Keep Me (Beggar's Choice #3) (19 page)

Last night had been agony lying next to her and needing to
touch her, to drag her under me and just fuck into her until this urge leaves
me, although I sincerely doubt that it will. I’ve wanted her for so long. I
only have to stand next to her and I’m hard and aching. It’s driving me mad
because since I could fuck I’ve never denied myself anything. She’s the only
thing that I’ve ever stopped myself from taking, and paradoxically she’s the
only thing that I’ve ever wanted so much.

It’s so hard to deny myself and I have a horrid feeling that
I’m going to break at some point. The only thing holding me back is the skin of
my teeth and the knowledge that she doesn’t love me and doesn’t want me. I’m
not going to screw her just for the sake of a fuck and run the risk of losing
her. The only thing that would change that is the knowledge that she cares for
me, and I both long for and fear that happening because that would light the
torch paper to the last threads of my self-control.

I hear a throat clear and looking round I see Seth looking
at me with one eyebrow raised. I raise my middle finger at him and turn back to
look at the angry blonde because she’s a much better sight than his know it all
American ass. She rounds the island and comes to stand by my side and fuck if I
don’t want to draw her to me because she always positions herself near me,
especially I’ve noticed if she feels like I’m under threat. It’s not like I’d
ever allow her tiny frame to come in the firing line but it warms me every time
that she does it.

“When’s the slutty bitch arriving?” is her first militant
question. Seth and Sid laugh and then I see John’s face alive with interest and
I tense. He can fuck right off. That good looking bastard is getting nowhere
near my girl. Matt glares at him too which makes me smile. Matt would fuck him
up if he thought he was going to hurt me.

Charlie stirs with the first sign of interest. “Hey baby,”
he says in the sweet voice that I only normally ever hear him use with Mabe and
Viv. “You okay? Sorry I was such a drunk prick last night.”

She smiles and ruffles his hair. “You can’t help it,” she
says kindly and Sid laughs. I can tell that he really likes her but just the
sight of him grabbing her and pulling her close at the rehab centre had made my
fists close, so hopefully he leaves her alone.

Charlie stares at her. “Have I lost her Al?”

“No!” she exclaims vigorously. “You just need to talk to her
and explain yourself. If she won’t talk then you need to write to her. It’s
harder to reject a letter than someone’s voice.” I’m slightly peeved to see him
immediately relax when we’d spent the whole night telling him the same. Maybe I
should have given in to my feelings last night and taken her with us rather
than leave her to get some much needed sleep. “She loves you Charlie,” she says
softly.

He shakes his head. “I’m not sure about that babe.”

“Well I am. It’s obvious, and when someone loves someone
they stick to that person and it takes a lot to make them let go.” I’m not sure
about that myself. It’s never been my experience but hopefully that’s true for
her. I want someone to look after her even though that thought makes me want to
punch something.

“But I hurt her.”

“You didn’t hurt her. She’s fine and it was obviously an
accident. I think the main problem to be honest is Amber. If you can convince
her that nothing happened with her then she’ll forgive you. I know it.”

Charlie opens his mouth to say something but the doorbell
rings and everyone with the exception of Alys who quite often doesn’t hear it,
turns their heads towards the door. I squeeze her arm. “Showtime,” I murmur,
mainly with the hope of seeing her face filled with rage. I’m a contrary
bastard but fuck that turns me on.

Matt goes to open the door and Sid stirs. “Keep your mouth
shut Charlie,” he warns quietly. “Don’t get involved.” Charlie nods but then
stiffens as Amber strolls in dressed in tight jeans and a red jumper and
strutting like she’s on a catwalk. Before anyone can say anything, and I think
that’s on purpose, John stands up buttoning the jacket of his three piece suit.
He exchanges a look with Matt who introduces him to Amber and then when he has
her attention he produces the paperwork from his briefcase with a flourish. I
see Matt stare at him because the man’s a showman.

He and Amber have a low voiced conversation and then he
produces a pen and ushers her into a seat. Sid and Seth draw close as they’re
witnessing the document and I rub my hand up Alys’ arm, feeling her vibrating
slightly.

