by Kyanna Skye
After a while, they began to read one another instincts and they learned how to move without thinking about it. Then they reached level ground, the countryside opened up, and she felt like she was flying. Riding on a motorcycle was a completely different experience than riding in a car. Lana was exposed to everything—the wet, ocean air, the sounds of insects, and the little gusts of the wind that pushed the bike around.
They stopped in a field near a cliff. When Lana jumped off, she was shivering.
“That was amazing!”
“I do it every chance I get.” He took her hand. “Come on.” They walked towards the edge of the cliff were a small trail had been carved into the rock. It curved down along the rock wall into a sea cave where a small bank of sand offered a place to sit down.
“Private beach,” he said casually.
“I can't imagine anyone finding this thing.”
“You can't see it by land.” He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the calm water. “The cliff edge hides it and,” he pointed to rocks jutting up out of the water at the mouth of the cave, “you can't sail into here.”
“How'd you find it?”
“It's an old, family place. Everyone knows about it, but we don't know how the trail got there.”
She faced him. “What's the water like?”
“It's nice. Try it.” The water from the sea cave was cut off from the rest of the tide. Instead, it sat in a smooth basin.
Lana walked to the edge of the water. The bottom was granite, so it was soft against her feet. When she stripped and stepped in, the water engulfed her toes. It wasn't perfectly warm, but it wasn't freezing cold either. She stepped in farther towards the center of the basin to dip her head in and get her hair wet. When she turned back towards shore, Tony jumped on her and bit into her neck softly. Then he clasped his hands around her stomach.
She pulled back to the shore and sat down.
“What?” He swam towards her.
“I can't trust you. I don't even know what you do for a living.”
“I don't do anything, not currently.”
“Come on.”
He pushed back from the edge of the pool and swam deeper into the water. “There's no questions.”
“I can't do this. It's too weird.” She got out of the water and started gathering her things.
He didn't argue. Instead, he sat with his back to her and waited for her to get dressed. Then he took her up the cliff silently. “I'll call a car,” he said, leaning against the motorcycle. He was going to respect her choice quietly, without arguing like a man.
“Please do.” She couldn't stand going down the road on that thing after rejecting him, and he didn't seem very comfortable. He saw her home, though. She stared out the window while they were sitting outside the motel. Every few seconds he'd look at her out of the corner of his eyes. It made her uncomfortable.
Lana wanted to tell him to look away, but she didn't want to open things up for conversation. It was bad enough that he was sitting next to her. She didn't feel right until she finally pulled herself away and walked back into her room.
It felt unreal having a man like him swooning over her. She could fall right into it, but there was something sinister going on. The clinic, the money, and, of course, the secrecy—she might have been able to accept Tony's secret if he told her what it was, but if she didn't know what she was getting into, she couldn’t stick around.
Lana spent the next week looking for places to stay. She eventually chose an old one-bedroom apartment. It had a balcony facing the water, so she could sit outside and watch the sunset.
The manager agreed to move her in the next day after work, so she brought all her things and started getting situated. She wanted to do a lot to the house, like bring in nice couches and patterned rugs to cover the wooden floor. She'd hang up paintings and put up drapes.
When she finally signed the lease and they left her there alone, she found herself in the kitchen, going through the cupboards, and in the bedroom, looking through the closets. She was memorizing every piece of the house and making plans for it.
But she was starting from nothing except for a few trash bags with clothes and some toiletries. She picked some basic things up at the store. There was soap, a little shower curtain, and a cheap blanket-and-pillow combination. That would do her until she had another day off and she could go shopping again.
It didn't feel normal when she walked out of her room in a towel to take a shower. She was used to her cramped quarters in the trailer. It felt too open, which made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Down the hall in the kitchen, the trees were whipping against the window screen above the sink. She must've left it open.
When Lana opened the bathroom door, the creak made her jolt. She would never get used to that. Or the way that her footsteps crashed against the floor. She was going to need rugs everywhere to dampen the noise, and some furniture to take away the echo.
The water fixtures were old and tough to twist, and when she turned on the water, it came out orange at first. But it was warm, and she had a new loofa she bought to go with a vanilla-scented soap. She let herself soak, then spread the thick liquid over the sponge. It went on soft and rich and it left behind a thick lather that caressed her legs as it drifted down towards the drain.
She was just about to turn the water off when she heard a thud in the living room. She grabbed the towel and ran out into the cold air. The wind had blown the screen off the front window. She turned back, shaken by the sound, and walked into the bathroom so she could finish rinsing off.
She let the water hit her in the face before she turned it off, hoping that it would relax her. Then she shoved the curtain aside and jumped back against the tile wall, struggling to keep her balance against the slippery tub. “What are you doing here?”
“You burnt the fucking trailer.” Jim slammed her forward and cracked the tile, lodging his hand in the wall. He took it out effortlessly and stared at her with his breath like rotten meat hitting her right in the nose. “You just thought you'd leave me there to die in the desert?”
