“I said you better have something, I gave you a fuckin’ week, but you’re fuckin’ useless.”
“I have something,” I scream between tears.
He drops me to the floor, and I wince and roll.
“Speak,” he bellows. “God help me, I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”
“T-t-t-they think you’re dead.”
A loud, booming laugh escapes his throat. I lift my head to look up at him through my tears. What the hell is so funny about that?
“Stupid fuckers! What else?”
“T-t-t-that’s all I got. They think you’re dead, they think they’re safe.”
“Fuckin’ perfect!” he laughs again. “Now get up, get out, and get me something else. Find out about security, find out about their rides, schedules, anything I need to work in an attack.”
“Please, just let it go. They have families and...”
His foot hits my ribs. I make a gurgled, screaming sound, and roll away from him.
“Don’t you fuckin’ question me! You know what I’ll fuckin’ do. Now get up, go and get what I need, and report back in a few weeks. You get every fuckin’ thing I tell you. If you don’t, that baby you love goes swimming.”
I nod, and tears stream down my face as I get to my knees and push myself up. I wobble towards the door, not looking back. I get out into the bar, and Janine rushes over, wrapping her arms around me. I wince in pain, and more tears flow.
“Oh honey, we’re going to find a way out. I promise.”
“I have to go,” I croak.
She pulls back, swiping some tears away. “I promise.”
I nod, and turn and leave the warehouse. When I’m on the street, I feel my knees begin to buckle. The pain in my ribs is worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. Each step is agony; each breath feels like I’m inhaling fire. Step by step, I walk until I can wave down the nearest cab. This takes me an hour and a half, and by the time I get into the cab, I am panting, sweating and gagging in pain. I rasp out Jackson’s address, knowing no one will be home. They can’t see me like this. It’s well into the evening now, but Jackson is never usually there until late.
When I arrive at his house, I thrust a twenty at the cab driver who barely gives me a second glance. I hobble out, feeling vomit rising in my throat from the pain. I fumble with the keys Addison gave me, and unlock the front door. As soon as I step in, I hear screaming. I lift my head and blink through my tears to see Jackson buck naked, standing with a shocked look on his face. Muff is doing the same thing, and there’s a woman on the couch, bent over it, naked, and panting. Oh...OH. They were...oh...they were having sex. All of them. All three of them. Holy shit. I hear the frantic shuffle of clothing as they scurry to get dressed.
If I wasn’t about to lose the contents of my stomach, I’d probably scream and blush, running out of the house muttering apologies, but I can’t even make myself turn. My head is spinning, and sweat is trickling down my face. My vision begins to blur, and I suddenly feel hot all over. My stomach churns, and I begin gagging. Thump. Thump. Thump. It’s all I can feel, all I can hear. I reach out to try and grip something, anything to stop me falling, but there’s nothing around.
“Serenity?” Jackson says.
I feel my eyes roll, and as if in slow motion, my body begins to fall forward. Jackson is there, I don’t know how. His arms go around me and my face crashes into his sweaty, hard chest. As his grip tightens around my mid-section, I let out a piercing scream. The pain that shoots through my body is beyond anything I’ve ever felt before.
“Stop, stop!” I bellow, squirming in his arms.
“Hey, it’s ok. I got you.”
“Jack’s, I think she’s hurt.”
That was Muff.
I feel my back hit the soft couch a moment later, I’m not really sure how I get to it, and I hear Jackson bark at the girl, “Get out.”
I hear a protest, and then the shuffling of clothes before the front door slams. I open my eyes, and Jackson is leaning over me. I realize I’m still clinging to him, and I quickly let go. He presses a hand to my ribs, and I scream, squirming. Before I can protest, he has my shirt up. An angry, loud curse leaves his mouth; before he stands and kicks something, I am pretty sure it’s the coffee table.
“He found you again?” Jackson barks. “Where the fuck is he?”
I open my mouth to answer, but what can I say? I have to lie. I can’t tell Jackson he is in town.
