"Fuck me."
The light in the room seemed too bright as my pupils dilated and my hand froze on my dick. I pressed myself against Laila, lining up to her perfect pink pussy. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before impaling her.
Her muscles spasmed, rejecting the intrusion. My mouth fell open and what I thought would be a moan was more like a growl as it came from deep within my chest. I pushed in deeper, all the way to the hilt until my balls slapped against Laila’s ass.
Laila whined beneath me, but she didn’t tell me to stop. She didn’t even tell me to be gentler, and I fucking adored her for it. I allowed her muscles to adjust before I eased out and sank back in, smearing her juices over me.
A deep moan of relief and pleasure came from her. It sounded as if her body had been waiting for this her whole life, slowly building tension that she was finally able to release. But not just yet.
I opened my eyes and peered down at my cock disappearing into Laila. It was mesmerizing, and mixed with the sounds of her pleasure and our sweat-slicked bodies colliding, my senses had never been more alive. I thrust harder as the moans she cried increased in volume.
"Fuck," I grunted, picking up the pace.
She wasn't the only one who'd been waiting for this.
My eyes glued onto the toes that curled in the restraints, and I jerked back before she could get her release. Fuck that. I’d wanted this for too long, she’d come when I was ready.
I eased in and out of her at a painfully slow pace, and she whimpered beneath me. Her hips rocked and searched for more friction against her clit.
“Jake,” she panted, arching her back.
I sank my fingers into the globes of her ass and pulled them apart. With the lick of my lips, I scooped some of her juices and rubbed my thumb against her tight little hole.
She gasped and twisted her head, but couldn’t quite get to where she could see me. I sensed the panic take hold and felt as her muscles tensed. She didn’t like that, which meant she probably hadn’t been fucked there before. A devilish smile covered my face, but I retreated my thumb, gripping her hips and thrusting into her sweet cunt at a faster pace. My little slut’s an ass virgin. How cute.
Laila relaxed again and rocked into me. Mewling sounds came from the front of the bench, and I wished for just a moment that I could see her face. This view was pretty damn good, though.
“Tell me how you want it,” I growled. It amazed me that I could appear so angry when I was having the time of my life.
“Harder!” Laila didn’t hesitate as I thought she would’ve. I rewarded her by pumping into her harder, but decided to push it more.
“You’re a dirty little bitch, aren’t you?”
She moaned and rocked into me, but didn’t say the words. I slowed once again.
“Jake!” she screeched. Groans of protest filled the air, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Let me hear it.”
The chains rattled and Laila’s pussy gripped my cock, forcing my mouth to drop open. Ohhh, that sneaky whore. I pulled out of Laila’s cunt and groped her ass as I pumped my dick with my hand, getting me closer to climax.
Laila paused a few moments before rattling the chains again and grunting. “Fine!” she shrieked, the words echoing along the walls.
Seconds passed before she finally found herself able to speak the words. “I’m a dirty little bitch.” Her voice was much softer when she said that line, and a hint of shame washed in with it.
I bit my lip to keep from snickering and slowed my pace until my hand idled on my cock. I pressed against Laila’s opening and this time, her pussy took me with ease. She was so wet, her scent filled the air. I lifted my hand and inhaled before I thrust as ferociously as I could manage into Laila’s soon-to-be-beaten pussy.
It was difficult to decipher if the sounds that came from her sweet mouth were from pain or pleasure, but with the way she eagerly met each of my thrusts I’d say she liked it.
I gave her my best fuck and held off as long as I could, but as soon I caught sight of her toes curling once again, I came undone. My balls tightened and an explosive burst of cum shot into Laila at the same moment her muscles rippled around me with her own orgasm.
She continued to squeeze me as I leaned on the bench and panted. I pulled out and had to brace myself to keep from crumbling to the floor. My body was exhausted, but I doubted it was nearly to the extent of Laila's. If she hadn't been forced into place by the restraints, I guessed she would've been a puddle on the floor.
After catching my breath, I stood and began removing the restraints. Soft whimpers blew over her lips, but her eyes remained closed.
She was putty in my arms as I picked her up. I smoothed her sweat-slicked hair back and bent to kiss the top of her forehead. She was asleep in my arms before I'd even carried her from the basement.
15
Laila
When I woke Jake was gone. I spread my arms expecting to connect with warm skin, but instead felt nothing but sheets. My eyes had fluttered open, and my heart had dropped.
I sat up and moved my gaze around the room, thinking maybe he was in the bathroom, but the door was wide open and no one was inside. With a sigh, I sank back against the frame. An aching between my thighs mocked me even more than the empty bed.
He'd used me hadn't he?
My cheeks inflamed with equal amounts of embarrassment and shame. I'd been played. This entire time, he'd been playing the same game I had, only with a different motive.
I reminded myself that my intention was to make him want me. To seduce him so that he'd let me go. The emptiness in my chest wasn't logical. He'd hurt me. The pain that shot through my ass was evidence of it. What did it matter if the sex was the best I'd ever had?
Jesus, I needed to get my head straight. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as they began to burn. This would all be over soon. One way or another.
