Ruthless Ink Read online

  “Don’t be.” I try to sound genuine.

  “I was heading home after, uh, a late night,” she stammers and pointedly avoids my eyes at the end of that sentence. Is she hiding something?

  One problem at a time, I remind myself.

  Nodding encouragingly, I get her through the introduction; take her back to the back lot of our dealership. And this is where I want her, but it’s the last place she wants to be.

  Physically she wraps her hands over her elbows, her arms pressing against her belly. Fear has a powerful grip on her, but my voice gently leads her through the rest of the story to the point where Russ and his doofus, Keith, show up.

  “They had their backs to me, standing in front of the trunk of one of the cars. Then there was gunfire—two shots and I screamed.” She hesitates, brow scrunching. “Or I think I screamed. I can’t remember, honestly. But they looked over at me. And the taller one, not the one who brought me here, held up his gun and he wanted to shoot me.

  “The other one, the shorter one, he stopped him. He forced me to come to him. He had a gun too. He shoved me into the other car and told his friend to finish the job.” She sucks in a breath, dropping her voice, “‘Dump the body’ were his actual words.”

  She’s shockingly calm through this all. Once she’s done, it’s another story. She turns her head from me, her hair doing nothing to hide her not-so-discreet tears. Her hands reach up and wipe at her cheeks, jerky movements that require a couple visits to get all the tears.

  My jaw tightens, my teeth grinding together. She doesn’t notice my mood changing, so she answers my hand on her wrist with a gasp. My other hand smothers any more noises of surprise. I’m gentle on both points of contact, keeping my touch light but commanding.

  “All of what you told me is a lie, isn’t it?” I tell her, tersely. “One thing about me, Lily, I don’t tolerate liars. Now when I move my hand, you’ll tell me the truth.”

  Chapter 4

  Luke

  She nods slowly, shaking my hand. I drop my palm from her mouth, ignoring the loss of warmth and the soft pressure of her lips.

  Licking those lips, Lily pointedly looks at my hand on her wrist. I squeeze once, warningly, before dropping my hand from there too. “You were saying,” I press. “Something about leaving the office after a late night working…”

  Giving her a jumping-off point, she picks up the ball, her gaze wary, lips testing every word carefully before uttering them. Lily Erickson is a quick study, and that’s an immediate brownie point for her.

  “I left and I saw—”

  “Russ,” I say. Hooking one of my arms over the back cushion, my body turns to face her and my knee rises to rest in the space between us, brushing her warm thigh. “You saw Russ. Good thing he showed to pick you up. That’s what I pay him for.”

  Lily nods her head, readily agreeing with me even though her face is furrowed with confusion. At my gesturing hand to continue, she says, “I met up with Russ and he was there to pick me up to…”

  “See me, of course. Silly.” I raise my hand and cup her cheek, a little taken by how soft she is. My mind briefly takes a dip in the gutter as I wonder whether the rest of her is as plush.

  “See you,” she echoes, her eyes blinking rapidly, long lashes wild in response to my caressing.

  “Because you couldn’t wait to see me tomorrow at work, just as much as I couldn’t wait to see you, right?” I ask.

  She nods, but I need a verbal confirmation.

  “You are excited to see me, aren’t you?”

  “I...am,” she says, her voice rising at the end. She can’t be questioning herself. Great alibis are forged on confidence. She needs to convince herself of the lie before she can persuade me to believe her.

  “How excited?”

  “A lot.” She tries at a smile, her eyes holding mine. “I’m excited to see you. A lot.”

  “Good girl.” I lower my hand, finger hooking under her chin, my eyes drifting to her mouth. “I’m pretty fucking stoked to see you too.”

  She inhales sharply, her gaze drifting, leaping from my eyes to my lips. Her breathing has picked up and she leans into my hand against her cheek, her body tilting to face me more with every swift whoosh of air.

  “And you’re here for what, Lily? What did you travel all this way for? What is it you want from me?”

  “I’m here for you…” She studies my face, answering steadily, more sure of herself than ever before. “I want you…I want you to kiss me. That’s what I want.”

