by A. L Long
“Already knew that, London. I don’t think you brought me up here to talk about your new assignment,” Kyle replied.
There was one thing about Kyle, he knew me better than I knew myself. Planting my feet on the floor, I stood, casting away all the BS, and asked point blank, “Who is the girl?”
The way Kyle looked at me, he knew exactly who I was taking about, and based on his response he wasn’t particularly pleased at my inquiry. “Leave it alone, London. You don’t want to go there.”
“I am going there, especially when it involves her.” I responded.
“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Her name is Tessa Sands. She belongs to Colin.” Kyle was hesitant, but at least I knew what her name was.
~*~*~*~
Another drink later, Kyle left and all I could think about how I was going to get to her without Colin knowing. As I opened the shades I thought someone from above must have been listening, because not only was Colin sitting at the bar, but the young woman that was with him in the car was seated next to him. Even from this distance she was more beautiful than I could have imagined. Her hair was long and silky, cascading down her bare back like a ray of sunshine on a sunny day. It was only when she turned to watch the couples dance on the lit dance floor that I was able to take her in completely. My eyes were locked on her, watching as her face lit up in a smile while surveying the dance floor. It was quickly removed the minute Colin leaned over and said something in her ear. Her body shifted in her seat and her face was no longer visible.
Whatever Colin said to her, her body became very tense and I could tell that she was very uncomfortable with the way she began fidgeting with her dress. She seemed to become self-conscious about how she looked. Her reaction alone piqued my curiosity, and I had to find out who Tessa Sands was and what control Colin had over her.
Downing the last of my Scotch, I placed my glass on my desk and headed to the door. My obsession to find out who this woman was had my thoughts in an uproar. Before I could reach the steps leading to the main floor, one of my bouncers was jogging up the steps with a waitress close behind him. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I stopped halfway down the stairs and questioned their presence, “Is there a problem, Lance?”
“You might say that. There are two detectives waiting to speak with you. Something about a body turning up on the beach,” Lance replied.
When I looked over to Kate, who was the waitress behind him, she held her hand in the air and said, “Don’t look at me. I just came up to see if I could take off early since my babysitter can only watch my kid until eleven.”
After letting Kate know that it was okay for her to leave early, I followed Lance down the stairs to where the two detectives stood looking completely out of place. As we approached them, I glanced over to the bar where Colin was seated. Judging by the look I received from him, he knew something was up. Turning back to face the detectives, their eager eyes were watching our every move. More than that, the way they were looking at us made me think that they were here to accuse us of something before getting the facts.
Stepping up to the shorter of the two detectives, I sneered annoyingly, “I’m Xavier London. I understand that you wanted to speak with me.”
“It will only take a moment. Is there somewhere private where we can talk?” the taller detective inquired.
“What is this about?” I questioned.
“Murder.”
Even though the bar was packed, and the music was loud, the last thing I needed was for our conversation to be overheard. Heading back in the direction of my office, I knew that Colin couldn’t help but watch us as we passed in front of him. Tessa also had her sights on us, mainly me, as her beautiful eyes moved with us in the mirror behind the bar.
Once we reached my office. I allowed the detectives to enter first before closing the door. The walls suddenly felt like they were closing in on me when the shorter detective said bluntly, “Nice place you have. I wonder how a guy who has no history up until a year ago managed to get this far in life in such a short amount of time. Care to explain, Mr. London?”
“Look, Detective….”
“… Sloan. This is my partner, Detective Wallace,” Sloan interjected arrogantly.
“You still haven’t told me what this visit is about,” I responded.
“As you probably know, a man’s body was found on Venice Beach,” Sloan stated.
“That’s too bad, but I still don’t know why you are here,” I reiterated.
“Your business card was found in his pocket. Do you know a Michael Jeffries, Mr. London?” Wallace chimed in.
The minute the detective said his name, I knew the look on my face illustrated my affiliation with Jeffries. The last time I saw him he was alive and breathing. To find out that he was dead suddenly concerned me, especially knowing that he was one of my so-called job assignments. Staring back between Sloan and Wallace, I said convincingly, “Jeffries was interested in advice on starting a business. That’s the only reason why he had my card. Nothing more. Now if you will excuse me, I have a business of my own to run.”
When the detectives left, I turned to my desk and took the bottle of McCallan’s and poured a healthy portion into my glass. I just couldn’t believe that the stupid idiot got himself killed after everything I told him. What was even more alarming was if Colin ever found out that I never followed through with his assignment, I was as good as dead myself. The only question I had was, who other than Colin wanted this man dead? Downing the rest of my Scotch, I headed back downstairs, knowing that sooner or later Colin was going to question me about the two detectives.
