by Jenika Snow
“It seems the girls were fighting over a customer. He’s a good tipper, and they don’t like sharing him.”
Alessandria wrinkled her nose. “Sounds messy.”
“It is. There’s hair pulling, nails clawing, the works. It’s not pretty.” Boscoe shuddered. “Anyway, I get to keep you company until Zeke returns.” Whenever she left home, Zeke always made sure she had someone with her.
She shifted on her chair and closed her eyes as the pain hummed through the body. Zeke had restrained her to the bed tightly, had spanked her ass, and the backs of her thighs with his belt until she’d come for him. He’d started out slowly, building up until the pain increased, and she’d been begging him to fuck her.
“The company will be great.”
Boscoe nodded, but his expression was tight.
“Is everything okay?”
He gave a sharp nod.
“Has Zeke said anything?” she asked, getting a sense that something wasn’t right.
“No, he wants you to have a good day. He didn’t say anything else.”
Biting her lip, Alessandria didn’t know what to make of that. She knew Zeke loved her, but she had insecurities, ones that Gerald had drilled into her. Maybe, hopefully, with time she’d learn to live without them. Zeke was certainly helping her in that direction.
Alessandria loved him with her whole heart. He was the other half of her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s fine.” She gave him a smile and grabbed her coffee, taking sips as Boscoe did something on his cell phone. Alessandria liked Boscoe. Out of all of the guards that watched over her from time to time, Boscoe was the only one who wasn’t afraid to talk to her and get to know her. It was as if he really saw her.
“I’ve just got to take this call,” Boscoe said, frowning down at his cell.
“I’m going to give Zeke a call.” She gave him a smile and made her way into Zeke’s office. Alessandria didn’t touch any of his business stuff. He always kept his desk neat and tidy. Sitting in his chair, she bit her lip, and stared at the phone on his desk. Her gut was twisting, telling her that something was wrong.
Why do I feel like things are not going well?
She sought out the domination in Zeke in order to get the pain she craved. After he punished her body, and taken her to the brink of knowing if she’d be able to cope with what he was doing to her body, he’d hold her. Zeke’s kind of pain wasn’t always the sting of his palm, or the strike of his belt. He’d withhold her orgasm to the point that she would fuck him in public if he asked. Zeke knew how to push her to get what he needed out of her.
Lifting up the phone, she dialed Zeke’s cell phone number, and waited.
“Hello,” Zeke said.
“Hey, it’s me.” She felt incredibly stupid for talking right at that second.
“I know, baby. Boscoe treating you well.”
“What’s going on, Zeke?”
“What do you mean?”
She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right, and I needed to talk to you about it.”
“How’s your ass today?”
“It’s fine.”
Last night, he’d drawn blood. The first time he’d ever done so, and he’d brought a stop to their play, cleaned her up, and held her throughout the night. Alessandria just knew that he was pushing her away.
“I left some more antiseptic, and take some painkillers. I want to make sure nothing gets infected, and I don’t feel like what I applied to the welts last night was sufficient.”
“Zeke, it’s fine. I’m fine. It was just a little cut.”
“I went too hard.”
“Pain slut, remember?” She tried to turn it into a joke, but he wasn’t having any of it. He was being serious.
“Don’t talk like that!”
“It’s just a joke, Zeke.”
“Look, we need to talk. I’m busy right now. We’ll talk later tonight. Okay.”
“What’s going on?” She couldn’t let him go. Her worst fears were playing out, and she hated it.
“Nothing, I’ve got work to do. Have a good day with Boscoe.”
“I love you.”
Zeke had already hung up. The tears that had filled her eyes during the call finally fell down her cheeks. She was torn up, hating herself for being so weak. Finally, her life was coming together, and because of one stupid cut, he was going to push her away.
“Do you want to watch a movie, maybe, kill some time?” Boscoe asked.
Placing the phone back into its cradle, she brushed away her tears before facing him. “I’d love to go out for a walk instead, if that’s okay.” She needed to clear her mind so she was ready for Zeke’s call.
ZEKE HAD TO let her go. Last night had been a wakeup call. He couldn’t let himself go with Alessandria. She meant too much to him, and it would be so damn easy to just push her to the point of breaking her. He wasn’t going to do that.
Tapping his cell phone against his lip, he watched the two women who meant nothing to him argue over the right to keep a client’s dick. There was a woman waiting for him at home, and he was here, dealing with a bunch of crap.
Taking a seat, he rubbed at his temples, and wondered what the hell he was going to do. He wasn’t a nice guy. His entire life had been about violence, pain, sadness. There were only a few glimpses of pleasure to be had. Daniella and Alessandria were it.
His cell phone rang again, and he saw it was Boscoe.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“She’s at the park and sobbing her heart out, boss.”
“I thought she was at my place?” Zeke asked.
“She was then she took a walk in the park, and you’ve broken her, boss.”
Cursing, Zeke, made a move and the two women left his office. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but she’d pretty shook up about something.”
