by Tina Saxon
Holy shit.
I’ve never had my body heat up so fast yet have goose bumps all over. I can feel the wetness of my arousal. I wiggle in my seat. The friction of my pants rubbing against me is about to make me explode.
“You can’t say shit like that if you’re not going to follow through.” My breath catches as his hand comes up my thigh, anticipation roaring through me.
The door suddenly opens, making me jump. It’s like all the sexual tension in the air falls to the ground. Jett moves his hand from my thigh and casually stands up.
It’s one of the men from earlier who dragged Joe off. “Jett, Travis needs you.”
Jett turns around with a smirk. “Well… saved by the bell. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Emily,” he says in a playful tone. “Sweet dreams.” He wiggles his eyebrows and then turns and walks out the door.
I groan out in frustration.
I should write a letter so if they find me dead in the morning, they know it’s because I combusted from sexual frustration. If I were at home, I’d pull out my trusty bullet to satisfy myself, but there is no way in hell I am going to masturbate in this room.
Needing a distraction, I turn the TV on. Not soon after, I fall asleep dreaming of Jett. Although, in my dream we don’t stop.
Chapter Eighteen
WAKING UP TODAY I feel like a trapped animal. Today is day four and there is no end in sight. Feeling depressed, I make my way to the shower and get ready for my non-exciting day.
Walking out, I’m surprised to see Travis sitting at the table. Breakfast is spread out and he brought me an iced chai tea latte. I have it in my hand so fast I don’t bother asking how he knows about my favorite drink.
“That good?” Travis laughs, revealing a smile that reaches his eyes.
I pause from guzzling down my drink. Weird. Travis seems to be in a good mood. The few times I’ve seen him, he’s never been happy. Intense, angry, questioning… yes. Happy… no.
“Yes, it’s that good. Thank you. But how did you know it was my favorite drink?” Thank God it’s a venti.
“Jett.”
Oh, yeah. Our card game of many questions. I can’t believe he remembered. I sit down and grab a pastry. I peek up at Travis and see he is staring at me. His stare isn’t intense though. There’s a warmth to it today. It shakes my core. Something’s changed.
“So, are you going to let me go today?” I’m certain it’s a no, but maybe I’ll wear him down and maybe he’ll actually do it one day. He seems like he’s in a good mood, so maybe.
He warmly smiles at me. “Emily, I want to tell you a little story.”
I guess that’s a no.
“I fell in love a long time ago with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was an angel to my darkness. I was drawn to her immediately. I wanted to change for her. I would have done anything for her. Our love story was like none other. It was truly magical.”
What the hell? This is definitely random and very unlike the Travis I met over the last few days. Maybe he needs a friend. Damn, he doesn’t need to hold me prisoner for this. Maybe he is telling me this to warn me about Jett. Don’t worry. There is no me and Jett outside this place. And that is my number one goal. To be free again.
“I didn’t know you were married?” I knew he wasn’t from researching him on the Internet. Actually, he’d never been married, which I found kind of odd because he’s a really good-looking older man.
He chuckles. “I’m not.”
“Okay.” I try to sound interested, but I really couldn’t care less.
“After we were together for six months, the most wonderful time of my life, things happened that were out of my control. I wasn’t able to leave my business and she left me.” He frowns and looked down.
“I’m sorry?” Does he want compassion from me? Not going to happen, dude.
He looks back to me. “But I saw her again the other day.”
Why does he want to talk about something personal with me? I don’t care who he saw the other day. I don’t care about his love life. I wish he would leave me alone or I don’t know… let me go. He’s ruining the small excitement that I’m getting from drinking my tea.
“Look, Travis, I’m not sure why you feel the need to walk down memory lane with me right now, but I don’t like you. I’m really confused as to why you think that this is a good time to tell me your life story. Do I seem like someone who gives a fuck? You are holding me against my will and won’t let me go.”
He laughs, nodding his head. The asshole actually laughs.
