by Brooks,Anna
Without a word, he stands up and gently tosses me on the bed. “Ty,” I whisper, rubbing my thighs together.
He pulls up his pants, reaches over in my nightstand, and pulls out my vibrator. “You don’t get to come on my cock tonight. Remember that next time you let another man touch you.”
Even in my intense state of arousal, I can feel the hurt in his words … I can see the pain in his eyes. I’d be just as mad if I saw him with another woman, so I can’t really blame him.
He leans over me and gently kisses the tip of my nose. “I’ll let you have this, though.”
He runs the tip of my bright pink wand between the swollen lips of my pussy, and I arch off the bed. When he switches it on, the hum of it hits me right where I need it. My walls clamp down around nothing, and I scream as the orgasm I thought he was going to deny me rushes through me, crashing against my core. I whimper, feeling a painful pleasure ripple through me. Getting some, but not quite enough.
“You need my cock, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I cry and reach for him, pulling him closer.
He frames my face with his hands, pushes his pants off again, and then slides into me in one smooth thrust. Nothing is better than he is; no vibrator even comes close to the feel of his smooth hardness inside me. We both moan, and I wrap my legs around him to pull him in even deeper. He rests his forehead on mine, and as we watch each other, he slowly but thoroughly makes love to me.
I gasp as another wave builds, and when it reaches its crest, we say the other’s name before it crashes down. Ty’s biceps shake, and my legs fall open as he slows his movements until he freezes above me.
Before I’m even all the way down from that high, his body heat vanishes, and he leans over and kisses me. I close my eyes for a moment of bliss, but when I open them, he’s gone.
Chapter 9
Ty
I’m sitting in a strip club … no, it’s not even a strip club. It’s a freaking brothel. Marco is on my left, and I subtly try to scoot my chair away from the woman giving him a blowjob. Her ass is right up in my face, and her stanky crotch makes the whiskey I’m drinking turn sour in the pit of my stomach.
“You want in?” Marco asks, pointing to said ass.
“I’m good.”
“Ahh, what? You get out, and suddenly, you’re too good for my girls?”
I chuckle a bit and run my finger along one of her ass cheeks. “Nah, man. You know your shit’s tight.” I smack her, and she emits a yelp around Marco’s dick.
“C’mere and sink that cunt on me.” He grabs her by the hair, and she squirms her naked body until she’s centered over him and then she sinks down like he demanded. Marco takes the cigarette out of his mouth and closes his eyes.
“Later, brother.” I stand and clap him on the shoulder.
“Next week.”
“You know it.”
I nod at the bouncer and head outside. Once I get around the corner, I dry heave against the brick wall. My truck’s just around the alley, and when I reach it, I get the fuck outta here and head back to my place.
I have my clothes off before I even reach the bathroom. I scrub my skin and allow the hot water to wash away some of the nastiness. Nothing seems worth dealing with this shit anymore, but I don’t have a choice. I wish I did, but that night six years ago took away my choices. Hell, before that, really. I don’t think my life was ever my own.
Marco likes control … He likes to feel like the fuckin’ king of a pretend palace. And even though we’ve had our … differences, he thinks he still has power over me, and for that reason, he keeps me alive.
Jessa’s the only pure thing in my life. Her sheer beauty is enough to make my dirty heart clean again. Shit, the last time I remember having a clear conscience was when I was, like eight. Growing up with a hooker for a mom skewed my perception of reality.
I was dragged into her world and haven’t been able to get out of it.
As I’m drying off, I hear my phone ringing. I walk out to the kitchen with a towel wrapped around my waist to answer it. “Yeah?”
“Seventh and Prospect. Midnight.”
The phone clicks off. I run my fingers through my hair and take a breath before getting dressed. I grab the duffel bag full of cocaine on my way out and slide the burner phone in my back pocket.
* * *
By the time I’m done, it’s almost 2:00 a.m., but I need to see her. I need to touch her and remind myself why I’m doing all this.
I park around the corner two blocks down. When I get to her house, I pick the lock on her back door and head straight for her room. I toss treats at the dogs and take my shoes off before I go up the stairs.
When I open her door, my dick turns to stone just by the smell of her room. Lavender.
Chucking off my sweats, I pull the covers up and slide beneath them while I pull her against me. I thrust my hips and press my dick between her ass cheeks.
A startled gasp leaves her mouth, but I whisper against her neck, “It’s just me.”
“Jesus. Don’t do that. You scared the shit outta me.”
“Sorry.”
She nestles back further into me and sighs. “I’m out of commission tonight.”
I continue rubbing my lips along her skin. She tastes so fuckin’ good everywhere. “It’s okay. I just wanna hold you.”
Her weight becomes heavier against me, and I flex my arms a little tighter to get her closer. I bury my face in her hair and close my eyes to sleep for a couple of hours.
When you’ve lived your entire life watching your back, sleep becomes a luxury. Good sleep is unobtainable, so when I wake up four hours later and the sun is starting to rise, I know I’m getting too comfortable with her. She brings me so much fucking peace that I don’t think straight when I’m around her.
