by Carol Storm
"Come on, get a move on!" Impatiently, the sexy blonde stripped the panties from the sobbing Mexican maid, making a big show of exposing her beautiful bare behind to the light. "All right, now you get a spanking for talking back and for not showing respect to your employer."
"But you no pay me for this!" Carla's tearful protest ended with a sharp smack.
"Shut up!" Crystal May cried. She put down another smack, and let herself almost enjoy it. She hated the idea of Carla being captured by these creepy rich people, but she had to admit there really was a kind of excitement to the feeling of having another human being totally at her mercy. As she whacked away, carefully working one butt cheek and then another, her heart began to beat faster, and her breath became rapid and shallow. She was getting turned on, her nipples tightening under the confinement of her bra. And the juncture between her thighs grew noticeably moist beneath her panties. At the same time, she noticed how Carla's beautiful behind jiggled and quivered every time she smacked it, and how the pale flesh began to slowly turn red and take on that sexy telltale flush.
"All right, knock it off!" Matt Gold had watched the scene unfold, knowing that it was all an act, knowing that Carla and Crystal May were truly the best of friends. Letting the two of them carry their performance to a satisfying conclusion was vital to setting up the Senator and his wife. But none of that changed the way his body reacted to the sight of Crystal May spanking another woman. Before he could stop himself, Matt was jumping into the scene, taking control of the action.
"Take your hands off me!" Crystal May was no longer in a position to know what was real and what was make believe. She was in the zone, and she shrieked with rage as the big male grabbed her from behind and the voluptuous dark-skinned female rolled off the bed and out of her reach. Matt spun her around and stared deep into her eyes, his hard hands gripping her upper arms like steel. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, to scratch his face with her sharp claws, but it was no use. His hard-muscled body overpowered hers and she fell backwards onto the bed, furiously angry and aroused.
"I go to work, and you stay home and play with the help?" Matt's dark eyes were bright, burning into hers as the hard length of his body pinned her to the mattress. "I don't think so, baby. I'm not the pool boy."
"But Matt! I was just ... mmm ... mmm …" Crystal May's protests gave way to moans as Matt's demanding mouth plundered hers. His kisses were not sweet and seductive this time. They were hot, punishing, scorching her mouth the way his hard spanking hands made her ass cheeks burn. The molten fury of his kisses melted her resistance and set her senses on fire. Crystal May no longer knew where she was, or what she was doing. Her hips rose to meet his, and her slim white arms wound themselves around her neck like vines around a mighty oak.
Matt had control of himself, but barely. He knew that he would have to pull out in just a moment or two, to be ready when the bust went down. He didn't mean to lose himself in the wetness, the tightness of Crystal May's willing body. But she felt so good, so real. And suddenly nothing mattered but the hard truth, the brutal reality of his big hard cock sliding into her tight wet pussy.
Maybe it was dangerous, maybe it was even a kind of suicide. Matt didn't care. It was too late now. Too late for lies, too late for playing it safe. The two of them were making love with wild abandon, seemingly unaware of the other people in the room. They were both on the verge of climax when someone kicked open the bedroom door.
"Freeze! FBI!"
"What the hell? I told you guys not to enter the premises until ..." Matt's snarl of protest faded faster than his erection. The man standing in the doorway with a gun was not a federal agent.
It was Tony Espinoza.
"Surprise, surprise, cabron!" The fat restaurant owner pointed his gun at the bed. "Did you really think I was going to let you take my best waitress?"
"The Wagon Wheel Diner is really one of my side operations," Senator Paul Huddleston said smugly, watching with a smirk as Matt and Crystal May struggled to sit up and cover themselves. The Senator was still sitting on the sidelines, well away from the bed and out of the line of fire. "Tony just runs it for me. You know how crooked ex-cops will do anything for money."
"You've been smuggling illegals into the country for years, while championing the cause of immigration reform in Washington." Matt's voice was grim. "Senator, let Crystal May go. She had nothing to do with any of this."
