot easier to just go with it.

“So what are we all doing here? I thought we had ironed everything out Darryl?” I was never one for small talk. I liked to do it afterwards, when you knew if it was going to be easier to be nice to them or not. If the deal went well, there were no pleasantries to make it a little more personal. Business first in my eyes.

“Well Greg, I was going over some of the numbers and…”

I just kind of sighed and sat down. I should have known that Darryl hadn’t wanted to go over it again. It was his lawyer that wanted to sweeten the pot or do something. I was under the impression that he was just worried about keeping himself and his ridiculous salary relevant, but it didn’t matter the motives, I didn’t want him putting a wrench into our plans. It was a great deal and I didn’t want him to derail it with his opinions of numbers.

“Just spit it out Carter, I don’t have all day.”

The younger man was about my age, but there was almost a lifetime of experience between us. He was a man that took orders and though diligent in his work, never was nothing more than a rule follower. He was the equivalent to a grown-up hallway monitor and the last thing I wanted to do was deal with him. Shooting Darryl a look, he just kind of shrugged like he didn’t know what to say and let him go on. We both did and I didn’t interrupt again until he was going over the deal and how much more that they wanted. The number wasn’t too high, but it was higher than I had wanted to see it go. The man was going to make me more problems than he was worth.

By the time I got out of the meeting, I was starving and my head was hurting. I turned the phone back on and saw that I had a voice mail. No one left those anymore and I saw that it was from that number that I had ignored when they had first called. When I heard the voice, I liked to have died. I knew who it was before she ever said her name in the end like I somehow would forget her. Didn’t she realize that I had thought about her for all of these years? If she did, there was no way that she would have suggested something so silly. She wanted to talk if I was going to be in town the next night. It didn’t matter what was in the plan, there was no way that I would miss that for the world. I needed to see her again and I knew that if I was going to get another chance, I was not going to ruin it.

Getting my things and calling my assistant back to get me an earlier flight, I was on a plane in less than an hour and when I touched down, the very first thing that I did was call Mandy and let her know that I just happened to be in town again that weekend and that I would love to meet up with her.

“Oh, okay Greg. That was fast. I didn’t think you lived here anymore.”

“I don’t, but I am back and forth quite a bit. I am glad that I heard your message. I would love to see you again. It has been a long time and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

I stopped before I said too much and waited for her to say something. I was starting to think that I had said too much, but she agreed. “It was good to catch up as well Greg. I have to tell you something and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. Maybe you would like to have a drink at my house when you are available? I know that it is short notice and you are a busy man...”

“I’m never too busy for you Mandy.”

“Why don’t you come down around seven or so?”

I looked at the clock and it wasn’t even five yet. That meant that I had a little bit of time to visit with Dawn and I knew that more than anything I needed some advice. I still wasn’t sure what I had done the last time she left me and I wanted to know what not to do. I didn’t want to lose her again. I didn’t think that I could deal with it again. I was going to make her see that we were always meant to be together. I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince her yet, but I had a feeling that Dawn would have a better idea about it than I did.

CHAPTER 9

MANDY

I looked around the room one last time before I went back to the counter and took another drink of the wine in the glass. There was nothing that I could do but wait. Greg had always been the type that wasn’t very good at being on time. There had been several times that he had left me high and dry. I started to wonder if it was going to be one of those times as well. I checked the time on the phone and was surprised that it was only five after. It just felt like an eternity waiting for him it seemed.

When I heard the doorbell, I practically jumped out of my skin. There was no other way to explain how I was feeling. I had been waiting for him, cursing him for his tardiness, but now that he was there and my heart was pounding in my chest, I wondered if I really wanted to see him again. It was only a mere fluke that I had the house to myself that night, but now I worried about everything. Was I really ready to tell Greg what I was so afraid to tell him so long ago?

Opening the door, I knew that I couldn’t just not answer it, even if I didn’t want to turn the knob all of a sudden. I had called him over of course and I took one last look behind me, making sure all of the pictures of Alfie were up. I still wasn’t sure if I would tell him the truth, all of the truth, so I didn’t want him to see pictures and start asking questions. While I thought that they looked a lot alike, he may see the uncanniness as well.

“Hi Greg.”

His eyes swept over my body and I was glad that I had kept up with my gym membership. Nothing would have been worse than seeing him like he was and letting myself go. He was still as hard and gorgeous as he always was and I hoped that I had held up as well. Having Alfie had added more curves that I had come to love, but Greg knew me before all of that. We had been so young and back then I was as close to perfection as I was ever going to be. If nothing else, I was glad that he liked what he saw now, regardless of the changes.

“You look great Mandy. You look just like you used to.”

I waved him off, sure that he was just being nice, but I did see the lust in his eyes. That part of him hadn’t changed and I loved that I made him feel that way. It had been a while and though I knew that I didn’t bring him home for that, I knew that it was nice to be thought of in that way. It just meant that at least I still had it.

“Come in Greg. It is good to see you again.”

He walked through and I could feel his body heat coming off of him as he passed me to move into the small house. Like everything, he overwhelmed the small foyer and I found myself backing up as he came closer. “Just hang your coat there and I will get the door.”

I don’t know why I was blabbering, but I could hear that I was, though I didn’t seem able to stop it. I was just so nervous that there was nothing else that I could do but do as I said I would. When I turned back around though, I knew that I was in for some trouble and the night was not going to go as planned. Greg had not moved from the spot where he stood and was just staring at me in that way that told me that he wanted to have me for dinner. I didn’t know if I was meant to be an appetizer or a snack, but it was hard to hold his view when I knew exactly what he was capable of and what he could do to my body if he was so inclined.

Before I could really understand what was going on, Greg was leaning forward, pressing his lips against mine. I moaned against his soft lips as his tongue pushed through to my own. His arm went around my waist and he pulled me to him. I was left to meld against his hard chest, my body reacting to the memories of what he had done to me in the past. Greg had given me more pleasure than I had ever had and so help me, I wanted it now more than ever.

