AN: Hey what's up, it's been awhile (imagine this in Zayn Malik's voice). So, I'm done exams for now, which means I can update. Half of this has been sitting in it's draft state for an entire month, and the other half I whipped out this morning. It's a relatively short chapter but it wraps up the events of the party so I figured it was a good place to end (also, I'm tired of writing about sex parties - weird, right?) Again, thank you to the lovely people still reading and reviewing. You guys are the bee's knees. For being so patient with me, I hope you appreciate the badassery showcased on the first part of this chapter. Before I spoil it any further...
Hush
20. Jailbait
Amanda wanted it slow.
The robe fell at her feet as the crisp evergreen air struck her bare arms, goosebumps rising on her skin. She felt Leo's lips on her neck inhaling and scarring like cigarette burns. His large, smooth hands slithered down her sides, the pads of his thumbs digging at her hips and drawing her body onto his until their shadows melded into one. He was so hard so fast.
"Slow down," she whispered, toeing the line between a command and a plea. "Leo, please…"
"Say my name again."
"Leo," she said, and he responded in kind by nipping at the swell of her breast. His teeth dug into her flesh and he groaned in pleasure as her body arched by its own volition. "There's no need to rush."
"I know. We've got plenty of time." He pulled away to stare back at her with eyes as black as tar. He slid his arm around her, running along the length of her spine to the nape of her neck. In one swift motion, he grasped her hair and pulled. "But I want to fuck you now."
Like a spoiled child who had never been denied in his life, he claimed Amanda for himself. His kiss was possessive — cruel and without any surrender of control. She felt like she was being suffocated by his darting tongue. She coughed into the kiss, and he chuckled, "Just wait until you're sucking my cock, sweetheart."
Amanda's body recoiled. But he wrapped his arm around her, their hips colliding and causing friction between their bodies. She felt him hard and straining against her hip.
Leo pressed his mouth to the inside of her wrist. It was almost a tender gesture had he not been muttering about all the different ways he wanted to fuck her. His eyes glowed, mirroring the yellow light from her bracelet.
"Do you know what I do when I see a yellow light when I'm driving?" He coiled his fingers around her wrist and gripped it so tight her own fingers were trembling. His teeth grazed the shell of her ear, before biting a little too hard on her earlobe. "I don't even think about it. I gun it."
Amanda's stomach turned. She needed to get out of there. This was a terrible idea, but she was convinced the risk would be worth the reward. After all, this wasn't the first time she had done something reckless and placed herself in danger in the name of an investigation. It had paid off before.
But there were times it blew up in her face.
Fuck.
She could be so short-sighted.
"Come on, baby." Leo sucked between her collarbones, teeth scraping the surface of her skin. "Where's your head? I'm right here."
"Leo." Her voice came out scratchy, and it must've turned him on because he thrusted his hips hard against her body. She pressed her palms on his shoulders, praying to god she wouldn't have to resort to physically pushing him away. "This was a mistake."
"No, no, baby. Don't say that."
"I have to go."
"The only place you're going is on that bed." His grip tightened around her as he swung her around. He backed her up until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed, static on her skin from the brush of Egyptian cotton. "Tell me you want this."
"I thought I did, but I'm sorry —"
His lips crashed over hers, his hands crushing the bones of her hips. He picked her up like a rag doll and threw her on the bed. His dark eyes were feral as he braced himself for the kill. Leaping onto the bed, he was startled to feel the mattress underneath him instead of a woman's body.
Amanda had rolled out of the way just as he pounced. She stumbled off the bed, taking a few clumsy steps backwards and putting her arms out to keep him from coming any closer.
Leo crawled off the bed and stalked toward her.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the door a few feet away. She ran over to her escape, hand outstretched to turn the doorknob, when she felt her other arm pulled the opposite direction. She yelped as he twisted her at the elbow, forcing her to face him. His rough hands rattled her entire body as he grabbed her by her arms. It felt as if her organs were shaking inside the shell of her bones.
Without a thought of repercussions, Amanda kneed Leo to the groin. She connected and he doubled over, his hands leaving her to cradle the excruciating pain shooting from his balls.
