The Last Riders - First Four Votes (95 page)

Gradually, the atmosphere relaxed and no one else dared to ask about either of Train’s rides.

Lily and Beth cleaned the table, leaving Winter and Ember to do the dishes. Shade, Train and Rider began a game of cards while several others began a game of pool in the corner of the room. Since everyone was behaving well, Lily lingered downstairs, talking with Stori. When Raci and Jewell came down, though, Lily knew it was time to disappear.

As she passed the card table, Shade reached up, pulling her down to sit on his lap while he continued to play cards. Lily’s back was to the room so that she was unable to see what was going on behind her. She relaxed against Shade, looking down at his cards. Someone put some music on and she heard them moving the furniture so they could dance. Lily was determined to go upstairs when they finished the hand they were playing. When Shade won, she clapped for him. Then they began another game.

“Do you want to play?” Shade asked.

“I don’t know how,” Lily said regretfully.

“I’ll teach you.”

The next hour Shade taught her how to play. Rider got up from the table, going into the kitchen and then coming back with beers for the men, placing a soda in front of Lily.

“Unless you want a beer?”

“No, thanks.” Lily opened the soda, taking a drink. A moan sounded behind her back and she started to get up.

“It’s your turn,” Shade reminded her.

Lily took her turn, trying to ignore the escalating moans.

She forced herself to watch their game. From the sounds behind her it was too late to leave anyway. Gradually, the moans died away and Lily was able to concentrate once again.

She was winning steadily with a pile of cash sitting in front of her. She couldn’t help thinking of the people at the church it would help this close to Christmas.

She scooted her latest winnings into the pile sitting in front of her.

“Sucker.” She grinned at Train across the table.

“Beginner’s luck,” he mumbled, dealing another hand.

Lily looked down at her cards, stifling the grin that threatened to break loose.

“Can I join?” Jewell came up behind Train, circling his neck. He reached around to pull her down onto his lap and then he dealt her a hand.

“Ante up.”

Lily tried not to notice Train’s hand slide across Jewell’s thigh.
It’s time to cash in and leave
, Lily thought.

“I don’t have any money. How about we play for favors?” Jewell’s hand went to Train’s lap.

“Okay with me. I need my room cleaned,” Train teased, pulling at her top. Jewell playfully hit his shoulder.

“Okay with you, Lily?” Shade asked, his arm circling her waist.

Lily could just see all three of the men sitting in church this Sunday. “I’m in.”

“I don’t like that vindictive look in your eyes, but I’m in,” Rider agreed.

Lily looked expectantly up at Shade.

“Are you sure you want to play?” he questioned her.

She eagerly nodded her head.

“Deal.”

Train dealt the cards. Lily gazed down at her cards, still smiling. She had to hastily place an impassive expression on her face or she was going to lose before she’d even started.

When it came time to place the bets, Jewell got a pad and paper and wrote household services. Ripping the paper off, she threw it onto the middle of the table.

“Of course that means a lot of services that I can perform in the house.”

Train wrote on the paper “An hour of my time,” throwing the slip of paper into the pot as well.

Rider did the same then Shade. When they handed her the paper, she wrote what the men had, “An hour of my time,” not wanting to perform any of the services that Jewell probably had planned. Lily tore off the paper, throwing it in the growing pile.

The game continued. When it came time to bet again, the pen and paper made the rounds again. Everyone’s IOUs stayed the same except for Jewell. Lily’s mouth dropped open when she described what she had written. She was about to throw it into the pot.

“Uh, excuse me. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t want that.”

“Are you sure?” Jewell didn’t try to hide her disappointment.

“I’m sure,” Lily replied firmly.

“Perhaps you should just bet what we are?” Shade suggested.

Jewell wrote down “An hour of time.” The game resumed with more calls to ante up. Lily was practically bouncing on Shade’s lap; her cards were so good.

Then it went to hell. Slowly but inexplicably, Lily realized she was going to lose. Minutes later, Shade grinned as he raked his winnings across the table. Lily didn’t know what made her more upset, that she had lost or that he had Jewell’s IOUs.

“I’m done for the night. Good game,” Shade said. His hand on her hips had her standing so that he could rise to his feet. He reached down onto the table, stacking his papers then sliding them into his pocket before reaching back to collect Lily’s winnings and handing them to her.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the cash from him.

“It was my pleasure. Later.” Shade nodded to the table. Lily turned to go upstairs.

