EXPLOITING AJ

by Tl Reeve

  Maybe he was thinking too hard and he needed to give them time to explore. Perhaps, if they did that, they’d come to an organic parting. If they didn’t? Well, at least he wasn’t alone anymore.

  AJ woke the next morning tangled in the sheets and comforter covering the bed. It’d been the second best night’s sleep she’d had in, well, a long time. Cocooned in the warmth of the bed, she didn’t want to move. As she opened her eyes, the memories of the night before came back in roaring clarity.

  She’d had sex.

  Three times.

  With Thomas.

  She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making a sound. Guilt swamped her. While Scotty had been trapped in some fucked-up club, she’d been allowing Thomas to ejaculate all over her. And, she liked it. No, she loved it. Oh, God, what am I going to do? To feel better about the situation, she could say it just happened. Or, it’d been an accident.

  What did he do, Amelia? Trip and fall into you? Fuck. How could she screw up so badly? Why did she allow herself to be so reckless?

  She opened her eyes again and stared at Thomas’ lush form. He stood near the window staring out over Luca’s property, still naked from their night of debauchery. He lifted a cup to his lips and took a drink. Wait, did he go parading through the house naked to get coffee? She rolled her eyes. It fit his disposition.

  She mentally shook her head.

  Why was she being so calm about the situation? Maybe it’s because he fucked you six-ways to Sunday. Ugh. Her inner monologue watched too much Pornhub. Don’t forget you told him you love him.

  Shit.

  It’d been a moment of weakness. She didn’t understand why the words spilled from her like they did, but they were out and, technically, she couldn’t take them back. You could, you know. You could say it was a heat of the moment thing or you knew he’d stop spanking you if you said it. Yeah right. Thomas understood her better than she knew herself. He’d see right through her explanation.

  What am I going to do?

  Well, she couldn’t stay in bed all day. They had to begin preparations for the club. According to everything she read at Jaqueline’s before they left for Luca’s place, the Federales person/bartender for the club would be meeting with everyone to give updates. It would also be when they received the tickets Santiago snatched for them. She hoped with everything she’d also get an update on Scotty. She had to know he was okay and was staying safe.

  “I know you’re awake, Amelia,” Thomas said.

  “Oh, uh, morning,” she replied, sitting up in bed.

  “Did you sleep well?” He didn’t look at her, instead kept his gaze out toward the hills in the distance.

  “I-I did. Did you?” Again, they were back to awkward.

  “More or less,” he answered. “I’m going to take a shower. I left you coffee by the bed. When I’m finished, you should get ready as well. It’s going to be a long day.”

  “Sure,” she answered. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  He nodded then headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. She slunk down into the bed and flailed her arms and legs. She wanted to call herself all kinds of names then him, too, for good measure. She stared up at the ceiling until she heard the water come on then climbed out of bed and grabbed Thomas’ shirt off the floor. She needed five minutes to clear her head, plus she needed milk and sugar for her coffee. She hated it black. When she opened the door, she glanced back at the bathroom and frowned.

  Come hell or high water, she had to make this work. Scotty’s life depended on it. So did Christian’s and Hannah’s.

  Chapter 8

  Murray stood at the coffee pot pouring himself a cup a coffee, when AJ entered the kitchen. The house was quiet, no one was up but them, it seemed. It didn’t surprise her, if Luca had anyone there with him, he probably gagged them so not to make a sound—unlike her and Thomas or Jaqueline and Murray.

  Murray glanced at her and grinned after he put the pot back into the maker. He wore a pair of sleep pants with nothing else. His back was covered in scratch marks, and his neck had a couple of purple spots—hickies—adorning his skin. His normally slicked-back hair was messy from sleep, or lack thereof, but his eyes were alert and attentive. Overall, he appeared well fucked.

  You’ve got a lot of room to talk.

