by Amelia Shea
“Relax.” His tone was sterner than he intended but he couldn’t afford to be soft, not now, not even for her. She glanced down at his hand on her knee and slowly her eyes met his. His heart beat faster as her soft brown eyes trapped him in her stare. She was breathing fast, and he could see her chest rising and falling at a rapid speed. He could also see a sliver of cleavage from the angle he sat. His jeans grew tighter as he got harder. She affected him in a way he’d never felt. In a way that wasn’t good.
He ended their moment by harshly pulling his hand away from her knee. He glared at her until she looked away, then turned his attention out the window. He cursed his weakness for this girl. His mind verbally ripped her apart. She wasn’t anything special. She was just a hot body with a pretty face. She’d just be another fuck on his long list. She wasn’t worth the risk. That was what his mind chanted, but his heart knew better.
Chapter Four
Sadie had once read, people who came face to face with impending death saw their lives flash before their eyes. They saw their family and friends who would be left behind after their death. Childhood memories became a vivid picture show. Monumental life achievements, their proudest moments, their purpose—all became surreal. In those few moments before the end they reflected on their lives.
It was as if she saw her life through someone else’s eyes. She did everything she could to blend into the background. She had never let anyone in because she believed she had nothing to offer, and everyone would leave eventually anyway. She’d never done anything amazing or extraordinary. She’d never lived for the moment. In full clarity, Sadie realized she survived life, but never really lived it.
And this was how it ended.
A blaring ringtone made her jump and move closer to the window. Stone grabbed his phone and hit a button. There were a few seconds of silence then, “Black Escalade, truck stop diner off I-80.” Another pause and then, “On the left back tire.”
He paused again and looked down at his watch.
“An hour, usual spot. Later.” He finished and hit end. He slowly turned to Sadie and she pressed back further into the seat. Their brief connection from before was completely gone. His predatory glare had her seconds away from tears and throwing herself out of the moving truck.
The truck rolled to a stop, jerking her away from Stone’s glare. She’d lost track of how long they had been driving, maybe fifteen minutes.
Bogs snorted. “Oh man, this is classic. A waitress who lives in a trailer? How original.” His voice was laced with sarcasm. Her face heated with embarrassment. She hated being made fun of. She awkwardly shifted in her seat and glanced over at Stone who was staring at her. His emotions were masked by his hard features. She’d come to expect an emotionless response but this something a different. He was angry, and she had the distinct feeling it wasn’t directed at her this time. His temple pulsed, his face tensed, and even his nostrils flared slightly. He jerked his head toward the front seat and drew his hand up, swatting at the back of Bogs’ head. “Shut up.”
Bogs hitched forward, grasping his head. “Ow, that fucking hurt, asshole.”
Sadie settled back into the seat and widened her eyes. Well, that’s interesting. Did he really just smack Bogs on her account? She peeked over at Stone whose signature scowl aimed at the front seat. Sadie lowered her gaze, turning towards the window. Very interesting.
T laughed and caught her attention. Sadie was able to see him in a side profile. He was bald but he shaved it rather than it being natural. His beard was short and trimmed. His lips were plump and almost looked soft. His nose had a bump at the bridge as if it had been broken once or twice. Even from the profile he was frightening.
Sadie raised her head and looked out the window, and sure enough they were at her trailer. Her trailer? He brought her home? Confusion clouded her mind. Was he going to kill her here? Her eyes darted from the window to Stone and back out the window.
“Let’s go.” His voice was devoid of any emotion. She looked back at him but he was already halfway out the door. All she could see was the back of him. Her eyes instantly drew to his butt. Damn, that man could fill out a pair of jeans. What? Jesus Sadie, focus!
She brought her attention back to the present. She looked over at T. “You’re not going to kill me?”
He snorted while Bogs laughed. “Not yet.”
They were laughing. The guys who threatened to kill her less than an hour ago were laughing and making jokes. She sat there another second, wondering if she had just cheated death.
