“What will you do until I come back?” I asked curiously. “I like to imagine you just sitting here, twiddling your thumbs...thinking about nothing beyond what I might do to you the next time.”
She laughed and replied, “You’re not far off. It’s not like there’s much else to do.”
I pulled her in close to me and kissed her neck. “Make sure you do just that this time. I want to know you’re in here waiting for me...getting more hot and bothered with each passing minute.”
She leaned in to a long, deep kiss. It was hard to break away from it, but if I stayed too long, I was subjected to more questioning and suspicion. Everything I did brought on more of that it seemed. I was walking on thin ice, just buying time, still with no end game in mind. All I knew is I couldn’t lose her yet.
I locked her door and returned to the house, managing to slip past the men once again so I could hide in my room. I pulled a chair over to my window and watched the shed just as I had done in the beginning when I was worried about the others sneaking in to try and have a go at her. I loved to think about him in there waiting for me, thinking about our exquisite sex. Hours passed like that until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wasn’t left with much to do in my own house either, other than appeasing the idiots with mindless conversation. I needed to be with her again. It was getting harder and harder for us to be a part, which only spelled trouble for the future.
I peeked out into the hall. The maids were taking naps like the horrible employees they were. The men kept them so boozed up that they were useless half the time. I would never have tolerated it in my own manor, but things were different at the hideout. It was risky to sneak out again so soon with nothing to distract the others, but I had to go back to her.
I stepped out and tried to bolt for the door, but they quickly spotted me and started crowding around.
“Well, look who it is!”
“We were beginning to wonder if you were even still here at all! We never see you anymore.”
“You’re always so clever about slipping out...all quiet like a mouse.”
“There’s a reason for that,” I huffed. “It’s because I don’t want to see any of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to…”
“Have to what?” one of the bigger men said, stepping in front of the door to block my way.
“I have to check on the girl,” I defended. “She hasn’t been feeling well, and she’s no good to us dead. Now get out of my way.”
I expected them to try and fight me, which was fine. I wasn’t afraid of them. Half the reason I was the boss was that I was stronger and smarter than them. The other half of it was because I had more money than them. Even if they could have turned me in for the reward from the Garcias, I was starting to trust that they wouldn’t. It might have paid off in the short term, but in the long run, they’d be out of a lot of jobs from me.
But they didn’t try to fight back. They also didn’t move out of my way. They exchanged a series of awkward glances, like a team of doctors who didn’t want to tell their patient they had cancer.
“What? What is it?” I asked, looking around at all of them. “I don’t have time for this.”
“We need to talk to you,” one of them replied, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’re worried about you. We know you’re tired of us getting on to you about all this, but...can you sit down for a minute? Hear us out? You drug us all out here for this mess of a job. It’s the least you could do.”
I sighed and followed them over to the table. I knew I wouldn’t be able to dodge them much longer. It had to come to this sooner or later, but I didn’t expect them to address it with such genuine concern.
“We can talk,” I said, pulling out a chair. “But there’s nothing to be worried about. I know you all have your doubts about my direction on this whole thing. It will all be over soon. I know what I’m doing, and you’ll just have to trust me.”
Once again, they shot glances around one another at the table, silently taking bets on who would dare to speak up first.
“You’re in too deep,” one of them stated plainly. “You may think we’re dumb, but we’re certainly not blind. We know you’ve got feelings for this girl, and we’re worried it’s preventing you from doing what needs to be done.”
“What do you all care? You know I’d pay you out of my own pockets if it came down to it.”
“For what?” he argued. “Because of some pussy? This isn’t like you. That girl is manipulating you. She’s got you by the balls.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m just...taking my time. The more the Garcias have to wait, the more they’ll…”
“Save it,” one of them put up his hand. “You’ve fed us that line one too many times already. Maybe it made sense before, but not anymore. Why don’t you just let us handle it? We can take over from here, and you won’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll get the Garcias to pay up, send the girl back, and everything will go back to normal. You’ll thank us for this eventually...after you’ve had some time to clear your head.”
“Not a chance in hell,” I laughed, feeling my throat grow tight. “I’ve got this all under control. I don’t need you to do anything. And I’ve already told you, not one of you is to lay a finger on her, and you can stay the hell out of the negotiations too.”
“What negotiations!? There are none! We’re all just sitting around with our thumbs up our asses while you keep your little sex slave. And worse...she’s the one who’s got the upper hand on you! And you can’t even see it!”
I tried to wave them off and leave the table, but they demanded I sit back down. I usually wasn’t one to take orders from them, but I was starting to worry they were right.
“She did it once before,” they reminded me. “You were supposed to take her at that party, and somehow she charmed her way out of it. Now she’s got you under her spell again, and you’re not making the moves you need to make.”
