Duke

by Candace Blevins

  He chased a deer, but mostly for sport. He wouldn’t kill one when it was just him, as too much of the meat would go to waste. If he got hungry he’d find a sweet bunny rabbit, or perhaps a raccoon.

  Daylight snuck up on him, and it took a while to get back to his clothes. He managed to get changed and head back to his cabin a little after sunrise, and he put a note on the door that said he intended to sleep in and would pay for an extra day.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Best sex you ever had, and you’re gonna throw it away because he didn’t handle the whole divided loyalty thing very well? I mean, granted — he fucked up. However, he admitted it and apologized.” Bethany shook her head. “I still can’t believe you throat punched him. Damn girl, you have cajones.”

  “That’s the thing. It’s more than just him not trusting me to leave my gun in the car. He said he’d have my back, and it’d be safe for me to go in without being armed, and then he trapped me and wouldn’t let me go. He didn’t have my back.”

  Bethany added more rum to Gen’s drink and leaned back. “Fucking bastard.”

  Gen smiled at her friend and took a huge swig. “Yeah. I know.”

  “So whatcha gonna do?”

  “I have no idea, but I think I need a few days to figure it out. Nothing’s going to be decided tonight while I’m trashed.” Gen looked at her drink and said, “Actually, I’m kind of getting tired. Let’s turn a movie on and watch it until we fall asleep. I’m thinking it’s a Coyote Ugly night, how ‘bout you?”

  “Yeah, what time you need to wake up?”

  “Don’t have to be anywhere till noon. Maybe nine, so I can go home and change.”

  Bethany nodded and said, “My first appointment is at eight, but I’ll set the alarm for you before I go.”

  * * * *

  Gen didn’t hear from Duke all day, and was a little surprised he left her alone. She didn’t feel like going home when she finished for the day, and stopped by her brother’s dojo, as she knew his class should be ending soon.

  She was waiting in the lobby when he finished, and Frisco, Cassie, Ethan, and Sam all walked to her. “Everything okay?” Frisco asked.

  “Yeah, just didn’t feel like going home yet, and thought if ya’ll were going out to eat after class I might tag along.”

  “Of course you can,” Cassie said as she reached for Gen and tugged her to the back of the room. “Come talk to me and Sam while we get changed, okay?”

  As soon as the door closed, Sam said, “Big alpha dude like Duke? And you don’t want to go home? What happened?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I told him I needed time, though, and it looks like he’s giving it to me.”

  “I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t give you much time,” said Cassie.

  “We can always dump the guys,” Sam told her. “The three of us go out without them if you need to talk.”

  Gen shook her head. “No. I don’t want to talk about it, just want to maybe have a few drinks and get something to eat.”

  “Cam’s already at the billiard club with Isaac, and that’s where we’re headed,” Cassie said. “Why don’t I follow you home so you can leave your car there, and then I can drive you to the club. That way you can feel free to drink all you want. If you’re still there when we leave, Abbott will take care of you and arrange for someone to take you home.”

  Gen nodded. “I don’t have anything on my schedule tomorrow until four o’clock, so that works for me. Thanks, Cass.”

  When Cassie and Gen made it to the club, they discovered their group playing pool at two tables side by side, with tons of munchies on the table. Isaac drew her into a hug as soon as she arrived, and she was surprised when Abbott also greeted her. She was used to seeing him around, but hadn’t expected him to be hanging out with their group.

  Gen ended up playing a game of pool with Abbott, and while it was close, he still won. As people started leaving, Gen realized he was out there so she could stay later and get sloshed. He was babysitting her for Isaac.

  “Abbott,” she said after the others left, “I don’t need you to babysit me. Just keep the drinks coming. I’ll find someone to play pool with me, and if not, I can play with myself.”

  “Your friends are worried about you and I offered to look after you. They didn’t ask me to, I made the offer. I can lend an ear if you want to talk about it, a shoulder if you need to cry, or I can get you into Isaac’s club next door and offer a punching bag if you need to beat on something. For now, you seem to be doing okay with your rum and Coke, but if you need anything else, let me know.”

  “Why are you being so nice? You barely know me.”

  “Because Isaac is important to me, and Frisco is important to him. You’re family, Genesis. I take care of family.”

  Gen put her pool cue down and climbed onto a tall chair before leaning forward onto one of the lofty circular tables to fish for her straw and take another drink. Abbott followed her over and sat on the other side of the table with a smile.

  “I think, when I finish this drink, I might be ready to go home.”

  “Two options. If you don’t want to be alone you can sit in my office and drink and talk to me while I get some work done. I just need to look over the orders, make sure we aren’t about to run out of anything, that sort of thing. I can talk as I work. When you’re ready, I can take you home. Or, I can take you home when you finish your drink.”

  Gen looked at her drink, looked back up. “I don’t think I’m drunk enough yet, so I’ll accept your offer to hang out in your office, if you don’t mind.”

  “If I minded, I wouldn’t have made the offer.”

