by Katie Reus
Seconds later he realized why the woman was there. She stormed over to a booth where a college-aged woman with pale blonde hair sat in a booth with Aguilar. And they were clearly not just friends if his tongue down her throat was any indication.
“You son of a bitch!” red shirt shouted.
Aguilar’s head whipped up and his eyes widened as he saw her. He held up his hands in apology. “Listen baby…”
Ivan headed for the bar, taking a seat as his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he saw the text from Julieta, anger jumped inside him. Just got another text from him.
She didn’t need to specify who the ‘him’ referred to. When? What did it say? He glanced back over at the unfolding scene of drama as a man who was clearly a manager tried to calm everyone down while the few other patrons in the bar area looked on in fascination. Ivan quickly realized both women worked here from the way the conversation was heating up.
Literally just now. Had my phone on the counter. Said something vile, you can read when you get here.
Unless Aguilar could text and make out with some woman at the same time, Ivan doubted he was the guy. Seemed as if he was juggling a lot as it was. Ivan fought the disappointment that slid through him. It would have made things a hell of a lot easier to know the identity of Julieta’s stalker. Because Ivan didn’t mind breaking any rules to bring the guy down, whoever he was.
On my way. Stay close to your brother.
It’s okay, you don’t have to come. Just wanted you to know.
He snorted and shoved his phone back in his pocket. There was no way he was staying away now. Unfortunately if Aguilar wasn’t the guy, they didn’t have much to go on at this point. Julieta’s stalker could be anybody.
* * *
He drove by Julieta’s store, angry to see that the window was already fixed. That should have taken longer, should have been more of a strain on her.
Next time he’d smash in the windows of her car. And slash all the seats. That would certainly get her attention. Unfortunately she usually parked along the curb in plain sight near her store and at home she parked in her garage. When he destroyed her car he’d need to take his time, not be rushed. He wanted her to know exactly how much time and effort he put into destroying something of hers.
The last few texts he’d sent she hadn’t responded to before he’d disposed of the phones. Not that he’d actually expected her to respond, but her silence only infuriated him.
Like he wasn’t important enough for her. His hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he neared her store. Looking over, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her in the window dressing one of the mannequins.
She bent over slightly, trying to adjust something, and her dress rode up a couple inches in the back. Not enough for him to see what he wanted, but it made his cock flare to life.
He snapped his head forward, not wanting to crash. The adrenaline rushing through him was potent, almost overwhelming. Waiting until he was a few blocks away, he pulled into a busy shopping center and parked near the back of one of the rows so that he was four spots away from anyone.
With shaking hands, he pulled out one of his burner phones from the glove box and turned it on. Barely able to contain his excitement, he texted her. Soon I’m going to shove my cock in your mouth and then your ass. I’m going to fuck you anywhere I want until you’re screaming my name.
As he hit send, a thrill went through him. He just wished he could see the fear in her gaze when she read it. He laid the phone on the passenger seat and rubbed his palm over himself. He wanted to unzip his pants and take care of his erection but didn’t want to get caught. It wasn’t worth the risk of ending up in the system listed as a pervert.
Looking around, he saw that there was no one around and no video cameras that he could see. His windows were tinted anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt just to touch himself once.
He couldn’t drive home like this and it wasn’t going away. Not now with the image of Julieta’s frightened face in his mind. As he started to unzip his pants, his phone dinged with an incoming text.
His breath caught in his throat. She’d responded.
As he turned on the screen he immediately saw it wasn’t from her. It was one of those standard texts from the company he’d bought the phone from telling him how many minutes he had left.
The sharpest sense of rage surged through him. He wiped his prints from the phone, then rolled down the window. With a shaking hand, he tossed the phone out. Of course she hadn’t responded. She thought she was too good for someone like him. Soon she’d learn that she was disposable, a pathetic whore. He was going to make her beg him for death. Then maybe he’d give it to her. Or maybe he’d keep her around even longer than he had the others.
Chapter 9
Julieta’s place was quiet. Too quiet for her to be inside. It was perfect for his needs.
He’d checked the window of her garage and her car wasn’t in it. There were a couple lights on inside but he was almost positive she wasn’t home. He’d been tempted to ring her doorbell to check, but just in case she was—and she had company—he didn’t want to take the chance.
When he took her, it would be when she was by herself. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
Now he needed to scope out the interior of her house and figure out where the best point of entry would be later. And the best place to hide if he decided to lie in wait for her. For now he planned to strike in the middle of the night, close to two or three when she’d be in a dead sleep. He’d have to find a window to leave unlocked too, as his backup on the off chance she changed her locks. The possibility that she’d do it in the next couple days was slim, but he wanted to cover all his bases.
A dog barked in her next door neighbors’ backyard, the sound obnoxious, as he crept along the interior of her privacy fence. He’d parked along the curb a couple doors down from her place thirty minutes ago and done a quick recon. After he’d discovered her car wasn’t in the garage or driveway, he’d parked a few blocks over in a park then jogged by her place.