“He...he didn’t find me. It’s...it’s just the old injury. I fell this afternoon, I was walking home and a car swerved, I had to leap out of the way and I landed on them. It’s hurting so badly. I don’t know why...”
Jackson looks down at me, narrowing his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me it was so bad?”
“Because it’s not your problem,” I cry. “You’ve done enough.”
“You could have punctured something if they aren’t healed right,” he barks. “So it is my fuckin’ problem if you die in my fuckin’ house.”
I close my eyes, and the tears finally fall.
“Jack’s, it ain’t the time to abuse her,” Muff barks. “She needs a hospital.”
“Get my truck, I’ll carry her out.”
I open my eyes wide, and shake my head furiously. “I can’t go to the hospital.”
Jackson leans down, scooping me up into his arms. “I ain’t givin’ you a fuckin’ choice.”
“Jackson, please,” I beg. “I can’t answer their questions.”
“You let me deal with them, but you’re goin’.”
“Jackson, please...”
He looks down at me, his eyes hard. “Enough.”
I open my mouth, but he gives me a look that has me quickly closing it again. He carries me out front as Muff pulls the truck into the drive. He gets out, leaving it running, and helps Jackson put me in the front seat. Jackson walks around and gets into the driver’s side, and Muff leans in, looking down at me.
“Sorry you had to see us like that,” he says, smiling down at me sympathetically.
I return the smile, though mine is a little wobbly. “Different strokes for different folks,” I croak. “It doesn’t bother me.”
His brows raise, and a small smile creeps across his lips. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” I rasp.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He winks at me, and then leans back, slapping his hand on the roof. “Take care of her boss.”
I turn to Jackson, expecting him to be staring out the windscreen, but instead he’s giving me a strange expression. It takes me a minute to realize he’s shocked that I didn’t react to the position I found them in.
“It doesn’t worry you?” he asks, throwing the truck into reverse.
“That you like threesomes?” I groan, resting my head against the headrest.
Breathe in and out, focus on easing the pain.
“Yeah.”
“Why would it?” I whisper.
“Most women find it...slutty.”
I close my eyes, letting out a deep, painful breath. “Well, I’m not most women.”
Jackson is silent a moment, before he murmurs, “No, you ain’t.”
~*~*~*~
SERENITY
The hospital is quiet, so we get in right away. The nurse asks questions, but Jackson shuts her down quickly. She accepts only my name. He tells her I am in trouble, and that kind of information can’t be given. She seems to accept this, maybe because Jackson is giving her a serious ‘don’t fuck with me’ look. She gets a doctor, who goes over me. He checks everything, straps my ribs, and gives me some good painkillers, and then we’re on our way home.
The ride is quiet. I’m grateful to Jackson for taking the time out to help me, when he really didn’t have to. By the time we arrive home, it’s well after midnight. We slip inside the house quietly, as Addi will no doubt be asleep. I turn to Jackson when he flicks the kitchen light on, and for a long moment, our eyes just meet and hold.
“Thank you
,” I say quietly.
He nods, dropping his keys onto the counter. “Anytime.”
He’s about to turn away, when I whisper, “Why are you helping me?”
Stopping, he turns and meets my gaze dead on. “’Coz you ain’t got anyone else, ‘coz I know how it feels to be trapped, and ‘coz I fuckin’ want to.”
God.
He wants to?
My heart begins beating so hard, I struggle to breathe. Jackson gets to me; he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. There’s been no one in my life that’s ever made me feel like this. I had a boyfriend for a few months, but it didn’t last. My father made sure of it when he found us naked, after a poor attempt at my first sexual encounter. My father beat him nearly to death. Pathetic, isn’t it? You have a father that hates your guts, but will beat any man that goes near you, just so he can push his authority. He wasn’t doing it out of love for me; he was doing it for his own benefit.
It’s terrible, tragic, and pathetic, but it’s the truth. I’ve been with my father, following his every command, since I was a little girl. I was never going to touch anyone at the club, and they learned very quickly to stop trying. I never got to go out much; I was forever babysitting, or working the bar. And now, my heart is pounding, my body is shaking, and if I’m willing to admit it to myself, my pussy is throbbing. Shit. I want Jackson. I. Want. Jackson.
