A text beeped on her phone, and she pulled up on the side of the road. Opening the cell that Elijah had bought her, she saw the text was from him. Blowing out a breath, she opened the text.
Elijah: Come back home now!
She needed to get back to college herself, as otherwise she’d be late. Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel she was tempted not to go to him. Pressing her thighs together, Cherry wanted him desperately again. They’d been cut short this morning as Mindy had been on the way to her bedroom. Elijah had hidden inside the bathroom while Mindy started talking about what she should wear.
Throughout it all, Mindy hadn’t even noticed that Cherry was naked. When she finally left, Elijah excused himself.
Go, you know you want to.
Putting the phone back in the holder she turned the car around, heading back home. Her heart was racing as she pulled up in front of the house. Elijah was standing in his business suit. His hands were in his pockets, waiting.
Climbing out of the car, she walked up the steps. He didn’t touch her.
The front door closed, and Elijah pushed her against the nearest wall, pushing her hands up above her head.
She had worn jeans, and he worked the button open, pushing the denim down her thighs. “You’re going to have to start wearing skirts. It’ll be easier for me.”
Cherry cried out, groaning as his lips sucked on her neck. He let go of her hands, and she watched him unbuckle his belt, sliding the zipper down. His pants ended up around his knees.
In the next instance his hands landed on her ass, picking her up in his arms. She had learned not to argue with him. Elijah was incredibly strong, and he liked to hold her in place.
“You don’t need to contain those sweet sounds anymore, baby. We’re alone.”
She threw her head back and screamed as he slammed inside her in one quick thrust. He was so incredibly hard and thick.
“Do you really think I’d let you go to college with all those young men without fucking you first?” he asked. He stopped talking to slide out of her body. Cherry didn’t get the chance to say anything as he plunged back inside her. He hit her cervix, and the pain mixed together with the pleasure. All she could do was gasp as he held her tightly, not letting her go as she tried to ease the pressure. “When you’re in college, sitting in class around those young bastards, you’re going to be filled with my spunk and know who you belong to.”
Was he jealous?
She wouldn’t cheat on Elijah. They may be secret, but to her they were exclusive.
The hold he had on her ass tightened. He started to fuck her against the wall. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on. His cock was so long and thick that she didn’t know if it was pleasure or pain he was inspiring. Pressing her head against his, she whimpered.
“Touch yourself, Cherry. I want you to come as I fuck you.”
Reaching between them, she teased her clit, shocked by the sensation of his cock pounding inside her. She was already dripping wet, and touching her slick clit didn’t hurt her.
She rubbed her pussy as Elijah kept fucking her. He leaned forward, sucking her nipple through the fabric of her shirt. Crying out, she fingered her clit faster.
Her orgasm was building, and she didn’t want it to end.
“Come for me, Cherry.”
His order was all it took. He also did something with his hips that seemed to drive him deeper into her pussy.
Cherry came with a scream, whimpering at the intense pleasure that he’d created.
Elijah fucked her hard, driving into her. The moment he grunted and his cock jerked inside her, Cherry held on tighter to him. He took her down to the floor. His cock was still within her, but they were on the floor panting for breath.
She held onto him even as the pleasure started to ebb away.
“I couldn’t let you go without taking you,” Elijah said.
He pulled away enough for her to stare into her eyes.
“You’re confusing me. I won’t cheat on you, Elijah. I don’t want another man.” She did something she’d wanted to do for a long time. Cherry reached up and touched his cheek. He was so handsome, mature, and knew the world that she lived in. Elijah knew the shit she’d been through, and yet he’d not taken her against her will.
That time on the table, their first time, she’d been more than willing.
In the month they’d known each other, he’d given her a better life than anyone else. No foster home had ever done this for her.
It was always them against her.
“Are you, erm, are you still fucking those other women you’ve talked about?” Cherry asked. She hadn’t forced the issue of a condom between them. Did she need to visit the doctors? She could get pregnant, but she didn’t want to anger Elijah. The idea of being cared for thrilled her. She hadn’t been cared for her whole life. The only person who cared about her was her.
