by Amanda Boone
“Thanks, but I will figure something out tomorrow. I really appreciate this.”
He didn’t argue with her and turned the car off. Charles was a gentleman, helping her out of the car and walking her down the lit walkway. The inside was as impressive as the outside. It was definitely a bachelor pad and it was the first time she had thought about if he was even single.
“Just you in this big old house?”
He turned around and nodded. He looked dashing in the light with his uniform on. His eyes were more slate blue and she wondered how they could keep turning like they were. Everything about him intrigued her. Chayla just wished that had met on different terms than her house being burned down. She had to admit though, if it hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be there now.
“So, let me show you where everything is. I am sure you are exhausted.”
His hand brushed against her shoulder as he moved her through the house. He stopped at one of the many rooms lining a wide hallway. “I hope this will suit you.”
It did. It was not feminine, but not masculine either, just open and bright. She looked around and her eyes instantly went to the large bed in the middle of the room. It was inviting and if she wasn’t covered in soot, she would have jumped into it. There was a bathroom a little further down the hall and he showed her where the towels were. “I will go get you something to wear. Be back in a few minutes.”
She thanked him again and as soon as he left the room, she started to strip out of the dirty clothes. She turned the water on and let the space fill with steam. The water was blissful and when she got out, she felt almost new again. There were no clothes on the sink, so she tiptoed back to the room with a towel around her. The bed called to her and Chayla slid in, fast asleep.
Charles stopped short when he realized she was asleep. He studied her resting face and her bare shoulders. He had gotten sidetracked on a phone call and he had been hoping they could talk a little. He set the clothes on the side table next to her and turned the lamp off.
He got himself ready for bed, but before his alarm could go off at seven, he was called in. Leaving a note on top of the clothing, Charles fought the urge to kiss her on the head and left. If it was anything else he would have stayed, but finding Dominic, trumped even an enticing vixen such as herself.
***
Chapter 4
Chayla awoke several hours after Charles had left. She saw the note first and smiled with his flowing handwriting. She liked the way her name looked on the envelope and she waited a few moments before she opened it.
“Chayla,
I got called in for something, but will be back shortly. Make yourself at home and I will see you soon.
Charles.”
Chayla sat back on the soft bed and sighed. She could get used to living like this, she thought to herself. She knew that she should leave and do what errands needed to be handled. Chayla should have gone to find a hotel or elsewhere to stay, but she didn’t. Instead she slept for another hour and then when off exploring the huge house.
Peeking in several rooms, she wondered where the clothes she was wearing had come from. Her curiosity got the best of her and when she opened one door and it was clear that it was his room, she pushed it all the way open and stepped in. She looked around and saw that he still had not made his bed. The closet was open and as she stepped in, she realized that it was half woman’s clothing, half men’s. It was odd and she didn’t quite know how to react to it. What did that mean? Was he married, a cross-dresser? None of the scenarios that ran through her mind made her feel any better.
Thinking she heard a noise from down stairs, she crept back out as quickly and quietly as possible. There was no one down there and she gravitated to the kitchen, realizing she was starving. Chayla tried not to jump to any more conclusions about the clothes upstairs. It didn’t really matter if either one of the scenarios was true. He had been kind enough to help her more than once and she decided that she would make him that meal she had babbled on about before.
She was surprised to see him so well stocked, not expecting that out of a bachelor. Chayla found sound ingredients and started a roux for a seafood gumbo. It was surprisingly that he had the ingredients for the dish and she had never known someone who didn’t like it. Before she knew it, she had made herself at home and had turned on some music to jam to as she cooked and set the table. Finding a bottle of wine, she opened it to let it breathe, wondering when he was going to arrive.
***
Charles was neck-deep in stress. The past was coming back in haunting fashion, taunting him from afar. His wife had been killed when he was on a job. It was because of his job that she was dead. The worst part was that the killer was free, even though he knew exactly who he was. Charles had spent the last two years looking for him and he just disappeared. It wasn’t until he got the call about an Interpol ping that he thought of Dominic again. The timing couldn’t have been worse, but for Beth, it would have to be done. For his own sanity he had to find him and bring him to justice. Beth deserved justice if nothing else.
“Charlie. Why don’t you go home and get a few hours. I will call you when we hear something. No sense waiting in here, eating takeout.”
Charles sighed and got up from his part-time desk at the precinct. He didn’t want to leave, hoping that something would come up and he could finally put that part of his life to peace. That night didn’t seem to be that time, so he finally agreed and waved back to Ramirez. “Tomorrow Charlie. We are going to get that son of a bitch. He never should have stepped foot on our soil again.”
His drive home was not as dreaded as it usually was. Charles did not like to go home to an empty house and he hoped that his house guest was still just that and she would be there when he got there. The lights were on when he pulled up and he was going to take it as a good sign. He paused with the thought. Chayla was already rubbing off on him and he was trying to see the good in life. It had been a while since there was anything else but a dark cloud over his head. Chayla was that sunshine that pushed it all back.
