As she turned the corner of the bed, she noticed the figure of the man leaning against the black post, his hand and hair covered in a bright red blood. The girl dropped to her knees before him, Leo not even moving or acknowledging her presence. The blood loss had caught up to him as he struggled to remain conscious.
“Sir! Sir! Are you alright? Should I call? Oh God, I don’t know what to do... “She slapped his face hard and then shook his shoulders so his limp body moved violently from her force.
Leo watched helplessly as her steel blue eyes welled up in tears. A springy curl of mousey brown hair flew into her face. He lifted his blood soaked hand to pull the hair back from her eyes and placed it gently behind her ear. His own eyes never pulled away from her own.
Bailey remained still as Leo’s arm sunk from her head to her shoulder and then back onto the floor lifelessly. The rest of his body tumbled to the side as he fell into a deep, dark sleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
An hour later when all the cops and ambulance had left, Bailey was standing in front of Jerome in his office.
“I’m very disappointed in you, Miss Reed. I told you on the first day, didn’t I? When emergencies happen, you call me. You don’t call your mother. You don’t call the FBI. You don’t call a priest. You fucking call me!”
Bailey had no idea what to say. She could feel what was coming next, and yet there was no way to stop it.
“If former MMA superstar Leo Connelly stays in our hotel, he expects you to remain silent, even if he's dying in front of you. Do you understand what position you put this hotel in? What position you’ve put me in?
“Are you even listening to me, Miss Reed? Does your job even matter to you anymore?” Jerome stood up and Bailey turned her face away. He rounded the table, stepped close to her, and tilted her chin up with his finger. “Miss Reed, you will look at me when I am speaking to you!”
“I’m—I’m—” Bailey stuttered over an apology as she tried to get a word in on her defense.
“What? Sorry? Will sorry make up for the money we lost? Will sorry un-fuck everything that went to shit today?
“No.”
“Exactly. No. Do you remember what I told you would happen should you fuck up again?”
Bailey looked up, her heart was caught in her throat. His words were ringing in her mind. No choice but to fire you, after I personally reprimand you in my office. Oh god, no. She couldn’t lose her job. Not now.
“No, please don’t fire me. I’ll do anything. Please.”
“Is that right? You’d do anything?” Jerome smiled as he stepped closer to her, his hand tugging at the hem of Bailey’s skirt. “Fine. In that case, Miss Reed, show me how much you want to keep your job.”
Bailey recoiled at his touch but she knew she had to fake it. It’s for Lily’s sake. She told herself. Just close your eyes and it’ll be over soon.
“So how about it, Miss Reed.” Jerome’s voice floated over her to the sound of him undoing his belt buckle. “I want you to get down on your knees, open your mouth, and beg me to let you keep your job.”
Bailey took a trembling breath, lowered herself to her knees, and shook loose her golden brown hair. Jerome’s cock was already out and Bailey was taken aback by its size—even at half mast.
“That’s right, you dirty little whore.” Jerome’s hand caressed Bailey’s cheek as his thumb worked at prying her lips apart. “You’re gonna open that hot mouth of yours and take all of this dick in your throat. You gonna do that for me?”
Bailey felt tears swimming up to her piercing blue eyes. She’d never felt more humiliated in her life. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, sir.”
Jerome’s cock twitched in the air as it rose to full size. The purple head throbbed as it got closer to Bailey’s mouth. Slowly, she parted her lips as Jerome’s hand rested against the nape of her neck. There was a drop of clear precome peeking out from the eye of his cock. One look and Bailey knew that Jerome had been thinking about this exact scenario for a very long time.
Do it for Lily. She told herself and closed her eyes.
“No, Miss Reed.” Jerome breathed. “I want those big beautiful blue eyes looking at me when I cum down your throat.”
“I…” Bailey hesitated. It was hard enough to give Jerome a blowjob, but to look him in the eyes the whole time too?
“Do you want your job, Miss Reed?”
Her heart dropped. “Yes.”
“Then don’t you fucking look away.”
She kept her eyes trained on his as she opened her mouth, felt the fat head push its way past her lips. The taste of musk and salt drowned her senses, blanketing her taste and chasing all other smells from her nose. The throbbing member seemed to pound against her mouth as it pushed deeper and deeper until the head was pressed against the back of her throat.
She swallowed involuntarily, and fought the urge to gag as she felt her throat brush against the head. Jerome groaned above her as he tightened his grip on her neck, pulling her closer to him even though she could go no closer.
His free hand wandered down to her uniform and unzipped it in the back. Bailey struggled against him and finally pulled back, gasping for air.
“Oh you like that, don’t you?” Jerome fumbled with Bailey’s bra strap.
Click. Click. She felt the clasp come undone and felt a shudder run through her. He just wanted a blowjob right? Just a blowjob? Not… Not… She stared back at Jerome, searching his eyes for an answer.
