The past three weeks have been torture. Gossip in our small-town spreads like wildfire. Everywhere I go, the older people in this community stare at me with pity. As if Pastor McAvoy was the big bad wolf who raped me. I know it’s the Johnstons who are spreading those rumors. After that fateful night, the Johnstons realized they didn’t have a leg to stand on, and were unable to get Easton fired. His dad, Gregory, ran interference and said they were silly claims by a mentally unstable boy with an obsessive crush on me. And Bobby didn’t help matters by showing up at the church asking where “Lashey” was. I’d taken one look at him and started bawling my eyes out. All those memories came flooding back. It was apparent to anyone around me who the real criminal was around there. Gregory and another deacon escorted him from the property and he’s been banned from coming back. His family, and several of their loyal friends, no longer come to church.
While I wait for Easton to meet me for lunch, I stare at the key fob in my hand. I still can’t believe I’m driving now. After I lost the baby and Sean went to prison, I would have panic attacks in the car. Mom thought it unsafe to drive and my car has been garaged this entire time. But it was her, not long after the horrifying experience with the Johnstons, who gave me my car key back and suggested I start driving again. She hated the fact that I was alone waiting for her that night. I’d expected the anxieties to overwhelm me like once before, but they didn’t. Having a vehicle again was freeing. Plus, when it rains, Easton and I don’t have to be cooped up in his house any longer.
My phone buzzes and I’m shocked to see it’s from my ex-best friend, Olivia. Our friendship suffered when I went a little crazy with Sean and then with Nolan. And although we are cordial to each other, we haven’t really hung out since. Seems like a lot of my friendships have fallen apart because of Sean and Nolan.
Olivia: Tonight a bunch of us are meeting up at club Orj-E for a party. It’s a graduation party of sorts. Most of our class will be there including Ava. You should come.
I smile at the mention of my friend Ava. During my rough time when I was involved with Nolan, she came to my aide. She even got hurt trying to protect me from him. I feel indebted to her.
Me: Can I bring a date?
Olivia: Is he nice?
Me: He’s a preacher, so yeah.
Olivia: OMG!!! You’re dating a preacher?! You hussy! No wonder you started going to church!
I laugh at her response. This is what I miss.
Me: It was definitely motivating. I can’t wait for you to meet him.
Olivia: Does he know you’re inviting him to a sex club?
Me: My preacher is sometimes bad…
Olivia: OMG. Nine tonight. Use the back entrance since you’re still underage. I can’t wait to see your dirty preacher. Is he old? Does he wear suspenders? Does he carry a Bible in his back pocket?
Me: Okay. Kinda. Nope. And nah, I look at his ass a lot…there’s no Bible shielding that view.
Olivia: Hussy!
Me: I missed you.
My laughter falls away as my somber mood sets in. The three dots move and then stop. Move and then stop. Move and then a text.
Olivia: I missed you too. I’m glad I have my friend back.
The car door opens and I scream, dropping my phone between the console and the seat. Easton drops into the passenger seat, grinning wickedly at me.
“Hey, honey.” He reaches forward and slides his palm around the back of my neck. When he pulls me to him, I go willingly. Always willingly. Our mouths connect for a kiss and his thumb strokes my neck in an affectionate way. “You ready to eat?”
“Always. I’m craving Moon Wok.”
He laughs. “You’re always craving Moon Wok. We’ve had it three times this week.”
“Shhh,” I say with a grin. “The cheese wontons are calling my name. Lacy…Lacy…eat me…”
“All I heard was eat me,” he says with a growl as he palms my thigh and runs it up my skirt, his fingertips brushing against my panties underneath. “And you’re something I’m always craving.” His breath his hot against mine. “I’m going to defile you right here in the parking lot, vixen. You’re going to love it too.”
I lean my head back against the seat and thank God my windows are tinted. The naughty preacher works his fingers past my panties and into my body.
He’s right. I love all the things he does to me.
