Darkness Before Dawn

by Contreras, Claire

  He furrows his eyebrows and looks at me like I'm crazy before placing a kiss on my lips and taking the earrings from me. "Blake, if the world was for sale, I'd buy it for you. Don't worry about how much they cost. Put them on and open the other box so we can go."

  I nod, picking up the other box and opening it to find the skeleton key he replaced for the one I lost when I was taken. I smile when I see he picked the one with nothing at the top of it, just a beautiful skeleton key. He brings his hand out in front of me and turns it over so I see a small engraved message on the back of it. I bring it closer to my face and read: You own me. Placing the box on the counter, I shift my body and pull his face down to mine and kiss him deeply. My heart thumps against my chest when I feel him run his hands down the sides of my body and back up until he reaches my face and separates our mouths.

  "We need to go," he whispers against my mouth, biting my bottom lip and pulling it into his mouth. "That dress makes me wanna do really...really dirty things to you."

  I close my eyes and take a steadying breath, letting my hands drop from his face and backing away with my new earrings in my hand. Once I put them on, we fix our clothes and step out of my closet, flipping the lights off and leaving the messy wrapping paper to be picked up later. Cole grabs his jacket and shrugs it on. I watch as he fixes his bow tie while we walk to the elevators, making me stumble a step and curse when he reaches to steady me.

  "You really suck at walking in heels," he mutters with a low laugh.

  "Shut it. You're distracting to walk around," I snap back, turning my face to hide an embarrassed smile.

  He places his hand on the nape of my neck as we reach the elevator and escorts me in before turning around and instructing Spencer and Bruce to take the next one. The men exchange confused glances but don't argue with Cole as the elevator door closes. Before I can look up to question him, he backs me into the elevator wall and moves his hand from my neck to pull on the bottom of my hair and crane my neck. I swallow loudly, seeing his eyes boring into mine before he dips his head and places kisses along my jaw and down my neck as he lifts the skirt of my dress and tucks his free hand under it. My shallow breath increases when his mouth reaches my chest and his fingers flick over my underwear. I close my eyes and not for the first time tonight I wonder if we should cancel on this event and go back to our room.

  "I really shouldn't have told Colleen we would be there," he murmurs against my nipple before biting it through the material.

  I moan softly, trying to concentrate on what he's saying and keep my eyes from rolling to the back of my head at the feel of his touch. He drops his hands and takes a step back when the elevator chimes, letting us know we reached the lobby. I let out a frustrated groan, leaning my head against the wall behind me. He chuckles and reaches for my hand to guide me out of the elevator, leading me to the front of the building.

  "Where are we going?" I ask in confusion.

  "Limo," he replies, tipping his head at Pat, the doorman that's holding the door open for us.

  "Oh. Why a limo? Are a lot of people going with us?"

  He drops my hand and stops walking, turning his body around to look at me. "Nope, just you and me," he replies with a grin and twinkling eyes that make my insides do somersaults.

  "Oh," I whisper.

  "Oh," he mocks with a raised eyebrow.

  I duck my head and step into the limo, lifting my dress so that I don't step on it and slide over to the other side to give Cole room to enter behind me. I look outside and see him talking to Spencer and Bruce before he stops in front of the driver. I watch the driver's confused face as Cole gives him directions, telling him what streets to take. I can't help but laugh at the sight; he must think Cole's crazy.

  Cole slides in beside me and smiles at my questioning look before facing forward and taking his cell phone out.

  "You have more phone calls to make?" I ask quietly, trying to hide my annoyance.

  He ignores me, only taking his eyes off his phone to look at the glass that separates us from the driver roll up before going back to his phone. I let out a breath and reach for the clutch purse to take out my own phone, but Cole stops me and tosses the purse further away from me along with his own phone. I shift in my seat to face him, my heart threatening to sputter out of my chest from watching his eyes heat up as they trail over my body.

  "Sit in that seat," he says gruffly, pointing at the seat across from us.

  "Why?" I ask in confusion.

  "Just do it."

  As I stand, hunching over awkwardly to sit across from him, I feel the back of my dress hike up and gasp when he places both hands over my butt and squeezes.