  True. She didn’t want to think about it, though. It brought forth too many questions and thinking about it only made missing Scotty worse along with the guilt. Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Thomas made her feel things. Confusion being the biggest one. When he said all those things about sex and not pulling out, had he meant it, or was he being crude? He’d stayed inside her at the club, but last night he’d been content to cover her with his release. Was this part of his kink? Did he get off on coming on his partners? Had it been a one-time thing?

  No, she promised she wouldn’t think about it.

  “Morning,” she murmured going to fridge.

  “Morning. Sleep well?”

  AJ lifted her head out of the fridge. Heat filled her cheeks as she glanced up at him. “Yeah. You know. New places. So many different sounds.”

  “Right.” He smirked.

  She grabbed the carton of milk out of the fridge then went to the table with it. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” Murray said, joining her.

  “Did you see Thomas naked?”

  Murray barked out a laugh. “What?”

  “Naked. Out here. Getting coffee?” She poured the milk into her cup before returning it to the refrigerator then went to the counter where all the different glass jars were.

  “No. The coffee was done when I got up. I figured Luca’s maids did it or something.”

  “Oh.” She picked up the container marked sugar then went in search of a spoon. “He must have done it then. I doubt I would have slept through a maid seeing Thomas naked.”

  “I don’t think any of us would.” He chuckled. “Everything else okay?”

  She spun, facing him with a spoon in one hand and the container in the other. “That’s a loaded question.” She dropped a couple of spoonfuls of sugar into her mug then put everything away or into the sink. “The answer is also complicated.”

  “Want to talk about it? Hannah always said I was a good listener.”

  She frowned. AJ didn’t like puking up her feelings or laying her shit out there for someone else to deal with. “I don’t want to bog you down with my issues.”

  He waved her off. “Your issues are the team’s issues.” He patted the table beside him. “Sit, we have a while before everyone is supposed to show up.”

  She chose the chair across from him. “We did it last night. Thomas and me. Again.” Now I’m the one who can’t say fuck or sex. Damn it, Thomas. What have you done to me?

  “Congratulations,” Murray said. “Jaqueline and I did, too.”

  “Kind of heard you,” AJ replied, shifting in her chair as the ache from being spanked made her twinge in pain and remembrance.

  “Oh?” Murry wiggled his brows. “Did you? You little perv.”

  “I am not a perv,” she huffed crossing her arms. “You were loud enough we heard you through solid oak doors.”

  Murry motioned to the ceiling and the walls. “Good acoustics.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Which means you heard us, too.”

  He nodded. “For what it’s worth, it’s not a big deal. Hot as fuck. But, still not a big deal.”

  She moaned and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe this is my life now.”

  “Hey, it’s not all bad,” Murray said. “Seems like Thomas likes you. You guys have some smoking chemistry, too.”

  “But I’m in love with my best friend, and I slept with my work partner who I’m also in love with,” she said. “It’s like some fucked-up telenovela.”

  “Okay, when you put it in those terms, maybe a little.”

  “Ugh, you’re not helping.” She shook her head. “What am I supposed
to do?”

  “Well, no one but you can answer that question. You have to figure it out.”

  “I can’t,” she said. “How do I choose between the two of them?”

  Murray scrubbed his chin. “Who says you have to?”

  AJ stared at him. Not choose? How was that possible? “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “Don’t be too daft, kid. You know what I’m saying. Why do you have to choose between both men? Why can’t you enjoy them both?”

  She leaned across the table and narrowed her eyes. “It’s illegal for one. We all can’t get married. Not only that, shouldn’t the men come to some agreement? We haven’t even talked about having a relationship, either.”

  He nodded. “So, you’re worried about nothing.”

  “Nothing? Aren’t you listening to me?”

  “I am. You’re consumed with the future and not living in the moment.” He took a sip of his coffee and grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the table. “Let me guess, you woke up this morning and everything was awkward for you.”

  “Yeah, how did you know?” She glanced away.

  “You’re still young, kid,” Murray said. “Thomas is a man. He knows what he wants, and I’d bet money he didn’t fuck you last night just to have a warm hole to put his dick in.”

