An Unknown Place (12 page)

“Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know what I want, but it definitely isn’t to be your booty call. Which wouldn’t really make sense considering I live in Las Vegas...booty will be hard to come by.”

I could see her wheels squeaking…loudly. I didn’t know if she was talking about the distance with her living far away or the obstacles that came with her emotional state. Even I found it hard to think about her being raped. I saw red the minute I thought of the guy holding her down.

I had looked him up. He had been mentioned in the paper here and there for being involved in taking down some crime leader or something. However, I did find an interesting article about him being suspended recently. I couldn’t find the details as to why he’d been suspended, just that he was. I may have distanced myself as far away from my mob roots as I could, but I grew up with them. I knew how to get information.

I had avoided texting my father about any of it, I didn’t want any trail back to me. Didn’t mean a call couldn’t be made…at a pay phone. One of my best friends was on the police force, too. I could always go with that route. Maybe they could both get me the information I needed.

I reached across the table for her hand. I kissed her palm, and her breathing caught. I had never met a more responsive woman. Although whether it was a good response or bad one, I never found out until afterwards.

I kissed her palm again and then trailed kisses up her wrist. As I laid one last kiss on the inside of her forearm, I had to do a double take because her eyes were glazed over.

I knew that look very well, too. She was turned on. She was in lust with me! Hell yes!

“Do you want me to keep going?”

I needed to make sure I wasn’t stepping over a line. I had to check to be sure the lines on the road weren’t two solid yellow ones, that I was still moving within the dotted lines.

She nodded, wordlessly giving me the go ahead to kiss her. I got up, still holding her hand and kneeled down in front of her. Who knew this woman would bring me to my knees?

I turned her arm over and kissed up her bicep, on her shoulder, through her blouse, onto her neck, her breathing coming faster. I kissed to the front of her neck. Again, giving her the minute to decide if this is what she wanted. The tent my dick had pitched was obvious, signaling I was ready. I kissed the middle of her chest, still above the line of her shirt, but close enough I could see her white lace bra.

She had her eyes closed. I unbuttoned her top button and opened her shirt. I kissed her erect nipple through her bra, and sucked it.

She pulled back and opened her eyes like a dear in headlights. I could see the moment her panic had passed.

“I told you I was going to mess this up,” She said.

She stood, and then buttoned her shirt up.

“I’m sorry. I really am,” She apologized.

I had no idea where she was going. But I didn’t like seeing her walk out the door.

Mac

I was about to burst. I had seen that asshole’s face when I closed my eyes. The night he had raped me he had bit my nipple brutally through my bra and I hadn’t remembered it until I had closed my eyes while Kellan was sucking at me. Jesus. It was like I was going through therapy all over again. Of course, I had blocked so much of what happened to me that this was really my fault. I hadn’t dealt with any of it, and now I found this perfect man and he was going to leave me because I couldn’t deal with even something as minor as him playing with my boobs. Why would anyone stay?

When was it going to go away? When was I going to get better? When was Richard Cintas ever going to stop taking things from me?

Kellan was on his knees in front of me and all I could do while he looked up at me, was try to keep myself void of emotion until I was in the comfort of my hotel room, just as I had always done. I buttoned my shirt once I stood.

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

I turned and went out the canning door into the brew room. Luckily, no one was there. I then exited through the fire door. I heard the siren from the alarm going off, but I had to move quickly. I was losing my grip. I wasn’t crying yet, but the choking breaths had started. So I worked on breathing through it.

The patrons from the bar were milling on the sidewalk out front of Freemont’s, beers in hand. I had almost reached them when I felt arms grab me from behind. I jumped and started kicking. The arms turned me around, and I found Kellan, looking at me sympathetically. I calmed at the sight of him.

“Don’t run from me.”

He pushed my hair behind my ear. And I leaned into his hand. He pulled me into his arms, and I felt safe. I kept my eyes open and inhaled his scent that smelled so much like strength. He smelled like his cologne, something a little woodsy with a hint of hops. I grabbed onto his shirt. I knew tears were shining in my eyes.

I heard a voice from behind me, but thought the woman was just mad about the alarm going off. I couldn’t quite hear her yet. She upped the volume for me though. She had a smoky voice, that I thought only came from years of smoking.

“Found a whore to take my place?” Kellan froze at whoever had said that from behind me.

What she said was so at odds with her velvety voice. I was in a bad spot right then. I had called myself a whore often internally. But it was different when it was coming from someone else.

“Denise. If you don’t get the
fuck
out of here, I’m calling the cops.”

Then I froze. He couldn’t do that, what if Richard showed up? Kellan continued.

“How dare you step foot near me or mine.”

I didn’t know if I should be excited or not, since I didn’t know if me or mine meant the bar or me. Maybe both?

He walked around me, pushing me behind him, blocking my view of the woman. I turned and leaned around him so I could see her. She was a curvy blonde that looked like a plastic surgery factory chewed her up and spit her out. She was too perfect. I saw her face go red.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why wouldn’t I be able to step foot near you?” She licked her lips, in what I’m sure was supposed to be, a seductive manner. “We had such a good time.”

She was good. She knew what he was talking about. I would’ve thought she was clueless if she hadn’t gone red the moment before.

“When you roofied me, we stopped having
such
a good time. Now,
leave
.”

And everything I had been feeling before, the uncertainty, the pain, the confusion was gone. I was now in full fledged pissed-mode. I put my hand on Kellan’s shoulder and pulled him back. We were standing next to each other now. I think I was possessed.

“Listen, what was your name again?” She opened her mouth to respond and I bowled right over her, “That’s right – I don’t care. If I see you again, I will call the police and file a report for drugging Kellan. He talked me out of filing one in Vegas, but I’m not listening too well these days.”