Pulling back, I knew I had to get my wits about me before I lost everything in his gaze. There was part of me that wanted to give into the temptation. I had to remind myself that it wasn’t the past and we weren’t teenagers anymore. Now I had responsibilities and I was sure that he did too. I knew that Greg was the one man that could turn my life upside down. It is what he had done in the past. Love had a way of doing that.

“I don’t think we should Greg…”

He stopped me and apologized, citing an urge that he couldn’t control, but promised that it wouldn’t happen again. I wished that I wasn’t so disappointed in the idea of it never happening again. I had missed his lips on mine and I had to fight the urge to touch them, knowing that they were tingling still from his touch.

“I don’t know what got into me. You were just looking at me in that way that you used to.”

I didn’t know what look he was talking about, but I made sure to turn away so that whatever my eyes were saying, they weren’t talking to him. I didn’t want him to know how much I cared and still cared about him. Greg didn’t need to know how much power he had over my happiness. I didn’t want him to know that about me.

“It’s okay. I uh, wasn’t expecting it as all.”

“You’re lips are still soft and I swear you taste like strawberries.”

I didn’t believe him when he used to say it before, but I liked the continuation of how I hadn’t changed. I felt older most days, but at the moment I felt like I was seventeen again and I was looking at the man I loved. No wonder he was pouncing on me, when I was looking at him like that. I turned away and tried my best to make sure that I didn’t send him anymore looks.

“I got some drinks out if you would like one. Do you still drink whiskey?”

He nodded that he did and asked me how I remembered. All I could ask in return was how could I forget.

“It was a long time ago and we were just teens after all.”

“Of course. I guess I just remember the little things for longer.”

“I remembered everything about you Mandy. It doesn’t feel like it has been that long. When we kissed, it was just like the last time, right before you left me.”

I was waiting for that and I knew that I had more than I realized to explain myself. I couldn’t help it, but I had just left. I was the one that was going to need a drink and when I finally got to the kitchen, I poured something a little stiffer than wine. I was going to need it.

CHAPTER 10

GREG

“You know that it wasn’t like that. It was complicated and I thought it would be better to just leave as it was. Everything was perfect and I didn’t want to ruin it. I wanted you to remember me the way I was and the way we were.”

“Well it worked. I haven’t forgotten about you and I have thought about you every day since you left.”

“That was a long time ago. It was what, fourteen years ago?”

“Almost 15 years and though it dragged on without you, it has gone by quick as well. Time used to stand still when we were together.”

I was moving towards her again. I could still taste her sweetness on my lips and I wanted more. I had waited too long for her and I wasn’t going to stop now. The only thing that was going to stop me was words from her lips and I was under the impression that if I didn’t actually let her speak, than she wouldn’t be able to tell me to stop again. I had already given away more than I was supposed to and I knew that it had a lot to do with what was going on. I felt like this was my last shot and I didn’t want to leave anything left unsaid. If she left again, at least it was going to be knowing full well how I had felt about her all of these years. Never one to use words very well, I was more interested in telling her with my lips and hips.

My hands went to her and I pulled her to me. It wasn’t hard, but she was already off balance and she kind of fell into me before I could stop her. I caught her in my arms and for a moment everything was right with the world again and she was back where she belonged.

I kissed her again, this time with more passion and more feeling than I had before. There was a big part of me that wanted to take her right there. Her body was soft and giving and I knew that she was ready for me. But I wanted more than just one night together. I wanted her to really know how I felt about her and for her to finally tell me that she felt the same way. I didn’t want to make her, even though I knew I could. What I really wanted was for her to see how right we were for each other and how much better it would be together, the way it always should have been.

Moving away so that I could see the look on her face, I could tell that there was a part of her that was holding back. She wanted me, but there was still something in her dark eyes that told me that she wasn’t quite ready to let it all go yet.

So I gave her some air to breathe and I took a drink of the whiskey that she had poured for me. I would be the first to admit that I was rather surprised that she remembered. I didn’t even know if I ever saw her again if she would even remember my name. It had been so long ago and all of this time, I had tried to tell myself that I was most likely nothing to her. Now I was starting to wonder if I was more than just a lay to her. Was I more to her back then as well?

“Why did you leave me Mandy? Why did you leave without saying good bye? You just disappeared and I was left missing you.”

I had to know and though I hated the way I sounded and the whine in my voice, I pushed forward and waited for the answer that I had been dying to know all of the time she had been gone.

“I figured that you would move on pretty quick Greg. We were young and I knew that there was a lot going on back then. I didn’t want to hurt you. I just didn’t want to fight with you either.”

“I would have rather you yelled at me and called me anything that you wanted. At least then I would have known. You still really haven’t told me why you left.”

She bit her bottom lip and I remembered that it was one of her nervous ticks. I would have given anything to know what was on her mind to make her look that way. She wouldn’t meet my eyes and the wait was becoming too much to bare. I was tired of waiting, but I didn’t want to stop her if she was going to finally tell me. I had waited almost fifteen years to know, but the last five minutes was the worst.

“I don’t know what to say Greg. There was a lot going on.”

“Like what?”

I wasn’t going to let her cop out like that and I knew that there was more to it. We had something great and I know that she felt it too. She wouldn’t have thrown it away for nothing. There was something going on and I wanted to know what it was that had made her leave me. It was most likely not something that I wanted to hear, but it had to be better to finally have a settled mind. All I had thought about for years was what had gone wrong. It had given me a complex in a way and that was harder to live with than living without her. The doubt was almost mind numbing.

“I just couldn’t be with you and I knew that if I told you that and you asked me to stay, I wouldn’t be able to say no. I was never able to deny you anything Greg. That was the problem. I was the one that was in love and you were just, I don’t know, playing with me or something. I just had to go before it got worse. You weren’t ready for a relationship and all of that.”

I didn’t understand her really. She was talking kind of sketchy and it sounded like nonsense. I wasn’t sure why she couldn’t just tell me what it was that made her leave. I didn’t want the watered down version. I wanted the real version of her reasons. I wanted the truth and getting it from her was not an easy task.

