Three seconds pass before another text quickly follows.
WILLOW: …I’m talking about me by the way.
GRACE: Why are we friends?
I switch my phone into silent mode and force it back into my pocket. The green light flashes red, so I climb back to my feet and begin to tail him again.
Only to find he’s looking my way!
I throw myself backwards, right into the shrubbery. I’m being poked and prodded, but it sure as hell beats the embarrassment of being caught tailing someone. I stare up at the evening sky, the clouds giving way to pink hues of darkness and begin to question my priorities in life, and just how I found myself here. There’s a lot of self-reflection about the choices I’m making as I struggle to find the courage to rise back to my feet.
A brief flashback to playing with Barney earlier reminds me exactly why I’ve found myself here, so I find the strength to rise from the ashes—err, bushes—and get back to work.
I trail him for what seems like forever, almost getting caught quite a few times. Sometimes out of my own novice mistakes and other times just by dumb luck. As I approach a street vendor selling festive gear, I slip the worker a twenty-dollar bill and grab a pair of black sunglasses and matching hat off a rack without so much as stopping to check the prices.
By my calculations—admittedly, they’re very flawed—we’ve gone about ten city blocks. I’m starting to give up because I’m tired and also because I feel incredibly silly and stupid. He’s just a guy walking the city in the evening. No intrigue there. I’ve clearly let my imagination run wild.
Just then, he slips into a bar just up ahead.
I have nowhere to be.
I wait outside for a few minutes before pulling the steel door open and sneaking inside. There’s no bouncer waiting inside to check my ID, so I slip into the dimly-lit space and cling as close to the wall as possible as to not arouse suspicion.
My eyes search the room for him and find him with relative ease. He’s sitting in a booth, alone, with his eyes transfixed on two men talking loudly in front of him.
I make my way to a table in the far corner, take a seat and plop my oversized hat onto the table before me while keeping my head low and out of his line of sight should he turn around.
Countless scenarios go through my mind as I try to ascertain what exactly could be going on. He had said that he had to be somewhere, but he made it seem like it was somewhere important. Yet here he is—here we are, because I’m a nosy ass girl—parked at an empty table in a dingy dive bar.
Something—or someone—bumps into the side of the table, stealing my attention. I jerk in place as two college-aged men fumble away from the table, laughing like drunk hyenas.
When I turn back around, he’s gone. Jack is gone. I scan the room, searching for him to no avail, so I rise to my feet to get a better vantage point. Craning my head and leaning to the side, I try to peek past the gathering crowd on the dance floor but still no sign of him.
A shiver runs down my spine and my stomach turns.
I don’t know what to do, fearing that he could appear out of nowhere and catch me in the act. I pull my shades back over my eyes, grab my hat and head for the back door. I keep my head down as I make my way past the bathrooms first and then head toward the—
A hand shoots out from the dark coatroom and drags me inside.
An embarrassing, wailing scream escapes my lips as I look up in the dim light to see him staring down at me, a mere few inches away from me.
Busted.
Jack
She looks up to me with dark, haunted eyes that swarm with innocence, but I’m increasingly realizing that she’s not who she claims to be. I can’t believe she followed me. Worse, I can’t believe I only noticed a few seconds ago.
Makes me feel like a dupe because I’m pretty fucking sure she was sent by someone to follow me, to track my movements, and I’m going to figure out who.
The gloves are off. No more treating her like a child. She’s clearly here to cause me trouble. Now it’s time to make sure I cause her even more.
I push her backwards with one hand until she’s pressed flat against the wall.
“Why are you following me, Grace?” I question her, ripping the hat from her head and tossing it aside. I watch as she swallows nervously.
“I… Uh…” Her eyes shift to the left—a sure-tell sign that someone is about to vomit lies from their lips. “I wasn’t following you.”
“Bullshit,” I scoff and take a measured step closer to her. “I’m going to ask you again. Why are you following me?”
“I love this place.” She shrugs and forces a half-assed smile, but I’m not buying her act, not anymore.
She’s clearly lying. I reach one strong hand behind her back and pull her flush against me. As for her punishment? I’ll give her an easy way out because it serves my purpose on multiple levels. Either she’ll walk away, OR, she’ll stay and it’ll set me up for more one-on-one time with her. Once I get the intel back from Hank, I’ll finally get what I’ve been wanting from her guilt free.
