Ash: Jagged Edge Series #5

by A. L Long

  The tears fell uncontrollably, but more than that, my body needed to release the anger. Spinning around, I captured his lips with mine, kissing him with the force of ten women. I felt his hands glide down my back before he took hold of my ass and swooped me off the floor. The feel of his warmth radiating through his clothes to my bare skin wasn’t enough. I needed to feel more. In an animalistic rage, I pulled and tugged on his shirt, frustrated that I couldn’t get it off. It was only after Ash released my bottom and finished the job by tearing the thin material of his t-shirt in two that I finally got what I desired. He was gorgeous. I trailed my fingers over the tribal tattoo on his shoulder before I placed my lips on it. With rushed kisses, I trailed them up his neck to his throat, until I pressed them gently against his lips. His lips parted, allowing me to probe the warmth of his mouth as his tongue dipped inside mine.

  Ash moved with me out of the bathroom and placed me gently on the bed. Standing before me in only his jeans, he leaned over me, placing his hands on either side of my body. Dipping his head, he kissed me lightly on the lips and said, “I want you so bad, Jules, but not like this.”

  “I need you, Ash, please,” I pleaded.

  He must have felt the strength of my need, because he pushed from the bed and began removing his clothes. Every muscle in his body began to contract as he once again leaned over me and kissed me on the lips. Ash slowly moved his body so that he was straddling me at the waist. My body was all his. He began placing light, warm kisses down my neck to the tip of my nipple, where he nipped and sucked it gently. With a soft swish of his tongue, he traced my hard bud in circular movements before engulfing it completely. While his mouth was doing its magic on my nipple, his hand was caressing the other, shattering the anger and rage from moments ago.

  My head was spinning with pleasure. It was a pleasure unlike anything I had felt before. I began to feel a tingling in the pit of my stomach. All I wanted to do was drink in his touch. Wrapping my arms around his narrow waist, I pulled him in closer. Ash positioned his body between my legs and began lowering himself on me, just enough for me to feel the hardness of his cock brush against my thigh. His hand slid across my belly to my smooth mound. Kissing me gently on the lips, his mouth was soon making a path down my ribs to my stomach before it rested on my clit. I knew that he would find me wet and ready for him. With a moan of satisfaction, he spoke breathlessly, “Undeniably delicious. I am going to devour every drop of your sweet honey.”

  When his tongue dipped in my channel, my body began to quiver with uncontrollable joy, sending my body to a place it had never been before. Slowly the rush of ecstasy weakened as I savored the feeling of warmth taking over my body. Ash lifted his head and made his way up my body. The minute our eyes met, I could see deep inside them. There was something different about them. Comforting and passionate. When his hand came to my face, my heart was swept up by them as he said, “You are the most precious thing in my life. I’m never going to let you go.”

  “Ash,” I breathed, unable to say anything else.

  “It's okay, Jules, I know.”

  Did he really know? I had no idea, but he made me feel like I meant something, and when he entered me, his slow, gentle movements proved to me that his words were sincere. There was no urgency. Just sweet, heartrending tenderness as he pushed deeper and deeper inside me. When he reclaimed my lips, my emotions took over and the tears I tried so hard to hold back came tumbling down. I knew at that moment that he felt my pain. His movements increased and my walls tightened around him, bleeding him of everything he had been holding back. With his eyes upon mine, Ash rocked inside me in slow rhythmic movements as my body unleashed, taking all the pain and sorrow with it.

  ~****~

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the room was dark and I knew that it was nighttime. Looking to my side, Ash was sleeping soundly next to me. Carefully getting out of bed, I grabbed my cell and headed to the bathroom. When I brought up the screen, it showed that it was nearly 10:00 p.m. I only had thirty minutes to get back to my house before Sebastian’s car would be waiting for me. Gathering the items I needed, I quietly tiptoed out of the room and down the hall to the guest bathroom.

  Taking a quick shower, I dried off and put on the black corset along with the matching panties and stockings. I put my hair up and put on some make-up. There wasn’t anything that I could do about the bruises that weren’t covered by the skimpy outfit I was left to wear. Looking around the bathroom, there was something missing. My shoes. “Shit,” I cursed, in a low voice. The last thing I wanted to do was go back into the bedroom where Ash was and risk waking him. It wasn’t that far to walk with no shoes, so I decided to nix them and head out.

  As soon as I opened the front door, a cool breeze hit my almost naked body. There was no way I was going to make it to my house without freezing my ass off. Opening the closet door next to the front door, I grabbed one of Ash’s coats and slipped it on. I quietly shut the door and headed down the wooden steps.

  The minute my feet hit the dirt road, I began having second thoughts about walking the mile to my house with no shoes on. It wasn’t the smoothest surface to walk on and tiny pebbles were going to have a toll on my sensitive feet. Taking in a deep breath, I sucked it up and walked as quickly as possible, not thinking about the torture I was putting my feet through. I was thankful that at least there was enough light from the moon to steer me away from the bigger rocks.