“You may have her looks, but you definitely don’t have her soft demeanor.” My head shoots up, my eyes wide open. What the hell? He has my attention now. And he is fully aware of it.
“Four days ago I saw her lying in that bed,” he says pointing to my bed.
I look at the bed and then at him. I start breathing heavy as my heart beats faster. My eyebrows pull together out of confusion and anger but nothing comes out of my mouth.
“You look so much like her. An exact copy. When I walked into the room, you were still asleep. With your hair spread around your head, I thought I was seeing things. It knocked the wind out of me,” he breathes out, “but then you opened your eyes. It was like I was looking into my eyes.”
No… no… no. I was shaking my head. There is no way. No fucking way!
Travis continues ignoring my panic. “When they brought me your driver’s license, I saw the name Renee Pearson. It was like my world came crashing down on me.”
“No! You killed her!” I scream. “You did not love her!”
“I. Did. Not. Kill. Her.” He calmly pronounces each word. “She held my heart captive. The day she left, she took it with her. She obviously took other things of mine, as well.”
“I am not yours!” I stand up and shout. “I saw the man’s car that killed my mom and it was your car!” I scream, pointing at him.
He winces, confusion on his face.
“That’s right, asshole, I know it was you!” I’m frozen in place. Tears stain my face.
“Emily, I swear to you, I did not kill your mom.” He remains seated, looking up at me with pain in his eyes. He grips the chair so hard his knuckles turn white. “When the police came and questioned me about the murder of Lana Renee Pearson, part of me died with her. I found out who did kill her and made him pay with his life.” The coldness in his voice gives me chills. “What I don’t understand is I have seen the police report and no where did it mention a witness, let alone a child witness.”
“I was ten! I don’t have a clue why I wasn’t on the report. I was there. I saw the man walk up to my door, point a gun to my mom’s head, and pull the trigger,” I cry out. “And even if you didn’t pull the trigger, it is still your fault.”
“Yes, it is,” he whispers and drops his head into his arms. “And I live with that regret every day.” He looks up. “And now finding out about you…” He chokes up with tears in his eyes.
“NO! You don’t know that.” I hold my hand to my heart. It’s beating so fast I can barely breathe.
“Yes, I do.” He keeps his eyes locked with mine. “When I saw the name on the driver’s license I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that you looked exactly like her but with my eyes. At first I was angry, thinking someone was playing a game with me. I had to find out, which is why I did a DNA test.”
“You bastard! You’ve kept me locked up in this room so you could see if I was your kid? Well you win father of the fucking year!” I seethe, throwing my hands in the air. I can’t stand it anymore.
I run to the bathroom and slam the door, needing to release some of this anger. There is so much bottled up inside. I scream at the top of my lungs till I can’t anymore. Falling on my knees, I curl up on the floor and cry. I don’t know how long I’ve been on the floor, but warm arms wrap around me and pick me up.
Jett.
He carries me to the bed, gently lying me down. I feel his hard body lie down behind me. He holds me tight wit
h his strong arms.
“Shh, sweetheart. It’ll be okay,” he whispers softly into my ear.
Wanting to tell him to fuck off, that no, it won’t be okay, but words don’t come out when I open my mouth.
I must have fallen asleep because I wake up burning. Trying to toss the blankets off of me, I find I’m still being held tightly by Jett. I turn around to face him and soft, emerald green eyes meet mine.
“Hi.” He smiles, showing off those dimples.
“Hi,” I squeak out, closing my eyes.
I’d say my life has never been so messed up, but unfortunately my life has been nothing but messed up. When will the hits stop coming?
“Want to talk about it? Tell me what’s wrong?” he speaks softly while brushing my hair out of my face.
I guess Travis didn’t tell Jett. I don’t think I can tell him either.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” I sigh, closing my eyes again, knowing if those eyes grab hold of me, I’d tell him everything.
