His smile and chuckle to her forceful reaction urged her on. She’d never been the dominant one in a sexual relationship. This man made her want him to a point she couldn’t control herself and she was going to have her satisfaction and make sure he had his. She crawled on top of him, her knees pressing into the cushions and lowered herself.
Knowing she could take him now she didn’t hesitate and took all of him within seconds. He dropped his head back and groaned with pleasure. His hands cupped her breasts, kneading her flesh. His fingers pinched her pebbled nipples bringing them to a painful peak before taking them into his mouth and sucking.
Hannah growled her pleasure and pumped herself up and down on his cock. She could feel tension building inside her, the desperate tightness like a rubber band stretched to its limit. Sweat trickled down her face and between her breasts as she quickened her movements. Ben released her breast, rested his head against the couch and locked gazes with her. When he bared his teeth like a wild animal her pleasure level sky rocketed.
Quickly he gripped her hips, rose from the couch with her still locked to his body and took her to the floor. With one hand he snared her wrists and held her arms above her head. She spread her legs as wide as she could so not to impede his thrusting and invited him to continue. As he pumped his wide hips, driving himself deep inside her she met his movements with her own.
She could see only his face as she neared the edge of that high cliff he drove her to. He was there with her. She could feel it inside as he grew harder and longer stretching her to her limit. He tossed his head back took a deep breath, pulled all the way out and slammed into her.
That was it, she didn’t fall, she dived head first over the edge screaming his name as every muscle in her body contracted and released over and over again. She swore her body floated above the floor in tiny little pieces yet she could feel him throbbing, each pulse drawing another harsh spasm from deep inside her. It went on and on, her body bucking, his continuous throbbing, until he dropped forward, his heavy body pressing against hers.
She wrapped her limp arms around him and held on tightly. He nuzzled his face into her neck and breathed heavily. Minutes passed before either could speak.
“I think I actually went to heaven,” she whispered as she ran her hands up and down his back.
“I know I did.” He lifted off her, rolled to the side and propped his head on his hand. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”
His fingers brushed up her tummy, skimmed between her breasts and then made their way back down, stopping between her legs. The pressure he applied was light but enough to make her ache for him once again.
“You will again if you keep that up,” she giggled and then stretched like a lazy cat ready for a nap.
They lay together until strength returned to their bodies. He carried her back to the bedroom where they snuggled, fondled and kissed their way into another hot interlude of sex. Twice more during the night he brought her to the edge of oblivion only to hold her tightly while she dragged herself back to reality.
She knew in the light of morning that reality would be just as heartbreaking as it had been before but there in the darkness of her usually cold and lonely bedroom her problems didn’t exist. He wasn’t still lurking in the shadows. Raya wasn’t in danger and this incredible man sleeping peacefully next to her wouldn’t find out she’d been withholding vital information from him.
Her heart sank. She’d done the very thing she’d vowed not to do, gotten close to him and found that he was even better than his friends had described. Maybe she’d be able to salvage it. She would make him understand that she wasn’t a bad person.
“Yeah, first thing in the morning,” she whispered in the darkness.
* * * * *
Sam woke and rolled over to glimpse at the clock. Three twenty-eight in the morning. Mark was sound asleep, stretched out on top of the covers with a small smile on his lips. He always slept like that after they’d spent an hour or so tangling the sheets.
She sighed and crawled from bed, her body still warm from the workout he gave her. Instead of pulling on a robe or t-shirt she wandered out into the living room naked. The full moon shone through her kitchen window illuminating the room just enough for her to see without turning any lights on. She opened the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of iced tea she made for supper and poured a glass.
This whole mess with Boomer was eating at her. She was torn between wanting to tell him herself or waiting it out and letting Hannah tell him. The problem was she didn’t know if Hannah would tell him.
Tell me what to do? she asked her guide in a pleading voice. Should I call him?
Sometimes the best intentions can cause unnecessary problems.
What does that mean? She waited for a reply but heard nothing but her own thoughts rattling around inside her head. What was she thinking? She knew it wouldn’t give her a yes or no answer, that’s not the way it worked.
“You okay?”
Sam jumped, turned and smiled. What a vision he made standing in the moonlight wearing nothing but a smile. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep.”
“I guess I didn’t do my job well enough tonight. You usually crash after,” he said pressing his naked body against her back.
“Oh you did your job just fine and I did crash.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“A nagging problem broke through my peaceful sleep.”
“Ah and I bet I don’t need to ask what problem that would be.”
“I feel kinda responsible, Mark,” she said laying her head against his chest. “You and Rico knew something wasn’t right from the beginning. Me, I was too willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and urged Boomer to go for it.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, babe. You were looking at it from a mother’s perspective. We were looking at it from a man’s.”
“Yeah, like I know anything about a mother’s point of view. Now everything’s all messed up,” she mumbled.
