by Julie Bailes
Sailor’s eyes bounce around, looking from Dean to me. Realizing his options are limited, he uses all his force and pushes me away from him. Stumbling, I fall back onto the ground. I skid across the asphalt, and rocks embed themselves into my knees. “Jesus. Are you all right?” Dean asks me, keeping the gun pointed at Sailor. I shrug and nod, unsure of how I feel at the moment; livid and confused come to mind.
Looking over to me, Sailor gazes into my eyes. “I promise you, cupcake, we aren’t finished,” he threatens.
“Wrong. This shit ends here, right now. Get the fuck off my property, and don’t come back. Come near here again, and I’ll fire this gun without warning. Now, go!” Dean commands.
Laughing, Sailor walks away and gets into his car. With squealing tires, he pulls out of the parking lot and disappears into traffic.
Dean comes over and helps me stand. “Damn, your knees are busted open,” Dean acknowledges, squatting to examine my wounds. “Christ, Piper, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe he would do this to you,” he apologizes.
“Dean?” Lifting his eyes to mine, I reach down to cup the sides of his face and urge him to stand. “Don’t you dare apologize for that asshole. You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just drunk.” Scooping me into his arms, he places a kiss onto my forehead. “I won’t apologize for him, as long as you don’t make excuses for him. His behavior tonight is inexcusable.”
I nod. “Deal,” I agree. Carrying me back inside, he walks me over to the couch and sits me down.
“Oh, my God. What happened?” Gemma freaks out.
“Sailor,” I shrug.
“Oh, no. I’ll go grab the first aid kit for you.” As Gemma goes to fetch the kit, Dean gets on his knees in front of me.
“This is all my fault,” he mumbles, shaking his head.
Why would he say that? “No, it isn’t. No one can be held accountable for his actions, only him.”
Gemma returns with a bottle of peroxide, antibacterial ointment, and bandages. Dean takes them from her hands and instructs her to leave. Chaos comes over and escorts Gemma, Candy, and Starlet out to their cars.
“Call me tomorrow?” Gemma calls out.
“Of course,” I nod. Candy waves bye, and Starlet give me a once over while Dean cares for my wounds.
“You deserved every bit of it,” she snarls.
Stupid fucking woman.
“That’s enough, Starlet. If you want to avoid another knock to the face, I suggest you do what’s best and drop what it is you have against Piper.”
“But, Dean—” she whines.
“Goodnight, Starlet,” Dean says.
Stomping across the floor, she exits the building and slams the door behind her.
“Are you angry with me? I tried to walk away, I promise, but she put her hands on me,” I defend.
“Calm down, I’m not angry with you. Actually, I’m proud,” he smiles, taping on gauze pads.
“Proud?”
“Surprisingly, yes. She’s had a stick up her ass for a while now. I knew it was coming. I’m just surprised you held back for so long.” True. There have been multiple occasions where I’ve swallowed my words, and turned the other cheek, but you can only flag a bull for so long before it rams its horns up your ass.
“Go ahead and dress. I’ll then walk you out to your car. You can stay with me tonight, if you want.”
It’s a generous offer, but I’d rather go home to take a hot bubble bath, and wash away the evidence from this shitty day. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m just going to go to my house. If you’re worried about Sailor, don’t. He’s drunk, and I’m sure he’s at home passed out by now. Besides, his wife keeps a tight leash attached to his sac. He’s not getting out of the house.” I reassure.
“All right, then. I’m going to help Ryder close up and have Beast come walk you to your car. Don’t you dare take a step near that damn door until he gets back here. Got it?”
“Got it,” I smile.
Dean kisses my forehead and leaves me to get dress. Wetting a few napkins, I scrub the dried blood off my skin. Then, I reach inside my duffle and pull out my gym clothes to throw on, a sports bra and spandex shorts. My body is sore. My head aches, and my jaw is beginning to swell. As soon as I step foot inside my house, I’m submerging myself into scalding water and pouring myself a nice, crisp glass of Moscato. To hell with the glass, I’m downing the entire damn bottle.