"You bitch!"
Taking her opportunity to escape, Amanda turned the door and ran out of the room.
The dim hallway had a series of doors on either side of her. They were all shut, muffled noises of sex reverberating through the walls. She kept running. She prayed Leo was still nursing his testicles the way she had left him. Even her kneecap was radiating in pain; she really must've hit him hard if it felt like she was forming a bruise.
As she reached the end of the hall, she looked over her shoulder one last time to see if he was behind her. The hall was empty. She turned the corner and slammed into another body. This time, she felt bigger, knocking the other person backwards until they both fell in a heap on the floor.
Amanda's breath lodged in her throat as she stared down at the doe-eyed girl staring back in fear. Cheeks full and button nose, the girl looked like she was barely in high school.
The girl crawled backwards, up against the wall, before she pushed herself up. The silk robe she wore slipped from one shoulder, revealing the outline of her breasts. She pulled it over herself and clutched her arms around her petite frame. Brown eyes darted around the hallway before she took one last apologetic look at Amanda. It was the kind of look that begged for this encounter to remain a secret. She turned the corner and immediately disappeared behind a door.
It felt like a hallucination.
Stewing over what happened wasn't going to make it go away. Nick felt thrown off balance as he wandered through the never-ending halls of the lake house. He fended off propositions, walking past women and men who tried to reach out and grope him. Their words went in one ear like garbled noise and came out the other; and frankly, he didn't care if he was being rude. Propriety had no place in hell.
Nick was focused on finding Amanda. He needed to see her. He needed to explain and tell her he was deceived into thinking it was her, and not her sister. He felt guilty. He wanted so bad to believe it was her that he suppressed those microscopic notions of doubt that plagued him while he was tied up and blindfolded. He should've known.
He should've trusted his gut.
He wanted to get on his knees and swear on his life that he never intended to fuck Kim.
He had worked on cases where the DA tried to prove a crime occurred because the perpetrator obtained consent through fraudulent actions. The term for it was rape by deception. In that moment, he couldn't remember a single case of rape by deception that didn't end with the defendant going to prison.
Nick didn't even know why he was thinking of the crime. It wasn't like he was a victim. He consented to the plan. He should've foreseen that no one in the sex society could be trusted. He knew that rape by deception wasn't what happened to him. He felt like calling it that meant taking the blame off himself, and he wasn't sure if that was the honest and responsible thing to do.
All of this could have been avoided had he been more adamant about other ways they could join the inner circle, rather than compromise the integrity of their jobs and bodies. Even though he wanted nothing more than to prove his worth and earn Amanda's trust, he should've stopped it before all this damage was done.
But, by no means was he blaming her for what happened. There was no way she could have predicted the turn of events. If she felt like she was at fault, the more he needed to see her to quash those thoughts.
Yet, the search for Amanda was proving to be an exercise in futility.
Nick dodged a crowd watching a circus act of naked women on aerial silks. There was a unanimous gasp as one woman unfurled herself from the ribbon, falling down at a rapid rate before catching herself a foot off the ground. The crowd broke out to screams and applause.
Nick turned the corner into a quiet area. Leaning against the wall, he set his hands on his knees as he tried to steady his breaths. He had surveyed every open space in the lake house and she was nowhere to be found. He was ready to break down every locked door on this godforsaken place.
"Hey, are you ok?"
He lifted his head, tired eyes finding the source of the question. Jinx stood in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
"Uh, I'm fine…" He straightened out, pushing himself off the wall so he appeared stronger than he felt. "Just a lot going on."
She smiled reassuringly. In that quiet moment, she wasn't Jinx, but Jessica. Her eyes shimmered with warmth, expressing genuine concern for his well-being.
"If you need a place to recover, we have quiet rooms. Sometimes, these parties can get overwhelming. There's no shame in needing an escape from all of it, especially after… um… what happened earlier."
"You know about that?"
She furrowed her brows. "About your threesome? Yeah."
"I thought you'd be the other girl —"
"What? Instead of Savannah?"
He nodded.
