by C. J. Thomas
He curled his fingers and brushed his solid knuckles against the outside of my walls, eliciting a moan.
“To control me?” I whispered.
He angled his head toward me, making sure I could see his dark, dilated pupils shrink to almost nothing.
“Go ahead. Do it,” I said, working myself into a frenzy to release his hardness. I bore down on his hand, relentless in its pursuit to send me into the stratosphere, and freed his heavy length, taking it inside my hand and guiding it to my aching sex.
Nash pulled his hand from my slick cavern and flipped me stomach-down on his hood to drive his cock home. His hips thrust hard, fast, and deep, and there was nothing I could do but take it and cry out into the sky like the good Submissive I was.
107
Nash
MY PHONE RANG.
“Wes,” I answered, squinting my eyes shut and pinching the bridge of my nose. It was far too early for him to be calling. This better be good.
“The cops have Ted in their crosshairs.”
I dropped my feet to the floor, trying my best not to wake Alex as I left the bed.
“He’s a person of interest, Nash. Don’t you get it?”
“You already told me that,” I reminded him. The morning’s cool air drifted over my naked skin.
“No. No. No.” I could imagine Wes shaking his head, pacing by his pool. “These aren’t Julia’s suspicions, though I knew she was right when she told me.”
I moved to the corner of the bedroom and fought to keep my voice low. Alex was at peace and I liked that she could find comfort here, inside my bed, after everything she’d been through. “Then I guess they’ll be surprised to learn he skipped town to Europe.”
“What are you talking about?” Wes barked.
I turned to face the wall. “I’m talking about Ted leaving the country.”
“What?” He cleared his throat. “When?”
“A couple nights ago,” I sighed. “I told him to leave.”
“You what?” Wes’s voice belted through my phone, causing me to pull it away from my ear.
“I didn’t know he was connected—” I glanced over my shoulder, letting my eyes fall back on Alex. She was still sleeping but I covered my mouth anyway to mute the sound of my voice. “—to Maria’s murder.”
Static ripped through the line and I heard Wes shout. “But I called you. I told you what Julia had found,” he said through clenched teeth.
I paced to the windows on the opposite side of the room and looked out over the city skyline. “You were ten minutes too late, I’m afraid.”
“And you couldn’t have mentioned it then?” I heard him clear his throat.
Neither of us said anything for a solid minute. Then Wes murmured, “Shit.”
“I know.”
“No, Nash. You don’t understand. I was called to the precinct. They want me to come in.”
My eyes bugged. I felt sick to my stomach. Now Wes was getting dragged into this shit-show and I hated to know that I could have prevented it all.
“Now it makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” My brows drew together, fighting to keep up.
“It’s not my connection to Ted; it’s my connection to you.”
My hand balled and I pressed my fist to my lips.
“They want to see if I know what you just told me.”
It would have been better if Wes never knew. He should have never called. Now he’d be left with the tough decision to lie or tell the truth. Neither of which was going to be easy.
“Fuck, Nash,” he grunted.
“You asked.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “If I would have known, I wouldn’t have said shit.”
“What you did,” he dropped his voice down, “they’re going to mount a strong case against you. Make sure the charges stick.”
I inhaled a hot breath and shoved my hands through my hair. I knew it as well as he did.
“You made yourself look guilty.”
“You think I don’t know that already?” I snapped, and turned to find Alex propped up on her elbows, staring back at me with concern in her eyes. I covered the phone’s mic and said, “It’s all right baby, just go back to sleep.”
“That means they know about Ted’s ticket to Europe,” Wes was talking to himself, “and if what Julia has is true, then it’s all the evidence they need.”
I pulled my phone away from my ear, not wanting to hear him come to the same conclusion I already had. I was fucked. And every time I thought back to the other night, Ted knew exactly what kind of free pass he needed to escape what he had done. I’d walked in like an angel in the night and saved his ass without knowing it.
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“Let me think.” Wes’s voice was clipped.
I stared at Alex, thankful to still have her. She didn’t know it, but she’d become my escape, my rock, and the reason I was going to fight this until my name was cleared.
I just had to be patient.
And that was the hardest one of all my latest challenges. I fucking hated waiting.
“I got it.” I heard Wes snap his fingers. “What if Mr. Lopez gets to Ted first?”
“Ted owes him money,” I said under my breath and left the room.
“Then the cops won’t have to worry about extradition.”
“But that still doesn’t solve my problem. I thought this was about me. Making sure I don’t end up in prison. They’ll arrest me if they think I’m his accomplice in a murder.”
“Let me work this. You won’t be arrested.” Wes hung up.
I tossed my phone to the empty chair and climbed back into bed, crawling over Alex until I could rest my head on her bare chest.
108
Alex
THERE WAS something he was keeping secret.
I saw it in his eyes. The turmoil, the battle he was fighting within.
