by Posey Parks
I loved a man who knew how to take charge, but if I exhibited no signs of interest and told him I was married, he should respect my vows.
Sebastian and I met after my relationship hung on by a thread.
Sawyer sank into a chair beside his buddy.
“Thanks ladies.” I threw my hands in the air.
“No, thank you. Men need to respect us.”
The women behind her agreed.
“Did you take a self-defense class?” Her brow rose.
I smirked. “You could say that.”
The girls snickered.
“All women should learn how to defend themselves.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Girl, I’ll definitely sign up for a class soon. You ladies enjoy yourselves.”
“Thanks, you too.”
She turned on her heels that gave her an extra two inches, making her about the same height as me.
“Ladies, drinks on me.”
She spun around. “What?”
Their jaws dropped.
I grabbed the mic off the bar. “As a special honor to all the independent ladies in here tonight free drinks on me.”
Cheering erupted around the club. Peeking over my shoulder, I motioned to Trent. He threw the dishtowel over his shoulder and flashed a smile. “Who’s up first?”
Looked like he’d gotten the hint and earned a tip for the drink orders I sent his way.
Five minutes later, the girls and I relaxed in a private suite. My head fell against the soft metallic couch. Two bottles of top shelf liquor waited for us.
“Sam, you hooked us up.”
She sat beside me and picked up a glass. “Can’t take the credit. Probably one of our husbands bought the bottles.”
A familiar beat filled the room and my eyes gravitated to the stage.
Nadine gripped the mic stand, bobbing her head side to side. Her pretty dark locs swung as she moved. Sierra, Carmen, Emoni, and Zoey spat obscenities.
“Get it bitch,” I screamed.
The beat of ‘Don’t wanna know’ by Maroon 5 rocked my feet through the floor.
Emoni yanked me off the sofa. “Samantha come on.” She grinned ear to ear.
“I’m coming.” Samantha picked up the bottles and sashayed toward us. We danced around the stage as Samantha filled our glasses with vodka or whiskey. My cousin always had to ensure everyone else had a good time.
“Sam, give me the bottles.”
She pulled them back. “No.”
“It’s your turn to have a good time.” We stood still amongst the girls. They waved their arms around us.
‘No scrubs’ blared through the speakers.
Clutching hands, the girls and I screamed.
“That’s my shit!” Samantha yelled.
I sat the bottles on the table. We each grabbed a microphone and hit the stage.
“No, I don’t want no scrubs. A scrub is a guy who can’t get no love from me.” Swirling our hands and hips, we marched around the stage singing to each other.
By the end of the song we were huffing and puffing.
“That was so much fun.” I threw my arms around the girls.
We stood in a long embrace.
“Guys, we needed this,” Carmen admitted as we separated.
“You’re right we did.” Sierra’s smile rose and fell.
“Come on let’s drink.” Sam motioned us toward the two long couches.
I chased after her. “Oh, no you don’t. We can serve ourselves tonight, Samantha.”
“Fine.” She sat next to Sierra.
I think we all made the conscious decision to mix up our circle. It was usually a mob wife sitting next to an assassin wife.
Emoni poured vodka into Zoey’s glass and whiskey in hers.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I needed to see my husband last night.” Emoni tossed the whiskey to the back of her throat.
“Me too.” Zoey stared into her glass like it was the bottomless pit.
I pointed at her. “We need to talk.”
She peeked at me and nodded. Her eyes were filled with worry. What the fuck was going on? And why didn’t Samantha and I know anything. Could I have been the only assassin wife in the dark?
“What’s with all the guys flirting with us lately? I feel like now that I’m happily married, men are coming out of the woodworks.” Emoni stared at the spot over my head.
My brows lowered. “Are you talking about on this trip or in general?”
“The guys who flirted at the club were harmless. At home it’s different.” She swallowed hard, rubbing the glass between her palms.
A chill swept up my spine. What wasn’t Emoni telling us?
