The ties that bind 2, p.23
The Ties That Bind 2, page 23
part #2 of The Ties That Bind Series
“I see,” Shore replied evenly. “May I ask what’s motivating your decision? You’re damn good at what you do. Replacing you is going to be a helluva trial process, hopefully with minimal error.”
“Thank you, sir. It’s been an honor to serve this bureau and my country. I’ve learned a great deal under your exemplary leadership. My reasons for leaving are personal. I’d rather not discuss them.”
“Does it have anything to do with your little girl? She’s not so little anymore, though, correct? How’s she doing?”
Marcus wasn’t shocked that Shore knew about Billy as the ATF did extensive background checks on all potential agents. He was amazed, though, considering in the entire time they’d known each other, which spanned more than a decade, Shore had never inquired about Billy or Melody beforehand.
“No, sir, she’s not.”
“I imagine she wouldn’t be,” Shore grunted. “They can’t stay young forever. No matter how much we wish it was so.”
There was a pause before the director admitted, “I always thought I’d be training you to take my place someday, Glover. It’s the reason I assigned you that watch. With the amount of traffic coming through there, Chatham is a hub for illegal activity, and you’ve got the patience of a saint.”
“Yet, it hasn’t produced the results you were expecting.”
Marcus was referring to Barrera. The clock was winding down until Shore’s retirement. It seemed he’d have to retire without taking down the Capitán, a prime catch for the bureau.
“No, it hasn’t. The results of his meeting with the MCs were highly disappointing, but I’ve led a very credible career. Frankly, that’s all I could’ve hoped for. I don’t suppose you’d retract your notice and come in from the front lines for desk duty, instead? Or perhaps even instructing?”
The years spent in this dust bucket hadn’t really turned up information of value to make a move on Gualtierro Barrera or his cartel. It was a waste of Marcus’ time, and he was more than happy to relinquish his watch to someone who had some to spare. His priorities had shifted with the death of his ex-wife and their daughter’s visit. He wanted to spend more time with Billy. She insisted that she was grown and independent, but they needed each other. His daughter had enriched Marcus’ world, making him see that there was more to life than a career he’d begun to feel burnt out from.
“Sir, I appreciate your faith in me. However, I think it’s time for me to put in my papers.”
They spoke for a few minutes more, and before hanging up, Marcus let him know that he’d send in a formal letter of resignation before the week’s end. He was relieved to get that out of the way and would tell Lorelai of his decision this morning. His thoughts drifted to Claudia, and his relief mixed with regret. Marcus couldn’t stay in this town and not fuck her again. He felt an inexplicable connection to the married woman. They both knew it was only a matter of time before they gave in to the cravings. Marcus refused to be that dick that broke “Man Law”. He was considered a catch, and the world was filled with plenty of other women who had freedom of choice to want and vie for his attention. Case in point, the one standing in his doorway knocking.
“Rise and shine, “Sleeping Beauty”,” Lorelai joked. “We need to decorate the bar before opening. I pulled out all the holiday lights and decorations last night and double-checked that all of the bulbs were working, too.” She grinned excitedly. “We’re good to go!”
Marcus gave no indication that he was aware of her wearing next to nothing. Lorelai’s tits were practically falling out of her white camisole, and the high cut of her white, lacy bikini panties, drew attention to her sexy legs. Puckered nipples pressed urgently against the thin cotton fabric, daring him to refuse a taste. Her skimpy attire was a deceptive move, meant to entice. Lorelai was a stunning woman, but Marcus wasn’t trying to ride the casual-fuck express they’d been hopping on and off for the last several years. Even if she did look like his favorite treat of fresh honeycomb that he bought from a local beekeeper in Albuquerque.
“Morning. Gimme some time to take a shower and shave my head, and I’ll be down.” Marcus waited for her to leave because they both also knew that he slept in the nude.
Instead, Lorelai leaned against the doorway, deliberately allowing one strap of her camisole to slide down her shoulder. She was horny as hell and needed Marcus on the same page, so they could do some nasty, rewarding shit it. The thought of him taming her with that big dick made her clutch the door frame for support.
