The Call

by B. A. Cubbage

  Abraham’s grip tightens on me reassuringly. “Guys, we’ve had a long ass flight and didn’t get very much sleep. I think we’re going to hit it.”

  They all say some form of good night. I stop Kate at the door, “I’m so happy for you, wife.”

  She smiles at me and her cheeks flame. Kate Sinclair just blushed. Someone pinch me. “Thank you.” I kiss her cheek and she joins Mickey in the yard. “Love you, wife.”

  “Love you too, wife.”

  Mickey looks at Abraham. “Does this mean that I’m your husband? Or that Reagan is my wife too?”

  Kate smacks him but its Abraham who answers. “I don’t share. But maybe for you, big guy.” He blows Mickey a kiss and laughs. “You guys have a good night. See you tomorrow?”

  “You know it.” We wave and close the door.

  “Let’s go to sleep, sweet girl. Tomorrow is a new day. Let’s grab it by the horns.” He bends down. “Hop on.”

  I get on his back and he carries me up the stairs to the bedroom.

  After we’ve showered and put our clothes where they need to be, we hunker down under the covers for the night.

  “Good night, sweet girl. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Adonis. Sleep sweet.”

  Chapter Nine

  Abraham

  Abraham: You’ve made me despise work. I miss you. Can we go back to Tahiti?

  Reagan: Is that your ? #1

  I laugh out loud in my office.

  Abraham: I was unaware that we were playing 20 ?s.

  Reagan: We’re not, just playing the random ?s of life game

  Abraham: Lol what are you doing right now, besides fantasizing about getting sweaty with this perfect bod

  Reagan: Lol, riding up your elevator to do just that

  “What?”

  Abraham: Are you serious?

  A picture comes through. It’s Reagan posed with her shoulders risen, mouth in an open smile, and a bag from Coquette in her hand. I take off toward the elevator doors. The middle set opens and reveals the love of my existence.

  “Figured this would taste better than that cardboard salad you pick at and push around in your bowl.”

  I take the two white Styrofoam cups from her arms. “Have I told you that I love you yet today?”

  “Hmm, I’m not sure. Refresh my memory?”

  She steps out of the elevator and I plant my lips on hers. “I love you, sweet girl.”

  She smiles and starts walking toward my office. “I know.” Smartass. I stare at that smart ass the whole way into my office, until she steals it from my view by sitting on it.

  “So, light work load at Mickey’s today?”

  “Yeah, I was done with appointments like an hour ago. I’m only staying there for walk-ins. Plus, I’ve found that going home early isn’t as much fun unless you’re there to play with.”

  My jaw clenches with the want to taste her. “Don’t tease. I still have work to do and if I have ‘tasting you’ on the brain, nothing will get done.”

  She smiles at me and slowly slides a small pickle into her mouth until her fingernails touch her teeth. My office fills with the bass of my growl. “I never claimed that I would play fair. You want me? I’m here for the tasting. I’m sure that our food wouldn’t get too terribly cold.”

  “You’re going to be the death of me, you evil woman.” Standing, I walk over to the windows that look into the hall and close the blinds. I shut and lock my office door. When I turn around, she’s right in front of me. “Pants off, Winters.” She smiles and complies, unbuttoning them and sliding them to the floor. She takes her Converse off with them. “Bend over the desk.”

  “As you wish.” She turns around and stands with her back to me, but doesn’t bend like I’ve asked.

  “Reagan.” She shakes her head back and forth. I lightly run my middle finger up her spine over the top of her shirt. She moans and bends. “I hope you’re not ‘too terribly’ attached to these.” Grasping one side of her panties, I rip them. When I do the same to the other side, they drop to the floor between her feet.

  Undoing my belt and dress pants, I let them slid down around my ankles. My hands grasp her ass cheeks and spread them apart. “Mm. God I love this ass.” When my palm collides with the bare skin, the noise echoes through the room followed by her moan. “Did that feel good?”

  “Yes. You should do it again when you’re inside of me.”

