Survival

by J Marie

  Well, that was deep, and I didn’t really have much of a response to that. So I nodded and lined up my next shot, sinking it in the corner pocket.

  “What’s the significance of the ring on your finger? I didn’t notice you wearing it until a few days ago.”

  Darren gave me his little shark-like grin.

  “It was my father’s. He wore it as the head of the family, and now that he’s gone, I wear it. It’s the symbol of our organization, the same one tattooed on my arm.”

  “Oh,” I replied, not really knowing what else to say. “Interesting.”

  “And the reason you’re just now noticing it is because I was having it cleaned and repaired during our time at the warehouse. So don’t worry, your observational skills are still intact and as sharp as ever.”

  I nodded, not having much to add and attempted my next shot, missing. Damn it.

  Darren then got up, lined up his shot for the ball, and sunk it into the corner pocket. Fuck, he was five deep now.

  “So what made you decide to go to law school?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure if you realize this, but I like to argue. Plus, I wanted a career that would allow me to help people and potentially make some decent money.”

  “Noble.” He nodded and went to line up another shot, landing it swiftly in the corner pocket.

  “I’ll make this one easy. If you could go anywhere in the world, somewhere you’ve never been before, where would you go?”

  I blinked at this one. Where would I go? I hadn’t been on vacation in years, too busy with my life to be able to take off anywhere. I stood there and thought about it for a second.

  “I don’t know. I’d probably want to go somewhere with mountains. I’ve never seen mountains before.” I shrugged.

  “Nice answer.” He nodded and pocketed is next shot. And now he was down to the eight ball. Fuck!

  “Here’s an even easier one,” he said. “What’s your favorite color?”

  My favorite color? Really? He could ask me anything and he wanted to know my favorite color?

  “Purple,” I answered.

  “Fitting,” he said with a smile. I shook my head at him, trying hard not to roll my eyes.

  Luckily the eight ball was wedged right between my last remaining cue balls and I doubted he would get it in. To my relief, he missed and I quickly went around the table, analyzing my new possibilities, and lined up my shot. I could feel Darren’s eyes on my ass as I bent over the table, struck the cue into the ball, and sent it flying into the pocket.

  “What did you mean when you said you were basically meant to take on the family business?”

  “Because it was my job as the firstborn son.”

  “Your dad couldn’t just have someone else do it?”

  Darren’s eyes narrowed at me then.

  “Fine! But I reserve that as my next question when I sink this ball.”

  I made my shot and fucking missed. How the fuck?

  Darren then got up and barely even lined up his shot before sinking the eight ball in the corner pocket like he owned it.

  Ah, fuck, I lost.

  “You were saying?” He smirked with that shark-like grin. I just glared at him and then smiled.

  “I believe that was a question.”

  “A rhetorical one.”

  “Oh, semantics.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Did you just roll your eyes at me?” he sneered.

  “Did you just ask me another question?” I shot back at him.

  “Oh, that’s it,” he said and shot around the table at me.

  I moved quickly to the other side, never letting my eyes waver from him as he stalked me like an animal ready to pounce on its prey. We were on either side of the table, and he lowered his hands to the rim and leaned in dangerously.

  “Running again, princess?”

  “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it.”

  His low, devious chuckle echoed in my ears and sent shivers down my spine. He really was enjoying himself.

  “You’re right. I do love playing with fire.”

  “You know what they say about playing with fire,” I warned.

  “We’ll see about that,” he said and then leaped across the table at me.

  I turned to run, but he was so much faster. I felt both his arms snake around my waist and pull me back to the ground, his chest on top of my back, pinning me under his heavy weight.

  “Funny. I haven’t burst into flames yet.” He snickered.

  “Argh! Get off! You’re crushing me, you fat fuck!”

  “Fat?!” He laughed. “On me? Where?”

  He just laughed as I struggled for freedom underneath him. His body heat was making me sweat, and I found myself breathing heavily as I fought for air. His erection was rubbing into my ass, igniting more irritation on my sore flesh as if his weight wasn’t already adding to it. Finally, I just gave up and let my head fall forward on the carpeted floor. It was pointless to waste all my energy on a cage I couldn’t break.

  “Are you done?”

  “Are you?!” I shouted back at him.

  “Never.” He chuckled. “I’m having too much fun.”

  “Well, I’m glad one of us is.”

  “You know,” he said, releasing one of his arms and reaching back to graze my ass. “I could just take this sweet little ass of yours right now if I wanted. And I really want to.”

  “Or,” I started. “Or … you can wait for my ass to heal like a gentleman and then go at it when I’m in proper condition to handle it.”

  He was going to fuck me there whether I wanted him to or not, and no amount of protesting would stop him. The least I could do was prolong the inevitable.

  “Well, look at your negotiating skills,” he mocked.

  Darren then flipped me over, placing my hands behind my back and straddling my hips, keeping enough pressure on my hands so I couldn’t remove them from behind me. Both of his hands came to the top of my dress, and he ripped the fabric apart as if it was paper. The bra I wore underneath was a delicate lace push up, the only kind Darren provided me with, but he didn’t look too happy to see it as he pulled a pocketknife out of his pants and flipped it open. Had he had that with him the whole time?

