Boss: Romantic Thriller Read online

  “It’s not an act. It’s not a trick. Some people care deeply for the world around them and everyone in it. That’s why I signed up for E.P.U. That’s one of the reasons I went to war with you. I care. And the moment you stopped acting like you didn’t, I realized that there’s something else to you.”

  “I wouldn’t trust that feeling.”

  Kassidy lowered her hand and shrugged. “I trust me, Tarek. And when things are physical with us, your defenses are down. I felt that when you were inside of me. And you know what? My instincts say I should trust that feeling again. So why don't you get inside of me, Tarek. I know you want too.”

  She reached his mouth by rising on her toes. He met her kiss with a soft seal of his lips against hers. He drew her shirt up and over her head and tossed it aside. Since she was braless and she knew how much he loved her breasts, she brought his hands to each. She pushed down the sweats she wore and stepped out of them. Kassidy took another step back and turned away to walk toward the bed. But he stopped her. He walked up behind her. He put his hand to the tender spot where she knew there was bruising on her shoulder. And then she felt a soft kiss to soothe her. In fact, he kissed several tender spots along her back and shoulders. He finished with his lips brushing her nape.

  His hands went around her waist and his fingers spread, as one hand went south and the other ventured North. Tarek’s nearness was overwhelming. He cupped her breast and he cupped her sex. He gave them both a squeeze. A delightful shiver of submission went through him and she parted her feet a fraction so she was certain he could really know how wet and hot she was for the touch of his hand.

  “You keep this up and I might not be able to resist the urge to keep you here forever.”

  “You don’t want that, not the forever but it’s nice to hear you say it. I don’t need you either but I’ll do this. Your way,” she sighed and closed her eyes. “And then you’ll see things my way. Yes. You’ll see,” she said.

  He eased his finger inside of her and her knees weakened as her limbs trembled. Her brain tried to sluggishly connect with consciousness as the hot burning need to have him pleasure her body ruled her sensibility.

  “Last chance, Braveheart. I know you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the tradeoff....”

  “You’re a lot sexier when you shut up,” she said. He chuckled at her using his words on him. He teased her with his fingers. She bit down on her bottom lip and the excitement tickled her intimately. She parted her thighs a bit more to allow his fingers to slip, and his tickling to reach further. The soft touch of his hands sent a trail of heat over her skin, and goose bumps rising over her flesh. She felt drugged by his power, his clean male scent. He pinched her nipple harder than she liked and she winced. He stuck his tongue in her ear as his erection pressed hard against her backside.

  He forced her to bend over. Her face was flat on the mattress now, as were her arms and hands. The dip he put into her back made her ass rise up, and the draft of the room washed coolly over the parted lips of her vagina. His hand explored and smoothed down the center of her back to the small dimple at the hollow of her spine. Softly his touch continued as he caressed her right butt cheek. He thumb-stroked her clit with quick rubs and flicks. And it sounded like he knelt down behind her. She wanted to look back to see if she was right but couldn’t move. He hadn’t told her to remain still, she just knew he preferred that she did.

  Tarek pressed his thumb inside of her and wiggled it. Her mouth opened and lips parted in a silent gasp. His lips sealed over her clit, and the moan in the back of his throat surfaced to match the soft one escaping from her mouth. Her tender bud swelled against his tongue with a soft vibration. He sucked harder and pressed his tongue against the tiny spot under the hood of her clit. This delivered the desired reaction from her. Her buttocks jiggled and she squirmed with pleasure. He tore his mouth away and sat back on his haunches.

  “You ready, darling?”

  Before she could respond Tarek pulled her down. At first she thought he’d take her with her body pinned down, and unable to resist what he delivered as he had done before in the kitchen. But she was wrong. He angled her over the top of his erection then pulled her hips to make her slide down on him. And it was a hard descent, she felt as if his dick had doubled in size. She was seated on his lap with her back to him.

  He whispered, his breath hot against her ear, when he commanded, “Move.”

