by Adams,Claire
"Ri, what the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm saying, you always do whatever you want," she said as she held my gaze. "You take what you want, you make the decisions you want to make, you affect people's lives all without ever asking them what they want."
"Ri, look, I'm a businessman. I do what needs to be done. I don't ask people, because if I asked everyone how they felt about my decisions, none would ever get made," I replied. I could feel myself getting riled up. She was questioning me. My second in command, the person who was supposed to have my back and be my best friend, was questioning my decisions. "I make decisions because someone has to or we'd be in a shitload of trouble!"
"Yeah, that's what Papi used to say, too," she mused as she looked down and flicked at a stack of papers lying on my desk.
"Are you mad?" I asked.
"Mad about what?"
"I don't know, whatever the fuck you get mad about," I said exasperated with her guessing game.
"No, I'm not mad, Dax," she said standing up and tugging at a strand of hair. "I'm not mad at all. I'm just tired of being your right-hand woman, your go-to girl, the one who gets shit done, but who never gets consulted about the big decisions. That's all."
"What big fucking decision am I making that you're not part of?" I shouted. I was tired of the game playing and the buried resentment she was obviously carrying. "What, Ri? What is it?"
"If you don't know, then I'm sure as hell not telling you," she said as she spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to shake the pictures hanging on the wall.
"What the fuck?" I yelled after her. Something was going on with her, but she wasn't interested in telling me about it, so I shrugged it off and picked up the phone.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Brooke
I was just leaving my parents' house with Teddy, who had offered to drop me off back at the office, when my phone rang.
"Brooke? I need to talk to you," Dax said. There was an urgency in his voice that I hadn't heard earlier.
"Yeah, what's going on?" I replied as I looked at my brother, hoping he would keep his big mouth shut.
"I need to see you," he repeated. "Now."
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" I asked. The truth was that I was worried about seeing him without Jordie or Roger being around. I didn't trust myself, and I definitely didn't trust Dax. We were like gasoline and a match, and I knew that if we ended up in the same room, things would explode.
"No, it really can't," he said. "I need to talk to you tonight."
"Alright, I'm on my way back to the office right now," I explained. "Can you meet me there?"
"Yeah, sure," he said. "How long before you get there?"
"Well, my brother's driving, so it'll probably be faster than I think it will be, he's a lead foot," I said, gently slugging Teddy's arm. Teddy stuck his tongue out and walked around the car, leaving the passenger side door locked while he got in and started the engine.
"Hey!" I yelled forgetting that I was still connected to Dax.
"What?" he said.
"Nothing, my stupid brother is threatening to leave me here," I laughed as I pulled on the door handle and then pounded on the window. "Stupid brothers! Argh! Gotta go, see you in an hour!"
I disconnected and pounded on the window again, yelling, "I'm telling Mom!"
From inside the car, Teddy mouthed "tattletale" and then put the car in reverse, backing up a short distance before he stopped and unlocked the door.
"Get in, pest!" he laughed. "I've got to get to the fire house."
"You're the pest!" I pouted as I climbed in and shut the door. "To the office, Ted."
"Don't push your luck, kid," he grinned as he reached over and cranked the rock station on his radio and began singing along with Van Halen.
I rolled my eyes and yelled, "Old school!", over the song. Teddy laughed and sang louder.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Dax
I winced when I heard Brooke cursing older brothers. She had no idea how difficult it had been for me to put Beck in rehab, but he was my responsibility and I had to take care of him. I needed to see her, but she didn't know how much. I shook my head to clear it and then called down to the bar and told Kesha we needed to talk.
"Sup, boss?" she said as she entered my office in a decidedly calmer manner than Riza had left it. She was wearing a wild combination of neon green and royal blue leggings with a blue top that cut down to her navel. Her mohawk was dyed a shocking shade of green today, and it stood straight up in wicked looking spikes. It was a startling look, but it was one that worked for her. Many of the club’s patrons came to the club specifically to see what Kesha's newest fashion statement was. I didn't care what she did, so long as paying customers kept coming.
"What's going on with the shipment?" I asked as I looked at the computer screen in front of me. For as modern as our business was in many ways, in order to move the drugs, we had to rely on old-school, non-tech methods to get it from one place to another.
"They said it's on its way right now, but that they were held up crossing the border," she said without blinking. "I'm expecting them to arrive in time for tonight's action."
"Any trouble with the police since yesterday?" I asked.
"No, but that's got me a little concerned, quite honestly," she said.
"Why's that?'
"Well, if you're charged with murdering your own lawyer, I'd expect there to be some nosing around to be done here," she said. "Instead, they all cleared out after they took you into the station."
"Hmmm, that's interesting," I said. "What do you make of it?"
"I don't know, but in my experience I'd say they're holding back because they've got something bigger and better coming," she said. "And, that has me worried."
I sat and thought about it for a moment, then looked up at her and said, "Divert the shipment to the west side holding pen."
"But, boss, there's nothing available for tonight," she protested. "We need that shipment."
