by Sylvia Ryan
“Listen, Laila. Listen to the music we’re making. The crack of skin against the soft purr of your cries as the background. It’s a beautiful sound, baby. One you’ll long for someday.”
She moaned in response.
He chuckled, and continued, seemingly unfazed by her retreat into her own existence. The violent pairing of his palm to her ass seemed to carry less sting. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the spanking stopped.
Her ears rang with a high-pitched tone and tears escaped her eyes, dampening the soft cotton sheet under her cheek. The rest of the world didn’t exist. Nothing existed, except the sensations of the moment. Her thoughts were muddled, but one thing was clear. Rock radiated satisfaction and pleasure.
Her pulse throbbed, subtly pushing the skin covering her carotid with each thump. Her hands were unusually cool, her adorned nipples impossibly hard and trapped uncomfortably between the mattress and her body.
The pads of his fingers smoothed along the curves of her body, giving her chills. They blazed a trail up the inside of one leg and delivered feather-light touches over her engorged lower lips. God, she wanted him inside her. “Please, Rock.”
“Shh. I know, baby. Now you know, too.” He pinched her clit. “It’s a suffering you need to understand, since you’ve insisted on defying me.”
Rock’s voice seemed far away. She hadn’t heard him right.
“What?” Never in her life had she been so desperate. “Rock,” she implored him. “Please.” Her nails tore at the sheets.
“Please what, baby?”
“Take me now, please,” she said between sobs.
“Remember this moment. Burn it into your brain, baby.”
He was between her thighs, pouring more liquid on her ass. The crown of his penis nudged her there. He penetrated her in a super slow forward thrust until he was all in.
She floated, full to bursting, like a balloon.
He withdrew and pushed in again. “Fuck, yeah. You deserve all of me. Tell me you want all of me, baby.”
“All of you.” Her spoken words left her mouth, unbidden.
His cock retreated from her ass just long enough to stick a vibrator in her pussy. Then, his thick cock entered her again.
Rock curved around her. She felt as if she held all his weight. He pulled her ponytail, bringing her head back and exposing her throat. Wrapping his hand around her neck, he squeezed, making it difficult for her to take a breath. His lips were next to her ear. “Ask me for air, baby.”
An act made almost impossible with his hand around her throat and the full weight of his body on top of her. She dragged in a breath and moaned. She had difficulty ripping her attention away from the vibrator bringing her to the brink of orgasm. Wheezing in another gulp of oxygen, she whispered, “Air. Please.” He released her throat, withdrew his cock and thrust into her again. “Oh God! Rock!” She was suspended, so close to her climax. Her muscles froze. Rigid and strained, she was helpless, unable to do anything but focus on the orgasm just outside her grasp.
Dragging in another breath, she exploded with a bone-jarring climax that curved her body, giving him more of her ass. Her muscles shuddered and quaked through the longest, most intense orgasm she’d ever had. Only as the climax faded did she realize she was wailing.
Rock pounded her with piston speed and hammering strength. He dug his fingers into her hips. “Fucking beautiful,” he cooed next to her ear. Then his hot seed flooded her ass.
Waves of love from this man and for him filled her heart. The life-altering moment was sweet and sacred. As close to the divine as she’d ever been.
A sob wrenched from her soul and came out her mouth. She was in ecstasy. She was home. The sudden relief and rightness of it ruined her. When she recognized the certainty she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore, the certainty that he’d never leave her, she cried her relief. The keening sob she released sounded faraway as she drifted.
Rock was satisfied. He removed her blindfold, and she opened her eyes to the bright light of late morning bouncing off the yellow walls of her bedroom.
Filling her line of sight, he ordered, “Talk to me,” as he unfettered her limbs.
“Uh.” She blinked several times, trying to get her bearings. Rock’s intense gaze roamed over her face.
“When you took away my ability to see, other senses became stronger.” Her words were garbled. He straightened her from her bent over position. She was bone weary.
“Sorry for this. Meant to do it earlier,” he said as he unclipped her nipples.
“Ahh!” Pain struck as the flow of blood started again.
Rock scooped her up, deposited her gently on the bed, and covered her with the light top sheet. He left her briefly then returned with a glass in hand. “Drink,” he said, holding a glass to her mouth.
She was parched, and drank the whole glass before she lay back down and rolled to her side.
He climbed in behind her and cinched her close to him, conforming his body to hers. “Still mine?” he whispered into her ear.
“Mmm, always,” she said as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 17
As Laila entered the women’s rest room down the hall from her office in the Peacekeeper’s Compound, she heard the sound of babies crying. It was faint but unmistakable. She turned right, toward the sound instead of entering a stall.
She stooped and listened intently. The crying came up through the vent blowing cool air.
It was an automatic action on her part to leave the bathroom and follow the sound. She opened the door of the emergency stairwell and listened again. Yes, definitely babies, plural, coming from below.
She descended the concrete stairs, trying to quiet the echo of her footfalls. The drab green walls in combination with the fluorescent lighting gave the stairwell an eerie vibe. Arriving at the first floor exit, she peeked her head out and found the building’s lobby, quiet and empty. She popped her head back into the stairwell and looked around.
