Chapter 16

EZRA

Lacey gave me a call at the start of the night. The usual enthusiasm I heard in her voice was gone. She told me everything was fine but I knew that wasn’t the case. I’d get my answer soon enough when I saw her.

I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I raced through the streets and got to her place, a small apartment in the middle of town. The door was open slightly when I arrived.

Lacey’s place wasn’t anything extravagant. It was mostly empty because she’d just arrived in town, not that I gave a shit one way or another.

The lights were off but it was easy to spot her next to the window. The way the moonlight shined made her look as gorgeous as she always did. Porcelain skin that seemed to glow like she was an angel.

But the look in her eyes… Just a blank stare as she looked out into the distance. She was motionless. She wasn’t even fucking blinking.

I took a few steps toward her.

“How was everything today?” I said.

“Fine. Just fine. It was busy today.”

“I hope you didn’t work too hard.”

“I’d rather work hard than not at all. Moving around the kitchen means that I don’t have to figure out a way to pass the time. Better than standing around.”

She just kept staring out the window to the point that it was starting to bug me. I knew I had to do something.

“Lacey—”

“How about you? How was your day?”

“My day? Nothing special. I just finished up some paperwork and started cleaning out the place. It’s gonna take a long time until it’s in the right shape. There’s so much fucking dust.”

“I figure someone like you would hire someone to do it.”

“That’s an idea. Figured I’d get started on it.”

“But you do have the money to hire someone to clean the place up for you, don’t you? All that money you made in… real estate…”

She slowly turned her face toward me. That same fucking blank look. Eyes as cold as I’d ever seen them before. She almost looked like another person.

“That’s how you made your money, right?” she said. “Real estate in the city.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. I didn’t have to think twice to know what she was getting at. Apparently, she felt the same way.

“I got a visit from someone today,” she said. “Someone who said he knows you.”

“…Jamie.”

Her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed.

“Then it’s true,” she said. “He does know you.”

“What did he tell you?”

“Just that you’re not the man you claim to be.”

“I am the man I said I am. You can’t completely trust a man like Jamie. Whatever he told you—”

“He told me to ask you for myself. Said that you two were in business but never said what that business was. I figured there was no point in getting it from him because I wouldn’t believe him anyway. But you…”

She slowly got up from her seat. The way the moonlight cast a shadow on her face… She was still gorgeous but in her eyes, there was a confusion like she didn’t know what to think.

“Lacey—”

“Dammit, Ezra!”

She let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. She broke suddenly, the first sign of emotion I’d seen this entire time.

“Just tell me the truth,” she said. “If this… This… Whatever it is. If it’s anything, you can’t keep it from me.”

The frown on her lips finally got to me.

It’s time…

I sighed through my nose and shifted my eyes to the ground.

“The truth,” I said with a nod. “Okay. The truth.”

I looked her straight in the eye as I started.

“My grandparents lived in Ivory but my parents lived on a farm not far from here. I spent my whole life working with my parents making ends meet. Around the time I turned 18, I had a decision to make. I could keep going to school or do something else. I figured I would go to the city and make something of myself. This isn’t anything I haven’t already told you before.”

“Go on.”

I nodded again.

“It was tough. I made ends meet taking up minimum wage jobs all over the city. Dishwasher. Busboy. Courier. Janitor. Shit, you name it, I did it.

“I stayed at this apartment complex along with a bunch of other people who didn’t make shit. One day, I met the guy who owned the building. Some rich motherfucker who didn’t give two shits about the people who lived there. He’d come around and collect his rent and be on his way. That’s when I saw what the real hustle was. That’s how I could make some real money. Buying property and just renting it or flipping it. A place like the big city, people were always looking for a place to stay.”

“Then what’s Jamie talking about? If you’ve got another business besides real estate, what is it?”

Lacey was listening intently.

“Buying property isn’t cheap,” I said. “I needed money. So, I ran into some people. Talked to some gangsters and cartel members looking for a loan to get started. None of them had anything for me because I was a stranger. That’s when I met Jamie. Said he’d give me the money I needed. All I had to do was do some work for him.”

