I Need You Too: Stand Alone Novel, Contemporary-Erotic-Suspenseful Romance, Psychological Thriller

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  The song was fast paced and I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the dancing, but looking at the excitement on her face and watching her tits and hips sway to the movement sure made me want to give it a go. I tried to listen to the words of the song and recognized it as Walk the Moon’s, “Shut Up and Dance”. The words were so perfect, talking about letting go of things, realizing the woman was your destiny, and basically shutting up and dancing. I’d already fallen for Marjorie; there was no question about that. Every day spent in her presence captured more of my heart. The song was right, she was my destiny, and I was so ready to claim her, in more ways than one.

  The song ended and we finally made our way up to the bar, grabbing a water from the bartender. Nate leaned into me, so I could hear him over the music, “I didn’t know you could move like that, but then again a man in love can do anything for his woman.” He reared back his eyebrows lifting in an all-knowing look.

  I held my hands up in surrender and nodded, before wrapping one arm around my woman and pulling her close. The crowd of people had me on edge, making me wonder if all eyes were everywhere they needed to be to avoid any problems tonight.

  I scanned the room and noted the costumes ran from scantily clad to almost overdone. I noticed that all of the women in our group were dressed tastefully, but sensual, while we men seemed to be underdressed. It didn’t take much to realize the women had all conspired on picking out our costumes for the evening. All of us had on some sort of skirt, ranging from togas, to kilts, and everything in between. I had to joke with my buddy Nate. “Are you being a true Scotsman tonight?” I knew his family lineage had a bit of Scotch-Irish in it.

  He just about spewed his beer. He answered in the best Scottish accent he could muster. “I wanted to be true to a small portion of me heritage, but the little lass wouldn’t let me out of the house without a pair of boxers.”

  Gianna, who was looking lovely as a sexy pirate, leaned into Nate. “I told you that bounty of jewels belongs to me, young lad. I don’t want anyone trying plunder what I rightfully own.”

  They were a hoot cracking jokes left and right. Rafe and Dawn were keeping their heads close to one another whispering. I watched as one shoulder of her toga kept falling down and he’d instantly right it, looking around the room with a feral glare, just daring anyone to look at his wife. It felt great to know they were doing well and happy with their lives.

  Dane was the only one wearing pants, or should I say scrubs, dressed as a doctor, while he had Marissa dressed up as a nurse. Thankfully, neither of those was an overly sexual costume. He shook his head, already guessing what I was about to ask. “There wasn’t any way I was going to put on a damn skirt. I don’t care how much I love my wife. I’m not wearing one of those things.” He pointed down at himself. “This is bad enough. I keep thinking of frigid water every time I take a look at her.” His hand reached up to caress her chin as he give her a chaste kiss on the lips before looking back at us, “I think she did this on purpose, so I’d have this problem.”

  I heard her say, “I’ll never admit to it.”

  He responded, “We’ll see. Just wait till I get you home tonight.”

  Nate leaned in to whisper, “We’ll be back in a bit. I need some pillaging and plundering to get through this night.” His eyes trailed toward the private rooms, as he asked Derrick to slip him the control for room three. I watched as he led Gianna toward the private hallway, Sophia following to ensure they made it to the room safely.

  The energy in the club was contagious. I could feel my own cock begin to rise on more than one occasion. The mantra I’d used numerous times, along with thoughts of frigid temperatures, was failing to work. I guess Marjorie noticed, since she ran a hand over my chest, leaned up on her toes, and whispered in my ear, “We could take an example from Nate and Gianna and use a private room to get you some relief, sir.”

  Derrick and Cat stood so close to us, that I knew they heard what she’d suggested. I looked over at him to gage his thoughts. I watched as he scanned the perimeter, making eye contact with Ivan, who nodded in approval. I just hoped all this worked and the bait would be taken.

