Arranged love

I want to say no, but instead, I find him leading me out of the office and back to the table that sits in the center of the room. I plop down in a seat just as the door opens. In walks Lucy and I inwardly sigh. I’ve been ignoring her

She wears a black leather miniskirt with heels that lace up her calves and a white see-through shirt with a black bra. Her bleach blond hair up in a high ponytail and looks like her leftover makeup is still on from yesterday.

“Hey, babe.” She walks over to me. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.” She pushes my chair back and straddles my legs before I have a chance to avoid the situation. Her skirt riding up in the process.

My eyes drop to her black lace covered pussy and then back up to hers. I instantly think of April, and my lips on hers in her room an hour ago. She wanted me. I wanted her. Fuck, how I wanted her. But she was drunk and had been attacked. She needed to rest and heal. I needed to get the fuck out of there and take care of business before the Masons sent their bitches back to do more damage. I’m just thankful that Jasmine had called her. Ethan wasn’t at the house, so there’s no telling where that punk ass kid is. I needed someone there watching her. For her safety and my sanity.

“Hey.” Lucy gets my attention, wrapping her arms around my neck and whispering in my ear. “I’ve missed you.” She starts rubbing her hips into mine.

I see Trey watching me out of the corner of my eye. He’s taking it in. Seeing how I react to her. I just paid fifty grand and made them swear not to touch April. They know there’s something going on there. I need to play up my role with Lucy for now. Since she is the one half naked on my lap and I’ve never turned her down before.

My hands grip her thighs and I lick my lips. “I tried calling you earlier.” Lie. “It went straight to voicemail.”

The door opens and Tanner re-enters, followed by Turner. “Jesus Christ, Lucy. Have some fucking respect for yourself!” he hisses.

Turner Mason is the middle child. He does runs for the Cartel and takes out their competition. He’s their own personal hitman. He and Tanner are all business, but Tanner doesn’t mind getting his dick wet, no matter the situation. Turner’s dick is a little more complicated than that. He used to be obsessed with a girl. I don’t know the whole situation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he kidnapped her and has her tied to a bed, mimicking the girl in the picture that hangs in their office.

Her head snaps over to glare up at him. “Fuck you, Turner!”

Tanner tosses my now empty duffel bag by my chair. Turner just shakes his head in disappointment at his sister.

Lucy grew up without a mother. She had her brothers and a dad, so all she knows is men. I’m not saying it’s an excuse. I’m just saying that I understand where she thinks she has to be half naked and high for attention. Her father raised her to be like the woman in the picture hanging on the office wall. And if I told her I wanted to do the same thing to her right now on this table while everyone watched, she would say yes in a heartbeat.

I’m not into that-bondage, BDSM-crawl to me on all fours and lick my shoes while you call me daddy type of shit. Bones is, though. Bones has to be in control in every aspect of his life. That’s why he stays sober, and I’m always high. I like the out-of-control experience.

Can I be aggressive in bed? Absolutely. But I’m not into degrading women.

“He’s such an ass,” she growls, watching Turner over my shoulder while she still straddles my hips.

“When did Tanner get out?” I whisper in her ear so no one can hear us.

“Last week. Wish he’d go back.”

My brows arch. They used to be close since he was the one who ended up raising her. Their dad passed when she was thirteen, and Tanner took over the father role, but it was too late. She had already been groomed to be a whore and needed acceptance from any man she could get her hands on. But I don’t think any less of her. I’ve never been one to judge someone, and I’m not going to start now.

“Let’s go back to my place,” she offers, kissing my neck.

Fuck! I’m not sleeping with her now. Not after I slept with April. That’s who I want. That’s why I’ve been avoiding Lucy.

“No, he’s here to hang out with us.” Trey saves me. “So get off his cock and go do some work.” He slides the mirror covered in cocaine, razor blade and hundred-dollar bill over to me.

“Trey …” She starts to whine.

“You heard him,” Tanner barks at her. “Go get to work, Lucy.”

She glares at him over my shoulder, and that right there is why she wants him to go back to prison-he’s making her work. Probably serving drinks or taking bets down in the pit for the fights.

“Fucking bastard,” she hisses, getting off my lap and shoving her skirt down her thighs. Trey laughs at her as she storms out.

APRIL

I wake up with a pounding headache. Rolling over onto my side, I bury my face into my pillow and groan.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“That rough, huh?”

I sit up with a scream at the sound of another’s voice.

“Whoa.” Jasmine holds up her hands with her back resting against my headboard.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, placing my hand to my pounding chest.

She tilts her head to the side and frowns. “Damn. You were really drunk last night.”

I fall back onto the bed.

“I called you, and Grave answered, asking me to come stay with you. Something about you were drunk. He had something to go do, and he didn’t want to leave you alone.”

“Grave asked you to come over?” I look up at her.

She nods, shoving a flaming hot Cheeto in her mouth. “He waited for me to get here before he left.”

I smile and pull the covers up to my neck before I roll over onto my side to face her.

“Oh God.” She laughs.

“What?” I ask.

“I know that look. You like him,” she states matter-of-factly.

“I …”

“Like really, really like him.” She wiggles her dark brows.

I pull the covers over my head so she can’t see my cheeks turn the color of her Cheetos.

She rips them off and smiles down at me. “He needs someone like you.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, sitting up and pulling the covers with me. I dig my hand into her bag and take a chip.

“Grave can be a good guy. He just needs someone who is willing to straighten him out.”

That didn’t help me understand one bit. “Either I’m still asleep or I’m too drunk to make sense of your words.”

She sighs. “Grave isn’t one of those guys who hides his feelings. He feels more than anyone I know, and when I got here last night, I could tell he cares about you.”

My heart starts to race at her words. “Why? What did he do?”

“The fact that he didn’t leave until I arrived tells me all I need to know.”

“How well do you know him?” I don’t get to spend time alone with Jasmine, but I remember Grave talking about knowing her really well.

“I’ve known him all my life.” She eats another Cheeto. “After his mom passed, he …”

“Wait.” I place my hand up. “His mom died? When?” That was how I met him. He ordered flowers for his mother’s birthday.

“Uh, let me think.” She holds up her right hand. “I think he was eighteen when she died. May have been seventeen. We were in high school.”

I tune her out as I look at my wall, trying to figure out why he ordered her flowers if she’s dead. I mean, I know that people place flowers on graves of loved ones they’ve lost, but he never once mentioned that. He made it sound like she was alive. He even told me she loved them. Why would he …?

I close my eyes. I had written on the card. He left it blank, and I thought it had been a mistake. I was wrong. Shit! “Fuck!” I growl.

“What?” she asks.

I open my eyes and scrunch up my face. “I think I did something bad.”

“Oh.” Her green eyes get big with excitement. “Tell me. Tell me. I’m awesome at keeping secrets.”