  With fifteen minutes to spare, I reached my house. The first thing I did was soak my feet for a few minutes to see if I could ease some of the soreness. No sooner than I got my feet in the tub of water, I heard the sound of a horn honking. I knew that I had only been soaking for a couple of minutes. Drying them off, I slipped on my black Pradas and headed to the front door. Sebastian didn’t say anything about wearing a coat, so I grabbed my light trench coat to cover my nearly naked body.

  Opening the front door, I was greeted with bright headlights shining right on me. They were so bright that I couldn't see anything. I only heard the voice that I had come to know so well. “Get in. Now!”

  I wasn’t sure what Sebastian’s problem was. He was early and by no means was I late. Hurrying as fast as I could in my five-inch heels, I walked quickly to the car. He grabbed my arm with such force that I nearly fell on my ass. “What’s your problem?” I asked as he shoved me inside the car.

  “I don’t have time for your nonsense, Juliette,” he said as he got in the Town Car.

  I was totally speechless. I had no idea what he was talking about and I wasn’t about to entertain his grouchy mood. The driver backed away from the house and headed down the road. I wasn’t sure where we were headed and I was almost afraid to ask. Taking a chance, I asked in a soft voice, “Where are we going?”

  “To clean up your mess,” he stated.

  “What mess?” I questioned.

  “It would be better if you learned how obey my requests instead of questioning my intent. Sit back and don’t say another word.”

  I wasn’t sure what game he was playing, but I went ahead and did as he asked and sat back and tried to relax. When his hand grabbed mine and he brought it to his lips, I thought whatever was going to take place wasn’t going to be so bad, at least until he said, “I’m going to miss you.”

  A feeling of uneasiness washed over me as I tried to understand his words. Pulling my hand from his, I asked defensively, “What are you talking about, Sebastian?” When he didn’t respond to my question, I asked again nearly yelling my words. “Sebastian, what are you talking about?”

  “You should have done as you were told, Juliette. Now you will have to pay for your disobedience,” he answered sternly.

  I still had no idea what he was talking about, and somehow knew that I wasn’t going to get the answer that I needed. Whatever he thought I did or didn’t do, he was wrong, and I couldn’t even argue with him about it because I had no idea what the flippin’ hell he was talking about. Taking a deep breath, I sat ba
ck against the leather seat and tried not to worry about what was to come.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ash

  I had never slept so well in my life. Reaching across the bed, I felt an empty space that shouldn’t have been there. Opening my eyes to make sure she wasn’t just out of arms’ reach, I looked over to where Juliette was supposed to be lying. Her side of the bed was cold, which told me that she had been out of bed for quite some time. Sliding out of bed, I grabbed my jeans and struggled to put them on as I began walking to the door.

  I had hoped that she was in the kitchen preparing coffee or something. I was greatly disappointed when I saw there was no sign of her. Matter of fact, she wasn’t anywhere inside the house. Opening the front door, I looked outside, but she wasn’t there either.

  Finishing getting dressed, I jumped in my truck and headed down the road to her house. Once I got there, it was quiet and looked as though no one had been here. I didn’t even bother to get out. The only thing that crossed my mind was Sebastian Collins. Pulling my cell from my pocket, I took the chance that she would answer my call. Her ringback tone played “All of Me” before it went to voice mail. Throwing my phone on the passenger seat, I turned right and headed to the shop.

  Even though it was still early, most of the guys were already there. Lou and Sly were in the small kitchen stirring up something to eat, while Cop, Mike, Ryan, and Josh were taking inventory at the direction of Nikki. She was one tough girl with everything she had gone through. It was hard to believe that she was now part of the team. She was still going through training, but she would definitely be an asset to the group.

  After I greeted everyone, I headed back to Peter’s office. He was the best person to get advice from without sugar coating it. Knocking on the door, Peter was on his cell and signaled for me to have a seat. Based on the conversation he was having, I was able to figure out that he was talking to Hawk. Hawk was a great guy and was an asset to Jagged Edge Security. I didn’t blame him for leaving the security company to be with Isabelle in Kierabali. If I had been in his position, I would have done the same thing. The love for a woman is a lot stronger than anyone might think.

  Peter ended his call with Hawk and placed his cell on his desk. Before I could say anything he said, “Hawk and Isabelle are going to be coming back to the States for a while. He didn’t want to miss Cop’s wedding and he has volunteered to help us with the mission.”

  “That’s great. It will be good to see him and catch up,” I replied, before I said what was really on my mind. “I need your advice, Peter.”

  “Let me guess, Juliette,” he contended.

  “Yeah. Something is off about this whole thing. It just doesn’t make sense. Sebastian Collins has some kind of hold on her. Why the hell would she even agree to that contract?” I vented. “Another thing, when I woke up this morning, she was gone.”

  Remembering the note that was left on my truck, I pulled it from my pocket and passed it over to him. “What is this?” Peter questioned.

  “I found in under my wiper,” I answered, scratching my head.

  Looking at the note through the plastic, he was able to read what it said. “I’ll have it sent over and have it checked for prints. My guess is there aren’t going to be any, except yours. In the meantime, let me see what I can find out about Mr. Sebastian and his business dealings.”

