Текст книги "Addiction"

Автор книги: Shantel Tessier

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 27 страниц)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

 

CASE

One would say to bring Taylor out with me for the night is a mistake. Brecken and I argued in my office last night again over me sleeping with her while she was working. He feels it’s a mistake, and although I agree with him, I still refuse to stop. He said I was doing it for the wrong reasons. Am I? Yes, I’ve been doing everything for the wrong reasons when it comes to her. But it’s working. For now.

When I suggested we go out tonight and we take her with us, he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. He actually asked me if I’d lost my mind. I simply replied no, but the thought had crossed my mind. But this was the next step for her and me to do. I wanna keep her safe, right? This will be a sure way to keep her safe. Where we are going to tonight isn’t the best place. There will be trouble there although I don’t plan to get into any trouble tonight. But that’s why my plan will work; everyone there will see her with me. They will know that she is with me and that if anyone fucks with her, they will have to deal with me. It’s fucking perfect! No one has to know her name. And they’ve already met Blane. I took him there the other night, but no one will know that she and he are related. Tonight, it’ll just be Taylor with Brecken and myself. And no one has the balls to fuck with us.

“I hope you like Mexican food,” I say not taking my eyes off the road.

“I love it,” she responds.

I take a quick look over at her as she sits in the passenger seat. I have an urge to pull this car over and push that dress up to bury my cock in that pussy. I might have looked a little too desperate when she answered the door, but I couldn’t help it. If you’ve ever had a taste of something you knew was forbidden, that you knew could potentially ruin you … then you will understand the urgency I had for her. She’s beautiful, but I think the fact she was supposed to be off-limits is what drew me to her in the first place.

I shift my eyes back on the road and tighten my hand on the steering wheel trying to clear my mind. Even though we’re not at the club working tonight, this is still a job. We’re still going out for a reason; she just doesn’t know that. Fuck, I’m gonna go to hell. I almost laugh at that thought. Of course, you are, but not because of this. In God’s eyes, there is no sin greater than the other. And believe me, I’ve done too many to ask for forgiveness and nor do I want to. There’s a reason why Brecken and I named the club Seven Deadly Sins. Our world is full of sin. Brecken and I just don’t really give a shit, I guess. And the people who we work with don’t either.

“Are we leaving the city?” she asks getting my attention as she turns in her seat to look out the back glass.

“Yes,” I say looking in the rearview mirror as well. The lights from the city of Chicago are in the distance behind us. “It’s about thirty minutes outside of the city.”

Where we’re going is a place I know for a fact she has never ventured to before. If she had, she probably wouldn’t have survived. Not unless she went with a man like me. A man willing to kill for what is his. And tonight, to the world, she is mine.

***

“Thank you,” Taylor says softly as she sits down in the seat the male hostess had pulled out for her.

I thank him as well when he hands us our menus. “This place is beautiful,” she says looking around the Mexican joint. It’s not your typical Mexican restaurant. They keep it dark and a mariachi band sitting at the back of the room on a stage plays the only music. In front of the stage sits a little dance floor. And a man walks around selling single red roses out of a wicker basket.

“So Taylor,” I say and she looks up at me from her menu. I wanna get to know her better, even though I know it’s not fair because I won’t tell her anything about myself. “Your brother tells me you’re going to the University of Illinois.”

She nods once. “Yes, I’m three years in.”

“What are you studying?” I ask, lifting my water glass to my lips.

“Psychology,” she whispers, and my glass pauses halfway to my lips.

Interesting. “Why psychology?”

She swallows nervously, and I wonder why she would feel uncomfortable about that. “My father,” she responds softly. “He, uh, took my mother’s death hard. And kind of went off the deep end.” Her gaze falls to the table and then back up at me. “I want to be a guardian ad litem. I wanna help the children who have been in the same situation that I have been in.” Her eyes drop to the table again and she pauses. “It rips so many families apart. I want to help prevent that.”