If this broad wants to try and play me, I might as well get some play out of it too.
My cock jumps in my jeans, screaming, begging for release. Thinking of all the ways I want to play with her, her body, her emotions. Thinking about the way I’ll have her screaming my name. Screaming for release. Screaming for more.
“Why don’t you admit the truth, sweetheart. There is no school paper.” I push my hips against hers, wedging her tight little body against the wall. I push one knee between her thighs, and revel in the way she gasps. “You came here because you want me.” I lean down and press my hips against hers, grinding closer so she can feel how hard my cock is. “That’s all you had to say, you know.”
She stares me down, her eyes doing wonders for my constrained erection. She’s got those fuck me eyes, but with a hint of fear and hesitation. She knows she’s caught. She knows she’s screwed.
And then she rises to kiss me, just as she did at the restaurant. Instead of landing those perky lips against my cheek, she presses them tight against my mouth. I’m a little taken aback, but I don’t fucking hesitate for a second to engage right back.
I press a hand to each of her cheeks as I grind my mouth against hers, nipping lightly before lapping my tongue over her wet pout. My body shifts against hers, moves to the rhythm of my tongue.
Need to be inside her.
Her breath is so hot, her body even hotter. I drop a hand to her hip and grip her tightly as I work my tongue into her mouth. Friction in my jeans threatens to burn a hole through the denim.
I can’t help but to notice the way she seems to be inexperienced in the most innocent display of sexuality. Her teeth clamp down over my tongue and she sucks, hard, forcing me to draw back and cast a glance down at her.
She’s playing this part of an innocent little schoolgirl far too well. Somebody should just give her a fucking Tony and let her own the stage as the most talented, sexiest rising star.
I don’t mind playing her game just a little while longer, until I can get some real answers. I trail one hand up her smooth leg and under her skirt. She gasps, drops her head just slightly over my shoulder as I make my way to her sweet spot. I caress her opening through the thin fabric of her panties, and fuck if I couldn’t push my jeans down right now and fuck her right here and now, only allowing her to come once she spills the truth.
She whimpers as I crawl underneath her panties and run a rough palm over her hot fucking pussy. She looks at me, her eyes rolling as she contemplates her net move. She kisses me softly at first and then tries something new, tries slipping her tongue past my lips. But she’s sloppy.
I’m blinded as the lights in the small room flicker on.
“Shit,” A mans voice says from beside me. “Sorry. Thought this was the bathroom.”
I throw one hand over my eyes as I squint, trying to get a better view of the asshole who just ruined the perfect moment. With a fli
ck of his finger, the lights are back off and he’s gone.
When I turn back to Grace, I can see it clearly in her eyes. She’s about to run. She drags the back of her hand over her mouth and averts her eyes, can’t even bring herself to fucking look at me. “I…” She stutters. “I have to go.”
There’s no stopping her as she bolts from the room, leaving the hat she must’ve bought off that street vendor on third street behind. Not bothering to give her chase, I reach down and grab the hat and palm it in my hands.
I had forgotten why I was here and make haste at getting back to work. There are two men at the bar who are members of the mob, the enemy. At this point, I’m near certain that she’s working for them or another one of my countless enemies.
This night has been one for the record books, and the only thing I’ve correctly predicted about it is that it would end in a terminal case of blue balls.
Get the rest of Saving Grace, out now and in KU!
Colt and Bella’s Playlist
Homme – Brazilian Girls
Killing Me Softly (Mak Pap Underscore Remix) – Fugees
Say It – Tory Lanez
Du Hast – Rammstein
That’s Amore – Dean Martin
Last Tango in Paris – Gotan Project
Sneakin – Drake, 21 Savages
P.S. Hot 97 is a real station!
Waltz in Swing Time – Fred Astaire
Must Be Love On the Brain – Rihanna
Drunk In Love – Beyonce
Take You There – Ne-Yo
Differences – Ginuwine
If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
In My Hands – Jaheim
I Want You – Anthony Hamilton
Go Away – Eisley
Cold Hard Love – Tory Lanez
Powerful – Major Lazer, Tarrus Riley, Major Lazer
Copyright © 2017 by Savannah Skye
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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