Silence fell over the room.
“Ok, that’s it.” I grabbed my phone out of my purse and shot Sebastian a text.
Me: I need a scrub down.
Sebastian: As you wish.
That was code for clean the camera footage at the club.
This was our life. We watched our words in public. We never knew who might want to harm us. Wearing prosthetics was our thing, but I always wondered if I’d slipped up at any time. Could an enemy have found us?
“It’s time to go ladies.” I stood.
Get out of your head Sydney.
They gulped down their drinks then followed me to the door.
Holding the door handle, I glanced over my shoulder. “Happy faces, ladies. Let’s settle our tabs at the bar then we’re out of here.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JACOB
ASSASSIN
“I SEE WHY THE LADIES stopped in Kansas City.” Leaning over the plate filled with barbecue, I wolfed down my meal.
I hadn’t had much of an appetite lately. Last night, I forced myself to eat dinner. Separation anxiety was a problem Samantha, and I shared because of the bullshit our parents put us through when we were younger. Using us to fight for our country in secret. Then sent us back to our normal lives like nothing ever happened. When I say nothing, I meant exactly that. Who was Samantha Posey? When I returned to high school, I hung with my friends, played football, and smiled at my parents' gleeful faces in the stands. Never knowing the people, I loved most betrayed me. They brought us out of hypnosis and sent us back to the real world. They tore Samantha and I apart. That memory will forever haunt me.
Everyone knew Jacob Latter’s rarely left town without his wife and kids. It was a running joke amongst the cast and crew on location. I didn’t give a shit. They did not understand what she and I had gone through. So yeah, today was an excellent day. My wife and I were roughly twenty minutes away from each other. I knew it was a little obsessive to need to be close to another human being as much as I did. Those years apart, I could never get that time back. I fucked other women and established relationships. The only woman I ever loved had sex with other men. That should’ve never happened. Samantha belonged to me and only me. I tried not to visualize her fucking other men. Some days were better than others. One more day, Jacob.
A heavy hand landed on my back. “Hey where the fuck are you?”
I glanced at Tony. “I’m back. I mean I’m here.”
He sat on the edge of the leather chair. “Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?”
My eyes fell over the guys laughing and joking around the room.
“No, I’m coping. The memories from my past have ate at me this week.”
“Trauma from childhood can often be hard to overcome.”
“Shit, sorry, Tony.”
His father passed away when he was younger. Who could ever get over losing a parent? Especially at a young age.
He slapped my back again. “Hey, we learn to live with the shit life gives us. You and Samantha have each other. That’s all that matters.”
“Yeah.” I gulped the premium vodka and welcomed the burn.
“I forgot to ask, how did Nadine react when she saw you at the club last night?”
He bit into a barbecue chicken leg. Tony chuckled. “
She refused to look at me. Said we couldn’t see each other until Friday.” He shook his head.
“Some guy got handsy with her. She put him in his place.”
“So you were good with the way she handled things last night?” Dominic smirked across from him.
“I may have had a little talk with him before I left. If memory serves me correctly, he made a little trip to the emergency room. He needed surgery on his broken jaw.” He flashed a comical smirk.
Laughter erupted around our circle.
“That’s the Tone I know.” Dominic sucked down a glass of whiskey.
I glanced at Sebastian sitting to my right. He tapped away on his laptop.
“Do you plan to eat?”
He didn’t meet my gaze. “Yeah, I just need to clean up something for the girls.”
All chatter stopped. Their eyes landed on Sebastian.
“What happened with the wives?” Dillon’s brow rose.
“Nothing. I’m checking surveillance in the area, then I’ll scrub the cameras. It’ll be like they were never there.” An evil laugh fell from his throat.
I wiped my hands on the napkin. “Good to know you’re handling the situation.”
I scooped up the Styrofoam container. “Anyone else done with their food?”
They pushed their garbage toward me.
