Into The Fire (Gorgeous Entourage #1)

by E. L. Todd

  “Now you know why I’m in such great shape.” I winked at her.

  She rolled her eyes then sipped her coffee.

  “Everything okay down there?” I asked. “I didn’t break anything?”

  “I may be small but I’m sturdy.”

  “Yeah?” I moved my hand between her legs and massaged her gently.

  “That’s not doing anything other than turning me on.”

  “Then I’ll keep doing it.”

  She chuckled then pushed my hand away.

  I finished my breakfast then left the trash on the nightstand. She did the same then I snuggled into her side. “This is so much better than waking up alone and wondering if you woke up alone too.” I asked her the question without actually asking it. I didn’t want her to be with anyone but me. It would hurt me.

  She read my mind. “I never slept with Brad.”

  I tried to hide the relief on my face but it was pointless.

  “Did you sleep with anyone?”

  I shook my head. “No. I was too depressed to catch some tail.”

  Approval shined in her eyes.

  “But I jerked off a lot.”

  Both of her eyebrows went up. “Oh?”

  “But don’t worry.” I kissed her shoulder. “I only thought about your tight pussy.”

  “Good.”

  I left my face in her neck and smelled her scent. Then I moved away so I could get a good look at her face. “Why didn’t you just confront me about Lacy?”

  “Why would I?” she asked. “It was none of my business.”

  “But you could have mentioned it during our last fight. I told you I wanted to be with you.”

  “I thought you meant in a physical context, nothing more.”

  “Well, I didn’t.”

  “I realize that now.”

  “This entire month of torture wouldn’t have happened if you just asked me about it.”

  She looked away. “I have a lot more class than that.”

  I kissed her neck. “You don’t have any class and we both know it, sweetheart.” I kissed the shell of her ear then her cheek.

  “I beg to differ.”

  “It didn’t seem like it last night,” I jabbed.

  “I only sleep with you so I’m not a slut.”

  I liked that response. “You got that right.”

  She turned on her side and faced me. “So…what are we doing today?”

  “I assumed we would do the same thing we did last night.”

  “Well…what about in between?”

  This was when I was supposed to act like a boyfriend. But I was drawing a blank on how to accomplish that. Was I supposed to write her a poem or something? Maybe I could find some articles online. “Well…I got the building for my shop. The floors and walls are done. Want to see it?”

  Her eyes lit up in excitement. “I would love to.”

  Seeing that unconditional support just made me fall for her more. I knew she wasn’t the type of girl that was into ink or piercings. She was much more aristocratic than that. But she was excited because she knew I was. This was important to me, so it was important to her. I could never explain to her how happy that made me. “Want to go now?”

  “Sure.”

  I jumped out of bed and pulled on my clothes at lightning speed. “Then let’s roll.”

  She laughed as she dressed herself. “You’re really excited, aren’t you?”

  “Let me put it this way,” I said. “My dick is rock-hard. And it has nothing to do with you.”

  ***

  I unlocked the door and we entered the shop. It was a little plain without the furniture but the gray floorboards were done, and the black walls had a slight sheen to them. The marble counter was in place, and it looked sick under the dim light. “What do you think?” I walked around and looked at the place I designed. “On the walls, I’m going to put pictures of sexy women with ink. I think that will draw more women in.”

  “And men,” she said with a chuckle.

  I felt the marble countertops. “It’s nice, huh?”

  She felt it under her palm. “It is.”

  “I’m getting a Bluetooth sound system installed. It’ll look so cool.”

  “So…where do you get these pictures of sexy chicks with ink?” She asked it casually but there was a hint of jealousy.

  I smirked. “Jealous, baby?”

  “I don’t know…maybe.”

  “Well, would you like to be on my wall?” I grabbed her arm and examined the skin. “I could make you some beautiful sleeves.” My hand moved to her waist. “Something over the ribs…among other places. You’d look hot as hell.”

  “I’m not really a tattoo kind of girl.”

  “Every girl is,” I said. “It just depends on if you’re brave enough to accept it.”

  “Well, in my line of work, I can’t be inked everywhere.”

  “Lame.”

  “So, do you know these girls?”

  “They’re my regulars.”

  Jealousy still shined in her eyes.

  “Baby, you’ve got nothing to worry about. My dick is yours exclusively.”

  “Have you slept with any of these girls?”

  I gave her a look that said, “What do you think?”

  That put her in a sour mood.

  I wasn’t used to the jealousy thing. I’d had girls be clingy with me but not possessive. And I wasn’t used to feeling it either. “Come on, you can trust me. I’m only putting them up for business reasons. It’ll drive people into the shop. It’s like those pictures salons hang up. They don’t expect you to want the same haircuts as the models, but you’ll feel good staring at pretty people.”

  Alessandra finally relaxed. “Fine. Just keep your hands to yourself.”

  “Always.” I smacked her ass playfully then showed her the back rooms where the equipment would go. I didn’t have anything yet but I imagined exactly how it would look. “It’s coming together.”

  “It is,” she agreed. “I like it. What will you call it?”

