by Tina Saxon
Mommy, please, get up! Please, get up! Mommy! Someone, please help me!
“Emily, wake up! It’s okay. Shhh… it’s a dream. Wake up, sweetheart.”
I’m being held in a warm embrace as I finally leave the hell of my nightmare. I look up and see those emerald green eyes and jump back.
“Get the fuck away from me!” I scream. I’m shaking and can’t make it stop. All I can think about are those eyes.
“Emily, look at me,” Jett commands, but I can’t. “Emily, please let me help.” I shake my head no.
“Please, leave.” I pull the bedspread over me to warm up my freezing body and add a safety barrier between Jett and myself.
Jett gets up and leaves. Turning before he gets to the door with a look of concern.
Once he’s out of the room, I do my breathing exercises that my therapist taught me whenever I relive that day. I haven’t had that nightmare in over ten years. I don’t doubt that my morning talk with Travis is what caused this, but why did I dream that Jett was the one who did it? I know it wasn’t him. He told me he was twenty-eight; he’s only five years older than I am. Now that I’ve calmed down, I feel horrible. It’s not like I can explain my dream to him, though. I’m burning up now, so I throw the comforter off. It’s still light outside, but the sun is sitting low in the sky so I can tell it’s early evening.
After a quick visit from Joe and his partner so I could make a trip to the bathroom, I’m back on the bed, handcuffed. They left as quickly as they came in. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to do this. As long as I’m handcuffed to this bed, there is no way I am getting out of here. At least I feel safe with Jett around, which might be his plan… get me to feel safe and trust him so I open up. The safe part, I feel. The trust part won’t ever happen.
Realistically they can’t keep me here forever. Why the hell am I still here? What does Travis want from me? Jett will eventually get tired of babysitting me. If Travis’s plan isn’t to kill me, I need to earn their trust that I really won’t run when given the opportunity. I’m hoping my chance to escape isn’t too far away though. I need to get as far away from Travis as possible, and soon—before my heart betrays me and decides to let Jett in.
Chapter Twelve
Jett
“WHAT THE HELL JUST happened?” demands Travis when I walk into his office. I had been in a meeting with him when Joe came running in saying our guest was screaming at the top of her lungs.
“She was having a nightmare.” I sigh. “It must have been a horrible one because she was screaming for her mom not to leave her and to come back.” I shiver, remembering her cries. It was heartbreaking seeing her go through that.
“What did she say when she woke up?” Travis questions.
“Well, that is the weird part. She looked at me with pure hatred. Told me to leave.”
I look at Travis for his take on it, and holy shit, I think I see compassion in his eyes. I’ve never seen anything but cold, hard eyes from him.
“Travis, who is she?” I raise an eyebrow in question. The hardness returns. No signs of compassion anymore. This is the Travis that I’m used to.
“You know more about her than I do. I’m still trying to figure things out. All I’ve hit are dead ends.” He walks over to his desk and sits down behind it. “So we know her name is Emily, she’s twenty, and she’s from Texas. That isn’t a lot of information.”
“Well, I thought I was getting close and hoped I could get more information out of her. After this afternoon, I’m not sure she’ll ever let me around her again.”
“Order a pizza and take her out to the patio. But make sure Joe and Bill are close by. And make sure she knows that if she tries to run, that’s the last time she’s going to come out of that room.”
“So you want me to wine and dine her, huh?” I grin.
“Something like that,” he says, curling his lips.
That I can do. Well, if she wants to see me again. I can’t imagine what I did to make her look at me that way. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I hope I never see that look of hatred in her eyes again directed at me.
I order the pizza and find the red wine that she told me she liked during our poker game. Out of all the questions I asked, thank God that was one of them because I am going to put that information to good use tonight. I have everything set up on the patio. All I need is Emily. I walk toward her room and start to get nervous. What if she doesn’t want to see me? Shit! Well, I guess I’ll deal with it if that happens. Joe and Bill are behind me, talking shit about how I have the lucky job. We’ll see how lucky I am in a minute.
