by Parker, Ali
“But—”
“No buts,” she said, giving me a sultry pout. “I’m cold.”
“You’re a wicked temptress.”
Laina’s legs opened again. Every inch of me wanted to go to her—especially my cock, which seemed to be trying to tug my body toward her. She sighed softly as she rolled two fingers over her clit. “You can do whatever you want to me in the shower. Fuck my mouth. Bend me over. Watch me fuck myself,” she added as her fingers slipped into her pussy again.
“Fuck me,” I grated before forcing myself to look away. I marched into the bathroom and turned the hot water on. Laina moaned in the bedroom.
The bathroom swelled with steam, and I didn’t bother to turn on the lights. I went back out to find her still on her back on the bed with her panties removed, laying there naked. She watched me with hungry eyes and closed her legs. I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the bathroom, where I gently put her down outside the shower door. She stepped in ahead of me, turned to face me, and motioned for me to join her with a curl of her finger while she pressed her back against the far wall.
I stepped in and closed the door behind me. Then I went to her and trapped her where she was, using my body and my arms to keep her in place.
“Tell me what you want me to do,” she whispered.
Her tits glistened with drops of water. It ran in rivulets down her stomach and thighs, and I dropped my head to trace the shimmering wet lines along her skin with my tongue. She sank her fingers into my hair and moaned softly as I worked my way down.
I went to my knees in front of her with her fingers still in my hair. I looked up as I ran my hands along the insides of her thighs. “I don’t want you to do a damn thing, baby.”
Chapter 34
Laina
Mason came into the bathroom on Saturday morning as I was blow-drying my hair. He gave me a pat on the ass and looked me up and down before brushing his teeth.
I finished drying my hair and brushed it out as toothpaste gathered in the corners of his mouth. He made the okay symbol with his fingers as he checked me out again. I laughed at his approval of my outfit, just skinny jeans and a gray tee. I had on a gold necklace and bracelets to spruce it up a bit, but it was pretty simple.
He spat and rinsed. “Where are you off to?”
“Ginny and I have plans for brunch. And I need the distraction before the race tonight.”
He came and rested his hands on my hips. “I could distract you all day if that’s what you want.”
I pushed lightly at his chest. “Ginny wouldn’t appreciate being ditched just so I could fuck.”
“I think she’d understand,” he said as he leaned in and kissed all up the side of my neck with his soft, warm lips.
I jerked away from him and held up a scolding finger. “You’re not allowed to do that?”
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Try to seduce me like that. You know my neck is my weak spot. And I’m already late. Ginny’s waiting outside.”
“She can wait a little longer. Come on, baby. I could bend you over right here.” He waggled his eyebrows at the bathroom counter.
I rolled my eyes at him, and he followed me out into the bedroom, where I plucked my cardigan from where it hung on the bottom bedpost. “I have never met anyone as horny as you.”
“I blame that body of yours.”
I lingered in the bedroom to reward him with a kiss. I teased him a little with my tongue and then pulled away. “I won’t be gone too long. Promise.”
“All right, all right,” he conceded. When I tried to walk away, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back in for another kiss. This one was deep and forceful and left me panting when we broke apart. “Have fun.”
“I will,” I said a little breathlessly.
He didn’t try to stop me a second time. I hurried down the stairs and out the front door to the driveway to where Ginny was waiting in her car with the stereo thumping so loudly, all her windows were vibrating with the bass.
Ginny turned the music down when I got in the car and was backing out of the driveway before I had my seat belt on. “Charlie’s?” she asked.
I nodded. “Hell, yes.”
Charlie’s was a nicer place than its name let on. It was a charming brunch restaurant not too far from where Mason lived. They served spectacular food with sides of fruit and had the best mimosas I’ve ever had in my life. Ginny and I each ordered one before our asses hit our chairs.
I shrugged out of my cardigan and didn’t bother looking at the menu. I knew what I was ordering—the same thing I always ordered, a veggie skillet with a side of fruit, hold the toast.
“So,” Ginny said as she hooked her purse on the back of her chair, “it’s race night. Are you nervous?”
I nodded. “Very. This week has been quiet. Almost too quiet. I can’t help feeling like Sid and Mark are planning something terrible.”
“What does Mason think about the whole thing?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Every time it comes up, he changes the subject.”
“How does he change the subject? It’s sort of an important conversation to have at this stage of the game, don’t you think?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“So why let him get away with changing the subject on you?”
My cheeks burned. “Well. He doesn’t really use his words. If you know what I mean.”
Ginny giggled and covered her mouth. “He’s a smart man.”
“I know. Which makes me think he must be prepared for those assholes to try to pull one over on him. Sid and Mark won’t let tonight pass without pulling something. I can feel it.”
“Rick feels the same way.”
“Oh?” I arched an eyebrow.
Ginny played it off like the fact she had talked about this with Rick wasn’t indicative of the two of them getting closer. The waiter arrived and put our mimosas down and took our orders. Once he left, I pushed Ginny to tell me what Rick had said. She sipped her drink and shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it in length, but he’s pretty sure something will go down tonight. It has to. Like you said, there’s no way Sid will let tonight pass without fucking with Mason somehow.”
