Asher uses my company because I made him believe it was worth the risk of switching from who he used before. Larry not doing his job, which could have ended a hell of a lot worse for Poppy, makes me look incompetent. I’m not fucking incompetent, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let someone make me and Reines Security look as such.
“I’ll have someone new sent to your office within the hour,” I tell Asher as I make my way down the street. My car’s parked around the corner down an alley.
“You do that. And make sure this one isn’t a fuckup.”
I bite back a retort, not liking his tone, but knowing he’s right. It was my fuckup to hire Larry in the first place. Reines is my company and it’s my job to ensure the clients are satisfied. There’s no room for mistakes.
“Done.”
I hang up and pocket my phone. I’m just getting ready to turn the corner just past my apartment building, when I look across the street. I stop and slowly turn. A woman, the woman, is walking down the street. She has her head bent as she looks down at her phone. She’s wearing a pair of black dress slacks, a gray silk shirt, and her blonde hair is pulled back on the sides with two clips, the rest flowing down her back. Her steps are slow, like she’s distracted by what she’s looking at on her phone.
She’s passing by me, and before I realize it, my feet are moving to keep up with her. I’ve never seen her outside of her apartment, and now that I have, I’m enthralled even more. The closest I’ve allowed myself to her is from my apartment to hers. I’ve purposely not pursued her, because I’m not the type to chase anyone. But now that she’s here, in the flesh, just feet from me….
There’s four lanes of traffic between her and me. Horns blare and people yell, but she keeps her head down, focused. I should be on my way to the office to take care of the Larry situation, but I still follow her.
She turns down a street and walks inside a coffee shop. Leaning against a brick wall, I pull my phone out and check the time. I’ve got a meeting in an hour. Putting the phone back, I snag the pack of cigarettes from my jacket pocket, and light one up as I wait. It’s a habit I indulge in occasionally, and right now, I fucking indulge.
It’s not long before she’s walking back out of the coffee shop and restarts her trek. A couple blocks later, she stops again. This time for no apparent reason. She just stops and looks up and down the street, before bringing her phone to her ear. I look at the buildings on either side of her. A clothing store, a law office, and a sandwich shop.
I slip the sunglasses I have in my pocket over my eyes and wait with her. People mill about; some walk in front of her and some behind her. Time ticks by, and I know I’m taking a chance of being late for my appointment. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I know it’s Willow calling to find out where I am. I ignore it and just watch the woman.
Several minutes later, a dark-blue newer model car pulls up to the curb. The smile that spreads across the woman’s face as she walks over to it is stunning. Whoever it is, she’s happy to see them.
She opens the door, but right before she gets inside, her head lifts and her eyes lock with mine. I don’t look away, and I don’t move a muscle. My glasses shield my eyes, but I have no doubt she knows I’m looking at her. Her brow wrinkles as her gaze stays connected with mine. I still can’t quite tell the color of them, but they’re light.
She looks at me for several more seconds, before she dips and gets into the waiting car. I keep my eyes on it until it pulls away from the curb and turns down a side street out of view.
I start walking back the way I came from, knowing damn good and well I just made a huge mistake. I’ve been able to keep my curiosity at bay, but that shit’s out the window now. Seeing her through the lenses of my binoculars and seeing her in person are two different things. From my apartment, in my mind at least, she was still unattainable, almost not real, just a fantasy. But she is real. She’s very fucking real. And the real-life woman is so much more than the fantasy one who gets herself off in front of me through a window. So real, that I walk back to the alley where my car is parked with a dick as hard as steel.
***
I STAND AND SHAKE THE MAN’S HAND. “We’re glad to have you on board, Mr. Holder. I’ll have my secretary send over the necessary paperwork this afternoon.”
I walk the newest client of Reines Security out of my office and to the bank of elevators. As I pass by Willow’s desk, her smile is big, having overheard Mr. Holder’s acceptance of my offer. I keep my expression neutral, but fuck if it doesn’t feel good. Mr. Holder owns quite a few lucrative businesses and will be a big asset for Reines Security.
