Steal Me (Longshadows Book 1)

by Natalia Banks

  “Yes,” Lorraine gasped, “I love it.”

  “You don’t know what it is to love it yet, you hot little thing, but you’re going to. And you’re never gonna forget it!”

  Griffin pulled her closer, his hips leading their water dance, pushing up and pulling back in a smooth, circular rotation. He expended minimal energy and delivered maximum contact and pressure, easing Lorraine back and himself deeper into her. His mid-tempo circular pattern and the slow, certain sink of her body onto that untiring iron spike sent a familiar hum through Lorraine’s body, amplified by the slosh of the water and the pressure of that prick.

  Lorraine choked back a shout, a wordless cry to release some of that building tension. She grunted and groaned and withheld her expression, driving that energy back down into her body, smoldering between her hips.

  “That feels good, does it? You like it?”

  Lorraine nodded, red hair sticking to her dewy cheeks. “Oh yes! God yes … ”

  But, Griffin wasn’t done yet, and instead of announcing his intentions he simply acted. Lorraine’s body was suddenly thrust forward, arms stretching out in front of her as the hot tub loomed beneath her. Only Griffin was there to support her, keep her from falling face-first into the water. Lorraine felt as if she was floating, hovering, perilously close a watery grave, yet she was somehow held safely above it by a force more powerful than words could describe.

  Griffin Phoenix.

  “I gotcha, baby,” Griffin said, his hands on her hips, holding her and pulling her in, thrusting his long cock deep inside her. Lorraine reached out, fingers grasping, finding nothing to lean against, every instinct telling her she was dangling over the precipice, in more ways than one.

  Lorraine’s lust was escalating and she was enjoying every minute that Griffin was taking control.

  Griffin shifted forward, standing on the lowest point of the hot tub and easing Lorraine forward. Her hands finally found the opposite side of the hot tub, fingers gripping, palms pressing against the wooden rim as he worked her from behind. Lorraine arched the small of her back, shoulders rolling as Griffin found even greater depth, shaking a bit just the way Lorraine loved. She gripped the redwood rim of the hot tub, but her body shook with Griffin’s slightest motion, and she didn’t want to fight it.

  Lorraine pushed back, arms rigid, straight, pushing her hips back even further against Griffin’s probing prick. The strength of her arms, body tense with sexual tension, Griffin’s hard cock, all worked to create a bolt of hard energy against that fluid, liquid bath of water and heat and energy around them. The harder Lorraine pushed back, the harder his stiff member pushed into her from behind, the more wild and untamed the water seemed, like it was raging on her behalf, a billion particles dancing free, uninhibited, even while Lorraine herself could barely move.

  Griffin kept pummeling her, the heat and the steam from the water making Lorraine’s body flexible, the water doing its part in their clamoring fuck, surrounding and enveloping them both, various elements combing to create a vortex of sexual energy. Lorraine’s heart pounded in her chest, lungs drawing in clouds of dewy musk, clinging to the hot steam and filling her body, fueling her blood to run hotter and faster in her veins.

  “You’re glad you came, aren’t you baby” Griffin rasped.

  “Yes,” Lorraine answered in a panted wheeze, “so glad … ”

  “And you’re never going to leave me! You’re with me forever now, you’re never leaving!”

  Griffin’s hand found her short hair, grasping it and pulling her head back, pain tingling in her scalp. That sensation raced straight through her body like a volcanic eruption, exploding and releasing her struggling orgasm, now free to run wild throughout her body.

  Lorraine cried out loudly from the pure ecstasy of unleashing a such an intense orgasm. Her eyes barely open, cumming and falling forward into the swirling water of the hot tub. It was her orgasm, surrounding her, hot and bubbly, the surface rising up to overtake her, consume her, drown her. That churn just kept going, energy swirling in upon itself, elements colliding, thoughts driven out by the sheer power of water and Earth, the stars above and the heat all around them, inside them.

