by C. J. Thomas
“Not surprised.” Wes turned his gaze back to me. “He brought lots of good people down with him.”
“And now the Madam is wanting me to represent him.” I nodded. “With the intent to purposely toss his case. Put him away forever.”
“Shit.” Wes’s nostril flared as if he didn’t need to hear any more. His opinion had been made. The Madam was minimizing her risk with Stone by having me toss his case.
“The irony of it all is, I too want to see Stone go away for what he did.”
“But we both know why she wants him gone.”
I hung my head, nodding.
“And you can’t do it because you have a reputation to maintain.”
“Exactly.”
“But why then represent Mario? How does this all tie to him?”
“Madam introduced us.” My fingers squeezed my glass. “She knows he knows something about Stone that would seal the deal. Except now, the more I learn about Maria, I’m convinced Mario is simply a face to go down for a crime he didn’t commit, to look like justice is being served. He’s innocent. I know he is, and I can’t just let him hang for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“This is so fucked up.” Wes ran his fingers through his hair.
“I need to distance myself from the Madam, but I’m afraid I’m in too deep.”
Wes smoothed his hands down the front of his chest, taking a minute to think things over. Then he turned his head and looked at me with raised brows. “What if I could give you a way out?”
“I’m afraid I don’t see a way out of this. I’m too close to Madam’s activities. If she were to go down, and with my rocky relationship with the DA, there would be no stopping his pursuit to bring me down with her.”
“Kelly, I can help.”
“What are you proposing?”
“I’ll tell you, but first, help me understand something.”
I rolled my wrist and flipped my palm to the ceiling.
“Why did Sylvia send you here?”
“Because you’re the owner of Mint.”
“Fine. But, Kelly, I think you might have missed something in Maria’s case.”
I leaned forward with the crease between my brows deepening.
“Did you know that Sylvia Neil also had one night with Nash?”
I shook my head. “News to me. She didn’t say anything about that.”
“Didn’t think she would. Nash ended it, and she wasn’t happy about it. Now, I’m no detective, but I am a man of logic, and if I had to guess, her anger gives her motive to have been the one to kill Maria.”
“As a way to get back at Nash.”
Wes snapped his fingers, pointing at me. “We can bring the Madam down, and bring justice to Maria.”
“So what are you proposing?”
“All you have to do is trust me.” His eyes sparkled with renewed determination. “And it starts with you telling Mario that you’ll represent him. Can you do that?”
“I can do that.”
“Then let’s get to work.”
42
Kendra
Rolling on my stomach, I squeezed my eyes shut and grumbled into my pillow.
My body ached. I had a slow pulse. And I felt no motivation whatsoever to get out of bed. The desire to take on the day wasn’t there. Absent, completely gone from the normal excitement I felt when waking up to see what surprises were waiting to find me today.
I flipped.
I flopped.
Fatigue defined the way I currently felt, and with the house quiet, I wished that I would have slept at Alex’s last night. Instead, I’d come home to be alone.
The Madam left me feeling like shit.
My life was awful, and with my secrets now exposed, the same one’s that I didn’t want anyone to know about, I feared what else the Madam knew about me.
I yanked the pillow out from under my head and let it come crashing down over my face. Pushing it tightly over my nose and mouth, I fought to breathe.
Then I screamed until my face went purple.
I could only speculate what the Madam planned to do with the information I knew she had. A pang of fear twisted my gut as I clenched at the cramp.
A million different scenarios raced through my mind, terrified to think that she might know enough to either bring me down or use it to blackmail me into agreeing to do something I didn’t want to do—like make those deliveries.
I rubbed my face and threw my fists down into the soft mattress, hating myself for getting into this position.
I felt stuck and couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I’d worked so hard to redefine my image and move on from the childhood that wasn’t so great to me. And suddenly, it all came crashing to shore like a monstrous hurricane, swallowing me up in the eye of the storm.
Tossing my covers off, I marched into the bathroom and found myself staring into the mirror. It was an ugly sight. I shouldn’t have done it. But I had to see the wreckage to understand the emotion that pushed the agony to the far extremities of my body. My eyes were puffy with dark bags beneath them. My hair was a frizzled beehive and I looked disgusting. Splashing water on my face did nothing for me.
After a quick sit on the toilet, I dragged my feet to the kitchen, sticking my head in the fridge. It wasn’t that I was hungry, but I felt like eating, if only to temporarily push the stress out of my mind.
