Tate Valley Sexy Suspense Series (Books 1-3)

by Stacy-Deanne

  “About how much money can you make on a fight?” Penelope leaned forward.

  “It depends on who puts money in the pot that week but we always get paid good.”

  “So people bet on these fights?” Alexis asked.

  “Danny’s club is the only platform in this town for female fighters to show what we can do.” Blake looked at Alexis. “The only drawback is putting up with Danny’s shit.”

  Alexis tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  “A lot of the newbies are young women with no money and no place to stay and Danny takes advantage. He’s a master at sniffing out the weak and preying on them.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Danny all right,” Penelope said.

  “He doesn’t give some of the women their right cuts. He tells them they owe him and that if anyone told about the club they’d be sorry.” Blake seemed to tense up. “He’s friends with a lot of people that you don’t wanna mess with, so a lot of these women are scared of him. They only got into the club because they didn’t have anything else. He sweet-talks them, but that doesn’t last long.”

  “There are other options for these women than joining an illegal fight club,” Penelope said. “We do have homeless shelters in Tate Valley. What Danny’s doing to these women is no different than what a pimp would do. He’s using them to make money.”

  “I spent years on the streets back in the day.” Blake poked her chest. “I was a runaway, and Tate Valley might be this beautiful beach city to some people but there’s a dark side people don’t even talk about.”

  Alexis nodded. “We know all too well.”

  Blake continued, “When you come from that kind of life you get used to trusting the wrong people because they promise you stuff that you can’t get on your own.” She held her arms to her sides. “Danny hooks these women up with places to stay and resources as long as they fight and give him most of the money.”

  “What about you?” Alexis pointed her pencil to Blake. “Do you really wanna be involved with Danny or is it that you can’t get out?”

  “A little of both.” She stroked her ponytail. “I love fighting. I love the rush of the crowd being behind me. I don’t like being involved in anything illegal, but Danny won’t let me walk away anyway. I make too much money for him.”

  “Does Danny know you might want to leave?” Alexis asked.

  “I’ve been telling him I wanna move on. All of us have.”

  “Hold up.” Penelope stuck out her finger. “You, Nadine, Mercy, and Alicia all wanted out of this club and Danny knew this?”

  “Yeah.”

  Alexis glanced at Penelope. “That sounds like Danny has one hell of a motive to me.”

  “Danny’s not stupid,” Blake said. “He has major businessmen on his side who will do all they can to keep this from coming out. They make a lot of money from this thing, too.”

  Alexis looked at her pencil. “Men like Grant Copeland?”

  “Lexi.” Penelope sighed.

  “What?” She rolled her eyes. “I was just asking.”

  Chapter Seven

  Alexis peeked inside Kevin’s office at Copeland Enterprises that night. She tapped on the parted door. “Knock, knock.”

  He turned from his computer. “Why are you here?” He continued typing. “And why do you have that coat on when it’s seventy-five degrees outside?”

  She slinked inside the office and closed the door. “This is my version of apologizing for being such a bitch last night.”

  “Mm hmm.” He kept his attention on the computer. “I appreciate that, but I’m busy.”

  “I’m so sorry if I hurt your feelings.” She slid on top of his desk and crossed her legs. “It’s just when I think about Grant I get so caught up on revenge.” She held the coat closed. “Sometimes I neglect how that makes you feel.”

  He stopped typing but didn’t look at her.

  She leaned across the desk and stroked the back of his neck with her finger. “Do you forgive me?”

  “I don’t know yet.” He typed. “I’m not sure I’m convinced that you wouldn’t do all you could to get back at Grant, if you know what I mean.”

  “Kevin.” She sat up straight. “You’re the only man in this town and in this universe that I want. I would never knowingly do something to hurt you.”

  “That’s good to hear but—”

  “But what?” She walked behind the desk. “You don’t think I mean it?” She swung his chair around. “I guess I have to show you that I do.”

  “Look, I’m busy and I…”

  She slipped the coat to the floor, revealing the lacy, red teddy underneath.

