BABY FOR A PRICE: Marino Crime Family

by Kathryn Thomas

  Camille got out of her car with her brows crossed with curiosity. The lights in the clubhouse were all out, and it looked like there was nobody there. She grabbed her purse, slammed the car door shut, and started walking towards the entrance. With each step, nervousness returned to her bones. Was this all some kind of joke? Had Devin forgotten about their date? The place looked deserted.

  “Hello? Devin?” Camille said in a loud whisper. She could feel the goosebumps on her flesh as she took small nervous steps towards the front door, and when she finally reached it, she knocked.

  Silence. No footsteps, inside or out. Camille bit down on her lip and pushed the door, and surprisingly it swung open. There was more darkness inside as she peered in, afraid to go any further.

  “Devin?” she said a little softer this time, more to herself. She suddenly felt very afraid and clutched her purse to her side. When there was still no sound, Camille took a few steps inside. It was pitch black, and she had no idea where she was going. Devin had forgotten about her. He had forgotten about the date.

  A sudden light blinded her, and Camille screamed with fright and covered her eyes with her hands.

  “Surprise!” she heard his voice booming around her, and Camille gingerly dragged her hands away from her face to find that she was standing in the middle of a large hall, which was now illuminated with bright disco lights that were rotating on the ceiling.

  Camille’s mouth dropped open, and she could still feel her body shake from the shock of it all, and from the fact that she had heard his voice but hadn’t caught sight of him yet.

  “Devin?” She called out his name again, and that is when the music came on. It was loud, all around her, through hidden speakers… and the tune was an old country love song. Camille grinned; he hadn’t forgotten her.

  “You look beautiful, Camille.”

  She whipped around to find Devin walking towards her. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

  As always, Devin Rock looked scorching sexy. He was in his usual leather jacket and jeans. His hair was neatly swept to the side, and his eyes, even in the multicolored lights from the disco balls, shone and sparkled as he came closer.

  “You gave me a fright, Devin,” Camille said, still clutching her purse with both her hands in front of her.

  “I’m sorry, I just wanted to give you a grand entry,” he replied as he approached her.

  They stared at each other and smiled. It was just as she had imagined it; he made her feel instantly warm and safe. He reached for her face and cupped her cheeks before she leaned in and kissed him. She couldn’t wait any longer. This kiss was slow and soft, unlike all their previous ones. This was a loving kiss, gentle and long.

  “I missed you, Camille,” he said when she pulled away from him for breath.

  “I couldn’t wait to see you again,” Camille breathed, and he stroked her cheeks with his large rough thumbs. She wanted to be closer to him; she wanted their bodies pressed together.

  “Come dance with me.” Devin suddenly grabbed her hand and led her to the center of the room. Camille was laughing, at the absurdity and surprise of the whole night. He stopped and turned to face her again. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him. Camille instinctually wrapped her own arms around his neck, and they were taking small slow steps together, perfectly aligned and coordinated with the music and each other.

  Camille laughed again, and Devin smiled. They were swaying to the slow music, gently drifting across the floor, and Camille laughed because this was the last thing she had expected to see Devin doing. Slow dance to a love song.

  “How was your trip?” She asked him.

  “It was good, but I was tortured by thoughts of seeing you again.”

  Camille blushed. He always knew just what to say to make her blush. He pulled her closer and now she could feel her breasts squeezing against his rock solid chest as they danced.

  “I can’t imagine you listening to a song like this,” Camille said, leaning in close to his ear.

  “How boring would life be if I was predictable?” Devin joked, and she laughed again.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I like this cheesy side of you.” She dared to look directly into his eyes. Devin moved suddenly, dragging her in a few quick steps until she felt her back hit the cold marble surface of a bar counter.

  “You think this is cheesy? I can get cheesier than that.” Devin said gruffly, and before she knew what was going on, he had lifted her by the waist and placed her on the top of the counter.

  Camille was laughing until she felt his large warm hands caress the inside of her legs and travel all the way up her thighs. He was parting her legs. Camille’s breath caught in her throat, as she looked into his eyes in the dim light of the room. The smile and the laugh had disappeared from her face. The anticipation of what was going to happen made her heart beat faster. She had been yearning for his body for all these days, and now it was finally happening.

  Her dress had ridden up and bunched up at her waist, as Devin used his hands to part her legs wide. Then, he crouched down in front of her, and Camille bit down on her lip.

  “Devin,” she breathed his name, and he shushed her. His head was at level with her laid out body, and she was supporting her torso with the strength of her folded elbows.

  “Just relax, Camille. Just enjoy this,” Devin said, and she let her elbows go so that her back now rested fully against the cold counter. Her body was burning up, it was like her skin was on fire, and Devin touched her at her wet center, slowly pulling her panties clear.

