“What if he walks in right now?” Vince gestured around him. “You’re trapped behind this bar. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel, Carolina.”
I growled at the way him saying my name sent shivers down my spine. “I don’t know what to tell you. I have to work and make money.”
“You have to be more careful.”
Steve appeared at my side and shot Vince a look. “You’re on in five minutes. Lola went home sick.”
“Who’s going to take over the bar?”
“Any trained monkey can run the bar back here, Cookie. Get back there and get ready. Your music starts in five minutes, with or without you.”
Vince glared at Steve, but kept his mouth shut. He just trailed behind me as I made my way around the bar and to the door to the back. “That fuckhead is your boss?”
“The one and only.” I turned to him and put my hands on my hips. “What are you doing?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a smile. “I’m just making sure you’re safe.”
“At two in the morning?”
“I just left a job. I’m supposed to be headed home to sleep before I have to get to a different job tomorrow, but I can’t because I’m worried that you’re going to get shot.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on.”
“I’m serious. I don’t feel right leaving you all alone. It felt like shit to have to earlier. You need help right now.”
“You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
That grin again. “No, ma’am.”
I pulled open the door behind me. “Well, you’re going to have to start.”
If I’d thought that would deter him, I was wrong. He followed me into the backstage area and politely waved to the few women who were back there. I sat down at my stool and started applying my makeup. Ignoring Vince wasn’t easy, but I didn’t need him to see that I actually really wanted to accept his help. Of course I wanted to.
“Stage makeup?” His eyes followed my hand as I applied bright-red lipstick.
“The lights make me look like a ghost if I don’t add extra.” Why I was explaining myself, I had no idea. I stood up and grabbed the sequined bra I’d be wearing on stage. “I have to change.”
His eyes darkened noticeably and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess I should turn around.”
Deciding to play with fire, I turned my back to him and pulled my tank top over my head. Looking over my shoulder, I batted my eyelashes. “Can you get the hook?”
His knuckles brushed over my spine and his breath on my neck sent chills racing over my body. Just as fast as I could’ve done it, the hook was undone. He trailed his hands up to my shoulders and slowly pushed the straps down my arms. I was on display in the mirror, but when I looked up, Vince was staring at my eyes.
I swallowed audibly and quickly slipped my arms into the new bra. Without me asking, Vince reached around to grab the back of the bra and hooked it for me.
He took a step closer to me and the fabric of his pants brushed over the backs of my thighs. “I have to be honest; I’m not here for purely selfless reasons.”
I held his gaze. “No?”
“No. I want to help, but I also want to have you alone. Somewhere that we won’t be interrupted and there are no rules.” His big hand on my side was hot on my skin.
“I’m not sure that sounds like the best kind of protection, Vince.” I couldn’t help myself. I pressed into him and sighed when I was met with all hard body. “It seems like you might get distracted.”
His hand circled, covering my stomach. “I can multitask. Like right now. It’s been four minutes since we stepped away from your boss. The two women in the corner are watching us, but staying away. Your heart rate jumped when I touched you, and every part of you feels good against me.”
I bit my lip and told myself to calm down. I was in no place to go jumping into bed with someone. Or maybe I was. I didn’t know. Was near death a good time to screw like bunnies with a man so hot he scorched your skin when he touched you? “Wait. Did you say four minutes?”
Vince stumbled when I pushed away from him and undressed and redressed like a tornado. I was pretty sure I’d flashed him everything I had, but I couldn’t risk losing my job. Steve was serious about me being on the stage in five minutes.
I adjusted my boobs and fluffed my hair before spraying on a bit of glitter and then heading towards the stage. “Sorry, Vince, but I’ve got work to do.”
He was on me, prying open the door just enough to look out. He swore. “Sorry, Carolina. So have I.”
I gasped as he wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me away from the stage. “What are you doing?”
“Frank Porter just walked in with a group of what seems like ten of his biggest henchmen. I’m not saying that I couldn’t take them, but I don’t think it’s a great idea with all the bystanders here.”
I froze. “Shit.”
Steve poked his head into the back at that moment and shook it at me. “You’re out, Cookie. Go home. Now.”
I nodded. “I saw. I’m sorry, Steve.”
“Yeah, you should be. Why’d you have to go and kill his kid?” He pointed at one of the other women. “Mandy, you’re up.”
She sagged on her stool and shot me a glare, but didn’t say anything. I felt for her, I really did, but I wasn’t intending to die on stage in a sequined bra-and-panty set that dug into my thighs when I moved.
“Back door?”
I pointed to it and hurriedly grabbed my things. I yanked a T-shirt over my head before slinging my bag over my shoulder and moving towards the door.
Vince put his arm out to stop me and opened the door slowly. Looking out, he swore. “Stay here for a minute.”
Of course, I didn’t. I stuck my head out and watched as he crept as silent as a ghost towards one of Porter’s men who was standing guard in the back alley. It was amazing to watch. Seeing a man Vince’s size moving so stealthily was like watching art. Then, he snapped his arm around the guy’s neck and pulled him into the alley. Within a few seconds, the guy was on the ground, unconscious.