Reaching for the carton of milk, I brought it to my lips and immediately spit it back into the container. It was sour and left my tongue feeling tingly. Thinking I’d find better luck in the cupboard, I opened the door and tried my chances with the cereal. But it only proved to be worthless. The cereal was stale, and with me spending most my time away, I had nothing in the house to eat that wasn’t expired.
My cell dinged, and when I went for it I noticed that it was my doorman app alerting me to a message.
Ms. Williams. You have a package waiting for pickup, it read when I opened it.
Initially I was excited, but dread came back to curl my spine. I was sure that whatever was delivered to my apartment was from Madam. Probably my next delivery. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this, or if she would let me. She seemed determine to have me be the only girl of hers to do house chores. Or maybe there were others. I didn’t know. We never crossed paths with the other women working for Madam so I could only assume that their job descriptions were similar to mine—minus these special deliveries.
Knowing I couldn’t let it sit there forever, I jumped into the shower, letting the hot water stream over my closed eyes in hopes that it would wash away the funk I woke up in.
I shampooed and scrubbed the soap into my skin. When my hand grazed my sex, I immediately thought of Kelly.
I was flattered by his request to have me for a month. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend more time with him. I had a deep desire to learn more about who he was, and I wanted him to learn more about who I was, too.
But I was hesitant to make the decision when feeling like there was more to it than just dating Kelly. There was something up Madam’s sleeve. I knew it. I could see it in her eyes. The way she glared at me, like this was her plan from the beginning—a way to bring Kelly and me together for whatever motive she intended to fulfill. It all seemed too good to be true, and for that I remained cautious.
I blew out a heavy sigh as I turned the knob over to off.
After drying myself, I tossed on a bright yellow sundress and let my hair air-dry. The elevator was empty. I had it all to myself all the way to the bottom floor where I stepped out to find a smiling Mr. Anderson.
“Why are you smiling?” I teased as I approached.
“When do I not smile after seeing you?”
“Well, I’m glad you are. I’m in need of some joy to brighten up my morning.”
“What has you down, Ms. Williams?” He frowned.
I liked how he was so formal. It must have been a generational thing, because in most circumstances I preferred to be on a first-
name basis with the people I encountered. But the way Mr. Anderson said my name, he made it sound cool. “Just some shit I woke up with.”
“Well, whoever the man is, he’s lucky to have you.”
“What are you talking about?”
He reached behind his desk and pulled out the small gift box I had been alerted to. “I assume this is from him.”
I tucked my wet hair behind my ear, slowly taking the box inside my hands. I knew that it was from Kelly, and my heart resumed its normal lively rhythm. “Did he stop by?”
There was a mischievous sparkle in Mr. Anderson’s eye that made me follow his gaze over my shoulder. And when I turned to look, I jumped off my toes, squealing. “Kelly!”
Kelly stood there in the entrance with his hands in his pockets, smiling.
My head spun back around to look at Mr. Anderson.
“I guess he never left.” He shrugged.
Kelly was rocking on his heels when I turned back to him. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
He sauntered over to me with a sexual desire that drew my nipples tight. Kelly was unlike any other man I knew and I was thrilled that he was here. It was the exact surprise I needed to make me feel whole after the fitful night I’d had. His fingers clamped around my arm as he leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Mind if we talk upstairs?”
I nodded, suddenly feeling breathless in his presence.
“Thank you, Mr. Anderson, I owe you one.” Kelly smiled to an obliged doorman.
We headed to the elevator, linked at the hand, and I tucked his gift deep inside the palm of my hand, managing to press the button with a free finger. The doors opened immediately, and I was eager to get Kelly into my apartment so we could be alone.
He glanced down at me with glowing eyes. My toes curled as a desire to jump his bones rippled across my skin. And as soon as the elevator began whisking us up to my floor, I asked him, “How did you know where I live?”
“I’m Madam’s lawyer.” He grinned. “I know more about her employees than I should.”
My shoulders tightened with fear of what else he knew about me. But with the way he was holding my hand, I didn’t care. He possessed me, made me feel safe, and I liked that he was here. “And how many of them have you dated in the past?”
It was a question that was asked without thought, and I said it in a teasing manner but I was relieved when he said, “None.”
