by Lily Diamond
I run my hands over his chest and under his jacket to clutch at the bunched muscles of his back. He shudders, his eyes hooded in the dim light from my improvised lamp. I’m surprised; his body seems as hungry as mine.
Maybe he’s coming off a bad relationship too.
He shrugs out of the jacket and lays it aside, his chest heaving, then turns back to me and captures my mouth with his own. I can feel waves of tremors running through him, and the rough way his fingers grip me now and again when he loses control of his passions only spurs me on. It feels so damned good that I don’t care if he bruises me, as long as he doesn’t stop.
His nimble hand cups my breast, stroking my nipple through my bra. It’s so different from Chad’s impatient fumbling. Instead he's skilled and attentive, responding when a particular caress makes me gasp. Suddenly I don’t mind the setting so much—I can’t wait until we’re free and I’m safe to have him. Especially since I don’t know if we'll actually escape at all.
He opens the bra—thank God I wore a front-fastener—and gasps with delight as my breasts spring free. “Oh wow,” he murmurs reverently, and then kisses his way down my throat toward them. He buries his face in them, stroking, kissing, swirling his tongue over them, while I whimper and squirm on his lap.
He sucks one of my nipples into his mouth and I throw my head back, panting silently. This is so different from my experiences with Chad that it makes me feel like I've never been touched by a man before. Waves of tingling heat roll through me from the pull of his lips, and I loll my head back into his hand, completely under his control.
It takes everything in me to keep quiet while he pleasures me. I can feel my cunt starting to tighten, hungry for satisfaction in a way that’s too familiar—this is the point Chad would tease me up to and then never fulfill. “Keep going!” I gasp desperately, clutching his hair with one hand. “Don’t leave me like this...don’t stop…”
He rolls us over easily, wary of his injury, and pins me down, leaving me squirming and moaning under him. His hand cups my vulva through my jeans and kneads firmly, and I shimmy my hips, grinding against the heel of his hand in time with his insistent suckling. My back starts to arch, pleasure more intense than anything I have ever experienced gathering in my body.
He groans suddenly, reaching down to unbuckle his belt. “This is killing me. I’ve got to fuck you.” His voice is a growl, but with a desperate, pleading note in it. His words affect me as much as his hand, and I unbuckle my own belt and unzip my fly.
“Do it.”
He’s just starting to unzip when my flashlight suddenly turns off by itself.
We both freeze, and to my horror I hear footsteps approaching outside. He claps a hand over my mouth and moves to shield me from the door, holding me tight against him. Terror mixes with desire like a jet of cold water against my hot skin.
“What about down here?” Max’s voice echoes down the short hallway outside.
Oh fuck.
“You don’t wanna go down there,” Chad stammers. “A lot of these tarped off places have parts of the ceiling falling. On this level, that means bricks and stuff.” He doesn’t seem to realize that the people on corpse recovery detail used a lot of tarps too.
As if on cue, there is a thud outside. “Whoa, holy shit!” Oscar yells, and I hear the footsteps stumbling back.
“Okay, kid,” Max replies, sounding a touch shaky. “Given that a giant brick just nearly brained me, I’m gonna go with your judgment on this one. If your ex knows this place like you said, she’s not dumb enough to go down there.”
The footsteps move on, and Drake removes his hand from my mouth, relaxing with a huge huff of air. “Jesus, that was close,” he mutters. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I’m trembling still, as much from frustrated desire as the adrenaline rush. But I’m also trembling because there’s something happening all around me that I can’t record.
Lights that turn off by themselves. A brick that falls on cue. I can’t shoot it. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to talk about it with anyone after this. I’m not even bringing it up with Drake yet—after all, I know better than to rely on this presence the same way you would physical backup.
But it gives me hope. I think some of my ghost friends might be looking out for me.
Hopefully they aren’t watching too closely, though, because Drake starts kissing my neck then, trying to distract me from what he thinks is strictly fear. I hesitate for a moment, wary of Max and company somehow deciding to come back, but then smile and let him.
It doesn’t take long before his kisses and caresses have me squirming under him again. He braces himself over me and I shuck my jeans—then moan as I feel him slide down over my body. He starts rubbing his fingers up and down my slit through my silk panties, then takes my other nipple in his mouth and starts sucking roughly.
My head falls back; I bury my fingers in his hair and then slide my nails down his back. He’s already unzipped his pants, and I grip them by the belt, sliding the leather off his ass. His cock springs free as I pull his pants down further, and I feel its thick round head slide up my thigh.
My thighs part further and I lift my hips invitingly as his hands slide down to grip the panties and tear them off of me. I feel the head of his cock push against me—and I’m so wet and hungry for it that I push back. He slides inside easily, like our bodies were made to fit each other.
“Ahhhh,” he gasps against my breast, and I wish I could see his face. But the dark is nice and private, letting my senses fill with his sleek, hard body pressing down on me as his cock sinks in deep. His fingers move between us again to stroke my clit; he holds himself still, grunting with pleasure as I squirm under him.
