by Amelia Shea
He let go of her hair and his hand softly glided down her back. She lifted her head to his neck. Her nose brushed against him and she inhaled his scent. He smelled masculine, almost woodsy, like pine trees and campfires. His warm breath was on her ear; his mouth nibbled her earlobe. She felt a wet release and knew her panties were soaked.
“Ah…” she moaned.
“All you have to do is ask me, babe.” His chest was against her and she could feel his heart pumping fast. Sadie was not the only one affected by this situation. He wanted her, too.
All she had to do was ask and all her fantasies would become reality. Everything about this was wrong. She knew it. Deep down, where she’d buried her fear, she knew this was wrong and crazy. But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t!
Her lips found his neck and she kissed a line down to the neckline of his shirt. She let her tongue glide up his neck and across his throat. He groaned, “Ask me,” as he grinded into her again. Her legs stiffened against one another feeling the friction of her wet panties rubbing against his leg. She licked his neck again up to his ear, breathing heavily, uncontrollably panting.
She opened her mouth just as his cell rang. They both stopped moving. They were locked together as the phone rang again. She raised her face to his in a complete lust-filled stare. He was usually so hard to read but those green eyes said it all, he was feeling the desire and the regret of being interrupted. He dipped his head down close enough to lick her bottom lip and yanked himself away.
“Yeah, whatcha got?” His voice was completely emotionless. It was the same tone one would use to ask for more dessert.
Meanwhile, Sadie was still pinned against the wall, panting. Her desire began to fade. Her own regret settling in. An hour ago, the thought of this man had her riddled with fear. She had thought she was going to die. Less than a minute ago, she was prepared to strip down and fuck him.
He paced around the living room on the phone and muttered, “Yeah,” and “Got it.” She watched him from her corner. Sadie knew she should move. But she didn’t. Her head snapped up when she heard him say, “All right, be out in five.” He walked back into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. His stance of crossed arms and scowl confirmed that whatever happened moments ago was over. When he spoke, it was eerily calm.
“You won’t say anything, Sadie. Not one word about what you think you saw tonight. If you go to the police, I’ll know. If you tell a friend, I’ll know. Make no mistake, I will know. Then I’ll come back. I’m giving you a chance, Sadie, and I don’t do second chances. Remember what I said earlier? You do this my way or the wrong way. I don’t want to hurt you. But I will. If it comes down to it, I will hurt you, Sadie.”
She heard his words and they slowly sunk in. Whatever happened before was long over. If he had to, he’d hurt her.
“You understand?” Stone remained calm. He stepped away from the counter but kept about five feet of distance between them.
She nodded and held his gaze. She didn’t see any lust or softness, just his vacant stare and hardness.
He turned and stalked to the door. She held her breath waiting for him to leave. He pushed the door open but stopped. The door rested against his back as he turned around.
“And for fuck’s sake, lock the door!”
Then he was gone.
****
It was a dick move. Stone let the door slam shut behind him. It was a complete dick move, but he had no choice. Sadie was fucking killing him with her body and her need for him. Hers was as strong as his. That was not supposed to happen, none of that was supposed to happen. His intention was to get in her place, scare the hell out of her, and take off. His little kitten wasn’t supposed to show her claws. Her feistiness made his dick hard, and made him want her more.
He stomped down the stairs, frustrated both sexually and mentally. Sadie didn’t fit into his plan. His job would be over and he’d leave. Fucking the diner waitress was not part of that plan. He needed to stay away from her. He had never had a woman affect him the way she did. Staying away was what needed to happen. His frustration and anger grew and he zoned in on his target. He stalked toward the waiting truck. T was driving with Bogs in the passenger seat. They stared at him as he came forward. Bogs smile faltered and changed to confusion as Stone closed in on the truck.
Stone ripped open the door and grabbed Bogs by the shirt and pulled him out of the truck, almost dragging him to the ground.
