Sold Into Salvation

by Colbie Carter

  Brooke lay in her bed in the hotel room after having eaten her entire weight in room service. A cheeseburger and ice cream had never tasted so good. She was in an adjoining room, an agent posted in the next room as protection. She was grateful to have someone watching over her, but it wasn't the same. She wanted Dorin there with her. She had never trusted someone so completely in her life. She felt the empty ache of separation, the loss of his presence made her cold and anxious. She wanted to sleep, but didn't want to miss him if he called her. The CIA had given her a new cell phone so that she could call family and let them know she was safe. Although they said the phone couldn't be traced, she was still given strict instructions not to tell her location.

  Even though it was getting late, Brooke called her mother. She couldn't tell her much, but explained that she would be released to go home tomorrow and that she wanted to come home to Savannah for a few days. Her mother insisted that she stay longer than just a few days—and maybe take some time off from school. However, all Brooke wanted to do was get back to her normal routine. Whatever that would be now.

  She woke up the next morning feeling as if she had barely slept. She had no missed calls on her phone, and she had no idea how to reach anyone who could tell her about Dorin. The uncertainty and lack of information made her jittery, and the large quantities of coffee she’d downed only made it worse. They resumed her debriefing right where they left off, promising that she would be done today.

  Later that afternoon, as promised, they decided they had all the information that they needed, and were prepared to take her back to the hotel where her mother and stepfather were waiting for her. They had left early that morning and driven to Washington to pick her up.

  Brooke was stopped before she left the building. Her father had been found and returned to the States after his arrest in Russia. Why he decided to flee to Russia was anyone's guess. She was taken back to the interview room after agreeing to see him. He sat at the table with his hands cuffed in front of him. He looked tired and haggard, and she felt a pang of sadness for him for a split second. Then she remembered—this man, her father, the man who was half of the reason she even existed—had betrayed her in the worst way possible.

  He looked up when she walked into the room, the hurt and pleading clear in his eyes. In just a simple look, he was begging her to forgive him. Brooke didn't know if she could. She didn't even know if she could speak to him. So she stood in the room near the door, her arms crossed, and biting her lip. She simply stared at him for a few moments, searching her mind for something to say. Somehow, the words that were coming to mind didn’t seem to suffice.

  Then she simply shook her head and turned and left the room.

  “Brooke!” She could hear her father calling to her. “Brooke, please!” He begged her to come back, his voice growing more and more distant as she made her way down the hall.

  Brooke rode back to the hotel in complete silence; she was done talking to anyone. She brushed off any and all attempts at small talk from the agents in the vehicle with her. They seemed nice enough, and had been polite and accommodating, but she'd had enough.

  They arrived at the hotel, and her mother and stepfather were waiting for her in the lobby. They rose from the sofa in the lounge area, her mother's hands clapping over her mouth when she saw her. Not caring what anyone thought, Brooke took off running toward her family and threw her arms around her mother. Her stepfather embraced both of them in a large hug. Her mother held her head tight into her shoulder, sobbing into her hair and stroking her head.

  And then Brooke crumbled. Everything that had happened came to a painful head and snapped free. Her body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs as she clung to her mother's similarly thin frame, taking solace and peace in the combined embrace of two of the people who loved her most.

  “Come on, sweetheart.” Her mother sniffed, and pulled away, smoothing Brooke's hair from her face. “Let's get you home.”

  Sweetheart. Her mind immediately flashed to Dorin. She still hadn't heard a word from him. All she wanted in the world right now, other than her mother hugging her was to hear iubita in that deep, lightly accented voice.

  ***

  An entire week had passed, and Brooke was back at her apartment in Baltimore. She still had three more days before she had to return to school, and she wanted time alone. Time to decompress and get her head space right before she tried to get back to her life.

  Brooke finally heard from Dorin three days after returning to the U.S. He ended up needing two surgeries to repair the damage to his knee; one was a total knee replacement. His field career was over, and he said he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but relieved at that. Since then, he called or texted her every day, telling her that he was doing fine and that he missed her.

  Her phone rang one afternoon, and her heart did a happy little flip when she saw Dorin's name light up the screen. He said yesterday that he was being sent home, and that he should be back on U.S. soil by this afternoon. He was back in his apartment in Washington, and she immediately offered to drive down and see him before he had a chance to ask. It was less than an hour drive, and she would have happily driven far more than that.

  She found his address with no trouble; he lived in a nice apartment building in a quiet neighborhood in Georgetown. She knocked on the door, and was startled and a little confused when an unfamiliar man answered the door. He looked around Dorin's age, with dark blond hair. He was shorter than Dorin by a couple of inches, stockier and more muscular.

  “Hi!” he greeted her cheerfully. “You must be Brooke,” He extended his hand to shake hers. “I'm Tanner, come on in! Dorin's crippled ass couldn't get up to answer the door himself.”

  So this was the famous Tanner, the only person in the world Dorin considered family. She liked him already. She walked into the apartment and found Dorin sitting on the sofa with his leg propped up on the ottoman. His knee was wrapped in a large, bulky brace, and a pair of crutches leaned against the arm of the sofa.

