by B. B. Hamel
“What, retarded?” He laughs. “Whatever, Alzheimer’s, retarded, I don’t care.”
Real fear jolts through me. He glances down at the phone in my hand and cocks his head to one side. “What are you doing?” he asks me.
“Nothing.” I quickly put my phone into my pocket.
He watches me for a second before smiling again. “You should be happy I’m here. I did you a favor. And now I’m cooking you dinner.”
“I don’t want your food,” I say. “And my dad can’t have spaghetti. He might choke.”
He stares at me, his face going blank. “That’s very rude of you, Mia.”
“It’s very rude of you to barge in here like this. Seriously, Caleb, it’s really creepy.”
“Creepy?” He laughs. “I don’t give a fuck. You agreed to my deal, which means I can do whatever I want with you.”
I stare at him for a second, pulse pounding in my ears. This is my moment, but I’m so afraid. I’m a freaking coward, I realize. Caleb is terrifying and creepy and dangerous, and I need to end this with him right now, but I’m afraid. He might try to hurt me or my father.
But I got us into this and it’s up to me to get us out. I have to be brave and step up. Maybe I would have rolled over and let him do this to me at one point in my life, but I’m stronger now, and I’m starting to learn what I really want out of life.
“I don’t want your deal,” I say to him softly.
“What’s that?” He grins at me. “I didn’t hear you.”
“The deal is off,” I say more loudly, standing up straight. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Caleb. Get out of my house, get out of my life, and leave me alone.”
I take a deep breath, keeping my face serious. I feel good about myself that I just stood up to him. He cocks his head at me, looking at me strangely, but I’m not backing down. I know I’m in the right here.
He steps toward me, his face suddenly totally blank. “Why did you have Lucas beat up my brother?” he asks.
I blink at him, surprised. “What?”
“Your little pet, Lucas. He nearly killed my brother. Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, and I feel that icy chill of fear run down my spine again.
“You fucking bitch.” He starts walking toward me, and I just turn and run.
He comes after me.
“You dumb fucking bitch!” he screams, rage on his face. “You hurt my brother, you and your fucking pussy friend Lucas. You can’t get out of this deal, you goddamn whore. I fucking own you!” His eyes are wide and the rage on his face terrifies me.
I run from him. He chases me through the living room, around the coffee table, and back through the kitchen. I manage to get past him again as he screams at me, insult after insult, each one worse than the next. I run for the front door, heart hammering, not knowing what to do. I’m afraid he’s going to kill me and my father, and I want to lead him outside.
I throw the door open and get out onto the front porch. But he catches up with me, grabs my arms, and spins me around.
“You stupid cunt!” he screams, and backhands me across the face.
Pain flares up as I fall to the ground. He stares down at me, anger twisting his face into a mask of horror.
“You’re dead,” he says to me.
And I believe him.
21
Lucas
I feel like a damn stalker, but I can’t help myself.
It’s around six o’clock and I’m sitting outside of Mia’s house, parked in the street, debating whether or not I want to go inside and talk to her.
I don’t recognize one of the cars in her driveway, and I assume it’s the nurse. I keep telling myself I’ll wait until the nurse leaves, and then go talk to Mia, but I don’t know what I’m really going to do.
I’m hurt, maybe a little angry with her, but I’m starting to see the truth in all this. The Carters are dangerous, goddamn dangerous. I don’t know if Mia can’t see it, or if they somehow are threatening her. Last night showed me the truth of them.
I was underestimating what the Carters are capable of. I never once imagined they’d come to my house, my own fucking house where my goddamn kid lives. I couldn’t believe it, but there he was, that stupid fucking Carter asshole smashing my shit.
Truthfully, I probably deserved it. I did slash his tires out of anger, after all. But he was going to kill me, or at least he was going to try to with his friends. I was lucky I had my gun out and ready, otherwise I don’t know what they would have tried.
I see that moment playing out in my head. I wish I hadn’t slashed those tires, but I can’t go back and change it. That happened and I have to accept that I made a stupid move out of total anger and spite.
That doesn’t mean Mia deserves to get mixed up with these guys. I need to tell her what I did, apologize to her, and hope that she can see the truth of what these men are. I won’t let them hurt her just because of some stupid mistake that I made.
As I’m sitting there, debating what I should do, I suddenly hear it. There’s a commotion in the house. It sounds like someone is yelling, screaming really, and it sounds bad. I take off my seatbelt, not sure what to do. I don’t want to barge in on a private moment. Her father might be having an episode, and I don’t want to embarrass her by barging in.
But that voice sounds familiar, and it sounds angry as hell. I open the door to my truck and step out.
Suddenly, I get that old feeling. It’s the feeling I used to have before a fight, a premonition of sorts. You develop this strange sixth sense after you’ve been around combat for a long time. It’s this strange buzzing feeling in my skull as adrenaline starts to pump, letting me know that something bad is coming, and I better prepare. I guess my body notices unconscious signals all around me, and knows before my conscious mind can understand what’s coming.
Just then, the front door crashes open. Mia comes running out, her eyes wide, but she doesn’t get far. Caleb comes behind her, grabbing her arm. He yells something and then he hits her across the face, knocking her to the ground.
