The one that makes me think of youThat’s all you gotta do.We sway to the music and she smiles up at me. “Look at you, dancing all date-like.”I shake my head with a grin and twirl her away from me violently and she laughs out loud.“Stop talking, you’re distracting my moves,” I reply as I twirl her again.We come close again and she looks lovingly up at me.“What is this weird, hippy song?” I ask.“I don’t know, but it’s my new favorite.” She smiles innocently.I stare down at her and so many emotions run through me, but the overwhelming one is regret.Regret for what I did to her.Regret for how we met.Regret that this feeling she gives me can’t go on forever.She starts to sing up at me and I know it’s the champagne singing, but it just may be the most perfect thing I have ever heard.If only.Cut it out. I have to get out of this sappy mood. This isn’t me. This isn’t who I am. I don’t do sappy.I twirl her violently again and she laughs out loud.I will remember this, dancing to
“Because.” I tip my head back and look to the sky for divine guidance. I can’t think when she is pulling on my shirt like that.She runs her hand over my chest.“Because this is a nice date. A well behaved date.” I murmur, distracted.She undoes my top button on my shirt. “Is that so?” she breathes into my ear so close I can feel her hot breath dust my skin. Goosebumps scatter.I nod, unable to make my mouth say the words.“Is that because I’m a nice girl?” she whispers.I nod again.“And you’re a nice guy?”I shrug. “That’s the illusion we are trying to achieve here.”She laughs out loud and I frown.“You honestly think we are nice? I think the opposite.” She pauses and I frown. What’s she talking about? “You see, I think we are a little bit different, you and I.” Her sexy eyes hold mine and I know I am close to my breaking point.“How so?”“We both think that we want good.”I watch her with hungry eyes.“But the reality is, we both crave bad,” she whispers.I stand still and a frown
He moves and groans. “I’m fucked.” His voice is scratchy from our copious amounts of alcohol last night.“Um, I think it’s me who is fucked,” I mutter dryly.I feel him smile broadly as he kisses my head again.We lie still for a moment as reality starts to sink in, knowing he has to get up and leave.We both know he does, but that doesn’t make it any easier.His lips drop to my neck and he kisses me as his hand finds his favorite spot between my legs. “I need you one last time, Rosh,” he whispers as he runs his jaw whiskers back and forth gently along my skin.I nod, unable to speak because the lump in my throat has blocked out all sense. “I know,” is all I can eventually muster.He slides his finger in and hisses in approval. “Oh, baby, you feel too good. How am I going to live without this?” he whispers.I close my eyes to block him out. I don’t want his last memory of me to be crying like a baby.“Open for me.”I drop my legs back to the mattress and he rises above me, onto his el
You fucking idiot!I close my eyes as my blood starts to pump heavily through my bloodstream.Fuck!For the rest of the cab ride, I feel sick. Sick with worry over my stupid oversight.Stace will blame Stucco, I know he will. I hope he kills him when they fight.Hang on a minute…Horror dawns.I didn’t tell Stace that Stucco is planning on killing him. I forgot all about hearing that conversation outside the container. Things were so hectic and then the fight and then…My hands go to my hair in a panic. They were going to call for a maintenance call in the middle of the night.I get a vision of Stace walking the ship in the dead of night alone.And those fuckers…Oh my God. I put my head into my hands.What do I do?Nothing. You’ve got away with it. Don’t do anything stupid.This is drug money, fucking take it.I feel sick. They will kill him.They will kill him and throw him overboard and then blame him for the diamonds.He will get the blame for something he never didI push my thum
He moves close and I know I may be forgiven. “How much more?” he whispers against my lips.I smile up at him. “Stop asking stupid questions and thank me.”He roughly grabs my behind and kisses me, and I laugh into his lips.“Stop doing stupid things.” He growls.“I can’t, it comes naturally,” I reply.He throws me onto the bed and I bounce with a laugh.“So, you are here by choice now?” he asks darkly as he slowly undoes his belt from his pants.Desire runs through my blood and I nod. “Aha.”“Here for me.” He pauses and raises his brow. “By choice?”“Yes,” I breathe as I watch his pants slowly slide down his legs.“So, I can legally do whatever I want to do to you now.” He purrs sexily.Shivers run down my spine. “Yes,” I whisper in anticipation. “What do you want?”His dark eyes hold mine. “Fucking everything.”The pager wakes us from our sleep. I glance at the clock to see it’s 4am in the morning. Stace rolls over and looks at the clock. I know he’s thinking the same thing as me.He
“What’s going on?” I hear a male voice ask. I peer around the corner to see one of Stace’s colleagues from the control tower.“This fuckwit just jumped me and I found this on him.” Stace holds the syringe up and the guy takes it from himOh no, don’t trust him. Don’t trust him. Don’t give him the syringe.“Fucking idiot.” He sighs. “We will put him in the lockup and deal with him tomorrow,” he replies dryly.They grab an arm each and pick him up and half carry and half drag him up the stairs, no doubt to the lock up in the control tower.I lean back against the wall and let out a deep breath. That was close.An hour later I lie in the darkened room and I wonder who I am sleeping with.He was cold and calculating tonight.No remorse, no empathy.No fear.He smashed Stucco’s head on the floor until he was unconscious, I know how Stace’s story started out, but how does it end?My mother told me that my father started out with petty crimes, and look what a monster he turned into. Is this
