Absolute Corruption: Southern Justice Trilogy

by Cayce Poponea

  “Yes, Granddaddy gave each of us a portion. This was where I learned to fish and skip rocks. I even fell off the end of this dock once, had to have six stitches in my arm.” He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt revealing a faint, linear scar, under the edge of a tribal band tattoo. My fascination with tattoos in general overrode my manners, as I reached over, running the tip of my index finger along the black lines.

  “What’s your tattoo of?”

  Austin pushed the sleeve of his shirt the rest of the way up. A look of pride taking up residence on his face. “It’s silly really,” he grinned. Pushing the edge of his cotton shirt up and away from his deltoid, giving me a clear view of the intricate details of the piece of art.

  “Granddaddy was always giving us these lessons in life, words to live by I suppose. But this one time, he took the three of us out to his house, pulled out a bottle of Hennessey, and gave us all these bracelets made of paracord. There was this metal plate in the center that had ‘faith’ written in the center. He told us to always have faith, to carry it with us, and as long as we had it, things would be okay.”

  Black lines curved and circled like wild vines, attaching themselves to his arm. I’d seen enough back alley tattoos to know if a man had ink completely around his arm, he had either been shit faced drunk at the time, or had balls made of steel. Knowing Austin like I did, my money was on the balls.

  “I kept hitting mine on the edge of one of my keyboards, so I had this done.”

  There in the middle of the entanglement, in scripted letters was the word faith. “My middle name.” The words came out in a breathless whisper, leaving my body before any rational thoughts could be formed.

  “I know, kinda cool, don’t you think?” Austin had a new look about him. Where his words reflected that of a kid who just discovered GI Joe, his eyes spoke of something else. Something deep and with more meaning than he was prepared to share. It gave me a tiny sliver of hope. A secret longing for the desire I haven’t shared with anyone, or admitted to myself. I’ve allowed him to become this ball of wonderful, filling the hidden crevices of my soul.

  “So, this house you want to build.” I broke away from the heaviness, redirecting from a conversation we had approached far too soon. The last thing I wanted to have happen between Austin and myself was to fall into a falsehood, confusing the feelings associated with a long absence of affection and heartfelt emotions. A move I would’ve called normal, if we were talking about my momma or sister.

  Austin went on to describe his home. Complete with hardwood floors, crafted from the trees which would need to be cleared to make room for his house. His excitement was almost contagious, causing my face hurt from smiling so much.

  As the sun finally dipped behind the trees, casting its final orange and purple rays across the sky, small shimmers of light peaked between tree branches. Austin and I sat on the end of the dock, toes in the water, watching as the ripples carried off to nothing in the mass of water.

  “You know, this is one of my favorite things to do. Sitting back and enjoying the small moments we’re usually too busy to observe. You know what would make this even better?” Austin turned his head in my direction, those blue eyes of his seeming to sparkle in the fading light. “A blanket on the tailgate of your truck, and a cooler full of beer?” I wanted to add a mayonnaise jar full of fireflies, but chickened out at the last second.

  As the final remnants of the day faded into the night, a flash of something brightened his face. Leaning over, invading the small space, which separated us, he placed his fingers along my jaw, and pulled himself even closer. In a moment filled with electricity, his lips brushed against mine. Soft caresses of promises of what I hoped to come.

  Laying in my bed later, my lips still tingling from the connection I’d felt. Tossing and turning, trying to find a balance where my mind can shut off, allowing my body the rest it needs. My subconscious wouldn’t cooperate, the warnings I’d silently given myself to forget the idea, which has rattled around in my head since he dropped me off at my car. His kiss carried so much weight, such a simple act, but one I had written off as an impossibility. Yet this incredible man, with his staggering IQ, housed in a body, which would make a nun cuss, gave me the tenderness I craved. The touch I longed for, and the control I needed.

