Kiss From a Rose

by Fontaine, Bella

  It was what created that disappointment when I did eventually wake to find that she’d left.

  The house felt empty, like it never happened. Like she never happened, and I didn’t like it.

  I didn’t like that hollow feeling that worked its way into me.

  It made me jump on my bike and head straight to the motel.

  She was in the office looking exhausted as she looked over some paperwork.

  In a simple T-shirt, shorts, and her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, she looked every bit the goddess she was last night.

  She was writing down a list of expenses. I saw what she’d written before she noticed me come in. It said What I have to pay.

  She looked startled when she saw me and clutched her hand to her chest.

  I didn’t give her a chance to talk. I marched around to her and captured her lips, kissing her with everything I felt before she could tell me what I feared.

  “Caine,” she breathed against my lips, pulling back.

  “No, whatever it is you’re going to tell me, it’s no,” I spoke quickly.

  “How do you know what I’m going to say?”

  “I know you. You’re still wary about me. Why’d you leave?”

  She looked away, embarrassed. “I thought you’d want me gone.”

  I went to ask her why in the hell she would think that, but then it dawned on me. It was me…

  I’d given her reason to think that. I’d told her I wasn’t a relationship guy, and I… wasn’t.

  I still wasn’t. Or… at least I didn’t know if I could be. What I did know was, I wanted her. I wanted to be with her.

  “No, don’t leave me again.” She looked surprised by the comment. “One night wasn’t enough. It wasn’t, but if that’s what you want, I respect your wishes.”

  “I don’t. I shouldn’t want more, but I do.”

  I didn’t miss the quiver in her voice.

  “I do too.”

  “What do we do?”

  I had a wild idea. “Room twelve’s still free, baby, and room eleven.”

  She giggled, and the spark returned to her eyes.

  “We should go.”

  I tugged on her hand and smiled. “Come on.”

  Chapter 13

  Caine

  * * *

  I pulled up at the docks at midday sharp.

  That was the time for my appointment with Donny Vitto. The manager of Quick and Simple Loans.

  I could have laughed at the ridiculousness, but then maybe the loans were indeed quick and simple to get. My heart ached at the thought of Halle coming into a place like this. I wished like hell she had just asked me for the money, but she would never do anything like that. She was too proud to. She wasn’t the kind of woman to beg. She would rather do this. Come here to this place that screamed shady as shit.

  The buildings around looked dilapidated, and it was just Quick and Simple Loans that looked intact.

  I walked into the foyer and approached a fat, balding, disgusting man behind the desk. He stank of shit, looked like shit too in his grease-stained tank top and was so gross as he ate pizza while he watched a game show on TV. I looked to the TV screen ahead of him. Wheel of Fortune was on. I used to watch it way back when.

  He laughed when the woman spinning the wheel landed on 0.

  “Stuffy-nosed bitch. Why are you even on this show?” he mused. “You got a fine ass I’d love to own though.”

  Fuck, I didn’t think the guy could have been any grosser, until he shoved his greasy hands down his pants and started rubbing himself.

  Appalled and feeling like I would vomit, I cleared my throat so loud it hurt.

  The guy whipped his head around and glared at me in shock because I’d frightened him. However, when he saw the sternness in my features, he checked himself.

  “Help you with something, pal?”

  “I’m not your pal. I’m here to see Donny.” One thing I’d learned in life is to always state your stance. If this were a friendly visit, I would have started with the usual pleasantries a person would give. I wasn’t here to be friends or pals with anybody, so this was me stating my business and the don’t fuck with me premise I would take from here onwards.

  Gross guy understood well and knew his place. Greasy fingers picked up the phone in front of him, and he keyed in a four-digit extension.

  “Hey, boss, your twelve o’clock’s here to see you,” he said into the phone. I heard Donny give the okay to send me in.

  He had that same casual tone in his voice he’d had when I’d spoken to him last night.

  Gross guy hung up the phone and looked me over with a quizzical stare.

  “You not carrying a piece on you, are you?”

  “I’d love for you to try and find out. Haven’t killed anybody today yet.” I thought Anya would be so shocked if she heard me say something like that.

  Shocked, but the expressionless tone I gave gross guy made him look like he was about to shit himself.

  No, I didn’t have any guns on me, but maybe I should have carried something to protect myself. I could have probably gotten away with having a gun with my military status, but that wasn’t me. Me with a gun showed intent to use it if I was ever stopped by the police, and I didn’t want that kind of shit today.

  “Go down this hall and turn left. It’s the first door.” There was a tremor in his voice that almost made me laugh. I decided on a smile, one designed to scare him further.

  It worked, and he gave me a wary look.

  I stepped back and proceeded down the corridor.

  I saw the door he meant and didn’t bother knocking. I just opened it to Donny’s amazement, walked straight in, and sat in the chair in front of him.

  Donny straightened in his chair and chuckled, resting his hands before him on the desk.

  “Well, I can see you’re ready to launch straight into business.” He spoke with a hint of an Italian accent, and his rich Italian features reminded me of one of the characters from The Godfather.

  I really hoped I was wrong, but he and the place screamed mafia influenced.

