by Lexi Whitlow
Avery has no clue about problems like this. It’s all theoretical to her. Her heart is in the right place, but her head is up in the clouds.
As much as I want to believe we might, on some slim chance, have a future together, I have to keep in mind that Avery and I come from very different places. At best I am diversion to her. A fucking good roll in the sack. In reality I am not much more than that. She’s out of my league in so many ways, starting with the money and ending with the IQ — I can’t hold a candle to her.
When she was in high school, I admired her. She was so smart – without even trying. But after I graduated I realized that kids like her had so many advantages the rest of us never got. Girls like Avery were never meant to mix with guys like me. There was that kiss we shared, and the friendship from our childhood, but none of that was real. That was fantasy.
This shit – this is real.
I need to keep her safe, and local, so I can continue to get paid. The obligations I have are bigger than Avery’s entitled sense of personal space and free will.
I wish I had a solution.
* * *
“Are you staying?” she asks.
She’s been distant, reticent, all day long. I made us dinner and she ate without much to say.
“I have to.” I tell her. “Or across the street. Which just seems weird now.”
The terms of the contract I signed are clear. She’s got to be under 24x7 observation. I need to have my eyes on her constantly.
“Yeah,” she says. She’s not giving up much.
“Let’s just go to bed.” I suggest. “I know you’re pissed at me, but we can sleep… together… I won’t do a thing. I promise.”
Avery meets my gaze, locking her blue eyes on mine. “Are you capable of that?” She asks.
Like I’m some kind of Neanderthal, incapable of controlling my impulses. I glance down to her breasts, the sweet, soft curve of her waist. Fuck. I just might be a neanderthal.
“I’m capable of a lot more than you give me credit for,” I say, shifting uncomfortably. “Way more practice at that than you’ve had.”
We slip in to bed together and turn the lights off. I’m fine feeling her against my skin without needing to do anything to close the gap. If I get hard during the night, I’ll think about baseball. Then she rolls over, her back to me, not speaking, but rocking her ass into me.
“You sure you don’t want to?” I ask, hopefully.
“I’m sore,” she says. “And I’m pissed. And I just want to sleep. I’m exhausted.”
It’s going to be a long night.
* * *
I wake up with a hard-on rocking against Avery’s backside. She’s already grasping at my hips, pulling me into her, despite the early hour.
The light streaming through the window is filtered and thin. It can’t be much before six in the morning.
Goddamn she feels good.
We’re laying side by side on the bed. I rock in deep, lifting her left thigh up over mine, positioning myself to enter her from behind. She’s slick and wet, her body already moving against mine. The warm, spicy scent of her hair fills my senses. I move my cock against the delicate folds of her sex, and she moans, ever so softly. In the dim light, her eyelids flicker open for just a moment.
“I need you,” I say. “I need to fuck you, Avery.” The words are guttural, coming from some dark, instinctual place inside me.
“Oh…God,” She cries a little, still half asleep as I slip in between her hot, wet lips. I start rolling into her, languidly, like a dream. Her pussy is so tight and so hot, gripping me in her early morning dreams.
“Oh… fuck...” I say. She’s still so tight, just like I imagined her all those years ago. Fresh, innocent, unspoiled. Like she was waiting for me, all these years. “I’m going to come deep inside that little pussy,” I say. “You want me to, don’t you? You want me to fill you up.”
She moans, reflexively bringing her hands to her nipples, rolling them between her fingertips as she looks back over her shoulder at me.
“Yeah,” she breathes sleepily. “I want to feel you come inside me.”
She’s coming awake now. I pull her hips back and ride her just a bit harder.
“Come for me,” I instruct her.
She has so much experience doing what she’s told, her pussy starts to shudder as I roll in. Her fingers grip at the sheets as she begins to whine like a cat. Her mouth opens – and I think of how she worked me before, her tongue climbing the length of my shaft. I wish for a moment that I was two men so I could take her all at once. Every part of her.
Instead, I fuck her gently, drawing back and then pouring in deep. She trembles, and her body quakes while I fuck her ever-so-softly. She cries out my name, babbling, her body moving with mine of its own accord. I could listen to that a thousand times and not be satisfied.
I keep pumping until my balls seize up and my cock grows even harder. I hold myself inside of her, deep and pure My orgasm explodes and all I want is to hold her against me forever.
Avery is right. I can’t control myself. I can’t change the fact that I want her, and want to take care of her. I want to wake up next to her like this every single day. I need to figure out how to make this work – for both of us.
* * *
“Get out of my bed and make me a cup of coffee,” Avery says, her post-coital bliss gone, replaced by a brittle edge. “Earn your keep.”
I’m also very well-schooled in doing just as I’m told; something else the Marines taught me.
When I return to the bedroom with two cups of steaming hot French-pressed coffee, hers with three sugars and heavy cream, just like she likes it, I find Avery sitting up in bed, holding her phone, an expression of horror smeared across her face. She looks like she’s about to burst into tears.
“What’s wrong, Avery? What is it?”
She looks up at me, wide eyed. She hands me her phone.
