by Tina Saxon
Silence fills the air, answering my question.
Travis walks out and slams the door. I am immediately taken back all those years ago. I crumble into a ball and cry.
Not much later my door opens again and someone walks in. I don’t want to look to see who it is. Jett comes around the bed and sits down with a tray of food. He brushes my hair away from my tear-soaked face with the lightest of touches.
“Where’s my feisty sweetheart at?” he whispers.
“She died. Travis killed her,” I reply in a deadpan voice. He winces.
The door opens again. I figure it’s the two thugs or Travis coming back to kill me. At this point, I don’t care. Jett gets up off the bed and walks over to whomever it is. I hear whispering and one of them is a woman. I sit up and brush away the tears. Hope immediately fills my head. There is an older women dressed in all black. She walks into the bathroom, but I can’t see what she’s doing.
When she walks out I look right at her. “Do you know I’m being held captive here? Against my will. Look! I’m handcuffed to a bed. How can you not help me?” I plead.
She looks at me with sympathetic eyes and sighs. “It’ll be okay, I promise,” she says softly and turns to walk out.
My mouth hangs open in surprise at the gall of that lady. “How does she know it’s going to be okay? If I end up dead, I hope I haunt her for the rest of her life.” I glare at Jett.
“And there she is. My feisty girl is back. Will you haunt me?” Jett smirks and one of his dimples show. I don’t know why my body immediately reacts when he does that.
“Why do you insist on calling me sweetheart?” I question. “And I wouldn’t haunt you because I’m sure you have a house full of ghosts already.”
Laughing that low, sexy laugh, he responds, “You are definitely right about the ghosts. The nickname? Your name isn’t Renee, and you won’t tell me what your name is, so I have to call you something.” He shrugs.
Sweetheart is too personal, but I sure as hell am not going to tell him my real name, so whatever.
“Eat.” Jett picks up a strawberry and brings it to my lips. I take a bite. The look on Jett’s face tells me that he’s enjoying this. He feeds me another bite of the strawberry. Strawberry juice runs down my chin but before I can grab the napkin, Jett swipes it away with his thumb and brings it to his mouth and sucks his thumb. The sensation from his touch sends a bolt of heat straight to my sex. Holy shit, it got hot in here. This cannot be happening. Why can’t my body and brain come to an understanding? Work together here, please!
Scooting away from him, I say “Okay… I think I can feed myself.” I grab some food and stuff it in my mouth. Jett needs to move off this bed. Right now. He gets up, shaking his head with a sexy grin, and moves to the chair. He sits there and watches me eat, grabbing my tray after I’m done, then leaves the room.
I’m bored out of my mind, trying to put together a puzzle with a ton of missing pieces. If Travis had my mom killed, he knows that I know, too, but he doesn’t know who she is to me. What strikes me as odd is he has never threatened me. Maybe he’s trying to see how I’m connected to my mom. I need to keep my guard up with Jett and not let the sexual attraction cloud my judgment. I don’t trust him, but I can definitely use our attraction to my advantage.
* * *
I’m left alone for an hour or so, getting stiff and still reeling from my morning talk with Travis. Today has already been an emotional roller coaster and it’s still morning. I need to get up and move, but seeing that I’m handcuffed to this bed, I’ll have to improvise. I push all the pillows to the end of the bed and stand up. My cuffed hand moves up the metal rod. I run in place, thinking that I probably look ridiculous to anyone watching. The soft bed makes it a little difficult to run, but it’s helping with the stiffness. I alternate running in place with jumps. Time is hard to determine, but I imagine that I’ve been doing this for a half an hour and have worked up a good sweat. I go into a split to stretch my inner thighs and bend over at the waist with both hands on the headboard. The door opens. I glance over my shoulder and see Jett frozen in place, flashing a devilish grin. I’m almost positive he is eye fucking me right now.
“See something you like?” I turn back around to face the headboard and lay my head on the bed. I’m still in my yoga pants so it’s been easy to work out and stretch. Thank God I dressed for comfort yesterday.
