Black Light: Suspended

by Maggie Ryan

  “Oh, Charlie, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Not a goddamned thing.”

  She closed her eyes, remembering that night and how he’d stood before her. She’d promised herself she’d tell him the truth and dug deep yet again to do so. “Dillon, I saw your eyes. I saw the disgust in them when you saw me naked… saw the bruises…”

  “Disgust? Oh, no, honey. God, I was never disgusted with you. Yes, I was angry… hell, I was fucking furious! But Charlie, not because of anything you’d done. I wanted to kill Sorenson for hurting you.” He turned her, pressing her head against his chest. “You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. I respect your abilities, your determination, and, honey, I am so very sorry that I didn’t hold you like this that night… didn’t tell you then how very much I admire your bravery.” He kissed her hair again, speaking against the ebony tresses. “What you did does not diminish you in any way. It doesn’t make me think less of you. It makes me feel even more blessed that you walked into Black Light and that fate gave me a chance to make it right.”

  She felt the last of her shame slip away, finally understanding that it was only herself who had let shame consume her in the first place. This man was not judging her… was not condemning her for doing her job. Lifting her head, she met his eyes. “I think I knew that when you sent that text and when we finished the case, but… it took me a while to really accept that I’m not…”

  “If you say freak, I’m going to bend you over this railing and blister your butt.” His grin took the threat away as he bent closer. “Though, I suppose I should give you a free pass this once because, babe, I’m just as big a fan of kink as you…”

  “Thank God,” she said.

  “Only one free pass, young lady.”

  She smiled. “I was actually thanking god that you are as kinky as I am.”

  “Ahh,” he said, and her heart skipped a beat as that sexy as hell eyebrow quirked again. “Babe, you have only just begun to see how kinky I can be… how kinky we can be together.” She shuddered at the look of promise in his eyes for a moment before his mouth took hers. When he let her go, she was breathless.

  The sound of a ring tone pulled them apart. “That’s Martha. I can’t believe I haven’t even thought about checking in!”

  “I put your phone on the counter,” Dillon said, leading her back into the kitchen and pointing to the phone. “Tell her hi for me.”

  Charlie picked up the phone. “Hello, Martha. How nice of you to call.”

  “Cut the Emily Post crap. Are you all right? God, I still can’t believe what happened! It’s like the stars aligned or something. If you hadn’t come to D.C., if I hadn’t dragged your ass to Black Light, you wouldn’t have seen Dillon and I’d be rubbing your feet! Please tell me you’re as good as I think you are.”

  Charlie laughed and took a seat on a bar stool. “I’m probably about a thousand times better than you think I am. Oh, Dillon says to tell you hello.”

  “Tell him hello back. Charlie, your voice sounds different, like you’re really happy.”

  Charlie smiled, another truth coming to light. “I am. Very happy… God, I can’t remember ever feeling like this. Dillon is just so…”

  “Incredible, handsome, sexy…” Dillon yelled as he came back into the kitchen.

  “Not to mention humble,” Charlie added, smiling even as she shook her head.

  “I’m so happy for you, sweetie. Look, I’m not trying to butt in or anything, I was just calling to tell you that I’ve left a key for you with Mrs. Evans. She’s in the townhouse next to mine and is a real nice lady, but does tend to talk your ear off. Anyway, I meant to give it to you earlier but forgot.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’m not sure of our plans but could use some of my own clothes.” Seeing Dillon gesturing, she said, “Hang on a sec.”

  “You’re still coming out to Quantico with me tomorrow, right?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Good, see if Martha is free tonight. I’d love to have her join us for dinner and we can grab whatever you need.”

  Charlie was about to relay the question, when Martha’s voice came over the phone. “I’d love to but is it all right if I ask Owen to join us? We sort of made arrangements to grab a bite before his shift begins at the club.”

  “Hold on. I’m sure it’s not a problem, but let me ask him.” Looking up, she relayed Martha’s request and when Dillon began to rattle off a response, she shook her head and offered him the phone. “You can tell her yourself.”

