by Lee, Taylor
“I tried to tell you, Alexis, in the kindest way I could.”
“Tell me what?”
“Well… I know you and Jake were planning on getting married, or I think that’s what you had in mind.”
Lexie protested. “Actually getting married was Jake’s idea.”
Dalila’s smile widened as she arched a quizzical brow. “Of course it was.”
At this point, Lexie’s protective instincts had kicked in. She stepped toward the door.
“I really don’t want to discuss this with you, Dalila.”
“Oh baby, who else can you talk to? Who else knows Jake the way I do, and for as long as I have?”
She paused as though deciding whether to continue, but then shrugged and plunged forward.
“Honey, the kindest way I can put it is that no one who knows him would describe Jake Gardner is a ‘one woman man.’ And Alexis, I could give you a two hundred page address book to prove it.”
Lexie didn’t know how she got to her car. She vaguely remembered going to the valet stand and begging the carrot-topped valet to give her the keys to her Camaro. She’d scribbled a note to Peter and gave the kid $20 to deliver it to any of the Asian men in the ballroom. She was sure they all knew Peter.
Somehow she’d made it home without crashing her car… intentionally or unintentionally.
At that moment, she heard him banging on the door, ending her troubled reverie.
~~~
Jake breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw her car in the driveway. He’d already called Dan Rourke, telling him as far as he was concerned Dan could fire the whole damn bunch of cops guarding the Center. Dan was as shocked as Jake that Lexie had driven herself to the hotel. Jake took some comfort in the fact that heads would roll as soon as they hung up. Surprised that she was not in the dojo, he marched toward her closed bedroom door. While he wasn’t surprised that it was locked, it infuriated him. He rapped sharply on the unforgiving wood.
“Open the door, Lexie.”
He didn’t hide the anger in his voice. He heard movement behind the door, but she didn’t answer.
“Lexie, the door.”
Her voice was tinged with the sound of tears. He expected rage. Instead he heard scorn.
“Fat chance! What happened, Jake? Didn’t she want to do you after all that foreplay? She didn’t invite you to her lair? Or did you just settle for a quickie in a hotel closet?”
“Lexie. Open. The. Fucking. Door.”
“Why should I?”
He steeled himself not to yell. “Because, I told you to.”
“Go away, Jake. I don’t want you here. Go find one of your other women. According to Dalila, all you have to do is open any page in the phone book to find a familiar name.”
Jake took several deep breaths to slow his pounding heart.
“Lexie, now.”
As much as he didn’t want to upset Master Wan, he knew he was seconds away from breaking down the door.
She must have heard the fury in his voice because the lock clicked.
“Fine.”
He heaved open the door and strode in. She’d moved next to the bathroom door, her hand on the knob. Through the red haze covering his eyes, he huffed at the disheveled state of the room. He wasn’t a stranger to Lexie’s temper. Kicking one of her shoes out of the way, he advanced on her. She turned to go into the bathroom but he grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall. Conscious of his strength, and seeing the tear streaks on her face, he dialed his anger down to a slow burn.
“Don’t you ever lock me out of your room again. Do you understand me?”
His breath felt hot, jagged. He forced his voice to quiet.
“Do you hear me, Lexie?”
She surprised him with one of her breakaway moves. Backing across the room, she tossed her head.
“The entire world doesn’t exist just to take orders from you. What will you do, Jake? Break down the door? Smash it in pieces?”
His voice was taut with suppressed anger.
“To begin with.”
Before she could stop him, he’d grabbed her and hauled her up to his chest. Backing her against the wall, he pressed his lips just below her ear.
“And then, Lexie, I’ll do this.”
Snatching the clip from her hair, he wove his fingers into the heavy mass of curls. Dragging her head back, he pressed his lips hard against her mouth. He didn’t hold back. Thrusting his ravenous tongue into her mouth he captured hers. Her moan sent flames of heat to his aroused cock. In seconds they were tearing at each other’s clothes.
