by K. Webster
“Hand over the purse, bitch,” the deep voice growled at her. He took a step towards us out of the shadow, and it now became visible that he was holding a gun. Shit.
My hand squeezed Pepper’s, urging her to do as he said. His baseball cap hid his features, but he radiated anger, which made my nerves rattle in fear for her. She was probably freaking out right now.
“I’ll give you my cash, but you can’t have my purse. My cards will mean nothing to you because I’ll just cancel them.”
What the fuck? Is she taunting this creep?
“I didn’t ask for your cash. I said to hand me your fucking purse!” He stalked the last few feet over to us and trained the gun to my forehead. The guy had a couple of inches on me and at least fifty pounds. Plus he had a gun.
“Sweetie, hand over the purse. Then the man can be on his way,” I told her in a calm, coaxing voice. She wasn’t thinking straight if she thought she could reason with a criminal.
She glared at him in a silent standoff, challenging him. I was scared of what he would do to either one of us if she didn’t chill out.
“You’ve got three seconds before I blow his fucking brains all over the street. One. Two.”
“Take it, motherfucker!” she spat as she tossed it to him. She was furious, and I felt her anger radiating around her.
He tucked it under his arm and walked away in the opposite direction, keeping his weapon aimed at us until he disappeared down an alleyway.
“Shit. Let’s get inside,” I huffed, dragging her into her building. Once inside, I grabbed both of her shoulders and made her look at me. “What the hell was that? You were taunting that lunatic! He could have killed us!” I was shaking her, trying to make her realize that she’d behaved stupidly. Criminals didn’t negotiate.
“That asshole now has the keys to my apartment, my driver’s license, business cards, and my phone. He knows my life now!”
Finally, I could see the ice crack. Her chin shook slightly and she bit down hard on her lip to stop it. She couldn’t stop her eyes as they filled with tears. A tear spilled over and raced down her cheek.
“Shit, Jordan.” The adrenaline was wearing off and the gravity of the situation started to sink in. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me, hugging her tight.
“Babe, it’s going to be okay. We’ll change your locks. You’ll be safe at work with all of the other employees. Let’s call the police and make a report.” I kissed the top of her head but made no moves to grab my phone and call the police.
“Jordan, why didn’t he take your wallet? Doesn’t that strike you as odd? What kind of criminal robs one person but not the other?” My mind raced at what she was saying.
Why the fuck didn’t he take my wallet and phone?
“I’m calling the police right now. This is too fucking weird,” I agreed, quickly taking my phone from my pocket.
Finally, after the police had taken our statements, it was hours later and we were both exhausted from it all. After the police left, we spent another thirty minutes explaining everything to Andi, Jackson, and Olive. I was completely over it and ready for bed. Leaving Jordan in the living room with the others, I slipped away to my room. Throwing myself onto the bed, I succumbed to the tears that had been threatening me for hours. With my face buried on the comforter, I cried both tears of fear and anger.
A body joined me on the bed. The perfect smell let me know it was Jordan. He didn’t speak. He just gently rubbed my back as I cried, which made me cry harder. I could have had him killed all because I had been stubborn about handing over my purse. My stomach roiled in disgust at my selfishness. Sensing my self-loathing, he leaned over and kissed my hair.
“You are a brave woman. I admire that about you.” He was forgiving me for putting his life in danger. The man was damn near perfect.
That stupid asshole who’d stolen my purse had ruined our date. I wanted to make it up to Jordan. Finally, I rolled to my side so I could look at him.
“Jordan, I am so sorry. I feel sick about the whole thing,” I whimpered.
His hand brushed along my cheek, and he grinned the smile that made my lower belly pulsate. “Babe, forget about it. I want you to stop worrying about it. It’s over and we’re both safe.” He leaned over from beside me and kissed my forehead.
Suddenly, I didn’t want simple cuddling. I wanted him buried deep inside of me. The connection we had while making love was one I craved at that moment.