When I got to the bar, Colin was no longer sitting beside Tessa. It may have been because he needed to relieve himself or got called away. Closing in on her, I waved Russ over to let him know I needed another drink, and to bring Tessa one as well. When her eyes met mine, it was like I was staring back at a mine filled with blue diamonds. I was totally mesmerized by them, almost to the point that I would never be able to escape the trance they put me in. Taking a seat that Colin had vacated, I turned to face her and introduced myself. “I think you have to be the most gorgeous woman that I have ever seen.”
I am not sure if she thought I was dropping her line or if she believed me. With a small giggle, she covered her smile and said, “I’m pretty sure you’re in need of an eye examination.”
“I assure you I have 20/20 vision. My name is Xavier London, by the way,” I announced.
“Nice to meet you, Xavier. I’m Tessa Sands, but you can call me Tess.” Her smile appeared once again, which met the brilliance of her sapphire blue eyes.
After bowing her head in what seemed to be an act of shyness, her eyes rejoined mine, only this time there was fear in them as they veered to the left. Everything about her changed. Wondering why there was a sudden change in her, I turned my chair in the direction she was looking only to find that Colin was quickly approaching us. He had to have had some control over her for her to react in such a manner and I was going to find out exactly what that was.
~Three~
I was never happier to be back in my apartment than when I walked through the door after that night. It was one hell of a night at the club, to say the least. Not only was I interrogated by two detectives, Colin also started in on me by asking me all sorts of questions. I would have normally had no problem answering them, but when you have a beautiful woman in the same room, concentrating on them can be rather difficult.
Throwing my keys on the counter, I walked over to the living area where I had my favorite brand of Scotch waiting to be devoured. As I poured myself a drink, I couldn’t help but wonder about Tess. I just couldn’t understand why a woman with her innocent beauty would ever be with Colin. She was at least twenty years younger than him, and in no way was Colin her type. It was then that I remembered what Kyle said about Colin owning her. How does that even happen? Then it hit me, she had
to have been part of a deal. It was the only explanation. If this was the case, then Colin had his hands on more than bumping off old business acquaintances that screwed him over.
One thing I knew for sure, it was high time that I found out more about his business dealings, but most importantly, how Tess became his possession. If there was one thing I learned in the past year, it was to always stay ahead of the game. Better to be one step ahead than to be caught by surprise. I just hoped that my so-called jobs weren’t going to mysteriously turn up dead, just like Jeffries did.
Feeling like the Scotch was doing nothing to ease my tension, I remembered there was a certain brunette that would more than gladly help me out. A little kiss-ass would go a long way with her. Knowing that her apartment was directly below me, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine fridge and headed her way. Nothing like a little pussy to calm the nerves.
~*~*~*~
Holding the wine bottle in one hand and knocking on her door with the other, I was certain that she would still be up, especially given the line of work she was in. Strippers tended to work late hours while sleeping during the day. When her door opened and she appeared, I remembered why I loved those lips so much as they turned downward, letting me know that she was still pissed at me. I realized that convincing her to let me in was going to take some doing. Putting on my best smile, I scanned her half-naked body and groveled the only way I knew how. “Ginger, love. I was wrong. Let me make it up to you.”
“Don’t “Ginger, love” me. I know exactly why you are here,” she cursed as she tried to shut the door.
“Ginger, please, baby. Hear me out,” I pleaded.
“You have five minutes.” Her body shifted to the side of the door, allowing me entrance.
I had to admit that her place looked nothing like I had envisioned. It was nicely decorated with soft neutral colors and very tasteful décor. It looked more like the home of a successful business woman than that of a high-paid stripper. Turning to face her, I held up the bottle of wine and asked, “Do you have a bottle opener?”
Watching her pull her short silk robe around her exposed body, I followed her movements with my eyes as she headed to the kitchen. When she returned to where I was standing, she not only had a bottle opener, but two wine glasses in her hands. Taking the opener from her hand, I gave her a signature smile and began uncorking the bottle. As she held the glasses, I poured. I knew this was the first step in getting what I needed. Taking one glass from her, I leaned over and whispered, “You’re driving me crazy.”
When she pushed me away, I knew I needed to put forth a little more effort. “Not so fast, lover,” she advised as she placed her perfectly manicured hand on my chest and pushed me away with little to no force.
“You are going to make me work for this, aren’t you?” I questioned.
“Damn right,” she commented, taking a small sip of her wine.
This cat and mouse game she was playing wasn’t what I had in mind. I just wanted to get a little relief, get out, and spend my night alone in the comfort of my own bed. I wasn’t sure how well that would go over, but there was one thing I knew about women, and that was: all women loved to be sweet talked.
