“C-c-can’t get clean, Jesse,” she mumbles. “I tried and tried but it wouldn’t work.” The tears streaking down her face and the blood covering her body have my hands shaking when I realize that she’s rubbed some areas raw.
“Oh, pretty girl, what have you done?” I whisper. I’m afraid that anything I do will hurt her and that’s the last thing I want to do. I pat at her skin gently and wince when I get a closer look at the damage she’s done to herself. “Let’s get you into something soft and I’ll get some antibacterial cream.”
“I’m not clean, Jesse,” she whimpers as I help her into pajamas. “You shouldn’t touch me. I’m so so sorry.”
I grab my phone and call Trident. “Hey, bring your bag and come to my room. Got a situation I need your help with, brother.”
“Be there in a few.” He disconnects the call and I lead her into the bedroom.
“Lilli, can you tell me why you don’t think you’re clean?” I suspect it has to do with that fuckface, but I know if she talks about it, I can make her understand that his actions have no bearing on her.
“Because of him. What he and Kassidy were doing, probably under my nose the whole time!” she screams. “I should’ve known, Jesse. How could I have been so fucking blind?”
Before I can answer, I hear a knock on the door and leave her side to answer it. “What’s going on, brother?” Trident asks as he enters my suite.
“Lilli hurt herself in the shower,” I reply, motioning for him to follow me. I hear his hiss when he sees the skin that’s exposed. She has raw, bleeding patches on her arms and legs. Even her face is pinker than normal but thankfully, it’s not bleeding.
“Oh, darling, why?” Trident asks as he reaches her side. He opens his bag and pulls out gauze pads, saline solution, and some heavy-duty antibacterial cream, along with bandages.
She looks at him, tears still flowing, and says, “Because I can’t get clean.”
“Darling, you know everyone has a past, right?” he questions. “Since we know that bastard cheated on you, Poseidon will take you and get those tests run to ease your mind. It’s not your fault that he cheated, you know that, right? Some men and even some women, are just fucktards.”
I chuckle at his words even though looking at my woman like this hurts my heart. I hear her whimper when he starts cleaning her wounds and cringe, knowing that she’s going to be miserable for a few days. “I’m sorry, Jesse,” she whispers.
“Nothing to be sorry about, pretty girl. I wish I had realized earlier what you were doing so you didn’t hurt yourself so badly.”
Thirty minutes later, she’s all fixed up and I watch as Trident gives her a pain pill. Once she’s comfortable in the bed, I follow him back into the living area where he says, “Gotta keep an eye out for infection, brother. Maybe see if they’ll give her some antibiotics when you take her to the clinic later.”
“Planned on it. Thanks, brother.”
He leaves and I turn out the lights before going back into the bedroom. Getting into the bed, I carefully pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead. “Jesse, how can you want me? I mean, Anson obviously didn’t so there must be something wrong with me.”
“Sweetheart, like I’ve told you before, you’ve been mine since you fell at my feet. We’ll both get tested tomorrow, okay? I’ve always used protection, but that way, we’ll know we’re both clean so we can move forward.”
“What if I’m not?” she sobs out.
“Then we’ll deal with it.” As much as I don’t want to know about any other fucker touching her, I decide I need to ask her how long it’s been. “When was the last time you two were sexually active?”
“Maybe two months ago? Right before my parents died, I think. Definitely not since then, though, which should have been a red flag to me. I should’ve realized he was cheating on me, the rat bastard.”
“I hate that he did that to you because no one deserves to be cheated on by someone who claims to love them. But it brought you to me so maybe I should send him a card to thank him.”
Her giggles surprise me and when she starts laughing, I can’t help but join her. “H-h-he would die,” she stammers out. “Besides, he doesn’t deserve your thanks.”