“Can I believe you, Counselor?” I leaned my shoulder into him and he bent his neck, kissing my forehead.
I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of his lips rejuvenate my soul. And I kept them closed until the doors dinged open. “Sorry. If I would have known you were coming, I would have laid out a path of flowers.”
He chuckled and followed one-step behind me.
My door was unlocked, not bothering to lock it knowing that I would be back up soon, and as soon as it swung open, Kelly began checking out my place. It was a mess, with clothes draped over the back of the sofa and gossip magazines lining both the coffee and dining room tables.
“You just wanted to see how I lived?”
He opened the fridge and gave me a look.
A flush of embarrassment spread across my cheeks. “It’s been awhile since I went shopping.”
He closed the fridge and began opening up cupboards.
“Sure. Go ahead. Make yourself at home.” I folded my arms and leaned against a nearby wall. “Or, if you’re looking for something in particular, maybe I can direct you.”
“Just browsing,” he said coolly.
There was nothing to hide, so besides me thinking that what he was doing was a little weird, I let him freely dig into my life one stale-smelling cupboard at a time. “Then while you’re doing that, maybe we can talk about your request to have me for a month.”
Kelly gave me a wicked grin that clenched my sex. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Is it because I signed your contract?”
“Of course.” He strode over to me with sex in his eyes. “Now that we made a commitment to each other, I can’t allow anyone else to have you.”
“Does the Madam know about our commitment?”
Kelly took me by the waist, sliding his hands to the small of my back, pulling me against his hard abs. “It’s our little secret.”
“But I haven’t said yes.”
He chuckled, bringing his lips a whisper away from mine. “But you will.”
I raised my brow, wetting my lips. Then he kissed me.
My tongue swirled over his and I was thankful that I had brushed my teeth in the shower. There was still a hint of mint on my tongue, and when matched against the heat of his lips, it was heaven. “You’re right, I will,” I murmured against his thick lips.
He nipped at my lips again. “Aren’t you curious to know what’s in the box?”
I turned my head to the gift box sitting on my kitchen table. “Only a little.”
“Open it.”
His voice was firm enough to convince me that it couldn’t wait. I reluctantly slid myself away from his protective, masculine grip and pulled the top off the small cream-colored box. I glanced to Kelly as my heart fluttered with excitement against my ribs. When my eyes fell back to its contents, my hand flew over my mouth and I gasped. “Kelly, it’s beautiful.”
His white teeth sparkled like the black diamond on the ring he’d just given me. “Now that we’re together, I want you to know that you’ll never have to worry about anything. I’ll take care of you. That’s my promise to you.”
My hands tingled and I felt like I was floating in the air. Kelly reached inside the box and plucked the round piece of metal between his fingers, slipping it on my ring finger.
Tears of joy clouded my vision. Holding it up to catch the light I asked, “And what does it mean to be Kelly Black’s girl?”
He ran his rough hands up and down my arms, pressing his heavy girth against my belly. He had me wet and begging for him to take me here on the kitchen table. “I’ll teach you what it means to be my submissive.”
A flare of adrenaline zinged up my spine. I’d heard the term but knew little of what it actually meant. And after Alex and I had gone digging to find dirt on Nash, ever since coming across Mint and knowing the rumors that swirled around the nightclub, I couldn’t deny my own interest in learning the lifestyle.
His hands moved to my ass. “And it all starts now.”
Continue the series in Black Demands. Click here to start reading today!
Afterword
Never miss a release. Sign up to my newsletter and stay in the know. Visit me at www.CJThomasBooks.com
Also by CJ Thomas
City by the Bay series
Ruin Me Box Set
Promise Me Box Set
Save Me
Take Me Box Set
Control Me Box Set
Hollywood Dreams series
Big Willy Box Set
Beyond Tonight Box Set
On My Knees Box Set
Capture Me
Heat
Hard
Acknowledgment
I want to thank all of my readers for being supportive with each new story I write. It’s because of you and your willingness to WANT to read my stories that make this all possible. Mwah!
I also want to thank my editor, LNS, for bringing my stories to life and constantly providing constructive advice on how to improve my craft. The same goes to my street team and beta readers, for without you, I’m not sure I would have the confidence to continue living inside my characters’ heads day after day.
And last but not least, my family for giving me the love and inspiration to keep writing.
Never miss a release date. Sign up for my Newsletter! www.CJThomasBooks.com