“Okay, we can just lie here.” His hand picks up mine and tangles our fingers together, resting them in between us. We lie there for a couple hours more. So much is going through my mind. Travis is my father. My father is a very powerful and dangerous man. Wonderful. Now I understand my mom’s decision to leave him. A lot of good that did. I need to get out of here. Travis needs to let me leave. Maybe since he knows that I’m his daughter, he’ll let me go now.
Jett is absently rubbing his thumb on my knuckles. I focus on that, no longer wanting to think about Travis. I need Jett to help me forget. I quickly swing my leg over his body and straddle him. I lean down and kiss his perfect lips. Begging him to let me in with my tongue. His mouth opens as he brings his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. I gently suck on his tongue, moaning into his mouth. I can feel him getting hard underneath me. He quickly picks me up and turns me over so he is now on top, pressing into me.
“Emily. We can’t do this right now,” he grunts, pulling my hands out of his hair and holding them above my head. “You’re dealing with something I don’t understand. I can’t be your distraction.”
“What the hell? You’ve been my distraction for the last three days. Distraction from this prison. I should have been thinking of how to get out of here the entire time, but instead I was thinking about you. How much I want to feel you inside me, filling me. How twisted is that?” I exhale. He still hasn’t moved. His body and his eyes have me pinned.
“Emily, I’ve never wanted anyone so badly in my entire life. I would like nothing better than to slam my dick into your sweet pussy. Feel how hard you make me?” He rubs his dick on my sex. I tremble.
I think I just had an orgasm.
“I think about you all the time. I’ve jacked off more these last three days than I have in years. And it fucking isn’t working. It’s not enough. But I can’t stop feeling like I’m taking advantage of you being locked in here.”
“You wouldn’t,” I breathe out.
“When you leave here, I can’t have you thinking that you didn’t have a choice.”
I laugh. He cocks an eyebrow. “Seriously, how many women have told you no?” I ask.
“Well… that’s not the point.” He chuckles. “Please know that I’m not telling you no because I don’t want you, because good Lord, Emily, you are unraveling me more and more everyday.” He kisses me softly. He sits up pulling me with him. I’m straddling him again.
“Do you want to tell me why you were screaming at the top of your lungs this morning? I mean, holy shit, do you have a loud scream.” He flashes a smile.
“I was releasing some pent-up anger. I would have rather beat the shit out of something, but nothing was in there.” I shrug, twisting my lips. “No, this is between Travis and me. I need to talk to him. Can you get him for me?” I ask.
I need to find out what his plans are. I also want to know more about him and my mom. I only had ten short years with her, and I love when people share stories about her. If Travis was the love of her life, and it seems she was his, I want to know more.
“Are you sure about that?” Jett questions.
“Yes,” I sigh.
Jett lifts me off the bed and carries me into the bathroom, sitting me on the sink. He kisses me passionately. Deeply. Not forced, not rushed, but with more feeling than our previous kisses. He bites the bottom of my lip and stares directly into my eyes. With his hands on both sides of my head, he leans his head against my forehead and sighs.
“Fate can be so fucked-up sometimes.” He kisses my forehead and walks out.
Welcome to my life.
Chapter Nineteen
I’M SITTING AT the table reading a book when Travis comes into the room. He walks over to the other chair and sits down. It’s a quiet couple of minutes before either of us speak.
“Did you know that when I met your mom she told me her name was Renee?” he asks.
Well, shit. No. If I had thought that my mom ever used her middle name I would not have used it on my fake license. But it makes sense now about how he reacted when he saw it. I shake my head.
“When she finally told me her real name, I had already fallen in love with Renee. So that is what I always called her. She didn’t stop me, so it stuck.” I can tell how much she meant to him. His eyes shine with so much emotion. “We met in Mexico. I was on a business trip and she was on a vacation. She had graduated college and was there with some friends. The first time I saw her we were at an outdoor bar right on the beach. Her beauty caught my eye immediately. I watched her the entire night. I felt a little stalker-ish, which was so unlike me.” He chuckles but then continues. “I usually went after what I wanted, but she kind of scared me. I was a cocky bastard back then; if I wanted something, I got it.” He smirks. “But I was so afraid that she would reject me, so I watched her, how she smiled and talked to everyone. Everyone immediately liked your mom.”
