“Micah! Micah!” Nicole screamed for me to help her. I tried to fight my way through the two that were keeping me away from the others who had Nicole by both arms and were dragging her towards the backdoor in her kitchen. I elbowed one of the guys in the gut and he doubled over giving me enough time to send a hard punch to the other one’s jaw, knocking him out. I grabbed my gun before the conscious guy could and I gave him a good blow to the temple and sprinted to the kitchen. They were hauling Nicole out to the small alley behind the townhouses on her block.
“Hey! Let her go!” I yelled and leveled my gun in the guys’ direction. One of them pulled Nicole in front of him and I cursed while the other leveled his own weapon on me. I didn’t want to shoot anyone around Nicole or outside in the open. I leveled my gaze on Nicole and tried to convey a sense of calm and control. “I’ll find you Nicole. I promise I’ll find you,” I said and hated the terrified look in her eyes as the men began to haul her away. My heart felt like a rock in my chest as I had no more cards to play. I couldn’t save her; I was forced to bide my time. Nicole’s eyes never left mine, then suddenly I felt a hot blow to the side of my head and I fell to the ground, vertigo taking me down as my vision tunneled and my consciousness teetered.
“Payback’s a bitch,” one of the guys spat and then kicked me swiftly in the ribs before I saw him and the other one from the house stagger after the two that took Nicole away. I took a moment to catch my breath and then forced myself up to my feet and jogged into the house to call my guys over to Nicole’s house. All six of them showed up within ten minutes, and we all began searching for intel to where Nicole could have possibly been taken.
“Don’t beat yourself up Micah, any one of us would have assumed that letter was just a scare tactic. This Remy guy just keeps proving us wrong,” one of my friends from the Navy, Larry, tried to get me to calm down and stop pacing around the living room while everyone worked. I had this feeling of pressure and anxiety on my chest that I couldn’t get rid of. I needed to find Nicole, I had to get her back.
“I found a cabin upstate, the deed has Remy’s name on it,” Roger, one of the other guys, spoke up from his laptop on the coffee table.
“She’s there then, she has to be there,” I said and all the guys got up and got ready to go. Roger told us the address and we all got into gear and left to go and get Nicole. I called the police when we were close to the cabin, and then our makeshift unit parked out of sight and we all got out to approach the cabin on foot. Remy’s four men were outside the house pretty much dicking around. It was more than easy for my guys to pop out of the trees and surprise them. We got the four subdued and handcuffed in under five minutes. Then two of my guys stayed back to watch the four, and the rest of us barged into the intimate cabin and found Nicole handcuffed to a chair in the kitchen area while Remy was standing over her. He looked at us in shock just before I broke protocol for what was safe and simply walked up to him and punched him in the nose. I felt the satisfying crack of the cartilage and then grasped his shoulders as I kneed him in the gut. He doubled over onto the ground and then the sound of Nicole’s frightened voice stopped me from giving Remy the true beating he deserved.
“Micah…” she said half in relief and half scared. I turned to her and saw that one of my guys had freed her from the chair. She ran over to me and I caught her with open arms and held her close just as the sound of police sirens were heard in the distance. “I can’t believe that you actually found me. I believed you when you said—but then they took me all the way out here and I—I…thank you,” Nicole said, her voice thick with emotion and her eyes shiny with a fine sheen of tears.
“I told you I’d find you Nicole. I wouldn’t ever leave you in the hands of someone who would hurt you,” I said and she nodded.
“Thank you…” she said again and I hugged her close once more.
“I just have to say it Nicole…I know that it’s fast but, you mean a lot to me. I’ve never felt this way…like I feel for you and…. I guess I just want to know if you’d agree to see where things could go with us? I want to be here for you all the time,” I said and her wide eyes met mine steadily. For what she’d just been through, her gaze was focused and clear on mine.
