by Ember Davis
Beckett leans down and whispers in my ear, “Amelia, you better not be picturing Troy and Walsh.”
I shrug and turn toward him so only he can hear me, “I have a very vivid imagination Beckett, but I certainly wasn’t picturing myself in said scenario.” I scrunch up my face, “Not my style.” I kiss his cheek, “You’re my style, Beck and I love you.”
He chuckles and kisses my neck as everyone starts to disperse, I check the time and I need to get going to work in the next few minutes.
Andrea comes over and wraps me up in a hug, Beckett takes the opportunity to have a conversation with Blake off to the side. Troy and Walsh join them; there’s a lot of head nodding and hushed tones. Olivia gives me a hug, around where Andrea’s attached to me, and a smile; Zeke squeezes my shoulder as they walk by and head into the back. Dex goes all in and wraps his arms around me and Andrea, who is still hugging me.
I laugh and Dex winks at me. “We got you, Amelia,” he insists before heading back to his station.
I just nod because I’m pretty sure if I speak that I’ll end up crying. I don’t want to cry about this anymore. I pat Andrea’s back and she finally releases me.
She pins me with a look, “We are doing girls night tonight and we are going to talk.”
I look over and see Troy and Walsh exchange some fist bumps and handshakes with Blake and Beckett. I smile at my best friend, “That sounds great, but not tonight. Today’s been a lot and I just want to have some time with Beckett.” Andrea nods knowingly. “Let’s pick another night this week and make sure Olivia is free too.” I look at the guys and roll my eyes, “I have a feeling you’ll have to come to me at Beckett’s.”
She gives me a bright smile, “That’s perfect, your house is so beautiful.” I arch my eyebrow and she giggles. “What? Come on, you’ve practically lived there since that BBQ anyway.” I shake my head in admonishment and smile; she leans toward me and whispers, “What’s the word anyway?”
I whisper in her ear, “Kerfuffle.”
Beckett’s head whips toward me and my eyes widen as Andrea throws her head back and laughs. Beckett narrows his eyes at me, I narrow them back. There’s no way he heard that. He’d have to have bionic hearing for that.
Troy and Walsh rush me, playfully pushing Andrea out of the way and they sandwich me between them, my eyes dart wildly around the room. I meet Beckett’s gaze and I mouth, ‘Help me’. What does he do? He fucking laughs. I narrow my eyes at him which only makes him laugh harder.
“Okay, guys.” I try and move my arms, but they’ve effectively trapped them against my body. I circle my wrists and try and pat their arms.
Troy chuckles, “Is this making you uncomfortable, Doll?”
Walsh gives me a little squeeze and I make a squeaking noise. “I wonder why. Are you picturing us naked, Sweetcheeks?”
I roll my eyes. No matter what I say they aren’t going to believe me. “Oh yeah, you caught me,” my voice drips with sarcasm.
Troy’s tone turns serious, “I just want you to know that I think you’re amazing and strong and I’m in total awe of you. You went through something traumatic and came out the other side.”
Walsh looks solemn, “What he said. I’m so glad you’re here, that you got out when you did and that you found us because we need you as part of our family.”
I feel the tears well up in my eyes, “Thanks guys. I need you too, you crazy troublemakers. Now, let go of me before you make me cry and Beckett kicks your ass.”
They chuckle but let go of me as Beckett and Blake head my way. Blake hands me a phone and I nod gratefully.
“Myself or my team will let you know about any phone calls or messages that you need to know about in terms of work until we can get your phone back to you. This phone is secure and we’re able to track it, so keep it on you as much as possible. It’s programmed with the numbers of my team and everyone here already. If you need a contact out of your phone, just let me know and I’ll send you the information.”
Blake asks me a few questions about my schedule the next few days and takes a picture of the shop’s appointment schedule as well. He gives me a sharp nod, “Beckett is going to drive you to work and I’ll be following behind so I can talk to the security person at the dispensary to make sure Caleb isn’t allowed on the premises. It’ll take me an hour or so, but I’ll send out a message with who will be picking you up and their picture if you haven’t met them before. You’ll wait inside the dispensary for whoever it is. Then I’ll send out a more detailed schedule later in the afternoon.”
