Fighting to Stay (8 page)

“Lace, I’m sorry.  Please don’t be mad at me,” Jenn hugs me.

“I’m not mad, silly woman.  How could I be?  You’ve got a life as well.  The world doesn’t revolve around me.”

“I know, but I but don’t want you to leave.  I’ve loved having you here with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Jenn.  For the first time ever, I just want to
stay.
”

“Good, ‘cause I don’t want you going anywhere.”

Jenn told me last night that she was going to sell her house and move in with Switch.  She was also going to come clean to her parents.  I knew this was a possibility, and I had been expecting it, but I don’t think Jenn realized that.  She was so upset when she told me last night, and again just now when she was apologizing. 

“Jenn, seriously, don’t cry.  I told you I was going to look for my own place anyways.  Staying with you was only temporary and I’m happy that you’re finally following your heart and moving things along with Switch.”

“I know, but I still feel bad.”

“Well, don’t,” I tell her firmly.  “Let’s eat.”

I grab a takeout noodle box and spin my fork, gathering up an enormous swirl of noodles with broccoli and beef.  Jenn does the same with her chicken and cashews dish, and we sit in comfortable silence, devouring our delicious Chinese takeout.  I reach over and grab the remote.  I press a button and the movie “Bridesmaids” begins to play.  Jenn and I snuggle up together and laugh until we cry.  Then, we eat Ben & Jerry’s chocolate icecream until we feel sick.

Halfway through watching our second movie of the night, my phone rings.  Roam’s name flashes across the screen, so I hug Jenn goodnight and go off to my room.
  The boys have been on a run for the last six days.  Roam’s called every night, but I miss him like crazy.

“Hey,” I answer
as I close my bedroom door.

“Hey, sugar.”

“How was your day?” I ask, my voice soft.

“Successful.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, makes the trip worthwhile.  You work today?”

I nod, even though he can’t see me.  “Just a lunch shift.  Jenn’s moving in with Switch so I have to find a place to live.  I’ve got to work tomorrow again and then I plan on scouring the papers and seeing what rentals are available.”

“’Bout time they got their act together,” he laughs.

“Jenn thought I would be upset with her, but I’m really happy for them.  Switch seems to treat her really nicely and I’m glad she found him.”

“Well, I
’m glad you found me,” he drawls.

“Uh, I think you found me, actually,” I quip.

“Yeah, I’ll take the credit.  Couldn’t keep my hands off that sexy ass body of yours.”  I hear his breathing begin to thicken.

“I wish your hands were on my body now,” I boldly tell him.

“Me too, sugar.” I hear a hiss in his voice.

“Are you touching yourself?” I whisper.

“Reach up and pinch those pretty nipples, sugar,” he says, without answering my question.

“Roam,” I whisper slash hiss.  “I’ve never done that before.”

“You’ve never played with yourself?”  He asks, incredulous.

“No!  I mean, yes, I’ve done
that
, but I’ve never done it while on the phone to someone.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’ll be here to walk you through every step of the way until you
’re screaming my name as your body shudders and you come all over those pretty fingers of yours,” he groans at the end.

Instinctively, my hand that’s not holding my phone, slides up under my tank top and makes contact with my nipple.  I moan as I roll it between my thumb and index fingers.

“That’s it baby, make it nice and hard for me,” his voice is strained.

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Now, put your hand down your panties and tell me what it feels like.”

I slide my hand down my body and under the hem of my shorts.  My fingertips glide over my bare pubis and down until I find my center.

“It’s wet,” I moan, “And hot,” I shudder as my fingers scrape over my swollen clitoris.

“That’s it, sugar, no
w dip you fingers inside and rub that sweet juice over your pretty little clit,” he orders, his voice husky.

I do as he says.  My breathing starts to quicken
and shallow as I massage myself.

“Roam,” I moan.

“That’s it, sugar.  Tuck the phone in your ear and use your hand to play with your nipples.  Roll them in your fingers just like I do.”

My breath hitches as I bring myself closer to release.  I
can hear the slapping of skin as he pleasures himself and it heightens my arousal levels.  My fingers leave my nipples and travel south to slide inside my slick heat.  My other hand is rubbing my clit furiously and I pant loudly into the phone.

“Roam,” I repeat on another moan.  “It’s coming.”

“Good girl, sugar.  I wanna hear you come.  I want you to drench those fingers of yours with your sweet pussy juice.  Come on, Lacey, come for me.”  His dirty words are my undoing.  My legs tense as my orgasm rips through me.  I feel myself pulsing around my fingers and I shudder in relief.

The sound of slapping gets louder and faster and then I hear Roam groan, “Lacey.”  I imagine the cream spurting out of his cock over his stomach and hand, as he thinks of me.  A shudder ripples through me and I feel myself begin to get turned on all over again.

