Being Chased

by Harper Bentley

  "Fuck, I'm gonna come," he growled, pumping up inside her then grabbing her hips tightly and thrusting up until he was buried to the root. She watched as he threw his head back, his neck muscles straining with his release. And she’d never seen anything more beautiful. They both breathed heavily as he wrapped her tightly in his arms, resting his cheek against her shoulder, loving how she felt. Loving how she fit into his arms perfectly.

  She let out a breathy sigh, resting her cheek on the top of his head, feeling so safe, so content being in his arms. He moved his head back so he could see her face then he kissed her deeply, turning to lay her on the bed, then kissed her once more before going to the bathroom. When he came back, he lay down, pulling her to him, where she lay her head on his chest and he kissed the top of her head before they fell asleep.

  Sometime in the night, Chase went to his room. Wouldn't do for Allen to find him with her. When Julia woke the next morning, she hated that for the second time Chase wasn't there with her.

  ****

  The spread for breakfast was huge again and they sat talking at the dining table.

  "I was making a plate to bring you in bed when you came in," he teased.

  "Oh, well, I'll go back in and wait." She laughed at the look of surprise on his face. "Just kidding. I think you more than made up for the way you acted last night." She arched an eyebrow then smiled wickedly at him when he choked on his juice.

  "Damn, baby. Think I’ll act like an ass more often if it gets me those results.”

  She smacked him on the arm as she laughed, getting up to get herself some coffee. “Don’t push it, Murphy.”

  He followed her into the kitchen. “Oh, I’ll push it alright.” He ground his hips into her backside as she stretched up to get a mug out of the cupboard.

  “Chase! Stop!” she said with a giggle turning to face him. “What if Allen comes in?”

  “He said he was walking down to Collin’s house.” He waggled his eyebrows and she knew exactly what he was proposing.

  “You are so bad!” She tiptoed up to kiss him.

  “Yeah, and you like it.” He rested his hands on her hips.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him again. “Yeah, I kinda do,” she mumbled against his lips.

  “Mmm, I knew it.” He bit her on the neck then, making her moan, before pulling back to look down at her. “Oh, but, hey, I really need to go back into the City for a meeting at CEP.” He placed a kiss where he’d nipped her.

  “Oooohhh! A bony meeting, huh?” She snorted.

  “Bony?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

  “Yep. Bodyguards of New York. BoNY. That’s the company you work for, right?” She took off running with a squeal when he lunged at her, making it to her room where he made her pay for teasing him.

  And she loved every minute of it.

  ****

  Julia decided to go with Chase, going by CEP first then to his apartment to pick up some more clothes. He explained that it was a lot cleaner when he was there, that Brock was just a complete slob which made her laugh because Chase was pretty meticulous for a guy. They decided to swing by the Tower so she could pick up more clothes too.

  When they went inside the apartment, a manila envelope was lying on the floor that'd been pushed through the mail slot. It was addressed to Julia, so she bent to pick it up and opened it. When Chase heard her gasp then saw the look of fear on her face, he was there in a flash, looking over her shoulder to see what was in it.

  Inside there were several articles about the recent kidnappings and murders. But what’d really made her heart seize up in her chest was a simple piece of paper with two words written on it in blood red ink:

  You're Next.

  Chapter 18

  "Please, don't hurt me!"

  "Shut up!"

  Sherry Larson started crying. "What do you want from me?"

  She was horrified. The twenty-two-year-old woman had been in Central Park stretching before her usual early morning jog when she'd seen a dog twisted by its leash to a bush and what seemed like a pretty cute guy trying to get him loose. She'd gone to help the guy, who smiled and thanked her, but then he'd pulled a gun on her, leading her a few yards away to a waiting black car, sticking the gun in her back the entire time they walked. He'd told her that if she screamed, he'd shoot, that he'd already done it once before. She was terrified, not willing to test his threat, and followed his instructions exactly. After he’d thrown her in the back of the car, she’d found herself sprawling across another man and she’d struggled to right herself. The man had pushed her up so she could sit. The cute guy had followed her inside and screamed at her to close her eyes then he'd blindfolded her. She hadn't really gotten a good look at him anyway. He'd had on a baseball cap and sunglasses as did the guy sitting next to her so she couldn't really distinguish what either of them looked like. Another man was driving, and he, too, was similarly disguised.

