The silence in the room did not seem heavy…it just seemed still. Taking another deep breath, feeling BJ’s arms tighten again, she looked up. “We…I had a miscarriage.”
Annie and Lily immediately said, “Oh Suzanne,” at the same time.
“Brad was there for me. The breakup wasn’t his fault. I…don’t know. I just felt like Fairfield was suffocating me. Everyone there knew. I couldn’t move in that town without someone patting my hand and telling me that it was for the best.”
“Fuck,” Gabe said under his breath.
“So I pushed Brad away. I wanted him to have his life. And I wanted to go away. Away from memories. Away from…,” she began shaking her head, “any memory of what we lost.”
BJ spoke up admitting, “I should’ve never let you walk away.”
“No honey, you can’t think that. I needed to grow up. I needed to find myself outside of Fairfield. But looking back, I wish we could have done that together and that I didn’t hurt you in the process.”
“But you two are together now. That’s what matters,” Lily added.
Wiping away the single tear that had escaped, Suzanne agreed. “Now we just have to figure out how to move forward.” Taking a cleansing breath then letting it out slowly, she said with a small smile, “And this is a good start. Admitting the past. Facing my grief and not doing it alone.
“You’re not alone anymore baby,” BJ said gently, kissing her forehead.
“Neither of you are,” Matt agreed. With mumurs of agreement all around, the group settled back to the easy camaraderie of good friends.
* * *
BJ walked quietly into the bathroom, feeling certain that Suzy had fallen asleep in the tub. He wasn’t wrong. Sitting on the tiled edge, he looked down. The candles she had lit sent flickering light around the room while the scent of her body wash wafted through the air. Her long, dark hair was piled on top of her head in a messy knot. Her thick eyelashes lay in crescents against her pale cheeks. Her body shape was muted through the water, but he knew it by heart.
The girl he had fallen in love with had matured into a more beautiful woman in the past four years. He could have stared at her all night but knew the water was cooling. Leaning down, he cupped her face placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Sleeping Beauty, time to get out so that I can get you dry, warm and in bed.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled lazily. “Hey,” she said softly. “Have I been here long?”
“Nah. Only about twenty minutes, but I was afraid your water wasn’t warm anymore. Here, let me help you,” he offered as he reached down to assist her out of the tub.
She stepped out carefully into his arms waiting with a large towel. As he dried her off, she couldn’t help but comment, “This towel is huge. And soft.”
“What? You think I can’t have nice towels?”
“Well, it seems…I don’t know. I guess I never thought that guys cared about linens,” she giggled as he spent time drying off her legs before moving upwards.
His lips replaced the towel as he ascended from her legs up over her stomach, causing her to giggle more. “I forgot how ticklish you are,” he murmured against her skin. His kisses continued their trail up to her breast, giving one nipple attention before moving across to the other.
Suzanne’s legs felt weak as the sensation sent a wave of warmth to her core and she could no longer stand still.
He swooped her up in his arms and stalked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where he lowered her onto the bed. Crawling in with her, he gathered her into his arms.
His lips captured hers while his tongue explored her delicious mouth. The taste of her was intoxicating as the kiss went deeper. Wetter. Hotter. Moving his mouth over, his tongue found the sensitive skin of her neck as he continued to kiss down her body. Giving each breast attention, he elicited moans from her as her hips began to press against his body.
“Patience,” he chuckled, his mouth moving lower. Using his hands, he spread her legs wide as he completely exposed her pink pussy to his eyes. With a growl rumbling deep in his chest, he dove in, licking her wetness before sucking her clit in his mouth.
“Aughh,” she moaned again, her hips rising. He moved one of his hands up to her stomach and gently pressed her back down.
Plunging his tongue inside, he continued to lap her juices, loving the taste of her. His hand on her stomach rose higher until it palmed her breast, pinching the nipple lightly.
“Brad…I need…” she panted, feeling the coil of tension deep inside her core ready to spring. “I…” was all she managed to say as he gave each nipple a tug as he sucked her clit deeply to his mouth. Her pussy walls clenched and her orgasm raced through her sending all of her nerves tingling outwards. Throwing her head back, she screamed his name once again.
He loved that she still called him Brad, not BJ. Brad was the name she first screamed in passion years ago and it was the only name he wanted to hear on her lips when she came.
He finished licking her glistening pussy before kissing his way back up her boneless body until he plunged his tongue back into her mouth.
She’d never tasted herself before and it was intoxicating as his tongue dueled with hers. Even sated, she still wanted more. “Please…I need you inside of me,” she begged.
“Baby, this was about you. Just you tonight,” he responded.
Her eyes imploring sought his as she captured his strong jaw in her hands. “This is what I need. This is what I want,” she explained. “I. Need. You. Inside. Of. Me.”
BJ held her eyes for just a moment, seeing nothing but truth and trust. Growling he jerked his pants off and rolled on top of her, stilling his cock just at her entrance. Holding her legs apart, he looked down at all her beauty. Dark hair spilling out on the pillow. Pale skin gleaming in the moonlight. Blue eyes looking into his. Jesus fuck. She’s truly mine. A trusting smile lit her face and he swore his heart stopped as her arms rose up to him.
