Wannabe: An Against The Odds Novel

by Christa DeClue

  “Of course. My shift should be over in an hour. I’ll be there then, okay?” My voice is edged with worry now, because really, who checks themselves out of the hospital one day after being shot? Big dumb cavemen, that’s who.

  “Thanks, babes. He’s out cold right now. So, I’m going to head upstairs and try to seduce my man with that line you laid on me.”

  “Excuse me, don’t use me to get laid.” My voice rises with offense.

  “Too late, these pregnancy hormones are no joke. My vagina and I appreciate you.” I can hear her laughter through the phone again.

  “Bye, bitch.”

  I put my phone back in my bra and make my way past the office where Matt and Tara are sitting in deep discussion. I head back to the bar and when Briar sees me, she does a double take. I make my way to the other side to continue bartending.

  “What the fuck happened to your head?” she asks me loudly. I wince, momentarily having forgotten the recent tussle I was in with Kenny the Creep.

  “Good news and bad news. Good news is that Kenny is fired. Bad news is, he got one good shot in on me before I put him down. He hit Tara too.” She hisses in a breath at my words.

  “I wish I had been back there to stomp his balls with my heels. I’m glad you took care of him then, hopefully he won’t bother you again. That dude is like a leech, sucking all of the goodness out of the atmosphere with his creepy tendencies. What a douche. Major SDE,” she growls out.

  “That’s what I said!” I smirk at her and she throws her hands up in a “told you so” gesture. She finishes selling a beer to Mr. Cahill, who tips her a quarter, which she promptly throws at the back of his head. She turns to me after his gasp of outrage.

  “Get out of here, I’ll close up. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”

  I salute her, because she doesn’t have to tell me twice.

  “Yes, mistress,” I say saucily. She whips me with a wet bar towel, and I giggle and bolt for the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Ryan

  I come awake slowly to throbbing throughout my whole right side. I’m disoriented and I can’t remember where I am. I sit up in bed and see I’m home. I hear voices in my foyer, which confuses me more. Like a rush, memories of coming home from the hospital hit me. I realize quickly it must be Zaydra in the foyer; she was reluctant to leave me, even when I told her I would be fine. I lay back on the bed gingerly and my breath escapes me with a slight hiss. The pain is lessening to a distinct throb now.

  The door to my bedroom opens, and I almost feel like I’m dreaming. I see honey blonde hair hallowed by my hallway light, making Amber look like an angel. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut by her beauty again. She sees me awake and gives me a radiant smile, and I can’t breathe for a moment. She throws her purse on the desk by the door and makes her way towards the bed. I prop myself up to the best of my ability.

  “What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?” I ask in a gruff, sleep-laden voice.

  “No, you’re not dreaming. Zaydra called me earlier and said you were asking for me. So, here I am,” she says in a voice barely above a whisper. She kicks off her shoes and crawls across the bed to nestle close to my injured right side without hurting me.

  “You didn’t have to come; I would have been fine. I was probably out of it. I’m sorry she called you away from work,” I mumble.

  “I’m not. This is the one place that I always want to be. I want you to ask for me and no one else. I want to feel important to you.” Her whispered words have goose bumps riddling up my spine. I lean over despite the sting and kiss her. She deepens the kiss for a minute before breaking it, breathless.

  Not willing to be deterred, I capture her full lips with mine again. Using my finger and my thumb, I tilt her mouth up. Her lips part and I plunge my tongue into her mouth to duel with hers. She lets out a small sound from the back of her throat that has my cock hardening along my thigh. I reach with my uninjured arm and pull her on top of me without breaking the kiss. She struggles to pull away but my arms band around her waist to keep her on top of me.

  Her black dress rides up her hips as she straddles my dick, and when I break the earth-shattering kiss to come up for air, I see her bare pussy sitting on top of my gray sweatpants-covered dick. A groan rumbles through my chest. She’s staring down at me with lust in her doe eyes. I feel myself harden even more.

  “I’m going to hurt you. You’re going to rip your stitches. Let me off,” she whispers while subconsciously rocking her hips over my erection. The searing pleasure-pain combo has my back arching up into her core. She whimpers.

