#LUCKY (The Empire Series Book 2)

by Nicole Hite

  Just as they bags were placed in the back seat, the sky unloaded, and the car was curtained in a sea of rain.

  "Perfect timing," Sam smiled.

  Leaning in, Declan placed a hand delicately on her flushed cheek. Running his thumb across her pink flesh, he caressed the soft skin.

  "There's something about you I can't get enough of."

  "Perhaps it's my exceptional B&E skills?" she smiled into his palm. Twisting her cheek, she kissed his warm palm.

  "Could be, but I think it's more than that. You, Sam, are an exceptional woman. I've never met anyone like you before. Someone who can be graceful one minute, daring the next, and sensual as hell, right before my eyes. I've never had that before and in a way, it petrifies me."

  "I know the feeling," she responded honestly while their heads made their way to one another. Drawn together like magnets, their lips locked, holding on for dear life.

  "I don't want..." he initiated.

  "...Me?” She questioned as she pulled away slightly.

  "No. I don't want this to just be a hook up, Sami. I want you in my life...on a regular basis. Do you understand me?"

  "Declan Flannery, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she snickered.

  "Aye, I suppose I am, sweetheart."There was something so sweet and simplistic about his words. It made all of the horrible days and nights she had recently, fade away into the distance.

  Closing the gap between the two, Sam pounced on Declan. Sam shimmied down her jeans and ditched her panties in the back seat. Just as quickly as Sam undressed, Declan had dropped his jeans. Sam scrambled over the console to straddle Declan. Reclining his seat, she positioned herself over his swollen member. Tossing her shirt to the back seat, she quickly unlatched her bra, freeing her breasts into Declan's face.

  She leaned forward, allowing her ample breasts to sweep across his salivating lips. As she slid herself down onto his erect cock, Declan took her already hard nipple in his mouth, clinching onto the tip. Sending a squeal of excitement through her body, Sam bucked her hips into his. The harder she thrust, the harder he bit. It was heavenly.

  Sam grabbed a hold of his hands, raising them above his head and against the headrest.

  "Fuck, Sam, I need to feel you right now," he begged.

  "Can you feel this?" she asked as she rocked into his cock, working her Kegel muscles around him. "I can feel you, right baby?"

  "Shit, Sam, your killing me," he stated flinging back his head in pleasure.

  She licked and sucked up his neck, running her tongue across his perfect jaw before aggressively attacking his lips. As soon as they made connection, Sam freed his hands. Declan immediately claimed control of the situation, and ran his greedy hands all over her body.

  Taking his time to explore her physique, his fingers came to rest on her throbbing clit. Rubbing and working the pulsing bud, he could tell she was so close by the way she thrust deeper and harder onto his erection. Her breathing picked up as she sat up in his lap, running her hands over her own breasts. She paused suddenly to drop her palms to his chest as the electrical current from her orgasm nearly took her by surprise.

  Seeing her pleasure only heightened Declan's arousal. Clutching her ass firmly, she began hammering her onto his rock hard cock. Four hard pumps and he was done for. Completely satisfied, the two lay in a heap in his car, just listening to the rain beat down on the roof.

  "Now that just became my favorite date ever," they both laughed as he kissed her forehead.

  Curling into his chest, Sami finally felt that connection she had always been missing with Cory. The moment was picture-perfect. She didn't want it to end, ever, but there was something nagging her about Declan that she couldn't explain. Instead of thinking too deeply, she insisted on enjoying the moment with her boyfriend.

  7

  “God, I hate it when my ex is right.”

  It had been almost a week since Declan's declaration of making them a couple, yet she hadn't heard a peep from him. She was beginning to think it was all a dream as she flipped the matchbook in her fingers. He explicitly stated he wanted to be more than just a hook-up. Was she completely out of her mind?

  Out of nowhere her phone began to ring. She hoped it would be Declan.

  "Hello?" Sam picked up the phone without looking at the screen first.

  "Hey, babe."

  "What the hell do you want, Cory?" Sam stated with exasperation in her voice.

  "I was hoping we could talk," he pleaded.

