She nodded against the mattress.
“Words, baby. Tell me where you are.”
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
“Good girl.” His hand landed again, harder this time. And again.
She lost count. Was that eight? How many times would he spank her? She felt the burn as each strike landed on an earlier one. The next spank landed low and center.
Abby moaned. She couldn’t prevent it from happening. Holy mother of God she was aroused. Her pussy throbbed with need.
Zane’s hand remained in that spot, rubbing, reaching lower. He changed his direction and reached between her legs. “Are you wet, baby?” His middle fingers slipped between her folds and stroked through her wetness. “Oh, baby. Do you know how hot that is?”
She didn’t respond to either question. They were rhetorical, anyway.
Zane thrust two fingers inside her and scissored them with no warning. She almost came. Her spine stiffened. She turned her face so her forehead rested on the bed, and her hair fell around her face.
Oh God.
His hand disappeared just as quickly, and he slapped both cheeks at the juncture to her thighs in quick succession.
Abby let out a yelp. She grabbed the blankets with both hands at the sides of her face and fisted the material. She was going to come. Hard. While Zane spanked her. Shit.
“That’s it, baby. Let it go.” He spanked both thighs next and then thrust his fingers into her again with no warning.
Abby screamed into the mattress, muffling her sound as much as possible when she heard her voice. Her pussy gripped his fingers as her orgasm raced through her system. There was no way to stop it.
Zane fucked her fast with his hand. Before the waves of release were over, he removed his fingers and lifted her off his lap, turning her at an angle. “Crawl into the center of the bed, baby. Get up on all fours.”
Her body still pulsed. She barely had the motor skills to do as he said. The bed sprang up when he stood, and then she heard the faint sound of a condom wrapper. Two seconds later, Zane crawled up behind her, nudged her knees open wide, and gripped her hips. His cock plunged into her so fast, she rocked forward. She lowered her forehead to the bed once again, unable to hold it up. Her arms shook so badly they seemed to not have enough blood flow to properly follow directions.
He thrust fast, his grip holding her steady. She could hear him moaning.
She held rigid when she realized a second orgasm was looming on the heels of the first that had never fully ended.
“So tight,” he gritted out. “Your pussy has a grip on me. I’m not gonna last.” His words were muttered. Clipped. Every time his cock was fully seated, she felt the sting of his body flattening against her enflamed ass.
Zane released one hip and reached around her belly to stroke her clit. That was enough to blur her vision. “Zane,” she yelled, her voice stopped by the bed.
“Come for me, baby.” His thumb landed on her clit and pressed while his cock thrust one final time deep inside her.
As she went over the edge, she felt him go stiff. Her pussy gripped his cock tight as he pulsed his orgasm deep inside her.
Her ears rang as she crested the top and slowly floated back to earth. The first thing she noticed was her entire body shook as though she were once again cold. Her limbs probably were cold, from lack of blood flow.
Zane leaned over her body and nudged her to fall to her side as he took her down with him.
She lay spooned by him, his cock still inside her. And she’d never been more consumed by a man. She fought to catch her breath while Zane brushed her thick hair from her face.
His lips landed on her temple, and then he dropped his head to the side behind hers. “So sexy.” His hand danced up and down her arm, rubbing gently. Finally he threaded his fingers with hers from the back of her hand and tucked both their hands around her under her chest. “Hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. You sure you’ve never been spanked before?” he teased.
She was stunned herself. Too stunned to speak in fact. Almost embarrassed. It seemed as though she had separated from her body and was just now coming back into it.
Finally Zane gave her a squeeze and let himself slide out of her. “Be right back. Don’t move.” He crawled from the bed and padded to the attached bath.
She listened to the sound of the water running for a few minutes, and then he shut it off and came back.
He rolled her onto her back gently and pressed her knees open wide.
