by Linz Lenay
“You'll all be sorry for this. You have no idea what kind of shit storm I can bring down on people!” She's screaming and drawing attention now.
I see security working their way through the crowd, along with two men that look familiar. Blinking, I realize it's Tig and Wardman, my cousins. They're close behind security and now I'm wondering if they volunteered to help out. The lead security guy makes it to Eva and puts a hand on her shoulder, letting her know he means business.
“Time to go, lady.” He tells her and she turns her glower at him, before fighting against him as he guides her toward the exit. Wardman follows him out, but Tig and the other guy stay behind.
“You guys alright?” The unknown security guard asks.
“Yeah. I guess it's unsurprising that Eva decided crashing the charity ball. Thank you, Cheric. I'll thank Bastian later as well.”
“No problem, Dasia, it's what you hired us for. Besides, she should be glad she's a woman. If she weren't Bas would be out having a bit of fun right now.” Cheric winked, then laughed with Tig.
“Dee, this is a bit of a surprise, but I want you to meet my cousin, Tig. Tig, this is my girlfriend, Dasia.” I interject.
“Wait, this Tig is the same one you've told me about? I guess I didn't think about it, it's such a rare name I should have put two and two together. It's so nice to meet you!” She starts and turns to offer Tig her hand.
“Nice to officially meet you, Dasia. My brother, Trennen, would have been here to help out, but he had some business to attend to. Whi—... Uh, Ward, should be back in a bit and you can meet him, as well.”
She gives him a funny look when he starts to call Wardman something else, but lets it go and smiles at him. I see Ward and Bastian coming back, smiling and laughing at something. They both stop at the group we have, and Bas says something to Cheric in German, making him laugh as well. It's then I realize the clinic owner and her husband have excused themselves from us.
“Gaige, these are the rest of our security for tonight. Bastian, Cheric, and you know Wardman it seems.” She introduces the men, ending on a laugh.
“Nice to meet you and thank you for taking care of that.”
“It's our job. What you didn't get to see was us meeting the police and her thinking she could not only entice them with sex, but then run from them. One of them was a woman, and when she tackled her on the chase, she had a huge grin across her face. It truly made my night, so thank you for allowing us to provide our services.”
It's then that I realize that these guys are Tig's bosses. Like the darker side of Robin Hood, bosses. I try not to outwardly react, knowing these guys could kill anyone with an imagination miles long. If I do react, neither say a word about it, or they take it as a reaction to their story. Dee is bent over laughing.
“Please. Tell me you got a video of that.” She says through a wheeze.
“I did!” Ward shakes his phone with a big smile on his face. “Though if I share it with you, nothing was seen. Got it?”
“What video?” she smiles.
He brings up the video to show us, making the whole group laugh. After, we catch up until it's time to start the bachelor auction. I watch as Dasia dominates the stage and crowd, getting them pumped to bid on the players from all the different teams that have offered themselves up for a night, donating to a great cause. After all the men have been bought, she talks about the charity and what it's meant to her, even asks the photographer who has PCOS, to talk a little about her own story. I have never heard of Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome, but Lendal has enlightened us all in terms we can understand, instead of using doctor lingo.
After the speeches, the DJ starts up and everyone dances up a storm until midnight. I watch Dee for the most part, dancing with Storm and Monica. When she requests the DJ to play I Don't Dance by DMX, she pulls me on the floor though. We laugh as I hold her hips against me, grinding into her as the lyrics flow. The song finishes and I pull her out of the ballroom to find a place to get inside of her privately. I don't think anyone would appreciate me fucking her out there. We make it quick, knowing she has to be back, since she's the host, but I enjoy every moment with her.
“Thank you, Sir.” She says breathlessly, head against my shoulder, my hand gently massaging her throat, my cock still inside of her.
“I should be thanking you, Miss. I know that was a bit unplanned, but it was needed. We should head back out though. That is why we were quick about it.” I kiss her bare shoulder, and pull out of her warmth.
