Learning to Drown (12 page)

 God, I prayed that no one called the
cops. I  could see Lucas out on the lot pop the door on the Mustang. Then he
was hooking the sleek ride up to his truck as I kicked out and connected with
Matthew Crow’s thigh. Hard. Harder than I had intended. But I kicked him again
for good measure and as payback for making me feel like a lunatic in his car.
For touching me that way and making me even more confused than I’d already
been.

“Good thing for you I like it rough,
too,” he said so that only I could hear. Then he smacked me on the ass and
turned his head and bit me. His teeth sunk in deep, his bite really hard. Even
through brand new denim it stung like a snake had clamped down on my leg.

“Ow! Goddammit!” I screamed. Good show
we were putting on but it really hurt.

Lucas’s head swiveled and behind his
dark sunglasses he looked annoyed and angry. He shielded his eyes glaring at
us.

Matthew bit me again and I let loose
with another yell, head tossed back to the bright blue sky. My pussy thumped
and grew slicker. My body hummed with confusion. A dreadful mix of arousal,
attraction, terror. I squirmed, my pelvic bone connecting with Matthew’s
shoulder. “He’s going to fuck you senseless when he sees my teeth mark on you,”
Matthew hissed and he turned so that our combined profile blocked the car from
the office window. We had planted ourselves right in front of C. Michael
Ritter’s office and had set about creating one hell of a spectacle.

Lucas, started the chain and the
Mustang’s nose bobbed up. He gave us a thumbs up. Then, heart racing, body
still shaking with adrenaline, I saw him motion to Matthew with a slash across
the throat pantomime. Matthew put me down and I wobbled on my feet. My inner
ear tried valiantly to make the world steady and when it did I glared at
Lucas’s bratty brother. He glared back but then he grinned. Licked his lips.
Leaned in, his mouth coming at mine.

And I clocked him.

* * * *

“You really shouldn’t have hit him,”
Lucas said. He sounded displeased and I instinctively wanted to apologize to
him. I didn’t.

I watched the busy people walking
through the lobby. In and out and up and down. In the elevator. Off the
elevator. People on cell phones and people holding papers and people reading
while they walked. The lobby with its steel accents, gray color scheme and red
accents was charming and modern. A nice place. But why were we here?

“He bit me,” I reminded Lucas. “Hard.”
My skin still throbbed and rippled with pain where Matthew had gone all wolf
man on me. Matthew stood by the restroom entrances, glowering like a surly
teenager. He wasn’t happy that Lucas had come and taken his new toy away. Me.

“I know. But it couldn’t have been any
worse than your spanking. And Matthew tends to get carried away when he’s
excited. And you excite him.”

“Lucky me.”

“Yes and no. Matthew has good taste. A
girl of mine he doesn’t covet is a girl who isn’t worth my time.”

I bristled at the word
covet
but only because it made my insides go loose and hot for him. And his brother.
“Great. I’m coveted. Next the plague and locusts will descend. He bites me and
you defend him? That is rich.” I snorted, rolled my eyes. Anticipation and
annoyance warred in me. I was simply a mess.

“Watch yourself, Ember. Behave,” he
said. Lucas pulled me in and my heart sped up. Maybe he would kiss me. Right
here in the bright, crisp lobby of the office building where Ritter worked.
Ritter’s repossessed car around the corner secured to the big ass tow truck
that Lucas drove.

“I’m sorry.” Those words were becoming
second nature to me. “I
¾
what is that?” Lucas did kiss me but
only for a second. Barely long enough for my lips to register the subtle warm
brush of his mouth over mine. My tongue peeked out, seeking more but he pulled
back and clipped something over my ear.

“That is an earpiece. It has a pretty
high powered microphone on it, believe it or not.” He smiled. Mischief in his
eyes.

“What’s it for?” I ran my fingers
along the sleek curve of the small piece of plastic. It was so light, I barely
knew it was there but for touching it. “Do we have another….mission?” Christ,
now I sounded like an astronaut. “I mean, is there another car here?”