My hand grazed his chest, sliding all the way down to the top of his jeans. He tensed underneath my gentle touch, anticipating my next move. I flicked my gaze to his and our eyes met, both of us pleading silently with the other. Before I could express to him what I wanted, he rolled over me, pinning me underneath him. His lips crashed down onto mine, and our kiss started out frantic and needy.
The hardness of his erection pressed into my pelvic bone through our clothes. Pulling my legs out from under him, I hooked them over his hips. He took the invitation to grind into me, and we both cried out in pleasure from the contact. My hips kept bouncing to meet him as he dry humped me.
“Jordan,” I moaned as I broke our kiss, “I can’t wait anymore. I need you right now.”
“Good. I need you too,” he agreed hoarsely, sliding back and onto his knees. He took off his shirt in one swift move, and my eyes dropped to his sculpted chest. I would never tire looking at his body. My sex throbbed at his perfect form.
Leaning over, he quickly started unfastening my jeans. While he tended to my pants, I pulled my sweater off and tossed it across the room. He’d already tugged my jeans down my legs as I unhooked my bra and threw it away. I shivered when he stood and started undoing his own jeans. The little trail of hair above his waistline made me crazy with desire. My hand automatically slid to my breast and I rubbed my nipple as I enjoyed my private show of him undressing.
His eyes darkened as he watched me. He removed his boxer briefs next, freeing his cock. Taking it in his hand, he stroked it slowly as he gazed at me while I touched my breast. It was such a turn-on to see him touch himself that I wanted to soothe my own ache. My fingers from my free hand tentatively slid down to my panty line. I slipped my middle finger underneath and found the area that called for release. My clit surged with electricity as my finger flitted over it hesitantly at first.
“Fuck, woman. You are so beautiful. I could come just watching you touch yourself. But you don’t want that babe, do you? Do you want me to get you off?” It was so hot when he talked to me like this.
Biting my lip to stifle a moan, I nodded. He grinned and eased his hands up my legs to my panties and pulled them off of me. My finger was still between my folds, but I was completely naked for him now. Drawing my hand away, he leaned forward and brought my finger into his mouth, sucking away my wetness.
“You taste so good. I want to take my time licking you until you come into my mouth.”
I whimpered and spread my legs. His words. His voice. All he had to do was talk dirty to me and I probably could have orgasmed on command.
He roughly spread my legs apart, and I felt exposed, bare, and wanted his touch more than anything. Sensing my need, he knelt down and brought his lips just above my sex. His tongue flicked out and licked gently over my clit. My ass lifted from the bed, chasing his tongue as it withdrew back into his mouth. The combination of his rumbling laughter and hot breath on my sensitive area made me cry out for him.
I grasped on to his hair and guided him back down to where I wanted him. His laughter died as he licked me again, this time harder. Done with his teasing, he began an erratic pattern of licking and sucking. Whenever I would pull his hair hard, he would in turn suck my clit into his mouth, bringing me closer to orgasm each time. My body bucked against him with every suck. When a finger entered me as he sucked me hard, my orgasm hit me with such force that I nearly tore my calf muscles as my toes curled into the strangest directions.
Withdrawing his finger, he shifted away and looked at me with
such a delicious combination of lust and admiration.
“I need you inside of me, Jordan. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
Not needing anymore begging, he hovered himself above me and pushed his cock up against my wet entrance. Wrapping my legs around his back near his ass, I used my heels to force him into me.
“Oh God. You feel so fucking good.” He began rocking as he stared down at me, eyes ablaze with desire.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
For as quick as his thrusts were, his kiss was soft and gentle. I could taste my own unique flavor in his kiss. He sucked on my bottom lip, and I could feel another orgasm trickling through me, just out of reach.
Reaching around to his back, he grabbed my ankles and pulled them up over his shoulders. From this position, I could feel his cock dragging over my g-spot. Shuddering with delight, I allowed my orgasm to pour through my body like a rush of molten lava. My body clenched around him, and his own release fired into me.