Jake ripped open the clasp holding her dress in place. The halter top dropped to her waist baring her breasts. A hard groan rose from his throat at the sight. With one hand he held her head in place, with the other he grasped one firm globe and bent down to drag her taut nipple between his lips. She cried out pushing the sensitive nub into his mouth.
“Yes, God, yes. Suck me, Jake. Suck on me hard.”
With a growl, he shoved her dress over her hips forcing it to the floor. He gasped at the glorious sight. Her body was bare except for her lacy thigh high silk stockings and the scrap of silk covering her mound.
“Fucking Christ, Lexie!” His voice was harsh with need. “God, baby. I can’t wait!”
He shoved his knee between her thighs. Grasping her ass cheeks, with one hand, he lifted her against his hard aroused cock. With his other hand he tore at the placket of his trousers. He didn’t know what was shaking harder, his legs or his voice.
He rasped, “I have to have you, Lexie. Now.”
She moaned, her voice vibrating with excitement. “I need you, Jake. I need to touch you, feel you inside of me. Please, now.”
She tugged frantically at his zipper. Between the two of them they opened his trousers and released his hard, thick cock. She gasped, her eyes widened at the sight. “Oh God, Jake, I… I… want you. You are so beautiful.”
Shoving her thong aside, he lifted her against the wall and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Finding her wet with desire, he groaned a deep guttural sound. Pressing the head of his engorged penis against her entrance, his voice was taut.
“Damn, Lexie. I’m gonna take you, Darlin’. Hard. Do you understand? I can’t wait, baby. I have to have you. I can’t stop. Do you hear me?”
She cried out, “Yes, Jake. God, yes! Now, don’t stop. Please now!”
She grasped his hips, and pulled him tight against her.
With a hard thrust, he drove into her reveling at the sound of her high wail. With every thrust he drove deeper, harder. Her sheathe gripped him milking his hard cock. Their cries were as tangled as their bodies. Over and over, he thrust into her, going deeper than he’d ever been. She answered every thrust by gripping him harder. They both exploded in a rush of passion so intense Jake swore his eyes rolled back in his head. His passionate shout echoed her loud keening wail. For several long moments they shuddered against the wall. She was sobbing, laughing, planting kisses all over his face and neck. He could feel her heart hammering against his chest. He wasn’t sure whose was beating harder—his or hers. Wiping at his cheeks, he marveled that the tears he’d thought were hers were his. Somehow he unhooked their tangled bodies and laid her on the floor. His cock rose at the erotic sight of her, stretched out before him, her silky stockings and tattered thong, her only clothing.
Before they ever reached the bed, he took her over and over. He buried the anger, the frustration and the hurt of the last days deep inside her body. She welcomed him, crying out, begging for more. Lifting her high on her hands and knees he roared into her receptive folds. He took her from behind, then the back of the chair and the table were the stops along the way. By the time he got her to the bed, he’d shrugged off the last vestige of his formal attire and stripped off her stockings, putting them by the bedside for safekeeping. Dipping his fingers inside her, he spread the juices from her succulent folds over her beaded nipples. He licked and sucked and bit t
hem, growling with delight when she once again screamed out her orgasm.
When she woke and found him gone, she startled, then remembered that during the night he told her he needed to leave early in the morning but wanted her to sleep. She snuggled under the covers reveling in the memory of their passionate lovemaking. She touched all the sensitive places on her body that he’d kissed and stroked. She gave a contented moan, feeling the tug of sore muscles in places that delighted her.
By the bedside, she saw that he had folded her stockings and put a note on them that said: ‘Mine.’ She laughed and picked up the note addressed to her. In his bold handwriting she read: ‘Never again, Lexie. We will never let that happen again. I’m not sure my heart or my cock can handle the making up process. I love you Darlin’, with all my heart. Jake.’