  She gripped the footboard of the bed, rocked by the pleasure. Slowly she tried to move but the muscles in her legs were impossibly weak. Tarek groaned laying back. He held her hips and pulled her up and then down on his erection while working his hips beneath her to drill into her after each downward stroke. Surprised at how deeply he was felt, she looked back at him and tried to catch her breath. She wasn’t doing the work. His instruction, however, taught her how to join in on the fun. She gripped the footboard tighter and began to ride his dick. The position gave her control if she wanted it. And she seized the opportunity. With him balancing her weight, and her knees parted, she went up and down with a more targeted frequency. It was his time to weaken and whimper. His hands slipped from her hips. She was in control now.

  She was conscious of his warm flesh inside of her, Conscious of every delicious sensation of their union and separation and the occasional jolt of his pelvis as he thrust up into her. She breathed lightly between parted lips. The spasms in his cock pulsated through her channel as his breathing was reduced to wheezing. He was close and she had only started.

  It got too exciting for them both. So he helped her balance and maintain the position. One of his hands slid around her hip, and his hand pressed to the small of her back. He held her in place, as he now sat upright. They changed position with him on his knees, and she let go of the footboard to drop on all fours. He fucked her hard with merciless strikes. He did so over and over until she was hoarse from screaming. Each time after the last, he increased in speed and fucked her a little harder than he had done before. The continuous sound of his hips working his dick in and out of her wetness, while his balls slapping against her pussy, left her so erotically charged she obeyed his instruction and played with her clit. The climax hit her without warning and she nearly screamed out her pleasure. She would have collapsed if he hadn’t kept her so tightly pinned against his chest.

  But soon they were both collapsing.

  She laughed when they dropped. “What is this thing you have against making love in bed?” she asked, pinned beneath him.

  “Oh fuck, I can never make it there. You turn me on too much,” he pulled out and smacked her ass. “Come on, sweetheart. We can do it again under the sheets.”

  He helped her up and walked, half-dragged her to the bed. Together they got under the heavy blankets. She scooted in against him, and held on to him. He relaxed that way. It was the second time he’d fallen asleep comforted by her arms. And still they hadn’t eaten.

  “Tomorrow we’ll make it out of here,” he yawned.

  The day was only half done when his eyelids slid shut.

  41.

  A crash boomed from below and Tarek sat upright in a panic. It echoed like thunder. He could have sworn the foundation of his house shook.

  “What was that?” Kassidy asked with the sheet pressed to her chest.

  “I dunno. Stay here,” he warned. He got out of bed and found his jeans, and put them on. He put on his shirt and then he walked over to the dresser and removed a gun.

  “What the hell are you doing? Why do you need a gun?”

  He grabbed a shirt and hurried out of the room. When he reached the lower level, the wind and frigid temperature washed over him. It was blowing through the house like a hurricane.

  “Dammit,” he said. He went in the direction of the draft and rounded the corner to the kitchen. The destruction startled him. The tree to the side of the house had crashed in and brought down the roof. Snow blew in along with the bitter winter chill. Branches and leaves, along with ice and glass, were e
verywhere. The stove and cabinets were gone, crushed by the destruction. Tarek put his hands to his head and stared in disbelief. It was close to six in the evening. But thanks to the storm, and the disappearing sun, it was dark as midnight. He tucked his gun into the back of his jeans confused as to what to do.

  42.

  Kassidy dressed after a half-hour of waiting because she just couldn’t stand his absence any longer. She wore his sweats and one of his shirts when she arrived in the kitchen. And it was not nearly enough to protect her from the winter storm or the howling winds blowing in through the halls of the lower level. Tarek had put on his coat, workman’s boots, and gloves. He had with him some large black construction bags he filled with the debris.

  “The tree fell?” she yelled over the sound of the wind.

  “Yeah! And with the temperature is dropping, we won’t be able to keep this place warm!” he shouted back. The kitchen had three open entrances and none of them had doors to keep the snowstorm out. Tarek pulled loose the broken branches that were caught between the house and outside.

