by Ravenna Tate
“I didn’t save anything on it,” she said. “That was to protect him. But you might be able to get something off it anyway.” She took a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Delia. “This is the address where’s he living, and this is the name he’s been using since he faked his death.”
Delia glanced over the notes in the file from which she’d pulled the photo. “Says here you told us the person in the photo was Jagger Tyrell.”
“She was coerced into giving you false information by Tony Vaccaro, AKA Samuel Anderson,” said Tim.
“Is this true?” Delia narrowed her eyes at Carolyn.
“Yes.”
“And he’s your uncle?”
“Yes. My mother’s brother.”
“Why did you lie for him?”
“I didn’t know it was a lie when I told the detective that was Jagger in the photo. My uncle convinced me it was.”
“Okay, but why you? Why didn’t he call it in anonymously or something?”
That was the million dollar question. Carolyn sighed loudly. “He’s family. I can’t explain it any better than that. I’ve trusted him all my life.”
“But now you know it’s a lie?”
“It has to be,” said Jagger. “Because I wasn’t there.”
“Why did he lie to you?” asked Delia, her gaze still on Carolyn.
“I don’t know that. He wouldn’t tell me who told him it was Jagger.”
“Tony was one of the men who pulled the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco robbery in 1998,” said Tim, cocking his thumb to his left. “Along with this man, Jagger Tyrell. All the men have the same tattoo, in the same place.”
So Delia could see his neck, Jagger moved his ponytail aside.
“We believe Tony might have tried to coerce Carolyn into framing Jagger to throw the track off him and the men he pulled this recent job with.”
“But why would we look at him if we thought he was dead?”
“You wouldn’t, unless you looked at the other men he did this with.”
“And who are these other men you believe he pulled this job with?” asked Delia.
“We aren’t entirely sure,” said Jagger. He told Delia about the call he’d received from Nate, and showed her the number he’d been calling from. “I haven’t heard from any of them in years. This came out of the blue, so I saved the number.”
“How do I know you weren’t in on this particular job, Mr. Tyrell?” Delia jotted down notes as she asked the question.
“These are the tapes from Jagger’s building for the past month.” Tim pushed a DVD case toward Delia. “They show him coming and going at specific times, and they show him in the elevator within seconds of those times. There is also a freight elevator, and you’ll find no evidence of him using it. There are no entrances or exits to the building without a camera facing them, and there’s a doorman and a security staff who all know him and are willing to testify that he never snuck out of the building, or snuck back inside.”
After eyeing Tim for a few seconds, Delia cut her gaze toward Carolyn and smirked. “And is Miss Lucchesi on these tapes as well?”
“Only for the past eight days,” said Jagger.
Delia took the DVD case and placed it on top of the papers. Then she made more notes. “Have any of you been contacted by the FBI?”
“No,” said Jagger, “but there’s been a white van with this license plate number parked across the street from my building for about a week now.” He handed Delia the slip of paper. “I would have traced it, but that’s illegal.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a droll look before turning toward a computer on the desk behind her. Once she booted it up and clicked around for a few moments, she frowned.
A nasty shiver ran down Jagger’s back. “What did you find?”
“Whoever’s in the van is not FBI. I’ll let Traffic know to check out why it’s still parked there. Any idea how many people are in it?”
“We can’t see inside. The windows are tinted.”
“Don’t approach it. Let us take care of it.”
A glance passed between Jagger and Carolyn. She looked so relieved it was only then that Jagger finally realized how worried she’d been about the van. It was thanks to her suggesting it might not be the FBI that now something would be done about it.
While Delia was on the phone for nearly an hour in the squad room, Jagger, Carolyn, and Tim had to wait in the office. When Delia returned, she told them they could leave. “And I meant what I said about that van. Steer clear of it.”
“They will,” said Tim, placing one hand on Jagger’s shoulder and another on Carolyn’s. “You have my card if you need anything further from these two.”
As Tim led them out of the station, Jagger let go of the fear he’d been holding inside. He’d been sure there for a moment or two that they’d pushed their luck by doing this. Once outside, Tim asked them again to stay away from the van, and they both assured him they would.
“Carolyn, please tell me you don’t have any more fake dead relatives with records.”
“No. I don’t.”
Jagger swore he felt her discomfort. “Tim, for fuck’s sake. Her parents died in a car crash when she was fifteen.”
“I’m so sorry.” Tim looked horrified. Jagger wished he hadn’t jumped down the poor guy’s throat quite so much. “I had no idea.”
“You couldn’t have known,” she said.
“Let’s hope this is the end of it.” Tim shook hands with Jagger and Carolyn before he left.
Once Jagger and Carolyn were back in the apartment, Jagger pulled her close. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
“I’m not.” She kissed his shirt.
“You’re kidding.” Jagger grinned at the tone of her voice.
When Carolyn brushed her hands over his ass, his dick jumped to attention. “I never kid about sex.” She took his hand and tugged on it. “Come on.”
“We’d be just as comfortable here.”
“Yeah, but all your toys are upstairs. It’s been a week since you spanked me like you meant it.”
