Depends on Who's Asking

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  “…never really liked you,” Brielle finished. “What was that?”

  I moaned as I slowly started to ride his cock, starting slow but eventually beginning to pick up speed.

  “Do you hear that?” Martin asked. “What is that?”

  I was thankful that the balconies were quite a bit apart, as well as the fact that we had a corner room meaning that we were in the far depths of the farthest corner away from them. Even if they could see over here, which I doubted, they likely wouldn’t be able to make anything out.

  “It sounds like someone’s having sex,” Martin said. “Maybe it’s the neighbors next to us, or below? You said that those two next to us don’t even like each other.”

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips to Saint’s before saying, “I like you just fine.”

  He pulled back with a grin. “I like you just fine, too.”

  To emphasize his point, he thrust upward, causing a surprised squeal to leave my mouth, and my body to jolt upward.

  My knees came up off the chair, and soon he was standing, leaving the blanket behind, and twisting so that I was pressed against the glass wall of our room.

  “Lift your leg higher,” he said. “How flexible are you? Can you put your leg on my shoulder?”

  I all but laughed in his face.

  “I was a flyer during high school, Saint Nicholson,” I informed him as I maneuvered my leg. “Watch this.”

  Then I proceeded to put my leg onto his shoulder, practically flattening the back of my thigh, knee, and calf against his chest all without him coming out of my sheath. Not only did he not come out, but he went even deeper inside with his cock, and I groaned.

  “Sweet mother of all that’s holy,” he growled as he pressed even deeper into me, my back digging into the glass behind me.

  “If we fall through this glass,” I whispered. “Will they take us to the hospital? Or allow us to bleed to death?”

  My question caused him to chuckle, the slight movement causing his cock to jolt inside of me.

  I bit my lip, my hands going to his neck as I half lifted myself off of him before coming back down.

  “I may be flexible,” I said as I did it again, groaning on the way down. “But I can’t stay in this position forever. So, you better start to move, buddy.”

  He did, pulling out only to push back inside.

  He growled when the band of my underwear started to push between us.

  In answer to his problem, he roughly yanked them to the side, causing the entire left leg to tear.

  “You know,” I grumbled at his show of strength. “I don’t have all that many pairs.”

  He started to fuck me harder, pushing in and out, forcing my leg to bend farther than it’d ever bent before.

  I was torn between thinking that my leg might very well fall off and wondering if it was normal for my orgasm to be climbing so high.

  I’d just convinced myself that I might very well explode for real when he stopped altogether.

  “Swear, that sounds like the two people you said don’t like each other are having sex on their balcony,” Martin said. “I can’t see anything, though. Our balconies are too far apart. Plus, it’s super dark over there. Though, it does look like they have lights on in their room. What do you think they have lights on for?”

  Brielle said something, but I couldn’t focus.

  Because that orgasm that I’d been feeling build earlier? It was bursting through, snatching me by the vagina and pulling so hard that I couldn’t stop myself from crying out.

  “Oh, fuck,” I whimpered.

  Saint cursed, his mouth coming down to try to stop the flow of words coming out of my mouth, but the damage had already been done.

  I felt him grunt into my mouth, and I knew that my orgasm had triggered his own.

  “They’re totally having sex,” Martin punctuated through the air. “We should have sex.”

  “We don’t even like each other, Martin.” Brielle sounded outraged.

  “Well,” Martin said. “You said that they didn’t either. And look where that’s left them.”

  Saint slowly loosened his grip on my leg, allowing it to fall.

  I groaned at the feeling of relief from my leg being released, but what we’d just done was totally worth it.

  Totally. Worth. It.

  “I’m sure that they have a really good explanation,” Brielle said. “But, just sayin’, I hope she’s on birth control, because it’s not like we have any condoms here. Even if I did like you, we wouldn’t be having sex. No glove, no love.”

  I felt Saint stiffen, then he practically picked me up and led me inside.

  The glow from the Christmas tree was practically blinding as he all but carried me into the middle of the room.

  Pulling out, he dropped me to my feet, and I sighed at the feeling of emptiness.

  “We should’ve talked about birth control,” he admitted softly.

  We should have.

  Had I been thinking clearly either time that we’d had sex, I would’ve stopped him.

  But…

  “I just had my period. Like, literally that day we got here was my last day. There’s no chance of me getting pregnant,” I promised.

  “We should stop this.” He sounded pained. “We can’t have sex anymore.”

  That sucked.

  But he was right.

  “Can we ask your little fairy godmother for condoms?” I asked hopefully.

  He snorted and smacked my ass.

  “Go get cleaned up. Maybe now we can both get some sleep,” he said.

  That would work for tonight. But what about tomorrow night?

  I had a feeling things were about to get really interesting.

  CHAPTER 9

  Made with love means I licked the spoon.

  -Caro to Saint

  SAINT

  Quarantine Day Twelve

  “Hello?” I answered the phone, sounding just as bored as I felt.

  At first, the thought of having to spend three weeks at this hotel didn’t sound too bad.