Since it still appeared empty, he’d doubled around to the street behind hers. He was pretty certain the home behind hers was empty too. Floodlights hadn’t come on, but he’d been quick, racing through their yard before scaling the fence into Julieta’s. The sun had recently set so he had darkness on his side. Most people would have gotten home from work an hour ago so they should be inside, making this a good time for him to infiltrate her home.
At least she didn’t seem to have a dog.
Not that he had a problem eliminating one, but it would take too much time and could be too messy, especially if the animal was a bigger breed.
His heart pounded erratically as he made his way across the decent sized backyard. No pool or any clutter, just a couple of older orange trees. When he reached the back of the house, he tested the sliding glass door. Locked. He tried the keys he’d had made, but none fit. Since he hadn’t been sure which key went to what, he’d made copies of all three on her key ring.
Gritting his teeth, he crept to the edge of the house and peered around the corner. Her privacy fence blocked the side door he’d seen from his earlier recon. He hadn’t wanted to risk making himself any more visible, but he didn’t have a choice.
Moving quietly, he slipped on his gloves, then unlatched the fence. He had a mask to pull over his face, but wasn’t putting that on yet. There wasn’t much of an excuse if he got caught wearing it. A quick glance out told him no one was there and the neighborhood was relatively quiet except for a few barking dogs in the distance. At least the one next door had finally quieted.
The flash of headlights made him freeze. He stayed still as the lights swept over the fence briefly.
Her neighbor was pulling into the driveway. He took a step back into the shadows of Julieta’s backyard, easing the fence door shut behind him, but not fully closing it. He needed to know if her neighbor had seen him.
A car door shut. “Ye
ah, I just got home… No, I need to shower and change then I’ll meet you. Yes, I’ll be quick…” The woman’s voice trailed off as she likely headed inside.
Not wasting any more time, he opened the fence and hurried toward the side door. The second key he tried slid easily into the lock. He twisted it to the side and smiled at the sound and feel of it unlocking.
After another glance around, he eased the door open, his palms sweating in his gloves.
An alarm started beeping, making him jerk in surprise. It continued beeping, giving him time to turn it off—if he knew the code. Damn it! She had an alarm system? There were no signs in her yard or stickers on her windows.
He could run now, or take another risk. The alarm company would contact the police who would then dispatch an officer, but that could take some time. Maybe ten minutes at the most, depending upon how close an officer was. He was betting on seven minutes to be safe. It was possible one of her neighbors would come check but if that happened, he’d deal with the problem then.
Taking a chance, he ducked inside and shut the door behind him just as the alarm started blaring. He pulled out his black cloth mask from his back pocket and tugged it on. Moving through the house, he quickly scanned her lower floor before racing up the stairs. Two bedrooms were empty, one looked like a guest room and the other was clearly hers.
His heart pounded out of control, his cock heavy between his legs when he saw her big bed. He wanted to fuck her there, make her scream in pleasure and pain for him right where she normally slept.
The alarm blared, the piercing sound making him edgy as he hurried to one of her dressers. He opened the top drawer and found sports bras and what looked like work-out T-shirts. Not what he wanted. He went to the other dresser and tugged open the top drawer.
Bingo.
All her panties and lingerie. He picked up the top piece, a sheer red scrap of material, and held it up to his nose. It smelled like a floral detergent.
His rage grew, detonating inside him, clawing at him. That wasn’t what he wanted. He threw it on the ground.
Moving to her attached bathroom, he quickly scanned the room, looking for dirty clothes. Everything was neat and tidy. He opened a door to what he guessed was a linen closet and felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest when he saw a small wicker laundry hamper tucked under the bottom shelf, sitting next to a scale.
With shaking hands, he yanked it out. Delicate feminine underthings were the only thing in the hamper. He knew women liked to hand wash stuff like this so that must be why it was separate from wherever the rest of her laundry was. He grabbed out a black thong and green sheer bra and shoved them in his pocket.
Sweat covered his forehead and upper lip as he backtracked the way he’d come. How long had he been upstairs? He couldn’t remember. The alarm made him anxious, the effect of the noise giving him a pounding headache.
Were the police nearby?
Instead of heading out the side door, he went through the kitchen’s other open entryway and into a living room. Blinds covered the sliding glass door.
His hands were trembling out of control as he lifted the security latch and yanked the door open. Cool Florida air rushed over him, making him clammy as he stepped out into her backyard.
He paused, looking around. He couldn’t see anyone. Sirens blared nearby, spurring him into action. He sprinted across her backyard and scaled the fence. He yanked off his mask and shoved it into his other pocket.
Taking off his hoodie, he wrapped it around his waist and made his way back through the neighbors’ yard to their sidewalk. With his hoodie tied and tennis shoes on, he looked as if he was out for a run. Keeping his pace steady, he started a slow jog, scanning his environment as he did.
Smiling, he half-waved at a woman walking her dog a few houses down. She smiled back and didn’t give him a second glance, which told him he must look normal enough.
