by C. L. Roman
“Everything okay?” I played stupid. I knew it was the jerk-off texting her.
She put on a fake smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
“Why don’t you try telling me the truth now?”
With her head bowed, her eyes flashed to mine. “He wants me to go to dinner with him tonight.”
Bile rose in my throat. “Say no.”
“I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why don’t you educate me on how it works then? Are you at his beck and call 24/7?”
Shame filled her beautiful eyes. “For right now, yes.” Her hands balled into fists on the table. “But like I keep telling you, nothing physical takes place between us.”
“How about emotional?” Why did I ask that? I knew she didn’t care about the old piece of shit, and it shouldn’t have mattered to me if she did.
She scowled. “Are you kidding? He disgusts me.”
Scratching my chin, I breathed deeply. I rose and began to clear the table.
“Gabe?” She stood in the entryway to the kitchen.
Without regarding her, I spoke. “Is he taking you to Hilltops?”
“No. He’s taking me to dinner with a business associate and his date.”
“I see.” My tone was harsh, cold as ice. I began scrubbing the frying pan to release some of the adrenaline charging me.
“I’m confused. Back in my apartment you specifically told me you wanted to keep things simple, and now you’re giving me attitude about later. What gives?”
She was right. I was a walking contradiction. I didn’t want a relationship but didn’t want her with anyone else either. What a selfish bastard I was.
“Nothing gives. You’re free to do as you please, and you’re right, I did tell you I wanted to keep things simple.”
“Why don’t you try telling me the truth this time, Gabe?”
Listen to her, Ms. On the Ball.
Shrugging, I continued to scour the pan. There would be no protective coating left on the damn thing by the time I finished with it. “I have no say in whatever it is you have with that old man. Does it bother me that you won’t tell me anything about it? Yes, it does. If I’m being totally honest, it pisses me off.”
She had frustration written all over her, matching mine. “I told you everything I could. It’s a temporary situation, a means to an end. He and I have an understanding. That’s all you need to know for now.”
I snapped around, facing her, the water on my hands dripping on the tile floor. “You act nervous whenever you open your door—does he have people watching you or something? Why can’t we be seen in public together?”
“It’s important for me to keep a low profile until this thing between me and him ends. Sadly, I don’t think the few friends I have will be accepting of me once all is said and done. I’ve pretty much dropped off the face of the earth without responding to any of their texts or phone calls.”
“Why are you blowing off your friends?”
She strolled into the living room to gather the condiments off the table and returned them to the open shelf in the kitchen and refrigerator.
“I’m not proud of my behavior. If I tell my friends the truth, they’ll go off on me and tell me I’m being a fool. They won’t understand. They don’t come from the same background as I do.”
“What background? I don’t get it.”
“Forget I said that.” She took a paper towel, added some non-toxic spray to it, and began cleaning the table. I watched her from the entryway to the kitchen.
“No, I won’t forget it. You keep giving me snippets of information.”
She stood taller, her hand on her hip, the paper towel crumpled in her fist. “You said you have a lot going on at work—what kind of things? If you want me to let you in, it has to go both ways.”
Abby was a tough cookie. Maybe that was what attracted me to her, other than her inherent good looks. She spoke her mind and stood up to me, which women didn’t usually do. Abby took no shit. Yeah, she came off as emotionally unsettled, but I had a feeling her hypersensitivity had a lot to do with the old man. This woman had confidence, whether she wanted to believe it or not.
“Fine. I’m planning a job change soon. I have a lot of things to wrap up at my current position before I give notice. I don’t want to screw my supervisor over.”
Her posture softened. “Do you already have a job lined up?”
“Yes.” That’s as much as I would give her.
“Is it a job you want?”
“Very much so.”
“Then why do you look so stressed about it?”
“I’ll be assuming an upper-level position. There will be a lot of expectations for me to perform well. It’s imperative that I remain focused.”
She sighed. “Sounds similar to my situation right now.”
What she said made perfect sense. We both had objectives to fulfill and had to remain steadfast on our different paths.
“I guess so. Can I ask where you are temping?” She tensed and glanced down at the floor. My blood pressure rose sky high. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He has you working for him during the days too?”
She resumed cleaning the table. Like that would make me drop this conversation. Yeah right. “That’s how I met him.”
“Let me get this straight. You were temping for him, and then he offered you a deal you couldn’t refuse?”
She wouldn’t make eye contact, instead polishing an area that was already clean. “Sort of.”
I went back in the kitchen, fed up with this shit. “That’s fucked up.”
She was on my tail. “No, what’s fucked-up is you judging me for something you know nothing about.” Feisty Abby was back, her finger pointed at me in reprimand. It made me laugh. “I don’t find this funny.” I put my hand up to assure her it wasn’t because of what she had said. “Why are you laughing?”
“You’re cute.”
Her mouth fell open and her hand went out to the side, the paper towel scrunched in her grasp. “What?”