  I GRABBED AHOLD OF Marjorie’s hand and asked Derrick to lead the way. He managed to get us to the private passage and walked us right up to Room 1. He extended his hand to shake mine, when I felt the item he’d slipped me. “The cameras to all the rooms have been deactivated tonight. No one’s supposed to be back here, so have fun and make all the noise you want. No one will hear.” He winked at us before turning around and taking his leave.

  I opened the door and turned on the light. It was my first time in this room. Marjorie quickly piped up. “All the rooms have a sofa that can be scrubbed down, a spanking bench, a table, and a cabinet filled with toys and accessories you can purchase. The wall over there has all the spanking implements.”

  She turned toward the far corner of the room pointing toward the ceiling, where I noticed the camera had been hidden. She was about to speak, when we heard the door open quickly and then lock, catching us by surprise.

  “What do we have here?” It was Karen, the worker from the other day, with some man in a Spiderman costume.

  She shook her head side to side as Marjorie moved closer to me. “What’s wrong with you, Karen? No one is supposed to be back here tonight except family. Get out!”

  I noticed Karen look up toward the camera, pleased to see it wasn’t on. I grabbed Marjorie and started toward the door, when the guy stood in front of her blocking us. “Get back over where you were.” She ordered.

  It put me in perfect position for the camera as I secretly aimed the remote in my hand, pressing the panic button and noting the light blinked once before going out, signaling that it was working. I quickly tucked it into the tight waistline of my outfit while I moved Marjorie over to where we’d been standing.

  “I want you both to turn around slowly so I can keep my eyes on you.”

  Marjorie was nervous and shaking. I reached out and pulled her to my side. “What’s your problem, lady?” I yelled out.

  “She’s my problem! My whole life she’s gotten everything she ever wanted without even asking – everything I deserved and she didn’t.” Her voice yelled out, but I doubt anyone could hear it since I’d been told the walls were nearly soundproof back here. Plus, the music was blasting in the main room.

  Marjorie shook her head and pointed her finger at her. “I’ve never met you until a couple years ago. We never grew up together. So what’s this shit all about?”

  I liked watching her get all riled up and angry; it made her even sexier than normal. I loved how she could take care of herself, if needed, but relied on me when she couldn’t. I needed this woman as much as I needed my next breath. I’d always wanted someone who could challenge me in day to day life, matching me wit for wit. With all that she’d shown me in regards to dominance, I enjoyed her submission even more in the bedroom. I looked over at Karen, thinking my Marjorie would grind her up and spit her out in no time.

  It was then that I realized one thing I hadn’t planned on. Karen had a gun in her hand and it was pointed straight at Marjorie.

  “Who the hell are you?” Marjorie demanded, not giving a damn about the gun aimed at her.

  We watched as Karen ran her free hand through her hair, pulling off the red hair she sported while shaking loose the blonde locks beneath. I heard Marjorie’s gasp for air, “Cassie! But how? You’re supposed to be dead.”

  The smile that crept across Cassie’s face was sinister. The only one I could think of that would come close to the evil within her was Hitler. “That bitch Karen Williams was the one on the side of the road. She tried to knife me and steal my stuff. I decided it wasn’t my day to die.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I looked over to Marjorie to see her stunned into silence. “So you what, killed her and took her identity?” I questioned.

  “Damn straight I did. It was perfect too. She’d told me how she had no family lef
t, no money, and no place to go. I was her ticket to trying to get her life back. In reality, she was my ticket to starting mine over.”

  I couldn’t believe the set of brass balls on this bitch. The stories I had heard Gianna and Marjorie tell were nothing in comparison to what was coming out of this woman’s mouth. I had a feeling she liked to gloat, so all I had to do was egg her on, “Exactly how long have you been planning this? And how many people have you killed?”

  She breathed in deeply, a sense of satisfaction on her face. “I haven’t killed enough, not until this night is over and neither one of you is breathing.

  “I got tired of my family calling me lazy and having no ambition.” She hit herself in the chest with her hand. “I had ambition all right. I wanted to be her.” She said as she pointed the gun toward Marjorie.