We watch Amber sign the papers quickly, the only sound in
the room the scratching of the pen and John’s murmurs as he points to the
relevant areas. Finally she throws the pen down and stretches almost
tauntingly. “Done,” she says.

I stir, unable to believe that I stuck my cock in this cunt.
“Okay we’re sorted. Any word of this gets out and the agreement is void and
financial penalties come into play.”

“No problem,” she purrs, making a zipping motion on her
mouth, and it’s at this point that I feel Alys’ control snap.

“Shame you didn’t have one of those on your cunt and then
maybe you wouldn’t be such a whore,” she says coldly.

Amber stiffens. “Fuck off Miss Prissy. Just because we
haven’t all got cobwebs down there.”

“I’d rather have cobwebs than half of London wading through
my vagina.”

“Oh no,” I murmur slumping against the cupboard and running
my hand down my face, but Sid’s snort is drowned out by Amber’s cold laughter.

“You’re just jealous of the one person that did get in there
and Bram had no complaints.” Charlie glares at me and I shrug helplessly. I’m
not usually prone to introspection but I regret fucking Amber bitterly, not
just because she’s turned out to be a money grabbing whore, but because it hurt
Alys and I knew that it would. That knowledge, that I’d deliberately hurt
someone that I care about, crucifies me.

“I don’t think we should be …” I start to say but Alys
drowns me out.

“I’m not jealous,” she says clearly. “I’m just relieved that
we didn’t lose him up there. I mean we were worried. In fact I think the search
party might still be up there looking around your cavernous vagina.” Seth
laughs out loud but smothers it when I glare at him because this has the
potential to get out of control.

Amber stands up, her face flushed bright red. “You think
that you’re fucking better than me.”

“Oh I know I am straightaway because I don’t run after other
women’s men and then take money to shut me up, rather than doing that woman a
kindness and telling her that nothing happened, because you’re a desperate
twat.”

“No, you just prefer to pant after someone that is never
going to be yours. Open your eyes because you’re wasting your time on a fucking
man whore.” My head shoots up so fast that I almost get whiplash.

“You know nothing about me,” Alys hisses and Amber laughs making
my fist curl, not that I’d ever do anything to a woman.

“I know everything about you Alys. You’re pathetic. Look at
you, do you think that he’s ever going to love you? He can’t love anyone, least
of all some deaf bitch who lives with him like some fucking poor Irish relation
sponging off him.”

“You shut your fucking mouth,” I say in a deadly, cold
voice.

“No let her talk,” Alys shouts. “I can’t wait to hear the
insights of somebody that takes money for causing other people pain. That
doesn’t make her wise, it makes her a fucking cunt.”

Before I can do anything Amber jumps forward, and quicker
than a snake striking she slaps Alys across the face. I shout out as do the
other men, but if anyone expected Alys to curl up and cry they’d be wrong. Not
my girl. She leaps to her feet and launches herself on Amber, tackling her to
the ground where she promptly straddles her and slaps her back. They roll over
slapping and scratching and chairs overturn. Amber gets a good whack in but
Alys is too strong and rolls her over again smacking her as Amber kicks out at
her.

I leap forward and band my arms around Alys. “Christ baby
stop,” I shout but she writhes against me as Amber shouts out ‘
bitch’
. I
groan as it’s taking all my strength to keep my little firebrand still.
“Charlie help me get them apart,” I shout, but he smirks.

“In a minute. This is actually quite entertaining.”

“Fuck off it’s not.” I manage to pin Alys’ arms down but she
kicks Amber in the crotch.

“It is actually mate. Alys has got a mean right hook.”

“This is not funny. Alys could get hurt.” I pause. “Sid
you’d better not be filming this fucker.”

He holds his phone still. “I am and I’m going to post this
on Mick’s account. Full price though, no mate’s rates.”

Suddenly Seth is there and he pulls Amber to her feet as I
do to Alys, keeping my arms tight around her. They try to lunge at each other
but then fall back panting. “Enough!” I shout at the top of my voice, feeling
them still. I turn to Amber. “You get out of my home you fucking bitch and
don’t come back. I’m sorry that I ever put my dick anywhere near you. She’s
fucking worth a million of you because she’s kind and loyal and tries to see
the best in people. Well there’s no best in you. You’re a user and you always
will be, but you’re not using me and you’re not using her.”