  “I know you do, babe.” I close in and give us both a taste of the night unfolding in front of us. Our mouths fit together, lips sliding against each other, our kiss opening up.

  My tongue has to slip inside to find hers, but once I get her to play, it’s hard to think of a time I thought Lily Erickson was shy.

  She kisses like a siren, and her body is walking sex. She presses into me, deepening our kiss, giving me a run for my seduction. When she’s practically crawling in my lap, I reach to collect her and dump her right where she wants to be.

  Our mouths still connected, she reaches for my collar and draws me closer. One arm wrapping around and offering her back support, my free hand strokes and squeezes her fleshy thighs. She jerks from my lips, her eyes squeezing shut, mouth clamping on a muffled moan.

  I stroke her between her legs, getting the same response. I imagine the state of her panties. I can certainly feel their outline, tracing up from her inner thigh to her outer hip. I clasp her side, my mouth swooping down to her throat, nibbling a trail to her partly exposed clavicle.

  Her blouse covers her up beyond that point, leaving my mouth wanting, and with nowhere else to go, I head up to find her lips again.

  This time she breaks away from the kiss more readily, without my wandering, grabby hands being the culprits. She stares at me, blinking those large, doll-like eyes, swallowing loudly.

  “I’m sorry,” she blurts out of the blue, her disbelief marring her pretty face.

  Seeing as she’s ready to scamper out of my lap, I hold her fast, watching the breathy protest push out of her mouth at my slow head shake. I give her a peck on the lips, then lean back for her to see my smile. My cheeks are smarting with the grin.

  “For...arriving late?” I tilt my head, laughing softly. “Don’t worry. I’d stay up all night knowing you were on your way. And I’ll have a chat with Russ. He won’t be late picking you up next time.”

  When I kiss her this time, she responds, awakening to my touch. Against her mouth, I murmur, “Come to my bed, sweet Lily. Let me make you mine.”

  Helping her off my lap, I keep her hand in mine as we climb the floating wood stairs leading to the second floor.

  We skip the guest room loft overlooking the den below and I take her to my bedroom. Leading her in by the hand, I see her to my bed, stepping back and letting her loose from my hold.

  “Strip, Lily. Let me see you naked.”

  She hesitates.

  “You came here to have sex with me, remember?”

  “I…I thought it was just a story we made up?” Lily stammers. “You know, to tell people if they ask what happened tonight?”

  “That is what happened tonight,” I tell her, my tone commanding and my eyes pinning hers until she looks away.

  She takes a deep breath, then starts to take off her clothes slowly, tackling my order bit by bit. The old, worn coat drops first, then the slow-going buttoned blouse, her pants are next, and once she wriggles free, she stands around her pile of clothes in only her plain underwear.

  “Off,” I tell her. “I need to see you bare, babe.”

  “Mr. Hanley,” she breathes.

  I raise a hand, liking how quickly she silences at the action. Submissive, shy, but naturally attuned to her sensuality; she’s a complex woman, Lily is.

  “Luke,” I tell her. “Always Luke to you.”

  She bobs her head, her soft hair bouncing. She grows more edgy at my crooking finger.

&nbs
p; “Come here, and strip as you come. I want you naked in my arms in…” I regard my Rolex's Everose gold face and hour markers. “Five seconds ago.”

  My request gets my desired response. Lily sheds her bra and wiggles free of her panties. She has walked forward and is now nearly pressed to me. I walk her backward and push her gently onto the bed.

  I’m straddling her, stripping myself of my shirt. As I take in her flushed cheeks, her gorgeous, abundant breasts, and shapely hips, I realize I can’t wait. No foreplay tonight, I decide. Just a fast, hard fuck.

  My cock springs free once I loosen my belt and zipper and draw down my briefs. As much as I’d like to take her bare, I pause to collect a condom from my nightstand drawer, returning to sheath myself with the protection, and then guide myself to her wet folds.

  Lily parts to suck me in, inch by hard, pulsating inch. She feels warm and tight around my cock. It takes a few thrusts and my adroit thumb flicking her stiff clit to undo her.