“And what kind of work is that?”

I didn’t wanna say it. Just from the way she was trembling, there was no telling how she would react.

“What kind of work was it?” she repeated. “Just tell me the truth—”

I swallowed and clenched my jaw.

“He asked me to deliver weight for him.”

“I see…”

“I never knew where it came from or who was paying for it exactly. I was just a middleman. I started making money just like how I told you I did after though.”

“Then what are you doing in Ivory? What’s this business he’s talking about?”

“There’s a lot of competition in the city. Triads. Yakuza. Cartel. Mafia. Everybody’s fighting for their own piece of the drug trade. Drug lords are always going to war. But in Ivory, there’s a monopoly. It’s going through one small group. Jamie told me to come down to Ivory with him. Get a piece of it. He…”

“He what?”

Lacey’s voice was shaky. I took a step toward her but she put her hand up.

“Don’t come near me. He what, Ezra?”

Dammit…

“He told me that we needed to open a business. A business so that we could launder all of the money we were making.”

“A restaurant…”

“…He never said what kind of business. He left that up to me. But—”

“So, you’re a drug dealer. Everything else was a lie.”

“It’s not a lie, Lacey. I’m opening up a restaurant. I’m not a drug dealer.”

“You just said you’re opening up a restaurant as some cover.”

“Not for him. I wanted to open it up for myself when I thought about it.”

“Right,” she scoffed. “You really expect me to believe that? After you’ve kept everything from me?”

“I made a mistake. I admit that getting involved with Jamie was wrong. I was young and stupid. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“That’s your excuse? Ezra, you were moving drugs—”

“I didn’t know! I didn’t know, okay? I should’ve never trusted, Jamie. He gave me my first payday. I’ll admit that. But I built myself up. I made my own fortune through real estate. That was legitimate. That was real.”

“Then why are you still doing business with him?”

Lacey’s lip was quivering. She was shaking so much that I thought she was gonna pass out.

“I’ve asked myself that over and over,” I said. “The answer is the same every time. I owe him.”

“Ezra, he’s a drug dealer. You don’t owe him anything.”

“You’re right. I can see that now. I see that in you. Lacey, you’re all that matters to me. You and this restaurant… We can do this. I can walk away.”

“You expect me to believe that? After you’ve kept everything from me?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. Lacey was so pissed that there was nothing I could say to calm her down.

“Just tell me this,” she said. “When we met, did you tell me that you were opening a restaurant to try and impress me or was that something you wanted to do for yourself?”

“Lacey, I want to do this. I can’t do it without you.”

“I don’t even know who you are.”

I took another step toward her but she moved back and reached behind her waist. In the blink of an eye, she suddenly had a pistol pointed right at me.

I blinked my eyes in disbelief as I stared down the barrel of the gun.

“Don’t come near me,” she said.

“A-are you really gonna shoot me?”

“If I have to.”

She swallowed again. She was breathing hard like her heart was racing inside of her chest.

“Put the gun down,” I said.

I moved closer and she raised the gun up.

“Get away from me.”

“Lacey… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I kept that from you…”

“I said get away from me!”

I moved toward her and snatched the gun from her before she could do anything. I pulled it out of her hand and set it down on a nearby table then wrapped my arms around her.

“Let me go!”

She squirmed in my arms but I held her tight.

“Lacey—”

“Let me go!”

She kept screaming. I did the only thing I could do to quiet her.

I put my lips to hers and kissed her, shoving my tongue down into her throat. She resisted me, turning her face away.

“I care about you.”

“I don’t care!” she yelled.

I kept my arms on her, letting her struggle helplessly while I kept kissing her. Her resistance started to slip away. I had to keep going. It was the only way I could get through to her. To show her that what we had was real.

I shoved my hand down into her jeans and found her clit with my finger. Her body immediately seized up. There was no squirming or struggling or trying to break free. I let go of her completely but she didn’t move from the spot she stood.

Her eyes closed, Lacey let out a gasp as I kept finger her clit.