He slipped himself out and crawled up next to me, draping his big muscular arm across my breasts. The events of the day quickly caught up to us, and within minutes, we were asleep.
My angel woke up this morning in a mood. She was acting like the hardass she could sometimes be. She’d already taken care of canceling her cards and had also already made an appointment to change the locks to the apartment. Not having her phone seemed to piss her off the most. By the time I got out of the shower, she’d taken care of everything she’d needed to do as a result of the theft.
I was putting back on my clothes from the day before when she walked in with two coffees, handing me one.
“All of my credit cards have been canceled and thankfully there hasn’t been any activity on any of them. I’m pretty sure all I had in my purse was eighteen dollars. It’s all a fucking waste of my time.” This morning she’d already been showered and dressed for work by the time my phone alarm had gone off. I could take a hint.
“Well, that is at least good news. Come on. I’ll drop you off at work on the way to my apartment.” I chugged what I could of the hot coffee before setting it down on the bedside table. She looked around for what I was sure was her purse before she sighed in defeat and left the bedroom.
Shaking my head, I followed her out of the room. I wasn’t sure what had happened between our tender lovemaking the night before and the frigidness that rolled off of her this morning. My guess was that she was having trouble dealing with the events from the night before and unintentionally taking it out on me.
The ride to the museum was quiet. She wouldn’t even look at me or hold my hand. It was torture for me because I wanted nothing more than to lace her fingers with mine and hold them in my lap. Her hands were neatly clasped together, resting on her thigh closest to the door. Again, I could take a hint.
As we came to a stop in front of the museum, she started to jump out of the car, but I seized her by her upper arm and pulled her to me. Her head angrily whipped towards me, but her gaze softened slightly as she looked at me.
“Email me later. We’ll make plans for dinner or something,” I told her and hauled her forward by her arm so I could kiss her.
At first, her lips were unmoving as she tried not to reciprocate. But when my tongue skated across her bottom lip, I heard her breath hitch. Her mouth parted slightly to let me in, allowing a small moan to escape. Not one to miss an opportunity, I kissed her hard and our tongues greedily touched one another’s. I reached a hand around to the back of her neck while I simultaneously brought her closer and stroked her jaw with my thumb.
“Jordan,” she sighed into my mouth as she pulled herself away. I let her draw away from me but didn’t remove my hand.
“Email me,” I commanded to her again. She nodded and I dropped my hand. As if to escape a magnetic pull to me, she practically leapt from the car and hurried into the building.
“Hi, Mr. Cox, I’m Jordan Compton from Compton Enterprises. Did Trent fill you in on the situation I’m in?”
I’d finally made my way into the office after a quick change of clothes at my apartment. Now it was time to get an appointment with the fraud examiner set up.
“Ah, yes. Mr. Sutton had only the most respectable things to say about you. I hear that you have your suspicions about some illegal activity that has gone on without your knowledge, which is having an effect on your company.”
“That’s exactly it. I’m not sure of all of the legal ramifications if indeed there was fraud going on, but I know playing dumb will only hurt us further. It is my responsibility as CEO to run this company in a legal, professional manner. That is why I seek your help, Mr. Cox. I need you to help me figure out how we can fix this without ruining everything.” At this point, I was ready to uncover every last bit of any illegal activity and proceed accordingly.
“Mr. Compton, I assure you we will sort through this. If you were to turn a blind eye to all of this, it could haunt you later on down the road. At that point, you could be held legally responsible. Currently, I believe that, whatever we find, we can prove that it was without your knowledge and prior to your leadership. My schedule is free and I would be willing to take you on as a client. You can pay me a monthly retainer until the job is finished. My fee is $5,000 a month, and I can assure you that is more than a fair price. If that sounds acceptable, I can start tomorrow morning.”
Actually, that was much cheaper than I’d expected, so it was decided without hesitation on my part.
