by Lacey Silks
“More, Axel, please,” I begged.
“Not here, baby. We need to get home.”
“Why not here? He can’t hear us or see us, can he?”
“No, but he’s new. I don’t trust him.”
I lifted off my seat and straddled him, taking his beautiful face between my hands and lowering my mouth to within a whisper of his. “Mr. Wagner, this will be the longest make-out session of your life.”
Why had I waited so long to be close to him?
“I have no problem with that, as long as it ends with me inside you.”
Him inside me.
That sounded like a promise I didn’t want to miss out on. Even his words were driving me wild. We were kissing like two crazy teenagers. Very aware of his hard cock underneath me, I rocked my hips over him. Desperate for that friction, I rubbed myself against him, coercing that pressure in the direction of a promised burst. By the time we got home my lips were swollen, breasts engorged, and pussy throbbing with need. Axel opened the door and we almost fell to the floor together.
Clothes were torn off our bodies, flying left and right. One of my stilettos almost hit the mirror as I flung it off my foot, but we kept going. By the time we’d walked ten feet inside the house we were buck naked, and upstairs seemed too far away. Axel lifted me up against his body, holding onto my ass. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he carried me to the dining room, setting me down on the table.
“Dinner is served,” he winked.
A shudder of delight skimmed over my skin at the suggestion, but if he was planning on doing any eating, it would have to wait. I needed him inside me, and it had to be now. Setting me on the edge of the table, he pushed my knees to the sides and I reached for his cock, stroking the firm girth, feeling the thickness that was about to fill me, then lining him up.
He slid in as if he wanted me to feel and enjoy every inch of him, and boy, did I ever. I squeezed around him, tempting him to push deeper.
“Jesus, Chloe.”
We leaned our heads against one another, breathing heavily.
“Make love to me, Axel.”
He took hold of my hips and began his torturous thrusts. I gripped his arms and wrapped my legs around his slender waist. Our bodies twined together, connecting us skin to skin and heart to heart. The whisper of his breath over my shoulder and neck was leading my body on a journey out of this world. My back arched, forcing me closer to him. His kisses made me feel so loved and cherished that again I wondered why I’d waited this long to be with him.
The table shook underneath us as he pounded between my legs. Before we even started, I knew that I wouldn’t let him go until morning. I got lost in the feeling of his skin on mine, his hands squeezing my breasts, mouth teasing, teeth biting, and my whole body being seasoned with his love.
After being confined for so long, the pleasure that erupted from within me was hot and bright. Lust gripped me by the throat and I could barely breathe as the climax overtook my being. I wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but I felt like I’d left the planet. Axel compelled me back to earth with his tender kisses and soothing words, and I realized he must have climaxed with me because I could feel his warmth dripping down my thigh.
“Chloe...” He breathed my name with so much love it was difficult to hold onto reality.
I lifted my head, examining his heavy lids and satisfied grin. “Again?” I asked.
“Fuck, yes.”
We didn’t sleep until the morning as we slowly made our way from the dining room table to the couch, the staircase, upstairs hall, and then finally Axel’s bedroom. His home was now my home, his bed was ours, and I was afraid that I was beginning to fall head over heels for this man. In fact, I was more than certain that I loved him.
Chapter 23
There are things in this world that once you start, you cannot stop. Like riding a roller coaster. The moment it leaves that first incline, you cannot stop it. Or an airplane: the engines roar, increasing their speed for a take-off, and about halfway down the runway, it cannot stop – it has no choice but to lift off.
The past eight weeks we had become that unstoppable force. Once we finally got started on the sex, we couldn’t stop. We were so desperate for each other that waiting for longer than twenty-four hours without a touch would have been torture. He loved my body every morning and every night. He kissed my stomach with so much tenderness that it made my heart ache. He whispered soothing words and touched me with so much love that I was certain he couldn’t cherish me anymore. Axel loved me beyond what I could have asked for. He healed me with his touches, soothed the pain in my heart with his kind words, and made life seem much easier than it had been without him.
Our blossoming relationship made me want to once again make amends with my family. It was time to seal that hole in my life that had been present since I’d come to New York, and it all started with a phone call to a man I’d been meaning to talk to for months.
Mr. Powers was a Congressman and my ex-boyfriend’s, Jack’s, father. I made the call to Jack first, but that led us to fighting and him threatening me. He tried to make it sound like I’d wanted it that night. He told me I enjoyed it and deserved it. Jack left me no choice but to slam my phone down and give up. But I was smarter and stronger now, and I didn’t want him to get away.
So I called his father. Some may have thought that a childish move, but for me, it was the only way to ensure that Jack paid, at least somewhat, for his mistakes; and since my parents knew Mr. Powers, our conversation went better than I expected. I told him what his son had done to me. Maybe I was brutally honest, but there was no way around it. Jack didn’t deserve to follow in his father’s footsteps in the public eye, and his father should have been aware of that. He listened to me with patience, then he apologized for his son and cried, promising me to deal with Jack. The first of the most difficult conversations of my life was over. I was ready to put the incident behind me, and making amends with my own family was next on the list.
