by Keta Kendric
“I’m punching as hard as I can,” she yelled back at me. I’d been yelling at her none stop, stirring her anger on purpose.
When she punched my palm, I gripped her fist and snatched her around, turning her back into my chest and putting her in a tight hold from behind. She struggled to break free, attempting to replicate the lessons I’d taught her.
My lips sat above her ear.
“You’re strong, Gina. A lot fucking stronger than you’re showing me right now. What if I was Sorio? What if I was the motherfucker that put his hands on you? Let Gina all the way out and fuck him up.”
Her chest heaved at my taunting words. I may as well have been slapping her in the face. She hated Sorio with everything she had. A hate so deep, it dripped from her each time his name was mentioned.
The tiny crease on her forehead deepened as her anger swirled. I’d heard bits and pieces of the story of Sorio from her and Aaron. When it came to Regina, even from the first day, she’d commanded my attention, and I willingly gave it. Based on her anger now and the silent messages her body gave off when she’d talked about Sorio, I was convinced he’d hurt her far worse than she’d revealed.
“That’s it, Gina. Get angry. You’ll need that anger. You have physical strength because your fucking family forced you to toss around dead bodies for years. Your anger is what’s going to help you direct that strength into a weapon.”
Gripping her tight shoulders, I spun her to face me, loving the shocked expression on her face when I manhandled her.
“He hurt you worse than you’ve let on, right?”
Her gaze dropped before she nodded.
“You need to get that shit off your chest. You want to talk about it?”
She shook her head, still not meeting my gaze. “Not right now,” she murmured in a voice filled with pain, hurt, and the unmistakable twinge of anger.
Regina wasn’t a fighter, but by the time I got done with her, she would be a fucking female menace.
27
Ansel
The day had been a productive one as far as I was concerned. I’d spent half the day with Regina and half in my office attempting to play catch up with work.
Except for a few business-related fires I’d extinguished, I’d been in my office for an hour and hadn’t accomplished shit. Regina crossed my mind. She’d taken her lessons well this morning and had puffed my chest up with pride. She’d not given too much resistance about me being tough on her. However, the mean looks she gave hinted at her irritation.
As much as I didn’t like the lame ass idea in my head, I enjoyed having someone to go home to. Before Regina, working a fourteen to eighteen-hour day wasn’t shit. With Regina around, my normal routine had become a whole different story.
All I’d improved lately was my imagination on how many ways I wanted to see Regina tied up. I closed my laptop and prepared to go home, reminding myself that I paid people good money to do most of the shit I did anyway.
The drive home had gone by in a blur. Regina’s scent and her pheromones met me as soon as I stepped off the elevator and into my apartment, wreaking sweet havoc on my senses. I had no view of the woman and already ached to fuck her.
My gaze fell on the spectacular view of the city through the floor to ceiling windows in my living room. She’d often sit on the chaise and study until her body slumped and her eyes drooped. It was her favorite spot in the entire apartment, but she wasn’t there.
If she tired of that, she’d sit by the pool. I’d seen her swim laps like a champ, but she was more content to sit by the pool and enjoy the view. A peek onto the balcony sent my gaze to her second favorite spot, but she wasn’t there either.
“Regina,” I called. My brow bent as a crease of concern wiggled its way into my brain when she didn’t answer my call. The kitchen produced steam flowing from the pots and pans. It was after six, so Gigi had come and gone.
My pace quickened as I left the kitchen and marched up the stairs to Regina’s room. I used the tips of my fingers to open her cracked door farther. Emptiness and silence greeted me as my gaze raked over her bed and her open bathroom door.
I removed my phone and brought up the cameras, clicking over each, searching for the woman who was about to cause me to have a heart attack before I turned twenty-seven fucking years old.
Phone in one hand, I reached back with the other and gripped the handle of my pistol as it rested against my back. I didn’t put a fucking thing past her family. If I had my way, I’d kill each and every last one of them.
A rustling from the closet sent me in that direction. A deep sigh escaped, and I released the grip I’d placed on my pistol. Regina was sitting on the floor of the closet with a damn book in her hand. She was such a beautiful nerd.
“Regina,” I called in a firm voice, making her jump at the sound of my urgent call. Her head jerked up from the book that nearly toppled from her hands. She popped a set of black earbuds from her ears that I’d just noticed.
“Yes. What’s…what’s wrong?” she stammered. Her face squinted in concern as she glanced up at me with an endearing innocence before she gripped the hand I lowered to help her up.
My quick eyes scanned her delicious body. First, it was the jeans, but now my sweats. I loved Regina in my clothes, but I wanted that sexy body of hers exposed for my eyes only.
I’d stuffed a few of her drawers full of the kinds of sexy clothes that I wished to see her in. However, I was learning that Regina wasn’t going to let me run every aspect of her life, and she managed to get her points across loud and clear despite her calm nature.
“Nothing,” rushed out of my mouth. “I didn’t see you. I’ve been calling out to you with no response.”
My labored breathing sounded over the buzz coming from her earphones as relief unfurled the strong fist that was squeezing my heart. This damn woman was going to be the death of me.
