Prisoned: A Dark Twisted Erotic Standalone

by Marni Mann

  He was dead.

  Gone.

  It was all over with.

  I found myself getting out of the car and unlocking the front door, standing in the foyer as my eyes wandered over the inside. Nothing felt like it was mine. None of it felt right. It was as though I’d seen it all before in a magazine, but I hadn’t touched any of it. I hadn’t owned it. I hadn’t felt comfortable around it.

  It all reminded me of my brother.

  I walked over to the kitchen window and stared out onto the water. The view was beautiful. Serene. Relaxing. So many nights, I had gazed at this scenery and wondered what was next. I had tried to plan for my future, to see past everything Anthony had taken away from me, and to find happiness in the things he had given me.

  But I couldn’t.

  Anthony had chosen Florida. He had chosen both houses. He had picked the building where the shop was, he had influenced what I was going to sell and what services I would offer, he had chosen the employees who worked there.

  It wasn’t mine. It wasn’t even close to mine.

  None of it.

  And I didn’t love it.

  This was my prison.

  He was my prison.

  But he was gone. There was no one keeping me here anymore. No one was making me stay in Florida. No one was making sure I went to work in the morning.

  The bars had been lifted.

  So, what the hell was I going to do with my freedom?

  I opened a bottle of wine from the fridge and brought it into the bathroom, setting it on the edge of the tub with my phone. I ran the warm water, stripped off all my clothes, and left them in a pile on the floor. Once I added in some bath salts and lit a few candles, I climbed in.

  I was still sore. My muscles hadn’t fully healed. The cuts and scrapes and bruises were just starting to lighten from my body. My appetite hadn’t completely returned, and my stomach still had a hard time processing everything I ate. The doctor had assured me that this was all normal. I needed time and things would all gradually return to the way they had been before the accident.

  Time was something I had now.

  Just as I closed my eyes and tried to shut my brain off, my phone rang from the side of the tub.

  “Hey, Garin,” I said as I answered.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.”

  I looked at the bottle of wine that was now half gone. They were sips that I didn’t remember taking, and I couldn’t recall when the candle closest to me had blown out. In the shred of light that was left, I saw the outline of my body in the water. My skin looked so dark, almost dirty.

  Dirty like I had been in the dream.

  “It has nothing to do with losing Anthony,” I said. I felt like shit for saying that, but it was the truth. After what Anthony had done to me, it was hard to mourn him. Hard to feel anything for him at all. “I just don’t know what to do now. I can’t be here anymore—that, I do know.”

  “Come here.”

  “To Jersey?”

  “No, to Vegas. I’m flying there in the morning. I can come down to Florida and get you, and we can fly there together.”

  I sat up quickly, the water splashing over the side of the tub. “You want me…in Vegas?”

  “It’s where I live, where I work. So, yeah, it’s where I want you. Come live with me, Kyle.”

  He wanted me. He wanted me to live with him. He wanted me there, so I could touch him every day, so I could kiss him whenever I wanted, so I could tell him to his face that I loved him.

  I took a deep breath. “Come get me.”

  “That was easy.”

  “It’s a little late for me to play hard to get since you’ve already had me.” I stepped out of the tub and wrapped myself in a towel. “Besides, I’m done playing, Garin. I want you more than anything. And I want us.”

  “You’re going to have it all, everything you’ve ever wanted. I’ll make sure of it. Close your eyes, and get some sleep, baby. I’ll be there when you wake up.”

  Forty

  Garin

  Present Day

  “Mmm,” I groaned, rubbing my nose against the side of Kyle’s throat.

  I’d missed this neck, the scent of her skin. I couldn’t live without either of them now. And I’d missed how she always had a part of her touching a part of me.

  She stirred as I climbed into bed, and when she tried to roll over, I pushed my chest into her back, so she couldn’t.

  “I hope that’s you, and I’m not dreaming this,” she said.

  It made me smile whenever she brought up the dream. She never told me many details about it, but I wished she would.

  I kissed her shoulder all the way up to her ear. She was so warm, her skin so fucking soft. I loved that she slept naked, so I could touch her without having to rip any unnecessary clothes away.

  “Oh!” She ground her ass over my cock that had been hard since I walked through her front door. “Now, I know I’m definitely not dreaming.”

  I smiled again.

  This girl.

  “Should I get up and shower, so we can go to your plane, or do you want me right where I am?”

  I growled into the back of her neck. So willing. So submissive. We’d spent so much time in this bed during my last visit here.

  But before I slid inside that pussy again, I had somewhere I wanted to bring her.

  “I was thinking we could stay here one more night and go to Vegas in the morning.”

  She rolled over as I lightened my grip. There was worry in her eyes, and her hand immediately went to my face. I kissed the side of it.

  “Are you having second thoughts about me coming with you?”

  “Oh, no, baby. You’re coming to Vegas with me, but there’s one thing my town doesn’t have, and that’s an ocean.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “I want to take you to the beach, Kyle. Like when we were kids.” I watched her face as she realized what I was saying, and then I kissed her when she leaned forward.