“I think he does. Maybe in the form of a throat punch or a broken nose,” I state. Having her in my arms is jacking up my libido, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, even if my dick is so hard, I could pound nails. I can tell by how she’s snuggling closer that the pain pill is kicking in so I kiss her forehead and say, “Get some rest, sweetheart. We’ll go to the clinic later, okay?”
Lilli
Honest to God, I hate needles and yet, here I am giving the lab vampires four vials of blood. I’ve already seen the doctor who checked my wounds and redressed them then gave me a prescription for antibiotics. Since I’ve been on so many, I ask for that ‘extra’ pill because I know that my poor body is going to react. He smiled but gave it to me along with one for a stronger antibiotic cream. I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid to do that to myself. I guess temporary insanity struck. “If you see any signs of infection, you need to come back,” the doctor says. “You know, if the wounds start to look red or begin to ooze, or if you run a fever, I want you coming back.”
“She will,” Jesse states.
“Bossy much?” I mutter under my breath. He must hear me though because he shoots me a ‘you will listen’ kind of look. Don’t ask me how I know what that is; I can just tell that’s what he means.
“As soon as we have the bloodwork results back, we’ll give you a call.” I nod, still mortified that I had to get that kind of testing done. It makes me want to throw my fists in the air and scream until I’m hoarse.
“Thank you,” I say.
“There is a liquid soap that we recommend people use with wounds like that; I’ll get the nurse to write the name down for y’all.” Great, just fucking great. Once again, I nod because at this point, there’s not much else to say so why bother.
He leads us out of the exam room and we go toward the check-out station while he heads into another room and on to the next patient. Once I settle the bill, Jesse laces his fingers with mine and we head out to his truck. “Let’s go get these filled,” he says after helping me in on the passenger side then getting into the driver’s seat.
“Okay.” My voice is quiet, shame emanating off of me in waves. “I’m sorry, Jesse.”
“Told you last night that it was gonna be okay, Lilli. No matter what the test results come back with, we’ll deal. Okay?”
I know he’s trying to soothe me, but it isn’t working, not with Anson’s betrayal so front and center right now. Plus, I had entertained thoughts of seducing him, but I have to wait now until the test results come back. “Yeah, I guess.”
“There’s no guessing, pretty girl. You’re mine, plain and simple.”
Unbidden, tears well up as his words wash over me. From the moment we first met, he’s been unfailingly kind, and that, coupled with everything that has happened over the past few months, has me reevaluating my whole life. I never had many female friends and now with Kassidy out of the picture, I don’t have anyone to share my fears. My mom’s voice runs through my mind and I grin. She’d always tell me, “There’s no use crying over spilled milk, Lilli-bug. Pull up your big-girl panties and tackle that problem head-on.”
“I know, I was just hoping to start things now that um, you know, now that I’m no longer engaged.”
“So we wait another week or so, sweetheart. Waiting will make it that much sweeter.” His voice sounds huskier and at his words, I feel my face heating up. “You’re so damn expressive, Lilli.”
“I guess. I just wish every emotion wasn’t written on my face sometimes. Why couldn’t I have one of those resting bitch faces?” I ask.
He chuckles while squeezing my hand and I again marvel at how well we fit together. Then I start wondering how we’ll be when we’re skin to skin with no clothes between us. “What has that look on
your face?” he questions, pulling into the pharmacy.
“Can I plead the fifth?” I retort. He puts the truck in park and turns to look at me.
“Nope. I always want to know what you’re thinking. Good, bad or ugly. So, tell me, what were you musing about over there?”
Sighing, I say, “I was wondering how it would be between us, you know, when we can, you know…”
“When we can finally get naked? Fuck? Make love? All of the above?” His matter-of-fact tone has me giggling, my embarrassment now gone.
“How do you do that? Make it where I’m not uncomfortable anymore no matter what we’re talking about?”
“I think it’s because you know somewhere deep inside that I’ll never deliberately or intentionally say or do anything to hurt you, which means that you’re free to be yourself. No pretenses, no falseness. Just us—you and me. And based on how I feel every time you’re in my arms, I think we’re going to be explosive.”