“Mmm… you’re very flexible,” he groans.
He drops some bags on the bed. I sit up on my knees and he walks over to unlock my handcuff attached to the bed. This time he unlocks the cuff around my wrist, as well. He brushes my wrist. The electricity in his touch shoots all the way up my arm, straight down between my legs. I squeeze my legs closed and silently beg my body to stop reacting to him.
“Are you releasing me?” My voice is full of excitement.
“No. Sorry.” He sounds sincere. “I brought you some clothes and toiletries so you can take a shower.” He nods his head toward the bags.
I look through the bags and there is everything I need, plus a bra and panties. As if he read my mind while I’m searching the bag, he says, “I didn’t pick those out. Melanie did.” I give him a questioning look.
“Melanie is the lady who came in earlier,” he answers my unasked question.
“Oh. I guess I should thank her.” I shrug.
I quickly glance at Jett’s gun, which is holstered on his hip. Even if I could grab it, I doubt I’d be able to get out of this room since we’re being watched closely. There are cameras everywhere.
“Don’t think about it,” Jett warns. “You’d probably end up shooting yourself.”
Seriously. I glanced at his gun for one second. It’s those damn eyes. I’ll let him keep thinking that I have no clue about guns though.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve never touched a gun before. I wouldn’t know how to cock a gun.” I smile and try to sound innocent.
“It’s not hard. Hold on tight, pull back, and it shoots,” he says in a suggestive tone.
“Maybe you can teach me?” We have moved toward each other. We are inches apart. Frozen in place, I look up and our eyes lock. I go to put my hand on his chest but stop right before I touch him. The sexual tension between us is like a category-five hurricane, with the end result being total destruction. He looks down at my hand and back into my eyes. His eyes change, becoming serious and hard. I back away quickly, shaking my head back to reality, and turn around. I grab the bags and head toward the bathroom. He follows me but I can tell by his pounding, heavy, and rushed steps that he’s no longer in a playful mood.
I whip around as he follows me all the way into the bathroom. “What are you doing? You are definitely not coming in here with me.”
He grabs my hand and runs his fingers lightly around the red marks left by the handcuffs.
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly. He brings my wrist to his mouth and softly kisses it. I rest my hand on his face, and he leans into it kissing the palm of my hand.
Evacuate! Evacuate! My brain keeps telling me.
I step back, looking down at the floor. Jett lifts my chin to bring my eyes to his.
“You are the distraction.” His tone is serious. Then he turns around and walks out, shutting the door behind him.
I need to get a grip. Yesterday he was an asshole and today I’m about to throw myself at him. Why the hell am I throwing myself at a man who is helping hold me hostage anyway? It’s dangerous. Jett is dangerous.
Everything that I need is in the bag. The stuff I dig out is top-of-the-line. More yoga pants and a tank top. If I see Melanie again, I’ll be sure to thank her for being so thoughtful to the prisoner. I let out a laugh. This situation is so bizarre. Then I remember the cameras in the bedroom.
“Jett? Are you out there?” I open the bathroom door and peek out. He’s pulled the chair to the table in the corner and is working on a laptop. Hmm… very businesslike. I question my original thought that he is Travis�
�s bodyguard.
“What’s up, sweetheart?” he says, looking up.
“Um… are there cameras in the bathroom?” If he says yes, I am taking a shower in my bra and panties.
“No. But there’s no way out of there either, so don’t bother looking. And the razor will be taken away as soon as you’re done,” he responds in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Who do you think I am, MacGyver?” I laugh out loud.
“You’re full of surprises, sweetheart.” He smirks.
Damn, I wish he wasn’t so hot. I close the bathroom door and get to my much-needed shower.
After an hour of pure bliss, I’m dressed and feeling so much better, even though I know what awaits me. I’ve never been more thankful for a shower. I open the door and walk out to find Jett still working on his computer. He slowly rakes his eyes up my body.
My face flushes from his perusal. Not knowing what to say, I blurt out, “Thank God for yoga pants.”