  "Put your knees on the seat," he orders hoarsely.

  So I do, gasping loudly and lurching over to grab onto the seats when I feel his hot breath over my exposed backside. He trails his tongue along my ass cheeks, sucking and biting until he reaches the backs of my knees and makes his way back up. When he repeats the motion on the other side, he takes my underwear down with him, making me wiggle out of them.

  "You should've never worn this dress," he rasps before burying his face into me and sliding his tongue over my folds, making me bite down on my lip to keep from moaning loudly. "Or these shoes," he says, tapping on each heel. "Don't move," he orders before stepping away from me.

  I look over my shoulder and watch him clicking the buttons of the radio and stopping when J. Cole's music blares through the car. His eyes trail down my back, fixed on where I'm naked before he looks at my face again. His eyes never leave mine as he shrugs off his jacket and tosses it, undoing his cufflinks and tie and tossing those along with it. The limo phone rings beside him and he answers, replying yes and no before hanging up. My hands grip down on the seat when the car begins to move and I look out the window in front of me suddenly feeling exposed, even though I know they can't see me through the tints. Cole shifts behind me and places a wet kiss on my shoulder. I turn my face to his, offering him my lips, which he takes before raining kisses down my bare back until he reaches my butt again.

  I turn my head and arch my back, watching as his face disappears below me. I throw my head back and close my eyes in abandonment when I feel his tongue there again, shaking my core. With each flick of his tongue I feel my body quiver a little more, and just when I feel like I'm on the brink, he backs away.

  "Turn around," he orders, his voice laced with need.

  I open my eyes and turn so that I'm facing him. He unzips the side of my dress and pulls it over my body, laying it over his jacket before undoing his belt and lowering his pants so that they pool to his knees. I place my legs on the seats beside me, opening myself for him and watching from under my lashes as he springs free from his briefs.

  My breath falters at the carnal need in his eyes as he looks at me and begins to stroke himself. My lips part and my heart hammers in anticipation. I lift my hand from the seat to touch myself with it, but he stops me, dipping his head and growling as he buries his face between my legs again, sending a tremor through my body. His fingers reach and twist my nipples at the same time that his tongue grazes me again, making my back arch and a loud moan escape me as I'm pushed over the edge.

  He kisses his way up my body to my breasts, pulling each one into his mouth, and before I come down from my orgasm, he pushes into me, making me cry out louder as another one ripples through me.

  "That's right," he rasps against my ear as he grinds into me.

  I bite down on Cole's shoulder when the car hits a bump and he pushes deeper into me, switching positions so that he's sitting on the seat and I'm straddling him. He drives me into me, pulling my hips and lifting himself at the same time and all I can do is toss my head back and get lost in the moment.

  "So good. You feel so good," he says roughly. "I'm so close. Look at me."

  I open my eyes and bring my face to his, pushing myself up with my knees on either side of him and watching as his lips part and beads of sweat form on his temple. His eyes are h
ard on mine as he bites down on his lower lip. I feel his muscles tense, letting me know he's on the brink. He lets go of one side of my body and brings his hand between us to massage my clit, making me pulsate around him again as we both reach our climax. Our cries of pleasure get drowned out in the music.

  "I love you," he whispers against my shoulder, our bodies heaving in exhaustion.

  "I love you too," I respond, closing my eyes against him.

  Cole helps me clean up and dress before dressing himself and handing me a handful of Kleenex to dab my face with. I open up the mirror in my clutch and fix my eyeliner and lip gloss before touching up my hair as best I can…and pray that nobody knows what we did on our way to the event.

  "I told you I was going to fuck you in that dress," he says, taking a seat beside me and holding my hand in his.

  "You did," I reply before taking a deep shaky breath. "I didn't realize you meant before the event though."

  "Neither did I...until I remembered we had a limo," he says with a chuckle. "I'll be sure to thank Colleen for that later."

  My eyes widen and my mouth pops open when I turn my face to his. "Oh my God! It just hit me that I'm going to meet your mother tonight!" I shriek in disbelief. "I can't believe we just did that!"