“That isn’t good enough Mandy. You called me here, so tell me why you wanted me here. Why now?” I don’t know why, but I could feel my body tensing up and the last thing that I wanted to do was have the conversation that I was asking for. I debated going back to the style that had me kissing her and using my body to make her succumb to me. It could be enough if I knew that her mind would come next, but I didn’t know that. In truth, the likely hood was that she would just leave me again and that was not a feeling that I wanted to welcome back into my life. Having her back in my arms, I knew that there was nowhere else that she was supposed to be.

She fidgeted some more and I waited her out, sipping on the whiskey that brought the welcomed fire to my throat. It was almost enough to cover up the feelings that were in my heart. I knew that I wanted her to finally give me the closure that I so desperately needed to go on. Others saw me one way, but with Mandy I was just a man that was in love with a woman that obviously didn’t feel the same way. As hard as it was to handle, I kept telling myself that it was going to be easier when I knew the real reason and I could just go from there.

“I was about to leave and I just didn’t want to have this conversation with you.”

“Then why did you call me here? What was it that you wanted that would have made you finally call me after all this time?”

CHAPTER 11

MANDY

I didn’t know what was going on with him. One minute he was kissing me and making me forget my own name and the next minute he was looking at me as if I was the devil. I didn’t know which one was worse, though I knew that I didn’t like him mad at me. This was the reason that I had ran away, that and because of the future. I knew that Greg was not ready to have the same future as me. Why couldn’t he see that I was trying to help him? He wanted to go to business school. The man had big dreams and none of them involved being saddled with me and a baby.

The words were at the tip of my tongue, but his eyes were making it impossible to look at him. I couldn’t look at him and tell him what I needed to tell him. I started to think that it would have been better if I would have simply told him in a text like a coward. I was certainly wishing that I had done it now.

“There is something that I never told you that was going on Greg. I knew that you were going to college and I wanted to leave before the summer was over. I was afraid that you would want to stay instead of going to college like you were supposed to. Look what you have done. It was for the best that I left Greg, can’t you see that?”

I was not being very clear about what I was talking about, but I didn’t want to. I was hoping that he would just let it go. It was so many years ago after all and if it wasn’t for Alfie, there would be no proof that we had ever been anything to each other so long ago. Alfie was the reminder that made it impossible to forget.

“What was going on?”

Looking away, the green eyes were burning into me and I took a drink of the whiskey that was poured for him. The wine wasn’t cutting it anymore and I needed something stiffer to drink for the courage that I was about to need.

“I was pregnant.”

His face changed and I knew then that it was not going to be something that could be glossed over anymore. There was something in the deep recess of his eyes that made me nervous. The anger was back and it was completely different than before. It would appear that Greg now had a new reason to hate me.

“You were pregnant and you never told me?”

I nodded and waited for what would happen next. I was holding my breath, hoping that he would just say what he had to say and leave it at that. The whiskey was not working fast enough and I took another gulp and finally met his eyes.

“Why would you keep that from me?”

There were reasons given, but at the end of the day, if I would have thought that he would have stayed with me and still been able to live his dreams, I would have done it. But that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t have it both and I wanted him to have the life that he had worked so hard for when he was in school. It was because of him that I had taken my studies even more seriously, but he was the talent and I had known it even then. There was part of me that was vindicated a little in my choice because of what he had been able to accomplish. It had been his destiny and who was I to stand in his way? True love meant walking away when a person is holding the one they love back.

“It was just for the best Greg. Look at how it turned out? Everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

He didn’t believe me or didn’t agree. Either way, I wasn’t going to argue with him. I had played the should of, could of, would of games before and it never ended well. It was easier to just accept what had happened and to move on. That is what I had been trying to do for a long time, but though I was not very good at the last bit, I was working on it and still touting the effectiveness of it.

“You shouldn’t have gotten to make that choice Mandy. I know that everyone is all about it being a woman’s body, but that was my baby too.”

It occurred to me then that he thought I had gotten rid of it. It made sense because I was so shady with my answers and there was purposely nothing out of Alfie’s because I knew that he was supposed to be coming and I didn’t want to start out there, if I had wanted to go there at all. I still wasn’t sure and there was part of me that was thinking that the last thing I needed to be doing right then was talking about Alfie with Greg. But I couldn’t leave him thinking something like that. I just couldn’t and my stomach tightened up with the look on his face. He was mourning the death of a child that was never born so many years ago and for some reason that pulled at my heart strings to see it.

“The only choice that I made was leaving Watertown. My mother wasn’t going to be any help, so I went and stayed with my grandmother for a couple of years. She helped me out with him for a while until I got back onto my feet. I went to college and got a degree, then moved back here to work at the sanctuary. I should have told you. I see that now, but I like that you did everything that you said you wanted to do. You had big dreams and you did everything that you said you would do and more.”

“I would have rather known that I had a son Mandy. That we have a child together.”

He said it like he was hearing it for the first time or that it was the first time that he had heard it. It was going to be hard to process and I knew then that I should have told him. That was guilt that I was always going to have. So many times when Alfie would ask about his father, I would wonder what kind of dad he would have been. Was I hurting not just me and him, but also Alfie because he didn’t have a father?

“I know that now Greg. I was young and I thought that I was doing the right thing. Sometimes it seems that way, but years later, I get that I should have handled it better than I did. I don’t know what else to say but that I am sorry. I should have told you and just been truthful, but I was afraid of how you would have reacted and I didn’t see it turning into anything good. It was going to be a disaster and I wanted to save us all from that.”

Greg sat down on the stool next to me and I could tell that his mind was whirling. Nothing I said was even getting through, let alone going to make everything better and I knew that it was wrong to even try. I was trying to make it better for me, not him.

“So my Aunt Dawn was right when she said you had a son. She didn’t mention that it was mine.”

“No one knows who his father is. I never told him, though he is pushing me into it. I am going to have to tell him soon. He is stubborn like you and doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”

“How old is he?”

“Fourteen.”

Greg nodded and took another drink. He looked at me for a long time and I finally looked down with shame. What had I done? Why had I thought that it would only be me that had suffered when so many years were taken away from them both?