“Nope, no other cars. But I guess you
could say you have another mission. He laughed. He flipped up his flannel shirt
in the back and pulled out a brown paper bag. It had been rolled so that a very
narrow length of brown paper was given to me. “This is for you.” I started to
unroll it. “I wouldn’t open that here,” Lucas said.

“Why?” I touched the bag and all I
could feel was something long and hard. It had a slight swell at one end and I
stroked it some more, trying to identify the contents. I had never been any
good at this game.

“Trust me.” He leaned in and thumbed
the ear piece. He showed me his cell. “I can hear you through this. And Matthew
can hear you through his.”

I looked to Matthew and he grinned at
me. Something in that grin made my fingers and toes go numb and tingly. His
smile was predatory at best. He gave me a nod and watched a tall brunette
saunter past and slip into the ladies’ lounge door. Matthew caught me looking
and waggled his eyebrows at me, stuck out his tongue. I quickly dropped my
gaze. “What is going on? Please tell me? You’re scaring me. Is this something
to do with the repo?”

“Nope.”

“Is there someone in the rest room I
need to talk to?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

Lucas touched my lower lip, leaned in.
“You’re going to take that bag in with you. Inside are two small lounge rooms.
Like little dressing rooms for women to change after lunch work outs or do
their makeup. Very swanky, this building. You are going to go into one. Lock
the door. When you’re in there, you’re going to tell me. Got it?”

“But…”

“But nothing. Do as you’re told,
Ember.” He frowned. His dark brown eyes unreadable to me. My stomach twisted up
and I nodded.

“Fine. But can I ask you one thing?
Please?”

“What?”

“Whose idea was this?”

Lucas rocked back on his heels. He
laughed but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. His eyes looked uncertain which
made me more nervous. He should not look uncertain at all. “Matthew’s. But you
knew that before you asked didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I’d offer you lube,” he said, tracing
the V of my blouse. His fingertip outlined the come hither Y formed by my
trussed up breasts. “But I doubt you need it. I bet you’re wet already, aren’t
you?” His mouth came down on mine before I could react. His tongue forced past
my lips until I opened for him, letting his tongue dance over mine until I
could feel the kiss in my cunt. In my toes.

“Lube for what?” My face felt a bit
numb. What was in the bag?

“You’ll see. Answer my question. Are
you wet?”

“I…um, yes. Yes, I’m getting there.”

“Good.” He smacked my ass hard and
fast. So fast, no one passing through the lobby reacted until I let out a sharp
yelp. Then they reacted, looking at me as if I were a crazy woman. My cheeks
blazed and I tried not to pout when I saw him laughing. “Go on then. We don’t
have all day. If you take too long, Ritter’s going to find us out here. That
guy’s a nut.”

Go on and what? Take too long to what?
It all ran through my
mind but I didn’t dare ask. I headed toward the ladies’ lounge, head down and
determined. Matthew reached out and grabbed me before I could pass him. “I’d
offer you lube too, but
I know
damn well you don’t need it. I don’t
doubt it. I’m sure of it.” And then Matthew kissed me too.

My body went stiff and he squeezed my
arms tight in his big hands. The bite of pain on my arms wound around my limbs,
wormed into my pelvis. My heart swelled into my throat, my ears. When he let me
go, I stumbled back, my lips throbbing like they were bruised. “Go on, then.”
He opened the door for me, the muscles in his forearm bulging from the motion.

I spared one uncertain glance at
Lucas. He stood across the lobby, hands in his pockets, jaw bunched. He looked
angry but he was so hard to read, I could be way off. He kept me off balance he
was so hard to decipher. He gave me a short nod and in I went. There were two
women in line for the small separate rooms. Privacy was in demand it seemed.
Finally I walked into room number two. The size of a small powder room, it was
painted a soothing green with little vines painted on the walls.  A mirror, a
overstuffed arm chair, a small vanity and an outlet for a curling iron or
hairdryer. I turned the lock and it snicked at me like it was laughing.

Then I faced myself in the mirror and
said. “Okay, boys. I’m in.”

