by Adams,Claire
"It might," she whispered as she leaned a little closer.
"Either of you want another one?" Billy's voice broke the spell. "Sunshine? You okay?"
"Fine, Billy, I'm just fine," she said as she looked at me and smiled. "And, I think Dax here is fine, too, aren't you?"
"Fine, I'm fine, too," I said smiling back at her. There was something about her look that told me before long I would be pulling that wet blouse off of her and exposing those gorgeous breasts. It had been a while since I'd gotten laid, and I could feel how tight my pants had become since I'd sat down next to Brooke. I needed relief and she seemed like a woman who would enthusiastically seek it out with me.
"I like you, Dax," she said as she slid a hand up my thigh under the bar. "I like you a lot, I think."
"I like you, too, Brooke," I said in a low voice as I leaned closer and pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. I was bending down to brush my lips across her neck as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it, but the sound continued, then stopped and then started again. I sat up, apologized, and then pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. It was Riza. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's business."
Brooke waved me off with an understanding nod, and I stepped away from the bar and answered the call.
"What's up?"
"Bad news, boss," Riza said.
"Lay it on me, then," I replied.
"I found Lydia," she said.
"So, bring her back to the club and we'll dry her out. She's got a bail hearing for Pook and Jimmy in the morning," I told her.
"Well, that's gonna be a problem, boss," Riza replied.
"Why? She's been on benders before, and we've always sorted her out and gotten her clean before court. No biggie."
"Boss, she's dead."
"What the fuck?"
"She's dead," Riza repeated. "The Coast Guard pulled her body out of the water about an hour ago."
"Riza, who did this?"
"Not a clue, boss. They won't let me get anywhere near the body before the coroner gets here, so I can't check to see how she was offed," she explained. "I'm gonna hang out here and see what I can find out, then I'll swing by the club and let you know."
"Find out who did this, Ri," I said. "I'll take their sorry asses out and leave them laying in the street as a message to all the rest of those lousy fuckers who think this shit is okay. Fuck!"
"I know, I know," she said. “Chill out, I've got it covered. I'll be back in the club in a couple of hours."
"Okay, see you then," I said and disconnected. I walked back over to the bar and gave Brooke the best smile I had, then said, "I gotta run. Business calls."
"Oh, I see," she said as her smiled faded and she looked down at the scratched wood on the bar. "Well, it was nice talking with you, Dax."
"Brooke?" I said as I slipped my fingers under her chin and tipped her face up so those blue eyes were locked on mine. "I'd like to take you to dinner, maybe tomorrow night if you're not busy?"
"Oh, you are good," she smiled up at me. "I'd like that."
We stood there staring at each other like a couple of lovesick teenagers until Billy said, "Brooke, please give Dax your phone number so that he can call you and arrange for a pickup time."
"Oh! Yes, of course," she laughed as she looked down and opened her purse. She pulled out her card, flipped it over, and wrote her cell number on the back. "Call or text, whatever is easiest."
"I'll give you a call in the morning and confirm the time," I said. Then, I leaned down and gently kissed her cheek before I turned and walked out the door.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Brooke
"Sunshine, I think it's time for you to head home," Billy said as he collected the abandoned glasses from the bar and immersed them in the soapy water.
"I don't wanna go home," I pouted as I shredded another napkin and added it to the substantial pile in front of me.
"I know, but I need to close this place up and get home to my wife," he said gently. "I'll get you a cab."
"I don't need a cab, I can walk," I protested stubbornly.
"I'm going to have to overrule you on this one, kiddo," he smiled. "I already called, the cab will be here momentarily."
"Why you gotta be like that, Billy?" I asked.
"Like what?"
"Like my brother!" I shot back. "All of you are so protective. I can do this on my own, you know."
"I know you can," he said. "But sometimes we all need a little help, and tonight it's your turn. Maybe next week it's Teddy's or mine, okay?"
"You'd come to me if you needed help?" I asked.
"Without a doubt," he nodded. "No question."
"Okay then," I said as I got up off of the stool and did my best to walk in a straight line to the door. The cab driver honked, and I turned and waved to Billy before I walked out and got in to the waiting car.
Less than five minutes later, I was getting out of the cab in front of my apartment building. Billy had already paid the guy, so all I had to do was get in the front door. Luckily, Fred, the doorman, held the front door open for me and then helped me to the elevator.
"Heya, Fred!" I said in a still drunken voice.
"Hey yourself, Missy!" he laughed. "What have you been up to tonight?"
"I had a drink with a guy at the bar," I said. "He was cute."
"Well, that's good," Fred replied. "I'd hate for you to be drinking with an ugly fellow."
"Oh, Fred," I laughed. He steered me into the elevator, pushed the button for my floor, and then wished me a good night.
Fifteen minutes later, I was passed out on my bed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Dax
"Ri, what the hell happened?" I shouted as she walked through the door. "How in the hell did Lydia end up being pulled out of the Pacific by the Coast Guard? What happened to her?"
"Easy, easy, Dax," she said, holding up one hand to fend off my questions. "I don't have a lot of answers, but I did the best I could to make some connections with the cops out at the recovery site. I'll check back with them later and see what I can find out."