  “Oh…” He blinked. “Jesus.”

  She bent over him, placed her hand under his chin, and kissed him. “Are you gonna make me prove how sorry I am?”

  He stared at her breasts spilling over the red lace. “Lexi…”

  She held his arms down and straddled him.

  “Lexi.” He grabbed her waist. “What…what are you doing?”

  “You gotta ask?” She pulled his head back and slipped her tongue inside his mouth. “I must not be doing a good job then.”

  “What?” He chuckled in between gasps. “What’s gotten into you?”

  She stroked his hair, staring into his miraculous eyes. “Hopefully you will in about a minute.”

  “Lexi…”

  She unbuttoned his shirt but didn’t remove it.

  “Not convinced you can make it up to me,” he said. “You’re gonna have to try damn hard.”

  “Trust me, I’m up for the challenge.” Alexis applied soft kisses to his neck. “Or at least you will be.” She dragged her tongue down his smooth chest.

  “Ooh.” He leaned back, raising his crotch in the chair.

  “How many times…do I have…to say it?” Alexis sucked his firm, pink nipple. “You taste so fuckin good.” She spit on his nipple and slurped saliva off the tip.

  “God, Lexi.” He gripped her head. “Suck my cock.” He lowered her head to his middle.

  “Not that you needed to ask.” Alexis smirked, rubbing his protruding dick from the seat of his pants. She unzipped his black slacks and undid his belt.

  “Yes.” He scooted to the edge of the leather seat. “Fuck me with that beautiful mouth. I wanna come on that pretty face.” He slipped his white jockey shorts to his socks and shoved her face into the hair above his cock. “Come on.”

  She expanded her mouth to take his wide stick inside of it.

  “Hold on, shit.” With his shirt tails waving, he stood with one foot in the chair, stroking his dick. “Okay suck.”

  She gave a quick lick, getting him ready.

  “Suck it, fuck.” He leaned back, holding his cock. “Just suck it.” He panted, his stomach rising from his hard breathing. He grabbed the top of her head and pushed his meat between her lips. “Yes.” He fucked her mouth, balls jiggling back and forth. “That’s it, Lexi. Oh, don’t stop.”

  She mumbled, feeling the ripples of his dick against her tongue.

  “Yeah.” He tilted her head and forced his dick deeper inside her mouth. “Fuck me with that mouth, Lexi.”

  She gagged and pulled her head back to stop the effect but it didn’t faze Kevin.

  The chair squeaked as she slurped.

  “The tip…” Sweat drizzled from his face. “Get the tip.”

  Alexis spit a wad on the point and gave it extra attention.

  “Ah.” He moved faster, slamming his dick inside her mouth. “Uh-huh. That’s it.” He stroked her hair. “That is fucking it, Lexi. Yes.”

  A cramp crept through her neck, and she tilted her head for relief.

  Nothing in the world would make her abandon that sweet dick.

  “Oh suck, it Lexi.” He released her hair. “Wait.”

  She jerked her mouth away. “What?”

  What the fuck is he doing?

  “Lay down.” He lay her flat on the floor and faced in the opposite direction of her.

/>   “Oh I see.” She chuckled, licking remnants of his dick sweat from her lips. “You really wanna fuck this mouth don’t you?”

  “Shut up and suck.” He guided his dick to her mouth and she latched on. “That’s it.” He rode her mouth. “Oh, Lexi.” He leaned forward, pressing his palms against the carpet. “Yes!”

  She moaned as his dick reached her throat.

  “Don’t you dare stop.” He kept pumping. “Suck. Yes.”

  She inhaled the sweaty scent of his luscious ass as it rested upon her face.

  His balls bumped her nose.

  “I’m gonna come on that face.”

  “Mm-hm.”

  “You want me to come on that beautiful face?”

  She mumbled her approval, her head slapping the carpet due to his rapid thrusting.

  “Oh here it comes.”

  She let go. “Come on my face.” She took one of his balls in her mouth. “Come on my face, baby.”

