Harley pushed away any anxiety about her friend’s inquisitiveness as she inserted her key into the lock. The first thing on the evening’s agenda was a glass of wine or two…or three. She wasn’t looking forward to an evening of introspection because of what it might reveal, but she knew she had some serious soul searching to do.
How was she going to get rid of her new gangster lover? There was no way it could work out. A man like King had no place in her life. His connections made him downright dangerous, to her and everyone who mattered to her, and she wasn’t in the habit of getting people killed.
More than once, she had wondered why she had to be working when Luis Jimenez died. Fate could be a real bitch when it wanted to. Harley had always believed that if she made good decisions and followed the rules, she’d have a good life and escape the craziness of her childhood. Not so fast, apparently…
“You’re supposed to be healing people, dumbass,” she chided herself. “Not getting them killed.”
She tossed her purse down on the kitchen counter and headed straight for the vino. She filled her glass from the box and guzzled it down, then filled it up again. She welcomed the warmth that spread through her system and softened the jagged edges of her frayed nerves.
She checked the door again to make sure it was locked – it was -- before running a deliciously hot bath where she would be able to think in peace. She poured in some aromatherapy bubble bath. On any other night, she would have had music playing, too, but tonight she needed to be able to hear what was going on around her. The last thing she needed was to have King surprise her while she was stark naked in her bathtub. Boundaries meant nothing to that man.
She picked up her wineglass and sank down into the steamy water and breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t resist scooping up a handful of bubbles and sending them airborne with a soft puff of breath. The moment of silliness felt good after all the seriousness she’d endured that day.
What on earth was she going to do about King?! She had to get rid of him somehow and she suspected it would be easier said than done. He didn’t strike her as the kind of man who would tolerate being shooed away like a bothersome fly. He wasn’t the type to take a hint either. She’d have to be brutally blunt in her delivery. ‘Uh, yeah, the sex was off the charts but the whole cartel thing just isn’t working for me.’
It would be easy to tell herself she was being paranoid if he hadn’t already broken into her home. What had he been trying to accomplish by doing that? Had he just been considerate by gathering some things he thought she’d need at his place, or was he demonstrating that no place was off limits to him? Just how far would he go to keep her quiet, anyway?
As the heat soothed her tired muscles and the fragrant bubbles eased her worried mind, her emotions were all over the place: anger because she allowed herself to get in a position she’d worked so hard to never be in again after her dysfunctional childhood; guilt because of who she was turning into because of the lies she had to tell; and fear because she didn’t know what the hell to expect from King. Factor in that he was a close associate of two psycho Colombian cartel brothers and she was fit to be tied, as her grandmother used to say. Perfect—'fit to be tied’. I bet he’s into that, too.
As Harley took a deep breath and sank down into the steamy water, she knew that, yes, this was exactly where she needed to be: in her own bathtub, in her own home, and inside her own damn head.
King parked his van a block over and climbed a tree in the yard of a vacant house that was for sale. The house was next door to Harley’s house and his high perch gave him a perfect view of her enjoying her bubble bath. Harley had done exactly what would give him the edge he needed: she had underestimated him. The first rule of the cartel was never underestimate your opponent.
A quiet evening at home. How cute. Harley must think she has a choice.
He took a few photos with his camera-equipped binoculars. Normally he liked using his Nikon D-3100 but climbing a tree nixed that option. No way would he risk dropping it from way up here.
You always saw the real person when they were alone. It was what he liked most about hunting a target. Harley was the first woman who had ever garnered his attention this way. In the past, he had put his tracking skills to use to gather Intel on cartel enemies. There was an art to it, and no room for error. One fuck up and the target knew they were being followed. He was a man who thrived on perfecting everything he put his mind to. His longtime friend Tony was the best at gathering Intel and he’d taught King everything he knew.
King had learned the most, though, from watching the animals in his care at the wildlife refuge. The prey he was hunting now was nude and had him licking his lips with anticipation. He pulled the binoculars away and pushed down on his hard cock. He groaned under his breath, only to hurriedly raise the binoculars once more. He didn’t want to miss a thing.
His bedroom had been dark the one night she’d spent there, so this was his first real look at all her charms. Harley pinned her strawberry blonde hair up into a loose topknot. Raising her arms over her head succeeded in putting her tits front and center. His mouth watered as he remembered how he had devoured those breasts while pinning her to the mattress with his body; how he’d pounded away at her with his cock in the moments before he came inside her.