“I know that it is going to be hard for you to forgive me and I don’t really blame you if you can’t Greg. What I did was crappy and I see that now. I really do.”

I kept talking, hoping that I would find the words that would make it all better.

“So I have a son?”

Greg didn’t seem to believe it and there was something in the way that he kept repeating it. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but what I did know was that the cat was finally out of the bag and I still wasn’t drunk enough.

“Yes, his name is Alfie after my late father and he is at a friend’s house tonight. He will be back in the morning.”

“And he doesn’t know who I am?”

I shook my head that he didn’t. That seemed to bother Greg more than anything else. “So who does he think is his father?”

Another part that I felt horrible about was the fact that I hadn’t told my son. I didn’t know what to tell him, but now it was clear that he deserved the truth as much as Greg did. I owed them both and I was feeling horrible about it. I knew that there was something that I was going to have to do to make this right with him. I just wasn’t sure what it was.

“I just never told him. I told him that it was someone in my past that I loved very much.”

“And he was okay with that line?”

“It wasn’t a line. It is the truth, but like I said, now he wants more.”

“Good. I want to meet him tomorrow.”

I told him that it was a good idea, but there was still a whole lot of worry that was inside of me and I knew that it was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not. I wasn’t going to be able to keep Greg from his son, even if I had wanted to. I just wanted what was best for Alfie and knowing Greg was the best thing.

I didn’t have time to say anything else to Greg because he was storming out of the house and I was left looking at his back as he left. I didn’t blame him of course, how could I? It was hard to put myself in his position, but I knew that what I had done would have been a hard pill to swallow and I just hoped that one day he would forgive me, that they would both forgive me.

CHAPTER 12

GREG

I couldn’t stand to look at her or be around her. After all of those years of wanting to be with her, it was strange to not want to have anything to do with her. I felt betrayed and I felt like there was nothing else that could be done. I had loved a woman that had lied to me and kept our child from me. That was not something that could be forgiven easily, if ever.

Driving back to the hotel, I wanted to stop by and see Dawn, to tell her what happened, but I knew that it would be better if I didn’t. It was late and I was feeling some sort of way that I knew wasn’t going to help anything. I almost thought of calling Amber, but I knew that she would just complicate everything and still wasn’t what I wanted. What was this hold that Mandy had over me that made me forget everything else but her?

I got upstairs and took my clothes off. It was like I had to wash away the evening and after twenty minutes in the steaming water, I started to feel like the world was in fact not going to end as I had originally thought it would. It was news that was manageable and the next thought on my mind was seeing my son for the first time. I didn’t have any children because I was always so careful. Part of it was because I didn’t want the attachment that came with kids and then the pain when they would leave like Mandy did. The fact that I never loved again didn’t help me want children anymore, but with Mandy it seemed like the right thing, like we should have had a load of kids together by now.

My thoughts were confusing and it took everything in me to keep it together. I wanted to go back and do it all over again. I would have picked the route that had her moaning and screaming my name before I found out the truth. My body cursed me with every breath for not staying and getting what it was that my body craved and needed so bad. After everything that I had learned and the knowledge that she had lied to me all this time did nothing to stop the way I really felt. I still loved Mandy, but the fear of her taking off again was very real.

I lay down after I had paced the small floor some more. The idea that she was still just a few miles away was hard for me to ignore and so help me I wanted to see her so badly. I needed to see her and I called her phone several times. When she didn’t pick up, I remembered what she had said about our son being home in the morning. I had a feeling that a trip over there in the morning was going to do me more good than one right now. I didn’t want anything but her body that night and the way I was feeling, it was best that I stayed in and got some rest. It would look better in the morning.

***

The morning came while I was still awake. I was trying to figure out what it was that I was going to say and what it is I was going to do when I got there, but I still had no clue as I made my way to her house. It was almost nine in the morning and I knew that she was an early riser, so when she answered in a silk robe, I was a bit put off.

“Greg, what are you doing here? I thought I wouldn’t hear from you again.”

I almost said something smart, it was on my lips, but it wouldn’t have helped anything. I was mad still and I had to get it together before Alfie came home. Me and his mother would work things out soon enough. I wanted to meet my son and when I told her that, her eyes widened for a minute and she shook her head, “Of course Greg.”

She let me in only a little reluctantly, but after the news that she had given me, there was no way that I was going to let it slide. We were in fact going to have a very long talk about all of it, but first I wanted to secure her to me so that I didn’t lose her again. I was going to think of her as I did business and the number one rule was if you wanted something, just take it.

When I passed her, I caught a whiff of her shampoo and I felt blood rush to the rest of me. It was hard to think with her so close and I didn’t know if she knew what it was that she was doing to me or not. She was driving me crazy and all she was doing was looking up at me sleepy eyed with a smile on her face. I remembered that smile from before and I was practically gagging with need.

“When is he going to be here?”

“Alfie? He is going to be home in about fifteen minutes.”

It wasn’t enough time to do what I wanted, but I was tempted to see how far I could go before then. If it wasn’t such an important meeting, I would have done what I could to get her to agree to it, but at the moment, I was left uncomfortable in my pants, thinking about what it would be like to be with her after all this time.

“Well that will give us some time to talk. Would you like me to make some breakfast while we wait?”

Mandy was never a good cook and I had a feeling that it hadn’t changed. She would eat anything that came in a takeout box and I was sure that she hadn’t turned into a domestic goddess the years that she had been away.

“Um sure, if you want to. I guess you remember how good I can cook, huh?”

I nodded my head slowly and she smiled. “Yea, some things haven’t changed.”

“Well some things definitely have changed Mandy. I don’t think I will ever think the same way again. Everything has changed.”

Mandy was reminded of our conversation the night before and I had to wonder if she was really going to pretend that none of it had happened. I certainly couldn’t and I wasn’t going to let her forget just yet. I still had some unanswered questions of my own that I needed to know. After talking to Dawn a little bit ago, she had confirmed that she knew that Alfie was mine and that he looked just like me. I don’t know how I felt about having a mini me running around with my DNA that I had never met before.

