The color drained from Trent’s face, and Teal watched as all the fight left him; each word like a knife wound to his soul. Why did Trent allow himself to take the blame? It was obvious Shayla had planned this attack on Trent before she got here. It was a calculated design to break him.
Shayla’s hands flattened on the counter, and her voice lowered as is she went in for the kill. “Remember all that shit you told me about Pam? All the stuff those men did to her?” Her voice didn’t waver one bit as she spoke about Trent’s sister.
Teal had only been given bits of information about Pam and her past, but not nearly enough to understand Shayla’s reference. And from Trent’s wince, she knew it had to be bad.
“Imagine all that, and more.” Shayla pulled back, clearly believing she’d won. But she hadn’t accounted for everyone in the room.
Careful not to ball her fist up and knock a bitch out, Teal stepped around the counter and called out, “Shayla.”
Shayla turned, lipped curled, ready to spew more of her hatred, but instead, looked wide-eyed as Teal’s open-handed palm soared through the air and landed smack dead in the middle of her face.
The sound was deafening, and for the briefest of moments, Teal felt regret. No woman had ever moved her to violence. But this bitch? Teal had been dreaming of the day she’d be able to cause her a fraction of the pain Trent had experienced by her hand.
In seconds, Trent was around the corner and pulling Teal back, while extending a hand out to stop Shayla’s advance.
Teal wanted the chick to try something, she was pissed that Shayla was pregnant. It would stop her from stomping that ass the way Shayla needed an ass stomping.
Spittle flew from Shayla’s mouth as she whooped and hollered. “You stupid, black bitch! You fucking nigg—”
Trent’s hands loosened on Teal as he turned to face Shayla head on. “Shut the fuck up!” His voice rivaled the sound of a lion’s defensive roar. Body tense, and coiling so tight she feared he might fly into a rage not even she could handle, Teal settled down behind him, realizing she was doing nothing but antagonizing an already fucked-up situation.
Shayla’s wild eyes flew to Trent. “Are you going to just let her hit me like that?” Her hand flew to her belly. “I’m pregnant!”
Trent chanced a glance back at Teal that held admonishment and amazement. The only thing she could offer was a smile that said she was far from sorry, but wouldn’t do it again.
He turned back to Shayla. “You need to leave, now.”
“Where the fuck will I go?”
“The Value Inn.” Trent released Teal.
“What? I’m staying with Jake at—”
Trent shook his head. “No, we got you a room at the Value Inn in Hawkings.” It had been Teal’s idea to put her up in a motel. “You can stay there for a week, and Teal is going to call a group for battered women—”
Shayla knocked her glass of lemonade onto the floor. “Fuck that shit! I am not a battered woman, those women are meek, and end up dead. Do I look dead to you?” She pushed past him, heading to where she’d placed her bag.
Trent followed. “If you go back to him, he will certainly beat you. He may even rape you again.” Shayla gave him a look Teal couldn’t decipher. “At this motel, you can lay low for a week. Get your bearings. ”
“Lay low.” She repeated in a mocking tone. “You mean hide.”
Teal noticed Shayla hadn't picked up her shit and left yet. Whether she wanted them to know or not, she was contemplating taking their offer.
Trent continued, convincing Shayla to at least stay at the motel and take the call of the Battered Woman’s rep. From there, she could do as she pleased, as long as it didn’t involve Trent and Teal.
Reluctantly, Shayla agreed and left in an Uber.
Finally alone, Teal and Trent soothed each other’s emotional wounds by taking a shower together. There was no sex, just words of support and love. She’d washed his long, blond hair, and his toned, hard body, while placing kisses over each weathered tattoo.
Teal loved this man, and her decision to move to Kentucky had been an easier choice to make than she’d expected.
The rest of the day moved at a snail’s pace. While Teal and Trent had come to terms with what happened, a lingering doubt floated in the air around them. What if Shayla didn’t take the help offered and tried to shove her way back into their lives? Women like her, who blamed others for their messed-up lives, often depended on others to fix it.