I lose track of time as he thrusts into me, suckling and stroking me in time with his movements. My breath rises and falls with his movements—totally under his control—each surge of pleasure making me gasp out my air until I’m sobbing and whimpering. I can’t even beg any more.
My head is full of confusion. What feels this good? How can anything be this intense? I want more...I need more...and then suddenly, my body takes over and I’m catapulted toward something I’ve never known.
He slams into me deep and his fingers stroke me quickly, and then his head comes up and I scream into his kiss. My pleasure detonates, my mind blacking out in long waves as every muscle in my body clenches until they can’t anymore.
I collapse under him, a floating sensation running through me—but he isn’t done.
Panting harshly in my ear, he pounds into me harder and faster, his hand gripping and kneading me right above his thrusting cock. My body starts to tighten around his again; I feel my pleasure mounting up amazingly fast, and cling to him as his movements grow almost violent.
Suddenly he stiffens, groaning through his teeth. His hips grind in slow, hard circles against me—and I feel my body take off, muffling my sobs of pleasure against the inside of my arm. His cock shudders inside of me as he trembles, and then it goes still and he sags onto me.
“Holy shit,” he whispers. “Holy shit. I’ve got to get your phone number when we get out of here.” He can’t seem to move yet, panting over me as we both shudder through the aftermath. “Promise me.”
I lay there, a warm glow running through me, my mind preoccupied with one thought—so that’s what it’s like. And I smile.
“Of course.”
Chapter Nine
Drake
There’s no time to drowse or cuddle—not that I would want to in a place like this. Instead, as soon as we catch our breath, we’re bundling into our clothes by the light of the improvised lantern, checking our gear, and planning.
“We’ll go by the view of the infrared camera. You lead me along. Their lights will warn us if they are around.” I pull on the backpack, but I’ve lost her gear bag somewhere in this maze. Like the diamonds, we’ll have to come back for it when this is all over.
“And once we get out?” She’s pulling her vest bac
k on as she stands close to me. I can smell our mixed sweat on her, and despite busting harder than I have in years, I have to squash another surge of desire. Not now.
“We call the cops on Max. He’s a menace, he’s not going to stop and he’s after you now.”
That gets me a shocked look. “He’ll roll over on you! You’ll go to jail!”
I close my eyes in pain. I don’t ever want to go back to that hellhole again. But I know in my heart that even that is better than leaving her in danger. I barely know her, and I can already tell that this one is worth the risk of going to the cage. “Maybe. But I told you I’d get you out of danger, and I plan to, no matter what it costs me.”
She shakes her head. “We’ll find another way.”
I’m grateful. She could have called the police hours ago, had everyone swept into the net except maybe Chad, and gone her way. But I can’t let her risk her neck for me. “Well, if you come up with something, let me know. Meanwhile, let’s get the hell out of here.”
She leads the way, using the infrared camera and occasional sweeps of her flashlight. We make our way back out into the main room. The pit with that spindly wooden staircase clinging to the wall above it looks even creepier in small glimpses.
We are edging our way along the pit when disaster hits. The door at the top of the stairs suddenly bangs open, letting in light. Three figures with flashlights pile through.
Max's voice is loud enough to hear clearly two stories up. “And I said, we lost the trail. I know I hit one of them—that bitch has to bleed, right? So we’re going back down and seeing if there’s a blood trail. I don’t care if we spend the rest of the night—”
His rant cuts off as one of the sweeping flashlights catches us in its beam. I freeze—and then step in front of Amanda instinctively, shielding her from his sight and possible aim.
“Well holy shit,” he laughs. “Looks like the rats were hiding down here somewhere!”
He steps forward, lowering his light, and I see his grin in the glow from the other flashlights as he raises his gun.
“The diamonds!” I call out, praying silently that his greed will override his bloodlust.
He hesitates. “I thought you had them on you.”
“Thanks to you, I never had the chance to retrieve them. And you’ll never find them in this place unless I do. You want to throw away two million?”
He moves forward, starting to walk menacingly down the stairs. I notice that they creak loudly, and that some of the bolts in the stone walls wiggle and give up little puffs of dust that I can barely see in the dimness. “Tell me where they are and I won’t shoot the girl.”
“You were planning to shoot both of us anyway. So how about this—you let her go. She’s not going to call the cops; they’ll grab me as well and she doesn’t want that. Once she’s out safe, I’ll fetch the stash for you, and you can do whatever you want to me.” My voice sounds so even and reasonable.
Oscar looks a little worried. “Max, that staircase looks a little shaky. Maybe you should—”
“Shut up!” He turns back to me. “You’re not really in a position to negotiate here. So here are the actual terms. You fetch me those diamonds and I’ll kill her quick. Otherwise I shoot her in the stomach and you watch her bleed out for a couple of hours.”
