He lay down beside her, one hand stroking her scalp while the other roamed over her flesh, teasing her nipples, belly, and tugging at the hair of her pubic bone. Jess began to tremble as Mark’s lips closed over hers again, his tongue deftly parting her lips to delve inside as if it knew the way and had all along. Before she knew what she was doing, she ran her fingers through his hair and began to caress his back, urging him on top of her. He obliged with a moan, slipping in between her slowly spreading thighs. Only as she wrapped herself around him did she realize both were naked together for the first time, as they’d always done it partially clothed.
Jess suddenly felt vulnerable, almost like when she’d had sex for the very first time, but that hang-up had been about her body. This was about something more important. Something deeper. Someone who loved her was making love to her. The head of Mark’s cock gently prodded her wet folds, teasing her, reminding her of his impending conquest. With their tongues intertwined, she opened her eyes to see his face and chest red with desire, and yet still he held back. The obvious reason came to mind. She reluctantly broke their kiss.
“No condom,” Jess whispered.
“I know,” he croaked. “Do you want me to get—”
“No. Go without.”
“Are you—”
Jess planted her lips on his, thrusting her tongue into her mouth and gripping him with both legs as if to force him inside her. Mark lost it and plunged into her with his customary confidence, a deep moan escaping him. He felt so alive, from head to toe, and a moment of panic struck him that this would never happen again, Jess welcoming him this way. But then determination filled him. He would make her want to.
And with that in mind, Mark proceeded to fuck her goddamn brains out when he wasn’t pausing to make love to her. The first time he made her cum, she let out a cry and shook beneath him like never before, losing herself. The sound of her own surrender rocked Jess, who moaned his name the way she’d always imagined she’d one day do with Seth.
Mark was well aware of how hotly she was reacting to his attention. The way she grasped at him, clawed his back, and thrust her tongue into his mouth and ears told him he was getting to her. But he wouldn’t let up. Again and again he made her cum beneath him. His hips thrust with lascivious purpose, grinding into her pubic bone. Fingers stroked her hot flesh from nipple to ass, scalp to cheek, belly to the hard nub between her folds. When he finally erupted inside her, Jess flushed to the bone with pleasure.
And still he kept going, pulling out long enough to expertly reposition her on all fours and enter her from behind. She gasped, but not because he’d never done this before. In fact, this was the position they usually did it in because it was so impersonal. And that’s exactly why it shocked her, to have someone who was making love to her just fuck (italics) her, too. She’d never imagined that someone could have both. While he expertly thrust into her pulsating pussy, Mark’s hands stroked and teased her, something about the way he touched her having “love” written all over it. She’d always told him to keep his hands to himself before, but now he showed her what she’d been missing, and Jess shuddered in appreciation and fear of where he was taking her.
Within minutes, Jess came hard, her pussy clenching his still-thrusting manhood helplessly. Sounds she’d never made before erupted from her throat for minutes on end as he made her cum yet again. At some point, she looked back at him over her shoulder, her expression almost one of horror, which worsened on seeing the outright glee on his face, his eyes wide in exultation, a line of drool actually hanging from one lip. He was enjoying this even more than she was. Their eyes met.
And both of them knew Jess belonged to Mark forever.
* * *
Jess lay on her side, staring unseeing, humming quietly to herself, and listening to the sounds of water splashing the floor around Mark, who was taking a shower in the other room. She would join him in a minute, she’d told him. And once he’d kissed her tenderly and disappeared, the water proving his location, she’d started crying. It only lasted a minute before she pulled herself together a bit. She wasn’t really upset. Quite the contrary. She’d never felt so at peace in her life.
She wanted to hold onto this moment forever. It seemed almost like a dream but she knew it was real. She felt as if she’d woken from a nightmare that had been going on her entire life. So much pain, longing, darkness, despair, and lost hope. It had enveloped her, infused her, defined her.
