Wounded Love (G Street Chronicles Presents From Love to Loathe Series)

by Rayne, Phoenix

  “I told him things weren’t going to be like they were before. He didn’t like it, but he agreed to it.

  “So, what does that mean?”

  “It means you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. He won’t touch me anymore. I promise you, he won’t.”

  He stared down at his hands and then pulled me close; a thousand heartbeats later, we drifted back off to sleep.

  The next morning I woke to my phone chiming and I looked over at the clock; it was quarter after 8:00. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered it anyway.

  “Hello.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about you,” she said.

  “Are you calling me because you’re interested in a job, or am I going to have to hang up on you now?”

  “When do I start?”

  “Today is fine. I’ll meet you at Lecrux inside The Three Strikes Casino at noon.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  I hung up without saying goodbye. I stretched, and Jyme wrapped his arms around me. He tugged and pulled for me to get on top of him, so I did.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “And OH MY, Mr. Samson, what a morning it is.”

  I teased him about his morning wood. He didn’t laugh or play along with me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I really want us to have another baby, Cricket.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to have another baby with you.”

  “I told you I’ve already talked to Troy, and I’m not going to be doing the same stuff as I did before. That’s why we went looking for Aston last night. All we need are a few more like her, and we’re covered.”

  “What does that have to do with me wanting to have another baby with you?”

  “Because I know you think me being pregnant is the only way you can keep me safe. You think Troy will leave me alone if I’m pregnant, but he won’t. I’ve already secured the situation.”

  “Cricket, I love you, and I want to fill those rooms in our house. We’re not going to be here forever, and Nan loves you. I’m sure she’d take another one of our babies until we can come and get them.”

  “Jyme, we can’t keep having babies…dropping them off with Aunt Nan until GOD knows when.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m greedy. I want a few more pieces of you.”

  I sat there looking at him. I didn’t have anything else to come back with. I wanted to believe what he was saying, and I wanted to get lost inside of his fantasy world, too. We made love that morning, trying our best to extend our small family. I knew it was a selfish move deep down, but I couldn’t help it. I loved Jyme, and I would do pretty much anything he asked.

  I must have road Jyme senseless during our morning session, because he was dead to the world when I got out of the shower. I tiptoed around while I got dressed, not wanting to wake him. I wore a gold, sparkly tank with a leather jacket; a pair of studded leggings, and a pair of black pink bottoms. I went downstairs to Lecrux, and Aston was sitting at a table in the corner. She wore her hair bone straight with a paperboy hat. She had on a black, fitting long-sleeve Henley with a pair of ripped denim jeans and red platforms. I liked her ensemble, and the straight hair really suited her. She didn’t wear any makeup for our meeting, and she looked fresh. I sat down right across from her and waved toward the waiter.

  “I would like a glass of the Stallings Mimosa.”

  “Right away, Cricket.”

  “Who are you?” Aston asked me.

  “I’m someone who used to be in your exact shoes until someone gave me a chance.”

  “Explain.”

  “My older sister taught me everything she knew, and she was a prostitute; but she wanted a better life for me. We were strippers in high-end clubs; we only circled with the higher class. She paved the way for me, and I caught on very quickly. I had been watching her in action my whole life.”

  “Where were your parents?”

  “They were killed when I was a toddler, and my sister and I ran away from foster care. The men couldn’t keep their hands off of my sister, and she was scared they would touch me next.”

  “So you lived on the streets?”

  The waiter came back with the Mimosa; I sipped on it slowly, letting the bubbles release in my mouth.

  “Yes, and we got by. It was tough, but we survived. My sister made sure I went to school every day, and I had a safe roof over my head. I had to drop out of college because I couldn’t afford it anymore. I decided to start the family business and was determined to go back school once I saved up enough money. Once I started, and the money came rolling in, I couldn’t stop. I finally had nice things, and my sister and I were finally above water. She made sure I had the nicer guys of the bunch always. She dealt with the assholes and the pricks.”

  “So what did she teach you?”

  “She first taught me how to halfway swallow a popsicle stick without choking. Then, she taught me how to eat a popsicle with the wrapper still on it.”

  “Shit!” Aston said with wide eyes.

  “How long can you stand in stilettos?” I asked her.

  “Three or four hours, tops.”

  “I can teach you how to stand in them until your feet bleed, and you won’t feel a thing.”

  Aston watched me and then shook her head. “You’re the real thing, aren’t you?”

  I shrugged at her.

  “You know, Cricket, I think I just fell in love with you.”

  “Don’t.”

  “You can’t tell me you’ve never been with a girl.”

  “I have, but I prefer men way over women; and I won’t be doing tricks anymore…no sleeping, no fucking or making love to anybody else but my man.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “So, what’s your story?”

  “I grew up in a fucked up cult for thirteen years. My grandmother finally got me and my brothers away from our mom. But once we started staying with her, my brothers couldn’t keep their hands off of me. I had to have three abortions, and after the third one, I got the fuck out of there. I’ve been on my own since I was sixteen. Men always wanted me, but I always liked pretty girls instead.”

  “How old are you, Aston?”

  “I’m twenty-three.”

  “And how long have you been stripping?”

