The Harder They Fall (12 page)

Chapter
Fourteen

The
next two weeks flew by for Colleen. Blaine mentioned several times that Kane’s
and Julianne’s wedding was to be held in Central to make it easier for everyone
to travel, and he wanted to know if she was coming with him.

Colleen
couldn’t help wonder if Kane and Julianne had chosen Central for their wedding
as opposed to NorthEast, where they both lived, because of what was going on at
HCS. She suspected the Weathermen might be paying a surprise visit to
government officials while they were all in Central for the wedding.

Blaine
kept her apprised of what each of the Weathermen had sent to her aunt, and
while she hadn’t told him so, she was grateful he had because it meant she
wouldn’t be blindsided if Aunt Charlene went off on one of her ego trips again.

Colleen
had debated whether to tell Blaine about the conversation she’d had after the
video call, and finally did. He hadn’t been upset by it at all, but she told
him she thought her aunt was taking herself a bit too seriously.

“She
has an important job. She has to take her role seriously.”

“I
mean I think she resents me dating you, Blaine.”

He
had pulled her close and kissed her until she could hardly breathe. “She’ll
just have to get over that, won’t she?”

He’d
been more affectionate and attentive these past two weeks than Colleen had
experienced in any relationship. She stayed over his place almost every night
now, and he had begun texting or calling her during the day simply to talk.
While the gesture was nice, it wasn’t easy for her to have a private
conversation at work, and she finally told him so. Afterward, he texted first,
and didn’t call her unless she texted back that she could talk. Then he called.

She
was more surprised by how she
didn’t
feel about all the extra attention. In the past, if a man had started consuming
this much of her time, she’d have felt smothered and ended the relationship.
But now, she looked forward to Blaine’s text messages and calls. She even found
herself watching the clock if she hadn’t heard from him in a few hours.

Was
this what people usually did? How did they accomplish any work? He was up on
the surface nearly every day as well, so he either had to find a computer and
plug in his Internet phone to make a call or send a text, or he had to go back
underground. Which meant he was going out of his way to talk to her all the
time.

Blaine
had explained more than once in the past two weeks that one of the first things
he intended to do once his towers were up and functional, was find a way that
phones could connect to each other when one caller was above ground and one was
underneath. He launched into a complicated discussion about the satellites and
cellular technology working together that Colleen had only half listened to.

Normally,
she loved hearing about his work, but each time he brought up this subject, he
reminded her of the applications she’d already seen where the applicants
expressed the same concern. Until cell service was restored on the surface,
talking on phones where one party was above ground and another was below ground
proved difficult.

Colleen
had gone to her supervisor and explained how important she believed it was for
them to rethink the restrictions on cell towers for everyone, not only for
select individuals, and why. He had promised to send it up the chain of
command, but warned her they would encounter resistance. There were special
interest groups who didn’t want the surface to become a copy of what it had
once been. She didn’t think there was much chance of that happening, at least
not anytime soon.

Blaine
also kept her apprised of the construction progress, and it was painstakingly
slow. Even something as basic as laying pipes and pouring concrete were
logistical nightmares right now. He and Townsend had erected a temporary series
of buildings to house supplies and equipment, but getting everything up there
was a chore.

 
The closest power plant, slowly being built,
was five miles from where his complex would be. Other plants were going up as
well, but the best guess on an estimate when Blaine would have access to
electricity without interruption or constant power drains was three months. And
that was being generous. Blaine told her it was likely more like six months.

Everything
he did right now that needed power had to be done via a generator, and he
needed gasoline for it. It was available, but again he had to transport it up
to the surface and find a safe way to store it.

Legislation
surrounding everything from storage of chemicals and solvents, to how and where
pipe would be laid, was in the works. Every day Colleen heard about some type
of snafu on bills that they all thought would pass without a hitch.

Her
aunt called more often now, and many of their discussions were about the very
things she and Blaine discussed regarding his work. When Aunt Charlene brought
up the subject of Colleen’s and Blaine’s personal relationship, Colleen never
gave her any details. She merely told her things were fine, and they were both
very busy at work.

It
wasn’t a lie. Not technically. She had arranged for time off to attend the
wedding, although her boss wasn’t happy about letting her go, but she hadn’t
yet told her aunt all the Weathermen would be in Central at the end of April,
or that Colleen was going with Blaine.

