RAW: THE ULTIMATE MC COLLECTION

by Palomino, Honey

  “We can make her a bed with some blankets.”

  “It’s okay. She sleeps with me most of the time anyway. She rarely leaves my side.”

  “I can see that you two are very close.” Pearl had placed her paws on my shoulders and was licking my face. I pulled her away and placed her on my lap, looking over at Hawk.

  “What can you tell me? You wouldn’t answer any of my questions, and I have no idea what is going on or why I’m here. You are obviously a very kind man who takes his job seriously, and I can respect that, but if you can’t answer my questions, what can you say?”

  “Vanessa, I’ve told you everything I can. My client needs you out of the way, but safe. I don’t know why. I do know it’s temporary, and actions are underway as we speak to bring this situation to a quick conclusion. If all goes as planned, you and Pearl will be safe and sound back home before you know it.” He raised an eyebrow as he continued. “And what a home it is, by the way.”

  I groaned. He was in my house. My sanctuary. A perfect stranger. Looking through my things, my art. He did bring me Pearl, though, so I tried to push my feelings of being invaded aside. Now that I was thinking a little more clearly, I was sure one of the girls or Genevieve would have taken perfect care of Pearl once they realized I was missing.

  I was sure they were looking for me by now. Surely, Drake had contacted them right away. But if that was the case, why weren’t they at my apartment already?

  “Was anyone at my apartment?”

  “No. Of course not. I wouldn’t have gone inside if someone was there.”

  “Oh. Well…did it look like anyone had been there?”

  “It looked like a tornado had barreled through a shopping mall to me.”

  I wrinkled my nose at his sarcasm.

  “Yeah, well…I was going on a date. Sometimes the place gets messy when you’re trying to decide what to wear.”

  “Or not to wear, you mean?” He winked at me, and I groaned.

  I crossed my legs and remembered my lack of underwear. A bright pink blush crept across my cheeks.

  “The call girl blushes,” he said quietly.

  We sat in awkward silence as I tried to think of anything I could ask him to get more information from him.

  “I liked your art,” he said finally.

  I wasn’t sure if he really liked it or if he was trying to end the awkwardness between us.

  “Um…thanks. Hey, listen I have to pee.”

  “About that. So, I’m going to let you go, let you roam about the clubhouse, you can go to the restroom, eat, read a book, whatever you want, but only on one condition.”

  “You’ll unchain me?” I asked.

  “Yes, but only if you absolutely promise one thing. And that’s that you don’t try to escape. Because it would be absolutely useless. There’s over a dozen people in this clubhouse at any given time, and every single one of them knows about you and that you are not to walk out of the door under any circumstances. And they won’t let you. So, again, you see, even if you tried, it would be pointless. So don’t even try, okay? I don’t want to have to chain you up again. Can I trust you?”

  His eyes were piercing, and the somber expression on his face told me he wasn’t kidding. At this point, I was ready to do anything to get this chain off of me.

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “Good.” He stood up, and walked over to the bed. Heat radiated from his body as he towered over me. Pearl began licking his hand as he put the key in the lock and opened it. The chain fell to the ground and I sighed with relief. In all my sexual adventures, I had never been tied up, and now I knew that I didn’t like it one bit.

  “Thank you,” I said to him softly, pulling Pearl away.

  “No problem. Just remember what I said.”

  “Sure. Can you show me where the restroom is?”

  “You can use this room as your own while you’re here. There’s a bathroom right outside the door there. You might want to keep an eye on Pearl. Dave’s dogs can be a little frisky.”

  “Great,” I said sarcastically.

  Keeping Pearl in my arms, I followed him out the door. He continued down the dark hallway as I went into the restroom.

  Looking around the tiny windowless room, I resisted the sudden urge to cry. How in the hell did I end up here? Was anyone looking for me? What did Hawk mean when he said actions were being taken to get me out of here quickly? Just how quickly did he mean?