She winced at the sting of the bedding beneath her ass. Her gaze landed on his head as he cleaned her up. He was so tender. Emotion overwhelmed her as she watched the way he cared for her. Her knees were like noodles. She couldn’t lift them to bring them back together.
When he finished, he set the cloth aside and helped her turn onto her belly. The next thing she knew he was massaging her ass again, this time with a cool substance that he spread against her heated skin. It felt wonderful, and she sighed several times.
She let him manipulate her body.
Zane helped her flip over onto her back again and pushed her thighs wide. He climbed over her between her legs and reached across to flip off the bedside lamp. He hovered his torso over her body and kissed her lips. “You didn’t use that safe word.”
“You didn’t mention I would get aroused.”
He shrugged, a coy grin spreading on his face. “I thought it might happen, but not everyone needs the sexual part. Some people are content with the release from the spanking alone.”
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I know. It’s not possible to understand until you do it.” He kissed her lips again. “So fucking beautiful, baby. I’m humbled.”
“I’m a little embarrassed.”
“Don’t be.” He set his forehead on hers. “It’s perfectly normal. And do you feel more relaxed now?”
“Yeah, but two orgasms would do that.”
He set his lips on hers again and spoke against her mouth. “Come on. Admit it. That was way better than two vanilla orgasms.”
“Scale of one to ten?”
“Yeah?”
“Fifty.”
He grinned again and then kissed her senseless. When he broke the kiss minutes later, he climbed over her leg and lay down on his back. He hauled her over so she had her front against his side, half sprawled over the top of him. “Think you can sleep now?”
“Mmm hmm.” Not a doubt anymore.
He squeezed her tighter and then reached down to pull the covers over them. His hand drifted down to her ass and lightly stroked the skin. “You okay, baby?”
“Mmm hmm,” she repeated. Better than.
Zane kissed the top of her head. “That was a subspace.”
She smiled against his chest. If that was a subspace, she could live with it. It felt like everything he’d described and more. Entering into a serious relationship with Zane was not going to be a hardship. She started to drift asleep, and then she was reminded of something. “You fought for me…”
Zane’s breath hitched. He paused only a fraction, and then he responded. “Would do it every day for the rest of my life if it meant sleeping like this with you forever.”
Her throat clogged at those words. She decided not to speak for fear she would start crying. She’d cried enough lately. Right now she needed to ignore the emotions he was dragging to the surface and let her body rest.
She drifted for only a few minutes before sleep dragged her under.
Chapter Eighteen
A ringing noise yanked Abby from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes a slit. The room was dim, and she was still tightly snuggled in Zane’s embrace.
His grip loosened a moment later, and he twisted away from her.
She heard his hand slap against the bedside table and then the distinct sound of his cell phone dragging across the top as he located it. “Rider?” He sat up.
Abby rolled onto her back to look up at him in the early morning light. Why
would Rider be calling so early?
“What?” Zane shouted this word. He jumped from the bed and ran his free hand through his hair.
Abby pulled herself upright on the bed, holding the sheet up to her chest. Something was terribly wrong. Fear crept up her spine. She’d felt that fear yesterday several times. This morning it was back in full force.
“When? Fuck… No… Goddammit…” He turned to face her.
She pursed her lips, unwilling to ask the hard questions.
Zane turned around and grabbed his jeans off the floor. He tugged them on while holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder. He pointed at Abby’s bag in the corner and mouthed, “Get dressed.” And then his attention was back on Rider. “Yes… We’ll be there in ten minutes… No… Fucking…well, just fuck.”
Abby was wide awake mentally and racing across the room to grab clothes so fast her legs almost buckled.
Zane set the phone on the bed. He crossed the room while tugging a T-shirt over his head. When he reached Abby’s side, he grabbed her shoulders. She was still naked. Her mind hadn’t quite figured out what to put on yet. He didn’t mince words. He looked her in the eye. “Lauren’s missing.”
“No. Oh God.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. Let’s get rolling. Emily is distraught. Rider is fucking pissed.”