  Oh, God. They were the kidnappers. She'd read about them for the past several months. And she knew she was going to die.

  She'd quietly sobbed as the car had driven her to God knew where. After what seemed like forever, they’d stopped and she’d been led inside a building. A house? Apartment? She'd figured it was a residence of some kind just from the feel of it. If they'd been in a warehouse or other type of building, there'd have been an echo or something, right?

  She had no idea what was ahead for her and was scared out of her mind as she continued crying. "My father's very rich. He'll pay anything to get me back," she now said through her sobs.

  "That's what we're counting on."

  "Are you... going to... kill me?"

  "Not if everyone cooperates. Now, quiet!" one of the men told her. He held her arm and walked her down some stairs then pushed her into a room telling her not to take off her blindfold until he left. He walked back up the stairs then slammed the door, locking it behind him, leaving her alone.

  She took off the blindfold and looked around as she continued crying quietly, trying to figure out where she might be. It was a small basement or cellar-type room with no windows, the smell of the place making her want to throw up. It reminded her of her grandmother's cellar, all damp and earthy. She'd visited her grandmother in Kentucky one summer and they'd made peach preserves, storing them in the damp and nasty underground room. But in this room Sherry sensed another odor such as a dirty boys' locker room, a sweaty, musty stench along with a side of urine invading her nose. She started gagging, holding her hand to her mouth to keep what was wanting to come up down. She sat down on the cot that was against one wall, holding her head in her hands.

  If only I'd stayed home this morning. I wasn't really up to running today after staying out so late last night. Why didn't I bring my cell phone with me today? The police could've tracked me here by it. Mom is going to freak out about this! Oh, God, if they kill me, she'll fall apart!

  A whole new round of sobs gripped her chest as she sat shaking, not knowing what her future held.

  ****

  Julia threw the envelope and all its contents on the floor, moving away from it with a shriek as if it had bitten her. Her breath started coming in gasps as another panic attack made an appearance. Oh. Yay. The walls of the apartment seemed to be closing in on her as she struggled for air.

  "Hey, hey, breathe, Julia. C'mon, you've got to calm down." Chase led her to the couch so she could sit. "Look at me. Breathe with me." He knelt in front of her as he'd done before, trying to keep her eyes trained on his. "There you go. That's better." He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, coaching her through each breath, eventually getting her calmed.

  "What the hell, Chase? They know where I live now?" She looked at him, frightened.

  "It's okay, baby. Settle down."

  "Settle down? Settle down? How am I supposed to settle down when I've got a big, fat fucking target on my forehead that says, 'Kidnap me! My dad's got big bucks!' on it? Huh?" Her fear had changed to anger in a flash a
nd she was in major freak-out mode now. She jumped up from the couch and started ranting like a mad woman, pacing around the living room. "They want to fuck with me? Oh, they've pissed me off now! I'll hai-yah kick the shit out of these assholes! I'll hold them hostage and… and make them listen to Lily talking about the first time she masturbated… and she did it to pictures of our high school science teacher! No! I'll let Claire describe the first time she gave a blow job and the guy came in her hair! Now, that's torture! She had to tell me everything she used to get the shit out, like it was superglue or some shit. Do you even know how many hair care products there are out there? Wait! I've got it! I'll force them to eat her cooking! They'd beg to be released after that and leave me the hell alone!" She cackled dementedly.

