Memories of You: A Stark Security Novella

by J. Kenner

  Chapter Eleven

  “Masque,” he said, once Frannie was gone. He was trying to act casual, though the idea of having Abby with him in the club turned him on more than he liked to admit. “Do you even know what that is?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Really?”

  “Okay, I have a general sense. Damien took Nikki there once. After three drinks she gave me the scoop.”

  “Interesting.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I probably shouldn’t have spilled that about your boss.”

  He laughed. “That’s okay. I have a feeling Damien Stark can handle people knowing that he went to a sex club with his wife.”

  “You’ve been there,” she said, and he thought he heard an accusation in her voice.

  “I have.”

  He watched her throat move when she swallowed, wishing he could read her mind. He wanted her back there. Not for the hardcore stuff—that didn’t seem like Abby, though he wouldn’t turn down the chance to find out. No, he had a very specific fantasy.

  He wanted her on one of the sofas in the main room. He wanted to open his fly and settle her on his lap. He wanted her skirt splayed out over them as she rose and fell, fucking him while anyone in the room who wanted to watched.

  He wanted it because he wanted her. Wanted to claim her. To own her. Maybe not forever—definitely not forever—but for now. For tonight. For this weekend.

  Maybe forever…

  He pushed aside the voice in his head. That voice that told him that would be a good thing. That he deserved that good thing. And that Abby did, too.

  Instead, he pulled her to a stop at the top of the stairs, just before the entrance to the club. He made the mistake of looking down, then closed his eyes in defense against that damn spinning.

  “Do you ever plan on telling me?”

  “What?”

  “Vertigo. Was it a head injury? Is that why you left the SEALs?”

  He drew a breath but looked at her. “Yes.”

  He could see that she was waiting for more, but what more was there? He’d told her. That should be enough. He didn’t need to lay it on the ground for her; he’d already revealed that he wasn’t the man he’d held himself out to be.

  But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she just took his hand and led him to the far side of the landing so they were away from the view. The world realigned, and his pulse slowed.

  They were standing in front of the door to Masque, but that wasn’t the elephant in the room.

  “I’m not your dad,” she finally said, lifting her shoulder.

  He started to ask what she meant; started to pretend to misunderstand. But he did understand. She’d seen through to the core of him, just like she used to when they were kids. And she was telling him that she didn’t care about his flaws. That unlike his father, she wouldn’t give up on him.

  He drew a breath, surprised that her quick understanding didn’t make him feel vulnerable. But it didn’t. It made him feel loved.

  He met her eyes, then shrugged. “I guess that’s a good thing. My dad would look terrible in that dress.”

  Her smile lit her eyes. “Yeah. He really would.”

  He cocked his head toward the door. “Are you sure? We don’t have to. There’s no reason on earth you need to feel like you have to one-up Francesca.”

  “It’s not about that,” she said.

  His brows rose.

  “No, really. It’s not.”

  “Then what?”

  She lifted a shoulder, looking embarrassed. “I want to know what other women have had with you. Not Francesca particularly. But I want what they’ve had. You don’t want a relationship, well fine. But then I think it’s fair that I get to know what it’s like to be with the guy who fucks around.”

  Her words weren’t said with a harsh tone, but he still heard it in his head. Because Abby wasn’t part of that group. She was different. Special.

  He almost told her so. Almost said they’d blow Masque off altogether.

  Except he didn’t. Because he wanted her there.

  Mostly, he realized, he just wanted her.

  “All right,” he said, then led her to the door and showed his key. The door opened, and they were admitted to the party within the party.

  He watched her face, taking in the couples talking, kissing, fucking. The main room was active tonight, and he knew the dungeon rooms would be even more so.

  “What you expected?”

  “I didn’t know what to expect. Are we staying in here? Is there more?”

  “We’re staying,” he said, noting how prominent her nipples were and the flush on her lips and cheeks. She was turned on. Good. Because he wanted her—and soon—but he didn’t want to stay if she was uncomfortable.

  Abby, however, seemed fine. A little awed, but fine. So he took her hand and led her to a nearby sofa, just as he had in his fantasy.

  “Here,” he said.

  “Here? Here, what, exactly?”

  “I guess we’ll see,” he said, unfastening his slacks and freeing his cock before he sat. “But why don’t we start with you riding me?”

  Her eyes were wide but excited, and he felt himself go harder knowing that this was really happening.

  “Has she done that?”

  He tilted his head, wondering about the jealousy. Liking it more than he should. “She has.”

  Abby’s eyes narrowed. “Her skirt pulled up as she worked herself on you, everything nice and hidden by the flair of the material, but the whole room knowing exactly what you were doing?”

  “Exactly.”

  “But they couldn’t know for sure. It could be a ploy. She could have just been rubbing herself on you.”

  “True.” He had no idea where she was going with this.