  Abbott settled Gen on the sofa in his office and then he got to work. They talked about pool strategy, which led to an in depth discussion about geometry and how interesting triangles are, which morphed into a discussion about how a good grasp of chess can help one succeed in business. When her drink got low, someone showed up with another.

  “Do you think one needs to know strategy to create a successful relationship?” Abbott asked.

  “No. Love shouldn’t be about games.”

  “In a perfect world, yes, but isn’t it necessary to look ahead, to weigh your partner’s reasons for doing something, so you don’t get blindsided later?”

  “Do you think Frisco and Isaac did that?”

  “Oh, I’m certain Isaac did, but I doubt your brother did.”

  “And they’re both happy. Is that because Isaac drove the bus by using strategy, or because it would have worked out, anyway?”

  “You’ve heard the story, I’m sure. You tell me.”

  Gen looked at him a few seconds and said, “Because Isaac looked ahead at all future possibilities and created a strategy for the one he thought most likely to work that gave him what he wanted.”

  “What did he want?”

  “At the time, he wanted Cassie. I think eventually he wanted everyone else, but at the time, it was all about making Cassie happy, getting her past the rape, and making sure she ended up in his bed.”

  Abbott nodded and looked back to his computer.

  Gen took another drink and put her head back, and the next thing she knew, Abbott was waking her.

  “Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “No need to apologize. It’s two o’clock, though, which is when I normally leave. Are you ready for me to take you home?”

  Gen sat up and the room swam, so she said, “Yes,” instead of nodding.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Duke was all kinds of pissed off.

  Gen’s car was home. Her cellphone said she was at The Billiard Club, but he’d been there and she wasn’t there. He’d asked to see Abbott, but had been told Abbott wasn’t available, even though Duke had seen the man’s car in the parking lot.

  So now he sat on her front porch, a six pack of beer on the floor beside him. Waiting. He couldn’t get drunk, couldn’t even get buzzed, but he liked the taste.
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  And when he saw Abbott’s car turning into her driveway at two fifteen in the morning, he wanted to put his fist through a wall.

  Abbott was the Master Vampire of the southeastern United States, and conflict with him could cause all kind of problems for the RTMC, but Duke almost didn’t care.

  “I take it you’re the reason she needed to drink herself unconscious tonight?” Abbott asked as he stepped out of his car.

  Duke took a breath and nodded. Abbott motioned towards his passenger door. “She’s asleep. She’s also of the opinion she’s only capable of dating assholes. Whatever you’ve done, it’s going to take some work to fix it.”

  Duke shook his head and went to the passenger door. He got her purse and shoes, opened her front door, keyed in her alarm code, and then went back to retrieve her. Abbott watched as he lifted her out and walked up the steps. Knowing he needed to say something, Duke turned and said, “Thanks for getting her home safe. I can take it from here.”

  “If Isaac knew I left her with you like this, he’d be ticked. I happen to know what happened between you, and I could see in her eyes she’s in love with you and deeply hurt. Find a way to fix it, Duke. It isn’t often you find someone who fits you like a puzzle piece. Don’t screw it up.”

  Duke’s brows drew together. “She told you what happened?”

  “No, she told me she’s only capable of dating assholes, but I have eyes and ears everywhere, Duke. Nothing happens in the supernatural world that I don’t know about. You’d do well to remember this, should you decide to reenter the sex trade business.”

  “You’ll stand in our way?”

  “I will not. However, there are rules in my territory about owning others, and about girls not being held as slaves, whether for sex or blood. If they come of their own free will, we won’t have a problem. You coerce them or use drug addiction to hold them down? We will.”

  Duke shook his head. “I’m sure you know how it works in Atlanta. Should we go that route, we’ll follow the same business model.”

  Abbott nodded and stepped towards his door, saying, “Then we should have no problems,” as he slid into his car.

  Duke carried Gen upstairs, came back down to lock the door and arm the security system. He undressed Gen and put his shirt on her. Abbott had touched her, hugged her, and she had his smell on her. Duke needed her to smell like him.

  She was semi-conscious, and helped him a little, but he doubted she’d remember much tomorrow. Her breath smelled of rum, and he hoped to god she’d been right about not getting sick from dark liquor.

  * * * *

  Gen awoke nauseated, ran to the bathroom, and puked into the toilet.

  What had possessed her to drink so much last night?

  Oh yeah. Duke.

  “Stupid asshole bastard,” she mumbled into the toilet. “No one’s worth this crap. He gets no more tears, no more drinking binges. My life is mine. I decide when to be happy and when to be sad. Not him. Not anyone. No more men. I’ll buy my own darned motorcycle. Take up skydiving to try to replace the sex.”

  Another wave of nausea hit and she puked some more, and then rested her face on the cool toilet seat when she finished, thankful she had a housekeeper who kept her house spotless.

  “The opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference.” She reminded herself, and then analyzed her feelings. “Darn it. I hate him. Gonna take a while to get to indifference. I went almost straight there with Mike, why does Duke have to be so darned difficult?”

  She knew she needed to brush her teeth and go back to bed, but couldn’t find it in her to move. She took her head off the toilet and curled up on her bathroom rug, thinking she’d just stay close to the toilet in case she needed to puke again.