“I apologize,” she declared. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Her big brown gaze projected a sincerity that couldn’t be missed. “I was listening to music and studying.”
While some women in her situation would have been out spending my money or planning some type of scheme, she studied, conditioning her mind on the ways to fix the broken human body.
A teasing smirk raced across my lips.
“What?” she asked, considering my expression as a tiny smile surfaced on her lips.
“You and Megan,” I started. “I’ve never met women like you two. Megan has the mind to torture the devil and leave his ass in distress. You, I do believe you can take a human apart, and rebuild him into a better person.”
There wasn’t enough money in the world to pay for the smile that lit her face. It wasn’t often I could get her to grin wide enough to show me the full beauty of her smile, but when I did, it shone light into my dark world.
“Thank you for such a nice compliment, but all I aspire to be is a good doctor.”
“You already are,” I complimented, making her brown cheeks flush pink.
“Is there any word on my name change?” she inquired, stopping my uncharacteristically rare moment of dishing out compliments.
“Not yet. Give it at least another week.”
I’d just lied. I’d received her document yesterday. However, I was a selfish bastard that wanted to keep Regina all to myself for as long as it lasted. The moment she started applying to hospitals, they were going to scoop her up. Anybody that could fix a traumatic brain injury while being held captive in her family’s cellar was a damn medical marvel in the making.
“Are you ready for dinner?” I questioned, swiftly changing the subject. With a gesture of my hand, I insisted she walk out ahead of me. Her knowing glances back let me know that she knew what I was up to.
“Doc,” I called after her.
“Yes,” she answered turning back to address me.
“I don’t mind you in my clothes. As a matter of fact, I love it. But, you have beautiful, flavorful skin and a luscious body that I’d
like to see a lot more of. From now on, I want to see loose ass all over the place and tits bouncing in my face when I get home. Not you with all these clothes on, condemning your body to prison as far as I’m concerned.”
“Sorry. Long story,” she offered, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “Next time, I’ll be waiting at the elevator naked.”
I didn’t care for the sarcasm in her tone.
“Good. That sounds more like it. And that long story you just alluded to, I’d like to hear it when you’re ready to tell me. I don’t need a repeat of Aaron with Megan and all her secrets. If you have an angry ex-husband lurking, I need to know it so I can kill his ass.”
Her posture stiffened when I mentioned hearing her story. But her giggling about me killing a secret ex-husband melted the ice on the chilling secret I knew she kept.
After we fixed our plates of creamy lobster linguine and sat across the table from each other, silence filled the room for a moment. Too much silence bothered her, but I didn’t mind it. Silent or not, I never got tired of watching Regina.
“How was the rest of your day? At work?” she asked as a slight squint in her eye registered, and a twinge of a smile bowed her lips. Regina claimed only book smarts, but she didn’t fool me. She paid attention to more shit than she alluded to.
“Work…” I stated, putting emphasis on the word and letting her know that I’d caught the question in her tone. “Work was good. I accomplished a lot today.”
She knew from Aaron that I ran guns for our MC. I think she may have even suspected that my legal business required that a few illegal activities take place from time to time. My gaze froze on hers, loving the way I could make her squirm with just a look.
“By the way, I owe you a punishment.”
Her brows knitted into a deep V. “For what? You haven’t been home long enough for me to do anything to be punished for.”
Her body was likely sore from the fighting lessons I’d given her this morning, so my aim was not to be as hard on her as I’d like to be. She didn’t need to know that though.
My lips twitched, but I kept my grin hidden. “For making me worry when I got home and couldn’t find you. You are going to experience the wrath of Dr. Sparks under wet conditions.”
“Dr. Sparks? Wet conditions?” she questioned. She didn’t appear stressed about the punishment I was promising her. She was learning that punishment didn’t always mean hurt or pain.
“Yes, sweetheart. I like to keep shit interesting, and I definitely need to get you wet. Besides, all I’ve been thinking about all day is how many ways I could aim my dick to get to the bottom of your tight pussy.”
Her lips fell apart, but I didn’t believe for a second it was from shock. I’d piqued her interest, and her inner freak stared back at me.
Wait a fucking minute! Did I just call her sweetheart?
28
Regina
Was it bad of me to obsess about Ansel putting his hands on me again? The sight of him plunged my mind into another zone. I hadn’t yet figured out how to flip the switch from us, the normal people, to them, the naughty ones. However, it didn’t stop me from wanting both.
My goodness. The experiences he created. The hot and nasty things he said. His body had its own voice and with each call, I answered. Taut muscles stretching and expanding, pulling and bulging. Handsome face, gorgeous eyes, and a dick that delivered addictive kisses of pure bliss. My heartbeat pounded thinking about what Ansel could do, what he hadn’t yet done. I couldn’t rightfully describe the type of pleasure he’d introduced to my body.
I’d almost been kidnapped yesterday, but he’d managed to find a way to wipe it out of my mind. He’d promised to punish me for making him stress when he couldn’t find me earlier. If he planned to punish me like he had the times before, this was a punishment worth enduring, one I was anticipating.
