Fontaine said, “Hello, my name is Detective Fontaine from the San Francisco police department. I’m here to talk to you about a man we have a murder investigation about. An Arsen Sloan. Have you heard that name before?”
He shook his head and Steele saw a little blonde headed boy peek out from behind the man who was most likely the kid’s father. She thought he was probably about four-years-old or so.
“Who’s this lady?” the kid asked.
“Get back, Pete. Daddy’s talking grown up talk right now. Go play with Becky, she’s in her room.” The kid vanished with his father’s words. “I don’t know anybody by that name. I mean I heard about him on television and the paper, but I don’t know him. Why would you ask?”
“Your wife does. He was seen getting into a blue Camaro early this morning.”
The man looked like he was goin to be sick.
“Beth picked that man up? In our new car?”
Fontaine nodded and Steele felt just about as sick as the man looked like he did as she told him, “At five this morning, she went to his apartment building after sending him a text telling him they needed to talk. Mr. Sloan got into her car without his cellphone or telling anyone who he was with or where they were going. It’s been a little over six hours since that time and no one has seen or heard from him.”
The man staggered out the door and sat on the top step of the porch, letting the screen door slam behind him.
“My wife is with a fucking murderer?”
The detective moved to allow him some room.
“Sir, have you spoken to her? Did she tell you where she was going?”
“To visit her mother.” He put his head in his hands. “Do you know if she’d been seeing that man?”
“She had not been seeing him.” Fontaine walked down the stairs and looked up at him. “They aren’t involved like you’re thinking. She was Mr. Sloan’s first girlfriend. Later, after they’d broken up, Mr. Sloan got into a relationship with Beth’s mother.”
The man raised his head and looked at Fontaine.
“Are you shitting me?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “No, sir. Now, can you tell me what her mother’s address is? And please do not try to let her know I’m going over there. I do believe she has Mr. Sloan with her and they plan on confronting Anne Sinclair. I want to get the surprise on them.”
“You really think it’s just that? I mean, you don’t think she’s been messing with that guy?” He looked sadly at her.
Steele’s heart was pounding. She felt so sorry for the man.
“We’ve been trailing this man for a while now. I can assure you he hasn’t been talking to her at all and they haven’t been seen together at all.” Fontaine turned to leave. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help. I’ll go to Anne’s house and see what I find out. I’ll keep up updated if you like.”
“Please do,” he said as he watched her leave.
His head fell back into his hands and Steele knew he was not a happy man.
Fontaine came to her window.
“Did you hear all that?”
Steele nodded. “I did. So can we follow you to Anne’s?”
“You can. Promise me you’ll stay in the car, Steele.”
She nodded and rolled the window up. Then watched Fontaine walk up to talk to Paul.
“Hey gorgeous,” he said as he rolled his window down.
Steele watched as Fontaine’s cheeks went pink.
“I like the sound of that. Follow me, and don’t let the hell cat out, please.”
“Got ya.” Paul reached out and put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him for a kiss.
Steele looked away, giving them some of the privacy that Paul had given her and Arsen. But looked back in time to catch Fontaine’s face as they ended their kiss.
With a dazed expression covering her face, she said, “You’re very surprising, Paul.”
“Wait till later, after our date,” he said with a grin Steele could see through the rear-view mirror.
She watched Fontaine kind of float off to her car and stifled a giggle. Paul looked back at her. “You find that amusing, Steele?”
“Sweet, too sweet,” she said as she let the giggle all out. “I have to tell you, her reaction to you is priceless.”
He pulled out to follow the detective. “I think so too.”
Now if everything else can fall into place that would be fantastic!
ARSEN
Hiding just behind a partially opened door of a small bedroom just off Anne’s living room, Arsen held a small recording device and waited for Beth to start the conversation with her mother.
Anne’s voice was tense as she entered the house.
“Sorry it took so long, darling. I had issues arise I had no control over. So, my surprise?”
Arsen thought how typical that was of the woman. Me, me, me. That’s all she ever thought about was herself and what others could do for her.
He was happy he was about to do something for her. Send her ass to prison where she belonged.
“Oh that,” Beth said. Some rummaging he heard then she said, “Here you go. Pete made this picture for you of our family. He wanted me to give it to you.”
The crinkling of paper he heard then Anne sighed.
“A drawing by a four-year-old. That’s it?”
“Mother, Pete worked hard on that for you,” Beth said, sternly.
“I thought it would be something good,” Anne said. “Well, if that’s what you’ve waited for hours to give me then I’ll see you later, Beth. Damn it, what a disappointment.”
Beth cleared her throat then said, “Well, I did have some things I wanted to talk to you about. When’s the last time you saw Arsen Sloan?”
“What?” Anne nearly shouted. “Arsen? The boy your father nearly killed? That guy? I don’t know why you’re asking me that. I mean unless it’s because of how it came out on the news he killed those women. Seems you dodged a bullet there with that crazy man. Guess your father was right to have beaten him.”
“Was he?” Beth asked. “Then why did you stop Dad? Why did you take Arsen to the hospital?”
“Well, I am a Christian woman, Beth. I don’t approve of violence.”
Arsen had to hold the laugh that almost got away from him back. His hand clasped over his mouth to keep it in.
What a liar!
Beth did let her laugh out.
“Really? So, I suppose that’s why you visited Allen White a number of times while he was in prison. To introduce the man to religion?”
“How do you know about him?” Anne’s tone had gone to defensive quickly. “I’ve never told a soul about that, Beth.”
“Oh! Well, I may have found a little secret diary thingy you’ve been keeping.” Beth laughed again. “A person who does the things you have done should not keep it all written down anywhere. Much less in a book which is handwritten and has elaborate writing on the front cover of a leather-bound book. The title is amazing. Sounds like a best seller, Mom.”
“How did you find it?” Anne asked with a tension to her voice Arsen knew all too well.
“The Destruction of Arsen Sloan, what a title, Mom. And the details are so intricate. Step one, find someone who wants revenge on Arsen Sloan as much as I do. That was kind of hard to find it seems. Poor Arsen had to lose a case for that to happen.”
“That’s just a little fiction story I’ve been working on. None of it is real.” Anne laughed. “Darling, you thought it was a true story. How funny.”
“Let that crap go, Mom,” Beth said. “I know about it all now. I even found the tapes. They were truly awful, Mother. I can’t tell you how many times I threw up.”
The sound of someone plopping onto a cushioned surface let Arsen know Anne had fallen to the sofa.
“The tapes too? Jesus, Beth, when did you find the time to go all through my house? I mean you have that husband and those kids to raise. When did you find the time?”
“Well, let’s see. It was when I saw Arsen on television for the first time. When they were talking about how he might be accused of the murder of three women who were his submissive partners at one time. Guess who else they caught on that camera, Mom?”
Anne sighed. “Shit! Shit, I never saw that.”
“Yep, you were there in the background with your black wig on.” Beth sat down, making the springs on the sofa cushion squeak. “You had on a blue dress which made you look kind of lumpy. Which you’re not. So before I accused you of being there, I decided to come and look through your closet to see if the dress was there.”
“It was. I knew it had been moved. I knew it!” Anne said. “You came into my home and searched through my personal things! How could you, Beth? How could you?”
“Save that shit, Mom. Come clean. Tell me it all. Every sordid detail,” Beth coaxed her mother.
“What do you want to hear? How I found Arsen one fateful night in a small bar? How I made him mine in a way you never could? How he loved me?”
Arsen rolled his eyes. Love was not a thing they’d had. How she didn’t know was a mystery to him.
“So he loved you, did he?” Beth asked. “And you repaid him by framing him for murders you had committed by another man?”
“You have no idea how much Arsen Sloan deserves to be behind bars.” Anne said.
“Tell me, Mom.”
Arsen leaned forward and found he could see the two as they sat on the sofa. The back of their heads, anyway. Anne looked at Beth and said, “Look, I’ll cut you in on what I’m going to be getting once he’s in prison. How about that, darling?”
He saw one side of Beth’s mouth quirk up into a smile.
“Cut me in? On what?”
“I’ve forged Arsen’s name on quite a few things. I had his social security number, his driver’s license number, his date of birth, mother’s maiden name. You name it, I have it. So I was able to get my name in on some of his best investments. See he has so damn many he has no time to check each one out for any changes. And the ones I put my name on as an eighty percent owner, I had the address changed on.”
“Clever, Mother,” Beth said. “Who’s address?”
“A post office box in Los Angeles. All I have to do is wait for a judge to find him guilty and off he’ll go to prison and off I’ll go to the bank with my papers in hand and tell them I want to cash out.” Anne patted her daughter’s shoulders. “Millions, darling. And I’ll share with you. How about I give you ten percent to stay quiet?”
Beth laughed.
“Okay. But tell me how you did it. How did you get those women killed?”
“Arsen made it much too easy. The man must’ve been looking to hook back up with any of his old subs. I didn’t see that coming. But when I did, I got Allen White on the phone and had him move in. I was able to get this drug which leaves traces of things already found in the human body. It elevates a couple of things that occur naturally.”
Beth nodded.
“Wow! You did some research, Mom!”
“I did. Then I got that into Allen’s hands. All he had to do was inject the women. He did so easily. I tracked Arsen constantly. Within a few minutes of him leaving the women’s homes, I had Allen go in and inject them.”
Beth smiled.
“So as they slept, Allen did the dirty work. But how did you know he’d choked them all?”
“I watched him do it,” Anne said. “It was a thing I had introduced him to. He hated to have it done to him. But he sure didn’t mind doing it to others. Those women seemed to have an addiction to it. So when I found he did that to the first one, I jumped on that. Like I said, he made it easy.”
“So smart, Mom. So Anne Sinclair is one woman with a lot of mysteries behind her.”
Anne laughed. “I am quite a great actress! So, you’ll take the ten percent then?”
“Let me think on that, Mom.”
“Do not get greedy on me. I worked hard for that money. I made that man and he should’ve always given me money for what I did for him. Have you seen him? He’s magnificent, and I made him that way.”
Beth looked confused. “Just how is what he became your doing?”
“I made him exercise, eat right, do well in college. It was me behind all of that. I taught him how to be a dom. Taught him about a life he had never known. Then the fool goes and finds this little vanilla bore and loses himself in her blandness.”
“Huh?” Beth asked. “You lost me. A vanilla? What’s that?”
“Someone who doesn’t practice the BDSM lifestyle. And that young woman will never satisfy his needs. He’s better off in prison than to have a life with her. He’d end up leaving her, anyway. You don’t get that kind of thing out of your system. He’ll get the urge to hang her up by her cuffed wrists and beat her ass with something. She’s too strong willed to stay with a man who would do that to her.”
Beth asked, “You know her, or what?”
“Not really. But I went to see him and she came at me like a tigress protecting her cub. That’s how she sees him and he’s not the kind of man who even wants a female in that role over him. He likes to be taken charge of or he wants to take charge. He’s not into being protected and loved and that kind of crap.”
Arsen shook his head. Anne could not be more wrong. He wanted all Steele had to give him. Her love, her protection, herself. He knew without a doubt he had changed since he met Steele. For the better.
He knew what love felt like and he’d be damned if he ever let it go. His need to dominate was over. He had never wanted to be dominated, he had merely lacked the gumption to get the hell away from Anne.
Anne’s words had damned her. He knew he had enough to put her ass away forever. But he waited. Wanting to hear all she had to say.
Beth said, “So in essence you’re saving him from a life of love and boredom? How nice of you.”
Anne smiled broadly. The lines on her face pulled all together with the smile.
“It gets better. Allen is going to kill Steele. That way Arsen finds out just how much he’s lost by leaving me. I can take it all away from him. Every last thing he cares about. His money, his freedom, and even the love of his life.”
Heat filled Arsen as he tried hard not to run out and kill the old bitch. His hands fisted at his side. Anne was more horrible than he’d ever realized. She was the most sadistic woman he’d ever known.
“Mom, how’s he ever going to know it was you who took that all away from him?”
“That’s what the book is for. I’m going to write all the details until I can’t write anymore. Then I’ll have the book sent to him upon my death. Then I’ll have the ultimate revenge on him. His money will be going to the very people who broke him. You will end up with it all once I’m gone.”
Beth’s hand moved to her chest.
“Me?”
Anne nodded.
“Of course you. I mean it was you who started the whole thing. The boy was head over heels for you and when your father caught you two in bed and beat him, you’re the one who broke him. I thought you wanted him broken.”
Beth looked down.
“I was a dumb kid. A foolish girl. You and Dad were people I thought were strong. I wanted a person like that in my life. Arsen was always so emotional. So soft.”
“I know,” Anne said. “He brought you flowers and candy for no reason at all. He bought you little trinkets of cheap jewelry all the time.”
“Told me he loved me only a few weeks after he first asked me out,” Beth added. “He was sweet, kind, thoughtful. His mother was a horrible person and he wouldn’t allow her to meet me. Told me I was too good to have to deal with his crazy mother. He was protective, but not overly.”
“He fawned all over you. You remember that time It was raining, and he brought you home after a night at the movies? He took his shirt off and held it over your head all the way up the sidewalk so you wouldn’t get a hair on your head wet.” Anne broke into laughter. “What a pussy!”
Beth looked back over her shoulder towards the door she knew he hid behind.
“Well, Mom, I wouldn’t call him that. That was nice and very sweet.”
“He was so skinny back then,” Anne laughed. “A real weakling.”
Beth turned back to look at her mother.
“Well, he has muscles on muscles now. From what I saw on television.”
“I made those,” Anne said as she patted herself on the chest. “I made him work out. Pushed him past his limits. I made that body. That was all me.”
Beth’s cell phone rang.
“It’s Bill,” she said. “I’ll forward it to voicemail.”
“Nonsense,” Anne said. “I’m going to make us a couple of drinks. I see your glass of vodka is sitting there. I’ll add some OJ to it for you and brighten it up.”
Anne got up and left the room as Beth answered her phone.
“Hey Bill.”
Arsen could hear the man yelling from where he was.
“What the hell are you doing with him?”
“Shh. I’ll tell you everything when I get home in a little while. I swear you have nothing to worry about.” Beth looked back. “Please, be patient. You’ll understand everything soon. Have faith in me, Bill.”
“I don’t like this Beth!” he shouted.
“I know. I promise you will understand soon.” Beth got up and walked towards the kitchen where her mother had gone and then back towards where Arsen was hiding. “Bill, I’ll call you as soon as this is all over. I love you. Bye.” She hung up and stepped around the corner.
Arsen held his finger to his lips. She nodded.
“Are you getting all this?” she asked.
He nodded and waved her back into the living room. She smiled and left him, finding her mother walking back in.
“More snooping, darling?” Anne asked. “You’ll find nothing more. And nothing in that room at all. I was going to do something very racy with it but lost interest as things heated up with operation fuck Arsen’s world up.”
Beth laughed too. “So this Allen White guy. What are you going to do to make sure he never talks or tries to get more money out of you? Or are you paying him anything for murdering all those women?”
“I told him I am.” Anne took a long drink from the tall glass she held filled with some kind of amber liquid. “But you don’t need to pay a dead man.”
“Oh?” Beth looked at her with intrigue. “And how will you accomplish that without getting blood on your hands?”
“Not sure yet, but thinking about how I can inject him with the same drug used on the other women and framing Arsen for that murder as well. What do you think? A good idea?”
Beth nodded and clapped her hands as if she was excited.
“Sounds positively fantastic! Is there nothing you can’t pin on the man?”
Anne laughed.
“I know this may be an odd thing to talk to your daughter about. Especially since we’ve both had sex with the man, but how do you think I can get a taste of that scrumptious man one more time before he’s put away forever?”
Beth frowned.
“You want to have sex with him again?”
“Of course. And I know you're married and not as liberal as I am, but you should want a little taste as well. From what I saw that one time, you did not get what that man has to offer. He has the right moves. I taught him so I ought to know.”
“I think he would be kind of broken up if this woman you say he’s in love with is killed. Don’t you? Not really the time a guy thinks about plowing into another female.” Beth shook her head at her mother.
“If you showed up to console him, maybe he would give you a little of the new and improved man he’s become. And once you had him naked and in bed, I could sneak in with a little something to slip into his drink and then you could help me string him up while he’s knocked out and I can have my way with him.” Anne looked back at the door Arsen was hiding behind. “Did you hear something?”
“No,” Beth said. She tapped her mother’s shoulder. “Now get back to telling me how you’d get him to have sex with you if you have him drugged.”
Anne blinked then took a drink.
“I’ve been so jumpy these last few weeks. Anyway, I would give him some ecstasy and when he was aroused, he’d wake up to find me and wouldn’t be able to stop himself from doing it. I use to do that to him all the time when he was mine.”
“You drugged him a lot?” Beth asked with arched brows.
“At first it was constant. I mean, he wasn’t into yet. He would get sick, the little puss. The littlest kinky things would set him off. So I would sedate him to relax him then give him some ‘X’ or some Viagra and perk him up. Also adding some type of stimulation. A clamp to his balls always accomplished what I wanted.”
Beth looked back over her shoulder and her face looked sad. Arsen caught her eyes through the crack in the door then took a step back as he couldn’t bear to see the sorrow in them.