“No, I’m not seeing anyone else. They’re not even in the same league as you, Cherry.” He stroked a hand down her face resting around her neck. She wasn’t frightened by the hold he had on her. “There won’t be any more women. I’m clean.”
“I could get pregnant.”
“You’re not going on anything, and I’m not stopping.”
She didn’t want to hope for anything. Cherry nodded. What else could she do? Elijah could have taken her life, but instead he’d given her one.
Elijah pulled out of her pussy, reaching up to the tissues resting on the counter by the door. He wiped his excess cum from her lips. She didn’t know what to say when he helped her back into her panties then her jeans. He tore off her shirt, pulling his off, bundling her back up.
“You’ll wear my shirt today, and I don’t want to hear any arguments from you.”
His shirt was surprisingly bigger than she’d thought. Rolling up the sleeves, she was surprised when he tucked the shirt into the waistband of her jeans.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“I’m thirty-nine.” He tucked some hair behind her ear. “Go on to college. Remember who you belong to. Tonight, I want you to come to my room.”
She’d never been to his room. He always sneaked into her room.
Licking her dry lips, she nodded.
He held the keys up for her to take. “Have a good day.”
Taking the keys from him, she passed him as he opened the door for her. She stared at him as she climbed back behind the wheel. What was happening between them?
Elijah stood with his arms folded over his naked chest. She was struggling to think of a reason why she needed to go to college today.
Go.
Pulling out of the driveway, she gave Elijah a final wave.
****
“Are you sure this is him?” Elijah asked, stood outside his warehouse. Tom was assigned to Cherry’s protection detail today. John was with him. “That is Jacob Jones. He’s twenty-four years old and is the first boy in the foster home that Cherry went to when she was thirteen years old.”
Elijah gritted his teeth. Staring down at the report in his hands he couldn’t believe this asshole wasn’t in prison. Seeing that Jacob had a lot of friends in high places he wasn’t really surprised. Some men knew the right people and had the money to stay out of jail. This little shit had a long line of victims behind him, some victims who were scared to talk, other victims that had been paid off, and again some that were missing.
It didn’t take a genius to work out what happened to them.
Jacob Jones thought he was a hard-ass. Let’s see how hard he is when he faces me.
Entering the warehouse, Elijah buttoned up his jacket as he saw the little shit sitting on a chair. John had tied him down with rope keeping him in place.
“What the fuck is this about, man? Is this about money? I’ve got money. You need a favor? I can call all of them in.”
“He’s not above bribery to get what he wants,” John said.
This was one of the first men he was sure had hurt Cherry
. He’d find out the truth, and he was good at it.
“You’re a businessman. You don’t want to do this. I’ve got people who care.”
Dragging a chair in front of the man, Elijah knew he shouldn’t care about what happened in Cherry’s past, but he couldn’t let it go. She’d suffered, and he wasn’t interested in seeing the men who caused her pain living happy lives.
He used Caleb and Henry to help him find the men. Both men had asked him if Cherry was worth it. Not only was she worth it, Elijah wasn’t going to stop until he made sure all the men who’d hurt Cherry were brought to his kind of justice.
She’d been in his life a month, in his bed a weekend, and already she was under his skin. The thought of some asshole hitting on her, made him angry. He was possessive of her.
He was also aware that he’d not spoken to Bethan in a long time.
“You’ve got people who care, Mr. Jones. I’ve got people who’d make sure your people couldn’t give two shits.” He stared at the asshole. Jacob had that boy-next-door look. He didn’t doubt the asshole used that to get what he wanted.
“I don’t know you, man. I’m a good guy.”
“You’re a good guy?” Elijah asked. “Really? You see, I’ve got friends in higher places than yours.”
He reached across the small table and picked up the file he’d collected on Jacob Jones.