  Dillon took the phone from Charlie when she offered it. “Hey, Martha, yes, that will be even better. Call Owen and have him choose a restaurant. We’ll be leaving before long so there is plenty of time to meet up and enjoy dinner before he goes to work.” He paused, evidently listening to something Martha said, a grin on his face. “I will. Okay, here’s Charlie.”

  The women only spoke for a couple of minutes before Charlie hung up. He’d brought in her dress and underwear from the laundry room.

  “You will what?” she asked.

  “I will remember how very incredible you are and to make you happy.”

  Charlie felt her face heat again, wondering how she could have possibly forgotten that Martha was… well, Martha. “Oh, good grief, I’m sorry. Sometimes Martha acts like—”

  “A friend who loves you very much,” Dillon completed the sentence for her. “And, she’s right. Now, as much as I love seeing you in nothing but my shirt, I’m guessing you might want to change for dinner.”

  “Dinner? We just ate lunch!”

  “Then I suppose we need to work up an appetite, don’t you?” They both went upstairs to change, his projected time line delayed as the moment he pulled his t-shirt over her head, he picked her up and laid her on the bed. “Let’s see how many calories we can burn, shall we?”

  They made love, his lips kissing her body, his fingers caressing her skin as she caressed his. It was slow and gentle and by the time she arched against him and came, she felt the act was an affirmation of the words he’d spoken earlier. He caused her to wonder if she was turning into some sort of sex fiend as her newly laundered panties instantly dampened when he pulled the pumpkin colored dress over her head, smacking his lips the entire time as if remembering how he’d relished the taste of what he was covering with fabric.

  They were crawling through the traffic once back in the city. “It’s a good thing you live in Virginia. I can’t imagine having to commute every day. What time does your class start tomorrow?”

  “Nine but I’m usually there an hour or so earlier. I like to check on the dogs before they start the day.”

  “So, that’s eight. Judging by all these cars, I’ll need to get to bed early so I can beat the traffic. How long does it take to get to Quantico? I want to meet the dogs… oh, if that’s all right with you?”

  Dillon chuckled. “It’s not only all right, I was counting on it, but you won’t be driving.”

  “Why not? Is there a commuter train or something that’s faster?”

  “Babe, if you think I’m letting you out of my sight, you’ve got another thing coming. You’re going to pack some clothes and come back to the farm with me. Unless you’d rather not? In that case, we can bunk in with Owen…”

  Charlie smiled. He hadn’t said ‘he’ could bunk with Owen; he’d said ‘we’. For that matter, she knew that Martha wouldn’t object if they bunked at her house. But, she had to admit, she’d loved being at the farm with him, sharing his house and his bed. She snuggled closer. “No, that’s not necessary. I just didn’t want to assume you meant to have me as your houseguest.”

  He slid his hand beneath her skirt, his fingers caressing her thigh. “Houseguest? Is that how you think I see you? If it is, then I obviously need to up my game.”

  Charlie moaned as his fingers moved again, this time stroking along the gusset of the panties she finally was allowed to put on. “Sir, if you step up your game, I’m going to be nothing but a pool of goo at your feet.” />
  She moaned as his fingertip slipped into her panties to find her slit and slide inside. Her hips shifted, attempting to have it sink further and groaned when instead, it disappeared as a horn honked behind them. She watched as Dillon put his finger into his mouth, giving a moan that had her clit pulse.

  “In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a huge fan of goo.”

  She shook her head, another dribble joining in that already accumulated to soak her underwear. “You’re so bad, MacAllister.”

  “Only because you are so good, Fullerton.”

  Once they arrived at Martha’s, she collected the key from Mrs. Evans, not wanting to have to worry about it later. The elderly woman was very sweet, but as Martha had warned, wanted to know all about ‘Martha’s little friend’ though, if truth be told, by the way she kept eyeing Dillon, Charlie knew she’d much prefer to talk about her big friend. Dillon was a gentleman, complimenting Mrs. Evans on her home and allowing her to ramble on about her relatives in Dallas for a few minutes before looking at his watch. His statement that he’d love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, they had early dinner reservations, allowed them to slip away graciously.