I lean back in my chair, and a smile tugs at my lips. This woman is even better than I could have imagined. I knew she would have a big heart, but I never knew how big. It almost makes me feel sorry for how I’ve involved her.

“I’m sorry about your mother.”

She looks up at me. “Thank you but it was a long time ago.” I’m about to change the subject, but she speaks. “I can still remember the last time I saw her.” She smiles gently. “She kissed me good-bye when she dropped me off at school.”

“That was the last time you saw her?” I ask. “That must be hard.” I know from experience that it doesn’t matter how long it’s been; it doesn’t make the memories go away. No matter how much you wish they would, they are as plain as day.

She nods. “It was only a few hours later that Blane walked into my classroom and pulled me out of class. I remember the tears running down his face and the way he kneeled down in front of me and told me there had been an accident.” Accident? That’s not what I remember reading, but I don’t question her on it. Her eyes start to glaze over. “I remember him walking us to the principal’s office and the principal ended up taking us to the hospital because they couldn’t get a hold of our dad.”

I frown, but she continues. “He never was the same after that.” She shakes her head. She looks up at me and gives me a genuine smile. “Blane pretty much raised me.” I raise my eyebrows, surprised by that. “And we were from a small town in Indiana, so people talked about us all the time. I had known before I was even a freshman in high school I wanted to move away. A fresh start. I’m grateful that Blane wanted to go with me.”

“So he up and moved for you?” I thought that they were from Chicago for some reason.

She nods. “He worked two jobs and went to junior college in our hometown while I finished high school. Then when I was done, we hit the road.”

“Where does Savannah play into all of this? Did you guys meet her once you moved here?”

She shakes her head. “No. She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She wanted to get away as badly as I did. So she moved here with us and went to cosmetology school once we moved here to Chicago. About six months ago, she and Blane finally got their act together and became a couple.”

I smile. But it drops off my face when she looks back down at her menu. Now, I hate what I’m doing to Blane even more. He is all she has. Well, besides Savannah. But he is the only real man in her life. Even more real than I am. Fuck, this is gonna become more complicated than I wanted it to be.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

 

TAYLOR

Case opens the passenger door to his Corvette and reaches in to help me out of the car. “Thank you.” All of my nervousness is gone. Dinner went well, even though we only talked about me. I didn’t mind it, but I do understand it. He doesn’t want me to know about his past, or know about why he does what he does now. And I’m fine with that. I’m better off not knowing anyway. It’ll just make things easier when I quit the club and we go our separate ways. Unlike Case, I don’t want this to be my life.

He closes the door and tightens his hand in mine. “Brecken,” he calls out as he raises his hand. I look across the parking lot and see Brecken close the door to a black Range Rover before he starts to walk toward us.

As he approaches us, Case leans down and whispers in my ear. “Do not leave my side. Do you understand?”

I look up at him in surprise to see if he’s joking, but his straight face proves he isn’t. “Okay,” I say with a nod. “I won’t.”

“You guys ready?”

We both look up to see Brecken standing in front of us, eyeing us skeptically. “Yeah. Let’s go,” Case answers, and I can’t help but notice the change in his voice. How deep and firm it was. It sounded like that when I first met him, when I caught my brother selling him drugs. All business-like.

He tightens his hold on my hand, and we start to walk off to the back of the parking lot. “Is the entrance in the back?” I ask curiously.

“We don’t go through the entrance,” Brecken answers flatly.

I swallow, the nervous feeling returning to my stomach. What have I gotten myself into? Where has he brought us? I should have asked those important questions before I said yes to this night. But all I could think about was spending time with him in public. I didn’t think it would be dangerous.

We come up to a back door. A sign that says not an entrance is stamped in the middle of the redwood. Brecken lifts his right hand and knocks loudly three times.

I shuffle from foot to foot as I bite the inside of my cheek. I’m so nervous I’m starting to sweat between my boobs.