“No,” he says flatly. “He died because of me, my brother died while trying to get me off this ship. He stupidly thought he could bring him down. But I know the only way he can be brought down is by his death. I’ve made my decision. He’s going to pay. An eye for an eye.”My eyes tear up. “What about me?” I whisper.His eyes hold mine and he brings up his hand and gently cups my face. “I’m grateful that I met my person before I die,” he whispers.My tears break the dam and roll down my face. “Stace, no.” I shake my head. “Please, for me… don’t do this.”He wraps me in an embrace.“Don’t make me lose you, too,” I sob into his shoulder.He holds me for an extended time and eventually he replies, “Baby, I’m not yours to keep. He owns me. I have nothing to lose.”I sit in the dawn light alone at the desk in the cabin. Stace started work at 5am this morning in preparation for Vikinos’ arrival at 10am.I’m soul searching, praying to my mother to save him. He has forbidden me to leave the cabi
“What?” Stace yells.“Get in the fucking chopper!” I scream over the sirens.“What the fuck are you doing?” he yells.“Saving your life.” I point to the chopper with my gun. “Get in.”I look down and frown. What the hell? I kick over the man in the suit so I can see his face and I step back as horror dawns.Oh my God!Oh my fucking God!With renewed panic, I point the gun at Stace. “Don’t make me fucking kill you, too, asshole. Get in!”“No!” He screams. “What the fuck are you doing?”The sirens are screaming over us and I know I have minutes before backup is here.I shoot the ground only inches from Stace’s feet. “I swear to God, get the fuck in.”He shakes his head and climbs into the chopper and I climb in after him.“Take us up.”He frowns. “What?” he screams.“Fucking go. We are about one minute away from being killed.”He scratches his head in a panic and starts the chopper, and I slam the door behind me. We shakily lift off just as two of the crew appear on the deck with guns.
I bought him that black Ferrari that he loved so much. Funnily enough, he hardly ever drives it. It’s a trophy car and a waste of money, if I’m totally honest. Stace has started a development company. If he had his time again, he would have gone back into The Marines, but now that he has a criminal record, that wasn’t an option. He’s doing well and has four men working for him. Sometimes he flies a helicopter for fun on the weekend if he has the time.Like a whirlwind, they come through the kitchen back door. Seb is bouncing his basketball and Stace is carrying groceries in bags that they have just bought.“Dada!” Molly screams in excitement and he laughs and scoops her up and spins her around in excitement.The ball bounces continually and I shake my head. What is it about ball bouncing that drives me so mad? “Stop bouncing that ball, please, Seb,” I call.“Yeah, okay,” he replies from the lounge room as he turns on the television.Stace puts Molly down and she runs off to play with
I open the blue, arch-shaped door and we walk inside. The flooring is tiled in all different shades of green in big diamond shapes, and the walls are a warm terracotta colour. It is the epitome of South America and exactly why I wanted this house when I first looked at it.It’s warm, earthy, and inviting.“This is the lounge room.” I gesture to the lounge room and we walk through the hallway. “This is the kitchen.”He looks around the timber kitchen and smiles. “Where is the laundry?” he asks.“Oh, through here.” I walk through the hallway and show him the laundry and he looks around. His dark eyes come back to my face.“Where is our bedroom?”Nerves flutter through me. It’s been a long time. “Upstairs,” I whisper.He takes me by my hand, leads me back to the staircase, and we continue upstairs.“Last door on the right,” I murmur.He puts the puppy down and walks me up the hall to our bedroom. His eyes scan the space.There’s a large bed with white linen and timber furnishings. It’s s
Stace nods as he drags me to my feet, his hand holding my jaw the way he wants me and his tongue caressing my lips.Oh God, I’ve missed this.“We need to go home,” he whispers.“Diamonds.” I smile as I wrap my arms around his broad muscular shoulders. He’s much bigger than he was before.He walks me backwards until I am up against the wall, his hands on my face, his hard length up against my stomach. “I couldn’t care less about the diamonds,” he breathes into my mouth. “It’s you that I want.”His mouth drops to my neck and I close my eyes in pleasure as his whiskers dust my skin. We kiss again and he’s right, we really do need to get home. I could come on the spot.“Diamonds and home,” I breathe.He bends and picks up our new family member and we walk into the office and up to reception.“We are here to empty our deposit box,” he says. He hands over his identification and I watch him. He’s different. Harder, yet softer, if that makes sense. His body has changed from all of his weight
