Nine Page 9

  He laughs into his hands. He’s thinking the same thing I am. He’s thinking about last night. He’s thinking about my hand in his, and all the times he’s held me already. I close my eyes. I’m breaking all my rules here. I’m breaking them all for him. It hits me that I might actually have feelings for him. What. The. Fuck? This can’t happen.

  I have to get out of here. I’m suffocating in my thoughts. I brush past him. He grabs my wrist and pulls me back into him.

  “Stop,” he says. “I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at the situation.”

  “I did what I had to. I did it to get Jenny and me off the streets. We were starving out there. Jenny was always sick. We were stealing medicine from drug stores and seeking shelter in unlocked cars on cold nights. I was tending to her fevers, while watching for the cops and the owners of these cars. I spent hours leaning her body into a brown paper bag to throw up in, praying that she recovered well enough so we could make it to a safe area, and here you are giving me shit for not having a love life. Well, excuse the fuck out of me. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of this.”

  He stares at me for a second.

  “I’m not trying to give you shit. I’m angry that you’re first kiss wasn’t with some horny teenage boy at a lame-ass carnival. I’m angry that a boy didn’t take you to prom, and attempt to get laid that night. I’m angry that you never met some douche bag, fell in love with him, and then finally gave it up to him in the back of a beat-up car. Your story is what I’m angry at. You’re supposed to go through all that immature dating bullshit as a female. But no one is supposed to go through what you did. When I think about your childhood I just want to put a bullet into your uncle’s head.”

  I was listening to him and the more he talked the more he stole my breath away. I wasn’t sure what this was between us, but whatever it was, it had me feeling weak.

  “You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity,” I snap.

  “Do you think I feel sorry for you? I feel a lot of things, Nine, but sorry isn’t one of them.”

  “Yeah? What do you feel then?”

  “Outraged mostly. I want to take you back up into that cabin bedroom and make love to you. I want to kiss you until you can’t even think straight. I want to give you all that shit you should have experienced a long time ago. I’m not angry. I’m fucking livid when I think about your life.”

  My heart starts to race and my stomach squeezes at the anger in his voice. I’m questioning why he would even say these things. I’m just some hooker he saved in a hotel. Maybe there is some truth to this magical well. I look at him and I can’t help the way I feel. I’m intoxicated in the moment. I lift up my chin as he stands there watching me. The timing couldn’t be more messed up. Not too long ago, I was dropping a music box and breaking a bottle of brandy on the floor. I was reminiscing and crying over a painful event from my childhood, and now I just need him. I need Trig to make it better, and that’s what he does for me. I don’t care that this situation is weird. It’s just him and me and no one has to know.

  “Then what are you waiting for,” I finally say.

  He rushes toward me and grabs my hand, interlocking our fingers together. He pulls me back up to the cabin. I’m struggling to keep up with him again. My ankle is wobbling and the arches of my feet hurt. All I can think about is what will happen in the next few minutes. We reach the front door and Bones sees us holding hands and smiles.

  “Dude, I didn’t mean to step on your toes. That’s your claim, and I was wrong. I apologize. I also cleaned up that glass in your room. Take it as a peace offering.”

  Trig puts one hand up.

  “Not now,” Trig says, as he pulls me toward the bedroom door. We enter and he slams it closed. He gently pushes my body up against the door and peels off my vest. He places his mouth on my chest and slowly licks from my collarbone up to my ear lobe. His neck is close to my face and he smells so good. I grip his strong arms.

  “Do you want me to go down on you? I can make you feel good,” I whisper.

  He stops and looks at me. I feel like I just slipped back into work mode again. From his face, I know he knows it too.

  “Stop, and let me do what I do, Nine. Just relax,” he says, as he licks and kisses my shoulder.

  I let my head lean back against the door and enjoy his lips and tongue devouring my neck. For the first time in my life, I’m enjoying this. I’m not nervous and I’m not putting on an act. I’m not even thinking about the customer, and how to keep him pleased.