  “Crimson Ink.”

  “Catchy.”

  I headed back to the front. “The couches will go there along with a table.”

  “It’ll look great, Ash. I’m very proud of you.”

  Proud? “Why, thank you.”

  She sauntered to the marble counter then hopped on the surface. She gave me a playful look, the arousal in her eyes. “I want to be the only woman you fuck in this shop.” She patted the marble. “Then you’ll never forget me.”

  My cock hardened in my jeans as I approached her. “Believe me, you’re unforgettable.” I stood between her legs then grabbed her hips. “If you weren’t, I wouldn’t be giving you a sneak peek into my shop.” I jerked her hips and forced her to lay back. Then I undid my jeans and pulled my cock out. “And I wouldn’t have given you my fidelity.”

  ***

  “What are we going to do about your parents?” she asked as she lay beside me in bed.

  I hadn’t thought about it. “Oh yeah. I forgot about them.”

  “You forget about everyone but yourself.”

  “Except you.” Anytime I was buried in her pussy, I couldn’t think of anything else but that. “My mom came by a few weeks ago. I fessed up and told her the truth about you and I.”

  “You did?” she asked in surprise. “How did she take it?”

  “Fine,” I said. “Actually, she was pretty supportive of me and the shop. She was bummed when I told her you were out of the picture.”

  “She doesn’t care that I’m an escort?”

  “Nope. I made it clear what kind of escort you were.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad your mom came around. She should be proud of you.”

  “She said she is.”

  “Great.” Alessandra smiled, and it was full of sincerity.

  “I guess you’ll have to meet my parents again—officially.”

  “You want me to?” she asked.

  �
��Of course I do.”

  Color moved into her cheeks.

  “They love you more than me anyway.”

  “You know that isn’t true,” she said with a chuckle.

  “You don’t have any tattoos, you’ve never been in jail, and you didn’t join the military just to spite your parents. You’re golden to them.”

  She rubbed my arm then kissed my bicep. “You’re so much more than all of those things, Ash. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever known.”

  “In bed?”

  “No.” She gave me a fond look. “In general.”

  “Yeah?” I kissed her neck and inhaled her scent. “I like where this is going.”

  “Well, you were fishing for compliments,” she teased.

  “Was not. I was just explaining that my parents love you. Mom wants us to get married and have a bunch of brats.”

  She smiled. “That would be nice.”

  The idea of marriage and kids still terrified me but I didn’t say it out loud. “So…can I take you to dinner tonight?”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean why?” I demanded. “Because you need to eat and I’m supposed to take you out.”

  “Supposed to take me out?” she asked. “I don’t like sitting in a room full of strangers anyway. I’d much rather eat on the couch wearing one of your t-shirts, especially if I can get fucked at the same time.”

  My eyes darkened in excitement. “You’re my kind of woman.”

  “I know,” she said with a chuckle. “You already told me.”

  Alessandra

  Overnight, my life became whole.

  Ash was the guy I wanted. He’d been the one since we met. His arrogance and cockiness got old quickly, but his thoughtfulness and generosity made up for it instantly. He was sweet to me without even trying, and his eyes glowed every time he looked at me. I wasn’t sure where this relationship would go or what we would do next, but he said he would try to take it wherever I wanted to go. I didn’t want to waste any time on something that was likely to fail but…I couldn’t turn away from him. He was the only guy who made my heart race. That never happened before.

  Even if I regretted it, I couldn’t stop.

  I just couldn’t.

  I was sitting in the living room when Ash barged in. “Honey, I’m home.” I purposely left the door unlocked in the hope he would walk in unannounced. Now I waited for this time every day when he got off work.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He leaned over the back of the couch and looked down at me. “Why aren’t you wearing slutty lingerie?”

  “Did I tell you I would be?”

  “No…but it’s implied.”

  “I never implied that.” Sometimes Ash heard things that were never said. Or he chose a complicated way of manipulating me.

  “Well, I’m implying it now. Get some black teddies with some matching heels.” His eyes turned greedy as he spoke of it. “And lay on the bed when I get home with rose petals everywhere. And then tell me you’ll die unless you have me right then and there.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes. “You’ve been thinking about this extensively, haven’t you?”

  “What gave me away?” He wrapped one arm around my waist then kissed my neck.

  “And what do I get out of that?”

  “Uh, me. Duh.”

  I could slap him sometimes. “No, I meant what are you going to do for me.”

  “Make you come—like always.”

  I smacked his arm. “I want a dirty fantasy too.”

  “Oh…” He finally caught on. “What would you like, cream queen? Name it and it’s yours.”

  I was a little embarrassed to say it out loud. I’d never done anything like it before. “I want to handcuff you to my bed frame…and blindfold you.”

  His eyes had a wicked gleam in them. “Bondage? Didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “I’ve never wanted to do it with anyone before.”

  “Even better,” he said with a smile. “I’m more than happy to oblige.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “We have ourselves a deal.”

  I shook it. “Good.”

  “Now go out and get that slutty lingerie.” He snapped his fingers. “Pronto. Maybe I’ll tie you up and have my way with you.”