  Martha greeted them with a huge grin and then hugged them both. “I was about to open the door and pretend I had an emergency or something. Owen is on his way here.”

  Leaving her to chat with Dillon, and praying her friend didn’t see fit to offer him further instructions involving her, Charlie ran upstairs and shoved clothes she’d just unpacked a few days earlier back into her duffle. She heard the doorbell ring and then Owen’s voice. She stuffed her laptop into its bag and was about to grab all her stuff when Martha walked into the room.

  “You’re planning on changing, right?”

  “Um, not really,” Charlie said, looking down at the pumpkin dress she’d worn the night before. “All I’ve got are jeans and Dillon seems to like this dress—”

  “Girl, love must be blind because you obviously didn’t give me a second glance.”

  Charlie saw that her friend was indeed dressed to the nines. She wore a blue silk blouse and a black leather skirt that fit her like a glove. With her black stockings and heels, she looked good enough to be on the menu of any restaurant in the city.

  “Put on the black dress,” Martha said, going to the closet.

  “Dillon didn’t dress up so I figured we were going somewhere casual for dinner.”

  “You figured wrong. Owen brought him some clothes and besides, you can’t wear the same thing. We’re going to the club after dinner.”

  Charlie felt her body quiver and yet said that Dillon had to work the following day.

  “So do I, but what are we—ninety? Working is not going to keep me home. We don’t have to stay late but I wanted to introduce you to Jaxson, Chase, and Emma. Besides, once Dillon sees you in this, he’s going to want to show you off, too.”

  Charlie felt her cheeks heat with pleasure at being someone Dillon would be proud to show off. “I don’t know. He said he prefers me in t-shirts.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, he does live on a farm—”

  “And actually prefers you wearing nothing at all.”

  Charlie whirled around to see Dillon leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed casually across his chest, a grin on his face.

  “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a girl,” Charlie said.

  He just chuckled and nodded towards the dress that still hung on the hanger Martha was holding. “Like I said, naked is better, but I’d love to help you get into that.”

  Martha smiled, walked to hand him the hanger, and left without another word.

  While she changed into the black dress, Dillon changed into a suit.

  “You are one gorgeous woman,” Dillon said as she stood before him in the black dress and red heels. “I loved the pumpkin dress but might I just say wow!”

  “Why thank you. And might I say that you are one incredibly handsome man, Sir,” she said, picking up her brush only to have Dillon take it from her hand and turn her to face the mirror above the dresser as he began to brush her hair. She moaned. “Why is it so much better when someone else is brushing your hair?”

  “Because you’re allowing someone to pamper you,” Dillon replied, drawing the bristles through her tresses. He bent to kiss the streak of color and then set the brush aside and pulled her back against him. “Get used to it because as much as I’m a fan of goo, I’m also a fan of pampering my girl.” He bent to kiss her neck, his hand slipping into the bodice of her dress to cup a breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers until she felt her knees begin to shake.

  “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to have to change my panties again.”

  “Again?” His grin had her assured she’d need to do exactly that. God, he could turn her on and off like a faucet with just one look. “I’m also a huge fan of matching lingerie,” he said, his eyes meeting hers in the reflection of the mirror.

  “I’m not wearing a b…” She stopped speaking when he grinned and she blushed.

  “Exactly. Take off your panties and hand them to me, Charlie.”

  She felt a delicious shiver course through her at the order. It was such a naughty thing to do and yet she only hesitated for a moment. This man was teaching her to be a huge fan of naughty. Slipping the panties off, she handed them to him, praying he really did like pink because her face heated as he put them to his nose and inhaled deeply before tucking them into his jacket pocket.