  I watched Pearl sniff around the corners as I peed. The bathroom was old and musty, with peeling pant and dirt in the corners but at least the toilet was clean. I was regretting the fact that I had not put my shoes back on. They were killing my feet, but enduring the pain was surely better than my bare feet touching the dirty floor of this strange bathroom.

  I quickly washed my hands, scooped up Pearl, and headed back into my assigned room to retrieve my shoes. I put Pearl on the floor and walked over to the bed, sat down and put on my shoes. When I sat up, I took another good look around the room, hoping for a hidden door or a window I hadn’t noticed. This was the first time I had been alone in here, and I quickly walked around the entire room, looking for another entrance, a weapon, anything at all I could use to get me and Pearl out of here.

  Unfortunately, there was nothing but the bed with all of Pearl’s belongings strewn on it, a dresser with a broken mirror and my purse sitting on top of it, a television and a worn brown rug on the bare hardwood floors. Hawk’s warnings echoed in my head and I couldn’t get the memory of his flashing golden-green eyes practically begging me not to even try to escape out of my head. I almost felt guilty trying to find a way out.

  But screw that. I didn’t care how nice he was, he was holding me hostage. And I needed to get out - fast. Knowing it was a naive thought, I still rummaged through my purse looking for my phone. Of course it wasn’t there. But my envelope was in there. Ten thousand dollars cash, and Hawk hadn’t take it. Drake hadn’t even given it to me, it must have been in his hotel room. Hawk didn’t take the money, but he had taken my phone. Figures. He was smart. A professional, even. A crazy hot, smart, professional kidnapper who wasn’t a thief, but still. A kidnapper.

  Ironically, once I started working for Genevieve, I became even more sexually open. I didn’t shy away from those feelings, even if I hadn’t had sex with most of the men I went out with. I had a hefty amount of ex-boyfriends, and while none of those relationships ended up going anywhere, I definitely had developed a healthy sexual appetite. And my appetite included the most masculine of men.

  Hawk definitely fell in that category. So, the fact that I remembered my lack of panties every time he trained his intense gaze on me didn’t surprise me one bit. My body was playing tricks on me, while my mind was doing its best to override those urges.

  The sound of raucous laughter and Pearl’s barking brought me out of my daze. Realizing she wasn’t in the room with me and I had stupidly left the door open, I ran down the hall as fast as I could in my heels.

  Once I reached the end of the hallway, the scene in front of me stopped me dead in my tracks. Loud rock music played in the background, and the room held two pool tables in one corner and a long bar against a far wall. Dozens of men, wearing the same vests as Hawk, and several others were standing around in a circle. They all turned to look at me as I burst into the room.

  Dave’s two pitbulls had my tiny little Pearl trapped, with one of them holding her down and biting her neck while the other one had mounted her and was humping away at her backside. The crowd was laughing and cheering them on.

  Hawk was nowhere in sight.

  “No!” I screamed, running towards them. “Stop them! Please! NOW!”

  Finally Two Dog Dave pulled his dogs away and Pearl ran over to me, whimpering. I picked her shaking body up, glared at Two Dog and ran down the hallway and back into my room, holding my terrified pup and trying unsuccessfully to hold back the hot tears running down my face.

  “Oh, Pearl, honey, I am so sorry….�
�� I snuggled her close and stroked her soft, long fur. She had never been around any other dogs at all, let alone gotten humped by a big, black monster like that. I felt so bad that I had let her out of my sight. I slammed the door behind us, and sank down onto the bed.

  When Hawk walked in the room half an hour later, my tears had turned to anger, and I had decided enough was enough.

  “We can’t stay here.” I said before he could get a word out of his sexy mouth.

  “Listen, I’m sorry for what happened to Pearl, but - ,”

  “I don’t fucking care! Get us out of here right now, or I will scream!”

  He laughed at me, which only made me even more furious.

  “Scream? C’mon, that wouldn’t do a lick of good. Nobody would hear you but the other brothers in my club.”

  “My dog was raped!”

