27. Mimic
Twenty Seven
Mimic
T oday’s the day.
Members from Wyman came here to help, and I’m grateful, but I’m still on edge. Anything can go wrong. I try to calm myself down, thinking about the good. Rox and I are great. We talked a lot more and worked it all out. The advice that Knuckles and Whitley gave us really helped, and I think having someone else she could talk to who’s been through the disappearing act helped the most.
It wasn’t an easy conversation to have. I was so fucking embarrassed by myself. Being in love with someone from afar is so different than actually having them in your arms and being able to call them yours. Rox has given me so much, and was a total dick to her.
I begged, and pleaded, and explained everything the best I could. My jumbled-up thoughts somehow made sense to her, and she understood my fears. I promised her I would be better and that I wouldn’t run anymore, and I mean it.
Since then, we’ve been talking every day, really talking, and working on ourselves. It’s been perfect.
But now, everything is less than, because everything can possibly go wrong.
I woke up at 3 am in a cold sweat, screaming for Rox. Nightmares aren’t new. I suffered from them for years after my time on the streets and in the military. Since Rox has been in my arms, they haven’t been a problem. But this new fear of the unknown is ramping them up in a way I’ve never experienced. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but when I did, I felt her stroking my face and saying my name. She also kept telling me how she’s right here and not going anywhere. She helped calm me down, but she didn’t erase my fear.
I clung to her the rest of the night. I refused to let her leave my arms. She drifted back to sleep while I stayed up in a silent panic. Her puffs of warm breath on the side of my neck were of little comfort. Nothing allowed me to go back to sleep.
I know this is important—not only for her career but for her life. Her doing this also plays a part in our ability to build a future together.
If we can’t make this threat disappear, she’ll never be able to live her life the way she deserves. She’ll have to constantly look over her shoulder while simultaneously being watched by myself and my brothers. That isn’t fair to anyone.
But the risks are making me lose my fucking mind.
This is a new level of fear. It’s one I’ve never experienced, and it’s encompassed my entire being. I’ve voiced my opinion, but it didn’t change anything.
Thankfully, the itch to run isn’t there like it was before. I know what is at stake if I leave her when she needs me the most, and I take comfort in that.
This flash sale is happening. Angel will be by her side in the open shop and will be bringing in a lot more business to raise money for the women’s shelter in town. It will also give Rox the exposure she needs to build her dream clientele. And if all goes right, we’ll catch Mark.
All of this is to catch a man who started by following her, only to put himself right in the room with her and then continue to show up everywhere she is. He’s been right under our nose the whole fucking time, and none of us had a clue.
I wanted to grab him straight up, but he still hasn’t shown up. Knuckles looked into him but couldn’t find anything on him. It’s as if the man is a ghost, and decided haunting Rox was what he needed to do.
Rox got a ride to the shop with Angel to set everything up with Duncan and Stanford. They have to reset how the chairs are currently positioned to accommodate Rox getting her own chair, as well as Angel and Ink, and their other artist who’s coming with. Rox told me how she and Duncan were sharing a chair, which she thinks is one of the reasons he was such an assbag, her word, not mine, to her before.
I hated not going in with her, but I trust Angel and Ink to keep her safe. While I don’t like the plan, the more people they cycle through, the more chances we have for Mark to make his appearance.
I run my hands over my face and through my hair as I hover over Rox. She’s been working on clients since the minute their doors opened. Flash sales are no damn joke. The amount of people inside and out is insane and making my anxiety spike.
I’ve been trying, but not trying enough.
“Dude, get the fuck outside and handle the crowd.”
My attention is snapped to my side when Whitley speaks to me. “Excuse me?” Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
“Look,” he grips my shoulder and walks me away from Rox. She either didn’t hear him, or is choosing to ignore him while she works. “It’s clear that you’re stressed as fuck about everything, and I understand why. But you’re making everyone else uncomfortable.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes, Mimic. There have been a couple of women who asked to wait until Roxie is free, but one already backed out because of you standing by her and glaring at everyone. If this is going to work, Roxie needs to be able to work. She’s safe. Angel is right next to her, Ink is two chairs away, and I’m here.”
“That’s not as assuring as you think,” I grumble.
He chuckles, “Are you forgetting that I’m an ex-FBI agent? I know how to fuck people up. She’s safe with me, Mimic. So please, for all that is holy, get the fuck outside.”
I’m not happy about it, but I get it. It actually hurt when he told me a woman left because of me. I’d never hurt a woman, but I also don’t know her history in order to make her feel safe. Plus, it’s not like we can tell her the truth.
So, here I am, pacing as I watch Duck and Willie joke and talk to people in line. Duck has a few dares going with a couple of the guys to get a dick tattooed on them or get their dick tattooed instead.
I know Ink will do it in a heartbeat if they ask. While I don’t want Rox tattooing another man’s dick, it’s not like I can ban her from it. Plus, it’s hilarious. And money for the shelter is money, regardless of the ink received.