We right our clothing, I tuck myself back into my slacks, and grinning make our way back to the ballroom.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Lex is sitting on a bench just outside of the powder room we used, flax in hand.
“Hello, Vadik. Are you enjoying yourself tonight? You went for a pretty high amount.” Dee says politely.
“Oh I can imagine other ways that my night could get better.” He licks his lips, raking his eyes up her body.
“Well I hope the rest of your night is fun.” She says and tugs me away before I do something I'll end up getting into trouble for.
“You know I could have just knocked him out and made it look like he passed out from drinking, right?” I say to her lowly as we enter the ballroom.
“Yes, but then Cat would find out and rip your balls off. I want kids one day, so let's avoid any harm to your baby makers.”
Karter must have heard the end of her comment, because he steps in front of us.
“Uh, why are your dick and balls in danger? Who do I need to kill now?”
“Nothing to worry over, Kart. I was just preventing Gaige from punching a teammate and Ally getting word of it.”
“Ah, yeah, that wouldn't be good. Maybe we can have security do it for us. They are supposed to be taking care of problem people, right?”
“No. If someone is going to knock some sense into that asshole, I want it to be me. No one else handles my shit, but me.” I tell him.
He puts his hands up in surrender, like I'm looking to hit him in place of Lex.
“I'm not going to hit you, Dude. And I'll save my aggression for working out and the ice. Focus the energy there and Cat has nothing to worry about with me.”
Dasia wraps her arms around me, leans up, and kisses my cheek in approval.
Since it's getting close to midnight, there aren't many people left, and the cleanup crew is starting to clear the tables and decorations. Dasia and Storm, who is surprisingly sober, both pitch in, too. Kris is carrying a sleeping Monica, but he stops to say goodbye to both Dee and I before heading out. Karter, Drew and I help where we can, getting everything cleaned up in a short time. Karter gets a phone number and a thanks from one of the events crew girls, and Drew helps his ex carry Rae out to their car. She only stayed so he could have the chance to tuck her in. Surprisingly, she's the one that bid on him tonight. I wonder if there are still feelings there, or if Drew asked her to do it, hoping to get extra time with his daughter.
Dasia picks up the heels she tossed beside the wall when she started helping, and makes her way toward me, smile on her face.
“You ready to go home, Bloodfeather?”
She nods and we head home. I have to carry her inside to bed, because she falls asleep on the way home.
Chapter Twelve
Dasia...
The morning after the charity ball, I'm up early and making coffee while checking all the social media accounts, while Gaige works out in the basement. There doesn't seem to be a ton going on, minus photos from last night being posted all over. The hashtags being #TalkingInfertility and #1in8 trending across the captions. I should be used to things like this spreading around, but this time tears prick my eyes, knowing it's such a good cause. When the GM and owner came to me telling me I would be in charge of the annual Charity Ball and I could choose any cause to support, I didn't know where to start. I knew I wanted something that seemed like it was being pushed to the back of the line, something that seemed taboo to
talk about, even though it was so common. I drove by an in vitro clinic, I turned around and went back. I talked to the owner, Jade, and her husband about everything they could tell me about it. They directed me to the charity, Fertile Dreams. I contacted the man, who's based out of Florida, and collected more information about his charity, who chooses two families who fill out grant paperwork, $10,000. I asked if I could raise money for two more, if he'd make more families happy this year; he accepted.
As I'm pulling myself together, I get a ding on my phone from Moriah, the assistant the Basilisk's assigned me for major events. She asks if she can meet up with me to go over the stats for last night, saying Jeb and Brion are with her and have their input as well. This team made me so proud last night, and they're just interns. I will definitely be putting in a good word for them on Monday. I respond, letting her know I need to shower and dress, but I can meet her at a local cafe to go over everything.