I hang on to every word he’s saying about my mom. I believe everything coming out of his mouth. Everyone loved my mom.
“I couldn’t get up enough courage to talk to her that night, so I went back every night, hoping she would be there. And every night I would leave regretting not talking to her on the first night because she wasn’t there. On the fourth night I told myself this would be the last night: if she wasn’t there, it wasn’t meant to be. But she was. I had never been so nervous about approaching a girl… ever. I finally found the courage to ask her to dance. When she spoke to me, she had the softest, kindest voice. I thought I was dreaming. We danced and talked all night long. I wanted her to myself, so I got her to take a walk with me on the beach. We talked for hours about anything and everything. I had never met anyone like her. She was only in Mexico for two more days, so I asked her if I could take her on a date the next night. Here I was only two years older than your mom but a very powerful man already, and I truly thought I would cry if she didn’t say yes. She already had the power to destroy me, and she had no idea.”
When Travis says that, I remember what Jett said to me.
I’m destroying him.
Our situation is different, though. He doesn’t love me. We have explosive sexual chemistry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live without each other. He doesn’t even know my real name. The reality of it all is that we aren’t going to end up happily ever after. He’s a means to an end.
My heart hurts just thinking that.
Travis continues telling me the story of their love affair. As fate would have it, they lived within an hour of each other so they continued their relationship when they got home. “Your mom was going to move in with me. We had it all planned out…” his voice softens “…but my business took a hit from one of my enemies. There was retaliation and your mom witnessed how dangerous my world was. She told me that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t move in with me.” He sighs. “I couldn’t argue with her. How could I put this angel of a woman in my hell? It wouldn’t have been fair to her so I let her go. I let her walk awa
y.”
I knew right then how much he loved her. As much as I wanted to blame this man for the death of my mother, I couldn’t. He thought he was taking her out of his world by letting her go.
“How did they find out about her? Whoever it was,” I ask quietly.
“One of my men betrayed me.” He closes his eyes, his jaw tense. “I never thought she’d be targeted. Ever. If I had, I would have had someone watch her. There were very few people who knew about her. But when a car of mine had been used, it was obvious to me who had done it.” He pauses. “I didn’t even know where she lived. When she left, she took my love with her. She broke me. I was angry that she didn’t want to be with me. I went through a destructive period in my life. If it wasn’t for Melanie, I’d probably be dead right now.”
The confusion reflects on my face. My eyebrows cinch together.
“Melanie was my nanny growing up and has been more of a mother to me than my own flesh and blood. She’s been an employee of mine ever since I started in this business. She manages the house,” he explains. “She knew your mom, too. She loved your mom very much. She’s the one who got me to understand why she left.”
Melanie knew my mom. “Does she know that I’m her daughter?”
“She knew the minute she saw you. She actually yelled at me for having you handcuffed to the bed.” He chuckles under his breath. “I’ve been in this business a long time; trust is not something I give out freely.”
Tell me about it.
“I needed to know for sure.” He tries to justify his action.
“I get that. I’ve been lied to my whole life. Trust is earned, not given,” I say, glancing up at him.
“What made you come here? You’re not a naïve girl. Maybe a little too ambitious at times, but I see where you get that now.” He warmly smiles.
I’m not sure I’m ready for him to start picking traits that I got from him. It’s a little too early so I ignore that comment.
“I knew my mom’s killer was never caught. I’m the one who gave the police the license plate numbers so I found out that it belonged to you. After I grad—” I stop midsentence. I don’t want to tell him my life. I might not ever be ready for that. “After I had some free time, I decided I’d come check you out.”