“Don’t movie stars usually have someone clean up after them?” Marco reclined in the chair, nursing a whiskey neat.
“Yeah, but I’m on vacation with my friends. I don’t expect people to clean up behind me. When I’m on the set or at home my staff tidies up. It’s refreshing to do something as minute as cleaning.” I discarded the trash in a large bin halfway across the room.
“I needed this trip. You guys snuck me into the cigar bar so I could enjoy myself. Interacting with true family...that’s who you all are to me. We have each other’s back. No one in this room treats me different because I’m a celebrity.”
Arm resting on the wooden bar, I crossed my foot over my ankle. I glanced at the taupe slate floor, then back at the guys.
“Marco, I know you’ve only been in my presence a handful of times, but I appreciate your candor.”
“Jacob, you’re a cool guy. The only time I freaked out was at Tony’s birthday party. I kept my cool in front of all of you. The moment we stood around drinking; I could tell you were a cool guy. Dillon didn’t handle you with kid gloves. Now my wife on the other hand, she hasn’t admitted it, but she’s star struck.”
I dropped my head in laughter. “Emoni certainly views me as my character on the show. She watched my interaction with Samantha yesterday, and I swear she thought she was watching us play a role on TV. All she needed was the popcorn.” I shrugged.
The guys burst into laughter.
“Carmen freaked out too when she met you.” Dominic raised his glass. “You’re a fucking celebrity for crying out loud. But not to me. You’re a brother.” He leaned forward in his seat. “We love hanging with you, Jacob.”
“I agree with my brother. You’ve come through for the Magarelli’s. We won’t ever forget that. You’re famiglia.”
They raised their glasses.
Sebastian turned in his chair. “Here.” He held out a glass of vodka.
I stepped forward and retrieved the glass.
Tony stood, smoothed his suit jacket and held his glass high. “Here’s to my friend.”
I tilted my glass forward.
“Jacob, I can never thank you enough for pulling me into your small circle of trust in L.A. You’re like a brother to me.”
“Tony, I could never repay you for everything you’ve done for me and Samantha. Happy to stand with you whenever I’m needed.” I glanced at each of the guys. “That goes for all of you.”
“Salute,” fell from our lips as our glasses clanked.
“Just so we’re clear.” Dillon met my gaze, rubbing his gruff chin. “You’re still the best actor in Hollywood.” He flashed his perfect teeth.
Me and the guys bent over laughing.
“Thanks guys.” I tossed my hand in the air.
“We should test four different cigars. I’ll be right back.”
∞
They talked amongst themselves as I strolled into the private cigar room.
I scratched my head, staring at the array of decorative boxes. “Shit, this could take a minute.”
My phone buzzed in my inside jacket pocket. I retrieved it and read the message.
Samantha: We’re having a pajama party tonight. You don’t have to call later. I’ll talk to you in the morning.
Me: Have fun. I love you.
She probably wouldn’t say she loved me back. Samantha still carried a chip on her shoulder because I hung up on her. I remembered what happened once we arrived at the condo last night.
“Good night, everyone. See you guys in the morning.” Dillon threw his hand in the air as he continued down the long hall behind our friends.
Samantha tugged my arm, pulling me back toward her. She pointed at the sofa. “Jacob, I’ll sleep out here.”
“Ok. Let’s talk first.”
Her eyes darted off to the side. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
I pinched my eyes. Samantha chose tonight to pull this shit.
“March down the hall until I tell you to stop.”
I glared at her.
“No.” Her arms crossed her chest.
“Damn it, Samantha down the fucking hall,” I growled through gritted teeth.
She exhaled, then padded her bare feet down the hall.
The girls couldn’t wear their stilettos back to the penthouse since they were covered in blood. Good thing we rode the service elevator to enter the condo. I loved when Samantha wore my dress shirts. It made my cock stir.
“Open the door to your right.”
She swung the door open and walked over the threshold.
