by Marie York
My body jerked as I shot fast and hard. Her nails dug into my ass as she took every last drop. I just went three rounds in the cage, and didn’t feel as winded as I did now. This girl was fucking amazing, and now it was my turn to return the favor.
I reached down grabbing her face and pulling her up to me. She shook her head and managed to slip away from my hold.
“Now I’m paid in full. See you in your dreams.”
She gave a little wave as she turned out of the room, leaving me alone with my pants around my ankles, and wondering what the fuck just happened.
Chapter Ten
Mila
Mackenzie hadn’t been home in three days. In the beginning, as horrible as it was to admit, I was thrilled to have a break. But, now I was getting scared. It was the longest she’d ever disappeared, and I was worried something actually happened to her.
I called two of her friends, but they both said they hadn’t seen her in days. She hadn’t been at school either. Once I found her, and knew she was okay, I was going to kill her. The past few days I’d been running on caffeine and pure adrenaline. Trying to maintain my composure and go to work while dealing with Mackenzie’s disappearance.. And just to add fucking icing on the cake I also had to deal with seeing Knox again and doing my best to forget about the incident with Christian. I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep. My head was an fucking emotional overload.
I walked into Mackenzie’s room, looking for God knew what, but unable to sit down and wait for her to walk through the door. The clean clothes that I folded, and asked her to put away, were piled in the corner. Typical. The comforter and sheets were in a tangled mess at the foot of the bed. It made me roll my eyes, thinking of all the fights we had about her making it.
It all seemed so petty now. I just wished she would get her head out of her ass.
After making the bed, I grabbed the pile of clothes, and went to put them away. I opened her top dresser drawer and moved a few t-shirts to make room when my eye caught on a small tin box. Curious, I took it out, and the smell hit me before I even flipped it open.
“You little bitch.” I picked up the half smoked joint and then dropped it back down next to the dime bag in disgust. “And this is why I can’t treat you like an adult.”
I sat down on the bed with the tin in my hand, wondering how long she’d been smoking pot and how I never realized it. “It could be worse,” I said to myself. It was just pot after all. It could have been coke or crack. Pot wasn’t so bad.. Then again, to someone like Mackenzie, it damn well could’ve been.
I was worried before, but now I was full on freaking out. Pot equaled drug dealers and, no matter what, they were always bad news. I wanted to believe Mackenzie was smart enough not to get mixed up with a drug dealer, but her choices as of late didn’t help reassure me.
My cell phone rang, and I glanced down to the screen. Clark County Detention Center flashed on my screen and my heart stopped. Why was the county jail calling me? Suddenly, every worst-case scenario popped into my mind. My heart beat rapidly as I stared at the phone, frozen in fear.
It’s not like they were going to tell me Mackenzie was dead. That’s not news you would deliver over the phone. No, she wasn’t dead. Couldn’t be.
I took a deep breath and, before the phone could go to voicemail, I swiped to accept the call.
“H-hello?” I stuttered.
“Now, don’t freak out,” Mackenzie said.
Once I heard her voice, all the fear was gone. Anger smashed into me, consuming every ounce of my being. “Don’t freak out? You’ve been missing for three days, and now you’re calling me from the county jail! Are you fucking kidding me? Are you?” I demanded.
“I knew I shouldn’t have called you.”
Before I could utter another word, the line went dead. “Hello?” I said, but there was silence. “Mackenzie Elizabeth!” It was pointless. She hung up on me. If she were in jail, she got one freaking phone call, and she chose to hang up on me. She was un-fuckin-believable!
I stood up and paced her room, debating if I should leave her in there to rot, or go and bail her bratty ass out. It took less than a minute before I grabbed my bag and was in my Jeep driving to the county jail.
God only knew what she did, and why she was in there. I was hoping it was something stupid, but honestly I just didn’t know with her anymore.
I pulled into the parking lot and hurried inside. A few months ago, I had to bail out one of the girls after a night gone wrong, so I knew exactly where I had to go.
The woman at the window looked like she had a permanent scowl on her face, but I met her with a smile. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, I received a call from my sister, though we got cut off, and I’m not exactly sure why she’s here.”
“Name?” she asked.
“Mackenzie Greene.”
She typed a few things into her computer and then looked up. “She’s in for trespassing, indecent exposure, and resisting arrest.”
“Indecent exposure!” I exclaimed unable to control the shock running through me. My mind immediately went to prostitution, and my stomach twisted in knots. I felt like I was going to throw up the coffee I drank this morning.
“Looks like they picked her up before daybreak for skinny dipping at The Palms.”
I pushed my lips together, afraid that, if I parted them, a slew of curses would spill out. I didn’t need to get thrown behind bars with Mackenzie because of my mouth. So I took a step back, inhaled deeply and then went back to the window.
“How much is her bail?”
“Fifteen hundred.”
“Fifteen hundred!” My voice reached an all-time high. “I don’t have that kind of money.”
“There’s a bail bond next door. They should be able to help you out.”
