Laikyn
After the trip to the beach on Saturday, Rule, Jinx, and I settled into a routine. Nothing overly domestic or anything, but we did seem to find a rhythm. While they worked, I spent time in my art studio. When they were home, I spent time with them. Jinx cooked because, as Rule told me, I was terrible at it. He was right. I was good at plenty of other things, so it didn’t bother me.
“What’s on the agenda tonight?” I asked as I helped Rule clean up the dinner dishes on Thursday night.
He’d come home earlier than usual, likely encouraged by the vulgar texts I’d sent him all afternoon. I hadn’t expected him, so I was in my art studio when he arrived. My punishment came in the form of him forcing me to my knees and making me take every inch of his beautiful dick down my throat. While I was easily persuaded, I didn’t make it too easy for him. It ended with us covered in paint and him fucking me from behind on one of the drop cloths. Afterward, we showered together, and he made me redo the blowjob, which I gladly did.
To say that the sex was even better than I ever imagined it could be was an understatement. I couldn’t get enough of this man, and now that he wasn’t holding back, I knew it was only going to get better.
Jinx wasn’t holding back either, but I could tell they were attempting not to overlap too much. Last night had been my turn with Jinx. I’d timed his arrival perfectly, getting into the swimming pool as soon as I heard the sexy rumble of his motorcycle. When he came out, he found me naked. It took him no time at all to join me. Seriously, no time since he came into the water fully dressed. I climbed him like a tree, and he fingered me to orgasm three times before I even had a chance to say hello.
“I was thinking we’d—” Rule’s sentence ended when his cell phone beeped.
I knew what that sound meant. A normal vibration required him to read and possibly respond. A beep meant he would be out the door within minutes.
He answered, then strolled into the other room for privacy.
I finished loading our dishes into the dishwasher as I exhaled my disappointment. I’d been looking forward to spending a little time with him. Although I craved his body, I genuinely enjoyed talking to Rule. I hadn’t learned too many deep, dark secrets about him during the month and a half that we’d been married, but I was getting to know him in other ways. He wasn’t as tightlipped as I expected him to be, although I figured what he revealed barely scratched the surface. Still, I longed for companionship.
Being here alone all the time, while freeing at first, was no longer a blessing. I was starting to miss interacting with the world the way I used to. I’d used this as a hiding place for long enough, and I knew my restlessness meant it was time to look for something to keep my attention. And I didn’t consider coming up with new ways to avoid my mother as a good way to spend my time. She was relentless, especially now that she was counting down until the fundraiser I hadn’t yet committed to.
I shut off the water as Rule was walking back into the kitchen.
“You have to leave, huh?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed a towel and dried my hands. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”
His eyebrows lifted slowly. “No.”
I tried to hide my disappointment, but I clearly failed.
“What’s wrong?”
I plastered on a fake smile. “Nothing. I’m just … bored. That’s all.” I waved him off. “Go do your thing. I’ll—”
“Come with me.”
“Wh—huh?”
“Come with me, Laikyn.” He nodded toward the living room. “Go change. I need to leave in five minutes.”
I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran over to him, bouncing as I pressed a kiss to his bearded cheek before running toward my room. It took me less than five minutes to pull on jeans and a T-shirt—I took my cues from what he was wearing—and slipped on my favorite Vans before brushing my hair out and pulling it up into a ponytail.
When I returned, I found Rule waiting by the door to the garage. A minute later, we were pulling down the driveway.
“Can you tell me what the job is?”
“A car was towed.”
My excitement fizzled out instantly. “Seriously? And what? You’re going to get it out of the impound?”
“Not exactly.”
A little fizz returned. “Whose car is it?”
“Rich Mulvayne.”
“No shit?” I laughed. “The lead singer of Diamond Heist?”
“One and the same,” he said as he drove.
“What happened? Was he driving drunk? Did he get into an accident?”
“There was an accident, but he wasn’t in it,” he said.
“You’re being cryptic, Rule. Just tell me.”
“His friend was driving. Ran a red light and got T-boned.”
“Friend? Is that code for girlfriend? He’s married, isn’t he?”
“He’s married,” Rule said simply.
“So his girlfriend was driving the car, got in an accident, and he doesn’t want anyone to find out?”
“Not a girl,” he said.
I stared out the window, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.
“Oh, shit,” I said when they all clicked into place. I shifted so I was turned toward Rule. “Not a girl, then must be a boy. A male lover?”