  Chase watched her walking back and forth carrying on about what she planned to do to these guys which was totally ridiculous, but if it made her feel better, he'd allow her to go on for hours, except he really needed to call the police. He pulled his phone out dialing 911. As he watched Julia traipsing back and forth, spouting off like crazy, he told the dispatcher what had happened and was told that someone was on the way. He called his dad next, alerting him to what was going on, Hank telling him to keep him apprised of the situation.

  In the meantime, Julia continued her prattling. "Or I'll have Paula do a strip tease in front of them! That'll totally gross them out! Hell, I'll just have her talk to them! They'll be begging me to shoot them! No! I've got it! I'll make them watch Jacob's vacation videos when he and Blake saw that damned double rainbow and freaked out!"

  "Julia? Julia!" She finally stopped pacing and looked at him. "I called the police and they're on their way."

  She stared at him for a beat then reality came crashing in and now came the tears. "Oh, Chase! What am I going to do? Oh, my God! They know where I live!"

  He went to her, holding her tightly to his chest. He was pissed. Who did these people think they were messing with? He wished he knew where to find them this minute so he could kick their asses. They were messing with everything that was good in his life and he'd be damned if he was going to let that happen.

  "It's going to be okay. I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you, Julia."

  He sat her on the couch again after she'd finally calmed down. Now she slipped into a kind of contemplative, quiet stage as she sat there, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, staring off into space. Chase used this time to call Allen, pacing the living room while keeping an eye on her.

  "Yes, sir. Yes. They're on their way. Okay. I will." Allen said he was coming home, but depending on traffic he'd be there anywhere from three to four hours but for Chase to let him know what the police said.

  Chase hung up and looked worriedly at Julia. "Hey, are you okay?" He walked to where she sat on the couch.

  "No." She stared straight ahead. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked in a tiny voice.

  "I don't know. But I can tell you this: I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you hear me?" He repeated his promise then sat down next to her, holding her face so she'd look at him. "I mean it. You're going to be okay." He hugged her closely to him, kissing the top of her head, telling her it’d be okay.

  The police arrived and everything around them became organized chaos. Fingerprints were dusted for on the door and the envelope before it was taken in as evidence, and Julia and Chase were interviewed by a detective who’d arrived.

  "Hello, I'm Detective Jared," he said, shaking Chase's hand. "So, you came in and the envelope was already here?" The detective was in his mid-fifties with thick white hair that was parted to the side. He had deep lines carved into his face, probably from the worry that many hours of studying cases caused, and sharp blue eyes that missed not a thing.

  "Yes. This is Julia Cooke, Detective. This is her and her father's apartment. Well, her father actually owns the building." Chase nodded down at Julia where she still sat on the couch in a daze. Detective Jared looked down at her, not bothering to offer his hand as he saw she was too upset. "Julia found the envelope on the floor when we walked inside the apartment."

  "So, Ms. Cooke, is this the first contact anyone's had with you like this?"

  Snapping out of her trance, she looked up at Chase. "Well, we were followed the other day."

  The detective looked at Chase. "Yes, the other morning when I was taking her to work, a black, older model Cadillac was following us. I've got the tag number here." Chase pulled out his wallet and handed a slip of paper to the detective.

  "Okay, that's good. I'll have them run it and see where it leads us." Jared excused himself, walking away, calling the tag number in on his cell phone. Chase sat down by Julia promising her that things would be fine.

  Five minutes later, Jared came back only to inform them that the tag had come up as stolen then Chase stood and walked with him to the door, Jared telling him he'd be in touch if he came across any more information or needed to ask any more questions; giving Chase his card, he told him that they should do the same then he left. The Crime Scene techs were gone by then too leaving Julia and Chase alone. She still sat on the couch in a haze, not having spoken for a good thirty minutes while Chase had talked to Detective Jared.

  "Hey, how’re you doing?" Chase asked. He drew an afghan around her wondering if she might be in shock.

  "Huh?" Julia glanced at him like she had no idea who he was.