Pushing Shayla out of her head, Teal made her way into the back yard. Trent stood shirtless, glistening in sweat in front of his huge smoker and grill. She watched as the muscles in his arm coiled and released as he stirred his homemade BBQ sauce, adding in spices and tasting as needed. The scent of hickory-smoke met her senses, and a naughty thought of licking the savory red sauce off Trent’s chest sent heat to her core. Sauntering up behind him, Teal placed a hand on his bicep. Leaning in, she nipped his muscled arm.
Lazily, Trent turned his head. “Sweetheart, we got company coming in five minutes, and you know damn well I ain’t the type who is going to be content with that little bit of time.” He turned back to the pot and lifted it from the burner. Stirring the thick sauce, he lifted the spoon, allowing the viscous liquid to make a smooth slide down the wooden spoon.
Teal couldn’t take her eyes off it. Reaching out, she glided her finger through the cooling sauce on the top of the spoon. Slowly, she watched as his gaze tracked her finger from the spoon to her lips. Her tongue darted out tentatively tasting the sauce before she wrapped her lips around the digit and sucked it deeper into her mouth. His gaze darkened with each inch her finger disappeared into her mouth.
“Shit,” he said, the word no more than a whisper. He placed the pot of sauce down and turned to face her. Blowing on the steaming spoon, Trent pulled Teal’s finger from her lips. “Here.” He placed the cooled spoon to her lips with a devilish grin.
Teal bit her lip as sauce dripped from the spoon to the ground. She opened her mouth allowing Trent to place the spoon on her tongue. Trent dropped the spoon and leaned in devouring Teal’s mouth as if this kiss were his last.
He pulled away, his breath heaving in his chest. “Later tonight, I’m gonna take the left over sauce and use it to guide my tongue—”
Trent’s words were interrupted by the sounds of the back gate opening and Poe’s booming voice.
Stepping into the yard, Poe’s laughter trailed off. “Damn, boy! You gonna lick that sauce off me, too?”
Teal’s lusty haze evaporated as she turned to see their guests coming through the gate. Pulling from Trent’s arms she headed over to help with the boxes of fireworks and food. “Poe, you offering?” She gave him a teasing smile.
Trent grunted. “Fuck that. I ain’t licking shit off your hairy ass.”
Violet handed Teal a warm pot as she rolled her eyes. “You two are a mess.” Her long, white, form-fitting dress hugged her curves, and was a beautiful contrast to her dark skin. A breeze ruffled the hem of her skirt as she helped her man place the box onto the picnic table. “Teal, honey. I bet all through college they experimented in—”
“Watch your mouth, woman.” Poe’s good-humored warning was met with Violet’s tinkling laughter.
Teal arranged the table to make room for the extra food, as she listened to the joking and laughter. This was exactly what they needed to get their mind off the day’s activities.
Trent’s barbeque was something to write home about. Sweet and smoky, with a hint of liquid heat. Teal placed another tender morsel on her tongue, as Poe and Trent argued over whether or not the sauce needed more red pepper.
Violet and Teal ate happily, while Teal grilled her about the job market in Paris.
“Well, honey, if you are looking to stay in your field, and I am betting a smart woman like yourself is, you can look into Broad Creek Correctional. Or . . .” Her face scrunched up as she thought. Coming up with nothing, she turned to her husband. “Poe, honey?�
�� Poe stopped grilling Trent about the secret ingredients of his sauce and turned to his wife. “What is the other prison around here? The one over in McKenna.”
Poe thought for a moment, tapping his knuckles on the table as the answer came to him. “Deveresse Mount Correctional. It’s a women’s prison, I think.”
“I’d prefer that,” Trent cut in. His expression unsmiling as he watched her.
“Would probably be best,” Poe added.
Teal and Violet shared an exasperated glance with one another, before Teal aptly put both men in their places. “First off, any convict—whether the person be a man or woman—can be dangerous. Imagine a murderer with a life sentence, and no hope of release. Imagine that convict cooped up for years, with time to think up a myriad of schemes and debauched plans to hurt someone, or take over a prison.”
She glanced into each of the men’s eyes before continuing. “Now, do you think I care if that convict has a dick or a pussy? Or do you think that I am spending time being astute and faster than those fools in there?”