I look up at Blake and give him a grateful smile. “Okay. Thank you.”
Blake gives me a warm smile, “I’m happy to help. It’s obvious that your family cares for you a great deal and I can see why.”
Before he can stop me, I stand up and give Blake a hug, he looks surprised for a moment but then relaxes and pats my back. He’s so tall it’s like hugging a tree. I squeeze him and then release him. I step back and Beckett’s arms wrap around me and he pull me back flush against him.
I turn in his arms and wrap my arms around him. I melt into his embrace and allow myself to relax for the first time since we arrived at Banks Ink., he gives a sigh of relief. He runs his hands up and down my spine and I let some of his warmth and strength seep into my body.
He murmurs against my hair, “I love you, Baby. Let’s get you to work because the sooner we get this day going, the sooner we can go home this evening.”
I nod and angle my head up and Beckett brings his lips down to mine for a scorching kiss that has Blake clearing his throat and Troy and Walsh cursing under their breath. I know I’m blushing when we break apart, but Beckett just smirks.
Damn this sexy man and what he does to me; I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know we’ll face this situation with Caleb head on and get through it.
CHAPTER 15
BECKETT
It’s been four weeks since the night Amelia got those first messages from that fucking asshole. I can’t even think his name. If I do, I will punch a hole in the wall of my shop. A whole fucking month. We haven’t seen him and while he’s continued to send vague and hostile messages to Amelia’s account, he hasn’t sent any more pictures. I think that having Blake and his team around has helped him feel less comfortable getting close to her; well, I hope.
It also means that we’ve been stuck in a holding pattern for the last four weeks; it’s fucked up. I worry that the time has allowed him to plan something big. He was served with the restraining order without issue. The fact that Amelia took steps to protect herself that she hadn’t taken before probably pissed a psycho like him off. I hope that means he starts getting messy, but not so messy that Amelia’s in danger. Yeah, like I said, a holding pattern. Fuck.
Blake and his team haven’t found any hard evidence that would result in the asshole’s arrest, yet. It’s just a matter of time. Time is complete fucking bullshit right now though. We’re all on edge and waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is no way to live, especially for the love of my life.
Amelia has been doing her best to stay positive and not let the fear of what might be coming get her down. She’s fucking amazing. I can see how exhausted and stressed she is and that’s un-fucking-acceptable. I do my best to keep her mind off it with a lot of orgasms and spending time with her that is as normal as possible.
I’m so fucking lucky that normal for her is watching TV, reading or crocheting. She doesn’t miss going out because that’s not the type of person she is. She was annoyed that she had to take Ryder grocery shopping because he wouldn’t let her wander. She said she could deal with that, but she refused to be hurried along when she was at the craft store buying yarn. Imagining a 6’5”, built like a tank Ryder in a craft store had me cracking up. Amelia did not look amused with my laughing or with how Ryder kept whining about her taking so long to pick out yarn. I made it up to her with my mouth on her dripping wet cunt, making her come 4 times before I sank balls deep into her. I’m no
t complaining and would happily take her annoyance and stress away. Other than that, she’s been taking this in stride.
I’m checking in on her between clients right now while she’s at home working on orders and more beanies for Green Space. I know she’s safe at home. The security system Blake and his team installed the Saturday we had our family meeting is top of the line.
Blake and his team have been a godsend through all of this. Except for the fact that they don’t smoke and rarely drink, they fit right in with our group. I get it, they have to stay sharp and I respect the hell out of it considering it’s my girl’s safety we’re talking about right now.
They also aren’t judgmental. They see that even though we like to have fun and we choose to smoke cannabis that we are responsible. When this is all said and done, I’m going to be singing the praises of Higgins Security to everyone who will listen. They’ll also have a standing invite to all our gatherings; they’re family now.
