by Koko Brown
A small hand grasped his arm. “Please. If Tam is in danger, we should probably get to her now before something happens to her. I have a good idea which room they might be in.”
As tempting as it was to choke the life out of Natalia, Seamus figured he could deal with her later. He needed to get to Tamryn. When he released his hold on Natalia’s throat she collapsed on the ground.
Seamus didn’t check to see if she was all right before taking off after the blonde. All he could think about was getting to Tamryn. How could he have been so foolish to think that he could simply walk away from her? He swore to himself that if she was okay, he’d stop being a stubborn fool and tell her how he really felt.
Tamryn flashbacked to the day when Rico had attacked her and it brought out her fighting instinct. She should have left the room as soon as the guy entered even though it may have already been too late. When she’d seen Seamus tonight her pulse raced in her excitement. Though she’d tried to fight it over the past several months, she’d developed feelings for him even though she’d told herself time and time again that nothing could ever come of it.
But when the time they spent together became more about them getting to know each other than just the sex, Tam realized there was simply no fighting how she felt. Deep down, however, she knew things would eventually end between them after all, she’d been warned several times by Natalia and some of the other girls. Every time he came to the club she prepared herself for it to be the day that he would be done with their arrangement, but it never was. And then one night when she lay in his arms after a long lovemaking session, she realized that she was in love.
Tam wasn’t sure when it happened. Maybe she’d started falling for him a little the day he rescued her. Or maybe it was when he’d taken her out for hamburgers. It could have been when they’d gone to the docks the first time. Either way, her heart had become engaged.
She’d fallen in love with a man who may not have lived a righteous existence, but he was doing the best he could to distance himself from the life he was born into. Hear heart went out to the boy who felt unloved and unwanted by his parent, so much like her. Whenever he opened up to her, Tam felt honored because she knew he wasn’t the sharing type and the fact that he could tell her so much about himself surely meant something.
But the downside of these newfound feelings she’d developed was that she had to keep them to herself. It didn’t matter how much of his past Seamus had shared with her, he could have just been using her as a sounding board. Tam had to keep in mind that he’d been with lots of other women so what made her any different? Maybe she’d gotten a little too comfortable with him because when he’d walked into the club tonight she was excited to see him. But then he turned his back to her and went to Nicki, leaving Tam devastated.
Tam’s heart felt as if it had sunk to her feet. She wanted to cry and scream at the same time or at the very least run over to Nicki and kick her ass for taking her man. Nicki had been one of the women who made comments about all the time Tam had spent with Seamus. And to see him go off with her was like a dagger to her very being. She did her best to put on a brave face, even when she noticed several pairs of eyes looking in her direction when he’d rejected her. She could practically feel the glee coming from some of the hostesses. It hurt like hell but she managed to hold back the tears that briefly stung her eyes.
When Natalia had sauntered over to where Tam stood with a look of smug satisfaction on her face she wasn’t in the mood to hear an “I told you so.” The very last thing she wanted was to entertain another client but if she didn’t it would look as if she was hung up on Seamus. Her pride got in the way and she accepted.
Tam was given a key to one of the private rooms. When she walked in, it seemed normal enough. The setup was like any typical hotel room but nicer. She took a look around and noticed a box in the corner full of equipment. There were sex toys and cuffs. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. She’d been told that some clients were more playful than others. But as she dug deeper into the box, she found whips and paddles, nipple clamps and rope. This was something she definitely wasn’t into but knowing she had the right to refuse any act she didn’t feel comfortable with gave her some measure of assurance.
All she knew about the client was that his name was Brian and he liked to take charge. Tam wasn’t exactly sure what that meant since it could be interpreted in so many different ways. After all, Seamus was a very take charge kind of man, especially in the bedroom. She instantly shook all thoughts of that blood-eyed Irishman from her mind. She figured that the less she thought about him, the sooner her heart could heal.
When Brian showed up, she was surprised to see that she didn’t have anything to worry about. He was a slender, slightly balding man of average height. With his mousy brown hair and thick glasses, Tam was certain that if she ever saw this man on the street and was asked to describe him, she doubted she would have been able to. He was so nondescript that there was nothing she could really discern from him by looks alone. While he seemed harmless enough, it was clear Natalia had lied about his looks.
His greeting had been friendly enough and she offered him a drink from the mini bar as she’d been trained to do. He declined and then took off his glasses and put them in his pocket. She found it strange that he had no trouble seeing her considering how thick they were. Without them, she noticed that one of his eyes was brown and the other green. She’d heard that people could have two different colored eyes, but she’d never seen it in person. It gave him a more distinct look which made her wonder if the glasses were used to hide something so noticeable.
“I’m not interested in small talk. Take off your clothes and get on the bed.”
Alarm bells went off in her head. She’d had a bad feeling about this situation from the beginning but now she knew something was off, especially when he didn’t wait to see if she followed his instructions, choosing instead to go to the box of toys.
