“Jesus, Carly. What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“H-h-he’s…g-g-gone…f-f-forever.” Her body shuddered violently as she forced out every word.
“Who’s gone?” Kevin asked, confused, then Jessica had a revelation.
“Mr. Erikkson? He checked out?” Carly nodded and the tears flowed down her face. “Sweetheart, he’s just a man. There are plenty of them around.”
“You…you don’t…un-un-understand.”
“Then help me understand.”
“Baby…,” she whispered, shuddering.
“Baby?” Kevin and Jessica said at the same time.
Then Jessica’s face dropped. “Oh shit.” Jessica looked at Kevin. He was obviously still lost. “Carly, are you pregnant?” She nodded and put her face in her hands. “Oh shit. It’s his?” She nodded again. “And he just left you high and dry?”
“What a fucking bastard! Where is he going?! I’m going to go find him!” Kevin stood up and Carly grabbed his arm.
“No…he will…kill you.”
“Kill me?”
“He’s not…oh, god.” Then she whispered, “My b-baby’s father…is an assassin.”
“Tell me what to do, Carly! Tell me what the fuck to do!” Kevin paced the floor in front of her.
“Nothing. You can’t do…anything. I tried…I tried to convince him to hang it up…and stay. I could see that it was tearing him up. I could see it in his face.” She looked at Jessica. “He has feelings for me. I could feel it…in his embrace. I’m in love with him.”
“No, Carly…no,” Jessica snipped. “You cannot be in love with that man. You need to call the police and turn him in!”
“What good would that do?” Carly cried.
“He is going to kill someone, if he hasn’t already!”
Carly just shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t do that. It could get him killed. I need him alive…just in case he changes his mind…about us.” Saying the word “us” nearly threw her back into another hyperventilation state.
“Well, don’t hold your fucking breath for that asswipe!” Kevin bit out angrily as he stood in front of her with his hands on his hips.
“I don’t know what to do!” Carly cried. Kevin dropped to his knees in front of her. He was so angry to see how the woman that he had such strong feelings for was treated, to see how much Gunther had hurt her. Kevin made up his mind right then. He was going to be there for Carly.
He took her hands. “Carly, I’m here for you. Allow me to help you.” She swallowed hard while looking into Kevin’s eyes. “Please. I want to help you. I will be there for you and the baby.”
“Kev, I…”
The paramedics came bursting through the front doors of the hotel.
The cab pulled up approximately thirty meters away from Heritage’s front doors. “Here we are,” the cabbie announced.
“Can you wait for me?” I asked. “I won’t be long.”
“It’s your dime, pal.”
“I should be back in just a few. Then I need to get to the airport.”
“All right. I’ll be here.”
I jumped out of the cab and slammed the door shut. I grinned when I spotted the limo sitting near the entrance of the church. “Checkmate, motherfucker,” I mumbled to myself. It couldn’t have been more perfect. No one would see me and I knew it was going to be brill. My heart raced with adrenaline as I stalked up to the car. I knocked on the window and the driver opened the door.
“Can I help you?” he asked as he stepped out.
“Yeah. Is this the Daniels’ car?” I asked.
“It certainly is. What can I do for you? You want to leave them a gift for the ride?”
“Oh, you bet your arse I do.” I grinned and his brows furrowed. I reached into the pocket in my suit, uncapped the needle and, in a flash, viciously jammed it into the limo driver’s neck. “Tell Henry the game is over and I fucking won.” I pushed the plunger until it stopped.
At the complex back in England, I had seen many turn, but this one sent a rush right through my body. I held onto the limo driver’s collar as he slid down the car door to a seated position on the drive. I stepped back and watched for a moment while the change began.
His face went from a normal shade of peachy pink to a grayish tinge. I watched the coloring creep through his exposed skin. He gasped a few times before his breathing stopped with a shudder. Then his jaw slacked open as his head lolled to the side. His eyes were still open and the brown was changing to an emerald green. It would soon be a putrid gray, matching his new skin tone. His body was riddled with tiny twitches. His fingers started to move and a groan slipped out of his throat.
