Pool of Lies: All Lies Have Consequences...
Page 13
Ava let her head fall back against the glass wall of the shower and she bit her bottom lip. She wasn’t going to answer the question. If she answered it, she would be done, and there would be no turning back for her. Kacey’s fingers continued to stimulate her throbbing muscles, and Ava let out a sharp cry as her orgasm made its way through her body, devastating her. She dropped her head onto Kacey’s shoulder. “You.” She gasped. “I’m all yours, Kacey.”
Kacey kissed her neck, and murmured, “That you are Sunshine.” She continued to fuck Ava mercilessly as she whispered, “Now come for me again.” And Ava did, with little effort.
Chapter Seven
Afterward, Ava and Kacey were lying in Kacey’s bed - Ava on her stomach while Kacey lay on her side. She had one hand holding up her head, while she lightly dragged the fingertips of the other one up and down Ava’s back. The delicate touch sent a quick chill through Ava, and goose bumps appeared on her skin. After she recovered a small smile formed on her lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so happy.”
Kacey scooted closer to her and lowered her head so that she could place a soft kiss on Ava’s shoulder, then she murmured against it, “That’s what good sex will do to you, Sunshine.”
Ava rolled her eyes, and she didn’t hide the irritation in her voice when she asked, “Does everything have to be a joke to you?”
“Does everything have to be an argument with you?” Kacey countered, a smartass smirk on her face.
“With you? Yes, because you don’t answer like a normal person,” Ava shot back. She didn’t want to argue with Kacey. She wanted to bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking. She wasn’t quite ready to leave their personal bubble of contentment yet, but Kacey was determined to push her buttons. Ava sighed, cuddling up to Kacey. The woman confused and irritated her, but she couldn’t get enough of her.
Kacey wrapped her arms around Ava’s middle then kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry.” Ava pulled her head away from Kacey’s chest and looked up at her, bewilderment written all over her face. Kacey chuckled then kissed her. “Yes, I apologized. Now get that look off your face.” The hand that was resting on Ava’s side moved to her back and Kacey resumed the feather light touches. Ava rested her head on Kacey’s bicep and buried her face in her chest. Kacey sighed. “I have to be vague, and I know it’s annoying sometimes.” She paused. “But if I’m not, it could lead to trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Ava asked, before she placed a kiss in the center of Kacey’s chest. A heavy silence fell over them, and after it had lasted for several long minutes, Ava got worried. Kacey was quiet, and it was unusual, given that the woman always seemed to have some smartass retort at the tip of her tongue. Ava shifted away from Kacey and looked at her face. There was a far off expression in her eyes as she stared at some random point in the apartment. Ava took hold of the hand that was now resting on her hip and whispered, “Kacey…” When she got no response, Ava shook Kacey’s shoulder and said her name louder. “Kacey?”
Kacey’s eyes stared into Ava’s, but it was as if they were looking through her. Kacey had never gotten mentally distant before, and Ava was concerned about where she had gone in her head. Kacey’s eyes focused as she came back to reality, and Ava let out a quiet breath of relief. Kacey gave her head a slight shake, chuckling a little. She gave Ava a small smile. “Sorry Sunshine.” Kacey fell back onto the bed, then she held out her arm for Ava. She hesitated, and Kacey grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Now come here.”
Ava smiled at her then she lay down next to Kacey. As soon as she was cuddled up to her, Kacey wrapped her arm around Ava and held her close to her. Ava’s head was resting on Kacey’s chest, and she had a firm hold of her waist. There was peaceful quiet between them, and Ava didn’t want to break it, but Kacey had checked out on her and she wanted to know where she had gone. “What happened?” Ava asked softly.
Kacey kissed the top of her head and gave her a gentle squeeze, but she didn’t answer the question. Ava didn’t know how much time had passed, but she was close to falling asleep when Kacey whispered, “There’s a reason why I call you Sunshine.”
Ava lifted her head and a tired smirk came to her face. “Is it because you’re an asshole and you like to annoy the shit out of me?”