“I think you’re adorable.” I stepped toward her and removed the dirty towel. I tossed it on the counter, wanting to give her a hug. I pulled her in for one and rested my chin on her head. She draped her arms around my back, nestling her cheek against my chest. “And for the record, I’m not judging you. Whatever reason you have to be doing what you’re doing must be a good one.”
She glanced up at me. “It’s a great one.”
“Even though what I say holds no weight and it doesn’t matter one way or another, if it makes you feel better, I’m okay with it then.”
She smiled and hugged me tighter. “It makes me feel a lot better.”
Our lips came together in a sweet kiss. It wasn’t one of longing or desperation, more one of mutual understanding.
We remained lip-locked for quite a while. I didn’t take things further, though my cock protested, twitching to make its presence known. I didn’t want her to think it was solely about the physical between us. It was strange because, like my father, I too believed pieces of ass were great to fuck, nothing else. No need for the trivial date interviews that led to the bedroom. My modus operandi was to skip the first part altogether. I considered it a waste of time. With Abby, though, I found myself yearning to learn more about her, especially about the situation she had with the old asshole, because I thought maybe I could help get her out of the rut she felt stuck in. She was starting to open up, albeit in crumb-sized amounts, but I would take it. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on between us, but something was brewing in the pot, something I wanted to continue cooking, because it tasted fucking delicious.
Chapter Nine
Abigail
“You look lovely, my dear girl.” He kissed the top of my head. I withdrew, nausea settling in my gut. His eyes narrowed. “You will not retreat from me. Are we clear about that?”
“Don’t pull away from me when I try to hug you, Abigail. Appearances, darling.”
F
oley and my mother would have been a match made in heaven.
“Everything is about appearances, Abigail. It would be smart for you to learn that at a young age.”
Her motherly words of wisdom. The only time she’d ever touched me in a loving manner was when my grandma was around, and the simple reason for that was to give off the false pretense that she loved me. I knew the truth.
I let out a deep breath of disappointment and bit my tongue to keep from saying anything that might make him angrier.
“We are meeting with another developer for dinner. The man is trying to steal my deal. I won’t let that happen. My goal this evening is to persuade him to change his mind. That’s where you come in. From what I hear, he’s fond of sexy young women like yourself.” He perused my body.
I instinctively covered my chest by crossing my arms over it. “We’ve already negotiated the terms of our agreement—no physical contact with anyone, for any reason. As it is, I let you hold my hand and kiss my cheek for appearances.”
“Listen here, my dear girl, you need me right now, a lot more than I need you. Let’s not forget who’s in charge. Sometimes deals must be amended. This might be one of those times.”
“Using my body is off limits. There’s no negotiating that term of the deal.”
He grabbed me by the arm.
“Ouch! Let go of me!”
He had never shown aggression toward me before. Impatience, yes. Violence, no.
“I’ll let go of you after I make myself clear. Up until now, I’ve been very patient with your conditions, but I’m getting tired of your whining and complaints. I call the shots, not you. I’ll call this entire thing off right now, end it. Is that what you want?”
He knew I had no choice. With my head bowed, I replied. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.” He released me, and I pulled my arm away from him, massaging the area he had grabbed. Asshole.
The rest of the limo ride may have been spent in silence, but his penetrating stare said enough. It was pure evil. So much so, my stomach twisted up in knots. Walking into the upscale steakhouse should have been a breeze, but in my case, it hurt to stand up straight.
He placed his hand against my mid-back. It took everything I had not to flinch. The maître d' led us to our table, where the couple we were meeting were already sitting, a man in his late fifties and a woman not much older than me. Her face was heavily made up, her implants spilling out of her dress. First class all the way, a real hot mess. I had to give her praise, though, she was indeed beautiful.
Foley introduced me to the man, Edward. The bimbo introduced herself after.
“I’m Samantha.” She may have eyed me and Foley, but her body faced Edward, her fingers stroking the back of his neck. She sat so close to him she could have been on his lap. She was clearly there as arm candy, same as I was, although acting the part took a shitload of work on my part.
We sat.
Samantha kept her hand on Edward, touching his arm, his chest, smoothing the back of his hair. I kept mine to myself. My napkin got ample attention on my lap as I squeezed the life out of it. She retreated when the old man suddenly raised his voice. I fisted my napkin so hard my nails dug into my skin. I’d heard Foley’s tantrums before—didn’t mean I had fun being present during them.
“I’ve tried to play nice, Edward, but you’re making it difficult for me. There are plenty of available properties to invest in. Why this one?”
“It has dollar signs written all over it.”
“I won’t argue your point, but I’ve done a lot with the land around it. I’d like to continue the exponential growth.”
“As would I.”
The two men engaged in a stare-down.
Samantha stared at Edward.
I stared at my salad.
“What will it take for me to change your mind?” Foley regarded me then Edward. I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was offering me to Edward after I had specifically told him I wouldn’t partake in any physical activities with anyone. How dare he! The funny thing was, why would this Edward character want me when he had a skanky—and yes, I’d admit, sexy—date doting on him?
“Sorry, I can’t be bought.”
Thank God.
At least one of the men had an ounce of morality. Perhaps a drop described it better.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Yes, we will.”