  “I hated the work I’d done at the children’s home. It was so damn depressing it made me almost want to off myself. Instead, I used the knowledge I’d gained with psychotherapy and started laying triggers for my dad. He was my first test subject to see if it would work.”

  I couldn’t understand how this worked. “Wouldn’t you need to hypnotize him to do that?”

  Her laugh was maniacal. “For some, yes, but he was a weak-minded twit. All it took was a touch with a trigger word and a suggestion at just the right moment. It took months; consequently, I took out a nice insurance policy on them, enough to make it worth my while to be alone.

  “All I needed was one rainy night, and a trigger to suggest the family go for a drive. Of course, I feigned being sick. Then while on the road, I called his cell phone and said “trucker” for him to pull out in front of an oncoming semi, only to swerve at the last minute and go over the nearest guardrail.” She paused for a moment, smiling at her accomplishment, “I guess it worked a bit too well. I didn’t expect for them to fall over an overpass and onto the highway. It made dealing with their bodies a piece of cake.”

  Marjorie was barely holding it together but somehow managed to ask, “Didn’t you even care?”

  Cassie nodded. “I cared long enough to pocket the money and sell off everything they’d owned before leaving town and heading back down this direction. I had a score to finish. I knew the small settlement wouldn’t last long, not with taxes and all the other expenses.

  “By the time I got here, I found myself in need of more money. I stumbled across Sherry and convinced her to let me stay. I dug around a bit and found out miss goodie two-shoes was still in town working for her family’s business, landing a cushy job and living the high life.”

  She looked over at Marjorie, shaking her head. “I never would’ve pegged you to be a kink slut. Imagine my shock to discover you not only fancied the place, but your family was part owners.”

  Cassie held her hand to her chest as she laughed so hard tears began to come out of her eyes. “It was only too perfect. I got a part-time job here while I held down a full-time job at one of the local counseling centers. All I had to do was sit back and watch as she tried to get the attention of men. I’d been trying to come up with a plan of attack, when James here,” her hand slapped the side of his arm, “presented me with the perfect opportunity. He’d been sniffing at her backdoor at the club but felt unable to approach her, so he ended up coming to me at the counseling center.”

  Marjorie and I both watched in horror as he removed his Spidey mask to reveal himself. I felt her panic at seeing her ex so close and could feel her start to stiffen in my arms. I ran my hand up and down her back, holding her close. “It’s going to be all right, my love. We’ll get through this somehow.”

  “Yeah, keep telling yourself that and get your fucking hands off my wife.” So… the little dip shit could speak.

  “She’s not your wife anymore. She’s my girlfriend and one day I hope to marry her, if she’ll have me.” I watched as Marjorie’s eyes lifted to mine in awe over the words that I’d spoken.

  The feeling was short lived as Cassie screamed, “Shut it! This is my story and I’m not done telling it.” Wow! Talk about your overly conceited bitch.

  “James was weak. He had a bit of a personality disorder that I exploited to my benefit, bringing out his darker side with trigger words. I put him under hypnosis with the idea of trying to keep that side of him at bay while giving him positive reinforcements to encourage him to seek out Marjorie’s assistance in training him and then, ultimately, reversing the roles on her.”

  Marjorie’s breath caught with the admission. Her legs started to buckle under the realization that had just been thrown at her. She pointed at Cassie and then at James. “You mean to tell me that the whole time he was beating the crap out of me, it was you having put the thoughts into his head?”

  “I see you’re starting to catch up. I always knew you were the dumb bitch of the family. I’d originally tried to worm my way into Dane and Rafe’s lives, but they wouldn’t have anything to do with me. I couldn’t even get them to respond to my attempts with trigger words. Then I tried interfering with Gianna’s life, but was quickly told that I’d better leave her alone or I’d be out on my ass thanks to Kent. So I focused my attention on you.”

  She raised her thumb toward James. “You should’ve died in a kink fest gone wrong, but lover boy fought my programming to beat you until you were dead. Each time he came close, he somehow held back, promising to care for you.”

