by DD Prince
“Nick can’t take me from you, baby.”
Tommy lifted me up and sat me on the edge of his desk and moved back toward Nick, who was sheet white.
“Let him go!” I shouted, desperately, “He won’t come back.”
Tommy moved toward Nick and put the gun in Nick’s mouth. I gasped. Nick’s eyes couldn’t have been any wider.
“Tommy, no. No, nonono.” I put my hands in my hair.
Tommy glared at Nick, a muscle jumping in his jaw.
Nick was crying. And peeing his pants. I saw the wet spot spread on the front of his uniform.
I sobbed. I had to stop this insanity.
“Tommy!” I screamed, “Please.”
I was bawling. I jumped off the desk.
“Get the fuck back up there!” he demanded, his chest was moving up and down rapidly. He was so close to snapping.
I sat back on the desk and thrust my hands through my hair, sending Tommy a pleading look, tears running down my face.
I put my hand on my belly and looked at my hand, my wedding rings, the gravity of this was cutting like a knife. A serrated knife.
Tommy side-eyed me and then his expression changed. He pulled the gun back.
“Last chance, fucker. I see you again?”
“You won’t,” Nick promised. Nick’s face was bleeding.
Tommy stepped back again and with his gun, he waved toward the door, “Leave town. You got twenty four hours. Don’t come back. Before you go, get word to Greg O’Connor that due to that little stunt, he no longer has my protection.” Tommy gestured toward the letter.
Nick looked confused a second and then nodded and left, not looking my way.
I was standing there, tears drying on my face, my whole body shaking.
Tommy put the gun down on his desk and followed Nick out. Marley was barking, sitting outside the door, showing his tiny puppy teeth to Nick.
I stood there, in the foyer, watching Tommy talk to Will outside. Tommy was pointing at Nick and giving Will shit.
Will went and opened the gate, which the UPS truck was directly against. Another car was outside the gate, a guy I recognized as one of our security guys standing on the other side.
Nick reversed the UPS truck out of the driveway and peeled off.
I picked up my puppy.
“It’s okay, Marley.”
He licked a tear off my chin and his tail thumped against me.
Tommy came back inside once the gate was shut.
His face was still like thunder.
I stared at him.
Marley started growling.
Tommy frowned at the dog. Marley was growling at him.
He went into his office and picked his gun up. I went upstairs with my puppy.
Tommy was there, a couple minutes later, standing over the bed, where I sat, holding Marley, who was squirming to get away. I let him go but instead of jumping off the bed, my dog sat on the bed, between me and Tommy, staring at Tommy.
Tommy sat on the edge of the bed.
He patted Marley’s head, “Good boy.”
Marley tilted his head curiously at his master. At any other time, I’d have laughed. My little baby dog was smart. He was trying to figure all this out.
I looked my husband right in the eye.
His chest was still rising and falling. Pissed.
He was staring at me.
I was staring back.
“He never contacted you? Not since that dinner?”
I shook my head.
He narrowed his eyes.
“You don’t believe me?” I accused.
“Didn’t say that.”
“You better not fucking say that!” I yelled.
He gave his head a shake and blew out a breath. He put his palms over his eyes and rubbed.
“I gotta go hit something.”
“You do that,” I snapped.
His hands dropped and he stared at me a minute.
I rolled the other way and got to my feet on the other side of the bed.
I stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door. I washed my face and drank a glass of tap water.
I looked at my reflection.
I shook my head.
I felt the tears threaten but I didn’t let them come. I opened the door. He was standing there, looking down at me. I couldn’t read his expression. My dog was in his doggie bed, chewing on his big red Kong toy.
I tried to walk around him but he stopped me with his hands on my shoulders.
“Get off,” I pushed his chest with both hands, “Don’t fucking touch me.”
His eyebrows rose in challenge.
I glared.
He backed off and looked at the floor.
“Fuck you, Tommy. Just…fuck you.”
I stormed out.
He caught me in the hallway and I was up in his arms.
“Put me down!”
He put me down on the bed and pinned me, his eyes on mine. Remorse in them. Maybe. I didn’t know. I didn’t really care. I needed space.
“Don’t be like this. I need you.”
“I need to not be afraid that you’ll keep killing people.”
“Tia.”
“You’ve gone dark.” My heart hurt.
It hurt so much.
He blew out a resigned breath, “I’ve always been dark, baby girl.”
“No. You used to be dark sometimes but now? It’s like you’re always dark now.”
Tommy
I looked away from her accusing gaze, from her beautiful wet eyes. She was probably right.
“That little fuck was a headache I didn’t need today, after all the shit we’ve been dealing with.”
“You didn’t have to put a gun in his mouth. Beat him up!”
“Anyone tries to get between you and me, behind my back? They will get a gun in their mouth. They will get their face beaten. He comes around you again, he’s not just getting it in his mouth. He gets dead. Capiche?”
She turned her face away and wouldn’t look at me.
“No crying or pleading will work on me next time, Athena. I mean it.”
