by Sam Crescent
“I’ve grown partial to some burnt eggs,” Emily said. “The cook back home hates cooking for me.”
“Well, if I ever need a job, I know where to come to.” I winked at Emily and we both laughed.
This was good. This was getting back to where we were. Having a laugh. Enjoying each other’s company. Just … living.
I knew the reality would invade very soon. Earl and the men would come back. They’d gone out to handle business. I didn’t know what kind, just something men had to do. Nothing I could understand.
“How has it been with Earl?” Emily asked. “Did he … you know?”
Nibbling on my lip, I looked past Emily’s shoulder, thinking about that night. I’d been pushed to the breaking point. Ever since we’d come back to the city, I felt much better. Noise helped.
“You want to know if he and I have, you know?”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I can’t help it. You need to be mocked. I’m not going to tell you about my sex life,” I teased her. I couldn’t help it.
“So you totally have done it,” Emily said.
With the peppers and onions chopped up, I stared at Emily. “Yes, we’ve done it, and it was the most painful and magical experience of my life. That first time, I’m never going to forget it. He was … amazing.” The way his hands touched me, the orgasm he drew from me, all of it played in my mind.
“Wow, I’m happy for you.”
“It’s just sex.” Even saying the words hurt. I didn’t want it to be just sex. There was a time limit on it. I got that. Each day I woke up, when he was gone, I wondered if this would be the day he’d toss me aside.
I was used to it.
My mom went through these phases all the time. Good mom. Bored mom. Distant mom. Angry mom. Each one either showed me no attention, or treated me like I didn’t exist.
“Don’t say that,” Emily said. “From the way he looked at you when we arrived, I don’t think it’s just sex.”
This made me pause. Hope filled my chest. It was useless. I couldn’t hope for something that didn’t exist. “Please, don’t do that.”
“Ash, are you in love with this man?”
Tears filled my eyes as I looked at her. “No.” The lie came out before I could stop it.
“You are. I can see it. You’re in love with Earl Valentine.”
I stopped chopping, putting down the knife. This wasn’t good. I couldn’t love a man who had no chance of loving me back. Shaking my head back and forth, I stepped back. “No, I don’t love him.”
“Ash, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Nothing wrong? This isn’t a love relationship, Em. This is sex. All he wanted was my virginity, and he got that. I’ve got nothing else to give. I’m no longer special. He took the one thing that made me stand out in a crowd.”
Once I started, there was no stopping me. “I’m no different than all of the other women he’s screwed. Don’t you see that? I do. I see that so clearly. I’m not special. I’m not unique. I can’t fall for him. He traffics women.”
I nodded and laughed. “So he has an entire slew of women at his disposal, who he sells to other men. Rich men. He makes money off of sex. He’s a mon … no, he’s a beast. I can’t fall for a guy like that.”
“And yet, you have,” Emily said.
I repeatedly shook my head as if that would stop all of this from being true. I couldn’t love that man. There was no chance. But as I fought against the feelings, I knew deep down they were right. I was in love with Earl Valentine.
Even as I hated what he stood for and what he did, the man himself was so loveable. He hid behind this façade of pain and misery, but little by little, I could see him.
He wasn’t a complete beast.
Emily got to her feet and pulled me against her. “I’ve got you.”
“I can’t love him. He’s not going to love me back.”
“He loves you, Ash. You just don’t see it.”
“No one has ever loved me before.”
“I love you.”
I wrapped my arms around my best friend and sobbed against her neck. This was useless, and it accomplished nothing, but I needed a rock in my corner.
“I shouldn’t be crying all over you.” I pulled away, wiping away the tears and snot on a kitchen towel and then tossing it into the laundry basket in the far cupboard. “I need to finish the food.”
The potatoes hadn’t boiled over or gone mushy. After draining them, I allowed them to dry a little in the colander as I got to work on the onions and peppers.
My hands shook.
“Loving him is not a crime, Ash. You have the right to happiness.”
“What about the other women?”
“There’s nothing I can do about that, but, from my own experience with men who do bad things, you learn to deal with it.”
“Do your men sell women?” I asked.
Emily’s lips pressed together. “No.”
“Then I don’t think this is something I can learn to love. Even though I love the man. I can’t love what he does.”
“It’s not your place to do that. Maybe if he felt your love, he’d give up the business.”
I wasn’t that powerful. I wasn’t worth giving up an empire of pain and suffering.
Emily didn’t know that, but I sure did. I’d spent my life knowing how I didn’t measure up. How I failed at everything.
Earl would never pick me over his power and his wealth.
****
Earl
Pissed off seemed to be an emotion I was feeling quite frequently these past few days. The only time it dissipated was when I was with Ashley. The way she joked and teased. Even when I was the one supposed to be taking care of her, she was the one who was constantly taking care of me.
“You ever heard of a guy named Knight?” Caleb asked, coming toward me.
“Yes.”