I love when he’s my good preacher.
But I also love it when he’s my dirty criminal.
Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds?
“Wow,” Easton mutters as he hugs me possessively to his side. “Just wow.”
I giggle and hug his middle. “We don’t have to stay long. I know it’s not your scene. I just miss Olivia.”
He kisses my temple. “Anywhere with you is my scene. We’ll stay as long as you want. Just know I’m not sharing what’s mine.”
We both stare in awe as three men grope at a naked woman on a sofa. I’ve never been in club Orj-E before. It’s a sex club that caters to people seeking their different kinks. The bouncer who let us in the back—and didn’t ask for IDs which I’m thinking was on purpose—gave us a quick rundown on what to expect. Naked people everywhere doing naughty things. I got that message loud and clear.
“Lacy!” Olivia yells over the sensual music that’s thumping through the club. “Isn’t this place wicked?”
Behind her stands a brute, mountain of a man. Tall, solid, a dark beard. His possessiveness over Olivia is loud and clear. When she notices me staring, she laughs and points at him. “Miles owns this club. Miles, my friend Lacy and her preacher boyfriend.”
“Easton,” my preacher boyfriend says, offering his hand to the big guy.
“Glad to have you both here,” Miles grunts back as he shakes Easton’s hand. “Enjoy yourselves. You can always ask for forgiveness in the morning.” He gives us a mischievous wink before walking over to the bar.
Olivia rolls her eyes but laughs. “You look good, Lace. You’re glowing. Happiness always did look best on you. How’s Steph?”
“She misses you,” I tell her. “You should stop by and have dinner with us one day. You’re practically a daughter to her.”
Guilt shines in Olivia’s green eyes and she nods. “I promise, I will. Steph was always the mom I didn’t have growing up. Too bad we were never successful on hooking her and Dad up.”
I laugh and turn to Easton. “When we were fourteen, we wanted to be sisters and had this grand idea to play matchmaker. We snuck out to create this romantic picnic in Olivia’s backyard once when I spent the night. The plan was to call my mom over there to come get me on the ruse I had a stomach ache. We got all the candles lit in the gazebo and I called Mom. Everything was going smoothly until the wind knocked over a candle onto the blanket where all the food was laid out. It went up in flames so fast.”
Olivia chuckles. “Dad ran out freaking the hell out. You and I barely made it out of the gazebo unscathed! By the time your mom arrived, the entire thing was engulfed in flames. They spent the next three hours comparing punishments and who could yell the loudest. Steph and Dad didn’t hook up romantically but they became good friends at that point and always made sure to call the other frequently when we were together to make sure we weren’t up to anymore shenanigans.”
“How is your dad anyway?” I ask.
Before she can answer, a man in slacks only and a sculpted bare chest shows up with a tray full of shots. My stomach churns when he offers me one. Easton takes two, one for each of us, but when I shake my head, he downs them both.
“I’m going to steal her away for a minute,” Miles says once he’s returned. “Nice meeting you two. We’ll catch back up shortly. Check out the black room.” He smirks and points at a door toward the back. “If you dare.”
Curiosity niggles at me. When I glance up at Easton, I can tell he’s wondering about it too. I’m about to ask him if he wants to go when he starts guiding me through the throng of dancing bodies to the room Miles pointed at.
We make it to the room and a bouncer lets us inside. It’s pitch black when he closes the door. The music is different in here. Techno or something. It feels electric and as though it’s pulsating through me to my bones. Someone touches my arm and I squeak. Easton pulls me to his side, his mouth to my ear.
“I think this is some sort of orgy room or something. Stay close,” he growls.
We blindly make our way through people that seem to be everywhere when suddenly white light flashes like a lightning bolt. It illuminates the room for a brief moment before darkness blinds us again. Bodies. Tons of naked, dancing, writhing bodies. It makes me nervous until Easton pushes me up against a wall. With my back to it, it feels safer.
