Broken Hero Page 17

  I stood up and offered her my hand.

  “Come on,” I said.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, taking my hand and letting me pull her to her feet.

  “You’ll see,” I said.

  We gathered up our things and started off.

  “Hold on,” she said. “Take it slow—my legs are still kind of wobbly.”

  A little smirk took hold of my lips. It was a point of pride that I was able to make her come as hard as I did, and I could tell by her unsteady steps that she hadn’t quite recovered from it.

  “Sorry,” she said with a smile as she braced herself against a nearby tree. “That was something else.”

  “Take your time,” I said.

  She gave a quick nod that signaled she was ready to go. Taking her hand in mine, we hurried across the green slopes of the park and down the curving gray paths. Soon we arrived at the eastern border of the park, our destination shooting up into the skies above us.

  “This is the place,” I said.

  “The Pennock Hotel?” she asked, surprised. “You want to get a room? I mean, that sounds great to me, but this place is pricy as hell.”

  “That’s not an issue,” I said. “I did some bodywork for the owner’s daughter a little while back, got her out of some major jams. He let me know after the job was done that I was welcome at any time to any of his hotels.”

  She raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed.

  “Then lead the way,” she said.

  I did. We crossed Fifth Avenue and entered the stylish, vast interior of the hotel. At the desk I caught the attention of one of the front desk attendants.

  “Hello,” I said. “My name’s Garrett Shaw. I should have a customer file filled out by Mr. Pennock.”

  “Of course,” said the attendant, turning his attention to the computer in front of him.

  The chattering of typing filled the air for a few seconds, then the attendant’s eyes went wide.

  “Why, yes you do,” he said. “As you said, signed off on by Mr. Pennock himself.”

  “Excellent,” I said.

  “We have a few rooms available.”

  Then he checked something.

  “Actually, we have one of the top-floor suites open, but…” He corrected himself. “Never mind—we have a VIP arriving late this evening.”

  “That’s no problem,” I said. “We only need it for a few hours.”

  I realized I’d given away the game, but I didn’t care. The amused expression on the attendant’s face showed he knew what was up.

  “Then it’s all yours for the afternoon,” he said, swiping a keycard and handing it over. “Enjoy.”

  “Thanks!” I shot out over my shoulder as I took Natalie’s hand and hurried off.

  Moments later we were in a small, sleek elevator heading up, and we quickly got to what we usually did whenever we were in an elevator alone.

  After a lovely little minute of hard kissing, the doors slid open, revealing a large hallway. We hurried down to the room and with a swipe of the keycard, we were in.

  “Damn,” said Natalie as she stepped into the place. “Nice pad.”

  She was right about that. It was a large, open floor plan, the walls white and the floors a light-brown birch. There were two bedrooms, a modern kitchen, and a balcony complete with hot tub that looked out over the park.

  But she and I weren’t interested in the amenities—we were only interested in each other.

  “Come here,” she said, holding out her hand enticingly. “Let’s take advantage of the privacy.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said.

  I took her hand and she quickly pulled me into another hard kiss. As we locked lips I felt her hand settle on my thigh before moving a few inches to feel the outline of my cock through my jeans.

  “There we go,” she said through a coy smile. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about all day.”

  She quickly undid my belt, button, and zipper before yanking down my jeans and boxer-briefs. My cock jumped out, and Natalie quickly took it in her hand and began stroking its thick, hot length.

  I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her delicate fingers moving up and down.

  “That feel good?” she asked.

  “You know it does,” I said.

  Another coy smirk. “And how about this?”

  With a fluid movement, she dropped to her knees and got eye-level with my cock. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue and dragged it down my many inches.

  I shuddered with total pleasure at the touch of her tongue. Once she’d traveled down the length, she went right back up and started from the top again, and soon my cock glistened with traces of her mouth. Once she’d done that, she opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around my head, forming a tight seal as she lashed the sensitive contours with her tongue tip.

  “Fuck,” I growled as she sucked me.

  After a few moments of letting me enjoy the feeling of my prick in her warm, wet mouth, she went back down again, slowly bringing my entire length down her throat, her sultry eyes locked on mine.

  One hand braced against my thigh and the other remained wrapped around my cock, following her mouth up with firm strokes as she took me into her mouth over and over. The speed picked up, soft sucking sounds filling the air. Soon the pleasure was so intense that I could hardly stand up, and I knew if she kept at it I’d soon be shooting my hot load down her throat.

  But that’s not what I wanted. So, I reached down and took her by the arm and brought her up to her feet. Her lips were wet and glistening, which only got my prick more eager for what I had in mind.

  “Get out of those clothes,” I demanded.

  She let out a playful scoff.

  “You first,” she said.

  As challenging as always—and I loved it.

  I quickly stepped out of my jeans and shoes and socks and all the rest. As I did, Natalie slowly stripped until she was down to nothing but her bra and a very soaked pair of panties. I wanted to devour her, to make her mine, to claim her. But I knew a woman like her wasn’t easily claimed.

  Just how I liked it.