  He carried her suitcase and duffle downstairs and lifted her laptop bag off her shoulder and handed it to Owen. The men went to put in the truck. “I feel like I’m abandoning you,” Charlie said as Martha collected her purse in preparation of leaving.

  “Are you kidding? This is the happiest I’ve seen you in years. Besides, I got to help coax the butterfly out of her cocoon. I couldn’t be happier to see that Dillon is now showing that butterfly how it feels to fly.”

  “I love you, Martha.”

  “I love you, too, Charlie.” Martha gave her a hug and they watched as Dillon began to walk up the sidewalk towards them. “And, I love the fact that the big bad DEA agent is standing next to me with no panties on.”

  “Martha!” Charlie hissed. “How could you possibly know that! Oh my God, is the back of my dress wet?”

  Martha giggled and slipped an arm around Charlie’s waist to give her a hug. “No, but you’ve got this ‘I feel naughty’ look and Dillon’s got this ‘I love a naughty girl’ look on his face so it was a good guess.”

  “You are as bad as Dillon,” Charlie said, shaking her head.

  “God, I should hope so,” Martha said with a giggle. “What’s the fun in being good all the time?”

  Chapter 9

  “I’m driving,” Owen said once Martha had locked the door and they all walked down the sidewalk.

  “Oh, Dillon said you have a restored Ford,” Charlie said, her head swiveling to look up and down the street.

  Owen chuckled and beeped a button on his key fob. Lights flashed on a silver Mercedes at the curb. “I do, but I keep it to drive out in the country. Traffic around here can be brutal.”

  Dillon opened the back door and moved aside to let Charlie climb into the seat. He waited until she was bending to sit before leaning close. “For the rest of the night, you’ll lift your dress up and sit on your bare ass.” Her face turned red and her eyes flicked to the front where Martha was climbing into the car. “Eyes on me,” Dillon said, and was pleased when she instantly returned her gaze to him. “Skirt up, bare ass on the seat.”

  “Oh… okay,” she said, moving her hands behind her to lift her skirt just enough to obey, looking up again when he reached out to stop her.

  “Oh, okay?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.

  “Um, I meant yes, Sir.” He removed his hand from her arm, giving her a smile and a nod. He had to bite back a grin when she gave a little gasp as her bare skin connected with the leather seat and she mum
bled, “Guess you’ve read The Story of O, huh?” She swung her legs into the car, the fact that she was sitting as stiff as a statue letting him know that his Charlie had a great deal of new things to experience.

  Leaning in, he cupped her chin and then kissed her. “Good girl.” Closing her door, he walked around and once he climbed in, he patted the space beside him. “Scoot over here.” She didn’t exactly scoot but she did lift herself and move the foot required, gasping again when he patted her ass before she could sit. Once she was settled, he draped an arm around her, pulling her into him. He loved the fact that she was so eager to please and yet also loved knowing that his requests could keep her off balance. “No, but I’m thoroughly enjoying writing The Story of C.”

  She groaned, but smiled when he bent to kiss the top of her head, relaxing against him with the simple gesture.

  As Owen maneuvered through traffic, Martha pointed out various landmarks. Dillon waited for a break in the verbal tour to ask Charlie, “You’ve never been to D.C. before?”

  “No. After college, Martha moved back to D.C. as she’s from here but I’m a native Texan. I accepted a job and did my training there as well. I suppose I should be at least a little guilty that I’ve not yet done the entire touristy thing.”

  “Ah, I remember you saying something about not being a huge fan of cold marble men,” Dillon said, sliding his hand down her bare arm. “Let’s see, what was it exactly? Oh yes, you said you’d much rather ride a hot blooded FBI agent.”

  “I did not!” Charlie said. “I was talking about riding with you… I mean horseback riding!” Martha giggled from the front seat and Charlie shook her head. “You’re impossible, you know.”

  “You’re adorable,” he said, bending to kiss her cheek. “But it really is a shame that you haven’t seen the memorials.”