She smiled with half of her mouth up at me. "Thank you," she mouthed. "And you know what the best part is?" I asked."Tell me.""You're here with me. Right here, where I can do this." I dipped my hand up under her shirt and cupped a breast, so soft, filling my hand with its gentle weight. I smiled at her. The kind of smile I can feel on my face, and pretty much only give to her and a very short list of others."I am," she said. "And I'm glad I'm here with you, Ethan. You're the first person to make me... forget." Her voice grew softer but, strangely, more clear. "I don't know why it works with you, but it does. I couldn't do intimacy for a long time. And then it was still... difficult... those times I tried-""It doesn't matter anymore, baby," I interrupted. I hated to even imagine Brynne with someone else; another man seeing her naked, touching her, making her come. The images drove me mad with jealousy, but what she'd just told me also made me so damn happy at the same time. I was t
"Go ahead and pick out the one you like for today," I told her. Brynne grinned from my wardrobe door and then disappeared back into it. "Well, I love the purple ones, but I think today we'll go with this one," she announced as she emerged with a blue tie in her hand. She sauntered up to me and draped the silk around my neck. "It matches your eyes, and I love the color of your eyes."I love when you say the word love in reference to anything about me. I watched her expression as she worked on knotting my tie, biting, just the corner of her luscious, bottom lip in concentration; I was loving her attentions and not loving the fact that she had obviously practiced on somebody else. She had stood right up against some other bloke and tied his tie for him. I knew it. I tried not to envision that it was morning when she performed this service for the cocksucker and that she'd not spent the previous night sucking said cock- sucker's cock. I was such a jealous bastard now. I'd never been jealo
"How's the military investigation into Lieutenant Oakley going?" I asked, giving in and opening my desk drawer to pull out my lighter and a pack of Djarums."He's been doing very bad things to the people of Iraq and getting away with it, but not sure for how long that'll stay buried. I think the senator can only be relieved his son is off getting into trouble in Iraq as opposed to anywhere close to his election campaign."I grunted in agreement and sucked back my first, sweet inhale. The cloves gave quite a kick, but I was used to it. Now I just let the nicotine do its work and felt guilty for what I was putting into my body. "So he's career military, you think?" I exhaled away from Neil.Neil shook his head. "I don't think so.""Why not?"Neil had the keenest instincts of anyone I knew. He wasn't just an employee, not by a long shot. Neil was much, much more. We'd been boys together, gone off to war, survived that hell to return to England, managing to grow up in the process and star
"Well then, may I please have her new phone number since she didn't see fit to give it to me herself?" She sounded more like the wounded victim now, and intent upon dismissing me as quickly as possible.And I was smiling now. I fucking love a winning hand. "Oh please, no. Mrs. Exley, don't take offense. This all happened very suddenly last evening. Brynne told me something yesterday, and I made the decision that she needed a new mobile number. It's that simple. She just hasn't had the time to get in touch with you yet, I am positive that's why." It was easy to be magnanimous when you held the better cards."You made the decision, Mr. Blackstone?""Yes." Man, my ciggie tasted divine."Why are you making those decisions for Brynne?" Mummy had claws, it seemed."Because like I said before, Mrs. Exley, I'm going to keep her safe from any- one or anything that tries to hurt her. Anyone... or anything." I inhaled a lung-full of cloves and savored the taste. She got quiet then. I waited her
Picking her up from work was something I looked forward to, and today was no exception. Everything was good until that text came through on her mobile. Now I was just plain old desperate to get her in my sights.I pulled into the Rothvale lot, parked and watched the doors where she would exit the building; my conversation with my cousin still niggled at me since we'd spoken and honestly had infected my imagination with all kinds of madness. Marriage... seriously?! How about an exclusive, committed relationship for starters?The idea of marrying anyone had never been on my life list. I just didn't see such a future in my cards and never had. The institution itself held my utmost respect, but in all likelihood a person with my lifestyle and baggage would be most certainly an epic fail as a husband. There was so much shit in my closet, going so far back, that I could hardly separate to a time when I might have turned out normal.My sister was married, and very happily too, with three bea
Mallerton's paintings can go to rot, it's Brynne Bennett on his cock that he wants! She sighed at me. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong? You just growled and I'm pretty sure growling is not a universal signal for happiness and harmony." She looked very annoyed with me."This came through a bit ago." I set her mobile on her lap with the text on screen. She picked it up and read it, swallowed once and then looked sideways at me."You got jealous when you saw this." Not a question.I nodded at her. Might as well let it all hang out while we were at it. "He wants to fuck you."All men do when they see your nude photographs. I wasn't moronic enough to say that to her, but man I could sure think it if I wanted. It was the bare naked truth!"I highly doubt that. Ethan." "Is he gay then?"She shrugged. "I don't think Alex is gay, but I don't really know.""Then he definitely wants to fuck you." I said grimly out the window now coated with drizzle and setting a mood in perfect harmony wit
"Ahhh, well I feel the same about him." I hesitated before bringing up her mum, but figured I should. "I don't think your mum was too impressed with me today, though. Sorry about that. I thought it best to introduce myself and tell her what I was doing in your life I probably could have said it more tactfully. though."She shook her head. "It's okay. She actually said she's glad you're watching out for me, and that you sounded determined to make sure nothing happens..."I caught the falter in her voice and wanted nothing more than to reassure her, but I waited for her to finish. "She thinks you're obsessed with me, though." Brynne toyed with her chicken. I shrugged. "I didn't hold back with her, it's true. I told your mum how I feel about you."She smiled at me. "She told me that too. Pretty brave of you, Ethan." "Telling the truth is not brave, it's expected." I shook my head. "It's important to me that your parents know I'm not just providing security for their daughter." I reached
"Introduce yourself!" he ordered.I shook my head and gestured to the camera. "No video! No VIDEO, you cock- sucker! NO FUCKING VIDEO-MThe backhand across my mouth was so brutal it shut me up by force of the blow. He barked another order at the one with the video camera, who aimed the lens at my tags and read in halting English: "Blackstone, E. SAS. Captain. Two nine one five zero one." He started toward me again, and this time he pulled a khukuri out of its sheath. The blade was curved and finely honed. Even in my drug weakened ability to react to what was coming, I could see the tool was well prepared for the job it was about to do. I thought of my mum. I'd wanted her all my life and now more than ever. I wasn't brave. I was afraid to die. What would happen to Brynne? Who would protect her from them once I was gone?Oh, God..."No video. No video. No video. No video," was all I could utter. And if the sound was no longer an utterance capable via my mouth then it would be the last t