His first love had no idea what he’d gone through at her mother’s hands. Arsen had no idea how often Anne had drugged him. He didn’t recall a lot from the beginning of that whole thing and now he knew why that was.
Anne had left him in a drugged up stupor for the first few months. And then he realized why he let it all happen and how it all became kind of commonplace.
Anne laughed, bringing his attention back to her.
“I had him on three different drugs the first time I took him to a BDSM club. I walked in with the guy on the end of my leash and even though his body had not filled out yet, heads turned. He was pretty sexy even then.”
“You drugged him and took him there on a leash?” Beth asked.
“Wearing nothing but some ass less leather chaps. The women were clamoring for him. I had him fuck a few of them then me. It was marvelous!”
Beth’s face squished together.
“You let him have sex with other women? I don’t get it.”
“You wouldn’t. You see, I wanted others to know what I had in him. His large cock was a thing so incredible I wanted others to know how great I had it. You know, be jealous of me and what I had found,” Anne said.
Beth took in a deep breath and Arsen knew she was holding herself back from puking.
“Okay, so you made him have sex with women he didn’t know. Did he even know he was being taken to a club like that?”
“No! He’d never have agreed to go. I had to drug him up and take him. He had fun. I mean who wouldn’t have fun fucking the night away with some gorgeous women?” Anne took a long drink.
Arsen had to lean against the wall as he strained his brain to recall that night and just couldn’t. So much of that time was blank, gone, forgotten.
He’d told himself for years he’d just blocked it as it was too hard to wrap his head around the man he’d become. But her admission to drugging him and essentially brainwashing him into thinking he liked that kind of thing was enough to tell him he really had become a man he never would’ve been if it wasn’t for Anne Sinclair.
Beth asked, “Did you drug him the entire time you were together?”
“After six months, I only had to drug him every now and then. He had a defiant streak in him even the beatings couldn’t tame. He had to be brought back down in other ways.” Anne looked a little sad. “But all along I thought we were getting closer and closer. Until one day he just wasn’t there when I got back from spending the week with you and your father.”
“Is that when you lost him?” Beth asked.
“I found him after a couple of months. He had a small apartment, and I dragged his ass back and beat the fuck out of him with these poles he had bought. He told me he had become a Dom and would never be a sub again. I left bloody marks all over his back. I hope the ass still has the scars.”
Arsen leaned against the wall and tried hard not to go out and confront the woman. His body was aching with the memories she had conjured in his mind. She was a monster.
Arsen had been in the lifestyle long enough to know Anne Sinclair was not your stereotypical Dominatrix. She was anything but typical. No Anne was a not into the real ideas behind that lifestyle. She was crazy.
Anne took a young man, drugged him, manipulated him, brainwashed him and broke him. That wasn’t enough though. She wasn’t about to stop until he was thoroughly fucked.
Arsen had heard more than enough, but Anne wasn’t through talking.
“So you should see what I have in store for his vanilla princess,” Anne said.
Arsen’s entire body tensed, holding himself back. He couldn’t believe she was planning even more than just having Steele murdered. She had more planned, and it was going to test him not to make a move and kill Anne Sinclair.
“Mother, you really should leave that poor woman alone. If Arsen has turned into the man it seems you’ve turned him into, then I’m sure she’s suffering already,” Beth said as she scowled at her mother.
Anne looked at Beth in surprise.
“The man I turned him into? I didn’t turn him into a monster who kills women.”
Beth’s jaw dropped.
“Mom! He didn’t kill those women. You had Allen White do that.”
“Well, yes. I mean.” Anne fanned herself with her hand. “You have me all mixed up, darling. With your accusation of me turning him into something he wasn’t. I mean, his good points yes. The fact he’s a lawyer. The fact he’s attractive, the fact he has a great body. Yes, I did all that. The fact he likes to choke women, no I did not.”
Beth stood up and threw her hands in the air.
“Look, just leave his vanilla princess alone. That’s all I’m saying.”
“If you saw how he was with her you’d be so jealous. I know you would,” Anne said. “Just listen to what I have in mind for her.”
Beth cast a nervous glance at the door Arsen was behind.
“Mom, please.”
Anne couldn’t seem to stop her mouth. “I’m going to get Allen to take her to this abandoned warehouse. We have her roommate there now. I think she might still be alive, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, I’m going to use every one of my devices on her until she’s begging for mercy and I’m going to record it and make Arsen listen to it. Well, I won’t be giving it to him until I’m dead. He’ll get that recording along with the book.”
Beth looked at her mother with no emotion. “You have to know he’ll be set free after he gets those things in his hands. Then he’ll come after me. Do you realize that, Mother? Your plans are going to hurt me. A person who was never involved in any of this.”
“Oh!” Anne looked shocked. “I honestly never thought about it like that. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t give you the ten percent or leave the money I’m taking from him to you after all. I guess I’ll leave it to a charity. Maybe one for abused women or something noble like that.”
“Mom, do you think maybe you could use some help? Like some professional help?” Beth went to her mother and put her hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.
Anne looked into her daughter’s eyes.
“There is nothing wrong with me, Beth. You don’t understand this lifestyle is all.”
Beth laughed. “Mom, that lifestyle may be a little odd for some, but it’s not about murder. It’s not about making people do that type of thing who don’t want to. It’s not about any of the things you’re making it out to be.”
“I feel as if you’re judging me, Beth. I knew this would happen if I told you about this. You should leave. I cannot take that look you’re giving me. I can’t take it. You and your father always expected me to be perfect! I can’t be! I can’t damn it!” Anne moved away from Beth and grabbed her drink and drained it. “Leave!”
Beth stood still.
“Don’t yell at me, Mother.”
“How can you stand in my home and say a word to me, you little slut? I guess you don’t recall how your father and I found you fucking that man in your bedroom!”
Beth laughed.
“Mom, we were teenagers. He was no man. We were not fucking. We were making love. It was beautiful and wonderful until Dad busted in on me. Arsen treated me like gold. My only regret is that I lost my mind when I saw Dad and you and something in me went crazy. I thought Arsen was some kind of God. More than a mere teenage boy. I was wrong for thinking that way. I was wrong for thinking he could fight my father. A man twice his size at that time.”
“He was a weak man,” Anne said.
“He was a fucking kid, Mother! A kid. And Dad beat him like he was a grown-ass man! I hate myself for how I reacted. I drink to forget what I allowed to happen to him. I’d never let anyone hurt my kids like that. It was only because of who his mother was and how he had no father that Dad even got away with what he did to Arsen.”
“Beth, you’re making me feel really uncomfortable. Are you thinking of telling Arsen what you know? Because, Beth I can’t tell you how much I cannot allow that.” Anne took a step toward Beth. “Tell me you will always remember who your mother is. Who you owe your loyalty to.”
“You, Mother. Always you. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what will make you happy? I will never tell Arsen about what you did to ruin his life. I will never do that. Want to know why?” Beth folded her arms over her chest and glared at her mother.
“Why?” Anne asked.
The doorbell rang, and both women turned and looked at the door. Arsen tensed even more.
Who the hell could that be?
Part Thirteen: For Revenge
Intrigue. Passion. Suspense
Gwen managed to get Allen White to see through Anne Sinclair. They went to find Anne and Allen was going to deal with her once and for all.
Gwen took full advantage of her chance to gain her freedom and with the help of a little, old lady, she was finally safe.
Arsen had managed to stay hidden and get all Anne’s confessions recorded, but Allen’s sudden appearance and his actions had Arsen in a bad situation, one he might not make it out of alive.
Detective Fontaine arrived on the scene along with Paul and Steele, but when they got inside it looked to all like they may have gotten there a few moments too late.
So many questions needed to be answered.
Steele felt Arsen may have rekindled some spark for his first love, Beth. But she needed to let him have the closure with Beth he’d need to heal from all her family had done to him.
Was Arsen changing? And could Steele accept and love the man he was going to become now the threats were gone, and the wrongs had been pointed out and he could move on from the past which had him so scarred?
Is this the end for Arsen and Steele?
GWEN
The sun was right overhead as Allen and Gwen drove to Anne Sinclair's house just after noon. Allen glanced at Gwen as he drove down the road at 80 miles an hour. “I can see now she was totally setting me up. That bitch was totally setting me up all this time and I was too stupid to notice.”
Gwen looked sadly over at Allen.
“I'm sorry this happened to you Allen. I really am but no one else has to die.” She was doing everything possible to make the man feel as if she was on his side.
Gwen knew a thing or two about getting into a person’s head and making them think things which weren’t true. And she was using all she’d learned in her psychology classes to get into Allen’s head and make him believe she was in this thing with him one hundred percent.
Allen looked at her with a sly smile.
“One more person has to die,” he said.
Gwen’s stomach knotted as she asked, “Who's that Allen?” She knew the man was insane and anything he did he seemed to make a plausible excuse for. In his mind anyway.
“Sinclair, of course,” he said with a little laugh. “I'm not going to let her get away with this. My ass is going to get sent back to prison for sure. Unless…”
Gwen looked at him with worry in her eyes.
“Unless what Allen?” Where Allen White was concerned, she was certain about only one thing. He was capable of anything and she had to stay on guard and alert.
Thanks to the IV he had hooked her up to, she felt much stronger than she had since the whole ordeal had begun. But she was still very weak. And if he decided to do anything to her, she was near powerless to stop him. She knew she had to stay agreeable if she was going to use the circumstances to her advantage.
“Unless I can get out of here. Maybe go to another country,” he said as he smiled at her.
Gwen was thinking it might be the best thing for him if he thought he could get away with it all.
“Sure, Allen. I'm sure you could get out of the country.”
There was no way in hell that man would be able to get out of the country and leave Arsen to hang for those murders. Gwen was going to make sure of that, herself. But what Allen didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
Allen looked at Gwen with a spark of hope in his eyes.
“What do you say Gwen, want to come with me?” he asked with a lilt to his voice. Trying to flirt with her.
The man is certifiable!
It was a lie, but she said, “Yes, Allen. I'll go with you but first do you think we can go see Arsen and Steele and let them in on everything?” She thought she’d test the waters to see if Allen was going to be about doing the right thing before she threw him to the police.
Allen looked at her and shook his head.
“No, we can't tell them anything. I mean once I'm gone out of the country maybe then I'll send back my confession about killing those women and Anne Sinclair. But I have to be out of the country. Have to be long gone. Name changed and all that kind of stuff. You understand right? Plus, I still hate Arsen, so I’m not sure about all that. I do want him to suffer for what he did to me after all.”
Gwen had to stop herself from going off on him. Allen was obviously never going to take responsibility for any of his actions. He was going to blame Arsen until the end, of that she was sure.
“Sure, I understand,” she said. And then Gwen knew without a doubt what she was going to have to do to make things right for Arsen and Steele.
Allen took the next two corners like some kind of race car driver, making Gwen grab at her seat. In most cases she’d be yelling at the driver to slow down. This was not most cases though, and she was in just as much a hurry to get where they were going as he was.
He pulled into a short driveway, blocking in a blue Camaro and a large Crown Victoria from the nineties. The car Anne Sinclair drove.
“Shit!” he muttered.
“What?” Gwen asked as she surveyed the scene.
There was a house not far from Anne’s. A little, white brick house with a little, red Honda Accord in the drive. Her heart began to pound. She was so close to freedom she could practically smell it.
“Someone else is here.” He looked at her. “Get in the back and lie down. It could get ugly. Whatever you do, stay in this car.” He reached into the glove compartment in front of her and pulled out a handgun.
Gwen did as he told her, shimmying over the front seat into the back. She wasn’t about to argue with him over anything.
“I’ll be right here when you get back, Allen. I promise you.” Her fingers crossed behind her back and she smiled.
“You better be. I shouldn’t have to tell you what I’ll do to you if you get out. I’m more than capable of hunting you down.” He spun the bullet chamber of the revolver.
The chambers were all full. He had six shots he could fire. Six chances to kill Anne and Gwen supposed he planned on killing whoever else was in the house too. She would have to hurry to call the police. The other people in the house might be innocent people who didn’t deserve to die the way Anne Sinclair did.
Allen caught her off guard as he leaned over the seats into the back. He caught her behind her neck and pulled her to kiss him. Although disgusted beyond anything she’d ever been, she kissed him back.
“Hurry back to me, Allen,” she said with a fake smile.
He gave her a smile too and left the car. She watched as he snuck around the back of the house and she cracked the back passenger door open a hair, so she could hear.
After counting to three hundred and not hearing a thing, she got out of the car. The only thing she had on was a ragged T-shirt and jeans with no shoes. He’d taken her shoes off and thrown them somewhere so she couldn’t run away again.
Not that she had enough strength to even make the attempt back at the warehouse. But she had enough strength to make it the forty feet across a lawn of carpet grass to get to safety and help. Shoes or no shoes, she was going for it.
Although Allen had let her take a shower, he had no shampoo or soap of any kind and no hairbrush either. Her hair was a nasty, gnarled, blonde mess, and she knew she smelled awful, but she was on her way to the neighbor’s house. With the one car in the drive she prayed someone would be home.
Though not far at all, every step had her looking back over her shoulder to see if Allen had come back around the house for some reason. Her heart was pounding so loud she was afraid he could hear it.
Fear ran through her that he’d just come out of nowhere and grab her up again. Or even worse, shoot her and leave her to die.
The sound of a dog barking made her freeze. Then she realized it was pretty far away, and she started moving forward again. She moved more quickly as she could see the front door. A green wreath hung on the front of it, commemorating the Saint Patrick’s holiday which she guessed must be near.
Gwen had lost all track of time. She had no idea what time it was or day or even month. It felt like she’d been kept in the warehouse for years, not days.
Her bare feet touched the smooth concrete surface of the well-kept front porch and she took in a deep breath.
“Please let someone be home. Please!”
Knocking as quietly as she could, she waited and hoped someone would answer the door. When a tiny, old woman opened the door, Gwen let out the breath she’d not realized she’d been holding. The little woman looked Gwen up and down with an odd look.
“Thank, God! Mam, I need your help. I know I look awful, but I’ve been kidnapped for I don’t even know how long. Can I please come in, I need to use your phone to call the police?”
The woman looked her up and down one more time then took a step back.
“Come in, sweetheart. You look near death, darling.”
Gwen stepped inside the house and took in the sweet aroma of Ben-Gay, mothballs, and burnt eggs. It was the best thing she’d ever smelled in her life.
“Thank you, mam. You’ve saved my life!”
Can the cops get here in time to catch Allen before he hurts someone though?
STEELE
“So tell me again how Arsen isn't doing anything wrong,” Steele said to Paul as he looked at her through the rear-view mirror.
Her pulse had remained high since they left Arsen’s penthouse. It had been over eight hours since he’d gotten into that car with his old girlfriend, Beth, and Steele was uneasy about why whatever they were doing was taking so damn long.
Thoughts of them making plans together kept racing through her mind. She saw them holding hands and talking about her leaving her husband and kids and going with Arsen somewhere far away. Then she saw them lying in a bed somewhere and laughing about how stupid she and Beth’s husband were.
There just wasn’t any good scene she could come up with in her jealous mind.
“He's not doing anything wrong, Steele,” Paul said. “Obviously this Beth girl must have something to tell him that's going to help him.”
Steele sat back and threaded her fingers together back-and-forth. Her head was spinning with what she would find Arsen and Beth doing. Her stomach was tight and her insides on fire. The green-eyed monster was in full force inside her and she prayed she found her man in a situation which was not compromising.
The ride to Anne Sinclair’s house was taking forever. Traffic was backed up worse than she’d ever seen. Steele asked Paul, “What’s going on with this crazy traffic?”
His eyes caught hers through the rear-view mirror.
“I heard on the radio a minute ago there's a car wreck about 2 miles up the road.”
She leaned back on the soft leather seat and sighed for the hundredth time.
“It could not happen at a worse time!”
Paul chuckled. “Think the people involved in the accident share your feelings, Steele?” Paul’s cell phone rang. He looked at Steele through the rear-view mirror again. “It's Fontaine.” He answered the phone. “Hey baby what's up?”
Steele’s eyes rolled with how quickly Paul was falling for the detective. The woman was a real bitch most of the time. Paul could do much better. Find someone sweet instead of so abrasive.
Fontaine answered him.
“There’s just been a 911 call from the house next door to Anne Sinclair’s. It's Gwen. Tell Steele, Gwen's okay.”
Steele bolted upright in the back seat and wondered if she’d heard that right.
Gwen’s okay?
Paul said, “I have you on speakerphone, she just heard it. And man did relief just wash over her face. Thanks for letting us know that. You sure are a sweetheart. Miss me?”
Fontaine’s shy laugh came over the phone.
“Paul! I’m working here!”
Steele sat up to listen to everything Fontaine had to say. Her heart was racing after finding out Gwen was alive.
She’s okay! Everything is going to be fine! It has to be!
Fontaine said, “Allen White is in Anne Sinclair's house. As we speak, he's got a loaded revolver with six shots. And it’s there, the blue Camaro. Safe to say Arsen and that Beth woman are there along with Anne. How you doing, Gannon?”
Her stomach knotted as she now was positive Arsen was inside that house. And now so was Allen White. Along with Anne Sinclair and Beth. Allen White was the only one with any kind of weapon, most likely. Steele knew he would want to see Arsen dead rather than alive.
