by Ladew, Lisa
"Ruth followed me downstairs and offered me a job on the spot as a paid intern in her office. She said the job paid sixteen dollars an hour to start and I knew I had to take it, no matter what. I spent a good chunk of the money I had on clothes and walked in her office the next day, feeling scared and vulnerable. She was always friendly to me though, from day one, totally grateful for me stopping that guy from stealing her stuff and then from punching her in the face. She had me doing personal errands for her and eventually I became her assistant. When we figured out I was actually good at fashion, no one was more surprised than I was."
Mica stopped talking, a light grin on her lips. Knox leaned forward and kissed them, thinking he finally knew the whole story. She'd been through hell and clawed her way out the other side, successful and whole. Admiration for her filled his soul and he poured it into his kiss, telling her without words that he loved her, trusted her, adored her, and that he'd never had anything to forgive her for.
***
Knox
Knox held Mica close, stroking her hair, letting his hands knead the tight muscles in her back and shoulders, then travel up to her hair and pull long strands of it between his fingers until she shivered.
Soft sounds of pleasure from her had his cock raising its head again and he tried to talk it down. Just wait.
"I've never told anyone that story before," Mica said, raising her head and looking him in the eyes. "Well, the part about what happened to me when I lived in the shelter. I told Justin about how I met Ruth."
"Justin?" Knox asked, the word coming out harsher than he'd intended.
"My assistant."
"You have a male assistant?"
Mica looked like she might laugh. Knox didn't understand what was so funny.
"I do. You sound jealous," she said, her voice light.
Knox pressed his lips together. "Not jealous. Just curious. Has he ever been more than an assistant?"
Now Mica did laugh. Knox took a deep breath, knowing he was being ridiculous, but completely unable to help himself. Suddenly, he felt sixteen, confronted with the prospect of another male who had asked his girlfriend to the prom.
"Sure, he's my friend too," Mica said.
Great. Some fucking asshole close to her every day, convincing her he's her friend, when he's really just waiting for the right time to try to fuck her.
"Has he ever hit on you?" Knox asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Mica shook her head, her blonde hair flying, her eyes sparkling. "Never, Knox. He's not interested in me."
"What, he's married?"
"No, he's not married, you'll see, if you meet him."
"Is he gay?"
Mica laughed out loud at that, making Knox hopeful it was the case. "Yeah, I think he is. You tell me what you think when you meet him."
Knox nodded darkly. Gay was good. He could handle gay.
Knox reached out a hand, intending to pull Mica close to him and kiss her, but she surprised him, turning in the booth and swinging a leg over him. She dropped her hands to his cock, making it swell and thicken immediately.
She dipped her hands inside his pants and pulled out his erection, her soft fingers making him crazy.
"I don't have any more secrets to tell," she whispered. "So I thought maybe I'd take you up on your earlier offer."
Knox groaned and dropped his head to the wall behind him. "What offer?"
"To fuck me in your shirt," she said, raising up and pressing him into her softness, her wetness. Knox spanned her hips with his hands and lowered her onto him, sheathing himself as deeply as possible, watching her face as the sensation and his cock filled her. He would never say no to that.
No condom again, and he couldn't bring himself to care.
Chapter 11
Mica
Mica woke up with a start on Tuesday morning, a cold sweat on her forehead, her teeth clicking together rudely, making her jump.
The images that had been playing through her head in her dreams stood out starkly, scaring her. Bailey had been chasing her down a long hallway, a gun held in his hand, his fingers broken and sticking out in all directions, his face strangely blurred and morphed. She kept turning around and looking at him as he chased her, until she finally realized it wasn't Bailey at all, it was her father.
Mica pushed her hair back on her forehead and took a deep breath, trying to dispel the images. She looked around in the bed, but it was empty. Knox was gone.
Mica rolled over onto his pillow and smelled it, letting his scent wash over her, calming her, bringing her back to reality. They'd spent almost all of Sunday night having sex all over the big house, then ended up in the shower at around five in the morning, then slept until the afternoon. Knox had made a few phone calls and Mica had checked on Justin, then they'd gone right back to each other's bodies, exploring, teasing, giving and taking pleasure, until Mica was sore but still unable to stop. When he looked at her with those golden eyes that said he would stop at nothing to have her, that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and all his, at least for that moment, she couldn't even think about resting. She felt like she had to have him, to consume him, to use him up, in case these were the only days they ever had together.
Mica flung her arms wide on Knox's bed, feeling every ache and twinge in her body and loving them all. She wouldn't trade the last thirty-six hours of love-making with Knox for anything, not more sleep, not a pain-free body, not a billion dollars. Everything about the man made her say yes, more, whatever you want, I'll do it, I'll say it, I'll try it. She'd never felt so adventurous and agreeable and sex-starved in her life.
Thinking of him made her want to be near him. She stood up, bypassing her overnight bag in the corner and heading straight for his closet. She found another of his business shirts and put it on, covering her naked body, then ran to the adjoining bathroom to brush her teeth before heading out to look for him.
Mica padded down the hall, following the sound of Knox's voice, passing the laundry room, a guest room, another guest room, then finding his office, the last door on the left. He'd left it open for her, and when he saw her his smile lit up his face, making heat rush to her core. When would she be able to finally look at him and not think about sex?