"Seriously? No, sorry. I mean, I was a little disappointed you hadn't chosen me after the dance I gave you last time. But, whatever, it happens…" She trailed off, chewing on her lip. Odd as it was to see an attractive woman appear so insecure, Nick was more distracted by the revelation that Savannah was a deliberate choice. "It was Doug. He asked for a southern girl just like your wife; he said that's what you're into. That was your fantasy."
"I don't remember telling him that."
"I thought that's what you wanted."
He placed a hand over his mouth and shook his head. "I — I don't know what I want."
Jinx chuckled softly, her long, fake lashes touching the tops of her cheeks as her gaze fell to the floor. She bit down on her bottom lip, this time less out of worry and more out of flirtation. "That's why you're here, ain't it?"
"Huh? Guess so."
"Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Santiago?"
"Actually, you know what would help?" Nick began, "I'd like to know where my wife is."
Jinx' face fell, but she quickly masked the marginal disappointment with a smile. "Lucky for you, I saw her at the bar." She pointed a finger to the direction of the main entrance. "That was a while ago though. She could've moved since then… I know a couple of guys who've had their eyes on her so —"
"No, that's good," Nick said, not wanting to hear about other men interested in Amanda. He felt his possessive streak rear its ugly head, which only made him all the more determined to resume his search. "Thanks."
"Hey, Mr. Santiago," she called, stopping him before he could leave. She walked toward him, closing the distance between them. She looked around the room to make sure no one could hear her whisper or be close enough to read her lips. "I'd be careful around Savannah. She gets obsessed with clients, so if you didn't like your experience with her, I'd just cut her out completely. Don't lead her on… Don't even be nice to her."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You seem like a decent guy," she said with a shrug. "I'd hate to see you get screwed over by a crazy chick. And I'm not talking jealous ex type of crazy; I'm talking the kind of crazy that needs to be locked up."
Kim's knees burned from the carpet. Her jaw was locked, lips wrapped around a man so she could take him down her throat. His hand was tangled in the beehive of her hair, guiding her up and down in an unforgiving rhythm. This was her third of the evening, but she closed her eyes and pretended it was the first.
She was surprised to learn that the handsome Mr. Santiago was interested. She thought she felt sparks the first time she met him at the party in Manhattan, but she doubted the feelings were mutual. It wasn't often they had a client so attractive, so courteous… so perfect. It was either they were kind, older men who looked like ass, or they were beautiful yet cruel just like the man who had her on her knees.
She usually didn't mind giving blowjobs because her clients would always tell her she was great at it. She'd have them coming back for more even when they could have one of the many sluts working the parties. It was a skill she was good at. A rare thing when she was always playing second fiddle to her sister.
Amanda was the smart one, the athletic one — and as much as she hated to admit it — the pretty one. She made a name for herself in the big city, leaving Loganville in the rearview mirror just as she had promised herself when she was a little girl. She set her mind out to do something and she did it. Everything came easy for her, like she never had to try because everything just naturally fell on perfect, little Amanda's lap.
"Yeah, swirl your tongue like that…"
When it came to sex, the tables turned. Kim knew she had the upper hand. Not only did she have more experience, but she knew how to please and satisfy a man. They would never stray if she had her way with them. Otherwise, why would Amanda's high school sweetheart come to Kim to get laid? Why would Mr. Santiago come seek her out for her services?
She wondered if he, too, was a cop just like Amanda. It seemed unlikely. She'd heard of dirty cops sleeping with prostitutes on the job, but something about him was different. The way he made love to her was beautiful; it was nothing like the other times those aggressive pigs got their hands on her. He made her feel special, and he hadn't even tried to deny their connection when Amanda walked into the room.
Kim knew Amanda would be looking for her. She just didn't think she'd make it this far into the sex society. She honestly didn't think her sister had the balls to do it. She thought she would never have to worry about Amanda finding out. The plan was to work for the sex society for a year, make enough money, and return home to Georgia. Amanda and their mom would never have to know.
The man groaned, impaling himself to the back of her throat.
