by A. L Long
With a filled champagne glass in each hand, I sauntered over to the leather couch where Charlie was watching my every movement. Taking a seat beside her, I handed her a glass and said, “Cheers,” as I watched her face light up with a perfect smile.
A small cough escaped her throat, no doubt caused by the bubbles. I tapped lightly on her back until she was able to gain control of her attack. Looking at me in a shy, embarrassed manner, she apologized in a childlike voice, “Sorry. I’ve never had champagne before.”
I guess I never realized just how living in a small town had its downfalls. From today on, I was going to make sure she experienced everything there was to see in a big city that she would never be able to in a small town. Not that she wouldn’t be able to experience what I was about to show her in a small town, but experiencing this, here, right now, would never compare. Taking the glass from her hand, I set it down on the glass coffee table next to mine. Shifting my body towards hers, I lifted her body onto mine in one swift move so that her ass was pressing against my thighs. Laying her backwards, I snaked my hand between her legs, underneath the hem of her dress. The silky touch of her skin beneath my hand brought life to my cock, making it almost unbearable as it began to pulsate against the fabric of my jeans. Her hand came to my face, stroking my cheek tenderly before circling my neck and pulling my head toward her lips. The taste of champagne still lingered on her lips, intoxicating my senses. Wrapping her in my arms, I held her tightly as I plunged deeper into the depths of her very being. I wasn’t sure what had come over me, but it was like my body was going through withdrawals, needing more of her to satisfy my addiction. With unbridled restraint, my hands were struggling to remove every stitch of clothing that kept me from seeing her beauty.
Her inability to control her own desire matched mine as she ignored the fact that I was wearing a button-down shirt. She pulled it open, unaware that one by one, the buttons were sent soaring in every direction. In one forward motion, I lifted her from the couch and carried her, embracing her warmth as I walked to the master bedroom. The cream color of the comforter enhanced the sun-kissed softness of her skin as I gently eased her on the bed. There was a soft murmur as her body hit the cool fabric, which caused her back to arch and the small temples of her nipples to extend upward. Captivated by her sheer beauty, I lowered my body and my mouth fell upon the taut bud as it coaxed me to consume it.
Unable to tame my own desire for this woman, I shed the rest of my clothes, wanting only to feel the heat of her skin pressed to mine. Before I could stop my need to consume her, my shaft was at her entrance, slowly making its way inside her channel. Not even the commands from above could replace what I had felt. My control was taken by the depths of her warmth as she pulled me deeper and deeper inside. She had unlocked something inside me that no other woman could. The beat of my heart quickened and a surge of pleasure exploded through my veins as we found the tempo that bound our bodies together. Releasing my seed deep within her, my body tumbled with a fiery sensation. I could feel the involuntary tremors of her own pleasure coat my member with her sweetness. With her body close to mine, I kissed her lightly on the forehead and watched as she fell asleep. It was then that I realized that God had a plan and that plan was for us to be together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Charlie
We only had one day together before Ryan was introduced to Morris Gallo. It didn’t matter how hard Ryan tried to calm my nerves, there was nothing that he could do. I had this tight feeling in my stomach that something bad was going to happen. I could feel Ryan’s arms wrap around me as I stood staring out the window, not giving any thought to the people that looked like little ants making their way through a maze. It was only when Ryan kissed the back of my head that I switched my focus to him. Turning in his arms, I wrapped my arms around his slim waist and pulled him towards me. His scent filled my nostrils as I planted my face in his firm chest.
All I knew was that I didn’t want this moment to end. I wanted to stay just like this. I wanted time to stand still, and never move forward to tomorrow. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my head as he said, “How about we get out of here?”
I was ready to do anything. As much as I loved this suite, I was more than ready to escape. Leaving the comfort of his arms, I nodded my head in agreement. “Where are we going?” At that point it really didn’t matter where we went as long as we were together.
“I want to go back to Willow Crossing. Since that was the place that Josh loved most, I think it’s only right that we find a tree to replace the one that was destroyed.” The way he spoke, I knew this was important to him as he continued. “Peter has already made arrangements to have his plaque replaced, and the other guys are installing additional surveillance cameras around the perimeter of the shop. If anyone so much as touches Josh’s memorial, they will have Jagged Edge to contend with.”
Heading out, Ryan thought it was best to ask Ash if he could borrow his truck for the day so that he could haul the tree back, should he be fortunate enough to find one. As we drove down Park, I noticed all the business people dressed in pristine suits and dresses. Gawking at how professional they all looked, I wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn’t dropped out of school to help support my parents. So many times, I thought about getting my GED and taking a few college classes on the days that I had off. Just like everything else, something always came up that seemed to be more important than my future, at least where my mom and dad were concerned. A little bit of jealousy sunk in and it was then that I promised myself that I was no longer going to put this off. When this thing with my brother was over and done with, I was going to get my GED and make something of my life.
****
After we picked up Ash’s truck we headed out of the city. I had to smile at Ryan as he thumped the steering wheel with his thumbs to the beat of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” playing on the radio. This had been the most I had seen him relaxed for a long time. He actually was even more handsome now than before, if that was at all possible.
