by Sam Crescent
She nodded. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
He shrugged. “The options are in front of you. I will be leaving in ten minutes. Make the decision and join me out in the car.”
“I haven’t packed or anything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you anything you need.”
He got to his feet and headed out of the office.
Hunter leaned against the car, staring straight ahead.
“What is she doing?” he asked.
“Making a decision. This town is leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and I want to go.”
Hunter nodded, opening the door.
“If she’s not out in ten minutes, we leave, no looking back.”
Pulling out his cell phone, he made a note of the time.
It took Ava three minutes to make a decision.
She rushed out of the house and didn’t wait for Hunter to open the door. She climbed in beside him, buckling her seatbelt.
The deal was set.
Chapter Eight
Twenty-four hours later, Ava stood, arms folded, in Logan’s penthouse suite in the middle of the city. They didn’t come to his home straight away, but he’d taken her shopping to get her a whole new wardrobe. The price tags on everything surprised her.
He spared no expense.
She didn’t want to think how he got the money. Her mind was already flooded with all the bad things he did.
Running fingers through her recently styled hair, she snorted. The length had stayed the same, but there had been layers put into it. The split ends had been removed. No dye job. Logan knew how he wanted to dress up his fuck toy.
Like now, she wore one of the sheer negligees he’d bought her. There was no reason to wear the damn thing as it didn’t exactly cover anything. She’d be better off standing with her hands covering everything of real importance.
So far, he’d been too busy to make any sudden demands.
Hunter was with her. He sat at the kitchen counter, sipping at his coffee, looking at his cell phone.
“Shouldn’t you be with Logan?” she asked.
“Not until he has a guard for you. I’m here to keep an eye on you.”
“Does he think I’m a flight risk?”
“No. Logan has made many enemies. By bringing you back to the city, he also put your life at risk.”
She turned to look at Hunter. “You’re kidding?”
“No.”
“Who is he?”
Hunter turned off his cell phone and spun, giving her his full attention. She would have worn a robe if Logan had granted her one, but he said she didn’t need to hide. Hunter had seen her completely naked so it wasn’t like any of this was new to him.
She wanted to hide her body from him but chose not to. There was no point in trying to expend energy she didn’t have.
“I can’t tell you exactly who he is, but I will warn you, don’t push him.”
“Great, you don’t really tell me anything. Just make me more nervous.”
“It’s for your own safety. Logan, he’s powerful.”
“Is it all legal?” she asked.
Hunter lifted a brow.
“Of course, you won’t tell me.”
She moved away from the window and sat down on the sofa in the living room, staring up at the large television with no reason to turn it on. She didn’t want to watch anything.
“Is this because of what happened?” she asked. “Did he turn this way because of what Luke did?”
“Yes.”
She looked up to see Hunter had followed her. “You believe me?”
“Not yet, but something doesn’t add up in the sheriff’s finances. I’m checking it out. I’m choosing not to upset you with claiming you lied.”
“You know I was laughed at when I told the Sheriff. When I gave him my statement?”
“How long was it between the attack and you giving it?” Hunter asked.
“Erm, a couple of hours, maybe. I don’t know. I … I was using the school’s swimming pool. I loved to go for a swim and it was the only one in town, but they let it stay open when there was a football practice. I’d spent too long in the water when it happened. Luke was there.” She stopped. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Was the only other time you did when you gave the statements?”
“Yes.”
She flinched as Hunter put a hand on her shoulder.
“Does Luke come here?”
“No. He’s never been here alone. This is Logan’s private place. He has another apartment a few blocks away from here whenever he wants to meet the guys.”
“Does he trust them?” she asked.
“Logan trusts very few people. I don’t even believe he trusts me. You’re the first woman he has brought here.”
“Is that supposed to give me comfort?” she asked, smiling.
“It should. It means regardless of what he believes, you’re still important to him.”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
Hunter shrugged.
“It’s probably a trick. Logan put you up to it.”
“No. I figure if what I think happened did, you’ve had a rough ride of it.”
“He said no one would believe me,” she said, tears filling her eyes. She didn’t want to talk, but here she went, spilling the truth.
“Luke?”
“Yes. Afterward, he … I…” She pressed her lips together. “It hurt so much, and he laughed. He said I was a real woman now. He said a few other things, but he warned me. Told me no one would ever believe me. Why would he rape me when he could have any girl? He was the most popular guy in school. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
“It’s fine.”
“It was like he already knew, you know? That he wasn’t going to be punished for what he did. He never was. All this time I thought he’d been dealt with. The sheriff told me I didn’t need to worry. I’d never see him again.”
“You didn’t think to question where he went? What happened?” Hunter asked.
She snorted. “I was an eighteen-year-old girl. Me and my parents, we watched cop shows but didn’t know how it worked. None of us did. The sheriff was to be trusted, and we had no reason to doubt him. Why would we?”
