Page 36 of The House Beyond the Dunes

Sully. Right. We met at Joey’s. I like Sully, loved having sex with him. “Good morning.”

I roll on my back, and he shifts, grabs a condom from the nightstand, and slips it on. He pulls back the sheets, and I open my legs.

He slides inside me, moving slowly, as if he’s in no rush. Last night had a frenzied pace, but not this morning. Now he wants to savor.

I’m not sure how I feel about this version of Sully—the slow, patient lover. There’s more emotion, tenderness, and both make me feel uncomfortable. I need to set him on fire and find a quick release for us both.

My hand moves from his shoulders to his butt as I cup my breast with the other. I arch into him and, moaning, wrap a leg around him. His eyes darken and his muscles grow taut. He’s trying to maintaincontrol, but I won’t have it. I push against his shoulders, and he slides out of me. I coax him onto his back and mount him. He clamps a hand on each hip, and I move faster. My hair spills over my breasts as I arch back.

For his viewing pleasure, I hold his gaze as I lower my fingers to my center and rub. His grip on my hips tightens as I come, and pleasure rockets through me. Unable to hold out now, he flips me on my back again and drives into me faster and faster until his body grows rigid.

When he collapses against me, he says, “You weren’t playing fair.”

“All’s fair.”

He chuckles. “I need to shower and get ready for work. Join me.”

“You go first. I’m going to make coffee.”

He places a lingering kiss on my lips. “Sounds good.”

I dress, and when I hear the shower turn on, I leave his house. I’m not interested in chitchat over coffee, and I’d be surprised if he really is as well. It was fun. But time to move on.

After breakfast at a small café, I settle in the lobby of a nice hotel, cup of coffee in hand, and hang out until the manager asks who I’m waiting for. I move to the next hotel. Rinse and repeat until it’s time to go to Joey’s.

Parking in the alleyway, I’m compelled to walk the ground where the nightmare began. My mind is clever. It’s softened the details around the trauma and erased most of the memories. I don’t remember exactly where they took me or my walk back toward home. What lingers are fragments and rage. I want to find these men. It’s why I return here whenever I can. The universe owes me a small win. And when I find them, I’ll kill them both.

Inside the bar, the night kicks off quickly. Nikki is late again, and one of the waitresses doesn’t show. It’s all hands on deck.

Sully also doesn’t return. One part of me hopes he’ll return, and the other is glad he’s not here. Getting too familiar never ends well. Besides, last night for him was balm for the ex-wife’s remarriage. We both gave as good as we got. No harm, no foul.

The bar is hopping tonight. Everyone is squeezing as much as they can into this long weekend. Joey is pissed with Nikki, but he doesn’t have time to dwell. Neither do I. The tips are good.

“Thanks for coming in, Stevie,” Joey says as he sets a hot rack of clean glasses on the bar.

I notice more hints of gray, and those frown lines are etched deeper than normal. “No problem. Any word from Nikki?”

“Nothing. I’ve called several times.” He shakes his head. “I thought a job would help her get her act together, but I guess not. If you hadn’t showed, I’d have been screwed tonight.”

I unload the warm glasses from the sanitizer tray. “That’s not like her, is it?”

Worry furrows his brow. “She’s only been here a couple of weeks and been late more often than not, but she’s always been good about calling.”

“Has anyone gone by her apartment?” Kids like Nikki could be undependable. Most find another job and don’t bother to let their current employer know they’ve left. Nikki is a bit of a flake, so she fits the profile.

“No.”

“Maybe someone should.”

“Let me get through tonight, okay? I can’t turn down the income to chase after another employee that’s a no-show.” The words rush out on a sigh. Joey’s tired, and this is a fight he doesn’t want.

Shit. This is not my business. I’m a temp. Work for cash. Make no commitments. But Nikki had given me a soda. “I’ll swing by after my shift.”

A faint smile tugs at his lips. “Thanks, kid.”

“Write down her address.”

“Will do.”

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