“I can’t pretend that I don’t feel the same way for you Micah. Of course I want to see where things go…anyone who is ready to shoot a person for me is definitely someone I should keep close,” she said softly and I couldn’t help but smile like a little kid. There we were in the middle of a crime scene and talking about dating each other.
“I’ll always be here for you as long as you decide to keep me around,” I said and Nicole smiled up at me in relief.
“Good, I think I’ll want you around for a long time,” she said and I held her close once more. In that moment I felt more whole than I ever had in a long time.
THE END
Bonus Story 37 of 40
Touchdown Desires
“I’m really excited for tonight!” I buzzed down the phone to my best friend, Marisa. She worked for a sports PR company, and had been planning this huge masquerade ball for months and months. The night had finally arrived, and she was bringing me along as her plus one, much to my pleasure. I couldn’t wait to party with hot celebrities and up and coming sports stars. It was safe to say that I was more than a little thrilled.
Marisa had been my rock for the past few months, since my engagement had been broken, so I was also looking forward to supporting her new venture too – to repay the favor a little. At first, I’d been absolutely gutted to find my fiancé, Simon, in bed with his stunning blonde haired coworker, but as time had passed I was getting over it. I could see now that we really hadn’t been compatible, we’d just become each other’s habit – neither of us brave enough to break things off. I wasn’t happy that he’d decided to cheat on me, rather than be honest, but at least it had forced us to separate. Now that I’d had some time to recover, I could clearly see that it was the best thing for the both of us.
My ex was living with his new girlfriend, they were even getting married soon, and it genuinely didn’t bother me at all! If anything, I was actually happy for them.
Now, I was having the time of my life, learning more and more about myself, and having a whole lot of fun along the way. It had started off with a single one-night stand with a man a couple years younger than me, and had turned into a complete and utter sexual awakening, with a whole range of extremely varied partners. I’d learned to enjoy things that I hadn’t even considered before, and I was having the time of my life doing it. Now I was certain that I still had a lot of playing the field to do. I was nowhere near ready to settle down! I couldn’t believe how close I’d been to getting married – it was actually kind of scary to think about!
No, that wasn’t me at all and I was slowly discovering who I was.
“I know.” I could hear the strain in Marisa’s voice, but it was mixed with pride too. This had been her first massive assignment, and I knew how desperate she was for it to go well. I was sure that it would, she was amazing at her job. Much better than I was at mine – she actually cared about her career! I just worked to pay the bills, nothing more. I certainly had no passion for my career. “Now Betty,” she continued, warningly. “Remember what I said?”
“No football players, I know, I know.” I laughed loudly. Marisa was far too concerned that I was going to get my heart broken all over again. Her worry was pointless; falling in love was far from the forefront of my mind. I was more than happy to just have a bit of fun. I fully intended to listen to her words, but I knew there was a large chance that it would all go out the window once I’d tossed back a few cocktails – but I kept that information to myself.
Once the party was in full flow, she would be far too busy to notice what I was up to anyway!
“What are you going to wear?” I asked curiously. Marisa was the complete opposite of me looks wise. She was tall, thin and had long legs that were to die for. I was shorter, far curvier and h
ad massive breasts that made me look like a stripper if I didn’t pick my outfit carefully. On top of that, her pale hair, tanned skin and blue eyes were in complete contrast to my long dark locks, pasty white skin and deep dark brown eyes. It was lucky that we were so different really; it meant we never had to worry about dressing the same!
We also had a different taste in men, which meant we never fell out over a guy. Although Marisa was actually starting to get a bit serious about her latest squeeze, which wasn’t like her at all. It seemed as if she was on the verge of settling down, just as I’d escaped it.
“My turquoise knee length dress, my Jimmy Choo heels and that Venetian style mask we found in that boutique. How about you?”
The one thing we did have in common was our mad love of shoes. It was the only thing that we both spent a lot of money on. Fortunately, we wore the same size shoe too, which meant we could borrow each other’s whenever necessary.