“Modest much?” I tease.
“Confident, sweetheart. At least where you’re concerned. Now come on, let’s get this stuff filled and get back to the clubhouse. I need to hit some of the businesses and see about hiring some help.”
I wait for him to help me out of the truck, then we walk inside where I hand the prescriptions to the pharmacist. “Oh, and I need to get this stuff as well,” I say, handing her the piece of paper that the nurse gave me at the clinic. She directs me to the correct aisle and I head in that direction. “Jesse, I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time, I’ll be waiting.” I nod and head several aisles over to grab the liquid soap the clinic recommended.
Poseidon
I clocked that bitch, Kassidy, the minute she walked into the pharmacy. As much as I want to rush over and protect Lilli from anything she might say, I realize that this might be the opportunity my woman needs to get a few things off her chest. Instead, I maneuver near the aisle I know that Lilli went toward, preparing myself to step in if I need to do so.
“Lillianna? Can... can I talk to you?” Kassidy begs.
“I don’t really have anything to say to you, Kassidy,” Lilli replies.
“He made me do it! We’ve been best friends for so long, you owe it to me to listen!” I decide that this conversation might need to be recorded so I pull out my phone and proceed to get it set up.
“I don’t owe you jack shit, Kassidy. Not after you decided to fuck my fiancé. Nope, you broke the girl code wide open with that little stunt. How could you? Why did you?”
“I don’t know,” the bitch wails. “I guess I got caught up in everything and wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry, Lillianna.”
“Yeah, well, sorry won’t cut it, Kassidy, not by a fucking long shot,” Lilli states. I can hear the little growl in her tone and find myself adjusting my dick. Seeing her like this has me hard as fuck. I thank the powers that be that I’m so fucking tall, because I see Kassidy move closer to my woman, something clenched in her hand. No clue what it is, but there’s no fucking way I’ll let her get close enough to hurt Lilli, so I start to make my way to the two women. Before she can do anything, though, my woman sweeps her leg out in a fancy-ass kick and I watch Kassidy fly through the air. “That’s for fucking my fiancé,” she hisses out between clenched teeth. When Kassidy goes to stand up, I can see her legs are shaking. Lilli doesn’t let up. No, she pulls her fist back and plows it into her face, saying, “And that’s for trying to kill me, you conniving bitch.”
Well alrighty then. If it was possible to get any harder than I already was, then her actions and words have done it. I decide to separate the two women before the police get called, so I walk around the corner of the aisle I was in until I’m directly behind my woman. I pull her back to my front and encircle her waist with my arms as I direct my glare at the two-timing whore standing there with her face reddened as tears trickle down her face. “Time for you to go, sunshine,” I demand. “As far as Lilli’s concerned, you’re no longer part of her life. Get gone.” She squeaks and I don’t hide my amusement as she quickly shuffles away, constantly looking over her shoulder at the two of us.
Once she’s gone, I lean down and whisper, “Do you know how fucking hot it was to see you putting a hurt on her like you did?” Her wide eyes peer up at me and I barely resist taking her mouth.
“Really? I’ve never used anything I learned like that before. Not ever. But her saying that I owed it to her just pissed me off, Jesse. I don’t owe her anything, not a damn thing. And just so we’re clear, your growly command turned me on too.”
I take her hand in mine and practically run back to the pharmacy section. When the clerk sees us, she grabs a bag that I know is my woman’s. “This stuff too,” I state, motioning to the items that Lilli is holding. I watch the flush on her face as she puts the soap they recommended, as well as some feminine hygiene items on the counter. Once everything is paid for, we head back out toward the truck. “Why are you embarrassed?” I ask as I help her into the truck.
“I don’t know,” she says, buckling her seatbelt. “I guess because whenever I had my period it kind of freaked Anson out or something. I mean, I’m pretty sure my dad had occasion to get them for my mom, so it’s not like it’s weird or anything.”
