by Alexa Riley
I raise my chin, letting him know I’m here and I’m waiting. Just then, Heavy grunts and holds the stripper’s head back while he cums on her face. The sight of his tiny dick getting off is embarrassing, but for some reason, he thinks this makes him look powerful.
Needing to look away, I turn my body around and pull out my phone. A text from Tessa makes me warm inside and washes away some of the dirty filth surrounding me. When I read her text, though, my heart drops a little.
Tessa: I can’t tonight. I’m sorry. I have plans already and can’t break them. Tomorrow?
Me: You know how to keep a guy begging. You working tomorrow?
Tessa: Nope. Off all day.
Me: Then I want you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
“That fat chick playing hard to get?”
I turn around to see Nick leaning against the table as everybody finishes up with the strippers and sends them out of the room. He didn’t see my messages, so he must just assume she turned me down like she turned him down. I think it burns him that Tessa would never give him the time of day. He’ll take any hit at her to make himself feel better.
I don’t respond; I just stare him down. It’s the fool in the room who speaks most often, and I’m going to let Nick prove to the group just what a fucking idiot he is. I take a seat at the table next to the guys playing cards and wait for Heavy to join us.
“It’s okay if she turned you down, Sparrow. Girl like that doesn't know how to act when someone talks to her. Bet that pussy hasn’t even had a good fucking yet.”
My hands are resting on my legs, and I lean back in my chair, as cool as I could possibly be. Inside is another story, though. Inside, I’m ripping his flesh from his bones, and his screams are a beautiful melody to my ears. But on the outside, I don’t so much as flinch as he talks about my girl. He knows my warning earlier was good, but I’m not stupid enough to make a move with five of his guys in the room willing to take his back. Even if they know he’s wrong, they wouldn’t take my side.
“Makes my dick hard just thinking about it. Hey, maybe I’ll offer to fuck her tonight when we’re out for drinks. Break her in a little bit for you.”
He rubs his hand over his crotch and gives me a disgusting smirk.
Placing my hand on the table in front of me, I lean forward on my forearms and let out a little laugh. It’s bitter and clipped, but he’s pissed I’m mocking him.
“Really, Nick? Because from what I heard from her friend, she said all that shit you’re putting up your nose is causing a few problems in the bedroom.” I have no idea if I’m right, but by the look on his face, and the laughter through the room, I’ve hit my target.
Nick is embarrassed in front of his crew, and I can see how angry that makes him. His pride is his weakness, and it’s going to be his downfall. He reaches into his jacket—for a weapon, I assume— but I just lean back in my chair, smiling, as Heavy approaches us and takes the head of the table.
“Sit down, Nick. We’ve got business.”
Heavy looks me over and then looks at Nick, and I see that he decides to go ahead and not bring up the situation earlier today, no doubt thinking that his side of the story was probably less than truthful.
I just keep still and sit back, letting the rage boil inside me. Before this is all over, I’m going to take care of Nick. That little motherfucker doesn’t get to talk about my girl like that and live.
Heavy rolls out the blueprint I provided him of the bank, and we go over the plan for Monday once more. There are a couple of last-minute changes, but nothing on my end to worry about.
We spend the next few hours checking and rechecking the plan.
What most petty criminals don’t understand is that a plan to break the law is the easy part. Anybody can walk into a bank and hold it up. It’s what happens after that, that’s where the work begins. These fuckers have no clue. This is how you get caught, worrying about the details on how to get in but never thinking about getting away and what comes after. They have every second of every minute of this job planned out until the money is in hand. Then they’ve sort of got an exit strategy. It goes beyond that. We have to study this further and map out all possibilities of things going wrong.
I’m sitting back and listening to all of it, knowing that once I’ve secured my package, step two commences.
After hours have gone by, I check my watch and see that Tessa should home by now. I pull out my phone and look at her tracker movements, and I see it’s moving away from her house.
My heart starts to beat faster, but I can’t just get up and bolt out of the room.
“Sparrow.” Heavy says my name like he’s said it a few times, and I turn my eyes to him. “We keeping you from something?”
Slipping my phone back into my jeans, I lean back in my seat and wait for him to continue. I’m going to kill all these cocksuckers by the time this job is done.
Chapter 8
Tessa
I run my fingers across my lips for the twentieth time since lunch. With every touch I can’t help but smile. I keep licking them like there still might be a trace of him left to taste. Who knew a kiss could be so—
“Earth to Tessa.” Harper snaps her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to work. I feel like I’ve gotten nothing done today because all I’ve done is think about the kiss over and over again. Not to mention how I keep picking up my phone to read the text messages, waiting for another to arrive.
“What?” I bite out, agitated that she ripped me from my daydreaming. She eyes me for a second, probably a little taken aback by my tone, but I can’t seem to care this time. Nope. I’m on a kiss high, and that’s where I want to stay.
“It’s time to go.”
I glance over at the clock on the wall and see it’s already a little after four. “Oh, let me grab my stuff.” I hop off the high-top chair and smooth my dress before grabbing what I was working on. “Train?” I ask, wondering if she has a ride with her new guy. I’m hoping I don’t get offered another ride. I’d rather take the train alone, even if it takes me a lot longer to get home.