Her outfit choice sounded amazing, and I knew she would look great, but I was happy with what I’d picked out too.
“I’m wearing a red, skater style dress, a black bolero shrug, my Louis Vuitton heels and a plain black mask. I know it won’t look as awesome as yours, but it looks good with my outfit.”
“You’ll look gorgeous sweetie.” She was beginning to sound distracted – the party planning was obviously hitting some road bumps. “Meet me here at eight, okay? I’ll wait outside for you.”
“I’ll see you then!” I grinned into the phone, before hanging up. I had a feeling that the night was going to be amazing, and I was really looking forward to it. The potential for what could happen was exhilarating. After spending so much of my life stuck in a rut, the unknown was extremely thrilling to me.
How often did a legal secretary get to party with some of the sexiest, most ripped men on the planet? Who wouldn’t be excited about that?
*****
As I arrived at the venue, just before eight pm, my heart lifted at the sight before me. Marisa had done an amazing job; she’d completely transformed this typical, boring, run of the mill hotel, into the grand, luxurious venue that it needed to be.
As I quickly spotted her outside the building, just as she promised she would be, I couldn’t help but be impressed with how hot she looked too. She’d managed to make her outfit look ethereal, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. I wouldn’t be able to make myself look like that, no matter how hard I tried!
“Betty!” She called over, tension flowing through her. “Come on, let’s go inside. There are already lots of people here.”
That meant that people had turned up early, which had likely caused her endless issues. I wanted to tell her to relax, that she’d done all that she could, and that she couldn’t control what would happen now, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t help anyone. After all, no one calmed down because they were told to calm down! Instead, I zipped my lips shut and did as she asked.
I followed her into the ballroom, and was blown away by the amazing décor. It was purple and gold, screaming luxury from every angle. There were even cool little curtains, creating private booths, which I was certain would be getting a lot of attention as the night wore on.
Suddenly, someone’s voice burst over Marisa’s walkie-talkie, and she was forced to leave me by myself for a while. I didn’t mind, I wasn’t one of those people that couldn’t cope by myself. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I found someone new to pass the time with anyway…
Once I’d ordered my glass of white wine, I settled my back against the bar and allowed my eyes to scan the room. Although everyone was in masks, I could already tell that there were some extremely good looking people in attendance tonight. Butterflies started to buzz round my stomach at the possibilities of what could happen.
“Hello.” A deep masculine voice burst through my thoughts, causing me to jump a little.
I smiled to myself, before turning around to see who was already trying to make conversation with me, and I was stunned to find two handsome, strong looking guys staring at me. This took me back for a second; I was used to men hitting on me when they were by themselves. I didn’t know how to negotiate two, but I was certainly willing to try.
“Hi, how are you both?” I tried to recover quickly, to return to the flirty girl that I enjoyed being. There was no nicer feeling than male attention, it made me feel empowered and after being neglected for so long in my relationship, that sensation was amazing to me. “Enjoying the party?”
“Yes.” The same guy replied again. I drank in his appearance properly, finding him instantly attractive. He was tall, muscular and had the nicest green eyes that I’d ever seen. I quickly noticed that he had dimples that appeared every time he smiled too. “I’m Abe and this is Charlie.”
I shook the other guy’s hand, getting a good look at him as well. He had dirty blonde, shaggy hair and a lazy smile that I adored. There was something that I found very sexy about this guy too, which put me in a bit of a dilemma – which one did I like best? Which one did I want to go home with, if either? I hadn’t been put on this spot before, and I was already finding it kind of unnerving. Usually I was so certain in my decisions, so this was a little odd.
“Hi, I’m Betty.” There was a brief pause, before I continued. “So, do you work with Marisa at Entertainment Enterprises?” I’d already guessed that these men were athletes – it was obvious by their physiques – but it didn’t hurt to act like I had no idea who they were.