I try to take a step as the door swings open, but Case’s hand holding onto mine keeps me from doing just that. My eyes widen, and I take a step to the side instead, pushing my body to his side as the man eyes me up and down. If the country guy who pulled over to help me gave me the creeps, this man makes my skin crawl.

“Hello, Roe,” Brecken says with a cheerful smile.

The guy, Roe, nods his head in greeting and then looks at me. I hold my breath. Case wouldn’t let anything happen to me, would he? “Who’s this?” he demands staring at me.

“I’m …”

Case squeezes my hand tightly, and I hide a cry of pain by biting my tongue. “She’s with me,” Case answers for me.

Roe looks back and forth between the guys for a few seconds. He shoves the door all the way open and jerks his head into the club, signaling them to enter.

Brecken moves first and I go to take a step, but Case turns and stands in front of me, blocking me from entering. He looks down at me and speaks. “You do not tell anyone your name. Do you understand?” I nod, my terror rising. “If anyone asks you a question, all you respond with is ‘I’m with Case.’ Understand?” I nod again.

He seems happy with my answer; he spins around and starts to pull me through the back door of the club. I reach my right arm across my body and grab a hold of his arm that hangs onto my left hand. Without looking over at me, he pulls his arm free and just drapes it over my shoulder, pulling me in closer to him. I let out a shaky breath as I feel my body sink more into his side. It’s crazy how little I know about Case, but I trust him not to hurt me. After what happened at Seven Deadly Sins the other night, I also know he will beat the ass of anyone who does try to hurt me.

“Hey, Case,” a man with a bright blue Mohawk says excitedly as we pass him in the dark lit hallway. He reaches up and grabs the cigarette he has sitting above his right ear.

“Kyle. How are things?” Case asks with a smile of his own. I feel my body relax a little more. Case is obviously under no threat, and it helps to ease my mind.

“Pretty good,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks past us. “But you obviously know how that goes.” The guy looks me up and down and throws me a wink before placing the unlit cigarette in his mouth.

I give him a smile, but it’s timid.

“Brecken,” another man says happily as he approaches us. He reaches out his right hand as he comes up to him and the two guys exchange a manly one-arm hug and a handshake.

“Case,” he calls out after he finishes hugging Brecken. Case releases me for a brief second, and my body feels cold from the loss.

“What’s been going on, man?” Case asks as he pulls back and wraps his arm back around my shoulders, pulling me to his side once again.

“Not much. Just staying out of trouble. You?” His eyes land on me, and I try not to show the surprise on my face. His eyes are yellow. Bright fucking yellow. It only takes me a second to realize he’s wearing those funky-ass contacts, but they still caught me off guard. He smirks, seeing my reaction, and then looks back over at Case.

“Same,” he says simply. “Is Rox here tonight?”

He smiles brightly. “Yes, he is.” He looks up and down the hall behind us as if he’s looking for someone. “Follow me.” He jerks his head behind him, further down the hallway, and then turns around to head in that direction.

We are about halfway down the dark hall when we come to a woman. She stands in the middle of the hall facing another man. She has a hand on his shoulder as she leans in and speaks into his ear. I watch as Brecken looks over his shoulder at Case, and Case gives him a small nod. What was that about?

“Tonya,” Brecken calls out.

She lets go of the man, takes a step back, and turns to face us. Her mouth drops open, and she sucks in a deep breath as she looks at Brecken in shock. “Oh, my God,” she screeches before she takes off in a mad dash toward him. She jumps into his arms, and he catches her as it pushes him a few steps backward. She wraps her legs around his waist and kisses him. And I mean kisses him. Like the kind of kiss Case gave me when he showed up at my house. She tightens her legs around him and the motion makes her already short skirt ride up showing off her ass. “Where have you been?” She sighs when she pulls away, breathing heavy.

Brecken slowly lowers her to her feet but keeps her close to him. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here now,” he responds with a smile. And it reminds me of the first smile he ever gave me outside of Seven Deadly Sins. The one that makes him look charming and seductive at the same time.

