Mad About Her

by Serenity Snow

  “Do you know what it feels like to be gang raped, Chloe?” A raspy voice demanded as he pulled her head up and she dragged air into her lungs greedily. “To have a big dick up your tight little virgin ass?”

  She tried to fight, fear making her skin clammy as nausea assailed her.

  “You’re going to find out at the rate you’re going.” He laughed. “I bet your girlfriend would love to watch you suck my dick.”

  Pulse pounding, Chloe kicked him in the shin desperate for escape. He let out a surprised grunt and ground her head hard down into the seat. She stomped on his foot and he grunted, his hold lessening slightly. She kicked him in his shin again and he let out a ferocious cry before pulling her hair hard.

  “Don’t think you’re safe. I know which unit you live in. I’ve been in your place, and I’m going to be inside you next.” He released her.

  She quickly righted herself and looked around. All she saw was a figure in dark clothes quickly retreating. Shaking, Chloe grab her laptop and hurried inside the building. She was in her apartment in a matter of minutes and leaned heavily against the door panting hard, hands trembling like a leaf on the wind.

  She heard a key in the lock and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as she moved away from the door. Breathing raggedly, Chloe fumbled in her purse and dropped it sending the contents scattering along with her keys. Her pepper spray was attached in a leather case Darice had given her.

  “No,” she said tears filling her eyes. “No.” Her phone slid across the floor along with her pepper spray.

  Chloe hurried to grab them both and heard the deadbolt give. A cry escaped her as her fingers closed around her phone. She wasn’t going to have time to call for help.

  She grabbed the pepper spray and the door opened just as she straightened. Heart pounding, bile coating her tongue, Chloe whipped around are outstretched and canister at the ready, shoulders heaving.

  “Chloe!” Darice shouted and leaned to one side just avoiding the spray. “Shit, Coe! What the hell?”

  Chloe’s eyes focused and her breath came out in gasps. Her skin went hot and cold with the fear of almost having hurt Darice. “Sorry,” she wailed.

  Darice rushed to her. “What is going on?” She grabbed the spray from shaking slack fingers and shoved it into her slacks pocket. “Coe?” She cupped Chloe’s face.

  She collapsed into her arms and clutched at her. “There was a guy—he threatened to rape me. He said he knew where we lived. He’d been…” Her words trailed off as she thought of the video and Darice’s assurance that she hadn’t had sex in their bed. She let out a low wail of rage. “I’m sorry I doubted you.” She looked up at Darice.

  “It’s not your fault, baby,” she murmured. “We’re going to get out of here. Zyra invited us to come over.”

  “Zyra?”

  “Marie, the woman in the video, came to my studio this evening,” Darice told her. “I told you, she doesn’t hear no well. She’s behind this. She threatened to wreck our relationship and then hurt you and make you think I was behind it.”

  Chloe swallowed tightly. She could walk away and probably be safe from the woman’s wrath, but what if she wasn’t? People that went to such extremes didn’t stop until they got what they wanted.

  “I’m going to call the police,” Darice said. “We need this documented, Coe.”

  Chloe nodded. “What if she means it? What if he’s going to get his friends and gang rape me as he said he was?”

  “She does mean it,” Darice answered. “That is the problem. I’ll call the police and you can pack. We’re not going to stay here.”

  Chloe nodded jerkily and leaned into Darice soaking up her warmth and strength. How had she gone from contemplating breaking up with her lover to needing her arms around her so badly?

  Darice brushed a kiss to the side of her head.

  “Go pack.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chloe had barely stopped shaking after dinner. She was starting to relax, but she couldn’t stop thinking of what the man had threatened. The fact that he’d been in their apartment made her feel even more violated and less at peace.

  Darice hadn’t said much but Simone’s angry rantings soothed her nerves a little. The strong silent Zyra and Darice left her uneasy. She didn’t like not knowing what they thought.