There was silence for a long moment. Trent’s unmoved gaze never leaving her, as Poe cleared his throat and said, “You’ve got yourself a hell of a woman, Trent.” He took a bit of his food and added, “You don’t deserve her.”
While Violet and Poe chuckled, Teal observed Trent. He hadn’t been kidding, and his concern for her well-being at work wasn’t misplaced. There were plenty of times in which she’d feared for her safety. However, Teal was an adult, who had a job she’d dedicated her life to, and she would not back down, nor would she take a seemingly safer job to soothe Trent’s fear.
Pushing his concern off for a later discussion, Teal leaned forward to compliment his food, but Poe stopped her, his words making her stomach drop.
“I didn’t want to bring this up,” trepidation coated his tone, “but word has already made it to my bar this morning about a certain bad ass chick.” He gave Teal a surreptitious wink. “Slapping a whiny ass pregnant woman in the face.” He laughed as he shook his head in awe.
Teal stopped chewing, a hot flush of embarrassment stealing over her face. While Poe clearly thought it high time someone slapped her ass, Teal felt as though she’d let the idiot woman get the best of her.
Teal looked to Trent, who’d frozen, the sauce from his meat dripping back onto the plate.
“The fuck, Poe?” He turned to Teal, his eyes held anger, but seemingly not at her. “That shit just happened this morning. How in the hell has it already made its way to your bar?” He dropped the food back onto the plate and wiped his hands. Sitting back, he placed his hands behind his head and sighed. “This shit is leaking into the parts of my life that can’t survive being so tainted.”
Teal, surprised by his words, spoke up, “We’ll end it and start over.” She left it at that because she, unlike others at the table, was not one to air her laundry out to strangers.
“You know, that woman is dangerous,” Violet spoke up. “And I mean that in the way quicksand is dangerous. You never see it coming, and once you are trapped, it pulls you under.”
Trent sat forward. “Poe, you remember that night Logan and I came back from that party over in Louisville with Jake?”
“Vaguely,” Poe responded. “I do remember not being invited.” He huffed.
Violet spoke, “Even I remember that party. Dee and I had got an invite from her little cousin, but hell, we all felt too old to go.”
“There was a woman there who’d been raped,” Trent explained.
Violet’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh my.”
Teal figured where Trent was going, and added, “We believe Jake may have had something to do with it.” Eyeing Violet and Poe, she wondered if she may have jumped the gun. To her surprise, Poe agreed.
“There’s been a few other instances where he’s been accused. But with him being a lawyer and having money and all . . .” He shrugged.
Teal knew that Poe had grown up in poverty and seen what having an endless bank account could do.
“It’s not that way anymore,” Violet added. “His family filed bankruptcy in ‘07, when Ameriquest shut its doors as the housing bubble burst. Jake’s inheritance had been tied up in it as well, so he was left with only his income. And from what I hear, he snorts that away little by little.”
Teal cocked a brow and thought to ask Violet how she’d found out so much, but knew there was a network of gossip between rich folk, where they chattered on about shit that wasn’t important to those without money. However, this information caused a light bulb to go off in her head.
“So you’re saying he doesn’t have the money to get out of trouble anymore?”
Trent added, “If he were to cause some trouble, he’d actually have to serve some fucking time.”
Violet agreed, taking a sip of her sangria. “Most likely.”
“Does Kentucky have a statute of limitations on rape?” Teal wasn’t sure, but if they could find the victim, maybe they could . . .
Violet shooed an errant bug away from her face. “Well, rape is a felony, so I would assume not. Felonies don’t have a statute of limitation that I know of.” She waved a dismissive hand at her words. “I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t speak for much, but I can say, if a rape that happened years ago was not reported, and there are no eye witnesses or DNA, then a jury would be hard pressed to convict.
“However,” her southern twang took on a song-like tone, “I do have some contacts in Louisville who could do some digging around. See if any report was made and DNA collected. It’s a slim chance, but why not?” Her delicate shoulders lifted. “And if it wasn’t him, at least then you’ll know.”
