Lara "I know who you are," Juliana says.For obvious reasons, this is like a punch to my throat because my mind starts imagining wild scenarios. A few seconds later, I tell myself that I probably have it all wrong. She can't know the truth of who I am. How is that possible?So, I tell her, "I don't know what you're talking about."Juliana takes a step toward me, her eyes narrowed. "When I first saw you, I knew that I recognized you but I didn't know from where. It was only when they said your name that I became suspicious. And so, I asked a few of my clients to do some research on who I thought you were, and now I have my answer."I'm stone cold. My heart is slamming against my chest but I don't want to get ahead of myself. I don't want to assume the worst so readily. Juliana tilts her head. She has this expression on her face like she's mocking my anguish. "What, you don't believe me? You don't think that I know who you are, Lara?"I still don't say a word. I'm hoping and praying t
Dexter As I stare at the spot where I know my mother was buried, I feel a strange kind of peace come over me. I remember when this hole was being dug for her. I was watching from the doorway, terrified as shit. I saw it when her body hit the ground and her neck broke. The man standing over her just walked away. I remember his face, though, and I haven’t forgotten it. Not ever. I guess I can say that my whole life started going downhill after that exact moment. I was just a boy living in a brothel with his mother, which might seem like a horrible thing to some people, but what they don’t understand is that my mother was the kindest, sweetest person in the world. She always tried to make my reality seem better than what it was.I was only a boy, but she was my whole universe. I still remember how it felt like to be wrapped up in her arms after she’d worked all day. At the time, I hadn’t known what that job was. I only found out years later. She kept me away from all the terrible thi
LaraI haven't been able to sleep a wink all night. I can't stop thinking about that bitch Juliana and how much I want to fucking kill her. I'm so filled with rage right now. How could I have guessed that someone here would know who I am?My city is miles away from here. I can't stop chewing my lip. Because I didn't sleep, my eyes feel gritty and I feel uncomfortable overall. It's a strange feeling that doesn't go away with anything. How am I supposed to get myself out of this situation?Ten thousand dollars? She's crazy. I have that money, but it's literally all I have and I'm saving it. And even if I weren't, there's no way in hell that I'd give her that money. I don't care. It's all I have. This isn’t something that I feel is worth handing out all my money for. What’s my father or even Vince going to do to me?What can be worse than what they’ve already done?It’s either I ride this out or I run. There’s no other option because I’m not giving her the money. I can’t reach Ambros
Lara I still haven’t made my decision and Dexter is starting to eye me curiously and in a way that makes my skin crawl. I fold my arms. I can’t make a reckless decision. If I decide to leave here and strip for him, then I’ll be at his complete mercy and that’s a terrible decision. Also, what would I do about Ander?“I can’t be your exclusive stripper,” I declare. “It can’t happen. I have a contract with Ambrose and I can’t break it. That won’t work.”However, he mentioned having sex with me. Although I said I’m not a prostitute, am I not willing to make a sacrifice for a good amount of money? Oh, goddess. I’ve reached the bottom of the barrel. I can’t get lower than this. To suggest having sex with my enemy is beyond insanity. I need to be checked into an institution for even thinking about this.“See, you say no but I can tell that there’s something you want,” he says, taking a few steps toward me. I back away from him. He doesn’t stop. “You’re tempted by my offer, aren’t you?”“I
DexterAs I leave Red’s apartment and get in my car, I ask myself what the fuck I’m doing. When I woke up earlier today, I told myself that I would try to put her behind me, but that’s only because of the dream I had of her. In my dream, I was in the strip chub and she was dancing for me. Goddess, she looked so fucking sexy in a black babydoll. Her eyes were lined with black and popped out of her face. I wanted her so badly but I couldn’t touch her. I felt myself getting harder and harder, and when I looked down, my cock was pointing at the fucking ceiling and I was completely naked. My hands were bound to the chair I was seated on, and all the while, she twirled around and around the pole, still dressed. “Having fun?” she asked in a seductive voice. I couldn’t speak. I wasn’t even sure if I had a tongue in my mouth. Then, slowly, she began stripping. She took off her babydoll and was left in a thong that was a sharp contrast against her creamy skin. I wanted to take that thong
LaraAs soon as I climb inside his car, I have this feeling like I want to turn back and cancel the whole thing. This is undoubtedly fear. I glance at him. He seems pleased by what he’s looking at, which makes me feel even more humiliated and not at all defiant. I hate this man. He ruined me. Things were okay when there was the chance that I would do the same to him, but I don’t see how that’s going to happen tonight.I’m so conflicted. But regardless of the way I feel, I’m doing this. I need the money and so I’ll see this through. Maybe some other day I’ll get the chance to find out his secret and use it against him. Maybe. “Ready?” he asks. I only look straight ahead instead of answering him, and so as a result, he chuckles. I cross my legs, fold my arms, and stare out the window. Dexter doesn’t say a word to me as we drive to an unknown location. To me, it’s unknown. Instead of thinking about what I’m going to have to do, I think about Ander. But thinking about Ander brings m