  But it was day twelve of our isolation, and I was getting stir crazy.

  I wanted to get up and stretch my legs.

  I wanted to go outside and chop some wood.

  I wanted to go to fucking work.

  “Son,” my father said, voice sounding tight. “We have a problem.”

  I was instantly alert. “What?”

  “There’s a threat to my life,” he said. “This one isn’t like all the others, though. This one is actually quite real, and until further notice, we’re to be moved to an undisclosed location.”

  I felt my stomach tighten. “Go.”

  Just because my parents had forcefully dragged me around the world, advancing from one government position to the other, didn’t mean that I wanted them to stop. And I sure the hell didn’t want some crazy asshole to hurt them.

  “We’re going,” Dad confirmed. “We just wanted to let you know that you could possibly be compromised. I have an old buddy that’s in your city. He’s keeping an eye out. And where you’re at for sure should be just fine because nobody but Brad and I know where you are. But I wanted you to be aware of the possibility that something could be out there waiting when you got out.”

  I looked at the woman that was doing sit-ups on the yoga mat in front of me.

  The thought of dragging her into my life was abhorrent to me.

  What woman would constantly want to have to live their life on the edge, waiting for something, anything, bad to happen?

  Because I sure the fuck didn’t want to do that.

  And kids? My God. What would happen if I brought kids into this mess?

  “Don’t worry, though,” Dad said. “The secret service is already on this. They have a safe location for me and your mother picked out, and they’re getting it ready now. But until then, I’m going to wait at the cabin.”

  The cabin being the one place that was ‘hidden’ from anything and anyone. Pryin
g eyes, keyboard and physical, would never be able to find the place.

  “Keep Brad with you,” I suggested. “And make sure Mom doesn’t get on the computer and tell anyone where she is.”

  My dad laughed and hung up.

  When I dropped the phone from my ear, I continued to watch Carolina do the rest of her sit-ups.

  “Who was that?” she asked as she switched to side planks.

  “That was my dad,” I admitted.

  “Everything okay?” she wondered, her face sheened with a thin layer of sweat.

  “Yeah, he’s fine,” I lied.

  “Good,” she grumbled as she fell to the floor in an exhausted heap. “I swear to Christ, I’m so ready to get out of here.” She looked over to me. “No offense, it’s not your company or anything, but I’m bored as hell. I want to go back to work.”

  There was a knock at our door, causing us both to stand.

  We didn’t go to the door, but I did call out, “Yes?”

  The door opened and Jace appeared.

  Jace wasn’t wearing any protective clothing, however.

  We both frowned at him.

  “We’ve been informed that the patient that we thought had Ebola instead has an autoimmune disease,” Jace said. “You are now free to leave.”

  My mouth all but fell open.

  “I’m sorry, but what?” Carolina asked, sounding pissed.

  “Autoimmune. Not Ebola,” Jace repeated.

  I had heard him correctly.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” I admitted. “I spent twelve days locked up because y’all didn’t do your job?”

  Jace winced. “We did our job. This is proper protocol for a situation such as this. I’m sorry that it was necessary, but the discomfort of a few is better than the pandemic death of thousands.”

  He had a point. But still.

  “We just get to leave? Just like that?” Carolina asked as she started to walk toward him.

  “Just like that,” Jace confirmed. “We’ll have all of your things packed up and waiting downstairs for you if you don’t want to take it now.”

  I gestured at Carolina. “I’ll come get it later and take it to her.”

  Carolina looked at me.

  Her smile was beautiful.

  But the tightness in my gut from my father’s phone call wouldn’t go away.

  • • •

  CAROLINA

  Quarantine- Day Twelve

  “Would you…” I stopped and shook off the weirdness.

  What Saint and I had wasn’t weird. It was great.

  It was… perfect.

  “Would you like to come over?” I asked quietly.

  He hesitated at the doorway.

  “I should probably go home first,” he admitted. “The cats haven’t seen me in weeks, and I need to check on Smoke. We haven’t been apart this long since I got him six months ago.”

  I moved until my hand was nestled inside of his.

  “Meet me there then?” I said softly. “When you’re done?”

  Or you could invite me to come with you. I’d totally come in a heartbeat.

  “I’ll come as soon as I’m done,” he agreed a little too quickly. “Can I bring Smoke?”

  I obviously agreed without hesitation.

  I didn’t have any pets of my own, but not because I didn’t want them. Because the last dog that I had passed away a few years ago, and I hadn’t gotten another one. I was still traumatized from my Golden Retriever’s passing all this time later.

  Our next couple of minutes as we rode home in the back of an Uber was silent. But I didn’t feel any tension. I wasn’t worried in the back of my mind anymore about catching Ebola.

  I was now free. Free to be with Saint.

  We turned down my street, and I started to get excited.

  The thought of having all of my stuff was downright exciting.

  My eyes came to rest on my house as we pulled up to the curb.

  Together we stared at the van parked outside of my house.