The
email they’d received from Brad hadn’t made the press, as far as Colleen knew.
The Weathermen had given her aunt everything they could, and the situation was
in her hands now. Colleen was waiting to find out what would happen, along with
each of the Weathermen.

One
Friday evening, two weeks before the wedding, Blaine and Colleen attended a
jazz concert. Blaine had asked her earlier in the week and she’d nearly
forgotten about it, but didn’t tell him that. They’d both been working hard and
deserved a night out.

It
felt so good to get dressed up, and to see him dressed up as well. Colleen
found herself relaxing for the first time in weeks as she and Blaine held hands
and listened to the smooth saxophone. She pushed everything out of her mind
except Blaine, the touch of his hand, and the way the music filled her senses.

He
leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait until we’re all back home
again. Just think of listening to this music in an outdoor amphitheater, with
the stars above us.”

She
smiled, glancing into his eyes. They really were an extraordinary color.
“You’ve been very attentive and romantic lately. Don’t think I haven’t
noticed.”

A
quick flash of doubt crossed his face. “Is that good or bad?”

“It’s
good.
Very
good.”

He
nuzzled her neck. “Do I get a reward for that?”

“Oh
yeah.” Her pussy was soaked in seconds. This man had the most profound effect
on her Colleen had ever experienced.

“What
do I get?”

“What
you want, Sir?” she whispered.

They
were isolated from the rest of the crowd, so when Blaine slipped his hand into
her top, Colleen wasn’t worried about anyone seeing them. She bit back a moan
as he flicked her nipple. Even through the lacy bra, she could feel it.

“You
promised me you’d let me try tying you up again.”

“I
did. You’re right. Okay. I will let you do that tonight.” He had tried it once
and she’d kind of freaked out, so he hadn’t pushed her to keep going. But she
knew he really wanted to try it again it, so she had promised she would when
she felt ready.

Blaine
kissed her, deep and rough. Colleen forgot about anyone who might be watching
and gave her senses over to this man who had stolen her heart. She’d been in
love with him for weeks and hadn’t said one word about it. She was tired of
holding in that emotion. He had a right to know. Damn the consequences.

When
the concert ended, they barely got to his apartment and into the playroom
before Blaine had her naked. Colleen nearly came before he even touched her. He
laid her on the bondage chair and spread her arms and legs wide. Then he held
up one of the blindfolds he routinely used. “What do you think? Too much,
coupled with being tied up?”

“I
think so.”

He
dropped it onto the table and picked up coils of soft rope. She’d seen them
before, but last time he’d used leather cuffs that snapped closed, and that had
been too much for her. This would be better. He explained he would use easy
slip knots that would come loose with a small tug.

As
he slid the rope over her wrists and ankles, Colleen closed her eyes and paid
attention to the sensations, like Blaine had taught her to do. The smell of
lavender and sage wafted past her nose. Soft music played, and she enjoyed the
shuffle of his bare feet across the floor as he moved around the bench,
adjusting the knots.

“How
does that feel?”

Even
his voice was different when they played. So seductive yet commanding, gentle yet
leaving no doubt he expected to be heard and obeyed. “Wonderful.”

“Good
girl. If you decide you want the blindfold after all, use your safeword.”

“Yes,
Sir.”

She
kept her eyes closed, then sighed as the falls from the mop flogger passed
across her nipples, her abdomen, and her inner thighs. He swatted her lightly
with it, saving her pussy for when she began to moan. She loved it when he did
that, and he knew it, so he usually made her wait until she was so wet and
ready for him, she could hardly stand it.

Her
eyes popped open when she felt him move closer to her body, and he grinned down
at her as he pulled on his cock. He had only taken it out of his pants.
Otherwise he was still dressed except for his shoes. “Do you have any idea how
fucking sexy you look right now?”

She
didn’t answer. She was too mesmerized watching him.

“How
would feel about sucking this while restrained?”

“I’ll
try.”

“What
makes you reluctant? Talk to me, baby.”

“Having
no control over how much you put into my mouth, and choking because of that.”

He
nodded slowly. “I’ll stop before I come in your mouth, and I’ll be very careful
how much I push inside.”

“Okay.”

He
leaned over and kissed her, hard. “Thank you.” Then he put his dick back in his
pants. “But in a while, I think. First, I want to play some more.” She watched
him pick up several small straps he liked to use on her nipples and pussy, and then
she closed her eyes again.

