by Sam Crescent
She jumped into the water and broke the surface seconds later, laughing so loud it brought a smile to his lips.
“That water is so good,” she said. “Come on, champion, come on in.”
“I’m a champion now?”
“Every single game we’ve played, you’ve won. I can’t even win a game of cards. You’re no fair at all.”
“You’d like me to make it easy for you.” He stood up and moved toward the edge of the pool, crouching down and resting his arms on his thighs. “You’d like me to give up the game?”
“You’ve been playing these games a lot longer than I have.” She moved toward the edge of the pool. “The least you could do is help a girl out.”
“You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who likes to make things easy,” he said.
“I love having things be easy, Lewis. Sometimes I like the simple things in life.” Her gaze fell over his body and he saw the wicked glint in her eye, seconds before she grabbed his shirt front and pulled him into the pool.
Standing up, he heard her laughing, and he spun around to find her in the same place, her arms resting on the edge of the pool.
“Gotcha,” she said.
He began to unbutton his shirt, peeling it off and throwing it over her head to land on the ground with a wet slop.
Next, he removed his pants and did the same to them.
“If you wanted me in the pool all you had to do was ask.” He moved toward her and leaned in close, putting his watch onto the side of the pool. It was waterproof, so he didn’t mind if it got wet.
Staring into Mandy’s eyes, he waited for her to say something.
“Where would the fun be in that?” she said. She pressed her hands against his chest, and he wanted her touch.
“You’ve got to be careful who you play with, Mandy. Sometimes you risk playing with fire.”
Was it him or did her eyes flash with desire?
“Sometimes, Lewis, I like playing with fire. It gets tiring being so lonely, so cold, and you need a little fire to warm you up from the inside out.”
They were not talking about playtime anymore.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Her gaze fell from his and stared at her hands on his chest. His cock was already rock-hard from being close to her.
The bathing suit molded to her curves, and he saw the outline of her nipples. One of her hands on his chest moved up and cupped the back of his neck.
He returned his attention to her face. She pulled him down, and then her lips were on his. Her grip tightened, and she didn’t pull away.
She opened her mouth and slid her tongue against his lips. He couldn’t not hold her close. Moving one of his hands to her hips and the other to the back of her neck, he kissed her back with a passion that he’d been denying himself.
Drawing her ever closer, he pressed his raging cock against her stomach.
Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he heard and felt her moan as he kissed her. She didn’t pull away or fight for him to stop. She held him close.
The kiss went on, and even as he broke away, he didn’t want to, but felt he had to. Her eyes were still closed, and he watched as she bit her lip, smiling as she did before opening them.
“That was amazing,” she said. She cupped his cheek and pressed her head against his.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m not fragile, Lewis. I won’t break at a kiss.” She tilted her head back. “Don’t think that I will.”
He teased her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. His movements were slow as he didn’t want to startle her.
“When I’m with you the entire world fades away, and I can imagine anything. You’ve given me the freedom to do that, Lewis.” She pressed another kiss to his lips and pulled away. “I really do hope you can see that. I’m not going to break down and cry. I’ve done that.”
She stepped away, and he watched as she began to swim away from him. His lips still tingled from where they had kissed. He stood in the pool with a raging hard-on, but his only interest was Mandy.
Time passed, and he decided to climb out of the pool and check in with the club. It had been a couple of days since he’d gotten an update, and he wanted one. At least something to take his mind off his dick.
He put the call through to Jamie, and it took several rings for him to answer.
“You’re meant to be enjoying a break,” Jamie said.
“I am. It’s all great and fun. What’s going on? You know we’re here to protect Mandy. It’s not supposed to be an actual break.”
“Technically it is. We all needed you to take a break. A dead club member wouldn’t be good for us. We’d be weak.”
“Tell me where we’re at.”
“We’ve narrowed it down to ten men in total.”
“Send me the details. I’ll have a look and see if I can spot anything.”
Jamie sighed. “You don’t need to be here.”
“I need to do something. I’m losing my mind.”
“I doubt that. With Mandy there, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to keep you occupied.”
Lewis rubbed at his eyes, thinking about the kiss. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you think it’s right for me to … kiss her?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? She’s of legal age.”
“Everything she’s gone through. I don’t want to hurt her.”
There was silence for several moments. Lewis waited, knowing that for as much as Jamie was a joker, he also knew when to be serious.
“She’s been through a lot, but she’s still a woman, Lewis. You were her first crush. Even you knew that, and then you rescued her. You’re her hero, and you can’t hold what was done to her against her. I’d let Mandy take the lead on this. Trust her. Know her. You’ll know and understand her better than anyone else. Above all, trust your instincts. Not your fears. I’ll email you the list with the details.”
Jamie disconnected the call.
His words hadn’t helped Lewis at all.
****
Mandy brushed through her hair and stared at her reflection. They had kissed. Finally, after what felt like a millennium, only now, she was … worried. He’d not taken a swim. Instead, he’d watched her and then decided to leave the pool.