“Oh … well, fuck me sideways. Let’s go.” He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, delighting in her squeals. He wasn’t tired now. Once upstairs, he dropped her on his bed and strolled across the room, stripping off his clothes as he went. He could hear her behind him, taking off hers, too. She was always so ready for this, and he found it incredibly flattering that a woman her age, and as fucking beautiful as she was, found him alluring enough to fuck him into next week.
After removing the condoms and lube from his dresser, he looked over the toy collection. Last time, he’d used the spanking glove and a strap. This time, he wanted something different. Something she’d remember for longer than a few days.
When he turned with the items in hand and gazed at Carolyn’s naked body, his cock grew rock hard in seconds. Jagger was struck once more with the realization he had fallen hard for this amazing girl. She wanted a relationship with him, which he supposed they had now. But was it possible she’d want more one day? Did he want that?
“What do you have there?” she asked, eying the paddle.
As he advanced toward her, he grinned. “Your pretty round ass is about to find out.” His heart pounded at the look of unbridled desire in her eyes. Yeah. He wanted more. Much more. It was the first time in his life he’d ever felt that way, or wanted something more permanent than a few blissful weeks of sex.
The only problem was that Jagger didn’t know whether to feel relieved that it had finally happened, or scared shitless that when she found out, she’d bolt.
Chapter Nineteen
Like a big cat stalking its prey, Jagger advanced toward her. That’s what she was to him. That’s all she’d ever be. His conquest. The thing he’d won. She knew that. But the truth was that she had fallen for this guy, and in a big way. In a way she’d never allowed herself to feel before. And there wasn’t one damn thing she could do about it.<
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“It has holes in it.” Her pussy contracted in spasms as she imagined that long, thick paddle smashing down on her ass.
“All the better to inflict pain on your luscious backside, my dear.”
That gruff voice, meant to imitate the wolf in a fairytale, made Carolyn laugh. He was so damn charismatic. She’d been swept along in his wake, and was now powerless to stop the forward motion. She had told him she wanted a relationship, because the truth was that she wanted much more than sex with him. She wanted him in her life, every day, all day long.
“This is going to hurt, Carolyn.” He sat beside her, rubbing the leather paddle against her legs.
“I know.” Her pussy was soaked, and every nerve ending was on fire for this man.
“I can’t get enough of you.” Jagger brushed the paddle over her breasts before tapping her nipples with it. She gasped in shock. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t use this on such a delicate area.”
Instead he spread her legs, brushing his hands over her wet slit. “This, however, is a definite possibility.” When he tapped her pussy with the paddle, she moaned loudly.
So many emotions rose to the surface. They made Carolyn want to giggle and cry at the same time. Making love with Jagger was incredible, even without the play. He was so damn sexy, and he approached everything with such passion. She’d never met an ex-con who talked like he did, read so much, or listened to classical music. Jagger was a cultured, intelligent person who liked to have fun. If she could have conjured up the perfect man, he was it.
“Where did you go just now?” He was watching her face carefully.
“No place.” She smiled, rose to her knees, and grasped his dick in both hands. “I’m right here.” She gently stroked up and down the length, loving the way his eyes went all soft and his jaw slack.
“Carolyn, you’re distracting me.”
“No shit.”
Fresh desire washed over her as he pulled her hair. “Bad girl.”
The tone of his voice made her shiver. This was what she loved from him. This animalistic control. Before she could process what he’d done, Jagger had her bent over the edge of the bed, her feet barely touching the floor. One strong arm was across her lower back, and his hand still held her hair.
“Bad girls get paddled.”
The paddle came down across both cheeks, and she yelled loudly. The fucker burned like mad, and she almost told him it was too intense, but then he flipped her onto her back. “Spread those pretty legs, Carolyn, and hold onto your ankles.”
Once she did as he asked, Jagger pulled the elastic band holding his pony tail off and held it up, stretching it to its full width. “I need a couple of these, only bigger.”
“In my room, I have head bands for when I work out.”
“Do you now?” He scooted off the bed. “Do not move. I’ll be right back.”
This was wonderful, and it was enough for now. Carolyn closed her eyes and smiled. She’d never pushed a relationship to be more than it was, mainly because there had been so few she’d given a shit about. With Jagger, she wanted to please him. She wanted him to like her. She wasn’t used to being this needy about a man, and when she thought about it long enough, it gave her a sense of being off balance. As if things should be the other way around, where he was the one trying to win her approval.
But Jagger Tyrell wasn’t the kind of man who needed anyone’s approval, and Carolyn had to admit that was part of his charm. That confidence and his “I don’t give a shit what you think of me” attitude were part of what had drawn her to him.
“You can’t have it both ways,” she whispered. Too true. Either she had to accept him as he was and take what she could from this relationship, or she had to walk away.
Well, she wasn’t going to walk away. She knew that much. She was in this for the long haul, only Carolyn had the impression Jagger would be the one to define that length of time, not her.
“Good girl.”
She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. How long had he been lurking in the hallway, watching her? “You told me not to move.”
