Chapter 14
14
COURT
Walking into the backroom of the club, I scanned the area to make sure everyone was good. Mia was at her table doing her makeup, and when her gaze met mine, she gave me a tight smile. We hadn’t spoken about what happened on stage, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was embarrassed or because Donnie told her not to speak about the situation again. I wouldn’t put it past him since it was his drugs. I squeezed her shoulder as I slipped past, trying to communicate to her that we were all good.
Just like Nick, all of the clubs’ employees would be out of work when the club got shut down, and I wished I could tell them. Most of them needed the income to feed their children or pay bills, and knowing real lives were going to be affected was a hard part about my job. Taking Donnie down was going to affect a bunch of lives, and I couldn’t let any of them know.
Before, I’d been unsure of the drug operation that my cousin had tipped me off about, but after the other night when Donnie finally brought me into the fold, I was starting to make progress on the case. I’d met with Dalton and told him about the warehouse and my new position with Donnie. While we had enough to make a bust, we were hoping we could intercept the next shipment and get info on the supplier. Or at least have Donnie loop me in by then so I would know where everything was coming from.
Slipping through the curtain into the main lounge area, I noticed Candace was up on the main stage, owning it as she danced to “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame—an old favorite that felt like it was made for a stripper.
I quickly made my way around the club before heading to my usual spot where I could see everything. My phone buzzed with a text, so I pulled it out to take a look.
Ryan: What time is your break?
I smiled and texted back:
Break? What is that? ??
You don’t get a break?
Nope. I mean, sometimes one of the ladies will need me to go get her tampons or the boss will have me babysit his drunk girlfriend but that’s about it
Are you serious?
Not such a glamorous job huh?
I guess not but do you get to eat dinner?
I ate before I came and I’ll eat when I get home
Well I was going to bring you dinner …
I bit my lip and responded:
I can eat you when I get off
The dots danced and stopped on the screen for a few seconds and then finally a text came through:
My place or yours?
I’ll come straight to your place if that’s cool?
Hell yeah. I’ll be waiting
Will you be naked?
Those dots bounced on the screen again until Ryan’s reply finally popped up:
My luck my neighbor Mrs. Allister will be wide awake at 2 AM to let her dog out to pee and will open her door right across the hall at the wrong time. How about I don’t have anything on under my shorts?
I can work with that
I slipped my phone back into my pocket just as Donnie walked inside the club. He motioned for me to follow him, and I fell into step as we made our way to his office.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He closed the door. “Have a seat.”
I cocked my head slightly, but did as he asked.
He sat in his chair at his desk on the opposite side from me. “I wanted to let you know that I’m going out of town with Morgan on Thursday for the weekend so I’ll be MIA. If something happens here, either handle it or call me, but also, don’t call me. You catch my drift?”
“Got it.” I gave a quick nod.
“Also, I decided not to go with a new supplier but told my guy that if shit has traces of anything in it again, we’ll have problems. I buy pure shit and only trust Lo and my guys to cut it. The next shipment should arrive in about a week. I’m going to need you there no matter what time of day it is. You feel me?”
I assumed he meant even if I was scheduled to work at the club, or if the sale happens before the sun comes up. “Yeah, but I’m still not clear about how to test the stuff.” Of course, I knew, but he didn’t need to know.
Donnie grinned. “Funny you should mention that because I got you a present.”
I lifted a brow. “A present?”
He spun and opened a drawer in the credenza behind him, pulling out a box before tossing it onto the glass top in front of me.
“What is it?”
“Fentanyl strips and purity tests for meth and coke. Got them from a guy I know. He’s got connections, and he swore these things are legit.”
I picked up the box. This was my chance to prove to Donnie that I knew what I was doing—exactly what he expected from someone in my position. But I had to walk a fine line. I couldn’t seem too eager or too indifferent about using the strips. If I acted like they were no big deal, it could raise red flags. On the other hand, if I appeared overly focused on the testing process, he might think I was getting too involved in the details, more than someone in my role should. It was a delicate balance: showing just enough concern to be convincing without crossing a line that might make him question my priorities.
“These will really work?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant as I peeked inside.