I take two mugs of freshly brewed coffee and head up to the bedroom to get ready. Gaige is in the shower when I get there, so I set our mugs on the end table and quickly undress to join him. I open the glass door to the stall, seeing his head is under the water rinsing the soap from his hair. I wrap my arms around him from behind, and lean my head between his shoulder blades. His hand comes up to hold my wrists to his chest, but he doesn't say a word otherwise, we just stand there in silence for a moment. Then he turns, and trades places with me, not letting me clean myself, but soaping me up himself, taking special care to his favorite spots. There's more intimacy than sexual tension, and it's a beautiful moment I have with him. I really hope that the house we're going to check out tomorrow is the one for us, because this is the type of thing that I miss when I'm away from Gaige. If we're living together, we can do this whenever he's home.
“I'm going to meet the crew after I get cleaned up, to go over the numbers from last night. We're going to Brewed Up, is there anything you want me to bring home?” I ask him when we start drying each other off.
“How long will you be? I can drop you off, if you want. Karter asked if we could hang out a bit today, and I told him I'd have to let him know since I wasn't sure of our plans.”
“I honestly don't know, but I can text or call you when I'm about ready or when I know a time. Karter's place isn't far, so I could always walk, too. It's actually nice out, so I don't mind at all.”
“Either way, I want you to get a hold of me.”
We get dressed; him in jeans and a Griffins long sleeve and sneakers, me in my favorite burgundy cold shoulder sweater, jeans and ankle boots. He drops me off at the cafe and none of the crew is here yet, so I order an iced coffee and find a section big enough for us to spread out and work. I choose a spot in the back section that has a sectional and clear glass coffee table. I pull my tablet, laptop, and phone out of my messenger bag, then text Moriah to let her know where I'm at.
Bringing up the pages I need on each device, I sip my coffee and wait. While I do, I keep checking social media for more photos and any stories that the press has posted relating to it. Everything is looking up, and I decide to update my Instagram and Twitter to give more information on how other people can donate or contact the charity if they're in need. I link Fertile Dreams in everything, use the hashtags I'm seeing everywhere, and even add in a link to more information on Infertility that I found.
I've been working on this for about half an hour, my coffee needing to be refilled, when Moriah finally comes up to the couch I'm sitting on and plops down into a seat dramatically.
“What's wrong, Doll?”
“Ugh. I planned on being here much sooner, but when I got out to my car, an ex-fling was waiting for me, leaned right up against it. I told him I had plans and shit to do, but he just got angry and jealous telling me that I looked like a whore and of course I couldn't make time for him while he was around. He yelled a lot, and I tried to get him to calm down so that campus security didn't call the cops, because that would be bad for his job. He wasn't having it, someone called anyway, and I have to go down there after this to give a statement. I told them this was something I couldn't miss or I'd be fired. Jeb and Brion are on their way, too, they hit traffic on the highway though.”
Moriah lived in the student apartments the Portage campus provided, while Jeb and Brion both lived around the area Gaige and I are looking at homes. They commute to and from the Lykan campus, and it's cheaper for them to live where they do. Moriah commutes to work, but does a lot of things remotely since it's a bit of a drive. She was excited to find out the charity event was going to be in a venue that was halfway between here and Lykan.
I nod at her and we get to work. I'll ask her about her personal life when we get done. We can start without the boys for now, and if she has to go to the police station after this, I want to help her anyway I can.
An hour and a half later, the four of us have gone through probably two pots of coffee, Jeb and Brion showing up shortly after Moriah had. We raised enough money for Fertile Dreams, that they should be able to help at least two extra families for the next twenty years. We go over a couple extra things, making sure all the right people were paid for the event, and even a couple bulletins for the next event we're doing. The good news is the next thing we're planning isn't for another couple weeks and it's a meet and greet skate at the arena, with a chance to win a coffee date with one of the rookies. There are a ton of meet and greets that we've all experienced or planned, so we're able to skip the parts that are recurring and go straight to the new exciting things. We make a plan to do a video conference tomorrow after my walk-through of the houses Lila, the realtor has found for us.
