by Elle Boon
The shiver that went down her spine wasn’t one of fear, but desire. She wondered what he did to those who broke his rules. Oh, she saw what he’d had done to the club member Groot when he’d screwed up. However, she didn’t think he and she were on that level. The heat and desire in his gaze matched what she felt. “I’m not lying. Or I should’ve said I wasn’t thirsty when I got your drinks.”
The moment stretched while he stared at her. One of his hands rested on her hip, the other one held her face, then moved to her jaw and rubbed up and down her neck, touching her jumping pulse. She was sure he was checking for himself how she was responding to him.
His lips moved close enough she felt his breath on her skin. “Fair enough. Go get you and Tiana a drink. Soda for Little Bit, something stronger for you, but not too strong,” he cautioned.
She opened her mouth, but his thumb pressing on it stopped her. “You’re awfully bossy,” she said behind his digit.
“Glad you realized that from the jump.” King’s words didn’t sound as if he was ashamed, far from it as a matter of fact. He gave her a little push, helping her stand. “Get going, I’m a starving man.”
“You don’t want the Pres to get hangry,” Keys joked.
King raised his left hand, middle finger extended. “I’ll show you hangry, fucker.”
Tiana giggled.
Ayesha snagged a soda for the both of them, needing to keep her head on straight if she was going to be dealing with King. Hell, she didn’t think even with her head on straight she’d be able to deal with King Royal. What woman in her right mind could? Looking at the head of the table, meeting those all knowing eyes, the heat staring back at her, and she couldn’t deny she wanted to see just where this thing with him was going. Hell, she wanted to do more than see. She wanted to explore exactly what all King had to offer, for as long as he offered and damn the consequences. He’d helped her get Tiana back. She owed him, but that wasn’t why she wanted him. No, she wanted him on a visceral level, a level she’d never wanted a man, not even her husband Carlos. After they ate, and she was sure Tiana was safely tucked in, she would sit down with King to find out the details of what had happened. After that…all bets were off. She only hoped he was on board with the same thing.
Chapter Eight
King could see the need on Ayesha’s open expression. Fuck, he could feel it when he’d held her in his lap, could feel her pulse tripping beneath his finger. Her snug little ass had fit his lap perfectly. He wanted to flip her over and see just how malleable those globes were when he gave them a good swat or ten, wanted to see how they’d look with his handprint on them. Of course, her little sister being there was one reason he curbed the need. He could see she had a submissive streak a mile wide, but she clearly had no clue what she was, or maybe hadn’t explored that side of herself. King couldn’t wait to introduce her to a whole new world. They had a lot to discuss, first and foremost was her sister and the fact the bastard who’d taken her had gotten away.
He fisted his hand, looking to Keys. “Any news on our quarry?”
Keys shook his head, pulling out his iPad, a couple minutes went by as his computer expert did some shit King didn’t want or need to know about. “There’s a few leads, but I’ll have something more concrete in a couple hours.”
They both stopped talking as Tiana and Ayesha looked at them, questions looming in the air. “Eat, we’ll talk after.” King didn’t want to ruin anyone’s appetite. What they’d found, the fact Ayesha deserved to know about Tiana’s rescue wasn’t something he was going to put off forever.
A moan from Duke had him looking down the other end of the table to see his brother forking another mouthful of pasta into his mouth. Another moan escaped the man. “Motherfuck, this is good,” Duke said around a mouthful of pasta and sauce.
“Dude, swallow your food before talking.” King pointed his fork at Duke.
His brother shook his head, his fork going back to his plate without saying another word. King began eating, understanding hitting him on his first bite. “Sonofabitch,” he moaned.
Duke pointed his fork at King, but his mouth was full, so he didn’t say a word.
Ayesha smiled, her cheeks pinkened. Oh yeah, he could totally see her ass looking sexy as shit with a rosy hue from his palm print.