Zeke cursed internally. “I’ve got to let her go.”
There was a moment of silence. “I don’t question your decisions, because you know what you’re doing, but, boss, I think you’re making a mistake.”
Zeke closed his eyes and rubbed them. “Let her take her walk, and get her ass back home. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
“And make sure the car is ready. Tonight, she’s going out on her own, getting the freedom that she deserves.”
He hung up the phone, hating what he’d done.
Zeke loved Alessandria, but no matter how much he tried to deal with his personal problems, he couldn’t find a way to be with Alessandria without breaking her. It was simple; he had to give her up.
Chapter Nineteen
HER HEART THUNDERED in her chest, her palms sweated, and all she could do was think about Zeke getting rid of her. Had she been a fool again, thought a man loved her when he really didn’t, when he was done with her because he’d gotten a piece of her ass?
Don’t think like that. Zeke’s different. You know that, can feel it.
She closed her eyes and wiped her tears away. She’d made a fool out of herself by crying in front of Boscoe. Although she had no clue what in the hell was going on with Zeke, was only thinking he wanted to get rid of her, she hadn’t been able to stop the flow of tears.
But she knew Zeke cared for her, had seen it in his touches, kisses, the words of possession he spoke. He’d killed Gerald, for fuck’s sake, and he’d done it to help her feel safe.
Wiping her hands on her jeans, she tried to calm herself. She didn’t want to be a wreck when he came back. She wanted to be strong, to face this, whatever this was, head on.
And then she saw the gleam of his black Mercedes coming up the drive, the sun glinting off the polished exterior. Her heart started beating even harder, even faster. She stood there in her room, staring out the window, and watched as the car came to a stop. Boscoe was already moving toward it, and when Zeke climbed out of the dri
ver’s seat, his three-piece suit making him look powerful, dangerous, she felt her love grow for him.
He and Boscoe stood by the car for a moment and talked, and then Zeke lifted his head up and looked right at her. They stared at each other before he was striding toward the house and disappearing inside. She turned, faced the door, and it was only a few seconds before she heard the pounding of his feet coming up the stairs, down the hallway, and toward her. She grew so nervous, as nervous as she was when she’d first came to his house.
And when he stepped through the doorway, stopped, and their locked gazes, she knew by his expression that something was wrong.
“Zeke?” she said his name softer than she’d intended.
He sighed, but moved toward her, and gestured that she take a seat on the small couch across from the bed. Alessandria moved toward the couch, took a seat, and looked up at him. She was waiting for the ball to drop, the other shoe to drop. She was waiting for the end of all of this to come.
“Why were you crying with Boscoe?” He moved over to her and took a seat beside her.
She didn’t answer right away, but then she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “Because I have a feeling something bad is happening…with us.”
He took her hand in his, gave it a squeeze, and she knew that what he was about to say wasn’t going to be something she wanted to hear. “I love you, Alessandria.”
She exhaled, feeling that pleasurable warmth fill her.
“I would kill ten times over in order to make sure you’re safe, would take down anyone or anything that thought to bring harm to you or make you unhappy.”
She was going to cry.
“I would die for you, Alessandria.”
His voice had gone deeper, the emotion clear, but the hardness was still in it, too.
“But I can’t help but feel that I’m holding you back, not giving you that freedom you deserve, you seek. I want you to have that freedom, to have that sense of yourself. You deserve it above all else, and keeping you here, being with me when you came into my life unwillingly, isn’t something I can live with.”
She was crying now, not able to help herself. She loved this man. He’d given her the peace she never thought she’d have, had her feeling like she was not some doormat, like she could make up her own decisions in life. He was stronger, had helped her find the courage when she realized she didn’t have to be a victim.
She wiped her tears again with her free hand, knew that she wanted to tell him this wasn’t what she wanted; she wanted to explain how she felt right now. “For my whole like I thought I knew what I wanted. My childhood was good, my family supportive. And I fell in love, or thought I did, when I met Gerald. It seemed like it was going where it needed to.” She thought about the past, about how far she’d come. “When Gerald changed, when he turned out to be the man that wasn’t who I fell in love with, I knew my life wouldn’t be the same. I had to accept that or keep my courage and know that if I wanted things to change I had to keep that path clear in my head.”
“Alessandria—”
“No, please let me get this out, Zeke.”
He nodded and held her hand tighter.
“I was broken on the outside, ruined by Gerald, and didn’t think that things would be the way I’d always wanted. I thought my soul would crack in two, that the vile, ugliness of the world and what I’d allowed to happen to me would forever have me changed. And it did, to a point.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “But then I found my life on the same path as yours, and even though I was frightened, already broken, I still had that light inside of me that told me I wanted to survive, wanted to be free.”
“Baby,” he said that one word on a harsh whisper.