  “It won’t really hurt me if you do all the work, now will it? It’s been too long since I felt your tight pussy around my cock. You’ve been a naughty tease the last week, aren’t you sorry? You should show me how sorry you are.” My gruff voice has her throwing her head back and letting out a loud moan while she rocks her bare pussy against the ridge of my cock.

  She struggles down off my hips before I can reach for her, but instead of stopping our fun, she starts pulling my sweats off my body. I hear her sharp inhale as they leave my hips and my heavy cock makes an audible slap against my stomach. She works them down my legs and tugs them off, then sits back on her haunches to stare at my naked form.

  “Fuck. I swear I’m going to start a new religion that just worships your body.” Her husky voice is laced with arousal.

  “I’d be fine with that,” I tell her as I motion for her to come to me.

  “Nobody else can be in it though. I’ll just go door to door like Jehovah’s Witnesses and tell them about how great your body is, like nirvana.” She licks her lips and my cock jumps, causing her eyes to widen. I forget about the pain in my right side as I focus on her.

  “Take your dress off. Show me what’s mine,” I order. She does what I say without protest. The minute her body is completely bare to my gaze, her nipples harden to diamond points and I forget my own name. She crawls towards me, but stops so I can feel her warm breath against my cock. It jumps again.

  “Amber…” I warn but without preamble, she engulfs the head of my dick in wet heaven. I see fireworks as she starts to suck. “Fuck, baby, like that. More, I want you to choke on me.” I thrust my hips into her mouth at the same time she relaxes her throat, and I know she’s not the only one who’s going to start a new religion. My fists bury in her hair as she bobs up and down on my cock. She chokes lightly and fire races up my spine, and I almost blow my load right there.

  “So good, baby. Fuck, you look so hot worshiping my cock. Now let it fall out of your mouth, just barely.” Giving her orders is causing her to shudder, and I see her hand slither down between her legs to play with herself. I pull her hair sharply and she moans.

  “Ah ah, your orgasm is mine. No touching yourself.” She glares at me as my cock slaps against her plump lips. “Suck one more time.”

  She engulfs me in her mouth once more and starts using her right hand in a twisting motion against my wet flesh. Pleasure is sizzling in every nerve ending I have. My balls are drawing up tight, so I quickly pull her off of me.

  “Condom,” I rasp and nod to the bedside table. She quickly grabs one and has it on my erection before I can blink. She gets up on her knees and hovers her glistening pussy above the head of my dick, barely brushing it, making my cock jump each time it gets closer and closer to heaven. I feel the growl rumbling through my chest and she laughs softly. I take my left hand and wrap it around her throat as I thrust upward into her tight wet heat.

  The second I’m inside her with her walls clutching me, we both groan. She starts to ride me slowly and I grit my teeth against the pleasure/pain sensation. She’s panting heavily, and I know she’s already close to the edge. I meet her molten chocolate eyes, then lick my thumb and use it to rub circles on her clit.

  “You like that, don’t you, baby? I feel how you’re clenching around me, trying to suffocate my dick. You’re squeezing it too good, trying to milk me for my cum. My little cum
slut, aren’t you?” My throaty words are causing her to cry out and bounce herself faster on my dick.

  “Ryan…Stoney…baby, I’m so close. I need to come, please.” Her pleas have my nuts drawing up again, and I swear lightly. I pinch her clit, then thrust up hard and she goes off. Her orgasm has her pussy clamping down on my cock, and without my consent, I explode inside her with a long groan. She slumps over my chest and I rub my hands up and down her back before she pops off of me suddenly, like her ass is on fire.

  “What? Amber, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” I ask in a panic.

  “No. Dammit, Stoney, I should be the one asking you that! You were letting me put all my weight on you!” she says accusingly, making me smile and settle back into the pillows. I close my eyes against the happiness bubbling up into my chest, when I feel a flick against the bottom of my foot. I open one eye to see her glaring down at me, naked still. I smirk as my dick twitches.

  “You’re injured! I swear it’s like you’ve forgotten that.” Her exasperation with me is clear. She disappears into the en suite bathroom and returns moments later with a towel. She makes quick work of the condom and cleans me off. A man could get used to this.

