Now
Elliott drove us west towards the beach after we left the restaurant. The silence filled the car, heavy and palpable.
“Kate was real then?” I blurted out, eager to resolve all my doubts about the life he had described to me.
He quickly glanced over at me as he gripped the wheel tightly.
“Yes. Very much so,” he answered with a frown.
I looked out the window, my mind racing with so many questions that I didn’t know where to start. When I turned back to him, his strong jawline momentarily distracted me.
“And you’re really a therapist?”
Elliott shot me a sad glance. “Yes, baby. Everything I told you was real,” he explained gently.
I sighed and nodded. I wanted so badly to believe him.
“But you’re also a private detective. On the side,” I continued.
He nodded. “After high school, I initially wanted to join the police academy for the job security it offered. However, my mom discouraged me—she disagreed with the system and was worried about the dangers I’d face. So, I followed her into her line of work. But as I got older, my desire to help people, in other ways, grew stronger. That’s when I decided to become a private investigator.”
God, he’s such a fucking saint. He quietly continued. “I never imagined hurting anyone. It never crossed my mind that someone might use my services to harm others. I suppose I tend to see the good in people. Maybe that’s a bit naive of me, right?”
A lump formed in my throat as I took his hand. I knew he was telling the truth. I could see the evil in people, and Elliott didn’t have a single malicious bone in his body.
“I love that about you, Elliott. I really, really love you,” I said as I smiled, letting a tear fall down my cheek.
He looked over at me and squeezed my hand gently. “I love you, Jacqueline.”
* * *
We pulled up in front of a small but beautiful hotel only steps away from Santa Monica beach.
“I don’t want to be anywhere Michael might find us. I can’t risk putting you in more danger,” Elliott said as he opened his car door and hurried to open mine.
He took my hand and guided me to the hotel lobby. After renting a room, we entered through an outdoor gate that led to several buildings; the hotel resembled an old apartment building. The scent of the ocean and the cool breeze felt like a breath of fresh air as Elliott opened the door to room 33 for us. We stepped into a small room where I sank onto the king-sized bed that dominated the space.
“Keep asking if you’re doubting anything, baby,” Elliott said as he sat down next to me, eyeing me; I was sure he could tell that I was cautiously watching him. My guards were back up but I desperately wanted him to break them down again.
“You really had no idea about Michael when he hired you?” I asked quietly as I glanced up at him. The rugged stubble of his facial hair contrasted strikingly with his piercing, perfect blue eyes, creating the allure that drew me to him in the first place.
“No, Jacqueline. I swear on my life. I should have looked into him more before accepting the job but it seemed so harmless. I had no idea who he was or what he had done.”
The angry sting in my chest softened into a feeling that recognized the pain in his eyes—a pain of regret and sadness.
“I’m so sorry, Elliott. I’m so sorry for being such a fucking mess. I’m sorry for not being stronger. Michael turned me into a fucking helpless, scared, lost puppy,” I said with a crack in my voice.
He shook his head and took my hand. “You did warn me,” he teased with a smile.
I laughed and let my body rest on his; he was right about that.
“Seriously though, baby. You are a lot stronger than you think. You could have gotten swept up in his web again. But you made it out this time. All by yourself.”
Is that true?
“He tied me up again,” I blurted out.
Elliott tensed, and I could have sworn he stopped breathing.
“What did he do?” he growled, his voice taking on a depth I’d never heard before.
“Just surface wounds this time,” I said so quietly that it was almost a whisper.
His tone remained the same. “Show me.”
I sat straight and looked up at him. His eyes blazed with fury and his jaw clenched slightly.
“Show me, Jacqueline,” he repeated.
I looked down at the ground before I stood up and began to undress. There were at least a dozen shallow cuts from the night before, spanning from my collarbone to my inner thigh. Elliott’s eyes were glazed with tears as he grabbed my hips and pulled me close to him, then gently pressed his lips to a scabbed cut on my stomach. Every hair on my body stood upright as goosebumps freckled my skin. He looked up at me with eyes burning with desire, his gaze intense and unwavering. “I will never let him touch another hair on your body, baby. He will never get that close to you again. I promise you.”