“Thank you, Mr. Cox. That price is perfect. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Mr. Compton, I need you and your brother to keep this under wraps. Anyone besides your father who was involved will need to be exposed as well. If they know you’re sniffing around, it would allow them to better cover their tracks. Just keep my involvement discreet. Call a meeting with the other party that is requesting the debt resolution. I’ll have a list of questions for you to try and work into conversation. This will help as I attempt to uncover the truth. Again, Mr. Compton, utmost discretion.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cox. I will advise Jackson as well. See you tomorrow.”
After hanging up the phone, I checked my emails and smiled at seeing that there was one from Pepper.
Jordan,
I miss Andi. Since I still don’t have anything to wear for the gala on Thursday, we’ve decided to have dinner and go shopping. I need a new purse anyway. I’d say call me later but I don’t have a phone. Want to meet for lunch tomorrow?
Pepper
I could tell when I was being avoided. Pepper was withdrawing from me and it fucking sucked. Clearly she needed some space, and even though I was unhappy about it, I would give it to her.
Pepper,
Lunch is fine. I equally miss my brother.
Jordan
Rising from my chair, I walked over to Jackson’s office. Bray was at Andi’s desk, discussing one of his clients with her. From the sound of it, he was trying to talk her into going with him to meet a new client and she was looking for any excuse not to. Walking into Jackson’s office, I closed the door behind me.
“Jackie!” I greeted, striding over to his desk and sinking into one of his guest chairs.
“What’s up, Jordie? Hear anything from Mr. Cox?” he asked.
“Yeah. Actually he’s coming in tomorrow. He wants us to keep a lid on his involvement in an effort to uncover any leads to other guilty parties that were a part of it. We already know Nadia’s been signing the checks going into my trust. If we want to discover her participation, then we need to keep it quiet. I’m going call Lou shortly and see about meeting with him tomorrow. If Mr. Cox is going to properly help us, I need to stall for more time. I’m not willing to spend another fucking dime ‘til we get to the bottom of this. I just have to tread lightly so I don’t piss Lou off.”
“Okay. I can keep quiet. Andi’s going shopping with Pepper tonight. You want to hit the gym after work?”
“Let’s do it.”
“Try this one,” Andi instructe
d, dropping a red heap of silky material over the dressing room door. She’d made me try on at least fifteen different dresses and I was getting bored. This gala was way out of my comfort zone, but it was a necessary part of my job.
Slipping it up over my hips and then shoulders, I admired how I looked. The material hugged every curve, making me look more voluptuous than I had ever seen myself to be. The neckline was low but not slutty. None of the other dresses had caught my eye. In fact, I really didn’t care what I wore. But now that I saw myself in this red beauty, I knew it was the one.
Spinning to see the back, I reminded myself I was going to be there for work, not socializing, even if Jordan did call it a date. He was going to be rudely awakened when I wasn’t by his side the whole time.
There was something certifiably wrong with me when it came to Jordan. This great, hot-as-hell guy was completely into me and I just felt the need to push him away.
Mostly, I wanted to slow things down. After the mugging, I started piecing together some ideas that maybe Cole was the perpetrator. It was strangely coincidental that the day after Daddy told me about Cole’s vendetta I was robbed by a really large guy who could have fit his profile. It would have seemed like a fluke had the guy taken Jordan’s wallet too. Since he had only been interested in my purse, which housed identification that would prove who I was, the signs pointed to him.
“How does it look?” Andi asked from the other side, interrupting my thoughts.
“I need you to zip me up, but I actually think it looks nice.” Unlocking the door, I pushed it open for her to come inside. When she saw me, she gasped as her eyes perused my body.
“Nice? Cut the crap, Pepper. You look gorgeous! Jordan is going to shit himself when he sees you in that dress!”
I frowned at the mention of his name, but she was too busy checking me out to notice. Hurrying over to me, she zipped up the dress. We looked into the mirror together, and I actually felt sexy for once in my life.
