Dark Duet Platinum Edition

by CJ Roberts

  That said, Livvie did a beautiful job with the ending and I can think of no greater tribute than to end this book as she wrote it (with my helpful commentary along the way of course). Submitted for your heartbreak, I present: The Epilogue (2.0)

  James swallowed thickly as he stared at the words on the screen. Sophia had written a very tragic love story, but it was a love story just the same. She had been very generous to him, painting a far better picture of the man he had been than he would have. (I think we’ve learned this is absolutely true.) She’d been working for weeks, sequestered in her little room upstairs. He wasn’t allowed in there, and though he didn’t like it, he respected Sophia’s wishes. He respected all her wishes these days. (Because I’m the best boyfriend ever! Sorry, Rubio.)

  Several hours ago, she’d flown into the kitchen and thrown her arms around him.

  “Why are you smiling, Kitten? Did you finally finish?” James asked.

  “Yes! I finished,” she said and followed up with a little dance. (I love the little dance.) She’d immediately dragged him upstairs and planted him in front of the laptop so he could start reading. There wasn’t another chair, so she’d gotten down on her knees and rested her head on his knee. (She lies; she just likes kneeling at my feet.)

  As he read, he stroked her hair. James had been scared to read everything from Sophia’s point of view, but he was glad he’d made it through and discovered just how Sophia remembered everything. She loved him, he was sure of it, and while he still didn’t think he deserved it, he was happy about it nonetheless. (This is entirely true.)

  He once again gazed on her sleeping form, unable to resist shifting her hair away from her face and behind her ear. Her mouth was slack, and he was sure she had drooled on him, but it didn’t matter. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He couldn’t help but stroke her. He loved the soft noises she made when he did. He didn’t deserve her. He never did (also true).

  She’d been with him for over a year now, and secretly he always hoped she would tire of him and decide to leave. (I didn’t hope—I feared.) She told him she loved him often, (I’ll give this to her. She did tell me she loved me often—not with her words, but with her deeds) and each time, it cut him down to his core. He didn’t deserve her love (no, I don’t). He couldn’t bring himself to pretend he did (no, I can’t).

  When he’d learned she’d been writing their story, he helped her in any way he could. It was his outlet as much as hers. He needed to see it in black and white – the pain he put her through, the monster he had been. He never wanted to forget what he could never allow himself to become again (true).

  Since the night Sophia had met him at the Paseo, the night he had decided to leave everything behind and integrate into mainstream society, so much of him had changed. Away from the horrors of his youth, away from blood and vengeance, he was just – James.

  At first, he’d had no idea what to do with himself. All around him, real life was happening, and he was a spectator. What did he know about meeting people in cafés? About having friends that weren’t killers? (I love you, Livvie.)

  But at night, in the dark, when he found he couldn’t sleep because the world felt suddenly too big – there was Sophia (yes).

  Whenever he thought about running away and returning to the life he knew, he thought about the day he’d given her the note. She’d burst into tears and run away from the café. He’d thought she would call the FBI, and he’d been prepared to go to prison if they were the ones to meet him at the Paseo. (It sounds silly… now.)

  Instead, she had met him there. She stood, looking like a goddess among commoners. Her hair lay in soft waves down her back, occasionally being picked up by the breeze. She wore a black halter dress that hugged her breasts and bared her back. She also wore incredibly tall heels. They were dangerous, considering the cobbled streets. She’d wanted him to know she was a grown woman, and she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. (I can still picture this in my mind.)

  He approached her from across the square. He was nervous. He wore jeans and a black cashmere sweater. The sleeves were pushed up to his forearms. He wanted her to know he was different. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore.

  Her back was to him as he approached, but the breeze suddenly died and she turned when she heard his steps approaching.

  There had been no words. He simply stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets. Her breath caught, and for a while she only stared at him. She stepped closer, and he almost took a step back – but didn’t. She was suddenly very close, and he couldn’t help but inhale her scent and close his eyes. (I love the way she smells.) She touched his shirt and pulled him down. His head swam. (It did!) Then she kissed him, and it was all that needed to be said (for me, at least).

  He moved to Barcelona so she could still attend university. They never talked about the past. When people asked them how they met, she was quick to intercept the question and respond. They had met at the Paseo de Colon. (If only it had been so simple.)

  When they made love, he was surprised to discover Sophia’s tastes had evolved. She wanted him to spank her. She wanted him to bind her arms. He felt sick about it at first. Her proclivities were obviously his fault. Still, their games turned him on to the point of physical pain. (They still do.)

  He felt villainous, but what was done was done, and now he would do everything he could to give her what she wanted. He owed her much. Besides, it wasn’t always rough. Sometimes it was vanilla – and he liked that too (very much).

  Carefully, James lifted Sophia into his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, smiling as she shifted around, seeking some way to get comfortable. He undressed and got in bed next to her. Just touching her made him hard. He owed her so much. (I do.)

  Suddenly overwhelmed, he held her impossibly tight. She whimpered and whined until her eyes opened and she stared up at his face. “Oh my god, what’s wrong?” she asked and stroked his distressed face.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she replied. Sophia’s eyes welled up with tears and she tilted her face toward his.