Chapter Ten
Jett
I AGREE. Thank fucking God for yoga pants. Hell, I’ll thank Melanie, too. Walking in to Renee bent over in a split, my dick immediately saluted. That girl has the best ass I’ve ever seen. Round and tight, and I’m sure even better naked. She must work out a lot to have that body. Which, by the way, is very entertaining to watch as she tried to get a workout in, handcuffed to the bed. I don’t think my dick has relaxed in twenty-four hours. My dreams have been invaded by a girl with Caribbean blue eyes doing very dirty things with her gorgeous mouth.
When I saw the handcuff burn, I felt like throwing her over my shoulder and getting her out of here myself. I’m not sure where that anger came from, but seeing her in pain kills me. Her sexual banter is also killing me, but in a different way. Internally, I have to restrain myself from picking her up and slamming her into the wall and fucking her senseless. I’ve never been attracted to a person this fiercely before in my entire life. Such a twisted work of fate that the girl of my dreams is someone I can’t have. Ever.
It pisses me off that I’m in the dark. Travis is keeping a tight lid on this whole thing. When he ordered a DNA test, it sent a red flag. I was surprised to see Melanie and even more surprised when she went in the bathroom and replaced Renee’s toothbrush. Usually he has me do that type of stuff, not Melanie. Every time I talk to him about it, he tells me to keep doing what I’m doing: try to get her to talk.
Hating what I have to do, I get up from working on my computer to handcuff Renee to her bed. I’m going to have to talk to Travis about this. When I put the handcuff back on her wrist, I get a whiff of her hair. Holy shit, she smells good. Vanilla and cherry. Makes me want to devour her.
“Did you just smell me?” She asks with a huge smile on her face. She has the most beautiful, long brown hair, which makes her eyes pop. They are so bright you can see them from miles.
“Mmm… yep,” I say, taking another whiff.
“Weirdo.” She laughs. I love that sound. This whole situation sucks.
I walk away shaking my head, trying to escape the pull Renee seems to have on me. I walk into the bathroom and grab the razor. I hold it up and wiggle it in my fingers, lifting my eyebrows when I walk into the bedroom. She laughs and rolls her eyes.
I still don’t have any idea how long her stay is going to be but since she is my main task right now, I figure I’ll enjoy a little down time. This morning I went to the store and bought some things to keep us busy. I hop on the bed and dump out the contents of my bag: a deck of cards, Scrabble, and a few board games. She looks up with a huge smile on her face.
“Really? We’re going to play board games today?” she asks.
“Well, I could watch you work out again,” I wag my eyebrows and she blushes. Fuck, my dick just twitched. “Do you have something better to do today?” I tease.
“Since you put it that way, I guess not.” She frowns and she sighs. Not the answer I was hoping for. I wonder what Travis would do if I just let her go. I’m surprised he’s so interested in her. He has a lot of shit going on right now.
“Sorry. I can’t let you leave, but I thought maybe we could play some games instead of sitting here staring at each other all day. Although, if you’d like to strip again for me, I definitely won’t mind.” I laugh when her eyes get huge. She playfully kicks her leg into my shoulder, pushing me over.
“Not going to happen.” She smirks, picking up the deck of cards. “Five-card poker?”
Seriously? Why couldn’t she have said Gin Rummy or Go Fish? A girl can’t be this perfect. I adjust my semi-hard cock so it won’t be so obvious. “But I can’t play with just one hand…” She shakes her hand. Like I need a fucking reminder she’s in cuffs. “You’re in here, so where the hell am I going to go?” She furrows her brows.
“Alright, but you better behave.” Unless you want to not behave with me. I lean over her on the bed to take the handcuff off. My chest grazes one of her tits, which makes my cock immediately hard. I hear her gasp.
“Jett,” she breathes out. I look down at her heaving chest as she breathes heavily. Her tits push out more. I can see her nipples pebble. It takes everything I have to not lie down on top of her right now. She shakes her head quickly. “Can’t happen,” she whispers.