“Need some help?” she suggested, eyes glazing with desire. “It’d be just like old times. We both know how…helpful I can be…”
Perhaps this situation warranted a second assessment, Marcus thought, his dick perking up at her proposal. Lorelai was horny and wanted him. He was horny and wanted someone who was unavailable. Marcus could easily replace Claudia in his bed, but would the feelings be the same? Maybe he’d hung his hopes too high on that night. Maybe it was just the feeling of new pussy?
Fuck it.
Life was supposed to be about seasons of change. Marcus was tired of living his in limbo. Either way, he was still feeling some way after Lorelai’s bitch move to their boss the day Billy left. He wouldn’t be making shit easy for her any time soon. Marcus leaned back against the pillows and made himself comfortable under the covers.
“Nah, I’m straight. Was there something else you needed, Lorelai?”
He was going to make her initiate it, she realized irritably. She loved being in control everywhere but the bedroom. That was Rage’s domain and Lorelai loved it. They hadn’t fucked in a while and normally, he’d be ready to beat her pussy up. Currently, he barely looked interested. Men were always interested in her. To hell with it. She was a master at manipulating situations, and this would be no different. Lorelai entered the room, putting an extra sway in her hips as she approached the bed and crawled her way up its length until she arrived at Marcus’ side. Kneeling before him, she proudly removed her camisole, allowing him to look his fill.
Marcus took note of Lorelai’s spectacular breasts. There was a time when he couldn’t keep his lips or hands off them when offered, but he’d begun to see Lorelai for what she was: a gorgeous woman he could never fall for. She was too cold and calculated for love. Lorelai was like a diamond—beautiful, hard, and cutting. Marcus didn’t hold it against her, though. At the end of the day, you had to look out for yourself. Being a woman in their profession was hard, but being a black woman in this profession was beyond challenging and damn near impossible to achieve. Marcus didn’t begrudge her any success.
Lorelai pulled his comforter back and had to give a moan of appreciation for this finely chiseled black man. She licked her lips hungrily as her fingers reverently trailed over the length of his beard, which now lay against his chest, then down his powerful thighs and legs. Lorelai focused on what she was most interested in: the long, powerful muscle against his stomach. She kissed him, luxuriating in the feel of his full, soft lips as she settled her panty-clad pussy on his shaft, allowing Rage to feel how ready she was for him through the dampened scrap of fabric.
Marcus scooted back, sitting up against his headboard, and Lorelai followed suit, the sunlight from the window behind his bed shining directly on her burnished-gold form. He allowed his dick to make the choice for him. Expertly, Marcus explored her mouth with his tongue, and Lorelai tangled her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, rubbing her breasts against his chest.
“You want it, Lo?” Marcus teased, capturing her hips and grinding her down on his hardness, creating a hot, sweet friction between their legs. “How do you want it?”
She loved it when Rage called her by his private nickname for her. Lorelai tangled her tongue with his, writhing and panting.
“I don’t even care, Daddy,” she moaned, pressing kisses down his neck. “Just give it to me.”
Her teeth sank into his flesh and she laughed, enjoying Marcus’ feral growl. His strong, thick fingers slipped past her panty line and traveled between her bountiful ass cheeks.
“What about here? I think I’ll start here first, Lo.”
Marcus utilized her arousal as lubricant and eased her forward, making it smoother for him to penetrate her ass. Lorelai gripped his bald head, locking her lips to his, and slowly rocked back on his finger.
“Like this? You want me to fuck your ass before taking that pussy, Lo?”
“Uh, yeah,” she grunted as one finger turned into two, and Marcus’ lips fell to her rigid nipples. “Yes, please.”
“Then say it.” Marcus was working on threading a third finger in, but paused, eyebrow raised for Lorelai’s confirmation. His teeth grazed her nipple and she shuddered with need.