  “Going on five years now.”

  “And how long have you been hooking?”

  “All my life,” she said in a flat tone.

  “Do you live with someone?”

  “I have a roommate, but it’s not working out.”

  “Well, we can supply you with free room and board. That’s one of the perks.”

  “What are the other perks?”

  “You’ll get more money here; it’s less work, more security, a safe and clean environment, a crew you can actually trust…benefits, and peace of mind.”

  “And the downside?”

  “You’re on call 24/7. But working before or after your shift rarely happens. You are followed and watched constantly, and you have to dress the part every shift; but you do get a clothes allowance.”

  “It all sounds great to me. Why aren’t you smiling constantly?”

  “I’m tired.”

  Someone stood behind me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. He sat down right beside me, and I looked over at blood shot eyes. Troy looked like he hadn’t slept all night.

  “Aston, this is Troy. Troy, this is Aston. I handpicked her myself, and she’s perfect.”

  “That she is, Cricket; but she’s not you.”

  “No, she’s not; she’s better.”

  Troy grinned and looked at Aston with a wide smile.

  Aston excused herself and sashayed to the restroom. I couldn’t help but grin. Troy watched her walk away.

  “Are you feeling okay? You look tired,” I asked.

  “The love of my life broke my heart last night, and I’m trying to make it through.”

  “Troy, come on.”

  “I want you, Crick
et,” he said with so much heat in his eyes that I had to turn away from him.

  “Troy, her ass is way bigger than mine. I’m sure she’s tighter, and she’s fresh and young.” Aston could handle herself, and that would intrigue Troy. He would enjoy the hopeless chase.

  “I like your ass just fine. I’ve never been in that pussy of yours…but I’m sure it’s tight enough for me; and I like your seasoning better.”

  Aston came back to the table, and I excused myself so she and Troy could get to know each other better. They needed to bond because she was the new headliner.

  Chapter 14

  1. Um, No…2

  A few weeks had passed, and we weren’t fully staffed yet. No matter how hard I tried, Troy didn’t like something about who I hand-picked. Aston he liked, but he kept telling me there was something off about her that he couldn’t put his finger on. I knew what it was, but I refused to tell Troy what sex she’d preferred.

  I woke one morning after an extremely long night with a terrible pain in my stomach. I got up out of bed too fast and sprinted to the bathroom. I stuck my head into the porcelain god and completely emptied my tender stomach. Jyme was behind me rubbing my back while I vomited violently. When I was down to the last drip, I tried to spit the nasty taste out of my mouth. Jyme handed me a small glass of water, I sipped and rinsed my mouth out. He helped me up from the floor; I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash.

  “Cricket?”

  I held a hand up at him. “I’m alright, I just think … I might be pregnant,” I told him slowly as it finally really sank in.

  Jyme eyes widened, and then he dropped on both knees. He kissed my stomach repeatedly and murmured; “Now I can protect the both of you.”

  I didn’t understand what he meant, but I was too tired to question anything. After a long nap, I scheduled an appointment with a gynecologist. She couldn’t see me until the earlier part of next week. I told Jyme we would just have to wait until then, but he insisted on getting a few pregnancy tests. I really wanted to see the gynecologist. I had heard nothing but good things about her.

  That night, after a long and gruesome shift in the club, all I wanted to do was sleep. I walked through the door of the suit, and Jyme was sitting on the couch. He stood when I walked in and looked a little nervous.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He shook his head at me and frowned. “Nothing, I just think I might have gone a little over board.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He walked toward the bedroom and I followed. He went to the bathroom, and I saw the display of something resembling a department store. There were twelve different kinds of pregnancy tests on the counter.

  “Jyme!”

  “I’m sorry, babe, but I just can’t wait until next week.

  “I don’t have enough pee in me to take all these tests.”

  “If you drink a gallon of water, you will. And I will help you; I can slide the test under your stream of pee.”

  “Yuck, Jyme. That’s gross!”

  “Not to me. It’s natural, and I want to do this. Please, Cricket?”

  I sighed, and he pulled me into a Hollywood kiss.

  “Go get the water then.”

  He smiled wide and then headed for the kitchen.

  It only took me peeing twice to get all the tests done. One of them said I wasn’t preggers; but eleven of them said I was. Jyme was convinced and didn’t need any more confirmation.

  The next Monday, we had an unscheduled meeting. Jyme was still sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake him. I tiptoed out of bed and dressed quickly. I had just made it to the front door when I felt the pit of my stomach give way. I ran to the guest bathroom and heaved into the porcelain god again. I rinsed my mouth out twice and continued on to the meeting. Everyone was standing around doing nothing when I got there. The full staff wasn’t here, but we still had enough for a meeting. Troy cleared his throat, and everyone started settling in. I looked at Korliss, and he was staring down at the floor. Something was wrong.

  “You guys, I hate to have to start the beginning of our week like this but…Mr. Paul died last night in his sleep.”

  I heard people gasping and saying, “No”.

  “He had further complications from the incident, and they said he went peacefully.”