Six
Ryder
As Beast and I are closing up, my brother comes into the lounge and calls Beast over to him. I continue putting up chairs while Beast and Dean engage in conversation. Moments later, Beast disappears backstage and Dean begins flipping over tables and chairs. Dean isn’t the type of person to show his emotion, so I know something bad must have happened. “Hey, stop that shit. Come over here,” I instruct him. Kicking another chair over, he walks over and pulls out a chair. “What’s wrong, brother?”
Taking a seat, he rams his fists against the tabletop. “That arrogant son of a bitch, Sailor, hurt one of my girls,” he splutters.
“Wait. What do you mean he hurt someone? Physically?” I ask, already knowing the answer to my question. Dean nods. “Was it Piper?” My heart rate increases from the very thought of anyone harming her in any way. Again, he nods.
Fuming with anger, I flip over my own damn table. “Where is she?” Dean shakes his head. “Why are you shaking your head? Tell me where she is.”
“All you need to know is that I sent her home and gave her tomorrow off. Her hands are scraped. Her knees are busted, jaw swollen, and there’s no way she can perform with those types of injuries,” he informs. Bullshit, if he thinks that’s all I need to know. “Give me her address,” I demand, my blood boiling with fury.
“No. I refuse to let you get involved in their mess. I took care of it, so just drop it,” he argues. Fisting his shirt, I lift him from the chair and pull his face to mine. “This is the last time I’m going to say this; give me her goddamn address,” I snarl.
“No,” he states boldly. Releasing his shirt, I push him back into the chair and run for the door.
“You stubborn shit,” I toss over my shoulder.
When I get into the parking lot, I catch Beast getting into his car. “Beast,” I call. Standing, he turns to face me. “Yeah, boss?” Beast is a loyal employee, and I know he won’t go behind Dean’s back to give me what I’m after, but everyone has a price. Reaching into my back pocket, I fish out my wallet. Opening my billfold, I retrieve a one hundred dollar bill and place it in front of his face. “You know where Piper lives, yeah? Tell me.” With an uneasy look plastered onto his face, his eyes bounce back and forth between the money and me.
“Oh, hell,” he sighs, reaching into his jacket pocket and removing a post-it pad and pen. “You didn’t get this from me,” he says, writing her address down, and then exchanging it for his payoff. Wishing him a good evening, I get into my Bugatti and put Piper’s address into my navigation system.
Fifteen minutes later, I pull up to a closed steel gate. The only way in is by swiping an access card or punching in a code, and I don’t have either. Picking up my phone, I call the one person who should help me, but most likely won’t. What other choice do I have? “Yeah,” he answers, clearly still upset from earlier events.
“How do I get in?”
“Get in what?”
“Come on, baby brother, you know me. How do I get past the gate?”
Letting out a long breath, he sighs, “I already told you, I’m not giving you any of her information. I’m telling you to stay out of it. For once, just listen to me.” Before he speaks another word, I disconnect the call. Putting my car into reverse, I back out and drive down the street. Outside of Piper’s gated community, three houses down, I spot a vacant home with a ‘for sale’ sign and pull into its driveway.
Locking up my car, I walk along the fence and look for gaps or breaks I can slip through, but I don’t find any way of getting through this fucking gate. Why d
oes anyone need to live in a gated community? If I needed a damn card or code to get to where my home is, I wouldn’t fucking live there. This shit is ridiculous.
Deciding that the only way I’m getting to Piper is by jumping the fence, I jump up, and grab hold of the pole that lines the top of the gate. Using all my body strength, I pull up and swing my legs over the top. When my feet touch the ground, I want to kick myself in the ass for leaving her address behind in my car, and not memorizing the damn thing. Thankfully, I remember what type of car she drives. I mean, how many people in this neighborhood drive an Audi R8 convertible with leopard print interior?
Forty-five minutes later, I finally find Piper’s condo. Walking up to her door, I lift my finger to press her doorbell, but hesitate. While I stand here looking like an incoherent idiot, a spotlight shines on me from behind. Turning around, I find a police officer letting down his passenger window, great. “Everything okay, sir?” Seriously? As if the indestructible security gate isn’t enough to keep criminals away, they have patrol, too?
“Yes, sir, everything is fine. I’m just waiting for my girlfriend to come and open the door,” I smile.
