by Ellie Jean
Opening the wooden door, my eyes take in the darkness of the room. Adjusting to the marginal light, I notice the area to my left has the kitchenette and then I remember to my right is where I could find my Hotcakes. I peer at the small living room and lounge that occupies it to see if by chance anyone is asleep on it, making my night a little easier. But there’s nobody on it. My breathing echoes through the darkness, only being outdone by my boots stomping on the wooden boards. Turning, the white gloss paint on the bedroom door seems to light up like a fucking stairway to heaven or some shit, directing me to find the mess that is about to be shoved in my face.
“Crystal.” With a low roar, I push open the entrance to my demise or my salvation and twist my head so I am facing the bed in front of me.
A jolt wracks its way through my entire body. My muscles freeze, yet I’m shuddering uncontrollably. I fall to the floor with a dead thud and my arms and legs spasm. Excruciating pain radiates and my homicidal eyes lock with another.
Bastard…
“Christ…has someone tried cracking a coconut on my skull? Or have they wedged a heel spike deep into my head?” The splitting pain radiating through my head is making my stomach roll. Holding the sides of my head with my hands, my arms are resisting being held up. My legs feel irritated.
Why?
Moving my legs marginally, I haven’t opened my eyes yet because I cannot face the sunshine that filters inside my room and today my head will explode if faced with the rays of brilliance. My thighs are rubbing on a coarse material.
What is that? Why does my Egyptian cotton quilt feel so rough?
Trying to pry my eyes open, my legs move more, straight into a warmth I wasn’t expecting. Tanner doesn’t stay the night. Except for the one night we were incapable of moving due to our alcohol consumption. Such an amazing night, but also a heart-wrenching morning when he totally lost the plot and left after a rant about something along the lines of not expecting anything from him.
Bracing my head steadily, I open my eyes, angling them around the room.
“Damn.”
Brown dull walls bounce off my irises. Whipping my head around, which rattles my head more, I see Kyle cocooned in the old blanket that was also across my body. There’s only a small amount of light coming from under the door and the cracks in the boards around the room.
How did I forget about being kidnapped?
“Kyle?” I whisper and lean over his body. He stirs and groans.
“Crystal?”
“Kyle, you’re able to talk.” My hand leaves my head and I run it over his face marred with darkened bruises.
“Fuck…” Launching his body up like he’s a jack-in-a-box, he sways, and he has no control, making him slouch back to the side.
“The drugs must be playing with your muscles. Lie down before you hurt yourself more.” My head pumps, but both my arms now hold his chest against the makeshift bed. “Lay still.”
“Everything’s blurry. There’s two of you. One’s enough to handle, we don’t need two.”
“Aren’t you the hilarious one? Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor with your inability to stay upright.” His eyes try to focus on me, and I am worried because what he was injected with must be so much stronger than what I was given. Or he’s having a bad reaction?
“You need to stay lying down. I don’t want to wipe up blood from a broken nose if you face plant on the floor. That would destroy my dress.” Chuckling to myself since he has his eyes closed and can’t see the state of my bridesmaid’s outfit, I try and keep my spirits high. “No one has come in yet, but there’s some daylight coming in under the door so they will come and see us soon, I bet.”
Kyle lays back, but he looks up at me with his heavy eyes. Tiredness, hurt, sadness, a flash of anger all swirl in his green pits, piercing mine. No wonder I thought I had genuine feelings for him. Having a few nights wrapped up in each other’s sweaty bodies was enough to convince me, perhaps we could be more than friends. But, Emerald had warned me, he was a player and I would be hurt. I didn’t let it get to that point after I saw his wandering eyes focused on other women on nights out with the group. The intense look he can drown me in still never stops unraveling me.
“We will be alright. Just stay strong for me.”
“I’m the one taking care of your sweet butt. See—Me upright. You—Lying down on the job.” I smirk, and I can tell Kyle wants to bound up again, but I lay my hand on his hard chest. “Only joking, my muscle man friend. My wit should be enough to hold them at bay until you get your strength back.”
