by C. M. Allen
"Oh my God Archer, I'm so sorry," she said, covering her mouth with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Thank you. It was the club I'm a member of that she died in, Sloane."
"What?"
"She was dabbling in the lifestyle and I didn't even know she was into it, neither did her brother."
"Was she there before you became a member?"
"No, I was a member at the time, but I wasn't there the night she was killed. I always wondered if I had been maybe she would still be alive today."
"Don't you dare take on that guilt, Archer. It's not your fault that sick fuck took her life." Raising my brows at her cursing, she said, "Sorry, I just can't believe someone could do something so heinous to another human." Pausing for a moment she asked. "Why couldn't you just tell me about this from the very beginning?"
I looked up to the ceiling for a moment. "I didn't want to worry you about it or have you view the people in this lifestyle, my lifestyle, as threats. I wanted to be able to show you how much pleasure you could get from what I do, not have you look at it through jaded eyes and be afraid of it."
Reaching up to stroke my face, she leaned in and places a soft kiss on my lips. "Archer, I know you would never allow anyone to hurt me the way he did her."
“But I've hurt you, Sloane. I hurt you tonight when I said that shit about keeping our distance. I was only punishing myself for putting you in danger tonight. I should have known better than to take you to the club. Now if that sick fuck was in there, he may have seen you."
"Archer, look at me." Raising my head, I looked into the most beautiful pair of eyes I hoped to see every day for the rest of my life. "I-I love you, Archer Jennings. I love everything about you. I just wish you would learn that being honest with me is not going to make me run. The thing that makes me run is when you shut me out, that's what hurts me more than anything."
Hearing her words, it took a couple of seconds for the three most beautiful words I'd waited to hear from her sink in. "You love me?"
Tilting her head sideways, she answered. "Oh, don't act all shocked at this revelation when you've known I have been in love with you for awhile now."
Not able to contain myself any longer, I pulled her into a deep kiss, taking her breath away as we glided our tongues over one another, touching and feeling each other. Ending the kiss, I told her. "I love you too Sloane, probably have since the first day I saw you. You mean more to me than I can ever tell you."
"Really?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yes really. I want you to come back to my place tonight with me. And just to make myself perfectly clear, I'm not asking."
Her mouth gaped open for a moment before I saw lust gloss over her eyes. "God, you're so bossy, Archer."
I tugged her closer to me. "You love it and you know it, angel."
She let out a nervous giggle, telling me that I was right but then said, "I'll come home with you if you answer one question for me."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Why was Gage sitting outside my place tonight after you left?"
Knowing this question was inevitable the moment I showed up with Gage, I explained. "Look, there was no way after what happened tonight, I was going to let you be here by yourself just in case..."
"Jared showed up?" she said, cutting me off.
"That too. But I wanted to keep you safe even if I couldn't be with you. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of my mistake in judgement tonight."
"Thank you, Archer."
"For what?"
"For caring about me."
As I cradled her face in my hands, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Angel, I will always love and take care of you." Grabbing her chin, I held her eyes to mine. "Because you are mine, isn't that right?"
"I am yours, Archer. Always have been. Always will be."
Crashing our mouths together, I began fucking her mouth with my tongue, the way I wanted to fuck her as soon as I got her back to my place. But first things first, I needed to get rid of the constant cock block that awaited us outside her front door. Breaking the kiss, I asked her. "Are you ready to tell Jared goodbye, for good this time, Sloane? Because once we walk out this door, it's you and me. I will not accept any outside interference from this asshole in our relationship any longer. So I'm going to be the one to make that crystal clear to him this time with you by my side. Do you understand what it is I'm telling you?"
"Yes I do, but please try not to be too cruel Archer, it's not his fault."
"It is his fault, when he tries to take you away from me. And if he ever tries to do it again, I'm going after him with everything I've got, and the end-result will not be a good one for him." Hearing her take in a shaky breath I asked. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yes, I am."
Opening the door, we started to walk through it when Jared was on Sloane in an instant, begging her not to leave before she even took a step out the door. "Sloane, don't do this. I can make you so much happier than he can. He will never love you the way I do."
"Jared..." Sloane said in a defeated tone.
Pushing my way past her, I grabbed him up by the shirt and pushed him up against the wall. "You need to hear me loud and clear right now, man. You and her are over and done with." Looking at Gage, I gave him a nod for him to take Sloane to the car, so she wasn’t further objected to his rallies to win her back. Then turned my attention back on Jared. "She is with me now, and you just need to accept that and back the hell off! No more coming into her life, trying to win her back. Do. You. Understand?"
He chuckled to himself. "Listen to me you piece of shit. She cares about me, which is why she was just kissing me before you barged in and interrupted us. There's nothing you can do to stop me from making her mine. I'll be waiting for you to fuck things up because you always do. And the second that happens, I'll be right there to pick up the pieces and welcome her back with open arms."
Trying not to kill him with my bare hands after hearing that his lips touched what was mine, I warned him. "You are never to come near her again or I will kick the living shit out of you, you got me?" I said through gritted teeth before pushing him so hard against the wall he collapsed onto the ground as I walked away.