I can physically see her body melt into his arms. “Are you here to have some fun?” she asks batting her dark fake eyelashes.

“Depends. What do you have?” Brecken says running one hand down the side of her face. The other runs up the back of her thigh and grips the lower part of her bare ass cheek that still hangs out.

I instantly feel uncomfortable. Are they talking about drugs? Or what she wants him to do to her? I’m hoping whichever they decide they at least go and find a room. I already have to see her ass; I don’t wanna see Brecken’s.

She smiles up at him, giving him a look that promises she is going to rock his world tonight, but I’m pretty sure she’s done it before. Her fake eyelashes fan her cheeks as she looks down to where his crotch presses into her stomach. “Anything you want,” she purrs as her eyes run back up the length of his body before she looks him in the eye.

He looks her up and down in return; taking in her short black leather miniskirt she has to know isn’t covering her ass anymore and see-through white shirt with the bright red bra underneath. I hate to admit it, but she has an amazing body. Massive tits held up by her bra. They look like two perfect balloons. Her see-through white shirt accentuates her tan and her defined stomach. She has a bright red belly ring that dangles. When his eyes meet hers once again, he grabs her hand and speaks. “Show me.”

We don’t wait for them to take off before we continue to walk past them, following the man who is taking us to see Rox. I let out a long breath and physically shake my head trying to get the image of the two of them having sex out of my mind. We stop at a door and the man gestures for us to enter. “I’ll let Rox know you are here.” He then closes the door behind us.

Case releases me and spins me around to face him. “Remember, you are with me.” His word is final, and I nod my head in understanding. I take a quick look around and the first thing I notice is how dark it is in here. Just as dark as the hall was. I also notice the silence. I thought Case said this was a club? I don’t hear music of any kind.

The door swings open and my first thought is this Rox guy is in the mafia. His jet-black hair is slicked back. His three-piece suit is impeccable. Not a single wrinkle anywhere. Does he not sit down? It’s all black except for the white silk tie. “Case.” Even his accent sounds expensive. Richly thick.

“Rox.” Case reaches out his hand and shakes it firmly.

“This is your second visit in a week. I assume this time you are here for the usual.” Second time this week? He steps to the side and a woman walks in. She is dressed in a black evening gown. It’s tight around her chest, showing off her massive breasts. They’re bigger than the girl I’m sure Brecken is screwing right now, and I can’t help but stare at them. I didn't know you could get boobs that big. Her dress then flares out at her knees in a mermaid style. She is carrying a silver platter in her hands as she enters the room. She passes us and goes over to a tall round table in the corner. Case squeezes my hand, and I turn to look at him wondering if he meant to do that on purpose, but he doesn’t give me the slightest glance. I turn my attention back to the woman. She removes the lid, and my eyes widen as my heart start to beat hard in my chest. Drugs cover the silver plate. I have never done drugs a day in my life, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been around them. My father is a druggie after all.

I yawn as I walk out of my bedroom and down the short hallway to the kitchen. I stop when I see my dad lying face down on our kitchen floor. “Daddy?” I fall down beside him and shake his shoulders. He doesn’t move. “Daddy?” I cry out frantically. Still nothing. “Daddy. Please. Wake up,” I cry as tears sting my eyes before they run down my cheeks.

I turn to look over my shoulder at the entrance to the kitchen. “Blane!” I yell out. My voice cracks and I give myself a second and swallow before taking a deep breath. “Blane!” I yell so loud my entire body strains and my throat burns.

Seconds later, Blane comes running into the kitchen, his socks sliding on the tile. “He won’t wake up,” I say as I reach up and wipe the tears from my eyes.

“Go to you room!” he orders as he falls down beside me.

“But …”

“Go to your room!” he yells in my face.

I stand up on shaky legs and take a step back from them. Blane places his hands on him and shakes him rougher than I did.

I look up at the kitchen table and see lines of what looks like white powder covering it.

