Gregory leads me to the dance floor, and after only a few seconds his intentions become clear. His hand keeps ‘slipping’ down to my ass, and he’s incessantly licking his lips. He’s also holding me a little too tightly for my comfort. I take a good look at him. Other than the fact that he’s married, he’s nowhere near my type. He’s tall and skinny, even more than Jimmy. His hair is jet black and greasy, and his nose is a little crooked. With a polite smile, I step back.
“Thank you, Mr. Johnson. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to check in with the caterer.” I turn and leave him standing on the dance floor, shuddering in disgust as I walk away.
**Rick**
I’m itching to march over there and punch Johnson in his already crooked nose. I can’t stand the way he’s trying to grope her. Remembering where we are, I clench my fists at my sides. I attempt to have a conversation with a few people standing around, but I can’t keep my attention away from her. Johnson better not get any other ideas. Finally, she steps back and walks away from the asshole. That’s my girl. Wait…what? My girl? When did she become my girl? That’s when it hits me. I want her to be mine. She is mine. I don’t want to hide anymore. Hiding means having to suffer through situations like this. She’s mine and it’s time I accepted it. It’s time everyone knows it. I need to talk to her. I eagerly search the crowd but find no trace of her.
“Rick!”
I turn to the voice, trying to smile. “Walter! How’s the party?”
“Great! But I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.”
He leads me to a quiet corner, and gives me a stern stare. “You’ve got eyes on my Kelly, don’t you?”
“What?”
“I’m old but I’m no fool, McAllister. Trips to my office for no reason, calling her up to yours. I saw the way you were looking at Johnson just now.”
His Kelly? Who does he think he is? “Walter, look –”
“Let me finish. You’re a good man, Rick. She’s a nice girl. All I’m saying is…don’t hurt her.”
He surprised me, but I realize Walter’s only looking out for Kelly.
“I hope everyone is not as astute as you are old man,” I reply, patting his shoulder.
“I mean it, Rick.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Don’t try,” he warns. “Do it.”
I nod, shaking Walter’s hand. Now, I just have to find her. I spot her friend Rosalinda, and head in her direction.
“Miss Sanchez?”
She turns and fixes an alluring smile on her lips. “Yes, Mr. McAllister?”
I notice she pushes her chest out as she places her hand on her hip. Even before Kelly, I wouldn’t have looked at her twice.
“Have you seen Kelly?” I ask.
Shock registers on her face. “Kelly?” Her brows furrow in confusion, then as if something clicks in her mind, she smiles. “No I haven’t.”
“Thank you.” I nod and walk away.
Where the hell is she?
**Kelly**
My phone vibrates in my clutch, and I pull it out. A text message.
2123000000: I KNOW.
What the hell? It’s the same number from before, same message. It can’t possibly be a mistake. This has to be about Rick. Fuck. I need to find him.
“Kelly.”
The voice stops me in the corridor, and I turn around. “Oh. Hey, Jimmy. You having a good time?” I ask, clearly distracted.
“Yeah,” he staggers in my direction. “You could make it a whole lot better, though.” He smiles, his gaze roving my body.
“Jimmy, don’t you ever give up?”
His smile fades. “You didn’t have a problem giving it up to him.”
“You’re drunk. You should call a cab and go home.”
“Not until I get what I want.”
He grabs my hand, dragging me down the corridor.
“Jimmy, let go of me!”
Ignoring my protest, he opens a door, and pushes me through it. I trip on the hem of my dress, and almost fly head-first over the balcony. Cringing, I stare at the garden below. Before I can recover, Jimmy is behind me, pinning me against the railing.
“A year…” he grumbles against my ear. “A whole fuckin’ year I’ve been chasing you. He takes one look at you and you throw up your skirt without hesitation. What is it, the money?”
Oh, God. Please don’t let him hurt me! “What are you talking about?”
He grabs the back of my neck and squeezes. “I know. I know everything.”
Fuck. It’s Jimmy! He’s the one sending the cryptic messages.
“That first night in the parking structure,” he continues. “It was supposed to be me. If that bitch Rosalinda hadn’t held me up, I would have been your knight in shining armor.”
The parking structure? Then, it dawns on me – the reason they couldn’t find anything wrong with my tire. “You let the air out of my tire!”
“Yes,” he admits. “I saw the way he looked at you. I should have killed him then.”
“No!”
He tightens his hold on my neck.
“Instead, I watched you…your apartment, the condo…like I said, I know everything.”
“Oh, my God! You’ve been stalking me?”