“I’m sure.” She leaned down to grab panties and a bra. As fast as she could manage, she put on jeans and a T-shirt and tugged on her tennis shoes. Her hair was a wreck, but she could pull it up into a bun in the car.
She raced from the room, following Zane’s near jog.
She’d never in her life gone from completely unconscious to driving down the road in so few minutes. But today was a first. Every day was a first lately. And frankly, she was growing tired of all the action.
Zane drove as fast as he dared, and they made it to Rider’s house in record time. Two squad cars sat out front, lights blaring. The sun was still creeping over the horizon.
Abby ran toward the house before Zane. The front door was open and she didn’t pause. She scanned the room.
Emily sat on the couch in a tight ball, her eyes bloodshot, her nose running, a tissue clutched in her hand. “Abby.”
Abby went to her side and hugged her. “What happened?”
Rider greeted Zane, and then men both sat on the coffee table.
Rider explained. “Something woke me up. I thought I heard a noise. Sounded like a crash. For a moment I assumed I’d been dreaming, especially since Emily hadn’t moved. But my heart was pounding, so I climbed out of bed and headed down the hall to check on Lauren. When I opened her door, she was gone. The window was broken and the curtain was hanging toward the outside, blowing in the wind.”
While he explained this, four police officers padded around the house on a mission. Now, one of them came closer. “I think we’re done here, Rider. I’m so sorry, man. There isn’t much to go on. Jacobson is on his way to the station. He’ll drag Yenin’s sorry ass out of bed ASAP and question him. I doubt we’ll be able to get much out of that asshole, though. We’re probably going to be on our own.”
Rider stood. “I understand. I’ll be in soon. Let me get Emily calmed down, and I’ll meet you at the station.”
A second officer came from the hall holding a plastic bag with a phone in it. “Is this Lauren’s?”
Abby responded at the same time as Emily, “Yes.”
The officer shook his head. “I’m gonna take it in. I’m betting it’s bugged.”
“Fuck,” Rider said. “How the hell did we miss that?”
Zane stood also. “We had no way of knowing anyone was still interested in grabbing Lauren. Hell, we still don’t know who took her. Obviously not Yenin.”
“Who then?” Rider asked. He paced.
The cops let themselves out.
Abby held Emily against her. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she kept them at bay to focus on Emily’s state of shock.
Zane responded, “Probably one of his men. But why?”
“Easy. I should have thought of it too,” Rider said, hands on his head.
“What?” Abby asked.
“Anton does not let people walk away from him. Ever. He’s not that kind of man.”
“He told Lauren to leave. He told her to,” Abby insisted.
“Yeah, he was just fucking with her. Leaving him was never an option,” Rider said.
Abby was confused. “But he’s in jail. Why would he be concerned about some woman who left him from jail?”
“His reach is far. I’m sure he ordered his men to pick her up,” Rider answered.
“What will they do with her?” Emily asked this.
Rider glanced her way, but didn’t respond. He stomped across the room and grabbed his boots from next to the door. As he put the first one on, he lifted his gaze. “We’re all going to the station. Em, get some clothes, honey.”
Abby released Emily and noticed she was only wearing a tank top under the blanket she was wrapped in.
“Why?” Emily asked.
“Baby, I need to go in, and there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone anywhere. Those fuckers know where we live. If they would kidnap Abby and then Lauren, they won’t hesitate to take you also. They have a point to make, and they intend to make it, even if their leader is behind bars.”
Abby helped Emily get to her feet. Nerves were the rule rather than the exception once again. “He’s right.”
Zane reached for Abby as Emily padded away.
“God.” Abby set her hand on her chest. The number of ways she could feel violated kept rising.
Emily reappeared, looking about like Abby felt, same level of dress, same crazy hair. “Ready.” She turned toward Rider. “What are we going to do about the window?”
“We’ll worry about it later. I don’t think anyone is interested in robbing us today. They got what they came for.”