“Just forget about all of this,” I said. “You’re all that matters to me now. I promise you…”

I slid my finger down and pushed it toward her slit. She was soaking. Two fingers moved inside her folds and rubbed against her walls. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed to brace herself. That look of blissful agony on her face was more hypnotizing than anything. Seeing the pleasure she felt was the kind of distraction that we both needed.

I moved her over to the wall and pushed her up against it. She didn’t struggle when I put my lips back to hers. Her hands wrapped around my head and through my hair. I kept fingering her, pushing her closer to her edge.

“Just fuck me…”

“Lacey…”

“Dammit, just fuck me already.”

Her warm breath against my ear. Lustful whispers. That look of desire in her eyes. No man would’ve been able to refuse her.

I stepped back from her and pulled my hand free. She stood before me and breathed hard through her nose, her jaw clenched. A split-second for the both of us to think about it. But even that was too long for us.

She put her hands on her jeans and started undoing them. I followed her lead. My belt undone and my zipper down, I pushed my pants and underwear down until my hard cock was free.

Lacey moved her panties down then turned around against the wall to present herself to me. She spread her legs slightly, revealing the wet pussy that dripped with a drop of anticipation down her thigh. My mouth watered and I wanted to taste her. But my cock was straining so hard that I couldn’t wait any longer.

I positioned myself behind her, my tip against her folds. I pushed my cock into her with one strong, forceful motion. I grunted hard. She let out a sharp gasp when I filled her up.

“Fuck me…” she sighed. “Fuck me…”

I gripped her hips and gave her what she asked for. I rocked back and forth, slamming my cock into her. My hilt slapped against her ass and echoed through her empty apartment.

“Harder…”

Lacey squealed in pleasure, an angelic chorus that I had no choice but to follow. All of the anger and frustration and doubt and regret had left me. The only thing left inside of me was my desire. My craving to satisfy her.

I reached a hand up and ran it over the back of her head. I gripped her short hair tight in my hand and jerked her head back, pointing her face toward the ceiling. I leaned in close to her, kissing her cheek and licking her neck.

“Is that what you want?” I grunted.

“Harder… Fuck me harder, dammit…”

She was commanding me to the point that I had no choice but to obey. My cock slammed into her. I wanted her to feel every fucking inch of me. I buried myself as deep as I could, so hard and so fast. The sound of our bodies was so loud that everybody else in the complex could hear us. Lacey started screaming loud enough that she didn’t even care if they’d heard.

“Lacey… I’m gonna fucking… I’m gonna come…”

“Harder! Give it to me!”

I pushed her up against the wall and pressed her into it with every thrust.

My balls started to tighten up against my body. My cock swelled to the point of explosion. All of the cum inside of me was building up to the point that I couldn’t avoid it. I was desperate.

“Lacey…”

I tightened my grip on her hair and waist as I finally lost control.

“Fuck!”

I grunted as my body started to spasm. A thick throb of cum fired out of me and filled her up. My knees buckled but I kept my dick planted inside of her as I pulsed from my orgasm. I emptied myself completely, making sure that not a single drop of cum was wasted.

Lacey cried out suddenly and trembled underneath me. The way she shook couldn’t be faked. She came on my cock, her walls tight and slick on me. I kept her in my grip while the two of us found our end.

She fell against the wall and I stayed on top of her, my chest pressed against her back. We both breathed hard as we tried to recover.

My senses came back to me. Despite how good she just made me feel, all that was left inside of me now was regret.

“I should’ve told you… I’m sorry… But I meant it… I want to be with you… We can still be together…”

She put a hand on my chest and pushed me away before slowly turning around. Her eyes shifted toward the ground.

“I… I don’t know what to think.”

“Lacey—”

“Just give me some time, okay? I… I need some space.”

“…Okay.”

She’d given me more than I could ask for.

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. She didn’t resist when I moved my tongue between her teeth. I wanted this kiss to last forever but I knew I had to respect her wishes. She was all that mattered to me now. I had to do everything I could for her.

“Call me,” I whispered. “If you need anything.”

Lacey didn’t respond. She just went back to staring out the window like I’d found her. There was nothing I could do now except give her the time she needed.