by Hamel, B. B.
I close the door behind us. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He sighs and sits down.
“Why are you late?”
“Getting my hands on half a million in cash isn’t exactly easy,” he says.
“Oh.” I sit down in the chair. “So you’re just going to… pay them?”
“That’s on the table.”
“Okay. Right, yeah.”
He frowns at me, narrows his eyes. “Are you okay? You look a little on edge.”
“I think so.” I shift a little. “Look, I should tell you—”
His phone starts ringing and he holds up a hand. “Sorry, hold on a second, it’s Darin.”
“Go ahead, yeah.”
He answers and holds it to his ear. “Hey,” he says. “Yeah, I’m there. Right now? Are you kidding me?” He looks at me, tension in his eyes. “Shit, all right, fine. I’ll handle it.” He hangs up the phone.
“What was that?”
“Carmine’s on his way up.”
“Wait… what?”
“Yeah. Carmine. Right now.”
I lean back in my chair. “Oh. Shit.”
He laughs a little. “It’ll be fine. He won’t get violent right here in the office. That’s why I wouldn’t go meet him on his terms.”
“Smart, I guess.”
“Not really. Fucking stupid to get involved with guys like these.”
I chew on my lip. “Look, Jacob. You should know something.”
He cocks his head. “What’s that?”
I stare at him for a long moment. I want to tell him… but this isn’t the time. He needs to be on his game, and I think this might push him off balance.
“I’m on your side,” I say.
“I know you are, little Valerie.” He smiles a bit then looks past me and stands.
Carmine sweeps into the room followed by Dee. They’re wearing their expensive suits, but neither man is smiling. Dee shuts the door and stands in front of it as Carmine walks toward us.
“Carmine,” Jacob says. “I’m glad you came.”
“I’m not,” Carmine says. “Normally, when I tell people to come meet me, they come. You did not, and that is annoying.” He looks at me. “But at least your little bitch is here.”
Jacob tenses. “That’s not called for.”
“Is it not?” He cocks his head. “The bitch lost me half a million dollars. What should I call her?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Caro. Risk is an inherent part of—”
“Shut your mouth, you fucking stupid cunt,” Carmine snaps at her.
I lean back in my chair, shocked. I’ve never had someone talk to me like that before. It was so vicious and violent, like I’m just some trash woman he could throw out.
Jacob comes around the desk. “Carmine. There’s no need to talk to her like that. She’s a very good investor. Things happen sometimes.”
“Things happen,” he repeats. “Strange. To me, it seems like things happen more often when you have some stupid cunts involved. Why didn’t you give my account to a real investor? Or do it your fucking self?”
“Are you suggesting that I can’t make investments properly because I’m a woman?” I say, despite myself.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, you silly little bitch.”
“Carmine.” Jacob says his name loudly. He steps forward and I have to scoot back as my heart starts to race. Dee tenses over near the door. Jacob looms over both of them, bigger and stronger and angry as hell. “If you talk to her like that again, I’ll make sure you lose all your fucking money.”
He stares at Jacob. “You really want to threaten me? Do you know who I am?”
“I don’t give a shit,” Jacob says. “I think you’re some stupid thug that thinks he can come in here and bully one of my employees. This is a legitimate business, Mr. Caro. Maybe you’re not used to dealing with real businesses.”
Carmine shows his teeth, more of a feral grimace than a smile. “Oh, maybe, maybe not. But I am used to men like you. Men that think they’re strong, real tough guys, but have no clue what it takes.”
“You came here to solve our problem,” Jacob says. “Then let’s solve it. But if you speak to her like that again, you’re leaving, and I’ll make sure we piss your money away. You think ten million matters to me?” He smirks at Carmine. “You have no clue what money is.”
Carmine bristles at that. “I want it back,” he says. “I want my half million back.”
“We’ll make it back. It might not happen instantly.”
“You lost it instantly.”