  “Ugh. Vulgar much?” Nevertheless, he was right. Thomas didn’t fuck women just to get off. He did have standards. What kind, she was still learning.

  He shrugged. “Get used to it. Men like Thomas and I call it how we see it. Anyway, like I said, he wouldn’t have fucked you if he didn’t want to. He likes you.”

  “Now you’ve reverted to kid terms,” she said. “This is all so confusing. I wish I could reset my life, with a normal family, to understand how relationships work.”

  “Nothing is ever normal. Hell,” Murray said, “I don’t even think normal people understand normal.”

  “That’s pretty profound,” AJ replied.

  “I’m a pretty profound guy.”

  She sat back in her chair and took a drink of her coffee. “I enjoyed last night. A lot. I guess I feel guilty about it.”

  “Again, the acoustics,” he teased. “The guilt, I can understand, though. You have a thing for Scotty. From what I’ve read on the both of you, you’ve had rough lives. It only makes sense to seek comfort in each other’s arms.”

  “Another can of worms I don’t wish to open,” she muttered.

  “You had sex and it didn’t go well?” He cocked a brow.

  “No, it went according to plan until I fucked up.” She sighed. “Before I could apologize, he was kidnapped.”

  “Ah.” Murray glanced out the window. “Well, kid, the only way to fix it, is to rescue him. Until then, don’t dwell on it. I bet, deep down, he’s beating himself up, too.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Ah, there you are,” Thomas said, entering the kitchen with Jaqueline. “We’d wondered where both of you had gotten off to.”

  “Sorry. I needed milk and sugar for my coffee. Murray was here, so we’ve been talking. Getting to know each other.” She pulled at the arm of Thomas’ shirt, feeling a bit insecure about choosing to wear it. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  He shook his head. “Not one bit.”

  “Cool. Uh, do you think the water is warm? I know we have a busy day ahead of us.” AJ pushed out of her chair and grabbed her cup.

  “Should be.” Thomas blocked her path. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Murray snorted then coughed. “Sorry. Wrong pipe.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She hesitated for a second then pressed a kiss to Thomas’ cheek. She chided herself for not kissing his lips, but she didn’t know if she was supposed to or not when they weren’t playing their parts or whatever it was called. Ugh, I hate my life.

  “Thanks for keeping me company, AJ. It’s been a long time since I could talk to someone who reminded me of my little sister.”

  Warmth filled her. “You’re welcome. I appreciate your help, too.”

  “Anytime. I hope it all works out for you.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “Me, too.”

  The conversation with Murray settled AJ and when she returned from her shower, Noah was already there, alone. With as much time as she’d spent with Mateo and Noah, she half expected the man to be there with him. She tightened her ponytail as she entered the library then ran her hands down the front of her pants.

  “Hey, glad you’re here now,” Noah said in greeting.

  “Mateo stay back in Virginia?” She stood next to Thomas. The awkward air between them was still thick. She blamed it on herself more than him, because of her issues with Scotty.

  “He’s keeping an eye on Bex,” Noah replied. “With this case, we have to keep her protected right now.”

  “What happened?” Thomas stepped forward. Anger vibrated off of him.

  “I’d thought we’d have more time,” Murray said. “Shit.”

  “Bex is in a considerable amount of danger,” Noah said. “Which is why I’m here a little early. We had a situation the other day. Mateo had a man arrested for snooping around the school. Turns out, he’s part of the Los Trios Cartel out of Los Trios, Mexico.”

  No. No. No. This is what she feared would happen. This had been the side plan she and Thomas were trying to smooth out, so when they returned home, they could implement. They were too late, though. Los Trios already put their plans into motion. Luckily or maybe thankfully, it didn’t pan out. Bex was safe for the moment. But, how much time did she have left?

  “Never dealt with them,” Jaqueline replied. “We received information about them working with FLDS in Mexico as well.”