“No,” Abe laughed. “We play football. We recently got signed to the local team…”
“Oh right.” I tried to act like I was totally disinterested – even though I was screaming inside – because I knew that it was very likely that they were used to women falling at their feet because of what they did. I wanted to be different, I wanted to stand out. “That’s nice.”
Marisa’s words flowed through my mind, “no football players”, but I pushed it to one side. I was having far too much fun to be worrying about restrictions. I’d known that I wouldn’t be able to stick to that rule anyway.
“What do you do?” Abe stepped closer to me, allowing me to inhale his musky scent. It was clear that he was an alpha male, and that he liked to be in control, and that turned me on like crazy.
“Oh, um… I’m a legal secretary. Boring stuff…”
The only problem was, I couldn’t stop looking at Charlie’s kissable lips, and wondering what it would be like to be wrapped in his arms too…
Hmm, this night was certainly going to be very interesting.
*****
Anticipation flared in the pit of my stomach, and travelled down into my underwear, as they guys invited me to sit down with them at their table. I couldn’t believe that these two strong, gorgeous men were both flirting with me. They had the choice of the room, and for some unknown reason they’d selected me to talk to. I had no idea what their end game was, and I was more than a little excited about that.
I hoped that by spending a little more time with the guys, it would become more obvious to me which one was the one for me. They were both sexy, but if I got along with one of them better, that would be the one I chose. Having a laugh with guys I hooked up with always made it much more fun! I found that was one of the main deciding facts for me usually.
My eyes scanned the room, trying to find Marisa, wanting to let her know where I was, but unfortunately she was nowhere to be found. She must have been busy dealing with some crisis or another – which was good because I didn’t want her to yell at me.
After a few seconds of idly flirting, Abe held his hand out to me and asked me if I wanted to dance. The look he gave me made it virtually impossible to refuse, and we soon found ourselves in the thick of the crowd that had developed.
I moved my body in time with the music, allowing the rhythm to flow through me. I didn’t totally lose myself in the music though, because I was trying to get a feel of the guys from their dance moves too. It was often said that dancing was a good indicator of sexual pro
wess, and I decided to use that theory to help me. If this was the case, then Abe was powerful, dominating and knew exactly what he was doing, whereas Charlie was smooth, sensual and took things a lot slower.
Both of these concepts filled me with an intense longing, leaving me even more confused. If I wanted the choice to become obvious, then I was failing miserably. I still wanted them both equally.
Eventually Abe leaned in closer to me, running his hand over my butt as he spoke. “Would you like to come to an after party?” As his breath hit my neck, bolts of desire raced through me, making my choice for me.
“Okay.” I panted quietly, nervous of my reply. Normally when I went to a guy’s home I knew exactly where it would lead, but this felt like it was something completely and utterly new. I just felt like I was about to get an intense experience like no other.
“Are you ready to leave now?”
I could no longer concentrate on his words. Not when his fingers were trailing up my thigh. I was on the verge of losing it right there and then!
“Yes.” I nodded, wishing that we were already alone.
I glanced over to Charlie over his shoulder, wondering what he was going to do now that we were leaving, but as we walked towards the exit, he followed too.
As we waited for a taxi, I fired of a quick text to Marisa – wanting her to know that I was okay. I didn’t tell her where I was going, just that I’d met someone and I was leaving. I figured she would freak if she knew the truth, and I wasn’t in the mood for any of that.
We sat in a thick silence on the journey to Abe’s home; the sexual tension was filling the air. Charlie’s hand rested on my thigh, sending excited tingles right through me, and Abe was playing footsie with me. I wasn’t sure if they were teasing me or fighting over me, and I wasn’t entirely sure which one I wanted it to be!
The concept that they might both want me was driving me mad.
As we pulled up outside the house, my anticipation gave way to nerves. I’d never seen a home so luxurious and big, it was ridiculous! How much money did this guy have? I thought he’d said that he was new to football? How was he so rich already? Unless it was cash he already had.
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