There was a smell in the air and loud jazz on the radio. He found her dancing and singing to the round side of a wooden spoon. Her voice carried to his ears and once again, her being her, made his day a little better. He noticed the way Beth’s clothes fit her body perfectly, filling in a little more on top, leaving the buttoned shirt slightly gaping.
He swallowed hard and walked into the kitchen. He still did not say anything, waiting for her to notice him. Charles took a seat at the bar and started to pour wine into the two waiting glasses. He could not think of a better way to come home and he closed his eyes with the pleasure of the impromptu moment.
“Oh. I didn’t see you there. Hold on.”
She turned the music off and looked down embarrassed. “How long have you been sitting there?”
“Long enough. You have a beautiful voice.”
Chayla went to the stove to stir what was simmering in the pot. It had been done hours ago, but she hadn’t added the seafood yet, so it would be perfect. “Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. I hope you like gumbo.”
“Never tried it.”
“Well you are in for a treat.” Her eyes looked at him as if he was the lollipop. Charles looked different in regular street clothes. He was wearing a suit, without a tie, the button down opened at the throat to show off a few dark black curls. He was more accessible without his NG uniform on. She liked the look, but Charles looked like a man, instead of a soldier. While she fantasized about both, the one in front of her looked at her in such a way that it was hard to not like that version better.
Chapter 5
She struggled not to ask about the clothes in his closet and as they talked, she quickly forgot about her ill feelings. Chayla was smitten with the man and found the evening quickly turning to night and she had already quietly decided that she was going to stay there another night. They watched a movie together and Chayla lay in the crook of his arm. It was so easy with him,
like they had known each other for a long time. She looked down at where his tanned skin contrasted with her dark skin.
The movie, like all movies had a love connection that ended with a happy ending. Chayla was feeling sappy and she looked up at Charles with doe eyes. He was then moving his mouth towards her, capturing her bottom lip with his teeth. His lips pressed against her softness and his tongue pushed in between her lips. She whimpered and opened to him, needing his touch more than she had realized.
Charles pulled her onto his lap, his hands holding her against him. A feeling of need that he had not felt in a long time rushed over him, his grip tightening on her. He pulled her closer, her breasts crushing against his chest. Chayla whimpered in his arms, her own winding around his neck to press harder against him. His excitement was unmistakable beneath her and he groaned as her hips shifted above him.
Pulling his mouth away, he watched her eyes finally open dilated. Her lips were still pursed and he leaned back in to capture them once again. Her legs opened to straddle him, pressing him closer to her heated core that was on fire with only a few light touches. Her body moved against him, her hands touching more of his hard chest, feeling the muscles underneath his clothes.
Before she knew what she was doing, Chayla was pushing the coat off his shoulders and unbuttoning his shirt. Her fingers delved in his springy chest hair, tickling the surface before she felt the power beneath. She moaned as his lips moved to her throat, suckling on her heated flesh.
Her hands pulled his shirt loose from his waistband and then she pulled it off of his shoulders and down his hard biceps. Her skin was several shades darker and everything about her was smaller than the man. Chayla had sat back, misaligning the throbbing length underneath her. It was driving her crazy and paired with the lustful look in his eyes, she could feel herself dampening in readiness for what she wanted to come next.
Then he was pulling her shirt off and over her head. Chayla was lost again as his face came forward, nuzzling her covered mounds. It made her giggle and then groan as his hips thrust upwards. Charles’ hands moved to the clasp that held her away from his view. He quickly had it opened and his hands jerked the straps down her arms. He sucked in a breath when his eyes took in her dark nipple, hard and pointed towards him as if begging for his touch. Unable to deny the silent request, his mouth moved to take one of the tender tips in.
“Oh yes.” Her words were soft and emphasized with her center rubbing hard on his trapped length. Each move made him want her more and before long, he was thrusting up to meet her hips. Her sounds got louder, higher pitched and when he grabbed her hips to hold her down against him, her body tightened above him. He felt a wetness seeping against his skin and he continued to suck on one of her nipples. Her head fell back and she moved her hips furiously against him.
Her antics drove him wild and he pulled away, looking down between them. His pants were wet with her release and the idea made him even more desperate to get inside of her. Their lips met and his hands moved underneath her skirt, finding her panties dripping wet. His finger squirmed in underneath the bottom hem and he growled when he felt the sweltering heat of her center.
There were no words needed between the two. Lust and need were universal and both seemed to be aching for something to take their mind away from everything for a while. His fingers slid down her slit, opening her to his rough digit as he pushed it inside of her. Chayla’s eyes fluttered shut and she gasped as he added another. She was quickly riding his hand, as her tits bounced in his face. Every bounce sent her nipples reeling dangerously close to his hungry mouth.
Charles latched on and pushed her closer to another blissful end. His thumb rubbed against her engorged clit and she started to shake above him. It was then that he heard a vibration against the table and a ring. He knew the special ringtone and his hands stalled, though Chayla was still trying to ride herself further. He pulled out suddenly and she whined and cursed him for stopping. “I am so sorry, but I have got to take this.”
