by Sam Crescent
This was dirty.
This was what she’d secretly yearned for.
Not just to have her virginity taken.
But to be used, to be given pleasure, to be pushed. The way West held her, his words, all of him, he was the person she’d been waiting for, and she didn’t want to let him go.
Chapter Eight
The last thing Hannah wanted to do the following morning was go to work. She stared down at the sheets with the smear of blood on them. She remembered reading a book where a virgin’s sheets were hung out the window for all to see the claiming.
She was so pleased that it was a very old, outdated custom. Pouring powder into the washing machine, she set the sheets to wash. She’d come down in an hour to place them in the dryer.
It was already seven in the morning, and she made her way back up to her apartment. She was no longer a virgin.
Far from it.
West had fucked her hard last night. They had sex twice, and her body was feeling it today. Her pussy was so sore from the rough sex last night.
She’d loved every second of it, and even as she took a step, she didn’t mind the memory it kept awakening.
Entering her apartment, she saw West waiting for her. He was on his cell phone, and he held a finger to his lips.
She smiled at him and went straight into the kitchen to prepare them some coffee.
“Okay. I see. Yeah, I don’t like this.” There was a long pause. “Option two it is. Thanks.” He hung up his cell phone.
Glancing over at him, she felt a shiver run down her spine. He didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked ready to murder whoever stood in front of him.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
She didn’t know what the morning-after routine called for.
Pushing some hair behind her ear, she left the kitchen, offering him a cup of coffee.
“It’s fine for now. Not the best, but I can deal with it.” He took the cup from her. “Where were you?”
“I put the sheets in to wash. There’s a laundry room in the basement.”
“Don’t leave the apartment without my permission.”
She frowned. “West, you’re not my dad.”
He stared at her. “I’m sorry. I was worried.”
“There’s nothing to be worried about. I’m completely safe.” She stepped into his arms, hating that feeling that was once again building inside her.
Something was going on inside of West’s head. She didn’t know what it was or even what he was thinking. He didn’t say anything, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking something or keeping something from her.
Tilting her head back, she smiled at him. “We’ve got to get ready for work.”
“Yeah, about that. You’re coming out with me today.”
“I am.”
“Yes. You’re going to see a couple of my other businesses.”
“That should be fun,” she said.
He ran a hand down her back. “I’d take you away to keep you for myself for the next couple of weeks. I don’t want to share you.”
“Like a vacation?”
“Yes. Exactly like that. You, me, a hotel room. No one from the outside world looking in.”
“That sounds really nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a vacation.”
“You’d come with me?” he asked.
“I don’t know if I can. I’d have to ask my boss if he’d let me go on vacation. I’ve not been with him very long. He may not want me to go so soon after just hiring me.”
“Maybe you can do something to convince the boss to give you time off.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He was teasing her, and she’d never seen this side of him. She loved it.
“Maybe offer him something he couldn’t refuse.”
“Like what?”
“Something tempting. A promise to do whatever he wants to you.”
“Like a slave?”
“Not like a slave. He doesn’t want you to not have a choice.”
“What does he want?” she asked. She was getting so aroused at the thought of being at his mercy. Of him taking the choice away.
Maybe there was something wrong with her?
“To give you pleasure and for you to trust him that he’d never do anything to hurt you, but if he wants you to try something that he knows you’ll enjoy, you do so. No hesitation.”
“And for that I can go on vacation with you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve never done anything like this. Reckless. Wild.”
“You think this is wild?”
“Isn’t it?”
“It’s certainly something, but it’s not wild. Not yet.” He leaned in close so that his lips were against her ear. “I can show you wild though. Would you like that?”
“Yes.” She spoke the word on a whimper.
Her nipples were so incredibly tight.
“We better get going. I’ll arrange the necessary details for you to be on vacation with me as soon as possible.”
She nodded.
He took a sip of his coffee, and she glanced around the apartment. There was no sign of Emily.
Leaving the kitchen, she made her way to Emily’s door. “Emily, are you here?”
“What’s wrong?” West asked.
“Did you hear Emily come in last night?”
“No.”
She opened Emily’s door. The bed was pristine, no sign of anyone having slept in it.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“That Emily wouldn’t be here. She’s normally here before I head into work.”
“Maybe she met someone.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’ll call her.”
She grabbed her cell phone, dialing Emily’s number only to be told she wasn’t available.
“Should I call the police?” she asked. Worry filled her.
“Why don’t we leave it for the day? She may call you?” he asked.
“You’re sure. I don’t want to leave it too long and risk her being hurt.” She worried. “What if I call her parents? Or her brothers?”
