by Nicole Fox
She was right, too. I'd survived the streets for years, practically on my own. I did it by keeping a cool head, by never going ahead half-cocked like I had been. Maybe losing Tomlin had set something off in me. Like, if he wasn't around, what was the point?
I sighed and let my shoulders sag. “I'm . . . I'm sorry, Benji. I'm really sorry, okay?”
“I know you are,” she said, her tone cutting.
I groaned again. I didn't know how I was going to make this right. But, luckily, I knew the first step. Change my attitude, before everyone else around me was put in deeper danger.
“And, you,” Benji said, turning on the president of the Fire and Brimstone MC, “what the fuck were you thinking with that bullshit story?”
# # #
Koen
“If this wasn't so goddamned awful,” Fed said, “I'd be laughing my ass off at how big of a fucking idiot you are, Boss.”
I groaned. “I know I'm an idiot. I just thought I could pull it off somehow, you know, that I could take down Aleksey and leave all you guys in the clear on it.”
“You thought you were going to somehow con an FBI field agent into thinking you were a mild-mannered business man, by insisting they not investigate you before or after you helped them?” he asked, slowly shaking his head.
Well, at least he wasn't screaming at me like Benji had screamed at Jace. Poor Jace was shell-shocked from it, barely even able to mumble after her friend's verbal assault.
“See?” Fed asked. “That right there, that's your fucking problem, Boss.”
“What?” I asked, blinking in surprise.
“That. You're fucking confident about everything, over-fucking-confident, if you ask me. You're like Evil Knievel trying to jump the goddamn Grand Canyon, but you want all of us to climb on the fucking bike with you.”
I almost laughed at his metaphor, but I kept it down. I'd always been bad about cracking up when I was getting yelled at, whether it was by Grandpa Xavier, or my father. Apparently, I was bad even when it was my best friend dressing me down.
“You got people depending on you, man,” Fed continued. “People who might go to fucking prison if you don't figure your shit out. I'm depending on you; these girls are depending on you. And, shit, look at the way you've been going after Volkov. I told you, dude, that we didn't need to go after the Wolf again, but you kept right on, didn't you? And you almost got us killed then, didn't you?”
I sighed and sat back in my chair, crossed my legs. “My plan almost worked,” I said.
Fed sat back, laughing and shaking his head. “See? That's what I fucking mean. Confident to a motherfucking T, man.”
“Maybe I should just go, then,” I offered, my words carrying more vehemence and spite than I meant. As soon as I spoke them, I realized I sounded like a spoiled little brat.
“What?” Fed asked, genuinely perplexed. “You think running away is going to solve this problem? Nature abhors a void, Koen. You can't go, or someone else is going to step in to fill your space. Maybe more than one person. And, while we're fighting, the Thunder Kings roll in, and God knows what other gangs in the area. When we found the girls, you told everyone you'd never run girls. You think whoever takes over the MC after you're gone is going to have the same scruples? If someone worse comes in here, I'm not going to keep my mouth shut like I did with you in charge.”
I wiped a hand down my face, groaning in exasperation. “Fine,” I said, patting my leg, “what do you think we should do, since I'm apparently shit at making plans.”
Benji and Fed looked to each other first, then back at me. “We've been talking,” Fed replied after a moment.
Benji nodded emphatically. “We think Agent McKesson is still the right way to go. But only with the truth.”
“The whole fucking truth,” Fed added, stabbing the air with his finger to punctuate each word. “And nothing fucking but.”
I sighed and nodded. “Fine,” I said.
It wasn't till Jace and I got home a little later that I realized I'd just experienced the most polite coup of all time.
Chapter Nineteen
Jace
“Well, that was fucking brutal,” Koen said as we walked in from the garage.
Honestly, I was surprised we were walking straight after brutal verbal barrage we'd just received. Not that it had been unwarranted, or anything, because it hadn't. They'd been spot on with damn near every word, and we both knew it. Sometimes, the words another person can speak to you are so like your own thoughts, though, that they cut even deeper than they would otherwise.
Koen headed into the living room and collapsed on the couch, his suit jacket tossed aside on the back of a chair.
“We deserved it,” I replied as I headed into the kitchen and grabbed us both beers. I was starting to treat the place like I lived there, like I actually belonged.
“About what you told Agent McKesson,” Koen said as I walked back in and handed him his beer.
“What about it?” I grumbled as I slumped into the seat next to him.
“Was . . . was that all true?”
I nodded. Then, I thought about it, and kind of shrugged. “Mostly. There was another guy in there before Sven. But, mostly true, yeah.”
We both sat there on his big, luxurious couch, quiet for a moment. He slid an arm out, wrapped it around my shoulders, and pulled me close. I relaxed into him, savoring the feel of a strong and protective arm around me.
He adjusted himself in his seat, turning a little so we could look at each other. Those steely blue eyes of his had softened, like ice on a sunny day. “I'm going to take care of you,” he said.