“You can’t prove anything.”

“There is a hospital report. That’s all it would take. And from the look on your face, I don’t think it would take a genius to figure out that this isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this.”

Denise
took an involuntary step back. I had her.

Living on the street for so many years had given me an uncanny ability to read people. At least, I had thought so until Richard had come into my life.

This was the first time I had called someone on the rug for something in a long time. I felt my old personality surfacing, like champagne bubbles. Slow but steady.

The blonde faux-Barbie turned and left without another word. I watched her get into a Tesla. Well, didn’t that just say it all? She had a very nice expensive car that was electric and fantastic on gas. That type of car meant no steady income, because most people with money bought a gas guzzler and didn’t give a shit about the cost of gas. But a woman that rips off rich guys for a living? She lived pay day to pay day, man to man and inconsistently.

“She’s going to do it again. Warn your friends,” I said, watching as she pulled onto the street. Kellan grabbed my hand and turned me, rubbing circles on my wrist with his huge hand.

“You okay?” He said, genuinely concerned.

I could already see the guilt there. I knew we needed to have a conversation about everything. My freak out, that woman, my freak out.

“Can we go somewhere and talk? Somewhere not here?”

“How about a walk? Neutral ground. I’ll be less tempted to misbehave –”

I put my hand up.

“Kellan, you weren’t misbehaving. You were being a man who wanted something and went for it. That’s normal. I’m the one with the issues.”

I stopped talking when Kellan pulled my hand and made me start walking.

Kellan

Walking was a good idea. I was waiting for her to tell me I wasn’t worth all the trouble my previous lifestyle and my family would bring to her doorstep.

“Everyone has their baggage, Mac. Yours is just different than mine.”

“Your baggage is your family, which doesn’t really seem like baggage to me, and crazy ex’s –”

“And your baggage is crazy ex’s too.”

I didn’t want her thinking we were so different there was no way to be together. I could tell from the argument she was pulling that she was trying to talk herself out of being in a relationship with me.

Mac laughed, then shocked the shit out of me.

“You’re a wonderful person, Kellan.”

“That’s a first.”

“A compliment?”

“That particular compliment.”

I hadn’t realized Mac had stopped walking until I felt her hand pull me back. I turned and Mac put her hands on the sides of my face, once I was close enough.

“You are a good person.”

And then she kissed me. She even slid her tongue in my mouth. Who was I to fight such an invitation? I slid my arms around her, but let her set the pace. I felt one of her hands move out of my hair, down my chest, around my hip and she grabbed my ass. Holy shit. I wanted to grind my growing want into her, but didn’t. I controlled my hips.

We pulled apart, and Mac was blushing. She looked amazing. I had never seen anyone that could come close to paralleling her beauty, inside and out.

“I want to do things with you, obviously. I just have to do it slower than what you’re used to.”

“I’m sorry, when we were in the canning room I shouldn’t have –”

“If you apologize every time I have a meltdown, this isn’t going to work. I liked what you were doing. I just,” Mac paused and swallowed heavily, “remembered something from that night.”

I wanted to hit something. So I did. I walked to the closest tree, dragging Mac with me because I couldn’t bring myself to let her go, and then punched. I continued punching, rubbing my knuckles raw on the bark. I heard Mac giggle behind me.

That laugh was a switch for me, and I immediately let go of my anger. I turned to Mac and she was trying, and failing miserably, to cover her smile with her hand.

“Thanks for throwing down against the tree for me. He was giving me a weird look.”

I shook my head and looked down at my shredded knuckle. There was blood dripping down my hand. I could be an idiot when I got angry enough. Exhibit A – I punched a damn tree. At least I had gotten a laugh out of her and not fear.

“Anytime” I said, letting go of her hand and pulling her to me. Mac laughed harder. I hugged her tighter. She slid her arms around my waist and looked up at me.

“We should probably go clean up your war wound.” Mac waived her hand at my wound and we moved down the sidewalk.

“So would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”

I felt like a high school kid. I was so nervous about her responses to me, it was ridiculous.

“Sounds good.”

“Order in or go out?”

I put the ball in her court. I needed to know if she was ready to be alone with me again or not.

“Let’s order in.”

Thank God. I wanted her to myself but I knew she might not want to stay with me. I had prepared my guest bedroom, as well as made a reservation at the Inn Harbor Sheraton, the suite of course. In a stupid, hopeful move on my part, I also changed the sheets on my bed. I was hoping she’d choose to stay with me, but she had options.

I had also promised Jake I would call him and let him meet Mac. He had insisted on a dinner meeting so he could talk to her about the business. He was, partially, her employer. I was glad Mac had prepared because otherwise Jake would’ve tried to rake her over the coals. I say try because I’d never let him get that far.

“One thing, uh, Jake wanted to meet you.”

“Okay…”

“Can he join us for dinner?”

I had just officially invited my best friend on the date I’d asked Mac on. I really was back in high school.

“Of course.”

Truth was, I was hoping that she’d say no. I had let Mac know me in a way that few did – maybe no one. Jake knew I could be a good guy, but he had also seen me at my worst. He had seen me when I was taking a different girl to bed every night for weeks on end. I was reckless and stupid when I was younger. I just didn’t want Jake to bring up my past and scare away the only girl I’d ever really cared about.

Woah. Hold on a second. I did care about Mac, yes. That was true. If anyone got near her with a ten foot pole I would take that pole and shove it up their asses. Did I want her naked in my bed? Yes. And the thought of her leaving in a few days made me panic. I didn’t want to be without her.

She had people here that cared about her. She had a few in Vegas too, but not like here. Terry and Anna were like parents to her. The only way I
might
talk her into coming back would be a position with Freemont’s that she couldn’t refuse and no more Deputy Dick. I was working on both.