I look at the first image displayed on the screen. It’s a photograph of her, lying – eyes closed – sprawled on the street. The next image is a close-up crotch shot, in the same location. The next is a shot of Avery in a bar with her friend Elle, her face flushed, head tipped back, laughing. There are more recent ones. Several taken at the charity dinner two nights ago, of Avery working the crowd. A couple of the altercation with Schilling, with me in them, looming over that little prick, Avery tucked behind me. And two more; one on the campus at Berkeley taken yesterday, and one right outside this apartment as we were headed inside last evening.
The last one was accompanied by the following text;
“I see you. I own you. I’m your shadow. I’m the shadow of death. I’m coming for you Avery.”
Oh fuck.
How did I miss this? Someone’s been following us this whole time, and I missed it? Good lord I really do suck at this job. I’m paying attention to all the wrong things.
Okay. I know what to do.
I scroll to Avery’s contact list and find her father’s number, hit call, and wait while it rings.
“Who are you calling?” Avery asks. Her face swimming with fear and confusion.
I shake her off as the line picks up.
“Hi Avery. You never call. It’s good...”
“It’s not Avery,” I say, interrupting her father. “It’s Maddox Bryant. We have a situation that I need to deal with fast, and I need your help and cooperation.”
“What’s wrong?” General Thomas asks, all the good humor gone from his tone.
“The guy who assaulted Avery, he’s back – and threatening her. He just sent a series of photographs, demonstrating just how close he has gotten, and a text. I need to get Avery to a safe place while you get this material to the police. This guy isn’t going to stop until he’s either caught or he seriously hurts her – or worse.”
“What do I need to do?” General Thomas asks, his tone grave.
“I’m going to forward the photos and text to you from Avery’s phone, and then leave he
r phone in her apartment. The police may be able to use the phone to trace the texts back to the source. I’m taking her out of here and to a safe house. I have friends who can help. I’ll call you from my line when we’re tucked in.”
“Just bring her to our house, son,” he booms. “Whatever is going on, we can work it out here.”
“No.” I interrupt him. “This guy, whoever he is, he’s close enough to you to have been at the fundraiser the other night. He’s someone you know. I’ve gotta get Avery away from your circle of friends until we get him. I’m sending you the material now. I’ll call you later.”
On the other end of the line, the crusty old general sighs. He isn’t my favorite person, but he values Avery’s safety far more than Evelyn does. “Fine, Maddox. But you know the contract. You helped me come up with it. And that means that when we call on you, you get Avery where she needs to be.”
I end the call and quickly forward everything to his number, then I lay Avery’s phone down on the bed.
“You need to pack,” I say. “Pack light. Just what you need for a few days. Anything we need we can get there.”
“Where’s there?” She asks me.
“Los Angeles.” I reply. “The Marine base at 29 palms.”
I may not be the sharpest blade in the drawer, but I do have a couple things going for me. One is that I’m a former Marine with base privileges. The other is that I know some really useful people.
I can’t count on the idea that we won’t be followed from here all the way to Southern California, but I know with certainty that no one without military credentials or prior approval is getting onto that base, and once on base I can help Avery disappear and shake this ‘shadow’ once and for all.
I make one more call. This one to my old officer, Lieutenant Salvatore, one of the smartest and probably the toughest SOB I’ve ever met.
“Bryant. To what do I owe the pleasure? Ready to quit the soft life and join back up?” He quips, answering on the first ring.
“Boss, I’m in a jam and I need your help,” I say, skipping the pleasantries.
I explain everything to him – leaving out the one crucial detail that I’m sleeping with my principal – and ask him for the three things I know he can provide. First, for permission for Avery to come on base, next, a vehicle, and finally, access to his place on Sea Coast Drive.
“I’ll get her on the list at the gate house,” he says. “Make sure she’s got two forms of picture ID, and if you’re carrying, make sure you’ve got your permits in hand before you come on base property. Understood?”
“Understood, sir.”
“I’ll see you when you get here. Are you driving or flying?”
“Driving, sir.”
“Shit, that’s a long drive. Be safe. I’ll see you tonight.”
Avery hasn’t moved. She’s still sitting there in bed, the sheet pulled up tight around her, looking concerned. Helpless. Tears fringing her blond eyelashes. And utterly irresistible.
I try to stifle the urge I feel — it’s not exactly gentlemanly to go after damsels in distress. But fuck, she’s beautiful.
“We need to get moving,” I say. “Drink your coffee, get a shower, pack a bag, and we’re bolting.”
“To Los Angeles?” She asks, her voice cracking. “Why, exactly?”
“Because I say so.” I reply. “You’re not safe here. My job is to keep you safe, so I’m gonna do my job.”
This extraction also has the added benefit of getting Avery away from her mother and all the negative energy between them. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
“Look at it like a weekend getaway,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “An impromptu road trip. And, we’re putting 500 miles between you and your mother. Find the upside.”
Avery heaves in a deep breath, lifts her hand and smooths back her wild mane of red hair. She shakes her head and sighs. “Alright. It’s not like I have anything else to do.”