I smiled weakly up at him. I'd heard those words from so many men before. Johns and pimps, even my stepfather. Guys who wanted to rescue this little ole Southern damsel in distress. But, the look in his eyes told me his words were different.
It might not happen, but he was going to try his damnedest and least make the effort. It was that damn ego of his, coming back up. But, at least he was making promises like this, instead of putting me and my girlfriend in harm's way.
He took my beer from me and set it aside with his on the end table.
“Wha-?”
He wrapped his arm tighter around me and kissed me softly, sweetly. With my eyes closed, the feel of his cleanly shaved upper lip made him feel like a new man. Or, rather, a changed one.
“Koen!” I yelped as he stood and swept me into his arms, carrying me like a new bride he was about to carry over the threshold. I just hoped he wasn't going to treat me like I got married in all white.
“What the fuck?” I asked, my legs kicking a little as I slapped his chest. I felt like a doll in his hands, a petite little toy that he had every ounce of control over. But, I didn't mind. Not one bit.
He silenced me with a deep kiss and headed upstairs to the bedroom.
I relaxed into his arms as he hauled me upstairs like a barbarian warlord taking home his spoils of battle. The door to his bedroom was almost closed, but unlatched, and he kicked it open with one booted foot. He carried me over to the unmade bed, placed me gently at the foot of it, then kissed me again.
His lips were soft as ever, but more intense than our first time. I could feel the passion there, but it was simmering below the surface. Soon, our hands were on each other. I ran mine over his chest, his abs, his arms. I stroked his face, lightly scratched his neck with my nails.
I opened my mouth to him, and our tongues danced together as he ran his fingers through my hair. A groan escaped my lips as he lightly pulled, shooting a pang of need through my body.
He began to strip me of my clothes. I went to help him, but he brushed my hands away as he began to work on the buttons of my top. Soon, I was bare to him, with just my black lacy bra I'd picked up for the occasion.
I kissed him again as my hands went to his tie and began to loosen it.
He pulled my top from my shoulders, and I disentangled my arms from the sleeves. I went to return my hands to him, just to
get a taste of those hard muscles again, to feel him beneath my touch, but he swept up my wrists and pushed them aside.
“Not yet,” he whispered in a low growl.
I moaned softly as he took charge, as I knew that, as tender and caring as he could be, I was still his. My body belonged to him, and not just because I was renting space in his house. This was something deeper, more important.
He crushed his lips to mine, some of that tenderness disappearing in the heat of the moment. He ran his rough hands over my smooth skin as we kissed, his calluses and work-strong hands making me feel small in his grasp. One of them unsnapped my bra in the front, the other dipped down and found the front of my slacks and unbuttoned them.
I moved my head to the side as his lips went to my neck, his teeth flashing and biting, his tongue licking the tiny, intoxicating pain away. I stripped the rest of the way out of my bra and tossed it aside.
He slid his hand down the front of my slacks, skipping right over my panties, and I parted my legs for him. His fingers traced up and down my lips, sending jolts of lust through my body as they found my clit.
I lifted my hips a little, urging him to explore more thoroughly with my gentle thrusts.
His lips found mine again, and his free hand worked down the zipper on my pants. The touch of his tongue was light but insistent, and I bit him on the lip to let him know I could handle more.
I pulled back from his kiss, panting a little, and kicked off my heels onto his bedroom floor. I lifted myself off the bed enough that, together, we could shimmy my pants off. As my clothing pooled on the carpet at the foot of the bed, he knelt in front of me and hooked his fingers through my panties' side-straps and pulled them down over my long legs.
I watched as his nostrils flared, as his eyes burned with bonfires.
He wanted me. And I wanted him.
His hand shot out and grabbed my ankle, the tips of his fingers digging into me, and pulled me closer to him.
I slid down onto my back, putting my sex on display for him. I struggled back a little, unsure. It wasn't everyday a hooker had a man go down on her. But, despite my minimal effort, he held me there in place, ready for him.
I could feel his hot breath on me, felt his lips as he wetly kissed first one thigh, then the other. Each kiss brought him higher and higher to his prize, but it seemed he wanted to take his time.
I threw my head back and twisted my hands in the sheets, the anticipation killing me as I moved my hips lewdly to try and entice him to hurry.
He noticed what I was trying to do. “Not yet,” he grunted, then kissed my thigh again as he snaked a hand below me and grabbed a handful of my ass, his hand like a vice as he pulled me closer till I was nearly hanging off the bed, perfectly lined up with his mouth.
I whined low in my throat, his breath sending tingles throughout me.
Then, as I moaned low with unrepentant want, I felt his tongue as he traced up my lips, parting them. I moaned low again, moved my hips encouragingly.
He groaned as he tasted me, as his tongue moved up and down, teasing me. He reached the top, found my clit, and began to lick just below and above it, alternating.