The
pain mixed with pleasure was so familiar, yet enhanced tonight because she
couldn’t move anything except her head. As Blaine increased the strength of his
swats against her body with the toys, Colleen floated away to that place she
loved, where she was looking down on the scene from above. Every happy thought
coalesced into this one perfect moment, until tears ran down her face from the
emotions racing through her mind and body.

When
he straddled her and teased her lips with his cock, she was surprised at first.
She hadn’t noticed him moving or realized he’d stopped swatting her. She opened
her mouth and nearly came at the way he moaned. “Oh, Colleen. Oh, baby. This is
so fucking good!”

She
relaxed her throat muscles, keeping her eyes closed and her attention focused
on the sensations, so she didn’t freak out. It worked. Her pussy contracted in
tiny spasms as Blaine moved his dick in and out of her mouth. She tasted his
cum, and thought he was going to come in her mouth anyway, but then he grunted
loudly and withdrew.

“Baby,
I can’t wait any longer. I need to fuck you.”

He
winced putting on a condom, and then he cupped her face and kissed her, shoving
his tongue into her mouth. She was so on fire for him she couldn’t stand it any
longer. Finally, he moved between her legs and teased her clit with this thumb.
“Are you close?”

“Yes.
Oh, God yes!”

His
grin sent her over the edge. The orgasm started before he sank his cock into
her wet pussy, and he kept it going by fucking her so hard and rough she was
screaming in pleasure. He didn’t let up on helping her along with his fingers,
so that by the time he finally came, she’d had two climaxes and they were so
damn powerful she was panting and sweating.

He
untied her, pulled her into his arms, and sank to the floor with her. It was
only then she realized he was naked, but she had no clue when he’d taken off
his clothes. In all the time he’d been fucking her she hadn’t even noticed his
clothes were off. Blaine called the way she slipped away like that “subspace”.
Colleen liked to think of it as being “in the Blaine zone”.

She
was so lost in the sensations and emotions of playing with Blaine and fucking
him, the words slipped out before she had time to think about it. “I love you,
Blaine. I thought you should know.”

Chapter
Fifteen

Blaine
thought his heart would stop. Had she really said that? Was it possible all
this time she’d had the same feelings and hadn’t said anything?

He
stroked her damp hair. “What, baby?”

She’d
never buy it. His voice didn’t sound anywhere near nonchalant to his own ears.
She gave him the most helpless look, as if she’d forgotten where and who she was.
Surely she knew she’d said it. He had to do something quickly.

Blaine
pulled her closer and held her until his arms shook. “It’s all right, Colleen.”
He took a deep breath. “I love you, too. I’ve known for weeks. I was afraid to
say anything.”

Oh my God…
The relief that flooded through
him in finally saying the words was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He
hadn’t been this excited when The Madeline Project shut itself down. He kept
holding her because she was now trembling. “It’s all right.”

“I’ve
been afraid, too,” she said, her voice quiet like that of a frightened child.
“How silly is that?”

“It’s
not silly. I’ve never said it before, and I’m guessing you haven’t either. Fear
of being rejected is not silly.”

She
pulled away to look him in the eyes, and he knew his heart would burst from
joy. Her gaze was filled with relief, pure happiness, and the same love he’d
seen reflected for weeks now. It had been there all along. He had simply been
afraid to acknowledge it or hope it was real.

Tears
trickled down her cheeks, and he brushed them away. “It’s okay now. We both
know. Finally, we both know. We’ll make this work, Colleen. I swear to you we
will.”

“I
couldn’t handle it if we didn’t.”

Her
voice broke, and Blaine was certain he would cry any second now. He was
overwhelmed with emotion, but this wasn’t frightening to him. He didn’t want to
run. He only wanted to hold this amazing woman in his arms, for the rest of his
life, and bask in her presence. Nothing else would make him this happy again.
Not ever. He knew that as surely as he knew his own name.

Blaine
had no idea how long they sat on the floor. Eventually, they got up, gathered
their clothes, and went into his room. He drifted off while Colleen was in the
bathroom, and then woke once she curled up under the covers next to him. He
pulled her into his arms and snuggled against her warm body, never wanting to
leave. This was where he belonged.

****

A
week before Kane’s and Julianne’s wedding, Blaine and the other Weathermen
finally heard from Charlene about Brad and Sam. The email originated from her
official account, and Blaine thought at first she’d only emailed him, then
realized she’d copied the others plus Colleen.