  “Don’t get used to this, sir. You won’t get this kind of treatment all the time, and if you get shot again, I swear I’ll kill you myself,” she grumbles.

  “Only if you promise to fuck me when you do it, so I can die experiencing heaven before I get there.” My wink has her huffing out a laugh. “Get up here and fall asleep with me,” I tell her, already dozing off. I hear her phone vibrate in her purse and with a cloudy sleep-fogged mind, I hear her sharp inhale. I’m drifting off to sleep when she whispers my name. I can’t be sure if her next words were real or if I’m dreaming it.

  “Stoney, baby…I need to tell you something. Stoney? Ryan?” She pauses and then sighs. “I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow. You can’t be mad at me, okay? Because I’m pretty sure I love you.” Her voice completely fades as I sink further into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: Amber

  I slip out of bed quietly around five a.m., having not slept at all the night before, just watching Ryan’s chest rise and fall through the night. Michael texted me to call him this morning at six, and I need to be back at the hotel before I do. I got the master code for the elevator last night from Zaydra, figuring I would probably have to leave before Ryan woke this morning. I buzz the intercom and Fredrick’s voice sounds loudly through the apartment. I wince, hoping I didn’t wake Ryan.

  “Sir?” Fredrick says.

  “Hey, Freddy, it’s me…Amber…FrankenTitty?” I continue when he doesn’t respond to the first two names.

  “Ah, right. Miss James, how can I help you?” he says pleasantly.

  “Can you arrange for a car to take me to the Sheraton? I’ll be down momentarily.”

  “Absolutely. Right away.” He hangs up and I press the button for the elevator, then manually enter the code to override the lock. It slides open and with one last look towards the darkened bedroom, I leave the man I love sleeping peacefully.

  Getting into the car Fredrick had waiting for me, I blow out a long breath. The ride to the Sheraton goes by quickly because no one in St. Louis is up at this ungodly hour. I make quick work of getting up to my room only to find Danny sipping coffee…in my ratty terry cloth robe.

  “Dude, what the fuck?” I ask.

  “What, you left it in the bathroom. The one the hotel provided is itchy. Stop being so selfish.”

  I roll my eyes and drop my purse on the loveseat across from his place on the couch, then turn to face him. “Did Michael text you and tell you what he needed me to call him for?”

  He immediately straightens and his face sobers. “No. Did he not say?”

  I shake my head and pull out my phone. I press the call button and wait for it to connect. Michael’s gruff voice comes over the line.

  “Well, Amber, it looks like you’re going to get your wish. We need to move ahead with this plan, whether I like it or not.”

  I quickly put it on speaker. “What do you mean? If you’re not on board, then why would we go ahead with the plan? Danny is here too.”

  “I don’t know who you pissed off, but according to our sources in the FBI, there’s been a contracted hit placed on a one Amber James. It looks like the cartel picked up the hit. You need more protection than just we can give you. I don’t have the manpower, and we need to continue this case until I hear differently. I’ve already contacted Captain Marshall in the Narcotics division. He’s not happy about it, but he’s agreed to my terms. We’re meeting him in two hours with his team to talk about the next step forward. You better prep a speech to showcase how far you’ve come in this investigation. Got me?”

  My throat has dried up at his words. I thought I’d have more time to talk to Ryan before. “Got you, sir,” I croak, and he hangs up.

  Danny comes up behind me and slaps me on the back. “Looks like all systems are go. Now, who did you piss off yesterday to get a contracted hit put out on a stripper?” His disbelief bleeds into his words.

  “Bartender. The only one I could think of is Kenny the emcee, and he’s a small-time dealer. No way he has enough clout, or money, to put out a hit on me,” I retort absentmindedly.

  “I’ll look into it while you prepare your speech, or presentation, or whatever.” I stare into space when he puts a hand on my arm, and my gaze shoots to his. “Hey, he probably won’t even be there. They probably put him on paid administrative leave since he was shot. You’ll have a chance to tell him on his own, I’m sure.”