They stepped outside and Zane put his arm around Abby. “We’ll follow you to the station.”
Rider nodded, his own arm wrapped as tightly around Emily. “Meet you there.”
»»•««
Zane was exhausted. Even though he had slept like the dead next to Abby for five hours, it hadn’t been enough. And the stress alone was wearing on him. The five seconds of elated safety he’d felt after finding Abby alive and well dissipated quickly as it sank in that Anton was not done. The man liked revenge, and he could exact it from prison just as well as outside. He had connections that ran far and wide and deep. He also had money.
By the time everyone had coffee and was seated in a conference room at the station, Jacobson came in holding up Lauren’s phone. “Yep. It had GPS tracking. It also had an open mic.” He glanced at Abby. “That must be how he knew about your conversation with Lauren when you encouraged her to leave him. He was listening in on every word.”
Zane grabbed Abby’s hand and squeezed. He knew instantly where her mind went.
“So this is all my fault. If I hadn’t butted in and tried to talk Lauren into leaving that asshole, none of this would have happened.” Abby’s voice shook.
Rider spoke next. “Abby, that’s ridiculous, and you know it. If you hadn’t interfered, where would that leave Lauren? You think she should have sat back and spent her life under Yenin’s thumb?”
“No.” Abby’s shoulders slumped. “True. But now she’s right back where she started.”
“Maybe, but honey, you can’t know for sure what would have happened. We have no choice but to work with what we know and find her.” Rider took a sip of his coffee. “And we will. Yenin can only do so much from behind bars. Jacobson’s team knows a great deal about the way this group operates. They’ve been tracking their movements for years.”
Zane had an idea. “Let me see if I can get ahold of any of the guys. Maybe Dmitry or one of the other fighters has some intel.”
Jacobson nodded. “Good idea. They trust you. But how well do you trust them?”
/> Zane thought about that for a moment. During the events of last evening, he’d had his doubts, but in the end the men he knew all pulled through for him. He knew now more than ever that his Russian friends, although they did fight in the underground, were good guys. He would put his life in their hands any day. And he said so. “With my life.”
Zane sat forward. “Look, it’s well-known that Dmitry, Leo, Ivan—hell, even Mikhail, Nikolav, and Sergei—are not clean fighters on the up-and-up. But I’m betting the reality is they need the money badly. If Anton brought them over to the United States and got them all green cards, he also holds them by the balls. They fight in his venues, but I don’t believe any of them are truly dirty.
“When push came to shove yesterday, Dmitry would have died before he let Abby suffer. I saw it in his eyes. He may not have had the opportunity to say many words, but he told me without speaking to put up an impressive fight for the audience and then take his ass down. Those were the terms. I had to win to get Abby back.”
“What were Dmitry’s terms?” Rider asked.
Zane shook his head. “I tried not to think about it at the time.” He knew whatever Anton had threatened Dmitry with, it had to be bad. Anton’s men weren’t allowed to lose for any reason. That was why Dmitry fought as hard as he did. If Yenin had suspected for a second that Dmitry threw the fight, he probably would have had him shot in the forehead before he left the cage. In the end, the fight never ended. Thank God.
Rider’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He leaned to one side to pull it out. “Speak of the devil. Dmitry sent a text.”
“What does it say?” Abby asked.
“‘I have my sights on Lauren. Tell the cops I need a few hours. If the police move in, I’ll lose her.’”
“Fuck,” Jacobson exclaimed.
Rider cleared his throat. “This is probably a good thing.”
Jacobson leaned on the table. “Dmitry is a known underground fighter for the Russian mob. Why should I trust him?”
Zane stood and leaned in Jacobson’s direction. “Did you not hear a word I said? If the man says he needs a few hours, we need to give him that. His life is at stake too. If you think he doesn’t know that, you’re crazy.”
The Fight Club - Boxed Set Page 127