by Adams,Claire
I felt her moaning into the kiss as my hands cupped her breasts and my fingers pinched her nipples. I rolled them between my fingers, feeling them harden as a result of the attention.
My pulse was racing as I pulled back and looked into Brooke's gorgeous blue eyes. I raised an eyebrow and when she nodded almost imperceptibly, I dipped my head and traced a circle around one hardened nipple with my tongue. She buried her hands in my hair as I licked and sucked one nipple and then the other. I could feel her breath coming in ragged gasps as I ran a hand down her skirt and pushed it up around her waist.
I inhaled sharply as I slid my fingers up one of her inner thighs and down the other. Her skin was soft and smooth, and I could feel the heat radiating from between her legs as I forced myself to hold back and take my time. Brooke was moaning softly as I traced a path up the inside of one thigh and lightly ran my fingers over her panties, which were already soaking wet. There was no doubt in my mind that she wanted me as much as I wanted her, but I wasn't taking any chances.
"I want you," I said as I kissed my way back up her collarbone to her neck. "I've wanted you from the minute I saw you sitting on that damn bar stool." I kissed her neck and then traced a path up to her ear where I whispered. "I want you, Brooke Raines. I want you here and now."
I heard her moan as I lightly licked her ear before nipping her earlobe. My fingers played between her legs as she gripped my hair. She turned her head slightly so that her lips brushed my ear and whispered," Oh God, yes. Dax, yes."
I felt her hands sliding down my chest and moving lower until she was pressing one palm against the bulge in my pants as she unzipped them with the other. When she reached into my boxers and gripped my engorged shaft, I groaned and slipped two fingers under the crotch of her panties and pulled them to the side. She whimpered as I slipped my fingers between her swollen lips and coated them in her wetness.
I sought out her lips as we struggled to find a way to contain the fiery need that burned brightly in both of us. I gave up and delivered a brutal kiss. She met my roughness with her own need as she stroked my shaft and moaned into my lips.
My fingers teased her hard little clit as I stroked her velvety inner lips before slipping a finger up inside her tight entrance. She moaned so loudly that I was afraid Billy would come ask what was going on, but I need not have worried. Billy knew, and he wasn't coming anywhere near the back room until we were done.
"I need it," Brooke whispered as I drew my finger back and then slid it in again. "I need it! I need you, Dax. Please?"
"Are you begging?" I whispered into her lips.
"If it gets me what I want, you better damn well believe I am," she smiled as she kissed me again and thrust her hips forward to meet my probing fingers.
"You asked for it, lady," I said as I slid my finger out from between her legs and lifted her up on the table where we'd been having our drinks. I added quietly, "I need it, too."
"Dax..." she begged as I spread her thighs and grasped my cock so I could guide it between her open legs. "Oh God, yes..."
I spread her slick lips with one hand as I pushed the tip of my shaft between them and slid it up and down. She was so wet and ready that I had a hard time holding back, so when she reached around and grabbed my ass and pulled me into her hard and fast, I gasped as I felt my cock slide deep inside her.
"Oh fuck," I groaned. "Oh fuck...you're so...so...oh fuck..."
Brooke looked up at me as I stood between her legs swearing about how amazing she felt, then she grinned, and said, "Stop talking about how good it feels and fuck me, would you?"
I let out a laugh as I gripped her hips and pulled back enough to tease the edge of her tight, wet opening. She moaned and tried to pull me back inside, but I resisted as I focused on driving her over the edge. I wanted to see this cool, logical woman completely lose control and I knew the only way I was going to get that was to hold out long enough to make her cum first.
I began a rhythmic slide out and slam back in as I reached down between us and stroked her clit. I grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back exposing her throat, which I teased with my tongue as I continued thrusting in and sliding out. The moans that escaped from Brooke's lips were from a place so deep inside that I didn't think she had any control over them, and I loved the sound.
The harder I thrusted, the louder her moans, and soon I realized that I was dangerously close to the point of no return. I pulled back and teased the outer edge of her entrance as I stroked her clit a little harder and as soon as I felt her tense and begin to contract I slammed back inside of her and began pounding hard and fast. She cried out as she came on my thrusting cock and I soon followed as I let go and released inside her. I could feel my cock filling her with my thick warm cum as her inner muscles milked it all out of me.
We clung to each other until I felt her body growing cold, then I pulled back and grabbed her blouse off the chair where I'd flung it. She gave me a tired little smile as she put her bra back on and then pulled the blouse over her head and tucked it back into the waistband of her skirt.
"Well, now that was quite a surprise," she said as she stood up. I grabbed her arm as she wobbled on shaking legs. "Hmm, I didn't think about the after effects when I put these heels on this morning."
"They look very sexy," I said as I stroked her hair and then pulled her against me wrapping my arms around her so I could hold her tightly against my chest. I wasn't sure I would ever have the chance to do this again, and I wanted to burn the feeling of her body pressed against mine in my memory.
"That was amazing," she whispered into my chest.
"It was pretty great," I agreed.
"Is it wrong that I want to do it again?" she asked quietly.
