by Daya Daniels
“You seem upset. Please don’t be upset about this,” he said. His brown eyes willing me to speak. “I didn’t invite her here,” he repeated. “She just wants some custom wood work done on her property.”
I’m sure she does, I snickered to myself.
“I’m not upset, Gabriel. It’s none of my business,” I repeated stooping down to cuddle Rocco.
“Could you please stop saying that?” he snapped.
I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. I was pissed but I had no right to be. I had no claim to this man. This wasn’t my house. In fact, nothing here belonged to me, not even my clothes. If he wanted to be entertained by Cynthia and have drinks with her, I had no say. I knew he wanted sex—the full act. If he wanted to use her for one night because he wasn’t getting it from me, I wasn’t certain I could blame him.
“Lily, I’m going over to the stables. I’ll be right back,” he said in an exasperated tone.
Meridian, Idaho
“The Cocaine Princess has returned!” Dawson announced throwing his hands up in the air, flashing a big bright smile in Nina’s direction.
“You took a big risk coming here, Nina. We’ve been looking for you for months.”
Nina, escorted by one of Dawson’s men, slowly entered the office, easing down into a small white leather chair that sat in front of Dawson’s huge mahogany desk. She nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress.
“We had a deal, Dawson, and I gave you what you wanted. You didn’t keep your end—you beat her. I just don’t understand how I still owe you money, Dawson? We agreed that after Lily you would wipe everything clean. You got what you wanted,” Nina reasoned, her voice shaking.
Dawson came around his desk, steepling his hands in front of him. “Nina, this deal we had was contingent on Lily cooperating and she didn’t cooperate, Nina. In fact, she gave one of my guys a broken nose and he has a hideous four-inch scar that will never allow his right eye to open properly ever again.
“We had to rough her up a bit to help things go a little more smoothly.”
Dawson pursed his lips and looked at Nina for a long moment.
“So, deal is off, Nina.”
Nina shoved her hands down between her legs in the chair, gathering the courage to speak.
“Well, Dawson, the way I see it is you have another problem now because I just left Montana.”
Dawson arched a brow at Nina’s words.
“Yeah,” Nina said petulantly with a small laugh.
“Lily is still alive. I saw her with my own two eyes and she told me she is going straight to the police about what happened.”
Dawson smiled. “Look, Nina, Lily ended up being more trouble than we thought. This wouldn’t have been a problem if you had gotten your friend to just cooperate.
“That’s a fault of yours, Nina, that, as it turns out, has now caused me another problem, a bigger problem, on top of the money you still owe me. All you do is cause me problems, Nina,” Dawson said running a hand through his hair.
“Lily is not a whore, Dawson! I told you that. You knew that she never was and you wanted her anyway! How could I have known what she would do, Dawson?!” Nina lowered her voice, tempering her frustration.
“If you let all this go, what I owe you and the rest—by that I mean give me my blow like you promised—I will tell you exactly where she is and you can go and take care of your problem.
“It doesn’t matter to me, she hates me now anyways. She doesn’t care about me anymore. Lily has a new life.”
Dawson walked towards Nina, encircling the chair she sat in and stood behind her, whispering into her ear.
“Well, Nina. It looks like we beat you to it. We already have confirmation that Lily is still alive and we know exactly where she is,” Dawson growled into Nina’s ear as he menacingly gripped her hair forcing her head back over the chair.
“So, you have nothing and no information to bargain.” Pulling a switch blade out, Dawson slit her throat from ear-to-ear.
Each time I thought about Gabriel having drinks with Cynthia, a little bit of bile rose up in my throat. I wasn’t sure if he’d planned to go and I didn’t have the guts to ask him flat-out. I stared out the window from where I sat, thinking. It was still late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. Gabriel seemed annoyed about something and I didn’t know what. I tried to convince him to jump in the hot tub with me to relax. He finally relented after an hour of begging.
