by R. J. Lewis
My face heated with embarrassment. “I was going to pick out that blue dress, actually,” I lied.
“Is that right?” he replied, cockily. “It’s hanging on the closet door. And there’s a blue pair of heels on the top shelf of your shoe rack.”
I pretended like I knew that. “I know, Nixon.”
I opened the door and grabbed the dress hanging from the knob and dressed myself quickly. I stared at myself in the mirror, rolling my eyes because the dress hugged my curves perfectly. Of course, my cleavage was spilling out, but Nixon liked that shit and I sort of liked that he had no eyes for anyone but me.
When I stepped out of the closet, Nixon was his on his fucking knees, helping Maria gather up pieces of the lamp. My head swivelled in surprise at the sight of it. She was talking to him in broken English, telling him she liked the island and the rain. She used her fingers to describe the weather, to explain the rain and then she put her hand to her heart, smiling. When Nixon started to answer back, smiling in that sexy as fuck way, I hurried out of the room, like it would somehow chase away the heat running through my veins.
What the fuck was happening to me?
How had he expertly managed to knock down my defences? It was like he’d known the way all along and was using it now.
But why?
What could he see that I couldn’t?
Because whatever it was, he was surrendering to it.
Like…whatever was going to happen was inevitable.
22.
Vixen…
I avoided Flynn when I entered the conference room on Nixon’s arm. I could feel his eyes on me, though. I knew he was watching me. I swept my gaze to Tyrone, who was sitting across the table from Flynn with a frown on his face. His eyes were trapped on him with an unsettled expression. Something was very wrong.
Doll was sitting in her usual provocative position next to Tyrone, in tiny little shorts and a revealing top. She was chewing on a piece of gum and twirling it around her finger, all the while smirking at Rowan from across the table. She was sending off sex vibes and Rowan looked uncomfortable – the tie on his suit was loosened, his hair wasn’t in its usual impeccable place.
Doll did this often – fucked the guys on the team, much to Hobbs great annoyance. There was nothing he could do about it, though. He glowered at her often, scolded her in private, and she lapped that shit up like she wanted to be punished by him. I speculated there was some weird Daddy fetish going on.
Shame Hobbs wasn’t around just yet to admonish her.
When she saw me, she lit up, taking in my blue dress. “Nice dress, Vixen.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, warily.
“Nice hickey, too.”
“Shut the fuck up, Doll,” Nixon cut in, but there was a playful lilt in his tone. He seemed relaxed, not at all affected by whatever it was that plagued him last night. Our morning had been strangely intimate.
Doll snickered. “So possessive all the time, Nixon, doesn’t it get tiring?”
As Nixon escorted me to the head of the table, he bit back, “I think every lady wants to feel owned…just a little bit.” He sat down on the chair and tugged me down with him. I sat on his lap; the position comfortable. It was so natural, yet I felt awkward because I could feel Flynn’s glare directed at Nixon.
“You ever ask the girl that, Nixon?” he said suddenly, his voice hard. “Or you give them no choice?”
Funny how quick a room that was already quiet could quieten down even more. The tension rippled through the air. Doll’s smile fell, her playfulness was gone as she whipped a shocked glance at Flynn. Tyrone was poker facing it, but I caught the slightest flare in his nostrils. Rowan leaned back in his chair, eyebrows up, and Tiger – who’d been still next to Rowan – beamed excitedly, like all he needed was a bowl of popcorn.
There was a confident ease in Nixon’s body language. He didn’t stiffen, didn’t glare. He stared at Flynn with silent arrogance. “Baby,” he then whispered to me, pressing a kiss on my shoulder, “I feel like a kiss.”
My cheeks burned as I stiffened in his lap. I couldn’t admonish him here, in front of the crew – I would never do that to him – but I was burning with resistance. I had to mute it entirely. It was not a joke to Nixon. He needed to display his dominance, and I had to relent to him, even when our usual dynamic called for my defiance.
In the open, I was Nixon’s.
In the open, I did as I was told.
I dropped my head to him and shut my eyes. I knew Flynn was watching as Nixon pressed his lips to mine. It was gentle at first, even sweet, until he flicked his tongue out. I parted my lips for him, and he slipped it inside, swirling his tongue against mine, adding more pressure to the kiss. Excitement jolted through my body, warming my flesh. Even in the open, marking me to prove a point, Nixon could turn me inside-out.
