by Emery Cross
His hand slid around, and his expert fingers tenderly circled my clit and as always I melted at his touch. I arched my back and threw my head back. I caught a glimpse of myself in the closet mirror. With the gem studded collar around my neck and my bottom tilted upward, I looked a little slutty and a lot submissive. All that was missing was a leash. I could tell by Rafferty’s raw grunt of approval that he took pleasure in my wantonness.
His patience at an end, his big body began to claim mine. The thrust and drag of his hard cock inside my tight passage was so intense that my legs started trembling. When he shoved so deep that I could feel his balls against my pussy, I experienced the most intense orgasm of my life. He plundered my ass some more before shuddering to completion, his hands gripping my hips tight as he spilled his seed inside me.
After he pulled out of me, he tucked me under the covers, but he didn’t join me. Instead, he put on a pair of jeans and then dug an envelope out of his suit jacket pocket and placed it on the bed.
I waited until he left before giving it a furious kick, which sent the contents flying. Hundred dollar bills littered the carpet. I was too heartbroken and tired to do anything else but cry myself to sleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
REMI
In the morning, I dressed and collected my clothes, taking only what had belonged to me in the first place. I tossed the diamond necklace among the bills strewn across the bedroom floor.
I checked my reflection in the mirror to find that my eyes were pink and puffy from the tears I’d been shedding. I put my sunglasses on to hide them.
As I hurried down the stairs, I could hear the buzz signaling that a visitor had arrived. I’d made arrangements with Hannah to pick me up. I was just surprised she was on time. Hannah was always late to everything. Since I had no idea how to work the controls to the gate myself, I went in search of Mrs. McCay. Some days she seemed to be everywhere, and on others, it was as if she’d never existed. Today was one of those disappearing days.
I had no choice, I sought out Rafferty. He was in the gym talking to Brian. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his head was bowed as he listened to Brian. With reluctance, I rapped gently on the glass partition. As Rafferty glanced over at me, Brian took the opportunity to give me a rueful shake of his head. So, he was disappointed in me as well.
Rafferty lifted up the hem of his shirt and wiped the sweat from his face as he approached. There were dark shadows under his eyes as if he’d barely slept, and his mouth was set in a sulky line. His t-shirt, soaked through with sweat, clung to his big body emphasizing all the sculpted lines of his physique. He’d been hitting the bag hard, it seemed, because his knuckles were battered.
“I can’t find Mrs. McCay, and I don’t know how to open the gate.”
He scraped his damp hair from his face. I noticed the blood beading on his knuckles.
He glanced pointedly at the tote bags in my hand. “And what am I supposed to do with all those tiny dresses?”
I gave a shrug.
His surly mood made me uncomfortable, and I fell back a step. The control panel was located on the wall above Mrs. McCay’s desk. Rafferty strode over to view the camera feed.
He leaned in, his eyes narrowing as he took a closer look. He thumped the wall above the panel with the flat of his hand. “That’s fucking rich after your indignation the other night. Seems you’re right back at it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your pimp just drove up to my gate.”
“I called Hannah for a ride.” I walked over to look at the small screen. Had Hannah betrayed me? Panic was rising in my throat. “He’s probably here for the auction money you owe him.”
“You think I didn’t realize he was a threat to you? The instant he was out on bail, I had Brian deliver the cash as well as your resignation.”
I went cold inside. Was this my life now? To be forever hounded.
I dropped the tote bags and followed Rafferty as he strode through the house to his office. He unlocked a desk drawer and withdrew a pistol.
“Our business is concluded, Mr. Cade. I don’t want your help.”
He checked the safety before tucking the gun in the back of his jeans. “You brought that asshole to my doorstep. So, fuck yes, I’m going to handle it.”
“I told you I was expecting Hannah.”
I was on his heels as he returned to the kitchen. “Rafferty, I’m not your problem,” I yelled.
“So you keep reminding me.” He punched the control board.
My pulse was pounding in my ears. “You’re letting him in?”
“I’m sure as hell not doing this on the main road.”
“Rafferty, please.” I grabbed his formidable bicep. “I wouldn’t be able to bear it if something were to happen to you.”
“Yeah, you care so much? Then why are you leaving me?”
I was shaking so hard my teeth started chattering.
He took pity on me and pulled me into his arms. I hugged him as tight as his hard body would allow, pressing my face against his sweat-dampened shirt. He rubbed my back. “Calm down, baby.”
When he released me, I tried to follow him out the door. “Stay in the house,” he ordered.
I hugged myself.
“What’s going on?” Brian’s booming voice behind me made me jolt.
“Victor’s here.”
“Did you warn Cade about the knife he carries in that shoulder sling?”
“Oh, God.” I pushed out the back door and raced down the path.
Victor was striding up the drive with his fake cowboy swagger.
Rafferty motioned with the gun. “Turn around and put your hands flat on the car.”
Victor held up his hands, a snake-thin smile on his face, and did a slow turn to face the car. “Relax. I’m just collecting my girl.”