  “My favorite place…you know that.” She bit her bottom lip as she grinned. She knew that drove me fucking crazy. The only teeth allowed to bite that lip were mine. “But none of my suits have holes in them. It won’t be the same.”

  “I bought you a new one. See? Some things never change.”

  “You didn’t.”

  I nodded. “It’s in your bathroom. Go put it on for me.”

  Knowing I was going to push Vegas off for one more day, I’d had Mario’s assistant go buy some suits for Kyle and me. I knew it would bring back a good memory for her. The only ones I wanted her to remember were the good ones.

  She gave me another kiss. This time, it lasted a little longer. “You’re too much,” she said. And then she disappeared into the bathroom.

  I got out of bed and went into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. Since I’d asked her to move in with me just last night, that hadn’t given her much time to pack. But there wasn’t a single box anywhere in here. I hadn’t even seen a suitcase in her room.

  “What do you think?”

  I turned toward the entrance of the hallway where she was standing in just the bikini. “I prefer you naked.” I walked over to her, hoping I could ease the scowl off her face. “That’s only because your body is too fucking gorgeous to be covered.”

  “Garin…”

  “You look incredible. Every guy on that beach is going to be jealous of what I have.” I wrapped my hand around her throat, smelling the toothpaste on her lips. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.”

  “I noticed you forgot to pack. Does that mean you’re having second thoughts?”

  She pulled away from my mouth and licked her lips. “I don’t want to take anything with me.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Just a small bag for some of my clothes, cosmetics, and jewelry. But I’m leaving the rest. I need a fresh start, and I need to leave my old life here, behind me, where it belongs.”


  “Are you going to rent out the house?”

  “I want to sell it.” She took the bottle of water out of my hand and drank quite a few sips. “The deed is in my name, and there’s no mortgage. I don’t have any debt to pay off, so I came up with an idea.”

  “I’ll introduce you to my financial advisor. He’s great. He’ll—”

  “I don’t want the money.”

  I took the bottle out of her hand and pulled her into my arms. “What are you going to do with it? If you give it to your ma, you know what’s going to happen.”

  “I want to donate all of it to the community center. They did so much for me, for all of us. I want to make sure they can continue taking care of the kids who live in The Heart. I want them to have more than we did, Garin.”

  Before we were old enough to hustle, the community center was where we had gone when our stomachs were empty and aching. They’d given us a roof, beds, and clean sheets when our power had been shut off. They’d dressed us in warm clothes. A donation as large as Kyle’s would only benefit the kids and give them extras they didn’t even know they were missing.

  Kyle was nothing like her brother. Hell, she was nothing like me either.

  She was better than both of us.

  “Whatever the amount is,” I said, “I’ll match you.”

  Her arms tightened around me. “I want to sell my business, too.”

  “Let my team help you. They’ll fly here, they’ll get everything ready to sell, and they’ll draw up all the paperwork for you to sign. They’ll make it so much easier for you.”

  She looked around the kitchen, as though she were saying good-bye to it all. “I would love that.”

  “Good.” I slapped her ass, but before I pulled my hand away, I grabbed the bottom of her cheek. “Go get some towels and sunscreen, so we can go.”

  On our way to the beach, Kyle asked the driver to stop at the grocery store. She went in alone and returned a few minutes later with two bags, packing them into the cooler that she had insisted we bring.

  “Do you get driven everywhere?” she asked as she got into the backseat.

  “I have two drivers, one for each shift. It’s rare for me to drive, but it’s happened.”

  “If you need a driver twenty-four hours a day, then when do you sleep?”

  I ran my hand over her thigh. The dress she had put on was white and sheer; it was almost as soft as her skin. “I don’t plan on ever sleeping when you’re in my bed.”

  She giggled. It was a sound I fucking loved. It showed me how happy she was, and it was so different than the laugh I’d heard at the bar the night of Billy’s funeral. No one would ever know the torture and verbal abuse she had gone through based on that laugh.

  She was so strong—stronger than she even realized.

  When we got to the beach, I dropped the cooler, the towels, and the sunscreen onto the sand, and I brought Kyle straight into the ocean. Once the water became deep enough, I swam out a few feet and waited for her to catch up. I was still able to stand, so I wrapped her legs around my waist and held her close to my body.

  “This water is a little warmer than the Atlantic,” she said.

  “That wouldn’t have mattered when we were kids.”

  “Are you kidding? Ice water wouldn’t have stopped us.” She rubbed her feet over my ass. “Would you have held me like this? To keep me warm?”

  I groaned. “Shit, Kyle, I wanted to. I always wanted to.”

  “I know.” She circled her arms around my neck and kissed me. “I’ve been thinking about jobs and what I’m going to do when I get out there.”

  “You don’t have to work. I’ll take care of you.”

  She tightened her grip. “I do have to work, and I want to work, but thank you for saying that.” She dipped her head back to get all of her hair wet. “I’m thinking I want to start using canvases again, get back into creating real art. Anthony wouldn’t let me sell any of my designs at the shop, so I stopped painting. I think he feared I would make a name for myself, and the shop would come under investigation. But, now, I have the time to do it, and I don’t have anyone telling me I can’t.”