  She’s a shuddering mess long before her muscles tense and she jerks with her release. Her back arches up off the pillows, her mouth opening on a long keening moan, and then she sinks back down to Earth.

  I let her breathe. Let her take a moment before I pump inside her and ride off the cliff into orgasmic oblivion myself. My body tightens and I groan, relishing the weakness in my limbs at the end of it.

  It’s a satisfying fuck. The best I’ve had since whoever that girl was two weeks ago.

  My eyelids are heavy, and I mean to close them for a just a moment.

  Suddenly I snap them wide and face a lapse of an hour. Lily is watching me in the dark, not reaching for me, yet close enough for me to grasp for her if I want. I don’t want at the moment.

  Puzzled by how I managed to fall asleep so easily, I push out of bed and away from Lily, rounding to our pile of clothes and drawing my trousers up to fetch my cell.

  Russ is there within only a few minutes of my call.

  By then I’ve gotten myself and Lily dressed and downstairs, handing her the closed bottle of sparkling water she left on the coffee table.

  “Thanks,” she murmurs.

  “Good night.” I smile, the mirth slipping when her back turns to me.

  Russ holds out an arm for Lily, gesturing for her to pass before him. They leave more quietly than when they entered my home, this time through the front door.

  Despite what he’s done tonight, Russ is a man I can trust. Lily is in good hands; he’ll see her safely home and he will keep an eye on her for me for tonight and as long as I deem necessary.

  Lily and I are hardly through here, not by a long shot.

  She’s stuck with me if she wants Potentia to remain her home. But as I head back to bed, sit and trace my hand over the sheets rumpled from our lovemaking, I get to planning how pleasurable I can make this situation for the both of us.

  Chapter 5

  Lily

  What does one wear for work the next day after screwing their boss?

  At first I suppose it depends on whether I’m going to see him. But that’s silly. I know I’ll see Luke. He’s always there unlike his absentee father, Floyd Hanley, who only recently handed complete control of day-to-day operations to Luke.

  Luke passes my desk on his way in at the start of the day and as he heads out at the end. I’ll see Luke, all right. I wonder if he’ll acknowledge me and our night together.

  I try to be prepared either way. On my way out to my car, I get a glimpse of myself in the mirrored wall in my apartment building’s foyer.

  My coat is parted, so I can double check the color coordination of my blush pink sleeveless blouse and burgundy cardigan with its pearly white buttons. I paired it with a simple black pencil skirt, the hem brushing my knees.

  Makeup is a bit of foundation, a brush of blush, black mascara, and plenty of concealer to cover the dark circles thanks to Luke. After Russ had taken me home, I stayed awake for hours thinking about what had happened.

  I know Luke provided me with an alibi in case I’m ever questioned about last night, but what kind of woman sleeps with her boss?

  One who was shock from having a gun pulled on her.

  And a horny one, I guess. I’m no virgin, but I’d spent four years without a man.

  The sight of Luke, his confident stare daring me to contradict him, awakened feelings long dormant. His kiss, his touch were mesmerizing, like I was under his spell.

  And now I’m expected to go to work, knowing Luke’s only a few feet away.

  Before I contemplate heading back up to my apartment and calling in sick, I’m swiveling from the mirror in my black peep-toe pumps and hurrying to my car. I need the hours and money.

  For a small enough town, Potentia doles out some expensive rental rates. With her private school teacher’s salary, Kerry has a place of her own. She complains about barely making a dent into her mortgage, but she says it beats the years of rent she’d accrue if she hadn’t been a homeowner.

  I make about a third of what she makes, and with my school loan still a cloud over me, I’m lucky to have a roof over my head. One day, I tell Kerry and myself whenever we get to talking about it. One day I’ll own a home, too. And whenever I think about the future, I can’t see past Potentia.

  Part of the reason why I want to keep Luke happy…

  I want to live here. Really live here.

  But the Hanleys run this town, as far as I’ve been told. So Luke and his father are not the kind of men I’d want to irk. Luke pretty much proved that last night.