T turned around and scowled. “You waiting on me to change my mind?”
She fumbled with the door managing to get out just before T took off. She was home, safe, and alive. The relief flowed through her. She could breathe easy. Her body began to relax. She wanted to do a happy dance. But before her dance could commence, a large hand gripped her forearm and dragged her to the front door. Sadie quickly realized that while she was home and alive, she was not safe.
Stone gestured to the door which she unlocked, opened, and walked through. She flicked on the lights, illuminating the kitchen and living room. Home.
The trailer was old. The fixtures and appliances were all dated. Old panel cabinets lined the kitchen on the left. The white Formica counter was faded and stained. It was clean, she always made sure of that, but it was worn. She had replaced the kitchen table that her mom had taken with her. A twenty-five dollar round oak table with three chairs now occupied the small dining area. She was still proud of the deal she had gotten at the swap meet. That’s where she also bought the blue crackle vase that sat in the center of the table.
Sadie placed her bag on the table. It wobbled side to side. She really needed to buy pads for the feet to level it out. It was something on her to-do list. She turned from the table to watch Stone as he made his way into the living room. She didn’t have much furniture, just an old green sectional, a square coffee table, and an entertainment center. She had been given a DVD player when Pearl replaced her old one. Sadie offered to pay her for it but she insisted it wasn’t worth much. It was worth a lot to Sadie, along with her cheap movies from Wal-Mart. She didn’t have cable, the local channels were free, and her movies were good enough.
She always thought of the living room as big but with Stone standing in it now, it seemed to shrink. His presence made the room feel small. She intently watched while he looked around. She tried to see her place through his eyes. Aside from Tyler when they were dating, she rarely had people over. There wasn’t a reason. People opened their homes to family and friends. Sadie had neither. A home said a lot about the person who lived in it. Right now, Stone looked unimpressed.
“You live here?”
“Yeah.”
He glanced over his shoulder and she heard his faint whisper. “By choice?”
“Rent is cheap.”
He spun around quickly and smirked. “I’ll bet it is.”
It wasn’t a blatant dig, but she could hear the underlying insult. It shouldn’t matter what he thought of her or where she lived. It shouldn’t have, but it did. He continued a silent appraisal of her trailer.
She gripped her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers. It was a nervous tick. Being alone with him had her heart racing and her forehead breaking out in a sweat. It was from fear, absolute gut wrenching, powerless fear. Or? The only other reason would be arousing excitement that the man who she’d been fantasizing over for the last few weeks was standing in her trailer. Fear! It’s fear! Liar!
He slowly angled his head and his eyes crinkled. “No man?”
“Nope.” She clamped her lips in a tight line.
He stared back at her with a trace of humor glimmering in his eyes. He crossed his arms, a move that made him appear larger, if that was even possible. His jaw hitched to the side as if he was contemplating his next statement. Asking if she had a man was personal, something a person would ask if they were interested. She bit her lip. Was Melinda right? Had he been interested in her,
watching her and possibly going to make a move. He glanced around the room then turned toward her. She drew in a breath and held it. She must have been in shock from the traumatic night because she had completely lost her mind. Yes, I’ll go out with you, even though you may or may not be a deranged killer.
“I guess waitressing doesn’t pay much, huh?”
The air in her chest slowly released. Her shoulders sagged as she mumbled, “I do all right...” Served her right for thinking anything that came out of his mouth would be anything other than an insult.
His tone was nasty. “Really? This is alright?” He continued to look around, his nose pinched and his mouth twisted. “What the hell is that smell?”
And the hits just keep on coming. She sighed, cocking her hip to the side and mimicking his stance. “My roof leaked last month and my landlord hasn’t gotten around to fixing it yet.”
“So, it’s fucking mold.”
She ground her teeth together growing increasingly annoyed with him. Why the hell did he care anyway? He wasn’t the one living there. She released the tension in her jaw and drew in a breath. “I usually burn incense or candles. You can barely smell it.”