“I understand. That was a fluke. The average rate of return—”
“Don’t give me that fucking investor bullshit,” Carmine snaps. “I want it back. Make it back for me. Do what you gotta do, but make it back.”
“Carmine—”
“No, you fuck. I’m sick of this shit. Darin promises it’ll be easy, but then you appear, and you make things hard. Darin promises you’ll make us a lot of money, but then I hear you lose me half a million in just barely six weeks instead. You think this is a game? It’s not a fucking game.”
“I don’t play games with other people’s money,” I say. “I’ll make your money back. We’ll earn it.”
“I bet you will.” Carmine stares at Jacob for a long moment. “You disrespected me. I need an apology.”
Jacob laughs in his face. “I’ll apologize when you grovel at her feet first. Otherwise, you can get the fuck out of my office.”
Carmine stares at him, nostrils flared, eyes wide. Dee looks tense, like he’s about to do something. But Carmine turns away. “Wrong answer, Jacob Lofthouse. Your family name isn’t going to help you here.”
“I bet it’s not. Get out, Mr. Caro.”
He shakes his head and walks over to his partner. Before they open the door and leave, Carmine looks back. “I’ll give you two days to come up with the money. Two days to make it all right again. I don’t care how you do it, but you got two days.”
“Then what, Mr. Caro? You’ll come break my knees?”
He stares at him. “Yeah. I think I will.”
The two men leave the office.
Jacob lets out a frustrated growl. He follows them to the door then slams it shut. He turns to me, seething with rage.
“Those fucking fucks,” he growls. “Those pieces of shit.”
“Jacob.” I stand up. “It’s okay.”
“The way he talked to you was not okay. That wasn’t fucking okay at all. If they weren’t who they are, I would’ve hurt him, Valerie.”
“I know.” I walk to him, heedless of who can see inside. “I know, Jacob.”
He grabs me and pulls me against him. He kisses me tight then shakes his head and steps away.
“This is fucked.”
“Why don’t you just pay them?” I ask. “You have the money now, don’t you?”
“I have it. But I don’t want to give it to them anymore. Not after the way they spoke to you.”
“Jacob—”
“It’s not okay.” He looks at me and shakes his head. “We can’t reward men like that.”
“We can’t fight against them either,” I say. “You don’t have to stand on pride. It’s not worth it. They don’t care about pride.”
He snorts. “You’re right about that.”
“Please, Jacob. Just pay them.”
“No.” He goes to his desk and sits down, leaning forward. “No, I won’t pay them.”
“So, what?”
“So they can come and try to take what they want, if that’s what they need to do.”
I linger there, watching him.
There’s no getting through right now. That’s pretty obvious. I want to go over and talk to him, try to calm him down, but I’m afraid it’ll only make things worse.
And he needs to know what my bosses want.
God, so many moving pieces. And they all hinge around Carmine and his associates.
We need to prove wh
at they are, but it’s so obvious to me already. And clearly Jacob knows it as well. But if I go and tell my boss then everything here will be ruined. Jacob’s name will be dragged through the mud along with FLFM and everything he’s built.
I can’t let that happen.
“Come see me tonight,” I say softly. “Can you do that?”
His eyes are fierce. “I can do that.”
“Good.”
I turn and walk to the door. “It’ll be okay,” I say before I leave.
He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t look like he believes me.
Not that I can blame him.
I sit back down at my desk and open the Carmine account. The numbers all look good. In fact, some of the investments I made are starting to pay off a little bit. They’ve made around ten grand in just a few days.
Good for them. Not quite the half a million I need to make, but a good start. I don’t think I can invest them out of his hole in two days, but I might as well start laying some good long-term groundwork.
Because if these guys go down, so does FLFM, and I can’t let that happen.
18
Val
I’m a knot of nerves, anger, and energy when he shows up on my doorstep later that night. I answer in a pair of yoga pants and a thin t-shirt. I love the way his eyes move down my body, lingering on my breasts, barely covered by the fabric.
