Chapter 14
Nicole
I woke up the following morning as the sun was rising. There was a clear view of it from Allen’s bedroom window, and I watched for a moment as I blinked. I focused on my body and realized how raw my nipples were as I moved against the sheet and how sore I was between my legs. It was a good pain, and I smiled as I thought back to last night.
Allen was great in bed. In addition to that, he seemed to care about me and want me to enjoy everything that he did. He took his time with me and ensured that I was ready for things to go further.
Looking back made me feel aroused again, and I shivered as the temptation to touch myself for the first time crossed my mind. I couldn’t imagine it feeling as good as Allen inside of me, but part of me wanted to try. I rolled onto my back, pulling the sheet over my body as I blushed in the empty room.
I slipped my hand between my legs, finding what Allen called my clit as I sighed. I was always too busy to worry about this before, worrying so much about taking care of my sister I didn’t even consider my own needs. She was everything to me.
Now that I knew she had some money and a place to live, I could relax a little. I could live a little. I stroked myself with a smile as I bit my lip, feeling the pressure build inside me as I dropped my head back.
“You naughty girl,” Allen said.
I felt the bed move as he crawled under the sheet. My eyes popped open as I felt hot breath against my pussy.
“Allen,” I moaned weakly and closed my eyes again as he pressed his tongue against my folds. “Oh, God.”
“I’m not going to do anything more than this for now. You need to recover,” he murmured before gently tasting me. He made me come slow and hard as he used his fingers and mouth to pleasure me, and I wanted to go back to sleep as I recovered. “How does some breakfast sound?” Allen asked once I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“That sounds great.” I smiled as he rose and stretched, drawing my eyes to his chiseled body. “Are you sure about nothing else happening between us?”
“I am.” Allen grinned at me.
He left the room, and I rose and looked around for something to wear. I saw a shirt on the dresser and pulled it over my head before going out to the kitchen. Allen looked good as he stirred some eggs in a pan and sipped coffee at the same time. It smelled good, and I picked up the scent of bacon as well.
“That smells delicious,” I said as he looked over at me with a small smile.
“Coffee?” He looked at me with a questioning gaze and I nodded, realizing that he knew little about me.
I walked over to pour myself a cup and glance into the fridge for cream. “I use whipping cream and stevia. I try to avoid sugar as much as possible.”
“Oh, okay. We can buy some when we stop at the store.”
I looked for a carton of cream and poured some into the cup, noticing how thick it was. I stirred it, and he slid a container to me as I looked at him. I shook some of the sugar into the cup and stirred again before taking a careful sip. It wasn’t bad. "I think I can get used to this.”
“Good,” he replied as he sprinkled some cheese onto the eggs. “I don’t know what you don’t like or if you’re allergic to anything.”
“Not so far,” I told him as he stirred again and then pulled two plates from the cupboard. He split the eggs onto the plates and added a few pieces of bacon to each before reaching for the toaster.
We buttered our toast and sat down to eat as I cleared my throat. “Last night was wonderful, Allen. I didn’t think my first time could ever be that good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he told me as he searched my face for honesty. “I wanted to be careful with you and make sure that you enjoyed it. That’s good to hear.”
“It was unforgettable.” I smiled, just a little embarrassed, so I changed the subject. “So, what plans do you have for today?”
“I have to go in to work,” Allen told me vaguely as I heard his phone in the kitchen. He went over to look at the screen. “Yeah, I do.”
“All day?” I asked.
“My work has varied hours. Usually days, but that can bleed into nights. I hope you don’t mind.”
I didn’t even know too much about his job at all to begin with, except that he had one. I didn’t, and he paid for me to be here, so he was doing okay. He’d tell me when he wanted to. I needed to find a job now that I knew Noelle was going to be okay. I wanted to contribute to the house if I was indeed living here.
“I don’t mind. I’m still going to see my sister and that’s a good time to do it. I want to look for a job. I want to learn how to take care of a house like this. We’ve only lived in apartments.” I looked around uncertainly. “This is so much bigger.”
“I’ve lived alone a long time, Nicole. I can take great care of myself, and I don’t expect you to take on the whole house,” he assured me. “I can cook a few things, like breakfast. I’ll take care of us.”
“I want to learn how to cook. I want to be the woman that my mother and grandmothers never were. I just wish I could have done that for Noelle,” I said sadly as I looked at the floor.