He plunged to the hilt, his dick reveling in the soft warmth of her body. Leaning over her, his hands on either side of her head, he pounded deeply as though trying to reach the inner most part of her soul. Hanging on to his self-discipline by a thread, he was determined for her to come again.
“Close, baby?” he panted.
“Yes, yes,” was her reply as she grabbed his shoulders, holding on for all she was worth. The sparks shot from her womb out through her limbs as her orgasm rocketed. Digging her fingers into his arms, she cried out once again.
He followed her, his neck thrown back as the cords of muscles strained. Continuing to thrust until every last drop was drained from him into her waiting body, he fell to the side taking her with him. Holding her close, he wrapped his arms around her trembling form, pulling her tight into his chest. Legs tangled. Arms wrapped. Breaths mingled. Heartbeats pounding in unison.
Slowly awareness crept in and he looked back into her face, seeing her smiling at him.
“Are you okay, baby?” he asked.
“Perfect,” she whispered back.
Kissing her lips softly, he replied, “Yeah, you are.”
He cleaned her gently and then pulled the covers over them. Pulling her back tightly to him, he threw his leg over hers as his arm wrapped around her waist. Kissing her softly on her neck, he whispered, “I love you, Suzy. I always have.”
She smiled to herself as she allowed the words to slide inside, warming her heart. “I love you too, Brad. I always have.”
Nuzzling her one last time before sleep overtook them both, he replied, “I always will. You can trust in that.”
Chapter 12
The arena was small by comparison to the previous venues. A small warehouse basement…nothing remarkable on the exterior. A steady stream of men, some carrying cages, made their way into the barely-lit interior. The fight manager processed them as they came in and then sent them to a holding area. The head bookie, Taevon, had been busy all day, taking bets over the phone and in person.<
br />
Marcel and Charisse made their way out of the back of his chauffeured SUV, meeting up with Jorge on the inside. They walked uninhibited through the crowd as his security shoved people to the side. Ascending stairs at the back of the building, Marcel once again took his stand on a platform overlooking the arena. Charisse stood stoically next to him, seemingly nonchalant, but her awareness heightened to his every whim.
“Take tonight?” Marcel clipped.
“Good night. This expansion could be perfect. Taevon’s taking calls from all over the state. So far, money’s been tripled.”
A smiled crossed Marcel’s face as he nodded. “Everything ready? I want no fuck-ups. This time better be fuckin’ perfect.”
“Camera’s been checked out. Internet thread looks good. Got the new IT guy, Charles, here tonight making sure it goes streamed as planned.”
Out of the corner of Charisse’s eye she could see Marcel’s approval of Jorge’s report smooth over him. His shoulders relaxed slightly. Her outer stance never changed but inside she heaved a sigh of relief. Marcel was much easier to deal with when he was in a good mood. She’d come a long way from hustling under the high school bleachers for some drug money. Being Marcel’s main girl meant she was taken care of. Expensive clothes, jewelry, weekly spa visits, and all for the price of her body. She was fine with that – where else could she live so well? But his temper made life a little less palatable. Sliding up to his side as she noticed his head jerk, she linked fingers with him pressing her breasts up against his arm.
Jorge noticed and began to move down the stairs. Recognizing Marcel’s approval of the night’s plans, he set about to oversee the fights.
During the next two hours, it became evident their newest endeavor was going to make more money in one night than they previously had in three or four nights. Private internet streaming was allowing higher end clients to bet on the fights and watch them from their home computers. The money rolled in from not only the low-lifes that came or brought their dogs, but the take was tripled with the money coming in from the online gambling.
Jorge checked periodically on the streaming booth. The cameras were focused clearly on the fight ring and the on-line streaming appeared to be working perfectly. He liked the new additions. The screen showed the dogs listed as well as their fight record. The odds were in the corner of the screen, allowing the home-based clients to view as though they were in the building. As one fight began he watched the screen, seeing the dogs as clearly as if he had been ring side. He glanced back at the new additions to Marcel’s team. They seemed intent, ready to make some serious money. He smiled; they keep making Marcel money they would find themselves well taken care of. He turned his attention back to the fights. The blood lust of a few of the dogs was going to keep the money rolling in. Satisfied that the evening was going well, he nodded to the men in the room and walked out.
As he walked toward the sawdust-covered ring, his attention was caught by a familiar face. Stalking over he approached the man, grabbed his arm, and whirled him around.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he bit out angrily.
“What? What’s wrong with my being here?”
“Your face is recognizable, asshole. You’re in the clinic to keep pressure off of us and you’re supposed to keep a low profile. Showing up here is not keeping a low profile. Now get the fuck out,” Jorge ordered.
The man stared at Jorge before saying, “Fine, I’ll go. But just remember who keeps this shit under wraps. You need me. Don’t forget that.”
Jorge watched the man turn and stalk away and a slow smile crossed his face. “Oh, I won’t forget a fucking thing.”
He turned and moved through the crowd, making sure the bookies were with their assigned security. Following them to a small office while the other security details were clearing out the building, he watched as the take was processed. Taevon came over smiling. “Still got monies being processed, but so far it looks like we’ve hit the mother lode.”