  “Raped? What? Don’t be so dramatic, they’re dogs. Isn’t she fixed, anyway?”

  “No, she isn’t!”

  “Well why the hell not?” He asked.

  “Because I don’t let her around other dogs that would rape her, why the fuck do you think?”

  “Oh, boy.” He looked me up and down, shaking his head. “What a broad you are.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You. With your fancy home, your accessory dog, your…shoes. You really have been sheltered all your life, haven’t you?”

  “Is that judgement I hear in your voice?”

  “No, just making an observation.”

  “Look. I know you’re just doing your so-called job. And if your job is to keep me safe, like you say, then that has to include Pearl. And she is obviously not safe here. And we can’t just stay bottled up in this room. Eventually, she’s going to have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yep. And there’s no way she is going anywhere near those dogs again. So, can’t you take us somewhere else, if you can’t let us go?”

  “There’s no where else for me to take you.”

  “A hotel?”

  “No way. Not secure.”

  “Well, what about my apartment?”

  “Nope. Everyone will be looking for you there.”

  “Well, we can’t stay here, Hawk! I won’t allow anything to happen to my Pearl, dammit! What about your place?”

  He looked at me silently, obviously contemplating my idea.

  “Unless you live in a filthy, horny-dog infested place worse than this?”

  He looked me up and down and I realized at that moment what a sight I must be. My blonde curls were surely limp and stringy by now, my mascara smeared down my face from my tears earlier, and with my red dress and heels, I must have looked like a hot mess.

  “I don’t have a dog. I did, though. Joe. He died six months ago and I haven’t been able to get another one.”

  “Sounds like you loved him?”

  “Yes, very much. He was my best friend.”

  “Then you have to understand, Hawk! I feel the same way about Pearl. And it’s not fair to keep her locked up in here. Please?”

  “I live in the desert. It’s very private, very secluded, so don’t think if we go there you will be able to escape. And screaming certainly won’t do you any good out there either.”

  “I won’t try to escape. I don’t know why,” I said, looking at him sincerely, “but I believe you. If you say you’re going to take good care of me and that this will be over soon, then I will trust you. Not that I have a choice, really, but I choose to make this easy on both of us. I just want Pearl safe.”

  “Alright, alright. Fuck!”

  I smiled and resisted the absurd urge to kiss him and jump for joy. I figured any place had to be better than this awful clubhouse. And in the back of my mind, I’d be lying if I didn’t think I’d have a better chance of escaping if it was just the two of us.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  After taking us outside and letting Pearl pee and sniff around for a minute, Hawk loaded us up in his big, black truck and we left the clubhouse.

  “I thought you were a biker.”

  “What?”

  “Where’s your bike?”

  “It’s at my place. I’m using my truck to transport you and your precious puppy. You didn’t want me to put Pearl on the back of my bike when I went to get her, did you?”

  “No, probably not the best idea.” Imagining Pearl on the back of a bike made me laugh for the first time since this whole ordeal began and it felt good.

  “Am I being kidnapped or held for ransom?”

  “Well, is there a difference? And that’s a question I can’t answer for you right now.”

  “I see. Okay.”

  I was so glad to be out of that dingy room, and grateful I had been able to convince him to take me somewhere else, I decided not to ask anymore questions. Now, I had to just hold out hope that his place wasn’t worse, and I would only be there for a short while.

  I had come to the conclusion that my father was behind all of this. He was always getting himself in trouble, and politics was a filthy business. Greed and manipulation were the name of the game, and I knew Victor Valentine wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty. There was no telling what he had gotten himself into this time, and with the people he was known to do business was, I wasn’t surprised someone had taken the obvious route and kidnapped the daughter of a very wealthy politician.

  Lucky me.

  “How did you know where I was?” I asked Hawk next to me. He was concentrating on driving, and I looked down to notice that Pearl was snuggled up next to his thigh on the bench seat.

  What a traitor, I thought.

  “I followed you.”

  “I see.”