He
read the email three times, then clicked the “Accept” button on the conference
call she’d set up that afternoon. When he checked back in five minutes, after
splashing cold water on his face, he saw that everyone, including Colleen, had
accepted the invite.

He
wanted to talk to Colleen before the call, but had to go up to the surface for
a while. He texted her, letting her know that, and she texted back that was
fine because she was buried and couldn’t talk anyway. Then he asked if she knew
any more about the email than her aunt had sent, and Colleen replied it was as
much of a shock to her as to any of them.

Blaine
was glad this had come now, because they were leaving for Central in four days
for the wedding. The train ride would take roughly ten hours. Ace and Harper,
plus their twins, were also traveling on the same train, but Blaine wanted to
spend the ride with Colleen.

A
couple of weeks ago, the Weathermen had thought they might be paying Brad a
visit while in Central for the wedding, but Blaine suspected after reading
Charlene’s email that would no longer be necessary. That meant more time with
the love of his life, and for that he was grateful.

When
the time for the conference call came, Blaine asked for his calls to be held,
no matter what. He also turned off his Internet phone. Charlene was on the call
before anyone else was, but Blaine put his speaker on mute. He didn’t feel up
to making small talk with her, and was glad when she didn’t try. Colleen came
on next, followed closely by the rest of the Weathermen.

Once
everyone was on, Blaine unmuted his phone.

“Okay,”
said Charlene. “Thanks, everyone. I know you’re all very busy so we’ll get
right to it. I had to confirm a few details before sharing this, which is why
the email was so vague. This information has been approved by the Directors at
HCS to be shared with all of you. It will likely the hit the media soon, so be
ready.”

She
stared into the camera for a second, and while she had aged since being voted
into office, she still was a looker. Colleen’s maternal side of the family must
all be extraordinary women. Charlene had the same assertive, commanding
presence he remembered from when they’d dated. She’d always been this way.

Colleen’s
aura was similar, but where Charlene was rough around the edges and didn’t come
across as a warm person, Colleen had a softness and a vulnerability to her that
fed Blaine’s needs. She was also strong enough to stand on her own two feet,
which she’d already proven, and he loved that about her as much anything.

He’d
always been drawn to strong women, but not overpowering ones. He’d quickly
realized Charlene was one of those women, but that hadn’t ended their
relationship. His inability to stop seeing as many women as possible at the
same time had ended it. He no longer did that, but Blaine doubted that even if
he and Charlene had stayed together then, they’d have still been together now.

Her
political aspirations had been evident even back then. She had gone on to pour
her heart and soul into it. It was her life, and she did it well. She might
come across as a hard person most of the time, but no one could fault her
integrity or her ability to get things done. That was why Blaine had very happy
to hear Charlene was not involved in the scandal about to break concerning Brad
and Sam. It would have been horribly disappointing to discover she’d compromised
her ethics over the years.

“Brad
Sykes has been fired from HCS, and the Attorney General has decided to
prosecute him for various crimes committed during the course of his tenure as
AD at HCS. The latest incident is that Brad was secretly in contact with Sam
Preston. Apparently the two knew each other from the same general timeframe as
Dante Herrera and Sam did. Sam thought he could worm his way into a lesser
charge by conspiring directly with Brad.”

“Which
I’m assuming wasn’t Brad’s decision to make?” asked Kane.

“Not
even close. He had no business concealing his relationship with Sam or with
Dante. Oh, and you’ll hear this, too. It was Dante who gave us this
information, in exchange for a lesser charge.”

There
was a general groan, and Charlene waited until it died down to continue. “I
know none of you are happy about that, but the AG wanted Brad at any cost, and
we took the break we were given. Brad infiltrated every department of HCS with
corruption. He will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Without
Dante’s help, we wouldn’t have him on half the charges. Dante ratted him out
entirely.”

“What
about Sam?” asked Oliver.

“Sam
isn’t getting off with a lesser charge. His attorney tried, but the AG said no
way. He and Dante will still do prison time, but Dante will likely not do
nearly as much as the other four hackers.”

“Did
he give you any reason why he betrayed me like this?” Oliver’s voice was filled
with anger, and Blaine couldn’t blame him.

“I’m
sorry, Oliver. He did not. I wish I could give you closure on that, but I’m
afraid I can’t.”

“I’d
like to speak with him.”

Charlene’s
expression looked hesitant. “I can’t promise that will happen, but I will try.”