“I think of it as…surveillance.”
I feel sick to my stomach. How could I not know? How did we not know we were being watched?
“Jimmy –”
“Shut up! You’re gonna give me some of what he’s been getting or I will let everyone know.”
He grabs my skirt, pulling up the floor length material.
“No! Jimmy, please…don’t!” I struggle against him but he’s surprisingly strong. Reaching behind me, I try to grab or scratch him but I can’t. My panic grows when he rips apart my pantyhose.
“Stop!” I scream, trying to break his hold on me.
The door bursts open behind us, and I thank whatever angel is watching over me.
“I believe the lady said no.”
Rick! There’s a cracking sound, and I spin around to see Jimmy falling to the floor.
**Rick**
I heard her voice coming from outside but I wasn’t expecting the scene that greeted me when I opened the door. The bastard had her bent over the balcony, and was about to rip off her underwear.
“McAllister,” he spits at me from the floor.
Kelly uses the opportunity to move around the man, and runs to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods and steps behind me. I observe the scum on the floor, shooting him a furious glare. I want to kill the son of a bitch.
Slowly, he struggles to his feet.
“You’re dead, McAllister. Then I’m gonna have her. One way or another.”
He swings at me, and I swat his hand away like I would a bug. The action sends him spinning. Moving behind him, I put him in a headlock, and punch him in the side.
“You so much as think about her again, I will kill you with my bare hands. Understand me?”
He tries to get free, but I tighten my hold on his neck until he goes limp. I release him, and he falls to the floor in a heap. When I turn to Kelly, she runs into my arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wrap her in a tight embrace.
“It’s okay. You’re okay…” I coo in her ear.
“Is he…?”
“No. He’ll wake up soon.”
“Oh, God, Rick! He was going to –”
“Shh…”
“If you hadn’t…how did you know?”
“I didn’t. I was looking for you, and I heard your voice when I walked into the corridor.”
“You were looking for me?” She stares up at me with wide eyes.
“Yes. I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“Us. I don’t want to hide anymore. Fuck the company and what people will say. I want you and I want everyone to know you’re mine. I think…I think I’m falling in love with you, Kelly.”
Fresh tear
s well in her eyes. “Oh, Rick…” She throws her arms around my waist. “I love you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Yes, I do!”
She loves me. I can’t believe it. What have I done to deserve her love? I don’t care. Whatever it is, I’m happy. She’s mine and I’m not letting her go. Removing my handkerchief from my pocket, I wipe her tears.
“Come on. I want to dance with the most beautiful woman at this party.”
**Kelly**
While Rick talks to the security team and calls the police, I make my way to the bathroom to put myself back together. The night’s events flash in my mind – Jimmy attacking me, Rick fighting him, and his admission. The only thing that matters is Rick has acknowledged his feelings for me. I launch into my happy dance. I’m finally getting what I want – Rick. When I exit the bathroom, Rick is right there waiting. He reaches for my hand, threading his fingers through mine.
“The security team has him in custody. The police will be here soon.”
I nod, waiting for him to make the next move. He leads me back into the main ballroom, keeping our fingers laced. This is it.
As we move through the crowd, there are open-mouthed stares and whispers, but Rick ignores them. He takes me to the dance floor, and tugs me into his arms. I tip my face up to gauge his mood, and in front of everyone, he plants a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulls away, I lay my head on his chest with a sigh. I got my man and I couldn’t be happier.
**Kelly**
6 months later.
“Miss Black is here, sir,” Martha announces into the phone. She smiles and jerks her head toward Rick’s office. “Go on in, dear.”
“Thanks, Martha.”
When I step inside, he’s already out of his chair, and on his way to meet me. He closes the door, pushes me against it, and I hear the lock click into place. His lips are on mine before I can get a word out. I moan, snaking my arms around his neck. As his tongue slides past my lips, he tries to hook my leg around him, but my skirt hinders his progress. He grabs the hem, drags it over my hips, and lifts me off the floor. I wrap my legs around him, clinging to him as he moves farther into the office.
“Fuck. I miss having you in the same building,” he grumbles as he sets me down on his desk.
“I’m just across the street, Rick.” I giggle.
After that night at Walter’s party, the rumors began circulating. When the whispers and dirty looks became too much for me, I began sending out my résumé. Two months ago, I finally landed a HR Manager position at an investment bank. The best part is, I did it without Rick’s help. I threatened him with a promise of no more blow jobs if he so much as made a phone call. Needless to say, it worked. I decided not to press charges against Jimmy, but he’s no longer with the company, and I have a restraining order against him.
