Club de Fleurs 4: Rachel [Club de Fleurs 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Rose Nickol

  “I…just…need…to…breathe,” she answered, panting with each word.

  He rubbed her back soothingly and let her lie on him and catch her breath. When she calmed down and was breathing normally, he asked her again if she was okay.

  Nuzzling into his chest, she answered him. “Yes, that was incredible. How soon can we do it again?”

  “Oh, lamb, you are going to be so much trouble. We aren’t done by a long ways. You don’t know what you’re in for.”

  “Like I said before, bring it on.” She giggled and bit one of his nipples, hard.

  He smacked her ass, and said, “Behave, or you’ll know what a punishment feels like, and I’ll take that ass sore or not.”

  “Big threat, lover boy,” she teased him. This was fun and felt right. She loved the banter between them, and was glad they were comfortable enough to be able to play like this.

  Laughing, he flipped her, and sitting on the side of the bed, he pulled her over his lap. “I’ll show you threats. Five for being a smart-ass and five because I can.” Then he smacked her ass hard ten times. When he was done, he pulled her into his arms and slammed his mouth on hers, grinding her lips against her teeth. When she opened her mouth to scream with laughter, he thrust his tongue inside and swept her mouth with it.

  Pulling back, he asked her, “gonna tease me again, smart-ass?”

  Giggling, she looked up at him and answered. “Yep, every chance I get. That was just lame, if you’re going to punish me, at least make it worth my while.” She knew she was asking for it, but it felt so good to tease him.

  “Oh, I can make it worth your while,” he said, showing her the paddle he had taken out of the closet. It was big enough to cover both her cheeks with one swat and had little holes drilled in it in evenly spaced increments. The thing was about an inch thick, and if wielded correctly, it could do some real damage. Craig didn’t want that, but she was going to get five with it. “Game on,” he told her smugly.

  Swallowing, she thought to herself, “What have I done now? I’ll never learn when to keep my mouth shut.”

  “Bring it,” she answered back cheekily, knowing she was asking for it.

  “No problem, love,” he answered, accenting the last word. “You were going to get five, but now I think you can take ten. Use your safe word if you need to. For this, your safe word only stops the paddling. Everything else will continue.” He wasn’t going to let her off easy, but wanted her to know she could stop if it became too much and that they would continue to play.

  “For the third time. Bring. It. On.” She was going to be in so much trouble, but at the same time, she knew Craig would never give her more than she could take. She loved the fact that he reminded her she could use her safe word, giving her and her big mouth an out, but she had provoked him into this, and she was going to show him that she could take what he was dishing out.

  “You asked for it,” he told her, moving her off his lap and standing up. He quickly flipped her to her stomach and positioned her with her feet dangling off the side of the bed and her ass at the edge. Looking down, he tapped a finger to his lips. “Hmm.” He studied her, knowing she could see him. Reaching up on the bed, he grabbed a couple pillows. Lifting her, he placed them under her abdomen, raising her ass to the perfect angle.

  “That’s what was needed, now everything is perfect,” he told her. He rubbed both of his big hands over her ass, moving in circles and covering all the skin from the top of her ass to her upper thighs. He stopped rubbing and starting smacking. Applying light slaps to the skin he had just caressed.

  He reached between her legs and ran his fingers through her wetness, stroking up and down until she moaned. Removing his hand, he went back to work on her ass, continuing to smack her, gradually building the intensity.

  When he had her skin the color he wanted it, he grabbed the paddle, and placing one hand on the middle of her back, told her, “Love, I’m going to use the paddle now.”

  Holding her back firmly, he reared back and smacked her. Her skin immediately turned a bright red and she squealed.

  “That was one, love. Do you want to use your safe word?” he asked, rubbing the red mark.

  “No, Master, I wish to continue.” She answered him, tears running down her face. Fisting the pillow she had pulled under her face, she grabbed a big chunk of it between her teeth and braced herself for the next blow.