This is so wrong.
But I can’t stop it.
I step up close, gently going up onto my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. His entire body jerks, and his hands shoot out to steady my body, holding me still. I shudder at the feeling of his hands on my hips, and the urge to press myself against him, is massive. I pull back, and for a solid few seconds, we just stare. I can see the lust in his eyes, and as much as I am trying to hide it, I know he can see it in mine. I lower my eyes to his lips, and Christ, I want to kiss him. He’s older than me. He’s the enemy. I’m lying to him. Yet, I want to kiss him.
Before I can think about it any further, my face is moving closer to his. I feel his fingers tighten around my hips, and his entire body stiffens. He makes a growling sound, and the moment my lips graze his, he hisses. God, his lips - soft, supple, and tasty. The kiss is no more than a graze, feather soft and light. I feel only a moment of his lips against mine, before we’re interrupted and snapped back into reality.
“Daddy, is that you?” Addison calls down the stairs.
Jackson lets me go, and I stumble, taking two steps backwards before getting my footing. I let out a loud wince at the tightening in my rib area. Addison walks into the room, looking sleepy and disheveled. She doesn’t even notice that Jackson and I are panting and look anywhere but at each other.
“There you are Serenity; I was looking for you earlier.”
“I was having some pain. Jackson, um, took me to the hospital.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Daddy, you should have called me.”
Jackson tears his piercing gaze from mine, and stares at his daughter a moment before grunting, “I’m goin’ to bed.”
Then he’s gone. I hear his door slam, and I feel my heart ache.
“What’s his problem?” Addi asks, staring at the stairs he just disappeared up.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s tired.”
She gives me a look, and then sighs. “I can’t believe you were in pain and didn’t tell me.”
“It didn’t really come on until this afternoon. I’m ok now.”
“Are you sure?”
I smile weakly, and nod. “I’m sure. I’m going to get some sleep, ok?”
“Yeah, ok. Night honey.”
“Night Addi.”
I walk up the stairs slowly, and then I slip into my room. I can see Jackson’s light on, and I feel my heart thump. I hate that I want him. It’s so wrong. I have to cut it off, now. If he found out what I was doing, he’d likely kill me. I can’t hurt him like that. I can’t have any sort of feelings towards him. It would be so wrong.
I crawl into my bed, and pull the covers up over my body. It takes me a moment to find a position that doesn’t hurt. I’m lying down, light on, just staring at the roof when my door opens. I lift my head to see Jackson standing at the door, shirtless, panting, and giving me a stare so hungry it has me clenching my legs together to stop the ache. He walks in, stopping at the edge of the bed and looking down at me.
“Jackson, what...”
“You kiss a man, you do it fuckin’ properly.”
The he leans down, scoops my head up in his arm gently, and crushes his lips against mine. I let out a pained gasp that quickly turns into one of pleasure. His lips consume me, and I can do nothing but whimper. His tongue finds mine, and desperately, I do my best to kiss him right. I’ve kissed very few times in my life, and they were usually on the very few times I managed to sneak out without my father knowing, and went to parties. Jackson groans, using his free hand to stroke my thick hair away from my face. He presses his mouth harder into mine, and I reach up, clutching his shoulders so I can deepen the kiss until we’re all tongues and lips. When he finally wrenches his mouth from mine, we’re both panting.
“Three things,” he growls. “One, you’re too fuckin’ young for me. Two, because of that, don’t ever kiss me again and three, fuck, darlin’, you kiss like a fuckin’ angel.”
Then he drops me, stands up straight, and leaves the room.
I lay panting.
What the hell...
~*CHAPTER 7*~
SERENITY
“Ugh,” Ciara groans, stopping by the bar while Addison and I are working a few days later. “Pregnancy sucks.”
I smile at her, and Addison laughs. “Hey, stop complaining, you have a mega cute baby growing inside you.”