“Come in,” I say. He follows me to the kitchen. I pour him some wine and lean against the refrigerator. “You okay?”
“I think so.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking this whole situation is more fucked than I knew,” he says, his voice low. “I’m thinking this whole thing is a mess.”
“Yeah, true. I guess that’s true.”
“And nothing’s working out the way we planned. We’re still not sure about Carmine.”
I hesitate. “Aren’t we? I mean, come on Jacob.”
He looks away. “Look. I know it seems obvious. The way they act and shit, but that’s not proof.”
“It’s enough though.”
He looks back at me with a frown. “Enough for that?”
“My bosses.”
He snorts. “They can’t make a case based on that. So far, as far as I can tell, no laws have been broken.”
“Not exactly. But Jacob…” I trail off. I step forward, moving closer to him. “They want to get warrants.”
“For what?” He frowns at me.
“For you. And Darin. And FLFM.”
“Wait, what?” He sits up straight, eyes wide. “Are you serious?”
“I just found out. I didn’t know you or the company were a part of this. I thought it was just about Darin, but—”
“They want to come after me and my company?” He stands and takes a step back. “Fuck that. I won’t let it happen.”
“Jacob—”
“You’re bringing them into my life. I trusted you, Valerie. I thought we could be on the same side. We’d prove Darin was innocent or we’d prove he was guilty, but it was always about him, not me or the company. You know I have nothing to do with this shit.”
“Jacob, I’m on your side.”
That makes him pause. I can tell he’s angry, so angry. He’s clenching his wine glass hard enough to shatter it, but he slowly relaxes his grip, just a fraction of an inch. “Talk,” he says.
“I’m not letting my bosses touch you or your company.” I step toward him again. “Listen to me. I didn’t know this was about anything more than Darin, but I think they’re trying to cast a wide net to catch him now. And they’ll drag you down with him if they have to. And I’m not going to let them do it.”
He cocks his head. “What can you do about it?”
“They need me to tell them that Carmine is a gangster. They need any shred of proof.”
He frowns slightly. “So what?”
“I can lie to them. I can fake it. I don’t know. I can do something. But I won’t be a part of taking you down.” I come closer to him, heart racing. I put my wine glass down and put my hands on his chest. “Listen to me Jacob. I’m on your side. I’m… devoted to you. I swear, I won’t let them.”
He puts a hand on my cheek. “I want to trust you.”
“I know. Then do it.”
“Tell me something. What happens if Carmine is a gangster? What do we do then?”
“If Darin is guilty, we’ll handle it. You’ll handle it. I know you can.”
He nods slowly. “I can. And I will.”
“Good.”
He kisses me, slow and deep. “I trust you. But fuck, I’m so angry. I hate the position I’m in, stuck between my loyalties.”
“But we’ll do the right thing. Even if that means lying to my bosses. They lied to me first. I’m… I’m willing to do it.”
“I know you are.” He kisses me again, deeper, harder. “You’re my little Valerie. You’re devoted to me.”
He puts his glass down and pulls me tight against him. I kiss him hard, hungry, starving for his touch. All this pent-up tension’s been driving me absolutely wild and now he’s finally giving me what I need.
He kisses me hard and deep and I moan into it. He pulls my shirt off, cups my breasts, teases my nipples. I moan and his tongue moves against mine then he shoves me down onto the couch.
He takes his shirt off as I unbuckle his belt. I get his pants off as he tosses his shirt aside. He grabs my hair and kisses me then drops to his knees between my legs, kissing my neck, my shoulders, my breasts.
I moan and grab his hair. I need this so badly. Everything’s a mess and I don’t know what I believe anymore. I’m willing to betray the federal government for him, all because they’ve decided to pull him into their little game. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so naive from the start, maybe I should’ve known he’d be pulled into it eventually, but I won’t let it happen now.