They polished off the entire pot plus the bread. The only ones to eat the salad were Ayesha and Tiana along with Mack. The other brothers had come in, made a plate as well, thanking Ayesha and Mack. Nobody mentioned Mack’s black eye again. King would let Duke deal with her, or not.
“That was delicious, Ayesha, Mack.” He made sure he looked at both women, acknowledging they both had a part in making it.
Mack nodded, pushing away from the table. “I’m headed out. You need anything?”
King watched Ayesha eye Mack like a snake ready to bite. The little fighter his brothers had nicknamed Rocky, didn’t like the suggestive way Mack said anything, or maybe it was the way she looked at him. “Who’s on clean up?” He wasn’t going to let her slip out and leave Ayesha to do all the work alone.
“I told her I’d take care of it. We washed up as we went, so there’s not much left.” Ayesha stood, gathering up her and Tiana’s plate. “Besides, T will help me.”
Duke stood up, rubbing his stomach. “Sit down, they’ll wait. Mack, get on home and make sure you check in with Keys to let him know you made it.”
They had yet to go over Tiana’s rescue. Sending Mack home made sense.
Once Ayesha returned from the kitchen, she sat down, her hands fidgeting on the table. “Okay, I’m ready.” She twisted toward Tiana. “Are you okay?”
Tiana placed her hand over Ayesha’s. “Yeah, I’m good. They got there when Kailani and I hit the ground.”
“She’s the sister of the fucker who took her.” King pointed at Tiana. “She’s solid from what we can tell. Traeger has her with him. We split up.” King tapped his finger on the table. “You want to tell us what went down while you were there, Little Bit?”
Tiana sucked in a breath. “I think I should start from the beginning.” She took another shuddering breath before continuing. “I met Rico online in a chat room. It was supposed to be for students with interests in studying abroad.”
Ayesha gasped. “What?”
“Let her finish,” King ordered.
Tiana released Ayesha’s hand. “I just wanted to talk to others who had been to Italy. My friend Molly went there last summer and hasn’t stopped talking about how beautiful it was. I knew the only way we’d ever be able to afford it was if I did it as a student.” She swiped at her cheeks as tears rolled down. “It sounds so stupid now. You’ve always done so much for me, provided everything for me, and here I was asking for more when you’ve done without. I know you’ve worked extra hours at the salon so I could have the cool clothes, and what do I do to repay you? I ask for more. You should hate me.” Tiana sobbed.
Ayesha turned toward Tiana, wrapping her arms around the younger girl’s shoulders. King wanted to give them a moment, but they had time to discuss their issues later. He needed to find out more about the man who she met, the one she went along with to a destination that could’ve been a living nightmare.
“Tiana, you can make that shit up to your sister later. Right now I need to know more about this Rico. How did you meet him in this chat?” King didn’t backdown when Ayesha turned her angry glare on him. If there was one thing the two women would learn in his club, it was that he was the one in charge.
For the next ten minutes, Tiana described how the young man spoke to her about traveling the world with his parents. He’d joined the chat for students traveling abroad shortly after her, quickly ingratiating himself with Tiana. They exchanged numbers but most of their conversations occurred online. “So he sent you pictures, and you sent him some as well? Did they ever go beyond what was deemed PG? What I’m asking you Tiana, are any of those pictures you sent him on the level of indecent?”
Ayesha pa
led, but she didn’t say a word. Good, she clearly wanted an answer to his question, or she knew he wouldn’t stand for an interruption. Either way, he was in charge whether she liked it or not.
“Um…I sent him some of me in my bikini, but nothing…like bad bad.” Tiana stumbled over her words.
King was a good judge of character and could normally tell if a person was lying or not by looking at them. However, Little Bit was either really good at lying, or she was telling the truth. “If you did happen to send him anything that was bad, I hope you know Keys could possibly get it back.” He looked at the man in question, watching his brother’s eyebrows wing up. Or not. Hell, he wasn’t the computer expert for a reason. You need someone fucked up? He was your guy. You needed someone to submit? He was your guy. Get our electronic shit fixed? Don’t come to him.