“Lily.” She turned her head to see him shaking his. “We’re going downstairs for a couple of hours first.” Lily stopped. “Unless you want to renege on a bet?”

Everyone at the table paused, looking at her.

Lily cleared her voice. “Of course not.”

“I knew you were honest, going to church as often as you do.”

Lily reluctantly followed Shade downstairs, lagging slightly behind. She was still trying to figure out how she had landed in her current predicament when Shade closed and locked the door.

“Shade…”

“Take off your clothes.”

Lily didn’t move.

“So you don’t plan to keep your word.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes, but choose something else.”

Shade reached into his pocket, pulling out the slips of paper, flipping through them. Opening one, he showed her the piece of paper.

“There are no exceptions or exclusions on this paper. You should have made that clear.”

“I thought stuff like that would only count when it was worded like Jewell did. I didn’t…”

“Then you should have asked. Again, there are no exceptions. I won several hours of your time. Do you or do you not plan to keep your word?”

“Yes,” Lily finally answered.

“Good. Now take your clothes off.” When she didn’t move, only stared at him helplessly, he sighed. “Lily, do you trust me? I mean, really trust me?”

Lily thought over the time she had known him, how he had always been gentle and kind to her despite the suspicion she’d had that he wasn’t a kind man. In fact, she believed he was exactly the opposite. He hadn’t shown it to her even when he had threatened Beth and Razer’s home, yet he hadn’t taken advantage by making her have sex with him. He had made her sleep in the bed, and if she was honest, she had been pretty sick of the floor after two nights. She remembered the extra padding on the floor in her safe corner. At that, her thoughts snapped in place. She had a safe place in the room she could go. He had promised that he would never touch her there, and she’d believed him. She still did. She had her answer.

“Yes, I trust you.”

“Good, now take off your clothes. This time, I’ll let you leave your bra and panties on. Will that make you feel better?”

Lily nodded her head, relieved he had relented on her being naked. She undressed, pulling off her clothes and laying them on the chair.

As she undressed, she saw Shade pull off his t-shirt and remove his socks and boots. When she turned back to face him, the door to his closet was open and he was going through his items.

“Lay down on the bed.”

Lily climbed on the bed, sitting on her knees waiting. Shade turned on his stereo; the room filled with soft music. When Shade got on the bed beside her, his finger traced her cheek down to her throat. She swallowed as his hand lowered and he traced the edges of her bra above her breast. Her breathing escalated at his touch.

“You have beautiful breasts.” Shade’s lips traced the same path his fingers had followed, from her check to the flesh above her plain white bra. He lifted her hand and then Lily watched as he buckled a fur lined leather cuff onto her wrist. Her mouth opened to protest.

“No exclusions, Lily,” Shade reminded her once again.

She closed her mouth. Another leather cuff closed over her other wrist.

“Lay down.”

She lay down on the mattress as he reached for something else on the bedside table. He brought out chains, which he clicked into the side of the cuffs. One at a time, he locked each of the chains to a hook positioned on the bottom of the headboard that the mattress had kept hidden.

As Shade sat on his knees, looking down at her, Lily dreaded to see what he was reaching for on the nightstand this time. The plain silk scarf was anti-climatic and not as scary looking as the flogger she had thought he would have.

After Shade tied the silk scarf around her eyes, his hand slid across her stomach where her muscles quivered. He didn’t say anything as his hand traced over her body, lingering at her ankles before she felt the brush of his lips. His hand then traveled to her hips as his lips brushed where his hand had been. Over and over, he explored every area of her body with his hands and mouth.

When his hand slid to her panties, pulling them off, Lily tensed. His hand went between her thighs, exploring her as he slid easily across her damp flesh until her legs tried to close to press his hand harder against her. His light touch wasn’t going to be able to bring her over the edge to reach the climax she had been waiting for.

The music started getting louder, the beat faster, as she tried to catch that wisp of a touch that was about to drive her crazy.

“Shade, please…”

A sharp slap against her pussy had her almost climaxing. Lily shuddered.

“How are you supposed to address me when we’re in this bed?”

“Sir.”

“Now ask me how you’re supposed to.”

“Sir, please, I want to come.”