“Wow, Jacob, your idea of being a good guy and my idea are two completely different things.” Elijah whistled. “Assault, rape, DUI, all of this shit adds up, and you’ve been doing it for a long time. I don’t give a shit about the DUI. I’m interested in something from your past or someone.”
He closed the file, staring at the man before him.
“What do you want?”
“A woman who goes by the name Cherry Morgan. What do you know about her?” Elijah asked. He wasn’t going to tell the asshole what Cherry meant to him. Jacob was going to dig his own grave.
Elijah saw the spark of recognition in Jacob’s eyes. So the bastard hadn’t forgotten about her.
“I see you remember her.”
“What’s she done? I swear I’ve not seen her for years.”
“Are you sure? It says that she only stayed with your family for a short time. Maybe she’d come back to you? Did she have a crush or something?” Elijah asked.
“Yes, she had a crush. Bitch doesn’t know when to respect her betters.” Jacob laughed. “What has the bitch done now? She making up some fucked up stories? Don’t believe a word she says, man. That cunt doesn’t deserve shit. My family gave her a home, and she tried to shit all over it.” Once Jacob started talking he didn’t stop, but he didn’t let on to what he’d done.
“What did she say? There’s nothing here?” Elijah nodded at John.
His man walked behind Jacob, grabbing the back of his neck, pressing the blade to his throat.
“Fuck, man, I don’t want to die.”
“Then you better start talking. I’m not in the mood to wait.”
“The bitch was begging for it, all right? She wanted a bit of Jacob, so I gave it to her and she started saying I raped her. Didn’t happen that way.”
“You raped her?”
“No, man, I didn’t rape her. I found out her mother was a crack whore. Sold her pussy for drugs. Cherry was the same. She wanted my dick, and afterwards she wanted shit.”
Elijah let him continue to talk, bragging about how he took what Cherry didn’t have to offer. When John pressed the blade harder against Jacob’s throat, the truth came out. “Yes, I raped her. I fucked her, and she begged me to stop. Shit, man, I’m sorry. The knife, fuck, it hurts.”
Nodding at John, Elijah stared at the sick little shit. He didn’t want to think about Cherry being taken by force. She’d lost everything in her life, had shit taken from her that wasn’t for others to take. It was time someone came to her rescue. He was going to take care of her and not let fuckers like Jacob hurt her again.
“Yeah, Cherry’s my woman, Jacob,” Elijah said. “She belongs to me.” He stood up, removing his jacket and then his crisp white shirt. Elijah had already spoken to the men Jacob worked for. None of them were willing to pay for the bastard’s release. No one wanted to go up against Elijah.
“What? You said you were looking for her?”
“Did I? I lied. Cherry’s mine, and I’ve made it my personal mission to find all the scum like you who hurt her when you should have kept your filthy fucking hands to yourself.” He pulled out the picture of Cherry. It was from when she was a young girl. “This is the girl you raped. You used force to keep her under you while you tortured her.”
He handed all the files to John as he removed his white shirt. Elijah took the brass knuckles from John. “Now, I think it’s time I gave you a little payback. You didn’t just stop at Cherry. You kept going, looking for new victims, frightened women.”
“Please, I’m sorry, fuck.”
Elijah kicked out, slamming the chair to the floor. Jacob cried out, pissing himself in the process. Pressing his boot on Jacob’s crotch, Elijah added more of his weight.
Jacob started to scream.
“Let me tell you, Jacob Jones, you’re going to be doing a hell of a lot of screaming by the time this is over.” Drawing his boot back, Elijah brought it down hard.
Jacob howled with pain.
Elijah used his fists, pummeling the bastard until he was almost unrecognizable. He thought about Cherry when she was young. She didn’t deserve to have assholes like this hurting her. He would make them all pay. There wouldn’t be any sign of them on this earth once he was done.