“I have no problem with you having her over here. I want to get to know her,” he assured me. Allen walked over to the table and sipped his coffee. “I have something to tell you.”
I stared at him. Ever since the phone chimed, I’d seen the strain on his face, and I wrapped my hand around the sturdy coffee cup as I braced myself.
He was going to ask me to leave.
“I found out Ricky was arrested last night. The club was shut down and everyone there was taken into custody,” he said, looking straight at me.
“Why would he be taken into custody?” I asked.
“I am an undercover cop, Nicole. I was there that night to collect evidence against him. We were there on a tip.” Allen didn’t take his eyes off me. “We got what we needed.”
I tried to make sense of what he was saying. “But you bought me that night,” I said in shock as he took a deep breath.
“I arranged to buy you that night. I wanted to keep you safe, Nicole. I didn’t want you going home with any of those men and getting hurt.” Allen took my hand in his. “It wasn’t the plan, but I saw you, and I was suddenly in front of that stage.”
“How is it okay for you to buy a girl at an auction?” I demanded and pulled my hand away from his. “Isn’t that prostitution now that we’ve slept together?”
“Nicole, that’s why I let you decide if you wanted to sleep with me.” Allen’s face paled. “There is nothing about this that makes us anything like that.”
“It’s illegal, right? You could lose your job if they find out about me.” I looked into his face. “They won’t, will they? Nobody knows about me?”
“No. I couldn’t even tell you about the arrest until it was over. That’s why I hid what I did for a living, but this is over. I won’t be involved with the case at all any longer, and we’re moving on to another one.” Allen leaned forward as he met my eyes. “I wanted to protect you from all of this. I wanted you safe. I’ve never wanted to protect someone so much in my fucking life before I saw you. It confuses me, too.”
“I don’t want you to lose your job,” I told him as I stood and pushed the coffee cup away from me. “I am going to stay with Noelle for a while. I’ll figure out a way to get a job and pay your money back. It just might take some time.” I felt numb as I walked back to the bedroom to collect the little I had here and get dressed to leave. I had to go so he wouldn’t get in trouble. He’d saved me. But at the same time, I was so hurt that he hadn’t told me the truth. I felt betrayed. What kind of game was he playing with me?
I spent one night here. A night. Why did it feel like I was leaving my home?
“You’re leaving?” Allen asked from the doorway as his phone rang in the living room.
“I will pay your money back,” I said quietly as I shoved a t-shirt into the small duffel bag that I brought over.
“It isn’t about the money, Nicole. In fact, I got that money playing illegal poker because I wanted you so bad.” He grimaced. “It was worth it.”
I gaped at him, shocked by his reveal “You should have told me about this from the beginning, Allen. I don’t know what to think about this,” I said as I zipped up the bag. “You lied to me.”
“I had to,” he reminded me as I pushed past him and walked into the living room. “My job was on the line, Nicole.”
“It isn’t now? If they find out where we met, then your job is on the line. I’d think you would want me to leave so you can live your life. I can’t be worth losing your career.” I reached for the door, and he stepped forward.
“It would be nice if you thanked me. It’s fucked up that you can’t appreciate me getting you out of that situation and away from a scumbag like that.” Allen’s voice was cold as I looked at him.
“I never wanted to hear about it like this,” I said before I walked out into the front yard. I didn’t want to be near him so I walked a few blocks before calling my sister.
Noelle was home and shocked to hear about what happened. She told me that she’d borrow the neighbor’s car to come pick me up. I sat on a bench and waited for her.
Noelle had the day off, and we ate junk food and talked all about what Allen had told me. “I can’t believe that he’s a cop,” she mused aloud as she sipped the cheap wine that we got for the occasion.
“Me, neither. I mean, it’s better than him being some perv that bought me like the rest of the men there. It’s just I had no idea until now. I don’t know. Maybe he just wanted to use me,” I shrugged as she tilted her head at me.
“Wait, a minute. Did you sleep with him?” Noelle demanded as I blushed. “Wow. It was only a few days that you knew him, right?”
A tear slid down my cheek as I nodded.
“I thought that I meant something to him. I like him, Noelle. I mean, I liked him until I knew that he lied about who he was.” I dropped back onto the worn couch and sighed as I bit into a powdered donut. “At least I’m here with you, right?”
Noelle wrapped her arm around me and gave me a tight hug as I sighed. “I love you, sis.”
I loved her more than anything, but right now, I missed the small chance of having a relationship.