Dom’s phone vibrates on the nightstand. He untangles his arm from me and reaches over to look at the screen. The name Billy flashes green. Dom grunts as he rolls away from me, getting out of bed and walking out of the room with the phone to his ear.
Without the warmth of his body, I’m left cold and pull the duvet and the patchwork blanket around my neck. I find it odd that he doesn’t speak or say hello, like you would any normal conversation.
I train my ears to listen in, but Dom’s voice quietens the further down the hall he gets.
“He didn’t have it,” he snaps, then a long pause. “Safe.”
Is he talking about me? Am I safe? With Malcolm still on the hunt, I doubt I’ll ever be safe. I just wish I knew what he wanted. Me? Or my silence? The fact that I fled should be enough to tell him I wouldn’t go to the police.
My throat closes up. The police. The Crimewatch CCTV tape. If it’s not Malcolm on my case, it’s the coppers, wanting information. I can’t testify, I just can’t. I won’t go into witness protection, and I won’t spend my life in fear of the guys I put away coming for me. It seems whatever I do, I can’t escape. Even in the safety of Dom’s protection, I’m not free to do as I please.
Dom appears in the bedroom's doorway, still naked. A smile curves my lips as I take in the sight of his inked frame. Not hugely muscular, but he’s tall and long. My eyes drift downwards. So long and thick, even when he’s not erect, it’s impressive.
He must notice my gaze drop and my mouth part because he groans, but it’s a groan of annoyance. “You have no idea how much I want to spend the day in bed with you, Red, but I gotta go out for a while.”
I sit up, holding the patchwork quilt against my breasts. “Now? It’s a Sunday.”
He sits on the bed to peck my nose. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, then I can teach you self defence.”
He walks back into the hall, and I hear the spray of the shower. I contemplate going back to sleep, but I’m up now. I could shower with him. The pitter-patter of the shower stops. Too late, he really is in a rush.
When he returns to the bedroom with a towel in his hands, drying his hair, I’m sat up in the middle of the bed, the duvet tucked under my arms. “Who’s Billy?”
His head snaps to mine. “Where’d you hear that name?”
“I saw it on the phone. What could be so important that he’s taking my man away from me on a lazy Sunday morning?” I pout, giving him my best fuck me eyes.
He chuckles as he pulls a t-shirt over his head. “I’m your man now, eh?”
I chew on the side of my mouth, not even realising that I said that. “I meant my lapdog, Hound. My sex slave.”
“There’s only one sex slave here, little fox.” He tackles me on the bed with a chuckle, grappling for my wrists as I squirm beneath him. Once he has me pinned to the bed, holding my wrists above my head, he kisses my mouth. No, kiss isn’t the right word. This is an invasion. With rough strokes of his tongue, he pillages my mouth, taking every unspoken word for his pleasure.
He breaks the kiss, coming up for air, both of us breathing heavily into each other’s mouths. “Say it again. I want to hear you say it.”
“Say what? You’re my sex slave?” I giggle out the words.
He releases my wrists, but with his weight pressing down on me, I still can’t move. With the most delicate of touches, he sweeps the hair from my face. “You know what I want to hear, baby.”
When he looks at me like I’m his entire world, I can’t deny him anything. “You’re my man.”
He presses a tender kiss against my lips. “Say it again.”
I run my fingers through his damp hair. “You’re my man, Dom. Now tell Billy to piss off and fuck me.”
A dopey grin spans his face. “Patience, Red.” He nuzzles my neck, inhaling my scent. “Just think how much better it will be after waiting.”
I slant my eyes at him. “I’m sure you can manage a quickie before you go.”
“Not with you. It’s never a quickie with you. I need to savour every moment and tend to your needs properly. I’ll make it up to you later.” He lifts from the bed but not before pressing his lips to my nose, then walks out of the room. I hear the keypad for the alarm system and the front door open and close. He never did answer my question as to who this Billy geezer is.
* * *
After showering and dressing,I tidy up the place. There’s not much mess, but I hoover anyway and give the place a dust. It keeps me busy and takes my mind off everything while I listen to more of his parent’s old records.
I pick up my clothes from the bedroom floor, and place them in a laundry basket I found in the washroom. After emptying the hamper in the bathroom and the one in the bedroom, I carry the basket downstairs to put a load on.
Singing away to Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’, I lift each garment from the basket, mindlessly tossing them in the washing machine one by one. My ass shakes each time I bend down to retrieve another garment.
