Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two

by A. L Long

  Dylan loved the way his hands felt on her as he continued to propel down her body. It wasn’t long before Rade made it to the juncture of her sex. With his fingers between her folds, he gently slipped one, then two fingers inside her, searching for her special spot. Curling his fingers, he found what he was looking for. With slow movements, he began working his fingers in and out of her slick channel. Dylan’s head was now resting lightly on his shoulder as she began moving her hips to the thrust of his fingers. Rade took his free hand and began pulling and twisting her pert nipple between his fingers. Soft moans escaped Dylan’s mouth as Rade continued his assault on her. When he knew she was close, he pulled his fingers from her wet pussy and lifted her so that she was straddling him. In one swift move he was inside her. Taking her by the hips, he raised and lowered her, pushing deeper and deeper inside her tight channel. Dylan was close to coming as her head fell back. Screaming his name, she came with such force that she could feel her release all the way from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Rade wasn’t far behind her as his own tsunami took hold.

  It was an hour later when they finally got out of the tub after several replenishments of hot water. It was also getting late, and they needed to get some sleep for their early flight back to New York. Dylan and Rade didn’t bother dressing after their bath together. Instead, they decide to just go to bed. Only there was no sleeping in sight, at least not until another two rounds of earth-shattering orgasms took over.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The work that was waiting for Dylan was unbelievable. BlackStone had acquired two more accounts and the meeting with Spectrum had been rescheduled for later in the week. Dylan was glad for the work, but it only meant that she would be working late hours to get caught up, which meant less time she would be spending with Rade. Preparing for the meeting with Spectrum and the competitor was her top priority. BlackStone was still in the dark about who the other company fighting for controlling shares in Spectrum was. All they knew was that the board members at Spectrum wanted to keep all interested parties anonymous, so they would have an equal opportunity at the takeover. Spectrum didn’t want to have one company having an advantage over the other by presenting conflicting information about their competitor. Dylan only wished she knew what she was up against with the competition.

  By the end of the day Dylan managed to get most of her work done. The only thing she had to do was meet with the management company for the apartment she wanted to rent. It was five o’clock when she left BlackStone Industries. This gave her thirty minutes to freshen up and meet with Dale Clark from the management company.

  Dylan arrived at the apartment building with ten minutes to spare. The apartment building was older, in a moderate income area in Manhattan. Even though it was further away from work than what she liked, at least it was in a good neighborhood and it was affordable. Looking at her watch, Dylan saw that the property manager was five minutes late. She decided to go inside and wait. Just as she was getting ready to enter the building, a car pulled up to the curb. Paying attention to the driver, Dylan could see that it was Dale Clark getting out of the car.

  Greeting her, he apologized for being late and gestured for her to enter. Entering the apartment, Dylan saw as soon as she stepped in that it was nothing like the pictures she saw when researching a place to live. The apartment was much smaller than the one provided by Northgate. It was still a pretty good size, at least she thought it was since it would be just her living there. The kitchen and the living area were together, being separated by only the kitchen table. The short hallway only had three doors, which consisted of two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bedroom that Dylan assumed was the master was smaller than she wanted, but it did have its own bathroom, which she did like. Since it was thirteen hundred a month, Dylan decided to take it.

  Signing all of the necessary paperwork, Dylan finally had her own place. It was only partially furnished with a sofa, two chairs, and a kitchen table set. Dylan would need to get a bed and dresser, and a TV was a definite must. With the money she had saved and the salary she was making, she knew she could afford what she needed.

  By the time Dylan got back to Lilly’s, she was exhausted. Lilly was out of town on one of her family planned outings. She wouldn’t be back for another week. Dylan missed having someone to talk to. Even though she could reach her friend by cell, it wasn’t the same as having her here. Heading to her makeshift bedroom, Dylan’s cell began to ring. It was from an unknown caller. Usually she didn’t answer unfamiliar numbers, but with her friend away and her dad recently out of the hospital, she didn’t want to take the chance of missing something important.

  Swiping the screen, she said, “Hello.” There was no reply so she said again. “Hello,”

  Dylan wasn’t sure who was on the other end, so she hung up. She thought it was a wrong number. When her phone rang again, she thought again. When there was no answer on the other end, Dylan once again hung up the phone. This went on several more times until panic set in. “Who the fuck is this? Quit calling me.” Dylan was so pissed at the caller that she didn’t pay attention to was actually calling.

  “Dylan, it’s Rade. What the hell is going on?”

  “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

  “Clearly I’m not. What’s going on, Dylan?”

  “I’m not sure. Someone must be playing a prank,” Dylan responded, unsure.

  “What did they say?” Rade asked.

  “Nothing. They just keep calling back. It comes up as an unknown number on my cell phone. I don’t know who it is or what they want,” Dylan explained.

  “I’m coming over. If they call again, I want to be there.” Rade didn’t want Dylan to be alone with everything that had happened. Without having the information he needed concerning her attack at The Castle, and now with the calls, he didn’t want to take any chances that it may have been more than a wrong number.

  “Rade, I really don’t think that’s necessary. If they call again I’ll call you,” Dylan replied.