  "Cory, I have nothing to say to you."

  "Sam, look, I screwed up. I know it."

  "You slept with my sister, Cory. What is there to talk about? I think it's pretty cut and dry," Sam argued.

  "Can we look past the fact that it was your sister for a minute?"

  "Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?" Sam yelled into the receiver.

  "I just think I can be a better man with you by my side."

  "Cory, nothing could make you a better man."

  "Why would you say that?"

  "You said and did terrible things to me while we were together. Things I'm not sure I can forgive, especially the things you said to me weeks ago."

  "I said it out of anger and I'm sorry. I saw you with that douche bag and...I wasn't thinking clearly."

  "Think before you speak. And Declan isn't a douche bag; he's quite lovely actually."

  Sam was hoping desperately that Declan truly was a standup guy. The incident with Demi had her worried though. What if he really was as bad, or worse, than Cory?

  "Well, I did a little checking around on your boy and I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Don't go spreading it around to just anyone, sweetheart."

  "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

  "All I'm going to say is, it would behoove you to check out Club Star at ten tonight."

  "Cut the cryptic bullshit, Cory, just tell me what's going on," Sam growled as her anger mounted.

  "Ten. Club Star. Be there. Later, sweetheart."

  Cory slammed the phone down just as she was about to react. A sick sensation rushed over Sam's body as she alleged every scenario Declan could be in. Then she began to this of the note exchange, the matchbook and late night calls. The gut wrenching feeling just would not subside. What was he hiding?

  What Sam didn't understand was why. If Declan really was that attracted to her, why would he keep anything from her, especially since he knew her past with Cory. The only way to find out was to check out Club Star tonight.

  "Am I dumb or stupid for doing this, Mike?” Sam inquired as she was applying another layer of lipstick at the bar. Mike leaned against the slippery countertop, getting into her face.

  "I can't answer that for you, sweetie. I wish I could, but you have to make that decision on your own. Would it make you feel better if I went with you tonight? A little brut power never hurt anyone. "

  "I'm going in blind. It really ticks me off that Cory told me this, too. Even without him, he still attempts to fuck up my life. I'm never going to get away from him. I would love for you to come with."

  "You will get over him, even if that means I have to scare the shit out of him to leave you alone. I've got news of my own."

  "You got engaged to Angie?" she joked.

  "Angie and I broke up. Far-off from engagement, regrettably."

  "What? ! What happened?"

  "I just couldn't handle the constant hot, cold, behavior, not to mention her continuous career changes. I need something stable, and she is not stable at all."

  "I'm sorry, Big Mike."

  "I'm not," he laughed. "I just need to lay low for a while. Women are like a jigsaw puzzle, Sami. Y'all are the oddest beings on the planet.”

  "I feel like I should resent that, but on a bizarre level, I agree."

  Mike looked at her with raised eyebrows as he poured her a seven and seven.

  "You know, you don't have to do this. Cory might be up to something just to be an asshole. Would that be too far
fetched?"

  "I could hear it in his voice, Mike. He's up to something and I want to find out what. I genuinely like Declan and if he feels the need to keep things from me, well, that's deal breaking."

  "What if he has a legitimate excuse for his actions?" Mike looked on with concern.

  "I guess I won't know until I get there," Sam felt apprehensive even uttering the words.

  "I just worry about you, Sami. I don't want to see you get hurt again, particularly if Dec is anything like Cory."

  "Let's hope he's nothing like Cory."

  Virtually interrupting her response, her cell began to ring – Bee.

  "Hey Sam-Sam."

  "Hey Bridge, what's up?" Sam offered.

  "I wanted to check in on you. I've called a couple time and I hadn't heard anything from you," Bee tiptoed. She positively knew about Cory and her.

  "Who told you?" Sam asked slightly bothered.

  "Hear me out, Sami," Bee implored.

  "If you called to take Maggie's side, you can hang up right now. I have nothing to say to her."

  "Maggie called extremely distraught a couple weeks ago. She seemed really upset, sweetie."