  “This is not a job,” I accidentally say aloud. I’m moaning as Trig lifts my tank top over my head and squats down, planting kisses on my stomach.

  “Stop thinking, Nine. Close your eyes,” Trig reminds me.

  My hands are planted at my sides on the door. His hands are placed on my waistband. He unbuttons my shorts and pulls them down with my panties. He starts kissing my thigh, higher and higher. I’m gripping the wall as he puts his mouth on me. I feel his fingers gently graze over my stitches. He then gives my kitty a slow, light kiss before his tongue dances against the folds. I’m soaking between my legs and it feels like I can’t even stand anymore. He suddenly stops touching me, which causes me to open my eyes and look down. He’s not between my legs anymore. He’s now standing and admiring me.

  “Baby, do you know what you’re worth? Men should be fighting over you. I sure as hell would.”

  I can hardly breathe and all I want is for him to be inside of me. I walk forward. He grabs me and lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He kisses me while carrying me over to the bed and gently lays me down on my back. He peels his T-shirt off and tosses it across the room. I watch him unbutton his pants and push them down to the floor. He leans down and pulls a condom out from his wallet. I bite my lip as I take in a sneak peek of his package. I’m staring as he rolls the rubber on and with each passing second, I’m growing hungrier for him. He takes his time crawling on the bed over to me.

  “I want you,” I breathe out. My body is famished for him. He turns my neck to the side and starts planting more kisses. He’s trailing them down my arms, my stomach, and then my legs. At one point, my toes are in his mouth. My lower region is now screaming for him. He slides my legs apart with his hands and positions himself between my thighs. Trig leans forward and slides his cock just close enough to touch my entrance. I moan as he lies on top of me. He partially leans to the side. I can tell he’s being careful to avoid my injuries. He stares down at me.

  “Tonight, you’re a virgin. Tonight, I’m not fucking you. I’m making love to you, and this memory replaces your very first time. Do you understand me?”

  I barely nod.

  He doesn’t give me much time to think about it. He pushes himself into me as his lips crash on mine. I moan into his mouth. His hands are all over me and at some point, I completely let go. My body relaxes. My mind concentrates on him inside of me. I start to push my hips up to match his rhythm but he takes his hands and holds my hips down as a reminder that he’s in charge and that I need to let go. He doesn’t know I already have. I just want to feel every inch of him. I need him deeper inside of me. I’m struggling to stay still. My breathing is all over the place and all I can think about is how good he makes me feel. We keep going at this for a while. The sheets are soaked with sweat and the room feels like it’s over a hundred degrees. I’m getting close. I can feel it. I fist the pillow above me.

  “Do you know how fucking beautiful you are, baby?” he says into my ear. His rhythm picks up and my toes are curling. I let go of the pillow and run my nails down his back.

  “I want you to tell me when it feels really good,” he whispers. “Tell me when you’re about to come.”

  He shifts his weight to one side and then the other and then back again. That’s the spot.

  “Right there,” I push out, and close my eyes. I’m completely focused on him hitting that one little area. Every muscle in my body tightens up. It’s about to happen
.

  “I’m going to come,” I yell out. He stays in motion and yanks back my hair. His mouth is at my throat again. I start to contract around him, and for some reason, at that very minute I yell out the one thing that is farthest from my mind.

  “I love you,” I shout.

  Trig doesn’t say anything. He keeps going. I cover my face, embarrassed. He reaches one hand up and pushes my hands away. I’m petrified by what just came out of my mouth. What the hell just happened? Did he fuck me so good that my mind had a malfunction? Does this thing happen? I’ll call it a sexual mental glitch. I watch as he closes his eyes. He’s trying to focus. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I just keep repeating in my head. I’m freaking out for several reasons, and I don’t think I can deal with this. My body tenses up and I know he can feel it. He slows down.

  “Nine,” Trig warns.