“If that’s the only thing that’s gonna save us, I had better get to recuperating.”
I roll my eyes but am glad he seems aware enough to joke with me.
With crossed legs, I place my body against the wall where I can watch Kyle. His hand placed on my knee is warm and gives me hope that we can get out of this mess together.
“You see anyone you want to pursue at the wedding?” Running my fingers through my hair, I try to tame the hair spray that my hair was engulfed in.
“Yeah, but then this pain in my ass decided she had to drag me away.”
I close my eyes. “And how’s that working out for you?”
“A black eye, my head feels like it’s been run over by a bus and it was stuck on the asphalt, my limbs don’t want to move, and my cock didn’t see any action.”
“Sounds like she was a little tough on you.” A snigger falls from my mouth. “You better up your game. You don’t want your reputation to take a hit. A woman making you submit?”
“Fuck, you’re lucky I have no strength at the moment.” His boyish grin sneaks through the pain that Kyle is clearly feeling.
“Aren’t I just? I can only imagine all the ways you would punish me.”
Kyle’s eyes scan my face and a scowl slips out. “You know I would if I had my way.”
“Well, it’s lucky you don’t then. It would be weird around Emerald, and I can’t put up with your womanizing ways. Plus, we lost all hope when you thought Chanel was a type of dog breed.”
“Shar-Pei is so similar.” Weariness claims his normally strong voice.
“Yeah, about as similar as a jackal and a dolphin.” Kyle’s lids are closed, and I rest my head against the wall looking at the ceiling. I whisper to myself, “About as similar as Tanner and you.”
Silence fills the morbid space. They could touch the place up a bit with some bright new paint on the chipped walls and some new fresh furnishings. Their payday may fund it when we get returned? Why the heck am I worried about a kidnapper’s furnishing tastes? Clearly they have no idea. They kidnapped us. Those that we associate with will have their bodies in body bags before too long. And if that fails, I will personally kick their asses.
Kyle’s heartbeat is steady, and I wait for any sign of life outside the door, thinking about the first time Tanner found me alone.
“If your friend knows what’s good for her, for her family and her dearest friends, she will accept this opportunity to assist us. You will help convince her.”
Tanner’s voice was violent. Confronting me after a day at work on the way to my securely parked car, he was delectably leaning against my car. The smell of expensive cologne and a hint of a smoked joint had my stomach flipping before I had the chance to revolt with his sharp tone.
“Emerald does her own thing. Always has and will. No matter who the hell you guys think you are.”
Standing directly in front of his mammoth chest, clad in a red dress shirt, my pussy reacts. Saliva pools in my mouth and I try to appear unaffected when his thick arms reach out and cage me against a concrete post next to my vehicle.
Wham…Whack…
Wham…Whack…
My heart is uncontrollable.
It should have been through fear, but it wasn’t. The proximity of this steely, barbaric man who torments, maims and slaughters people had my organ thumping for him.
“You’d do well to remember that. Plus, pass t
hat message on to your friend, he’d be doing himself a favor if he remembered it too.” My lips are so close to his chin, I could reach up and nibble it and see if he tastes as good as he smells and looks.
Fuck…
My bad…
But my brain is being held hostage by my pussy.
My sheer lace shirt doesn’t hide my tingling nipples and warmth spreads over them as Tanner brushes against them.
“Aren’t you a tiger?”
“What can I say? Some people bring the best or worst out in me. I guess it’s up to that said person to work out which one it is.” Standing on my toes with some kind of false bravado in six-inch black stilettos, I place my lips on his inviting chin. I move my mouth, tasting his skin methodically.
“Ohhh…” Forceful hands rapidly jerk my ass up. My black A-line skirt ruffles up near my stomach as my legs are spread apart mindlessly, wrapping themselves around his waist, against his black jeans. It’s like I’m water and this brute is potassium. Together, we instantly explode.