Speaking of gatherings, Nacho Bar night at our place was one of the best nights of my life. Hands down, no contest. That’s not even considering that we spent most of that day with her in my tattoo chair, which was hot as fuck. Amelia went a little overboard on the shopping, not that I’d ever tell her that. I was so caught up in getting her naked and fucking her over our new table that I didn’t bother to investigate everything she bought.
When we got home Saturday evening her eyes were full of sparkle as she pulled out ceramic llama plates that were oven safe so people could get their nachos warm and melty. She pulled out llama serving platters and bowls. I couldn’t help but laugh when she told me she stopped herself from getting a llama pinata, but just barely.
Amelia also went all out on the food, she had 5 flank steaks and three pounds of chicken that we marinated. She also got enough ingredients to make 5 different salsas, which included mango, mild, super-hot, tomatillo and super chunky; then on top of that she made 2 different guacamoles. She even made queso in her crock pot. I love that she had a crock pot and that it now lives in our kitchen. We went through 10 bags of chips. So much delicious food. I think Olivia stole one of the llama plates, not that Amelia and I give a shit.
Beer and margaritas were flowing that night. Amelia got pretty wasted which was fucking hilarious. I think she needed to just have a wild night and since we were at home and I was there to keep an eye on her, I didn’t stop her.
A few of Blake’s guys, Grayson and Duncan, even joined us in a few beers. Blake and Ryder abstained since they considered themselves on duty. We kept it just to our crew and didn’t invite outside friends to keep the numbers down and reconnect the core of us. Since Andrea works at Banks Ink., she’s a part of the crew and Steve is in by proxy. That made it easier on Blake and his team too.
I wasn’t complaining late that night when Amelia and I were finally alone because I got to take care of her. I washed her and her new tattoo down in the shower and rubbed it down with an aftercare ointment. It jacked me up to see my mark on her, but I wasn’t going to take advantage of a drunk Amelia. She tempted the hell out of me though and she knew it. The only thing that kept me sane was knowing I could wake up and bury myself inside of her first thing.
Her tattoo is turning out beautifully. I’ve had her in my chair for two full sessions now. I was able to get all of the outlines done of the flowers that first session along with filling in the entire sunflower section. I created the stencils in multiple parts and I won’t be adding in the dragonflies, butterflies or the pair of lovebirds until the flowers are completed. That way they’ll sit more on top of the image. I also didn’t want her to get a peek at those parts until it was all done. Though, when I finished up that first day, she said she didn’t want a good look at it until it was all done.
I did insist that she look at the sunflower that covers where the bruise was that the ass gave her. She gasped and the tears in her eyes told me that she understood I was putting my mark there to wipe out the one he had left there years ago. I’ve done a lot of tattoos in my years. I’ve been proud of almost all of them, but nothing has compared to the feeling of putting my mark on my girl and her appreciating the art and the sentiment behind it.
We’ve skipped out on Friday night beers at the suggestion of Blake for the last three Fridays, even though Amelia tried to fight it. Every week I made her an offer of multiple orgasms that she couldn’t refuse. I sweetened the deal with a personally chosen item out of what she still calls my toy chest. The first week involved use of my sex cuffs and I think it’s still my favorite incentive that I’ve given her. Nope, not handcuffs, leather cuffs and she fucking loved them.
Damn, I’m a lucky man. The image of her laid out on our bed, naked and restrained in leather cuffs is forever seared into my memory. I couldn’t get the image out of my head, not that I wanted to, and was forced to draw it one night while Amelia was making dinner. I made sure to put it in the sketchbook that always stays at home. The crew can be nosey shits and that image is just for me.
I tried to talk Amelia out of Friday night beers for a fourth time, but she’s not budging. I even told her she could choose anything she wanted out of my toy chest instead of me choosing. She considered it, but ended up telling me no. She was very adamant yesterday when she told me she’s tired of hiding and waiting. She said she can’t see the point of living her life if she’s living it halfway. I hate that she has a point, but she does.
Not even the promise of a special surprise made her faulter when I talked to her today. I do have a special surprise too. Troy tattooed the fantasy pin-up drawing of Amelia on my ribs this morning. We both finally had the time and with Amelia being off she wasn’t suspicious about me going into work a few hours early. I may have tuckered her out with my cock first thing this morning to ensure that she stayed in bed for a little while longer. Worth it.
