“As I said, she’s recovering. I expect you could meet her the day after tomorrow. She will have more bruising than what you have seen here tonight. I just want to warn you now.”
“I thought you were a better businesswoman than that. You’re just shooting yourself in the foot when you allow that.”
“Carson,” she swallowed and shot Labado a glance. “Of course you’re right. I have had to recently deal with a couple of employee issues. I have made examples of them.”
“So no more women will be abused?”
“Just trained to my specifications.”
“I hope this woman has been trained enough.” Seth let his disgust ring through. “Because the image I saw has potential. It would be a shame if your training techniques force me to get a divorce.”
“Leslie won’t touch her, I guarantee it,” Labado said quickly. Seth looked from one to the other, imagining each of them being trained.
“She won’t be touched. I’ll bring her here in forty-eight hours.” Her smile was forced. She reached out to grasp his hands for a parting kiss, he just nodded and left.
Keep it together, Natani. Keep it together.
He damn near stumbled as he got into his Ferrari, and he did drop his keys. Where the fuck was Nate or this Kota? How could they have let this happen?
Seth was at the beach before he realized it. He didn’t even remember deciding to drive to the beach, let alone the drive itself. He got out of the car and pulled out his phone.
“Ms. Pierce, call me.” He so wanted to throw the cell phone into the ocean. His skin was too tight, his eyes burned, he couldn’t hold in the yell that exploded out of him. Dozens of people turned to look at the crazy man in a suit who was yelling at nothing. He needed to get control. Fast. His phone rang.
“Seth, she’s alive.”
“Get her out. Pull her out now. Now! We have everybody. We know where all the girls are, they were just paraded in front of me. Gather them up, and get their statements, and we’re done with this. Get her the fuck out of there.”
“If we pull her out now, then the auctions get called off. The buyers are let off. We can’t do it, we want to take them all down.”
“I don’t give a shit. I want her out. She’s hurt. I don’t know what they’ve done, but it’s clear she needs medical attention. The girl Ashley who had been with her was damn near catatonic today. I think she’s been raped. I didn’t see any marks on her, but she needs to be in a hospital yesterday.”
“You already knew Annie was hurt, you saw the bruising in the video yesterday,” Sierra said carefully.
“You bitch,” he bit out. “You knew something else happened to her, and you didn’t tell me.”
“I was really hoping she would be awake by now, and they would have showed her to you tonight so you could have taken her with you.”
“What the fuck happened?” If Sierra had been in front of him, he would be choking the answers out of her.
“She was knocked up against a wall and hit her head. Kota said she has a mild concussion and she’s unconscious.”
“She needs to be in a hospital.”
“Negative. I told you, Kota checked her out.”
“And how in the hell did he do that?”
“I told you Nate and Kota have been close the entire time. They took her to a warehouse, and they’ve been inside hiding. Whenever those assholes leave Annie alone, they go and check on her.”
“She could be dying without medical care for all we know.”
“Kota is a medic. He knows his stuff. Nate explained for the few days leading up to the modeling appointment she wasn’t sleeping. That’s the reason she’s still unconscious. She’s not in danger. I swear to you, if she were really in trouble, Kota would be the first one to pull her out.”
He stared at the ocean, breathing in the salt air.
“Are you still there?”
“There’s one more thing you need to consider. The bitch Gordon would never have told you about Annie if she had thought there was something really wrong with her.” Sierra was making sense, but Seth didn’t want to see reason. He continued staring at the ocean, then finally hit end on the phone and put it in his pocket. When it continued to buzz, he turned it off.
He sat in the sand and took off his shoes and socks, and rolled up his pant legs. He walked towards the water. Sitting down he closed his eyes and tried to center himself. It didn’t work, so he looked out over the horizon, trying to let the water soothe him. He breathed in with the waves. In. Out. Finally he closed his eyes, and reached out.
This time he wasn’t being blocked. He could sense Annie, but she was far away, like she was in another world. It teased his senses. For just a moment he imagined himself someplace else. He was in a stadium surrounded by other children. He saw them at eye level. He was a child.
Focus Natani. He didn’t care if he was remembering a long forgotten past. Now he needed to concentrate on Annie, only on Annie.
Porcelain skin that felt like silk, mink colored hair that once in a great while in sunlight would glint red, and then there were her eyes. Seth pictured Annie’s eyes laughing at him, or snapping with irritation, or the occasional fire of anger. Finally he had the perfect picture of Annie, skin flushed and dewy, hair messed, and those beautiful eyes softly hazed with passion as she looked at him. He found her.
No wonder it had taken so long, she wasn’t sleeping, she was truly unconscious, and this was different. She wasn’t even dreaming, but he could feel her spirit. Annie didn’t seem to be in pain, he delved deeper and realized she had gone so deeply within her own head she blocked out her physical reality. He kept probing and finally found her huddled in the fetal position. She wasn’t responsive, so he curled up behind her, pulling her spirit body against his. She didn’t respond to his presence. But maybe, maybe if he just spoke to her, reminded her of something special…
****
She laughed at him. She surprised him.