  As he brought the knife closer to me, I panicked a little inside. The damn thing looked sharp enough to cut through my teeth.

  “I wouldn’t move if I were you, sweetheart. I might nick your pretty skin and the only scars I’d like to leave are the ones of my name.”

  As the knife came closer to my chest, I tensed, my muscles locking in place, refusing to allow any further movement. I closed my eyes and felt the blade cut through the fabric of my bra and my breasts were instantly freed, the cold air of the basement causing my nipples to harden.

  Darren dipped low. He moved the cups of my now useless bra out of the way and buried his face in my breasts, kissing, sucking, and palming them with his large warm hands. He was rough and gentle all at the same time, practically worshipping my chest as I felt an electric heat rising between my legs.

  I didn’t even fight it; I fell right into it, knowing my reaction to his touch needed to become real if I were ever to gain his trust. I needed to train myself to enjoy him if he was ever going to believe that he truly had me under his control.

  His hands and mouth were skilled as the sensations he created with his touch flourished under my skin, and I felt my blood race in anticipation. A moan slipped from my lips, and he caught it instantly with his mouth as he brought his lips down to mine. His kiss was ferocious and deep as his tongue possessed my own, and I pushed myself into him, giving him exactly what he wanted. And I somehow found myself almost wanting him to take it.

  In the midst of everything that was going on, I was able to free my hands and tried to bring them to his face, but he just pinned them with one hand above my head and bent back down for another kiss. And I knew then he didn’t trust me enough to touch him.

  His other hand trailed down the r
est of my body until he gripped my thong and ripped it from my hips, tossing it away like the useless piece of fabric it was. I could already feel the moisture building between my legs as Darren slowly traced his fingertips around my inner thighs.

  “Looks like somebody wants it.” He groaned as his fingers lightly brushed my clit and a jolt of electricity shot through my body, making me flinch and gasp.

  Looking around, Darren dragged my body over to one of the legs of the pool table, pinned my wrists around it, and then locked them in place with his phone.

  “There. Much better,” he approved as his hands continued down my body until he stopped at my hips.

  As though he was parting the Red Sea, Darren split my thighs apart and left a trail of slow, torturous kisses up and down the inside of each one until he got closer and closer to my wet, aching slit. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I watched with bated breath as he inched closer and closer to my sweetest spot.

  “I have been craving this,” he said, his breath dancing lightly across the sensitive flesh of my clit, “since my very first taste.”

  And then, when I was on the brink of insanity, his tongue dipped low and licked at my now swollen clit, sending me into overdrive. My back instantly arched as his tongue swirled and stroked, leaving not a single inch of me untouched. I released a gasp of air as I tried to keep myself from bucking against him while he went to work. Hot and wet, his mouth sucked at my clit, rolling his tongue back and forth until I could no longer hold back my moans of absolute ecstasy.

  “Just like I remember,” he said against my flesh, tonguing me slow and intricately. “Fucking delicious. I’ll be damned if I don’t have you for dessert every fucking night.”

  Back and forth, his tongue caressed my folds while his hands released my legs knowing full well I wasn’t about to close them on him now. His hands made their way up my body until he cupped my breasts in his hands, massaging and pinching my nipples. I was on the brink of coming right there in his perfectly capable mouth as he greedily sucked me down his throat. His moans of approval and satisfaction mixed with my own of pleasure and ignorant bliss.

  “Please,” I finally begged. “I’m going to come, and there’s not a chance in hell I can hold it back.”

  “Good,” he growled. “Because I’m going to swallow every last drop of you until there’s nothing left. Come for me, baby. I want it right now.”

  And like that of a volcano, his command sent an eruption through my body as my orgasm exploded in a wave of heat and ultimate pleasure, crashing over my sweaty body. My lower half jerked like a wild horse as the onslaught of Darren’s expert tongue refused to cease and I cried out until I felt utterly spent. As the storm within me passed and my body started to calm down, Darren’s tongue lapped at my core one last time swallowing up my cum like it was the sweetest cream he had ever tasted.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered to myself.

  “I believe that’s me you’re referring to.” Darren smiled smugly up at me from between my legs.

  And then I heard him release his belt buckle and pull his jeans down to reveal his throbbing erection. He didn’t wait another second to bury himself inside me and my body welcomed him with open fucking arms.

  “Oh, my God, this pussy of yours,” he moaned as he pounded into me. “It’s going to be the death of me.”

  He had no fucking idea.

  I moaned as his body rocked into mine, not even caring about the stiffness growing in my still trapped arms around the leg of the pool table. I wanted this to be hard and fast. Needed it.

  Darren’s hands came down to grasp my breasts and he squeezed and palmed them, awakening more sensations as my core clutched his cock like it would never let go. With each thrust, my seared ass burned against the carpeted floor, but I didn’t care—the heat in my core was far greater than anything else at the moment.

  “Oh, fuck, baby, get ready,” he moaned, gripping my hips and lifting my ass off the floor. A mere fifteen seconds later, I felt the blood in my veins rushing as my orgasm began to bloom all over again.