  I tried again to remind myself this was completely crazy, the last thing I wanted to do was to give him the impression I was anything less than the woman I presented. Yet I still raised my hand to knock on Dylan’s front door, knowing full well he was spending the weekend with Claire, celebrating her first three-day weekend in months. I was nervous. No matter how I presented myself, justified my actions or told myself a falsehood for why I was really here, as soon as he opened that door, everything would change between us.

  Sleepy confusion greeted me, as he opened the wooden door. His hair was rumpled, giving him a sexy edge I had never seen. Not allowing him to question why I was here, or give me an ounce of room to back out, I pressed myself to him. As much as I enjoyed his tender kiss before, I needed more. I locked my lips against his, knowing he would take the hint of what I wanted, what I desperately needed.

  I have never been confident enough to take the lead when it came to asking for sex. In the few relationships I’d been involved in, I had always let the guys come to me. Stepping out of that box, wavering from my comfort zone, I was about to take exactly what I wanted.

  The hair at the base of his neck provided a small amount of leverage to hoist myself up, and onto his body. Austin clued in quickly, as my tongue passed his lips, tangling with his own. He tasted of fresh mint, and I chanced a swipe of my tongue across his smooth teeth, receiving a moan in return.

  I hadn’t bothered to change out of my sleep clothes before I decided to venture over here. Something Austin noticed when his hand found the lack of panties under the thin shorts I had on.

  “Lainie, you sure?”

  Many things in my life I wasn’t sure of, wanting to be loved by Austin wasn’t one of them. There were so many things I wanted from him, but even more I wanted to give him. I would start with my heart, which came with my body.

  “I want you to love me.” My words were my heart’s fondest wish. A desire which ran deep within my soul, kept there out of fear of not being returned, crushed in the battle I fought every time I looked into his eyes. I wanted him to love me, not only in a physical sense, but in the way we’ve all read about. An all-consuming love, which is so strong, it makes forever take notice.

  Blue eyes flicking between mine, labored breaths from rising chests, a realization passing over his glorious face. He needed no further confirmation as he pulled my feet off the ground, my legs wrapping around his hips, and my mouth once again crashed to his.

  As he settles me into his bed, the sheets still relatively warm from his body heat, he followed me down, our lips never parting. I ran my fingers over his naked chest, traveling around to his back; I took his open shirt off in the process. As soon as the shirt left the top of his shoulders, he let go of the skin he caressed, long of enough to toss the shirt to the floor below.

  His hands left a trail of fire, as he memorized every ounce of skin on my hip and sides. Every touch fanning the flames he had unknowingly started, by allowing me to have my fears validated.

  “God, you’re beautiful.” His confession fell in waves of desire, hitting their intended target in the juncture of my thighs. It had been so long since I had wanted to be touched like this. Devoured by not only pretty words and thoughts, but by the skilled hands of a man such as Austin. I lost myself in his journey of discovery, searching for what lay underneath the thin material of my clothing.

  “Touch me.” Austin knew the significance of my request. Reassuring me over and over, he would wait for as long as it took for me to become comfortable with myself enough to let him in.

  In that moment, two simple words changed everything between us. For me there would be no going back. No hiding behind excuses of why I couldn’t acc
ept the love I swear I saw in his eyes.

  His touches were so gentle, soft, and patient. He kisses my shoulder, as his lips trail back and forth across my collar bone, and swell of my breast. A firm hand carefully approaches the edge of my other breast, his thumb testing the waters, as it flicks my nipple. So much time has passed since I have felt a hand, other than my own, stimulating the sensation, which seemed to be hooked to a cord connected to my clit. My back arched, pushing my breast into the palm of his hand. My shirt is tugged up and pulled away, giving him full access to my hardened peaks. Begging to be lavished by his tongue and mouth.

  His touch is all consuming, so much I have to let go of his back, grabbing the headboard to keep myself in place. Austin nips at my left nipple, while his hands slide my shorts to my feet, and then off, throwing them to join the other clothes somewhere in the room. The way he moves, brings me close to the edge, only to shove me back. Making my breath come in pants, labored for no reason.