I heard a man’s voice calling out. I looked around, trying to find the source. When I located it, I stepped back and watched the scene unfold.
“Driver! Driver! I need you to move the car to the front. The wedding is about to begin.” Pastor Jones was standing at the top of the short staircase at the side entrance, waving toward the limo.
The limo driver stumbled to his feet from around the side of the vehicle, sniffing the air. Pastor Jones continued to call out. He staggered around the limo and headed toward the staircase. As he found his way to his first meal, I could hear the confusion in the pastor’s words as he called for him one last time. He fell up the short staircase and grabbed onto the pastor’s legs. He fought, but the limo driver had the upper hand.
Somehow during the struggle, he managed to take a nice chunk out of the pastor’s neck. His scream was undeniably full of pain and fear – a sound that I had heard many times before. It made the hair on my arms stand on end. I watched as he scratched and clawed to get away from the limo driver. Pastor Jones managed to climb back up the stairs and head back inside the church, leaving a trail of blood.
My mission was complete.
I threw the needle into a storm drain before I high-tailed it back to where the cabbie had parked. “Ready?” he asked me as I slid into the back.
“You got it. Let’s get the fuck out of here and to the airport.”
Chapter 10
Atlanta, Georgia
After rolling my neck a few more times while I was relaxing on my couch, I decided I needed to get a fix soon. I pulled my phone out of the right pocket of my trousers and dialed the first person I knew that would give it up to me without even blinking.
Two rings and she answered. Typical. “Viv, it’s Gunther.” My low rumble vibrated through the phone.
“Hey, hot stuff,” she drawled. “Never thought you would call again. It’s been a while.”
“I was called to go out of town for a while on business.” I rolled my eyes.
Vivienne was the typical affluent woman. She was injected, shaped, and sculpted via a plastic surgeon, but she was sexy as hell to me for some odd reason. More than likely, it was because she would do anything I wanted her to. Along with not wanting a commitment from me, she was stellar in bed, so my “fuck only once” rule didn’t apply to her. She was kind of like twenty-something plus one, but Carly desired a commitment from me, which was something I couldn’t give her. Christ, I couldn’t think about her. So I shook it off. Anyway, Viv would take it anyhow and anywhere, and I was willing to give it to her anyhow and anywhere.
“I would love to get together,” she purred into the phone. Of course she would. She couldn’t resist my John Thomas. And, frankly, J.T. couldn’t resist her. As soon as she walked into the room, he would stand at attention.
“Thought you would like to come over. I’ll cook us dinner, we can have a few drinks and see what pops up.” My voice said it all and she knew it. She giggled.
God, I was horny as hell. I was in serious need of some hardcore fucking. All the encounters that I had while stalking Cock-up made me jacked up that much more. Plus, I knew it wouldn’t be too long before the virus ran south, so I wanted to get in as much fucking as possible. A dry spell would be coming.
“I’d love to. I’ll call my driver and head over
in about an hour.”
“All right. See you in a bit, love.” I hung up and shifted around in attempt to make some room in my trousers. Her voice alone made me hard. I stood up and dragged my exhausted, pain-filled arse to my bathroom for a quick shower.
I had to walk through my bedroom, my place of refuge, to get to the master bath. All the linens on my bed were posh and soft. I didn’t fuck around with cheap shit. I wanted absolute comfort when I was in there. The walls were a rich chocolate brown and all the furniture was white with deep blue accents. The carpet was thick and I liked to dig my toes into it. My bed was a California King, and tall enough for me to stand next to and fuck. One of my favorites. Nothing better than drilling into someone while they’re on all fours in front of you.
I stripped out of my suit, and J.T. was throbbing incessantly. I looked down and sighed. I headed into my bright white bathroom and stepped into the shower. I cranked the shower heads to massage.
“Fuck.” I let the hot water beat on my achy muscles. I meticulously cleaned my body with my usual spicy body wash, hoping J.T. would calm down. But no, there it was, craving attention and taunting me, pulsating like there was another heart beating in my body. I decided to just get it over with.