He leaned forward. “Yes, and when the shipment comes in, you’ll need to test everything before it hits the streets. No cuts, no fentanyl—just pure product.”
I let that sit for a second, then asked, “But what if it’s all laced with something? I mean, if everything’s tainted—like fentanyl or whatever else—what do we do then? You wouldn’t just throw it all away, right?”
Donnie’s jaw tightened. “If any is laced with something, I’ll have Rafa’s head. I warned him I’m not going down that road again. Not after what happened with the last batch.”
I made a mental note to tell Dalton to run the name “Rafa” through our database.
I raised an eyebrow. “So, how do you handle him if he messes up? You just cut ties, or do you ... literally have his head?”
Donnie leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands. “I’ll make sure he understands the price of crossing me. That’s all you need to know.”
The silence hung heavy in the air as he stared at me as if testing whether I understood the severity of what he meant.
I forced myself to keep my face neutral, even though the unease was creeping up my spine. “All right. I’ll be there when the shipment comes in. Just let me know what time.”
He didn’t say anything for a beat, just looked at me like he was still deciding if he wanted to say more. Finally, he stood, and I followed suit.
“All right. Cool. And remember, not a word to anyone. Not even Ryan.”
“Of course,” I said. Ryan was the last person I wanted to drag into this mess—especially with what his sister’s boyfriend was doing behind his back. Hell, what I was doing behind his back. What began as a way to gather intel from Ryan for the case had shifted into something else entirely. I found myself developing real feelings for him, wanting to shield him from the mess surrounding Donnie—a man who clearly had no qualms about using violence. My stomach turned when I thought about what would happen when I took down Donnie once and for all.
Heading back out to the floor, I noticed some of the dancers peeking through the curtain and whispering. I peered in the direction of where they were looking and saw a man with short, bleached blond hair and a dark beard sitting at a table and watching the main stage. He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place him.
A few minutes later, Donnie came out of his office and walked straight toward the guy. The man stood and he and Donnie exchanged a bro hug. Due to the distance between them and me and the loud music pumping through the club, I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I kept watching them.
Was this man a VIP? He seemed close with Donnie.
Ginger walked by me and I stopped her. “Hey, Ging.”
She turned. “What’s up?”
“Who’s the guy all of you are freaking out over?”
A smile spread across her face. “Silas Hale.”
“Who’s that?”
She snorted. “The drummer for the band Surrender.”
Ah okay, that was why he looked somewhat familiar. I liked Surrender’s music, especially since I knew they were all from Boston, but Silas wasn’t the face like Malachi Danvers was. However, last I heard about the drummer was that he was in rehab so what was he doing being chummy with a drug dealer?
The men chatted for a few more minutes and then Donnie pulled a small baggie out of his pocket and handed it to Silas. Silas quickly put it into his pocket and then said his goodbyes.
So much for rehab.
After making sure all the ladies got into their vehicles safely, I headed to my Durango and cranked the engine. Before backing out of the space, I sent a text to Ryan:
On my way
Pulling out of the parking lot, my phone chimed with a message:
Going commando and waiting not so patiently
I pressed the gas harder and in less than fifteen minutes, I was driving into his garage at his building. I parked in the space I had before and then hurried up to his apartment. With one knock, the door swung open to reveal a sexy Ryan Ashford in white basketball shorts.
“Took you long enough.” He smirked.
I moved toward him, and he took a step back. Once we both passed through the doorway, I closed the door and locked it.
“Trust me,” I said, looking him in the eye. “It’ll be worth the wait.”
“Good because I feel my shorts already slipping off.”
I grabbed his wrist before he could take another step and pulled him flush against me. “Let me help.”
Taking his lips with mine, I slipped my tongue into his mouth as my hand slid inside his shorts. True to his word, Ryan wore nothing underneath, and my fist quickly wrapped around his erection. He groaned into my mouth and before I knew it, we were walking and kissing until he hit the back of his couch. He squeezed my ass, tugging my hips to meet his.
“You have too many clothes on,” he said against my mouth.
Taking my hand out of his shorts, I ripped off my black T-shirt. “So do you.”