“Because that is what people do. They get curious.”
“Well, guess what, we weren’t. I was too busy reeling from what had happened to me.” She closed her eyes, leaning her head back. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. The two people who only ever believed me are gone. You don’t. I don’t see what the point is. All this time I thought Luke had gone to prison. I had no idea it was Logan.” She sniffled. She got to her feet, growling. “It’s not fair. I can’t believe how foolish I was, and my parents. We believed the sheriff, and all this time, it was Logan who paid for Luke’s crimes. Even now, he thinks I’m lying—and for good reason. He wrongly went to prison for something he didn’t do.”
She ran her fingers through her hair and started to pace the living room.
“I need a shower,” she said.
“While you’re here, be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Luke doesn’t drop by here uninvited, but I don’t know what Logan has planned for you. I don’t even know why he’s brought you here, but be careful.”
“Aw, thank you, you care?”
He laughed. “Nah, I don’t care about you. I care about Logan, and I happen to believe Luke is a lying scumbag, and I don’t trust him.” Hunter stood.
“You believe me?”
He opened his mouth and closed it again. “Let’s say I believe Luke and his parents at the time may have had the power you talk about to make certain things happen. It doesn’t mean I believe you.”
Hope fell from her. There was no point in expecting him to help her. He didn’t believe her. No one did.
“I need to shower.” Without looking back at him, she went straight toward the en-suite bathroom. Removing her clothes
, she climbed beneath the spray, turning it on, tilting her head back, and gasping as the cold jet hit her in the face.
She needed the shock of the cold to wash over her. To try to gain some control because she was so close to losing her mind and herself.
“It’ll be okay.”
She didn’t want to talk to herself, but it seemed she was the only one in her life who believed her.
“I’m fine.”
Turning her back to the shower, she tilted her head back so it got all of her hair, running her hands through the strands. When it was nice and wet, she reached for the soap. Lathering up her entire body, she started on her face before working down.
In the back of her mind was the cruel memory of Luke’s taunt, of how he held her down, kept her in place as he violated her in the worst way.
She let out a shriek when someone touched her.
Opening her eyes, she saw Logan had joined her in the shower.
“What the hell?” she said.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I arrived home a couple of minutes ago.”
“Where’s Hunter?”
Her heart raced, and she hated that with just a few memories she could be reduced to a quivering mess. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to turn out.
She wanted no memory of that monster near her. Luke wouldn’t win.
Logan took the bar of soap. “He’s gone. Said he needed to go and do some thinking.”
“Oh.”
“Now, this is a pleasant surprise. You, naked in my shower. I had no idea you knew me so well.”
“I was dirty. I needed to wash.”
He chuckled. “Your dirty talk needs some work. Here, let me.” He took her arm and turned her gently so her back was pressed to his front.
The hard ridge of his cock butted against the base of her back. She kept her eyes open, and Logan’s lips brushed across her ear going to her neck.
“I’ve thought about you all day.”
“I’ve been right here.”
“Oh, I know it, and I love it.” He bit down, and she let out a moan.
His soaped hands coming up to cup her breasts. He pinched the nipples.
“I had no idea I would enjoy having a woman’s company so much, but then you’re not just any woman, are you, baby? No, you’re my woman.”
Was she his woman or just someone he’d brought along to hurt for past sins she had no idea were hers?
She didn’t know what the sheriff had done until recently.
Logan and Hunter truly believed she was lying, even though she had no reason to hurt him. The sheriff had covered his tracks, and there was no way for her to stop Logan from believing the lies that had been spun. She’d been too young, too stupid to ask questions. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Logan hadn’t done anything wrong, and she didn’t make lying a habit. Luke needed to pay.
His fingers slid down her body, going between her thighs.
Logan spun her back around so she was facing him, and he lifted one thigh up and over his hip, resting his cock at the juncture of her thighs.
“You’ve been thinking of me while you’ve been away?”
“Yes.”
“Where have you been?” she asked.
“Busy, working. I can’t just up and leave so easily without problems being dealt with. People needing to be taught a lesson.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“A lot of everything.”
Before she could ask any more questions, he took her lips in a possessive kiss, and she moaned his name, whimpering as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She cupped his cheek, kissing him back with the same passion, feeling the tightness in her body evaporate to make way for the pleasure of his mouth, his tongue, his everything.
“Do you have any idea what it is you do to me, every single fucking day?”
“No, I don’t know.”
He let go of her leg, and his lips traveled down her body going to her neck, sucking on her pulse before moving further down to her nipples.
She watched him. He held her tits up in his hands as some kind of offering before teasing over each nipple. His tongue glided over each one before he used his teeth, sinking them into the flesh.
