Grind

by Joanna Blake

  I felt sick as I opened the door, wrapped in the hotel bathrobe. I put on a seductive smile as I came out. Chan was held between two men as Max paced back and forth by the windows.

  “Max. Can’t we talk about this?”

  Chan hissed at me when I walked by him.

  “What the hell are you doing Caro?”

  I ignored Chan, walking right for my ex-fiancé.

  Max was watching me with a hungry look in his gaze. Good. He might be a deranged killer, but he still wanted me. Maybe I could use that to my advantage.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  I smiled at him, walking up to him and running my hands over his chest. He watched me like a hawk watches a mouse.

  “There’s no need for all of this. I’m just a girl like any other. Treat me like one. Leave him out of it.”

  He tilted his head, considering.

  “You are a very bad girl.”

  I smiled.

  “I am.”

  He glanced over at Chan. I didn’t react.

  “He should die for what he did.”

  “But it was all my idea. I got tired of waiting, Max. He was just in the right place at the wrong time. He’s more like a brother to me than a lover.”

  Max frowned at me, he wasn’t buying it completely but I could tell he was tempted.

  “So you are just a whore like all the rest, is that what you would have me believe?”

  I nodded. It made me sick the way he was talking to me. But if I played his twisted game, maybe Chan would live.

  “Do you know what happens to dirty whores?”

  I swallowed. I did not know. But I imagined it was unpleasant.

  “If you want me to be agreeable though, I have to know that he is okay.”

  His arms slid around me, pulling me against his hard body.

  “You don’t really have to be agreeable.”

  “But wouldn’t that be more fun?”

  He laughed.

  “You surprise me Carolina. I am glad I did not marry you. You would make a horrible wife. But you will be an excellent whore.”

  He leaned down to kiss me, sliding his tongue around my mouth grotesquely. I did my best to kiss him back, arching my breasts against him.

  I heard Chan’s groan as Max lifted his head. I knew this must be killing Chan. Seeing Max touch me. But I had to try. If I had any chance of saving his life.

  “You learned a lot in one night.”

  A sharp knock came at the door.

  Max jerked his head toward the door.

  “Prove yourself. Ask them who it is my love.”

  I nodded and walked toward the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “Room service.”

  But it wasn’t.

  It was Joss.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chandler

  I was filled with a seething rage as I watched Max lay hands on my wife.

  MY WIFE.

  I knew she was being clever, distracting him, buying us time. But all the same, I hated it. I was about to do something drastic. Like crack some skulls.

  And then I heard Joss’s voice at the door.

  Caro didn’t hesitate. She opened the door and got out of the way. Then all hell broke loose.

  Joss came charging in with two guys. One was the concierge from the hotel. The other was just as big and mean looking. I dropped my arms sharply and managed to pull away from the two goons that were holding me. I threw a punch or two before it was all over.

  I rubbed my side wincing. I’d taken a few hits too. On right to the spot where I’d been shot.

  The room got hazy for a minute before I got a good look at the lay of the land.

  Max and his henchmen were all kneeling with guns pointed at their heads. Caro was running towards me. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.

  Then I looked up and smiled.

  “You’re late.”

  Joss raised an eyebrow.

  “You’re naked, Butt Floss.”

  I laughed. I had to. He was right.

  I’d just helped to defeat the bad guys with my dangly parts, well, dangling.

  It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘rock out with your cock out.’

  Caro handed me the spare robe. The one that was sticky from the whipped cream last night. She was giggling the whole time.

  I yanked her against me again.

  “Isn’t being married fun?”

  Max spat on the ground. We’d managed to keep that minor detail secret. He did not look happy.

  “What now Joss?”

  Joss walked over to the door and shut it.

  “You two get out of here. Go enjoy your honeymoon.”

  We grabbed our clothes and slipped into the bathroom to change. Every few seconds I had to kiss her. Just to reassure myself she was still here.

  That she was still mine.

  I was also very excited that my dick was still attached to my body.

  We slipped out of the bathroom and waited for Joss to get off the phone.

  “What are you going to do with him?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill him Chan.”

  It was hard to miss the emphasis he put on the word ‘I’m.’

  I glanced at Max, who looked livid. And something else. He looked a bit green in the gills to be honest. Joss’s hand landed on my shoulder as he walked us to the door.

  “It’s better if you don’t know the details.”

  He gave me a rare smile.

  “Let’s just say I know someone who wants to meet Max in the flesh.”

  Carolina

  We sat on the airplane, waiting to disembark. It was still early, but I felt like I’d been awake for a week. My head rested on Chan’s shoulder as people got ready to exit the plane all around us.

  “We did it Princess.”

  Chan kissed my temple.

  “You are finally free of him.”

  I leaned back to look at him.

  “Because of you.”

  He grinned. There he was. My cocky husband.

  “Tell me Chan, what do you want to do now?”

  He tilted his head thoughtfully.