"On the contrary, my friend. Crystal May had everything to do with this. When Tony called me to complain about the way you muscled in on our little business, he gave me a full description of your lovely companion. That allowed me to do some checking into both her background and yours. But instead of eliminating you right away, my wife and I decided that it might be amusing to have you over to the house for some fun and games first."
"And it really has been a lovely evening," Jane Huddleston purred. She was seated beside her husband, looking calm and very much in control. "But sadly, all good things must come to an end." The rich woman spared Crystal May a venomous glance. "You really were quite entertaining, my dear. I found you quite sexy as hired help, and most convincing as a petty criminal and thief. But did you really think a high school dropout like you could fool a corporate lawyer and a United States Senator? Did you really imagine a cheap hillbilly tramp like you could ever pass for a lady?"
"Not if it means turning a blind eye to kidnapping and murder," Crystal May shot back. Her voice, normally sweet and soft, now shook with barely suppressed rage. "I've been poor all my life, Mrs. Huddleston. And I've lived around poor people. But I've never met anyone like you. How much education does it take to posture like a feminist pioneer while hiding behind your husband's wealth and privilege? Does it really take a college degree to prey on the people you're pretending to help?"
"You'll get yours, you ignorant little white-trash bitch," Jane Huddleston snarled. "But the blood won't be on my hands. My husband and I have seen to that. We're very intelligent people."
"We're going to kill your pretty blonde puta, pendejo," Tony Espinoza explained. "But first we want to make sure you get the blame for all the other murders. Before the real lawmen arrive."
"What other murders?" Crystal May stalled for time, fighting the grip of terror. Yet she couldn't believe that she was the only one meant to die. There were six people in the room, the two Huddlestons, Carla, Anne Elliot, and her and Matt. Tony Espinoza had a gun on all of them.
"Funny you should ask." The fat man's gun barked once. Matt Gold grabbed Crystal May and dove to the floor, shielding her body with his own. But neither of them were hit.
"Paul," whimpered a tearful female voice. "Paul, why?"
"Don't you see, baby? It had to be like this."
When Crystal May looked up from the floor, she saw that slim, pale Anne Elliot was standing between Senator Huddleston and the sneering gunman at the door. The Senator's dead wife lay at their feet in a pool of blood and pearls, her wide open eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
"It had to be like this," the attractive, silver-haired Senator said again. He opened his arms. "Now we can be together, baby. Don't you see? This is what we always wanted."
The opulently furnished bedroom was so crowded. Everyone was still a little dazed from the noise of the gun going off, and the sudden smell of gunpowder and blood. When Anne Elliot turned away from her lover, she tripped and fell over the body of Jane Huddleston. Or perhaps she tripped over the long legs of street smart Carla, who was still alive. The sexy Italian girl had thrown herself flat at Espinoza's feet the moment the gun went off. But whatever the cause, poor Anne tripped and fell against the gunman, clutching his sleeve and knocking him off balance.
The gun went off again, two shots very close together. Cursing in Spanish, Espinoza went down under a pile of female arms and legs. There were screams, a struggle, and then a final shot.
Matt Gold heard the sirens, and tried to rise. But his body refused to obey.
CHAPTER EIGHT
; "How about this girl?" Steven Tallarico kept asking the same stupid question every five seconds. His swarthy beat-up face was shining, lit up by love from within. "How about this girl?"
"Steve wants you to be best man at our wedding," Carla explained. The statuesque beauty was sitting on her boyfriend's lap in a chair right by the hospital bed, her black slit skirt revealing spectacular long legs. "And of course, I want Crystal May to be my Maid of Honor."
"Sure, I'll be your best man," Matt Gold said, in a lifeless tone. "If I'm not in jail."
Steven Tallarico scowled at the stubborn guy he'd loved and hated for years. "What's eating you, Matt? That creep Espinoza confessed to everything before he died, and Senator Paul Huddleston has been forced to resign. No one's blaming you for what happened to Mrs. Huddleston or that other girl. You're a hero!"