  “It’s what I’m here for.” I nodded.

  “Okay, let’s do this. So, as you know, Halle Weinland entered into a loan agreement with us for five thousand dollars. She was to back that like clockwork every month. However, she defaulted on payments, and she was aware of the stipulations.” He templed his fingers and looked me over with curiosity.

  “I read the contract. It stated a grand for every month she was delayed. By my count she’s delayed by two months.”

  “It’s actually gone two months. So, we’re entering into month three now. Stipulations for such an unfortunate thing mean we’re within our rights to impose further sanctions as we see fit.” He said that so coolly and as casual as if we were talking about the weather.

  “Right, thank you for clarifying that for me. Now clarify this. How the fuck is, let’s say, seventeen grand comparable to a hundred grand or the motel? Does that even make sense? Most people would just go to a debt recovery agency or something, but your further sanctions are a little drastic. No?”

  Donny laughed. “Mr. Donoghue, I won’t pussyfoot around the bush with you. There’s a reason why we’re called Quick and Simple Loans, a reason why we don’t carry out the necessary credit checks other loan providers do.”

  “Well, I’m guessing it’s because you know your clients won’t be able to afford the repayments in the first place and you can take whatever they have of value.”

  He clapped. “You’re a real quick study, but that’s obvious. We help the desperate where we can. It’s not our problem if they can’t hold up their end of the deal. They knew what they were signing up for when they signed up, so please.”

  “I really doubt Halle knew there was a chance she would end up signing away her motel when she came to you.”

  “Truth is, we contacted her.”

  I found that interesting. “How did you know she needed help?” />
  He straightened. “An enquiry for a loan comparison gives us notification of potential clients. We contact them and give them the rundown of what we have to offer. They know what they’re signing up for.”

  Okay, I understood that. I’d never had to apply for a loan before, but I knew the process, and if Halle went to a loan comparison site, that is the kind of thing that would happen. But please, who was he trying to fool? Did he seriously expect me to accept that shit about knowing what you’re signing up for? Like it was reasonable.

  Fucking asshole.

  “You agreed not to pussyfoot around me. So, answer this. What do you want with a little motel? We both know Halle won’t have a hundred g’s to pay you.” That part was obvious. It was like saying to someone ‘Give me your arm or your car.’

  Which would you choose? Surely, you’d give the car. But you’d wonder first why the person wanted the car so badly that they’d give you such a ridiculous choice.

  “You really are a quick study, but then you’d have to be to be a lieutenant in the Navy for so long.”

  “Glad you did your research. It’s good you know me. Now answer the question.”

  “It’s not me who wants the motel. It’s a friend. The hundred g’s was to sweeten the deal and give dear old Halle a chance. If she miraculously were able to find the money, we’d back off. Who wouldn’t be happy to make that kind of money? And since we like her, we thought we’d at least give her a chance.” He chuckled, probably knowing how fucked up that sounded. “However, if she gives us the motel, we stand to make … well, let’s just say our friend will pay a lot for it.”

  “Who’s the friend?”

  “That’s for me to know.”

  And not for me to find out.

  “Was it the friend who drew your attention to Halle?” That sixth sense of mine was working overtime and in overdrive. I didn’t know how I’d guessed, but that made sense, even if they were notified in some way of her need for a loan. It was too specific, too damn specific.

  This was always supposed to be the outcome. The motel.

  I didn’t need my skills in intelligence to tell me that.

  The motel was the object of desire.

  “I think question time is over.” Donny chuckled.

  “It’s over when I say so. Now let’s try this again.” I leaned forward and tensed my shoulders. “Who. Is. The. Friend.”

  “Mr. Donoghue. A hundred grand or the motel. That is all you need to know.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” I stood up.

  “That pretty little girlfriend of yours sure has a fine rack and ass.” He took out a gun from the drawer next to him and waved it at me. “She has a nice mouth too, the kind that feels good on a cock—”

  He was about to continue, but I dove for him, practically stepping over the desk and grabbing him by his neck.

  Guns didn’t scare me. He tried to aim it at me, but I growled at him and shoved him hard into the wall. The look on his face was classic. This fucker didn’t know who he was dealing with, or he wouldn’t even try it with me.

  “Asshole, you leave my girl out of this, and don’t ever talk about her again. If you so much as think about her, you’re dead. Fucking dead. Let me tell you this now, Donny,” I snarled and got real close into his face while he winced. “Whatever game you’re playing won’t work. I’ll pay the loan arrears and the interest, and I’ll pay the two grand you so kindly added, but not a cent more.”

  “Fuck you, you think you can scare me?” Donny sputtered.

  I tightened my grip on his neck.

  “I don’t think, I know I’m scaring you, motherfucker.”

  “Kill me if you want. There’s more of us, and we know what we stand to lose if we don’t get the motel.” His voice came out strangled from my hands on his neck.

  I might have had control, but I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Let them come, Donny. Let them come. I’ll be ready, and they won’t know what the fuck hit them. So, you may want to rethink this strategy of yours. Perhaps find a new theme or something to want.”