“I’m holding on, Fontaine. How much longer until we get to them?”
“Fifteen minutes. Just hold tight and stay on my ass, Paul. I’m about to turn on the lights and do a bit of off-roading to get out of this traffic jam. You follow me. I told all other officers to stand down and let me take care of this situation. They know you’re with me.” Fontaine’s lights went on and her siren blasted.
Cars began to move out of her way, giving her just enough room to get past them and onto the median. Paul followed and in no time they were free from the traffic and on the side roads heading to Anne’s home.
Steele moved up and kneeled down behind the window separating her and Paul. “Fontaine, can I go in too?”
Fontaine let out a loud laugh.
“Hell no! You stay in the car, Gannon. Paul don't let her out of the car. Okay?”
“Yes, ma'am. You can count on me,” Paul said. He turned his head and looked at Steele. “You're not getting out of the car, Steele. No matter what. You're not getting out of the car.”
Steele moved back to the seat at the back of the Suburban. “Brown noser!”
She knew she was going to get out of the car the minute Fontaine got out of her way. Steele was going to get out of the car and she was going to go into that house to find her man and bring him back home. End of discussion!
I hope he’s alright!
ARSEN
The sound of the doorbell ringing had Arsen taking a step back to make sure he was hidden from everyone’s view. Anne made her way to the door and Arsen could see her through the barely opened door.
Beth and Anne had been talking for nearly an hour and Arsen had all he needed on the recording device Beth had given him to catch her mother’s words.
Just as he knew he had all he needed and was about to spring his surprise on Anne, it seemed she was about to have some company and Arsen would have to wait to tell her how screwed she was.
Light flooded the small entryway as she opened the door.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” he heard a man say, but he couldn’t see him.
“Who has the girl?” Anne asked.
“Never mind about her. Aren’t you going to ask me to come inside, Anne?” the man said.
Anne shook her head. “Can’t you see I have company? I’ll come see you in a little while at your place. The place you should be so what happened last time doesn’t happen again. Or did you do as I suggested and end that little problem?”
“If you must know, I have her hiding in the car. If you let me in I can tell you all about it. I took a little walk around your house. I overheard you talking and I know you only have one other person in here with you. So if you’ll let me in we can deal with this really quick then I’ll be out of your hair, Anne.”
Anne hesitated and Arsen had a gut feeling the man was not there for anything good. “You walked around my house, Allen?” she asked and held the door tight in her hand, ready to slam it if need be.
Arsen knew then it was none other than Allen White who was paying his old Dom a visit. He shook his head and leaned against the wall and hoped the woman would close the door. Arsen smelled danger and Allen’s scent was all over it.
“Just let me in, Anne.” Allen’s voice had turned commanding.
Arsen watched as Anne took a step back. “What the hell are you doing, Allen?”
Arsen’s eyes caught Allen White as he walked in and Anne backed up. He was holding a gun out, pointing straight at her. Arsen’s breath caught in his chest and he had no idea what he was going to do to get the gun out of the man's hand.
“Who are you?” Beth asked. “And why the gun?”
“I'm the man who is about to kill this woman and then you, obviously,” Allen answered as he kept moving forward and Anne kept moving backwards.
“Allen, why are you pointing a gun at me, you idiot? We’re on the same side. Or have you forgotten that?” The back of Anne’s legs hit the front of the sofa, stopping her retreat.
“Are we on the same side?” he asked her. “Because I don’t feel like we are. I can see the writing on the wall, Anne. I’m your patsy. Always have been since the first time you came to see me while I was in prison.”
Beth’s voice was shaky as she said, “Look mister, I don't even know who you are. I’m married with little kids please don’t kill me. Let me leave. I swear I’ll never tell a soul what I’ve seen.”
Anne sounded stunned.
“I’ve got things to live for too, Beth. Jesus! This little man isn’t about to really shoot us.” She looked back at Allen. “What are you doing, you idiot? Don't make me come over there and take that gun out of your hand.”
Allen laughed.
“You think you're taking this gun away from me? You’re crazier than I thought you were!”
Beth began to cry and Allen pointed the gun towards Beth who stood several steps away from Anne.
“Maybe I'll take you out first as it seems like you're going to be kind of annoying,” he told her.
Beth shook her head.
“No. I’ll shut up. I'll shut up, I promise. Please let me go, sir. My kids need me!”
Anne spoke up, drawing Allen’s attention back to her, “Allen you need to stop this. Put the gun down. What are you doing? Why are you here with that gun? What's going on with you? We have a deal. I’m not going to do anything but what we’ve agreed to.”
He pointed the gun back Anne.
“I've gotten wise to you. I know you're going to throw me under the bus. I know that you're going to tell everyone I killed all those women. I know what you're going to do.”
“And who told you this? Someone put this into your head.” Anne tapped her temple with one long finger. “That dumb bitch! Gwen put this into your head, didn’t she?”
“If you mean the love of my life, yes it was Gwen who talked to me about this,” he said. “Gwen showed me who you really are. She explained how I'm nothing but a patsy in your whole scheme.”
Arson watched as Anne threw her hands up in the air. All he could see was her back and Beth’s back and he prayed Allen was so focused on them he wouldn't see his eyes peeking at him through the crack in the door
Beth let out a big sob. She started crying uncontrollably and Allen pointed the gun at her again.
“Shut up! Shut up! I can't take that! Shut up or I swear to God I’m going to put a bullet in you first!”
Beth tried her best to shut up. She did everything she could to stop crying.
Anne looked at him and said, “Can I go over there and put my arm around my daughter? Before you kill us, at least let me give my daughter one last hug, you piece of crap!”
“Go ahead,” Allen said as he waved the gun, gesturing for Anne to move the few steps to her daughter. “Give her one last hug. Do whatever you want to do. Give her a kiss for all I care. I don't care what you do, but I'm going to kill you both.”
Anne walked over to her daughter and put her arms around her.
“It's okay Beth. It's okay. Don't worry, this man isn’t really going to kill us. He's kind of crazy, but he's not so crazy he would kill the person who is going to give him more than one million dollars.” Anne turned her head to look at Allen. “Have you forgotten how much money I'm going to give you, Allen? Have you forgotten that it's almost in my hands? It's almost in your hands, Allen!”
“I don't believe you were ever going to give it to me anyway, so you shut your mouth,” he told her as he pulled the gun up and aimed it right at her head. “Pray to God or whoever it is you believe in, because I'm fixing to send you to wherever it is you're going to go. You’re an evil lady so you’ll probably go to hell.”
“Evil!” Anne shouted.
Beth was choking on her sobs and holding on tight to her mother.
“Mom, I love you!”
Anne shouted, “We are not about to die! Stop the damn bawling, Beth! Shit!”
Arsen couldn’t believe that Anne was staring into the face of death and would tell her daughter to stop crying. She was a complete, heartless bitch.
Allen’s hand was shaking as he pointed the gun at the women and Arsen knew the time had come. Allen took a couple of steps and pressed the gun to the side of Beth’s head.
She was screaming and crying and begging for him to spare her life. Allen’s hand was shaking worse and Arsen knew he had to do something.
He slammed the door back as hard as he could. The noise made Allen turn around. He only got two words out of his mouth, “What the…”
Arsen was on him and had wrestled him to the floor. His hand touched the gun which was between them. He felt Allen’s finger on the trigger.
Allen shouted, “Get off me! I’m going to kill you, Arsen! Then I’ll kill them!”
Arsen wasn't about to let him go. He wasn't about to let him up. The pieces would just have to fall where they may.
He tried to position the gun, trying to push the gun into Allen's gut. Allen's finger was still on the trigger as Arsen wrapped his hand around the gun.
Arsen closed his eyes and prayed for the strength and the courage to do what he had to do. Then he squeezed Allen's hand until the sound of the gun going off rang out in the room.
All Arsen could hear was the women screaming. Then a gurgling sound. He assumed it was the sound of blood coming out of someone's body, He knew someone had been shot, but he wasn't sure if it was him or Allen.
His stomach burned and his heart was pounding. Arsen knew his adrenaline was so amped up, if he was shot, he wouldn’t feel it right away.
He closed his eyes and pictured Steele and prayed he’d live to see her again.
It can’t end like this!
STEELE
The afternoon sun made Detective Fontaine’s blonde locks glow as she walked up to the driver’s side window, Paul had rolled down. They had pulled up on the side of Anne Sinclair’s home, just her cruiser and the Suburban parked right behind it.
Other officers were in the area, but all were waiting for Fontaine’s call for backup before moving in.
“Okay, keep her here, Paul.” She drew her gun.
Paul wiggled his finger for her to come closer. She leaned in the window as he said, “You be careful baby. We have a date later.”
She smiled.
“I know. I will, don't worry, I’ve never been shot yet.”
Paul shook his head.
“I hope you haven’t just jinxed yourself.”
Fontaine gave him a smile, and he gave her a little kiss. Then she turned around and headed towards the house, staying close to the side of the outside wall. Steele’s eyes stayed glued to her as she ducked, going under the large set of windows she figured were in the living room.
Just before Fontaine made it to the door the muffled sound of a gun blast was heard and she looked back over her shoulder at them and hurried into the house. Paul jumped out of the car and ran towards the house.
Steele hauled ass out of the car and ran for the house as well. There was no way she could sit there not knowing who had been shot.
“Steele, what the hell are you doing in here?” Fontaine asked with her jaw clenched.
She was holstering her gun as Beth and Anne stood screaming and crying and holding on to each other. Paul stood between Fontaine and Steel as all looked at the two men on the floor.
Paul said what all were thinking, “Fuck!”
Blood had already stained the white carpet the men were lying on.
“Arsen!” Steele shouted and ran fast to him. She fell on her knees next to him. Her hand on his back, her mouth near his ear. “Baby, please talk to me. Please.”
Arsen’s head moved a little and his eyes opened slowly.
“Hey, Baby. What are you doing here?”
She laughed and tears ran down her cheeks.
“Are you hurt?”
“Not sure about that,” he said. “I feel odd, but not in any real pain. My stomach burns a little though.”
Detective Fontaine kneeled on the other side of him and she took Allen’s hand and checked his pulse.
“I think this one is dead.” She looked up at Paul who was right behind her. “Help me roll Arsen off this guy.”
He nodded and did as she’d told him. They rolled him to his back and Steele stayed right by him. Her eyes went wide as she saw blood covering most of his shirt. “Oh, God!”
Fontaine unbuttoned Arsen’s shirt as he lay perfectly still and kept his eyes focused on Steele.
“I’m sorry I left without telling you where I was going. You must’ve been worried.”
“Don’t worry about that now.” She ran her hand over his forehead, pushing back some damp strands of his dark hair.
Fontaine let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s all the other guy’s blood. No wounds on Arsen.” She gave Steele a wink. “What muscles this man has! Lucky girl.”
Steele laughed and ran her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. With the information he wasn’t shot, Arsen sat up and Steele let him go and took a step back so Paul could help him up.
Paul pulled Arsen into a hug.
“You scared us all, you son of a bitch!”
Steele was so busy starring at Arsen she almost missed seeing Anne slipping out of the living room. She moved quickly to get to the woman.
“Stop!”
Anne didn’t even look back. She took off running. Not nearly fast enough though as Steel caught up to her and had her down on the kitchen floor.
“Stop! Let me go!” Anne screamed.
Fontaine came into the kitchen and placed her knee in the woman’s back.
“Thanks, Steele. I can take her from here.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Anne shouted as she squirmed to get away.
Arsen and Paul walked in and Arsen handed the recorder to Fontaine once she had Anne secured. “Here you go. This will exonerate me and condemn her. Seems Mistress Sinclair has been into some bad things. Revenge for leaving her had her thinking up new punishments for me. It’s an open and shut case with her words on this recording.”
“How dare you, Arsen!” Anne yelled from her position on the floor. “That’s illegal! You can’t record someone who doesn’t know they’re being recorded!”
Arsen let out a sigh.
“I can’t listen to her speak anymore. I’ve had to listen to her voice for far too long as it is.”
Beth’s voice came from behind them.
“Arsen, can I talk to you?”
Steele’s heart clenched, and she looked at Arsen who silently asked her to let him do what he needed to do. She gave him a nod and ran her hand over his cheek.
“I love you, Baby.”
“I love you,” he said them pressed his lips to her forehead.
He walked towards Beth and took her by the hand, leading her away from the crowded kitchen. Steele watched as a pain filled her chest. But she knew Arsen needed this closure.
Still, it wasn’t easy to witness. All the craziness was over. Arsen was a free man, all the hard times were over for him. Steele couldn’t help but wonder how Arsen would feel with all the weight off his shoulders.
She wondered if he might want to slow things down between them now that prison wasn’t hanging over his head. He may have found some feelings left over for Beth.
Beth was Arsen’s age, early thirties, but she looked as if life had been rough on her. Lines around her lips showed she was a smoker and dark circles under her eyes showed she was most likely a drinker too.
Perhaps all that had happened all those years ago had Beth filled with guilt and it was showing on her face and body. Her posture was poor and she had extra weight on her. Arsen could feel sorry for Beth and that could turn into more.
Arsen could feel he needed to save Beth and that would be a powerful thing which could bring the two together again. The woman certainly looked like she needed some kind of help. But she had her own husband to do that for her.
Steele knew if Beth had a choice between the man she’d seen sitting on the porch of their small home and Arsen, she’d be an idiot not to pick Arsen. It circled round and round in Steele’s head and it began to ache with fear of Arsen leaving her for his old flame.
Steele left the kitchen and walked through the living room, finding some other officers had come inside and had Allen’s body covered with some black thing. She stepped out the front door and the light from the sun made her shield her eyes.
Then she heard Arsen’s voice coming from the side of the house. He and Beth must have stepped to the side of the house to talk. She took a couple of steps away. Planning to wait in the Suburban but stopped when she heard Beth say, “I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know, Arsen.”
Steele knew she shouldn’t be listening. But she couldn’t make her feet move. She stood still and listened.
Arsen said, “Thank you, Beth. You don’t know how it helps to hear you say that. All these years I was left wondering if you were ever sorry about what happened.”
“I was a very confused girl back then. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am my mother did all she did to you. If I would’ve had any idea about that stuff back then, I swear I would’ve put a stop to it.” Steele heard material move and thought Arsen’s hands must be running up and down Beth’s arms.
She fisted her hands at her sides and had to focus on the fact Arsen needed to hear those things from Beth. No one else could help him heal the wounds she and her family had given Arsen.
The sound of his lips making a little smack against somewhere on Beth made Steele take a step away. She couldn’t take knowing his lips were touching her anywhere.
Arsen’s voice stopped her.
“I know you would’ve. I knew I could’ve gone to you and told you what she was doing. I just didn’t do it. I take responsibility for my part in it. I told myself for many years that wasn’t anything I could’ve controlled. That was a lie I kept telling myself. Then I had to have all the control in my dealings with women.”
“So, you became the dominant then?” she asked.
“Yes. And I did it for all the wrong reasons.” His voice was soft and then she heard the sound of him running his hands over Beth again as the fabric moved once more.
“That girl who came, is that her? The one you told me about?” she asked.
Steele’s heart stopped beating as she listened as Arsen answered, “Yeah, that’s my Steele. My rock, my savior, my everything.”
Steele walked away then. Giving him his privacy. Whatever he had to do was his to do, and she didn’t need to let her jealousy ruin anything that helped him get over all which had happened to him.
Half way to the car she heard footsteps come up behind her. She turned to find Arsen in his blood-soaked clothes. His arms opened, and she went into them. Her tears flowed as he held her tight.
“I was so afraid.” Her body shook.
His lips pressed against the top of her head as he swayed with her.
“So was I. It’s all over, Baby. Let’s get the hell out of here. I told Fontaine she could talk to me tomorrow. I’m done for the day.”
Steele let him lead her to the back of the Suburban and saw Paul coming out to take them home.
It’s hard to believe this is really over!
The sound of people coming out and talking in medical terms had Steele and Arsen looking back to find a stretcher coming out the front door of the house next to Anne’s.
“Gwen!” Steele said under her breath. “In all the drama I forgot she was in the house next door.” She pulled Arsen along with her to go see Gwen as the paramedics wheeled her to the ambulance.
Arsen called out, “Wait a second. We know her.”
They waited and Gwen raised her head a little.
“Oh my God! You’re alright!”
Steele was crying again as she got to her friend and hugged her.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Gwen.”
Gwen laughed.
“You too! Did they catch Allen? And that crazy old bitch he was doing all this shit with?”
Arsen nodded.
“He didn’t make it. We got into a scuffle with his gun between us and it went off.” He pulled at his bloody shirt. “I wasn’t hurt.”
Gwen’s eyes went vacant.
“He’s dead then?”
Steele ran her hand over Gwen’s cheek.
“Yes. You okay?”
“Well, no. But I will be. I suppose it’s what was meant to be for him. And the woman?” she asked.
“She’ll be going to prison for a long time,” Arsen answered her.
Gwen nodded. “Good, she’s horrible.”
One of the paramedics interrupted their little reunion.
“We really should get her to the hospital.”
Arsen ran his arm around Steele, pulling her back as he took a step back. “We’ll come and see you first thing in the morning, Gwen,” Steele said. “I would go tonight, but I bet your family will want you all to themselves.”