"Yeah, but if we bring it in and you're right about them waiting for us to screw up, then we are seriously screwed and I'll be in jail for a lot more than murder. What we need is a team who can transport it into the club without getting caught," I said. "Do we have any good corner kids who are legal?"
"Yeah, I got a few of them," she nodded, quickly tapping her phone screen. "How many you want?"
"What's the crowd looking like for tonight?"
"Pretty big, maybe five or six hundred," she said.
"Shit, we're gonna need a lot of stuff then," I said as I tried to calculate the weight of what we'd need for the crowd. "Get as many of them as you can, but tell them they're going to have to dress like club kids tonight. No exceptions! We need a couple to filter in early and then the rest need to move with the crowd one by one."
"Got it," she nodded. "I'll get them in here and going ASAP."
"Kesha," I said.
"Yeah, boss?"
"You have got to make sure that every single one of those little mules blends the fuck in," I warned. "One fuck up and we're dead."
"Got it, boss," she said.
"I gotta run out for a bit," I said. "Errand that needs to be run. Text me if you run into any problems. But, Kesha..."
"Yeah, boss?" she sounded a little irritated as she listened to me while rapidly tapping the screen of her phone.
"Don't have any fucking problems," I warned.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Brooke
Once the song was over, Teddy turned down the radio. "Brooke, you need to be careful with this case."
"Oh God, not you, too," I groaned. "Pop already lectured me about this before you got there."
"I'm not kidding, Brooke," he said, keeping his eyes on the road but reaching across the seat to grab my arm and squeeze it. "You need to tread carefully around this one."
"Teddy, look, I'm a grown woman," I said in an exasperated tone. "I'm a lawyer, and I know what I'm getting myself
into. I'm defending a man who didn't murder anyone. So let's just stop and consider what it would look like if I said no thanks to work, which, by the way, we don't have enough of these days."
"Brooke, I know all those things," he said quietly. "I'm just saying that the guys on the force have been talking about Malone and his crew for a long time, and they're getting ready to crack down on his drug trade. I don't want you in the middle of it, that's all."
"Drug trade or no drug trade, I'm the lawyer for his murder case," I said. I knew I was being stubborn, but I was tired of everyone making me feel like I couldn't handle a challenging case. I also didn't want them to know how I felt about Dax, mostly because I wasn't quite sure how I felt about him yet. "I can handle it."
"I know you can," Teddy nodded. "I just don't want you put in harm's way if this all goes to hell in a hand basket."
"How on earth could I possibly be in harm's way?" I shot back.
"Brooke, his previous lawyer is dead and he's been charged with her murder." He gripped the steering wheel and pushed the car up over the speed limit.
"Yeah, well, I'd say I have a far better chance of dying in a car crash caused by your crappy driving than being murdered in a drug shootout," I replied with a wry grin.
"You've always been a stubborn girl," he said as he eased off the gas and shook his head. "Too stubborn for your own good."
"Oh please, you've always been an overprotective older brother," I teased.
"Only because I love you, Brookie," he said, suddenly serious.
"I know, Teddy," I said as I patted his shoulder. "I know."
Before too long, we pulled up in front of my office and Teddy reached over and pulled me into a bear hug before letting me get out of the car. I hugged him tightly and then patted his cheek before I got out. I knew he'd worry about me, but I didn't have time to stop and think about it. I needed to get up to the office and talk with Dax.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Dax
I watched Brooke as she walked through the lobby of the building, marveling at the way she turned, walking into an act of seduction. Her hips swayed as the slit up the back of her skirt exposed the soft line of her legs. I watched as she stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, and then silently walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist as I slipped my hand into her hair and lifted it off her neck.
Brooke screamed and kicked backward with the sharp heel of her stiletto pump. It connected with my shin and caused me to let go of her. "FUCK!" I yelled as she rammed her elbow into my abdomen, knocking the wind out of me.
"Brooke! Brooke! Stop!" I yelled as I saw her preparing to attack with her briefcase. "It's me!"
"Jesus H. Christ!" she yelled as her breath came in rapid gasps. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I was just trying to seduce you," I said as I held a hand to my sore side and wondered if she'd drawn blood on my shin.
"That's a stupid, stupid thing to do late at night in the lobby of an office building!" she hissed as her eyes blazed with fury. She drew a deep breath and tried to calm herself. I could see how badly I'd frightened her, and while I was sorry, I was also intensely aroused by her fierceness. Her blonde hair framed her face and she had a wild look that made me want to pull her into my arms and kiss away the fear.
The elevator door slid open and she motioned me to follow her. Once inside, I couldn't stop myself from stepping close to her and gently wrapping an arm around her waist. When she didn't resume her attack, I smiled and bent down and softly kissed her lips. I heard her sigh as I brushed my lips across hers before pressing them against hers more urgently.
"I'd hoped we'd have been doing this early this morning rather than you bailing me out of jail," I murmured against her mouth as I used my tongue to gently push her lips apart, seeking the taste of her mouth. She moaned softly as our tongues tangled and my hands slid up her sides. I could feel her softness under the silky blouse and wanted nothing more than to yank it off of her so I could bury my face between her soft round breasts. But we were in the elevator, so decorum won as I continued kissing her harder and deeper.