Dexter This reminds me of my dream. Only a few things are different, but it’s pretty much the same scene. I tell her to walk toward me. I see the hesitation in her eyes and to be honest, it fucking kills me. I wanted her to want this as much as I did. I would’ve probably lost my mind if she wanted to fuck me, too. But I guess I’m not paying her to have a change of heart. Once she’s standing in front of me, I put the champagne glass on top of the nightstand next to the bed. Her tits are right before my eyes. Her nipples are rosy and yet they’re not hard yet. That’s about to change. I place my hands on her slender waist and kiss the swell of her breast, right under her nipple. Red sucks in a breath through her teeth and that gives me so much fucking satisfaction. Knowing that she’s into this makes this better for me. I dart my tongue out and draw a circle around her pebbled nipple. I watch her face. She tries to keep her face straight; tries and fails, I should mention. She go
Lara"Vanessa," I lie to him. "That's my name."The thought of him digging deep for my name just makes me scared. He can't find out that I'm Lara. He'll connect all the pieces. He'll find out who I am. He'll know I'm the woman he used for his revenge and then that's it. "Vanessa," he echoes. "Didn't think you'd be a Vanessa."I show no reaction to this. I'm not a Vanessa, and anyway, I don't care what he thinks. I'm too busy fighting demons to care about something so trivial. We're halfway done, though, and that brings me relief. I can't wait to end this so I can go home, pay that bitch, and then continue living my life. However the night feels long, and it's like I won't be able to get rid of him as quickly as I want to. The worst part for me is how much I like it. I can't control how my body reacts to this. I feel the pleasure. I orgasmed. It's complicated and makes me feel ashamed because I'm supposed to hate him, and liking this reminds me of how I enjoyed having sex with him i
DexterA month has passed since Finch’s untimely death, and Lara hasn’t quite been the same. She’s been suffering quite a lot, and honestly, I understand why. Nothing he said made sense to me. Yesterday, she told me that she started to understand a little, but this is all a mystery to me. Maybe she gets it because she knew him better than I did. She grew up with him even though he was my biological brother and not hers. That gives her a pretty fair advantage over me. I’m haunted by the brief conversation we had over the phone. I hadn’t guessed at the time that it would be our first and last one. To sum it up, he told me that he wanted me to be Beta, and that he wanted me to promise that I’d take care of Lara and never hurt her again. But before that, he told me that he wasn’t as forgiving as she was and that he was glad I lose a hand. It was a crazy damn day, and it ended so tragically. But slowly, she’s been crawling out of her shell. Of course, her grief is only noticeable to t
Lara“Is it done?” Finch asks me over the phone. I find myself nodding, and then say, “Yes. It is.”Putting my father down was a decision we all made. It was ultimately what was best for everyone. We’ve all been hurt by him, and I think now, we can have that closure. With him being alive, there’s always that fear that he might run away from prison and target us. He’s always been vindictive. We had an incident with Jensen’s father, who had been Ambrose’s employer. When he heard of his son’s death, he orchestrated a prison break and came after us. Well, that’s what we gathered from the Gammas and Deltas who protect us. He never got close, but that didn’t mean the worst couldn’t have happened. He’s dead now, but he was a reminder that Lycans are very vindictive and will stop at nothing to get revenge. We’re all part-Lycan, so we understand this better than anyone else. We’re also vengeful in our own ways. All of us. Finch heaves a sigh. “Well, that’s the end of it.”For some reason,
Dexter“You’re free to pass through,” the prison guard tells me as he opens the door to the visitor’s room. I never thought that I would find myself here. After I sent Victor to prison for the murder of my mother, I thought I wouldn’t need to speak to him again. I didn’t need him to explain to me why the fuck he killed my mother so brutally. I didn’t want to hear any of it. But since I got together with Lara, I started feeling this sense for closure. My story doesn’t feel complete yet, and that’s because there are loose ends that I haven’t tied up. Well, there’s one, and that’s Victor. He’s sitting alone at the metal table. His hands are out of sight, and he looks older than I remember him. Maybe it’s the orange uniform that’s giving me that impression.When he sees me approaching, his eyes don’t leave my face. There’s not a single thought behind them, and as I sit across from him, I try to convince myself not to lose my cool and end this in a way that won’t land me in prison.“D