She looked at him like he was mad, but got off of him, sitting next to him on the couch. Chayla watched him answer his phone and she wanted to stop him, but she waited. He made a few sounds into the phone and then hung up. “I’ve got to go. I will be back in a bit. Please stay nice and wet for me.”
He kissed her deeply and then moved to get his shirt back on. Charles was gone and left her dying for him to come back. After a couple of hours, she gave up and decided to go to bed. Instead of going to her room, she peeled off her clothes and settled into his bed to wait for his promised return.
***
Chapter 6
As soon as Charles heard the sound, he knew it was news about Dominic. It was the worst possible time, but he had to go, no matter how badly he wanted to stay and finish what he had started. He raced to the office and was given the news. Dominic had contacted the precinct and apparently had a message to deliver to Charles. He was told to wait and after an hour, he got an email from a bogus account. He hoped that it was the answers he craved.
“You haven’t wifed her dear Charles, but I can smell you all over her, so she will have to do. I must say, she is a pretty one. I always find the most delicious things when I check in your bed Charlie. I may enjoy using her to get to you, as much as I did Beth.”
“If you touch her, I will…”
“What kill me? Charles, dear boy, you can’t even find me.”
“What do you want? I want this to end.”
“Me too. Come here in the next hour by yourself and I will tell you what I want.”
“Where is here?”
“I know you have already tracked me. Alone Charles, this is between me and you.”
Charles hung up cursing. He called his house, but he knew that it would be empty. He could not allow it to happen again. Dominic was not going to take away another one that he loved. Leaving, he erased the message. He would be alone and it would end that night.
***
The destination was a run-down industrial park on the other side of the city. It was already a bad part of town, add in the recent violence and Charles knew that it was going to be trouble. Charles had shot Dominic’s father while on a case. It was not done lightly, the man had a gun to his head and reflexes had ended the situation. His son had not let it go and tracked Charles down to his house and murdered his wife while he was chasing a threat from the man.
He could not believe another person he loved was in danger because of him. It didn’t sit well in his gut and he hoped that she would be alright. Charles couldn’t think of anything else but it all working out. He had just found her and he didn’t want to think about losing her so soon.
He got out and looked around. His phone had the tracker and he weaved his way through the buildings of disrepair. He heard a sharp voice and then a responding woman’s voice. He thought it was her, it had to be Chayla. “Dominic?”
There was silence and then the voice he remembered from years before. “Here we are Charles. I see you are right on schedule, like always.”
“Just let her go Dominic.”
“Like a broken record. What makes this one so special?”
Charles paused and didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t even had time to think about it, but he knew that she was. Every time he was around her and she looked at him in that way, he knew. “Because she is the first one I have touched since Beth.”
The admission was not something he would have made under any other circumstances, but he tried to plea with the man’s heart strings. It seemed to be working and he asked to see her. She was behind a stand of old boxes and he could not hear her anymore. “Chayla, are you okay?”
“She is out of it right now. A bit of a fighter, this one.”
His eyes darkened and Dominic put his hand up. “She is fine, for now. You know what I want. I want revenge for my father, as you want revenge for Beth.”
The sound of her name on the man’s lips was too much for Charles and with a quick movement, there was a s
harp crack of a gunshot going off. It shattered the silence with its sound. They were too far out to be heard and in that part of town it was a natural occurrence anyways. Charles raced to where he had heard her before and she was lying on the ground, unconscious. He checked her and then lifted her up, taking one last look back at the immobile man.
Charles made a call to the station when he got her tucked into the car. There was a small bump on her head and he made sure to be extra gentle with her. “Evans, I am sending you an address. There is a man there that needs a wagon. I will be in to make my report soon.”
He didn’t say anything else and as he saw her rousing, he put the car into gear and headed off towards his home. She looked at him dazed eyed, before she closed her eyes again. Charles could not take his eyes from her, sitting there unsure how he was going to explain any of it.
The drive home was so different then the drive out. Charles made a few calls and explained what had happened. He knew that there would be no investigation, in truth there would be a celebration of the man’s passing. It was just another name to be scratched off the list that seemed to get longer by the day. Charles was exhausted from being worried, emotionally drained and when they finally got to his place, Chayla was waking up and he watched her have a momentary freak out.
His hand went to shoulder. “It’s okay. You are safe now.”
Her brown eyes flashed to his and she sat silently in the car next to him. The lights were off and the lights on the street illuminated the hard lines of his face. She did feel safe, but she wanted answers. Starting to ask a question, he stopped her. “Why don’t we go inside and you can ask what needs to be asked. I know you have a lot of questions, but we need to look at the bump on your head.”
She nodded and opened the car door gingerly. Her day had gone from great to worse in a matter of seconds and she shivered with the memory of Dominic. He had ranted and raved more than anything else, but it was clear the charges he had against Charles. There was also a mention of another woman that apparently did not have as good of luck as she did. Chayla wondered if that was where the clothes came from, but knowing the back story, there was no way she was going to ask.