“Yep. Nick is just going to meet us there tonight.” She says it in a dreamy voice, making me wonder if I’d talk about Sean in the same manner.
“Just let me drop this off and grab my stuff.” I pick up my cookie and phone to take with me, but Harper grabs the cookie from my hand, almost making me drop the pile of paper I have stacked in my arms.
“Can I have this?” She starts unwrapping it from the plastic before she even finishes the question. “I didn’t get to go to lunch, and besides you don’t really need it.” The way she says it really makes my gut clench, breaking some of the kiss spell I’d been under.
I want to smack it out of her hand just for the comment, but I also know she didn’t get a chance to take a lunch break. By the time I’d gotten back, we had a rush come through. By then it was already three, so Harper said she’d just skip it. I’m not sure if it was because she was being nice or the fact that a suit comes in every Friday mid-afternoon who she likes to flirt with. Either way, I know she didn’t get to eat.
“Whatever,” I mumble, before turning to head to my office, wrapping up what I need to before grabbing my stuff.
Checking my phone again, I debate a response.
Sean: Then I want you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to respond. He wants to hang out with me all day, and that makes more butterflies take flight in my stomach. They’ve been flying around since Sean walked into the bank today. Aren’t dates supposed to happen at night, and then you wait a day or two before you do it again?
It seems like our date was set, but he didn’t say anything after that. I don’t want to give a simple Okay. I want to engage him in conversation. I want to keep texting him.
Me: Sounds perfect. I can always cook if you like, or we can go out.
I send the text and slide the phone into my purse before making my way back to the front of the
bank where Harper is waiting for me.
“Let’s do this.” Harper does a little shuffle of her hips. “Let’s stop and get a bottle of wine or something on the way home to drink while we get ready.”
* * *
When we finally make it home with a bottle of wine in hand, Harper grabs some glasses and pours each of us a drink.
I pull my phone out again and check the messages, but nothing new has come in.
“Why do you keep checking your phone? That’s like the tenth time now.” She sounds a little annoyed but I don’t know why. She keeps doing the same thing with her phone. Maybe it’s because I don’t normally even bother with my phone, but today I can barely let it out of my hands. This feeling is exciting, but also freaking scary. I don’t like how gone I already am. It’s as if at any moment a rug could be pulled out from under me.
I just shrug, not wanting to tell her about Sean. She already gave me a serving of advice, and I don’t want another helping of it. Or maybe I don’t want to hear the truth. I want to stay in this dreamy little bubble of the sweet hot guy chasing after me for as long as I can, whether it’s real or not.
Me: I’m really okay with whichever you want to do.
I try again, willing him to text me back.
“You jump in the shower first.”
I grab my wine from off the counter and take a sip. I don’t like the taste. I’ve never been a fan of alcohol of any kind. It all tastes gross to me, but Harper seems to enjoy it, chugging her glass and pouring another.
“Hop to it if you want me to style you up. I want to get there earlier to get a table.”
“Okay, Okay.” Taking my wine with me, I head to the shower, making quick work so Harper can dress me up.
When I get out, I check my phone again. Nothing.
Me: Do you need my address?
Jesus. I sent three messages in a row. Is that like pathetic or something? Needy? I have no idea what I’m doing here. Grr. I drop my phone and concentrate on brushing and blow-drying my hair. I don’t want to think about it anymore.
But I have no self-control, and I pick up my phone again just as Harper is coming out of the bathroom. Is this what girlfriends do? They talk about boys. Well, men, I guess. Sean is so far from a boy it’s almost laughable.
“He’s not texting me back.”
“Who?” Harper drops her towel so she’s standing naked in front of me while she pulls her hair down from her ponytail and starts brushing it out. I feel awkward standing here with her naked, but if I had a body like hers, I’d probably walk around naked, too.
“The guy from the bank,” I confess a little sheepishly, like she’s my mom and I’m going to get in trouble.
“I thought we talked about that. Player. You can’t handle someone like him.”
“But,” I try to protest, but she cuts me off.
“He’s probably got his dick deep in some other snatch, and he’ll come a-calling when he’s done with her and ready for the next.”
I cringe at her words. Dick deep. Jesus. Even worse, jealously shoots through me, making me tense. That’s not good.
She actually looks at me like she feels a little bad. “Trust me, I know the type.”
Sadly, her words do nothing to make me feel better because I believe her. She does know the type. She’s had them coming in and out of here since she moved in.
“Unless that’s what you’re looking for? Just a little fun.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
Could I just do this for fun? No. I definitely couldn’t. Sean seems like that kind of man who would leave me devastated. A man no one else could ever live up to.
“He was so sweet.” I can’t stop myself from trying again. Standing up for him. There was just something there. I felt it. The way he touched me, pulled me close, like he couldn’t get enough of me. I felt wanted for the first time in a long time. Someone had chosen me. No one ever chooses me. My parents didn’t want me, so I was dropped on my grandma. She had no choice but to take me.