When we reached our floor, the doors silently slid open and she pushed me out into the hallway without letting my lips leave hers. She pulled away and motioned for me to follow her as she walked down the hall and unlocked the front door of her office.
"We need to talk business, Malone," she scolded when I moved in behind her and wrapped my arm around her waist.
"Are you going to use your self-defense moves on me again?" I growled in her ear, lifting her hair up to gently bite the curve of her neck.
"That was your fault," she groaned as my teeth found her sweet spot and I ran my hand up over her breast, cupping it before I lightly traced a circle around her already erect nipple. She moaned softly as I began pinching it between my fingers.
"Is this my fault, too?" I asked as I slid my other hand down her hip to her thigh.
"It's always your fault, Malone," she gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Everything you want me to," I murmured. I propelled her down the hallway with one hand halfway inside her blouse and the other resting against her thigh.
"This isn't appropriate," she protested as I pushed open the door to an office that happened to be hers before spinning her around and pinning her against the door so that I could kiss her again.
"I don't really think appropriateness is our thing, do you?" I murmured into her lips as I ran my tongue lightly over her top lip before biting down into the bottom one. She gasped as she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck so that she could pull herself into the kiss. I smiled as I said, "I'll take that as a no."
"But, Dax..." she whispered into my lips.
"No buts," I replied as I tugged at her blouse and freed it from the waist of her skirt before running my hands up her abdomen and cupping both breasts. "Just say yes."
I took the moan that escaped from her lips as that yes and bent my head to capture one of her lace-covered nipples between my lips. I sucked the hard bud through the fabric and felt it swelling as I closed my teeth around it and bit down lightly. Brooke cried out as she gripped my shoulder, and while I could feel her wanting more, I took my time.
I ran my hands over the bare skin of her back and made quick work of the hooks that connected the fabric covering her breasts. She lifted her arms and I pulled the straps down, exposing the rounded mounds of flesh. I cupped them in my hands, feeling their softness before bending down and running my tongue across one and then the other. I could feel Brooke's breath coming in ragged gasps as I teased her until, still pinned against the door, she spread her legs to stabilize herself.
At that moment, I stepped back and looked at her. The low lights of the office combined with the moonlight streaming in through the window and illuminated her beauty. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and there was a wild look in her eyes as she stood before me naked from the waist up. I'd never seen a more beautiful woman or wanted one more than I wanted her right now.
"Dax..." she whispered as she hung on the edge. I knew that if I didn't act fast, her practical side would overrule her passionate side and we'd be sitting in the conference room talking about my case.
"Brooke..." I moved forward and scooped her up. She gasped as I sat her on the edge of her desk and held her with one arm as I used the other to swipe everything else onto the floor with a resounding crash. Her eyes were wide as she realized what I'd done, but I quickly bent and kissed her hard. There was an urgency in my kiss, a need that was greater than the order and organization on her desk.
I reached behind her and unzipped her skirt before sliding it off and tossing it in the corner. I pushed her down on the desk so I could get a full look at her naked beauty in the half-light. Her hair spilled across her desk and I inhaled deeply as I admired every inch of her, while pulling off my own shirt. I could feel my own need straining against my pants, but I wanted to draw this out and spend as much time playi
ng with her body as I could. Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd get another chance.
I lightly ran my fingers over the delicate fabric of her panties and watched her squirm as I parted her thighs. I could feel how wet she was already, and as I slipped my fingers under the lace, I felt her push her hips forward to meet my hand. I slowly slid the tips of my fingers up and down, feeling the heat radiating underneath them. Her mouth was half open and she moaned as I parted her nether lips and slipped my fingers between them.
"Dax..." she breathed as I bent forward and kissed her in response. Up and down, I slowly dragged my fingers from top to bottom, stopping at each end to touch and tease enough to make her raise her hips in an attempt to push me deeper. I smiled as I pulled back and she groaned in protest.
"Don't you understand, pretty girl?" I whispered as I kissed her neck and then bit down on a tender earlobe. "I want all of you. Everything."
"Oh God," she groaned as I returned to her mouth and bit down on her lower lip. My fingers continued to stroke the velvety folds and I could feel her need growing and spreading out. I'd never spent this much time teasing a woman before, but something about Brooke made me want to draw it out as long as possible.
I traced a line down the side of her neck with my tongue and once I reached her nipples, I decided to keep going. Her skin was unlike anything I'd ever tasted or touched before. She felt warm, and her scent alone had made me hard. As I moved lower, it filled my nostrils, driving me to the edge of madness. I could smell her need and now, I wanted to taste it.
I looped my fingers over the edge of the panties so that I could pull them down and off. I grabbed her ankles and pulled her down to the edge of the desk where I knelt in front of her and spread her thighs wide.
"Oh my, look at you," I whispered as I slipped my thumbs between her lips and splayed them open. They were pink and already slick with her wetness. I couldn't stop myself from leaning forward and running my tongue down the inner folds. Brooke moaned and writhed so violently that I let go and gripped her thighs tightly, pinning her to the desk. "Do not move." I said sternly. "Do you understand?"