Did he think she couldn’t handle him?
Did he not want to kiss her?
She was so torn up.
Maybe he’d never see her as desirable because of all the crap that went on in her past.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she twirled the brush in her fingers, wondering what to do. She loved Lewis.
He’d given her so much. Could she even ask for something more?
She dropped her head down, staring at the brush. It was a simple thing in the world, a brush. Mandy had a memory like so many others where a brush had been a reward. They’d given it to her as if it was some great present for doing something right, and she’d been allowed to take a shower. There had been so much control in her life. Everything had to be earned, and of course she had to go through a power struggle to get it.
No matter what, she had to submit. The list was endless. For clothes, food, water, brushes, soap, even shoes, she had to submit to them. Everything came at a price.
Placing the brush on the bed, she got to her feet and made her way down to the dining room table where Lewis had been for a couple of hours now.
She stood in the doorway, arms folded, waiting.
He didn’t look up at her, totally engrossed in his computer screen.
“I enjoyed the kiss,” she said.
Finally, he lifted his head up, and she had his attention.
“Actually, I loved the kiss. You do it really well.”
“I don’t want you to think that you have to kiss me. That I’m demanding it as some kind of reward.”
“I don’t for a second believe that,” she said. “You’re not like them, Lewis. I’d never think you were. You ca
n’t be. You’re not taking something that I don’t want to give.”
She stared at him … waiting.
“What do you want, Mandy?” he asked.
That was the biggest question. “I don’t want you to be afraid to kiss me, or touch me. I want you to do that. I also don’t want you to freak out over the littlest thing, if that is even possible.” She moved closer and rested her hand on the table. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand and locked their fingers together. “When I’m near, do you get attracted to me? Or do you just see the girl who was taken? Or the broken woman in the hospital?”
“You’ve never been broken. You’re a fighter. A survivor.”
She waited, wondering if he’d add more or if he’d keep her waiting. She was so nervous. Over the past few months, she had feared that Lewis would only ever see her as a victim of what happened. That he’d never be able to get past it and see an actual woman. A physical, desirable woman.
“I’m attracted to you, Mandy. I won’t lie to you. I did find it uncomfortable. I don’t want you to ever think that I’m like those men.”
“There’s no way you could ever be like that, Lewis. They are … monsters. You’re not. You’re a great man.” She gave his hand a squeeze and sighed. “Let’s move on to what has gotten you so wrapped up.” She took a chance and sat on his knee.
He didn’t move her, and for that she was grateful. His hand moved to her leg, and even though she wanted to push his laptop away and kiss him, she didn’t.
“Jamie sent me a list of ten possible men who could be the leak.”
She pulled the laptop closer and leaned forward, then began to scroll through the images, the details. She’d gone through eight men when she froze and stared at a guy she remembered well. Her fingers hovered over the laptop.
“Mandy, what is it?” he asked.
“She’s very well-behaved. I’m shocked. I thought all the bitches here would have a little fire inside them. She’s completely gone, isn’t she?”
“Mandy is my greatest accomplishment. I never want to part with her.” Elijah reached out and stroked her cheek. She didn’t pull away.
The only way to get through life was to pretend nothing was happening.
“I wish I had a bitch like that.”
“Your job is to make sure I can get more bitches like this.”
“It’s him,” she said, pulling out of the memory. She would recognize Robert Jones anywhere. He was a horrible person. Considering he was a cop who should be enforcing the law, he’d made it easy for all the traffickers instead.
If Robert was there, it meant Elijah wasn’t far behind.
Their last meeting hadn’t been pleasant, but he’d not made sure she was dead before he’d left. She had known he’d gotten away. Elijah always had that tactic. He’d always been one step ahead.
“What’s going on, Mandy?” Lewis asked.
“He’s always been fantastic at making people look the other way. A shipment of girls was sent to the local force some time ago. He didn’t work where he does now. I was sure they’d come and get them. They never did. I later found out that Robert had manipulated the facts, and they went to the wrong port. The girls were taken and never seen again.” She leaned back in his arms. “I’d let Jamie know he’s the guy you need to talk to.”
She got up and moved away, heading out of the house.
Mandy didn’t stop until she hit the beach, feeling the dry sand beneath her feet. She walked all the way to the edge, where the ocean lay. The day was still, the sun shining down. It had always amazed her how powerful it was. That even when her day was dark, the sun would always shine.
She found strength from it, one day hoping she’d be as bright as the sunshine.
Elijah was close. He was onto the club, and it would only be a matter of time before they discovered the club and her. She could handle it.
After all, she’d been in his care for a lot longer than she really wanted to think about.
It was everyone else that she worried about.
The Billionaire Bikers MC did a fantastic job. They were relentless, and she adored that about them.
The wind began to pick up, and as her hair thrashed around her, the ocean started to lap at her feet.