“You’re giving yourself too much credit. Boomer’s a big boy and capable of making his own decisions. He would have gone for it even if you had told him to run the other way. He does what he wants.”
“I’m thinking about calling him and telling him.”
Mark let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arms tight around her. “I thought we all agreed not to interfere unless it was absolutely necessary?”
“I know.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “What if Parker is still in that area and goes to Hannah for help?”
“Then Boomer’s there and our problems are over.”
“True but what if doesn’t all go down so nice and easily? What if…”
“What if’s will drive you crazy, Sam,” he interrupted. “If you’re that worried about it why don’t you ask your guide for help?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“It won’t tell me what to do. Free will and all.”
“Okay, then listen to your man. Let it ride for now. I promise if things take a change for the worse we’ll intervene, otherwise we let the two of them work it out. She may have even told him about it by now. Come on, let’s go back to bed and I’ll see if I can’t clear your mind for a while.”
“That’s gonna take some effort,” she said launching herself at him.
He caught her midair as her legs wrapped around his waist. “Oh I think I’m up for it.”
* * * * *
Sam and Kong met Ricochet in the parking lot at W&S in the morning. Ricochet was looking lost without his buddy. Sam nudged Kong and nodded toward him. Kong frowned.
“What’s wrong, Rico? You look like you haven’t slept in days,” he asked.
“Boomer hasn’t called,” he snarled. “This whole damn thing stinks of trouble.”
“Maybe Walt’s heard from him.”
Ricochet grunted in response and that was the end of the conversation. He was right about one thing though, Sam thought to herself. It did
stink of trouble. She could feel it in her bones.
As they approached base a young newbie ran toward them. “Cannon’s looking for the three of you. He says to go to his office right away.”
“Is that the way I taught you to address superiors?” Ricochet barked.
The young candidate stiffened his spine, clicked his heels together and held his arms close to his side. “Sir,” he shouted “Cannon wishes to see you in his office ASAP.”
“That’s better,” Ricochet mumbled and stormed past the young man.
Sam and Kong shared a glance and then followed.
“Thanks,” Sam said with a smile as she passed by the recruit.
“He’s in a pissy mood today,” Kong chuckled.
“Wonder what Uncle Walt wants?”
“Well,” he said opening the door to Walt’s building for her, “we’ll soon find out.”
Ricochet was already in a chair glaring at the wall. Walt was standing behind his desk scowling at a file on his desk. Sam’s bones shivered, things were about to get ugly.
“What’s up, Uncle Walt?” she asked sitting down next to Ricochet.
“At four o’clock this morning I received a phone call. Reed Parker was spotted in the Pittsburg area. I called in a favor and had him tracked down. It seems Parker has a new plan in the works.”
“Do we know what it is?” Kong asked.
“He’s still sticking to his basic plan with a few changes,” he replied in a dismal tone.
“Changes?” Sam questioned. Her stomach clenched.
“I don’t know the specifics just that he’s planning on using kids again. I have to believe he wouldn’t go back to the same school.”
“Why not?” Ricochet asked.
Kong glanced at Walt. He and Walt both knew Ricochet had a unique outlook on things and were always curious to hear what he had to say. “Lay your wisdom on us, Rico.”
“This guy isn’t as dumb as we think he is. That or he has someone pullin’ his strings for him. First he uses kids for his hostages. He knows it’ll grab national attention. People will be screamin’ for their release no matter what. Only problem is he didn’t count on us comin’ in and fuckin’ things up for him. Now I’m inclined to think he has a higher up tellin’ him what to do ‘cause face it anyone with a background like his ain’t got the smarts to do all this on his own. So I’m thinkin’ whoever is callin’ the shots is smart enough to figure no one will be watchin’ the school. The path is clear for him to try again.”
Walt flopped down in his chair and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Son of a bitch. He’s right, he’s absolutely right.”
“What do we do now?” Sam asked.
“We call the Feds. They’ll put a watch on the school or close it down,” Kong suggested.
“No,” Walt whispered.
“No?” they all asked in unison.
“We set him up. We let him get everything in place while watching him and be there when it all goes down,” Walt told them.
“I get it. Not only take him down but the whole damn cell as well,” Kong said smiling. “I like it. We’ll need help. People set up to watch his contacts, his suppliers, where he’s camped out, the whole damned operation.”
“I’ve got that covered. I’ll need the three of you to go get Campbell, find a base of operations and get yourselves ready to move.”
“I hope she told him by now,” Sam whispered.
“If she didn’t, you’ll have to,” Walt said picking up the phone. “Call me when you get settled.”
* * * * *
“Ben, we need to talk about a few things.” Hannah said stepping from the shower. He’d offered to wash her back this morning and managed to work up a nice steamy lather that brought her to her knees.
“Okay,” he said wrapping a towel around her. “Sounds important.”
“It is.” She stepped away from him and headed to the bedroom. It was going to be hard telling him about her past, about Raya’s father but time was running out. She slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and combed her hair.