But not anymore. A new reality she had only dreamed of had conquered her so fast, so resolutely, that she’d had a defining moment of clarity. The great things in life were not denied her after all. They were attainable. They were real. She’d just experienced one, for the first time. But not the last, she vowed. Maybe it was crazy, but she suddenly felt like anything was possible now. All those stories of Bonnie and Clyde or whichever crazy couple doing things together had always seemed cool but ridiculous, that two people could love each other so much that they’d do anything together. She’d sometimes imagined she and Seth would do capers that way. It was one reason for her involvement in this stupid scheme about Sophia.
But not anymore. Mark and Jess. That’s who belonged together, who’d do capers together. But she didn’t want some fucked-up adventure like this. She wanted to actually have the life they’d only been pretending to have tonight. A life of bed-and-breakfasts, of romance, of fine dining. Of affection, tenderness, and sweet things. She suddenly got it. Those mushy couples that made her want to puke before weren’t the losers. She had been.
But not anymore.
So many things she’d thought about or cared about seemed pointless and stupid now. She only wanted one thing—to feel like this all the time. And if that meant that her old life and self were gone, then good riddance. She’d never liked either, really.
The old Jess was dead. Mark had just fucked her to death.
But the new Jess had a problem. The old Jess had come here to kidnap Sophia. The idea repulsed her almost as much as the thought of Seth now did. She saw her phone lighting up with ignored text messages from him. Only now did she realize their room was at the front of the house, where he couldn’t see, if he’d been spying. That was good. She wouldn’t be able to handle any scorn from him. The thought made rage grip her so strongly that she almost broke her skin with a fingernail. This thing between her and Mark, whatever it was, well, it was not something for the likes of Seth to ever know about, see, hear, or comment on. She’d kill him in an instant if he ever found out and said a word.
And Seth would. Both find out and say something. Just one look at her and Mark together and he’d see it, which was odd, because he seemed to have no clue how she’d felt about him despite her trying to point it out for a few years now. Funny how a guy could be stupid that way.
Then again, she’d had no idea Mark loved her. She’d thought he was opportunistic and desperate, and that was all his interest in her had amounted to. That Mark actually loved her was impossible to ignore now. The tenderness she now felt for him still surprised her a little, but she was learning to ignore her mind and listen to something else—a quiet part of her that she’d beaten into silence about its lack of fulfillment over the years. It had suddenly woken up in Mark’s embrace. She wanted that and to forget all the pain and bitterness.
As for Seth, she had to get rid of him. He’d never let Mark and her be. They could run off together, in theory, but both were dirt poor and had no prospects. And why should they have to leave here? No, with the police after Seth already, he was the one going away, and for a long time. She smiled. He belonged in prison. He always had. She had sort of liked some of that bad boy crap with him, thinking he’d be sweet when they were alone, but he never was. Certainly not like Mark. Her tastes in men had just changed.
She had to get Seth caught tonight and in such a way that he didn’t turn in Mark and her, so he had to think it was an accident. He could squeal on them anyway, she knew, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. She co
uldn’t tell Mark too much tonight because he couldn’t lie to save his life, especially to Seth, who could see right through him. So Mark had to believe Seth getting caught was an accident. If Mark believed it, Seth would, and Jess had been lying to him pretty well for years. Seth wasn’t half as smart as he thought he was.
So she had to think of something plausible and then convince Seth not to betray them. And convince Mark to go along with a story to save themselves. Maybe they could say they were elsewhere during the first kidnapping attempt. She didn’t know. She had to work it out, and fast.
And now there was no way she was hurting Sophia for that prick. Sophia had never done a thing to any of them and deserved whatever she’d apparently found with Connor. Jess no longer felt a shred of jealousy. She actually felt solidarity, as if by some miracle, they were the same. They weren’t, of course, but they were closer than Jess had ever imagined she could be. She was actually happy. And her conscience had returned after having been slowly siphoned off by Seth’s relentless bad influence. Her fingers went to the stolen earrings she wore, regretting the theft. She almost wanted to make reparations to Sophia, but she wasn’t going to go that far.