His kiss was deep and thorough and…dirty. So dirty.
Then he pulled away, his lips swollen and red. I blinked hard, wincing as he turned his face in Flynn’s direction and said, “Did that look forceful to you, Flynn?”
Chuckles filled the room.
He made his point loud and clear.
I was beginning to relax as the silence stretched, certain Flynn was wise enough not to respond, but then I heard, “I think it’s fake.”
I studied Nixon and caught the way his eyes narrowed. “You need me to fuck her, too? Is that what you’re getting at, Flynn?”
“I think she’s with you because she has to be.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Hey now,” Doll interrupted in warning. “Vixen’s been here for two years, Flynn. If she wanted to leave, she would.”
She was bullshitting. I knew she was. They all knew that was such utter crap. They were just smart enough to keep to themselves. Didn’t matter who it was, crossing Nixon was a death sentence.
“I think you’re all just pussies,” Flynn boldly retorted. “Scared of a guy in a hotel on some fucking island –”
“Watch yourself!” Tyrone growled, jumping to his feet, knocking the chair back. “You don’t disrespect the crew you’re in.”
Flynn looked completely chill, though. He looked up at Tyrone with a smirk. “And you’re so fucking protective of these two. It’s kind of fucking sad. You’ve been threatening me since the second I got here, telling me to stop staring at Vix or else Nixon will have my head.”
Nixon looked mildly surprised, glancing at Tyrone. “You have a problem with Flynn?”
Tyrone pointed at Flynn with a filthy glare. “This little fuck’s been frothing at your girl, and I’ve been trying to keep the peace so we can get this fucking job done.”
“My frothing saved her, did it not?” Flynn bit back as he relaxed back into his chair. Then he looked to Nixon, his confidence mirroring his. “I’m not calling her Vixen because that’s not her name, but your girl was at a bakery last night, and you want to know what’s fucked up? She’s been here two years and it was her first time stepping foot in that place.”
What in the fuck was Flynn doing?
Where in the fuck had this come from?
My heart was beating so fast, I was going to have a heart attack. My eyes never left Nixon’s face. I was terrified of his reaction. I stared at him, pleading silently not to do something stupid. Nixon’s jaw went tight. I felt his body stiffening. Flynn was successfully getting to him. Darkness pooled in his eyes.
Oh, no.
“Nixon?” I whispered, worriedly.
“Shut your face,” Tyrone shouted.
“What’re you gonna do?” Flynn challenged, turning his attention to Tyrone. “You gonna show up at my door and threaten me? All because I fed Nixon’s girl from the palm of my hand. She really loved that Nanaimo bar, Nixon, you ought to buy her a box –”
Chaos erupted suddenly. Tyrone had rounded the table and lunged at Flynn, tackling him off the chair and to the ground. But just as he prepared to beat on him, Tiger shouted in alarm and immediately intervened.
“Back dow
n, Tyrone,” he told him, effortlessly pulling him off Flynn. “This isn’t the place, man.”
But Tyrone looked rabid. He tried rounding Tiger to get to Flynn, but it was no use. Tiger kept stepping in front of him. Flynn stood up, dusting his pants off with a cool smirk on his face. At this point, Doll and Rowan were standing as well, moving closer to them to stand in their way. Immediately trying to diffuse the tension while casting cautious glances at Nixon.
But Nixon wasn’t budging. His face remained clear, but I knew better than to believe he was calm. He turned his head to me, meeting my eye, quietly asking me among the chaos, “Is that true, baby? Did he feed you from his hand?”
I was so stiff, I knew he felt it. My lips trembled as I whispered, “Please, Nixon, we can talk about it afterwards.”
“Is. It. True?” he repeated slowly. He was so quiet, yet he was all I heard, that murderous edge present in his tone. The screaming had become background noise. My heart was in my ears. I felt sick with terror.
He read the answer in my expression. If I thought his eyes couldn’t look more dead, I was wrong.
I was in deep shit.
The door of the room slammed open. I turned away from Nixon’s frosty gaze.