The thought gives my racing mind a moment’s pause, but it’s not long after when I’m back in my head, wishing I could beat the fuck out of someone. Preferably Mark. It’s looking like I won’t get that chance because I’m not allowed inside.
“Pretend you want to be here,” Cowboy says as he walks past me.
“I’m trying, but my face always looks like this when I’m—”
“Shut. Up. Mimic. You need to take the edge off or something. You are starting to scare people in line.” Prez tells me as he joins Cowboy and I.
“Again, I’m fucking trying. This is just my face today!” I hold my arms up in the air.
“Duck, take Mimic and get his ass to smile or something,” Cowboy calls out.
“What? Like, suck his dick? I mean, that makes most men smile, but I think his Ol’ Lady would have a thing to say about it.” Duck calls down the line. Causing a few people to laugh, and a few women get even more stars in their eyes about his crazy ass. Which makes no fucking sense, but to each their own.
Any other day I would have been embarrassed about this whole thing, but I’m too amped up.
“You are really dumb,” Willie tells Duck, giving him a cuff upside the head. Burrito rushes over and whispers something in Duck’s ear. They look at the time on Duck’s watch, and the evil look on Duck’s face does very little to ease the knot of tension in my gut.
“Follow me. I know how to get a HUGE smile on that face of yours,” Duck says as he leads me into the shop. “Oh, Roxie pie!” he sings, his arm slung over my shoulder. I tried, but there’s very little I can do to get away.
“Yes, Ducklips?” she sings back. The smile on her face eases some of my tension. She’s happy and living her dream. Putting herself out there and working with her best friend and pseudo uncle with her father and uncle here supporting her. Everything she wants is here. While I know realistically that this a great opportunity for her, the chances of things going sideways still bothers me.
“Aren’t you due for a lunch break?” Duck asks. I give him a side eye, unsure of what’s going on in his twisted little brain.
“I’m just cleaning up to go. What’s up?”
“Your man here needs a tension blow job. If he doesn’t cum soon, there’s a chance he’ll blow up and die all over the crowd. And not in the fun fireworks way. He almost made Goblin cry with his meanness. I mean, can you handle it? I can do it for you, but I think he would be more receptive to your glug-glug 3000.”
The man in Roxie’s chair laughs at Duck’s antics as I blow out a breath and look to the roof. This man, I swear.
“Good lord, man, this is a place of business!” Duncan yells at him as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and walks away.
“Don’t mind him, baby. Come with me,” Rox sways her hips toward me, and I can’t help the smile that stretches across my lips.
Rox takes me to the back of the shop and opens a door. When we step inside, I smile, knowing I get to check the “blow job in a supply closet” cliche off my list. I close the door and turn the lock. Rox wastes no time dropping to her knees and getting my cock out.
“I’m gonna make it up to you, baby.”
“What do you—Ugh. Fuck.”
My hands grip her head, and I start to pump into her. She hollows her cheeks and takes the face fucking I’m giving.
“Just like that, baby. Fuck.”
She moans as I shove my cock deeper into her throat. Note to self: sober Rox has no gag reflex. She sucks my tip hard while pushing her tongue into my slit.
“Holy…fuck.”
She takes one hand and lightly tugs on my balls while the other runs against my taint. I fuck her face harder, and the vibrations of her moans, along with her hands, become my undoing. I don’t even have time to warn her before I explode down her throat. She swallows every drop, and I hunch over her body from the sensitivity.
She pulls off of me and gives me the most beautiful smile. “Feel better?” She stands up, her lips connecting with mine. “Did it help?”
“That was amazing, baby. But no. I’m still nervous.”
She sighs, “I know, baby. I know. But I promise I’m okay. I’m paying attention. This is the first time I left my station. This is gonna work.”
I lock my lips with hers and enjoy the taste of her mixed with myself. It’s addicting. “When this is over, I’m going to ravish you.”
* * *
“Well, someone is looking better,” Prez says with a slap on my back as I exit the shop.
Deciding to be honest because he decided to bring attention to it, I smile, “Well, Rox really blew my mind with reasons I should calm down,” I shoot him a guilty smile.
“Oh…. OH! God, I should have known. Meg knows that’s how to calm my ass down, too.” he says. It takes a minute, but Dizz then shudders at the thought. He finally remembers it’s his daughter that just had my dick in her mouth. “I think you need to go to the other end of the line, and we just won’t look at each other for a bit.” He tells me. I can hear the embarrassment in his voice.
I give him a salute and start to enjoy my time talking to people in line. I’m listening to their stories and how much this whole thing means to them. There are more people here for the charity than Angel, which I know will mean a lot more to Rox than any one of these people know.
It’s been about an hour since I left Rox when my phone goes off. When I pull it out and see Knuckles’ name on the screen, I feel instant dread.
“Where is she?” venom in my tone.
“We don’t know.”
With three words, my entire world falls apart.