  She had always enjoyed a bite of pain and thought that had been ruined for her. The paddling was causing the most extreme feelings. More intense than she ever remembered. She had been afraid she wouldn’t enjoy this kind of play again. She was very happy she was wrong.

  She must have drifted into subspace, because, the next thing she knew, Craig was rubbing her skin with a cream or ointment and saying, “This will help the sting and the bruising. Are you back with me, lamb?

  “Yes, Master. I’m green Master,” she answered with a sigh, still drifting.

  “I’m going to start preparing your ass for me, love. I’ll be using lots of lube and going slow. It will burn at first, worse than my fingers, but stay with me and it will get better.”

  He prepared her as best he could, using the promised lube and his fingers. Leaning over her body and effectively restraining her body with his, he fitted himself to her and slowly pushed his way in, not stopping until his mushroom-shaped head was past both rings of muscle designed to keep intruders out.

  Having got that far, he stopped and gave her a minute to get used to him. Once he felt her body relax, he pulled back a little and pushed further in. It was torture to go so slow, but he wasn’t going to chance hurting her.

  He felt her wiggling and trying to push back and take more of him and knew the time was right. He pulled most of the way out, and with a quick motion of his hips, thrust in half the way.

  “Oh my God!” she screamed.

  “And that’s not all of me, love. I’m not going all the way tonight, we’ll work up to that. For now, this is all you get.”

  “Thank God,” she thought, “it feels like there’s a log up there now.” She tried to relax and took a deep breath.

  Being careful not to put too much weight on her, he leaned into her a little more. Fisting his hand around his cock so he didn’t go too far, he continued to pull most of the way out and slam back in. By covering her body with his, he could better gauge her responses and knew when she was ready for more. Keeping his fist where it was, he increased his speed until they both came with a scream.

  He pulled out of her, lying down on his back beside her and pulled her upper torso to lie across his chest. Running his fingers through her hair, they lay there in the glow of the aftermath, enjoying each other’s bodies.

  After a few minutes, he got up and went into the bathroom. He cleaned himself and came back with a warm rag for Rachel. She was sleeping so soundly that she didn’t move while he was attending to her.

  He moved her to the center of the bed and crawled in beside her. Pulling her body to spoon with his, he cupped one breast and closed his eyes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  He woke to the sound of the phone ringing. Knowing his voice mail would pick up, he relaxed back onto the bed, wanting to enjoy a few more minutes with Rachel. When the phone starting ringing again, he thought, “what the hell?” Jumping up, he ran for the phone.

  “Michaels, here.” Craig barked into the phone.

  “I have info. How soon can you get to the security office?” Evan barked back.

  “Twenty.” Craig barked back into the phone, not happy about needing to leave Rachel, but he knew Evan wouldn’t be calling unless it was important. One of the nice things about being in the Air Force together was that they didn’t need to waste time on words. He could be blunt, and Evan would understand. Disconnecting the call, he stomped to the shower.

  When he got out of the shower, he stopped to check on Rachel after dressing. He wanted to make sure she was still sleeping. She looked peaceful and content.

 
He scribbled a note that told her where he was and left it on his pillow where she would find it in case she woke before he got back and headed to the security office.

  He got there with five minutes to spare, and looking at Evan, he said, “This better be good. What’s up?” Knowing it was.

  “We found the person who took Rachel’s wallet,” Evan announced.

  “Great, I want to talk to her,” Dave said back.

  “You can’t. She’s dead,” Evan stated flatly.

  “Oh fuck,” Dave answered back, sitting down.

  “F.U.B.A.R. all the way, man.”

  “Fucked up beyond all recognition” was a phrase they had frequently used in the Air Force when a mission went wrong.

  “Details?” Craig asked, deflated.