“What the fuck?” Bogs yelled, and tried to pry Stone’s hands from his chest. His back slammed up against the truck with Stone’s face inches from his own.
“Don’t you ever fucking point a gun at her. What the fuck were you thinking?” Stone raged. He shook Bogs and jammed him back against the truck making a loud thud.
“Dude, relax! I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just wanted to scare her. I would never fucking hurt a woman, you know that.” He pushed at Stone’s chest.
“It could have gone off, you dumb fuck. Jesus Christ, Bogs, fucking think! You could have shot her,” he reamed through gritted teeth and shoved Bogs back once more before releasing him. Stone ran his hand through his hair gripping a chunk. His anger permeated through him. He had to get a handle on it. His rage was directed at Bogs deservingly. Bogs screwed up. They all did. But right now, he was consumed with the protectiveness he felt for Sadie. He hated it. This girl was nothing to him, he repeated to himself.
He got into the front seat of the truck and slammed the door before staring back at her trailer. All the lights were still on. He wondered if she was still in her same spot. Still panting hard, wet, hard nipples begging to be touched. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, her scent still on him and his neck still tingling from her lips. He wanted her.
“Fuck!” He punched the dashboard.
“Get a grip, man,” T snarled.
“Fuck off!” He turned his glare to T.
T shook his head and waited for Bogs to climb in the back. He backed out of the driveway in silence and drove out of the trailer park. The truck remained quiet. The tension inside was thick and no one uttered a word the whole way home. They had fucked up tonight.
Sadie saw the guy, the blood—she saw too much. If she went to the police they were fucked. This job was turning out to be a cluster fuck.
T pulled into his spot in the parking lot at the condo complex and turned off the engine before turning his attention to Stone. Stone could feel his eyes on him.
“You think she’ll say anything?” he asked.
“No.” She wouldn’t say anything, Stone made sure of that. He had convinced her with his threats. He had seen the fear in her eyes.
T let out a long breath. “Stone, man, you gotta get a handle on whatever shit you got going with her. This could end badly.”
He stared out the front window. He knew it could end badly. She didn’t need to be anywhere near the shit that was going down.
“Look…” T started.
“I got it. It’s done,” Stone replied, ending whatever conversation T was going to start. This ended tonight. He’d make sure she didn’t say anything. He’d steer clear of her. He had to.
They all opened doors to get out.
“Stone?” Bogs said.
Stone turned to the back seat.
“I’ll get the info on her right now. I’ll have it by afternoon.” It was a Bogs way of apologizing. He would stay up until he got what Stone needed, it would be making amends for messing up. He watched as his brother’s strong usually humorous face faltered. That face was incapable of hurting a female, Stone knew that.
“Yeah, thanks.” He gave Bogs a chin lift, got out of the truck, and headed to his door with them following.
Chapter Five
There were a few questions and some concerns when Sadie went in for her next shift the following night. She needed a ride to work so she called Melinda. She was hounded for details on what happened. Melinda kept saying she knew he was interested. Interested he was, but not how Melinda thoug
ht. He was interested in Sadie keeping her mouth shut. Melinda teased that it was only fair to tell her if he was as hot in bed as he was in person. Much to her disappointment, Sadie was honest. They didn’t have sex and she hadn’t seen him after that night.
She hated herself for admitting it but she still dreamed of Stone. She relived their moment with an ending that had her screaming out his name as she came. Sadie tried to picture a different face and body. But she’d always come back to those green eyes and that thin, long scar. It was the only way she could climax. In her fantasies he didn’t speak. Sadie didn’t allow his cruel words to tarnish her fantasy.
Life went on. A week had passed since that night. Stone never came back. Mostly it was a relief. While he might not kill her, he was a dangerous man.