  Chapter 10

  Back in New York, Lorraine was unpacking and thinking through her alternatives and responsibilities. The bedroom she shared with Griffin was spread out around her, memories of their chaotic, lusty adventures sending waves of pleasures through her body. He’d had her in every position and against every wall, and she’d had him the same way. A glance at the shower in the master bath brought more memories, sweet and slick.

  The phone rang, shattering her nasty nostalgia. Lorraine didn’t like seeing the word unavailable on her smartphone screen, but it didn’t stop her from swiping and raising it to her ear. “Lorraine Phoenix.”

  After a nervous little pause, the voice on the other end said, “Lorraine, you’ve got to stop what you’re doing.”

  “Who is this? Treena?” Her voice was small, metallic, as if it was coming out of an old payphone, which Lorraine suspected immediately that it was; so the call couldn’t be traced back to Treena, a fact that made Lorraine all the more nervous about the call and the content. “Treena, what are you talking about?” Lorraine pressed.

  “I tried to warn you. You don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t know who you’re dealing with. But you just wouldn’t listen.”

  “Tell me then, Treena. You’re not being bugged, or you wouldn’t have called at all.” Lorraine said annoyed.

  “It’s not just the department,” Treena rasped, “it’s going way beyond that.”

  “To who? What are you talking about, the pro sports leagues?”

  A pause filled the line, and it brought terrible notions to Lorraine’s imagination. All that money, she reasoned, all those people involved at every level. Is that what she’s talking about, is that who’s coming after me now?

  “Just drop it, Lorraine, drop it all now … before it’s too late.”

  “Treena, are you threatening me?” Lorraine jeered.

  “No, Lorraine, for christ-sake pull your head out of your ass! I’m warning you, and I won’t be able to do it again. Leave it alone, Lorraine, for the love of God just leave it alone.” The call ended, a dull buzz settling deep in Lorraine’s heart and in her conscience.

  Jeremy leaned forward, concerned. “Do you really think they would hurt you?” They tucked Kayla into her bed for a nap and crept out of the nursery and down the hall. The hallway was dark, draped in shadow, but the penthouse was bright, sunlight streaming in through the many large windowed walls surrounding the living room.

  Lorraine had to say, “I dunno, Jeremy. The police never did find anything conclusive surrounding Albert’s death. It’s possible that somebody did have him killed … ”

  “And that means they could have you killed, too.” Jeremy fretted. Lorraine shrugged, unable to contradict her old, dear and very worried friend. They stepped down the hallway and into the living room. “And she’s right about those sports leagues, Lorraine. That’s a big, mean gorilla, and you just had to shake the cage. Why did you post that petition online?”

  “Usignit.com is a very effective tool, Jer. I’ve already got a few thousand signatures.”

  “Each one another nail in your coffin.” Jeremy said, distress obviously plaguing him.

  “What else could I do? That Casper Newkirk really pisses me off. I’m not just rebelling either, Jer. I admit, I hate that self-satisfied grin on that miserable face. But, that’s not what this is about. Hey, the open letter worked in Denver, and it’s working now. I think this could really prove to be a success. Just think of the money that would go to the schools.” Lorraine said trying to steady and squash any thoughts of fear she felt in that moment.

  “And right into the pockets of all those corrupt school board jerks,” Jeremy remarked.

  This made some sense to Lorraine, but not in the way Jeremy must have assumed or hoped. “That’s probably t
rue. With that much money, a lot of it is bound to get to the campuses where it belongs. But, knowing that, why wouldn’t Casper Newkirk and those others support it? Going against me so strongly doesn’t serve their purposes, not at all.” She considered.

  Jeremy shrugged. “Maybe they don’t have a choice.” Lorraine had to think long and hard about that, and she didn’t like where her train of thought was taking her; straight over a cliff.

  Lorraine arrived early for a Tuesday afternoon rehearsal. The technical aspects of the play were starting to come together, and even Lorraine’s own performance was improving. She still wasn’t sure about the song she was supposed to sing, but if it was part of Ashe’s vision, she was ready to go all in, no matter how potentially embarrassing it could be.

