“Don’t do it.” Cash orders, but I ignore him and look towards Tin. “Tin-Man, I want you by my side.”
He steps forward. With pride in his voice he says, “I always am.”
Kittens & Claws
Shay
I rub the fur on the back of Butter’s neck and plead with her to quiet down. “Shhhh, please.” I swear every step I take, her meows get louder.
I found the kitten this morning huddled under Nina’s porch when I arrived at her house for coffee. I fell in love with the butter-colored kitten the moment I laid eyes on it. She is part of a litter from one of the neighborhood stray cats and Nina planned to take them to the animal shelter. After holding the kitten, I knew I couldn’t let her go.
Rachel giggles as she walks beside me. “I don’t know what you’re so worried about; Bowie won’t mind that you got a cat.”
“I don’t know about that,” Tag mutters as he opens the door for us.
“Well, you don’t know my brother very well,” She states in snarky voice and walks past him.
To say that Tag and Rachel didn’t get along is an understatement. They fight over the silliest things. They’re always at each other’s throats, but I think there is a bit of something behind the hostility. I figure I’ll catch them kissing any day now.
As soon as I step inside, I stop to place the kitten on the floor. She meows and prances away. As I straighten up, I see a woman sitting on my couch, a woman I don’t know. She is wearing a micro-mini skirt and her shirt is cut so low her boobs could fall out at any moment. I’m distracted from the heavy makeup that is caked on her face by her hair; it’s black as night on one side and bright white on the other. I’ve never seen anything like her in my life. I notice all these things before I notice the scowl on her face. A scowl that is directed at me.
“Well, lookie there. If it isn’t Bowie’s little piece,” She says as she stands up, not bothering to straighten her skirt even though it has ridden up to her panties.
I’m so shocked by her presence and her words that I just stand there, not able to form a reply.
“Mom, what in the fuck are you doing here,” Tag shouts, stepping in front of me and Rachel.
Mom? This is his mom, the same woman that let him live in a barn for months. I have the urge to rush over there and scratch her eyes out, but I don’t get the chance. Tag puts his hands behind his back, directing us to the kitchen. I follow his lead, pulling Rachel with me.
Judging by his reaction to her, her visit isn’t going to be pleasant. My first priority has to be keeping Rachel safe. If I can get her out of the room, I can come back and protect Tag. Running away isn’t working though. She is just following us. Her every step is predatory, looking like she could attack at any moment.
“I wanted to talk to the new girl on the block. We Old Ladies need to stick together.”
I look at her, not noticing a cutt or any ink on her arm. She looks more like the girls I saw at the clubhouse, the ones that Bowie called club whores. I doubt this woman is anyone’s Old Lady, and Tag’s next words verify my assumption.
“You’re no one’s Old Lady, Mom. You’re nothing but the old man’s whore.”
The words are barely out of his mouth, before the woman slaps him across the face with enough force the send his head to the side. Seeing this, I’ve had enough. I look back at Rachel and point towards the hall. “Go to my bedroom and stay in there until Tag or I come and get you.”
I wait until I hear her footsteps running up the stairs then turn back to the woman who dared lay a hand on Tag. I step forward, hoping to protect him from any more abuse. “You need to leave.”
She snickers. “Oh, so you’re not gonna hide behind my kid’s back anymore?”
“I’m not hiding at all,” I say, standing toe to toe with her.
“Shay, don’t.” Tag says, trying to pull me back.
“She’s not gonna touch you again,” I shake off his hold, not wanting to look weak in front of her. “I said you need to leave.”
I try to keep the fear from my voice but it’s hard. There is something about this woman that is frightening. My dad always said you could tell a lot about a person by their eyes, and hers are dead. She has the same look Bowie’s father did both times I have seen him, pure evil.
“Who’s gonna make me, you and the two brats?”
“No, I am,” Bowie says, walking through the open door. He stalks towards her, pure fury filling his features. “I already told you once, bitch. I don’t want to see you anywhere near my woman.”
“I just wanted to visit my son. It’s a mother’s right.”