"No, not at all," I said as I looked down at her and then bent to kiss her again. "But I've got a business to run and I need to check on it before we do. So, let me run by the club and then I'll come over to your place. How about that?"
"That sounds lovely," she said in a contented voice. "I'll order some take out and we can eat and then think about how to approach round two."
"I can't think of anything I'd like more," I said as I kissed her forehead. "Give me an hour to wrap things up and then I'll be on my way."
"Mmmm," she murmured into my chest. "Has it been an hour yet?"
"Not yet, lady," I chuckled. "But it will be soon."
When we finally emerged from the back room, Billy shot me a look that I deflected and told him to call a cab for Brooke. It arrived a few minutes later, and once I'd tucked her into it and given the driver more than double the fare, I stuck my head in the back window and kissed her one more time.
"I'll see you in an hour, beautiful," I said as I stood up and pounded on the roof of the cab. I watched the tail lights disappear down the block before I walked back to the lot and got in my car.
The drive back to the club was the last moment of peace I would have for a long time.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Brooke
When I got back to my apartment, I called and ordered dinner from the Italian place down the street and paid extra to have them rush the order. I wanted everything ready and waiting when Dax arrived. Then, I opened a bottle of wine, poured myself a glass and carried it back to my bedroom where I stripped off my work clothes and slipped into something much more comfortable – and accessible.
I made a quick sweep of my apartment to make sure that everything was presentable, wiped out the bathroom sink and put the dishes in the drainer away. The food arrived quickly, so I set up the dining room table and then, looking at the clock, tucked the food into the oven and set it on low. I wasn't exactly sure when Dax would arrive, and I didn't want to take a chance that the food would be cold if business kept him at the club longer than he expected.
Then, I went out into the living room and collapsed on the couch. My body felt heavy, almost liquefied, and I felt a drowsy satisfaction overwhelm me as I curled up under a quilt. I was pulled out of my
dream state when an acrid scent invaded my nostrils and made my brain scream, "Fire!"
I awoke and jumped up off the couch and ran toward the terrible smell. In the kitchen, I yanked open the oven door and found the remnants of dinner baked to a blackened crisp that was giving off a noxious dark cloud of smoke. I quickly thrust my hands into pot holders and pulled the ruined food out of the oven and dumped it in the sink where I ran cold water over it until there was nothing left but a cold soggy mass of cardboard, aluminum, and blackened chicken parmesan.
I looked at the clock on the microwave and gasped when I saw that it was six in the morning. I'd spent the night on the couch because Dax had never shown up. I checked my phone to see if he'd called, but there was no message or text. To say I was disappointed was an understatement, but as I thought about the night before, I wondered if perhaps I'd been played.
Dax had been angry with me after I'd abandoned him at Beso, so it would make sense that he'd want his pound of flesh, and I'd been all too willing to supply it. As I replayed the conversation, I realized that he'd never answered any of my questions about Lydia; he'd just evaded answering them and then turned the tables and pushed all the right buttons. I was ripe for the picking and he knew it.
The sex we'd had in the back room of Dooley's had been the hottest, most passionate sex I'd ever had, but it had been a cover for what Dax had really wanted – revenge. I was the fool who'd bought his innocent act because I'd wanted to see him that way. The strong silent guy who was heartbroken but getting by. I wanted to believe he had nothing to do with Lydia's death, but the reality was that he probably did kill her or at least had a hand in her killing. So, he'd preyed on my weakness and my guilt over having bolted, seduced me, and then made a promise he never intended to keep.
And why would he? After all, I was the lawyer who was pushing for answers that he didn't want to give. Seeing me again would only mean he would have to make up more lies to cover his tracks and Dax didn't seem like a man who liked complications.
Of course he wasn't going to show up. I felt like a fool for abandoning logic for hope. He must have thought I was a total idiot for buying into his lies.
I stood in my kitchen staring down into the mess in my sink as I bit my lip and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. I swore to myself that I was not going to allow a con artist to ruin my life or break my heart. Then, I laughed out loud at the idea that I could have considered myself open enough to suffer heartbreak. I didn't know Dax Malone well enough to like him let alone fall in love with him.
I opened up the cupboard, pulled out the trashcan, and threw the sodden mess into it before I yanked out the bag and tied it in a knot. I wasn't going to ruin my life by ruminating on all the reasons why Dax Malone didn't show up. Instead, I was going to get dressed and head into the office so that I could give Jordie and Roger the run down on how they were going to gather clients from central booking, then I'd make an appointment to talk with William Grant and see if I couldn't lure one big fish into our practice.
I wasn't going to let this slight detour create a roadblock that would keep me from saving my law firm. Instead, I was going to do what I always did, put my nose to the grindstone and find a way to make everything work out so that I came out on top.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Dax
When I entered the club, I was met with Kesha yelling, "Why the hell didn't you pick up my calls?"
"I was busy," I yelled over the pounding electronic music. "Why, what's going on?"
"We're being raided," she yelled as she guided me toward the back door. "You need to get the hell out of here until the cops finish their stupid little exercise in power exertion!"