He stomps forward as he speaks—and something happens that I’ll remember until I die.
It looks like something enormous and unseen grabs the middle of the staircase and yanks on it, peeling the whole mess away from the wall. It could have been the bolts giving way under Max’s weight, but how they could all give at the same time, I just don’t know.
“Max!” Oscar screams—and Chad finally shows something like balls. He lunges forward and grabs the big man, dragging him back from the crumbling staircase with all his strength.
“Get back, dude!” he yells, and a roar of collapsing wood fills the room as the two of them tumble back through the doorway.
I don’t know how I’m able to run that fast on my ankle or with Amanda in my arms, but somehow I’m racing back into the larder alcove to shelter us from flying debris. My last glimpse of Max is him tumbling into the pit, screaming in rage, with most of the staircase following him.
When the dust settles, I uncurl from around Amanda and we straighten, limping back into the room. It’s mostly clear of debris—the mess largely fell into the mass grave. “The back staircase is that way,” she murmurs numbly, pointing with her flashlight.
We help each other head in that direction.
Upstairs, I can hear poor Oscar’s dry sobbing, and smell Chad trying to ply him with some weed. I’ll have to look after Oscar once this is sorted out. He’s not likely to have a problem with me now that the influence of his brother is gone.
I just hope he’ll heal. I will, and Amanda will. And most importantly, she is now safe.
Epilogue
Amanda
An hour after Max takes his dive, Oscar and Chad sit on my couch with their shoulders hunched and their hands between their knees like a couple of kids being scolded. We didn’t retrieve the diamonds yet. Things are too volatile, and I was forced to report “overhearing” the stairway collapse to the security guard, owner, and emergency services.
It’s going to be a week before they can dig out Max’s body.
“Okay guys, here’s how it’s gonna go. None of us wants to go to jail, so we’re going to be nice and quiet about what happened tonight. Nobody is gonna go after Chad, nobody is sending the police after you, Oscar, and as for Amanda, if either of you ever give her trouble again, I’ll kill you. Clear?
“Damn,” Oscar says, eyebrows raised as he snaps partway out of his misery. “I don’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to hurt anybody. But Max, you know, he’s...he’s my brother.”
“It’s cool, Oscar. You’re not to blame for this.” I smile in relief as Drake speaks in a low, authoritative but kind tone, admiring how he’s handling this. There are ways in which Oscar is to blame, but he’s grieving now. “We had a misunderstanding, and there was an accident. Nobody wanted Max to die.”
Except the ghosts, I think. I’m almost convinced of it now, though I don’t know if I’ll ever have enough evidence to convince the skeptics of the world.
Chad speaks up. “Look, the guy took me hostage. I’m probably leaving town soon anyway. I got a new honey, lives up in Seattle, says she’ll put me up for a while, so...yeah, I won’t say anything.”
I try not to roll my eyes. At least Chad will be all the way out of my hair after this. Though I wonder if this girl in Seattle has any idea what she’s getting into.
Drake looks at Oscar. “Look, I’m gonna let this slide and not tell the others what you guys did. I’m probably not gonna stay leader much longer. I was thinking of retiring this coming year anyway, after a few more jobs. Then you guys can do whatever you want.”
Oscar shakes his head, his eyes brimming. “You were gonna go anyway. I just wish Max woulda talked to you.”
“Me too,” Drake says quietly, and pats the man’s slumped shoulder.
Once the two are gone, we both take showers and I check what’s left of my equipment after I change. Purple PJs with ghosts on them, courtesy of one of my viewers.
I’m really going to have some explaining to do for the viewers. Not because I don’t have any footage I could show them, but because the most spectacular evidence I recorded has to stay under wraps.
“You should ice that ankle,” I tell Drake as he comes limping out shirtless and bootless.
“Can’t yet. I have to circle back to the hospital before they find the scattered gear you left. Or my gun. Or the diamonds.” He hesitates. “I also left something else there that should probably be retrieved before cops swarm the place, because I just know you won’t want it discovered.”
“My camera?” I ask distractedly as I bundle into my robe. I still feel so cold, like we’re still trapped in that dumbwaiter or something. I hope he’ll be in shape to warm m
e up later.
“Your panties.” He flashes a brilliant grin for a moment and I blush crimson and bury my face in my hands.
“I’ll be back soon as I can. Can I borrow your key?” I surrender it, and he kisses me. “Get some sleep, sweetheart. You have any plans this weekend?”
“I’m free.”
He winks at me. “Then no, you’re not. See you in a bit!”
We kiss one last time, and he leaves to take my car and retrieve my gear—and our fortune. Not to mention my incriminating undies. I’m smiling and feel warm all over as I turn back to the FLIR and my laptop on the bed. Maybe I’m turning into a bit of a bad girl, because a ready-to-retire jewel thief with more ethics than my ex is really looking like boyfriend material right now.