I pull out quick as streams of come trail down her ass. A slim hand moves around and grips my pulsing cock, massaging and milking as I rest my head on her shoulder, riding out the blinding orgasm radiating through my ass and legs.
We gradually slow, and I pull her back against my chest again. For the space of several heartbeats, I only hold her, feeling her small body mold into mine. She’s everything. We’re everything together.
“I’ve got to get more condoms,” I whisper.
She’s giggling, and I move back, allowing her to face me. The light in her blue eyes is irresistible. I lean down to cover her mouth with mine, kissing her long and slow, curling my tongue with hers.
Slim arms wrap around my neck, and our chests press together. Warmth flows from me to her, healing the wounds, binding us together.
Leaning back, I gaze deep into her blue eyes. “I’m glad you can smile. I only want you to be happy.”
Her brow pulls, and she drops her gaze to my lips. “It’s hard to be sad when I’m here in your arms. We can almost pretend—”
“No more pretending. I’ve saved almost ten thousand dollars. We can live here for free.”
Her eyes go wide. “Ten thousand! But… but how?”
Clearing my throat, I don’t want to tell her. I don’t want her to know how deeply involved I am with Gavin’s illegal activities. Even more, I don’t want it to seem like I blame her for anything, from my work to my doing without.
“I’ve been saving. Since I’m watching the place for Terrence, he stopped charging me rent.”
“For how long?”
“Until he comes back in January… but by then, I hope we’ll have a place—”
“We…” She’s thinking, processing everything I’ve said. “Molly too…” It’s barely a whisper.
“Molly too.”
She moves into my arms again, resting her cheek against my chest and holding it there, tightening her arms around my waist and holding her body to mine.
“Can we really be free of that place?”
“Do you want to go back?”
“I have to go back. I have to get Molly and our things… we don’t have much, but even replacing what little we have would add up.”
My hand is in her hair, smoothing it down, holding her neck, her shoulders.
“I don’t want you to be alone there. I’ll go with you.”
“Didn’t you say Roland was coming to get me?” She leans back to study my face.
“He is, but I don’t trust him.”
Her face relaxes. “I do. Don’t worry.”
“I’m always going to worry. Until the day you’re with me for good.”
Blinking quickly she nods. She stretches up to kiss me lightly before rising to a sitting position. She leaves the bed, taking the tee from last night and using it to clean her backside. She takes the dressing gown off the chair and slowly pulls it over her body, fastening it at her waist.
“It’s time.”
Lara
My head is still thick despite having slept most of the day, but I have to get back to collect Molly and our few belongings. Mark kisses me as I pull the dark topcoat Roland brought for me over my shoulders.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mark says. “I’ll shower and change and be with you in fifteen minutes or less. Roland promises he’ll look out for you until I come.”
The sky is growing dark, and I guess it’s getting close to the start of the show. I’m not planning to perform tonight, if ever again.
After a few moments of silent walking, I notice Roland’s watching me.
“What?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask how I did it,” he says.
“Mark said you roofied us.”
He nods. “Gavin gave it to me, along with the Sazerac. You both passed out—it looked like at about the same time. Guy was in the process of undressing, so that was a fun sight.”
I shake my head, not wanting to hear this. “Thank you,” I say quietly, thinking of the mixture I poured in his glass.
“I told you to trust me.”
“Did anything else happen to him? Is he sick?”
“I don’t think so.” Roland looks straight ahead, but his hand goes to his pocket. “Worried about this?”
He holds up the small glass vial, and my lip goes between my teeth. “Did it work?”
“What was it?”
We’re less than a block from the theater, and I decide to confess. “I went back and bought heroin laced with fentanyl. I poured it in his drink. I hoped it would kill him.”
His jaw clenches, and I watch his face, waiting for what he’s going to say. He only exhales deeply. “It was a valiant effort, if life-threatening and completely stupid.”
I jerk his arm. “I had to do something!”
“Heroin doesn’t dissolve in liquid. And even if it did, by the time it finally got through his stomach, it might make him lightheaded. Today.”
My shoulders fall. “It was all for nothing.”
“I’m afraid he’d have done all he wanted with you while you were waiting for him to keel over.”
The theater yawns before us, and I shrink back, fear tightening my throat. “I can’t go in there,” I whisper.
Forget our shit. They can have it. Not my mother’s pen, not even my need to protect Molly is stronger than this fear. Standing in front of the looming edifice all the memories I didn’t know I had come flooding back. I remember his eyes, the way he ripped at my clothes, the things he said.
Roland steps in front of me and grips my arms. “Gavin has him under control. He’s been slipping him a sedative all day, telling him he has a cold.”
“And it’s working?”
“It’s working for now.” His voice is grim, and my body trembles violently. “Come on.” His arm goes around my shoulder, and he leads me to the back entrance where I see large dents in the door, and the small windows at the ground are smashed.
“What happened?”
“Mark was determined to get in last night.”
My stomach drops, and I can’t walk anymore. My emotions overwhelm me, and of all the things I’ve forgotten, the sound of his beating on the door, his shouts, him calling my name—all of what happened before floods my mind.
“I love him,” I whisper as a hot tear falls on my cheek.
Roland pulls me into a hug, his hand on the back of my head. I feel his lips press to my temple. “I know.”
My insides are raw as we enter the back door. I follow my old friend down the corridor, and when we turn the corner, I let out a little cry. Gavin is standing in my dressing room. His face is red. Perspiration coats his upper lip.
“Can you perform tonight?” he asks, running his eyes over my body. “Tanya can’t do it.”
Roland releases me at once. “What’s happening?”
“See for yourself.”
Roland takes off down the hall, leaving me alone, facing the man behind this. The one who callously gave away Molly then saved me when I tried to take her place. My tattered emotions don’t know where to start.
“Can you do it?” Gavin repeats, watching me. I can tell he’s doing his best to maintain an air of control.
“Where’s Molly?”
“I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
“Evie was supposed to bring her back here today.” Roland didn’t tell me if she knew what happened. I look around for my phone, but I have no idea where I left it. Perhaps it’s in the topcoat I wore to the voodoo shop.
“I still don’t see why she’s so important.” He steps to the door.