  I fucking love how her mind works. Spreading her cheeks again, I position the tip of my cock at her entrance. She’s dripping with want. Want for me. Slowly, I slide inside of her. Once I’m fully inside, I do as she’s suggested and smack her ass again. “Oh, fuck.”

  I do it again. “Shhh. Hush, Reagan.” I rub the pink spot on her skin, and then smack it again. I can feel her insides start to shudder a bit. “I love how fast your body wakes for me.”

  “Only you, Abraham. Again.” I comply. After a few more thrusts inside of her, with my teeth clamping down over the skin of her shoulder, the both of us are sent tumbling over the edge. “You are the sex God, Abraham,” she says as I’m pulling out of her.

  “Only when I’m with my angel.” When I bend and grasp the waist of my pants, I grab hers as well. When I’m back upright, I hand them to her and sort out my own. “The thought of you without panties on, for the rest of the day, is going to have me squirming in my seat in front of my colleagues.”

  “Good. That just means that you’ll be ready to rip the rest of my clothes off when you get home.” She smiles and takes a huge bite of her pastrami sandwich.

  “You’re insatiable, Reagan.”

  “You love it.”

  “I do, very much so.” We begin to silently devour our lunch.

  »»•««

  Chris

  “I can’t just sit here while that self-preening asshole puts his grubby paws all over my property. I’m sick of it. I want to make our move.”

  “No! Not yet. It has to be perfect. You will have her and can do as you wish with her, so long as I never have to look at her smug little face again.” Why did I ever agree to work with anyone other than myself on this? “You have to wait until everyone is drawn away. Catch her alone, with no chance that anyone will have time to save her before you disappear with her.”

  Right, that’s why, the distraction. “Then you had better hurry the fuck up. The game she’s playing has gone too far.”

  “Patience is a virtue, Christopher. Use it.” My lip curls at her use of my full name. “Don’t you look at me in that tone. You’re not the only one who knows how to do some damage and I’m not scared of you. Your plan will only work if I am a part of it.” It’s true. And the fact that it’s true pisses me off enough to storm out. So I do. “Stay out of sight,” she calls after me.

  I turn my whole body back toward her. “I’m not dense. Shut up and do something productive to speed this whole thing up. I’m tired of looking at you. And I’m sick of seeing my soon-to-be wife with that scum.”

  I slam the door behind me. I hate having to work with these two. Fucking ridiculous.

  »»•««

  Abraham

  “Shit!” The garage doorknob starts to turn. Reagan and I take off from the middle step that our naked asses are currently trying to catch our breaths on. When we make it into our bedroom and slam the door behind us, she’s laughing. “Fuck. Since you moved in, we get no damn privacy. How do you deal with this?”

  She laughs harder. “I used to set booby traps for Devon and Damon. Eventually they would call before they came over. Until I started seeing this piece of art named Abraham. Then my life got a little suspicious to them.”

  I fall onto my back on our bed. “Ridiculous. We may have to do just that. Honestly, you know it’s bad when it’s gotten to the point that I can’t even catch my breath after fucking my live-in girlfriend on the stairs.”

  She climbs over my body until she’s straddling me. My dick instantly stands at attention once more for her. “It won’t stop m
e from having you claim me all over this house.”

  “Mm.” My hands move to her hips. “You are a naughty little minx, aren't you?”

  “Only for you, Abraham.” She bends down and takes my lip between her teeth. Speaking around it she repeats, “Only for you.”

  Heavy footsteps start down the hall and the door flies open. Moving quickly, I roll Reagan onto her back and shield her naked body with my own. “Fuck! Dude it’s the middle of the day. Could you get your dick out of my little sister for like five fucking minutes?” A mountain boot slams into my ribs, causing me to crumple and lose my breath a little.

  “Mother fucker!” I turn my eyes on Reagan’s eldest brother, Devon. “You came into our home. Unannounced.” Grabbing the boot that for sure just bruised a couple of ribs, I hurl it back in his direction. He tries to catch it, but it glides through his hands and into his gut.