  Camille moaned when she felt his forefinger stroke her. She was already wet, and he was looking at her. But she couldn’t look back, so she threw her head back and closed her eyes. And then she felt the wetness of his thick tongue. Camille shrieked with delight when she felt him stroke her with his tongue, slowly and gently, at first, and then in sudden quick bursts.

  He was pinning her down with both his hands while she wriggled with the sensation. He was sucking, licking, and stroking her wet pussy while her body writhed from pleasure. Then he inserted two fingers in - they easily slid into her - while he kept his mouth focused on her clit. The sensation blew her mind and Camille screamed repeatedly. She was close to cuming; she could feel it rising up, her hips rotated furiously, and she clutched his shoulders and screamed.

  “I think you’re ready now,” she heard him say, but it barely registered in her mind. It was only when she felt his throbbing dick slide inside her that she realized what he had meant by that.

  Devin Rock was inside her. He had raised himself above her, still holding her down with both his hands while he pumped into her. Camille was too far gone; too close to the edge to be able to resist him anymore. Her body shuddered, and she felt herself soar. She screamed as she came against his body, with his dick deep inside her, thrusting into her. She could see him smiling, focusing on her face, and he kept going until she finished cuming.

  He increased his speed and kept thrusting while her body went limp from exhaustion. She traced the muscles on his arms with her fingernails, leaving a trail of goosebumps on his skin.

  “Camille, you are so sexy,” Devin groaned before she felt him explode inside her. He kept pumping into her still, and she kept moving under him. She watched him cum, releasing everything, and losing all his inhibitions as he just simply oozed into her.

  What was it between them that they couldn’t spend a few minutes alone in each others company without just ripping their clothes off? Was Devin some kind of drug for her? He was irresistible. She had never experienced anything like this before - this hungry need that only his body could quench in her.

  Devin’s motions finally began to subside, and she felt him slowly release his grip on her arms. He still remained inside her - big and throbbing. Camille wriggled her body and bit down on her lip. He was looking down at her face, studying her eyes, lips, and the curve of her neck.

  “What are you looking at?” She asked, her c
heeks flushing under his steady, concentrated gaze.

  “Nothing really. Just wondering if I’m addicted to you,” he replied, as though he had just read her mind and stolen her thoughts.

  ***

  “That was some surprise,” Camille said, licking the corners of her mouth. She was sitting on the counter where they had just had sex only a few minutes ago.

  Devin had presented her with a burrito right after, and he was sitting on the floor under her, chewing on his. Camille had laughed when he presented the burrito to her.

  “I’m starving, aren’t you?” He’d said, and she nodded before accepting it from him.

  “One of the two surprises I have planned for tonight,” Devin then added, ripping the foil paper away from his burrito in hand. Camille gulped the food in her mouth and with crossed brows stared at him some more.

  “You have another surprise for me?” She swung her bare legs over him. Devin looked up at her, with his chocolate brown eyes and smiled.

  “What would you say if I told you that you have one month to prepare for an art show?” Devin asked, casually chewing on his food. Camille stopped chewing and gaped at him; the burrito nearly fell out of her hands from the shock.

  “An art show? My art show?” She asked, and Devin nodded.

  “I spoke to Evangeline, and she said that she can give you a date a month from now,” he explained, and Camille cupped her mouth with a hand. This couldn’t be real. An art show for her at one of the best galleries in Miami?!

  “I don’t have anything prepared, I’ve never done this before,” she said, and Devin laughed.

  “There’s a first time for everyone, and I’ve seen your work first hand. You can do it, and you can do it well.” Devin gulped down the last bite of his food. Camille felt a warm smile spread across her face. She didn’t know if she was more excited or nervous at the prospect of revealing her artistic soul.

  They both looked at each other in silence; wide smiles on both their faces. Camille couldn’t stop thinking that this man was in the process of completely changing her life for the better.

  “And also, I think you should collaborate with the author and artist of that book I bought from you, Country Crowns,” Devin said, dusting his hands. Camille’s brows crossed immediately. What on Earth was he talking about?

  “Why?” She snapped, and Devin raised an eyebrow.

  “Because I read that book and saw the artwork, I think you two would be a good match. It would be good publicity for your store too. By the looks of it, nobody has heard of this book and it could be a win-win situation for you all,” Devin said, standing up from his spot on the floor. Camille followed him with her eyes as he walked over to toss the crunched up foil paper in the bin, before walking back to her.

  “The reason…” Camille began, taking a deep breath. It was time to come clean; she didn’t want to lie to Devin anymore. “The reason why the artwork is so similar is because it’s mine.” She hung down her head in embarrassment.

  “I don’t understand… what is that supposed to mean?” Devin asked, walking up close to her again. He bent his head to catch her face, and Camille kept trying to avert her eyes from him.