She chose that moment to turn away from the bathtub and reach for another hairpin, revealing the full view of her tiny waist and lushly curved ass, complete with two dimples at the base of her spine. Yeah, he knew how they felt under his tongue, too. There wasn’t an inch of this woman he hadn’t feasted upon in his bed. But to see her like this...it sealed her fate.
He laughed when she blew bubbles into the air after lowering herself into the water, her lips forming a perfect ‘O’. He enjoyed catching that moment in time with the camera. That was one of the things he loved most about photography: the ability to preserve a moment that otherwise would be lost forever. She laid her head back and closed her eyes while taking a sip of wine. She looked like something out of a dream. Who was he kidding? She was a dream. His dream. His personal fucking wet dream. Now it was just a matter of making her his dream come true. And he would do whatever he had to do to make that happen. He grinned to himself. She’d definitely thank him later.
She wasn’t going to fall in insta-love, though, and neither was he. But he knew with absolute certainty that the sex they’d had already was more than a one-night stand. There had been a deep connection there. He’d been with his share of women who were just a means to an end, the encounters nothing more than a guaranteed, minimal-effort-required sexual release for everyone involved. But there was never a deeper connection beyond the body parts required for the act itself.
But that night with Harley? When their eyes met as he moved inside her, it had felt like they were exploring every hidden corner of each other’s soul. He could have told himself he was just protecting her by keeping her close, but the truth was that he needed to keep her safe. It was a dangerous tightrope he was walking because he didn’t know what she would decide to do. If she did the wrong thing and went to the police with what she knew about the hit at the hospital, even he wouldn’t be able to protect her from the wrath of the Ramirez brothers. He knew his long history with the cartel family was the only reason she was being given the benefit of the doubt.
He was grateful as hell for his position high up in the tree as he watched her rise out of the water like a nymph and step out of the tub. Fuck, his cock throbbed so hard it hurt. Air hissed in between his clenched teeth as he palmed his length through his jeans. The bubbles seemed to dance along her nude body as she reached for a towel to dry off. This woman turned him on like no other ever had. It was all he could do to not jizz in his pants like a clumsy, overeager teenager.
He groaned low when she wrapped the towel around herself and walked away from the window into the bedroom. In a twist of fate that defied explanation, her bed was centered against the far wall, perfectly aligned with his view through the bathroom window. You’re killing me, girl. Fucking. Killing. Me. She pulled the covers back on the bed and towel-dried her hair before tossing the towel onto a chair. With those tits and ass gloriously on display, she headed into her kitchen as he had known she would. So predictable.
She disappeared from view, only to reappear seconds later by the kitchen window as she made a cup of herbal tea. Unbeknownst to her, the tea had a little something special in it tonight. He had been a busy boy when he had dropped by her place to pick up some clothes for her.
He had suspected she’d be stubborn and insist on returning to her own home after work, so he’d spiked her herbal tea blend with a natural but incredibly strong sedative. She had mentioned having a cup of tea before bed most nights, and he was counting on her sticking with her usual routine. He was more than a little pleased with himself to see her falling into step with his plan. Who knew he’d have the perfect solution for how to get her home – his home -- where she belonged? After all, he didn’t just feed and water the animals he cared for; he was a master when it came to holistic medicine and herbal remedies that one would typically find in the wild.
Once she was back in her bedroom, Harley placed the steaming mug on one of the two vintage nightstands that stood on either side of her bed. She stretched, extending her arms high over her head, then crawled onto the bed, still nude. On her hands and knees, she arched her back and poked her ass into the air as she reached onto the other nightstand for a book to read. For a mouth-watering instant, those delectable bare pussy lips, all puffy and pink from her extended stay in the steamy water, teased him from between her legs.
She laid back on the bed and sipped her tea as she read her book. Eventually, her eyelids began to flutter and droop, and the book wobbled in her grasp. Even her crime novel couldn’t keep her awake tonight. He grinned smugly. Not after the workout he’d given her the night before. She craved adventure and until now she had found it in the safety of the pages of a book. Now adventure had been forced on her by his hand and there was a part of him that felt a little guilty about it – for about two seconds.
She was so cute trying to stay awake, but he knew she didn’t stand a chance against the powerful sedative that was already working its magic. The book dropped from her hands and slid onto the mattress. She rolled over onto her stomach. As she settled in for sleep, she shimmied softly against the mattress with her legs spread. One knee was bent and curved outward as she hugged her pillow. King bit down on his bottom lip and palmed his hard cock at the sight of that gorgeous ass tilted up as she shifted restlessly in her sleep. Time to get this show on the road…
He eased out of the tree, dropping to the ground with the grace of a feline. He blended easily into the shadows as he jogged back to his van. He would need to park it in front of her house for what he was about to do.