Her tearful eyes squeezed shut. She pictured the night's earlier events, being in that room with Mr. Santiago hard and ready for her. He was so beautiful, surrendering his control to her; not like the man looming over her now. This man was violent. After releasing his seed into her mouth, he would take her from behind and hiss obscenities in her ear. She usually didn't mind playing a submissive in bed, but this man had straight-up rape fantasies.
He was a sick man.
He pulled her hair back, snapping her neck up to face him. A line of saliva bridged between the head of his dick and her swollen and parted lips. She blinked, adjusting in the darkness to meet the icy blue eyes of Sheriff Ben Finch.
Amanda ran down the stairs whilst clutching the robe close to her chest. Somewhere along the way she had lost an earring. It was a real diamond, too, so it must've cost a small fortune. But she couldn't think about what she owed the department, not when she needed to get as far away from Leo as possible. She knew what she did would have repercussions. Despite last week's tantrum to get a meeting with the sex society's Madame, Leo was still high up the ladder. She wouldn't have been surprised if this would be the last time she and Nick were invited to one of their parties.
She scanned the great room. The sun had completely set behind the trees, the view outside obscured by darkness. Inside, people had lost all inhibitions. Naked and unfazed, they stumbled around the room, yelling in boisterous laughter. Drinks were flowing. The scent of sex thick like Southern humidity.
A dark head of hair appeared amidst the crowd. He turned around and his sad eyes connected with hers. For a second, she thought he looked relieved; but she wouldn't bank on it. Not after what she had put him through tonight.
But Nick advanced to her, his eyes so focused like he was afraid of losing her again. Her stomach uncoiled from its knots and she felt like she was suspended mid-air. He couldn't even get within two feet of Amanda before she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and clinging on for dear life. She didn't care if she appeared needy. She didn't care if this was a claim to safety. She was just so relieved to be with Nick.
He held her tightly in his arms, burrowing his face in her hair. She slid her hands from his shoulder blades to his jaw, pulling away slightly to press their foreheads together. His racing heartbeat was in synchrony with hers.
"I'm sorry," they spoke in unison.
"Amanda, no —"
She cut him off with a gentle kiss. "I believe you."
It was all Nick needed to hear. He closed his eyes and whispered something against her lips; she couldn't quite make it out. All she could see was this strong man right in front of her, revealing every last inch of vulnerability. He was hurt and she couldn't bear to make him feel any worse by telling him about Leo.
Remembering the man she left upstairs, Amanda took a quick glance over her shoulder to check if he was there. She had every right to be paranoid because sure enough, he was standing midway up the staircase, his hooded eyes watching them like a hawk. She took Nick's hand and led him out of view, casting one look behind her to ensure Leo wasn't following them. When he had stayed put, getting distracted by his harem of women, Amanda sighed in relief.
"What's going on?" Nick asked, concern etched in his voice. He looked her over like he was assessing a victim after a 911 call. She knew it wasn't his intention, but it made her feel small. "Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head.
"I swear to god if he touched you, I'm gonna kill him."
Her grip tightened around his wrist. "Nick." She raised a brow in warning. "I'm fine. Look, this whole night has been a mess. And I realized we've been going about this the wrong way."
Her fingers toyed with his bracelet. The small, circular light glowed yellow just as it did the week before. Choosing that option might have allowed them to run into Kim, but it wasn't worth all the pain. Exchanging a look with Nick, she turned the light red.
Nick took her left hand and did the same. If he had it his way, he would never be back for another party; but this would suffice. At least he could rest easy knowing they were only there for each other, not to be taken advantage of by anyone else. Their fingers intertwined and he raised them higher, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.
"You know this means I'm never letting you out of my sight."
The severity of his statement made goosebumps rise on her flesh. Her first instinct was to recoil at the exertion of machismo, but she realized he had said it out of his own fear of losing her. He was so distressed by the thought of anyone causing her harm that it physically pained him to not be able to keep her safe. And at that point, she was so done being reckless. It was irresponsible throwing herself headlong into an investigation without taking her partner and herself into consideration.
For the first time in her life, Amanda was letting a man save her.