“Wow, that was…
awesome,”
I sigh.

He chuckles, “Yeah, sugar, it was, but tomorrow night I’ll be able to give you the real thing.”

“Can’t wait.”

We talk for a bit longer until I’m almost falling asleep.  “See you tomorrow night,” I yawn.

“Love you, sugar.”

“Love you too, babe.”

I press end and fall asleep feeling full.

~*~

I’m up early the next morning to go into work.  The lunchtime shift starts at eleven and ends at three, so it’s not many hours but the tips are usually good.  Generally, there’s only one waitress on the floor over lunch, unless it gets busy and then someone gets called in.

Jenn is still asleep when I leave, so I quietly go out to my car and drive first to the paper shop to get today’s news and then to the bar. 

I sit in my car and read through the For Rent ads, hoping to find something that grabs my interest.  I know I have the money sitting there to just purchase a house, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that.  I circle a few places that look appealing.  I’ll ring the agent listed when my shift finishes to set up an appointment time.

I chuck the newspaper on the passenger seat, grab my handbag and walk ins
ide.  The first thing I notice is Candy behind the bar.  Odd.

“Hey, Candy,” confusion is evident in my tone.  She looks up at me, and her eyes are sad.  They sweep out over the room, so my eyes follows hers.  My jaw drops when I see the damage.

“Oh my Lord,” I gape.  “What happened?”

“Break and enter,” she answers, simply.

“Was anything taken?”

“Mitch is checking everything now and making a list for the police.  Forensics were here earlier
, so Mitch has to wait and see if anything comes from that.”

“Gosh.” Still in shock, I grab a broom and begin to sweep up the broken glass, while Ca
ndy wipes down the counters and tables.

“The police aren’t saying whether it’s a random or targeted attack
, but hopefully we’ll know more soon.”  Mitch walks into the room, talking to someone on the phone.  I give him a wave and he gives me a small nod, then he walks to the other end of the room, still talking on the phone.

“Should I give Barbie a call and tell her not to come in?” I ask Candy.  Barbie is the other waitress.  I haven’t worked with her yet, but I have chatted with her as we changed shifts.

“I think Mitch rang her already.”

“Okay.” 

We spend the next few hours tidying.  Mitch went around with a clipboard and took inventory of broken tables, chairs, windows, glasses and alcohol bottles.  Then he made a list of items that were missing.  There wasn’t much – mainly alcohol, petty cash, cigarettes and two pool cues and a set of balls.

The thieves even went as far as pissing all over some bags of
bar snacks. I gather the ruined stock in trash bags and throw them out.  It’s such a waste, but obviously they can’t be sold now. 

By the time Candy and I finish cleaning, it’s after dark.  Mitch left a while earlier to go down and make a statement at the police station.  We tape a sign to the bar door that says it’s closed until the day after tomorrow, then we go our separate ways.

I slide into the driver’s seat of my car and turn the key.  While I’m waiting for the engine to warm up, I take out my lip gloss and apply it, then I remember the rentals.  It’s too late now to ring an agent, but I will have to do it first thing in the morning.  I take my phone from my bag and check for missed calls and texts – I’ve had it turned on silent all day.  There are three missed calls from Roam, one from Jenn and a bunch of texts from the two of them.  One from Roam tells me he is home and to come by after work.  After the day I have had, that sounds perfect to me.  I throw my phone in the center console and reverse out, headed for my man’s house.

“Hey, sugar, thought you’d have been here hours ago.”  Roam opens the front door and pulls me into his arms.  I breathe in the comforting smell of his leather cut and let his relaxed vibe wash through me, comforting me.

“I had a rough day.  The bar got broken into last night, so we spent the day cleaning up,” I explain.

“Come on in and let me get you somethin’ to drink then.” 

I walk inside and flop down on the couch. He hands me a glass with whiskey in it and I sip it gratefully.

Roam sits down beside me and pulls me into his lap.  I close my eyes and sleep overcomes me.

ROAM

I hear Lacey’s breathing begin to even out and I know she’s fallen asleep.  I cradle her in my arms for a few minutes, and then I gently stand, carrying her into my bed.  I lay her down and strip off my clothes before climbing in beside her.  The moonlight filters through the window and I look at her.  She’s fuckin’ majestic. 

My phone rings beside me, so I quickly roll over and snap it open, so it doesn’t wake her.

“Hey, Mitch.”  I roll out of bed and walk naked through the house and into the kitchen.

“Hey, man, sorry to be ringin’ so late.  Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“S’all good, man.  What can I do for you?”

“I’m sure you heard from Lacey about the break in at the bar last night?”

“Yeah, man.  That’s
bullshit.  Anything I can do?”

“Actually, yeah, there is,” he starts, then hesitates.