  "Bee, she slept with my boyfriend. I have little respect, nor sympathy for her right now."

  "This is different, Sami. I've never heard her like this before," Bridge begged.

  "Maybe she should have thought about that before she came barreling into my world like a bull in a China shop," Sam was starting to get agitated with the conversation.

  "I will not deny she could have chosen an alternate guy, but..."

  "...but nothing, Bee. She's an alcoholic and a train wreck on a warpath to destruction. You can't say this is anything new. She's been on this roller coaster for far too long. I've cleaned her tears, held her head when she was puking everything but her high heels, and I'm exhausted. This time she took it too far."

  "She's your sister, Sami," Bee cried.

  "Not anymore," Sam stated as she hit the 'End' button.

  "Trouble on the home front?" Big Mike asked looking alarmed.

  "I must have been a horrible person in my past life to deserve all of this. Cory, Declan, and now Maggie, all seem to want to make my life challenging."

  Bridget's call only fueled a fire deep within her gut. If she wasn't going to resolve or mend fences with Cory and Maggie, the least she could do was to repair her complications with Declan.

  Sami's phone began to ring again.

  "What, Bee?"

  "Wow, that's a nice way to greet your intern. You okay?" Quinn questioned with distress.

  "I'm sorry, Quinny. I thought you were my older sister."

  "Negative. I was just calling to see when you were going to get down here to Club Star?"

  "You're already there?" Sam asked with a quizzical look. Mike's ears perked up to hear there would be another female joining them. Sam tended to be the cock block when it came to his getting laid when they went out. After he landed Angie, she was overjoyed she didn't ruin it for him.

  "Yeah and you better get down here," Quinn offered.

  "Who's Quinn," Big Mike tried to interject as he whispered in her ear.

  Swatting him away, "Why? You're scaring me, Quinn."

  "Hey, hey, who's Quinn," Mike badgered again as he got closer to the receiver.

  Pushing Mike's face away, "Is Declan there?"

  "Yep, and so is Demi. Who's that in the background?"

  "It's my annoying friend, Mike. You'll meet him tonight; he's giving me a ride."

  Mike mouthed to Sam, "Is she hot?"

  Nodding to get him to buzz off, Mike gave her a smirk as he shook his head up and down.

  "Is he hot?" Quinn investigated.

  "What the fuck guys? We will be there in a few and you can see for yourself. I need to get down there and see what the fuck is going on."

  Hanging up the phone with Quinn, Sam jumped off the bar stool, clutching her handbag.

  "Ready to go, Big Mike?" Sam rushed.

  "Let me tell Kyle we are headed out, and we will be good to go."

  "I'll be right here," she stood and crossed arms at her impatience.

  Getting antsy, Sam checked her phone. She just missed a call from Maggie. Yeah, fat chance she was going to answer that. At least she was finally attempting to reach out and make contact. Maggie was a walking disaster that Sam didn't have time for right now. She had enough on her plate already for her to deal with her little sister's problems, too.

  "Ready to go?" Mike asked, clutching his spare helmet.

  "I forget you have that death trap on two wheels," Sam shivered.

  "It's not a death tap, Sami. I happen to be an excellent driver," Mike helped Sam on the back of the bike.

  Straddling the seat in her tight leather pants, she strapped on the helmet. Mike climbed on the giant chopper. Reeving the engine, the metal machine roared to life.

  "Hold on tight, Sami."

  "I thought you said you were a safe driver?" She suddenly felt nervous.

  "Oh, I am, but that doesn't mean I don't like to go fast," he grinned hitting the throttle.

  Without another word or objection, they were off in a flash. Zipping down streets and weaving in and out of traffic panicked Sam. She clinched her firsts onto Mike as she squeezed her eyes shut, shielding her from the imminent destruction.

  Coming to a stop in the alley adjacent from Club Star, Sam removed her arms, trembling at the experience.

  "I never want to do that again. Every time I get on that devil machine, I want to barf. No thanks."

  "Where's your sense of adventure?"

  "Clearly far, far away from here," she finally smiled as she removed her helmet.