Poe raised his hands. “Okay, enough of the Jake shit. He’s a bastard and you two need to steer clear of the cokehead. Violet will help y’all out as best as she can. She’s good like that.” She bashfully dipped her head at the compliment. Poe stood, pointing to the firework display. “And now, for some circa 2011 non-legal fireworks.”
Teal’s gaze flew to Violet. “Huh?”
“In Kentucky, only certain fireworks are legal. Poe here has bought ones that aren’t.” Trent leisurely made his way over to Teal and helped her up from the table.
“In Vermont, all you need is a permit and you can have all the fun you want.” She threaded her fingers through Trent’s, as he led her farther into the darker part of the yard.
Poe had set everything up at a safe distance, and Trent had lined up some lawn chairs for the show. Teal made to sit down in one of the three; instead, Trent pulled her back up and sat. Patting his lap, he motioned for her to sit.
Teal complied, and wrapped an arm around his neck as she adjusted herself comfortably on him. The stubble on his jaw rasped over her neck as he tenderly kissed her, his warm tongue making its way up her neck, until Teal felt the sharp pain of his teeth on her earlobe. She gasped when his hand slipped under her shirt, his calloused hands slipping beneath the cup of her bra to tweak a nipple. Shrouded in darkness, Trent caressed Teal’s breast and tasted her skin, as Violet and Poe made adjustments to the fireworks.
Trent’s ridged cock hardened beneath her, and Teal squirmed atop his lap, listening, as his breaths grew harsher. “You’re gonna make me come in my pants. Is that what you want?” he said, as he tweaked a nipple so hard, Teal squeaked.
His hands and mouth made a hasty retreat as the couple made their way back to them.
Teal glanced around, just as the first explosion rocked into the night and set the darkness around them ablaze. Trent stole her attention from the fireworks as he took her chin between his thumb and finger to gently turn it to meet his eyes. His loving gaze took in her face, eyes roving over every inch of it. She watched, mesmerized as lights sporadically lit up his beautiful rough-hewn face, revealing the awe and longing in his eyes.
Most women searched years for such dedication and love, and no man had ever looked at her that way—until Trent. She'd once told him that he was not what he seemed, and she’d been right
. However, she was wrong on her assumption of the man in front of her. For how resilient and steadfast this man seemed, his heart was full of love, and Teal was lucky to have even a fraction of it.
Trent leaned in again. “I need to be in you.” He thrust against her, punctuating each word.
Teal giggled. “I know, but you need to stop.” Trying to push his hands away, Teal fought in vain. “Trent.” She took on a semi-serious voice. “They’ll see. Cut it out.”
He stopped and peeked over her shoulder. “Baby, look.” He nodded and she glanced over her shoulder to see that she and Trent weren’t the only two taking advantage of the darkness.
While she couldn’t see much, the firework display intermittently lit up the passionate view of Violet and Poe stealing kisses. Teal turned and righted herself in Trent’s lap. “You are such a bad influence.” She moved provocatively in his lap, his gruff grunting a good indication she was rubbing him in all the right places.
“Yes, I am.” He gripped her waist and positioned his arousal so it was nestled between her cheeks. He rocked slowly, moaning in her ear. “You won’t be content until I come in my pants, will you?”
Teal laughed quietly. With hands roving all over her body, he’d gotten her so wrapped up in his touch, she hadn’t noticed when the twenty-minute firework display had ended.
Poe cleared his voice. “Well . . .” Teal jumped, nearly flying off Trent’s lap. He held her tight, stopping her fall. “We are headed out.”
Teal looked to the couple, their body language revealing they were in the same position Teal and Trent were in. Although theirs was slightly more provocative, as his cock was hard and pulsing, wedged between her ass cheeks. She made to stand, but Trent caught her and pulled her back, using her body to shield them from the view of his erection.
He reached out his hand, moving it past her. “It was good having you, buddy.” He took Poe’s hand in his and shook.
“You want us to stay and help clean up?” Violet asked.
“No, no. You’ve helped more than enough,” Teal said. And she had. She’d washed dishes and wiped down tables, stating that it was her way to clean up messes that she’d helped make. “Thank you.”
Indelible: Beneath His Ink (Teal and Trent Book 2) Page 13