I push back on my knees, sitting back. “Fuck, Renee.” I run my hands through my hair, groaning in frustration. Then I adjust my aching dick; I don’t know why I bother. It’s not going to stop aching any time soon. I jump off the bed and walk around. She just sits there and watches me with her arms wrapped around her knees.
“It’s okay, Jett. We just can’t,” she says. “So let’s play cards.”
I sit back on the bed and shuffle the cards once my dick figures out he’s not coming out to play and calms down. “How about we make this interesting? Whoever wins the hand gets to ask a question,” I say as I deal the cards.
She looks hesitant at first but then agrees. With a higher pair than I have, she wins the first hand.
“How long have you worked for Travis?” she asks. Hmm… that’s a weird first question.
“A year.” She looks surprised but doesn’t say anything else. She deals the next hand and wins again. What the hell? This is not going as planned.
“What did you do before this job?” She looks right into my eyes. It’s like she trying to gauge if I’m being truthful. Her questions take me by surprise. Why is she so interested in my job?
“I did security. It was a company like Travis’s.” I pick up and deal the next hand. Finally, I win a hand. I hate to think I might be throwing away a question she might not answer, but it’s worth a shot.
“What is your real name?” I ask, lifting my eyebrows.
Chapter Eleven
JETT IS VERY predictable. I knew this question was coming. I can’t keep going with Renee. Even Travis knows that is not true. Good thing I’ve already come up with another name. I won’t give my real name, so I need to say this one with confidence. With his security background Jett might be able to tell when I’m lying.
Looking him dead in the eyes, I respond, “Emily.”
Never taking our eyes off each other, he responds, “I like Emily. It doesn’t fit you though.”
“I don’t think Jett fits you either,” I shoot back, raising my eyebrows. “I guess sometimes our parents miss the mark with our names.”
“You don’t like Jett?” He pouts.
“No, I like it. It’s very sexy. But it’s too simple. And I think you are a man of many layers.” It’s how I truly feel, but I hope my explanation gets him away from questioning me about my name anymore.
He ponders this for a while and nods his head. I pick up the deck and deal the next round. We continue playing for a couple of hours with many questions. Some answers are lies, some aren’t. I try to not lie and just be vague. Like when he asked where I was from. I didn’t see a problem with saying Texas. It’s not like he is going to be able to hunt down an Emily in Texas. I’m also sure he made his answers as vague as possi
ble, too. Seems he has a lot to hide, as well. I’m not sure how productive this game has been for him because I know the point was to find out more about me for Travis. It has been fun though. Something to pass the time. Something to keep my mind off how close we came to doing something we should not be doing. I’ve never been this attracted to a guy before, where a simple touch shocks my whole body into submission. I have to blame the situation for my feelings. Must be Stockholm Syndrome. This isn’t reality. This isn’t me.
“Thank you for this…” I look at Jett still sitting on the bed. “I know your job right now is to babysit me, but you’ve made my imprisonment a little less boring.” I don’t quite know what to say. I’ve only been here two days, but it feels like a week. My emotions are all over the place between Travis and Jett.
“Well, I’m glad I could bring a little excitement into your boring life.” Jett lets out a loud laugh. He leans toward me on the bed and whispers, “I don’t know where you came from or why you’re here, but I wish we had met under different circumstances.” He shakes his head before grabbing all the games and tossing them back in the bag then puts them on the table. He comes to my bed with the handcuffs and the look on his face tells me he doesn’t want to do it. I just hold my hand out, knowing what has to happen.
“Me, too,” I whisper, not sure if he heard me. What is with meeting beautiful men at the most inopportune times? I lie down on the bed, tired from my emotional day already. I fall asleep dreaming of a certain beautiful man with emerald green eyes.
* * *
My dream quickly turns to the day of my mom’s murder. I’m transported back to sitting with my mom, eating brownies, and talking about my first breakup. The doorbell rings and I run and hide. She opens the door and I hear the gun go off.
NO!
NO!
NO!
Don’t leave me again! She can’t leave me. The man looks around, and I look right into his eyes. Emerald green eyes. Eyes that I know. He leaves in his car.