What am I saying? I didn’t sound like myself anymore. Or, was he helping me find my true self? I didn’t know what was happening because my brain kept focusing on his ability to drive me insane with pleasure. His attention to each and every detail down to the way he sucked on my…
“Doc.”
I jumped at the sound of his nickname for me. My mind had drifted again, and I’d missed his approach. The sight of that thick leather black strap in his hand stalled me, and a surge of tension threatened to overflow.
It looked like a black leather strap he’d borrowed from the 16th century. A whip mixed with a cat-o-nine tails with fringed leather tips. The shiny black of the leather gleamed against the light.
A hard swallow accompanied my halted posture as my eyes remained laser-focused on the object. It wasn’t until Ansel reached and took my hand that I glanced up at him, too dumbstruck to say anything. He assisted in lifting me from the couch, my body rooted in a strange mix of fear and excitement.
Ansel had smoothly tricked me into thinking it was okay to be punished. From the looks of the strap in his hand, I was about to be screaming in pain and pleading for him to stop. He’d promised me that he wouldn’t push me past my limits, and I had to believe he’d told me the truth. A deep breath calmed my body but anxiousness was a nasty parasite I couldn’t shake.
Why was he leading me towards the balcony? It was raining outside. A light drizzle had started hours ago. April showers had started to pour, midway through the month. The drizzle remained steady and light, and for a while, it hypnotized me as I’d watched it sprinkle from the sky through the windows.
I stood, seized in nervous tension before I forced my wobbly legs to move. My head darted back and forth between Ansel and the leather strap in his hand. He slid the balcony door open and stood waiting for me to exit.
“Ansel. What are you doing?”
“It’s time I collected on my promise, Gina. It’s time for me to punish you. And if you remember, I said I needed to get you wet.”
“You want me to go out there? In the rain? My hair,” I emphasized, aiming a finger at my messy ponytail.
He pursed his lips at me, letting me know that my hair should have been the last thing I worried about.
“What about it?” he asked, glaring fleetingly at my hair before his gaze settled on mine.
“My hair doesn’t get all cute and curly when it gets wet like some women. I get a jungle-fro that takes hours to tame,” I volunteered. My father may have been Mexican, but I hadn’t inherited his silky hair texture.
“Stop worrying about your hair and start worrying about how much dick I’m going to force into your pussy,” he warned with an arched brow.
He’d only taken off his suit jacket and tie before he stepped out into the rain, fully clothed. He glanced back, expecting me to follow him. The sprinkles started to darken the crisp white of his shirt, but he didn’t care.
Ansel smiled before snapping his fingers three loud times, making me jump to a moving start.
“Get your sexy ass out here, Gina!” he demanded in his Dom voice. His booming tone carried through the tickling drops and set off trembles inside my body. I was scared, but dammit if my body wasn’t also buzzing with lust.
A deep breath and a calming sigh escaped before I let quick steps carry me across the threshold of the door. Mindful of the impending unknown, I left the door open, in case I needed to run for my life.
A gasp lifted my chest as soon as the cold droplets licked my face and bare arms. Ansel stood in the rain like it was nothing more than an afterthought, awaiting my slow arrival. He hadn’t turned on the balcony lights, but the waving blue water of the lit pool gave us all the light we needed. Shadows and wet droplets fought my vision for dominance, but my eyes remained peeled and my mind alert.
By the time I stood within a foot of Ansel, I was shivering. My eyes blinked twice as fast to keep up with the steady drip-drops, but my vision remained sharp at this closer view. The dancing sprinkles didn’t stop my gaze from finding that whipping device in his hands either.
He’d propped his free hand on the rounded bar over t
he glass balcony as the strap hung from his grip. Its shiny black skin was now wet and gleamed as it found light in the dimness that blanketed the balcony. The rain produced its own music as the sprinkles chanted varying melodies when they splashed against shallow and dense surfaces.
“Gina, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Sparks, one of the many floggers you will get to know.”
A large gulp I attempted to swallow became lodged in my throat along with the fear I struggled to choke down.
“Take off your clothes. All of them except your panties,” he demanded, not giving me a chance to freak out.
My lips fell apart, but I couldn’t talk. I pointed outward, hoping he understood my reluctance.
“This is a private balcony. We are at the top of the building. Unless there is someone out there in a helicopter with a telescope, no one can see us.”
The shiver in my body increased, from the cold rain and from the anticipation of what was about to happen. My body was heavy from the rain soaking my clothes, but my fingers worked the wet material away from my skin.
“Don’t make me undress you, Gina,” came his commanding voice.
I tugged my soaked and clinging top, stretching it as I twisted my arms into it to pull it away from my body. The top slipped up and over my stomach. Before the shirt had cleared my head, Ansel’s gaze was glued to my body. He leaned against the balcony, watching. The wet droplets that drizzled over him only amped up his sexiness.
My shirt hit the floor of the balcony with a wet splat. I slipped my feet from my once comfortable fluffy house slippers. Now, they may as well have been two piles of wet hair sitting atop my feet.
The slight tremble in me had started to dwindle after noticing Ansel’s heated gaze, one that burned with flashing heat for me. When his tongue slid over his bottom lip, the chill in the air was washed away. Was this balcony heated like his floors?