  "C'mere." He sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and just held her. There really were no words right now that could make things better, so they just sat, listening to the silence.

  A good half hour passed and being pretty sure that Julia had fallen asleep, Chase moved to lay her down on the couch. He got up, going into the kitchen and called his dad again, telling him that the detective was going to have the envelope and note analyzed for fingerprints and they were also obtaining the video from security.

  Just then Julia sat up, looking around, calling for him, jumping to her feet, frantic.

  "Gotta go, Pop.” He crossed the room in two long strides. “I'm right here, baby." She threw her arms around his waist as a torrent of tears made their way down her face.

  She felt helpless and she hated it. She needed to gain some kind of control of the situation to keep her sanity. "I need you, Chase." She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him hard, both of them tasting the salt from her tears. Keeping her mouth on his, she walked them into the dining table where she pushed him against it and unbuttoned his jeans.

  "Julia…"

  "I need to feel you, Chase. Please."

  He hated seeing the fear, the disconcertion in her eyes, as she looked up at him, practically begging him to make love to her.

  “Please, Chase. I need you.”

  God, she owned him, heart and soul. All the woman had to do was touch him and he was hard for her. But if this helped her feel better about everything, he’d do whatever it took. In a flash, he had her shorts and panties off, picking her up and placing her on the table, unbuttoning her shirt, as she kissed him desperately, hungrily, reaching for the buttons on his jeans. He took out his wallet to get a condom but Julia grabbed his hand. "I need to feel you," she pleaded.

  "You sure?" he asked.

  "Yes. I'm on the pill. Please," she said as she continued unbuttoning his jeans, using her feet to help him push them and his boxer briefs down, pulling his t-shirt over his head in the process.

  He laid her back, running his hand down between her breasts, then hooked his arms behind her knees, his hands holding her hips, and pulled her to the edge of the table, thrusting inside her so powerfully, they both cried out. He moved her to him easily over and over, as she slid to him on her shirt that lay splayed under her.

  "Harder," she moaned. "I need to feel you deeper. Harder!"

  He began pulling her to him roughly, pounding inside her making her gasp each time their hips met, her telling him to go harder, deeper, which made him groan, as he drove inside her more fiercely. She let out a scream as she climaxed, her cor
e clenching around his cock like a goddamned vise. He picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, her arms around his neck, her lips leaving hot, desperate kisses along his jaw, and held her by the hips as he moved her up and down on his cock, moving his hips, pushing up into her as he tried to give her what she wanted, tried going as deep as he could. He pulled back, looking at her, and knew he'd do whatever it took to keep her safe. He kissed her, her mouth on his demanding, so he started moving in her again, powering inside as she dug her nails into his shoulders, throwing her head back with a moan. He practically roared when he came, plunging hard inside her, his cock buried as deeply as it could go, then he rested his forehead against her shoulder as he caught his breath, whispering to her that he would take care of her, he wouldn't let anyone near her. They stayed that way for several minutes, chests heaving then he kissed her deeply before easing her down.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, the concern showing on his face.

  She shook her head while she watched him pull his jeans up, leaving them unbuttoned. He ran his fingers down her cheek, and seeing that she was exhausted, put an arm around her waist and behind her knees, picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. He lowered her to the bed then grabbed a pair of sleep pants on her chair, sitting on the bed and putting her feet in them, helping her pull them up watching as she re-buttoned her shirt.

  He brushed the hair off her forehead, leaning down to kiss her. "Why don't you rest for a bit, baby? I'll go clean things up, okay?”

  As he started to stand, she grabbed his hand holding him back, the apprehension clear on her face.

  “It’s okay. I’ll be right here. There's all that fingerprint dust everywhere. I don't think Allen would appreciate things being left like that." He bent and touched his lips to hers.

  As she peered up at him, it suddenly hit her. A real friggin' epiphany blasted through her synapses. She knew what she had to do. It all became so clear.