  I can feel his kisses travel lower. My anticipation growing wilder, as he inches lower and lower, getting closer to where I need him most. However, he adjusts his position, his chest covering my slick core, shocking me, and sending me into an unexpected orgasm, as he plunges his tongue into my belly button.

  “Austin!” His name falling from my lips like a grateful prayer, in appreciation for the euphoric feelings coursing through my body. I could feel the smirk on his face. It is without question an earned expression, one he can repeat anytime. It, partnered by the stinging of his prickly facial hair, the sexy stubble I love to see on him, are now heightening the anticipation.

  “Look at me,” he commanded. “Open those eyes and watch me love you.” There was no fear, no shaky legs or flush of skin, as I released the headboard, and positioned myself on my elbows, obtaining a clear view of him hovering over my center. His eyes never close, never leave mine, as his tongue peeks out, licking from my entrance to the very tip of my clit. Everything in me wants to fall back to the mattress, close my eyes, and just feel. However, a large part of me, the one that is in control, refused to turn away, if even for a second.

  He flattened his tongue, and felt myself growing wetter at the sight of him. The vine tattoo spread across his shoulder, reaching almost to his neck before diving back down his left peck, and then disappearing under his arm. I wanted to trace every line of it with my fingers and tongue, losing myself in his essence. His two fingers sliding inside of me, derailed my mapping of his ink, eliciting a cry of ecstasy, from deep within my belly.

  “Oh, God.” The feeling was intense, not from hitting that mythical spot buried deep inside me, but from the slow and wonderfully tortured pace he took getting there. His tongue joined his fingers, dancing together to bring me once again to the edge.

  “A—Austin,” I panted, aching for a release. Any residual fear found no room to grow and manifest in this moment. As slowly and carefully as he’d found his way to my apex, he took even longer to find his way back to eye level with me. I haven’t looked at his cock, having been too lost in all he had given me to consider its size, until now as it pressed between us.

  He reached down, running the head along my slick center. His eyes searched mine for the slightest warning. “It’s been a while.” I admitted, a waste of words since this conversation had already transpired over a game of chess. He’d confessed to trying to be like Dylan and failing miserably, and I had revealed I had only been with a few other men.

  Just like every action Austin had taken with me this far, he carefully filled me with not only the incredible sensation of just being with him, but also the unmistakable look of love on his face. His strokes are even and measured, assessing my level of comfort before his own. He escorts me once again to the edge of that glorious cliff, and then holds my hand as we dive over together.

  As we lay wrapped together in the dark, the whirl of the ceiling fan overhead is the only noise in the room. Austin pulls me tighter, kissing the top of my head. “I’ve thought about having you here many times. Although I admit, I fed you dinner before bringing you in here.”

  Something about hearing how he imagined me in the same way I’d imagined him, gave me the courage to lift myself from his side, straddle his pelvis, and begin climbing that cliff, over and over again.

  Don’t let labels define you.

  Some things in life you’re prepared for, even anticipate. Like the first time you drive a car alone, or rent your first apartment. Being intimate with Lainie had most definitely been something I’d anticipated, yet could’ve never in a million years planned for the feelings which came after. I had prepared for a much longer wait. Dealing with the demons she was, cold showers had become a part of my daily routine.

  Seeing her face as I brought her to release the first time, was something I will never forget. Watching as the skin between her breasts glistened with tiny beads of sweat, shiny droplets of assurance she was in utter bliss. I loved how her neck flushed red with her orgasm, extending to the tip of her rib cage, rising and falling with her need for air.

  Even when the relationship with Keena was new and the sex was multiple times a day, the magnitude of what I felt could not compare. Lainie awoke something inside me, a locked door I never knew existed before she came along. Now that it was open, we could have a new adventure, exploring every hidden corner.

  Having her sitting across the hall, I secretly watched as she worked on each project I handed her. I felt better having her there, not that she was in any danger, not anymore. I only wished freeing her from the fear of the attack was as easy as ridding the world of the man who gave it to her.