  “Fuck, Darren, I’m going to come again,” I breathed. He growled through his thrusts until he finally reached his peak.

  “Now, Jaden! Come with me! Fuck!” he roared.

  Literally two seconds later, my body erupted all over again, the strength of my orgasm rippling through my veins as I came crashing back into my cloud of ecstasy. Darren then collapsed on top of me, his dick still buried between my legs, and his heavy chest heaving up and down against mine. Talk about intense.

  After several minutes of just breathing together, Darren finally rolled off me and unlocked my cuffs. I didn't get up, just massaged the blood back into my arms. I could feel the mess Darren left behind start to seep out of me and immediately asked Darren if there was a bathroom nearby. He pointed at the door closest to me, and I pushed myself off the floor only to find a wave of dizziness hit me. I grabbed the table for support, but Darren was already on his feet holding me up.

  “I’m fine.” I pushed him away. “Just got up a little too fast.”

  He let me walk away from him, but I could still feel his eyes on me as I closed the bathroom door behind me. I used the toilet and cleaned myself off with a warm washcloth. Looking myself in the mirror, I looked like I had just been gang raped. My dress was completely torn apart and the cups of my bra hung lifelessly at my sides. My mascara had smeared down my face, and I worked quickly to fix it before tossing the bra in the trash and wrapping my torn dress around myself, folding my arms to keep it in place.

  I walked out of the bathroom to find Darren laying down on the couch, one arm resting behind his head while he watched me walk toward him. I sat down on my legs on the floor next to him and tried to relax as a wave of exhaustion came over me.

  “Come here,” he said reaching down and pulling me on top of his chest. “I think we could use a nap.”

  “That sounds fantastic,” I said as I laid on top of him and closed my eyes. His arm came up around my back and his hand rested between my shoulder blades, rubbing back and forth until I found myself drifting off to the sound of his calming heartbeat.

  ~*~

  I listened to the sound of Jaden’s breathing as it slowed and evened out. I held her small body in my arms and rubbed my thumbs over her soft skin. Knowing she was asleep and safe beside me left me calm and at absolute peace.

  It was a strange feeling. I was usually always on edge, guard up, and waiting for the next attack on my life, but I was used to that. It had been natural for me since I was a boy. But with Jaden here, it all felt different. An odd sense of security came from her presence. Just knowing she was here was enough to put me at ease. No one had ever had that effect on me before.

  Fuck, she was probably going to ruin me and I couldn’t help but be okay with it. So many times I found myself sitting at my desk just thinking about her. I could watch her on the security feed for hours and never get bored. Just watching her move was breathtaking. She was flawless in every step, every move of her body calculated and effortless. I wanted to test her on every level—challenge her reflexes, her flexibility, and her strength. Jaden simply fascinated me in every possible way.

  I ran my fingers through the strands of her bright red hair, loving the softness that caressed my fingers, but a buzz in my pocket interrupted me. I carefully pulled out my phone without waking Jaden to find a text from Daniel.

  ‘All set. Heading home now,’ he wrote.

  ‘Good,’ I wrote back.

  I was surprised at how easy it was to find Juan’s brother, Miguel. He turned out to be a bloody mess once Scott was done with him. Scott had demons of his own to exercise and killing was his way of doing it, which I had no qualms about. It was usually very entertaining to watch.

  Another buzz went off on my phone when I expected it to be the end of the conversation.

  ‘What’s this I hear about you getting a girl?’ Dan asked.

  Goddamn, Dominic. He never could keep his mouth
shut.

  ‘Later,’ I replied. I didn’t have time to talk to him about Jaden. Eventually, I would probably have to sit down with both of my brothers and address the whole damn thing. After all, they would both become uncles eventually.

  ‘Expect later to be sooner than you think,’ Dan replied.

  I rolled my eyes at his reply. I knew Dan and Dom would both want an update on what was going on. It wasn’t like me to keep a girl. I was usually one and done, but of course, Jaden was different. I would want her for the rest of her life, unlike the others I had frequented.

  I never brought anyone back to my house. This place was my safe haven and I trusted very few with its location. I had several other properties scattered around the state and country that I didn’t care about, but this place was my family’s home. It was sacred to me. And now, with the addition of a new guest, my home had suddenly grown in priceless worth, making my estate even more necessary to protect.

  Word would get out quickly that I had acquired a slave, but no one knew how precious that slave was to me … until I made it known and married her. Once that word got out, Jaden would officially become a target and that risk worried me more than anything did. But I refused to allow my enemies control over my life. Jaden would be well protected on and off the estate. I would not allow the fate of my mother to repeat itself with Jaden. I would burn the world first.

  ***

  ~*~

  I woke up to the feeling of lips on my face and hair. They were soft and gentle, and I nudged my face into Darren's chest as I tried to escape them. I didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant I was back in my nightmare.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said softly.

  I groaned against him, protesting like a little kid who didn't want to get up for school. I was warm and comfy, and I hated it with a passion when someone woke me up. Especially now, when this feeling was hard to come by.