  I try to relax, but I can’t. It’s not until he moves his face close to mine that I release the tension running through me. He doesn’t look concerned. He just stares at me and then lowers his lips to mine. He has his hand on the back of my neck and he’s pumping into me. Suddenly his movements get rougher and then I hear him moan. His body jolts and then I watch as he slows down. He collects himself, pulls out, and then bends over and gives me a kiss on the forehead. He walks to the bathroom and closes the door.

  I continue laying there, in a mess of emotions. I’m really concerned with my mental stability at the moment. I sit up and wrap the sheet around me. Trig comes out, slides into his pants, and looks at me.

  “What’s wrong now?”

  “Nothing.” I say, standing up.

  I struggle to walk with this huge sheet wrapped around me.

  “It’s something. I see it in your face. What is it?” he asks. I shake my head. “Is it what you yelled out, because lots of people say shit they don’t mean during sex. Don’t worry about it.”

  He slides his T-shirt over his head.

  “It’s not just that. I’ve never had an orgasm during sex,” I blurt out. He spins around in slow motion. “What worries me is what if I meant what I said.”

  I don’t wait for a response. I scurry off to the bathroom and sit on the cold tile floor. I’m tripping out. After a few minutes, I rationalize with myself. I had good sex, where I let Trig get into my head. We kissed. I opened myself up to him, and then he gave me an orgasm. That’s all it was. I got a little carried away and blurted out something in a fiery moment of passion. I exhale. Okay. I pull myself up, pee, and clean up my makeup in the mirror. I’m now ready to go out there and deal with the awkwardness. I open the door and Trig is standing there, right in my face.

  “Come again,” he says.

  Maybe I’m not so ready.

  “Just forget it.”

  “I don’t think so. Did you say you have never came during sex? You’re really dropping all kinds of bombs on me today.”

  “I’ve come before. Just not during intercourse.” I roll my eyes.

  “What, like oral or something?” he questions.

  “Vibrator,” I say, and look away. “Can we just stop talking about this?”

  “All of those men and not one did what I just did.”

  I’m freaking out again inside. These feelings are jumbled. I’m fidgeting with the blanket.

  “I don’t know what you just did. You were telling me things, and I became consumed in it all and—”

  “Consumed? You liked it. Just say it.”

  I look at the tattoo on his neck. Maybe that’s why I used that exact word. I was looking at it for so long while we had sex.

  “Of course I liked it. Did you not see me over there?” I look at the wall. “Damn it. This is why I have rules in place, so shit like this doesn’t happen.”

  “What shit? You spouting off, I love you. They’re just words, Nine.”

  “Not to me they aren’t. Not the way I said them.”

  “What? Are you going to tell me you never said I love you to somebody? Your mother. Your father. A grandmother. Somebody?”

  I shake my head. He cocks his head back. I watch him make his way over to the bed. He sits down and looks up at me. He places his hands together.

  “You’ve never had anyone tell you those words either, have you?”

  I shake my head again.

  He closes his eyes and licks his lips.

  “You’re killing me. I’m serious. You’re breaking my heart, girl.”

  Chapter 6. I Hate You

  I peek out and see both of the boys outside on the back patio. They’re in deep discussion about something. Trig’s face is hard. He doesn’t look happy at all. I lean in close to the door to hear them, but I can’t hear much. Trig looks toward the glass. I jump back so he can’t see me. I’m avoiding him at all cost. I haven’t spoken to Trig since yesterday. He’s given me space and even slept on the couch in this room, per my request. I spent all day and night thinking and struggling with what’s happening to me in this cabin. I don’t like it at all. Who the hell sleeps with their hostage taker? Me. Who the hell blurts out I love you in the midst of sex with their hostage taker? Me again. I need to be on meds or something, because this isn’t normal. I really just need to get back to my old life, where things make sense. At least I know who I am there.