I didn’t have words. I uttered a few noises, and walked away with my head down in defeat. A bail bondsman would give me the money, but I’d have to pay it back within a timeframe with interest. I couldn’t afford any extra costs. I could barely afford groceries some weeks. Maybe I could pick up a few extra shifts, or go to a different club. One where I made at least a minimum salary and didn’t have to rely solely on tips. Who was I fooling? I tried it before, but, once you work for Sal, there was no leaving. You either stayed with him, or got out of the business.
I stumbled out into the daylight, and collapsed on a bench.
What the hell was I going to do?
Chapter Eleven
Knox
I’d spent the morning with Coach and Mike. That kid with the ridiculous name Coach was talking about the other day had just won another fight. They said he was gunning for my belt. I needed to decide if I was willing to go up against a rookie with a lucky streak or blow him off.
It didn’t matter to me either way. I wasn’t fucking scared of some kid. I would wipe the ring with his ass, so my response was, “Show me the money.” If this kid was supposedly what everyone said he was, then people would want to see him go against me, and the payout would be huge. I was in the market for a new Bentley anyway.
I headed home and rolled the windows down of my Hummer, enjoying the beautiful day. The light turned red, and I came to a stop. I glanced over and spotted a brunette on a bench in short jean shorts, revealing muscular legs and a tight tank top showcasing a beautiful rack. Both things I would know anywhere.
I cut the wheel, and pulled over to the side of the road. Mila didn’t even look up as I slammed the door shut and walked over to her. She rested her chin on the palms of her hands, and she looked catatonic as she stared off into space.
Guilt still consumed me from our last encounter. If I knew her agenda, I never would have let her suck my dick. Though, just thinking about it, caused my cock to throb. She left me high and dry, and she was all I’d been able to think about for days. In my dreams, she didn’t disappoint. She always let me get my turn.
I wanted to scoop her up from that bench, carry her to the back of my truck, an
d show her what she missed out on that night. But her shoulders slumped forward, and the sexy confident stripper gave way to the defeated girl I met at the grocery store.
“Mila?” I said, and, when she looked at me, I noticed the unshed tears in her eyes, the tension pulling tight at the bridge of her nose.
I knelt down beside her, and took her face in my hands. “What’s the matter?” I asked, wanting so desperately to fix whatever was bothering her. I sure as hell hoped no one hurt her, because I swore to God if they did, I would find them and beat the ever living shit out of them.
She blinked up, her green eyes blood shot and filled with defeat. “I don’t know what to do. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do.” Her hands came up and then fell limply back into her lap. “I don’t know what to do,” she said again.
Mila always seemed so strong and self –assured. Seeing her so overwhelmed, tugged at something deep inside of me. It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced since Zoey. “What’s wrong? Tell me.” She didn’t say anything, and her gaze dropped. I lifted her chin, and urged her to look at me. “Please.”
Her lip quivered, and she took a deep breath. “My baby sister got arrested, and they want fifteen hundred dollars to bail her out. Who has that kind of money? I sure as hell don’t. I couldn’t even afford to give her fifty bucks for a new pair of shoes.” She shook her head, a tear slipping out, but she swiped it away angrily. “A part of me wants to leave her ass in there. Teach her a lesson. But the other part of me can’t stand to think of her sitting behind bars, waiting for me to figure out how to fix this. I fix everything. It’s what I do. I’m a fixer, and I can’t fix this.”
I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my wallet without a second thought. I counted out fifteen hundred dollar bills, and handed them to her.
Her eyes widened, and she clamped a hand over mine, shoving it out of sight. “Are you out of your goddamned mind? I can’t take this.”
I breathed in a sigh of relief. There was the Mila I knew making her way back. “No,” I said matter-of-factly, “I’m not out of my mind, and yes you can take it. You don’t always have to be the fixer, you know. Sometimes, you can let other people take the reins.” She began to shake her head and I reached up, holding it in place. I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “Don’t argue with me.”
“I told you, I don’t do charity.”
“You made that perfectly clear when you sucked my dick and bailed.”
“I always pay my debts,” she said with a shrug.
“Well, I don’t want you paying debts anymore. Especially not like that. The only dick you’re ever going to suck again is mine.” I didn’t realize how much I meant it until the words came out. Thinking of her pretty little lips on anybody else other than me made my blood boil.
“Like I’ve said to you a million times over… in your dreams,” she said, but the spice that was usually in her tone wasn’t there. She was really broken up over her sister, and it was something I understood all too well.
“We can discuss that another day. Right now, we’re going to go in there and bail your little sister out because, as much as it kills you to let someone help you, I know it kills you more to know that she’s in there all alone without you. So, instead of arguing with me for the next hour, and having your sister sit with criminals for even longer than she has to, just take the fucking money.”
She bit her lip, and I could see a billion arguments brewing in her mind. “I’m going to pay you back every last cent,” she finally said, and I could hear the determination in her voice.
“Tell you what.” I rested a hand on her leg, unable to resist the urge to touch her. “Cook me dinner, and we’ll call it even.”
“How do you even know I cook?”
“Because I’ve been spending a lot of time with you in my dreams,” I said with a wink. “So, what do you say? We have a deal?”
She let out a heavy breath, and I looked at my watch.