His beautiful browns met mine, accompanied with a shit-eating grin. I knew the minute he said, “Hope you like what you see,” he had caught me staring at him. Personally, I didn’t think it was a stare as much as it was me trying to figure him out.
“I do. More than you will ever know,” I replied, leaning over the console and giving him a tender, affectionate kiss on the cheek, with a little mischief in my voice that I am sure he picked up by the way his smile lit up his face.
The ride was a lot shorter than the last time we drove here. It must have been because of the circumstances that made the trip not only shorter time wise, but also more enjoyable. We were both so on edge the first time we drove up that I hadn’t paid attention the beautiful scenery around us. How could I have missed the water flowing from the rock walls that had been carved away in order to make the road? Rolling down my window, I turned the radio down and listened for the sound of the water slapping against the rock wall before it settled into the small stream that was flowing in the opposite direction that we were traveling. The sound reminded me of one of those inspirational CD’s that I heard about on TV that was supposed to relax the mind and ultimately let me forget about all my worries. With the warm breeze on my face and the sound of the water, I didn’t notice that we were almost to the small retreat.
I looked over to Ryan, aware of the tension in his face and the tightness of his jaw muscles as he stopped the truck. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea. Even though he had fond memories of this place as a child, what happened here only a few weeks ago was nothing short of heartbreaking. Feeling the pain steal every shred of happiness from his body, I took hold of him and uttered, “Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea, Ryan.”
It was like my words passed by him. His thoughts were so far away that not even the loud horn honking behind us could take him out of the place he was currently in. “Ryan,” I called out, hoping I could break his trance. “We n
eed to go.”
When we began moving again, my eyes studied the car behind us, noticing that an inappropriate finger gesture was staring back at me. What was with the people in New York? Certainly, they aren’t all assholes. I could have been just as rude and showed him how I felt about his arrogant display. It was a good thing that Ryan’s thoughts were somewhere else instead of what was going on behind him.
Passing the main house and the guest cabins, Ryan headed straight for the lake. It was hard to believe that this place was business as usual even after what happened. There was no indication that something bad had taken place only a few weeks ago. All of the visitors were enjoying their stay either by cascading along the smooth water with their tiny boats or fishing on the banks hoping to catch the big one. When Ryan came to a stop, I opened my door and was greeted with a somewhat cool breeze that was coming off the water. While I was busy taking in the fresh air, Ryan had pulled down the tailgate and was unloading the items we needed in order to dig up that one special tree. I had found out before we left that the owners of the resort were kind enough to donate a tree on Josh’s behalf after what had happened.
With everything that we needed, we headed to the wooded area in search for the perfect tree. Ryan was in front of me and I was having a hard time keeping up with his pace. While he was walking, I was pretty much jogging behind him. Stopping for a moment to catch my breath, I bent over and placed my hands on my knees and cried out, “Ryan, wait.”
As I caught my breath, he was beside me in an instant. “Come on, Charlie, we need to hurry.” His eyes narrowed as I gave him a confused look.
“Hurry for what?” I asked.
“Them,” he replied, pointing behind me.
In the distance, I could barely see what he was pointing at. Two men had pulled up beside Ash’s truck. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but it seemed whatever they wanted, it concerned Ryan. Looking his way, I asked, “What do you think they want?”
“I don’t know, but I am not sticking around to find out,” Ryan answered.
Taking my hand, Ryan began forging forward through the trees, keeping the truck and the men in sight. Having a better view, I could tell that the men went to the back of their truck and pulled out what appeared to be a shovel and a bucket. It was then that Ryan realized who these men were. As we made our way back to the truck, the men came into view. Just as we had them in our sights, they had us in theirs. When we met up with them and introductions were made, it turned out that they were only here to help Ryan with the tree once he had found it. It was funny how things sometimes could be misconstrued as trouble.
****
After we had found the perfect tree, Ryan had this crazy idea about going for a swim. I pretty much refused, considering that I didn’t have a suit and skinny dipping wasn’t an option for me with all the spectators around. My argument was soon lost when Ryan suggested I swim in my bra and panties. His point being, no one would know the difference since they were too far away to see anything. It was rather hot and a dip in the water would be amazing. Living on the wild side for once, I began removing my clothes and joined Ryan in the water.
Walking cautiously to the water, I could feel the warmth of the sand between my toes. I wondered if it would feel the same if we were on a tropical beach somewhere in the South Pacific, where people laid on the beach all day sipping tropical drinks while soaking up the sun. Stepping in the water, I just about lost my breath as the cool water splashed up against my shin. Turning on my heels, I decided that the warmth of the sand was a better place to be. That water was frickin’ cold.
Taking up a seat on the sand, I heard Ryan’s voice ring off the water. “Are you coming in or what?”
“Hell no. The water is freezing cold,” I yelled back.
“Aww… Come on, babe. Where is your sense of adventure?” Ryan replied.