“They all are. That’s how they get into your pants. You think he can be an asshole and then you’ll suck his cock? No. The worst ones are the sweet ones. They make you think they’re different, but they’re gone just as quick as the rest of them.”
With that, she walks out of my room, only to return a few minutes later with a make-up bag and a robe on. I’m still looking at my phone pathetically when Harper grabs it from my hands.
“Stop. Don’t be a Debbie downer. I want to go out and have fun. Dance, get drunk, and then get laid. That’s the plan.”
I don’t try to snatch the phone back. I need to stop obsessing.
“Don’t respond to any of his texts if he texts you back tonight. You’ll seem easy. Text him back tomorrow. If he even texts back. Hell, I’d wait till Monday. Make it seem like you were super busy all weekend having fun.”
Her reasoning doesn’t seem half bad. Not like I have anything to compare this to. I just had my first kiss today, and I’m falling all over the guy. She knows more about dating than I do, but I wonder if she ever even follows her own advice. She goes through men faster than I thought possible, but maybe that’s what she wants.
“Now. Let’s get you dressed up and make you forget all about Sean.”
I pick up my glass of wine and shoot it back. It burns going down, but the act makes a wicked smile spread across Harper’s lips.
“Do me up,” I tell her, already feeling a smidge better. I’m going to go out and try to have a good time. Whether I want to or not. One thing is for sure, though, I’m not going to check my phone again.
Chapter 9
Sean
The second we are finally finished at the club, I’m out of my chair and out the door. I don’t wait around to hear what gets said about me. I’ve got somewhere to be, and that’s with my girl, making sure she is okay. I hate when I don’t have eyes on her. It makes me feel uneasy.
Nick gets up the same time I do, exiting the club and going to his car. I wait for just a second for him to leave, not wanting him following me.
I kept feeling my phone vibrate with incoming text messages throughout the meeting, but I couldn’t check them. Too many eyes were on me, and I’d already had enough attention brought to me today thanks to Nick. I needed to keep my head down and stick to the plan, and that meant paying attention and staying cool.
After Nick is long gone, I walk over to my car. When I get in, I crank it up and throw it in gear. I need to be a good distance away from eyes before I check where Tessa is.
Once I’m a few blocks from the club and see I don’t have a tail, I pull over and check her messages. I see I missed a few and then they stopped. I text back immediately, not wanting her to think I was ignoring her.
Me: Hey, little fox. Sorry. I had a meeting that ran late. What are you up to?
I wait to see if she reads the text message, but it just sits there, delivered, and I think I should try again.
Me: I want to spend all day together, so send me your address. If you’d cook for me, that would be great, but I would also like to take you out as well since we have the time.
I wait a few more seconds after it’s sent before checking her tracker. But I’m losing my patience.
I grit my teeth, my jaw nearly cracking when I see Tessa’s at Coco’s. It’s the club Nick goes to a lot and where he said he met Harper a few times before. That place is crawling with trashy guys looking to get sucked off at the tables and fucked on the dance floor. I’m sure it looks nice with all the leather seats and chandeliers, but it’s as seedy as they come.
I can’t figure out what in the fuck my girl is doing there.
Me: Tessa, where are you?
Me: Are you okay?
Me: Tell me you’re alright. I’m worried.
Finally, the messages all pop up as ‘read’, and I wait while the little bubbles tell me she’s typing.
Tessa: Fuck off, asshole. She’s busy.
Me: Who is this? I want to talk to Tessa.
&
nbsp; Tessa: Sorry, Sean. Her mouth is occupied ;)
My foot is on the gas and my tires are screeching before I’ve read the last word. I don’t know who’s got her phone or what kind of trouble she’s in, but I’m on my way to her. I don’t like that my one way to track her is in someone else’s hand. I wanted to wait and give her a chance to ask me to meet her out, or for her to tell me where she is. That had been my plan when I found out she already had stuff going on tonight. I don’t know how I’ll explain the fact that I knew exactly where she was, but I’ll figure it out. What’s most important is making sure my girl is okay. It’s all that matters at this moment. Everything else can go fuck itself.
I won’t have her separated from me like this again. The pain and panic running through my chest right now has my adrenaline pumping and my anger on edge. I’m ready to rip someone’s throat out, but I’m worried something is wrong with my girl.
The drive should take about twenty minutes, but it’s Friday night in downtown Chicago, and I’m having a hard time getting around the traffic. I’m constantly checking my phone for more texts and switching between that and her tracker to see if she’s moved.
I finally find a break in traffic and pull up outside the front of the club. The valet comes around to take my keys, but I don’t hand them over. I just give the kid a hard stare and he steps away. The head bouncer comes over as I step up on the curb, and he holds his hand up to the kid.
“Sparrow.”
“Oak.” I nod to him as he lets me pass, leaving my car exactly where I parked it. He and I go way back, and if I’m pulling up outside this club, it’s for a good goddamn reason. I don’t hang at places like this unless I have to, usually if I’m working a job or con.