  * * * *

  Duke stood outside her bathroom door and listened, but couldn’t figure out how to go to her once she’d started. He didn’t want to intrude, but her words broke his heart. He gave her a few minutes and went downstairs to get her some ice water. He wet a washcloth with cool water, and sat on the floor with her, wiping her face as he sat her up, and offered her the water.

  She scrunched her face and said, “Need to brush my teeth.” Her gaze went to the vanity and he helped her stand, then stayed close while she brushed her teeth and drank some water.

  “Why are you here?” she asked.

  “Abbott handed you off to me. I was waiting on your porch when he brought you home.”

  She shook her head and then looked like she might need to run back to the toilet, but she held his gaze as she said, “You need to leave, Duke. You aren’t welcome.”

  “I gave you time and space, and this is the shape you got yourself in. I’m not leaving you like this.”

  Gen looked at him a while, considering, and said, “Cam introduced me to ginger tea. Would you mind making me some? It’s in the cupboard over the coffee station. Bring the water to a boil with my electric kettle, and put it in a coffee mug with a teabag.”

  He nodded and she waited for him to leave, listened for the cabinet in the kitchen to close, and then made her way to her end table, grabbed her gun, and opened the wall into her safe room.

  The room was designed so — once she was in and barricaded — no one could get in unless she opened the door from the inside. The alarm company would be notified when she went in, so she’d have to let them know to kill the alert to the police. She could stay in there for days if she needed. It was stocked with plenty of food and water, and even ginger to make ginger tea. There was a small bed, and a toilet. She’d be good.

  The sound of the door snicking closed behind her sounded nice, and she picked up the phone inside and hit the speed dial to the alarm company.

  “I’m just checking stock, no need to alert anyone.” She gave her pin number and the operator verified the police wouldn’t be called.

  Gen decided she was still sleepy, so she made some ginger tea, drank it, and crawled back into bed.

  When she awoke several hours later she felt much better. No headache, no nausea, and she was starving.

  There was a way to check to be sure the coast was clear, but she wasn’t interested in firing up the computer and seeing what the cameras showed. She’d have to deal with Duke eventually. If he was still here she could handle him much easier today — sober and not sick — than she could’ve last night.

  She ate a bowl of oatmeal, drank some coffee, brushed her teeth, cleaned up after herself since Amy didn’t know about this room, and stepped out of the safe room with another cup of coffee in her hand and her gun tucked under her arm.

  “Nice.” Duke said, sitting on her sofa with the TV remote in his hand. He flicked the television off, stood, and walked to her. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine.” She closed the safe room door behind her, looked to be sure the bookcase locked in place so it wasn’t visible, and then eyed Duke in his sexy jeans and no shirt. She ignored how her body felt about his large chest and cut abs disappearing into his jeans.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she told him as she settled her gun on her nightstand. “I’ll toss your shirt out the bathroom door. You can let yourself out.”

  He took a step closer to her and said, “Beautiful, I—”

  Gen held her hand up and interrupted him. “No, Duke. No nicknames, no sweet talking, no kisses, no touching. I give you your shirt; you leave. If you stay, that makes you a bully — here because you’re bigger and stronger than me and think I have no way to make you leave. I won’t call the cops on you, but there are other people I can call who will make you leave. If you keep pushing, I can easily afford to pay Aaron Drake for a bodyguard who’ll keep you away.”

  “I want you in my life, Gen.”

  “I thought I wanted you in mine, too, but I’ve remembered why that’s a bad idea. Trusting people only brings pain. Lesson learned. Fourth time’s the charm.”

  She turned and went into the bathroom, pulled his shirt off, tossed it out, and locked herself in.


  * * * *

  Duke considered her words, and deliberated whether she’d really go to those extremes to keep him out of her life. Looking around at her house, the life she’d built herself, he had no doubt she’d follow through.

  He found a notepad in her office and sat down with a pen.

  Beautiful Gen,

  I messed up, and it kills me to know I hurt you. I’m not giving up, but I’ll give you a little more space and hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

  Since you don’t want to talk to me, Brain will be calling you later today about finding us another retail space. Not another bar or bike shop, he’ll explain when he calls.

  D

  Chapter Twenty

  Gen rolled her cellphone calls to her assistant and instructed him to get the information from Brain when he called, telling Thomas to say she wasn’t available but he could get started on a search and let Gen know what the MC needed when she became available.

  She should have expected Brain to show up at her office to see her personally, when he couldn’t get through.

  She hadn’t expected him to have Gonzo with him, since it seemed to have been Gonzo’s fault Duke had been put in the middle — Gonzo who’d made it so Duke felt he had no choice but to betray Gen’s trust.

  Gen glanced at her laptop when they stepped into her office, and told them, “I have about twenty minutes before I need to pick up some clients. Make it fast.”

  Gonzo closed the door and said, “My brothers won’t tell my story, and I’m not going to tell the whole thing, but you need to understand why Duke needed to make me feel our home was safe.”