Knox waved her inside to a chair and continued speaking into his computer, wearing a pair of blue sweatpants, bare feet, and a blue shirt that stretched maddeningly over his chest.
"Thanks Dax, I'll talk to Mica and let you know what we decide."
Daxton's voice filtered out of the computer. "Sounds good. Later."
"Bye."
Knox pressed a button and turned to Mica. She got up immediately and went to sit on his lap, showering his face with kisses.
"I missed you when I woke up," she told him. "I had a bad dream."
Knox's face darkened immediately. "What about?"
"I thought it was about Bailey, but really it was about my father."
Knox nodded then, bringing her hand to his lips. "Interesting. Daxton and I were just talking about him. The police have turned nothing up on Bailey, not even finding that police car he used. They say his house outside of Portland is empty and has been for months. He's disappeared completely and we think the police are just going to sit back and wait for him to make his next move."
Mica felt fear stir inside her at the thought. "But you don't think we should do that?"
Knox shook his head. "I think we should search out your father. When we find him, I'll send someone to go talk to him wherever he is, see if he knows where Bailey might be."
"How, though? I don't even know his name."
"Your mom has a sister and an uncle that are still alive, right? Or at least she did. We look for them. One of them has to know who your father is. All we need is his name and I have friends who can find him."
Mica nodded, her brain spinning. Her father? She was twenty-eight years old and she was finally going to find her father?
Knox twirled a lock of her hair in his fin
gers. "Do you know your mom's sister's name or her uncle's name?"
Mica shook her head no.
"Let's start with your mom's name then."
Mica bit her lip. She trusted Knox, but saying her mom's name out loud seemed hard for her still. She pushed past it, giving him the name, knowing he would treat it with care. "Marylyn Scott."
Knox pushed her hair back behind each ear and gazed at her deeply. "You were Marjorie Scott?"
Mica nodded. She had been. A lifetime ago.
Knox kissed her, then pulled back. "Let me get this name to a friend of mine, and then I'll give you a proper good morning kiss."
Mica scrambled to her feet, nodding, knowing what it would lead to, and glad. Touching Knox, being taken by Knox would push the last of the dream and all of her doubts away.
Knox pressed another button on his computer as Mica sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk again.
A man's voice poured out of the speakers. "Knox! Good to see you, man! Did you get my package?"
Knox smiled broadly and Mica watched his face carefully, memorizing ever hard plane, every smile and frown line. "Hey, Hawk, no, no package. I had a favor to ask."
"Anything for you Knox, you know that. If it's in my power to do, I'll do it for you."
"Thanks Hawk, I appreciate that. I need you to look up a woman for me. She passed away eighteen years ago but I need to find any family she has left that are still alive. We are looking specifically for an uncle and a sister, but I'll take any name you find. Names, addresses, phone numbers if you can get them."
"Easy. What's the name and birthdate?"
Knox gave the name and looked at Mica questioningly for her mom's birthday. Mica supplied it, her heart beating harder in her chest. Would it really be so simple?
"Thanks, man," Knox said after giving Hawk the birthdate. "If you are able to put a rush on this we'd appreciate it. It's personal and very important."
Mica heard immediate concern enter the voice of the man on the computer. "Of course, I'll look into it as soon as I hang up. You ok? You need anything else from me?"
Knox shook his head. "Not right now, but I'll let you know. So tell me what's in the package."
"More cigars, man! Vivian had an ultrasound. We're having twins!"
Mica watched as Knox's face tightened for a moment, then pure happiness crossed over it. "Congratulations, Hawk. I couldn't be happier for you."
The two men exchanged a few more words as Mica thought about that. The thought of twins would be as scary as it was exciting. She hadn't thought about babies much over the years, purposely skirting the issue whenever it came up. It was something that just never seemed in the cards for her.
Knox hung up, but before he could move from his desk, the overhead intercom buzzed. Instead of a clear line, a loud rumble sounded in the background as the man spoke to Knox. Mica recognized the voice as Adam's, not quite as open as it had been yesterday. "Mr. Rosesson, I have a Thomas Covina here to see you. I turned him away but he says he won't leave until you at least know he's here."
Mica saw confusion on Knox's face. "Who is he Adam?"
"Uh, Mr. Rosesson, he says he's your half-brother, sir." His voice dropped low. "He's on a motorcycle, sir."
Knox nodded sharply and snapped his fingers. He spoke to Mica. "Damn, I forgot the results were coming in today." He pressed the button to speak to Adam again. "Tell him hold on a sec, Adam, while I check something."
Mica stared at Knox. As far as she knew, he had three siblings. Daxton, Bronx, and Phoenix, and that was it.
Knox stared intently at his computer, seeking something out. His eyes scanned the screen rapidly, then he stared straight at Mica, something like triumph on his face.
"I can't believe it! All three of them are a match!" Knox stood up excitedly and ran to Mica, lifting her out of the chair and twirling her around. "I've got three more brothers!"
"What are you talking about, Knox?" Mica asked, caught up in his excitement.