  Maybe I should take singing lessons, Lorraine wondered, I’ll bet Griffin could just call up Paul McCartney and have him pop by for lunch!

  The auditorium was quiet, no actors on the stage, only a few props scattered around while Ashe sat in a chair in the front row. He was still, unmoving in his seat as Lorraine approached from the left aisle. “Ashe? Ashe, what’s going on, was rehearsal cancelled?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Kind of how?”

  “The whole play was cancelled.”

  A cold nausea turned in Lorraine’s stomach, making the quick and easy logistical leaps to make the obvious assumptions. “Ashe, why?”

  He frowned and shrugged, “They say the subject matter is too intense for a school play.”

  “But … they already approved it.” Lorraine said confused.

  “They cancelled it anyway.”

  Lorraine sighed and sat down next to Ashe, putting a comforting hand on his. “Where’s Rachel?”

  “Gone. She blamed me for writing it that way in the first place. She said she told me it was too intense, we should just have written a musical about the Gold Rush or something.” He tried his best to conceal his utter disappointment.

  “No, Ashe, no. You followed your artistic vision, into dangerous and risky places, that’s what a real artist does. That was a bold, gutsy play.”

  “I guess.” He said disheartened.

  Lorraine gave it some thought, quickly finding a reasonable solution. “What if we rent a little theater, produce the play ourselves?”

  “Nah, just forget it,” Ashe said, pushing himself up and shuffling up the aisle and away from the stage, perhaps for the last time. “Let’s just go.”

  Lorraine and Griffin took a stroll down Fifth Avenue just as the sun was going down, sparkling with white lights against the purple sky, chrome and glass and steel and brownstone. The world’s most treasured trinkets were on display beyond those spotless shop windows, pedestrians crowding the sidewalk, milling about in each direction. Cars crawled down the packed avenue, headlights rising to greet the coming gloom, and Lorraine knew just how they felt.

  None of that was of any interest to either Lorraine or Griffin, though the spectacle of that fanciful illusion of happiness couldn’t help but catch their eye.

  There was so much to talk about, to worry about, Lorraine hardly knew where to begin. She asked Griffin, “So … we’re going to have to settle that law suit, aren’t we?”

  “I think it’s only a question of how much. Problem is, once he smells blood in the water, it could get ugly.”

  “Just make an offer with no counter. He’ll take it, a grubby little bastard like that.”

  “It’s not him we’re worried about, it’s his lawyers. Once those shysters got wind of what the case entailed, how much money there was at stake, he was able to get the best there is.”

  A handsome cab rolled by, horse huffing, the woody smell of hair and hey lingering behind it.

  Lorraine trying to lighten the situation said, “Maybe we could get a handsome cab, give tours of the city.”

  “What’ll you do while I drive?” Griffin smiled.

  “You? I drive, Grif … you’re the horse!” They both chuckled, stopping with a thick crowd of pedestrians to wait for the light to change. “Maybe we could move, start a new life … selling souvenirs from a roadside stand in Arizona or Nevada or something.”

  Griffin snapped his fingers with the wide-eyed air of inspiration. “What’s the matter with me? We’ll just ride Ashe’s coat tales. He’ll be a big Hollywood film director — ”

  “Oh, no question about that.”

  “So, he’ll set us up. One thing about us Phoenix men, we stick together.”

  “One thing?” Lorraine smiled and they neared to a tender kiss, light and loving. "What about Rachel, you think she'll mind?”

  Griffin chuckled. “With all those Grammy awards and world tours and chart-topping albums? I think she’ll have other things to worry about.”

  Lorraine chuckled with him, the two savoring the moment of togetherness, the chemistry which only they two could create, and which only they could share. The light changed and they crossed the street with the rest of the crowd.

  Griffin sighed, car exhaust heavy in the intersection. “Honestly, I could leave this town, never look back.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Of course! Sure, it’s one of the world's great cities, this is where the action is. But I’ll find a way no matter where we are, we'll find a way together. You’re all I need, Lorraine, you and the kids, some way to put a roof over your heads.”