“Why don’t you stop worrying. Your friend is probably having a one-night stand or something.” West cupped her face. “Relax, okay? She’ll call you.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes, relax. I can do that.”
“You’re sure.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
She grabbed her bag and followed him out of the apartment. She still wasn’t happy that she’d not seen Emily since the day before. They were having a few difficulties within their friendship, but that didn’t mean she wanted anything bad to happen.
She didn’t like that sick feeling that twisted her gut.
Once again, West opened the door for her and buckled her seatbelt. When he first did it, she’d hated it, but now though, she found it rather charming of him.
Sitting back in his chair, she felt different.
Alive.
Her body ached from a night of sex.
The man who’d taken her to heaven sat beside her, pulling away from the curb.
Everything was coming together in her head.
If only her parents were here to see him. She wondered what her father would think. Would he hate him?
West was a commanding presence.
The first stop was the nightclub where she first met him. He asked her to wait in the bar. Several people were working and she took a seat, feeling out of place as he went about his business.
She didn’t get how she was going to learn anything if he didn’t have her near.
It wasn’t her place to say anything though, so she stayed silent, waiting for him to return.
“How are you doing?” one of the men said. He’d been cleaning glasses. She didn’t see a nametag anywhere on his shirt.
“Hi,” she said. “You work here?”
; “Have been for a long time now. The name’s Chase.” He held his hand out, and she shook it.
“Hannah.”
“Well as you can see, I’m the bartender in this place. Are you joining as the wait staff?”
“Oh, erm, no, I’m not.”
“Oh, why did boss man bring you?”
He seemed really nice, and he put her at ease.
Hannah smiled. “I’m kind of with West.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, you didn’t strike me as the kind to, you know?”
She frowned. “What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. You just seem so … sweet.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“It is, believe me, it is, but you know all things considered you’re not cut out for this life.”
Chase was clearly talking about something else, and she was in the dark.
“I don’t follow.” She felt so out of place. Did she stick out like a sore thumb?
“It’s a surprise he’s brought such a pretty, sweet lady along with him. With his line of work, I didn’t think it would be appropriate.” Chase winced after he finished speaking. “I really need to not talk.”
She frowned. “His line of work?”
“I shouldn’t say anything,” he said.
“It’s fine. We’re good here, Chase.”
“You know. The stuff that West Gallo is known for. His reputation precedes him. You do realize the kind of guy you’re involved with.”
She didn’t have a clue what to do or say. Something was going on, and she glanced around the nightclub. No one was there as it was closed during the day.
“I’m sorry. I clearly don’t,” she said.
“Chase, you’re needed ’round back.”
She turned to see Rome standing behind her. She’d not even heard him approach.
“Sure thing.” Chase was gone.
“Don’t listen to everything you hear.”
“What did he mean about the kind of work West is involved in?” she asked, turning toward Rome, who took a seat beside her.
They rarely talked when he drove her home, but she felt comfortable with him. He’d never given her a reason to be alarmed.
“Nothing for you to concern yourself with. He wanted you to know that he’d be out in a minute. Just having to make a few private calls.”
“Oh.”
She hated that she was being lied to. Pressing her lips together, she searched around the nightclub, but she didn’t see any sign of Chase.
“Can I use the bathroom?” she asked.
“Sure. You know where it is?”
“Yeah, I do.” She got to her feet and headed in that direction. Glancing behind her, she saw no one was following her and took a quick detour around the back near where “Staff” was marked on the door. Entering the room, she saw it opened up into a large storage room.
She didn’t know where Chase would be. He just got called away, and she wanted to talk to him.
To find out what he was going to say.
Just as she was rounding a corner, her cell phone started to ring.
Checking the screen, she saw it wasn’t a number she recognized.
“Hello,” she said, not really sure who it could be.
“Hey, Hannah, it’s me, Emily.”
“Emily, thank God. I was so worried. I checked your room this morning.”
“Yeah, something came up. It’s work-related.”
“Work-related?” If it was work-related why didn’t West tell her all about it? Rubbing at her temple, she started to feel a headache start. “Where are you?”
“It’s not important. Some sales stuff. He’s wanting to buy a new club, and I’m checking out the details.”
“When will you be back?”
“A couple of weeks. West wants me to do a thorough check. Are you going to be okay by yourself?”
“I’ll be more than fine. I can handle being alone.” What she didn’t like was the feeling that she was being lied to, either by Emily or by West.
“I’ll call as often as I can. I didn’t mean to worry you,” Emily said.
“It’s fine. You know me. I worry about everything.” She wanted to say so much more but instead kept her thoughts to herself.
“I better go. I’ve got a few things to do. Take care, Hannah.”