My eyes shot open and I lifted my hands in front of my face. Jake hadn't cuffed me. I climbed out of bed, wincing at the soreness that shot through my legs and took tentative steps toward the door. So much anxiety coursed through my veins when my hand grasped the knob.
He was on the other side. This was a test. He was testing to see if I'd try it. I shook my head and pulled my hand back to wipe the sweat on the T-shirt I'd been dressed in.
Fuck it.
I wiggled the handle, but it didn't budge. Before I'd given up on jiggling the knob, the sound of a key being inserted sounded on the other side. I jumped back and stared at the door as it opened. My mouth fell open and my heart beat out of control.
The woman who'd been bringing me my meals since the incident with the guard appeared, and I sighed in relief that it wasn’t Jake or Dravin. She was the same woman Jake had spoken to the previous night. A plate of pot roast and carrots was balanced in her hands.
"Good evening," she said with a small nod. She seemed surprised to see me standing so close to the door, but refrained from saying anything about it. In fact, the greeting was the most she'd ever said to me.
I straightened my spine and extended my hand toward the plate. She handed it to me and turned.
"Thanks," I mumbled, bringing the plate back to set on the nightstand. My eyes locked on a tube of burn cream next to the remote I was supposed to press if I needed anything. A lump formed in my throat, but I continued to the bed and tried to ignore yet another thing that mocked my idiocy.
To my surprise, the woman hadn't left. She looked uncomfortable standing by the door, but she made no move to leave.
"Is there something else?" I asked, raising a brow.
The muscles in her throat rippled as she swallowed, and the detective in me began to reemerge.
"I'm Laila."
She forced a small smile. "Rita," she said, taking a few steps toward me. "It's not appropriate for me to speak to you… But I just want you to know it isn't safe to run. Guards surround the property, and hon… I'm sorry to say it but you wouldn't stand a chance."
"So I've been told," I muttered. It was beginning to get annoying constantly hearing that. They couldn't think I'd be foolish enough not to at least try?
Rita turned and took a step toward the door.
"Wait!" I stood and walked a couple of feet toward her. She appeared uncomfortable yet again as she faced me.
"Can I ask you something?"
She glanced at the door then back to me. "It's really not—"
"Why didn't you yell for anyone when I ran past you last night?"
She sighed and wiped her hands on her skirt. "It's not my place to decide if you stay or leave."
Hope flared in my chest at the woman's words. Oh my God. This was it. She had a heart. She could help me get out of here.
"Don't give me that look, child." Rita frowned and let out a heavy sigh. "I said it wasn't my place to decide. I didn't say I'd help you leave. The best I can do is offer you the advice to not run."
"Why?" I asked. It came out as more of a whine than a question. "Why should I not run if they've already decided they're going to kill me?"
Her frown deepened and she walked the rest of the way to the bed. Her knees popped as she lowered herself to the mattress and patted the space beside her. I plopped down next to Rita and allowed her to take my hands in hers.
"I can only imagine what you must be going through right now, but I want you to listen to me carefully." The woman spoke in a soft voice, as if she were trying not to frighten me. "I've known the master of the house since he was a boy. I know the way he thinks."
I perked up and bit my cheek out of nervousness. She was about to tell me something important. The first useful piece of information I might get in this place.
"Everything he does is calculated. Every decision he makes is based in logic…" Rita took a breath and let go of my hand. She broke eye-contact and that same discomfort enveloped her. "The Jacob I know would've killed you last night. It's the way he was taught to be. In his mind, actions have consequences, and that's all there is to it… That should tell you something."
Rita lifted off the bed and wiped her hands on her skirt once again. She turned toward the door, but paused before taking a step. "Whatever it is you're doing. Keep doing it." With that, Rita left.
I stared off into space for a long time while I tried to process what she’d said. Part of me couldn't accept it. I ran through all the possibilities.
Dravin had wanted to kill me last night, and Jake had prevented it. If what the woman said was true, there was one reason for his going against his nature that stuck out as the most plausible.
Jake Cryson really was falling for me. And I had no idea how I felt about that.
* * *
By the time Jake got to the bedroom that night, I'd already lain back in bed. I stared at the wall in boredom, my thoughts swirling around me a million miles an hour. The lights were off, and I considered pretending I was asleep. I already lay on my side facing away from him.
"Laila," Jake whispered from his side of the bed. The sound of him removing his clothes sounded behind me, and I had the urge to pull the covers over my head as if to hide. For hours my brain tried to come up with this scenario. With how things would go once we saw each other again. I still didn't know.
We'd had sex. I'd actually had sex with the brother of the guy I was trying to put in prison. Of course, Jake also fell under that list as well now.
And I'd slept with him.
He climbed under the covers behind me but didn't wrap an arm around my waist as he normally did at night. His breaths touched the back of my neck, but no part of our skin made contact.
"I can tell you're not asleep," Jake whispered. "Your breathing's too soft."
I bit my lip and closed my eyes. No part of me was ready to face him yet. It only made things more uncertain with what the woman said. I didn't know what I thought or what I wanted. All I knew was that what happened today was wrong, but it was saving my life.