  “What are you doing?” she called out.

  “I’m thinking of covering up in here, using some of the quilts to make a barrier. Go to the laundry room! Get the heaviest ones you can find in the bottom cabinets,” he yelled.

  “Okay!” Kassidy ran back down the hall. She pulled her clothes out of the dryer, and stacked them on the ironing counter. She then went to the cabinets and dragged out the heaviest blankets she could find. She carried the haul back to the kitchen in both arms. When she returned he had a ladder.

  “We should have gone for the tractor,” she sighed.

  “Too late for that now.”

  “Are you sure about this?” She shook out the first blanket. “Will it work?”

  “Yeah!” he had to shout over the blaring wind. “Maybe you should go back upstairs in the room. Close the door to keep in the heat!” he said. From the top of the ladder, he pulled on a taller branch. To Kassidy it didn’t look safe.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t do that! I mean it looks dangerous!” she yelled up to him.

  The wind was as loud as a freight train now. And the snow blew a hard frigid cold that seemed to freeze the air she took into her lungs. It made her feel as if she were caught up in a wind tunnel. The storm had picked up, and was worse than the day before. Its might slammed in on them with unrelenting force.

  “Don’t worry!” he yelled back down to her. “We cover this and—”

  Before he could speak or explain further the roof above him caved in and another tree fell on top of Tarek. He was knocked from the ladder and buried under the collapsing structure. Kassidy screamed in horror. She dropped the blankets.

  “Tarek!” she yelled as she tried to get to him. Shards of glass sliced at the bottom of her bare feet.

  “Ow!” she howled in pain. She went to her knees and pulled out the glass from both of her feet. All around the room was what looked like melting snow and glass. She ignored the small cuts and scrapes to her hands and knees as she crawled to him with her foot bleeding and leaving a trial of her blood behind her.

  “Tarek? Tarek!” she pleaded.

  She pulled plaster and all kinds of other debris from over him. She pushed at the branch that rested on his back. It was heavy, but not too heavy to move. He lay face down and she couldn’t tell if he was fatally wounded or not. But she feared the worst.

  “Please, God, please let him be okay,” she said through tears. The pain in her feet made it impossible to stand. They weren’t safe. She knew it. She could feel it. What if the tree continued to crash into the kitchen? If they stayed where they were another collapse of the roof could kill them both.

  “Okay. Okay, Kassidy, you can do this. Get up. Get up! Fuck! Do it!” she shouted at herself and suffered pure agony as her feet felt like she stood on nails. Tears sprung to her eyes and her breathing became labored. She grabbed Tarek by the back of his jacket and started to drag him. As she stepped backward, tinier shards of glass cut into the bottoms of her feet. Kassidy squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the pain. All she focused on was dragging and pulling, an action she repeated over and over.

  “You can do it. You can do it,” she said as she wept with a mixture of fear and courage. There was a loud sound, a groaning sound as if something above was being moved by a crane. But it wasn’t a crane. It was the ceiling. She looked up. She couldn’t see it but she could hear it. The tree wasn’t done falling in on them.

  “God, please help me!” she cried. She kept dragging and pulling. She kept going until she had him out into the hall. That’s when it happened. The tree and what was left of the wall and roof collapsed in on the kitchen and obliterated everything below. If she hadn’t moved him he would be dead. She dropped to the floor in exhaustion. Her feet bled. When she looked down at the blood on both of them she felt lightheaded. The pain was so bad she wanted to black out. She sucked in a deep breath and tried again to gain her bearings. She started plucking the glass, and splinters from her feet once more.

  Tarek groaned.

  He was awake.

  Her heart lifted.

  “Tarek? Can you hear me sweetheart? Tarek?” She crawled to him. She rolled him over to his back. The side of his face was bloody, and there was a wound that wept openly at the top of his head. She touched it and couldn’t tell if it was deep or not.

  “What the fuck happened?” He tried to rise.