“It's what you deserved.” She tried to step past him, but something caught on her foot and she fell, first onto the sharp corner of the bathroom counter. Then her head smacked against the linoleum.
“You didn't have to do that.” He was leaning over her, covered in dirt with a layer of crust surrounding the sides of his mouth. “Why'd you do that?” He picked her up and all she could think about was that he was going to impale her somehow. Then he threw her across the hall into the bedroom.
“What are you doing to me?” she wailed. He was walking closer while she slid back until she hit the wall. “Why are you doing this!?” she was begging him.
“You left me with nothing.”
“After everything that's happened, I think I've earned a little bit of leeway.”
“Nah. You were a wretched bitch. I've been wanting to do this for years.” He crouched down to face her. “You're dead.” He spits in her face.
There was no way she could fight him. He was at least twice her size and could probably take down a bear. If Jim wanted her dead, she was going to die, and there was no stopping him.
He paced around in front of her, mumbling to himself. Then he made the sign of the cross and pulled a gun out from the back of his pants. The clap nearly blasted out her eardrums. He was on her in less than a second. A pool of black-red blood was spreading across the wooden floor underneath him.
“Come on.” She was staring at his body when a strong voice and even stronger arms pulled her up by her shoulders and wrapped a robe around her naked body. Tony walked her outside.
She sat on the front windowsill and stared at the grass in the yard.
“You've seen plenty of dead bodies before.” He leaned against the railing across from her.
“No.” She shook her head. “That one was different. We were together for ten years. I won't just get over that.”
“I'm just glad you're okay.
” Tony put his arm around her, and she let her head fall on his shoulders.
“He used to be the sweetest boy, never skipped class, never failed a test. He was so shy. That's why I was attracted to him. After we left school, his mother died and he started drinking and went downhill.”
“He's not the same person that you fell in love with. Drugs and alcohol change a person. They kill what little good is left inside them.”
“But there's always the memories of how he used to be, you know? I just wish things had worked out differently for him. He could've had a good life.” Lana turned to look back in the house, but she couldn't see anything from the front window. “What am I going to do about the body?”
“Just don't worry about it for now.”
She pulled away. “How did you find me?”
“Honestly, I stopped at your work to talk to you. Then I saw that creep following you, so I came here and saw what happened.”
“You're not alone.”
“I didn't know what was going on. I wasn't taking any chances.”
Lana saw a pair of red lights pulling away from the side of the house.
“Lana, come with me tonight. I just... I know there's no more danger, but I can't stand to have you out of my sight for a second, not after that.”
“All right. Let me get a bag.”
“Screw those old clothes. I'll get you new ones. I'll get you out of this place, and buy you something nice. I don't want you running around unprotected either.”
“No. I'm an independent woman, and Tony, I haven't made a decision about you yet. Even if I did become your girlfriend, I wouldn't let you buy me everything. That's not how these things work.” She turned around and walked back into the house to grab a set of clothes.
In the bedroom, it looked like nothing had happened. There was no blood stain, no body or gun. Somebody had come in and cleared everything out while she was outside with Tony. Whoever had cleaned up the murder scene worked quickly. They were professionals.
“Ready?” Tony was behind her.
“Oh,” she whipped around. “Yeah.” He took her back to his estate in a black Escalade and drove slowly this time. Every once in a while, he would take a peek at her.
“What?” They were traveling along the cliffs.
“When that guy broke in, I was thought you were dead.”
“Did that scare you?” she asked. A guy like Tony didn't look like he'd be afraid of anything.
“Fuck yeah, it did. I want you to stick around, Lana. Try me out for a bit.”
“And if I date you, do I have to look over my shoulder all the time?”
“I just saved your life, didn't I? Don't you think—”
“I don't owe you anything, but I don't have a choice. I couldn't stay away from you if I tried.”
He squeezed her hand and went back to the road. It infuriated her, the way he played her. He knew she was going to be with him, but he waited, patiently, and let her think she had a choice in the matter. Then he'd swoop in and worship her.
He parked around the side of the house and jumped out before she could open the door. Then he grabbed her out and hurried her into a side entrance through a stucco hall. “Where are we going?” she asked as she stared up at him.
“Up here.” He burst through a double set of wooden doors and ran her up a winding, concrete staircase until they reached the top of what looked like an empty bell tower. There, he'd placed curtains in the open windows that flapped in the wind as he threw her on the bed in the center of the room and tore off his tight, white shirt. Then he reared up, straddling her on both sides with his full form showered by the candlelight.
He tore into her neck, and she thought she was going to die. Every clash against her skin sent a shudder of heat flowing into her gut where it settled and began to grow.
He reached up, ravished her lips, and dipped his tongue into her mouth. Then he pulled up with a chuckle and bit her bottom lip. He was an animal when he tore her shirt right off her chest. Then he dove down, licking, biting, and kissing her chest to a ravenous rhythm while grunting and smacking his lips.