He put her down and grasped her arms lightly. "My father's a fucking dick, you already know that. But I haven't had a chance to tell you about this yet. I had heard that he cheated on my mom for most of their marriage, especially after she stopped talking, but there really was nothing to do about that, except hate him a little more, until one of his buddies let it slip that there was a woman he'd been seeing for decades who had three boys who looked an awful lot like him. I had one of my investigators contact the oldest one and we got all of their DNA tested. They are a match. My half-brothers."
"That's great, Knox, you seem so excited."
"Wouldn't you be? If you found out you had three brothers you never knew about?"
Mica thought hard about that. She'd be thrilled. But Knox already had brothers. She didn't know he thought his life was missing anything. But maybe it wasn't a matter of missing something. She saw how much he loved his brothers, how well they all got along. Maybe it was a matter of adding more to his life.
Mica hugged him. "Congratulations," she whispered.
The overhead speaker blared again. "Mr. Rosesson, uh, Mr. Covina is getting restless, sir."
In the background, Mica could hear the rumble of the man's motorcycle and a string of swear words.
"Tell him I'll be out to talk to him in five minutes, Adam."
Knox pulled away from Mica, still holding her hand. "Let's get a look at him."
He pulled her to the door she'd barely noticed at a back corner of the office. She'd assumed it was a closet, but when he unlocked it with a key and opened it, she realized she was looking at some sort of observation center, with tiny monitors that could see every corner of the house. The top five on the left all gave views of the green room from different angles, the monster bed at the center of each one. Mica swallowed hard, imagining what it would be like to be in that bed.
Knox pulled her attention away and to a screen in the lower right corner. "Rock didn't tell me he was a biker."
Mica crowded him, leaning close to the screen. The man she saw was young, twenty-five maybe, with dark leather covering his body. He sat astride a silver motorcycle, glaring at Knox's house. He didn't look friendly, or happy to be there. Knox didn't seem to even notice.
"Damn, I don't want to send him away, but I just can't deal with this right now," Knox mused, almost to himself. "We've got so much going on with Bailey ... " His voice trailed off as Mica watched the angry young man yell at Adam in the tiny house.
Knox turned to her. "I need to go talk to him. Are you ok if I leave you here in the house, just for a minute?"
Mica didn't answer, not sure if she was or not. Knox stuck his head out the door and whistled sharply, causing Tiny and Lulu to run in.
"I won't be long, and Tiny and Lulu would tear Bailey apart if he showed up. I know they look gentle, but they aren't. Besides, he's nowhere around. I promise you."
Mica nodded, now feeling more apprehensive that Knox would be out near the street by himself, but she knew they couldn't stay locked up in the house forever.
Knox sat her down in the chair in front of the screens. "Watch us from here." He pointed out the screens that would show him walking through the house and then down the driveway, then showed her the button that would call Adam at the guard house.
Mica waved him away and sat in the chair, both dogs heads in her lap. She watched Knox as he made his way to the biker, greeting him with a hearty handshake and then a one-armed hug, still oblivious to the man's waning hostility. Five minutes went by, then ten, then fifteen, as Knox and the man talked and talked. Finally, the man smiled at Knox, the first smile Mica had seen from him. She stared, fascinated by what she was seeing. Knox was a family man to the core, charming even angry bikers.
Mica stirred uneasily in her chair as she realized just how complex his life was, and how much she desperately wanted to be a part of it.
Chapter 12
Mica
Mica climbed into Knox's truck, watching out the rear window as Knox care
fully placed her overnight bag under the bed cover, then ran around to the driver's side.
Tiny and Lulu rested happily in the back seat, tongues lolling, ears relaxed. Mica was thrilled they were taking the dogs on the trip. It would make her feel so much safer.
When Knox had told her that her mother's sister had died of liver disease five years before, she'd felt a strange pang of loss, but it was nothing compared to what she felt now as they prepared to drive out to Keasey, Oregon to talk to her mother's half-uncle. Butterflies flitted in and out of her stomach, lodging in her throat, and making her insides quiver with anxiety.
They had his name, Paul Banning. And she'd seen a picture of his house out in the middle of a veritable forest in an unincorporated community near Portland. Practically the middle of nowhere.
Knox had sent an investigator out to Paul's home, but the man had refused to talk to him, to even open the door. When the investigator had shouted out he was there on a pressing matter regarding his family and the daughter of his half-niece, the man had been silent for a long time, then finally said he couldn't help them. He hadn't talked to anyone in the family for over twenty years and he didn't intend to now.
The investigator had called back to Knox and asked for instructions. Mica had said they should go themselves, that she bet she could talk the man into opening the door, or at least saying what he knew.
Knox had agreed immediately and they had decided to drive, so they could take the dogs. It was a ten hour trip total, five hours today, five hours tomorrow, and then she would be seeing family for the first time since her mom died.
If she could get him to open the door.
Mica studied the pictures of the small, neat house the investigator had sent. There was a gate at the end of a long driveway with several no trespassing signs on it. A high security fence surrounded the entire property. The investigator had watched the house for two days, then finally drove in when no one had gone in or out. The man hadn't sent dogs after him or threatened him with a gun, which was good.