“I know…but it’s still too far away,” Rick grumbles.
I gasp as he slips a finger under the crotch of my panties. This is why I can’t wear pantyhose.
“Rick…” I whisper on a ragged breath as he starts to stroke my clit.
“How was your morning?” he asks, his face a picture of composure.
“Okay.” I whimper as he slides a finger inside me. “Did a few interviews.”
“Good.” He withdraws his finger, pulling it into his mouth. “Had to get a taste of my girl,” he says with a wink.
My muscles clench and my nipples tingle. Fuck. When he reaches behind me, his chest rubs against my breasts. I moan, wishing there were no clothes between us. He hands me a small box, then stands back, watching me.
“What’s this?” I ask as I open it. Inside, there’s a key. “What’s this for?”
“My condo.”
“Oh, cool! Now Charles won’t have to let me in.”
“He won’t, because you’re moving in.”
The key falls from my fingers. “Wh…what?” I stammer.
“You’re. Moving. In,” he repeats as he unbuttons my blouse.
“Rick…are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. You spend most of your time there, anyway.”
“Yeah, but…are you sure you want me in your space like that?”
“I want you in my space.” He unclasps my bra, cupping my breast. His free hand slides between my legs once more, and I moan as he finds my clit through my panties. “Because…” He moves the crotch aside, burying a finger inside me. “I want to be in your space.”
“Oh, God…”
“So…you’re going to give notice at your place, and I’m going to have someone pack up your things…and…” His thumb presses down on my clit. “You’re. Moving. In.”
“Fuck, Rick. Right there!” I whisper-shout as he pulls my nipple into his mouth. He sinks his teeth into it, and I fist my hand in his hair. Ever since he found out my nipples are my weakness, he’s used it against me time and time again. This time is no different. As his fingers drive me crazy, his mouth torments my breasts.
“Say yes, Kelly.”
I answer with a moan. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I can’t move in with him for the wrong reasons. Sex is one of those reasons.
“Look at me,” he commands.
My lids flutter open, and I stare into his deep blue eyes. He inserts another finger, slowly fucking me as his thumb circles my clit.
“I want to fall asleep every night with your head on my chest, and your taste on my lips.”
Fuck.
“In the mornings, I want to wake up to the scent of your hair. Then, the look in your golden eyes, as you stare up at me like I just made love to you in your dreams.”
Fuck me.
“Say yes, Kelly. Say yes, not because I love to fuck you but because…I love you.”
I come instantly, grabbing his shoulders, and biting into my lip to stifle my scream. He loves me. Holy shit, Rick McAllister loves me!
“Say yes.”
“Yes! Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
He plants a soft kiss on my lips, then closes his eyes, and rests his forehead to mine. “Thank you.”
“I love you, Rick.”
He smiles, trailing his nose along mine. “I’m going to marry you one day, Kelly. When I ask, you better not take this long to answer.”
My heart constricts. Fucking man kills me with his words daily. He wants to marry me. Tears well in my eyes.
“I’d say yes in a heartbeat if you asked right now.”
“Really?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Really.”
“In that case…”
He reaches into his jacket, and pulls out another small box, falling to one knee. Oh, fuck. He flips the lid, and a dazzling diamond glints at me. This is not how I envisioned a marriage proposal—sitting on an office desk, my skirt around my hips, and breasts hanging out—but in all my fantasies, the man proposing is the one on his knee before me. He doesn’t even need to ask.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” he raises both brows.
“Yes!”
He slips the ring onto my finger, and tears roll down my cheeks as he wraps his arms around me. I can’t believe it. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. Who said dreams don’t come true?
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review at your retailer. Thank you!
~~~~Alana~~~~
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Beyond The Cage (A MMA Romance)
Music and writing are my two great loves. I always thought I'd be doing one or the other. Alas, I cannot sing or play an instrument so I'm relegated to listening to music
(and eating copious amounts of chocolate) while I write. Hoping you’ll enjoy my characters as much as I do!
CHECK OUT EXPOSED BY IVY STONE!
Copyright © 2015 Ivy Stone
All rights reserved.
Published by Ivy Stone, First Edition October 13th 2015
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing. Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For permission requests, email the author at [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Cover Image by: Michael Meadows Studios
CHAPTER ONE
Lindsey
Eleven years later
Time is my enemy, absolution my craving.
Can I find redemption before there is no chance to turn back?
I glance at the world clocks lining the walls, their incessant ticking echoes through the building.
In the Dark Page 7