  Some of the tension leaves my shoulders at his words. He’s probably right. I crack my neck and get to work.

  ***

  I’m not getting out of the truck. I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea. I should have stuck with just me, myself, and I on a team. Danny comes around to my side of the truck and jerks the door open. I give him a fearful look and he shakes his head, reaching for me. Before I can say no, my seatbelt is unclipped and he’s setting my feet on the ground and grabbing my bag. He holds it out to me, so I take it meekly from him, then he holds me by the shoulders and gives me a good shake.

  “Where’s my badass partner? You’re fearless. Remember?” After his so-called words of encouragement, he continues inside and I make a face at his retreating back. I take a moment to gather myself with a deep breath before following him inside. I stop off at the bathroom once we’re checked in and change out of the revealing clothes into a pantsuit and low heels that I brought. I pull my wild mane of hair back into a sleek bun and as I change, I feel myself slipping back into the person I used to be. I straighten my shoulders and steel my spine, then I march out to find the guys.

  Danny is waiting on me at the end of the hall. He nods approvingly at my attire and I quirk my eyebrow at him. “Come on. Michael, Captain Marshall, and his team are in the conference room two doors down. Let’s go.” I give him a firm nod, oddly thankful he waited on me to go inside.

  Danny opens the double doors when I hear Michael’s voice say, “Ah, here they are. Agent Daniel Evers, and our UC Agent, Isabella Jennings. Agent Jennings has been our man on the ground for a couple of years now.” I walk towards him, fully intent on shaking the captain’s hand, when I hear multiple sharp inhales around the room.

  “What the fuck? Is this a joke? Amber?” Ryan’s incredulous tone hits me like a ton of bricks and my eyes shift to take in Ryan, with his arm in a sling, Greybeard glaring at me…and Jensen, who I met last year. I paste a smile on my face and give him a beseeching look with my eyes. I turn back to the captain.

  “Nice to finally meet you, sir. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “I wish I could say the same… Wait a minute. Stone, isn’t this the prostitute that you kept getting arrested?”

  “Wannabe prostitute, sir. Never actually went through with it, never intended to,” Danny butts in. I can hear Ryan growl from behind me and I swear I feel a mi
graine coming on from all the hateful looks being thrown my way.

  “Ah. Okay, okay. Agent Jennings, please proceed with your presentation. Tell us how you came to be here and how you’re known to my detectives already.”

  I face the room as Michael and Danny have a seat next to the captain. If looks could kill, I’d be one dead blonde right now. I force a smile at them, which just makes Titus glare harder. Ryan is no longer looking at me, instead glaring at the floor and a muscle in his jaw is jumping. Jensen is giving me a tentative smile. I take a deep breath and let my story spill out.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ryan

  Captain Marshall called me early and said we had an important meeting this morning. The DEA was sending their undercover agent in to give us a briefing on the drug case it seemed we were both working. Amber had already left by the time I was woken by the captain’s phone call, and I didn’t have time to find out where she was or why she left. I figured I’d call her afterwards. Because apparently when you make sergeant and you work in Narcotics, being shot just means desk duty. Figures.

  Titus meets me in the hallway outside the set meeting room, and Jensen quickly follows behind him. My eyebrows hit my hairline, and I clap him on the shoulder, giving him a genuine smile. The guy may look all-American boy, but he’s lethal as they come and I’m glad to have him on my team.

  “I guess your request for transfer got pushed through, huh?” My joking has him smiling back.

  “Well, Masterson here helped me when he met me the other night. He put in a good word with Captain Marshall, and here I am. I’m glad to be watching your six again, Sergeant,” Jensen tells me while gesturing to Titus.

  “So, it’s all of us in this meeting then?” I ponder and Titus smirks at me.

  “Well, Captain Marshall said he needed his best to sit in on this. Since you’re at about half capacity, we needed a newbie to round it out to two great detectives.” He winks and I flip him off. He holds the door to the conference room open, where Captain Marshall is talking to a younger gray-haired man in a suit. He’s visibly a threat. I’m assuming he’s the UC we were told about. I angle my head for the guys to follow me and take a seat. The captain will introduce him when he’s ready.