Matt forced a smile, knowing that his friends deserved that much. "Your girl is the hero, Steve. She saved us all. When poor Anne Elliot tripped and fell, Espinoza shot her by accident. He got her in the thigh, and then he got me in the shoulder. But Anne held on to the bastard when she fell. She held on and she wouldn't let go, and then Carla slammed her fist right into his balls. The creep went down, and all three of them got tangled up, but Carla got her hands on the gun and ..."
"Enough already!" Carla's impatient wave cut short Matt's unvarnished account. "It's bad enough I have to dream about that stuff when I'm asleep, I don't need to hear it when I'm awake. Besides, it was Crystal May who really saved your ass, Matt. She held you down, and covered your body with hers after you got shot. Then when that Huddleston creep tried to stop me from taking Espinoza down she jumped up and hit him from behind. She smacked the Senator with a lamp!"
"You're both heroes," Matt said, smiling faintly. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
"Baby, I think Matt's tired," Carla murmured into Steve's ear. There were more words too, low and sexy, which Matt couldn't hear. But they had exactly the right effect on Steven Tallarico.
"Carla's right, Matt. You need to get some rest. Besides, my parents are expecting Carla and me for dinner. She's got my father and me to sit down and talk again, too. How about this girl?"
Carla turned at the door, and looked at Matt lying there helpless in bed. "Crystal May will stop by later, Matt," she said softly. "She promised she would. She's just been really busy."
The dark-eyed beauty blew him a kiss, but Matt just closed his eyes, listening to Steve's deep laughter and the rhythmic clacking of Carla's high heels as they strolled off down the hall together. When he was alone, sleep came over him quickly, easing the pain of his throbbing shoulder. But soon there were dreams, shadow-filled nightmares that caused more torment than his painful wound.
Jane Huddleston's sightless eyes were gazing at him, lifeless but accusing. A hulking male was standing over her. Matt kept trying to raise his arm, to fire his gun, but all he felt was burning pain. Then suddenly the dead woman on the floor was someone else. Horror washed over him, and in his sleep he screamed the victim's name over and over again. Crystal May ... Crystal May ...
"Whew! Sorry I'm late, honey. I've been going over the books with Madame Madeline!"
"Huh?" Matt awoke to the soft trill of Crystal May's voice and the lilac scent of her perfume. He was still groggy, his wits foggy from sleep, and when the willowy blonde bent over the bed and kissed him lightly on the lips he instinctively tried to pull her close and wrap his arms around her.
Instantly a flame of white-hot pain shot through his shoulder.
"Matt! Are you all right? Should I call the nurse?" Crystal May's innocent blue eyes were huge with worry, her cool white fingers caressing his fevered brow. "You're so hot," she whispered.
"Don't ... want nurse," Matt gritted out, his wounded arm still on fire. "Just want ... you."
"Oh." The country girl blinked a couple of times, taking that in. Her eyelashes were so long and thick and silky. Matt had never really noticed before. They were pure gold, too. Watching them flutter was definitely a turn-on. But the pain in his arm kept him from having her right on the bed.
"Oh," Crystal May said again, only this time her soft voice was full of womanly knowing. Suddenly she became very busy, whisking herself out of his reach and tripping over to a little table by the door of Matt's hospital room. Now that he was more awake, the wounded man noticed that Crystal May had brought him a big old-fashioned picnic basket. He also noticed that the white silk designer dress she was wearing was dusted all over with tiny golden flowers. It flattered her curves and outlined that tempting little behind. His hand clenched, but he knew better than to lift his arm.
"Now, you know how busy I've been helping Madame Madeline manage the school accounts. She's been coming to the hospital every day to visit poor Anne Elliot. I think the two of them are going to open up another school together back east! Of course Anne's had some bad times with her wound, and a lot of guilt and bad memories. Deep down I don't think she really believes she deserves a second chance. But she'll change her mind. Madeline is really good at persuasion."
"Persuasion," Matt echoed. After waking up from that horrible nightmare, terrified and drenched in sweat, he felt almost dazed by Crystal May's sweet perfume and the sound of her voice. "I've missed you, baby," he croaked. The words came out like a plea for mercy, like an overpowering need he could not fight. And he couldn't, not anymore. Being shot woke him up to the truth.