“Word is, he’s the one that put the hit on you.” This came from River. Even though he had his woman, Emily, at his beck and call, he still had a fascination with knives.
I knew all their pasts and presents. I could also imagine their future, especially with how heavily pregnant Emily was. They were going to keep her bound to them and pregnant. It wasn’t a hard future to imagine.
My thoughts went to Ashley.
Seeing Emily pregnant, I couldn’t help but imagine Ashley full and ripe with my kid. I hadn’t gotten her on the pill yet, and I’d been coming inside her every chance I got.
Running a hand down my face in an attempt to clear the distraction of knocking Ashley up, I focused my attention on the four men currently in front of me. We were in one of my legal offices.
This building had several floors, the Valentine name marked for the world to see. Advertising. Media. Cosmetics. Each floor dedicated to a segment of the company I’d built. With money came power. With power came control. This was how I was able to stay on top.
I was very much aware of who ordered the hit on me. It was the same man who had tried to take my city away from me, and had also tried to orchestrate a takeover merger. In my world, there was no such thing as clean business. Just dirty deals.
Money helped make the world go round, and my money helped to pay for all this shit to be kept silent and hidden.
Even now, men were out there conspiring to take me from the top.
Knight was one of many, but he was currently the most powerful. He didn’t need to hide in the shadows.
Some bad men liked to keep to the night and the darkness. To allow others to fear them with tales of the bogeyman, and yeah, they were scary. The worst were the men who could walk day and night. Where there was nothing to keep the evil at bay.
This was my grandfather’s doing. He started the company and built it on pain and death. I took it to the next level. There was a time my grandfather was a tiny shark in a tank full of them.
I became the fucking megalodon of them.
Now, my position was being challenged.
I wasn’t afraid. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and I doubted it would be the last.
However, this was the first time one had gotten close. The car crash was a clear message. My days were supposedly numbered.
“I don’t need you boys here,” I said.
Having the Monsters Crew on my turf didn’t exactly help my cause. I didn’t invite them. “I need you to leave.”
“You think Emily’s going to want to go?”
“Ashley’s safe. I’ve given her time to visit her friend. Now you have to leave. This is going to get ugly.”
Caleb laughed. “You know, we don’t get along. To be honest, I think you’re a fucking pervert, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other. You had our backs, so why don’t you let us have yours?”
“Yes, because all people are saved when those around you think you’re a pervert. I don’t need, nor do I want your help. You’re causing a problem for me.” I got to my feet. I was done with this conversation. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need you.”
All four men stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“You know, we stay on top,” River said. “Not just out of fear, but because we work together.”
“I’m not about to join your little harem.”
“You wouldn’t be welcome to it,” Gael said.
Caleb clapped his hands. “We will go collect Emily. The offer will always be open, even if you are too big of a fool to see it.”
One by one, they filtered out of my office.
Sitting back behind my desk. I didn’t do any work. I instead waited until I got the call to tell me they had all left.
Only when they were gone did I make the trek back to my apartment where I entered to some of the most delightful smells.
I found Ashley in the kitchen.
Just seeing her, in her leggings and one of my shirts, made my dick hard. I went to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close, and pressed my face against her neck.
She tugged out of my arms, whirled around, and slapped me across the face.
Not a reaction I expected, but now I was curious. When she went to hit me again, I captured her wrist, stopping her.
“Once was more than enough. Don’t hit me again. I don’t like it.”
“You sent them away?”
I should have known they’d fucking tattle. They were nothing more than children.
“They’re not needed here, and to be honest, they were getting in the way.”
“In the way? They were helping you.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Don’t be an asshole, Earl. Everyone needs help every once and a while. There’s no shame in it.”
“No shame? I didn’t tell you I had any shame. I don’t fucking feel it.” Sinking my fingers into her hair, I pulled her close to me. I wasn’t angry. I didn’t care that she hit me, or that her friends were gone. “They were getting in the way of this.” Pulling her close, I slammed my lips down on hers.
At first, she struggled against me, but the moment I put my hand on her breast, she stopped fighting. The hands that had been pushing me away wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer.
There was no way I could let her go. No way that I wanted to.
Tearing my shirt off her, I got her naked. The bra took the longest time to get off her, but I succeeded, pressing those full tits together, running my thumb across each peak.
She released a moan.
“My bed, now,” I said.
I couldn’t wait.
Ashley turned off the stove and ran from the kitchen. I followed her. She had perched her ass on the edge of the bed as I entered the bedroom. Removing my tie, my shirt, I watched as she slid a hand between her thighs.
She knew how that turned me on. I loved to see her rubbing her fingers between her slit, getting herself close to arousal.
My dick was so fucking hard, it pressed to the front of my pants, begging to get out.
“Come and help me out of these,” I said.
She got up from the bed and came toward me. As she was about to touch my dick, I captured her hand, stopping her.
Drawing her fingers to my lips, I sucked on each one. I couldn’t get enough of her taste.
