Wicked Fireman

by Sam Crescent

  “Dwayne, you can’t go in,” Ben said. “That building hasn’t been safe for years.”

  “I’m not going to risk it.”

  There had been worse odds in the city when he had to rescue babies or pets. People wouldn’t leave unless they had their beloved animal in their arms. He’d done it all, and right now, he had no choice.

  If Peters was in there, and they found a body, he couldn’t live with that, knowing he didn’t go and look. He wasn’t built that way.

  Completely suited up, he entered the building. The heat wasn’t too bad, but he knew that within seconds that could change. The fabric was old, and there from what Ben had told him, this factory had been closed over twenty years. Going through the main floor, he caught sight of an office in the back.

  On the way inside, people had shouted toward him what to find and where to go. Peters had an office in the back that he now stayed in.

  The heat was building and the fire dangerous. At the sound of a loud crash Dwayne quickly jumped out of the way as some wood fell exactly where he was standing.

  In the distance he heard some coughing, and he moved toward the sound. His heart was racing.

  He’d lost friends because of this job. Lives had been lost in helping others. He found Peters, coughing and struggling to breathe.

  Dwayne didn’t think, he reacted. In the few seconds that he’d been inside the building, the fire was already at a danger level. Ben would have to be careful as the weight of the water on an old building could see it collapsing on him. He had to get out and fast.

  ****

  Blair stared at the chaos of the building in front of her, and she’d never felt so scared. Her father was now there with several of the firefighters, but Dwayne had yet to come out and she knew he was in there. Running fingers through her hair, she stared at the doors, and then up at the inferno.

  She knew there were risks with his job and that there was always danger, but this … she hadn’t even told him that she loved him and what would she do if he died? This wasn’t supposed to happen, and she waited, praying for someone to make him step through that damn door unharmed.

  There was fear on the firefighters’ faces even as they worked to try to keep most of the blaze away but to also not bring more damage to the structure.

  She heard commotion, shouting, and then she saw old man Peters rushing out of the doors, and then she screamed in joy as she saw Dwayne coming out.

  Men began to put out the fire with abandon, and she didn’t care that she wasn’t supposed to go to Dwayne. Pushing her way through the barricade, she charged toward him. Throwing herself into his arms, she kissed him, then kissed him again.

  “Don’t do that again, please, don’t do that.” She held him close, and he kissed her back.

  She didn’t care that everyone was staring at her like she was some kind of crazy person. She felt like it.

  He cupped her face and smiled down at her. “I had no idea you’d miss me.”

  “Miss you? Damn it, Dwayne, I love you,” she said. The tears she tried to keep at bay escaped and started to run down her face. “I must look a mess.”

  Dwayne wouldn’t let her pull away and his lips were on hers. She moaned. The scent of smoke filled the air, but all that mattered was kissing the man she loved.

  “I love you too,” he said.

  This made her gasp. “What?”

  “I did tell you. Well, I told the sleeping you. I love you, Blair Curtis.”

  She couldn’t stop smiling. “I love you too. More than anything. It’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Oh, that’s what you wanted to talk about?” he asked.

  “Yes. I wanted to tell you and not hide from it anymore.” She stroked his cheek. “When I heard about the fire … I couldn’t have … I don’t know how I could have lived with myself without telling you at least once.”

  “Twice now, baby.” Dwayne glanced around the crowd. The fire was finally being gotten under control. “I know this is in front of anyone, but I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life.”

  There, in front of the crowd, Dwayne got down on one knee.

  “Blair, will you marry me?”

  “You’re sure?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “I wouldn’t be down here if I wasn’t sure.”

  “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He got up, and then she was in his arms again, and Blair knew it was the only place she wanted to be.

  “You know you’ve got to marry me now?” he asked.

  She chuckled, looking up at him. “Why? Because most of the town saw?”

  “Yep, and your dad, and your mom, and, like, everyone. I knew I’d get you down the aisle.”

  “You didn’t know that at all.”

  “Baby, I knew you were going to be mine from the very first moment I saw you, and I wasn’t wrong. Tell me how much you love me?” he asked.

  “Enough to walk down the aisle and make an honest man out of you.”

  He hugged her close as he whispered something against her ear. “You can make an honest man out of me, but when I get you alone, I’ll be nothing but dirty and wicked.”

  And she knew she was going to love every single second of it.

  Epilogue

  Five years later

  “I’m scared,” Blair said.

  Dwayne sat beside his wife of five years as they waited for the little stick to tell them if they were pregnant or not. From the moment he made her his wife, he’d not been in a rush for children. They had taken the time to move in together, to find a life for themselves, and to enjoy each other. After old man Peters’s warehouse burned down, he knew that Blair was scared for his life.

  It was a risk that he faced every single day that he went to work, but he was a cautious man. His job meant the world to him, but so did his wife, and with time, and the help of her dad, he was able to get her to see sense, even if it was just a little.

