by Tl Reeve
No. She refused. No way would she suck his dick. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much she missed his taste. Missed the way he grunted when he came down her throat. With her mouth clamped shut, she felt the slickness of his precum on her lips. He was killing her will power. “Don’t fight me, Kennedy.” His words were murmured, and they skittered across her flesh, filled with longing and an emotion she didn’t even want to examine.
She opened for him, lashing her tongue against his tip. The heady blast of spicy maleness she’d never forget exploded on her tongue like a million fireworks on the fourth of July. If she gave him any more of herself tonight, she’d be lost to him forever. Yet, she couldn’t stop. Taking him into her mouth, Kennedy hollowed her cheeks and sucked him hard. He growled. His fingers speared her short-cropped hair, tugging the wispy ends, silently begging her for more.
She didn’t resist. Inch by inch, she took him to the back of her throat and swallowed. Falling into the rhythm she remembered as an eighteen-year-old girl with her first lover, she pushed her limits, wanting more of him. His hips stuttered, and she felt him tremble. Power thrummed through her. She could still make him weak kneed. Thrilling. Her juices dripped from her slit. His grunts and groans were music to her ears. In that moment everything about their past floated away. It was just Phoenix and her.
“Shit, girl,” he moaned pulling from her. Her whimpered protest and subsequent reach for his cock forced a deep resonating chuckle from his chest. “I don’t want to finish in your mouth, baby.”
Phoenix lifted her back into position, and before she could ask what he was doing, she felt the sting of leather against her ass. He whipped her harder than before. The agony of each wallop was followed up with something far more intense than pleasure. It crashed through her, overwhelmed her. The middle of her chest seemed to burst open as emotions long held within flooded her. Remorse, regret, love and hate coalesced into a cataclysmic ball of energy. She knew when it finally exploded nothing would ever be the same, and in that moment she hated Phoenix.
He made her feel alive and wanted. When he touched her, Kennedy felt ten feet tall and invincible. It disgusted her. He had no right whatsoever to make her feel anything. He left her. Not the other way around. Phoenix knew asking her to marry him would send her running for the hills. But when his calloused palmed cupped her sex, her body tingled and demanded she take everything he was willing to give her.
Kennedy bit the inside of her cheek when two of his broad fingers pierced her sensitive flesh. Grinding her teeth together, she held back the cry of pleasure sitting on the tip of her tongue as his fingers stroked her sweet spot. He fucked her at a slow, lazy pace. His thumb swirled around her clit with dizzying precision. It took all of her will power not to scream, “Hurry up!” He was killing her. Breaking down the walls she’d erected all those years ago.
“Don’t you dare hide from me, pet.” His hand cracked against her already blazing ass cheek. “I want to hear you. Give it to me.” Phoenix’s fingertips dragged against the sensitive bundle of nerves. She couldn’t hold back the strangled groan building in her chest. “That’s it. Give me a little more.” His thumb quickened its pace adding to the rhythmic tap of his fingers.
Her climax shot through her. Screaming his name, her body went taut with pleasure so powerful, she didn’t know which way was up. In the next instant, she felt the blunt tip of his latex covered cock probe her creamy entrance. In one thrust he was fully sheathed within her. Kennedy’s pussy ripple around his invasion, clamping down on him.
A fullness she hadn’t felt in forever gripped her. Phoenix stood still, letting her adjust to his size before retreating and filling her again. The delicious sensations wracking her body were overpowering. The thick ridges of his dick stroked over sensitized nerve endings, sending her headlong into another breathtaking orgasm. Going to her tiptoes she held on by the barest of threads, not wanting to let go. She knew if she succumbed to what built inside her, she’d want it again and again.
Phoenix couldn’t be the one to give it to her.
“So close. So hot.” His heated breath fanned out over her cheek. “It’s heaven having you wrapped around my dick, baby. I missed you. I fucking missed this. Come with me, beautiful.” His finger rubbed her clit, and he filled her twice more before he hollered, dragging Kennedy over the edge with him.