“And for that you get a reward.” He grinned and held up two of her head bands. After he wrapped the bands around her wrist and ankle on each side, he tested them to make sure they weren’t too tight. “Now you’re my prisoner. You can’t get away.”
“Oh no! Please don’t hurt me!”
Soft laughter filled the space between them. “Carolyn, I swear I’ve never had this much fun with anyone.”
“Neither have I.” Her heart nearly burst from joy.
They locked gazes for long moments. Her pulse raced as Jagger leaned over and kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth. She loved that she was spread-eagle like this, at his mercy. It sent tiny contractions to her clit and forced loud moans from her throat.
When he released the kiss, he tortured her with long, slow licks over her nipples, followed by light taps with the paddle. Carolyn whimpered and shook her head back and forth as her need built. This was fucking exquisite, and she never wanted it to end.
“Do you have any idea how stunning you look right now?” He brushed the paddle over her soaking wet slit. “Like a fucking goddess, with that hair spread out and your body exposed like this.”
There were no words. All she could do was lie there and gaze into those beautiful blue eyes. He needed a shave, and that combined with his loose hair gave him a dangerous look that sent shivers up and down her spine. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t give this man.
“You’re so wet for me.” Jagger licked her labia, then sucked hard on her clit, but he stopped short of letting her come. Damn man knew he was doing it, too. She could see the wicked humor in his eyes every time his gaze met hers.
“Like I can help getting so wet. All I have to do is look at you and I’m soaked.”
“I’m flattered I do that for you.” He slid two fingers into her pussy.
“Jagger, you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met.”
As he finger fucked her, Jagger bent his head and licked her clit again. Carolyn contracted her pussy walls around his fingers in an effort to bring on her climax, but his low chuckle told her that wasn’t going to happen yet. He lifted his head and held up the paddle. “What do you think, bad girl? Should I punish your pretty pussy for being so juicy, wet, and tasty?”
Excitement coursed through her like fire as she nodded. “Yes, please.” She’d never needed anyone’s touch like she needed Jagger’s. He tapped her pussy with the paddle quickly, the strikes becoming more forceful each time. Carolyn flexed her Kegel muscles, trying again to bring on the orgasm, but he stopped before she could do so.
“Damn it, Jagger!”
Jagger laughed, then kissed her again. “I’ll let you come. Be patient.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Oh really? You think it’s easy holding off this long?”
Before she had time to process his movements, Jagger positioned himself between her legs and plunged his dick into her. Carolyn cried out in pleasure as the climax washed over her. Jagger groaned loudly as he thrust hard and deep, gazing down at her with raw lust in his eyes.
“Damn, infuriating woman! You make it impossible to hold back.”
It was over far too quickly, and he still hadn’t come. How did he have such self-control? After he withdrew, he removed the head bands from her wrists and ankles. “Time to paddle your lovely ass, bad girl, for making me lose control like that.”
The realization he’d just fucked her without first putting on a condom hit her like a blast of cold air. She swallowed hard. Did he realize it, too? She doubted it, if the way he flipped her over and pinned her with one arm was any indication.
“I can’t wait to see these red and puffy again.” He rubbed her ass cheeks before scooting her toward the edge of the bed. Once there, he secured her ankles with the head bands by tying them together. “Now you’re mine again.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I am.”
It’s all right. You’re on the pill.
And she’d been taking them regularly.
There was no more time to think about what had just happened, because the paddle came down across her ass cheeks, hard. And it fucking hurt as much as she’d imagined it would. It took mere seconds for the pain to reach a crazy level of intensity, but at the same time the most exquisite pleasure she’d ever felt coursed through her.
There was nothing except Jagger’s scent, his sexy moans, the sound of that paddle, and the searing fire that accompanied each swat. Tears ran down her face, and soft whimpers escaped her throat. She floated away, and when he stopped she was surprised again, just as she’d been last time.
A familiar scent wafted past her nose. She knew that smell. It was the salve he’d given her. “Fucking gorgeous. You should see this.” Jagger rubbed the cream into the wounds he’d just made, and before she was even back in her own body, his dick was inside her pussy once more.
He fucked her slowly this time. Carolyn had no clue if he’d put on a condom. She was lost in the erotic sensations, and when she came again, he fucked her harder until his own cries joined hers.
Their breathing was still quick and ragged by the time Jagger untied her ankles and pulled her onto the bed, gathering her in his strong arms. Carolyn closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat. She should say something, but she didn’t want to spoil this. Her entire body still quivered with desire for this man.
“That was amazing,” he said. “Feels so damn much better bare backed.”
So he did know. “Thought you said you always used them, regardless?”
“Do you mind that I didn’t? I was lost in the moment.”
“It’s all right. I’m on the pill.”
“I trust you, Carolyn.” Jagger kissed her hair softly.
What did that mean? That he trusted her not to get pregnant, or that he trusted her to be disease-free?
“And even if you weren’t, it’s okay.”
What? Carolyn pulled out of his embrace and sat up, staring down into his face. “Excuse me?”