Chapter 25
Lexie waited nervously by the entrance to the bistro. She was glad that she’d agreed to meet Peter for coffee. It was the least she could do after abandoning him at the hotel last night. But she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.
The morning paper on the counter rack grabbed her attention. On the left hand side above the fold, she saw the headline “The Blond Barracuda Strikes Again.” The article was written by one of the reporters who had interviewed her the day before. From the first couple of lines, Lexie knew she would be happy with the story.
“Is there a chance that the most famous person in all of San Francisco will allow me to buy her a cup of coffee?”
Lexie whirled to see Peter smiling at her. His black silk shirt and tailored slacks reminded her of what he wore the night he’d come to her rescue. She was struck by how handsome, how distinguished he was. He tapped his finger against the newspaper.
“You definitely will want to read this article. It is the compelling story of a courageous young woman who takes on powerful adversaries with passion and verve. Best of all it makes Kurt Masters out to be the ass that he is.”
Lexie laughed and then blushed.
“Peter, about last night… I’m so—”
He held up his hand. “No, Alexis. I didn’t come here to castigate you or embarrass you. Shall we find a table?”
He motioned to the waitress, who nodded in return and led them to a table in the far corner of the room.
After thanking the waitress, Peter pulled out Lexie’s chair and sat across from her.
Lexie decided to cut to the chase.
“Peter, please. I need to apologize for my behavior last night.”
Peter shook his head, his expression was solemn. “That’s not necessary, Lexie.”
“Oh, but it is. I… was… it was a difficult evening. I knew that it would be, and I should not have agreed to come.”
He raised his hands in mock horror. “What? And deprived me of that vision of you lighting the ballroom like a golden goddess from another planet? That would have been a genuine loss. I particularly enjoyed the way the crowd parted for you. But then you must be used to that.”
Lexie frowned slightly, his remark reminded her of what Dalila had said. One of the many mean things that she’d said. The thought of Dalila brought back the memory of the horrible evening.
Peter picked up on her discomfort.
“I’m sorry. Did I say something that upset you?”
Lexie shook her head. “No, no. It’s just that this is difficult. You have been very kind to me, and I repaid you by leaving last night without saying good bye or thank you.”
He sighed. “Alexis, I’m going to be honest with you. My intentions were not always the most honorable. I admit that when I invited you to be my guest, I had an ulterior motive. You must know what a lovely young woman you are. It shouldn’t surprise you that I am attracted to you.”
When she frowned, he laughed.
“Relax, Alexis. I am not here to profess my undying love for you or even my lust. No, as much as I would like to think that we might have had a connection, I didn’t get to where I am in my life without being a good judge of people and situations. It’s clear to me and to anyone who spends three minutes with you and the lucky Colonel to know that you are passionately in love. I applaud you both. You deserve a man like Jake Gardner and he is very lucky to have a woman like you.”
Lexie was both surprised and charmed by Peter’s words. How could she be anything else? Looking at the distinguished man smiling at her, she was struck by how much she liked him. And she genuinely appreciated his help.
“Peter, thank you. You have been a wonderful friend. More than that, a true lifesaver. But you are correct. Jake and I are crazy, wildly in love with each other. We allowed our differences about my work to come between us. And you were caught in the middle of the mess we’d made. Thank you for understanding that. I’m sorry if I misled you in any way or gave you the wrong impression.”
Again, he held up his hand.
“Absolutely not. You were most candid, and one look at your face any time Gardner was nearby was all the evidence I needed to know that you were spoken for. But, we’re done with that now, Alexis. Let’s move forward. We have a number of things to discuss. Particularly the situation with the city.”
Lexie breathed a sigh of relief. She’d assumed she’d lost his support and was grateful that he still intended to be her champion.
The waitress returned and they took a break to order. Lexie was astonished at how hungry she was. Then, remembering Jake’s passionate lovemaking, she blushed and decided she’d earned any amount of food she could eat.