Amber is pale but she glares at me poisonously. “Then try
looking at yourself Irish, because you’re using her more than anyone. You cling
onto her and won’t let go but you won’t give her what she needs. You’ve got no
intention of doing that because you won’t let yourself, which makes you the
biggest bastard in this room because she’s in love with you and she won’t give
up on you.”

I fall back, feeling myself pale. It’s like she’s punched me
and voiced my worst fears. Paradoxically something like an electric shock runs
through me – she loves me. That can’t be true. I open my mouth to say I don’t
know what but Seth speaks first and as always with him people listen. “Enough,”
he says in his deep voice. “You’re out of here. I think we’ve all heard more
than enough of your infantile theorising. Go fuck yourself Amber because pretty
soon that’ll be the only person who will.”

John clears his throat and gestures to Sid and Seth to sign
the paperwork while Charlie rights the chairs and Matty shows Amber out. I can
feel them all trying not to look at Alys and I but all I can see is her, and
when the door slams it’s like the starter gun to a race and I grab her arm and
pull her after me seeking privacy. I find it in the bathroom, pushing her into
it, lifting her onto the surface and reaching back to lock the door.

I step closer to her making her spread her legs to
accommodate me and examine her flushed face and big eyes, her quivering, pink
lips and that beautiful hair everywhere. For a second there’s silence and then
all of my control snaps like an elastic band. I can’t physically stand another
minute without touching her and before I can grab my reason back I step further
into her and grab her face, forcing her lips to mine and taking them in a kiss
that’s like pouring petrol on a fire. I’m gone.

Alys

When he kisses me, for a second I still with surprise, but
then all the aggression from the fight and the humiliation of having her tell
everyone that I’m in love with him pumps up inside me like a soda syphon, and I
grab his head and pull him into me kissing him fiercely and feeling the
coldness of his lip ring. He groans and forces his way further between my legs
and I lift them, curling them around him, pulling him into me and moaning when
I feel the hard thrust of his cock.

All my thoughts are gone now. All my wariness about what
will happen afterwards is silenced by the sheer power of the passion that has
flared up between us. All I can hear are our panting breaths and the sound of
my heartbeat thundering in my ears, as his lush lips part mine and his tongue
forces its way into my mouth and tangles with mine.

His hands frantically grab the bottom of both my shirt and vest,
pulling back from my mouth only long enough for him to pull them over my head,
and then his mouth is back at mine eating at my mouth with choked grunts. His
long fingers grab my shoulders pushing me back only far enough to allow him to
smooth his hands over the lace of my bra, finding my hard nipples and twisting
them, making me arch my back and release his mouth long enough to let out a
deep moan.

I look at him but his face is lowered watching his hands
move with purpose over my breasts. Then he pulls the cups down, too impatient
to remove the bra before lowering his head and taking one nipple into his
mouth. He doesn’t waste time, instead sucking hard on it his cheeks narrowing
and red flags high on his face.

His eyes close in bliss before opening as a bang sounds on
the door. I hear someone shout something and I tense expecting him to pull
away, but it doesn’t happen this time. “Fuck off!” Bram shouts and then drags
me close pulling my hips into his so that he can drag his cock against my clit.
I moan again and then somehow manage to make my hands work as I tear at his
shirt.

“Take it off,” I groan and he stares at me for a second his
eyes dark with lust. If this is what he looks like in bed no wonder there are
so many satisfied customers. He doesn’t waste time with buttons but drags it
over his head and then immediately goes back to my mouth. His hands range over
my body, gripping and stroking, and he breaks away from my mouth to mutter
incomprehensible things about how soft my body is and how much he wants me
before going back at me like he’ll starve to death if he can’t taste me.

I writhe against him feeling undone with passion, my whole
body throbbing with the desperation to have him inside me. I can feel the
wetness between my legs and I push at him, almost fighting him. “Ssh, ssh,” he
soothes.