Blinding white hot pleasure seared her, burning her to the quick. Her breath hitched. Her heart stuttered. Kennedy panicked. He’d gotten to her. Thrashing against his body, she cried. Harsh and heavy sobs cut through the haze of the most explosive release she’d ever experienced. “Red. God please, red. Let me go. Phoenix, please let me go.”
“Fuck!”
She felt him withdraw from her and an empty coldness settled over her. The man she dreamed about—gone. Within seconds a jacket rested over her naked form. Strong arms lifted her, and she heard the soft rumbling of murmured reassurances. Kennedy cried. Harsh shuddering sobs crashed over her in a tidal wave of emotions.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” As if she needed permission to cry.
The blindfold had been removed, and Kennedy blinked a few times. The semi-dark room, blurry from tears, came into focus after she wiped her eyes. A man she’d never seen nor met before held her close. “I’m a friend,” he grumbled probably seeing her need to run. “Don’t move, girl”.
“Where is….” She swallowed hard. “Never mind, this is for the best.”
“None of that now.” His grip tightened on her. “Tell me something, if I told you where Phoenix is, would you go to him?”
Her gaze snapped to the man. Bald with penetrating dark brown eyes that bored into her—the man exuded control and dominance. His strong jaw was covered in a five o’clock shadow. A goatee framed his full lips and gave him more of a menacing quality. His massive arms encompassed her in a band of muscular security. “Probably not,” she snapped. “Could you please let me go? I’m fine.”
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “You’re naked, girl.”
“For the love of—” She blew out a breath of frustration. She was going to kill Eric, then Phoenix. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
Scrubbing her face, she looked at the jacket covering her, and knew it would be too short. It was worth it though. The minute she found her clothes, she was out of there. “Fine, please let me go so I can zip this up and find my stuff.”
“Sorry, no can do. You safe worded out of the scene.” Deep frown lines bracketed his eyes and mouth. “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
“How about you let me up before I kick your ass.”
“For your information girl, he worried about you day and night for eighteen years,” he said, dumping her on the couch. “He’s nearly killed himself trying to drink you out of his system, and yet for some fucking reason, he still cares about you. Still wants you.” The man strode to the door.
Kennedy bristled. Her lip trembled. “No one asked him to. He did that all on his own.”
“You’re right, girl. He did, and you’re just a snot-nosed brat who doesn’t deserve the man Phoenix has become.” Without a backwards glance, he exited the room.
Kennedy swallowed hard as fresh tears gathered and slipped down her cheeks. How dare that man say those things to her! She didn’t deserve his venom. She’d done nothing wrong. If Phoenix tried to drown his sorrows, he shouldn’t have tried to push her into marrying him. For goodness sakes, she’d been eighteen. But, even to her ears, her arguments were weak.
He truly had wanted her. He’d mourned her, and it was all her fault. She hated what she did to him, but it was for the right reasons. He had to understand. They were infatuated with each other. At eighteen, she hadn’t known the meaning of love. Sure, Phoenix took her virginity, and yes he promised to always take care of her, but it was said when he was buried deep inside of her, coming hard. Outside of the bedroom and until that fateful afternoon, he never spoke of a future o
r what he wanted. He had just as much at fault as she did and she wouldn’t let him or his friends guilt her.
Screw you, Phoenix Dupree.
Chapter Five
Kennedy sat in their unmarked cruiser waiting for Eric to reappear from the rundown record store in the middle of town. Once they’d gone through their victim’s purse, they learned her name was Ava. They’d also found a flyer for a club. The name, unfortunately, had been torn from the blue Xerox paper. It didn’t make any sense. So Eric decided to hit up one of his snitches. A little unorthodox? Sure. Leaning on them like her partner had in mind might lead to the information they needed, however, it could backfire as well. Nevertheless, the risk was worth the reward.
