Ellena (22 page)

She felt his other hand trail down her belly to her mound. He cupped her mound in front of Mack, and Mack began to turn red and struggle to get free.

She couldn’t pull from Parker’s hold. He had her secure, and she feared for Mack’s life. She watched as Bently hit Mack again.

“No, please leave him alone. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt him,” she begged.

“Cooperation? How interesting, Ellena. You haven’t even heard about my plan.” He turned her around and walked her backward as he looked her body over.

“You see, I’m going to have you now, and Mack is going to watch. As I fuck you and you scream with every orgasm I give you, Bently is going to put a bullet in Mack’s head. He’s going to die knowing that I was inside of you. How’s that for revenge?”

“You’re sick,” Ellena stated. He pushed her backward, and she landed on her back on the bed.

Ellena gasped as Parker undid his shirt and tossed it to the side.

She knew she had to do something as she looked at Mack and at Bently who stood over him.

Parker pressed her legs apart and began to massage up her thighs to her zipper. It’s now or never, she thought as he undid her zipper and she gasped.

“Oh God, I don’t know why this is turning me on.”

Parker paused with his fingers at the button of her pants. He held her gaze, licked his lips as he pulled it down.

“You like it rough, don’t you?” he asked. She leaned back and cupped her breasts. She was flying by the seat of her pants here. She needed to be smart then make her move. It seemed to be working, so she took it to the next level despite knowing that Mack sat there defenseless and watching.

“I guess I do. I didn’t even know it,” she moaned.

“This is unexpected,” Parker said then unzipped his pants before reaching for her jeans to pull them down. As he focused his eyes and his hands on uncovering her mound, she reached into her cleavage and pulled out the spray.

“Fuck you, Parker.” She sprayed him in the eyes, and he screamed like a girl falling backward, losing his balance with his pants down his legs. Bently moved forward, and she yelled at Mack.

“Close your eyes, Mack.” She hit the button and the spray shot right into Bently’s eyes as he raised his gun at her.

He fired the gun, and she rolled off the bed and out of the way. A moment later the door to the hotel room busted open and men in full SWAT gear entered. They must have been waiting for the opportunity to bust down the door. She raised her hands to shoot again, but then chaos erupted and both Bently and Parker were handcuffed as they cried in pain.

Ellena ran to Mack and pulled the tape gently from his mouth. He held her gaze.

“Your ass is mine when I get you home. What the fuck did you think you were doing?”

She covered his mouth and kissed him even though she knew that he was a man of his word and she would surely suffer the consequences of her actions. Eventually he would get over it. She could only hope.

* * * *

“Ellena!” She heard Troy’s voice and turned to look at the doorway. The hotel room was filled with agents. Two of them were untying Mack. As she hugged Troy, he gripped her tight and whispered next to her ear, “Why didn’t you tell me what happened? Why didn’t you let me help you?”

She pulled back to look up into his blue eyes. To the side she saw the entrance to the bathroom and a body lying on the floor. Tears welled up as she pointed in that direction.

“That’s why, Troy. Parker promised to kill each of you. If I stayed with you at the hospital, Mack would be dead. If I came here with you, both of you would have been killed. It was a risk, I know that, but I love all of you and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect the ones I love.”

“What was that stuff you used on them? Even now, it’s in the air and burning our eyes,” Mack asked as he limped toward them. She immediately wrapped her arm around his waist so he could lean on her.

“Mamma Cherise strikes again. I swear that woman knows the future, but she just won’t give fair warning,” Ellena said. Both Mack and Troy shook their heads.

To Ellena, they both seemed angry with her still. If they were, then she would face their wrath. It was over now, Parker and Bently could do no more harm.

Ellena was leaning over the counter talking with Angelique at Secret Pleasures.

“They’re still upset with you?”

Ellena nodded her head.

“Men can be so damn stubborn sometimes. And they talk about us,” Angelique said as she folded pairs of lacy thong panties with gold beading along the waist.

“Those are pretty,” Ellena whispered as she touched a pair of the red ones.

“They go along with those little teddies right here in the box. I have to admit, Tye and Mike were really honest about maintaining that homemade quality and look. I’m so impressed.”

“It must be such a good feeling to see your designs on paper turn into actual lingerie. Did you get the clothing section set up yet?” Ellena asked as she turned her head to look toward the back of the store. There were people browsing, and Angelique had hired helpers to assist. They were all locals living in Orchidea.

“I got it all set up yesterday. So I hear your specialty pizzas are a big hit. God, I can’t believe I forgot about how daddy would make those.”

Ellena thought about that. “He was gone a lot and unfortunately, as young as we all were, we really never talk about the bad memories.”

“That’s done on purpose, Ellena. What good would it do us to ponder over the bad? We’re all grown up now. I’m a mamma. I still can’t believe that.” Angelique smiled then placed the panties down on the counter and picked up a picture of the twins.

“They’re so beautiful, Angelique. You’re lucky.”

Angelique set it back down then reached over and clutched Ellena’s hand.

“You’re an awesome sister. It’s times like this that I’m glad I’m here in Orchidea instead of across the globe. I think we need a plan of action here to help you.”

“What are you thinking? Because if hearing the surveillance tapes of when Parker threatened me with the men’s lives wasn’t enough to help ease Leon and the others’ minds, then I’m afraid it’s useless.”

“Honey, it is not useless. You just need to remind them that love is a partnership and sometimes mistakes are made and decisions are made. They may not be the expected choices. However, the love and bond is so strong, together you weather the storm. You just need to bring out the big guns.”

“The big guns?” Ellena asked, and Angelique pressed her breasts together, showing off her cleavage.