Lewis wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back toward him. He rested his chin on her shoulder and didn’t say a thing. She stared out at the vast ocean, wondering what the hell she was going to do.
She had to be smarter.
Think better than Elijah.
She had gotten to know his moods, understand him better than he even realized.
“Does Jamie know?”
“Yes, he knows, and he’s going to deal with it.”
“If you take Robert out, it will bring … him straight to you,” she said.
“Who will it bring, Mandy?”
She didn’t want to say his name, and she closed her eyes. A couple of seconds passed, and she knew she didn’t have a choice. There was no getting away from this. “It’ll bring Elijah to you. Anyone who’s ever crossed him has ended up dead. He’s the one who gave me the final sendoff that should have killed me.”
Lewis tensed behind her, and she hated that she was the cause. There was nothing she could do, though.
She turned in his arms, staring at him. “He’ll expect you to go after Robert. You’ve got to make sure that Jamie doesn’t do that. Make your contact aware of who he is, what he does. Let him know that if Robert is asking questions, he’s got a good reason to be doing it.”
“We’re going to handle this. I promise.”
She nodded her head, believing him.
“All he has ever known is taking young women. I was his greatest success, so that he said if it wasn’t for all the heat that came with a kid disappearing, he’d only snatch young girls and train them as good as I was.”
Lewis tightened his arms around her.
“I hated him, Lewis. I hated him more than anything else in the world. Every time I was with him, I’d think about the different ways that I’d hurt him or kill him.”
“He won’t hurt you, Mandy. I won’t let him get to you.”
She relaxed against him, needing his strength.
Elijah was back, and it only meant one thing. Either he or she would die. He wouldn’t stop, and this time, neither would she.
He’d fought her, tried to break her down, and she’d relented to survive.
Now it was different. She wasn’t trapped within his world.
He was now coming into her world, and if Robert was there it only meant one thing. He considered her a threat.
With that revelation, Mandy smiled.
What’s it like to be the bitch now?
Chapter Seven
Jamie sat back and ran a hand over his face, feeling fucking tired. It had been a long couple of days, and Mandy had picked the son of a bitch out with just one look. He was pissed off. He’d looked at Robert Jones’s profile and hadn’t been entirely sure.
He’d moved from precinct to precinct, taking a lot of odd jobs over the years. Nothing had actually stood out about him, though, and that was what pissed him off. He’d not spotted it.
This guy was linked to someone else. Lewis had just called him back and warned him not to let their informant sniff this guy out, to just be aware of him.
Tapping his fingers on the desk, Jamie stared at the fucker’s picture. Putting his fingers into the shape of a gun, he made the noise of a shot.
He hated guys like this, the ones who abused their positions to help the crooks.
This guy was worse than the criminals in Jamie’s opinion. He’d never had a good one when it came to the law, and this fucker didn’t help one bit. In fact, Jamie wanted to take a shot at him himself. See how Robert liked being the hunted for a change.
Jamie wondered how many girls had been taken because of him luring the force elsewhere, or chasing up bogus leads.
“I’m going to have my eye on you.”
Hi
s cell phone began to buzz, and he looked at the caller ID, seeing it was Lewis’s building. “Yello,” he said, laughing.
“Hi, Jamie, I don’t know who to call. There’s a, erm, cop here. He’s gone into Lewis’s office and wouldn’t listen to me when I told him he wasn’t allowed. I’m nervous. Could you come and help? I know it’s rude of me to call, but—”
“I’m on my way. Tell me, Cameron, did the guy say his name?”
“Robert Jones.”
Jamie smiled. He was going to have some fun right now.
Closing down his computer, he jumped into his car and made his way toward Lewis’s building. They all worked in buildings quite close to each other, so it didn’t take him long to get there. Parking his car in Lewis’s spot, he walked onto the elevator and fixed his jacket, tie, and in the reflection of the metal, made sure he looked every part his billionaire self.
The doors opened up, and he saw Cameron standing a couple of feet away from Lewis’s open door.
Her hands were clenched together, and he saw how nervous she was.
“Hey, darling,” he said, moving toward her.
“I don’t like him. He keeps asking questions, and Lewis told me to never answer them.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this. Go and get yourself a coffee.”
He leaned against the doorway as Robert Jones, in the flesh, rummaged around Lewis’s office.
“You know, for a guy of the law, you’re invading someone’s right to privacy. You don’t even have a warrant.”
Robert looked up, clearly surprised to see a man there.
This guy had no respect for women, and Jamie was pissed that he’d made Cameron nervous.
“I should call a lawyer, and I think we’ve got enough security footage to prove that you are just another cop who’ll take the law into your own hands. I wonder what your boss will think of your face and his precinct being splashed across the evening news.”
He’d made Robert uneasy.
That was good.
Robert moved from around the desk. He wore a rumpled jacket, and was clearly out of his element.