“See you don’t have to sleep on the sofa. There’s another bed in here.” I closed and locked the door.
“Ok, I’ll sleep on this side of the room.” She plopped on the bed closest to the door.
I wasted no time undressing.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking off my clothes. Samantha, I’ve apologized for hanging up on you. I flew to Chicago to be closer to you, and you’re still angry. I could’ve lost you tonight.”
Her lips parted as she stared at my dick.
“You need to pay for the other night.” I stepped in front of her.
“Come on, Samantha, I did nothing wrong. We had a minor disagreement.”
“Jacob, I said I was ready for us to expand our family. And you hung up on me.”
I ran my hand gruffly over my hair. “Why didn’t you mention it before you left?”
She folded her legs and scooted to the center of the bed. “I don’t know. Maybe it was because we were apart for the first time in years. Doesn’t matter when the feeling occurred, only that I want to build a family with my husband.”
I clenched my eyes shut. “You’re right. Sometimes you play games, Samantha. Maybe a part of me didn’t believe you.”
“Good because I don’t want a baby anymore,” she bit out.
I crawled on the bed toward her. “No?” My head cocked to the side.
“No, Jacob.”
Gripping her waist, I leaned over her, swirling my tongue against the side of her neck.
“Jacob, no. I’m off the pill. We can’t have sex.”
I yanked the shirt open, the buttons scattered all over the bed and floor.
Her fingers caressed my chest. “Stop you don’t want a baby with me anymore.”
Hooking my thumbs in the waistband of her panties, I lowered them under her ass and down her thighs and legs. She toed them off.
“Jacob, I’m not thinking clearly. Get in your own bed.”
“Nope, I want to make love to my wife.”
Samantha spread her legs and stroked my cock. If I didn’t know my wife so well, I wou
ld have never stripped until I was naked. My beautiful wife was starving for my cock. Staring into her eyes, I traced my tongue over her lips. Her back arched, and she guided my fingers along her wet folds.
“Do you want me to stop? I was fucking with Samantha.
Chest heaving, her fingertips trailed down my cheek.
Our eyes locked. “If you stop. I’ll cut your face pretty boy.” She flashed a wicked grin.
Fuck, I loved this woman.
“Skylar wants to play?” My nose slid down the front of her neck.
“Yes, Hunter. I want to play.” Her moans fueled my need. I pushed two fingers into her core repeatedly.
Samantha’s legs fell open. “Fuck me, Hunter.”
I unhooked her bra, then threw it across the room.
Slowly, I thrusted the large head of my cock deep inside of her pussy.
“Shit, yes. Don’t come inside me.”
I wrapped my fingers around her neck. My eyes poured over her beautiful caramel skin. “How long have I come in this pussy, Samantha?”
Her eyes darkened the tighter I squeezed. Sitting on my knees, I pulled her toward me. Teasing her lips with my tongue, I stared into those brown eyes that drove me fucking crazy.
“I don’t remember.”
My brow lowered. “Don’t play with me, Samantha.”
“Since the hotel in Houston,” she smacked her lips.
“That’s right.” I loosened my grip a little, then rewarded her by slamming deep inside those tight walls.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head. “Fuck, I love you, Skylar.”
Tears streamed down the sides of her face. Sometimes Skylar needed Hunter. After all, they performed missions together.
“You came to my aid tonight,” she wailed.
I eased her head against the pillows and removed my hand from her neck.
“I’ll always be there for you. No matter what. You know that, Skylar.”
Her lips smashed mine as her arm hooked around my neck. “Fuck me harder.”
“Ok.” I slid out of her briefly.
“Hunter?” Her forehead creased.
“It’s ok.” I turned her on her side and laid behind her. Holding her leg in the air, I slammed my cock so deep inside of her. If I hadn’t pressed my hand against her mouth, she would have woken everyone in the house. Her voice strained in her throat and vibrated my hand.