I stepped out and let the door shut behind me. “Holy shit.”
Vince turned and glared at me before rushing back to me and grabbing my arm. “There’s three more of them up front. You want to not yell any louder?”
I frowned. “Go back to being sexy and smoldering. I don’t like being chastised.”
Pulling me towards the back of the alley, he stopped at the chain-link fence and looked down at my heels. “Can you climb in those things?”
“A pole. I’m not so sure about this fence, but I’m willing to try.”
He grabbed my waist and hoisted me into the air, almost to the top of the fence. “I like my women adventurous.”
I clung to the fence and pulled myself up to the top. I got my top half over and then kind of just hung there for a second. Instincts kicked in, though, and I swung one leg and then the other over and quickly scaled down to the asphalt on the other side. The side where Porter and his goons weren’t.
“Come on.” Vince was already on the ground beside me, taking my hand and pulling me after him. Down another dark alley and then to his truck. He unlocked it and copped a feel while helping me in. “I’m going to spend a lot of years with the image of your sequined ass in the air above me. Hopefully.”
I waited until he got behind the wheel and started the truck before chancing a glance back, behind us. No one was following us. They hadn’t found their unconscious buddy—yet. I hoped there wouldn’t be trouble for Steve when they did.
“How are you thinking about my ass in the middle of taking a guy out and running from the mob?”
Vince wagged his eyebrows at me. “Easy. It’s a pretty fantastic ass. And you think I’m sexy and smoldering, huh?”
Ignoring him, I watched as he navigated the road, seeming to go towards my house. “Where are we going?”
“To pick up some of your stuff. You need protecti
on and I’m going to give it to you. No matter what you say.”
I turned towards him and all but bared my teeth. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re no better than your bossy friend.”
“I am better than my bossy friend. My protection promises to come with extracurricular activities.”
I laughed, something about him making it hard to stay pissed. “You’re impossible. And a bit of an asshole for assuming that I’m going to have sex with you.”
“Oh, my gosh. I was talking about board games. What is wrong with you, you pervert?”
I bit my lip and shrugged. “Too bad. I was coming around to the sex. Board games could be fun, too, though.”
If I was going to die at the hands of Frank Porter because of his slimy excuse for a son, I was going to have some fun before I went. Vince looked like fun. He set my body on fire and I wanted to know how hot he could get me. Could the timing be better? Probably. Then again, maybe not. I didn’t have to worry about getting attached to him with the threat hanging over my head.
Vince stopped at a red light and looked over at me. He didn’t say anything, but just took me in. I was sure I was a mess from climbing the fence, and I was still wearing stage makeup, but he seemed happy about what he was looking at.
“I’m still not accepting your offer to guard me.”
The light turned green, but he just stared at me. “Then, don’t. Accept my offer to hang out at my place for a few days. We can play board games until we get tired of each other and then we’ll see where it goes.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, unsure of what I should do. Then a car honked behind us and it almost gave me a heart attack. I was scared. I needed help. Even if I didn’t want it. A few days of Vince might be enough to clear my head and let me think straight. The protection was just a bonus. Win-win.
Chapter 13
Vince
I’d gotten Carolina’s address from the police report. Detective McHale had either been stupid enough, or careless enough, to put it on the report that went in the records. Records that Porter could easily access, just the way I had. When I pulled up behind her house, she looked over at me with one arched eyebrow raised.
“You know my address?” Then she shook her head and sighed. “Of course you do. Everyone does. It was on the police report that the detective filled out, wasn’t it?”
I was impressed with her ability to add up the facts and get the right conclusion. She was smart and that just made her even hotter to me. “Right. Come on. Let’s get in and out while Porter is at the club.”
She climbed out and hurried to the back door. It was open, so I made her wait while I went through and checked everything out. Her house was destroyed. Everything was ruined in a way that made me almost gag. I was pretty sure there was urine somewhere.
When Carolina came in after me, her eyes welled up with tears as she looked around. Instead of letting them fall, though, she swiped at them angrily and went over to a vent. Unscrewing the cover, she opened it and pulled out a bag of cash.
I watched as she disappeared into the bedroom and came back out with a duffel bag. She threw the money in and then went around, grabbing the things she could salvage. A notebook lay crumbled on the floor and she snatched it up with a sniffle. Still, no tears.
I stood back and gave her as much privacy as I could afford her. She went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, just as I was getting antsy. Her makeup was gone and her eyes were red, but she was stony-faced and yanking her hair up into a bun.
“I’m ready.”
I tried to carry the duffel for her, but she slung it over her shoulder and marched towards the door. When I made her wait for a second to make sure it was clear, she huffed, but waited. Her posture was stiff and I knew that she was more upset than she was showing, but all I could do was make sure she stayed alive and didn’t end up trashed like her stuff.
Before I could help her into the truck, she’d climbed up on her own. I got another fantastic view of her ass in the mermaid-looking panties, but I didn’t even feel like I could appreciate it when she was so upset. I wasn’t a complete asshole.
“Sorry about your stuff.”
She stared out of the window and hugged the duffel to her chest. “It’s just stuff. It can be replaced.”