  “Well, I can’t do it tonight,” I said. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Why not?” He moved to the spot beside me on the couch. His hand immediately moved for my thigh and he squeezed it. “You on your period or something? Because I couldn’t care less about that.”

  “No.” I tried not to cringe at his words. “I have to work tonight.”

  “But it’s a Wednesday.”

  “I work during the week too. I have a new client.”

  Ash’s eyes smoldered in rage. He never cared about my job before but now he was irritated every time I escorted my clients. An invisible storm brewed around him but I could feel the wind and the rain.

  “I’ll be back by midnight at the latest.”

  “And who is this loser who can’t get his own date?” he snapped.

  “A heartbroken man who’s trying to get his ex back.” My purpose was to make her jealous and realize what she lost. It was easy money. All I had to do was stand beside him and laugh at any joke he made.

  “Well…that’s childish,” he said. “You should drop him.”

  “He’s really nice.”

  He didn’t hear what I said. “You should drop all your clients. This job is stupid anyway. Do something else.”

  Ash was never bossy and controlling, at least about things that existed outside the two of us. He never told me what to do or where to go. He didn’t even ask me about work. “It’s not stupid. I actually help people and I like it.”

  “Come on, you’re basically a prostitute.”

  My eyes widened to orbs and I prepared to punch him in the face. “Excuse me?”

  “I mean…” He tried to backpedal. “It’s just…you’re better than this. Find something else that doesn’t make you work nights and weekends. Do you really like your hours?”

  “I don’t mind them.”

  “You’re full of it.”

  “I like the salary. I’ll never make this much money doing anything else.”

  “Since when did you start caring about money?” he snapped. “There are other things that are more important, like respect and dignity.”

  I wanted to strangle him. “What the hell is your problem, Ash? You never had a problem with my job until now. When I told you I used to be a stripper, you didn’t care. Now, all of a sudden, you’re acting like I’m a whore.”

  He clenched his jaw and looked away.

  “Knock it off or I’ll knock you out.”

  He rubbed his palms together aggressively. “I just don’t like it, okay?”

  “That’s too damn bad. You’ll need to get over it.”

  He turned back to me, his eyes dark. “I don’t like guys touching you.”

  “It’s just handholding or waist touching.”

  “I don’t like any kind of touching,” he snapped. “You’re mine. Who knows what their intent is. What if they try to hold you down and rape you or something?”

  “Now you know why we only meet in public places.”

  “Even then, he can hold a knife to you through his coat and take you somewhere.”

  “All his info is on file at the office so it would be really stupid to pull a stunt like that.”

  “Well, people are stupid,” he snapped. “Alessandra, I don’t like this. You’re quitting.”

  “I’m quitting?” I asked incredulously.

  “How would you feel if I touched women all day as part of my job?”

  “You do, idiot.”

  “No, I don’t,” he argued.

  “You ink on people’s bodies. You mark people’s genitals and breasts. You even pierce clits. What you do for a living is way worse than what I do. I don’t stare at men’s junk and get paid for it.”
>
  “It’s not the same thing and you know it.”

  “It’s the exact same thing.”

  “No, it’s not. A girl can’t hold me down and force me to do anything.”

  “And you risk getting infections that way. You’re dealing with people’s blood.”

  “I wear gloves,” he snapped. “I’m always careful.”

  I held up my hand to silence him. “You don’t have to explain or prove anything to me when it comes to your job. I’ve accepted your career from the beginning because I know you love it. I’m always supportive of your dreams. You need to do the same for me. I’m sorry if you don’t approve of it but it doesn’t change anything.”

  He gave me a cold look as he breathed hard.

  “Just let it go, Ash. You’re wasting your time.”

  He didn’t back off. “When we first met, you wouldn’t let me walk you home. You said it was a safety precaution because you didn’t want people to know where you lived. I know something happened to you. Now tell me what it is.”

  I was hoping he had forgotten about that. Ash was a little dense sometimes but he had the memory of an elephant. “Nothing happened, Ash. I’m just careful.”

  “Don’t fucking lie to me.” Spit flew from his mouth in the heat of his anger. “You gave me shit because you thought I lied to you, and now you’re lying to me. That’s a little hypocritical, isn’t it?”

  I pressed my lips tightly together.

  “Alessandra, you’re going to tell me.” He got in my face, threatening me with his proximity. “And you aren’t going to lie. I’ll know.”

  I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want to hurt him. I kept my secrets to myself because they were easier to bury that way.

  “Now.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it so drop it.”

  “No,” he hissed. “I’m not going to drop it. Now spill it.”

  “How would you feel if I made you talk about the things you’ve seen overseas?”

  That only soured his mood. “I’ll tell you if you really want to know but it’s going to hurt you. It doesn’t affect me in the least.”

  “Well, that’s how I feel about this.”

  “This is different.” He was getting red in the face. “My life in the military is over. You’re still doing this god-awful job. Now tell me what happened or I’ll march down to Beautiful Entourage and pester your colleagues until someone fesses up.”