  The sex had been amazing, though, better than I remember sex being, and then Luke drifted off to sleep. I tried to do the same but mostly just stared at the ceiling. When he woke almost an hour later, he snapped away from me like I had a deadly contagion, walked off with his phone, and returned to tell me to dress. Then he passed me off to his thug, Russ, who dropped me off at my place.

  The only thing keeping me from dwelling on his reaction, his switch from sleeping cherub beside me in his bed to insensitive jerk is the memory of having left my car in the dealership’s lot.

  I jerk to a stop in front of the apartment’s entrance.

  “Oh, no,” I moan, sucking in a reviving breath of nippy early autumn air. Unable to decide how to move forward, I do my thinking out there, in the seasonal bitterness.

  My hair, with its wild abundance of waves, keeps my cheeks warm, but the unwelcome breeze creeps up my legs. My toes shrivel in their heels and I’m back to seriously considering calling off. Playing hooky isn’t as bad as having sex with a virtual stranger—a stranger who happened to be my boss.

  Just as I’m ready to cave and head back inside, a flashy silver Mercedes sports coupe pulls in from the main road and draws to a quick stop in my path. The driver’s side opens and a dark-haired man, dressed in head-to-toe black, rounds the hood and comes to a stand before me.

  “Get in, woman.”

  It isn’t until he speaks that I recognize who I’m facing.

  Russ the thug.

  Without his hoodie and the black scarf over his mouth, he looks dramatically different. Good-looking even. Then I remember how he murdered in cold blood. Or how he stood and watched while his taller friend killed somebody.

  “I’m your ride to work today,” he says.

  Then without checking if I’m following, he opens the passenger side and gestures for me to do as he tells me. When I don’t hop to his order, he hooks an arm over the open door and heaves a sigh. “Listen. Mr. Hanley sent me, cool? You need a car, I got one, and we happen to be heading the same way.”

  “You’re going to the dealership,” I blurt.

  “That isn’t your business.” He slaps his hand over the car door. “Now get in, or deal with finding your own way to your damn job.”

  I’m ready to go with that second option, but I recall the bills that’d be landing in my mailbox at the end of the month next week. I need to go to work, if not for the money, then to get out of the apartment where I’d probably end up
pacing and thinking about Luke some more.

  Why not go see the man for myself, perhaps figure out where we go from here?

  “Fine,” I say, keeping my eyes on him. Clinging onto the strap of my purse with both hands, I prepare to use it if he tries anything funny. But Russ lets me pass into the car unharmed.

  He shuts the door after me, and then he comes around, sliding into the driver’s seat. The engine is on, so all he does is move the gear out of park and we’re shooting off, the vehicle smooth and fluid in its handling.

  Between keeping an eye on Russ and ensuring he’s indeed driving to my workplace, I’m enjoying the leather interior cushioning and the hand-crafted, polished wood paneling on the dash and the side of the car. It’s truly a magnificent vehicle. Expensive, obviously, and maybe not procured with clean money, but my mind is moving to a happy place for the duration of the ride.

  If the roads aren’t busy, the drive to work is about fifteen minutes. That almost doubles this morning, and it has nothing to do with Russ’ driving. Most of Potentia heads out on an hour drive to St. Louis for their jobs, but there are enough car owners here who work locally to make me regret not waking up as early as I usually do. Even though that had something to do with not falling asleep until 4:00 a.m.

  If I had woken up earlier, I would probably be catching a bus to the dealership. But I can’t complain much when Russ signals his blinker and pulls into Hanley Auto. This was definitely more comfortable than the bus.

  Russ doesn’t park, which means he has no plan to come inside. Parking in front of the main entrance, he waits for me to exit his ride. He doesn’t give a farewell either. He revs his engine and motors off like I’d been a minor speed bump along the way.

  Good thing for my ego that the sentiment is mutual.

  Chapter 6

  Lily

  With my getting-to-work problem solved, I’m free to worry about seeing Luke again. Unfortunately I’m not left with my thoughts for long. The office is quieter than usual. In most of my three years at the dealership, I’m the one who prepares the coffee, so I get to thinking it might be a lack of caffeine...or a properly good brew explaining the silence.