“You think you can just blow your way out of this? You know how many people like you I get applying for a job in a week?” Jerome yanked the uniform off Bailey and threw her bra away to expose her full breasts. “You know how many fucking bitches offer to blow me for a fucking maid position?”
“I…” Bailey’s heart was racing now. She wasn’t prepared for this. She can’t. Not like this. Not with Jerome.
“You, you, you what?” Jerome panted as he hiked up Bailey’s skirt. His finger brushed against her pussy through her panties. “You can’t wait for this big fat cock to tear your pussy apart? You can’t hold back how wet you are for me? Is that what you’re about to say?”
His fingers slipped underneath her panties and pulled them aside. Bailey was panicking now. No, he can’t. Not like this! What if I get pregnant? What if he’s got a disease? “Wait!”
“What?” Jerome snarled as he grabbed her right breast with his hand and pressed his cock against her ass.
“I… I can’t get pregnant. Please. I can’t get pregnant!”
“Frankly, Miss Reed.” He pushed her forward and pressed her into his desk. His cock pushed against her slit. “I don’t give a fuck.”
“No! No! You can’t!” Bailey pushed him back. “You can’t!”
Jerome’s hand closed over Bailey’s mouth as he rammed his cock inside. “On the contrary, Miss Reed.” He grunted as he started to move. “I can do.” He held her closer to him as his hand reached down to her clit. “Whatever the fuck.” Then his fingers were playing with her and Bailey felt her knees grow watery from the touch. “I want.”
His fullness filled her up and her body responded to a sensation that she had missed for a long time in her life. She fought the urge to moan, to make any noise that let him know how good it felt to her. She didn’t want to give him that. She didn’t want him to win. So she closed her eyes and started counting as he grunted and moaned behind her.
When she’d gotten to a thousand and one, she felt his cock twitch hard inside her. Warmth splashed her walls and she felt Jerome shrink away from her until he was gone. A few drops fell out of her and rolled silently down the length of her thigh.
Jerome was slowly buttoning his shirt as he tucked his cock away and pulled his pants on. “Well, Miss Reed. That was certainly a spirited performance.
He looked at her with a predatory smile and right away, Bailey knew the next words out of his mouth before Jerome even said them. “I want you gone. I want you out of th
is building in ten minutes. Now get the fuck out of my sight.”
CHAPTER SIX
Bailey sank to the floor as the words echoed in her brain. She had seen it coming, she knew since the moment she walked into his office. There was no way she would mean enough to him to keep around. But her own reality outside of the hotel was creeping back into her consciousness.
“What are you looking at me like that for? Get out. Now.” He was cold and passive. He had found a way to hurt her, a way to dominate her. This was a version of revenge he could not wait to see through.
“Please, Jerome. Please…” She finally looked up at the man standing before her with his arms tightly crossed across his chest. A smile drew over his face as she begged from her spot on the floor. But he would not hear her further or acknowledge her pleas. He had gotten all that he'd needed. Instead, her brusquely took her out of the office, closed the door, and left her alone in the hallway
Bailey leaned back against the wall and pounded her head against the gold wallpaper. Why, she wondered. Why me? The last few months had only been about loss and sacrifice. And now, she was at the bottom of her spiral, the very end of the darkest tunnel of her life.
This job, out of the four total she had, was the best paying one of the bunch. It had kept some food on the table for her and for Lilly. It had put gas in her car. It had kept their heads from drowning. And now, she had no way to stay afloat, no way to fight back from the tide.
“Bailey?” A soft, familiar voice whispered to her from the end of the hallway. Bailey turned her head towards the call to see the figure of Millie waiting by the elevators unsure if she should proceed any further. Bailey motioned for her to join her at the end of the hotel rooms. The woman sunk to the floor next to her as she took Bailey’s hand gently in her own.
A small cry rose up as Bailey asked, “So, you heard?” Bailey knew that rumors spread quickly, especially with the hotel cleaning staff. There were ears practically everywhere.
“Maria was bringing up some towels and she saw the ambulances and squad cars in the service lot. Raul was bringing up towels to the 31st when he saw that boxer being wheeled out. Didn’t look so hot. What happened exactly?”
“I just walked in and there was this man covered in his own blood on the floor. The room was trashed. I asked him if he was okay, but he couldn’t even respond. He just…” She couldn’t explain what had happened in that one moment between the maid and the boxer. “He just was… there... needing my help. So I called 911.”
Millie made a sour face. She'd immediately seen the issue in what Bailey had done. “He fired you, didn’t he?” Bailey nodded as she continued, “That son of a bitch. I heard he put his hands on you earlier. Maybe it’s for the best. Go find another maid service job at a place that has a better boss or something.”
“I wish it was that easy, Millie. I don’t know what’s next. Rent was due a couple days ago, and I don’t even have food for Lily and I. I’ve got three other jobs, but they don’t pay squat.” Suddenly, Bailey’s eyes welled with tears as the weight of her situation came pouring out of her, “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know how I'm supposed to take care of her. I can’t be her mom when I can't even put her into preschool or feed her or give her a bed to sleep in. What am I going to do?”