  AJ’s mind churned through scenario after scenario, fearing the worst for Bex. Damn it, they’d wasted too much time! The warmth of Thomas’ hand wrapped around hers, steadied her. Together, they’d planned for hours, coming up with several different strategies to protect Bex.

  Now, they were out of time.

  “They’re new from the information we’re gathering.” Noah handed them a small file. “Look, R.O.O.T isn’t in the business of keeping track of cartels. However, since this shit with the Aguila Cartel got dumped on our doorstep, we’re sinking deeper into the world.”

  “Tex brought me up to speed about your cases before Murray arrived,” Jaqueline said. “Sounds like you were on the shit end of an introduction to the cartel business.”

  Noah snorted. “You can say that. R.O.O.T polices black-ops organizations for the US Government and, not to pat myself or Murray on the back, we’re good at it. Just so happens we have insider connections and can take on different kinds of jobs as needed, like this case. However, in this situation, the breadcrumbs of our original case led us in this direction.”

  “What is the status of Bex?” AJ asked.

  “A bit banged up. Asher is working on a fix for her as we speak. Mateo is the default leader.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure he’s excited.”

  Noah rolled his eyes. “The man is going to drive me crazy before all of this is over. He’s determined to protect her.”

  Bex, from everything AJ witnessed, had a hard life. The abuse she sustained at her father’s hand, turned AJ’s stomach and made rescuing Scotty, Hannah, and Christian imperative. Which meant, she needed to focus on the task at hand instead of Thomas. Later, when everyone was reunited, she could contemplate everything. “What kind of run-in did she have to cause the guy to be arrested?”

  “They tried to kidnap her as she exited the high school. Had Mateo and another quick-thinking teacher not approached Bex, who knows what would have happened,” Noah answered.

  “Which means Los Trios has been following her as well.” Jaqueline frowned.

  “Fuck,” Thomas snarled. “I’d thought we’d have more time.”

  Noah glanced at him. “You want to fill me in?”

  Thomas laid out everything in the same succinct way Luca had told them. From the fact Los Trios used the tunnels, to h
ow they connected to the El Dorado FLDS compound in Texas. “AJ and I have been coming up with different solutions to keep Bex safe while we try to shut down Raul’s little club here.”

  “And you didn’t warn us?” Noah snapped. “My—Mateo could have been hurt. Several students could have been put in harm’s way as well, if it hadn’t been for their quick thinking. You should have called it in.”

  AJ stepped forward. “It’s my fault. I take responsibility. I knew the right thing to do was tell you, but I also didn’t want to raise suspicion. How would it have looked to have people hanging around Bex? You think those guys don’t know? Everyone does. It’s how cartels and gangs work.”

  Noah blew out a breath. “You can’t hide shit like this from us.”

  “And you would have jumped the gun and ruined our mission here,” Thomas said. “The minute you would have set up an op around Bex, word would’ve gotten back to Raul and he’d have left here, cancelling the auction. We both know it.”

  “Fuck!” Noah scrubbed his forehead. “I hate being put in these positions.”

  “So, you’ve told him then?” Luca entered the room. “Sorry, I had a phone call to deal with.”

  “Yeah,” Thomas replied. “We had to. Looks like Los Trios is moving up the timeline.”

  “Hmm, same thing I’ve heard as well,” Luca said. “It appears we’re running out of options.”

  “Anything else I should know?” Noah muttered.

  “Well, it seems obvious, doesn’t it?” Luca hedged. “We can start putting the pieces together. The Nieto Cartel is being torn apart from the inside.”

  Noah stared at Luca for a moment then cursed under his breath. “We’re on the same page. There’s no way Los Trios should have gotten as close to Bex as they had. Her bodyguards are paid to protect her.”

  “Unless they were paid to look the other way,” Luca said. “Like I told the others, my sources are saying Raul isn’t long for this world. According to the rumblings, other cartel leaders are tired of the attention Raul is pointing in their direction along with his own.”