Kacey lifted her head and gave Ava a quick kiss. She rested it back on her pillow and smiled. “Pissing you off turns me on so much.” Ava rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. She wanted to be genuinely annoyed at her, but the sexy smile on Kacey’s face had her body responding in other ways. Ava would have continued with their banter, but the expression on Kacey’s face had changed. Her eyes softened, and there was a wistful smile that had formed on her lips. She reached out and brushed a strand of Ava’s hair out of her face then she caressed her cheek. “The reason why I call you Sunshine is because I’ve had a shitty life Ava.” She sighed. “And I’m involved in some pretty shitty things, but you…” She trailed off, and Ava patiently waited as Kacey studied her face.
This side of her was uncharted territory for Ava, and the unexpected tenderness that came with Kacey opening up to her tugged at Ava’s heart. She wanted to hold her and let her know that all of the crap that had happened in her life and anything that she was involved in now didn’t matter; that once she had found a way out of her marriage with Robin, they would be together. Ava focused on Kacey as she continued. “You make all the darkness disappear.” She shifted her eyes up and stared at the ceiling. “I want to keep you from that, Ava.” Kacey glanced at her. “But even more than that, I’m afraid you’ll hate me.”
Ava had kept who she truly was from Kacey, and the other woman hadn’t gone running off in the opposite direction, but the tone of Kacey’s voice told Ava that whatever she was trying to tell her was going to be bigger than her finding out that Ava had a wife. A million possibilities of what Kacey might be involved with went running through Ava’s mind. Some of them challenged her morals, and Ava couldn’t land on a clear idea of how she would respond to them.
A sense of foreboding came over her as she thought more about what Kacey might be involved in. The one thing Ava was sure of was that it was something dangerous. Between her attack on the man that had harassed Ava to the man that had left Kacey’s apartment bleeding to the conversation that she had overheard yesterday, Ava could only think of illegal activities, and she was scared to hear the truth.
But the problem before Ava wasn’t about how she would react once she found out what Kacey was involved in. No, the real question was if she would hate her after learning about the dark parts of Kacey’s life. Ava gazed into her eyes. She could tell that being this open was scaring the woman, and that she was taking a huge emotional risk. Ava brought her fingers to Kacey’s lips, then she gave her a gentle kiss. With a small smirk she said, “I wouldn’t be able to hate you, Kacey.” Her smirk turned into a grin. “I’m yours, remember?”
Kacey let out a small chuckle. “I do remember.” Her eyebrow went up as she added, “But you’re not fully mine until we take care of your situation.”
Ava deflected the comment. This wasn’t the time for them to talk about Robin. Kacey was opening up to her, and she didn’t want to derail the progress that they were making. “Why do you think I’ll hate you?”
Kacey ran her hand through Ava’s hair, focusing on it as she played with the ends of it. She bit her lip then sighed. “I’m not a good person.”
Ava scoffed and Kacey glared at her. “I’m sorry, but let’s be serious here. I have no delusions about who you are. I watched you beat the shit of a man.”
“I was protecting you, and if you’re going to hold that over my head I’ll think twice about protecting you again,” Kacey stated in an annoyed tone.
Ava rolled her eyes at Kacey’s dramatics. “I know you were, and I appreciate it,” She told her. “But how you protected me went above and beyond punching a stranger in the face.”
Kacey let out a soft snort then looked
down at the blanket. The two of them fell silent, and she sighed. “I’m a drug dealer, Ava.”
Ava scowled at Kacey. “That’s not funny.”
Kacey’s eyes met her hers and the seriousness in them told Ava that she wasn’t joking. Ava stared at her, not knowing what to say or think. She was literally in bed with a drug dealer. Ava’s brain started to scream, yelling for her to get out of the apartment and go back to the safety of her wife and marriage. To never see or think about Kacey ever again. But her heart, on the other hand, told her to stay. That if she truly cared for Kacey, it wouldn’t matter what the woman did to make money. Ava found her voice and she asked in a quiet tone, “What do you sell?”