She moaned.
I let her go the moment her fingers were cleaned. She sank to her knees before me, and worked at the belt, releasing it before sliding the zip down. She worked my pants down, followed by my boxer briefs. I didn’t give her another instruction, waiting to see what she’d do.
Her fingers curled around my dick. Starting from the base, she worked up to the tip and back down again, getting me nice and hard.
My balls ached to be inside her.
“You just want to play?”
I growled as her tongue flicked across the tip.
Staring down at her, I watched as she took me between her lips, the hard length of me disappearing between her plump red lips.
“Fuck!”
I wrapped my fingers in her hair, keeping hold of her head. I could fuck her face, but I let her explore my length instead.
When I hit the back of her throat, she released a little gagged moan that went straight to my balls, tightening them.
In and out. She bobbed her head, taking more of me.
Ashley would tease the tip of my cock at the back of her throat, trying to swallow me down, but she’d only get so far.
I couldn’t stand it.
Using the grip I had in her hair, I pulled her off my dick, let go of her hair, and picked her up, taking her to the bed.
I didn’t let her get far away from me before I had hold of her hips and spread her thighs open.
Cupping her ass, I drew her up to me, licking and sucking at her clit. She was already soaking wet. This was how I fucking loved her. Drenched in arousal and willingness. The way she rubbed her pussy over my face, I couldn’t get enough. Using my teeth, I heard her cry out, and I soothed the bite with the flat of my tongue.
I slid down, going to her entrance, plunging in and out, taking her with my tongue.
“Yes, more. Please, more.” The begs left her lips, and they only served to make me even more aroused. I wanted her so badly. She was going to come all over my cock this time.
I was a greedy bastard when it came to Ashley. Once was never enough. She set me aflame, and the only person to put it out was her.
I released her pussy, grabbed my cock, aligned the tip, and in one hard thrust, I was balls deep within her. I pounded her pussy, going harder and faster within her.
She screamed my name, the sound echoing off the walls.
I watched her take me. Her cunt widening to fit the length and width of my cock. She stretched for me and me alone.
My pussy.
My woman.
All fucking mine.
Each time we did this, it turned into a mantra of need.
I couldn’t tell her exactly how I felt, only that I knew what she meant to me. How hungry she made me. There was no stopping it.
I loved this woman, and I hated myself for it. Love was a weakness I promised myself I’d never feel.
Ashley had gotten under my skin, and now there was no denying her. No looking back. I had to keep her all to myself.
I reached between her thighs, stroking her clit, drawing her orgasm back, and getting her close to the edge. I thrust to the hilt, feeling her release as she clamped around my dick. The pulses nearly set off my own release, but I kept it at bay.
I didn’t wait for her to finish before I grabbed her hips and pounded inside her, fucking her harder than ever before. I wanted to fucking brand her. For every single part of her to be completely owned by me, so she would never doubt who owned her.
Ashley had already done the same to me.
She didn’t know it yet, but I was hers.
So completely.
It was fucking hilarious. The beast finally was brought down by this woman. This unsuspecting beauty among so many. She
was my weakness.
I slammed deep and closed my eyes, taking possession of her mouth as I came. Spilling every single drop of seed within her tight cunt, hoping it would get her pregnant. My desires were wrong, I knew that, but I couldn’t stop it.
Getting Ashley pregnant was what I wanted. It would bind her to me indefinitely, giving her no chance to escape.
Chapter Fifteen
Ashley
“I don’t care about the rules. This game is stupid.”
“It’s a sport.”
“Not a very good one.”
Earl laughed as I moved another pawn, and he tutted. To be honest, he’d written down the way the pieces were supposed to move, and I just played. I had no understanding of strategy or what piece needed to go where. All I remembered was the queen had to be kept safe. Every other player had a free-for-all.
“It’s a skill. It’s about knowledge and knowing what play to move and when.”
I scrunched up my face. “It’s boring.”
We’d been playing for an hour now and the truth was I did find the game really boring, but I liked watching Earl.
Even though I had no doubt he could have easily taken me out with a few easy moves, he kept pretending I was some competition. It was all lies, but I couldn’t help but find it cute.
Flicking my hair over my shoulder, I was drawn to his hands. They were so big, so creative. The need to reach out and touch him was strong, but I held myself back. I didn’t have a choice. We were playing, and I wasn’t going to initiate sex, which was so wrong.
It wasn’t like we’d stopped doing it.
“You think I don’t know what you want?” he asked.
His gaze was on me when I lifted mine up to look at him.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve got a flush to your chest. Your nipples are hard, and your hand is pressed near the juncture of your thighs, Ashley. Tell me I’m wrong, but you’re thinking about how to get me to fuck you, aren’t you?”
His dirty words heightened my arousal.
Licking my lips, I tried to moisten my already dry mouth. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“And you are a bad liar.”
“It’s your move.”
He moved a piece. “Checkmate.”