"How did she die?" I asked.
"Execution," Riza said without emotion. "Bullet to the back of the skull. They must have dumped her off a boat or something because she was too far out to have floated in that short of time and the currents were moving in the opposite direction, so she might have been dropped even farther out."
"Fuck." I ran a hand through my hair and tried to think about how I was going to deal with the bail hearings this morning without my lawyer.
"I called Lydia's office and they said they would send a lawyer over to handle Pook and Jimmy's bail hearing this morning," Riza said as if reading my mind. I nodded. One less thing to worry about.
"Whoever did this knows that getting rid of Lydia would put a crimp in our business," I said. It wasn't that I couldn't hire another lawyer. That would be the easy part. In Los Angeles, lawyers were a dime a dozen and I could easily replace the legal counsel, but what I couldn't replace was the trust and loyalty. Lydia knew things about the business that I wasn't eager to share with anyone else, and she knew how to keep her mouth shut.
"Do you think they got anything out of her before they killed her?" Riza asked.
"Shit, I don't know," I said. Riza’s face was blank. While the fact that she rarely gave anything away was good for doing business, sometimes I wished she would give me a little more so I could tell what she was thinking. Not knowing bothered me. But Papi had taught his daughter well, and she had put those lessons to use.
"I'll do what I can to find out what they know," she said.
"Ri, what does your gut tell you happened?" I asked.
"Honestly, from what I could see, they tortured her, boss," she said. "She looked pretty beat up. But then again, it could have been from the water. I just don't know."
"Alright, we need to get this locked down so that we don't appear weak," I said. "If the others think that they can come after
us and just abduct and execute our people, we're going to have problems. I want you to figure out who's involved and I want a public spectacle made of them. Got it?"
"Got it," she saluted.
"And Ri?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"Don't lose sight of that little fucker Beck," I said. "He's starting to become a real pain in my ass."
"No worries, boss," she said. "I got it handled."
I watched her walk out of the office and hoped that she was right. If she didn't have it handled, we were going to suffer in ways that not even I could imagine.
#
I sat at my desk thinking about whom I could call and ask about finding a new lawyer. There weren't many people in LA that I trusted – and certainly not many lawyers. In my line of business, I had to be careful that I didn't spill the wrong information to the wrong person and wind up having them turn state's witness in a case against me. But there was no question that I needed a new lawyer.
I shifted a little in my chair, then reached down and tried to alleviate the pressure that I felt in my jeans.
The news about Lydia, while sad and disturbing, hadn't done much to alleviate the hard on I'd had since I'd met Brooke, and it was starting to feel painful. So, when one of the cage dancers stuck her head in the door and said she needed to speak with me, I waved her in.
"What's up, babe?" I smiled as the gorgeous brown girl glided across the floor and dropped to her knees in front of me. She smiled up at me as she unzipped my jeans and slipped her hand down into the front of them so she could stroke my rock hard cock. I looked down at her, calmly watching as she did what she had always done best.
"Mmmm, you're hard tonight," she said as she pulled her hand out and ran her flattened tongue over it several times before slipping it back into my pants. The slick sensation of her saliva-covered hand made me groan when she gripped my cock and stroked up and down.
"I need you to do what you do best, baby," I growled as I reached out and stroked her cheek.
"You know I'll do anything you want," she smiled as I lifted my hips and pulled my jeans down around my knees. Diamond was one of the girls who danced on stage or in a cage over the bar every night. She was tall and lean, and she gave the best head of any of the dancers I employed. She loved giving blowjobs, so I felt no guilt in taking advantage of it.
I leaned back as she slowly ran her tongue from tip to base and then back up, coating my cock and making it slippery. She did this until I began to groan with need and push my hips up, then she wrapped her full lips around the head of my cock and began the agonizingly slow descent to the base. She sucked and licked until I felt like I was going to explode.
Normally, I would watch her as she performed her magic, but tonight, I leaned back and closed my eyes. I pictured Brooke's beautiful blue eyes looking up at me as she wrapped her lips around my shaft and moved her mouth up and down. I imagined how she would look and sound as she took the entire length of my shaft into the back of her throat, and I began to pump my hips as I envisioned her beautiful breasts resting on my thighs as she sucked and sucked and sucked. The image was so powerful that I thrust my hips up as I held Diamond's head and owned her mouth.
"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, yes!" I groaned as I let go and filled her mouth. Diamond sucked and licked as I throbbed and pulsed, making me see stars as the explosion continued. My eyes were still closed and all I could see were Brooke's blue eyes looking up at me as she smiled, her mouth filled with my cock.
"How was that, babe?" Diamond asked as she rose up off her knees and sat on my lap.
"Very, very nice, little girl," I smiled as I ran my hands over her breasts.
"You want more tonight?" She ran her hand through my hair and down across my cheek.
"I'd love to, but I can't tonight, sweetie," I said with a feigned look of regret. "I've got some business to take care of so I have to get going, but maybe later?"
"Anytime, you know that," she smiled as she stood up. She bent over and kissed my cheek before turning and walking across the room. The way she swung her hips never failed to get a response and even though she'd just given me a bit of relief, tonight was no exception.