“Dad!” Blane demands. “Dad!” He shouts so loud I place my hands over my ears as I sob. When he doesn’t respond, Blane slaps him across the face. I gasp, but my father moves slightly as he lets out a muffled moan.

“Daddy?” I cry happily. “What’s wrong with him?”

Blane turns to look up at me, and his blue eyes narrow. “I said go to your room, Taylor. Now!”

I slowly start to back out of the kitchen, and once I’m out, I peek my head around the corner to see what they’re going to do. Blane talks to him and my father lifts his right hand then Blane helps him to sit up. With a tear-streaked face, I turn around and do what Blane told me to do.

That is the first memory I have of ever seeing my father on drugs. I was twelve, and Blane was sixteen. We had just buried my mother a week before that. And it only took me another week to find out the white powder stuff on our kitchen table was cocaine.

“Go ahead,” the Rox guy urges with a smile. “Have whatever you want.”

I turn my wide eyes over at Case, and I breathe heavily. Now, I realize why he squeezed my hand. Don’t make a scene, Taylor. Keep your mouth shut. But what am I gonna do? I refuse to do any drugs. What will happen if Case does them? Will he want me to do them as well? Is that why he told me not to say anything? He doesn’t want me to argue when I’m offered? My chest tightens and my stomach drops.

“Not tonight,” Case says and I close my eyes for a brief second as I take in a shaky breath. I wanna cry I’m so nervous right now. What next?

Rox frowns but then shrugs. “As you wish.” Then he looks at the woman who brought in the tray. “Why don’t you get this lovely lady a drink?” He gestures to me.

I don’t normally drink. I’ve just never been a drinker, but I am gonna take this opportunity and drink up. My nerves sure could use a little numbing, and alcohol is the only thing I am willing to put in this body to accomplish that.

“What would you like, miss?” she asks as she places her hands in front of her with a nod of her head. Her accent is just as rich. And even though she is already sexy, with her jet-black hair that lies on her back and her big brown eyes, her accent makes her seem exotic. Almost as if she’s his treasure.

“Vodka,” I say without thought. She nods her head once again and then disappears out into the hall. Vodka? Why did I just order that? I hate vodka. Well, technically, I hate almost anything alcohol.

“Please have a seat.” He gestures to a couch that sits back against the far wall.

Case leads me over there with his hand on the small of my back, and I take the second to wipe my sweaty hands on my dress and take a deep breath. Stay calm and keep your mouth shut. “What can I do for you, Case?” The guy, Rox, asks cutting straight to the point.

Case sits down beside me and places his hand on my left thigh. I know he can feel my nervousness. Hell, I’m fucking sweating. I take a quick sniff to see if I stink. Nope, not yet.

“What can you do for me, Rox?”

My eyes widen at how hard his voice has become. All business like before.

Rox doesn’t seem affected by it, though. He just smiles at Case and leans back in his chair, getting comfortable. “Let’s not play coy, Case. You know I can get you anything that you want.”

My throat goes dry, and all of a sudden, I feel claustrophobic. I reach up to grab the collar of my dress but Case intervenes and grabs my hand, lacing his fingers in mine. He holds them prisoner in a vise-like grip.

Thankfully, the woman in the black dress comes back and has my drink in her hand. As soon as she hands it to me, I take a big gulp through the straw. I cringe as my throat burns from the vodka. Shit! What in the hell did she put in this? Vodka and just fucking ice? I take another sip, and it burns even more.

My chest tightens and my body breaks out in goosebumps as the drink warms up my entire body. I feel like I was just lit on fire from the inside out.

“What I want is a shipment worth my time,” Case snaps.

I look down at my lap as I take another big sip. A few seconds later, my head starts to spin. Can it work this fast? No, it’s just me being paranoid. Or maybe it’s the fact I’m holding my breath.

Rox leans forward; placing his elbows on his knees, he narrows his black eyes at Case. “Are you saying that my product isn’t up to your standards?” His accent has thickened, and I take another big gulp.