Nodding his approval he made his way back to the other small office that Marcel had commandeered. Knocking, he entered to make his nightly report. A quick glance to the side showed Charisse leaning over a table snorting coke before flopping back onto the sofa. Her dress was pulled down around her waist exposing bite marks around her breasts. The skirt was also pushed up and with her legs opened, he could see the glistening fluid between her legs. Marcel had moved away from the couch, tucking his tailored shirt back into his pants.
“Sweet cunt, eh Jorge?” Marcel asked, a smirk on his face.
“Sure boss,” came the simple answer, although he knew Marcel was already imagining her sister in that position. Not stoned though. Never high. That wouldn’t be Sherrie’s style. She definitely got the class of the two sisters. And as much as his boss liked to dress up Charisse…she was a hooker and would always be a hooker.
Back to business, Marcel sat at a small desk looking over the initial reports from earlier. Jorge made his way to him handing him the most recent information from the night. With everything in order and Marcel not needing him further, he went back downstairs to finish the night’s job.
* * *
BJ sat at the Alvarez Security conference table with Matt, Shane, Tony, Gabe and Lily. Tony called the meeting after getting a call from Shane.
“Thanks for settin’ this up,” Shane began. “Got a situation and there’s not enough resources for the PD to do the back-up research needed. Chief wanted us to brief you and see if Lily would be able to work on a retainer with us for a bit.”
Lily looked sharply across the table to her fiancé. “Matt, you never mentioned this?” she questioned.
“Baby, I’m not in the habit of worrying you about my cases and especially not when they might involve friends of yours.”
Those words quickly grabbed the attention of everyone else in the room.
“I think you’d better fill us in,” Tony’s voice broke the silence.
Matt began, “Several days ago we got a tip about a new way to showcase and bet on dog fights in the city. We know they’re prevalent. We know the street cops can’t keep up with finding them, much less shutting them down. As soon as they break up one, two more pop up. And the money? One fight can bring in tens of thousands of dollars.”
“What’s the new way you’re talking about?” Tony asked.
“Video. Secure live streaming right onto your computer, phone, tablet, wherever.”
“How’s that work?” BJ asked, his mind already running through the IT necessities for that type of endeavor.
“Don’t know and that’s why we’re here. There’s just not enough resources in the department for us to find out the source, how it works, how to locate the fights. Nothing. The only way we found out about it was by accident. One of our officers was at his brother-in-law’s house last weekend and saw what the dick was watching on his phone. By the time he realized what was happening, the brother-in-law had shut it down and got off the account. It’s not much, but Vice has been able to piece together just a little bit.”
Shane looked across the table and said, “BJ, we know Suzanne got attacked last week. We’ve got no proof, but I’ve got a bad feelin’ that it may not have been random. She’s admitted and Annie confirmed that she’s been lookin’ into some dog attacks in the neighborhood. She may be makin’ a target of herself.”
“Goddamnit!” BJ interjected.
Lily put her hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him, earning her an approving wink from Matt. Turning to BJ, she said, “BJ, focus on what we can do to work the problem.”
She looked back to Matt and Shane asking, “What do you need us to do?”
Matt looked first at Tony before replying, “We were wondering if you could spare Lily and BJ to do some IT investigating for us. Not full time…just enough to see if we can crack where the fight links are coming from. The PD can pay by the hour for some work.”
Tony’s reply came easily. “Absolutely. Whatever you need, you go
t.” Turning to Lily, he asked, “What’s on your plate right now?”
“I’m working on changing our programming for following some of the security feeds we have come into the office. But it’s not pressing and can be done at any time,” she quickly added.
Nodding his approval, he then looked at BJ, who was already anticipating the question. “I’ve been going out with Gabe and Vinny as they set up security systems but I can easily move some things around.”
Gabe chimed in his acquiescence. “BJ’s been a big help, but it’s not necessary for him to shadow me at this time. Protecting the clinic and Suzanne while helping the PD is priority.”
Tony nodded once again as he turned back to Matt and Shane. “Looks like you’ve got Alvarez Security in your corner.”
They all stood as Shane looked to BJ and stated, “Couldn’t ask for anything better.”
* * *
The night fog was rolling off the river blanketing the couples walking toward Club Edge. The giggling was hard to distinguish over the grumbling.
Annie, Lily, and Suzanne were all dressed for a night on the town. Lily was wearing long, black, silk pants with a cashmere, pink sweater that dipped off of one shoulder. Annie, in a stunning green dress that dipped in the front showing off more cleavage than Shane was comfortable with, paired it with silver, strappy heels. Suzanne’s red dress, which was modest in the front and had virtually no back, had BJ’s blood pressure rising.
Suzanne looked up at BJ declaring, “You all have to be the only men in town grouchy about going to a strip bar.”
Annie and Lily broke out into giggles again, while all three men swore.
“You think we’re gonna be looking at tits?” BJ growled.
“We’re gonna be doin’ nothin’ but making sure those horny men in there aren’t staring at your racks, baby,” Shane added while pulling Annie in tighter.
Love's Trusting (The Love's Series) Page 12