For a brief second, a surprised look came to Kacey’s face, before she quickly schooled it. “I’m not going to tell you that. If I tell you, you’ll be stuck. Are you ready for that?”
No, Ava wasn’t ready for that. It was a side of Kacey that she wasn’t certain she would be able to handle once she found out the truth. Ava gave her head a slight shake, then laid it down on Kacey’s chest. “I don’t want to know.” Kacey started combing her fingers through Ava’s hair and she sighed. Nothing was ever cut and dry with her. Their entire relationship was a series of complicated events that seemed to get worse the further they got involved with each other. Ava held on tighter to Kacey for a second, then asked, “How did you get into it?”
Her head rose as Kacey drew in a long breath, then fell as she exhaled. A second passed, then she said, “Let me start off by saying the operation isn’t a small one. It’s quite large. My father started it with almost nothing and was able to make it grow.”
Ava heard the pride in Kacey’s voice as she talked about her father, and it made her smile, but it quickly faltered when she realized that Kacey had grown up in a world full of criminals. Ava’s heart broke for her. That wasn’t a world a child should grow up in, but she stayed quiet as Kacey continued. “My dad died when I was thirteen and his brother took over for him. Uncle Frank keeps telling me it’s my birthright to be the head of the operation, that my dad had built it for me.”
Ava’s eyebrows furrowed then she sat up to look at Kacey. “Uncle Frank? As in Frank, the bouncer at the club?”
Kacey grinned and nodded her head. “Yep. That’s my Uncle Frank. He’s been taking care of me since my dad was killed.” She chuckled a little. “He actually owns the clubs.”
Ava was unable to hide the amazement in her voice. “But he’s the bouncer.”
Kacey chuckled again then shrugged. “He’s a strange guy, but he’s got a good heart and I love him.”
Ava stared at her for a second then said, “You could have told me about this sooner.”
“No, I couldn’t have,” Kacey stated, the levity in her tone becoming direct. “Me being who I am and him being who he is, we stay quiet about being related.” She puffed out her cheeks as she blew out a breath. “The cops and the competition would try to come for both of us, and as of right now, no one knows who’s running the operation.” She sighed. “Frank wants to retire. He’s told me it’s time.”
Ava bolted up, and she stared at Kacey. She was sleeping with - and falling for - the future head of a drug cartel. Ava scrambled to get out of the bed, and she began to pace next to it once she was out of it. She couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. The entire situation was unbelievable, close to being ludicrous. After her third lap next to the bed, she stopped and asked, “And you’re just going to take over like that?”
Kacey sat up and said, “I have no choice in the matter, Ava. This is my family’s business. Do I wish it were something like a damn restaurant? Sometimes, but most of the time it isn’t that bad.”
“Isn’t that bad?” Ava repeated. She was unable to keep the disbelief from her tone as the absurdity of Kacey’s statement lodged itself into her brain. Not only was the woman okay with becoming the head of a drug organization, but she was also downplaying the effects the distribution of illegal drugs caused.
“You sell drugs to people, Kacey,” Ava exclaimed as she began to lay into her. “The money you use to buy your product goes towards the most abhorrent crimes known to man. That money is used to buy illegal weapons that are used during wars that cause genocide, the human trafficking of young girls, and a million other things that are destroying humanity.” Ava drew in a breath. “Not to mention the fact the drugs themselves destroy people’s lives on a daily basis. So no Kacey, that isn’t bad. It’s fucking horrible.” Ava scoffed. “How do you expect to have a family around that?”
“Don’t talk to me about family,” Kacey growled as she got out of the bed. She walked down the steps of the elevated platform and went over to the dresser in the corner of the room. She jerked it open and glowered at Ava. “This is my father’s legacy, and I will continue it, even if you think I’m a horrible person.” Kacey pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and snorted. “You’ve called me a problem, irritating, and now horrible and yet you’re still here, Ava.” She slammed the drawer closed then walked over to where Ava was standing. “And fucking lower your voice,” she said through clenched teeth.