She still wouldn’t look at me.
I grabbed her chin and looked her in the eye. She looked back. She was looking at me with what looked a whole lot like hate.
I let go of her, feeling like her expression was a slap. She got up and curled her lip at me. She looked like she wanted to slap me, like she was weighing out the pros and cons of doing that. I leaned forward, glaring back at her. I was pissed and I wasn’t hiding it.
She chickened out. Her eyes dropped to the bed.
Smart girl.
I left her there, went outside to talk to Will and the other security guy who Will was switching out with. I reminded them of all the rules and told them not to let her leave the house, which they already knew was a rule.
She still didn’t have free reign to come and go without security, never had. I hadn’t felt like it was safe enough, but I needed confirmation that they knew no one could approach her and she couldn’t leave. It was also stupid to let a truck in here. By the time I finished reading them the riot act, I was sure it penetrated.
Her eyes, her anger? I didn’t know if she was pissed enough to try to test me by taking off. I wasn’t taking a chance.
She was right about me being in what felt like a perpetual state of dark. I was dark enough right now that she did not want to test out my tolerance for that shit. I was gonna make it so she didn’t have that opportunity to push.
I called Nino and told him to make sure Nick Gordon left town no more than twenty-four hours from now, to find out where he was going and to make sure that he knew that he’d have eyes on him and if he came back, he’d be sorry. I wanted double security on my house again.
I also called a lawyer friend of our family who was helping me with Greg O’Connor.
“Hello!”
“Hey, Frankie?”
“Hey, Tommy. What’s up?
“Don’t take my p
rotection away but get a message to O’Connor that he just lost my protection,” I told him, “I want him to squirm.”
Greg O’Connor’s letter to Tia said that he wanted to see her. That it was very important and not to tell me about it.
I’d had Tino visit him after we got back from Costa Rica and he told him that he needed to leave her be, otherwise lose my protection. If he wanted to speak to her, he’d go through me and I’d approach her to see if she wanted to see him.
His going behind my back with that little punk? He should get shanked in gen pop. He should be scared. I wasn’t pulling the plug on protection yet but he would lose some sleep, for sure. I didn’t know what I’d do about him long-term. He still has to stand trial for all his crimes with the law. After that, he had to stand trial with my wife for his crimes to her. I’d see what she wanted done about him later.
I headed to the Ferrano Enterprises office.
Tia
Tommy came home late. I was in bed, the lights out. He probably thought I was asleep but he took me in his arms and held me close. I considered pulling away but I was all out of fight for the day. So, I didn’t.
Because I didn’t, he started to kiss my neck, my shoulders, feel up my boobs. And then his hand was in my panties. I was wearing one of his shirts, but not one he’d worn recently.
I’d done laundry and cleaning all day, taking my anger out on my house. At least it was productive. He liked me in his shirts. I liked being in his shirts. So, I had on a black dress shirt, half-buttoned.
I arched into his touch, feeling myself get wet, feeling my nipples wake up. His circling motion went deeper. He nibbled on my earlobe.
“Mad?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, but it came out breathy.
“Wanna take it out on me?” he asked.
I twirled around and straddled him, “That’d be another yes.”
He whipped the shirt over my head and sat up, me still on him, my knees on either side of his hips, then his hands both went to my crotch and he purposely ripped my underwear straight off. I heard the fabric protest before it was shredded. He pushed his hardness into me. I attacked his mouth with mine, I yanked at his hair and then attacked his throat and started to suck, hard, giving him a hickey.
He let me do that for a moment and then he flipped me to my back and had my hands pinned. He was trying to tie my ripped underwear around my wrists and secure my wrists at the rails of our headboard. I fought back and wriggled and squirmed until he let me get away. I rolled off the bed and stood.
He jumped to his feet. He was naked. His cock was at attention. For a second, he looked like he was gearing up for a fight. But then I licked my lips and threw myself at him.
He caught me, lifted me up and kissed me.
“Put me down.”
He set me back on my feet.
“Play,” I demanded. I needed a game.
“Stakes?” he asked.
“Chase. Winner take all.” That meant he chased me, caught me, and forced me to submit.
“You got to the count of one. One.” He grabbed me and picked me up by grabbing my bottom and lifted me. He stepped to the side and put my back to the wall, wrapping my legs around his waist.
“No, let go. Give me to five.”
“New game.”
“What? No. I want that one.”
“New game.”
“What new game?” I whined.
“Resistance. Then edging. I don’t let you come until you beg. Then I stop right before you come and work you up again.”
“What if I won’t beg.”
“Wanna bet I can’t make you beg? I’ll keep at you.”
“How is this fair?”
“We both win. You get to come when I let you.”
“What do you get?”
“Power.”
“Hm.” I paused, “Put me down a sec. Gotta pee.”
He set me on my feet.
“I fibbed. Chase me first.” I dashed out of the bedroom and zoomed down the hall.