His need for Crystal May was the one thing he had no control over at all.
He had never in his life felt so damned vulnerable.
"Well, I stopped by yesterday afternoon, but you were getting some rest, taking a little nap. So I went and talked to that nice Dr. Vijandra instead. She said I can't give you everything you want – not just yet, anyway – but there's no harm in a bite to eat."
"You don't have to do this, Crystal May," Matt said, in a hoarse voice. The country girl was setting up a tray on his lap, her movements quick and sure. His stomach growled for the food, and he felt an equally primitive hunger for her. But his wound made him feel powerless and weak.
"You stopped a bullet for me, boy." Crystal May dropped the coy country girl act for a moment, looking him straight in the eye with nothing but a plate of fried chicken between them. "You don't have anything to be ashamed of, Matt Gold. Maybe we both could have handled ourselves better when the fun and games turned dark and nasty. But when the shooting started you put your body between me and danger. That's damn sure a hell of a lot more than Senator Huddleston did for his wife, I can tell you that."
Crystal May didn't swear very often, but when she did it was usually for a very good reason.
Matt grunted, realizing that his guilt feelings were just one more way to protect himself. He'd wasted so many years being smart, being tough, when all he was really doing was giving up. He'd given up on his mother and his father, and on his ethics and everything else. But this time he wasn't giving up. He sat up and struggled to feed himself with his left hand.
"You're twice the fighter I am, baby," he said, clutching a chicken drumstick with an almost comical air of dogged determination. "Maybe we should open a detective office together. Crystal and Gold."
"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Crystal May giggled, pouring him a glass of lemonade. "Come on, Matt. Let's drink a toast to new beginnings."
"To new beginnings," Matt said, raising his glass left-handed. "You know I was just kidding about the detective business," he said, a little awkwardly. "I don't feel like ours should be a working relationship."
"Why?" Crystal May fluttered her lashes innocently. "Don't you want me as a partner?"
"More than anything in the world," Matt grunted. His left hand groped for something on the table next to his hospital bed. "Crystal May, I should get down on my knees when I offer you this. Hell, I should get down on my knees to you for saving my life. For taking my discipline without complaint, even when you didn't have to. For teaching me the meaning of loyalty and courage and love. For keeping your head wh
en I lost all control and tried to fuck you in a room full of strangers." Though his dark eyes sparkled with deep devotion, for a moment the seasoned lawman gave in to a wry, self-mocking grin. "Without even thinking about keeping my cover!"
"I wanted that to happen," Crystal May said gently. "Madame Madeline told me once I didn't know my own strength. But I reckon that's not right. There was a part of me that always knew I could make you feel something for me, something real and true, like what I felt for you. Even when you spanked me, even when I was one of Madame Madeline's girls, I knew I could make it real."
"You had me beat from the start," Matt confessed, in a husky voice. His eyes filled with tears, but he told himself it was only the burning pain in his arm that brought the hot and stinging drops to his eyes. "Crystal May Snow, I love you so much. I can't live without you. Will you marry me?"
"Oh, Matt, it's beautiful!" Crystal May studied the huge diamond glittering on the gold ring. Crystal and gold, joined together forever. Yet she knew that love was more than sharing gifts. "When my daddy died, I was mad at him," she murmured, still studying the hard and precious stone. Crystal tears flowed down her cheeks. "I thought he was so strong nothing could hurt him. But people aren't like diamonds, Matt. We're just flesh and blood. That's what I learned when you got shot. It was like losing my daddy all over again, only this time I couldn't run away."
"Baby, I'll never leave you. I promise ..." Matt tried to talk, but Crystal May shushed him, laying a finger across his lips. She looked at him, her blue eyes wet with tears and shining like priceless diamonds. "I love you, Matt. I want to live with you and work with you and feel your babies growing inside of me. I want you to laugh with me and cry with me and discipline me whenever you feel like it's right. And honey, you best believe I want to marry you. But first there's something I have to do for myself."