  Now, they’d decided to start a family. Since doing his research he’d discovered that pregnancy was in fact a scary, life-changing decision. Not just because there’s a small life but also the risk to the woman he loved.

  He wanted children, to have a family, but he didn’t want to do it at the risk of losing Blair.

  Of course, Blair won that argument. She won them all, but he pretended to argue.

  They’d been trying for a baby for six months now, and each month she’d been disappointed. It was their little ritual, every Friday before her scheduled monthly cycle, she’d take a test. They would sit in the bathroom, hold hands, and just talk.

  “No need to be scared. Just think of all the practice we’ve had so far, and when we do have a baby, we’ll have only small chances to get it on.”

  She chuckled. “Just like a man to be thinking about sex when we don’t even have a baby yet.”

  “I’ve got my priorities in order. Think about your tits, they are going to be huge, not to mention all of your curves I can’t wait to explore.”

  “Is this your very polite way of telling me I’m going to be fat?”

  “Nope, just a couple of extra inches for me to love.”

  She giggled, and he relished that sound.

  The alarm went off, and he made her stay still as he grabbed the stick. Picking it up, together they looked at it, and there on the stick were two stripes.

  “What does that mean?”

  From the smile and watery eyes, he already knew. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  He pulled her into his arms, and pressed her to the floor. “I love you,” he said. “So fucking much it scares me.”

  “We’re going to be a mom and dad,” she said. “Parents.”

  “You’re going to be the best mom in the world.”

  She chuckled, and right then, in that moment, he’d savor it forever. He loved this woman more than anything in the world. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

  Eight months later, he held her as she screamed, giving
birth to his very healthy son without any complications.

  The start of his little family.

  The End

  www.samcrescent.com

  Other Books by Sam Crescent:

  www.evernightpublishing.com/sam-crescent

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  BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER

  BRED BY THE BILLIONAIRE

  Breeding Season, 1

  Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  “Where’s my fucking coffee?” Tobias Bennett sifted through the files on his desk. He was getting too old for this shit—late nights at the office and staff who couldn’t follow simple instructions. At this point in his life, he’d imagined living on a private island, a mojito in one hand and The Wall Street Journal in the other. But he was still running the family business with no sign of slowing down. He’d been termed a perfectionist, and probably a lot worse, but he strongly believed wealth was the measure of success.

  A couple minutes later, one of the interns set a mug on the corner of his desk. She scurried out of his office, nearly breaking into a jog. Was he that much of an asshole?

  Tobias scrubbed both hands over his face. He knew exactly what had been driving him crazy lately. His parents were riding him hard for an heir, another Bennett to carry on the family empire. The problem—he wasn’t looking for a wife. His bachelor life suited him just fine, and even at forty-five, he wasn’t ready to settle down. He would have told his aging parents to back off, but they had a point, one that kept crowding his thoughts.

  Morgan peered in his office. “Why are you still here?”

  “Work.”

  “Go home. It’s Friday night, for God’s sake.” He’d gone to university with Morgan, and hired him to work on the Bennett Corporation legal team over a decade ago. Morgan was the only man who dared to speak freely with him.

  “I’ve got that big bid on Monday. I need to be prepared,” said Tobias.

  “We’ve already got it covered. Everything’s in order.”

  “It has to be perfect.”

  Morgan exhaled, then shook his head. “Well, I’m heading out.” Then he added, “Don’t push yourself so hard.”

  “See you Monday.” Tobias leaned back in his leather chair and gave his friend a mock salute.

  Once alone again, he pondered Morgan’s words. Yes, he pushed himself. It was life as a Bennett. His parents expected perfection from day one, and he’d always delivered. The company was strong, profitable, and dominating the stock market because he didn’t fuck around. He always put a hundred percent effort into everything he set out to do, and demanded the same from his staff. If one of his employees couldn’t meet the mark, he didn’t think twice about showing them the door. He had no room for weakness.

  After another couple of hours, he packed up his paperwork and flicked off the lights to his corner penthouse office. As he stood in the darkness, the lights of the city sparkled with life beyond the floor to ceiling windows. He grabbed his briefcase and walked over to the window, looking down from one of the highest vantage points. It was one big party below, a city that never slept.

  He’d put the Bennett Corporation on the map, made his father’s business into something multi-national, but what happened next? What would happen when he died? The legacy he’d built would die along with him, all his hard work and sacrifices for nothing. The business might continue with the family name, but without the blood of a Bennett, it would be a soulless enterprise, nothing more than dollars and cents.

  “Mr. Bennett?”

  Tobias snapped out of his reverie, turning to see a silhouette in the doorway of his darkened office. “Yes?”

  “Would you like some company tonight?”

  He narrowed his eyes as he strode to the door. “Aren’t you one of the new analysts we just hired?” Tobias had thousands of employees, so couldn’t remember many names and faces. He only allowed minimal staff on the penthouse floor of his skyscraper. He remembered this woman from the new staff tour yesterday morning, and only because she’d worn a short skirt.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And why are you up here?”