He came after me, “You just forfeited your chance to negotiate, baby girl. Now I get to make all the rules.”
I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen.
I was on one side of the center island. He was on the other. He walked, casually, rounding it.
I ran back toward the stairs.
The chase was something I kind of needed. Weirdly. It was probably something psychological about submitting to let go of my stress but fighting for my independence first. I didn’t know, exactly, but I craved the chase sometimes. It was so raw and visceral for me.
I was four or five steps up when I lost my footing and tripped.
He caught me before I landed.
My heart tripped, too.
“Fuck, Tia. What the fuck?” He scooped me tighter to him and stormed the rest of the way up, into the bed and sat, planting me on his lap.”
My eyes were wide. My heart went splat.
“No more fucking chasing! You wanna fall down the goddamn stairs while you’re pregnant? Fuck!”
He was mad.
I was horrified.
I could’ve hurt our baby. I could’ve killed our baby with my stupidity.
I started to bawl. I put my hands to my belly.
His anger melted away. I felt it evaporate.
“I’m so sorry,” I cried, saying it not to him, but to our yet-to-be-born, yet-to-even-show baby.
“Oh God.” I sniffled.
He laid down, me still in his arms, and threw the blankets over us.
“We need to get our fuckin’ act together. The both of us,” he muttered.
I looked at his face. There was a tear on his cheek, too. He pulled me close and kissed me.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No. I’m so s-stupid.”
“I love you,” he whispered, “That was stupid but you’re not stupid.”
“I love you. We’ll get it together. Starting now,” I promised him, promised myself.
“How ‘bout some good old fashioned vanilla for tonight? For until this baby is born?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said and I smiled through my tears and kissed the tear on his cheek. And then we made slow, sweet, exploratory vanilla love. With a couple sprinkles on top. But no games, no chasing. No denying one another.
***
The next morning, at the breakfast table, I hesitantly asked,
“Can I have the letter?”
“Of course you can.” He looked at me strangely.
I went to his office and read it. I hadn’t entered his office yesterday after the incident with Nick and it was sitting on his desk. He must’ve picked it back up.
I put it in the trash bin beside his desk and went back to the kitchen and popped bread into the toaster.
“You wanna see him?” Tommy asked.
I spun around.
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Tia, this is your father. Not mine. It’s up to you.”
I pondered it.
“You want me to find out about visiting days?”
I shook my head, “No. I don’t wanna see him.”
“You sure?” he raised his eyebrows.
“No. I’m not sure. I’m not ready to make a firm decision. Just… just forget it for now.”
He gave me a tight smile and his eyes moved back to his laptop screen.
My phone rang. It was Ruby.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Hey! Wanna come to the mall with me and Beth?”
The mall. Ah, a simpler time. When I hung out at the mall.
“I can’t today, Ruby. But listen… can you do me a favor and stop talking to Nick about my life? You have no idea the trouble he’s caused.”
“Nick won’t be any trouble any longer,” Tommy muttered, walking by me, grabbing his keys.
“Hang on, Ruby. Let me call you back.” I ended the call.
“What did you do?”
“I told him to leave town. He does
n’t? I already said what’d happen if he doesn’t.”
“You meant that?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows and didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
Please Nick, leave town.
Tommy kissed me quick, “Going to the office. Dinner out tonight? Venetia? Movie?”
I nodded, “Okay.”
“Love you. See you at around six.” He kissed me again, slapped my bottom, and he was gone.
We never got to do a dinner and a movie. That night, we had to get on a plane and go to Thailand.
Dare
Kruna Day 3
The partner meeting started at noon. It was closed door, no slaves present. I didn’t have Angel with me. She was in our room and I’d asked her to stay there.
Before I went in, I snipped the piece of one of her bras out that had the bug and stuffed it in my inside pocket. If they thought to frisk me at this point, better me than her. If they had eyes on our room when I’d done it, in the bathroom, then I was doomed.
Expansions to the building, more assets, more members. Possible plans to start a small US-based satellite branch of the club. A program, too, where members who were adequately vetted could have access to have girls sent to them for short periods of time. Gan Chen described it like borrowing library books. I fought the urge to break his face.
Some of the expansion plans were a few years out but they wanted to move forward soon to expand their stable of slaves, start the satellite branch, and begin planning for this lending program, which concerned a few members, but got voted in.
I gave it a yes vote because I was trying to appear as on-side as possible without making it look like I was kissing ass. These people had to take me seriously. Not only was I new, I was also the youngest partner.
When asked my views on it I’d replied that the right security in place to keep assets in and non-members out, it’d work for a satellite branch. As far as sending girls out to member homes? We’d need to be extra careful about that.
The shortlist was then explained to me, as if Angel hadn’t already told me about her being on that list. Only exceptional slaves were on that list and only those assets would be considered for any off-site servicing of members.
This meeting, though?
It was the sort of thing that would’ve been fine to dial into. Two people did dial in and their voices were on speaker. Their first names were spoken. Edward and Sylvia.