Taking a seat next to her on the couch, I made sure the distance between us was minimal. Placing my glass on the small accent table, I turned on my charm and began undoing the sash to her robe. Her eyes fell to my hand and I could tell she was more than willing to take this little game further. I kept my eyes on her as she took a sip of her wine before placing her glass next to mine. It wasn’t long after that her hands were on my chest, rubbing up and down until she began slowly unbuttoning my shirt. Smoothing her hands along my impressive chest, she worked my shirt down my shoulders, exposing my upper body.
Her red-covered lips came in contact with mine and our tongues began dueling with one another. There was no break in contact as I lowered her robe, leaving her in only her bra and panties. Like clockwork, my hands were upon her ample breasts, working and kneading them through the thin lace of her bra. As our kiss deepened, I placed my hands around her waist, moving them upward along her spine where I expertly unfastened her bra.
Without warning, she broke the kiss and I was on my back with her working the zipper on my pants. For someone who wanted nothing to do with me a few minutes ago, she was coming at me like a woman who had become completely unhinged. When she pressed her hand against my cock, it didn’t take long for my impressive length to come to full attention as she continued to caress it through the fabric of my boxers. As much as I wanted to get my fix, this was a little quick even for me. Taking her by the waist, I switched positions so that she was now beneath me. It wasn’t that I minded a woman taking control, but if I didn’t step in, our romp would end before it even began and that just wasn’t the way I worked. There was something to be said about a little foreplay before the actual deed.
Lowering my head, I nuzzled her breast and began lapping my tongue around the tip. Her body began to relax as I switched my attention to the other side. Her chest heaved forward, forcing me to take more of her. With my hand, I searched for her nipple and pinched it firmly, grabbing her attention. Her back lowered to the couch when she realized that I was in control now. As much as I wanted this to continue a little while longer, I knew Ginger enough to know that she would take this as something more than just a good fuck.
Pushing her panties to the side. I positioned my sheathed cock at her entrance and plunged inside. The warmth of her pussy coated me and as I pumped, I watched her breasts bounce back and forth, mimicking my movements. Her moans filled the room and her voice could barely be heard as she said, “I could fuck you every day of the week.”
It was ironic that she spoke the words that I was avoiding. Even though her pussy was sweet, there was something about being with a stripper exclusively that didn’t sit well with me. Giving her one more thrust, I pulled free, removed my glove, and watched my seed spill on her stomach, coating the fake diamond navel piercing that I found to be somewhat sexy. Even though she said she was on the pill and clean, there was no way I was going to fuck her unprotected, no matter how much she preferred watching me spill on her. Reaching over her head, I pulled a few tissues from the Kleenex box and handed them to her so she could clean up the mess I made on her body. While she wiped, I began getting dressed. I could tell by the look on her face, she wanted more than I was willing to give.
I didn’t know why I continued to put myself through this, but once again, I explained to her my position. “I have a long day tomorrow and you know this thing between us will be nothing more than a release for me.”
“I get it, London. I just thought that maybe this one time you would hang around.”
~*~*~*~
After spending what seemed like an eternity explaining my position with Ginger, I was finally in my penthouse, in my own bed. Staring at the ceiling, thoughts began entering my mind. Even though I had no intention of settling down any time soon, there was one woman I just couldn’t stop thinking about. There was something different about Tessa. She was unlike any other woman I ever came across. Never had a woman consumed my thoughts as much as she did, to the point that it was driving me insane.
I pushed from my bed as lying here was doing me no good and I had to do something to get my mind off her. Slipping on my shorts, I decided there was nothing like a good workout to do just that. As I headed to my gym, I could hear the faint sound of my cell ringing in my bedroom. Stopping in my tracks, I backed up and headed back to my room.
When I picked up my phone, the number was one that I didn’t recognize. Something in my gut told me to answer it instead of letting it go to voicemail. Swiping the screen, I greeted the caller as, “London,” only because I loved the way it sounded.
“Mr. London. I need your help.”
The minute her words left her mouth, there was no mistaking who it was. “Tessa, what’s going on?” I asked, wondering in the back of my mind how she managed to get my number.
“I’m on my way. Hang tight.”
“Please hurry.”
Hanging up, I stuffed my phone in my shorts, grabbed a jacket, and headed out the door. I wasn’t sure what would be in store for me once I arrived at Colin’s place, but one thing was certain, it couldn’t have been good if Tessa was calling for help.
~Four~
When I arrived at Colin’s I wasn’t sure what would be waiting for me. Seeing the silhouette of a female body lurking in the bushes, I was more than pissed the minute I could see her. Parking on the side of the road, I got out and headed toward her. Seeing she had barely any clothing on, I knew she made a quick escape from Colin’s home. I wasn’t sure how long she had been waiting, but given her lack of clothing and the time of night, she had to have been cold. Lowering the zipper on my jacket, I quickly peeled it off. Standing within a foot of her, I wrapped my jacket around her shoulders, hoping that she would warm up quickly.