  “There’s really nothing more you can tell me?”

  “I’m sorry, Vanessa. How about we talk about something else? We have to spend all this time together, we might as well make this as pleasant as possible and get to know each other.”

  I looked at him, and then Pearl again, and turned back to look out the windshield at the world flying past us. I spotted a Starbucks on the corner a few blocks away.

  “On one condition,” I replied. “I want coffee.” I gestured to the green mermaid logo up ahead.

  His deep laughter next to me was contagious, and I couldn’t help but stare at his full mouth as it turned up at the ends.

  “Starbucks?” he asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Whatever Princess wants, Princess gets.” When he looked over and winked at me, I felt my heart speed up just a little. It was infuriating. I had somehow been paired up with the world’s most handsome and charming kidnapper. My mind was telling me to hate him, but part of me just wanted to see what was under those jeans.

  “Oh, please. Princess wants freedom.” I rolled my eyes and turned away, hoping my heart pounding in my chest wasn’t visible to him.

  “Soon, Vanessa. Soon. Just enjoy the ride. Do you have anything better to do?”

  Well, yes, I thought to myself. You.

  The Starbucks had a drive-thru and after he pulled in to order, he turned to me, stabbing me right in the gut with those golden-green eyes once more. I hadn’t had the opportunity to stare into them at any length or in good light until now, but the sunlight shining right in his eyes through his windshield as he turned to ask me what I wanted provided me the perfect opportunity to confirm my suspicions. They were the shade of lush green grass with a kaleidoscope of large flecks of gold in them. Cat eyes. With his long golden hair, he looked like a gorgeous golden lion. I stared at him wistfully, almost wanting to pet him.

  “Hell-ooo?” He was waving his hand in my face, obstructing my view of those eyes and I blushed furiously when I realized how I had drifted off.

  “Right. I would like a caramel macchiato, venti, skim, extra-shot, extra-hot, extra-whip, sugar free.”

  He roared with laughter, his gorgeous head thrown back in complete amusement.

  “Stop it.” He was laughing at me, and I hated it.

  “
Oh, lady,” he wiped his eyes as his laughter subsided, “this is going to be an adventure. So, tell me something.”

  “What?”

  “How do I order a normal coffee in this place? I like things simple. No frills.”

  No frills. Was that a jab at me? Of course it was.

  “Tall house black coffee.”

  “Oh, now that isn’t so bad. Is there any coffee in that concoction you ordered?” He asked, clearly completely amused at my order.

  “Yes, and lots of sugar. I like things sweet and refined.” Two could play at this game.

  He laughed again, his eyes crinkling up in the most adorable way.

  “Touché,” he said, nodding at me. and turning to yell my order into the box twice and getting it wrong both times.

  I leaned over him and ordered for both of us. I was thankful I had at least worn a bra on my date with Drake last night, or I would have been putting my braless breasts in his face as I leaned across him. The deep breath he took when I got close only made his body press harder against mine, and when I pulled away, the air between us was suddenly thick and electric again.

  I grabbed Pearl and put her in my lap, petting her and staring out the window as we waited.

  What the hell was happening here? It wasn’t just me, that much was obvious by the growing package in his jeans. And as much as I tried to avoid thinking about it, the harder it became to not think about it.

  After receiving our drinks, we continued driving for another two hours outside of the city.

  “Where do you live?”

  “Joshua Tree.”

  “Oh. The desert.”

  “Yep. I love the seclusion. And I can see for miles around me, it helps with privacy.”

  “I see. I’m a fan of the forest myself.”

  Every attempt at getting to know each other had resulted in learning that we were total opposites. No surprise there.

  After leaving the city, and driving down long stretches of abandoned roads, he finally turned into the driveway of a rustic log cabin with a huge black Harley sitting in front of it.

  “Home sweet home,” he said as he turned the ignition off.

  I looked around and saw vast stretches of nothing but bare earth, rocks, dense, short shrubs, tumbleweeds and a huge cactus.