“I have never felt the freedom I do until I was with you. You’ve opened my eyes to not only the desires inside of me, the ones I’ve thought were wrong and dark, but to the fact that I don’t have to be afraid or ashamed.” She smiled. “You’re the man I want, and this is the life I want. I know you’ll let me go. I know you’ll let me experience the world as I see it, because you are giving me that, letting me be the person I really am, the woman I want to be.” She stared right in his eyes. “You’re the man I want in my life, standing right beside me. I am choosing you, this life.”
“Are you sure this is what you want? I am who you want?” Zeke was a powerful man, could have anything or anyone he wanted. He might he a monster to most, rule his empire with an iron fist, but the truth was that he wasn’t the devil. He’d given her the choice to leave; she needed him to give her the freedom to stay. He’d give that to her by giving her the choice, and that’s all she’d ever wanted.
“I know I want you in my life. I know that you’re the only man that’s ever made me feel like this.” She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, loving that he instantly held her. “You gave me the choice to leave, to have my own life, live it the way I want, and I’m choosing you, choosing us.” She felt his big body tense, heard him exhaling, and knew that he was happy. She felt that from him as clearly as if it was her own emotions.
“It’s just you and me, Alessandria. It’ll only ever be us. You’re it for me. I hope you’re ready for that.”
She closed her eyes and smiled. “I’ve been ready for that my entire life.”
Epilogue
Six months later
ZEKE WATCHED AS Alessandria flicked through the files and advertisements for the last five girls he’d taken off the streets. He’d taken them away from their piece of shit pimps, and although he’d love to have killed the fuckers, he couldn’t go around killing every lowdown pimp who pissed him off, even though he would love to try. The girls wrapped their arms around his woman, and he knew without a doubt that they were thanking her.
Alessandria loved to help these women, and he loved helping her. His mission had been to make her life perfect, and she’d set about giving him everything he ever wanted.
He stood by his bar, taking a sip of his water, watching as she made her way over to him. The sensual sway of her hips called to him, and his cock thickened. Before they left Dominion, he was bending her over his desk, and fucking that delectable ass. In the past six months, there was nothing they hadn’t tried. They had tested each other’s limits, and he knew exactly how hard to strike his belt or tighten the rope around her body. She was his pain slut, and he her master. No other man was allowed to touch her.
“Hey, baby,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest.
She had also made his relationship with Daniella easier. He’d been shocked when he came home to find the two women cooking in his kitchen. Daniella had given birth to a little boy, and with Alessandria’s help, he’d eased into the role of doting grandfather.
“Dani and Shakes are coming over tonight with Bruce.”
He really hated the name Bruce, but it wasn’t his kid.
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I intend to fuck you hard in my office.” Taking hold of her hand, he made his way toward the back stairs.
Her hand tightened in his, and he didn’t let her go, offering her comfort in his touch alone.
Once they were inside his office, he flicked the lock on the door. “The women pick job interviews and where they want to go?” he asked, taking an interest. Alessandria loved helping those women, and in turn, he loved helping them. They eased whatever pain filled her soul, and to help with that, he’d fight whatever demons she needed him to. In the beginning, he’d left a trail of dead bodies as he’d spent nights holding a weeping Alessandria as she tried to come to terms with some of their stories.
Boscoe made him stop and only punish the bastards. He couldn’t help Alessandria if he was in prison, which was where he was going if he continued.
“Do you love me?” he asked.
“More than anything, Zeke. I never knew what love was until I met you.”
Slamming his lips down on hers, he moved her back toward his desk.
Lifting her onto it, he spread open her thighs and cupped her naked pussy. He loved that she was always open to him. Her pussy slick with cream, he slid two fingers inside her tight cunt, moaning as she gripped him perfectly.
“I need you, Zeke.”
“I’m going to give it to you.”
Unzipping his pants, he pulled out his cock and slowly worked the length. Tipping her back onto the desk, he placed his cock at her entrance, and in one smooth thrust, he slid deep inside her.
They didn’t need pain all the time. Zeke enjoyed making love to her. There were moments in his life where he didn’t want to punish her ass or give her the pain he knew she craved.
Both of them were changing, but he’d deal with that in the future. For now, he was going to make love to his woman, to his wife. They had married in a simple ceremony with the Soldiers, his daughter and her family, and a few of his men present. He had also made his men take an oath that no matter what might happen; they were to do everything to protect his woman. They were to save Alessandria before they saved him if there was ever a threat. Zeke had also made sure that her life would be filled with peace when he was gone. Boscoe had offered that if Zeke weren’t present, he would become her protector.
Zeke had woken up from a nightmare many months ago in which he’d held a dying Alessandria. He had vowed to make sure that dream never became a reality.
“I love you, Alessandria,” he said, fucking deep inside her, and feeling her pussy tighten around him.
“You own me, Zeke, every part of me. I love you so damn much.”
Holding her tightly against him, Zeke stared into her eyes, and promised once again to make her whole, to rid the darkness from her eyes, and to always bring her pleasure and pain combined.
This was his woman, his soul mate, the other half of him, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her, even break his own rules.
The End
Enjoy an exclusive teaser from, The Way I Like It, book five in the Soldiers of Wrath MC series, coming late 2015!