“What is it?” I bark.  My heart starts to thud and an overwhelming sense of dread settles around me.

“There was some graffiti in the ladies restroom.  It mentioned Lacey’s name.  I managed to get it cleaned off before she saw it, so she’s none the wiser
, but I need to know you’re going to handle this situation, Roam.”

His weighted question hangs heavy in the air.

“I got it,” I state confidently.

“She needs protection, Roam.  Until we find out who’s behind this bullshit, she needs protection.”

“And I said, I got it.  I was hoping to have her move in here anyway.  Now, she won’t have a choice.  When I say I got it, I mean it.  Don’t fuckin’ question me.”

“Right, man.  I only want Lacey safe.”

“You think I don’t?”

He sighs, and then says, “I’ll keep you updated with what the police say.  Right now, they’re of the opinion it’s most likely a jealous ex, out to stir shit.”

“Right,” I feel my jaw get tense.  I hate the thought of another man having his paws all over my sugar.

“Later.”

“Later, man,” I snap my phone closed.

I sit down on the chair and rest my elbows on the table, my head hangs, supported by my hands. 

Who the fuck is doing this shit?

The thought runs rampant in my mind.  Lacey told me she had an ex who stole
from her.  It might be him.  He’s into drugs – heroin, I gather, from what Lacey has told me.  He also hit her before she left him.  I’d like to kill the motherfucker.  He’s the only person that springs to mind when I think of who might be responsible.  I need to get a photo of him from Lacey, so I know what he looks like.

I rub my chest.  The thought of her carrying a picture around of another man, gives me fuckin’
heartburn.

I pour myself a glass of milk and drink it down, then I go and climb back into bed with my woman.  My woman, who’s most likely going to pitch a fucking fit when I tell her of her new accommodation plans.

Fuck
.  I’m in for one hell of an argument tomorrow morning.

I slide my arm around her waist and pull her into me.  I kiss her shoulder, and then close my eyes and let sleep claim me.

~*~

The next morning, I bring her breakfast in bed.  I want to butter her up a bit; make her more receptive to my plans.  They say the best wa
y to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and the best way to a woman’s is by buying her jewelry.  Well, I don’t have time to go shopping, so I’m hoping that food will do the trick.

I se
t the tray on the bed beside her.  She looks over at the spread – pancakes drenched in maple syrup, crispy bacon, a mug of coffee and a glass of orange juice.  Eyebrows raised, she looks back at me.

“Eat up, sugar,” I tell her.

She doesn’t question me, she just digs into the food.  Her moaning and groaning and lip-licking is making my cock hard, so I exit the room and tidy the kitchen to distract myself.

“Roam?”  I hear Lacey calling me about ten minutes later.  I make my way back to the bedroom.  She’s sitting up in bed, empty plate sitting back on the tray.

“Mornin’, sugar.”

“Morning,” she grins.  “Thanks for breakfast.  It was delicious, but you don’t have to do that for me.”

I chuckle.  She really has no idea.  “Yeah, I did.  We gotta talk.”

“Oh.” Her face falls.  “Is everything all right?”

Fuck, but I hate the look on her face right now.

“Yeah, darlin’, everything is fine,” I say, gently.

“Okay, then what do we need to talk about?”  Confusion laces her tone.

There’s no beating around the bush.  I decide to just come right out and tell her what’s going to happen.  She can argue all she wants, but at the end of the day, I don’t care what it takes, she’s going to be living her
e with me.  “I talked to Mitch last night.  We’ve both come to the conclusion you should move in here with me.”

“Pardon?”  I watch as she shakes her head a little.  It’s clear she wasn’t expecting me to say that.  “You don’t have to do that, babe.  Seriously, I can find a place.  What does Mitch have to do
with anything anyways?” Her brows knit together in an adorable way, exposing her bewilderment of this situation.

“Sugar, I want this to happen, and it’s going to happen.  You need to be kept safe, and I can keep you safe.  Here.”

“Okay, but I’m not entirely sure about
why
I need to be kept safe.  And further, if safety is an issue, I can just look for a place with a doorman and good security.  I don’t want to be a burden, Roam.”

“You’re not a burden, Lacey.  Shit went down and we’re thinking you may be the target.”

“What shit?  Why would I be a target?”

“Mitch found the chicks
bathroom at the bar spray painted.  Your name was written, along with some other shit.  Now, please agree to move in with me, so we can move on to finding out who the fuck is behind this crap.”

“Okay,” she agrees quietly.

“Okay?” I blink.  Shocked.

“I trust you.  If you say it’s safest for me to be here, I’ll move in…but only temporarily, Roam.  When this blows over, I’ll move out.  Agreed?”

“Sure,” I acquiesce, trying to bite back a grin.  No way in fucking hell is she moving out once her ass is moved in.