  She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me back to the long, white couch. I fell onto my ass and Natalie crawled on top of me, spreading her legs open to straddle me. Her body was curvy and toned and warm and perfect. I knew I could spend the rest of my life exploring her.

  I reached back and undid her bra as she slipped her panties off, and soon she was as nude as me. My cock pointed straight up, dripping and ready. With a shifting of her hips, she positioned herself above me, spread her lips apart with my head, and lowered herself on my cock.

  A low moan drifted over my lips as I went into her, inch by inch. Soon I was fully buried, surrounded by her tight, silken heat. She leaned forward, her dark locks draping over my face, her breasts hanging down, her hard nipples pointing toward the flat plane of my abs.

  I put my hands onto her hips and began guiding her up and down, her tight walls gliding over my prick. Each full motion of her cunt on my cock brought my orgasm just a little closer, and it wasn’t long before I was ready to explode.

  Natalie moaned as she rode me, her breasts bouncing in front of my face as she bucked harder and harder. It was impossible for me to decide which part of her gorgeous body I wanted to give my attention to, so I settled with placing my hands on her round, perfect ass and pressing her against my cock.

  “Now it’s your turn,” she said between moans. “Come for me, baby. Do it—I want it so fucking bad.”

  It was too much for me to take. I squeezed her ass hard as my cock exploded inside of her, Natalie’s own orgasm timed perfectly with mine. Her cunt gripped me even harder, massaging out every last drop of my cum. I groaned in pleasure, every muscle in my body tightening up as I came.

  And soon we were both done. Her riding slowed and slowed, then came to a stop. I stayed inside of her, my cock still pulsing as every last drop that came out of me. She rest
ed her head on my shoulder, her hair draped down my back.

  I held her close and tight. And at that moment I knew I wanted her more than anything. Not simply sexually, but more. I wanted her to be mine, and me to be hers.

  The lie needed to end. I swore to put a stop to it, one way or another.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  GARRETT

  Two weeks later…

  The text from Stan read “all clear.” I nodded and slipped the phone back into my pocket.

  “What’s the word?” Natalie asked from the kitchen, where she was preparing a couple cups of coffee for us.

  “He says it’s ready.”

  Natalie scooted over to me, the ceramic cups in her hands. She set them down on the coffee table before quickly turning her eager eyes to me.

  “All ready?” she asked. “As in totally secure?”

  “As secure as we’re going to get that place,” I said.

  Natalie had been staying with me for the last couple of weeks. After deciding she needed to be back at her place, she asked me what it would take to make her apartment secure enough for us to go back there. I told her time and money, the same two things that you needed to get anything done. She signed off and Stan hired a crew to get to work.

  The heat had died down in the meantime. Joey kept tabs on us, of course. When I told him what was going on, he said he’d make sure to let me know before he sent any of his boys to give Natalie a scare.

  And as far as the NYPD investigation, it was slow going. We’d met with Walker and Simon a couple more times, and the wheels of bureaucracy were slowly but surely turning. I kept feeding Joey information, but at my own pace. I wanted to keep him at arm’s length until Natalie’s place was secure.

  Now that it was, I knew it was time to tell Stan that I’d made a decision—our work with Joey was officially over. It wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but it was one that had been a long time coming.

  “So, we can go back today?” she asked.

  “We can go back now,” I told her.

  She was off the couch and back into the bedroom before I could get out another word. Ten minutes later she came into the living room toting her big suitcase.

  “Might not be able to take this on your bike,” she said.

  “Kate’s going to drive us,” I said, picking up my phone and firing off a text to her.

  Then I pulled up Stan’s number and opened the text screen. My fingers hovered over the keys for several long moments as I searched for the words.

  “Meeting after we get Natalie in the apartment. Just you and me.”

  I shoved my phone into my pocket. Whatever Stan’s response was, I didn’t need to hear it. I was the man in charge, and what I said went. I knew that he still had his misgivings about turning our backs on Joey, but he was a loyal solider—he’d come around.

  Natalie gathered a few more things as we waited for Kate. Soon the text came that she was out front, and I helped Natalie carry her things out.

  “Your apartment’s great,” she said. “And no offense, but I’d be happy if I never stepped foot in this place again.”

  “That mean movie nights are at your pad from now on?” I asked.

  “If the place is locked up tight, then you bet they are,” she said with a smile.

  I grinned as I hoisted her bags and brought them to the elevator. Soon we were down on the street level, Kate waiting for us outside of her sleek silver car.

  “All clear, boss?” she asked.

  “As clear as it can be,” I said.

  She opened the door for Natalie, who quickly climbed into the backseat. Once we’d loaded the bags into the trunk, I turned to Kate.

  “Hey,” I said. “Stay alert for any sudden change in orders.”

  She flashed me a curious look. Kate didn’t know about the Joey situation, which was how I wanted it, but I had a feeling down in my gut that things were going to get dicey. I wanted to make sure she was ready.

  “Something up, boss?” she asked.

  “Not at the moment,” I said. “But like I said, stay frosty.”