“Probably,” Gwen agreed as they began moving her down the sidewalk to the waiting ambulance.
Paul and Detective Fontaine were standing beside her car as Arsen looked up.
“We’re ready, Paul.”
Paul pulled Fontaine into his arms and kissed her, grabbing her ass in the process and Arsen stopped in his tracks.
“When the fuck did that happen?”
Steele laughed.
“A little earlier today. Seems Paul moves about as fast as you do. Way to teach the man, Boss.”
Arsen chuckled as they climbed into the back of the Suburban.
“I cannot wait to get these sticky, nasty clothes off.”
Steele sat on the soft leather seat and pulled him to sit close to her. “Me too.”
Running her hand to cup the back of his neck, she pulled his lips to hers and gave him a kiss she hoped he’d never forget.
Now to see where we’re headed from here!
STEELE
Arsen soaked in the warm water of the deep, jetted bathtub as Steele lit candles in the bedroom. She pulled her clothes off as she made her way to the bathroom and found him lying back in the water with his eyes closed.
She turned on the stereo, playing something soft and romantic. His eyes opened and his lips curled into a smile. He held his hand out to her, and she took it and climbed in.
Straddling him and sliding her body along his. Her hands ran over his chest then up to his face. She took his face between her palms and pressed her lips to his.
She couldn’t seem to get enough of him. Something inside her was telling her things were about to be different and she didn’t want a thing to change.
Steele wanted things to keep going like they had been. But something felt different with him. He was acting a little quiet, and it was as if he was keeping a secret from her.
She kept thinking the worst. That when he saw Beth again it stirred something in him for her. Steele was feeling vulnerable and uneasy and she needed to feel him.
Feel him all over her, all inside her. She needed him and she hoped he would feel the same for her as she felt as if he was drifting away from her.
His lips tasted like the Cognac she’d made him a glass of and she ran her tongue over them. He moaned and his fingers pressed into the flesh of her ass. His tongue ran into her mouth and hers began a little dance with his as the music led their movements.
He lifted her, and she felt his cock hard and ready for her. He slipped her down and filled her the way she’d been craving. Her heart sped up and her kiss went hungry. She was ravenous for him.
He moved her up and down his long, hard cock as their mouths heated with the fevered kiss they shared. Steele ran her hands up to move through his shoulder length, silky locks.
The jets of water pulsed around their bodies as they slid against one another. Water splashed out onto the floor as he moved her faster and faster. Neither seemed to care much about the mess they were making.
Arsen’s hands dug into her waist as he moved her over him. Her insides were tight as she felt every little movement he made. His muscles rippled against her stomach. His skin was like silk against hers.
They moved together like practiced partners yet they’d only been together a short time. Their connection a quick one, Steele hoped was deep enough to last.
Something inside her was afraid though. Her fingernails raked his back, and he moaned as he ran one of his hands up to wrap her hair around his fist. He pulled it back hard, making her mouth leave his.
Her neck was exposed and his teeth grazed it as she kept up the movements he’d shown her he wanted. Up and down she went as his teeth raked over the tender flesh along her throat.
Tugging at her hair, he bit her hard, making her growl with how it was making her feel. Primal and sexy and so hot for him, she felt as if her body was on fire.
Arsen eased his grip on her hair and moved her face down, pressing his forehead to hers. “Out of the tub and onto the bed. This slipping shit is pissing me off.”
She moved off him and climbed out of the tub. The floor was wet, so she tossed a fluffy, white towel on the floor before they got out. Her feet touched it and he had her up in his arms.
He carried her to the bed and tossed her on it.
“Knees, now!”
She got on her hands and knees and felt his hand tangle up in his fist again and he pulled it hard as he slammed into her. She shrieked, not in pain but in desire for him.
He was rough, nearly to the point of being violent. His body was pounding hers, but she knew it was something inside him finally releasing. Finally, he was losing control and she could tell that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
He seemed to want to let himself go and Steele was both exhilarated and scared nearly to death as she’d never been around Arsen when he wasn’t in complete control of himself and whoever was with him.
Arsen stopped his pounding and pulled out of her. She looked back to find him grabbing the television remote off the nightstand and clicking on the TV. Some hard rock music channel came on as he pushed the buttons and he turned the sound up so loud she could feel the bass line beating in her body.
The song had hard sounds and his lips pulled into a quirky grin and he grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto her back as he moved his body over hers.
His dark hair fell across his cheeks as he looked down at her. Steele was feeling anxious as his dark eyes ran over her body then back up to her face. His lips touched her ear as he told her, “I’m going to fuck you like you nor I have ever fucked before.”
A deep growl filled him and his nails raked down her arms. Her breath was coming in hard, ragged gasps. It was Arsen but such a different Arsen. A hot as hell Arsen, an Arsen who wasn’t thinking. An Arsen who had no more rules.
Steele’s body was more than quivering, it was shaking. His knee went between her legs which she’d moved tightly together. He pushed them apart as he looked at her. His eyes were wild and untamed.
The music was loud, hard, demanding and seemed to be setting the tone. His hand moved to grasp the back of her neck and his mouth took hers in the hardest kiss. Their teeth clashed as he pressed his mouth to hers harder than he ever had before.
He pulled back and looked down at her. His hands moved over her body then his mouth took her breast. He sucked it hard as he raked his nails over her sides. Up and down her sides, he raked them over and over again.
Arsen hadn’t even entered her yet, and she was about to climax. Her heart was pounding. Her body was more alert than it had ever been and then he pulled his mouth off her tit and looked her in the eyes.
He just looked at her for the longest time. She looked back and saw something different. Something was gone and something was new.
She ran her hands up to catch them up in his hair. She pulled him to her and kissed him. His body was tense as he let it fall down on hers.
Steele pulled her knees up and Arsen pressed his hard cock into her. Then his mouth left hers and he moved it to her neck and bit down hard as he began moving hard and fast into her.
Steele made a noise she never had before. A shrieking moan kind of thing and her body was lucid. The combination of all things had her somewhere else.
The man on top of her was the same man who had been on top of her last night, but he wasn’t the same man. This man was wild. This man was wanting. This man was a beast.
Not the kind who needed someone tied down. Not the kind who needed control. Not the kind who needed rules.
Steele finally had figured out what Arsen was striving for. She raked her nails over his back and grazed her teeth over his left shoulder. His body shuddered as she did.
He wanted wild, she’d never done wild, but he was bringing it out in her.
Time to try something new, I think!
ARSEN
With the revelations the day had brought him and the threat of a lengthy trial and prison gone, Arsen was feeling different. Extremely different.
The way he thought of sex and life in general was changing. He wanted to experience it all without the control he’d needed since he first became Anne Sinclair’s submissive all those years ago.
Steele’s blue eyes were wide as he looked into them. She had been so ready to accept his control. She wasn’t good at it and he was glad for that as he was done with it.
The music was pounding and his body was itching to do things he’d never allowed himself to do before. Feel every little thing. Steele’s body was tight and firm and her tits were perky and begging for his attention.
But his cock wanted to pound into her and that’s what won out. He made hard, fast strokes as he watched her reaction to him. He saw fear in her eyes and knew she was seeing him turning into a different man.
Can she accept who I’m becoming?
Arsen was on a new path and he hoped like hell Steele would take that path with him. The fact was, he would never allow anyone to make him what he wasn’t ever again.
Steele and her tenacious way of trying to get him to make her submissive to him was a thing of the past. He prayed she could accept that fact and move on with him. If she couldn’t, what they had would be over.
Arsen was aware of the fact Steele might not want him if she thought he was going back to being a weak man. He wasn’t going all the way back, but he was changing and the hard as nails man who had to have everything his way would be drastically different.
Moving so fast and hard had his dick throbbing, ready to explode. He let it out without doing his usual thing of making himself wait. It had always been his job to make sure the woman climaxed first, and he saw Steele’s surprise at his release.
She seemed so surprised her body didn’t join his in the intense orgasm. Once his cock jerked for the last time, he opened his eyes to find her searching them. He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.
Then pulled out of her and kissed her lips then her chin, moving down her entire body until he kissed the tip of her big toe. He got off the bed and grabbed her ankles and yanked her down until her ass was at the edge of the bed.
Arsen kneeled down to the floor and ran one finger over her clit. Her body shivered as he took her plump ass in his hands and pulled her body up. His mouth came down on her hard and wanting.
A saltiness filled his mouth as he licked and nipped her clit. Steele was writhing and pulling at his hair. Her moans were so loud he could hear them over the loud music.
Her legs began to shake on either side of him and then he felt her body tense as she sat up.
“My God, Arsen! You look amazing from this angle!”
His face was buried in her sweet essence and all he could think about was how delicious she was and how he could never get enough of her.
Little sounds of desire he heard her making as her hands ran over his shoulders and up into his hair. His tongue ran over her swollen clit over and over until her body was shaking and she was screaming his name.
Her orgasm had his cock hard and wanting to feel her again. He stood up and picked her up. She wrapped her legs round him and her arms around his neck and he took her mouth in a hard kiss as he slid her onto his erection.
Squeezing his hard cock, her body was rocking a hard orgasm and he could feel it all. They groaned, and he moved away from the bed and backed her up against the wall then began moving inside her.
Deep, hard thrusts that had her breath pushing out of her lungs and into his mouth in hot, little puffs made him move his mouth off hers so she could take in more air.
He kissed her neck. The way her soft skin felt under his tongue made him want more and he grazed his teeth over it them bit it and sucked hard. He knew he was making marks all over her and he didn’t care.
Her body started shaking again, and he heard her screaming his name again as she came undone again. The way her body was pulsing around his hard cock had it pulling the orgasm from him and he let it all go.
Arsen stopped thrusting into her and let himself feel every little squeeze and pull her body did to him. When they finally stopped, he walked back to the bed and laid her back on it.
He climbed up next to her and grabbed the remote, turning off the music. The only sound in the room was them both trying to catch their breath. Then Steele’s hand slipped into his as they laid side by side.
She rolled over on her side and kissed his cheek.
“I love you, Arsen.”
He turned his head to the side and ran his hand over her cheek and pressed his lips lightly to hers.
“I love you, Steele.”
He ran an arm around her and she snuggled into his side. She felt like home. More so than ever before, Steele felt like the other part of him which had been missing for so long.
But can she take the man I am becoming?
GWEN
The sun was shining through the large window of Gwen’s hospital room as she watched Steele come into her room.
“There she is,” Steele said as she carried in a large crystal vase full of roses. “These are from Arsen who had some pressing business to take care of this morning or he would’ve been here too.”
Steele sat them on the window ledge where Gwen could look at them from her bed. “They’re beautiful. Tell him thank you for me.”
“I will,” Steele said then went to sit on the bed beside Gwen. “I heard Detective Fontaine came to visit you early as shit this morning.”
Gwen nodded.
“She did. I gave her all the details, and she told me they arrested that other guy who was the man who got them the drugs that killed those girls. He and Anne Sinclair had a little dom-sub thing going on. He’ll get less time than Anne, but he’ll get some.”
“It’s good to see some color back in your pretty face, Gwen,” Steele said as she ran her hand over her cheek. “I was sick with worry over you. You have no idea how happy I am to see your face.”
Gwen sighed.
“Yours too. It was all I could think about, getting to you before Allen got you and killed you.”
“You’re quite the hero, Gwen. Just so you know, Arsen has told the hospital all bills for your care are to be sent to him and they are to spare no expense on you.” Steele pushed back a lock of her blonde hair which had been washed and looked a lot better but nowhere near as pretty as Gwen usually had it.
“That was nice of him. Tell him I really appreciate it. A poor college student is what I am after all.” Gwen smiled.
Steele looked around the small hospital room.
“He has another surprise for you when you get out. I think you’ll be pretty happy about it.”
“I can’t let him do any more than this, Steele,” Gwen said with a frown.
Steele patted the top of her hand.
“It’s too late. It’s already taken care of. Since you’ve suffered such a terrible ordeal he wanted to make sure you felt secure. He got you an apartment one floor under his penthouse. Some movers are moving your personal things as we speak. He had a designer pick out the furnishings and everything to go in it.”
“He did not!” Gwen threw her hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes. “Steele, I can’t…”
Steele shook her head. “You can. I’m not even finished yet, so just be quiet and stop saying you can’t. I snooped through your purse and got your check book so I could find out your bank account information. Arsen put some money in there for you. He paid all the bills we had at the apartment too.”
“Steele!” Gwen shook her head as tears spilled over her cheeks.
“He gave you enough money to get you through without having to have a job for this year, anyway. You can go to school and focus on that and not worry about anything else. Plus, he set up a little investment under your name and you’ll receive the dividends on that for the rest of your life.”
Gwen wrapped her arms around Steel and cried like a baby. It had all been so hard and she thought she might die at times but it was all going to be okay. And she had the best friends in the world at the end of it all.
“I love you, Steele.”
“I love you too, Gwen.”
ARSEN
After visiting the graves of all his submissive partners who’d been murdered and leaving flowers on them, Arsen made his way back to the penthouse to set Steele straight.
The time had come for him to let her know how things were going to be different and see how she took the news. And see if she thought it would be something she still wanted with him.
He was nervous to say the least. The doors to the private elevator opened, and he stepped inside. Steele was curled up with a book on the sofa and sat up as he came in. “There you are,” she said with a smile.
“Wait here,” he told her and walked back to his office.
She looked a little surprised. Her eyes went really wide when she saw him come back into the room with the contract in one hand and the book he’d written her with the rules in the other. He placed them on the coffee table then went to the kitchen, coming back with a small metal trash can and a box of matches.
“Arsen, what are…?”
“Sh. Let me talk please. This is hard for me to say. So please just let me talk then you can talk after that.”
Steele nodded and sat back.
Arsen picked up the dom/sub contract.
“I don’t want this anymore.” He tore it in half then dropped in in the trash can.
Tears sprang up in her eyes as she watched the pieces fall. She gulped and looked up at him.
He took the book and said, “This isn’t a thing I want to have around anymore. This is over.” He tossed it into the trash can as well.
The tears amped up and ran in rivers down Steele’s reddened cheeks. She watched Arsen light several matches and toss them into the trash can as well.
Smoke came up in small spirals as the things which had bound them together went up in flames.
“I want you to understand me clearly, Steele,” Arsen said as he looked at her with no smile, no sign of any emotion at all. “This is over.”
She nodded but didn’t say a word. Steele got up and left the room.
Arsen stood there. Still as a statue. He watched the fire burn away what he had made so Steele would feel like she was part of the life he led.
That life was over and he wanted no part of it any longer. All that needed to be erased. And by what Steele had just done, he had no idea if she could take it.
Should I even ask her now?
Part Fourteen: For Freedom
STEELE
Steele’s hands shook as she pulled her clothes from the closet. Not taking any of the new clothes Arsen had bought for her. Only her old clothes, the one’s she’d come there with.
Tears flooded down her cheeks but she managed to hold back the sobs which were threatening to bust out of her.
His footsteps coming into the bedroom had her trying to hide in the closet from him. She didn’t want him to see her face. Sure it was streaked with tears and red as well.
Arsen was done with her. She supposed he wanted to move on to a new life. One with no old memories of the bad times. One without her in it.
His hands ran around her from behind and his lips pressed against her neck. “What are you doing, Steele?”
“Packing.” Only one word could come out of her mouth while holding back the cries which longed to escape her.
“You don’t want something new and different then?” he asked.
She blinked and wiped her eyes.
“What?”
“I meant by burning the book and the contract that I don’t want that life any longer. That is behind me and I want it all to stay in the past. None of that has a place in my future. You do, though. You will always have a place there. If you want it.” He turned her in his strong arms.
Her eyes were rimmed red with her tears and he kissed her tear-stained cheeks. She looked up at him.
“I don’t understand, Arsen. You will have to be a bit more communicative and let me know what it is you want.”
“I want you and me to have a normal relationship. Free of contracts and punishments and control,” he said. “Normal, Steele. What do you say? Want to be normal with me?”
“Normal? You, normal?” A laugh came from her and she sniffled. “Is that even possible?”
He frowned. “I was a normal guy once upon a time, Steele.”
“You want that man back?” she asked.
“I’ll never be that kid again. No matter how hard I might try, I’d never get him back. People grow no matter how hard they might try not to. It just happens.” He kissed her cheek. “I have something to give you. If you want to move forward with me, that is.”
Steele looked into his dark eyes and found a new man there in them. They shone brightly and had lost so much of the sadness she’d thought was a permanent part of him.
“I love you, Arsen. All I want is to be with you every single day of my life.” Her arms ran around his neck and she pulled him to her and kissed him.
He moaned with the kiss and ran his tongue through her lips. Then he pulled back and smiled at her. “I have something for you, then.”
Arsen pulled her out of the closet and into the bedroom. Guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed, he had her sit down as he went to the nightstand beside the bed.
A leather-bound book he pulled out and placed it on her lap. “You seemed to love the book I made for you so I made you another one. One that our children can see. The other was never what I really wanted, anyway.”
Steele ran her hand over the cover. The title was hand written in calligraphy. “This is beautiful, Arsen. You are a true artist.”
“What do you think of the title, Baby?” He sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder.