Rage flows through me. Caleb stands over her, saying something else, but I’m beyond thought at this point. I charge over toward them.
Caleb looks up just in time to see my fist slam into his face. He screams and falls back into the house. I follow him, grab his shirt, and then throw him outside onto the front lawn.
Mia watches, her eyes wide, but she doesn’t move to stop me. I punch Caleb once, twice, and then throw him to the ground. He screams in anger and pain and tries to protect himself, but I destroy him, blowing through his defenses. I kick him once, twice, then pull him to his feet again just to punch him in the face a few more times.
When I’m finished, he’s a bloody mess on the ground. He’s not dead, but he’s pretty hurt.
I crouch down next to him. “If you ever come near her again, I’ll fucking murder you,” I say to him. “Do you understand me? I’ll kill you. I won’t hesitate.”
He groans and I assume that means he understands. I move away from him, over to Mia. Her eyes are wide.
“Lucas,” she says. “I’m so sorry.”
I cock my head and crouch down next to her. I gently take her face, looking at it. “You’re going to have a bruise,” I say.
“I’m sorry,” she says again, looking down.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I fucked all this up.”
“No, I did. Caleb’s been blackmailing me, threatening to destroy the nature preserve if I don’t date him. Then he said he’d pay dad’s medical bills, and I thought I could save the preserve and my father all at once, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. I told him that and he lost it.”
She talks fast and I watch her, understanding slowly dawning.
None of this was her idea. She’s been trying to sacrifice herself for those that she loves this whole time. When she finishes, I pull her against me, hugging her tight.
“
You’re safe now,” I say to her. “I promise, you’re safe.”
I hold her that way, shocked at her strength. She was willing to be with this disgusting man in order to get better care for her father and to save the nature preserve. I’ve been through bad shit, done some hard things, but that’s the kind of sacrifice so few people are capable of.
“I couldn’t do it,” she says, starting to cry, and I hold her tight.
“It’s okay,” I say. “It’s going to be okay.”
Meanwhile, Caleb manages to scrape himself from the ground. He limps over to his car, gets inside, and drives off. I watch him go, but I know that’s not the last we’ve seen of him.
Things just got more dangerous. I think she knows it too, but she’s too busy being freaked out over what just happened. She’s probably never been hit by a man before, and she never will again if I have any say in it.
“Come on,” I say to her gently, helping her to her feet. “We need to get out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
“My place,” I say.
“We can’t. My dad.”
I frown. “We’ll bring him.”
She shakes her head. “He doesn’t do well with change. I can’t leave him.”
I nod, looking into her eyes. “Okay then. I’m staying here tonight.”
She looks at me, biting her lip. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside.” I glance around, suddenly aware that her neighbors probably saw what just happened. I lead her back inside. “Sit down,” I say.
“Cooking,” she says, sitting on the couch. “Caleb was cooking.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
I go into the kitchen and find the meal Caleb was cooking. I throw the whole thing away before ordering a pizza.
When it arrives, we eat at the table. I can tell Mia is completely distracted and upset, and I try to draw her out in conversation. I ask her about her father, and she talks about him a little bit, but I know she’s upset.
When we finish eating, we watch her father’s shows again, and then she takes him back into his room for a bath. I wait out in the living room while they do their routine, not wanting to get in the way. I call Alice and let her know that I won’t be home tonight, telling her that I’m staying with Mia. She’s pretty excited and I don’t bother to tell her the details.
After about an hour, Mia comes back out. She stands in front of me, wearing just a tight t-shirt and some shorts. She bits her lips. “My dad’s in bed,” she says. “Asleep.”
I stand up and step toward her. “It’s going to be okay,” I say to her.
“How do you know that?”
I walk over, take her in my arms, and look in her eyes. “Because I’m here now.”
I kiss her deeply and passion flares up between us.
I know this is what I want. I can’t deny it or pretend anymore. The Carters aren’t going to get in the way of what I need. I’m going to take it and own it, because that’s the kind of man I am.
22
Mia
When Lucas kisses me, suddenly all of my worries slip out the back of my mind. Maybe that’s silly, since I was just beaten by one man today, but I can’t help myself.
He was going to kill me. I saw it in his eyes. If Lucas hadn’t been outside, I don’t know what would have happened to me. Caleb probably would have beaten me into a bloody pulp and then killed my father.
But he didn’t, because Lucas was there.
I don’t know why Lucas hasn’t run away yet. I’ve done nothing but hurt him and push him away, even though I want him so badly. I’ve been so stupid this whole time. Lucas is the only strong thing in my life, the only good thing, and he still wants me. I don’t really understand why, because I haven’t done anything to deserve it. I’m afraid of what it means.
But as soon as he kisses me, none of that matters.
It’s pure desire that floods through me. I remember what he said to me that afternoon out in the preserve, the way he made my body feel, everything about him. It all comes flooding back, making my body tingle with desire. My pussy is dripping wet as I taste him, loving his strong hands and mouth and everything about him.
Lucas is so handsome, I can barely breathe. I let him pull my small body against his large, muscular frame. He kisses me deeply, and I know what I want.