His dark eyes cut to me, but he didn’t respond.
“How do you fix something like this? There’ll be an accident report, right? The car’s VIN recorded and all that. It’ll trace back to Rich no matter what, right?”
“I need to get a few things out of the car, then we’ll pay a visit to the friend and ensure he understands the story he’s permitted to tell.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to rough him up.”
“I’m not.”
He sounded sincere, but I still had my doubts.
“Can I help?” I offered when he pulled up to the impound lot, which wasn’t so much a lot as it was a building. The cars were inside, which made breaking into it impossible.
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Can you distract the guy at the desk?”
I glanced toward the building as though that might give me an answer. “Probably.”
“Good. Do that.”
I peered back at him. “Really?”
“Show me what you’ve got, butterfly.”
That nickname caused my belly to churn like a swarm of them had been stirred up.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and got out of the car.
I glanced both ways before crossing the street, adjusting my T-shirt as I went. I tied the bottom into a knot and bared my belly. I pushed the waistband of my jeans as low as I could get them before I sauntered into the building. I only hoped whoever was at the desk liked women; otherwise, my efforts would be in vain.
When I noticed two men working the desk—both older—I freed my hair from the ponytail holder, shook it out, then tucked it neatly behind my ears. It made me look more like a teenager, which was the goal. I figured there were two ways this could work. Either they’d find my youth and naivety endearing, or they’d find it hot. With men, it was difficult to tell which box they would fall into.
“Can I help you?” the younger of the two men asked without bothering to look up at me. I would peg him for his late thirties, maybe early forties. Not quite old enough to be my dad, but he could be someone’s.
Another guy was behind him, sitting in a chair with a book in his hand. Behind him were several monitors with security camera feeds playing on each.
Here goes nothing.
I cleared my throat and summoned my inner Monica, forcing tears to form on my lashes.
“My car…” I stammered and sniffed. “Actually, it’s my mom’s car … I wrecked it.” When they both looked at me, I amped up the drama. “She’s going to kill me. I can’t believe I did it. I just looked at my phone for one second and…” I let out a tormented cry and covered my eyes.
“Miss?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, dabbing at my eyes before lifting my head. I feigned a shudder and pretended to pull myself together. “My mom … you might’ve heard of her. Her name’s Monica Quinn?”
That got their attention because they looked at each other, and a smile passed between them.
“She’s…” I fumbled momentarily when I noticed movement on the bottom left monitor. It was Rule. He’d gotten inside the building and was weaving through the cars.
“How can we help?” the one who’d been at the counter asked as he stood up, prepared to save the damsel in distress.
I let the tears come again. “I wrecked her car. It’s not the first time. Maybe the ninth or tenth, I don’t know. She’s going to let them take my driver’s license away if she finds out. I just … I need to get the car out. I can get it towed to a shop. They can fix it. She never has to know.”
I purposely rambled on as fast as I could, making it impossible for them to interject or look away. I discreetly glanced at the monitor, watching Rule and trying to keep them occupied. When the guy who’d been watching the monitors started to turn, I went all in.
“I can pay whatever I have to. I just need someone to help me. Or if … you know … if you don’t want money, I’m sure I can make a deal some other way.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes when they both looked at my chest. My T-shirt revealed nothing, but I was pushing my bosom forward in an effort to distract them.
And into the perve box they went.
I licked my lips and glanced between them, giving them big doe eyes filled with hope.
“She just can’t find out. I’ll do anything,” I pleaded, glancing between them.
“I’m sure we can work out a trade,” the younger of them said. “Right, Paul?”
“Sure. What’d you have in mind?”
On the monitor, Rule was slipping back out the way he’d come. As soon as he was out of camera range, I gave my audience wide eyes.
I sniffled. “Don’t you want to look up the car first?”
“If that’ll make you feel better, sure.” The counter guy put his hands on the keyboard. “Do you have the VIN?”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I held up a finger as I pulled it from my pocket.
—All clear. Let’s go.
“Oh, my,” I said dramatically. “That was … the car’s not here.”
“Are you sure?” the camera watcher asked my boobs.
“I’m sure.” I pouted. “I’m so sorry to cause you trouble.”
“No trouble. Maybe you want to hang around for a bit.”
I smiled brightly. “Nah.” I clapped cheerfully. “My mom’s not gonna find out after all. Time to get to the next party.”
I added enough swagger to keep their attention as I strolled out of the building, pleased that I’d done my first job.
Not too shabby for an amateur.