At the elevators, Mr. Holder turns back to me. “I’ve got a trip out west in a few weeks.”
I nod. “Send over your schedule, and I’ll have a couple of guys set up to go with you.”
“Very good, Nathan.”
We shake hands again, then he walks into the elevator and the doors close behind him.
When I turn back to Willow, her grin has grown. She claps twice and bounces in her seat. The woman is fucking crazy, but I’m glad she enjoys her job so much she gets excited about new clients. I’m also glad she never let what happened between her, Tegan, and me make things awkward. We don’t have the typical boss and employee relationship. I’ve had my dick in her mouth and she’s watched me come across my belly. While that’s only happened once, and I don’t see Tegan letting it happen again, I have watched the two of them together several times. I could tell those first few days at work after the first time were weird for her, but it didn’t last long. Tegan found the perfect woman that day when he helped her with her flat tire.
“I’ll start right away on the contract and have it sent over immediately,” she says, already typing away at her computer.
“Thanks,” I grunt and walk back to my office.
I take a seat and gather all the paperwork on my desk from my meeting with Mr. Holder. When I started this business two years ago, I started fresh, with no clients at all. The only thing I had was a location. I worked my ass off those first few months getting shit together. It was three months before I had my first client, and two months after that I had my second. Including Mr. Holder, we now have thirteen. For eight years I’ve wanted to open my own security firm, and now that I have, that shit feels real fucking good.
I stand and walk to the window. The building that houses Reines Security is small. Big enough to fit what I need at the moment, but small enough that if things keep going like I want, I’ll need a bigger space. We’re on the third floor, so I look down at the people walking about doing whatever people do. My eyes flick back and forth, from person to person. Even at a young age, I was a people watcher. I don’t watch them because I’m curious about their lives. I watch them to observe. I like to see what they do, their mannerisms, their facial expressions, their reactions to what’s going on around them. Reading people comes easy for me.
It’s different when I watch people have sex though. It’s their faces I watch the most when they’re receiving pleasure. I like to know what brings on that pleasure and how intense it is for them. I like to see the flush on their skin and the sweat coating their bodies.
My eyes stop on a couple across the street, hidden in a small alcove. They have their arms wrapped around each other and their lips locked together. The kiss is slow and languid. There’s nothing erotic about the embrace. It’s a very sweet encounter between two lovers, but it still sends blood to my cock. I’m a fucked-up motherfucker for turning something so innocent into something so carnal in my mind. I give not one fuck though. Those people don’t know me, and they’ll never know that I’m imagining the guy shoving the girl around, yanking up her dress, and sinking balls-deep into her pussy.
With my dick half-hard, I turn back around and retake my seat. The couple from the street is forgotten only seconds later.
ChapterThree
Nathan
I WALK THROUGH THE DOORS OF Blackie’s and head straight for the bar. As I walk acr
oss the heavily populated room, I notice several of my friends at our usual high-top table. Willow is sitting, with Tegan standing to the side of her chair. He has his hands up her skirt as he whispers something in her ear. My stomach tightens with the thought of watching the two together.
Abby is there as well, talking with some woman I’ve never seen before.
I spot an opening at the end of the bar, and I take it. Blackie’s is very popular. It’s not your typical club. Things happen here you don’t normally see. It’s not uncommon to see a man with a woman shoved up against the wall, his hips rocking as he fucks her for anyone to see. Or a woman with her skirt pulled up giving off a shadowed view of her pussy. Delicate sensibilities are left at the door, and if you’re not into kinky sex, then you best just keep walking. It’s against policy to blatantly have sex in the open, but if it’s hidden, leaving only hints of the act, you’re good to go. People can be very creative when it comes to sex, and half the people here know how to have it without advertising it. We all know what’s going on though. A woman facing her man sitting in his lap, her skirt hiding her ass as she slowly rocks back and forth. Yeah, she’s riding his dick, no doubt.