Tag snorts out a bitter laugh. “You haven’t seen me in a year, so why start now? Shit, you’re not my mom; you’re just the woman that pushed me out. Shay has been more of a mom to me in the past few weeks than you’ve ever been.”
Bowie doesn’t let her respond, just grabs her arm in a death grip. She lets out a pain-filled scream and tries to pull away, but he doesn’t let her go. He forces her across the room and through the door. I watch as he tosses her off the porch and she lands in a crumpled heap on the ground.
He crosses his arms and growls out. “I didn’t hurt your ass this time because of your kid. Next time you pull this shit, you won’t be breathing anymore.”
With those words, he walks back in the house and slams the door. He stands in the living room, pulling in deep breaths. I can tell he’s trying to get control, so I stay away. I have a million questions; I want to know why she was really here, but I stay silent almost afraid to open my mouth. The silence is quickly broken, by a loud meow as Butters curls around his foot.
Bowie looks down at her then back at me. “What the fuck is that?”
I don’t answer his question. Instead, I drop my purse on the floor and run to him. He catches me as I launch myself into his arms. My legs circle his hips, while my face finds its way into the crook of his neck. “Thank God you’re home.”
His hands cup my ass as he walks us past Tag. A chin lift is all he gives, before walking down the hall and taking the stairs two at a time. He uses his boot to push open the door to our bedroom. Once inside, he sees Rachel sitting on the bed. Even his own sister doesn’t get a hello. “Go on downstairs, Priss.”
She looks at the way Bowie is holding me and smirks. “You two are disgusting,” With that, she climbs from the bed and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Bowie ignores her exit and walks us straight to the bed. Tossing me on it, I land with a bounce. When I look up, I can see the heat in his eyes. Knowing what he wants, my hands go directly to my shirt and I pull it over my head. I get a nod of approval before he grabs the bottom of his own shirt. Within seconds, all of our clothes are gone and he places a knee to the bed. “Spread for me, Shay.”
I do so without hesitation as my heart starts to race. He kneels between my thighs, running his finger through my wet slit before circling my clit. I gasp at the sensation and he looks down at me with a smile on his lips. The lust in his eyes pulls another gasp from me.
“I swear I’ve been having withdrawals from this sweet little pussy. I need to taste you, baby. Need to devour you,” He says, resting his weight on his elbows as he leans forward, dragging his tongue lightly over my outer lips. He pulls away for a moment and then his hands are on me, spreading my legs wider. Then, his calloused fingers open my pussy to the cool air. I shiver at the exposure, but it’s quickly gone as his tongue dips into my core. The sensation is so exquisite my breath catches, “Mmm, this is what I was missin’ baby,” Bowie growls into my sensitive folds before he sucks my clit into his mouth. Each pull from his mouth has my body arching off the bed. My hips held in place with his strong grip is the only thing keeping me in place.
Finally, he lets my sensitive nub go in favor of licking teasing circles around my swollen flesh. “Bowie, I need you.”
“Tell me what you need, Shay,” His voice rumbles against me, causing me to shudder.
I’m a panting mess of want, my brain can’t even form a thought beyond needing more. “More,” I beg, just as I asked he sucks my clit back into his mouth. I can feel my orgasm tightening in the pit of my stomach. “In me, in me…” my words are incoherent, but he responds by thrusting two fingers deep inside me.
“You’re so fuckin’ wet. You going to come for me now, baby?”
My head thrashes back and forth on the bed, “I want to come with you. Please, Bowie, I need to feel you.”
Without another word he moves up my body and his cock is filling me inch by inch. His powerful strokes light a fire inside of me. I can feel my muscles tightening around him. “That’s it, baby, let go. Milk my cock.”
His words are all I need to tumble into oblivion. My orgasm explodes in giant waves, I cling to Bowie like a lifeline, my legs wrapped around him, holding him to me while his thrusts lose rhythm. I can feel his cock jerk inside me as he finds his own release. His body relaxes down onto mine “Fuck, I missed you, baby.” I lift my shaking hands to his face and whisper. “I missed you too, Bowie.”
He looks down at me, his eyes glowing with something I don’t quite understand. “That’s not what I want to hear, Shay.”