  She kissed him so passionately, so sweetly, that James thought if she never kissed him again, this was the kiss he always wanted to remember (it still is).

  I could never write an ending better than the one Livvie gave you, but I’ll leave you with this: Once upon a time I saved Livvie. She’s been saving me ever since.

  The End

  Wonderful News!

  The Dark Duet has been optioned to be a TV Show!

  And the best part is they’ve asked CJ Roberts to act as Executive Producer which means they want her input on how to translate from a book medium to television. Yay!

  HOWEVER, nothing happens overnight and the road ahead is going to be arduous. CJ asks for your continued support as we try to make this TV series a reality. A lot can happen between the option purchase and selection by a network. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, help make this happen by sharing the news, posting reviews of the books, and encouraging everyone to

  SIGN THE PETITION

  About the Author

  CJ Roberts is an independent writer. She favors dark and erotic stories with taboo twists. Her work has been called sexy and disturbing in the same sentence.

  She also stalks her reviewers… What? Caleb had to come from somewhere!

  She was born and raised in Southern California. Following high school, she joined the U.S. Air Force in 1998, served ten years and traveled the world.

  She is married to an amazing and talented man who never stops impressing her; they have two beautiful daughters.

  Stalk her on:

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Blog

  www.aboutcjroberts.com

  Books and Stories by CJ Roberts

  Dark Duet: Platinum Edition

  Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet, Book 1)

  Seduced in the Dark (The Dark Duet, Book 2)

  Epil
ogue (The Dark Duet, Book 3)

  Determined to Obey (Bonus Novella, Dark Duet)

  Stories by Jennifer Roberts

  High Stakes Nikki (Sexy Shorts)

  Manwich (Sexy Shorts)

  Seducing Sunshine (Sexy Shorts)

  Books with contributions from Jennifer Roberts

  Sin City: Six Scintillating Stories (Anthology)

  High Stakes Nikki

  Some Like it Bi (Anthology)

  Seducing Sunshine

  Bonus Materials

  By CJ Roberts:

  Determined to Obey

  Fan Fiction

  Written by the fans and selected by CJ

  Dark Twist by Luna Quinn

  A Chance of Fate by Duran’s Chauffeur

  Cradle of Darkness by Aimi Deidre

  Rotten Jealousy by Ariane Solal

  Trading Places by Jessie Ceilidh

  Show Me by Jessie Ceilidh

  When the Angels Fall by Aimi Deidre

  Enlightened in the Dark by Kyle Robin

  Interviews with CJ Roberts

  Fiction Vixen Interview and Giveaway with Author CJ Roberts

  WORD Book Reviews and Promotions

  Litmusicgirl Interviews CJ Roberts

  Book Rec’s Interviews Caleb from the Dark Duet

  CJ’s Favorite Reviews

  New Adult Addiction

  Maryse’s Book Blog

  Aestas Book Blog

  Aestas Book Blog: Mr. Aestas

  Bookish Temptations

  Determined to Obey

  CJ Roberts

  Copyright © 2014 Neurotica Books LLC. CJ Roberts

  All rights reserved.

  ******

  Table of Contents

  1-10

  11-20

  21-30

  31-40

  41-50

  51-60

  61-62

  Preface

  PLEASE READ

  A note from the Author

  This story was originally written for inclusion in the anthology Pink Shades of Words. All of the proceeds went to breast cancer research. My gratitude goes out to all of you who purchased a copy and contributed to this wonderful cause.

  This story has been edited to allow for prior knowledge of the Dark Duet plot and all of its characters; I had to avoid spoilers in the anthology as much as possible. Whether you’re reading this story for the first time or not, I hope you’ll enjoy what I’ve done with it.

  I love all of my characters, but some of them really speak to me, and I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot for “Kid”, the nineteen-year-old biker with a tender heart. In fact, I had originally written a small love triangle involving Kid, Livvie, and Caleb. Kid was meant to be a character Livvie could relate to, someone her age who’d lost someone he loved and had been taken captive. It sure as hell didn’t hurt that he and Caleb share so many physical attributes. However, in the end, I just couldn’t justify another hundred pages to an already enormous second volume.

  That said, having a beautiful boy held captive in a house with a hedonist couple like Felipe and Celia was simply too much temptation to resist. FAIR WARNING – ALL SEXUAL PAIRINGS APPEAR IN THE TEXT.

  ***

  The character “Kid” appears in both Captive in the Dark and Seduced in the Dark.

  This short story takes place in Mexico and follows Kid after he and his girlfriend, Nancy, after they are taken hostage by a group of men led by Caleb. Unbeknownst to Kid or Nancy, they are taken to the mansion of Felipe Villanueva, an eccentric crime boss with a taste for the taboo.

  Wrongfully accused by Nancy of the attempted rape and subsequent assault of Caleb’s escaped captive, “Kitten”, Kid is tortured by his captors.