"Wait, did they say why we're being raided?" I lowered my voice as we entered the back hallway and wound our way through the maze of pipes and heating ducts that turned the back storage area into a confusing labyrinth of twists and turns. It also made for a great hideout, and that was why I'd constructed a hidden apartment down here.
Kesha had prepped the rarely used apartment with all the things I'd need to stay underground for a few days and told me that the police had come in politely asking to check out the storage space since they'd gotten word that there were some drug deals going down in the club.
"I asked them who their source was for this information, but they wouldn't tell me jack shit," she said. "They've been downstairs looking around for the past hour."
"Did you secure the product?" I asked.
"Seriously, man, how fucking stupid do you think I am?" she said in an irritated tone. "Of course I secured the product, I always secure the product. It's our lifeblood."
"Good. Sorry, I didn't mean to question your abilities. I'm just looking out for the entire operation," I said. "Wait, you said the police are checking out the storage area?"
"Yeah, two cops with badges and guns," she said. "They showed me the warrant and it looked legit."
"But there were only two of them?" I asked. "And they didn't post any guards at the front or back door?"
"No, why?" she asked and then suddenly it dawned on her. "Oh shit!"
Kesha took off running for the storage area with me in close pursuit. We reached the cage and saw that the false panel we used to separate the liquor from the product had been cut into huge pieces, and numerous crates had been removed. I estimated that the thieves had made off with about five million dollars’ worth of product. In the larger scheme of things, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket of our profits, but it also meant that our competitors had found a way to breach our security and make us incredibly vulnerable. They wouldn't hesitate to brag about it and that would make us even more vulnerable.
"Shut down the club now," I said to Kesha.
"But boss, it's not even midnight!" she protested.
"Shut it down, NOW!" I yelled as she went tearing up the stairs. I heard the DJ stop the music and make the announcement that the club would be closing early tonight because the fire department would be conducting its yearly emergency drill. That was followed by a collective groan as the club patrons all protested having to go out and find another place to party the night away. They were probably more pissed that the source for their nightly dope fix had dried up, but right now that was not my main problem.
I needed to find the source of the leak and plug it before anyone else got the bright idea to break in and rob us. I quickly got on the phone and called my corner boys and told them to send over the smallest, most invisible member of their corner teams. I had the brawn covered with my security guys, but I needed guys who could blend in to the scenery and watch every move on every corner.
"Club's closed, boss," Kesha said as she descended the stairs. "Dozer and the boys are sweeping the club to make sure everyone's out before they lock it up."
"Good, the corner boys are sending over crews to watch the streets," I said as I looked back at my phone. "I want you to organize those guys and set up a check-in so they can report back what they see."
"Got it, boss," she said. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, where the hell is Riza?" I asked as I realized I hadn't heard from her in hours.
"Not a clue," Kesha replied. "I haven't seen her since this afternoon when she left your office."
"She hasn't checked in?"
"Nope, not with me, she hasn't," Kesha said. "Maybe she did with one of the guys, I'll ask around."
I knew what the answer would be. If Riza hadn't checked in with me, she sure as hell hadn't checked in with one of them, but I didn't want there to be the slightest hint of dissension in the ranks.
"She was out on a fact finding mission, so maybe she followed a lead," I said as I looked at the hole in the wall. "I want you to get our building crew in here to fix this wall ASAP. But this time they need to install a steel frame and door. I don't care what the building codes are or what it costs."
"Got it," she said as she tapped in a note on her phone. "I'm on it as soon as I organize the watch."
&n
bsp; "And Kesha," I called after her.
"Yeah, boss?"
"Tell everyone to be really fucking careful. Whoever did this opened a can of worms and now all the shit is going to start to leak out," I said.
"Gotcha, boss," she called as I heard her footsteps pound up the stairs.
I looked back down at my phone and wondered why I hadn't yet heard from Riza.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Brooke
After I'd cleaned up the remnants of the ruined dinner, dumped the floral arrangement Dax had sent into the trash with it and licked my wounded pride, I showered, got dressed, and headed into the office. Determined to be the consummate professional, I'd put on my least sexy, most official looking pantsuit and pulled my hair back into a severe bun.
"Good morning, Alma," I said as I walked into the office. I stopped at the desk and picked up the stack of papers that were piled on the edge of it.
"Good morning, Miss Raines," Alma said as she sized me up. "Today's weather looks like it might be a little on the stormy side, so I think your usual lovely morning will prove to be turbulent, but it should clear up by afternoon and be sunny."
"Thank you for the weather report," I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Are Jordie and Roger in yet?"
"No, I don't believe they are," she said and then added, "But they did clean up the conference room, so there's that."
As I walked back to my office, I chided myself for not being kinder to Alma who was only searching for a way to be helpful and maintain an efficient office. I'd have to do something nice for her later. On my desk there was a stack of papers with a post-it on top that read: Sorry we screwed up. Conference room is clean. Will be back in the morning for meeting. - J&R
I sighed as I pulled out the chart on top of the stack and looked at what they'd done. I spent the next two hours reading through the pile of paperwork they'd left me, and when I was done, I looked up to find both men standing in the doorway to my office.