  Leaving the shop, I decided to head back to Juliette’s. I knew that there was a slim possibility that I would find anything, but I had to at least check.

  ~****~

  The house was quiet when I entered. I had no idea what I expected to find. Walking past the kitchen, I headed down the hall and began opening the doors. When I got to Juliette’s room, the only thing that showed any sign that she had ever been there were clothes lying on the floor and a package that was on her bed. Walking to the bed while still scanning the room, I picked up the box and looked inside it. It didn’t surprise me that it was empty. Throwing it on the bed, I noticed a wadded piece of paper on the floor. Bending down, I picked it up and unfolded it. I wasn’t too happy with what I read, but at least I knew exactly what happened to her. Looking down at my watch, it was just past nine o’clock.

  Based on the note, nearly eleven hours had passed since she was supposed to meet Sebastian’s car. Running to my truck, I opened the passenger door and grabbed my cell. “He has her, Peter. Juliette is with that motherfucker.”

  “Calm down, Ash. Where are you at?” Peter asked.

  “I’m at her house.”

  “Don’t leave, I’ll be right there.”

  After I hung up with Peter, the only thing I could think about was Juliette. I knew that Sebastian was somehow responsible for putting Juliette in the hospital. She was in danger and I needed to find where she was. I could no more wait for Peter than I could let something bad happen to her. Getting in my truck, I backed away from her house and headed to Manhattan. There were two places that I needed to check out. I knew that time wasn’t on my side.

  Pulling up to the Four Seasons, I waved the valet away and said, “Leave it, I won’t be long.”

  The way he looked at me, I knew he was about to say something, It was then that I pulled out my security badge, making him retract his thoughts. Going through the front entrance, I walked up to the registration desk and waited for an available employee. Standing there for five minutes was long enough. Showing my badge once again, I was able to get to the front of the waiting guests. Walking up to the next available clerk, I once again showed my badge and asked with authority, “Can you please let me know what room Sebastian Collins is staying in?”

  It took her a minute to look at the badge. She was a lot smarter than the valet. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t give you that information,” she stated, annoyed by my arrogance.

  “Look, Ms…” I paused as I looked at her name tag, “Harper. Either you tell me what I need to know or I will call the NYPD down here to assist me. I don’t think you want the drama, especially here.”

  “My boss would have my ass if he found out I gave you this information, but having the NYPD here would be much worse,” she confessed as she began searching the guest record on her computer.

  As I waited for her to bring up the information, I looked around the hotel lobby. I had never been to the Four Seasons and now I knew why. It was much too rich for my taste with its dark marble floors and high ceilings. The large round stained glass window high above the entrance was also over the top. Turning back to the check-in clerk, I watched her expression lift with confusion.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked objectively.

  “No, not really. Just a little odd. Mr. Collins has his usual penthouse suite, but he also has another room reserved. The accommodations are for a Mr. Walter Marlow,” she responded.

  “Just give me the room numbers?”

  Having the information I needed, I decided to check out the first room, which was located on the 40th floor. There was no way in hell that I was going to climb forty flights of stairs. As much as I hated getting into an elevator, I decided to take my chances. Standing in front of the elevator, I waited for the doors to open. Waiting until everyone exited, I stepped onto the car and faced the back wall. I pushed the 40th floor and moved to the back of the car. Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, I tried to calm my heartbeat as I felt the elevator began to move. There were only a few other people in the elevator with me and I could only imagine what they might have been thinking.

  I heard the ding of the car as the doors began to open. It was the 40th floor. I had never been more relieved to find that the elevator was extremely fast in reaching the floor I needed to exit on. Looking over to the floor directory, I headed down the long hallway to my right towards the hotel room. This must have been my lucky day. A hotel maid's cart was parked just outside another room a few doors down from the room I needed to enter. Spotting the master key card on her cart, I hurried and grabbed it while she was in another room changing the sheets on the bed. Op
ening the door, I propped a trash can that I took from the bathroom to hold the door open long enough so I could return the key to the cart.

  As I scanned the room, it looked like no one had been here. There were no personal effects that I could see and the room was made up like it was ready for a new guest. Opening the closet, I hit pay dirt. There was a suitcase on a valet stand, which was open to reveal its contents. I was shocked by what I saw. Pulling one of the items from the case, I had no idea what it was. It was a black ball that had two leather straps on each side. Based on the other items in the suitcase, if I had to guess, it had to be some sort of gag device.

  All of the items were toys used for kinky sex play. I was no angel, but some of the items were way too kinky for me. Putting the gag ball back, I closed the door to the closet and continued searching the room. Walking inside the bathroom, there were various items that only a woman would use. I saw an expensive bottle of bath beads, a pink shaver, and various lotions and cosmetics on the marble vanity. Also on the counter was a hairbrush and a women's barrette. Picking up the brush, I looked at the bristles to find that there were several stands of red hair on them. This wasn’t a coincidence. They had to be Juliette’s. I had seen enough. Whoever this Walter Marlow was, he was a sick fucker.