* * *
Once on the road I have no clue whether we’re being followed. If someone’s tailing us, they’re good at keeping their distance. Once on the I-5, I press the speedometer past eighty, keeping my eyes peeled for the highway patrol and bad drivers.
“Los Angeles is an armpit,” Avery says, her gaze still fixed out the window. “Ugliest town this side of El Paso.”
She’s not far off.
I agree with her, then add, “Yeah, but El Paso doesn’t have a beach house all to ourselves, with a couple of miles of pristine, private beach laid out beside it. It could be worse.”
She turns to me. “Why are you doing this Maddox? It’s a lot of trouble to go to just to get me out of reach of this creep.”
I smile. “I wanna see you in a bikini again. The creep just gave me a perfect excuse.”
She rolls her eyes at me and laughs. “You make it so hard to stay mad at you.”
Good.
Chapter 15
Avery
I know my mother is completely freaking out. Maddox knew what he was doing, calling my father instead of her and leaving my phone at my apartment. He turned his off before we left, so if Mother has tried to get up with us, she’s hitting stone walls. She doesn’t do powerless well. There will be hell to pay. I know it.
I watch the world go by from my window, wondering what I’ve done. We’ve been on the road for hours already, and now the only scenery is orange groves and almonds, growing from the edge of the highway off into the flat landscape, as far as the eye can see. At least it’s green. I know the desert is coming soon. We’ll be in LA in no time.
Should I have stayed at home and just blown off the whole stalker thing? The guy did crack my head and take those pictures of me, but he could have killed me then. Maybe he’s actually a really impotent stalker.
Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to leave – with Maddox.
When he disappeared so many years ago, I was shattered. I was shattered that he hid so many things from me too; that he didn’t trust me. He had such a rough start in life, yet he was such a good person, I couldn’t make sense out of why he just left without even a goodbye.
We have at least four more hours on the road ahead of us before we’re anywhere near Los Angeles. Maybe it’s time to start asking the hard questions.
The highway rolls by, trees blending into sky, darkness falling. I look out of the window, leaning away from him.
“Why did you leave the way you did?” I ask him. “The night of my graduation. You just disappeared.”
Maddox turns his attention away from the road for a second to meet my eyes. I can see his wheels turning. He’s trying to formulate a reply that won’t cause me to either claw his eyes out, or jump out of the moving vehicle; neither one of which I have the energy for right now. The man has worn me out, physically and emotionally.
“Just tell me the truth.” I look away, back toward the orange groves.
He draws in a deep breath and then sighs sadly. “I was made to understand the errors in my judgment.” Maddox replied. “And I was given the choice of signing up for the Marines, or basically having my already crappy life completely destroyed.”
My parents.
He took his turn to ask the hard questions. “How come you didn’t go to law school? Or marry some power suit your mother approves of?”
I have to laugh at his second question. “I’m not marriage material,” I say. “And I didn’t go to law school because… mother really wanted me to go to law school. Choosing a Ph.D. in political science – the low-profile life of an academic rather than a power broker – that was just another thumb in her eye. It’s the little things I do that give me the most joy.”
“Why do you say you’re not marriage material?”
Good lord. Where is he going with this? This is fun, but — it’s not meant to last.
“Any guy who wants to be in a relationship like that with me, only wants it because of who I am, or more to the point, who my mother is. I want no part of any guy like that. So… I don�
��t really do relationships. My last real boyfriend was lovely, and he didn’t give a rats ass about my mother – which added to his already considerable charms – but he was lacking in ways that are kind of essential to making a relationship work.” I roll my eyes. “We’re friends now. His boyfriend is adorable. They’re happy together.”
“How long ago was this boyfriend?”
“A couple years.” I answer. “I’ve just kinda dated around the edges since then.”
“I’ve seen the dossier.” Maddox replies, his eyes narrowing.
“The dossier?” I ask. “What the fuck?”
“You know, you swear like a sailor?” He observes, then answers the question. “Your parents keep closer tabs on you than I think you’re aware of. When I got this assignment, your mother gave me a file. It included a list of every hook-up you’ve had since… I guess since before the gay boyfriend. He’s in there too.”
What the ever-loving hell?
“The list took up several pages.”
“I hope there were pictures.” I quip. “I hope you got an eyeful.”
“There were. A few. You certainly have a taste for… I dunno… skinny, nerdy guys. All getting their Ph.Ds. Not that I’m saying there’s anything wrong with that.”
“Apparently you are.”
“I’m not judging,” Maddox says. “I’m not perfect either. I have a penchant for petite redheads with bad attitudes. Some fixation from my past, I suppose.”
“Fixation?” I observe. Then I repeat it. “Fixation?”
“Isn’t that what they call it when you can’t shake some unfinished business from your formative years, you just keep going around the same circle, like a dog chasing its tail?”
“So that’s what I am?” I say. “A fixation.”
“You’re something,” he says. “Something I need to work out.”
“Yeah. You do that.” I reply coolly. “Work me out of your system before you have to deliver me to the wolves. You’ve got five days. You saw the itinerary. You don’t want to be tardy. You need this job. And this little trip, it’s not gonna go over well with the boss.”