Boomer walked into the room bare-ass naked. She sighed and did her best to force away the need to grab him and throw him on the bed. He wasn’t making this easy for her.
“I’ll go start some coffee,” she said rushing out of the room. She busied herself making some toast while the coffee brewed. Her talk with him would determine the rest of her life. She knew it just as surely as she knew it would snow this winter.
Boomer walked in, sat at the small kitchen table and watched her pour the coffee into mugs. She could feel his eyes boring into her back and her stomach tightened. This was it. It was now or never. She carried the mugs to the table and shoved the toast in front of him.
When he reached out and laid his hand over hers tears welled in her eyes. She grasped his hand like it was a life line to a drowning soul. She prayed he would understand.
“Out with it, Hannah. Whatever it is we can get through it.”
She looked at him through her bleary eyes and smiled. “I sure hope so. You’re the best thing that’s happened to Raya and me.”
“And you’re the best thing that’s happened to me. Now tell me what it is.”
Hannah pulled her hand away from his, wiped her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. “Before Raya I was a bit of a wild child. My parents didn’t know anything as far as I was concerned and life in rural America was too boring for me so I set out for excitement.”
“You and half the youth of this world.”
“I guess you’re right. Anyway, I traveled around taking odd jobs here and there, working during the day, partying at night. I found a girl to share an apartment with me to help with the cost of living. It worked out well for a few months until she got herself thrown in jail for dealing. Me being the know-it-all I was didn’t see it as a problem. I figured I could find another roommate in no time at all. Three months later I was broke and on the verge of being evicted with no place to go.”
“What did you do?”
“I went looking for a better paying job. The problem was there weren’t any decent jobs for young, uneducated, smart-mouth women. Things got really tight, I had a choice to make—eat or save money for the rent. I resorted to fishing food out of dumpsters behind restaurants.” She risked a look at him. There was no pity in his eyes, no disgust, just understanding.
“You do what’s necessary to survive,” he whispered.
“Yeah, well, keep that in mind.” She took another sip of her coffee and continued. “One day I was sitting in a diner trying to decide whether or not to spend my last five bucks on food when a guy came up and sat down with me. He was well-dressed, wore an expensive watch and offered to buy me something to eat. I tried to say no but I was so hungry and depressed. I asked him what he wanted in return and he said nothing. I said yes. He let me eat in peace and then bought me a slice of pie. While I ate it he asked me questions.”
“I bet he did.”
Boomer’s voice had dropped into that low growling that made her insides shudder. She mentally shook her head and continued with her story.
“I told him how I was alone and scraping to get by. He seemed to understand. We talked for about an hour. He told me how he left home when he was sixteen and did whatever he could to get by. Someone offered him a break and he took it. Now he was worth a boatload of money and living the high life.”
“Doing what exactly?”
“He owned a club, several clubs.”
“What kind of clubs?”
“Gentlemen’s clubs,” she whispered with her head lowered.
“You mean strip joints.”
“Yeah but classy strip joints.” She watched him adjust himself in his chair, rub his chin and sip at his coffee. She figured she’d better let him digest that bit of information before going on.
“Okay,” he said setting his cup down and returning his gaze to her.
“He showed me around, introduced me to some of the girls who worked there
and then offered me a job. I laughed at him, seriously laughed in his face and told him he was out of his mind. I was wild but I wasn’t sure I was that wild. He told me to hang around, kick back and take it all in, talk with the girls and see how it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t have anything better to do so I stayed.”
Her nerves were getting the better of her. Her stomach was knotted and her hands were shaking. She had to keep reminding herself it was important that he know everything.
“After a few hours of sitting I noticed some of the waitresses bitching to him about something. I asked what was wrong and he said one of the girls didn’t show up for her shift so I offered to help out. Serving drinks that’s all. I had worked as a waitress off and on at that point and wasn’t bad at it. He said okay and I went to work. About two hours into the night he pulled me aside and handed me a G-string and told me to go put it on, saying that some of the customers were complaining that I wasn’t naked.
I almost poured a drink over his head and walked out but something stopped me. I don’t know what it was, maybe the thought of not having any place to go back to in a matter of days or being hungry again but I went and put on the G-string and finished out the night. I made great tips and after two weeks of working there I had enough money to make my landlord happy and not throw me out.”
She refused to look at him. She knew if he had disgust in his eyes she would fall apart, so she took a deep breath and went on.
“A month into the job the manager took me into his office and asked me if I’d like a chance to take the stage. Now I’d been watching those girls, really nice girls by the way, I liked the way they moved and they were as sexy as hell. They made money hand over fist too and swore to me that all they did for their money was dance.”
“So you tried it.”
She’d promised herself all those years ago she wouldn’t be ashamed of it. She did what she did and the hell with what others thought. She held her head high, looked him right in the eye and said, “Yes I did and I was good at it. I made loads of money and never ate out of a dumpster again.”
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