I order a couple shots of Jameson from Nikki, the bartender, then turn to the dance floor. I watch couples grind on each other, one with the woman’s skirt pushed up to just barely show off the valley between her legs. Another woman has her leg hiked over her man’s hip, his hand digging in the flesh of her ass as they dry hump each other. Won’t be long before it’s no longer dry.
Colt, Abby’s husband, walks up beside me and orders a beer.
“How’s it going?” he asks over the loud music.
I tip my chin at him. “Good.”
Nikki sets both my shots and Colt’s beer on the bar. I reach back for both of mine. I tip my first shot up to him, then shoot it back. It burns so fucking good going down. I throw back the second one, then lift my hand for two more.
When I first met Colt, I couldn’t stand the guy, pegging him for someone who was only going to end up hurting Abby, someone I would do damn near anything for. I’ve seen how hard Abby struggles with her addiction, how hard she used to try to be normal, to have a normal relationship. I’ve seen her pain over and over again when she realized being normal isn’t in the cards for her. The sadness in her eyes because she knew she would never have the chance to get married and have children.
When Colt started coming around, I assumed he would be like all the others and was just there to use her for sex. Abby’s not the typical sex addict. She goes through painful withdrawals if she doesn’t have sex on a daily basis. When men find this out, their dicks turn to stone, thinking they have a free pass to all the pussy they want. They don’t look at her as a human, they only see a warm hole to stick their dicks in anytime they want, and when they get tired, they move on.
I was surprised and impressed when Colt stuck around, even knowing there was a chance that Abby may eventually be in a situation that would force her to have sex with someone who wasn’t him. It takes balls of steel to willingly enter a relationship knowing their lover may be forced to stray. Fortunately, they’ve formed a system that works for them that ensures that’s not a possibility.
We both turn our backs to the bar to face the dance floor. I hear a rumbled growl from Colt, and I look over at him, then follow his eyes across the room. His sister, Tera, is on the dance floor with Lukas Black, the owner of this place. There’s not an inch of space between the two. His leg is wedged between hers, and it’s plain to anyone watching she’s grinding down on his thigh. Her hands are wrapped in his hair and his face is buried in her neck. Each hand has a handful of ass.
“I’m going to fucking kill that bastard one day,” Colt mutters darkly.
“No, you won’t,” I state, almost laughing at his declaration. I don’t know what Colt’s issue is with Lukas, but I get the sense that hatred is years old.
He scowls at me. “You’re right, I won’t, but that doesn’t stop the visions from forming in my head.”
He grabs his beer and chugs half of it down. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he keeps his eyes on the two when he growls, “What in the fuck is he doing on the dance floor anyway? He’s never on the dance floor.”
“Would you rather him be alone in his office with her?”
His eyes narrow. “Doesn’t make much difference. People fuck all the time out here.”
I grab my remaining shot, down it, then slap Colt on the back. “Yeah, but at least no one would see if they were in his office.”
I walk away, but still hear the snarled “fuck you” from Colt.
When Abby sees me walking toward their table, she smiles and opens her arms. I walk straight to her and envelop her in my arms. I feel a presence at my back and know Colt is standing there. Probably with blazing anger in his eyes. Although we get along now, he still hates mine and Abby’s close relationship. Tegan, Ava, and I were her only true friends for years. We’ve always been there for each other; that includes when we needed partners to satisfy our needs. I’ve been Abby’s sexual relief multiple times, and Colt despises that. I’d tell the guy to just get over it already, but I can’t really blame him. Abby and I haven’t been together since she started seeing Colt, and as long as she has Colt there will never be a reason for her to need me. He knows this, and that’s the only reason he allows it, but it still has to bite his ass knowing I’ve had her.