Millie instinctively draped her arm around Bailey’s shoulders. “I’m gonna give you the same advice as I gave my daughter: If you can't help yourself, help the ones you love. If you can't take care of Lily, you need to find her a place or a home that can.”
“What do you mean? Like put her up for adoption? I couldn’t do that. She’s my baby.” Horror filled Bailey as she thought about permanently giving her to someone else. She could not live with herself if that is what she had to do.
“There are homes right here in Chicago that will take her while you make your decisions and get your life back in order. They’ll work with you. They worked with me when I couldn’t handle Yasmin, and everything turned out alright with that.”
“Would I still get to see her? Could I visit?”
“That’s up to your counselor. I couldn’t see her for a bit while she was settling in, but then I was granted visitation and it gave me motivation to work even harder.” She looked over to Bailey as tears trickled down her face, staining her blue uniform with dark pools. “Listen, honey. You’re a mom, and mom’s have to do everything they can to take care of their babies. This is the most motherly thing you can do for her.”
Bailey nodded. Millie’s advice wasn't the ideal situation, but it was a possibility. Millie stood and offered her hand out towards Bailey as she added, “Think about it some more. But for right now, go get your daughter. I have Geo watching out for her until you can get out of there.”
Bailey gave Millie one giant hug and then slowly walked towards the service elevator. Her heavy heart felt lighter and more troubled than ever before. But Millie had given her something that she hadn't had in a very long time: options.
Seconds after Bailey’s elevator’s door closed, the bronze doors of the one next to her opened. A man with circular sunglasses and a navy blue suit quickly ran from its doors. Spotting Millie as she dusted herself off, he yelled to her, “Ma’am! Are you the maid that was in this room here?”
Millie was taken aback. She figured he was a reporter or some paparazzi. They occasionally managed to sneak into the premium floors by bribing the downstairs staff. Yet, he didn’t have a camera and he certainly did not look the type. She took a risk by answering him, “No sir, I’m not. That maid just left.”
“Where'd she go? I've got to talk to her immediately.” He looked around frantically as if she may pop up at any moment if he just managed to look hard enough.
“She was fired, sir. Just now. She’s on her way out of the building.”
“Fired? Wh—” he stopped himself. It was none of his business, “I need to talk to the girl who found the man in that room. Do you have her phone number, email, home address? Something? I just need to get ahold of her.”
“I think I have her phone number in my cell phone,” Millie pulled a blue flip phone from her pocket and scrolled through the contents. Once she found the name and number, she wrote the info down on a napkin—but she leaned in before handing it over. “First, tell me who you are.”
“I’m Jonathan Winters of Winters Talent.” He reached into his suit breast pocket and fished out a blue and white business card. Millie flipped it over several times, studying the content. It looked legit to her. “I’m the man’s agent. I need to speak to that woman before it's too late.”
***
Lily hummed happily in the backseat of Bailey’s car. She was excited to be leaving the hotel early that day. The laundry room’s high heat and humidity had caused her hair to frizzly and fray. And she had managed to get chocolate from a stolen candy bar all over her pink and white t-shirt.
“Mommy! Can we go to the park since we have all day together now?” Bailey looked back at the girl from her rearview mirror and smiled deeply. She wanted so little in life, but she deserved so much more. More than she could ever know.
Bailey and Lily’s father Joe had been able to give that to her at one point. Her life was a pink and white nursery with delicate designer baby clothing and the fancy diapers. She had it all, but now that had changed and Bailey couldn’t do anything to get that life back for her. Everything she knew had seemingly come crashing down in just a few short years. And Lily had become been the collateral in the damage.
Her cellphone suddenly began to vibrate over and over again in her dress pockets. She did not dare to look at it. There was no one out there that could call and comfort her at this point. It had to be either Jerome or the hotel’s human resource department, she figured. Worse, it may be another bill collector. Her heart couldn’t take trying to explain to another agency on why she could not pay her electric bill or why she was behind on her credit card payments.
“Mommy?” Lily asked again. Her voice shook Bailey out of
her own head.
“Sorry honey. We have to go somewhere this afternoon. We’re just going to run home, grab a bag for you, and head out again. Okay?” Bailey swallowed back her emotions as she tried to put a positive spin on the situation.
The road before her grew longer as the slow crawl back to their studio apartment seemed as if it was an eternity away. But Bailey managed to instead focus in on the playful sound of her girl singing to herself, the sun shining down upon her, the birds following the progression of her car.
Her mind had been made up. She was going to do the right thing for her girl.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lily was screaming for her, grasping at her purse, her arm, her dress hem. The older woman dragged her away, kicking and screaming as Bailey watched her helplessly. She could still hear Lily’s piercing cry as the door slammed behind her.
Possessive_A Bad Boy Second Chance Motorcycle Club Romance Page 26