  “I wanted to offer my company.” She ran her finger along the low collar of her blouse. Was she actually trying to seduce him? “I have many skillsets beyond analyzing, and I thought you’d like me to show you some.”

  He scoffed. “You thought wrong, sweetheart. If you’d actually done any digging, you’d know I never mix business with pleasure.”

  “But—”

  “Stay on the fifth floor. I don’t want to see you up here again.”

  She sulked off, clearly not expecting him to reject her. Tobias wasn’t hard up. He had a long list of women he could call for a hook-up. None of them meant a thing to him. They were available for sex, and that’s how he liked it—until now. If he wanted a kid, he had to find a decent woman to be the mother. Unfortunately, most of the women he fucked were gold-diggers, and he didn’t want any baby drama. He just wanted the heir, nothing more.

  He could already envision it, a life similar to his own childhood. His son would be raised by a nanny, go to boarding school, and be trained to be the best at everything. Tobias knew parenting wouldn’t take much effort on his part—he’d rarely seen his own mother and father growing up.

  Tobias took the elevator down to the parking garage, trying to push thoughts of babies and legacies out of his head. This responsibility shouldn’t have fallen on his damn shoulders. He’d been the younger brother—until he turned sixteen. Maximus had been nineteen when he died of a heroin overdose. Of course, his parents made sure the real cause didn’t hit the media, appearances being more important than the truth. Tobias had seen it coming. He’d done nothing. Unlike him, Maximus wanted more, wanted the love and warmth he’d seen in other homes. Their father said he was weak, he couldn’t cut it, and that’s why he killed himself. No one ever mentioned Maximus, like he never existed.

  The elevator dinged, and Tobias stepped out into the secure garage. He dug the keys to his Mercedes out of his pocket, turning off the alarm system. Once behind the wheel, he tossed his briefcase onto the passenger seat and squeezed the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Reflecting on a past that couldn’t be undone was pointless, and like his father taught him, emotions were for pussies. He needed to block that shit out, forget about the brother taken from him too soon. Trying to imagine an alternate reality would only break down his carefully maintained exterior.

  He turned on the radio, hoping the music would drown out the noise in his head. Right now, he wished he could have fucked that blonde bitch over his desk to release the tension, but he refused to get involved with women in the office. Nothing was worth risking the reputation of the family business, certainly not a piece of ass.

  Tobias hit the gas as he drove, the streetlights and bright signage disguising the fact the sun had set hours ago. At least leaving late thinned out the downtown traffic. His condo was only ten minutes from the office in one of the waterfront condos owned by the Bennett Corporation. There wasn’t much they didn’t have their hand in.

  He nodded to the doorman as he walked to the elevator. Normally, he’d go out for a drink on Friday, maybe choose who he wanted to take home with him for the night. Today, he just wanted to crash. He’d pour himself a scotch on the rocks and drown out all the insecurities. Friday meant he could sleep in tomorrow, so he’d drink enough to keep all his nightmares at bay.

  ****

  Adora Garcia had three major assignments due in the next two weeks, so her desk and laptop were going to be her best friends for a while. She’d been studying all morning, empty coffee cups and balls of scrunched up paper hiding her cellphone. When it began to ring, she re
membered the promise to pick her mother up from work while her car was in the shop.

  She drove out to the waterfront where her mother worked cleaning Tobias Bennett’s condo three days a week and every Saturday. Adora hated driving in the downtown core, but it was the least she could do for the woman who raised her single-handedly, working her fingers to the bone to provide the basics.

  “Can I help you?”

  Adora had been wandering around the massive lobby of the condo, admiring the modern architecture, use of glass, and difficult angles. The security had apparently had enough of her presence. She was used to being questioned in stores when they assumed she was stealing something. Her absentee father had been a blue-eyed, white businessman who’d used and dumped her mother twenty years ago, leaving her alone and pregnant. Although Adora didn’t have her mother’s skin color, she had many of her Latin American features, including her long dark hair.

  “I’m looking for Tobias Bennett,” she said.

  The security guard sauntered over, his thumbs hooked in his pockets. He looked her up and down. “Is he expecting you?”

  She was going to give him the whole story, but decided to keep it simple. “Yes.”

  He tilted his head. “You’re not his usual type, but who am I to judge? Top floor.”

  Adora bit her tongue and hit the elevator button. She’d grab her mother and get the hell out of this overpriced neighborhood. It was hard enough getting by without all the judgmental stares and stereotypes.

  She wasn’t one of Mr. Bennett’s whores.

  Her mother had told her all about the old bastard’s weekly escapades. There wasn’t enough money in all the world to pay Adora to sleep with him—not that he’d want her. She imagined a man in his position could have whoever he wanted. It made her sick thinking of all the beautiful young women who gave themselves to him in exchange for money or status. That would never be her. A degree in architecture would be her way out, a chance to make a real life for herself.