“Rage, baby, give it to me just the way I like,” Lorelai begged, nibbling on his lips, loving how wickedly he was toying with her. She sank her teeth into his lower lip, and sucked on it, savoring his taste. “Or at least start there first…”
The shrill ringing of the phone made Marcus hesitate. Lorelai kept going, though, kissing all over his face and neck as she glided up and down on his fingers, feeling her body relax and ready itself to receive all of him. “Ignore it, Rage. Please. I need you inside of me right now!”
He gave her a sharp look. “No. Babygirl always calls at this time.”
Marcus eased his fingers out of her ass and grabbed the cordless with his other hand. Lorelai flung herself off him with an infuriated huff. Balefully, she tracked him as he left the bed and entered his bathroom, the door shutting behind him. Lorelai simmered with resentment, listening to the running faucet. She imagined Rage washing his hands as he chatted with babygirl. Lorelai knew once he was done on the phone they wouldn’t be resuming where he’d cut them off. Billy’s arrival last summer had changed everything for and around them.
Lorelai rolled off her back and leaped from the bed. On his nightstand was a framed picture that Ransom had given him via Shakes. It was a picture of Billy the biker had taken when they visited Roswell. Feeling spiteful, Lorelai knocked it off the nightstand and it fell in between the small space between it and the bed. She grabbed her camisole and headed for the door, but her conscience nagged her to go back and pick the frame up.
“Shit!”
She stomped back over and bent down to retrieve it. Something drew her attention from underneath the bed, by the wall, below the window. It was small but brightly colored, and the sunlight reflecting off it was eye catching. Lorelai crawled underneath the bed, straining to reach it. Once her fingers connected with it, she pulled herself out and stood up, holding it up to the light for examination.
The breath whooshed from her body as she realized it was the broken tip of a woman’s oval-shaped, crimson-colored nail. In Rage’s bedroom. Underneath his bed. The anger and outrage of a scorned woman and training of a federal agent working a crime scene kicked in at once. The motherfucker had brought another woman into his bed under their roof. She reached over and touched the wood headboard. Rage was a fucking animal in the sack. Lorelai could easily see the bitch being fucked savagely from behind and trying to hold on to the headboard for support. She would have been grasping for purchase to keep up with ‘Super Dick’. Rage’s sexual prowess was legendary. His performance, Oscar worthy. His stamina and skills would have put this faceless bitch through the ringer. Flailing to stay up, she’d have clawed at the wood but eventually broken.
Just like her fucking nail.
The serrated daggers of pain and betrayal stabbed at Lorelai’s heart. She had to check her thirsty ass and remind herself that they weren’t even a couple. She felt dirty and ashamed for even knocking on his door and groveling for his penis. If Billy hadn’t interrupted them, Lorelai would have let Marcus use and ride her like a roller coaster.
How long had this been going on?
And who was the woman??
“How are you doing, babygirl?”
“I’m fine,” Billy spoke cautiously.
An awkward silence ensued when she didn’t elaborate.
Lorelai already out of his mind, Marcus kicked the bathroom door shut behind him. He shouldered the phone and washed his hands. “Just fine? I thought you were all lovey-dovey over the moon because of what’s-his-face? Did he do something to you?”
“His name is Ransom, Dad,” she reprimanded him. “And to answer your question, yes, I’m happy and he’s happy; we’re both happy. As in, no one’s breaking up. I know that’s what you expected when you confided in me.”
With a frown, Marcus dried his hands and sat down on the edge of his bathtub. “Aye! Let’s get one thing clear. I told you that because as your father, it’s my duty to protect you. I want to keep you out of Chatham. Let that man come to you. I know Ransom loves you and because of that, he may withhold shit to protect you. If that’s the case, he’s really doing you a disservice. Now, your mama didn’t baby you, and I refuse to either anymore. Short of kidnapping you and locking you away, I can’t stop y’all from being together. I’m just doing my best to make sure your flowers don’t wilt away for good and all you have left are thorns.