He begins to chuckle. “Women… always taking their precious time.” Still smiling, I nod. With the tip of his hat, and wiggling brows, he says, “You two enjoy your night.” As his taillights disappear over the hill, I ball my fist and beat on Piper’s door. On the other side of the door, I hear her feet pad across the floor just before her porch light turns on.
Cracking the door, she peeks through. “Ryder? What are you doing here?” she questions, looking me over from head to toe.
“May I come in?” Opening the door, she welcomes me in. Once we’re inside, her toned and bare, mile-long legs attract my attention. Noticing the large, white bandages covering her knees sends anger pumping though my veins. “That piece-of-shit. I’ll kill him,” I rant.
“It’s nothing,” she waves off, walking into her kitchen. “Why are you and Dean pretending that what Sailor did to you isn’t a big deal?” I ask, following behind her.
Looking around her kitchen, I see several empty bottles of wine lining the counter. Reaching into her refrigerator, she pulls out a bottle matching the ones she’s already emptied. Going over, I remove the bottle from her hand and place it back inside the fridge. Placing her hands on her hips, she looks up to me and arches a brow. It’s not until now that I see her jaw is swollen. Reaching my hand up, I cup her face. “He hit you?”
“Yeah. He was shit faced drunk. He didn’t mean it. Had he been sober, he wouldn’t have laid a finger on me.”
I couldn’t care less if he was drunk or sober. It doesn’t give him permission to hit a woman, especially Piper. “Sober or not, doesn’t justify his actions,” I affirm, placing a tender kiss onto her slightly discolored cheek. Pulling my hand back from her face, I ask, “Did you drink all of those since coming home?”
Eyeing the empty bottles, she bursts into a fit of tipsy giggles. “Maybe,” she winks, taking my hand and leading us into her living room. Curling into the corner of her L-shaped leather sectional, she brings her knees to her chest. The oversized shirt she’s wearing rises, and I’m rewarded with the site of her beautiful, plump pussy.
“So, tell me, how did you find out where I live?” I go over and sink into the couch beside her.
“Doesn’t matter.” She glares her glossy eyes at me, silently demanding an answer. “Okay, damn, laser eyes. When Dean told me what Sailor had done to you, I had to see you. I needed to see for myself that you were okay,” I explain. “Does Sailor know where you live?” She drops her head between her knees and laughs. “Oh, belleza, you are drunk,” I chuckle, running my hand down the middle of her back.
When she lifts her face, tears escape her lids from laughing so hard. “Who do you think paid for this luxurious palace?”
“You’re joking, right? Why did he do that?” Standing from the couch, she goes back into the kitchen. When she returns, she’s carrying two glasses filled with some sort of dark liquor, and offers one to me. “What type of whiskey is this?” Holding her glass firmly against her chest, she places each of her beat up knees on either side of my thighs. She then lowers herself onto my lap and rests her forehead against mine.
“A whiskey so strong, it’s like getting a roundhouse kick to the face. Shoot it. Taste it. Love it,” she whispers against my lips. My dick is on the verge of breaking through my zipper, and I’m struggling to not flip her onto her back and slam inside her radiating heat.
Tossing back my drink, I focus on the burn smoothly traveling into my chest, hoping it calms my urge to claim her right here, right fucking now. “You didn’t answer me. What would make Sailor buy you a place to live?” I ask, curious as to how serious her and Sailor’s relationship was.
“Well, it’s a long story, and it’s really none of your concern,” she sasses, sipping her whiskey.
“I disagree, mi amor. You are my concern. I’m responsible for making sure nothing happens to you.” Removing the empty glass from my hand, she leans back and places it on the coffee table along with hers.
Rubbing her hand up my chest, she rests her head on my shoulder and places her lips next to my neck. “You believe I need protecting, but I assure you, I don’t. I’m a big girl, Ryder. I can take care of myself,” she whispers, her breath so warm against my skin it sends sparks of desire directly to my already stiff cock.
“Oh, yeah? Let’s see.” Holding tight to her thighs, I lift her from my lap and flip her onto the couch. With her back flat, legs wrapped around my waist, I hold her arms above her head, and pin her body with mine. Rolling my hips, I let her feel what she’s done to me. “Fight me off, Piper. Prove to me you don’t need protecting,” I challenge.