I believed him. “I know you won’t, Daddy,” I said, my words laced with arousal, as I put my knees on either side of him to rest my weight between his legs. I held onto his strong shoulders and lifted my chest to arch my back.
A smile flickered across his face. “Jacqueline. Are you sure you’re ready?” He cupped my ass with each of his hands as I began to move my hips.
“Yes, Daddy. Show me how a real man treats his baby.”
His erection hardened beneath me as his lips parted and he let out a soft exhale.
“You want me to show you, baby?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, please.”
He stood and lifted me with his forearms, his hands firmly gripping my ass. He turned around and gently laid me on my back before taking my calves and pulling them over his shoulders. I looked down just as he placed his lips between my legs, igniting a surprised gasp from my lungs.
“Yes,” I moaned as Elliott swirled his tongue around my clit before burying his face in my pussy, lapping around like he was starving.
“Come for me, baby,” he growled, then circled my clit with his tongue and stuck two fingers deep inside of me. Instantly, I clenched my thighs around Elliott’s head and my body seized with an overwhelming orgasm. The satisfaction from coming without tremendous guilt afterward sent another wave of pleasure throughout my body. Elliott continued to feast on me until my legs trembled and I was depleted of all energy.
“Daddy, please…please fuck me now,” I breathed out.
He grunted as he parted his mouth from my pussy and stood to lift his shirt over his head. I watched his muscles contract and my pussy twitched, signaling that I was ready for more. He smiled down at me as he let his cock spring free from his boxer briefs. My heart raced as I watched him stroke himself with one hand, then lean his body over me, steadying himself with the other hand.
“Baby, do you know how much I love you?” he whispered in my ear, letting his lips graze it gently.
“Tell me, Daddy,” I breathed back.
He trailed kisses along my neck before making his way back up to my ear. “I love you so much that I’ll fucking kill for you. And I’ll take great pleasure in it too. You know why, baby?”
My heart pounded so hard that I was certain it would burst from my chest. Elliott’s dark side almost made me come from his words alone.
“You’re mine now. And no one is allowed to hurt my baby and get away with it.”
Elliott suddenly thrust his hard cock into me; I wrapped my legs around his torso, desperate for more. He stilled himself as he kissed my neck, then slowly withdrew and thrust back in, repeating the process.
“Please, Daddy. Fuck me harder,” I whined, not in any mood to be teased.
He let out a small laugh against my ear. “I love when you beg, baby.”
His hips started to move and I held onto his strong arms, the feeling of his hard cock rubbing against my clit making me close to an orgasm. He trailed kisses on my shoulder and on my collarbone where Michael left his mark.
Elliott and I were back at the basics, fucking each other with desperate need, only using our bodies to make each other feel good. I loved knowing that he didn’t need to suspend me in the air or tie me up to enjoy himself; he wanted whatever I wanted. After being treated like a slave for so long, I knew I deserved something better. And that something better was Elliott.
* * *
Elliott and I lay in bed as he traced his fingertips over my old scars. I nestled my nose into his chest hair, finding comfort in the warmth of his body and the familiar scent that made me feel safe again.
“So, how are we gonna do this?”
He raised his eyebrows slightly; he knew exactly what I was talking about. “I don’t want you tangled in this. Let me do it alone. Please,” he insisted. “I can make it quick and look like an accident. Believe me, I’ve thought about killing that fucker a lot since you told me about what he’d done.” His eyes clouded with the darkness I had seen only a few times before. My heart fluttered with arousal. However, I wasn’t gonna let him do it alone.
“No. I’m doing it with you. Tell me your plan.”
His lips curved into a wry smile. “You’re gonna be stubborn about this, aren’t you?”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes. I won’t let you do it without me.” If anyone deserved to kill Michael, it was me, the person he had fucked up the most.
Elliott licked his lips and sighed, then looked out the window and stared at the vast Pacific Ocean.
“Do you know how to fight?”