  He drops to the floor with the wind knocked out of him. “You could have hit Reagan, you fuck. Think before you have an outburst.” Reagan’s small, cold hand touches my skin where the boot made contact. “I’ll be okay, love.” Grabbing the comforter, I wrap her in it and myself in the sheet. “Knock.”

  Reagan walks past Devon to the closet and whacks the back of his head. “Ow. Insult to injury? Really?”

  “Yeah, you totally could have hit me, punk.” He rolls his eyes and leans against our now-open bedroom door. “And FYI, we weren’t fucking…in here.”

  Devon makes a face. “Ah, come on. I don’t need to know that.”

  “Well dear brother, if you continue to come over unannounced, what you will walk into, I assure you, will be much worse than a prank in my apartment.”

  His nose crinkles and I laugh. “Fine. Point taken.”

  I join Reagan in the closet. As I’m pulling up a pair of jeans, I ask, “So what was so urgent that you just barged in?”

  Reagan pulls her pant legs over a pair of cowgirl boots. Fuck me. She watches me watch her as she buttons her half-sleeved checkered shirt. Her lip pulls up in a half grin and she grasps the erection that’s just reformed under my jeans. I smack her hand away and she mouths ‘what?’ with a mock innocent look on her face.

  I lean into her ear and whisper, “I will get you back for that. And you’ll be wearing nothing but those boots when I do.” She nips at my chin as I pull away.

  “I hope so.”

  “Are you two even listening to me?” Devon cautiously peeks around the corner.

  “Sorry, what were you saying?” He huffs and mean-mugs us both.

  “I said, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Peter want us to help put in a couple more stalls in the barn this Saturday to make room for her horses since the two of them are shacking up together officially. You two up for it?” He’s still clutching his abdomen where the boot hit him.

  “What time?” Reagan looks questioningly at me.

  “Peter said any time after nine is good. You got someplace to be?”

  “I’ve got a court thing from eight till noon. You wanna wait for me to get off of work and leave with me?”

  Reagan shakes her head back and forth. “Nah, I think I’ll take my bike out there after I get up and around. I’d be bored out of my mind sitting here just waiting for you to get off of work.” She turns to Devon. “You guys coming with us to Club Blue on Friday still?”

  “Hell yeah, I need a good night of drinking and dancing. Even better now that I’ve got Sara to go with and come home with me.”

  “Ah, finally an end to all of the slutty bevies in the Devon/Damon revolving door.” Devon shoves her arm as she walks past him toward the hall.

  She shoves him back. “Okay children. Let’s not get to full on brawling on the floor.” She sticks her tongue out at me and Devon flips me off with a smile. “What am I getting myself into?”

  Reagan jumps on Devon’s back. “Awesomeness, you’re willingly walking into awesomeness. Embrace it, or you’ll drown.” Devon hops down the stairs with her on his back, and then sets her down in the kitchen. I joke, but I’m really happy they are as close as they are… Damon waltzes through the garage door… sometimes. “Dude?”

  “What? Dev’s truck is in the driveway. Figured it was a safe bet that you two were decent.”

  “Yeah, next time you can come over first.” Devon shudders in his seat at the breakfast bar. Reagan laughs and tosses him a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Thanks.”

  “So, what’s up?” Both Devon and Damon look at me kind of funny.

  The look is gone the second Reagan gives them her attention and Damon speaks up. “I was bored. Sam’s in class for another hour.”

  Reagan tosses him a water bottle as well. “What, we’re your only friends?”

  He flips her off. “Bite me.”

  “No thanks, I don’t want any of the contagions that are running through your bloodstream getting into mine.” I shake my head and make my way out back.

  Dozer trips over his own feet trying to get to me. If dogs could laugh, I’m pretty sure Princess and Thor would be laughing their tails off at him. He comes to a stop at the expense of my knees. “Dude, you gotta get those breaks under control.” He jumps up, puts his paws on my lower chest, and licks the entirety of my face. “Ah, gross. Down. Down.”

  “Be nice. He just wants love.” Reagan shuts the slider behind her and stoops down, waiting for Dozer to come pummel her with ‘love’. “How’s my big strong boy?”

  “You’re such a girl.” She mirrors my smile. “You want to take them for a run?” Thor is at my feet just hearing the word.