Squeezing her legs together, she tilts her pelvis to mine, and pants, “What if I don’t want to fight you off?” Is she really this drunk, or is she finally finished fighting the inescapable? There’s no denying the electrical current circuiting us whenever we’re in one another’s presence.
“Again, I say to you, prove it.”
Licking her luscious lips, she breaths, “Fuck me, Ryder.”
I don’t need to ask her if she’s sure; the covetousness look in her eyes speaks for itself. As much as I want to hear her beg for it, the sexual tension between us has become more than I can tolerate. I’m going to fuck her, and come so hard her body will be sore for days.
Tonight, Piper is mine.
Seven
Piper
I can’t believe the words that just left my mouth. Fuck me, Ryder? Hours ago, I was convincing myself that I wouldn’t cave into his seductive tactics. Yet, here I am, raising my white flag, eagerly surrendering myself. Ryder was the last person I expected to show up on my doorstep tonight, especially at three in the morning. Now, here he is, his body hovering mine with sin-filled emeralds melding into my blues, infecting my brain with lustful poison.
“Fuck you?”
I nod. “Please,” I plead, breathless.
“Cogeme, belleza, how could I resist you?” Immediately standing, he lifts me from the couch.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I bring my lips and whisper, “You can’t. I’m irresistible.”
Walking us to my dining room, he lays me onto my table. Slipping my hand under the collar of his button-down shirt, I send buttons flying as I forcefully pull it apart. As I slip the sleeves down his arm, my mouth waters when I discover his arms are covered in ink. From the tops of his shoulders down to his elbows, thick tribal designs wrap around his large, well-defined muscles. Lord, help me… I’m turning into my mother.
With impatient hands, Ryder reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head, exposing my breasts for his liking. Joining me on top of the table, he urges my legs apart with his knees. While his mouth explores my neck, I reach between us to undo his pants, and use my feet to guide them down his legs.
Running my fingers up the back of his neck into his hair, I tug. “Let go,
” he demands, biting onto my shoulder and landing a smack to the outside of my thigh. Little does he know, the sting he left behind has my pussy dripping. When I release his hair, he trails kisses from my shoulder, across my collarbone, and down to my breast. Sucking my sensitive nipple into his mouth, he reaches between my legs and moves his fingers up and down my slick slit. My insides clench, and my clit throbs for attention.
When I feel his erection press against the inside of my thigh, I lift my pussy and press against his palm. “Yes,” I hiss when he bites down and wrenches my nipple.
“Patience, Piper,” he warns.
Patience, my ass. Sitting up and resting on his knees, he decides to torture me by spanking my sensitive nub with his rigid and thick shaft. My body trembles with pleasure.
Lifting my legs, he tosses them over his shoulders, angling my body so my pussy is positioned to his mouth. “You want to feel me, Piper? You want to feel just how fucking good I can make you feel?” he asks, his voice seductively hypnotizing. Instantly, his tongue travels down the side of my swollen folds, stopping at my sopping wet entrance to give one hard, long suck. When his suction disappears, I can’t help but whimper. Listen to yourself, Piper, whimpering. You don’t fucking whimper. They’re sounds of weakness, neediness.
Slapping my ass, he commands, “Answer me when I speak to you.” A typical woman would land a kick to his face, and tell him to go fuck himself, but I’m far from normal. Leaning up on my elbows, I reach down and take his face between my hands to lift it up. “Did you at least leave behind your handprint?”
Cocking his head, the corners of his lips twitch, and he’s doing everything in his power to suppress it. Twisting my hips, he turns the bottom half of my body over and examines my stinging cheek. “Unfortunately, I didn’t.”
“It’s not worth doing if you aren’t going to do it right,” I challenge, starving for pain.
“Don’t you fucking test me, Piper. I will set your ass on fire,” he warns. Reaching low, I circle my fingers around his girth and stroke him. Then, I take two of my fingers and slip them inside my aching cunt. Tossing my head back, I move my fingers in and out of my searing core, rapidly.