I grabbed myself and aggressively stroked J.T. until my body convulsed with such power, I barked out a “fuck”. I held onto the top of the glass door so I wouldn’t fall over from the pleasurable feeling.
“Shhhhit,” I growled and was on the edge, ready to tumble down the side to sweet ecstasy. I pulled a few more times and released. My seed jetted out and ran down, covering my hand. My body shuddered, and I stroked myself a few more times, milking out every last drop. I had to admit, it was pretty good. Not exactly what I normally would do, but it worked in a pinch.
I finished washing and stepped out of the shower, only feeling mildly relieved. At least my bollocks felt better for the moment, but my mind was taking the buzzy plunge. I dried off and walked back into my bedroom. As soon as my bare feet hit the plush carpet, I sighed in delight. I knew I would miss such luxuries, so I was going to enjoy them while they were available.
I decided to throw on my usual black fitted tee and yet another pair of my dark wash, deconstructed Diesel jeans. They were so comfortable and that’s what I needed because I had a feeling J.T. would be punching my zipper the moment Viv walked through my front door.
I ran out to the kitchen and popped open a bottle of wine. Why not get started early? I knew what was coming, and an extra drink here and there until the virus hit was exactly what the doctor ordered.
I thought about twenty-something plus one once again. My hands shook as I grabbed the wine glass. Gulping it down, I refilled it immediately. I ran my hand over my head, letting out a loud sigh. “Fuck me,” I grumbled. I was having a hard time putting her behind me.
I was hoping Viv would distract me for a bit. I drank down my second glass of wine. I had no idea what was wrong with me. Why can’t I shut her out of my thoughts? I poured glass number three and I tapped into my working mode, pushing my thoughts to the back of mind.
After seasoning two chicken breasts with salt and pepper, I started the grill out on the balcony. Just as I was coming back in, the distinctive sound of fingernails tapped on my door. Show time. I chugged what was left in my third glass of wine and sauntered my wanton arse to the door. I needed to get into form. I didn’t want to make too much small talk, but I knew I would have to with Viv. That was the biggest downfall with her.
Vivienne asked too many questions at times and, at that moment, I was not in the mood to deal with that shit. I exhaled and opened the door. Bloody hell. She was way overdressed, but I was always willing to look at her when she was in a tight, red bandage dress. Her salon blonde hair was loosely knotted up on her head. And the black strappy heels… Jesus Christ, I was dying to see what she had underneath. If I knew Viv well enough, I was guessing a black lace thong and no bra. I couldn’t wait to find out.
“Hey, sexy.” She got on her tip-toes and kissed me on the cheek. Pressing her perfectly sculpted body into mine, she was sexed up as usual and I could almost smell her. I knew she had to be wet already, just knowing what we were going to do. A low growl escaped my throat as my lips skimmed across her cheek. She smirked at me, running her hand across my chest as she strutted into my flat.
“Hey, Viv. Come on in,” I said, even though she was already in. I shut the door behind me. When I turned around to face her, she was right up on me.
“I will. Thank you. Looking good as ever.” She ran her hand down to my abdomen and made sure to travel along the waist of my jeans, which caused an instant blood rush to J.T.
“Thanks. You, as well. I just started the grill. Wine?”
“Of course.” She winked and smirked.
I had pulled out three more bottles than I normally would, knowing she was a complete lush and I wasn’t about to discourage it. I could get her to do pretty much anything when she was totally pissed up.
With a glass of wine in hand, she sat down at one of the high top chairs at the counter, while I washed the fresh vegetables that I needed to prepare the pasta side dish. She ran her slender finger around the rim of the glass and watched my every move.
I loved to cook. Sounds mental, but whatever. It was another way to get my donation. What woman doesn’t like seeing a man cook for her, especially one who was technically sound and proficient with knives?
“Need any help…big boy?”