  “That’s not for me,” she said, and he felt the disappointment cut through him like a knife. “If I’m claiming you—if I’m being claimed—I want everyone to know.”

  She looked around, at the same time reaching her hand back and unzipping her dress. He practically swallowed his tongue when she let the dress fall to the ground, and his cock got ten times harder when he looked at her, completely naked except for her shoes, a garter belt, and silk stockings.

  Around them, most everyone had turned to watch, and he saw more than one guy’s hand go to his own cock, stroking as he eyed Renly’s girl.

  He made a low noise in his throat. Not a growl, but pretty damn close.

  She didn’t look around at all. Instead, with her chin high, she came to him, not saying a single word. Then she took his hand and placed it between her thighs, arching back as he stroked her slick pussy.

  She continued, her eyes never leaving his as she climbed onto the sofa, put both hands on his shoulders, and straddled him. He was rock hard. Painfully hard. And as she squirmed over the tip of his cock it was a wonder he didn’t lose it right then.

  But then—oh, God, then—she took his cock all the way, started to rock…and proceeded to completely blow his fucking mind.

  Chapter Twelve

  They didn’t say much on the ride back to her place, but as far as Renly was concerned, the soft touches and heated looks said everything, and the moment they stepped over her threshold and shut the door, he pulled her to him.

  The kiss was slow and lingering. Tender and intimate. The direct opposite of their wild passion in Masque, but so much more compelling. And when they broke apart, both breathing hard, he led her into the bedroom, then lost himself in her arms. The scent of her. The feel of her. And when they both exploded for the second time that night, she curled up beside him, her fingers tracing patterns on his bare chest.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “What for?”

  “For letting me go a little wild.”

  He chuckled. “I like you wild.”

  “And for telling me about your vertigo,” she added, meeting his eyes. “For bringing me back into your life. I’ve missed you so
much.”

  He cupped her cheek. “Me, too. But I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Dubai,” she said, and he nodded slowly.

  “That’s not me leaving. That’s just me going to work.”

  “And you’re here right now,” she said, rolling over so that his arm was beneath her breasts and he was spooned against her.

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “I’m right here.”

  He held her close, then drifted off, and for the first time in a very long time, it felt as if every single thing was right with the world.

  * * * *

  The next morning, they arrived ten minutes before Abby was supposed to meet Darrin, but he was already standing in the elevator bay when they reached Abby’s office.

  “Hey, Darrin,” she said to the dark-haired man. “This is my friend Renly. We’ve got some plans for the rest of the day, so he’s going to take care of some phone calls and emails while we work.”

  She unlocked the office door and led them all inside.

  “No problem,” Darrin said, speaking to Abby and barely acknowledging Renly. Either the guy was shy or an asshole. Right now he didn’t know enough to make the call.

  Once inside, Renly walked the perimeter of the office and checked in all the individual areas. Better safe than sorry. Abby and Darrin settled in the conference room, and Renly parked himself at the far end of the long table, planning to check his emails while they worked.

  He lifted his head before he dove in, catching Darrin’s eye. “I hope you don’t mind if I hang out here. I don’t know a damn thing about the tech world, and Abby said I could sit in and pretend to be fascinated.”

  Darrin’s smile looked a little forced, but he said, “Sure. Don’t know if you’ll find it that fascinating, but I don’t have a problem with it.”

  Renly gave him a thumbs up and then went back to his phone. He half-listened as Abby went through the various features of the software, pride building in him as he heard her competent voice and her clean explanations. She was able get to the heart of complex issues and answered all of Darrin’s questions in a way that anyone—even Renly, who knew next to nothing about computers—could understand.

  Soon enough, her voice became a pleasant background noise, and he deleted at least a hundred emails, mostly spam, that had built up in his inbox.

  Then he cringed, realizing he’d completely missed one from his mother almost three days ago.

  He pulled up text messaging and shot her a note.

  You there?

  Renly! Where have you been hiding?

  Sorry I missed your email. Crazy week.

  I figured you would have tried again if it was important?

  What’s up?

  Can’t a mom just email her son?

  Some moms can. You always have an agenda.

  Ha ha.

  He grinned. His mom wasn’t one for over-communication. She tended to write when she had something to say, and that was pretty much it.

  Come on, what’s going on?

  Well, to be honest, I’m getting married again.

  He hesitated as he stared at the words, not sure what to say.

  Oh.

  Tell me how you really feel...

  He shook his head, then stood and left the conference room because he just needed to move around.

  He paced inside the lobby, Abby’s worried frown as he’d stepped out of the room burnt into his mind. Hopefully in a few minutes he could tell her everything was okay.

  Listen, mom, I’m excited for you.

  But unless you’ve been keeping the biggest secret in the world,

  you haven’t been dating anybody.

  Who the hell are you marrying?

  Well, to be honest, we’ve been dating for years.

  It’s time to make it official

  Who? Do I know him?

  Sweetie, it’s Elise.

  He stared at his phone.