“Paperwork?” she asked again in her sultry woman’s voice. Thank God, Seth thought, as he handed over the slip of paper. Her voice matched the gleam in her eye and the mature visage of the woman he met in the library the other day. But now he was staring at this green-eyed waif who looked no more than seventeen. She worked in the tire store, too?
“Natani? Native American, right?”
Seth nodded. He was having trouble speaking as he looked into the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Then she had the gall to laugh, and t broke his silence.
“So you work here and at the college library?”
“A woman has to work off her student loans.” One of the tire techs walked up and handed her an order. She processed the credit card charge, as she answered the phone. As soon as she hung up, she handed Seth’s paperwork to the man and told him what tires to pull. Another tech arrived as the phone rang again and Seth stepped aside for the next customer. He watched in amazement as the woman handled four things at the same time for the next twenty minutes.
“Mr. Natani? Your car is ready.” He handed his credit card to her.
“What’s your name?”
“Annie.” Another tech came up, without any paperwork. He glowered at Seth.
“May I take you to dinner?”
“I work two jobs, I don’t have time to date.”
He could see she was sincere.
“If it weren’t for that, would you have dinner with me?” Seth watched as she nibbled at her bottom lip before finally nodding. “Don’t you have any time where you would be available?”
“I could meet you on Sunday. The tire shop is closed, and I only work mornings in the library.”
“Dinner?”
She shook her head. “I have to be here early Monday morning to open.” He watched as she bit her lip again, and then smiled. “I’ll meet you for coffee at the college.”
After working out the particulars, Seth found himself grinning as he walked to his car. He wasn’t surprised when the technician was waiting for him.
“Cancel your coffee date,” he said without preamble.
“Why?”
“You’re a player.”
“I’m not. My folks live over in Shiprock, you can check them out. I graduated from Farmington College and now I’m taking additional courses at the college for my job.”
The man gave him a long look. “Don’t think I won’t check you out.”
“I never doubted it.” Seth didn’t. He was actually happy to see Annie had such a fierce protector.
Seth couldn’t remember a time he had been more excited to go on a date, and to think it was just a cup of coffee. He arrived fifteen minutes early, finding a seat near the back, where he could see the door. Annie arrived precisely at two o’clock. This time she was wearing a soft green sweater, her dark hair floated down around her shoulders and her smoky make-up made her eyes glow. Heads turned as she made her way to his table.
He held out both hands in greeting. He so wanted to hug her, but knew it was too soon.
“You look beautiful.”
“I look my age.”
“I’m twenty-seven, how old are you?”
“Twenty-two.” She smiled ruefully.
“Well then, neither of us look our age, I look older, you look younger. People are bound to stare. But at least I’ll get a thumbs up for having a trophy wife.”
“Trophy girlfriend.”
“My mistake.” Not hardly, Seth thought. He’d found her, his instincts never steered him wrong. She was going to be his…permanently.
They shared stories, and she explained how she just finished her master’s degree in archeology, and was planning on pursuing her doctorate. When he expressed his surprise about how young she was, she became uncomfortable. She finally admitted she graduated from high school early, and completed her undergraduate degree in three years.
“So I’m on a date with a genius?”
“Nothing like that. More like you’re on a date with a very driven woman. I’m warning you now, I’m not much fun.” He could see she meant it, and he took her hand.
“Let me be the judge. So far I find you fascinating and I’m enjoying myself immensely.”
“What about you? I can’t imagine your job with the DEA being so flexible they let you take five months off to pursue continuing education.” Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable, and somehow she knew it too.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.”
“No, it’s okay. I was injured in the line of duty, so I had to take some time off. I always wanted to clock more time in these classes, and the bonus is I’m close to my family.”
“It must have been a bad injury.”
“It was.” She was assessing him but she read him correctly and changed the subject.
At eleven p.m. they were asked to leave. Seth didn’t offer to drive Annie to her apartment, instead he said he would walk her back.
“I trust you to drive me, after all you’re in law enforcement.”
“We’ll walk. It’s a pretty night. You’ll hand me your key, allow me to unlock your door. You’ll then let me go into your apartment and make sure it is safe. Then you’ll let me give you a good night kiss. If I do it right you’ll ask for another. Then you will go into your safe apartment, lock your door, and dream of me.”
****
Seth was waiting with donuts and coffee on her front porch the following morning. He’d had a restless night, plagued by dreams of Annie. She came out dressed for another day at the tire store, and she looked adorable.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“Long enough for the coffee to get cold.” He handed her the white sack, and she peered inside.
“Come in, there is still some hot coffee in the kitchen, perfect to go with donuts. How’d you know custard was my favorite?” She was already taking a bite as she pulled out a plate and motioned to the coffee pot.
“Oh my God, this is wonderful.” There was a spot of custard on the side of her mouth, and he pulled her close, and licked it off. “Oh this is wonderful too,” she said as she pulled him closer. The coffee forgotten as they indulged themselves in the flavors of custard and each other. He finally broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.