It didn’t matter that his heart was an erratic beat inside him and he could barely contain the urge to pull out Julieta’s thong and shove it against his face, he at least looked normal on the outside.
As he came to a four way stop, he jogged in place, keeping up the pretense, as two black and white police cars zoomed by, only slowing briefly at the intersection.
Oh yeah, they were definitely headed to Julieta’s place.
Once they passed, he jogged across the street and somehow managed to keep his pace slow and steady instead of full out sprinting like the fear inside him demanded. He’d been smart so far, he wouldn’t get caught because he couldn’t keep himself under control.
The alarm was a problem, but it just meant he’d have to take her another way. Her workplace had security, but if he could catch her alone during one of her lunch breaks or directly after her work day, he would be able to take her, even if she struggled.
Tonight he’d outline his plan for his next move, but only after he stroked himself off with her thong. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it had touched Julieta and soon he’d be rubbing it all over himself.
* * *
Julieta glanced at Ivan in surprise as he steered into the parking lot of La Playa Grill. “You sure this is where you want to go for our first date?”
Ivan nodded. “Your brother told me this was one of your favorite places.”
She bit back a smile. “It is, but…did he also tell you that he’s part owner with my oldest brother? And that a lot of my family will be here tonight?”
Ivan snapped a quick look at her before pulling into one of the only open spots. “He might have forgot to mention that.” His voice was wry.
“We don’t have to eat here. Seriously, there are a dozen places we could pick on this strip.” While her parents’ place was more reminiscent of the type of food you’d find in her grandmother’s kitchen, her brothers’ restaurant served seafood with a Cuban flare. There was more variety, which was perfect since it was close to the beach. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about Ivan meeting more of her family, especially when she knew this thing between them was just casual.
He shut off the engine. “We’re eating here. Sandro can’t scare me off that easily. Or at all,” he murmured before getting out of the SUV. He seemed more relaxed now that they were away from her shop.
Ever since he’d returned to her store, he’d been hyper vigilant and alert, his anger at her latest text a palpable thing. He’d barely relaxed until she’d decided to beg off work early and let Ruby and Sandro close up.
She hadn’t wanted to, but with Ivan at her shop, edgy, like a caged lion, she figured food and some space was what they needed. Plus she wasn’t letting some psycho dictate her life. She was excited about this date with Ivan—even if it was at her brothers’ restaurant. Wasn’t like her parents would be here or anything, and with Sandro at her shop that meant Montez would be even busier in the kitchen.
She had nothing to worry about. Still, her gut twisted at the thought of Ivan meeting more of her relatives. She appreciated all his help, but she didn’t want to give her family the wrong idea about their relationship and if she kept bringing Ivan around, they would. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject without sounding like a bitch.
Julieta picked up her purse from the floorboard and had just taken off her seatbelt when her door opened. Ivan was all about the manners, something she loved. It had been a long time since she’d been out with someone, much less someone so respectful. Taking his hand, she let him help her out of the vehicle and was surprised when he pressed her up against the side of the SUV, his mouth crushing over hers in a breath stealing kiss.
Grabbing her hips, he hoisted her up higher against the side of the door so that she was more level with him. On instinct, she wrapped her legs around him, not caring what kind of display they were potentially making. She’d never felt like this before, so physically consumed that she wanted, needed, to feel Ivan inside her. It was probably better that this thing between them was casual, otherwise she’d turn
into a complete sex maniac and never get anything done. Right. That was what she’d keep telling herself.
His tongue danced with hers and he let out a groan that sounded almost frustrated. Just like that, her entire body heated up even more, as if her nerve endings had been doused in accelerant and he’d lit a match. She arched against him, sliding her hands up his chest and linking her fingers together around the back of his neck.
He nipped her bottom lip, biting down a little more than just playfully, the action taking her off guard and making her nipples tighten. Why were they going to dinner again? They should be back at her place and naked. Unable to stop herself, she slid her hand up the back of his neck and through his short hair. He’d looked so sexy with his hair rumpled this morning and she wanted to see it that way again.
Suddenly Ivan pulled back, breathing hard as he let her go. She let her legs fall from around his waist and straightened her dress as he moved in front of her, blocking her body with his. They were in between his vehicle and another, with a wall at the back of his SUV since he’d reversed into the spot. She automatically tensed at his rigid stance until she heard voices.
That must have been why he’d stopped, but it was just a man and woman laughing as they walked across the parking lot, talking about how good the food had been.
“I’m sorry, Julieta,” he murmured as he turned to her. The sound of the voices were already fading as the couple walked farther away.
“Why?” She smoothed a hand down her dress more to calm her nerves than anything else.
“I shouldn’t have done that out here, not with… There’s no excuse for my losing control like that.” His expression was carefully neutral, so unlike the passionate man she’d been kissing moments before.
Her lips quirked up and she trailed her fingers down the middle of his chest. “I’m not complaining.”
At that his expression softened a fraction. “I want to keep you safe. I should have waited until our surroundings were more secure.”