“I don’t want you to deal with this alone.”“I have been alone my whole life.”“Shelly,” he whispers sadly. “I fucked up, but I can fix it.”“It’s broken for good, Todd,” I whisper. “We can’t be fixed.”A knock bangs at the door. “Hello, Shelly. My name is Erica and I am a psychologist. We had an appointment booked for this morning.”Grateful for the interruption, I smile. “Yes, of course. Come in, please.”I’ve been in rehab for two weeks. It’s been six weeks since I was shot. I finally got the message through to Todd and he stopped coming to see me, although he still rings me every morning and night. The psychologist has diagnosed me with Stockholm syndrome, and so, for now, I am just playing along and agreeing with themSix long weeks since I lost the other half of me.Does he think about me all the time, like I do him? Sometimes I wake up and I feel like I won’t be able to survive another hour without him.Are they right?Am I crazy?It doesn’t really matter anymore, I suppose, an
I am woken up by Todd. “Good morning, Shelly.” He smiles broadly.“Hi.”“You look better today. How are you feeling?”“Fine.”I stare at him for a moment. I have to know. “What happened to the man?”He frowns. “That animal has been charged with your kidnapping and rape. He has been deported to Columbia for trial.”My face falls.“I hope they give him the death sentence.”“He didn’t rape me.”“Yes, yes, he did. His semen was found in a rape kit test carried out on you. DNA testing has come through.”“It was consensual,” I snap.His face falls. “You don’t know what you are saying, angel.”“Yes, I do.”“No, you don’t. You have been kidnapped and beaten into submission by that freak.”“His name is Stace,” I snap. “Don’t speak about him like that.”His eyes meet mine.“I’m in love with him,” I whisper.He screws up his face. “You’re not in love with him. He has brainwashed you. You are traumatized.”“I’m not in love with you.”“Yes, you are,” he commands. “You have been through a lot.”“I’
A siren rings out from outside, and suddenly, after a commotion, ten policemen come storming through the doors in full swat gear.They run to me. “Roshelle.” The policeman unties me. “Are you okay?” He lifts his face to meet mine. “What happened?”“A man came in and shot him,” I whisper.“What man?” the policeman asks.“He left in a car,” I whisper as my eyes find Stace.The hit men came through.I need to cover for them because they just saved our lives.Iinhale deeplyas I try to get comfortable. I’m half asleep, groggy, and incoherent.“Shelly,” a familiar voice whispers.I frown in the semi-lit room. Who is that?“Shelly,” the voice whispers again. “Come back to me.”I frown as I drag my eyes open and the pain in my leg throbs. It’s semi-dark, dusk, maybe. I glance around at my surroundings. I’m in a hospital room.What? Where am I?“Shelly. Oh my God. I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispers as he drops his head to rest on the bed.I frown. What the hell? “Where?” I stop
Antonio looks out into the darkness of the factory and I can see his evil mind ticking.They know I’m telling the truth… in a roundabout way.“That’s why I went crazy on the day you were supposed to arrive. I knew that they were going to blame him for their crime.” I shake my head as I try to talk my way out of this. “I knew he had literally hours to live.”“He still does.” My father sneers.“He didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you owe him. He saved me from your animals. He’s going to jail for a very long time. Leave him out of this,” I plead.Antonio glares into space. “Bring Stucco to me.” He growls.“He’s minutes away,” one of the other men replies. “He just texted through.”Antonio and my father’s eyes meet again. I fiddle with the rope tying my hands behind my back as I try to subtly break free.“Walk the perimeter.” Antonio growls. Two men immediately walk outside to check our surroundings. He dials a number on his cell phone and he waits for an answer.“Hello.”He listens
“I want you to marry Antonio.”My eyes hold his. I need to distract him long enough for her to run. “Why?” I ask.He starts to pace again as he puts his hand behind his back. “I told you, I’m dying.”Can’t come soon enough.My eyes turn to the men around me. Six in total. Four I was in the car with, and then the two guards with guns. His bodyguards.I start to slowly look around for the exits. “Why do you need me?” I ask.“I want to hand what I have worked so hard for down to my blood son.”“He doesn’t want your filthy money.”His dark eyes hold mine, and he steps forward toward me. The fear rises in my throat. No matter how much training I have done, nothing can cure the fear I have of this monster.“Your son will take over the family business.”“I don’t have a son.”“Yet.” He smiles darkly. “But you will.”I shake my head. “I would rather die than hand a child to you.”He smiles. “And you will as soon as I get my child.”Fear starts to close my throat. “You’re pathetic, can you hear
My blood starts to simmer, and with renewed fury I stand and turn the handle to get back out onto the floor.Locked.Fuck it.I stare at it for a moment, knowing I have to go to the bottom to get out. My adrenaline starts to pump. I am going to have one of two welcoming parties.The police or Vikinos’ men.I want the men. I want my revenge and I’m going to fucking get it.I’m furious. I glance at the time on my phone. The police should be here within fifteen minutes to pick Rosh up, hopefully sooner, and then I can start my attack.With Rosh safe and out of harm’s way, I can go back to the original plan. I start to jog down the steps. We are on the tenth floor, so it is a fair way down. Two flights down I hear a noise in the level underneath me and I stop on the step. I peer over the handrail as I try to see what’s coming up the stairs.Bang, bang. Clatter.I frown. What is that? I lean over the rail again and see a maintenance man cleaning the rail and I pick up the pace. I jog down