  Dorin's face bloomed into a wide smile when he saw her, and she made a beeline for the sofa. She sat down next to him, and pulled him into the tightest hug she had ever given. Dorin held her just as tight, burying his face in her hair.

  “God, I've missed you,” he whispered.

  “Me too. So much.” God, she wanted to cry again.

  “So, yeah,” Tanner began from near the door, “I'm gonna go. You two have fun.” He didn't even wait for a goodbye before he disappeared out the door.

  “How are you doing?” Dorin asked, still holding her close.

  Brooke took a deep breath, and shrugged. “I have good days and bad. Most of the time I'm okay, but I've started having nightmares and a few flashbacks.”

  “Have you scheduled an appointment with a counselor?”

  She nodded her head. “I go in the morning.”

  “Good. Don't wait to ask for help; it's okay to need therapy.” With his arm still around her shoulders, he reached up and stroked her temple. “You've been through more in just a few days than most people endure in their entire lives. And you've handled it well.” He kissed her forehead. “I'm so proud of you.”

  She smiled, leaning into his lips. “But, how are you doing?”

  “I'm doing fine overall. My knee hurts like hell, obviously, but it'll heal. Mentally, I'm doing better than I suppose I could be.” He shifted his leg a little, a wince crossing his face as he adjusted his knee on the ottoman. “What was the worst for me was not knowing where you were, or if Anton was hurting you. Then when I saw him on top of you in that room, everything else in my head shut down and all I could do was react. All I could do was end the bastard for everything he had done to you. I even forgot about my mangled knee for a few seconds.”

  Brooke shivered at the memory of Anton on top of her, trying to force her legs apart. She had no doubt that if Dorin hadn't arrived when he did, Anton would have raped her, and she couldn’t have stopped him.

  “Did you g
et in trouble for killing him?”

  Dorin shook his head, a dismissive expression on his face. “No. The CIA, Interpol, and practically every other agency in the world are just happy that sick fucker is wiped from the face of the Earth.”

  She couldn't stop a smile. Good. She wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, wondering if Anton would be coming after her again.

  “They found my dad.”

  “I know, I heard. Have you seen him yet?”

  Brooke nodded her head. “Yeah, after the debriefing. He's already back here.”

  “How'd that go?”

  She shrugged. “It didn't. I didn't say a word to him.”

  “And are you okay with that?”

  “I'm just fine with that. I've already told them not to allow him to have contact with me, that aside from me testifying against him at his trial, I will never see him again.”

  Dorin gave an acknowledging nod. “I see. I can't say I blame you.” He sighed, and cast his eyes over her outfit. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  Brooke made an extra special effort to look good for him. He had never seen her in nice clothes with makeup on and her hair done. She put rollers in her hair to give it extra volume after straightening it. She dressed in a navy blue dress—knowing that was his favorite color—with a gray cardigan and flats.

  She smiled. “Thank you.” She then realized that Dorin had nicer clothes on than what someone would be wearing around their house. He had on a white button-down shirt and dark jeans. “So do you, you're awfully dressed up for hanging out around your house.”

  “That's because I owe you a date.” He smiled. “We have dinner reservations in an hour.”

  She balked. “A date? Now? But you can barely walk!”

  “I have crutches, and I get around fine with them. Only problem is that you'll need to drive.” He pointed to a pill bottle on the end table. “Pain meds.”

  If he thought having her drive was a problem, he had nothing to worry about. “Oh, I'm totally happy with driving.” She shifted on her hip next to him, rearing up a little. “How long will it take for us to get to the restaurant?”

  “Maybe five minutes, it's just a few blocks from here. It's the best Italian restaurant that I know of in the city.”

  She flicked an eyebrow. “That gives us plenty of time.” She leaned forward and kissed him.

  Dorin moaned lightly under her lips, his hand coming up to hold the back of her head. She was taking charge this time; she intended to give him as much pleasure as she could. She lifted her leg, and swung it over his lap, straddling him.

  “Is this okay?” she asked, hoping she wasn't hurting him.

  He nodded. “Yes, it's fine. You won't hurt me.” She was surprised at how quickly he had become hard; she’d felt the thick ridge of his erection instantly when she settled her weight in his lap. She leaned down, and began kissing his neck, nipping his ear, and his jaw. He groaned as his head sagged backward, giving her free reign to do as she pleased. And she planned to do a lot.

  Without any warning or build-up, she shifted slightly on his lap, and undid his belt and jeans. His erection sprang free, and she closed her hand around the thick shaft, stroking him.

  His head pressed back farther, a surprised moan spilling free. “God, Brooke.” His breathing deepened and sped up.

  God, just the sounds he was making already had her wet, and she wanted him inside of her now. They didn't have much time before dinner, and she wanted to ensure that he was very satisfied before they left.

  “I have condoms in my room; they're in the nightstand.” His words came out in rough pants.

  She pulled a foil packet from her bra. “I already have one.”

  Dorin grinned, and pulled her down for a kiss. “You little genius.”