“What the fuck is going on?” Hobbs suddenly bellowed, stepping into the room with a furious gaze.
“Flynn started it!” Doll shrieked, rushing to Hobbs. “He started saying shit about Nixon’s girl –”
“I had to break them apart,” Tiger explained, panting. “Tyrone tackled Flynn –”
“He deserved it, though!” Doll cut in. “He was winding Tyrone up –”
“I want him out of here,” Tyrone growled, still trying to get past Tiger. “Hobbs, this kid is a fucking snake!”
Doll nodded heartily. “I agree! Hobbs, you should have seen it. If Tyrone hadn’t tackled him, I think I would have.”
“Doll, shut up,” Rowan said, rolling his eyes.
“Fuck you, Rowan,” she retorted. “Where the fuck were you, anyway? You all team Flynn now?”
“Fuck no. What the fuck?”
“Would you settle the fuck down?” Hobbs said, approaching them. He glanced briefly at us, eyeing Nixon before turning back. “Everyone needs to back the fuck down.”
But it was pandemonium. Tyrone wouldn’t stop cursing, pushing aggressively past Tiger as Flynn stood still, smiling haughtily. Rowan had to also step in, grabbing at Tyrone’s arm while Hobbs began to threaten to shoot him if he didn’t stop. It made little difference. Exhausted, Hobbs looked at Nixon and pleaded, “Would you tell him to stop?”
Nixon didn’t say a thing, though. He just watched, eyeing the scene with that dead expression.
“That’s it, I’ve fucking had it,” Hobbs yelled. “Everyone needs to take Tyrone out of here and send him on a fucking walk!”
Tiger and Rowan forcefully walked Tyrone out of the room. Hobbs opened the door for them, threatening all kinds of hell if Tyrone returned in the same manner. Just as they left the room, Doll furiously began to lose it at Flynn. “Take that fucking smirk off your face,” she seethed. “You’re in deep shit, Flynn. Once this job’s done, you’re done.”
“Doll,” Hobbs warned, impatiently. “Enough. You need to take a walk.”
Doll didn’t argue. She stormed out of there, leaving the four of us left. Now Hobbs’ attention turned to Flynn…and us. Much like me, he looked wary of Nixon’s silence.
“Flynn,” he started, “you’re not winning hearts here.”
Flynn crossed his arms. “Thought we were just doing a job, Hobbs. You act like I joined a family.”
“When you enter a crew for a job, how everyone gets along is very similar to a family.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a fucking family anymore, Hobbs.” Flynn spoke sourly as his expression tightened. “I made a comment about the girl, and Tyrone flew off the deep end. I didn’t touch him –”
“You don’t make comments about Vixen,” Hobbs interrupted sternly. “It’s that simple.”
Flynn glanced at Nixon. “Why? Because I’ll be stepping on his toes?”
“You’ll be stepping on everyone’s toes, you little shit.”
“Doll can make cruel comments to her –”
“Doll never takes it seriously. She’d take a bullet for Vixen if she had to.”
Flynn gritted his teeth and slapped a palm to his chest. “Didn’t I do that already? So, don’t I get the chance to have a say about her too?”
“You’ve been here fuck all days –”
“This girl is trapped here, Hobbs. I can’t look past that.”
Hobbs tightened his jaw. A look of worry crossed his face as he flashed another look at Nixon. “You need to take a walk, too, Flynn.”
“Hobbs –”
“I’m not asking,” he bit back. “Take a fucking walk.”
But Flynn didn’t move. He stood taller, determined not to budge. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Hobbs was growing red with anger. “You are making enemies fast, kid. I’m starting to think hiring you for this job was a mistake.”
“You’ll never find a driver like me.”
“Used to have one like you, actually.”
Flynn’s nostrils flared. “Try finding one before tomorrow.”
Hobbs gritted his teeth. “Flynn, take a fucking walk!”
“I’ll take a walk.”
“Good.”
Flynn tipped his head in my direction. “With her.”
Silence filled the room. Hobbs looked astonished and out of his depth. He didn’t know what to do. He looked at Nixon, a plea in his expression to fix this mess, but Nixon was so still, so cold looking, it was worrying.