  I took his gun and shoved him on the floor, then I made a play of holding the gun to him like I was going to shoot him.

  The man started trembling, and I laughed. I laughed a laugh I didn’t feel but carried on for show and tapped into that crazy side of me that I didn’t like to bring out.

  I fired three shots just above his head and laughed when I saw him cowering. The asshole started to cry thinking the bullet was going to blow his brains out, and a pool of water gathered around him.

  Piss. The fool pissed himself.

  “Don’t worry, you get to live today. But the same way you know me, I know you too.” I had friends. Friends in underground places I could call on if this turned south and became a shade of ugly I didn’t like. “My code of honor gives you the chance to at least think about what you’ll do next. Contact me if you accept my proposal.”

  I waved his gun at him before I walked out.

  God, I couldn’t believe this shit.

  I needed to speak to Lopez. I might have exacted some fear in Donny, but there was more to this story.

  Who was the friend?

  Who was the friend, and why did they want the motel?

  * * *

  I switched out of Badass Caine when I pulled up on my drive and saw Anya’s little Miata parked up next to my Ferrari.

  It was amazing what this woman could do to me.

  I thought I would be seeing her later at the motel, but I was excited to see her now. Thank God, today was the day when I’d arranged for Gina, my housekeeper, to come by. I was guessing she’d let Anya in.

  I jumped off my bike and practically ran inside the house, where I found her talking with Gina while the aroma of delicious food hung in the air. Gina was teaching her French. I spoke a little bit of French but not enough to impress anybody.

  “It’s so different to Spanish but similar at the same time.” Anya giggled.

  How I loved that sound, and she looked so pretty today with her hair braided into one long plait she’d swept to the side.

  At the end of the plait was a turquoise blue band the same color of her summer dress.

  The dress flirted with her rich honey legs as she moved.

  The sun picked up on the shimmer she wore on her cheeks.

  She smiled when she saw me, and a little blush flushed her cheeks.

  I smiled too when I thought about last night and most of the day, which we’d spent in room twelve at the motel. My cock hardened when I thought of all the ways I’d had her. And still I wanted more.

  It was good to see her here in my house, but a shadow crossed my mind when I thought about my encounter with Donny. She would freak out if she knew what was going on.

  Anya would freak out and get scared. I never wanted her to be scared.

  “Entertaining my guest, Gina?” I looked from Anya to Gina.

  Gina laughed and ran a hand through her salt and pepper hair.

  “You know I try, Caine. I like this one. She came with cookies, and we cooked all morning.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Gina always made me something when she came by. She’d place it in the fridge, so I could have it when I got in.

  “Give the credit to our dear Anya here. She thought it would be nice to make you some of her aunt’s favorites, which are now mine.” Gina laughed.

  “It was just a few dishes,” Anya added coyly. “Quick dishes for lunch.”

  I didn’t care if there were a few dishes or that they were quick; what mesmerized me was that she even thought to come here and treat me. The last time she was here, she’d left.

  “I sound like one lucky man.” I beamed at her, holding her gaze.

  “You are.” Gina nodded. “And I’m going to leave you two now. I’m running to the grocery store, so I’ll be back in a few hours. Do either of you want anything?”

  “No,” I answered, but I was still looking at Anya. What I wanted was
her.

  “I’m fine.” Anya broke her stare on me and looked over to Gina, giving her a sweet smile, dazzling her with her pearly white teeth.

  “See you both in a bit.” Gina left us, and I walked up to Anya to give her a kiss.

  Moving from her lips to her cheek, I pulled her closer and started kissing down the smooth, smooth skin of her neck. Funny how I thought her legs reminded me of honey. She smelled like honey. Honey and something sweeter, like vanilla.

  “You came to tempt me into a re-run of yesterday.” I squeezed her breasts and started playing with her nipples.

  She stepped back and giggled. “No, I really did come by to make you lunch.”

  “Come back here. Can I eat you instead?”

  “Caine.” She swatted my hands away when I came for her and backed further into the kitchen, where I saw all that she’d made.

  I smiled when I saw it. It really was a bunch of my favorites that Halle used to make for me. Halle had taken it upon herself to make sure I ate well. We had a chef and cooks, but no, she made sure I got the proper nutrition and everything I ate had some goodness in it. She did that from when I was about six. I remembered still.

  It was the look on her face when one of our cooks set a plate of fries and battered chicken dippers in front of me. She’d gone nuts.

  Today, Anya had made some of the stuff Halle made for me as treats. There was a tray with baked potatoes cut in half with two different types of cheese melted on top of them. A tray with sweet potato fries and slices of pan-fried chicken strips speckled with basil and fresh cornbread.

  “You like? You look like you like it. Halle made this stuff for me when I was little and told me how much you loved it too. I figured it was one thing we had in common.” She lifted her shoulder into that one-shoulder sassy shrug I liked.

  I liked it because of how perky it made her tits look when she did it. Then I’d get stuck looking like I was now.

  “Caine,” she scolded. “Can you stop looking at my breasts for one second?”

  “What if I don’t want to? Is there an option for that?”

  She pouted. “You are going to make me crazy.”