My life was finally settling down. I came to terms with the loss of my baby. On the more difficult nights, Axel would hold me and kiss me until my tears dried up, and I couldn’t have been more grateful. Since that day we reconciled on top of the dining room table, there hadn’t been a night I didn’t spend in our bed. I was slowly beginning to feel whole again, and so I made plans to call my family over the weekend. I played the conversation over and over in my mind, getting ready to apologize.
But fate had a funny way of changing the course of my life, and after seeing a woman eat a hot dog on a commercial, I got a craving.
My mouth watered and I paused, staring at the television for a while after the commercial was over before sliding my hand to the lower part of my stomach. It couldn’t be. It had to be part of postpartum depression. My hand flew to my right breast. My nipple was tender, as it should have been after the way Axel pinched it the night before, but it did feel different.
I paced the few steps to his office and peeked inside. He was wearing his usual white shirt with the holster. It was empty, but I knew the gun was tucked away in his safe.
“I’m going to run to the drug store. Do you need anything?”
“Nope, all good. Are you okay?”
“Just need some moisturizer and to send out my postcard.”
Did he believe that? I was going on a hunch here, and I didn’t want him worried or overjoyed for something that I had been told was impossible. Maybe it was all in my head; some sort of a post-miscarriage reflex my body was going through. It was possible that my mind was playing tricks on me, and I wanted to be certain.
“Chloe, you know I don’t want to stick my nose in your family business, but maybe you should call them?”
“I was actually thinking the same thing. In fact, I think I may go visit.”
“Okay, good. I can come with you if you’d like.”
“Thanks. I’d love that. I’ll let you know when I’m ready, and we’ll set a date.”
�
��Okay, babe. I have an appointment with a client later on.”
“Can I stick my nose in your business?” I asked.
He set his pen down and leaned his head to the side. “Of course.”
“I’m afraid when you go out with a gun.”
“It’s registered.” He paused, regarding me. “But if it makes you feel better, I will try to limit where I take it.”
He then removed his holster and set it aside as well.
“Thank you.” I went over and kissed him goodbye.
“I need to stop by the office later, so I may not be home when you come back.”
“Okay. Catch you later.”
At the pharmacy, I bought two early pregnancy detection tests, stuffed them in my purse, and went back home. Without a second thought, I peed on the first stick and left it in the bathroom. There was no way I could be pregnant. My periods were still irregular since I’d lost the baby, so it was difficult to gauge anything from my monthly cycle.
I went to check my email, made appointments for the coming week, and found some information on a new designer store that was opening nearby. An hour must have passed before I remembered about the pregnancy test I’d left in the bathroom. Not meaning to add any more hope than necessary, I casually strolled over to check the stick, and when I turned on the light and saw two red lines, my knees almost buckled.
I squatted on the toilet and pulled out the second stick, peeing on that one. This time, I didn’t leave it on the sink, but patiently waited for the result. When the second line became visible, my hands began shaking. I rushed out of the bathroom and called Charlie, asking whether he was available to drive me to the hospital. There was no way I could concentrate on the road on my own. He showed up ten minutes later, as I thought he would.
“Are you feeling all right, Ms. Chloe?”
“Yes, thank you.”
That was such a lie. I was shaking both inside and out.
“Charlie, you know that miracle that happened to you?”
“Yes, Ms. Chloe?”
“Well, I think it may be happening to me.”
“Should I congratulate you and Mr. Wagner?”
“Not yet, Charlie. I’m going to the hospital to make sure it’s true.”
“I will pray for you, Ms. Chloe.”
“Thank you, Charlie. Please don’t tell Axel just yet. I want to be sure.”
“Of course, Ms. Chloe.”
I felt Charlie press his foot on the gas pedal, and I was grateful that he did. I’d called Dr. Sanders before coming to the hospital. He was on call that day and asked me to meet him there instead of his office, for which I was grateful as we could get the results much quicker.
Once my blood was drawn, I sat in his office, my knees bopping up and down. After an hour passed, Dr. Sanders joined me in his office.
He sat across from me, clasped his hands, and said, “Congratulations.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. You’re about five weeks along, Chloe.”
“How did this happen? I mean I thought that I couldn’t have any children.”
“The probability was low, but not impossible. Now, given your previous pregnancy and the miscarriage, you’re in the higher risk category, so we’ll need to take extra good care of you. That means more frequent appointments and zero stress. No physical labor at all.”
“Yes, I understand. I can’t believe I’m pregnant.”
I allowed myself to lower my hand to my belly for the second time that day, and that was when it hit me that I was carrying Axel’s child.
“You’ll need to start taking your pre-natal vitamins again.”
“Yes, I still have some. Thank you, Dr. Sanders.”
“You’re welcome, Chloe. If you have any questions or concerns, please call.”
It would take me a while to come to terms with this new development. I had to tell Axel, and I couldn’t wait to see the surprise on his face. I left the doctor’s office and walked through the hospital hallways in a daze. When I neared the exit, the sound of an ambulance drew my attention toward the emergency area. I wasn’t sure what made me stop, but I felt the need to just stand there and watch as the paramedics wheeled someone in on a gurney. Blood was spilling to the floor. One of the EMTs was on top of the patient, doing chest compressions. The scene was utter chaos. When they passed by me and I heard them mention the Lucky Star bar, I felt weak in my knees.