Always remember who you are, Billy. I know that you ain’t just your mama’s daughter. You’re the woman who drove all the way to Chatham, unknowing of what reception awaited you. You’re the woman who fired a shot off in my bar and unapologetically stood your ground in a roomful of bikers. A fucking force of nature that can’t be harnessed. In other words, unstoppable. Don’t let anyone ever change that. You see some shit around the MC you don’t like, remember who you are. Not who he is to you! We clear on that? Don’t let life make you hard or dependent on anyone else,” Marcus finished softly.
“Hey, Dad?”
Never had manning the fuck up been so hard as the first time she’d called him “Daddy”. Like a duck to water, she’d immediately taken to it as if Marcus had always been there all her life, humbling the fuck out of him.
“Yeah, babygirl?”
“Ransom invited me to Chatham for the holidays. I wanted to make sure that you would be available to spend it with me as well.” Billy let it sink in, suddenly nervous because she was unsure if he even wanted to spend the time with her. “I know that you have to work, but if you had time—”
“Absolutely, Billy. I’ll make up the spare room, and you can stay with us.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think so, Dad. I’ve got plans and I could use your assistance.”
“I refuse to help you decorate your love shack, if that’s where this conversation is going,” Marcus growled.
Billy laughed. “I’ll call you with details as soon as I finalize them. Listen, I have another call. Talk to you next week?”
“Bet, sweetheart. Take care of yourself. Love you.”
“Wait!”
“What’s up?”
“I just want you to know that I heard every word you said. I love you, too. Tell Lorelai I said hi. Bye.”
Marcus hung up and emerged from the bathroom, surprised to find Lorelai sitting on his bed with a steely look. Damn, he’d forgotten all about her, but was relieved that she’d put her clothes back on. Fucking her would have been a terrible idea. He didn’t want to use Lorelai or be used in return. From this point on, Marcus planned to keep shit one hundred percent professional and his bedroom door locked.
He rubbed his nape sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Billy said to tell you hi.”
Lorelai gave a bare minimum smile. “How is she? I heard she and Ransom got back together.”
Surprise registered on Marcus’ face. “Who told you that?”
“Claudia mentioned it on Tuesday when I stopped by Lawson’s Automotive to get coolant,” she explained, trying to conceal her volatile emotions.
Bastard had the nerve to look relieved that she was dressed instead of impatiently waiting naked for him!
“How do you feel about their reconciliation?”
“It is what it is.” Marcus sat down next to her on the bed, just not too close to give Lorelai the wrong idea. He spread his hands, indicating it was out of his control. “She may be deemed an adult by law, but she’ll always be my baby.”
“Time will tell.” Lorelai pushed her curls out of her face to see him better.
“She’s coming out here for Christmas, and I offered her a place to stay,” he calmly informed her.
I mean, this nigga had no motherfucking respect at all for her or their space!
“Rage…is that really for the best? I thought we talked about this. Don’t jeopardize your career or mine with your personal shit,” she warned. “I’m not sticking my neck out for you!”
Typical Lorelai, Marcus thought with a derisive chuckle. “First of all, I didn’t ask your ass to. I know where we stand on the subject. I’m done after the holidays.”
“Done?” she echoed suspiciously. “What do you mean done?”
“I mean exactly that. I talked to Shore this morning and gave my notice.”
“You gave him your notice?!” Lorelai leaped up from the bed. “Why the hell would you do something like that? Don’t you think that was something I should have been privy to?!”
“What the fuck are we even doing here, Lorelai?” Marcus wondered tiredly. “Barrera was here and nothing happened! We’re just manning a watch for the ‘just in case’. I didn’t sign up to waste my life away here. I requested a department change a long time ago, and the approval was apparently contingent upon catching Barrera. It’s time for me to move on. I’m over this shit.”
This couldn’t be happening. They were good together. She always had his back, and he wouldn’t find anyone better than her. Lorelai could feel the onslaught of tears, and they maddened her. This wasn’t her! She wasn’t the woman whom men abandoned. She was the one they needed. Lorelai moved away, crossing to the other end of the room to stare out the window. Pressing her face to the cool pane, she closed her eyes, unable to believe that she cared for this selfish bastard as much as she did.