They stared each other down for a moment before Kacey turned away to place her clothes on the bed. Ava watched as she started to get dressed. This whole thing was a mess, and Kacey being a drug dealer had the potential to interfere with not only Ava’s integrity as a person, but also as a medical professional. There was no way she could turn a blind eye to Kacey selling drugs while condemning them at the same time. She blew out a frustrated breath and ran her hand through her hair. “Kacey, you’re not-”
“Careful with what you say next, Sunshine,” Kacey warned after she pulled the t-shirt over her head. She moved closer to Ava. “You’ve seen what I’m capable of. To Terrance, that guy on the street. I’m ruthless, but I’m ruthless because I have to be. If that scares you then so be it, but just know that it keeps me safe, and it will keep you safe too.” Kacey’s eyes penetrated Ava’s, and she let out a small scoff before she turned around to make her way out of the room. “You can go, Ava. There’s no reason for me to keep you here. You don’t know enough to get me into trouble, though I doubt you would say anything.”
Ava stared at Kacey’s back as she walked away. It was unsettling. She followed her, and when Ava caught up to her, she grabbed Kacey’s arm. Kacey turned around and her deep brown eyes stared at Ava, challenging her to do or say something. Ava knew that she wouldn’t hurt her, no matter how much she pissed her off. Kacey only had Ava’s best interest at heart even if she was annoying and irritating about it.
Kacey wasn’t a monster, nor was she horrible. It was the business she was involved in that was horrible, and it was that business that had turned her into the hardened, ruthless person that she could be. Kacey needed Ava, and Ava needed her. She closed the gap that was between them and leaned in to place a kiss on Kacey’s lips.
It lasted for several seconds before she pulled back. Ava gazed into Kacey’s eyes, her tone soft and full of sincerity as she declared, “I’m not going anywhere.” She placed her hand on the center of Kacey’s chest. “I’m here for you. Do I have a problem with what you do? Yes, and we’ll talk about that later, but I want to be with you.” She gave her a small smile. “There is nothing you could tell me that would push me away from you.”
Kacey placed her hands on Ava’s waist and pulled her close, then captured her lips for a passionate kiss and Ava felt the strong emotion behind it. Kacey didn’t take control of the kiss, instead she let Ava dictate how fast it went and how far they would go. Ava ran her hand through Kacey’s hair and kept it there. She wanted Kacey to know that as much as she had claimed her, she was Ava’s too. Kacey placed her hands on Ava’s cheek then pulled away from their kiss. “You’re going to be the death of me, Sunshine,” she said, breathlessly, as a small smile came to her face.
Ava returned the smile before giving her another quick kiss. “Hopefully not anytime soon.”
∞
Ava hung up the phone, then let it fall to the bed, before she covered her face and groaned. She couldn’t believe that she had forgotten to set an alarm, but it had been the last thing on her mind. Ava and Kacey had spent the rest of their night making love, and they had only stopped because Ava needed to get sleep.
Things between Ava and Kacey had changed. They had given themselves to each other in a way that they had never done before, and Ava wanted more. Kacey was no longer an enigma, and she felt closer to her. She could tell that Kacey was allowing herself to be more vulnerable around her, and words could not explain how much Ava cherished that. She sat up then moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Ava took a deep breath then blew it out, hoping that it would help her find the motivation to leave Kacey’s bed.
Ava sighed, then she felt the bed shift. Kacey rubbed her back then asked in a tired voice, “What’s the matter, Sunshine?”
Ava looked over her shoulder at Kacey. She wasn’t fully awake; her eyes were barely open as she faced her. The total contentment and relaxation that was written on her face, made her appear almost carefree. Ava found her irresistible, and she bent down to give Kacey a lingering kiss. She pulled back before the other woman could take it any further, then stood from bed and descended the stairs to retrieve her crumpled pants off the floor. “I have to go to work,”
Kacey buried her face into the pillow under her head and groaned. She lifted it and said, “It’s just a day job Ava. I think you can call out or something.” She sat up and rested against the headboard. “We also need to talk about your weekend job.”