Pleasure pulsed through my body with each flick of his skilled tongue, with each alternating circle of my tender clit. I twisted my head from side-to-side, moaning as my back arched and pushed my pussy into that beautiful mouth of his. I was so close, already, so turned on by the whole act.
He gripped my ass harder, moving my whole body to a better angle as he gently sucked my clit between his lips, sending fireworks off throughout me.
My whole body tensed like I'd stepped on the third rail, my insides and outsides electrified as I felt my orgasm bloom inside of me. Panting, I twisted my hands in the sheets of his bed and screamed and panted as I convulsed, my abs tightening, my whole body rocking with insane pleasure. If I'd been on the streets, someone would have called 911!
He rode it out with me, his tongue flicking over my clit, his hand dropping my ankle over his shoulder so his finger could now be inside me stroking my g-spot.
I convulsed again, another orgasm ripping through my body, my leg hooking over his shoulder and dragging him closer. I shook at the end of his tongue. “Don't stop,” I cried out. “Please, God, don't stop.”
He licked faster, at the spot just over my clit, until I finally had to tap out at the intensity of it. I just couldn't handle it anymore. I needed a break, and I needed to feel him inside me.
He took his lips away and released my ass, removed my leg that I'd draped over his shoulder and back.
I looked up at him from the bed, my eyes blurry from the tears I'd almost shed while I'd come under his tender attentions. I watched as he stripped out of his clothes, his burning eyes still on me. He dropped his formal wear on the floor, revealing his scarred and tattooed rock hard body. His beautiful cock stood out in front of him, proving to me just how excited he was.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, to run my fingers and hands over every marking that made his body so unique. I wanted to trace the scars that looked like knife wounds on his forearms, to run my tongue over his MC tattoo that marked him as property of the club. Unconsciously, I licked my lips.
But, I knew he wouldn't have let me do what I wanted. As tender and caring as he was, I knew he was still in charge. My eyes followed him as he moved around to the side of the bed.
Koen climbed onto the mattress, but stayed on his knees. I'd never been a fan of blowjobs, they'd been the least favorite part of my job, because of how intimate they felt to me. But, with him, I felt my mouth salivating at the thought of tasting him.
I sat up a little and reached out with my hand, glancing up at his eyes to ask wordlessly ask permission.
“Yes,” he said, moving a little closer.
I got up from my back and moved in front of him. I coiled my legs beneath me and reached a hand out to him. He felt hot and hard in my hand, like I'd grabbed a piece of steel from a warm fire. Precum dribbled from the tip. I moved myself closer, gave him a tentative lick, tasting him.
He was slightly salty, but not bad. I decided I even liked it, and I swirled my tongue around his head.
He groaned as I bathed him with my tongue, as I stroked his underside with my lips, as I sucked each of his heavy testicles into my mouth, all while slowly stroking up and down his shaft with my hand. I dipped a hand between my own thighs, circling my clit with my fingers to keep up the pleasure. I wasn't done yet with him, not by a long shot.
After I'd teased him enough, I pressed my lips together and slid them down over his cock, letting his head push open my lips as if they were the ones between my legs. I took him as deeply as I could, my tongue flicking along the bottom and sides, before pulling back and doing it over again.
I took my time with him, enjoying this slow, wonderful moment of intimacy I hadn't experienced in so long with any man.
Moaning, Koen reached down and entangled his hand in my hair, but left it there without any force or guidance. He squeezed a little, pulling at my roots, but it just felt tender in its own way. I knew he wasn't going to pull me onto him, to force anything down my throat.
I could feel his hips moving a little, and I slowed my pace, finally pulling his cock from my mouth. “Please, sir,” I whispered, the words coming from my mouth unbidden as I looked up into his cold blue eyes. “I know you own me, but I want you inside me first.”
He stroked a hand down my cheek as we gazed into one another's souls. Finally, like some kind of king, he gave me a nod.
I smiled a little as he went to push me back onto the bed, but I moved his hand away with a gentle push. “No. You already gave me enough the other night. Let me be on top.”
“Well,” he said, giving me a little halfway smile, “if you insist.” He let me guide him back onto the bed.
I got up next to him on the bed, kissed him again as my hands roamed over his body. He didn't flinch from my lips, and our tongues moved more sensually than before, tasting e
ach other. I could taste myself on him, and the smell was simply heady as his fingers ran through my hair again.
I swung my hips over his, and put a hand on his chest. I reached between my thighs and grabbed his length, stroking it lightly.
He threw his head back, groaning as he moved his hips for me.
I angled the tip of his cock to my dripping opening. With a long, fulfilled sighing gasp, I lowered myself onto his cock, loving the way he filled me so completely. I arched my back to accommodate all of him, my nails dragging up and down his chest as he stretched me.
One of his hands found my hip, squeezed it firmly. The other came up, cupped my naked breast. He ran a thumb over my excited nipple. As I arched into his hand, pushing all of myself into his palm, he tweaked my nipple lightly and pulled it out and away.