“Oooh.” He blew out air sharply and pulled her nipple up tight. Then he met her eyes and kissed her on the lips while his hand crept around her back and he used it to undo her bra. He threw it to the floor, then started showering her nipples with a tantalizing array of kisses while his hand crept down her stomach.
The heat that started with him tearing into her neck rose every time his tongue flicked against the tips of her breasts. Then it turned to lightning when his teeth clamped down on her nipple.
“Aaah!” she cried from the shock of the sweet pain.
“Yeah, you like that, huh?”
He dug his finger into her crotch through her jeans and the heat started to press against the inside of her thighs. It sizzled while he stood up, still pinching her nipple and unzipped his pants.
“You want my dick?” He grabbed his cock by the base and swung it up and down. “You do, don't you?” He dug his hand back down into her crotch. “You want me to fuck you?”
“Yes.”
He lifted her legs and pulled her jeans off. Then he grabbed her by the ankles and locked eyes with her. “Yeah.” He was rubbing his cock along her lips.
“Fuck me,” she whimpered.
“What was that?” He lifted his cock and slapped down onto her clit with it.
“Fuck me!”
He drilled through her barriers and his body descended down on her as his lips crashed against hers. He was grunting, with his pelvis smacking against her butt. He knew how to hit the right spot every time, and like flint to steel, his dick flared the heat up inside her, sending it slowly spreading around her body.
“Yeah,” he gasped and stuffed his cock in deep. Then he started drilling her relentlessly. His dick slipped inside her, filling her fully. So much that it set her insides ablaze. Their bodies started to clash together, and the sensation mixed with his grunts and groans. The energy between them pulsed as his thrusts got more and more intense. Her head fell back and she gave into it, letting the fire explode as her voice bubbled out of her mouth.
“Oh God,” she gasped. The heat shot through her whole body and covered her in a warm glow that seemed to grow more and more intense until he started wailing.
He pulled out and they both exploded at once. When he fell on top of her, he trapped her in his arms, and she knew that she wasn't going anywhere.
Lana woke up with the sun all around her, carrying with it a breeze that blew through the room. Tony was laying with his arm wrapped around her, stroking her cheek. He flipped her over and straddled her, with his cock resting on her belly button. Then he reached behind to a tray cart that was sitting next to the bed and fed her a strawberry.
“That is the sexiest thing that I've ever experienced” She swallowed.
He flipped over so that he was laying down facing her. Then he picked up another strawberry. His lips curled around it when he took a bite.
“It's too bad I have to go to the clinic today.”
“I took care of it. Today is for the both of us. Assuming that's what you want, of course.”
“It is.” She pecked him on the cheek before she went to get up and get dressed. There was no fanfare. She barely had to make an announcement; he knew she was going to stay with him. He probably just wanted her to say it.
“Where did this change of mind come from?” He sat up.
“Last night. I decided that there was no way I was ever going to get away from you, so I might as well just give in and go with it.”
“Smart choice.” He ate another strawberry. Then he poured her a glass of champagne. She sat back down beside him and took a drink, letting her eyes fall down his shoulders and over his chest. “This place is amazing.”
“The tower is renovated. It collapsed decades ago and was rebuilt from the old pieces. I like coming out here when there's a storm.”
“So what do you want to do today, besides lay
in bed?” Lana asked.
“Hmm,” he stroked his chin playfully and rolled on top of her, pinning her arms to the bed. Then he kissed her and moved slowly through her until they both spent their energy and collapsed on the bed together.
“We're going to a barbecue,” he announced while he stared at the ceiling. “My father's having some family and friends over at his estate.”
“What will it be like?”
“Casual. Mostly just sitting around the pool eating burgers.”
“But what's your family like?”
“Big and loud.” He laughed. “They're harmless, but they'll put you on the spot. Just brush them off. We're going for the food.”
“Fresh catch.”
“And the best beef you've ever had.” He kissed her on the cheek and stood up butt-naked while she watched him put on his jeans. “What do you say?”
“I'll go.”
“Good.” He showed her down to the room in the cottage where she slept the last time she was there. When he left, she noticed a white box sitting on the bed. Inside was an elegant sun dress with an open back; it was made out of soft, white fabric. When she put it on, it fit perfectly. She walked out into the living room where Tony was sitting, wearing a skin-tight, black shirt and jeans.
“You look wonderful.” He got up to kiss her and coyly wrapped something around her neck. She looked down to see that it was a thin, golden chain with a heart pendant.
“You said you'd stick around.” He stepped back to admire it. “I just want a reminder when I see you.”
It was simple and sweet, hardly worth the man's bravado, but that's why she liked it. It wouldn't stand out; it was just a reminder that she was with him. “I love it.”
“I thought you would.” He kissed her then led her out to the car, a white, luxury sedan with a tablet console in the center.
“How many cars do you have?” she asked when he got in.
“No questions,” he reminded her as they left the estate.
“Aw, come on.”
“I'd tell you, but I can never remember. I lease them and change them out so often, but I do have a few that I prefer.”