I don’t think. I drop to my knees, looking up at him as I fumble with his belt. He smirks at me, his hands in my hair.
“You’re impatient,” he says.
I don’t respond. I finish taking off his belt and I tug his jeans and boxer briefs down, revealing his hard cock. “You look impatient, too,” I say, taking him in my hand.
He smirks at me and leans forward. He tips my head back and kisses me long and deep. “If you want this fucking cock, you better say what I want to hear,” he whispers.
“You’re my Daddy.” I stare into his eyes and we both know it’s true.
“That’s right. You’re mine. This tight cunt is mine. Your perfect lips are mine. Everything about you is mine. I’ll take care of you, make you feel good.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I say, slowly beginning to stroke him.
I lean forward and take his cock between my lips. I start to suck him as best I can, but he’s so big that he barely fits into my mouth. I slowly slide down his shaft, tasting him, and he presses me down further.
I suppress a gag as he slides into my throat. I can’t believe I’m able to take so much of him into my mouth. I start to suck him faster, his hands on the back of my head, controlling me, pulling my hair. I’m soaking wet at this point and totally mindless. The only thing I can think of is his cock between my lips and how badly I want to keep sucking him dry.
I work up and down his shaft, moving faster. He grunts and groans softly which only encourages me more.
“Spread those legs,” he says. “I want to watch you touch your little pussy while you suck on my cock.”
I moan as I do as he commands. I spread my legs and slide my hand down the front of my shorts. I begin to play with myself, rubbing my wet clit in circles as I suck him. Pleasure rocks through me, and I can’t believe I’m doing this for him, but it feels so natural and good.
“That’s right, touch that pussy for me, you dirty girl,” he says. “I’m your fucking Daddy now, and you do as Daddy says.”
I moan with his cock between my lips. It comes out as a stifled noise as he presses my mouth down further, sliding into my throat again. He starts to fuck my face like that, cock sliding in and out of my lips, pushing deeper into my throat and pulling back. I groan, loving the way he takes me, does what he wants with me. He’s so confident, controlling, and gorgeous. I can’t help it.
He takes me by the hair suddenly and stands me up. I gasp as he tears my shirt off and kisses my neck. My breasts are bare as he teases my nipples with his tongue and mouth. He moves me over to the couch and pushes me down, spreading my legs wide.
He drops down to his knees and pulls my shorts and my panties off. I’m totally naked, absolutely exposed, and he pulls his shirt off, too. He’s ripped and covered in tattoos. I don’t get a chance to stare at him long, though, before he drops down between my legs and slowly licks me bottom to top.
“Delicious,” he says. “Goddamn, girl. Do you know what you fucking do to me?” He spreads my legs wider and presses two fingers deep inside of me. I gasp a little, biting my lip, gripping the cushions.
“I like every drop of you,” he says. “You’re my fucking girl now.” He starts to suck and lick at my clit as his fingers slide in and out.
I gasp and stifle my moans, trying to be quiet. We can’t be too loud, because my father is in the other room, but I’m losing my mind from pleasure and I can barely think. I grab Lucas’s hair and grip it tight as he sucks and licks my clit, fucking my pussy with his fingers, working me and pushing me. He’s so strong and commanding, I can barely control myself. I can already feel sweat sliding down my skin and
he licks it up, kissing my inner thighs as his fingers slide in and out of me.
“Do you even understand what you do to me?” he asks, looking up as he slides his fingers inside of me. “Those fucking lips, those perfect tits, everything about you makes me fucking crazy.” He reaches up and takes my hair with his free hand as he presses his fingers deep into me.
“I’m your fucking Daddy and I’m going to protect you. Understand?”
“Yes, Lucas,” I moan.
“No, not Lucas.
“Yes, Daddy.” I gasp as he pulls my hair harder then kisses my lips. A little pain and a little sweetness. It feels so freaking good I can’t stand it.
He pulls his fingers back then grabs my hips. He turns me, putting my knees onto the couch, my elbows on the back of it, and spread my legs wide. He grabs my hips and I feel his cock behind me, teasing my pussy, as he grabs my hair.
“Goddamn, I love this ass, girl,” he says, and then thrusts himself deep inside.
I gasp, taking him into my pussy. He spreads me, tears me apart, fills me. Pleasure and pain mix in my mind and for a second, I’m not even sure where I am.
Slowly he starts to thrust into me, his cock sliding easily into my soaking wet pussy. I love the sound of him slapping against my ass. He begins to fuck me harder, holding tight onto my hair.
“Go ahead, ride that fucking cock,” he says. “Show me how dirty you can be for Daddy.”
I look over my shoulder then buck back against him, using the couch as leverage. I slam my ass back down along his cock, working my back, jerking my ass back. I take every single inch of him, amazed that my pussy could even handle a cock like his, but it feels so fucking good.
He slaps my ass, nice and hard. “You love this, you fucking filthy girl,” he says. “You love getting fucked by Daddy. You want me to come on that pretty little face of yours?”
“Whatever Daddy wants,” I moan, still riding him, sweating with the exertion and loving it.