I smirked at her. “Nope. You just sit back and enjoy yourself.” I casually pointed my knife at her glass and said, “Drink up that wine, bird.”
“Oh, I will. Don’t you worry yourself over me.” She winked at me and adjusted the top of her already low-cut dress so she could show me as much of her tight valley as possible. It was much appreciated from my side of the counter. “So, tell me, where did you go on business?” And there it was. Christ.
“Oh, just out of town. Don’t you worry your pretty little fanny about that.” I smirked as I laid the vegetables next to the cutting board.
“Always a man of few details,” she purred as she took a nice long drink of her wine.
Keep drinking that up, sweetheart. “That’s how I like to keep it.”
I seeded and diced two tomatoes, and cut a chiffonade of fresh basil. After chopping up a bunch of fresh oregano, I ran out and put the chicken on the grill. As I came back in, Viv was standing with the next bottle of wine in her hand.
“You know, I think you need another glass of wine.” She uncorked it and poured me a glass, which I gladly accepted. She hoisted herself back up on the stool. After the events of the previous twenty-four hours, I was ready to get shit-fucking-faced myself.
I carefully diced up three cloves of garlic and a quarter of an onion. Finally, I ended with slicing up a zucchini into half-moons.
“There is nothing sexier than a man who knows his way around the kitchen.” I smirked once again. She was going to admire many more of my abilities by the end of the evening.
“Yeah?” I jacked up an eyebrow. Vivienne jumped off the chair and sauntered around the counter. She stood up on her tip-toes, wrapped her arms around my thick neck, and began kissing me. My tongue stroked hers with a matched cadence, exploring her entire mouth. I groaned and pulled away. J.T. started to make a grand appearance, and I just might burn dinner if we continued.
“What’s wrong, big boy?” She rubbed her hand down over my zipper. My breath hitched as she stroked me through my jeans.
“Fuck,” I barked out. I had to step away. She gave me an odd look. “Need to turn over the chicken.” I ran out to the grill and came back. I needed to finish making our meal, so we could get to the best part of night.
After filling a pot of water, I pulled out a sauté pan. Once the pasta was in the water, I started sautéing the vegetables. Vivienne still watched my every move. I knew I impressed her. I worked efficiently in the kitchen, like I was trained to behave in the program.
“You know, Gunther, I wouldn’t mind doing this more often.”
“Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” I chuckled, knowing that it was probably the last time I would ever see her. It didn’t bother me in the least.
We ate and drank two more bottles of wine before we couldn’t take it anymore. She got up from her chair and sat on my lap. I kissed her pretty, pouty fake lips. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I picked her up and walked us down to my room, continuing to kiss her. I sank my fingers into her firm, artificially-sculpted arse. I tore off the white comforter that covered my bed before I laid her down. Not that it mattered, but I didn’t want to get it dirty. And we were going to get dirty.
I realized Vivienne was not as pissed up as I wanted her to be. That needed to change A.S.A.P. I pulled off my shirt and she admired my body, as they all did. She rubbed my shoulders and chest while I kissed her. Her hands ran down to my very taut jeans. John Thomas was begging for some freedom, but she still was too alert. I pulled away.
“We need more wine.” She moaned as I left her wanting more. I came back with the glasses and another bottle. I poured her another glass and laid next to her, leaning up against the headboard.
“Come on, Gunther.” She drank half the glass. “I’m dying here.”
“Let’s take our time. I want to enjoy this.”
“Getting sentimental?”
Fuck, no! I barked out a laugh. “Who are you talking to? After I fuck your brains out, you know I’m calling your driver as soon as you pass out.”
She laughed. “I know.” I refilled her glass. “That’s what makes us good. No strings.”
“I thought you just said we should do this more often.”
“I meant a man cooking for me, then fucking my brains out—no strings attached, of course.” She winked at me as she took another drink of her wine. That a girl. Then she dumped it back, holding out her glass for more. I happily obliged while I sipped from my glass. I was getting pretty pissed up myself and needed to back off the booze for a bit so I could find a vein later.
Awakened Desires Page 11