  “Not much at this point, man. Her apartment was trashed and the body was a mess. I’ll spare you the gory parts. Needless to say, she suffered. The cops don’t have many clues, but I suspect Hawkins. Unfortunately the ass-hat seems to have disappeared. I have several operatives working on it. Kyle has pulled some contacts out of the wood and is seeing what he can find on his end. This is one big S.N.A.F.U., let me tell you.”

  “Situation normal all fucked up” was another expression they had used in the Air Force.

  Dave was glad to hear that Kyle was using his contacts too. Before retiring, Kyle had been one of the most-demanded bodyguards in the country, guarding everyone from movie starts to presidents. When he retired, the man was at the top of his game. His contacts could be some powerful and influential people. Craig didn’t want to think about what Kyle and Evan could do when they put their considerable resources together. He was just glad they were on his side.

  “Great, man, keep me posted. Are there any clues?” Craig wasn’t surprised to find out that Evan suspected Hawkins. Hell, at this point he did too.

  “No, but I have more bad news,” Evan added.

  “Great, what?”

  “Two more of the asses are due to be released in the next two weeks. We are beefing up security even more, and I suggest that Rachel take a leave from work until this is resolved. Kyle has put Jenna on lockdown. You don’t want to know how pissed she is.”

  “I bet. He’s gonna be in the middle of a hornet’s nest. I may not be much better off,” he said with a little laugh.

  “Better you two than me,” Evan answered, laughing.

  The men talked for a while longer, then Craig left to check on Rachel and break the news to her. He was on bartending duty that night and needed to take a quick nap first.

  When he got back to the room, Rachel was still sleeping. He quickly stripped and lay down beside her, pulling her body to spoon his. He felt her body relax into his, and the tension he had been feeling seemed to melt away. They would get through this.

  When he woke several hours later, the bed was empty. Checking the rest of the suite, it was also empty. Where the hell could she be?

  He grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them and a shirt on. Slipping his feet into sneakers, he headed for the club. No sign of her there either. He ran back to the suite, and her purse and car keys were gone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Rachel woke, Craig was sleeping. Looking at him, she couldn’t believe how much she loved him. Being with him was the best thing that had ever happened to her, which was why she had to leave. Right fucking now, before she changed her mind.

  Jumping up, she pulled on the first thing she saw and threw some clothes in a bag. Grabbing her purse, phone, and keys, she walked determinedly to the door, hoping she didn’t see anyone along the way. She walked cautiously past the security office, hoping to get by without any questions.

  Evan saw Rachel go by and thought about stopping her but didn’t. He simply activated the tracking on her phone and let her go.

  Once Rachel got by the security office, she increased her pace until she was almost sprinting. If she slowed down, she’d lose her nerve, and she didn’t want to stop and answer any questions. Walking out the back door, she let out a sigh of relief. So far, so good. She went to her old beater of a car and hoped it started. She hadn’t started it for several days, and it wasn’t the most reliable. When it did, she let out another sound of relief. Now where to go? She didn’t want to go to any of her friends or family, not wanting to put anyone else in danger. Maybe a cheap motel for now until she had some time to think and make other plans. She had to find some place to hide, not only from Hawkins, but someplace where Craig and the guys couldn’t find her.

  If Craig found her, there would be hell to pay. Actually, not if, but when. She had no doubt he would find her, but hopefully not until this all blew over and everyone would be safe. She hoped she didn’t have to hide too long. She was really going to miss Craig. Just thinking about him made her cry. If anything happened to him, her life would be over.

  Rachel decided to head down I-70 to the state line and find a place in Kansas to stay. No one would think of looking for her there. She hoped her car would make it. What she didn’t know was that Craig had been making sure the routine maintenance was done on her car and had some minor repairs done before she had started driving it back to work. He made sure it was started every other day by him or someone in the club. He didn’t want her driving something that wasn’t safe.

  Driving along, it was all Rachel could do to keep from crying. She didn’t want to have to do this. When her phone rang, she jumped. Grabbing it, she looked at the caller ID and saw it was Craig. Shit!

  “Hello?” she answered tentatively.