For the next hour, Elijah tortured Jacob, while John sat reading a book in the corner. When his cell phone went off, Elijah taped Jacob’s mouth to answer his phone. He was covered in blood and would need to change his clothes. It was a good thing he brought a spare pair. He did try to save his clothes.
“What?” Elijah asked.
“The next guy on that list works at a school. He’s a gym teacher,” Caleb said. “He’s around young girls all day.”
“Have there been any reports on him?” Elijah asked.
“There has been some, but they’ve never been proven. The girls have moved schools, and he stays in the same place.”
Elijah cursed. “I’m really starting to hate these fucking assholes.”
“Do you want him collected?” Caleb asked. “Henry is watching him now teach basketball to the girls’ team. Even Henry isn’t happy with what he’s seeing.”
“Bring him in. I want these bastards all dead.”
“You start piling up dead bodies, people are going to notice.” Caleb’s warning was loud and clear.
Jacob wasn’t going to live.
“What do you suggest?”
“Send some of them to prison. They’ll get shit inside. We can make sure of it,” Caleb said. “I know you want a killing spree, but that kind of heat brings in the cops. We can pay off some, but with this much shit, we can’t. It’ll come back to you.”
Elijah thought about Cherry. No one had given her such a consideration.
“I’ll think about it.”
“If you pile up dead bodies, it doesn’t matter how many friends you have, Elijah. The cops will come to you. Where will Cherry be then? What about Mindy?”
“I told you I’d think about it. This fucker, he’s dead.”
Ending the call, Elijah grabbed the hunting knife and plunged it into Jacob’s neck. He had no remorse for the killing, nor did he care as Jacob gargled around the blood.
“Are you okay, boss?” John asked.
“Men who rape young girls bother me, John.”
“Cherry’s not young anymore. She would hate for you to put yourself in danger.”
“She’s never going to know, and no one is going to be telling her shit about what happened today.” Elijah removed his pants and moved toward the shower at the end of the warehouse.
“You want the body disposed of?” John asked.
“Yes. I want him gone.” He quickly washed as John made the call to the cleaner. When all the blood was off his body, Elijah dried quickly, dressing in a new suit as the cleaner came inside.
“Fuck me, Elijah. This is brutal.”
“Can you take care of it or not?”
“Yes. It’ll cost.”
“I don’t give a shit about the cost. Clean it up and I’ll double your fee.”
He left the warehouse to walk outside. The cleaner’s van had a picture of a rodent on the sign.
John followed him out.
“What do you have to say?” Elijah asked.
“This little war you’ve got going, is this going to turn back to Marcel?”
“What?”
“You’re after every person who hurt Cherry. Marcel is also on that list. He gave you her as a gift, but before that he hurt her. She had bruising and was threatened with a gun.”
“Marcel will stay out of it. I’m not after him right now. I’m only after the men who hurt her before he handed her to me.”
“Maybe you should make a call to let him know you’re not going for payback. Word like this will get around. They’ll wonder if you’re coming back to them. It could make them react, make them nervous.”
“Good,” Elijah said. “It’s time Marcel knew his fucking place. He may supply the fucking drugs, but this city is mine. It’s time he realized I can fuck with him. I know he’s making plans to try to overrun me. Until I’m completely sure I’ve got my investment set up elsewhere, Marcel will stay where I want him. I’ve already given him a call. I’ve not come this far by messing with people. Don’t underestimate me.” He walked toward the car. “Get a lift from the cleaner. I’ve got to pay a visit to someone,” Elijah said.
John shook his head. “This is going to get you into trouble.”
“It’s not. This one I’m going to handle easily.”
Once on the road, Caleb put the call through to Henry.
“Are you still on his tail?”
“Yes. Practice ended early, and the bastard is looking a little too smug for my liking. Before I put any kids through school, I’m going to have all the teachers fucking investigated.”
Elijah couldn’t argue with him. He’d investigated all of the teachers at Mindy’s school.
Elijah: The Boss's Gift Page 5