Later, I put on a peach swimsuit, grabbed two towels and a bottle of Sauvignon blanc and two wine glasses. I slid in the hot tub slowly enjoying the water against my cool skin. Gabriel joined me, wearing a pair of green striped swim trunks. I smiled at his attire which was sexy. I placed the glasses on the side of the hot tub and filled them up generously, passing one of them to Gabriel. I took a big gulp and Gabriel gave me an odd look. He slid in the water slowly and sat on one of the stoops reaching for his glass of wine.
“This is hot, Lily,” he said grimacing, trying to adjust to the temperature. “It’s like I’m boiling.”
I giggled. “It’s warm, Gabriel.” I sat next to him, slipping down until only my head was visible over the top of the water.
After I downed one glass, I reached for the bottle to fill another.
“Whoa, Lily. Take it easy,” he warned.
I laughed and snatched the bottle from him, filling my glass to the top. I was enjoying this carefree moment with him. I went closer to Gabriel and turned to sit in his lap facing him. We stayed in there long enough that the moon began to light up the night sky.
I placed my hands around his neck and leaned back admiring his tattoos. His damp dark hair was stuck to his neck and face. I filled my glass again with more wine. I was still curious about some of the scars that covered his skin.
“What is this?” I asked sticking my finger into a small concave on Gabriel’s right shoulder.
“A hole.”
“And this?” I moved my finger downwards, pressing into another scar that was largely concealed by a dark pattern of ink.
“Another hole,” he said sipping his wine slowly.
“You’re covered by a lot of holes, Gabriel.” I laughed loudly, feeling my cheeks heat. The wine was taking effect.
I started to slip off my bikini top and Gabriel stilled my hand to stop. I gave him an offended, wide-eyed glare.
“Friends, right?” he asked, glaring at me with a tight smile.
So, that’s what this was about.
I moved my hand again to my shoulder and took off my bikini top, exposing my breasts. Gabriel ignored me. I flung the bikini top over the side of the hot tub. Taking his hand, I rested it against my breasts encouraging him to touch me. He was already hard. I took pleasure in rubbing my pussy against it through his swim trunks.
I took the wine glass out of his hand and placed it to the side, taking both of his hands in mine, pressing them against my breasts. He kneaded them this time and squeezed and pinched my nipples, drawing them to his face, sucking them hard causing me to gasp each time. Gabriel pulled me closer to him and kissed me hard, wrapping his arms around my back as the water lapped between us. I reached down to untie my bottoms.
“Not like this,” he said stopping me.
I was confused and felt the sharp sting of rejection. “What do you mean?”
“You’re drunk, Lily. Not like this and not because of Cynthia.” I stilled.
Gabriel cradled the back of my head in both of his hands, pulling me close to his face.
“Lily, you’re not ready. You and I both know you’re not. That’s why we do everything besides the real thing.
“You’re not ready for me to be inside you and I understand why. I’m willing to wait until you are. I think I’ve shown you that.”
“Gabriel,” I begged.
He shook his head a few times—more rejection. “Don’t give yourself to me tonight just because you think Cynthia is going to take me away from you, because that won’t happen.”
&n
bsp; I nestled into his shoulder and took a deep breath, feeling exhausted.
“Are you going to go out with her?” I asked in a small voice.
“No, I never was. Why would you think that?” he asked while a pained expression spread across his face.
“Because she really wants to fuck you again.” I was slurring my words and cringed at how jealous I sounded.
“It doesn’t matter what she wants,” he whispered against my ear and took my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him and kissed me again. “I’m not fucking anyone else, okay? It’s just you and me, Lily.”
“Okay.” I rested my head on his shoulder while the wine continued to saturate my brain.
The question had been nagging at me for a few months now. I wasn’t sure if it was important but I wanted to ask Gabriel outright if he’d ever been to prison. He didn’t give me the impression that he was into any sort of criminal activity but still the question lingered in my mind.