"She will be mine again, asshole! You can bet on it!"
CHAPTER
22
Sloane
As Gage escorted me to Archer's Jag, we made the walk in silence, listening to the two of them shout at one another. "I hope Jared takes Archer's warning seriously, because I really don't know how much longer he is going to be able to keep his head about him if he finds that guy near you again. I had to talk him out of a visit to a jail cell tonight as it was when he saw Jared on the couch with you." Feeling bad over the whole situation, I kept silent. Stopping dead in his tracks, he grabbed my wrist, turning me to face him. "Sloane?"
"Yes?"
"You don't love Jared, do you?"
Shaking my head, I answered. "No. But I do care about him and I feel terrible about the situation I've created with him, myself, and Archer. I really did think Archer was out of my life for good when I met Jared."
Gage studied me for a moment. "Come on, really? You knew he would come back to you one day, he just needed to figure his shit out and realize how much he loved you first."
"Honestly, at first, I believed that, too. But the more time that went by, though, the harder it was to have faith in him ever coming back to me."
"He's a stubborn man Sloane, who's been blindsided by his feelings for you, literally. I've never known him to be so head over heels for any woman. So, you've got to cut him some slack. He's going to mess this up now and then, until he gets a grip on how to deal with all these new feelings he's never had to deal with where a woman is concerned before. You creatures, my dear, stress us out."
I laughed at his last comment. "So, I take it then McKenzie is doing her own little number on you?"
Wiping his hand down over his face, he let out a huff
. "Oh, you have no idea."
As we laughed about our situations, I heard Archer's footsteps getting closer and then heard Jared shout one last insult. "Get in the car, Sloane. Gage, I'll see you tomorrow, thanks for your help. Have a good night." Gage and I exchanged looks and he mouthed the words good luck to me, and I mouthed thanks back with a roll of my eyes.
As we left the apartments, I spotted Jared walking down the last steps from my place, watching us leave and causing me to close my eyes at the sight of the pain I saw etched on his face. Riding in silence for awhile, Archer was the first one to break it. "Are you okay over there? You haven't said much," he asked, placing his hand on my thigh, and giving it a squeeze. The simple touch acted like a match that's just been struck.
I glanced in his direction just in time to see the sexy smirk that bloomed over his face from knowing just how his touch affected me. "You're never going to play fair are you, Archer?"
Looking my way, the smirk he wore turned into a hot sexual intensity that just radiated off of him and I knew Archer, The Dom, was the one here in the car with me now. The soft side he had no longer visible. Moving his hand further up my thigh, he stopped suddenly, pulling his hand away, leaving me with the feeling of loss. "I'm going to tell you to do something Sloane, and I want you to do it for me, no questions asked, understand?" My body suddenly sprang to life at the thought of what he'd ask of me to do, and I nodded my head in response. "Words, Sloane. I want you to tell me that you understand me."
"I understand you, Archer."
"Good. Now I want you to recline your chair all the way back to where you're almost lying down." Reaching for the button, I reclined my chair to about midway before he told me to stop. "Good. Now put both feet on the dash and raise your dress up to your waist, then spread your legs open wide for me. I want to see my dripping wet pussy." Pausing for a microsecond before I took my seatbelt off to do as he had instructed, I felt breathing increase to almost a pant from the excitement inside of me he always made me feel. Setting my feet up on the dash, I hiked my dress up and spread my legs wide as he looked over at me, taking in the sight of me open, and on display for him. "God, you are so beautiful, you know that?" Smiling at his compliment, I felt my boldness grow under his encouragement. "Now, I want you to touch yourself the way you did the night I came home to find you in my bed." Instantly my clit started to throb at the thought of that night and how much I turned him on and the amazing sex we had after he handed down my punishment for it. I slowly began to glide my hand down my body as I kept my eyes glued to his, catching them every time he looked away from the road at me. Slowly I began to rub my fingers over my clit in a circular motion when he questioned. "Are you wet thinking about me, angel?"
I bit my bottom lip. "Yes I am. Would you like to feel for yourself just how wet I am for you?"
A sexy smirk crossed his dark reflection again before he replied. "Oh, I plan on it later, but right now I just want to watch you pleasure yourself and answer my questions."
"Okay." I answered as I continued to rub my clit, ramping myself up to that feeling of an oncoming orgasm. Getting lost in this erotic moment, I let my eyes close as I enjoyed knowing Archer was watching me, when I heard him ask. "Are you close, angel?"
"God, yes I am. I'm going to make myself come for you, Archer."
My back started to arch in the seat, giving him the tell tail sign that I was about to come, but then he asked his next question, grabbing my hand away from my needy sex. "Did you let Jared kiss you again tonight, Sloane?"
My eyes popped open to find him staring at me as though he could see past any words I would ever use to cover up the betrayal that I knew he would feel from my actions. "W-what?"
“Did. You. Allow. That Goddamn prick to put his lips on you? On what is mine? It's a simple fucking question, Sloane!"
Not knowing what to say to soften the blow, I simply answered in a silent murmur. "Y-yes, he kissed me."