  Cole laughs, his shoulder shaking me along with him. "You lived with my mother, Blake. Colleen-"

  "Is your birth mother, Cole. And she's trying. Aimee says so all the time. Don't rule her out," I reply quietly before placing a peck on his cheek.

  I spot a lot of familiar faces as we walk around the gala and look down at Blake to find her smiling as she looks around the room. The walls have photos of smiling children playing sports, reading books, watching movies, running around and doing what kids do. Noticing her smile broaden, my eyes follow her line of sight and see Aubry walking toward us holding Aimee's hand.

  "You took for-fucking-ever to get here, dude," Aubry greets us as he gives me a quick hug and pat on the back before moving to say hi to Blake. He and Aimee switch places for me to kiss her on the cheek.

  "My mom's been asking for you, she thought you weren't coming," Aimee adds with a smile.

  I look at my watch. "We're only thirty minutes late," I reply.

  "Yeah, but you're never late!" Aubry retorts.

  Blake laughs and tugs my hand. "He's not very happy that I made him late," she says, looking up at me, her huge gray eyes sparkling in amusement.

  I smile at her and dip my head to kiss her. "Oh yes he is," I reply against her lips.

  "You two are sickening," Aubry says in faux disgust before taking Aimee's hand and placing a kiss on it.

  I roll my eyes and let them lead the way to where Colleen is standing with a group of people. We wait until she's finished talking and she turns her attention to us, smiling brightly when she sees me, which I return. Now that I'm here in front of her again, my heart feels lighter, and I want to kick myself for not wanting to see her again. Her eyes move from mine to Blake and her smile disappears. She stares at Blake with an open mouth, and as she steps forward, she extends her hand and brushes Blake's face with it, her eyes swelling with unshed tears. She takes her hand back and covers her mouth, blinking a couple of times, unable to stop tears from trickling down her face which she wipes away quickly.

  "It's so nice to meet you," Colleen whispers. "I'm sorry. It's just...you look exactly like your mother. I knew you would, but seeing you..."

  Blake lets go of my hand and takes Colleen's hand in hers and placing a kiss on her cheek. "It's okay. It's nice to meet you, Colleen. Did you know her well?" she asks quietly.

  Colleen nods her head. "Very," she whispers back. "We were great friends for a long time."

  They smile sadly at each other before Blake drops her hands and steps back to my side. Colleen turns her attention to me.

  "Thank you for coming, Na...Cole. It means so much to me," Colleen says quietly as she leans up to greet me with a kiss, which I return.

  "Thank you for inviting me. It's a good cause," I reply.

  "It is," she says with a bright smile before looking at Blake again. "I hope we can all catch up and get to know each other."

  "We'd love that," Blake responds cheerfully.

  I look at her and she looks at me with pleading eyes that I can't argue with, so I let out a breath and nod in agreement. Then we follow Colleen around so she can awkwardly introduce me as her son and tell Blake's story.

  After talking to what seems like two hundred people in the room, Blake and I find our seats next to Aubry and Aimee's and see Connor's name on the table with us. Aimee waves her hand and explains that a lot of people come to these events, and Connor usually doesn't make it even when he says he will.

  "Don't count me out just yet," Connor booms behind us, making me laugh.

  I turn around and look at him in surprise when I see he's wearing a tuxedo and has a pretty brunette on his arm that's smiling in apprehension.

  "This is Sandra," Connor announces before introducing us all to her. When he gets to Blake he pauses and gives her a pointed look that leaves me confused. Blake's smile widens and she stands.

  "It's so great to meet you, Sandra. I'm Connor's cousin," Blake says, which confuses me even more.

  "Good to meet you, Blake," Sandra says, smiling happily.

  "Your son is absolutely adorable, I've seen a million pictures of him. He looks like trouble," Blake continues.

  "Oh, you have no idea! Like father, like son," Sandra says with a laugh.

  "I am not trouble!" Connor says as he looks at Sandra in adoration, and I realize who she is.

  Once we settle down in our seats again, Mark shows up with his date, who Blake also happens to know and talks to for a couple of minutes.