Chapter 24
My phone rang, and I rushed to pick it up as I headed back toward Charlie’s car. I answered the unknown number, my hand trembling and my body tensing as if foreseeing the conversation I was about to have.
“Hello, Chloe.” Dwayne’s voice sounded vicious. “Your twenty-thousand-dollar debt is about to be paid off when I pull this trigger.”
“What are you talking about? And it was ten. What trigger?”
“Interest, sweetheart. And it will be twenty-five if you don’t get to Hell’s Roots within an hour. And you’ll pay way more than that if you’re late.”
“Don’t listen to him!” I heard Axel’s voice.
“What did you do, Dwayne? You better let him go or the police will be on your ass in minutes.”
“You call the police and I can guarantee you’ll be arranging a funeral tomorrow.”
I heard a loud bang and a grunt of pain.
Shit!
“Don’t worry, he’s okay for now. But once he regains consciousness, he won’t be.”
Breathe, Chloe.
Well, there goes the doctor’s order for a stress-free pregnancy.
“What do you want?”
“Axel left his phone at home. It has the account information we need. Get it and bring it here. It’s time to pay off your debt.”
He hung up before I got a chance to ask him any questions. I was standing just outside the hospital door and lowered my hand to my stomach, whispering, “Your daddy needs help, pumpkin. I need you to stay calm.”
And me as well.
I rushed to the parking lot where Charlie was waiting for me. “We need to hurry home, please.”
“Is everything okay, Ms. Chloe?”
“I don’t think so. Axel’s in trouble, and I’m the only one who can help him.”
“Should we call the police?”
“No police.”
“As you wish, Ms. Chloe. May I make a suggestion?”
“Please.”
“Call one of his brothers.”
“I… I can’t. They’ll hurt him. Or kill him.”
“Ms. Chloe, I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. Mr. Wagner would never forgive me.”
“Charlie, I can’t ask you to come with me—”
“You don’t have to ask, Ms. Chloe.”
“Charlie, they can’t know you’re there. I can’t make a mistake. Dwayne is ruthless.”
“They won’t.”
He drove home well over the speed limit. I rushed inside and retrieved the phone from Axel’s desk. Just before I left, the open closet door caught my gaze. I opened the safe. Axel’s gun was there, and I stuffed it in my jeans behind my back. For the first time since I’d met him, I wished he had it on him.
“Say a prayer, Charlie,” I said before locking the door.
He dropped me off half a block away from Hell’s Roots. If the name of this joint was anything to go by, then I was in way over my head, but I’d be damned if I’d let Dwayne hurt Axel, the father of my child. I pushed the black door open and stepped inside.
Dim lights were illuminated at random intervals, and it looked like some bulbs had burned out long ago. Old cigarette smoke lingered in the air, aggravating my throat. At first glance, it appeared to be like any other joint, until my gaze found the stage where a band would normally perform. I could make out a black silhouette, but I wasn’t sure whether it was Axel or Dwayne. I reached for the gun at the back of my pants just as the light over the stage flicked on, spotlighting Axel. He sat in the chair, his hands tied behind him. Blood drippe
d over his white shirt. His head was lowered forward; he was unconscious.
I took my first step toward him, but halted as Dwayne’s voice boomed, “You brought a fucking gun?”
On instinct, I pointed my weapon in the direction of his voice, holding my hands steady. He moved too quick for my brain to register what was happening, and the next thing I knew, Dwayne was pointing his pistol at Axel. He slowly stepped out of the shadow. “You shoot, and I shoot. And I don’t miss.”
“You might with your brain splattered on the ground. Put your gun down, Dwayne, and we all walk away.”
“Where’s the phone?”
“Put your gun down first.”
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Wagner thought he could boss me around, but his days have passed long ago. He forgot what it was like to have a pair of balls and didn’t know who he was fucking with when he threatened me. If you want to end up like him, you’ll set your gun down and give me the phone.”
Fuck you! I screamed in my head.
Dwayne didn’t know it, but I was done with men bossing me around. I’d never let anyone tell me what to do again. That’s why I loved Axel so much. He always respected me, no matter whether my decision was good or bad. He was there for me when I made mistakes, and that was what made him a much better man than any other I’d met in my life.
We could both stand here and play who puts down the gun first, or I could end this without a warning.
I pulled my trigger.
More shots were fired and I fell to the floor, covering my ears and screaming. I hadn’t been hit, but the sheer sound of the blasts was enough to knock me down. When it all calmed down, I could hear Charlie’s voice. He was already kneeling on the floor by Axel, untying his wrists. Dwayne was lying down in the spot he’d been standing moments ago, his body shredded with bullet holes.
Afraid that someone else would shoot, I crawled on all fours toward the stage. Charlie’s phone was set on the floor with 911 already dialed. When I saw Axel bleeding from his stomach, I lost it.
“Ms. Chloe, don’t look,” Charlie warned, but it was too late.