His hand left her immediately and Lily wanted to ask what she had done wrong this time; however, his body moving between her legs forestalled her. With no warning, she felt his mouth on her pussy, his tongue finding and sliding between the lips to her clit, rubbing it into a frenzy that had her arching upwards. The wet warmth of his tongue moving on her was an unbearable pleasure. Lily couldn’t think of one thing that had ever felt as good or would ever feel as good as what she was experiencing now.

He first licked and then sucked her clit into spasms, which had her screaming her climax out as the music rose and then ended abruptly before going back to a soothing rhythm as he stroked her body, bringing her down from the orgasm while still leaving an ache. She wanted more inside of her. He rose over her, releasing the chains and taking the cuffs off before removing the blindfold.

“Thank you for trusting me, Lily.” He brushed a tender kiss against her cheek.

“You’re welcome, Sir.” Shade grinned at her, helping her off the bed and into her clothes. He dressed as she put her shoes back on before storing everything back in his cabinet, locking it and then leading her from the room with an arm around her shoulders to their room upstairs.

Lily changed into her pajamas, climbing into bed, drowsy but unable to fall asleep until Shade came to bed, pulling the covers over them both. She lay, staring up at the ceiling in the dark room, understanding how Bliss had become addicted to his games. She was terrified she would, too, and unlike Bliss, she would never recover from the loss once he was gone.

L
ily had
to force herself out of bed Monday. In the two weeks since Thanksgiving, she had been working full-time at the factory and then on her days off, she’d worked at the church store.

Pastor Dean had tried three parishioners who he had thought would do well running the store, but they had proven either incapable of gossiping afterword about everyone’s income, or thought that what came out of the store would come out of their own back pockets, or they hadn’t been giving them enough aide. They even turned some in need away. Luckily, Pastor Dean had started each new prospective manager with either Lily or Rachel present and they were able to prevent all of the harm they could have caused the burgeoning program.

Lily carried her coffee cup to the factory. Opening the door, she was aware that she was ten minutes late when Georgia gave her a malicious smile as she placed a red mark on Lily’s time card. Ignoring her, Lily set her coffee cup on her worktable before going to the work board where she saw no orders posted. Everyone coming in had eagerly taken them with it being Monday. By Friday, the board would still be half-full. She went to the computer, pulling up the next order and making a copy.

With the order in hand, she began moving around the room, filling it. By midday, she had completed several orders. Lunch was spent with Shade on the phone most of the time, talking with a manufacturer.

She had been in an uncharacteristically bad mood this morning, and after lunch, it grew much worse. Since that night two weeks ago, Shade hadn’t touched her. She had begun wondering if he had cashed in his other IOUs, including Jewell’s, which was the only one she really cared about.

“Lily.” Shade came to the doorway of his office with a cell phone in his hand. “The coffee pot isn’t working; could you go to the house and get me a cup?”

“Get it yourself!” she snapped, slapping the tape dispenser down onto the worktable. The room went silent at her sharp remark.

“I’ll get it for you, boss,” Georgia offered with a fake, sweet smile.

“No, thanks, Georgia. I’ll take care of it. Lily, come here.” Lily started to refuse that request, too, but figured she had pushed her luck enough for the day.

She went into his office, closing the door behind her. Shade had resumed his seat behind the desk and swiveled his chair to face her in the doorway.

“Want to tell me what burr has crawled up your ass?”

“No, I don’t.”

Instead of him getting angry like any normal man, he gave her a grin that had a shiver running down her back. “Lock the door.”

“Fine.” Lily went to the door, about to make her escape.

“From the inside, Lily. And if you think to disobey me, have no doubt I will punish you in the other room in front of every man and woman busy working. We really don’t want to disturb their work even further, do we?”

“I don’t suppose so.” Lily reluctantly locked the door.

“When I asked you to close the door, you knew which side I wanted you on, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Lily slowly turned back to face him.

“I see. You were being cute. I like cute; you being a smartass is not cute. For future reference, it pisses me off.”

“I’m sorry, Sir.” Lily thought to head his anger off, however she had a bad feeling it was too late.

“Good try, but I appreciate the effort.”

Yep, it’s too late
, Lily thought when his hand went to the ruler he kept on his desk.

“Come here.” Her feet carried her around the desk, standing next to his chair. “Lean over my desk.” Lily was going to refuse him then remembered his words that he could handle it in the privacy of his office or on the work floor.

Lily leaned over his desk, which was almost empty since Shade kept the top immaculate. When he would come in after another member had been in the office and had made a mess, he had made them clean it before they left.