Still, at the very least, this abduction was off.
* * *
In the shower, Mark stood under the water and let it pour over his smiling face, wetting the nose splint. He had her. He knew it. Part of him couldn’t believe it. Never would. But most of him knew. He let himself grin like a schoolboy for now, hoping to get it out of his system before Jess joined him. This was the best night of his life, and despite starting off badly, it had ended wonderfully.
Well, almost. He’d briefly forgotten why they were really here. There was still the problem of Sophia. As long as Seth couldn’t have Sophia, Seth would have Jess. Sure, Jess had just submitted to Mark, but Mark knew firsthand just how manipulative that bastard could be. Seth would find a way to ruin this. To ruin him. To ruin Jess.
And Mark couldn’t let that happen. That son of a bitch had been mean to her a final time. If Seth so much as looked at Jess with hostility, Mark would fucking kill him. And enjoy it.
So he had to get rid of Seth. And the obvious way of doing that, without killing him—and ending up in jail where Mark couldn’t be with Jess—was to kidnap Sophia for him. Once Seth had Sophia, he’d forget all about Jess. Both couples could run off separately to wherever they wanted. He didn’t know how he and Jess would find money and all of that, but he’d worry about it later.
He’d made his decision then, all trace of earlier hesitation gone. He wanted to go through with it. He now understood that what Jess hadn’t seen enough of in him before tonight was confidence. He’d sort of known it before, but with Seth undermining him and her assisting that, he’d been just too unsure of himself. Until now. He’d seen the effect of trusting himself tonight. The effect on Jess, and in turn, on himself. All it had taken was that one moment of her permission and then her responding to his touch, and the real Mark had indeed come out.
He felt so alive, so real, so powerful. For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, Mark felt absolute crystal clarity on what he had to do. It was as if the shower washed away every bit of that confusion that had kept him from acting like a man. Seth’s abuses stood out in stark relief, every bit of misleading mind games seen through and dismissed. Mark was having a moment of clarity, and it shone from his face when Jess finally opened the door and stepped inside with an equal look of resolution radiating from hers.
Chapter 14 – Misgivings
Sitting in Connor’s kitchen, and wearing his sweatpants, a button-up shirt, and nothing else, Sophia was anticipating how the best day of her life would end. Except for a lamp near the alarm, the inn’s lights were off. She sometimes liked sitting in the dark, especially when on the computer like now, though the last time she’d done this, things had gone terribly wrong. Connor’s laptop rested before her on the kitchen island as she sat on a stool. It was nearly ten p.m. and it seemed the guests weren’t coming down again after all.
Connor was upstairs setting up the bedroom for a romantic evening with candles, massage oil, chocolates, and dessert wine. She was getting horny just thinking about it, and while she didn’t want to spoil the mood, she had nothing better to do while waiting than to check her online accounts again. Seeing more comments from Seth wouldn’t exactly build the mood, but she wanted the little bastard caught and couldn’t help wanting to see if he’d done anything that would give himself away.
She pulled up her Facebook account, seeing a number of rude comments she’d supposedly made to her friends, causing them pain and outrage. A few were wise enough to suggest in the comments that her account had been hacked. Some remarked on being unable to reach her on the phone. She sighed, deciding to call a few of them tomorrow. She should’ve thought of that before.
Scrolling down through her history, she made it past the night of the attempted kidnapping. That’s when she saw a post she’d forgotten about. That girl Jess had posted something about a special surprise for her the night she came home. A tingle went down Sophia’s spine. She clicked on the girl’s icon for a closer look at her profile picture. On seeing it, she went cold, eyes wide. Suddenly the room seemed smaller, the darkness deeper, and the air colder.