“No Truer Love Has Ever Existed, The Arsen and Steele True Life Series,” she read out loud. She looked up at him with a smile. “I love the title.”
“Good. Open it up and see what else I have written in our book.”
Steele opened the book and on the first page, she saw the words he’d written there and she read them to him, “On April eleventh in the year two-thousand-sixteen Arsen Sloan and Steele Gannon married at the Paris Chapel at Paris, Las Vegas at noon.”
She turned to look as Arsen as she felt him moving and found him pulling a black box out of his pocket. He moved to get on one knee in front of her and held out the box then flipped the lid up.
Her eyes went wide with the size of the single diamond cast in platinum. She looked at him and the tears started flowing again.
A smile crossed his lips.
“Steele Gannon, you are a rare find. The night I saw you for the first time changed my life. You’ve been my rock, a thing I never realized I needed before you came along. You’re tenacious, feisty, and hard to handle and I love every part of you. You keep me guessing and on my toes and I can’t imagine a life without you right by my side. Would you consider becoming my wife?”
He pulled the ring out of the box and she stopped looking at him as the light glanced off the large stone, making her look at the ring. After taking in a deep breath, she let it out and said, “Arsen Sloan, I would love to become your wife.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and she noticed his hand was shaking. She pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. Arsen stood up and eased her back onto the bed and moved his body over hers.
Taking her lips with his, he kissed her long and hard. Steele ran her arms around him and held him to her as they kissed and held one another.
Their time, though short, had been intense and full. She’d learned so much about the man who held her. And now she’d learn so much more about him as they spend their lives together.
Then the date in the book ran through her mind and she pulled away, stopping the kiss.
“Arsen, April eleventh is tomorrow!”
“It is, Baby. Tomorrow, your name will change.” He tried to kiss her again.
She turned her head. “Arsen! There’s so much to do! We have to get ready! Let me up!”
“I’ll let you up in a little while. Right now I’d like to seal this deal with you. If you don’t mind that is.” He nudged her cheek with his nose and made a low growling sound.
She looked at him and saw the desire in his dark eyes and ran her hands through his silky, dark waves. “Well, if you’re feeling frisky, I guess there’s time for that.”
“There’s always time for this, Baby.” His mouth took hers again.
I’m going to be Mrs. Arsen Sloan!
ARSEN
Steele’s body felt good under his hands. He ran them over every inch of her after he’d undressed her. She was about to become his wife in the matter of one day and he could hardly believe it.
His lips grazed over her stomach as his hands roamed over her perky breasts. He felt her hands go through his hair and her stomach twitched under his lips.
Arsen nipped her stomach, and she groaned.
“Again.”
He nipped her flesh again, and she wiggled a little. As he moved up her body, he bit her place after place, leaving little red marks on her pristine skin. Arsen moved up until his hands ran into her hair and he fisted large chunks of it.
Her face was so close and he let his lips barely touch hers. By the way her body was moving under his and her lips were pursed for his kiss, he knew she was more than ready for him.
Arsen didn’t settle on her lips. He moved around and took her neck with his teeth. She arched up.
“Please, Arsen.”
“We’ve discussed little about what you want for the future, Steele.”
“For the immediate future, I want you, Arsen. I want you all over me. I want you inside me,” she said with a moan and a wiggle.
His laugh was deep.
“Do you want your family flown in for the wedding?” he asked.
“If you want.” She raked her nails over his back. “Come on, Baby.”
He smiled at her want for him. But didn’t give in to her yet.
“How many children should we have, Baby?”
“As many as you want,” she moaned and moved her mouth to his neck and bit him. “Baby, please.”
“Do you like dogs or cats, Steele?” He bit her neck and sucked it.
“For the love of God! Arsen, please!” She writhed under him. “I’m on fire here.”
“Dogs or cats, Baby. What kind of family are we going to be?” His hands moved over her sides.
“A dog family, Arsen. A salt water fish tank and a cockatoo named Bentley who will have a cage in the corner of the living room. There, our life in a nutshell. Now take me, Baby, before I implode.” She ran her hands to grip his large biceps as he laughed.
“Are you saying that you want me, Steele?” he growled in her ear as he ground his erection against her soft core.
“I want you bad, Baby. So please stop asking me questions about the future and let’s get going with right now.” She arched up to him and he gave into her.
Sliding his erection into her, her sigh of relief filled his ears.
“There you go, Baby.”
“Yes,” she said as she breathed out. “Yes, Baby. That’s what I wanted.”
He smiled against her neck then moved to take her lips. Nipping at her bottom lip with his first, slow stroke. She placed her hands on either side of his head and held him tight in them. Her mouth opened, and she kissed him hungrily.
She was on fire. He could tell that and she was making him heat up as well. Her hot body gyrated with each one of his strokes. She arched up just as he pulled out and made him stroke her more quickly.
Arsen moved his hands down her arms and took her hands in his and pulled them up over her head and held them to the bed. He held them with one hand and took the other hand and moved it up and down her side.
One hard thrust he gave her, knocking the breath from her. He felt it shoot into his mouth and he eased their kiss. Pulling his mouth from hers, he looked at her.
Another hard stroke he made and her breath puffed out of her mouth. He felt it on his lips which hovered near hers. He took in a deep breath and made another hard thrust.
She opened her mouth and let the air come out and he breathed it in.
“I cannot wait to call you mine, Steele.”
“I am yours, Arsen. I always have been.”
He growled and kissed her hard and wanting. Moving hard and fast inside her, he claimed her as his. Every last inch of her was nearly entirely his, and his alone.
The fact she was about to be his wife had him feeling wild and free. She bucked under him and he let her.
Their ragged breathing filled the room along with the sound of flesh smacking against flesh. Arsen’s body began to shake with his need to release. Steele’s words fell soft near his ear. “Just do it, Baby. Let it all go.”
So many years holding himself back, stopping the normal urges had him forgetting he didn’t have to or even want to do that any longer. He whispered in her ear, “Come.”
Her body blasted with his words and she fell apart around him. He released her hands, and they moved over his back, raking it over and over as she pulsed around his cock, taking him along with her.
His heart pounded as he spilled inside her. He lay still on top of her. Their bodies wet with sweat. Their hearts pounded loud and hard. Their breathing was rough.
One soft kiss he placed on her sweet lips. The next day she would be his in name as well.
I cannot wait!
STEELE
A white dress, a white bouquet of roses, and a bottle of white wine sat on the table in their hotel suite. The Paris theme of the place was gorgeous and Arsen told her the honeymoon would be a surprise.
Since he told her to bring her passport, she thought it was safe to say he planned on taking her to Paris for that.
Steele’s family was there. In several rooms a few floors down. Though not the most expensive place in this city, the hotel had a charm all its own.
Arsen picked the place out because he’d always wanted to visit France, but never made time to do it before. He told Steele he was going to make time for so many things he never did before.
He was really changing. And while she was nervous about it, she knew she could handle it. If she loved him in the first place, she would love him as he morphed into the man who would soon be her husband and father to her children.
Detective Fontaine had to stay back in San Francisco to deal with what she said was a mountain of paperwork on the three murder cases. But Paul came along anyway.
He was Arsen’s best man after all. With Gwen still in the hospital, Steele asked her younger sister to be her bride’s maid. She was over the moon about it.
Steele’s parents were still unsure about the marriage. It was too sudden for them. She hadn’t even told them about her and Arsen as she knew if they found out she was living with a murder suspect, who lived a BDSM lifestyle, her father would’ve come straight out to San Francisco and snatched her out of Arsen’s penthouse.
He’s a little controlling himself.
A knock at the door startled Steele.
“It’s Mom and Dad, sweetheart.” Her mother called out from the other side.
Steele went to open the door and found they had changed into the clothes she and Arsen had bought for them. In true Arsen style, he paid for the whole shebang, clothes included.
“My father in an Armani suit,” Steele said, adding in a wolf whistle at the end. “My, my, you make a dashing man when you get all cleaned up, Dad.”
Her mother smiled and took his arm and wrapped hers around it.
“He does, doesn’t he?”
Steele’s eyes raked over her mother in a Vera Wang dress that they had found in a shop in Vegas when they flew into town last night. “And you look like a fashion model, Mom!”
Her father looked at his wife with a smile.
“She always does.” He kissed the top of her head, making her giggle and slap at his chest.
“It’s time, isn’t it?” Steele asked as she grabbed the bouquet and took a long drink of the glass of white wine she’d poured herself to take the edge of her nerves.
Her father took her hand and pulled her along with him and her mother to go down to the chapel. Steele looked back at the room one last time. She thought to herself that the girl who was leaving that room wasn’t the same one who would be coming back to it in just a little while.
She closed the door on who she was and went to become who she would be.
ARSEN
Her naked back pressed up against his bare chest as they laid on the bed together. The entire night had been spent showing each other how happy they were to finally be married.
A picture of the two as they stood at the altar in front of the preacher had been taken by her older brother and Arsen had their book out and was making a sketch of it on the second page.
Steel watched as he moved the pencil over the cream-colored page. He was almost done with it and she seemed impressed.
“Arsen, you really are very artistic. I hope our children inherit that.”
His lips touched the side of her head. “I hope they get your heart.”
She ran her hands along his thighs which were on either side of her.
“I hope the boys get your muscles.”
He laughed. “I hope the girls get your hair.”
“Yours is nice too. They could get either of our hair,” she said with a little laugh. “I hope they get your gorgeous, naturally tanned skin tone.”
Making the last few strokes with his pencil he held the book up.
“There, finished!”
Steele took the book in her hands and looked at the picture of them he had drawn. “You made me look very pretty, Arsen. I love it.”
“It wasn’t me who made you look so pretty,” he said. “We can thank your parents and the Lord above for that.”
She closed the book and sat it on the nightstand then took his pencil from him and placed it next to it. Turning in his arms, she ran hers around his neck. “Want to practice making babies again?”
His lips quirked up to the right. “Anytime.”
He moved his hands over her back and held her close to him. Her lips pressed to his for a moment then she pulled them back and trailed kisses down his chest and slid her body down his. “While I have you on your back I may as well have a taste of you.”
“By all means, taste away,” he said as he laced his fingers and placed his hands behind his head, leaning back on the mountain of pillows.
Steele’s warm mouth covered his chest with her sweet kisses. His body was washed in warmth from her lips touching him all over. When they ran over the head of his dick, it twitched.
She laughed. “Did you make it do that on purpose?”
He shook his head. “You made it do that.”
A smile moved over her lips and she pressed them to it again and it twitched for her again. “Wow!”
“You think that’s something. Sometimes you can just walk by me and it does that.” He gave her a grin.
“Does that mean you like me?” she asked then kissed the tip of his growing cock again.
He shook his head. And she frowned. “It means I love you, Baby.”
“Oh, okay then,” she said and took the stiffening organ into her hands, running them up and down it.
Her lips touched the tip again then she opened her mouth and slid it over his hard cock. His eyes closed with the sensation and he let out a groan without realizing it.
The way her mouth was making slow strokes over him had him enjoying every sweet moment she had him inside her steamy hot mouth. When she slipped it all the way in, deep throating him, he moaned and moved his hands to run them into her dark waves of thick hair.
“Baby, yeah. Take me all in,” he moaned as he fisted her hair and moved her a little faster over him.
She moaned and the vibration of it made him moan too. It was all he could think about. Her mouth on him. The way her head was bobbing up and down was mesmerizing.
Her tongue glided over the tip of his dick and he knew a bit of pre-cum must be oozing out of it as Steele made a sound like she was saying, ummm.
Arsen didn’t want to waste a thing, so he pulled her head up and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. He sat up and lifted her up and sat her on his cock.
“Let’s put that stuff to good use, Baby.”
She placed her hands on his wide chest and began moving up and down with long, deep strokes. Her dark hair fell to her waist in waves and her tits bounced just the right amount.
His hands stayed on her narrow waist as he helped her go up and down his length. “How about you put one of those juicy tits in my mouth, Kitten?”
Steele’s dark brows arched up. “Kitten?”
“Yeah, Kitten.” He smiled, and she leaned forward.
“That sounds kind of cute.” She kissed him then placed her nipple to his lips.
His teeth grazed it at first then he gave it a nip and she let out a yelp. He pulled it into his mouth and gave it a hard pull. Her eyes closed, and she made a wonderful little purring noise.
The vibration he could feel coming through her breast in his mouth and her body covering his cock. His hands trailed up her sides and back down again as he lifted her, moving her a little faster.
Steele’s hands tangled up in his hair as she held him to her breast and bounced up and down on his cock. Over and over she went until she was squealing with her release and pulsing all around him.
She slowed her strokes as her body had what it wanted. He pushed her back and got on top of her. Slamming into her. Hard, deep, fast strokes he gave her until he could take no more.
His cock jerked, sending his juices into her in swift pulses of heat. Her head hung back over the edge of the bed. Her body jerking more and more out of him until neither could do anymore.
He lay back and pulled her up with him. She lay gasping on his chest.
“The jet leaves in a couple of hours.” He told her.
“Are you going to tell me where it is we’re going finally?” she gasped out.
He laughed. “No.”
She pulled her head up off his chest and stared at him.
“Really? No?”
He nodded. “No.”
“So what should I wear to this mystery destination?” she asked as she laid her head back on his chest and he ran his hand through her hair.
“I packed all you’ll need to get there and once we’re there I’m buying you more clothes.” He pulled a section of her hair up to his nose and smelled it. “And I’m taking you to a salon while we’re there and letting them do your hair and we’ll be getting whatever kinds of shampoos and conditioners and any other products they say will be good for your hair.”
“Are you saying my hair is ugly and it stinks?” she didn’t even bother to look at him as she asked.
“No!” he said then laughed. “Your hair smells like the hotel shampoo. It’s nice but it can be better. I’m going to spoil the shit out of you, Baby.”
“Okay,” she said.
He pulled her up. “Okay? Did you just simply say the word, okay?”
“I did. I’m now the wife of a billionaire. I should look the part.” She kissed his forehead and leaned hers to his. “I have a lot to learn.”
He pulled her to lie on his chest again. “You and learning shit! Just live, Baby. Live the way you want to. However you want, as long as it’s with me.”
“Can I be honest with you, Arsen,” she asked as he held her tight.
“I hope you always are, Steele.” He kissed the top of her head.
Her hand ran over his tight abs. “First confession, I absolutely love your six pack.”
“Noted.” He stroked her hair. “And the rest?”
“Oh, yeah all the rest of you as well,” she said.
He laughed. “No, the rest of your confession, Steele.”
“Oh. That. Okay. The other part is that other than being a lawyer and having that interest I have in my horse. I have never had a real interest in anything else. I am vanilla to the hilt, I suppose.” Her finger trailed through the crevices between his formed abs.
“My turn,” he said as he moved his hand over her back. “First, I never want to hear the word vanilla again unless it’s about some delicious dessert. That part of our lives is done and those words have no place in our future. I’ll be damned if our children overhear either of us speaking about such things.”
“I can agree to that,” she said. “And when are we starting this family of ours, Arsen?”
“As soon as you stop taking birth control.” He pulled her up again and looked into her blue eyes. “I want to see that perfectly flat tummy of yours swollen with my child.”
A blush covered her cheeks, and she bit her bottom lip.
“Okay.”
“Okay again, huh?” he asked with a smile. “I like this being married thing.”
“So do I,” she said and lay back down on his chest, making circles over it with her finger. “Imagine the first time our child calls you, Daddy.”
A mist covered his eyes in an instant. The thought of being someone’s father was never a thing he thought he wanted. Arsen Sloan, someone’s father. It had never been a figment in his mind.
Since he met Steele, though, it had crept in and now it was all he could think of. A little boy with his hair and her eyes. Or a daughter with her hair and his eyes. He didn’t care, he just wanted a bunch of little combinations of them running around, getting all under their feet and into mischief.
“I’ll most likely bust out in tears and you better not make fun of me, Steele Sloan.” As soon as her name with his last name left his mouth he had to close his eyes, the tears threatened so badly.
He had her. He had the one for him and she lay in his arms and talked of having their children. Then he said, “You are young. It’s a lucky thing you have me because I will allow you to grow in ways most men wouldn’t. You can be interested in whatever you want. It doesn’t make a difference if I like it or not. You can follow your own heart, Baby.”
“What a hippie you’re turning out to be, Arsen.” Steele laughed and kissed his chest. “But thank you for being you.”
“I followed what I was molded to be for far too long. It’s time to find my own path, with you and our family.” He squeezed her and knew she was the right one for him.
Is it possible to love someone so completely the way I love this girl?
STEEL
Arsen gave Steele an expensive sweat suit in blue, he said to match her eyes. He wore a very normal looking gray one and some killer shades that made him look like a work of art in it.
Sitting in the waiting area for his private jet to fuel up and be stocked up for the eighteen-hour flight to the first leg of their honeymoon, the couple waited at the airport to leave.
Steele leaned up against him as they sat in the little seats of the small room. “Really, Arsen? Still you will not tell me?”
His lips grazed hers as he said, “I will tell you this, Kitten. You and I will be joining the mile-high club in the jet’s bedroom while we are on our way there.”
She laughed and batted at his chest.
“Rogue.”
“Temptress,” he countered.