And that was it. The men engaged in superficial chitchat with heated tempers while Samantha and I ate in silence. Well, she ate—my stomach hurt too much to swallow anything of substance. The wine was good, though. It helped relax me to the point that I was tipsy when we left the restaurant.
The driver assisted me into the limo, and Foley scooted in next to me. I hoped to God he didn’t plan on trying to touch me. He too had indulged in a bit too much wine.
“Things didn’t turn out in my favor. I don’t like losing, my dear girl—to anyone.”
I remained silent, not making eye contact, unsure of what he was getting at.
“For the time being, I think you can make it up to me.”
And here we go.
He reached down and placed his palm on my thigh.
My heart began pounding to the point I felt thumping in my ears. “Excuse me, wh-what are you doing?”
“As I told you earlier, I’ve been patient with you, but I’m starting to lose it, and quickly. I’ve seen your pussy on multiple occasions, and I’ve often wondered how sweet it would taste. Tonight, I plan on finding out.”
My thighs pressed together without the assistance of my brain telling them to do so. I shoved his hand away and moved to the bench opposite him. There was no way in hell I was letting that slob touch me. My muscles tightened in my closed-off position—legs crossed at the knee, arms crossed over my chest. The dickhead laughed at me.
“You disappoint, my dear girl. And here I thought you wanted to help your poor sister.”
My hand clutched the locket dangling from my necklace, the one my dying grandmother had placed in the palm of my hand the night before she closed her eyes for good.
“Now spread your legs.” The devil filled Foley’s dark eyes, redness gleaming in them, the man possessed by a cruel force of nature. Holding the locket, I pried my trembling thighs apart, my breaths rapid to the point of hyperventilation. A wave of lightheadedness swept over me as my leg muscles fought against my mind’s command. “I’ll play by your rules tonight, but not for much longer. Please take off your underwear and show me your wet pussy, my dear girl.”
Wet? How about dry as the desert. He’d never turn me on in this lifetime or beyond.
Sucking in air, I pulled my bikini underpants down with quivering hands. Sweat broke out on my palms and on the back of my neck. Too bad I couldn’t turn the A/C up.
“Mmm, I can smell your heavenly scent…more intoxicating than the wine we drank with dinner. I’d do anything to have my mouth right there.” He pointed between my legs, moving his finger in a circular motion. “Now’s the time to cover your eyes.” He tossed me the blindfold. I still didn’t understand why he wouldn’t let me see him—not that I wanted to. I just prayed he wouldn’t break our deal and touch me without my permission.
I secured the material behind my head.
“That’s my girl.”
Darkness surrounded me with the eye covering in place.
“Stick your finger inside your pussy then feed me your juices.”
He had never gone this far before. This monster was trying to push my limits.
“Do it, my dear girl! Right now!”
His reprimand caused me to jerk in my seat.
The blindfold could only absorb so many tears as I fingered myself. It was painful because there was no lubricant to help it slide in and out. Gabriel was right—there had to be another option. I could no longer accept Foley’s terms. He wasn’t keeping true to his word, and I had too much self-respect to allow this atrocity to continue any longer. I’d have to come up w
ith another way to help Irma.
“Now give me your finger.” He grabbed my hand and began sucking on my finger. Too bad he wouldn’t taste anything. There was nothing on it for him to savor, the sick fuck.
He licked the length of it. The thought of his saliva touching me made the contents of my dinner—what little I’d eaten of it, rise in my throat. I swallowed it down. Disgusting.
He proceeded to bob his mouth up and down over it as if giving it a blow job. That was the final straw. I’d had enough. I ripped the blindfold off, completely taken aback by what I saw.
Whoa. I had to take a second to catch my breath. His penis had seen better days. The mutated thing looked like it had been through a meat grinder. This time the contents of my dinner had trouble going down. I nearly vomited right there and then. I snapped my hand away from him, cringing, huddling in the corner on my side of the car, shaking in fear that he would hit me, or even worse, rape me.
“You just made a huge mistake. You will pay for disobeying me, my dear girl! Maybe your sister should pay too.” He covered his privates, the disfigured image forever ingrained in my mind.
“Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t see anything. Please don’t hurt my sister. I beg of you. I’m the only prayer she has left.” My plea came out rushed through my tears.
“It’s too late to beg. We had an agreement, you just broke it, and for that there will be consequences.”
With my body cradled in the corner, I peered over at him. “You broke it too. We agreed on no physical contact between us.”
“For an educated woman, you’re not very wise. I’ve forked over a lot of cash to help your sister and this is what I get in return? Disrespect? Betrayal? I’ve come to realize I’m not getting a good return on my investment, so tonight I decided to up the stakes.”
“Without telling me first? How is that fair? I would have never accepted your new terms.”
“Life isn’t fair, my dear girl, and you’re not in a position to make the rules. So, now I have to decide what to do about this situation.” He tapped his finger on his lips.
Panic ran through my veins, making my heart pump faster. I had so much at stake and everything to lose. My sister was the thing that stood out the most; everything else could be replaced.