Tucked under the last flight of stairs was a door clearly marked as an emergency exit, stating an alarm would sound if opened. With her ear pressed against it, she heard muffled cries and happy squeals of older children. She stepped back. There shouldn’t be children on the Peacekeeper’s Compound. She stared at the emergency exit for only a few seconds more before she impulsively pushed the door open. No alarm sounded.
She stepped into the little vestibule and hopped past another door propped open with a chair. The stark white corridor was lined with doors. The sounds of children behind them filled the space. She crept forward, passing childlike scenes of animals and cartoon characters lining the walls.
This place looked like a daycare. Farther down, she passed a wall covered with construction paper kites obviously made by small hands. A child’s name was printed on the tail of each. She made a quick count of rows and multiplied. Almost a hundred were displayed.
Next, a half-windowed wall gave a view of infants lined up in cribs. She peeked for a handful of seconds and watched the backs of two women wearing identical blue dresses moving from baby to baby, changing diapers.
A door opened further down the hall and her attention was ripped from the scene. A young boy, grinning a gap-toothed smile pushed through it, followed by another and another. The little men wore the same outfits and all had brilliant blue eyes and hair whiter than any she’d ever seen. Laila ducked into an unlocked door as a young woman followed the line of boys. Scanning the bunk bed lined room behind her, she released a breath of relief. She was alone. What the hell was she doing? She needed to get out. Popping her head quickly into the hallway, she found it empty. She made a beeline toward the emergency exit door and shot through it as quietly as she could.
Taking the steps two at a time, she reached her floor, and flew through the door to her office. Her heart thudded and blood whooshed in her ears as she hustled around her desk and sat. A couple little tasks for the Resistance, and she thought she was a s
py. She was either brave as shit or totally insane. She had little experience with brave, so yeah…insane. She unclenched her fists from the arms of her chair. Her breathing eased up to the point it didn’t sound like she’d been running. She had not been seen. She might be okay.
A faraway sound of a door closing had her tensing again, muscles rigid, poised to fight if she had to. But no one came.
All those children, mirror images of each other. And the dormitory lined with little beds and dressers. She tried to piece together who they were and why they’d been there and came up with zip.
Her little jaunt rattled her on a day she didn’t need any surprises.
Everything had been so perfect when she’d left Rock. She fingered the choker he’d locked around her neck before they’d separated for the day and concentrated on re-gaining the cool confidence she’d built. However, that wasn’t going to happen. It was almost time.
Laila left her tiny workspace as the sun set. She met Garret a quarter mile away, just outside the wooded area that lined the fence surrounding New Atlanta. They silently walked the tree line together.
Darkness solidified as they slid through the night, keeping the dark woods to their left. The air was considerably cooler than it had been, and Laila was thankful. After a long, crazy day of juggling tasks and preparing for mission departure the next morning, she was running on fumes.
She and Garret didn’t speak. She figured he was probably just as scared as she was. But she needed his protection, and his presence would prevent other Guardsmen who might see her out after curfew from bothering her.
She scanned the streets ceaselessly. They were deserted, as usual.
After walking almost an hour, they slipped easily into the Sapphire Zone through a well hidden part of the fence where the chain link was no longer attached to its pole, making it easy to peel the metal back and slip through. It seemed like she’d lived an extra lifetime since she’d been in the Sapphire Zone. In reality, it had only been a few months.
They continued to lurk in the shadows, skimming the city’s outside wall and avoiding main streets and guard posts.
When they neared the rendezvous point, Garret forged ahead, and she followed in his wake through the overgrown vegetation to the fence line delineating New Atlanta from the Onyx Zone.
“Laila?”
She couldn’t yet see the speaker. “Yes. Come on.”
The woman approached. She eyed Garret, who wore his Guard uniform and had his rifle tucked under his arm. “You Garrett?” the shadowy woman whispered.
His eyes widened. Laila knew his thoughts. Anybody in connection with the Resistance who knew his name was dangerous to his wellbeing. He scowled at her. “Who are you?”
She approached him. “I have a message from your mother.”
Garrett’s spine straightened, an infinitesimal reaction to the mention of his mother. “She made me memorize and recite it in front of her before I left for the mission. She wanted to make sure I’d get it right.”
Garrett smiled and his shoulders sank slightly. “All right.”
She stepped forward, cradled both sides of his face and looked directly into his eyes. “I am gone from New Atlanta, my son. Jordan’s relocation center will know where I’ve gone. Live safe and be well until we meet again.” Then she went up on tiptoe, angled his face down toward her, and kissed him on the forehead. When she let go of his face, she stepped away and grasped Laila’s hand.
Garret smiled down at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“We’ve got over an hour to walk,” Laila whispered. “I have to let go of your hand. Holding hands is a dead giveaway you don’t belong here.” Their hands slipped apart and they walked side-by-side out of the tree line. Garret closed ranks behind them.