She was glued to her television for the whole week. She even bought the newspaper every day, which she usually never did. She was waiting to see Stone’s mug shot flash on her screen or on the front page of the paper. But there was nothing. Sadie thought about going to the police. She even parked in front of the station once. But she just sat in her car thinking about what Stone said. If she told anyone, he’d know. She tried to psyche herself up to walk in. She replayed her “do the right thing” speech a dozen times in her head. She was a witness to a murder. Well, she wasn’t absolutely sure the guy was dead, but at the very least attempted murder. She had to tell someone. She’d be brave, maybe even a hero when Stone and his thugs were caught. She’d probably have to testify in court. Face to face with Stone.
She never got out of the car at the station. She never told anyone. She felt like a coward.
Here she was again, watching the clock. Tick, tock, tick tock. They’d been pretty busy today. She’d been on the move since her shift started at eleven a.m. Sadie loved day shifts, the day flew by. She jumped at the chance for an extra shift when one of the girls called in sick. She’d been waiting for day shifts since she started. She was told the shifts were given by seniority and her time would come. Four years later and she was still waiting. Some of the other waitresses volunteered for the night shift, like Pearl. Not Sadie though, she was just biding time until she moved to days. There had been plenty of waitresses hired after her. They were trained and ready to start. Kate was the only one who lasted. Bernie hired a new girl, Tracey, about two weeks ago. If all went well, her day shift would be here soon enough.
Sadie just finished up a bill when she heard a group come through the door. She didn’t even bother with a glance, hoping they sat in Melinda’s section. After dropping the bill at table five, Sadie helped Juan clear tables seven and eight. A large group of older ladies had just left. She thought they were part of a book club. They had fun, laughed a lot, tipped horribly.
She headed back with Juan to the kitchen and scanned the dining area. She saw a group of five or six in Melinda’s section. They were in the far corner table. It looked to be three guys and two girls. From what she could see they were still looking over the menu.
Sadie grabbed the rag to wipe the counters down when Brenna walked in.
“It’s so cold out there. Brrrrr. I was not meant for winter, Sadie. I am a flip flop kind of woman.”
God, she loved Brenna, she made her laugh. She was in her thirties and married with two kids. Her husband brought the kids in sometimes in the early morning for breakfast. She gushed over all of them, announcing to anyone who could hear that she had an amazing family. She truly did, and Sadie envied her.
“Me too, Bren.” Sadie laughed.
“Leaving at eight?” she asked as she shivered.
“Yup, eight, and not a minute later. I don’t want to turn into a pumpkin or worse, a raving bitch!” Sadie teased.
She burst out laughing as she walked toward the back. “Well, then I best clock in so you can get outta here.”
Sadie glanced up at the old cola clock. She had three minutes left. Thank God.
“Hey, can we get some service here?” A deep voice came from the far left in Melinda’s section.
She peered over the counter looking for Melinda but she didn’t see her. Where the hell did she go? She was there a minute ago. Dammit! Maybe they could hold off until Brenna came back out.
“Hey waitress, let’s go!” the voice shouted out in a playful but impatient tone.
Sadie knew that voice, she thought to herself, but couldn’t figure out where she knew that voice from. She grabbed her pad and headed over to table sixteen to find out. As she walked closer, she could see that there were two guys with a blonde situated between them. Their backs were to her. She looked past them to see a pretty redhead in between an empty seat and a light brown-haired guy who was grinning at her. She returned the smile and suddenly halted. She knew this guy and he knew her. No wonder the voice sounded familiar. She couldn’t easily forget a guy who threatened to shoot her. Bogs. Shit!
She glanced back at the men with their backs to her. The one closest to the window had black hair. It was styled with a wave on the side. While the others were dressed casually, he had on a button-down dress shirt. He looked like he should be gracing the cover of GQ, not ordering food off a plastic menu.
She didn’t know him. But she did know the guy on the other end. Thick dark hair draped over the sides of his ears and slightly curled at the nape. She got full confirmation when he turned to the blonde who was giggling. Sadie saw his scar from the corner of his eye leading down his cheek. His cheeks spread wide as he smiled. Stone.