Rafferty tucked the pistol in the back of his waistband. He kicked Victor’s legs apart and started patting him down, acting like the cop he’d once been.
“He’s got a knife under his jacket.”
I could see the muscles in Rafferty’s back tense when he realized I hadn’t obeyed him. He removed the blade from beneath Victor’s jacket as well as a smaller one from the top of his boot and threw the knives far up onto the lawn.
“Remi, you little bitch,” Victor spat out. Rafferty repaid him by smashing his face into the window of the SUV.
Keeping Victor pressed against the car, Rafferty shot me an annoyed glance over his shoulder and then looked beyond me to Brian.
“Need any help with that, Mr. Cade?” Brian asked.
Rafferty shook his head no.
He allowed Victor to turn around. His nose was bloodied and starting to swell.
“Cade, you think you can just cut me out of this sweetheart deal you’ve worked out. She’s still my employee,” Victor sneered.
Rafferty grabbed him by the collar. “Listen, you fuck, there’s no deal. She’s my wife.”
“Bullshit,” Victor said, but his voice wavered.
He lifted Victor to his toes. “You touch a hair on her head, you’ve fucked with me. You so much as breathe in her direction, you’ve fucked with me. Do you understand, asshole?”
Rafferty released his hold with force enough to throw Victor back against the car. Sweat was beading on Victor’s upper lip and mixing with the blood dripping from his nose.
Brian approached. He grinned at the sight of his old boss, obviously enjoying his distress. His diamond tooth flashed in the bright sunlight as he escorted Victor around to the driver’s side with a hand clamped on the back of his neck.
In a daze, I watched Victor drive away. I heard the word Vegas and turned around to look at Rafferty.
“Are you going to make a liar out of me?” He lif
ted my sunglasses and frowned at the sight of my tear-swollen eyes.
I dropped my gaze. I couldn’t bear for him to see how vulnerable I was. “I thought you were bluffing.”
“You know me better than that by now.” He replaced my glasses gently on my nose. “Victor’s slime, but he’s not stupid. If he finds you’re a free agent, how long do you think it will be before he tracks you down again?”
He echoed what I’d been thinking. Today had brought home the reality that as long as I was profitable to him, Victor would never let me go. As a prostitute, without the protection of a solid social network, he could beat the shit out of me or abduct me and who would miss me? He wouldn’t dare try the same with a wealthy man’s wife.
“There has to be another solution,” I said, which triggered the angry tic in his jaw.
“This is the only one I’m offering.” He crossed his arms over his chest and watched me. “It’s me or him, babe. Who do you want to belong to?”
“And what do you get out of this?”
“See, you do know me,” he said, with a sarcastic quirk of his handsome lips. “I get what I want most…you, Remi.”
CHAPTER FIVE
RAFFERTY
Without my prompting, she changed out of her jeans. When she came down the stairs, she was wearing a sleeveless white lace dress. Her auburn hair was parted on the side and worn sleek. Though the effects of her crying jag still made her eyes puffy, she’d managed to hide the redness under makeup. Tiny stud earrings glittered in her lobes. She looked like a different girl than the little punkster of two nights before who’d disrupted the party. Or last night’s diamond draped sex kitten who’d thrown hundred dollar bills around in anger.
My jet would have gotten us there faster, but I felt I could make better time once in town with my own car. Of course, we were hitting every goddamn light on the way to the freeway.
She caught me glancing over at her legs and tugged her hem down to cover the lace tops of her thigh-high nylons. The prim act was starting to annoy the hell out of me.
“You really don’t need to go through with this. I can go stay with my aunt in Nevada.” She turned her beautiful upturned nose toward the window, pretending interest in the scenery.
My temper was spiking. I cursed under my breath and pulled the car off the road. “Remi, this marriage is happening. Don’t even think of deserting me at the altar.”
“That’s unfair,” she said, her face flushing with anger. “I did not jilt Sam at the altar.”
I had the resources to offer limitless solutions to put her out of Victor’s reach, but Remi had become as necessary to me as breathing. The tires kicked up dust as I peeled off the dirt shoulder.
She dozed off before we even hit the freeway. I kissed her awake and helped her out of the car in front of the courthouse. She was still so sleepy, she clung to my arm during the license application process. As we looked for a chapel, I called around for a hotel room.
“I thought we were driving back tonight,” she said once I’d made reservations. “But, I suppose, you must be exhausted.”
“I wasn’t planning on sleeping.” I reached over and smoothed my hand up her thigh beneath the hem of her dress coming close enough to skim my pinky over her lace covered pussy. I could feel her body shiver in response to my touch.
I pulled up outside a chapel that was meant to resemble a country church.
When the woman handling the arrangements told us that there was a wedding scheduled before ours and that afterward the minister would be taking his lunch break, I found myself drumming my fingers on the counter. The woman, obviously accustomed to dealing with eager grooms, suggested we visit their garden.