“Tick tock,” I said.
“Okay fine. Deal.” She held her hand out like it was a real business transaction, and I suppose it was. I took her hand in mine, and the feeling of her soft skin against my hand had my cock pulsing with desire. I yanked her into me. She smacked into my chest, and I smiled. “I prefer to seal things with a kiss.”
Her lips parted, but, before she could say anything, I captured her mouth with mine. She gasped as I thrust my tongue against hers, but she didn’t resist me. Her body melted into mine, and I held her tightly, hoping to kiss away her shitty day.
I reluctantly pulled away and rested my forehead against hers. “Let’s go get your sister.”
She nodded, and I guided her to the front door. I held it open and, as she passed by, I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Just so you know, I like lasagna.”
Chapter Twelve
Mila
Of course he had to like fucking lasagna. It was probably the only food I had never made. And it wasn’t something you could learn in a couple hours. It took four hours for them to process Mackenzie, and get her out of that place. I sent Knox home. He gave me money, and that was already more than enough. He didn’t need to sit around with me while I waited for them to release my delinquent little sister.
The little bitch wasn’t even happy to see me. She looked at me with annoyance, and the first words uttered from her mouth were, “Took you long enough.” I swear to God, if I wasn’t in a place crawling with cops, I would have grabbed her by her pretty blonde hair and dragged her out of there.
I took a deep breath and tried to focus. After reading a million different recipes, I finally picked the one that seemed the easiest. I just hoped I’d be able to pull it off.
Mackenzie waltzed out of her room like she was the queen returning to her palace. She slipped onto the stool across from where I stood and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Why are you cooking dinner for some random again?”
“He’s not some random, and, besides, that random is the reason you’re not sitting in jail, so you better be fucking nice to him.”
“Maybe,” Mackenzie said with a shrug.
I dropped my hands, slapping the spoon I just took out of the drawer against my thigh. “Mackenzie, I am not kidding!”
She rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, calm down. I’ll be nice to the guy.”
“And you better thank him for laying out your bail money.”
“Now, you’re pushing it.”
“No, you’re pushing it. I can’t believe how ungrateful you are. Things are going to change, and they’re going to start changing now. I can’t keep living like this. I’ve worked too hard to keep a roof over our head and food in your stomach. I know you don’t approve of what I do, but I didn’t get a choice. I do what I do so you have choices. I want so much more for you, but your attitude is shit and I’m sick of it. So, knock it off. You want me to start treating you like an adult? Then grow up and start acting like one.”
She didn’t say anything, just chose to give me a bored look instead.
I raked my hands through my hair in an effort to keep my temper in check. Mackenzie sat on the stool, fidgeting and trying not to look at me. “Look, I really don’t want to fight with you anymore, so just do me a favor and think about what I’ve said. Now, I have to figure out how to make this. You can sit there or you can help me. Either way, you need to stay out of my way.”
She got up and headed for her room then came to a stop. I waited, expecting another snarky response, something in true Mackenzie fashion. “You’ll figure it out. You always do,” she said and disappeared into her room, leaving me speechless. Was that a compliment? A compliment without the backhand? A smile settled on my face as I began to believe that things might actually change.
* * *
Somehow, I managed to slop something together that looked like lasagna and actually smelled pretty freaking good. I just hoped it tasted as good as it smelled. I glanced at the clock and noticed Knox was expected to arrive in the next few minu
tes. I wouldn’t even have time to do a taste test. My fingers were crossed, and the rest lied in the hands of the higher ups.
There was a knock on the door, and I checked my reflection in the toaster, brushing my hair behind my ear and smiling to make sure my teeth were lipstick free. Once I was good to go, I spun, but it was too late. Mackenzie was already at the door. Her dress covered less than some of my stage costumes. She had to be kidding me. Not to mention, where the hell did she get the money to afford that?
She flung the door open and leaned against the frame, pushing her boobs out. “Well, hello there, sexy,” she cooed.
Anger surged through me, but, when I peered around her to Knox, the anger vanished. Knox didn’t even acknowledge Mackenzie; his eyes were locked on me. He looked amazing with his hair parted perfectly off centered and in what looked to be a custom suit. Beneath the sharp navy blue blazer, his button down shirt pulled tight across the hard defined muscles of his chest, and tucked into pants that appeared to have been tailored to his every curve.
Suddenly, I felt completely underdressed in my jean shorts and black tank top. I knew I should have changed. Mackenzie did, of course. Fuck it, I thought, I am not out to impress him. In fact, I don’t even know what I’m doing at this point. Dinner. It’s just dinner to repay his generosity. I needed to remember that. I owed him for giving me the money to bail out Mackenzie and that was it. This was just partial payback. Not a date. Nothing else.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, gliding in and handing me a bottle of wine before placing a lingering kiss on my cheek. Heat shot through me and right to my core. My body ached for more. I wanted him to kiss me all over, to feel his tongue take me over the edge. My teeth slid over my bottom lip as the dirty thoughts ran rapid in my mind. “I didn’t know if you liked wine, and, if you did, what kind, so I went based on a friend’s recommendation. He said it’s the best wine money could buy.”