He was outside that evening unloading the hold of the truck. I stood outside on the deck watching him and taking in the crisp air. It was a beautiful evening. The sun was setting. Rocco jumped out of the truck and came to lean against my leg. The dog’s behavior had changed since Sable died. Eventually, I thought we could get another dog to keep him company but felt it might be too soon to ask him. He never spoke about Sable again after the day we buried her.
Gabriel walked up the steps taking them two at a time. When he got to the top he drew me into a hug and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.
“What did you get up to today?” he asked, shoving off his boots and placing them outside the door.
“Not much. Franca came by today so I went to see Abigail for a while to see if she was able to find me something to do for work while I’m down here.”
Gabriel stilled for a second as he made his way towards the kitchen. He turned around giving me an incredulous look.
“Lily, I thought we talked about this.”
“We did but I need something to do while I’m here. Not just wait around until you get back home. I’m bored. I haven’t worked in months. Plus, I could earn a little of my own money.”
Gabriel shrugged out of his jacket and took the belt out of the loops of his pants, heading towards the bathroom to shower. “Lily, you haven’t worked in a while for good reason. You’re still recovering. The other night you threw up on the floor. That should tell you that you are not better. You need to give yourself more time.”
Gabriel stopped outside the bathroom and gave me a long stare. I wasn’t going to let him bulldoze me on this issue.
“I really need this. I can do both. It would be a welcome distraction, don’t you think?”
“I thought you were going to start writing again? That’s why you have the laptop. Writing should keep you busy enough.”
Gabriel shook his head and slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked behind him. I planned to start writing again but each time I sat down at the keyboard, my fingers froze.
Gabriel undressed from the time he hit the doorway. The hard lines of his body captivated me and so did the way he just walked. How could a man’s walk be so sexy? I paid close attention to the muscles in his upper body as they tightened and flexed when he slid his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor. His back was covered in intricate markings but none ran down past his waist. He stepped out of his white boxer briefs, leaving them on the floor at his feet and turned towards me, allowing me my fill of him. When I finally raised my eyes, I chuckled when I realized he’d been watching me observe him for quite a while. I peered down at the thick erection that was jutting out from between his legs, desperately wanting to touch it. Gabriel leaned in and turned the shower on, giving me a sly look when he caught me staring at him. His dark hair tumbled across his forehead. He brushed it back quickly with his hand, resting his watch on the bathroom counter.
“Are you coming in?”
I slipped out of my clothes quickly and stepped in the warm water. I squeaked when Gabriel pulled me to him, realizing the strength in his grip. He slid his tongue into my mouth, kissing me hard, stealing my breath away. I threw my arms around his neck, clutching him tightly, controlling the kiss and then backed away laughing.
I grabbed the loofah and body wash, massaging Gabriel’s back and shoulders. He took it from me slowly, keeping his eyes trained on me and lathered me up from head to toe. He pressed his mouth to mine again.
“I’ve missed you today,” I whispered to him.
“Oh yeah? I always miss you.”
I pressed my back against the shower wall and slid down slowly. Gabriel stopped me.
“Lily,” he warned.
I knelt on the shower floor, looking up at him with the biggest blue eyes I could give him and my most endearing smile. “Please? I want to.”
He gave me a look and adjusted the direction of the water spray away from us.
I wrapped my hands around his length, feeling the smooth hot skin against my palm. I sat back on my knees and spit on his cock. Watching the clear saliva with fascination when it dribbled slowly from my mouth to coat his length. I kissed the head and ran my tongue along the underside of him, sucking each one of his balls into mouth. Gabriel’s cock twitched and then he thrusted forward involuntarily, slapping his hand against the shower wall above me.
“Fuck.”