  “I’ll build you a studio in our condo.”

  “You don’t have to. I can paint in the kitchen or something.”

  “There are five extra bedrooms, Kyle. I think it’s okay if we convert one of them into a studio.”

  “Five?”

  I nodded.

  “And a plane? And two drivers? Wow, things have really changed.”

  “For the both of us.” I lifted a hand, so I could grip her face. “You’ll get used to it, I promise. It’ll be overwhelming at first. But just at first.”

  “Will I be mingling with the bosses’ wives?”

  “None of them live in Vegas. But, when I fly back to Jersey every few months, you’ll be coming with me, and you’ll be mingling with them then.” As I moved us a little deeper into the water, she clung to me even tighter. “I have something I want you to listen to, but only when you’re ready.”

  A line appeared between her brows. “What is it?”

  “I recorded a voice message from Anthony.” I didn’t like her expression, so I cut her off before she could say anything. “Look, I can’t fix what he did, I can’t make it better, and I sure as hell can’t rewind what happened. But he owed you an apology, and I made sure you got one.”

  It took several seconds before she responded, “I’m not ready to hear it.”

  “That’s okay. It’s there when you are.”

  Her legs dropped from my waist, and she grabbed my hand. “I have something I want to show you.”

  She led me out of the water and unfolded the towels, spreading them out next to each other. We both sat, and she reached into the cooler. “I got us lunch, but I’m really not in the mood for sandwiches. I’d much rather have this.” She handed me a plastic sleeve of powdered doughnuts. They were the same kind I’d bought when we were kids. “The ones you had made were good, but they were too fancy. These are my favorite.”

  “Get over here.”

  She laughed so hard as I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto my lap.

  “How many packs of these did you get?” I asked.

  “More than enough.”

  “Enough for me to cover your pussy in powdered sugar and lick off every speck?”

  “Oh, yes, there’s plenty for that.” She took out one of the doughnuts and popped it into my mouth, laughing again as I coughed out some of the sugar. “I thought about soul mates a lot when I was having that dream. The whole concept really and how I believe they’re revealed only once during our life.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “You’re my soul mate, Garin.”

  I kissed the side of her neck, loving how the sun and the salt made her smell. “Do you want to tell me more about that dream?”

  “No, not today. Today is all about the beach.”

  I pressed my lips against her ear. “Tonight is all about the powdered sugar.”

  “And tomorrow is all about Vegas,” she said. “But don’t worry; I’ll tell you sometime soon.”

  As she looked out toward the water, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was leaving it behind—every threat Anthony had ever made, every rule, every bit of control. As long as I could help it, Florida was where it would all stay.

  “I’m ready to get out of here.” She turned around to face me again. “And I’m ready to start my life with you.”

  Forty-One

  Kyle

  We pulled up to the front of Garin’s hotel, a massive high-rise situated in the middle of the strip. The front was all glass. Deep blue lights shone onto the cars, illuminating the entrance. The brick pavers that lined the front were spotless. Everyone was so nicely dressed, everything so well-manicured.

  Our doors were immediately opened by the valet attendants. “Welcome back, Mr. Woods,” one of them said.

  Garin shook each of their hands. “This is my girlfriend, Kyle Lang
,” Garin said to the men.

  “Miss Lang,” each of them said as they shook my hand.

  Garin pulled me closer to him and placed his hand on my lower back, escorting me to the front door. “Don’t get used to the Miss. It’s not going to last for long.”

  I looked at him, my brows drawn together, my lips pursed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He smiled at me. “Mmm, I want to bite that lip right now.”

  “Garin…”

  His stare intensified. “You know exactly what that means.” He glanced at the doorman. “Javier, it’s nice to see you.”

  “And you, Mr. Woods,” Javier replied back.

  “This is Kyle,” Garin said. “She’ll be living with me now, so you’ll be seeing much more of her.”

  “We’ll make sure she feels right at home, sir.”

  I waved at Javier and thanked him, and I smiled as we stepped inside. I couldn’t hide how good all of this felt, having Garin so close, his hand on my body, having him introduce me to his staff, to finally be in his home.

  A home that would now be mine.

  And, although I’d only seen the entrance of the hotel, it felt more comfortable than my house ever had.

  “Do you know all the names of everyone who works here?” I asked. “There must be hundreds of employees.”

  “Some departments have a high turnover, so I don’t get a chance to learn them before they leave or get fired, but I know most of them.”

  That impressed me.

  So did the lobby. It was stunning, extremely contemporary, full of brightly colored glass chandeliers, exotic arrangements of flowers, and soft, shiny marble. I didn’t smell smoke even though I knew there was plenty of that in the casino in front of us. Crowds of people walked past us, congregated by the slot machines, or stood in front of the restaurant. But the space was so vast that it could handle all the people, which was good. I didn’t feel shut in at all.

  “I’m going to show you the whole property a little later and take you to my office, so you can see where I work. But, first, I’m going to take you upstairs.”