Page 61 of Still Her

“They can do that without you, you know.”

“Earth to Mayzie! I’m their fucking agent! You think I can’t make their masters go missing? Or fuck with their schedule so they miss important appearances? Believe me, I can do things to make their face value drop like a rock, Kitten. Now, it’s time to drop the tough girl act and accept the fact that I’m a man who always gets what he wants.”

That’s it. I know I’ve gotten what the cops need and they can get me the hell out of here now.

He lets go of my dress and brings his hand up so that both are now on my face, holding me in place as he prepares to bring his mouth down to maul mine; putting him in the perfect position. I decide to go for broke and try what Shane taught me. I bring my arms up on the inside of Eli’s and push my thumbs into his eyes. He lets out a strangled growl in response and releases me to try to pull my hands away.

“Oh, you think you’re such asshark!” I shout the last word loud and clear, and then, with anger and adrenaline on my side, I throw my knee into his junk. The wind seems to leave Eli’s lungs as he doubles over with the pain I just delivered to his crotch, coughing and sputtering. Just as he lifts his head and pins me with a glare that says he’s about to come at me again, the door is kicked open, and Morris, followed by several uniforms charge in, their guns drawn.

“Eli Costa! Hands in the air!” They yell, charging towards him, making him step away from me.

I slink back against the wall, letting it hold me up as I take in the site of police officers circling Eli in the middle of the opulent suite, their feet moving swiftly across the marble floor. My breath is coming out in gasps and pants as I try to come to terms with the idea that they’ve got him now. I pull the top of my dress back around me and close my eyes, trying to escape reality and steady my breathing, but more commotion draws my attention to the door. Two more uniforms come flying through it followed by Jack, who runs straight towards me. He pulls me to him, wrapping an arm around my head and the other around my back as if he’s trying to conceal me and protect me.

“Get him in cuffs before I break his fucking face!” I hear a loud voice shout. When I feel the booming in Jack’s chest, I realize it’s coming from him. It briefly startles me, but the feeling quickly dissipates and I slump against him. I put my face in his chest, trying to focus on nothing else but the warmth of his body and his comforting scent, blocking out everything else.

“It’s over, baby. It’s all over. You did amazing,” he says into the top of my hair. I hold on to his voice and grip the back of his shirt as if my sanity depends on it. I let him hold me, and I do my best to tune out all the commotion around us. I try to pretend it’s just him and me, and that we’re somewhere else. His strong arms around me feel like they’re infusing me with strength in the form of warmth spreading through my chest. Just when the sounds of Eli struggling with the cops starts breaking through my protective bubble, I feel my feet leave the floor as Jack scoops me up and carries me out of the room.

26

Mayzie

Back in thesuite that the cops have taken over, I sit on one of the couches, recounting my version of the events. I’m drained and shaken up at the same time, holding a cold pack to my cheek as Jack sits next to me, massaging my shoulders with his strong hands, making it easier to relive my time in Eli’s penthouse. There are times that I can feel him tense beside me when I go over a difficult part of the story. When I’m finished, I decline to go to the hospital.

“You’ve been through some trauma. You should get checked out,” The officer tells me.

“There’s nothing to check out, he just grabbed me,” I say firmly, waving my hand. At that, Jack leans forward with his arms resting on his knees, gripping his hands together. He closes his eyes and I can see his jaw clench and the tendons in his hands going tight. “Seriously, I think the asshole is worse off,” I add.

“Very well,” the cop concedes. “We’re done for right now. You guys can go back to your room for the night. We’ll be in contact in the morning.”Thank my lucky stars. It’s not even eight, but it’s been the longest night of my life.

Jack takes my hand, helps me stand, and leads me out the door, down the hall, and to the elevator. We ride down to our floor in silence, Jack holding me with my back against his chest, his chin resting on my head. When the doors open, we make our way down the hall, and Jack lets us into our room. Once we’re in, I immediately kick off my murderous heels and head over towards the bedroom, stopping just at the foot of the bed. The room is dark, save for the city lights casting a fractured hue into our room. Jack follows me and places his hands on my shoulders, searching my face. I can tell he’s afraid to let me out of his sight right now. That, and maybe he needs to focus on something to keep himself from putting his fist through a wall.

“Do you want a bath or something? Go straight to bed? What do you need?” Now that it’s just him and me in this quiet room, a variety of emotions are suddenly catching up to me, spreading over me like a flood. Jack standing in front of me, desperate to take care of me, rocks my core and stirs a fire in my belly and I know immediately what I need.

I throw my arms around his neck and smash my lips to his. He stumbles back a little, but his arms come around me as he reciprocates my ravaging kiss. We’re both breathing hard through our noses as our mouths stay locked. I lean my weight into him, making him step back to sit on the bed. I climb in his lap, straddling him, which causes my dress to ride up on my thighs. I take his face in my hands and continue kissing him on his mouth, his face, his neck.

“Mayzie…” he says between kisses. “Baby… what are you doing?” I don’t say anything, as I continue my assault, hoping he’ll follow my lead. “Mayzie… you’ve just been through hell, we should…” he tries again.

“I want you,” My voice is full of urgent desire. I just want to get lost in him, and forget about everything else tonight.

* * *

JACK

Mayzie is frantically grabbing for my belt as she kisses me.

“Mayzie, slow down, what are you doing?”

“I don’t want my memory of tonight to be all about that bastard.” She answers, managing to get my belt unbuckled. “Take me, Jack. Please. Please, right now, make me stop thinking about it.” Her words and her actions are nothing but frenzied and urgent.

“I will, but Mayzie-”

“Jack, please. I need you. Right now, please.” Her mouth goes back to my neck.

“I’m going to Mayzie, but slow down.” She continues to desperately pull at my shirt while kissing the part of my neck she knows makes me wild, making me have to focus extra hard on taking control of this.

“Mayzie, slow…down.” I say firmly, but my actions are gentler. I wrap an arm securely behind her back and cup the side of her face with my other hand. “Look at me,” I say, lowering my voice to a tender whisper. She stops pulling on my clothes and lets her eyes meet mine. Her mascara is slightly smudged and she has a look about her that is a mixture of desperation and defeat. “Let me go slow,” I say, still whispering.

“Jack,” she whimpers but I gently cut her off.

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