Not when I’ve made my intentions clear. Not when I’ve decided who I’m truly devoted to.
He kisses my breasts, licking my nipples, making them perk under his tongue. He moves down to my stomach, tugging my yoga pants off and spreading my legs roughly. I love how he handles me, so hard and firm. He kisses my inner thigh before pushing my panties aside and tonguing me top to bottom.
“Delicious,” he croons. “This is what I dream about at night. I dream of you, legs spread wide, letting me lick your little clit until you beg my name.”
“Oh, god,” I moan as he does his work. It feels incredible. His tongue is perfect, lapping me, sucking me, driving me mad with need for him. I grab his hair tight and push him harder against me, moaning the whole time.
He slides his fingers deep inside, curving them, working my pussy. He sits up and kisses me, letting me taste myself on his lips, before he kisses my neck and breasts again.
This time, he stands, cock hard and pressing against his boxer briefs. He takes them off and I take him into my hand, stroking his shaft, looking up into his eyes. He tilts my chin up, stares back down at me.
“You are a good girl,” he says. “You’re a very good girl.”
“I want to be.”
“Good. We’ll do this together, you and me.”
I take his cock in my mouth and suck him. He growls his pleasure and I lose my self in the act of making him feel good. I suck him hard, breasts bouncing, his cock moving in and out of my mouth, deep into my throat, back out again. I keep going as his hands press me down, grip my hair, make me take him. I keep going, needing it, needing him so badly it almost hurts.
He growls as I suck him. He growls his pleasure before pulling me back and sitting on the couch. He drags me on top of him and I spread my legs wide, straddling him, feeling his cock slide deep inside.
I moan as I ride him, moan his name, feel the pleasure he can give me. He kisses me, pulls my hair, thrusts deep inside and fucks me as my breasts bounce and sweat beads on my skin. I ride him for I don’t know how long, it doesn’t matter, I’ve lost track of time and space. The
re’s only him, only his cock, only his pleasure. I bite his lip when I kiss him and he spanks my ass nice and hard. He’ll leave a mark but I like it, need it, want it.
I want that mark. I want to feel him every time I walk, every time I move. I want that beautiful ache between my legs when I close my eyes and think about him.
He pulls my hair. “I don’t know how I managed without you,” he growls in my ear. “This fucking pussy sliding up and down my cock. You’re so slick and beautiful, my little Valerie.”
“You managed just fine before me.”
He laughs softly and grabs my ass hard. “Maybe. But without this release.” He kisses me hard.
I ride him slowly and look into his eyes. He looks back and I can see the desire there, but I can see more than that, too. I see devotion, need, lust. I see how badly he wants to protect me, keep me safe. I’m his to use as he pleases, as he needs.
I know it, and I love it.
He growls and buries himself inside of me. I shiver and kiss him, tasting his lips, feeling his thick cock between my legs. I shimmy my hips and move them in slow circles, moving as the pleasure threatens to overwhelm. He’s so big, so thick, and taking him deep inside stretches me to my breaking point.
I move back as he grabs me with a slight growl. He pushes me aside, gets me down on the couch on all fours, my ass in the air. He spanks me hard and slides his cock inside of me again, filling me from behind. I moan and move back against him, riding his shaft, wanting every inch of him deep inside.
I love the way he groans. The sound is full of joy and pleasure. I want more of those groans, those growls, those grunts. I want it all from him, every bit of pleasure and happy joy he can give me. I push back against him, bucking and riding him, letting his cock take me, his strong hands take me. He’s so big, so muscular, he easily controls and dominates.
He slaps my ass hard and grabs my hair. I lean back and let him tease my breasts as he kisses me over my shoulder. His fingers move around my hips to roll along my clit, sending shivers of intense pleasure all over my body. I love the way he teases me, the way he touches me. It’s like he knows what I need the instant I need it, like he reads my body like a book, hears my moans like a prayer.