“The big guns, and I have precisely what ya need to set a fire so strong within the Rue men, that even Roy, the firefighter, won’t be able to put it out.”

Ellena laughed as Angelique walked around to take her hand. “I have some very special things in the back. Come on, honey, you’re going to knock them on their asses.”

* * * *

Ellena looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the bedroom at home. She thought it was a bit much, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The one-piece, sheer black corset totally gave her an hourglass figure. There were two red bows slightly below each breast and with a simple tug on the lace bow, her nipples and breasts would be exposed. The corset was tight and ended right on her belly button. She’d splurged and got her belly pierced two days ago, making her feel awfully sexy and exotic. To top off the corset, she wore a pair of red thong panties, with black sparkling beads along the trim that barely covered her mound. She went for a waxing, compliments of Angelique, who knew way more about these types of things than Ellena. She was grateful. As she stepped into the black, open-toe stilettoes with the red beading, she smiled at the red toe polish that matched her nails. She had to admit, this was totally not her normal look, but boy did she feel incredible. With the very high heels, she would meet all her men nearly to their chins and hopefully she wouldn’t be wearing any of this for too long.

She turned toward the bed. All the candles were lit and a special small round table with a bright red cloth stood out before the foot of the bed. Her stomach clenched with anticipation as she looked at the items lying there. A tube of lube, a can of whipped cream, a feather-like swatting thingy that was for arousal, as Angelique explained, but she couldn’t remember its name, and a soft pair of red, fuzzy handcuffs. She swallowed hard. She was so aroused and needy. It had been over a week since she was intimate with her men. Roy was feeling much better after his accident that turned out to be an attack. As he entered the building for the fire, someone yelled that there was a victim locked behind a door. He went to assist and as he broke down the door, someone flipped off his head gear and wacked him on the back of the head. The feds wound up arresting a person working for Parker.

She laid her palm over her belly. She could have lost Roy, Mack, Troy, and Leon. The thoughts still gave her nightmares as she lay in bed alone. The last week she had spent thinking about the time she wasted by not responding to the Rue men sooner. She remembered that day a few years back when Troy was installing a new electrical box in the back room of the restaurant. It was late at night and he was looking so sexy in that tight-fitting shirt, with his tool belt and all. They had been joking around throughout the day and she knew she flirted, but it seemed harmless enough. Things moved quickly and in no time at all, Troy had her pressed against the wall in the back room and made love to her mouth. His hands explored her body and when he cupped her pussy she nearly came.

Ellena fanned herself. Like a fool, she had pushed him away and denied that incident ever happened. She freaked out as Mack and Leon started coming around and insinuating that they were interested in her, too. She panicked. But worse of all was the talk she would hear in town about the Rue men. There were lots of women who found them desirable. They spoke about Roy, his firefighting uniform and big muscles. She was jealous and bitter. In her mind she conjured up the belief that the Rue men wanted her for sex and nothing more. It was her way of staying strong and in charge. She knew damn well that the men would be her weakness. She fought so hard, she pushed them away and eventually they stayed away.

Her heart ached with the thought of losing them, only to then gain them back on some whim of a trip to clear her mind and relax from her monotonous life. Then she nearly lost them entirely. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. She loved them, damn it, and if risking her life pissed them off, well too fucking bad.

The sound of the doorbell indicated that they had arrived. She had insisted that they needed to talk, and when they said they needed time, she had told them she was packing her bags and leaving for the airport at seven. She needed time alone, too. The cursing and yelling started and then she hung up the phone.

Ellena grabbed the silky black robe that covered her outfit. She kept all the lights off in the main part of the house except for one, which cast a low glow around the room. She even went as far as placing some suitcases by the front door.

“It’s open,” she stated as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway to the bedroom.

All four men entered and appeared very upset. She swallowed hard at the sight of the bruises on Mack’s face and the sheer look of exhaustion on Leon’s and Roy’s. Troy appeared the most angry as he looked around the room and zeroed in on the luggage.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice rose.

“What’s it to you?”

“Ellena, we don’t want you to leave,” Roy said.

“Oh really? Is that why you’ve been visiting me and asking to spend time with me these past two weeks?”

They were silent a moment as they glanced at one another.

“We needed time to think about what happened, and to be honest, we’re still upset about you not confiding in us. Why is it that you can’t trust us fully?” Leon asked.

“I do trust you fully. I accepted a relationship with four of you, didn’t I?”

“You did, but when it came down to giving us complete control of protecting you and keeping you from harm’s way, you didn’t trust us. You didn’t trust me,” Troy stated. She swallowed hard and felt bad for insulting them.

“I’m sorry that I made you feel that way. I thought it was the only choice I had. Mack was missing and thought to have been abducted. Then Roy gets hurt in a fire, and suddenly Leon is attacked and knocked out in clear day in the middle of the street. I get a call saying that they’ll all die, and if I don’t lose Troy, then Troy dies, too. What did you expect me to do, run to you, Troy, and say, let’s do this together? That would have been like pulling the trigger and killing Roy, Mack, and Leon myself. No way, Troy. If I had the chance to do it again, I wouldn’t change what I did. I’m not some damsel in distress. If you want a puppet on the string, then I can’t be that woman.”

Troy ran his hands thorough his shoulder-length hair.

“Damn, Ellena, we know you’re stubborn and strong willed. But you placed your life in danger and that’s not acceptable,” Leon stated.

“You exposed yourself to Parker. You drew him in, pretended to be aroused by his touch while I sat there tied up, unable to do anything but watch with fear. I heard him say what he wanted to do to you,” Mack said.