  She was fidgety today, and for good reason, Heidi was going to court for her divorce hearing. Lainie had me check flight logs last night to be sure George had made it to Charleston. Heidi insisted she could handle it herself, telling Lainie she’d married the man on her own, and she could divorce him the same way.

  I called Dylan while Lainie was in the shower, and he was sitting inside the courtroom, keeping an eye on the proceedings. Lainie had never come out and said George was violent. But I couldn’t risk something happening, and being unable to do anything about it.

  Right now I envied the relationship between the two sisters. Lainie standing up for Heidi, protecting her from a man she knew was wrong for her. Too bad my own brother couldn’t be as rational as Heidi. Chase continued to ignore my calls and texts. According to Momma, he had himself holed up with that harlot, and hadn’t been by their house since his welcome home party.

  I felt as if I was failing the family, tearing it apart with speculations, and assumptions. The only evidence I had was a grainy photo, and the backside of a girl in a security video her own mother couldn’t recognize. Maybe it was time I put it to rest, drive over to Chase’s, and apologize to him and Harmony. Anything to bring the family back together, good and strong like we have always been.

  “Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Lainie walked in, her white skirt tight enough to give me reason to look a little longer. Dylan followed in behind her, his eyes looking past her, and on to me. Lainie continued closer, a wicked smile taking shape on her face. Gliding around my desk, she slid her slender thigh across my thighs, and then placed her luscious ass on my growing cock. My fingers found her hip, no directions needed, with the soft feel of her black, silk shirt under my fingertips.

  “Heidi is officially divorced.” Her bright and contented smile lit up my world, as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. “And that paper you wanted me to file, is on its way.” Dylan planted his boots, one on top of the other, on the corner of my desk. Crossing his arms, and tucking his hands under each other. He gave me a quick nod, something Lainie was oblivious to.

  Had Dylan not been in the room, I would have lifted her off my lap, and taken her across my desk. Showing her with my actions, what my lips failed to convey.

  “What in the world is that?” Her index finger pointed backwards at the grainy photo, which had brought me no closer to the truth, an
d further from my brother.

  “That, Miss Lainie, is a young lady who is more of a ghost than anything else.” Dylan adjusted his pelvis to reach into his pocket, and retrieve his phone. Lainie’s attention is unwavering, as she crossed the room, coming to stand a few feet from the screen.

  “Austin, can you zoom in on her right hip?” Lainie’s index finger tapped on the screen where she wanted me to concentrate the magnifier. Two clicks later, the screen was full of what appeared to be a clothing tag. Silver letters stood out against a black tag, a combination of Roman numerals and hash tags. Lainie moved closer, her eyes squinting to make out what the tag reads.

  “Why are you looking for this girl?”

  “She was in the car used to picked up Cash.”

  Her body flinched, and her finger dropped. As she turned toward me, her face was hard, with a fire in her eye starting to build. Resuming her place on my lap, this time she took control of the keyboard.

  “Lainie, do you know who that is?” Dylan dropped his feet to the floor, moving around to the other side of my desk, his curiosity peaked.

  “No, but I know those jeans.” Her voice is hurried as if she couldn’t move fast enough. I leaned back, not wanting to interrupt her, but also wanting to know what she was thinking. “Marcus Avery, he’s a rather secretive designer out of Scotland, and very selective about who wears his product.” Lainie’s fingers were moving nearly as fast as mine tend to, her head bouncing back and forth between the keyboard, and the tag of the jeans. “You have to be someone, or have a stash of cash in order to even get an appointment with this guy. Lucky for us, I built his web page. It’s more for bragging than selling, I can assure you.” Pulling up to a firewall, the hot pink skull and crossbones caused me to smile slightly. “One good thing about Avery, he needs to keep detailed logs on every single pair he sells.”

  Lainie leaned back, finding my chest waiting for her, as the screen filled with columns of names and numbers. “I noticed someone recently wearing a pair, figured a certain Morgan brother was being particularly generous with his money.”