  “Hmmm… I have lots of ideas. What about you?”

  I squeezed him.

  “Anything you want.”

  His eyes lit up.

  “Anything?”

  I nodded, blushing a bit.

  He grinned like a schoolboy.

  “First, I want some breakfast. Then I want to go home.”

  He stood up, faltering a bit. He lifted his arms to help me to my feet. That’s when I saw it.

  Chan was bleeding.

  “But first I think I might want to see a doctor.”

  All the blood left my face. He leaned against me suddenly. I felt his skin.

  He was burning up.

  “Chan, oh no, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was too busy beating the bad guys.”

  I laughed, feeling hysterical as I tried to wave down a flight attendant.

  “Princess?”

  “Yes?”

  “I will be taking an IOU on that though.”

  He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

  “I have lots of ideas on how to collect.”

  I blushed. Only he could think about sex at a time like this.

  “Okay, just please, no more putting your life in danger.”

  He grinned at me cheekily.

  “It’s a deal.”

  The flight attendant helped us get a little cart. The airport had a small hospital for emergencies. They took one look at Chan and called an ambulance. I had to call his Gran and my family to let them know we were not coming straight home. Katey was waiting for us too.

  Shari and her new boyfriend had picked up her stuff for her and driven her to the airport.

  Everything had worked out for the best.

  Everything except Chan.

  I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not when he was in th
is situation because of me.

  I sat in the back of the ambulance holding Chan’s hand the whole way. They had set up an IV with an antibiotic drip already. He looked pasty and wan. But those dimples still had the power to seduce the panties off a nun.

  I should know.

  He was joking and teasing me about my promise. I told him to hush and rest. Finally he settled down. He never let go of my hand once though.

  Once they brought him inside everything was chaos. He was listed in serious but stable condition. I did my best to fill out his paperwork. I had no idea if strippers had health insurance.

  So I put down mine instead. We were married so he should be covered. I hoped.

  That was the first time I really thought about that. I was married to a stripper. A very, very talented stripper.

  I watched him joking with the nurses as they cleaned his wounds. He was brave and charming and could be so much more. He could do almost anything he set his mind to. I knew it. I wondered if he did too.

  I knew that cocky bravado hid a sensitive, sweet person.

  Well, partially anyway.

  After about an hour a doctor came to speak to me.

  “Mrs. Jacobs, your husband has an infection. He will need to stay here for a few days. I suggest you go home and get some rest. He’s mostly out of the woods.”

  I was filled with relief. And the wonder of being called Mrs. Jacobs. That was the first time anyone had ever called me that.

  A warm feeling filled me. It wasn’t just because I knew Chan was going to be okay. It was knowing that I belonged to him now.

  It was official.

  “Thank you. I’d prefer to stay if possible.”

  She nodded and smiled at me.

  “We can arrange for a cot.”

  “Thank you.”

  I followed as they moved him to another room. It was late. By morning he would have visitors. They had given him something for the pain and he was half asleep as I settled into the cot for the night.

  I lay there staring at the ceiling for the longest time.

  I had almost made the biggest mistake of my life. Chan hadn’t just woke me up to the truth. He had saved me. I would spend the rest of my life wondering how I had let myself be fooled.

  Chan would be okay, that was the important part.

  Other than that, I had no idea of what the future might bring.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chandler

  The doctor was so nice. I smiled at her. I felt fantastic.

  I was ready to get up and dance.

  Only problem was my pesky limbs. They felt like lead. But other than that, I felt fantastic.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Good. Very good.”

  My voice felt sticky somehow. Slow. Like I was a record spinning at the wrong speed.

  She was looking at my bullet wound. They’d already unstitched it and flushed it with antibiotic fluids. Now it was starting to itch.

  “Itches.”

  The doctor raised an eyebrow at me. Caro was on the other side of the bed. She watched everything anxiously.

  “I won’t ask how you got this wound.”

  Caro took my hand.

  “We appreciate that.”

  “But whoever stitched you up did a fantastic job.”

  I started to speak but Caro squeezed my hand.

  “I won’t ask about that either.”

  Caro looked relieved so I smiled again. Actually, maybe I’d been smiling all along…

  “He’ll be good to go in a few days. But he’ll need someone to clean his wounds, make sure he takes his pills, etc.”

  “I can do that.”

  “That’s my responsibility.”

  I turned my head to see my grandmother standing in the door. She was glaring at Caro. The old woman was more than a little intimidating.

  “I’ll give you two a few minutes alone.”

  “Do that, Missy.”

  It must have been the drugs but I was actually happy to see the old harpy. She frowned at me, scolding me for getting shot. Then she scolded me for running around with loose women. Then she scolded me for not coming home to visit more.

  By the time Caro came back I was drifting off.

  I didn’t hear my grandmother telling her to leave. The next time I opened my eyes it was late at night and I was alone.