I gave him a satisfied smile and took the head of his cock into my mouth again, letting it hit the back of my throat, sliding my hand down to the base at the same time. It was hot and long and hard. If I could have swallowed it whole, I would have. Gabriel let out a long groan that echoed against the tile of the shower. His ab muscles bunched and flexed with each lick and flick of my tongue along his swollen flesh. Gabriel had the biggest cock I’d ever seen. I knew I was insane not to have had it by now. I pumped my hand up and down his shaft with a firm grip that had him moaning and muttering expletives as his big body loomed over me. Warm saliva ran from his cock down to his balls and started to drip down his thighs. Gabriel’s cock was my personal, super-sized popsicle. I was going to suck it until it fucking exploded.
Deep, long groans and the sound of my wet mouth against Gabriel’s hot flesh filled the shower while I sucked him off. The hot water spray continued to hit the side of the wall. Gabriel let out a shout when I moved faster, taking him deep into my throat while the salty drips of him lingered on my tongue. I moaned sucking the head of his cock, running my tongue along it, licking his precum clean.
“Fuck,” Gabriel hissed and moved his hands gently in my hair, brushing it away from my face and caressing my cheek with his thumb.
I smiled looking up at him while he watched me intently. I blinked slowly as he watched my mouth take him deep and then he moved with me, fucking my throat while I palmed his firm ass cheeks. Gabriel stroked himself against my lips a few times until he settled into a rhythm. His lips remained parted while strained noises left his mouth. I moaned against his flesh and he let out a labored breath. His cock jerked hard, uncontrollably, into my mouth, filling it with more cum than I could handle. Gabriel grunted loud, almost as if he was in pain. I fisted him firmly, draining every drop of semen that he had in his balls, sucking his cock dry.
“You should be proud of that,” he said softly, giving me a gorgeous smile.
“I am,” I said grinning.
I took a long walk over to the stables to check on Winnie and Jack. I didn’t want to run into Miles. That had gotten me into trouble before and I needed to avoid the headache. When I finally got there after walking across the property, the large door to the paddock was already open. There was music from an old radio echoing through the building. I walked towards the back to Jack’s stall and it was empty. One of the ranch hand’s likely had him out somewhere on the property.
Winnie was in her stall next to him. She slowly walked over to me nudging her large head under my arm. I gave her a long pat. Although she was at least five months pregnant you could hardly tell.
“Hey, Lily,” Lee said. I was surprised to see him in the stables.
“Good morning, Lee. How are you?” I asked with a smile. Lee dropped some bags of feed he was carrying and walked over to me. He was so young.
“I’m good, Lily. I haven’t seen you around much. If you want to take Jack out to ride today, just let me know and I can saddle you up!” Lee had a huge smile on his face.
“Lee, if you don’t mind me asking. How old are you?” I was snooping.
“I’m twenty-three. If I’m correct, that’s not a whole bunch younger than you, pretty lady,” he said tipping his hat. I laughed.
“Well, I’ll be in the stables all week or at least until the new guy arrives.” Lee continued.
“What new guy?” I was confused.
“The new foreman. Haven’t you heard, Lily? Miles quit. He had to move back to Virginia or something, short notice I guess. He left in a rush, didn’t even say goodbye to me.” Lee shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay, but I hadn’t heard.
“I may want to take Jack out but later, so I’ll come back.”
After six years working on the Preston’s ranch, Miles had just abruptly quit.
It didn’t make sense.
Meridian, Idaho
Reed swung from side to side, upside down, hanging from the ceiling of an empty warehouse by a rope tied to his ankles. His eyes were black and swollen shut. Dawson and his men had already beaten him. The gash on his head that Lily had given him still had stitches in it and his nose was still bandaged. He was covered in blood and the stench of urine and sweat pervaded the space.
“You told me you buried her, Reed,” Dawson said putting his foot up on a chair and placing his elbow on his knee. One of the other men that worked for Dawson looked on while Reed started to speak.
“Boss, I was going to but she was already dead. It didn’t make sense. It was snowing. It was freezing,” Reed groaned.