Doesn’t mean I don’t get a little satisfaction when he gets pissed when Abby hugs me. It’s an asshole move, but I’ve never denied being an asshole. Abby was mine before she was his, and I don’t mean in the physical sense.
My arms tighten around Abby when I feel the heat coming from Colt behind me.
Fingers dig hard into my ribs, and I wince. “Stop it,” Abby says in my ear.
I release her and pull back. Her eyes look serious, but her lips twitch. I think she secretly likes that Colt is so possessive of her. She’s never had that before.
I take the seat beside her and ignore the glare Colt shoots my way as he scoots her chair further away from me. I chuckle.
She wraps her arms around his waist and smiles up at him. The scowl leaves his face as he cages her in with his arms and kisses her. Even over the loud music, I can hear his deep groan. He leans deeper into her, and one of her hands lands on his ass and squeezes. The show has my dick twitching.
“Hey, yo!” Tegan calls across the table. “You two knock it off. Exhibitionism is my thing.”
Colt pulls back with a grunt, while Abby laughs, then sticks her tongue out at Tegan.
“So, what’s the big news?” Tegan asks.
Colt and Abby share a look before Abby looks from me, to Willow, then back to Tegan, a smile curving her lips.
“We’re having a baby,” she shouts excitedly, bouncing in her chair.
“Oh, my, God!” Willow shouts. She shoves Tegan back, jumps from her chair, and runs around to Abby, where she pulls her into a tight hug.
“Fuck, woman,” Tegan mutters, rubbing his elbow that he knocked into the table behind him.
The news of Abby being pregnant doesn’t surprise me, but it does make me very happy for her. If anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s her.
“Congratulations.” I hold my hand out to Colt. He looks at it for a second, before reaching out and clasping it with a tight grip.
“Thanks.”
We both look over to Abby and Willow as they squeal like two high school girls. A smile touches my lips at how happy Abby looks. It’s all Colt’s doing. I may act like I don’t care for the guy, but I’m glad Abby has him.
After several moments, the girls quiet down and Willow goes back to her side of the table—this time to Tegan’s lap. From where I’m sitting, I’ve got a partial view of under the table. My eyes track the movement of Tegan’s hand high up on Willow’s thigh under her skirt.
“Has anyone talked to Ava lately?” Tegan asks, drawing my attention away from his wandering hand.<
br />
“She called me a few days ago to say she was going out of town,” Abby answers. “But I haven’t spoken to her since. I tried calling her a couple times yesterday, but she didn’t answer, or call me back. Just a vague text message saying she was busy.”
“I’m worried about her,” he states with a frown. “It’s not like her to just disappear like that.”
Out of the four of us, Ava and Tegan were always the closest to each other, while Abby was the closest with me.
“Have you tried her mom?” Willow suggests.
Tegan and I share a dark look, while Abby lets out a dry laugh. “Ava obviously hasn’t told you about her mom or you wouldn’t have asked that.”
She shakes her head. “She’s only said they don’t get along very well.”
That’s the fucking understatement of the year. Ava left home when she was sixteen because she couldn’t handle her mom or the men she brought around anymore. She was a drug addict whore who had a new man every other week. At ten, Ava was already sleeping with a padlock on the inside of her bedroom door to keep men out. I’ve never wanted to hit a woman in my life, but every time I hear mention of Ava’s mom, I seriously think about making an exception.
Tegan and Abby don’t know the full extent of what Ava went through growing up. She’s only told them bits and pieces. The neglect and physical abuse, not the sexual abuse from her mom’s men. It only happened a couple times before ten-year-old Abby stole a lock from the store and installed it herself. One of the two men who raped her as a child was a man she trusted. She said he had been around a lot longer than most of the other men and was really nice to her. She thought of him as her daddy. Until one night he snuck into her room, just like all the others. When she told her mom the next day, she accused Ava of trying to steal her boyfriend. At fucking ten years old. That was when she’d had enough and stole the lock.
Watching Mine Page 2