  Rade wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow Dylan was able to talk him out of coming over. He still wasn’t going to let it go. The first thing he did when he hung up was get in touch with Richard. He wanted to make sure someone was there to make sure she was safe.

  “Richard, it’s Rade. I want a man outside Lilly’s ASAP. Dylan is there alone and I don’t want anything to happen to her,” Rade demanded.

  “I’ll send Josh over right away. Can I ask what the concern is?” Richard asked.

  “Dylan has been receiving calls from an unknown caller. She thinks someone is just pulling a prank. I think differently,” Rade responded.

  “Well, you may be right. Looks like Mr. Stewart purchased a flight back to the States. Peter was able to find out he leaves in a couple of days and he’s heading to New York. His flight is scheduled to arrive at JFK at noon,” Richard confessed.

  “I don’t want him leaving JFK when he lands. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir. We’re tracking his every move. The only way he is leaving JFK airport is with me,” Richard confirmed.

  Rade finished his call with Richard. He was convinced that Michael Stewart was behind the calls to Dylan. He just wished there was a way to confirm it since there was still the issue of her attacker in question. One thing Rade knew for sure, he was getting tired of having too many unknowns. He hated being surprised. He was, however, certain that he would do whatever it took to keep Dylan safe. It was funny how things turned out. Dylan was supposed to be the one person he thought could lead him to Michael Stewart and his money. Instead, she was the one person he needed to keep him away from. There was only one reason why Michael would be on his way back to New York and that reason had to be Dylan. Even though it was a stupid move on his part, given the people who would like to see him hung on a rafter by his neck, Rade was glad that he was coming to him. He didn’t want to spend unneeded time and effort on the piece of shit unless absolutely necessary.

  Even
though Rade was still taking baby steps with Dylan and agreed not to go to Lilly’s, it didn’t mean he couldn’t call her. It was getting close to ten o’clock and Rade knew she would be getting ready for bed. Just thinking about what he had in mind was making him hard. When he called her, she must have been sleeping, because when she answered, “Hello,” her voice was raspy yet sultry.

  “Hey, Sweetness, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Rade said softly.

  “It’s okay, I just fell asleep.” Dylan didn’t want to let him know she had been asleep for a couple of hours.

  “I was just thinking about you, and you know what happens when I start thinking about you,” Rade declared.

  “No, not really.” Dylan said still half asleep.

  “I wish I could show you, but you chose not to have me come over, so I guess I am just going to have to tell you,” Rade replied.

  “Okay, tell me.” Dylan waited for Rade to continue.

  “All I can think about is being inside you. My hard cock moving in and out, as your tight little pussy squeezes my cock dry. I want you wet for me. Are you wet, Sweetness?” Rade asked softly. “I want you to touch yourself and tell me how you feel. Are you touching yourself, Sweetness?”

  “Yes, god yes,” Dylan moaned.

  “Good girl. I want you to push two fingers inside you. I want you to imagine it’s my cock,” Rade said as he took hold of his throbbing erection. “I need you to tell me how it feels, Sweetness.”

  “Oh God. It feels so good. I’m so close.”

  “Don’t come until I tell you, Sweetness. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, but I can’t hold on much longer.”

  “Take your fingers from your cunt, Sweetness. I need to know how you taste,” Rade asked as Dylan brought her fingers to her mouth and began sucking her own juices. “How do you taste, Sweetness? Tell me?”

  “Like honey, only sweeter,” Dylan said, exaggerating a bit.

  “I need to feel you, Sweetness. Put your fingers back inside you. Let me know when you’re close. I need us to come together,” Rade said, breathing deeply as he continued stroking his shaft.

  “I’m close, Rade. I can’t…” Before Dylan could finish her words, her orgasm consumed her.

  “That’s it, baby, let it go.” Rade’s own release took over as he watched his semen gather in his palm. With nothing available to clean himself, he had no other option but to pull off his sock and use it to wipe the remnants from his hand.

  “Rade,” Dylan softly whispered.

  “Yeah,” Rade answered.

  “Good night.”

  “Good night, Sweetness. Sweet dreams.” With those ending words Rade hung up and proceeded to his bedroom, where his own exhaustion consumed him.

  *****

  Dylan’s dreams were far from sweet. She thought that her nightmares of the night at The Castle had passed. She hadn’t had a bad dream for almost three weeks. The dreams of that night always ended with Rade standing behind her. Even though she never saw the man’s face, it was always Rade’s face that appeared in her dreams. Why, after all this time, were the dreams coming back? What caused them to return? She didn’t want to believe that Rade was the cause of her dreams.

  It was six in the morning when Dylan finally gave up on trying to fall back to sleep. Dragging herself out of bed, she decided to make a pot of coffee and get ready for work. In the shower, Dylan began thinking about how wonderful it was going to be to have her own space again. Dylan dearly loved her friend and everything she had done for her, but it was time to break away. She only had to wait one more day and the apartment would be ready for her to move in. Turning off the water to the shower, Dylan heard the faint sound of her cell phone ringing. Grabbing a towel, she quickly wrapped it around her and hurried to her room.