And yet, even as I held him in my arms, weaving my fingers through his thick locks, he refused to speak. “Nash, who was that? What was that all about?” I asked.
He remained cold, distant.
With each passing day, it was becoming more apparent that his shift in attitude wasn’t just about me or how I was tied to the Madam. No, there was more going on. Something big, dark, perhaps even dangerous.
And just when I thought I’d seen a clearing in the woods.
The sharp nail of my finger circled his nipple and caused it to pebble. He lifted his head and turned to meet my gaze for the first time since ending his phone conversation. “Nothing.” His lips curled. “It was nothing.”
But I knew it was a lie. He wasn’t telling me because he didn’t want me to worry. This was his way of protecting me.
I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. “Kendra will be here soon.”
Nash shifted his gaze down.
“She thinks she might know how to help.”
Nash rolled off of me and made his way to the bathroom. “I’m not convinced she’ll be able to find anything that I don’t already know,” he said at the door between the rooms.
“Just hear her out.”
He nodded and disappeared behind the door.
I got out of bed and wrapped a robe around myself as I went to the kitchen to make coffee. A minute later, Nash snuck up behind me and wrapped me in his strong arms. I wished he would just tell me what was on his mind. He seemed needier than usual. But it was a soft need, so I didn’t mind. As long as he kept holding me like he did.
He kissed the soft spot behind my ear.
My body purred in response.
He tightened his arms around my chest and I twisted in his grasp to clasp my hands behind his neck. I stood on my tiptoes, demanding he kiss me, and he did.
“Sorry for breaking up the party.” Kendra’s voice broke our kiss.
“Hey, girl.” I released my hold on Nash and moved to the counter to pour her a fresh cup of coffee.
“Nice place you have here, Nash.” She took the hot mug b
etween her fingers.
Nash nodded.
She looked at me and raised her brows. “Okay, I can’t stay long. I’ve got to beat my boss to the office before he loses his shit.” Kendra giggled. “So forgive me for getting straight to the point.”
“We understand,” I said.
Nash moved to the window and had his back to us.
“It hasn’t happened too many times before, but the Madam is known to forgive.” She glanced in Nash’s direction. “When the price is right.”
“I already tried that.” Nash slowly turned to face Kendra.
“And she didn’t accept?”
“No,” I said, quietly staring into the steaming, black liquid.
“Then give her more,” Kendra insisted.
“This time it’s not about the money.” Nash sauntered in Kendra’s direction. “Wes and Adrianna’s situation was different.”
Kendra’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut just as quickly. That was her plan—now I got it—and Nash just called her out on it. “What does she want?”
Nash inched closer to Kendra and I wondered what was on his mind. There was a glimmer in his eye and I knew him well enough to know that something was up. He had an idea.
“An alt—” I began speaking but Nash held up his hand to silence me.
I watched as he circled Kendra. His eyes drifted over her—seriously checking her out—like she was prey. Then he fisted her hair and gave it a light tug.
Her eyes rounded and she gave me a stern look, silently asking what he was doing and blaming me for it.
“What are you doing, Nash?” I folded my arms across my chest and asked.
He met my curious gaze and smiled. “Her. She’ll be your alternate.”
109
Nash
WHY I HADN’T THOUGHT of it before was beyond me.
It was genius.
Kendra was the perfect alternate. And an easy choice at that.
It didn’t hit me until I turned around and saw her—really saw her—for the first time. Thinking back on it, she’d always said the right words to make me believe she had what I knew it would take to do the job the Madam needed—and to do it well.
There was a wild side to her.
A free spirit that was into experimentation.
And that was what made her different from Alex.
Alex was reserved. She wanted normalcy, consistency, and to be loved by one man. She was never cut out for escorting, and thank god it never amounted to anything. Because if I knew her the way I thought I did, she would never be the same. God, I was falling for that woman hard.
But Kendra, she could do it.
Now we just had to convince her that it was the right thing to do.
Kendra had barely finished her coffee when I voiced the idea. They both refused to even think about it at first, Kendra making the excuse that she was already late for work.
That didn’t bother me. I had to get to the studio myself, but before I left, Alex agreed that Kendra might be our girl. “It might actually work. She’s reminded me that she isn’t exactly thrilled with her job and did mention wanting more excitement in her life.”
Those words echoed between my ears all day long.
And now that it was already late in the afternoon, it was important I got back to Alex so we could draw up a strategy to get Kendra on board.
I shuffled some papers on my desk when I heard a faint knock on my door. I spun on a heel and found Val standing there. “Got a minute?”
I nodded and took a seat behind my desk. “What’s up?”
Her downcast expression and wrinkled forehead had my mind racing. “Nash, there’s a lot in the news being said about you.”
“Just another day in the life of—” I chuckled.
She didn’t even smile. “It’s all too much. I mean,” she turned her head to the side and stared at the wall, “if what they’re saying is true—”
“Go on.” I spun a pen over my knuckles. “Finish your thought.”