She cried out his name, not wanting him to stop, and he didn’t. No, he kept on licking and sucking at each nipple until he moved onto the next one. There was no rush to him.
He was the one in charge, and she was merely a pawn in his game.
In that very moment, she didn’t have a problem being whatever he wanted or needed from her. She’d give him anything, so long as he didn’t stop.
He sank to his knees before her. It was such an odd place for him to be, kneeling, looking up at her.
He took her foot, resting it on the edge of the stall. He went from her ankle, kissing up the inside of her thigh, and she couldn’t look away from what he was doing.
When he got to her pussy, she cried out. His tongue went between her slit, sliding through from her clit, down to her entrance, and back up.
She closed her eyes, and he bit down hard. She cried out and looked down at him.
“I didn’t give you permission to close your eyes. You’re supposed to look at me, not anywhere else but at me, got it?”
Nodding her head, he waited, clearly making sure she did as she was told. It was kind of odd having him command her in the shower while he was on his knees before her, but she made no move to stop him.
His tongue went back between her slit, and she basked in his touch, wanting him more than anything.
“Do you have any idea how crazy you make me,” he said. “I was supposed to be listening today to some very important details, but all I could think about was how good you were going to taste and feel. I wanted your tight little pussy wrapped around my dick, sliding up and down me. Once I’ve taken care of you here, you’re going to be doing exactly that.”
He sucked on her clit, and in that moment, she would have given him anything he wanted, without a single question asked. His tongue flicked back and forth, making her melt with every single touch. It was next to impossible not to be aroused, especially as he gripped her ass, holding her tight as he licked at her.
Logan used his teeth and tongue to create the perfect sensation, and the need built within her, becoming almost to the point of pain and pleasure, but combined it was a heady experience.
She never wanted to stop.
Not as he feasted from her pussy, drawing her so close to orgasm, but he wouldn’t let her fall. He teetered her on the edge, and the abyss was so close. She could feel it.
He had all the power, but within that moment, as he held her, she knew she was safe. It was a scary thought to think the man who’d once again put her in her rapist’s path could also protect her, but she knew he would. Luke would never strike while she was with Logan. She just had to find a way to reveal the truth, but there was no way of doing that, not if the sheriff had altered her statements. He didn’t even get her to confirm the written statement he’d copied. Only asked for her signature. She’d been so stupid and naive. What reason did they truly have to believe he’d lie?
Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she wouldn’t let them plague her right now. Not as Logan pushed two fingers inside her and started to work them in and out, pushing her to the edge, but not letting her fall over it.
He kept her poised, calm, waiting on the precipice.
“Come for me, Ava, I want to feel it.”
He did something with his fingers, twisting them inside her, and she had no choice. The pleasure rushed over her. She screamed his name, not wanting him to stop as he made her come. She was on fire for more and begged him to keep on going.
Looking down at his face, she saw he was wet and the shower didn’t even touch him, so all of it was from her.
He lifted up, and before she knew what was happening, he had her in his arms. She let out a cry as he carried her out of the shower. Both of them were still wet, and he laid her on the b
ed.
“Logan, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to take my time with you. That’s what I’m doing.”
He kissed her hard. She tasted herself.
“And we’re going to have some much-needed fun. What do you say?”
****
Being back in the city, in his domain, was a heady experience. Logan stared down at his woman, Ava, in his bed, where she was supposed to be. Bringing her to where he was king, he could have anything he wanted. Throw her at the men, sell her, make an example out of her, and people would turn the other way, like they did in Crow Valley, only here, there were people who would do a lot worse.
At the click of his fingers, she could be anything he wanted, and there were far more willing to bend to his will.
He’d always had a cruelty within him. Even as a young kid, bringing pain, it was part of who he was. Bullying people to get what he wanted was second nature to him and so very easy. It really didn’t bother him to have people whimper and cry, to beg for him to let them go. Seeing how weak they were, he relished being the one in power. Of course, there were always limits to being a bully in high school.
For the most part, they stayed out of his way, and Luke was more than happy to take on the weak.
Logan, he enjoyed watching people suffer, but fighting the weak wasn’t the appeal. No, he liked to fight the strong. To come out the victor, there was the real fight.
After he was wrongly accused, his parents had lost their fortune trying to win appeals to get him released. Their fight had been for nothing, as he’d done his time, before finally being released early for good behavior. He’d come to the city in the hope of starting a new life, one where no woman would dare spin their lies again. Only, a guy with a sexual assault charge as well as a jail term hanging over his head, no one wanted to hire him. Who would? Women were everywhere, and one look at his past, and well, he’d found life to be particularly difficult, but he hadn’t stopped. Being incarcerated, he’d made a great deal of friends, and he knew how the world worked. It didn’t take him long to figure shit out.