They carried on, one after another, explaining how I was most definitely being manipulated and too blinded by sex to make clear decisions. My head was swimming with confusion. I wasn’t a stupid man, and I was never prone to let a woman come above work or money. But I had been acting out of character from the moment I met Jada.
“Listen, guys. You’re giving me a headache,” I ignored their pleas this time and stood up from the table anyway. “No one’s taking over anything, and you don’t have to worry. I have this all under control.”
I walked away while they chattered among themselves. I knew they were going on about how little faith they actually had in me. No matter what I wanted to believe, it wasn’t good to be getting an intervention from the men. That was the sort of thing that led to mutiny.
But I had to wonder if they had a point. Either way, something had to give, and soon. It couldn’t go on like this forever. Had Jada planned this all along? Maybe from the moment I brought her here, she had been plotting against me, finding ways to keep me from doing what I needed to do. Was she really so desperate to avoid going back to her old life? Or was she up to something else?
I walked back over to her shed and let myself in. Her face lit up at the sight of me as she walked over to lay against my chest, nibbling at my chest while unbuttoning my shirt.
“I did what you told me,” she said seductively. “All I’ve been thinking about since you left is what you would do to me when you came back.” She trailed a finger through my chest hair, following the trace of it with her lips. “Are you happy with me?”
I wrapped my arms around her, still feeling distracted. “What? Oh...yes. You’re such a good pet.”
She dropped down to her knees and started unbuckling my pants. “I can see you have your mind on something. That’s okay. I have wanted to do this the whole time, so it works out well. You just get lost in all your little thoughts, and don’t mind me…”
I was lost in my thoughts, but it all quickly faded as she trailed her tongue along the length of my shaft, kissing it up and down until I was at fu
ll attention. Anything the men had said vanished entirely as she wrapped her mouth around me and pulled me to the back of her throat.
Chapter 16
Jada
I rolled off of Nic’s body onto the mattress in the corner of my room, completely out of breath. For as regular as our sexual rendezvous had become, he still never ceased to amaze me with the things he would come up with in bed. The things he did to my body were rough and unconventional and unlike anything I ever thought I would be into...oh but I was. So much so that it surprised me.
I looked over to him as he stared up at the ceiling with a devilish grin on his face. He knew what he did to me and always seemed to get a real kick out of it.
“That was...different,” I laughed. “Good different.”
He turned onto his side and kissed my neck the way he always did...in a way that drove me mad and made me want to do everything all over again. “I know it was good different by the sounds you were making,” he muttered into my ear.
“You’re full of yourself.”
“Only when you are full of me,” he quipped, teasing his fingers between my legs.
I studied his eyes, thinking about how he was the only man I had ever been with. He was obviously more experienced, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy over whoever he had known before me. I knew I shouldn’t ask the question, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“How many women have you been with?”
He winced. “True gentlemen don’t keep count.”
“You’re not a gentleman. You’re a criminal.”
“Can’t I be both?” he grinned.
“I’m serious. If you won’t tell me how many women you’ve been with, will you at least tell me if there are other women in your life right now?”
He rolled back over with a groan. “When would I have time to see other women? I’m in here with you at least twice a day, and you use me all up until I’m not good for anyone else.”
I smiled at the comforting thought. “Well, we don’t have to be locked up in here, you know. You’re the one who decided things have to be this way.”
He tensed up and seemed to slip to another place a million miles away, which was common for him to do if I said the wrong thing. Especially if I brought up the absurdity of our situation or asked too many questions about what his plan was.
I had grown too comfortable with our arrangement, but something in me wanted to believe I wouldn’t be locked up in this shed forever. If that’s what Nic had planned, how long could I stay so delusionally in love with him? And when I did get away, would I feel the same way about him?
I didn’t think he would ever actually share the sex tape he had of us together, but the fear of it still loomed over me any time I thought about leaving...just as he intended it to. It was sick and twisted, but I was secretly relieved to have the excuse not to run away. I imagined returning back home and everyone asking why I didn’t try harder to get away. Being blackmailed was an easier explanation than being addicted to having sex with Nic.
He got out of bed and started putting his clothes back on. Another usual occurrence after he became distant and cold. Soon he would leave, and I would be alone again to wait until he returned. Before walking out the door, he would give me a long, passionate kiss...as if we might never see each other again. It made me question what he might know that I didn’t.
Later that night, the nightly noise of the house carried over to my shed. But I was surprised when Nic returned to visit me. He didn’t come to me at night very often, though I never asked why. At least now I knew other women weren’t to blame...if I let myself believe him.
He came in with a bottle of tequila and a basket of food. “I’m in no mood for their partying tonight,” he explained, setting everything out on the table. “I thought you and I could have a little party of our own.”
“Just like when we first met,” I noted, taking the seat across from him. “You said it was your favorite party you had ever attended...there by the creek with just the two of us. Do you remember?”