A jumble of awful realizations went through her. The girl upstairs now had black hair instead of pink. She’d had pepper spray in her purse, just like the boyish attacker that could’ve been a girl. The cops couldn’t find one of Seth’s friends, also a girl. And the guy upstairs had a broken nose. Sophia remembered the crunch as she punched the taller, reluctant one in the nose, when his blood had sprayed on her. The guy upstairs seemed nervous, too. And Sheriff Ryan had been here hours ago, just feet from them, and somehow not realized it.
Chloe and Riley were gone and these two knew it. By now Seth probably did, too. And that the cop car was a ruse. And if the other two kidnappers were inside, Seth couldn’t be far behind. Maybe he was already inside right now. She and Connor were alone. And he still had no idea. She had to warn him. And get out. Just as she was about to get up, a voice spoke in front of her.
“Whatcha looking at?” Jess asked, coming out from the shadows, into which she’d blended well due to the all-black clothes she’d brought for the kidnapping; she had nothing else but the dress. Sophia’s gaze met hers, eyes widening even more, if that were possible. And that was all Jess needed to see.
“Jess,” whispered Sophia, heart in her throat. “You’re Jess, not Lacy.”
Jess sighed deep and long, knowing she was screwed and had to go through with this after all. For a moment she almost wanted to cry. “I really wish you hadn’t figured that out.”
A long silence followed. They stared at one another. Sophia finally asked, “Why are you doing this? Helping him?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is you coming quietly.” After a pause, she added, “Will you?”
“He’s going to rape me.”
“I know,” Jess replied, sounding resigned.
“And you’re still helping? Why?” Sophia saw that Jess stood in between her and the alarm with its panic button for the cops.
“Come quietly and I’ll tell you.”
“You’re lying.”
Jess nodded. “Okay, true, I wasn’t going to tell you. But I do want you to come quietly so no one gets hurt. Like Connor.”
Sophia went cold. “Does Seth know about us?”
“Yeah, and he’s not happy. He intends to hurt Connor, so you’d better come now. With you outside, he won’t bother coming in for him. You’re what he really wants.”
Sophia put one hand over her mouth and stared, unseeing. Then she rose on shaking legs to join Jess, who didn’t appear to have a weapon. Maybe if Sophia moved fast enough, she’d get away, but she didn’t know where the other two kidnappers were. That changed as the two girls exited the kitchen. Mark stood by a back door that was open, the night breeze stirring the nearby curtains. She half-expected Seth
to appear, but he didn’t. Instead, Connor did.
“Hey,” Connor began cheerfully as he descended the stairs, “are you two ready to get the alarm code?”
Mark boldly replied, “That won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure you’re not going out?”
“We’re all actually leaving right now,” said a voice from beside the stair railing, in the living room, “but you’re not.”
Also wearing all black, Seth stepped out from a deeper shadow and began swiveling one arm toward Connor. In that hand was a gun. Eyes widening at the sight, Connor planted a foot, grabbed the railing in both hands, and dove over it headfirst at Seth. The gun went off as Connor slammed into him, sending both men crashing into the living room table, which cracked under them. The gun clattered on the hardwood floor, sliding under the couch as the two men wrestled.
“Connor!” Sophia screamed and jabbed an elbow into Jess, who let out a grunt and doubled over. Running forward, Sophia intended to help Connor, but Mark roughly grabbed her arm and waved a stun gun in her face.
“Don’t make me use it,” he warned.
But she kept struggling, so he released her, put it against her back, and squeezed the trigger.
Sophia’s body stiffened against her will, bolts of pain coursing up and down her body, stars appearing behind her eyes, and spasms wracking her muscles. She stopped involuntarily, the pain ending when Mark let go of the trigger. Undeterred, Sophia took another step toward Connor. Mark did it again. This time, Sophia’s legs crumpled and she fell to the floor, disoriented and confused. Mark stepped past her, gesturing at Jess to take over as he headed for Connor, who was beating up Seth.
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