Ciara laughs. “It might not be, you know. Spike isn’t that cute...”
Addison laughs, and I can’t help but join in.
“Don’t let him hear you say that, his ego will burst and he’ll throw you over his shoulder like a caveman, and dominate you like a boss!”
I snort laugh, and Addison grins at me.
“Like a boss, Addi. Really?”
She giggles, and Ciara joins in.
“Yeah, I am great with words,” she grins proudly.
Ciara turns to me, rubbing her belly. “You got yourself a dominant man, Serenity?”
I flush, and shake my head quickly. “Oh, no...”
“Seriously?” she gasps. “You’re so pretty.”
I shake my head again. “No, no I’m not.”
I’m ugly. That’s what I’ve been told my entire life.
“Bullshit, girl, are you seriously telling me you don’t see how gorgeous you are?”
“I’m seriously telling you that.”
Addi slaps the bar. “Woman! You’re totally giving yourself no credit. I bet we could find a honey around here to hook you up with.”
I laugh nervously. “Oh no, it’s ok.”
“Muff could do the job!” Ciara laughs.
I feel my cheeks flush at the memory of Muff and Jackson tag teaming that blonde girl.
“Oh, Muff is a good idea?” Addi grins, seeing my flush.
“God, no!” I cry.
“Oh, what about Granger?” Ciara giggles.
“You two are awful! I don’t need a biker to take my...”
I quickly shut my mouth, realizing how bad that sounds. I’m making myself sound like a virgin. Addison squeals, and Ciara gasps, covering her mouth with her hand.
“You’re a virgin!” Addison squeals loudly.
“What, no!” I hiss.
“Oh. My. God. Serenity, you haven’t had your cherry popped?!”
I cover my face and groan. “It’s not exactly like that; I have had sex...kind of...”
“How do you kind of have sex?” Ciara says, eyes wide.
“Well, when I was about twenty, I had a kind of boyfriend and we tried it, but...”
> “But what?”
I look away, my cheeks heating. “He kind of started it, but after two pumps...”
“Oh my god!” Addi laughs. “He spoofed before he even got three pumps in.”
I snort loudly, and then groan at the dull ache in my ribs. “Do you have to put it so nicely?”
“You poor thing!” Ciara laughs. “Never even had a chance. We gotta get you a nice man!”
“Who’s gotta get who a nice man?” Muff says walking into the room followed by Jackson, Spike, and Cade.
“Serenity here, she needs herself a nice man to bust that pretty cherry for real!”
“ADDISON!” I squeal, but I can’t help the laugh that escapes my throat.
“Whoa, baby, you’re a virgin?” Muff says, with wide eyes.
I cover my face, feeling my cheeks flush. Bloody bikers and their women. Loud mouths. “Someone kill me now.”
“Well, fuckin’ dibs!” Muff says. “I get first in!”
I lift my head to see Spike punch Muff in the shoulder. My eyes move to Jackson, who is watching me with intensity, his gaze burning into mine. Far out. Why does he have to look at me like that?
“Ain’t no fucker touchin’ her without permission,” he growls, swinging his eyes to Muff. “You got me?”
Muff grins and looks at me. “You don’t mind me jumpin’ in, baby?”
I roll my eyes at him. “Dream on, Muff, and I’m not a virgin!”
“Damn, worth a fuckin’ try!”
Addison laughs, and wraps an arm around me. “None of you dirty perves are having her, I’ll make sure of it. We need a man who won’t spoof before he gets two pumps in.”
“The fuck?” Jackson says, shaking his head in confusion.
“Poor girl, never even got a chance!” Addison giggles.
“Addi,” I laugh, shaking my head. “Stop it!”
Spike rolls his eyes, and walks over to Ciara, leaning down to capture her mouth in his. Addison groans. “Grosse!”
He pulls his mouth from Ciara’s, and plants a big, sloppy kiss on Addi’s cheek. It makes a loud smacking sound, and I laugh softly.
“There you go precious, no need to be jealous.”
Addison lets me go to wipe her cheek furiously, “Oh sick...sick!”