  We join Kid in the dungeon, where he is about to meet Felipe and his companion Celia for the first time…

  1. Kid

  He’s alone, absolutely alone…lost! He’s never been lost. He’s never wondered if he’ll ever see his family again. Kid is eight years old; he’s terrified for the first time in his life. His eyes look everywhere at once, but he can’t see her. She should be there—on the bench—waiting. He wasn’t gone very long, he thinks, but can’t be sure. How big is the park? Where is she? Where is his mama? His tongue darts out across his upper lip: Salt. Dust. Desperation. He cries out, sudden and fierce, “Mama!”

  No answer.

  An old man turns to look at him, and every warning he’s ever been given about strangers—strange men especially—sings through his blood. Kid has been told how beautiful he is, warned he’s a temptation, and been given the talk about people who like to touch underwear parts. So when the old man takes a step toward him, Kid runs.

  He runs, but has no idea where he wants to go. He just has to keep moving, searching, calling out—whatever it takes to find her. If he stops moving, he’ll fall down and start crying. His dad says there’s never been a problem solved by crying.

  He thinks about going back to the skate ramp to see if the boys he met left, but he knows they did. He only came back because they were leaving. He can’t remember where his mom parked the car. What if it’s gone? He brushes the thought away—his mother would never leave him.

  “Kid!” his mother yells. He knows it’s her without having to lay eyes on her. Relief slams into him so fast he isn’t ready. His knees buckle and land on the soft grass at the same time his butt hits his ankles, and he cries. He cries loud and hard until his throat burns and his stomach cramps.

  His mother lands on her knees in front of him. He screams as his narrow arms are crushed within his mother’s grip—she’s never hurt him before. She gasps apologetically and rubs his arms. Her hands inspect him, checking and rechecking imagined wounds. She’s out of breath—she’s crying too.

  “Oh, Kid…oh, God, thank God! I thought I’d lost you,” she says between sobs and messy kisses. Satisfied he isn’t hurt, she runs her fingers through his sweaty, blond hair, and then presses her nose to his scalp and inhales. She wipes tears from his crystal blue eyes and stares into them in the way only a mother can—like he’s the only thing that has ever mattered—like she’d die for him—like she’d kill.

  Kid soaks in his mother’s love like a flower absorbs light, by turning toward it. He allows himself to cry within the cocoon of her embrace, because there are indeed some problems that can be solved by crying. He knows there will be consequences for running off, and yet it seems unimportant. His mother loves him, keeps him safe, and that’s all that matters.

  “Don’t cry, baby,” she sings into his ear and rocks him.

  “Don’t cry.”

  2. Celia

  The boy won’t cease whimpering. It breaks her heart a little. She drags her fingers gently through his hair and holds him. “Don’t cry,” she whispers in his ear. Her English isn’t very good, but she knows enough to get by. She’ll have to become fluent if she plans on keeping her new pet.

  “I’m sorry,” the boy replies, and leans into her touch. He’s delirious with thirst and quaking with fear. “I was all alone.” He licks a dry path across his upper lip. His nose wrinkles in distaste—presumably at the flavor of his own dry blood. “I love you, Mama.”

  Celia’s chest pangs. There have been many nights she has longed to be called Mother, but it is something she will never be. It’s a pity this boy can never go home again. He must love his mother very much; it’s a sentiment she only vaguely empathizes with, never having known her own mother. “Shhh, pobresito.”

  3. Kid

  Kid knows that word. It means ‘poor baby’ or something like that. He frowns; his mama doesn’t speak Spanish. A prickle of awareness penetrates the thick soup of his consciousness—he’s dreaming. It’s very important he not wake. He burrows deeper into the eleven-year-old memory of his mother’s arms, of the last time he was lost and then found. She’s found him again. She’ll take him home. Home is the road. No…that’s not right. Home is…

  His home is gone.

  “Don’t leave me,
” Kid whispers. His chest hurts. Vaguely, he comprehends there’s more hurt yet to be catalogued, knows he’s been hurting for a while. He shakes his head; a whine escapes him. Don’t open your eyes.

  A man speaks. Kid begins shivering, because only bad things happen when he hears male voices. Realization creeps over him like quicksand sucking him down into his body and into the present.

  He is no longer eight years old.

  His parents are long dead.

  The last of his family was murdered in front of him.

  He and Nancy have been taken as hostages.

  They were beaten.

  Nancy betrayed him.

  4. Felipe

  At first, Felipe wanted nothing to do with Rafiq’s mess. He’s never met Rafiq’s apprentice Caleb, and has not once felt inclined. But things change. Powerful men get older and rest on their laurels. Felipe has always been patient in waiting for these moments. Moments like this one.

  He can use this young man to get information on Caleb. There’s plenty Felipe already knows, but one can never know too much about their allies or enemies—especially as one can often become the other, the enemy of my enemy and all that.

  So when Rafiq asked—quite imposingly—if Caleb could make use of Felipe’s plantation, he acquiesced. Had he known Caleb was going to allow his kidnapped slave to escape and cause her captor to slaughter three men, start a fire, take two hostages, and bring them to Felipe’s house in Tuxtepec—his home—he may have been less gracious. It’s been two days and Caleb has yet to arrive with Kitten. The men Caleb sent ahead of himself have been occupying themselves with the hostages. It will be their undoing.