“I promise, Ayesha, I would never sext. I told you I wouldn’t, and I didn’t.”
“Okay, we believe you, T. Don’t we?” Ayesha looked around the table, her gaze settling on his. “King, if she says she didn’t, I believe her.”
He sat back, letting his hands settle on his stomach. “Let me ask you something. Did you believe her when she told you she was going to school, but instead she went to meet the fucker in person?” Both women flinched. King refused to wear kid gloves. Had Ayesha not had a drunk Chloe in her salon who just happened to mention what the Royal Sons did, her sister and Kailani probably wouldn’t have made it out of the estate. He’d seen the set up they had and knew without a doubt, the men who had followed them were prepared to kill instead of allowing one of their captives to leave.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll never do anything so stupid again. When he showed up, I knew he didn’t look like an eighteen year old, but he was so nice. He had a private plane like the Kardashians. It was like a fantasy, and he promised he’d have me home by supper. I was so stupid, Ayesha. I knew something was wrong when he took me to this mansion and locked me in a bedroom. I was so scared,” she cried.
“Oh, baby girl, I can only imagine. Promise me you’ll never do anything like that ever again.” Ayesha held Tiana to her chest, both crying audibly.
“Never again. It was stupid to want to go to Italy,” Tiana sobbed.
“No, it was stupid to talk to a stranger online. It was even stupider to meet a man you’ve never met in person alone. It was insane to get on a fucking plane and not tell anyone where you were going. I could go on and on about all the stupid things you, did but wanting to study abroad was far from the stupidest,” King barked.
Ayesha pushed Tiana away, her eyes sparking at him. “Now wait just a minute,” she started.
King shook his head, standing up. “No, you wait a minute. Keys, pull up those files. The ones with pictures for me.” He held his hand out toward his brother, keeping his eyes trained on the two women. Rage boiled through him.
Keys handed him his iPad. “I want you to look at this, Tiana. Take a good hard look, and you tell me what you think the stupidest thing you did.” He let the electronic device settle in front of them, allowing them to see what happened to young girls who’d been victims of human trafficking. The images weren’t pretty. They were raw, brutal, and some so damn grotesque they made even his stomach turn. “That, Tiana, is what was waiting for you after that fuck was done with you. He’d have used you, let his men use you. By the time he’d have sold you to the highest bidder, who’d have then sold you daily and nightly, however many times they chose, you’d have wished for death. Hell, they might have just put you in a warehouse, filled you with drugs and let men come and go every half hour or hour. That’s what your reality could’ve been, no would’ve been if you survived. That’s what the reality of hundreds of thousands of young women and some men have been. You were one of the lucky ones.” He turned from them, the memory of another young girl, one who hadn’t been as lucky filled his mind.
Duke reached across the table, turning the tablet off so the images were gone. Their little sister had been taken when she’d been little more than a teen, sold like he’d just described. All because their father had been stupid, not listening to the murmurs going around town. It was why he and his brothers, the Royal Sons MC, had vowed to do what they could to help those in similar situations. Although they didn’t announce it to the world, there were individuals who knew, and that was who they helped. Hearing Tiana speak about what she’d done wrong, yet not once had she said her meeting up with the fucker was bad, had him wanting to put his fist through the table. He walked away before he could scare either of the women.
“I’m sorry,” Ayesha said softly, startling him.
Her hand felt cool on his arm. He inhaled deeply before peering over his shoulder. “I just need a minute.”
“She’s just a kid.” Her explanation, the way she was still protecting her little sister had him gritting his teeth.