A group of people came into the little waiting area. All well dressed and all looking a little tired. Steele’s eyes ran over the three couples. A tall, dark-haired man with striking blue eyes had his arm wrapped around a tall, blonde woman. Steele felt as if she had seen the woman before.
There was a couple behind them with their arms wrapped around one another. Both had sandy blonde hair and she knew the man. It was a singer named Kip Dixon.
Steele straightened up in her chair as her eyes roamed over the last couple to come in and she had no clue who they were, but they were expecting a baby as the dark-haired woman’s belly was round.
“Hi,” Steele said and waved a little. “Have to get this out there so this doesn’t get weird, but you’re Kip Dixon, right?” Her eyes looked into the blonde man’s brilliant blue eyes.
His Australian accent confirmed it, as he said, “I am. And who might you two be?”
Arsen stood up and pulled Steele along with him.
“Arson Sloan, and my wife Steele. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dixon. I’m a big fan of your music.”
“Thank you. I love to hear that. Call me, Kip.” Kip gestured to the woman who was sitting down already, probably used to people recognizing the man she was with. “That’s my gorgeous wife, Peyton and that man with his arm wrapped around the pretty blonde is Max and his wife’s name is Lexi. And over here.” He turned to gesture to the other couple, the pregnant one. “These two are why we’re here in the first place. Our good friends, Blake and Rachelle. It’s their anniversary. Their first. They’ve been busy as you can tell.”
Arsen and Steele sat back down and the woman Kip had introduced as Lexi, the one Steel felt she had seen before, asked, “Where are you two headed?”
“I don’t know,” Steele said as she looked at Arsen.
Arsen leaned forward and answered, “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise anniversary present or birthday or anything special?” Lexi asked with a Texas accent.
Arsen answered.
“Honeymoon.”
“Congratulations,” they all said.
“Thank you,” Arsen and Steel said.
“So where are you from?” the dark-haired guy named Max asked.
Arsen looked at him and said, “San Francisco. But as soon as we get back from our trip we’re going to be looking for an estate. I have a penthouse right now and that’s not going to cut it with a wife and family.”
The woman next to Kip, his wife, Peyton, looked at the couple with interest. “Did you say estate?”
“Yes,” Arsen answered. “It needs to be in California and there has to be at least one barn and a bit of land for my wife’s horse. But anywhere in the state is fine.”
Blake looked at Kip then back at Arsen.
“What is it that you do, sir?”
Steele laughed. “Do I hear a lot of Texas accents here?”
Blake, Peyton, Max, and Lexi all raised their hands. Steel nodded and looked at the only girl who she couldn’t figure out where she was from by her accent, Rachelle.
“And you are from?”
“Cali, Baby,” she answered, making them all laugh.
Kip smiled. “So what did you say you do, Arsen?”
“I didn’t,” Arsen said. “I’m a criminal lawyer. And my wife is in school to become one as well. I’m thinking she and I will team up once she passes the bar.”
Steele leaned into him and smiled. “You did?”
He nodded and kissed her forehead. “I did.”
Lexi pointed at Kip and then at Blake.
“These two have estates in a small subdivision in Los Angeles. There are some nice places there with property and many have barns. You might take a look around there.”
Steele couldn’t take it anymore and just asked, “You look so familiar. Is there any way I know you from something?”
Lexi blushed and Max patted her leg and answered the question, “My wife was once on the cover of quite a few books and magazines.”
Steele nodded. “I knew it. With two hot men, right?”
Lexi nodded and smiled. “Right.”
Steele laughed.
“Those books were hot, hot, hot, girl!” She got up and went across the small room and gave Lexi a high five.
The scene ignited laughter from all of them and Arsen smiled at his wife as she took her place at his side once again. She looked at him and said, “Their neighborhood sounds good to me, Arsen. We should check it out.”
Kip pulled a card from his wallet and gave it to Arsen. “Give me a ring, man, when you guys get back from the secret honeymoon. I’ll give you the lowdown on the mansions up for sale around us, Mate. Adding a new bro to the pack would be awesome.”
Steele smiled as Arsen placed the card in his pocket. “Being added would also be awesome,” Arsen said.
Rachelle asked. “You guys planning on starting a family soon?”
Arsen winked at her.
“Tossed the birth control pills in the trash a few hours ago.”
Everyone laughed again. Steele felt lighthearted and at ease for the first time in a long time. As if all these strangers in the same room were their friends already somehow.
“Arsen Sloan, your jet is ready,” came over the intercom.
They got up and Steele was surprised as all the people stood up too. The men all shook hands and the woman all exchanged hugs. Steele had never felt more like she belonged to a group before.
Kip patted Arsen on the back.
“For real, man. Give me a call when you get back. We’d love to have you in our neighborhood. I keep trying to get this couple to come to L.A. but they’re hard core, Houstonians,” he said as he gestured to Max and Lexi.
Max laughed.
“Hilda has her family there, man. I can’t uproot her.”
Steele looked at Max and asked, “Hilda? Is she your mother or something?”
“No, my chef slash house manager. And as close to a mother as I have,” Max answers. “But I visit these guys all the time. If you do decide to buy something there, you’ll see us plenty. And our little hellions.”
Steele’s heart filled in a way it never had before. Normal people wanted to be their friends. And in Los Angeles. The changes were moving forward fast, and she was excited about their future.
She waved goodbye as Arsen led her to their jet.
I wonder if I’ll ever see them again…
ARSEN
Steele’s mouth left his hard cock, and she looked at him with the darkest blue eyes he’d ever seen on her. Lust, desire, and pure need filled them. She moved her body over him as she moved up the bed in the jet.
Her lips cocked up to one side as she said, “You are my husband now, Arsen.” She pushed him to lie back as he looked at her with wide eyes. “Mine!”
She made a low growl. Her teeth scraped his neck, and he said, “Kitten, you okay?”
He placed his hands on her arms and held her back a bit.
“Am I getting too wild for you?” she asked.
Arsen’s laugh filled the small bedroom of his private jet.
“Now, come on. We both know you cannot get too wild for me.”
His hands slid down to her wrists and in one quick motion, he grabbed them and turned her over. He pressed her body to the mattress and held her hands behind her back.
Opening the drawer beside the bed he found what he knew would be inside. A pair of handcuffs with the key in the lock. He leaned over her and whispered, “You have the right to remain silent.”
Her breath came out hard as she said, “I won’t give in willingly, officer.”
“But you will,” he said as she licked her neck and closed the handcuffs around her wrists, keeping them behind her back.
“Never!” she shouted.
He pressed her face to the mattress.
“Quiet or your ass will feel the sting of my hand!”
Steele wiggled her ass. “Sure it will.”
Arsen landed a nice slap to it and Steele shrieked.
“Bet you won’t do that again,” she said.
He slapped it again and said, “Bet I will.”
Holding her to the bed, he ran his thick cock along her ass crack. Teasing her as he pressed it to a place he knew she didn’t want it. “Hey! We’re just fucking around here, right?” she shouted. “You know I was playing, don’t you?”
Arsen’s smile, she could not see with her face pressed against the mattress. He stayed silent and rubbed it against the place she told him was off limits. Then he made an evil laugh.
“Do you think playing with me is safe, Kitten? I’m a big bad dog and kittens shouldn’t play with dogs.”
“Arsen! Stop! You’re freaking me out!”
He flipped her over and ran his hands all over her breasts as his dick pressed on her sex. “Am I?”
Steele let out a laugh.
“Fucker!”
Arsen laughed and moved to sit on the side of the bed and picked Steel up like she was a doll.
“Spread, ‘em,” he said.
She spread her legs, and he placed her on his lap, facing him. Her hands still cuffed behind her back. His groan filled the small room as he slid her over his erection.
Hers followed, and he began to pick her up and down to stroke him.
“Arsen, where are we…”
He stopped and smacked the side of her ass.
“You have the right to remain silent, remember? I just told you that.”
Steele sighed. “K.”
Arsen started moving her again and took her right tit in his mouth and sucked on it. Steele made noises he’d never heard her make before. Her heart started pounding so hard, he could hear it.
It made him move her even faster up and down his cock. It was aching for her to come all over it. But he wasn’t going to tell her to do it. He wanted her to cum in her own good time.
He let her breast go and moved his mouth to bite her neck. She made little crying sounds he found arousing as hell. She murmured, “Please tell me.”
Arsen smiled against the flesh of her neck and moved his mouth to her ear, biting her earlobe.
“No.”
Steele fell backward in an instant. Arsen was surprised and held tight to her waist as the top portion of her body was no longer in front of him but now hanging down by his legs.
He pulled her up and when he did he felt the most amazing feeling as her body gripped his cock. She smiled at him. “Let me fall back again.”
Arsen did and felt her body tighten around him again and this time, she pulled herself up. It was even more amazing as she did, gripping his cock like it had never been gripped before.
He looked at her as his breath caught in his chest. “Where the hell did you learn that, Steele?”
“The internet,” she told him with a smile. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
She fell back again and started doing some type of sit up as he just held her waist so she didn’t completely fall and her tunnel contracted over his hard dick as she did.
“Oh, Baby! Oh, Kitten! Oh, shit!”
Steele held her body out at a ninety-degree angle to his as he climaxed. Though surprised by the action, he looked at her. “Come!”
She fell back as her body did as he said. She pulsed all around him as the top half of her remained dropped to the side of the bed.
When both were spent, Arsen pulled her up and laid her head on his shoulder and rocked with her still on him. His lips pressed to her neck.
“You and I will find happiness. I never knew I could, but you showed me the way, Baby.”
He took the key and unlocked the cuffs that had bound her hands. Arsen laid her on the bed and massaged her arms and all the joints to get the blood flowing back to them. Kissing every part of both arms as he did.
“Are you about ready to get cleaned up and off this jet so you can see the first place I’m taking you?” he asked her.
“Though, thoroughly satisfied,” she said, “I am ready to see where it is you’re taking me. I have my suspicions, though. Just so you know.”
He smiled and picked her up to take her to the shower. “Do you now?”
She has no clue!
STEELE
Arsen had placed a blindfold over Steele’s eyes as they left the jet. And then he held her tightly to his side with his arm around her waist as he led her to yet another flying machine.
She heard the blades before she felt the wind on her skin. The air was warm, almost hot.
“Arsen, where are…”
His lips pressed against hers as he picked her up and placed her in a leather seat and strapped her in. Then he climbed into the seat next to her and shouted over the loud sounds of what she guessed was a helicopter, “Trust me!”
It seemed like forever as they flew through the warm air. She heard an odd language being spoken by the pilot and Arsen spoke back in the language she thought she may have heard before.
Arsen spoke it much choppier then the male pilot did. Her brain was putting it all together as she felt the blindfold being taken off her. The language was Middle Eastern.
Bright light blinded her for a second then Arsen placed some sunglasses over her eyes for her. And there she saw what she had been dreaming of seeing since she was a teenager.
“Is this for real, Arsen?” she asked as his hand took hers.
“I asked your family where you talked about the most wanting to see. They told me you loved the Transformer movies and really loved the one with the scenes from Egypt in them. Your father told me you said at that time you felt as if you had seen them before. So I knew I had to bring you here to see it all for real.”
“I thought we were going to Paris, Arsen,” she said as she cried. “You said you wanted to see France. And we were married at the Paris place in Vegas. That was a lot of hints, pointing me in that direction.”
Arsen held her to him as the helicopter flew up out of the canyon to make another pass as it was obvious Steele was not paying attention to the sight in front of her.
“We’ll go to Paris on our first anniversary. This honeymoon is about you, Baby. I told you I was going to spoil you.” His words were punctuated with a kiss.
Steele tried hard not to look at her husband and turned to look out the side of the helicopter.
“Arsen, we aren’t in Egypt, this is Petra. It’s in Jordan.” The magnificent stone structure of what was once only a picture on the screen at a theater filled her vision.
“We will be staying for two weeks and touring all the structures here and in Egypt. Not quite as glamorous as Paris or London, but it is exactly what you told your little sister you always wanted to do one day,” Arsen told her.
“You are one sneaky man, Arsen!” Steele shouted as the helicopter moved through the air in front of the most impressive thing Steel had ever imagined seeing.
That was until the man who is now my husband was right by my side!
The helicopter landed and Arsen got out and helped Steele out. They walked up to the enormous door and into what people thought had once been a church of some kind in ancient times.
Inside people had drawn on the ancient walls.
“What a sin,” Steele said as she ran her hand over one of the drawings.
“Check this one out,” Arsen said as he led her to a large, very primitive drawing of two, giant, black birds, depicted as flying over a crowd of people wearing red, hooded robes and kneeling.
Steele laughed.
“That looks like those things the American Indians called thunderbirds. I don’t know what the robe-wearing people are doing in the picture, though.”
Arsen grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him.
“Probably getting ready to sacrifice a virgin to them.” He tickled her ribs, making her laugh.
“Stop,” she said with a laugh.
He stopped tickling her and pressed her against the wall.
“We’re all alone in here, Kitten.” His hand moved under the short hem of her dress.
Her hands ran around him, pulling him to her.
“That would make for a great memory, Arsen. You taking me in the lost city of Petra.”
His mouth pressed against hers as he pulled her panties to one side and she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants to release his erection. Arsen pressed his hard, throbbing cock into her wet, welcoming sweetness.
Their moans echoed off the stone walls. Moving into her with sharp, deft thrusts, every breath they took made loud sounds in the enormous, empty, ancient room.
His mouth left hers to run it over her neck. She brushed her hair back as he took her ass in his hands and lifted her. Her legs wrapped around him as he moved inside her.
Arsen nipped her neck as Steele ran her nails over his back. The sound of voices were heard as some more visitors to the ancient lost city came into the canyon, their voices echoing off the rocks outside of the structure they were in.
“Hurry,” Steele coxed him. “Oh, God, Arsen, hurry!”
He moved quick and their breathing was fast, hard, and loud.
Steele felt him release, and she climaxed along with him. He let her legs fall to the stone floor, and she adjusted her panties as he put himself all back up in his pants and locked the beast away again.
He smiled at her and took her hand in his and walked to the other side of the large room to look at the drawings on the other walls as a group of people walked in.
Steele put her head on his shoulder and sighed.
“You’re a lot of fun, hubby.”
His whisper moved her hair. “You are very willing, wifey.”
I think this marriage is going to go just fine!
ARSEN
He held their book on his lap and sketched a picture of Steele as she sat in a chair at the ritziest beauty salon in Cairo he could find. Her hair was in large curlers and she was draped with a dark cape.
“What are you drawing?” she asked him as the stylist left them to go get something.
He turned the book for her to look at.
“You.”
“Me! In curlers!” She shook her head.
“It’s not simply you in curlers,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s you in curlers in a salon in Cairo on our honeymoon. There’s a difference.”
“Okay, when we get back to the hotel maybe I’ll draw the next picture. Maybe one of you on the toilet in our hotel room in Cairo on our honeymoon,” she said then stuck her tongue out at him.
He shook his head and grinned.
“So young you are, Steele. Bathroom humor.”
The stylist came back and started working on doing Steele’s make-up. Arsen gazed at his wife and knew she didn’t need all this primping to be gorgeous, but he loved being able to do it for her.
She was his prize in life. The one thing he never thought he deserved. Steele was his angel.
No matter where life would take him, he’d never be alone again. Steele would be with him through thick and thin. She already had been.
Later, when they walked out of the salon with Steele looking like a fashion model, he kissed her heavily made-up cheek.
“I love you, Baby.”
Steele looked at him with heavy, black lashes, and artistically shaded eyelids. “I love you too, Arsen. I always will.”
“Promise?” he asked.
She kissed his cheek. “Promise.”
Arsen realized his fingers were crossed in hopes the words she said were true and always would be. There was still a little part of him who couldn’t believe things were going to be fine.
But I sure as hell hope this lasts forever!
To be continued, just one more time…
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Part Fifteen: Forever and a Day
ARSEN
“And that’s the end of our story. Up to that point, anyway,” I tell my wife of five years as she lies out on the bed next to me, her head on my shoulder.
It’s our fifth wedding anniversary today and each anniversary I read Steele the story that begins with the night we met up until our honeymoon. I wrote it all in my handwriting with sketches here and there I made to make the story a little more graphic.
Steele loves the book I made for her. ‘No Truer Love Has Ever Existed, The Arsen and Steele True Life Series.’
She lets out a deep sigh and looks up at me with shiny blue eyes.
“What memories that book invokes in me.”
Steele and I wrote the book together and got a little help from her old friend, Gwen to get the story as accurate as we possibly could.
Running my hand through her long, dark hair, I say, “I think we should start on one for the kids. You know, document their conception and the pregnancy of each of them all the way through, say their first day of Kindergarten. Brady will be starting next year, you know.”
Steele sits up and shakes her head, “Not from the conception, Arsen! That’s too much for our kids to know about!”
I laugh and put the book on the nightstand.
“I meant like what we were thinking about or something like that, Kitten. You should know me better than to think I’d want to leave a written record for our kids about our steamy love life. You know our book is going to the grave with you.”
She lays her head on my chest and says, “I suppose all those racy memories the book always conjures up in me had me thinking crazy, Baby.”
And just like every anniversary we’ve shared before this one, I have her in the mood for love. Not that it takes much for this feisty vixen.