  In the morning I woke to see familiar faces swarm the room. Friends, family, even people I didn’t know all that well had come to see me. It was practically a ticker tape parade.

  I was exhausted after less than a half-hour of well wishers. One of the nurses came and shooed them out again. She checked my bandages and gave me another dose of pain meds.

  It was dark again when I opened my eyes. The lights were out. A blond head rested against my shoulder.

  “I missed you beautiful…”

  A gasp from the doorway caught my attention.

  I squinted in the dim light.

  The girl holding my hand wasn’t my bride.

  It was someone else. Someone familiar. It took me a second to figure out who.

  It took me another second to realize what was happening.

  Caro was in the doorway, staring at me with tears in her big beautiful eyes.

  Carolina

  I walked quickly through the hospital, clutching the cup of tea I’d gone to get in the cafe. I’d been gone less than fifteen minutes but still Chan had managed to move on. I threw it out in the trash on my way to the parking lot. I turned my face as I passed the nurses and doctors in the hallway.

  I didn’t want them to see me crying.

  Hot tears of humiliation stung my cheeks.

  Not just humiliation.

  Heartbreak. Betrayal.

  And yet I wasn’t surprised.

  I knew Chan. I knew his appeal. I knew his appetite for women.

  He could have any woman he wanted, really.

  I stopped abruptly, finally outside in the darkness. Why would he want me? A stuck up prude?

  He had probably laughed at me the whole time we’d been in bed together. He was so skilled, so experienced. And I was a boring goodie two shoes. One he’d had to marry just to get into bed. I was certain he’d been bored to tears once he’d had me there.

  I shook my head. That wasn’t true. He hadn’t been bored. He’d been… thrilled.

  That much I was certain of. He had wanted me then. He must have just moved on already.

  But with Leah of all people?

  That stung.

  I knew they dated in high school. But he dated everyone back then.

  Heck, so had Leah.

  She was very sexy and she knew it. She had long blond hair like mine, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Her curves were exaggerated. Her lips, extra pouty. And from what I had heard, she was very, very good at what she did.

  Which was basically everything.

  I wasn’t one to gossip. It wasn’t Christian. But if you heard something over and over again, it was hard to ignore.

  Sugar!

  I banged my head getting into the car. Then the tears started in earnest. It was over. I’d had my little fling. Now it was time to pick up the broken pieces and start over somewhere new.

  I’d visit with my mom and nana for a few days and then leave. Pack up my apartment in Miami. Then go… anywhere.

  Anywhere but here.

  I could get an annulment. I didn’t believe in divorce, but a 48-hour marriage didn’t really count. Especially when the groom moved on that quickly.

  I felt an unfamiliar twisting sensation in my chest.

  I knew what it was.

  It was my heart breaking.

  Chapter Twenty

  Chandler

  “Caro. Please answer my call.”

  I slammed the phone down. She was refusing to see me. Still. It had been days.

  I was still on bed rest.

  I stared at the pain meds by my bed. I stared at the faded flowers that yet another friend ha
d brought by my Grandmother’s house. I stared at the cheap wedding ring on my left hand. I’d finally found it in the bag of stuff they sent home from the hospital. It felt good to slide it back onto my finger.

  No one had noticed that today. Or even asked. And no one had seen or heard from Caro.

  Not even Katey.

  It seemed my bride had had second thoughts about marrying me after all.

  For all her love words. All her sweetness. All her passion… she didn’t want me.

  I knew she was better than me. It was painfully obvious. She would probably be better off.

  The thought of her with someone else felt like a knife in my chest. Cold and painful. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists.

  Was I just going to give up on her? Let her walk out of my life? I felt like I didn’t have a choice. She wasn’t giving me one.

  Fuck that.

  I pushed myself to my feet. I was weak, sure. But that wasn’t going to stop me.

  Nothing was.

  Not even Caro.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  “Out.”

  My grandmother stared at me, her mouth pressed in a thin line.

  “No, you are not!”

  “I need to see Carolina.”

  “That girl! When are you going to stop chasing every pretty little thing that comes your way?”

  I pulled a pressed shirt on, buttoning it as I stared the old woman down.

  “Caro is not a pretty little thing. She’s a strong, bright, independent woman. I’ve been in love with her since before I knew what that even meant.”

  Gran’s mouth dropped open.

  “And I’m the luckiest man alive. Because she deigned to be my wife.”

  “You’re what???”

  I grinned at her, bussing her cheek. I held up my left hand, wagging the fingers at her.

  “I’m a married man, Gran. I hope you can be happy for me.”

  She followed me to the door.

  “Was this a proper church wedding?”

  I slipped my shoes on and grimaced.

  “Um, kind of. Does the chapel of love count?”

  “No it does not! I expect a proper wedding.”

  I stared at her. Was she actually on my side for once in my life? She shooed me out the door.

  “I heard she’s leaving town. You better hurry up and get her back!”