“What?” I ask, not understanding what he’s talking about.
“I want the other words, baby. I need you to say them again.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” At this point the change in conversation has me confused.
He lowers his face, rubbing his cheek against mine. “I want you to tell me you love me again.”
Panic rushes through my body, causing me to go stiff. Tell him, again? I have to wonder what he is talking about. Then, it all comes back. Last night’s session of phone sex, my sleepy admission. Oh, my God! How could I have been so stupid?
I do love him, really do, but I had no plan of telling him so. Mostly because I have no idea why I feel the way I do. He’s not the kind of man I thought I would fall for. He isn’t what I dreamed of all those years that Marcus forced me to stay by his side. Bowie isn’t gentle or sweet, but he is the man I love.
I close my eyes and pray for courage, before finally whispering the words he wants. “I love you, Bowie.”
He doesn’t say the words back to me, just brings his lips to mine and gives me a kiss. I can feel his cock hardening inside of me again, so I lift my hips. He begins to move in a slow pace. Finally, he pulls his mouth from mine and looks into my eyes. I watch as he starts to say something, but stops when his phone starts to ring.
Grabbing onto his hips, I beg. “Ignore it.”
His eyes move to bedside table where he tossed the phone, while undressing. “I can’t, too much shit is going down right now.”
Without pulling out of me, he reaches over and puts it to his ear. He growls out, “This better be good.”
A Widow
Bowie
“Is Shay with you?” Lock asks in a voice filled with anger and worry.
“Yeah, man. She’s right here.” I reply, wondering what in the fuck is going on now. I talked to him a few hours ago, and he said everything was good.
“Marcus is heading your way,” Lock shouts into the phone.
I jerk away from Shay, going to my knees between her legs. My body is vibrating with anger. “What the fuck?”
“I got called in for a double yesterday, so I didn’t get to check in on him for about twenty hours. By the time I got home he was already gone to work, so I didn’t think shit about the radio silence. I went ahead and went to sleep, figured I’d go back to see if anything happened when I got up.”
“I don’t need a play-by-play, brother. Just tell me what the fuck is happening.”
I can hear him slamming the door of his truck and starting the engine, before he replies. “About two hours after I left for work, he received a phone call from a man he called Alexander Bailey.”
Hearing my own name, the name I share with my father, come from Lock’s mouth has my anger turning in to fury. “What the fuck was Cash calling him for?”
“He told Marcus that he knew where the package was.”
I jump from the bed and shout, “Fuck! How in the hell does he even know who Marcus is?”
I hear a whimper and look down to see Shay still laying there with her legs spread, totally exposed. I watch as panic spreads across her face. I can feel the fear radiating from her; it’s filling the entire room. “What did I tell you about being afraid?”
”What are you talking about?” She questions as she scoots up, so she is leaning against the headboard with her arms wrapped tightly around her bare legs.
“I’m right here, Shay. Nothing can hurt you while I’m around, not a damn thing.”
“But…” She starts to say, but I reach down and cup her jaw.
“Don’t say something that’s gonna piss me off. I already told you that your fear is an insult. Believe me, right now is not the time to be pissing me off.”
She stares at me a moment then takes a deep breath. “Okay, Bowie.”
Turning away from her, I walk over to the window and ask Lock my question again. “How do Cash and Marcus even know each other?”
“I don’t know. That’s the first call I’ve caught between the two of them. I haven’t been able to listen in on every phone call he’s received, but I’ve listened to my fair share. It looks like I would’ve known if they’d been in contact before. Still, there’s no way this is the first time they’ve talked unless someone else has been relaying messages.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck! “When will he be here?”
“He’s either already there, or he’ll be in Kentucky tonight.”
“Are you sure?”
I can hear him light a cigarette, before he replies. “Not sure, but another call came through a few hours ago, telling him that he needed to be in Kentucky tonight. My guess is he flew out right away.”
Fuck, Cash must have called Marcus the moment he left the clubhouse. This is all my fault. Shay is in danger, because I didn’t put a bullet in my father’s head. I won’t make that mistake again. “I’ll take care of it.”
His voice sounds strained as he asks, “There’s more.”