  “I’m gonna fuckin’ come all over…It’s coming, Lexi.”

  “Yes.”

  He fondled himself. “It’s…shit. Ah.”

  He shot vanilla heaven over her face.

  “Uh.” He screamed followed by furious panting.

  “Yeah.” She rose on her elbows, licking his warm cream from her lips. “You forgive me?” She kissed his ass. “Huh?”

  “Oh.” He wobbled as he stood. “Shit.”

  * * * *

  Alexis and Kevin walked hand in hand through the parking garage two hours later. They stopped at his Porsche in its designated spot.

  “Well.” He set his briefcase beside the car and pulled her into his arms. “Hmm.” He opened her coat and gripped her buttocks. “Have you ever done it in a parking garage?” He sucked her neck.

  “No.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “But suddenly it seems like a good idea.”

  “Don’t play with me because I’m serious.” He slipped the coat off one shoulder.

  “No, no.” She laughed, pulling it back up. “Come on.” She kissed him. “Don’t you ever get enough?”

  “Of you?” He put his arms around her. “It’ll never be enough.”

  “I’m so sorry I hit you last night.” She tugged on his collar. “You forgive me for acting like a jackass?”

  “You have to ask?” He held her against him, pressing her breasts against his chest. “I’m thinking we should fight more often if this is how we make up.”

  She stared into his eyes, and she didn’t know why but it seemed like the right time to say it.

  “I…” She rubbed his arm. “I don’t wanna lose you, Kevin. Promise me I won’t lose you.”

  “Lexi.” He stared as if someone had knocked him on the head with a two-by-four. “When you left nineteen years ago, it was like you died. I never thought I’d recover. In all that time no one has ever touched my heart the way you have.”

  She smiled.

  “You and I are forever.” He laid his hand on her cheek. “I’d die before I let anything split us apart again.”

  “You mean the world to me.” She placed her hands on his face. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, honey.” He hugged her. “I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting you go.” He kissed her. “I promise you that.”

  “I guess I needed confirmation. That fight we had scared me.”

  He nodded, kissing her forehead. “I was just mad. I didn’t mean to scare you, darling.”

  She reveled in the heat of his kiss then let him go. “We both have busy days tomorrow.” She wiped her lipstick off his mouth. “I have my case and you have that board meeting.”

  “Don’t remind me.” He let her go and got the briefcase. “I love my job but I wish this merger would hurry up and happen. I’m anxious because it’ll mean so much for the company.”

  “Grant’s company,” she mumbled.

  “And we’ve gone how long now without mentioning Grant?” He unlocked his car with the remote.

  “I’m sorry.” She kissed his cheek. “I said I’d stop bringing up Grant every five minutes but it’s so damn hard.”

  “I really think you should talk to someone about all this.” He laid the briefcase in the passenger seat. “There’s no shame in needing a therapist.”

  “My mom went to many therapists.” She closed her coat. “Didn’t do her a damn bit of good.”

  He pulled her close. “Is this revenge for your mother or you?”

  “Both. Don’t you see, Kevin? He took me away from you. We could’ve been together all of those years. Maybe now we’d be married and have kids if it weren’t for Grant running my mother out of town. My therapy is going after Grant. I need that to survive.”

  “I just feel like the wall’s closing in on us.” He took her hand and opened the driver’s door. “I’d rather you let me handle Grant and see if I can find out anything.”

  “You can do that, but in the meantime I’m not sitting by. If this secret is big enough for Grant to kill Nolan or who else for, then I can’t see him confiding in you about it even if he does think of you as a son.”

  * * * *

  “We appreciate you for coming down here, Mercy.” Alexis closed the door to the interrogation room the next day. She and Penelope sat across the large table from Mercy Cokes.

  Mercy was a biracial Amazon with extremely light skin and hazel eyes. She stood at six-three and probably weighed two hundred and fifty pounds, all pure muscle. Despite her large size, the baggy, gray sweats hung off her. Her hair had been braided into two long, silky plaits. Her hands and feet were bigger than Kevin’s, and she held an expression that told Alexis she didn’t like people messing with her, and if Alexis didn’t have a gun, she sure as hell wouldn’t have.