  Korliss stared at me, and there was something cold in his eyes. I knew Mr. Paul hadn’t died from his heart attack. Korliss’ eyes started watering, and mine did the same. Walt pulled my hand over to his, and I leaned over into him and cried a quiet sob for Mr. Paul.

  Mr. Paul had never been nothing but nice to me, and I couldn’t help but to think that maybe he wasn’t behind all of the drama with Jyme last year. Troy was clearly pretending like he was concerned for Mr. Paul. Trey just looked lost as usual; he wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation. I’d had enough of these charades, and I stood and walked toward the door.

  “Cricket, don’t go yet. I have a few more announcements,” Troy said softly.

  I glared at him and yanked the door open. I had made it to the elevators by the time I heard the suite door shut. The elevator binged, and I stepped back into a red-eyed Korliss right behind me. Neither one of us said a thing to the one another. We both got off on the basement floor, and Korliss followed me over to my car. I unlocked the door and he slid in beside me.

  I went to the flower shop closest to the bank and ordered a three-hundred-dollar arrangement; Korliss ordered a hundred-dollar arrangement. We had them delivered to Mr. Paul’s house. We walked up the street, and I made deposits into all three accounts, and then we walked down to the famous coffee shop that I knew far too well. We placed our orders and found a quiet table in the corner.

  “Cricket, you already know Troy had something to do with Mr. Paul’s death. We’re planning to retaliate; if you don’t want any part in it, tell me now,” Korliss demanded.

  I said nothing at all; I just stared at Korliss. There was nothing to say, I knew we had to take Troy out. This was the only sure way we could ever be free.

  He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “We’re taking Troy and Trey out, Cricket; and I mean OUT.”

  I nodded. Korliss went on to give me the full details of the takeover; I agreed with everything he told me. Korliss said everyone was behind him, and it wasn’t hard to convince them. Korliss never mentioned Lance’s name and I wondered if he was in on the takeover. It really didn’t matter one way or another to me if he was or wasn’t.

  My phone buzzed just then; it was the suite’s number calling me.

  “Hello.”

  “Where the hell are you, Cricket?” Jyme shouted.

  “We had a meeting this morning.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Jyme, you were exhausted, and you needed to sleep.”

  “Where are you, Cricket? I called security, and they said you left with Korliss over an hour ago. Where the fuck are you, Cricket?”

  “I’m on my way back right now.”

  I stood up from the table. Korliss mimicked my actions, and we walked out the front door. I hung up without saying bye to Jyme. The phone buzzed again, and I ignored it. Korliss and I walked back down the street toward the car.

  “Jyme is not to know anything about the takeover; I need him to be an innocent in all of this,” I told Korliss sternly. He nodded.

  We pulled back into the garage, and Jyme was pacing back and forth close to the entrance. As soon as the car stopped, Jyme yanked my car door open. Korliss slipped out and walked back into the casino. I sat there with Jyme hovering over me.

  “Mr. Paul died last night and we had an emergency meeting this morning. I went to order flowers for his family, and Korliss went with me. We stopped and grabbed a coffee after I made the deposits.”

  “Cricket, I’m sorry. I know he meant a lot to you.”

  We went back to the suite and stayed in bed for the rest of the day and evening.

  The next day, Doctor Lundee confirmed.
Yes, we were pregnant, and I was a little over a month. She set me up with prenatal vitamins and scheduled me for the next six months’ worth of visits. She said she didn’t have the new calendar, but they would schedule the rest as soon as they got it in.

  Jyme started treating me like a newborn kitten. Anytime we walked anywhere, he always walked in front of me and constantly kept a hand on my stomach. I had trained everyone as best I could. The flow of the casino wasn’t bad. Everyone got along and understood their jobs and their places.

  Aston was settling in well. She knew exactly what to do to get the guys’ rocks off and then some. She seemed happy and very satisfied. But I knew, first hand, that looks could be very deceiving. She followed directions without any complaints. She had told me in one of the morning meetings that she had never made money like this before. I knew she was grateful for all I had done for her; but she had no idea how much she was actually helping me. I just couldn’t stomach all the things I used to do anymore.

  Troy announced that he wanted Jyme and me to put on little mini shows for some of his higher-end clientele. Jyme told me he was fine with it. I didn’t mind putting on a show for private audiences either, just as long as Jyme was involved with me. I was horny almost constantly now anyway; and Jyme didn’t mind it a bit. I noticed that when we performed these services, Troy always seemed to be nearby. He watched me and Jyme carefully, and it gave me an eerie feeling. But Jyme loved every minute of it; he said he knew Troy was dying on the inside.

  A month later, Troy made the announcement in the morning meeting about the second California casino opening. Troy wanted us all to shuttle over and get a feel for it. He told me that Jyme and I would be moving over to the new casino before anyone else. He said he wanted me to go through every single thing dealing with that casino with a fine toothed comb. This would be a higher-end casino, and he didn’t want anything going wrong.

  We all loaded up in two of the casino’s shuttle buses and road almost forty-five minutes. Then, we climbed up a cobble stone hill. The casino was grand alright. It had over a dozen water fountains up front, and it was almost three times the size of the Three Strikes Casino. This place had thirteen stores, six nightclubs, and six restaurants. Everyone was shocked into silence by the scene.