“I’m sorry Greg, I really am. I never meant for any of this to happen, but it seems like I have made a big mess of things. But don’t take it out on Alfie. It isn’t his fault, so if you are going to hate someone, make sure that it is me.”

“Do you really think that I could ever hate you?”

CHAPTER 13

MANDY

He moved towards me and lifted my chin up for a kiss. I didn’t pause like I had before. I needed the assurances that his lips could give me and like every time that he had kissed me in the past, the world stood still for us and I lost track of time that was passing me by. Neither one of us heard the door open or close, or saw Alfie standing there.

“Mom?”

I pulled away so quickly that it left Greg a little dazed and confused. I was sure that there was something that I was supposed to be saying, some way to explain myself, but I couldn’t manage to get anything out of my mouth. There was a part of me that wanted to hide, but I knew that it wasn’t an option. I wasn’t going to be able to do anything else, but what I said that I was going to do. Greg wanted to meet his son and Alfie wanted to know who his father was. It was going to be two birds with one stone if everything went the way that it was supposed to go.

“Sorry Alfie. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Who is that?”

I could see that the who that he was wondering about was Greg. The likeness was even worse when the two of them were together. The eyes were both emerald and about the same intensity of color. They had the same look in their faces as they studied each other and I wondered if Alfie knew who he was. Was there a part of him that knew that Greg was his father? I wondered for a moment if he did by the way he was looking.

“This is, uh well Alfie, this is…” I couldn’t make my mouth say the words that were aching to come out. I don’t know why, but there was something holding it back like it had all of those years.

“I am your father, son. My name is Greg.”

I couldn’t believe that he said it like that, but I was thankful in a way because now I didn’t have to. Looking to Alfie, I could tell that the words were shocking, but I think part of him knew that it was true. He looked just like him and it had to be a little disconcerting to see someone that looked so like him.

“You’re my father?”

He asked the question into the room more than to me or to Greg. Greg shook his head anyways and waited. I could see that he wanted to go to him, but there was still confusion in Alfie’s eyes. I wished that it would have been done differently, but I was afraid that I would have never gotten to it. I hadn’t managed to in all of those years. Now it was out and in the open, ready to be dealt with no matter how hard it was going to be.

“Mom, is this true?”

I told him that it was and moved to give him a hug. He backed off a little bit and it hurt to see the distrust in his eyes.

“Yes it is true Alfie. I wanted to tell you another way, but what Greg says is true. I knew him a long time ago and I just told him last night about you. He never knew about you until last night. I am sorry that I didn’t tell you both sooner.”

I was stammering and blabbing again, I could hear it in my voice, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I wanted everything to be okay and for my son to stop looking at me like that. I had never felt so bad in my life and I was still off kilter a little bit because of Greg’s kiss that morning.

“Why don’t you get us something to drink Mandy and I will finish up breakfast?”

Nodding my head, I could tell that he was letting me off the hook. I knew that it was going to be harder with Alfie who was still staring at Greg like he was going to vanish at any moment. What had I done and why had it been so long for me to figure it all out?

I went to the refrigerator and let the two men continue to stare at each other. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. It was hard to act like I wasn’t in the middle of it, but I was trying to do as Greg suggested. He started to talk to Alfie, asking him questions and I could tell that my son was feeling him out. It didn’t take long for the two of them to realize that there was a lot that the two of them had in common.

When I got a couple of glasses filled with juice, I realized I needed to add another one and it was a pang in my heart for a moment. I was just full of emotions and I was trying my best to hold it all together.

Setting the table, I was relieved to hear the conversation between the two of them. It was clear that it was going to be an easy transition and before long it was like they were two peas in a pod. I knew that it wasn’t always going to be this way, but there was a part of me that was okay with it. Alfie had a reason to be mad at me and I knew that he would forgive me eventually. I wasn’t sure about Greg, but it didn’t matter then, he had really saved my ass, even though I didn’t deserve it.

***

“I want to thank you for making everything so easy for me Greg. I know you didn’t have to, but you made this so much easier than it should have been.”

Alfie had gone upstairs to his room and was getting his stuff together because the two of them were going to go play catch at the park. It was kind of cliché, especially considering Alfie had only used his mitt and ball once since I bought it for him a couple of years before, but it was cute. I was thankful that Greg was willing to do such things and I could already see that Alfie was over the moon about everything that was going on.

“Don’t worry about it. I know that it is going to be awkward, so there is no point in making it any harder. We have a lot to talk about later, but for now, I think me and Alfie are going to go out. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

I shook my head and told him that I didn’t. Alfie was still acting a little strange about everything and I knew that he was mad at me. He had every right to be mad at me and I didn’t want to push it. He was the type, like Greg, that needed space when he was upset and I wasn’t going to make it any harder on him. He needed time and that was the least I could do.

When he got back downstairs, I was nervous to see him and waited for him to tell me good bye. It was a strange way to feel, like I was an outsider all of a sudden. But I had to accept it and hope that like everything else in life, that would change too. If nothing else, Alfie was going to have the father that he always wanted and Greg was sliding into the role rather quickly. He wasn’t the running type and it made me realize that I was going to have to figure things out with him as well. I didn’t know what that was going to look like, but there was a part of me that knew it was going to be okay. I shouldn’t have felt that way, there was surely nothing that was pointing into the direction of everything being okay, but I was convinced nonetheless that it was so.

CHAPTER 14

GREG

Alfie told me good night and I told him that I would see him the next day. I wanted to take him by to meet his great aunt. Dawn had seen him from afar for a long time, but she had never talked to him in person and I wanted to change that. She was getting old and though I would never admit it, she wasn’t going to be around forever.

My mind left me the next day when Mandy came into view as I went down the stairs. She was wearing some jeans and a T shirt like she had before. Some things about her hadn’t changed at all and it was good to see. She reminded me that I had falling in love with her a long time ago and all of the feelings that I had then, were coming back full tilt.

Mandy didn’t see me yet, so I was able to study her without her seeing me. It gave me time to admire everything about her, every curve and everything that I remembered from before. It made me want her even more and when she finally turned my way and smiled, I was lost once again. She had always had that effect on me and it was hard for me to deny it anymore.