As she gazed out over the town she called home, memories of the year Phoenix rode out of her life flooded her mind. Damn him. Why did he have to come back? Why couldn’t he stay away? Being in his arms once again had felt right, and it scared her—while also warming a part of her soul long since forgotten. Ugh, don’t even go there, Kennedy. You know better.
Yeah, she did, but it didn’t keep the wayward thoughts from taking over. If she’d been in the right state of mind, she’d have safe worded her way out of the scene the minute he touched her. Yet, the emotional overload crashing over her spun her reality out of control. Feelings she’d locked away the second Phoenix drove away from her house came roaring back. A part of her wanted to reach out to him and say she was sorry. Another part of her told her she had nothing to be sorry for. Truth be told, if she gave over to him again, he would take full advantage, and she’d lose herself forever this time. But we’re both older now, don’t I owe it to him to try? No, she didn’t.
“Let’s roll,” Eric said, sliding into the car next to Kennedy, rousing her from her thoughts.
“What did you find out?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the road.
“Two things. I got the name of the club in New Orleans and a new street drug. But we’re wanted back at the station. Chief has a meeting we need to sit in on.” Glancing over at her partner, she saw the determination that filled his features. He became a fucking pit bull when it came to murder cases and when it involved defenseless victims.
Curious as to what the chief wanted, she pulled away from the curb and headed back toward the other side of town. “Great.”
“What’s got into you?” He quirked a brow at her, his gaze firm and unyielding.
Kennedy shrugged. “Nothing,” she said, stopping at a red light.
“You’ve been on edge since I took you to the club. I’ve been trying to be patient with you and let you come to me to talk about it, but I can see you’re staying tight lipped. That won’t do, NeNe. Now, what’s going on?” The bastard had always been overly observant.
“It’s nothing. I’d rather get us back to the station and figure out what the chief wants.” She turned left when the signal changed to green. She needed to distract him. “We need one clue to connect the Personal Protection Order against her ex-boyfriend we found this morning, and the flyer—if they were connected—and we’ll blow the case wide open.”
Ava’s ex-boyfriend Gavin, hadn’t been the best of people. After roughing her up, he followed Ava wherever she went, causing her undo stress. In the PPO, they learned Ava’s parents had persuaded her to file the paperwork to keep the man away from her. This morning, he was working for a banking firm in Baton Rouge. The meeting went well. The guy had been completely embarrassed by his actions and was devastated by Ava’s passing. To the untrained eye, everything looked right as rain. He was in a new relationship and seemed happy, though it had been a quick turnaround. Almost too quick. Gavin gave them details and a multi-person alibi for the night of Ava’s murder. Kennedy would look into it.
“Fine, but we’ll talk about it later.” Which meant Eric would do whatever it took to get the information out of her. Nosey bastard. “There’s a new club in New Orleans. It’s called Nemesis. Word on the street is they’re dealing a drug called Twilight. My snitch says it’s passed around the club on a nightly basis. It’s cheap and can be added to a drink to increase the potency of it.”
“Shit,” she said. Kennedy found a parking spot close to the door and took advantage of it. “Did he say anything else? Like who the owner is, or who’s distributing the drug?”
“No one really knows his name. The distributor is supposed to be a guy called Scorpio. That’s about all my snitch knows.” It was a start, and a hell of a lot more than they had to go on previously.
Once inside the station, she strode to the chief’s office. The door stood open, showing the office to be empty. Kennedy took a seat and waited as Eric filled the chair next to her. She could feel his gaze on her. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Still trying to figure out what the fuck happened.”
“Well stop,” she retorted. “You’re making me nervous as hell, and you know I get an itchy trigger finger when people make me nervous.”
He laughed. “Calm down. Besides, if you shoot me, who will be your partner?”
“I’ll wing it. Plus, I won’t shoot to kill. I’ll shoot to cause damage. Big difference.”
“For you maybe.”
She smirked.