  I take this opportunity while the two of them are busy to make a run for it. I sneak past the window and into the living room. I search around for a phone and find nothing. I spot my car keys and snatch them off the counter. I run outside and jump in my Benz. I start up the engine and throw it into reverse. I can see Trig running out of the front door toward me. He pulls out his gun, and aims it at the car. I push the pedal down hard. Suddenly I feel a pop and the car’s weight shifts to one side.

  “Son of a bitch,” I yell, as the vehicle skids to a stop.

  I turn off the engine and put my head down on the steering wheel. I hear the car door open with force, and then an arm reaches in and pulls me out. I look down to see Trigs fingers wrapped around both of my arms.

  “This is your plan. To run off in the same car from the gas station. Are you crazy?”

  “You shot at me, you psycho.”

  “I shot at your tire. I’m trying to keep you safe. Why can’t you see that?” he yells.

  Bones runs over and looks at Trig and then to me. Trig points to my car.

  “Run that shit into the lake now. Keys and all. We should have done that the moment we got here. ” Trig puts his hand out to me.

  I roll my eyes, cross my arms and roughly hand him the keys.

  “I’m protecting you, Nine.”

  “I don’t need your protection,” I say, as I stride by him on my way back up to the cabin.

  I march inside and basically stomp my way to the bedroom. Once inside I rush to the glass sliding door and watch Bones push, and then drive my beautiful car into the water. It’s shocking to see. The car floats for a little as the water fills it, and then it just disappears and that’s it. It’s gone.

  “Goddamn it, Nine,” Trig comes in. “There are bad people out there masquerading as cops, and you’re ready to just drive your car all over town, straight into their arms.”

  “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone. I never have,” I yell.

  “Are you so damaged that you can’t recognize when somebody is doing something nice for you.”

  “You got what you wanted. What does it even matter anymore?”

  “Is this about last night?” he asks.

  I just stare at him as if he’s supposed to know already.

  Trig looks at me. “Damn it. Why are you so difficult?”

  Trig walks over to the door and calls for Bones.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” Bones says, as he enters with beer in hand.

  “We need a third party in here. You’re going to play therapist, because this chick needs it.”

  My mouth drops open while I look at him in disgust.

  “Sit down, Nine,” he barks out, while waving his gun around.


  I plop down on the couch, boiling mad.

  “Bones, would you please ask her what her problem is.”

  Bones turns his head to the side and looks at me. He clears his throat and tries to sound older and more mature. “What seems to be the problem?”

  I point to Trig. “This jackass right here.”

  Bones looks at Trig.

  “She says that she has an issue with your personality, Trig.”

  Trig looks at me and then back to him.

  “With me? I’m keeping her alive. Please ask her, what part of that is such an asshole move.”

  I shoot up from the couch. We’re both standing there just mad-dogging each other.

  “He shot at me,” I say to Bones.

  “You tried to escape.”

  “Yeah, I did. You’re holding me hostage.”

  “I’m keeping you safe.”

  “No. You’re driving me crazy,” I yell.

  Bone’s eyes are jumping back and forth, as we yell at each other.

  “I’m driving you crazy? You’re driving me crazy,” Trig shouts.

  “I’m not the one that walks around staring into my soul and handing out free orgasms.”

  I look at Bones. His mouth drops. I stare back at Trig.

  “No. You just walk around with all your pain bottled up, but baby, that shit is seeping from your pores. You’re just mad that I can crack you open, but you like it. You want me and you know it. One second you’re running from me and the next your running to me. I see you, Nine. You’re just a lost little girl who can’t recognize something good when it’s dead in front of her. So, fuck me if I find that beautiful, right?”

  I’m breathing hard. Bones is just standing there in silence.

  “I’m just gonna go get some coffee, maybe let you two hash this out by yourselves,” Bones says, as he turns and leaves the room. I hear the door close behind him.

  “Who the hell do you think you are standing there dissecting me?” I shout.

  “Apparently, I’m the soul-staring and handing-out-free-orgasms guy. You’ve been dissecting me since the moment we stepped into that elevator together, so don’t play that card.”