Archer let out a curse before he told me. "Put your seat up and pull your dress down." Knowing he had done this on purpose as a punishment for what he already knew before we started, yet another game created by Archer The Dom, anger started to boil in my mind with all the things I wanted to say, but didn't. Instead, I chose to stare out the window and bide my time with silence until I wasn’t in such a confined space with him and tell him just how I really feel about his tortuous antics. We pulled up to his place moments later and while he dealt with the valet, I bolted out of the car, unable to be in such a close proximity with him any longer, marching straight into the building's lobby. Rushing through it, fueled by anger, I saw the elevator doors open and start to close again, I knew I couldn't ride up with him alone, so I reached my hand out, catching them before they did, jumping in. When I turned around, it was just in time to see them close Archer off from me as he growled my name in a warning tone. But I needed to take the ride up alone to have time to think.
When the doors opened up to his place, I walked in and headed straight for his office, the last place I knew he would look for me.
Childish of me?
Yes.
But after the messed-up game he just played with me, I'd been too mad to care about acting like a child right now and wanted nothing more than to just piss him off the same way he did me.
I entered his office, shut the door behind me, sat down in his chair with my feet propped up on his desk and waited.
CHAPTER
23
Archer
When Sloane ditched me in the elevator, it only increased the amount of punishment she was going to receive tonight. She needed to learn that letting Jared kiss her yet again was no longer going to be tolerated. When I finally got on the elevator, I started to churn the thoughts over in my head about what punishment I would hand down, after of course the knock down, drag out fight I knew we would undoubtedly have because she was just so headstrong and couldn't see any other way but her own.
Truth be told I wouldn't have her any other way.
I loved the fire that burned inside her, it made training her to be my sub that much more intense and one hell of a sexy adventure.
When the elevator doors opened, I walked into the entryway and stood there as the doors closed behind me, listening for any movement. Hearing nothing, I began the slow walk to the kitchen, playing along with her little game of hide and seek, but knew the second I got my hands on her ass, there would be nowhere for her to hide from me ever again. Checking the kitchen, I didn't find her, and she wasn’t in our bedroom or bathroom. After checking all the other rooms and bathrooms, I'd been left with only one room, my office. She knew that it would be the last place I would think to search for her.
Opening the door, I found her sitting at my desk with her feet propped up on it and her eyes glaring back at me with that inferno that burned behind them. "Comfortable sitting at my desk with your feet up, angel?"
Crossing her hands over her chest, trying to look stern but only succeeding in drawing my attention to her voluptuous breasts, she said, "Well, I see you finally found me after all, Mr. Jennings."
"Get up from my desk, Sloane and come here." I ordered her, pointing to the ground in front of me.
"You need to stop telling me what to do, Archer. I am my own person you know."
"You are my sub as well and you will do as I tell you, your punishment is growing by the minute."
As I watched her eyes widen at the realization that I wasn’t kidding, she started to squirm in her seat, taking her feet down off my desk. "You already punished me earlier in the car, remember."
Stalking closer, I growled through clenched teeth. "I'm not going to tell you again, Sloane."
As she slowly got up and walked towards me, she moved in close. "And I'm not going to tell you again, Archer, I can make my own choices. Sub or not." Pushing her finger into my chest and challenging my patience, she started to walk past me to the door, thinking some how she was the one in control right now.
Reaching my hand out, I grabb
ed a hold of her wrist and twisted it up behind her back in a controlling maneuver, not a painful one, pushing her up against the wall face first with my hand around her neck, squeezing lightly to get her full attention. "So, are you going to talk to me like an adult now? Or are you going to continue to act like a brat?" As she struggled against my hold on her, I could feel her heartbeat begin to race and heard her breathing turn to a pant, I knew she's getting just as turned on as I already was. Leaning forward, I took in the smell of her vanilla scent she always wore and bit the shell of her ear before I said in a low voice. "I can tell this turns you on, angel. You like it when I'm rough with you, don't you?"
Hearing a low moan escape from her, she answered my question without hearing the words from her mouth, even though she tried to deny it. "No, Archer. I'm not getting turned on. I'm getting pissed off! Now let. Me. Go!" She protested, lying to me through gritted teeth.
Dropping her arm, I spun her around to face me, pinning her against the door. "Why do you lie to me, Sloane? I don't enjoy hearing such bullshit come out of that pretty little mouth of yours. Now, are you ready for your punishment or do we have more of your lies to listen to and make the punishment you're already receiving that much worse?"
Watching the reaction in her eyes, I could see her anger melt into desire and regret. "Look, I know allowing Jared to kiss me was wrong, but what you pulled in the car was beyond worse. You played with my emotions, telling me you love me and then torturing me in the car the way you did."
"And you don't think knowing that asshole had his lips on what’s mine isn't fucking with my emotions? I..." My phone ringing interrupted us. Seeing Detective Hamilton's name pop up I told her. "I've got to get this." Releasing her, I answered. "Jennings here."
"Archer, Detective Hamilton here. I believe we found that girl Sloane witnessed being attacked at the club tonight. She was found dead in a dumpster out back near the club. I thought you might want to come down. This murder seems to be another one that I think could be connected to your friend’s murder."