  Elise—or Aunt Elise—was his mother’s best friend and had been since they’d moved to Houston. All through his high school years they’d been inseparable, and after Renly and Red had moved away, Elise had actually moved in. They got along so well, and although Renly couldn’t imagine living with a roommate at his mother’s age, he understood that his mom had gotten lonely.

  At least, that was what he’d always believed. Now, with the news of his mom’s engagement, he saw everything in a fresh light.

  Mom? Why didn’t you ever tell us?

  I don’t know. But I’m telling you now.

  I think it’s great.

  I love Elise. But why the wedding now?

  You guys have been living together for years.

  We should have the moment it was legal.

  Better late than never. I don’t want to wake up one day

  and find out that something happened and

  regret that we never made it official.

  What’s going to happen?

  I shouldn’t have to explain that to somebody

  who fights bad guys for a living.

  You never know what life has in store for you.

  Think about my hearing. Things can change in an instant,

  and I don’t want to regret anything.

  I get that.

  And he did. Abby was filling his mind. Her smile, her touch.

  Mom, I think it’s really great.

  You do?

  Of course. When’s the wedding?

  We haven’t decided. But I’ll make sure

  that the date is clear with you and Red.

  And Abby, he thought. He knew that wasn’t his mother’s intention, but this conversation had shifted something inside him, changing the way he thought about her. The way he thought about them.

  I need to go. I was just running out the

  door when you texted. I love you baby.

  I love you too mom.

  Give Elise a hug for me.

  Have you told Red?

  No, not yet. But I will. It’s my news.

  Can you keep a secret from your brother?

  LOL. No. You know that.

  But I’ll do my best.

  So hurry up and tell him.

  :).

  Love you bunches. Talk soon.

  And then the text chain stopped. He stood there for a minute shaking his head, wondering at the miracle of conversation. How one simple statement by somebody could change your entire perspective on the world.

  He tucked his phone back into his pocket and went into the break room. Darrin was there, standing near the coffee machine. “Hey,” he said. “You look happy.”

  Renly shrugged. “Just had an interesting conversation with my mom. I’m happy for her. How’s it going on the software?”

  “Abby ran back to her office to get something. And I thought I needed a caffeine hit. Can I make you one?”

  “Sure. That would be terrific. I could use some caffeine myself.” His phone pinged, and he looked down to see Red’s message.

  Just got a text from mom.

  She’s right, they should’ve

  done that a long time ago.

  Agree. In a meeting. Talk later?

  His brother sent him back a thumbs up emoji, and Renly made a mental note to call him later that evening. They needed to figure out what to do for their mom. Maybe fly her and Elise to someplace exotic for a honeymoon?

  “—to just set it on the table?”

  Renly shook his head, realizing that Darrin had passed him a coffee. “Sorry about that. I was texting with my brother.” He took a sip of the coffee, then another, as Darrin went back to the coffee maker.

  “Abby wants decaf,” Darrin said. “I don’t see the point. If you’re going to drink coffee, drink coffee.”

  Renly chuckled and took another sip, waiting with Darrin for Abby’s cup to brew, and as he stood there, he felt the damn vertigo kick in again. This time with a vengeance.

  What the fuck?

  Why the hell was it starting now? He hadn’t even moved.
r />   He set the coffee cup down, took a step, and tumbled to the ground, his mind as unstable as his body, and nothing in the world quite making sense.

  He looked up, confused, and saw Darrin drop something into Abby’s coffee.

  Darrin turned to him, the smile he flashed giving Renly chills.

  He tried to move, tried to make the world stop spinning, but he couldn’t do anything.

  And as the world started to turn black around him, he saw Darrin take the doped coffee out of the break room and head back toward Abby.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Thank God for adrenaline.

  Between that and Renly’s terror for Abby, he’d managed to get his phone out and speed dial Stark Security. There was a twenty-four-hour hotline for agents in trouble, and although he’d passed out before connecting to the operator, the hotline had served its purpose, and the call had been put out. The team had tracked his phone, found his location, and now a medic was treating him for the lingering effects of the sedative that Darrin had used on him.

  They still didn’t have the labs back, but the doctor was pretty sure it was some sort of custom mix with various sedatives combined with a low dose of Rohypnol. Renly knew that whatever it was, Darrin had used the same thing on Abby.

  She wasn’t in the office, and he knew damn well she wouldn’t have left willingly. That bastard had taken her, and right now the only thing that was occupying his mind was getting her back. Figuring out where she was, getting her to safety, and then taking out the son of a bitch who did this to her.

  Many of Stark Security’s agents were away on other assignments, but everyone who was available was now gathered in the Fairchild and Partners Development office. Nikki and Damien were there too, Nikki pacing the hall as she spoke to the owners of Greystone-Branch. They were working the case as well, digging into their recent hire’s background. Because Renly couldn’t believe this was the first time Darrin had done something like this.