  Mercy clasped her huge hands and avoided eye contact.

  “Are you all right?” Alexis asked.

  “Not really,” she mumbled.

  Wow.

  She might’ve been rough and manly in appearance, but Mercy had the sweetest, softest voice Alexis had ever heard.

  Mercy burst into tears. “I’m sorry.” She laid her hands over her eyes.

  Now this big woman’s crying? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

  “I’m so sorry.” She snorted. “I loved Alicia, man. She was my dog.” She moved her hands, revealing her red face. “Anything we needed we’d do for each other. She was my best friend. I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  Alexis hadn’t been around Mercy long enough to know if she were lying but she never took anyone at face value no matter how convincing the person seemed.

  “Mercy?” Penelope patted her hand. “We didn’t bring you here to come down on you or accuse you of anything. We’re trying to find out the truth. Blake told us that you, she, and Nadine were Alicia’s friends.”

  “Yes,” Mercy said with a weak voice. “I was closer to Alicia than the rest were. I’d known her longer. We’ve been friends since high school.”

  “Where were you Monday between five and six p.m.?” Penelope asked.

  “I was at work. I work at Remy’s.”

  Alexis sat back. “The bar and grill?”

  “Yeah. I get off at seven.”

  “Okay, we’ll check this out,” Alexis said.

  “You have any idea where Nadine might be?” Penelope asked.

  “No. She didn’t hurt Alicia. I know she didn’t.”

  “None of us can be sure of who hurt Alicia at this point.” Alexis tapped the table. “We know about the fight club, too.”

  “Jesus.” Mercy shook her head. “Why would Blake tell you all of that?”

  “She claims she wants to help.”

  “Shit. He did it.” Mercy dropped her head, exhaling. “That son of a bitch beat her to death.”

  Alexis scooted up to the table. “Danny X?”

  “No.” Mercy wiped her eyes. “Omar Silva.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Who is Omar Silva?” Penelope touched the table.

  “He’s a b
astard that I kept telling Alicia to stay away from. She was seeing him.” Mercy sniffled. “He’s married.”

  Alexis flipped to a clean page of her notepad.

  “She’s been seeing him for about a year and a half. The wife found out and now he’s living with a friend.”

  Alexis scribbled as Mercy spoke.

  “He was using Alicia for sex. I told her that.” She hit the table. “She kept saying he loved her and it was like you couldn’t talk any sense into her.”

  “You think Omar had something to do with Alicia’s death because his wife found out?” Penelope asked.

  “Alicia didn’t know this, but he wants to get back with his wife. That’s who he’s always wanted. He’s been begging and pleading for his wife to come back. I work with a friend of his and he told me everything. He said that Omar’s been using Alicia, too. Last week…” Mercy swallowed. “She told me she was pregnant.” She sighed. “She actually thought he’d want to marry her. She said he flipped out when she told him. No surprise to me because I knew he didn’t give a damn about her.”

  “Wonder if he was mad enough to kill Alicia?” Penelope raised an eyebrow. “If he wanted to get back with his wife then having a pregnant mistress would definitely throw a wrench in that plan.”

  “She said he hit her and spit in her face. She got mad and told him that even if he didn’t want to be with her emotionally he’d have to financially.”

  “What did she mean by that?” Alexis asked.

  Mercy propped her elbows on the table. “She told him she’d get every dime she could for child support. I’m sure he didn’t like that threat since his finances are down the tubes.”

  “You said he hit her?” Penelope asked.

  Mercy nodded. “Look up his record. You’ll see he has a history of pounding on women.”

  Alexis rubbed her chin. “Where can we find Omar?”

  “At his friend Perry Curtis’,” Mercy said. “That’s where he’s been staying.”

  * * * *

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Omar Silva sat on Perry’s couch, sipping an orange soda. “I don’t know what happened to Alicia, and I certainly didn’t do anything to her.”