I didn’t say a word. I was never good at words and I wasn’t ready to start polishing my craft now. All I wanted to do now was show her. I knew that she was worried about me forgiving her, but I already had. I loved her and there was nothing that she could do that would ever make me want to not be with her. Alfie was just another reason that made me want to be with her more. It was meant to be and we already had a child together. It was time to start thinking about making some more. I knew that I was ready to try if nothing else. I wanted to see what all had changed.

“Wait Greg, I don’t think this is a good idea. I thought we needed to talk.”

I was not going to talk to her. There was literally nothing that I wanted to say to her that didn’t involve my tongue in her mouth and my cock inside of her. I had waited too long for her and after all of these years, I wasn’t going to wait anymore. I was still kicking myself for leaving angry the night before. She was in my arms and willing to do what I wanted. I should have let her show me how sorry she was in that way, instead of leaving all mad and going to bed wanting her more than anything else.

“I don’t want to talk anymore about it, okay? I know what I need to know, but what I don’t know is how I can go another minute without you in my arms. There is nothing that I want to do more than to be with you Mandy.”

She kind of giggled and told me that it wasn’t the first time that I had said that before. I didn’t doubt it. Mandy had always made me say things that I didn’t necessarily mean to say and now was one of those times. I was pouring my heart out to her, my need so high that I was sure there was a lack of blood to my big brain, but I pressed on, I had to.

“Just tell me that you want me as much as I want you Mandy and that will be enough.” I will give her a little time to get used to desire before I went down the route of love. I remembered from before that she wasn’t into the gushy stuff like most women were. Mandy like action and that is what I was dying to give her. All she had to do was say yes and I would have everything that I needed.

“I do want you Greg. It has been a long time, but I still remember what it was like with you. I know that you were the one that got away for me, but I don’t want to pretend like nothing has happened between us. A lot has and Alfie is mad. I don’t know.”

I shushed her and pulled her down to me for a kiss. I told her that she was just thinking too much and she was going to have to calm down. “Our past is a good thing considering that we already have a son together. It is meant to be, but for now Mandy, I need you. Please don’t deny me.”

She wasn’t going to be able to. When my lips moved down to hers, I felt her melt a little bit against me and I knew she was mine again. The soft moan that escaped from her was enough to make me a little crazy and I asked her where her room was. I didn’t want to speak, the clarity going back into her darkened eyes, but I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t take her right there, not with our son upstairs. We needed privacy and I needed some time with her.

Pulling me behind her, Mandy wasn’t thinking about the reasons why anymore. She seemed to be as needy as I was and I knew that I was going to have to slow it down before I made it something that wasn’t very memorable. When we got into her room and the door was shut, Mandy moved to her knees and I had to pull her up to her feet. There was no way that I was going to be able to be pressed in between her sweet lips and not come in her mouth. I just couldn’t and I didn’t want our first time after so long to be like that. I wanted it to be special and that meant me showing a little control.

“Why don’t you want me to Greg? I have learned a lot since we were together last.”

There was a surge in my pants and I couldn’t believe that she had just said that. Mandy had always been a little naughty, but she was more so than I remembered from before and it was hard to deal with her. I couldn’t let her touch me like that. If she put me in her mouth, there was no way that I was going to be able to give her the memories that I wanted to. I wanted her to never forget me again and never think about leaving me again in my life.

“I can’t take it right now Mandy. I just want you so much and I want everything to be perfect for you.”

She whined and her fingers covered up the length of my cock and I groaned. She just didn’t get how hard I was trying to hold it altogether, but it was almost impossible. I moved her hand away and stood her up and away from her a little bit so that she wouldn’t be able to touch me. Mandy was needy and I could see that she wanted more, but I needed to slow down because I was ready to end it right then and there. It would have been a waste.

Instead of letting her get her hands on me again, I distracted her with a kiss and then my hands roaming over her body a little bit. She moaned into my mouth and the sound was muffled by my lips. It was such a sweet noise that it was as damaging to my senses as the feel of her hand on me was.

I wanted to see her, knowing that she had changed and wanting to see all of the changes for myself. Pulling her shirt off, her tits took my attention away and I could definitely see the difference. They seemed bigger or I hadn’t seen her in a long time and it was just the way they looked then.

“God you are beautiful Mandy. I have missed you so much.”

Her jeans were a little harder to get off because my hands were shaking a little bit, but I managed to get them off and then I was ready for more. Everything about her was the same, but a little different. Her hips were a little wider and there was softness in her belly that hadn’t been there before. It just made her look more like a woman and less like a girl that I had known before. I couldn’t tell her no and I couldn’t get her off of my mind. She was just going to have to be mine whether she liked it or not. I just had to convince her of that.

Moving to kiss her, I moved her body to the bed and rubbed the front of my thickness into her. As I climbed over her, I kissed and licked my way to her neck, stopping only to tease at the places that her bra and panties covered.

“Greg.”

She was saying it as a question and I didn’t know what it was that she wanted. Kissing her on the lips, I asked her what it was that she wanted, but Mandy was never good at communicating when she was horny and that hadn’t changed as well.

“Tell me what it is that you want Mandy. I will give you anything that you want. All you have to do is ask. Do you know how long it is that I have been waiting for you? Anything you want that I can give you, I will.”

Mandy was still not saying anything, but her hand went to my length and pulled it towards her. It was clear what she wanted, but there was something about wanting to hear her say it that was driving me to wait her out.

Her eyes opened and she whimpered at me. It was just my name a couple of times in the sweetest voice that I had ever heard in my life. Finally she added please and I could no longer pretend that I didn’t know what it was that she wanted. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t give her what it was that she needed?

CHAPTER 15

MANDY

“Please Greg. I need you.”

It was all that I could manage with his fingers pulling my bra down and then his hot mouth on my nipples. I couldn’t think when he was touching me like that. It was when his mouth and hands got down to my panties that I really started to get nervous. There was one thing that Greg did better than anyone else I had ever been with after him and I couldn’t get him down there fast enough.