  “Where the fuck are you?” She could tell he was mad, and she tried not to let that faze her.

  “You aren’t safe with me there. I’m going to hide until this is all over. I don’t want to take the chance of you or anyone else getting hurt.” She was sobbing.

  Taking a deep breath, Craig said a quick prayer and counted to ten. “Baby, you need to come home. We’ll keep you safe here,” he told her in what he hoped was a calm voice. He didn’t want to upset her any further, but he needed to get through to her.

  Sobbing, Rachel said quickly, “I can’t do that,” and disconnected the call. Pressing the button to mute the ringer and put the phone on vibrate, she put the phone on the seat next to her and grabbed the wheel with both hands. It was starting to rain, and she needed to pay attention to her driving.

  “Shit!” Craig cursed at his phone as the line went dead. He called back five times before he got the message she wasn’t going to answer. He headed to the security office, hoping Evan was still there.

  As he walked into the office, Evan saw him and pointed at a chair next to him. “Sit,” he said. “I know, I activated the tracking device on her phone the minute I saw her walk out of here.”

  “Thank God, but why the hell didn’t you stop her?” Craig was glad Evan had thought to activate the tracking but couldn’t understand why Evan hadn’t stopped her. They could have avoided this if he had.

  “Tell me what’s up first,” Evan answered him.

  That’s when Craig realized that Evan had no idea that Rachel had left without telling him and had no way of knowing that she was on the run.

  Craig quickly brought him up to speed, and Evan looked at him. “What the fuck are we doing sitting here? She has to have at least a forty-five minute lead on us.” Grabbing a laptop, he prodded Craig towards the door.

  ‘You drive, I’ll direct,” he said as they jumped in the truck. He no more than had his belt fastened, telling Craig, “Head for I-70 East, I’m going to call some of the crew in case we need back up.”

  The rain was really coming down, and Rachel had to slow way down because she could hardly see. She didn’t dare pull over. She needed to keep going. Craig was probably trying to find her.

  Slowing to a crawl, she cursed the rain.

  Mike Hawkins could hardly believe his luck. After meeting the bitch in the restaurant, he had waited for days for an opportunity like this. Killing the slut who had taken the bitch’s wallet was mess
y and unfortunate, but necessary. That slut was his only tie to the wallet, and he didn’t need her getting mouthy. Now the bitch was finally alone, but where the fuck was she going? This rain sucked, and he was afraid he was going to lose her in the mess.

  Rachel saw headlights coming fast in her rear window and was scared the car was going to ram her. Gripping the wheel tightly and bracing for the impact, she prayed. At the last minute, the car veered around her. Just another car on the highway who didn’t see her until the last minute because of the rain. The other car sped on, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. The rain was finally letting up, so she gradually increased her speed and relaxed a little. Her phone had finally stopped buzzing. She had several missed calls, probably all from Craig. She’d have to look when she stopped. That wasn’t going to be until she found someplace to stay. She had decided to only stay at a place for one night, then move. If she drove during the day and slept at night, she should be able to hide for several days and no one would find her. She never thought that someone could be following her or about the possibility that Evan could track her with her phone.

  After driving for several hours, she found a place that looked good for the night. It was small, but the outside looked kept up and she hoped it was clean. She drove to a truck stop. She could get gas and food there. As she walked in, she felt someone watching her, but looking around, she didn’t see anyone.

  She went into the diner they had there and ordered a meal. She still couldn’t get over the feeling of being watched and ate quickly, wanting to get out of there.

  Mike Hawkins watched the bitch and waited. He had all night to make his move.

  Rachel filled her car with gas and got some snacks and other things from the small store there. She didn’t need to worry about breakfast. The motel boasted a buffet breakfast, so she would eat before she left in the morning, providing the breakfast was edible.

  She checked into the motel, happy it was the kind where all the rooms were on the inside and only accessible from the lobby. For anyone to get to her, they would have to go by the front desk. That made her feel a little safer.