“Did the two of you have this conversation over dinner? Or in bed?”
Ginny smiled into her champagne glass. “You’ll never know.”
“So the latter.”
Ginny winked.
I took another sip of my bubbly citrus drink. “Does Rick seem worried?”
Ginny sighed and nudged her fork. “A little. Yes.”
“Just a little?”
“Okay. Fine. He’s more than a little worried. But he knows there’s nothing he can say or do to change Mason’s mind as well as he knows that someone needs to beat Sid and Mark. I think Rick just feels stuck. You know?”
I nodded. “Believe me. I know.”
Ginny reached across the table to rest her hand on mine. “It’ll all be okay, Laina. After tonight, things will settle down and go back to normal, and you and Mason can focus on other, better, more important things. Like whether or not you’re going to move out or keep living at his place.”
I laughed. “Yeah. I guess that’s a conversation we’ll have to have.”
“Do you want to stay?”
I bit my bottom lip as a smile stretched my cheeks. “Yeah. If he’ll let me, I’d like to.”
“He’ll let you. He’s super into you, Laina. I can tell. I’ve caught him looking at you the same way I look at wine. It’s a match made in heaven.”
“I’m glad you can compare our chemistry to your relationship with wine.”
“And cheese. I don’t discriminate.”
I shook my head and laughed at her. “Thanks, Gin. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re always there to talk me down from the ledge.”
“And I always will be.”
“Cheers to that,” I said, lifting my glass.
Ginny and I tapped the edges of our gl
asses together, and by the time we’d set them back down, our food had been delivered. I busied myself with cutting up the vegetables in my skillet, and as I lifted my first bite to my mouth, I froze.
My vision blurred for a second, and nausea rolled through my gut.
“Are you okay?” Ginny asked.
I nodded. The wave of nausea passed as quickly as it had come. “Yeah. Sorry. I just wasn’t feeling well for a second there.”
“Are you pregnant?” she teased.
“No, we’ve been quite safe, thank you very much.” I took my first bite, chewed and swallowed, and washed it down with the last couple mouthfuls of my drink.
“Shit happens.”
“Not funny.”
“It’s sort of funny.”
I scowled at Ginny as I took another bite. I only made it a couple more minutes before I felt incredibly sick again. I put my napkin on the table and dropped my cutlery. “Sorry, Gin. I need a minute. I think I’m going to throw up. Can you watch my bag?”
“I’ll order you some water,” she called after me as I hurried away from the table and wove through the other customers enjoying their meals. I cut straight toward the bathroom at the back of the restaurant and blew into the first stall. Nobody else was in there, thank God, and by the time my knees hit the tile, I was puking my guts out into the toilet.
It wasn’t the sort of throwing up where once it’s out of you, it feels better and you can wipe your mouth and walk away like it never happened. This was the sort of vomiting where you genuinely believed you were going to die because you couldn’t breathe. My lungs burned, my eyes ached, and my throat felt like I’d swallowed acid by the time the puking stopped.
I leaned back on my heels and pulled a bunch of toilet paper off the roll. I dabbed my mouth with it and flushed the toilet.
My head was still spinning. The nausea had abated and been replaced with an odd, tight feeling in my stomach.
I groaned and slid sideways to lean against the wall. I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes, hoping the dizziness would pass. When I opened them again I lifted my hand. It looked like I had eight fingers. “What the hell?” I groaned.
“Laina?” A woman’s voice called from the other side of the stall.
My disoriented mind struggled to make sense of who it might be. Ginny. Obviously. “I’m in here, Gin.”
“Are you all right?”
“I think I ate something bad,” I said.
“I should tell the manager. Then we’ll get you out of here. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said shakily. “Hurry up.”
I heard her leave. My head continued to spin, and my stomach grew more and more uneasy with every passing second. My vision darkened around the edges, and I became confused. Why on earth was I sitting on the floor in a public washroom?
And where the hell was I?
I rubbed at my temples and then attempted to stand. My legs gave out, and I collapsed back onto the floor as the main door opened.
“Ginny?” I called.
My stall door opened. A woman stood there. At least, I think it was a woman. My vision was so bad. She came into the stall and pushed my hair out of my face. “Let’s get you out of here. Come on.”
She slid under my arm, and I knew this must have been Ginny coming to take me home. “Mason,” I mumbled.
“I’ll get you back to him. He’ll take care of you.”
We half walked, half stumbled out of the bathroom into the hallway. She didn’t take me back through the restaurant. Instead, we went out the back where we emerged outside. I couldn't tell where we were, but I was aware of her opening the back door of a black vehicle and helping me in. “Careful. Watch your head. Just relax. We’ll get you home.”
She closed the door on me and got into the passenger side. Who was driving? Nobody spoke.
I slumped sideways on the back seat. This couldn't be food poisoning. There was no way. This was something else. Something worse.
“I don’t feel good,” I moaned.
Nobody answered me.
“Gin?”