* * *
Rule
“Did you get what you needed?” Laikyn asked as soon as she was in the car.
“I did. You have any problems?”
“Nope. Distracting straight guys is easy.”
Considering she still had her shirt hiked up to beneath her breast, I could only assume she’d used her sex appeal to distract them.
“Now what?”
I started the car and pulled out onto the road. “Now we visit the friend.”
She untied her T-shirt, returning it to its original state. “What did you get out of the car?”
I glanced her way and weighed my options. I could tell her outright and see her reaction or attempt to keep it discreet until we got to the friend’s house.
“It was drugs, wasn’t it?”
Looked as though I didn’t need discretion after all. “Yeah.”
“Do you do this a lot? Break into impound lots and help someone get their drugs back?”
“I’m destroying the drugs,” I informed her.
“Oh.”
“The point wasn’t to help him get high,” I explained as the navigation directed me where to go.
“It was to protect Rich,” she said softly. “He’d go down for it if the cops found drugs in the car.”
“He just finished a stint in rehab.”
“I heard something about that.” Laikyn drummed her fingers on the center console. “So why’s he hanging around a guy who still does them?”
“Not my concern.”
She turned toward me. “It should be, though, right? I mean, you’re the clean-up guy. If he wasn’t hanging out with the druggie, you wouldn’t be slinking around impounds to steal drugs in the middle of the night.”
“I do what they pay me to do.”
Laikyn nodded. “I guess there are worse ways to make money. Is Rich Mulvayne a repeat client?”
“He keeps me on retainer.”
She laughed, and the rich sound filled the car. “That makes sense. Do you have a lot of those kinds of clients?”
“Yes.”
The navigation informed me that we’d reached the destination. I pulled into a gated apartment complex and typed in the code Mulvayne had given me. It took a few minutes to wind my way through to the building at the back.
“Can I go in with you?” Laikyn asked before I could tell her she should stay in the car.
I stared at her. I would prefer she didn’t, but I felt bad telling her that, considering she’d already helped and she looked so eager to do more.
“Please,” she whispered with a sexy smirk. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I huffed a laugh. “Fine. But don’t talk.”
She mimed zipping her lips before hopping out of the car. I led the way up to the second-floor apartment, knocked on the door, and waited.
The door opened, and a dark-haired kid answered. I realized then that this wasn’t the same guy as the last time I’d bailed Mulvayne out of a hole. This one was a few years younger. Twenty-one, maybe twenty-two.
“Rory?” Laikyn said from beside me.
The kid’s eyebrows slammed down, his forehead creasing with confusion. “Laikyn?”
She looked at me. “I know him.”
“I figured as much.” I sighed, then passed the small bag to Rory Bingham, the dumbass kid Rich Mulvayne was stringing along.
“Is it really you?” Rory asked Laikyn.
“Of course it is.” Her gaze snapped to the bag, then to his face. “What the hell are you doing with drugs?”
“They’re not mine,” he whined.
She snorted a laugh. “No?”
Rory shook his head.
Laikyn reached for the bag. “Then you won’t mind if I—”
Rory jerked the bag out of her reach. “It’s not what you think.”
Laikyn pushed her way into the apartment. I followed, amused by the scene. More so by the way she dominated the situation. The woman never ceased to amaze me.
“And what is it that I think, Rory?” she asked, scanning the room, taking in the mess.
“I dunno,” he said softly, eyes wide as he stared her up and down. “You look good, Laikyn.”
“I know,” she said sternly, then cocked a hip as she faced off with him. “Is this what my mom’s money buys? Cheap furniture and drugs?”
Her mom? I was lost.
Laikyn must’ve felt my confusion because she looked at me. “Rory and I used to … date back in high school.”
Ah. Now I knew why the name sounded familiar. It was in the detail we’d gathered on Laikyn.
“I made the mistake of introducing him to Monica. She gave him a hand job. His parents threatened statutory rape. She paid them off.”
She made it sound simple, as though that was the shit she dealt with every day.
“It wasn’t quite like that,” Rory countered, his brown eyes shifting to me. “Laikyn broke up with me. She ruined me.”
Laikyn laughed. “I ruined you?”
“Yeah.” He dropped the bag on the table. “You did. I loved you, and you loved me.”
I looked over in time to see Laikyn’s lips twitch, and a sheepish expression slid over her face. She spun away from Rory under the guise of checking out his space.
“So now you’re fucking rock stars and doing drugs, huh?”