  “I’m both the artist and author of that comic book. I self-published it under a pen name, with Shayna… it’s our work,” she said, finally daring to look at him. She had seen the look of surprise in Devin’s eyes before he made sense of what she was telling him.

  “You wrote Country Crowns?”

  She nodded but was afraid of his reaction and what he would think of her when he realized that she had been deceiving him all this time.

  “That is amazing, Camille. I knew you were talented, but I had no idea you had this much scope. This is brilliant news.” Devin hugged her tight, taking her by surprise again. There was no anger in his voice; he was genuinely happy to hear it. Camille smiled, burying her face in his shoulder until he pulled away from her again to look at her face.

  “What I don’t understand is why you’ve kept it a secret for so long?” he queried, and Camille licked her lips. She could feel her cheeks flushing again.

  “Because I didn’t want people to start making connections. A lot of the things that I write about have actually happened in the town I come from. I didn’t want my parents to know that I was writing about my family. I didn’t want people to judge me for where I come from,” Camille told him, dropping her gaze. She couldn’t look at him while she revealed the truth about herself.

  Devin was silent for a while, and then he started stroking her hair.

  “Embrace it, Camille. Your life, your childhood… it’s all given you the strength to write about it. It’s made you who you are. That’s what makes your stories so real, so hard hitting. Even if it’s only a comic book,” Devin whispered, and Camille finally looked at him. She had never felt this close; this connected to another human being before. She had never derived this kind of strength from another soul.

  She reached out for him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder again. She felt like she could hug him forever, and he didn’t seem like he was in a hurry to let go of her either.

  “So it’s all settled then. One month to go and your art will be on show,” he said, and Camille smiled up at him.

  “And the theme will be ‘Country Crowns: A True Story,’” Camille added, and they both grinned at each other, satisfied enough that they were in each others presence.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Devin

  Devin caught himself smiling as he chewed on a piece of toast and threw the rest over to his patiently waiting dogs all gathered around him. That night with Camille at the clubhouse had happened two days ago, and he still couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He still couldn’t stop his mind from revisiting those moments when he had her in his arms.

  He had only known her for a few weeks, but he felt like he had known her a lifetime. Things weren’t moving quickly enough for him. Camille was charming, talented, caring and smashing in bed. A part of him wanted to ask her to move in with him. But he also knew it would be a bad idea. Camille didn’t know who he truly was and what he did for a living. Bringing her this close to his life would be inviting danger.

  Devin shook his head and ran a hand over his chin. It was time to shave; there was stubble on his chin that he needed to get rid of.

  “I let myself in,” he heard Evangeline’s voice and his head jerked up to find her standing at the kitchen door. It was nine in the morning, but she was already dressed like she was on her way to a cocktail party.

  Her dress was a frail, baby pink silk, short, and clinging to her body. Her arms and legs were bare, pale, and long. Her hair was left open, silky and dark, and she had the perfect pink-shaded made up face, as though this is what she had woken up looking like.

  “You still have a key?” Devin asked, his brows crossing. Just this image of Evangeline in his kitchen brought back memories of their relationship. She never allowed him to see her without her makeup. For the two years that they were together, and in those last six months when she moved in with him, Evangeline made it a point to wake up in the morning before him so that she could do her hair and makeup for their breakfast together. Even if she was only going to be in her pajamas.

  “What did you think? That I’ll just throw your keys away?” Evangeline smiled broadly and took a few tender steps towards him. Some of the dogs growled - they had never liked Evangeline for some reason.

  “Go!” Devin commanded them, and they left the kitchen to go outside. Evangeline rolled her eyes and crossed her long pale arms over her breasts. Devin knew that she had never liked the dogs either.

  “Well, I guess I should have known better and changed the locks a long time ago,” Devin said, resting the cup of coffee he was holding on the table. He hadn’t offered Evangeline a chair or any breakfast because he didn’t want her to stay for a second longer than she needed to. But Evangeline, as always, was not in a hurry to leave.

  She took a few
more steps towards him and then placed her rhinestone covered pink clutch on the kitchen counter. Without a word she reached for an empty glass and walked over to the fridge.

  “You still don’t buy sparkling water for yourself, darling?” she asked opening the fridge door and laughing a little. “You will never change will you, Devin?”

  She bent down, making sure that her small shapely butt stuck out in front of him. Devin looked away and clenched his jaw. She was becoming a nuisance, and really testing his patience. But he also knew that he needed to tolerate her for a little longer, just at least until Camille’s art show.

  “Why are you here, Evangeline?” he asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. She didn’t seem to notice and turned around with her glass filled with orange juice. She slammed the fridge door and had a wide, fake smile pasted on her face.