  “No. Stay still. Don’t move yet,” she said. She looked around. “Where is the medical kit, like a first aid kit?”

  “Ah, shit, what hit me?” Tarek wavered. He tried to sit up again. She pulled him over to her and put his head in her lap.

  “Stay still. I don’t know how bad you were hurt. The tree came in. It collapsed the roof. See?” she pointed. He lifted his head and looked back into the kitchen. Exhaustion or pain overtook him and his head dropped back down on her lap.

  “The first aid kit, I need it. Where is it?”

  “I don’t... maybe the bathroom upstairs... There’s one in the stables... I think,” he mumbled. “Wait Kassidy, are you hurt?” He forced himself to sit up, and looked at the blood on her feet.

  “I got cut, but it’s okay, I’m okay.”

  “Oh shit sweetheart. Shit!” he shouted. “Fuck. The more you stay with me the more I hurt you.”

  “Tarek? This isn't your fault.”

  “It is! I should have gotten the fucking tractor and got you out of here! Damn it!”

  “I wanted to stay, here, with you,” she touched his face. He frowned. “Are you hurt? Does it hurt elsewhere? Like your chest or your legs? Any trouble breathing? You were covered under that tree and roof stuff.”

  “I’m okay, I...” he wheezed.

  “Tarek? Tarek you have to stay awake,” she said.

  He was unconscious again. He slumped forward. Kassidy grabbed his face and slapped his cheek. He groaned but didn’t fully awake. She checked for his pulse and felt it strong beneath her fingertips. But he could be bleeding internally. She had to get them help. She had to. To make sure he was able to breathe, she carefully forced him to lie on his side. Then she located the blankets and quilts she brought in from the laundry room. She covered him as much as she could. It was so cold she was shivering, instinctively knowing that the blankets wouldn’t keep him warm for long. Limping and trailing blood, she went into the parlor and found one of the pillows from the sofa. She returned back to him. She put his head on it, and then stood. She let the wall help her by balancing her hand against it until she reached the bottom railing to the stairs. She used the banister to help her climb them, and did most of the walking on her toes. Each step felt like a knife plunged deeper into the bottom of her feet. But she didn’t give in to her suffering. She forced herself to go further. When she reached the bedroom and bathroom she was relieved. She searched the cabinets. She couldn’t find anything, not even a bottle of peroxide.

  Kassidy felt like crying. She felt like giving up.
<
br />   She went to the tub and rinsed her feet. The clearing away of blood revealed that the cuts weren’t as deep as they felt, but still they bled. She grabbed a rag and dried her feet. Then she found tissue to wrap around both before limping back into his room, and digging through his dresser drawer to pull out two thick pair of socks. She put them on using the tissue as her bandages. She then went to the closet and picked out a pair of his Timberland boots, and another pair of his jeans knowing she needed to layer up. He was hurt. There was nothing more she could do by waiting for someone to show up. She had to get them help. She would go to the barn and see if she could start the Caterpillar.

  Kassidy returned downstairs, wincing with every step. She found him where she left him.

  “Tarek,” she said. She was on her knees before him now. “Tarek, can you hear me?”

  He didn’t open his eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip and looked back into the kitchen. He could freeze to death lying where she left him. She had to summon the strength to move him. Kassidy managed to stand. She grabbed him from under his arms. He weighed a ton she thought as she pulled and dragged him with all her might. And it was hard. The blankets were left behind. Her back ached excruciatingly with old and new pain but she ignored it and continued to drag him. When she thought she couldn’t make it another step, when she reached the parlor and saw that Tarek was awake. He looked up at her confused.

  “You’re okay. You’ll be okay,” she said overjoyed.

  “What’s going on?” he groaned.

  “You blacked out on me. Scared the crap out of me too. Can you please try to stand? Try to make it to the sofa?” she asked. “I can’t lift you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said. To help she pushed at his back so he could sit upright. He put his hand to the side of his head and drew it away. He looked at his fingers and saw the blood.