“I’m going to fuck you right here in front of all these people.” His hot breath against the shell of my ear sends currents of heat surging to my core.
White light flashes again. I’m able to see his wild eyes for a moment before darkness shrouds us again. His palms slide up under my dress and he hooks his thumbs into my panties before dragging them down my thighs. I step out of them and immediately feel vulnerable and exposed. But his palms are all over my breasts, distracting me. His mouth finds my throat. Bite. Suck. Kiss. Nibble. He drives me insane with his teasing ways. My arousal is thick and making the inside of my thighs sticky with need.
“Fuck me, Preach. Do it now. I can hardly stand it.”
He grabs my ass roughly and lifts me up so that I’m shrieking in surprise. It takes him a minute to fumble with his jeans.
Flash.
I get a glimpse of his eyes. Feral. Untamed. Starved. And then he’s pushing inside of me in one hard thrust. I cry out and latch onto his neck with my fingers. He bucks against me with all these strangers around us. I close my eyes and get lost in the moment. One hand remains at my ass to keep me upright but his other one roams over my breasts and to my throat. His clutch on me is firm and possessive. Tiny thrills shoot through me. I want him to squeeze me there. As if attuned to my needs, he does. His grip tightens enough to make me see stars in the dark space. My pussy clenches in response which in turn makes him thrust harder. Squeeze harder. Grab my ass harder.
Flash.
Behind my closed lids, I get a glimpse of white light until it’s gone again. My orgasm is on the cusp of making me insane. So close. So close. He grips my throat even tighter and brushes his lips against mine. I can smell the spicy scent of liquor on his breath from the two shots he consumed. It makes me want to lick every corner of his mouth to taste it.
Flash.
And then I’m coming.
No screams because he has them literally caught in my throat.
All I can do is shudder, at his mercy, with pleasure until his own heat surges into me with an explosive intensity. His cum fills me up and selfishly I hope for a baby. We’ve been having unprotected sex for weeks now. It’s only a matter of time.
“God, I love you,” he growls, his forehead resting against mine.
“I love you too,” I rasp out the moment he releases my throat.
He sets me to my feet but doesn’t return my panties. Hot cum trickles down the inside of my thighs. I love the slippery feel when I rub my thighs together. His head is down as he tucks his cock away when hot breath is on my ear.
“Just can’t stay away from the older men, can you, Lacy?”
My heated blood chills and freezes in my veins. Sean Polk.
“What will everyone think when I show them the video of you fucking the preacher? Will he go to prison too?” he sneers, his spittle spraying my ear. His hand finds my breast through my dress and he gropes me painfully.
I open my mouth to scream.
Flash.
I see so much in one moment on Easton’s handsome face.
Surprise. Confusion. Fury. Hate.
The darkness once again steals away my vision. But over the music, I can hear sickening crunches.
Pop. Crunch. Crack.
Flash.
Easton is on the ground, straddling Sean, and his powerful back is tense as his muscles flex before he delivers a punch.
Pop. Crunch. Crack.
Flash.
Blood on his fists. He pummels relentlessly.
I manage to get ahold of my senses and grab the back of his shirt. “Easton! No!”
He fights against me as he struggles to hit Sean again, but I manage to pull him back using all my weight. His massive body lands on top of mine. Rage ripples through him. I can feel it. Almost taste it.
Instead of letting him go, I hug him from behind. As much as I hate Sean, I refuse to let Easton go to prison for assaulting him.
Flash.
Sean staggers as he stands, blood coating his face. I notice his phone near his shoe—lit up with a video playing of Easton and I fucking—before darkness surrounds us again. Easton shoots up to his feet while I scramble over to where the video playing is the only light in the room. A bigger, stronger person beats me too it, nearly knocking me out of the way, and I screech in surprise.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Flash.
Easton stomps on Sean’s phone over and over again.
Then, I’m getting hauled into the two protective arms I love so much.
“Let’s get out of here, vixen.”