I lightly tap on the door and open it slowly.
“So you’re knocking now? I’d get up to let you in, but, yeah… can’t do that.” She points to her handcuffs. She’s smiling though. That has to be a good sign.
“I feel I should be waving a white flag. I’m not exactly sure if you want me to come in,” I say, walking into the room just enough to shut the door. I don’t need the two assholes in the hallway listening to our conversation. There is a monitor right outside the room so they can see everything but can’t hear from where they are. I lean against the door with my hands in my jeans.
“Yes, you can come in.” She sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t had that nightmare in a long time and it surprised me when I woke up in your arms.”
She stares at me apologetically, but she doesn’t offer any more explanation. I go over and sit by her on the bed.
“I have a surprise for you,” I say. “But you need to understand a few things first: you cannot try and run or scream for help,” I warn. “If you try either, we won’t be able to take anymore fieldtrips.” I smile and wink. Telling her she’ll never leave this room again is a threat I don’t want to make.
“You’re taking me out of this room?” she questions.
“Yes. I think you need a break after the day you’ve had.” I don’t want to say a break from the morning with Travis or the nightmare, but that’s what I’m thinking. “You’re going to be handcuffed to me. And Joe and Bill will be right behind us the whole time.”
“Oh, yay… Tweedledee and Tweedledum get to come,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I throw my head back, laughing. Hard. That was fucking funny. “You always surprise me, Emily.”
I’ve been on this Earth for twenty-eight years and I’ve dated a lot of women, but there has never been a woman who has invaded my thoughts as much as Emily has. Her eyes send an electric shock to my heart, jolting it awake. Her moods pull at the strings of my heart, dictating my emotions. When she’s happy, I’m elated. When she’s sad, I want to hurt someone. How can one woman come into my life for one day and have this much of an effect on me? I know how this ends, and it’s not forever. I need my heart to go back into hibernation.
I walk up and unlock the handcuff and then lock it around my wrist. “Ready?” I pick her up off the bed. When I go to put her down, I slide her down my body. Our eyes never break their connection.
Then she had to go and bite her lip.
Well, if she questions the effect she has on me, my dick just made sure she knows.
Chapter Thirteen
IF JETT HAD any more room for me to slide down his rock-hard body and something else that was just as rock hard, I think I would have orgasmed. Right there. We’re standing there staring into each other’s eyes, inches apart, my body and head struggling internally. I can see the heat and yearning in his eyes. I’m pinned by his stare.
Jett breaks the tension with a low growl. “You ready?”
Ready for you to throw me on this bed and have your way with me. Yes, please!
Leaning down, he whispers in my ear, “Let’s go before I do something I can’t undo.”
Chills break out all over my body. I almost push him back on the bed and say who cares. Almost. My head wins this round.
He puts his hand in mine where the handcuffs connect us and he leads me out the door. Joe and Bill
—I finally learned their names—are standing there staring at us with big, goofy grins. Shit, I’m sure they witnessed our little interaction. I need to remember there are cameras everywhere. I suddenly remember I’ve never been outside this room… well, awake, at least. I look around, taking mental notes of every door, hallway, and window. It’s a beautiful, modern house. I see other men around and look at each of their faces, searching for the one but never finding him. I haven’t seen Travis since this morning and wonder why. Jett leads me outside into the backyard. The backyard is huge but the fence back here is solid brick. There’s a fountain and beautiful trees surround the property. The landscaping and gardens are immaculate and taken care of very well. The air smells of roses. The sunset is the backdrop to a gorgeous, clear night sky. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen such a beautiful sight.
Then reality sets in. I’m a prisoner in this exquisite picture. Jett is watching me take everything in. “What do you think?”
“Hmm… what do I think?” I look at him suspiciously. “Is this like my last meal?” I wonder if he’ll know I’m referring to the meal that a prisoner gets on the night of his execution.