  Sliding her finger across the screen, she said, “Hello.”

  Just like last night there was no answer on the other end. She repeated her greeting, but still there was no reply. Looking down at her screen, it was an unknown caller. Dylan hung up convincing herself it was the wrong number. Very few people had her number, so she was certain the caller had to have dialed her number by mistake. Dylan tossed the phone on the bed and began getting herself dressed. She had a full day ahead of her and she wanted to get an early start.

  Dylan was ready and out the door by seven o’clock. The traffic was heavy, but the cab driver managed to get Dylan to work in twenty minutes. She was in her building, up the elevator and in her office by seven-thirty. Walking to her desk, she felt a vibration from her phone.

  Rade: Good Morning, Sweetness. Hope you slept well.

  Dylan: Not so much. Kept thinking about you.

  Rade: Hope it was all good. Would like to take you to lunch. Are you available at one?

  Dylan: Always and yes. Where do you want to meet?

  Rade: I’ll pick you up. I’ll be waiting in front.

  Dylan: Can’t wait.

  Dylan had a lot of work to get done before one. Just as she was ready to settle in her cubicle, Keeve Black walked up to her.

  “Hey, Dylan, you’re here early,” he said as he leaned on the partition.

  “Yeah, I wanted to get a jump on my workload. I need to make sure I’m prepared for our meeting with Spectrum,” Dylan replied.

  “About that… seems they got the money from an unknown source to fund the recognition app,” Keeve said regretfully.

  “Wait, how, when?” Dylan said, surprised

  “Happened last night. The CEO of Spectrum said that the negotiations for the acquisition were off. He wouldn’t go into detail, but he said he would be stupid to refuse what was offered to him.” Keeve explained.

  “Can they do that? Just call everything off?” Dylan asked.

  “They can and they did. I know you spent a lot of time on this. You’re a great asset to the company. Mason and I talked it over and decided to give you a promotion. We want you to lead the analysis department. You would have your own office and your own assistant,” Keeve explained. “It’s a great opportunity for you, Dylan.”

  Dylan was speechless. She had only been with the company for a short time and getting a promotion of this magnitude just didn’t happen. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll take the job,” Keeve petitioned.

  “Yes, I’ll take the job,” Dylan accepted. “You won’t regret your decision.”

  Keeve pushed away from the wall and gave Dylan a triumphant smile. “Gather your things, Ms. Adams; you’re about to become an executive.”

  Even thought Dylan was no longer working on the account she spent numerous hours on, she was still on cloud nine. She was finally getting what she wanted. More than anything, she wanted to prove to herself that she could make it on her own, with nobody to pull strings for her. Excited, Dylan began gathering her personal items and placing them into a file box she had stowed under her desk. Taking one last look to make certain she left nothing behind, she started on her way to her new office. Her office was located down the hall across from Keeve and Mason’s offices. Even though she didn’t have the floor-to-ceiling windows, the office was still bright and cheery.

  It was close to one, by the time Dylan had settled into her new office. She grabbed her purse and headed down the short hallway to the elevator. Arriving at the reception area, she saw a familiar face.

  “Oh my God, Alex, is that you?” she said with excitement.

  “Chica, how are you? I didn’t know you worked here,” he said, acting surprised.

  “What are you doing here?” Dylan asked as she pulled Alex in for a hug.

  “I have a job interview as an assistant,” he said.

  “How wonderful. I have to go or I’ll be late. Here’s my number, call me and we’ll do lunch. I’d love to catch up,” Dylan proclaimed as she handed Alex her number.

  “Sounds good, Chica.” More than you’ll ever know, he thought to himself as he took the slip of paper from her hand.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

&n
bsp; Dylan couldn’t believe her day so far. Never would she have thought about running into Alex. She lost touch with him when he got transferred to another job while working at Northgate. The best thing about working for Northgate was seeing his ridiculous outfits every morning. That and his perky self. She wondered what could have brought him to BlackStone. She always thought he enjoyed working for Northgate. Maybe it was the demands of Rade Matheson that made him decide to go elsewhere. Dylan would need to find out when they got together. How nice it would be for Alex to get a job with BlackStone. Maybe they would be working together. Maybe he would be her assistant.

  While Dylan was reminiscing about good times at Northgate, a familiar black Bentley pulled up to the curb. Richard opened his door and rounded the SUV to where Dylan was standing. Taking hold of the back passenger door handle, he opened the door. Taking a few steps, Dylan slipped into the plush vehicle with Rade by her side. There must have been too much space between them when Dylan got in, because no sooner than she sat down, Rade was pulling her to his side. Placing his hand under her chin, he slowly pulled her face to his. With a tilt of her head, he captured her gorgeous lips with his. Her soft, supple mouth captivated him. He could only think about how much he wanted her mouth wrapped around his approaching erection. He pictured her taking his length fully until he could feel the back of her throat. He knew his desire would need to wait, so instead he toyed with her bottom lip, sucking it between his. Deepening the kiss, Rade slowly parted her lips with his tongue, playfully encompassing hers.