Rolling my eyes, I gave him a ‘go right ahead’ wave and lay back on the warm sand. It couldn’t have been more than a minute later that a shadow fell upon me, almost like the sun had gone behind a cloud, only there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Feeling cold drops of water hit my skin, I opened my eyes to find Ryan standing before me with a mischievous grin on his face. I was pretty sure I knew what his next move was going to be and I wanted no part of it. Rolling over, I hurried to my feet to get away from him. My efforts were stopped when he took hold of my ankles and flipped me over. I was up and over his shoulder being carried towards the water.
Pounding my fists against his shoulder blades, I demanded, “Ryan Hyatt, you put me down this instant.”
He replied back with a slap to my ass as he chuckled, “Not today, baby.”
When he was waist deep in the water, he leaned forward slightly, causing my body to hit the water. I wasn’t prepared for that and I took in a mouthful of water as my head went under. As soon as I came up for air, Ryan was standing in front of me in his gorgeous form with a smile on his face from ear to ear. Knowing that I wasn’t a sore loser, I pushed up with my feet, jumping as high as I could with the water pulling against me. My hands went to his head and I used every ounce of strength I had to push him under. My efforts backfired and we both fell into the water, me on top of him. Coming up from the water, his arms were wrapped around my waist while my hands rested on his shoulders. There was something about this moment that felt so right. His mouth lowered to mine and I could taste the saltiness of the water on his lips. At that instant, my heart began to ache in such a way that I knew I was falling in love with him all over again
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ryan
One thing I hated more than anything was waiting. Sitting in my car in the pitch-black night, in an alley that made me more uneasy by the minute, I kept my eyes open for any movement. Gallo insisted that we meet on safe grounds. To me, this was no safer than meeting at the docks, but at least the guys had a better view of what was going down. Getting the feeling that this guy wasn’t going to show, I pulled my cell from my pocket. Just when I was ready to call this whole thing off, the reflection of bright lights appeared in my review mirror. It had to be Gallo. Nobody else in their right mind would be here this late at night.
Opening my door, I stepped out into the night and waited for the car to stop. Dimming their lights, the driver got out and proceeded to the back door. Getting out of the car was an elderly man who looked to be in his early sixties, slightly overweight, wearing a suit and a fedora hat to match. In his right hand he held a half-smoked cigar, which, if I were to guess came across the border illegally. As I approached his car, there was something familiar about the driver, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Stopping half the distance between the back of my car and the front of his, I waited for Gallo to meet me.
Feeling uneasy, even though I knew that the guys had my back, I looked to Gallo as I waited for him to say something. Acting like I respected this piece of shit, I held out my hand. “Mr. Gallo, I’m so happy to meet you.”
He didn’t move an inch as he stared at me with his beady eyes. Lifting his cigar to his mouth, he inhaled deeply, sending a puff of smoke my way. Trying not to cough, I held my breath, hoping that the cloud of smoke would dissipate before I had to speak. After feeding his addiction, he finally responded, “So, you want to work for me.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a question or an observation. Tilting my head, I replied, “Yes, sir. It would be a great honor, and to prove to you my loyalty, I’ve decided to give you something in return.”
“So, I’ve heard. You have twenty-four hours to show just how loyal you really are.” Gallo began walking back to the car before stopping for his final instruction. “Don’t fuck it up, kid. You may not get another chance.”
If it wasn’t for the plan, I would have taken him right then. Letting it go, I knew his cocky overconfidence would soon be coming to end and the only thing he would be worrying about was whether or not to keep one eye opened as he slept in his 6 x 8 cell. Turning on my heels, I walked back to my car and waited for the
arrogant son-of-a-bitch to back up. Before I started the engine, my phone began vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it free, Peter’s name came up on the screen.
“That cocksucker is going down,” I seethed before Peter had a chance to say anything.
“Don’t let your personal vendetta against this dirtbag get in the way of your objective. It’s what my commanding officer always told me and what I’m telling you now,” he put forth before continuing. “We good with the plan?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” I mumbled.
I knew that Peter was right in his words, but saying and doing were two different things. I had to keep my head on straight and put aside my feeling towards this asshole. Putting the car in drive, I backed out of the alley and headed back to the shop for debriefing. Now that the initial introduction had been made, it was time to move on to phase two of the plan. By tomorrow morning I would be holding a Warhol original in my possession.
****
After what seemed like hours at the shop, I was finally home and holding Charlie in my arms. It was late, and she was already fast asleep by the time I got home. It had been one of those days and I was so ready to go to sleep. Problem was, my mind wasn’t on the same page. All I could think about was the fact that my brother was dead and the scumbag who killed him was still free. When I was finally able to close my eyes, everything drifted back to when I was young and Mom had placed Josh in my arms for the first time. As I held him, I was so afraid that I was going to drop him, or even worse, that he would start crying because he didn’t like me. But all he did was smile up at me. I will never forget the color of his eyes. They were the color of the sky on a clear day. As we got older, we began doing everything together. Even though he was four years younger than me, we always managed to have the same interests, except for girls. I think he was still too young for that. As though it was yesterday, I could still see the look on his face when he walked in my room and caught me and Charlie making out. I had never seen a more disgusted look than what was broadcasted across his face. I thought for sure he was going to run to Mom and Dad and tell them what his big brother was doing.