“Now, if you answer my question, you’ll get a pass. If not, well, your bottom will tell you that answer, won’t it?” Lily nodded her head. “Why were you snippy with me?”

“Because I didn’t want to get your coffee?” Lily couldn’t help the sarcastic reply.

When she felt his hand behind her back, raising the back of her skirt, Lily threw a glare in his direction.

Shade stood up, looking at what he had uncovered. Nothing happened. Lily turned her head to see his expression. She shot straight up, her skirt falling back in place before going to the corner of the room.

Shade burst out laughing. “Smart move.”

He sat back down at the desk, leaning back casually, linking his hands together over his flat stomach. “You’re quite a surprise with your sexy, little panties. Those red ones of yours always drove me crazy imagining them on you. Now that I’ve seen you in that pair of purple lace, I have a new favorite color.”

Lily gritted her teeth. Everything he was doing and saying was grating on her strung nerves.

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong or are you going to stand there the rest of the day?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Lily burst out. “Everything is bugging me; you, Georgia, Jewell, the church. Name it.”

Shade leaned back further in his chair, his smile widening. “How about we take one issue at a time. How am I bugging you?”

Her mouth opened and closed. “You’re getting on my nerves, bossing me around. You never do what I expect you to do.”

“Like what?”

“Like not cashing in my IOUs, not touching me, and when you come in a room you just set my nerves off,” she finished, trying to think of something he did that really made her angry and coming up with a blank. How could she expect him to understand what she was trying to say when she realized how stupid she sounded to her own self?

“Okay, we’ll tackle that problem last. What has Georgia done now?”

“She made a face at me this morning when I came in late. She’s not a nice person.”

Shade nodded. “I can agree with that. She isn’t, but she is a good worker. Were you late?”

“Yes,” she said sulkily.

“Why?” His eyes narrowed on her face. Lily knew she looked tired. She had put a faint pink lip gloss on and a brush of blush to give herself some color. She was sure both were long gone by now, though.

“I was tired,” Lily admitted.

“So you’re angry at Georgia because you were late and she made a face at you when some bosses would have at least said something to you about being late.”

Lily thought about it for a minute. “I may have been wrong,” she admitted, already not liking the direction the conversation was taking.

“Now that’s settled, let’s move on to Jewell. What did she do?”

“Nothing.”

“Then how is she bugging you?”

Lily didn’t know how to get out of the sticky situation other than telling the truth. “You have her IOUs.” She stopped talking, narrowing her eyes on his expression. “Or do you?”

“I do, and that bothers you?”

“Yes.”

“All right.” Shade opened the desk drawer before reaching in and pulling out the slips of paper. Opening them, he counted out several before putting the remaining ones back in his drawer. “Here, you can have them.” He handed the slips of paper over. Lily stepped out of the corner, taking the papers before hastily returning to her safe space.

“Next up, what’s bothering you at the church?”

Lily looked down at her hands. “Pastor Dean can’t find anyone to run the church store. No one outside the church wants the position because it doesn’t pay. No one in the church that would do okay at it wants it because it doesn’t pay, and the few people who did volunteer did terrible. Jordan Douglas told everyone in her bible study class how much money someone made who came in the store. Marie Newman told Lark Jackson he didn’t need a new coat, that the one he had was just fine. He had on a thin jacket! Laverne Thomas told Willa to keep the clothes she was donating because the way her weight fluctuates, she would probably need them again in a couple of months.” Lily blew out an angry breath.

“So the job needs someone that is qualified to judge based on financial need if the people coming in require help, be sensitive to their privacy, and work five days a week all for free?”

“Yes! Oh, and they need to be nice.”

“I know the perfect person,” Shade said with a rueful expression.

“You do?” Lily asked hopefully.

“Yes: you. I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”

“Me? I can’t take the job,” Lily protested.

“I don’t see why not. It will give you the opportunity to use your degree in a way that will really benefit those in need, especially children, which is what you wanted to accomplish. You’ll have a better sense of what’s going on in their homes than a social worker with limited time. Anyone who arouses your suspicions, you can tell Knox. You would be sensitive to their privacy and you never gossip. But most of all, you have the most important qualification—you’re extremely nice.”

Lily smiled at his compliment.

“But what about the pay?”

“I have enough money for the both of us.” He held up his hand before she could interrupt. “But since I know you want your own money, I’ll ask the brothers to each donate enough money to pay your salary for the year.”