  "How do you know all these people?" I whisper as the food is being served.

  She smiles. "Sandra is Connor's ex but not really ex—it's complicated. He's always talking about her. I'm surprised you don't know who she is. And Mark's date I know from his office," she says in a low whisper.

  "Got it," I reply before taking a sip of champagne and leaning back into my seat.

  All of us fall into easy conversation for the duration of our meal before Blake excuses herself to go to the bathroom. Aimee also gets up and accompanies her, tossing her napkin aside before walking rapidly after her.

  I crinkle my eyebrows when the waiter brings over the dessert and I realize that I've been so enrapt in conversation that I hadn't noticed Blake taking a little too long in the bathroom. I look around, pivoting my body in my seat to look for her but don't see any sign of her or Aimee.

  "Aub, is it me or have they been gone a long time?" I ask curiously. Women always take long in the bathroom—I've learned that over the years. But something doesn't feel right.

  "You're right," he responds as his eyebrows knit together.

  A loud shriek rings through the ballroom and the feeling of dread that was threatening to consume the pit of my stomach, does. My eyes shoot to Connor's as I get up and take off into a sprint in the direction of the screams. I hear stomps behind me and assume Connor and Aubry are following, maybe Mark, but don't care enough to look. My vision tunnels and my ears clog as I look around anxiously for the bathrooms, bumping a couple of people out of my way in the process. My shoulder crashes into a blur of brown hair when I round the corner and I grab on to the feminine figure to steady her. My heart rate spikes even higher when I look past Aimee and realize she's by herself.

  "Where is she?" I shout, shaking Aimee by the shoulders.

  "There! There!" Aimee shrieks, pointing at the door as she runs toward it again.

  "Aimee!" Aubry screams behind us and grabs her as she tries to shake out of his hold, shouting that she has to get to Blake.

  I turn the knob of the door she pointed at and find that it's locked. I slam my shoulder into it as hard as I can once, twice, three times before I decide to start kicking it.

  "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, CONNOR!" I yell loudly.

  H
e runs quickly to me and pulls out the pistol from his back, making people around us scream in alarm and start to scramble in every direction.

  "Get out of the way!" he shouts, pushing me aside.

  "Give it to me!" I demand, earning a 'you've got to be kidding me' look that I don't have time for.

  "Are you fucking crazy? You're not using my gun!" he shouts back, pushing me away and aiming it at the doorknob.

  Screaming coming from the kitchen doors makes our heads snap in that direction before we take off running that way.

  "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I yell loudly as Benny walks me through the commercial kitchen of the hotel. The chefs and everybody else dressed in white drop everything to either scream or put their hands up. "HELP ME!" I scream, looking at them with wild eyes, not understanding how they could just be standing out of the way watching this happen.

  "Yeah, yeah, stay out of it unless you want your head capped!" He spits, pushing the barrel of the gun into the back of my skull, making me close my eyes and shiver at the bite of it. "Well, Blake," he starts, my name rolling off his tongue in disgust. "Your father gave me some interesting information yesterday. Your father," he chides with a throaty laugh before pulling my hair back roughly and making me yelp at the pain. He walks me to the back door, pushing my chest into it with an elbow in the middle of my back. He turns my face so that the tip of my nose brushes the scar on his left cheek before he shifts and we're nose to nose. "Turns out...that I'm your uncle. Or that's what Liam wants me to think. Dumb fuck. We're gonna find out the truth, but I call bullshit. Liam wants to save his ass, wants to keep you safe, wants to screw me over as usual. We're gonna see how true that is when I call him now and make him listen to me splitting your face open like he did me. Let's see how much he likes to feel helpless."

  I gasp and screw my eyes shut as my chest heaves against the metal door. I open my eyes and turn my head slightly at the absence of the gun on my head and catch a sharp blade through my peripheral vision that makes me yelp and frantically turn the doorknob beside me. I push it open, letting it hit the rail beside it and scramble outside. I pray that my heels don't slow me down as I take the four concrete steps as quickly as my dress allows and begin to run with him on my tail. He yanks me back by the hair and presses the tip of the blade to my naked lower back.