by Ashlee Price
His house was quiet when I got to it. After having the taxi drive past the place once to get a layout, I got out a block away and made my way back on foot. I had a lot to discuss with the man who’d sent his men to my motel. I wanted to give him my own message about who Mariah belonged to. It wasn’t him. She’d been mine for a long time and that was never going to change. Mariah was always going to be mine, and he was just going to have to come to terms with that.
***
“You’re making a mistake. I did not send anyone to your house. I think that you need to put that gun down so that we can talk about this like adults.”
I shook my head and sat down in the couch across from Elie. He’d been about as disgruntled as I’d been. I’d found him in bed with some dark-skinned woman who looked familiar. He was now in his boxers, sitting in front of me with the gun pointed at his face. This was the only thing that men like Elie listened to and understood.
“I’m done talking. I got the message you were trying to send, loud and clear.”
“Where are Bruno and Lex?”
I shrugged and told him that if he cared he shouldn’t have sent them out to do his dirty work. Elie just smiled at me, and an unsettling feeling came over me. The man was too calm. I watched him a little closer to make sure that he wasn’t going to do something stupid.
“If you’ve done something to them, I’ll…”
“You’ll what? I’m here and you’re there. I’ve got the gun. It looks like you’ve overestimated your position and underestimated your opposition.”
Elie shook his head that he hadn’t. “I never underestimate the person in front of me. You’re the one that doesn’t see what’s going to happen next. You still think you’re in control. Mariah is not going anywhere. She works for me now, and she’ll continue to work for me until I can’t squeeze another dollar out of her worn-out ass. That’s all you need to know about your Mariah. That’s her future.”
The man was unbelievable, so sure of himself that it made me sick. Didn’t he see how it was going to turn out? Didn’t he see what was coming?
I stood up and moved towards him. I was a foot away before I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t know what it was until I saw the metal gleam in the lamplight. I wasn’t the only one with a gun, and instead of holding it on me like I’d done for him, he pulled the trigger as soon as it was raised high enough.
My natural impulse was to shoot him, but I’d gotten hit in the chest and the second shot was already ringing out. I didn’t hit the target I wanted, and I watched the bullet glance off his shoulder before I felt the impact of another slug going into my chest. Then another, and another.
“I told Mariah that I wouldn’t hurt you, but you had to be an idiot. Die knowing what I’ll do to her.”
Chapter 19 – Scott
“Are you okay?”
She looked like she was a million miles away. I hadn’t seen her in a week, and I wanted all of her attention. I wasn’t getting it from Mariah lately. She wouldn’t really talk to me – we couldn’t really talk here – so I was left to ask and she was left to answer evasively.
“I tried to call you several times. Did you turn your phone off?”
“I’m not sure what happened, but my phone number was canceled. I had to get another one. It was the weirdest thing.”
I had a feeling I knew who’d done it. I wanted to ask her if she’d gotten the phone through Elie, but I didn’t. We were being watched and heard. It was a feeling that I didn’t like, especially when all I wanted to do was tell her what was really on my mind, what I was really thinking about. I wanted to make it clear to her how I felt. But last time we’d had company, and I’d learned my lesson on doing anything productive in the small rooms provided by the club.
“Are you ready to play, sir?”
I was about as distracted as she was. I wasn’t in the mood to play games. I was in the mood to spend time with her, real time, and find out what was going on. This superficial connection that was allowed here wasn’t enough.
“Why don’t we get out of here? It’s late, and I can’t see you staying here much longer tonight.”
“Where to?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you, Mariah. Just name the place.”
“I’m not supposed to leave with clients, Scott.”
I didn’t like being called a client. I wanted to be more than that to her. I was more than that, so why was she acting like that was all I was? She knew better, and so did I.
“I’m not asking you to leave with a client, Mariah, I’m asking you to come with me. Let me take you out and buy you some dinner.”
“I don’t know. Elie hasn’t been in today, and I don’t want to get on his bad side.”
I wanted to ask her why she didn’t want to. Was he mean to her? Did he hurt her? She had bruises on her, always did, but I didn’t know if it was from work or something else. Was Elie doing something to harm her in some way?
“Come with me, Mariah. I’ll talk to Elie and smooth it all out when I get back. I’ll bring you back here to get your car. It will be a good time out, that’s all.”
She wasn’t convinced, and I wasn’t too sure that I was either. “Come on, if Elie isn’t here, then what’s the problem?”
I whispered the last bit to her. The very fact that I had to speak to her in such a way was beyond me. I was in a whole other situation, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. All I knew was that I needed Mariah, and getting her away from the club for a while was the only way that we were ever going to have a chance to be alone and talk. I could wait on the games, even though I was burning for her. I was in it for the long game, and that included more than a few orgasms.
When she finally agreed, the weight of the world was taken off of my shoulders. I knew that everything was going to work out now. I just needed to get her away from all of this and then we could really be together. It wasn’t something that I’d ever wanted before, but now I wanted it more than I wanted my next breath.