The cool air hits my warm skin when I slide out of bed. I leave through the back door, feeling more rejuvenated than I have in years, after getting that much sleep.
Instead of heading home, I walk the seven blocks to the cemetery and sit on the grass in front of my mother’s grave.
I didn’t get to go to her funeral. Marco at least had the decency to call an ambulance so she could be buried properly. She died from an OD right after I was arrested, but Marco laced her drugs, so technically she was murdered. When I got the news, I nodded at the guard and ashamedly felt relief. Not only for her, but also for me. For the little boy who knew nothing other than drugs and thugs. For the kid who tried his entire life to protect a woman who didn’t want to be protected. For the teenager who learned about life the hard way. And for the adult who lost the only family he ever had.
Mom had run away from her abusive father when she was fifteen. Apparently, he died about ten years ago. I don’t know who my dad is and neither did she. So now, it’s just me.
Footsteps shuffle behind me, and my boss, Jay, pats me on the shoulder. “You get any info last night?”
“No.”
“Ty, I know this is difficult for you, but the faster you get me what I need, the faster you can be out from under his thumb.”
I push myself up and brush the dead grass from my jeans. “No shit? He’s not fuckin’ talking. I told you that years ago. He runs his shit tight. I’m doing the best I can, all right?”
“I know.” Jay holds up his hands in surrender. “I know that. I trust you are, and I don’t want you to be in any more danger than you already are, but time is of the essence.”
Reminding myself he’s just doing his job, I crack my knuckles and give him the only thing I have. “Word on the street is he’s got a big deal going down in three weeks. I don’t know details because I haven’t heard anything concrete. That’s all I’ve got. And honestly, it’s nothing new. He’s always working on something.”
Jay nods. “Keep me posted.”
“Yeah.” My shoulder bumps into his when I walk by.
Once safely inside my apartment, I change clothes and eat a bowl of oatmeal before I head to my day job, which
is also part of my cover.
Chapter 10
Jessa
My fingers click the buttons on the mouse as I check my schedule and pull up the details for my last appointment of the day.
“What’s the four thirty?” I ask Kristen when she walks in my office with a stack of charts.
“I dunno.” She shrugs. “He called this morning and said he wanted a consultation.”
“That’s it?”
“Yup. Didn’t give me much info except that he had a dog he was contemplating putting down and wanted to discuss it before he made any decisions.”
I blow out a breath. “I need to see the dog first.”
“That’s what I told him, but he prepaid with a credit card over the phone.”
“Okay. Whatever.”
I bury myself with updating charts and seeing appointments all day. In fact, it’s what I’ve been doing for the past week since Ty left me in bed alone … again.
He’s pissed me off for the last time. I’m done pining over him. I’m done fantasizing about a man who’s gone more than he’s here. Part of it has always been an infatuation with him, then there was the guilt, and of course, the intense connection. But now, all I feel is anger.
Before I know it, it’s the end of the day, and I have Kristen put the consult into an exam room. Since the dog isn’t going to be with the owner, I just walk into the room after a quick knock, and when I see who the client is, I reach for the handle.
His face is burned into my brain. The brutality of what he did that night keeps me awake and haunts my dreams. How his evil eyes stared at me as he allowed Ty to be beaten. The vile words he said about what he wanted to do to me.
“Not so fast there, Dr. Crew.” Marco shakes his head at me.
My palms sweat and my throat dries. “What are you doing here?”
“I seem to have a problem with a dog, you see.” He rises out of the seat and saunters over to me. I back up until I’m pressed into the corner.
“What do you want?” My voice comes off stronger than I feel, but I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I’m not terrified.
“Well, this dog of mine. I’m debating whether I should put him down.”
I swallow and nod for him to continue. I figure that if I keep him talking, I have a better chance to get away than if I just start screaming. I’ve seen what this man is capable of and know without a doubt that he’d shut me up. Plus, I don’t want to risk Kristen getting involved.
“He’s been very disobedient, and it would appear he’s been roaming the streets at night to meet up with his bitch.” He leans forward and puts his nose in my hair, inhaling before he steps back again. “Although, she does smell delicious, so I can’t say that I blame him.”
I fight the nausea threatening. “What do you want?”
His eyes roam down to my chest, and I shiver. He steps forward again and runs his nose along my jawline then stops with his mouth right next to my ear. “I want you to give him a message.”
“Okay.” I hope that if I agree, he’ll back off.
“Next time you see him, tell him Marco says hello.”
He steps back and walks out the door without another word.
My breath releases, and a soft whine of fear leaves my throat. I quickly walk out to the front of the building and lock the door. Kristen comes out from the back. “You need anything else?”
“No.” I trip as I walk around the corner and wipe my eyes.
“You okay?”
“Yes. Let me grab my purse then we can go.”
How is this happening? I have no way of getting ahold of Ty. I don’t even know his number or where he lives. Marco didn’t want me to give him a message. He wanted to threaten me. Him. Us. He’s trying to show that he has some kind of power.
The conversation hasn’t come up, but I assumed Ty got away from Marco and his goons when he got out of jail.