“Good you’re both here,” Chief James Ariges said as he entered his office. The eclectic chief didn’t conform to rules very well, and it rubbed some, including Dominguez, the wrong way. He took a seat behind his desk. His grey eyes gleamed with intent and a hint of resolve. “This murder case is of the utmost importance. We need a plan. A strategy to find the killer.”
She agreed. With the intel they received from the snitch, she wanted to go to the club and check it out. Undercover if need be. “Sir, I—”
Ariges held up his hand. “I’ve ask one of our consultants to give us a hand. He usually works missing persons cases, but when his recent case turned into a murder investigation, he agreed to join the hunt for our murderer.”
“Wait, how is our case related to a missing persons case? She was at home?”
“Two weeks ago,” her chief began, “Ava’s parents called the police. They knew about the PPO against her ex-boyfriend, and when they hadn’t heard from her, they got worried.”
“Of course they did. They ‘encouraged’ her to file for it.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “So, they called you and you referred them to this…consultant?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “There’s nothing more to this case. The parents are overbearing. It’s no wonder she ended up with ex.”
“Some people aren’t cut out to be parents,” a rumbled voice said from being her.
The hairs on the back of Kennedy’s neck stood on end.
“Hello, Kennedy.” Phoenix.
Fuck my life.
****
Phoenix often contracted with the police department to work on cases in which the department had hit a dead end. There were places police couldn’t legally go and loopholes he could take advantage of, all of which lead to the answers and arrests needed for a case. He’d testified more than once and would do it over and over again if it meant getting criminals off the street. He’d seen the things his father did with the Vultures, and he didn’t want his legacy to reflect the sins of the father.
“Phoenix.” Smoky like a rich brandy aged to pure perfection, Kennedy’s voice washed over him and settled in his groin.
“You know each other?” Ariges asked, as his gaze darted between them.
“We’re old…friends,” he answered. “We go…way back.”
Kennedy snorted.
“This going to be a problem, detective?”
Phoenix cocked a brow as he watched her. Her passive features gave away nothing. Red. Please, Phoenix, let me go. Her words rang out in his mind, and the acid in his stomach curdled. Bile rose in the back of his throat, and for a moment he thought he’d be sick. What had he been thinking? Oh yeah, he hadn’t. All he could see was her naked, strapped to a cross in his club. Memories from days past filled his mind, a
nd it was like no time had passed between them. She gave over to him like she was an extension of him. Fuck, she was perfect.
“Nope, won’t be a problem at all,” she said, not even sparing him a quick glance.
“Le Roche,” Ariges snapped.
“With all due respect, sir, I am giving you an honest answer. My past with Phoenix Dupree will not affect this case. I intend to find the killer. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my duties, I’m okay with using his expertize for this investigation.”
“Very good. Then you won’t mind posing as Phoenix’s submissive.” The chief pointed at Phoenix. “Fill Eric and Kennedy in on your plan. You’ll start working with each other immediately.”
“Wait, what?” She looked to Phoenix, then her chief and back again. “What just happened?”
Phoenix smirked. “Looks like we’re partners.”
With Jacolby’s help, he’d mapped out the floor plan of Nemesis. Once they got their feet wet, they could get a better picture of the place and go from there. However, the night he and Jacolby checked the place out, it was empty. It looked more like a normal bar at lunch hour. Which, in all honesty, baffled Phoenix even more. At least Jacolby gleaned a little more information from the bartender. According to the gangly, greasy-haired kid, who looked to be still wet behind the ears, the place picked up on the weekends.
“What do you know about Nemesis?” Eric asked opening the file on his lap after the chief left.
“Not much really. Jacolby and I went to the club after finding out that’s where Ava was the night she died.” First and foremost, they had to be careful. “The place is pretty small, not your normal night club or BDSM club for that matter. It was also dead, almost suspiciously so,” he shrugged. “Other than that, nothing.” If they went in asking a lot of questions they’d be found out. But if they intermingled with the crowd—if there was one—they could find out everything they needed to know about the drug and the owner…maybe.