I think what made it so much worse was how I’d reacted to it. I'd wanted it. The acting I'd been so determined to display left long before he'd touched me. I hadn't known Jake Cryson before coming here. As much as I'd learned about him, I seemed to be learning far more about myself… and it was fucking disturbing.
With a deep breath, I rolled over to face him. I expected him to hide his supposed affection. To wear a smirk on his handsome face and have some demeaning remark on the tip of his tongue.
He'd fucked the detective. God, I hated myself.
He didn't wear the smirk, though. His face was impassive, and somehow that was worse. At least the smirk would've been some reaction to what we'd done.
I braced to roll back over, but he gripped my shoulder before I could. Both our gazes darted to his hand, and he eased his hold, rubbing circles along my skin with his thumb. His fingers glided underneath the sleeve of my shirt and traced my collar bone. When warmth began settling in my core, I gripped his wrist and pulled it from me.
"You're angry," he observed, laying his palm flat on the bed.
My cheeks heated and I was grateful for the dark to hide my blush. As much as I tried to deny it to myself, I was angry. He'd promised me the day, yet he'd only given me the morning. Sure, I’d been asleep most of the afternoon, but still. It shouldn't have mattered to me. I'd accomplished what I set out to. But for some reason it hurt and it only added to my overwhelming shame and embarrassment.
"I wanted to stay with you today, Laila. I really did."
I closed my eyes a moment and pushed back the unwanted emotion. If I kept my eyes closed, he'd probably just let me go to sleep. It would've been the safest bet if I wanted to avoid him knowing how I felt about today. He could probably guess, but if I opened my mouth he'd know for sure.
But then his hand cupped my cheek and his thumb traced my jawline. My eyelids crinkled as I clenched harder, but the emotion bubbled out.
"Then why didn't you?"
I kept my eyes closed and allowed him to continue his caress. Seeing his eyes when I revealed the effect having sex with him had on me would've been too much.
"Something came up… Something work related."
I swallowed and pulled back from his hand enough for him to get the hint. I didn't want his touch. Not right then. I didn't know if I could do this anymore. Not when I seemed to be the victim of my own seduction. It hurt too much, even if it was working on Jake as well.
"Laila, look at me."
"I can't."
"Why can't you?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow. This time, Jake didn't stop me.
I needed to play my part, to pull him further in. I had to make him care for me enough that he'd let me go. But I couldn't. I was the one breaking because of my own game.
"Just leave me alone," I whispered.
To my amazement, he respected my request. Jake sighed before climbing out of bed and leaving the room. He didn't come back that night.
16
Jake
I'd always thought people were crazy when they spoke of feeling their phone vibrate in their pocket when it hadn't gone off. Phantom vibe, I think that was what it's called.
Well, it was real, and it'd been happening to me all fucking day. About two hours ago, it'd gotten too annoying and I'd placed the phone on my desk instead while I filed away paperwork. I wouldn't stop glancing at it, and the sight of the sleeping phone mocked me almost as much as when it was in my pocket.
Today was the day Kevin was supposed to call. Katie supposedly called her father around noon, and he was supposed to tell Kevin I needed to speak with him. Yet, here it was, 7 p.m. and I hadn't heard shit.
I raked my hand over my face and sighed. My little brother hated me. It was the most plausible reasoning I could come up with. First, he hadn't told me about my niece, and now he didn't care that I was in trouble. It'd eaten at me all day, and I'd agonized through memories that would lead him to feel that way about me. They were there throughout his child
hood, throughout this business. Did he blame me for his actions? Because I was the one who had given him the job? Fuck, I didn't know. But I sure as hell blamed myself.
One particularly gruesome memory from my childhood entered my mind, and I forced it down as I always did. Maybe I was responsible for the way Kevin turned out. What would Laila think if she knew?
I shook my head and forced myself to concentrate on the file in front of me. I'd finished with paperwork a half hour ago and had gotten Laila's information back out to gloss over it. A few new pieces of her mail had been added to the file. We'd been picking it up since taking her just to keep up the pretenses of her running away.
It’d been really easy for her to disappear. Her phone records showed calls to her parents who were traveling through Europe and lived in another state. After sending a few texts from her phone saying she'd met a guy, her parents had been happy for her and hadn't bothered since. It was actually kind of sad. The only other calls were to people on the force and a few take-out restaurants. We'd cleaned her apartment out and left a note for her detective partner saying she just couldn't take it anymore and needed a fresh start. So far, there'd been no issues there either. Laila was much harder to keep than she was to take.
I sighed and opened an envelope from Capital One. It was just a credit card statement and I imagined had all the boring purchases of a hermit, but I decided to take a look anyway. I unfolded the statement and flattened it on the desk.
Before I got the chance to study the sheet of paper, my phone vibrated. I must've developed cat reflexes with the way I snatched the phone and brought it to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, boss... everything all right?"
I pulled the phone from my ear and shut my eyes. It was Maddix.
"Yeah, Maddix. What's up?" I asked, calming myself enough to speak evenly as I brought my cell back to my face.
"I have some bad news. Our guy isn't here. I've searched all the locations you gave me."
Dethroned: Darker Places Book Three Page 15