“Thank
you.”

“Where
was Sam hiding all this time?” asked Ace.

“Brad
was sheltering him.”

Blaine
nodded. Of course. It all made sense now.

“Your
email said you also had news about Dave,” said Emmett. “Can you share the
specifics of that with us?”

Charlene
actually smiled. “Yes, I can. The President has decided, in light of
information given to him by Sam and Dante, that Dave Perry never meant for
Tommy Twister to act like a virus. He didn’t mean to send The Madeline Project
on a rogue course of destruction. What he told all of you about backing away
from the others once he realized what they intended to do was true.”

“We
already believed him,” said Dominic.

“I
know you did, but President Harrison did not. Now he does. And he’s decided to
give him a Presidential pardon. Dave Perry will not spend any time in jail.”

Blaine
was very shocked by that news, but happy for Dave. He didn’t deserve to be
treated like the others. Everyone else was happy, too, judging by the
reactions. When they had all quieted down again, Charlene said she had two more
items to address.

“The
thirteen people whose names you intercepted on the satellite call, plus Rob
Marin, will also serve prison time, though likely not as much as four of the
hackers will.”

“Does
Rob still want his laptop back?” asked Barclay.

The
others laughed, and Charlene almost did, too. Blaine thought it was nice to see
she was still human, after all. “I wouldn’t worry about his laptop,” said
Charlene. “We don’t need it, so whatever you want to do with it is fine by me.
The second thing I wanted to tell you was that the dirt Sam supposedly had on
each of you was nothing more than a rehash of things the press had already
printed, both true and untrue.”

“That’s
what we figured,” said Viggo.

Blaine
wanted to ask Charlene if her past relationship with Brad would figure into the
stories about this, but held his tongue. He hoped not, because it wouldn’t take
some enterprising reporter long to realize she’d also dated Blaine Parker at
one time.

“So,
it’s over,” she said. “Any questions on this?”

No
one had any, and the call ended. He turned on his Internet phone to find a
missed call from Colleen already, so he called her back.

“I
can’t imagine how happy you all are about Dave.”

“It’s
great news. And now we can all attend this wedding without more bad press
hanging over our heads.”

If
his and Charlene’s past relationship came up, he’d cross that bridge. For now,
he was going to assume this was completely behind them so he could enjoy his
time in Central with the others, especially Colleen.

****

Colleen
was surprised to hear her phone ring shortly after the conference call with her
aunt. She was working from home this afternoon, so answered it without having
to make her aunt wait until she could call her back.

“I
wanted to apologize to you.”

“For
what?”

“For
being a bitch about you dating Blaine.”

“You
weren’t being a bitch. You were concerned about me.”

“No,
I wasn’t. I mean, I was, but I was also jealous.”

“Why?”
She’d never told Aunt Charlene that Blaine had already confessed their prior
relationship.

She
sighed. “Because I was really young and impressionable when we dated. I was a
senior in college, but what you probably don’t know is I never dated much.
Blaine was … he was larger than life already, even though he was three years
younger than me. I fell hard for him, but he was already a player.”

“He’s
not like that anymore.”

“That’s
good to hear. I don’t want you hurt the way I was.”

Colleen
wanted to tell her they were in love, but decided not to. She didn’t want to
hurt her aunt. “I won’t be.”

“All
right, then. That’s all I wanted to tell you, Colleen. You always were my
favorite niece, you know.”

Colleen
smiled. “And you’ve always been my favorite aunt. I do have a question about
Brad.”

“What
is it?”

“Well,
you dated him once. Won’t the press jump all over that now?”

“They
might, but it’s inconsequential as far as I’m concerned. The stuff in the
tabloids over the past few years had no substance or truth to it.”

Colleen
didn’t want to ask this, either, but she had to. “Do you think they’ll dig up
the fact you once dated Blaine as well?”

She
waited for the answer, knowing it wouldn’t come immediately. “They might. I
guess we’ll need to deal with that if they do. How does Blaine feel about
that?”

“I
haven’t asked him, but I’m sure it’s crossed his mind, too.”

“Well,
let’s not worry unless there’s something to worry about, okay? It’s not like we
were in the tabloids back then. No one has dug into my college life since I
first ran for office. It didn’t come up then, so I really have my doubts it
will now.”

They
ended the call, and Colleen returned to thoughts of being able to enjoy herself
in Central with the man she loved.