His laugh was mocking. “You do realize, candles or not, you’re still breathing that shit in, right?”
She wasn’t stupid, of course she knew. Her face heated again, but from anger this time. He had a way of insulting her without being blatantly rude. Telling him to fuck off was not an option. For all the different emotions coursing through her in the last hour, her fear was still at the forefront. Pissing him off would only end badly for her. She turned her gaze toward the kitchen not bothering to answer him. Asshole.
He walked around the living room peeking into the doorway at the far end. That was her old bedroom. When her mom left Sadie took her room, it was larger and close to the bathroom. She used her old room for storage, a place for all her books. He walked back to her but didn’t stop as he went through the doorway in the kitchen. It was a short hallway with the bathroom and her current bedroom at the end.
Sadie watched as he disappeared. She craned her neck to watch him but her feet stayed glued to where she stood. She was almost afraid to move. The idea of running out the door was fleeting. She’d never get away, he’d catch her.
She couldn’t see him. She assumed he was looking in her room. She tried to remember if she had picked up her clothes from the floor. She hoped she’d at least thrown her panties in the hamper. Footsteps got her attention at the kitchen doorway again.
He stalked toward her. She backed up near the wall in the dining area when he stopped two feet in front of her at the table.
“Your place is shit.” He sneered and shook his head. He lifted his chin toward her door. “One good shoulder check and any motherfucker can get in here.” He grunted and released a harsh sigh. “Christ, the fucking windows are completely shot, it’s like you’re begging to be fucking robbed. There’s no security on the property, it’s not fucking safe.” He gazed over her and shook his head. “Yet, here you are.”
While it shouldn’t, it stung. She’d worked hard for what she had. It wasn’t much, she knew that. But it was hers. Her home. Your home is a reflection of you. He said “your place is shit.” What she heard was “you are shit.” Sadie had just about enough of his insults. Why couldn’t he just leave? She straightened her back and drew up her shoulders. “Why do you even care, it’s none of your business how I live.” She hadn’t planned on saying much more but his stare had her clamping her lips closed.
He countered her with the same move and straightened to full height. Her gaze drifted up as the corner she was standing in grew smaller. His brows furrowed and she prepared herself for another insult.
“No, none of my business.” The ball of his throat bobbed. “And I don’t care.” He seemed to stammer on the last part which caught her off guard.
He grabbed her bag from the table and rifled through before pulling out a wad of bills. Great, now he was going to rob her, too. Could this night get any worse?
“This is all you got.” He laughed. “Thought you girls made good tips?” His mouth spread into a wide grin and his gaze travelled down to her breasts. “Or ya gotta pay extra for that?” She knew exactly what he was insinuating, and while she knew it happened, girls offering other services, she had never, would never ever do it. He was trying to be a bastard, and succeeding.
“No! I’m a waitress, not a whore! I had more but after Juan’s cut…” she mumbled, her anger growing.
“Who the fuck is Juan, and why are you giving him your money?” He growled. He was furious, and she wasn’t sure why.
It struck her as odd that he even cared why or who she gave her money to but she explained anyway. “Uh…Juan is uh…the busboy. You know, the one who clears the tables.”
Sadie stared into his eyes. He seemed to have gotten very irritated which was starting to scare her. Between gritted teeth he snarled, “I know what a fucking busboy is. Jesus Christ! Why are you giving the busboy your tips? That was the fucking question?”
Why was he getting so damn angry? Sadie tried to calm her accelerated heart and merely shrugged not wanting to aggravate him anymore than he already was. “I always give a portion of my tips to the busboys.” She averted her eyes away from his harsh stare. She lowered her voice. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Yeah?” He snapped and she jerked back, watching him. “The other girls share their tips?” His tense jaw seemed to pronounce his scar. It wasn’t a blatant scar, must have happened years ago, she assumed. She sighed and shrunk deeper into her corner by the wall.
“I don’t know what they do. Look, the guys clear the tables, Juan always wipes down them too, even though it’s my job. So yeah, I share my tips. Why wouldn’t I, he earns the money just as much as I do.”