Tam had realized then that she couldn’t go through with this. “Uh, Brian, I think it may be best if we cancel this session. I just don’t think I can entertain you up to the standards you’re probably accustomed to. I can ask Natalia to send someone else to your liking—”
He turned around with a riding crop in hand and a sinister smile. “Oh, but I think you’ll do just fine my dear. You’re trembling. I like that.”
That was when Tam realized she was in trouble and how she’d wound up in this predicament. She raced to the door, but Brian was fast. He gripped her by the arm and spun her around to face him. He was surprisingly strong for such a slight man.
“You whores like to play hard-to-get but I know how you like it. You want a man to show you who the boss is, especially your kind. You’re just begging to be told what to do.”
“Not only is that sexist and racist, but I doubt you know what any woman wants.” She didn’t care if he was an important client according to Natalia, she wasn’t going to allow him to disrespect her.
“Oh, but I think you will, bitch.” He pushed her with a force that sent Tam stumbling backward. She lost her balance and fell on her bottom.
He slashed at her with the riding crop but Tam was quick enough to hold her arm up to absorb the brunt of the blow. She let out a scream of agony because it still hurt like a son of a bitch. She stuck her foot out and kicked him in the stomach which made him double over. Those brief seconds were enough time for Tam to scramble to her feet and make a run for the door again. Just as she got the door opened and released a scream to alert anyone who could hear her cry for help, Brian slapped his palm against the door and pushed it shut. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed Tam’s head into the door.
Tam saw stars and she nearly blacked out, but she fought to remain conscious. She couldn’t let this freak win. As he dragged her toward the bed by her hair it felt like he was trying to scalp her. She kicked and clawed with every bit of fight she could muster. She dug her nails into his hands so hard, the acrylic tips popped off.
He punched her in the side of the face. “Be still, you fucking bitch. I promise I won’t hurt you. Much,” he taunted.
Tam screamed in pain and frustration. She’d taken a life in order to get away from one predator. If she had to do it again, then so be it. She managed to get off one of her shoes and gouged his hand with her heel.
“You stupid cunt!” he screamed in pain. By now, he’d dropped the whip and she scrambled for it.
Brian grabbed her by the ankle which sent her crashing to the ground again, but her grip remained firm on her weapon which she turned on him. She slashed it in his direction, catching him in the face.
He screamed in agony and in her mind, his face seemed to contort to the face of the one that still haunted her nightmares: Rico. A rage like she couldn’t explain took over. She hit him again and again, raining blows with the whip with all her might drawing blood. He screamed in pain.
“Uncle! Just fucking stop!” He cried like a blubbering baby.
Her anger gave Tam the momentum to keep going. He tried to hurt her and she wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again. Not ever.
Tam must have blacked out in her fit of psychosis because the next thing she realized was that she was being lifted off her feet by a strong pair of arms. She fought and kicked.
“Tamryn. Please stop. He can’t hurt you anymore. I’m here. And I’m never going to let you go again.”
Seamus’s words were like a soothing balm to her soul. Tam looked around the room, noticing that her victim now lay on the floor in a heap, groaning and crying like a baby. His shirt was tattered from the force of the whip and he bled from several lacerations.
Tam dropped the whip and turned within the circle of Seamus’s arms. She threw her arms around his body and burst into tears.
TEN
When Seamus had burst into that room, it was with the intent of rescuing Tamryn. What he didn’t expect was seeing her over her hapless victim wailing on him as if she were possessed. It was clear she was in a crazed state because she was screaming, “Never again!” She’d obviously been pushed over the edge.
He wrapped his arms around Tamryn to stop her from killing the man, not because he didn’t deserve it because he didn’t want that responsibility to fall on her. She’d confided in him how she was still haunted by the killing of that pimp she’d taken out in order to save her life. Some people didn’t kill lightly and clearly, Tamryn was one of those people. He knew for a fact she still had nightmares about it because there had been many nights she woke up screaming. He didn’t want her to go through that again.
Once he’d calmed Tamryn down, he had her friend Julie escort her outside and wait for him. Seamus didn’t give the creep the opportunity to beg for his life before he gripped him by the head and twisted it with enough force to snap his neck. Once he was certain the man was dead, Seamus made a call to a ‘cleaner’ service to get rid of the body.
Seamus had killed for less, but the fact that the man had driven his Tamryn, to such an unhinged state was offense enough. After thanking the little blonde who’d led him up here, he’d taken Tamryn out of the building. He was determined that she would never step foot in this place again. Natalia was nowhere in sight because she probably realized that he’d deal with her for what she’d done. He’d handle her later.
It wasn’t until they got in the car to go to his house did he break the silence between them. “I thought I could live without you,” he began. Seamus wasn’t sure where to start but he believed that was as good a place as any.