Teeth carelessly yank at my lips. Our tongues intertwine, fighting through the detonation. My panties rub against his confined cock. Which is thick by the feel of it. My hands grab his hair. I’m trying to hold on, but also explore his neck, shoulders, and face with my hands. The initial tremor is building.
“Fuck.” Lips abruptly leave mine. My eyes find his blazing at me. Blood trickles down the side of his cheek.
“Shit…my Mimco ring.”
Whatever spell just overtook our bodies is broken.
I’m dropped back on to my own legs and my hands leave his sculptured and decorated arms. His fingertips brush the blood from the slash I created on his perfect face.
Straightening my skirt and shirt, I defiantly look up at him. “Anyway, I’m not that easy.”
“You could’ve fooled me.” A smirk dances on his egotistical face. “Don’t forget your job, Tiger.” He adjusts his dick and turns to walk away from me.
“You’re an arrogant jackass,” I call after him with my hands firmly wrapped around my middle.
“Yeah, and so much worse. And, for the record, nothing worth having is easy, Crystal.”
A sinking feeling had overcome me that night. My knees buckled underneath me as I clutched the door handle of the car. Heaving at the ferocity that Tanner is, I have never gotten over it. My wet pussy reminds me that Tanner can overshadow any situation I am in. Even terrifying kidnappings.
Thump…
Thump…
My breath is ragged, and I look at Kyle who is resting peacefully. My hand hovers over his chest. “I have to get away for a while if we ever get out of this.”
Living in LA where Kyle is and Tanner reigns is breaking me down. I need to start fresh.
Opening my own fashion shop with my clothes could be a good decision?
Designing for the fashion house in Paris is another option that was put in front of me a few months back, but I was in the middle of the wedding preparation and too tired to think about me. A holiday over to England or Australia sounds ideal too. So many options.
I guess sitting here waiting is as good as time as any to determine my future.
The blanket slips off Kyle’s legs as he rolls over. Hoisting it back up, I hear the faint clip of heels.
Well, well, well.
Finally, we get to see who the stupid ass person is that kidnapped us.
“How fond is Cherry Pie of her security man over at their shop?” All my knuckles are white. One hand wrapped around the phone and the other around the guard’s neck. The motherfucker tasered me. Trying to comprehend what happened, I shake my head and keep my hand around his throat. The dumb fuck had the audacity to shoot electricity into me. Sending my body to the floor, incapacitated and writhing with an electric pulse through my neck. “Cause, I’m about to snap his neck in two.”
“The concept of time isn’t your strong suit is it, T?” Slate’s menacing voice rattles through the phone but do I care if I’ve disturbed him at three a.m. when his lover’s security guard shocked me into a useless mess on the floor? Hell no.
“Be thankful that I haven’t killed this asshole, yet.”
A huff from Slate almost makes me laugh. “Who are you talking about?”
My eyes roam over his all but lifeless body until I see his name stitched onto his shirt. “Raymond.” I squeeze his neck a little harder, then release it when he makes no noise. “The prick tasered me ‘cause I wanted him to open up the door to Kyle’s apartment above the shop.”
A loud shriek blasts through my ears. “Ray fucking tasered you? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard.” Emerald snorts then continues laughing. I’ve been put on speakerphone.
“My patience is holding on by the thinnest of threads. Plus, I still haven’t found Crystal or your brother.”
“Hang on, back up. What do you mean?”
“Crystal and Kyle aren’t at his loft.”
“You went looking for them?”
“Only Crystal but I guessed they’d be together since they left together.”
“Why the hell would you go after something you don’t want? Leave her the fuck alone.”
“Wildcat…” Slate’s voice interrupts the screeching. “We need to leave this to them.”
“I’m not letting him anywhere near Crystal. On the outside, she’s hard as nails, but inside, he’ll end up breaking her.”