Rory shrugged. “He pays me.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. There were some things I didn’t need to know about my clients and plenty of things—like that little nugget—that I didn’t want to know.
“You want a drink?” Rory offered Laikyn.
“No.” She stepped closer to me. “Thank you,” she tacked on. “We’ve got things to do. But that”—she pointed at the bag on the table—“that’s bad news, Rory. You need to clean up your act.”
“Can I call you?”
Because I could tell she wasn’t sure how to respond without hurting his feelings or possibly sending him into a darker spiral, I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to my side.
Rory noticed the move, and his eyes widened.
“That’s not gonna happen,” I told him.
“Oh.” He glanced between us. “Got it. That’s cool.”
“Take a cue from Rich,” Laikyn said, leaning into me. “Get some help, Rory. You’re better than”—she motioned her hand around the room—“this.”
When she went to the door, I followed.
“Bye, Laikyn,” Rory said.
She waved over her head but kept going.
“So you and Rory, huh?” I asked once we were in the car.
She shrugged and smiled. “He was my first.”
“You loved him?”
“He thinks I did.”
“Why would he think that?”
“Because I told him what he needed to hear to get what I wanted.”
“Which was?”
“Sex.”
I started the car. “How long did that last?”
“We were together when I was kidnapped. It wasn’t the same after.”
“And your mom … that really happened?”
“Oh, yeah. Monica’s a piece of work. I knew better, considering all the shit she’d stirred over the years.”
“Like what?”
Laikyn relaxed in her seat. “There was my third-grade teacher. She had sex with him in his classroom. Another teacher caught them. He was fired. She dumped him. There were actually two tutors, both college-aged guys. The first one she screwed when he was supposed to be helping me with trig. Three days a week for two weeks. I never had a single session with him. The other was smart enough to spend the hour he was being paid for with me, then proceeded to screw my mother. That lasted two weeks.
“Of course, we can’t forget my high school principal. She convinced him to leave his wife. The moment he did, she dumped him. He got fired for stalking her. Everyone hated me for that because the new principal was a royal bitch.” Laikyn sighed. “And then there was Rory. She felt him up”—she used air quotes—“which was the term we all agreed on. What she did was give him a hand job at the dining room table while they were waiting for me to come down. What they didn’t realize was that I had come down. The instant I saw that, I went back upstairs.”
I didn’t tell Laikyn that she had covered a good number of people on the list, but she’d left out several. I figured what she knew of was more than enough trauma for one kid to go through.
“Rory was a good guy,” Laikyn continued. “But he was freaked out when I came back. He didn’t believe me when I told him I wasn’t raped. He couldn’t fuck me after that, so I moved on. Too many fish in the sea.”
Yeah, I noticed that was her outlook on sex. Her senior year of high school had been inundated with numerous guys. Jinx and I had a list of the ones she dated, but I suspected some were for show. Even I noticed that Laikyn wasn’t the same girl she’d once been, although she clearly wanted to believe the kidnapping hadn’t changed her. Or, at the very least, she didn’t want to admit it.
“Don’t feel sorry for me,” Laikyn stated firmly.
I cut my gaze to her as we approached a red light. “I don’t.”
It wasn’t true. I had sympathy. Who wouldn’t, considering all she’d been through? But I was smart enough not to tell her that. Laikyn was strong, possibly the strongest woman I’d ever met.
Her eyes skimmed my face in the dim light from the dash. I couldn’t resist leaning toward her. When she didn’t lean in, I curled my hand behind her neck and urged her closer. I pressed my lips to hers and sparks ignited.
“The light’s green,” she mumbled against my mouth.
So it was.
“Where to now?” she prompted, sounding less forlorn than a moment ago.
“Until there’s another job, we go home.”
“We should go see a movie,” she said after a few minutes of silence.
“A movie?”
I could feel her eyes on me. “Yeah. You know. It’s a big screen where you can watch people act out a story.”
I barked a laugh. “I know what a movie is.”
“Just checking. With you, it’s hard to tell. You don’t really do much to have fun.”
She was right. I didn’t. Work and home. That was the extent of my existence. Before her, I would deviate from my routine on occasion to fuck someone, but these days, that urge was satisfied by the two people I had at home.
“What do you say?” She put her hand over mine on the gear shift. “Will you go see a movie with me, Rule?”
I didn’t pull away. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to.
“Yeah.”
The little squeal of excitement that burst from her lips was almost as satisfying as an orgasm.
Who would’ve figured?