“I dreamt of you Annie.”
“I had vivid dreams too, unlike any others. I didn’t want to wake up.” She looked at him through her lashes.
“What did you dream?”
“I’m not telling.” Seth laughed. He bent and started whispering his dreams in her ear, until she finally pushed him away. “Enough.”
“Sound familiar?” Seth saw her look of disbelief, and then she gave a shaky laugh.
“I think we both have overactive libidos, that’s what I think. Now do you want your coffee or not?”
“Annie?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Are there anymore donuts?” Just how alike had their dreams been he wondered.
Between his school schedule and her work schedules, he only saw her in the mornings. Every day he would tell himself not to show up the next day, it would be best to slow things down, but then he would dream of her. As dawn broke he would find himself on her doorstep with bagels or breakfast sandwiches.
On Saturday morning Annie flung open the door dressed in a sundress with her hair down and a bright smile on her face. “I made breakfast.”
“You don’t have time for a sit down breakfast.”
“I took today off.”
“Annie Newman, may I take you out to lunch, and then take you out to dinner?”
“Seth Natani, I would love that.” God, she looked wonderful. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “But first breakfast, I made enough for an army, or a hungry DEA agent.”
She grabbed his hand, and led him into her tiny dining room. “Now sit down while I bring in the food.”
He watched as she brought in everything like she was an experienced waitress, he raised an eyebrow. “Yep, I worked in a diner one summer.” She wasn’t kidding the plates she put in front of him were loaded with food.
“My God, are these real scones?”
“Yep, made from scratch, no package mix for my man.” His head jerked up as her hand clamped over her mouth.
“There’s no way I’m letting you take it back.” He pulled her towards him. “You’ve been my woman since our first cup of coffee.” He settled her down onto his lap.
Annie looked into his eyes, and he lost himself in the emerald depths. “Really?”
“Really. Now let’s get your energy up for a fun filled day.” He picked up a piece of pineapple and put it up against her lips, groaning as she wrapped her lips around the juicy piece of fruit and delicately took a bite. When she was done he licked her shiny lips. Then fed himself a chunk of pineapple delighting when she kissed him.
Breakfast was a long affair and left him breathless, especially as she squirmed in his lap. He saw both her embarrassment and excitement as she felt his erection against her delectable ass. He pressed upwards just a bit and she gasped.
“Uhmm. I need to tell you something.”
“Anything sweets. Do you want some more scone?”
He loved the deep kisses flavored with raspberry and cream. She pushed at his chest and looked at him, her eyes suddenly serious. “I’m not experienced.” Seth stopped reaching for the pastry, seeing her nervousness, and his stomach clenched in empathy.
“You’re a virgin?”
She hesitated and then nodded. “I didn’t mean to be, it just happened.”
He laughed. “Honey, it doesn’t just happen for women, you’re too beautiful not to have had plenty of opportunities.”
“Yes, well, none that,” her voice trailed off as she buried her face in his chest. He couldn’t hear her last words. Seth stroked her silken curls.
“Sweetheart, what did you say?”
She looked back up at him and whispered. “None of them were you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I
really don’t want to go out to lunch, I would prefer to stay here today.”
“That’s an awfully big step, we have time.” Seth’s mouth was suddenly dry, and he clutched Annie closer to him, and felt a tremble in her slight body.
“I know what I want.”
“I’m not prepared. I didn’t bring anything to protect you.”
“I took care of that.” She started pressing a string of languid kisses along his neck, and his cock got impossibly harder. He needed to be sure she was with him. Seth smoothed his hand under the hem of her coral dress, relishing the silken skin of her legs. Annie parted her thighs in welcome, and he felt the heat and moisture of her satin panties. She jumped as he pushed aside the gusset and slowly swept his middle finger through her wet folds.
“Easy.” She felt like the warmed cream they just indulged in. What would she taste like?
He slid his finger up and down her slit relishing her trembling sighs and awkward movements as she tried to get closer. Finally she clamped her thighs shut capturing his hand.
“I need more.”
Seth pulled his hand out from between her legs and sucked his finger into his mouth, loving her transfixed expression. He picked her up and carried her the short way to the bedroom. When he stood her next to the bed she untied the halter at the back of her neck.
“Let me.” He wanted to undress her, touch all of her, and make her feel cherished. He brushed back her hair, caressed the nape of her neck as he undid the bow, and drew the fabric of her dress down, baring her breasts.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, as he traced the back of his fingers down the slope of her breast until he reached her puckered tip. She lifted up towards his touch.
Seth saw the slight tremor in his hand, and knew he needed to lie down with her in his arms. He moved his hands downwards, and slipped the dress over her hips, taking her panties with it. He took a brief moment to pull the covers back on the freshly made bed, then he lifted her once again and placed against the mint colored sheets.
“Uhm, the,” she waved her hand towards the nightstand. He smiled down at her.
“It’ll be awhile before we need the uhms.” Annie gave him a look of confusion.
Forsaken (The Found Book 2) Page 12