Sweats pooling over my skin, my hand loosens around the neck of the unconscious Raymond, and I wipe my brow. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Bad luck, cause I don’t give a flying fuck. You hurt her, and I will hurt your ass. I don’t care who you are. And stop looking at me with that smirk, Slate. ‘Cause your ass is about to be kicked for assisting the ten out of ten disaster that will occur if those two are together.”
The body on the floor murmurs.
“Honey crumble.” Emerald growls so I know she’s listening. “Do I let this guy live or can I reap my revenge on him for shooting volts into my body?”
“Raymond is a family man, doing his job, don’t you dare damage him. Slate, we need to give him a raise for doing a thorough job tonight, and a bonus for tonight’s excitement. Except he needs to call us first so we can watch next time.”
“You’re insanity at its finest, Emerald if you think there will be a next time. I will leave him alone, for now. S, can we have a private word.”
“Goodnight, electric boy.” A laugh and she’s gone.
Shaking my head, letting her craziness wash straight over me. “We could have a big problem. Unless you know another place where these two would go?”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. They’re probably at the closest motel they could find?”
“Man, are you looking for me to slay you?”
“Whatever…and I’d beat you anyway.” His laugh makes me smirk. We both know we are matched and would each whoop each other’s asses if it came to it. “Let me pry info out of Emerald and see if they have another place they’d go, and I’ll be in touch.”
“Something’s not adding up. My gut’s telling me something’s wrong.”
“Could it be your gut telling you that you’re too late to take the woman you should have taken months ago when you were being a pussy?”
“Asshole. The ache is real, S. I’m literally going out of my mind trying to find them so I can claim what’s mine.”
“Been there and I know. I will say this once and I would never repeat it to anyone, but when I laid eyes on Emerald, that was it for me, man. Nothing or no one will ever come between her and me ‘cause it would fucking break me. I live every motherfucking day thinking that some asshole will try and take her or hurt her each time the sun rises. And it makes me want to rip the world apart to find them before they get to us. If that’s how you feel about Crystal, then fucking find her. Nothing will stop you if you want her more than life itself. And you had better have that straight in your head or you’ll be dragging her into a world of destruc
tion, pain and death for no fucking reason.”
Slate’s words swirl in my head.
“I’ll be in touch in the morning. After I punish my Wildcat. Call if you need anything. You know we’re here.”
“Yeah. Tomorrow.” Raymond is on his knees crawling away from me. I want to slay him so badly, but he’s harmless.
“You’re a lucky bastard tonight but cross my path again and you won’t be.” Striding past him, I drive to the only place I know that will put everything into perspective. Where I can think over what Slate said and make my decision.
Max’s Lair is bustling with energy. With a bar on the street level, and a fight club underneath, it’s one of the few places I can go to get a decent fight and a drink afterward. Fights start anywhere from one a.m. and later, always changing it up depending on which opponents are around and how long it is before the cops show up. They leave this place alone usually, but it’s been raided before and people scatter in every direction at a million miles. They look the opposite direction if their gaze lands on me. Most cops know what’s good for them and their health.
Tonight, I may have got lucky. It’s close to three-thirty a.m. and I head straight to the side of the bar and approach Max. His black hair, muscular build, and tats disguise that he is probably close to sixty years old. Running this for over ten years, he knows how to do business.
A chin lift greets me.
“Anything on tonight? I need it.” I’m eager to crush some bones. The hostility hurtling through my body needs to be released. If I saw Kyle now, there would be no doubt what damage I would do to him. Restraining myself would not be an option.
“I’ve got someone. Not from around here, but big.”
“Is it ready to go?” Grabbing a glassful of water, I throw it back.
“Can be organized in less than thirty minutes.”
“Good. You know where to find me.”
“I’ll get word out.” Max shakes my hand. Glancing around the room of people, I see familiar faces but no one I have the time to deal with tonight. My personal room is to the side of the main bar area. Max and his employees will have a crowd of people, girls, and the opponent ready for me to enter the cage below in less time than he specified. He’s that professional.