“I couldn’t ask them to do that.”

“You won’t, I will. Anyway, I already have a couple of their IOUs.”

Lily thought hard for a second before stepping back out of the corner, giving him Jewel’s IOUs back. “Don’t forget to ask the women members,” she reminded him.

“I won’t. Feel better?”

Lily nodded then bit her lip.

“What?”

“There is a family who comes into the store. They have two kids. Could the father have my job? I know there is a wait list, but since you said my job is extra, could you?”

Shade groaned. “Give them my number.”

“Okay.” Lily happily went toward the door.

“Lily, we aren’t finished. Come here.”

She let out a sigh. Yeah, now she remembered. There had been one issue he had saved for last. She started to go back to her corner but didn’t want to appear churlish. Instead, she walked back around the desk, coming to stand next to Shade.

He stood up, causing her to lean backward until her hands went behind her back to press against the desk. “I think I’ve also figured out what it is about me that’s setting your nerves off.”

“You have?”

“Yes, I have. You see, sometimes when a woman wants a man, her body lets her know by becoming… how shall I put it delicately? Horny. Yes, that’s the word I’m looking for. You’re horny.

“I’m not horny!”

“I can prove that’s what’s bothering you,” Shade said smugly, leaning over her, pressing her back against his desk. His hand went to her thigh, bringing it up around his hip. “And, I can fix that problem for you, too.”

“How can you fix the fact that you’re an arrogant ass?”

“I can’t, but I can fix it where you won’t care.”

As his mouth covered hers, cutting off her smart-aleck reply, Lily literally drowned under his touch. She had been craving his mouth on hers so much the past few days that she immediately opened hers wider, letting him take what he wanted and she needed to give him.

His hand slipped under her skirt, pushing it up to her waist. He stepped back, pulling off her panties before his hand moved to her pussy. Lily wasn’t even embarrassed for him to find her wet and needy for his touch. A couple of strokes against her clit had her close to coming. She pushed harder against his hand as he took his mouth away from hers.

Gasping for breath, Lily ran her hands through his short hair, drawing him closer to her. His hand left her cunt, lightly snapping the waistband of her skirt against her taut stomach before sliding her loose shirt up, exposing her matching purple bra.

Shade tugged her breasts out of her bra, his startling blue eyes gazing down at her. He bent over and placed his mouth over her nipple, sucking it into his mouth, laving it into a pointed tip.

“Am I still bothering you?”

“Not so much,” Lily moaned as he teased her nipple.

Shade rose, standing straight. Lily could see herself reflected in his clear gaze. His face was a mask of tortured need.

His hands went to his belt buckle, unbuckling and unzipping his jeans, and Lily froze, her memories dragged from her lust back to the present.

“Eyes to me, Lily.”

Her dreams of a perfect wedding night intruded, but she didn’t protest when he leaned over her. She needed him. She wouldn’t be the first, nor the last, woman who had given up that particular dream.

When Shade’s cock brushed against the flesh of her pussy, Lily tried to lift her hips so he could slide deep within her, but his hard hand held her to the desk, pinned in place. With his cock sliding back and forth against the outside of her cunt, her desire spiked, wanting him inside her while he denied her that fulfillment.

The feel of his cock butting up against her clit had her climaxing as his hands held her tightly. Her scream was stifled by his mouth as she felt his cock pulse against the outside lips of her pussy. She trembled with the last remnants of her orgasm as he reached over his desk, pulling several tissues out of the box.

She lay across the desk, looking up at him with wonder as he gently cleaned her before throwing the tissues into the trashcan and then helped her into a sitting position. He then cleaned himself before zipping his jeans.

Lily looked down at herself, pushing her breasts back into her top and then pulling her top back down to cover herself.

His hand went to her jaw, tilting her head back, his kiss brief and gentle. Stepping back, he helped her to her feet.

“Ready to go back to work?”

Lily nodded happily as she slipped off the desk. She was almost around the desk when she turned back, looking around the floor.

“What are you doing?” Shade’s resigned voice had her looking swiftly to his eyes, a flush coming to her cheeks.

“I was looking for my panties.” Her eyes swept the floor again.

Shade’s hand came out of his pocket. “These are now mine.” His hand pushed the panties back into his pocket.

She started to argue, not wanting to go back to work with no underwear; but from his predatory gaze studying her unwaveringly, she decided it would be worth the quick trip to the house for her underwear.