My hand went to the thick brown hair on his head and I whined when he resisted me. “Tell me what it is that you want Mandy. I want to hear you say it.”

His patience and control had always been the bane of my existence. I think that he took pleasure in making me go a little crazy and it was one of those times that I found myself in. I wanted to be clear of my needs, but it was embarrassing to even think about saying such a thing out loud. It was unheard of to say the least.

“Please Greg. You know what I want.”

The man knew my body better than I knew it myself. I knew that there was no way that he wasn’t taking the hint. Why did he have to torture me in such a way?

He chuckled and seemed to take it into consideration before he shook his head. “I want you to kiss her baby.”

He gave me another grin and chortling sound before he leaned down and stripped the panties off and pulled them off of my legs. “All you wanted was a kiss? You should have said something sooner.”

Leaning down, he kissed the slippery button of my desires quickly and I groaned at the feeling. He knew that he was driving me crazy and when he pulled back up without doing anymore, I was ready to force him to do my bidding, the need so great inside of me. “Greg, you know what it is that I want. Please.”

Moving down he licked her again and instead of messing with me, he finally grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him. I whimpered and then called out when I felt the soft flick of his tongue. It felt so good and I closed my eyes to the pleasure. Greg always knew exactly what it was that I needed. It didn’t take long for my completion to come over me so swiftly that I was finding it hard to breathe.

Greg stopped and looked down at me. When I opened my eyes, my body was shaking. “Promise me that you won’t leave me again Mandy. I can’t go on without you anymore.”

I didn’t know what to say. He knew that I couldn’t think like this and I didn’t know why he was making it so hard on me. “Please Greg.”

“Promise me.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my mind that was racing and trying to figure out the words that he kept asking. All I could come up with was his name and a whine telling him that I needed him to finish me off. Instead of giving me what I wanted though, Greg got off of the bed and started to undress. He was full and ready, my eyes taking it all in and I was lost with the look on his face. I wasn’t the only one in need and I hoped that over the years his determination had waned some. He had always had quite a bit of self-control, far more than I ever had.

“Just tell me that you won’t leave me again Mandy. You don’t know what that did to me.”

I wanted to say what it was that he wanted to hear, because I knew that there was nowhere else that I would want to be but in bed with him. I shook my head that I wouldn’t leave him, hopeful that it would be enough. My eyes were glued between our two bodies and his own hard length rubbing against me.

Maybe the movement was enough or he was sick of waiting as well because Greg surged forward in one sure movement and I was left gasping for breath. It had been too long since I had been with anyone, but there was always something about the way that Greg had felt inside of me. It was like I was personally made just for him or him for me. Nothing had changed in that sense and he was pulling out and sliding back in quickly seconds from starting. Everything with Greg had been overwhelming and this time was no different. From waiting so long and being pulled from the edge moments before, it didn’t take long before I was wrapping my arms around his neck and crying out in his ear.

“I’ve missed the way you sounded when you came and the way it feels.”

I was wetter and he started to slip into me quicker and deeper than before. It was enough to make me go right into the next orgasm quicker than the first one. One was never enough for Greg. He would give me one after another and I don’t really know if he tried to do that or if it was just what happened.

He said dirty things in my ear as he pulled away from my lips, telling me how good I felt and how long it had been since he had felt something so perfect. The words themselves were as damaging to my senses as he continuous pounding. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the feel of him going in and out of me at a quickened pace. It was better than I could have imagined and before too long, I was ready to lose myself once more.

“I’m going to come, Mandy. I can’t take it anymore.”

My mind went to the fact that we didn’t have a condom on and I panicked a little bit. I didn’t want to have another worry, but Greg was not having anything other than what he wanted. Before I could say anything, he was pressing deeper and then I could feel his hot need shoot inside of me. It was final and there was nothing that I could do about it. I was about to explode myself and the added heat only made it worse.

I met his gaze for the first time in a while and again the green depths were seconds from consuming me as his body just had. But with Greg that was never enough. I knew now that he wanted all of me, not just my body. He wanted my soul and my mind and I knew then that he was more worried about those last two, then the first one. It was relieving to see that even after all of that stress and drama, he was still able to forgive me and find a place in his life for me and for Alfie. I knew that the latter deserved it more than I did.

“Why won’t you promise me that Mandy? Take me out of my misery and promise me that this is permanent.”

There wasn’t much to know what he meant by this and permanent. I wasn’t sure what this was that was happening between us. He was out of my life for all of those years and now that he was back, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. We had just slept together, the man literally still inside of me and he was asking about permanence. I wasn’t sure that I knew what it was that I was doing, let alone putting we in front of it. I was confused and way more overwhelmed than I was willing to admit. I needed time to think, but I knew that it wasn’t going to happen with him throbbing inside of me, starting to get hard again before I had had one moment to actually think about anything.

“I don’t know what to say Greg. I need some time to think and though you are right about a lot of things, I’m not sure what this is. I don’t know if it is going to last because I haven’t even wrapped my brain around it. I just need some time.”

“Okay Mandy. Take all of the time you want, but I would hope that you can get it figured out a lot quicker than last time. I wonder if I would have noticed you, if you would have walked up to me.”

There was no answer and instead I used a kiss and a squeeze as all of the distraction that I would ever need to get his mind off of promises that I wasn’t ready to make about something that I still wasn’t very sure on. It gave me time and more pleasure than I could have imagined. It had been too long since I had been with a man that knew my body better than I knew my own.

It had been too long since I was in Greg’s arms.

CHAPTER 16

GREG

“Are you really just not going to talk to me? You have to talk to me. This is not going to happen like it did last time. I have given you some space, but I am coming to see you and Alfie. You are not going to stop what is happening here. I won’t let you do this to us again.”

I hung up, more upset with myself that I had let my emotions get the better of me. It was a pattern with her, one that I was accepting of, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t want her to know how much in love I was with her, but there was a part of me that knew I needed to be truthful. I couldn’t let it happen again and I was always going to wonder if it was because of my lack of talking. I wouldn’t let it go without saying all that I needed to say.