“You know the kids are with the neighbors for the entire night, Baby,” I say as I run my hand over her pink silk nightgown I gave her as a present this morning.
Steele sits up and pulls it off over her head. “I do know that.”
I wiggle under the blanket, taking off the boxers I put on after I got out of the shower before we came to bed for the night. “Even though it’s late, we can sleep in tomorrow.”
“We can do that,” she says as she turns to me and wraps her arms around me.
Her lips barely touch mine and the spark zaps through me like a bolt of lightning. Every damn time, it never fails.
My fingers grip her ass and I roll over with her, getting her on her back. Then I move my hands up to tangle in her silky hair, pulling it back.
Her throat is exposed and I move my mouth from hers and kiss all the way down it. Then back up to her ear and I nip her earlobe. “I’m going to fuck you nine ways to Sunday, Steele.”
The sound she makes sends my already hard cock into overdrive. Her fingernails dig into my back and she rakes them over me. I pull my head back to look at her. And she gives me a sexy smile.
Pinning her body with mine, I reach over and take the cuffs out of the drawer in the nightstand.
“Assume the position, Kitten.”
She places her palms together, and I put the cuffs on her wrists and pull her arms up over her head and hook the cuffs over the bedpost. Steele bought this bed a few years ago when she saw the design would work perfectly to hold her in place now and then.
I kiss the tip of her nose and then take on the role I know she’s looking for right now. The old me role I do for her on occasion. She did fall in love with that part of me after all.
“No moving, no making any noise, and no coming until I tell you too.”
She nods and watches me as I run my hands down her throat. Up and down I run them then over her chest, taking the time to massage, pinch and pull each erect nipple until they can get no more erect than possible.
Her eyes never leave me as I manipulate them both. Then I reach over and get the blindfold out of the drawer.
As I place it over her eyes, I say, “I’m going to get something else out of the drawer, Baby. It’s a surprise. You’ll just have to trust me. Remember, no noise or you’ll feel the sting of my hand.”
Running my fingertips over her taut stomach, I see goosebumps spring up over her flesh. Taking out the special little device, I bought to give her an extraordinary orgasm on this special day we share, I push the button at the end of it and the humming sound it makes fills our bedroom.
Steele’s body tenses. I run the soft tip of the narrowest dildo I could find over her stomach and breasts. Then grab the bottle of lube that smells like chocolate and pour some on her stomach.
Rolling the vibrating device in the lube to coat it and ensure an easy entry into the area she has had me experimenting with these last few months, I notice her body shaking.
I think she has a slight idea of what I intend to do with this thing. My voice comes out huskily as I say, “If you need to stop the only word you can utter is, possum. Nod if you understand.”
She nods and takes her bottom lip between her teeth. Her fingers are lacing back and forth together. Steele is nervous and I’m loving this.
Running my hands down her legs, I move them up to bend her knees. Then I take the vibrator and move it over her clit until it’s swollen and nearly about to send her into a climax, but I move it just before that happens.
Down I move it, keeping the tip touching her folds as I make my way down. The largest thing she’s had me put into her ass is my finger and this is longer and has a little more girth to it, but not much. She should be able to handle it.
Apparently, she had read a book about some threesome with a couple of guys and one girl and has wanted to see what it feels like to have one in both holes. I suppose the writer made it sound kinky but hot. It’s had her wheels turning ever since.
Slowly, I ease the dildo into her ass in small increments to allow it to stretch and accommodate the device. “You can let out a moan if you need to, Baby.”
Nothing comes from her yet. I keep going until I have it all the way inside her. The humming sound muffled now and I can feel the vibration when I place my hand on her stomach.
Oh cool, this could be interesting for me as well!
STEELE
So far the fifth anniversary is coming along fantastic. It seems Arsen has surprised me with something I’ve been talking about for a while now. My ass is vibrating, and that’s a first.
We’ve managed to find a perfect combination of ways to please each other. A little soft and tenderness at times, rough and rowdy at other times, and technical ways of stimulation at others. It works for us.
His lips touch my clit and I try hard not to wiggle. His fingers are gripping the sides of my ass and he pulls me up and puts his entire mouth on me.
The way his tongue is sliding over my clit is agonizingly hot. My body is aching to be filled by his huge cock and he’s a master at making me wait. I fight the urge to arch up as his tongue goes into me.
Finally, his hands move up, running over my sides as he makes his way up my body. The vibration in my ass is already sending little waves of pleasure through me.
His mouth touches my neck then his teeth graze over it as he slides his large, hard cock into me. And now I let out the moan he told me I could.
Shit! This feels amazing!
I knew it would.
Long, deep, slow thrusts he makes and I feel so full it’s unreal.
His lips move over my neck as he moans, “Baby, fuck me, that feels so fucking good.”
Arsen goes still for a moment, I guess he’s enjoying the way my body is vibrating him. Then he starts stroking again. The way I’m beginning to pulse all over tells me this will not take long with this thing.
I just hope Arsen feels the same way.
He starts moving faster, stroking in and out with hard thrusts. A sweat breaks out all over me and our skin starts sliding over the others. I care barely breathe as he moves so fast and hard and the vibration is awesome and igniting parts of me that have never been on fire before.
I can feel his cock jerk inside me then his words bring my sweet release, “Come.”
The euphoria that flows through my body as I climax is insane. So thorough, so complete!
I let out another long moan that has a bit of a squeal to it. Arsen’s breathing is heavy and ragged. He stays inside me but reaches down and removes the vibrator, turning it off.
The humming sound has left the room, but my body still hums as if it’s still there.
Arsen pulls my cuffed arms down and sets me free then takes off the blindfold. His strong hands rub my shoulders as he kisses them.
“So, did you like it?”
I groan and stretch. “Umm hmm.”
His lips pull up into a half smile. “I knew you would.”
“Five years, Arsen. It’s passed so quickly.” I run my hand over his stubbly cheek.
He still keeps his hair at shoulder length because that’s how I like it. His facial hair is meticulous as ever. The only thing that has changed on him is his dark eyes.
I swear they’ve lightened up through the years. The first time he laid them on our first born, a boy we named, Brady, a new light moved into them. When our daughter, Trace, was born a couple of years later they went a shade lighter.
Arsen is the best daddy in the world, according to our kids. He gives piggyback rides and plays with them all he can.
He and I are both criminal lawyers and we have our own law firm here in Los Angeles where we moved to the year following our marriage. But he and I only go in when we have to. As consultants mostly.
Arsen has more than enough money to not only take care of this family but our kids’ families when they have their own as well. The investments he’s made will live on for a very long time.
When we got back from our honeymoon, Arsen called that Kip Dixon guy we met at the airport before we left. He and his family live two mansions over and the other couple we met, Blake and Rachelle, have one next door to us.
They don’t always live here, they have a restaurant and a huge log cabin style mansion in Colorado too. We all go up to ski and hang out with them once a year.
Max and Lexi, the other couple we met at the airport, have a huge estate outside of Houston, Texas and we go there a couple of times a year as well.
My husband seems to have joined an exclusive little club I’ve given the moniker, ‘The Billionaire Boys Club.’ Max, Kip, Blake, and now Arsen are all billionaires and have somehow found each other in this tiny world and became the closest of friends.
Their wives and I found common grounds as well and love to hang out with each other. Thankfully the kids all get along and there are a lot of them. Get-togethers are huge. Thankfully we all have giant homes and estates so we can all spread out when we’re together.
Coming to Los Angeles was the best decision we ever made. The move gave us the freedom to go places without any of Arsen’s past acquaintances showing up and ruining my mood. It also gave us this awesome group of friends I don’t know how we ever lived without.
The only thing we lost in the move was Paul who stayed and later married Detective Fontaine. They live in Arsen’s old penthouse he gave Paul as part of a severance package for his years of dedicated service. Plus, he made an investment for him and that makes enough so Paul no longer has to work.
He works anyway as a private eye. Paul helps his wife out on cases. They make a pretty great team.
Gwen married one of Kip’s wife, Peyton’s, brothers from Texas. She has three older brothers and one was still available, Tyler Reed. We had Gwen over to visit and the Dixon’s had a bar-b-que as her family was visiting and she met him there.
The two of them live back in his hometown, a tiny town outside of Austin, Texas. No kids for them as of yet. But they’ve only been married a year or so.
I cuddle into Arsen’s arms as he spoons me from behind. His lips touch just behind my ear with a sweet kiss goodnight.
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this!
ARSEN
The cockatoo, Bentley, screams as the front door flies open and in run my two rugrats.
“Good afternoon, guys!”
“Daddy!” they both yell at the top of their lungs as they don’t seem to have an inside voice at all.
Rachelle brings up the rear and her husband, Blake, follows her. Their latest baby is strapped to his chest and waves at me, excitedly.
I have to get up and go kiss her little, pudgy hands. But first, my kids have to jump into my arms and act as if one night away from home and Mommy and Daddy was an eternity.
Brady wraps his arms around my neck.
“Daddy, was my fishy okay while I was gone?”
“Yes, son. I told you I would feed him for you and I did.” I put him down and pat him on the head. “Mommy has lunch ready in the kitchen, Buddy.”
“Yeah!” he yells and takes off then spins around, stopping all of a sudden. “Thank you for letting us spend the night, Mr. and Mrs. Chandler.”
“You’re welcome, Brady,” they say together.
Our two-year-old daughter, Trace, clings to me and kisses my cheek. “Daddy, I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Princess.” I kiss her cheek and place her on the floor. “Tell them thank you and go see Mommy.”
She runs and hugs Blake’s leg. “Thank you, Mr. Chandler.”
Rachelle reaches down and picks her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for coming to see us, Trace. I had fun fixing your hair.”
Trace giggles. “Me too! Thank you, Mrs. Chandler.”
After placing her feet on the floor, Trace takes off like a rocket to see her mother.
“Thanks. We’ll return the favor anytime you want.” I give them a knowing smile. They have four kids of their own. Adding in a couple more makes a difference.
Blake reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys. “We’ll be heading back to Colorado tomorrow. Think you could check on the house now and again for us? We’ll be back in a month.”
I nod and take the keys. “Not a problem. We’ll make sure those plants are watered too.”
Rachelle gives me a smile. “Thanks, Arsen. You two are the best neighbors ever.”
They turn and walk back out the door. I wave and watch them walk back through the gate that separates their estate from ours. Then make my way to the kitchen to find out what my wife has whipped up for lunch.
I find our eldest arguing about the food like he always does. “Yeah, Mom, but at McDonald’s, there’s toys with the food. And tuna fish is not on the menu at all. Thank goodness.”
“Well, in Mommy’s kitchen all food comes with a side order of love. What about that, Brady?” Steele places his plate in front of him as he wrinkles his nose.
“But that smell, Mommy. Yuk!” He pulls the corner up on his wheat bread and takes a huge sniff.
I laugh and take the chair next to him.
“Did you know that fish is good for your brain?”
Trace nods and takes a bite of her sandwich with no argument what-so-ever. She’s our good eater and her chunky little body is a testament to that fact.
“Mmmm. Thank you, Mommy. I wuv you.”
Steele runs a hand through our daughter’s dark curls. Trace has hair the color of mine and her mother’s curls which I found she had when she was a kid. Later they turned into waves.
Her eyes are just like mine, though. And for a two-year-old she’s very smart and has a vocabulary far ahead of other kids her age. When Brady was two, he barely spoke at all. Mostly grunted and pointed at what he wanted.
I called him our little caveman for a while.
Steele takes the place across from me and has her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. A little red spot on her neck is left over evidence of our heated night.
“Something bit you, Mommy,” Brady says as he notices.
“I know,” Steele says with a smile then her eyes catch mine and I smile back at her. “There was a mosquito in our bedroom last night and it bit me in several places.” She gives me a wink.
“I hate those pesky things,” Brady says as he picks up a potato chip and eats it.
Her foot runs over mine underneath the table.
“I don’t hate them. They have their purpose.”
Neither of us has shoes on and I move my foot over hers and then up her bare leg as she only has shorts on. Her face flushes and she takes a drink of her iced tea then licks her lips all seductively as she looks at me.
I don’t know how she does it. One look, one touch from her can send me to another realm in my head. She’s got me all hot and bothered and wishing the kids would take a nap already.
Running my hand over Brady’s shortly cropped dark hair, I say, “Bet you kids stayed up late playing with the neighbor’s kids. Bet you two could use a nap after lunch. Hurry and eat up and Daddy will read you a story so you two can fall asleep for a little while. You know, catch up on your rest.”
Steele’s lips quirk into a sly smile and her toes run up my calf then back down again. She puts the pickle spear she had on her plate to her lips and pulls it in a bit then takes it back out and lets her tongue move over the tip.
My cock jerks to attention. I look at the untouched sandwich on my son’s plate. “I’ll give you a hundred dollars if you hurry up and eat that sandwich.”
His blue eyes go all wide and he says, “Seriously, Dad?”
“Dead serious, Son.” I pull my wallet out of my pocket and take out the bill and place it on the table in front of his plate. “You eat it up and the money is yours, Son.”
He picks the sandwich up and takes the first bite. After he swallows, he says, “Hey, this ain’t really yukky at all.”
Steele’s eyebrows cock up. “Told you.”
Thankfully the kid starts eating because my wife isn’t letting up. Her foot runs up and down my leg and my body is heating up so quickly it’s insane.
And I still have to read the kids a story!
STEELE
Thank God for naptime!
I’ve taken every stitch off and wait for Arsen to come to our bedroom. He’s reading the kids a book, in hopes of them falling asleep for a little nap after lunch.
It cost him a hundred-dollar bill to get our son to eat his tuna sandwich, but I think I can prove to him it was worth it.
The door opens and in comes Arsen, stripping as he comes towards me in what looks like a heated rush. “That took forever.”
I giggle and hold my arms out to him.
“Come to me, Big Daddy!”
His underwear hit the floor and I can see he is so ready for me. His hard body smacks against mine as he grabs me up in his strong arms. My arms wrap around him as his mouth takes mine in a hot kiss.
I was keyed up and now I’m about to boil over. His fingers press hard into my flesh like he wants to feel me so deep. It’s beyond amazing.
The bed I bought a few years ago stirred so much in me when I saw it, I had to have it and bought it on the spot.
It’s a four post bed with smaller posts covering the top end of the bed and has a metal frame around the top of it. You could throw mosquito netting over it if you wanted to. I didn’t, though.
We use the rounded metal bars for other things.
Arsen’s hands go to my waist, and he takes his mouth from mine, hoisting me up. I wrap my hands around the bar over my head and he takes my legs and places each one over his broad shoulders.
He looks up at me and licks his lips as his face is right there in my crotch.
“Time for dessert.”
I let out a loud moan as his hot mouth crushes against my sex. His tongue moves over my folds and dip into my opening a bit then back out to roam over every part of me again.
The way his teeth feel against my tender flesh has my body trembling already. I throw my head back as his tongue strokes my clit and I groan with the sensation.
My body is on fire for him as his fingers squeeze my ass and he pinches it every so often, sending spikes of heat flashing through my entire body.
The sounds he’s making as he consumes me has me reeling with the knowledge this turns him on almost as much as it does me. He gives my clit a nip and I yelp with the action.
He bites it harder, making it pulse and then licks it over and over. I fall apart. “Arsen!” My body shakes with the hard orgasm.
His head pulls back, his hands move to my waist, and he pulls me down.
“On your knees.”
I turn around and get on my hands and knees and he takes me by the waist and pulls me back to him then slams into me. He stops and moans as he makes the tiniest strokes inside me.
My body is still climaxing and the little muscles in my vagina clench around his hard cock. He gives my ass a smack and starts pounding into me. The orgasm keeps going and I start making crazy sounds as it does.
Another smack he gives me, sending lightning flashing to every nerve ending in my body. I’m moaning so much I can barely even take in a breath.
My body is on fire, pulsing all over and so deep inside it is unreal. Just as the intense orgasm begins to ease up, his hand comes around and he strokes my clit. It sends me back into the spasms of pleasure.
“Arsen! Arsen!”
His dick jerks hard and he groans then says between clenched teeth, “This is it!”
Heat fills me and sends me deeper into the climax. I find myself screaming with the intensity of it. Before it ends all the way, he pushes my body to the bed and pulls out of me then turns me over and climbs on top of me.
Back inside of me he goes and starts pumping again. I am shocked as it seems he has more to give me. His mouth crashes down on mine as he makes hard and swift thrusts.
He moves his kiss from my mouth to my neck where he says, “I can’t get enough of you, Baby.”
His teeth clamp down on my neck, making another red mark and taking my mind away from wondering what the hell has gotten into my husband all of a sudden.
Arsen’s body is hot and wet all over me and it has me in a frantic state. My hands run all over his muscled back as he pounds into me. A loud groan comes out of him and his cock jerks hard inside me.
My body responds by going into another orgasm and I join him in the groan. He stays inside me as my body squeezes him and takes every last drop he has to give.
And just like that, it pops into my head that I forgot to start taking my birth control pills when I switched to a new package two weeks ago.
“Fuck!”
Arsen pulls his head back to look at me. “What does that mean?”
I close my eyes and pray for a second before I answer him, “It means your wife is an idiot.”
“No, she’s not,” he says with a chuckle. “My wife is rather intelligent.”