  “Why not? Just our two though. It’s going to be hard enough to get Dozer to stay on all fours. I don’t need two clumsy pups.” She walks over to Princess and pats her head. “Sorry, chickie. You’ll have to take it up with your dad.”

  “Let’s go change and I’ll grab the leashes and Dozer’s harness.”

  When she is up the stairs, I turn to Devon. “Okay, spill. What’s with the look that you two exchanged?”

  They look at each other again and then back at me. Devon’s voice is just above a whisper. “They found a girl, a girl that looks an awful lot like Reagan, in a ditch near the tattoo shop yesterday morning. They say that she had obviously been redressed. Abraham, they said that Chris’s prints were all over her.”

  My blood heats and I look between them both. “Not a word of this to Reagan. She will blame herself.”

  They speak in unison. “Understood.”

  »»•««

  Chris

  Sitting in the car, I wait for them to leave the house. They were putting running clothes on a minute ago. I can only hope her stupid brothers leave when she does.

  “Finally!” The four of them vacate the house with all three of the dogs. “Fucking menaces.” Those four-legged mutts have made it increasingly harder to get close to my Reagan Nichole. Not impossible, but definitely harder.

  That prick twin of hers rolls his shoulders and looks around before he jumps in his truck. “Like your dumb ass could spot me if I was two feet in front of you.” Both trucks pull out of the driveway and head out of the neighborhood.

  I watch as my Reagan and her ridiculous toy jog out of sight. “Okay, time to go.” I grab the bag from the back of the car and take it with me.

  Once I’m inside, I head straight to the room she sleeps in. I only spend about five minutes doing what I came here to do. When I’m done, I walk into her closet and scope it out. All of his pretentious suits just further my fury. “You’re such a fucking tool bag.”

  When I come to the bottom of the stairs, I hear the back gate open. “Fuck.” I stayed a hell of a lot longer, touching all of her things, than I planned on. I take off out of the front door and leave it wide open. By the time I get to my car, my pants are tighter from the adrenaline, and her smell. “Soon, Reagan. Soon.”

  »»•««

  Reagan

  Laughing I shove Abraham as we come inside. We go to the fridge and grab a couple of waters. Leaning on the kitchen isla
nd, my brow dips. “Abraham? I thought you locked the front door?”

  He looks between the living and dining room at the open front door. “I did. Maybe Dev forgot something?”

  “Maybe. I’ll go get my cell off of the bed.”

  “I still can’t believe you left that thing here.” He calls after me, laughing. “I may have to solder that shit to your hip.”

  “Gross. And like you’re any better. Go get yours from your car.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  Aren’t we a pair? It’s a good thing we didn’t need them. At the top of the stairs, I stop. I have to literally shake off the creepy crawlies that have spread throughout my body. Weird.

  Once I reach our bedroom, I realize why my instincts were warding me off. Laid out perfectly on the bed is my green dress from Abraham’s parents’ party. There are dark spots all over the material and the jewels that hold it up.

  The thought of Chris being in our home again, and what is most likely blood on my dress, coupled with the jog we just did in this heat, makes my stomach turn over.

  Racing to our bathroom, my knees hit the floor at the same time the vomit shoots passed my lips and into the toilet. Thank fuck, my hair is in a bun from our run. Dozer comes in, lays himself on the floor next to me, and puts his head on my knee. He continues to whine every time I heave water from my stomach into the toilet.

  “Babe?” I can hear Abraham coming down the hall. I know the second he reaches the bedroom. His booming snarl bounces off of the walls. “Babe?” His feet hit the floor maybe twice before he is in the bathroom, crouched down and rubbing my back. “I’ll get you some water and call the police.” He stands and starts to walk to the vanity across the room, but he stops in front of it and doesn’t move.

  I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and look up. There’s a note written on the mirror in my lipstick.

  She was good. Not as good as you, but still good. See, I can play this game too.

  My stomach heaves again. I puke until there is nothing left inside of me to void. The thought of what he means and its connection to the blood on my dress is way too much.

  »»•««