She couldn’t do this. Sadie quickly turned around and rushed back to the counter. She would get Brenna to take their order if she couldn’t find Melinda. Panic started to rise and the anxiety set in. The humiliation crashed back in her mind. She was just about at the counter when she heard Bogs shout.
“C’mon, sweetheart, don’t run away.” Sadie heard the laughter in his tone.
Her heart beat erratically. What should she do? He was taunting her, laughing at her, probably with Stone joining in. The embarrassment was overwhelming. Stone probably went back that night and told them about the stupid, slutty, trailer trash waitress who basically dry fucked him in her kitchen even when she thought he might be a killer. Her mind thought back to what Stone said a week ago. The tears rimmed her eyes. “Thought you girls made good tips or ya gotta pay extra for that.”
Motherfucker! She took a deep breath. Then she took another one. You want a slutty waitress, you got it. She hoped he’d fucking choke on it. She smiled as she undid two of the top buttons. The gap was wide enough to show her boobs and still hide the bra. She might not have much going for her, but she did have a fantastic set of C cups.
She whipped around and marched back over to their table. The corner of Bogs’ lip went up, clearly enjoying what he saw. The redhead next to him peered up from her menu and her eyes went wide. She looked over at Bogs but his eyes were still glued to her tits. Sadie came to a stop at the head of the table. Bogs on one side, Stone on the other. The whole table looked up. Let the show begin.
Sadie used her sweetest voice and from somewhere deep she mustered up all the confidence she had to offer.
“Hi! So sorry you all had to wait. It seems your waitress is missing in action. Let me at least get your drinks and then I’ll track her down.”
She completely ignored Stone and the twit next to him who was displaying more cleavage than Sadie. She turned to Bogs expectantly, waiting on his drink order. He was openly still checking out her breasts. An elbow to his ribs from the redhead had him meeting her eyes.
“I’ll have a Coke,” he blurted out.
“Me too!” from the redhead. Sadie smiled over at her.
She looked to the end at GQ. “I’ll have a coffee. Black.”
The blonde twit whose hand now rested on Stone’s thigh cocked her eyebrow at Sadie. She actually had the nerve to look her up and down and roll her eyes. Bitch!
“I’ll have a Coke, also.”
Sadie returned her perusal and sweetly asked, “Diet?”
Bogs coughed try
ing to cover up his laughter. He was unsuccessful.
The blonde narrowed her eyes at Sadie throwing a death glare. She suppressed a laugh and turned to Stone. “And you?”
She expected a glare or a scowl but his eyes were soft and slightly amused.
“I’ll take a coffee. Cream and sugar.”
“Great! I’ll grab those for you and send Melinda to take your order.” She needed to get out of here; her confidence and fake bravado would only last so long.
“Excuse me, where can I find the specials?”
Sadie glanced over at the man asking, Mr. GQ. Focusing directly on him, she could see that he was extremely handsome. Damn! He had the most beautiful blue eyes. They were almost too beautiful for a man. They reminded her of the ocean. His hair was so dark it looked jet black, and was cut short and professional. He must have it styled to get that wave to stay in place.
Sadie smiled at GQ and he smiled back before looking back down at his menu. She walked behind Bogs and the redhead and stood behind the empty seat across from him. The group was staring at her again but she kept her focus on GQ. She leaned down and rested her elbows on the table. His eyes zeroed in on her breasts. GQ looked a little shocked but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the view.
“Right here, baby,” she pointed to the menu, “they’re all listed on this side. If you don’t see anything that you like, I bet I can have the chef whip you up something special.”
She took a breath, cocked up her brow and basically purred, “Do you see anything you like?”
She heard a few gasps and one distinct growl. She knew it didn’t come from GQ though. He grinned and winked at her. She popped back up and walked around the table. As she passed Stone, he grabbed her wrist and said through gritted teeth, “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”