  “That may be enough for you, but I need diamonds, Big Spender.” They laughed again, and Lorraine went on, “Maybe we go back to Denver, work with my folks at the learning center down there. Maybe I could become a teacher … ” Griffin looked at Lorraine with an expression she only saw on his face when he was looking at her. It was an impressed smile, brows arched, blue eyes twinkling. “Hey, we had a lot of fun in Denver.”

  “Yes,” Griffin simply said, “yes we did. We fell in love in Denver. You saved my life in Denver.”

  “We saved each other.”

  They stopped walking, pausing on the crowded sidewalk for another long kiss. Lorraine’s hands rested on his broad, iron chest, his tender lips possessing every bit of his strength and using none of it to a terrific effect.

  Chapter 11

  Lorraine was asleep, but she could sense Griffin stirring around her. She turned, still in that heady distance between sleep and wakefulness. “Shshshshsh,” Griffin said, very soft and low in the silence of their bedroom, “you’re still asleep, baby, still asleep. Don’t wake up, baby, don’t wake up … ”

  Lorraine processed the words, knowing their source, but her dreamlike state wavered, a bubble wobbling but unwilling to burst.

  Griffin’s unmistakable touch ignited her pussy, fingers teasing her clit out and getting her juices flowing. Lorraine’s head lolled on the pillow, eyes fluttering while her world remained in darkness. She could imagine Griffin’s face above her, she could feel his fingers and picture them in her strange dream as if it was really happening, which it was.

  “Feels so good to be asleep,” Griffin cooed, “nice and relaxed, just sleeping … just sleeping … ” His cock was a slow pressure building in her, filling her slowly, as if it weren't really happening at all. “It’s all just a dream, baby, just a dream … “

  Lorraine groaned, uncertain of her reality. Part of her knew but the rest of her didn't want to, and that part of her brain that Griffin had hard-wired to his fantasy world was in control. Reality had no hold on her or on either of them. All their problems, the mounting perils, faded into the back of her mind. That was the dream, this was the reality.

  “I wish I could be there with you, baby,” Griffin said, his fingers circling around the little muscular mound at the top of her pussy, a cluster of nerves around her precious G spot. “But, I’m thinking of you, dreaming about you just the same way you’re dreaming about me now, my love, my only true love … ”

  Lorraine’s moan leaked up, her mind reeling between the temptation of waking to Griffin’s attention and the even stronger temptation not to.

  “I s
aid I’d always be there,” Griffin rasped, "and I will, baby, I will, I'm on my way back to you as soon as I can get there. Until then, think about me, think about my hands on you, stroking you, holding you so tight. Think about my voice, I know you love it when I talk to you, when I talk dirty to you, my perfect little sweet piece of ass.”

  Those words stirred in Lorraine’s loins as a soft groan leaked out of her throat.

  “Even now, you can hear my voice, so real, so natural, like I was right there with you. And I will be, baby, so soon …. so soon … ”

  Lorraine's eyes remained closed, recollections of Griffin’s handsome face flashing across her imagination. She couldn’t resist thinking of other parts, too: His long, athletic legs; that incredible cock and those big, perfect balls, the flavor already tickling the back of her throat; his strong torso rippling with muscles; arms and shoulders branching out from his wide, heroic chest.

  “You can’t wait until you're in my arms again, can you? You can't stop thinking about me, dreaming of the day I come home. But it's okay, baby, because you can feel me near you, you can feel my body so close to yours, so ready. God, my cock's so hard for you, even so far away, I'm always hard for you, Lorraine! And you know that, you can feel my cock dragging along your legs, your thighs. Tap tap tap, baby … ”

  Lorraine could feel his huge hammer, already hard and getting her ready for another wild ravaging. She could feel his cock, his hands on her legs, her breasts.

  “You can feel me touching you,” Griffin said, “almost like I’m right there with you, my angel, my loving little librarian, like I was lying right next to you, so real you can feel me touching you, you can feel my voice ringing in your ears … ”

  Lorraine smacked her dry mouth, head rolling on that pillow beneath her.