His eyes glistened as he nodded and took a sip from the bottle. I wondered if he still felt that way, or if that was just a lie he told me to charm his way into my pants. But my questions were interrupted by him extending the bottle out to me, waving it in my face.
“No thank you,” I said, pushing his hand away.
“Don’t you drink?”
“I do. I’m just not in the mood tonight.” I resisted the urge to run my hands across my stomach as my heart pounded for fear of him pressing me on the matter.
“Come on. Celebrate with me. It’s our own little party, right?”
“What are we celebrating?” I sighed, still refusing to take the bottle from him.
He shrugged and took another swig for himself. “Not having to put up with those mongrels in the next house over.”
“Who are they anyway? Do you always live here like this with them?” I asked. I kept myself from asking if there was always a woman trapped out here in the shed as well, even before I came.
“Maybe if you’d have a drink with me, I’d answer more of your questions,” he suggested with a sly smile.
“I’m not falling for that. Anyway, I’d rather be sober so I can remember everything you say after you get drunk and start spilling all of your secrets to me.”
Once again, he stared off with a blank expression. I had lost him again. He continued eating and drinking in silence, making me just as uncomfortable as he suddenly appeared to be. That was his way, as I was learning. At least under these circumstances. The difference between our rough sex and long talks full of tender moments was like night and day. Then there were these pockets of emptiness sprinkled in where I could tell he was keeping things from me. But if I knew how to draw it all out of him, I would have already done it.
“Come on,” he tried again, sliding the bottle across the table. “I’d feel more relaxed if you were drinking with me.”
I didn’t know why he couldn’t just let it go, but since he obviously wasn’t going to, I only had one choice. I took the bottle and stepped over to the corner of the room where a small sink sat next to the toilet.
“Did you hear that?” I asked suddenly, diverting his attention to the door. I quickly tossed a splash of the tequila behind me and pressed the bottle to my lips before he could turn around so it would look like I was joining in, as he insisted.
He stared me down suspiciously. If he did think I had faked it, he at least had the heart not to say anything about it. I knew time was running out. Even if I did keep my pregnancy from him another night, I was already starting to gain weight. I’d be showing in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. I either had to tell him or find some way out of there, but neither option seemed doable that evening. Though I was starting to realize it would always feel impossible. That’s what kept me from telling him in the first place.
I made my way back to the table and handed the bottle back. “What are you thinking about?”
He stared off at nothing and shook his head. “The weather was nice out today,” he stated plainly.
“I wouldn’t know,” I huffed. “But it did look nice out my window.”
He pursed his lips. He always got a little bitter when I pointed out my own captivity, which made no sense to me. Unless he felt guilty...in which case I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just let me go.
“Well...what are you thinking about?”
Laughter rang out from the house next door, and the first thing that popped into my head was memories of my sisters and mother. I missed our dinners filled with stories and jokes. I worried about who was taking care of Mama and the house while I was gone. Everyone had grown so used to me doing it all.
“I was thinking about how much I miss my family,” I replied quietly.
He looked displeased yet again. It was shaping up to be an awfully disagreeable evening between us.
“You’d rather be stuck at home with the Garcias in some stuffy old parlor playi
ng cards than having a drink here with me and a den of thieves?” he scoffed. But he meant it without an ounce of sarcasm.
I took in a deep breath and considered it carefully. Maybe I had brought this all on myself. I spent so many days resenting my sisters for leaving me behind to take care of everything. Now I was out having the big grand adventure I always wanted...or at least that’s how Nic made it sound. The reality was a lot less glamorous. It didn’t seem like it should be so hard to have a little of both worlds.
“Why does it have to be either or?” I asked. “There with them or here with you? And anyway, I wasn’t talking about the Garcias. I was talking about my family. My mother and my sisters. I wish you were with me, but in our hacienda. We could be sitting around our kitchen table with your bottle of tequila just the same.”
He let out a big laugh, nearly spitting his drink out everywhere. “Yeah right. I’m sure your family would just love me.”
“I think they would actually.” I sulked back in the chair, crossing my arms.
His expression turned serious as he looked back over to me with surprise. “You’re serious?”
“Well, why not? I manage to still somehow see you as being a decent human being despite everything. They wouldn’t even know the half of it...beyond your reputation. I’m sure they could learn to look past it all too.”
He shifted in his chair, seeming restless. “You’re forgetting one big problem. As it stands, you’re still promised to Paul Garcia. I highly doubt your mother would approve of you bringing any other man around...much less me.”
“So you just want to keep me locked up in this shed as your sex slave forever then!? That’s your plan!? I mean it, Nic. I know you’re scared to admit it, but you have feelings for me. How is this really going to go? Things can’t go on like this and you know it.”
He pushed his table out from the chair and stood up in a huff. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pressured you into drinking. That one little shot went straight to your head.”
Stolen Pregnant Bride (Olive Skin Devils Book 3) Page 11