“It was your stuff, though. It’s fucked up what they did. I’d be upset, too.”
“I’m not upset.” She sniffled again.
“Okay. Do you want something to eat before we go to my place?” I was usually starving after getting off of a late shift. “There’s a gas station on the way that keeps their deli open all night. They have the best fried chicken.”
“Fried chicken?”
“And they keep pints of ice cream in their freezer. Every flavor you could ever want.” At that point, I felt like I’d tell her she could have my truck if it meant she’d cheer up a bit.
“You think that because I’m upset, I need ice cream?”
I grinned. “The ice cream is for me. I just didn’t want us getting home and you suddenly wanting some of mine.”
That got a smile out of her. “Fine. Fried chicken and ice cream it is.”
“They have pie, too. And pizza sticks.” My stomach growled. “Fuck, I’m hungry.”
“Do they have beer? I think I’m going to need some.”
“They have everything you could possibly want and more.”
“Do you do their advertising?”
I laughed. “They couldn’t afford me.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence, with her staring at the darkness on the other side of her window and with me watching the road, in front and behind us. Then we stopped at the gas station and I watched as Carolina went and grabbed bitch beer from the back freezer. I had expected her to drink something harder, like whiskey or tequila, but bitch beer was it for her, I guessed.
I loaded up the counter with ice cream, drinks, and fried foods and paid for everything before Carolina could even offer to pay for her stuff. I got the feeling that she wasn’t happy about it, but in my head I was thinking of her paying me back in other ways. Ways like her letting me touch her body again and feast on it. Ways like her letting me eat ice cream out of her navel and from between her thighs.
Carolina smacked me. “Stop that.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I can see your thoughts all across your face, pervert.” She didn’t look all that annoyed, though.
I grabbed the bags from the smiling attendant and nodded goodbye as I held open the door for Carolina and walked out with her.
The night air was muggy and thick, but there was a stillness to it that I loved. It was something you couldn’t find anywhere else. The country was always comforting to me. Even with crickets chirping and bullfrogs screaming, it was peaceful.
“You ordered the entire store.” Carolina looked at my body and frowned. “You can’t eat like that and look like you do.”
“And how do I look?”
She pulled open her door and moved over to let me put the bags down. “Hard.”
I practically threw the bags in the truck and grabbed her waist again. Hoisting her into the truck, I put her down facing me and stepped in between her thighs. Resting my hands on her thighs, I forced myself to be relaxed. I didn’t want to scare her off. “Hard is definitely the word I’d use to describe myself when you’re around.”
Her eyes got heavier and her thighs quivered under my fingertips. “I’m going to be blunt.”
I leaned in closer. “Yeah?”
“We seem to be on a crash course towards fucking each other’s brains out. I don’t think you want to stop it. I don’t think I want to stop it. I do have a lot going on right now, though, so if it’s going to be messy, I have to put the brakes on. If it’s not, I’m all for it. Whatever this is, I want it.”
My heart skipped a beat. I was in love. She was smoking hot, smart, collected, and forward. It didn’t get any better. I trailed my fingers higher up her thighs
and nodded. “No mess. Well, maybe some mess, but that’s only if you agree to let me eat ice cream from between your thighs.”
She shivered. “Maybe.”
“I can deal with maybe.”
“I want to eat first, though. I’m hungry and you talked me into ice cream and fried chicken.”
I nodded and ran my hand through my hair. “Food first. Got it.”
“Then I’m hoping for really good sex. It’s been a while.” She pushed me away and buckled herself in. “Come on.”
I didn’t think I’d ever gotten to my house from the gas station faster. I was motivated. More than motivated. I was determined. I wanted to give her the best sex of her life.
Carolina didn’t take time to look at my house the way other women had. She grabbed one of the bags and took it straight to the kitchen counter, where she stood over the sink and took a huge bite of a chicken breast. I stood back and watched her, turned-on at the sight. I didn’t even understand what was so hot about it, but something just was.
I joined her at the sink and ate my fair share of chicken before moving on to the slice of pie I’d gotten. She eyed it and even reached for a forkful, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to share my pie.
She pulled off her shirt and hopped up on the counter in front of me. “You sure you don’t want to share?”
“Fuck.” I fucking loved the teal and purple sequins she was wearing. It was my new favorite look. “One bite.”
I scooped some pie onto my fork and held it out to her. She leaned forward and took it into her mouth before swirling her tongue over the fork and letting it go. “Mmm. That’s delicious. One more bite?”
I nodded to the bra. “The bra for a bite.”
“The bra for two bites.”
I looked down at the pie and pretended to be thinking. “Fine. The bra for two bites. I get to decide the bite size, though.”
She shook her head. “You can decide on one of the bites. I decide on the other.”
Like I cared. As long as I got to see her with her top off, I didn’t give a fuck if she ate all the pie. I fed her another piece and then she bit her lip while reaching behind her to unhook the pretty contraption. A bit of nervousness flashed in her eyes and it about brought me to my knees. She was stunning and I affected her enough that she was getting shy about undressing in front of me, even though we’d already been down that road.
Black Dog Security- Complete 5-Part Series Page 55