I took Mariah out for something to eat, and even though she didn’t say she was hungry, she ate everything on her plate.
“Long day?”
Mariah shrugged and wiped her lips. I was trying to stay focused on her words, but going so long without her had made me wish that I could have had her first. That was the one thing eating away at me: I needed her too badly to ignore. As soon as she saw that, I was sure that Mariah would come to terms with what was going on between us.
“You have no idea. Since Elie never came in today, I was called in early…” She stopped and I asked her why she did.
“You don’t want to hear about this, Scott. I’m sorry that I even brought it up.”
I didn’t like to hear about her and anyone else, but I was a big boy and I knew that was what was going on. I just had to convince her to leave this life she was leading and be with me. Then she wouldn’t have to do all of those things. Well, not for random people. We could play our games together. I wanted more than just that, though. I wanted to come home to her at night and go to bed with her next to me every day.
“I want to hear about your day. I want to be able to talk to you without someone listening in and us having to be careful with our words. I’m not very good at that. I want to be able to say whatever I want to say.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t think that you get told no very often, do you, Scott?”
I didn’t. The last time I’d been told no was several years ago, but I didn’t care about that right now. I just cared about Mariah. I wanted her more than I could have ever dreamed was possible.
“Not very much, no.”
“Is that why you’ve taken a liking to me, sir? Because I tell you no and you can’t have what you want?”
“If that were the case, I would be at the club with you tied to a wall making you call me daddy.”
Her eyes darkened. It was the first time I’d seen that particular look in them. I’d just thrown it out there to be outrageous, but it m
ade me wonder if that was what she wanted. I hadn’t had enough time to really test her kinks and needs, but I was getting there. If I could just get her away from Elie long enough, I would be able to delve into all of the intricacies that she had.
“Why do I get the feeling that you would like that?”
Mariah’s face turned red. It amazed me that after what she did all day to complete strangers, Mariah was still able to blush like a nun. That was the beauty of such a woman. She had so many facets that I wasn’t sure which one I was going to get next. I liked them all, though.
“I guess you’ll just have to try and see how it works out.”
“Does anyone else make you call them that?”
She shook her head that they didn’t. I liked her calling me something that no one else got to hear from her. I wanted our time and everything about it to be special. I already had to share her, something that bothered me more every day. At least now there would be a way to distinguish me from all of the other ‘sirs’ in her life.
“That’s what you’ll call me from now on then, Mariah. I think I like the sound of that. You can be my naughty little girl who will need lots of discipline.”
The blue eyes sparkled, and what I wouldn’t have given to know what she was thinking. She finally agreed, but she still hadn’t said the words out loud. I wanted to hear them, and when she hesitated, I touched her thigh under the table. “What do you say, Mariah?”
She looked around. It appeared that she was worried whether anyone was close enough to hear her. Even though she was plastered all over a fetish website, Mariah was still worried about her image.
“If you don’t do it now, you’ll be punished.”
Her eyes lit up, and I realized that it was going to be hard to punish someone who loved it so much. I was playing right into her hands, and that bothered me. It was not my intention at all. I was the one who was supposed to be in charge, but it was Mariah who was making all of the rules up as she went along.
“But I’ve been good, daddy.”
Her voice had changed, and she was leaning closer to me, whispering the coy words in my ear. The sound of her voice and the feel of her breath on my neck made me shiver. Yes, I liked my new title and the way she used it.
“Fuck, Mariah, do you know what that does to me?”
“What, daddy?”
The need that I’d held in for so long was rising up, and it didn’t matter that we were in the middle of a restaurant. I could have taken her to the bathroom. Maybe that was what I should have done, but I was thinking about other things. I didn’t have the patience or the inclination to wait that much longer.
“I need you, Mariah.”
She leaned closer and kissed me on the cheek. “What do you want, daddy?”
“I want you to take your dirty little mouth and suck on my cock.”
Her eyes widened a little, and the cute smile on her face was gone. It had just gotten serious, and I wasn’t too sure that she was very excited about it. It didn’t matter what she thought, though. I was too turned on to care. Mariah would give me what I wanted because I told her to. She listened quite well that way.
“Is this my punishment?”
“This is your privilege. If you don’t want to, there are many other women who would do it in a heartbeat.”
Something smart was on the edge of her tongue, and I waited to hear what. She was not following instructions, but instead of arguing with her about it, I pushed her head down towards my lap.
Mariah looked around again, making her look even guiltier than getting caught red-handed would have done. “No, Mariah.”
“But daddy…”
I growled at her, and the sound got her moving towards the edge of her seat. The tablecloth reached down to the ground, so she wouldn’t be seen, as long as she got down there without anyone seeing her. As it happened, there was a gentleman across the room who did watch the blonde slide underneath the table. I looked at him and smiled for a moment before I felt small hands opening up my pants and pulling me out. Her hot breath was moments away and I groaned inwardly when she slurped me up into her mouth. Her lips and tongue were heavenly.