I close my eyes as the vodka just sits in my mouth. I have the urge to vomit, to just spit it out. It feels like the drink is expanding as I hold it in my mouth. I try not to concentrate on the taste and am able to swallow the big lump. I open my mouth and take a deep breath, which causes the burning sensation to intensify.

“I never said anything about it not being good enough. I’m telling you to give me a larger count.”

I take another big sip and everyone turns to look at me as my cup makes a slurping sound. Shit. I’m out!

“Baby, get …” Rox pauses. “I’m sorry, gorgeous. I didn’t catch your name.” I feel Case’s hand tighten on my thigh when he calls me gorgeous, and I remind myself not to flinch.

“That’s because I didn’t give it,” Case replies flatly.

Rox looks over at him, and to my surprise, he looks just as shocked as I feel. Is Case trying to get us killed here? Rox looks back at me, and his black eyes look down at my blue heels; he tilts his head to the side as his gaze slowly travels up my legs. His eyes seem to darken, if that’s even possible, as they reach my exposed thighs. I shift, placing my right thigh over my left, the motion causing me to trap Case’s hand between them. His fingers dig further into my leg as Rox’s eyes land on my chest. Even though my tits aren’t hanging out, you can still see how fucking big they are in this dress; plus, my nipples are hard and pointing right at him.

“Here you go, ma’am,” the woman says handing me another drink. Whoa. Where in the hell did she go? I didn’t even see her leave.

“Thank you,” I mumble and take it from her. I don’t waste a second as I place the straw to my lips and suck. It amazes me how easily this one goes down. And how the lights seem to darken in this already dim room.

Rox finally looks away from me and back at Case. “You don’t have to hide her.” Are they talking about me? “Every woman you bring to my club is off-limits. To everyone,” he adds, and I don’t miss the fact that his voice isn’t as hard as before.

Every woman? How many women has he brought here? The idea of that has me sucking down another gulp.

“Her name is irrelevant,” Case says his voice still hard.

I look up at the door when it opens again. Shit! How many damn people are in this place? A woman wearing a pair of black leather leggings and a tan shirt, falling off her right shoulder walks into the room. “Darling, you have a visitor …” She pauses as she sees Case.

“Case,” she says in surprise. “How are you doing? Nice to see you again this week.” See her again this week? Is that what Rox was talking about when he said twice in one week? Did Case come to see her? I grind my teeth in jealousy.

He has to pry his hand from between my somewhat sweaty thighs to stand from the couch. I watch him give her a hug and then kiss her cheek with pure jealousy. Case is a very attractive man. But women don’t fall all over him at Seven Deadly Sins. He’s too busy working and the girls who work at the club respect him. But this, this is hard to watch.

“I’m doing well. How about you?” he asks taking a step back from her, and I hate the way his eyes look her up and down. They linger on her hourglass-shape body just as Rox’s just did on mine, and I have a feeling he’s seen her naked. I take another drink.

“Things have been good, although I would prefer better.” Her chocolate brown eyes fall down to his crotch and when she looks back up at him, she gives him a little wink. I take another drink.

“Honey. What did you need?” Rox demands. “We are in the middle of a meeting,” he informs her, and I smile at her frown. Another drink.

“I just wanted to let you know you have a visitor.”

He lifts his hand and waves her off. “Tell them I’ll be out when I’m done.”

She throws Case one last smile and then walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. He comes over and sits back down beside me. This time when he goes to place his hand on my leg, I scoot over and take another drink. He doesn’t even bother to look over at me. He just picks back up where he had left off with Rox.

I look down at my drink and see there are only a few sips left. I pick up the straw, throw it to the floor, and knock it back, the ice clinking against the glass. As I set the now second empty glass on my thigh, the room starts to sway. I close my eyes as I take a deep breath, waiting for the waitress to bring me another one. My nervousness is officially gone and replaced with pure hatred, but I’m gonna drink until I feel absolutely nothing.