Her tongue slid over her bottom lip. “And with Professor Fields disappearing, well, I don’t think this is where I should be.”
My eyes narrowed. “I thought you wanted this.”
“I do.” She paced. “I did.”
I angled my head to the side and kept shooting glances at her to try to read more into why it was she was dropping out of the program. Something told me that there was more to it than what she was saying. But I had enough battles to fight lately, and it wasn’t worth my energy to try to convince her to stay.
Val could be easily replaced.
Alex could not.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. But the show must go on.” I stood and shoved my hands inside my pockets.
Val gave me a weak smile. “Thanks, Nash. I wish things between us could have been different.”
Not me.
I had things right where I wanted them. Well, almost.
My phone buzzed and I answered just as Val shut the door behind her. “Did you meet with the cops?”
“It wasn’t good.” Wes’s voice was firm and direct.
My palms began to sweat.
“They’re coming for you next.”
“They told you this?”
“They told me enough for me to know that that’s what they’re going to do.” He paused. “It doesn’t look good.”
“I know how it looks!” I yelled, slamming my fist down on top of my desk.
“Nash, they have photos.”
My head spun and my knees gave out.
Sylvia Neil.
She actually went through with her threat.
“They’re not good. You know who’s in those pictures?”
“I wish I didn’t.”
“Yeah, me neither. Because the way it looks, it gives the impression you have a temper. Like you enjoy beating your women.” He paused. “And when did you hook up with Sylvia? I knew about Maria, but when Sylvia?”
“It was just one night.”
“Give my criminal lawyer a call. Get him caught up before you get taken in. You’re going to need help. You can’t go in alone.”
“I won’t get taken in.”
“Nash, listen.”
My ears burned hot.
“The cops are going to put you behind bars.”
110
Alex
“HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” I asked Kendra when she knocked on the front door.
“I missed you.” Sarcasm laced her words.
I rolled my eyes. It was too early in the afternoon for her to be finished with work. Especially the hours she was pulling lately.
“Nash home?” Her eyes drifted over my shoulder and scanned the house.
“Soon.” She skirted around me and I followed her into the living room where I watched her plop down on the couch and let out a heavy sigh. “You all right?” I arched a brow.
She pulled her bun loose and let her hair drape long over her shoulders. Her head spun around, taking the place in as if visiting for the first time. She must have not had time this morning to peruse the place. “Nice place.”
She’d said that once this morning to Nash. Something was on her mind. Kendra wasn’t one to repeat herself unless she wasn’t thinking clearly.
I crossed my arms and swiveled my head to see if I could see it the same way she was. Nash had a fantastic place. Modern and luxurious and something that I’d never be able to afford.
“Got a drink?”
“Yeah.” I padded toward the liquor cabinet. “Anything in particular?”
“Something strong.” She kicked off her heels.
I opened the cabinet and held up a bottle of whiskey.
She squished her brows into her nose and shook her head.
I dove back in and pulled out another bottle. “How about vodka?”
“Yes!” She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “That’s a winner.”
I smiled.
“Pour two. You’ll be drinking with me.”
She laughed.
Setting two empty glasses on the coffee table in front of her, I filled each glass a quarter of the way to the top and handed her one.
“So tell me more about this escorting gig.” She took a sip.
I winced at the burn from the alcohol. “Why? Are you considering it?”
She narrowed her eyes and angled her head to the side. “Depends.”
My lips pursed as I swallowed down another sip.
“What was your date like the other night?”
I glanced at the door, knowing that Nash could walk in at any moment and hear us talking. “Hot.”
Kendra sat up and scooted her butt to the edge of the couch. “Really?”
I nodded. “He had class. Not like those frat boy jerks that think they’re hot shit at all those other bars you like.”
Her eyes sparkled under the light.
“No, this man had class, style, and wasn’t that bad looking either.” I took my bottom lip between my teeth.
Kendra’s spine kept growing taller with each word I shared.
“I was surprised, really.” I glanced at the bottle.
“You thought you weren’t any better than a bimbo on the street.”
I thought about it. “Well, yeah. He made me feel comfortable, though. It was like a date, and if I didn’t remind myself that he’d paid a lot of money to enjoy my company, I would have thought it was just a normal night out.”
Kendra took another swallow as she leaned back. Her glass already nearly empty.
“It was by chance, though. It wasn’t like I had a say in who the Madam set me up with. I guess things could have been very different if I was with another man.”
“But you liked it?”
I nodded and felt my cheeks flush a deep shade of red.
“The Madam, tell me about her.”
She knew enough about the Madam. “You’re considering doing it?”
Kendra sat back up, slammed the rest of her drink, and waved for the bottle. I slid it over to her and watched as she wrapped her lips over the top and took a pull. “This is all my fault.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I feel awful that I did this to you. I mean, look at you. No offense. But you’re waddling around like Nash can’t keep sticking his prick in you.”