  “I hate to put you guys out,” Chloe said as Simone cleared the table.

  “You’re not putting us out,” Simone assured her and then gave her a smile. “It’ll be great having you here. Come on. I’ll show you to your room while they finish.”

  “Okay.” She glanced at Zyra and Darice who were sitting stoically at the dinner table.

  ****

  “We can’t do anything until we find out whose ass to beat to death,” Zyra murmured once they were alone.

  “I know what I’m going to start with,” Darice said. “If that doesn’t work I’ll call Dev.”

  Zyra nodded her agreement of Darice’s decision to call in the hit woman. Devin was damn good at her job and her clients had never complained about her work. She’d killed some of the most powerful and influential men in the world and worked for their counterparts.

  “She’ll keep this from turning into a cluster fuck, but in the meantime, I’ll call Ace. She’s not far. She can keep your girl covered.”

  “Great.” Ace and Devin were business partners that worked the dirtiest jobs in the world for anyone willing to pay for their services. She and Zyra had worked with them, so she knew Chloe would be safe when she wasn’t around.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem getting Sabrina to agree,” Zyra said. “It was ingenious of her to assign Chloe to do a story on you.” She smiled and got to her feet. “I guess seeing her all teary-eyed was more than Sabrina could stand to.”

  Sabrina, Chloe’s boss had worked with them on two cases. Back then, she’d been harder and worked under the code name Brass Balls. She’d had a death wish as far as Darice had been concerned, but Sabrina’s childhood had been similar to her own except she’d been an incest victim.

  Darice grunted and grabbed two plates from the table and followed Zyra into the kitchen. “If all goes well with the house, we’ be able to move in, in a few weeks.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Zyra said. “Have you contacted Snake and Jo? Maybe Jo can use that footage I took of you and Marie that night.”

  “Yeah,” she said. The hackers had worked with them too. Snake was still giving the government hell, but she was on their payroll. Jo was a computer geek still working with Ace and Devin. “I still think you’re a jerk to think I’d cheat on her, Zy.”

  “It was in case she tried to fuck with you,” Zyra muttered. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

  “A lot more because I’m not feeling the trust,” she muttered.

  Zyra grunted. “Yeah, yeah. So, let’s show Marie what happens when assholes fuck with one of us,” Zyra said giving her friend a hard smile that Darice returned.

  After they finished the dishes, Zyra and Darice headed to the living room where Simone and Chloe were lounging with the TV playing softly in the background.

  Darice sat down next to Chloe and kissed the side of her neck. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded settling into her. “I am now.”

  Darice gave her a smile and settled her hand on Chloe’s hip. “Me too.”

  Zyra grinned at them. “Don’t feel like you have to stay up with us or pretend like you’re just sleeping.”

  Simone laughed. “Yeah, have as much sex as you want,” she agreed and Chloe groaned.

  “We’ll try to keep it to a dull roar,” Darice said and Chloe gave her an embarrassed look.

  “Darice,” she complained and Darice lowered her head and kissed Chloe softly. Chloe leaned into her and moaned before breaking the kiss. “I don’t want to lose you, Darice.”

  “You won’t,” Darice assured her softly as she stroked Chloe’s hair. “This will work itself out and we’ll
be better than we were.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yeah,” she murmured. “I promise.”

  ****

  Darice drove Chloe to work the next morning. She’d spoken to Sabrina and learned everything had been arranged. Chloe’s office had been rigged with cameras and bugs. There was a camera in the corridor of Chloe’s office and the bathroom. Security had been alerted to warn Ace of any deliveries for Chloe and anyone asking for Chloe would have to meet with Ace first.

  “I’ll pick you up after work,” Darice told her.

  “Thanks for doing this, Darice,” Chloe said softly. “I was worried about coming in on my own.”

  “I know,” Darice answered, her arms going around Chloe as they stood in Chloe’s office. “I would have been on edge if I hadn’t brought you.”