He slid his shorts down, his dick bouncing as it passed the waistband causing my mouth to water.
Dropping to my knees, I fisted him again and took his length into my hot mouth. He ran his hand through my hair and hummed as I sucked. The saltiness of his pre-cum hit my tongue and I went faster as I took him deeper.
I peered up at him and took him out of my mouth. “I want to taste more of you.”
Ryan nodded and stepped out of his shorts, and I got to work on my jeans as they were instantly uncomfortable, my cock trying to break through its confines.
“Condom?” I asked, sliding down my zipper.
He nudged his head toward an open door. “My bedroom, in my nightstand.”
“Don’t move.” I pointed my finger at him. “Actually, lay on the couch because I want to eat your ass right up.”
I quickly went to his bedroom, opened the drawer and spotted the box of Magnums and lube. Taking both, I hurried back to find him on his back and slowly jerking himself. It was a fucking sight to see.
“You’re so fucking hot,” I stated as I pushed my jeans down my legs and kicked them off.
“So are you and just to let you know, I usually top but I’ve been dying to feel you inside of me.”
I knelt before him, putting the box and bottle beside him. “Good. Because you’re about to get your fantasy.”
He spread his legs in the air and gave me the perfect view of his puckered rim.
“I usually go home and have an early breakfast after my shift, but eating you might just become my favorite meal after work.”
Before he could say anything, I pulled him to the edge of the cushion and leaned forward to run my tongue up his crack.
“Oh, shit,” he hissed.
Ryan took hold of his dick and pumped as I twirled my tongue around his hole. I slipped the tip in and out, tasting how clean and delicious he was. No longer able to avoid my painful erection, I fisted myself and pumped in sync with my mouth.
“Fuck, that feels so good,” he moaned.
“Are you ready for more?”
“Yes,” he breathed.
Grabbing a condom from the box, I opened it and then slid it down my shaft. “When was the last time you had a dick in this pretty little hole?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Is it going to be nice and tight for me?” I asked.
He nodded, his head against the back of the couch and he looked down at me. I took the lube and squirted some onto my fingers. Running my digits along his crack, I circled his back door and then slipped one inside.
“Fuck, yeah,” Ryan panted, his eyes closing.
Once he was ready for another finger, I added more lubricant and slid both digits inside. He pumped his cock faster as I penetrated him, getting him stretched and prepared to take me.
“Just fuck me already,” he groaned.
I smiled. “With pleasure.”
Getting the lube, I coated my latex-covered dick and then stood. We maneuvered to give ourselves more room—him lying lengthwise on the sofa, and me leaned over him—then I took his mouth in a scorching kiss.
“This beats you bringing me dinner at work, but I appreciate the thought.”
“Definitely better than only eating together.”
One leg bent on the couch, the other on the floor to hold me up, I stroked myself a few times and lined up to enter Ryan who was still spread eagle and gorgeous.
Knowing it had been a while, I nudged my tip against his opening and took my time as I slid inside. Our eyes stayed locked and once I was all the way in, I nudged his hand out of the way and pumped him as I thrust inside. He was so tight as I slid back and forth, his ass squeezing my length and causing me to get closer and closer to coming.
“Harder,” he ordered. “I’m going to come soon.”
I grabbed the back of his neck for leverage and rammed into him as deep as I could go.
“You like my dick in your ass, baby?”
“Love it, babe. Feels fucking amazing.”
“Good, because you’re mine now.”
A few more pumps and we were both coming. Once we were done, he led me to the shower where he blew me.
It wasn’t until I was back in my car, after another round in his bed, that I remembered what I’d said: “You’re mine now.”
I hadn’t planned to say those three words, but as I drove home, I realized I had meant them. Every damn word. I wasn’t just saying them in the heat of the moment. I felt them—more than I ever thought I would.
Somewhere along the way, I’d lost track of my initial intentions. At some point, I’d let myself fall for him. Hard. And now, every time I thought about the case and Ryan, the tightness in my chest felt more like a cage. I couldn’t stop the feeling. I did care about him. Maybe I had since I’d first laid eyes on him. That didn’t change the fact that I was lying to him, but damn if I could pull myself away from him.