His gaze becomes serious. “Emily, I won’t let anything happen to you.” His jawbone is tense as he pulls me into his body. He leans down toward my ear. “I promise.”
The lock and key protecting my trust breaks open a little. I believe him. I don’t know why, but I do. This doesn’t change anything. I still need to get out of here. Jett pulls me over to a blanket on the perfectly manicured grass. I don’t think I’ve ever seen grass this green. On the blanket are a couple boxes of pizza with a table right next to it and two wine glasses with my favorite bottle of wine.
“Wow,” I say as he guides me to a spot on the blanket.
“I didn’t know what kind of pizza you liked so I got a veggie and a meat one.” Jett sounds nervous. All I can do is sit and watch him. I don’t know exactly what to think of this. I feel like I’m on a royally messed-up date with an amazing guy who makes me feel things I shouldn’t be feeling, yet I’m a prisoner of this house and handcuffed to him. He’s not letting me go or helping me escape, so he’s not much better than Travis. But my body betrays me. I’ve never been so torn internally about how I should feel about someone.
“Don’t overthink this, sweetheart.” Jett glances at me as he fills my wine glass. “I wanted to do something to help you forget about the situation you are in, at least for one night.” He smiles warmly. Damn those dimples!
“So, you’re going to get me drunk? This will definitely help me forget,” I reply playfully, taking a drink of my wine. Jett laughs and shakes his head. The wine tastes absolutely divine. I point to the veggie pizza when he opens both boxes. This is nice. Definitely a good distraction from the prison waiting for my return. I try to ignore the sinking feeling that I will be back there soon.
By the time we are done eating, the sun has finally set and the stars are out in full force. I lie back on the blanket and stare up at the sky. Jett lies back with me and we watch in silence. He entwines his fingers with mine.
I point to the sky. “Look, a shooting star.”
“What are you going to wish?” Jett glances over at me.
“Hmm… let me think about that,” I say sarcastically, looking back to him. Those beautiful green eyes lock with mine and in that moment my wish isn’t to be free. It’s that we’ll meet again when I’m free.
Jett sits up and pulls out his phone. Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time” begins to play and he places the phone on the table by our half-empty wine bottle. He gets up on his knees, which causes me to rise as well.
“Let’s dance.” He lifts me up with his free arm.
“I don’t think I have much of a choice, do I?” I giggle, feeling the wine’s effects. Already standing with his arm around my waist, he brings my body flush against his.
“Nope.” He flashes a devilish grin.
I put my arm around his neck, and he pulls our joined hands up to our hearts. I can feel his heart pounding as we sway to the music. The touch of his thumb rubbing lightly at my back ignites a fire that quickly spreads through my body.
“I didn’t tag you as a country boy?” I say, playfully.
“There is a lot you don’t know about me,” he responds, peering down at me. We stare into each other’s eyes until I can’t take the intensity anymore. I lean my head into his neck. My five-foot-eight body fits perfect in his tall frame. He smells like spice, woods, and masculinity. He hums along with the song then softly sings about wanting to get to know me. I’m not sure if they’re just lyrics or that’s how he feels.
Holy shit. This beautiful man can’t be anymore perfect. A perfect man who I can’t have. I must have pissed off the gods in another life. He stops singing and hums again. The song ends but another one starts. We never stop dancing; our bodies continue to melt into each other’s. I look up and his eyes trap me.
“You’re so beautiful.” His voice is low and gravelly.
“You’re devastatingly beautiful,” I breathe out.
“So what should two devastatingly beautiful people, who have an unexpected pull that can’t be explained and can’t be together, do?”
“Be devastated,” I whisper.
I go back to my spot, resting my head in his neck. I breathe in a smell that I hope to never forget. He places a kiss on my head and pulls me in tighter to him.