Leaning back, I thrust myself into her sweet, hot mouth and heard her muffle on my meat. I’d given her too much, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to give her more. She needed more as far as I was concerned. I wanted to give her every inch I had, no matter how hard it was for her to manage.
She worked fast, and in just a few short minutes I was the one left gasping. I wanted more than anything to watch my cock slide into her mouth, but it wasn’t to be. I didn’t get to see how fast or slow she was working, how blue her eyes were when she looked up at me. Hell, I didn’t need to. The very feel of her mouth on me was enough to get me going. I lost myself between her lips and didn’t even have to tell her what I wanted her to do with it. She swallowed it all and came back up to sit next to me.
“I’m going to have to get you away from that place more often, Mariah.”
She wiped the corner of her mouth like she was all delicate. No one else would know what she was doing it for, and I was thankful for the secret that was just between the two of us.
“I would like that, daddy.”
She was like a whole other woman when we started that. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t a game I usually played, but if it was going to make her get that voice and the demure look in her eyes, there was no way that I couldn’t play. I was always up for a new game.
After we finished our meal and I dropped Mariah off at the club, there was nothing that was going to stand in my way anymore. She was mine, and no matter what kind of deal I had to do with Elie, I was going to have her full-time. A couple of hours a week just wasn’t going to cut it. Elie reminded me of the devil, but I’d made deals with his kind before. I hadn’t been this worried about the outcome before, though. This was a deal that I had to make and had to win.
Chapter 20 – Mariah
“I know why he’s doing this. He’s doing this to get back at me for leaving with Scott last night.”
Sasha shook her head. “You didn’t hear?”
“No, what?”
“Some guy came in with a gun and locked himself in the office at his house with Elie. I don’t know what about, but Lex and Bruno were off. Elie had to fight him off himself. I heard a gunshot, but I don’t know what happened next. All I know is that Elie was shot. He just got out of the hospital this morning. He doesn’t even know that you left with a client. You know that’s frowned upon, but this was set up before that.”
My mind was pulled in different directions. Last time I’d talked to Elie, it was about Greg and the threat he’d made. Elie had said he was going to take care of it, and I had to wonder what he meant by that. Was it Greg who’d come to him with a gun? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. And if it had been Greg, then what had happened? Sasha told me what had happened to Elie, but I wanted to know how the other guy had faired. I wanted to know if it was Greg.
“What did the other guy look like? Is he okay?”
Sasha looked at me a little suspiciously. I was sure that I wasn’t showing the proper amount of concern for Elie, but there was still the reason that I was mad at him to begin with.
“Why are you so worried about the other guy?”
“I don’t know. I just wonder what happened. You kind of left that out of the story, and I was just curious, I guess.”
She didn’t really believe me, but I could tell that there was more that she wanted to share. I didn’t want to stop her from sharing, so I tried to look less interested. By the end of her description of what happened next, it was safe to say that it was Greg. While she didn’t say exactly what had happened to him, it didn’t take much to imagine that Greg wasn’t going to be around anymore. If I heard her right, he’d been shot multiple times and then the body was dragged off. I didn’t want to know all of that, but I didn’t seem to have a choice.
“So he didn’t ca
ll the police?”
“In this world, we don’t go to the police. Everything was taken care of. Just forget that you heard about it. I’m sure it was just some guy that was in love with one of the girls and didn’t want to take no for an answer. You know how guys can get. They think since they pay a little money for us that they own us.”
I knew what she was talking about. I could have told her the truth about her boyfriend, but I held it in. I felt guilty in a way. It was all my fault. If I wouldn’t have told Elie what was going on and just left, it would have ended so differently. Greg would still be alive and Elie wouldn’t have been shot.
“So is Elie going to be okay?”
“Yeah, it just went through his shoulder. They say it went right through and that that’s a good thing. I don’t know how long he’s going to be recovering, but he said something about being there for the auction. It’s something new that he came up with and he’s looking forward to it.”
Her words brought me back to why I was upset to begin with. Elie had come up with the idea of auctioning off all of the girls for a night. It was only for a night, and not much different than what we did now, but he was offering up more from me than I was willing to give.
“I’m not going to be in that auction. He never said anything to me about it. I thought he was mad about me leaving with Scott, but I guess not. I don’t know what he was thinking when he made that flyer, but I’m not going to give up my virginity to the highest bidder.”
Sasha looked puzzled. “I thought you knew about it? Elie told me that you said it was okay or he would have never done it.”
“Do you really think that I’m okay with this? I’ve waited almost twenty years to give it away to someone that I love. It still means something to me, even though I work here at the club. I think it’s worth more now because I want my first time to be with someone I actually want to be with.”
“I don’t know what to say, Mariah. I thought you knew. I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding somehow. When he gets better and is back in, go talk to him. Elie is an easy guy to talk to and get along with. You just come to him with your problems and he’ll take care of it. He’s good at that.”