  Chloe stroked Darice’s cheek. “Do you know I love you?”

  “I do now,” she said and laughed softly. “I love you too, Coe.” She kissed her. “I have to go.”

  “I know, and Selena will be here soon,” she said. She gave Darice a peck on the lips and let her go. “Darice be careful. They might come after you too.”

  “I will.” That would be a mistake. She’d studied martial arts and could disarm a man with a gun or a knife. When she’d gotten out of jail she’d vowed to never be as vulnerable as she’d been as a child again.

  ****

  Once Darice got to work, she made her way to her office and dropped into her chair. She’d asked Snake to make her four versions of the video Marie had made yesterday. One included an even more risqué scene than Marie’s oral sex vid. She’d have to show it to Chloe before Marie got to her.

  She’d taped her conversation with Marie at the club and parts of it had been perfectly added into the original video footage Zyra had taken of Marie’s too amorous and unprovoked advances two nights before Chloe broke up with her.

  She known Marie’s reputation before she’d met with her, and she’d known she’d need some kind of leverage in case Marie tried to blackmail her into the contract. She just hadn’t counted on Zyra being a few steps ahead of her.

  If Marie didn’t back off, a story would hit the media along with a video of the child labor and poor working conditions of the factories the children and very poor worked in producing clothing for Marie’s company. Then, Marie’s business’s stock would begin dropping by the close of the following business day or appear to. That could cause a real drop of her stock. And if that wasn’t enough, Darice had a few other tricks up her sleeve thanks to Snake’s help.

  Her cell phone rang. Darice glanced at the display and grinned in anticipation. She wished she could feel sympathy for the destruction she was about to wreck on Marie’s life, but there was nothing good or noble in being anyone’s victim.

  “Is it ready?” she asked the woman on the other end of the line. Her heart was racing in excitement to get this started and finished. “Check your email,” the woman said. “I think you’ll be happy with the work I did for you. The files contain a virus that will degrade the material and infect your recipient’s computer should she try to send a copy of the footage.”

  “Great,” Darice said with a grim smile. She’d paid a pretty penny for that, but it was going to be worth it. “Did you get the footage from the factory?”

  “Yep. It’s going to fuck her little world up.”

  “That’s my plan,” Darice murmured.

  “The virus I embedded also prevents replication,” Jo told her gleefully. “I’ve sent you a master copy of the files, so you can send the files to as many people as you like without infecting your own computer or phone.”

  “Thanks. Can you send copies to the people on a list for me? I don’t want to be connected with it.”

  “Send me the list.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need anything else,” Darice told her.

  “I’m always glad to take your calls,” Jo said with humor in her tone and disconnected.

  Darice watched the files and then sent Jo the list of names with the file she wanted each name to get. Then, she sent Marie a video. The file was of that night Marie had come onto her but it had been altered to include a very risqué scene. The work was flawless so no one would know it was a computer generated work unless he or she was an expert. Then, it would still be hard to tell.

  Darice sat back in her chair with a smile and the phone on her desk rang two minutes later. “What is it Angeline?” Darice asked.

  “You’ve just gotten four cancellations,” she said.

  “Are they all mine or studio wide?” Darice asked with a frown. She had expected more cancellations.

  “All you.”

  “Were any of them this afternoon’s shoot?”

  “No. In fact, Radda called to say she was still on schedule, and she wanted to meet with you at the site early if that was possible. She wanted to make a few changes.”

  “Great. Get her on the line for me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chloe sat back from her computer and rubbed her eyes three hours later. Selena had called in so she was completely alone in the office, and she found she loved the quiet. It would be nice to get that promotion. She would be the editor of the business section but she would have to do a story or two on occasion which wouldn’t be bad.

  She loved to write as much as she enjoyed interacting with the subjects of her articles.

  A tap on the doorframe drew her eyes open and they fixed on a young man with a smile on his face. He was clad in khaki pants and a t-shirt with the words Flower Power emblazoned across his broad chest.