Chapter Fourteen
Jett
SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY wrong with me. I don’t even know her real name. She said it so confidently I almost believed her, but I know when someone is lying. I didn’t share this information with Travis though. I need to find out what his plans are with Emily. We’re on day two and he hasn’t shared anything with me. I’m supposed to be his right-hand man.
I haven’t wanted a girl this bad… ever. She has me so wound up, it’s on the verge of becoming painful. I’ve gone out with a few girls while I’ve worked for Travis but never anything serious. They know what I want: no strings and no expectations. Nothing and no one has ever distracted me enough that I don’t care anymore about my job—until her.
“Sweetheart, it’s best we go back inside.” I need to try and stop this. Holding her tightly, her body rubbing against mine, feeling her heat is driving me insane. I need a cold shower for a fucking hour.
I grab my phone and down the rest of my wine. She does the same, and I lead her back inside. As we pass Joe and Bill, I tell them I no longer need them tonight. They hesitate but see that I’m not messing around. Emily is handcuffed to me so she’s not going anywhere. I bring her back to her room, and she lets out a long-winded sigh. Shit. I hate doing this.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Truthfully, I’d rather take her back to my bed.
“It’s okay. I know it’s your job,” she replies with a flat voice.
We get in the room and I take off the cuffs. Both of them. She can’t get out of the room so there isn’t any reason she should be cuffed to the bed. I’ll be sure to tell Travis, and I don’t fucking care what he says. She opens her mouth but then snaps it shut. I shake my head. Don’t ask.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” She walks away but stops before she hits the door. She looks over her shoulder smiling and says, “Thanks.”
I sit on the bed and wait. When she comes out, she walks up and stands in between my legs. My hands are itching to grab hold of her and run them all over that body. Instead, I stand up. We’re inches apart. Her beautiful tits barely touch my chest. Our eyes dance around each other. My gaze drops to her lips, where she’s biting.
Fuck. Me.
Before I can stop myself, I grab her and lift her up. I slam her against the wall and crush my mouth against hers. There is no slow and sweet. It’s hard, fast, and full of need. Legs wrap around my waist. She opens her mouth for me and my tongue darts into hers.
I get lost in our kiss. The need to be closer to her overcomes me. Her fingers thread through my hair. My hands find her ass a
nd squeeze. Holy shit, her ass is perfect, round and hard. I push her warmth against my dick that’s straining to get out of my jeans, rubbing and grinding my hips. Her legs squeeze, pulling us together. The welcoming heat of her pussy urges my dick to come out and play. And damn is he trying his hardest to escape.
“Jett. Cameras,” Emily gasps during our kiss.
“Can’t see this wall,” I breathe out. I move my mouth to her neck, tasting and nipping her jawline.
I can feel the quickness of her pulse on my lips. She grinds her pussy against my throbbing erection. A low growl erupts from my lips.
BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ
The vibration from my phone in my back pocket shocks me back to reality.
Distractions.
“Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!” I yell as I put her back on the ground and walk away. I need to step away before I really fuck this up. I pace the room with my hands on my head. She leans against the wall like it’s holding her up, staring at me with those hypnotizing eyes. I’ve lost control. I never lose control. Losing control can get me killed. So why does one look from her make me lose all control.
“This can’t happen!” I growl, motioning between us. “You. Can’t. Happen. Fuck, Emily. I feel like an asshole who is taking advantage of you in this fucked-up situation! Why can’t you just tell us who you are so you can leave!” I bark out in frustration, throwing my hands in the air. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. Logically, I know she needs to leave. Soon. But selfishly, I want her here. With me.
She stands tall and walks toward me. “You think I want to stay here, locked in this room? I don’t know what Travis wants from me. I do know why he sent you in here, though.” She knowingly looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “So, if you feel like an asshole, that’s between you and your boss. But let me be clear, if I weren’t a willing participant, you’d know it.” She turns and heads to the bathroom. Looking over her shoulder, she whispers, “Good night, Jett.”