  James tried to reach out to her. “Don’t touch me, you dumb twit. Why can’t you remember that part of your programming? You’re never to touch or address me.” Her words were loud enough to make us all jump.

  “I hadn’t planned on your security team finding you or the life insurance policy. They destroyed my initial plans by running James out of town. The only good thing was I had his phone number; I just had to access it from the files at work. As a result, I could keep his programming current with just a few words here and there until our plan could play out. But then I decided, why stop there? Why not go for a two for one? I’d managed to off my family. I’d managed to get rid of that dope head Sherry for a few million. Why not go for the big prize?”

  Cassie licked her lips in anticipation. I could swear her eyes began to glow an evil red. “I decided I’d wait until I could get both of you under control. I’d have James come rushing back to town, have a quarrel with his ex resulting in her death, and then send him running back to Utah. I’d have him meet his demise in an accident where he drives off a cliff, and all the money would be mine.”

  I shook my head at her. “But wouldn’t you have to wait for James to collect on his money from losing Marjorie before you took his life?”

  “Originally, yes. I added a second beneficiary to her life insurance policy yesterday, in the event James no longer existed. A small little charity I founded for counseling at risk youth in underprivileged countries. It’s always been a cover to accept money before transferring it to a Swiss bank account. That’s one nice thing about foreign countries. It makes money transfers harder to track down, especially when you have it bouncing through several dummy accounts before ending in the actual one.”

  I was growing tired of this cat and mouse game we had going back and forth. I knew we had enough information recorded to send Cassie to jail for a long time. We’d already managed to get some positive id’s that it had been her who’d poisoned the syrup and falsified insurance policies. She’d hidden from the cameras in the immediate buildings, but failed to realize that the businesses across the streets also had cameras, many of them with zoom capability. Thankfully, Rick had managed to find the footage and confirmed Karen through facial recognition a few days ago. We were trying to get last known photos of Cassie because Derrick suspected it was her but wasn’t sure.

  Cassie’s whining voice broke through my train of thought. “Enough with the chit chat. Let’s finish this. I want to be long gone before they find your bodies.” We all watched in horror as she pulled a silencer she’d had strapped to her outer thigh with a garter.

  Marjorie leaned
into me, shaking like a leaf. “If I have to die, I want you to know that this last year has been the happiest of my life, especially the last couple of months. You’ve given me enough love and affection to last a lifetime. I’ll die happy knowing that I’m in your arms.” She looked up at me, a tender smile on her face. “I’ve loved you since the day you came in to try and save our company from a cyber threat. I knew I couldn’t act on my feelings because we were both too messed up to deal with a relationship, but that’s the day I knew I wanted you.”

  I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, pulling her tightly to me. “If we’re going to admit things, then I need to be honest and tell you that I fell for you that day too. I wasn’t deserving of you then. I still needed to prove something to your family and to myself, but each day around you, my heart opened up a little more to the point that I could no longer see my life without you in it.”

  “Enough of this hokey bull shit. It’s time to die.” She looked over to James and asked, “On the count of three?”

  His eyes focused and met mine, as he said, “Yes. Let’s. Drop. Them. On Three.” He made a point to enunciate each word.

  I wrapped my arms around Marjorie, holding her as though our lives depended on it. I heard one, then two, and dropped immediately.

  I HEARD THE GUN fire and felt the floor come up to greet us, but I didn’t feel any pain. Was I already in heaven or had I been sent to hell? The noise around me told me I was still alive, but I began to panic as I heard someone scream and the sound of bone being crushed.

  My immediate thoughts were of Ethan. I tried to wiggle loose. “Don’t move, love.” His voice was my beacon in the darkness this nightmare had brought on.

  In the distance I heard the door fly open and several footsteps flood in, crowding the room with the sound of metal cuffs being put into place. “It’s safe to get up now.” I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Derrick’s voice.

  I heard Ethan ask, “How much of the confession did you get?”