I began to stammer, my brain searching for words to ease the tension when I felt a light push against my back. “Get up, Vix,” Nixon ordered, edgily, “and go to Flynn.”
What?
I looked back at him in shock, but there was an ease in his expression now as he looked back at me. “Go on,” he said, gesturing with his chin to get off him.
I got up from his lap and took a few uncertain steps in Flynn’s direction. I looked back at Nixon, trying to determine what the fuck he was doing. He was relaxed though, his hands folded over his chest as he watched me walk away from him.
Hobbs appeared uncertain. “Vix –”
“Shut up,” Nixon interrupted, sharply. “Leave her alone, Hobbs. She can go to Flynn. Let him take her back down to that bakery. Let him feed her again from the palm of his hand. Go on, then.”
I stopped moving and looked back at him again. Tears pricked at my eyes. He was pissed. So pissed. “Nixon –”
“If you don’t leave with Flynn, I will shoot him in the fucking head, Vixen,” he cut in, and he looked dead serious. “I will not hesitate to do it, either, and it will be your fault.”
Before I could respond, I felt a hand grip my arm. Flynn dragged me across the room, his pace brisk. I dragged my feet, resisting. “Let me go, Flynn.”
But Flynn didn’t. I started to flip out. I smacked at his arm, pleading.
“Nixon,” I shouted, panicked. “Nixon!”
Hobbs immediately covered the door before we got to it, locking it behind him. “She doesn’t want to go, Flynn,” he told him.
Flynn looked at me, pissed. “Admit you do, Vixen. Tell him you want to get out.”
I shook my head, glancing behind me as Nixon sat in the chair, watching the scene unfold with that blank expression. “Flynn,” I whimpered, “you have to stop this.”
“You’re just scared,” Flynn said. “Because he forced you here. Because you have no other choice.”
I shook my head, even though my eyes spoke the truth, and Flynn saw it. He read my face and tugged harder on my arm, making me wince.
“Are you hurting my girl, Flynn?” Nixon’s voice boomed edgily from behind us.
Flynn glared at him. “Not trying to hurt her.”
“I threatened her I’d blow your head o
ff if she didn’t leave with you, and she’s still here, begging to stay,” he replied sharply. “Does that sound like she’s forced to be here, Flynn?”
Flynn shook his head, snarling, “You use everyone’s fear like a weapon. She’s terrified of you.”
“Is that true, baby?” Nixon asked me, swinging his frosty gaze to me.
My shoulders fell. I looked back at Flynn and slowly shook my head. “I’m not afraid of Nixon.”
“Tell Flynn what you’re afraid of.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears as I looked at Flynn and said, “I’m afraid he will kill you.”
“And I will,” Nixon growled with conviction, “if you don’t leave with the boy in ten seconds.”
My insides seized as I stared at Nixon in horror.
“Time it, Hobbs,” he said, staring straight at me. “10, 9…”
Flynn dragged me to the door and this time Hobbs moved, looking equally shocked. Flynn unlocked the door just as I heard the number 5 and swung it open.
My body went slack as Flynn hurried us out.
Still trying to squirm away, I desperately tried to reason with Flynn. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You have to stop this!”
He hurried us across the hotel, skirting past a group of guests. At the foyer, the girls at the front desk looked alarmed. Jenny immediately left her station and rushed in our direction, shouting at Nixon’s men to stop us.
But Nixon’s men weren’t budging. They exchanged looks with one another, hesitating. One of them was on the phone and had a hand up, stopping the men from advancing to us.
Nixon had talked them down.
Oh, my God.
This was worse than I thought.
Flynn swung the doors open and we walked outside. He took only a few steps before stopping and letting me go. He turned around to look at me, watching as I shut my eyes and felt the fresh wind against my cheeks.
The sun was out, for once. It was not gloomy, the clouds weren’t dimming the skies. Autumn was on the horizon, and with it the air had turned cool. Soon, the ocean would get worse. The brutal storms would come, and with it there would be strong winds and daring waves. The guests would be few, the seaplanes would slow, and the island would go quiet. It was a tough time of the year for me because Nixon took a lot of jobs in the winter, and I would be left to submerge myself in books, in pointless lessons, in the company of myself.