  While fixing her hair, she heard the Tinkerbell voice of Quinny.

  "Nice fucking bike," she stated as she approached the two. "Is that the new Harley fat boy? Look at those 17-inch wheels. What is that...bullet black? Oh my, God, you got the blacked out exhaust too. Nice."

  "I think I just fell in love," Big Mike stammered.

  "Hi! I'm Quinn," she extended her diminutive hand to the gentle giant.

  "I'm Mike, Big Mike, Brutus, anything you want, really."

  Sam watched their exchange and for a split second was really blissful for them both. Until tonight, she never would have pictured the two as hitting it off. Then again, Mike had been taken for years. He had always had eyes for Angie, but this was the first time she actually saw a spark in his eye. She missed this Mike.

  "That's a mouthful, Onyx," she gave him a cute grin.

  "Onyx, huh? I'll take it," he gazed at her, getting lost in time.

  "Are we done with the introductions? I have a boyfriend to spy on," Sam urged.

  "What does that say about you that you have to spy on your own boyfriend, sweetie?" Quinn looked concerned.

  "Either I let another asshole roll me over, or I rip the Band-Aid right now before I really start to get attached. Which would you prefer?"

  "You're probably right, but why not ask him up front?" Mike questioned.

  "This isn't going to be, 'gang up on Sami night,' okay?" She scolded them as they made their way into the club.

  "Sorry," the two said in unison.

  Immediately the loud music inundated them as the lights bounced off the vaulted ceilings. There were bars on either side of the club, but straight-ahead was a staircase that led up to the private rooms. Standing next to the staircase was Declan himself with Demi's arm clutching his bicep.

  "I'm going to get us drinks. Quinn, wanna follow?" Mike asked politely.

  Without any acknowledgement or head nod, Sam made a beeline for her Irish gentleman. She was much too quick for Declan to see her coming, but all of a sudden she was up in his face.

  "Sam!" He exclaimed as he turned to see who had grabbed his arm. "What are you doing here?"

  "I should be asking you the same. I got a call from someone telling me to be here to find out. I can see you are occupied." Looking toward Demi, "I guess this relat
ionship really is complicated."

  "Sweetheart, you have no idea what you're talking about," Demi snickered.

  "What? Is it just sex? Is that all I was, too?" Sam questioned as the fury rose in her chest.

  "Sam, it was never just about sex with us."

  "Let her come up and find out what is going on," Demi offered with a smirk.

  "I tried to keep you as far away from this as possible. I’m so sorry. Take my hand, darlin'," questioning her sanity the entire flight up the staircase, Sam huffed in defeat.

  As they approached the first private room, Demi knocked on the door. Meeting her gaze was a giant bouncer.

  "Demi," he acknowledged.

  What she saw next was not at all what she was expecting.

  8

  “You gotta know when hold em, know when to fold em.”

  Entering the room, Sam was immediately overwhelmed by smoke, and stench of alcohol. In the center of the room was a giant, green, half-moon shaped table, and five chairs.

  "What the fuck is going on here? Are you gambling illegally? Is this why you've been ignoring me and forcing me away?"

  "Ashley over there...," Declan pointed to a beautiful redhead women snuggled up to Demi Pepper herself. "...Runs this circuit. Whenever there's a game, Demi let's me know, and I go to whatever location is designated. We alternate the location in order to eliminate getting caught."

  "You tell anyone, and you can kiss that interview goodbye. If you try to publish it, I'll sue your ass so quick, it will make your head spin," Demi threatened.

  Pulling Sam into his side, he whispered into to ear. "I owe Ashley a lot of money, Sam. I needed cash desperately when I got out of college. I had just taken a job at Beckley, and could barely pay rent, let alone my student loans. I was doing really well for a long time until everything started to go downhill. That's the real reason Megan left me. She didn't want to be seen with a broke loser, so instead of breaking it off, she went off with some other chump."

  Sam's heart crumbled listening to Declan's story. Thankfully he wasn't off fucking some girl, but he still had a lot of issues -concerns she wanted to work on with him. He didn't deserve to go through this by himself.