“Well, just so you know, it doesn’t freak me out. It’s a natural body function and maybe because my mom’s a nurse, shit like that doesn’t bother me. I’ve seen far worse overseas.”
“What kind of help are you looking for?” she questions, choosing to change the topic. I’ll give her that since we’re so new, but she’s gonna realize that there’s not much I haven’t seen or done.
“We need an administrative assistant. Someone who can schedule appointments, take care of the filing, make sure we’ve got adequate inventory. That kind of thing.”
“For which business?”
“Mostly the tattoo shop, because trying to keep up with everything is driving Loki nuts. But occasionally, at the bar as well as the repair shop,” I reply, as I head toward the bar in question.
“That’s what I went to school for,” she murmurs, lost in thought. “I suppose I should think about getting a job.”
“Why don’t you work for us? We’re a small club so we do hire citizens, but I’d prefer someone who is part of the club itself to handle the sensitive stuff, y’know?”
“How would that work? They’re not all at the same place, are they?”
“Well, the tattoo shop has an online appointment scheduler and that can be done anywhere. You’d just have to go in once or twice a week to make sure he’s got sufficient inventory. You know, the inks, needles, gloves. I’m sure he’s got a spreadsheet that would make it easy to keep up with and if not, I’ll have Specks create one. As far as the bar, the prospects handle the deliveries, but again, a weekly inventory is needed to make sure we’ve got enough alcohol for special events and shit. Now the repair shop might be a bit more involved. We do custom work, but we also do repairs on both cars and bikes, so we go through a lot of disposable product. I think we could make it work for you so that you spent one day a week at each place getting shit filed, the inventory updated and anything ordered that was low. What do you think?”
“It sounds challenging.” I can hear the excitement in her voice and grin, knowing that somehow, she’ll get everything so fucking organized that we’ll actually know what the fuck is going on.
“I’m sure once you get a system in place at each business, it’ll be a piece of cake. We work to live, Lilli, we don’t live to work, so we’re all about living free and easy. Yeah, we work hard, but we play harder, and I want you to be hands-on in that regard.”
Lilli
This past week has been insanely busy, that’s for sure. Detective Ames finally got my phone back to me and sure enough, there was some kind of tracking app on it that has since been removed. In fact, Jesse had their IT guy, Specks, go over my phone to make sure there wasn’t anything else hidden. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a tracker on my car,
which we found out when Jesse called Atlas to check. True to his word, Jesse took me to all of the club-owned businesses and after they discussed it in church, I am now the administrative assistant for the bar, tattoo shop, and repair shop. My salary is a bit mind-blowing but when I tried to protest, I was shut down. Because of the sensitive nature of some of their security contracts, I don’t handle anything there, but the office for the security firm is at the clubhouse and I told Jesse the other day that if he needed me to file anything, he just had to let me know.
My phone rings and I answer it when I see it’s him. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, pretty girl. We’ve got some club business to deal with, so I need you to stick close to the clubhouse. The prospects are there if you need anything, okay?” Ugh. I knew this day would come but since he told me that he would always be honest, there’s not much else I can do. The only problem is the club girls are here today doing their ‘cleaning’ and they’ve been a bit bitchy toward me. I haven’t said anything to him because I figure it’s up to me to deal with it so they know that I’m not someone they want to fuck with.
“Got it. Stay close to the clubhouse,” I reply.
“Did you get a call from the clinic?” he asks.
I nod then realize he can’t see me. “Yeah, I did. Everything was good. I also heard from my lawyer who is working to get my money transferred to my local account and Detective Ames called with an update on their investigation. It’s been like a circus for my phone today, that’s for sure.” His chuckle makes me smile. Ever since Specks made sure that the tracking app was removed from my phone, I’ve felt better about using it. I now have text streams with just about every one of the brothers; at least, the ones who work at the businesses I take care of, anyhow.
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