I ask Moriah if she wants me to go with her, just for support and she declines, saying she needs to do this on her own. I tell her to call me if she needs me for anything and we hug goodbye. She's a good kid, hard worker, but she's been mixed up with some of the worst guys from what she's told me. She's just twenty, so not much younger than me, and so very smart, just has a weakness for the extra bad boy. Gaige has a bad boy side, especially on the ice, but he's also tender with me and allows me to take care of myself while still offering to do it.
I pack up my things, texting Gaige to let him know my meeting is over, and that I'm going to grab one more coffee before walking his way. He doesn't message back though, so I wait for my drink and check on my post from earlier. It's been re-shared multiple times, is trending, has a ton of comments and love to go with it, and I have a few private messages saying that people are reacting to my stories. It's more than I could ask for with this event. I truly hope the GM, Mr. Drudes, and owner, Mr. Sillman, are proud of how everything came together last night. The players were such good sports and they interacted with everyone they could; talking, dancing, and eating. I know I'm proud of all the guys from last night, including those from other teams.
I know I was worried at first, thinking the guys would have some kind of animosity toward each other, since that's what shows on the ice, but I had nothing to worry over since everyone was friendly and got along great.
I take my coffee from the barista and head out, down the street toward Karter's downtown apartment. It should only take me twenty minutes to walk there, so I text Gaige again to let him know I've left and am on my way over.
I enjoy the sunshine on my face and shoulder, warming me on this rare warm day in February. We're lucky enough to live in a state that doesn't have the brutal winters like the northern ones. We have cold and even snow, but it's normally December through mid February, turning to just chill after that. Our summers get quite hot, but we aren't Hell temperatures like the desert. I prefer this, just because I can enjoy the change of the seasons, including the beautiful leaves turning on the mountains.
Halfway there, I get a prickling feeling that I'm being watched or followed. The foot traffic is light in this part of town, being the historical district. I look behind me at a stop light and notice a guy in a black hoodie, ball cap and hood covering his face, coming down the street. T
here's only a couple other people next to me at the moment waiting for the light to change, but I decide to see if my theory is right and cross the street where the sign tells me I can walk. I still haven't heard back from Gaige, which is kind of weird, but I brush it off, knowing that he probably read it and just didn't want to make small talk.
I wait for the light to change on the opposite side of the street and I get lucky as it doesn't take long. The guy in the hood is still behind me, following across the street and up the next block where I see a bookstore. There's a woman outside it, looking to close up, seeing it's three in the afternoon on a Sunday. I catch her before she can flip the sign and she must see the look in my eyes, allowing me to enter. I thank her and say I won't be long. I walk to the second aisle, and wait to see if the guy following me enters the store. Five minutes later, I still don't hear the bell above the door chime, so I grab a book that catches my eye, A tattooed hand and forearm holding a drink and cigar. I might have a thing for hand porn, especially when it involves tattoos. I buy the book, called Until Nox by Layla Frost, and thank the shop owner, telling her I'll be back when I have more time and she's not closing up. She gives me a friendly smile and tells me to make sure I carry some extra panties in my purse for the book I picked up. I give her a big grin and head out the door, back on the path to my destination.
I barely get a block before I'm pulled into an alley, a hand covering my mouth so I can't scream. I recognize the hoodie, but the assailant is still hiding his face. This time he's using my neck as his mask, running his nose up and down it, inhaling me. Tears prick my eyes, and I tell myself to stop being a little bitch because crying isn't going to help. I take in my situation, the way he has me pinned against the brick wall, I can't knee him in the balls, my legs are trapped by his. He has my wrists wrapped in one hand behind me, and his chest is pushing me back against the wall. I start to struggle and he bites where my neck meets the shoulder, making me want to cry out, but I hold back just squeezing my eyes shut and biting my lip until I feel blood. It felt like he went through the skin.