“You realize if we’d not shown up tonight she’d likely be getting fucked in every orifice of her body at this very moment, right?” Her flinch nearly made him stop. Only the image of his sister lying in a full size bed, her dark hair in tangles, her body barely covered by a dirty sheet kept him on his path. “Imagine the shell she’d have been if, and I do mean if we got her back. Most girls don’t make it home. They’re either dead within the year, or too traumatized, too far into the world they’re sold into they don’t want to come home.” He pulled her around, placing her sexy little body in front of him. “I’m not saying this to hurt you, but because I want to protect the both of you.” Truth rang from him. Why he wanted to see the darkness erased from her expression, King didn’t try to examine. Yes, she was sexy, and he wanted her. Maybe more than he’d wanted another woman in a long time. Not that he didn’t get his share of ass anytime he wanted. Being the President of the Royal Sons, all he had to do was crook his finger and he could have his pick of bitches. However, none of them held a candle to Ayesha with her dark hair, creamy complexion, and curvy body. He wanted to take her to his playroom. The things he wanted to do to her would probably scare the fuck out of her, but he was damned if he didn’t want to see if she’d let him.
“What are you thinking about?” Ayesha whispered, her hand reached up, rubbing against his chest.
He snagged her finger, bringing them up to his lips, nipping her pointer finger. “Do you really want to know?”
She nodded. Her tongue came out licking at her lips.
“First thing you need to learn, Little Dove, when I ask you a question I expect a verbal answer. Now, I’ll ask again. Do you really want to know?” He gave her finger another nip, sucking the digit into his mouth, watching heat flare in her eyes. Oh yeah, she liked when he did that.
“Yes. Yes I want to know.”
“Good girl.” He bent closer to her ear, licking over the shell. “I was thinking of all the things I want to do to you. Trust me, they are far from what you’re probably used to. Let me ask you a question, Little Dove. When you fucked your husband, did you do it with the lights off and in your bed? Was it the bible way or no way?”
She tried to jerk her hand away from him, but he held her in place. “No, you said you wanted to know what I was thinking. That’s what I was thinking. I keep seeing you naked, where I want you, but I’m not like any man you’ve probably been with. The things I want to do to you aren’t what good little girls are used to. You still want to know what I’m thinking?” he asked.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, the action made him think of her when she’d be swallowing something else when she was on her knees, looking up at him. Shit, his dick hardened beneath his jeans, need filling him with the pictures in his mind.
Ayesha knew the smart thing would be to turn back around and walk back to the safety of the table. Yet her feet were rooted to the floor, mesmerized by the very real want King wasn’t trying to hide. Good lord, had any man ever looked at her the way he was at this very moment? She didn’t have to think about the answer to her silent question, knowing no man ever had or probably e
ver would. King was a man who wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted, when he wanted, or how he wanted it, and she was so on board with whatever he wanted. Or rather her girly parts were. Her head was a little slower.
“I can see you have reservations.” He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip, pressing it inside her mouth. “Suck it,” he instructed.
Ayesha did as he said without questioning him, the salty flavor of his skin was delicious to her. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever done anything like what she was doing with King, especially not with her little sister not ten feet away along with several other people. Yet it felt perfectly normal to suck his thumb.
King pulled his finger out of her mouth, his eyes slits. “Good girl. I want to push your boundaries, but I think you’ll balk if I do too much more right now.”
His words confused her. He bent and covered her lips with his, the taste of spaghetti sauce mixed with the beer he’d drunk burst on her tongue, mixed with what was the underlying taste that had to be King. Lord, she could get addicted to him.
“What’re you doing to me?” Her voice came out a barely there whisper.
King’s lips kicked up in a cocky grin. “Nothing, yet. Go back to the table and see to your sister. I have some calls to make first that need my attention. Once I have them finished, I’ll get you both settled for the night.”
She paused before taking a step. “What do you mean? We can go home. I mean…I don’t want to be a bother.”
His finger gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Little Dove, listen to me and listen good. The fuck who took your sister is still out there. There’s no way he will let her go without wanting to acquire her or eliminating her. She’s seen him, knows too much.”
Her hand went to her throat. When she’d figured out her sister had left with Rico, she’d never imagined he’d been a human trafficker. A host of new problems assailed her, making her tremble. “What do I do?”