She hadn’t answered for a week and since I was about to make my way back to Watertown from the city, I knew that I was just going to have to track her down. I didn’t mind, though I knew that I wasn’t going to leave her side again until I had a promise that I needed to hear. I needed her to be mine and I had already thought about what I was going to do for the long term. I wasn’t joking when I said permanent. I was going to make her mine for good this time and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

I made the rest of the day go by pretty quickly because I was getting everything ready to go back home. I had talked to Aunt Dawn and she was in a rather chipper mood. I hadn’t told her about me and Mandy yet because I was still unsure what it was that we were doing. I wanted to get that yes answer before I went public with everything, but I was hoping by the end of the weekend I would be able to have her to hold forever.

***

I knocked a little harder and took out my phone to call her again. I had left another message on my way down, telling her that I was going to be there at eight and I was starting to think that it was a mistake to do so. Maybe instead of being there, she would stay away and I had just given her the time and date to hide from me. I didn’t like the idea of it and was about to dial her number again when the door opened.

She was beautiful and she was there. “Sorry I was in the bathroom and just heard you. I hope you weren’t out here long.”

I shook my head that I wasn’t. I would have waited hours out there to see her if that is what it would have taken. She invited me in and I was already smelling her shampoo again as she passed me. “What kind of shampoo do you use?”

Mandy giggled and told me that it was a queer question to ask.

“I just want to know. It is the same as before, isn’t it?”

She looked at me a little stranger and told me that it was. I knew that she was wondering what it was that made me know that, but there was so much that I knew about her that she would never know. I remembered everything.

“It’s Finelle.”

I repeated the name and knew that I would never forget it again. I shouldn’t need it though, not if I could convince her that it was time for us to be together in all ways.

“Is he home?”

“No, he is at a friend’s for the night. He will be back in the morning. I figured that we would need a little time to talk.”

I didn’t like the way she said it, but I was going to focus more on the fact that we were there alone. I wanted to see my son, but his mother was the one that I had to convince, Alfie was already a part of me. Now I just had to convince Mandy that she needed me as well.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Well you have called me all week, so I figured that you were the one that had some things to say.”

She was leaving the ball in my court, but I wasn’t sure how much more I should say? Should I just come right out and ask her, throwing all caution to the wind?

“You made love to me all night and then you didn’t really say much the next morning. I don’t know what to think and then you wouldn’t answer your phone Mandy.”

There was more to say, but the emotions were creeping back in and it was a bit more than I could handle. Why couldn’t she see that it was hard to go on without her? That I didn’t want to?

“I’m sorry about that Greg. Everything has been kind of crazy around here and it was a lot to process. Alfie is acting different although at least he is talking to me now. He said that you guys talked this week?”

She had walked into the kitchen and I knew that there was a good chance that she was trying to avoid me. I stopped her with a light hand on her arm, waiting for her to meet my gaze. It was like she didn’t want to and when she finally did I could see that she was upset.

“What is wrong?”

Mandy shrugged and tried to turn away, but the grip on her arm wouldn’t let her.

“I just, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what this is and it is just too much.”

I moved closer and pulled her to me, bending down to kiss her. She was shaking in my arms, but her lips responded to me like they always did. Soon I was the one that was losing my place and not sure anymore. Every time we were together lately I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her and this moment was no different. Her brown eyes were so big and she had a vulnerability that I hadn’t seen this time around.

“I want us to be more Mandy. I want what I wanted for us back then. Do you know that I was going to ask you to marry me on your birthday? If you would have waited another week or so, you would have seen that I wanted you as my wife and to have a family with you. It is what I always wanted Mandy. College was not the end of the world and even if I would have lost the scholarship, I would have figured something out.”

“You wanted to marry me?”

She was using past tense and I was going to let her for a time.

“I loved you Mandy. I wanted to marry you after the first date. I know that we were young, but I have always loved you Mandy and I still do.”

“How can you love me after all of this time?”

“Because I never stopped.”

I kissed her again and I could see that she was shocked by the turn of events. I was as well and the need to ask her was overpowering.

“I want you to marry me now Mandy.”

“You can’t mean that. We haven’t seen each other in years and a lot has changed. You don’t even know me anymore.”

I shook my head and didn’t agree. “There is nothing about you that has changed that I don’t love. You are still the same girl I fell in love with all of those years ago and now that I know what it is like to live without you, I am not letting you go again. I meant it Mandy. I want to make you my wife.”

I got the ring out and I saw her eyes go to it. I went down to my knees like all of the movies suggested and she covered her mouth as her eyes started to redden.

“Will you marry me Mandy and make me the happiest man in the world?”

She kind of giggled at the last part and while it was cliché, I knew that it was how I would feel if she would just give me the yes that I needed so much.

Mandy shook her head and whispered yes very low before I kissed her. It was not loud enough that I really heard it that well, but it was good enough. My heart soared and my body was shaking as I pulled her to me. Mandy melted against my chest and I knew that she was going to be mine forever. Now that I had a second chance with her, I was never going to let her go again.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER: GREG

“Just don’t tell your mom that I told you. She will never let me hear the end of it.”

“I was starting to wonder why she has been acting that way. I have never seen my mom cry like that before. I thought that there was something going on with you two.”

I shook my head. “No, it is nothing like that. She is just going to have another baby and Mandy seems to be hit hard with the emotional part of it.”

Alfie rolled his eyes and shook his head in agreement. Mandy hadn’t been herself for weeks and I think both of us were relieved when we found it was a baby making her crazy.

“I am never going to have kids if that is how girls get.”

I just kind of shook my head and laughed at my son. He was still so clueless and didn’t even know. I had so much to teach him.

“You will find the right girl Alfie and there won’t be anything that you wouldn’t do for her. That is what I want for you. I want you to find love like me and your mom have.

THE END

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If you are OBSESSED with bad boys, you can find him here of all kinds. My alpha males are strong enough to make the hard decision in life but sweet enough to melt for his mate. I write about smart, sexy, sassy and hot alphas. If you are a passionate romance reader and love reading bad boy books, then stay in tune.

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