I was greeted with more silence. I tried to peer around and make sense of what was happening, but my vision darkened further still until it was impossible to keep my eyes open.
I stopped fighting.
Chapter 35
Mason
Benji’s face looked a hell of a lot better than it had just days ago. He stepped into the shade of my garage and joined me and Rick, who were standing and admiring the Boxster while we sipped our beers.
I grabbed one for Benji and tossed it to him. He cracked it open, took a swig, and nodded at the car. “She good to go?”
“Yep,” I said.
Benji nodded. “And you? You’re ready?”
I smirked. “Look who you’re talking to. Of course I’m ready.”
Benji and Rick shared a look.
“Don’t be a pair of wussies,” I said. “It’s one more race. We can’t back down now. I won’t. This is my chance to—”
“We know,” Rick said. “Take back your title. Believe me, we know. It’s all we’ve heard about for the last few weeks. I’ll be happy to put this shit behind us for good.”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
My phone started buzzing in my pocket as Benji and my brother chatted about the Boxster. It was an unknown number. I ended the call and slipped it back into my pocket. But the damn thing kept ringing. When I finally answered, it took me a minute to recognize the voice on the other end.
“Mason? I can’t find her. One minute she was here and the next she was gone, and I have a horrible, horrible feeling that something terrible has happened.”
“Ginny?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Slow down. What happened?”
I heard her swallow. Rick and Benji had straightened up and were watching me. Ginny’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Laina and I were having brunch. Everything seemed fine, and then suddenly she got really sick and had to run to the bathroom. I came in a couple of minutes after her. She’d been throwing up. I told her I was going to talk to the manager to warn him that something in the food must have been bad, and when I came back to get her, she was gone. I looked all over for her. Nobody saw her leave. Mason, something’s wrong.”
I ran my hand down my face. “Fuck.”
“What?” Ginny practically whimpered on the other end.
“Where are you right now?”
“A place called Charlie’s.”
“I know where it is. Stay put, all right? I’m sending Rick out to get you.”
“But Laina—”
“I know where she is.”
“You do?” Ginny asked.
“Yes. Just stay where you are until Rick comes to get you. Don’t eat or drink anything. You got it?”
“Yes.”
I hung up the phone and looked at my brother. “I need you to go get Ginny from Charlie’s. Laina’s missing.”
“Missing?” Rick asked, his eyes widening a bit. “What the hell do you mean, missing?”
“She was at the restaurant one minute and gone the next. After getting pretty sick.”
“And that leaves you to conclude she’s missing?” Rick asked skeptically.
“Yes. Now can you get Ginny or what?”
“Of course I can. But where the hell are you going?”
“To get Laina.”
“I should go with you,” Rick said.
I shook my head. “No. Ginny’s freaking out. You need to go get her and keep her safe. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think they wouldn’t try some shit like this.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Mason?” Benji asked. “Where the hell is my sister?”
I glanced at Benji. His face was contorted with rage and, if I didn’t explain myself soon, I was sure he was going to crumple his beer can in his fist and come after me. “I think she’s at Evelyn’s.”
“Evelyn’s?” He blinked. “Why the hell would she be t
here?”
“This is how Sid and Paul are going to stop me from racing.”
“By kidnapping my fucking sister?” Benji seethed.
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Yes. I should have seen it before. I should have known better. Of course, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to pull the same shit they’ve already tried. They had to switch tactics. Stop me from even getting to the race. Force me to come after Laina.”
Rick shook his head. “You can’t go after her alone.”
“I’ll come with you,” Benji said.
“No,” I said a little more sharply than I intended. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes again, my head was clearer. “No. Rick, you’re on Ginny. Benji, I need you to get the Boxster to the race and register me. If possible, delay it. Harley will hold out as long as she can if I’m not there in time. I’m going to Evelyn’s to get Laina.”
“And if she’s not there?” Benji asked.
“She’ll be there. I’m sure of it.”
“I don’t like this,” Benji said as he slammed his beer down on my workbench. “I don’t like this one fucking bit. Those fuckers think they can just take my sister? Do they have no fucking morals?”
“This is Sid and Mark we’re talking about here,” Rick said flatly. “We know they have no morals. They’re clowns.”
“If they hurt her,” Benji started.
“Then I’ll put them in the ground,” I said.
Benji looked at me. His stare hardened.
“Trust me, Benji. I can handle this. Just get the car to the starting point. I’ll take care of the rest. And Rick, meet Benji there. Bring Ginny. She can’t be left on her own. I don’t know what else these bastards might try to pull if they find out their plan didn’t go how they wanted it to.”
Rick nodded. “I’m on my way. Call me when you get Laina out of there.”
“Me too,” Benji said. “If I don’t see you before the race starts, wipe the pavement with those fuckers.”
“Done,” I said.
Rick hurried over to his Jeep and got in as Benji started up the Boxster. I watched them both pull out of the driveway and speed off. Then I ran to my Challenger, got in, and started the engine. I tore off, cutting through traffic like a madman as I raced to Mark and Evelyn’s house.