As they ate, she and Peter mapped out an action plan that included a list of next steps both with the Council and the District. As she laid out how she planned to take on the owners of the massage parlors, she saw his frown.
“What is it, Peter?”
He hesitated for a moment then pinned her with a hard gaze.
“I’ll be honest with you, Alexis. I hope you will understand what I am about to say. I believe that work is better done by a combination of the police and the legal apparatus of the city.”
Lexie was startled.
“You can’t be serious, Peter. Are you talking about the same police force and ‘legal apparatus’ that allowed 90 % of the illicit massage parlors to get a City permit to operate? I don’t understand. Surely you know how ineffective they have been. If I pull back, they will see it as a victory. They can just wait me out until the press has found another issue to dog, and then go back to business as usual.”
Peter conceded. “That is always a possibility when you are dealing with government entities. But I have more faith than that. You have done an extraordinary job focusing attention on the issue. The City won’t be able to hide behind their usual bureaucratic ramparts. The press won’t let them, and you won’t let them. But as for going after the owners, that is a different issue.”
Lexie couldn’t believe what he was saying. Surely he knew the hard work was just beginning. If they stopped now, the immoral people most responsible for the criminal activity would once again get off free. Free to open more illicit parlors, exploit more vulnerable women. She was shocked and disappointed. She’d truly believed that Peter was different. That he understood how important it was for her to see this through. To bring down the villains who were most responsible. Moreover, she’d hoped that he would help her, back her up. Perhaps even help her convince Jake how important it was that she continue. Here she’d thought he’d come to her out of respect. To decide how they could work together to get the owners. But he was just like the rest of them. Jake, Dan Rourke and now Peter, all thought that she wasn’t strong enough, powerful enough to take on the real criminals.
She didn’t hide her disappointment. “Are you suggesting that I back off? That I stop what I am doing and turn it over to the ‘authorities’?”
Peter sighed. “In essence, yes. Alexis, there are powerful forces out there that are beyond even your formidable strengths. You have done an astonishing job of bringing attention to the issue. Unfortunately, it also has put you in the crosshairs o
f some very dangerous entities. It is my considered opinion that you need to ‘back off,’ as you say. I’m not suggesting that you stop working with the exploited women. Absolutely not. They need you, Alexis. You are their champion. But at this point you need to turn the larger issue over to those who can better handle the risk.”
Her voice was sharp. “Stop, Peter. You will understand if I tell you that I have heard this song before. What you are saying is just one more version of what Jake is saying, what Dan Rouke is saying, what Brady is saying and dammit, even Master Wan. And now you, Peter?”
Peter frowned. “Unless I am mistaken, and I know I’m not, every man on that list you just ticked off respects and cares for you. Can you please give all of us a break, Alexis, and understand that we are concerned about your safety?”
Lexie rose from the table. She pressed her lips in a firm line and glared at him. She was disappointed and angry.
“I do understand that, Peter. And I appreciate your concern. But, what you and Jake and all the rest of them don’t seem to appreciate is that if it wasn’t for me the ‘entities’ you refer to would be doing business as usual. Now they are forced to come out in the open and fight me.”
Peter leaned back in his chair and regarded her carefully. His voice and demeanor were calm, contained, but she saw the intensity in his eyes. “Would you believe me, Alexis, if I told you that those ‘entities’ don’t fight openly? They fight behind the scenes in dirtier and more violent ways than you can imagine. They make examples of people like you, Alexis. To frighten other crusaders off.”
Somehow she managed to control her anger. It wasn’t easy. She wanted to scream at him she was so disappointed. She spoke slowly, carefully, “That may be true, Peter. Maybe you and Jake and the rest are smarter than I am. But dammit, if any of you think that I am going to pull back after coming this far, you are sorely mistaken.”
Peter huffed out a loud sigh and quirked an ironic brow. “While I envy him, Jake most certainly has his hands full. You are one stubborn woman, Ms. Beloi.”