I made sure to swear Andrea to secrecy too; that girl is prefect for our shop which means she’s as much of a gossip as everyone else. I had to swear Olivia to secrecy also since she’s gotten close to Amelia. The three ladies have had girl’s night at our house a few times in the last month. Hearing Amelia laugh, even from down the hallway when I’m in my studio during girl’s night, is almost my favorite sound. Her moaning and screaming my name as she comes is hands down my favorite sound in the world.
Troy did a fan-fucking-tastic job on the tattoo, like I knew he would. While it has a traditional American flair, it still has the modern feel of my drawing. He kept giving me shit about how he’s surprised I made it 6 weeks before having it inked on me. He’s not wrong, I’m surprised I made it that long too.
Amelia ran a few errands earlier today with Blake and she must have talked to him about going out to the bar tonight because Blake came to see me at the shop not long after she let me know she was safe at home. When Blake pulled me aside and told me that maybe it was a good idea to go out and see if we can draw that asswipe out, I almost punched him in the face. He assured me that he wouldn’t put Amelia in danger and that all his guys would be there, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is a bad idea.
I actively hate this idea, more accurately. I think it’s unnecessarily dangerous. I know that I promised Amelia that I would help her lead as normal a life as possible. I also know that I don’t know how long we can all live waiting for that asswaffle to do something. I still actively hate this idea; it’s sitting in the pit of my stomach like a lead balloon.
One reassurance I have is that Amelia’s been wearing the necklace I gave her the day of Nacho Bar night. She has no idea that there’s a tracker inside the single pearl. It’s beautiful on her. Blake’s tech guy, Duncan, made some tracker jewelry for a client they had last year and sent me pictures of them to choose from. When I saw the single pearl strung on a filigree brass chain; I knew it would be the one she’d choose for herself.
Blake told me that it should come from me and not something she’s aware of tracking her. He mused that she’s the kind of girl who would always wear jewelry her man got he
r and that will ensure that she always keeps it on. Not gonna lie, he looked a little jealous when he said that. Not that I blame him one bit.
Fuck. I hate omitting this truth, but Blake wasn’t wrong either; she hasn’t taken it off since I clasped it around her neck. Also, the blowjob I got after I gave it to her made my toes curl. Never had that happen before.
Blake gave me an odd look when he was at the shop today. I couldn’t place it and it’s been playing in the back of my mind. I’ve had to push it out of my mind to finish up with my last client of the day. I’m just about to wipe it all down and clean it up before I let him check it out in the mirror when I hear the door chime.
I glance up at the doorway as he hops off the chair and my girl’s smiling face is beaming back at me. She winks at me and blows me a kiss. Fuck. So adorable. I know I have a goofy grin on my face. See, I told you that I wasn’t really the bad boy that women think I am just so they can check that off their bucket list.
Troy looks up from his client as Amelia starts to duck back into the reception area. “Hey! None for me, Doll?”
Without missing a beat, she flips him the bird and giggles. You know, because that makes it easy to take her lewd gestures seriously. Troy barks out a laugh and I can’t help but chuckle. She’s fucking perfect.
Duncan leans against the doorway and surveils the back of the shop. Once Amelia insisted that we do Friday night bar night, Duncan was assigned to bring her to me. We planned to leave from the shop and head to the bar, that way we get there earlier and aren’t out too late. I might sound like a little bitch but being out after dark right now sets me on edge.
I give him a nod as I snap a pic of my client and then wrap it up, going through my aftercare instructions on autopilot. I want to get my arms wrapped around my girl. Thankfully Andrea’s up front so I don’t have to pay him out, just confirm how long I worked on him.
This street can get quite a bit of foot traffic at night, especially weekend nights since there’s some little eateries and other shops that stay open later on the weekends. It’s an up and coming little spot, which is perfect for business. Tonight, is no different and I can see the people on the sidewalks on the street in front of the shop.