"God, you're hot," I said as I watched her go.
"Just for you, babe." She winked over her shoulder as she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
I'd always liked Diamond because she understood the game. I wasn't any more or less special to her than any of her other clients, but she made me feel like I was the only one she'd ever want. It wasn't love, but it was the next best thing.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Brooke
I woke up the next morning with a pounding head and a mouth so dry that I couldn't swallow. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck and left in a ditch, but since I was resting on the thick fluffy duvet with my head on a soft down pillow, I knew that the ditch scenario was unlikely.
I slowly sat up, holding my head and wishing that I'd been sober enough to close the curtains so that I wouldn't have to be suffering the pain of having the sunlight shining brightly in my eyes.
"Oh God," I groaned as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat waiting for the room to stop spinning. I rarely drank enough to actually get drunk, but when I did, I did a bang up job. I slowly stood up and made my way across the floor to the bathroom, where I turned on the shower and shed my clothes as I waited for the water to heat up. I stepped under the stream of steaming hot water and let it pound out a rhythm on my aching head.
After my long, hot shower, I wrapped myself in a fluffy, terrycloth robe and walked into the kitchen to make a good strong cup of coffee. As the coffee was brewing, I turned the television on and flipped to the local news. My back was to the set when I heard the news reporter say, "And in local news, Los Angeles attorney Lydia Banks’ body was fished out of the ocean near the Marina del Rey dock by the U.S. Coast Guard yesterday evening. Authorities say that Banks had been shot in what appears to be an execution style before being dumped into the water, but wouldn't confirm the details. Ms. Banks was most well known as legal counsel for local club owner, Dax Malone, whose run-ins with the law made her a household name. There is speculation that her death is retaliation for last year's murder of Westside Vice Lords leader Arturo Moritz by the rival gang Blood Posse, possibly led by Mr. Malone. However, there has been no hard evidence to connect Malone to the Blood Posse, so the connection to Banks’ murder remains speculation this morning. We'll follow this case closely and have more on Action News at five this evening."
I heard the newscaster, but it wasn't until I was standing at the picture window that looked out over the city sipping my coffee that something clicked. Dax Malone. Hadn't I met a guy name Dax last night? I tried to retrace the conversation in the bar, but I'd been pretty drunk and my memory was full of holes. Maybe if I called Billy when the bar opened, I'd be able to track down the guy and figure out who he was.
What I remembered about him were the unruly dark curls, the sensual eyes, the jaw that looked like it had been chiseled out of granite and the amazing body. I felt my pulse race as I remembered how close I'd come to taking him to bed and felt both grateful that I hadn't since I probably wouldn't have remembered it and sad that I'd missed out on seeing him in all his unclothed glory.
I heard my phone ring as I stood in front of the window and scanned the room to figure out where the sound was coming from. I'd left my phone on top of the bookcase in the hallway. I grabbed it and saw that it was a local number that I didn't recognize, I debated whether to answer it and finally tapped the screen and said, "Hello?"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dax
"Good morning, sunshine," I said when I heard Brooke's voice on the other end of the phone.
"Who is this?"
"Aw, you don't remember me?" I teased. "The tall, dark, and handsome guy who promised you the world?"
"Which one?" she asked feigning boredom. "There were several and after awhile, it got confusing. You're all so alike. Promising w
orlds and keys to heaven."
"I was the one who was mesmerized by your beautiful blue eyes," I said. "And, I don't know about the rest of them, but you agreed to go on a date with me and gave me your card."
"Oh, you!" she laughed. "Why of course, I remember you! The handsome guy in the Harley boots!"
"You have a good memory," I observed.
"I'm a lawyer," she said. "Or did you forget?"
"No, I didn't forget," I replied. "That's not something I would ever forget. Did you forget that you agreed to go on a date with me?"
"I don't think I did," she said. "But I was more than a little hung over this morning, so I might have. Remind me of what I agreed to last night, would you?"
"Are you always this forgetful?" I asked.
"'I'll have you know that I'm not at all forgetful," she said, obviously bristling at the accusation.
"I'm not accusing you, I'm teasing you, Ms. Raines," I said calmly.
"Well, I'd prefer if you'd call me Brooke," she said in a prickly tone. "And then remind me what your name is."
"I'm Dax," I said. "I did introduce myself last night, I promise."
"I know you did," she sighed in an irritated manner. "I'm just trying to piece together the evening and there are parts that I can't quite remember. One of them is you and I introducing ourselves."
"I'm Dax Malone," I said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"I see."
"What do you see, Brooke?" I asked.
"You hit on me because you need a new lawyer and you thought a drunk girl would give in more easily," she replied.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I said feeling the beginnings of my own irritation.
"It's all over the news, Mr. Malone," she said in a businesslike tone.
"I'd prefer if you'd call me Dax," I mimicked.
"Fine, Dax, it's all over the news about your dead lawyer," she said.
"I didn't know she was dead when you and I were at the bar," I said flatly. "So, no, I was not trolling for a new lawyer. Besides, why on earth would I troll for a lawyer at a bar?"