In a fog, I walk out to my car with Kristen, then drive home. On the way back, it starts sputtering again, and it’s after I get in my house that I let the tears pour. I debate whether to call the cops, but I remember Ty telling me that they’d be no good to help, so my best bet is to wait for him to show up again.
My dogs come to the couch and comfort me while I contemplate my entire life. I have never felt unsafe in my own home until now. I’m scared for me, I’m scared for my dogs, and I’m scared for Ty.
Marco’s message was a warning. He’s watching. He’s probably been watching. I didn’t think he knew who I was, since I hadn’t heard a peep out of him since that night six years ago.
I was so stupid to think the whole situation from that night would just go away. I’m a smart woman, but right now, I feel like an idiot. But how was I to know? This isn’t a fucking movie. It’s my life. It’s Ty’s life. I wish it could be our life, but the fear of Marco making that impossible is stronger now more than ever.
Tonight, I allow my dogs on the bed with me.
* * *
I’m driving to work, still shaky and on edge since Marco’s visit yesterday, when my car makes another loud noise and sputters at the stoplight.
Furious and fed up with everything in life, I drive to the garage that ‘fixed’ it last time, and slam my door as hard as I can. I yank the handle on the front door of the shop so hard the bells crash against the glass, and the man behind the counter, with the name Chip embroidered on his blue shirt, raises an eyebrow at me.
“You guys worked on my car a few weeks ago, and now, it’s doing the same thing as it was before.”
“Okay?” He looks at me confused.
“Okay. And I want you to fix it right this time!” I yell at him and don’t even care that I’ve raised my voice.
“I’d be happy to take a look at it for you, but—”
“No, no buts. You will look at it, and you will fix it. Properly this time,” I add.
“Ma’am, I’ll have to add you to the schedule …”
I tap my foot as he trails off and I huff in irritation. I’m normally not such a bitch. I’m pretty sure I’ll start feeling guilty any second now, since I’m taking out all of my frustration on this guy.
“It looks like we can fit you in tomorrow, if you want to—”
“Tomorrow?” I screech. “How am I supposed to get arou—”
I stop talking when Ty walks out of the back room, looking down at his phone. One that I don’t have a number for. “You!” I yell.
He pauses and looks up from the screen, and his face instantly falls, but he turns it into a look of irritation so fast I almost question if I saw the sadness at all.
“Hey.” He nods at me then turns back around and walks away.
“Hell no,” I shout, as the door hits him in the ass. My feet move before my brain has a chance to decide what it’s doing, and I rush into the room where he went. “What is your problem?” My voice loses its bravado when I get closer to him.
“Talk to Chip about your car, Jessa.” He tucks his phone into his back pocket and wipes his hands on his dirty jeans.
“I don’t give a shit about my car right now. Where have you been?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
My mouth falls open for a second, but I hide the hurt and blink back tears from his blatant disregard for me. “Don’t worry,” I whisper.
He grabs a set of keys off the shelf and nods at me as he begins to leave the room. “Yeah, babe.”
I was just about to push aside my anger toward him and tell him about Marco, but the feminist in me rears her head. “Don’t call me babe.”
His booted feet stop before he steps in my direction. “Excuse me?”
I need to tell him about Marco. “Listen, whatever. Yesterday at work—”
He advances on me even further, and his scent of motor oil and musk overtakes my senses. “I make you come?”
“What?”
His lips rub against my cheek. “If I make you come, I’ll call you whatever I want to.”
The nerve! I
push him back and run my fingers through my hair. “You’re such an asshole.”
He smirks and pulls me back to him then runs his nose along mine. There is absolutely no denying the fire between us, but I refuse to allow him to use me anymore. When he licks his lips, I push past him and rush out of the room and to my loud ass car.
I’m so furious over his behavior that I forgot to finish telling him about my visitor yesterday, but he obviously doesn’t give a shit about me anyway. He only cares about getting off whenever it’s convenient for him.
For the rest of the day, I bury myself in work and find a different garage to take my car. Kristen follows me there and drops me off at home. Since it’s Friday, they said it will be ready by the end of Monday, so Kristen is, again, going to be my ride.
My dogs comfort me as I sit and cry. I’m so confused and so freaking scared about Marco’s threat. If I hadn’t been so shocked by seeing Ty, I would have given him the ‘message’ I was supposed to.
I lock all my doors and then head to bed. Unfortunately, I toss and turn for a couple of hours, and just as I’m falling asleep, I hear it.
Footsteps.
Ty.
With how I left him earlier, I should be mad. And I am. But the truth is, more than anger, I’m scared. I don’t know much about him … anything, really. But I do know that when he’s around, I feel safe, and right now, I need his security. Especially with Marco’s threat looming over my head.
My dogs wag their tails when the door opens, already knowing who it is. I don’t lift my head but listen to him usher them out of the room and close the door.
His boots fall to the floor, and his belt unbuckles. The sound of his zipper makes my core tighten. A soft whoosh tells me he’s dropped his shirt, too. I expect the comforter to be pulled off, but instead, he lifts it at the foot of the bed.