  “Good morning,” he said in a congenial tone.

  “Morning,” she replied.

  “Can you sign for these?” he asked sitting the vase of flowers on her desk and producing a small electronic pad.

  “Sure.” She scribbled her name and he produced a small box.

  “I almost forgot this.” He set it on the table next to her. “Enjoy your flowers.” He grabbed his pad and tipped his head to her.

  “Hang on.”

  “No.” He held up his hand. “Tip’s been taken care of.” He whistled as he headed back the way he’d come.

  With a smile, Chloe inhaled the scent of the wildflower arrangement. The scent was delicate and made heat radiate through her chest. She set them aside to look for a card and found it dangling from the side of the clear vase tied with silky red ribbon.

  She pulled it free of its small envelope and set it aside to examine the box. The lid was secured, so she had to use a letter opener from her desk drawer to cut the tape. She tore away the paper to find a small box of chocolates. She used the letter opener to get rid of the plastic covering it and lifted the lid eager for a taste.

  The aroma of rich chocolate filled her nostrils but the worms and bugs filled her vision along with bits of dead flowers. She let out a yelp and quickly replaced the lid and pushed the box away.

  Anger rumbled through her as she reached for the card. She would be calling Darice to report that her candies had been tampered with as soon as she finished reading the card.

  Wither and die just like Darice’s love for you.

  —M

  “Chloe?”

  She looked to find a uniformed member of the security staff peering in at her. She didn’t remember her name. Had she ever even met her?

  “Is everything okay with the flowers?”

  “Flowers are fine,” she said tightly. “It’s the candy that’s wrong.”

  The woman hurried over. “Will you lift the lid? I don’t want to add my prints to the box.”

  Chloe frowned and forced herself to lift the lid.

  “Damn it,” the guard muttered. “Fucker must have had this in his pocket.”

  “He did,” she confirmed with a frown as she replaced the top. “Why? I mean, what’s going on?”

  The woman, she was pretty, with dark eyes and lean face. Her short dark hair was a mass of curls. “Darice hired me to look after you while you
’re away from her and your boss cleared it.”

  “Because of last night,” she murmured wondering if Darice could really afford this.

  “Yes. May I?” Her gaze went to the note briefly as she pushed a hand into her pocket.

  “Yes.” Chloe handed her the note. “What’s your name?”

  “Ace.” She removed a latex glove and a small baggie. She took the note and pushed it into the baggie before untying and adding the envelope.

  Ace wasn’t a girl’s name or even a name people really gave their children, so it must be a nickname.

  “Are you giving that to the police?”

  “They will be called,” Ace told her. “Everything that cow does to you needs to be documented.”

  Chloe studied Ace as she whipped out her cell phone and walked a short distance from her. Who did this woman work for and what were they going to do to the woman behind this harassment?

  She picked up her phone and started dialing Darice’s number but decided against it. She was at work and didn’t need the distraction.

  “Babe, come away from the desk,” Ace told her in a patient tone. “Can you work at the other one?”

  “I guess.” She grabbed her laptop and moved across the room to Selena’s desk. Her desktop computer was off when it should have been in sleep mode. Selena said it took too long to boot up otherwise.

  She shrugged but didn’t get back to work. Her eyes needed a break and she was a little keyed up. Chloe brushed against the keyboard in its tray beneath the desk and an envelope floated down to the carpet.

  Chloe bent to pick it up as Ace made another call. Printed across the front was Selena’s name. The envelope was a little heavy so she opened it. A sheet of paper and several bills were inside. Curious, she removed the note.

  Selena,

  Thank you. The key worked.

  She hadn’t!

  Chloe’s fingers trembled as read the note again. Damn her. She’d thought Selena was her friend.

  How could she? Why would she betray her like that? Surely, Selena hadn’t done this because she wanted Chloe herself.