Lucas came into my ear like the voice
of some dark god. “Open the bag.”

Chapter 14

It was a vibrator. But then again, I
had know what it was all along, hadn’t I? Somewhere in me, I knew right away.

I could hear Matthew in my head.
So
let’s talk…
Had this been his suggestion to his brother? It had to be.

“Ember?”

“Yeah. I’m here. It’s kind of big
isn’t it?” I tried not to panic. I mean, it was a vibrator not a snake. Nothing
that could hurt me here.

“I want you to use it on yourself.”
Lucas’s voice piped directly into my head. It would have been very Big Brother
if it hadn’t been so intimate. Wetness pooled in the crotch of my brand new
panties and the vibrator looked very appealing.

“I can do that. Sure.” I tried for
bravado but didn’t quite manage.

“Go on, then. Let’s hear that zipper
purr.” That was Matthew and my physical reaction to him was so much different.
Excitement tainted with anger. It was a confusing mix. With both of them in my
head, it felt sinister. A party call to the extreme.

“I…”

“Do what he says, Ember,” Lucas said.

I popped the button and pulled the
zipper on my tight jeans. I wriggled and twisted to get them down, tugging my
panties along for the ride. “Ready?” Lucas asked.

“Yeah. I guess.” I was so wet and
eager now. I could picture the queue of women out there waiting for their turn
at privacy, but even the guilt and worry of being heard couldn’t put a damper
on readiness.

“Turn it on. Let’s hear it.” Matthew
laughed softly when he said it and I could picture his cocky swagger, his
lupine grin. He was easy to hate but entirely sexy in his cruelty. I twisted
the base of the vibrator and it sprang to life in my hand. The sound that came
out of it was staggering. I twisted it quickly to turn it off. “Jesus Christ!”

From outside the dressing room door
came murmurs. A few gasps, too. “Ember turn it back on,” Lucas ordered.

“My god. Did you two hear this thing?
It sounds like a weed whacker!” I gasped. I shook my head no to my own
reflection in the mirror. “There’s something wrong with it,” I growled.

Someone knocked softly and I
stammered, “Just a few minutes, please!”

Matthew laughed in my ear. It was
demonic in nature. Like an evil entity in my thoughts. “There’s nothing wrong
with it, it’s just loud. Very, very loud. But I assure you, sweetheart, it does
the job. Turn it back on.”

“No.” I breathed.

“Ember,” I could hear the threat in
Lucas’s voice. Was I playing and staying or was I flipping the switch and
ending our agreement? Was our time together over?

“Fine, fine,” I hissed. I closed my
eyes and turned the base and the vibrator gave a hearty buzz and jumped to
life. More muffled chatter from outside the door. More shocked outrage voiced
at what I was doing.
The nerve!… Of all the places…Oh my god, can you
imagine…
I wanted to die. Because trust me, there wasn’t a woman out there
who didn’t know what I was doing.

“Now do it, Ember. And let’s hear you
when you come. I’ll know if it’s real,” Lucas reminded me. My face blazed
hotter and I touched the very tip of the loud toy to my clit. Despite the roar
of it, it felt good when it buzzed my skin. I pushed harder on my swollen clit
and my hips arched up on their own. I focused on the feelings in my cunt, my
belly. I pushed away the hushed irate whispers from the other side of the door.

“Good girl,” Lucas said in my head.

“You’ve picked a really pretty whore,”
Matthew said in my ear.

Lucas laughed. “Thank you, Matthew,”
he said.

I circled my clit with the tip of the
toy and a sound slipped out of my throat. “Does that feel good?” Matthew asked.
I could picture his sharp features. I circled harder with the toy.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“So, when do I get her?” Matthew
asked.

Lucas said, “Maybe soon. But you have
to behave.”

“I’ll be good.” Matthew laughed. Then,
“Fuck yourself, Ember. Are you yet? I don’t think you are. Go on now, do it.”

Someone knocked and I slid the tip of
the vibrator around my slick opening. My pussy clenched up, ready for the toy.
“Just a minute!” I wheezed.