Emily was gone before she got the chance to say goodbye. She stared at her cell phone. This wasn’t like her friend to just vanish like this, but then, since moving to the city, nothing had been the same.
Biting her lip, she didn’t like the unsettled feeling she was getting.
“Did you get lost?” Rome asked, startling her.
“You scared me.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Yeah, I missed the damn bathroom, and I wasn’t watching where I was going. I got a call from my friend.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine.”
“You shouldn’t be back here.”
“It’s just storage.”
“That’s true, but accidents happen all over a workplace. You’ve got to be extra careful, and you’ve not been trained to lug beer around.”
She didn’t argue with Rome.
“How long have you been working for West?” she asked, needing answers desperately.
“A long time now.”
“Ah, do you like it?”
“Is this for an employment form or something?”
“I’m just curious. Making conversation seeing as I seem to be useless right now.” She didn’t like standing around doing nothing.
Right now, her mind was going off in all different directions, and she wasn’t sure which way was up or down.
“West is a damn good man. Fearless. He goes after what he wants, and people either have to move aside, or risk getting hurt in the process.”
“He’s a lethal businessman?”
“He’s lethal all right. He adores you, Hannah. I’ve never seen him care about another woman like he does you.”
“He barely knows me.”
Rome smiled. “Sometimes all it takes is a moment to realize someone is worth that time.”
They had walked back to the main bar. Chase was nowhere to be seen. West, however, stood waiting.
“Found her. She’d gotten lost in the storage room.”
“Is everything okay?” West asked.
“I got a call from Emily. I was distracted and rather than go to the bathroom, I went into the storage room.” She shrugged. “Can I use the bathroom before we go?”
“Yes, of course.”
She nodded, quickly making her escape, only this time she did go to the bathroom. She had to be imagining everything.
****
West watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. He’d never get tired of staring at her ass. It was so fucking sexy, full, ripe, and curvy. Last night she’d awakened in his arms, and he intended to explore that.
“Did he get the chance to talk to her?”
“The last I heard was he mentioned your reputation. She doesn’t know anything, but she’s curious.”
“You can tell?”
“She started to ask questions about you, West. She’s … I don’t know what she is, but she has a hunch something’s not right.”
“Get rid of Chase. I don’t want him to show his face again. Put him in the fighting rings. He wins the first twenty fights, he’ll get his job back. Train him if you have to. Either way, I want to make some money on him, and give him a talk. Tell him to mind his tongue and that I’ve killed people for less.” He’d overheard Chase telling Hannah all about who he really was. He wasn’t ready for Hannah to know anything. His reputation always preceded him, and Chase had been trying to get his attention for years to do more for him. He didn’t think for a second that he’d been talking to Hannah to get his attention, but now he fucking had it. He’d liked Chase. He was a good kid for the most part, but he needed to stop running his mo
uth.
“Will do.”
“What’s the news on Emily?”
“The clinic said she had a good night, all things considered. No ill effects from the drugs, but she looks nervous.”
“Fine.”
“You got her to call Hannah?”
“I had no choice.” It was why he didn’t think Hannah was snooping. He needed a couple of minutes alone to get hold of Emily to ask her to call.
He should have thought about it last night before he visited her, but alas, it was the last thing on his mind. “I want you to arrange my beach house just off the coast.”
“You’re taking her away?” Rome asked.
“Until I have Lawrence, I want her to be far away from the danger.”
“West, with all due respect, Lawrence is not your only concern. I’ve heard of an uprising of the cartels. They want to make a deal for distribution of their product. Cage got the call last night.”
West gritted his teeth. The cartels were a fucking pain in the ass. He’d negotiated with them years ago. They stayed out of his city, and he let them live. Using his docks, that would require a huge fee. Not only that, he’d have to pay a lot more to the law enforcement to look the other way. To not sit down and negotiate would mean a street war.
He’d survived one before. They were bloody, publicly fought, and privately won. It’s how he got out on top.
He toppled the last Street King to be where he was now. No one had stood a chance against him.
“Get me a meeting with Enrique for this Friday. You and Cage are the only two I trust with her safety.”
“We need to be by your side.”
“You’ll be taking care of Hannah. It’s as simple as that. Do you understand?” he asked.
“With all due respect, you’re going to need me by your side. The cartels are raging, boss. They will not accept any kind of ‘no deal.’ You know this.”
“Rome, I’ve dealt with Enrique before. I’ll deal with him again. He knows what is good for business and what is not. I won’t have anyone coming into my city, poisoning my streets without knowing first, what I’m getting out of it.”
The door closed, and he watched Hannah approach. He wanted her naked.
Stripped bare, spread open, so that he could fuck her hard.
“You’re ready to go?”
“You’ve finished all of your work?”