LaraI stand in the balcony of my room and stare at the moon, which is high in the sky.The sky has never looked more lovely. It’s like a velvety canvas dusted with thousands of glittering stars. Then, there’s the moon, of course. She’s the star of the show. I can’t help but feel gratitude spreading all through my body as I stare up at Her. Things worked out well for me. For us. The air is cool and still, and it’s carrying this fresh scent of pine from the surrounding forest that invades my nostrils every my time the wind blows. It’s so serene at this time of the night. Everything is still and peaceful. Arms encircle my waist from behind, and I feel the coldness of the metal of his prosthetic against my bare belly. I nestle into Dex’s warmth. I know it’s him. His warm scent envelops me like a cloud, and he kisses the arch of my neck sensually. “Awake at this time?” he asks hoarsely. “Couldn’t sleep,” I say. “Today was a good day, wasn’t it?”I think about the trial that happened
Lara"So," Finch begins when I sit directly across from him. "What happens now?"I've been asking myself this for the past few days and honestly, there's no answer. I don't think that's such a bad thing, though. Sometimes, it's great to not be able to predict anything. I want to see where this goes, too. Why should there always be an answer to everything?I tell him this, and add, "I'm happy with the progress that we've made. Isn't that great? We're taking it a day at a time. All of us."Finch looks right and stares out the window to the spot where Ander is flying a kite with Dex. The two of them are inseparable and it's a joy to see. Ander is a lot more active and they get along. "Hm," Finch says. "What?" I ask, my lips curving into a smile. "Stop being so pessimistic all the time. Why can't you be happy with me for once? I know how you feel about Dex, but he's a part of the family now. You have to put in an effort."Finch scoffs. "When hasn't he not been a part of the family?"I
DexterThree days later, I'm as good as new.As soon as I step out of the hospital, Lara is outside. She’s in the driver’s seat of the car, wearing dark sunglasses. The sight of her fills me with a fresh new will to live. When I left her room that night—right before getting jumped by fucking Jensen and his men—I thought there was no hope for us. I left that house with no expectations. But look at where we are now. I climb in the passenger’s seat. I lean toward her and press a kiss to her lips. They’re soft and she smiles against me. For the past three days, she’s barely left my side, and we’ve gotten close in a way that I didn’t think would be possible for us. I’m a brand new man, and suddenly, my life is full of possibilities. “It’s so fucking good to see you,” I tell her as I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. She smiles, but then it falters. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. You know what today is.”The reminder makes my heart skip a fucking beat. We both agreed that
LaraWhen we reach the house, I tell the men to stay outside with Dexter. “I’m sorry,” I tell them, looking at the injured man. “It’s only going to be for a few minutes. I’ll send a signal for you to come back.”Dex grabs my hand before I step out of the car. He stares at me and says, “Promise me that you’re going to take care of yourself. That you won’t get hurt.”“I promise,” I say. We stare intently at each other before he pushes me toward him. Our lips collide and we share a brief but passionate kiss. It’s time to go, though. I head toward the house and the gates open. I step in. I can’t meet them yet, not when I’m in only a coat and have my scrapes and cuts on display. I have to get dressed. There can’t be signs of a fight on me. It only occurs to me as I step inside the house that someone could’ve called Jensen to warn him that we attacked. But they didn’t have the time to do it, not when they were fighting for their lives. A man meets me at the door. I think his name is G
Lara But wait. Something keeps tugging at me, and when I pay close attention to it, I realize that it’s the background noise that caught my attention. The rattling chains. That almost metallic sound of the door opening. That’s all familiar to me. I chew my bottom lip and think deeply as we head home. It’s been three minutes since I last spoke to Jensen and I haven’t stopped thinking about that tiny detail. Why’s it all so familiar to me?I close my eyes and try to think. Chains. The first thing that comes to mind is Dexter’s ex. She was tied up in them when he took me there so I could decide her fate. And then there was the sound of him opening the door to the warehouse. That’s how I figure out where Dexter is. Jensen took him to the warehouse where the money had initially been stashed. The realization makes my heart pump faster and I tell the driver. “Stop. We’re going someplace else first.”My nerves are making my fingers shake with anxiety. I just have to take a deep breath
Lara There’s no way that Jensen has Dexter. This has to be another bluff. That’s what I tell to myself to calm down. My heart is slamming against the base of my throat and I find it hard to breathe. “You’re a damn fucking liar, Jensen.”“Am I?” he asks quizzically. “The plan was always to use capture Dexter. Only, we figured it would be hard to get him to talk, considering he’s tough as nails and would rather die than tell us where the money was. I suppose you know about that by now, don’t you? That I’m the one who was your employer? If not, now you do. This filthy fucking rogue took my money and I want it back. I’m prepared to take this to hell if necessary. What the fuck do I have to lose?”I say nothing for a good few seconds as I try to figure out what I have established so far. Jensen is my employer. Earlier, he told me he had someone I cared about and that he wanted to negotiate. I thought it was Ambrose, but it’s actually Dexter. Suddenly, someone comes to mind. I was talkin