  I could tell by her expression that I hadn’t satisfied her curiosity. But it was all I could give her now.

  We climbed into the car and were off. A quick drive into the city later, and we were back at Natalie’s apartment. Kate helped me out with the bags before taking off.

  Stan awaited us in the lobby, his usual hard expression on his face. I could tell that the text I’d sent him about the meeting was on his mind.

  “You guys ready to check the place out?” he asked.

  “I’ve been ready since I made the call to do it,” said Natalie, clearly excited.

  “Then let’s get to it,” said Stan.

  Moments later we were in front of the new door to Natalie’s place.

  “Damn,” said Natalie, stepping up to the thick steel door and looking it up and down.

  “That’s three inches of solid steel bolted onto a frame that’s just as tough,” he said. “Unless someone’s bringing C-4 to the party, there’s no way they’re getting in.”

  He gestured to a soft-blue-colored sensor.

  “Thermal palm scanner,” he said. “Just for some added security. And, of course, keycard entry. We’ll get you set up in the system a little later.”

  He pressed his palm on the scanner, and the lock in the door opened up, whirring like a bank vault entrance.

  “So far, so good,” she said.

  We stepped into the apartment.

  “Looks about the same,” she said.

  “That’s the idea,” said Stan. “All the security measures have been either built into the walls or integrated into your smart-home software. If anyone gets through that door, which they won’t, the sensors will detect movement and lock down the living room.”

  He pointed to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

  “Those are bulletproof now, naturally,” he said. “Nothing short of a cruise missile’s going to get through them. And come with me.”

  He led the two of us over to the panel next to the balcony entrance. Stan placed his hand on the reader, causing a clear barrier to pop up from behind the balcony railing.

  “Those are the same barriers you see around the president when he’s giving a speech. Bulletproof. And if you’re inside…”

  He pressed a button on the screen, and hidden motors started up. Steel sheets came down from compartments above the windows, covering each one of them. Darkness enveloped the apartment, the lights inside coming on within seconds.

  “Wow,” said Natalie, clearly impressed. “This is great.”

  “This place is a fort,” Stan said. “If the storm of the century happens to hit the city, I know where I’d want to be.”

  “Anything else?” Natalie asked.

  “A few odds and ends,” said Stan. “There’s an information packet on the kitchen counter—should have all the details laid out for you.”

  “Perfect,” said Natalie as she hurried over to the counter and picked up the thick packet waiting for her.

  “Why don’t you take some time to give the place a spin,” I said. “I’ve got some things to talk over with Stan.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Natalie, her face buried in the documents.

  I nodded to the door, and Stan followed me out. I didn’t feel too worried leaving Natalie by herself—I knew the kind of work the team we’d picked out could do, and Natalie was about as safe as she could be.

  After a silent trip down to the street level, I led Stan into a nearby bar.

  “What’s the word?” he asked as we sat at the bar, a beer in front of him and a glass of whiskey in my hand.

  I wasn’t sure how to begin, so I went right into it. “That conversation we had a couple of weeks back…” I said.

  Stan raised his bushy eyebrows. “You mean that fucking stupid one about turning our backs on Joey?” he asked.

  “That one,” I said. “I’ve done some thinking. And it’s the move
we’re going to make.”

  Stan took a slow sip of his beer, his eyes locked onto me as though I was going to crack a smile, slap him on the shoulder, and tell him that I was just fucking with him.

  “Wait a minute,” he said as he set down his drink. “You haven’t brought this up in weeks. I figured you’d get over it, come to your senses, but you’re serious?”

  “I’m serious,” I said. “I’m going to let him know this bullshit is over with.”

  “You want to tell me the fuck why? The sex is that fucking good?” asked Stan.

  He wasn’t happy. That much was clear.

  “Because I’m tired of this shit,” I said, leaning in to speak. “I’m tired of being in the middle of a conflict and playing both sides. I’m tired of lying to this woman’s face every time I talk to her. This kind of shit isn’t why I got into this business. And I’m fucking done with it.”

  Stan sat back, taking in my words. Finally, he spoke.

  “There’s another option, you know,” he said.

  I knew what he had in mind, and I didn’t want to hear it.

  “We could cut the girl loose, work with Joey. Shit, we’ve got all the information that she’s been dealing to the cops, and I can get into the new security setup we got for her, no problem. Look, I know you think she’s hot, I know you’ve got feelings or whatever, but use your actual brain for a minute. One job pays a lot better. In actual cash. We could meet with him tonight, tell him that we’re ready to pull the trigger on this shit, bring down the hammer on her and the cops she’s working with.”

  I said nothing for a long moment. “You’re serious about this?” I asked.

  “I’m serious as a fucking heart attack, buddy,” he said. “We join up with Joey, put our skills to work for him and, shit, I can’t even imagine what would be in it for us. We’ve already proven capable, and we already know the guy’s got enough money to make what we’ve been earning look like fucking change you find between the couch cushions.”

  “But we’d be crooks,” I said. “Nothing more than hired guns for the scum of the city.”