  Brooke tore open the packet and sheathed him. She shifted enough to remove her panties, and flung them to the other end of the sofa. Clinging to Dorin's shoulders, she lowered herself onto him, taking him in fully. She moaned at the welcome stretching sensation, her forehead pressed against his as she began to move up and down. It was perfect, the head of his cock was hitting that secret spot that was already making her see stars. She whimpered at the sharp pleasure careening inside her, still not used to being blindsided by the intense bliss he made her feel.

  Dorin groaned, his hands tightening on her hips and helping her move in rhythm. “Ride me, iubita.” His gravelly, lust-drenched voice made her womb clench with need.

  And she did, she rode him faster until the budding orgasm bloomed into being, rising like the sun inside her. She bit her lip hard as she frantically pumped her hips to chase that beautiful feeling. She threw her head back when it hit, screaming under the intensity of the strongest orgasm she'd had yet. She flew over the peak, and dropped her head forward into the curve of Dorin's neck as she fluttered back down into her body.

  With a harsh groan, Dorin clamped his fingers into her hips, and thrust up into her, pulling her down onto him as he pushed up. His fingers dug into her hips as his moans grew louder. He let her hips go and wrapped his arms tight around her, holding her tight as he came. His face was buried in her neck as he hugged her, his own release crashing into him.

  They stayed just like that for several moments, clinging to each other and trying to catch their breath.

  Dorin pulled back and brushed her hair behind her ear. “I love you.” He kept his hand on her face, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

  “I love you, too.”

  And she did. She knew it without a doubt.

  EPILOGUE

  Dorin had no idea there were so many people in Brooke's graduating class. The auditorium was packed with families all here to cheer on the next class of doctors.

  A lot had happened over the last fourteen months. Dorin had to retire from field work and took a position as a stateside profiler. He still worked for the CIA, but now he worked strictly from headquarters. No more traveling, no more overseas ops. And he couldn't be happier about that. Even after three surgeries, and months of physical therapy, he still couldn't quite walk normally. He had a small limp, running was no longer a possibility, and cold and damp weather was now his worst enemy. Of course with his entire left knee replaced with metal, and all of his muscles stitched back together like a tattered quilt, he was lucky to be walking at all.

  He and Brooke finally moved in together six months ago. He moved up to Baltimore with her, and made the commute to work every day. Though, after today, they were moving to D.C. Brooke had been accepted into the residency program at a hospital in D.C, which allowed them both to be close to their jobs. They were closing on a townhouse next week.

  Dorin sat in the audience with Brooke's mother, Sarah, her stepfather, Steven, and her best friend, Emmy. After getting to know Sarah, he clearly saw where Brooke got her personality. He also found an unlikely kinship with Steven, and understood why Brooke loved him so much. He had a tremendous respect for the man after he’d stepped up and filled that much-needed father role for Brooke.

  Richard Kennedy was still in jail, awaiting trial, which was scheduled for this fall. He had tried many times to reach out to Brooke, but she continued to refuse any kind of contact with him. He couldn't say that he blamed her for that; it was understandable if she never forgave him. And that was okay.

  The commencement ceremony was finally beginning, and after what felt like hours of speeches and addresses, the graduates were finally filtering across the stage. It took a while for them to reach the K's, and when he saw Brooke walk across the stage in her cap and gown, he swelled with the purest kind of pride that he had ever felt.

  Brooke Kennedy, M.D. God, he was so proud of her.

  As soon as the applause from her family had died down, Sarah reached over and squeezed Dorin's hand.

  She knew what would happen tonight.

  The four of them had kept the secret for weeks. With the help of Sarah, Steven, Emmy, and even Tanner, Dorin had finally selected wha
t he felt was the perfect engagement ring for Brooke. He chose a simple, one-and-a-half-carat cushion-cut solitaire set in platinum with a single row of tiny diamonds in the band. It was perfect for her. He had wanted to propose to her months ago, but felt it was appropriate to wait until her graduation. One chapter of her life was over, and a new one was beginning for both of them—together.

  He had reserved a hotel suite for the night right here in Baltimore, and he planned to propose to her there. In private, and preferably naked.

  The commencement ceremony finally ended, and they all went out for dinner to celebrate, with Tanner joining them at the restaurant. Brooke adamantly refused a graduation party, insisting that the only people that she cared to celebrate with were right there with her.

  Throughout dinner, Dorin watched Tanner and Emmy curiously. The two had been introduced not long before he and Brooke moved in together, and he still couldn't quite make sense of their strange flirtation. Tanner had an almost high school-like crush on Brooke's petite, strawberry-blonde best friend, and no one could seem to figure out what she thought of him in return. Brooke noticed it too, but she couldn't get her friend to admit it one way or the other.

  After dinner, Dorin and Brooke retreated to the hotel suite that she knew nothing about until they left the restaurant. Dorin had never been so nervous in his entire life, and he wanted to drop to one knee as soon as they walked into the room. But he knew he would never get back up without help, kneeling was still dicey for him.

  Later that night, they were sitting up in bed, naked just as he had hoped, and indulging in a bottle of champagne. Even after over a year, it still blew Dorin's mind how insatiable Brooke was. She had gone from the shy virgin he’d first met, to a temptress who knew exactly what drove him crazy.