She could feel the weight of his stare. Looking away wasn’t any option. The corner of his mouth curled slightly and his eyes seemed to smolder. “Fucking nuts! You live like this...” He spread out his arms at her living room. “Probably paycheck to paycheck, in a place that is a fucking thug’s wet dream, you’re probably dying a slow fucking death by breathing in air that smells like ass, and you’re fucking giving your money away?” He ran his hand through his hair tugging at the ends. “What ya need to do is get a better fucking job, get the hell outta here and stop worrying about other people. Ya think if this fucking Juan guy got a tip, he’d be sharing it with you? I’ll enlighten ya, babe. He wouldn’t.”
Who the hell did this guy think he was? Why the hell did he care how she lived? This was the most confusing scenario. She just witnessed an obvious crime, possibly committed by him and the guys in the truck, and his main concern was giving her advice on how she lived?
Wait a minute…
As if something triggered in her brain, she began to question this whole situation. Was he really going to kill her? She thought about it. He walked into the diner with her. He told everyone they were leaving together. He gave his name. It could be a fake but everyone saw him, he could be identified. Why would he risk being identified if he was going to kill her? Besides, if he wanted her dead, he could have easily snapped her neck and left. He didn’t allow Bogs to shoot her, and blocked T when he came at her. They could have easily killed her, dumped her body, and no one would have seen them. Instead, he protected her.
Sadie’s eyes snapped to him. He didn’t want her dead; he wanted her scared.
That changed everything.
She had just spent the last hour frightened out of her mind, insulted and belittled by this man and fearing for her life. All to keep her scared and most importantly, quiet. Game over, asshole.
Sadie lifted her chin and straightened her back. She stood tall. As tall as a girl who was only five feet four inches could. She looked him in the eye while she gathered all her confidence and shouted, “Fuck you!” A small smile spread across her face. She felt triumphant for standing up for herself.
The internal celebratio
n was short lived. His jaw locked and his gaze turned feral. He balled his fists. Oh shit!
Stone charged her. She backed up until she was pinned against the wall with the coat hook digging into her back. He was mere inches away from her. He was breathing heavily as he bent down to her. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face.
“Fuck me?”
Sadie was frozen. Her faux confidence had backfired. She might have misread this situation. He might just kill her after all.
“Fuck me? Is that what you want, Sadie, to fuck me?” he said in a menacing whisper.
He leaned closer, and now their bodies were touching. Her breasts were pushed into his chest. Her nipples had gone completely hard. His hands were against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. She couldn’t move, there was no way to escape. She felt his erection against her stomach. He was hard, for her.
His lips were at her ear and his hair brushed against her face. She breathed him in. He was so close to her. Her core tightened as she struggled for a breath. His voice was seductive. “Answer me. Do you want to fuck me? You want me to slide my cock into that wet pussy of yours?”
He lowered himself to position his erection level with her core. He began to rub against her. She gasped and inched closer to him, pressing her chest into his until her nipples were grazing against him. She felt herself getting wetter. She had fantasized about him. She’d touched herself, pretending it was his hand fingering her, rubbing her clit until she exploded, his mouth licking her breasts, biting her nipples. She had imagined him kissing her and touching her. She wanted his hands on every part of her body.
Her heart beat faster and she started to pant. Suddenly all those erotic dreams she had of Stone filled her mind. She needed to push him away. But she couldn’t, she wanted those fantasies.
“You are wet, aren’t you, Sadie? I could take you right here against the wall. Is that what you want?” he whispered with a chuckle. He thrust forward and rubbed his cock against her again. He groaned as he grabbed her hip with one hand. His other hand reached behind and gripped her hair. She was not thinking straight. She couldn’t. He consumed her. She released a moan as he drove his erection into her again. Her head was pulled back with just a slight bite of pain to her scalp. The pain felt good, felt hot. She reached for him and gripped his waist. Her fingers caressed him lightly.