“By the way, do you have rings?” she asked. “Because we offer a small selection of those, as well as bouquets.”
I looked past the rings to the few bouquets in the refrigerated case and pointed at a bundle of white roses. “How about that one?” I asked Remi.
She nodded yes. After charging my credit card, the woman walked away from the counter to straighten the postcard rack.
“Let’s go outside.” I put a hand at the small of Remi’s back as we exited.
The faux country charm didn’t extend to the garden. It was landscaped with desert plants. We took a seat on a bench. Remi fiddled with the pink ribbon tied around the stems of the roses. Then her nervous fingers moved on to the roses themselves, and she started plucking off petals. I took the flowers from her before she could massacre another rose.
She tucked her hand in mine, an adorable pout on her lips. “I want you to wear a band.”
This was a promising development. I leaned in and nibbled on her stubborn bottom lip. She moaned softly against my mouth. I returned to the office and pointed to the plain gold bands. “I’d like one of those.” I found one that fit and laid it on the counter.
“Wouldn’t you like a matching one for your bride-to-be?”
I patted my suit pocket ensuring that I still had the velvet box. “I’ve got one.” When we got back to town, I would buy her a matching band to go with the engagement ring.
The night of the cocktail party, all I could think when I looked at her was, ‘Mine,’ until I realized she was still treating me like a client. It had been a sucker punch to the gut. I’d decided it was time to quit indulging myself, to get serious and settle down with a girl from my own world. Veronica had seemed the obvious choice. I’d had Raynor open his jewelry shop, but, like a lovesick bastard, I’d found myself thinking only about how each ring would look on my redheaded girl.
I pulled enough crisp bills out of my wallet to pay for the band several times over. “I’d appreciate it if you could move up our ceremony.” I’d waited long enough for Remi to belong to me. I was desperate for the vows to be said, to have my ring on her finger. I needed to be in the honeymoon suite, her sweet little body under mine.
She made a pretense of checking her schedule book. “I don’t think it would hurt if my husband had lunch a little later this afternoon.” With a smoothness that came with practice, the woman made the hundreds disappear. “We’ll be ready for you in twenty minutes.”
I nodded my okay and returned to find the bench empty. My heart thudded in my chest. Of course, create a diversion, send the asshole off to buy himself a ring and then escape. I’d mentally gloated when I’d discovered she’d never actually loved Sam. I wasn’t feeling so fucking smug anymore. She wasn’t in love with me either. My first instinct was to hunt her down, and drag her in front of the preacher. The perfect start to a marriage. My next instinct was to destroy something, to demolish the whole fucking chapel with my bare hands.
CHAPTER SIX
REMI
It took some effort to pull the thick whipped-cream, mocha concoction through the straw, but I could already feel a kick from the sugar and caffeine as I headed back to the garden. I stood on the other side of the gate and watched my soon-to-be husband standing in the small yard with a lost expression on his face. I knew instantly that I was the cause of that look, and it twanged my heartstrings.
“Raff, could you get the gate?”
He jerked his head up to look at me, then strode over and threw open the gate. He scowled as I sidled past him. I noticed his hand was trembling as he drove his fingers through his hair.
“I missed my morning coffee. There’s a little shop just on the corner.” I handed him the hot paper cup filled with black coffee and tried not to notice that his hand still shook.
“The ceremony’s been moved up,” he said and set the untouched coffee down on the rim of a nearby planter.
His patience had run out and he’d bribed his way to the head of the line. “Rafferty!”
“I swear, no other bride and groom were harmed in the process. The minister is just having a late lunch.”
“Can I s
ee the ring?”
He held the plain gold band between his thumb and forefinger and I plucked it from him. I wished I’d had the nerve to ask him to buy me one as well.
As if he’d read my mind, he fished in his pocket and produced a small velvet box and popped it open.
A breathtaking sapphire solitaire glittered against the wine-colored velvet. My knees actually buckled.
“Steady, baby.” He took hold of my waist and nuzzled the crook of my neck. “I wasn’t about to chance a diamond since you never would wear the necklace I gave you. And once this is on your finger, it stays there.”
“When did you get this?”
“After the cocktail party.”
The night when he’d been so angry with me that he’d sent me home alone. I swallowed hard. “You bought a ring at midnight?”
“There’s a jeweler in one of our high-rises. He was very accommodating.”
I reached for the glittering sapphire, but snatched my hand back recalling the pain he’d caused me. “Do you have any idea how you hurt me that night? I felt so proud to be on your arm…”
His brows drew together over eyes that rivaled the blue of the gemstone. “I have only one sorry excuse for my behavior, I realized I’d fallen in love alone.”
He took my hand and turned it palm side up and kissed it. I could feel his afternoon stubble against my fingers. “You are it for me, Remi. You’re the one.”
I swallowed hard wondering if I deserved such happiness after Sam.
I instinctively folded my fingers over the engagement ring Sam had given me.