They slinked silently through shadows and residential streets, until Garret split away from them without a word when they were near her home. The mystery woman’s head swiveled endlessly as she stared wide-eyed at the magnificent houses sitting back from the street, like lazy giants hiding among the tall pines.
“Will we be going by Rock’s house?”
The hair on the back of Laila’s neck stood on end. This was wrong. This woman should not know Rock was an operative in the Emerald cell.
“You know Rock?”
She nodded.
“How?” Laila knew the answer to her question by the woman’s change of energy. She became serene. The worry in her features smoothed. Her small, almost secret, smile followed a wild blush.
“I’m Journey. Rock was my roommate in Circle City.”
Laila’s stomach dropped. “Oh.” The first day she’d spent with Rock, he’d told her he still loved this woman. She was a mouse. Her meek voice and non-threatening aura would trigger every one of his protective instincts.
Just thinking about Rock touching this woman like he touched her made her more than jealous. She felt violent, wanting to take Journey down with one of the moves Rock had shown her on the mats. “I was hoping I might get the chance to see him tonight,” Journey said sheepishly.
“I don’t think he’s home.” Soon they approached Rock’s house. “Sorry.” Laila pointed at the dark, empty structure. “His truck isn’t there.”
Journey deflated. “Oh.” She looked pitiful, like she was going to cry.
Laila softened. “I’ll tell him I saw you.”
She pointed to her own driveway on the other side of the street, and they walked together in the shadows to her back door. They entered the house without turning on a light, and Laila guided Journey to the basement. She flipped on the lights. “We can talk freely here.”
“How is he? Does he seem happy?” Journey asked.
“Uh, happy is not the word I’d use to describe Rock. Bossy seems more accurate.”
Journey giggled. “Then, yes, it sounds like he’s happy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get with him. I’d heard he still wasn’t doing well, but it’s been almost two months since I’ve seen Big Rock.” Journey tilted her head and looked Laila up and down. “It seems like things have changed.” Journey’s gaze landed on the choker around her neck. She took in a quick breath, her jaw dropping open. The mousy woman slowly lifted her hand and fingered the heavy chain Rock had given her. “He loves you,” she said, lowering her hand and meeting Laila’s gaze. “I’m so glad.” She said the words in a sweet, soft voice. Journey had a gentle soul. It was her vibration, and it seemed absolutely impossible to dislike this little girl-woman.
“His father told me he’s been inconsolable and lonely since Emily died.”
“Emily. The name tattooed on his chest, Emily?”
Journey pursed her lips. “He hasn’t told you?”
“No.”
“He will.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“It’s not my story to tell.”
Laila was about to say something brilliant to try to get Journey to spill, but she didn’t get the chance.
“You’re still a little confused, aren’t you?”
“Confused?”
“Yeah. About Rock. Not totally sure what’s going on…. Con-fused,” Journey said slowly.
“Yeah.”
“When I landed on his doorstep,” Journey said as she walked into the little nook that held her cot, looking at the items Laila’d left to help her pass the hours. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I had won the lottery. It took almost a year to truly trust what I’d fallen into.”
Journey looked at her speculatively. “Has he fucked you yet?”
“Not in the traditional sense, no.”
Journey smiled, and Laila interpreted it in the worst possible way. Maybe she could scrape up a little dislike for the woman.
“Let me give you a piece of advice. Stop trying. Just accept what he gives you.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“He needs to make the decisions. If y
ou love the man, which it looks like you do, you just have to go with it. Just submit and see what happens.”
Laila’s stomach twirled at the thought. She’d done that just recently.
“He already thinks of you as his, or you wouldn’t be wearing that.” She motioned to the chain tightly encircling Laila’s neck.
“Do you have one?”
“No. Never. I was his roommate. He took care of me, loved me. But he wasn’t in love with me. “I’ll spend the rest of my life looking for someone who will love me like”—she pointed to Laila’s choker again—“that.” She shrugged. “So far, no luck.” She picked up a book Laila had left there. “Thank you for this. I don’t think I’ve held a paper book since I was in elementary school.”
“You’re welcome.”
Journey sat on the end of the bed. “Just remember that man is happiest when he’s taking care of his girls, or in this case, girl. Surrender and he’ll take you places you didn’t even know existed.” Journey smiled. “You’re going to end up doing it anyway, so you might as well cut to the chase.”
Laila smiled back. “That sure, huh?”
Journey nodded. “That sure.”
Laila intentionally brightened her tone. “I didn’t know if you’d be staying here or taking the speaker and going somewhere else, so I covered the windows down here. No light shows to the outside.”
Journey lifted her arm and showed off a sapphire tattoo so new it hadn’t stopped bleeding. “As soon as I find out who I am, I’ll be leaving. I’m taking a woman’s place in Sapphire, assuming her identity. She’s leaving to start a new life in Onyx, and I’m starting a new life, too. I’m not sure of the details yet so I’ll be staying here until I’m contacted.” Journey sighed, and her expression fell. “You’re leaving tomorrow.” Her eyes were sad. “It would have been nice to have a sister again.”
“We will be back, Journey. You’ll see both of us again.”