When Tamryn didn’t reply, he continued. “I’ve told you a little about my history. How my father never quite got over my mother even though she constantly cheated on him according to his side of things. And he spent my entire existence while he was alive blaming me for her death. It was my first lesson of love that once it took root, it was dangerous because it could make you weak. But eventually I grew up and I fell in love. I was so blinded by how I felt that I didn’t see who she really was. She left me for my father because she believed that he could give her more. From that point on I distanced myself from any commitments and getting involved and caring about any woman. And then I met you. I saw you standing there, watching me and I think from that second we established this unspeakable connection. I denied it at first, telling myself that I was just being a Good Samaritan by getting you something to eat, but it was much more than that. I wanted to be near you. When you took off, that first time I thought I was saved from making a mistake. But then fate stepped in and there you were in Darrius’s office. As much as my head told me to walk away, my heart just wouldn’t let me.
“I could have just given you a few bucks and dropped you off somewhere but I couldn’t let you go. I figured the Devil’s Den would be a good place as any but I didn’t count on you becoming an obsession. I believed that when I had you once or twice I could move on with my life and not think about you again but that wasn’t the case. Then I tried to tell myself it was just sex but it was so much more. Not only are you beautiful and sexy, you’re smart and driven. You’re a survivor and one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. I doubt many people would be able to go through what you did and not go completely crazy. And despite all the shit life has thrown your way, you still have hope of something better for yourself.
“I love that you care about other people and want to help them. That’s a rare quality in this world. And the really fucked-up part is that instead of telling you how I felt, I thought I could forget you by being with someone else. I saw you standing at the bar and like a coward, I went to that other woman which turned out to be a huge waste of time because all I could think about was you. I was so scared of getting hurt again that I pushed the best thing that ever happened to me away. And then when I found out that Natalia had paired you with that psychopath, I knew I couldn’t lose you. I haven’t done a lot of good in my life and the truth is I don’t deserve you, but I’m asking if you would consider giving me a chance…us a chance. I want to make this real.”
Still, Tamryn didn’t speak.
“Please say something. Tell me what I can do to make you see that I’m sincere.”
She sighed. “I don’t doubt your sincerity, Seamus. But I’m scared, too. Everyone I’ve ever gotten close to has let me down in some way shape or form. And seeing you tonight with Nicki made me realize that you’re not different. You may honestly feel like you’re in love with me but somewhere down the line, you’ll probably end up disappointing me, too.”
Seamus pulled his car off to the side of the road and switched off the engine. He turned to face Tamryn, taking her hands in his. There were tears in her beautiful brown eyes and he could see her fear. More than anything he wanted to assure Tamryn and let her know that no matter what, she had his heart.
“And how do I know you won’t end up disappointing me? You sound like I feel. Don't you think I’m scared too? I love you, Tamryn. And I’ve only ever said that to one other person, but she was just an idea in my head. I never really knew her, not like I know you. And if there’s anyone I’d risk my heart for again it’s you. Life is full of uncertainties but I don’t want to face them without you. If you love me too, then we can take this one day at a time. Just say yes.”
She bit her bottom lip and turned away from him, seeming deep in thought. Seamus’s heart beat so loud and fast in anticipation of her answer that he wouldn’t have been surprised if Tamryn actually heard it.
Finally, after an extended silence, she took a deep breath and faced him. With a sigh, she said. “Yes.”
This could be the biggest mistake of her life but Tam realized life was all about taking chances. She hadn’t had much happiness in her lifetime but Tam knew with absolute certainty that she was the happiest she’d ever been with Seamus. She’d spent so much of her existence just trying to survive that she never took the time to actually live. And now more than anything she wanted to do exactly that with Seamus.
Together they would make their dreams come true. Seamus f
inally cutting off all ties that he had with his dark past, and Tam finally completing her education and helping young people. Together they would both have the lives they’d both been denied for so long.
After Seamus had driven her to his house Tam wanted to shower to wash off the stench of Brian. She lingered beneath the sting of the cascading water hoping Seamus would join her. Tam’s wish was granted when she heard a tap on the stall door. She opened it silently to see a nude Seamus standing, erect and ready.
“Mind if I join you, love? I was getting lonely out there without you.”
A shiver of excitement raced up her spine. She’d lingered in the shower for just this reason. She grinned at him.
“I was wondering what you were waiting for.”
Seamus chuckled, stepping into the shower stall. “I was trying to be a gentleman and allow you some privacy, but little Seamus was getting antsy.” He pointed at his hard member.
Tam giggled. “There’s nothing little about that thing.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his.
With a groan, he pressed his erection against her body as he grasped her ass in his palms. He pushed his tongue past her lips and dominated her with his kiss, tasting and taking all she had to give.
Her nipples hardened and her pussy tingled. Every time he touched her, Tam was ready for him. Seamus was like a musician and she was his instrument to do with what he willed.
Seamus rained kisses over her face and sucked on her neck, biting and licking her skin just the way she liked it. She loved the slight tinge of pain among the pleasure because it heightened the sensation.
“I need you,” she groaned. Tam loved foreplay but at the moment there was nothing she wanted more than hard cock inside of her. Seamus’s hard cock.
He grinned. “You want it that bad?”