  “Chimney sweepers?” I asked curiously.

  “You’re asking me?” he chuckled. “It’s not like I have any control over who’s at your house.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know. I’m just thinking that it’s kind of weird when… Oh, never mind. That’s my mom.”

  I saw her coming out of the house with her hands on her hips as she stared up at the chimney sweepers that were on my roof.

  One of them was actively going down my roof.

  “I didn’t think that they actually sent people down them anymore,” he murmured.

  I had no clue, to be honest.

  I’d never had my chimney swept before.

  “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I don’t know about this home upkeep stuff,” I admitted. “When I started renovating this old house, it was in great need of some fresh—everything. I’m slowly getting it fixed up, but I would’ve never thought to check the chimney.”

  He chuckled softly as he patted my knee.

  “As much as I would like to meet your mother.” He watched as one of the men came out of the chimney and hefted himself up using the brick. “I really do need to go. My dad’s been calling me for the last half hour, and if I don’t call him back, he’s going to storm Kilgore, Texas and shit’s gonna hit the fan.”

  I looked at him then, seeing him staring at me and not the spectacle in my front yard.

  “Are you ever going to tell me about your family?” I asked curiously.

  “Tonight,” he sighed. “If we’re going to do this? I’m going to have to tell you.”

  Had I known that this would be the last time that my heart wouldn’t hurt, I would’ve made him stay.

  I would’ve begged him not to leave.

  “What about all these electronics?” I asked as I gestured to them. “What should I do with these?”

  “Take them.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what I’ll do with them. I don’t get on the computer. And if I need one, I just use the one at work.”

  I nodded and gathered the box up to my chest, then leaned forward and pressed my lips against his.

  He sighed against them, his hand on my hip tightening.

  “Tonight, I get to have you back,” I informed him. “I’ll go to the store.”

  He winked. “I’ll go to the store. You go talk to your mom. She’s looking at the car now.”

  I got out and did just that.

  Not once thinking about how everything would never be the same.

  CHAPTER 10

  It’s the most wonderful time for a beer.

  -Coffee Cup

  SAINT

  “Hello?” I answered the phone, placing it between my ear and my shoulder as I shoved into my house.

  “Kid.”

  My father’s faint voice had me freezing to the spot.

  “Dad,” I said, worry filling my voice. “What’s wrong?”

  My father coughed. It made my heart hurt, hearing that cough.

  It sounded wet.

  And… hurt.

  If that made any sense whatsoever.

  “Kid,” my dad croaked, sounding a little fainter this time. “Something happened. Brad…” More coughing could be heard on the other end of the line. “Brad… betrayed.”

  A whole lot of things started to course through me at the sound of his voice… or the lack thereof.

  “Dad,” I called out, voice somewhat shrill. “Dad!”

  Nothing.

  Not a single thing.

  I all but barreled out of the door of my place and sprinted over to the house next door. Malachi’s.

  I hammered on the door as I listened for my dad to come back on the line.

  But in my heart, I knew that that wasn’t going to happen.

  The door swung open and an alarmed looking Sierra looked out at me. “Saint? What’s wrong? Are you out of confinement?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I am. Can I borrow your phone?”

  She handed it over afte
r pulling it from her back pocket. “Sure.”

  Then I was taking off toward my truck, but I yelled back over my shoulder, “Will you go close my front door?”

  Forty minutes later I was in the chief of police’s office as he listened to me explain.

  “You’re a fucking kid of a president?” he all but barked.

  I felt my stomach, already tied in knots, take another hit. “Yes, sir.”

  “And that wasn’t something you thought you should disclose before we hired you?” he pushed.

  I gritted my teeth to keep the angry growl from escaping. Only when I had my shit back under control did I say, “I disclosed every single thing that was asked of me.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You followed the letter of the law, dumbass. Not the spirit.”

  The phone on the desk that I’d borrowed, Sierra’s, rang.

  I felt bile rise in my stomach as I reached forward to answer it.

  I was hoping the phone call that was coming would be hers. If it was hers, I wouldn’t pick it up.

  But, when I saw the ‘unknown’ on the phone, I knew that my time had come to an end.

  I would be finding out, very quickly, what had happened to my father.

  “Hello?” I answered, putting it on speaker.

  “Hey, kid,” the police chief that Luke Roberts had put me into contact with said. “This is Teller Kincaid.”

  I closed my eyes and hoped that my father was still alive.

  “You got a couple of guys here. They’re retired secret service agents. They said that you called,” Teller said.

  I cleared my throat. “I called them. Did they help you find the place?”

  “We’re at the base of the hill. We’re suiting up our SWAT team right now,” Teller explained. “I just wanted to let you know that we’re here. We’re about to go in. Your friends are with me, too.”

  He hung up after another minute, and I gently placed the phone down on my desk.

  The phone that was still connected with my father sat right beside it. Still no sound coming from the speaker.

  I wanted to throw up.

  “You should be hearing more at any second.” Luke gestured toward the phone that sat silent on the top of his desk.