I roll my eyes as he continues to hold me tight and looks down at me. His hair hanging in damp strands around his handsome face. I run my hand over one stray lock that hangs in front of his eyes.
“Your wife has been off birth control for two weeks and just now remembered it. See, you did marry an idiot.”
A smile moves over his face and his lips touch mine.
“Let’s have another baby, Steele.”
“What?” My eyes search his. “Trace is only two and Brady only two years older than her. It’s like stair-step kids. I wanted to wait until Trace was four, Arsen.”
“Looks like someone else might have other plans.” He kisses me again. “Let’s do it, Baby. Let’s try for another. I’m game if you are.”
“You probably just got me pregnant right now,” I say as I look up at him.
“Well, I’m not about to stop trying. Just so you know.” His mouth moves to my neck and his tongue runs up it.
“You cannot possibly be ready to go another round.” But as the words leave my mouth, his cock jerks inside me and it seems like he is.
ARSEN
“Of course, I want a bad ass helicopter, Kip,” I tell him over the phone. “Tell Max to bring it out here and I’ll buy it from him and use it for the law firm. I’ll be a hero at work with a helicopter at our disposal.”
“He’s going to be happy you bought it,” Kip says. “Max has found a new one with bells and whistles galore and is dying to get it, but Lexi told him he had to sell the one he has first.”
“Who wears the pants around their house?” I ask with a laugh.
We all know who wears the pants in all our homes.
“Speaking of that. Shouldn’t you ask your boss if you can buy the chopper, Arsen?”
“Shit! Steele wasn’t real happy with me learning how to fly or getting my pilot’s license. You might be right. But tell Max I’ll let him know by tonight. I think I can get her to see things my way.”
“The jewelry store opens at ten this morning, Mate,” he tells me.
“I have them on speed dial,” I say with a laugh. “After forgetting to look before I pulled out of the drive-way last week, I ran over Steele’s bike and had to get her a diamond bracelet and a new bike to make up for my carelessness.”
Kip’s hearty laugh comes over my phone and we exchange goodbyes and I go to get my car keys.
My love, steps around the corner with a frown on her beautiful face. “I heard that.”
I freeze. “Which part?”
“The most important part.” Her hands move to her narrow hips.
The stance. This is not good.
“Oh, that part.” I move towards her and run my arms around her, backing her up against the wall. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Hence, why I don’t like the idea of you up in the sky with so little to protect your awesome body.” Her hands go around my neck.
“Aw, how sweet you are.” I kiss her neck. “But you have nothing to worry about.”
“Good, so it’s settled then. You aren’t getting Max’s old helicopter.” Her lips touch my neck.
“No, it’s not quite settled.” I nip her ear and lick the flesh just behind it.
Her body melts into mine like it always does. I press her harder against the wall. My cock is hard so I grind into her soft core.
Her words come out quiet and she’s already somewhat breathless. “Arsen, I’m serious, Baby.” Her lips travel up my neck, sending heat right through me.
“Me, too, Baby. I really, really want it.” I graze my teeth down the side of her neck then look at her with my puppy dog eyes. “Really badly, Baby.”
She looks at me with a tiny bit of dilemma in her blue eyes. I run one hand through her hair then press my lips to hers. Her lips part and let me in. Our tongues twirl around together in a lazy dance.
My hands tangle up in her hair. I deepen the kiss. It’s only been a couple of days since we started actively trying for another baby and I think this is a good opportunity to get a little baby making time in and maybe get myself a chopper while I’m at it.
Two birds, one stone!
I pick her up and carry her to our bedroom while I kiss her. The kids are at their swimming lesson with Kip’s wife, Peyton. The house is empty and we’re all alone.
Lying her on the bed. I release her lips and stand up. I unbutton my shirt and slip it off then pull hers off. Her pink, lacey bra beckons me to run my fingers over it and I do.
Her chest rises as she takes in a deep breath. I reach around her and unclasp it, setting them free. I gaze at her plump, perky tits and run my fingers down her stomach to the button on her shorts.
Popping them open and taking the zipper down slow and easy, I pull them off. Leaving her matching pink panties on for the moment.
I take off the rest of my clothes while she watches me. She reaches out as I climb onto the bed and runs her hand over my abs and looks at them.
With a sigh, she says, “I really, really love your muscles.”
I smile at her and move my body down hers then take her panties off and run my hands all over her, starting at her perfect pink toes. I kiss the top of her right foot. “Do you remember how crazy it made you how over protective I was with you when we first met?”
She nods.
“And when we first had Brady. You were also uber-overprotective. It took you nearly a year to realize he wasn’t quite as fragile as you thought he was.”
I smile at her and pull her right leg up and trail my tongue over her calf, then say, “I know, I was so afraid of losing you both in the beginning.”
Steele laughs a little. “Yeah, it made you a little crazy.”
I nod and run my hand behind her knee, pulling it up and placing her foot on the bed. “It did.”
Moving back, I kiss the top of her left foot and take it in my hand, running it up the back of her leg. She smiles at me. “But I’m not being overprotective of you by telling you I think helicopters are dangerous. And I didn’t like you up in them when you were learning to fly so what makes you think I want to live with you being able to hop into one whenever you feel like it?”
“Don’t you trust me, Steele?” I ask as I bend her knee and place her left foot on the bed.
“You and trust, Arsen.” Her tits rise with the sigh she makes.
“I know, right?” I move my body between her spread legs and run my tongue over her clit. “It’s just an issue I have and always will, Steele. I need your trust. I crave it.”
Her hands run down and she plows them through my hair. “I crave you to stay alive, Arsen.”
With a tap of my tongue to her clit again I watch her eyes slowly close. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Umm hmm.”
After a little nip, I give her my all. Tongue slathering over her clit until I feel it pulsing. Her body arches and I slip a finger inside her. Her breathing goes ragged as she pants.
I move my finger in and out then in again and hook it up to put pressure on her g-spot. Her hands pound on the bed. “Arsen!” Her body arches up and her vagina clenches around my finger and she’s soaking wet in an instant.
Running my tongue up her then over her stomach where I stop and leave a kiss, I make my way up to her. Soft kisses I trail over each breast then I rest my body on hers and my lips on her mouth.
Sliding into her wet depths, I feel the pulsing of her walls around my hard cock. In and out I move as her hands roam over my back, whisper soft. Her shallow breaths fall warm against my left shoulder as I release her mouth and her head moves to it.
Keeping a slow rhythm, I kiss her neck with soft kisses. Her hands move up my back and go through my hair.
I love to feel her like this. Like a warm summer afternoon. Lazily our bodies move in unison. Her skin so soft against mine. And all I can think about is how much I love her.
Moving one hand to tangle in her silky hair, I press my lips to hers again to taste her sweet kiss. Cinnamon and honey are what she tastes like. Her hair smells like cotton candy from using the kid’s shampoo she bought for Trace.
Her body fits mine like a glove and I never want to feel another’s beneath mine again. She is all I want, all I need.
Warmth fills me as I move in and out of her. Her hands move to place them on my cheeks as she holds me to her. Kissing me back. Holding me in a way that tells me she is mine and I am hers.
Small squeezes begin inside her. Not dramatic hard pulsing, just easy little, gentle squeezes. Inside me blossoms with the adoration I have for this woman.
This perfectly, imperfect creature who I share this life with.
My love for her spills out of me and into her in a gentle wave as we kiss. I reluctantly release her mouth and we take in deep breaths. I look into her sweet eyes. “I love you, Steele. More than you will ever even understand.”
Her soft hands cradle my face. “Arsen, I love you. The love I have for you runs so deep and so true there are no doubts in my mind when it comes to you.”
I rest my forehead against hers. “I’ll let Max know I won’t be buying his chopper.”
Her hands flow over my back as she says, “No, don’t do that. You’ve never taken me for a ride yet. I’m basing everything on fear. I’m sure you’re as excellent at driving that thing as you are at everything else you do. Tell him you want it.”
“Really?” I ask as a smile spreads over my entire face and my heart speeds up.
I kiss her on the tip of her adorable nose. She giggles. “That got your heart pumping!”
Pecking little kisses all over her precious face I say, “Thank you.” After each kiss.
STEELE
Eight months have passed and Arsen did manage to knock me up again. Another boy is heading our way, and it seems he plans on making his debut earlier than expected.
With our other kids safe with Kip and Peyton, Arsen is speeding towards the hospital. “You okay over there, Momma?”
“The contractions are getting much stronger. I’m pretty sure little Brody is about to enter the world. Just hope we make it to the hospital and you don’t have to deliver this baby in the back of the suburban.” I look over my shoulder and see some toys on the back seat.
His laugh comes out nervous. “Please hold on, Baby.”
“I’m really trying. I promise I am.”
The pain is ramping up and I have a bad feeling. The other two deliveries were nothing like this. Then warm liquid gushes out of me.
“Fuck!”
Arsen’s head snaps as he looks at me. “That did not sound good!”
“My water broke. What a mess!” Tears just start pouring out of me. “The car’s ruined. I’m probably going to mess it up even more by having our baby in it. Arsen, I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to cry. It will clean up or I’ll get us a new one, Baby. Don’t cry.” He rakes his knuckles across my cheek.
“But it’s not going the way we planned at all.”
“Nothing ever does, Baby.” He laughs and takes my hand just as another contraction hits and this one hurts like hell.
I squeeze his hand as it makes me scream. Arsen shouts, “Breathe, Baby!”
It ends and I take in a breath. “Arsen, hurry!”
“Hang on, please hang on!”
He puts his emergency flashers on and speeds up. Moving in and out of traffic as fast as possible. But I don’t think it’ll be fast enough as another contraction hits me hard.
I remember to do the breathing and get through it but feel more fluid pushing out of me. The next one hits only seconds after that last one. I turn to look at him as the sun’s last rays leave the sky. “Pull over.”
“No! No, no, no!” Arsen’s hands grip the wheel. “Shit!”
He hits the ‘On’ star button. A friendly woman’s voice asks, “Hello, Mr. Sloan. How can I help you this evening?”
“My wife is having a baby and I’m on the 101. Is there a hospital anywhere near my location?”
“The nearest hospital is thirteen point seven miles away. With the traffic in your area, your ETA is twenty minutes,” she says.
He looks at me and I shake my head as another contraction hits me. Through gritted teeth I say, “I don’t have that long.”
The nice lady tells us, “Take the next exit. There is a convenient store where you can pull into the parking lot. I will alert 911 of the emergency and your location. I’m connecting you to emergency services to talk you through the delivery, Mr. Sloan. Good luck, Mrs. Sloan. And congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you,” we both say.
Another pain hits me as he takes the exit and I notice his knuckles are white as they grip the steering wheel.
“It’ll be okay,” I tell him. “At least, you’ve seen this done twice before.”
“I never really paid attention to what the hell was going on down there. I was always so focused on you and keeping you calm. Shit! Why didn’t I ever pay attention to all that? Crap! Fuck me, Baby. I’m so fucking nervous!”
“Arsen. You have to get a grip! I need you to be that in control man you’re so good at being. Find that guy, quick.”
I watch him swallow hard and he pulls into the parking lot and pulls to the side of the store. I can hear sirens but they’re far away. He gets out and opens the back door.
Arsen tosses the toys off the back seat and then opens my door and picks me up and places me in the back seat. He pulls out a blanket from the far back. One we used when we went on a picnic last week.
He drapes it over me as he moves my legs to bend my knees. Then he pulls me forward until my ass is at the edge of the seat. Out of the glove box, he pulls out a pocket knife and cuts my panties off at each side.
“Glad you wore a dress, Baby,” he says. “And our son has a head full of dark hair.”
“How do you know he’ll have hair? Brady was born bald as they come.”
“Because I’m looking at the top of his little head.” He looks up at me and smiles. All calm, all cool, all in control.
That’s my man!
The sirens are getting closer and a voice comes over the car speakers.
“Hello, Mr. Sloan?”
“I’m here,” he answers,
“How’s it going? I’m Donny, the EMT headed your way. How’s our mommy doing?”
“I’ve been better,” I say then groan with another contraction.
“I have the top of the baby’s head in view, Donnie,” Arsen says.
“Well then, do you have anything to catch this kid with?”
Arsen pulls a baby blanket out of the bag I packed a few days ago when I started getting things together for my trip to the hospital I hadn’t planned on taking for another month.
“How about a baby blanket?” he asks.
“It’ll help. Babies can be pretty slick and hard to hold onto. So use it to ease the baby out with the next few contractions. Do not pull on it. Are we on time or early or late or what?”
Arsen answers as I get ready to push with the next contraction. “We are a month early and it’s a boy we’re having.”
“A month, huh? Be advised we will be taking the baby and Mommy with us as soon as we get there so the child can be taken care of ASAP. Okay, Daddy?”
“Got it.” Arsen looks at me. “I’ll be right behind you, Baby. Don’t worry.”
I nod and say, “Get ready, Arsen. I think this is it!”
He looks at me and says, “I love you, Steele. Get ready to see Brody.”
I scream out with the contraction. “I love you, Arsen!”
It seems like an eternity then I hear the little cries of Brody and look to find Arsen with tears flowing down his cheeks as he looks at the red, little, wrinkly thing in his hands.
“Hi, Son. How are you doing this fine evening?” He sniffles and holds him up. “Look who’s here, Momma.”
I smile and lie back and take a deep breath as I hear the sirens pull in and stop next to us.
Thank you, God!
ARSEN
“And that’s how Daddy was the first person to ever get to hold you, Brody.” I rock my son in the nursery we made just off our bedroom.
Brody and Steele were able to come home after just a few days at the hospital and the little guy has grown to a decent ten pounds in the last couple of months since his birth in the parking lot of ‘Habeeb’s Fine Merchandise, Beer, and Cigarettes.’
Brady has told us he’s kind of jealous of his baby brother because he was on the news the night he was born. Seems the kid was born to be in the spotlight.
The sound of footsteps come into our bedroom and I look up to see Steele making her way towards us. “Did you get him to sleep?”
I nod. “He likes to hear his story. He falls right to sleep every time.”
“Glad he does for you. Man, that colic he has, drives me crazy. Thanks for taking him. I was at my wits end.” She runs her hand over my shoulder as she walks behind me and readies his crib.
“I’m glad he needs me like he does.” I get up and take him to lie him down. “He makes me feel special.”
After I place him gently in the crib and cover him up I turn to find Steele with her arms wide open. I grab them and pull her to me and hug her with a little swaying motion.
“I think you’re special too, Mr. Sloan.”
I kiss the top of her head and inhale the sweet smell of watermelon. “New shampoo, Honey?”
“Yes, Trace and I like it. Don’t you?” She looks up at me with a grin.
“All those expensive hair products I buy you and you use the kid’s shampoo.” I shake my head at her.
“Trace likes our hair to smell the same way. What can I say?”
I put my arm around her and we leave the room and go to our bedroom. “I say, you’re a sweet mommy to do that for your daughter.”
“Trace and Brady want you to give them good-night kisses, but I already read them a book and told them you were taking the Brody shift this time. I’ll be waiting for you in our bed and just a little reminder. The doc approved sexual activities for me today.” She winks at me. “If you feel like it. I get it if you don’t.”
I pull her close to me and kiss her lips softly. “You get it, if I don’t?”
She nods. “Yeah. That was pretty gross what you had to see when you delivered the baby. My doctor said sometimes it takes dads a little while to put what they saw out of their minds. I understand. I won’t hold it against you, Arsen.”
“Baby, there is not a thing in the world that would make me think you unattractive. That was a scary but beautiful experience. If anything, it made me respect you even more. Your body had to morph to bring our children into this world. It makes me love you even more to know the torture you would go through to give me children.” I kiss her again.
Steele’s hands run over my cheeks. “You are too good, Arsen. Almost too good to be true, I think sometimes.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not. And if I am then it’s because you helped me to become that man. I am who I am because of you being a part of my life. I shudder to think what I’d be if I told Paul to take me home that night instead of stalking you.”
“I shudder to think about all I would’ve missed out on if I hadn’t gone completely against my nature and got in the back seat of your car, Arsen. Then I let you take me like you owned me. Just not me at all,” she says as she shakes her head. “Do you ever wonder what had us acting so different?”
“I try not to wonder about it, because what is the use, anyway?” I pull her in tight to me. “But I have now and again. I was no stalker, and you were anything but my type. But there was such a strong pull when I saw you. Like magic.”
She nods in agreement. “Like magic, Arsen.”
Her arms tighten around me. “I hope each of our children find a love like we have. I hope it doesn’t have to start with such a hard time. Man that would be hard to take.”
“That’s why I’m glad your parents didn’t know a thing about us until the day before our wedding. I bet your dad would’ve stomped my ass. As he would say.” I laugh a little, but I know it’s true.
That man is tough as hell and fiercely protective over his family. I’m lucky my shit was straight by the time I met him.
“You’re going to be just like him, you know,” she says. “Maybe that’s why we clicked so quickly. I’ve always been a bit overprotected my whole life. You came in and it felt kind of normal in an abnormal way.”
We laugh and hug and then I kiss her once more before I go kiss my other children good night.
I never thought there would be a woman who would come into my life one day and make it all alright. Not even my mother made it alright. Steele is my angel and I’ll always treat her like one.
For forever and a day…
And they all lived happily ever after
The end.